"Don't Get Broke"
We really are heading out to Vegas in the morning, really, we are. But all along, Sunday was supposed to be driving day, so here we are in a beyond sparse house, killing time.
Yesterday, though, was a bit surreal. The day started at @ 5am with us getting up and finally finishing up the packing before the fellas came over to help w/ loading the truck. They got here @ 10am and we went to work. 4 hours later, all of our material possessions were loaded (read: crammed...think tetris) into a space 8'x9'x8' in the tractor trailer. Well, everything that we were taking anyway. The few items that we were not taking (old computer chair, old computer desk, etc.) we put up along the fence facing the street and put a sign saying "$10/ea or $50 for all" and about 15 mins later, someone actually came up and wrote out a check for $50. We were just trying to unload it and expected people to just come take the shit. Lo and behold, someone paid us for it. Niiiiiice. I suppose we could have made an extra $50 here or there on the crap by listing in the paper or craigslist (really? in Amarillo?), but meh, the time involved simply wasn't worth it.
So fast forward a couple of hours. The moving company came and got their truck to start moving it on to Vegas and I had spent @ 1.5 hours at AT&T getting our new fancy Las Vegas phone numbers. I came home and Amanda was wiped out. We had plans with Adam and Adrian to have drinks and shoot a lil pool after they got off work at midnight, but if she was going to make it, she needed some sleep. After taking a long Hollywood shower, I felt refreshed and while a bit worn down myself, wasn't wanting to take a nap. A few hours earlier, I had gotten a text for one of the local underground poker games here in Amarillo...they were promoting a guaranteed $1,000 for 1st place tourney that started at 730pm. Hmmmm. Well, shit...Amanda wants to chill/read/sleep, so why not one last stop here in town before we head out?
So I head over to the new location and there are some of the same old faces there along with some that I didn't recognize. I should interject here that over the course of the last 3 1/2 years, this is one of the 3 local underground games that I frequented. It was the first one that I'd found out about (3 days after getting into town) and over time, I really started to dislike a lot of the people there. There were exceptions, of course, but not too many. I guess my 'beef' was that I was always kinda the outsider and when I went there, I was there to play poker. Most felt that poker was there, but that it was social hour. I am one of the more gregarious people you'll ever encounter at a poker table, but I don't let that affect the speed of the game. So yeah, not everyone there liked me and I didn't like most of them. I will say though, that I liked the way the guys ran the room. I never was concerned about safety/security and I think that's #1 when in an underground room.
Anyway, I had gotten there about 720pm and the tourney was supposed to start at 730pm. I saw they had one $2/$5NL 6-handed game going and after watching just a couple of hands, I was chomping at the bit to sit. I understand that I come from an online 6max background, so therefore more aggressive than most live players, but man, this was sick soft. I asked to get a seat but they said the table was going to break shortly for the tourney, so I didn't sit. 40 mins later, the cash game was still going and we still had not started the tourney, but c'est la vie. I was there to relax and kill some time until I met up with the fellas at midnight. David, whose room it was, came up and said 'hi'. He's a good guy and easy going and always welcomed me to the room, although it'd been nearly a year since I'd last stopped in.
So finally, at @ 8:10, we got the tourney started. It's not the greatest structure, but small buy-in tourneys never are and that's just fine w/ me, as we all know that going in. It was a $60 buy-in w/ a single $40 rebuy if you bust w/i the first 4 (15 min) levels, at which point, there is an optional $20 add-on. So most are in for $120. We had 24 or 25 runners and we were off. I had drawn Table 1, seat 8. We started w/ T1500 and blinds 25/25.
About 5 mins after the tourney started, David got a phone call and Slim was on his way and wanted to know if he could still get in. He was told that he could, but he'd be blinded off til he got here. For those that don't know, Slim is THE "Amarillo" Slim Preston. World Series of Poker World Champion in 1972 and he holds 3 other bracelets as well. I have played with Slim on a few other occassions here in town, but I thought it was appropo that he'd be playing my final night here in Amarillo. Every time I've seen him, he's worn his WSOP Championship bracelet and I always thought it was pretty damn cool. He was seated two to my right and he arrived @ the beginning of the 2nd level.
