Every year the game suprises you.
Despite all the hype you may hear and some of the cheesy ways they try to build it up, there is no doubt that Ace’s poker tournament really is the sporting event of the year.
The game starts early.
It’s 10 am and most of the players are there already, in the house is Ace, Woody, Nice Guy Eddie, Chef, Alejandro and in walks J6 and the Rapper.
Alejandro comments that the only way to get a semi-tight game in against the Rapper is to start it early enough in the day to ensure that the Rapper hasn’t already started in on the coctails. The Rapper quips back that it would be a good strategy if he had actually gone to sleep last night and wasn’t still on a roll from the night before.
Cards are drawn to decide seats and the players each take their briefcase of cash to the teller to get their chips.
Ace has set up the place perfectly again this year, he even has those little tables behind the seats so you can put your drinks on them.
Gentlemen, shuffle up and deal!
The game is on. Blinds are $25/$50 and the tourney pays the top three only.
The game starts out quite tight. There is a little splashing around here and there, but for the most part a raise will take down the blinds most times. The golf pro shows up a bit late, but still manages to beat the the Mouth to the game who finally shows up, late as usual and immediately starts complaining about the valet parking, security at the door, his appearance fee, his seat, the blind structure and of course tries to lean the buyin.
The game slowly starts to gain some momemtum though.
Players settle into their seats and start making moves, out of the box the Rapper continues his ways from the last home game and reraises weakness mercilessly.
Ace is the first out.
Slowly Nice Guy Eddie, Alejandro, and the Golf Pro fall by the wayside also and the cash game gets started in the high roller room.
Meanwhile the bubble is approaching and the players can start smelling mountains of cash that is the prize money, or is that Ace’s chicken wings?
Dinner break for some delicious wings and salad. Nice Guy Eddie tries to break Joey Chestnuts world record for chicken wings and falls just shy, most likely due to the two super size big mac meals he had on the way over.
After the dinner break the final five aggree to put the game on pause for a couple so they can hit the washroom, grab some nicotine and assorted other duties.
Woody writes a page for himself in history beside the infamous Poker Dave shower and backs up the toilet on the break.
After much mocking the player’s settle back in and get the game underway again.
The players have shuffled around a bit and again the Mouth finds himself out of position against the Rapper who is on the Button and raises the Mouth’s blind. Not a great place for the Mouth to be as his stack is a little below average.
Call.
Out comes a 6 high flop and the Mouth shoves the rest of his stack in the middle and gets called by the Rapper who shows top pair, top kicker and fades the other two cards to take down the Mouth and make it 4 handed.
The player fold it around for a bit, raise, fold, raise, fold, Chef seems to be catching cards now and is slowly making dents in the stack of J6 who ends up pushing from the small blind and getting a reluctant call from Woody who tables KQ and hits a K to take down the A6 of J6 and send him to the rail as the bubble boy.
The final 3 agree to chop the winning and get the cash game going in earnest as it seems that Nice Guy Eddie is already on tilt and things are getting juicy already.
Not much in terms of play in the opening hands except that Nice Guy Eddie continues to try and bluff his way through the Rapper and loses most of his stack getting his value bet/bluff called on the river.
Hand of the night is easily the 4 way all in between Golf Pro, Chef, Alejandro and the Mouth. AQ vs KK vs AQ vs 33.
Mouth says he is due to hit his set and sure enough does on the river, only the flopped nut flush from the Golf Pro has already sealed the hand for him.
I’d like to talk more about the game but had to go cover some other football game that was playing that night and to take off shortly after that.
Another great day at Ace’s tournament though, a big thanks to Ace and Mrs. Ace for their hospitality and hard work in putting together such a great day as always!