Mean Gene

Tremble Before the Mean Gene!

Seems like every day I read about some blogger making a big score in a tourament, but since I'm above petty emotions like envy and jealousy I haven't seethed and sulked and lain awake at night wondering when my ship would come in. Because I'm a stand-up guy.

Oddly, I DID lay awake all last night, but not because I was consumed with dreams unfulfilled and aspirations thwarted. I couldn't sleep because I was sick. There's a cold going around the office and late Sunday I started feeling crummy. You might see some disorientation in my previous post. I went to bed freezing to death, and woke up around 3AM pouring sweat. I think I got maybe 10 minutes sleep from that point on. When my alarm went off I felt horrible, and deciding to call off wasn't much of a decsion at all.

I crawled out of bed at 10 and tried to get my new DSL connection to work. No go, my computer and my brother's old computer are too, well, old to deal with it. Instead of throwing my computer threw the window I decided to bite my lip and play a little $10 multi at Stars.

The result?

(Dammit, I tried to post the screen print, but the damn thing won't upload. A screed about computers is forthcoming)

I won the damn thing, pocketing a cool hundred bucks. Yes, that's right, a THREE-FIGURE win. I know, I know, many of you out there wouldn't wipe your nose (or other, even messier orifaces) with a Benjamin. But for me, it was a nice win.

How did I do it? Simple--I got sick lucky. Early on I hit a runner-runner flush to crack JJ with pocket tens (my favorite hand). Then I doubled up with AK, doubled up again with aces, and by the time we got to the final table I was the chip leader, imagine that. It didn't take long to get down to six, but it took forever to eliminate that bubble boy. In the interim another guy took a pretty good lead as I went card dead and just spun my wheels. It was a fun table, everyone chatting merrily back and forth, everyone having a good time.

I enjoyed myself less when I donked off 2/3 of my stack trying to steal and then pot-sticking myself against a guy who flopped two pair. Brilliant. I played pretty good and then one hand put me in the soup.

But that's when the worm turned. The next hand I had pocket sixes and doubled up against the big, big chip leader. And then things got weird. At this point I'm just hoping guys get knocked out so I can win a few more bucks, and the chip leader and the guy to my left get involved in an unraised pot. The flop comes 9-6-4 and all the chips go in. The chip leader slow-played jacks, the other guy had 6-9, and doubles up. The very next hand the same two guys go all-in preflop, and the chip leader's pocket eights lose to pocket nines. The next hand I have 10-5, flop a five, and push. The no-longer chip leader calls with jacks again. "Oh please..." I beg, and the poltergeist inside the tube listens once again. I turn a ten, and make a boat on the river.

I rarely yell or scream when I play online, but I yelled and screamed then. "YYYEAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" I deaned, and leapt out of my seat. My head clanged on the chandlier above my head, which brought me right back to earth. I moved my computer upstairs and I was playing in the dining room, and I think it's the acoustics that suddenly gave me the need to vocalize. My voice is a lot louder bouncing off the walls.

The very next hand the former chip boss, who by now was typing things like "this is bull****" and "stars is ****** rigged" goes all-in, and I call with K-5. He has K-4 and goes out. From the huge chip leader to out in four hands. Nice guy, I actually felt bad for him. Until the first hand of heads-up began.

Oh, how I wanted to win. How long it's been since I won more than a $5 SNG. I was down about 2-1, but after dropping a few thousand I doubled up with AK vs 99. "YEAAAAAHHH!" I shouted like Roger Daltrey at the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again". I'm now chip leader and I'm dealt AJ. All the chips go in and I'm thinking he's resigned to his fate. Uh, no, he has kings, and they hold up.

I fight back and take the lead again, and once again I'm dealt my lucky hand, pocket 10s. That's the hand I used to win the Grublog Poker Classic, the very first WPBT event. And those are the cards I took into battle this last hand. I had tens, he had deuces, and the two other ducks in the deck stayed in cover. I won.

"YEAAAAAHHHHHH!" I jumped out of my chair and hit my head again. I think I have to move the table, yes? A nice little win for me. It felt good. I should thank Dan Harrington, whose books I've been reading. I haven't made careful study of them yet (just getting through the first one now) but for some reason it's sticking in my head. Hopefully this is the first of many recaps of tournament victories. With fewer suckouts, maybe. And fewer scalp contusions.

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