Toyundai HQ

Mr Sugiyama stared distantly out of his window in Tokyo, stoked his chin and pondered.

Thirty five years I’ve spent dedicating myself to the Toyundai cause, and the frustration grows and grows. I delegate, because I am told to, but I’d be better off doing it myself. How could that imbecile Hokkaido not see what was happening? The pull production system is a key to our corporate philosophy and should deliver stock at exactly the point it is needed. That guy has stuck around, and been promoted way above his level – how could he have got his forecasts so wrong?

Sugiyama could almost visualise how tomorrow’s meeting with Chairman Fukashima was going to develop:

“Sugiyama – Am I correct in assuming you are aware we use just-in-time production here at Toyundai?”

“Yes sir”

“Glad to hear it after your length of service. However one thing is troubling me.”

“Sir”

“Can you explain why after all of this month’s orders have been fulfilled we still have an entire parking lot of Colons left?

“Sir – the team made some miscalculations……..”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

“Does is say fucking General Autos on the wall behind me? No – it says Toyundai! We are going to be a laughing stock like those halfwits in Detroit.. Nobody likes the shitty Colon anyway! And half of that lot are lime green! What were you thinking? The guys at Mitsibota are going to have a field day. ”

The phone rang, jolting Sugiyama back to the present. He fielded the call absentmindedly, musing that he might be out on his backside tomorrow, with nothing to show for his 35 years service except, perhaps, a complimentary Colon.

As I alluded in my last post, it’s been a pretty poor year on the poker front, but last night, FINALLY, I made a semi decent score.. I finished 8th in the Gutshot 8pm tournament, but more importantly claimed 3rd spot in the Full Tilt 60k guaranteed, winning $9k in total for the night.

The Baron, Devski and The Nit were all railing me at various points, and I supplied them with e-mail updates through the night to give them something to read this morning. The reason I did this was partly for good luck, as the last time I did that I won 25k Euro on Poker Trillion in 2007.

Anyhow – here are the notes. We pick up the action with me sitting in 3rd place with 22 remaining of 400/450 runners on a stack of 110k.

• Flat called raise with 99 out of BB and gave up on an AKx board - Check raised initial raiser on low flop with air to get to 139k.. Now chip leader. - Lose 100k pot. I raise to 6.6k with AA in EP, button calls, BB squeezes all in and I shove, button folds. He has QJ. He flops 2 pair. Down to 88k.

• Misread my hand for 2 pair and bet pot on river. Realise I have NO PAIR (how did I do that?) . Guy folds to my ten high and I move to 95k

• I take on a big race. I raise 99 out of SB and BB shoves for 50k. I call and hold against KJ. Up to 165k

• Bad beat for some punter aipf with KK v A4. Guy hits runner runner runner straight to the four. 14 left, we are in 8th spot.

• Boom. I raise to 13k with J8, BB flats AT. Flop is AQT. I bet 25k he flat calls. Turn is a 9 filling my double gutter. He shoves, we call, he crys. Up to 267k and 1st in chips.

• Lose a chunk with TT v KQ. He plays it badly though, flat calling multiple shells – he could have got a bit more from me there. Down to 200k.

• I overcook a hand – UTG raises to 18k, I make it 60k with QQ. Flop is Q78 with 2 spades. There is so much in the middle so I shoved and he passed. Could have got more out of that one. Now at 267k

WTF? I raise UTG with QQ to 15k. Button moves all in for 150k. I think AK so decide to call to try and win the thing, but he has J9. Up to 400k now, but in 2nd spot with 5 remaining. The guy who cracked my Aces earlier is on fire, and now on 600k.

Down to 4 runners, I am on 280k after having a lot of raises shoved on. There are 2 others with similar stacks and one player on 600k

• I fold A9 on a 9 high board. Felt I was facing overpair.
• Win big pot making good call with 2nd pair.
• Fold 66 to a shove from another stack.

At this point things go wrong, I find myself with 150k and about 12 big blinds after having to lay down a succession of initial raises with debatable holdings.

I shove 74 from the SB and get called by BB with KJ. Flop
arrives…………..4……………..7…………..4. I am a genius.

KJ bloke tilts out next hand to leave us with three remaining.

I dribble down to 10 BB again and shove JT out of SB. BB has AQ and calls to knock me out in 3rd spot.

So there we are. Finally a good result, and just in time for the bankroll. Mr Sugiyama and Chairman Fukashima would be delighted at my efficient response to the changing demands of the business :)