Flush you!

I played several cash games this past couple of days with varying results. Ill be enumerating some of the hands in this blog since I cant seem to place any of them to a particular date. The thing I do remember however is playing against 3 celebrities: John Estrada, Mike Cortez and Antonio Aquitania. They played very differently and I think the best player of the lost is a tie between John and Antonio. I also played big pots heads up against all three of them. More on that later.

I remember getting a K7 suited and limping in with the big blind. Flop came out all hearts, which was the suit I was holding. I bet 300 at the pot and the other guy called. I was scared that he had an Ace high flush or something, but then again, I guess he would have reraised. Turn was a 9c, so I bet 300 again. This time he folded. That was a nice pot and established my image on the table as aggressive.

I also got an AK suited and bet 240. Only one guy stayed. Flop paired my Kings and I bet aggressively again, 300 I think. Other guy folded. A couple of hands later, I got another AK, this time not suited. I bet 240 again and everyone folded. I was so disheartened. A guy beside me noticed my dissappointment and asked, "you got Aces?". "No, AK. Did I bet too high?" "That was probably for the best, drawing hands like that usually dont hit at the flop and can cost you more than can profit". Maybe so I thought, but Id rather the flop show me I bet wrong than statistical anomalies like that.

I also remember getting pocket tens and just betting 140 because I was really not confident with them. About 6 players stayed and flop came out with a King and Queen. I folded to the first bet at it. I played that wrong because chances were, I had the best hand preflop and should have bet big at it, like 500 to scare everyone off. Ill try to remember that next time.

I got a K9 offsuit in the big blinds and flop gave me a two-pair. I bet 200 and everyone folded except for Mike Cortez. Turn was a number so I bet 300. He stayed again. There were no flush or straight draws so I was farely confident. River was another number so I bet 400. He stayed and I said two-pair and he just mucked his one-pair apparently. That win was dedicated to JC who requested it. Hehe.

Later I got an AQ suited. I bet 300 at the pot and only 2 guys stayed. Flop came out 5-J-10. I was devastated at how I could not hit anything with that good of a hand. I was first to act and needed to stay aggressive. I bet 400, and both guys stayed again, not a good sign. Turn was a King, and now I was on a flush draw, both the 5 and K being hearts. But then I realized, I had already hit the straight. So I bet 1000. Other guy bets 2000. So does the other guy. So I call as well. River comes out a club and I dont hit. I go all-in with my remaining 900. Other guy thinks we're all alone and calls and throws his cards face up on the table. Guy beside him shouts no, and covers the cards, motioning that there is still another player. I grimace seeing it as an AQ as well. "Sonofabitch! Split-friggin plot!". Other guy sees the AQ as well and just folds. I shake the calling guys hands and say you wont believe what I got. Everybody is happy with a split, except for the guy we took the money from, who apparenly hit the trips with his pocket tens on the flop. Too bad for him, too good for me.

One hand I got was a K7 suited and I just limped in. The flop gace me a flush draw and I bet 200. One guy goes all in with a 700 and I call along with another guy. I was rather hesitant since I won the last pot and felt that my winnings wree enough for me to call it a night, sufficed to say, I was afraid to lose it all again. Turn was no help and I looked at the other guy left and said "check to you sir". He looked at me slyly, smiled and tapped this fingers on the table. River was a heart! Woohoo! I hit the flush! I bet 1500 and the other guy folded. Guy who went all in showed his pair of Jacks and told me nice hand while shouting at the dealer saying, "sabi ko sayo ayoko ng hearts!" That was a nice pot.

I remember being severly short stacked in one game when John Estrada bet 300. I got a KJ offsuit and went all in with my remaining 420. He called and showed his AK suited. Flop was not kind to me at all as he hit the flush immediately. I stayed for the turn and river to maybe get a full house but was short one card. I waived goodbye to everyone and wished them all good luck, something I did not have on that particular session.

