Let me break for a moment but putting my picks in for today before the games get all going.
I like Dallas -3 over SF - Dallas has a lot of firepower and SF has Alex Smith. Nuff said.
San Diego +6.5 over New England. New England should win but last week, SD played a game they would have normally lost and managed to pull it out. They look different this year. They have the offense to stay with NE. NE has a defense that can give up points. Might want to look at the over as well, but 53.5 is high for the NFL.
Chicago +5 over New Orleans. I'm not sold on NO this year, defensively they do not look good. Chicago does look good defensively. I liked this line a lot more at +7 but will take it at 5.
Ok back again.
So we hit the 6pm tourney that my wife and I like so much. It was bigger than usual with about 50 players. Not too bad. PQ got out to a hot start and knocked out 2 or 3 players at her table. I was coooooooooooooooooooold. Could not get much to play with and spent the first 1/2 hour watching my table mates. One guy would push any good hand no matter how bad the flop was for him. One lady was new to tourneys and she would play anything against any raise. If she hit any part of the flop you couldn't get rid of her. This guy pushed AK against her and she called him down and then raised the river when he bricked out. He fold AK face up and she had Q4 and flopped a Q. She hit him up for a good chunk but he got her back when he had AQ and flopped QJ4. She called him all the way with J2. Then I finally get AK myself and raise in middle position to 400. This lady calls from the button and her nemesis then raises to 1K from the big blind. I put him on a good hand but nothing better than what I had and maybe AQ or AJ. Her I had no idea about. Flop is 10-10-8. Guy checks, I check, lady bets 1K. He calls, I'm outta here. She has something, maybe a 10. Guy goes with her all the way to the river and loses another chunk to her when she flips over JJ and he has AK again. He calls a completely blank river and is shocked she actually has something. Dude everytime she bets she has something and you're shocked?? She later gets busted when she gets all in after flopping a pair of Jacks on a QJ2 flop in a raised pot. Unfortunately her opponent had KK and she gave him all her chips. She had J6 and called his preflop raise. I never got a big hand against her so never got to take advantage.
After the first hour I've managed to lose just over 1/3 of my starting chips. I've had no other good hands and the few position raises I've made have been met with numerous calls and no good flops. I've maybe played 4 hands all told and lost over 2K. I get dealt 88 on the button. Mr AK raises to 500 and I debate going over the top of him but figure on waiting to see the flop as I'm pretty sure he has 2 big cards and will call me preflop. So I'm the only caller. Flop is 10 high, no help to me but I don't think it helped him either. He bets 1K and I put in my last 3200. He thinks for a minute and I know he has nothing. Then he calls and flips up......AK. Man loves his AK. Turn and river did not help him and I double up. He is down to 600 after that.
Next time I'm on the button I get 6-2. 3 people call preflop so I decide to call as well. Normally I dump but Arnold Snyder said you should almost always call here even when you have trash. Arnie is right. Flop is A22. Everyone checks to a guy on my right who bets 300. I call and the others fold. Turn is a 10. Guy checks and I put 600 in. He calls me. River is an 8. He checks again and I think for a minute then put in another 600 like I'm just trying to buy the pot for the same bet. he calls me and is shocked when I flip over the 2. He had a low ace and though he might have kicker problems. He had more than that. This puts me up over 9k and I'm feeling a lot better even though the best I've had is AK once and 88 once. Our table breaks and I get seated between 2 chatty ladies who are both drinking a bit. This table is a bit wild, a lot of raising back and forth so I figure on taking my time to wait on something and establish a table image. I take down a couple of pots with some position play as I still am not getting much and my raises are at least getting some respect. I hit the break at about 12K which is double my stack and am pretty happy at that, especially as my cards have been pretty much crap. PQ is sitting at over 20K and is one of the chip leaders.
