Poker
Camp WPF 2002:
Arts & Crafts...er, $340 NLHE Tourney
Sunday
morning is the first event, $340 No Limit
Hold'em. I don't really feel like playing,
I am stuck, I haven't won a seat for the
final event and I just want to go home.
(With credit to Alan Sherman) Hello Muddah,
hello Fadduh, here I am at Camp Grenada.
By this time I already know I won't be
at "poker camp" for three weeks. After
looking at how the supers were structured
I decided to go to MARGE and to work one
of the weeks I was supposed to be off
(they sorta needed me where I work and
since the supers were no bargain, why
not) I drag myself to the tournament area
and sign up early hoping to get a table
that doesn't break early, or that is upstairs
in the overflow area. Table 4 cool. No
wait bummer it will be the 4th table to
break.. 462 starters and a fast table..
A hunter gathering betting almost every
flop, I have 99 with a Q on the flop he
bets - what am I supposed to do, it's
early and the first hand of the tourney,
how am I to know he does this EVERY hand
(not that I would change my strategy in
the first round against a maniac). Another
player moving in with any pair. I was
VERY glad to be at a table that was breaking
soon. A very good player got an early
exit when he bet his aces into Hector,
(the guy moving in with any pair) on a
board of JJX with two diamonds. Hector
of course moves his stack in. Spyros (the
usually very good player) took a long
think and called. Hector indeed had a
jack. Spyros thought he would of slowed
down with a jack and was betting a flush
draw. A lot of the big players were out
early.
My
stack is 3/4 of what I started with and
I get AJ suited my first hand at my new
table and raise. Yes I know not a hand
to even play especially from the one hole,
but this is a huge field and I am getting
chips or I am going home. Get called,
hmm.. A flop that totally misses me and
I think about Marty's comments and being
"weak" .. fine line between fearless and
foolish, but this is a stack that is around
my size so I move in and he folds.. whew..
(Don't try this at your local casino,
pretty sure this is NOT what Marty was
referring too as being weak, this would
fall in the category of STUPID). I sit
back content to be at the starting number
of chips, while those around me are mixing
it up. Moved again and get interesting
hands, AA back to back and not paid off
on either. First time I raise utg and
everyone folds, could it be because I
haven't played a hand in the two hours
I have been there? I showed the hand,
saying too much respect, I did this so
I could later steal by raising anything.
Someone gives me a lesson and I reply
I didn't want action I was happy with
the blinds and ante's and not losing to
a flopped set that got in cheap. (Course,
if I were a big stack instead of a struggling
stack limping and trapping is an option,
but I didn't tell the "teacher" my philosophy,
methinks it best to let him continue to
think of me as weak tight) The next hand,
I am of course, the bb and there is one
early limper. Ace on the flop, I check
he checks - darn. I check the turn and
he checks - double darn. I bet the river
and he folds. I show the hand, mostly
because it was back to back aces, and
for them to see that a check from me is
not necessarily weakness, I might like
to get a free card when I am drawing and
I want them to remember and wonder.
I
get moved again and remain at my next
table for 9 hours. I also have good dealers
in my rotation, life is good. Also of
note, I have never been given so many
lessons in my life. Everyone is talking
about their hand, my hand, how they should
have been played, why they laid it down,
what they had, what I should have done.
I usually like this information to get
a read on people, but it got so bad that
I wished they allowed headphones at the
table. There also seemed to be a fair
amount of first time B & M players, taking
the plunge from online poker.
Made
a horrendous mistake.. gabbing didn't
see or hear a raise.. I said 'raise',
put out chips and was called on a technicality.
My reraise was not double the previous
raise and therefore, I was committed but
only allowed to make a minimum reraise.
The dealer apologized for it not being
clear it was a raise. To which I replied,
not your fault I was gabbing and not paying
attention, the chips were clearly out
there. So now I am in a hand I was trying
to steal, acting like I don't care and
what can I make the raise (not worried
in the least :-) and already "know" that
no matter what comes I am betting the
flop. Too many chips out there, so I make
a plan to compound my error, how smart
am I?? I move in on the flop only to get
called. Something I obviously didn't want
with my piece of cheese... AJ suited....
and flushed it on the river. Better to
be lucky than good some times. (After
making a different, but equally bad error
in the championship event I joked with
Russell that if I every start to play
mistake free poker I will be on the rail
instead of at final tables :-) Some days
the poker gods make it all OK and luck
rides on your shoulder.
