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Barny on the Bubble

World Series of Poker, Las Vegas
$1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em
Report by Ross on Wednesday, 28 April 2004 at 7:17 pm

We always knew that this leg of the tour would be by far the toughest, the fields are huge and what with the boom in poker this year they are bigger than ever before.

However after a flying start at the Bellagio picking up $100,000 in prize money between us we were filled with confidence for the World Series. It didn’t take long to have the stuffing knocked out of us, four tournaments and no show, not even close.

Day five was looking like more of the same. Joe went early and at the first break Ram and I hooked up at what has become our usual meeting spot, the taxi stand. When we left Barny he had about 800 in chips so we figured it probably wouldn’t be long before he would join us by the pool.

You’d have to be a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic to think it possible to stand on a lilo while it’s floating on six feet of water, but yesterday after my fifth early exit I was bored enough to try. I was making my eighteenth unsuccessful attempt when Barny phoned. He was still in. With one hundred players left Barn was below average with only 3,000 in chips but Ram and I agreed that being a well above average player he was still in with a good shot. I was munching my way through a mouth full of quarter pounder with cheese when we got our next call, with fifty players left Barny was up to 19,000, as I cheered with delight Buster got a face full of American cheddar. By the time we got our next call there were only thirty players remaining. Barn still had about the same in chips; all things being equal he now had a good chance to go all the way. With ten players left Barny had about 35,000 in chips when he found 9 10 in the small blind, everybody passed and Barn made up the blind, there was no raise and the flop came down A, 9, 10, three clubs. The big blind had Q, 4 off suit with the Q of clubs all the chips went in on the flop, and the turn bought a flush.

Barny went out on the bubble, in many ways the most disappointing place to finish but as far as I am concerned he put up a great show and has re-established our hopes for the rest of the series. Well done Barny.

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