Guy in seat 2 is a bit loose and wild and will raise just about any 2 cards. I figured on picking him off but never got the chance. One time I took a shot, and he put me to the test for all my chips. I figured I was ahead with 88 but also figured he had a hand this time as he showed a weak hand last time he raised so even if he had KJ I was at best 50/50. I could afford to lose some chips there so I took the hit and moved on. Chick to my right goes bust when she pushes all in after flopping 2 pair with J6. Too bad for her the guy in seat 2 flopped two pair with A6 and he took her out. Gal to my right is playing tight but as the alcohol hits her she loosens up. I take a couple of pots off her though when she calls my position raises but flops nothing and gives in to my continuation bet. I noticed too late that she loves to play any ace. I get KQ which is the best hand since 88 and raise and she calls. Flop is unfortunately Ace high. I debate checking but put in a continuation bet which she calls. I know she has an ace. Turn is a 10 giving me an inside straight draw and we both check. River is a blank. I'm debating pushing all in and making her decide but I know she has the ace and after this much alcohol, doubt she will lay it down and check again folding to her river bet. She takes out another guy soon after when she gets KK and he pushes all in over her raise with AQ. She got KK 3 times in the next hour or so. I can't get crap. Sometimes poker is not fair.
We get broken to again and are down to 2 tables. I'm sitting 2 seats to the left of PQ now with the drinking gal in between us. She hits another big pot with KK (of course) and people are going bust. PQ has a decent stack but is not doing anything with it but calling a few times. She isn't getting much to play obviously but she has a big enough stack to push people around and has a pretty tight image. I'm getting short now after my last debacle and though I steal a couple of pots, the blinds and antes are getting up there. But I watch my fellow players and have a pretty good read on their play. I get AJ in first position and push all in. Gal just to my left debates calling and I know she has a hand as she is pretty tight. She eventually dumps and I get a walk when everyone else does too. The drinker got moved to another table to even them up. A few hands later I have A9 on the button. Guy in early position raises to 2200 and I don't put him on anything too big, probably 2 face cards or a small-mid pair. Figure I'm ahead or only a little behind so I push all in. He calls the 3K more I put in and he is reluctant so I know he isn't too strong. He flips over QJ and I am ahead but it's a race. Flop has both a Q and a 9 so I'm behind but river is an Ace and I have life again. I manage to take down another pot with the legendary 4-2. PQ is losing chips but gets healthy in a hurry when she gets AA and some guy pushes all in with 33. Good night to him as he doesn't improve and she almost doubles up from it.
I get moved to seat 10 sitting on about 18K. Average stack is about 25K. PQ has over 30K. Drinking gal is over by her with a big stack as is the wild guy from my second table also with a big stack. I figure my luck has to turn soon and I'll start getting some big cards but it never happens. Play starts out pretty tight and I should have jumped in here to steal some pots. I got a few but I could have been more active. Eventually blinds are getting harsh. I raise in mid position with A7. Everyone folds to the big blind who pushes in and has me covered. I have enough chips in there that I figure I have to call hoping he has KQ. He has KK. Everyone gets that hand but me. He flops a king and I get back door straight and flush draws which get better on the turn but I get nothing on the river and am out 8th. PQ hangs in and ends up making the money in 5th. Drinking gal pisses away all her chips and is bubble gal in 6th.
Wrapping it up, I am satisfied. I had no cards, took mostly good shots to chip up. Played a bit too tentative early at the final table when I could have chipped up some. Not happy about that. But otherwise I felt pretty good. PQ was happy to hit the money. It was a semi successful tourney, would have been better if we both made it but still not bad. Next time with a few cards, I'll take the damn thing down. Well enough about me. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. God the Bucs are playing bad football right now. This team will improve in the second half of the year I think but the linemen are so young they are getting beat up on in the trenches right now. No playoffs for them I think, be a good year to hit 9-7. Stay thirsty my friends. I sure am.
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Time to eat some crow. The Bucs/Vikings game just ended. The Buccaneers went into the locker room at halftime down 17-0 and looking like a beaten team. Peterson ran all over them, the Vikes lines were beating the tar out of them, and they just looked BAD. Josh Freeman went into a phone booth outside the dressing room, turned into Superman, and led the team down to a TD on their first possession. Then a gutsy onside kick call gets them the ball back and even though Superman throws a pick in the end zone, the team buckles down, stops the Vikes again, and gets the ball back. A TD is nullified by an illegal shift penalty and they have to settle for a field goal but they dominate the entire second half and score the winning TD with a minute left. Viking fans were VERY unhappy. I heard a lot of cheers for the Bucs up there as well. Surprising. I'll take my crow lightly breaded and broiled with some fava beans and a nice chianti.
2 comments:
Hmmm ... I am beginning to wonder who the best poker player in your family is ... he he.
So am I, or better yet, maybe I know who it is.
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