Keepin It Real Since 1980: Home Game Hero

It's always great when the high is 48 degrees on May 13th.

Global warming my ass.

So I won that tournament last night.

17 players, $40 each. The buy in was larger but part of that went to paying for the food, and to sponsor a softball team. I don't play for the softball team, but I do eat food and drink beer.

The spread was great by the way. Along with all the chips and dip there were 3 8 foot subs, 1 American, 2 Dago*, and all sorts of beer. (*I'm sorry, I mean Italian-American)

Budweiser

Honey Brown

Amstel Light

Moosehead

Michelob

As far as the poker, I told Vic I would win before we even got there, so I had to back it up. Without being too mean about it, the players weren't exactly stellar.

I noticed this right away when I got QQ early on the cutoff. Rob limped in early, and I raised like 4x the blind. Jorge in the small blind called, and so did Rob. The flop came ten high, with 2 diamonds. It was checked to me and I bet, both called me.

The turn was an Ace. So I checked it around, and then the river was another blank, so I checked it again.

Jorge showed 47o for 7 high.

Rob showed A3 for a pair of Aces.

I mucked QQ.

So at that point I knew what I was in for.

I played really tight for the most part from that point on. Everybody was playing just about every hand, and nobody raised preflop.

EVER.

Except me anyway.

Finally it was down to 2 tables, and Vic and I went to one table, while Rob went to the other. At the second table I came in as the big stack, and I made my stack even larger. I took out 2 of the three eliminated before we got down to the final table.

When we got to the final table I was in third place. Of the four players that came from the other table 2 had huge stacks, while the other 2 had about 4 BB's left. Play was pretty tight for the most part, and I picked up a few hands to stay level. After about an hour we were finally down to 4, with 3 spots paying.

Unfortunately for Vic he was the bubble boy.

It was three handed and the other two guys (I'm sorry, but when you meet 17 people for the first time it's REALLY hard to remember all their names) kept with the limp and check method. Getting bored after a while I started pushing the envelope and it paid off. Eventually I got Adam, who was the chipleader throughout the final table, to call my all in with AJ on a board of A4J7. He had A8, and I doubled up crippling him. He went out a few hands later, and then it was heads up.

We played heads up for a while, but it was starting to get real late, and we decided we'd chop the remaining prize money. Since I had more chips than him at the end (2 to 1 advantage at that point) I was declared winner. My share of the prize money was $300.

So in summation, I kick ass.

Thanks for the invite Vic.

So after a rain delay on Thursday, and a 10-1 ass whipping on Friday from the Minnesota Twins, Panger has taken the lead in our bet. Being the sportsman that she is though she's agreed that I can get one game into June to make up for the rain out Thursday.

The score now stands at:

Panger (Cubs)-27
Tom (Crede+Thome)-22

The Sox face Brad Radke tonight, and I have a feeling Joe and Jim are gonna combine for like 13 RBI's. They better too, cuz Donna is gonna be there tonight. Actually she was there last night too, so if the Sox lose again, we all know who's fault it is.

I know nobody wants to hear about somebody else's fantasy team, but dammit I need to vent.

First Derrek Lee breaks his wrist.

Then Thursday night Hideki Matsui breaks his wrist.

Now I'm going to lose my closer, Brad Lidge, for a while too.

He's suffering from Mark Wohler's Syndrome.*

(Mark Wohler's Syndrome is a malady that effect one time solid relief pitchers, AFTER they blow big games in the post season. For further examples of this syndrome see Calvin Schiraldi, Mitch Williams, Armando Benitez, Byung-Yung Kim, and the great John Rocker.)

It's mid-May and my team is basically out of the hunt already. I may as well change our name from Keepin It Real Since 1980 (I am very creative) to the Chicago Cubs. (Rimshot!)