Must get some beer before its starts.
Full Tilt Poker
Tournament #8647662
Game: NLHE
Date: November 30th, 10pmET
Buyin: $10+1
password: riverchasers
Admit it, you have nothing better to do.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Getting the game back in order
I didn't know if I wanted to play the WWdN last night. After the HORSE fiasco on Sunday, I was willing to just lay low for a bit. But because there is crap on TV on Tuesday nights and I had little on the DVR, I decided to be somewhat social and hop into the fray with about 4 minutes left in the registration period.
Not much action for me in the beginning. I did get to drop the Hammer with a re-raise, but not much beyond that. Fact is, I was just happy to get through the first session and to the break. With the way I have been playing lately (or not playing is probably the explanation), that felt like a bit of an accomplishment. I was also happy that Biggestron didn't pummel me from the right in hopes of extracting revenge for other tournaments this year.
The only other thing of note was moving between 4 table in the first two rounds. Beyond that I picked up a couple small pots here and there and treaded water. I was generally a small stack looking for a spot to double up. I got that when my KK held up against A 10. Now I had some chips to work with and possibly make some moves. I was still in the lower third (barely) but wasn't on life support. Because of that, I tried something I have rarely done. Fact is, I cannot recall that last time I have made this play.
I limped with A A.
Some of you do this all the time. I have seen it too many times early in tournaments where someone tries to be fancy and loses to a the flopped set or two pair because they let the BB get in for a free look. That is why I rarely do it. I want that hand to pay me a little something or at least the BB. I don't want to see the asshat with 10 7 off in the BB get the miracle flop and complete his straight.
But with the way the table action was going, I felt the time was right. Down to two tables, with raises on pretty much every hand, I was willing to try and lay the trap and get some action. But that didn't happen. It folded around to the BB who checked. I got an A on the flop but two spades to go with it. Uh oh. It checked around. The turn is another spade. Crap. I bet pot and thankfully I haven't let the BB get lucky.
Little did I know, but the deck was about to hit me silly. K K, A A, Q Q all within the next orbit or so.
With the K K hand, I re-raised to 1500 from 400. I wonder if maybe I over bet it? I wanted to put some pressure on him to commit his remaining chips but instead got a quick fold. Maybe a raise to 1000-1200 would have been better.
I was able to help us get down to two table when I had 10 10 in the BB and a small stack pushed with 4 4. I end up 4 flushing to knock him out. Unfortunately, it brings the two big stacks to the table. One of them raises in MP and is called in two places. I fold my A Q (like that Hoy?) because I am in the blinds and way out of position if I don't hit that flop.
At this point, the big stacks were beginning to annoy me. I had a good handle on how each of them plays, having experience with one at other tourneys and playing with the other earlier in the game. They were playing big stack poker and figured they could bully the table with their raises. Having a smaller stack, I didn't like it so I knew I had to fight back at some point. Thus when the action got past one, with the other in the BB and I on the button, I decided to make a move and limped. With Q 3 suited. I wasn't surprised to see the raise to 600. But I guess he was when I popped it 1600. He folded. I breathed sigh of relief. Putting your balls on the chopping block with a bluff is one thing. Pulling them out of the way when the ax is coming down (a re-raise) like a coward is another. Part of me wanted to show the bluff, but I knew it wasn't necessary. My message was sent. At least for the time being
I did take a couple pots off of a weak button player. They kept trying to steal so I kept calling with connectors knowing I could bet the flop (as long as it was loaded with aces and faces) and take down the pot. That worked nicely for a couple of rounds. Otherwise I was just folding a lot as the big stacks kept raising away.
It felt good to make the final table again. Even if it was with only 43 runners. The table was pretty even too. Low stack had about 2800 so with blinds at just 100/200, there could be some play.
I should have been out in 8th place. With blinds at 200/400, I called 900 more with 7 8 suited. I called because it was one of the big stacks who I thought was stealing and raising on anything. I felt at best he may be raising with any ace. Thus I check-raised him all in on a flop of K 7 6. But when he quickly called, I knew he had A K. Yep, it was bleak. Until I spiked the 7 on the river. One needs a little luck to survive sometimes. And that was lucky.
But I would give a chunk back when I raised with K Q suited UTG and got re-raised for just 1325 more. Then I was up against A A. Though I flopped the flush draw, it didn't hit.
I folded my way into the second break. Now this is the time of the game where I usually get impatient and make a bad move. I need to be up early for work and when the game looks like it is going to be a late one, I usually take unnecessary chances. Kinda like that 7 8 suited play. That is one reason why I was happy I had gotten deep in a tourney once again.
Until the big stack on my right started raising every hand once again. Sonofabitch! I don't fault the player for the way they were playing. It was working pretty well for them. He kept putting the pressure on everyone else. I could either go to battle again with say, Q 3, or wait for a good hand and bring in the Howitzers. All the while I kept telling myself: Remember, don't make the stupid move. It may have worked earlier but that doesn't mean it will work again.
