$40 home tourney...

Last friday night I get invited to play at a home tourney on the Westbank by my bud, Mitchell. Most of this group were guys and gals that I played with back before Katrina. I looked forward to seeing some of the guys and prepared myself mentally for a night filled with lunchboxes. AHHHHWOOOOO! "THIS IS WHERE WE FIGHT! THIS IS WHERE THEY DIE!" That quickly went through my head.

I made my way to the westbank as I headed EAST, and made it past the pot hole infested, mini roller coaster ridden roads of Gen. Dugole(I spelled this incorrectly, just spelled it the way it sounds to me...my apologies). Made it to the house and walked in, two large dogs immediately stepped up to me sniffed and continued their journey to another room. In the living room they had one of the two tables set up with my bud and six others. He directs me to a back room where they have six others and my empty seat. I missed the first level of 25-50, 20 minute levels with a starting stack of 5000. I play my first hand in middle position, with a limp. Three others come in and the big blind raises big. I fold. I finally look around the table and recognize two other players, we will call them A and B. The rest...lunchboxes. Well three levels later I am down to about $3500 and this hand occurs that I am not involved in. Early middle opens for a raise and A calls. The flop is AQ7 rainbow. The lunchbox who raised checks, A bets half the pot. LB, calls. The turn is an 8. LB, checks, A fires in a pot sized bet. LB calls. The river is a J, rainbow board, and LB goes...all in. A thinks for a minute and eventually fires his cards towards the muck. One turns up, an Ace and the player asks for the other...A looks at the LB and turns the other over for him, a Queen for top two. The LB goes, "Gosh, you laid that down!" I think A had the odds to make the call but it was pretty obvious that the Jack on the river made the guys hand...so what did the LB have? Shoot, let me spoil it...K 10 hearts. YEP. This is the part that I did not like but said nothing...it's a home game. The guy shows us his hand and A smiles and says, "That's one of the hands you could have had, you're not good enough to bluff there." I shake my head and some of the other guys laugh a little and A finishes with "...what, buddy, it's true isn't it?"

The very next hand I am under the gun and peek at a couple of street walkers(QhQd). I pop it 3x and get called by a lunchbox, A says raise and takes his eyes off of the tv and makes it what I raised, we tell him that I already raised and he min raises my raise. Right here I think maybe I should re-pop but I put him on AK through A10 maybe mid-pair but not Aces or Kings. I don't pop and just call as does LB. The flop is Jh9h2c. I fire out half the pot, LB folds, A goes all in for another 2500. I have him covered and I instantly think drawing at the hearts. Yet for some reason, it does not FEEL that way. I start thinking and I am really trying to put all these things through my head, pot odds, enemies possible hands, and should I call. But why do I feel like I am beat here. Now he starts to talk, "I guess Ray is on a draw and figuring out his outs." Stuff like that...eventually I figure he has AJ and does not want me drawing for the hearts, I can be that kind of player sometimes, and I call. He turns up his pocket nines. I turn a heart draw and miss on the river. I am out 10 minutes later. So who was actually the luchbox, lol! ME!

During my time playing when a player starts to talk to others or starts to monologue, HE IS STRONG! I forgot that up until I said call. As soon as I said call, that ran through my head and it hurt a little. He sat back and crossed his arms, all signs of strength and I just missed them all. My timing was a little off.

I played two heads up matches and went 1 for 2, the last match is when I did push on the flush draw with bottom pair. Ahhh, who cares! It was fun. Honestly, I should have cut that game up but I truly did not play correct...may have been because I was watching the Olympics Opening event ceremony. Nah, just another excuse but there is something said about poker and TV, if you want to win, watch the players not the TV.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!