Being known as a tight player who plays only premium hands has its advantages and disadvantages. Typically when MattG makes a big bet, someone at the table says, "well, Matt has a hand" and everyone folds. This is helpful in that it allows him to throw out some bluffs occasionally, knowing nobody will likely go with him. However, it becomes very boring over time and can cause much bleeding of chips when you sit there for 1-2 hours waiting for some great cards to come.
So, whether it was related to his impatience or a change in gameplan, MattG changed things up on Thursday and it paid off with his second career win.
It was a great atmosphere as the event was held at the Wooly Toad at Newcastle. Seven players showed up meaning that getting to the final four guaranteed you at least a point for the standings. It started out fairly conservatively as the only real drama was wondering whether Tyler's food poisoning would cause him to push early or if he could stick it out.
Ben got out to a big start (what's new?) and took control of the table, but his lead would take a number of hits along the way as it wasn't meant to be his night (more on that later). Dave was the first victim of the night when he caught pocket Ks, only to be beaten by MattG's pocket 3s which became a set on the flop.
Facing a dwindling stack, Brett pushed with big stack Ben, winning out with A6 over Ben's A5 thanks to an A-A-6 flop that gave Brett the boat right off the bat. He was back in it and would start to throw his weight around as the game progressed.
Jamie was the next to go out as he pushed all in along with Chris, being called by Ben. It was three players with a small sidepot for Jamie and Ben...in the end, Ben's flopped AJ gave him aces up, but he was beaten on the river when Chris completed his flush. The sidepot with Jamie was small consolation for Ben as his stack was now one of the lowest at the table.
It wasn't long till Ben pushed with KJ and was called by Tyler's A9. The flop showed an ace and it held up as the season leader in points went out with his first zero in a long time. The win for Tyler put him in contention, as well.
Chris' stack was starting to get a bit low so he lit up when he saw AK in his hand and pushed after the flop, to be called by Brett who had QQ (which made a set on the flop) and we were down to the money with three players left. Chris did earn a point for fourth and promptly left without paying his entry fee. :)
With just Tyler, Brett and MattG remaining, it was no surprise to see Brett start to throw out some big bets, especially when seeing signs of weakness. He took the blinds 3 or 4 times before MattG became impatient and decided to call his all-in. Brett was dominated as his A2 was beaten by MattG's A4 (the 4 pairing for Matt). It was a big blow to Brett's stack and put MattG in the lead. The next hand MattG looked down to find pocket 10s and went all-in with Brett again. Despite facing an over card, the 10s held up and in two hands Brett went from chip leader to out of the tournament.
His backside raw from multiple trips to the Newcastle bathroom and eyeing a small stack, Tyler pushed two hands later and MattG's A-10 held up to win it. I had to take the opportunity to tease Tyler for his issues on Thursday but in fairness, to fight off that illness and still finish second is one of the better showings in Camel Tour history.
Event #3 Standings:
1) MattG
2) Tyler
3) Brett
4) Chris
5) Ben
6) Jamie
7) Dave
Dec 20, 2009
Nov 20, 2009
Abacus Breaks Through
There is no bigger student of the game on the Camel tour than Adam. He studies odds sheets, he has a large library of poker books, he calculates every move he makes...but he had never won a tournament. That changed on November 19 when he came back from a somewhat smallish stack to take first.
It was a bittersweet evening at Steve's as it was revealed that this would be the last tournament Beast would ever participate in as he heads back to Australia in a few weeks. You could tell Beast didn't want the night to end as he hung on for dear life to his dwindling chip stack. Sadly for him, it wasn't his night, but best of luck to you back in Oz.
It was a disappointing showing for Andy as he went out relatively early and was left to do some dealing and pitcher refilling. Next out was Dave who lost out to Ben when they both showed As (paired by the board) but Ben's lower kicker (3) was paired, then tripped on the turn and river for the full house.
Jon went straight chasing going all-in against Adam only to miss out on making his hand. Then it was a double kill as MattG's pocket Ks held up to take out all-ins from Tim and Beast. "So I got a point just for dealing there," a satisfied short stack Steve proclaimed.
Down to four, the table got a bit tighter, except for Steve who kept winning blinds by pushing all-in. He was finally called by Ben who beat him with his kicker. After showing some good patience earlier, MattG threw that out the window by calling Adam's all-in with an A-9 only to see Abucus turn over A-Q. Dominated, Matt began to look for the third place money as Adam paired his Q (not that he needed it).
"HE scares me" were the words from Ben's mouth earlier in the night when referring to Adam so he had to be a bit concerned that he was now facing him head's up. With the bigger chip stack, Ben called Adam's all-in and lost, leaving himself somewhat crippled and when the next hand came out K-Q, he pushed, only to discover that Adam would call with A-K and it held up.
Congrats to Adam on his first victory, coming mere weeks before he joins the fatherhood club. A well-timed win, indeed. Standings are below, and note that I updated the history page with a few more tables (all-time tourney wins and cashes) for you stat hounds out there.
