Quick turnaround

Picking up from my previous post, I bring you a semi-contemporaneous retelling of my SCOOP PLO adventures from last night. And now, let us go to the action on the felt.

I had been floundering at 13K with 1,000 runners left -- 3,800+ total with not much happening when the villain to my right doubled me up and then was so kind to double me up again. With a healthy stack of about 65K, I cruised into the money after more than five hours. Given I'd only invested one buy-in and the add-on, I'd at least double my money.

Continued to chip up a bit when I got A-A-J-x and 3-bet. The flop came J-2-3. I bet, villain raised and I pondered, letting a big chunk of time elapse before I repotted. He called with 7-J-8-10. TPLK. A 9 on the turn gave him an open-ender but the river bricked and I scooped a 382K pot, putting me in 6th place with just under 300 runners left.

Long way to go. Blinds at 1250/2500. But I'm sitting on 170 BB at this point, so there's lots of room to play AND be patient. A nice spot.

Finally got moved after spending the first 5 1/2 hours at my starting table.

Armor chinked a bit after losing a 115K pot with A-Q-Q-J on a flop of A-10-4. Villain check-called AI with A-K-K-6 and held. In 21st place with just over 200 runners remaining.

We enter the 7th hour and I'm not doing much. Won some small pots to chip up north of 450K. The Jones children are currently watching SNL with Betty White and Jay Z. I'm 21st with 145 runners left.

After 500 hands, I've seen 32 percent of flops.

Crap. Lost a 145K pot with A-4-10-8 vs. 8-6-4-Q on a board of A-3-2-5-Q. I called 45K on the river, suspecting he'd made his straight on the turn. Down to 395K.

Big stack with nearly 900K has been transported to my immediate right. Let's see how this goes. Blinds at 3K/6K. Average stack is 332K. Seem kinda card dead. Most of the hands I'm winning with are bluffs.

Boom shackalacka. Win a 468K pot with A-A-8-8 rainbow on a flop of 5-10-4. I pot and villain repots AI with A-K-Q-10. I've got 140K to call to win a bunch. I mull and make the call, knowing I'll have 200K left. I hold up and jump to 650K and a top 20 stack.

Soon after, a similarly sized stack to my right and I get into a huge pot. I call a raise with 10-J-9-9 and the flop comes 9-8-Q rainbow. Big stack and I, for all practical purposes, are both AI. He shows A-J-4-10. Turn gives him a flush draw but the river is a K and with chop it up. A bit unlucky there.

New player to my immediate left is the chipleader with 1.2 million. Table change, please. I'm at 656K. Blinds at 4K/8K.

Couple of small pots, including one vs. chip leader, get me to 716K. Holy schnikeys. Chip leader has taken out the 650K stack to my immediate right and is now at 2.1 million. Second place has 1.2 million with 89 runners remaining.

Leftover coffee I heated with some powdered hot chocolate at 10:30 is long gone. Nursing a 20 oz. Mountain Dew White Out for my caffeine fix. As a Dew connoisseur, I judge it an acceptable flavor. Last hand before the break (7:55 into tournament), push chip leader and a bigger stack off the flop to win a 110K pot with A-A-Q-9 on a board of K-9-5 with two diamonds. I'm at my high water mark of 761K.

I'm 19th with 73 players remaining and the average stack at 551K. Two more Motrin at the break, my second serving of the tournament. With only 70+ BB left, the possibilities of playing a pot for all my chips is growing. Small ball has gotten a little more difficult, especially with chip leader's aggressiveness. All I can hope is to get them in with the best of it.

It's now 1:10 a.m. Three million-plus stacks at the table. Former chip leader down to 1.7 million and now in second place. Sixty-four players remaining.

(Finally) raise with 4-K-Q-J. Former chip leader calls 36K. Flop comes Q-A-10 rainbow. I refuse to screw around and pot for 90K. Villain folds. Get to 800K the next hand when I call a raise in the SB with K-10-J-A. Three players to the flop of 3-2-4 with two hearts. (I have the J and 10 of hearts.) I pot and both villains fold.

Sixty players left with average stack at 670K. Just about to hit 600 hands for the tournament.

Having nearly reached the 8:30 mark, I must admit my concentration is flagging. When the going gets tough, the weird turn pro. It's time to turn pro, ladies and gentlemen. Still pretty card dead. Down to 712K and blinds at 8K/16K.

Fuck. Just lost a big pot to former chip leader (FCL) with Q-9-A-J on a flop of K-J-J. Played it poorly, which, ironically, likely saved me chips. OOP, I checked the flop thinking about a check raise but the other two villains don't bet. I pot the blank turn, FCL calls and I then check-call 192K on the river 8. Villain shows J-8-x-x. Fuck. Down to 376K. Not good.

Must double/triple/quadruple up. Now 39th with 47 runners left. No time to panic. Still have 20 BB.

Called SB steal from BB with 10-7-6-5. Flop comes 10-3-10. Villain bets 42K, I pot and he folds. Wish I had tried a check-raise. At 400K now. "SNL" is long over and the Junior Joneses are off to bed. House is quiet now.

Down to 338K. We're at 42 players left, which represents the biggest pay jump thus far. I'm sucking wind at 36th. Meh. Will need to play for my stack soon. Now must wait for the right spot. Average stack is more than 1 million.

Raise from cutoff with K-K-9-10. Two callers. Fold on flop of A-Q-x. Next hand, stupidly call a preflop raise of 52K with J-J-K-10 double suited. Player behind me pushes. Raiser calls and I fold. Down to 226K. In 36th with 38 left. Can only play monsters now.

Virtually no pots going unraised preflop. Stupid call with J-J-K-10 double suited but I wanted desperately to see a flop. Blinds at 10K/20K.

Got a walk. I'll take it. Blinds at 1250/2500. Still waiting. Pushed through to 36 players remaining. Very nice pay jump at 30th place. Need ... chips ... now. Break about to start. We're 8 hours and 55 minutes into this affair. Decisions are simple now.

It's 2 a.m. Drunks are staggering out of bars. I'm staggering in what has become a PLO marathon. Down to 35 players. Folding garbage. Everyone at the table has 1 million plus including a new chip leader with 3.4 million. FML. At least there aren't any antes. Now positioned in dead last with 159K and 34 players left. Will be pushing in the next few hands most likely.

Push with 10-A-7-A UTG. Win blinds. Wheeeee.

Fold blinds. Shite. Time for the big comeback. Stole blinds with 10-10-A-3 double suited. A limped pot holding 2-3-5-6 from BB. No love on flop. I fold ... again. Blinds just went to 15K/30K with 33 players left.

Headed to the Dark Side of the Moon. Will be out of radio communication until this is over. Hoping to emerge into the bright poker sunshine.

2:30 a.m. -- Out in 24th. With just under 200K in chips, I raise with 6-7-8-K, the K suited in clubs. FCL calls. I'm AI on a flop of 4-8-2 with two clubs. FCL has A-J-10-5. A 3 on the turns gives him a wheel and the river is no help to me. Sigh. Played well but cards didn't cooperate when I really needed them to. Payday is $883.20. A nice profit, even for 9 1/2 hours of play, but I'm deeply disappointed knowing what kind of money waiting at the top of the heap. (First place paid $26K.)