Luckily I wouldn't have to. I got dealt A Q and pushed. It was barely twice his bet. He called with Q 10. I had a dominating hand and it would hold up. Better yet, I had him outchipped now and could really push back. But that didn't last long when I tried to steal out of the SB with Q 10 and folded to the push. It would have dropped me to just 10xs the BB and I didn't want that. Should have just called. I hate playing Q 10. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
I stole a blind off of Pauly with 9 10. He booed me for the raise. I guess he had A x and wanted to play but didn't want to take any risk. Next hand, I doubled through on the annoying raiser to my right when I won a race with 77 vs A K. Suddenly I was in 2nd behind Pauly. But my hands were beginning to stink. Soon the aggro on my right would be out and I would be in the money. A whopping $34 went to 5th place!
I moved into 1st with a raise of A 10 and a caller. With a flop of Q 10 x, I went with the continuation bet and took it down.
No action on the Cowboys when I raised it up. Darn. But then I run my 8 8 into a push that has A J. Guess my luck has run out as he flops the A and I get no help. But the Hiltons come around and I get to re-raise someone to get some of those chips back.
In the end, I finished 3rd. Ran A 10 against 8 8. I felt committed to calling the re-raise, even though I was sure I was behind. Though I hit a 10 on the turn, he spiked the two outer on the river. That is how it goes some times. You hit the magic card on one hand and it haunts you later.
Whenever I finish a tournament, whether I make the money or not, I like to reflect on how I played. I don't focus on suckouts or bad beats. Instead I look back on whether I played too tight, too loose, aggressive, or not aggressive enough. I am more upset with going out on a stupid play of my own than suffering a beat by a better hand or suckout.
To get deep once again was good. It is just like sex. If feels good to get in their, pumping up the pots and performing like a stud. When it is done, you can sit back, relax, enjoy your win and think, I want to do this more often.
Not much action for me in the beginning. I did get to drop the Hammer with a re-raise, but not much beyond that. Fact is, I was just happy to get through the first session and to the break. With the way I have been playing lately (or not playing is probably the explanation), that felt like a bit of an accomplishment. I was also happy that Biggestron didn't pummel me from the right in hopes of extracting revenge for other tournaments this year.
The only other thing of note was moving between 4 table in the first two rounds. Beyond that I picked up a couple small pots here and there and treaded water. I was generally a small stack looking for a spot to double up. I got that when my KK held up against A 10. Now I had some chips to work with and possibly make some moves. I was still in the lower third (barely) but wasn't on life support. Because of that, I tried something I have rarely done. Fact is, I cannot recall that last time I have made this play.
I limped with A A.
Some of you do this all the time. I have seen it too many times early in tournaments where someone tries to be fancy and loses to a the flopped set or two pair because they let the BB get in for a free look. That is why I rarely do it. I want that hand to pay me a little something or at least the BB. I don't want to see the asshat with 10 7 off in the BB get the miracle flop and complete his straight.
But with the way the table action was going, I felt the time was right. Down to two tables, with raises on pretty much every hand, I was willing to try and lay the trap and get some action. But that didn't happen. It folded around to the BB who checked. I got an A on the flop but two spades to go with it. Uh oh. It checked around. The turn is another spade. Crap. I bet pot and thankfully I haven't let the BB get lucky.
Little did I know, but the deck was about to hit me silly. K K, A A, Q Q all within the next orbit or so.
With the K K hand, I re-raised to 1500 from 400. I wonder if maybe I over bet it? I wanted to put some pressure on him to commit his remaining chips but instead got a quick fold. Maybe a raise to 1000-1200 would have been better.
I was able to help us get down to two table when I had 10 10 in the BB and a small stack pushed with 4 4. I end up 4 flushing to knock him out. Unfortunately, it brings the two big stacks to the table. One of them raises in MP and is called in two places. I fold my A Q (like that Hoy?) because I am in the blinds and way out of position if I don't hit that flop.
At this point, the big stacks were beginning to annoy me. I had a good handle on how each of them plays, having experience with one at other tourneys and playing with the other earlier in the game. They were playing big stack poker and figured they could bully the table with their raises. Having a smaller stack, I didn't like it so I knew I had to fight back at some point. Thus when the action got past one, with the other in the BB and I on the button, I decided to make a move and limped. With Q 3 suited. I wasn't surprised to see the raise to 600. But I guess he was when I popped it 1600. He folded. I breathed sigh of relief. Putting your balls on the chopping block with a bluff is one thing. Pulling them out of the way when the ax is coming down (a re-raise) like a coward is another. Part of me wanted to show the bluff, but I knew it wasn't necessary. My message was sent. At least for the time being
I did take a couple pots off of a weak button player. They kept trying to steal so I kept calling with connectors knowing I could bet the flop (as long as it was loaded with aces and faces) and take down the pot. That worked nicely for a couple of rounds. Otherwise I was just folding a lot as the big stacks kept raising away.
It felt good to make the final table again. Even if it was with only 43 runners. The table was pretty even too. Low stack had about 2800 so with blinds at just 100/200, there could be some play.
