Busted in 26th Place

From the Live Reports at Poker News yesterday:

Catching the action on a 4h 2d 6c flop we found Scott Clark moving all in to force Sam Barnhart out but find a snap-call by La Sengphet. Clark: Ac 8c Sengphet: 2s 2h
With Clark drawing virtually dead, the 6h on the turn would end his tournament forcing him to the rail in 26th place as Sengphet moved to 190,000 in chips.

It is true, this play does not look good on paper. Playing for the National Championship and a WSOP Bracelet, I open shoved into two very tough players with air. I had been a bit card dead for my Day Two and the hand above began with myself UTG+1 with a suspect Ace Eight suited. The thing that amazed me in this tournament was the fact that players actually folded to my preflop raises often. My read was that I had a decent table image, and this table had been pretty tight at this stage of the tournament.

Tunica Main Event Champion Sam Barnhart called. Sam is a good ole boy with a Southern gentleman's charm and he started the day with only 20K in chips. Somehow he had gotten hot at his first table and gathered the chips to put himself back into contention. Barnhart's call was slow and deliberate. I got the feeling he wanted to raise to isolate and changed his mind. I read him as holding AQ or something like Eights or Nines. La Sengphet and her big stack also made the call and we went to the flop.

The flop was a 2 4 6 rainbow and here are my thoughts. I was nearly certain that La did not hold a pair Nines or bigger. She had a big stack and she would have raised preflop to grab position. IF Sam held something like Sevens, Eights, Nines or Tens -- I was in big trouble. My only hope would have been he felt squeezed with La behind him, causing him to fold a better hand (not likely). After Sam had folded, I thought I was going to win this hand, as he was my main concern...

La snap called with a set of Deuces and I was out the door.

La and I had played versus each other during the last table of Day One and it is very easy for me to like her. I friended her up on my Facebook a few months ago and we have a lot of fun with my name being Clark, same as her boyfriend David Clark. She actually afforded me a free look (Queens) after she three-bet my raise allin. My opinion is La has the advantage as being known as "that girl" by too many of the men. Her play doesn't get enough respect. She knows it, I know it -- and the one thing La knows for sure is how to use a big stack and play the role of  "I am just a girl with a stack."

La Sengphet is my Sentimental Pick to win today...
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National Championship DAY ONE

This is a rambling post about Day One. It is 11:00 PM Las Vegas time, I have some energy left and this was the lineup at my first table:

Seat 1 - Dennis Summers - 2 Allie Prescott - 3 Brian Ali - 4 Gary Friedlander  - 5 Jesse Bryant - 6 Jeses Cabrera - 7 Josh Evans - 8 Joel Merwick - 9 Scotty Fucking Clark

My Southwest flight was St. Louis to Omaha, Nebraska, to Las Vegas. When the plane began to board in Omaha, here came Joel Merwick -- an Omaha native. I said hello, but we don't know each other and we never talked at the airport. Fast forward to the next day and would you know it, Joel was seated on my right. My first big pot was versus Merwick. I raised with Queens in a three-way pot. The flop landed K 7 4 and it was checked around. A Queen of Diamonds landed on the turn -- completing any Diamond draw. Joel bet and was called by myself and Brian Ali. A blank landed on the river, Joel led again and I called. Merwick showed a set of Sevens and I took it down with three Queens. A very good check by me on the flop.

I rolled my stack into 32,000 (20K to start) by the end of the second level. I had began to build a great table image, mixing up instances of having the hand at showdown and showing a few big pairs to folds. I also got away with stealing when I tried. Then I made a steal that should have worked but didn't. Read about the hand at Poker News below.

Poker News Live Reporting

Brian Ali picked off my river bluff when I held one pair. It was checked around on the flop and Jesus Cabrera was in position in the hand. I led on the turn representing the flush that got there and was called twice. I bet big on the river, and Ali tanked a long time. Brian hated his call, he was "in the squeeze". Cabrera's demeanor told me he had no call coming, but Ali still called 10K and this let alot of wind out of my sails. After that hand, I just called with AK from the small blind in an uncalled pot to Allie Prescott. He was short-stacked, shoved with Ace rag and I snap called. After the elimination of Prescott, Kyle Cartwright and Dwyte Pilgrim were moved to my table.

Dennis Summer and Gary Friedlander never showed up for the tournament and their chips were picked up after four hours. We played 7 handed for 4 hours and I think the situation was actually advantageous for me. After busting Allie, I doubled up Dwyte Pilgrim in probably the worst call all year. I will write about the hand later, just to prove I am human. Mr Pilgrim should thank me, it was embarrassing...

I was then moved to a different table which included Pete Mavro, Bernard Lee and Brandon Adams on my immediate left. La Sengphet and Allen Kessler were on my right. I am telling you here and now, I watched La simply pummel a table of grown men. It is true, this bitch can play boys (inside joke). I  was down to 12K when I raised with As Js and La re-raised from the big blind allin. I folded and she showed me Queens, cause we friends on Facebook LOL. For three hours at this table I lingered between 9K and 20K -- then I doubled through Miss Sengphet. I limped with AK, Pete raised, La called with 66 and I shipped it. La called and the flop came 7 7 T. There was no help on the turn, but I spike the Ace on the river to avoid elimination...

I enter Day Two with 38,600 in chips. Blinds will be 600/1200 and 35 players remain. Fourteen of these players have a shorter stack than I, but I have drawn a very tough table on the re-draw. The chip average is 54,000 and it is anybody's game. The very lovely La Sengphet is the chipleader.

CHIP COUNTS going into Day Two