From: JoanSchmengie@aol.com Subject: Bubble Girl's BARGE Trip Report: PreBARGE And Non BARGE Tourney's PreBARGE And Non BARGE Tourney's I spent a week in Vegas... I BARGED, I saw a show, I dined with friends new and old... but, mostly I played poker...*AND* I didn't BUBBLE :-) These are the highlights: After some unexpected complications I arrive at the airport for my flight and am stopped at security. They go through my bags, not once but twice. The second time taking every single item out of my two carry on bags. The source of their concerns turns out to be tiny metal disks. They my "reverse" bust out bounties Bubble Girl spinners I had specially made. Most had been shipped to Timmer's (Tim Stine) house, but I carried the specials one, and a few backups with me just in case. (special thanks to Patrick Milligan for his design work) WOW! These Bubble Girl Spinners *are* EXPLOSIVE!!!!! (grin) I get in late on Monday and have decided to stay at Vacation Village (for numerous reasons: cost, free airfare spin, closeness to airport, yada yada). It is a dumpy hotel in a pleasant way. The employees are very friendly. I win a deluxe room for two nights to be used on a future trip. D'oh. New twist on a bad beat :-) Tuesday morning I play the Mandalay 10 AM HE tourney. I suck. Have I REALLY played this game before? Spectators would surely wonder. I hear someone at another table call my name and I look over to see Nolan Dalla and Arty Santella. Soon I am carded to their table and it becomes NL. Yeehaa!... This table is FUN and I ain't busting!!! Nolan tries to take me out and I double through. The first of many. As Nolan and Arty move on to the Noon Luxor tourney, I move on to the money. I have somewhere to be and very little time to get there. I go for broke with a flush draw and a straight draw... Ooops, it is a four flush draw and a gut shot and I miss. I am out 4th. But I just make it to where I need to be. Someone once told me that I rationalize, I play hands I should fold... hmm, did I really make an error reading my cards? Was the pressure of being late influencing my play? Did I rationalize? Could I have beaten this field? The answer to all of the above is probably yes... I come back the next day and win it. Yes, I can beat this field, yes I rationalize, and yes, I very much felt the pressure of needing to be somewhere else. And misreading my cards is something I do well :-) Lunch at PF Chang's and then on to my new hotel the Bellagio. Yeah I know I am a person of extremes, Vacation Village to the "O" go figure. Great room. Big mistake... now I never want to stay anywhere else! It's off to the buffet and meet up with more friends old and new. (Which I found disappointing.... ah, the buffet not the friends :-). Grab a ride to the Mirage and play the NL tourney. Bust out badly on presto (Len Greenberg had moved in before my action and I know he must have a hand of J's or better. I don't care. Is it over three hours into the tournament and still over half the field is left. I am tired, it is presto *magic will happen*. Magic does happen, for Len - when a Q hits the flop giving him *overkill* trips and IGHN) Don Perry (at another table) has busted as well and we share a cab out of there. Check Raising is a sucker's play Couple of interesting things: Early in the tournament I raise with pocket 9's and get callers. The flop comes 9 4 x, I bet it out and get one caller. Turn x. I bet and am again called. The river is a 4 making me a sweet full. He checks and I value bet, just enough so that if he has anything he will call. He moves all in. He CHECK RAISED me, lol. My chips waste no time finding their brothers in the pot and I turn over my cards and show the boat. He shows A4o (he was a blind) and the river gave him trips. Last year check raising was my favorite play, I have been told (by someone I respect) that it is a suckers play. I am beginning to understand why. Some Fish are Schooled and Massage Poker I also watch a fish and plan my strategy, hmm this is a schooled fish... hmmm, in Thursday Tournament when he is again at my table I discover that it is Henry Nowakowski. The same Henry Nowakowski that placed 7th in the big dance at the WSOP and received much criticism from the commentators. He explains his plays to me. Not sure I agree, but it seems to work, for him - there is thought and reason, he is not the fish I thought he was. Later he cripples me, and even later busts me. He is the sb I am the bb. He limped, I moved in. He hesitates and then calls (he has me outchipped by a few) I have AJs he has 56s. I head to the rail and find Foldem, Bingo, Patti and others, a congo massage line is started.. wow, massage poker - does it get any better than this? *Just Breathe* Also of note in Thursday Mirage tournament, there are a number of BARGER's at my table including Sabyl. I get pocket 7's and raise. She calls from the blind. The flop is ugly, three pictures or maybe two paints and a ten, but