John Turner

Depending on how you look at it, I’m either fortunate or unfortunate enough to work for a company that shuts down for almost two weeks during the Christmas holidays. If I don’t work I don’t get paid, which sucks, especially around the holidays, but then again, it is nice to have all that time off.

One of the things I did over the break was go down to Motor City with my buddy RC to play poker. I’ve pretty much given up playing online, and have decided to focus on playing in live games and tournaments this year. Aside from home games, I’ve only played against strangers live at a casino once before. Motor City has a tournament at noon every day, so we went down there last week and bought in. The buy-in was $65, with $15 going to the house and $50 going to the purse. I know, I know, $65 isn’t the big time, but there’s no reason to spend $200-$500 when you’re just getting your feet wet and practicing playing live.

So $65, it ended up being 40 people, no limit hold ‘em. I hit some big hands early, like trip Js, trip Ts, top two pair, and a nut flush. I played real calm, though a couple of times I seriously thought the guys sitting on either side of me could hear my heart beating like a hammer after flopping big cards. I’ve been reading Collin Moshman’s “Sit ‘n Go Strategy” and while this tournament wasn’t a SnG, I tried to use the same techniques and it seemed to work pretty well.

Anyway, we get down to 2 tables (20 people) and I’m doing pretty well. Not playing real tight, but tight enough and paying close attention to everyone else as well as position. Practicing the same moves over and over, being real consistent, like always looking at my cards the same way, always pushing my chips the same way, not talking, etc. Basically trying to make sure nothing I did could be used by anyone as a tell. We get down under 20, and my buddy RC sits down to my right. I look over and he’s only got a few chips. “Don’t take it personal,” I said, “but I’m probably going to knock you out.” Which is exactly what happened, but he’s a good sport so it was all good.

We keep playing, and I get to the final table. There’s 9 people left, and I get KK. My heart is hammering, I’m sure everyone can hear it, but I’m in early position and I just limp in. I flop trips. Oh, boy. I bet, a guy farther down comes over the top, big time. My K is top card on the flop, so I’m thinking he has to have a pair, maybe bottom two pair. Even if he has rockets, my trip Ks are good. So I call. Turn comes, and BOOM its the case K. I’ve got four of a kind. Holy cow my heart was beating!!! I go all in, knowing that with no ace on the board there’s no way I can lose. He calls me! BAM its all over and he’s going home. Sorry, dude, its just poker.

We keep playing, and I screw up a couple hands. All of a sudden, we’re down to four players and I’m the shortie. One guy is the big dog with all the chips, the other two are somewhere in the middle with nothing much but more than me. They’re only paying 3 places ($1000, $600, and $400). I’m thinking “damn, it would suck to go out in 4th with nothing to show for it”. Just then, one of the middle guys pipes up and says “how about we just split it, $500 for ea. and call it a day?”. I’m thinking “hell yeah!” But Mr. Big Dog doesn’t like that idea, he needs to be the man. So I’m resigned to going out in 4th, because the blinds are something ridiculous like 2000/4000, they’re only 4 players left, and I’ve got maybe 20K. I can maybe play 8 more hands, tops.

Then, all of a sudden, someone pipes up and says to the leader: “how about $800 to you, and $400 ea. to the three of us?”. Ah hah! Big Dog likes that idea…he wants to go drink with his friends, so as long as it is clear who the big dog is, he’s game. And there it was…4th place and $400 cash! 1-1 in my live tournament career.

Of course, the next logical step was big steak dinners with all the trimmings on me, and that’s exactly where RC and I ended up going. Mmmmmm, good!