Thank you for the donatin

Been jamming along on the PLO8 tables for the past couple of days. Not all sessions have been winners but I have avoided the big loss. I am usually two tabling the .25/.50 games on Full Tilt. Yeah it isn't for huge money but for the game itself. Making money at the game is good but enjoying yourself is more important.

I have come to the conclusion that picking off a bluff or making a good call feels better in a PLO8 game. Busting the guy who is constantly raising in an attempt to run over the table is better than NLH. We all want to get the jackass to stop but when you felt him in PLO8 because you were patient, it is a better rush.

Or making a good read on what part of the pot a player is going for when they bet the river. Too many people get infatuated with hitting their low and taking half the pot. I used to that. But good old greed took over and I want the entire pot. SCOOOOOOOP! Making a read when you don't have a good low or high but are pretty confident your opponent is going after only one side is nice.

Toss in the hand or two where you just look at the replay in disbelief and wonder WTF just happened is a final reason to play 4 card split bingo. I am a firm believer in trying to think about why someone played a hand the way they did. But when someone re-raises you on the flop when they have no chance at any part of the pot unless they go runner runner will bend your brain backwards further than an 8 year old gymnast. It sometimes takes a minute or two to shake your brain back into place and go on with the game.

I picked off a couple of these this morning. And luckily, I dodged some bullets when I totally misread my opponent. Still trying to figure out how someone got all their money in with A 2 4 5 and a board showing K Q 9. I had a set of kings and gladly took his cash when the board ran out with him being dead on the turn. Thank you for the $45 donation.

Rooftop baseball, season 2

Heading down south to Chicago to watch single A minor league quality baseball this weekend. I am sure there will be some kind of poker played in between lots of beer consumption. I hope we make it to the lesbian bar as well. Looking forward to some time away from work and seeing some good friends.

Last year's view of the port-o-potty the Cubs play "baseball" in.

Sweet action

Always late to the party, I noticed that Drizz had a check from Full Tilt bounce. I followed the path to Pokerati where the talk was of a federal crackdown on monies being received from poker sites. From there I somehow ended up at TripJax site where he had emails from both Full Tilt and PokerStars telling him not to cash the checks they sent.

Good news is that Full Tilt and PokerStars are not to blame for the problem and they were proactive in addressing and correcting the issues. What struck me though was that Full Tilt gave Trip $100 for the problem he encountered. $100 for his $300 withdrawal that went bad.

That seem pretty damn generous. A 33% return just for a bad check. How can I get in on some of that sweet action? It has to better than the thumping I got at the PLO8 table Monday night. Nothing would go right.

Finally, you all are familiar with the roll below listing friends who are writing for various outlets. Show them some love and support. One to also include is F-Train. He is writing for one of these (I am not sure which exactly) but also have some comments on his own blog. Add him to the roster!

Riding the F Train
Poker From the Rail
Tao of Poker
Pokerati
Wicked Chops Poker
PokerNews.com
Pokerlistings.com
Poker Stars Blog
Ulimate Bet Blog

Tried but not quite there

I like my first table. On my left is Dr. Pauly, my right is LJ. I don't think either of them are online playing. Lucko is also at the table. Otherwise I am not familiar with the other 3. Tony Eusebio, 125 Will, or mclarich. Sorry guys.

LJ shows up and get hot quick. My AJs does not improve as I don't hit my flush. Still playing an 8 handed table with 3 gone.

I get my first good size pot when I hit my straight on the river. Gets me above the starting line. I was donking it up early making some bad calls. Deep stacks is goot.

Just when it looks like only 3 live players can rack up chips they move me to a new table. WTF?!?!?!? Now I am at a full table with everyone playing. First thing that happens is K Qs does not improve. Time to be patient. Lots of poker to be played.

First big hand of the night. A A. I am UTG and tempted to just call but I am not a fan of that move. I raise and get one caller. Flop is 2 3 9, two diamonds. I go for the continuation bet and win a small pot. Comfortable with playing small ball for a while.

