Big Pots, Big Winner

Rachel raised to 5.5K from the small blind and Brandy paused before calling. The board ran out Jd-Js-9h-Kc-Ah. Rachel fired 9K on the river, but Brandy quickly folded. Rachel couldn't resist showing her pocket kings for kings full.

A few hands later Brandy moved all-in and Rachel called. Brandy had Ac3c while Rachel held KcJh. The flop sent Rachel way into the lead when it came Js-Jc-4h. Brandy got some hope with the As on the turn, but the 10s on the river failed to improve her hand and she was left with just 3,000 chips.

As a result, she was all-in the very next hand with 3c6s to Rachel's Qs10c. The queen high held and Rachel was declared the winner of Week 1 of the Monday Night Series.

Here is how the final table turned out:

1. Rachel - $200

2. Brandy - $100

3. Tootie - $35

4. Tim

5. Jeremy

6. Jason

7. Chet

8. Paco

9. Cliff

10. Randy

No Go

Rachel keeps assuring us this is the hand. She has been trying to follow through by moving all-in, but Brandy is not having any of it. Get with the program Brandy!

Chip Counts

Rachel has chipped up a bit. She now has 27K to Brandy's 37K.

Check. Check.

Perhaps we should just deal the cards out face up since these ladies keep checking the hands down to showdown. It would save some time, right?

This Is It....j/k

Rachel predicted this would be the final hand of the tournament. Brandy completed the small blind and Rachel checked her option.

The board came 10s-3d-6c-4d-7h

Rachel bet 2K on the river and Brandy called. "Eight high," Rachel said. Brandy showed Ks9s for king high.

Guess that wasn't the hand after all.

Rachel moved all-in from the small blind and Brandy immediately said "no".

I guess that's a fold.

Stringy

Rachel was in the big blind and Brandy said, "I call and raise 5,000." She was quickly told it was a string bet and Rachel checked her option. The flop came A-K-10 and Rachel checked to Brandy who bet 20K into the 4K pot--the biggest bet we've seen so far in heads up play. Oh, and Rachel folded. Imagine that.

Fun Times

Let me summarize the past few hands for you:

Complete. Check. Flop. Check. Check. Turn. Check. Bet. Fold.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Thrilling.

Blinds Up

Blinds up to 1K/2K. No antes here at Tim's.

Heads Up Chip Counts

Rachel - 19K
Brandy - 44K

Tootie Tooted

Brandy raised to 3,400 out of the small blind and Tootie called from the big blind. The flop came 10d-10c-5c and Brandy informed Tootie, "I check one time." Tootie checked behind. The turn came 6c and Brandy bet 2,000. Tootie quickly called. The river was another 10 and Brandy checked. Tootie moved all-in and Brandy called. Tootie called out, "ace high" and Brandy showed pocket eights for a full house. Tootie was eliminated in 3rd place.

3-handed Chip Count

Rachel - 10,200
Brandy - 24,000
Tootie - 16,300

Jeremy Learns His Lesson Only to Have it Rubbed in His Face

Tootie raised the button once again and this time Jeremy moved all-in with his pocket pair like this reporter told him to. He was slightly ahead with pocket fours to Tootie's A-10, but Tootie took the lead after the flop came Ac-10h-2c. Jeremy picked up a flush draw after the Qc fell on the turn and the 6c on the river was enough to double him up.

The very next hand Tootie opened for a raise again and Jeremy repeated his all-in move. Tootie thought briefly before calling with A-8, which was slightly ahead Jeremy's KhQh. The flop came 9s-3d-2d and the Ac on the turn shipped the hand to Tootie and eliminated Jeremy in 4th.

Tim was right on his heels when he, Tootie, and Brandy got it all-in holding pocket fives, pocket sixes, and AK respectively. Tootie's sixes looked good after the flop came 4s-3s-3h, but the Ah on the turn gave Brandy the lead (obv--we all saw this one coming right?) and the 7d on the river shipped her the enormous pot and the chip lead. Tim was eliminated in 4th, but Tootie still has some fighting chips going into 3 handed play.

Jason Out in 6th

Jason's pocket jack's were no match for the A-K of Rachel and he was eliminated in 6th place.

Jeremy Is an Idiot

Tootie raised the button and Jeremy had 700 of his 4,000 chip stack in for the small blind. He folded and handed me his cards.

"Blog this," he said.

I looked at his hand. "I don't think you want me to...I will be making quite a bit of fun of you. "

"It is okay," he responded.

I had to photograph his hand to commit the stupidity to film and now I present to you, The Worst Fold of the Night:

Blinds Up!

Blinds are now 700/1400 which means all semblances of actual poker have been thrown out the window. Bye!

Chippies!

