First Tourney of New Year.

I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. I didn't get too drunk last night, only a little buzzed. I brought in the new year drinking some rum and coke. About a week ago I bought a bottle of Bacardi Gold and a 2 liter of Coca-Cola, planning on drinking that night. Instead I watched a movie and fell asleep with it on. At least I didn't have to spring for alcohol for new years.

After posting the other blog I decided I wanted to play some poker. Since I don't have internet at my place yet I was at my parents house. I have these coupons for Sandia that give me $10 to play with, since I gamble there so much. I looked everywhere for them. I only found the ones that start for Jan 7th :(. The good news is that I've played so much at Sandia recently that in Jan I get $25 per week. That adds up to a good buy in of 4/8 or a couple tournaments.

While looking for the coupons I got distracted with a show on TV my dad was watching. It was about Barbecue in the USA. While watching it we realized how hungry we were. My dad rounded up everyone there and we decided to go to Rudy's. On the way there I text messaged Google and got the number for Sandia. (BTW if you don't know how to text Google, you need to learn it will probably make 411 obsolete.) I called Sandia and they didn't have a tourney since it was New Years. I then called Isleta, for some reason I have their poker room phone number saved in my address book. "Yes we do have a tourney at 7, it's $25 and one rebuy." Cool. I texted Mez and asked if he wanted to go. He called back in a few minutes saying he would let me know. I tried to eat fast and get out of there so I could get a seat.

I got to Isleta around 6:30 and signed up for the tourney. "How many on the list?" I asked. "You are number eight." I forgot this is Iselta and we'll be lucky to get two tables. I told Mez they are having the tourney for sure, he responded and told me to buy his seat for him. So I went and got his seat. Good thing I brought $50 with me. I brought exactly enough for one rebuy if I need it. Mez came and told me he didn't have a rebuy, he'd have to go to the ATM, but the tourney was starting so he had no time. This time there were two full tables and there were a few alternates, not bad.

The second hand I was dealt KQo in middle position and I limped in behind UTG+1. The button makes it 300 to go. It would be good to mention that the blinds are 50/100. I of course called for some reason. The flop was garbage and the button made a continuation bet, the small blind went all in. AK vs AJ on a Jack high board, and of course the King hits on the river, lol. The guy didn't even rebuy, oh well. A few hands later I wake up with KQo again in the CO and there are 3 limpers in the pot so I limp as well. Flop is Q J x. The small blind bets 100, some guy in middle position makes it 700. There are two hearts on board and for some reason I put him on a flush draw. He seemed like an internet play because he was making 3.5x big blind raises, and making continuation bets and being pretty aggressive. I go all in with my 1700 chips and it folds back to him and he says "don't got much." and turns over J 7o. Okay so maybe he isn't an internet guy. I have him drawing real slim, so I'm thinking. Turn card is another Jack and I blank the river. Sigh. "Rebuy please."

Very next hand I get AKo. Raised it to 300 when it was folded to me. Button and big blind call. Flop is so nasty, like Q 5 7 rainbow. BB bets out 200, I call as does the button. Turn is a 6, BB checks, I check and button bets out 300. BB calls and of course I fold. River is a King, and I knew I would have won the pot. Guy turns over 7 7 and the other guy mucks. WTF you betting the fop for, a pair of fives? So now I'm steaming.

You don't get much time to maneuver in these tourney, they are uberturbo. Blinds raise every 15 mins, you start with 2000 chips and the blinds start at 50/100. So after 15 mins, which is like 4 hands everyone is pretty much shortstacked. I don't mind being shortstacked, but if it means you need to double up every 5 hands its pretty ridiculous. This is pretty much the reason I have sworn off Isleta, along with the fact they usually only spread one table of 2/4 and 2-6 at any given time. Only other game that runs there is a 2/5NL game. None of which I'm personally interested in. So anyways, I'm in shortstack mode.

I pick up 55 in middle position and push with them. No one calls. The blinds raise right after that hand so they switch the deck and hand shuffle. They hand shuffle every hand for tourneys, probably the only thing I like about Isleta. The very next hand I get the same exact hand, a pair of red fives. "Strange," I thought. If it worked last time, I might as well. Pushed with them. Guy next to me calls with KQo. I lol a little inside until the flop comes out with a Queen in it. I lol inside again when a 5 hits the turn.

From that point I'm still pretty short with the ever increasing blinds. At this point Mez busted out of the tourney, he flopped three 7's and this other guy flopped three King's, ouch. He was at the other table, but he told me about it on the break. From that point on Mez pretty much railed me, except when he lost $20 at blackjack (the devil's game!). I push all-in three hands in a row, AJ, AJ, and AK. No one called anyone of them and I picked up some nice blinds. I showed the AK to let them know I wasn't messing around, lol. At this point I think we have like 4-5 people on our table and the other table busts and ours becomes the final table.

I'm really short at this point. The blinds are up to 300/600 and I'm sitting on like 3,600. No one has played a pot since we started the final table, everyone is scared. I was big blind the second hand and some guy from the button stole for 1,200. The next hand it folds around to me in the small blind. The big blind is Mez's arch-nemesis and has like 2,500 chips, so I push allin. He thinks for a second and folds. (The reason he is Mez's arch-nemesis is because the very first tourney we entered was at Isleta and Mez went heads up with that guy and ended up beating him for first. Since there he always goes for Mez since he plays every Isleta tourney, LOL). The very next hand its folded to him and the big blind, he limps in. Flop is K Q 4. Mez's nemesis goes all-in and the guy who seems to be a regular as well is like "Damn man, I got to call.." and looks at his cards like six times. He finally calls and flips Q4, Mez's nemesis has Q3. LOL again. The same guy knocks someone else out and we are 7 handed.

The floor gave us a 5min break before the blinds went up to 500/1,000. I only have 4,500 at this point. I think I stole the blinds a couple times by going all in with any two face cards when it was folded to me in late position. The blinds go up to 1,000/2,000 and I'm at like 9k since I've been stealing. The next time I was in a hand, the button makes it 7k to go after one person limped. The small blind went all-in for 2k. I had 2k in the pot for my big blind and push the last 7k in when I see that I have AQo. Limper folds and button calls. He has A4 (lol) and small blind has 10 7(lol again). I flop a Queen and I'm sitting good with about six people to go. Four people make the money, especially since I'm easily the best shortstack player at the table.

I went all-in like 4 more times (that doesn't include stealing, thats when I was all-in and someone had me covered and called.) At one point I had 4k when the blinds were 2k/4k and was all in with A10. We were 4 handed at this point so I was already in the money, but I ended up winning the pot with Ace high, haha. Blinds were vicious at that point, so I soon found myself all in with K9s vs AKo. He turned an Ace, so I was out. Made a profit of about $16 after my buy ins and dealer tips. Not much of a score, but it was a nice boost of confidence and a nice way of starting off the new year with a cash.

Until next time,
Nick