Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 21:56:01 -0800 (PST) From: Becca Kerl Subject: [BARGE] Redbird Embargo Report Dean and I left Phoenix on Thursday, after getting an assist with a room for the trip so that we could attend. We got to our room at the Paris and were totally surprised with the suite. View of the fountains! I feel very fortunate to have such caring friends in this community. On the drive up Dean comments that one or both of us are due to make a final table. I agree. Challenge accepted. We settled in, and headed over to play the HORSE. I've been playing at home so I feel really confident. My starting table has Patti, Bob H, Gillian, a non barger, Bart, a new addition but someone I've played with in the Las Vegas area Susan, and Russ Fox. I can tell that I am in the zone. I'm comfortable and playing well. We break and I move to a new table. Then I move again. And again. Each time I gain chips, even after taking a couple brutal beats. Finally we are down to the final two tables, I squeak into the final 8 after riding a short stack for over an hour and a half. We redraw for game and button and I'm SO happy that I am behind the button and the game is O8. I survive a few knockouts and then Eric and I go out on the same hand. I'm so happy with the way I played. Dean congratulates me and I tell him, you called it! He says open seat because he's playing in the mix game and I decline. He plays for awhile longer and then sees that I am about to fall asleep standing up. We get back to the Paris and I think I fell asleep in less than 10 minutes, Friday I sleep in. Dean surprises me with breakfast in bed from McDonalds. I relax, and Dean takes a nap. My best friend comes by and we have some lunch. I take some phone calls from the kids because I can't go out of town without drama from home. We head out to sushi. Had a great time talking with the Lawfuls, Un, Bart, Asya and Ben, Oliver, Larry and Claudia. There were more people at the other end of the table. We both won the over on the bill bet. Head back and dash into the hotel to get ready for Chowaha. Thankfully I have the BMW and they keep it out front for me so I can get in and out quick. We slide into our seats just as the clock ticks down. I was in a bit of a fog during the game so I couldn't tell you everyone at the table. However, Dean was at my table and he had a bounty on him. I wanted to win that bounty so bad. He was getting short and I called with K9c. The pot has 1200 in it, and the flops come down. Third flop is 10c Jc Qc. Ding! It checks around. Turns come out. I bet 200, which is what Dean has behind. I get a call. Dean thinks and thinks and then folds his last 200. How does he fold??? He busts a few hands later and I do not collect his bounty. I played down to the last two tables and ended up going out 11th. Dean gotten a ride, so I went to go meet up with him and ran into Un, Patrick and Eileen, Nolan, Doug G and David Low and then Rich and Katie showed up. Un went to get hot dogs for us. We had a great time laughing and talking and listening to stories from our fellow Argers. Headed back around 2am. Got up for the NLHE bounty. Starting table is Asya, Corey, Patti, Ben, Jeff, Oliver, Dan and Patrick. Lots of chips flying early, but no real big side pots. Jeff sucked out on Oliver to take an early chip lead. Jeff and I had a last longer with a few other people, so I was not thrilled to see him getting chips. I knock out Asya. Dean got moved to the table a few hands prior. Eventually the table breaks and I move into a table where Polly, the non-arger, is just destroying the table. I'm glad when that table breaks, but I move over to another table with Dean. We were the last two in the last longer so we chop it. Slowly we get whittled down to two tables left. Dan G ships his chips and I look down and see TT. I ship. Heads up. He has 77. 7 on the flop. I hang in there and double up a few hands later and then again and again. I take another bounty against Ben G. We had been playing no look poker when it was blind vs blind. He called, I checked. Flop comes down 9 high. We check our cards on the count of 3. I see JJ. He bets. I ship. He calls. He has K7, middle pair. Nothing comes, and I take a nice size pot plus the bounty. We go final table. Both Dean and I make it. Dean busts out 9th. I'm comfortable but hoping that I can make the money in a second tournament for the weekend. QB raises my blind. I look down and I see AA. It folds to me. I immediately ship. I had over 13k. QB tanks. He knows I have a big hand. He finally calls and rolls over the JJ. He is frustrated to see my AA. But luck shines on him and he hits running quads. IGHN. I'm so frustrated. I leave the table and as I walk behind QB stacking all my chips I stop for a second, grin at the table and pretend to be holding something over QB's head and stabbing him with it in the air. He is oblivious but the table/onlookers are laughing. We talk later and I promise him that I'm over it. I have no ill will. The humor of that actually helped me let it go. I needed a break so we went back to the hotel to do homework and figure out what to do for dinner. We head out to have a nice steak dinner and after that we head downtown. Two tables of Argers. Carol is wearing her pashmina like a burqua because she's ashamed of her play and then when she wins a pot she becomes burlesque Carol. It was awesome. She was humming the A-team theme and Dean commented on it from the other table. He said something about Greatest American Hero. Not only did both tables sing the song, but we started with the first verse and sang the entire verse and chorus. It was awesome. I couldn't win a pot at all. Just as we were getting ready to leave a couple of guys stroll in. It's someone who has been lurking on the Barge list for years. He sat in and then had another buddy of his sit in. They got us right away. It was so great. I hope that he will come back in August. We say goodbye to everyone and head out. At the end of all of it, I was really proud of how I played. I cashed, made two final tables and almost made a 3rd final table, but finished 11th. I also got to talk to a whole crop of new Argers and get to know some others even more. I always have a great time and this time was no exception. I am looking forward to Barge! See you all there. Redbird