Party Poker Blog

Quick poker update here. I completely spaced on the opening of the Indiana poker tournament championships at the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg. Apparently the opening $300 buyin attracted 300+ monkeys and crackers and was a resounding success.

So I found my way there yesterday and was dismayed to only find 50 players signed up for the $500 buyin tourney. WTF! Turns out there was a scheduling snafu and many players weren't aware it was going off today.

I almost walked away and sat in the cash games but ultimately said, fuck it, and was one of 61 whopping players to play.

Typical slow start for me, sitting for two hours, winning nary a pot. Worst of all, I was sitting next to two kid "poker pro's" who just would not shut up about how awesome they were at poker. It was brutal and the headphones didn't really help.

I'm never one to play directional poker but I really wanted to bust this kid on my right, if just on principal.

After the first break, I run into Fast Eddie who traveled up to play all the tourneys. He realizes that an old friend named Marty who used to run games on the outskirts of town here is the player on my left. Oh my. I played those games a lot from 2001-2003 and here we are now, old and feeble, and not recognizing each other.

Marty brings up the annoying kid on my right and I promise I'm going to bust him.

Here's how it went down. In a hand with it being a player or two away from his action, loudmouth expert player kid is loudly telling a story and somehow ends up exclaiming, "I'm all-in." Eyebrows shot up around the table and the dealer remarks that even though he's acting out-of-turn, it's still a verbal declaration.

Kid freaks out. Dealer says calm down, let's just get the floor over and let them decide.

Kid freaks some more, this time with multiple insults directed at the dealer. He ends by pushing all his chips in and not waiting for the floor.

I peek and see aces. A shrug and call. I barely have him covered and bounce him out of the tourney.

More indignant insults and blah blah blah.

I was tempted to follow him to the cash games but stayed put.

Nothing terribly interesting over the next few hours until we get down to the final 27 players. A few of the short stacks get bounced.

An older woman with a giant stack looks at me sideways and asks, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Travis Tritt?"

"Never," I reply and she goes on to tell me that I should go be a dealer-tainer at this casino in Vegas called the Imperial Palace.

"Never heard of it," say I.

She and I got mixed up in a big pot, getting my money in on the turn, way ahead. She unceremoniously hits her three-outer and I'm out.

All in all, good fun.