Event #2 Standings
1) Adam
2) Ben
3) MattG
4) Steve
5) Tim
6) Beast
7) Jon
8) Dave
9) Andy
It was a bittersweet evening at Steve's as it was revealed that this would be the last tournament Beast would ever participate in as he heads back to Australia in a few weeks. You could tell Beast didn't want the night to end as he hung on for dear life to his dwindling chip stack. Sadly for him, it wasn't his night, but best of luck to you back in Oz.
It was a disappointing showing for Andy as he went out relatively early and was left to do some dealing and pitcher refilling. Next out was Dave who lost out to Ben when they both showed As (paired by the board) but Ben's lower kicker (3) was paired, then tripped on the turn and river for the full house.
Jon went straight chasing going all-in against Adam only to miss out on making his hand. Then it was a double kill as MattG's pocket Ks held up to take out all-ins from Tim and Beast. "So I got a point just for dealing there," a satisfied short stack Steve proclaimed.
Down to four, the table got a bit tighter, except for Steve who kept winning blinds by pushing all-in. He was finally called by Ben who beat him with his kicker. After showing some good patience earlier, MattG threw that out the window by calling Adam's all-in with an A-9 only to see Abucus turn over A-Q. Dominated, Matt began to look for the third place money as Adam paired his Q (not that he needed it).
"HE scares me" were the words from Ben's mouth earlier in the night when referring to Adam so he had to be a bit concerned that he was now facing him head's up. With the bigger chip stack, Ben called Adam's all-in and lost, leaving himself somewhat crippled and when the next hand came out K-Q, he pushed, only to discover that Adam would call with A-K and it held up.
Congrats to Adam on his first victory, coming mere weeks before he joins the fatherhood club. A well-timed win, indeed. Standings are below, and note that I updated the history page with a few more tables (all-time tourney wins and cashes) for you stat hounds out there.
Event #2 Standings
1) Adam
2) Ben
3) MattG
4) Steve
5) Tim
6) Beast
7) Jon
8) Dave
9) Andy
Nov 2, 2009
A Familiar Start to the New Season
Note: recap provided by Dave.
Adam was unlucky, holding AA on the first hand and being beaten with Gav's flopped straight. He managed not to lose all his chips in that hand, but a few hands later went all in with AK, only to be beaten by Gav's river straight flush.
Dave damaged Chilly pretty badly with a full boat to his A-high river flush, but he came back strongly with a third placing. Brett didn't feature too much on the night (but at least needs to get a mention for a couple of small bluff wins*).
The heads up battle was pretty short, between the two TOC Champs. After a few hands, Dave landed AK and pushed all in. Benny called with 99, and needless to say it held up to finish the game.
* The "bluff wins" accusation by Dave was vehemently refuted by Brett.
Result for Tournament #1:
1) Ben
2) Dave
3) Chris
4) Gecko
5) Brett
6) Adam
Adam was unlucky, holding AA on the first hand and being beaten with Gav's flopped straight. He managed not to lose all his chips in that hand, but a few hands later went all in with AK, only to be beaten by Gav's river straight flush.
Dave damaged Chilly pretty badly with a full boat to his A-high river flush, but he came back strongly with a third placing. Brett didn't feature too much on the night (but at least needs to get a mention for a couple of small bluff wins*).
The heads up battle was pretty short, between the two TOC Champs. After a few hands, Dave landed AK and pushed all in. Benny called with 99, and needless to say it held up to finish the game.
* The "bluff wins" accusation by Dave was vehemently refuted by Brett.
Result for Tournament #1:
1) Ben
2) Dave
3) Chris
4) Gecko
5) Brett
6) Adam
Sep 22, 2009
Dave Completes Unlikely Double
There is a great amount of prestige in winning the Camel Cup in golf, as well as the Tournament of Champions in poker. As hard as it is to imagine someone holding both titles simultaneously, that's exactly what happened on Thursday night when Dave paired his queen on the turn to take out Adam for the title.
It wasn't easy for Dave as he had to battle back from a nearly 4-to-1 chip stack deficit. Adam, putting on quite a show himself after gaining late entry to the Tournament of Champions due to Chris being a scratch, didn't make a big splash until late on when he took a commanding lead. But it wasn't enough as Dave caught some good cards to double up twice before beating Adam's pocket 9s with his Qs.
The tournament had a pretty sluggish start as everyone was feeling each other out for the first couple blinds changes. After turning up his aggression and winning a few pots, MattG caught two pair (k-2) on the flop and raised. Steve re-raised, putting Matt to a decision to either push all-in or fold. He pushed and saw Steve turn over K-J. But then the dreaded J came on the turn and it was curtains for Matt.
A few hands later it was Tyler's turn as he tried to bluff Jon with an all-in bet. When Jon called, Tyler meekly turned over his cards, revealing "squa-doosh" as Jon put it and the group was narrowed to 5. I'd like to comment more on how Steve and Ben went out, but I'm afraid I had enough of watching and left. :)
Congrats to Dave on the big win and note that I put up a calendar on the right for the new season keeping the "every third thursday" plan in effect. We need to sort out hosts.
NOTE: A dreadful oversight on my part as I completely ignored the fact that this is the second time someone has held both Camel titles simultaneously. Ben accomplished this feat earlier this year when he won the Camel in Scottsdale and went on to take the inaugural TOC in March. My most sincere apologies to Ben. Perhaps winning the golf Camel before the TOC is an omen?