The only interesting hand for me early on is when I called an EP raise (T100) w/ 86h on the button. Another player called from the BB and we're 3 to the flop. The flop came down Q84 all clubs. It checked around. The turn was an off-suit 6. The BB checked, the original PFR bet out T250 and I raised it to T675. The BB then wakes up and shoves his remaining T800 into the pot. The original raiser mucked and I was forced to call, knowing I'm probably drawing to 4 outs. I brick and he tables his A7c for the flopped nuts. That crippled me and I got it in A4o vs ATo and was honored to be the first "REBUY" you heard in the room. *snicker*
The very next hand, I got it all in after I'd 3b the same fella from the last hand and we got it all in preflop. My AKs vs his AJo and now we're in business. Around that time, Lucia (David's wife and she was running the tourney since he was playing) announced that whomever knocked out Slim would get an autographed copy of his book. Cool. Now, like I said, I've played with Slim on occassion in the past and, true to form, this man can hold his own vs the best of them when it comes to shit talking. I mean, the guy has a one-liner for everything and he's just hysterical. But, when you stop and think about it, this guy has seen it all in his long life as a road gambler back w/ Sailor Roberts and Doyle Brunson. The guy is just a riot to listen to. And quite a solid player too. I mean, obviously, he was, back-in-the-day, but he still is now. Let's just say I'm damn happy he was on my right.
So about 20 mins later, Slim rebuys and we only have had about 2 people bust out. After the 4th level, we're down to about 18 people left in the tourney and I have realized that while there are about 3 others at my table other than Slim and myself who even have a clue, that the only real players that I have to be concerned about are both directly to my right. Slim and what I have to assume is a 2p2'er.
During the 5th level, I was sitting on about T6000 in chips when I raised to T750 w/ AKo in late position (blinds 150/300) and was only called by the SB (same fella from the above two hands). I had him covered as after calling the raise, he had about T1600 left. The flop came down 852 w/ two spades. I held the As. I was watching him watch the flop and he stared at it for a bit before betting out T900. I had been watching this guy play for an hour now and had seen that he was pretty weak/tight and while watching him stare at the flop, I really felt he was weak, so since he only had T700 left, I raised and he thought about it and called. He tabled Q7o and I faded his 6 outs and busted him out. Soon thereafter, Slim raised in MP to T1200 and I 3b him from the CO to T3400 and he instafolded. At this point, he was getting short. He only had about 6BB left and he shoved it in UTG. I looked down and saw 99 and called. The rest of the table folded and he tabled his QJo and I did so w/ my 99. I flopped a 9 and that's all she wrote. Granted it was just a little $100 tourney, but it was pretty cool busting out a former World Champion. While I don't target or play scared when I play with 'name' players (I got 2004 World Champion to sit for 2 hours and play in our $2/$5NL game at the Rio last summer during the WSOP), I still think it's pretty cool to match up vs them...even if it's baby-stakes.
So from there on, I seemed to win all my flips and make good reads all the way to the final table. Top 4 places paid and I came in as chip leader. But to be honest, the blinds were escalating so fast and so high at this point, that it came down to catching cards. The final table started w/ blinds at 500/1000 for about 2 mins, then jumped to 1000/2000 and as you can tell, it wasn't going to last too long. The first hand, I was UTG w/ AJo and I raise it up to T2700. UTG+1 thinks for about 10 seconds then pushes in his remaining T1700 chips. It folds around, I take my T1000 extra back and I see that I'm up against 88. I flop a J and he doesn't improve. From there, I busted all but 1 of the first 5 players at the final table to widen my chip lead. The only notable hand during that sequence was when it got down to 5 handed. Blinds 1000/2000 and it's folded to me on the button when I look down at AKs. I have both of the blinds covered, but they still have enough chips that it would take a big chunk out of my stack if we got all in. I raised it to T4500 and the BB is the only one who called. The flop came down J64 rainbow. The BB thought for a little bit and shoved in his remaining T5500 chips. I'm not sure if I made the right call here or not, but getting almost 3:1, I called and he tables Q8o for no pair, no draw. My AKo was ahead until the turn which brings a Q and things look bleak, until the river is a beautiful Ts to give me runner-runner broadway. I guess suck/re-suck is fair :) The gentleman took it well as he said, "Well, you deserved it...you were ahead when the money went in", so that was nice that he wasn't bitter.
