...but then the poker gods gave me some love back!

Laughing while I was driving to Dino's thinking about that Hazel Park tourney I just busted out it, I figured at the very worst that the cash game would be juicy enough for me make some coin back in. I order my fresh, steaming order of fries, pay the bartender, whine like a little bitch to my brother and Harry about the HP tourney, then sit down and decide that I won't be too talkative to start out - time to concentrate on my game today.

Table draw for me isn't bad at all - me, Jen, Glen, some new guy, and Richard were at my table...not a lot of raising pre-flop will be done, and it will be easy to figure out what most of them have on any given hand.

First couple of levels are uneventful - Glen picks off one of my numerous bluff plays to get me down to 1500 chips at 100/200 level, but a couple of hands later I got back up to over 3000 with a mini-heater. Tables started to break, and when we were down to 14, I was sitting at 6000 chips or so. Important to note at this time that at no time were all my chips at risk, nor did I get these by knocking out a player.

Scott, Tony, and Bernie joined our table, and I knew some chips would fly around at this point. Scott and I trade blows with each other, with Scott getting the better end of the exchange after semi-bluffing my A-J out with an A-10 on 3-heart board with an ace. As with all my 50-50 calls, I seem to call the side of the coin that is facing down on the ground...oh well, shake it off.

Get down to 10, and after I win the deal, our table order is Me, Harry, Bernie, Scott, Tony, Nick, Glen, Mike, Texas Tim, and Dr. O. First hand in, Mike pushes everything into the middle, and is called by Dr. O, Nick, and Glen. Flop of K-5-4 hits the board, and Nick bets out 1000, called by Glen, then Dr. O comes over the top with a raise of 2K more - based on his body language and that of Nick and Glen, I will guess that O is way ahead...and I'm right when both players call. Nick with K-8 (i believe that was the kicker), Glen with 8-7 drawing to a 4-outer (dude should play at Hazel Park), Mike with I have no clue, and O with 5-5 for a set. K on turn gives O a boat, but more outs for Nick...but no help on the river, and O takes out 3 players!!! Players mock-rejoice, since we all get bonus points for getting in top 7 this week.

Texas Tim goes out next hand when A-10 is dominated by A-J, and we're down to 6. I'm sitting at 3800 chips, with blinds at 200/400 - some time to maneuver, however...playing very well and patiently at this point, with only one bad decision made all night so far. Go small-ball for a couple of pots and get up 5400, but another orbit later I go back down to 3900.

Bernie busts out to finish in 6th, and shortly afterwards I get my big double-up when my 2-2 holds against Tony's Q-8 - blinds at 300/600, I think. Tony is playing almost maniacal pre-flop...raising 10 times the BB in an effort to either bust us out or bust himself out. O likes to raise 5xBB a lot, as well - any more than that, and we're looking at a A-10, A-9 type hand...maybe I'll get to exploit this later.

Tony doubles up versus Scott when 8-8 hits a set against A-A - Harry doubles up twice when his A-K beats Tony'a A-J with a king on river (Tony hit J on flop), and then when another dominated hand sucksout against Scott. Harry hasn't won a ton of races in the time I've played with him at Dino's, so it looks like the poker gods were repaying him back some tonight.

O takes out Tony, then a few hands later I double up against O when my A-J pwns his 5-5 - now my stack is getting close to 18K. A few hands later, O open raises for 5K, and I look down and see A-Q...4-handed, this is a big hand, but remember what I said about O's raises here...I'm almost convinced instantly that it's the best hand going in, but I think about my next play for a minute, while counting his chips and mine to see where I stood, then reraise enough to put him all-in...and pretty much ignoring the fact that Harry and Scott as the blinds were still in the hand. Harry folds something that appears to be K-J or something, Scott folds, and O calls. I say, but not too loudly, "Ace-jack", and O flips over...Ace-jack. Good call, B! No help for O, Queen hits on river, and the big stack when the final table started is eliminated.

Big stack gets whittled down from 34K to 18K as Harry and Scott abuse my blinds. Pretty simple, really - I'd complete my SB with marginal hand like...5-7 sooooooted, Harry would jam all-in for 16K or so, and I'd fold. We do the little song and dance routine for a few orbits, then I get KK in the SB, min-raise to 4K (1000/2000 blinds at this point), Harry looks down, jams the chips in the middle, and the trap play is complete! A-2 versus K-K - King on flop pretty much seals it, turn card is no help, and I've got 38K now.

Big hand here between Scott and me - Scott calls an 8K raise (meant to be a move to put Harry all-in) I make with K-J off...K-Q-8 flop. Scott check, and I bet out 10K right away...Scott takes a couple of minutes, then eventually shows me a queen. I wait til later to tell him it was K-J I played. I've bluffed him out of a couple of pots since we got to 5 and 6-handed...so he had to decide if I was playing him again or not, and guessed correctly. Thinking player, and one reason why I like playing with him on the tables.

Mr. Big Stack decides to push his chips around, and traps himself with Q-J against Harry's K-J - Q on river gives me the suckout win...I call it "dirty" when it happens, but good show by Harry this week...wine will taste good, me thinks.

3 or 4 hands into HU, Scott open jams his last 6500 or so...I say I'll give him the "courtesy double-up", but my J-6 pwns his 9-6. No help for Scott, and I take it down - Victory #8 in the last 2 years since I've been going, but first one is 11 months (really, it's been that long!).

Well played final table, must say.