Out in the First Level at the Grand

I spent so much energy to make it so deep at the Goldstrike, and I became so frustrated by it, that I just couldn't put enough into the WSOP Circuit in Tunica. Natalie's cousins Lezlie and Dana came down to sweat me in the tournament; and arrived just in time to see me make the long "Walk of Shame" out of the tournament area, past the reular poker room and down the escalators. It was really good to meet them and was really thoughtful of them to come. I only wish I could have given them a better show.

Mike and Amy came down to have dinner in Lyle Berman's Steakhouse with us and Ted Lawson. We ran into Scotty Nguyen on the way, and took the opportunity to congratulate him on his win at the Goldstrike. Ted wanted to play in an online tournament, so he had his laptop going at the dinner table. It was quite a hoot to see him try and eat this huge steak while clicking away at his mouse. After dinner, we all went to the room and sweated Ted. Natalie and Amy fell asleep, so once Ted busted out and went back to his room, Mike and I headed to the craps tables.

The next day Natalie had scheduled an interview for ESPN. They were doing some renovations at hotel, so the interview was postponed while the crew broke down the set and moved it to another room.

Out in 59th place

Nine from the money, and I'm out. I had A 6 with a flop of 5 J 6 and raised to 6,000. My opponent re-raised to 20,000. With about 60,000 chips in total and a pair of 6s, I pushed all in... only to find myself called with trip 5s. I feel like I could have played the hand better if I had taken more time with it.

All in all, I really liked the way the Goldstrike tournament was run. I truly enjoy the tournaments that get all the play done about 9pm, and then leave you free to enjoy your dinner as well as the rest of your evening. It just wears on the players less.

Amy got us a very nice suite comped, and Ken Lambert was kind enough to extend our stay through the Grand tournament, so that we have a place to crash on breaks and don't have to drive back to the condo if we don't want to. It has helped me stay more rested. If we hadn't gotten the suite, I would have wanted to make the hour drive twice a day, and anything you can do to reduce stress helps exponentially during the tournament.

Many of my friends I used to hang out with here in Tunica came and supported me in the WPT tourney; and we practically had a family reunion up here the other day. Mike and Amy brought in some barbeque from The Germantown Commissary. We had so much food, we invited the WPT crew and Cardplayer magazine up to the suite. A few poker players and friends showed up as well. We had a really nice time.

So, we are going to fire another bullet (and another $10K) at the WSOP Circuit here in Tunica.

Christmas, New Year's, Bahamas WPT

We had a nice Christmas this year, spending Christmas Eve with Natalie's family in Memphis and Christmas Day with mine in Alabama. While in AL, we had a great birthday party for me and my best friend, Dennis. He and I were born 8 days apart, so all of our old friends made it over to Dennis' house. I was really proud to see everyone because the travel is so intense that I haven't been able to keep in touch with some of my friends.

We just hung out at the condo in Memphis for New Years, watching the fireworks from Beale Street on the tv. New Years' Day was the big gathering at Natalie's aunt and uncle's new house. They have a really nice house on a lake. John took me out on one of his boats to see the lake. Some of the houses out there are multi-million-dollar homes. John and Teresa didn't buy one that big since it is just the two of them... but I believe they managed to get the best lot. The view of the lake from the house is breathtaking. Hopefully, they'll be having us back over soon.

On the 2nd, my nephew, Joe, had his first start in a major bowl game. We had a few family and friends over to the condo to watch the game, and were saddened to see Auburn lose.

Then on the 4th it was off to Paradise Island for the Pokerstars Carribean Adventure at the Atlantis Casino. Our friends Ted and Michele were nice enough to book a two bedroom suite for us all, since they live in Ft. Lauderdale and are regulars at the casino. I made it through the first start day of the tournament and on my day off, Michele and Natalie made plans to take Tammy Ward, wife of the TD, in to Nassau for some shopping. Ted and I decided to tag along, so we got a the hotel to give us an excursion limousine and we headed into town. The girls got so excited by all of the stores and drug us around a couple before we decided to break for lunch. We thought they were going to come back by the restaurant, but after 5 hours there alone, we decided to head back to the hotel. We met up with the girls; and I don't know who spent the most money, but I know that Natalie bought the most stuff. She had Michele and Tammy carrying stuff for her! I'm just proud that I didn't have to haul that stuff around. LOL
Day two of the tournament, I found myself fighting for position, but I made it through. I had built my chips up to 90,000 when we broke the bubble. We played two more levels that night, and i found my self pinned down under heavy fire. I anted away 34,000. I played two extrememly selective hands during that time. On one, I picked up the blinds and antes to the tune of 6,000; on the other, I reaised 6,000 and someone came over the top of me and I was forced to fold. It was like my chair was empty for the last two levels. I was extremely frustrated with the situation.
On Day three, I came back ready to play with 56,000. I picked up A-4 suited, one seat off the cut-off. I pushed and the small blind called with A-3 offsuit. He hit a 3 on the flop to put me out in 61st place.

Now we are just chilling down in Memphis, trying to get ready for the two tournaments in Tunica. I am also trying to decide whether or not I am going to have the energy to play in the Borgata tournament, or if we are just going to head back to Vegas.