So now we're in the money and it pays out as follows: 1st- $1060, 2nd $540, 3rd $260, 4th $140. The guy who had been on my direct right (between Slim and myself at Table 1) also was on my direct right at the final table. He was still alive and doing well too, when we hit the money. He quickly busted out the 4th place finisher w/ KK and now we're 3 handed. The guy to my right and I had about 85% of the chips in play and it didn't take long to get heads-up w/ him. I was in the SB w/ AKo when the button folded and the blinds at T1500/T3000. I was about to raise when the BB says, "I'm all in for T7000 more". I politely point out that I haven't acted yet and he apologizes and I sheepishly just complete my SB and he shoves, as he noted. I snap call and it's a race: 33 vs AKo. Flop KQ4 and he starts chanting, "3, 3, 3" and the turns a 2 as is the river and we're heads up. We were close in chip counts and he asks if I want to chop $800 each. I tell him that we can if he wants (remember, he's a solid player as well and I do not fancy myself as too good of a heads-up player), but why not chop $700 each and play for the last $200 so that one of us can "win". He likes that idea better and we're off. At this point, Lucia comes over w/ a 2nd deck of cards and shuffles for us so we don't spend all our time shuffling the cards, which helps since the blinds are getting ridiculously high, but we still have about 12 BB's each, so it is what it is. We go back and forth and heads-up lasts about 25 hands, which was surprisingly long...both of us trying to win. The final hand has me w/ Q8s on the button and I complete and he checks his option. Flop comes out 754r. We both check. The turn is 9s giving me a gutshot straight draw, a flush draw and an over. He checks and I bet T5500 and he shoves for about T8000 more. I have him covered and figure I have enough outs given the potsize and I call. He says I'm good as he turns over his ATo and I tell him he's ahead as I turn over my Q8s. The river is an 8c and I win the tournament and $900. Not to mention I got the personally inscribed, autographed book from Slim.
So after I win, we shake hands and I turn to where the cash game table is at and thank David for the last couple of years of being able to play here in town and mention that I'm moving to Las Vegas and have already been playing as a pro for the last month plus. He tells me good luck and I get some sideways looks from some of the people, but fuck'em. They're stuck in Amarillo w/ their dead-end jobs and I'm going to go live my dream. Fuck the haters, right?
As I am heading out the door, I turn around to say good-bye to David & Co. and Amarillo Slim is the final voice I hear as I walk out the door, "Don't get broke!"
I couldn't have written a better ending to my living in Amarillo. I met up w/ the fellas for a couple of drinks and came home. Goodbye, Amarillo and I promise to listen to your advice, Slim. Thanks and thanks for the book!
Yesterday, though, was a bit surreal. The day started at @ 5am with us getting up and finally finishing up the packing before the fellas came over to help w/ loading the truck. They got here @ 10am and we went to work. 4 hours later, all of our material possessions were loaded (read: crammed...think tetris) into a space 8'x9'x8' in the tractor trailer. Well, everything that we were taking anyway. The few items that we were not taking (old computer chair, old computer desk, etc.) we put up along the fence facing the street and put a sign saying "$10/ea or $50 for all" and about 15 mins later, someone actually came up and wrote out a check for $50. We were just trying to unload it and expected people to just come take the shit. Lo and behold, someone paid us for it. Niiiiiice. I suppose we could have made an extra $50 here or there on the crap by listing in the paper or craigslist (really? in Amarillo?), but meh, the time involved simply wasn't worth it.
So fast forward a couple of hours. The moving company came and got their truck to start moving it on to Vegas and I had spent @ 1.5 hours at AT&T getting our new fancy Las Vegas phone numbers. I came home and Amanda was wiped out. We had plans with Adam and Adrian to have drinks and shoot a lil pool after they got off work at midnight, but if she was going to make it, she needed some sleep. After taking a long Hollywood shower, I felt refreshed and while a bit worn down myself, wasn't wanting to take a nap. A few hours earlier, I had gotten a text for one of the local underground poker games here in Amarillo...they were promoting a guaranteed $1,000 for 1st place tourney that started at 730pm. Hmmmm. Well, shit...Amanda wants to chill/read/sleep, so why not one last stop here in town before we head out?
So I head over to the new location and there are some of the same old faces there along with some that I didn't recognize. I should interject here that over the course of the last 3 1/2 years, this is one of the 3 local underground games that I frequented. It was the first one that I'd found out about (3 days after getting into town) and over time, I really started to dislike a lot of the people there. There were exceptions, of course, but not too many. I guess my 'beef' was that I was always kinda the outsider and when I went there, I was there to play poker. Most felt that poker was there, but that it was social hour. I am one of the more gregarious people you'll ever encounter at a poker table, but I don't let that affect the speed of the game. So yeah, not everyone there liked me and I didn't like most of them. I will say though, that I liked the way the guys ran the room. I never was concerned about safety/security and I think that's #1 when in an underground room.