Dinner
break and we are not all in the money
yet. I go to dinner with Greg Raymer,
John DeRose and a guy whose name I can't
remember (Dennis?) he plays as bonjovi
on PokerStars. We discuss strategy. At
this point Greg is the chip leader by
a lot... he has almost 1/3 of the chips
in play with 35 players left. "bonjovi"
is short and we lay out betting options
for him. I eat fish, brain food. As we
go back, a moment of sadness sweeps over
me and as we ascend the escalator I say
to Greg "I am going to be devastated if
I don't make the money" He boldly tells
me not to think that way.
When
play starts the rail is building and Matt
Matros is there, so I draft him as my
coach. I decide to play a hand (feel I
can get the player to lay down the hand
by reraising) and I get my chips in while
behind (doesn't he know how to fold!)
but I suck out (what was that about better
to be lucky than good?). I make it to
the money. I am rocking in my chair giving
off tell after tell. John DeRose motions
me to the rail and tells me to calm down
that I am giving off tells. I sweetly
smile, that I am not. Oh, he nods in reply,
carry on. I however stop. Matt now tells
me to focus on the top five spots where
the money is, especially the top three.
Scott Byron and his Mom have joined the
rail. At some point Jeff Calkins is there.
Ward Miles, Steve Daniel, Michele Lancaster,
probably forgetting someone. Also, at
the end someone unknown to me comes up
to me and says "I watched you play for
9 hours, you are a fantastic player" I
thank him, but my thoughts are A) 9 hours
are you a stalker???? and B) while I appreciate
it, I don't know anything about you, so
your opinion of my play really has little
merit.... BUT *nice* to hear anyway, thanks
(smile).
At
one point I accidentally short the bb.
Didn't realize until I go to pay the sb
and the bb has an amount different than
what I just paid and I look confused,
and wonder how I can have a T600 sb when
I just paid an T800 large blind (so much
for paying attention to Patrick's clock)
I realize he is right and he says "I think
you got away with shorting the bb last
hand" in a quiet friendly way, not nasty,
and I replied "I think you are right"
The next words out of my mouth are "FLOOR!".
I explain what happened and want to know
what happens, the hand is over and the
next is being dealt. He inquires if I
am sure. Yes. The winner of that pot is
on my immediate right says "if you have
to play I will split it with you for being
honest." I reply it will be ruled one
way or the other, we can't split it, you
are the rightful owner of those four chips
I just don't know if they can be given
to you. Ruled it has to be paid. Guy down
the table says "Are you sure it was the
last hand and not the one before?" (I
love the bantering at this table :-) I
believe the ruling was based on the spirit
of the game. The funniest part is the
floorman that went to Mike for a ruling
comes back very apologetic that I have
to pay it. Is there anyone that isn't
routing for me!
As
I played I never "dreamed" of first. I
was focused on where I was, and where
I needed to get too, as well as where
everyone else was. It truly was climbing
the mountain one step at a time. Toyed
with Tony Ma... can't outplay him, he
has been moved to my table directly on
my left, I complete my sb (his bb) and
then lean back as the flop comes (to look
BEHIND his sunglasses at his eyes) He
immediately leans back and I say "heh,
how can I see those eyes behind the sun
glasses if you lean back like that!!!???"
(not that I would know what to make of
the read, I just felt like messing with
him, in a friendly way..) Nice guy. He
likes to focus at the table, so I jabber
away at him (smile).
Also
at one point, Matt says "I wanna go watch
the game. You OK with that?" and leaves
me with the no nonsense tone that I best
be at the final table when he returns.
