So, I really like to play poker. No Limit Holdem, tourney play is my favorite game.
Went to Reno with wifey to play in a tourney that I was invited to at The Peppermill. It was an invitation only, $1000 buy in that was comped by the casino. They also comped my room for the weekend. Who could refuse?
The tourney was to start at 8am on Friday. Top five went on to another tourney on Saturday that was a combo of all the top five winners in the last qualifying games. Winnings for the first games were generous with first place at just under $10k, and advancing to the final games thet first place purse was almost $100k. So, hell yes, I don't even have to pay the entry fee? I'm there ...
So, we check in a day early. I rest up the night before (no heavy drinking, up all night, etc). Got a good nites sleep and was up early to have a light breakfast. Was there with a couple of buddies. Mentioned that I had a headache and someone gave me two gelcaps Tylenol. I had a MJ cookie with me, and since I always get real nervous at the beginning of a game .. I decided I'd eat it. Breakfast is over ... and I start swelling up. My hands swelled up, my throat started to close and get real itchy, eyes swelling shut. Found out that I was given Motrin Gelcaps - which I am allergic to. Fuk.
So, I run over to the gift shop and I buy about ten packets of Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine. It has a lot of aniti histimine in it, that works fast, so .... I am sitting at the bar ordering glasses of water and drinking Alka Seltzers as fast as I can. I thing the bartender thought I was crazy, and I must have looked like shit ... all swollen up and drinking foaming drinks as fast as I could ... "Hey bartender .. more water here. Please hurry ..." LoL.
So, tourney is going to start in an hour .. I go to the room to lay down. My heart is racing from the drugs. My face is all swoll up and red. Can't hardly talk, whelts all over my arms. Ears ringing so loud I'm sure everyone can hear it. I'm thinking ... I 'm not going to make the tourney.
Forty five minutes later wifey wakes me up and says, "Get up and go play cards. I don't care if you barf on the table ... go play." So, I drug my sorry ass out of bed and stumbled down to the tables ... just about the time the MJ cookie kicked in. Holey shit. It kinda felt like my college days when I'd snort a couple lines of coke and smoke a joint. Any noise would make a "wah, wah wahah" noise in my head. To say I was high is the understatement of a lifetime. So, what did I do once set down? Ordered a bloody mary. Yea, that helped.
I don't remember the first two hours play. When the cards would fly thru the air (in slow motion) they would leave tracers ... kind of a shroom feel. We took a break and I stood up to go pee and staggered away ... wifey met me some distance away smiling from ear to ear ... she said "you are doing well." It wasn't a question. I said "I am?" She pointed to my seat ... "Look at the pile of chips." Holey moley ... I was chip leader.
By noon I was starting to crash. Kinda needed those two lines of coke, ya know? Instead, I ordered Tequilla - which has a similar effect on me. Wires me, makes me aggressive. And, that's the way I played. I was in the zone ... all I could see was the table, the cards and the players. I felt like I was INSIDE their heads. It was easy. I was an aggressive maniac; played tight unless I had some cards and then I was very aggressive. Everyone there that played at my table ended up hating me. And I didn't say a word. Did not respond to remarks, questions ... totally blank. It wasn't me. I was a machine.
Final table was bloody. Last nine players are good - and like I said, everybody was gunning for me. I was stuck up, condescending, rude ... they called me names and I didn't feel a thing. I would lose small pots, and win big ones. Lose 1000 chips, win 4000. Over and over. Slowing chipping away at their stacks.
Finally ended up with me and one guy. Heads up. He told me he was an attorney - did corporate work. As we played he asked if I'd be willing to split both pots (first and second) and share first place. For the first time since the game began I spoke: I laughed and said, "Why would I want to do that? I'm going to win this game. If you want to resign and save us some time .... " He just looked at me so I said to the dealer, "Deal". She did. We battled for two hours.
He made a big bet, I called. The flop gave him three Kings (I didn't know it at the time, of course). It gave me a pair of Queens and a good opportunity at a flush. He went all in. I thought about it and called. Fourth street was no help to him, but it was to me. Fifth street gave me a Queen high straight flush. I won. First place. And it was all because wifey wouldn't let me puss out.
I slept from 8pm till the next morning when the next tourney was scheduled for the real money.
I always eat a cookie before the start of a game. It helps me focus, calms me down. But, my gawd ... I gotta remember Motrin, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tequila and marijuana is the magic combo.
