"The Bubble Bites"
Well I am still playing with my free money at Poker Time. I believe I am up to around $60. I have found my success on the single table tournaments specifically in a strange game Omaha-8 NL. I have won two tournaments. I have finished in the money two other times. BUT I have finished on the bubble FOUR times. Man that bites! I have not seen anything about my play that I would not do again. Basically when it gets down to four players you get your money in with the best cards and hope to hit.
If finishing second is like kissing your sister, then what is finishing just out of the money. Arghhh!
I did manage Friday night to finish second in a 30 person multi-table NL Holdem tournament on Poker Time. I also won a tournament at Check N Raise Poker, paying $25. Friday was very good to my bankroll, but unfortunately my ring play has given some of it back.
I also have a new mission with respect to poker. I will be saving and planning a road trip to Oklahoma casino. A four hour drive seems to be in order for some gambling fun. Hopefully I can get a couple persons to go with me and keep the travel costs down.
Finally I am considering the Ultimate sacrifice. I have been playing poker almost nightly for about three years now. Oh I guess you could call that an addiction. So my current plan is to give poker up for Lent. It is not walking into the desert with no food or water, but for me I think it will be a HUGE challenge. I may have to put a twist on this sacrifice and state no online poker. I believe April and the blogging champions of Austin are setting up a tournament around SxSW. If that falls during Lent, then I must play. That is if they invite me! Most importantly if they need someone to finish on the Bubble. I am there man!
Play on!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
"Bad Addiction"
I have not posted in a long time. I just have not been motivated. Or it could be due to my "bad addiction". I am addicted to Omaha-8. That freaking game is full of swings. I even read the recent article by Jennifer Harman on best hands for Omaha-8. The article helped but the game is driving me totally insane. I truly hate holding a full house and losing to a higher full house. I truly hate flopping the nut low. Someone else keeps raising also with the nut low and I end up losing money. Every night I play an Omaha-8 table and a limit holdem table. Usually I break even or make a little cash. But man can it swing in the wrong direction fast. What should I do about this horrible addiction? Play on!
Not much more on poker. I have challenged myself to win enough to purchase and ipod. So far I am not doing so hot.
I watched the show Love Monkey tonight and I thought it was pretty good. I enjoyed the music. I will watch it again. I wish I was a contestant on the second stunt on Fear Factor tonight. The woman who had her hair shaved was brave. No big deal for me since I have little hair to start with.
Finally I must comment on American Idol. Yes I am addicted to reality TV. But some of those people auditioning truly are from or belong on another planet.
I will try to post more often, but I need to be motivated.
Stay away from Omaha-8!
Play on!
I have not posted in a long time. I just have not been motivated. Or it could be due to my "bad addiction". I am addicted to Omaha-8. That freaking game is full of swings. I even read the recent article by Jennifer Harman on best hands for Omaha-8. The article helped but the game is driving me totally insane. I truly hate holding a full house and losing to a higher full house. I truly hate flopping the nut low. Someone else keeps raising also with the nut low and I end up losing money. Every night I play an Omaha-8 table and a limit holdem table. Usually I break even or make a little cash. But man can it swing in the wrong direction fast. What should I do about this horrible addiction? Play on!
Not much more on poker. I have challenged myself to win enough to purchase and ipod. So far I am not doing so hot.
I watched the show Love Monkey tonight and I thought it was pretty good. I enjoyed the music. I will watch it again. I wish I was a contestant on the second stunt on Fear Factor tonight. The woman who had her hair shaved was brave. No big deal for me since I have little hair to start with.
Finally I must comment on American Idol. Yes I am addicted to reality TV. But some of those people auditioning truly are from or belong on another planet.
I will try to post more often, but I need to be motivated.
Stay away from Omaha-8!
Play on!
Friday, January 06, 2006
"Sometimes Poker SUCKS"
I just sat down to relax after a productive day. I did my normal and pulled up a .5/1 Limit Omaha HL and a .25/,5 Limit Holdem.
Dealt AK of spades on the holdem table. Flop is all spades. Maximum betting against one other player. Turn pairs the board. Max betting until the end. Yup he had a boat. Huge loss!
Omaha table I have AAKJ double suited. Flop comes A77. Maximum betting all the way with 2 other players. Yes he had a pair of sevens. Another huge loss.
In 15 minutes of play down $30. Oh poker sucks!
I have a few chores but despite poker sucking I will be right back at it later tonight. Hopefully I can play a couple of tournaments. Now I have to go kick the 6 year old's bootie in PS2 Hockey. Maybe I should bet him! LOL
HORNS rule!
more later ... play on!
I just sat down to relax after a productive day. I did my normal and pulled up a .5/1 Limit Omaha HL and a .25/,5 Limit Holdem.
Dealt AK of spades on the holdem table. Flop is all spades. Maximum betting against one other player. Turn pairs the board. Max betting until the end. Yup he had a boat. Huge loss!
Omaha table I have AAKJ double suited. Flop comes A77. Maximum betting all the way with 2 other players. Yes he had a pair of sevens. Another huge loss.
In 15 minutes of play down $30. Oh poker sucks!
I have a few chores but despite poker sucking I will be right back at it later tonight. Hopefully I can play a couple of tournaments. Now I have to go kick the 6 year old's bootie in PS2 Hockey. Maybe I should bet him! LOL
HORNS rule!
more later ... play on!
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
"Horns RULE"
What else can be said! What a great football game! In-Vince-Able!
I promise to have a longer post soon. But FN Ayyyyeeeee!
Quick poker content - 5 card stud pot limit.
I sat down with $12. I am dealt A up and Ace down. I raise to $.75. Player A with a king raises max. Player B also with a King raises the pot. I go all-in. Both players call and turn over KK. My rockets hold and I am up to $31 in a matter of one hand.
No that is a poker hand!
Go Horns!
What else can be said! What a great football game! In-Vince-Able!
I promise to have a longer post soon. But FN Ayyyyeeeee!
Quick poker content - 5 card stud pot limit.
I sat down with $12. I am dealt A up and Ace down. I raise to $.75. Player A with a king raises max. Player B also with a King raises the pot. I go all-in. Both players call and turn over KK. My rockets hold and I am up to $31 in a matter of one hand.
No that is a poker hand!
Go Horns!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
"Drowning in Someone else's Pain"
Last night I decided to play some tournaments at Poker Time. First tournament I definitely felt the pain. First I entered a 15 player SNG. I was dealt pocket kings. I had an average stack and there were six players left. I made a nice raise. I got re-raised. I popped him back. He re-raised me again. Geez the only hand that can beat pre-flop us AA. Does he have it? My gut says he is pressing with QQ or JJ. I push all-in. Doh! He did have AA and I am out in sixth. Oh the pain!
I then played a 10 player SNG. Nothing really eventful other than I finished on the bubble in 4th. Oh more pain!
I capped the night by playing in another 15 player SNG. I played well and I do not think I risked any chips unnecessarily. We were down to 4 players. I had $4K. Two players were hovering around $1K and the chip lead had $9k. The chip lead was leveraging his stack and stealing chips.
I thought certainly if I am patient one of the short stacks will be eliminated and I would be in the money. I even folded AKo when the chip lead was in the big blind. I knew he would pop me for a large portion of my stack. Finishing in the money was my goal, so I would at least end up even for the night. The chip lead called numerous all-in plays by the short stacks. Every time he did they would suck out and win. The two short stacks grew to over $3K and my stack dwindled to around $2K. The chip lead was around $5K now. I could tell he was a bit on tilt, especially after his AK got walloped by T5o.
I went from "yes I am going to finish in the money and at least second place" to "Oh Crap am I even going to make it in the money!" I was patient and defended my blinds as best as I could. Soon it happened! The player who was the chip lead went all-in against the new chip lead and was eliminated. Off he went in a cursing storm. I went from drowning in his pain to shouting with glee!
After that I got a little crazy and sat in a 5 stud pot limit game. After some high stress and losing most of my stack with KK to a set of dueces, I managed my way back to win a couple of dollars.
This morning I discovered the ME channel on Time Warner. It is nice to hear Austin artist. Heck they played a Reivers video. I was a Reivers junky in the day.
Today I pray the freaking plumbers come back to finish their job. I got screwed yesterday! I still need to battle the shopping scene one more time. I think we should simply stop exchanging gifts and every family MUST place what they spend on Christmas into a savings account. Or better yet donate more to their favorite charity.
Bah humbug!
Oh one other thing - in my previous post I stated that was April sitting next to Mr. Mac. Couldn't be cuz that chick is wearing a dress! Just kidding April! :o)
Play on!
Last night I decided to play some tournaments at Poker Time. First tournament I definitely felt the pain. First I entered a 15 player SNG. I was dealt pocket kings. I had an average stack and there were six players left. I made a nice raise. I got re-raised. I popped him back. He re-raised me again. Geez the only hand that can beat pre-flop us AA. Does he have it? My gut says he is pressing with QQ or JJ. I push all-in. Doh! He did have AA and I am out in sixth. Oh the pain!
I then played a 10 player SNG. Nothing really eventful other than I finished on the bubble in 4th. Oh more pain!
I capped the night by playing in another 15 player SNG. I played well and I do not think I risked any chips unnecessarily. We were down to 4 players. I had $4K. Two players were hovering around $1K and the chip lead had $9k. The chip lead was leveraging his stack and stealing chips.
I thought certainly if I am patient one of the short stacks will be eliminated and I would be in the money. I even folded AKo when the chip lead was in the big blind. I knew he would pop me for a large portion of my stack. Finishing in the money was my goal, so I would at least end up even for the night. The chip lead called numerous all-in plays by the short stacks. Every time he did they would suck out and win. The two short stacks grew to over $3K and my stack dwindled to around $2K. The chip lead was around $5K now. I could tell he was a bit on tilt, especially after his AK got walloped by T5o.
I went from "yes I am going to finish in the money and at least second place" to "Oh Crap am I even going to make it in the money!" I was patient and defended my blinds as best as I could. Soon it happened! The player who was the chip lead went all-in against the new chip lead and was eliminated. Off he went in a cursing storm. I went from drowning in his pain to shouting with glee!
