Weekend poker thoughts

Thanks to all those who left comments congratulating me on my weekend romp through the online poker world. I should be meeting you in Vegas in just a couple of days (that is nice to type) and the drink will flow.

I noticed some things that really stuck out while playing this weekend. I think the first was how much A 10 overplayed. I like playing A 10, especially suited, in limit games. However, in NL, I tend to shy away unless I am the aggressor. I was surprised many times to see people calling big bets or all in bets with just A 10. Actually I would say it was shocking. A 10 isn't that strong. If you flopped an A, you kicker is just so so. But many times I would see players either limp, or min raise with A 10, then call the push or big re-raise. Can't think of a single time they won the hand. Needless to say, I enjoyed watching such bad moves. When looking down, A 10 does not become Ace to the tenth power. It isn't that good.

Second thing I saw a lot of, and didn't like were the push monkeys. You know these kind of players. They are scared to play poker. So they raise up the bet to 15 or 20 times the BB. This seemed to mostly be done with J J or 10 10. I enjoyed watching them lose big stacks with such a stupid play. Why the big bet? You have no faith in your post-flop play? Don't know how to represent a big hand? Heck, if you get re-raised, you can always fold! Instead, they keep pushing like a monkey- I even started taunting them by typing in "any monkey can push chips" in hopes they would get pissed and push when I raise with a monster- with not so strong hands. They never realize that someone will wait for them to make their move and call with a good hand. Monkeys never win.

One observation I had was on my own play. I didn't play my best in the end of the tournaments. I was very weak headsup. I tried to be aggressive but kept folding to a re-raise when the flop didn't hit me or I caught bottom pair. Not quite sure how to remedy that leak yet but have checked some things out. First thing first is to continue to get myself into that situation.

I am still amazed that I won over $2800 in 2 days. Mindblowing is the only way to describe it. I know I am not the best player out there, but I feel my game is improving. So much that I am willing to part with $1500 of what I just won to play on Friday, if I can. Hell, that is the point of this money, to keep getting better and to play against the best. I have already pulled my investment out so this is just one big freeroll to me. Except I doubt I will see a bunch of monkeys at the table in the WSOP.

Who says Noble is bad?

I may be the only one who enjoys playing at Noble Poker. Yeah, there are some shortcomings at the site, but for a little player like me, it works out well. It is a nice aquarium with all kinds of fish swimming around. One thing I do not like at Noble are their tournaments. For the most part, they are all rebuys. I hate rebuy tournaments. So for some crazy reason I played a SnG for a ticket to the $10,000 guaranteed freezeout on Sunday afternoon. Don't know exactly why as I would be out watching the Indianapolis 500 at a bar drinking beer like they were closing the brewery tomorrow. Needless to say, I was primed up to play some drunen poker.

Nothing good happens for the first hour. I barely survive to the money. But for a $5 investment, I will come out at least with $100 when I finally make it to the money. Only 147 started and 20 made the money. I was happy to just limp off the bubble and cash in. This is where the action starts.

Catch A J on the cutoff. With blinds 750/1500, I raise to 5k. SB bumps it up to 10k. Hmm...BB folds. I push all in. I am thinking he has a weak ace at best. He takes some time and folds. WTF? He had great odds to call. I can't believe he thought I would fold the hand when I popped in 60% of my chips.

Soon I would catch K Q in the big blind. It folds around to the small blind and I am waiting for him to steal. He raises it the min and I quickly call to show I have something. The flop come A K 6. He bets 4k. I push confident this pot is mine. He folds. I then knock a small stack out on the next hand with Q J. A push on him with his Q 7. Not bad. But I get greedy with my 3 3 on the next hand and push on another small stack. He has A 6 and hits the A on the river. Doesn't matter as he probably would have pushed anyways.

I am sitting with 25k and 138 left-hey, I have been drinking and I lost track of time. Now I am sitting at the final table and watching the monkeys push in left and right (more on that later). Looks like I have at least $400 if I bust out now. I am sitting in 4th. Unfortunately the tournament leader is on my left with 90k.

I give a min raise UTG with A 9 cuz the table is tight. The BB is on the short stack and I call his 1k raise. His K 3 is not up to the task and he is gone. I take out another when I raise it up with K 10 to 10k (blinds are now 1500/3000). SB pushes all in for 18k total. I have the odds to call and do. He shows 9 9. A 10 on the flop seals the deal for me. Now there are 4 of us.

I chip up on 3 3. I raise it to 10k. SB, the new leader, calls me. Flop comes A 2 5. He checks and folds on my push. Next hand I get A 9 and re-raise a small stack. He folds and I am barely the new leader.

That was short lived as 3 3 didn't pay off this time around losing to A J suited. J on the flop did the trick. Next hand I push with 8 8. A little tiltish but it worked. Stacks are pretty even and I once again have a small lead on this table of 4.

Blinds move to 2k/4k. That 3 3 come again. I raise it to 12k and they all fold. This is pretty much what is happening. Trading blinds back and forth, with no one getting an edge. Then in a quick move, A Q loses to K Q with a K on the flop. A Q is pissed but he is out. Next, the Hilton Sistes pay a visit to me. I smooth call it. The BB pushes with A 6 and gets no help. I am now heads up playing for 3k.

Early on, I fold a pair of Js with an A on the board. I get pushed around for a bit and then overplay 7 7 by pushing preflop. I may have been better served trying to play it out a bit. Because I then play rather crappily for a bit, getting pushed around. Nothing is working for me. Every time I raise, I catch nothing on the flop. When I do, such as an 8 6 limp that flops me two pair, he folds to my little bet.

Soon I would go out when I over play my pair of 5s. I push when a 10 hits the turn. He thinks and calls with J 10. I am done, finishing in 2nd. But I collect 2 large for my efforts. Yes, $2000 for finishing second. Whoooooooooo!!!!!!! Not bad for a $5 buy in.

I think I should be checking about playing in Event #2 at the WSOP. Feels like a freeroll right now.

Bodoggy

Played quite a bit of poker on Saturday. Mainly freerolls, but also a nice overlay at Bodog for only $8. It was a $7500 guarantee. When I first saw it, only 200 were registered with 20 minutes to go. Heck, this is the reason why I opened an account at Bodog. I had to play this one. 336 start. Top 36 will get paid with first place a nice $1875.

I make it to the final table which means I am catching a nice return on my investment. At least $127. Whoo hoo!
Chip up nicely with the Hiltons. I raise it up from UTG. Loose guy in the middle pushes all in with 8 8. I don't mind as his chips come my way.