I should have been out in 8th place. With blinds at 200/400, I called 900 more with 7 8 suited. I called because it was one of the big stacks who I thought was stealing and raising on anything. I felt at best he may be raising with any ace. Thus I check-raised him all in on a flop of K 7 6. But when he quickly called, I knew he had A K. Yep, it was bleak. Until I spiked the 7 on the river. One needs a little luck to survive sometimes. And that was lucky.
But I would give a chunk back when I raised with K Q suited UTG and got re-raised for just 1325 more. Then I was up against A A. Though I flopped the flush draw, it didn't hit.
I folded my way into the second break. Now this is the time of the game where I usually get impatient and make a bad move. I need to be up early for work and when the game looks like it is going to be a late one, I usually take unnecessary chances. Kinda like that 7 8 suited play. That is one reason why I was happy I had gotten deep in a tourney once again.
Until the big stack on my right started raising every hand once again. Sonofabitch! I don't fault the player for the way they were playing. It was working pretty well for them. He kept putting the pressure on everyone else. I could either go to battle again with say, Q 3, or wait for a good hand and bring in the Howitzers. All the while I kept telling myself: Remember, don't make the stupid move. It may have worked earlier but that doesn't mean it will work again.
Luckily I wouldn't have to. I got dealt A Q and pushed. It was barely twice his bet. He called with Q 10. I had a dominating hand and it would hold up. Better yet, I had him outchipped now and could really push back. But that didn't last long when I tried to steal out of the SB with Q 10 and folded to the push. It would have dropped me to just 10xs the BB and I didn't want that. Should have just called. I hate playing Q 10. Hate it, hate it, hate it.
I stole a blind off of Pauly with 9 10. He booed me for the raise. I guess he had A x and wanted to play but didn't want to take any risk. Next hand, I doubled through on the annoying raiser to my right when I won a race with 77 vs A K. Suddenly I was in 2nd behind Pauly. But my hands were beginning to stink. Soon the aggro on my right would be out and I would be in the money. A whopping $34 went to 5th place!
I moved into 1st with a raise of A 10 and a caller. With a flop of Q 10 x, I went with the continuation bet and took it down.
No action on the Cowboys when I raised it up. Darn. But then I run my 8 8 into a push that has A J. Guess my luck has run out as he flops the A and I get no help. But the Hiltons come around and I get to re-raise someone to get some of those chips back.
In the end, I finished 3rd. Ran A 10 against 8 8. I felt committed to calling the re-raise, even though I was sure I was behind. Though I hit a 10 on the turn, he spiked the two outer on the river. That is how it goes some times. You hit the magic card on one hand and it haunts you later.
Whenever I finish a tournament, whether I make the money or not, I like to reflect on how I played. I don't focus on suckouts or bad beats. Instead I look back on whether I played too tight, too loose, aggressive, or not aggressive enough. I am more upset with going out on a stupid play of my own than suffering a beat by a better hand or suckout.
To get deep once again was good. It is just like sex. If feels good to get in their, pumping up the pots and performing like a stud. When it is done, you can sit back, relax, enjoy your win and think, I want to do this more often.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
If the game was DONKEY
then I would have won. Instead, I just played like one.
It was a pathetic performance in the POY HORSE event. I didn't even make it through a full cycle.
It was a pathetic performance in the POY HORSE event. I didn't even make it through a full cycle.
Playing like a drunk
Any success I have had lately playing hold em has come after I have been out drinking. I have piled up some peep tokens after late night drinking sessions. I think part of it is just being in a mellow mood and at times pushing because I would like to crash and get some sleep.
While sober, I have been switching between Razz and Triple Draw. I have come to the conclusion that Razz may sharpen your skill in Hold Em. Though the games are remarkably different, I think playing Razz makes you a better player overall.
With seeing so many of your opponents cards, you can easily see where you are in the hand. Even though you may not have a great hand, you can turn up the aggression factor and force you opponents to fold. That aggression is then carried over to two card game. Same with bluffing.
The last HORSE game for POY consideration is on tonight. Hope to see more people that 20 playing.
While sober, I have been switching between Razz and Triple Draw. I have come to the conclusion that Razz may sharpen your skill in Hold Em. Though the games are remarkably different, I think playing Razz makes you a better player overall.
With seeing so many of your opponents cards, you can easily see where you are in the hand. Even though you may not have a great hand, you can turn up the aggression factor and force you opponents to fold. That aggression is then carried over to two card game. Same with bluffing.
The last HORSE game for POY consideration is on tonight. Hope to see more people that 20 playing.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Hot chicks and football
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I think I figured out BG and CJ were truly up to when they were doing their NFL picks. Have you seen this contest between Dr. Z and the hot chick on SI.com? Dr. Z's picks suck but he now gets his grumpy ass in a video with some hottie, Brooklyn Decker.
My guess is BG and CJ caught this weeks ago and figured they better get started with some picking history in the hopes that they want to replace the old man with someone younger.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
TD
Played my fair share of Triple Draw on Stars this weekend. Far from being a good player myself, I did find it amusing how many people cannot grasp the simple concept of the game. People kept drawing again and again. Worked for me as I made money.
