Another Day in the Office - Part 14

By Neil Channing - July 2005

Hopefully, if any of you know how this story ends, you'll do what you normally do with my longer ones, and just grit your teeth 'til the end.

I got myself up early and wrote a quick diary before settling down at table 155. You would think that with 5600 players I might get a bunch of unknowns, so I was about as pleased to see Phillip Marmostein as he was to see me. The first hour I was quite patient, winning a small pot with 9,9 on a ten high flop and getting the feel of the (quite passive) table. When five people limped for 50 I couldn't resist the old 800 raise move with the old Kc2c. Marmostein couldn't resist the old 2,000 reraise move though. Marvellous.

I was hovvering at about 9400 when I got my first big hand. The first guy limped for 50, followed by the serial limper. I raised to 275 with KK and was called by the button. The early limper now moved in for 10,000. He started talking and encouraging a call, asking me if I had queens. If I did it would be an easy laydown. I think he probably has AK but may have aces which means I'm either 4/1 or 4/11. I decide to swallow, and lay it down. Two media people who were behind him tell me they saw AK. I'm not quite sure if they should do that.

The first big sweat for me came after Phillip had bluffed of his chips and been replaced by a nutter with a stack. The guy on my right raised to 600 and I just called with AhQh as I was wary of the nutter behind me. We took the flop heads-up Jh5h6s and he bet 1200 which I called. The turn was the Ad and when he bet 1200 again I moved in for 5600. He called immediately with A6 and I hit the 9h to double up. Lucky old nine.

Nothing much happened after that, my only aces earned the blinds, until the evening. I was moved to a new table with 15,000. The standard of play was fairly poor and generally passive but the stacks were huge. I had just 15k with the average at 25k, but felt I could see some cheap flops here and build up.

The next key hand was a nightmare for me. I had been raising around the back and picking up pots on the flop for a while so I tried the same with Kh6h. I made it 1075 to go (blinds were 150/300). The guy on the button put in 1200 saying nothing - he hadn't noticed my raise. I can get a ruling and the floor will tell him this is just a call but this may look awfully weak to him. He looks now like he doesn't want to raise, and the dealer is telling him he MUST raise the minimum. I smell weakness and raise to 7k. He moves in for 5k more. I am now in a mess thanks to trying to jump on his mistake. I'm getting great odds on my hand but I'm almost certainly beat and if I lose the pot I'm down to 1800 and all but dead. I ignore the great odds and pass.

I'm really glad I did now, as a few all ins and some aggressive play later and I end the day with 28,000, only just below the average and all ready for day two.

Neil Channing is sponsored by Betusa.com