It’s been awhile…but I been winning ;-)
I want to start off by thanking everyone again for all the support I received while grinding through the Coushatta Main Event last weekend. I really feel like I played well, and played to win. There were some crazy hands throughout the entire tournament. Once we got to 6 handed play, I felt I was one of the better players left. The only player I was concerned about was John “Eric” Honeycutt who was 2 to my left in the 3 seat.
I want to give the Coushatta Staff some kudos also for doing a great job with the Main Event. The structure I felt was perfect…as good as any WSOP structure I have played. Randall…Tom and team did a hell of job with what they had to work with.
OK…I guess I will start off some hands with the craziest hand that happened 6 handed. There was a cell phone rule in play, and I had several hands killed on Day 2 because I was texting on my phone. I also saw several other guys get their hands killed. I was in the 1 seat in the CO with about 17 big blinds and looked down at KK. In the big blind was the chip leader from Houston “Mo”, and he was playing agro to an extreme. I decided a shove might not get me any action, but a small raise might induce a 3 bet from Mo…then I could 4 bet shove and try to double up since I am sure he would call me light after already committing chips. I make my standard raise (a little above a min-raise)…button folds and the small blind immediately folds and as Mo is reaching for his chips…the floor jumps in and “kills” his hand as he was texting when the SB’s cards hit the muck. They killed his hand in muck before he could show, but he was pissed and claimed to have AA there. I still had not showed my hand…but he continued to steam and tell the whole table he had AA. I eventually folded my KK face-up and by his demeanor…me and the whole table did believe he had AA right there. The pay jump from 6th to 5th was about $5k, and the 8 seat went out 2 hands later to get us all to 5 handed. There is just no way we don’t get it all in right there on a super cooler for me…just no way.
There was a hand that got me going after grinding from 20k starting stack up to about 29k. I started the hand with 29k and looked down at A-10o from middle position. I opened for a raise and only got one caller. Flop came out with 3sJhQc and C-bet my gutterball trying to take it down right there…. villain calls. Turn bricks the 5h. I tanked and fired the 2nd barrel at the bluff and the guy tank-calls. I am starting to focus on how much exactly I was going to risk on the 3rd barrel when the Kc appears on the river. I got the straight and just grab some chips quickly and throw them out there…the guys snap shoves, “All In”…and I am stunned. I stare at him for a second and say, “What did you say”…he repeated, “All In”…I was super shocked and that’s when I started to laugh and said, “Man I am not trying to slow roll you here I just need to look at the board one more time as I am sure I have the nuts”…I glance to make sure board not paired/no 3’s to a flush…and I said, “Yup…sorry man…got the nuts”…and sent the guy packing. I kind of felt bad, but everyone agreed that they could tell he took me by surprise and I had the right to at least “double check” everything.
The next hand will show how weird the texture of the table/game can change on you…sometimes even when you make bad decisions.
In another hand with a guy named Joe Delaney from Houston who was in on the 3 way chop for $30k, I was between Joe and the eventual winner Mo (Also from Houston and they were buddies) on Day 2 with Joe on my right. We were in BvB situation and I made a play at the pot and he called me on the flop. The board went 4 to the flush 2h6h8c5h9h…and I had 2 black 7’s in my hand. I called his hand out and knew he was on air…it was so apparent but I could not get the stones up to make the hero call…we jabbered the whole way and he told me he would show …but I told him, “I don’t want to see your hand because I already know you don’t have a heart”…I eventually folded and he showed 2 black cards also and I started to tilt a little.
Well…very next hand later I am in the SB and his agro buddy Mo who had a bunch of chips is in the BB. I am sitting on about 40 bigs or so when I keep shaking my head like I am tilting…talking to Travis behind me…etc. The table folds around to me and I glance down at AA…recklessly grabbed a stack of ships and just threw them out there, “Call” says Mo. Flop comes out Jh7d4c. I grab the same size type stack of chips and throw them in there and Mo snap-shoves….”I cccccccall”. He turns over J3o and I get a big double up in a big spot right there. If I don’t make that fold the previous hand then the “Butterfly Effect” takes us all in another direction
We get to the Final Table and I have seen lots of sick hands happen to people, but one of the worst was when my buddy Jason “Tex” Henderson was at the FT of the Main Event at the IP back in 2006 where Tex has AA is a huge 3 way pot and David Robbins has KK…and a K hits to crush Tex’s tournament. Well…in this final table we were probably 8-9 hands in when one of the big stacks makes a raise. A few players later and Alexander Bylicki from Canada shoves about 15 bbs…around to the player in late position who eventually tank-calls. Everyone is standing now, and back around to original raiser and he snap shoves all-in…back around to the caller who goes back in the tank and is obviously being tortured by his hand.
The LP player basically says, “There is only one hand that you could make that play with right here with both our stacks…playing for $45k”…and goes back in tank…eventually saying, “You can only have AA here…that’s it”. He folds KK face up to everyone’s surprise…re-shover does in fact turn up AA. The kid from Canada shows AQo…Flop comes and in the window is a K. The whole table erupts and the guys is stunned that folded KK.
These are the kinds of things that happen in tournaments. It’s a brutal spot and even though he made the correct play under the circumstances…I hated just the call there. I would have Iso-shoved there to get the original raiser out. I would have been in bad shape with the correct play, but would have ended up with a bunch of chips with the cooler and cracking the AA.
It felt good to get a nice 5 digit payday again. Thanks to the guys that took a piece of me I have the pieces carved out and ready to pay you guys.
I want to say thanks to the entire Coushatta staff for doing a hell of a job with the resources they had. When we ran into issues they addressed them quickly. I talked with Tom Helo a lot about improvements and I truly believe they want what’s best for everyone. That new hotel they have there is a killer as well as the new pool and water park for the kids…that segways into… Tom…if your reading this…Saturday night comped rooms for the Final Tables players has to be on top of the list ;-)
A couple of other things I want to mention. Thanks to Travis Credeur for being there hanging out with me and bouncing hands off of. I truly believe that he was able to calm me down in day 2 when I was semi-tilting being in between those 2 Houston folks. I just met Travis this trip, and hope to see him soon…just a great guy and great hand insight.
I spoke in my last blog about a hand that Aaron Massey played in the National Championship, and how well I thought Aaron was playing overall...Well he took down the Red River Series Main Event for over $600k. I don't know Aaron personally but just know who he is...but still wanted to put some congrats out there.
I also want to thank my loving wife for all the support. I couldn't have done it without her encouragement and belief in me. She’s the one that keeps me going when I get frustrated, and always the force of keeping me focused. I am amazed at where my life was came to with her…and I look forward to many more years of marriage.
We were married today…Sept 29th 2006…The best 6 years of my life...
"I'd would ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything..." Robin Williams as Sean in Good Will Hunting
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