On the flip side, I think the beats in TD are worse. It sucks to have say, 2 3 4 5 and draw three times to just pair each of your cards or end up with a straight in the end. Of course your opponent calls you down to show a K.
The game is a nice change of pace. It has helped supplement my tournament buy ins. Though I am happy with the way I have played as of late- considering that I have played very little over the last 2 months- it would have felt better to not suffer the bad beats. In 4 of my tournaments I had the best hand going to the flop. 80% favorite each time just to get bounced. The one that hurt the most was the clown who re-raised all in after his pre-flop limp. He proudly showed his 4 4 to my black aces. Of course he flopped the set and went quad by the river.
Unbelievable.
But that is how this game goes. If you can't take the beats by now, you will never get better at the game. But I wonder if it detrimental to get used to bad beats? It seems counterproductive to just suck it in and wait for it to happen. But in the long haul, it must be best for the mind.
That and not playing after a day at the bar.
On the flip side, I think the beats in TD are worse. It sucks to have say, 2 3 4 5 and draw three times to just pair each of your cards or end up with a straight in the end. Of course your opponent calls you down to show a K.
The game is a nice change of pace. It has helped supplement my tournament buy ins. Though I am happy with the way I have played as of late- considering that I have played very little over the last 2 months- it would have felt better to not suffer the bad beats. In 4 of my tournaments I had the best hand going to the flop. 80% favorite each time just to get bounced. The one that hurt the most was the clown who re-raised all in after his pre-flop limp. He proudly showed his 4 4 to my black aces. Of course he flopped the set and went quad by the river.
Unbelievable.
But that is how this game goes. If you can't take the beats by now, you will never get better at the game. But I wonder if it detrimental to get used to bad beats? It seems counterproductive to just suck it in and wait for it to happen. But in the long haul, it must be best for the mind.
That and not playing after a day at the bar.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Iggy's Top Ten reasons for leaving the blogosphere
From the home office in Milwaukee, WI, here is the Top 10 reasons why Iggy is leaving Guinness & Poker...
10. Took as oath of silence after learning that Party Poker was going to pull out of the United States. Didn't realize until later that he was typing BONUS CODE IGGY DAMNIT, not actually saying it.
9. Finished linking every poker site, cartoon, picture and RGP post possible. At that point, he realized he had come to the end of the internet.
8. In a strange moment of clarity, decided living in a condola was the life for him. He can be found living with Sean by the railroad tracks behind his former office.
7. Promoted to CEO at Proctor and Gamble after developing Guinness flavored Crest. Believes Guinness Scope could be next breakthrough but doesn't know how to prevent people from swallowing it.
6. Taking job as jester at the Sherwood Forest bar, located in the Excalibur. Management figured since he is there for hours on end entertaining people, he might as well be on the payroll.
5. Discovered that Howard Beale was actually just a name BG created so he could fuck with him.
4. An exec at P&G Bobby Braceleted him when it was discovered he was blogging from work.
3. He entered the Skyhoundz 2007 World Championship and needs a year off to prepare his black fuzzy dog Toby for superstardom. Upon winning, Iggy plans to saddle the dog up and ride him around the field for a victory lap.
2. Off to the WWE to begin career as Little Cena, champion midget wrestler. You can't see him!
1. Closing down Guinness and Poker in order to open new sponsored site Budweiser and Poker. OH THE HUMANITY!!!
10. Took as oath of silence after learning that Party Poker was going to pull out of the United States. Didn't realize until later that he was typing BONUS CODE IGGY DAMNIT, not actually saying it.
9. Finished linking every poker site, cartoon, picture and RGP post possible. At that point, he realized he had come to the end of the internet.
8. In a strange moment of clarity, decided living in a condola was the life for him. He can be found living with Sean by the railroad tracks behind his former office.
7. Promoted to CEO at Proctor and Gamble after developing Guinness flavored Crest. Believes Guinness Scope could be next breakthrough but doesn't know how to prevent people from swallowing it.
6. Taking job as jester at the Sherwood Forest bar, located in the Excalibur. Management figured since he is there for hours on end entertaining people, he might as well be on the payroll.
5. Discovered that Howard Beale was actually just a name BG created so he could fuck with him.
4. An exec at P&G Bobby Braceleted him when it was discovered he was blogging from work.
3. He entered the Skyhoundz 2007 World Championship and needs a year off to prepare his black fuzzy dog Toby for superstardom. Upon winning, Iggy plans to saddle the dog up and ride him around the field for a victory lap.
2. Off to the WWE to begin career as Little Cena, champion midget wrestler. You can't see him!
1. Closing down Guinness and Poker in order to open new sponsored site Budweiser and Poker. OH THE HUMANITY!!!
Live tourney at the small casino
After an interesting Saturday night of poker, I decided to enter the Sunday tournament. Word was that they usually have somewhere from 30 to 40 people playing in them. Buy in is $30+5, with $10 rebuys in the first two levels. Starting stack was 1200 with 25-50 blinds. Rebuys got you 1000.