6 6 gets me a bit more with a raggy flop. 9 9 gets me some blinds. Table is on the tight side right now. I try to steal some blinds with any ace but one guy finally cracks back. With 7 left, I am sitting at 3rd with 46k. Tournament leader has 142k, second at 60k. It is anyones game at this point. The tourney leader is the only one I am concerned about. I played with him at an earlier table and he knew what he was doing. That would help me later on.

In the big blind I have K Q. Any little raise I will call. TL jacks it up from UTG. I know he has me beat. He shows A Q. He shows all his hands which has been great. Next hand, I have A J in the small blind and call the loose guy who pushed. His K 10 gets nowhere while I fill a wheel. I am now at 67k with only 5 of us left. That means at least $450 for me.

I try to knock a guy out on my left who is short stacked but can't fill the open ended straight. Damn. I get those chips back with a pair of 3s. I play a A 8 suited aggressively but get called by the short stack with A 9 suited. Two hearts hit the board- good for me- but his 9 is out there. No hearts come but an 8 hits the river to rub it in. He moves ahead of me. Shit.

Next I get 8 8 in the SB and raise it up. He pushes. Having played with him at a couple others tables, I am comfortable knowing he has just high cards. Sure enough, K 10 and I double up. I then give it back to him with 9 9 against his A K. K on the flop does it.

I am sitting at the bottom now with 54k. The two knuckleheads at the table just won't lose. They keep catching cards just as they are about to go out. With blinds at 6000/12000, there is little room to move about for me.

Then they come. 10 10 in the small blind. The tourney leaded raises to 35k. I have to push. He thinks and calls showing A J off. No help and suddenly I am in the lead with 133k.

We finally get to 4 when two good players battle. One is short stacked and in the BB. Q J takes down A 6 with a rivered Q. This puts me at $600, my highest won dollar amount in a tourney.

I would really give up my lead defending blinds, trying to steal others. Messy. Had to buckle down and play some good poker. I get A J suited on the button. Knucklehead raises. I push all in. He shows K 10. People are loving their K 10 today. I move back into contention.

I knock out the pain in the arse on my left with A 9 hearts. He pushed with K Q off. 9 on the flop was all I needed. Up to winning $800!!! Sitting at 189k and in the lead as well.

The only player I was concerned about begins to beat us both silly. Aggressive raises and re-raises, we can't do anything to stop him. He is also catching some damn good hands. However, he just can't knock either of us out. I push back on a A 4 but run into A K. 4 on the flop gives me a double up though. I give it back with A 7 against A J. Damn.

I think I am going to hit 2nd when the others do battle. A 3 goes up against A K. He hits his 3 on the flop but the K comes on the river. So close.

Well, this story doesn't end on a high note. I was done in 3rd. With A 10 I raised it all in. Ran into the Hilton Sisters. Flop comes good K J 10, so there is some hope that his set gets me a straight. But it doesn't come along and I am done. Win $832.49 to be exact. My best so far. Can't complain about that $8 investment.

Hopefully this is an omen for my Vegas trip. Less than a week out now. Can't wait to meet some good people and play poker.

Cleared the bonus but lost at Party

Yep, I admit it. I have lost money at Party Poker. Cleared the May bonus in 3 days and lost $21 in the process playing 1/2. Guess I should clarify that I only had a bonus of $50 and technically was up $29 after receving the bonus but I was a loser at the tables.

It was a case of 4 losing sessions over 6 hours. Never a big loss, usually 10-15 bucks. A good final session lifted me up to where I was. I have tried to study how I played these games. Was I looser than normal? Did I play really stupid? I don't think so. I played some hands too loose like one where I called with A 10 suited on a flop that contained just one of my suit but didn't help me at all. I called 2 bets by accident. I thought it was just one and with overcards called. I exclaimed "Shit!" upon doing so. Like a true Party Poker player I runner runnered the flush. All on accident.

I do recall 3 hands that pissed me off. Each were quite similiar. Small stack (less than $5) raises pre-flop and gets 4 callers. They bet out the flop and re-raise until they are all in. In these hands I had the best hand pre and post flop. They would catch their needed A or K on the river, usually showing K or A rag offsuit. Yep, each time taking a $15-$20 pot that was going to be mine across the table to some moron. With those 3 hands, I eke out a small profit.

But I did learn something. I will play more at Party in my patent style. Iggy is right. However, I think I may reload at Noble for their big reload bonus. The fish swim there too. I had one really bad day the other night. I made up for it on one hand yesterday.

I went to the 2/4 game to check it out. I was playing with the house's money so I would put a toe in the water to see how it was. There were only 6 at the table. I watched a couple hands to get a feel for the action. Looks like everyone wanted to play every hand. As you know, that is good and bad. Good as you will make a good chunk of change. Bad because some chump will play their 8 3 suited and river the 8 for 2 pair to crack your aces.

However, it was me that would do the cracking last night. I was up a couple of bucks when the Hilton Sisters came for a visit. I said hello Paris with a re-raise and hello Nicki with a cap call. All 5 are in the pot. Every hand and every bet for this table. Flop comes 8 high, rainbow. I bet out and the original bettor raises again. Only one folds, the other two call when he re-raises again. I just call the raise as I know I must be behind. Turn is Mama Hilton (?) Queen of Diamonds. Nice. It does put two diamonds on the board now, but there is no straight possibility. I go for the check raise. Damn, no re-raise here. River is a rag, but a diamond. I cringe thinking one of these guys kept jamming with A K diamonds and hit their hand now. I bet out and they both call. There is a moment as my cards are shown. Theirs hit the muck and $92 comes my way. May be the biggest cash pot I have ever won. Not quite sure as I never keep track of that.

Felt good to have the Hiltons put a smile on my face. Now I know why Pauly likes them so.

I love Vegas

If you have never heard Dean Martin sing "I Love Las Vegas", you are missing out on a great tune. I know the time for Vegas is drawing nigh (where did that fancy talk come from?) when Deano voice sings in my head. I subconsciously fire it up on the pc when playing cards. Then I go back and play it again, and again, and again. Then I listen to Frank and Sammy sing a killer version of "Mack the Knife". Yep, I tend to listen to some Rat Pack, not a lot, to feed the monkey bouncing around inside me, jonesing for touchdown at McCarren. One week and I will be there. And I am planning for a trip in August. Who wants to go then as well?