Updated Chip Counts:
Jeremy - 4,100
Brandy - 5,600
Tim - 6,900
Jason - 8,300
Tootie - 21,500
Rachel - 24,700

Blinds are currently 500/1,000 with 600/1,200 right around the corner.

Monkey Business

Jeremy has just informed us he would, "suck a gorilla for a face card." We just thought you out there on the interweb should know.

Brandy = Indestructable

Tim raised to 2,500 from under the gun and it folded around to Brandy in the big blind. She moved all-in for 600 more and Tim called with pocket tens. Brandy's winning ways appeared to be in jeopardy as she held 9s9h.

Things looked even more grim when the flop came Kh-10h-8c, but Brandy still could backdoor some magic and take the pot. The Ah on the turn gave her a flush draw and when the Jh fell on the river, most of us weren't that surprised to see her make her flush and live to see another flop.

Like Roaches, These Short Stacks

Okay, the three shortest stacks have just doubled up. Brandy, the survivor, moved all-in from the button for her last 1,300 and both Tootie and Tim called from the blinds. The board ran out Qs-10c-6c-7c-Kh. Tootie thought his kings and sevens would be good for the pot, Tim was upset that he didn't reraise with his A-K and Brandy managed to river a straight with her A-J and tripled up.

Chet followed suit when he moved all-in for 1,400 and it folded around to Jeremy who called from the big blind with Kh9d. Chet held Ad6d and was ahead for the moment. The flop was Jd-8s-7d and the Qd on the turn sealed the deal for Chet and he doubled up.

Jason (pictured) was next. He moved all-in from under the gun and Tootie called with Ah-Js. Jason's pocket fours managed to hold and then he doubled up.

Chet had to go and break the streak when Tootie raised to 2,100 and Chet called from the big blind, leaving himself 1,400 chips. Chet moved all-in after the flop came king high and Tootie quickly called with A-K. Tootie's hand held and Chet headed home in 7th.

F**king F**k

Chet limped in from the cutoff, Tootie completed the small blind, and Tim checked his option in the big blind. The flop came Qh-9s-5s and Tootie led out for 1,100. Both Tim and Chet called and the trio saw a turn of 3h. Tootie bet 2,600, Tim folded, and Chet called, leaving a mere 1,400 behind. Tootie moved all-in when the 3d fell on the river and Chet.....folded. Yeah.

The best part? Tootie shows J-6 for a complete bluff.

Chet folded a nine, giving him the best hand, and decided to take his frustration out on his oppponent by calling him a, "f**king f**k"

Adios Paco

Tim limped in from early position and Jeremy followed suit. Rachel (pictured) completed the small blind and Paco moved all-in from the big blind for 6,900. His move worked and it folded to Rachel, who called. It was a race situation with Paco holding AcQc to Rachel's 7c7d. The sevens were certainly lucky as the board ran out Js-Jd-8s-5d-7s giving her a full house and the pot. Paco is busto in 8th place.

Whoops....

Tootie limped in from middle position and Jason moved all-in from the button for 3,400 total and Tootie folded. He proceeded to call himself a dumbass for limping in and, not gonna lie, I kinda have to agree with him = )

Blinds are now 400/800 (I managed to completely miss that they were up to 300/600...solid reporting kids)

Tootie v. Brandy

Tootie raised to 1,400 from middle position and Brandy called in the big blind leaving 1,900 behind. Both players checked the flop and turn as the board came out Kc-Qc-5h-6h and Brandy checked a third time after the 10s fell on the river. Tootie fired out 1,500 and Brandy thought for some time before folding.

Oh Cliff, We Hardly Knew Ye

Cliff (pictured) just got knocked out when he and Tootie got it all-in on an AcAd7c4s board with Cliff holding A8 to Tootie's AQ. The river was a meaningless five and Cliff headed out in 9th place.

Limp In, All-In, All Out

There is a reason you don't limp in when half the table has no chips and that reason is that they are going to move all-in on you.

Clearly, the table here has missed that memo. The past couple of hands have seen multiple players limp in, someone move all-in, and everyone fold. Most recently, Tootie raised to 1,000 from middle position, Jeremy called from the cutoff, and Chet moved all-in for 4,500 more from the big blind. Tootie parted with his hand rather quickly, but Jeremy agonized over a decision long enough for Rachel to call the clock on him. He flipped a coin to make the decision for him and it told him to fold his Jd10d, which he did. Chet then showed pocket aces. Nice fold yo.

Jeremy's On a Roll

In a 3-way 2,400 chip pot with the board reading Ah-9s-7d-2d Tootie checked in the small blind, Tim bet 1,000, Jeremy (pictured) called, and Tootie called. The river was the 9h and it checked to Jeremy who then moved all-in for his last 3,600 chips. Tootie thought for a couple of minutes before folding. After Tim folded Tootie asked Jeremy if he had 9d10d.

