Mean Gene

Just a Tiny Taste

My computer's back up and running, Pacific Poker actually sent me my password, and last night I put some money in so I can play in Sunday night's Monty Memorial Tournament. There are about 75 players signed up, making the prize pool, uh, let me get my calculator...1500 bucks. I had a reader ask if he could play in it, but, alas, the window to enter it has closed. Fear not, my gentle readers, there will doubtless be other tournaments you can join so we bloggers can skin you down to your shorts.

Who is the favorite to win Sunday night? Let's not beat around the bush--it's me. There have been 3 blogger tournaments and I've finished 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. But what about Otis (sorry, my link thing isn't working, I'll update that later), who won the last two? Normally he'd be the odds-on favorite, but he just had a baby (well, his wife did, you didn't see him on the cover of the Enquirer, did you?) and I would gather that he's a bit distracted right now. So the smart money is certainly riding on my own broad shoulders.

I haven't played online in 11 days, good Gene, but after I made my deposit last night I decided to play a quick SNG just to get used to the interface. I played in a MASSIVE $2.20-buyin tourney with 19 other souls. On the first hand four people went all-in, and pocket nines ended up winning it. Oh, how I've missed online poker.

I ended up in 3rd place, pocketing EIGHT DOLLARS for my troubles. I won only one hand of note, going all-in with pocket 8s and coming through even though an ace and a king appeared on the board. Top 5 places paid out, and when we got down to 7 a rather weird situation developed. I had about $900 in chips, one guy had about $300, and another had about $400. The guy with $400 got disconnected and never came back, so as the blinds came around his tiny stack just melted away. Thing is, after I knocked out the guy with $300, I knew that so long as I didn't do anything stupid the short guy would be blinded out in a round and I'd make my two bucks back.

I know what you're thinking--Geno, if you're worried about two bucks, maybe you should be crocheting or something. But then you miss the point of my playing. I want to get used to playing my usual tight-aggressive get-in-the-money game, and the stakes to me were irrelevent. We could have been playing for $50K and I would've played the same way. With maybe a bit more weeping and praying to God, but, again, that's beside the point.

In the end I didn't get a playable hand until I was heads-up in the blinds with Mr. AWOL and I was dealt K-7. My cowboy ended up as the highest card between us and I was in the money. I then turned almost feral with aggression, shoving me chips into the middle and stealing blinds at will. When we were 3 handed I went all-in with A-3 and was called by KQ. He flopped trip kings and made a queen on the turn, which I thought was excessive.

The screen popped up and said, "$25 has been deposited into your account!". Wait, $25? Wasn't I playing a two-buck game? Then another window popped up and said eight more bucks was going in. Well, wasn't that just NICE? Pacific gave me a $25 deposit bonus. Mighty friendly of them.

I might play another SNG tonight, just one. Really. Just one. I just want to get used to the betting and raising buttons. Really. I can quit anytime I want to. Actually, to be honest, I haven't been jonesing for an online fix too much. I played enough last week (see previous post) that I haven't missed it too much. Plus I've done a lot of writing the last week, so much so that I fear I may have a developing case of carpal tunnel. My hands hurt pretty much all the time now, and when I type for a few hours straight it feels like I have a headache in my hands. Thank God for Advil.

So I'm pretty much ready to go for the Monty Memorial. I will get my space ready for the game--vacuum and clean my den, clear away all distracting clutter, have cool beverages nearby. I'm sure one of my 3 cats will be around to offer their solidarity with their fallen compatriot. I'm not sure what I'll be watching--the tourament I won I was watching "The Young Ones", so I may give that a shot again. "Yes, we have GOT A VIDEO!!!!".

See y'all Sunday. Bring your A-game, or don't come at all.

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