I am a bit surprised about the reaction I receive from many of my friends when I tell them what I am doing out there this time. There are the usual questions. What are you going to do? Going to Vegas to play in a poker tournament. I am surprised I have received no reaction on that. Doesn't even faze them.

Who you going with? No one. Going to meet a bunch of people I have never met out there to play poker, drink and gamble til I drop. No response. I would think that someone along the way would say something to the likes of "How do you know who these people are? Will you recognize them? What if they are jagoffs?" The answer to those questions is easy. I don't. Some, maybe. They could be, but I highly doubt it.

I went to Vegas by myself in December and enjoyed it. I had no one dragging me down, forcing me to leave a good game. Not that I will always go by myself but that won't every hold me back. Now I have a chance to go "meet" new people. One can feel they know someone just by reading their blogs. You can get a feel for who they are. Heck, you already know their interests, so I don't think hanging with someone I have never met in person will be an issue.

At Up For Poker, they ran a series of questions about who you want to toss back a drink with and talk poker, writing, tacos, etc. I won't go through the whole list but will paraphrase a bit.

I am looking forward to shooting the shit with and tilting glasses with Al. That should be quite a time. I also want to drink with the Human Head and Bob. I like their perspectives on things. Somewhat like mind but different enough to talk and more importantly, learn new things.

There are a handful of others such as BG, Dr. Pauly and Iggy. I separate them from the group only because I really respect the writing/work they do on their blogs. They are daily reads because of the talent they have and how one can relate to what they do. I know they may be hounded by others and well, I don't want to be the drunk idiot that tries the approach of acting like a long lost friend that they have known forever and make an idiot of myself. I recall a post BG and Pauly had about people acting like they are part of the group that rang with me. They had good points in it that I agree with. The majority of these people don't know me from the next guy shuffling chips at a table so I will just keep it cool. I guess somewhere along the line shit will just happen so I am simply not gonna sweat it.

There are others I would like to yap with of course. One would have to be Grubby. If you don't read his blog, you are missing out. Where else can you live a vicariously through a Vegas resident? Great stuff. I wouldn't mind talking with Hank about working for an online poker company. Music with Badblood would be good, as he may turn me on to some bands I may like. I know somewhere over the 5 day period I will probably have Linda dealing to me over at the Bellagio. I also look for an opportunity to talk with Felicia. She can't be as bad as she lets up to. Hell, I like people that can be blunt.

Best of all, I will meet some people I either read in passing or not at all. That may be the best part. The way I see it, anyone who can think up a thought such as storming a casino's poker room with 100 people on a Saturday night can't be bad. They must have watched too many Batman TV shows as a kid to come up with this. Pure evil genius that could only have been inspired by the Joker.

Other things that will happen:
Playing 6/12 at the Mirage. Just may be my favorite game in Vegas.
Maybe an Omaha 8 game with Al. I like Omaha but I just am not that good at it, yet.
Pai Gow at TI. 8 hours of drinking Makers and ginger ale. Must remember to eat this time.
Drinking Cabo Wabo at the after party.
Checking out the Wynn.
Playing some nickel slots to amuse myself with the bonus games.
The nightly tourney at Mandalay.

I have no set schedule which is cool. I figure by 7ish I will be checked in at the Imperial Palace and ready to go. Those who would like to meet up and enjoy a cold one, let me know. Send me an email at StB31@hotmail.com

I just have to go through a torturous 7 days now. This rant looks like crap but so be it. I am going to Vegas so I don't care.

The Dr. Pauly freeroll

I was in good spirits for the Dr. Pauly freeroll being held at Noble Poker. I spent the time between the tournament and work drinking beer and eating wings. Hey, every athlete needs a regimen. I have my own.

Shocker how I am sitting at the same starting table as Dr. Pauly. Third time in a roll how this has happened. Things started well. On the first hand A J paid off a little bit. A J would earn me some chips to get the night going a couple of times. But the big hand would be the Hilton Sisters cracking some Cowboys. That chipped me up well. Or at least for the time being. Soon after that I would have my own Cowboys knocked down by Big Slick.

The only hand that I misplayed early on was a pair of 9s. I raised it up just to have Dr. Pauly push all in. I thought about it. Thought some more and decided I would call. Just as I clicked on the call button, I got timed out. That sucked. As it turned out, Pauly had just A J. The other caller has A K. I would have ended up with a straight. Damn.

I then bleed some chips with 8 8 on a J high flop. EP pushes. I think and doubt he has A J or K J. Wrong. He has A J and I don't see the miracle set. I am just above where we started having given away half of my stack.

I then attempt to bluff my way in the big blind by playing 8 9 off. Flop came A high and it was checked to me. I bet half the pot and was called. I fired the 2nd and 3rd bullet but was raised all in on the river. All I managed to do there was give half my stack away again. But I tried. You have to fire the 3rd bullet.

I hastily push with K Q off UTG later. I am glad that no one calls me down. I show hoping to induce some action later. Why? I don't know. I already have made some bad moves. If that ain't inducing action what will?

I go out soon in 89th place. I have 7 8 suited in the small blind and call. Flop comes 9 10 J. Sweet. Or so I thought. I push. I get called by the BB right away. Everyone else folds. He shows 8 Q for the higher straight. Just like that, I am done. No way out of that one.

But it was fun. I pushed with a strong hand so I can't complain. I will get it done next time.

Freeroll marathon- Take 3

Just for making a deposit at Noble, they give you an entry into a $1000 freeroll. I wasn't able to make it last week and they were gracious enough to let me play this past Saturday. I have found the tourneys at Noble to be pretty damn loose so far so I thought I had a good chance to make some money. First place paid $250. Not bad. With 502 people entered, I hunkered down to play some poker.

502 people started. Of the 10 at the table, only 3 of us were present at first. Instead of avoiding each other, one guy decided he was going to play every hand and make big bets to push people off hands take down the pots. Personally, I think that is a stupid strategy because someone will get a hand and knock you out. What really sucked was when someone else showed up and decided to employ the same strategy. Man, do I want some cards!

I watch the others play every hand for a while. It is a bit frustrating watching them hit their crappy hands. There are 3 calling stations calling bets without odds. That is encouraging though. Just tells me to overbet a monster and I will collect. I just need the monster.

I finally get one by limping with 7 8. Flop comes 6 9 10, rainbow. Jackpot! I bet 3/4 of the pot. Of course the guy on my left calls. So does another. I bet 400 on the turn when a 3 shows up. He calls. I push all in on the river for my last 310. He folds. But I bump up nicely.

