Message Board : Thanks to DonkStar, Todd, HungryJoe, and Wallenborn!

All,

This morning I knew that fate and the Gods had alligned themselves against me for the forthcoming, best 2 of 3, heads-up playoff for the politically disputed championship of Big Al’s Poker Club.

I awoke in the early hours and could not get back to sleep until way too late.  When I got up the second time I had a raspy throat and my head was dizzy.  I got cleaned up and went to the computer to recheck all the great advice you guys had given me.  I could not get NPA to load!  I felt doomed.

I actually didn’t even feel like playing.  But I truged on as to the slaughter house.

When I got to the site at 9:30 this morning for the denouement, virtually the whole membership of the club was there to watch.  I excused myself and went to the restroom to spash myself with cold water to try and clear the cobwebs.

Back at the table I quickly (how sharp I am) noticed that my protestations to the organizer about the 20BB starting stack had been  effective; the t4000 stack was the same but the starting blinds were not 100 - 200.  They were 25 - 50, making the starting t4000 stack 80BB!  Much better.

In the first match I found my "loose/passive" opponent more aggressive, at least on initial bets, than I thought he’d be.  But I won. 

The second match saw him loosely calling bets on draws.  On one of them I bet the pot with the best hand.  He surely was on a draw.  I deliberated whether to make it more or even go all-in.  Surely he wouldn’t call a pot-sized bet on a draw.  He did and hit, bet an amount that I had to call, and decimated my stack.  He won the second match shortly thereafter.

But all came right in the end!  NatchezToo won the final match, and as we say down in Natchez, "Took home the bacon."

The "championship" has been changed for 2008 and will be awarded on money won.  And that is the right thing: 1) It will be easy to track, and 2) it will make everybody play to win.

I cannot express my thanks enough to you guys and this site for help on my game and on this match.  I am still waiting on the "ah ha!" moment, but it is getting closer.

Natchez Too

Jerry Krouse, Natchez, MS