I was playing mainly out of curiosity. I was wondering if the same chasing in the ring games would occur in the tournament. But for a decent price, I had a chance to walk away with about $900.
I pulled the 9 seat at table 7 to start. My friend Arn was in the 1 seat. I did recognize a guy I played with the night before in the 5 seat. He wasn't a player that impressed me. The guy on my left was quiet, focusing on the football game at first and then quickly bullying the table when he got a stack. The guy on my right claimed he won the tourney last week.
But the guy in the 8 was was the one that annoyed me. Constantly yapping away in between hands. It was bad enough he had a Bears jersey on. Before we started he was going on and on about how his strategy for the tournament was well thought out in advanced. Thankfully I had a buffer between him and I.
I didn't do much in the rebuy period. I believe I raised one pot and took it down preflop. I had cards so far apart you could drive a truck between them. That didn't matter though. I was content to watch and get a good feel for the table. Being a rebuy tourney, I had a feeling this would be interesting. Like watching a guy call an all in with a gutshot straight. He ended up rebuying 3 times before being knocked out. Or the other who bluffed at a pot and got called by 2nd pair. Even Bears jersey made a play by raising preflop with 4 5o. He showed his hand after he flopped a straight. Unfortunately that meant he had to explain his system for raising with crap in order to confuse everyone later on. Yeah. Really tricky there dude. I would put that bit away for later.
I just won one uncontested pot in the first round. I took the add on at the break and hoped to see the table tighten up. While Bears jersey was trying to look like a guy who raised with nothing in hopes that he could spring a trap, I was doing the exact opposite. I had established my tight image. I was hoping to get a couple cards to use it to my advantage. In fact, Bears jersey even helped me establish the image. After about 15 hands, he made a comment to the guys on both sides of him to watch out for me. He pointed out how much I had been folding. When I finally entered a pot with a raise, he quietly (but not quiet enough that I couldn't hear him two seats away) said "watch out".
I started firing away after the rebuy period was over. The table got quite stiff. The loose play was over and everyone was getting ready to play "real" poker. Problem was, most of these people had little idea what real poker was. I got A Ko in EP and raise it up 3.5xs the BB. A guy in the cutoff re-raises the minimum. I decided to just call and see a flop. Flop comes A J x, rainbow. I pushed my stack in (just above pot) and get called after he say he feels he is dominated....by K J? He re-raised with K Jo? No help and I double through. I had watched him make some stupid plays and was happy to get some of his chips. I felt like telling him to take the Superman sweatshirt off and give it back to the store cuz he wasn't worthy.
I continued to makes some moves and quickly got my stack above 6k. I was beginning to feel like I had a great chance to make some money. I was pounding small stacks and knocking people out, including my friend. But then my luck ran out.
It started with a great chance to catapult myself into the table lead. With 5 7 clubs in the BB, I saw the flop for free. 4c, 6c, 5d. The SB pushed, a bet of 2300. I looked at my chips and realized it was just a third. I could call and still be healthy. Then I counted my outs. If I am not mistaken, I had 21 outs. Twice! I made the call. My opponent showed J 6. I wasn't dominated at all like I thought I might have been. But I didn't get any of the outs and saw the pile go to my right.
A couple hands later, I lose a race with A K to a pair of 10s. Then I lose some more when I make a move with 8 8 and run into J J and A Q. Why the A Q called from the button is unknown to me. I had quickly gone from 6k to just 1200.
Soon I would be out in 18th when I pushed UTG with A 5 and was called by K K. Maybe I should have waited one more hand. But if I had won just one of those races, I would have still been alive. Except for that last hand, I was satisfied with the way I had played. I got my money in with the better hand most of the time. I didn't have any lapses of judgement and did ok.
If I can get a bit more time, hopefully I can get back in the groove once again. I need to find time to reclaim the top spot in the POY standing. Congrats to lucko for taking over the top spot.
I was playing mainly out of curiosity. I was wondering if the same chasing in the ring games would occur in the tournament. But for a decent price, I had a chance to walk away with about $900.
I pulled the 9 seat at table 7 to start. My friend Arn was in the 1 seat. I did recognize a guy I played with the night before in the 5 seat. He wasn't a player that impressed me. The guy on my left was quiet, focusing on the football game at first and then quickly bullying the table when he got a stack. The guy on my right claimed he won the tourney last week.
But the guy in the 8 was was the one that annoyed me. Constantly yapping away in between hands. It was bad enough he had a Bears jersey on. Before we started he was going on and on about how his strategy for the tournament was well thought out in advanced. Thankfully I had a buffer between him and I.
I didn't do much in the rebuy period. I believe I raised one pot and took it down preflop. I had cards so far apart you could drive a truck between them. That didn't matter though. I was content to watch and get a good feel for the table. Being a rebuy tourney, I had a feeling this would be interesting. Like watching a guy call an all in with a gutshot straight. He ended up rebuying 3 times before being knocked out. Or the other who bluffed at a pot and got called by 2nd pair. Even Bears jersey made a play by raising preflop with 4 5o. He showed his hand after he flopped a straight. Unfortunately that meant he had to explain his system for raising with crap in order to confuse everyone later on. Yeah. Really tricky there dude. I would put that bit away for later.