I thought we might see the first battle of the night. Vinnay and Columbo just about tangle but Columbo doesn't want any part of the re-re-raise preflop. Columbo comes back a couple hands later with his own re-raise preflop. Had a couple people trapped and they folded.

I feel like I escaped from my run in with BWoP. We ended up both holding K Q but I played it meekly and just kept calling her bets. I should have popped it back at some point. But I want to keep the aggression down so I can unleash it later on or when I get on a roll.

No action on K K. Next hand is 8 8. Same result. Then K Qs from the BB. I just check as Columbo seems suspicious with his early position call. I fold on the A high flop. Too many red cards out there.

K K comes around again. This time pushmonkey72 on my right raises. I love re-raising preflop in blogger games. Rarely do you see a flop. We don't on this hand. But we do a bit later. I try to steal with A 9o. But jamyhawk min-raises from the BB. Min-raise? Seems suspicious. I make the loose call and hit the flop well, A J 9. Now they lead out with a bet of 375. Time to pop it. I make it 1250 to go but don't get the call. I am over 6100 now. Table is also getting looser just before the break. Some bigger pots are forming and the action is getting heated. I have 6146 which puts me in 13th at the break.

I don't have much going in the second session. Raise a couple hands here and there and capture blinds but nothing big. A Ks doesn't improve. Get reraised from the button when I try to steal with Q 10s. Feel like I am grinding to no where. Even when I do win a hand I only get a piece of the pot. Splitting pots stinks.

Still doing little. Got outkicked on one hand and then no action when I tilt raised with A 10o on the next. Finally win a hand with A Js. This session has been brutal. Have to fold 7 7 when Miami Don makes the ridiculous all in overbet. Then 10 10 is up against Q Q and I don't lost much but can't win.

I am glad when the second session is done. I lost have of my chips and dropped to 26 with 32 left. Getting close to push mode. M is at 10. Medic!

Round 3 starts up with little fanfare. I am able to get some blinds before reraising Hoy. I took a chance with K Js because Hoy is trying to run over the table. He will fold to a reraise so it was worth the risk. Of course one of these times he will have a hand so I must be careful.

Take another little boost up with K K. I reraised MiamiDon-pushed all in REVENGE IS MINE!- but he doesn't call. Back over 4000 now. Get a bit more with some SB slow play. With A 3 I get lucky and see a flop of 9 9 A. I call Columbo's bet on the flop and hope he puts one more out there on the turn. But he doesn't. The river puts a third diamond on the board. Crap. Thankfully he checks behind and I am just under the starting stack. Antes are kicking in so I need to get a bit more aggressive.

There is another table change. I see HeffMike, Joannada, and Jordan from HighonPoker. Get A Js early and call a raise. Flop is 9 7 3 with two diamonds. Ugly. I decline to call the all in bet. Soon I get A K and push on a raise to me. I am up against 6 6 and hope to catch a card. I get it right away with the A. I double up to over 5k.

Moving up and down between 4 and 6k. Lots of small stacks pushing at every moment. I am one of them. But then its over. J J is not OK. Ran it up against A K and he caught his K on the flop. Oh well. I didn't want to go to Vegas when it is so hot out anyway. ;)

TOC time

So the time has come. The Battle of the Bloggers Tournament of Champions is upon us. Two bloggers are going to Vegas next month to play in the WSOP Main Event. Others are getting jerseys and smaller entries. Some are going home empty handed. Wait. They most likely are playing from home so I guess they are going to stay empty handed. Let's just hope they don't kick their dogs.

I am glad to see Hoy got the rest of the odds posted. I was curious to see what he would say about my chances. I had an idea of what kind of odds I should have based on the numbers he was putting on other players. Let's see what Hoy had to say:

StB plays under the handle "nightranger" on full tilt and is another guy who has demonstrated skill in maximizing value from his strong hands. Although StB has won several blonkaments in his day, those days were mostly some time ago, and as a rule we don't see StB in our regular games with anywhere near the frequency that was once the case. In the end I know that StB can play the game, but I think his odds of winning one of the top two prizes are right around average given his lack of recent experience against most of the rest of the ToC field. 22 to 1.