I think I have another chance to bump again when I flop at open ended straight draw. One of the calling stations won't go away though. I fold on the river when I don't fill the straight. But just a couple of hands later I would take out one of the aggressive guys. With A J clubs on the button, I pop the pot to 300. One takes the bait and pushes on the A high flop. He shows A 3 off. See ya! Now I need to get rid of the guy on my left. If I do that the stacks of all the sitouts are mine.

For the next 20 minutes I watch the guy on my left get and redistribute chips. He has others playing too hard to hit him. They stay in thinking he has nothing, even though they have nothing as well, trying to draw out and paying off his bottom pair. It is rather silly. You aren't going to bluff this guy. He isn't that smart. Funnier still, is guy on the left will fold to any all in bet, no matter the size. Saw him do it 4 times.

Like many others that have read Dan Harrington's book, I got some useful information out of there that helped me win a nice pot. I was in the big blind (100/200) with 9 3 clubs. Of course the guy on my left limped in but the one of the other live ones raised to 400. There is one other caller and it comes around to me. Knowing the doofus on my left will call, I have pot odds to call as well. Flop comes all rags but with a 3. Every street gets checked around and my small pair wins a 1700 pot.

I give it back when I raise with Big Slick. Doofus on my left calls. Flop is all low cards 5 6 8. I bet half the pot and he calls. Hmm...turn is an 8. I check as does he. River is rag and I check. He bets out the min. I call to see his 7s.

Next hand, I get A Q and jack it up gain. Doofus is there too. Flop is all rags. I push trying to take it right there. He calls and shows A A. Fuck! This S.O.B had more than his share of big pairs and takes me out. Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe it. Oh well.

Poker Mountain officially gave up on their freerolls. They cannot get their software to work. Big surprise there. Don't see why they don't pack it in. When I check at 5pm on a Saturday, there were at total of 6 people playing real money games. Could it be any worse?

Freeroll marathon- Take 2. Er..maybe not

I was set to put up with the Poker Morgue Mountain crappy MTT software. I had dinner, had my beer, and had some patience. Turns out I would need none of it.

The tournaments were scrapped. The problem that occurred last night wasn't fixed. Did they alert anyone of this?

NO.

I log in to see the listings are gone. Totally gone. Much like PM will soon be.

So I go to Noble to continue to work off the bonus. Just a couple more days and that will be completed. If I get it done by the weekend I may even make another deposit to gain the 60% bonus. Hey, I am still a small player and need to build the bankroll.

So I play for a couple of hours before curiousity gets the better of me. I look at the tourneys and see a $2500 guarantee starting in 40 minutes. Interesting. Only 50 had signed up. I figure that maybe 100 tops will be in making a great overlay.

102 sign up and we are off. However, I miss one important aspect of this tournament. It is a rebuy. Shit! I hate rebuys. And I would really hate this one. Stupid bets, huge raises, all ins left and right. Ugly. Rebuy after play K 8 suited. Yeah, that was a great play.

I play stupid at the beginning thinking I can see some flops by limping. Dumb as someone is constantly pushing. I don't know why because they usually have a mid pair at best and will not be bluffing anyone.

I basically lose just about half my stack trying to limp and acting like a calling station. All this time I am just waiting for some decent cards as I watch one guy push on crap so many times. He probably rebought at least 7 times. Another has bought 5 times, and a third at least 4. They will need to reach 7th place to recoup their entries. Highly doubtful. Meanwhile the chip leader at the table has yet to rebuy.

So I bleed away half the stack and say WTF and push with K Q. I am up against 3 others. Great! Flop comes out 10 J J, two spades. One person has A J. I start hoping for the straight. The turn is a 6 of spades, the river a Q- of spades! I hit the runner runner flush and am back in the game. Of course, they are rebuying.

I push up the standings when I push with 10 10. I have 2 callers, one with A K. K hits the flop and I am ready to turn the pc off. The river comes with a black 10 and I crank up to 3rd. Now I am waiting for the rebuy period to end. That should end the nonsense.

At the break, I am in 6th spot, only because 3 others added on. I don't understand why at that point. Especially the guy who has already made 10 buyins at this time. There are 65 people left and the last 2 tables pay.

I am curious to see if the action at the table changes. It does for a bit except for Mr. 10 buy-in. He start pushing on flops again.

I don't do much until I get A J in EP. This hand kills me. I want to limp but don't really like the idea. I bet 750 (100/200). There is a fold and then a smaller stack pushes for a total of 2000. Two more over a guy pushes for another 3000 for 5115 total. WTF? I can't call with this. I would call the short stack but not the big stack. Short shows A A while the BS shows K Q off. K Q off??? Flop J J 4. DAMN! I would have ended up with a boat and a nice lead. Oh well. I know I shouldn't call that big stack. Stupid move on his part.

But that is how things are. All in pre flop a lot. 5000? Move all in. So what if the BB is only 200. A lot of times when they are called, they only have an A at best. Time to adjust as they move me to a new table. Oh wait, same thing going on here. A big stack is kinda bullying the small ones but doesn't need to push with any pair. He does so with 6 6 and runs into K K. But the guy with K J fills the straight cracking the cowboys.

Meanwhile I am getting blinded down as I get nothing to play. A couple orbits go by and I haven't played a hand. I try to defend the blinds but never hit the flop. Blinds come around again and I get some chips by betting at a flop of A A J with just a Q high. Got lucky at the tournament leader has been put to my right and he doesn't want to beat on me.

I see at this time that there are 27 left. My place? 21. Call me the bubble boy at this point. I am not concerned though. The table (as are most of the players in the tourney) are a bunch of action junkies. I watch some raise and then re-raise all in with just 8 8. I could see the raise but why push when you can see a flop?

I could sit and make the money but what fun is that? I get A K clubs and raise it up to 3000. The aggressive guy on my left pushes for another 1300. It folds back around and I call. He shows A 7 diamonds. Two diamonds on the flop and the last on the turn and I am crippled. Maybe I should have pushed preflop but I don't think it would have mattered.

Blinds come and I am forced to play the classic J 2 off suit. Great! Of course the assmunch that had the A 7 plays and knocks me out. I am out in 25th. Don't feel I played bad but it just takes one beat to knock you down and out.

