Token Whoring and Heads Up Action

Not a lot of poker action to report since the IPOD win due to the Xmas holidays. Tuesday nite I played the Poker Analysis $10 buyin league game on Pstars. Was out in about 5 minutes. AKh in the BB. One of the players minimum raises so I just call. Flop comes down 89x or some such thing so I lay a pot sized bet out there. Why Why Why as Ross Geller would say...? Because with a min raise it looks like a flop that could hit my BB and Im trying to get away from folding too much and weak/tight play. The initial raiser raises me so I smooth call. Turn a King. Bet Call. River an Ace.. Allin. Called. Top two pair for me and no flush nor str8 possible. When I get the call I think OH NO, someone slowplayed Pocket KK or Pocket AA.. Razorbacker3 flips the AA for a set and out I go. Snake had just emailed me to say he was coming by to rail me.. I call him and say "Dont waste your time Im out". He had seen my undoing and had emailed me a "bad luck there" We discuss the hand. Normally I tend to flop it or drop it with Big Slick, unless I know I can pull a bluff which in fact I was trying to do at first. Putting a spin on an early out I announce well at least I didnt waste 2 hours only to bubble!!!

Wednesday nite I played a $3.30 turbo on FTP with about 700 runners and I go out just shy of the money when I got nuts with AJos. I raised the big blind of the dude who had been seesawing all nite pushing all in whenever he had a hand. When he came over the top I decided it was gamble time so I called his all-in with 88. I think I hit my Jack but he hit a set or some such thing. Had I just folded I would have probably cashed for a wimpy amount. Had I doubled up we were looking at a very good chip stack. Cie le Vie.

Thursday nite starts a 4 day vacation for me (although I will work Overtime Saturday AM). The phones are crazy busy for what is supposed to be a dead week so I dont get pulled to process after my 4 hour training class in the AM. I Cant wait to go home and zip up the Northway after making a stop at Starbucks. I register for the $20 PA buyin on Absolute Poker (Pot Limit holdem) and email Snake to let him know where to find me.

Snake calls me after donking out of his live game and rails me to a 4th place finish. This gets me back $8 of my $20 buyin.. Whoop-di-doo.. I was down in chips early on and just couldnt get any action on my good hands when I finally got rolling. The whole tourney was pretty much short handed play as only 11 started and the AP tables hold 9. Obviously, PLHE is not everyones forte because I survived longer then I should have.

So Snake rings me up again and says... "Go over to FTP and join me in this tourney". I ask if we are going to play heads up? "No join me in this 18 person $8.80 turbo tourney we are going token hunting" he says. His brother, Silo has been earning tokens left and right. Sounds like a plan. Both of us donk out early in the first one. My JJ which is still the best hand post flop had two callers of my preflop raise. When I push in post flop I get two callers both on SPADE FLUSH DRAWS and of course the flush comes and I'm out a spot or two after Snake. I call him back up and say Im going to do it again so he reopens up FTP and we both have about the same success in token tourney #2 NADA although I do make it to the final table in tourney 2. Neither time are we seated at the same table

So then we decide to play heads up. The first one I dont get in fast enough and he winds up against this weak/tight player who folds too often. Im on the phone telling Snake to raise raise raise with anything play completely nutty. His opponent is taking forever to make a decision and its driving him nuts. He wants out of his misery. When snake gets a PP I say push all-in, I bet he just raised with AK (im right) and Snake takes down SNG #1.

Now Snake, who has dusted IG (moi) in Chinese Poker and Super Suduko in our mixed game challenge and has taken me heads-up live proves no match for the wily IG on the virtual felt. Game I sees me get a nice str8 over str8 to take a commanding chip lead. Snake pushes all in and I call with KQ and we chop as he has KQ too. I eventually send him to the rail.

So its on to Round 2. "I see someone is copying my style" Snake says with a laugh in chat. I raise with the hammer and show after he folds. So he tries distracting me in chat. Which almost works, but I dont let on that im about to heave my chips into the middle with any two cards and then jump into my SUV and hi tail it up the Northway to his house. Nope I calmly type out.... Im trying to play a card game here...I do double him up. But thats just a tease. Eventually hes all in with AT. We both pair the Ace but Im outkicked till the FTP river brings me my seven. Ouch...

IG 2 Snake 0 heads-up FTP $5.50 SNG

IG 2 Snake 1 Yahtzee. Both take scratches in their yahtzees. Only to each throw a yahtzee one after the other.

Snake annihilates IG in Super Sudoku - "Are you anywhere near finished yet- SHIP IT" (I'll remember that Raymond)

Snake vs IG Upstate NY Chinese Poker Tour. Round I commanding lead by Snake leaves IG obsessed and begging for a rematch.

To be continued.