NLOP Weekly Championship 26: Bet Early and Often

The $1,000 Weekly Championship tournament at National League of Poker is now open to all comers, but with a steep buy-in: 50,000 points.  Since the NLOP rules changed in January, we've built a bankroll of more than 270,000 points -- more than 54,000 earned in the last week alone.  So tonight was a good time to plunk down some of our stash, and try to hit it big.  The Resurrection/Easter Sunday didn't stop a big crowd from showing up to stop us....

:00 IN: We open the evening with 4-7 in the Big Blind.  We fold to a bet on the flop -- and wind up regretting it, because cards appear for a winning A-5 straight.

:01 IN: We have A-7 in the small blind, on the next hand.  A player raises to 310 (blinds are at 15/30), and we dare to call.  The flop is 8-4-A.  Players check; we choose to lay low and do the same.

The turn is 6.  We bet 100, and get two callers.  The river is K.  We bet 100 -- but a player doubles to 200.  We hope it's a bluff and call.  It's not; the opponent has 6-K!  He hit running cards to win a big pot, which could have been ours with a nice bet on the flop.  Our starting stack of 1,000 sinks to 350.

:12 IN: After A-J and A-2 fail to connect for us, we have 8-8 with 160 chips left.  We see little alternative but to push all-in.  Two players call, and exchange bets for a side pot when the flop is 7-J-3. The turn is Q.  The river is 2.  But the Jack was enough to give a man with 9-J to send us packing.

Final outcome: 796th place out of 1,039 players.  So many points.... so little time....