I just won one uncontested pot in the first round. I took the add on at the break and hoped to see the table tighten up. While Bears jersey was trying to look like a guy who raised with nothing in hopes that he could spring a trap, I was doing the exact opposite. I had established my tight image. I was hoping to get a couple cards to use it to my advantage. In fact, Bears jersey even helped me establish the image. After about 15 hands, he made a comment to the guys on both sides of him to watch out for me. He pointed out how much I had been folding. When I finally entered a pot with a raise, he quietly (but not quiet enough that I couldn't hear him two seats away) said "watch out".
I started firing away after the rebuy period was over. The table got quite stiff. The loose play was over and everyone was getting ready to play "real" poker. Problem was, most of these people had little idea what real poker was. I got A Ko in EP and raise it up 3.5xs the BB. A guy in the cutoff re-raises the minimum. I decided to just call and see a flop. Flop comes A J x, rainbow. I pushed my stack in (just above pot) and get called after he say he feels he is dominated....by K J? He re-raised with K Jo? No help and I double through. I had watched him make some stupid plays and was happy to get some of his chips. I felt like telling him to take the Superman sweatshirt off and give it back to the store cuz he wasn't worthy.
I continued to makes some moves and quickly got my stack above 6k. I was beginning to feel like I had a great chance to make some money. I was pounding small stacks and knocking people out, including my friend. But then my luck ran out.
It started with a great chance to catapult myself into the table lead. With 5 7 clubs in the BB, I saw the flop for free. 4c, 6c, 5d. The SB pushed, a bet of 2300. I looked at my chips and realized it was just a third. I could call and still be healthy. Then I counted my outs. If I am not mistaken, I had 21 outs. Twice! I made the call. My opponent showed J 6. I wasn't dominated at all like I thought I might have been. But I didn't get any of the outs and saw the pile go to my right.
A couple hands later, I lose a race with A K to a pair of 10s. Then I lose some more when I make a move with 8 8 and run into J J and A Q. Why the A Q called from the button is unknown to me. I had quickly gone from 6k to just 1200.
Soon I would be out in 18th when I pushed UTG with A 5 and was called by K K. Maybe I should have waited one more hand. But if I had won just one of those races, I would have still been alive. Except for that last hand, I was satisfied with the way I had played. I got my money in with the better hand most of the time. I didn't have any lapses of judgement and did ok.
If I can get a bit more time, hopefully I can get back in the groove once again. I need to find time to reclaim the top spot in the POY standing. Congrats to lucko for taking over the top spot.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Poker this weekend
I will actually be playing some live poker this weekend. Or so I believe. I am heading up to the Menomonee Casino in Keshena on Saturday. It has been a while since I have been up there. I just hope the game is still as fishy as it was.
I haven't been playing much poker at all lately. When I do, the results are marginal. I was out early in the WWdN once again this week. Ran my Q Q into K K. I worked my way from 65 back to 200 but had my two pair counterfeited by the play of J 5, when they hit their straight with the pairing of my 8.
I did then play a SnG and finished 3rd. I just wasn't into it after 20 minutes though. I got bored and started trying to bully the table. It worked for a while until I ran 6 6 into 8 8. Still got paid so it wasn't all bad.
At some point I will get back on the wagon and play more. As it gets colder that should happen. If it doesn't, so be it. Poker is still a hobby to me, not a way of life. But at the very least, I will need to get prepped up for Vegas next month. Less than a month away now. 27 days to be exact.
Who else is counting?
I am also trying to figure out what I will be doing out there besides playing poker. Tradition dictates that I get drunk with Iggy at the Sherwood bar in the Excalibur on the first night. Maybe I can get Pauly to point out another well hidden eatery that has great food. Would it be evil to try and get Drizz so drunk that his wife goes off to play craps with bloggers? Can I get Chilly to drink actual beer? I may even go for the no repeat Friday while there.
I haven't been playing much poker at all lately. When I do, the results are marginal. I was out early in the WWdN once again this week. Ran my Q Q into K K. I worked my way from 65 back to 200 but had my two pair counterfeited by the play of J 5, when they hit their straight with the pairing of my 8.
I did then play a SnG and finished 3rd. I just wasn't into it after 20 minutes though. I got bored and started trying to bully the table. It worked for a while until I ran 6 6 into 8 8. Still got paid so it wasn't all bad.
At some point I will get back on the wagon and play more. As it gets colder that should happen. If it doesn't, so be it. Poker is still a hobby to me, not a way of life. But at the very least, I will need to get prepped up for Vegas next month. Less than a month away now. 27 days to be exact.
Who else is counting?
I am also trying to figure out what I will be doing out there besides playing poker. Tradition dictates that I get drunk with Iggy at the Sherwood bar in the Excalibur on the first night. Maybe I can get Pauly to point out another well hidden eatery that has great food. Would it be evil to try and get Drizz so drunk that his wife goes off to play craps with bloggers? Can I get Chilly to drink actual beer? I may even go for the no repeat Friday while there.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Swing and a miss!