Here's the final standings for the night:
1) Dave
2) Adam
3) Jon
4) Steve
5) Ben
6) Tyler
7) MattG
It wasn't easy for Dave as he had to battle back from a nearly 4-to-1 chip stack deficit. Adam, putting on quite a show himself after gaining late entry to the Tournament of Champions due to Chris being a scratch, didn't make a big splash until late on when he took a commanding lead. But it wasn't enough as Dave caught some good cards to double up twice before beating Adam's pocket 9s with his Qs.
The tournament had a pretty sluggish start as everyone was feeling each other out for the first couple blinds changes. After turning up his aggression and winning a few pots, MattG caught two pair (k-2) on the flop and raised. Steve re-raised, putting Matt to a decision to either push all-in or fold. He pushed and saw Steve turn over K-J. But then the dreaded J came on the turn and it was curtains for Matt.
A few hands later it was Tyler's turn as he tried to bluff Jon with an all-in bet. When Jon called, Tyler meekly turned over his cards, revealing "squa-doosh" as Jon put it and the group was narrowed to 5. I'd like to comment more on how Steve and Ben went out, but I'm afraid I had enough of watching and left. :)
Congrats to Dave on the big win and note that I put up a calendar on the right for the new season keeping the "every third thursday" plan in effect. We need to sort out hosts.
NOTE: A dreadful oversight on my part as I completely ignored the fact that this is the second time someone has held both Camel titles simultaneously. Ben accomplished this feat earlier this year when he won the Camel in Scottsdale and went on to take the inaugural TOC in March. My most sincere apologies to Ben. Perhaps winning the golf Camel before the TOC is an omen?
Here's the final standings for the night:
1) Dave
2) Adam
3) Jon
4) Steve
5) Ben
6) Tyler
7) MattG
Aug 21, 2009
Tyler Wins, Ben Finishes Top, MattG Leapfrogs Adam
There was a lot riding on the final poker tournament of Season 2. Half of the TOC was locked in, but much drama remained as Chris and Adam (in 7th and 8th respectively) were vulnerable to being caught and left out of the big tourney. Their absence opening the door for the likes of MattG, Brett, James, Tim and host, Beast.
Play started out with a big head-to-head hand between James and Brett, but then simmered down to a slow crawl for a while as everyone was feeling each other out. Through constant goading by Steve, Tim pushed all-in on Brett only to find that his one pair was not enough and he was the first eliminated.
Slowly leaking chips, Beast decided it was time to go, but fell short and ended up out of the TOC running as well. Steve, his spot virtually assured at this point, was next to go out and that left an intriguing finish with the rarely showing James, Brett and MattG all looking to work their way into the TOC.
Ben was short-stacked and pushed all-in, with a hand that was too tough to beat as he had cowboys (note: he was NOT flying by the seat of his pants tonight, he was playing quality hands for the most part). When James pushed and was knocked out, that meant that Ben locked up a point to guarantee free entry to the TOC, but more importantly, it meant that MattG had tied up Adam for the final spot and Brett was one point back in 10th.
With MattG clinging to a short stack and winning a few pots by pushing all-in and having everyone fold (as well as getting a bit lucky by turning a set of 8s to give Ben a bad beat with his Ks), decision time came as Tyler pushed all-in and Brett called. MattG stepped aside and Tyler's hand held up to knock Brett out of the TOC. This also meant MattG secured at least two points, allowing him to jump Adam in the standings and secure his spot in the tournament.
With not much left to play for except money, MattG pushed with 9-10 diamonds against Ben's K-J unsuited. The flop gave Ben a pair of Ks. The turn gave Matt a pair of 10s but Ben's hand held up and it came down to Tyler and Bennie for the whole match.
Some back and forth of chips finally ended with Ben pushing and Tyler winning out to take the final tournament and secure second place in the standings.
Standings from the night below, but one thing is open. We need to figure out when the TOC will take place. Given that not all qualifiers will be in Vancouver for the Sept 19 Camel, we need to figure out another date. So far the best option is to stick to the Thursday plan and do Sept 17. Let's figure it out soon.
Tournament #5 Results:
1) Tyler
2) Ben
3) MattG
4) Brett
5) James
6) Steve
7) Beast
8) Tim
Play started out with a big head-to-head hand between James and Brett, but then simmered down to a slow crawl for a while as everyone was feeling each other out. Through constant goading by Steve, Tim pushed all-in on Brett only to find that his one pair was not enough and he was the first eliminated.
Slowly leaking chips, Beast decided it was time to go, but fell short and ended up out of the TOC running as well. Steve, his spot virtually assured at this point, was next to go out and that left an intriguing finish with the rarely showing James, Brett and MattG all looking to work their way into the TOC.
Ben was short-stacked and pushed all-in, with a hand that was too tough to beat as he had cowboys (note: he was NOT flying by the seat of his pants tonight, he was playing quality hands for the most part). When James pushed and was knocked out, that meant that Ben locked up a point to guarantee free entry to the TOC, but more importantly, it meant that MattG had tied up Adam for the final spot and Brett was one point back in 10th.