ugly. She is first to act from the blind and checks. I check behind. I used to bet out here on weakness, but not today and not much anymore. Besides Ron Stanley has just been moved to my table, I am not going to get caught speeding and become his target. The turn is a blank and Sabyl moves in. She has been staring me down, so I stare back. As I move my hand forward to muck, I notice something and exclaim "Sabyl, you stopped breathing" and since I have her outchipped I call. My 7's are good. She doesn't show, but says she had 6's. The table is not as much fun without Sabyl, but discovering that tell was cool! And yeah the call was marginal, good thing she didn't have 8's! Wednesday I win the Mandalay Bay HE (oh wait I already mentioned that!!! woo hoo!). Takke (Peter Caldes - who also placed) gives me a ride back to my hotel and the rest of the day is a blur. Oh wait, I end up in the poker room at the Bellagio in a game with Mitch and Tiger. Go to Michael's for dinner with a group organized by Stevan Goldman, followed by Blue Man Group, organized by Chris Straghalis (With the local help of Dave Roemer who obtained excellent seats and reduced pricing). Good show, great creativity, not sure it was worth $75 though. Chris is highlighted in one of "read frames" as someone in need of group attention. Very funny. I have finally seen a Las Vegas show :-) They really is life outside of poker, go figure. Two funny moments at dinner. Patrick Milligan presents Arty with a "sock nose" stemming from a comment Arty made on the BARGE list about "put a sock ON it" instead of IN it :-) The other funny moment was when two people almost simultaneously offered me their menu's... Michael's is traditional old style where woman have no prices on their menu's. Goldie had posted keep track of what you order and add 20%. I add replied... sounds good to me, let's see 20% of nothing is let's see.... nothing! It was REALLY funny to see two "priced" menu's come flying at me :-) Hotel Bad Beat #2 Thursday morning I go to pack up as I am moving from the Bellagio to the Las Vegas Club and the two boxes that transported my 8 million spinners (to Timmer's house and have since found their way to me) is no where to be found. Though I left them on the table, housekeeping disposed of them. I call housekeeping asking for a study box that need not be big. The items are dense. Half an hour later I get a call from a supervisor, asking what I need. I repeat. I call Goldie who I am catching a ride with downtown and explain that I am being held hostage (a term I seem to be using a lot this trip). Another half hour and someone knocks on my door requesting to know what type of box I need. Exasperated I show them the pile of spinners, I tell them I need a sturdy box, it can be small and btw, how much longer do they intend to hold me hostage? Another 10 minutes and Bingo I have a box. I meet Goldie and we are off. After the little box/hostage incident and the messing with my toiletries (retaliation for politely requesting they clean a bathtub that was dirty upon my arrival?) my "love affair" with Bellagio has ended. Hotel Bad Beat # 3 Upcoming third hotel bad beat story. I check into the Las Vegas Club and inquire if I need a coupon to get the daily $110 in poker chips for a $100 buy in. I am informed that offer has been canceled. I inform them that I am staying here instead of the Golden Nugget because they are trying to woo BARGER's and thanks for rewarding my loyalty (only said smoother and actually politely) For those not in the know. GN had a great deal $39 a night with $50 food credit and is the nicest hotel downtown. I ask to speak to the person who arranged this deal (the LVC 110 for 100) for me (whose name I am purposely leaving out since we all have bad days). I am pleasant and happy to be speaking with her. She immediately goes on the defensive and the conversation takes a turn to her saying I am inferring that she is a horrible person, she had no obligation to notify me prior to check in that the deal was not being honored, for my information the poker room came within one day of closing and she will personally call the GN and get me a room.... WOW! I inform her I have somewhere to be (the HOP tourney) and do not have the time to play hotel hopping. She informs me she will make arrangements and leave word at my room. After busting I think about a movie I recently saw "Pay It Forward" and buy her chocolates and write a note (about how hard it must be to be in the middle of management rescinding an offer) and leave it for her at the front desk. There is no message about moving me to the GN. The next day I write a note to Stan Baker explaining why I will not be stepping foot in his poker room. I hear from neither of them the 4 days I am there. On Monday I stop by the poker room and inquire of Stan if he got my note, he looks confused has an envelope in his hand and says maybe this is it. I should look to see if it is my