I hate pounding out a post and not completing the thought or missing a key point I was trying to make. Yesterday was such a post. I quickly typed my thoughts up in a short period of time and forgot to include the point I was trying to make. Drizz actually did it for me.
What people need to do is read up on who is running and where they stand and what their voting record was. Just because your rep is a Republican, it does not mean he/she did not do a great job representing you (bringing pork home to the district is not doing a good job as some would like to think). Likewise, if the person seeking the office is a Dem/Green/Libertarian, you should see what they are proposing and if you believe it is right.
You should not let any newspaper tell you what to do if you are not getting the opposite point of view as well. Everyone has an agenda. Be informed. You don't need to fit everyone or everything into a category.
The other thing I did was screw up the poker analogy. Again, trying to get it done in a short time frame was stupid. The analogy does not read as I had pictured. Pretty bad. This will be the last time I try to bang out politics on a blog where it doesn't belong.
Now go vote already. Reading blogs ain't going to change a thing.
Now go vote.
One party nor the President should shoulder the blame of an abused system,
should we believe that sticking a bunch of Democrats, regardless of their
platform be the answer?No
What people need to do is read up on who is running and where they stand and what their voting record was. Just because your rep is a Republican, it does not mean he/she did not do a great job representing you (bringing pork home to the district is not doing a good job as some would like to think). Likewise, if the person seeking the office is a Dem/Green/Libertarian, you should see what they are proposing and if you believe it is right.
You should not let any newspaper tell you what to do if you are not getting the opposite point of view as well. Everyone has an agenda. Be informed. You don't need to fit everyone or everything into a category.
The other thing I did was screw up the poker analogy. Again, trying to get it done in a short time frame was stupid. The analogy does not read as I had pictured. Pretty bad. This will be the last time I try to bang out politics on a blog where it doesn't belong.
Now go vote already. Reading blogs ain't going to change a thing.
Now go vote.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Don't fold your top pair to the LAG
With Election Day coming up tomorrow, a number of people are in a tizzy about the choices you will be making tomorrow. They put up some interesting comments about why they will vote for someone. They are passionate about what they are saying.
It seems that most poker bloggers are pretty liberal with some having gone off the deep end of the far left. Few are conservative. Many admit that our government could do more that actually represent our interests. Controlling spending would be a good start. But it is not as bleak as people want you to think. It is like on big poker game. They games are good (like the economy) but the suckout is always around the corner (Frist move).
I think the liberal poker view is pretty much offbase. You can see that some have gone on tilt; they are not seeing the board and figuring out why raising is better than folding. They are playing with their heart more than their head.
For example, some people will lump the Republicans together because they support the President. They will trot out wiretapping of phone calls, Gitmo, or torture and say they cannot support any candidate that would be for that.
The warrantless wiretapping is funny. Most of these people are good Americans. Or so I think. Are they making frequent phone calls to countries on the State Departments list of terrorist countries? They must be if they think the government is listening to their calls. There are millions of phone calls made on a daily basis. It is physically impossible for the government to listen to them all. That is why they focus on known numbers and countries. They do not care about your phoning Aunt Milly in Idaho to get her potato pancake recipe.
They will say that people should not be held without charges pressed against them. Well, you are not going to be picked up off of any street in the United States by the government unless they have evidence of you plotting something pretty evil. However, if you have been captured on the battlefield and have sworn to kill as many Americans as possible, well, that may keep you in a nice little cell for a period of time. You do want to be protected against people that want to kill you, don't you? Maybe we can just dump these people back into the world where they may go about in their effort to kill innocent Americans. Pittsburgh sounds like a good place.
Oh, and when we have these people, they are not to be interrogated either. Known methods that have extracted valuable information from our enemy that has been used to protect American citizens is not to be allowed. But of course, our enemy, the same people that would be allowed to go to Pittsburgh, would rather cut your throat and make a tape of it for people to see on TV.
You can play your hand aggressively and dictate the outcome of the hand tomorrow. Or you can fold to the LAG typing away nonsense in the chatbox. Yes, your pair of 4s may not be the best hand, but it is better than the K high you know your opponent has.
Get both sides of the story. Read about the issues and vote.
It seems that most poker bloggers are pretty liberal with some having gone off the deep end of the far left. Few are conservative. Many admit that our government could do more that actually represent our interests. Controlling spending would be a good start. But it is not as bleak as people want you to think. It is like on big poker game. They games are good (like the economy) but the suckout is always around the corner (Frist move).
I think the liberal poker view is pretty much offbase. You can see that some have gone on tilt; they are not seeing the board and figuring out why raising is better than folding. They are playing with their heart more than their head.
For example, some people will lump the Republicans together because they support the President. They will trot out wiretapping of phone calls, Gitmo, or torture and say they cannot support any candidate that would be for that.
The warrantless wiretapping is funny. Most of these people are good Americans. Or so I think. Are they making frequent phone calls to countries on the State Departments list of terrorist countries? They must be if they think the government is listening to their calls. There are millions of phone calls made on a daily basis. It is physically impossible for the government to listen to them all. That is why they focus on known numbers and countries. They do not care about your phoning Aunt Milly in Idaho to get her potato pancake recipe.