Freeroll marathon- Take 1

Software doesn't seem much better on Poker Mountain. People are complaining right away about the software and their connectivity. It doesn't look smooth. The cards come out rather choppily. 500 are signed up but maybe 380 are playing. Only the top ten will split the $500 pool. Seeing how I have played a lot of limit lately, I figure on using these to prime me for the Vegas tournament.

I play slow and tight with only the big hands to start off. A K early on gets me a small pot as does A Q. I watch the table as a couple players want to be in every hand. There is only one that concerns me and they will show their cards.

A Q gets me some more chips as some guy decides to call my 5x BB bet with A 9 off. Strange how he kept calling my bets on down. I see that TJ Cloutier is playing and doing well. Daniel Negreanu is nowhere in site. I guess he doesn't want anything to do with "his" online place to play. The guy on my left has given up. He says that his connection isn't responding. I give him credit for not screwing up the table. Hey, this is just a freeroll.

I take down some more pots but nothing really big. I am watching the two ATC players yo yo up and down with their chips. One hits the miracle straight after playing 7 9 offsuit. That really pissed another off. Don't know why as they pushed with A 9 off.

The table seems to now be pretty passive as the two knuckleheads have been knocked out. Plus, I have players to the right and left of me that aren't here. I will be able to steal blinds without even trying.

Just after an hour a message pops up saying the tournament will be ended. They have a problem with the software that they need to fix. At least they have a message informing us that it will be halted. Now message are coming every couple of minutes. Looks like they will add $2 to the pool for every player left. Now they say they will shut down and be back in 5 minutes. I'll be damned if it doesn't go down in the middle of a hand. Just shuts down. Good to see they have their act together.

I'll call this the first break. I am sitting just about 2100 and have higher than an average stack. Not too bad. Pretty much where I usually am at.

Ten minutes go by and I log back in. Nothing really happens. Ten minutes later there are a whopping 50 people that have logged back in. Hmm...maybe the message was that they were going to give everyone $2, possibly an equal share of the prize pool. I decide to give it another 15 and call it a night. Last thing I am going to do is wait around waiting for a crappy site to come back up for a freeroll.

Besides, I will be playing it again tomorrow. Yeah, I never learn.

March of the Poker Bloggers

Inspired while listening to Anthrax, I offer up for approval those heading to Vegas in June, the March of the Poker Bloggers. Who out there is familiar with Anthrax's version of Friggin in the Riggin? Ok, I see Al and Badblood with their hands up. Not too good. Maybe Al can put it up on his site. I apologize to anyone who feels left out. UPDATE. Al has added a link to the tune (THANKS!!!) in the comments section. Go mosh out!!!

March of the Poker Bloggers

There was a bunch of bloggers
Who like to drink their lagers
When playing seven two offsuit
They piss off all the donkers

They’ve traveled cross the nations
Poker paid vacations
We love the schism that they make
They’re here for the duration

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

The blogfather is Ignatious
His drinking is hellacious
A pint of Guiness for this here dwarf
Will make him very gracious

Dr. Pauly likes his strippers
Like Phish they make him chipper
No drugs needed here for
Him to bust his zipper

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

You know his name is Al
And SoCo is his pal
He’ll share his booze with everyone
Just to boost morale

And what would be a list
With out BG the columnist
Don’t mess with his condiments
Or he just may get pissed

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

Otis is the PokerStar
That travels near and far
To find out where he is now
Go to the closest bar

CJ is the one
Who started all this fun
Show him you appreciation
With a gooey Cinnebon

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

And then there is Badblood
The poker table making stud
It’s good to see him drink Heineken
Instead of that swill Bud

He is the Poker Grub
A deal he can’t snub
Club Paradise at two for one
For strippers he can rub

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

Joe Speaker and ABVidale
We hope that they will prevail
With all us drunks watching them
From just beyond the rail

He claims he is a hunk
With twice confirmed junk
Is Bobby Bracelet the real deal
Or is it a bunch of bunk

I hope it's not true what's been said
about the Human Head
His scotch don't come on the rocks
but with H2O instead?

A fool and his money
are such a funny thing to see
Watching Don King play poker
Looking like a big donkey

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

Just don’t give us a hassle
Or else we may just wrassle
After slamming the Hammer down
When we storm the Castle

Just like drinking gin
You’ll know just where we been
After we crown a new champion
At the Aladdin

Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer
Laying down the Hammer,
That’s what you supposed to do!

An email from the dead

I have cleared just over half the bonus at Noble. There was a healthy number of players on last night to keep 3 tables going at the 1/2 level. Unfortunately for me, it was a losing session. For some reason whenever I 3 table, I always have a very poor performance at one table. I did well at 2 of them but the 3rd sucked me dry. Is there a lack of focus involved?

I know I didn't play my best poker either. Calling down at times I knew I was beat. This is becoming a tough one for me. With the crappy play going on, it is hard not to call down even though there are 3 of the same suit out there. Half the time they will have the flush, half the time they won't. This is a terrible habit to be developing but it has been profitable. But if you continue to pay people off, you will lost a lot more than you will win.

For instance I got A A cracked by 4 4 when there were 4 diamonds on the board and he had the fifth. Then surprisingly my A A stood up to 6 6 when there were 4 clubs on the board. Guess I have to lean on the instinct and focus on the notes I have on the players.

I played the 2/4 table for one orbit. I wanted to get a feel for the level of play and see if I may be ready for it. It was just an orbit as I wanted to catch a show on TV. It was an interesting ramming jamming game. Not too surprising for it to get at least raised, if not capped preflop. The cards some of these guys were playing kinda shocked me too. At one showdown, two pair won (K 10) beating out K 6, and Q Q. The fact that K 6 saw a flop calling 4 bets was funny. Then he flopped two pair. He rammed and jammed the pot up just to lose on the river 10. What the Q Q was doing in there until the end I will never know.

I had money in the pot in 4 hands. Two were in the blinds when I had 7 4 off and 9 3 suited. Needless to say I didn't call. I did raise with A K off which got capped. Flop came Q high. I called a bet to see the turn which was a J. This time I didn't call the two bets to see a river that would not have helped me. I did win a pot with J 10 in mid position. Ended up getting all in when the J hit the flop. With a Q on the turn, I check raised to see where I really was (yeah, not the best move) mainly because I saw this guy call down with K 6 off. River was a rag and my jacks beat his pocket 3s. Yep. Pocket 3s. He raised preflop, bet the flop, re-raised with 4 overcards with just 3s. Maybe he was determined to bluff me out or something. I simply thought my jacks were probably the best hand.