With Antonio, I was again shortstacked with at K2 offsuit and limped in with the big blind. Flop paired my kings and I just bet 100 with my weak kicker. Antonio looked at my stack and said, Ill bet your entire stack. I thought long and hard and agreed reluctantly. I showed my hand, and he showed his suited J9, which was not on the flop, or the river. He did hit a Jack on the turn, but that was not enough. He told me that he wanted me to think that He had a King. I said, "Well, you were successfull. " That doubled my stack, which I gave up to a very bad play to a very good player who got very lucky, hitting trips on the flop. Once again, KJ being the culprit.

The past games showed me to be patient with my hands and to try and go for the flush, which I hit more times than I didnt. I broke even with all these games and plan to play some more and fine tune my betting and observing skills. Wish me luck and will post back when I play again.

Peace!

Respect

Respect is the methodology and style of play I learned the most this past week. It means to show regard and importance to another person and to his actions. If you dont show it, you wont be given any. Plain and simple. I lost a fair amount of money in the last 6 days, even though I have come out positive in 2 out of 3 ring games. Basically the jist is that I got lucky in the first, got really cocky in the 2nd, and found a good middle ground in the last. I hope to continue this style of gameplay for all my next ring games.

Last night, I arrived at the ACF to reclaim my pride and the idea in my head that I am a decent and smart poker player. It took about 30 minutes before a seat opened, when a regular player busted out going for a flush. I came in and sat down in the same place last week that cost me all my money, a place I loudly exclaimed as unlucky. Mark, a regular player, looked at me and said, "its all in the mind". I definitely hope so.

The first decent hand I got was a A-7 suited. Flop paired my aces and everyone checked including me. Turn was another ace and one guy bet 100, I called and everyone else folded. River came out a number and the guy bet 200 and so did I. He had nothing, I apparently hit a Full House. I was just so cautious that I didnt think of betting or bluffing at the pot. That was a fairly good sized pot that put my stack back to my original buyin of 2K.

Next good hand I had was a Q-8 offsuit on the big blind. Flop came out Q-4-6. So I bet 200, and one guy stayed. Turn came out another Queen so I bet 300 and the guy called again. By this time I was afraid that he had a Queen as well and that his kicker would kick my ass. River was a number and I bet 400. He looked at me folded. Now traditionally, I would show my winning hands, but since he folded, I was not obliged to do so. Another thought entered my mind while I was considering showing my hole cards: People will think that I only win by getting good hands, not by bluffing. By mucking my hands, they will at least consider the possibility that maybe I just scared the guy off with my big bet. So this is the mentality that I applied the rest of the night, as well as in future games.

Next nice hand I got was an A-K. I was already happy then, but when I bet 240 at the pot, Mark, this regular (really good) player, folded his hand and said, "respect". For those not familiar with this gesture, this meant that he respected my bet because he knew that I only bet when I was confident with the capability of my hand to win. Three guys called. Flop paired my Ace so I bet 300. Everyone folded except for this chinese guy who everyone called kimchi. He was apparently a very aggressive player and will even push all in with a straight or flush draw, so naturally I was intimidated. Turn came out a number so I bet checked. Without missing a beat, he bet 400, which I was quickly called. River came out a number as well and I bet 500. He hesitated for a minute. Mark shouts to him, "donation! donation!". Kimchi smiles and says "OK" as he throws 500 in the pot. I show my hand, and he shows his A-7. For a brief 2 seconds, I said to myself, "holy crap, did he hit two-pair?". To my delight, the dealer said, "Kicker problem, sir Mike wins.". Woohoo! Kimchi looks at me and smiles wryly. That was a nice ass pot!