With MattG clinging to a short stack and winning a few pots by pushing all-in and having everyone fold (as well as getting a bit lucky by turning a set of 8s to give Ben a bad beat with his Ks), decision time came as Tyler pushed all-in and Brett called. MattG stepped aside and Tyler's hand held up to knock Brett out of the TOC. This also meant MattG secured at least two points, allowing him to jump Adam in the standings and secure his spot in the tournament.
With not much left to play for except money, MattG pushed with 9-10 diamonds against Ben's K-J unsuited. The flop gave Ben a pair of Ks. The turn gave Matt a pair of 10s but Ben's hand held up and it came down to Tyler and Bennie for the whole match.
Some back and forth of chips finally ended with Ben pushing and Tyler winning out to take the final tournament and secure second place in the standings.
Standings from the night below, but one thing is open. We need to figure out when the TOC will take place. Given that not all qualifiers will be in Vancouver for the Sept 19 Camel, we need to figure out another date. So far the best option is to stick to the Thursday plan and do Sept 17. Let's figure it out soon.
Tournament #5 Results:
1) Tyler
2) Ben
3) MattG
4) Brett
5) James
6) Steve
7) Beast
8) Tim
Jul 27, 2009
Get Fvcked! I Win!
A self-diagnosed attention deficit disorder notwithstanding, Aran confirmed that he has a new focus when it comes to poker. He improved upon his second-place finish at the last tournament, taking home the top honors at the Lazy Wombat II on Thursday.
He was already a safe bet through to the Tournament of Champions, but this now puts him in great position to get exempt from an entry fee.
Mr. Fly by the Seat of his Pants, Ben, was up to his old tricks as he pushed or called all-in bets with some very mediocre to poor hands and sucked out nearly every time. It landed him in the top-3 yet again so you can't argue with the results of his style of play.
It was also an impressive night for Tyler who was down to nothing while we were still at two tables, but came roaring back to nab second and secure a spot in the tournament of champions.
The results leave quite the interesting race for the final slots. A quick look at the standings shows that in all likelihood, the following players are already in: Ben, Aran, Jon and Dave.
That leaves the following players on the bubble or battling for a spot, either needing people below them to make no movement or needing a point or two to get in. This group includes: Tyler (virtually in as only a wild scenario puts him in a poke-off), Steve (likely safe barring a shake-up), Chris, Adam and MattG. Truant players such as Andy, Beast, Brett and MattM could easily show up for the last tournament and sneak in, but we'll see if they can participate.
It will be an exciting conclusion to the season on August 20 at Beast's.
Event #4 Standings:
1) Aran
2) Tyler
3) Ben
4) Chris
5) Adam
6) Dave
7) Matt
8) Steve
He was already a safe bet through to the Tournament of Champions, but this now puts him in great position to get exempt from an entry fee.
Mr. Fly by the Seat of his Pants, Ben, was up to his old tricks as he pushed or called all-in bets with some very mediocre to poor hands and sucked out nearly every time. It landed him in the top-3 yet again so you can't argue with the results of his style of play.
It was also an impressive night for Tyler who was down to nothing while we were still at two tables, but came roaring back to nab second and secure a spot in the tournament of champions.
The results leave quite the interesting race for the final slots. A quick look at the standings shows that in all likelihood, the following players are already in: Ben, Aran, Jon and Dave.
That leaves the following players on the bubble or battling for a spot, either needing people below them to make no movement or needing a point or two to get in. This group includes: Tyler (virtually in as only a wild scenario puts him in a poke-off), Steve (likely safe barring a shake-up), Chris, Adam and MattG. Truant players such as Andy, Beast, Brett and MattM could easily show up for the last tournament and sneak in, but we'll see if they can participate.
It will be an exciting conclusion to the season on August 20 at Beast's.
Event #4 Standings:
1) Aran
2) Tyler
3) Ben
4) Chris
5) Adam
6) Dave
7) Matt
8) Steve
Jul 7, 2009
Jon Uses Home Table Advantage
Given my early departure and general laziness, this will be quick recap.
Possibly the quickest exit in Camel history occurred when MattG went all-in with Ben only to find out that his Kings full of 10s wasn't enough to beat Ben's Kings full of Queens. A harsh loss, but that's poker.
After that, there was much back and forth, but in the end it came down to Ben, Aran and Jon. They traded chip stacks for a while, the blinds got huge and eventually Jon pulled it out with his KJ beating Aran's K10.
Kudos to Aran for his first-ever placing in a Camel event and this vaults him into a good position for making the TOC.
Standings on the night:
1) Jon
2) Aran
3) Ben
4) Steve
5) Dave
6) Adam
7) Chris
8) MattG
Possibly the quickest exit in Camel history occurred when MattG went all-in with Ben only to find out that his Kings full of 10s wasn't enough to beat Ben's Kings full of Queens. A harsh loss, but that's poker.
After that, there was much back and forth, but in the end it came down to Ben, Aran and Jon. They traded chip stacks for a while, the blinds got huge and eventually Jon pulled it out with his KJ beating Aran's K10.
Kudos to Aran for his first-ever placing in a Camel event and this vaults him into a good position for making the TOC.
