#165 - WSOP #15 - Busted by Versace

I made my first early exit from a WSOP event, my fourth, the $1500 NLHE 6-handed. Just as I was saying that moral victories of playing late and busting were wearing thin, I was introduced to the alternative. It sucks to not even have dreams of glory, even if they are often just dreams.

Andy Bloch was at my table, two to my right. We signed up at the same time and talked about how it was going to be a “Battle of the Book.” He showed up 15 minutes late, during which time I lost half my stack and almost busted a couple times. One of the things that slowed down my out-of-control-freight-train was making sure I at least lasted until he arrived.

On Andy’s second hand, he raised. I folded 3-2o, though I’d have called if I was in the blind, just to see if I could flop something and mess with him. The big blind called and the flop was 2-3-4. Andy and the other player got it all in. Andy had A-5 for the straight and the other player had 2-2 for a set. The straight held up.

This event was movin’. There was a line at the cage at the start and I heard 25 tables of alternates called.

I built my stack to 4000, then lost half of it trying to bluff Andy. I thought he should have folded but he claims I didn’t bet enough on the turn. Maybe so.

After I won a small pot with 8-3o (I was in the BB and it wasn’t raised), I called out “octo-crab” when I took it, and that started a discussion on hand names. Robert Williamson III told me about octo-crab and I’ve been using it ever since. (Merely having opportunities to utter that name probably speaks volumes about my game.) No one’s ever heard of it and I suspect Robert made it up, but I use it whenever I can. It sounds like a sci-fi name out of the 1950s, or a monster in a Roger Corman flick, or a Star Trek episode.

The dealer even taught me a new name, Versace, for A-Q. (Queen with a bullet. Nasty, I know, but don’t ace the messenger.) Bloch called down my bluff with Versace and I lost some of my diminished stack with it when my opponent had K-K.

In the end, I lost all-in with 5-5. Presto! I was up against 7-7.

7-7? Does that even have a name? Someone in the media room (which had a couple other victims of today’s event when I arrived at 1:20 PM) said “walking sticks.” Walking sticks? I’d throw a hand away that had such a lame name.

P.S. - I’ve taken a lot of heat for not moving in with Clonie Gowen and Shannon Elizabeth. Would it help if I mentioned to you that they warned me they were going to suspend their nightly tee-shirt-and-panties pillow fight during my stay?

P.P.S. - Lots to do later today. I’m NOT entering the HORSE mega-satellite, even though Andy Bloch coaxed me to play. (Actually, he said, “you gonna play it?” But he should know by now that asking that question constitutes coaxing to me.) I’m going to catch up on writing, move from my discredited digs, and maybe play a little on Full Tilt. Hope to see you at the tables.