For now I will continue to grind out at the 1/2 with an occasional shot at the 2/4. Since I am playing with their money, how can I not give it a whirl?

I was quite surprised to see I had an email from Poker Morgue Mountain. Seems they have risen from the dead and are looking to re-introduce themselves. They are having a number of freerolls over the coming nights to try and prove them multi table tournaments will not crash. Being unable to pass on a freeroll, you know where I will for the next couple of night. If I cash in any of them, I will probably pull the money right out. I don't see them being around much longer. I log in usually every other day to see how many people are playing on their site. Rarely is there more than 10 people playing a real money table. You cannot and will not survive like that. My guess is that PM had to hit up their investors to get the cash for the freerolls. Granted it is only a prize pool of $500 or $1000 for any of them but they sure aren't making that on rake.

Read about the crazies

The internet is a nice thing. Without the internet we couldn't get instant access to news, play poker, communicate with others around the globe, or see free porn.

Of course we also get to be entertained by the whack jobs out there. Check this one out over at 2 Hole Cards. A thread about whether online poker is rigged. I give Nick credit for trying to debate with the 2 lunatics who insist they are being cheated. If you read some of the hand histories, I would summarize them as being bad players or simply, idiots. Especially the guy who says he has a masters degree but probably couldn't find some countries on a map.

Played a minimal amount of poker this weekend. Played well in limit at Noble (how can you not?) but need to get my tourney game back in shape before Vegas. Missed the WPBT game last night. Congrats to Joe Speaker for his victory. 19 days until the railbirding begins!

Missing the point on Noble?

After satellite number 3 was over, I noticed a number of bloggers bashing Noble Poker. Cruddy avatars, sound effects that were stupid, not seeing cards, etc. were being tossed around as to why Noble is a bad site.

I am not going to argue about those things. They may not be the best but I ask you, what is? The game play seems to be the same as other sites, maybe not as smooth as you are use to at say Stars, but much better than a place like Poker Morgue Mountain.

But have you sat down and played the ring games there? You think that Party is an aquarium? This may be be the freakin' hatchery! The level of play is atrocious. Players will chase down their nut flush every single time. They will call the last bet thinking that maybe their A high is good. This will try to bluff at you when they aren't close to the nuts.

I ran over two tables for a period of an hour yesterday. One table even broke up after I smacked them around for 15 minutes straight. The 1/2 tables are gold for the person building a bankroll.

Only problem I see is the same problem you get when you go fishing. The suckouts will be brutal. One guy capped with 2 3 hearts yesterday and got lucky enough to catch a 6 high straight by the turn. Same bastard had his Hilton Sisters crack my aces. But all he managed to do was get his money back from me. Too many more times he called down with second pair.

I will not keep a sizable bankroll there, but I may continue to play at Noble for bonuses. They have just enough players where you can play 2-3 tables. The graphics may not be the best but don't worry about that. Your opponents aren't the best either. Isn't that what makes the game good?

WPBT- Shot number 3

I poured my Leinenkugel Big Butt Dopplebock, taking in the aroma of the beer. I took a sip. Smooth. Hopefully my poker play in satellite number 3 for a seat at Event #2 would be as smooth. I know I would have fun, but I wanted victory kind of fun.

I looked around at the starting table. Rather formidable. Dr Pauly is there once again. G-Rob of Up for Poker fame. Maudie, Peacecorn and Gamecock are the others I recognize.

A couple hands in I raise it up from EP with 2 2. It seemed like everyone called. So much for thinning the field. I fold on the flop. Same thing happens with 9 9. I call the bet but fold on the flop. Time for another beer. I may be too sober.

K J suited gets me a nice pot when 4 see a flop come K high and 2 clubs. I bet it out and they all fold but one. I know he is on a flush draw right away. I bet just over half the pot on the turn. He raises. I have to push. Shows A 3 clubs and doesn't fill on the river. Nice.

I give 350 back when I try to drop the hammer. But Gamecock throws it all in and I have to fold. I get moved to a new table just after I successfully drop the hammer.

There I see Iggy and Badblood. I was hoping to get a chance to play with these two at some point over one of these tournaments. Best thing so far is my raises get a bit of respect. I am not raising on crap but some good hands. I sit at 2320 at the break after A A gets me some more chips. 55 of the starting 81 are still in.

One of the better parts is running into Kevin, someone I met at Badger Poker(interestingly enough using the moniker I had referred to him as, Tigers Hat). He seems to be running well, though not in this tournament. He was done at roughly the 45 minute mark when his A A got cracked by 4 7 off. Ouch! Apparently he is kicking ass over at PokerRoom.

I get A A on the second hand after the break. I bet it out and it folds around. Reminds me of yesterday. I get Q Q and lose half of my stack to K K. The blinds knock me down to 860. I need to get some chips back and quick. But with blinds at 50/100, I do have some time.

I push with A K and get the blinds. But greed takes over. With A 10 suited, I call Bloods all in bet. I figure he may be playing the Jack Hammer (J 4) or the hammer. He has 10 10 taking away some outs. I don't see the A and I am crippled.

At that point, blinds go up and I am forced all in. My K 5 doesn't improve and I am out in 50th. It sucks that I didn't play my best game. Calling with A 10 suited??? I deserved to lose that pot. At least Blood took my chips and put in to good use. I big congrats goes out to the Pirate. He ended up winning it all and will be playing at the WSOP. Nice job!

In 3 weeks I will be on a plane heading out to Vegas. I have never really railbirded before but I am sure it will be a blast.

C'mon and play a free roll! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Played in the Las Vegas Vegas freeroll last night. It was a warm up for the WSOP satellite tonight. Both are over at Noble Poker. I hadn't played any of the tournaments at Noble so it was worth seeing how it would work.

I was seated with the infamous DrPauly on my right. Go read his latest trip report. Good stuff.

My hour was very uneventful. Got 10 10 a number of hands in but didn't see a flop. Defended some blinds, blah, blah, blah. I was ready to contact live support to see if they could get us some drinks but I don't think they would have liked that.

I did bluff at a good pot with 10 7 off in the small blind. Only me and the BB saw the flop of Q 7 3. I bet out my mid pair and was called. Turn was an A. I bet it out to see where I am. Roughly a pot sized bet. He calls. But I am not sold he has anything. So I push on the river and he folds. Whew!

