Firstly it started off not to good I wasn’t even going to enter into the tournament, when my friend rung me up and said that I have entered us both, but we were placed on a wait list because there were only 60 entrants allowed to enter participate the 2008 Gold Coast Indy Poker Tournament.
The next day we received a phone call saying that there were two vacancies because two people pulled out.
The tournament began on the Thursday night consisting of 30 people and the same again on Friday night. A final table was constructed when 25 people were eliminated from each night leaving five people from each night to make up a final table, which was to be played on the Saturday night.
I nearly didn’t make it, as there was only one more player to be knocked out before the final table was constructed, as I was in dealer position with AQ of spades, previously everyone else had folded, so I went all in with my 9000 in chips.
Small blind folded, big blind called. I turned over my AQ of spades, the opponent turned over KQ off suit. The flop was 4 spades 7 diamonds 9 clubs, Turn card King of hearts, so now I really thought I was exiting from the tournament. As luck would have it an Ace of clubs on the river, you little beauty I’m still in the tournament and the other opponent is bleeding chips with only 1000 left.
Next hand he is out, and so the final table is formed, after a very nervous day of playing.
On the night of the final table I had the least of the chip stacks, totalling 20,000 which was only double from the starting stack of 10,000, next was 28,000 and next was 30,000 next was my friend Clint with 37,000 which then all other players had stacks from 102,000 to the chip leader who had a staggering 176,000
For the first ten hands there wasn’t much action happening as everyone else at the table was hoping for someone else to knock other players out. But then I had good cards I was under the gun with pocket nines, but I didn’t really know what to do as I was nervous as hell so I raised to 5 thousand, but fortunately everyone folded. Then very next hand the two biggest stacks went at it, which really increased my chances. There was at least 60,000 in chips in the middle to be won between the 2 big stacks, but still were all nervous as they both checked the river card, for which if don’t know as there the two highest cards out there were and ace and queen.
They show there cards and both had hit a set, one have trip aces and the other having trip queens.
About ten hands had gone by without getting much to play with, when all of a sudden I’m under the gun and I look at pocket queens, which really are for me a bogey hand. So I sit and think what to do, so I think bugger it, And I say I’m all in, so in goes my 22,000, thinking, or hoping that everyone folds.
As they go around the table there is a fold another fold and then the chip leader calls, so by this stage when I hear him say call I’m thinking uh oh. Everyone else folds, so I turn over my pocket queens, and he just happened to have pocket aces, looking down the barrel of being eliminated which I pretty much resigned to, the flop comes over with, you guessed it a queen, but it still wasn’t over, two more cards to come, thankfully there was no ace, Lucky for me, but I didn’t show no remorse I’m back in the game with a bit more of a healthy stack of 44,000.
The blinds went around the table one more time, I happened to be under the gun again, I look down at Ace Queen of diamonds, so I think “Stuff It” No one else is trying to knock anyone out so I say I’m all in. The guy on my immediate left sits there and thinks about it, he was previously one of the big stacks, finally he calls, and he had fewer chips than what I did.
I turn over my ace queen and to my delight he turns over ace, 9 off suit, the flop comes out 4 Queen Queen, So under my breath I’m sitting there saying see you later sucker, and he was gone, with only 7 players left.
After the last good hand the cards seemed to have dried up, but there was still a lot of action happening with a few people being knocked out, leaving only five people remaining.
By this stage the blinds were at 5,000 10,000 and it happened to be I was big blind with an even healthier stack of nearly a 100,000. I look down at my cards and I have pocket Jacks, but the guy under the gun raises to 50,000 everyone else folds, and trust me I nearly did, because I never have much success on the dreaded hand.
So I call, the flop comes out 6, 9, J. I had to contain myself because I knew if I checked he was going to go all in. So I check, and yes he just about screams at the top of his voice “All IN”, so naturally i say call.
I had him covered for chips; he turns over pocket Queens, but when I turn over my trip jacks, the poor bugger nearly had a heart attack. The turn and river cards were no help for him, and you guessed it another one gone.
All the mean while my friend Clint is still sitting there after a night of very few hands, finally doubles up after getting pocket Aces and knocks another guy out.
Now that there were only four left the blinds were still at 10,000 20,000, which is basically going to put Clint nearly all in he happens to go all in with ace high and big blind calls with Queen 7 suited, big blind hits a queen on the flop which takes Clint out in 4th position.
Now it’s time to get really serious with 3 players left. One of the guys left in the final 3 had gone underneath the radar all night quietly chipping away, which in fact he was the 2nd least of the chip stacks at the start of the final table. The very next hand I fold under the gun with queen 9 off suit and small blind limps in, big blind checks. The flop comes out 3 3 9, small blind bets 40,000 and then big blind goes all in for 80,000, small blinds calls immediately and turns over pocket kings, big blind is just ace high. Another 1 gone, it’s now heads up.
We are both about equal in chip stacks, but he basically keeps going all in every hand for the next 2 hands. It got to the stage if he went all in again I would basically have to call no matter what I had, otherwise I would have been at a major disadvantage.
Being big blind, he goes all in again, I look down and I have 10 7 off suit, so I think hey 2nd is not bad, so I call. I turn over my 10 7 and he turns over king 2. As luck would have it again for me the flop comes down 10 7 9, the look on his face said it all, which now really left me with basically double his chip stack.
Now that I’m small blind I have an OK hand jack 10 off suit, so I go all in, it was an automatic call from my opponent. I turn over my Jack 10 and he turns over Ace 2. The flop goes, King 7 4, No help to me, my opponent still in front. The turn card a queen, he’s still in front. The river card is Yes you believe it a 10 of clubs; I automatically jump to my feet in elation high fiving my entourage who had been yelling and screaming all night, then going and shaking the hand of my opponent.
I couldn’t believe it I had just won the 25,000 prize with an awfully large trophy and the supersized novelty cheque.
And that my friends is the story of my first major tournament win.
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