The Champ... is in Edison!!

I make no secret about it. I like to play poker and I am truly a poseur when it comes to the sport because I didn't know anything about it until it became popular...

I joined the proverbial band wagon.

One of the problems with living in Central Jersey is that it is really hard to find a game... Atlantic City is just far enough away to be a destination and the guys I have been playing with are all getting super busy with kids or other things.

You can imagine my excitement when I recently learned that a local bar (a couple of miles away) is a host on the World Tavern Poker Tour. This is a pretty neat concept. Local bars and taverns across the country hold FREE Texas Hold Em tournaments across the country. There is NO money involved. The places earn money by the beer and food you buy in the place and since they are generally held on weekdays, they are improving their bottom line.

You earn points and whomever has the best score at the end of a determined time span wins their spot into a larger tourney and into the World Poker Finals at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

I tried this tourney out a month and a half ago and I made it about half way in... but I essentially blew a big hand because I wanted to get out of the smoke pit of a restaurant...

Last night... I tried again and I didn't feel too guilty since the wife was away on a business trip. 65 people signed up and we all started with 15,000 bucks. I played a few hands and I thought I was destined to be knocked out when my chip total was down to about $500. I hit trips King with an ace kicker when another guy pulled out a River Card Full House (he had pocket fives and the river was a five.)

I took my lumps, watched a few more hands and then started my comeback. I doubled and tripled up a few times to eventually take the chip lead at the table. A break came and I was moved to a new table which I also dominated before becoming the chip leader at the final table.

I rode my chip lead... to the WIN by bullying when needed and getting caught bluffing at strategic times.

I knocked out 3rd, 4th, and 5th place all in one hand and it took me another 5 minutes to finally knock out the 2nd place person. When I knocked out those three players, I did it with Big Slick and it only cost me 10% of my chip stack.. Of course I was going to make that call!

So... I won a black t-shirt that calls me... CHAMP! and a free dinner... I think I will try the tourney again next week!!!