As usual, the room was a LOT louder, even with only 16 players - because everyone had a million questions during play. "What's the bring in?" "What IS a bring-in?" "Who came up with the idiotic name 'Razz'?" etc. etc.
Eventually things settled down a bit as we got into the groove. For the first time we correctly froze the button during the stud games, so the blinds in Hold-Em and Omaha stayed correct. It only took us 7 years to get it right.
Mike P. was first out this time, through no real fault of his own as the poker Gods, who are especially influential in fixed limit, saw fit to have his best hand turn second best on the river more than a few times.
The bust-outs trickled slowly until about 10:30 pm when they finally picked up as the bet sizes increased dramatically. We final tabled at just before 11, and by 11:30 we had our DVD bubble, the lovely Marissa, who passed on a prize, seeing that she and her husband, the good Dr. David, had already donated a large portion of the DVD collection in the first place.
Shortly thereafter Tom S. became the buy-in return bubble, and took his $40 back.
With four players left, and all of us sitting on ten big bets at most at any one time, I figured the tournament would be over in short order.
Boy was I ever wrong.
All four of us, Mike K., Allen Q., Josh F. and myself played for ANOTHER HOUR AND A HALF!
All four of us were chip leader at one time or another. I started out with the biggest stack, then Josh had it, then Allen took a turn.
It got to be ridiculous. Chips flew back and forth several times, yet whoever found himself super low inevitably found a way to triple up with the other two checking down a dry side pot, or sometimes even betting into it!
I'm not kidding when I say it was almost one in the morning when the following hand occurred.
I was UTG, I had AK, I raised. Mike K. on the button flat called. Allen Q. in the small blind three bet, Josh then promptly four bet!
This essentially put everyone, except me (I just happened to be the big stack at this point again) ALL IN PRE-FLOP! The bet levels were enormous, and no one was able to go deep in a hand without committing, FOR THE LAST HOUR! Yet somehow it took this long to get all the chips in the middle pre-flop.
As I said, I had AK. Mike K. turned up his 9's, Allen Q. had queens, and Josh, who had been card dead for quite awhile, had AJ.
I didn't like his cards - but manna from heaven, an Ace came right in the window on the flop!
Allen Q. groaned, he had been a 53% favorite before the flop.
I stood to knock out all three players and take it down!
Until...
A nine binked on the river.
End result? Josh out in fourth - $80. Allen Q. out in third - $100.
Mike K. and myself almost tied in chips - I dragged a healthy side pot to almost make my money back.
Now it was heads up.
And it was over in one hand.
I flopped middle pair and bet. Mike three bet. I called.
I turned two pair, and wasn't folding for anything. All the chippies went in and when the dust settled Mike K. had a higher 2 pair that he had flopped.
So I got $180, he got $240 and this....
That's right, a unique and highly collectable special trophy for what is likely to be our only non-NLHE event of the year.
Why only one a year? Simple numbers kids - people moan and groan that all we ever play is Hold-Em, but when the rubber meets the road and I actually do get it together enough to put one of these things on, all of a sudden the regulars disappear, the biggest complainers can't make it, yadda yadda, yadda.
Don't worry, I love it enough, and I've had enough good results (cashing in H.O.R.S.E. 3 out of the last 4 years) that we will do it again. October seems like a good enough time as any.
Up next, the year is wrapping up fast! Somehow I'm hoping to squeeze in three more tournaments before 2012 - the first of these will be in 3 weeks; Saturday, November 5th at 7pm.
See you there!
