DISNEY BASKET

Marci's coworker, Kim, sits on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Burbank. She puts together fundraiser events and we always get invited. Last night was a poker tournament with a $100 buy-in. First place was a trip to Vegas, second place was a pair of fifth row Lakers tickets and third through nine were various gift baskets.

I was recruited since I'm well known to the Disney crowd as the poker guy. Marci and Kim's coworkers were looking forward to squaring off against me across the felt. I was expecting some rinky-dink affair and was surprised to find ten full tables for 100 combatants. The $100 donation bought me $1000 in tourney chips which was divvied into everything from $5 to $500. The blinds went up every 15 minutes and the jumps weren't subtle, so outside of the first round ($5/10), I didn't really have any room to play marginal cards.

I won once during the first round when I flopped a set of deuces. I didn't get paid as much as hoped, so at the one-hour break, I was dead even with $1025. They were offering an add-on (which they called a rebuy) at the break regardless of how many chips you had. During the first hour, rebuys were available only after a player busted out. The add-on was another $100 for only the same $1000 chips, with blinds at $200/$400 coming out of the break. There was no way I was going to do it, but then I learned that Marci generously gave the charity $150 for my $100 buy-in. She asked me if I wanted to rebuy and I said, "well, if I can get it for $50, then why not." I gave the lady $100. She tried to give me a double add-on, but I didn't want to go nuts, so I took the single add-on and the $50 change.

So, I sat down with $2025, knowing that I had to double up on the first hand I decided to play. It was only the second hand when the guy to my right inexplicably pushed all in under the gun with Q8s. I didn't know what he had but decided I had to go with my AQ in that spot. I was happy to see the queen in his hand. An eight would have meant an early drive home, but I survived and doubled up.

On the next orbit, the same guy went all-in under the gun again and I picked up 77. It was a big bet. I knew I had him beat, but I couldn't be sure it wasn't a coin toss. I asked the dealer how much was the bet. He said "if you call, we'll count it up." I didn't want to be a know-it-all, but I pointed out that the size of the bet determines whether I want to call. It was most of my chips but not all, so I shrugged and admitted that it was the best hand I've seen all day, and I tossed my chips in. "There was a call from a short stack with K3. The original raiser had A4. I was happy to see only two overcards. I faded the ace but not the king, so I lost a little pot to the shorty and won a big pot and busted the other guy.

So, I had enough chips to sit around and wait for the blinds to rise so I could steal them with moderate holdings. Every time I was in a good stealing spot, I got dealt horrendous hands, which I just folded rather than risk confrontations with players who were either too inexperienced or too short-stacked to fold. Our table broke and I got moved to a neighboring table with a few big stacks scattered around. There was a serious-looking lady to my left who had a stack like mine so I figured she knew what she was doing.

The lady limped utg on my big blind, and I just knocked with AT, looking to trap her in a big pot. The flop came AQ8 rainbow and I checked to her like the pro I am. She checked behind me and the turn was a ten, giving me aces up. I put in a bet of $800 and she fumbled around like she wanted to raise but then backed off when she realized how much that would cost, so it was treated as a call. The river was a harmless six. I really thought she was a player who might be sitting on QT or A8, so I took the lead and went all in for like $4200. She seemed lost. She wanted to call instantly, then she didn't want to put all her chips at risk, then she wanted to call again, then she finally asked the dealer "what do I need to do?" I said "it'll cost all your chips - call if you think you have me beat or fold if you're not sure." I was trying to be helpful, not goad her into anything. I knew I had her beat but figured she would call with two pair and lay down anything inferior. Finally, she just put her chips in as if I had commanded it and turned over T4. I was kind of embarrassed to turn over such a strong hand since the ace by itself was good. I apologized to the lady I had just busted and she assured me that she was ready to go home anyways.

The only big hand I lost on my march to the final table was when I limped utg with AQ and found two callers and then the small blind went all in. I reraised to get rid of the riff-raff and it was a coin toss against 55 which I lost. I had to chip back up so I put myself at risk a couple of times, going all-in with K8 and QT to steal the blinds. Once we were down to nine players, we were all assured at least a gift basket and the table was surrounded by the vanquished. It was kind of exciting. I thought about the concept of "playoff experience" and how that term is bandied about by sports pundits for why Favre will be unstoppable and such. I'm sure I had the most final table experience of this crowd and I knew what sort of situations I was waiting for.

There was one crazy hand where half the table limped with one lady all-in for the size of my big blind. I got 83d and checked my option. The flop came T62 all diamonds. I checked and there was no action. I can't bet there because I have to first make sure no diamond turns. The turn was another deuce and I pushed my stack in. Everybody folded and I lamented "nobody's got a deuce or the ace of diamonds?" as I proudly turned over my flush. I got my comeuppance when the all-in lady tabled tens full and raked in all those beautiful chips.

Soon, it was three-handed with $3k/$6k blinds. There was no time to fool around. I raised to $18k from the small blind with K8. The big blind responded all-in. I knew I was behind but seriously considered calling off my chips. I looked at Cadence in the crowd and she held up a finger to remind me I was playing for first place. I became a showman and asked Cadence what was third place. Kim shouted out that it was the Disney-themed gift basket. "Free admission, free parking and some cool hats" she said. Someone in the crowd said "come on, dad, Disney tickets!" I paused a moment for effect and said "I work for Disney" as I mucked. My opponent, also a Disney spouse invited by Kim, later told me he had AQ.

So, on my final hand, the lady on the button raised to $18k on my small blind. I had $45k total, holding A7 with $27k in the pot. Calling was an option but I would be lost on the flop unless an ace came, so I just shoved it in to give her an opportunity to fold KJ and the like. She called quickly with 44. The flop came 752. She got her 4 on the turn to bust me. Hmm, had I just called, maybe I could have won the pot on the flop. Most likely not though as she would assume the pair was good with that ragged flop. So, I got the Disney basket for my $200 donation. The lady won soon after by catching another four on the turn to propel her A4 past her opponent's A8. I hope she enjoys Vegas.