They will say that people should not be held without charges pressed against them. Well, you are not going to be picked up off of any street in the United States by the government unless they have evidence of you plotting something pretty evil. However, if you have been captured on the battlefield and have sworn to kill as many Americans as possible, well, that may keep you in a nice little cell for a period of time. You do want to be protected against people that want to kill you, don't you? Maybe we can just dump these people back into the world where they may go about in their effort to kill innocent Americans. Pittsburgh sounds like a good place.
Oh, and when we have these people, they are not to be interrogated either. Known methods that have extracted valuable information from our enemy that has been used to protect American citizens is not to be allowed. But of course, our enemy, the same people that would be allowed to go to Pittsburgh, would rather cut your throat and make a tape of it for people to see on TV.
You can play your hand aggressively and dictate the outcome of the hand tomorrow. Or you can fold to the LAG typing away nonsense in the chatbox. Yes, your pair of 4s may not be the best hand, but it is better than the K high you know your opponent has.
Get both sides of the story. Read about the issues and vote.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Iggy's Home Game
I hope Iggy does not get mad at me for posting this. I found some video of his home game.
Can you pick him out?
Iggy's Home Game.
Can you pick him out?
Iggy's Home Game.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
I did my part for NSFW
I showed up to support Al's campaign for increased attendance in the Mookie. Finished a miserable 33 or 34. I could say that I didn't catch cards, or when I did everyone folded and I didn't get any action.
But I won't. Mainly because I don't really believe in that stuff. "Not catching cards" is a lame excuse for one playing too tight and not opening up their game to the current conditions. It is not playing position. It is not taking a chance when the time is right. It is not bluffing your way to some pots that can be taken down just by making a bet.
"Not getting any action" is just as bad. Did you do anything to induce action. I saw that last night. Early in the tournament. Aces were cracked twice because they limped in. Now, that is one way to induce action, but to do so early in a tournament when you really don't have a good feel for the table or your opponents? Not the best play in my opinion. Then again, I don't think I have ever limped with A A. Ever.
No, my miserable finish was a bad play on my part. I raised in EP with K 10o. Table was tight so I thought I could represent a big hand and take it down. Instead there are 3 players to the flop. Flop is 10 high, uncoordinated. I bet half the pot and get called in one spot. My immediate thought was I am running into A 10. On the blank turn, I pushed and got called by....A 10. I totally ignored the part of my brain (the small part) that was yelling to slow down on the turn. Instead I pushed hard on the accelerator and crashed.
Maybe I should have stayed at the bar.
But I won't. Mainly because I don't really believe in that stuff. "Not catching cards" is a lame excuse for one playing too tight and not opening up their game to the current conditions. It is not playing position. It is not taking a chance when the time is right. It is not bluffing your way to some pots that can be taken down just by making a bet.
"Not getting any action" is just as bad. Did you do anything to induce action. I saw that last night. Early in the tournament. Aces were cracked twice because they limped in. Now, that is one way to induce action, but to do so early in a tournament when you really don't have a good feel for the table or your opponents? Not the best play in my opinion. Then again, I don't think I have ever limped with A A. Ever.
No, my miserable finish was a bad play on my part. I raised in EP with K 10o. Table was tight so I thought I could represent a big hand and take it down. Instead there are 3 players to the flop. Flop is 10 high, uncoordinated. I bet half the pot and get called in one spot. My immediate thought was I am running into A 10. On the blank turn, I pushed and got called by....A 10. I totally ignored the part of my brain (the small part) that was yelling to slow down on the turn. Instead I pushed hard on the accelerator and crashed.
Maybe I should have stayed at the bar.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Smashed pumpking
So much for pumpkin power. I was the 4th one out when my Q Q ran into K K. Hasta la vista baby!
I see Jason Spaceman may be moving up a bit in the world. All the hard work he put in for Bluff writing the fantastic tournament reports is paying off. The World Series of Poker has picked up them up and will be adding them to their own site. Get over and read about the possible new stars of tomorrow. The reports will be showing up sometime this week so keep visiting the WSOP site if you do not see it right away.
Of course the downside of the Spaceman's success is that he doesn't have enough time to post on his own site. His Predators are currently just ahead of my Red Wings in the Central division of the Western Conference. Yeah, I still can't figure out how Nashville is in the West but hey, what do I know? I got knocked out early yesterday.
I see Jason Spaceman may be moving up a bit in the world. All the hard work he put in for Bluff writing the fantastic tournament reports is paying off. The World Series of Poker has picked up them up and will be adding them to their own site. Get over and read about the possible new stars of tomorrow. The reports will be showing up sometime this week so keep visiting the WSOP site if you do not see it right away.
Of course the downside of the Spaceman's success is that he doesn't have enough time to post on his own site. His Predators are currently just ahead of my Red Wings in the Central division of the Western Conference. Yeah, I still can't figure out how Nashville is in the West but hey, what do I know? I got knocked out early yesterday.
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