A trip down under

Thanks to the guys at Full Tilt Poker for giving us a chance to win a trip to the Aussie Millions. I hope everyone enjoys my tale.

I stood at the rail and let out a big sigh. Though I was a bit disappointed, I was also extremely happy. It was just over 3 years ago that I had downloaded Full Tilt Poker and won $100 in their Beta Freeroll tournaments. Now, here I was making the money in the Aussie Millions. Sure it was only $24k for 72nd place, not the $1.75 million first prize. But I made it through 2 full days of poker in my first major poker tournament. Not bad for a trip that was won on Full Tilt.

****
I knew things would be unique about the trip from the beginning. Having arrived in LAX, I was able to navigate my way to the correct gate in no time. I passed some of the Full Tilt guys along the way. Since we had time, I decided to get a beer to relax myself for the flight. It didn’t seem like to much of a surprise to run into Gavin Smith in the bar. I had met him at Al’s Bash at the Boathouse in 2006 and he was a good guy. As I mentioned meeting him before at the Bash, a big smile came across his face and he began saying what a great time it was. Hey, he was preaching to the choir as I am a veteran of Al’s parties. We kept on talking and before we knew it, the plane was boarding. We finished our beers and parted ways.

As I waited at the gate to get on the plane, I ran into Hoy and Lucko. Hoy won his way to Australia in the 25 seat giveaway while Lucko won the Battle of the Bloggers Tournament of Champions. Hanging with these guys over the next couple of days was great, especially when I was able to get some advice about playing such a big tournament. The advice they gave me helped settle me down and focus. Thanks again guys.

I mentioned that this trip would be unique. It started at the airport. The airline lost my luggage. Somehow they made a mistake and my clothes were headed off to Kuala Lumpur. Great! I may be stuck wearing the same underwear for the next week. Do they have Target stores in Australia?

But that wouldn’t be the end of it. Because I had to argue with the airline, I missed the limo rides to the casino that FTP had provided. The FTP assured me they would send a car back but I told them I could cab it. I just wanted to get settled in and take a shower.

Things seemed better as the cab soon pulled up in front of the Crown Casino. I paid the driver and stepped out of the car. As I did, I made sure not to smash my finger in the door like Dr. Pauly had. By doing so, I forgot my travel bag in the cab and didn’t realize it until after he started driving away. I panicked for a second until I saw he had to stop at a light. I then sprinted down the roadway after him, waving my hands like a lunatic. Just before the light turned green, I was able to slam my hand into the trunk and get his attention. He got out of the car and looked rather agitated for me hitting his car. I quickly told him my bag was in the back seat. He apologized, handed me the bag, and told me to get back in as he would drive me back that way. Nice guy. Hope the rest of these people are as well.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up wondering where the heck I was. Apparently I had checked in, found my room and crashed. It was now 3 in the afternoon and I hadn’t a clue what was going on. I showered and went down to the casino to see what was happening. Along the way, I kept hoping my luck would change. I figured the worst had to be behind me.

Nuh uh. Things would be rough as I played some limit poker just to ease into the scene. Nothing went right. I couldn’t win a hand to save my life. You name the suckout, it happened. How I walked away with just a small loss, I don’t know. Tried some blackjack and had the same result. It seemed a night in the sportsbook was the best solution. If I can’t win at the tables, maybe some Australian basketball would help. Well, many beers and bets later, I was still down. Maybe tomorrow would be better.

The next morning I woke up feeling much better. I had an itinerary for the day’s events waiting for me. A trip to the zoo, eh? What the heck, let’s check it out. As the bus headed to the zoo, I got to know some other qualifiers. Bill from Missouri was a good guy as was Mike from Seattle. We kinda wandered around the zoo together. Some interesting native species were seen. All was good until I was attacked by a rampaging kangaroo. Seriously. We were walking down a path when we heard some commotion from behind. Just as I turned around, I saw a kangaroo coming right at me. Bill and Mike moved just before it was on top of us. I froze. And caught a nice jab to the jaw and went down. Kinda like this except without the boxing ring:

More videos from the "Contagious" channel at Heavy.com

I was stunned. I was sitting on my butt wondering if what happened had just happened. I got knocked out by a kangaroo? Wow. Can this get any worse? I guess it could because I didn’t soil my only pair of drawers. I would later choose to spend the golf outing in the club house at the bar. I had heard there were kangaroos on the course and I wasn't going to take any chances.

Back at the casino, I finally had some good luck winning $460 at the NL tables. Maybe I had some ‘roo luck going for me now. What I thought was bad luck was actually good. Hopefully things would continue

And they did. I won’t bore you with the details but I was up a nice sum for the trip. I gave the credit to my 5 day old underwear and the kangaroo punch. Thus, I had a good feeling going into the main event of the Aussie Millions. I had done well in the Full Tilt tournament the day before, just missing out on a final table. But I did get a bounty for knocking out Mike the Mouth Matusow. With the Hammer nonetheless! Setting him on major tilt is something I won’t ever forget.

I was playing in the first flight. I liked it as I was on a bit of a roll. Only problem was that I was quite nervous and I think it showed. Though I got lucky by having no big name pros at my table, the players there did notice how tight I was playing. For the first 3 hours it seemed like all I did was fold or play from the blinds. The one time I did raise, a couple of the guys joked about how I must have had a monster. Guess the K K showed in my eyes. Thus during the break, I called up the Hoy for some advice on how to calm down. He kept it simple. Relax and play. Act like you have been there before.

I did better after the break. I loosened up to take advantage of my new table image. It worked well. No one wanted to mix up with me at first. But then they began to doubt what I was playing. Thankfully they started calling and re-raising me when I had some big hands. A K suited twice got me some good pots. Catching a set with Q Q busted a short stack’s K K and I was just over double my starting stack with a couple hours left in the day. To make it to the second day was a nice accomplishment I thought.

Thankfully, I didn’t screw up and go broke. On the second to last hand of the day, I made a raise from MP with J J and got called by the button and BB. Uh oh. The button was a sneaky kid from Florida. He loved to play a lot of suited connectors no matter what the raise was. It worked well for him as he had over 40k in front of him. The BB was a rock. The flop came 9 10 3, two clubs. BB checked. I made a continuation bet of 2/3 the pot. Just the kid called. The turn was a rough one. J of clubs. Sure I had a set but now the flush and straight possibilities were there. I bet out ¾ of the pot this time. The kid thought and sneered “all in!”.

My stomach sank. How do I fold top set here? How do I call when I could easily be way behind? Moments ago I was just happy to be making the second day and now I was on the brink of destruction. I must have thought about it for 10 minutes. The table was quite patient with me taking so much time. Finally, I folded those knaves face up. I heard a “wow!” from the rock followed by a “huh?”. The kid showed A 5. A total bluff. Suddenly I was back below the starting stack of 10k and was feeling miserable. I folded the next two orbits, just happy to make it to the next day.

On the second day one flight, I spent some time watching Hoy and Lucko. I tried to study how they acted and reacted to the various bets, hoping to pick up some tips. When I got tired of standing, I would spend some time back in the sportsbook or playing a bit of limit. I wanted to keep my mind on poker but not have it immersed. I think I found a nice balance.

When it was turn to play on Day 2, I was ready. My new friends Bill and Mike had both been knocked out but were there to follow my play. It helped. I started out by being a bit too aggressive. I was getting froggy with A J and A 10, friendly or aggravating hands for bloggers depending on who you talk to. They worked well for me early as I scooped a couple decent pots to double up. I got a bit ahead of myself later with A J when I pushed on an OESD and was called down by bottom two pair.

That would be the only setback on Day 2. I changed gears to a conservative mode and it paid off when I went on a mini rush with Q Q, then K K, and then A K. I guess my opponents kept thinking I was playing any big Ace. I took advantage of a tight table after a change and began my process all over again. At the end of Day 2 I was solid in the middle of the pack, but more importantly, brimming with confidence. I felt like I could actually get lucky and take this tournament down.

But it was not to be. I sludged my way through the field and felt relieve when the call when out that the bubble had burst. I was happy that I was going to take some money home but had to make sure I didn't get stupid.

One strange that occurred during the tournament was that I wasn't at the same table as any of the top pros. That changed on Day 3. I found myself seated two spots to the right of Andy Bloch. As if that is bad enough, he had a monster stack and appeared to be controlling the table. I decided I wasn't going to tangle with him unless I had a monster hand.

I avoided Bloch for hours but didn't really collect any chips. I could steal the blinds here and there but Bloch kept coming over the top and forcing me to fold. I guess it is much easier when you don't play against the best.

Then I would find A K suited on the button. I figured I would pounce on Bloch and make it look like a steal. I raised it up 3xs the blinds to make it look like another steal. I was waiting for him to re-steal but he just called. Huh? No re-raise? What was he up to? The flop seemed great for me. A K 10, two of my suit. Top two pair with the nut flush draw. I decided to take it easy and bet half the pot when Bloch checked to me. He smooth called the bet. Uh...ok. The turn was a harmless 7. Nothing had changed for me. Bloch checked and I checked behind. Maybe he was chasing the flush draw as well. River was a final blank. But now Bloch bet out. My initial reaction was simple. He was going to bully me out of the pot. I wasn't going to allow that and quickly announced "All in!".

*****
I stood by the rail and let out a big sigh. I was out. Hadn't taken the time to fully think about what my opponent might have. I was right about one thing. He was on a flush draw. Only problem was he had flopped a straight. If the turn or river had been a diamond, I would have doubled up and still been going. Instead I was out.

But I still had a smile on my face. It amazes me how this blog has opened up so many opportunities to meet some great people around this world. The number of new friends made from playing this game of poker has been stupendous. Quality people and quality memories that will last forever. Thanks again to the fine people at Full Tilt Poker for bringing a beer city guy to the land down under.

