About half way through tonight’s tournament Ryan, who had a pretty large stack, knocked out Jim. Jim doesn’t like to be knocked out by Ryan, so he threw his chips at him. (It doesn’t help when Jim’s KQ is beat by Ryan’s J9 when a 9 hits) Those chips knocked over Ryan’s meticilous stacks into a swamp of white, red, blue and green plastic. But before it got bigger, the pile got significantly smaller.

9. Dave (rebuy 2x)
8. Paul (rebuy)
7. Me
6. Nishan
5. Mike
4. Jim
3. Jason H
2. Jason C
1. Ryan

While last week Jason H knocked out Ryan in the first hand, this week he knocked out Dave in the second. The difference being, Dave himself admited he made a horrific call. Maybe one ofthe worst I’ve ever seen - and I’ve seen him call an all in raise on the river with 6 high. Here’s what happened. Dave raised it to 300 preflop and four people called. Flop comes KQ7 with two clubs. Jason bets 300, Dave calls, everyone else folds. The four of clubs comes on the turn. Jason checks, Dave bets 800 and Jason reraises all in. Now Dave has pocket 8’s with one club. So he has a flush draw. But there are two over cards on the board, three to the flush, and he’s just been check raised for all his chips. You have to fold. But, he didn’t, and was murdered by Jason’s KJ with the Jc and. The flush came on the river and Dave was out.

Early on Jason H, Mike and Jim all doubled their stacks by knocking out Dave, Paul and Dave again respectively. So one would assume those would be the players who finished at the end. Neither finished in the top two. That said, I gave Jason H enough chips to cruise into third place at least with a simple bad read by me/good play by him. I got duped. I’m in the big blind with A5 and get to see a cheap, unraised pot with about 4 other people, including Jason, who limped from the small blind. Flop comes AxK. Jason checks and I bet 300, hoping to win right here or at least knock out any drawing hands. Everyone folds around to Jason who raises to 700. I call. Turn is a 7h, putting two hearts out there. He bets 700. Now, when I got check raised on the flop and still called, I pretty much knew I was going all in on the turn. Jason had a huge chip lead at this point and likes to bet with junk cards, especially against me and especailly with a chip stack. He had limped into the pot, so I didn’t put him on an Ace, and figured him for the King. I didn’t like it - but I moved all in. He quickly called (the worst feeling ever) with A9h giving him a better kicker and a flush draw. I had two outs, and neither came. Nice play by him, bad read by me. But - at least I thought it through.

Jason H, who had a huge chip lead early, ended up getting beat when the other Jason put him allin with pocket 9’s and he had 7’s. Then it was Jason C vs. Ryan who was getting really good hands and had a monster stack. I mean swamp. However Jason’s string of decent hands vs. Ryan’s aggressive big stack play evened the playing field fairly quickly. Momentum swung back and forth and the two battled for about 20 minutes, which I think might be a heads up record. In the end, Ryan’s flush draw against Jason’s open ended straight draw ended up winning it for him and then it didn’t matter how big the swamp was - he had every chip on the table.

We knew Charlie wasn’t working tonight when he brought a six pack of Corona. And we knew that he was embarassed when he elbowed his beer, spilling it, then put his hand over the top to stop the foam but when the pressure got too strong, he let it go and sprayed everyone. Well, maybe it was beer power, but Charlie played poker like a possum, coming out of nowhere and winning.

10. Ryan (rebuy)
9. Vinny (rebuy)
8. Paul
7. John
6. Dave
5. Nishan
4. Me
3. Jim
2. Jason
1. Charlie

We knew the night was going to be messy when Ryan went out during the first hand. Jason raises the pot to 300 and Ryan calls. Flop comes 434 (and of course, I folded 47, great). Jason checks, Ryan bets 300 and Jason calls. Turn is a 6. Jason bets 1000, Ryan raises to 2 and Jason moves all in after thinking a long time. he has AK for Ace high and Ryan has K10d for a flush draw. The river is a blank and he’s out. It was a surprising hand in that both risked their lives, basically with nothing.