writing, but I don't. I just say no matter, too late now anyway, and excuse myself to catch my flight. Shame really, I had looked forward to playing their room. I am the type of person that could get a group together and jump start their little poker room. Might have saved me a grand too (the 800 loss in the Binion's pot limit game and the $220 in the Mirage NL Thursday - I would have preferred to play in Stan's NL tourney Thursday night) Oh well.... Actual BARGE reports with poker hands to follow. From: JoanSchmengie@aol.com Subject: Bubble Girl's BARGE Trip Report Part II Bubble Girl's BARGE Trip Report Part II I play the HOP (History of Poker) tournament. Did I say play? I meant showed up. Then played a satellite at the Mirage and got to headsup with Chic Natkin. Before one hand was played headsup he offered a deal. Since we were already late for the BARGE Mirage buffet and the Mirage NL tourney was starting in 30 minutes I took the deal. I really wanted to play it out. I need the exposure and though he had me 2-1 (cause he was the one that just busted the third guy) I really wanted to see if I could turn it around. Craps and Yenta Later that night I go on the craps crawl. As we walk to the El Cortez, I converse with /david, i.e. David Huberman. Young funny guy from Virginia, in the course of the BARGE list somehow I have become his yenta. I have yet to find him a match, though. So any vivacious gals out there in pokerland give me a shout. I really want to make the commission, so I can get back into the pot limit game (grin) There are a lot of us. The table is crowded. I have never played craps and I don't understand what is going on. I see two poker tables next to the crap tables and I sit in a 1-5 NO ANTE stud game. I play only good starting hands. I win every hand I play. One good old boy (and I mean old, youngest at the table was probably 70) never believes me. The craps tour is moving on and I cash out $35 to the good after about 15 minutes of play. NL lowbah and More Group Attention When we are back in "safe" territory I ditch the craps tour, head back to Binion's and find a NL lowbah game. As I sit down, I can just see Quick, Q and Bob H. silently saying "yum, yum, look at the fish that just flopped in" It was fun. I paid a $300 tuition. I watched a local in need of "group attention". He was drunk and annoying... yet a loneliness prevailed. He did stupid stuff. He would mostly only play pat hands and then push all his chips in, get no callers and show a monster. Clearly he wasn't there to win, he was there for the companionship. BARGE TOC Thursday I play the BARGE TOC. I make a few mistakes early, recover, settle in and play near perfect poker. I miss a couple of huge pots that should have been mine, but since I do not play Omaha, better to miss the huge ones than to lose huge. I only play the hands where I am the blind, and only if I get in cheap and hit something on the flop. I need to learn Omaha before next year so I can R00l..!!! We are getting down to the final four tables and I have run out of $1 chips (In addition to toking at the end, I toked as I went) and Tony Goldstein is kind enough to be my chip runner and get me $20. The entire tournament (8 1/2 hours for me) I play less than 25 hands. There is a player at my table that I do not know and seems very good. I ask him who he is and the entire table answers me. The funniest was "Don't you know your own partner?!!!" It is Tom Weideman, the person I am paired to be auctioned with at the Calcutta. I have to make a move soon or I am going to be blinded out. I get split A's and push them hard. Tom pushes back. I am committed and am prepared to leave the table. By 5th street I have A's up and by the river I am all in. I am prepared to leave the table as I sadly say, "I did not improve." It is good? YES! And yes, I was on my feet screaming and yes the floor asked if I was happy with that hand. I get another okay 7 card stud hand reraise Fitch so fast his heads spins. Another OK hand and Tom now informs me that my definition of an "OK" hand and his are very different as I scoop the pot. I actually play an Omaha hand... NO, I actually re-raise an Omaha hand, there is nothing lost on these boys as they realize it is the only Omaha hand I have played in the last 3 hours and cooperatively fold. I really don't know if my hand would have held, I do know that I had a great chance of succeeding with the reraise. The approaching Bubble The bubble approaches and it seems like EVERYONE notifies me of this :-) I have a hand I want to play, it would take me well into the final table. But my mantra is "I will not bust on the bubble" and I fold. It would have been a killer winning hand *but* I am alive, and that is what is most important now. Somewhere in here, Beth Even notifies Fold'em and me that we are the two remaining in the last longer bet. Fold'em inquires if I want to chop. I agree without looking at his stack or his position. No