Confessions of an amateur poker player

Bah

2011-04-22T08:53:00.001-05:00

Black Friday be damned. DoJ says we can get our money back, and now there's an email from Full Tilt saying "they are working on it" (yeah, I'm paraphrasing).

So much for my hobby. Anyone else have a fun hobby they can recommend?

Back to Vegas....Day 0 and 1

2010-07-01T19:49:00.004-05:00

Hello dear readers. I'm back for a few posts about the recent trip to Vegas! This was the yearly trip around the PLO8 events at the WSOP, Binion's, and the Golden Nugget. I was also excited to play at the new room (at the Aria) as I had yet to see it.

Headed out with my buddy Boats on the Sunday night flight. Lots of folks in town, including The German. We got in and checked in pretty late and went out to meet up with some folks who were trying to get a mixed game going at Caesars. I hadn't had dinner so we hit the food court. Then we got a call about the mixed game at the IP where we were staying. It was sick. All kinds of Donk games and 3/6 limit. Double flop O8. 3-2-1 Omaha hi where there are 3 flops, 2 turns, and a river. Badugi. Baduci. 4-card Crazy Pineapple with an Ocean (discarding 1 after the flop and turn, with a 6th board card - the Ocean). I was in!

It turned out that I should have slept. I dropped $87 in about 2 hours. It would turn out to be my only losing cash session for the week. But it was fun.

Went up and slept for about 4 hours. Got up and headed back while Boats kept sleeping. And before you ask, Jodi, we had 2 queen beds. Don't get all excited.

The game was still running. Some of the same players were still there! I had a chance to make some cash back! And I did. I played for about 2 more hours and when the game finally broke at 10:30 I was up $79.

I called Pred to find out what was going on for the Binion's Poker Classic that day. PLO8 $210 buyin. I was hoping to cash big enough to play the WSOP $1500 the next day. I ran up and woke up Boats, and Pred picked us up and we headed downtown.

Last year, if you remember, I min-cashed in this event for $305. The goal this year was to get to the Final Table at a minimum. I ran into an issue right away when I ran into a set with the nut low, where I had 2 pair and a nut low and got 1/4ered but not quite for stacks. The event is great and you start with $15k in chips. This knocked me down to about $7k, but the blind structure was great so I didn't have much to sweat. As we approached the first break, I managed to double up when my flopped wheel held up vs an all-in shove by AA6x. Uh, what did you think I had, sir? Got to $16k.

I then floated for a while again, not getting up or down much. At the second break I had $27k as I hit another double through in the last hand before the break. It seemed to be a trend.

Then we hit the middle levels and players started dropping like flies. I had a few good hands hold up and managed to chip up, but going into the 3rd break I had a big hand that I needed. It was the last hand again and I had Ad3dJhKs UTG and limped. A shorty raised from the CO and the button, SB and I smooth called. I had everyone covered. The flop was Qd 4d 9h. The SB checked. I checked. The UTG potted and was all in. The button smooth called and left himself with about 4k behind. The SB mucked and I had a decision. I had a the nut flush and backdoor straight and low draws. I decide that I better get the button in now so I re-potted. He insta-called and showed A 2 Q 9 for 2 pair. The UTG player showed AA3J. The turn was a T to give me some more outs but the river was a beautiful 8d. I scooped the pot and counted down, having $105k. I was definitely the chip leader with about 70 players left. I headed to dinner with Boats, who had just busted. Pred was out too, as were a few of the other guys we had come in with.

Coming back from dinner, there were quite a few other online players left, and I got to meet and chat with a few folks. I ran the stack up to $240k at the 3/6k blind level so I was feeling pretty good. I was able to start using the big stack to put pressure on folks as we approached the money bubble. I showed down one hand with a few online folks that was AhKhQhJs after an UTG pot raise and had a few eyebrows raise. Just setting them up for later....

The button was starting to raise 2 of every three when I was the BB. He was at about $160k and didn't want too much resistance. I finally re-potted with AQQ6 and he went into the tank. He had seen my AKQJ hand and really struggled. It was nice to see that I had folks off-balance.

I knocked a few more folks out and got up over $300k. Folks were trying to pay off 21 so that we could quit hand-for-hand but there were holdouts that said no. I'm always for a deal that keeps us moving, but such is life.

Finally, we got down to the money and I was feeling good. I kept pressure on the mid-stacks and only went after the shorties with premium hands. Things were looking good. We went through a few more hand-for-hand times when we moved up the pay scale. And then, we were finally at the final table! I'd made it!

When we redrew for seats I asked the TD to make an even chop suggestion as we were all pretty close in stacks. There were two guys with less than $100k but the rest of us were really tight at $300kish each. Two players didn't want to talk deal, even though we would have all made better than 4th place money, but such is life.

We busted the 2 shorties, and still everyone had between $270k and $420k when I asked for the TD to stop the clock to negotiate. I asked for a chip chop count and no one seemed to think it was a bad idea. TD went off and came back. The short stack would get $2300 (the next payout was $1555) and the big stack would get $4300. Not a bad deal. Then the shortie started complaining, but I couldn't hear him. He finally said "no deal" and we played on. Afterword, I found out that he wanted $2500 minimum. I was getting $3k and would have gladly given up $100 and I think another guy would have. Then I find out that #2 wasn't happy with his $4k and wanted more. These guys were idiots, and I told them that. The blinds are at 20/40k and none of us has a stack of more than $420k. It's a crapshoot. But they are young and dumb. Bad combo.

Finally get it in with the #2 stack and I have him in bad shape on a flop of A 3 6. I have A248. He has A25Q. The 8 on the turn means I have him in bad shape and am getting 3/4 of the pot unless he hits a Q or a miracle 3-outer four on the river. Guess what he gets? The four rolls off for his wheel and I am out in 7th. He gets lippy and I say "That was bad karma, and it's gonna bite you in the ass". He says "I'm sorry that my decision for you to make less money and me more money has you upset". I laugh. I collect my payout, drop $30 in the dealer toke and have my buyin for tomorrow. It's around 3am and I grab a cab back to the IP.

Oh, and as a preview, I found out the next day that the lippy kid busts just after me. Bad karma, indeed, as his payout went from $4k to just under $1900. Serves him right. He also doesn't cash in any other events. Maybe he will learn next time to take the deal.

I never did catch up with The German, as my cell phone died Monday around dinner and he didn't head to Binion's, even knowing my good run there :) Maybe next year!

Come back later for more. Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

To Rush or not To Rush?

2010-05-16T11:53:00.004-05:00

That is the question...

Hello all. I've been away for a while. Real Life sometimes gets ahead of poker, imagine that. While I've been gone, however, Full Tilt has introduced "Rush Poker". I'm still not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing.

Why not? After all, isn't that a Full Tilt add over there? Shouldn't you be shilling for them?

Well, I can say a few good things. It definitely fills a need for action junkies. If you can't get enough poker, then Rush is for you. If you want to multi-table, then you should be playing Rush Poker.

But there is a huge downside. If you have any leaks in your game, then Rush Poker is going to magnify them. If you are a slightly losing player, you are going to lose money that much faster. You will be playing a LOT more hands at Rush than you would even 3-tabling, if you multi-table Rush (the ads say 3-4 more hands than a "normal" table).

So why is this bad? Well, in my opinion, Rush is going to be where the fish run, as they just want action. Weekend warriors. Casual players (ie, me!) will also want to run there. But they are going to go broke fast. And the games will dry up. Sure, there might be more fish coming in, but with the way online poker is going now, there isn't a lot of extra money rolling in. People who were break-even players or small losers, are now becoming small losers or going broke.

I just don't think that the poker economy right now can sustain Rush Poker for very long. I think it is a great idea, and love to play it myself, as I can get in 500-600 hands a night if I 3-table for just 30 minutes. But I'm not a winner. I'm not even close. I'm leaking cash and I've played about 7000 hands at various limits.

If I were a much more serious player, Rush would be great. I could plug leaks, play a few thousand hands and see how my tweaks are working. But I don't think that the casual players or fish will last long, and I'm curious to see how long this "fad" lasts.

I will still play it, on and off, but they seem to play like the play money games at the limits that I frequent. And play money games do not equip one to play real money poker. I might get on and play Bingo once in a while, but my serious money will stay in regular ring games.

It's just one man's opinion. Feel free to flame away. Meanwhile, I'll cya at the (non-Rush) tables.

Running bad live

2010-02-07T13:25:00.003-05:00

Hello readers. I'm trying to keep up, but have lapsed in my goal of a weekly update. I'll try to do better. So here we go.....

First, I finally made it to the new boat here in Cincinnati. I say "new", but it's been open for over 6 months. I just haven't made it yet. With MLK off, I decided to head down and try to take down the $125 buyin Bounty Tourney.

The new poker room is very nice. Roomy, comfortable chairs. The only negative was that the service in the tourney area was a bit slow, and I ended up going up to the host stand to order my lunch.

On to the tourney. It took me a while to get things going. At the first break (80 mins in) I was doing okay, I had about 7200 chips after starting with 6k. I hadn't busted anyone for a bounty, yet. The most interesting hand of the day was just at the break. I got up to leave after folding on the button with one limper (I had 9-6off) when the small blind shoved all in. Then the big blind re-shipped. What? The limper then smooth-called. SB had J-4 off and thought he could just chase the rest out with his all-in (bad idea). The BB woke up with KK, and the limper had AA. AA holds and he gets 2 bounties. Holy cow!

Coming out of the break I finally started to gain some momentum. I smooth called a 2.5xBB raise on the button with 55 and was happy with the 5 8 J flop. Even better when the raiser bets into you! I raised, he shipped, and I called. If he has JJ I'm in trouble, but nope. A J and he's drawing thin. I had him covered and thus my first bounty! A few orbits later I have 77 in the CO. UTG raises 3x. Player to my immediate right reraises. I decide I'm in bad shape and muck. SB and BB muck. UTG calls. Flop is J 7 4. Crap! UTG checks. Other guy ships and UTG snap calls. Yep. JJ. other guy has 44. I would have had middle set and been crippled, but I manage to get out of the way.

Then I start running people over. I bust the next guy with KK vs QJ SOOOOTed (why do people shove with these hands?) when he still had at least 15BBs. I guess people don't know how to play the medium stacks. Suddenly, I'm up to 40k in chips with about 20 mins to go to the 2nd break. I get up and walk around and no one else is even close. I've got a shot, but there's still a long way to go. Top 9 pay out of 93 runners, and we still have 40+ left. Although I now have about 7% of the chips, I need to be careful. I get up to get lunch ordered and hear people grumbling about my run of cards. Good information. I come back 10 mins later with 10 mins to the break and a few guys say "damn, we were hoping you were going to be gone through the break!". Heh. Nice to have an image. I start to use it, 3 betting and raising limpers in position and putting pressure. The blinds are still low at 400/800 with an average stack of 14k, so I'm not getting too out of control. I chip up a bit more and end up as the bank during the color-up and have 48k. The next biggest stack looks to be around 25k when I walk around during the break.

Coming back I'm card dead. I finally manage to bust a guy when I call his min-raise from the CO with AQ. Flop is A Q 3 and he insta-shoves. Then he starts staring at me. Hard. I decide he isn't giving off a false tell and call, he shows TT and no T on the turn or river (or runner-runner str8) and I have bounty #3.

Then the mother of all hands comes down. I haven't moved yet, and folks keep moving to my table. The guy to my immediate left is playing very aggressive. Finally we get into a confrontation when he raises UTG for the 4th time in my BB. I look down at A4 and decide to call, planning a stop-and-go on the flop. The flop is a beauty, A 4 J. I bet the pot and he ships. I think and finally call. He shows J 9 hearts. A 2nd heart on the turn makes me worried, but the river is a blank and I double through him. Now I've got over 90k in chips. There are 27 players left and I have 1/6th of the chips in play. I'll have to get really unlucky or stupid to not get ITM.

The next hand I'm in the SB and the guy I just crippled says "I'm all in" out of turn. He's POed. The dealer warns him that he's out of turn. Woman in MP then states she's all in. It folds to me. I know the BB is calling with anything, and I find QQ. I ask for a count and MP woman has just over 14k. I call. She shows TT, BB shows rags (not sure what, but I think he had 7-4 off). I'm happy until the flop comes T T 6. Flopped quads! GAH!!! What's horrible is this is the 2nd time she has hit quads at the table, earlier she had turned quad 4s to bust a player. No biggie, I count off the 14k and I still have 80k-ish. No reason to panic. I bust another micro-stack when he shoves from EP and the blinds are at 1500-3000 with a 500 ante. He has 4500 and I'm in the BB. I don't even look at my hand with my stack before calling when it is folded to me. He has A-T and I have J-6. 6 on the flop and he can't connect. I get luck and get bounty #4.

Then, disaster. Another short stack starts shoving that is 2 to my right. He's chippping up with 2000-4000 blinds and a 500 ante. I still have about 76k with just under 20 players. I'm the only player that has an M above 10 so I can still make some moves that others can't. Mr Shorty shoves on my SB, and I look down to find the ladies again. I ask for a count. He counts it down and says "Oh, I have 36,000. I didn't think I had that much." Crap. That means his range is a LOT bigger here and I call. He tables A-J. Flop is great with 2 5 7. 8 on the turn. And then, of course, A on the river. I basically swap stacks with him. I hate this, as if he had realized how many chips he had, he would have raised PF, and I could have shoved him off on the flop. The guy wasn't a bad player at all, and would have been capable of folding. I hate it when players make this kind of mistake and then end up getting lucky. Such is life.

A few more orbits and we are still at 2000-4000 with a 500 ante and 14 players left. I look down at KhJh UTG and look at my chips. I have 32000 left and decide it is all-in or fold time. Not a premium hand, but we are 7-handed and I like being first in here. Unfortunately, quads woman has JJ. I joke saying "well, at least I have your quads blocked!" and she laughs. No K, but the case J comes on the river just to make a point. And just like that I'm out. 14th place.

I'm happy with how I played, and will head back sometime soon, I hope. The Hollywood Poker Open is coming up in March, and I definitely want to play in at least 1 event there.

Next time I'll have to talk about Full Tilt's new Rush Poker. In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables.

Why not to play on Cake, continued

2010-01-18T19:06:00.002-05:00

Wow, I thought this was over. I was done with Cake, so I transferred my cash to someone else and he shipped to me on Full Tilt. Now he just tried to cashout...and here is the response from Cake....

Hello XXXXXXXX,

Please be advised that we will not be able to process your current withdrawal request as the funds in question were derived from an inter-player transfer. Transfers are for the funding of friends and families accounts who would not otherwise be able to play. They are not meant as a method to re-pay debts or cashout funds for other players who wish to circumvent the cashout process. The funds must be transferred back to the account of origin in order to be cashed out. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Kind Regards,
CakePoker Cashier Department

"Circumvent the cashout process"? Seriously. If you would like to make your cashout process SOMETHING REASONABLE, you know, like other sites, maybe people wouldn't try to "Circumvent the cashout process".

What a crock. I guess I'm stuck back there until I can run my roll up to $500. I'm not gonna re-deposit and pay a 5% fee. I'm tempted to sit down HU with the guy and lose it all, just so he can cashout (or I can) and we can just re-ship somewhere else. That would be less than the rake....so maybe I'm onto something.

Or maybe Cake could get their heads out of their asses and let people cashout at the same levels that they allow deposits. What a novel concept! I can deposit in $50 increments and cashout in $50 increments! Not 10X!

Gah. I had another post in me as I hit the Hollywood today. Now I can't get past this crap.

I'll cya at the tables.

Why NOT to play at Cake

2010-01-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

Welcome back, friends. Today's topic: Why NOT to play on Cake Poker. What? A negative post about a poker site? Look back. This is a first, so you know it has to be a doozy.

Cake is trying to compete with the "big boys" (Party, Stars, Tilt, and that AB/UB monster). Therefore, they are trying to offer better "perks" to get you to switch. That sounds great! I'd love to get some other site into the mix, and what a better way than to offer up rakeback (33% instead of 27%!) and bonuses (110%)! I'm in!!

Issue #1 - the "International Transaction". What? You can't set up a US Bank account and now I have to pay 5% juice to the credit card company ? Seriously?

Issue #2 - the "rakeback account" only receives points at HALF (that's right, HALF) of the rate of a non-rakeback account. Ummm...why? I asked your customer service and they had no answer. I get to release my rake at HALF the rate of everyone else for a lousy 6% extra RB? It's going to take me 2 YEARS to get my bonus cleared. No thanks.

Issue #3 - the "$500 rule". So let's get this straight...I have to pay 5% to my CC company to load up, and then I can only cash out via check (the only option available to US players, might I add) when I have $500 or more? Really?

Three strikes and you're out! Why would anyone play here? There are never any games big enough to make the rakeback worth it for non-HE players. Not to mention that they have spots for Stud and Stud8 with NO GAMES.

Sorry Cake, not everyone is a HE junkie. GL with the business. I will no longer be giving you mine.

So, if you play on any of the other big names, I'll cya at the tables.

If you play on Cake, GLWT. I won't ever again.
Welcome back, friends. Today's topic: Why NOT to play on Cake Poker. What? A negative post about a poker site? Look back. This is a first, so you know it has to be a doozy.

Cake is trying to compete with the "big boys" (Party, Stars, Tilt, and that AB/UB monster). Therefore, they are trying to offer better "perks" to get you to switch. That sounds great! I'd love to get some other site into the mix, and what a better way than to offer up rakeback (33% instead of 27%!) and bonuses (110%)! I'm in!!

Issue #1 - the "International Transaction". What? You can't set up a US Bank account and now I have to pay 5% juice to the credit card company ? Seriously?

Issue #2 - the "rakeback account" only receives points at HALF (that's right, HALF) of the rate of a non-rakeback account. Ummm...why? I asked your customer service and they had no answer. I get to release my rake at HALF the rate of everyone else for a lousy 6% extra RB? It's going to take me 2 YEARS to get my bonus cleared. No thanks.

Issue #3 - the "$500 rule". So let's get this straight...I have to pay 5% to my CC company to load up, and then I can only cash out via check (the only option available to US players, might I add) when I have $500 or more? Really?

Three strikes and you're out! Why would anyone play here? There are never any games big enough to make the rakeback worth it for non-HE players. Not to mention that they have spots for Stud and Stud8 with NO GAMES.

Sorry Cake, not everyone is a HE junkie. GL with the business. I will no longer be giving you mine.

So, if you play on any of the other big names, I'll cya at the tables.

If you play on Cake, GLWT. I won't ever again.

Rumbling, Grumbling and 2010 goals....

2010-01-07T20:36:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I've neglected you all for too long. I didn't know I had that much of a following, but the German called me out. I'll try to do a post a week here for a while. Let's see how it goes.

Today's topic is my 2009 year. Let's look back and see how I did, shall we? I don't play anywhere near enough for anything here to be statistically significant, but we can at least review....

MTT ROI +58%. HELLO! I played 78 total MTTs for the the year and cashed in 22. Total ITM of 28.2%. This tells me two things. I should play MORE MTTs this year, and I tend to do well, getting deep. Breaking it down, I played in the Stars PLO8 $10 rebuy and was HOT. 198.9% ROI just in rebuys. I managed to win this (OPR says 2nd, but I took 1st in the chop with a HUGE chip lead) I guess we know what IF will be looking at for next year. Variance was good to me here!

SnGs ROI -8.3% BLEH! 34.6% ITM here, and a decent distribution ,with 61 wins, 40 2nds, and 33 3rds out of 382 games. The issue here is that I had a SERIOUSLY bad run at the end of the year in the 16 PLO8 SnGs on Stars, resulting in a -19.2% ROI in those for the year, and that was my major tourney with 137 games. Compare that to my 12.73% ROI in the 6.5s and we can most likely call that variance. I'd be a bit more worried if I hit 1000 of each and had that number in the 16s. This will be a focus for the year again.

Cash. This is a slippery thing to calculate ROI in. I know people who do it all kinds of ways. I personally take the cash I put in play, subtract the cash out, and then divide that by the total cash put into play. I have a -6% ROI for 2009 in 23057 hands. But overall, I have a big loss here. If I use my End-of-year Bankroll in the denominator (instead of cash into play) it drops to a - 76.8% ROI. Ugly. I just don't play a good cash game. Putting it into bb/100, i had a rate of -9.52bb/100 hands. Not. Good.

So I have 2 things I could do. I could just drop cash altogether, and focus on MTT and SnG play, as this is where I seem to do well. As a preview for 2010, I'm not too far in and I have only played a few cash sessions, and I'm already -4.6% for the year (by my calc). I have yet to cash in an MTT, 0/3 and have a +3.6% ROI in 39 SnGs. Or, I could decide to sit down and work on the cash game, as it is easier to get in and out of those.

In fact, looking at my cash play, that might be my biggest leak. I play short sessions, and don't spend the time being patient. Looking now at my stats for 2009, I was putting money in the pot voluntarily (VPIP) 23.1% of the time. My preflop raises were going in at 9.9%. I am a bit loose (GO FIGURE!) and need to tighten up my starting requirements. I need to increase my PFR%. I was a bit lower in full ring (22.8/9.9) versus 6-max (24/8.6). I need to get the PFR up in 6-max and the VPIP down in full ring. But my biggest leak, by far, is my aggression. I'm weak as hell. I should have a PFR of 16-17% if I'm going to play a VPIP of 18-20%%. My postflop aggression (the times I made an "aggressive move", such as 3-betting or check-raising) was horrible, at 26.1%. this needs to be more like 33-36%. I also was a calling station, going to 34.6% of showdowns. My % of showdown wins was okay, at 50%, but my win rate would be positive if I would just throw those losers into the muck without calling and "being the sherriff". By mucking, and seeing 25% of the showdowns, I'd make a huge impact.

So, I'm still not sure. I was going to bonus chase on Cake, and needed to play cash to do that, but I'm done with Cake (next weeks topic!). So for now, I'm going to play some MTTs and SnGs on Stars and Full Tilt, and maybe some cash to help speed the release of my EOY Iron Man bonus on Tilt. So look for the Illinifan there.

I'll cya at the tables.

Pre-Day 5 and 6: Obv Brag Post

2009-08-03T19:26:00.006-05:00

Hello all, and thanks for stopping by. Before we continue with the Vegas Trip Report, I need to insert f a bragging post. I hit one of my goals for the year, and I'm damn happy.

I won the $10 PLO8 re-buy on Stars. 264 entrants, 365 re-buys, and 167 add-ons. $7960 in the prize pool. Here's a screen shot.

But wait, Bill! You say. That shows a SECOND place finish, and OPR says you finished second as well. How can you claim the win?

Well friends, let me tell you. I'm not going to use the winners name as he was a complete tool and I don't want him to find this post in a search and read about what I did to him, as that would spoil the fun.

So, let us discover the tale together, shall we?

I got into the tourney a bit late, after about 45 minutes. Got it all in on a flip and had to double rebuy. With the add-on, I was in for $51 and hoping to cash to at least break even for the night. As I tend to do, I had two cash games running and ran a SnG as well (which I won) which basically turned this thing into a free-roll, so the pressure was off. I did well, hanging out above the chip average for most of the tourney coming out of the first break on a good run.

Around bubble time, I got in a bit of trouble. I had AA67ds, we got it all in pre-flop and ended up (luckily) chopping for the low end versus A288 when he flopped a set of 8s on a 9 8 K board. Runner runner low (including the deuce) kept me from going out. The next hand I had AA23ds and got quartered with A2TT when the flop came T 9 4. Runner runner for the low again, but I wasn't moving the wrong way. I was down to bubble time with 8413 in chips and 1000/2000 blinds. Not good. I got it in with KK53 and chopped, no luck. I can't call in the blinds with the action in front of me, and I'm down to 4913 and in last place. I have QQK2 and shove, and find out I'm up against A24dJd. Urp!. Board comes out 6 9d 5d and I have a LOT of outs to dodge. Turn is the 9h, and I just have to hope for no diamond, no ace. Kh on the river and I'm up to 11826. The bubble pops! Weeeee! I made $0.74 at least!

I go card dead for a few orbits, and drop down to 8326, again almost last place. I find KKT7 in the SB and the CO raises, but not pot. I shove, he calls and shows A289. K 6 6 flop and I'm golden. 9 on the turn and I scoop. Lucky when I need to be! Up to 18652!

The big hand comes when I get involved with one of the big stacks at the table. I have AhKhQhJs on the button and smooth-call a pot raise. Flop is 8d 3c Jd. The bettor insta-bets enough to put me all in. I tank for a minute, and burn some time off my clock. It is do or die time and I call. He shows As Kd 9h 7d with just the 2nd nut flush and bad low draw. 3s on the turn and Jd on the river and suddenly I have 46k and I'm average stack.

I three bet with AA35 and the original raiser mucks, and I'm up to just under 60k. I get the chance to take out a shorty with A2K7, suited A and he shows AA34 no suits and the board flops K 9 7. Now I'm the table CL and we are getting down to the final 3 tables. I can smell that FT!

New player at the table sits and starts to be really active. He's up to 107k when I find AA38 double suited in late position. He again raises, and I re-pot. The button has under 10k and I have 80k. Button calls all in and player smooth-calls. Flop is T 4 8, rainbow. Big stack checks, and I shove, trying to get him to fold and leave some dead money in the pot. He calls and tables 2346. Button shows AKKJ. I'm happy with the 9 on the turn, but the 2 on the river means I just chop up the blinds and button. But now I know this guy is loose, so I make a note.

I take a hit when my flopped 2 pair lose to a wheel. I should have though the hand through more, I moved too quickly. He had an obvious low draw and I should have been able to muck on the turn when he 3-bet and saved about 24k. I drop back to under 60k. By this time, the jerk that "won" has got to the table and we are moving toward the FT bubble.

I get down to under 50k and find A229 with the blinds at 2k/4k. The active player pots and I smooth call in position. The flop is 9 9 Q. Bingo! He checks and I decide to look weak and only bet out 12k. He insta-calls. 4d on the turn and he checks. I shove, he calls and shows AKJT. He needs an 8, T, J or K. Q on the river and I am back up to just under 100k.

Then the hand that gave me the confidence happened. With about 16 players left, an aggressive player at the table that was making a lot of plays at pots. I found A762 with the ace suited in middle position. Aggro and one player smooth call and I pot it. Blinds fold, and both limpers call. One is short with 26k, the aggro has 110k, and I have 92k. Flop is T Q 4 with one of my suit. The aggro checks. Shortie shoves for 4500. I call, aggro just calls. He would normally be shoving here, so I start to try to put him on a hand. 2 on the turn doesn't help. He checks, I check. River is another 2. He bets out about half the pot. This was totally out of character and got me to tank for a minute. Could he have a boat? Would he have played QQ or TT this way? I finally decide he must have what I had, A2xx, and neither of his other cards paired, so he didn't have a boat. Why? Why would he let me draw at a low when he could have shoved the turn to isolate and push me out, creating some dead money in the pot? This was the late in the tourney, so he wasn't trying to just get a player out, he was trying to win. A2xx was the only choice. I call and he tables A257. We chop up the shortie, but now I feel good.

I move up to 5th in chips by bullying a little with 12 left. It looks like the shorties are trying to hang on for the Final Table, so a few of us start abusing them a bit. I knock out the FT bubble boy when I 4-bet him with A39J with a suited A. He shows AAQ7, 4 suited. Board runs out 4 A T K Q and I scoop. Whoops. I make it to the final table 2nd in chips with almost 200k! Sometimes, you have to get lucky. And boy, did I, once we made the FT.

I get to the CL with 8 left after flopping a set of 3s on a 3 8 3 board from the BB. I check the flop to see what people want to do. CR the bettor (who is the tool in this story) and he calls. J on the turn and I shove, he folds. I'm up to 400k. We get down to 5-handed and I make a play against the CL with a nut flush and backdoor low draw on the flop, and he folds. After we 3-bet PF. That gives me the CL again from him.

I take out the aggro player from earlier in 5th place with AK87 vs A358 when we get him all in PF. He has 185k and I have 506k with 5k/10k blinds. Board runs out 4 6 6 T 6 and I scoop. Now I'm up to 700k in chips. The 2nd place guy has 276k. 3rd has 152k and 4th 147k. I can smell the win.

Two hands later I get AKT2 with the K suited and pot. 2nd place re-pots and I decide to put hi all in. He shows AKT4, so most likely we will chop. Board runs out J J 3 9. Then the 2 on the river gives me the scoop. How sick is that? Now I have 967K, 2nd has 167k, 3rd has 142k. Blinds at 5k/10k.

Third place guys says "let's just give Illini the first and split second and third". I of course, agree :) But 2nd, the tool stays quiet. I go into aggro mode and start hammering the guy who wants to make the deal as he is the BB on my button. I start hammering the tool when it is his BB and my SB. If the SB limps on my BB, I'm jamming. I double the tool up with J873 vs A295 when he is down to 25k in chips, so not a big deal. I have 972k at the time :) I double him again with KJ33 vs K987 when he hits two pair. Now he's up to 91k, and I still have 922k. 2nd place is getting smart and starts jamming on his button and I have to fold. He moves up to 251k in chips.