After that I got a little crazy and sat in a 5 stud pot limit game. After some high stress and losing most of my stack with KK to a set of dueces, I managed my way back to win a couple of dollars.
This morning I discovered the ME channel on Time Warner. It is nice to hear Austin artist. Heck they played a Reivers video. I was a Reivers junky in the day.
Today I pray the freaking plumbers come back to finish their job. I got screwed yesterday! I still need to battle the shopping scene one more time. I think we should simply stop exchanging gifts and every family MUST place what they spend on Christmas into a savings account. Or better yet donate more to their favorite charity.
Bah humbug!
Oh one other thing - in my previous post I stated that was April sitting next to Mr. Mac. Couldn't be cuz that chick is wearing a dress! Just kidding April! :o)
Play on!
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
"Look Alike"
I have read stories about Mr. Mac sneaking out to win tons of cash. What I did not know was that Mr. Mac modeled for a player at Check N raise poker. Here is the evidence. Look at the player on the bottom left. Hmmm! That could be April sitting next to him.
I have read stories about Mr. Mac sneaking out to win tons of cash. What I did not know was that Mr. Mac modeled for a player at Check N raise poker. Here is the evidence. Look at the player on the bottom left. Hmmm! That could be April sitting next to him.
How much does Mr. Mac get paid from Check n Raise poker for using his likeness? Does he like cigars?
I have been playing a little to much poker since I am on vacation. I have eeked my bankroll back up, but it is not as healthy as it should be. Again my down fall is my addiction to Omaha-8. That game has huge swings, especially why you bet aggressively on the turn with the nuts and hammered when the board pairs on the river. Soon it will be my turn to get those big pots.
Currently I do not have much to post. I am waiting on the plumber to get here again. Yesterday he installed one of our pedestal sinks, but the faucets we bought leaked. Two lessons to share:
1. Never permit your significant other to start a remodeling project during the holidays!
2. Do not buy cheap faucets if you are paying a plumber by the hour!
I did learn a ton doing this remodel. I did the demolition, removed and installed tile, and repaired the wall. So far the wife is happy! Now we just need to get the sinks installed. Since I could not install the sinks we are looking at being close to $1000 over budget.
That translates into I need to pay Mr. Mac to teach me how to spin straw into gold!
Hopefully one more post before Ho Ho HO, but just in case all 5 persons who read this crazy blog have a very Merry Christmas.
Play on!
Sunday, December 11, 2005
"In the MONEY"
Well I needed to do a quick post. I have been busy grinding at the tables and attempting to remodel our master bathroom. Remodeling is definitely putting me out of my element.
My wife was kind enough to let me take a break and play in the CNR $10,000 challenge. There were 179 players I believe competing for a total purse of $10,000. I think I was supposed to be in this tournament a year ago. Any rate I sat down this afternoon at 2:00 PM.
Interuption - I just saw on the news how the Texans lost. Geez maybe I can take the job as their placekicker. April I feel the pain!
Any rate I was playing in the tournament. I played extremely conservative. If I decided to get in the mix I made a decent raise, which usually resulted in stealing the blinds. The tournament pays the top 30 players. It was 4:00 PM and still around 60 players. I was in the middle of the pack. I told my kids that I needed to win a couple of hands in order to make it in the money. I got AA and KK exactly when I needed them. I only won the blinds, but I was not going to let anyone suck out on me. At around 5:00 PM. it was down to 31 players. I was staggering around 19th place, but for the past hour I was at a table with three of the chip leaders bullying the table. I had to be patient. For awhile I had #2 on my right and #4 on my left. I could not make any moves. One player at our table ended up making it to the money with only $134. he was patient and I think said numerous prayers that the blinds would not go up! I really had no clue how much the payouts were. So I happened to peek. To my amazement I had just won $100. I would have to make it to the final table to really increase the winnings by much. I found myself on the button with AJ. I went all-in for my last $6K. Of course I got called by the big stack, who had me by the seat of my pants with AQ. I ended up finishing 26th place.
Now it was time for me to install some tile. I figured I had better earn my keep. I borrowed wet saw. I made my first tile cut and it was off. I should have doble checked the measurements on the cutter. After that I could not get another piece of tile to cut. The blade kept binding. Of course I got very frustrated. I called Lowes and it turns out they will cut the tile for me for $.25 a cut. Shit I wish I had known that earlier int he morning. Tomorrow I am off to Lowes to get my tile cut. We will be down to one bathroom for a little while longer. We have grandparents coming on Friday, so I had better get busy.
I should be asleep right now, but I am wired.
I couple of other mentions before I play a few more hands. I ended up making a mistake at Party Poker. I lost almost all of my stake and was down to $4.75. I had to take the kids to a party, so I exited. Well now I can not even lose my last $4.75, because it takes a minumum of $5 to sit down. I will wait another 6 months and maybe they will give another freebie. I am a great "fish" for Party Poker. I still have $8 at Poker time. I am still playing at Paradise with my original $2 stake.
I big thanks to CNR for hosting the tournament today. I am now $100 richer.
I hope April and the other bloggers had a safe journey to Vegas and all come back with huge bankrolls.
Play on!
Well I needed to do a quick post. I have been busy grinding at the tables and attempting to remodel our master bathroom. Remodeling is definitely putting me out of my element.
My wife was kind enough to let me take a break and play in the CNR $10,000 challenge. There were 179 players I believe competing for a total purse of $10,000. I think I was supposed to be in this tournament a year ago. Any rate I sat down this afternoon at 2:00 PM.
Interuption - I just saw on the news how the Texans lost. Geez maybe I can take the job as their placekicker. April I feel the pain!
Any rate I was playing in the tournament. I played extremely conservative. If I decided to get in the mix I made a decent raise, which usually resulted in stealing the blinds. The tournament pays the top 30 players. It was 4:00 PM and still around 60 players. I was in the middle of the pack. I told my kids that I needed to win a couple of hands in order to make it in the money. I got AA and KK exactly when I needed them. I only won the blinds, but I was not going to let anyone suck out on me. At around 5:00 PM. it was down to 31 players. I was staggering around 19th place, but for the past hour I was at a table with three of the chip leaders bullying the table. I had to be patient. For awhile I had #2 on my right and #4 on my left. I could not make any moves. One player at our table ended up making it to the money with only $134. he was patient and I think said numerous prayers that the blinds would not go up! I really had no clue how much the payouts were. So I happened to peek. To my amazement I had just won $100. I would have to make it to the final table to really increase the winnings by much. I found myself on the button with AJ. I went all-in for my last $6K. Of course I got called by the big stack, who had me by the seat of my pants with AQ. I ended up finishing 26th place.
Now it was time for me to install some tile. I figured I had better earn my keep. I borrowed wet saw. I made my first tile cut and it was off. I should have doble checked the measurements on the cutter. After that I could not get another piece of tile to cut. The blade kept binding. Of course I got very frustrated. I called Lowes and it turns out they will cut the tile for me for $.25 a cut. Shit I wish I had known that earlier int he morning. Tomorrow I am off to Lowes to get my tile cut. We will be down to one bathroom for a little while longer. We have grandparents coming on Friday, so I had better get busy.
I should be asleep right now, but I am wired.
I couple of other mentions before I play a few more hands. I ended up making a mistake at Party Poker. I lost almost all of my stake and was down to $4.75. I had to take the kids to a party, so I exited. Well now I can not even lose my last $4.75, because it takes a minumum of $5 to sit down. I will wait another 6 months and maybe they will give another freebie. I am a great "fish" for Party Poker. I still have $8 at Poker time. I am still playing at Paradise with my original $2 stake.
I big thanks to CNR for hosting the tournament today. I am now $100 richer.
I hope April and the other bloggers had a safe journey to Vegas and all come back with huge bankrolls.
Play on!
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
"Free Money"
I am only posting a quickie, so Mr. Mac does not smack me around. I do not know why they do it, but Party Poker gave me another free $50. Iggy swears this site is full of fish. I conclude I am a BIG FISH. The suck outs on the river simply amaze me.
So lets go right into the details of back to back hands. I found this to be funny! Wine, tequila, and beer help with the humor.
I had pocket 4's in the BB. The flop comes A4x. I bet and I get raised. We cap the betting every time. Hmmmmmmm! Does my opponent have pocket aces. Normally this girl calls with anything, so I keep pressing with my set. The river brings a 4. I believe quads are good. Yes she did have pocket aces.
The very next hand I get pocket aces. Again maximum betting to the river. Yup the lady filled her straight to take her money back. I thought for sure I could retire ahead for the evening.
I have not lost my free money yet, but I have come close a few times. I think because it is free money I play a little crazier than normal. We will see just how fast I lose this bank roll.
Two more quick comments then I had better get my butt to bed. Fortunately I can sleep in until 6:00 AM!
I am truly sorry I could not play Friday at Adam's. I think I would have been the winner. Yeah right! I wanted to host a tournament, but man this time of year fills up fast. Especially if your better half decides to remodel the master bath. The demolition was fun!
My final comment of the night. How about those HORNS!
play on!
I am only posting a quickie, so Mr. Mac does not smack me around. I do not know why they do it, but Party Poker gave me another free $50. Iggy swears this site is full of fish. I conclude I am a BIG FISH. The suck outs on the river simply amaze me.
So lets go right into the details of back to back hands. I found this to be funny! Wine, tequila, and beer help with the humor.
I had pocket 4's in the BB. The flop comes A4x. I bet and I get raised. We cap the betting every time. Hmmmmmmm! Does my opponent have pocket aces. Normally this girl calls with anything, so I keep pressing with my set. The river brings a 4. I believe quads are good. Yes she did have pocket aces.
The very next hand I get pocket aces. Again maximum betting to the river. Yup the lady filled her straight to take her money back. I thought for sure I could retire ahead for the evening.
I have not lost my free money yet, but I have come close a few times. I think because it is free money I play a little crazier than normal. We will see just how fast I lose this bank roll.