sooner is half the money in his hand - he busts, lol. I look at him and say I changed mind :-) He just grins and heads to the calcutta. We play hand for hand and it has been decided that the final table will be 10 handed instead of 9 handed. We get to 11 and the FLOOR now looks me up and says "We are at the bubble for the final table." Yes! I make the final table. The Big stack draws the button, putting me, the shortest stack on the bb, There is one other player that is hurting, he has about 2k more than me. I have 18K. The blinds are 10K/5K with antes of 1K. I am not sure how many tourney chips are in play and I didn't get a total player count. Somewhere between 180-200 with starting chips of 3K. I put in 11K, bb plus ante. The short stacks moves in. Does he realize I am pot committed and this is not the place to steal? Does he have a hand? Do I call? Does he think I am capable of laying this hand down?If I call I get 47K. If I fold I get two more shots at the dead ante money. I am used to no ante tourneys and am not sure what the correct play is. I call with Q6. He has 9T and hits a 9. I have played one hand at the final table and technically bubbled cause the final was supposed to be 9 handed... (I don't point this out to anyone, I just cash, tip and head to the Calcutta) I am tired. I spend very little time at the Calcutta. I see who bids on me. Make a buy back from the winner, Steve Daniel and head out. I missed playing the freezeouts that I so looked forward too, but I am really whipped. (In retrospect, this is a lost opportunity, better to play the likes of Mike, Melissa, Paul, etc. here than in pot limit the next day :-) CHORSE - Team Schmengie At 8:30ish I head to the CHORSE challenge. See my teammates, pass out special spinners with Don Perry's face, with lettering that says "suck out master." Well, the Schmengie's are not sucking out and there is dissension in the ranks, our captain didn't realize one of the members was present and replaced him. I like all parties involved, but for once I did not get in anyone's face and just let things play out. By the final round we are hurting and have but 205 chips between the two tables. 105 go into play at my table where holdem is being played. I have been folding the entire time, most of us have had no opportunities, I am tired, disgusted and you know the drill... Melissa makes a play on my sb and I release. On my bb Russell Rosenblum, raises. Melissa folds and Kfish on the button says "You stealing with j-9" and stares Russell down. Mike McManus (NorthShore Mike) the sb folds out of turn. My hand goes forward to prevent, but it is too late as his cards hit the muck the dealer does a forward motion with her hands signaling me to back off. Russell sees movement from the blinds in the 2 seat, Kfish see none of it from the 4 seat. After about 30 seconds, Kfish releases his hand, Russell thinking the blinds are folded turns over J5dd. I cry out you have action behind. Russell turns his hand back over, and I call (thinking I am too short to push him off I will bet out the flop) He says "ut oh, I can't like that." The flop brings J9x putting a wrinkle in my strategy. And I am also confused about seeing the 9d, for some reason Kfish statement of J9 has stuck in my head but I know Russell also had a flush draw so how can there be a 9d on the board?, as I am trying to organize my thoughts in my very tired mind, I hear Russell say "I got top pair and am going to bet unless you plan to checkraise me" I say "yeah, checkraising sounds good" and check, he bets I move all in, unable to fully complete the raise. It is only 15 more to Russ and sensing he is beat but for only 15 more has to call. It was a Kodak moment when I turned over K9 and say "I will Schmengie you!". The turn and river bring no relief and the pain of CHORSE is over. We are laughing on the rail. Lou Krieger (teammate of Russell) hardest of all... he just can't believe ANYONE would play a hand like that! course, his is the team that benefited. We Schmengied no one, but we went home with a story ;-) More to follow. From: JoanSchmengie@aol.com Subject: Bubble Girl's BARGE Trip Report Part III Bubble Girl's BARGE Trip Report Part III Check Raising *IS* A Sucker's Play! I wake up at 7AM Saturday and forget to get up, the next thing I know it is 9:45 (the tourney starts at 10 AM).. Yikes... I play solid NLHE tournament poker for a bit. Then is happens.. I have QhJh in the bb and there is one person in before me that makes a strange raise. My blind is 150, he make it 400 to go... hmmm... intrigued I call. The flop comes KQJ and I check. He bets. I immediately move in. He hesitates and calls since he has me 2 - 1. He has just busted a guy two hands earlier. I got top two. He has K's with an Ace kicker. The river gives him broadway and IGHN... What was that about check raising being a sucker's play? It was horrendous to call. It was even more horrendous to check raise. If I had played