The Brooktown League Poker Trip to AC

First off, I want to say I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people take the day off, and make the trip down to support my insanity, and Rich’s reward for being the 2006 Brooktown WSOP Champion. Granted, I’m not naive enough to believe anyone really took the day off just to support me and Rich and did it in reality because it was a nice trip and poker day in AC, but, I still want to thank everyone for the really nice day. I know Frank and Rich went home big winners, regardless of their tournament results and I although I didn’t win any money I had a really great day.

The tournament was scheduled to start at the Borgota at 11am. It was a $100 entry fee with a $20 fee to the casino. They guaranteed $20,000 would be paid out in prizes. Entrants were allowed to begin signing up at 9am and there would be some late comers and additional entrants added once some players were eliminated in the early rounds (why does this seem to me like the big brother nomination ceremony, where they feel the need to explain what is happening to the people who know exactly what is about to happen?).

As for our group, we had Rich, Frank, Triola, Neil, Stan, JMAC, Jay, Scott, myself and Chacko even took the ride down with JMAC. You would be hard pressed to find a finer group of players.

I was seated at table 14 (there were 29 tables in full to start) and I was able to see JMAC directly to my left, Stan was right behind me and Rich was a table to my right. Jay was a few tables over the right and I was able to see him only because of his beautifully colored shirt. Neil was in another room, apparently placed at a table with people who simply over raised the pot and bet whatever number they saw on the TV regardless of their cards when it was their turn to act (needless to say, Neil did not have a fun table).

311 playeres were entered, and first prize was just over $9K. Not a bad little take home for the day I thought. The rounds were 20 minutes long and after the first break at round 3, all 10 of us were still alive. No one was low on chips, but no one was really very strong either. I think Frank and Triola were just over $20K, and I was at about $16K. It was a very different game (at least I thought so) then we were all accustomed to. My table didn’t have a lot of action, there were very few showdowns, and NO ONE saw flops for free. It wasn’t until round 4 that I made a couple of moves on some pots strictly playing position and guessing that the other players were weak and wouldn’t call my raise.

I was at about $14K when 2 players limped in, and a 3rd player went all and I looked down on the big blind and saw AJ. I called the all in ($2650 more), 1 player folded and the other called as well. The flop came out J 8 4 but all diamonds (of which I had none), we both checked and then the turn came out a 4th diamond. Again we all checked and the river didn’t help anyone as both players had 1 diamond and made their flushes to negate my top pair, top kicker. The all-in player took a nice $9,500 pot that would have made me happy.

I was hovering in the $10-12K chip count when the last hand before the 2nd break came. By now we were all anteing as well as blinds had increased, so there was probably about $2500 in the pot before anyone even got their cards. I had A-5 suited, not a hand I generally care much for, but I was on the button, no one was else was in the hand so I raised the blinds, got the small blind to call and the big blind folded. The flop came up 2 clubs, so after the small blind checked I bet $1000 into a pot of about $3,000. He called. The turn came up a 2nd heart, so now the board was showing 4 non-picture cards, 2 heart, 2 clubs. I bet $1,500 and again got a call. Finally the river came up a useless 2 of diamonds…I bet $2,000 and as soon as I did I hated it. This guy was probably on a draw and there is no way that 2 helped him, but he might have had a mid pair to go with it, and I had just given him a decent price to put $2K in a pot that was now over $10,000. I didn’t think it out, I rushed my bet and I was livid. He took a long time thinking it out, (to long in my mind, he only had about $5K left in chips, I had maybe $8K) until he finally turned over K-6 of hearts with the 6 being paired, (3rd pair), I showed my (weak) bluff, and immediately realized I was lucky that he was a bigger puss than I was.

In reality the biggest pot I won on the day, was probably the hand I played the worst. I don’t have any hands to second guess, I didn’t get a lot of action because my starting hands left me little to no decision most of the day. I survived a few more levels and finally got knocked out with 12 tables left when my all-in (AQ) was called by a QJ for a pot of over $30K and the Jack hit, sending me home earlier than I’d have liked in my first ever Atlantic City poker tournament.

Rich, JMAC, Stan, Neil, Jay were already eliminated, apparently Rich and JMAC were playing table games, I found Neil and Jay working some cash Hold Em tables, and Frank enjoying the tasty tap beers and generous poker machines in the B-Bar. After hitting 4 of a kind in Let it Ride, Frank treated the group to a nice lunch, we had a lot of laughs and I was hope in time for American Idol and Big Brother by 8pm.

Triola and Scott were the last 2 standing and Scott would have probably won the whole damn thing had he not called 2 player's all in bets with a pair of 10's.

I learned a lot about how different it is playing at a table of 10 strangers as opposed to the same group of guys each month in Brooktown and in the FA league. I also think the Borgota does a great job with the event, and I look forward to doing it again.

Thanks again to everyone for a super day!!!