Ladies Event Mohegan Sun 4/10/10 -NAPT

I made the trek over to Mohegan Sun (which I had not been to since they re-opened the poker room there) on Saturday to play the Ladies event during the PokerStars sponsored NAPT. I had a great time, played great and ran deep finishing 14th of 98. Unfortunately only the top 9 paid.

I hadn't seen LJ in almost a year and a half and we started at the same table (table #1) which would be the last table to break. She was in the 2 or three seat and I was in the 8. Both of us managed to build our chip stacks early. In fact, I was up to almost 30k (starting stack was 10k with 30 minute levels) after the first two levels and she had about the same stack too. I wound up getting down to starting stack size but chipped back up to 40k before the dinner break.

Unfortunately when we got down to 18 players and the 3rd to last table broke the wall of chips that was the chipleader got moved to my immediate right and I knew my final table fate was thru that stack. She literally had more chips then all of us at the table put together and then some. The first hand she was dealt at the table (and she was still unracking her chips) she moved in over the top of the prior big stack having been dealt AA to that stacks QQ and busted one of the existing big sticks.

LJ and Lucko came back into the poker room about that time to check on me and cheer me on. I just gestured to the Great Wall of chips and knew I had a tough road ahead but I never game up. Dr Pauly and F-train (working for PokerNews during NAPT) both helped me keep my shit together a few times. I was getting antsy. When the Main Event broke for dinner the Pokerstars/PokerNews crew which also included Change100 and Otis left for dinner. Pauly had faith I'd still be in when they returned. It was not to be, however, with my chip stack dwindling to just under 10 BB and the chip leader moving in virtually every hand i took a stand in a blind vs blind hand: me QJos BB She had KTos SB and the flop came K K X sealing my fate.

I was disappointed but felt good about the entire day. I hadn't played a hand of poker since prior to 2/20/10 and I hadn't played live since New Years Day. As I said to Change100 the lay-off may have actually helped my decision making. I wasn't too far off my A game. OF course, I thought to myself that if I actually got back to studying and working my game and playing as much as I did in 2006-2007 the big score would be right around the corner.

By choice, I'm just not ready to commit to hours and hours spent playing/talking cards. PHISH and FURTHUR are on the road this summer and I'll be taking in 2 Phish Shows at SPAC with Dr Pauly on a weekend he escapes from a WSOP donkament, and at least 4 Furthur shows on my own including two in Brooklyn. Plus, a couple of multi-day Music festivals are also on tap. I'm also trying to get back into shape. I just had a wisdom tooth removed and now have the green light to resume running. I had to take the last two weeks off from my dance class.

I do have a couple of SCOOP tickets i earned during Pokerstars blogger series so Ill be taking a stab at a couple of the lower buy-ins in May. And even though I shelved my Vegas trip the week of July 7th thru 12th in favor of all my concerts I will probably attempt a couple of our local poker-rooms WSOP tourneys.

It was great catching up with everyone albeit briefly. Otis and I were two ships passing in the night. I was either busy playing and he was on the sidelines of the Main Event or he had his head down and was pounding out stuff for the PokerStars blog on his laptop. Never enough time with the lovely vixen Change100 either. Pauly and I get to catch up during Phish shows on the east coast on all our non poker mutual interests. But Change is usually working on his trips east and doesn't get a chance to accompany him even though she has an open invite to Casa IG. And I havent been out to California in many moons. Next time Change, well do a Phish show together in NYC or shop/do a Broadway show. OR, I'll make the trek to California. If i get myself running distance again I can combine a running/concert/poker trip to the left coast. My version of multi-sport!!!

Poker & Clams, Football and Ponies

There is joy in IG-land. My CU BUFFs opened with a win against our in-state rivals the CSU Rams which in recent years has been our traditional season opener. Then the defending SuperBowl champion Giants opened with a win over the Redskins last night. Funny in all the years that the Giants have held summer camp at the University at Albany, I have never attended a training camp session. I have however, run by their practices and thru a calvacade of occupied Giants SUVs while marathon training on the University of Albany and State office building campus grounds.

I'm entered in Dr Pauly's Tao of Poker free ESPN pick-em league which operates much the way California Rob's football pool runs. I'm entered in Rob's league once again and carry the honors of being the participant who lives 3000 miles from everyone else. Mostly a bunch of techie guys that Rob works with or worked with. We pick the games without the spread. Snake5970 and yours truly are also having a season heads up death match. Will I be able to pick football better then he can pick horses?

On Saturday I pulled a rabbit out of my hat. Albeit it was two horses in the Forego stakes race during the last weekend of the Saratoga meet. I happened to read an online Times Union article about a horse out of Mr Greeley. They also mentioned another horse. On a whim i decided to box those two horses along with the favorite in a $1 exacta box ($6 total). Well dang the two horses came in and my $6 bet paid $276. Of course i regret not having $12 or more invested for the big score. I have to play hours of poker to get a score like that. Much easier to throw darts at two horses names and only sweat for 2 minutes or so!!!!

I am looking forward to this Sunday: Lots of football, plus a poker tourney and clambake combo at a local venue. Most of the regulars I play against will be in attendance and Snake5970 will also be making a local appearance. We never teamed up on any superfectas so Sunday may be the day as OTB is only a hope skip and jump from the picnic grounds.

My buddy Ringtone Rich was up in Canada over the Labor Day holiday visiting his fiance and emailed me this article about a shooting outside the River Cree casino while a major poker tourney was in progress. You can check out the article here.

Mohegan Sun's new poker room is now open. I got this email from Casino City Times about the new state of the art poker room and Casino of the Wind. Mohegan is hosting a full slate of daily tourneys. October will offer their first major event with a $750k guaranteed superstack tourney. The buy-in for this is only $1000 which is a far cry cheaper then Foxwoods Mega-stack series or Borgata's Deep Stack tourney.

While on the subject of poker. Go send congrats to Evy on her final table and 20k score at the $300 buy-in Borgata event. WTG girl!! If it weren't for the clambake tourney I probably would have been headed to AC for one of the Borgata events.

I ran into two friends from the old running days in the Hannaford parking lot in Clifton Park today. I have known Dick and his wife Teresa since I was a young spry fast filly of 31 (16 years) . While catching up with Dick we heard "I know you two!!" and it was another running friend Joe who is a 70+ runner now and still going strong whereas Dick and I are off our feet. Both men have endured some pretty serious health issues but look great. One of these years it will be time to get moving again.

I watched America's next top model (cycle 11) the other night. Hats off to the real lady of the bunch Isis. She is the first transgender (pre-op) contestant on the show. While the other girls are worrying about her being there and if she should be there and going on the model version of tilt. Isis is behaving with class and dignity. Hope she rises above the fray much like Heather did last year.

I also caught most of the new 90210 last nite. I loved the original one (what gal didn't love Dylan McKay?) and Melrose Place. Rob Estes, who was on Melrose and who is now on the new 90210 makes it much easier on my eyes. Is it me or did he get better looking as he got older. I'm also looking forward to Christian Slater's show debuting as well as the return of Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty.

Be sure to read the Pokerstars blog during WCOOP. CK is working for the blog while F-train toils away on the other side of the world in Macau.

A trip to Starbucks is in order before I watch me some shorthanded WCOOP no limit holdem. Sitting out live tourney action tonite as I have to get up early to get my hair colored (meaning my touch of greyness touched up).