Two more quick comments then I had better get my butt to bed. Fortunately I can sleep in until 6:00 AM!
I am truly sorry I could not play Friday at Adam's. I think I would have been the winner. Yeah right! I wanted to host a tournament, but man this time of year fills up fast. Especially if your better half decides to remodel the master bath. The demolition was fun!
My final comment of the night. How about those HORNS!
play on!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
“Oh Yeah!”
It has been way to long since my last post. My only excuse is that I have been way to busy losing my bankroll. I have been grinding hard, but unfortunately not heading in the correct direction. I typically play two tables at a time. One is Omaha-8 and the other Limit Holdem. Most of the time I win at one table and lose at the other, breaking even for a session. Occasionally I will bust through with a nice win. Anyway I will spare you the sorrow.
I did go to Houston for the Thanksgiving holiday. My brother hosted a poker tournament. I get there in time to play the third tournament. I got knocked out by my sister-in-law when my top two pair were smacked on the river, when she hit her flush draw. She won twice against me on the river and another hand I made a stupid call out of frustration. The game was progressing just way to slow for my taste and it was already 2:30 AM.
There were two controversial topics that came up during this evening that I would like to toss out for discussion. In the end I think we got it right, but lets see.
The blinds are $25/$50. Player A goes all in for a total of $90. Player B calls. Small blind folds and the big blind raises $100. Player B calls. The question is how much should be in the main pot for Player A to win. What initially transpired was that I stated move the $200 from the Big Blinds raise into the side pot and lets go. That was met with resistance. The second opinion was that the main pot should have $270. I stated well what about the small blind. We ended up with the main pot having $295 and the side pot with $250. Did we end up in the right place?
The next argument that came up a couple of times was when playing heads up who should be the small blind. I stated that the dealer should always be the small blind. How can that be? I stated well this came up at another game I was at, so I paid close attention to the WPT. The dealer is the small blind and is first to act. After the flop the dealer has position and the other player is UTG. Well “I watch the WPT too and that is not how they do it!” “What you are saying makes absolutely no sense!” “Dealer should not never be the first to act!” I will watch more poker soon, but what is the correct procedure for heads up play?
It has been way to long since my last post. My only excuse is that I have been way to busy losing my bankroll. I have been grinding hard, but unfortunately not heading in the correct direction. I typically play two tables at a time. One is Omaha-8 and the other Limit Holdem. Most of the time I win at one table and lose at the other, breaking even for a session. Occasionally I will bust through with a nice win. Anyway I will spare you the sorrow.
I did go to Houston for the Thanksgiving holiday. My brother hosted a poker tournament. I get there in time to play the third tournament. I got knocked out by my sister-in-law when my top two pair were smacked on the river, when she hit her flush draw. She won twice against me on the river and another hand I made a stupid call out of frustration. The game was progressing just way to slow for my taste and it was already 2:30 AM.
There were two controversial topics that came up during this evening that I would like to toss out for discussion. In the end I think we got it right, but lets see.
The blinds are $25/$50. Player A goes all in for a total of $90. Player B calls. Small blind folds and the big blind raises $100. Player B calls. The question is how much should be in the main pot for Player A to win. What initially transpired was that I stated move the $200 from the Big Blinds raise into the side pot and lets go. That was met with resistance. The second opinion was that the main pot should have $270. I stated well what about the small blind. We ended up with the main pot having $295 and the side pot with $250. Did we end up in the right place?
The next argument that came up a couple of times was when playing heads up who should be the small blind. I stated that the dealer should always be the small blind. How can that be? I stated well this came up at another game I was at, so I paid close attention to the WPT. The dealer is the small blind and is first to act. After the flop the dealer has position and the other player is UTG. Well “I watch the WPT too and that is not how they do it!” “What you are saying makes absolutely no sense!” “Dealer should not never be the first to act!” I will watch more poker soon, but what is the correct procedure for heads up play?
Friday, November 04, 2005
"Man on a mission"
CNR gave me a bonus. In order to earn the bonus I must earn 1000 CP's within 90 days. I am playing like a mad man. In the past two hours I have had pocket aces at least 4 times and witnessed others have it twice. Seems like the algorithm is a little off. But I did win 3 out of the 4 times. The last time I got sucked out on by a flush on the river. I am playing two tables. One .25/.50 holdem and the other .50/1 Omaha-8. So far I have played about 4 hours and I am still even, which is not so bad if all you want to do is grind out points.
I just got quad aces in Omaha-8. A nice hand but it sux to have to split the pot! Oh well I am grinding like a mad man.
I am watching Rules of Engagement, which is a decent movie. I watched Star Wars Episode III earlier. They had some cool fight seens. Now what to watch as I grind away.
Three more soccer games this weekend. Our daughter's team lost their first game Thursday night under the lights. It was a great game, ending 1-0. Soccer team party after the game. Yes another busy weekend. i want to host a poker tournament, but I have not a clue as to when I could fit that in.
I have once again joined a gym. I really like the 5:30 AM work out. it gets the day started off right. I am going to try my damndest to lose that 20 pounds, AGAIN!!!
What else has been going on. Oh yeah! I can no longer write a quick blog during lunch or before work. Big brother is now watching. I can not even enjoy my lunch and read all the wonderful poker blogs. It makes sense but when you put in 8 -10 hours everyday you should be permitted to take a 15 minute break and enjoy a good blog. Oh well! I will just reduce my sleep even more in order to stay in touch with the great blogs.
hard to blog playing two tables! Perhaps more later, cuz I am on a mission.
Play on!
CNR gave me a bonus. In order to earn the bonus I must earn 1000 CP's within 90 days. I am playing like a mad man. In the past two hours I have had pocket aces at least 4 times and witnessed others have it twice. Seems like the algorithm is a little off. But I did win 3 out of the 4 times. The last time I got sucked out on by a flush on the river. I am playing two tables. One .25/.50 holdem and the other .50/1 Omaha-8. So far I have played about 4 hours and I am still even, which is not so bad if all you want to do is grind out points.
I just got quad aces in Omaha-8. A nice hand but it sux to have to split the pot! Oh well I am grinding like a mad man.
I am watching Rules of Engagement, which is a decent movie. I watched Star Wars Episode III earlier. They had some cool fight seens. Now what to watch as I grind away.
Three more soccer games this weekend. Our daughter's team lost their first game Thursday night under the lights. It was a great game, ending 1-0. Soccer team party after the game. Yes another busy weekend. i want to host a poker tournament, but I have not a clue as to when I could fit that in.
I have once again joined a gym. I really like the 5:30 AM work out. it gets the day started off right. I am going to try my damndest to lose that 20 pounds, AGAIN!!!
What else has been going on. Oh yeah! I can no longer write a quick blog during lunch or before work. Big brother is now watching. I can not even enjoy my lunch and read all the wonderful poker blogs. It makes sense but when you put in 8 -10 hours everyday you should be permitted to take a 15 minute break and enjoy a good blog. Oh well! I will just reduce my sleep even more in order to stay in touch with the great blogs.
hard to blog playing two tables! Perhaps more later, cuz I am on a mission.
Play on!
Friday, October 28, 2005
“Nightmare”
I decided for a night of poker and scary/bizarre movies. I rented “the ring two”, which I am watching now and Constantine. I must say “the ring two” is bizarre, but not nearly as bizarre as the hand I just lost. I am playing $.50/$1.00 Omaha-8. On the river the board paired aces, giving me tens full of aces. I lost to quad aces. Lost half my stack!
I wish I could have made it to April’s poker bash this evening, but it was ladies night for my better half. It is also a big soccer weekend. Two games tomorrow, starting at 9:00 AM, then two more on Sunday.
I have AA44 and the flop was 23T. Yeah a 7 on the river for nut low. Normally this week when I have good starting hands I get horrible flops. I believe for the most part I have been extremely patient and waiting for premium hands. Hopefully things will turn around and I will win a few hands.
I am also playing $.02/.04 limit Holdem on Paradise. I am up $1.70. Very strange in that three hands in a freakin row I got pocket queens. They only won once! I think the algorithm needs some tweaking!
I think I need to start documenting my dreams and turn them into movies. I rarely reach a deep sleep. Perhaps I can get some ambion, then I can write a really bizarre movie.
I have not been motivated recently to post. I recently had a situation that required a ton of deliberation and reflection. I am reasonably sure I made the correct decision. Only time will tell. Hopefully my brain will get back to normal.
I think I am about to join LifeTime fitness. I have not worked out in over a year. I need to get my stuff together and lose some weight.
I will say that I am glad I did not pay big dollars to see “the ring two” at the theatre.
Have a super weekend!
Play on!
I decided for a night of poker and scary/bizarre movies. I rented “the ring two”, which I am watching now and Constantine. I must say “the ring two” is bizarre, but not nearly as bizarre as the hand I just lost. I am playing $.50/$1.00 Omaha-8. On the river the board paired aces, giving me tens full of aces. I lost to quad aces. Lost half my stack!
I wish I could have made it to April’s poker bash this evening, but it was ladies night for my better half. It is also a big soccer weekend. Two games tomorrow, starting at 9:00 AM, then two more on Sunday.
I have AA44 and the flop was 23T. Yeah a 7 on the river for nut low. Normally this week when I have good starting hands I get horrible flops. I believe for the most part I have been extremely patient and waiting for premium hands. Hopefully things will turn around and I will win a few hands.
I am also playing $.02/.04 limit Holdem on Paradise. I am up $1.70. Very strange in that three hands in a freakin row I got pocket queens. They only won once! I think the algorithm needs some tweaking!
I think I need to start documenting my dreams and turn them into movies. I rarely reach a deep sleep. Perhaps I can get some ambion, then I can write a really bizarre movie.
I have not been motivated recently to post. I recently had a situation that required a ton of deliberation and reflection. I am reasonably sure I made the correct decision. Only time will tell. Hopefully my brain will get back to normal.
I think I am about to join LifeTime fitness. I have not worked out in over a year. I need to get my stuff together and lose some weight.
I will say that I am glad I did not pay big dollars to see “the ring two” at the theatre.
