Tao of Poker

Pauly Makes the Final Table at the Luxor...

I came in 7th place and finished in the money!! I made it to the final table at the noon tournament at the Luxor. There were 51 entires ($28 buy-in) and first place paid $309. I won $44.

I only played 5 hands all afternoon. I was done by 1:45 (start time was noon). I got my pocket Kings cracked which sucked. You start with $300 in chips. By the time the final table started, I had $675 and was 9th out of 11 in the chip count.

There were eight of us left. The money was for the top 7. I was close to making it. When it was my blind, the blinds were raised to $400/$800! I lost both hands when the young woman next to me raised both times. I had $2000 in chips before the blinds and after that I was reduced to $800. The next hand, I was on the button and the little blind was shortstacked. I went all in with A-2 suited, one other guy called and beat both of us. We got knocked out at the same time, but I made it to seventh place because I had more chips before the hand started. Oh well.

I finished in second place once at Foxwoods, but I did not win any money. So technically, this was the highest money finish for me to date! Derek came in 25th place in his first tournament appearance. There will be another tournament tonight at the Luxor and another one at the Mirage.

Side notes: The dealers sucked at the Luxor. I was pissed by their incompetence.

I managed to piss off a local when I called his pre-flop raise with K-10 of diamonds. there were three of us in the hand. Nothing fell for me on the flop: Q-7-5. One guy bet and the local raised. I called. On the turn I caught a 10. First guy checked, then the local bet, then I called, the first guy folded. I caught a 10 on the river for triple 10s. The local bet, I raised and he called. He had K-Q off suit and had a pair of Qs with a King kicker. He was wicked pissed at me and made several bad comments about my play. "How could you call that raise with nothing? Keep playing like that and you'll go broke."

When he got knocked out three hands later, the far end of the table offered me their sympathies. I coldly turned to them and said, "Fuck that guy!" They all laughed, even the dealer who was given a hard time for her shady shuffling skills. Anyway, an old guy next to me from texas said, "Son, you earne dthat pot. You called his raises. You paid to see the cards. You earned the pot. Never mind that fellow." It felt good to see and hear my table stick up for me.

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