Today was another hot one.  Cancelled catamaran, a bit too windy for Lisa's taste and that's OK.  Pool.  Ocean. Corona.  Pool.  Banana Mud Slide.  Pool.  Scored both sets of ball caps.  Had them make me vodka and grapefruit after I scored my grapefruits.  Ocean.  Dinner... I had the duck.  The best one yet.  And biggest.

Then off to the poker tournament. 

Story short.  I went in all in as short stack with 4 of us left with a K 10 as the blinds were getting to me and I was to be big blind next.  I'm called with an A 3 and an A flops.  Then the manager said game over, pay the top 3 since there were only 3 people left.  You don't play tournament poker that way.  Since I was out, I still made my point and left, no longer my problem.  This is a casino? 

Payout was in US dollars as follows - $850, $525, $325.  4th place (me) - $0.  At this time the blinds were 800/1600.  The game could last another 8 hours with the blinds creeping up this slowly.

Previous to my last hand I was probably the chip leader.  I had AQ, me and another bet...  Flop comes up ? ? 5.  He bets big, I call.  This was my only mistake of the night.  First, AQ is dangerous, you lose more than your win.  Second, even Doyle Brunson says he always throws away AQ.  Thirdly, I fell asleep, he raised or reraised after the flop.  Even with a poop-load in the pot, FOLD was the correct move, I know that.  Had I folded, I could have waited the others out and got at least 3rd place.  Then again, I never play for third, I play to win.

An hour earlier, I was just kicking out a couple of players with some good play to become chip leader before we merged tables.  There were two tables with 10 and 7 players I think.  I started on the table of 10.

A half hour earlier, I was down half my original chips not having played more than 2 hands to that point, my best hand being an A9 - and when I played it I lost.  I was patient.  I was disciplined.  I was trying to read the others.  A couple of guys thought they were pretty cool.  Betting wildly.  One guy called me sir.  At 50, I was the oldest at the table by at least 2-1.  :)

So the game is about to start.  The dealer announces that the blinds are 100/200 and the small blind will go up 100 every 15 minutes (the big blind always double the small).  And, get this one, in 1 hour, the tournament is over, the person on which ever table with the most chips is the winner, and by count they would also decide second and third.  Again, WHAT?  We said no, you play until there is ONE winner.

Wind time back to the start.  There were 17 that wanted to play.  They have one poker table.  So the casino suggest that we'll play two games.  What?  The 7 would have to wait 3-5 hours for their game to start?  Then they said, the 7 would sit to the side and join the table when others busted.  What?  That makes no sense!  We told them you need 2 tables, that is the only way to play a tournament.

At 930pm, I paid my $110US entry fee.

Did I mention I had the duck?  Did I mention I'm a still a bit ticked.  Both a learning and character building experience (so they say).

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