this hand any other way, I would not be broke. If I folded preflop, I am alive. If I bet the flop I am probably alive - he has not committed any more chips yet and would be easy for him to go away. The upside is that I do not feel bad, I am no longer an emotional player, I accept that I played badly, deserved what I got. I am tired and I truly would rather bust now than put 6 more hours in and bubble it. Everything is fine with the world. Pot Limit: Slow Rolling, Maverick vs Paul Phillips, Quads, etc. After playing so poorly in the NL this is exactly where I belong (d'oh) Mississippi Pot Limit Stud, like it - have only seen it at BARGE, so I play in a half mississippi/half holdem pot limit game where I do not belong with the likes of Andy Bloch, Steve Brecher, Paul Phillips, Melissa Hayden, get the picture? While taking a short break from the game, Bruce Kramer politely asks why I am in a game with the pro's? This is what I love about BARGE, friends that gently point out you are committing suicide and ensuring you are aware of it *BEFORE* you fall 6 stories. Who would ever try to school a fish in a live non BARGE game. I explain that I am up a couple of bills and when I have contributed my tuition I will leave. This is a game where Paul P. plays trash, Melissa pushes hard and who knows what Andy will do. I don't remember how it started, I think I raised. Paul P reraised and I called. I have trash Ax suited. Not only do I not belong in this game, I do not belong in this hand. I am short and after all the raise/reraising I have only $30 left, so I kid that I am saving it to push him off on the turn. He however, bets out the flop. Being so short, I of course call. He flips over K's. WHAT??? Paul P. playing a REAL hand early??? Sacrilege! There is no way I am turning over my piece of cheese hand. The man can outplay me till the cows come home, why give him an early advantage. There are no spades on the flop so my flush draw is dead and I say "I have one out", The turn is an 8 and I again say "I have one out" Paul comments "I think you have more than one". He is of course, speaking of number of cards I am thinking of situations that can beat him, i.e. a flush or an ACE. The river is an 8 and I say "I have no outs" I double check my hole cards as I prepare to muck them and the 6 has turned into an 8.. MIRACLE and I say "Oh wait!" and show the hand. Melissa informs Paul that he has just been slow rolled and Paul is the one laughing hardest at the table. I am horrified as it was unintentional. I try to apologize, but Paul claims it is the best slow roll he has ever seen... "I have one out...." he says chirpingly mimicking me "I have NO outs" he continues and further claims he would have no respect if I actually was a clueless as I am claiming to be. Too much to think about when playing over one's head. Alrighty then... I am no longer a bubble girl *but* a slow roller (grin) Later in the game, I take 2 4 up against Phillips and he tries to push me off a flop with a 4 low. Ha... I got bottom pair, I ain't going anywhere when it's headsup with PP :-) The turn is a sweet 2, but he has changed gears and checks... hmm... I will trap him on the river. The river is another two and Phillips isn't gonna go for it. He says "I got a 4" and shows it. I say I got a 4. I want to entice him to call if I bet. RATS! it's clear that ain't gonna happen so I just show the 2. Paul shows his 8, and says "she doesn't get one 2, she gets two". Someone reminds him of how Jae the Newbie sucked out on him over and over again at ESCARGOT one year. But my suck outs are over... *AND* I am of course, very lucky, I should have bet the turn with two baby pair, if he caught an 8 or paired the board on the river I would be hurting. He probably would have folded his bottom pair to my bet, but had he gone over the top on a bluff my money would be all in and if the river brought him help so be it... but the thought of trapping him on the river is frivolous 1) he ain't gonna go for it, 2) the only hope I have of getting money from him is when he stills has a draw, 3) and under the circumstances taking the money and running on the turn would have been the smart play. I play one other hand brilliantly, later in the game another BARGER sits down and raises the pot. Phillips is of course in, new blood that started with a raise Phillips is all over it - so I call. Somewhere Phillips drops out and my 35o is g00t over their paired hole paint. God I love this game :-) Not to worry, he rebought, out played me a few hands later and got all his money and most if not all of mine. God I hate this game :-) Early in the game there is a raise and I call with AK (mistake number one, I just want to see a cheap flop). Steve Brecher calls as well. The flop comes Kx6. Original raiser (Michael Hunter) bets, I raise. Brecher reraises. Hunter folds. I auto pilot all in. Do I think about what Brecher could have? Do I consider that he plays very tight? Do