Average? Average? Well, that is accurate. I think Hoy is correct. Having played few of these events because of my job and the real world, he is correct that I haven't played many events and that my victories are some time ago. Can't argue the facts. I can thank him for some respect and will do my best to not be average. In fact, should I actually win one of the seats, I do intend to play in the Main Event, if I can get the time away from work.

I had kinda planned on "training" for this game. When I have played some poker lately it has been PLO8. Considering the size of the field, 44, I was going to play some 45 man SnGs to develop strategies on getting deep. But I got only one game this weekend. Finished 8th which was still out of the money. That was on a regular starting stack though. I see we start with 5000 in chips for the TOC. That may accommodate my loose starting play a bit better. Or I may just end up being Gigli.

Unlike Hoy, I won't be live blogging. I hope to have a recap here when I am done. Good luck to everyone!

To the virtual felt

I just finished my best PLO8 session. Ended up two buy ins. But it wasn't the money that made it so good. Sure that is part of it, but when all was said and done, I was very happy with the way I played. And I had fun doing so.

It was like the perfect storm. A little patience, a little luck, and the right cards that would have me felting a guy twice a couple hands apart.

I really enjoy playing PLO8. It keeps you thinking. I have been playing the 6 handed tables as of late as it helps me focus on my opponents. Today I really was in the zone. I noticed the tendencies of the other players. I noticed how one guy only would raise UTG and he usually had nothing. I knew another would only bet with the nuts or the nut draw. Another guy wanted to play any four cards acting like it was a bingo game. And for once, I was able to sit back, be patient and let it unfold.

It is the bingo players that can tilt me. I see them play these crappy hands and I begin to lose my discipline. My patience wears thin and I am no longer waiting for quality hands. I want to press any cards, call bets thinking I can hit the low or my gutter card, yelling at the monitor 2! 2! 2! thinking it will come. I did none of that today. I folded when I had nothing, I made some good bets, some good laydowns, and stole some orphan pots.

Of course it helps to get lucky too. I define luck here as not just getting the cards but getting the opportunity to get an opponent to pay you off. That may be the frustrating part of PLO8 to me. I don't recall any monster hands getting paid off. Until today. I got paid off twice and two nice sized pots were slid my way. Once with A A 3 x where I flopped a set. Board was A K 2. Rag on the turn and another deuce on the river gave me the nuts. My opponent called each of my pot sized bets. He held K K x x. Couple hands later I would be on the other side of the betting pattern. I called his raise from the BB with A 2 9 K, with 2 diamonds. Flopped the nut low and check called his pot size bet. Turn gave me a second diamond and this time I decided to bet into him. He called and we saw the third diamond hit the river. Perfect. Little chance he is expecting be up against a flush. I bet pot and he calls after some thought. I leave with my chip stack three times the size as when I started just over 90 minutes ago.

Now that was fun.

If I was a betting man...

I see that Hoy is posting odds for Sunday's BBT4 TOC. He is giving a little background and thoughts before stating the numbers. I am curious to see if he will put a line on himself. Oh yeah, I can't wait to see the odds put on me. I have an idea on what it should be and why.

There are two lines that I have seen so far that are way out of whack. If I was a betting man (wait, I am) there are two people I would be walking up to the window to put money on feeling safe that one of them would pay out handsomely.

Looking forward to the rest of the list. Been good and objective so far. One other thing to point out is Hoy graciously praises Al for all the work he had done on this project. Let me echo that thought as well. Thanks Al!

So where are the pics?

So Pauly claims he is living in an apartment complex that is home to many a stripper. Until I see pics (again, hint hint) I don't believe it. What does a guy have to do, get a stripper to hold some food item before Pauly will take a picture of her?

Maybe I am asking the wrong person. We all know that AlCantHang is in Sin City as well working the WSOP. Maybe we can get him to stop taking crotch shots of Michalski and get back to taking pictures of women's nether regions.

Maybe I should set a betting line. Who gets one first, Pauly or Al? Will Pauly or Al get the most stripper pics?

Any more lines that we could set?

