Linda Johnson in a recent Card Player magazine asked women which do they prefer, cash or tournament?  I love both, but I go broke playing cash 1 out of 3 times.  The first week I was in Vegas at The Venetian, I killed on the cash tables twice for about $3000 all together.  I started with $400 each time.  The third time was not a charm.  I already doubled up pretty quickly after busting out of the nightly $335 tourney, so I should have just walked away, but oh no, not my dumb butt.  I thought I had a good rush going.

Oh first I forgot to tell you, the night before I did a beautiful 5 way chop for about $2700 in the noon tourney at the Venetian.  We played for about 8 hours, before we finally threw in the towel.  There was one lady there that came to the final table with $12,000 in chips and finished as our chip leader on the table.  She was the epitimy of chip and a chair folks.  I was massive chip leader when it was down to the final 2 tables.  It slowly got chipped away, but I did a big come back on the final table.  It was really exciting.  Two hands I want to talk about.

1st-I had just taken out a huge chip leader and feeling the rush when I was at the final 2 tables.  I don’t even remember the hand, but I remember the this one.  I was still stacking my chips when the next hand was dealt.  The blinds are $3,000 and $6,000 plus an ante of $500.  I raised to $24,000 with pocket Q’s.  Everyone folds arounds, except one.  He reraises me an additional $32,000.  Now remind you I have everyone outchipped 5 to 1 by now and this guy had a huge stack too.  I was on such a rush from the last hand I blurted out all in.  With no hesitation this guy calls.  Remind you I am still stacking my chips from the last hand.  I quickly turn over my queens to his aces.  BOOM!  I set my queens on the flop.  Everyone at the table was telling the guy it’s never easy.  In total shock that I won I quickly sat down exhausted.  I had so many chips I couldn’t stack them.  The tourney director came over and colored me up.  I said  how many chips do I have and he responded…let’s put it this way.  Everyone else has about 1/10 of what you have.  Cool, I thought and ordered in suite dining.  I was starving.  I tried to stay out of a lot of weak hands after that, but still managed to do 2 small CDU (courtesy double ups).  I just laid low until the final table, so when I got there I was no longer the massive chip leader.  I was about even with 3 people.

2nd-Now at the final table and it’s down to 6 of us.  I get pocket aces.  The blinds are the same, just the ante went up to $1,000.  I didn’t want to scare anybody off their marginal hands, so I only bet out $18,000.  I get one caller in the big blind.  The flop comes, rag, rag, jack.  The guy whose first to act says all in.  Of course I call and his head just dropped.  He had a J 8.  I flipped over my aces.  The man to my right said nice way to reel him in.  He said if I bet any more than that I would have lost him.  I took a minute to decide $18 or $24 k and opted to trap and it worked.  After I took his huge stack, then the rest of us worked out the chop.  The short stack gave 4 of us each an additional $100 from his winnings.  He really appreciated it, the 4 of us could have blinded him out in 2 rounds.

Now, back to cash or tourney?  My cash game is good, but I have a money management problem.  I won $3000 in the first 2 nights and gave $2500 back the 3rd night.  Oh that sucked.  No more atm cards for me in a casino.  Now I just take my entry and a little spending cash for food and drink.  Cash is more for gamblers and tourneys are more for athletes.  I myself want to be an athelete.

I love The Venetian by the way.  Tune in next time when I talk about family, tourneys, and another chop at The Venetian.

May your pocket deuces never loseces.

Melissa

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• 21-year-old, logger in World Series of Poker final
• Moon headed for poker finale