Two Tuesday TowneHouse Tournaments

Toni hosted a a couple of $40 NL Tuesday night tournaments at the TowneHouse, followed up by a late night cash game. I broke even for the session. I failed to cash in either of the two tourneys. That's never happened before. I'm used to making the money at the TowneHouse tourneys. I probably should have cashed in one but I got caught with my pants down trying to steal blinds when it got close to the bubble... both times. At least I made my buy-ins back during the late night cash game.

Tourney #1
Seat 1: Toni
Seat 2: Damon
Seat 3: Pauly
Seat 4: Sung
Seat 5: Brian
Seat 6: Ross
Seat 7: Andy

At TowneHouse we play with the Toni's infamous pink chips. Cliff couldn't make the first tournament. He was stuck at the office preparing for a trial. They nicknamed him "The Hammer" because he keeps everyone in line. He's the time keeper and pretty must runs the nuts and bolts of the tourney, collects the cash, and distributes prize money. When he's absent, Andy assumes the role of The Hammer.


Toni's pink poker chips
Music included John Cougar Mellancamp's greatest hits along with featured selections from random 1980s metal-hair bands. Al Cant Hang would have felt at home. Toni always has plenty of wine and I always bring a six pack of Red Stripe... the Official Beer of the Tao of Poker. I'm the only non-lawyer in the bunch but that's how it used to be when I first played at The Blue Parrot.

Level 1: I won my first pot with AJ. In the big blind and heads up with Toni's little blind, I had 35o. In my mind I made a mental image of the perfect flop. Wow. I should do that more often because flopped a Wheel straight. I checked, Toni bet, and I smooth called. When a 6 fell on the turn, she made her two pair with A6. She called all my bets to the river and I won about half her stack on with the Big Blind Special.

Level 2: Sung raised preflop and went heads up with Andy. The flop: 10-x-x with two clubs. Sung check-raised Andy about double the pot. He thought about if for the longest time and reluctantly called with K-10. Sung showed 99. I liked that raise there and Andy almost folded. Andy was the chipleader after that hand and I not far behind in second after I picked up a few uncontested pots.

Damon won with 66 after he flopped a set. He won the pot on the flop after everyone folded. I was the dealer at the time. I rarely "rabbit hunt" and I dunno why, but I automatically burned and showed everyone the future turn card, the 6 of spades. Damon would have hit quads!

Level 3: Ross doubled up Toni when she caught her flush after moving all-in on the flop. She had a little more breathing room but that made Ross the shortstack. He had to get all his chips in with AKo a few hands later. Andy and his big stack called with A8o. He caught a backdoor flush to win after Ross flopped a king. Ouch. I only thought that happened on Party Poker when I have Big Slick!

Level 4: I had almost T1900 and doubled up Damon's shorstack. My AJ lost to KQ. And I was back to T1000... just where I started. With A6, Sung hit a nice flop: A-5-A.

Level 5: The biggest hand of the night had to be when Damon knocked out Toni and Brian in the same hand. Brian had the best hand going in with 88. He was the shortstack and moved all in preflop. Toni felt like gambling with her short stack and called with K8s. Damon and AKo went over the top with a raise. Toni called for the rest of her chips. I forget the actually flop, but I'm sure an ace hit the board at some point. Damon won a huge pot and took over the chip lead. I was the short stack with T1100. Four players remained and only the top 2 places paid since we were 7 handed.

Level 6: UTG I tried to steal the blinds with K4s. I picked the wrong time. Sung had AK and when he emphatically called, I knew I was done. Out in 4th. Andy followed out in the bubble when Sung's A7s took down his pocket 3s. Damon and Sung played heads up for two levels. I stepped outside on the patio. Is that a correct usage of "patio"? Can you have a patio on the 13th floor? Anyway, I stepped outside for a smoke break and missed the final hand. Damon had a busted royal flush draw and lost to Sung who paired the board. Damon took second and $100. Sung won bragging rights and $180. Both guys played great poker.

In between games everyone gets a little more drunk. The second tournaments are a lot looser that the first one. People are joking around a little bit more and all the lawyer jargon disappears. Everyone that plays at TowneHouse works their asses off during the week. These games are a time for them to unwind, relax, and just have a little fun.

