Glad that's over

I love you, Mom.

But I'm no fan of Mother's Day. Saturday night was hectic and busy at the restaurant. I got paid, but I was tired.

The smartest thing I did Sunday was sleep in, instead of going to my 8am soccer game. I needed the energy. Work started at noon. I was under the impression that I'd work until the dinner shift came on to relieve me. Wrong. I was one of the ones slated to work all day on Mother's Day. A twenty minute break was better than nothing I suppose.

Thinking I was going to be home by 6pm, I didn't take my cell phone with me. My Sunday night tournament always starts at 8pm. I wondered if my new roommate was home, and if enough people would show up and decide to start playing. And if so, would they deal me in, not knowing where I was or when I'd arrive?

They apparently started at 8:45, and I showed at 9pm, with a chip stack in front of "my" chair. Long day at work, and I didn't have to lift a finger to get poker going? Excellent. WWJD? = Who Wants Jack Daniels? This guy.

Seat 1: Shawn
Seat 2: Forty Ounce Dave
Seat 3: Miguel
Seat 4: Albert
Seat 5: Jefferson
Seat 6: Oklahoma Jeff
Seat 7: Mike (that's me!)

Second to last hand of the first hour... Ace-ten was good for top pair on a A-J-3 flop, and I figured Miguel will stick around with any ace, or middle pair. He played his hand very well, and I pushed all of my chips to his set of jacks. Rebuy!!

The next few confrontations seemed effortless. I played my pocket aces as "second hand low", in the words of TJ Cloutier, and almost doubled up against Dave's pocket queens. I sent Oklahoma Jeff packing when my 88 went up against his 44 after a 7-6-5 flop. A 9 on the turn made me feel nice 'n safe. My top pair was good when Shawn couldn't lay down his pocket tens. I crippled Miguel when he flopped two pair to my flopped set of jacks.

I had a big stack of chips and a great buzz from my improperly-portioned Jack 'n coke.

Jefferson later admitted he didn't like being on my direct right. Didn't like me acting right after him, especially with my tall, booze-flavored chipstack. He left in 4th, after calling Dave's ace-high all-in with QJ offsuit for about 3/4 of his chips. He's brand new to poker. I've got to remember the Gap Concept in my own play - perhaps I can pass the lesson along to him.

With just Dave and Albert left, I had more than half of the chips in play. I got a little shifty when I saw Dynomiiiiite! pocket jacks in my small blind. Albert had folded his button. I limped in my small blind, figuring if I pooched this hand, doubling up Dave wouldn't cost me too many chips, and it might tick off Albert. Dave checked, and the flop was an uncoordinated ten-high. I checked, and Dave, who had been pushing all-in often with his small stack of chips, pushed. His T9 offsuit didn't improve.

Big chip lead on Albert for the second Sunday in a row. Last week, it was over pretty quick and I was never in danger. This time it took a while, and Albert had the chip lead after he doubled up off of me. The board read 9875x, and I couldn't fold to Albert's all-in. I had the six, but he had JT for the better straight, and the nut hand.

Albert semibluffed me and showed after I folded, though the river would've gotten him there and I wasn't thrilled about my bottom pair. He can advertise if he wants, but it's not going to radically change my perception of his play.

He didn't have the chip lead for too long. I won a couple of medium-sized pots in a row, one of which was a bit fishy on my part. I was getting a decent price on my openended straight draw plus flush draw with one card to come, and the river gave me the flush. I made a 'please call me' river bet, and he obliged. He had flopped top pair with a medium kicker.

He grew a little tired of me raising from my button, and pushed when I had AT-offsuit. I had a hunch I was in excellent shape against the majority of the hands he'd do that with, and he showed K9-spades. Ace of spades, jack of spades on the flop, but no help after that, and it was over.

Overall, I took advantage of my situations when the cards were hitting me, and my opponents ran their middling hands into my big ones. I stayed away from dumb plays and going overboard being the bigstack bully. Basically, I didn't force it. My heads-up play was solid and put enough pressure on Albert.

I'm pretty sure even a bad player could've finished at least in 2nd place with the cards I had tonight. Nothing to brag about, but $20 in and $80 out feels great after spending way too much time on my feet, lightly basted in A1 steak sauce.

(next up: PCS Championship tourney recap!)