Standings on the night:
1) Jon
2) Aran
3) Ben
4) Steve
5) Dave
6) Adam
7) Chris
8) MattG
May 24, 2009
Full Tilt Dave Prevails
With a little time on his hands, Dave has put that to good use. His 3-dollar online tournament entries have allowed him to hone his skills and he has taken that to the live game with a strong end to the Fall/Winter season and a good start to the Spring/Summer as he won out over his countrymen, Mr. Foldy.
In another surprise, last season's champion and host of this event finished out of the money but did manage to garner a point to maintain his position in the overall standings. His stack dinged up by the great race he had against Tyler at the final table. Tyler held pocket Kings before the flop and pushed. Ben called with an ace and paired it on the flop as Tyler began to get his jacket on and grab his keys but the third king came on the river to keep him in the tournament and launch him into the chip lead. The canuck managed to notch his first finish in the money and pick up an important two points in the race for the tournament of champions.
In the end, it was Dave's night as he hung in nicely until the final 4-5 were left and then made his move.
Event #2 standings:
1) Dave
2) Jon
3) Tyler
4) MattG
5) Ben
6) Adam
7) Beast
8) Steve
9) Chris
10) Aran
11) Jamie
12) Brett
In another surprise, last season's champion and host of this event finished out of the money but did manage to garner a point to maintain his position in the overall standings. His stack dinged up by the great race he had against Tyler at the final table. Tyler held pocket Kings before the flop and pushed. Ben called with an ace and paired it on the flop as Tyler began to get his jacket on and grab his keys but the third king came on the river to keep him in the tournament and launch him into the chip lead. The canuck managed to notch his first finish in the money and pick up an important two points in the race for the tournament of champions.
In the end, it was Dave's night as he hung in nicely until the final 4-5 were left and then made his move.
Event #2 standings:
1) Dave
2) Jon
3) Tyler
4) MattG
5) Ben
6) Adam
7) Beast
8) Steve
9) Chris
10) Aran
11) Jamie
12) Brett
Apr 17, 2009
Ben = Legend
There have been seven poker tournaments in the history of the Camel Cup Poker Tour. Ben has now won three of them.
Back in the fall, it was Ben who kicked off the season with a win and finished the season the same way, taking out Chris again to become the first Tourney of Champs winner. The new season yielded a similar result as he came back from an all-in or two midway through the night to jump out to the points lead again. The win also expanded his overall winnings lead.
The night kicked off with a quick reminder of the rules changes (see the rules page for current info) and another quick exit for A.D.D. Aran who pushed with a 4-5 offsuit. Next out was Jon who "had to get home for chores anyway."
Once down to six, the game lingered for quite a while with a few all-ins but the man at risk always taking the pot to stay in the game.
MattG took a big hit when his 8 matched Chris for a straight and likely split pot, only to have Chris announce, "I'm going to win, watch, a spade is coming." Sure enough, Nostra-Chris-mus was right as the 3 of spades gave him the nut flush and knocked Matt down to a meager stack. Matt survived one all-in, but when he went again against Steve and Ben, his trip-9s fell to Ben on the river when he made the nut flush.
Next out was Adam, followed by Dave who had an eerily similar setup and exit as MattG, losing this time to a straight on the river despite his trip-9s leading the whole way.
Chris caught a straight on the turn and went all in which Steve called, only to get the flush on the river and it was down to the host and the defending champion. Ben did the job and finishes 1st yet again, launching a certain run to the TOC to defend his overall title.
Here are the standings from the night:
1) Ben
2) Steve
3) Chris
4) Dave
5) Adam
6) MattG
7) Jon
8) Aran
Back in the fall, it was Ben who kicked off the season with a win and finished the season the same way, taking out Chris again to become the first Tourney of Champs winner. The new season yielded a similar result as he came back from an all-in or two midway through the night to jump out to the points lead again. The win also expanded his overall winnings lead.
The night kicked off with a quick reminder of the rules changes (see the rules page for current info) and another quick exit for A.D.D. Aran who pushed with a 4-5 offsuit. Next out was Jon who "had to get home for chores anyway."
Once down to six, the game lingered for quite a while with a few all-ins but the man at risk always taking the pot to stay in the game.
MattG took a big hit when his 8 matched Chris for a straight and likely split pot, only to have Chris announce, "I'm going to win, watch, a spade is coming." Sure enough, Nostra-Chris-mus was right as the 3 of spades gave him the nut flush and knocked Matt down to a meager stack. Matt survived one all-in, but when he went again against Steve and Ben, his trip-9s fell to Ben on the river when he made the nut flush.
Next out was Adam, followed by Dave who had an eerily similar setup and exit as MattG, losing this time to a straight on the river despite his trip-9s leading the whole way.
Chris caught a straight on the turn and went all in which Steve called, only to get the flush on the river and it was down to the host and the defending champion. Ben did the job and finishes 1st yet again, launching a certain run to the TOC to defend his overall title.
Here are the standings from the night:
1) Ben
2) Steve
3) Chris
4) Dave
5) Adam
6) MattG
7) Jon
8) Aran
Mar 15, 2009
Insert the Karate Kid Theme Song, "...history repeats itself!"
It all started back in mid-October when the man who ignited the idea of the Camel Cup Poker Tour, Adam, hosted Event #1 at his home in Fremont. That night, Ben won the inaugural game, taking out Chris to claim a full five points and set him on his way to qualification for the Tourney of Champions.