But the piece the piece de resistance hand was just about to come. I got pocket Jacks and bet 240 at the pot again. I have to comment that I bet reluctantly because of a very obvious reason. Pocket pairs from jacks to deuces have very little power at the table unless they hit a set (trio), which happend very rarely, exactly 1 out of 8 times. If any guy even has a K-2, and a King comes out on the board, and I dont have a set, I lose. The weird thing was, that in the moments where the dealer was about to lay down the flop, I saw in my mind that a Jack would come out. My premonitions rarely come true, but low and behold, in between a Five of clubs and an Eight of spades was the most beautiful Jack I have ever seen. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to hump the dealer. But alas, poker is a game of falsehood, so I cringed a little bit and bet 400. First guy folds, the guy in the middle, a heavy set man quickly picked up a couple of his chips and 1200. Third guy folds and the action is back at me. I look back at the flop and see that else he could have. He could have pocket 5s or 8s, which I would still beat. But he could have pocket Queens, Kings or Aces, that he hopes would be good enough to beat whatever I had. Still, without the reraise at preflop, I doubted the strength of his hand, so I called, albeit reluctantly again. Turn came out a number so I checked to see what he would do. He bet 2100. That was all my P 100 chips! I had about 200 in white chips, so I just went all-in. He called, and I just tossed my hand on the table expecting to lose or something. He looked at it and grimaced! Oh yeah! Oh yeah! "Trips are good", is what the dealer and most of the table said, he just mucked his cards and said, "you got me at the flop". I asked him what he had, he said that he was holding Jack with a high kicker. Probably A-J or something. Anyway, that doubled me up to more than 7k so I decided to leave otherwise I would risk losing all my chips again.

My girlfriend and her bestfriend picked me up about 20 minutes later and I was ecstatic. I would hope to play tight and aggressive like that again next time. I contemplated once again the days events and plays. I learned to respect peoples big bets and let them win the pot if I had any inclination that their hand had strength. This was respect in the truest sense. Of course everyione in the table wanted to make money in the long run, but you should first learn to hone your skills and get to know the people on the table. As of now, I am still enjoying both the rush of victory and agony of defeat, table chatter with other people who enjoy playing poker and meeting a really odd mix of people.

Will hit you guys back when I go for another ring game. Peace!

Quit while you're ahead

Yesterday, I tried my luck at the ACF charity event. The tourney cost P 3K (P 2K buy-in + P 1K registration fee) and featured unlimited rebuys until level 6 and one add-on rebuy during the 2nd break. The rebuys and add-on both cost P 2K for 4K worth of chips. Starting stack was 6K, As I arrived at the tourney I noticed people who looked like John Estrada, Noel Trinidad and Gary Lising, then realized, they didn’t look like them, they were them!. When the tourney started I also noticed Buboy Garovillo headed to the tables. I sat down and waited for the tourney and felt moderately confident of finishing at a rank, maybe even final table.

The first hand I got, I $hit you not, was pocket Queens! I slow played them, making 5 guys come in. Flop was 10-4-7. So I just checked. Everyone else did. Turn came out 6. I checked again, then one guy bets 1100! I looked at the flop and realized that all this dude needed was an 8-9 and he would have a straight. I did not want to risk it, so I folded. I shouldn’t have slow played my hand, maybe a big bet would have scared him off and I would taken down the pot instead. Somamambitch!

The only hand that paid of for me was an 8-9 suited. Flop paired my 8, so I bet 400, one lady stayed with me. Turn and river were rags so I bet 200 on both. She showed she just had King high, so I took down the pot.

The previous hand was the highlight of my tournament. The blinds slowly but surely crept into my stack and ate into it. I was down to less than half my stack when our table was collapsed and I transferred a table. I sat in between Gary Lising and Danny Javier. I watched Gary Lising do 4 consecutive buy-ins which I found quite amusing. I found myself down to 1100, when I got an A-3. I had previously told myself that if I got an Ace, I would move all-in. True to my word, I did. 2 guys stayed in. I would win more than 4k if I had the best hand. Flop came out A-3-10. I was ecstatic! I hit the two-pair on the flop! First guy bet 2k, the second guy calls. Turn comes out 9. First guy checks, 2nd guy bets 5k. First guy folds. It’s now a showdown! I turnover my hole cards to reveal my two-pair. He turns over his pocket 9s! He's got trips! Somamabitch! River comes out 4 and I lose.