I double the tool again with KK33ds from the SB when I jam into his A248. He flops 2 pair. Now he's up to 170k. I have 861k, and 2nd has 245k. Still comfy lead. 2nd is still trying to get the tool to agree to a deal, but he's not talking. We think maybe he is chat blocked. Nope, turns out he's just an asshole. I keep hammering and get back to 951k, tool is at 206k and now the other dealmaker is in 3rd with 120k when the tool speaks up. I propose the deal when I get 1st and they chop 3nd and 3rd evenly. He says "no". I propose 1400 for me (first is 1552.20) and they chop the rest. "no" again.

Okay, I keep hammering. No mod yet, so I jam a few more pots. The 3rd place guy is getting frantic, he "just wants 1k". The tool wants a chop of 1350/1225/1025. I say I can't take less than 1400 with my stack. The tool starts being a jackass, saying that "he's the best player and can't take less than 1250". I stick to my guns for the 1400. 3rd finally gives in and takes the 950 and change, getting 75 more than 3rd and the tool gets 75 more than 2nd. I'm okay with giving up the 150 to get the "win".

So the mod restarts the tourney and I'm happy with my "win". I take out 3rd in the first hand after the deal, but strangely, the tool folds. What? Didn't we just make a deal? What's this asshole's problem now? I jam every hand and he's just folding. Huh? Does he really want to play this out? Let's just get it over with it's friggin 3:20 in the morning, you know?

But he decides to be an ass. He's folding, waiting for a big hand. My stack is over 1M in chips and the blinds are 8k/16k. I debate sitting out and making him blind me out for an hour just to piss him off. But then I realize, in a moment of insight, that this guy still thinks he can beat me and WANTS to beat me. He thinks he shouldn't have taken the deal. So I figure out what make him even MORE pissed. I decide to throw the game and (hopefully) make him think that he gave up $300, not gained $75. It's brilliant. He definitely has the ego to believe it.

So, I throw the game. I make donkey plays. I re-raise into a board of A8A8 with 9974 when he has an obvious A. I call his raise from OOP with K443 and get lucky with a 567 flop. I 4-bet with QQ36 when this guy is only playing AA or A2xx, still, HU. I know he has one of those, he's a 1-D player, but I want him to think he's the shit and gave up value. I hope I am tilting him all to hell.

Please, oh please, make him think it was a "real" win!! I can't wait to meet him in a tourney again and pound the crap out of him. Sure, he "won" the tourney, it says so right up there. But we all know the real story now, don't we.

So the BR got a nice boost. I'm happy. I was able to get some revenge on him. Now I can play some higher cash and SnGs. I might play a WCOOP event. I can't play the FTOPS, as I can't get out of work on the 12th for the PLO8 event. Hopefully I can keep the streak alive and move up some more. I have the momentum and the confidence. So watch out!

I'll cya at the tables.

Vegas, Day 3 and 4

2009-07-22T06:24:00.007-05:00

Hello all, and welcome back. First, a clarification. Jody: Mike and I shower separately during all parts of this trip. I know this is a disappointment due to your jealousy/man crush on either myself or Mike. (probably both, cause who doesn't?)

Moving on.

Day 3 (wow...this is longer that I expected. We did a lot on Tuesday!)
When last we left, I had finally turned around the trip with a cash in Binion's PLO8 Poker Classic Event. Mike had crashed early on Monday, so he was up and ready to go early Tuesday. We get up and hike down to MGM as Mike likes the room and I want another shot at winning at the room, and I want to play the 11am $65 buyin. I sign up when registration opens at 9:30, and we are sitting in the 1/2 NLHE again for a bit. I get a bit worried when someone asks "Who's playing in today's turbo?" Uh oh. I didn't check out the structure before signing up. I look, and it is a fast tourney, so I know I'm going to have to keep chipping up. I have another down session in NLHE and decide that I just have bad luck in the room (I had AA cracked this time vs 77 and JJ. Of course, the 77 hit his set)

We get started with 70 runners. They allow "re-entry" as an alternate for the first hour, so we end up with 82. First place is $1600ish. Not bad for a $65 buyin. I start slow and bleed chips for the first few levels, just watching people play. I work on my reads, and take my time with decisions. This really is the key for me in this tourney. I don't rush and react. I stop, I think about the action, I put people on ranges, and then I make my decisions. After level 3 I start to step up my game and double up with JJ versus A8. No A and I'm doing well. We have a few players busting, and we are the last table to break prior to the FT, so I will have some time and be able to build an image at the table. I check on Mike, who is at the first table to break. He doubled early and is in good shape as well.

I get decent cards and am able to apply pressure well. I have one bad fold where I have 99 in the small blind. The button, who has been playing solid, raises with 200/400 blinds to 1000. I have about 8.5k and reraise to 2500. She insta-shoves. I think for a few, and finally fold, not wanting to race at that point. She lets out a breath and flashes me 77. I think I acted too quickly and didn't think through what she was doing. She was solid, and wouldn't have been shoving with AK or AQ, she had to have a pair. And the way she played it should have screamed middle pair, which I had domintated. But for me it wasn't a big mistake, we had basically the same chip count and she could have easily had TT, JJ or QQ. Might have been a slight mistep, but I manage to start chipping up again. I win a few very nice hands and I'm up to 1st or 2nd in chips. We get down to the final 2 tables and Mike is still in as well. Possible double final table? They will pay the top 8, so just making the FT won't be enough.

Mike finally busts on the FT bubble. He shoves with JT on the button and one of the blinds wakes up with KK (I think, correct me if I'm wrong). I still have a big stack, with around 35k. We get re-seated at the table, and the other big stack is to my immediate right. We are pretty close, I think he has about 1k more than me. The floor says we can chop now for $480 each. I say "sure" and the other big stack says "I'm not ready to discuss a deal, yet". There are quite a few short stacks (>3k) at the table and the blinds are up to 300/600. We play 2 hands and I ask the other big stack if he would be willing to take $130 out of first so we can loosen up the play a bit and pay out the whole FT, with 9 and 10 getting their buyin back. He agrees, we call the floor, proposed the deal, and everyone agrees. This sigificantly loosens up the table and people start shipping with a bigger range.

I take out the 9th place guy when he shoves from MP. It folds to me and I look down at 77 on the button. I start to study the MP shover and he isn't looking happy. I give him a long look, and he notices and looks away. He is trying not to make eye contact, and he looks nervous. I finally put him on a medium Ace or small pair and I reraise to get the blinds out. He tables A9. 9 on the flop, and he's happy. 7 on the turn reduces him to a 2-outer, which he misses on the river. I am happy with the outcome, but more happy with my read. I'm on, finally.

We get to 6 and the floor says we will now each get $700ish. Again, I think it sounds good but the other big stack says "I'm not ready to discuss a deal, yet". Sigh. I have a good sized ($40k) stack, but that could change quickly as the blinds are up to 800/1600. We get down to 4, and the floor again states that we will chop now and get $860 each. Again, big stack says "I'm not ready to discuss a deal, yet". Yikes! 4th will pay $450, so we have the potential to lose 400 if we are the next player out. I've started to lose some chips and I'm down to $25k. 4th is close with $23k, second has about $35k. He's got like $70k, so I can see his point. We play a few rounds and I turn and ask him what he would need for a deal. He asks what 1st pays. I tell him that it is about $1500. He says "I'll take $1000". I call the floor, we all talk. Big stack gets just over $1k, the rest of us get $790.

Now it gets crazy. There's a Finnish player who doesn't speak English well, and his wife is helping to translate. He is adamant that he wants the "Tournament Champion" card cover that first place gets. I'm wondering if he understands that he's potentially paying $300 to NOT get the cover. I'm not happy that I could get out at any time. I finally ask if they would be willing to give out 2 covers, the floor says "sure" and we have a deal. Whew. So I cash for $790. Maybe MGM isn't as bad as I thought!

We walk over to Excalibur to see the electronic tables and see if there is a PLO or PLO8 game going. Nope. Nothing good. We call Bleu and ask if he wants to try the tourney at Hard Rock that night, and he's in the Limit O8 at WSOP that day. So we head back to the hotel for a quick nap prior to the Hard Rock tourney, planning to go rail Bleu after. Nap, wake up and cab it to HR.

The buyin is $70, so we are hoping that there are a few folks there. Unfortunately, we start with 11. Ick. Top 3 pay. The highlight of the night is when we get to the final table, and start talking with Dawn. She was playing at Binion's on Monday night with Mike after busting out of their PLO8, and she starts hitting on him pretty hard. I find it hilarious. I egg her on a bit. She's not a good player, and is planning to play in the WSOP $1500 PLO8. She says she tried to play the cash game at the Rio (she was playing cash at Binion's with Mike) and didn't do very well. She says she wants to hang out with us, even if she busts and asks what we are doing next. I imagine that she's looking to get Mike to invite her back to his room and steal his wallet to help finance her tourney. I finally bust her in 7th and she says "I'm going to go change into my evening wear. Don't leave without me!"

No deals for final 4, the cash isn't very big to begin with. Mike finally busts as the bubble boy again, but at least I busted him and kept the chips in the family. I'm 2nd in chips. In the BB I pick up Kh9h. Button is short and calls, SB checks. Flop is 3 hearts. Gin! SB checks and I decide to bet out, hoping they don't think I'm wiley enough to bet out with the flush. I'm right as the button shoves, and the SB calls. I re-ship and he calls. Button has AJ with the Jh. SB has a pair with a Q kicker. SHIP IT!

So I get to HU with a 2-1 chip lead. Don't offer a deal (bad idea, I know). I get him all in with A9 vs KQ and he flops a Q. Gah. Now even in chips. We play a few more and he's very passive. I steal for a bit and get back up to 2-1. Then, I flop top 2 pair with KT on a K T 4 board with 2 hearts. I bet, he calls. Turn is 6h. I bet and he ships. I react, and don't think (see a pattern here?) and call. He shows 9h7h. No K or T on the river and I'm now short. Too late to deal. I finally bust with A4 vs T6 all in PF. He rivered a 6. Sigh. But I collect $130 for the trouble, and I'm happy with my day.

Dawn did return, in a gold sequinned dress when we were down to 4 players. Very sparkly. She looked a bit like a hooker, which got me thinking that maybe she was and she was trying to get Mike to give her some business. She asked what our plans were and we said we were going to Rio to rail our friend and play some cash. She was upset as she was afraid of the Rio cash games and wanted us to go somewhere else with her. She got pouty, and I was trying very hard not to laugh. She said she would be playing cash in the room and not to leave without her. After the tourney was over, we did a quick walk through, and she was gone. Must have found another John for the evening :-D We had seen her 2 days in a row and expected to run into her again as you end up seeing the same people at different places in Vegas, as the poker community isn't very big. Too bad we didn't see her the rest of the week.

We head to Rio and chat with Bleu. He's doing well and so we head over to check out the cash game action. Then call Virge and Lusky to see what they are doing. It's about 11, so they are getting ready for dinner. Lusky agrees to pick us up and we head out to a place called PTs in Henderson. Have some dinner and then head to the casino/resort "M" that is really far off the strip. It's about 1:30am. There are NO poker games running. In fact, I only see a few people in the central bar. Not good for a Vegas casino to be that empty. Granted, it isn't on the strip, but it's a nice resort and I would expect there to be a few people. We don't even see anyone playing slots. We head out to the deck off one of the bars and chat for a while overlooking the pool and decide to call it a night. Lusky gives us a lift back to IP. Mike decides to play cash at IP, but I'm beat so I hit the sack.

Day 4
Mike gets back to the room at around 5am. I sleep until 9ish and finally give up and get up and shower, and head over to Treasure Island for their Bounty tourney ($125 buyin, $50 to the prize pool and $50 to bounties). I collect 2 bounties and am basically on a freeroll. They have 40 runners, so it's a nice tourney.

Mike finally drags his butt out of bed just after 11am, and calls to see what I'm doing. I tell him and he heads over. He's hungry and I could use some lunch as well, so I make him my "food bitch" (his term) and send him off to Wendy's to bring back food. He heads back and I chow, and he takes off for MGM as the cash game at TI leaves much to be desired.

I FT again, and lose 88 versus A4. I was short, so it wasn't a bad call at all, especially with the bounty factor. I was a bit upset at the time, but then after thinking about it I realized that it was right for him to gamble, as he was 3rd in chips and even doubling me wouldn't have hurt him too bad. I finish in 8th.

I call Mike and he's still at MGM. I decide to head over to Rio for cash and to check on Bleu. I get over there and find out that Bleu didn't make it to Day 2, so I get on the list for the 5/5 PLO8 game. Sit after a while and there's a few PLO8 regulars there. MegaDisgruntled, Cincy's Finest, Poker Dave. I play for a bit and then Dave starts punishing my limps, being directly to my left. He wants to play for stacks when I'm trying the tight/passive preflop thing. I finally give up after a few hours, down about $150. I call Mike and he's still at MGM so I head back to IP after a burger at the Sports Deli (best burgers in Vegas!). I debate heading over to the Sahara for the 12:30 am bounty, but finally just go to sleep a early. Definitely not as packed of a day as Day 3, and not as profitable. Such is life.

That's it for today. I'll post the final report (Days 5 and 6, if you aren't paying attention). Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Vegas, Day 1 and 2

2009-07-08T19:36:00.007-05:00

Hello all. I've had people giving me guff, so I guess I better get to posting. Boats gave a pretty good account of the week, but here's my thoughts and spin.

We arrived early on Sunday, getting out of Cincy on a 9am flight. Luckily, the IP had a room available when we arrived at 11am, so we were able to drop our stuff off and head out.

We go to meet up with a friend and hope to play in the Venetian in their noon tourney. No luck, they are down for their Deepstacks event. Record fields of 900+. Amazing setup. Unfortunately, this time around I never do make it back to play in the 4/8 Omaha Hi/Lo game. Such is life.

Since Dave and his wife have a rental car, we are lucky enough to have a ride up to Binion's to play in their Poker Classic. Sunday is a $150+10 NLHE game. I get into a good comfortable spot and am doing pretty well. We get to level 6 and I'm still average stack or just below. Sitting directly across from me is a Joe Hachem look alike. The guy has the glasses, the "soul patch", the long sleeve, black, ratty t-shirt. It's so sad it's kind of funny. Anyway, he has been hammering on my BB for a few rounds. I finally played back with JTc and shoved over the top when I was getting short, and he called. My str8 hit and he doubled me up. So we have a history when we get to my bust-out hand.

The blinds are up to 300/600 and I have about 8400. Hachem-wannabe again opens in MP for 1800. Folded around to me and I smooth-call after finding 66 in the BB. Flop is a wonderful J J 6. Gin! I check as this guy C-bets everything. True to form, he bets out 3500 into the 3900 pot. I think, then check-raise all in. He beats me into the pot and slams his KK down, saying "I got you this time!" My response "Not this time, I'm ahead sir." And table my 6s full. The poker gods obviously hate my response and deliver a J on the river, giving him the bigger FH. GG me.

We stick around and get onto the list for the 1/3 PLO8 game to warm-up for the action on Monday, and Mike is ahead of me on the list, so he gets the first seat. I sit in the 1/2 NLHE game and drop 100 to the rock in seat 9 that, when he plays a hand, refuses to fold. I raise to $10 with AQc and he calls in position. The flop is 7c9cTh. I bet $20, he calls. Turn is the Js, giving me the OESD and nut flush draws. I bet $40, he calls. River is a blank and I bet $40 one more time. He insta-calls and tables 7s5s. Bottom pair, no draw. Nice. I can't find a hand versus him and get called up to the PLO8 game.

I slowly start to creep up, but the jet lag is hitting me. Finally stand up and take a walk to see what's going on in the NLHE tourney, and see the Hachem-wannabe has been doing good work with my chips, and is 3 out of the money. Just one hand and I could have been there, but that's poker. I wanted the call and just got unlucky. I head back and Mike looks like he's ready to go as well, so we call it a night. I count and end up down for the session about $30, so I made back $70 of what I'd lost in NLHE.

Not a good start, but I'm not too upset. I played well and was thinking about hands instead of just reacting. I took my time, weighed my options, and didn't go on tilt, even when I was getting the worst of it. I felt good about the day on Monday, where we would be playing in the PLO8$210 at Binion's.

Day 2
Well, I try to sleep, but I keep waking up. First time is 4am (7am eastern). I manage to doze on and off until about 7am and finally give up. Will be a long day if I FT the Binion's, but I just can't sleep, so I get up. Mike is up too, so we shower, and hit the strip. Breakfast at BK next door at O'Sheas food court, then down to MGM on the monorail for some early NLHE. Mike loves the room and always does well there, and I haven't played in it so I decide to give it a shot. I originally at at a different table than Mike, but I do get a table change as there is an all-in-or-fold guy that is a pain sitting to my right. When I move, I sit with $200 and bleed, but have some great reads. Here is the big one.

I have AcAd in MP and the UTG guy opens for $12. I smooth call (yep, there's my first mistake) and we get 5 in to the flop. Flop is AhKjTh. The SB that was a caller leads out for $2 and we all laugh. The pot is $60. Then UTG does something that starts to smell fishy. He calls. I decide to raise to $17 to see where I'm really at. Next player re-raises to $67. Button Calls. SB folds, surrendering his HUGE lead out bet....and then UTG smooth calls again. Now I'm in full-blow spidey sense tingling mode. Mike is to my right so I show him my AA, and then muck. He's going nuts. Says I'm a moron, that the pot odds say I have to call and hope to hit my boat. Turn is the 2c and UTG checks. The $67 raiser now shoves for $80 more, button and UTG both just call. River is another 2 and Mike whispers "See, you should have stayed". I say "nope, that's not good enough". UTG checks and button checks. UTG goes nuts, saying "How could you not bet there!!!???!!" He's berating the button. Then he shows his QhJh for the flopped Royal. Spidey sense was right and I was drawing dead. All-in shows his monster ATo, and button mucks what he claims is a small flush.

I add another $100 after a bit and get Ac4c in the BB. MP raises (button from the Royal hand) and 3 call ahead. I call and the flop is two clubs. I check, one bet, MP raiser raises, then back to me. I call. Bettor goes all in and Button calls. I have invested about $45 at this point, and debate mucking. I show Mike again and he says "Do the math before you muck!" and the dealer gives him a warning. I don't feel it and think I should fold, but then I do the math and there's $140ish out there. I have $140 left, and the all in has me covered as does the other player. I'm getting the right price and reluctantly call. The shover has top set (I think it was 8s) and they hold, and I'm felted. Mike is up, so we decide to cut and run to Binion's for the 2pm. He graciously pays for the cab with his winnings, and I'm not happy, I'm already down a couple of hundred and it's only day 2. Yikes!

We decide to prop bet on the entrants in the PLO8. I set the number at 215, and Mike takes the under. I hardly ever lose prop bets, but of course, the final count is 207. Sigh. The bad luck continues.

I had a blast in the PLO8 tourney. There were several folks at my table that I've played with online, and didn't even start talking to the guy to my right until the second hour. Turns out he and I played quite a bit over on FT when I was playing NLO8 over there, trying out a short-stack shove stategy developed by Predator06 in the micro-games. He knows Pred as well and we got along well online, so it's nice to have a "friend" at the table. He plays professionally, and does pretty well. I'm up and down a bit and finally pick up A25Kds on the button. My "friend" raises and I re-pot, he puts me all in and I call. I scoop the hand and this doubles me up to about 16k with 400/800 blinds. After a bit, we get a few other pros at the table. Whothedonk and RedRaider80 sit. If you don't know Red, his real name is Justin Phillips and he's the guy that hit the Royal Flush versus quad Aces in the 2008 WSOP. He's a blast and was fun to play with for a few hours.

I stay ahead of the average and finally take out Matt (the "friend") when we have about 40 left. The Top 27 pay. I get a call from Bleu, and he's on the way over with his sister, who just turned 21 on Sunday and was in celebrating. He shows up and says hello and heads off to the 1/3 PLO8 game. Then, I have some bad luck. My nut flush/nut low draw misses, and I'm down to about 18k. I manage to hang on into the money and lose another hand, but get out cheaply and am down to 12k. Finally pick up AA46 and double to 24k. We get down to the final 2 tables, and I finally get it all in with A25J and lose to A3QJ when he flops his Q. We got it all in PF, and I'm out in 17th place. I cash for $310 and things are finally turning around. Mike had already caught a ride back to the hotel, so I go to get on the 1/3 PLO8 list to play with Bleu. I go to sweat him as I'm 8th on the list. I manage to meet up with Truthiness27, a mod on the 2+2 Omaha Hi/Lo forum, and he's on the list for 1/3 as well.

While sweating Bleu, I see at least one other 2+2er at the table, MegaDisgruntled. The two of them got involved in absolutely the biggest pot I've ever seen in a 1/3 PLO8 game. 4 players, 3 of which get all in preflop. Bleu has the 3rd biggest stack at $530ish and Mega has them all covered. The pot is easily $1500-1600 preflop. The short stack shows A246, the second player (who was a donkey from the night before, information that I gave Blue earlier in his session) has K874, Mega has A2xx, and Bleu has AA3Q. Flop is 35Q, turn is the 7, and the river is a Q. Bleu and Mega chop the K874, and then the short stack 3/4ers the main pot with Mega. It was nuts, but the dealer did a great job keeping the pots straight and getting all the money chopped and done in about 2 minutes.

I stick around until about midnight, but it doesn't look like they are going to start a 2nd table, even with 9 on the list. Tru decides to leave, and I give it up too. I take the Duece back to the IP and Mike's been sacked out for a bit. I hit the sack and hope that my luck has turned.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll have Days 3 and 4 up later in the week. I'll cya at the tables.

Mike Matusow has nothing on me...

2009-04-19T09:35:00.004-05:00

Hello readers. Time for my monthly-ish post. Thanks for stopping by. Today's topic: running bad. Being the tail of the probability curve. How bad? Come along and find out.

I decided to bring out a cash game graph. Granted, I play more touneys than cash, but these will give you an idea of how I've been running....

This first one is all of my PLO8 hands for the year. Looks like I've made some bad plays and should be down, but I'm about 3bb/100 below expectation. So, let's see what my all-in equity looks like, shall we?

Yikes! Looks like I'm getting all in ahead, and still losing. Not a lot of hands, really, since I'm playing Pot Limit, but still running -3.5 behind expectation. Yuck!

There is also a "probability graph" that it looks like I'm running at the low end of the normal distribution, and I'm about 1 SD off the mean. That's bad. I'm in the bottom 33.3%.

So what made me decide to pull up these graphs? I've had 2 pretty brutal live sessions as well.

Our company gives us Good Friday off every year, so I decided, as a true gamboooler should, to use that day to hit the boat and play some poker. I play at the Argosy in Lawrenceburg, and they have a tourney at 11:15am. I got up and was on my way in plenty of time, but barely missed the start due to a wreck on the interstate and ended up #5 on the alternate list. Argosy has done a great job recently and their tourneys have a ton of play. I didn't expect to get in as the stacks are deep to start, but I stuck around and sweated a guy I sometimes play live with in a home game. I was on the 1/3 NLHE list, and wanted to get some play in. He was doing decently, and nearing the end of the first hour I wasn't going to take a spot even if they opened one up, so I grabbed a pager and went up for some lunch.

Came back and I was #2 on the list. They announced the start of a new table, so I went to buy in and grabbed a seat.

This was the most brutal 3.5 hours of poker I have ever played. I won exactly 1 hand. In 3.5 hours. I was coolered 4 times with a pocket pair vs higher pair situation. None of my draws got there. AK sooooooted, flop 2 of my suit and a gutshot draw. Pair my A on the turn. Lose when a blank hits the river to JTo. Play a middle suited connector in position with a lot of limpers. Stright and flush draws. Nothing gets there. I mix up my play and try a few strong bets in position, some of them bluffs at boards that I represent I have a good hand. Get called down by bottom 2 pair. AA runs into J6 (who played because it was SOOOOTed, he states) who gets 2 pair on the turn and flushes the river. I finally win a hand after rebuying for $200 and I'm down to my last $41. I open-shove after 2 limpers from the Cutoff with A-6 SOOOOTed. Yeah, I'm probably steaming a bit. It holds up to the BB who calls me with 86 offsuit. Yeah, it was that kind of game and I couldn't win a hand. I tightened up after a bit since the table was so loose, and I still couldn't catch a break. Final hand I have AJ hearts and run into KK. Flop is J 8 4, no hearts. No A on the turn or river and I'm done. Worst run at the boat ever, but it happens to everyone, right?

So I shake it off, come home, and play some online poker. Lose 2 buyins at $25 PLO8. I give up. Decide to wait on another day.

Then, last night is my poker league night. I'm out of the running for the main prize, but there is still prize money to be won every night. I play tight, aggressive. I mix it up with some hands. Slide from the initial 10k down to about 4.5k, and then start to see some chips move my way. A few well-timed bluffs, steal some blinds when we hit the 150/300 and 200/400 levels, and I'm back to about 12k. Then I have T2 on the button and decide to raise again. The BB has a lot of chips and decides to see a flop. Flop is T 8 2 with 2 clubs. He leads out 800. I call. Turn is the 6s. He leads out 800. I debate a raise to 2800 but smooth call. River is a club. He bets 1200. I raise to 2500 and he insta-calls and tables 87 clubs. Should have raised that turn, but I was trying to get max value on my 2 pair. Such is life.

I make the FT with about 6k in chips. Blinds are up to 300/600. I float for a while, then manage to pick up AA UTG with only 5700 left. Blinds are 400/800 and I raise to 2400. Folded to a tight player in MP who smooth-calls. Folded around and we see a flop of Q Q 3. I put my last 3300 in and MP goes in the tank. Now I know that he's got a pair, as this player is very tight and would fold anything but a pair here. I go into weakness mode and give him a stare. He says "Man, I think you have AK. Or AJ. " Please! Call me! I look away and he thinks for another 30-40 seconds. Counts out a call and he has me covered by about 1500. He'd be crippled if he's wrong. He finally calls and I show him the AA. He tables 66 and no 6 hits (surprisingly!) on the turn or river and now I have just under 13k. I find AhJh on the button a few hands later when an UTG shoves his last 5200 and Mr 66 calls. Folded to me. I think and make the call. The open-raiser has QT suited and Mr 66 has A6 off. Flop is J J 8 and I take out 2 more. We are now into the points, but not the money yet. The last man to go out loses to the CL and we are in the money.

Final 4 have me versus the big stack with 2 smaller stacks. The 2 shorties are still in the running for the title as was the 5th place finisher so it means something to these guys. The CL is the guy who hit the flush vs me earlier in the T2 hand. I have about 30k, he has about 50k, and the other two guys have about 15k each. I'm in a good spot to win at least 150, if not the 250 if I can make some moves and get even with the CL.

My BB, and I find AdQd. UTG folds, and the CL is the button and calls 2k. Blinds are 1k/2k with a 200 ante. SB calls. I raise to 7k. Button calls and SB folds. Flop is J T 9 with 2 hearts. I bet out 8k. Button insta-raises to 16k. He does this when he has an overpair or a made hand. I think about it and he's played overpairs like this more. There's 37k in the pot. And I have to call 8k. If he's got KK or AA i'm about 30%. The call is good. If he's got QQ I'm probably a bit better. If he's got JJ, TT, or 99 I'm down to 25%. But overall a call here is correct. That leaves me with 7300. I probably should shove, but I call.

Turn is a beautiful 8c. I shove, not caring if he calls or not. He thinks about it and says "I guess you have the straight, but I call". I show him the bad news and he tables Kh Kc. The UTG player says "Crap, I mucked Q3". That leaves 2 Qs for him to hit. And guess what he pulls out on the river? Yep. Qc. GG me. I haven't had a hand tilt me in quite a while. I usually shrug it off and say "That's poker" and move on. This one had me steaming. I'm glad I didn't have more chips as I would have been reckless. I just lost a 60K+ pot, not to mention about $110 in real money (at least) on a 2-outer. I would have had a good chip lead, but instead now this guy has about 80k in chips and takes out the other two in about 8 hands. I get $40 for my troubles.

Other guys are talking about "How sick was that beat?" and "He couldn't fold there!". Why can't he fold there? I've repped the draw or a set with my betting. The draw gets there and I shove. Sure, there is ~53k in the pot and he needs to just call 7300. But if I have what I've repped, and even have just a set of 9s, he's still drawing to 6 outs on the river. Rough math is 6 outs makes 12%. 12% of the pot is ~6200, and he's calling 11oo more. He doesn't have the right price there. If I have the straight (which is what it looks like I have) he's in worse shape. He's down to about 6% (and 4% if we can believe UTG folded a Q, but we don't know that when he's making this decision). Granted, knocking out a player means a lot here. But I've repped the hand I have and he knew I had it (he even said "I guess you have the straight? I'll call"). And STILL made the call. He can fold and still be comfortably in 2nd place and make a run. That is what tilted me more than anything.

So, again, I'm WAYYYY DOWN in the tail of the distribution. Mike, eat your heart out. You've got nothing on me. You're not the "unluckiest man in poker".

