Another week, another Dino's tourney report

Missed last week's game (see earlier post for why) at Dino's, so I was rarin' to go this week. Ate my normal meal of a couple of sliders and a couple of Cokes, small-talked some with the normal waitress, checked out the new waitress in training (I am a guy, after all), then got down and dirty to play some poker. How'd we do this week? Check it out...

Sat down and my table draw was something like this...going to my left is Dennis, Jay, Ron (newer player, not very good), StevO (buddy from the weekly game), and Gary (tight calling station who rarely will raise a pot) to me. 24 of us again to start.

First orbit of the night, and StevO goes on semi-tilt for a while after Dennis, wannabe table captain (I happen to get along just fine with him, however) of the night gets in StevO's grill after Dennis donkey-calls a SPFR with 9-8 and hits trips on river to dominate StevO's 4-4. I don't necessarily faults Dennis's play here, but I can understand StevO's frustration with the hand - I just would have let it slide without saying anything, but that's just me.

Splash around a few pots before picking up a pot against Ron when I flop 2 pair and get called down to the river with bottom pair. Then a big series of folds happens, but I take down a nice pot from Gary after check-raising him on the river when a river 9 gives my A-9 2 pair - I had him beat the whole way, I suspect, but he may have been playing a weak ace here, who knows.

Win a couple of small pots, then get my first elimination of the night when I get Ron to go all-in with A-7 against my pocket queens on a board of K-K-10...10 and brick are of no help to him, and we're at 2900 chips. Chipped down to about 2300, when we get broken down to 2 tables. Some semi-cute buzzed brunette sits down, and after pushing her all-in with 8-8, I survive a race against Q-10 to get up to about 4000 chips. This would be my high-water point for a while, however, as the next hour I go card-dead.

Get down to 9 people, and I continue on my wonderfal streak of card-deadedness while a few players are eliminated as a night of river beats continues. Dennis goes out in 6th against Vic, who starts a nice hot streak by then taking Ronald/Donald (Ron, an uber-donkey who's usually out early) and Jay out in the span of one orbit.

After pushing to steal blinds at 400/800 2 hands in a row, I take out Pat when my A-J holds up against her K-3, and Vic and I are heads-up. To this point, Vic has actually played very well as the big stack pushing players around, and made some good reads and plays against other players. I'd say I have about 7K in chips, which makes me about 5-1 down in chips to start.

First hand of HU in the BB I look at KQ, and shove my chips in the middle when Vic puts me all-in, and elated to see him flip K-10 over. K on the flop, no help on river, and a fukkin' 10 on the river knocks me out in second. Congrats to Vic for winning this week for the first time - well-deserved win based on his final table play.

After this week I'm up to 30 points, more than enough to already be qualfied for the final table sometime in next few weeks, but I want to make a run at overall point leader, and I'm only a couple of points behind, so I'll keep going Monday's nights to Dino's, I guess.