Good time to get out of here

I spent 30 minutes shoveling the 6 inches of snow this morning. By the time I was done, there was another 1/4 inch minimal on what I had cleaned up.

The 20 minute drive to work took 50 minutes.

And my electric razor quit on me this morning. I have an old one somewhere. Hopefully I can find it.

I need to hit the bank, the vet, and shovel some more snow before I can get home to shovel today's accumulation.

They say that there is more snow on the way.

Good time for me to get out of here and go drink and gamble and drink and meet up with new friends while I drink. I cannot really put into words what it is I like about Vegas. It is the one place I really don't have a care in the world. A nice place of escape.

In roughly 24 hours, I will be enjoying a beer at the airport. The weather better cooperate and not screw up my flights. I needs to get my gamble on.

Block off your calendar

Do yourself a favor right now and go block off the last hour or two of your last work day before Vegas. Stop thinking about the Bodonkey tournament on Bodog tonight. Go to Outlook or whatever calendar they use at work and mark your last hours as "busy". The last thing you want is some douchebag seeing you can attend an end of day meeting. You don't need to have a reason to block it off. If someone asks why you are busy tell them research.

Got it done? Good.

You can read all the details on the Bodog touney over at BadBloods. I am too busy to list it all out here again.

I am busy doing research.

Low expectations

At work, not Las Vegas.

Seriously. My employer cannot expect much to be accomplished over the next 3 days. I am here physically, not mentally. Too busy brushing up on when to double down, how many units is the correct bet on the craps table, and when to keep two pair together at the Pai gow table.

I did play some poker this weekend. A little limit as well as some no limit and triple draw to shake the rust off for live play. Ok, so there won't be any live TD but I had fun. Did good in the NL winning half a buyin in just 30 minutes. Played limit for an hour and lost 2 big bets at 3/6. All came down to the last hand where I went chasing with a gutshot straight. Pot was over $120 so I had to.

Made the final financial maneuvers this morning and will hit the bank tomorrow. I can then sit like a zombie at work on Wednesday. Will be wheels down by 10:30 and at the luxury that is the IP by 11. From there, I may go down to Hooters for a bite or may just go across to Caesars to hook up with Blood. Or I may hit the Pai Gow tables at the IP. Any which way, you know I will have a beer in my hand.

Commence the longest 3 days in the universe.....now!

Vegas with "strangers"

Whenever I am heading off to Vegas, I always get asked the question, "Who are you going with?" Twice a year my response is, "No one. Going out to meet up with some people I know." There may be some pressing and I tell them how it is a group of friends I know from playing poker. I get an confused look and the topic is dropped. I go off and meet the people I know as well as make new friends. I always have a good time.

Mainly because you get to know people like Otis. Most of you have read about his gift to Dr. Chako. It is people like Dr. Chako and Otis that make these trips worth it. I have known Otis a couple years and played some poker with the Doc last December. I don't think he remembers the drunk guy who kept raising his pots at the HORSE game, but that doesn't matter.

Dr. Chako is off serving our country. Otis' gift makes his time away from his family just a bit more bearable. Now, you don't have to go and buy a guitar and send one yourself. But you can do something. Chako had mentioned a charity called Operation Happy Note. Their mission is to get musical instruments to deployed service men and women. Take the time to donate some of that advertisement money you are collecting and make someone happy with the gift of music. Not only will you feel better, it is good karma for Vegas. Besides, I am sure Al will buy you a shot if you do. I know I will.

Candy store

In just over a week I will be watching the elevator doors open up and be greeted with the warms sounds of a casino. The noise of the slot machines, the cry of victory from the craps table, and the thunderous bellow of PAI GOW!!!

I am often asked what games I play in Vegas. It would seem to be an easy question but for me it isn't. I play just about them all. Blackjack, craps, pai gow poker, limit hold em, no limit hold em, HORSE, slot machines, video poker, 3 card poker, even crazy 4 poker. About the only thing I do not play is roulette. Or that giant wheel or any of its derivatives.

I think I have casino ADD. I will play whatever fits my need. Years ago it used to be blackjack. Then it was craps. Then it was pai gow. For the most part it is now poker. But I always find myself looking for something different. Something to entertain me.

That is what gambling is for me. Entertainment. Everyone would like to win. I do too, but I don't necessarily mind losing money if I am having a good time. It doesn't matter what the game is, if the table is fun and energetic- and the waitress makes sure to come by often- I can walk away down but not in the dumps. To me it is paying for entertainment.

I have no clue what might take up the majority of my time next week. I know I will get pai gow and poker in there. There will be some craps of course. But what will the first game I play be?

I have no idea. But is puts a smile on my face to know I will have many choices and some cool people to be around. Just let me run loose in that candy store.

Week off?

Poker this weekend consisted of playing a drunken SnG and a tired tournament that was basically a SnG. Made money in one and got bored in the other. Guess I should have been drinking last night.

I may take a break from the BBT2 this week. The MATH doesn't work well for me because of the start time and it being on a Monday. I usually sleep like crap on Sunday nights and fall asleep around 10. Any good run in the MATH would have me feeling like shit at work the next day. I may play the Mookie on Wednesday. Yeah it is the same start time but I usually have a couple beers in me and can handle being groggy on a Thursday much better than a Tuesday.

I won't be around for the RiverChasers game. Big football game going on. It sucks the NFL and the cable companies couldn't cut a deal. The Cowboys game this week should be a good one. With the Cowboys favored by 6.5, I cannot wait to see that Miami Don says bet the house on the Packers.

Another thing I have been wondering lately. Why is every tournament a double stack? I know people want more bang for their buck, but it may be killing this series. It seems there is a lot of complaining going on about the skill levels of the players. Someone catches a bad beat and begings to harangue the person for what they consider a bad play. Nevermind that the supposed bad play could have been an incorrect read, a faulty button click, or a "aw fuck it, I don't feel like playing anymore" move. Why someone feels the need to keep going off in the chat box, following a person from table to table to bitch and moan is beyond me.

Is it possible that it is because of the double stacks? With extra chips, people can play a bit looser and try to get lucky on the flop. They can lose half their stack and feel like they are starting a regular tournament. Sometimes that is how I play. I will take some early chances knowing I can get those chips back later. With smaller beginning stacks, it could take that gamble factor down a notch.

Just a thought.

Food coma

After dinner yesterday, I was sitting on the couch at my brother's house in food coma, wondering what it is that I had to do that night. I couldn't put my finger quite on it. Maybe I was content to lay there with a full belly.

Then I remembered that I had signed up for the Riverchasers tournament. It would provide me an out. So took a piss and decided it was time to head out.

But then I got bamboozled into driving my mother home. It would be 15 minutes out of the way. I figured I would be about 15 minutes late, so another 15 wouldn't really matter. Plus, it would be bad karma to not help one's own mother right?

As I drove in the night, my stomach started to talk to me. I was in a bit of pain with how much turkey and stuffing I had shoved in there. I contemplated getting home and just calling it a night, sacrificing the $11, but decided to just play for a while. I could take one big risk and if I bust, I bust. I had to work the next day anyways.

When I finally sat down to play, I had only lost about 300 in chips. Not shabby. I waited for some good cards to come and played my game. I did notice my stomach, though feeling better, was still telling me to call it a night. Shut up stomach! I got a little loose making some calls and tossing chips around on weak moves.

I pissed someone off when I went tried to make a bluff. I can't recall exactly what I had. I think it was either A Q or A 10. I called the raise from MP. Flop came J high. The raiser checked as did I. The turn was either a Q or a 10, putting 3 of a suit on the board that matched my A. This time MP bet out. I put him on a mid pair and decided I could make a move right here and push him off the pot. I popped it back all in, representing that I had made my flush. He instacalled with J J. Bad read by me. But a K hit the river and I caught my gut shot straight. I had even noticed the straight was possible. That set flopped set o' Jacks on tilt. Later he would show up at a table and berate me for moving with A high.

The double up got me over 4k. Basically it meant my stomach would have to deal with me playing more poker. I continued to play patiently, waiting for the right time to gain more chips. Hoy helped out by giving me a good chunk on one hand. That got me closer to 10k and I would soon move above that mark.

Got lucky when I got moved to a table with a push monkey. Didn't matter much what the size of the pot was, he was going to put it all in. 3000 in the middle, bet the flop for 10,000. Thus when I got dealt K K, I started praying for him to get stupid. My prayers were answered when he made a raise of 6xs the blinds. I moved all in and was instacalled by his pockets 10s. A couple hands later, I would get another chunk when someone tried to run their K K through my A A.

Before I knew it, I was atop the mountain in first with 20 some left. It took a while but soon enough we were at the final table. I lost my top spot and was sitting around 8th when we got there. I stayed patient looking for spot to pounce. I thought I had my spot only to see it slip away. I called a raise from the player on my left with A 10 in the SB. Flop came 10 high and I decided to make a move with it. I pushed and was called by A Q. Uh...ok. Unfortunately for me, rag rag gave us both a wheel and the pot was split. It would have knocked him out.

That came back to bite me later. This hand bothered me. With J J in the SB, I again called his button raise. Flop came K K Q. It checked around. Turn was an 8. This time I bet out 10k and was raised to 30k. If I called, it meant I would have 11k left. I didn't like calling there and had to decide to push or fold. My notes on the player showed he was pretty tight. He only made raises when he had pocket pairs or face cards. I took some time to decide if he was playing A K or A Q. In the end I folded my jacks. I don't think he would have raised me there with a small pocket pair. My gut was screaming he had a K. Maybe I should have said WTF and pushed.

I would play another 40 minutes beyond that hand. I was down below 20k and needed to find some place to push. I made a poor play by re-raising with A 2 and was out by flopped set of 9s. Yeah, poor spot to try and make something happen.

