Infidelity

Forgive me riggstad, I have been unfaithful. How could I have been so weak? Sometimes my insatiable yang just needs some of that delectable poker yin. And I'm not talking about that cyber stuff. That's always good for some temporary relief, but nothing compares to the real live, sweaty, smokey, genuine article. I'm not completely at fault, though. If Riverchasers was just around more, closer to home, I wouldn't have had to look to another. But I did. Would it make you feel better if I told you that I took it down? That it was purely physical? Probably not. Can I definitively say that I won't wander again? Again, probably not. As I've said, I'm weak. But, I'll always come home. There's too much history to throw it all away like that.

Anyway, the point is that I needed a live game last night and there just happened to be a league game run by a different company not 5 minutes from home starting after the kids went to bed. There were a couple of things I actually really liked about the game. Having the SB shuffle a second deck of cards was awesome. Instead of maybe 1 or 1-1/2 orbits per level, we were getting in 3. And the structure...20 minute blind levels, but by the time we were heads up over 3 1/2 hours later, the BB was barely over the starting stack. You just needed to get past the first 4 levels where the blinds doubled each time. After that, they really slowed down and there was a lot of room for actual play.

Thankfully, I was able to double up during the first few hands. UTG came in for a 3x BB raise. I'm in MP, find QQ, and reraise to 8x BB. Button calls, as does the original raiser. Flop comes queen high rainbow, and the original raiser checks. I bet half the pot and button min raises. UTG folds and I shove which he calls with AQ. TPTK NO GOOD! That's good for some breathing room. I finish up the next few levels having stolen a few sets of blinds and folded a few flops to heavy action, but was still comfortable when the table broke.

Now, accompanying me to my new table was UTG boy from my first hand. Over the course of the hour, it was completely evident to me that he tries to play like Phil Ivey. Very loose and aggressive and will continue on the flop, but will slow down if someone applies pressure back. Of course, in any bar free roll, complacency will get you short stacked in a hurry, so I was actively (but patiently) looking for a spot. It was a key point in the tournament for me. I'm in the BB and action folds around to Phil in the cutoff. He raises, but it just felt like a steal. Then the SB smooth called the raise. This didn't necessarily mean much as she was extremely loose pre-flop, but pretty weak tight afterward. She liked to see flops, but didn't withstand a whole lot of pressure. I thought it was a perfect time for an all in squeeze, with A9s, as the pot was large enough to make it worth my while to make a play at it. They both called. Uh oh. The final board was AKQT2, and my A9 held up? You've got to be kidding. Triple up and on my way.

I gave some of it back overplaying a weak ace, but managed to steal enough to stay mostly level. Had to lay down AQ to a big stack reraise where he showed jacks. Then I picked up TT on the button and open raised for almost half my stack. Same guy goes all in again, but this time I'm on the right side of the race and, having committed to the hand anyway, call and win. I guess I had earned a tight image, as every one of my steals was working. However, there were a couple of players who still tried to occasionally limp into the pot. These were consistently picked off by Phil, with a hefty raise. So, when I picked up KK UTG, I decided to see if I could make a limp profitable. Unfortunately, UTG+1 (former big stack who had doubled me) smooth called, as did Ivey. Fawk. 4 to the flop with pocket kings. Flop is AK8 rainbow. w00t! I check to the aggros, and am rewarded by a pot sized bet by UTG+1. If Phil calls, I might reraise right there, but he folds. I feign thought, and then make the call. When a J turns, I try an OBFV (all-in) and the former chip leader calls me with AT and he is drawing dead to a queen which doesn't come. We have a new chip leader.

Let the bullying commence. Steal, steal, steal, and steal some more. Eventually, someone was going to make a stand and, of course, it was Phil. I open raised with AJ and he called from the BB. Flop was K-rag-rag rainbow and not connected. I was almost positive that he was going to lead at the pot no matter what came on the flop. But his heart just wasn't in it. His probe stank of weakness so I raised 3x his bet and he slammed his cards into the muck. In another hand, I just smooth called him all the way down with TP, and he flipped 4th pair. It was a good thing that he was stealing from everyone else, as his stack just kept getting replentished before finding its way to the final destination.

The coup d'etat happened when I called Phil's raise from the SB with 44. I checked to his inevitable flop bet, having hit my set, and was rewarded with him shoving with TP2K. Buh bye. I pwned Phil Ivey. Well, as close as I'll ever get. Anyway, that got me heads up with a 12:1 chip lead and, even though I doubled the guy up when I was a 65% fav, the battle didn't last more than 6 or 7 more hands. I found 66 and he found A9o. Managed to win the race and it was over.

Sometimes cheating just feels so good.