BillM Battles Amarillo Slim & Brian Saltus[long]

http://www.pokerpages.com/tournament/result3809.htm


For whatever reason, Max Shapiro didn't put up the tourney report, so here's mine, w/a little background mixed in.


On Sept. 10, I won a satellite at the 4Q's for the $540 NLHE the next day. I had had a monster win over Labor Day weekend and this was only the 2nd sat I had ever won, so I was feeling pretty good. The next day, of course...


Ever since then, I haven't been able to do a thing right. So, in a last ditch attempt to right the boat, I decided to head to Reno. I bought in to the $540 LHE but couldn't catch a thing. I lost $900 in the $20 HE, getting KK beat twice when someone flopped two pair.


I railbird the $50 O8 game. You'd think that w/Chris Bjorin & Linda Johnson both in it it would be awful. Not. Most pots 4-6 way, 50% for at least one raise. 6 hrs, $3K, and Lord knows how many bricked nut flsh/nut low draws later, I quit. Two players tell me how bad I'm running[this is in F****** OMAHA 8!!, so it must be real bad [img]/images/smile.gif[/img] ]


The weather was beautiful there last week, so the next day I rent a car and drive around Tahoe(never been before). Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Next day, after more satellite and side losses, inventory reveals we have $150 cash, $3.49 in checking, and $700 on the VISA. Good thing I've already paid for the plane ticket & room.


I pay $65 for an O8 sat. I bust Pat Fleming and another player early so I got checks. We get to 3-handed, other guys wanna save $100. Nope! I lose a huge pot(don't remember how), but have enough chips to hang in. A guy gets busted, so I'm headup w/Ron Law, the 1999 WSOP $2500 Stud8 champ(very nice guy), down a mere 11.5-1.


We play a bunch of hands; he has at least one A every time, I have Qxxx every time. Chop 'em all. I double up, then chop some more w/cheese. I stay alive when his ace on the river for a's full makes my 8-5 a low. I double again, now down 3-2. Ron offers to chop, nah! All of a sudden, he starts catching the Q-high starters and me the A-highs, and I win! Ka-ching! He's classy about it.


Next day we get to 2 tables, coupla guys start making noise about taking some money off to pay 8th & 9th(to their credit, they both had big stacks). Guess who the lone dissenter was. I wuss out on this hand: I raise w/A23Q, Slim(SB) & Randy Holland(BB) call. Flop QT3. Slim chk, RH bet, I raise, Slim fold, RH called. Turn Q, RH chks & calls. River 6, we both chk, he has AA. Slim & Miami John are appalled at my check. [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]


I scoop MJ(can't remember how) then scoop both Slim & Randy w/KQQx and a K37K9 board. They both had A245. MJ folds a hand, w/3 players already in for a raise, after a long thought, leaving himself one chip! He triples it later, then gets broke.


We're down to the final table, more whining about paying 8th & 9th. Never! Mike Gamboni scoops a monster w/ 3 6's on board and AT in his hand! I lose a biggie with AA25 dble-sutd when the flop comes JJ8[one each of my suit] and Brian Saltus(extremely nice guy, total class act) bets his giant wrap, I raise, Mickey McCloskey re-raises w/AJ34. Natch I pickup a flush draw[K] on the turn, river brick we both check.


I hang in there, and double up w/JJ flopping a set. MG flops a wheel & slow plays, tricking a guy into going bust while hoping for a chop w/a 6 low. RH accidentally bets out his nut low on the river, which was made by a 3rd heart, thus getting BS to fold his two pair and keeping the all in John Hom alive.


I fold JJ63 UTG and would've scooped a monster & elim'd JH. JH finally is busted. That night Slim tells an amazing tale about a $250K bet over a guy eating a quail a day for 30 days. The next day Vince Burgio(another super nice guy) jokingly tells me I'm persona-non-grata for my refusal to save 8th & 9th.


I get off to a good start when RH busts to Russ & Slim's rivered gutshot treetop, I get MM to pay my AA off all the way, then I get him to fold KKT on the turn[which would've hit a gutshot on the river] and scoop the Jxxxx board w/AJ when MG misses his low!


Russ misreads a board and busts out soon after. Making up for yesterday I beat Brian's AA w/AJ and a JJ8 flop. MM is on tilt from our hand and calls everything down, busting out when he misses his low. Slim is starting with AA every other hand and has a big chip lead, but inexplicably gives my nut flsh/nut low/double gutter a freebie on the turn of a big 4-way pot. Banana.


I bust MG when I raise UTG w/AJ99, he calls in the BB w/Q854, flop 944[!], he check raises, I just call, turn makes a possible flush, I raise his bet, river 5 he bets out all in. MGGHN.


Slim finally isn't dealt AA but makes a straight flush on Brian anyway. Chip count: Slim 45K, me 17K, BS 8K, 1 & 2K limits. Key Han. BS raise, I re-raise w/AA[2Q]s in SB, Slim fold, BS call. Flop Q66, I bet BS call. Turn T, I bet BS call. River 9, I bet BS call. Me: "Aces", BS: "That's good" and mucks his KKJ9 faceup. *sigh*


I blow off some more chips by betting my KK52 into the A25 board and Brian's flopped wheel, although I do manage to check fold the river. Coupla laps'a cheese and I then raise in the SB(limits now 1.5-3K) w/9732, Slim calls. Flop Ad7dTc. I bet out and hold up my last 500 chip. Slim mumbles a long time then raises w/QdJd82. Turn Q, river T, IGHN.


M---F---r. I was 3.5-1 on the river to win that hand w/Brian and then would've had an extra $3200 in cash and been playing Slim for another $6100 down only 9-5 with plenty of time. I'd've bet his cocky, slow-rolling, AA holding out, lucky old ass, too. [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]


On tilt, I blow $850 in 15 minutes in the $50 O8 game, and then another $800 in the $15 HE back in Wendover this past weekend.


Hope I can make it to the Commerce! [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]

I shoulda put this right after the free card hand.


I raised in the SB w/QQxx and Slim calls. Flop KJJ, I check planning to raise, Slim checks. Turn Q[ka-ching!], I bet Slim calls. Turn x, I bet, Slim hems 'n haws, holds out the chips while waving bye-bye, finally calls and then shows a K.

Nice report. Who are you? BillM or what?


Good Luck


Mark

"Who are you? BillM or what?" Yep! [img]/images/smile.gif[/img]