I finished 4, one spot better than the Mookie the night before. Not bad for not wanting to play.

Not bad, could have been better

5th place.

Number 5 in the sea of 90. With the way I have played lately, I will take it and be happy. Not necessarily content, but happy. If I was content it would man I didn't care to win the damn Mookie.

Yeah, from now on, it is the damn Mookie to me. Nothing personal to Mook, but his tournament usually gives me fits. To finish 5 is a bit of success.

Congrats to the Budohorseman for his win. Pretty remarkable since he was the short stack when we were down to 6.

I played some good poker last night. Was not too wild. Made some good reads. Picked up some nice sized pots by putting players on draws or underpairs. I did not make any read dumb mistakes that I could not make up for later on.

But I ran into the same problem I usually do at a final table. I try to make a play out of position and get nailed for it. It is usually in a spot that I won't kill me, but it does leave a flesh wound. Did it again last night and LJ punished me for it.

At some spot I will correct that flaw. But in the meantime, I will be happy to hit a final table and push for a win.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

To Mook or not to Mook

Depends how drunk I get tonight. Like Al, I am not a fan of amateur nights at the local watering hole, but I do believe I need to make sure my bartenders are taken care of. Bar etiquette goes downhill today as people make their 1 of 2 treks out all year. They usually end up being rude to the bartenders, expecting to get great service as soon as they move up to the bar. They will stand in front of people shooting darts (hey, this happened to me). And they usually do not tip.

The way I see it, someone needs to save them. Plus there is a chance I can get looped up enough to unleash my inner aggressive donkey on the tables.

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You hear that?

I think you do. You hear that distant noise. No it isn't the TV in the background. It isn't the sound of traffic outside. It isn't the white noise being pumped into the office.

It is the sound of anticipation. The sound of poker players getting antsy for a trip to Vegas.
It is the stories that you thought were myths being retold and enjoyed for the umpteenth time. It is about wheelchairs and having imaginary kids with other bloggers.
It is about being rolled by a hooker.
It is about drinking until 11 in the morning and letting someone play your money at a blackjack table as you are about to pass out.
It is about the gravitational pull the Fatburger has as you walk by it.
It is about all the silly prop bets that will be made.
It is about the possibility that new legendary tournaments will be added.
It is about being able to stand at the MGM sports book bar without falling down.
It is winning rubber ducks at Hooters and having some guy in a kilt steal it.
It is about picking a horse with the name of Too Drunk to Call and having it win!!!
It is watching football with people from all over the country, cheering on all kinds of teams.
It is finding a poker tournament at 2 in the morning and deciding that you can make it downtown in 20 minutes to play it.
It is drinking for hours on end with someone you met earlier in the day.

It is about having a great time with friends.

It is the sound that will continue to build over the next couple of weeks. The sound that will make you ignore you work, make you review your blackjack tables, make you memorize the odds at the craps tables and which bets are the best. The sound of a good time personified.

How many days to go Drizz?

My own worst enemy

I made a decent run last night in the RiverChasers tournament. I was feeling pretty confident I was going to make the final table and have a chance to take it down. Maybe I was a little too confident.

I was my own worst enemy last night, making two bad reads that devastated my stack. It started out well. I missed the first half hour as I was out drinking. Came back and double my stack just before the first break. Soon into the second hour I would double up again as a huge stack tried to bully me out of a pot with a massive all in raise. Having the Hiltons, I called his bet with a 7 being the highest card on the flop. He showed his 2 2 and began to stew. I say this as he busted and berated a player for calling his all in bet with A 8.

Yeah, I was flying high in the top 5. But then I got a little too cocky. I was dealt K Qs, a hand I like. It was raised by the cutoff. I was thinking steal and that I could push him off with a re-raise. I re-pop it to force him all in. He goes for it and shows K K. Oops!

Soon I would do the same thing again. In the SB, I have A Qs and raise it. BB goes all in for like 2k more. I immediately am thinking he is trying to steal and quickly call. He shows A A. Oops part deaux!

I don't recall how I went out. I believe I ran A Qs into A A again. All that got me 15th place and a thanks-for-playing. No cash, no nuthin'.

Of course the kicker is, I didn't need to be that aggressive. I should have seen a flop with the K Q and went from there. I was probably screwed on the A Q hand no matter what. Oh well, there is next week. I need to get me a token or make some cash for the Big Game.

Vegas and Booze

Somehow I felt compelled to post something about an oncoming adventure in Las Vegas after not one, but two people felt the need to point out that it is 23 days (depening on when you read this) and counting. Sure Pauly will post his survival tips pretty soon, but that may not totally prepare you.

So I offer up some sage advice from purveyors of the potent potable, the loudmouths of liquor, the bishops of booze, the demaigogues of all that is drunken debauchery, Modern Drunkard Magazine:

The Drunkard’s Guide to Sin City

A couple I know recently approached me on the eve of their first trip
to Las Vegas, looking for advice. They’d heard I was born and raised there and
figured I might know some inside angles.
And indeed I do. I spent a drunken half hour alternatively tantalizing and terrorizing them about their choice of vacation spots. A little wisdom did manage to did slip through, however, which I present here in case you are considering a foray into Sin City.
You want to arrive with the idea you’re going to win a great deal of money. It doesn’t matter how little money you arrive with, or how many painful lessons you have absorbed in the past, this time it will be different. Never set a limit as to
how much you’re willing to lose. That is plainly a defeatist attitude and will
jinx you from the start. You should, however, set a limit as to how much you are
willing to win. For most this means every chip in the house, and perhaps the
deed to the casino.
If you gamble, you get free drinks. It’s a helluva a
deal, and if you possess even an average amount of luck the drinks will only end
up costing you about 40 bucks apiece. The climate is very hot and dry, so
remember to stay hydrated by drinking a lot of fluids. Triple Wild Turkeys do
not count, unless you ask for a lot of ice. Sadly, the level of customer care
has steadily declined since the casinos were taken over by soulless
corporations. It is customary to meet every instance of McDonald’s-style service
by muttering, “At least the Mob knew how to treat their goddamn
customers.”
The fact that you can drink 24 hours a day can have an unsettling
effect on some visitors. Realize you will have to be your own bouncer and should
cut yourself off after the bartender’s face has changed three times.
Some people seem to think that tipping the dealer is akin to French-kissing a mugger, but this is not true. It is akin to merely kissing the mugger’s hand.
It’s a psychological fact that money won on games of chance doesn’t seem like “real” money, which can encourage you to squander your winnings. So whenever you get a little ahead, turn those chips into cash and force yourself to
invest in tangible commodities, such as lap dances and $20 room-service shrimp
cocktails.
If you have a streak of luck, don’t smugly inform your friends
that you’re seriously considering quitting your job and moving to Vegas to give
the gambling profession a go. It will make them want to strangle you in your
sleep or, worse, want to borrow some money.
When you return from your trip it
is traditional to play down your losses and exaggerate you winnings. For
example, if you broke even or actually came out ahead, if only by $20, you
should inform your friends you “raped the bastards” and all the pit bosses
thought you were some kind of “internationally-renowned card shark.” If you lost
all the money you arrived with, you should say you “basically broke even.” If
you lost the money you came with and every cent you could squeeze from your
credit and debit cards, you should say you “lost a little, but more than made up
for it in free drinks.”

Just a friendly reminder that there is life away from the poker tables.

Was I too aggressive or too weak?

If I look at my poker game, I am much better at tournaments than cash. Better at limit than no limit. And a small stakes guy, 2/5 at the most.

That is why I am trying to learn the nuances of NL cash again. I had some success in June playing at the MGM and hear that they games are still good for a player like me. It is the little things I have picked up reading other blogs that I am trying to incorporate into my game.

This hand went down on FTP the other day. I don't think I played it that well, nor did I play it poorly. Any advice on what I could have done better is appreciated.

Playing .25/.50 (yeah, little stacks online). Dealt 8 9 clubs in MP. It is folded around to me and I just call. Person on my left raises to 1.75. Both blinds fold. Flop is nice looking but dangerous, Q J 10, with the J and 10 being clubs. I flopped a straight with a draw to straight flush. My opponent bets out 3.50. I like my straight but realize I could be in trouble. He could have easily raised with A K which means my dummy end of the straight is just that. Making me the dummy. But the flush draw could be good unless he raised with A K clubs. I decide to raise just the minimum to 7. He comes back with a raise to 15. I just called, deciding to take some time to put him on a hand. A K is worrying me but I don't think he has it. That is based on a previous hand where he cracked A A from the SB with 8 6. UTG played it cute and limped. He flopped two pair and stacked the guy. He kept going with min raises, showing that he may not be monster strong.

When a rag hit on the turn, I pushed my remaining $20 in. I figured it would all end up anyways and this way it looked like maybe I was trying to push him off the pot with a confident big bet. He called showing K K. Rag on the river gave me the pot.

Sure I won but somehow I think I could have played it better. Should I have been more aggressive on that flop? Or maybe more cautious? Do I get him to commit on the turn? Or is pushing there, knowing I could be behind a bad move? Any advice from you cash gamers is appreciated.

Don't know if I could have laid it down

I was floating along in the RiverChasers last night. Had one player that would never fold to my preflop bets. The flop would always have an A in it and suddenly they were betting out, causing me to fold my J J. No, I won't give them enough credit to be able to bluff me out there. I have played with them before and they play the I-have-an-ace-so-I-will-see-a-flop-no-matter-what-the-raise-is mentality.

But I didn't let that bother me. Much. I focused on playing my game. It worked well until the second period got going. With A Qs, I raised UTG. Only BuddyDank called from the button.

Flop was 10 10 10. Interesting.

We both check.

Turn is a Q. Not quite sure if this is good or bad. I cannot put Buddy on a 10 here. How can you? I think I bet about 3/4 of the pot to see if I am good with my boat.

