Carson Valley Inn Tournament.

Ok, so here is the post that I promised a few posts ago. During the Christmas Vacation, the wife and I made the trip to her parents house for a white christmas. I can understand why she says christmas isn’t the same in Southern California as it is near Tahoe. There’s just something about snow and christmas that goes together. Shorts, T-shirts and christmas do not mix.

My Mother-in-law loves to play poker, but her friends.. well.. don’t. So she doesn’t get the opportunity to play that often. Every time we visit, she gets a nice SnG or two every night, but unfortunately for her, we don’t visit that often. This time, one of my holiday gifts to her was a buy-in to a local tournament. So while my mother-in-law was out shopping with her daughters, I was calling up local casino’s looking for a nice tournament for us to play later in the day. When I told her what I was planning she tells me that she is very excited to play in her first poker tournament and that she believes that I will win the tournament. I tell her If we get heads up, I’m not going to show any mercy and we both laugh. After calling a few casinos, the Carson Valley Inn had just the tournament that I was looking for. Carson Valley Inn had a $35+$5 tournament that night and the top 3-5 players who cash, depending on the total players, got a T-shirt. How awesome is that. As an added bonus, if you log an hour of cash table time, you get an extra T$500. I called back around 4pm to sign us up for the tournament.

The in-laws and I arrived at CVI a little after 5pm and bought into the tournament. We also sat down at a 2-6 spread limit game to get our extra T$500. About 40 minutes into the session, I get pocket aces. I was in late position and I min-raised to $4 as the table was loose pre-flop. This may have been a mistake, but I wanted players in the hand and there were 2 players that I new would re-raise with any two cards. There was one caller, then the big blind, one of the players that I new would re-raise me, did just that making it $10 to go. It folded back to me, where I re-raised it another $6. LP called and the BB re-raised again. I called as did the LP player. Now the pot was $53. The flop came down 668. I can put any of the players on a 6 or and 8 based on the pre-flop action. The BB bets $6, I re-raise to $12 the LP calls and the BB raises another $6, where I call and the LP calls. The pot is $107. The Turn is a Jack and the BB bets out, I re-raise, the LP calls and the BB calls. The River is an 8. The BB bets out again, I call with my last few chips and the LP calls. The BB says, I hope you can beat a boat and flips over 85 off suit. I much my cards face up and just stare in awe as to how this jackass, would re-raise me TWICE pre-flop with 8-5 off. Of course he was boasting on about how great he was, but I was bent. What a donkey. I can understand the play AFTER the flop, as he had two pair, but to have his ass beat until he hit a two outer on the river just blows. Mimics online play for the past couple days. Heh.

So before the tournament starts, I’m down $180, two tournament buyins and $100 from the cash table. I have to come in second in the tournament to make $10 for the night. Sweet. At least the goal for the night was to play in a tournament with my mother-in-law. If I bust out first, bubble or win, is second to playing in a tournament with her. The Tournament Director said a few of the rules before the tournament started and one really caught my attention. If a player is All-In, if you flip over your cards before the dealer says to do so, your hand is dead. Even if you have the best hand, your hand is DEAD. That’s great information to know. A short time later as the TD says, ‘Shuffle up and Deal’, I know that I have made my mother-in-laws week, maybe even her month. She was now playing in her first ever poker tournament and I was proud to be there with her.

We were at different tables, so I can’t really comment on how well she did, but I can go on about myself, because I’m so awesome. Heh. At my table, I was at table 4 seat 7, continuing clockwise around the table we had Michael, Melissa #2’s Husband, Melissa #1, Carl, Melissa #2, Empty, Andy and Josh. Things to note, Melissa #1 and her husband and friends has been at the casino since 10am and drinking. Melissa #2 was the daughter of the TD, Micheal and Carl are regulars to the CVI. Carl was an older gentleman, who sorta sounds like my chihuahua, soft moans when he breathes. Everyone at my table was a hoot. The first big hand that I had was when I limped in MP with pocket sixes and flopped a set. With that hand I was able to double up and bust Melissa #2’s husband. A few hands alter Melissa #2’s husband goes all in and gets two callers and before the flop is dealt, M2#’s husband flips over the hammer. The dealer tells him that his hand is now dead because he flipped over his cards before the dealer said to do so. The flop is 725 rainbow and Michael bets out and the other player folds. M2’s husband, who is now out of the tournament says, “I hope you had me beat”, to which Michael flips over 75 for a higher two pair. M2’s husband is a little bit relieved, knowing that he didn’t have the best hand and would have lost anyway.

