I got there a only a couple minutes before dealing was supposed to begin because I've learned that these things never start on time, and such was the case. However, they had a freakin great spread. 6 poker tables in this guys basement. They took up a little less than 1/2 the basement. An entertaining area down there with stocked refridgerator filled with beer, lots of soda and water, 4 pizzas, 2 tubs of chicken wings, chips, pretlzes, licorice twisty things, 3 kinds of sandwiches, and on the opposite wall a 50" flat screen. Any griping you might hear from this point on should be taken as good humored ranting about poker, as I had my fill of good food and beer and met some really nice people.

There were lots of different levels of skill involved. Some guys play regular poker games together, some guys barely ever played. The buy in was $150 for 7500 in chips. The blinds started at $25/$50 and went up every 1/2 hour or so, it was rather loosly organized. One table missed a pretty major blind level late in the tournament completely.

We sat down and got the cards in the air. The whole room was filled with doctors, EMTs, and firemen so if my fat chicken-wing-stuffing ass had a coronary it would have been a good place for it. We're a few hands in and it's evident who can play. Some guys didn't now how to bet... "so I put in 2 of these," and some guys were flinging the cards around the table like professional dealers.

Unfortunately, I had 2 villains to my immediate left who were newbies and would call anything down. Therefore I played very tight. I didn't do much the first round. The second round I raised their blinds and the big bling got really pissed off and took it personal. "The next time you do that I'm going to push all these fucking chips right in the middle!" He called with anything, really. I saw him all all-ins with 47o. He lasted a LONG time, kept hitting. He had a huge stack at one point.

So, same guy earlier on. He limps and one other guy calls and the BB checks. The flop comes BB bets, newbie calls. Turn blank. BB checks, newbie minbets, BB calls. River . BB bets pot, newbie goes all in, BB calls. Newbie goes to push his chips in and we see that his cup holder is filled with chips. We say "Ummm, those too." and he says "Oh yeah, and these." and pulls a bag out of his pocket which contained his rebuy chips. Ughh. Could have been a real mess, but the BB said yes he wants those chips included. They flip their cards, BB with : and the newbie with for the higher flush. BB is crippled.

I had a flurry of activity over 3 consecutive hands. I was on the button and dealt myself AQo. I hadn't done too much yet... took down some small pots. Folded a few flops. I was going to do something with this button anyway if I got to act first or after one limper. No one limped and so I raised from 600 to 1800. They all looked at me... 1800? What an odd amount. Must be an internet thing... as far as I could tell I was the only guy who still played on the internet. Then again they minraised a LOT, which is a donk thing. But if they raised more it tended to be a round number.

So I bet this 1800 and they all fold, including the guy who said he would push. They say "Yeah, you got em" and I said "I'm on the button, I don't have to have em!" and I showed my AQ... bad form I know but I planned on raising the next hand. Perfect, next hand I get 27... couldn't have written it any better. Folds to me and I raise to 1800. The BB agonizes for a while and folds. I show 27. The BB shows 23s. WTF were you agonizing about. He says, bad showing that bluff! Guy next to him says "Nah, now he'll get paid off when he gets aces." Next hand... AA. I know it must sound like bullshit, but there they were. One limper this time, but I want to stay to my number and bet 1800. Everyone folds except for the BB who calls. Flop comes 79T or something close to that and the BB checks. I bet 3k and he folds. Now you're going to say "Please tell me you didn't know them the aces" but I did. The BB was already on tilt and it actually tilted him more that I raised his blind with aces after that bullshit.

So I was in a weird position. The guys to my left were limping/minbetting calling stations. I tried to mix it up a little and got 2 quality hands. I let the blinds go buy but I had really bad hands on the button and CO the next couple rounds. I treaded water for a while after that, won a couple pots, and ended at about $25k at the end of the second hour.

I'm not remembering things I wanted to remember.... maybe cuz I'm drunk and tired. Ummm... cut to near the end it's about to be my blind and I speak up and say "Hey, there are 16 of us left... can't we break down the 3rd table already?" and so they did. Sitting at the second table I had a guy 2 seats to my right who would limp with big pocket pairs and raise everthing else he wanted to play... I'm in the BB, one guy limps, he limps.... oh! I have 89s. Flop comes 489. Bingo. There is a flush draw out there too and top two here are vulnerable... what do to... I'm started to get low as the blinds are $1k/$2k. I push. 1st limper is thinking hard. Big pocket pair guy says "I'm calling" 1st limper thinks it gives him odds or something and calls with his flush draw. Second guy calls with his QQ. Q on the river gg me out 11th out of somewhere shy of 60 guys.

I play the cash game for a little while but it's a little weird... more than 10 guys, blinds $1/$2, max buy in $60. I raise to $15 pre flop with AK and the friend that got me into this game calls with K3s... you see where this is going.... K on the flop and flush on the turn. I lost some other nasty one I can't remember, then lost with kings again when villain made his set. I just got out of there then, said goodbye to my new friends, came home and beat up the drunk late night Full Tilt donkeys for my money back.

If I remember more tomorrow I'll post it.

Why do newbie/bad players think that it's always personal when someone attacks their blinds? I've had people in the casino say "that's the third time you've raised my blind. I'm sick and tired of it and I'm going to call with anything from here on out". I guess its cuz I raise a lot.

I don't know but they do don't they?

Otherwise he was a really nice guy.

Remembered a couple other things. There was a villain 5 seats away so I didn't interact with him too much. Every time he got all in he immediately stood up, started pounding the table with both hands, and screaming. If he had AQ he would scream "SHOW ME AJ! SHOW ME AJ! C'MON FLIP THEM!! C'MON! SHOW ME AJ!"

He did this three times. He got all in with the newbie and started screaming to flip the cards and the newbie wanted to count out the matching chips first. The guy who was acting like he was coked out was going out of his brain "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?!?! FLIP THE CARDS!!! SHOW ME AJ!!!"

Newbie finally flips 77 and busts him. The table thanks him. Coked out guy storms into the bathroom and breaks the chain on the toilet.

When they took it down to two tables they redrew seats. Now I had position on Newbie who was 3 to my right. He goes all in at one point and I was like "finally" I had K8, otherwise known as AK against this guy, he was getting tired and had recently called someone's all in with 47o. I reraise to isolate. I wasn't too worried because I had a tight image and the BB struggled for a while then folded. Newbie flips Q3o which was more than I gave him credit for. 8 on the flop and K on the turn, too bad BB didn't call.

I get very upset when someone steals my blind.

It's my number 1 cause of preventable tilt.

What I hate even more, is when I raise the limpers from my BB with 83o and then I get re-raised.

Good Trip Report Johnny. The only thing it's missing is your obligatory links to pictures all over the interwebs.

Ditto. I'm not confident in my post-flop play yet to defend...although I'm better than I was.

For me, it's simple...if I'm stealing, they call or reraise. If I have a legit raising hand, they fold. Fucking superusers.

Good report, Johnny!

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