Hubby and I took a daytrip down to Foxwoods this past Wednesday. We were supposed to be in Atlantic City for the week but we put off our trip a month due to ailing family members. Normally when we go to Foxwoods for the day we take the bus down there that leaves from near our house. This day we didn’t because we knew that I was not going to be happy getting up at 6 am to get ready for the bus.
We got to Foxwoods around 12:30 pm and go in and find out that a stud h/l tournament is starting in 1/2 an hour. I love playing stud and stud h/l online and used to play stud cash games way back when. I’d only had the chance to play in one stud tournament in the past and this was a stud h/l tournament at Foxwoods where I finished 2 out of the money…there were about 40 players and they were paying top 4 and I came in 6th. Hubby and I talked it over and decided I should try it again.
I asked the woman at the registration counter how many players they’d been getting for it and she told me two tables at the most but usually it was one table and played like a sng and top 3 were paid. I decided that sounded fun (never get to play stud h/l sngs live…never see them!) and signed up. There ended up being 16 players, paying top 3, and it cost $100 (80+20) to enter. I kept track of my levels and this is what it looked like…
Start with 5K in chips, 20 minute levels…first level was $10 ante, $15 bring-in, and $50/100 limit. I only won one hand and that was a low hand only and I ended the round with 4200 chips.
Second level…$15 ante, $25 bring-in, $100/200 limits. I scooped a very nice pot when I was dealt 3 hearts (A, 3, 7) and was the bring-in…I completed and a few called. By the 2nd to last card I had my flush and the only low hand out there. It was raised to cap on the river by a guy with a straight and no low and a guy with another straight who didn’t even realize we were playing h/l lol. The guy with the straight said to me “I never even saw you or your hand as a threat, I guess I was wrong”. After that hand, another player said “well played hand” and a player at the other end of the table commented that I played well “for a girl” rofl. I ended that round with 7200 chips.
Third level…$15 ante, $25 bring-in, $150/300 limits. I actually did not play or win any pots that level, just paid my antes and the bring-ins I had to pay and ended the round with 6600 chips. At this point I was completely card dead. This was the last level before the break and in the last hand 3 people went out to leave us with 13 left.
Fourth level…$25 ante, $50 bring-in, $200/400 limits. I played one hand where I had AA dealt to me with another low card. I raised to completion and 3 called. I ended up with an 8432A low and only AA in my hand for high. I was the bettor the whole way and I couldn’t shake a guy who had a 3 showing when he started and ended up with 2345 showing up and on the river I had to fold to 4 diamonds and his low of 75432 when my low hand didn’t improve. The whole time I was betting away he kept saying “gosh Im a dummy I shouldn’t even be in the hand I have much of nothing I just can’t let it go”…and his hand kept improving and improving. He had 99 in his hand and the 5 low cards came one after another. After the hand someone said “omg, how gross” about the chaser’s hand and the chaser said “well if she’d raised me at all I might have let my hand go”…the guy replied back “RAISE YOU! She was the one betting the whole way, you were the caller”…I never commented just kept my cool about it. His chase cost me a few chips and I ended the level with 5500 in chips.
Fifth Level…$50 ante, $100 bring-in, $300/600 limits. Hubby comes to stand behind me during this level which is like the kiss of death. Him and I and my tournaments are NOT a good mix. He’s mumbling about my play under his breath and I can hear him and it’s affecting my play. Worst part is…he doesn’t know how to play stud h/l so he has no clue what he is mumbling about. I get involved in a hand where I have 4 cards to a low to start and never improve and miss all my high hand possibilites and lose 1/2 my chips. This always seems to happen when hubby is standing behind me…when he does this my brain leaves me and stupid steps in to play. I ask him to leave the area lol and he does. I end this round with 2250 in chips…YIKES!
Sixth Level…$75 ante, $150 bring-in, $400/800 limits. I end up more than doubling up in this level from two hands. The first one I was down to 750 in chips and raised an aggressive player when he completed the bet during his bring-in. I had tens in the hole and a 6 showing up and I wanted to isolate him and take a chance. I ended up with a boat and more than doubled up. I then have AA in the hole and the short stack who is the bring-in raises all in which is a little less than the completion. I re-raise to isolate him and the chaser from before cold calls me and says “let’s check him down.” OMG, I thought the dealer was going to cream him…he gave him a warning and we moved on. I said to the chaser “you really think I re-raised the all-in hand because I wanted to check it down…if you want to play against me you’ll have to pay” and I moved the rest of my chips in the middle. He called with a pair of kings and at this point I had AAA23 and ended up with a full house to his pair of kings and the short stack’s nothing and scooped the pot. Right after this we got down to the final table and end the level with 6 left and at this point I have 4800 in chips.
Seventh Level…I am completely short at this point and there are 5 of us left. Two of us are both short and we ask the other 3 to buy us out lol. We say give a bit to 4th and 5th out of the prize pool and we’ll go all in so the bubble can burst. Four of us agreed to this idea but one guy refused. Raised a couple times at the bring-in and won the antes and ended the round with 5200 in chips.
Eighth Level…Still two of us who are completely short stacked and three big stacks and the one guy still won’t budge on giving 4th and 5th a lil something to get us to go away. Hubby comes back over at this point…here comes the kiss of death rofl…and I win a hand by raising during the bring-in. He yells out “do that again hun” and my brain goes all fuzzy and wrong. The one guy who refused to do the deal is bleeding off chips left and right but still has plenty of chips. I’m the bring in again with a 3 showing and I have another 3 in the hole with a T and I have two hearts. Remember, my brain has gone all wrong and fuzzy due to hubby’s presence lol and I can’t be blamed for what I did next snort snort. The chip-bleeder has an A showing and re-raises my raise….I call…next card is a low card and we re-raise till I get it all in and I need to improve and don’t and he knocks me out…two from the money…AGAIN. Moral of that story is…being card dead and having a hounding hubby is never a good mix. Beyond the two hands where my brain went a bit fuzzy round the edges, I was quite pleased with my play in the tournament, especially since I was card dead.
After the failed tournament I went to play some $4/8 limit holdem. I continued to be card dead and in 3 hours I never once saw AA, KK, QQ, JJ, TT, 88, 66, 55, 44, 33, 22. I saw 99 once and lost with them, saw 77 once and lost with them, saw AK once and lost with it, AQ once and lost with it, AJ once and had to toss it preflop to a bunch of raising, and had AT once and lost with it. I ended up losing $60 playing 4/8 but overall was happy to again play live poker…I hadn’t played live since October 07.
If you have a hard time depositing and need to build your bankroll there are ways to do so but it takes much time and much patience. Every evening the site has a quick draw freeroll…about 2k-3k players sign up but it gets down to the money very quick…600 players are paid and first is around $54. I’ve cashed in these a few times, never made more than .30 or so though. I then turn around and play in their .10 nlhe stts which is the only micro micro micro game offered. When you are able to play in the .45 stts they offer omaha and nlhe. That is my only big complaint is not enough mini-micro choices.
