The Poker Tournament V (5) at Showboat on June 20, 2009

I really wanted to play this tournament. I know the week prior I mentioned possibly taking a break from tourney play. Hubby Mike thinks there is too much luck and not enough skill involved to really make it in tourneys, which is why he plays cash, no more tournaments.

He was set to play golf for a kid's bachelor party that day, however, with the rain expected, he decided not to go...which was good b/c they played anyways (in the rain, something Hubby Mike hates to do) and they even got kicked off the course when the best man crashed into other golf carts, trees, etc. So it was good he didn't go.

The night before, we debated on what to do. He didn't want me to play the tourney, saying I've been running bad after I won some $$ in the Ladies event back in Sept. That was my last cash in the tourney circuits. I just really wanted to play. Maybe I needed to get out of Borgata or something, who knows. I told him it was only $250 buy in, so why not? My sister was in the midst of buying a Volvo, and I'm like 'If they can buy a brand new car, we can sure afford a $250 buy in' LOL. So after much debate the night before, I convinced him that instead of sleeping in and going down in the afternoon, we'll wake up early and BOTH play the tourney.

We got up and I wanted to be on the road (Parkway) by 8:30. Didn't happen, we left at 8:30 but had to get gas and he wanted McD's breakfast. He NEVER wants that when we're up early on weekends and I suggest getting it....but when I don't eat b4 tourneys, he decides to get it...figures. So we got on the Parkway a little after 9am. It wasn't too bad, he drove so it took longer then if I had driven. We hit some downpour rain right before our exit so people naturally slam on the brakes and forget how to drive. We finally got to Showboat at around 10:30 and I had to use the facilities big time. We got inside and for some reason, I thought the Ballroom was up the escalator in the lobby....we were so close to the ballroom too (which is just PAST the lobby). We got upstairs and realized we were in the wrong place. I went to the bathroom by the old poker room then we went down the other escalator by the boardwalk side. As we were going down the escalator at about 1045, Hubby Mike saw the line...I didn't at first, then saw it....it went from the HOB area all the way out to the alleyway in the casino....YIKES.

We got in line and more people proceeded to get in line behind us...which was good that we weren't the last ones in line. We waited a good 1.5 hours in line before getting to the cashier. They took 500 ppl and 50 alternates (550). I was alternate 22...wow....cutting it close! We went to the ballroom and we were both seated immediately. It's in this big open ballroom type (very dark). The first half is empty, then the second half had all the tables. It was very cramped and the girl taking me to my seat and I both had a hard time getting in to my table and we're both small girls too. I prayed I didn't have to go pee again b/c there was no way I was able to get up and out. When I sat down, the girl took a few hunge of chips off my stack, which I thought was weird. yes, I was an alternate, but I don't think they should have taken chips off my stack. Since the game is already in play, some ppl have less in chips and others have more then the starting stack, so why should I be at a disadvantage coming in fresh? At Harrahs, I played a tourney and was an alternate, but I started w/ the 10k in starting chips. I benefited b/c I was sitting down to the BB so she didn't take too much off (300) I think, but she said she wouldn't take the rest since I was going to be BB. Hubby Mike had about 700 in chips taken off his stack, AND was also seated to be BB.

I got to see about 3-4 hands before the break. The hand right before the break, I look at pocket nines, and one limper. I raise, SB and BB folds, limper calls. As he does, the lady announces 'Congratulations everyone, you have made it to the first break!' I think "oh boy....this could end ugly' lol. The flop is King 7 8 rainbow. Guy checks to me, I bet out 1000. He quickly calls. 'gulp' I think. Turn is like a four or a two, I don't recall. He checks again, I bet out 2000. He quickly calls. Now I'm thinking 'YAY, I'm gonna be out by the break!' River is a 9. I didn't have any 1000 chips left, so I threw out a grey 5000 chip and announce 3k. The guy was at the other end of the table, he didn't hear me and he was like '5k, I call' and I'm like 'no it was 3k' He's like 'Oh okay'. I was kinda hoping he raised me b/c I put him on ace king and trying to trap me. I flip over my set, and he's like 'Damn it!' and flips over queens. WOW! he called me the entire way with queens w/ a king on the flop. I was then up to about 17.5k in chips on the break.