Fast forward five months and change the scene to a downtown suite. The tourney of champs is on and it's down to Chris and Ben again. Chris is dealt pocket cowboys and lets Ben hang around long enough to catch the flush on the river and it's all over. Ben stands alone as the champion of champions.
You can't say he didn't earn it, getting one satellite championship and placing in another en route to a tie for first overall heading into the big game. He was a force to be reckoned with on the poker table and we all (well most of us) congratulate him.
Nearly as impressive as Ben's play was that of Brett who had to earn the right to even qualify for the big game in a three-man "poke-off." He started slow, but finished strong as Jon was knocked out first, followed by Adam. Brett then went on to take a very respectable third which means he netted out okay on the night.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur, so I can't recount all the hands from the big game and the way things went down though I do recall Brett pulling quad 4s once (or was it twice?) and pulling a full house on the flop after holding on to 8-4 unsuited.
There was much yelling and arguing about clocks and blinds, and even more drinks downed. In the end, we didn't get kicked out, so that was positive.
I've posted final point standings from the season (points going into the TOC) and final places at the big game below. Next season is set to start April 16 but nobody has signed up for hosting yet. We should probably talk about that soon...
Poke-Off Results:
1) Brett
2) Adam
3) Jon
Tournament of Champions Results:
1) Ben
2) Chris
3) Brett
4) Steve
5) MattG
6) Dave
7) Beast
8) MattM
Final 08-09 Poker Tour Standings:
1) Ben - 11
-- MattM - 11
3) MattG - 10
4) Steve - 9
5) Beast - 7
-- Chris - 7
-- Dave - 7
8) Brett - 6 (poke winner)
9) Adam - 6
-- Jon - 6
11) Aran - 4
12) Andy - 2
13) Amool - 1
-- Doug - 1
-- Tim - 1
-- Tyler - 1
Fast forward five months and change the scene to a downtown suite. The tourney of champs is on and it's down to Chris and Ben again. Chris is dealt pocket cowboys and lets Ben hang around long enough to catch the flush on the river and it's all over. Ben stands alone as the champion of champions.
You can't say he didn't earn it, getting one satellite championship and placing in another en route to a tie for first overall heading into the big game. He was a force to be reckoned with on the poker table and we all (well most of us) congratulate him.
Nearly as impressive as Ben's play was that of Brett who had to earn the right to even qualify for the big game in a three-man "poke-off." He started slow, but finished strong as Jon was knocked out first, followed by Adam. Brett then went on to take a very respectable third which means he netted out okay on the night.
The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur, so I can't recount all the hands from the big game and the way things went down though I do recall Brett pulling quad 4s once (or was it twice?) and pulling a full house on the flop after holding on to 8-4 unsuited.
There was much yelling and arguing about clocks and blinds, and even more drinks downed. In the end, we didn't get kicked out, so that was positive.
I've posted final point standings from the season (points going into the TOC) and final places at the big game below. Next season is set to start April 16 but nobody has signed up for hosting yet. We should probably talk about that soon...
Poke-Off Results:
1) Brett
2) Adam
3) Jon
Tournament of Champions Results:
1) Ben
2) Chris
3) Brett
4) Steve
5) MattG
6) Dave
7) Beast
8) MattM
Final 08-09 Poker Tour Standings:
1) Ben - 11
-- MattM - 11
3) MattG - 10
4) Steve - 9
5) Beast - 7
-- Chris - 7
-- Dave - 7
8) Brett - 6 (poke winner)
9) Adam - 6
-- Jon - 6
11) Aran - 4
12) Andy - 2
13) Amool - 1
-- Doug - 1
-- Tim - 1
-- Tyler - 1
Feb 20, 2009
The G-Man Strikes Back!
There was a lot of drama heading into the final tournament of the fall/winter poker season. MattM, Ben, Steve, Beast and Chris had already secured spots at the final table, either previously or by showing up for the final event. That left three spots to fill.
Leading contenders were Adam, Brett and MattG - all tied for sixth. As long as nobody below them placed, they were in the tournament of champions by showing up.
So the event began, in an unusual one-table 11-man style that saw the blinds raising twice before the deal even made it around the table once thanks to all the heated chatter on various non-poker topics.
The big hand early on was shown by Brett whose pocket 3s turned into quads after the flop. He smartly slow played until someone bet late and he cleaned it up giving him an early chip lead. Another player hot out of the gate was Tim, who had yet to make it to any poker event and who would fail to qualify for the final table even if he won the event. He played well early on and was in the top-2 chip stacks for quite a while.
Then people started to go out. First it was Steve, followed shortly after by Adam who was beat with his best hand of the night (A-K). Co-leader in points on the season, MattM, was next to go. That left 8 players and the action was getting intense.
That intensity was elevated substantially by three (or was it four?) consecutive mis-deals by Brett (who earlier accidentally pulled in the chips from a pot that turned out to be a split). One of those mis-deals included having to pull back pocket Aces from the host who was the low stack.
After a tough beat to Ben, MattG was potentially on tilt when he pushed with A-Q suited, only to luckily see Ben fold a hand that would have been the winner had it played out. MattG took this momentum and started to set his sights on knocking out any player he could. First, he took out Beast and Hill on the same hand. Next was revenge vs. Ben for his earlier tough beat. This action was followed quickly by an all in that took out Brett and Tim in one shot (his A-Q made a straight on the turn).