I get lucky when I raise it up in mid position with A J suited. I have learned not to play this hand too aggressively. Too many people play it like it is A K. I like to think I understand the hand as a good position play but then again, what do I know? I raise it and get called by my immediate left. Flop comes 4 5 2. I push all in. I figure maybe he has an ace. He calls and shows 6 6. Either he had a great read on me or was willing to gamble. I catch my J on the river for the big suckout.

I then bleed away half of my chips as I try to steal some pots. I avoid the guy slow playing his A A but he still gets some chips off of me. I get a feeling of "Screw it!" coming over me and just about push all in with Q 7. But instead wait one hand later when I get K Q suited. I give a standard pre flop raise and get called by the big stack in the big blind. Flop comes 8 9 J. All diamonds. All the wrong suit. I push anyways. Unless he has a diamond, he really can't call this. He doesn't and I get some chips back.

I push a pot when we both had a king high straight and are each holding K J. Second time in the tourney this has happened with me. At the break, I am sitting with 2710 which probably put me in the middle of the pack of about 86 left.

I get A A on the third hand. I raise it up with one caller. I bet half the pot on a J high flop but he won't bite. I then get moved. Damn, I liked that table. I get put with one of the biggest stacks in the tourney. They have 3xs my chips. And they are trying to bully.

I donate chips on a tilt play by another person at the table. He just lost a big pot and pushed all in pre flop. I had A 10 and figured he had no pair so I called. He shows K 9. Hits his 9 on the turn. I hate when people play crap and get lucky but what can you do. That is poker.

New table. Seem to be weeding out the sit outs now. I give half my chips away on another pathetic steal attempt. In the BB I see the free flop of 4 4 2. I bet out and get called and the re-raised. My Q 7 looks pathetic here so I am out. With just over 1000 left, I have no choice but to push with any decent looking hand. I need a double up soon.

With A 9 diamonds in late position, I make my move. I get called by the BB with K Q. 10 9 J on flop and I am done. That was painless.

Other thoughts about Noble
There are some interesting hands that I have seen at Noble that I haven't seen elsewhere. Like lots of quads. Got beat by them again yesterday. It seems like every session, I lose my nut flush to quads, or my full house goes down. Thankfully, I have noticed betting patterns and I am not dropping a lot of cash on them. I also have quite a bit of success with 10 10. Flopping sets or filling straights. Even with over cards on the board, they seem to hold up. I guess it doesn't hurt to have such bad players chasing their flushes all the time. In one instance yesterday, one of the biggest fishes I have ever seen, was at my table. I was about to fold my 10 10 to him when the board was showing 9 J K 5 4. I had raised preflop and he just called. I bet the flop and he raised. I checked the turn and called his bet. I checked the river and was about to fold to his bet. Then I reviewed the notes again. Besides having a good pot out there, I realized that this clown may not have the J or K. There is a good chance he had a failed flush or straight draw so I have to call. Sure enough, he missed his gut shot straight. That was worth pumping up the pot on. If he bets preflop he may be able bluff it away. But he has no clue what his table image is. Beautiful stuff.

Limit

I currently am playing some limit over at Noble Poker. Doing a little bit of bonus whoring, plus that is where the next WPBT satellite is being held. The way I see it, at the very least, by catching the bonus, that alone pays my satellite entry. I have no complaints with that.

I am playing a mix of .5/1 and 1/2. I know the 1/2 game is better and will collect the bonus much faster but sometimes the swing of the bad beats came take the wind out of your sails.

For example, I played both games Saturday morning and had a nice little profit. Enough to make up for the drunken poker session late Friday. But when I played two tables of 1/2 in the afternoon, I ran into some of the worst beats in a long time. Specifically when 8 5 off beat my set and 3 5 suited stuck around calling capped betting rounds pre and post flop, and two more big bets on the turn to suck out his flush.

I lost 100 in about an hour. It isn't much but it was the principal. You want those suckers to stick around for the suckout because the majority of the time they will not hit. But it gets frustrating when the clown stays in with second or third pair, and hits his card on the river. I would be lying if I didn't admit that it affects my game. What then happens is that I play a hand like J J or 9 9 pretty soft, limping and calling instead of betting and taking control. I know you cannot play winning poker if you play passive all the time.

I would say the level of play at Noble is rather bad, which is good. On Sunday, I made up the loss I had on Saturday afternoon. I started on .5/1 and then moved up to the 1/2 again. There were at least 5 players that I watched who played any two cards. They were going to call any bet up to the river no matter what. I knew it was my job to make them pay for every little pair or draw they held. And I did.

I took down a nice $60 pot when the rounds were capped three times. My 9 9 didn't feel that good when I saw all the raising going on. When the flop came 8 10 7, I didn't mind it as much. When the J hit the turn, I was elated. Even more when everyone kept tossing chips in and I had the nuts (yeah someone could have Q 9, but with all the raising, it is doubtful even with all the idiots that were seated). I thought I was screwed when the river produced a Q. Now A K would take it down. But it check around to me. There is a nice pot out there. If you have A K, why wouldn't you bet it? When it came to me, I was about to check it as well, but the voice inside screamed "Bet it! Value bet at the minimum". Though I thought someone would be cute and check raise it, I realized that the betting pattern had changed enough that no on up front that had led the betting could have A K now. I bet it out and was called down. My straight was good.

I have yet to play any of the tournies at Noble. There doesn't appear to be much SnG action. I tried to sign up for freeroll on Saturday but it filled up within 7 minutes. That isn't too surprising as it was limited to 500 people, but at the time, there was supposedly only 350 on the site. WTF?

I must say that is it better than Poker Morgue Mountain. I am glad I pulled my funds out of there. I would be surprised if they don't shut down soon. I checked in there a couple of times over the weekend. Each time (it was about 4 and during the middle of the day), there was only 28 people logged in. Not a single one was playing for real money. Plus their tourney information is still about the Bellagio even over a month ago. Doesn't look like Daniel Negreanu or TJ Cloutier can save this one from going down.

Unfortunately, playing the tournies at BoDog haven't been as kind to me. I have made some playing the SnGs but am doing nothing at the multis. I think I know what I am doing wrong too. I may be too aggressive. There are a lot of bad players at BoDog. You cannot bluff them. You can't make plays on them. They will call you bullying bet with second or third pair even though it looks like you are representing the flush. You better have the best hand or you will lose.

