My Bad-Beat Story for This Year...

Let me preface this post with: I am not a very good loser! Especially when its to an inferior player...

I ventured out to the Hard Rock Casino - Tulsa to participate in one of the nightly $120 buy-in NL hold'em tournaments. I had a great start with six limpers to me in the big blind with 10 - 4 off suit. The flop came 10 - 4 - 4... The small blind checked and I made a small bet. Five folds and a call by the small blind. Turn was a 7 and again the SB checked to me and I laid out a bet for roughly half of the pot and he called. The river was a 2 and he checked and I again bet half of the pot and he folded... I was off and running.

Our table was the first to be broken and I moved to a new table after about 45 minutes of play and around 9K in chips (starting stack was 6K). I immediately went card dead for the next half hour. I finally woke up with A-K diamonds under the gun and made a raise and everyone folded back to me. I guess I had a pretty tight image at the table.

Finally the cards started coming around... or maybe I just got a bit more aggressive, and took down a few more pots, most without a showdown.

I went into the first break in the top 10 overall in chips and easily had the lead at our table.

I've always told my wife thats she's the biggest cooler in the world. I can be on the biggest roll evr and she calls me or stops by to talk and everything goes south from there. So why in the name of all that is good did I call her during the break???

After the break, I was once again pretty card dead, but I did manage to take a couple of short stacks out and win a couple of other rounds of blinds just by betting and watching everyone fold. The guy to my left, on the other hand, went on a big heater.

He had been down to around 3K in chips and ended up with it all in and sucked out on the river to double up through another player. When its your time, I guess its your time... And it was definitely this dude's time as he continued to catch cards and come from behind to win pots. He soon had taken the chip lead at our table.

Then things seemed to change as he lost a couple of pots, but still had a small chip lead over me. I limped into a pot with A - 8 spades as did he, the small blind and the big blind checked his option. The flop came down A clubs, 8 diamonds, 10 diamonds. Both blinds checked and I bet 3K into a pot of about 4K and he raises to 9K!

I had been at the table with him for a few hours so I knew he was pretty reckless at times. I thought about it and figured him to have A - small of diamonds. Both blinds folded and I called, leaving me around 12K in chips.

The turn was a Q spades and I laid out a bet of 3K and he again raised, this time to only 6K... If I call, then I would only have around 6K left for the river and I pushed it all in. He stopped and thought about it for a while... counted his chips... he had me covered by 800 chips. If he calls and loses, he's done... He calls!!!

I throw out my A - 8 for two pair and he turns over A - 2 diamonds... The only thing that will win it for him is a diamond... Then comes the river and its a 6 diamonds and my night is over.

I was right in the way I played it and would have loved it if we would have been in a cash game, because chasing a draw is sure way to lose over the long haul.

I stood up from the table and he reached to shake my hand... I reached out and shook it and as I walked away couldn't help myself but to do my best Helmuth impression: "How many times can one person suck out?" I said.

He was out of the tournament less than thirty minutes later after having climbed to 4th overall in chips after taking my stack.

Sorry for the bad-beat story... It won't happen again... hopefully.

Cherokee Casino Resort Daily Poker Schedule + Mid-South Poker Classic Dates Released

Here's the schedule for the regular poker tournaments held at the Cherokee Casino Resort in Catoosa (Tulsa)...Soon to be the Hard Rock Casino - Tulsa.

10:00am Daily Shootout

$35 buy-in
15 minute levels
4000 starting chips
Optional $10 re-buy, $10 add-on
Mon-Fri $1500 guaranteed
Sat-Sun $3000 guaranteed


1:00pm Daily Turbo Shootout

$25 buy-in
10 minute levels
4000 starting chips
No re-buys or add-ons
Monday thru Friday


Monday's 5:00pm Seniors No Limit Hold'em

$25 buy-in
15 minute levels
4000 starting chips
Optional $10 re-buy, $10 add-on
4pm registration


Tuesday's 7:00pm No Limit Hold'em

$60 buy-in
20 minute levels
4000 starting chips
No re-buys or add-ons
$3000 guaranteed


Wednesday's 7:00pm Pot Limit Omaha

$60 buy-in
20 minute levels
4000 starting chips
No re-buys or add-ons
$10 optional staff appreciation for 2000 more in starting chips
$3000 guaranteed


Thursday's 7:00pm No Limit Hold'em

$60 buy-in
20 minute levels
4000 starting chips
No re-buys or add-ons
$3000 guaranteed


4:00pm Saturday No Limit Hold'em

$120 buy-in
40 minute levels
5000 starting chips
No re-buys or add-ons
$4000 guaranteed


6:00pm Sunday No Limit Hold'em

$60 buy-in
20 minute levels
4000 starting chips
No re-buys or add-ons
$3000 guaranteed


The daily 10:00am tournament game varies...Limit, No Limit, Omaha, Stud, etc. You can call the poker kiosk at (918)384-6648 for more information.

Click the banner below for more info on the Mid-South Classic. Another great poker tournament from the premier tournament venue in Oklahoma. Twenty-five events with buy-ins from $120 to $1590. There are also mega satellites running to get into the main event on the cheap throughout the schedule.

I don't make any money promoting the Cherokee, but do like to pimp-out my home casino when I get the chance. See you at the tables.

Wow!!! The Hard Rock Comes to Oklahoma...finally

The Cherokee Casino Resort in Catoosa (Tulsa) has just announced that when their expansion is completed in the spring that the casino will be rebranded 'The Hard Rock Casino - Tulsa'.

Already Oklahoma's premier poker destination, the addition of the Hard Rock name is sure to bring in more people to play my game...For full details you can click the title and it will take you to the full press release from the Cherokee Nation...

The new casino floor will be opening in December with 110,000 square feet of gambling. The Cherokee Resort has the largest poker room in Oklahoma and regularly hosts tournaments that draw players from throughout the US and the world.

The Scotty Nguyen Challenge V just wrapped up. Look for a new post coming soon with results from the main event final table and winners of other events.

The new 19 story hotel tower opens in the Spring of 2009 and the 'Hard Rock' branding is scheduled to coincide with that opening.