The Poker Trip: They Call Me Short Stack

Event 2:

Buy-In - $500
Starting Chips - 2500
Field - 25
Payout - 2 main event seats; 3rd = $1600
Finish - 4

Everybody was surprised by the small turnout. I heard Monday's event at this level was in the hundreds. Speculation was that the World Poker Tour at the Goldstrike pulled away most of the players.

So I finished 4th. One out of the money. To be honest, after playing nearly five hours it's all a blur. I've played in longer tournaments but never at this skill level. So no hand summaries. Suffice it to say it was a typical tournament. I got lucky, I got unlucky, I played with skill and I played boneheaded. You play long enough and you get a little of everything.

In one of the games back home my nickname is "short stack". I proved it at the end. When we got down to 8 players, I was down to about 7000. The blinds were 200 / 400 plus a 50 ante. They would shortly go to 300 / 600 with a 75 ante. They started chewing my butt up. I nursed and coddled my short stack all the way to four left. I worked my way back up to about 9,000 but with over 60,000 chips in play, I had to play desperate poker.

The final hand was me pushing with K-8 off suit and getting called by a pair of 10s. He hit the third 10 on the flop, I did not hit the running kings and it was all over.

So what now?

I may play some single table events in the morning, but I doubt it. I'm pretty pokered out. The one thing I thought I was prepared for but was not is the stamina requirement. These were small tournaments and I am wore out. To focus intently for 4+ hours is incredibly difficult. I felt my mind wandering and a few times had to be reminded by the dealer to put in my ante. The big tournaments run for 10+ hours a day for several days. My hat is off to the pros. I don't think you really understand the mental discipline until you try it.

This does not mean I won't try again. The circuit hits Atlantic City in March and I haven't seen a good friend in D.C. in nearly a year.

For now, I feel the need something a little less taxing.

Like Georgia politics.