"Close," Jeremy responded as he turned over 8d9d. After the hand he was up to 7,000 chips but that wasn't enough for him.

The very next hand Randy limped in from under the gun, Tootie limped on the button, Tim completed the small blind and Jeremy raised to 1,200 total from the big blind. Randy then moved all-in for 3,100 total. It folded around to Jeremy who quickly called with with pocket queens. Randy was in bad shape with KdQc and the board was no help, as it came out 9c-4s-2d-Qs-8d. He was eliminated in 10th place and Jeremy increased his chip stack to over 10,000 chips.

Checking It Down, Tripling It Up

Brandy (pictured) just lost some of those chips she picked up when she limped in from middle position for 400 and Tim raised it to 1,900 total. It folded around and she called. They checked it down as the board came out 8h-5s-4h-8d-Kc. Brandy showed A-10 (a mighty fine hand if I do say so myself), but Tim had her out high-carded with A-Q. She now has 1,200 chips.

A couple of hands later Tim raised to 1,500 from middle position, Paco called from the small blind, and Brandy moved all-in from the big. The two guys checked down the board as it came out Kc-10s-10c-Kd-5h. Paco showed 2-2 and was playing the board. Tim showed J-J, but it was no match for Brandy's pocket queens and she tripled up to 3,600.

Chip Counts and Seat Assignments

Here are the chip counts and seat assignments for the final table:

Seat 1: Jason - 5,400 chips
Seat 2: Randy - 3,100 chips
Seat 3: Cliff - 3,100 chips
Seat 4: Chet - 4,700 chips
Seat 5: Rachel -7,500 chips
Seat 6: Paco - 10,100 chips
Seat 7: Brandy - 3,100 chips
Seat 8: Tootie -13,300 chips
Seat 9: Tim -11,900 chips
Seat 10: Jeremy - 3,900 chips

Blinds are about to be 200/400 so this will be...interesting, especially since four players are in what Dan Harrington would call "all in or fold mode". I have a feeling they will disagree with his philosophy.

Payouts are as follows:
1st - $200
2nd - $100
3rd - $35

Samantha Got Tootied

Tootie and a short-stacked Samantha (pictured) got it all-in preflop with Tootie holding pocket kings to Samantha's Q-9. Her hand failed to catch up and she was eliminated in 11th place.

This blogger was busy posting a public service announcement to the drivers of Lexington, so Tootie kindly filled us in on the action:

"Tootie, an undiscovered gem in the poker world, played another hand to perfection and knocked a player out."

The final table is now set and we have recombined to play for another few minutes before they take a break. Brandy is off to a fast start and has managed to triple up her short stack on the last hand before break.

Stop!

If you happen to be on your way to Tim's house and got your directions from Brandy, we regret to inform you that the, "stop sign that is not a stop sign" she told you about is, in fact, a stop sign. Please drive carefully and come to a complete stop.

Chet Tries, Chet Succeeds

With the blinds at 150/300 Tootie raised to 725 from under the gun and it folded around to Chet (pictured) in the big blind. He called and the two saw a flop of As-Qs-10h. Chet led out for 1,000, leaving 1,600 behind and Tootie moved all-in. It only took a second for Chet to call with Jd10d, which was ahead of Tootie's 7s8s for a flush draw. The turn left Tootie drawing even slimmer when it came 10c and the 4d on the river shipped the pot to Chet.

Chet celebrated following the double up, proclaiming, "I stand up to the evil Tootie and I win! I'm hot ladies and gentleman!"

Meanwhile, Patrick K has been eliminated in 12th and the red table is mourning the loss of its dealer.

Red Table...Kinda Boring

So, I realize I am supposed to be objective, but the Red table has seen far less action than its UK counterpart. This is the table where Paco is telling people what he has so they won't waste their money, remember? Yeah, so...kinda dull.

Meanwhile, Tootie still has a bajillion chips, Tim the Mulleted Wonder is sitting in good shape, and Chet is trying really hard to win his third pot of the night.

A Friendly Game

Paco (pictured) appears to not understand that in poker you are not supposed to tell your opponent what you have. In a blind vs. blind confrontation with Randy he made a minimum bet of 200 on the river on a paired board with three hearts.

"I have a flush, " he said. Randy was a nonbeliever and called. Paco showed his flush and apologized as he scooped the pot.

In other news, Tristen was eliminated in 12th place and blinds are now up to 150/300.