I’m out before the 2nd break and I'm devastated. I can’t believe my friggin' luck. All I had was a 1K in my wallet so I couldn’t rebuy. While I was contemplating going home, I looked over at the cash game room and asked if there was a waiting list for players to join. I was informed, "No sir, kayo po sunod kung magsign up kayo." So I decided to drown my sorrows in one last round of poker. After about 20 minutes, a seat opened up. I went to chip my cash and sat down.

My first hand was an AQ suited. I was 1st to act, so I went all in. Everyone gasped and awed. One guy commented, "Ano yan? Anong play yan? Hinde mo man lang kami bibigyan ng idea kung papaano ka maglaro?" He went on to say, "Gusto ko siyang i-call e. Pero may alas yan na malaki ang kicker. Naghihintay lang ng siraulong magca-call." A girl beside me said, "Kung gusto mo lang pala ng sixty pesos, dapat humingi ka na lang sa akin.” coz that’s the amount I would get when everyone would eventually fold: the big blind (P 40) and the small blind (P 20). I took the pot, naturally. I never had any faith in the AQ anyway. It was either this pot or none at all.

One hand I got was an 8-9 suited, 3 guys stayed in the pot. Flop came out 10-2-8. I checked, old lady checked, man bet 100. I called, so did old lady. Turn came out 7. I had a straight draw. I checked, so did old lady. Old man looks at my stack and bets 500. That was all my chips! I had to make a decision. I had 8 outs (any 6 or any J would give me straight). After a long contemplation, I looked at my watch and told myself, might as well go home. So I called, and so did the old lady. River comes out a Jack! Sweet mother of god! I got a straight! Old lady checks, so does old man. Old man shows pair of Jacks, old lady shows pair of tens, and I show, while motioning making a free-throw, my straight! Everyone gave me a rowdy "nice call pare!” Woohoo! I doubled my starting stack and was so friggin’ happy!

Next, I got a Q-9 diamonds. I just pay the big blinds and watch it unfold. Flop comes out H-D-H. One guy bets a hundred, so I stay in. Next is a D. I’m on a flush draw so I stay in, even with the 200 bet. The river shows a D! I hit the flush. I see the guy across me make a bet of 500. So I match his bet of 500. The dealer then tells me, "Sir, 1100 po and bet niya". So I say, "Sige, call ko din yun". So the player motions for me to turnover my cards. I asked him, "Flush ka din? Flush din ako, queens and nines". He then blurts out a "mother f*cker! beat by a bigger flush!" He had an 8 high diamond apparently. That too was a huge pot! I was now looking at more than tripling my starting stack. So I decided to play a little bit longer.

A couple of bad decisions later, I found myself back down to two-thousand. I got a 7-8 suited and pay the big blinds to look at the flop. It shows J-10-9. I hit the friggin’ straight on the flop! So I check. So does the other guy. Turn shows a K. Guy bets 300, so I call. River shows another Jack. Guy bets 300, so I re-raise to 600. He quickly calls and shows his pair of Kings and I show my straight. He could not believe it. He looked at board and said, "Straight? Straight? Meron siyang straight?" Woohoo! I felt friggin’ invincible!

Next I got a K-9 off suit on big blinds position. Flop shows 7-4-2. I decide to bluff by betting 600. Everyone folds except for this one lady who stays. "This is not good, is what I tell to myself". Turn comes out a rag number so I bet 500 again. She quickly calls once again. River comes out King! Woohoo! I hit my pair. So I bet 500 again and she quickly calls. She says, "You got it on the river! Nice" She hit her top pair at the flop with 7s. I told her, while raking lots chips, "that hand will make you love and hate poker at the same time." She gives me rye smile and says, "ehh, that’s alright" Obviously experienced player and behaved very professionally.