I consider that I could be beat? NO... I got top pair, top kicker dammit!!! He turns over pocket 6's, for the "sign of the devil" trips and inquires if he is drawing dead? Now mind you, someone had just told me very recently that day? the day before? about a hand where Brecher flopped quad sixes, ya think I could of thought about that 2 minutes earlier? Noooooo....... I do not improve. I now find out that only 100's play and the wad of 50's in my pocket are no good. I take a little walk to the cage. Maverick is also in this game. There is no spitting in your face contest as billed by Paul Phillips preBARGE stemming from some trash talking on the list. In fact they converse about glitter gulch and other manly topics. Sidenote: in the TOC tourney I saw Maverick generously tip the waitress.... will the horrors never end :-? A few hours earlier (wow, I actually lasted HOURS in this game) I left to grab a sandwich. Upon my return, Melissa informs me that the Mississippi Stud has been changed to High/Low. No one at the table objected and I was not there to vote. Mental note..... NEVER EVER leave the table when playing with these guys. I want to learn Stud8, just not in a pot limit game with pro's :-( Turns out I get saved on some hands due to it being high low and I kill myself on others In one stud hand I have Q's showing and Paul has a 9. He pairs his 9 on a late street and bets at it like he now has trips. I have Q's over (but only Q's showing). I can't bet. If I am the best he will either fold or come over the top with a big old bluff that would be hard to call. So I check and Paul bets and I call. He has only 9's and questions why I didn't bet. I explain that he would most likely come over the top and how could I call that? Better to get less money than go broke, especially when dealing with the likes of Mr.Phillips. I misplay hands. I have trip 8's and Kim S. has a nasty looking low showing. I want to see the next card to see if I can quad or fill - yet I want to represent strength and bet the pot. When she pops me back I have to fold. I recall what David Huberman has told me about high/low games and how you have to fold rolled up kings to a low, cause they are freerolling for the straight. I should have checked called and taken a card off. She shows a monster hand with every possibility out there straight, flush, straight flush... (or at least that is what I sorta recall in my dazed and depressed state :-) I think I bust on trip A's. I am done. But just before I go or the hand right after, I forget. Madman - Andrew Prock sits down in the game and raises. Paul Phillips inquires how deep he is. Madman says he can buy in for another grand. Phillips reiterates that he is only interested in what is in front of him at this moment in time. All the money is in preflop and it comes 10 7 10. Paul turns over pocket tens for quads. Andrew turns over picket 7's for a full. To add insult to injury the turn is a 7. Quad vs Quad. Doesn't this sorta stuff only happen on Online poker?? In the pot limit game later that evening the card that gives Steve Bia quads gives Spencer Sun a straight flush. I have paid my tuition. I have played a few hands lucky, I have played even more poorly. In the pot limit game after the banquet I sweat Steve Bia and try to sweat Russell Rosenblum but he doesn't flash his card well :-) I think about how Steve Brecher crushed me earlier in the day. I watch him intensely. He plays very few hands. The ones he plays, if someone raises he makes the exact same movement and I try to guess if he is going to call or fold. I guess incorrectly most of the time. Damn do the experienced players have no tells? Then lightening strikes. When he moved in on me he didn't do it. What do I care if he calls or folds, the real key is.... is he going to raise? Playr in, Dave Roemer asks me if I have spinners to sell and I go off to transact business. When I return to sweat the table Steve Brecher is gone, so I couldn't test my new theory... But it refocuses me on what it is I should be looking for.... the next time I play over my head :-) The Banquet was good and Phil Hellmuth is a very personable speaker. The highlight was when a tiltboy had sneaked a slide into Phil's presentation unbeknownst to Phil. It said something like for +EV never play in a tiltboy home game or play roshambo. Phil's reaction was great and he had to admit that the tiltboy's got the last word in after all. After sweating the pot limit game a seat opens in the Chorsl and I sit in. This is after all BARGE, so I am thinking that the C stands for chase. I managed to take a $135 buy in down to the felt three times, but cash out $145, up $10. Nolan leaves the games to imbibe in fine scotches in Tiger's room and Dave Tahijian plays his chips and really r00ls epecially in the stud8 portion. I am not smart enough to fold and somehow manage to suck out almost every hand for the half the pot. At one point, when Dave is not in a