harlem says

Again, you talent for writing is awesome. Too bad about crapping out (my writing stinks so i use phrases like "crapping out")
during the tournament. I think you're 15 minutes is right around the corner.

12/18/07

Anonymous says

Sorry to hear about the bust out. Bust out is the best that I could do also. Keep your chin up!

12/19/07

Anonymous says

I'll be rooting for you in the upcoming tournament, man!

12/29/07

lakong says

Happy New Year!!

01/01/08

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I tear through my luggage looking for my Melatonin. I could swear I packed, it, or was that Macau? Shit, I can’t remember. Without the sleep medication I know where my fate lies, staring at a computer screen at 5am with thoughts racing through my head, a brain to busy for sleep. After searching every piece of luggage, every small bag, and checking under the beds I give up and admit defeat, I’ve left the Melatonin behind. It’s 5:30am before I slip into unconsciousness, and I need to be up by 12.

I jolt awake at 9am in a cold sweat, despite the room being cool. I lie awake another half hour before I fall asleep again. The alarm goes off at 12:05, and I crawl out of bed and try to rub the red out of my eyes in the bathroom. I feel pretty good, but I know I’m still going to need some red bull.

I get to the table a few minutes before cards are in the air and find Van seated two on my right, the chip leader two on my left, and Carter Gill across the table from me. Blinds start at 1200/2400 with a 300 ante. We start with about 110 players left in the field, with 55 cashing for about $8000 AUD, first getting a cool million, and second 650k. I figure accounting for skill, experience, and my stack, I final table about 16% of the time in my current position.

Little happens for me at the beginning. I find AK three times, but every time I open it everyone passes. When I raise 44 and AJo in early position, I get three bet both times and lay them down. I watch the massive roller coaster ride that is Carter Gill’s stack, and the table is hurling insults at him for his erratic style. A few hands that earned his erratic image:

Carter makes it 5000 in the SB with KJcc. The BB (who has about 80k to Carters ~120k) makes it 15k. Carter four bet shoves, and the BB hero calls Ac8c. Flop J2J and it’s all over.

Carter raises to 6000 in LP with AsKh. The BB calls. Flop QT7 two spades. Check check. Turn 8s and BB bets 10000. Carter calls. River 3d, BB bets 25000, Carter calls. BB sheepishly turns over Kc8c, Carter mucks. BB unknowingly pulled off a value bet bluff Terrence Chan style.

With about ~175k Carter opens in MP1 to 6000 with AQo. Folds to button who with a shorter stack has moved in a couple times but now has ~125k after beating Carter with Kc8c. Button makes it ~25,000. Carter moves in and button calls with AKo. Flop QxQ and it’s all over.



When he gets up from the table the chip leader leans over to me and says

“You play online with him?”
”Yea we’ve played before.”

“He has no idea what he’s doing!”

Live players hate us online aggro donkeys, though Carter needs to adjust to their nit ranges better or he’s going to keep getting it in crushed. I finally get a chance to play a hand against him.



I haven’t seen a flop yet when the following comes up with Carter:

My stack: ~100k, Carter: ~300k, blinds 1200/2400 with 300 ante. I hold KsTh in BB.

Preflop: Folds to Carter in MP2, he opens to 6000, I call in the BB.

Flop: 6 7 8 rainbow

I check, he checks back.

Turn: 3

I fire 9000, he calls.

River: A

After seeing him call down with A high there’s no way I’m betting this river. I check and Carter tables 57s thinking I’ve rivered him. He’s way good.



The blinds go up to 1500/3000 and I steal the blinds from the lady on my left with A8o. My stack is hanging around ~100,000 when the following comes up:

8 handed. UTG+1 is the chip leader with about ~440k. He’s been pretty active and 3 bet me once. The cold caller is Carter who has ~300k. I hold QdQc in the BB.

Preflop: UTG folds, UTG+1 raises to 9500, 1 fold, Carter calls, folds to me. I consider my options and elect to make it 33,000, hoping the live player won’t realize I’ve committed myself and Carter might think I’m squeezing and do some kind of spewy resqueeze. UTG+1 thinks it over for about 30 seconds (meaning I know I’m way good) and elects to reraise, sliding a stack of yellows out that makes it about 110,000. Carter folds and I snap call. I table QQ and he tables AKo. First flip of the tournament for me.

Flop: K 6 2

Ruh Roh.

Turn: 3

River: 9

I react at the level of your average comatose. Van seems considerably more broken up than I do. I shake hands, wish everyone luck, and check in on Terrence and let him know his 2% is now unfortunately dead. If I’m going to bust out, busting in a totally standard spot where I got it in a little ahead verse a villain who did nothing wrong seems like a pretty decent way to do so.



A few hours later I’ve read the updates and find that Terrence has twice run into AA in big pots, slipping below 100,000. Still, I run like God in swaps, so I’m very confident Terrence will win and make me $20,000 AUD (XE.com puts that at about $1,483,982 US dollars.)



I’ve now slipped very well into six figure make up (It’s roughly in the $105,000 area) but have the Aussie Millions to look forward to in about three or four weeks. From what I understand a lot of my favorite online players and friends are coming down for the entire series so it should be a really fun one with a full schedule of cool events without the exhausting excess of the WSOP. Despite pathetic results in the APPT so far (0 for 7 in events so far, I crush these people) I feel like I’m playing much better live poker than a few months ago. After the Aussie Millions I’ve got to choose between going to LA for the LA poker classic and having the chance to visit people at home, or go to the Poker News Cup event in South Africa. I’m not sure which I’m leaning towards at this point but I’ve never been to Africa and I’m not sure how keen I am to hang around LA and have people tell me “I’ve forgot my mantra.”



Between now and then I need to do some serious online grinding as I’ve been really lazy in that department lately. I’ve also got the opportunity the write for a couple of different outlets (P5’s, PokerNews) and would like to start producing some quality work between playing. It sounds like the APPT will start up again sometime in what’s fall for Australia and spring for the States, and they are aiming at having seven or eight events. If their interested in sponsoring Bondgirl as a player I very well might end up going to all of them, though the thought of spending so much time on planes seems fairly exhausting. Still, I’m not going to say no to free accommodation and a chance for further public humiliation. I mean, everyone has to get their one time, right?