The last win leaving Dave, Jon and MattG as the final three and securing a spot for himself and one of his final opponents. At this point, if MattG were to go out first, both Jon and Dave would secure the final two slots at the Tourney of Champs. Adam and Brett had a big interest as that scenario would knock them out of contention completely. Only Matt finishing in the top-2 would at least guarantee a playoff for the final spot at the table (aka the Poke-Off).
MattG had the early big stack, but quickly bled it away to Jon who took control. Dave was on the verge of going out, but made a massive comeback, eventually knocking Jon out (and setting up a three-way satellite to qualify for the final spot in the TOC between him, Adam and Brett).
So we went head's up and MattG took a big pot off Dave to take a sizeable chip lead when his K-5 got him two pair after the turn to Dave's pair of Qs (one on the board). The final blow came when MattG made a hasty call of Dave's all-in only to find himself dominated. MattG's A-8 was clearly a huge underdog to Dave's A-10. But the flop revealed nowt and the turn gave MattG his 8 to take tournament #5.
Final standings are below. Check the standings on the right for the Tournament of Champions race. The top-7 are assured a place, but the 8th spot is a three-way tie which will be determined via the Poke-Off to be played earlier in the evening on the night of the TOC.
Event #5 Results:
1) MattG
2) Dave
3) Jon
4) Tim
5) Brett
6) Ben
7) Chris
8) Beast
9) MattM
10) Adam
11) Steve
Leading contenders were Adam, Brett and MattG - all tied for sixth. As long as nobody below them placed, they were in the tournament of champions by showing up.
So the event began, in an unusual one-table 11-man style that saw the blinds raising twice before the deal even made it around the table once thanks to all the heated chatter on various non-poker topics.
The big hand early on was shown by Brett whose pocket 3s turned into quads after the flop. He smartly slow played until someone bet late and he cleaned it up giving him an early chip lead. Another player hot out of the gate was Tim, who had yet to make it to any poker event and who would fail to qualify for the final table even if he won the event. He played well early on and was in the top-2 chip stacks for quite a while.
Then people started to go out. First it was Steve, followed shortly after by Adam who was beat with his best hand of the night (A-K). Co-leader in points on the season, MattM, was next to go. That left 8 players and the action was getting intense.
That intensity was elevated substantially by three (or was it four?) consecutive mis-deals by Brett (who earlier accidentally pulled in the chips from a pot that turned out to be a split). One of those mis-deals included having to pull back pocket Aces from the host who was the low stack.
After a tough beat to Ben, MattG was potentially on tilt when he pushed with A-Q suited, only to luckily see Ben fold a hand that would have been the winner had it played out. MattG took this momentum and started to set his sights on knocking out any player he could. First, he took out Beast and Hill on the same hand. Next was revenge vs. Ben for his earlier tough beat. This action was followed quickly by an all in that took out Brett and Tim in one shot (his A-Q made a straight on the turn).
The last win leaving Dave, Jon and MattG as the final three and securing a spot for himself and one of his final opponents. At this point, if MattG were to go out first, both Jon and Dave would secure the final two slots at the Tourney of Champs. Adam and Brett had a big interest as that scenario would knock them out of contention completely. Only Matt finishing in the top-2 would at least guarantee a playoff for the final spot at the table (aka the Poke-Off).
MattG had the early big stack, but quickly bled it away to Jon who took control. Dave was on the verge of going out, but made a massive comeback, eventually knocking Jon out (and setting up a three-way satellite to qualify for the final spot in the TOC between him, Adam and Brett).
So we went head's up and MattG took a big pot off Dave to take a sizeable chip lead when his K-5 got him two pair after the turn to Dave's pair of Qs (one on the board). The final blow came when MattG made a hasty call of Dave's all-in only to find himself dominated. MattG's A-8 was clearly a huge underdog to Dave's A-10. But the flop revealed nowt and the turn gave MattG his 8 to take tournament #5.
Final standings are below. Check the standings on the right for the Tournament of Champions race. The top-7 are assured a place, but the 8th spot is a three-way tie which will be determined via the Poke-Off to be played earlier in the evening on the night of the TOC.
Event #5 Results:
1) MattG
2) Dave
3) Jon
4) Tim
5) Brett
6) Ben
7) Chris
8) Beast
9) MattM
10) Adam
11) Steve
Feb 10, 2009
Simon Says, "See ya at the Tourney of Champs"
Despite missing out on two of the first three events of the current season, Beast made his presence felt with a massive win at Jon's house (great chili, I heard, I wasn't hungry) last Thursday.
The result was a bit of a surprise given Beast's poor attendance record at poker events and the fact that he finished dead last in his first attempt to break onto the Camel Cup Poker Tour scene.
But in the end, he rallied to take out Ben (who twice held a substantial chip lead) and the (not so) rusty Dave to win the money and put himself in position to qualify for the Tourney of Champs.
I'd now like to tell some clever stories about big hands, bad beats or boneheaded maneuvers, but I can't think of any off the top of my head, so I'll leave it at this. With just one event left (Feb 19), the race for the final 8* is heating up and will go down to the wire. Take a look at the updated standings on the right and you'll see that spots 4-11 are separated by a whopping two points. Anything could happen...
