From: "Tom Overton" Subject: TOC/BARGE Trip Report This will be a trip report on the TOC and another report for BARGE will follow. My lovely wife Nancy and I left Denton, TX via auto early Friday the 21st. About 50 miles west I rememberd I had left several pairs of pants and a couple of shirts on hangers. Oh well, I'll stop in a Wal- Mart somewhere and pick up something. Then about 100 more miles I'm ready for a snack so look for our nuts, crackers, etc. Yea, I forgot them also. Still no big deal, then coming into Memphis (that's Memphis Texas) I immediately see flashing lights in front of me. Yea I'm in a 70 zone and hit the 55. He gets me going 76 in a 55 zone. Ticket is $175. If it had not have been over 70, then only $125. I'm not very happy now, but as I come into Amarillo, I start thinking about Amarillo Slim..this would have not gotten him on tilt, so I mellow out. We stoped in Grants NM for the night (750miles) at a Motel 6 (Don't like to pay much for just a bed). Next day we arrive in Laughlin and stay at the Flamingo Hilton with a $25 coupon (Thanks to Tom Sims). Saturday is a busy time for the recreation water people. They are swarming all over the place. Large families moving through the lobby carrying bathing stuff, picknick stuff, etc. Out on the river it is alive with jet skis. All over the place. We are up high in the hotel and can easily see the boat activity on the river. Amazing that we didn't see anyone run togehter. Did not play poker there..just rested. Into Las Vegas around noon where we met Nancy's neice. We check in and they go to play the slots. I go on up to get registered for the TOC. There meet several BARGEers, including my good poker buddy, JohnnyD. I hang around there and sweat the $1000 buy-in that evening. One of the highlights was seeing Amarillo Slim playing. I watched him closely as I had never seen him before. He seems to always have a smile on his face and is constantly looking out over the rail with that sparkle in his eyes. He seems to be having lots of fun. Wish I had been close enough to have heard what he was saying. Later he gets to the final table and I am close enough to hear some of his words. One, example is where he makes a bet and no one calls, he holds up his cards and announces pocket Kings, but the card shown is a deuce. "Oh, I'm going to have to start wearing my glasses", he says. Shortly after that he makes a potsize bet into Scott Byron..Scott thinks a while and then folds..Slim then laughs and shows pocket Aces. A fun guy..He got 7th place. That night Nancy comes in and throws several $100 bills on the bed. She's been plahing nickle machines and is up about $1K. Of course, they are not really nickle machines as they are where you have about 9 lines and can place 5 nickles on each line, so you are really hitting it at $2.25 each pull. Anyway she hit some jackpots on "Reel'em IN" , Monopoly, etc. Good start. Next mornig down and to the opening cermonies. Really not that much to it..just walk in and take your seat. I am really pretty calm and not anywhere as nervous as I figured I would be. The only person I know at my table is Linda Johnson. Linda is pretty aggressive and loses half her stack fairly quickly, but later on builds it back up. I am holding my own through most of the day, but get down to $4K in the late afternoon. JohnnyD is down to $2K but the optimist that he is, says we're okay..just need to double up. Well, I do get it up to $12K by the last break and feel pretty confident that I will make the second day. I build it on up to about $15K when we go into the Omaha8 round. That one got be pretty bad..went to the river too many times to lose. By the end of the day, I was down to a little over $2K, but at least had made the cut (180 left). JohnnyD, however, got his stack up over $20K and was one of the leaders. Second day, Know I've got to make the most of my stack or I'm gone. First hand, I find 99..end up all-in but make a set to double up. Next hand is 10,10...do the same and all of sudden I'm up among the living. Continue a good run in hold'em and am up to over $15K when we enter the Omaha8 round. Same thing happened, good cards that didn't develop or got busted on the river. Bets were $600-$1200 so my 15K was gone just prior to entering the stud round. I'm out at 130th. But, what an experience. I played good poker most of the time, but evidently do not know how to play O8. Need some lessons, I guess. Watched the final table and saw Spencer do his thing. Good job, Spencer. We move from the Orleans on Saturday to a timeshare/condo week off the strip to await BARGE. However, I did play in the Orleans daily $60 buyin $40 rebuy nolimit on Friday. Did okay, but did not finish in the money. Came back over on Sunday and played in a small tourney. Randy Collock was at my table to my left. First hand, I find AK, A2x comes on the flop..guy to my right goes all-in..I call. River is a King. He shows A2 and then rebuys. Boy, it started out fast...but it continued that way...all-in..rebuy. AK was the hot hand, I don't know how many times it was shown, but more than would be expected. Anyway, I ended up getting 9th place for $160. In the meantime my skillful wife has run her bankroll up to $1300 on the nickle slots. She is having fun. Next post will start with the Pre-BARGE tourney at the Strat. Tom Overton Denton, Texas From: "Tom Overton" Subject: TOC / BARGE Part 2 After leaving the Orleans we moved into our timeshare/condo for 7 nights to await BARGE. In getting ready for the Pre-BARGE tourney at the Strat, I was taking a shower in the bathtub. Since not being used to showering in a bathtub I turned in it and brought my calves to the rim of the bathtub, the next thing I know I have gone backward taking all the shower curtans and shower hangers with me. My right shoulder hit the edge of the commode and I laid there for a few seconds trying to decide if I had been hurt. Nancy had run in and helped get me on my feet and was in near panic. Good thing I didn't lock the door. Anyway, I survived and we made it over to the Stat in plenty of time. I think there were 21 with three tables. I survived with never having a big stack and busted out just before the final table was formed. I believe I busted out #10 or 11. I was on the button with 109o and folds around to me. I figured I might try a steal, so made a raise. LB (Mike McCracken) called and BB (Ross Poppel) raised. Hell of a