Have a super weekend!
Play on!
Sunday, October 23, 2005
"Birds and I"
I am a little disappointed that my entry from Friday did not get saved in blogspot. Oh Well!
Friday morning I had the pleasure of playing poker on the upper deck at Whole Foods downtown. There I was with a bottled water, bag of pretzels, and a computer. I was playing NL holdem and CNR and my only witness was the birds. Not the most attractive birds mind you, but they were a friendly lot, because I had pretzels. One poor bird had a crooked leg. Of course I felt sorry for him. The birds eyed me as I won this hand. I had a king high flush at the turn. I simply made a modest bet to see if anyone had the nut flush. A player to my right went all-in. I pondered for just a second and I called with my $8.50. He ended up having a flush as I suspected, but not good enough. The birds scattered as I shouted with excitement.
Thursday night I had a good night winning about $35 on CNR. I was a little bored with Holdem, so I played some 5-card and some Omaha-8. In draw I was losing my shirt. I was dealt two pair Qs & 3s. I did not take any cards and raised the maximum. Fortunately everyone folded and I was only down $.30, so I got up from the table. I won several large pots in Omaha-8.
Go Astros! The just tied it! I thought they were doomed after giving up the grand slam in the 7th.
I need to recap a terrific weekend, then I will quickly summarize my Blogger tourny experience. Our daughter's soccer team was in a tournament this weekend. Their first game was Sat. morning at 9:15 AM. Our daughter was put in as goalie and the game ended in 0-0 tie. She boomed some punts. We were so proud of her. Unfortunately I missed the next two games because I got to go to the Longhorns game. We put a whooping on Texas Tech. The pre-game warm up at the Dog and Duck was great! After the football game we went to the Sierra Nevada tailgate party and had a beer. Back to the Dog and Duck until traffic calmed down. I called to see how our daughter's team did in the other two games. They lost 3-1 in game two. She gave up two goals, but she said they were really good shots. The third game they won 1-0. They played in the semi-finals this morning and unfortunatly lost 2-0. Alex gave up both goals. One of the goals should not have happened. Another soccer ball rolled onto the field and several players were disrupted. The ref should have stopped play. Regardless they played a great game. Our daughter did a super job on defense.
Man! Lidge just gave up the game winning home run. Damn!
After the Horns victory I went to a Halloween Party. There was an amazing spread of food. They had poets, then the grand finale was a flame dancer. I had a good time and got home before midnight. I played a little bit if poker before turning in, but I pretty much broke even on the night.
OK! The blogger tournament was fun! It lasted 5 hads and I was out #1442. First of all I had know clue there would be that many players. I was at the table long enough to get the URL's of my opponents. Everyone was really super nice. The players at the table were
Morlith - pokerwolf.blogspot.com
Maudie - kebzweb.com
KAP_Player - kickasspoker.com
Alceste - the-misanthrope.blogspot.com
bbzghost - bbzghost.blogspot.com
ekillian - ekillian.blogspot.com
smoke404
Kwils21 - caught upinthe craze.blogspot.com
Sorry I do not have time at the moment to convert these to links. I will try to edit this post later.
My first hand was AK suited. I raised $80. Everyone folded, so I was won the blinds.
Second hand was AQ. Flop came T6Q. I bet and was raised. I ended up calling the other player to the river and lost to a set of tens. I did not even take the time to attempt to evaluate what he had.
Now down to $600 I play my fifth hand. I look at the screen to see AK suited (spades) again. Definitely need to go all-in. The big stack calls me and turns over TJ of spades. I like the odds. Damn if a jack hit on the flop and I got no help. I would have liked to play longer, but I knew with that many players I need to play good hands and build a stack quickly. I checked in on BurntOrnge and he was doing well. I could not find April or any other Austinites. I think I did see Poker Ninja.
It worked out just fine, because I got to take the kids to hit baseballs.
I should be in bed! I caught a second wind. We watched the movie, "The Interpreter". It was a little slow for my tastes, so I think I got in a couple cat naps. I am going to play a little Omaha-8, then turn in. It was a great weekend!
Tomorrow I get to go to our new office only 6 miles from my house.
Play on!
I am a little disappointed that my entry from Friday did not get saved in blogspot. Oh Well!
Friday morning I had the pleasure of playing poker on the upper deck at Whole Foods downtown. There I was with a bottled water, bag of pretzels, and a computer. I was playing NL holdem and CNR and my only witness was the birds. Not the most attractive birds mind you, but they were a friendly lot, because I had pretzels. One poor bird had a crooked leg. Of course I felt sorry for him. The birds eyed me as I won this hand. I had a king high flush at the turn. I simply made a modest bet to see if anyone had the nut flush. A player to my right went all-in. I pondered for just a second and I called with my $8.50. He ended up having a flush as I suspected, but not good enough. The birds scattered as I shouted with excitement.
Thursday night I had a good night winning about $35 on CNR. I was a little bored with Holdem, so I played some 5-card and some Omaha-8. In draw I was losing my shirt. I was dealt two pair Qs & 3s. I did not take any cards and raised the maximum. Fortunately everyone folded and I was only down $.30, so I got up from the table. I won several large pots in Omaha-8.
Go Astros! The just tied it! I thought they were doomed after giving up the grand slam in the 7th.
I need to recap a terrific weekend, then I will quickly summarize my Blogger tourny experience. Our daughter's soccer team was in a tournament this weekend. Their first game was Sat. morning at 9:15 AM. Our daughter was put in as goalie and the game ended in 0-0 tie. She boomed some punts. We were so proud of her. Unfortunately I missed the next two games because I got to go to the Longhorns game. We put a whooping on Texas Tech. The pre-game warm up at the Dog and Duck was great! After the football game we went to the Sierra Nevada tailgate party and had a beer. Back to the Dog and Duck until traffic calmed down. I called to see how our daughter's team did in the other two games. They lost 3-1 in game two. She gave up two goals, but she said they were really good shots. The third game they won 1-0. They played in the semi-finals this morning and unfortunatly lost 2-0. Alex gave up both goals. One of the goals should not have happened. Another soccer ball rolled onto the field and several players were disrupted. The ref should have stopped play. Regardless they played a great game. Our daughter did a super job on defense.
Man! Lidge just gave up the game winning home run. Damn!
After the Horns victory I went to a Halloween Party. There was an amazing spread of food. They had poets, then the grand finale was a flame dancer. I had a good time and got home before midnight. I played a little bit if poker before turning in, but I pretty much broke even on the night.
OK! The blogger tournament was fun! It lasted 5 hads and I was out #1442. First of all I had know clue there would be that many players. I was at the table long enough to get the URL's of my opponents. Everyone was really super nice. The players at the table were
Morlith - pokerwolf.blogspot.com
Maudie - kebzweb.com
KAP_Player - kickasspoker.com
Alceste - the-misanthrope.blogspot.com
bbzghost - bbzghost.blogspot.com
ekillian - ekillian.blogspot.com
smoke404
Kwils21 - caught upinthe craze.blogspot.com
Sorry I do not have time at the moment to convert these to links. I will try to edit this post later.
My first hand was AK suited. I raised $80. Everyone folded, so I was won the blinds.
Second hand was AQ. Flop came T6Q. I bet and was raised. I ended up calling the other player to the river and lost to a set of tens. I did not even take the time to attempt to evaluate what he had.
Now down to $600 I play my fifth hand. I look at the screen to see AK suited (spades) again. Definitely need to go all-in. The big stack calls me and turns over TJ of spades. I like the odds. Damn if a jack hit on the flop and I got no help. I would have liked to play longer, but I knew with that many players I need to play good hands and build a stack quickly. I checked in on BurntOrnge and he was doing well. I could not find April or any other Austinites. I think I did see Poker Ninja.
It worked out just fine, because I got to take the kids to hit baseballs.
I should be in bed! I caught a second wind. We watched the movie, "The Interpreter". It was a little slow for my tastes, so I think I got in a couple cat naps. I am going to play a little Omaha-8, then turn in. It was a great weekend!
Tomorrow I get to go to our new office only 6 miles from my house.
Play on!
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
"The River Loves you!"
I was playing $.05/.$10 on Paradise Poker last night.
First a brief sidebar. Unfortunately I have let my bankroll get super low due to a crazy move Saturday night. I decided I needed to take a shot at quickly increasing my bankroll, so I joined a $.50/$1.00 Limit Omaha-8 game. In three hand I lost my $5 investment, putting me down to $1.84 at paradise.
Back to the story - I started getting the hands. I hit a boat on the river and two flushes. next thing you know my bank roll is up to $4.35. I got interupted in order to give my better half a massage, so I left a juicy table and my affection for the river.
Man sometimes I hate computers. I just lost a perfectly phrased paragraph with a flash of the screen. Arrgh!
After lathering my wife with icy hot I went back to Paradise poker. I sat down at a table where it was mostly 3 handed or even heads up. My companion, "the river" had left me for another man. Twice I had the nut flush only to have the board pair on the river, giving the lady stealer full boats. At least four times I knew I had the top pair or top two pair going into the river. Yes all four times the river gave him a higher two pair or filled a gut shot straight. Rather than tilt all I could do was type into the chat utility, "the RIVER loves you man- NH". This continued where he would hit his miracle on the river until my $2 was gone. Fortunately I had the snap to stop playing and go fold clothes.
My other site should be back online today, so I can move up in stakes or at least play some no limit. I tried joining Full Tilt poker Saturday night after losing that $5 at omaha. I thought I had about $75 in my Neteller account. When I attempted to make the transfer it was rejected. "What the ..." Well it turns out that I only have $42 in my account. Unfortunately the site and neteller require a minimum transfer of $50. With CNR down for maintenance I had no other bankroll resource. I was sad! It was 2:00 AM, so a decided a little sleep would not hurt. Is Full Tilt a good sight to play or should I venture somewhere else?
Now with the poker content out of the way I turn your attention to soccer and football.