Toss a couple of frames

Pauly is at it again, blogging the WSOP at the Tao of Poker. That is about as close to the events as I expect to get this year. No plans to go to Vegas over the summer unless I somehow win something in Battle of the Bloggers TOC. Stranger things have happened so it is a remote possibility.

What really caught my interest this morning though was the Beer Bowling post at Tao. If Pauly could make money bowling, then I could clean up. Pay for my trip. And if I could clean up, I wonder what Drizz might be thinking? Or Alan? They would have a field day.

I also wonder if this rumor is true. Phil Ivey may have $10 million riding on the WSOP. Guess he ain't fooling around.

Take two

They are at it again and taking it to the next level. The good people at Poker Listings are putting on the second WSOP Run-Good Challenge for bloggers. Two people will walk away with a seat in a $1500 buy in at the World Series of Poker.

I am hoping for a better run of cards tomorrow. Couple that with a bit of patience and luck and I may be making a trip to the desert this year.

I don't Run Good

Thanks again to the good people at Poker Listings for putting on the WSOP Run-Good Challenge. I did very little and was never a factor. Couldn't catch a flop to save my life. When I tried to get aggressive to make up for it, it blew up in my face. There is always next time.

Mow the lawn

Not poker but something worth sharing. The commercials those Brits make are much better than what we see in the U.S.

Can I Run-Good?

The fine people at Poker Listings are doing the WSOP Run-Good Challenge for bloggers. Winner walks away with a seat in a $1500 buy in at the World Series of Poker. I see I now have an excuse for not mowing my lawn in case it doesn't rain.

Check out the new site layout at Poker Listings. It is like old 7-Up. Crisp and clean with no caffeine.

Hope to see you on Saturday!

Mr. Kotter has a fetish

Been way too busy to play any poker lately. Work life is busier than ever leaving me tired when I come home. Weekend tournaments provide the best opportunity for me to play but those days have been tied up as well. With all the work being done during the week I need more time on the weekend to play.

I have been enjoying some poker on TV though. I taped a couple episodes of High Stakes Poker. The show still holds my interest. Watching the play of some of the best can be intriguing. So can the commentary.

No one is going to say that Gabe Kaplan or AJ Benenza (sp?) are the best but they try. Sometimes they say some things that are just way too creepy and peculiar. On one episode the players start discussing movies because one of them wrote the movie Blow. I am too lazy to look his name up. Cassavetes? Maybe. At one point Kaplan mentions that he does not need to cozy up to the player because he does not need big Hollywood movies. That he makes his own movies at home. AJ plays along and says he would like to rent one of these movies.

I can't help but wonder what kind of freaks these two are. If I hear someone is making movies in their home, it sounds like they are doing amateur porn. Last thing I want to see is Mr. Kotter and Vinny Barbarino tag teaming Hotsy Totsy or Horsheshack trying to bone Mrs. Kotter.

The other thing I wonder about the show is if many players try to play like these pros. They play way too loose for my style, sometimes getting in with bad cards just to make plays after the flop. It can work when you have skills or get lucky. I guess that explains some of the play I see at the MGM Grand.

Laying an ugly beat

It looked like I laid an ugly beat on an opponent during the Brit game today. I don't think I did. I think they did it to themselves. A correct bet probably would have forced me to fold. Instead I end up having chips swooshed to my side.

I was just trying for the steal. A 8 spades from the button. I raised 3xs the blind. The SB min-raised me. A min raise? I will call that and see if I get lucky on the flop.

Flop is J J Q, two spades. Not bad. Not good, but not bad either.

My opponent checked to me. My first thought was to make a bet, but then I stopped. That check seemed pretty suspicious. Why did he check there? If I bet I will probably get raised. This doesn't feel good so I check behind.

Turn is an A.

Hmm... that kind of traps me in this hand. If my opponent is playing ace rag too, it will most likely be a split pot. Can I fold here? I still think he has a monster. Making my flush could be a bad thing. He bets 60. 60 into a 600 pot? Still doesn't seem right but I can fold here. I call instead of making a move to put him all in.