Enough whining and moaning. I think I've shaken off the tilt for now. Time to get back to the tables. Hopefully, I can put together a nice run and head out to Vegas with some folks around WSOP time. My BR has taken quite the hit this year, so it is still up in the air.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Poker < Life

2009-03-15T15:13:00.002-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by for a gander. It's been a while, but I fell off the horse there for a bit. Real life stepped in, as sometimes it tends to do.

I haven't had time to play much lately. I've still been grinding at O8, but mostly the Stars 8:30 Rebuy and SnGs. Cash, I'm back to NLHE. I'm running badly in O8, but NLHE has taken up some of the slack. I just haven't had time. The wife broke her right leg slipping on the ice in one of our snow dumps in Feb, and I've had to be chauffer/dad/cook/maid for the last month and a half. Work picked up quite a bit, so I've been swamped. That hasn't left a lot of time at poker. I've played the rebuy 4-5 times with a cash, and been running badly in the $16 SnGs. I dropped back to the $6.50s for a bit while I rebuild.

But now the itch needs some scratching. Not playing as much has given me some time to sit and thik about where I want to go with poker. I still am not sure, but when I figure it out, you will all start to hear from me again. I need to get back.

In the meantime, it's my favorite time of year. March Madness. My buddy Boats has everyone over for a "between the tourneys" game on Thurs and Fri. I've made it a tradition to take the two days off every year, and this is no exception. Boats is doing something different this year with HORSE on Thursday and No Limit Omaha on Friday. Even if I don't win, it will be great to get back into some live action. And NLO. My oh my. I might just try to fold into the money :)

I also have joined a poker "league" and have managed to scrape up a few points and some cash. Halfway through the season and I'm stuck in the middle of the pack. One gent is out in front and it looks like he'll win the top prize ($2500 for a WSOP prelim and $2500 for travel/accomodations). We will get back some cash if he makes it deep, and he's definitely got the skills to get there. I'm hoping to get to Vegas with predator and see some old friends in Bleu, Virge, Lusky, and I'm bringing the German, again this year. So look for me in Vegas sometime in June. If pred bails, I'll probably go with the guys from the poker league.

That's it for now. Just a quick post. Hopefully I'll cya at the tables.

Back on game...hopefully

2008-12-22T20:46:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm at a crossroads. I really enjoy playing O8 but I've been beat up pretty well over the last several months. I made the attempt to move from PL to Limit thinking that would help, and only made the slide worse.

Everyone goes through rough patches. I quit posting here as well, just taking my lumps and hoping to come out the other side. I'm hoping that 2009 will start better than 2008 has been, and I took my first step into the "new year" today. Yeah, I know it isn't here yet, but I'm on vacation until Jan 5th, so I'm in a fuzzy zone hear. Let me have my delusions, okay?

Being off work, I decided to head down to the boat (Argosy, IN) to play in their Noon bounty tourney. I've played it a few times in the last couple of years. Early this year, on MLK I played it and was first out. I was hoping to improve on that finish, especially with the 11 month hiatus.

I started out slow. There were a few active players at our table and we had one bounty in the first hour. Lots of raise-and-take-it preflops. Some flops that were not contested. Only 4-5 hands made it to showdown. Then, when we moved into hour 2, the table started to move. I took the second bounty soon after crippling a guy with Q9 vs KT when I made a Q-hi straight. Then the someone finished him off with....Q9 vs his A8. I don't think he took it well, but bad luck happens. Soon after, the same gentlemen that took out A8 with his Q9 took out one more and our table broke. After starting with 46, there were 29 left. I had about 4.5k in chips and the average was about 5k. We started with 3k in chips.

The second table didn't have a lot of action. The highlight for me was the chip race at the end of hour 2. I lost that too. I did manage to stay afloat and even move up a little. I had just under 6k when we moved to the final 2 tables. With 19 left, I was the third largest stack (yeah, with just under 6k). There were a bunch of us between 4 and 6k, so it was going to be a grind.

I watched a few hands and the guy next to me made a comment about the big stack being unable to fold. The guy had about 22k in chips and was doubling up the 2 shorties at the table on a regular basis. He was 4 to my right, and I was just hoping to have something when he started raising again. Finally, he popped it to 1600 PF when we were at 400/800 blinds. I looked down to find 3h3d. I have about 9k. I called, as did the SB and an EP limper. Flop was 3 6 8 rainbow. I checked. EP limper checked. Big stack continuation bets 2k. SB folds and I smooth call, hoping limper comes along for the ride. Unfortunately, he folds. The turn is a 9. I check. Big stack bets 1500. I check-raise to 5k. He says "all in". I stop and think. He's made this play with 2 pair once and top pair once. I start to see monsters under the bed and think I might have stepped in it and he's holding something crazy. Like T7. After 15 or 20 seconds of studying him, I think he's getting nervous about me taking my time. I finally decide it is do-or-die time and call off my last 3600. He flips up K9 for TP, not so good kicker and he's drawing dead. Suddenly, I have the big stack with about 23-24k. I vow not to become the bully and continue to play the poker that got me the big stack. I have fallen into the "calling" trap that the big stack just got into myself once or twice.

I get hit with the deck a bit and chip up to about 40k with 12 left. There's 138k in play, so I have almost 1/4 of the chips, and realize that I can definitely make it to the money as long as I don't get unlucky and don't get stupid. I have 2 whole bounties when we get to the final table. The chip leader that I got with my 3s is still around and has made a comeback to about 12k.

We draw for seats and I get to see a few hands with the new folks before I get hit with any blinds. The table has become a little tight as they are only paying the top 5 out of 46 runners. I decide to bide my time. The guy to my immediate left has about as many chips as I do, so I have to be careful not to get into a spot where he can 3-bet me if he thinks I'm getting to out of line. Then, he gets into a confrontation with another big stack and he takes the guy out. He's now sitting on about 50k with 8 left. There are a few shorties, hanging on to 7-8k stacks. I have about 35k, and 3rd looks like he's got just under 20k. We spar a bit, and I manage to take a nice pot in a blind-vs-blind battle when my A8 misses the 6 5 6 flop with 2 hearts. I decide to see what the big stack is made of and bet into him on every street. The third bullet finally gets him to fold. Good thing no more hearts came, as that is what he says he was drawing to.

A few hands later and I'm the big stack with about 37k. I'm on the button. UTG smooth calls the 1600 big blind and she has about 6.5k total. Folds to me and I look down at Tc9c. Not the best hand, but it is suited, connected, and most likely 2 live cards. I raise to 5k straight. Folded back to her and she insta-shoves. She has 1.7k more. I think, and figure she's on a pair or a big A. I call, she shows AK offsuit. Flop is QJ4 with 2 clubs. Perfect flop, now I'm the favorite. Turn is a 6. River pairs her K and I take us down to 7, collecting my 3rd bounty. At $20 each, I only need 3 more to be freerolling. Maybe I'll make it.

Big stack from the earlier table is now the shortie and manages to double up twice. Finally get down to 6, and it is time for the next break. I knocked out 7th and can't for the life of me remember the hand, but I now have 4 bounties. I step out to call the wife, and then Predator to get a pep talk for the final table. Guy to my left has made a bit of a comeback and I'm down a bit after folding to a shove on a flop of K 2 4 from a mid-stack that called my PF raise of 3.5k with 500/1000 blinds. I had AJ. He later claimed to have the nut flush draw, but there were 2 clubs out there and my A was a club. I'd guess he had a middle pair and was hoping I didn't have AK, and took a chance. It was a good play, and his body language said he wasn't bluffing, so I made the laydown. We come back and I've won the chip race and see that I have the player to my left covered by about 4k.

The action out of this break gets fast and furious. I knock out 6th and the money bubble is over when I have KK in the CO and he shoves with KT off. 5th goes to the former CL from the early table when my AT flops an A vs his QQ. I now have 80k in chips just like that. The other 3 are all getting somewhat short, with only 58k left and 1500/3000 blinds. I start to steal a bit now with position and the stack to strike fear. I manage to crest at 88k and there comes a 3-way all in confrontation between the other 3. A7 hearts versus JJ versus KT hearts. The hearts actually come out and we are down to 3. The next hand I fold my 82 off in the BB when the button shoves. SB wakes up with AQ and it hits vs the button's 55 and we are HU.

I have a pretty good lead and am not very impressed with the HU play of my opponent. He's folding about 70% of his buttons without any movement from me. I make it up to just over 90k to his 48k when I find Kc7c in the BB. He min-raises. I decide that he's been weak and want to see what happens if I come over the top. He thinks and calls. He shows QcJc and I'm very very happy. Until the Q flops. But wait! There's 2 clubs! The turn pairs my 7, and now any 7, K or club and I win. The river pairs a 2 on the board and he wins with his 2 pair. Looks like my luck finally broke.

I manage to fight back to about 80k in chips again, as he's still playing very passive. I can take down just about any pot with a bet. If he raises or calls, I know he has something and I can slow down. I manage to get back up when he limps and I check my 72o. Can the hammer win? Flop is 2 2 4. He checks, and I decide to set a trap and check. Turn is a Q. He now bets out about 10k. I decide to smooth and get it in on the river. River is a T and he checks. I shove, he calls and I show him the bad news.

I finally make my first big mistake. I play Qc7c from the Button, raising to 18k with 3/6k blinds. He smooth calls. The flop is all rags. He checks, I check. Turn is the Qs, but is the 3rd spade out there. He checks. I debate pulling the trigger, but he has always bet his big hands so I check. River is a 4th spade and here's where I blow it. He stops dead and looks at his hand, doing a "spade check". I remember hearing a pro one time say "if they look back, they don't have it and they are trying to represent it". But this guy isn't into 2nd or 3rd level thinking, he's just playing his cards. I forget that when he bets 20k. I get to thinking about how he's just trying to represent it contrary to all the evidence I've seen thus far, and I call. He shows the As5h and scoops a big one. Crap.

I am unable to recover from that one. I have about 49k and we break. We return to 4/8k blinds and I'm pretty well into all in or fold poker. He's finally found a spine somewhere at the break and comes out swinging. My first hand is 74o in the BB, he raises to 20k. I fold. 2nd hand I have 82o. I fold. I am down to 37k and find 78o in the BB. He raises to 28k. I shove the other 9k and he calls with QT. Flop is Q Q 5. Turn is a 7 and I'm done. I manage to get 2nd, but I'm a bit disappointed in my mistakes at the end. I'm not complaining, and I get $785 and $120 for the bounties, so after the tip I take home a $760 profit. Not bad for a day's work.

So maybe I'm just getting unlucky at O8. Maybe it is time to return to NLHE for a bit and see if I can get some of the cash back and then move back to O8 when I have a decent BR again. So we shall see in the next few weeks. Look for me to be playing a bit of NLHE and see if I can get back on the horse.

I'll cya at the tables.

Help out someone with poker!

2008-11-09T13:47:00.003-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by. I'm here to ask for your help this time around. Someone in the poker community is having some issues with medical bills due to his fight with kidney disease. You can help out this Wednesday, Nov 12th at 9pm EST. Here's the details:

Full Tilt
Tournament #67971755
$10+$10
Bad Beat on Kidney Failure
PW: CailtyssRulien

Help someone out and maybe make some cash. I hope to see you there!

Superstitions and poker

2008-09-22T20:18:00.005-05:00

Hello all. Welcome back. I'm a bit reluctant to post. Why? Silly superstition.

I haven't been posting much on the forums or here. Instead I've been playing. And winning. I've noticed that when I'm posting and playing, I tend to be distracted and not do so hot. I started to post a bit again on a forum, and my BR took a -$650 swing. Thank goodness I was already up big. It took a chunk out but I'm still up for the year. More importantly, I'm up since July 1.

What's the significance of July 1? Well, that's the day that I battened down the hatches and decided to be a more serious player. If you've been reading me for a while, you know that I tend to move around a lot between games and levels. I've also been known to make a fancy play or ten. After I got back from my Vegas trip, I decided to heed some advice. Thanks to Predator and Virge, I have become a winning amateur player. And with the stakes I play, that's saying something.

What changed? I had a semi-epiphany, if you want to call it something. Virge told me that he "hated to play with me because I was too fancy". He made me think. I went back and looked at how much money I was losing making "fancy plays" like check-raising with air. Granted, there are definitely times to do this, but I was doing it way too much in all the wrong spots. Dammit, Virge was right. I took that as a good time to fix those leaks that I've had.

Predator got me more into PLO8. I've been playing nothing but the Turbos over on Stars. I've worked my way up from the $16 level into the $60s with a nice ROI. I have taken a few shots at the $114s even. Right now my bread and butter are the $38s, $60s, and still some $16s. The $27s are poison for some reason. I haven't figured that one out, yet.

So with the two advisers off I went. Losing the fancy plays was tougher than focusing on a single game. I still pull a boneheaded move and raise with a straight out of position with 2 of a suit out there, but I'm getting better. I've started to get comfy 3-tabling. I'm playing enough to maintain a Silver status. I'm finally happy with my poker career.

Let's just hope that I didn't just jinx it. I'll cya at the tables.

Vegas Trip Report, Day 4+ THE WSOP!!!

2008-07-10T19:43:00.007-05:00

Welcome back for the final edition of the trip report. I will try to fit the end of the trip in this space. Let's see how I do!

Day 4 was WSOP day, the reason that I was in Vegas. The $1500 PLO8, Event #43. The plan was to get to Rio @11ish, register, grab some lunch and a quick chair massage to get rid of the Day 1 jitters. Everything went well and I cabbed it over to th Rio, having missed the 11am shuttle. Called Predator from the cab to review the game plan and get a pep talk. Tight, aggressive. Don't be a wuss. Don't go passive and spew chips. Got it. Got registered and ended up at Amazon Blue, Table 27, Seat 2. I had been getting a lot of Seat 2 assignments so maybe that was a good omen.

Ran to the Poker Kitchen for Brunch. I'd finally managed to sleep in a bit in anticipation of the long day. Brunch was a Burger, fries, Diet Mt Dew, and a banana. Several people recommended the burgers, and they were right. Not a bad deal. Then I headed in and got a 5 minute "warm up" neck and shoulder massage. I was pretty tense as this was my first WSOP event. The rub down definitely helped get me to calm down and focus.

Got to my table with 10 mins to spare and did some rubbernecking. I saw John from PokerNews but he looked busy and I didn't bother him. Their media table was a row behind me. I watched people mill around and start sitting. No pros at my table when the cards went in the air, but there were a ton in spitting distance. Scott Clements, Gobboboy, Eric Sidel, Marco Traneillo were all at the adjacent tables, but no one at ours that I noticed. The guy in seat 3 started chatting me up and seemed nervous. He admitted it was his first event and had a few backers. I'd be nervous too. I had one person that asked to own 10% of my total trip, but I didn't have any specific backers for the tourney.

Then, the cards were in the air! I was officially in a WSOP event!

Got a bunch of nothing for the first 20 mins. I had one hand where the new guy to my left min-raised PF and I found AALL in the BB. I smooth called. Flop was 9 4 4. I bet out 250, he called. Turn was a J. I smelled a rat on the flop smooth call and check-folded the turn. He said "how did you know?" and showed me 99. The spidey sense definitely picked up on something and I'm glad I trusted the read.

The deck slaps Seat 3 square in the face for a bit. He's up from the initial 3k to about 7500. He's busted one guy in Seat 5. Then, the late arrivals start to show up.

There was one issue at our table. Seat 7 and 8 were empty but had chips to start. Blinds were being taken away for a bit, then they came in and picked up Seat 8. Finally, they picked up Seat 7 into the dealer's tray and loaded it up for a new buy-in. That's when we got our table Pro. DevilFish came and sat down in Seat 8 about 45 minutes into the tourney. Damn. Nothing like an Omaha expert. Bah!

A few minutes later Seat 7 shows up and he's got no chips. He bought in the day before and should have been blinding down. Now he gets a full stack back. Small thing, but still annoying. It is his BB when the floor goes off to "investigate" why he has no chips. The ruling in these events is that you can't post or play until your BB so he wants chips. DevilFish asks Seat 3 to loan him 1k so he can play until his chips arrive. The dealer tells us that will get him into trouble. He calls the floor. The floor says he has to wait for the chip issue to clear up and to skip him. Seat 7 gets pissed and gets up. By the time he's the button, his chips show up. He doesn't come back. Well, he didn't come back as long as I was there, which we shall see isn't much longer.

The hand that did me in came 30 minutes before the first break at the 1.5 hour mark. I find myself on the Button with AJ34, with suited hearts. This is a nice hand in position and I decide to limp with 4 in front, hoping for a big flop. I get what I need with a flop of J 7 2 with the 7 and 2 hearts. Checked to DevilFish who fires out 500. I smooth call and the others muck. This was mistake #1. I should have raised him out, but I want to scoop a big pot, not win a smaller pot. Turn is Qc. DevilFish bets out 1k. I count down and this leaves me with 875. I'm not going to be a wuss, right? Wrong! Maybe I was start struck versus DevilFish. I didn't think long enough about it or I would have come over the top here. Strike 2. River is Qd. Crap. My monster draw went down the toilet. DevilFish pushes all in and I stop and try to reconstruct the hand. What could he have that I could beat? I make error #3 in the hand and finally fold after thinking for a good 2 minutes. DevilFish shows a J and mucks. I say "Yeah, right. You had a Q to go with that". He claims KKJx. I start to think about it and realize that I just lost a pot that should have been mine. There's no way that he had AA or KK on that flop (I had the Ah). He's not going to bet out. My best guess is that he had a low draw, most likely he flopped 2 pair with a hand like A2Jx, or 23Jx. I had at least a chop and possibly a scoop. If I would have thought for 60 more seconds or asked him what he had to try to get some information, I think I would have called. Instead, I was weak and mucked.

Blinds hit me now and I get nothing playable. Check/fold in the BB. Call/fold in the SB. I get Ak23 double suited in the cutoff and call. Instead of pushing. Again. I don't think I have fold equity. Flop misses and I'm down to 225 at the break.

I leave and go kick myself for playing like a passive donk. I was fairly card dead except these two hands. I give myself a pep talk during the break and watch the 2-7 triple draw final table. 15 minutes later I'm back with a new attitude.

UTG I find A 3 5 J with the ace suited and push. 3 callers. Flop is Ks Js 8s. My ace is a spade. Finally! Now I'm up to 675. I can come back. The next hand I am in the BB. Seat 3 raises and DevilFish calls. Everyone mucks to me and I find AdKdAs7d. I push. Both call. Flop is Td 3d 5c. Seat 3 checks to DevilFish who pots. He folds. DevilFish turns over Ah 2c 7c Qs. He's got the nut low and backdoor flush draws. I'm in good shape to get up to over 1k. Until the turn brings a club. And the river. DevilFish scoops me and I'm out.

I don't want to dwell too much on the past, I have learned my lesson. I didn't have my head on right or I would have made the call earlier and not ended up so short stacked. But that's why we play, to learn and grow. Hopefully this is a growing experience and I plan to return next year. I might play in the LO8 vs the PLO8 as the structure was a little fast. If you didn't move much by the first break you were in trouble as you came back to 150/300 blinds. With a 3000 starting stack, you need to move early or you will be in trouble.

I learn that there have been 100ish players busting every hour from the original 720 that started. So looks like I probably made the top 450-500. At least I wasn't out in the first 10 minutes.

So I'm out and owe Bleu a C-note. Bastid. Prior to the break I did go look him up and he had a nasty seat. He was in Seat 9. Seat 1 was Joe Hachem. Seat 2 was Gavin Smith. Yikes. Good luck raising your button or CO there. Gavin was playing his normal run-over-the-table game and had a nice stack. Bleu was sitting on 5kish. I told him I was in big trouble and he smiled.

I go over and check out the side game action. There's an interest list for 10/20 O8 so I get on it, hoping it will fill with players that are busting out. Meanwhile, there is a seat open in 5/10 LHE so I take it. I mix up my play between TAG and LAG and it pays off when I get A3 suited in the BB. Player 2 to my left raises and 2 call to me. I call. Flop is 3 3 7. I check my set and the raiser bets again. One caller to me and I call, hoping to get maximum value. Turn is the case 3 and I check. Raiser bets again, folds to me. I call. River is a J. I check again hoping that he puts me on a middle pair. He bets and I'm able to check raise and get that last bet. It was dicey checking to hope to get that final bet, and some would say to bet out on the end. By checking I was able to get $10 more out of him. I show the trey and he mucks. He claims a middle pair. Hope it wasn't 7s or else I got lucky :)

A few orbits later they start the O8 game. They were only waiting on a dealer. I go and mark a seat but come back until the table fills. I only get 3 more hands in and the O8 game is ready to go. I pick up and move, up a little.

The game is typical for a tourney bust-out game. People are cautious, trying to not make the mistakes that they did in the tourney. Being Limit vs Pot-Limit, there are a few more loose players. I'm holding my own when 2 guys get up for dinner. Bleu comes over and announces that he just busted as well. Same type of hand that I had vs DevilFish, but he came over the top on the flop and missed. Sucks to be him but I give him his $100 last longer. He's on the LO8 list but they can't seem to fill seats in our game. We are the game that the floor has forgotten. They change decks and the cards are warped, badly. We ask for a setup change. No luck. Dealer #2 comes in and immediately flips one of my hole cards. I ask for a setup change again. Nothing. 3 hands later she flips ANOTHER one of my cards and I ask her to call the floor over. We finally get a new setup after the guy to my right threatens to start tearing up cards.

There's 3 ahead of Bleu but they still aren't calling off the list. The dealer finally tells him to just go get chips as we have been 6-handed for about 30 minutes, since Seat 1 took a dinner break. The seat to my left is open and I debate taking it so that Bleu can't have position on me. I decide not to be an ass and it comes back to bite me. Bleu gets in the game and the deck doesn't just slap him, it pounds him. There's a 73 year old Navy man in Seat 2 that looks like Popeye. He's a riot, telling stories and mixing it up with Bleu and myself. I decide to turn up the gambool and straddle. Bleu blind raises. People give us the "hey, this isn't 3/6, what the hell you two doing?" speech. The next dealer is one from the Venetian on Day 3 and looks at me and says "Uh oh, you're starting again?". We of course Straddle/Blind Raise again right away and he laughs. Too bad the money flows to Bleu for the next 2 hours. He starts selling chips from his pyramid to other new players as they sit as we can't get a chip runner (remember, we are the table that the floor has forgotten). He's up about $1200 in 2 hours. I'm kicking myself for not taking that seat.

Finally, the guy to Bleu's left gets up and I change seats, hoping to change my luck. I'm stuck about $550. Finally, the luck swings. I find A3JK in the BB right after I scoop a kill pot UTG with a good hand (but don't remember the specific hand). Popeye is in as well as 4 others back to me. I say "what the hell!" and raise. It scares out no one, Bleu included. Flop is 3 3 7. Again. I can't believe it. Maybe I can hit my quads again! Bleu checks out of the SB and I fire out $15 (it was a 1/2 kill game, not a full kill). Popeye Raises! He's my hero! 2 others call and Bleu mucks. I call and hold up my hand so Bleu can see and say "I don't know what I want on the turn" and BOOOM...there's the 3. I'm happy that Bleu kept his poker face instead of laughing his ass off. I bet it again. Popeye RAISES AGAIN! I love this man! One caller back to me and I decide to see how far this will go and raise. Popeye and the other just call. River is a 9. Now is the time to give you Popeye's tell. It was balls-on accurate. He would always announce his hand by saying what he was putting YOU on. When the 9 came he said "I bet that 9 hit you and filled you up, but I'm going to raise you anyway when you bet." He'd done this at least 3 times previously and shown the hand that he said that "he bet you had". I know he's got 99xx. So I bet. Sure enough here he comes with his raise. Other caller finally bows out, I'm guessing he was on the nut low draw with no backup. I raise. Popeye calls and I show him my 3. He shows 99A2 for a busted low draw. I love the low-draw only raisers and scoop a HUGE pot.

Next kill I win again, but it is only $120ish. I post a 3rd kill in a row and count up what I have. I've just had a swing of almost $1k in 3 hands and now I'm up 350ish. Ask Bleu if he wants to take a dinner break and tell him I'm not going to push my luck and I'm picking up on my BB. He says he's done too and we pick up on his BB. Popeye was a great guy and came over to shake our hands and wish us luck. He made the table a fun experience.

I get a $10 comp from the floor and we head to Bleu's favorite place at the Rio, the Sports Deli. He claims they have great burgers. I waffle as I had one for lunch but finally cave. It's much better than the poker kitchen's. It's huge. I can't finish mine. Bleu's GF calls and asks if he's coming home anytime soon. He says he still wants to play poker. She must ask if he's retarded since I hear him say "no honey, I'm not retarded!". I realize what she's asking for and give Bleu a hard time on the way to the car. On the way back to the strip he realizes that he's not retarded and drops me at the Mirage, one of the few rooms I have yet to play. He's off for a booty call and I head in.

There's not much action, even though it is pretty early (it was just after midnight when I arrived). I see that there are 2 different 5/10 O8 tables going and one has open seats. I ask if it is a must-move and the floor says yes. I decide to sit anyway. There are 2 other open seats. This game was really rocky for about an hour while players moved to the main game. Finally we get down to 4-handed. One is an old guy that sits out saying "only the house wins in a short-handed game!" We ask for a rake reduction and the floor grants a maximum $1 rake from each pot. Not too shabby so we continue 3-handed. I'm next on the list to move to the main game and the 3 of us are all under 40 and start talking. Turns out the other 2 are 2+2ers that post a bit on the O8 forum. One, who will forever be known as "final table Ted" or FTT is sheepish when his buddy tells me that he made the FT of the Binion's PLO8 on Day 2. He acts embarrassed about it and doesn't want his buddy telling people "Because it was only Binion's!". I'm at a loss. A FT is a FT. I'd be damn happy. Oh well, they are drinking. We decide to get a bit loosey-goosey and I end up down just $26 when they call me for the main game. I decide that it is time to go instead and give up my seat to the other two. I head back to crash prior to Day 5. I have a red-eye flight so I plan to play a bit before heading back to the grind of real life.

Wake up on Day 5 at 10:30ish and Ralph is ready to try out the Treasure Island room. He's heard good things about it from one of the forums he reads so we head over. The poker room was nice, but TI was a bit of a disappointment for several reasons. #1, it was not quite 11am. The poker tourney started at 11am and happened to be a bounty. $125 buy in with $50 bounties on every player. Not a bad deal. We hadn't had breakfast, so we headed to the deli near the Sportsbook. It is closed. It has breakfast items on the menu. Strange. We ask at the cage near there if there is anything open with breakfast food. They point us to the buffet or donuts in the coffee shop. The buffet is too long, we just need a quick bite as we have 15 mins prior to the tourney start. neither one of us want donuts. She points out that it is a 5 min walk to the food court at the Fashion Mall across the street so off we go. I get a KFC chicken biscuit, Ralph opts for an eggs and hash browns from the cheesesteak place. We wolf it down and head back 15 minutes late for the tourney.

Within 20 minutes I have 2 bounties. The deck is finally cooperating with me and I have built up to about 5.5k from the original 2k starting chips. I would have had more, but both bounties were shorties when I got to them. I take out a 3rd and now I'm sitting on $25 profit. Things are going well. Ralph busts after he is crippled in a 3-way pot with a nut flush draw that misses. He heads to the Sports Book to watch the Germany Soccer game that he put a bet on. I get up to about 14k by the first break.

Coming back from the first break we find reason #2 that the TI sucks. Apparently, they have decided to drill for oil or something in the hallway right outside the poker room. I ask the dealer (who is only 2 seats away) what they are doing on 3 separate occasions and can't hear his answer. All I hear him say is "they say they are using the muffled jackhammers!" and the rest is lost in the noise. I'm getting a headache quickly and don't have my mp3 player to at least try to cut out some of the noise.

Back from the break and I take a hit with TT vs AK all in. Would have been bounty #4 and put me over 20k. He flops his A and I can't improve on my 2-outer. I battle back to 12k when they break down to just 2 tables. The guy who busted Ralph comes into the 4 seat and I'm in 9 (we are 10-handed). He is UTG and min-raises to 1600 with 400/800 blinds and a 100 ante. Ralph tells me he's been playing junky hands and getting lucky. 2 callers to me and I look to find AA. I think for a bit and push. He whines about "what? this is my first hand!!" finally he calls. Folded to me and I say "you're in bad shape" and show my AA. He has AQ offsuit. I'm very happy with the flop of K T T. The 9 on the turn is a bit troublesome. And the J on the river just plain sucks donkey balls. He counts down and I find myself with 1800 instead of 25k+. Crap. That's what I get for telling him he's in bad shape. DAMN YOU POKER GODS!!!

Next hand I have QsTs in the CO and push to win the pot, knowing that I have no fold equity, as there were 2 limpers in front adn the bounty is $50. Button calls as does AQ boy. Flop is A 9 4. AQ checks, others check to the button. He pushes all in to isolate (thanks for the protection now, you tool). AQ whines and folds. Others fold and I say "I'm in bad shape" until I see his 9 6 off. Wow. I have 6 live outs. Too bad none make it, and I'm out. I cash in my $150.