I then got a KJ off suit. I slow play it and pair my King on the flop so I bet 500. Old lady stays with me. Turn comes out rag number so I bet 500 again. Old lady still stays. River comes out Jack! I hit the two-pair. So I slow-play it. I check. Unfortunately, so does she. She turns over her pair of Kings, while I tell her that I had planned to trap her. If you're reading this "mommy", as the table affectionately calls her, nice check!

One hand I got was K-9 suited. Being in the big blinds, I checked. Flop pairs my Kings So I check. One player does the same, the other, however, goes all in with 340. I naturally call. He looks at me and asks, "Did you hit the King? I’m only on a straight draw". The other lady calls, and the both turnover 7-8! Turn and river don’t help them and I take down the pot. Both players laughed at the fact that the both had the same hands. I laughed coz I took a lot of their money. See, we're all happy.

This stage saw me at almost 5K. I should have quit. But I didn’t. Instead, I kept playing and playing. And eventually lost it all. I lost huge to a guy who got 4 queens. Then frustration led me to go all-in with my remaining 1600 with pocket 6s. Two players call. One of them had pocket Aces! The other one was just there for the ride. The board did not improve any of our hands, so the Aces won. I left coz it was getting kind of late and I was tired. I should have left when I was getting bored.

At least I got to see the final table of the charity event of the tourney played out. Winner was an old guy everyone called, Pokemon. He won the 32" LCD TV. The 2nd runner up, who also happened to have the most number of rebuys, 19 I think, won a 32" projection TV. Being the guy with the most rebuys, the charitable organization awarded him a 4 day - 3 Night stay at a resort in Boracay. Something told me that this guy played no-limit holdem professionally and was making a decent living doing so. I wonder if I'll pursue this career. Who knows?


Another thing I can be moderately happy about is seeing Aliya Parcs in person. Damn! Damn! Daaaaaaamn! She was wearing this tan colored top that showcased her ever so white and silky skin. Plus, she's got a smile that will literally dissolve your underwear while you are wearing them. She can flush my straight any time!

On the cab ride home, I contemplated on the days events and wondered if maybe the cash game was more to my suiting. The blinds would never increase, thus never forcing me to make rash decisions. I could walk out any time I wanted. Plus the buy in would just be 1K. Ill have plenty of time to decide. I’m really low on the cash side as of the moment. If there’s anything I can take away from this session, it’s that I need to learn to walk away and quit while I’m ahead. I think anyone who had a sliver of common sense would leave if they had already quintupled their starting stack. C'est la vie.

Will post again once I hit that casino floor. Peace!

All it takes is one hand

Last night, I decided to try my luck at the cash game at the ACF. I was not so optimistic heading there since my last session saw me fold more times than a piece of origami. The thought of losing actual P 300 to P 500 per bet was too much for me at that time. I now felt that with sufficient training at the tourney level and playing with my friends that I was psychologically equipped to meet this challenge head on.

On the way there, I was overcome with worry though. The weather looked ominous, and maybe I would not play at all because no one would leave their homes. I was sorely mistaken. When I arrived at ACF, three tables were full. 2 for the 20-40 blinds and 1 for the 50-100 blinds. Since I had no place to play and I was really hungry, I decided to try out the Chef Donatello restaurant at the ground floor. They served pizzas and sandwiches at moderate casino prices. I ordered a solo pizza for P 120. When the cashier told me that the canned softdrinks were P 40, I respectfully declined his offer for a drink with a "hell no!". So he said, "lemme just get you something free. Would you like dalandan, four seasons or green tea?" "Why the hell would you offer me overpriced Coke, when theres stuff for free?!?!?", is what I said on the inside. "Ill have the four seasons, thanks", was my outside voice. After the meal, which was suprisingly tasty, I headed upstairs.

