From: David Trinidad Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 12:19:48 -0700 Subject: [BARGE] 2007 Trip Report First and foremost – thanks to Peter, and Chuck for years of service keeping this tournament going as the torch has passed. It takes tremendous amounts of work to put on a convention of this sort and the only reward is our happy faces. It was a very short BARGE trip for me. I am in school right now and I had a huge conflict between school and BARGE. So ... I just resigned with the thought of another year being a big pussy and missing BARGE. Then a friend of her boyfriend bought tickets to Spam-a-lot but then the other couple decided to … well pussy out. Now I have an opportunity to see my friends, see a show, and do the no-limit tournament. This has a positive happy expectation. The only thing is … If I do well in the tournament … well I could miss the show. We made the agreement (since they were having trouble finding somebody to go to Vegas with them ..) and I registered for BARGE. Big happy expected value plus … professor moves final schedule up one day and that leaves me with lots of time on Friday to get ready and get to the airport. Things are falling into place. I arrive in Vegas, I get checked into the hotel, and rush over to see the Amazing Jonathan. It is not a bad show for 60 bucks. I might recommend the show to fellow ADB’ers after a few beers/scotches ….. OK its Saturday morning and the only event I have signed up. I meet Warren at a Pai Goi (sp?) table and we decide to eat breakfast. I have not worked meaningfully in technology since 2004 and Warren completed the picture of how HP is continuing to “downsize” in this “great economy”. I am simply befuddled in my opinion how America has sold its soul for temporary increases in stock prices. It was nice to have breakfast with an old friend and Bingo stopped by to make breakfast conversation a stroll down the memory lane of previous BARGES. Since I have been a pussy .. I have missed my fair share of events. I am a second generation ADB’er and gained plenty of friends spanning from “Wednesday Night Poker” to my fellow ADB’ers. This year I saw many new faces, which was exciting on one hand but a trigger for memories of my friends that have passed, or life has passed them. But as Peter says .. there are no strangers at BARGE … just friends you have not met yet ….. OK . Here is the plan .. no coin flips with bigger stacks. Limit the damage and get my money in with the best of it. You might say .. well Duh!!! But my prior strategy has been get into a coin flip early and either get a stack to play with or go home. The show at 7PM also plays on my mind .. if I am going to miss the show .. I am going to win this tournament …. BTW) Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn or two … so I have hope … The strategy holds out and I place third and a tremendously stupid play on my part .. more on that later. QUOTE of the Day: “I knew I should have trusted my gut feeling” Bill Chen, Co-author The Mathematics of Poker. Nolan and I split our guts. “THIS SITE IS SOOOOOOO RIGGED”: Only a few tables left and this older man with a grumpy attitude makes a small raise. Howlier comes over the top all in with 6-6. I have A-A and go all in. The grumpy man has A-A too .. Ok .. 6 hands later same guy has A-K, Nut-Z has A-5, I have A-K suited .. we spilt up Nut-z stack. Then the second hand at the final table Bingo and I had A-10 … It is clear to me that these hands are not random …. FANCY PLAY SYNDROME I think everybody goes card dead . usually at the wrong time when the blinds are consuming your stack. I got one chance to make a play. The same grumpy old man I encountered above, earlier engaged in an interesting hand. While I was at the table I noticed that no matter the position, this guy would make a huge raise with any ace. He had to show A-5 one time when he was under the gun. I felt I had a good read. He now limps in the cut off position and I check with 7-2. The flop comes with A-6-3. I predict the flop misses his hand and the ace worries him. I check, he takes a stab at the pot and I re-raise .. some thought and a fold. I show the 7-2. This enabled me to gain some chips during my card dead period. PROFESSIONAL POKER … I hear so many times ..” watch out he is a professional poker player” Well it is true that somebody making their living at poker might see a tell or a situation and out play me because of my tendencies. But unlike football where trying to catch a touchdown pass with Ray Lewis in the way should concern me big time .. “Professional Poker Players” do not impress me at all .. That said .. BARGE is supposed to be fun!!! Guys