Ralph is playing a 1/2 limit game. I tell him I can't stay with the jackhammer going off 10 feet away and he agrees. He picks up and we over to the Sushi place in TI (which I have heard great things about) only to find it closed. Strike 3 for TI. At 1:30. I guess they don't serve lunch. We decide to hit the food court again for lunch and decide what to do. I finally decide that the AA cracked is an omen and I'm going to nap, then get up and hit some small NLHE games at the IP or nearby. Ralph heads back to Mandalay Bay and I get some shuteye. I get up an hour later and wander the IP for a bit. I get on the 1/2 NLHE list but the games aren't giving up many players. An hour later I go wandering. I finally give up and head up to the room to pack. I grab a cab at 9pm for my 11:30 flight and head home to civilization.

I count down my BR after the cab ride and dinner at the airport and realize that after expenses and without the WSOP buy in, I would have left Vegas +300. Instead, I'm -1.2k. But the WSOP was my reason for going, so I'm not upset. I was able to play (mostly) great poker, with just a few mistakes that I've learned from. I got some great experience that I can build on next year.

That's right, I'll be back for at least one WSOP event in 2009. Beware, Vegas. Meanwhile, I'll be online or at the Argosy near Cincinnati, OH. I'll cya at the tables.

Vegas Trip Report, Day 3

2008-07-08T19:25:00.002-05:00

Hello dear readers. Thanks for popping in to see what's new.

When last we left, I was doing very well in Vegas. I was up in cash games and doing decently in the SnGs for tourney chips at the WSOP. My goal was to play in the WSOP Event #43, $1500 PLO8 buy in event. Thus far I had $1k in tourney chips and more than enough to cover the rest from cash game winnings. I kept expecting variance to hit, and today was the day.

After Virge dropped me off on Sunday night (Day 2) he headed over to watch Bleu playing some 30/60 O8 at the Bellagio. When I woke up on Monday (finally after 9am. Must have been the good food) I sent Bleu a text to see if he was up. Much to my surprise, he was still up and at the Bellagio playing. The 30/60 game. All night. We were planning to get to Virge's around 7pm but he wanted to try to do a lunch instead. Seeing as the boys in Henderson are night owls, I was sure we wouldn't know anything until closer to noon, and then only if we could wake someone up.

In the meantime, I headed over to Bellagio to rail Bleu. He was doing well and had a winning session versus Paul Darden over the wee hours of the morning. When I got there it was a bunch of older gentlemen filling the game with Bleu, so I watched. Meanwhile, I got on the 2/5 list. I haven't ever had good luck at the Bellagio, but I was hoping to change that. Bleu was doing well, holding even while I watched. We tried calling and texting Virge and Lusky, but no such luck. Meanwhile, they called me for the 2/5 game and off I went.

I sat with a full $500 buy in and watched the action for a few orbits. The two players to my right were being frisky with each other and pushing more that I would expect. I was waiting for the right hand to limp/call and then come over the top and isolate versus one or the other. Meanwhile Blue came over and said he just raked 4-5 pots in a row, all kills. Noyce. I waited and waited, finally got up and went over to chat with Bleu about the action and how I was card dead. Still no response from the Henderson crowd. I told Bleu that I was going to stack one of the young agros, I was just waiting for my spot.

I found myself on the button with KK. UTG+1 player, a blonde that was trying hard to fall out of her top and distract others (which was working on the guy to her left) opened for $20. The googly-eyed guy to her left called. Fold fold. One aggro called. The next aggro called. I decide that they might all be playing A-x and have each others outs so I raise to $100. Folded back to blondie who thinks for a bit, then pushes. I was trying hard to get a read on her, but she was just being her bubbly self. Everyone folded back to me which made me think for a few minutes. She could have AA. She could have KK-TT (she had pushed earlier with TT PF in EP). She could have AK, AQ, or AJ and think that I was trying a position steal. With the callers behind her, I thought for sure I was good against her range and I called. She of course tables AA and my first $500 is gone. Whoops.

I rebuy for $200 and build a bit, getting up to $325. I get involved with aggro #1 with AT suited in position and we build a $100ish pot PF. Flop is all low cards, no spades. He bets out $40 and I think for a bit and finally call. Turn is another blank and he again bets out a little less than half the pot. I have to put him on a pair and muck. Down to under $200 now so I pull out $300 to fill up. Nothing, card dead. Nothing, card dead. Sigh. I decide that I'm going to pick up on my next Big Blind. I find AsKs UTG +1 and raise to $20. 3 callers. Flop is K 4 T, rainbow. Aggro-boy #1 is in the SB and bets out $40 again. I think I might finally have a shot at his stack, so I smooth-call. 1 caller behind. Turn is a beautiful K. SB bets $100. I min-raise $100 more. Folded to aggro. He thinks for about a minute and then pushes. In hindsight, I should know that he's got to have TT or 44, but I'm blinded by my top set. I don't even hesitate and beat him into the pot. Sure enough, he's got 44 and I can't hit a T or K. Down $1k, I decide that the Bellagio is cursed for me and get up. Such is life. Looking back now, I realize that I could have mucked the AK after the over-the-top raise, but I really didn't think he'd be playing bottom set that way. He had been playing a lot of hands (2 pairs, str8 draws) the same way, so I did fall into his nicely laid trap. Sometimes you just have to admit you were outplayed. His maniac image did well for him and I fell right in.

Went back to check on Bleu and he was well up. I called Ralph and he was over at Bally's playing a low-limit game again. Finally convinced Bleu that we needed to head out to Henderson before he falls asleep and he tried calling Lusky. Finally got someone out of bed around noonish. Ralph walked over to Bellagio and off we went.

On the way I asked where we were going to stop. I had mentioned that for a few hours to pick over these boy's brains I'd be willing to spring for some nice steaks and grill out. Bleu said he knew there was a Whole Foods near their place in Henderson, so off we went. I would have prefered someplace less "organic" (read PRICEY), but Bleu was the driver. I think I got rolled :)

We get out to Whole Foods and it's exactly what I thought. $0.69 per ear of sweet corn? Dear Lord, did the Pope bless the field? I'm more of a 10 for $2 guy! Their meats all did look good and weren't too far off what I'd expect to pay in the desert. Bleu wanted hot dogs for some reason so we picked up a pack (for $5) and buns (for $4). Sheesh. Walking back to the Bakery for some dessert and we have our first out-of-the-casino Pro sighting. There's Phil Gordon, strolling through the Bakery. He's a lot taller and thinner than I expected, and his eyes are totally bloodshot. I give him "the nod" and he stares at me like I just check-raised his grandmother. No nod back. No acknowledgment at all. What the hell Phil? You've stacked me twice with suckouts in Bad Beat on Cancer events and I can't even get a nod? Granted, he was pry tired as hell from playing cash games all night, but give a guy a break!

We finish off the shopping trip with a strawberry shortcake and 4 huge cookies and head over to Virge and Lusky's place. Good thing we woke Lusky up, as Bleu hadn't been out there before and didn't know the address. We get there right about 1pm and fire up the grill.

Bleu pulls down SS2 to read what Matusow says about O8 tourneys as he plans to play the PLO8 event tomorrow as well. We decide on a $100 last longer while he's curled up on the couch, looking like he's read to fall asleep any minute. He's been up for 26 hours, so who can blame the guy? We get the corn and potatoes going (little nuke help on the potatoes) and Lusky shows me a few things he tracks while playing online. We have steaks for me, Ralph, Bleu, Virge, Compton, Lusky and Lusky's GF. The GF never makes it out of bed as she's not feeling well, but Lusky did take her up a plate. Maybe he just ate it himself, we will never know. Compton finally gets his lazy ass out of bed and claims that he "doesn't really like steak" and "especially not for breakfast". Damn Canadians. Eat some red meat you Frenchy! :-D

Bleu asks if anyone is going to eat Compton's steak. After eating his and 2 hot dogs. We all hum and haw while he goes out and grabs it off the table in the back. By the time I finish my first steak he's packed away the second. That boy can EAT. They were all 16oz+ so he was slowly falling into a food coma. Virge ran up to vacuum his bedroom and make it presentable and I got online for the first time in a few days and made some posts on the forum and 2+2 about my week so far. Virge calls us up to see his setup and we talk poker for a bit. Bleu starts to think that their couch looks like a nice place to crash, and Ralph is itching for some action. I would have liked to stay around to pick some brains for a while longer, but I have their AIM info as well as cell phones and I decide to head back to the strip with Ralph. Bleu will drop us off before heading home to crash and sleep through to the PLO8 tourney. I debated asking him to drop Ralph and staying in Henderson for a while, but finally decided that would be asking a bit much from Bleu, and headed back. We dropped Ralph at Mandalay Bay and I went back up to nap prior to the evening festivities. Was a good time in Henderson and I definitely need to spend some more time there and learn from the pros. Thanks again, guys!

I wake from my food coma around 6pm and check in with Ralph. He's not happy down at the Luxor and we decide that I'll scope out the Venetian to see what is going on there. We have heard that they have a nice O8 game that goes every night. When I get there the O8 list is 10 deep so I get on 2/5. I tell Ralph that it's a go and he arrives a bit later and gets on the O8 list. Meanwhile, they start a new 2/5 NLHE game and I'm itching to make some back after the morning losses. I get one whole orbit in again and get called for O8. I sense a pattern. I get up and move into a very tight and mopey 4/8 LO8 game and decide to gambool a bit and see if I can wake these people up.

Boy did that ever work. I straddle the second time I am able and get a few looks. The guy across the table from me just got back from a tour in Iraq and has been hitting everything. He gives me the look and I say "I straddle to change my luck. Let's see if it works!" He laughs and calls. The game starts to change complexion and loosen up a bit. I manage to win a few and get up when pandemonium breaks loose. There's a few folks in the game from PokerNews that are in town covering the WSOP. One is starting to tilt a bit with the new action and is down to his last $30. I'm UTG and straddle again. The guy to my left blind raises and it continues until we cap at $24 PF. The tilting buddy is next and cold-calls the $24 before the cards are even out of the shuffling machine. We have a $200ish pot PF. Who's not gonna see this one to the end? People are starting to laugh and yell. The poker room thinks we are nuts. The list for the game starts to fill up. The dealers are telling us they have never seen this much action in an Omaha game. We start having a good time for the next 2 hours or so. Then, another PokerNews writer sits 2 to my left and becomes a wet blanket. People are starting to realize that they are losing and start to clam up. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. I was up and down quite a bit and moved seats after the Iraq vet left to see if he had a lucky seat. No such luck, I finally call it quits 5.5 hours in and realize I lost about $240 in a 4/8 game. But I wanted to gambool it up and get out some pre-WSOP jitters. I think it was well worth it as I had fun and got to meet some neat people. I also think I got all the gambool out of my system so I could tighten up and play solid for Day 4.

Next up - Day 4. The WSOP. And my encounter with the DevilFish. Look for it in a few days.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Vegas Trip Report, Day 2

2008-07-04T19:38:00.003-05:00

Welcome back dear readers. Let's move the story along, shall we?

When last we left, I had a fairly good Day 1 in Vegas, with $1000 of the $1500 in tourney chips I wanted to use to buy into Event #43 (which would occur on Day 4, for those wondering when we will get there).

Day 2 again started early. Even with getting to bed later, I couldn't sleep. I was up by 8am, showered, and off to McDs for a quick breakfast. Then over to Caesar's to check out the action. I arrived at 9:10 and realized that I missed the $70 9am tourney so I asked where there were open seats. One open in the 2/5NLHE game so in I go. A few hands in they announce that there's still seats available in the 9am. I didn't think to ask. Damn internet poker, I forgot that you can usually buy in live for the first 2 levels. I had played one hand and was down $15, but cashed out and got into the tourney.

I was lucky in that the stack I sat at had only seen one Big Blind prior to my arrival. I guess there were a few slow players there, but so much the better. I built up a little bit, but never got anything big going. Just prior to the first break at 10am I badly misplayed KQ from out of position and ended up all in versus AQ. I went with my gut that said he had a medium pair instead of my head that said "Whoa! Slow down! He might have AQ here!". I bet into him on every street on the Q-6-6 flop and then pushed on the river thinking he would lay down anything other than a full house. I was wrong, and I was out. There I go, trying to play level 2 or 3 poker in a small buy in game. Sigh.

By that time Ralph was up and he wanted to head to the south end of the strip and play some poker at Luxor or Mandalay Bay. We were planning to hit Binion's by 4pm for the PLO8 $160 buy in, so I was okay with a few hours and then a nap. We got to Luxor and there wasn't much action at 10:30, so we walked over to the Bay. They had a 2/4 NLHE game going as well as a few limit games. Ralph hit limit, and I sat at the CRAZIEST NL game I've been in for the last few years. It played like a dime/quarter home game. The 4th hand I was there UTG straddled for 8. I was in MP and decided to fold my J6 as there was a new player to my right that cold called. Three other callers back around to Mr. Straddle. He pops it to $100. Guy to my right calls. Guy 2 to my left folds. Then things get interesting. CO counts down and pushes for $68 more. Button counts down and pushes for $230 on top of that. Back to SB who now folds (huh?). BB Pushes for his full $400, Mr. Straddle Calls. Guy to my right calls. The pot is around $1500 and we haven't seen a flop. I suddenly want my cards back. Talk about Pot Odds!. Being a cash game, no one opts to show until the river. Mr. Straddle shows AK and scoops all the pots. on a board of K J 8 6 T. Damn. My J-6 would have scooped! Other hands shown were AJ, 76 offsuit, 95 suited, and 7-4 offsuit. I think I like this game!

Soon to find out the Mr. Straddle likes the straddle/big bet option when there are limpers. I use this to my advantage when I find QQ. I limp, 2 others limp. He pops to $100 and I shove. 2 folds to him and he gives me a dirty look and mucks. A few others at the table shoot me a significant glance and I know I'm not the only one who noticed the trend.

QQ shows up a few more times and I do well. One hand I'm in EP and raise to $15, new woman at the table who is talking about how she just cashed in a WSOP $1500 NLHE event calls, and 2 others. Flop is a beauty with K Q 3 rainbow. I check, she bets out $25 into the $60ish pot. Two mucks and I decide to smooth-call, hoping she puts me on AQ or AK. Turn is a 7. I decide to get crafty and bet $100, hoping that she might have something good. I get very lucky when she goes over the top of me. I call and show the QQ. She tables 77 and says "crap, I out you on AK or AQ and thought I had you there". I'm up to about $850 now from my original $400. A few hands later I get it all in with QQ again vs A-3 suited and they hold. I strike up a conversation with the new player to my right as he asks about my Full Tilt hat. Turns out he's in the online poker biz and we chat for a few rounds.

One of my last hands I finally find myself with position on Mr. Straddle. He's been showing junk and is a complete maniac. I have Q9 clubs (PANGER!) and the button. I call the raise and so do 3 others. He definitely has a target on him and we are just competing to see who can get his stack. Flop is Tc 9s 8h. EP new guy bets. Next mucks. Mr. Straddle calls. I am obliged to call with my gutshot/flush/middle pair. Turn is a 4c. EP bets again, but now about 1/2 the pot. Straddle calls. I figure I have to go with it here and call since the flush might make it. River is Jc. EP bets like $20 and you can tell he's not happy. Straddle happily calls and I go all in. I have everyone covered. EP mucks, and Mr Straddle calls. I show the flush and he shows a 9h and mucks the other card. I'm now up to about $1500. I like this game! The new player to my right says "Damn it, I could never get a hand or hit a flop vs him. You're a lucky SOB!" Yes sir, I am :)

I get up when the BB gets to me to keep my profits and go nap prior to the tourney. Since I have been hearing horror stories about how late the Binion's tourneys are going I head back. Ralph is doing okay in his limit game and decides to stay. He will meet me at Binion's later. I get lunch and take a quick 45 min power nap, then head downtown, splitting a cab with someone that was coming out as I told the doorman I was headed to Binion's. He's going to the PLO8 tourney as well.

Get to Binion's and the line is LONG with about 20 mins left to cards in the air. I hear people grumbling and finally they bring over 2 more to help with registrations, speeding things up quite a bit. I get paid and into my seat with 3 mins to spare. I hook up my mp3 and decide to sit in for the long haul. I usually don't use music or anything else, I like to hear what's going on. I decided to block things out for the first 20 mins or so and give myself some time to change gears. There's quite a bit of chatter at the table about online players, so I eventually turn it off to listen in. I know a few of the online names that people are discussing, and tell them they wouldn't know me as I'm a small-stakes guy. This table is pretty uneventful, and I just can't hit any flops. I have a donkey moment when I have 9c8c8h7h in the BB. The flop comes out Tc7c4s. I SB and I check and someone takes a stab for the minimum (I think we were at $50/100 blinds). Button calls, SB calls, I call. Turn is Js and SB checks. My brain takes a vacation and I find myself betting the Pot. This scares off no one as there are two good flushes and a low draw still out there and all I have is a straight. I should have check/called. I have no idea what I was thinking. River is, of course, the 5s. BB now pushes all in. I fold and curse myself for my stupidity. He gets 3 callers and shows the As2s for the backdoor spade nut, and the nut low. One other shows the Ksxs and the last shows A2o. Ship 3/4 to the SB. I feel like a moron. After that, I got no respect for a raise (and I don't blame them). I was out by the first break.

The good news is that there was a list for a 1/3PLO8 game so I got on it. Meanwhile I sat in a rocky 3/6O8 game and lost $22 while waiting for that game to start. Ralph had arrived just before I registered and had made it into a nice 4/8 HORSE game. One thing I forgot to mention that was funny about Day 1 6/12 HORSE is that Binion's had no way of tracking what game we were on and ended up with a stack of Post-its with the game name. By Sunday they had upgraded to 3x5 index cards. Classy! Ralph says the 4/8 game is good but there's 3 in front of me on the list. I still sign up and hope I can get into it. No pros that I knew this time, so I was hoping I could do well.

Meanwhile, the 1/3 PLO8 game starts. I look around and 7 of the 9 players claim to have busted in the first hour of the tourney. This is usually a good thing, because they are either going to be steaming and crazy, or rocky as hell and easy to bully. A few orbits in I know who is who and manage to hit 3 of my draws, one to scoop and I'm up $300ish. Two orbits later I stand with $250 in profits when I get called for HORSE. Looking back, I should have stayed as there was one ATM that was steaming and short buying, pushing with every hand (he played T 7 4 5 single suited from UTG, calling a raise from LP and then staying in when a T hit the board. Yeah, that type. AND I LEFT! Sigh)

The HORSE game is good and the guy to my right and I start talking a bit. He's a dealer in from Montana to play some WSOP events. Nice guy to chat with, but that was the only nice thing about the table. By the time I get there, Ralph is down and says that the table makeup has changed quite a bit. He decides to go and nap, and I stay on for a few hours, finally leaving down 160ish.

As I head back on the Deuce towards the strip, I get a call from Virge, who just woke up. He's hungry, as am I. We've never met in person, but he suggests that he picks me up in Caesar's circle drive and he'll take me to "The best food off the strip" after we find out that his first choice, the Sushi House at TI closes at 11pm on Sunday. We meet and get caught up in some nasty traffic as there's a fire in the rear lot at Caesar's. We ask Bleu if he wants to join in but he's in a nice 30/60 O8 game at the Bellagio and doesn't want to leave. He would end up playing all night, with 4ish hours HU vs Paul Darden. But that's a Day 3 story..more to come later.

Virge and I finally get out to his favorite place, which is Shucks Tavern & Oyster Bar out in Henderson. He's right, the food is fantastic. We chat poker while I enjoy some seafood bisque and then some of the best blackened scallops I've had in a long time. Virge admits that he hates to play with me online, because I'm too crazy. His advice is to quit trying to play so fancy. As I usually play with him in private events, I can see his point. I usually try to mix up my play and play level 2 or 3 versus people. I have some things to noodle, wondering if this bleeds over into my "normal" game. Food for thought and good food. We call it quits just after midnight and he drops me back at the IP, where I'm staying. He then goes off to rail Bleu at Bellagio. We all plan to meet up for Day 3 and grill out and talk poker at Virge and Lusky's place in Henderson around 7ish. Little did I know that would change.

Coming up - Day 3. Including an outside of casino encounter with a well-known poker pro.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Vegas Trip Report, Day 1

2008-07-01T16:58:00.007-05:00

Welcome dear reader. I'm still trying to figure out who you are! I have returned. I did well, but not great. We'll get to the final tally later on in the week. Today, let's talk about Day 1 in Vegas.

Got in well after midnight local time on Saturday early early morning. I guess that counts as Day 1. But I crashed versus hitting the tables tired. So the real Day 1 started on Saturday, around 9am. Yep. I'm an early riser, for a poker player.

First thing we did is realize that the shuttle from Harrah's to the Rio for WSOP events didn't start running until 10am. Crap. So Ralph and I cabbed it to the Rio to get going.

I wanted to play a few Single Table SnGs. He went off to check on the ring game action. I signed up for a $175 buyin that paid out 1500 in tourney chips and $120 in cash. 10 runners. I did well on the 3rd hand, doubling with QQ vs 66 getting it all in on a T-hi board. I don't think I gave up the chip lead again until we got to HU play. What's funny is that I ended up HU with this guy. I didn't know who he was but there was a Swiss guy at the table. I made a comment to John early on about if he was a pro and the Swiss guy started laughing. I asked him what was funny and he said "You don't know who he is? I know who he is!". John spilled the beans after the HU match. I guess he found a new reader :) Pokernews is much bigger in the EU and AUS than in the US. I hope that changes for him.

But back to poker. I ended up HU with a guy who had a clue which was good and bad. Good, as he offered to chop right away, and we each took a chip. We kept the last chip and the cash in for the winner. Looking back, I should have made it winner gets the chip, loser gets the cash, but I was planning to win it, dammit. The worst part of HU play is that we were both playing TAGish, and there was a lot of raise/folding. It became a test of who was going to get bored first and make a mistake. I did get him in with A6 suited versus QJo and he caught a J on the flop. The turn J buried me and I was down to T2500ish versus his T7500. I battled back to even bit but finally lost with a K8o. I can't remember what he had, but I think he had an A and neither of us paired. Last hand we played blind at 300/600 as I had exactly 600 left on the button. After the flop I turned over AA. He had 2d4d. Flop was A 3 T with 2 diamonds. 5 on the turn and I was drawing slim. No river help and I was done. Such is life. I can't win those 60%ers. That would turn out to be a theme for the week.

Ralph was patiently waiting as the game took around an hour and a half and there was not much cash game action that early in the AM. As he was itching to play and thought about playing in the 4pm HORSE at Binion's, we headed downtown. I'd never played downtown in my previous visits, so it was going to be a new experience.

Got to Binion's around 11:30 AM and there was some low-limit action in LHE, O8, and NLHE. I was waiting for the PLO8 game or a Mixed Game to start up, hoping that we might get HORSE going as the tourney was that day. Meanwhile, I sat at the 1/3 NLHE. Within 30 mins they announced an interest list for 6/12 HORSE and within an hour it was up and going. I sit down in seat 5 and look over at seat 1 to see someone I recognize from CardPlayer. Might have been Vince Burgio, but I'm not sure. He was in PokerStars gear and someone commented that they like to play Omaha, but he writes about it. I didn't want to look like a tourist and ask so I kept my lip zipped. He was definitely in the "pro" category though.

About 20 minutes into the game a guy says "Hey, that's Oklahoma Johnny Hale! Let's see if we can get him to play!" He took seat 4. There's a bunch of missing records from early WSOPs, but I guess he has a few bracelets in Razz from back in the day. I managed to beat him when he had a possible 7-hi showing but I had 65 under. Nice to scoop a legend in his own game! I played for a few hours while Ralph played some 3/6 O8. We took a break around 3 and headed over to the Nugget for the buffet, as we heard it was great food. It definitely was great food, but the weekend price was a bit high and there was still quite a bit of breakfast-ish stuff for 3pm. Ah well.

I was a bit tired and went back to nap. Ralph decided to not play the HORSE (which was a good thing. It finally ended at 8am Sunday with an 8-way chop). Woke up and decided to meet up with Bleu to play. We met at Caesar's. The original plan was to grill out with the boys in Henderson, but he was supposed to be in a Freeroll at Caesar's. Being a poker player, he can't read a calendar and the Freeroll was on Sunday instead.

Anyway, Bleu and I met up at Caesar's and then headed over to the Bellagio to see what the action was like. There wasn't much going on there, so he got on the list for the 30/60 mixed game and we figured we had a few hours to kill. We headed up to the Wynn and got on the 10/20 O8 game. Meanwhile, we played some video poker while waiting. We went back after an hour (and I was up $2!) and I sat at 2/5 NLHE as we were near the top of the list. 2 hands in and they start up a new table as a must-move and I'm in!

The deck hit me pretty hard in the O8 game. I had some great runs. Bleu wasn't doing quite as well, but got moved into the big game. He said the action over there wasn't as good so when they called me up we decided to break instead. We called Ralph (who had been napping, taking the 2nd shift) and headed back to the Rio. I played 2 more SnGs, got knocked out of one quick and then chopped a 2nd one for another chip. Again, I had AT vs K5 and he flopped a 5. I couldn't catch up and ended up all in short with Q6 with 1200 in 300/600 blinds. Again, should have gone for cash to 2nd, but I learned. In good news I had 1000 in tourney chips for my 1500 buyin event. I was on a roll in cash and feeling great!

Tomorrow (or maybe later in the week) will be Day 2 of 4. Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Take a deep breath....

2008-06-17T16:34:00.003-05:00

Cuase it is only 3 days more until VEGAS!!

I haven't been posting much, I've been playing and trying to build the old bankroll up in order to play a few tourneys while I'm out there. Cashing out has been a pain, especially at Full Tilt where they said I could do a Bank Transfer, then I couldn't. I still can't get a straight answer from support, but is anyone really surprised? I think their lack of support will soon be their downfall. Anyway, back to poker!

For sure is the Sunday, June 22nd PLO8 at Binion's. The maybe is still Event #43 of the WSOP. That's right. I might be playing in a prelimary event for the big dance.

I have the roll to play, but it would make a dent. I'm hoping to make enough in cash games or even try a few single-table satellites for tourney chips to make it. Or win the Binion's thing and have the cash and then some :-)

So, dear readers. More to come, later. I'll try to keep good notes and publish a series of trip reports. In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables!

World Series of Poker blogger tournament

2008-04-24T20:00:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm a bit late on this one, but Bodog is running a World Series of Poker blogger tournament. It runs every Tuesday night, and has at least one pro join into the fray. This week, John-Robert (aka Bobby) Bellande and David Williams.

The tourney runs through June 10th and cap with a TOC. Here's the payouts there:

Grand Prize: $12,000 WSOP* Prize Package with Team Bodog
2nd place: T$540 to be used to buy-in to (2) World Series or Players Choice Semifinal
3rd place: T$379 to be used to buy-in to (1) World Series or Players Choice Semifinal and (1)
4th: T$270 to be used to buy-in to (1) World Series or Players Choice Semifinal
5th: T$109 to be used to buy-in to (1) $100,000 Guaranteed Tournament.

Not bad, not bad at all. I guess it pays to be a blogger :)

Check out the site with all the details: http://www.bodogbloggertournament.com/

Frustration

2008-04-22T15:55:00.003-05:00

Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping by. Today's topic is dealing with frustration. We all are prone to this, and everyone has a different way to deal with it. Or I hope you do, because if not, it can be a HUGE leak in your game. Tilt happens, and frustration is probably the #1 cause of tilt.

Today I'm frustrated over the double stack guarantees on Full Tilt. I've been trying to play these whenever I can. Had a sick day from work today and figured I'd try to squeeze one in between naps. I have made it deep in a few of the 2pm, $24k GTDs, but I have yet to final table, mostly due to beats like this one:

Full Tilt Poker Game #6136526216: $24,000 Guarantee (46025201), Table 66 - 500/1000 Ante 125 - No Limit Hold'em - 16:46:43 ET - 2008/04/22
Seat 1: Tonyrwc1 (12,827)
Seat 2: zeban572 (18,199)
Seat 3: Sinkness (22,011)
Seat 4: IlliniFan (11,814) I'm in okay shape. There are 120ish left, I am in 94th. Top 108 pay. But I am the short stack at the table.
Seat 5: Little Ken (14,250)
Seat 6: Trap Gurl (26,326)
Seat 7: Dan_Germoney (14,393)
Seat 8: Dudeoflife (48,842)
Seat 9: poppiekimmie (24,932)
Tonyrwc1 antes 125
zeban572 antes 125
Sinkness antes 125
IlliniFan antes 125
Little Ken antes 125
Trap Gurl antes 125
Dan_Germoney antes 125
Dudeoflife antes 125
poppiekimmie antes 125
Sinkness posts the small blind of 500
IlliniFan posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Tc Td] Nice hand in the BB. I need to get it in early with this, hoping I have some fold equity. I'm in this to win it, not squeeze into the money.
Little Ken folds
Trap Gurl folds
Dan_Germoney raises to 2,800 Looks like A-T through A-K
Dudeoflife folds
poppiekimmie calls 2,800 Definitely is an A-Q or A-K. He'd push with any pairs here to get the raiser out.
Tonyrwc1 folds
zeban572 folds
Sinkness has 15 seconds left to act
Sinkness folds
IlliniFan raises to 11,689, and is all in So I'm up vs Aces or, maybe a smaller pair.
Dan_Germoney raises to 14,268, and is all in Not good.
poppiekimmie calls 11,468
Dan_Germoney shows [Ah Kd]
poppiekimmie shows [Qh Ac]
IlliniFan shows [Tc Td] Nice, they have each other's outs. I have about 45% equity here. Nice place to be.
*** FLOP *** [Js 2c 5c] Great flop for me. Now I'm up in the 65% range
*** TURN *** [Js 2c 5c] [4c] Yikes. Flush and wheel outs.
*** RIVER *** [Js 2c 5c 4c] [3s] Wow. How unlucky can I get? Runner runner wheel. I didn't even notice it until the pot didn't go my way. In fact, I was only worried about the flush and had a WTF moment when the pot got split to them.
Dan_Germoney shows a straight, Five high
poppiekimmie shows a straight, Five high
Dan_Germoney ties for the side pot (2,579) with a straight, Five high
poppiekimmie ties for the side pot (2,579) with a straight, Five high
IlliniFan shows a pair of Tens
Dan_Germoney ties for the main pot (18,346) with a straight, Five high
poppiekimmie ties for the main pot (18,346) with a straight, Five high
IlliniFan stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 41,850 Main pot 36,692. Side pot 5,158. | Rake 0
Board: [Js 2c 5c 4c 3s]
Seat 1: Tonyrwc1 folded before the Flop
Seat 2: zeban572 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Sinkness (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: IlliniFan (big blind) showed [Tc Td] and lost with a pair of Tens
Seat 5: Little Ken folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Trap Gurl folded before the Flop
Seat 7: Dan_Germoney showed [Ah Kd] and won (20,925) with a straight, Five high
Seat 8: Dudeoflife folded before the Flop
Seat 9: poppiekimmie showed [Qh Ac] and won (20,925) with a straight, Five high

Such is life. I was pretty happy with how I played. I did everything right, but again lost when I was well ahead in the hand.