When we came back from break, he was still fuming and telling the others around him who had left the table for break when the hand was in play still what happened. hey I didn't do anything wrong, I thought...he checked, so I bet....yes I got lucky on the river, but didn't he put me on a king at least? Oh well. Told him I never get lucky like that on the river.

I didn't play too many hands after that...I did win a few uncontested pre flop raises, etc, but nothing too big. Hubby Mike got knocked out after about an hour of play. He was in a hand and had pocket kings and announced raise and threw out a 1000 chip, but nobody heard him. So a lot of low cards came out and ppl hit two pair and showed when he folded his kings face up after a bet and a raise before him. He got kings again and got sucked out on,but hey, it happens. He sat around to watch me play and I got involved in a huge hand with Ace King. A few limpers, and I raised to about 3k preflop (blinds were getting up there). I had about 4 callers. Yikes. All low cards on the flop, 2 diamonds. Check around to me, i bet, they all call. Another diamond on the turn. Guy to my right bets out. hmmmmm, I know I have the ace of diamonds under there, but was the king one too? I know it was red...so I check my cards...it was a heart...dag nab it! He had bet out about 5k. Great...I have 11k left. Ugh ugh ugh. So I have 2 overs and if another diamonds comes out, jackpot for me. So I push all in for another 6 k, he immediately calls. River is a blank and my heart sinks (it happened so quickly that we didn't even flip over our cards yet.) He flips over king queen....two red...but wait, the queen is a heart! I flip over my ace high and win (he thought his king high flush draw was good!). So I took down a HUGE pot with ace high! Wow! So I tell the table that I knew the ace was a diamond and the king was red, but I wasn't sure if it was a diamond (BS, I knew the king was a heart, but I had to justify myself).

We broke up that table and i moved. I ran into some friends along the way, which was nice. The next table I had one guy from my first table who was Mr. Rule guy. He was annoying. He got knocked out pretty early on into that that second table. I was gaining on chips and happy. I had close to 100k when I get dealt pocket kings (YIPPEE!) another woman at the table raised to 30k, I look down at my beautiful kings. I push all in for 93k, so it's another 63k for her to call. She thinks for awhile, counting out the chips, then counting what she would have left over if she calls. She'd have about 10k left in chips if she calls and loses. I know at this point I had her beat right there, so I felt pretty good. She finally calls saying she's pot committed (no she's not) with queen ten suited spades. Ugh, I got such a BAD feeling about this hand. Flop is low cards, 2 spades. You have GOT to be kidding me! Turn is a queen, giving her yet more outs. River is black king. BUT, I had the king of spades, so the king of clubs came out....YIPPEE for me! So all them chips come my way. I then tell her 'Queen ten you called me with?????" She's like 'yea, I was pot committed' 'No you weren't....but queen ten girl? please' She was knocked out the next hand or the hand after that.

There was one guy at my table who was new to tournaments, but kept getting lucky as anything. He took out mm with ace 6 off....mm went all in w/ queens and he called with ace six....saying he didn't know how mm played and put him on king queen when he shoved. Okay, he contradicted himself...if you don't know how he plays, how can you put him on any hand? duh. He was out a few hands later....good riddance.

Soon after, we were in the money. We started with 550 ppl and we were in the money very quickly. This type of tournament would last two days at Borgata. The blinds went up quickly here. At my last break, I had just over 200k in chips. I went to the remaining tables to check around and it looked like I could be the chipleader...if anything, maybe 3rd or so. So I went on break happy as a bee. I think it got to my head b/c I was out before the next break The blinds were getting high, as were the antes. I figured I could sit back for awhile, which was wrong. I wasn't getting dealt anything and every hand was an all in fest, so I had to sit back and take a backseat. I was in the BB when the blinds were 20-40k and i had another 20k after my BB. One guy limped, SB went all in as well (he had more chips then me) and I threw out my last 20k without even looking. Limper had 10 4 suited and I forgot what the other guy hand...I had king 10, so I went in w/ the best hand....limper won with trip 4s, so he knocked two of us out. I came in 22nd, which was a coincidence as I was the 22nd alternate. I got 587.36 for my efforts.

All in all, I enjoyed this tourney. The only hand I lost the entire day was that last one, which knocked me out of the tourney. I really felt it was my day to take this one day, and I tasted the 33k first prize. But to no avail, it didn't happen, but I enjoyed every minute of it, and can't wait for the next one!