We had four soccer games this weekend. On Saturday the U6 Bobcats can stomped. Our kids seemed totally asleep at 3:15 PM. Oh well! Our son did play well and had some excellent defensive plays. Just before the U6 game our daughters team, The Clash, played a great game and remained undefeated. She played goalie the second half and made a couple of solid saves. Oh yeah! There was this one gal who was constantly yelling at her team mates. What a brat!
On Sunday the Bobcats started our soccer day at 2:15 PM. The team played much better. I believe the game ended in a tie, but we are not supposed to keep score. Again our son played aggressive and assisted on two goals. Go Bobcats! At 3:15 the Clash were supposed to play, but the previous game was running late. It was an exciting game. Our daughter just happened to score the first goal. The most interesting part was that she used her left foot. The Clash went on to win 4-0. This weekend the Clash are playing in a soccer tournament. My wife is a little miffed with me, but I am going to the Longhorn game. Go Horns! I certainly picked a great game to go to. We can only hope "the river" does not show up at that game.
Only Wednesday and I am looking for an action packed weekend. A house warming party in Friday (hopefully I can make a late or brief appearance). On Saturday there are at least 3 soccer games and I hope to make it to at least one. The around noon off to the Dog and Duck for pre-game warm-up. Then to a pumpkin carving party and finally a late appearance to a Halloween Party.
Potentially on Monday I am off to Atlanta for 3 weeks! Yikes!
Well Play on friends!
I was playing $.05/.$10 on Paradise Poker last night.
First a brief sidebar. Unfortunately I have let my bankroll get super low due to a crazy move Saturday night. I decided I needed to take a shot at quickly increasing my bankroll, so I joined a $.50/$1.00 Limit Omaha-8 game. In three hand I lost my $5 investment, putting me down to $1.84 at paradise.
Back to the story - I started getting the hands. I hit a boat on the river and two flushes. next thing you know my bank roll is up to $4.35. I got interupted in order to give my better half a massage, so I left a juicy table and my affection for the river.
Man sometimes I hate computers. I just lost a perfectly phrased paragraph with a flash of the screen. Arrgh!
After lathering my wife with icy hot I went back to Paradise poker. I sat down at a table where it was mostly 3 handed or even heads up. My companion, "the river" had left me for another man. Twice I had the nut flush only to have the board pair on the river, giving the lady stealer full boats. At least four times I knew I had the top pair or top two pair going into the river. Yes all four times the river gave him a higher two pair or filled a gut shot straight. Rather than tilt all I could do was type into the chat utility, "the RIVER loves you man- NH". This continued where he would hit his miracle on the river until my $2 was gone. Fortunately I had the snap to stop playing and go fold clothes.
My other site should be back online today, so I can move up in stakes or at least play some no limit. I tried joining Full Tilt poker Saturday night after losing that $5 at omaha. I thought I had about $75 in my Neteller account. When I attempted to make the transfer it was rejected. "What the ..." Well it turns out that I only have $42 in my account. Unfortunately the site and neteller require a minimum transfer of $50. With CNR down for maintenance I had no other bankroll resource. I was sad! It was 2:00 AM, so a decided a little sleep would not hurt. Is Full Tilt a good sight to play or should I venture somewhere else?
Now with the poker content out of the way I turn your attention to soccer and football.
We had four soccer games this weekend. On Saturday the U6 Bobcats can stomped. Our kids seemed totally asleep at 3:15 PM. Oh well! Our son did play well and had some excellent defensive plays. Just before the U6 game our daughters team, The Clash, played a great game and remained undefeated. She played goalie the second half and made a couple of solid saves. Oh yeah! There was this one gal who was constantly yelling at her team mates. What a brat!
On Sunday the Bobcats started our soccer day at 2:15 PM. The team played much better. I believe the game ended in a tie, but we are not supposed to keep score. Again our son played aggressive and assisted on two goals. Go Bobcats! At 3:15 the Clash were supposed to play, but the previous game was running late. It was an exciting game. Our daughter just happened to score the first goal. The most interesting part was that she used her left foot. The Clash went on to win 4-0. This weekend the Clash are playing in a soccer tournament. My wife is a little miffed with me, but I am going to the Longhorn game. Go Horns! I certainly picked a great game to go to. We can only hope "the river" does not show up at that game.
Only Wednesday and I am looking for an action packed weekend. A house warming party in Friday (hopefully I can make a late or brief appearance). On Saturday there are at least 3 soccer games and I hope to make it to at least one. The around noon off to the Dog and Duck for pre-game warm-up. Then to a pumpkin carving party and finally a late appearance to a Halloween Party.
Potentially on Monday I am off to Atlanta for 3 weeks! Yikes!
Well Play on friends!
Thursday, October 13, 2005
"Fold Dummy"
My sincerest apologies for not publishing more frequently. I have numerous excuses, but you shall be spared the details.
I really have not played much serious poker lately. In fact the site that has most of my bankroll is shutdown. Check N Raise poker is apparently moving its affilation to I think Poker Nation. Hopefully it will mean more players and more profit for me. I would like to play some low limit Omaha-8 again. We used to have so much fun on TNT. Lately there has been very little chat at the tables. I have been playing $2 buy-in NL Holdem ring games on Paradise. I have been doing OK, but occasionally I just can not lay down the cards.
Example 1 - 8T (Spades) - Flop is 69 (spades) and a red card
I have an inside straight flush draw. Modest betting around the table with three players. I call. River is a Q of clubs. My attempt to isolate I raise $.25. One player calls. River is 4 of spades, making my flush. I bet $.25. I get raised, putting me all in for another $1.35. I know he has a larger spade than the ten. There is about $3 in the pot. I called knowing damn well I was beat. I do not know how to efficiently calculate pot odds, but betting $1.35 on a prayer I would win $3 was just plain foolish. I need to increase my discipline and lay this one down.
Example 2 - K9o in the BB - flop comes 35T (all spades)
I am holding the King of spades, so I make a decent bet to isolate. Of course I get two callers. Turn is a King, so now I have top pair. I make a decent wager. I get one caller. The river of course is a spade. I make a modest bet at the pot. Yup! I get raised putting me all-in. Does he really have the Ace of spades. But of course he does and I again lose my stack.
I am really going to work on my discipline. My gut was correct both time and I gave away money. I know there will be times when folding a decent hand will be to a total bluff, but there are times when is better to live another day and wait for the NUTS. I know when I do get the NUTS at this site it is usually lucrative. Well as lucrative and a $2 can be!
I do have another small poker dilemma. I have about $75 burning a hole in my online bankroll. What would be the best site to invest these monies? Of course I am looking for a deposit bonus and I am also willing to use someone's code so you too can benefit. I am just not sure what site will be fun! I am looking for some low limit ring games with some fun people. I will take any and all suggestions. I am ready for a change of pace.
By the way April your puppy is adorable, especially in the Longhorn jersey! Daddy Scott I must say you have been blessed with a beautiful child. Let's hope he follows the career path of Mom!
Four soccer games this weekend, so we will be busy! Hopefully the Horns will mop the stadium with some Buffalo hide on Saturday. I most likely will miss the game due to soccer games. Perhaps I should invest in a portable radio and some batteries. It looks like I have a chance to go to the Texas Tech game. I would love for both teams to be undefeated. We can show those Raiders what football is really like!
Have a super weekend! I will try my best to get back to posting a couple of times per week. My other blog is keeping me busy too!
Fold Fold Fold
My sincerest apologies for not publishing more frequently. I have numerous excuses, but you shall be spared the details.
I really have not played much serious poker lately. In fact the site that has most of my bankroll is shutdown. Check N Raise poker is apparently moving its affilation to I think Poker Nation. Hopefully it will mean more players and more profit for me. I would like to play some low limit Omaha-8 again. We used to have so much fun on TNT. Lately there has been very little chat at the tables. I have been playing $2 buy-in NL Holdem ring games on Paradise. I have been doing OK, but occasionally I just can not lay down the cards.
Example 1 - 8T (Spades) - Flop is 69 (spades) and a red card
I have an inside straight flush draw. Modest betting around the table with three players. I call. River is a Q of clubs. My attempt to isolate I raise $.25. One player calls. River is 4 of spades, making my flush. I bet $.25. I get raised, putting me all in for another $1.35. I know he has a larger spade than the ten. There is about $3 in the pot. I called knowing damn well I was beat. I do not know how to efficiently calculate pot odds, but betting $1.35 on a prayer I would win $3 was just plain foolish. I need to increase my discipline and lay this one down.
Example 2 - K9o in the BB - flop comes 35T (all spades)
I am holding the King of spades, so I make a decent bet to isolate. Of course I get two callers. Turn is a King, so now I have top pair. I make a decent wager. I get one caller. The river of course is a spade. I make a modest bet at the pot. Yup! I get raised putting me all-in. Does he really have the Ace of spades. But of course he does and I again lose my stack.
I am really going to work on my discipline. My gut was correct both time and I gave away money. I know there will be times when folding a decent hand will be to a total bluff, but there are times when is better to live another day and wait for the NUTS. I know when I do get the NUTS at this site it is usually lucrative. Well as lucrative and a $2 can be!
I do have another small poker dilemma. I have about $75 burning a hole in my online bankroll. What would be the best site to invest these monies? Of course I am looking for a deposit bonus and I am also willing to use someone's code so you too can benefit. I am just not sure what site will be fun! I am looking for some low limit ring games with some fun people. I will take any and all suggestions. I am ready for a change of pace.
By the way April your puppy is adorable, especially in the Longhorn jersey! Daddy Scott I must say you have been blessed with a beautiful child. Let's hope he follows the career path of Mom!
Four soccer games this weekend, so we will be busy! Hopefully the Horns will mop the stadium with some Buffalo hide on Saturday. I most likely will miss the game due to soccer games. Perhaps I should invest in a portable radio and some batteries. It looks like I have a chance to go to the Texas Tech game. I would love for both teams to be undefeated. We can show those Raiders what football is really like!
Have a super weekend! I will try my best to get back to posting a couple of times per week. My other blog is keeping me busy too!