Anyway, I had gotten there about 720pm and the tourney was supposed to start at 730pm. I saw they had one $2/$5NL 6-handed game going and after watching just a couple of hands, I was chomping at the bit to sit. I understand that I come from an online 6max background, so therefore more aggressive than most live players, but man, this was sick soft. I asked to get a seat but they said the table was going to break shortly for the tourney, so I didn't sit. 40 mins later, the cash game was still going and we still had not started the tourney, but c'est la vie. I was there to relax and kill some time until I met up with the fellas at midnight. David, whose room it was, came up and said 'hi'. He's a good guy and easy going and always welcomed me to the room, although it'd been nearly a year since I'd last stopped in.
So finally, at @ 8:10, we got the tourney started. It's not the greatest structure, but small buy-in tourneys never are and that's just fine w/ me, as we all know that going in. It was a $60 buy-in w/ a single $40 rebuy if you bust w/i the first 4 (15 min) levels, at which point, there is an optional $20 add-on. So most are in for $120. We had 24 or 25 runners and we were off. I had drawn Table 1, seat 8. We started w/ T1500 and blinds 25/25.
About 5 mins after the tourney started, David got a phone call and Slim was on his way and wanted to know if he could still get in. He was told that he could, but he'd be blinded off til he got here. For those that don't know, Slim is THE "Amarillo" Slim Preston. World Series of Poker World Champion in 1972 and he holds 3 other bracelets as well. I have played with Slim on a few other occassions here in town, but I thought it was appropo that he'd be playing my final night here in Amarillo. Every time I've seen him, he's worn his WSOP Championship bracelet and I always thought it was pretty damn cool. He was seated two to my right and he arrived @ the beginning of the 2nd level.
The only interesting hand for me early on is when I called an EP raise (T100) w/ 86h on the button. Another player called from the BB and we're 3 to the flop. The flop came down Q84 all clubs. It checked around. The turn was an off-suit 6. The BB checked, the original PFR bet out T250 and I raised it to T675. The BB then wakes up and shoves his remaining T800 into the pot. The original raiser mucked and I was forced to call, knowing I'm probably drawing to 4 outs. I brick and he tables his A7c for the flopped nuts. That crippled me and I got it in A4o vs ATo and was honored to be the first "REBUY" you heard in the room. *snicker*
The very next hand, I got it all in after I'd 3b the same fella from the last hand and we got it all in preflop. My AKs vs his AJo and now we're in business. Around that time, Lucia (David's wife and she was running the tourney since he was playing) announced that whomever knocked out Slim would get an autographed copy of his book. Cool. Now, like I said, I've played with Slim on occassion in the past and, true to form, this man can hold his own vs the best of them when it comes to shit talking. I mean, the guy has a one-liner for everything and he's just hysterical. But, when you stop and think about it, this guy has seen it all in his long life as a road gambler back w/ Sailor Roberts and Doyle Brunson. The guy is just a riot to listen to. And quite a solid player too. I mean, obviously, he was, back-in-the-day, but he still is now. Let's just say I'm damn happy he was on my right.
So about 20 mins later, Slim rebuys and we only have had about 2 people bust out. After the 4th level, we're down to about 18 people left in the tourney and I have realized that while there are about 3 others at my table other than Slim and myself who even have a clue, that the only real players that I have to be concerned about are both directly to my right. Slim and what I have to assume is a 2p2'er.
During the 5th level, I was sitting on about T6000 in chips when I raised to T750 w/ AKo in late position (blinds 150/300) and was only called by the SB (same fella from the above two hands). I had him covered as after calling the raise, he had about T1600 left. The flop came down 852 w/ two spades. I held the As. I was watching him watch the flop and he stared at it for a bit before betting out T900. I had been watching this guy play for an hour now and had seen that he was pretty weak/tight and while watching him stare at the flop, I really felt he was weak, so since he only had T700 left, I raised and he thought about it and called. He tabled Q7o and I faded his 6 outs and busted him out. Soon thereafter, Slim raised in MP to T1200 and I 3b him from the CO to T3400 and he instafolded. At this point, he was getting short. He only had about 6BB left and he shoved it in UTG. I looked down and saw 99 and called. The rest of the table folded and he tabled his QJo and I did so w/ my 99. I flopped a 9 and that's all she wrote. Granted it was just a little $100 tourney, but it was pretty cool busting out a former World Champion. While I don't target or play scared when I play with 'name' players (I got 2004 World Champion to sit for 2 hours and play in our $2/$5NL game at the Rio last summer during the WSOP), I still think it's pretty cool to match up vs them...even if it's baby-stakes.
