USPC Day 3 - $500+$50

With over a $40K payout I was very excited about getting into the money in this event. I played very well all day and there were only a couple of plays that in retrospect I wish I had played differently. One, I had Q, Tos and folded in middle position. The button made a raise from the $150/$300 blind to $600 and there were a couple of callers. The flop was 8c, 9c, Js. I flopped the nut straight. The small blind went all in and the button called. The small blind had two pair, Jacks and Nines and the button had 9, 10-middle pair with an open-ended straight draw. My straight would have held up.

I did get sucked out on rather early and it took my $5,000 chip original stack down to about $1,500. I did fight back to about $4,900 before my first big double up. I had AA and made a baby raise hoping that someone would get a little froggy. Sure enough, the big blind (who happens to be from Fayetteville and plays in Benson) raised it to $1,500. Just about 1/3 his stack and there was one caller in front of me so I raise $2,000 and the button calls and the other caller folded. Perfect! The flop was J, 10, 5. I check and the button pushes all-in and I call. He doesn't like my Aces and mucks his cards. They hold up.

Then about 10 minutes later on the button, I get As, 9s and limp in. The big blind bets and the flop comes Ks, Qs, 7s. I check and he pushes all-in. I call and the flush holds up. The guy was actually drawing dead. He had one spade and no pair. LOL.

Of the 275 entries, we were down to 50ish players with the top 28 making money. They broke our table down and I was moved to the table with Scott Fishman. At this point, I've got about $34,000 in chips and Scott appears to be the chip leader at this table with about $70,000 or so. Scott seems to be raising about 3-4 times the big blind everytime he's in middle to late position. There's a maniac to his right that looks and acts brain dead. In one hand against Scott, he pushed all-in with nothing but a flush draw, Scott knew what he had and that Scott's top pair was good so he called and the guy hit a flush on the turn.

About 10 minutes later, the maniac bets $1,600 when the blinds were $400/$800 and $100 antes. I call and the flop is Ah, 8h, 7c. With my Ac, Kh I think I like this flop.... At any rate, the maniac bets $4,000. I re-raise another $6,000 and he pushes all-in. I call and the maniac turns over 7h, 9h. The turn is a brick and Scott turns to the maniac and says something like... see 'ya. Unfortunately, the river is the case 7 and I get to stumble out of the tournament... foiled again. It was interesting to see that the maniac and another guy along from my table as well as Scott Fishman were all in the top 4 along with a woman. The maniac did go out in fourth thank goodness..... I heard some people talking who were watching the game and they were saying that he had sucked out on Scott about 1/2 dozen times since they had been watching. Again someone tries to give me their chips and gets lucky.

The cash games were quite different however.... I seem to be doing pretty well although not cashing out with any monstrous stacks, I like the action.

One hand late last night, I slow played and let two guys suck out on me and a couple of hands later, made a smooth call from early positon with As, 9s and flopped Ks, Qs, 10h. The older Chinese gentleman bets $80 and you couldn't get me out of this hand with dynamite. The turn gives me the nut flush and I check. He bets $125 and I call. The river is a brick and I push all-in with another $150 or so and he calls.

In Dave's honor, Rick did go all-in with a gut-shot straight-flush draw.... it didn't work out for him either! LOL.

Well, another tourney begins in about 2 hours.... so back to the felt!