Dank now pushes all in. He has me covered. Crap!

I go in the tank. Again, I cannot put him on a 10 here. Slight chance he calls in that spot with J 10s but doubtful. How could he just call with A A or K K? Doesn't seem to make sense, though I have seen a lot of people just calling raises with K K lately.

Is he trying to push me off the pot with his own pocket pair? That is the conclusion I came to. There are only two hands that beat me here, aces or kings (sure he could hold a ten but I have already ruled that possibility out). I can't see him slow playing either and I make the call.

He shows the K K and I am down to 3 possible outs that do not hit. I go home in 70th.

Well played Buddy.

If I somehow lay that hand down, I have about 2200 left and am alive and still in a position to move back up. Still, I don't think I made the wrong play. It didn't win but on the range I put him on, it makes sense. I believe I would end up calling again in that situation.

The dreaded Mookie

The dreaded Mookie has started. First table is interesting with Ftrain on my right, Maudie next to him, Kat on my left, and Hoy to the left of her.

Start out slow, raising only one hand, A Q in MP. I then fold for another round. Good thing Dennis Miller is on HBO otherwise I might fall asleep. Fold after fold is little fun, but necessary. If I raise with any of these field goal cards I will get my ass handed to me on any flop that misses me.

I then try to make a play on Ftrain. I call his raise with 6 6. Flop is J 2 3. I decided that no matter what, I am calling his flop bet and raising him on the turn. Call 400 to see a 3 hit the turn. He checks and I bet. But the little bastard goes all in. Damnit. Bad time to make a play.

Down to 1275. Let's see if I can get it all back in one fell swoop.

I call Ftrain's bet from the button with A Q. I think about re-raising his steal attempt but don't have the grapefruits to do it. There are no bets as the board comes 10 high and I take the pot. Power poker people!

8 8 raise and scare the EP limper away. I am on a roll!

Then with A Qs in the BB, I raise it up just more than the pot as 3 others try to limp in. Only one calls. Hmm... Flop is 10 10 2, two spades. What the hell...push! He thinks and thinks and calls with 4 4. Good call. But I get lucky and catch a Q on the turn. No 4th spade on the river to screw me and I am back above the starting point of 3k.

So now that I have been given a new lease in this game, how will I screw it up?

Well, I can call a raise with A 10 and fold on the flop. I thought it was fishy and sure enough, he shows the Hammer. Well played!

I wonder if Hoy will let me limp on in. Yes. Flop gives me an OESD but Hoy won't give me any more chips. Damn.

A couple hands later, I try raising with 5 5 in EP but get re-raised. No, still have no grapefruits to make the call and fold. I haven't seen this person raise a single pot all game so I figure he has to have me beat.

I try again with two black 9s and it gets me the blinds. Hey, it is a start. Good thing too, lots of folding as we head into the break.

Just as the break starts, I get moved to a new table. Don't recognize as many people here. 23skiddoo and Dionysus are here as is willwonka. Better yet, I don't have the big stack arseface Ftrain to my right anymore (dawn summers called him that).

Second verse, same as the first.

The action after the break is just like the beginning of the game. Fold, fold, fold. Then I see J J come to me. I am UTG+1 and raise it up. But willwonka pushes in the BB. WTF??? Doesn't seem right. My gut tells me he does not have any of the 3 overpairs. I decide to go for broke and make the call. He shows 10 10. No improvement for him and I get over 4k.

A Ks in the BB and I get a raise. Time to pop it back! Darn, he folded.

Two hands later, I am tangling with 23skidoo again. I make it look like a total steal from the button with A Jo. I am kinda happy when he raises me back because my immediate thought is he has A rag and just try to steal it back. So I push. He thinks and calls, showing A 7. My A J holds up and I am doing great.

Next hand, I get A A for the first time. I get a raise ahead of me and repop it. He then goes all in. Does it get any better? Suddenly I am up over 11k and in second place.

I then get a phone call and begin to play with maybe half of my attention on the game. With a couple of good hands, I suddenly vault into first with over 30k in chips. Which is a good thing as I don't have many good cards coming my way or am suddenly not hitting any flops. As we head into the second break, I am on top with just over 32k and 27 runners left.

But I am card dead for the first half of the 3rd session. This really sucks. If I get something I can make a play with, it gets raised ahead of me. And if I get J 3 one more time, I am going to break my monitor. It seems like every hand I get has a J in it.

Finally I get a break and the jacks stop coming. I see a flop as wonka tries to steal. It is only A 3 but I am sick of folding. Flop pairs my A. Nice. I just call his bet and decide to check-raise the turn. Works as I get a pot and get over 50k. Now I get into stealing myself. Take a couple here and there. We are in the money but the big money is at the final table. Problem is, I don't feel like playing much longer. Work will be here way too soon.

Within a couple hands, I would go from leader to out in 10th. Sadly, I really didn't care anymore. I was too tired to try to finish this off. I made a loose call with 2 2 on a board of 10 10 3, thinking my two pair was good. But the BB was slow playing K K and that took a chunk out. Next hand I bounce back against wonka with Q Q to knock him out. But then I way overplay A Qs from the BB and run into A Ko. Just like that, I get bounced.

I wish I hadn't been tired and could focus. Playing for 3 hours to basically win a pitcher of beer just isn't worth it.

Whaa?

Ever get involved in a hand that just leaves you befuddled?

Sure you have. Once the pot gets shipped to some clown, you sit back and wonder what just happened.

Played a tourney on Bodog tonight, trying to get my tournament credits to multiply so I can play the Blogger game. I am doing ok with two thirds of the field gone when I get involved in this hand. UTG goes all in for just over twice the 300 BB. UTG +1 calls. UTG+2 calls. Fold. Fold. I am up with J J. Pot has 7 BB in it and I push hoping to isolate the UTG player. SB folds. BB calls. Both UTG 1&2 call.

WTF?!?!?

Flop is 4 4 9. Looks good to me. It checks to UTG+2 who bets 6000 (he is the tournament leader with over 10k at the start of the hand). BB folds. UTG+1 calls.

What do these kings of poker have?
UTG- 3 3
UTG+1- A 10
UTG+2- A J

I am looking great until an A spikes on the river. So sad. No Blogger tourney for me for a while.

Shaking the rust off

What can you do when you play a good game and lose because someone played better? Learn from the experience, grab some cash, and sit down at the next table.

That is how my RiverChasers tourney went last night. One hand knocked me down. I didn't give up and fought my way back, but just couldn't do it.

Kat was the one who crippled me last night. Her flopped set of 9s did the damage. She got my read of kilter with her play. She raised from MP and I just called with A K off. I thought about re-raising but with it being unsuited, figured seeing a flop was the better move. Got my K on the flop and decided to check behind. The A on the turn made me happy. I am sure it made Kat happy too. All the chips went in and I didn't get lucky on the river.

I was down at that point but not out. Without any decent cards to make a move with, I chipped down to 435 before building my way back up to 3150. A double through would get me back in the game. This is where I didn't play that well. Called a raise with a middle pair and saw a flop that gave me an OESD. Gave up another 400 to see the turn that completely missed. Had to fold to the turn bet that would have put me all in. Roughly 800 gone like that. Stupid.

I have no problem with my bust hand. At least from my point of view. I thought the person winning the hand made a very terrible and moronic play. NewinNov limped UTG. I was up next and pushed my last 1600 in with A Ko. I was sceptical of New's limp right away but with antes in play, I had no choice but to make a move with my small stack. I get a call from a player in LP. Then New goes over the top and pushes his 4500 (?) in. Right away I knew I was in trouble. I figured he had to have A A or K K and one of my outs was gone. The other player thought for a while and then called with 10 10.

WTF?!?!? You called a raise and re-raise with 10s???

New had Q Q, which surprised me a bit. I knew he was strong but didn't think he would make a move with just queens. I have played with him many a time and would have folded those 10s each and every time. Of course, the donkey hit a 10 on the flop and it would be over. I hate it when the worst play of the hand wins the pot.

I ended up finishing the beyond middle of the pack. Sad to say it was my best finish so far, but with how little poker I have been playing, it is understandable. Right now I am shaking the rust off and getting back in the game.

Mookie cubed is 3xs as bad

Once again, the Mookie was a kick in my ass. Once again, I was playing well. Nothing fantastic, but I wasn't in bad shape. I was alive and looking to make a move. But I would screw the pooch with a bad read.

I have fallen into a bad habit. Call it table cop. I watch someone continually raise or push and figure I need to step up and stop them from killing my action. Problem is, I forget that they just may have a good hand and that my hand, while good, is not a dominant one.

Thus, my push with 8 8 (when I didn't need to commit) was pretty bad. I can't blame my opponent for insta-calling with J J. I played an hour and a half just to blow it away with one stupid bet. No wonder I haven't done well lately.

Next up, I got loose and crazy in the Dookie. Again, I was doing pretty good. Had chipped up nicely and was at the top. But in two hands I pushed marginal edges and was soon done in 10th place.

To top it off, I was a quick out in the Spooky when my A Q was trounced by 6 6.

All was not lost though. I enjoyed a nice bourbon barrel ale, downing a 6 pack for a nice buzz and made $55 on the cash NL tables. At least two things went well yesterday.

Soon I will be back in the game...

Until I get my account straightened out and financed, I will have to wait on the sideline. But you don't have to. Get in the Bodonkey game today!!!

Play Bodog’s Online Poker Blogger Tournament This Tuesday Night!


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Smart to retarded in 5 seconds

I think that explain how I did in the RiverChasers tourney last night. Went from smart to retarded in 5 seconds. Was playing a patient, smart game and then threw it all away.

I was determined not to play all loosey goosey again. I showed up about a half hour in and played some hands. Made some good reads to chip back up and missing some flops and draws. Was floating along, waiting for a spot to make a move. The cards weren't coming my way and when they did, I made good use of them.