hand (very unusual) my play has so pained him that he polls the table "Can I go help her?" The game breaks it is 4 AM and I decide to head back to my hotel. Wind down of BARGE to follow. From: JoanSchmengie@aol.com Subject: Bubble Girl's BARGE Trip Report - Conclusion The Correct Way to Check Raise On Sunday I play the Orleans noon NLHE tourney. It is full of BARGER's. I resolve to play well. The previous year I went on mega dealer tilt and blew off all my chips to Paul Stine at the final table but before the pay out. I progress through the table changes. There is a guy pushing everyone around, I wait for an opportunity. I get 68 in my bb, it is a "feeling" hand (i.e. intuition hand) I want to play it but I won't if I have to call a raise. As it is folded to the pusher (on the button) he reaches for his chips, and I fondle mine and bring my hand forward. He rethinks and just calls. The sb folds. I check. The flop is 5 7 9. How sweet is that? I reach for chips and suddenly stop and look at his chips and check. He views this as weak and pushes in his chips. My chips nearly beat his to the pot and turn over my hand and say "I flopped a straight, good luck on your flush draw" (There are two diamonds on the flop, but I seriously doubt that he has a flush draw). I double through. A player is moved to our table that probably has half of the total chips and we are still at 3 tables. He isn't afraid to use them. He is a tough cookie and I can't make any move without a high pair preflop cause he will push his whole stack in and that could be it for me. I try once on my sb with AJ. I complete he pushes his whole stack on the bb. I know he has KQ or Ax. He raises to 5k if he actually has a hand like KK or QQ. I can't call, if he sucks out on me it is over. From that moment on I just muck my small blind and surrender my bb as he always pushes utg on my bb's. When he is not in a hand, I look for opportunities to rob others. My image is such that it is difficult for others to defend. I choose carefully, it pays off. We get to the final table. The guy with the stack, myself and another guy are involved in a hand. On the flop I am pushed out by a massive raise. The stack then looks at the other guy and says "you want to check it down?" I say you can't do that. The stack replies, why not, he is my friend. I reply that it is collusion, and yell FLOOR! The floor gives them a warning. I demand that both hands be revealed after it is over. They do check it down, 8T vs QT, the 8T (big stack) wins with a paired 8 on the flop. The very next hand I get Q's and the big stack has already come in for a big raise. I defiantly and seemingly steamingly push all my chips forward. The table cheers. The stack debates and calls. The floor has ruled that all future hands with no action to come (i.e. all in) must be turned up. He has Ax suited. He doubles me through.. Sweet :-) I don't really think they're intentionally cheating, this is pretty much confirmed in future hands where the other guy is constantly raising or reraising his friend. So much so, that I now wonder if he is blowing off chips to him. This is answered when he cripples the big stack. They clearly don't know tournament strategy when the two are in a hand and there is a third that is all in, it is not checked down. I think the guy is scared he will be accused of colluding again and tossed from the tournament. The once massive stack complains to his friend that he would have won, but he was pushed out. Since it was a hand that I won and the all in has been eliminated anyway, I look at him and say "well, then you should have played your hand, you pushed me out plenty.... play or fold, but there is no crying in poker" He has been tilting and is now only an average stack. He again comes in for a raise on my blind... he always does this. This time I look at him and say "you just got caught speeding" and waste no time putting my chips in the middle. He goes to fold, he stops, he debates. Then one of his other buddies says "How much more could it be to call?" Thank you sir, for talking in a hand you are not involved with!!! He then asks for a chip count. Calls with his Ax suited garbage and hits the Ace. I am done. In retrospect I was taking delight in moving in and forcing him to a decision. The correct play would have been to fold the 10's to his raise and waited. Others were dancing plenty with each other, I had enough chips to outlast others moving me up the pay scale. Though it wasn't necessarily a wrong decision (I had the best hand, good chance he would fold had someone not egged him on to call). I am out 5th, 6th? Somewhere in there. I generously tip. The floor profusely thanks me for playing and apologizes for the problems and explains that this is the first tourney these fellows have played, they are ring players. I hook up with Jim Bullard, who has waited for me to finish and as we head out for lunch/dinner. Chris S.,Gerald Peterson and Gillian are