Forty-five minutes in and we still have 10 players (two on the rebuy) and I win my first well played hand. From the small blind, I have 67h and call for the minimum raise. Flop comes 45J with two hearts. Four other people are in the pot and theres about 2500 in there. I have 2600 left so right off the bat, I move all in. Everyone is stunned. My play, however predictable, was a good one. I had a million outs and if someone calls, I’m a coin flip (with either an over pair, two pair or top pair). And if they fold, I win. Everyone did fold though (some with top pair) and I doubled my stack.

With a 1200 raise preflop by John, I fold A3 and Jason calls. Flop is 87A with two hearts. John bets 1500, Jason calls. Turn is the 4h. John moves all in for 4000 and Jason goes into the tank for a long time. He eliminates the flush, and probably because the bet came out of nowhere (and, according to Jason, because of a crack in John’s voice) Jason calls just with a pair of aces (my A3, to be exact). John has Jacks and get crippled. Next hand Jason knocks out both Ryan and John when his 10,9 - the worst hand preflop - hits trips.

Then, I knock out both Dave and Vinny in sequential hands and have a nice chip stack myself. Then, I raise from the button with A6, Charlie moves all in for double what I bet and I call. He has 77 and I don’t improve. He doubles up. A few hands later, I’m in the big blind and it folds around to Nishan. He raises, I look down and see AKd. I move all in and he quickly calls with 55. I hit a much needed K on the flop, but he 2 outs me on the turn, hitting a five and I lose most of my stack. Ouch. But, I played it smart, moved all in a few times and turned 3500 chips into about 10000, knocking out Nishan in the process.

Four handed and me, Charlie, Jim and Jason are all pretty much even. I might even have the chip lead, but I misplay a flopped King High flush (maybe not misplay, I won and got a bet out of Jason, but I played it too weak) and then get wamboozled by Jason for the crippling blow.

I have K6 in the big blind and Jason has limped. It’s he and I heads up. Flop is K1010 giving me a sweet two pair four handed. I check and he follows. Turn is a seemingly garbage 8. I bet 3000. Jason says, “Hmmm, he bets 3000 on an 8″ in the “what is he doing?” tone, then proceeds to move all in. Now - here is where I lost the tournament. If I would have taken one second to consider, I have to realize that he made a hand here. At least a hand bigger than my stupid K. The all in was too confident, the bet too large to be a bluff, but I was so confident in my two pair that I call. He has 10,8 for a full house and I’m drawing dead. I did have him covered, however, so I got one more hand. But that was it.

Three handed, Charlie basically wins the tournament on this hand. He and Jim have limped into a pot. Charlie has Q2. Flop is K54, they both check. Turn is a Q. Jim bets 2000 and Charlie calls. River is another 4 and Jim moves all in. Charlie goes into the tank and finally calls. Jim was on a stone cold with 89 and Charlie doubles up huge. Heads up, he and Jason traded blows but finally, Charlie’s 44 held up against Jason’s AK and it’s over. Now - if only Charlie had 45, as it Colt 45, maybe it would have made more sense.

It might be the 007, but it’s the same old Dave. Up big early, lose it all, rebuy and come back to win.

11. Ryan (rebuy)
10. Dave (rebuy)
9. Nishan
8. Charlie
7. The Dream
6. John C
5. Eric
4. Me
3. Paul
-Ryan
2. Jason
1. Jim
- Dave

Dave knocks out Ryan early when he reraises him all in on the turn with three hearts on the board including the A and Q. Ryan has J8 hearts, the second best flush. The only card that can beat him is the Kh, which Dave has, and when a 4th heart comes on the river, Ryan is out.

I, however, knock Dave out soon after with I limp with A9s and two other people are in the pot. Two spades come on the flop, Dave checks, as do I and Paul bets 400. We all call. Blank on the turn, same results. Spade comes on the river giving me the nuts. Dave moves all in, Paul folds (he had top pair) and I call while saying, “I have the nuts.” Dave had a J high, much like Ryan, and he’s done too. With 11 people at the table, you’d better turn over the nuts tonight if you want to win.