But then I hit a bit of a dry spot, and then one bad read which led to a bad move. A below average stack decided to start pushing on every hand, from EP. First time I folded A Q not wanting to go on a potential coin toss. The second time I had crap. The third time, I had 5 5. Presto never loses. I believe he was pushing on any two cards, with maybe an ace. It felt right to not just call but come over the top and make him fold that crap hand.

He insta-called. Yep, with A A.

See ya! This retard must drink the rest of his beer and shut down the pc.

The good part is I was content with my play last night up to that hand. There is plenty of time left to get back into shape. And if it continues to rain all weekend, I may find myself playing more than I expect.

The Mookie and my self junk kicking

Yeah, I pretty kicked myself in the junk in the Mookie. Played way too loose and aggressive early. That made for a short night.

I don't understand why I get into that groove in the Mookie. It isn't my game. I can get aggressive later in the mid or late rounds, but going crazy in the beginning has never worked for me. You would think I would have learned by now.

So I thought about it and figured these are the factors that led to my early exit:

• I just suck in the Mookie tournament. Again, see above.


• Maybe I was traumatized that the new Helloween CD wasn't going to be delivered as expected on Tuesday. I needs my pumpkin power!


• Was it the beer curse? Once again, I went out as soon as I opened a new beer. The Sprecher was fantastic, but it didn't help my poker game.

I have a shot at redemption tonight in the RiverChasers tourney. Maybe I should go straight to the bar from work and get in shape for the game.

2nd banana

I finished second in the Monkey tournament last night. I think I may have found my niche in the poker world. Small tournaments with bloggers. If the number of entries gets over 25, I am screwed.

The money won basically covered what I dropped at the NL cash table. It was one of those annoying nights where pots never built up when you had monsters and your good hands got sucked out on the river. The guy who pushed because he was freerolling with his straight and hit his flush on the river to take the whole pot instead of half is just a kick in the gut. But can you fold that straight? I couldn't.

I also made one bad play in the Monkey that bothered me later. It bothered me because it kinda screwed over another player. With 4 left, I am dealt 8 3 in the small blind. Big blind has 800 behind after posting the 400 BB. I have over 5k. I bet enough to force the small stack in. And lose mightily. I wasn't going to let a stack on life support take a walk. But is this an instance in which I should have? Immediately I thought so. With that pot, he suddenly was a factor again and would soon take out the person in 3rd. If I had let it walk, he would have still been in a bad spot.

So do you go for the knockout, or realize you have shit cards and let someone else do it?

Congrats to Spock on the win!

Strike a KORD

I left work and went straight to the bar. I figured a change of pace was necessary as I had to work late on a Friday. So the plan was to get a buzz and get home in time for Kat's donkament. Even though the beer and food were free, I got my butt off the bar stool and went home. If I stayed, I would have been there much later and would have needed a ride.

The donkament was interesting to say the least. Lots of crazy action before the rebuy period ended. I really screwed the pooch in this one. I got off to a great start, luckboxing out of the gate and was soon up over 10k. But I donkied it all away and stumbled into the second hour. There I survived just long enough for Poker Enthusiast's Razz tourney, the KORD Classic, to begin.

And what do you know...



Maybe that is the secret to winning at Razz. Be drunk. On Sprecher. Lord knows I made some really bad plays in the Razz tourney. Bluffing when it looked like the best I had was a J. Yep, I did that. But I was able to get the few remaining sober brain cells to rally and pull off a win. I have no clue how I overcame JL as he had a decent chip lead on me. Must have been more luckboxing. I do recall trading the lead a couple of times. Guess sometimes the drunk guy does indeed win a "world class" event.

Can't wait for the BB2 Razz event!!!

Part duh

With the Blogger Battle Part Deux coming up, I figured I should shake some rust off and play some poker. At some point I will learn only to play when focused. I had two SnGs going and lost interest about 30 minutes into each. I had been doing well but then proceeded to donk on out. Guess that means I am ripe for the picking in the oncoming series.

We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks. My goal is to get focused enough to win my way into the Big Game. With the stuff I have to do around the house, that may be an issue. But where there's a will, there's a way.

Looking for some poker news? Dan at Pokerati is covering teh Abolute scandal going on. Haven't seen anyone else mentioning this story yet. Looks kinda ugly from my viewpoint.

Update: Drizz mentioned their was site with all the info. Found it. Could we have guessed Absolute Poker Cheats?

The IP comes over the top

Well, I thought I would only be able to get 2 free nights at the Rio and that it would be my stay. But the Imperial Palace came over the top with a totally free weekend. And some free booze and food. Not too shabby!

So no more worry about storing bags or money being spent on taxis. Only worry is for time to fly so it is December already! And to confirm Metal Skool is playing the Hard Rock.

Ask and ye shall receive

No sooner than I complain about not finding a good rate on a good room do the good people at the Rio offer me free lodging. Even if I have to pay for Saturday night (around $120), I will be better off paying for cabs to get to the strip. Only issue will be storing my bags on Sunday during the football games. Leaving them at the Rio would be a bit of pain at the end of the night when I have to get to the airport.

I just hope they have rooms available when I call later today.

How about some football. My beloved Dallas Cowboys play host to the New England Patriots in a big game of unbeatens. You know it is a big game when it gets a nickname right away. The Duel in Dallas. Cute.

Sports gambler/poker player Don quickly said to take the Pats and lay the points. And back up the truck! Ok, he didn't say that but he quickly jumped on taking the Patriots. I don't that is such a great idea. The Patriots are the better team. Yes, you read that right. I said the Patriots are the better team. But they may not be on Sunday.

Here is why the Cowboys can win:

• The Patriots defense is not impenetrable. The Cleveland Browns put up 353 yards of offense on them. If it wasn't for turnovers, the Browns would have put more points on the board. They had it 1st and goal on their opening drive before the interception came. Pats fans were sweating that one.
• Phillips defense stacks up well against the Pat's offense. From the Dallas Morning News:

But Brady has not performed particularly well against the Phillips 3-4. A
look at Brady's games against the Chargers the last two seasons:
San Diego 41, Patriots 17 (Oct. 2, 2005) -- Brady completed 19
or 32 passes for 224 yards with one TD and one INT in a blowout that snapped the Patriots' 21-game home winning streak. New England had only two first downs in
the second half.
Patriots 24, Chargers 21 (Jan. 7, 2007) -- Brady struggled
most of the playoff game, completing 27 of 51 passes and getting picked off
three times. But he made enough plays to win, passing for 280 yards and three
TDs. Marlon McCree's interception probably would have sealed the win for San
Diego, but the Patriots got new life by forcing a fumble on the return. Brady
took advantage by throwing a TD pass and setting up the game-winning field goal
with a deep ball to Reche Caldwell on the next possession.

• The crowd. Don't under estimate the fans in Dallas when there is a big game. Sure they may not get all riled up when the Cardinals or Rams come to town. But when the game is big, they will be loud. They got into the Colts game last year and it showed. The Cowboys fans will be ready for Sunday and you will hear them.
• No way in hell does Romo have another game like he did on Monday night. Though he played poorly, his teammates- especially the defense- took up the slack and kept them in the game. The defense has steadily gotten better this year and will be up for the challenge.

The Patriots win by simply playing their game. If Moss catches more than one deep ball, it is over. Moss has consistently hurt the Cowboys. This year I am hoping it is different.

The Cowboys can win this weekend and it should be a good game. Whether I will be playing the PokerStars blogger game as I watch has yet to be determined.

Early out again

I don't know why I play the Mookie. I never do any good in it. Usually gone within the first half hour.

Last night was no different. I played loose and passive to begin with, chasing flushes and straights that didn't hit. I did have one "smart" play where I hit my straight on the turn but knew I was screwed when the river paired the board. Sure enough, the full house took the pot.

I went out when my A Ko was outdrawn by a limper/call a pot size raise person who proceeded to hit two pair on the flop with A 10. Again, I knew I was behind but called the all in bet with just 640 behind because I didn't care at that point. I figured if it was a night that would see me continually outdrawn than why play? I made my donation to the pool and did a quick walk of shame away from the pc.

It looks like the rodeo is taking over Las Vegas. Been trying to find a reasonable rate on rooms for the WPBT event and am running into the wall. The good ole' IP wants to charge $159 for Friday and Saturday. I thought they were kidding at first, but she was serious. I found a better rate online but still, that much for the IP?

Been having no luck with any of the Harrahs properties either. They have offers for the month of December but not that weekend. The cheap rooms are again at the north end of the strip at the Sahara and Stratosphere. The amount paid on taxis and monorails may not be worth it to stay up there.

No Bodog, but Vegas

Well, I did get the Bodog software to work last night. But I couldn't make a deposit. It wouldn't accept either of the debit cards I had and I wasn't about to use a regular credit card. No Bodonkey for me last night.

I do have 8 tournament dollars there and will have to parlay that into something bigger. Too bad I can't use those in a SnG. That sucks.

Looks like I will be booking a flight to Vegas later this morning for December. Falstaff has the details over at PokerStage. I will be in just before noon on Thursday the 6th and taking the redeye home after the football games on Sunday.

The best news is Metal Skool should be performing that Thursday night at the Hard Rock. Badblood, have you booked your flight yet? Any and all poker metalheads have to hit up this show. Believe me, you will not be disappointed!

I am also interested in checking out the Hoffbrau house for some good beer drinking. Anyone interested in doing so either Friday or Saturday (after the tournament), please let me know.

I probably should play some poker in the meantime. Or at the very least, some Pai Gow.

Bondonkey

I see Smokkee is sponsoring a Tuesday night Bodonkey with a nice overlay. If I can get Bodog to work, I plan on playing. Only problem is I have no funds on Bodog. Anyone out there that can swap some Full Tilt for Bodog? It would be greatly appreciated. Drop me an email at stb31@hotmail.com so we can work out the details.