River is another A. Only A Q can beat me now. He shoves. Can't fold here. I call to see he had pocket queens. Flopped a full house and let me stay around to draw out. A bet on the flop may not have had me folding, but a bigger bet on the turn, with me thinking he flopped a monster would have had me folding. Instead he got knocked out by slowplaying.

Baseball > poker

Been no poker as of late. That seems to be typical when baseball season starts. I rather be at a bar watching the Brewers game than sitting at home in front of a pc. Plus with more day games at the beginning of the season a day at the bar seems like a better idea.

I did try to play a bit on Sunday but there were only two PLO8 games running when I logged in and the lists weren't budging. Good thing I have a seat for the Blogger Championship or I would never have a chance at getting in.

I guess I should make my way down to the Pot to see how the new room is and get some live play in. With it on the cold rainy side today, it seems like a good idea. Especially since I am freezing my ass off at work.

Tofu and poker

I was running pretty good on Sunday. The Brit Bloggament game was fun. I spent the first hour donking it up as my chip stack seemed like a yo yo. It was good because I was making moves just to get reactions. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. But it worked well because I did make it to the final table, finishing 5th. Yep, JJ no ok.

One hand that had some people freaking involved my play with 6 6 with 2 tables left. I believe I was in the cutoff and raised on a short handed table. The SB (a chip leader) called and we saw the flop. I believe it was K high (yeah, always a good idea to post 2 days later without any details written down). I check behind him. Turn was another K and we both checked. On the river I bet out just over a third of the pot, 1320 (Yes, that I remember because there was little rhyme or reason to that exact number) and was called. My sixes were good.

The reaction in the chat was interesting to me. It seemed like I was being criticized for the play. I am not sure why. My rationale was simple. Table seemed tight so a raise to take the blinds had a good chance of winning them. Checking behind seemed weak but so was my hand. But it also told me he whiffed as well. Thus when I made the bet on the river, I was extremely confident my opponent had A high. My only concern was him making a play on me and whether I could make the call had he come over the top with huge raise, putting my tournament on the line. Turns out my read was spot on and I took down the pot.

Does anyone here actually eat tofu? Anyone love it? If so, don't proclaim it in Colorado. Saw this and just didn't understand what the fuss was all about...

Just call or pot it?

I have been playing some PLO8 again. It presents a nice challenge and change of pace to hold em. But there is one aspect that keeps puzzling me. One that makes me wonder what others are thinking.

Here is the scenario. You are dealt A 2 x x. Say it heads up and the board ends up showing:
3 4 5 K Q

Based on the betting, it seems pretty obvious that you opponent is holding A 2 X X as well. So what is the best bet on the river?

1. Bet the pot or check?
2. Should you just call a raise here or do you mash the POT button knowing you can't lose?

I have been making the river bet but just calling the raise when I am confident we basically have the same hand. It would appear that all you are doing is raising the rake for the site but I see a lot of people getting the money in when a split is inevitable.

What do you split pot players thing?

Not the chatty one

I was looking to play some PLO8 today. The big tables were full with 5 deep waiting lists so I decided to get in on some 6 player action. I noticed BadBlood at some of the tables as I was joining the waiting lists. Soon I would be seated to his left on one table and his right on another.

When I sat I didn't say anything to him. I wasn't being rude. Actually I think I was helping both of us. By acknowledging I knew him, I believe that may have killed some action for both of us. People may not play into either of us or may get out of hands if we were involved. Plus I believe I read that he doesn't pay attention to the chat or even turns it off. I don't pay much attention to chat either unless it is a tournament.

Do many of you chat at ring games with people you know or do you find it better to stay anonymous?

You make the call

Do I try to be the nice guy or not?

Scenario: Co-worker has ticket to Opening Day next Friday. I don't have a ticket but I do have the day off. He has to work because he did not get his request in before me. Other people are out of the office for other reasons and he would be the only body in the department.

Question: Do I offer to work so he can go tailgate and enjoy the entire game? I would be able to leave work and meet up with friends by 3:30, 4 at the latest. He gets to go cut loose and have a good time. There has got to be major goodwill points won here not just from him but my boss too.

So, do I be the nice guy and offer to work so he can have the day off?