APL WEEK #6-Live Play

Friday morning I had Time Warner show up to install digital phone. Something I had been putting off for a while but finally got around to doing. Since I already use Roadrunner for internet and I have digital cable, I figured I might as well consolidate and get rid of my Verizon Bill. With the All-In-One-Deal that TW-Cable offers I can save about $30 a month and get free long distance to boot. Since I spend 9 hours 4 days a week and 4 hours one day a week talking non-stop on the phone it is just a necessary evil to me. I loathe talking on the phone, so if I talk to you for longer then a few minutes you have passed IG's muster. I am probably one of the few people I know without a cell phone. My mom recently got on and is totally addicted to it.

Of course TW gives you a two hour window for installation and mine was scheduled for between 8AM and 10AM. Fortunately the dude got here before 9 and was in and out in a flash. He just had to swap out the modem. Painless. I didnt even have to shut down the computer which was a good thing because the fallout from the soon to be signed law continued to snowball. I didnt realize I had money on as many Prima sites as I did. Some $$ will be written off as charitable contributions to some Swedish Orphans fund on my 2006 Income Tax return. Fortunately, I only had deposited $30 on one Prima site and the rest of the $$ came from my early days as a freeroll ho and journeywoman forum tramp. Thinking of my days in the minor leagues as a minnow brings a tear to my eyes.

When I opened up Poker Analysis and read a post from DCI (Carol) about JetSet closing its doors for good at the stroke of midnite the nite before with only 5 minutes warning to the hapless players online and no notice to the affiliates I kicked myself in the ass for not withdrawing on Wednesday nite after I finished 2nd in a $5.75 headhunter for Poker101a and then 4th in the sister Poker101a freeroll. Another $150 or so donation to the Swedish Orphans Fund is in the making. Supposedly they are mailing cheques and I emailed support with my address and info for them to send me my money. I never deposited on Jetset either.

This was certainly turning out to be the birthday from Hell. So when the going gets tough the tough go shopping. Ive mentioned before that my favorite form of cardio is power shopping. So, I trotted off to Kohl's to pay my bill. I looked for some more Tilly tops even though I have a closet full already but didnt feel like spending any money even though there were some good sales. I did find lots of choices for my pocketbook fetish but didnt buy one thing.

So I went to Borders and picked up Bluff and Poker Pro Magazine. I got home called my sister in Connecticut back to let her know I got her card which was a hoot. It was titled Mom and Dad on the nite you were conceived and its a Man in some little ballet unitard thing or old fashioned bathing suit lifting a woman in the air ala an ice skating or ballet lift. Inside she wrote Strange but true which left me rolling. Now my mom was a cheerleader and I can see her in that position, but my dad is 6'2'', an old-fashioned good ole Catholic Italian/Irish American and as far as I can recall has absolutely no rhythm. We are talking white boy boogie here to the max. In that respect, I am mostly certainly not my fathers daughter. We had a good laugh over that one.

I then proceeded to waste time before heading up to my live game and checked in on Change 100's-Pot Committed to read her thing about Harrahs not allowing third party registrations for the WSOP next year. From there I headed over to listen to Phil Gorden's (and yes Change you are absolutely correct on the dreamy blue eyes thing) ESPN podcast where he predicted the WSOP Main event field would be knocked down to under 3000 in 2007. So, I shot a quick email off to Ray, figuring he might see/read it before I see him in like 45 minutes. He's qualified twice for the main event thru Stars coming within two hours of the cash in this years ME. My money says if Snake qualifies in 2007 he would use the money to buy himself in. He was that close this year and could taste it. So, I tend to disagree with Phil on this one. If I were to qualify say thru Pokerstars or FTP and they awarded me the prize money to spend as I wished and I had my heart set on playing in the main event, barring some financial catastrophe I would use that money for what it was designed. We are talking about the WSOP and for those of us from small-town America who arent on-line or live touring circuit pros that is our once a year chance to toe the line with the big boys and gals. I will never play in the Super Bowl or Stanley Cup, nor will I win a major marathon or Ironman triathlon but on any given day it is certainly possible for some unknown to come out of nowhere and win the biggest and most prestigious event for poker players because it has happened.

So I headed out the door, made a quick stop at Starbucks for a caffiene/java fix and cranked the tunes (DMB and Sheryl Crow again)and headed up the Northway for Week #6 of live league play.