looking to grab a bite as well. We decide to meet up at the Sahara, eat there and then play the night NLHE tourney. Lunch/dinner is good. We head to the poker room. It is smokey and I am exhausted. I run into this guy named Stephen who I seem to have seen at all the NL tourney's and it finally dawns on me why he looks so familiar. I believe he used to deal at the Strat and was the guy that Paul Phillips put a massive hurt on in the NL live game last year. Anyway.. I am exhausted the smoke doesn't help. I literally have a hard time keeping my eyes open. I play one hand AQ hard and lose. Rebuy. I play nothing for a long time. With my head resting on my hands, I hear someone say, we better wake her up before the action gets to her. I snap to attention, look at my cards, see presto, raise it 300.. Get a caller.. a chaser goes all in for 450. Call. Call. Call. I think I bet all in on the flop and everyone calls creating two side pots. The original all in chaser turns over pocket 9's and has hit a 9 on the flop. I muck forgetting about the two sides pots, both of which effect me and leave. I don't care. I am exhausted, I do not want to play, it is OK to surrender. I have finally come to terms with the emotions and perfectionism in playing poker.. Everything is right with the poker world, and after some very hard lessons this year all is right with me too:-) After almost falling asleep at the table I can't sleep once I am actually in bed. I think about going to Binion's and from what I hear it would have been an awesome experience watching short handed pot with Phil H., Bill C., Mike L. and other notables milling around. Oh, well.. I have a lifetime to fill and I am sure I will see other rail opportunities. I am no longer in a rush, I no longer need to learn and see it all TODAY!!!! Monday morning when I arise I get rid of the remaining chocolate fish I have (oh yeah I never mentioned them in this report, oh, well...) I give a bag to Stan Baker and a bag to the poker cage at Binion's. I pack up and head out. I get into Hartford late/early depends on your prospective I guess (grin). Check into the hotel (stayed at a park and fly). I intend to get up early and go home. Again I can't sleep. At 4 AM I find myself pacing and finally turn on the TV. When I do arise the next morning it is Noon.. So much for an early start home. The temperature is 97. The air conditioning in the vehicle I brought is not working and I debate... 1 1/2 hour drive home or a 45 minute drive to Foxwoods. I head to Foxwoods stopping at the Mohegan Sun. The only game available is 1-5 stud. I double my 100 buy in. Head to Foxwoods for the NL tourney and arrive an hour early. I sit at a Let it Ride Table and triple through my $40 buy in. I need to work on discipline, I have very little. So, I leave the table while I still ahead and sit at another stud table and win $40 and it is time for the tourney. Table selection, ah, I can learn after all :-) And as far as discipline, I'm getting there a much harder journey, though. I play well in the tourney. Getting short, then I get A's on the sb. One middle player is in for a raise with a caller and the bb to act. I move in and we see a 4 handed flop. Not exactly what I had hoped for (4 seeing the flop) but the A's hold and I am chip leader. I am in great shape so I do not add on. I get A's again and take out a local drunk who has been annoying the whole tournament when he goes all in on a J high flop and I call. I make a huge mistake with the remaining drunk and lose most of my stack.. Should have know he didn't know how to fold :-) Now desperate I go all in three times in a row and survive. I forget what cheeseball hand I push way too hard and lose. I only know that I have a two hour drive, it is late I am tired. I don't have the heart to play. I now clearly see some of the things someone has tried to pound into me about winning. It is all coming into focus, but tonight is not the night and it is OK... Again, everything is right with the poker world and with me. (No emotion, no crying to rgp WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!!!, lol) Not sure if I will be at BARGE 2002, but BARGE 2001 was precious. Thanks Mike Z. Chuck C. and all the others that do so much behind the scene. Joan formally known as Bubble Girl.... now known as the slow roller :-) P.S. I still have some of the bubble girl custom made spinners, since I exited the NLHE tourney early and many didn't get a chance to lose their chips to me, if you didn't get one and would like one send me an email. Postage paid envelope is all it takes if you want one. I forgot to give the guys that took me out of the TOC and NLHE tourney's the special bubble girl spinners. Can someone confirmed who they were? I think it was Monty C. and Brian A. but not totally sure.. TOC: 9T against Q6 at the final table and NLHE: was AK (for a rivered broadway) against QJ (flopped two pair) about 1 1/2 hours into the tourney. Thanks.