No tables had free slots. This one guy had about 120 in chips, and was just probably waiting for a nice hand. When he did go all-in, he won and tripled up! Somamamabitch! I was the first guy on waitlist. After almost an hour of waiting, another 50-100 table opened up, and one guy transfered from the table I was watching. I got 2500 worth of chips and sat down. My first hand was pocket 9s. I posted the 40 blind automatically, but then reraised it to 300 when it was my turn again. One guy stayed in. The flop came out 10-10-7. So I bet 300 again. Other guy folded, and I showed him my hand. "Got lucky first hand!" I was happy to be up early on.

Next hand I got was a 8-6 off. I was in the big blinds so I just checked. Flop came out 4-9-7. So i bet 300. 2 guys stayed in. Turn showed a 5. Bet 200 again. One guy folded, other stayed. Last hand card was a 6. I bet 200 again, other guy stayed and I showed him my straight. He just folded and smiled. I took the pot and smiled bigger.

One time, I had an opportunity for a gutshot straight, and should have folded when a Queen made the flop and I had 1o high and the remaining player bet 300. The turn paired up my ten and once again I called the 300 bet. River did not give me my straight and I had to call the 300 because of me being pot committed. He of course had top pair Queen. That was a lousy play all the way.

Next good hand I got was a JQ suited. Flop came out 7-J-9. So I bet 300. One guy stayed with me. Turn came out number so I checked. Fortunately, the other guy checked. River was a beauty, a J. Guy bets 100, so I reraise to 400. He says loudly, "ano hawak mo? ano hawak mo?" while counting his chips and looking at his hand. I said, "bayaran mo ung raise, tapos papakita ko." So he called, I showed, he grimaced, I took the pot. Hehe

The beginning of my end began when I held an AQ suited. I bet 300 outright, and one guy stayed with me (the same one who beat me with pocket ladies). The flop paired my Queen so I bet 300. He called. Turn came out number so I checked. He bet a 1000. I called instantly since I had plenty of outs (any Queen would give me trips and any club would give me a flush). River was another number so the other guy went all in with 440. I reluctantly called. He said, "I got one pair". He showed pocket Kings! He brokebacked my ass! That was a huuuuuge blow! Later in the evening he was talking to another guy who apparently folded pocket 2s, and got trips on the flop. He didnt call because of the big preflop bet. The guy who creamed me said that you have to live and learn in poker, take your losses, learn from them and move on. He even said that if a club came out, that I would have eaten him alive.

My play went downhill from there. I got another AQ later in the evening and went all in with just the big and small blinds posted. Everyone folded to my 660 bet. Argh!!! Around 12:15, I got a AJ off and went all in again. 5 guys called. If I would win, I would be so happy. Before the flop was dealt, one player shouted "all garbage!". He got his wish. Flop came out 6-5-7. He went all in with 540. Only one guy called. He showed his 34 suited. The other guy just folded. I left, shook the hand of the man who creamed me thrice, wished everyone good luck and left.

On the way home, I contemplated my play and was suprisingly both happy and sad. Happy at how my aggressive play improved and sad at how 2 bad decisions cost me almost my entire stack. Ill definitely play some more money games soon. Just need some more practice, discipline, self control, and oh yeah, almost forgot, more cash.

Wish me luck next time!

For a good cause?!??!?

I just found out on a blog of the Poker Bar Tour, the tourney I join in every Saturday, that the usual 1.5K + 300 game will be preempted by their first charity holdem poker tournament. The entry is now 3K (2K buy-in + 1K registration fee) for a 6K starting stack. The tourney will feature unlimited rebuys before the sixth level and a one-time add-on at the end of the rebuy period. Both addon and rebuys will cost 2K for an additional 4K stack. Since its a charity event, the usual prize structure has been replaced by the following prizes:

1. Winner - 32" LCD TV
2. Second - 32" Flat TV
3. Third - Acer Laptop
4. Fourth - Nokia N90
5. Fifth - Sony DVD Camcorder
6. Sixth - Canon Poweshot S2i
7. Seventh - 29" Flat TV
8. Eighth - Apple Ipod 20GB
9. Ninth - Apple Ipod Nano
10. Tenth - Sony DVD Player

All pretty cool. I've got my eye on the small gadgets.