Cliff and Jim arrived for the second game and we had nine players. Cliff blew off the rest of his trial prep to make the second tourney. Top 3 places paid out. $40 entry. The blinds were shortened to 10 minutes instead of 15 so we could get a cash game started at a reasonable hour.

Tourney #2:
Seat 1: Toni
Seat 2: Damon
Seat 3: Pauly
Seat 4: Sung
Seat 5: Cliff
Seat 6: Andy
Seat 7: Jim
Seat 8: Ross
Seat 9: Brian

In the first orbit, someone's Hilton Sisters lost to KTs. I wish I remembered what happened. My note taking at that stage was piss poor. I was tired and drunk. I really need an intern from NYU to follow me around and take solid notes for me during my live cash games. That and to fetch me cold Red Stripes, meatball heros, and drinks for the other players. So if you are an NYC college student looking for a poker internship, send me your resume and an essay entitled, "Why am I Tao of Poker intern material?" Bonus points if you include charts and schematics. I love a good pie graph.

In the second level, I bluffed at a fairly large pot. Six limpers including me saw the flop. Everyone checked. The turn was another big blank. Everyone checked to me and I to bet 1.5 times the pot and won. I rarely show bluffs, but I was feeling sloppy. I flipped over my A9o. I blame it on the Red Stripe.


Cliff lost a lot of his stack to Jim when they both flopped two pair. Jim moved all-in. The board was: A-8-6. Cliff had A6 and Jim held A8. It's tough not to go broke on a board like that. Toni was the shortstack and she doubled up with The Hilton Sisters against Sung's AJs. Damon was the first one to get eliminated, followed by Sung and then Ross. I was knocked out in 6th place when I tried to steal a pot from Toni. We were heads up in the blinds again. The board A-9-10. I had J9s and moved all-in after she checked. Well, she quickly called with KTo. Ouch. Out in 6th with another aggressive move. At that point Brian was the chipleader. He won a huge pot off of Toni and doubled up.

Cliff finished in 5th and Jim bubbled out. He had 99 and ran into Toni's 10-9s. She hit her flop. Andy took third place and won his entry fee back. Toni and Brian had about the same amount of chips and they chopped first and second.

Late Night Cash Game
Seat 1: Toni
Seat 2: Pauly
Seat 3: Andy
Seat 4: Ross
Seat 5: Cliff

12:26am EST... The late night crowd was hammered by this point. Everyone was drunk and joking around. Ross called Pineapple. I only saw one flop during the orbit. My cards sucked.

12:29am EST... With 8-8-Q-9 double-suited I flopped a set. I also hit a full boat by the river. Unfortunately, I chopped the pot with Andy. He had a flush and thought it was good. He never thought about the low and backed into half the pot because he had 6-7!

12:35am EST... +10. Toni called 3-5-7 which is a game really called "Take Pauly's Money." We played it the last time I was there. Seven card draw game. Three cards to start and 3s are wild. Best three card hand wins. Then you draw two more cards with 5s being wild. Best 5 card hand wins. Then you draw two final cards with 7s wild. As you can see, the wild cards always shift. A full house is not guaranteed to win at the end either. Cliff had five jacks at one point.

1:09am EST... I was up +40 after a won a few hands in hold'em.

1:32am EST... Cliff called Evil Homer. Stud game with the lowest spade in the hole winning half the pot. The Jack of Spades is Evil Homer. If you have that as one of you down cars, you can pick one card and strike out all four. If you had trip Kings and knew someone had trip Aces, you naturally kill all the aces. If you had the 3 of spades in the hole, you'd kill all the 2s. It's a weird game and you have to do the Evil Homer Dance before you kill any cards. It's a funnier game to play at 2am when you are shithoused.

1:51am EST... Toni drops The Hammer!

1:59am EST... +78 after winning the high in 7-27.

Overall, I ended up down $5. I always have a lot of fun at The TowneHouse especially last night. The late night games are my favorite. Anway, Toni invited me to another game tonight. I'd like to go, but I declined. I have an article due that I have to finish up by Midnight. I also have to do all my picks for the NCAA March Madness pool!