So, to deal with the frustration, I come here to vent. I used to post on other forums, but everyone hates a bad beat story. The one thing that I am sure that I do now, especially online, is to take a 20-30 minute break. The worst thing to do is to tilt off a bunch of cash right after a beat like this. It is worse online than live, as you can multitable and see a lot more hands.

So, my advice? Write it out. Sit out. Don't play. Decompress. If you don't, you might end up throwing in more money without even thinking about it. That's it for today.

I'll cya at the tables in 30 mins or so :)

Reason #527 I'll never be a pro

2008-04-08T19:09:00.003-05:00

Hello again. Thanks for stopping by for a read. If you are a regular reader, you know that I'm a micro-stakes player. I'm also an amateur (thus the blog name). I have no aspirations to ever become a pro, there are too many things that I just don't do as well as a pro. However, there are aspects of a pros game that would make me much more successful. Today we will deal with one of these topics.

I had a leak that hit me square in the face recently. No, it isn't really #527. I guess some day I can make a list, but this one for some reason got me thinking, and therefore the post.

So what can a pro do that I can't? I think the biggest difference between a casual player and a professional is the pro's ability to play the same game no matter the distractions. Tired? They can play though, making no mistakes. Sick? Same.

They have achieved a level of concentration and experience that allows them to not make the blunders that most of us make when we start to wear down. I can't tell you how many times I have played (nearly) mistake-free poker for 4 hours of a MTT just to go out on the FT bubble (or, worse, money bubble) because I decided that my (AK, JJ, 45 suited) was good enough to shove on that flop of 9 8 2. After I had been reraised preflop. By the guy who was showing down premium hands. What is it that makes our brains short-circuit like this as we get into several hours of play? I think it is the lack of focus so many Internet players have. We are used to playing (usually multiple tables) while IMing, surfing, watching TV. We are multi-taskers.

Don't get me wrong. There are quite a few pros that make their bread and butter multi-tabling. But I'd bet that a slim majority multi-task and multi-table, especially not when they get deep into tourneys. And even if they do, they tend to not be as distracted as Joe Public.

I personally don't have a TV in the room where I have my computer. I think if I did I wouldn't be doing as well lately as I have. I have been trying to focus on the games more, and it shows. When I play live, I don't have the distractions and I have been crushing games. But online, I haven't had the same successes. And now I'm pretty sure I know why.

So for the first 3 months of the year, I did decent online. I have a ROI of about 4% across all of my games (SnGs, MTTs, various ring games). The next month I'm going to make a conscious effort to not multi-task. I'll multi-table (but for me this is 2-3 games. Maybe 4 if I have good notes on one), but I won't IM. I won't surf and read the forums. I'll concentrate on my games.

I'll let you know in a month if I can bump my win rate. In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables.

BBT3

2008-03-20T13:14:00.002-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by for a read. Today's topic is the Battle of the Bloggers, version 3.

This is just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on. Al has done an amazing job at getting Full Tilt on board with lots of cash and prizes. Where else can you have a shot at TWO WSOP ME seats as well as TWO $2k bracelet packages. 4 seats for the TOC, not to mention cash and prizes to the top 20 on the leaderboard at the end of this madness.

How am I doing? Thanks for asking! 2 tourneys in and I'm in a solid 201st place. Part of that has to do with a slight flooding problem during the Skill Series on Tuesday evening. Started into it and the wife came upstairs with the dreaded "There's water in the basement" report.

So from about 9:45 until 2am, I was trying to stay ahead of the storm. Our little 1/3 HP sump pump (rated at 2900 gallons per hour) apparently wasn't up for the task of fighting the gazillion inches of rain on top of the gazillion inches of snow last week. Imagine that. Had to take yesterday off and run to Lowes for an upgrade to a 1/2 HP (4200 gph better do it from now on).

Needless to say, I haven't cashed or hit a FT in my two big tries. Tonight is the Riverchasers event, and is PLO8 this week. I hope to at least cash so that Al will finally link me.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Running better online

2008-03-07T23:50:00.007-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by. I have been playing some live lately down at the local boat, but just had a nice run online for the first time in forever. I've had final tables. I've finished 2nd. I've finished 3rd. But finally, I have a win in a public tourney. Weds night I won the PLO8 $5 tourney that kicks off on FT at 8:35 EST.

Isn't that pretty? Nice little cash for me. I have played in 22 MTTs this year (mostly private) and this put me up to a ROI of 48% for the year in MTTs. As you can tell, I usually play $10 and under MTTs.

I had some great reads going into the final table and was able to use them. GusTheDog was pushing with some marginal hands and gambling a bit, so I knew that I could get a nice trap to spring on him. When we got down to 3-handed with him, me and pogo7 I was actually a bit more worried about pogo than about Gus (sorry Gus, if you are reading this). pogo7 was showing down a lot of good hands. I got the chip lead with about 50 people left and hung around the top of the leaderboard for a long time.

Here's the hand that won it for me. To take someone out in a split game is difficult. To take 2 people out in the same hand is very rare, and you need some luck to pull it off. Here's the screenshot and Hand History:

Full Tilt Poker Game #5520059988: $5 + $0.50 Tournament (41885620), Table 19 - 2500/5000 - Pot Limit Omaha H/L - 0:50:36 ET - 2008/03/06
Seat 1: GusTheDog (120,168)
Seat 3: pogo7 (88,500)
Seat 4: IlliniFan (196,332)
pogo7 posts the small blind of 2,500
IlliniFan posts the big blind of 5,000
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [7h Qs 6s Qd]
GusTheDog raises to 14,000 He's been raising with a few hands, so this is a pretty wide range.
pogo7 calls 11,500 Now I definitely have to call.
GusTheDog: 2/3
IlliniFan has 15 seconds left to act
IlliniFan calls 9,000
*** FLOP *** [Tc Th Qh] Bingo! Now to get Gus to bet it for me.
pogo7 checks
Studinator (Observer): well, I'm outta here now. TID
IlliniFan checks
GusTheDog bets 42,000 Thank you Gus!
pogo7 raises to 74,500, and is all in This worried me a bit. But I have the nuts. I don't want Gus out yet.
IlliniFan calls 74,500 So I smooth-call.
GusTheDog calls 32,500 SWEET!
*** TURN *** [Tc Th Qh] [5s]
IlliniFan bets 107,832, and is all in I decide that Gus is committed by now. Huge pot.
GusTheDog calls 31,668, and is all in And he is.
IlliniFan shows [7h Qs 6s Qd]
GusTheDog shows [3d Qc Jc As] Wowsa! Talk about a big range!
pogo7 shows [4s 5d Ts Ah] Figured he had to have the set at least. I was worried about quads when he pushed, but was committed and had Gus over calling.
GalloFX (Observer): wtfaments?
vtlaxer09 (Observer): BIG POT
Uncalled bet of 76,164 returned to IlliniFan
*** RIVER *** [Tc Th Qh 5s] [8d]
predator06 (Observer): GAME THE FK OVER Gotta love the Predator rail. He's a great teacher. Thanks Pred!
vtlaxer09 (Observer): gus gus gus
IlliniFan shows a full house, Queens full of Tens, for high
GusTheDog shows two pair, Queens and Tens, for high
IlliniFan wins the side pot (63,336) with a full house, Queens full of Tens
pogo7 shows a full house, Tens full of Fives, for high
IlliniFan: GG guys
IlliniFan wins the main pot (265,500) with a full house, Queens full of Tens
pogo7 stands up
GusTheDog stands up
IlliniFan stands up
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 328,836 Main pot 265,500. Side pot 63,336. | Rake 0
Board: [Tc Th Qh 5s 8d]
Seat 1: GusTheDog (button) showed [3d Qc Jc As] and lost with HI: two pair, Queens and Tens
Seat 3: pogo7 (small blind) showed [4s 5d Ts Ah] and lost with HI: a full house, Tens full of Fives
Seat 4: IlliniFan (big blind) showed [7h Qs 6s Qd] and won (328,836) with HI: a full house, Queens full of Tens

Now that was a nice cash. I decided to give this thing a try again tonight. Look what happened:

Yep. That's right. Another PLO8 donkament, another cash.

I may have found a new home.

Meanwhile, I'm still running well in the cash game side (10.7% ROI) and the SnG side (17.4% ROI). Overall, not a bad year so far.

These wins have given me the confidence to get to Vegas this summer for sure. I now have an adequate BR that I can use for travel and still have money to play.

There's a group of forumers headed out in early June, but I can't make that due to work stuff. Damn life interfering with my poker games! Instead, I looked at the schedules for the WSOP and the Binion's 2nd Annual Poker Classic.

There is a nice little PLO8 $150 buyin event at Binions on the 22nd of June. The WSOP $1500 PLO8 event is on the 24th. I have enough in the roll to get to Vegas and play both. I'm going to try damn hard to win a Bracelet Race on Full Tilt to get me the WSOP buyin, and if I can't get one of those, I'll try some SnG or Satellites to the PLO8 WSOP event when I get into town.

So come late June, I'll be in Vegas. In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables.

Actual Poker Content! The west coast poker trip.

2008-02-29T20:49:00.006-05:00

Okay dear readers, it has been a long time since I had some poker content up. Not due to inactivity, not due to going busto. I've just been damn busy. I hate it when real life takes over my poker time.

Since last we talked I managed to make it out to the left coast for a week of work. I spent Super Bowl Sunday at Bay 101 in San Jose playing 4/8 O8 with a kill. This game was actually decent. The players understood O8 and I was able to make a few plays that would never work at a 3/6 game, like bluffing into people when a scare card hit if I read them for weak and they would FOLD!! Praise baby Jesus! Folding in a limit game? I feel like I'm getting a pretty good handle on reading people live, and this trip proved it. I went back on Monday night after work and played for 4 more hours. Racked up about 11 hours of poker and ended up +60ish big blinds. Not a bad rate.

On a side note, my hotel in SJ was within walking distance of the Garden City Casino. I spent a total of 7 minutes there after work on Monday. I walked it, and compared to Bay 101 the place was just dark and dirty. I had to take a leak and the bathroom was a hole. Took my leak, walked back through and left. Returned to Bay 101 and continued to play vs a decent crowd.

After flying to LA on Tuesday AM, I met one of my FTF friends (I was a degenerate and made her leave work early). She picked me up at my hotel after I checked in and we ran down (well, it was LA, more of moseyed down in the carpool lane) to the Commerce. It was LAPC time and we were hoping there'd be some good NLHE/O8 action. We were a bit disappointed. D's brother Rafe was going to meet us to "ensure I wasn't a stalker" (thanks for the label Rafe, I'm not an internet predator :-P ) and wanted to play in a tourney. After taking a bit of cash out of Bay 101, I was severely tempted to buy into the PLO8 tourney that started on Tuesday. One thing held me up, and that was a $1065 buy in. I had the cash, but wanted to ensure that I had a bit more action for my money, so I abstained. The O8 action wasn't great, so we decided to try to hit the Bike.

Issue was, we didn't know how to get there. We knew the Bike was near the freeway, but saying that in LA is like saying that the Bike was near an El Pollo Loco (which, actually, it is as well). The issue was we didn't know WHICH freeway, so we hopped on the 5 and headed south toward Bell Gardens. No dice. We drove back north and called Topanga and she gave us directions from Commerce to the Bike, but we were already on the 5. It was an adventure, but we eventually made it over to the 710 and found it. At least D isn't one of those drivers that makes you car sick. Sorry to be a pain, D. :)

So we finally made it to the Bike. Since the LAPC was running at the Commerce, there weren't any daily tourneys there. The Bike was running their 7pm $60 buy in, so we decided that we'd stick around long enough to play in that. We got on the 3/6 O8 list and sat at 3/6 LHE while we waited for O8 to open up. D decided to wait as she felt like she was getting a cold and grabbed some OJ to try to stay hydrated. About 4 hands into LHE action, they called that they were starting up a new 3/6 O8 game and to come and lock up seats. I wasn't thinking, and got up with my chips. Of course, the O8 game didn't fill and we ended up on the list, again. I got back in LHE and played about 30 mins before getting to the O8 game. Meanwhile, Rafe shows up and wants to play NLHE. He and D get on a new small buy in table (don't remember if it was a 40 or 100 buy in game). I realized that 3/6 wasn't where I wanted to be and moved up to 6/12. I ended up down a bit there and finally it was time for the 7pm.

The structure at the Bike on these is actually decent. You can play for easily the first hour to hour and a half before the blinds get to a level you need to start worrying. The end does get you into crapshoot mode as the blinds escalate, but that's pretty much par for the course on these tourneys anymore. I'd like to have some play early to get some chips, keep accumulating, wait for a big hand or two to double up or KO some folks, and get deep. 102 runners for the game when all the late buy ins got there. 2 forumers. Of course we both made the money, what more would you expect?

I managed to make the Final Table, even. D did well but looked like she was short stacked most of the time. I was able to double up about midway through when I had about 5k when my pocket 3s flopped a set. I checked into drunk young "i'm better than all you"! man (you know the type) and let him bet it for me. I check raised all in and he insta-called with KQo on a T 5 3 board. Yeah, you're a great player. I hit a 3 on the turn and he was dead. I love quads! :)

Final table and drunk man is to my immediate left. He's still in aggro mode and I'm just waiting to take him down. Guy 2 to my left hits a HUGE pot with AK vs A7 vs JJ and takes a commanding chip lead. We all had 16-20K going into the final table, and one guy had about 27K. Two to my left tripled up and took the CL down a few notches. Next hand previous CL makes a standard raise and I look down to find KK. I don't want to mess around, so I reraise enough to isolate (at least I thought). I have about 16K at this point, the blinds are 500/1000. CL raised to 3.5k, I repop to 10K showing I mean business. Guy in the SB calls (he only has 6K). Whoops. CL reraises all in and I call ~1.2K more into a pot that is now $30Kish. I'm afraid to see AA, but there isn't one. CL has A-rag. SB has TT. No A and I scoop one hell of a pot to become 2nd in chips.

A few hands later, drunk man gets into it vs CL with QQ vs AK. CL hits his A and we are down to 6. I'm still comfortably in 2nd. Its now after midnight and D has to work the next day. I'm still a bit tired from the travel and I make a monster mistake. I raise from the CO with A-3 suited. SB reraises all in and his stacks are dirty (chips are all mixed up). I look and it looks like he has about 10K. I have about 30K behind after my raise (we were up to 750/1500 blinds and I popped 5K). So i think I have to call another 5K and possibly bust this guy. I realize that I'm probably behind but for some reason put him on a mid-PP that doesn't want a call. I haven't been playing with this guy prior to the FT and we have only played about 8 hands. I SHOULD have asked for a chip count, but I didn't. I said "Call" and flipped up my A-3. He shows AK. Crap. Can't get any worse, until he starts stacking his chips correctly and I realize that I underestimated. By about 10-12K. Double crap. Now i'm down to about 8K and UTG. I look down to find QT offsuit. I push and the SB calls. He doubles me when his J5 doesn't improve (thanks for the action tho!). Blinds go up again to 1K/2K and I have about 16K. Still not a great place to be. I'm steaming a little still from what I am pretty sure was an angle shoot from Mr Dirty stack (he does the same thing again after he rakes the pot to ensure no one can get an accurate chip count on him, which probably helps propagate a bit of steam). I know that having a dirty stack is legal, I just think it's a bit rude to not have your chips arranged so that everyone knows or can quickly estimate what you have. Having to ask for a chip count slows the game, and I'm sure that he does this just so people make mistakes like I did. Live and learn.

Last hand of the night is my BB. I have 14K after posing. One limper to the Button, who pushes. I look down to find 87 suited, my AA killer. Unfortunately, he doesn't have AA when I call and his JT suited flops a T. Not my suit, but I have a runner runner str8 draw! When that doesn't materialize, I go out in 6th and cash in $180. I tip $20 and take out $100 in profit. Not too shabby and again I leave the casino up.

The next chance I had to play was on Thursday night. I hear that the Hollywood Park as a small ($40ish dollar) buy in game so I head down there. I get there about 6:55 and find out that it is a rebuy. Ugh. I'm not a fan. I know the Hustler has a 7pm "Deepstack" tourney with a larger buy in so I decide to get down there and get into a late seat. I get there by about 7:30 and buy in for the $265. You get $5000 in chips, there are 45 minute levels, and the starting blinds are 25/25. Hell. Yeah.

I get to the "spare" table that they just put down chips on as they filled in all the empty seats in the other tables. There are 4 others there and I haven't lost a blind yet. Sweet. Not a lot of action, and after a few orbits they break us. My next table has one other from the previous, and we don't end up tangling too much. There's one very short stack when I sit (<1K) that doubles and doubles again to get healthy. Most people are playing tight, aggressive poker, so there's not a lot of action. I get myself some dinner (if you've never been there, the Hustler has EXCELLENT, CHEAP food. Nice job, Larry) which is a half a Rotisserie Chicken, baked potato, fresh steamed broccoli and a Diet Coke. It is the "nightly special" and costs me $4. INCLUDING THE TIP. Again, nice job Larry.

About hour 2.5 the action starts to heat up a bit as antes kick in. We are still really really deep as the blinds are 200/400 with a 25 ante, but the ante does induce a few more raise/defends from the blinds. I do this from my BB when a kid that has been stealing a bit raises my BB. I find 9hTh and smooth call. The 7h 8h Ks flop gives me some nice draws and I check/call his continuation bet. The Jd on the river gives me the nuts, but again I check hoping he puts me on the flush draw. He bets again and I call. The river is the 2h. I realize that he might be on the flush draw and hesitate. Bad move. He smells the uncertainty and pushes when I check. I think I'm screwed, but I'm pot committed as it is up to about 7K and I have 1.5K left. I call and he shows AKo. Dodged a bullet there, but it turned in my favor.

Soon that table breaks. I get moved, and then 2 hands later moved again. This table is absolutely nuts. Two young "pro" types with the sunglasses/hats/hoodies that are playing all in or fold. I stay out of the way but do manage to bust a short stack with 88 vs his A-rag that he pushed with UTG. The first pro folded so I reraised all in to isolate. Pro #2 gives me a dirty look and mucks. No A on the flop and I'm up to about 10K.

Table breaks again. We are going down quick in players. The tourney is a GTD $20k payout, and we were one player short of the GTD, so Larry kicked in the extra $200. First place is 7K, so it has a nice top-heavy structure. We are down to 3 tables and the blinds are up to 400/800 with a 50 ante. I look down to find AJ off in the CO. We are shorthanded down to 7 players at our table. I decide to make it 2600 to go. BB looks and insta-pushes. I put him on QQ-AA and muck faceup. He shows QQ. Nice read me :). Next hand I have AcTc. I decide that I want the blinds to get back to where I was and push. SB (previous BB) insta-calls again and now tables AQo. Crap. I'm out in about 25th. Would have been nice to make the FT.

It is only about 11pm and I decide to play some O8 again to see how the game plays here. They only have one O8 table and it is right by the front door. It was a bit chilly in LA that week (50s) and the draft blew right through the table. The players were rocks. I dropped $100 in about 45 minutes, mostly to the one calling station at the table. He was hitting everything. I decide to rebuy for 100 more, but that was a mistake. An hour later the table starts to break and I've used up all my profit from Bay 101. Gah. I'm only up about $70 for the trip now.

Don't make it to anywhere again until Sat afternoon. The conference I was in town for ran Weds - Sat afternoon. Damn work, getting in the way of my gambling time! We break about 2pm and I head to the Commerce again to meet Rafe. He's planning to play some Single Table satellites that pay out LAPC chips for buy ins. I get there and he's down to the final 3 in his first with an average size stack. I sweat him for a bit but he ends up going out in 3rd when his A is outkicked. He decides he is going to stick around upstairs and try to play another. I go downstairs to get into the 4/8 O8 game again to make a little back.

The title of this blog is "Confessions of an amateur poker player". There's a reason that I consider myself an amateur and have no desire to be a pro. That reason is that I love poker in short bursts (2-3 hours at a time) but tend to get bored and lose focus if I try for longer sessions. I know that I can do well if I concentrate, but I usually end up tired and then chase and make dumb mistakes (ie the A-3 fiasco at the Bike). I should have just played for an hour or two at O8, but I ended up stuck 200 and then buying in for another 200. I ran that up to $360 and got up to take a break. I should have picked up and left.

Instead, I decided to go star-watching. With the LAPC in town, the high-limit room was rocking and full of pros. I saw Jamie Gold, Todd Brunson, Eli Elezra, Layne Flack. I even stopped and watched Bobby Bellande (the Survivor guy) play 4-handed Chinese Poker for $100 a point. It looked like a rough game, as he and an Asian woman were dropping the F-bomb at each other every other word. I've heard he's an asshole, and about 5 minutes into my watching he turned around and looked at me. I asked "Is it okay if I watch from here?" as I was behind him, but I was about 4 feet away. He said "Sure, come over here and watch" and kept his cards up higher so I could see how he was setting up his hand. He and the Asian woman kept at it, but he was actually pretty nice to me and explained the first hand I watched him build after he invited me over. So he's not all that bad, and knows how to treat "fans" (although I'm not a big one, he was just in the best spot to watch). Might be one now tho, as he was pretty cool to do that when he could have just ignored me.

I watched for about 30 mins and then headed back to my O8 game. I asked for a dinner break when I left and had 45 mins. I walked through the Pan and Pai-Gow games (those people are nuts, but the high-stakes Pan game had AT LEAST $3 Million on the table. it was a bit sick, I'd never seen tiles at a US casino and realized they were $50K a piece)

I went back and sat at O8, and knew I wasn't on my game. Instead of getting up, I gave back the $160 I had won back and then $100 more. I finally decided that the 4/8 game wasn't holding my attention and moved to a new $100 NLHE buy in game. It had 1/3 blinds, so it played like my game here at Argosy, just had a $100 buy in cap vs $300. I played around for 45 mins and realized my head wasn't in it and got up up $20. I went back and railed Jamie Gold for a bit, but he's really an ass. I watched a HU NLHE game that a kid had set up that the Commerce was spreading for him. It MIGHT have been Scott Clements, but I can't be sure. They were playing 250/500 NLHE with a minimum $10K buy in. I watched him clean out 2 Asian guys in a row for $10k a pop in less than 20 minutes. Just some sick sick reads. He busted the 2nd guy calling down with J-hi on a K-hi board AND WAS RIGHT. Didn't see what the Asian had as he insta-mucked when Scott showed his J-10. Asian #2 was rebuying when I finally left.

Net, ended up down for the trip about $300. Not the final tally I was hoping for after the nice start, but could have been worse. And limit is a game with higher variance, so I'm not that unhappy to have a downswing. If I hadn't done the Hustler Deep Stacks game, I would have ended up down $50 for the week. I got to play a lot of poker and see some neat folks. This ended up being a bit of a long post, but I decided it has been a while so I'd get it all up in one shot.

I have been playing online again a bit after a slight hiatus over the last month. I do plan to make a run at a $1500 or $2000 "Bracelet Race" over on FTP. I plan to try to get into BBT3 TOC to get a prize package there. I have enough of a BR this year that I COULD buy into one directly, but I'd prefer to satellite my way into a WSOP event, and if not this year, then definitely next. I do plan to get to Vegas this year sometime during the WSOP, I just haven't been able to nail down the timing yet due to work stuff. I'm starting to play a few more blogger events and might try to get there if they have a Summer Classic this year. Some forumers are going in June and I'd like to hang out with them if I can make it there then. Damn work, again getting in the way of poker. Such is life.

In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables.

New arch-enemy

2008-02-28T21:07:00.003-05:00

Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic. But after the 3 outer Evy35 hung on my last week, she's coming close.

Now I have a personal vendetta to go with the BBT3. Yikes. That could make life rough for the next 13 weeks.

So watch out Evy. I'm gunning for you :)

7 WSOP Seats? HELL YEAH!!

2008-02-26T20:16:00.004-05:00

Be afraid. Be very afraid. And check Al Can't Hang for details.

Cleaning Up

2008-01-15T18:26:00.000-05:00

Just did a cleanup of the blogroll over there. If you are not on it and a reader/blogger, feel free to email me and I'll link you up.

If you are trying to troll for hits to your business site, don't bother asking me to link you.

Poker in 08 has started well. Down slightly for the year (overall ROI of -6%) but I'm up in the SnGs (ROI of 10%). I'll write more later.

Cya at the tables.

Bad Beat JackpotS

2008-01-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, dear reader. You read that right. Not Bad Beat Jackpot. Bad Beat JackpotS (plural).

What am I talking about? Nothing like a good day at the boat!

Decided to take today off and get in some poker. Haven't been to the boat in a while, I've been working on getting my online game better. I'd like to finally have a winning year. Last year was close, but still not in the black online.

So I head down to play in the $70 buy-in noon tourney. I get there early and decide to play some 1/3 NLHE while I wait. First hand, I get dealt in (no posting at argosy unless you are on the button for some strange reason).

First hand I'm UTG +2. I get Ad6c. I muck as I have no read on the table. We are short with only 7 people in a 1/3 NLHE game.

Guy 2 to my left raises to 12. Guy to his left calls. BB calls.

Flop 7d 7h 5d. BB checks. Bettor bets out 20. Caller calls, BB mucks.

Turn 6d. Bettor bets $60. Caller calls.

River 5s. Straight flush and 2 quads possible. Bettor bets $100, raises pops all in for $30 more. Bettor says "Man, I hope you have that straight flush" Caller says "No, I have quads" Bettor shows 55 (he rivered it). Caller shows 77.

Jackpot is $29ishK. 55 gets $15k. 77 gets $7.5K. 5 of us split the other $7.5k for $1.5k each. Life is GOOOOT!!! (other than having to fill out a W-2G. Ick!) I play a few more hands and end up -$70 (not including the jackpot, silly!). Then the tourney starts.

I have a good run to start and take my 2k in starting chips up to 7k. I'm the CL at my table. They finally break us and I move to the table of death. I go from big stack to 2nd shortest. This must be where the CLs go to die. I blind down to 4500 and then have a brain fart with Ac6c thinking that it's a good raising hand and the brain cramp continues on an A-hi flop. I'm up against AK and I'm out. I had a runner runner flush draw. Does that make it any better? Nope. I'm just dumb. Sigh.

I go back to 1/3 NLHE and get on the list for the 2/5 NLHE and 5/10 LHE and LO8 games (interest lists for both only) They start a 2/5 NLHE and since I have some extra cash I decide to sit in it. I had a better run at the new 1/3 game and get up +173, so +103 now.

I don't even get through a full orbit on 2/5 NLHE and they start up the LHE game. Sigh. Moving again. I drew the button in the new game and didn't have to post, so no change in the roll.

I get up and take a walk a bit into the game (so 6.5 since the bad beat hit). New jackpot is ~25% of the old so is about 7.7k (think they round up a little since it is over 7.5k).

I come back to have 10-6 offsuit in LP. UTG raises to 10. Folded to me, I fold. SB reraises to 15. BB calls. Bettor calls.

Flop 7d 7c 6c. Interesting. SB bets $5. BB calls. Bettor calls.

Turn 5c. SB bets $10, BB calls, bettor raises to $20. SB and BB call.

River 5s. It's like deja-vu. Same frigging board (well, clubs vs diamonds). I think there's no way that this can happen again with quads vs quads. SB bets. BB thinks and mucks. Bettor raises. They cap it (can't go unlimited reraises since 3 went to the river).