~ Auggie ~
Went to Reno with wifey to play in a tourney that I was invited to at The Peppermill. It was an invitation only, $1000 buy in that was comped by the casino. They also comped my room for the weekend. Who could refuse?
The tourney was to start at 8am on Friday. Top five went on to another tourney on Saturday that was a combo of all the top five winners in the last qualifying games. Winnings for the first games were generous with first place at just under $10k, and advancing to the final games thet first place purse was almost $100k. So, hell yes, I don't even have to pay the entry fee? I'm there ...
So, we check in a day early. I rest up the night before (no heavy drinking, up all night, etc). Got a good nites sleep and was up early to have a light breakfast. Was there with a couple of buddies. Mentioned that I had a headache and someone gave me two gelcaps Tylenol. I had a MJ cookie with me, and since I always get real nervous at the beginning of a game .. I decided I'd eat it. Breakfast is over ... and I start swelling up. My hands swelled up, my throat started to close and get real itchy, eyes swelling shut. Found out that I was given Motrin Gelcaps - which I am allergic to. Fuk.
So, I run over to the gift shop and I buy about ten packets of Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine. It has a lot of aniti histimine in it, that works fast, so .... I am sitting at the bar ordering glasses of water and drinking Alka Seltzers as fast as I can. I thing the bartender thought I was crazy, and I must have looked like shit ... all swollen up and drinking foaming drinks as fast as I could ... "Hey bartender .. more water here. Please hurry ..." LoL.
So, tourney is going to start in an hour .. I go to the room to lay down. My heart is racing from the drugs. My face is all swoll up and red. Can't hardly talk, whelts all over my arms. Ears ringing so loud I'm sure everyone can hear it. I'm thinking ... I 'm not going to make the tourney.
Forty five minutes later wifey wakes me up and says, "Get up and go play cards. I don't care if you barf on the table ... go play." So, I drug my sorry ass out of bed and stumbled down to the tables ... just about the time the MJ cookie kicked in. Holey shit. It kinda felt like my college days when I'd snort a couple lines of coke and smoke a joint. Any noise would make a "wah, wah wahah" noise in my head. To say I was high is the understatement of a lifetime. So, what did I do once set down? Ordered a bloody mary. Yea, that helped.
I don't remember the first two hours play. When the cards would fly thru the air (in slow motion) they would leave tracers ... kind of a shroom feel. We took a break and I stood up to go pee and staggered away ... wifey met me some distance away smiling from ear to ear ... she said "you are doing well." It wasn't a question. I said "I am?" She pointed to my seat ... "Look at the pile of chips." Holey moley ... I was chip leader.
By noon I was starting to crash. Kinda needed those two lines of coke, ya know? Instead, I ordered Tequilla - which has a similar effect on me. Wires me, makes me aggressive. And, that's the way I played. I was in the zone ... all I could see was the table, the cards and the players. I felt like I was INSIDE their heads. It was easy. I was an aggressive maniac; played tight unless I had some cards and then I was very aggressive. Everyone there that played at my table ended up hating me. And I didn't say a word. Did not respond to remarks, questions ... totally blank. It wasn't me. I was a machine.
Final table was bloody. Last nine players are good - and like I said, everybody was gunning for me. I was stuck up, condescending, rude ... they called me names and I didn't feel a thing. I would lose small pots, and win big ones. Lose 1000 chips, win 4000. Over and over. Slowing chipping away at their stacks.
Finally ended up with me and one guy. Heads up. He told me he was an attorney - did corporate work. As we played he asked if I'd be willing to split both pots (first and second) and share first place. For the first time since the game began I spoke: I laughed and said, "Why would I want to do that? I'm going to win this game. If you want to resign and save us some time .... " He just looked at me so I said to the dealer, "Deal". She did. We battled for two hours.
He made a big bet, I called. The flop gave him three Kings (I didn't know it at the time, of course). It gave me a pair of Queens and a good opportunity at a flush. He went all in. I thought about it and called. Fourth street was no help to him, but it was to me. Fifth street gave me a Queen high straight flush. I won. First place. And it was all because wifey wouldn't let me puss out.
I slept from 8pm till the next morning when the next tourney was scheduled for the real money.
I always eat a cookie before the start of a game. It helps me focus, calms me down. But, my gawd ... I gotta remember Motrin, Alka Seltzer Plus, Tequila and marijuana is the magic combo.
~ Auggie ~
