Ok folks, today is a big day for me. While years ago I did play some kitchen table poker, it was draw poker, and I only played a few games. I did once play in a live draw tournament at a Indian Casino, and actually cashed $27.00, but that was also many years ago.

Tonight, I'm entering an honest to God, live, "Texas No Limit Holdem" Game sponsored by the American Legion post. $50 entry fee, and you get a meal with it! Top prize is $500 cash. Also they are putting part of the buy-in on Bountys. Also part of the buyin goes to charity causes (thus helping my karma).They tell me the usual turnout is 40 to 50 players.

I'm as nervous as an online donkey that finally made the bubble for the first time.

I wish I had a TexasWheel T-shirt. lol

I do own a nice pair of mirror sunglases. lol

I do plan to use this as a springboard to next years WSOP. lol

I even will have a railbird supporter, as I have a friend here who will be cheering me on. That way I can run to the rail and do "high fives" after big hands, just like on TV. lol

I plan on making an exciting post tomorrow, detailing all of the action. lol

Have fun and can't wait for all the details 

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What an amazing experience this was. First off, was the free food. Really delicious Chili, also an oddly wonderful chicken soup.  Then fresh baked cinnamon rolls. Hell of a menu if ya ask me. 

47 players showed up, and they were quite the cheerfull crowd. Most of these folks have been playing each other for ages as they do this once a month. But everyone was very friendly and what the heck by the end of the night I even picked up a new poker nickname of "sunshine". 

It really threw me for a loop that there was no "dealer", we each took turns shuffling the cards and dealing. Jeez there is a lot of work involved with that. I knew that the internet had spoiled me, when 4 times, on the BB, when I could have checked, I folded. That's when I picked up my second nickname of the night, "skippy" 

Live play table banter was filled with the tallest tales, boasts, stare downs, outright hilarious comments, cheering and jeering. A buncha fun.

As mentioned, this was a $50 buy-in with a bounty. Knock out a player and you get $25.  I was fortunate enough to knock a player out early. woot woot.

I played my TAG game, and was doing rather well. 3,000 starting chips and I had about 14,000 after 2 hrs of playing. The field was down to about 16 then. Blinds were getting outrageous.

Then things turned very ugly. I had been battling with the tournament chip leader. I don't know how many chips he had, but he had a stack of chips like a WSOP final table. I got poket KK. I push in half my chips and he calls me. The flop is
So I go all-in, feeling pretty damn smug. lol Then chip monster calls me, we are the only 2 in the pot.

He shows    J clubs and 8 clubs. 

The turn is 3 hearts.

Please insert a drum roll here

The river is a 2 clubs

I tell ya, live poker is rigged!!!!!!!! (either that or I miss-played the hand by not going all-in pre-flop and maybe convincing him to fold his trash suited J8 hand)


At the end of the night, I ate some great food, made a whole bunch of new friends, had a fantastic time. As a bonus, since I had taken out one player, they stuffed $25 back into my pocket.

P.S. I forgot my nice shiny new sunglasses

$25 cost to you for food and live entertainment what else would you want. Oh yea also lots of fun and new friends no price tag there.

hey buddy just wanted to say congrats on the tourney win see you at the tables

I enjoyed your story, Skippy.  For your first time in a live tourney sounds like you did great.  Remember, those guys are used to playing together so they know a little about each other's play.  I hope you'll be playing there again soon so we can hear another great story.  By the way, I've folded my Big blind in live play as well.  It's really hard to keep up with all that's happening when you play live.  Not like looking at everything on your monitor.  Se ya at the games!!

Good luck  Big V.  Win us lotsa mula

Well, this was a very interesting night at live poker for me. Naturally, I forgot my shiny new shades once again. The food, chilidogs, was just so-so, but the folks and fun were great. The buy-in was $30 and about 37 showed up.

I went with my buddy, Mike.  I paid his way in, as he's the one with a car, lol. Mike only plays cash games at Pokerstars, and manages to squander $50 a month there, lol. But it's no fun really to be a railbird for 4 hrs at these games.

All was well the first hour, I made about 3 small pots and had pumped my stack up comfortably to 4500 chips(started at 3,000). Then came the disaster hand, when I got AA. We had a very loose player at the table that was calling everything, chaseing everything. He had a stack equal to mine. I preflop bet 500, loose guy rasies that to 1,000. I call. Flop comes  A 3 7. I lead out with 1,500 chips. loose guy thinks, hems and haws, and goes all-in. Well, I'm not a rocket scientist, but I figured I better call that, lol

He shows 77. Now I have him dominated, I am feeling good, I am ready to jump up and pump my fist in the air. The table is atwitter at this showdown. The dealer milks it and takes his time. The turn comes out, a Jack. Now I do stand up in anticipation of raking in all those chips. Blood is rushing to my face, adrenilin is wrecking havoc in my system. My cheeks are sore with the big goofy grin on my face.

Of course you all know by now what the river card just has to be. The odds of the case 7 falling are pretty freaking small here. I thought there was no way, after all this was not the Merge RNG at work here. lol, cry, sob, the 7 came on the river.

So a railbird I was. Only took me 4 beers to get over that one, lol

Meanwhile, my buddy Mike was doing well, and even managed to extract some revenge for me, by doubling up and wipeing out that same guy later. Mike went on to play some great poker, but busted out at 6th. Shame, the tournament paid 5.

Meanwhile, a cash game started shortly started before Mike busted out. I told them that I would only play till my buddy was out, or my buy-in of $20 was gone. There were 5 of us. I played 2 hands, and this is what happened.

First hand I get KK.  There is only me and a very drunk guy in the hand. The pot climbs to $20, cards are shown and I beat his QQ. He is steamed.

This is when Mike busts out of the tournament, and shows up, to say he is ready to go. Drunk guy says "hell man, play some more", I tell Mike I will play 1 more hand and then will go. The whole table hears this.

Next hand I get AJ suited. Again it is just me and drunk guy in the hand. we preflop go in for $5. The flop is A 4 J. Drunk guy goes all in with $50. I call with my remaining $35. Turn and River are 6 8. He shows AK. Drunk guy can't believe his misfortune. He's ranting. I get the chips and ask to cash out.

Drunk guy is really getting excited now, shouting that it is really bad manners for someone to get up and leave after just 2 hands. I take $40 of chips and toss them to him and say "keep your money, but cash out the rest, as I gotta go". This gets him lunging out of his seat to come after me. Two of his buddies at the table jump up and restrain him. The whole place is standing up and rushing over. The 2 sweet old ladies that run the veterans hall come rushing over.

I didn't say anything else during this. There was a lot of shushing talk from everyone directed to the drunk guy. He stormed off and left. I was paid in full for my winnings, and got a lot of back slapping and apologies.

Whewwww. what a night

P.S. I gotta stop drinking beer there. I usually just drink 3.2% beer at home. They serve the 5.6% strong stuff. Had a hell of a hangover the next day, lol