Final Table: BPT Event # 2

Well, last time during the BPT Event #1, the final hand I mercifully went out on was with pocket 6s where I floped a set and my opponent flopped top pair and ended up hitting running flush cards to knock me out in 23rd.

Disappointing as that was, it was time to rebound. Different from last year, these events are now only once every other week instead of weekly, so if you screw up once, its an up-hill climb to try to reach the top 20 to get a chance to play for the seat to the Aussie Millions.

As Shark lonnie and master Omaha player Doug "Conn-man" would say, onward. BPT's Event # 2 Royal's Bluff Til You Drop Tourny with a coincidence is at my first table immediately to my left.

I managed to keep my stack healthy throughout most of the tourny for the 1st two hours (well last time for the 1st Event, I should up like 45 minutes late so I better be doing better). Speaking of Royal Bluff, I made a nifty bluff in this hand. I get dealt an Ace-Jack of diamonds from the BB when I was raised 5x the big blind by "stuarthomegame" so I figured my opponent wasn't as strong as Popeye (well maybe since spinach is all that safe now, his hand was like that of a greasy fried chicken from Popeye's). I call his raise and the flop came Q-4-2 with 2 spades so I completely wiffed like A-Rod of the Yankees has been doing lately. I checked and he put out a very small bet so I popped it and got a fold. I had the chips to make the moves now so I was cruising as if I would make the final table as one of the chip leaders...

(Side note on the Royal Bluff theme going on: There was one hand were I got dealt K-5o in the BB with the button and the SB in play. Flop came 2-4-K. I bet and then got raised like 6x my bet. It was still early so I didn't want to go out with a situation like this so I fold the mofo. My buddy and skilled poker player "Beerman" Mike says that my King was good. My oppenent said he had a King with as well so the only hand I could have barely beat was K-3 if that was the case.)

However, right before the final table came (maybe 11 or 12 people left), I took a hit with one of my jinxed hands recently of AK and raised 3x only to get reraised to Quackpot's QQ where I was committed and Quack's QQ held up and took my chip count down from about T15,000 to about T8,000. I went into the final table in 9th place and things didn't look to good. I finally get a big hand of Kings in the SB with about T6,000 after an UTG limp in to booboy119543 (I think it was this screen name or the one next to him) and fold arounds from everyone else. He had a lot of chips at the time of over T30,000. Blinds were 750-1500 so I push my 6,000 and change in there and he calls with A-10o. Somehow, my hand holds up and am back into the game right...

Wrong, a couple hands later, after Porkrind333 had lost a big pot, and accussed (in last year's Grand Final) screen name purechaos of being a "maniac", "Porkrind333" became the maniac. I raised in an unopened pot in middle position with A10o to 4500 (same blinds as before). Porkrind pushes all in for about 2100 more so I have to call and he flips over 5-6 of diamonds and manages to pair instead of the CDU I should have gotten there.

Now I am in second to last in chips. The play had loosened up so I was folding for the next 8-12 hands and I don't have the chips to bluffy anybody. I finally get Queens and raise to 3x and Porkrind is in the BB again and pushes allin. I have to call and to my surprise, he only has a A-2o. I end up hitting the Queen on the flop and it holds up. I steal some pots and get my chips up to about T60,000, almost as much as the chip leader for the longest time at the final table "natsdad" (who once was literally hanging on by a g-string bikini!! Great job coming back!!). The final three included me, "natsdad", and "iyatoni". "Iyatoni" was pretty short and was pushing all-in or folding every hand. With Q-9 on the button, he pushes about 15,000 or so in and gets called my "natsdad" with A-7. A nine flops and that's all she wrote as "iyatoni" doubles and is now in the game.

The dagger in my heart came when I get an AKs on the button and raised 3x. "natsdad" in the SB makes an over-raise and pushed all-in. I say its my jinx hand but don't think I could fold as I put him on a weaker Ace actually, but instead he turns over "The Gretsky Hand" of 9-9. Glory be, I see a nice looking flop of 6-K-7 with no flush draw possibility. The turn is the 2nd worse card I could have seen )(behind the 9) of an 8 giving "natsdad" an open-end and holy hell to my luck, the 10 peels on the river completing the straight and knocking me out disappointingly in 3rd (site note: "natsdad" ends up winning so congrats to him and everybody else that made the final table).

Well on the bright side of things, I won $75 and accurred a great amount of points to be in the top 20... for now. Look forward to the next one and maybe, your's truely will be the host.

On another side note (I got to be more organized when I write these things but it's hard after poker-gods awful beat I just took. Hint, another side note, check out "Stone-cold" Beermans blog for in depth and probably number 1 recap of the BPT!), I am surprised that there aren't many more people in these tournys. It is a free chance at $500 every other week with only 72 participants, and then a shot of 1 and 20 to win a seat at the Aussie Millions if you do well. Please support poker.com for that they also have made to the public that they will continue to allow US players to play at their great site. Come one, come all. It's not too late to sign up!!