Pre-game warmup is spent chatting with Mike and Rich and Zoe who tells me my spot is reserved in a live tourney next Sunday. When Ray arrives he asks me if I took down the Pokerstars Omaha 8 SNG that he actually watched me go from $900 chippies with about 5 left and almost out to $7000 and the lead going into HUP. For some ungodly reason unknown to anyone but Lee Jones they wouldnt allow him to chat. Something about not being registered in the tourney. Now I was able to chat to him during his buy-in, and I know chat is disabled when someone is all-in and I dont think this is a SNG thing because I have chatted during SNG's from the rail myself. And I know dang well he has more money on stars then me. So maybe Lee was just feeling cranky and ornery after all that unfolded on Friday the 13th.

Anyway I get seated at at the one table I have not started at yet in the 4 seat. I have Bruce, Lex(Big Tai), Joyce, Trent (LgKeeper), Juddy, Steve (last weeks winner) and a sub for Dane at my table. And for the first time in 6 weeks I went on an early roll. I took down a nice pot where Juddy ran into kicker problems and then she ran into me hitting two pair. I hit a set of Jacks that could have been dangerous to Steve and his eights and took down a nice pot. I hit trip 4's with a raggedy ass hand which I got okay value on but could have gotten better value on. And I got dealt pocket Kings and forced Trent to get away from his pocket 99's when the board came QXX. I then took out Lex when I raised with AA and he pushed over the top of me. It was his AK against my AA and unlike the previous nite when my rockets got cracked they held. Edawg can thank me for regaining first place in the league.

Zoe gets moved to my table, then Ray joins us and Joyce leaves when we start condensing down and before you know it we are down to the final table. We redraw for seats and it is: Ray in the one, Eric in the two, Rich in the three, Karen in the four, Darren in the 5, Zoe in the 6, followed by Steve, Joyce, Tracey and me in the ten. Oh goodie goodie I have Ray and Eric both to my left. And one luckbox to my right where I want her. I knock Karen out in tenth, then Zoe hits the rail, followed by Steve and Rich (Silo) is the bubble boy. Eric squeeks in for 6th place followed by Tracy in 5th. A cat fight almost insues between Joyce and Tracy when Tracy tells me what Joyce says she had and I thank my lucky stars I laid down TT preflop from UTG. Supposedly my set of tens would have been outsetted by Aces when the flop came down AKT. I laid down a couple of big hands preflop from EP based on my read that the shorter stacks were going to move in. Lets say I have accurately predicted two weeks in a row when one player has a monster hand and is going to move in. It's a beautiful thing when everything starts clicking.

Ray who has entered the FT with about the same chip count has me has made some great calls against loose and lucky Joyce and has now depleted a great part of Joyce's stack. For some reason I just dont think my birthday Mojo is gonna last to make it to headsup with him. Early on at the Final Table I make a commment that the person who takes me out usually goes on to win. It happened the prior night when Taxidermist aka RK, hit his set of queens against my aces. I went out first and he went on to win. With the blinds at 1000/2000 and me down to about 8000 I decide to make a move with QJ. Joyce had folded, Ray gets out of the way. DMoney (Darren) decides to gamble....My QJ against his 89os... Of course he hits two pair leaving me with a gutshot but no ten arrives and I go out in 4th. If I had been able to survive that coinflip with Darren I knew I would have been headsup with Ray because ultimately I knew both of us have a ton more experience at shorthanded play then Joyce. It just may have been my nite too.

Joyce goes out in 3rd. Ray and Darren go to heads up. I must be getting old because I'm not sure if they played a hand. Darren has Ray by 10000 chips. Ray has his seat in the Tourney of Champs. Darren offers to chop the money with the condition that he gets the seat into the TOC by virtue of Ray already having earned his spot with his win over me. The decision is then debated by all the railbirds present if this is allowed as Mike has left for the nite and we cant get him on his cell. Ultimately, I state that it is Ray's decision to make and as long as we are consistent week to week what difference does it make. Joyce was probably the only contrarian. Ultimately, Ray makes the decision which will be good for his Cardma and agrees to the chop.

Two-time winner Eric E(Edawg) takes over the lead from Lex (BigTai) who drops to 4th. Two-time winner Steve (who nicely asked if I was turning 31-thanks sweetie!!) moves into second. Ray(Snake5970)moves back into the 3-spot. And yours truly Irongirl aka IG, aka IGEE-BABEE, aka TILLY is the highest ranking female in the 5 spot. I honestly believe if I continue to play my A game and continue to improve my people reading ability I can stay in the top 5.

Thanks to Surflexus (my fellow Libra), Katitude, SLB159 and TheStudent who came by to say happy birthday on a trying day for us online poker players. And of course to my AcesCracked guys and Poker Analysis forummates and APLers.

And big thanks to HammerPlayer (Hoyazo). I spent some time reading your strategy articles on playing Middle Pocket pairs both I and II before this game and it paid off in spades!!