Fold Fold Fold
Friday, September 30, 2005
"Caving In"
On thing I promised myself was that I would not pollute my blog with advertisements. Unfortunately playing in the Blogger tournament sounds like a ton of fun! So out the window my promise goes. Fun must take priority!
If' Momma Mac is going to allow her husband to play, then I can play! I think Scott is going to be changing a ton of diapers in order to earn the priviledge of playing.
I am looking forward to a great time. Since it is on a Sunday hopefully I can play.
Busy weekend ahead! Hopefully I can post some poker happenings later.
See you at the tables!
On thing I promised myself was that I would not pollute my blog with advertisements. Unfortunately playing in the Blogger tournament sounds like a ton of fun! So out the window my promise goes. Fun must take priority!
If' Momma Mac is going to allow her husband to play, then I can play! I think Scott is going to be changing a ton of diapers in order to earn the priviledge of playing.
I am looking forward to a great time. Since it is on a Sunday hopefully I can play.
Busy weekend ahead! Hopefully I can post some poker happenings later.
See you at the tables!
I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!
This event is powered by PokerStars.
Registration code: 9269473
Monday, September 26, 2005
"Bubble Bubble toil and Trouble"
I just finished playing in a 6 person SNG. I had a lucky suck out with AK. I was all-in and up against pocket kings. The board brought 4 spades and I had the nut flush. I felt I played flawlessly until this hand.
I had A9s. The flop came 459. Now I have four on a flush and top pair. I raise. I get put all-in. The player turned over AA and I got no lovin! Out on the bubble! Net loss for the night was $11.
Last night I played in a NL ring game here in Austin. It was very entertaining. I think in 4.5 hours of play I had 6 playable hands. The good news is that I played patiently and pocketed $20. Not a huge windfall, but a win is a win. Here are some of the hands I remember.
I am in the BB with 53 hearts. The hosts raises. I need to defend the BB, so I call the raise. It turns out the host skipped a player when he raised. She said what about me. We pretended as though she checked and let her call the raises. The board came 537 spades, which gave me two pair. I figured the host (Puppy Feet) had an over pair. My gut was telling me though that another spade was about to hit the board. I mucked two pair. My gut was correct in that the fourth spade hit on the river. The lady Puppy Feet skipped had the nut flush. He was not happy and lost half his stack.
I remember raising with AJo and AQo only to get reraised. I was correct to muck both times when the flop brought no emergency assistance. I also had pocket tens once and pocket sixes once.
Once I limped in on the BB with J3o. The flop came JJ4. I bet only to be raised. I called. Turn did not improve my hand. I thought I was up against another J with a better kicker. I called a modest bet on turn. The raiser checked on the river. I thought about popping back for more money. In hind site I should have, but it was a decent sized pot and I took it down with 3 hooks.
Another hand I had QT of diamonds in the small blind. I was able to limp in. The flop came 8d9d and and Js. Flopped the nut straight. I raised $5 and got one caller. I had a flush draw, a straight flush possible and the nut straight. The turn brought another J. A little scary but I continued to press with $5. I got called. The river brought the 2 of diamonds, giving me the flush. I thought I might be in trouble, but I popped back for $5. He folded and I raked about $30 in one hand. It was sweet. At this point I went in to super conservative mode. I was listening to Scott and only moving with the nuts. I really went card dead. I did not get another hand the rest of the night. I took a couple shots from the BB and button, but my raises always got called or popped back. I had good reads everytime and mucked.
Once I was in the BB with K9 of clubs. The flop brought K78. I bet $5 and got raised $28. I figured he had two pair or a made set. I mucked! Hey showed his cards 78. Whew!
Funny thing was that I never showed my cards. The only lady at the table wanted us to show cards. I kept my play a secret, which is the smart move.
One interesting hand happened and I was not involved. One player went all in with a King on the board. Their was an instant call from a player. The player had pocket kings and had made a boat on the turn. The river brought the fourth King. Sweet.
The Guinness was great! The host was great! All the players were fun and courteous. A few flipped cards from the fan, but other than that a great game. Hopefully I can do that again!
I am taking the day off tomorrow to play golf with my parents. I am pumped! We are playing Star Ranch, which is a new track for me.
Play on!
I just finished playing in a 6 person SNG. I had a lucky suck out with AK. I was all-in and up against pocket kings. The board brought 4 spades and I had the nut flush. I felt I played flawlessly until this hand.
I had A9s. The flop came 459. Now I have four on a flush and top pair. I raise. I get put all-in. The player turned over AA and I got no lovin! Out on the bubble! Net loss for the night was $11.
Last night I played in a NL ring game here in Austin. It was very entertaining. I think in 4.5 hours of play I had 6 playable hands. The good news is that I played patiently and pocketed $20. Not a huge windfall, but a win is a win. Here are some of the hands I remember.
I am in the BB with 53 hearts. The hosts raises. I need to defend the BB, so I call the raise. It turns out the host skipped a player when he raised. She said what about me. We pretended as though she checked and let her call the raises. The board came 537 spades, which gave me two pair. I figured the host (Puppy Feet) had an over pair. My gut was telling me though that another spade was about to hit the board. I mucked two pair. My gut was correct in that the fourth spade hit on the river. The lady Puppy Feet skipped had the nut flush. He was not happy and lost half his stack.
I remember raising with AJo and AQo only to get reraised. I was correct to muck both times when the flop brought no emergency assistance. I also had pocket tens once and pocket sixes once.
Once I limped in on the BB with J3o. The flop came JJ4. I bet only to be raised. I called. Turn did not improve my hand. I thought I was up against another J with a better kicker. I called a modest bet on turn. The raiser checked on the river. I thought about popping back for more money. In hind site I should have, but it was a decent sized pot and I took it down with 3 hooks.
Another hand I had QT of diamonds in the small blind. I was able to limp in. The flop came 8d9d and and Js. Flopped the nut straight. I raised $5 and got one caller. I had a flush draw, a straight flush possible and the nut straight. The turn brought another J. A little scary but I continued to press with $5. I got called. The river brought the 2 of diamonds, giving me the flush. I thought I might be in trouble, but I popped back for $5. He folded and I raked about $30 in one hand. It was sweet. At this point I went in to super conservative mode. I was listening to Scott and only moving with the nuts. I really went card dead. I did not get another hand the rest of the night. I took a couple shots from the BB and button, but my raises always got called or popped back. I had good reads everytime and mucked.
Once I was in the BB with K9 of clubs. The flop brought K78. I bet $5 and got raised $28. I figured he had two pair or a made set. I mucked! Hey showed his cards 78. Whew!
Funny thing was that I never showed my cards. The only lady at the table wanted us to show cards. I kept my play a secret, which is the smart move.
One interesting hand happened and I was not involved. One player went all in with a King on the board. Their was an instant call from a player. The player had pocket kings and had made a boat on the turn. The river brought the fourth King. Sweet.
The Guinness was great! The host was great! All the players were fun and courteous. A few flipped cards from the fan, but other than that a great game. Hopefully I can do that again!
I am taking the day off tomorrow to play golf with my parents. I am pumped! We are playing Star Ranch, which is a new track for me.
Play on!
Thursday, September 15, 2005
"I Never Learn"
I am playing great poker tonight. I am up $5. I get dealt AA. Bet is $.40, player to my right calls, and I raise $1. Player goes all in for $6.50. Player to my right calls, I call. Flop is KQ7. Player to my right checks. I check. Next card is an 8, Check check! River is a 4. Player to my right raises putting me all-in. Is he really holding 56? Why the F*** did I not raise all-in after the flop. Should I call? Debate debate! I call! Sure enough he has 56o and rakes in a huge pot.
My mistake is not raising all-in post flop. Correct Dr. Mac?
Oh it is so frustrating when I make stupid mistakes. Up until this point I only raised when I was sure I was ahead or had the nuts. If I had folded to that raise I would have been down only $.90 for the night. I only have two brain cells left after years of partying, but why could I not rationalize laying down AA?
I think I am going to kick the dog. Just kiddin Ash!!
I need to post my football bets for the week. Of course I do not bet money, but Sound of a Suckout has a good site for talking smack and making bold picks. I won just one bet out of three last week. I need to study the lines a bit more.
I just watched Travis Tritt call $5000 raise with an ace high. It made me feel a bit better. Then he goes all-in with a pair of threes. Eddie wins with a pair of tens. April - Penny Marshall did comment on Phil's gorgeous blue eyes!!
I also watched Big Break IV, US -vs Europe. Europe put a whooping on the Americans on the first episode. I liked the very first Big Break show where the did some tricky shots. The played poker by hitting golf balls through glass panels. I remember correctly the winner had 5 aces.
Hmm what to watch now. Eraser or Hamburger Hill. I think "Eraser". It is 10:00 PM and if I go to bed I will be up at 3:00 AM. Perhaps I need a Rx for some Ambion? If I saw a papaya sitting next to me right now I would eat it!
I can't play any more poker cuz I am on TILT. I may go to the other computer and play 7 card stud for $.02/.04. Am I addicted or what?
Huge weekend at the church festival. If you want to entertain your kids please come by St. Vincent De Paul on Sunday between 11:30AM and 6:00 PM. You will find me running the Coconut Bowling booth. Great food and lots of fun.
I read Sound of a Suckouts pep talk. So I will conclude this mindless post by stating.
"I'll be BACK" Winning that is!
Ciao
I am playing great poker tonight. I am up $5. I get dealt AA. Bet is $.40, player to my right calls, and I raise $1. Player goes all in for $6.50. Player to my right calls, I call. Flop is KQ7. Player to my right checks. I check. Next card is an 8, Check check! River is a 4. Player to my right raises putting me all-in. Is he really holding 56? Why the F*** did I not raise all-in after the flop. Should I call? Debate debate! I call! Sure enough he has 56o and rakes in a huge pot.
My mistake is not raising all-in post flop. Correct Dr. Mac?
Oh it is so frustrating when I make stupid mistakes. Up until this point I only raised when I was sure I was ahead or had the nuts. If I had folded to that raise I would have been down only $.90 for the night. I only have two brain cells left after years of partying, but why could I not rationalize laying down AA?
