4/2/07posted by Poker Star @ 1:21 PM

As winner of the Absolute Dream Package, I decided to go to the Foxwood Poker Classic for my first tournament.

Foxwood's is enormous and a very cool place. It was the first time I've ever laid out $10,000 for a tournament. I made it to the poker room just as the tournament was starting, so I didn't have time to mingle in the lobby and check out the players and celebrities. But that changed when I found my table and sat down to see Hoyt Corkins sitting three seats to my right. Time to shuffle up and deal. It's nice to start out with 20,000 in chips, blinds 50 and 100.
First hand, Hoyt battles a guy to his right and shows a flopped set of tens to take the first pot. Second hand Hoyt rivers a flush against another guys set of nines.He picked up 5,000 chips in two hands--- nice start. Then the fifth hand I look down to see pocket rockets. After the first guy limps in, I bump it to 500.
Hoyt calls from the small blind. The flop comes 5-7-9 rainbow and I make a pot size bet of 1200.

Hoyt calls. Turn is a 6. I come out strong again with 2200. Now Hoyt raises 3600 more. Wow. After thinking for a minute I throw them away since he stayed with me and my strong bets the whole way. Did he have an 8 for the straight or hit a set? I'll never know that one. Not much happened for the next hour until I look down at 2 red aces again. This time I was first to act and decide to smooth limp because most pots had been getting raised. But of course four people just call. Flop comes A-7-10 all clubs.
Same deal, I've got to bet my trip aces to see where I'm at.
Pot size, $900. Everyone folds to the small blind who makes it $2,000. I can't fold, he could be drawing to the flush, plus if I catch a boat, that will win. The turn is nothing. I check, he checks. Now I'm hoping he is still on the draw for a flush. I check the river when nothing else helps me. Now he bets $3,600, about half the pot. I'm in this far, so I call and the small blind shows his flopped flush. Less than two hours into the game and I'm down to 10.800 in chips. Aces have not been kind. I get no cards for the next 3 hours. The last hand before the end of the 3rd level. Blinds 100-200 w/25 ante. Everyone folds around to me. I raise to 800 on the button with pocket 7's. The big blind calls, and the flop comes A-A-2. Big blind checks. I'm sure my seven's are still good, so I bet 2,000. Big blind thinks for a while then calls. King on the turn we both check.(I should have bet again). Another king comes on the river. Not good, now my 7's are worthless. He checks. I have only 4,600 left in chips. Well, the only way I'm winning this one is to push all in.
So I do.
Not the best play I made all day but I did raise preflop and bet after the flop, so I've put the pressure on the other guy. He thinks for about 4 minutes as the level ends. Then he folds, telling me he had a queen kicker. I just say I had the best hand the whole time. Back up to 9,000 in chips, but still short-stacked. I gain no ground in the 4th level.-- Middle of 5th level, last level of day one. I'm back down to 4,600 chips at this point- and desperate. Blinds are 300-600 w/75 ante. I'm under the gun and look down at J-Q both hearts. Best two cards I've seen in two hours. I push all in. A guy to my left with quite a few chips is the only caller. He has A-K, both black. I turn a flush and go back over 10,000 in chips. Then with 45 minutes left until the end of day one I get A-K both hearts. I'm first to act and raise to 2,000.
Hoyt Corkins calls on the button and the big blind calls. The flop comes K-2-8. OK, I've got top pair , top kicker. There is about 7,000 in the pot, and I only have 9,000 left. Even if I survive today, I'm real short going into day 2. I push all-in.
Hoyt thinks but then folds. The blind calls, then shows pocket two's for a set. Nothing else comes and I'm out. Hoyt says he folded a small pocket pair. The big blind said he wouldn't have stayed in the hand until Hoyt called also. Oh well, I'll have more chances later. I made it seven and a half hours on pretty much a short stack.

Anyway, seeing Foxwoods was definitely worth it. That place is as good as any place in Vegas, just a little out of the way. I couldn't get a plane home for a day so I went to the regular poker room for a while. They must have 120 tables in there. I won a couple hundred in a 2,5,no limit cash game. Then played in a single table $120 sit-and-go and won it for $500. So all was not a loss and I had a wonderful time.

That's all til next time.
Scott (thebombbaby)

Labels: Poker Tournaments Schedule

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