Play a Tournament With Me - Part III - The Professional Poker Tour at Bellagio in Las Vegas

My last two columns chronicled my play in the recent Professional Poker Tour event at Bellagio. I wrote about how much fun I was having while playing with my tablemates Jay Heimowitz, "Oakley" Greg Schwartz, Doyle Brunson, Berry Johnston, Dave Apostolico, Billy Baxter, Jose Rosencranz, and Gary Bush. I hope you don't mind my sharing some of the banter from this starting table, as it really was more interesting than most of the poker.


The blinds had just gone up to $100-$200 and I was the second chip leader at my table with $11,575. We had started with $10,000 in chips, had been playing for several hours, and no one had been all in – nor had there been any bet made of $2,000 or more. I will continue to recall my hands with my thoughts in italics.


Doyle limped in, and I limped in behind him with pocket treys. The flop was 9-7-2 with two hearts. All four of us checked. The 3 came on the turn and it was checked to me; I bet $1,000 and everyone folded. (I don't want to give anyone a cheap draw to make a flush.)


Play continued to be very tight, with lots of preflop "raise and take it" bets. I observed that Greg and Dave were playing very conservatively and seemed to be engrossed with the tales the "old-timers" were sharing. (Hmm, I am used to being one of the oldest people at the table, but Jay, Doyle, Berry, and Billy have me by about 15-20 years each. I wish I had a tape recorder to memorialize their stories.) At one point, Gary Bush said, "What chance do I have today? These guys all have been playing poker longer than I've been alive!"



In middle position, I was dealt a pair of jacks and raised to $600, and everyone folded. (I am happy that no one called, because jacks are so vulnerable.)


The always entertaining Billy Baxter said, "Poker's so big now … would you believe that lots of those young kids have agents and managers?" Doyle replied, "They all have agents! I even have one. My manager has only three clients: Andre Agassi, Shaquille O'Neal, and me!" (Wow!)


I wasn't getting many playable hands, and even my hands in the blinds weren't worth defending to raises: 8-2, 10-4, and so on. I finally got to limp in for $100 more from the small blind with Q-4 suited. The flop was Q-10-6. I checked, Jose Rosencranz made a minimum bet, I raised to $1,000, and he folded. I limped in on a few occasions and completely missed the flop, and folded to bets. In the cutoff seat, I looked down to see A-Q and raised to $600 and took the blinds.



In middle position, two players had limped in, so I limped in with 7-7. The flop was Q-8-4 and we all checked. Another queen came on the turn. Jay Heimowitz bet $400 and I raised to $1,000 (I think two sevens is the best hand). Jay thought for a while, then showed me an 8 and folded (good one, Linda!).



In late position, I raised with 4-4 and Baxter called. The flop was A-Q-J and he bet out $600. (Take it!) The same thing happened a few hands later against Brunson when I raised with 8-8 and the flop came with three picture cards. (Sure would be nice to flop a set.)


At the end of the round, a $25 ante was added and the blinds stayed at $100-$200. I had $11,050 in chips. I limped in from middle position with A-4 suited after another player had limped, but folded when Gary Bush raised to $1,200. (Gary hasn't played many hands.)


We were in the fourth round, and no one at our table had less than $7,000 in chips. Baxter offered 3-1 odds that no one at our table would go broke before they broke our table; there were no takers.



I finally got the big hand, pocket aces. Heimowitz, in the big blind, called my $600 preflop raise and I was surprised to see the flop come A-8-8. We both checked. A queen came on the turn. He checked again, I bet $400, and he folded. (Damn!)


Our entire table got moved into the Fontana Lounge. (We made the final room!) Shortly thereafter, the biggest pot of the day at our table came down. A few preflop back-and-forth raises put Schwartz all in, with Johnston calling.



Schwartz's pocket aces prevailed over Johnston's pocket queens. A few hands later, we lost our first player when Johnston couldn't connect with K-Q against 8-8. Our table finally broke up, and I got moved to a table with Gary Lent, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, David Oppenheim, Dan Alspach, Brian Haveson, Steve Zolotow, Ted Weinstock, and Farzad Bonyadi. My mere $9,800 in chips paled in comparison to the average stack of about $24,000 at my new table. While we had busted just one player at my old table in four hours, this table had probably sent a dozen players to the rail already. I quickly surmised that the action at this table would be the opposite of what I had just experienced for four hours: lots of raising, reraising, big pots, and action!



I called a few hands from the blinds due to pot odds (someone would double the blind and get four callers), and was down to $7,075 when the blinds went up to $200-$400 with a $50 ante. A few rounds went by without my getting any playable hands, and then the following hand came up: Someone who had been playing lots of hands limped in and I raised to $2,000 with A-10 suited. He called. The flop came A-9-7. He checked, and I moved all in. He called with A-Q, and I got my walking papers with about half the field left. As always, playing in a Professional Poker Tour event was awesome! I can't wait for season two.



Please feel free to send me feedback regarding whether or not you enjoy these "Play a Tournament With Me" columns. Your input is always appreciated! Now, let's play poker!


Linda is available to host poker events, corporate nights, and seminars. You can contact her through her website at www.cardplayercruises.com.