I think I am going to kick the dog. Just kiddin Ash!!
I need to post my football bets for the week. Of course I do not bet money, but Sound of a Suckout has a good site for talking smack and making bold picks. I won just one bet out of three last week. I need to study the lines a bit more.
I just watched Travis Tritt call $5000 raise with an ace high. It made me feel a bit better. Then he goes all-in with a pair of threes. Eddie wins with a pair of tens. April - Penny Marshall did comment on Phil's gorgeous blue eyes!!
I also watched Big Break IV, US -vs Europe. Europe put a whooping on the Americans on the first episode. I liked the very first Big Break show where the did some tricky shots. The played poker by hitting golf balls through glass panels. I remember correctly the winner had 5 aces.
Hmm what to watch now. Eraser or Hamburger Hill. I think "Eraser". It is 10:00 PM and if I go to bed I will be up at 3:00 AM. Perhaps I need a Rx for some Ambion? If I saw a papaya sitting next to me right now I would eat it!
I can't play any more poker cuz I am on TILT. I may go to the other computer and play 7 card stud for $.02/.04. Am I addicted or what?
Huge weekend at the church festival. If you want to entertain your kids please come by St. Vincent De Paul on Sunday between 11:30AM and 6:00 PM. You will find me running the Coconut Bowling booth. Great food and lots of fun.
I read Sound of a Suckouts pep talk. So I will conclude this mindless post by stating.
"I'll be BACK" Winning that is!
Ciao
"Therapy needed"
I must say Scott is correct in that I need an intervention or a long session of therapy. Last night at CNR I sat down with $4 at a $.05/.10 table. I have AK. Flop brings KJ8. I make a decent bet but I get raised. I pushed all-in. The turn is a T and the river is a 7. Yes my opponent happened to have K9.
I plopped down another $4. I believe I go as low as $2 and battled my way back to $9.50. It was almost time for bed, then I had another brain "fart". I am in the BB with A9s. I raise to $.30 and get one caller. The flop is AK7. I bet out $.30 and get raised $9, putting me all-in. I called. The opponent had pocket 7's. I lost my entire stack.
Why? Because I am insane! Seriously the reason I lost my stack is that I did not put any thought what's so ever as to what potential hands my opponent might have. I am so used to people bluffing and bullying online that I made an instant call. I need to slow down and think about what could my opponent have. I also need to have the nuts before immediately committing to all-in. I believe I may end up calling 1-800-SCOTTMC.
I know I am playing with free money, but dammit I want to increase my bankroll not toss it away.
Tilt on!
I must say Scott is correct in that I need an intervention or a long session of therapy. Last night at CNR I sat down with $4 at a $.05/.10 table. I have AK. Flop brings KJ8. I make a decent bet but I get raised. I pushed all-in. The turn is a T and the river is a 7. Yes my opponent happened to have K9.
I plopped down another $4. I believe I go as low as $2 and battled my way back to $9.50. It was almost time for bed, then I had another brain "fart". I am in the BB with A9s. I raise to $.30 and get one caller. The flop is AK7. I bet out $.30 and get raised $9, putting me all-in. I called. The opponent had pocket 7's. I lost my entire stack.
Why? Because I am insane! Seriously the reason I lost my stack is that I did not put any thought what's so ever as to what potential hands my opponent might have. I am so used to people bluffing and bullying online that I made an instant call. I need to slow down and think about what could my opponent have. I also need to have the nuts before immediately committing to all-in. I believe I may end up calling 1-800-SCOTTMC.
I know I am playing with free money, but dammit I want to increase my bankroll not toss it away.
Tilt on!
Monday, September 12, 2005
"Soccer Great, Poker not so Great"
The U6 Bobcats played great on Saturday and had fun! The U9 Clash played great and won their first game. The soccer experience was great!
Saturday went to some friends for steaks and tequila. Yes that is a great combination. We watched the Longhorns win the big game. I got home and was ready for some poker action. I popped open another beer. Of course I was already feeling no pain. I plopped down $4 in $.05/.10 NL table. There was a bully at the table. I knew I would catch him. I was dealt pocket 8's in the small blind. He raised, so I went all-in. I knew he was possibly playing over cards. An ace hit on the river and I was correct he was playing AKo. Quickly down $4. I reloaded. I get dealt pocket Q's. Flop brings 69T. I raise all-in. Turn is 8. The river is a 7, placing a straight on the board. I believe I am going to chop. Wrong, the other player had J7o. Now I am down 8 bucks. Somewhere in this story I sat down at a $.50/1.00 limit game and promptly lost another $8.
I decide to play in the NL tournament, which I buy-in for player points. I was down to about $800 and I go all-in. I lost, so I did a rebuy for $3. I held my own for a long time. I was dealt a pair of J's. The flop came 36T rainbow. I go all-in. I get called by a player with a pair of ladies. I finish in 5th place. Geez! If I could of held on for 3rd I would have broken even for the night. Instead I suffered a large loss. At least large for me!
I am sure there is a lesson in there somewhere, but I do not think I played poorly. Perhaps it was the overwhelming confidence I had after the Longhorn victory and the fairy dust our friends daughter gave me. I mean who can lose with "fairy dust"!
Play on!
The U6 Bobcats played great on Saturday and had fun! The U9 Clash played great and won their first game. The soccer experience was great!
Saturday went to some friends for steaks and tequila. Yes that is a great combination. We watched the Longhorns win the big game. I got home and was ready for some poker action. I popped open another beer. Of course I was already feeling no pain. I plopped down $4 in $.05/.10 NL table. There was a bully at the table. I knew I would catch him. I was dealt pocket 8's in the small blind. He raised, so I went all-in. I knew he was possibly playing over cards. An ace hit on the river and I was correct he was playing AKo. Quickly down $4. I reloaded. I get dealt pocket Q's. Flop brings 69T. I raise all-in. Turn is 8. The river is a 7, placing a straight on the board. I believe I am going to chop. Wrong, the other player had J7o. Now I am down 8 bucks. Somewhere in this story I sat down at a $.50/1.00 limit game and promptly lost another $8.
I decide to play in the NL tournament, which I buy-in for player points. I was down to about $800 and I go all-in. I lost, so I did a rebuy for $3. I held my own for a long time. I was dealt a pair of J's. The flop came 36T rainbow. I go all-in. I get called by a player with a pair of ladies. I finish in 5th place. Geez! If I could of held on for 3rd I would have broken even for the night. Instead I suffered a large loss. At least large for me!
I am sure there is a lesson in there somewhere, but I do not think I played poorly. Perhaps it was the overwhelming confidence I had after the Longhorn victory and the fairy dust our friends daughter gave me. I mean who can lose with "fairy dust"!
Play on!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
“Austin WPBT”
In summary I had a great time. Adam did a super job hosting this event.
The tournament started out by me arriving completely on TILT. I hate being late for anything, so I left the house at noon. I should be able to travel 28 miles in less than an hour, right? I live near Round Rock, so I head down 620. Traffic is backed up from I-35 passed Round Rock High School, so I take short cut number one. I get to McNeil road and traffic at the light near I-35 is at a complete stand still. I commence the rapid U-turn and head for short/detour #2. I make it to 1325 where traffic seemed normal. I then proceed on my journey down South I-35. Keep in mind my wife banded me from I-35 in August 2002 after a near death experience with an 18-wheeler, so I am driving cautiously around 75 mph. Of course I had to slow down for one speed trap. I am doing great and the Google maps state to take exit 226B. That is strange I just passed the exit for Slaughter Lane, but I proceed to follow the directions. I am now lost on 1626 heading west. I make my first call to Adam at 12:50 PM. He had no clue where 1626 was. I keep heading west and the entire time I am starting to get on tilt. I finally decide I was to far west and turn around. I pull into a little gas station. The two gentlemen snicker at me and say “you just take this road here and down by the Albertson’s is Slaughter Ln.” Cool I head down that road. I get to Slaughter lane and now for the big decision, East or West. I turn west. I make yet another mistake. I get to Brodie Ln and decide it is time for a second call to Adam. Dude, I am at Brodie Ln. have I gone to far West. Of course he says yes! Another mile down the road I finally make a U-turn. I am thinking “Man this sucks!” It turned out that the road the two gentlemen sent me on was Manchaca. If I had only turned east I would have been one light away from the final destination. I drive right passed the house, but quickly turn around. There on the front lawn flagging me down was Scott. Geez! I had told Adam to just blind me out, but they graciously waited for my arrival. I am truly on Tilt at this point.
I draw my seat Table 2, seat 3. Going around the Table I have Jennifer, Jan, Jeremy, Marcus, and Mike. My first two cards are pocket pair of 6’s. I raise, then get re-raised. I let the pocket pair go. Two hands later I get pocket 8’s. I raise, then get re-raised again. I let this pair go. I am thinking to my self am I a wus or what. Now I am down a little over one third of my stack. I had poured myself a nice Guinness and placed it under my chair. Adam’s tables were so nice I definitely could not set a beer on the table. About the fifth hand and after only two sips from my beverage it is my turn to shuffle. I stand up and quickly kick my entire beer onto the floor. Tilt factor doubles. Adam quickly provides a towel and the beer is cleaned up. It was a good thing the home has stained concrete floors.
The first person busted out immediately left. I thought that was a little strange. Oh well! This is supposed to be a fun social event.
I settled down a little bit. At this table I only recall three hands. I had pocket 7’s and made a decent raise. Russ had moved to our table. He raised another $500. Damn! I had not seen his play. I thought he might have two high cards, but my gut said he had an over pair. I folded. The flop brought a 7, J, Q. I cringed a little bit for folding, but I felt Russ had a strong hand. At this point I realized there were coasters, so I opened my second Guinness. I needed it to calm the nerves.
I am now getting short stacked. I hate to get out of any tournament, but needed to start making some moves. I went all-in with A3s. Marcus calls me. He turns over Ax and I am way behind. A three hits on the turn and I double up. A couple of hand later I have AJ suited (spades). The flop brings two spades. I raise all-in and get Russ to call. The river brings my fifth spade. I again double up. At this point we draw again for tables.
