It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to update you all on my poker adventures. Between the demands of work and a busy travel schedule, finding time to play has been a real challenge. Thankfully, I’ve managed to squeeze in a few league games each month, thanks in part to the encouragement of my friend Jim, one of the owners of the McDonald’s locations where I work. He always reminds me to make time for the things I enjoy, and I truly appreciate his support.
This week, I finally had a chance to play in a bigger tournament. The Hard Rock casino was hosting a $100,000 guaranteed event with four starting flights. I opted for the 11:15 am Day 1a flight on Friday.
Early on, I got into a hand with K10 (affectionately known as “The Schmidt” among my friends as it’s Joel Schmidt’s favorite hand). The flop came 10-7-10, and I got all my chips in against two opponents. One shorter stack and one that had me covered. When cards were turned up, the short stack had AJ and the player to my left had pocket 7s – a full house! I jokingly asked Ryan, the dealer, to please give me a King on the turn. Thankfully, the turn brought the King, giving me the winning full house. This early victory boosted my stack significantly up to $118,000, and I eventually ran it up to a peak of $388,000.
However, I soon encountered a formidable opponent: the chip leader, “Dean” (not his real name). He was moved to my table and employed a classic “chip bully” strategy, raising aggressively and making it difficult for me to play my hands. I made a few costly folds, learning a valuable lesson about patience and discipline.
After a period of adjustment, I tightened up my game, folding more hands and waiting for the right opportunities. Eventually, I bagged up $137,000 in chips, securing my place in Day 2 and the money.
It’s going to be a tough battle, but I’m excited to see how it plays out. As they say, anything can happen in poker!
I made friends with the chip leader; he looked like Jesus. Someone told him that at the table and he said without hesitation, “I look like Jesus but I play like God”. #godmode. He was funny and we hit it off. Also, another guy, Greg Hays, who said he was on a free role. I asked him after we bagged chips what did he mean by that. He said he died in an ambiance over a week ago and he felt he was living an extended life as he had been talking about playing in this tournament for some time. He was down to $5k and ran it up to $127k for Day 2. I am happy to meet him and happy he made it. Poker is such a great game. The social aspect is as important to me as the game itself. It really makes it fun! Wish me luck for Sunday!