time to try to steel blinds...but, I figured they both probably had big cards and my stack was pretty low, so would just raise all-in with my few remaining chips. Sure enough, LB AQ, BB AK...but no help on the board so roadkill took it down with AK. I'm gone. HOP..I got some quick instructions from MZ on lowball just before the tournament started, and knew you were supposed to have the Joker most of the time in draw, and knew nothing about stud. But, I was game as this was my first time to play lowball and draw with a joker, etc. I was able to win enough hands to keep my stack up with most of my wins coming on lowball. I made it on past the break where stud was dropped and eventually saw 10's up in UTG position. Decided to raise. All folded around to Tom Goodwin. He calls. Now, I decide to be cute and stand pat with Tom drawing 3 cards. Immediately I push all-in hoping he would think I had a st. or fl. and fold. No such luck. He calls and lays over 3 Aces and the Joker. Boy, what a draw. I'm gone somewhere around the middle of the pack. TOC..Here I feel a little more comfortable as I just finished up with a good showing in the TOC so was hoping that the Omaha8 wouldn't get me in trouble again. Was doing ok but losing some really good hands. Several were to Joan(AlwaysAware) who seemed to catch the deck in the stud game. One memorial hand is me making heart flush the first 5 cards, but Steven (Ice) and Joan are in a raising war with Steven's pair 8"s showing and Joan's pair of Kings showing. I'm just calling. Joan fills up and Steven shows trip 8's. My flush no good. I think she must have made at least 3..maybe 4 full-houses. Anyway, the hand that gets me is in hold'em. Nut-Z makes a raise in early position and I call with KQo (almost raised). Can't remember if there was a call before me or not. Anyway the flop is AKJ. Nut-Z bets...I call. Turn is a King. Nut-Z bets and I call all-in. He shows Q10(but they were sooted). Flopped the st. I'm still alive..need a K, Q, A, J or 10. No such luck..6 hearts comes. I'm gone. Good hand Nut-Z. No-limit hold'em...This is the big one and I am determined to make the final table again. John Harkness busted me out last year in 4th place and Steve Brecher also busted me out in 4th place three years ago. For the first time, I believe that I can win it. Then when I get to my seat and see the makeup of he table, I realize that I did not draw an easy table. Russell Rosenblum, Edmund Hack, Nolan Dalla, Peter Caldes, Mike McCracken, Steven Eisenstein, and someone i'm missing. Oh yea, Brian Un arrived later in his robe right after Nolan stole his BB. But, thinking about it, I don't think there is any such thing as an easy table anymore at BARGE. Well, we started out with a bang. Early on Caldes was beting his high card and eventually took Edmund all-in. Only problem was that Edmund flopped a set of 7's to take the pot leaving Caldes a few chips. Then Edmund took him out next hand with KK holding up. I think Caldes was first out. Boy, that got my attention...shows you can go out real fast even with good cards and good play. Then, Ming Lee takes his place, so things are not getting any easier. Ming starts out pretty aggressive and keeps it up with his stack growing. Then Nolan begins to make his move. Ming goes all-in, with I believe, KQ..Nolan calls with AQ..flop brings a King..Nolan is on his feet....turn nothing..then river is an Ace. Ming Lee is gone. Then, here comes Patti Beadles. Things are still not any easier. I am playing good poker and trying to stay out of trouble. I take some good pots with AA, KK, and KK..busting out Edmund, and Ken Kubey with my KK standing up against there AK. Ken gets replaced by Scott Harker. Russell finally busts out and all the originals or gone except Nolan and me. Finally, we are down to three tables and I am telling myself..don't do anything foolish..at least get to 19 to get into the money. Bust outs are going pretty fast and then I believe there are 21 left when I find AA. I'm in the LB. I'm waiting for an early raise so I can go over the top, but there are all folds to me. Now, it's me on the LB and Scott(Scottro) on the BB. Blinds are 3000 and 1500. I have about 10K. Scott has well over double my stack. What do I do? What would you do? I remember last year that a similar situation occured and I only called with the Aces and the BB made a large raise. I then went in over the top and my Aces stood up against his 77. So, I'll try it again. I really wanted to get more than the blinds with my AA. I felt I really needed to double up. So, my thoughts are to set a trap for Scott. I just complete the bet. Scott checks.(was hoping that he would raise and then I would have gone over the top) Flop is the pits...3 clubs. I don't like it, but do not believe that Scott has two clubs, so I check , hoping he would try a steal. Well, he does..he goes all-in and I push all--in. (Scott does not remember the exact cards and neither do I) But anyway he turns over two small cards with one being a club. Turn is a red card...then, you guessed it...the 7 of clubs. I'm gone. I immediately go off to lick my wounds and ruminate over the play. Obviously, it was the wrong play this time. I'm still trying to determine if it was that wrong or if I just got a bad board. Looking back, I'm sure a raise would have gotten Scott out and I would have collected the blinds bringing me up to around 15K which would have given me a chance for the final table.,but my stack was not that big at the time and I felt I needed to try to double up while I had the AA. I have been told that you should never slowplay Aces. Sure was right this time. Well, Nancy gradually gave back her $1300 that she won early on. It was gradual until the last night at the Horseshoe. She figured she would take what she was up and hit the $1 machines for the big jackpot. It never came, so she goes home with what she brought. Excluding he tournament fees, I was down $33 from ring poker, blackjack, and VP. Also, I was able to pay only $59 on my speeding ticket, but have to take Defensive Driving. So, was a good two weeks in Vegas. Looking forward to BARGE next year and to MARGE in Nov. SARGE later on and maybe anotoher ARG event. Thanks to all of you for a good time. I always enjoy being around you'll even though I'm not the most outgoing person around. Regards, Tom Overton Denton, Texas ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com