SB turns over 7h 7s. Bettor turns over 8c9c. Quads vs straight flush.

Quads get 3.9K. Straight Flush gets 1.9K. The other 8 chop up and get $240 each.

People in the LHE game start talking about converting it to a LO8 game. 6 of the 10 are up for it and there are 3 more on the list for O8. The other 4 are whining about not wanting or knowing how to play O8 and we try to get it to a mixed game (round of HE, round of O8). Still no dice. I'm down about 160 in the game and decide to get up to force the table to break and re-seat as O8. Others get up and in about 10 mins the LHE game breaks. We re-seat for O8. I go and cash in $1400 and decide to play the other $430 that I have left. I play for about an hour and 15, and finally get up with $460,

So, overall. I hit jackpots for $1721. Less $75 for tips. I end up with +14 in cash games after drinks and tips (water and diet coke only, no alkey-hol for me!). Overall I'm up $1590 for the year and it is only day 2!

Not a bad afternoon :-)

I'm going to do some research to see how astronomically small the odds are of being dealt into 2 jackpot hands. This boat makes a bad beat Aces Full of Jacks or better beat by Quads or better. The Aces full have to have at least one Ace in their hand. Gotta be way up there.

Boat that is down the road has a jackpot sitting at 120K. Need Aces full of 10s or better beat, period. Only one table usually going there to hit the jackpot which is why it is pretty high right now. I might have to take a run down there later this month if no one hits it.

NLO8

2007-10-03T20:35:00.000-05:00

Evening and thanks for stopping by. Tonights' musings will deal with that strange game, No-Limit Omaha High/Low split, also known as NLO8.

I used to think that people who played this were sick. It must be contagious, because the bug has now bitten me as well. I started playing PLO8 and had a friend give me a few tips on moving into NLO8.

Why do I like it now? To me, there is a pretty good strategy to use in NLO8 that won't work anywhere else. It is mathematically based. It is easy to understand. And it works. Variance can be high (I had a huge downswing to start) but you just need to ensure that you follow some simple bankroll rules.

I know that this sounds cryptic, but I know a few people who are making a killing at this game, and I don't want to spoil the party. The strategy is damn easy to figure out if you watch any of the higher limit games for a while, or look for me on the lower-limit tables. If you're nice to me, I might share the wealth.

The pros that I have seen have yet to figure out a counter. I don't know if there really is one, other than playing uber-tight and even then the variance might do you in if you aren't funded.

Wow, this is fun. I'll cya at the tables.

Why the hell do I play online?

2007-09-24T20:12:00.000-05:00

Welcome, thanks for stopping. Title of this post is an easy answer in some respects. The closest card room is 30 mins away and I still don't have a membership. Closest casino is 45 mins or so over in Lawrenceburg, IN. I can play online within 2-3 mins of deciding and get up and move around at will. So it's a convenience thing, no doubt about it. But it is costing me money.

I'm still not sure why. I think I play the same game live and online. I just seem to pick up more in betting patterns and other tells live. So far this year, live I'm up big. Not gonna say how much with big brother out there :) Online, -$700.

I have talked in the past about why I think I've been running badly online. I think that lately I just am not staying focused. I have been killing the SnGs and MTTs. (actually have a +ROI in both) but have been losing my shirt in cash. Live, I'm up in both tourney and cash.

Today was a good example. I decided to play the $100+15 tourney over at Argosy. $20 goes to bounties, so you can make some decent cash taking people out. I didn't get ONE. Had quite a few pots where people had me covered by 500 or less and I put a huge hurt on them, but every time I was up for a bounty I lost the pot. Once to runner runner flush when I had the guy dominated with AJ vs J8 on a J 7 4 board with 2 hearts (his 8 was the heart).

This post isn't about bad beats, although I took a few myself. Top 7 spots paid and guess who finished 8th? That's right. Good ol' Illinifan. Sigh.

But every cloud has a silver lining. I went to get on the list for the 1/3 NLHE game and the 3/6 LHE games. Guy says, we have an open seat at Table 9. I look over, and it's seat #9. Guy that is dealing it was just dealing the FT of the tourney about 20 mins before and dealt me 9-x (ranging from 10 to 2) about 10 hands in a row and blinded me down quite a ways. Hmmm...9s. Lots of 9s. Maybe I should try this out. I hit the window, and sit with $200.

I sit down mid-hand. Pot looks to be about 50ish bucks and as I sit the guy to my immediate right bets 15 into it. One caller. Ah 7s 8s on board. Back to the UTG player. He pushes for $127 into the pot. Guy to my right insta-calls. Third player thinks and thinks. Finally mucks. Pusher shows AKo. Caller has AsTs. Js on the turn and I start to think I might like this game.

I go a few orbits without much action. Then in the BB I find KQo. Limped to me. I check it. Flop is A Q 4, 2 clubs. I check. The guy that got felted with the AK is back with more chips to donate...er....play with. He bets 15 into a pot of about that size. I decide to see what develops when 2 call coming back to me. Turn is another Q. I check. Now he bets out 30. Muck muck. I think and just call it. River is an 8, no flush. I decide to see what kind of play this dude has and bet out $50. He looks confused and I know he has a Q with a smaller kicker. Don't know why. Just a feeling. He hums and haws and finally pushes all in. I call and say "I have you outkicked" even before the cards get on their backs. And I'm right. He shows QT off. I rake a nice $360ish pot.

So no 9s, but I'm feeling better. I've made back my tourney buy in and then some in about 30 mins. I decide to stick around for a bit longer. Play a few small pots, picking some up and losing some. Finally around to me in the CO and I find the red Js. Mr Flush to my right makes it 10 to go and I pop it to 30. QTo has returned with more chips, again. He flat calls as does Mr Flush. Flop is 7s 6s 6c. AK/QT bets out 20 into the 100ish pot. Mr. Flush smooth calls. I pop to 60 to see if I'm any good. Call call. Uh oh. Not good. Turn is a beautiful thing. The Js. I hope Mr Flush has his Asxs again. AK/QT checks. Mr Flush checks. I think about this one for a minute or two. I've seen Mr Flush call overbets with some questionable cards. I've seen AK/QT make some horrible plays. I finally decide to push. "I'm all in". AK/QT mucks. Mr Flush says "You're in big trouble. I call." Uh oh, he has AA or KK and decided to slowplay it. I show my JJ and he's PISSED OFF. He's a big dude. He gives me the evil eye. His buddy says "How can you call without at least a 6? That's your own fault dude". We count up the chips. I have 266 when I pushed. He has 260. He gets up and leaves. I rake in a $780ish pot. My biggest live (or online) pot to date. Feels nice, but I know I got lucky and he made a mistake. But that's poker.

Played two more orbits and lost one 2s full of Js boat to quad 2s to AK/QT guy and he doubles up his $60 stack through me. He is very proud of himself, but it just makes a little dent in me. I finally leave with $753. Not a bad day of live poker. I've only been at the boat playing for a little over 3 hours, a little over 2 of which were in the tourney.

Not bad for a live game day. Now if I can just get my online game to pick up a bit, I'll be happy. In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables.

Getting back on the horse

2007-08-12T21:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been away for a while dear readers. Many goings on in the Illinifan household lately. I need to get back to this, as the blogging helps my game.

I have had a nice run lately. 3 FTs in Razz, PLO8 and HORSE. Got HU with the HORSE and lost it when the blinds made it a crapshoot. Wasn't so happy with the PLO8 finish, as I had 2nd in chips and 2.5x 3rd place when we got to the FT. That one just got away from me. You lose focus for just a minute and the whole apple cart turns over. And having a baby in the house tends to help one lose focus :)

The good news is that I'm still +ROI in MTTs for the year. I don't get a big chance to play very many of these, but have managed to cash in the last few to keep myself in the black. I did make a few tries for a FTOPS seat, but just can't get the time together to make a solid run at anything.

I'm toying with a HU Challenge. Every poker player wants to know how good they are, test themselves out. I think that if I played nothing but HU matches for a month straight, rotating games, I could figure out where I sit in the big world of online poker. Of course, I have to choose a level to do this at, and then I might get an idea of how good I am versus people that choose to play HU at that level in that game, but that's about it. Maybe a public challenge in some forums would do the trick. Still tinkering on it. If you have any thoughts, comment away.

I have finally moved over (no small thanks to predator06) on Full Tilt to playing some PLO8. I'm down in both the .10/.25 and .25/.50 ring, but not that much. I'm still piddling around and need to get serious if I plan to play there long-term.

So looking at this post I can already tell you what my issue is. Can you guess? Yep. Focus. I've been too busy putzing around playing different games, different levels. I need to close it all down and focus on one game, one level. Conquer (or at least get +ROI) and then move up. But that's only if I want to be serious about the game.

I'm still trying to decide. Play for fun? Play seriously? Guess I need to do a bit of soul searching. I do know for sure I'll only be on between 9-10pm EST most nights on FT. Look me up there (without the 97). I'll cya at the tables.

Running good live = running good online

2007-05-06T21:43:00.000-05:00

All it takes is just a little patience. If you've been keeping up, you will know that I've been running well live, but not so well online. The month of April changed that. I have finally turned the corner (I hope) playing online. I still play some cash games once in a while, but the game DuJour has become the $10 NLHE Sit-N-Goes.

I did really well in the $5s (meaning I had a +ROI) and decided to move up to the $10s. I did well there and moved up a little too early into the $20s and $30s. Some of this was due to some of the SNG challenges you might have seen other bloggers participating in. I was doing mine with some of the fulltiltforum.com ers. I made it all the way up to the $100 level before I went busto. Then the wheels fell off and I had a bad run in the $10s. So bad that I had an ROI going into April of -33%. Ugly. As of May 5th, I had turned it around to +33%. Nice little run.

I've found that time of day has a HUGE influence on how well I am doing. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but hell, I never get any comments which means my 5 readers can benefit as well. If I get home from work and get in a Full Tilt $10 SnG between 6 and 7pm Eastern time, I have cashed more than 80%. That's a big damn number. I don't know if it is the "tourist" crowd on the East Coast getting home and wanting to blow off some steam in these games or if it is the last game for the Europeans, and they want to go nuts, but patience in these things will pay off. I play a tight, aggressive game. I see 15-20% of flops MAX (this includes the BB, as Full Tilt includes this in their stats). I wait for someone else to hang themselves, and I pounce. I have gotten lucky in a few, but they were in pots which, had I lost, I would have still had chips to play.

So either I've gotten much better, or I'm a card rack. I'm going with card rack, I've seen a lot of good hands lately. Maybe due to the fact that I'm waiting for the good cards and not trying to get pushy with bluffs and air.

That's it for today. I hope to play in the next WPBT event, but still not sure of the date. Hopefully I'll see something on Columbo's blog or the WPBT wiki soon. I'll keep an eye on my Gmail as well as that's my subscription. Maybe I can turn this run into a nice little payday.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

You take the good, you take the bad...

2007-04-30T18:08:00.000-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by for a quick read. I haven't been playing much lately (babies are a bigger time sink than poker!). I have managed to play a bit more live. I still am doing much better Live vs Online. Today I think I realized why. When I sit in a poker room, I have chips in front of me, just like online. However, the chips at a casino don't seem like real money anymore, at least not until I cash them out. I have finally managed to work my offline roll up enough that if I do take a horrible beat, I have enough to reload a few times. It would take a pretty significant downswing now for me to have to get some money from "the bank" (aka Mrs IF).

Today I went to Argosy again. Took the day off from work to play in their Monday noon event. It has a $100+15 buy in. Since today was my birthday, I gave myself a buy in for a present :) It is a bounty tourney, and you get $20 for each player you eliminate. I have been running well live, and was hoping to take 1-2 down and maybe cash. I am still up in the air about this tourney. You start with 3000 in chips, but the blinds start at 50/100, and 20 minute levels. It's not too bad, you get quite a bit of play for your money. Unfortunately, my luck wasn't with me. I got to play in 3 hands, and should have played in a 4th. First hand of the tourney I'm UTG with 8s8h. I decide to see how this thing will play and raise to 300. One caller. Flop is 5 3 2. I bet out 600, and the caller folds. I'm the table Chip Lead!!!

Second hand that I thought about playing was right after there was an AK vs AA all-in. The AK ended up with 100 chips after. Guy UTG raises to 500, then the AK calls. I looked down one off the button to find KdQd. I think for a few, and muck. The button mucks, the SB calls 500, the BB mucks. Flop is 8 7 4, rainbow. SB checks, UTG checks. Turn is a K. Check check. River is a K. Ick. SB checks to UTG, who bets out 300. SB calls and we see AJ vs J10. All-in has A 9, and AJ takes the pot. Could have had a bounty. Bah.

Few hands later I'm in MP and get AcQh. I raise to 300. Around to the BB, who I had been playing 1/3 NLHE with for about an hour prior to the tourney start. This guy was going all in on the flop with top pair and a flush draw with really really bad kickers. He was down at least 300 in the NLHE game prior to the start of the tourney. He calls. Flop is 9c10cJd. He checks. I bet out 300 as a continuation. He insta-check-raises all in. No hesitation. I put him on Jc with a any kicker (his range is that wide, yes). I saw him make this play twice at the cash game, so I'm pretty sure I have a ton of outs. Any A, K, Q, or 8 gives me either a straight or a better pair. That's 14 outs (unless he is on the flush, but then I have redraw to the nut flush). I think about this one for a while. I go between mucking and calling about 3 times, and then think that I might actually be ahead with the 14 outs. Looking at twodimes.net, if he has Jc 6d I have a 50.8% chance, so if my read at the time was correct, it would be correct to call. If he has J-8 instead, I am about a 60/40 dog, so it is a close decision. I finally decide that to win this, I'm going to have to gamble sooner or later, and I decide sooner is a better choice, as I can try to get into a side game and make the buyin back up. I call. He shows Jc Kh. I lose my Qs (he would have the bigger straight) and one K. I now have 9 outs. Whoops. 10 on the turn, 6 on the river and I have 100 chips left.

Next hand I have Ac8c and call. One caller. Guy who played in my raised 88 pot raises to 1000. Yikes! I'm in trouble here. Folds to the limper who laughs and folds. Guy shows AA. One club on the flop, but there's also the case A. Turn pairs the board and fills up AA. I'm out before the first level ends.

I get on the 1/3 NLHE list again. I played some 3/6 LHE and some 1/3 NLHE prior to the tourney start and ended up -$2. So I have some catching up to do. 5 mins later I get called as they start a new table for the "losers" like me. This table starts out very very tight, as we all just busted out and no one wants to take a beat early. I steal a few pots. I get KK on the button, raise to 15 as there are 3 limpers, and everyone folds. An orbit later I get 88 in the CO with 3 limpers in front. I raise to 10. BB calls, as do the limpers. Flop is Q 7 9. BB immediately bets out 25. Folded to me. I smooth-call, hoping that something hits on the turn that I can bully this guy. I've noticed that he can get pushed off hands when he thinks he's beat. He's got a buddy "sweating" him and looking at his cards. Me and the guy to my right have noticed that he's complaining to this guy about being outdrawn a lot, including in the tourney. Time to see if my tight image can pay off. The turn is a K, and the BB actually winces when it hits. I thought it could be an act, but he immediately trys to cover it up and bets out $25 more and starts giving off a HUGE tell, rubbing his neck. I raise to $50 and go into Chris Fergusen mode, putting my hands to my face and staring at the cards on the board. Guy goes into the tank. He thinks for a good 5 minutes, then calls. River is a 6. He checks. I look at my chips and count out a bet of 50. I'm watching him out of the corner of my eye, and he's starting to count what he has left. I realize I have 35 more if I bet the 50, so I count it all out and then push it all in. He doesn't hesitate to fold and start hemming and hawing with his buddy about how I hit that K and how I'm such a donk for playing AK on that flop. Yada yada yada. I didn't have the K, buddy, and I knew he didn't either. This is one of the best plays I've made in a live game in a while and felt good. I took my read and used his "bad beat" thinking against the guy and scooped a nice $200ish pot. I debated showing the bluff to get some tilt out of the guy and advertise that I can bluff, as well as to loosen up the table a bit, but decided to keep it to myself. I think had I shown it some of my raises later would have given me some action with my KK, AK, and AQ all of which were folded by limpers after I raised PF.

After 2 hours, I was up to $389 from my $200 buyin. I had covered my tourney entry and lunch, so I decided to call it quits early. The table had turned over a bit with people moving to the 2/5 game, and a loose-aggressive guy had moved to my immediate left and was playing back at me pretty hard. I had topped out at around $420, and lost a little back on a 10 8 3 board when my AQ suited missed. Mr LAG showed me the 8 3 off that he had played to my raise and I decided it was time to move on.

I might try to play some more SnGs online, and some less cash games. Look for me on PokerStars or FullTilt as "Illinifan" I'll cya at the tables.

A lot of patience, and a little luck

2007-04-06T18:00:00.000-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by for a quick perusal of my thoughts. Today I hit the boat near Cincinnati again (Argosy) and played a little poker. No Iggy sighting (at least I didn't notice any midget housewife around), but the day wasn't a total loss. It made me debate why I still play online. Why? You might ask. Well, for the year, I'm -$425 online. Live play, I'm now +$930.

I had a good run when I was in LA for business. Had a slight winning session in the 3/6 game at the boat a few weeks ago. Had another winning session today, in the 1/3 NLHE game.

It didn't start very well. While waiting for a seat in the NLHE, I played some 3/6 LHE. With a lot of people off work for Good Friday (Cincy is a VERY Catholic town, lots of companies give the day off, mine included) it played like a weekend table, no foldem holdem. I had 6h4h from the SB in one hand, limped to me. I called. Flop was 6 4 2. I bet, three callers. Turn is a 7. I bet, two callers. One raise from the CO player. I muck, other two call. River is a K. Check, bet, raise, call, call. CO shows 53 offsuit. Gonna be one of those days.

There were a few things at this table that bugged me a bit. Not to rant about the dealers at Argosy, but the guy to my left, who was immediately to the dealer's right shorted the pot, not just once but twice. And pretty deliberately. I thought about saying something the second time (he would splash out his chips into the pot, and put in one red (should have been two) and two whites TWICE when it had been raised prior to his call). He looked at the dealer both times when he did it to see if she would say anything, but she didn't even notice it. I know, I know. It is up to the players to police the game as well, but I was going to get up to move to the 1/3 table and didn't want to make a scene. Guess it helped that I wasn't in either pot, so I was glad when my name was called for the 1/3 NLHE game.

I get over to a newish table and take a seat. I sat at 3/6 with 160, and was down to 112. I hit the cage for 100 more to bring me up to $212. I'm to the immediate right of the dealer, and come in on the CO, and don't have to post (nice thing here, not having to post). I sit and watch for a bit. I notice that there are two guys at the opposite end of the table that I will call "dumb and dumber" that are in a LOT of pots. Dumb is first to act and has a ton of chips, around $500 when I sit. I hear players talking about how he cracked dumber's AA on the first hand with KJ off. Yikes! Action table!!

After two orbits, I look down to find AsQs in the CO. As dumb and dumber are in EVERY pot, I decide not to risk the raise, as this is no-foldem holdem preflop. I tried a few raises and go zero respect, so I limped. Button raises to $15 and three callers back to me. I call.

Flop is 5A5. Checked to me. I bet out about $20. Button calls, dumb calls. Dumber actually FOLDS (one of his rare moments). Other guy folds. Three to the turn. It's the Ks, so now we have 2 spades. Dumb checks, I check, button checks. Hmmmm. River is 7, no spade. Dumb checks, I bet out $40. Button insta-raises all-in and has $41 more. I think and think. Could he have slowplayed AK? That might fit the pattern, or he might have A-x and we are looking at a tie. The pot is about $300, and it costs me $40 to call. I can't put him on AK, I think this is going to be a chop, so I call. He shows KK. Boat. Ick. Bad call. I'm now down to $30 in chips. Ugly.

One orbit later I'm down to $24 in MP. I look down to AsJs. Dumb and Dumber are the SB and BB. I push. Dude next to me with the Aces chuckles and says "$24 to win $4, huh?" I look back and him and say "I'm about to triple up, watch". Sure enough both Dumb and Dumber call. Flop is all low and I'm worried. Dumb bets $20 into the dry side pot. Dumber calls. Next card is low and we now have all kinds of straight draws. I know I'm in trouble, but they check-check. River is another low for more straight possibilites, and I know I have to be beat. Dumb bets $25, dumber folds and he takes the $40 side pot. He shows A-10 off and I scoop the main pot. I'm semi-back in business.

A few hands later I get AK UTG, raise to 15. Three callers. Flop is all under 8. I bet out $30. Muck, dumber asks how much I have left. I tell him $40ish and he mucks.

Then it is time to be patient. Fold fold fold. Few raises PF, with callers. Some I continuation bet, some I check-fold. I'm hovering around $100 and think about leaving. Promised the wife I'd be home around 6ish for dinner. It's 4:30 now. I decide one more orbit.

I get KdJd two off the button. new player that had scooped a few pots in the SB. 3 limpers to me, I limp, he completes, BB checks. Flop is J 9 4, rainbow. Checked to me, I bet out $15 into the pot. SB calls. Other fold. Turn is 8, no flush possible. I bet out $30. He calls. River is a 2. I bet out my last $29. He insta-calls, and shows J-7 off. I scoop. Up to about $140.

Next hand I have AA. I raise to $15 (my standard raise, no matter what I had for the day). Two callers. Flop is K 9 4. Checked to me, I bet $30. Dude in seat 5 calls. Turn is 6, now two diamonds. Seat 5 has about $70 left. I bet $50, and he folds KdJd faceup. Thanks for the info :)

Seat 5 then doubles up with KK vs AK. Gets to my SB, and seat 5 raises to $20. Folded to me. I didn't like this bet, something seemed fishy to me. I'd been playing pretty tight, so I decide I'm going to take this from him on the flop. I call. Flop is 9 8 3, rainbow. I look at kid, he's staring me down with the "Look of death". I picked up a tell on him earlier when he flopped the nut flush, and went into acting mode, shaking his head, etc. So I read him as weak here. I bet out $30. He raises to $60. I go all in. He calls and flips over 10 10. Whoops. Bad read. I have about $60 left here if I lose. Turn is 5. River is a 7. I hit my runner runner straight. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good I guess. After he leaves, guy to my right says "man, that was brutal. he just told us he got laid off work today as well". Whoops. I felt bad for about 2 mins, then I noticed that I'm up over $300 now. That makes me feel a bit better :)

My final big hand of the day I'm in the CO again and find KcJc. I limp into the pot with 6 others. Flop is KhJhJs. Bingo!! Now I have to see who I can hook. there are 7 of us, someone has to have a flush draw. Checked to me, and I check. I'm not gonna scare anyone off. Turn is 3h. Checked to me, I check. Someone bet the flush, dammit! River is 5h. SB wakes up and bets $15. Folded to me. I min-raise to $30, hoping he has a good heart. He reraises to $65. I think about it, trying to sink that hook. I annouce "I'm all in" and push over a stack of reds. I have him covered. He insta-calls and shows Ah8s. I show the nuts, and he looks shell-shocked. I scoop a pot that's around $300. I tip the dealer a $5er and say "Thanks for the boat". Three hands later I'm UTG and find QdJd, limp in with 6 others. Flop is A-hi, one diamond. I check fold and rack up $447. I look at the dealer and say "And thanks for getting that flush out there", tip him $5 more, he laughs and I got cashout $442. +182 for the day.

I think I need to get back to the boat more often. I'll cya at the tables.

Soooo close

2007-04-05T22:29:00.000-05:00

And yet so far. Tonight's quest for points in the Battle started out well. A few hands in, I get the hammer.

I'm in the CO, and burtdogg raises to 90 with 15/30 blinds. I decide to do this the blogger way, and play it like it's the nuts. I reraise to 250, burt calls.

Flop isn't too dangerous. Two diamonds, burt checks. I hit him foor 300 more into the 500ish pot and he calls. Ugh. Overpair. JJ-KK.

Turn is the Ah there. That's a good card for me, actually. Now I can keep playing it like the nuts. Check again by burt, and I pop it for 500 more, leaving me with a whooping 405 in chips if he raises me off this hand. Luckily, he folds and I get to show the hammer, prompting a "nicely done, sir" from bdiddie (aka biggestron).

After that, I went on a bit of a tear. I was a card rack. I made it up to be sitting in 2nd place with 19 left. Then, disaster struck. KK vs AQ, river Q. That moved me from 4th down to 8th. Winning that hand would have put me in the lead by about 4000 chips. Such is life. Then, I slowplayed a flopped set from the BB. I tried to be sneaky and bet 600 into the 3400ish pot on the turn, but my opponent had picked up a flush draw. The flush made it on the river and I was dumb and bet out. What else would he be calling with there? He had the odds for the flush. I should have bet out on the flop but was trying to get someone to double me up. My attempt was thwarted by the poker gods. Such is life. I go out in 12th. Worthy of 53.20 points. Not a good start, but not a bad one either. A cash would have been nice.

More tomorrow on live play. I'm going to try my hand at some NLHE 1/3 for a bit, and then either move to the 2/5 table or go busto with my buy-in and move to 3/6 limit. We shall see.

WBPT leads to...

2007-04-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

I was poking around Columbo's blog looking at WBPT event stuff when I noticed his post about the Battle of the Blogger Tournaments. This is a pretty sweet deal, and looks to be a lot of fun. I'm headed over there tonight to try my hand. Kudos to FTP for making the tourneys all juice-free. We pay it in, and they pay it back out as prize money, etc in the final event. Nice job to all who set this thing up, I'm looking forward to it. It covers a VERY wide range of buy-ins, so I have my work cut out to win some tokens for the bigger buy-ins.

In other news, I get to head to Argosy again tomorrow with Boats, and there might be a possible IGGY sighting (but still unconfirmed). I'm not too big on the blogger network radar, so I'm not sure if he'll make it or not. I'm sure that if it was one of the G-vegas boys, he'd be all over it. Being a family man myself now, I understand the pressures of family holiday stuff, so I can forgive him for missing the meet-up. Would be nice to buy the blogfather a mean and a Guinness, but who knows if that will happen.

I'll post a trip report tomorrow when I get back. I'll cya at the tables.

WPBT #3, Razz

2007-03-25T19:59:00.000-05:00

You just gotta love a good game of razz. Unfortunately, I was out early. Rolled up 7s, rolled up 9s, A34 that bricks J, J. All that fun stuff that you have to love about Razz.

Here's a SS of one of my favorite hands. Nothing like beating your head against the wall.

Yeah, that's a Razz hand. More later....

Argosy Casino Trip Report

2007-03-15T10:22:00.000-05:00

Welcome back all, and thanks for stopping by for a quick read. I've been quite busy at work, so not much poker lately. However, me and a couple of guys hit the boat after work last night, so here's my thoughts on the Argosy in Lawrenceburg, IN.

We took off a bit early and got to the room about 3:30. We thought we'd be beating the crowds, but the floor said "if you aren't here by noon, don't come until about 5pm. it's tough to get a seat in between". Live and learn. We had to wait about an hour. I was a bit disappointed in the games being spread. It was all Hold Em. 3/6 limit, then jumped to 6/12 limit with 1/2 kill, and there might have been 10/20 limit with a 1/2 kill (but might have just been an interest list). There were 4 1/3 NLHE "baby NLHE" games going, and one table of 2/5 NLHE.

I played 4/8 limit there quite a while ago and liked that level. One dealer told me that they just stopped spreading it, so there's nothing between the 3/6 and 6/12 games. Such is life.

We got on the 3/6 and 1/3 lists and sat around for about an hour. I got called for the 1-3 game just as they were starting up a new 3/6 game. I decided to take the limit game, being the wuss that I am. My one work buddy decided on that game, too. We met bleu (guy I know through the Fulltiltforum) who just moved to Cincy from TX. He's more of a NL guy, for those who don't know him. He sat in the 3/6 game when it didn't fill to just pass the time before moving to the 1-3 and eventually the 2/5 games.

I did pretty well, my work buddy, Mike got JJ first hand, raised. Two callers. Flop was 8-hi. Checked to him, he bet. One caller. Turn K. Guy to his right bets into him. Welcome to no-foldem holdem! Mike calls and spikes a J on the river. Caller shows K-10 off. Mike rakes the first pot and is happy. I think that was probably the high point in his game. Any comments, Grumpy?

I sat back for a while and played a few small pots. The trick to no-foldem holdem is that you need to know when to release your good PPs. You have to know when you are beat. I paid the guy to my left off one time just to make sure that I wasn't getting bluffed out, but mostly could tell when people hit their flushes, etc and was able to get away from the hands. I was up $60 at one point, then thought Mike was bluffing me on a A K x flop when I had K-8 suited and lost a little bit. Had a few more beats, but nothing like what Mike was running into. He had top two pair cracked TWICE by the same guy with runner-runner flushes. The second one the old guy that was playing him had 9-2 suited. I had 88 that hand, Mike had AK. Old guy was in the SB. Mike raised, I re raised. Old dude called with the 9-2. Flop was A K x. Old guy checked, Mike bet it, I called to see one more, old dude called. Runner-runner flush that he called the whole way (I mucked on the turn).