I draw table one seat 3. At my table are (to my left) Lindsey, Jeremy, April, and Slayre. All I recall about this table was that I kept getting 42o. There is not much you can do with 42o. The only other thing I recall is the quad 5’s. Lindsey needs to audition for a major motion picture, because she definitely had Jeremy baffled. There was one hand where I had a pocket pair. April made a nice raise. I pondered was she making a move or did she have me. I folded. In her blog she states she had a ten. Unfortunately now I do not recall the board, perhaps KQT. She had me!!
Soon we were down to the final table, which I believe was 8 players. To my left were Adam, Russ, Madroxx, Jeremy, April, John, and Lindsey. Scott was the dealer. Soon after the table formed Jeremy and Slayre were eliminated. The realization came that we were down to the bubble. I believe my chip stack was close to Adam’s, but we were definitely short stacked. Adam went all-in with I believe a pair of nines. Madroxx (chip lead) called. Madroxx caught a ten on the river and knocked Adam out on the bubble. Madroxx had numerous outs, but it was a bummer the host finished on the bubble.
I did double up when my A9o was called by Lindsey and A6o. My final stand came with A9s (clubs). April did the instant call, so I knew I was in trouble. She turned over pocket Cowboys. No ace magically appeared and I finished in 5th place. It was an absolute blast.
By the way April did make some awesome chocolate chip cookies. I tried to be good and only eat one, but soon it turned into 6 cookies. She also made rice crispy treats.
Mark did offer me a Heineken, but I stuck with my diet Mountain Dew. When I have a cough the hops in the beer can aggravate the cough. I must admit the Guinness hit the spot and I wish I had not spilled a full beer. I think that was the only alcohol abuse at the tournament.
General observations –
Everyone was nice!
Adam runs a great tournament!
I finally met April, who almost causes as much loss of work production as Iggy. I feel lost without all of her links to Austin blogs.
I finally met the famous Jeremy, who used to work for the start up company that was bought by my current employer. I loved his style of play and table banter. The legend at Whisperwire lives on! He definitely made the table fun and got me to relax a bit.
I did not realize that a player sitting at the final table was the author of Slayre’s Poker Quest. I had the impression that he had to work and would not be there.
I met other bloggers (sorry to those I do not remember):
ScurvyDog, BurntOrange, Mike, Jaxia, and Madroxx.
At times I played way too conservative. I need to learn to push when someone shows signs of weakness.
I folded the hammer twice. I did see April play it successfully into a raise. It was beautiful when she showed the cards. The only other hammer I saw was the last hand of the tournament. Unfortunately it came up on the short end.
I need to purchase the long version of “Freebird”, because two tournaments in a row I heard at least part of this song and I placed in the money!
I am also incredibly superstitious as to what I should wear to a poker tournament. I did include my Grandfather’s necklace, so that may have been the extra boost I needed.
Congratulations to Madroxx for a tournament well played.
I had a fantastic time and it certainly beat yard work. I wish I could have stuck around and obliged Scott in a cash game. But he of all people knows what it means to promise your wife something. I made my pit stop at Fiesta to buy coconuts, then proceeded to Lowes to buy paint. I then met my lovely wife at Sam’s and I helped load the groceries into the van. I was starving so we listened to the kids and had a wonderful dinner from McDonalds (NOT!).
Play on!
In summary I had a great time. Adam did a super job hosting this event.
The tournament started out by me arriving completely on TILT. I hate being late for anything, so I left the house at noon. I should be able to travel 28 miles in less than an hour, right? I live near Round Rock, so I head down 620. Traffic is backed up from I-35 passed Round Rock High School, so I take short cut number one. I get to McNeil road and traffic at the light near I-35 is at a complete stand still. I commence the rapid U-turn and head for short/detour #2. I make it to 1325 where traffic seemed normal. I then proceed on my journey down South I-35. Keep in mind my wife banded me from I-35 in August 2002 after a near death experience with an 18-wheeler, so I am driving cautiously around 75 mph. Of course I had to slow down for one speed trap. I am doing great and the Google maps state to take exit 226B. That is strange I just passed the exit for Slaughter Lane, but I proceed to follow the directions. I am now lost on 1626 heading west. I make my first call to Adam at 12:50 PM. He had no clue where 1626 was. I keep heading west and the entire time I am starting to get on tilt. I finally decide I was to far west and turn around. I pull into a little gas station. The two gentlemen snicker at me and say “you just take this road here and down by the Albertson’s is Slaughter Ln.” Cool I head down that road. I get to Slaughter lane and now for the big decision, East or West. I turn west. I make yet another mistake. I get to Brodie Ln and decide it is time for a second call to Adam. Dude, I am at Brodie Ln. have I gone to far West. Of course he says yes! Another mile down the road I finally make a U-turn. I am thinking “Man this sucks!” It turned out that the road the two gentlemen sent me on was Manchaca. If I had only turned east I would have been one light away from the final destination. I drive right passed the house, but quickly turn around. There on the front lawn flagging me down was Scott. Geez! I had told Adam to just blind me out, but they graciously waited for my arrival. I am truly on Tilt at this point.
I draw my seat Table 2, seat 3. Going around the Table I have Jennifer, Jan, Jeremy, Marcus, and Mike. My first two cards are pocket pair of 6’s. I raise, then get re-raised. I let the pocket pair go. Two hands later I get pocket 8’s. I raise, then get re-raised again. I let this pair go. I am thinking to my self am I a wus or what. Now I am down a little over one third of my stack. I had poured myself a nice Guinness and placed it under my chair. Adam’s tables were so nice I definitely could not set a beer on the table. About the fifth hand and after only two sips from my beverage it is my turn to shuffle. I stand up and quickly kick my entire beer onto the floor. Tilt factor doubles. Adam quickly provides a towel and the beer is cleaned up. It was a good thing the home has stained concrete floors.
The first person busted out immediately left. I thought that was a little strange. Oh well! This is supposed to be a fun social event.
I settled down a little bit. At this table I only recall three hands. I had pocket 7’s and made a decent raise. Russ had moved to our table. He raised another $500. Damn! I had not seen his play. I thought he might have two high cards, but my gut said he had an over pair. I folded. The flop brought a 7, J, Q. I cringed a little bit for folding, but I felt Russ had a strong hand. At this point I realized there were coasters, so I opened my second Guinness. I needed it to calm the nerves.
I am now getting short stacked. I hate to get out of any tournament, but needed to start making some moves. I went all-in with A3s. Marcus calls me. He turns over Ax and I am way behind. A three hits on the turn and I double up. A couple of hand later I have AJ suited (spades). The flop brings two spades. I raise all-in and get Russ to call. The river brings my fifth spade. I again double up. At this point we draw again for tables.
I draw table one seat 3. At my table are (to my left) Lindsey, Jeremy, April, and Slayre. All I recall about this table was that I kept getting 42o. There is not much you can do with 42o. The only other thing I recall is the quad 5’s. Lindsey needs to audition for a major motion picture, because she definitely had Jeremy baffled. There was one hand where I had a pocket pair. April made a nice raise. I pondered was she making a move or did she have me. I folded. In her blog she states she had a ten. Unfortunately now I do not recall the board, perhaps KQT. She had me!!
Soon we were down to the final table, which I believe was 8 players. To my left were Adam, Russ, Madroxx, Jeremy, April, John, and Lindsey. Scott was the dealer. Soon after the table formed Jeremy and Slayre were eliminated. The realization came that we were down to the bubble. I believe my chip stack was close to Adam’s, but we were definitely short stacked. Adam went all-in with I believe a pair of nines. Madroxx (chip lead) called. Madroxx caught a ten on the river and knocked Adam out on the bubble. Madroxx had numerous outs, but it was a bummer the host finished on the bubble.
I did double up when my A9o was called by Lindsey and A6o. My final stand came with A9s (clubs). April did the instant call, so I knew I was in trouble. She turned over pocket Cowboys. No ace magically appeared and I finished in 5th place. It was an absolute blast.
By the way April did make some awesome chocolate chip cookies. I tried to be good and only eat one, but soon it turned into 6 cookies. She also made rice crispy treats.
Mark did offer me a Heineken, but I stuck with my diet Mountain Dew. When I have a cough the hops in the beer can aggravate the cough. I must admit the Guinness hit the spot and I wish I had not spilled a full beer. I think that was the only alcohol abuse at the tournament.
General observations –
Everyone was nice!
Adam runs a great tournament!
I finally met April, who almost causes as much loss of work production as Iggy. I feel lost without all of her links to Austin blogs.
I finally met the famous Jeremy, who used to work for the start up company that was bought by my current employer. I loved his style of play and table banter. The legend at Whisperwire lives on! He definitely made the table fun and got me to relax a bit.
I did not realize that a player sitting at the final table was the author of Slayre’s Poker Quest. I had the impression that he had to work and would not be there.
I met other bloggers (sorry to those I do not remember):
ScurvyDog, BurntOrange, Mike, Jaxia, and Madroxx.
At times I played way too conservative. I need to learn to push when someone shows signs of weakness.
I folded the hammer twice. I did see April play it successfully into a raise. It was beautiful when she showed the cards. The only other hammer I saw was the last hand of the tournament. Unfortunately it came up on the short end.
I need to purchase the long version of “Freebird”, because two tournaments in a row I heard at least part of this song and I placed in the money!
I am also incredibly superstitious as to what I should wear to a poker tournament. I did include my Grandfather’s necklace, so that may have been the extra boost I needed.
Congratulations to Madroxx for a tournament well played.
I had a fantastic time and it certainly beat yard work. I wish I could have stuck around and obliged Scott in a cash game. But he of all people knows what it means to promise your wife something. I made my pit stop at Fiesta to buy coconuts, then proceeded to Lowes to buy paint. I then met my lovely wife at Sam’s and I helped load the groceries into the van. I was starving so we listened to the kids and had a wonderful dinner from McDonalds (NOT!).
Play on!
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