I haven't had those hands. I have made it deep but keep finishing just out of the money. I think it is a matter of time but I will do some good there. Just need to keep plugging. What I don't like it the structure of the tournaments. You get 1000 chips but the blinds start at 5/10. Too low for my taste. If you bet out the pot a couple of times, you put yourself in a bad spot if you lose. Plus, you will not effectively weed out the drawing heads preflop with a raise to just 30 or 40.

The other part that isn't good on the SnGs, are the blinds will go up after every 10 hands played. It effectively makes it a crapshoot at the end. Hands are being folded quickly and the blinds climb fast. Actually, this isn't all bad. I have played very aggressive late in the SnGs and pushed people around. Even without a big stack. Too many people are extremely passive at the end of the SnGs. Great time to steal.

The blinds go up every 12 minutes (I believe) in the multis. That isn't as bad. But with the low blinds, I need to work on my patience and stay willing to fold the crap hands. For some reason, I haven't been able to do that. I think part of the reason is that I will have a good hand broken early on, putting me on the short stack, and trying to fight my way back up, instead of just playing the waiting game for a good hand. That is correctable, so I am not concerned. I still like the overlay they have on most tourneys so I will continue to play them.

With less than a month to Vegas, and the The World Poker Bloggers Tour Aladdin Casino Classic coming up, I feel pretty good about my game. I feel even better knowing I will be in Vegas!

Respecting your opponents

I realized yesterday that I have been giving some players way too much credit lately. Well, this didn't quite happen yesterday but it has been coming around for the last couple of weeks. A lot of great players say that poker is not playing just your hand, it is playing your opponents hand as well. Trying to really figure out what not only they have, but how will they play it as well.

This has affected my play over the last month or so quite a bit. At first I was quite wary of those limping in from first position, especially mid to late in tourneys. It seemed every time I raised it up with Q Q or J J or A K, I found myself running into A A. So I started to fold those hands quite a bit. Of course, it wasn't an automatic fold decision. Other factors such as my stack size,their stack size, blinds, place in the tournament, etc. would be taken into consideration.

Then I started taking notes on plays they had already made. I noticed that maybe I was giving some people too much credit for the plays they were making. Yeah, I could run into the guy trying to limp on his A A UTG once in a while but too many times with was some joker playing something like A 6 off suit with a big stack that was would push to intimidate or buy the pot. Or is was a desperate short stack that was committed.

This has earned me a lot of pots and saving me many chips on other occasions. Early in a tournament I can lay down some goods hands as I get some info. I think that is why I have done pretty well, as I watch too many numbskulls failing to see that they are not only behind, but are drawing dead. It becomes one of my favorite parts of the game- watching morons bust out on really dumb plays.

So I played the $5 multi last night. Finished 24th, netting a whole 8 bones. I should start to look at my stats from these tournies because for 2 hours, I believe I may have won a total of 4 pots that I saw a flop on. And then I may have seen the flop on only 5 other hands that didn't involve the blinds. That is the kind of cards I got all night. My best hand was Q Q. Then 9 9, 8 8, 7 7. I did get A Q twice. Seriously, that was it. Nothing bigger than that.

How I managed to hit 24th perplexed me at first. But I stopped giving too many people too much credit for having real hands, especially in the mid rounds. I had K 7 get me back into the game when I pushed my last 800 in when a 7 hit the flop. Guy who limped with A K got mad as his chips came my way. Hey, if you raise it up on the button instead of slow playing it, I am out of there. I did get lucky once. On the same player too. I tripled up with 10 6 in the BB on a flop of 6 6 Q. SB bet out and I pushed all in. It was a sizable pot at the time. I figured the chances of all these limpers having the case 6 is rare. Plus, only a couple hands could beat me. Q Q (which would have been raised up) or A,K,Q, or J 6 would beat me. Only hand that made sense was A 6 and if someone limped on that, they deserve to lose. Well, everyone folded to the button who then pushed as well. He had me easily covered. He showed A 6. Turn was a 10 to fill the house and I jumped up into contention.

My Q Q got me over 13k but that would be it. I pushed with K Q in late position and 2 limpers. I thought I could take down the pot with the all in bet. But UTG had A A and I was done. Right away I thought I should have bided my time. If no one tries to limp, then it is a good play. But with the limpes, I should have known I was most likely behind already.

Oh well. Chalk another up to experience.

Waiting for the train wreck

No, not the way I played poker last night. I am talking about one "professional" (a term that must be used extremely loosely in this case) and his website. I am glad to know I am not the only one reading, morbidly fascinated, by this walking blunder, waiting for the train wreck to happen. Anyone who uses "cool" or "chill" as often as he does, does not have all the cards in the deck. Though he looks to be at the bottom of his game and doesn't have money to buy in to any tourneys, that doesn't seem to stop him from raving on.

Go read for yourself.

You can thank me later. Or curse me when you become addicted. Maybe I will set up a pool for when he goes off the deep end. My bet is the second day of the WSOP main event, when he gets knocked out. I suggest wearing body armor if you are a railbird when it goes down.

Forgot

to give a shout to the winner ABVidale. Nice job!

WPBT satellite night take 2- Drunken poker

I kinda rushed home to play in the WPBT satellite for a chair in Event #2 at the WSOP. Earlier in the day, I enjoyed the Brewers demolishing the Reds at Miller Park. Needless to say, if you know me, I also drank a fair share of hoppy beverages during the game. Afterwards, I popped into a couple taverns to enjoy some more beer. My friends gave me a strange look when I took off at quarter to 6 to get home to play some poker.

I did pretty well to my reckoning. I got on a nice rush late and won 5 hands in a row to pop myself up to 2nd place. With 11 left, I liked my chances.

I drop a lot on A 8 off defending my blinds. A flop of all diamonds doesn't help as it give me a low flush draw. I call a bet on the flop. I bet out when he checks the turn. 2000 isn't good enough and he calls. I check the river as well and lose to A Q.

That isn't so bad but the chip leader in on my right and he is pretty damn good. We hit the final table and I am in 5th. I try to steal with J 10 hearts but run into a pair of 8s. With only 400 more to call I have to do it. Flop gives trips and I stumble backwards again to 8th.

I have some 9s hold up and double through. I get some blinds with A K and kick up to 3rd place. That is where I get 10s and run into A K. The ace hits the flop and I get knocked down again. I get A A on the next hand and call the all in by the chip leader. He has 6 5 suited. Flop hits the 6. Turn is a 6 and I am gone.

Nothing you can do when you are all in with a great hand. I received no help when I needed it most. For the best recap, go check out Dr. Pauly.