What is a Fenderkid?

Life is good when you manage to enter a $7.50 tournament and avoid enough bad beats to make a final table. In this one I somehow became the donkey myself. Going into the final table I was the short stack and I mean SHORT STACK! Blinds were 200/400 and I had 1300 chips. The average stack was in the ball park of 40,000.

I was so lucky to start in the BB with 6 3 off. I just couldn' muster the courage to move all in so I folded to a raise. Then the SB came but before it came to me two players were already all in. I folded again and was left with about 575 chips.

With 8 players remaining I moved in with J 9 suited. Obviously, I received a couple callers. So it was 3 way action. I was the luckiest I've been in a long time when I flopped a flush and tripled my stack. Keep in mind this gave me around 2K vs an average of 40K.

Somehow I managed to survive til the final 4. My cards were hot and I was even with everyone. I moved in with AK and got called by the chip leader with AQ so next thing you know I was the new leader. Things were all me from there on.

Going into heads up play I had 340,000 chips vs a 65,000 chip stack! Guess what, I lost. It was one top pair after another losing to 2 smaller pair or top pair plus better kicker. Before you know it I had 195,000 chips vs 210,000. It was soon over.

I was dealt KQ suited while my opponent was dealt 44. I raised 5x the blind; he called. Flop came K Q 4. I would say this was just meant to be. I tried to slow play putting in a minimum bet. BINGO! He moved all in. I couldn't have been happier to call. Oops. Ok, I held my breath praying for a king or queen on the turn or river to bail me out but it just didn't happen. 2nd place paid $350 while first paid $550. That sucked to lose but a $350 return for 7 bucks isn't bad.

CONGRATULATIONS SAMUEL L!!!

Ok, I don't know Samuel L, but I have got major respect for him after watching the final table of the $25,000 guarantee. The blinds were up to 6,000/12000 and the antes were 2000. Samuel was down to 5,500 chips with 8 remaining players. He was able to mount an amazing comeback acquiring all 2 MILLION chips in play for the win and a $6250 prize.

I placed in triple digits....

Ok, so the last week has not been very kind to me. I have slacked off only entering a handful of tournaments and running into the worst luck I have ever experienced. Its demoralizing for sure.

Take this here $30 + $3 NL tournament on July 9th. 130 Players entered and going into the final table I had twice the 2nd man's stack. Chip leader and feeling good. Well about 3 hands in that ended when I moved all in on a flop of 5 J Q. The man to my left called with A 10. I was holding Q 10. Great!!! Not really though, as the turn came 5 and the river K; -1/3 of my stack to a gut draw str8. Poker is a twisted game....so evil.

I managed to blow that one off and continue on until only 5 of us remained. I was in good shape until I blew a hand with KQ suited vs AJ. No sob story here, was my bad. A few hands later the button moved all in with me in the BB. I called with QQ. He showed A 5 off. Now surely I was going to double up. Flop came 5 5 5. Yes, quads. No help on the turn or the river and I lost in 5th place. It paid $253. 1st paid $1170. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Next, on July 10th I entered the $3500 guarantee and was once again chip leader with 18 ppl left. Right to the point; I called the 2nd man's all in with AK vs JJ. Why did I call? Because I am a donkey. Ok, so really I called because I was playing to win. I really felt if I could eliminate this guy, I'd have such a huge chip lead that no one would be able to catch me. Of course, I lost the hand and went from the chip leader to literally short stacked. I fell out of the tournament in 15th/385 players.

Feeling disgusted with these tourney results on June 11th I sat down at a $1/$2 NL table to play some good old fashion cash games. Was up about $50 in the first half hour until I was dealt AK. Flop hit AK rag. When the player in front of me moved in for $165 I couldn't call quick enough. Seemed like the right thing to do right up until he showed me his KK. Ok, so that sucked. Life got worse. Finally, after losing over $435 I called it a night. Good thinking....

On July 12, I only played 2 tourneys. A $3500 guarantee that I lost in 110th/332 with AK vs K 10. Then I played a $10 NL tournament in which I finished 9th/51. Was nice to see a final table again at least. Just couldn't put it together though and was the first to bust out. The $18 payout didn't help my ego any.

July 8th, 2006 Events

Today was just a rough day; no two ways about it. I didn't crawl my lazy rear out of bed until 6:30 pm and most of my usual events are already going on or over. I did get a chance to catch the 6K guarantee though.

After a whole lot of hesitation I coughed up the $16 entry fee and joined the field of 414 entrants. I hate these cheap guarantee tourneys because they almost always end on a bad beat somewhere around the bubble for little to no $$$. The tournament started at 9:30pm so I knew playing it pretty much meant my night.

