Date: Wed, 17 Jan 2007 11:32:34 -0800
From: "Asya Kamsky" 
Subject: [ESCARGOT] ESCARGOT 2007

Escargot trip report, 2007

This is my 4th ESCARGOT.  Wow, time flies...  I get there Friday
afternoon because I actually have to work Friday, also I just flew
in from Chicago on Thursday and I need a few hours away from the
airport or I'll go batty.

I do get to the airport a little early and go standby on an earlier
flight.  Good beat!  Mark picks me up at LAX and we head over to
the Bike.

We pick up our food coupons and head over to the Jade Dragon.  It's
the same lame coffee shop we go to every year but every year I
expect it to get better, but it never does.

We play Limit Hold'em that evening.  I haven't played a limit tournament
in what seems like years.  It probably was years.  I also haven't
played a limit ring game in ... well, it would have been years but
I played Ben's chips at BARGE in some limit ring game for an orbit.

No problem, man.  Just get the cards, rai-rai-rai and make final
table.  That's my plan and I stick to my plan.  My first table is
a festive limp-fest so I get to win six way pots with hands like Q-8
(two pair goot!) and 9-7 (two-pair goot!) but then get moved to a
tougher table with higher limits and have to rely on my kings standing
up to win another pot (wow!) and then I get moved again and now I
have to rely on bluffing and betting and raising aggressively with
nothing to win some more pots.

Pretty soon we're at the final table.  Hey, is that Mark on my right
with a decent stack?  It is!  Cool, we both made final table.  Russ
is the only short stack and he soon goes out.  We play a few more
orbits and another level of blinds and suddenly I'm the only short
stack.  And just as suddenly, I'm out 8th.  Bummer.

But Mark is still in it.  He busts Jerrod in 4th place and gets a
copy of Bill and Jerrod's book.   Jerrod autographs it for Mark and
I tell him that it should be autographed for me since no way Mark will
be reading it.  "No way" says Mark, the book will be his trophy!

But no need... Harry knocks out Chuck H and Mark and Harry battle it
heads up for the championship.  After the lead going back and forth
a few times Mark wins!  Yes!  He gets a real trophy!  He tries to read
a few pages of Bill and Jerrod's book and now I have the book!  :)

Saturday is the shoot-out.  I've had bad luck in it the last three
times always going out early.  This time I'm determined to win, as
I won't want to let Mark be the only winner!

My table has a couple of tough players, a crazy player and a super-tight
player.  Luckily the tough players go out early, then I hang in there
with a short stack for a while and make my move and win my table.

Yay me!  Mark wins his table and we both advance to the winners' bracket.
I play against an empty stack for a while which works well and much
better than playing against Pal Joo when he eventually shows up as my
two pair don't stand up against his baby set and IGtLBN (I go to
losers' bracket now).  Mark won his match on the third hand when
his flopped straight did stand up against Steve Pierce's baby set.
Mark now played Pal Joo who went all in on the first hand with T5s.
Mark had TT and _that_ stood up.  I think Mark wasn't getting his
money's worth having played four hands in his two heads-up matches.

I then lost to Fern and IGtRGN (ring game).  I play some typical
Bike $6-$12 and pick up a rack and a half in the time it takes Mark
to get knocked out.  The table is a riot and a half.  People three
and four betting with hands like Q6 and 72 and calling with hands
that couldn't beat A-high, or in some cases T-high.  Sadly we busted
all of those people out and the game went tighter so we went for a
walk before the banquet.

The banquet was fine.  My theory is that ESCARGOT attendance started
dropping when the Bike stopped serving shrimp and crab to us during
the banquet.  I'd rather have the shrimp than the shirt, personally,
though the shirt was definitely the best of the seekrit gifts so far.

Jerrod's talk was nice.  He explained the general ideas behind their
book and went through a very high level summary of general strategy
adjustments that they advocate.  At one point Miss Tanya surprised
all in attendance except maybe the two virgins when she raised her
hand and asked: "You keep saying 'we', who are you referring to?"

We skipped Chowaha championships, which is just as well as that
event seems to be fixed!!!

Sunday was the free rebuy NL tournament.  Mark and I found ourselves
at the same table.  The key to doing well at that table seemed to
be playing Queens and against Queens.  If your queens stood up, you
got loads of chips.  If they didn't, you rebought.  Then if you could
beat queens, you got loads more chips, if you didn't, YGHN.

Mark and I both go home now pretty soon, me losing my first batch
of chips with QQ vs. AA and the rebuy went when my KK lost to Russ'
A9 when he spiked an A on the turn.  Nice going, Russ!

Anyway, ESCARGOT for me was its usual, much lower key than BARGE
but a nice chance to catch up and get to socialize with folks.

Y'all should come next year.  I'm coming back, as long as Russ
promises me that the banquet will have shrimp again!

See y'all at ATLARGE,
Asya