A few hands later I was down about $30. I was getting tired and made a few bad plays. Then I got 9-2 hearts in MP. Worked for the old dude, why not me? I limp, dude to my left that I'd looked up earlier raises. He's been tilting a bit lately. Three callers back to me and I take the flop. It is A-high with 2 hearts. Checked to me, I check. Tilter bets, all call, so I have the odds to chase, hoping my flush will be good if it hits. Turn is a blank, checked to tilter, all call. River is a heart. (I think it was A Q 7 hearts, so my 9 is 4th nut) Checked to me, I bet. Tilter says "you hit?" I keep quiet. He calls, one other calls. I show and say "worked for Jack (the old guy) so I figured it would work for me". Everyone laughs, I scoop a nice pot and get back up $5. I build back up to $32 when Mike finally goes busto.

Bleu in the meantime has come back to the 3/6 game after a tour of the 1-3 and 2-5 NLHE games. He's done quite well with having quad 10s pay off in a baby game and then have his AA hold up when he moved into the bigger game. He sat and played with us until we decided to break for dinner. We break when Mike goes bust. We go out to grab some dinner, but nothing in the deli looks good, and the buffet has a pretty long line. So we all decide to call it quits and head home. I was going to try to get back to the Noon tourney today, but had to wait for a Direct TV install (that's a whole different post/rant) that was supposed to happen on Tuesday. Seeing as the boat is 30 mins away and it's 11:45 now, I don't think I'll be making that game. Maybe some other day.

In the online front, I'm still playing a bit on FT and PS. It's difficult now to reload, and I have not had to on either site, but the fish are definitely not there as much anymore. Thanks Congress for killing my hobby. I think I might try to find out Senator Kyl's hobby and lobby to get that banned.

Anyway, if anyone is still out there reading, I'll cya at the tables.

BLOGGER TOUR!!

2007-02-25T12:09:00.000-05:00

Hello all, and welcome back. I'll have some more Casino Trip report posts as soon as the forum I posted them all on comes back from the dead. Serves me right for not saving backups locally :)

In the meantime, I decided to try to get into the WPBT event tonight.

I hopped into a token satellite and was completely card dead. Nothing was hitting. With 9 players left, I was 9/9. Then with 7, I was 7/7, when I got pocket 6s.

I like pocket 6s. This took me up to 3rd and I coasted in for the token. I'll cya all tonight!!

Morongo Casino Trip Report - aka Day 3

2007-02-12T23:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, for all you jonesing for a 3/6 LO8 game, it's time to add some fuel to that fire.

I came back to the hotel at lunch to do some work and post the report from last night. About 1:30 or so I was pretty damn hungry and jonesing for some poker myself. So I hopped into the rental car and pointed west towards the Morongo Resort and Casino (home of Poker Superstars 2, for those keeping track)

I was told by the folks at Agua Caliente last night that the room would be "full of young punks" as the Morongo actually has an 18-or-older policy (vs 21 at most places). When I got there, they were right, but they were all at the NLHE tables. The room was pretty nice. It is walled off with doors from the main casino area and has a bathroom inside. Nice to not have to walk out through all the smoke for a call of nature.

I got there and put my name on the 4/8 LHE and the 3/6 LO8 (only O8 game running) and went to grab a bite. Just outside the room is a little food court and there was a FATBURGER there. That should be against the law. I wanted to eat at a burger joint here in PS later, so I just had some chicken and took it to go back to the room. Unfortunately, they started up a new 4/8 table while I was gone and I missed the call. I got back on at the top of the list and ate the sandwich while I waited. A seat opened up pretty quick and I was off.

Bought into the game for $200. First hour was torture and I was down about $65. Then the deck hit me. In 15 mins I dragged 4 pretty significant pots (one with 64 SOOOTED from the BB that I hit a runner runner full house. The woman betting was aggressive as hell with nothing). About that time they called my name for O8 and I racked up the chips to leave. I had $203, for $3 in profit!

Went to the LO8 game and dropped off my racks and went to the mens room. Came back and a second seat was open near the BB. I asked if I could have it and the dealer nodded. I moved into the new seat, to the right of some bigger stacks. I also learned that they (for some strange reason) play 5-card Omaha. This means that at a full table of 9 players, the button is out and it is an 8-person game. Why not just seat 8? I don't get it.

The first hour was okay, I was up a little on some high and low hands. The table was seeing a lot of flops. Out of the 8 dealt into the hand there are 5-6 seeing the flop. This table has a full kill on pots greater than $40 that are scooped as well.

Then, at about the 1.5 hour mark, the deck gets warm. I get up to about $275 and think about leaving. The table is starting to look like it is gonna break as we are down 3 players. I decide to stick it out. Two more sit, and I'm glad I stayed. I tread water for a bit and then a 9th sits and we are full up again. I get up over $300.

Then, the deck hits me in the face. I had the biggest run of cards I've seen in a long time. These weren't *great* starters, and some weren't even the nut possible hand. I'll list em here for you to chuckle over. Remember, this is a kill table.

Hand 1: A2h2d5d4s. Board comes down 4d 5d Qs 8h 5s. I check the river forgetting I had the damn 5 (hard to remember 5 cards, and I was getting tired). I scoop. Now I have to post $6 and the table becomes 6/12 for the next hand.

Hand 2: As4s9s9cKc. Limped to me. Flop is 9d9hQs. Bet into me! I just slowplay it and call. 3 for the ride. Turn is 5d. Bet into me again! ($12 now). I decide to just call again and get people to ride along. River is 3s. Checked to me and I bet. 2 call. I show the nuts and scoop. Still a kill pot.

Hand 3: KsKc3sAdJd. Limped to me again. This time 6 players see the flop and I'm getting some "WTF?" looks. You want me out, raise you morons. Flop is Qd 3h 7d. Checked around. Turn is the 10d. Checked to me, I bet $12, two call. River is Kh. Checked to me, I bet, one raise, all others muck and I re-pop. He calls and shows Kd5d for 2nd nut. I'm now up to about $420, with about $135 in the last 3 hands.

Hand 4: I have 3s3cAh2h6d. Everyone limps and I'm now getting some significant looks. Two dudes at the other end of the table are muttering to each other about my "luck". Flop is 3h Jh 10s. Bet to me, I call with my nut flush draw set of 3s. All call. Turn is 8c. I still don't think my 3s are good, so I check. One of the muttering dudes bets, his buddy raises. I feel like I can get half here with my nut lo draw. I call, buddy calls. River is Ad. Check, bet. I call, buddy calls. I show the hand and scoop with the set AND the lo. Hell, how did my A2368 win there? I post the kill AGAIN and get trash. I have 10-9-8-7-6 (nice for 5 card draw, but not here). Limped to me, I miss the flop completely and I muck to a bet. I check and now I'm up to about $500. My stack of $1 chips is getting close to me not being able to see my damn cards....lol. Nice problem to have

I take two more flops before the BB reaches me. I tell the dealer I'm out and count up $501, for a $298 profit in about 2.5 hours. That's a hell of a nice run in 3/6 LO8. I'm scared to play anymore. I think I used up all my luck for the year.

Day 4? Maybe. There's actually a $30 buyin LO8 tourney at 10am. I wish I could make it but I have vendor meetings starting tomorrow when the main show starts. I'll post here if I have the guts to run out again tomorrow night.

WPBT Blogger Event #2

2007-02-08T22:51:00.000-05:00

You should know the PW

Agua Caliente Casino Trip Report - aka Day 2

2007-02-07T10:39:00.000-05:00

Wooot! Live poker rocks!

When last we left our hero, he had been through a marathon day and ended up down $130 at the Commerce in LA.

Day 2 started with a course on "IT for Laboratory Automation". There were no celebrity sightings, alas. The class ran from 8:30am and was supposed to end by 4:30pm, but due to issues with the instructors droning on and on and on we finally got out of there about 5:30. I stopped by the hotel to drop off my stuff and headed out to the Agua Caliente Casino, the place that is pimped by John O'Hurley (famous Seinfeld man).

Got to the casino about 6:15. They had 3/6, 4/8, 6/12, and 10/20 LHE as well as 6/12 LO8 going. They had an interest list for 100/300 buyin NLHE as well, but no open tables. I got on the LO8 and the 4/8 LHE list. Went to find some grub. There was a pizza place right next to the poker room, so I grabbed a slice and a water. The Agua was frio, but the pizza was muy caliente (steeler can correct me if my grammar is off) and I almost burned the crap out of the room of my mouth. Luckily, I spit it out prior to serious injury, but I did get a few strange looks from the Geritol Generation that was eating there as well.

After the slice cooled and was consumed, I went to see where I was on the boards. Still 4th in line for LHE, and 5 for the LO8 game. Damn. Went walking and found the 5th sign of the Apocalypse in the form of a "Deal or No Deal" slot bank. Is there anything that casinos won't try to use to make a quick buck? I neglected to feed any of the machines nor sit at blackjack and came back to the poker room about 15 mins later after my circuit of the place. I was at the top of 4/8 and 3rd for LO8. About 2 mins later I get called for the LHE game.

The floor points me to my table and it doesn't look good. I see 6 seats with silver hair and a walker leaning against the wall next to one. Uh oh. Danger Will Robinson, Danger!

There are 2 seats open, and one is about to post the BB so I take that. I sit with $160 and have about a medium-sized stack. First hand is the red 10s. I love this hand, but have no idea how the table is gonna play. 4 limpers to me, SB completes. I raise and all call. Gonna be one of those types of tables, I guess.

Flop is a thing of beauty. 10 7 5 rainbow. I check to see what will develop. Check, bet, call, call, muck back to me. I raise to see how many I can get on the hook, and I'm slightly worried about str8 draws. All call.

Turn is a black Ace, but so now there's a possible flush (don't remember if it is a club or spade one tho. Would be nice if it was clubs, since club flushes are impossible to hit). I bet out $8 and next guy pops it to $16. One muck, one call. I'm loving this. They probably both have Aces. I reraise to $24 and both call. The pot is VERY nicely sized. The river is the 5 that completes the flush. I bet, hoping that the flush hit someone, but doubt it. One caller. I show the boat and rake in a $120ish pot. Nice way to start the game!

Three hands later I find AsKs in the CO. Raise again, only 2 callers. Flop is all red (but not all a suit), A high. Checked to me, I bet, two call. Turn is a black card. Checked to me, I bet two call. River is a black 7. Check, check. I bet, one muck, one calls with A9 offsuit and I rake in another pot.

I try to play the rush with Q10 suited and miss. KJ off and miss. I finally get back to folding. About this time a new guy comes into the game across the table from me. I wish I paid attention to how much he bought in for, but I didn't. He will start to play a key role at the table.

A few hands after the new guy sits I notice that he's calling PF without looking at his cards. He only checks them after the flop. Hmmmm...this could be fun!

This game has a kill, as did the LO8 at Commerce (forgot to mention that one). A few hands later the guy to the right of the calling station gets the Kill in the SB. I look down to see two red 5s. I'm in the CO or CO+1 so I raise to take it down right there. SB and calling station call. Flop is 5 7 10, all spades. Ick. Checked to me, I bet. Two callers. Turn is Kh. Checked to me, I fire again. Both call. River is 6d. Check check, bet. SB calls and calling station mucks. SB shows 66 (one 6 was a spade, and he said he was trying to hit the flush) and rakes in a big pot. Next pot is another kill, but I have nothing and muck. Dude took out quite a bit from me, and I'm gonna start watching him, too.

Little bit later I have AcKc. Raisy-daisy!. Three callers. Flop is Q-hi with 2 clubs, no pairs. Bet into me, I raise. Two call. Turn is a blank. Checked to me. I bet it again, one caller (not the calling station). River completes my flush. I bet, he calls and shows Q-8 off (didn't have 2 pair). I'm starting to realize that these folks will play just about anything.

I go up more by tightening up a little, since they are all so loose. I get my stack up to a nice $330 when the wheels fall off and the deck goes cold. I have AQ outdrawn by 63 on a A 6 10 flop that he rivers a 3 (mr calling station there). My stack moves back down to about $220 after an hour and a half and I'm thinking about leaving. I'm now #2 on the list at LO8 and I'm debating if I should play if they call me.

I look down UTG+2 and find two black 10s. Could lightning strike twice? Let's find out! Flop is 10 K 5. I bet, two to my left raises. Calling station and 2 others call. I'm a bit worried about str8 draws again. Turn is an A. QJ just got there, but I don't think anyone has it. The table has been playing and A like it is going out of style, so I bet it again. Another raise by the same guy, calling station and one more call. River is a 5. I bet, both call. Raiser shows A10 for 2 pair, calling station shows A3 off. I rake a nice pot and get up over $300 again. I get up to take a leak and notice that there's an empty seat at LO8 and think "sweet, I might be able to just move over without having to buy in for more". I see there is a guy sweating the guy to the right of the open seat. On my way back from the men's room, the sweater is now in the seat and the dude is sliding chips to him (wrong on about 4 levels). I look at the board thinking it is the guy in front of me, maybe. Nope. Still #2 on the list.

I get back to my table and post my BB and ask the woman next to me if I should say something to the floor. I don't want to be an ass, but I've been waiting for a seat over there for like 3 hours. The floor comes over for something else, and she says something to him about it. He says he'll check it out, that it was wrong for someone to slide in. I'm now getting tired tho, and feel like an ass for saying something (must be my good manners). I decide to get up on my next blind and leave. The floor is over at the LO8 table. I stand with $296 and go to cash out. I don't want the damn LO8 seat anymore. I'm a little ticked that the dealer didn't do anything about it and let the dude sit. Just as I get to the window...they call me for LO8. Whoops. Guess they booted the guy. I tell the floor that I'm not happy about the dealer letting it go, and that I don't want the seat. I leave up $136 and now am up $6 for the trip!!! Wooo HOOOOO!!!!

Life is good. I'm off to the Morongo Casino here in a bit after I grab some lunch. Took a 1/2 day course this AM on the "Introduction to Lab Automation" and I'm chomping at the bit for more action. I'll post later with a Day 3 update.

Commerce Casino Trip Report

2007-02-04T16:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, time to have some fun. I have a conference this week in Palm Springs, CA. I decided (well, more like I was forced) to fly into LAX due to a) the lack of rental cars in PS and b)the fact that I have a business appointment with our very own DEEEEMON on Thurs at UCLA.

So I get up early Friday morning (5:30am) to catch my flight to LA. Catch about an hour nap on the plane, watch the original "Dirty Harry" from Netflix, and land safely at LAX.

Three minutes off the plane is my first celebrity sighting. It's Ron Jeremy, catching a flight to Salt Lake City. This could be a good sign or a bad sign. Guess I'll have to wait to find out.

So off to the rental car, and 30 mins later I'm at the Commerce. For those who haven't been there, the place is HUGE. They have 4 separate sign-up boards on the 4 sides of the pit, and then more tables outside the pit on the same floor that are spreading LO8. I decide to go on the 4/8 LHE list and want to know more about the LHE LAPC prelim event that starts in 4 hours (it is 11am). I go to talk to the concierge to find out how many people have entered (more than 100 makes it a 2-day event, and I can only play Friday). I'm less-than-thrilled with the customer service. When I ask his first reaction is "why do you want to know that?". Uh, because?

At that time they have enough on the 4/8 list that they open a new table. I hear my name called and say "forget it" to the concierge and go sit.

The good news when I sit with my $200 is that I have the biggest stack. The bad news is that I am the youngest at the table by at least 200 years. It is a Friday afternoon, so I guess I can't complain too much. The one bonus of the Commerce is that the food is good and cheap. I order a club sandwich with fries and a Diet Coke and the total is $5.25. SWEEET!!

So after an hour of fold, fold, raise, fold, and no action or cards I'm down $104. I decide to go look at the LO8 prospects. I get on the 3/6 and 4/8 lists in LO8 and in the meantime go sit at the "baby NLHE" game with a $100 max buy in and 1/3 blinds.

First hand is QQ. I am in the BB and 3 limp. I pop it to $12 and one calls. Flop is rags, 9-hi. I bet $20 and he mucks. Nice way to start. Unfortunately, that's my ONE winning hand at the table. I have a few more decent starters but all miss the flop, and I check/fold or bet and fold on the reraise for a bit. Finally get AsQs in EP and raise to $15. Folded to a guy who's a wannabe pro (he was wearing sunglasses and a visor and was very very serious) he flat calls from the BB.

Flop is 8 8 7. He bets $10. I call. Turn is 7. He bets $25. I think about it for a bit and decide he's either got a weak A (which we are not tying) or he has a low PP and hates that 7. I smooth call since I have position and I figure I'm getting half the pot. River is a Q. He goes all-in right away. I think for 2-3 mins and I just can't put him on an 8 or 7. I say "call" and 2 guys at the table both say "Nice call, he's got nothing". He turns over a 7 though, and now I'm down $204. I decide not to rebuy since I'm next on both the LO8 games. I'm feeling like Mr. Jeremy might be screwing with my karma, dammit. I need a fun game. The two tables so far have been full of rocks and wannabes.

As I walk towards the O8 area, they call my name. Nice timing. They have a seat for me at the 3/6 game. I take my seat and buy in for $116 (I had kept $16 in my pocket at the NLHE game as it had a capped $100 buy in). Right away this table is a lot more fun. There's quite a few asians playing that are talkative and a lot of fun. One guy kept raising my blind "for spite" and I knew I was going to have a good time, regardless of how I did.

About the 4th hand in, I have Kh2hAs7s and raise from MP. Three callers. The flop is 10 7 4 with 2 hearts. I have the 2nd nut hearts and nut low draw so I bet it again when it gets checked to me. All call. Turn is the 9h. I bet, 2 fold. Me and "Mr. Spite" are HU. River is Ac. I check. He checks and shows the A-high flush and 23 for the low. Dammit, I got scooped.

A few hands later I have Kh4h2h7s and call from the SB. Flop is three hearts, with a low draw (think it was 10 8 5). I bet, it gets raised, reraised, capped, back to me. I call thinking that the K *might* be good. I know this is a loose call, but I think that I have some good outs, especially if an A hits. Turn is a 3. I check, BB bets. One call (MR Spite again) back to me. I'm trying to figure out why there was so much action on the flop but it slowed down. I decide that Mr Spite might have the nut flush on my again and the BB has a low. I decide to call and take off one more as there's no one behindme to raise.

River is a thing of absolute beauty. It's the Ah. I now have the wheel and nut flush. I bet, and the BB mucks and starts muttering about the A killing his lo. Mr Spite calls and shows A2 for A23x for two pair and a now counterfieted lo. I scoop a decent pot and start the climb back out.

Only one other hand of note. I'm UTG and look down to see 8d9dAsKs. I'm going to leave after the hand and decide to take a flop. The flop is 6d7d10d. That's right boys and girls, I flop the str8 flush. The jackpot is at about $8k and I want it. I check it in hopes that people won't go nuts and someone will have a chance to catch up. Turn is Jd. I just improved to a bigger str8 flush. I check, hoping someone has a set and the board pairs the river. River is 3h. Boooo. I bet, one caller and I show the hand. I get 1/2 the pot as the caller had A4 for the low. Everyone, including Mr Spite all say that I played it well trying to let someone catch up for the jackpot. Such is life.

I stand up with $190 after 2 hours. $74 in 3/6 in an two hours isn't too bad. I scooped a few pots, but don't remember all the details. It's late saturday now, and I didn't write out any notes since I had to get in the car to drive the 100+ miles out to Palm Springs and I was tired as hell, so sue me :-P So overall at the Commerce I ended up down $130 in 4 hours.

And now I remember why I just like to visit LA instead of living out here. I left the Commerce at 3pm and was told I should be able to make PS in "about 2 hours". Well, people and the internet BOTH told me to go down to take 91 out. Problem is, I don't have one of those fast-pass thingys to get into the toll express lanes, and there was a wreck on 91. I sat in bumper-to-bumper for 1.5 hours to make it 4.5 miles past the wreck. Then there was construction on 60. Another 45 mins of wasted time. I finally rolled into my hotel in PS at 6:45, almost 4 hours after I left the Commerce. It took me almost as long to fly from Cincy to LA, as to drive from LA to PS. ICK.

More to come. I'll cya at the tables.

Casino TripReports

2007-02-04T16:16:00.000-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping in for a look-see. I'll be posting several casino trip reports over the next few days, so stay tuned...

And the WPBT begins!!

2007-01-21T19:56:00.000-05:00

Hello all, and thanks for stopping by the old blog. As you can see, I've finally made the move to the "New" blogger. You will see a few new things going on here in a bit.

The big news is that the new season of the WPBT starts here in a week. If you weren't in this and are any type of a blogger, what the hell is wrong with you? Sign up using the information below. I'll see you there!

WPBT - POY Race, and other updates

2006-11-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay. I'm sorry I have been neglecting this. For those who are readers but might not know me personally, I have a baby due in less than 4 weeks, so things are getting a BIT hectic.

On with the updates. For those who have been in a coma for the last month, or only subscribe to my blog (the coma has a much higher probability IMO) Iggy has NOT died. His blog may have, but he's still writing over on PokerWorks. I missed the obituary boat, so I won't even try. Hell, there are better writers out there doing that sort of thing. Click any link over there in my blogroll and you will see. And they update more often. Don't stop coming here, tho. I'll be posting more again soon.

As for the World Poker Blogger Tour Player of the Year (WPBT POY) race for 2006, my online run is over. I scored 300 points in 6 total events. I have yet to make a live event, so I think my finish was none too shabby (the live events tend to have more players and more points awarded). The finish was good enough for 39th overall (probably will drop after the live winter event). My points/event (50) has me squarely at #30. I'm pretty satisfied with that. Maybe next year I'll take another crack at it, and might even try to make an appearance at a live event. Don't know if that will happen, I missed the boat on the live events thing and would most likely end up the creepy guy sitting in the corner that everyone keeps asking about. Such is life.

I do have an update to my "Winning Micro-Limits Players" post below. I need to finish off some things, like links I have from comments, etc that I'll try to wrap up this weekend. I swear. Although this thing might blow up from the load of having more than 2 posts in a month.

That's it for now. I hope there are still some out there that stop by once in a while to say hello. If not, I'll cya at the tables.

Winning micro-limit cash game players - fact or fiction?

2006-11-08T22:20:00.000-05:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping by to take a look at my thoughts. Today's topic is one that I think hits close to home for many players that I know. We aren't professionals. We aren't playing high limits. We aren't playing medium limits. We aren't even playing low limits.

Because poker is a recreational activity for us, we play the micro-limit tables (limits below $1/$2 No Limit games and $3/$6 Limit games). I have heard stories of the micro-limit winning players. I have even had people tell me that this is where they started and that they have moved up beyond and are a winning player at higher limits. But it is my solid belief that it is statistically imposssible (data to come for you stat-heads!) to be a long-term winning micro-limit player UNLESS you play games where people play the same game, regardless of the limits being played.

I can hear you now...you all know someone who was/is a successful micro-limit player. You might think you do. But I say that the person telling you that they are successful at these limits is doing one of three things to sustain their winning streak. Hear me out and then judge.

Type 1. These are the people that claim micro-limit success but are supplimenting their BR with bonus or affiliate money of some type. If they kept accurate records, they would be unable to show a profit at these limits for any period longer than 6 months (short term variance)

Type 2. These are the people that play "other" games than just micro-limit cash games. I myself have some pretty decent numbers in the "Sit-N-Gos" (regardless of what sites like pokerscope say). If I stuck to the $1-10 buy in SnGs, I would be showing a profit for the year, of about $250.

Type 3. These are the players who got ahead due to short-term variance and made it up to a level where they can have a sustainable profit, where the statistics I am about to share to not play a role in their games. They truely were "profitable" in the micro-limits, but it was only for a short period before they moved up to limits where they could compete without the handicap described below.

I am sure that I am missing some types. My guess is that there are a lot of players out there who sustain their micro-limit habit through one or more of the above means. Players jump up and down in limits to the low-limit games. Players play SnGs or MTTs that they can cash in and sustain the habit.

Most of us playing down at this level probably realize this and just don't care. Poker is a hobby, and losing $50-100 a month is not a big deal. If we didn't play poker, we would be playing something else like golf that can be MUCH more expensive, so we are happy where we are playing.

So that is the set-up. Now for some numbers. How can I be so sure that it is statstically impossible to be a winning micro-limit cash game player? Here are some statstics and assumptions. All the stats come from Pokerstove, the best poker calculator out there (no, they don't pay me for endorsements. yet. hint, hint)

My first assumption is that in the micro-limit games, you are very rarely going to be seeing a flop heads-up. In limit games I think everyone agrees. In no-limit, this can get a bit tougher to prove, but if you are only raising 3-5X the BB, you are bound to have several callers at this level, as people think things like "aw, it is only $0.75 more to call. I have seen this hand hit on TV and when it does I'm going to get paid off!" (sound familiar?)

So what hands can hold up to playing vs several players on the flop? The answer is going to surprise you. If you are seeing a flop with 4 other players in a hand (not unheard of at all in micro-limit limit style games) there is ONE hand that has a statstical advantage. AA has roughtly 56% equity in the pot. That's it. Here's the data:

3,166,043 games 15.734 secs 201,223 games/sec

Board:
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 55.9348 % 55.72% 00.22% { AcAd }
Hand 2: 11.0293 % 10.48% 00.55% { random }
Hand 3: 11.0345 % 10.48% 00.55% { random }
Hand 4: 11.0082 % 10.46% 00.55% { random }
Hand 5: 10.9932 % 10.44% 00.55% { random }

Let me define what I would consider a statstical advantage and you can all rip it up at your leisure. After the flop, you will have people who continue to chase flush or straight draws, sure. If you raise enough, they are still going to come along. But the majority of the time you will end up HU vs one player. This is the guy who hit his hand. If you manage to get others to come along for the ride and chase, that's great, but the guy who hit is going to cap or get you all in vs his made hand, and you need greater than 50% equity for this to be a payoff. Granted, if you can get it all in preflop, this is not an issue. There you will most likey be HU or vs 2 other opponents and your profitable hands can increase. Mostof the time, people are not going all in PF and you are going to have to make decisions after the flop vs multiple opponents. You need to have greater than 50% equity for this to be a +EV play.

Okay, so what if you have 3 opponents? What hands can hold up now? Take a look:

9,858,486 games 26.687 secs 369,411 games/sec

Board:
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 41.4413 % 40.59% 00.90% { AcKc }
Hand 2: 19.5120 % 18.64% 00.89% { random }
Hand 3: 19.5153 % 18.65% 00.88% { random }
Hand 4: 19.5315 % 18.66% 00.89% { random }

AK SOOOOOTED is no good.

18,757,262 games 50.375 secs 372,352 games/sec

Board:
Dead:

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)
Hand 1: 49.2017 % 49.13% 00.31% { JcJd }
Hand 2: 16.9246 % 16.39% 00.62% { random }
Hand 3: 16.9347 % 16.40% 00.61% { random }
Hand 4: 16.9389 % 16.41% 00.62% { random }

JJ even is no good. You have to ONLY play AA, KK or QQ.

So how to counteract this disadvantage? You can't, unless you can thin the field by getting it all-in preflop, which most of the time you are only going to do with these hands. So it is a catch-22. You play any other hand after the flop vs multiple opponents and the only ones calling you have you beat and isolate you HU to take your chips. There are a few ways to get around this, like trying to play "small ball" and I know a few people who can do this successfully for a short time.

I think that the real issue is finding players who are willing to play good, solid poker at this level for a long peroid of time. I am sure that there may be one or two players out there who are going to try to prove me wrong, but the profits at this level are just not high enough for the majority of players to stick around that are willing to put in this time and effort. This level is full of players like me, who are completely there for a hobby and recreation. We aren't there to feed our families and support ourselves on poker. It is all about economics. At the micro-limits, it is not worth it and the players who want to become consistent winning players move up and out.

My guess is that the majority of the micro-limit players out there know this on some level, and don't care. They are just playing to have fun. Think about it.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Should you play from behind?

2006-10-24T12:05:00.000-05:00

Okay, it has been too long. I have a few posts coming, so keep your eye on this space (if any of you are still out there).

Today's discussion revolves around a leak that I think that I have in my game. I have heard different opinions as to whether this is a leak or not, so I would like to get your opinions, dear readers.

The topic is "playing from behind". This is where you get your money in, knowing that you don't have the best hand. Some believe that this is the "correct" play when it is mathematically correct to make the play. Others are of the opinion that you should never play from behind.

I think that my leak is that I will do this sometimes, making the correct mathematical play. Other times I will muck without thought. Here's an example: Game 1, $10+1 NLHE SnG on Full Tilt. I am in the SB, 5 players left. The UTG player, who has been a loose cannon raises 4X the BB. Folds around to me, and I have 55. I am 2nd in chips, and the UTG raiser is the CL. In this case, I fold, trying to get into a better position prior to pushing the CL around. Game 2, $5.50 MTT with 630+ players. I have hit some good hands early and have over 5500 in chips. The blinds are 50/100. Three players limp to me, and I have 66 on the Button. I raise to 800 to try to end the hand right here and now. Folds around to the last limper who goes all-in with 1300, so it is 500 more for me to call. There is 2600 in the pot and it costs me 500, or 6-1 odds. I make the call and he shows AA.