thinking that that they need table chatter and intimidation to win do two things. They get me in a mood to take a shot at them .. and two they make it very unpleasant for those that come to BARGE to just have fun. I mention the grumpy old man and then there is this guy when I was sitting with Bob Ongus that was taking every angle in the book. I guess this comes with the territory. Well to all you professional poker players … I am a less than average guy that outplayed you … well except for Gavin .. I just got lucky with A-K suited with a much bigger stack … when he went all in with 7-8 suited …. I did not take the flip off personally .. and you chips went to the final table .. KEY HAND In the cutoff, with about 40K in chips, I had A-Q suited. Nolan is in the Big Blind. I make a raise of 10K which is about 2 ˝ times the pot. It is an interesting raise because it invites a call. It might advertise A-A or K-K making any middle pair think before getting into a race. Nolan has me well covered, but he will only have about 20K if he loses the race. I do not want to pin my tournament hopes on a 51 – 48 underdog and I just want to take the antes and the blinds for 4K. Nolan thinks .. he goes into the tank and thinks some more … “damn interesting raise” .. “will you show me … “ he folds and shows 8-8 .. I show the A-Q. This hand is key because it followed my strategy of not getting into coin flips with big stacks and betting with that intent. I went all in maybe 5 times during the whole tournament. RAIL CHATTER With K-3 suited in the small I make a small raise at the Big Blind. Actaully too small as the big blind is 4000 and I tried to raise 7000. (Blinds just went up). Kenney goes all in. Jester on the rail says “All in and a call.” Kenney shows A-T suited .. my suits. I fold. Now key …… the table erupts in confusion. I remain quiet floor man comes over. Railbirds and table captians explain situation .. I remain quiet. Floorman asks for my story and I explained that my only words were “raise to 7000.” He makes the right decision and scolds railbirds .. I stay quiet. One reason I do not play a lot of poker is that sooo many times this erupts to a completely uncontrollable situation of table captains, railbirds and whatever, screaming their case as if loudness and aggressiveness bears more truth. RAIL CHATTER II OK With the whole strategy of no coin flips with big stacks in mind I made it to the final table with a medium stack. Before the dinner break Kenny makes a significant raise of 12K and I raise 42K with A-A. The raise is enough to put in a major portion of his stack if he calls but not endangering my whole stack to luck if he decides to call. Then the roles reversed. I heard a railbird say “all-in” and I said I call and flipped my cards. Then I realized he only called. OK He knows I have him beat with an overpair. Justice is served. The flop comes with no dangerous cards .. Kenny thinks and folds. I now have a significant stack of 132K. The eventual winner of the tournament has 138K. We break for dinner at 6:30 which gives me just enough time to see Spam-a-lot. The defining moment… IN my opinion the most defining moment of the no limit tournament was John "daPickle" Pickels making a huge raise and Nolan coming over the top. What happened next was what I had been explaining in this trip report. Nolan is the huge favorite pre-flop A-K over J-T but somebody makes the obligatory call and gets very very very lucky. Now John has nearly doubled up and my strategy of trying to engage him with even chip counts was caput. So we play some hands including the Bingo A-T David A-T hand. I make some raises and John fluctuates from passing .. to all in . but we see no flops. I get K-J suited and John comes over with an A-X .. next hand .. My stack is now at 89K I have A-3 and raise 40K. John comes over the top once again. I have these possibilities. One over card -- no pair One over card over a pair He has an Ace too and I will be in situation number 2 having to hit 3 outs 5 times … MY gut says fold and wait .. my patience says he can not have an A every time he goes all in (even though to this point this has been the pattern). OK I am pot committed I go all in … A-9 vs. A-3 … flop brings a 9 and IGHN. I was sooooooo pissed at myself and steaming at my very very poor play. Anyway I apologize I displayed the behavior I so despise from “Professional Poker Players” Wait ‘til next year … Well goodbye to my new friends and of course my ol’ friends. I hope to see many of you at ATLARGE (I am in NC right now). Until next time .. Goodbye and goodnight .. David "ADB Iceman" Trinidad A+++ G+++ PKR+ PEG B++ TB ADB+ M++ / W++++ Sm++ L DM