Melissa #2 was loud to begin with and now was working on her third redbull and vokda since the tournament started. When we were 15 minutes away from the first break, the TD had reminded everyone about the break and Melissa #2 tells the table the she doesn’t know if she can wait until the break. Thinking to myself, “Self, now this is a prop bet situation if I’ve ever heard one.” To which I replied, “Melissa, I bet you $10 that you will not be able to hold it until the break and you will go to the bathroom before the break.” With a confident smile, she loudly accepts the prop bet. A few hands later, the TD comes walking over and starts to pour water from one cup to another right next to Melissa #2. The table busts up laughing, all except for one person, Melissa #2,who is now starting to show signs of wanting to go #1, mostly the now yellow eyes. A few minutes later, she gets up from the table and says, “You win.” and runs off to the bathroom. $10 is mine. A little bit after that we take the first break and three other players from the table bolt to the bathroom.

After the break we still have most of the players, but I now notice that that my mother-in-law doesn’t return to the table, but instead sits next to her husband. I found out later that her AK had hit the flop, but another player hit a set and she lost a bit of chips there, but ultimately her pocket Kings did not hold up against a weak Ace who spiked an Ace on the turn. She busted out of her first tournament early in the game, but she now has her first tournament under her belt.

A little while later, we lost the 8th player and we are down to the final 9 players. Looking around the table, there are five of my original table left to four of the second table. Myself, Michael, Melissa #1, Carl and Andy. A few hands into the final table I get QQ UTG and raise it up 3x BB everyone folds to the BB, Carl who calls. The flop is AKx and Carl usually plays Strong Aces and High pairs, rarely slow plays. Carl checks to me and I make a strong bet and he pushes the rest of his chips in. I’m now left with T$1,100 and its T$400 more to me to call. If I fold here, I will be very short stacked, so folding isn’t an option, so I make the call. Carl says “Nice hand.” and flips over pocket Queens. afterthe dealer says to show the cards. I respond back with, “Carl, I’ve never been so happy to see Queens.” while I flop over my Queens. Michael goes nuts saying, “Do you know the odds of two people side by side being dealt the same pocket pair?!” Carl and I split the pot and continue our quest to take down the tournament.

A few minutes later I get AQ in the BB and it folds around to Andy who is on the button. Andy pushes the rest of his chips into the pot. Carl, in the SB does the exact same thing. Now I have both Andy and Carl covered, and if I win the pot, aside from knocking out two players, I should be able to make the money and get the t-shirt. If I lose, I will have an M of less than 2. After thinking things through for a bit I make the call. Now that everyone is All-In (and I have no one to bet out too), the dealer tells us to flip over our cards. Andy shows A9, Carl Shows AJ and I have AQ. I have to admit that I’m happy right now, I just have to survive the flop and then the odds are more than favorable for me. The flop comes QT9 and I have top pair but Carl has a straight draw. The turn is an J, giving everyone a straight draw. The dealer peels off the top card into the muck, then peels off the next card and shows an Ace on the River. I quickly double check Andy and Carl’s hands to make sure that no one has a King or an Eight, then I shake both of their hands. I believe at this point we are now five handed. Myself, Michael and Melissa from our original table and two others from the second table. Michael takes out one of the two players from the second table and then I take out the other player when my pocket sevens hold up against his AJ.

The TD now tells us that since we made it to the money, we get our choice of a t-shirt, hat or travel mug. I thought that we only got a t-shirt and didn’t have a choice. I don’t need anymore hats, but I did need a new travel mug. Melissa is on life support and Michael and I only have to complete the blinds to try and knock out Melissa. For 3 hands in a row, Melissa manages to pair something to stay alive. Now Michael and Melissa were talking about a chop. At this point, I was still thinking about the Mug vs. T-shirt but when the talk of a chop started I paid more attention to the chop talk. We had to finish the current hand before the dealer would pause the game to talk of a chop and Michael and I both limped into the pot. I had J6 and the flop was 665. I checked and Michael checked. The turn was another 5. I pushed All-In and to my surprise, Michael calls! The dealer asks us to flip over our cards and I show a full house, sixes full of fives and Michael also shows a full house, but his was fives full of sixes. No one improves after that and I now control over 80% of the chips in play. We talk of a chop and I learn that this is Melissa’s first cash, I’m excited because the deal we talk about, splitting the money evenly three ways, with all three of us getting $198 each. This will erase my cash game loss and recover both buy-ins and I still make $18 profit. We all accept the chop offer and I get my loot and more importantly, I get my shirt! My In-laws were happy to see me win. After tipping the dealers and my prop bet score, I walked away with $15 profit and a nice t-shirt. What a wonderful end to the year.

tags: carson valley inn, cash, live poker, prop bets