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 8786670

Hey, an actual poker post!

I played some last night. Riverchasers. Ended up 20 out of 44. Not bad but not good. I didn't care for the way I went out. After starting out tight, then loose, then tight again, I managed to get myself back into the game with a stack that wouldn't force me to make unnecessary moves, but allow me to find the best spots.

At least that is what I was thinking.

I raised with K Qo in the cutoff or button. I get re-raised by the player on my left. Kat calls. Now, I should realize that I am behind at least one and probably both. Why I am calling the re-raise? Because I ain't that bright.

Flop comes K high. Hey, I got lucky. I am hoping that someone is playing Q Q. Kat is first to act and moves all in. My gut reaction is she does not have A K. I think she has Q Q or J J and is trying to push us off. With about 5300 behind and the other player having me covered, can I really just call her bet of 3200(around that)?

I believe I need to raise here to force the other guy out and simply pray he does not have A K, K K, or A A. So I did and was insta-called by A A.

In hindsight, the best move was to fold preflop. It is not because of the end result. It is I should have realized I was behind both of them. But I did have fun so that counts for something.

So Pokerstars is having the blogger tourney again. On the 14th. During one of the biggest early matchups of the NFL season, the Patriots and Cowboys. That is poor planning by those Europeans. Not sure if I will be playing or not.

Been looking into room for Vegas in December. Falstaff has all the details. Someone had mentioned Harrahs had some good rates and to check it out. I did and found the opposite. If you have a good number of points with them, you can get free rooms but unfortunately, not that weekend. Couldn't find a cheap room in the middle of the strip beside the IP. I was saddened to see Hooters was booked up. Even the Excalibur was on the expensive side. Hopefully I will get an offer in the mail that will comp me a bed for at least part of the weekend. I rather spend my money on booze and gambling than a place to crash.

You lookin' for debauchery?

You are in the wrong place. But don't worry, you can read Key West stories over here. And I haven't begun to cover the Adopt a Key West Stripper program yet.

I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop
I will not leave myself logged into Blogger.com on Al's laptop

Live Blogging the Key West cash game

Everyone is huddled around the kitchen table at the southern resort we know as AlCantHang Key West. As Gracie feeds me pretzels, the game goes on.

Drizz goes for the quick bully move on Pauly's straddle, raising it to 7xs the blinds (25/50). Pauly doesn't like it and folds on the flop.

Derek makes the raise and 4 people see the flop. Pauly wins with his pair of jacks.

Ftrain has the straddle on. I pop it to 3. Everyone is calling. WTF? 4 7 8, two hearts. Pablo and Ftrain check. I do as well. But Change 100 bets 11. Calls by Maudie and Pauly. Hmm...rather than chase the inside straight, I fold. Well, Pablo did go all in. 5 5 is not presto today! Pable shows the nut straight. Nice flop hippy!

Let's try it again. I raise Drizz's straddle. A J can be painful. Folds around to Drizz who defends the straddle. Nice hammer flop of 7 8 2 makes my bet of 5 seem like it is begging for the call. No call and I drag a pot!

"Straddle raise, reraise. You know I have junk", says Pauly as he goads his brother to call.
"I've heard rumors..." Maudie responds to the delight of the table.
Change 100 pushes....
Drizz calls.
The action is now on Derek. He hasn't even looked at his hand. And he isn't very tempted to call right now. 16.75 is the cost to see the flop. Derek calls dark!!!

flop is all hearts, J 2 6. 8 on th turn, 4th heart on the board gives Drizz the flush as he shows 9 9. Change's aces have been cracked!!! Derek shows Q J. Drizz hangs his head in shame. Until he stacks his chips.

Pauly talks quite a bit smack while playing. He also folds a lot on the flop. Which of course means he will felt me soon.

If you haven't figured it out yet, here is the table.
Gracie is on my immediate left, with Derek on my right. Going clockwise is Change100, Maudie, BG, Pauly, Sweet Sweet Pablo, Ftrain, and Drizz.

So far I have learned you can't really live blog and play poker at the same time. If there are any tells being shown, I sure haven't been able to notice.

Derek is now in Bully mode. And BG and Pauly are determined to smack him down. Flop of Q 4 3 and BG is betting 15. Derek goes over the top for just 8.5 more and BG has to call. K Q by BG takes it down. Rebuy Derek!

I need another drink.

It is official. Sweet sweet Pablo is no more. It is now just Sweet Sweet. Thank Ftrain for that one.

Aces are no good again. This time, Derek is the victim. Pauly flops a straight and busts Changle and his bro. "Whip out them tens" Yes, please ladies, whip out those 10s!

Finally, aces hold up! Sweet sweet shows the red guys

Short game

I think I played all of 2 hands in the RiverChasers tournament last night. I showed up about an hour and 10 minutes after the start. Hey, I was busy enjoying beer at the bar. What do you expect?

I raised with 8 8 in LP to win the blinds.

A couple hands later, I would go over the top of Astin with A Qs. My re-raise was just over a min raise so his call with J J was expected. Though I sucked out an A on the flop, the J on the turn sealed the deal and I was out.

I found myself wondering if that was the best play. I think blinds were 120/240. I believe his raise was a standard 3xs the blinds. My re-raise was to 1800 or so putting me all in. Was pushing all in the best play, or can I put basically half my chips in to see a flop or risk being re-raised by someone else?

If I see a flop with A high, there is no guarantee he folds either, though making a call there with Jacks doesn't seem too bright to me.

Thoughts?

Junk kicking Razz

It happened again and again last night. Have 4 great cards and then brick out the last 3. Man I hate Razz. But just like peanut M&Ms, I can't stop. I took the beats again and again. At least I didn't go on tilt like this other guy. Yeah, that is my excuse for not stopping and I am sticking to it even though it is beyond lame.

I will make the money up on FTrain though. He has a sick prop bet going that says he can gain 17 pounds by the time the WPBT event in December rolls around. Gaining weight sounds easy, but I am going with the Rooster's thoughts on this one. NYC is a walking town and whether he realizes it or not, he will be moving about and not gaining weight.

Plus, I have faith that Dawn will do something if he gets anywhere close. I hear she can be sneaky that way.

I played!

It was just a sit n go. But it was after 5 hours of beer and bourbon so that must count for something. And in a nice drunken fashion, I took it down!

I think I pissed off the guy too because I got lucky with A 5 against his 10 10 to take the chip lead when it was heads up. Once I had the lead, I knew I could outplay him. Sure enough, flopped two pair and he tried to bully me with the big bet. His middle pair was no good and I am $45 richer.

Baby steps....

What chicken???*

No, not chicken. The game is HORSE and it is on in London at the WSOP V.europe. Dr. Pauly and change100 are on the scene with the rest of the PokerNews crew.

I must give them credit for the report so far. The stories they have coming back are perfect for a slow moving limit event. German tourists sitting in. Debates between baseball and cricket, football and soccer. Jetlag for the Americans. Seriously, this may be the best way to waste time at work today and tomorrow on Friday.

* I will buy anyone a 6-pack if they can tell me what the title of the post is in reference to. Anyone beside Al and Blood that is. How I will get the sixer to you is a dilemma in its own right but there has to be a way.

Someone should get slapped

I am not sure exactly who should get slapped for what they showed on last night's telecast of the WSOP. It was Day 2 for both shows and we did get to see some interesting hands. Like Scotty Nguyen's quad 9s. Or Daniel Negreanu calling out other people's cards. That was just plain scary.

But, like we see all too often, we get the dickweeds. And that is where the dilemman begins. Who should get slapped, the dickweed who makes the bad play, gets lucky and wins and acts like his dickweed self because he is on the TV table, or the people at ESPN who decide to show this dickweed on their show because they believe it is good TV?

I think Negreanu should have bitch slapped the guy on his right. Dude tries to make a play with K 9s, gets re-raised and then ends up calling the all in with his flush draw that he hits on the river. Sure he was committed on the flop, but calling that bet preflop was stupid. Yelling and cheering for himself after he lucked out gave him the checkmark for being a dickweed. He should be ashamed. Instead he acts like he outplayed one of the better tournament players.

Later he would get cocky when he once again, sucked out a flush on the river. Finally, he would even make some smart ass comment when Danny boy got knocked out.

Now, I am not a huge fan of Negreanu, but I would have paid money to see him call the dickweed out and make him say that last comment louder so he could hear it and then furthermore, lay into him for being such a dickweed. That would have been good TV.

Then someone could slap the people at ESPN who think that is what people want to watch. Makes sense why those dipshits didn't hire Pauly. They didn't want to improve the show.

Maybe the thing that gets me the most is that dickweed used to be a dealer!!! He should know better about how to act at a table.

Why can't we get more stories like Kirk Morrison. Here was a guy who won a bracelet, does well in tournaments but decides to move off to New Zealand. He comes back and sees how the game has changed and how he needs to adapt. Sure they don't want to give his style of play away but I wanted to hear more of what he had to say about how the younger crowd is playing the game preflop and his strategy of seeing more flops. That would have been much better than some dickweed mouthing off.

Thirsty?

What it is on the menu...

Sublimely elegant this toffee toned Bock is rich with a blend of Wisconsin and German barley malts. Over four months of resting in oak Bourbon Barrels gives this beer a wonderfully smooth body that will improve and mellow with age. Should you choose to enjoy this classic today you can expect a treasure of vanilla, oak and caramel notes to be bolstered by hops from France, Slovenia and Germany. Wild Brett yeast sings in harmony to the tune of Bock. 20 degrees Plato OG makes this Bourbon Barrel a masterwork to remember.

-New Glarus Bourbon Barrel Bock

How does that sound?

