EMHD 4: The Unofficial Results

With Fat Tony the Super Proxy playing in place of EMG at yesterday's EMHD event, you're gonna get my take on the 4th event in the series. Since I've left my notes closer to another computer, I can only tell my story, some general observations, and give some unofficial results. Let's start with the prize winners and how some of your favorite players finished:

1. Klinker B.
   
2. James the Dog Wagger-er
3. Jock-O
   
4. Stevie Sunglasses

6. Fat Tony as EMG
7. El Pinata
10. Hulk
14.(?) Texas Crint
16.(?) MH62

Fortunately for me, I didn't get a chance to move around a lot and survey the field. I got stuck in a corner seat (again) at table 2 with the with MH62, El Pinata, Texas Crint, 3 Jims and a Dan, with Alan rounding out the field. I started the tournament card dead and even when I thought a re-raise might win a pot, I saw 8 2 off suit and didn't have the intestinal fortitude to pull that move. I won a pot with AQ off suit when I limped into a near family pot at the 25/50 level. A passive play, but I was trying to set a baseline with the players I don't see regularly, get them to assume it was better than AQ if I raised in later levels. I stayed right around even, but mostly paying my blinds and folding until a series of hands starting in the 100/200 level.

An Under the Gun raise to 575 at 100/200 with AK off was met with button shove from James the Dog Wagger-er. It would have cost me half of my remaining stack, about 2500 to call. I tanked for some time, trying to figure out how big a pair I was up against. There was something about his body language that said he was strong, but was worried. I couldn't decide if it meant Pocket Kings and he didn't want to be called with an Ace, or if it were Queens or Jacks. Hindsight says it was too tight a fold, but fold I did, thinking a better spot would be right around the corner with the button coming my way. I was shown pocket Jacks when my cards went dead. The next few hands were a sequence of me getting beaten up. I flopped a Queen with a King kicker on a [Q | 4 | 6] board after paying my blinds, bet out 500 and was raised to 2000 by Dan. I know I'm beat, he either limped with 4s or had A Q. The hand that hurt the most was the better spot I was hoping for a little while earlier.

Under the gun or close too it, I wake up with Pocket Kings. I raise to 575 still at 100/200 leaving me with about 3000 chips behind. The Dog-Wagger-er flat calls me, and we're heads up to the flop. With all the lay downs I've made so far, I've got to believe he called me with a big ace, maybe if I'm lucky Queens. I check the flop of [Ace of clubs | RAG | RAG], assuming he'll bet about pot and I can get away from it. He's smart, keeps me on the hook for 500 more, and when the Jack of clubs falls on the turn, I get the feeling he's got Ace Jack, or maybe even pocket jacks, and is afraid of what he might think is a club draw. Either way I was done with that pot ... I was done with it when the Ace hit.

Some blinds pass and with about 2500 in my stack at 300/600 I limp with 8s 8c in early position, hoping for a raise somewhere, so I can shove and flip for it. I don't get the raise, but I do see a magic flop of [8d | K | 4s]. MH62 Shoved for 1925, and my last 1900 went in right behind it. He showed 8h 4c. The turn or river put another 4 on board and as much as I had been feeling like a punching bag earlier I can imagine MH62 had it worse ... I just don't know what he was seein'.

And that's it. My tournament didn't technically end there, but it did. But some shoves, and folds, and I stayed between 3000 and 3900 until we moved to the final table. I drew a seat in the blinds for the last few minutes of 300/600 and didn't pull he trigger by the time the blinds got back to me when they were 500/1000. End Game. I'll be back tonight with some final table talk.