From: "Russell Fox" <rcfox@claytonservices.com> To: <barge@barge.org> Date: Mon, 4 Aug 2003 13:33:38 -0700 Subject: [BARGE] Russ F's 2003 BARGE Trip Report (Posted to rgp and the Barge mailing list) Russ F's 2003 BARGE Trip Report Barge. That once-a-year experience* where -EV bets are condoned, where game selection (EV) takes a back seat to game selection (fun). Here are my highlights: 1. I drove this year, and it was an easy 3.5 hour drive from Orange County. (This is my obligatory travel note.) 2. My tournament play was either unlucky, poor, or some combination thereof. In my first BARGE event, the BCC (Barge Chip Committee) NLHE $10 freeze-out, I win the button. I only played pocket pairs in this event - my first hand I'm dealt QQ. Eight-handed, Patrick Milligan has called. I raise to T50, and he calls. The flop is ThTo3h. Patrick checks, I make a slightly larger than pot-sized bet, and he calls. The turn completes his flush (he started with Ahxh) and I'm busted on the first hand. 3. Two of the tourneys I played in - the Monday night Orleans $20/$10 rebuy NLHE and the Tuesday night Mirage $60/$40 rebuy NLHE - had some of the worst plays I've seen in some time. On Monday night, I lost track of how many rebuys were made at my first table (probably 0.5 per hand played). On the first hand of the tournament I have the button (again). I raise with AhTh and get three callers. The flop is To8h3h - a great flop for my hand. I bet, and get two callers. The turn is an offsuit Ace; I make a pot-sized bet and the same two players call. The river is a blank. Someone pushes all-in (for a small amount), the other player folds and I call, of course. He has some small pair - pocket 4's - and does the first of the many rebuys at my table. I bust out in about 28th place, having gone card dead. The Tuesday Mirage tournament was similar (horrendous play early). When the blinds at the Mirage tournament skyrocket I lose two coin tosses and am done. 4. I attempted, without success, to put other players in the BARGE tourneys on tilt by reading out loud from my tax course book (I'm taking the Special Enrollment Exam in September). Scottro promised a photo but he kept forgetting his camera. 5. I played pretty well in the TOC tourney, except for one hand. Steve BIA Nissman raises in a limit hold'em round, and I reraise from the big blind with KK. (Our stack sizes are similar, and the blinds/limits have become quite large. Steve was in middle position and is quite capable of stealing). The flop was 3 rags. I bet and Steve called. The turn was yet another rag. Steve raises and I think for a brief moment. Could he have AA? Sure. Could he have AK or QQ (or even KK)? Certainly. He had AA and I was crippled. 6. The BARGE NLHE tourney had a very fast structure this year. Early on, Chic Natkins re-raised me (going all-in) when he had pocket 9's. Pocket 9's were a very bad hand to hold at our table, and had no chance against my AA, and I double up. On the next hand ADB Fich busts Chic (who was left with T25) and Mad Mary when his AA beats Mary's AK and Chic's QT. One interesting thing about our table was the large number of big hands shown. I was extremely impressed with the player sitting to my right - tiltboy Josh Paley. He played very well (and was also blessed with some big hands: AA, KK, several AK/AQ type hands), stealing when appropriate. On Sunday morning Josh and I had breakfast and he mentioned something that I hadn't realized about my game. I'm planning on using that the next time I play in an NLHE tourney. Thanks, Josh. My starting table felt almost like one of our LA home games, with Beth Even and Lou Krieger at the table. Josh busted Lou when Lou makes an interesting bet into Josh's flopped 2-pairs (Josh had Q6, Lou A5, the flop was AQ6). Josh also knocked out Monte Christensen when he held AJ versus Monte's KJ. /David [Huberman], who was sitting to my left, was also knocked out by Josh - David had TT and Josh KK. So who sits down to my left - Scotty Byron (it wouldn't be a BARGE NLHE tourney without Scott Byron to my left [see Barge 2000, Barge 2001, and Escargot 2002]). I knock out Tina Martinez. Tina pushes all-in for a couple hundred more than my raise (I had 76o, Tina had QJ). A seven on the flop and Tina is done. On the last hand before the first break, Fich eliminates Kevin Knourek, when the miracle K hits on the river (KQ vs AQ) and Un is done. Ken QB, Barry Tanenbaum and Goldiefish have all joined our table (at this point I have about T3800, a slightly above average stack). But I get unlucky when QB raises, I push all-in (99) and QB elects to go all-in with Scottro (77). QB had a short stack and makes an out he hadn't thought of - a flush when the board has lots of diamonds and I don't have the 9d. Josh makes a good play, re-raising QB (JJ) with AKo. QB thinks for a while and elects to fold when Josh says he'll show his hand (he does). I think QB hadan easy call given the fast structure of the tourney. I knock out Bwanna (Scott Byron) when he elects to call my raise with J9 (I have Q7). The flop is overkill - two Queens, and I'm back to average. Fich knocks out QB: Scottro doesn't work for QB this time as Fich plays his mediocre hand (AA). Beth gets a clock called on her when she debates calling my re-raise (I had KK). Eventually she folds and I reach my high point of T4400. Fich (JTs) knocks out both Beth (AKo) and Goldie (83s) when the flop has a Jack. (Please don't ask me why Goldie was in this hand as there's no way I can answer). On the next hand Fich (AQ) knocks out Barry Kornspan (J8). Unfortunately for me, the end was quick (and painful). I lose most of my stack when the coin comes up tails (I had TT versus AK - an Ace on the river). I'm out on the first hand after the second break when Dave Marshall's 33 makes a straight on the river after I suck out with J6 (a 6 on the turn). 7. I had the most fun in the two pot limit games I played in (not the most cards but the most fun). In the Lee Jones/Paul Phillips PLHE game at the Mirage, I manage to lose $14. I was not dealt one decent hand in the two hours I played in the game. I won some chips with gumbo (85o), and lost some with blinds. I also played in the Saturday night PLHE/PLO game at the Horseshoe and was dealt no premium hands, and only one decent Omaha hand. I managed a win, but more importantly had a tremendous time. 8. Kudos to Binion's for giving us free drinks at the Symposium Friday night and to Paradise Poker for the drinks on Saturday night before the banquet. All of the sponsors (PokerStars, Paradise, and Quiotix Technologies) helped all of us have a great time. Special thanks to Binion's (I never thought I'd say the following, but.). Although Binion's was still smoky, it was much, much better than prior years. Binion's treated us extremely well, their personnel were uniformly helpful and courteous, the dealers (with one exception) were good, and everything worked very, very well. 9. I only wish I had more time to spend with everyone having fun. Unfortunately for me, the real world interfered (the Special Enrollment Examination) and I spent at least an hour a day studying. Next year I should have lots more time to spend with all of the goofballs having too much fun. 10. Has Barge 2004 been scheduled? Well, ESCARGOT 2004 will likely be January 15th - 17th at the Bike in L.A. Plan on attending. -- Russ Fox *Of course, there are other ARG events (ESCARGOT, FARGO, MARGE, SARGE & ATLARGE) where one can share in the fun. ________ Thanks to PokerStars, Paradise Poker, and Quiotix Technologies for their generous sponsorship of BARGE 2003.