So from there on, I seemed to win all my flips and make good reads all the way to the final table. Top 4 places paid and I came in as chip leader. But to be honest, the blinds were escalating so fast and so high at this point, that it came down to catching cards. The final table started w/ blinds at 500/1000 for about 2 mins, then jumped to 1000/2000 and as you can tell, it wasn't going to last too long. The first hand, I was UTG w/ AJo and I raise it up to T2700. UTG+1 thinks for about 10 seconds then pushes in his remaining T1700 chips. It folds around, I take my T1000 extra back and I see that I'm up against 88. I flop a J and he doesn't improve. From there, I busted all but 1 of the first 5 players at the final table to widen my chip lead. The only notable hand during that sequence was when it got down to 5 handed. Blinds 1000/2000 and it's folded to me on the button when I look down at AKs. I have both of the blinds covered, but they still have enough chips that it would take a big chunk out of my stack if we got all in. I raised it to T4500 and the BB is the only one who called. The flop came down J64 rainbow. The BB thought for a little bit and shoved in his remaining T5500 chips. I'm not sure if I made the right call here or not, but getting almost 3:1, I called and he tables Q8o for no pair, no draw. My AKo was ahead until the turn which brings a Q and things look bleak, until the river is a beautiful Ts to give me runner-runner broadway. I guess suck/re-suck is fair :) The gentleman took it well as he said, "Well, you deserved it...you were ahead when the money went in", so that was nice that he wasn't bitter.
So now we're in the money and it pays out as follows: 1st- $1060, 2nd $540, 3rd $260, 4th $140. The guy who had been on my direct right (between Slim and myself at Table 1) also was on my direct right at the final table. He was still alive and doing well too, when we hit the money. He quickly busted out the 4th place finisher w/ KK and now we're 3 handed. The guy to my right and I had about 85% of the chips in play and it didn't take long to get heads-up w/ him. I was in the SB w/ AKo when the button folded and the blinds at T1500/T3000. I was about to raise when the BB says, "I'm all in for T7000 more". I politely point out that I haven't acted yet and he apologizes and I sheepishly just complete my SB and he shoves, as he noted. I snap call and it's a race: 33 vs AKo. Flop KQ4 and he starts chanting, "3, 3, 3" and the turns a 2 as is the river and we're heads up. We were close in chip counts and he asks if I want to chop $800 each. I tell him that we can if he wants (remember, he's a solid player as well and I do not fancy myself as too good of a heads-up player), but why not chop $700 each and play for the last $200 so that one of us can "win". He likes that idea better and we're off. At this point, Lucia comes over w/ a 2nd deck of cards and shuffles for us so we don't spend all our time shuffling the cards, which helps since the blinds are getting ridiculously high, but we still have about 12 BB's each, so it is what it is. We go back and forth and heads-up lasts about 25 hands, which was surprisingly long...both of us trying to win. The final hand has me w/ Q8s on the button and I complete and he checks his option. Flop comes out 754r. We both check. The turn is 9s giving me a gutshot straight draw, a flush draw and an over. He checks and I bet T5500 and he shoves for about T8000 more. I have him covered and figure I have enough outs given the potsize and I call. He says I'm good as he turns over his ATo and I tell him he's ahead as I turn over my Q8s. The river is an 8c and I win the tournament and $900. Not to mention I got the personally inscribed, autographed book from Slim.
So after I win, we shake hands and I turn to where the cash game table is at and thank David for the last couple of years of being able to play here in town and mention that I'm moving to Las Vegas and have already been playing as a pro for the last month plus. He tells me good luck and I get some sideways looks from some of the people, but fuck'em. They're stuck in Amarillo w/ their dead-end jobs and I'm going to go live my dream. Fuck the haters, right?
As I am heading out the door, I turn around to say good-bye to David & Co. and Amarillo Slim is the final voice I hear as I walk out the door, "Don't get broke!"
I couldn't have written a better ending to my living in Amarillo. I met up w/ the fellas for a couple of drinks and came home. Goodbye, Amarillo and I promise to listen to your advice, Slim. Thanks and thanks for the book!
posted by SirFelixCat at 6:39 PM
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