Here are the results from Feb 5 at Jon's:
1) Beast
2) Ben
3) Dave
4) Jon
5) MattG
6) MattM
7) Chris
8) Brett
9) Steve
10) Aran
* I say final 8 but there has been talk of letting whomever wants to play, play...we'll sort it out, but if two players tie for 1st, note that their "free" entry to the TOC will be split.
The result was a bit of a surprise given Beast's poor attendance record at poker events and the fact that he finished dead last in his first attempt to break onto the Camel Cup Poker Tour scene.
But in the end, he rallied to take out Ben (who twice held a substantial chip lead) and the (not so) rusty Dave to win the money and put himself in position to qualify for the Tourney of Champs.
I'd now like to tell some clever stories about big hands, bad beats or boneheaded maneuvers, but I can't think of any off the top of my head, so I'll leave it at this. With just one event left (Feb 19), the race for the final 8* is heating up and will go down to the wire. Take a look at the updated standings on the right and you'll see that spots 4-11 are separated by a whopping two points. Anything could happen...
Here are the results from Feb 5 at Jon's:
1) Beast
2) Ben
3) Dave
4) Jon
5) MattG
6) MattM
7) Chris
8) Brett
9) Steve
10) Aran
* I say final 8 but there has been talk of letting whomever wants to play, play...we'll sort it out, but if two players tie for 1st, note that their "free" entry to the TOC will be split.
Jan 16, 2009
Comeback Kid Steve Jumps Into Second Place
In an unprecedented move, all eleven players started on the same table instead of breaking up the group. Did that favor one player over another? Certainly it altered some strategies as the blinds were raising faster than a full rotation around the group.
Host, Brett, fresh off the verbal support of his delicious pulled pork sandwiches (see poll on the right side of the page) utilized his standard aggressive approach to jump into the chip lead early with some strong betting and showing down the occasional winning hand.
One of the victims of Brett's success was Aran whose all-in call cost him nearly all of his chips. But a second all-in got him back in the mix for a while before falling out after Beast became the first man out.
The night was filled with controversy as dealer positions were ignored, cards were prematurely flipped and all-in bets were counted too fast. The volume at the table reached new heights with a half-joking, half-irate exchange of ideas on how to remedy the missteps.
Then came the greatest comeback in the history of the Camel Cup Poker Tour when Steve went all-in with a minimal amount of chips and holding on dearly to a pair of pocket 3's. They held up when he flopped a set and he was back in business. He went all-in moments later holding 10-4 offsuit and won again as his 10 paired. Riding the tidal wave of success, Steve called a shorter stack's all-in with a J-9 offsuit and won yet again.
In the end, Adam's failed all-in left three players in the points/money including the current co-leader, MattM. The comeback kid took Brett and MattM out in one shot, completing his phoenix-like rise from the ashes. It's important to note the accomplishment of MattM who has gone back to back 1st and then 2nd place finishes. Surely a darkhorse before the tour began, Matt is now in the overall lead, has secured his spot at the final table and is now looking to get his free buy-in.
Administrative note: the Tournament of Champions was discussed with a potential date/location of March 14 at Tulalip. More to come as Aran sorts out the details.
Here are the standings from Event #3:
1) Steve
2) MattM
3) Brett
4) Adam
5) MattG
6) Ben
7) Jon
8) Chris
9) Tyler
10) Aran
11) Beast
Host, Brett, fresh off the verbal support of his delicious pulled pork sandwiches (see poll on the right side of the page) utilized his standard aggressive approach to jump into the chip lead early with some strong betting and showing down the occasional winning hand.
One of the victims of Brett's success was Aran whose all-in call cost him nearly all of his chips. But a second all-in got him back in the mix for a while before falling out after Beast became the first man out.
The night was filled with controversy as dealer positions were ignored, cards were prematurely flipped and all-in bets were counted too fast. The volume at the table reached new heights with a half-joking, half-irate exchange of ideas on how to remedy the missteps.
Then came the greatest comeback in the history of the Camel Cup Poker Tour when Steve went all-in with a minimal amount of chips and holding on dearly to a pair of pocket 3's. They held up when he flopped a set and he was back in business. He went all-in moments later holding 10-4 offsuit and won again as his 10 paired. Riding the tidal wave of success, Steve called a shorter stack's all-in with a J-9 offsuit and won yet again.
In the end, Adam's failed all-in left three players in the points/money including the current co-leader, MattM. The comeback kid took Brett and MattM out in one shot, completing his phoenix-like rise from the ashes. It's important to note the accomplishment of MattM who has gone back to back 1st and then 2nd place finishes. Surely a darkhorse before the tour began, Matt is now in the overall lead, has secured his spot at the final table and is now looking to get his free buy-in.
Administrative note: the Tournament of Champions was discussed with a potential date/location of March 14 at Tulalip. More to come as Aran sorts out the details.
Here are the standings from Event #3:
1) Steve
2) MattM
3) Brett
4) Adam
5) MattG
6) Ben
7) Jon
8) Chris
9) Tyler
10) Aran
11) Beast
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