A Charming Third

Tom showed up to the poker event late and inquired about the swings and if there were many. The answer to that is that the game was all swings. Chips were moving back and forth with great frequency. I came out the gate pretty hot, winning the first hand vs Mike. I caught an A high nut flush that bettered his lower flush. I A few hands later, Jay wins one the largest pot so far, flopping a heart flush that got paid off. Somehow I was able to remain hot, winning about half of the hands played, up to that point. This games was played very differently from our weekly games. The play was very tight and at some point I noticed that it was 10pm (started @ 8pm) and we had not lost a player.

My hot streak finally ended vs Jay. I played a set of QQQs to the river and was dismayed to see that he had made a full house with 333QQ. It was a nasty hand that Jay was able to string me along with small bets that didn't take too much of my stack away. However, I think this may have been a pivotal point in the game for me. I flopped the set QQQ with 1 Q in the hole. I saw no viable draws on the board that spooked me so, I slow played it by checking after the flop. What I didn't know was that Jay had 33 in the hole and had flopped a full house. I didn't see the boat coming at all and so if he bets heavy and hard, I would have called him regardless. I thought my hand was good and did not make him for that last Q in the deck. I was wrong, I lost the hand, but I didn't go broke.

Jamie and her stellar play was relatively quiet for the first hour but then she started to get busy. By the time she won her second hand she was amongst the chip leaders. Blinds seem to be flying by and there are huge pots at the 200/400 levels. Dame started to play bully-ball with the table and punked his was into the chip lead. The chips that Jay had ripped from my cold dead hands were soon amongst the warm embrace of one Michael Bailey. Jay has now become the short stack when levels flip to 300/600. Pots are now worth stealing as Jamie well knows so she starts the robbery and expresses little remorse. By 400/800 levels, Dame is the chip leader with Mike a close second. Jamie had a moderate stack that was better than the left side of the table (Me, Stella, Jay).

I made the first all in push of the night and was able to steal those healthy blinds. Jay was next to push with $3000. Jamie pondered for a long time but shows an A while folding. The blinds go to Jay. Jay and Mike would have the first showdown of the evening. Jay shows 1010 vs Mike's AJ. Mike hit a J on the flop but Jay completes a Broadway straight when he rivers a K. Jay doubles up and is back in the game. I go all in a few more times with no callers. Stella's stack is dwindling. She is the only one at the table who the wind of the swings didn't seem to touch. Soon, she pushes all in with $2600 and Dame calls. Stella shows K4 vs Dame's Q3 Stella catches a K and the jux she needed. I continue my pilferage of the blinds with more all in calls that go unchallenged.

Chips were moving like crazy after the second hour. I go all in with J5 and Stella calls. I get the luck I need and catch me a jux with a J high straight. Stella is now on respirator watch with $200 left. Jay and Mike again tangle and Jay returns the favor from earlier by doubling him up. Mike eliminates Stella on the next hand. Jay catches a miraculous jux by hitting A high vs Jamie vs Pierre and triples up. He is back in the game but levels are high. I had done enough to now be in decent shape with the levels. I win a major hand and @ 700/1400 levels, I have a significant chip lead. Dame is in second with about $7000.

Mike's day was up and down and then up again. He gets paid on a big hand from Jamie where he catches JJJ55. They go at it again in a showdown and Mike doubles up again. Jay was soon eliminated by Jamie and a few hands later, she eliminates Mike, which sets us up for World War III.

For those that might not know, Jamie has won the last 2 CIPT seasons. What you also might not know is that she beat me twice. It was the only matchup I wanted. I was told earlier in a friendly text thread to be careful what I wished for. I guess the universal forces saw fit to pair us up again. Perhaps, one could even call this a rivalry. I had a decent chip lead on Jamie going into our showdown but I was quite aware at how Jamie can come back in any game. She has done it many times and with far less. We went back and forth awhile, mostly folding to big bets pre flop until Jamie calls and is able to double up her stack. She is in prime position now. This scenario is eerily similar to the way she dismantled me in season 12. I'm still ahead in chips we finally get to the moment that would make me a dragon slayer and her a poker immortal. I have a JQ vs her A7. My J pairs and for once, the river is kind to me. It was an unlikely 3rd dance for us but with the way Jamie plays, she'll definitely be back. It was an awesome game and an awesome evening. Shoutout to Laura for dealing. On to the next one...Season 14