Followed by....

Named after the cream colored bricks used to build Milwaukee, this amber pale ale with its pronounced hops and hints of citrus is tasty year round.

-Lakefront Cream City Pale Ale

Ok, so the Lakefront Brewery guys really need to work on a better description of their beers.

I shall be heading down to Chicago to meet up with the Donkey Puncher and then invade Wrigley to watch the Milwaukee Brewers beat up on the Chicago Cubs. I can say that only because the Brewers won last night, making today's game a big one. I can't think of how totally insufferable Cub fans would have been today had the Crew lost last night and was facing a sweep. Yost said coming in that they needed to win the series. A sweep would be nice but 2 of 3 is what mattered. Now they have a chance.

Hammer poker on TV

I haven't had the urge to actually play poker still. Sure I played last Thursday (I think) after coming home buzzed up at the bars. Somehow I won my SnG (been running bad) and felt like el campion del mundo. But beyond that I am still spending more time watching than playing.

The new season of High Stakes Poker started on GSN. It was Hammer night! A deal was made where all players would pay any guy who wins a pot with 7 2 $500. Ok, they did play the suited Hammer but made for some interesting play.

Everyone's favorite player, Phil Hellmuth, played the Hammer perfectly against The Mouth, Mike Matusow. Watch this, it is a thing of beauty. Especially after Mike needles him constantly just before the hand.



You have to love that re-raise from late position. Perfectly played. It also doesn't hurt that Esfandiari says "he could have seven deuce or pocket aces." Good bet on the turn. Matusow screws the pooch by just calling. A raise would force Phil to fold. On the river, Matusown talks himself into folding. Brilliant!!!

Of course Hellmuth would ruin it by proclaiming how good he is throughout the episode and even declaring that "people want to be part of the Phil Hellmuth show". UGH!

I tried to watch the WSOP yesterday as I did my fantasy football draft. Saw Michael Bruce Buffer (thx Duggle) tangle with Chris Moneymaker a couple of times but that was about it. Don't know if there were any amazingly bad calls shown but I am sure there had to be.

You make the call!

Coincidence??? You make the call!

Falstaff has an update on the WPBT Winter Gathering in Las Vegas. I notice on Pollstar that the Spice Girls are playing the MGM that Saturday.

Coincidence???

Methinks KiltSpice has other gatherings in mind as well.

WSOP watching

A couple of weeks back, I thought had seen the worst call in the history of televised poker. Back then, some kid called the two all ins with KK even though his two opponents clearly had him beat with all the dancing they were doing. Though he was oblivious to the obvious tells, he was at least at a final table and may have been feeling confused with all the attention and bright lights, etc. and he did walk away with a decent pay day.

Last night on ESPN's first days of the Main Event, some dufus made that guy Hall of Fame material. At featured table were a bunch of average players and Doyle Brunson. Brunson appeared to be playing some passive poker (at least what we can tell by all of the edited footage and Norm Chad's constant wailing) and some of his tablemates looked like they were simply honored to be playing at the same table. There was one older gent in particular who was planting his lips on Doyle's ass with regularity. He wasn't good either. Played some really crappy hands and you could read this guy like a book.

And he got paid off in one of those crappy hands. Big time. I can't recall exactly what he had (believe it was Q 6 soooooted). Flop was 6 6 x. Got lucky and flopped trips. Some guy bets and he calls. The turn is the case 6. He checks and proceeds to cover up his face, trying to hide his glee. He squirms a little more when the aggressor asks him how much he has behind (I think it was 11k?). Naturally, he calls the 6k turn bet. After the river card, he quickly grabs his chips and tries to toss them in to the pot like he doesn't have anything; a classic weak means strong toss. His opponent looks slightly confused and then quickly says, "I'm gonna call".

What did his oppenent call with? Must have a full house right? Or at least thinks that his opponent is bluffing and can win with A high, correct?

He called with Jack high.

Yep. Jack. High.

WTF?

Maybe call there if the bet is 1000 and you want some information, but did you not look at that clown??? And you had jack high!!!!

Yes, it is a call like that that boggles your mind wondering how he won his way in or who the hell backed him or if he doesn't have a million better ways to spend 10 grand.

Two other interesting things on the telecasts last night had to be the portrayal of Scotty Nguyen and Joe Hachem. Scotty was just running over his table, busting people left and right. Every time he did, they would get up and thank him, give him a hug, and calmly walk away. Not a single person got upset, even the dude who he talked shit with and tilted into giving up his stack. Too funny.

But man is his age beginning to show. I just wish I could recall the exact quote he had. Something like "I like my monkey!". Apparently he owns two monkeys at home, but the comment on its own before they explain it was funny.

Hachem, on the other hand, seems like an ass most of the time. I don't know the guy and hope that is just how they edited the show (with the clips from his championship run), but I couldn't help but think he seems like a jerk. I will have to talk to some friends to see what they think because they impression some might get from watching the shows are not that good.

Hopefully I will get away from watching poker to playing poker again.

Peed off

I heard about this story on the radio today. I thought Grubby was the only person who had the misfortune to sit in pee chairs.

Kibiloski, a Fern Creek, Ky., computer consultant, sat in a chair soaked with
urine, apparently left there by a woman who had been playing at that slot
machine moments earlier. It was dripping off his shorts and down his leg.He said
the reaction from Caesars left him even more embarrassed. He said he got no help
trying to find a place to clean up and had to walk in his dripping shorts to his
car to get an old pair of sweatpants to wear.

Dude! Go home. It is pretty pathetic that you would not leave. I would have left and gone home to shower. Especially is someone else's piss was dripping down my leg. That sentence alone should send shivers down your spine.

Compulsive gamblers sometimes wear adult diapers to avoid having to leave a slot
machine or gaming table where they expect a payoff, the experts say.If they
don’t come prepared, they sometimes “just pee in the seat,” said Arnie Wexler, a
recovered gambling addict who operates a gambling hotline and counseling service
in New Jersey. “It’s not something the industry really likes to talk about.”

Of course the industry doesn't want to talk about it. Do you encourage people to wear diapers? Do you put up signs over the slot machines that ask "Please be neat. Don't pee in the seat!" Seriously, thinking some person is going to pee in a seat in front of their favorite machine is one of the last things I am concerned about if I sit down to play.

At least the guy did get dinner and a room for his problems. I would say it was a happy ending but the casino did not toss in a Korean massage.

Poker in Life

Karol at Ihadouts wants to spread the word. I think there are some valuable points to be taken from such an undertaking. The disciplines in poker are used in the investment world, notably on trading desks. I can't see how they can be used in everyday life.

Harvard Law Profs Backing Poker As Educational Tool In Schools, Universities

Singapore (August 15) -- Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson will announce an international effort to organize poker strategic thinking societies at universities and secondary schools around the world that will use poker as an educational tool to teach everything from basic life skills to war games at military colleges.

Nesson will announce the formation of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) in Singapore on August 19 during an international conference called State of Play. Chapters of the GPSTS will be organized at prominent universities on several continents, starting at Harvard.

GPSTS will offer poker strategic thinking workshops to secondary schools and community centers, particularly in underprivileged neighborhoods; sponsor team poker matches between law, business and other graduate-level programs; and conduct seminars and conferences that explore poker as a means to teach strategic thinking and related public policy issues.

Poker is one of the best metaphors for teaching life skills across a variety of disciplines, said Nesson, a founder of Harvard's™ Berkman Center on Internet Law.

Part of the goal of the poker societies is to organize an NCAA-style championship in the novel game of team poker for American universities.

Press and media representatives are invited to attend both the lecture and workshop in Singapore at the State of Play conference. Professor Nesson and colleagues will be available for interviews.

About GPSTS

Founded by Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson, the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society views pokers as a game of skill that can be used as a teaching tool at all levels of academia and in secondary education. The concept is to use poker to teach basic life skills, strategic thinking, geopolitical analysis, risk assessment, and money management. The goal is to create an open online curriculum centered on poker that will draw the brightest minds together, both within and outside of the conventional university setting, to promote open education and Internet democracy.

For more information, please write to http://by105fd.bay105.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?mailto=1&msg=2B7D4090-A9B8-40BB-827C-BBC4C588CC39&start=0&len=13781&src=&type=x&to=globalpoker@gmail.com&cc=&bcc=&subject=&body=&curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=2c56b582b1fe46d2eaa271b738292ad07e14cf662a1e8e7d26831c1f0b4ccc5c or visit www.gpsts.com, up and live August 19, 2007.

About State of Play V: Building the Global Metaverse

This conference on virtual worlds will be held August 19-22, 2007 in Singapore. It is organized by Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, New York Law School, Trinity University, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. The conference invites experts across disciplines to discuss the future of cyberspace and the impact of these new immersive, social online environments on education, law, politics and society.

For more information please go to www.nyls.edu/pages/2396.asp

Media contact:

Jonathan Cohen, GPSTS
(203) 722-1858
globalpoker@gmail.com

Alexandra McDougald, The Weiser Group
(202) 291-0750
amcdougald@weisergroup.com

Stud viewing

I was quite pleased to see ESPN would be showing a Stud event on TV last night. I rather watch Omaha, Razz, or Stud just about any day over Hold Em. It is a different level of viewing, one that forces you to think more of how they are playing and not how they are acting.

I think the main reason might be the people who play these games. They rarely jump around like asshats after winning a big pot, or they don't trash talk people, call them donkeys if they lose. They stay quiet, observe, and process all the information they receiving.

I feel sorry for anyone who thinks that was boring. For me, it was good TV. Watching some top players in action is a good learning experience. I kept looking at the cards and thinking about how I would play them out. What hands I would start with, when I would stop betting, etc. There were two good laydowns- how can you fold aces up? Amazing laydown. It was also nice to see some of these guys make the same kind of mistakes that I have made.

