At least he apologized ...

As mentioned in an earlier post, I'm gonna play in the Blogger Poker Tour final for a seat in the WSOP. Well, Billy offered me the opportunity to play in one of their freerolls, just so I could get used to the software, the level of competition, etc. I took him up on that offer, and played in Saturday's event -- "Blogging into Spring," hosted by Dutch Boyd.

I did some things to get myself psyched up and focused for it. I ate a small breakfast, so I would stay "hungry" at the table. I did some pushups so I would feel good physically while playing. I watched Cinderella Man for some inspiration. By 1:30, I was amped and ready to go.

My first impression was that the players (at my table at least) were not very aggressive. I saw a lot of big hands limping in and playing the flops passively (for example, a guy limped with pocket Aces in position, and checked it down against an unthreatening board, taking down a rather smallish pot!).

I didn't really get to make much more than first impressions, because I didn't last long enough. The first hand I played was Jack-Four offsuit, and that was only because I was in the big blind. There were seven players in the hand (all limpers!!!). The flop came King-high, with two spades. It was checked around! I couldn't believe these players were so passive ... you would never see a flop like that checked around on Bodog. The turn was an offsuit Four, and so I bet the minimum (at this point still only 10 chips). I get one caller (wtf!?) and everyone else folds (no raise???). The turn is the Jack of Spades, giving me a runner-runner two pair but putting three spades on the board. The pot is 90 chips, so I bet 70 to see if my opponent (sn Cazwil) was on the flush draw. He raises the minimum to 140, and I of course call. He had the nut flush! So passive ... I couldn't understand it. He could have got more than that out of me.

So now I'm down to 1860. What the hell ...

I fold the small blind and wait a few hands for something playable. Finally I pick up Ace-Queen of spades in middle position, so I raise to 40 (the blinds are still 5-10 at this point). The small blind re-raises the minimum to 70 (it's Cazwil again). Three people between us just call (wtf??? after it's been raised and re-raised???) and I decide not to make a scene and call as well. The flop comes 10-8-2 rainbow, so I expect some of the limpers to have caught something. Cazwil checks, and it's checked around to me (I now have position). So of course I make the continuation bet. The pot is up to 350, so I bet 200 just to see where everyone's at. Cazwil just calls, and the rest of the stragglers in the hand fold. Because of this call, I now put him on overcards like me. He must be chasing. Does he have Ace-King?

The turn is a Queen ... now I've got him. Or so I think for a second. Cazwil moves all in, and as a result of the hand earlier he has me covered. I have to take a minute here ... not what I was expecting to happen at all. Now I wonder, does he have Queen-10 or a small set? But that thought doesn't seem logical ... it seems doubtful that he would re-raise me before the flop with such a marginal hand. And wouldn't he check-raise me on the flop, or even better try to check-raise me on the turn? Maybe pocket 10s, but if so wouldn't he want to either just call my preflop raise or re-raise me for more? Wouldn't he also have played the flop more aggressively with an overpair? The check-call on the flop and the push on the turn make it really tough to put the guy on a hand.

Finally, I conclude that he did not flop a pair. I figure one of three things has occurred. 1) He could be totally bluffing -- just making the move hoping the queen didn't help me. 2) He could have a smaller Queen than me, maybe flopping 2nd or bottom pair and now improving with the Queen. Was he ballsy enough to re-raise before the flop with Queen-8? Not likely, considering how he had played his nut flush.

The third thing that occurred to me (and the hand I finally put him on) was this. I figured he either had King-Queen or Ace-Queen. Those were the only hands that made sense to me, given his behavior before the flop, on the flop, and here on the turn. Two big cards that missed the flop and hit on the turn. So either I had him dominated, or we tied for the pot. I made the call.

Well, he surprised me in a big way. He sheepishly turned over his Jack-10 offsuit. I couldn't believe it. He had flopped top pair, decided to slow-play it, and moved all in when the turn gave him a gutshot straight draw. I mentally counted his outs faster than I could blink - four 9s, three Jacks, two 10s ... 9 outs. One card to come. He has a 20% chance to suck out on me. I'm a 4:1 favorite.

My long exhalation wasn't a sigh of relief. It was a sigh of frustration. I knew he was going to bad beat me. I just knew it. The only question was how.

The river was a Jack, giving him two pair. I had made the right move at the wrong time, and now I had busted out in 56th place out of 56 players. Sorry, Billy.

At least he didn't start talking a bunch of sh*t. He was gracious, and he apologized profusely. I could tell that he was genuinely remorseful. I told him I would see him in the finals, figuring he would improve on that double-up and make it to the money rounds. I guess I should have realized that play like that wouldn't get him very far at all. He squandered the chips he stole from me and busted out in 38th.

So I'm putting a bounty on Cazwil's virtual head, Billy. If you take him out in the next few freeroll events, I'll pay you $50. Seriously. It ought to be a crime to steal someone's chips like that and blow them just as quickly. Apology not accepted.