Costa Rica Redux

For the third time in less than a year, I ventured down to Costa Rica to attend one of the wonderful and elegant poker tournaments held (roughly every four months) at Casinos Europa. They are elegant not only because of the Radisson Hotel's environment, but because of the presence of about 30 beautiful young women in fashionable evening gowns who serve guests free food and beverages. It's surely a cut above the old Playboy clubs.

And as was the case at all the previous tournaments I'd played there, poker players had the option of never spending money on restaurants, since there was a plentiful breakfast/brunch buffet and a scrumptious evening buffet (both free), the latter of which was available about an hour before the daily poker tournaments started at 7 p.m.

Previous tournaments I'd played there had consisted of five one-day events, all no-limit hold'em. This tournament had six events – four no-limit hold'em, a limit hold'em, and an Omaha high-low split. I played in five tournaments and was in "serious contention" in four of the five, but managed to book only two minor in-the-money finishes. However, I won two of the three satellites I played, and the side action (I played mostly Omaha high-low) was loose and lively, so I easily was a winner for the trip.

In one of the no-limit hold'em tournaments, I was the chip leader at my table with about $4,000 in chips. At $50-$100 blinds, I picked up A-K offsuit in early position, and made it $350 to go. A player in middle position who started the hand with about $1,500 raised $500. I was about to shove my stack at him, but a lady on my right who started the hand with about $3,000 reraised an additional $1,000. What would you do with my hand?

Linda Johnson happened to be sitting on my left and was not in the hand. She nodded approvingly as I mucked my Big Slick. The first raiser called with his remaining chips and lost to the lady's pocket aces.

In another no-limit hold'em tournament, with blinds at $50-$100 and having about $2,000 in chips, I picked up the K J. Everyone folded around to me in middle position and I made it $300 to go. Fellow Card Player columnist Daniel Negreanu, with about $2,700 in chips and sitting two seats to my left, made it $850 to go. What would you do with my king-jack suited?

Although folding might have been the "correct" play, I sensed an opportunity, since I knew that he knew that I am usually a tight player. So, I shoved in my stack, raising about $1,300. I thought he would put me on a high pair and would have an "uncomfortable call," since if he called and lost, he would have only about $600 left.

Danny had pocket eights and mulled it over for a while. Apparently, he must have read me somewhat, because he called and said, "Do you really have a big pair?" But the board flopped a jack and I won the encounter, becoming the chip leader at our table with more than $4,000.

But Danny was by no means through! On three of the next four hands, he bet his remaining stack, got called twice, and won them all. So, he quickly ascended to about $2,500. But then came a hand in which "the operation was a success, but the patient died."

There was a player about halfway around the table who had been raising very aggressively and had accumulated about $3,000 in chips. On his button, I folded and Danny smooth-called (the only time I saw him enter a pot without a raise). The aggressive player, not unexpectedly, raised it to $800.

Danny, the only other player in the hand, then decided to go all in with his remaining chips. The aggressive player called and proudly showed his A J (this time he had a decent hand). But Danny turned over pocket aces! However, luck was not on his side, as the board ended up with three clubs and Danny was flushed out.

I'll present more Costa Rica hands in the next issue.