For me, it was a great hour of poker television.

Yesterday I popped over to a post on Amy Calistreri's site, mainly because she was comparing the UIGEA to activities of hedge funds. WHAT??? I had to read it a couple times to try and see the parallel. Apparently hedge are in the "family harm" department. Somehow, they destroy families left and right. Not sure how because Amy doesn't say so.

Let's look further. Amy would like you to think that hedge funds blow up on a monthly basis. Not true. Sure Bear Stearns had one making the news lately but name another one before that. Last year. What effect did it have on the markets? Little.

Who bailed them out? Not the Fed but other investment advisers which is why I wonder why she was making the comparison to something that happened just about 10 years ago. Most people learn their lessons and know who to react.

Another thing that caught my eye was the comment

"In fact the Federal Reserve, while acknowledging that people were maxing
out on credit card debt, encouraged consumers to consider riskier non-fixed rate mortgages. "

I went through the link and couldn't find anything that "encouraged" non-fixed rate mortgages. I found this:

Indeed, recent research within the Federal Reserve suggests that many homeowners might have saved tens of thousands of dollars had they held adjustable-rate mortgages rather than fixed-rate mortgages during the past decade, though this would not have been the case, of course, had interest rates trended sharply
upward.

and

American consumers might benefit if lenders provided greater mortgage product
alternatives to the traditional fixed-rate mortgage. To the degree that
households are driven by fears of payment shocks but are willing to manage their
own interest rate risks, the traditional fixed-rate mortgage may be an expensive
method of financing a home.

I wouldn't call that "encouraging" people to try other types of mortgages. Just some explanation of how people may be better off looking at non-fixed mortgages and how they would have benefited in the early 00's if they had.

The comparison of these hedge fund managers to poker bots was interesting. However, hedge fund managers are not the best. I am sure there are many mutual fund managers who would argue with that comment.

They do not beat market indices on a regular basis as some may think. They were introduced to be part of a portfolio to protect against downward movements in the market. Hence the name. Sure they can be leveraged to the gills and they make some big bets but not all hedge funds are the same. Not all have rogue traders taking huge positions. Some actually manage the money responsibly.

Unfortunately, when a hedge fund runs into trouble, it will need to liquidate part of its portfolio which can cause rumbling in the stock market. To blame the recent market turmoil on hedge fund activities is not accurate. They may add volatility but when everyone begins the panic selling, the market is going to go down. Indices were at record highs. With all this action, the market is down about 7%. That is barely a correction. Barley an impact on families in the long run. Over the past year, most people are still head even after that correction.

I guess the bottom line for Amy is that hedge funds need to be regulated and until they are, they will be killing the little guy. Well, yes and no. They do need some regulation but they are not killing the little guy. Only people with money can invest in hedge funds. You need to have minimum net worth requirements to participate. Those who have the money invested lose the most. The little guy may- MAY- feel the aftershocks in the market place when they lose money. But the little guy can also take advantage of the situation and buy their favorite stocks at sale prices.

Years from now, this blip in the market will be history.

For the record, I am not here to defend hedge funds nor the Federal Reserve. I just thought that post was off center and not totally accurate. One cannot understand what a hedge fund does but reading wikipedia or any article that wants to blame rich people for making the little guy poor.

Brilliant!!! Now with added commentary

Hat tip: Bill Rini





I actually played some poker this weekend. Two cheap tournaments on Stars to be exact. The first was the Poker Savvy freeroll. Finished 11th out of 800some and won $3.25. Thankyouverymuch.

The other was the 100k guarantee where I finished 13000some out of 18000some.

I couldn't do much wrong in the freeroll. Haven't not played any real tournament besides the blogger tournaments, I felt the need to play in one that had more than 80 people. Sure it was a freeroll but it was the number of people that mattered. I needed to put my skills out there against unknowns. Against people who will push all in with total crap because it didn't cost them anything.

I have a thought about freerolls. They can help you try new strategies and develop new skills. You can relearn thinking processes on the cheap. Whether it be getting crippled to a short stack and playing that strategy or chipping up and bludgeoning others with your big stack, it is something I think you need to relearn and gain confidence on every once in a while.

I kicked some major ass in the freeroll. For a good portion of the second session I was the chip leader. I made some great calls and won all of my races. Yep, won all of the races. I knew when someone was pushing with A rag and made calls with my mid and lower pairs, knowing that I could lose some chips and win them back if needed. In fact, it was the first race that I lost that took me out of serious contention. 9 9 beat by A 10. That happened with less than 20 left.

I tried to then beef up my skills on short handed play as we were 6 then 5 for a good stretch of time. I was over aggressive with my A 9 and ran into A 10 to go home.

But I had a nice run where I got some needed confidence.

I had hoped to carry it over to the 100k guarantee but that didn't work. My table was very loose to begin with. 5 people would see a flop even with someone raising 5xs the blinds. I had one guy willing to call down with bottom pair (why couldn't I hit anything with A Q???).

I made one crucial mistake in this tournament. With A Ks, I raised in LP. UTG had limped and immediately pushed all in. We have all seen those clowns that make this play trying to act like they have A A. My gut told me this person did. But I heard the circus music in my head and called, knowing I would be suddenly down from 4k to 700. He flipped over the rockets and I had no chance for a flush or a straight.

I fought my way back up to 2400 but then got overly aggressive and was soon done. It did feel good to dip my toe back into the water. I may do that again but probably not until next month. Weather is too nice to spend time indoors.

I don't remember, I drank too much

I wish I could give a recap of the Riverchasers tourney last night. I know I was about 20 minutes late. I planned to leave the bar at halftime of the Cowboys game. The dice were being shaken around and shots were being consumed. So that made me a tad late.

I had only lost about 400 chips when I logged in. Well worth the shots of Makers.

I quickly chipped up and felt I could make a serious run. But I got pot committed (no, not Change style) and lost half of them. Later I would race with A Jo vs 8 8. I looked like a god when I flopped the A but an 8 hit the turn and I was done.

So being the drunken monkey that I am, I started played PLO with some of the boys. Problem there was I thought it was Hi/Lo for over an hour. I made my donation and finally went to sleep.

At least I had a good time.

Kinda missing the game

I actually sat down and played some poker last night. Low limit poker. It reminded me of how bad some of the play appears to be. I forgot how people will call down with bottom pair each time and somehow go runner runner for the straight. Or how someone will call down with two face cards to the river when there is no paint on the board.

Ugh!

So rather than going on mini tilt, I decided to watch the WSOP on TV. I am not sure that was a good idea. At some points, it reminded me of why I like to play the game and mainly tournament poker. The chance to play in the WSOP some day and go on a nice tear and make some good money is a dream of most players. Watching it last night, that spark inside me lit up a bit.

But it was also dampened by the annoying drama at the TV. Both hours featured Phil Hellmuth and his incessant whining. I felt sorry for the guy next to him. The worst part of it was each time he whined, it was because he made a bad play. Raising with small pairs or total crap from early position and then complaining that someone was going over the top on him. Stop the bitching about getting no respect. After watching this on TV, everyone and their grandmothers will be re-raising you. Unless this was some huge strategy move- which I highly doubt- you shown yourself to be a total LAG.

And I like watching Phil Hellmuth play! But last night was too much.

I also found myself scratching my head after one hand in particular. A kid raises in EP with K K. This lady looks down and sees two red aces. She moves all in. Hellmuth looks down at the two black aces and very quickly pushes his chips in. The others fold and it is back to the kings to decide.

As he thinks, the other two start going crazy. Really. The lady gets up and starts dancing looking sooooo happy that Phil pushed. You can see her husband making gestures to her about her hand asking if she had aces. Hellmuth is basically on the other side of the table doing the same thing and bragging about how he made his move in just a quarter of a second. A quarter of a second??? Whatever.

Now, you have just been re-raised by one person and sound an energetic insta call by another. They are dancing and excited. Don't you think your kings are no good here? How does he not fold? He calls and he goes home now. Amazing.

So now I have to decide what I will be doing about this game of poker. With summer still going, nothing will really change until the fall. I rather be outside doing stuff than sitting inside staring at a monitor. It may work for some but not me. I am a recreational player. Until that sparks turns to a flame and maybe I will find myself playing quite a bit more.

Damn those ducks

I spent the 3 hours before the tournament at the bar getting my game face on. The right amount of beer would get me in the perfect mood to play poker. A bit loose, aggressive. As long as I could think straight and be patient, I was confident I could do well.

About the only thing I worried about was the beer I had at home and opening a fresh bottle. See, I have a tendency to go bust just after getting a new beer. Happens often. Take a couple drinks and I get knocked out. Then I have nothing to do but railbird and drink my beer in a pissed off mood.

I started out the BBT freeroll in good shape. Was dealt A K right off the bat and took a nice little pot. I played aggressive and most likely bluffed Schaubs out of a pot with A J. I raised his limp from the SB and he had the nerve to re-raise me. The flop was ragged. He bet pot thinking he could scare me off. That wouldn't work. I went all in knowing he maybe had an A or mid pair at best.

I yo yo'd a bit from there before going on a nice little tear. Then I ran into the big stack Astin. I pushed him off a couple of pots knowing he would see more flops with all of those chips. What I didn't expect was for his deuces to crack my kings. Yep, he flopped a set after limping under the gun and calling my raise. He check raised me and I pushed.

I should have taken a bit of time to think that one through. I remember CJ doing that to me a number of times in the WWdNs. The luckbox would limp call with small pairs and try to hit. When he did, he would check raise me and usually knock me out.

So I should have taken a bit more time to think this out. Sure it is easier to think about folding or maybe calling here, but that is just hindsight. It is just another outcome to hopefully learn on for the next round.

Oh, and for the record, yes, I had gotten myself a fresh beer and had 2 sips when my kings got beat up.