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!!!