Jason is doing well early on but misses one hand to go to the bathroom. I look down and see he has 36, an easy fold. Well, he wasn’t there so I fold him. Flop comes 245 giving him the nuts. Of course, he was upset, until a 3 and 6 came on the board and Paul had 7’s, giving him a better straight. Jim had Aces too. It would have gotten expensive for everyone, but Jim simply won an average pot.

A few pots of notice take place before a monster. Jim raises preflop after a bunch of limps and Nishan, Dave, Jason and John all call. Flop comes 569 rainbow. John checks, Nishan bets, Jim folds, Dave moves all in, Jason folds then John and Nishan call. Three players are all in. John has 34 for an open ended straight draw, Nishan has J9 for top pair and Dave has 89 for top pair, weak kicker. Of course, the turn comes and 8 and Dave knocks out Nishan and crushes John.

At about this point, Jim went on a tear. With two players in the pot, Jim makes quad Queens to knock them both out, he then knocks out John and Eric soon after. My stack is dwindling and I begin to go on a mini rush too. I dump half my chips to Paul with A10 against his AK, then go all in a few times short stacked to get those chips back. Finally though, I move all in with A9 and Dave has 10’s, knocking me out.

A crippled rebuy Ryan wakes up with Jacks with all his chips in the middle to continue his survival, but soon lost to Jim. Jason’s K7 got beat by the San Fran Waitress, Q3 and while heads up between Jim and Dave, Jim was no match for Dave’s aggressive play. It was Show-time in Monroe.

Happy new year “At the Poker Table” readers. Sorry about last week, it was very unorganized with the holidays so we didn’t play. This week however, we had a big order of business. I’m not sure if I’ve ever fully explained but each week, we keep track of how everyone places and keep a tally for Player of the Year. A buy in is taken out each week from the pot and put into a larger pot that goes to the person with the most points over the calendar year. Well, going into last week, only 2 people were still in the running: Paul and Ryan. Ryan was five points back meaning, with 8 people playing tonight, if Paul finished in the top 4, he would clinch.

8. Mike (rebuy)
7. Jim (rebuy)
6. Nishan (rebuy)
5. Dave (and when that happened, it was over)
4. Ryan
3. Paul
2. Me
- rebuy Nishan
1. John

Meanwhile, as Paul slid into his rightful place as Player of the Year, his nephew John dominated the action easily winning the first tournament of the 2007 race.

For example, in a raised pot preflop, it comes JJ4. Dave bets 500, John raises 1000 and Mike moves all in. Dave folds and John calls. John has JQ for trips and Mike has AA. The aces are cracked and he’s done. Jim goes out soon after and then, on his rebuy, began a huge hand where he moved all in on a flop with Ryan, Nishan, John, Mike and Paul each in on the last rebuy hand. Nishan and Ryan call on the flop and Jim triples up when he hits an K with AK against Ryan’s 9s and Nishan’s 57d. Nishan is out and Ryan is down to his last 200. It’s almost time for Paul to celebrate. However, Ryan gets up to 1000 soon after and then sits back and waits.

At this point, we were an hour into the tournament and I had yet to win a hand. So, with 2400 chips left I bet 1200 (3x the big blind) with KQ off suit. Dave reraises me all in and I call. He has A8. No help on the flop or turn and with one card remaining, if I lose, Paul would win. However - a queen on the river doubles me up and keeps Ryan alive. However, I crippled Dave and when he went out soon after, the champaigne bottles were popped. Metaphorically.

Ryan went peacefully into the night soon after, a valiant efford where he had a pair of Jacks and John got running 10’s to give him trips and the knock out. I win another big pot, moving all in preflop with 22 and then, with three players left, and second in chips, I make a big preflop raise with JQ offsuit. Of course, Nishan picks up a monster and reraises me and I’m forced to call. He has AK and I don’t improve. Short stacked, I try to blind steal with 710c and John puts me all in with A8. I hit a 10 on the flop, but he gets running cards to make a straight and I’m out.

Then, with a huge chip lead, it only took John two hands to take out Nishan. A great night for John and Paul to bridge 2006 and 2007.