From: Rodney Chen Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:54:25 -0700 Subject: [BARGE] Tourney Report I stand up, take a moment to stretch, and reach out across the table. "Good luck." I shake hands with Rich. We're both smiling. I'm heads up. Wow. Now I'm shaking my head. I was all alone in the Binion's tournament area at 8:30am prepping the big shot. I was the absolute short stack when we moved to the final table. How could this be? Then I remember the faces. The faces of the fallen. Schmengie. It started at Level 3. I'm walking to the table to take my first hand. I see a pair of dealt cards. It's in the middle of the table. "May I get my hand?" Dealer: "No." No action has happened, and I have no problem letting that hand slide, but the table speaks up. 'Let Rodney have them.' The dealer slides them over. You know the joke. When you're not at the table, you're folding aces. I look at the cards. AA. Action folds to Schmengie. He raises. I make an attempt to telegraph that I have a monster hand as I shove all of my stack in. No avail, as he calls. His TT falls, and I leave him with 3 green chips. I am humbled already this year. Cyberchomp. Bruce had jammed on my left and before the action returned to me John Grout called all in. I counted out the stack required to call, and counted down the main and side pot. The hand had no business on its own being in the pot, I think it might have been 68o, but I had double bustout equity. "Call." Bruce might have tabled a low pocket pair, and John tables Ax. I hear a gasp as I paired the board, but John catches an A on the river to survive. I end up getting just over half of my investment back from the side pot. The table breaks, I get moved over 2 tables, and spend the next 5 levels moving from above par to below par. Possibility. Bree. It was carnage. Pygmyhippo and Blues kept most of the chips after I moved to Table 1/80. But I was nearly responsible for keeping the table 6 handed for a level. I'm looking at presto. Josh Anderson would make his tournament stand here. I am asking for time. The decision would take an unacceptable amount of time to call with presto, but I would be left with under 5 thousand if I lost, with par being about 40k at the time. Presto win. Unicorn meat is mine, along with a double up. Soon I'm taking Bree's bustout gift as well. Now it's getting to the point where the dealer is not only pushing the pot, he's making sure the stacks pushed my way from the other end of the table doesn't fall over. One hundred fifty three down. The obligatory Scottro Save happens. In the money. The second year in a row. Last year I probably saw only 12 showdowns to a mincash, but happened to bust Heldar, reigning champion at the time which let me sit out 3 rounds, and Andy Bloch a few tables out in order to barely farm in. I glance at the other table. What the. Two tables and they have 2/3rds of the chips. As we're playing down to the final table, I'm falling way under par. Between Omaholic and DaveT, our table is forced to send Steve Sherman over, leaving us with even fewer chips to play for. We're a couple away from the final table bubble, I ask Brad where the final table starts. "Nine." I'm competing with Blofeld as the short stack at my table, and he wins a pot. Ugh. It goes hand for hand. After a few hands, there's a proposal to undo the hand for hand, since 9th is only a $80 jump. I don't object, since I'm already above last year's finish. Tom White goes out. Final table. Wow. I have 31k. Ow. Level 17. 3,000-6,000 blinds. Ante 1,000. OW. Pygmyhippo has SB, BronzeDodger has BB, I have 99. Grab the majority of my orange stack and splash raise. Omaholic jams from the button. His stack was dinged pretty badly in a previous hand. I win the race against AJo. Part of me wants to just farm into the dinnner break, but I just watched Michael Maurer and his sizeable stack get elimininated in one hand. He's stunned. Me too. I observed some great play through 17 levels of play, and he exits too early in 9th. Poker can be a rush, and just as cruel. Bob Herlien. I see 68 of diamonds. Repeat splash raise. Bob Herlien jams. Mini-tank. "I gamb0l." The board goes very live with diamonds and a straight draw, which hits on the river. Bob take the time to compliment my fearless play, and I'm completely flattered and humbled. Blofield is knocked out, the level ends and we hit the banquet break. I overhear someone mentioning that everyone left is guaranteed at least $1,000. At the time, it hadn't sunk in. You know when it did? It's just after 10pm. Sharon walks up to my seat, and shoves the stack of chips I had just evened and counted out. I'm starting to separate the colors and look around. The rail has grown to 30+ as the reindeer list was getting ready to be called. Nick is nearby having bought me in the calcutta, along with my partner who had bought me at 88-1 in the Un-mutuel. I had bought myself back early in Level 5, after asking Nick if it was cool and mentioned I only had 2600 at the time. It's really weird to have all this extra action on my play. Peter Stephenson goes out 6th. I try not to look at the payout jumps. BronzeDodger. Paul the Octopus. DaveT wins a 99 vs AQs race vs Bronzedodger to return with a sizeable chip stack. I would then take David's remaining stack with AQs vs KQo, then Steve Sherman's with Axs. That would be 3 snuffed alone at the final table. This is the brief time where I had a rotation as chip leader, after taking a bit from DaveT, tabling aces, before having to give it up via a few rounds of blinds and antes. Omaholic would double through DaveT, then knock him out with JQs, getting the J on the flop. 11pm. 170 down. Level 20. One more. It's probably 40/60 in favor of Rich at this point, I gave some thought to a small save, but never proposed one. I see Kings. Raise. Get a walk. I see AQs as the button. Immediate walk. He's starting to take from my stack. I start expanding my range of hands. We're seeing a raised flop with a JJx board. Check. Check. Turn is no help. He checks. I shove a couple stacks in. Rich folds. I table 24s. Crowd oohs and ahhs. Level 21. 15,000-30,000 blinds, 3,000 ante. Rail favors Rich slightly, I don't blame them, since they need him to win to break even or profit in the horse race. Card dead. 27s, 38o, J4o. I find some suited two gappers to raise with, but Rich can shove. Rich open shoves a few more times. I can't counter with the hands I'm getting. I'm now under 150k. I shove 118k under the button with 69s. Rich calls with KQo. I find a 6 and hearts to double up. Very next hand I shove QTs, Rich has 44. Board goes very live for me with KJx, turn gutshot diamond draw. River blank. It's over. 8 hours of poker. 50 minutes of heads up. I used everything in my skillset to get this result, and the one race I lost is when I already had runner-up money locked up. And it made Rich sweat a little. :) Congratulations Rich. As I mentioned, I'm more disappointed that I lost out on your your pair in the calcutta by $5. To those I crippled or busted out, "gg wp." Thank you to all who everyone who gave me kudos throughout, and for being so complimentary of the shots I took throughout BARGE. Rodney Around BARGE 2011: http://www.flickr.com/photos/beakertehmuppet/sets/72157627468159572/