Final table...don't remember the number
of players left, 8, 7 or 6.... Get presto
(55) and I move in utg.. (haven't played
many hands, squeaky clean image with the
table) and am called in a milo second
from my immediate left by a guy name Terry,
rut roh... QQ and he says at least it's
him and not a stack that has me covered...
took my stack to about half... blinded
down, with 1 or 2 hands before I am the
bb.. See QT and Fossilman (Greg Raymer)
on the bb and "KNOW" that I will get called..
don't like it.. but think hey if Robert
Varkonyi can do it at the WSOP, so can
I... and put it all in there (OK not really,
but what am I going to do? blind out?
I don't think so, going down fighting
even though I *know* I won't get a walk)
Greg asks for a count and calls, the bb
folds (surprisingly and perhaps thankfully)...
Hit the Q on the flop... got it all in
again the very next hand (pot now 10K
with blinds and antes) and double plus
again, get garbage on my sb but folded
around to me and I say, "three times the
charm" and move all in on the bb, he reluctantly
folds - but has few precious chips and
really hasn't a choice, says something
like "how did I know you were going to
do that?"... and I have gone from chump
to champ and am Chip leader! Funny how
that can happen in three hands when you
are playing at suicide levels.
Speaking
of Robert Varkonyi when I returned to
Foxwoods two weeks later I was in a super
and got moved next to Rob. I looked at
him and said "don't expect me to be playing
QT" He politely smiles and says "OK"..
I then see he is in a hand and apologize.
He replies that he can play cards and
talk at the same time, sorta like walking
and chewing gum. On the one hand he probably
gets some corny remark like mine often,
on the other hand he is a nice guy, opens
a door for conversation and heh, he did
win two million, nice to be recognized,
I would think. Oh yeah (this is true)
the board had a QT and so does Mr. Varkonyi
and he takes the pot. I later met his
wife Olga. She is a gem. She played three
single satellites in a row and won all
three of them. They joked that she is
now his backer {she wins the sat's he
plays the tourney's}. Glad I said something
corny and opened a conversation, they
are truly a delight to hang around with.
OK,
back to the final table. I forgot to oil
the gear box and can't get the gears shifted...
(not used to having chips) solid player
(in retrospect) Howie Tolman, local pro
raises a hand which has only a bb (previous
bb that would of been sb busted) making
it 25K (on a bb of 6K and 1K ante per
person, we are now five handed) and I
autopilot in with AK of spades (or maybe
I hesitated slightly).. he immediately
calls with what else QQ (that hand came
a lot, and NEVER lost) flop is K (yes!)
T Q (yikes!).... no jack no third flush
card and I have 8K in chips left. Since
I had AK I thought it unlikely that he
had AA or KK and would fold to an all
in. He didn't realize I covered him, heh,
why wasn't he paying attention to my awesome
comeback!! Though that might have factored
in to why he called me remembering me
moving in with presto (and the Q's calling).
This time on Fossilman's blind I move
in with A3 of diamonds and he calls with
Q4 (I think) and flushes it on the river.
And my time at the final table is now
over.
I
talked to the guys on the rail and Scott
Byron who is always polite and never gives
advice unless you ask, says "That was
one way to play the hand" (referring to
my brilliant presto move :-) He would
be more inclined to fold to Howie on that
AK vs QQ hand. Talked about the hand with
Russell via email later and he laid out
why is was correct to move in, including
"If the hands were reversed would you
have folded QQ, if he moved in?" I never
expected Howie to call. We were the two
chips leaders and he is now huge. I have
cashed for 7K and accumulated 33 BAAP
points. I go to look for Marty Stilling
to thank him for thinking me weak (smile).
Jeff Calkins and I go upstairs and find
Marty's chips at the table but no Marty.
I was stuck $1,500 going into this event.
I almost didn't play. I beat 457 other
players, feels good. I don't beat myself
up anymore about mistakes I make. And
quite honestly patience got me as far
as it did, but luck in the right moments
got me the money. I am a lucky player.
A powerful winning force surrounds me"
(Mike Caro ™) .
Next:
Leaving Camp and Returning
Read:
Introduction
to Camp
, Opening
Day
, Arts
& Crafts... er, $340 NLHE Tourney
, Leaving
Camp and Returning
, The
Championship Event Day One
, The
Championship Event Day Two
Joan Hadley
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