Turkey of a Tourney: Thanksgiving Day $500 UPC event at the Plaza

Play Online Poker

Tiny edge

With the 30 Internet qualifiers, the Plaza got a respectable 79 entrants for the first televised event of this brief Ultimate Poker Challenge series. They needed five more shows to fulfill their contractual obligation to the Plaza so they scheduled three $500 events and a $10,000 event. The fifth show would be a compilation of action from all the untelevised events.

 

I drew table seven, seat one, and Jenny Kang was two to my left in seat three. My arch-nemesis Can Kim Hua was in seat seven and Marc Aubin in seat nine. Hua busted early and Charlie Shoten took his spot. I had chipped up to 1850 when they moved me to table six, seat nine, for balance. I got up to 2050 there and then they broke the table and moved me to table 12, seat five, with Kevin "The Man" Chan in seat seven and Charlie Shoten in seat two. I had 2400 at the end of level three and got up to 2900 when they moved Men "The Master" Nguyen into seat six. The blinds and antes were going up and I was down to 1875 when we redrew for seats at 18 remaining. I got table 14, seat three. Men followed me to the table and made a late-position raise. A loose-passive player called in the next seat and I jammed with Ace-Queen offsuit on the button. Men jammed, which I liked because it protected me and meant he didn't have a monster, and the third player folded. Men showed Ace-Queen offsuit. He had the Ace of Clubs and I had the Queen of Clubs, meaning his hand was a 50.4% favorite because of the rare situation that four of the remaining 11 Clubs came on the board. You can guess the rest. I was out 18^th.

 

I invited Clint and Full Tilt's JDN, along with wife Heather and a friend, for Thanksgiving dinner at Les Artistes steakhouse at Paris. They had a yummy pumpkin soup special but rather than turkey I had my usual bone-in filet. The 2002 Justin Isosceles meritage was an excellent way to wash it down.

 

We went down to the new Paris poker room and somehow convinced them to spread $3/6 HORSET for us. Mixed poker games, usually played for high stakes, are identified by initials: H for Hold 'Em, O for Omaha Eight or Better, R for Razz (Seven Card Stud Lowball), S for Seven Card Stud, E for Stud Eight or Better, and T for Triple Draw Deuce to Seven Lowball. We were having a grand old time, especially when a couple of tourists sat down with us and had no idea what was going on, when top tournament pro John Pham walked by and decided to join us. John is one of the most pleasant guys in poker, always smiling and enjoying himself. We played till about two then called it a night. I was up $4 and gave it to the dealer.