It Was Winner Take All

[BAGELBEAR]

SO I WON THE WHOLE THING WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

July 16th was National Ladies Poker Day, satellites all over the country playing at the same time. Since I live in Las Vegas, my buy-in was only $105 instead of $180 because there was no travel money included because the final game is being held in Las Vegas. This is what I won:

For every 10 players, one package is awarded. The package winners represent their casino hosts at the US Ladies Poker Championship.
Winners package includes:
~ $75 Ticket to Women in Poker Hall of Fame Dinner & Ceremony Sept 2nd, 2011
~ $500 +$50 buy in to US Ladies Poker Championship Sept 3rd, 2011
~ $100* + $25 buy in to PokerGives.org Charity Tournament Sept 5th, 2011

When I read my horoscope, I'm on the cusp of Leo so I believe that applies to me also. This is what it said: Judgement calls based on carefully evaluated elements will turn out to be right on target, while impulsive decisions are likely to turn out to be counterproductive. I took that to heart because I know how easy it is for me to self-destruct. Tim tells me DON'T GO ALL-IN FOR THE FIRST HOUR!!!!! I'm listening. When I signed up, I was asked do I prefer a seat. I said somewhere in the middle. He gave me table 3, seat 6. A SIGN FROM THE POKER ANGELS. I met Tim on March 6th, and those are the numbers I bet on the horses. I've even got Tim and our friend Paul doing it. I looked at my table assignment and said to myself, self, this is a good omen.

I thought there were going to be a lot of women playing this game, 1 in 10 were going to win a package. I told Tim this was going to be a very long day. Imagine my surprise when we only had 8, then 9, then 10. We were seated at 2 tables, and were blinding off the dead stacks for the first hour, 3 20-minute levels. The key hand came very early, I was the bb and I had A-3 clubs. Nobody raised preflop so I checked my option. The flop was 6-10-9 all clubs, WOW. I checked, decided to try and trap. The button bet 400, I asked how much, and after a little hesitation I called. The turn was a blank, I can't even remember what it was and we both checked. The river was a 6. She checked out of turn, so I bet $1200. I don't know why she just called because she turned over 10-10 for a full house OOOOOOOOPS. I was left with a little over 3,000 in chips out of a starting stack of 6,000. I believe if she had shoved, I would have called and my game would have been over. I think the poker angels were watching over me and wanted me to WIN.

We combined after 1st break to a full table, and I was very very patient. Soon I was back up to 6,000. That made me feel a little better. Somewhere along the line I doubled up, funny how I can't remember a lot of the hands that were important. Anyway, we get down to 5 and I'm sitting with about 10-11,000. I get 7-7 and push all-in. The short stack calls, OH NO, but turns over 5-5 and my 7's hold up. Now I'm up to 15,000.

Seat 1 only has 3,000 and starts going all-in every hand. Of course by that time my cards have gone to sleep, so I can't do anything about it, and she first doubles up, then starts collecing the blinds. She's back up to about 6,000. Good for her. The blinds are 500/1000 and UTG I have Q-J offsuit, looks pretty 4-handed, so I raise to 5,000. Fold, fold, bb, seat 5, calls. The flop is x-J-10, 2 hearts. BB goes all in, I instacall, hoping she doesn't have A-J. She's got A-10, and my pair of jacks holds up, and now I'm chip leader with over 30,000 WEEEEEE. So much drama. She berates herself for not shoving preflop, who knows what would have happened, thank God I didn't have to make that decision.

I'm 1st in chips, seat 4 is second with about 18-20K, seat 1 and 5 have close to the same low stacks. Seat 5 chips up a little and now has playing chips. Seat 1 goes all in with A-rag and is called by seat 4 with A-Q, the Q holds up and now we're down to 3. I'm pushing preflop when I feel like my cards are playable 3-handed, and I'm taking the blinds slowly but surely. Then seat 4 goes all in on my bb, I've got A-Q. I instacall, she turns over A-5, and my Q holds up, and I'm massive CL heads up with just under 50,000. Seat 5 has 12K or so. We play a few hands, and I say, listen, I'll give you $100 so you get something for playing 3 hours, and I'll take the win. That's all I had in my purse. She says NO!!!!!!! 2 hands later I'm in the bb, she pushes all in. I look at my cards, OH MY GOD, A-A. Could there ever be a better time to pick up rockets?????? I call, turn over my A-A, and she turns over 5-5. AND I WIN IT ALL, and didn't have to give her the $100 to boot. She says later she had $105 in, but wishes she had taken the money. Turn me down once, you don't get a second bit of the apple. I called Tim and told him I won. He said how many winners were there? I said just me. He said I thought it was 1 in 10, I said that's right but that's all there were.

I got a certificate, my picture taken, and come September 2nd, I'll be representing the Golden Nugget the whole weekend. Maybe this is my time to shine. I'M STOKED, PSYCHED, FLOATING ON AIR. There was no money, the package was worth $750 worth of buy-ins. I think I'm on somewhat of a heater. Call me BUTTER CUZ I'M ON A ROLL

Sorry this was so long, but the tourney did take 3 hours after all HAHAHA.

Debby

[jsawe]

Good luck Debby - hope you win it all.

[ninixnini]

Congrats and good luck