The kicker, however, is the opportunity the tourney presents to play with celebrities listed below who have apparently confirmed to be there. Their will be one celebrity per table, so each table will be equally star-struck, but more so than others. You'll understand better when you see the roster:

• Asia Agcaoili
• Jeni Hernandez
• Karel Marquez
• Aliya Parcs
• The Jaboom Twins
• Happee Sy
• Cesca Liltton
• Angel Rivero
• Michael De Mesa
• Buboy Garovillo

See what i mean? Hehe. Still contemplating on joining though. After all, it is for a good cause (wink, wink). Will have to get details on the organizers. Will keep you guys posted.

By the way, for more details on the tournament, click on the link 'Deal a helping hand' on my sidebar Links section.

So close, yet, so far ...

This past Saturday, July 8th, I joined another NLHE tournament hosted by poker bar tour philippines. Entrance was once again P 1500 + P 300 registration fee. This week they offered a one-time rebuy of P 1500 to get 1300 worth of chips when you get 500 chips or lower. Or, after the 3rd level (during the break), you can avail of addon of 1500 worth of chips for P 1500.

I arrived little early and proceeded as usual to watch the cash game going on. It always makes me laugh seeing the old guys fight out rules and acceptable behavior at the poker table. I noticed across the table the P 1 million winner and felt a little intimidated at the prospect that he could have joined the tournament (I later found out he didnt, whew!).

When the tournament did start, 7 out of the 10 guys knew each other, so the chit chat was very animated and fun. That relieved my anxiety a little bit. I decided to play differently this week, by playing more hands and playing aggressively more often whether or not I had the best hand. I hoped this would work in my favor since the previous night my friends and I played a poker game and the top 2 winners of the evening played aggressively. My first good hand was a pair of kings. I went out and bet 300 outright. 2 guys came in. The flop showed all numbers, no potential straight or flush, so i bet 300 again. Both guys followed again. A 10 showed up next, so I bet 400. The first guy folded, but the 2nd guy stayed on. The river was a number, so I decided to trap my opponent by checking. Unfortunately, he checked as well. I turned my cards and he showed his pocket queens. To bad, he must have thought. I raked the huge pot in and was pretty happy.

Next good hand I got was pocket 8's. So i came out betting 300, 3 guys came in the pot with me. The flop showed Q-8-10. I was so amazed I flopped the trips. So I slow played it. Just checking. Everyone else did. Turn came out 4. So i bet 300 again, 2 players folded, but one stayed in. River showed another Q. I was scared, if this dude has a Q, im screwed. So i came out betting 500 to scare him off. He acted scared, then reraised me 1000. So i naturally called because I was pot-committed. He turned up Q-10! Full House! Somamabitch! I could not believe my luck. I showed him my pocket 8s and he commented by saying, "Slow played the trips?" Well, If i had gone all in, I would cried rivers of blood. That was a huge blow!

Later, I found myself down on the chipcount after break. I was then dealt an AK suited. So i came out betting 500. The guy across me asked how much chips I had left, and to my surprise, all the good players (I assumed), said in unison "700!". So he called. The flopped paired my Ace, so I thought I had the best hand and just checked to trap again. He fell for it and bet 700, I called and showed my AK or big slick. He gasped 'cause, If I remember correctly, he needed at 2 specific cards to beat me. I took the pot naturally and he smiled and said "nice hand". "Thanks ...", I said loudly, ".. for doubling me up", I said to myself.

Next, at dealer button position, I got a 56 suited, and called the big blind. The flop came out 3-6-2, so I bet 200. One guy folded, 2 others stayed in. the Turn showed up a 5. So i bet 400, both folded and I took the pot along with the antes! Sweeeeet!

