[Howard Treesong]

The Fontana Lounge is yet another bastardized setting for poker; like the old tournaments at the Bellagio, it’s not space designed for poker. Its curved walls and odd acoustics make it somewhat noisy and cramped. It is better than the old area, however, if only because the lights no longer shine directly in your eyes. Plus, you can walk out on the patio and check out the always-pretty fountains in the front; that alone makes it nice.

As seems de rigeur for tournaments these days, the $5K NLH goes off right on time. One interesting hand develops when I limp from MP with 44, the SB calls and the BB checks off. Three to the K 2 3 rainbow flop with 850 in the middle; the blinds check to me. The SB is a trapper, so I check back and find a turn card 9. The SB checks and the BB bets out 400 from a short stack of about 3500. I think for a minute and call: while his hand range certainly includes a dry 9, it includes a bunch of other hands I can beat – and I think I can probably steal the pot on the river. The river hits the two-outer four, and my obliging opponent bets out half his stack. I make a failure of process and pop him right away: bad move, sir! He calls right away and proudly shows A5 for the wheel.

I take merciless advantage of the guy to my right. He’s a bit too aggressive, and shows at least some willingness to lay down to substantial reraises. So long as he’s raising from fairly late position and I don’t unluckily run into a monster behind me, I can practically raise with any two to push him off a hand. I don’t do it too often; if I do, he’ll a) tighten up and b) figure out that I know I don’t need diddly to push over on him. I make a living on this guy, but I don’t want to kill the golden goose and try hard to not overdo it. I then go totally card dead for an hour or so, towards the end of which Gavin Smith moves in three seats to my right and Shaniac two to my left. I know who Gavin is, of course, but don’t ID Shane until Gavin calls him Shaniac.

About twenty minutes later, UTG raises to 1600 and Gavin calls. I raise to 5500, UTG stacks off and Gavin goes away. I call with the nuts and double through; UTG had KK. I then misplay a hand rather badly. Playing 600-1200-100 on a $35000 stack, I call UTG with Ac5c. Shane calls and Emad Alabsi takes it up to 3500. (Astute readers of old Treesong trip reports will recall a hand against Emad’s brother, Eddie, from the PLH event at this tournament two years ago). With 6400 in the middle and another 2300 to call, I think I’m getting enough to call; I do, as does Shane. The flop comes 5s 4s 2d. I should probably bet this; if Alabsi is on a big ace, he’s drawing pretty thin to a hand where I might get something out of him – and if an A drops, I might be able to get a big hit. But I chicken out (mistake number one) and it’s checked around behind me. The turn card is the 3s, and I bet $6K into the $11K pot. Shane mucks, but Alabsi kicks it up $10K more. I’m furious at my dumb bet; I’m fairly sure that he doesn’t have two spades – he’d have bet the flop – but I’m about 90% sure that he’s on a freeroll with the As and an off K or Q. With 23K in the middle and $10K more to call, I’m in a bad spot. After thinking through the math for a moment, I decide I can’t muck and call $10 more; thankfully, I’m bailed out with a red card on the river: Alabsi and I chop.

Not long after, our table breaks and I move into chaos. The new table is very, very active and aggressive, with deep stacks ($80K) one and ($70K) two seats to my right A few hands after I sit down, MP raises to 3500 and I smooth call with 77. Flop comes down a beautiful Q 7 5 and the man bets $4K into me. I take it up right away to $11K; he stacks off. I’m entirely willing to lose my tournament if he has set over set, but he has just KQ and I double through to $60K with 55 left, paying 18.

I dance around for half an hour or so, and move up a shade more – to $66K with 51 remaining. I’m fairly happy when a short stack two to my left raises the 600-1200-100 blinds to 4K; I make it 9K with QQ out of the BB and he stacks off immediately. He’s got about 11 more, so it’s a pretty easy call. It gets much easier when he shows 33, but much much harder when he turns a vicious 3 and doubles through me. The very next hand, it’s mucked to me in the SB; I’m holding Jh9h and just call. Jimmy Cha, in the BB, raises to 3500 and I call. Flop comes QTx with one heart and I bet out; Jimmy knows me well enough to know I’m not completely steaming and mucks his little ace. That’s a little help; back to about $40K. On my button, the cutoff raise $3500, and I once again make it $9K, this time holding KK. The guy one seat to my right (who badly overplayed his KQ against my 77 to double me through an hour before) stacks off and I call right away; this time, he has AK. The flop comes Q T 8, turn 9 and yes, the dreaded river J.

I’m cooked like a goose: from $65K to zero in three hands, two of which I’ve got it all in at 4.5:1 and 3:1. One of these days, baby, one of these days.

Side note: I forgot to tell Vince I was gonna be in Vegas, and thus once again forewent the opportunity to buy him a beer.