Kevin R Out, I Suck at Poker

The circumstances of Kevin R's elimination in 15th remain a mystery, but here is how I punted my chips away to Tootie (pictured for real this time):

With the blinds at 75/150 I raised to 425 from the cutoff and Tootie called from the big blind. The flop came Qs-9s-3c and we both checked. The turn was the Ah and he checked again. I fired 600 and he raised to 1800 total. I called. The river was another 3 and Tootie moved all-in. I thought for a while and, for reasons I still can't quite explain myself, I called with AdJd. He showed AQ and I now have a lot more time to blog.

Kevin "Mad Man" M Makes for the Door

With the blinds at 75/150 Tootie was first to act and limped in (surprise, surprise). It folded around to Kevin M (pictured), who moved all-in for 725 total. Since Tootie had what he describes as "a bajillion chips" he decided his cards were live enough and called with Qc5c.

He was quite surprised to see he had the best hand as Kevin held Jh10d. The board ran out 7s-6h-5s-6s-As and Tootie's stellar hand held to eliminate Kevin in 16th place.

Eds Note 1: Kevin M informed me his nickname is Mad Man, or M.M.--a name he earned from his recreational volleyball team because he (and this is a direct quote), "ran into walls, women, ran into everything."

Eds Note 2: There was apparently a mix-up with Tootie's photo earlier. Apparently he is not the much loved character from The Facts of Life played by Kim Fields. He is actually a white dude from Kentucky. Come on though, how many people are out there named Tootie? I think it is quite clearly an honest mistake.

Kevin R Pisses His Chips Away

There is a moral to this story and that moral is: don't try to get all fancy when the blogger is watching. About a bajillion people limped in for 100, including Kevin R (pictured), who showed me Kh5d.

The flop came Ac-9d-6c and it checked around to Kevin, who bets 350 and three people call. Ruh Roh.

Well, three check-callers didn't stop Kevin. The turn came Jd and it once again checked to him and he once again fired a bullet, this time for 650 chips. Cliff called, Brandy folded, and Jeremy called. The river was the 8c and Cliff checked for a third time. Jeremy elected to bet and pushed out 900 chips. Kevin concluded king high was probably not good and folded, as did Cliff. Jeremy showed Kc10c for the nut flush and Kevin said, "man Jessica, you just cost me a lot of chips."

The Mulleted Wonder Doubles Up

In a raised pot with a board reading Ah-9s-8s-Ac our host Tim (pictured) bet 1,000 from the big blind and Samantha, who was under the gun, called. The river came Jd and Tim moved all in for 1675 more. Sam thought a while before calling. Tim showed her As-9h for a boat and she mucked. She now has around 1,200 chips with the blinds going up to 50/100 in a matter of seconds.

Blinds Up, Rob Out

Rob W was eliminated in 18th place when his trip jacks were no match for his opponent's queen high straight.

Following on his heels was a relatively short stacked Richard who moved all-in on the turn for 1575 with the board reading Qd-9h-7s-6s. Tootie called with KhQh which had Richard's Q-5 in bad shape. The river was no help to Richard and he was eliminated in 17th, but kindly volunteered to stick around and deal.

Blinds have been up to 25/50 for a while. 50/100 coming up in a few minutes

Tootie Takes One

With about 1,500 chips in the pot and a board reading Js-10c-2c-4h action checked to Tootie (pictured) who bet 700. Samantha called and Kevin M. thought a bit before folding. The 6h fell on the river and Samantha checked to Tootie who once again bet 700. She thought for a bit, flashed a jack, and said, "I think your kicker is better." After she folded, Tootie showed the 2d.

Your Intrepid Reporter Takes One Down

Richard raised to 250 from middle position and I reraised to 750 total. Kevin Maudsley, unsurprisingly, called behind and action folded around to Richard who called. The flop came 8-6-4 rainbow and Richard checked. I instantly moved all-in, everyone folded, and I lived to blog and play another day.

After the hand, Tootie commented, "and that is how you make pocket kings work for you."

I flashed two black kings and tossed them in the muck.

Cards Are In the Air!

Week 1 of the MNS is underway with 18 players split between two tables. Each player starts with 3,500 chips (unless you paid early, in which case your promptness was rewarded with a 10% chip bonus). Each level will last for 20 minutes and the blinds start at 25/25.

A Strange Experiment

During the 2008 WSOP I got the poker reporting bug. That's right, not just the poker bug--the poker reporting bug. Unfortunately, the life of a tournament reporter is one of infrequent spats of work, so I have decided to keep my finely tuned reporting skills on....a home game.

Oh yeah.

So, starting tonight, tune in to lexvegaspoker.blogspot.com every Monday night for live reports of the new 12 week series brought to you by Kevin and Tim. Cards are in the air at 7pm EST and I can pretty much guarantee this will be the ONLY place you can catch up on all the action = )