Day One - At the Table

Here we are.  For some reason, my phone will not let me post pictures on the blog, so I will add my pictures at some point in the future.

First hand: Q3 off suit.  Easy fold.  Watching Rudijanto play aggressively, before folding on a flush 

Second hand: 29 off in the big blind.  I flop two pair, but the board is all diamonds.  When the river adds a fourth diamond, I am done.

Third hand: J3 off.  Jack on the flop.  I bet 200 and get one caller.  Next card is a blank, so I bet 400 and the guy goes away.  I am now 100 up in the tournament!

First impressions: Rudijanto is absolutely tiny, a small bald Asian man.  The guy to his left, Gary Groff, is wearing a hat that says “Kiss My Bass” and is already showing a little recklessness.  Michelle Belanger is a hatchet-faced woman wearing a black and yellow hat that says “ICE immigration” and a shirt that seems to say “Hello Masks My Old Friend.”  Not sure what that’s about.  The next guy, Anthony Murray, is wearing a straw hat and a windbreaker and is playing solidly so far, making appropriate preflop raises.  Raymond Padgett has sat down just now and is Generic Old Guy.  Finally, Bobby Fultz is to my left and is playing a lot of hands, no success yet.

I am folding, folding, folding.  Not much to play so far.  Best hands have been A4c and A9 off.  I played the first ace hand because I was in the small blind, folded the other ace hand.  Just waiting for something to play.

A9d under the gun. I raise to 300 and get four callers.  The flop is 347 rainbow.  Hoping that had not hit anyone, I bet 700 and I get three callers.  Weird.  The turn is a 5.  We all check around to the button who bets 1800.  No one call call this obvious position bet, and Murray takes down a big pot.

Big hand that I am not involved in - two players in for 2900 preflop.  Check the jack high rainbow flop.  On the turn, Murray thinks he’s good and tries his position bet again for 1600.  Fultz raises to 3500 and Murray runs away.  Fultz shows QQ.

Next hand, I limp in with 22.  It does not improve and the big blind wins with a set of 333.

A few hands later, AQ offsuit and I raise again to 300 and get another four callers.  What is going on?  I fold after a nothing flop - good thing, the guy to my right flopped a straight.  I’m now down 2000 from my original 20,000.

QJ offsuit.  Belanger raises to 300 and gets me and another guy to call.  Flop has a jack and two spades.  Fultz and I check, Belanger raises to 700.  Fultz folds, I call.  The turn is a non-spade 2, and I check to Belanger, who bets 1000.  I call again, thinking that I am probably ahead and she is scared of the third spade coming, so I will be good with a Q, J, or any spade I can represent as making my flush.  The river is a Q, giving me top two pair and I snap bet 3000, trying to look like a bluff, probably too much, and she folds.

Next hand: KK.  I raise to 300 from one after the UTG, and I get my usual four callers.  The flop is a bunch of small cards, so I bet 1500 and Murray comes along.  The turn is a K.  Murray checks and I check back.  The river completes a possible straight, but I am not worried about this - Murray is an aggressive player and will make a run at me after my turn check.  And sure enough, he bets 3000.  I stew for a few seconds and then raise to 8000.  Murray doesn’t think long - probably had two pair - and calls.  He is surprised and gracious when I show the KK.

A couple of hands later, I get AA and raise to 600 from the 200 big blind.  One caller and the flop has an A.  I could check, but my preflop raise told him I have at least one A, so this will check down to the river unless he hits a draw, so I bet 800 and take the pot down.  Belanger asks me if it’s hard to sit comfortably with a horseshoe up my ass.  Classy.

AKclubs next and I have to fold to a big bet on an all-spade flop.

I also lose some chips chasing an ace-high flush that doesn’t hit.  The winner of that hand is a new player at the table, Marshall Tarzy, who looks a little like Adrien Brody and is wearing a peach t-shirt from the Bethany Surf Shop in Bethany Beach, Delaware.  Surfing in Delaware?  Who knew?

My count at 11:23 is pretty good: 27,700.  

Murray just bounced back against Berlanger, who flopped a flush to Murray’s set of nines. She made a big bet and Murray shoved the rest of his chips.  She called and he paired the board to make a full house.  At this point, we watched a weird poker ritual: the Apology of the Winner.  Murray told Berlanger that he had no choice with his small stack and his set, and Berlanger groused that she had done everything but tattoo her flush on her forehead and he still called as the big underdog.

Later, I catch AK again and win a fairly big pot against Padgett, who was annoyed that my kicker was better than his.  I do not apologize.

Random observation:  Rudijanto has not been aggressive at all and is down to 14,500.  He has been very nice, smiling when I make change for him.  I notice for the first time, glancing at his profile, that he has some random whiskers that are about four inches long all over his face.  Not sure what that’s about.

Fultz has just taken out Tarzy - 99 over 77, which was a bold play.  Fultz had to call an all-in 18,000 bet on the river on a board with two underpairs (5522).  Fultz did not apologize either.  Tarzy left in a huff and Fultz started muttering like Popeye about not letting bullies push him around.  There must be a backstory there, but I’m not asking.

88 in the big blind.  Four players limp in and so I raise to 600.  One folds.  Flop is K106.  I bet 1200 and we lose two, but Goff stays.  I suss out his strategy: if I check, he will bet the pot; if I bet, he will fold.  So I bet 2000 and he folds.  Sometimes this game is easy.

We have added a new player in Tarzy’s seat, Facundo Trigueiro.  This guy is scary: two final tables, 55 cashes, $103K career winnings.  And he has gigantic forearms.  He is wearing a nondescript blue t-shirt and has a man purse hanging off of his left shoulder.  I have no interest in getting into a hand with him.

And on cue, here’s a hand involving him.  I am not in the hand so I can watch him.  He is making his plays quickly and decisively, at least until the river when he seems perplexed.  He calls Fultz’s all-in with two pair and loses to a set of aces.  He stares at the table for a few seconds and then decisively leaves.  So long, Facundo!  I barely got to know you!

Break: 32,800.  Good first two hours!