TUNICA RESORTS, MS (thanks Poker Shrink) — First, let me say the Gold Strike has the nicest looking poker room I\’ve seen so far, and the friendliest staff. Now normally I don\’t play rebuy tournaments because they draw too many sucking out donks and the real play doesn\’t start until after the rebuy period is over. But what the hay, I\’m on (poker) vacation. Entry fee, two rebuys and a double add-on later ($120 total), I\’m sitting in the big blind (1,000 with 75 ante) with about 5,000 chips (under average) when a guy in late position raises to 3,000. I call with A-7 suited, the flop misses me, I go all-in and the raiser calls me — with A-4 offsuit! He also has hit nothing. Yes, he was priced in but why did he raise in the first place? Because this is a non-deep-stack, quick-blind-structure sitch, like so many poker tournaments all over.
Compounding the problem is the weirdness of the rebuy structure. Let see if I can explain it without writing an encyclopedia. First hour, you can rebuy as many times as you like: $20 for 1,000 chips if you get below the initial 1,000 that cost you $40. Or if you bust out, you can buy 1,000 for $20 or 2,000 for $40. Then at the hour break, you can add on 2,000 chips for $20 or 4,000 for $40. Correct me if I\’m wrong but it sounds like the thing to do is not even show up the first hour (or play extremely carefully) and take the value add-on(s) at the break.
Back at the hand: You guessed it. The raiser sucked out, hitting a straight on the river.
NEXT UP: More gambling. No, not poker but a trip to \”beautifully restored\” downtown Tunica.
ALT HED: mannysbadbeats.com