Gavin Smith, Lacey Jones, Johnny Chan & Brad Booth


Lacey Jones & Alex Lee, The Marketing Specialist from BCLC


Promo Shot for the Johnny Chan Poker Classic


Shot of the tournament room during the Main Event


Me!

Tournament Date: 26 May 2007
Buy-In: $350 + 1 optional rebuy/add-on $150
# of Players: 45
Prize Pool: $18,000

My mojo is coming back! Nothing really exciting happened last night. I played a strong aggressive game and took no shit from nobody. The button would always raise, on my first table, so I decided to make a play at him. After about an hour of him raising and raising, I decided it was time. I limped under the gun (200/400) he raised to 2000 and when it came to me I immediately re-raised to 7000 with K7 offsuit. He thought for a little while and folded, saying "your kings are good", I thanked him and mucked my hand. He didn't raise the button for the next 90 minutes till the table broke.

For the the first 6 hours I couldn't get my stack above 30K I would raise and get reraised and when I had the big hands I didn't get paid off. Somehow I managed to get to the final table but I was incredibly short stacked. The average stack on the final table was 86,000, I had 20,300. The blinds were 1500/3000/200 so I was a little worried. Lucky for me I had Lorne sitting to my immediate left so I knew the blinds would be easy to steal (he is an absolute rock). I stole and I stole and got my stack up to 33,000. The blinds went up to 2000/4000/200 and I was UTG +1. UTG raised to 20,000 and I found KK and went all in. UTG had to call with his AK and he didn't improve. I doubled up and had a decent stack of around 74,000 with 8 players remaining. I continued to steal and steal and when we got down to 5 players I was up to 140,000 by just raising almost 70% of the hands. I stayed at around 120-140K till we were 3 handed. I had the button (2500/5000/500) and looked down to see AsJs. I raise to 25K and the small blind re-raised me. He was the chip leader with about 450K and Ian, the other player, had about 250K. I figured that if I was to have any chance of winning the tournament I would have to double up. I put him on a small to medium pocket pair and thought that it would be a race. I called. How wrong was I? He turned over KK and needed a lot of help. The flop came Kh Qd 5c. He flopped a set and I was down to 4 tens to make a straight or runner runner spades for a flush. I didn't improve and busted out 3rd. Not bad considering I had no chips. I cashed for $2100. I feel my luck is turning a little for the better. 2 cashes in 2 tournaments is not bad at all.

I think my mojo is coming back. I came 4th last night night in the tournament ending a long drought of cashing in tournaments. I was quite suprised to get there actually because I had no hands for the first 3 hours. When we got down to 13 handed I pushed with KsQs and turned the nuts against Sammies 77. This gave me 10k in chips. Then I got JJ on the BB, Manny pushed with a weak ace for 5K and I won. Next round Doyle pushed for 6K with another weak ace and I had 99 in the BB and I won. I started the final table with 23K.

Then, I had the most card dead 50 minutes ever, playing poker. I did not play a single hand for about 5 rotations (50 hands). I was getting 9,4, K6, Q4, 10,3 - comletely unplayable hands. I got blinded down to 9100. I was in the BB (1500/3000/200) and UTG raises to 6K, Frank (my nemisis) goes all in for 20K with A 10 off, everybody folds and I have my favourite tournament hand, 65, so I call all-in. flop comes 6, 8, 6 X X. Sweet, I win the hand, nearly triple up and cripple Frank. A triple whammy!

Anyway, at this point there were 7 players left. 2 players got knocked out in rapid succession and we were down to 5 with only 4 places being paid. Joe suggested we take money off 1st and give it to 5th and everybody aggreed. Amin busted out straight after the deal and I was blinded down to 15K (2000/4000/500) UTG I see 33 and I push, the chip leader comes over the top and the other 2 fold. He says "you're good" and I said "I don't think so" he shows 55 and I don't hit.

I am quite happy with the way I played yesterday. I survived a long time with no cards and that is not an easy thing to to. 4th place is the best result I've seen in a few feeks so hopefully my mojo will return fully on Saturday at the Topflight tournament.

Another Tuesday goes by and another resultless night goes by at the River Room. I have had no luck in the Tuesday tournament since it started. I had good Tuesdays at the old River Room and at Benny's but not at the new River Room. I made 2 hands out of the blinds, in unraised pots, in the first hour and finished at the break with 7800 (we start with 5000). Then the hour of getting no cards came. blinded down to 5200 and I found AhQh. Under the gun plus one raised to 2000 (blinds were 400/800) I go all in and Carl, in the small blind, comes over the top. UTG+1 folds and Carl has KK. Flop comes down 9 high, one heart. Turn is the Kh which gives him a set, it also gives me a little hope because I now pickup the nut flush draw. Alas the Ace of Diamonds hits the river and I am eliminated.

Never mind, Carl won the tournament (2 Tuesdays in a row) and I saved 10 points with him so I made a profit of $40 on the night. Better than a kick in the nuts I suppose!!