One time, I had pocket 2s when the blinds were 20-40. I gave a hundred chip to bet a hundred, so I could scare people off and just steal the pot, but since I didnt say I bet, the dealer just assumed I bet 40, and just wanted change for the 100. 4 guys came in and they all checked, I bet 300 at the flop that did not help me. One guy stayed in. Turn didnt help so I just checked. Other guy thought I was trapping so he checked as well. River didnt help either so I checked. He looked at me long trying to decide If I was trapping. He decided to bet 500. So i thought to myself, he was not have any hand and was just trying to steal the pot. So i called, he had J4, and there was a 4 on the flop. He beat my 22s with 44s. Dammit! Should have bet big!

One hand I got AJ off, so I bet big at 500. Flop paired my Ace so I bet big again 300. The guy who killed me with the full house earlier, stayed along with me. Turn came out number, so I bet 500. He called. River came out number again, so I checked. He checked as well and asked what I had. I showed my AJ, he said "Ahh" and just folded. Apparently, you can just fold your hand to concede at a showdown on the river. The guy who I beat with AK asked what he was holding and he said, "Pocket Balls", meaning he was just playing aggressive in hopes of stealing the pot or hoping I had a smaller hand. This same guy later commented by saying that its hard to steal the pot in our table since theres an aggressive guy at the table and motioned at me. I was flattered at the thought that I was aggressive since that was the table image I was going for when I started.

It started going downhill when the antes kept going up and I kept getting off suited numbers. Literally no face cards for a really long time. I reached a point when I had only 300 in chips and antes at 100. This was when out table was collapsed and I was transferred to another table. I sat beside a guy I knew by face playing in last weeks tournament. I put my ante for the round, and held my 200 ashamedly. I was dealt pocket 99s. The dealer then said, "Sir, paki baba lang po ang chips natin para makita ng lahat". That was when I said, "All-in 200!". When everybody saw my chips, thats when they said "kaya pala tinatago". The guy beside me went all-in as well. While we were waiting for the the guy beside him to decide, he said to me, "pare, patingin ng cards mo" So I showed him my pocket 9s, and he showed pocket Qs. He then said something to the effect of "walang personalan pare, maganda lang talaga hand ko" I respected the fact that he wanted me to know that he wasnt just blindly after my 200 chips but wanted to get the most out of his hand in case anyone else called his all-in. The guy beside him then called the all-in as well, showing his hand as KQ off. 3 players only for possibly my last hand of the day. The flop showed 9-8-7. Everybody just gasped and shouted at awe. "I am still alive!", I thought to myself. The guy beside me then said, "I dont care about that, I just want to take my share off the pot" The turn came out number, so the guy beside me was still ahead, but this time he also had a flush draw. So he said "king of clubs! king of clubs!" jokingly to the other guy. Another club did come out and he got the side pot, while I got the antes and main pot. Woohoo! What a hand!

But I couldnt stay for long, I was big blind next, then small blind. I had only 800 left when I picked up A6 off. I would have gone all-in if it werent for this american guy who bet 2400 at the pot. I got scared at what he had and just folded. He was asked if he had low pairs or something, he said yah. Dammit! Next i got Q4 off. So i went all in and the guy beside me called again. He had KQ off so only a 4 would help me. Flop paired his king. Turn gave me a reason to smile because it gave me a flush draw if a spade came on the river. It didnt however. People at the table shook my hand, as well as the organizer who remarked "Sayang! next week na lang siguro". "Sana nga next week", I said back at him with a forced smile.

I called up my girlfriend to tell her the news. On the way home, I contemplated at my game and strategy and was peculiarly happy. I enjoyed myself and was able to identify key mistakes so I could do better next time. Hope I do better next week. Drinks of me with the boys if I finish at the final table.

Ill be back next week with an account of the July 15 tournament at the ACF again. Wish me luck!