It was a chilly night in Burbank in The Garage Around Back - and 14 calm and collected true gamblers gathered round the felt to throw down in the fixed limit five game brouhaha known as H.O.R.S.E. - Hold-Em, Omaha/8, Razz, Seven Stud and Eight or Better Seven Stud.
Legacy player Josh ran just about as bad as I've ever seen in any variety of poker, failing to drag nary a single pot in all that time and was next to fall. Been there my friend!
And also as always with fixed limit tournaments, there was tons of play until there wasn't. After a good 4 hours plus of play, all of the sudden the bust outs snow-balled, and it was quickly final table time and then the money bubble as well.
It was a smaller group, so we only paid 4. Dan G. was our unfortunate bubble burster in fifth, taking home a big old goose-egg in terms of cash, but holding on to memories of a lifetime that will remain long after all the money has been spent, or something.
Jerry C. was first to cash in 4th place, pocketing $80 for double his buy-in. There was no bounty game in play (seems silly to me in a fixed limit format) but there was a $20 last longer that 5 degenerates had participated in, and two of the three remaining players were eligible for the extra cheddar on top.
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| That's funny, all three look like degenerate gamblers! |
Jason was next to fall, as every pot played at that point that went to 4th street or beyond was large and very consequential. He collected $120 in third place and also all but secured his spot in the TOC come January. He will be unable to join us for our last throw down this year which is on Dec 4, so I bid him a fond farewell for the year. Have a safe and joyous Holiday my friend!
And then there were two...
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| Self-Dealt 5 game MADNESS |
Both Eric and I had already won our seats, so there wasn't much point to making a deal - we played on! Both of us I know appreciated the chance to play each other heads-up, as it's good for our games and stuff.
Eric was ahead early on, but we both knew that any pot that reached the big bet rounds was change the chip lead, and indeed that's what happened. I believe it also swung back the other way at point, before I again pulled ahead.
And then this hand went down...
The game was Omaha/8 and the flop was a very racist KKK. This photo is taken from my perspective, because Eric dealt himself a nasty cooler, unless I had pocket AA (which was pretty clear I didn't as I didn't raise pre-flop) or the case king, he had the effective nuts; which he understandably bet every street, targeting on my end JJ, TT, 99, etc. or even a lone ace for that matter after the turn.
I was finally able to check-raise the river to put Eric all in and that was that! An unavoidable collision in my favor and my very lucky second tournament of the year.
Oh and if you're wondering if I was eligible for the last longer bet than you must have a concussion.
Eric collected $180 for second place and I got $220 plus another hundo in the last longer for $320 total. Poker sure is fun when you run hotter than the sun!
A big thanks to all the brave true playas who understand that there's a LOT more to poker than the same old game over and over. Also, I just absolutely love the social aspect of fixed limit play. There is TONS more room for table talk, as it's very difficult to influence the action - even when chatting about the hand in play! It makes for much more enjoyable experience in a home game setting that's for sure!
Another big thanks to our outstanding dealers - Jason and Eric, who brought energy and attention to their often thankless duties. They also rolled with a format change instituted by yours truly, where we now play H.O.R.S.E. just like the big boys - using 8 dealer-lammers to indicate when it's time to change to the next game, a MUCH better format than relying on 20 minute levels where you get 25 hands of Hold-Em and 8 hands of Omaha. This way all games have equal weight. MUCH MUCH more like it!
Our next and final event for 2021 is in two weeks on December 4th. Apologies to those of you who can't make it, I know there's more than a few, but December in general just SUCKS for scheduling as we are all busy I know!
Hey, that's also a GREAT thing when you think about it! It's so fantastic that this pandemic is finally receding, though admittedly Covid isn't going anywhere - probably forever. But we are back to living again and it's just so awesome.
It really makes the poker that we play, and also the friends and family that we spend time with elsewhere, that much more important and meaningful. I am overwhelmed with gratitudes for you all and your friendship and fellowship - 2021 has been WAY FUCKING BETTER than 2020!
Until the 4th, peace and we out!
