HOLLYWOOD PARK $300 + $40

First off, I thought the $40 was mighty expensive. There were over 300 runners and $1000 starting stacks. I can play $300 tournaments online that only cost $20 and give me a $1500 stack. I went because a buddy was going to be there, and as it turned out, I never saw the buddy and I suffered a bad beat for the ages.

The levels were 40 minutes, which was nice. But with the smallish starting stack, I still don't want to get involved early on if I can help it. I want to be around for an opportunity to flop a monster and bust somebody, but I don't want much money going in without good reason. I sat down to $10/15 blinds. My first two hands were 55 and 77. No set, no bet. My table offered just what I wanted to see: lots of callers and very few raises. Every pot was a family pot, and I was dealt hand after hand of decent enough cards to take a cheap flop. Unfortuneately, I never hit a flop, but on the bright side, I never had to commit much money. The only hand I played after the flop was when I had 33 and the A42 flop checked around to the button, who put in $75. I thought it could be a steal, or he could have paired one of the little cards. I called and we checked down the turn and river, both of which were aces. He had Q4 and took it.

In level two, with the blinds at $15/25, I got dealt red aces in second position. I just called, because any raises were winning the blinds. I figured I would allow a multiway pot and hope for magic, or better yet, just maybe somebody would raise behind me. It turned into a five-way pot and the flop came T32 all spades. I had to come out betting strong with that flop. There was $125 in the pot and I bet the pot. I had to know if I was up against a flush, and if there was a high spade who liked his chances, then he could pay to chase. Everybody folded and that was that.

When I got AK on the button, I decided to raise to $200 to just take down all those calls in front of me. The small blind called my raise which told me he had AK as well or QQ/JJ as he was a solid player. The flop came K42 and I checked to him. The flop couldn't have come much better for me and I knew my money was going in if it came to that. He checked behind me, leaving me with hope that he had QQ/JJ. The turn was a deuce and I bet $200 as if I was trying to win with AQ. He went all in. I didn't think he had aces but it was possible. I called and he turned over AK.

I changed tables and as I waited for the button to pass, I counted my chips. I thought I was probably even, so I was surprised to find that I was right around $800. I guess all those $15 calls added up. I made a few calls in level three that didn't pan out, and then I began thinking I needed to get some chips. When it folded around to me in late position, I raised to $150 with AQ but the big stack on the small blind put me all in. It was too early to be calling off all my chips with AQ. Give me AK and I pull the trigger, but I folded the AQ. Now, I was approaching $500 and I really had to batten down the hatches until I got a hand I could make a stand with. I was watching the clock and it was soon to become $50/100 blinds with me at a mere $500.

In level four I would be forced to push all in with a less than ideal hand. As luck would have it, in the waning minutes of level three, I was dealt AK in third position. First position had just arrived from another table with a big stack and guns a-blazin' He was all about action and putting us on notice that he was not to be trifled with. He called the $50, the next guy folded, and I pushed my $545 in. I could have been more subtle, but I figured the hint of desperation might get me a caller. It folded around to the action guy and he decided to call with Tc8s. That was pure gamble, not a good call at all. The flop came K4K and it looked to be over. When the blinds increased to $50/100 I would still be feeling some pressure with my $1100, but the game would just be getting good. My demise came as I was revising my strategy, when running spades gave him a flush with his 8 and me and my trips were done for the night.