After 3 1/2 hours the field was under 50 and I was about twice the average stack, but the blinds were high and in usual bodog fashion our tables had become short handed to around 5 players. I played as patiently as I could while I waited for the tables to re-organize so I wasn't getting nailed for 2k every round.

Finally, the tables did fill back up and the field got crunched down to 15 players. I was now holding about 40K of the 600k chips in play. This was close to the average but no one really had it. We had a few 70k stacks and several 15k stacks. I spent some time jacking blinds increasing my stack before making my biggest mistake of the tournament.

I was in late position and looked down at A 10 off. No one had called the now 2K blind but with the 200 chip antes our pot was now 4800. I wanted it! I had raised 3x the blind a few times and had problems getting the BB off of it so I decided to really put the screws to him. I moved all in for 40K or so. This guy had me covered but only by about 1.2k so I knew he'd have to have a monster to call me. The SB quickly folded but the BB was hesitating. Uh oh. What have I done? After what seemed like an eternity bodog's system chimed at him letting him know he had 5 seconds to make his mind up; he called.

He turned over 10 10. The flop offered a tidbit of hope with 2 4 5. The turn came 9 and the river 10 making his set and eliminating me in 15th place. As if to pour salt in my wounds I got a pop up letting me know I had just finished 15th and won ...... $68. Ya, thats real nice considerng first paid over $1500. Just kick me while I'm down why don't you.

Its times like these, I hear my wife's resonating words "I hate that all in stuff, you always lose when you do that...." I should listen to her, shes apparently a whole lot smarter than me.

July 7th - - Super busy day today.

I logged on today at 5pm to start playing some tournaments. It started out ok as I was making my way through a field of over 400 entrants battling it out for $25K in a Super Stack 6 Handed tounament. Somehow I got into an all in situation with a less than perfect AJ suited only to end up losing to QJ as 2 pair came on the river. Ok $44 wasted.

So next I entered the $10 + $1 NL tournament with a field of 150 people. After battling it out for three hours I was able to finally pull away with this one for $450. Feeling on top of my game I decided to enter the $10K tournament.

After 2 hours into this tournament I lost with KK vs Q 9 suited. Does it matter that it was suited. YES, just ask the guy who called my pre flop all in with it. Flop QQ5- enough said.
$27 gone to waste; my one comfort is this guy did not go on to make the top 20.

I played a few other small tournaments but nothing noteworthy happened. Lost one on a bad beat and another on just a ridiculous play by ME. I have caught some kind of bug lately that attracts me to pushing all in with Mid pair plus open end straight draws. Hopefully, I can get rid of this bug soon as it is costing me dearly. i.e. KQJ flop me: Q 10 ( yes someone had A 10)

So, as of now when I just logged off Bodog.com it is 6:30 am and I am just over $500 richer. Not a bad day for a new player. O, and I was able to move up several spots on the tournament leader board to 43rd. For anyone who doesnt know, bodog.com sends its monthly leader to vegas to play in the weekly Bellagio tournament.

July 4th, 2006 $10 + $1 NL MTT Results

Entrants: 73

Finished: 8th

I am embarrassed bout this one. I was in great shape holding about 15 % of the chips in play when I got stupid. I looked upon A 8 off in late position. The chip leader put in a standard raise of 2x the blind. I called. The flop came 2h 5h 8d. The chip leader was first to act; he checked the hand. (in my defense this guy hadnt checked a hand yet he wasnt willing to fold) I bet the pot of 3600. Now, a few hands before I had put a nasty bluff on this guy getting him to lay down his 10's only to show him my 4's. That cost him about 6K and so I was prepared for a call or re-raise because the flop looked like it missed us both. He pushed over the top; I hesitated getting a wild sense this guy was slow playing a large pair. But, as if my tired brain knew no better, I made the call anyway. Sure enough, KK vs A8. Needless to say, the turn and river brought no 8's or aces and I fell from grace in 8th place. I was very upset because this would have been my second 1st place finish today had I held on. As it is I saw 2 final tables today and played 5 MTT's.

Here are just a few pics of myself and my Beautiful Family!!! Don't know whats up in the first pic exactly...I seem to be a little dazed and confused.

July 3rd, 2006 $10 + $1 NL MTT Results

Entrants: 99 - - Seems luck was with me again!

Finished: 1st Payout: $297

June 30, 2006 $20 + $2 NL MTT Results

72 Entrants

Finished: 5th for $115

June 25, 2006 $20 + $2 NL MTT Results

72 Entrants - - Pushed with JJ only to Run into KK

Finished: 8th

June 23, 2006 $30 + $3 NL MTT Results

46 Entrants - -

Finished: 7th for $75.90

Just wasnt my lucky day today!

June 21, 2006 $10 + $1 NL tourney Results

135 Entrants - - Finished 1st for a payday of $405