So which is the correct play? I know that they are all situation dependent moves, but in the first case I mucked a race (I'm guessing he had 2 overs to my 55), which is the wrong call, mathematically. The second case I use the Pot Odds, and the fact that I'm HU to take a shot on a 5-1 with 6-1 odds. I think that my biggest leak is NOT sticking with the correct mathematical play all the time. I try to make reads and plays against players in these small buy-in or micro-limit cash games.

So what do you do, dear readers? Do you ALWAYS make the correct mathematical play? Or is yours "read-dependent". Which way makes more money in the long run? I'm interested to hear your opinions. Or crickets, if no one is around anymore.

I'll cya at the tables.

Limit Challenge - back in the saddle

2006-09-11T18:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have been leaving the Limit Challenge sitting there, gathering dust. It was a shiny, new toy there for a while, but I grew bored and left it in the corner to gather dust.

Time to pick this puppy up and knock off the dust. Shine it up again. Not to mention that I am hoping that the change in the mental workout will change my luck.

So here's the results of day one, back in the Limit Challenge. For those who don't remember, or the new readers out there (yeah, right). I have taken up the challenge of turning $1.20 into $300, just playing limit poker at the varying levels. I started with 30X the big bet for the smallest game I could find on sites that I played, which was the .02/.04 game at PokerStars. When I reach 30X the big bet for the next level, I move up. So i needed to take my 1.20 to 3.00 to move from .02/.04 to .05/.10. If I lose down to 30X big bets at the previous level, I have to move back down. So if I sit with 3 at .05/.10 and lose down to 1.20, I have to drop down a level. I do sometimes take multiple sessions, but I always start a session with 30X big bets, regardless of where I am in the process at the time (for example, I play .02/.04 and end the session up $1, not enough to jump to .05/.10. So the next time I sit with 1.20 again and only need to make up the difference to get to the 3 total)

Yeah, right. Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. I have officially played 48 sessions of varying length (I know PT will tell me, but that's too much work to dig through at the moment) starting at .02/.04. I have made it as high as .50/1 twice, but have been knocked back down to .10/.20 both times, falling through the .25/.50 on the way.

So here's the current state. Went back to my tracking sheet, and noticed that I was at .10/.20 (again!) and needed about 4ish to get to .25/.50. I made that in one session and moved into the .25/.50 game. Made 1.50 more there before I quit for the day.

Right now I am in .25/.50 and need 13ish to get to .50/1 again. My goal is to get to .50/1 by the end of this week and stay there. I would like to ba playing 1/2 by Sunday. We shall see. Feel free to join in and post here in the comments with your results.

I'll cya at the tables.

Variance and frustration

2006-09-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, so for those of you who don't know...I've been running bad. VERY bad. -$300 this month bad. I keep trying to tell myself that it is just variance...that I want the donkeys to call my all in with Q7 (cause it is SOOOOOTED) vs my AK.

But there comes a time when doubt and frustration start to creep in. When you start to wonder "is it me? What am I doing that has made this happen?"

I am there. I had a bad month, but made it to the Bronze Freeroll on Full Tilt and got myself a free $12.50. But I would have needed first to feel good about it, and I didn't come close.

So what do you do to deal with frustration? If I have any readers left out there, post your "voodoo" here...hurry. I'm about to go with some of Sly's suggestions. And that is a true sign of desperation.

FREE MONEY!!!

2006-08-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting play from the .25/.50 table tonight. Notice how many are in the hand and what happens on the river...(ignore sly's chat, or just laugh if you know him)

Full Tilt Poker Game #952217280: Table Casino Center - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:29:56 ET - 2006/08/30
Seat 1: lundy9 ($20.90)
Seat 2: KickerOfThyAss ($15.40)
Seat 3: loveamybud ($95.15)
Seat 4: cwarno1 ($45.90)
Seat 5: bertnypi89 ($62.15)
Seat 6: IlliniFan ($51.60)
Seat 7: SlySelea ($50), is sitting out
Seat 8: GarySeven ($59.90)
Seat 9: MAE051 ($13.10)
loveamybud: me?
bertnypi89 posts the small blind of $0.25
loveamybud: lol
IlliniFan posts the big blind of $0.50
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Qc 8c]
GarySeven calls $0.50
MAE051 folds
lundy9 folds
IlliniFan: heh
KickerOfThyAss calls $0.50
loveamybud folds
cwarno1 folds
bertnypi89 calls $0.25
IlliniFan checks Easy check
*** FLOP *** [Ac 5d 5c]
bertnypi89 checks
IlliniFan: sly and his famous sit and sit out
SlySelea: ooo no sir
IlliniFan checks
GarySeven checks
KickerOfThyAss checks
SlySelea: not you bud
*** TURN *** [Ac 5d 5c] [5h]
bertnypi89 checks
IlliniFan checks
SlySelea: just announcing myself to the table
GarySeven checks
KickerOfThyAss checks All check still four players
*** RIVER *** [Ac 5d 5c 5h] [5s] Okay, so I'm playing the board. Shouldn't everyone be playing the board?
bertnypi89 bets $1 I was confused by the bet..
loveamybud: lol, we all tilt sometimes
IlliniFan calls $1 But we all play the board, so I call
GarySeven folds HUH?!??
KickerOfThyAss folds WHA??!!??
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bertnypi89 shows [9s 4c] (four of a kind, Fives)
IlliniFan shows [Qc 8c] (four of a kind, Fives)
bertnypi89: lol
bertnypi89 ties for the pot ($1.90) with four of a kind, Fives
IlliniFan ties for the pot ($1.90) with four of a kind, Fives
IlliniFan: why feed the rake? Made this before the folds, but shows up here. I thought it was a good question, but two fold. FREE MONEY!!!
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $4 | Rake $0.20
Board: [Ac 5d 5c 5h 5s]
Seat 1: lundy9 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: KickerOfThyAss folded on the River
Seat 3: loveamybud didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: cwarno1 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: bertnypi89 (small blind) showed [9s 4c] and won ($1.90) with four of a kind, Fives
Seat 6: IlliniFan (big blind) showed [Qc 8c] and won ($1.90) with four of a kind, Fives
Seat 7: SlySelea is sitting out
Seat 8: GarySeven folded on the River
Seat 9: MAE051 didn't bet (folded)

If you are one of the two players who folded and is reading this...I'm still laughing at you!!!

Full Tilt Forum Pointer

2006-08-29T15:53:00.000-05:00

For those who can't live without the forum, PMB was nice enough to start up a thread. You can post and read here.

Playing "Small Ball"

2006-08-14T20:15:00.000-05:00

Okay, it has been a good long while since I had a real "poker" post. Time to get in there and start talking about the game again.

As stated earlier, I'm not playing as much recently, but I have been trying out a new strategy for online play that I have seen some pros use with success lately. This strategy is "small ball". Basically, you are playing small pots, accumulating chips, and staying out of big pots unless you have the absolute nuts or a read that your hand is good.

A lot of people will think "Well, isn't that the way that everyone plays?" The short answer is no. The medium answer is no. The long answer follows.

One of the things that really brought this post to life was a recent episode of "Poker Superstars III" with Johnny Chan, Chris Ferguson, Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Hellmuth. If you are serious about trying to be a better player, and you are not watching this show and "High Stakes Poker", you are missing a lot. In this episode, Johnny was playing small ball to perfection after the first few hands. He was very lucky and picked up KK in hand one, then QQ in hand three and sent Phil Hellmuth and Chris Ferguson to the rail right away. He ended up heads up with Antonio Esfandiari with a 2:1 chip lead and tiny blinds. Johnny went into small ball mode and didn't take chances with hands, and would let hands go if Antonio raised enough preflop or on the flop. He was looking at flops cheaply, keeping the pots small, and then taking them off Antonio with agressive bets.

The only way that you can be truely successful, IMO in small ball is to have a deep stack or have good reads on the players at the table. To some, small ball will look like semi-loose aggressive play. There is a difference though, and it is very subtle. Semi-loose or loose aggressive players will sometimes gamble and push hard into a pot with marginal hands. The small ball players don't do this as often. They rarely raise preflop, and will bet in small increments of the pot post flop. Some think that small ball looks like slowplaying a hand that you have "hit" with. Again, this is close. You are looking to see a lot more flops cheaply with some more marginal hands, and then keeping your losses to a minimum if you are outkicked and outdrawn. Some think that small ball looks like semi-loose passive play. Again, this is close as you aren't looking to "ram and jam" the pot to build it up. You are looking to keep the pots small and push players around.

In fact, small ball is all of these styles combined. You are looking to change gears based on the pot odds, the hands, the players. Small ball is very difficult to play unless you are paying close attention to the play at your table. If you are like a lot of internet players, you are multitasking and not paying too much attention to the table. Most players are playing their cards, not the other players at the table. You will be able to pick these guys up in games within a few orbits, depending on the cards and whether they need to show down hands. If you are being smart and paying attention, you should know if you can play small ball against them successfully. These are the players that small ball will pay off with successfully.

Okay, I know. I am dancing around the issue...how do you play small ball successfully? I wish I knew. I think to be truely successful at it you need to be a superior hand reader, which I am not (but aspire to be). I really do think that the majority of pros out there see this as a good winning strategy, as long as there are no "Kill Phil" types at your table. Small ball basically looks to pick up as many "orphan" pots as you can while risking a minimum amount of chips. You are looking for weak players to pick on. You aren't betting huge amounts, giving the "TV Poker" players out there the itch to get in and mix it up with you in big pots. You are just sitting quietly, over in your chair, quietly and efficiently accumulating chips.

I am still experimenting with the strategy and have mixed results. Several authors talk about this strategy, but not in great detail, which makes me think that they don't want to let the cat out of the bag, and "spoil" this strategy by teaching it to others. I'm learning the lessons the hard way, with some losses. To date (been playing this style for about 2 months) I am down $40 in the .25/.50 NLHE games. So roughly 80 BB. A small price to pay to learn a new, effective strategy, IMO.

If anyone out there is willing to talk this more, feel free to drop me a line. I am always looking to talk strategy, and this new one is fascinating to me. I can be reached at illinifan97 AT gmail DOT com.

In the meantime, I'll cya at the tables.

Updates, new article in the works

2006-08-13T17:56:00.000-05:00

Hello all. Hope that the poker tables have been treating you well. It is time again for some updates.

As I mentioned in my last email, I had 5% in someone for the ME. That someone was Khanwoman (aka Teresa) a fellow player that I met through the fulltiltforum.com. She has her own blog with stories right over there on the right (T's Spot). Check out her blog for some more details on her run at the WSOP.

She did very well. She got her money in with the best of it most of the time (all a poker player can ask for) but ran into some troubles when she had 10-10 vs Q-Q and the board came undercards. That left her short stacked, and she finally went out when her 6-6 was outdrawn on the turn by A-10.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with her run to get there. The reason I got the 5% goes all the way back to the "PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker". T, Myself, and Steeler all decided to play in the tourney and all took 5% of each other just for kicks. Steeler was first to exit, I was next. But T slugged it out through a field of 2300+ to finish in 17th place. No small accomplishment. This was enough to net her a seat in the "150-seat guarantee" tourney that Pokerstars put on in July. This was a $350+20 buy in event and has the record for "the largest Main Event satellite, ever".

Our fearless heroine sat down to duke it out with 7000+ of her closest friends to attempt to "freeroll" into a seat (the blogger championship was a freeroll, no entry fee). After hours of play, she made it! The satellite paid out seats to the top 235ish (don't remember the exact number). T was in the middle of the pack when the tourney ended.

So she made it through two enormous fields to get into the big dance. She did everyone proud. And maybe I can get 5% of her again next year.

In other news, my roll has been up and down again recently. I have been trying for a while to perfect a new strategy (new to me, not to others). That will be the topic for the next post. It is a work in progress. Check back soon.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Real Life > Poker

2006-07-25T18:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, I try not to let real life intrude here. However, I have been neglecting the blog and thought you should all know what is going on.

We found out that my wife is due with our first child in Mid-December. So my free time lately has been baby furniture, baby sheets, baby clothes....baby baby baby.

I'm still playing. Still grinding through the Limit Challenge. Still Donking off money.

I did the instant bankroll through pokersourceonline for $100 free at Absolute Poker. You get $50 and have to earn the other $50. I have thus far lost $28 and not released any bonus money.

In good news, I have a 5% stake in someone going to the WSOP ME this year. More to come later. Just a quick update.

Distractions suck.

Cya at the tables.

Some good reading coming

2006-07-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed, the Cat is coming back to poker. One of the better blogs out there when he's posting. Keep it in mind, he has MUCH better advice than this little ol' rag.

Cya at the tables.

Limit Challenge update and Fish Revisited

2006-07-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

I've been neglecting the old blog, but I have been playing. I have finally made it back out of 0.25/0.50 limit hell and am back up to .50/1 limit. The play once you get to the .50/1, at least at Pokerstars, starts to become more rockish. At .25/.50 I would have no trouble finding several tables with open seats with 35% of the players (or more) seeing the flop. At .50/1 these tables are more difficult to come by. Most have 25-30% of players seeing the flop. I'm still around 21% VP$IP, so I am okay, but the edge is getting to be less. I am going to have to start tightening my hand selection as I move up from here. I currently have taken my 1.20 up to 36.72, so I am still quite a bit away from the next 1/2 level, where I will need to sit with 60.

I'd also like to revisit a post that I made in March around fish at the table. I had a discussion with someone the other day about playing at Party Poker. The person was talking about how they can't ever seem to make money there, and couldn't figure out why as the place is, quite obviously, full of fishy players.

I didn't really discuss it too much in the other post. Here's a quote "It's pretty tough to get to a point where this becomes -EV for you against random hands. So overall, more fish should be better for you. Sure, you will see big swings in your BR, but overall you should be a winning player."

Not that I said "overall". That's where this discussion moved to the other day. I think that my problem with Party, as well as the person that I was talking with, was that we don't have a very large statistical base to work with. I personally played for a pretty short time over at Party with real money, because the swings were so large. I would plunk down $50 or $100, sit at the $25 NLHE games and get frustrated. Why? Variance.

Fish at the table are great for your BR, long term. But only if you have the BR to cover the larger variance having those fish will cause. If you can deal with the short term, losses, having a "fishy" table is the way to go. If you can't, then you need to try to find a table with less fish, or learn to play limit poker, like I did.

I have heard some pros say that their BR variance is much higher in Limit than NL, but I haven't had this experience, yet. The difference may be that in High Limit games, there are less fish than in high NL games. If I ever make it to the higher limits, I'll let you all know.

Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Casino Report - Argosy Casino, Lawrenceburg, IN

2006-06-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

Okay, time to talk about the live game from last friday afternoon. I had a work thing over in Lawrenceburg, IN and ran down to the boat afterword. Got there and they had a TON of games spread. Lots of LHE, NLHE, and PLO as well as PLO8 games going (see post below for limits on these games). I got into the $4/$8 LHE game. I wasn't sure what the action would be like, so I bought in for $320, wanting to stay above 30 BBs. The rake was a little high at 10%, but capped at $5 which I found reasonable for the 4/8 game.

Sat down at the table and realized that I bought in for a little much, and had the big stack at the table. Looked like most had between 150 and 200. So I had some room to be flexible. And boy, did I need it. The entire first hour was just painful. AJ on the button. Raise. 4 callers. Miss the flop. Fold. Limp with AQ from EP. Gets raised and reraise. I fold. Chips bleeding away. Finally decide to change my game up a little when I have KQ sooooted UTG. I raise. Folds to the button, a young kid that has been chatting with me a bit. He reraises. I decide that I have a tight image and I'm gonna bully so I cap it. He calls. Flop is K 10 8 rainbow. I bet it, he raises (and alarm bells go off) but I'm in bully mode and reraise. He calls. Turn is a 4, no flush still. I bet, he calls. River is 3, still no flush. I bet. He calls and shows QQ. Whoops, suckout by me. But now I have a semi-loose image and should get action on my next big hand.

And I don't have to wait long. UTG after an orbit I have 88. Just before my KQ hand, a new guy sat and was pushing people around with junk hands. Manic, loose. Calling reraises with hands like 64 off and hitting a straight. So people were getting a bit upset with him. I decide to go uber-aggressive again. I raise. Reraise, capped. 5 players see the capped flop. Flop is 8 9 10 with 2 hearts. I decide to check-raise to see if I can cut some of the field. I check, bet, loose guy raises. I reraise, it caps again. Turn is a Q, but not a heart. I'm a bit worried as one of the players has been playing AA-JJ and just jamming the pot with bets and raises no matter what hits. I decide to see where I am and bet it. Folds to the guy who plays the high pairs who calls. Loose guy folds. I'm now HU with big pair man. River is an 8. That's right. I hit quads, live. I think about checking, but want to get his cash as he may check behind me. I bet, he calls. I show. He mucks AA. I rake a damn big pot, and finally get into the black.

After this, the deck starts hitting me. In my last 1.5 hours I have AA twice, JJ twice, 99, 77, 66, AK, AQ. My first AA hits a set on the flop but is not called. I have a run of three hands in a row with the 77 that fills up on the river, but didn't get paid off. Next hand I get my AA cracked by KQ off when they river two pair. Then my 99 goes down to a flop of 10 6 4 when the button plays an A10 suited (as well he should) but I minimize my losses and only lose one bet per street (he never raised me). My aggression is paying off, however. Tight aggressive is the way to win this game. People were afraid to raise me as I was jamming a lot of pots.

Finally, I need to get home to Mrs. Fan and have some dinner, so I cash out. $125 in 3 hours. a little over 8BB/hr, even after being cold for the first hour. This is definitely a beatable game. I'll be back.

For those that are interested, they have NLHE tourneys. $95 buy in at noon Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Monday at noon is a Bounty tourney where you pay $20 more and collect the $20 from every player you bust. Same thing on Sunday at 6pm. Overall a nice room. Non-smoking amongst non-smoking slots, so you don't have to worry about cigarette smoke at all.

If you are there on a Saturday afternoon, maybe I'll see you there. Meanwhile, I'll cya at the tables.

Confession..good for your soul, good for your game

2006-06-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

Well, the blog is about confessions. So it is time to bare my soul. Confession helps you put things in perspective. It helps you work through your problems. It makes you think critically about why you act, think, live in certain ways. Reflections on your confession help you learn. The pain helps you grow, and, hopefully, not repeat those mistakes. I have confessed what I have written here to others already personally, but have not posted to the world. I think my personal interactions helped my game, and I think posting the story will help others.

I started this post a week ago and decided to finally publish. I think others can learn. So, without further ado...here is my confession.

I had a horrible week. Started the week with about $500 on Full Tilt, doing very well, playing good. solid poker. Owning the $1/$2 game when suddenly, everything went wrong. I was sitting there, in a $1/$2 session, and had a table open at PS doing the limit challenge when the bonus window on FT opened. No big deal, right? Wrong. I had forgotten during my European Adventure that I had made a deposit in mid-April. When the bonus window came up, I went to look and realized that I had just cleared $80 of the $250 in bonus money I had.

So I started to think. "Hey, that's free money! I can't let that go by! I'm doing well here, I'll just play some other games and clear that bonus faster!"

Wow, what a horrible, horrible, bad, horrible idea. I opened up some NLO8 and PLO8 (that's no limit Omaha Hi/Lo and Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo to you poker newbies). It didn't matter that I had been playing Limit Hold Em pretty exclusively for the last 3 months and built up a pretty substantial roll. I was playing 1/2 limit, how much different could it be, right? And the pots were so big, I could clear bonus faster!

Talk about an amateur blunder. Being good at LHE won't translate to being good at PLO8. Heck, it won't even mean you are a good NLHE player. I'm not. I should know better. My brain is wired to play LHE, and I struggle everywhere else. But hubris got me. Made me think I was bulletproof.

If you have been around poker for a while, you know the end of this story. I lost the full $500. And then some. I had about $200 over on PS, so I brought over $100 and am now hovering around the $125 mark, with about $60 in bonus that got released during the freefall.

So what's the moral of this story? Heck, there's a laundry list, not just one.

Even when you are running well, you are not bulletproof. Just because you are good in one game, doesn't mean you should be playing at that level in others. Don't jump into games that will drain your BR in just a few buyins. Don't play just to get the "free money". Play your game and play it well. If you are going to jump to different games, start at low limits and work your way up. I'm sure there's a ton more, but those are the biggies.

So now I'm back to low limits. I still post and hang out on fulltiltforum.com, and we have a $0.10/$0.25 NLHE table that will show up if enough people are playing online. To get back to my "roots" I had a few people help me get the table to show up (Full Tilt now only has one "empty" table on the list at a time, so you have to sit at it to get the next to show up, and the forum table is down the list a bit) and sat and had a good time there for a while just to get out of my funk. Talks with the Cat, Dee, Grumpy, steeler, Khan, Zooks, all helped a lot too. Thanks to everyone for letting me unload a bit.

So where do I go from here? Here's another addition to this post pre-publication. On Friday afternoon, I had a team offsite at work that was over in Lawrenceburg, IN. Argosy casino is right up the road, so when the team event was over I decided to head up there for some LHE action. I wanted to make sure I hadn't completely destroyed my game. I promised the wife that I would be home for dinner, so I knew I would only have 3 or 3.5 hours, tops. It would depend on what the waiting lists were like when I got there.

I joined the players club for the comps, then headed down to the poker room. I was worried as it was a Friday afternoon (granted, it was only 3:30pm) but I had heard that the place had long waits. When I got there there were 2/4, 3/6, 4/8, 6/12 and 10/20 LHE, 1/3, 2/5 NLHE, and they had PLO and PLO8 running as well. It is a pretty nice setup, an non-smoking room next to the non-smoking slots, so people can't just hang out smoking at the rail, they have to go outside to get their nic fix.

I asked to be put on the 3/6 and 4/8 LHE lists, and they told me there was a seat at 4/8 that was open. There was one on the list, but 2 seats available. So I hit the cashier and sat with $320. 3 hours later, I left with $445, thanks to some great cards and some loose play. Oh, yeah, and those quads that I hit. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that post. It's bedtime now.

Cya at the tables.

I hate to use the word nemesis, but...

2006-06-04T22:09:00.000-05:00

Wow. Another WPBT event, and more action with vegaas. As a fellow "basement blogger" (hell, yeah, I'll steal it) I just can't seem to get on the right side of a flop with this guy. Two cases in point from tonight's WPBT event:

Full Tilt Poker Game #689282909: WPBT Circuit 7 (4397409), Table 2 - 100/200 - Limit Hold'em - 22:23:29 ET - 2006/06/04
Seat 1: IlliniFan (3,035)
Seat 2: lucko21 (1,105)
Seat 3: presidentdave (1,450)
Seat 4: hoyazo (1,370)
Seat 5: BadBlood (742)
Seat 6: vegaas (2,655)
Seat 8: StatikKling (1,553)
BadBlood posts the small blind of 50
vegaas posts the big blind of 100
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Kd Qd]
hoyazo: very impressive lucko
StatikKling folds
IlliniFan raises to 200
lucko21 folds
lucko21: thanks, disapointing
presidentdave folds
hoyazo folds
BadBlood folds
hoyazo: i know what you mean.
vegaas calls 100
*** FLOP *** [4c Ks Js]
lucko21: did well in the stars million too
HighOnPoker sits down
HighOnPoker adds 1,683
hoyazo: but very impressive nonetheless.
vegaas checks
IlliniFan bets 100
hoyazo: nice.
vegaas calls 100
*** TURN *** [4c Ks Js] [3s]
lucko21: busted out 180 something
vegaas checks
HighOnPoker is feeling happy
IlliniFan bets 200
vegaas raises to 400
hoyazo: how many people in that one?
lucko21: 5200
HighOnPoker: looks whose coming to dinner
IlliniFan has 15 seconds left to act
IlliniFan calls 200
*** RIVER *** [4c Ks Js 3s] [7s]
presidentdave: hey Jordan
hoyazo: hey jordan
vegaas checks
IlliniFan checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
vegaas shows [Kc Jc] (two pair, Kings and Jacks)
IlliniFan shows [Kd Qd] (a pair of Kings)
vegaas wins the pot (1,450) with two pair, Kings and Jacks Yep, outkicked and he picks it up...again (see my earlier post about him having my number)
IlliniFan: nh
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,450 | Rake 0
Board: [4c Ks Js 3s 7s]
Seat 1: IlliniFan showed [Kd Qd] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 2: lucko21 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: presidentdave didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: hoyazo (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: BadBlood (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: vegaas (big blind) showed [Kc Jc] and won (1,450) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 8: StatikKling didn't bet (folded)

Hand #2
Full Tilt Poker Game #689348015: WPBT Circuit 7 (4397409), Table 2 - 120/240 - Limit Omaha Hi/Lo - 22:46:36 ET - 2006/06/04
Seat 1: IlliniFan (2,955)
Seat 2: lucko21 (315)
Seat 3: presidentdave (957)
Seat 4: hoyazo (2,370)
Seat 5: BadBlood (1,458)
Seat 6: vegaas (3,155)
Seat 7: HighOnPoker (2,383)
presidentdave posts the small blind of 60
hoyazo posts the big blind of 120
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [As 3s Ad Ks]
BadBlood folds
vegaas raises to 240
HighOnPoker folds
IlliniFan calls 240
lucko21 folds
presidentdave folds
hoyazo has 15 seconds left to act
hoyazo folds
*** FLOP *** [4d 9d 3h]
vegaas bets 120
IlliniFan raises to 240
vegaas calls 120
*** TURN *** [4d 9d 3h] [Qc]
vegaas bets 240
IlliniFan calls 240
*** RIVER *** [4d 9d 3h Qc] [Jh]
vegaas checks
IlliniFan bets 240
vegaas calls 240
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IlliniFan shows [As 3s Ad Ks] (a pair of Aces)
vegaas shows [Qd 3d Ac Ah] (two pair, Queens and Threes) Yep, again. I have him dominated and he sucks out. Who is this masked mystery man?!?! Damn him!
vegaas wins the pot (2,100) with two pair, Queens and Threes
The game is now 150/300 Limit Razz with an ante of 25
No low hand qualified
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,100 | Rake 0
Board: [4d 9d 3h Qc Jh]
Seat 1: IlliniFan showed [As 3s Ad Ks] and lost with HI: a pair of Aces
Seat 2: lucko21 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: presidentdave (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: hoyazo (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: BadBlood didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: vegaas showed [Qd 3d Ac Ah] and won (2,100) with HI: two pair, Queens and Threes
Seat 7: HighOnPoker didn't bet (folded)

I finally went out in Stud when I was dealt 272 (closest thing you can get to the hammer in stud) and got it all in the middle. Lucko21 called me with his flush draw to win it on 7th street, but I was close to getting back into it. Finished 20th out of 33 starters. Was as high as 3rd before vegaas started stealing my chips.

Well, at least some good news. I am finally out of .10/.20 limit hell and am actually well on my way out of .25/.50 and back into .50/1. I'm up to $25.27, so I'm less than $5 away there. Should make it by Weds. I'll cya at the tables...

Grinding is rough

2006-06-04T08:47:00.000-05:00

Hello all. Thanks for stopping by to check things out. Didn't get to play poker yesterday, as I had a TON of yardwork to catch up on since I was gone for 3 weeks. However, I did play for about 5 hours on Friday evening. And I'm up a whole whopping $0.75 for my troubles in the Limit Challenge.

Sat with my usual 30X BB in the .10/.20 game, $6. Had that slooooowly drain away when I couldn't hit flops for about 3 hours. Got to the point where I was going to just get it all in the middle by betting/raising just out of sheer frustration. But I held back, and continued on the grind. Finally found AJ on the button and raised. Four callers. Flop was AJA, two hearts. Beautiful. BB bet it, one caller, one fold. I decide that they are going to pay me off no matter what, so I raise. BB reraises, other guy calls. I cap it and both call. Turn is a blank (maybe an 8?) but still no flush yet. BB bets it again. I started the hand with $1.05 and manage to get it all in by raising here on the turn and having the BB reraise me for my last $0.15. The MP guy was along for the ride as well. River brought the flush, and the other two capped again in the side pot. BB turned over A4 offsuit. (yep...all that for a set with a crappy kicker). MP player scooped with KQ hearts for the nut flush (and almost royal, whew). I tripled up in the main pot and was on my way out of the hole.

But getting back to even still took some time. Variance is a bitch around the donkeys. They tend to get lucky and their A-x hits two pair when you have them outkicked. Ugly, ugly stuff. I am still wary when a bunch of middle connecting type cards flop (like 784) as you never know who played connecting cards here and is sitting on the 56o. It happens. The nice thing is that these donkeys usually will pay you off and even raise into you when they have TPTK, or even just TP, crappy kicker.

So after 5 hours, I was up to $6.75 and decided to call it quits. I might be playing for a bit this evening, but I still have more yardwork to catch up on today. Have all the flower beds prepped for mulching, so I need to get the mulch down. I'll update later.

Cya at the tables.

Limit Challenge Update

2006-06-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

Okay, I was gone for three weeks, but here's the latest. To catch you up (read it here), I had made it all the way up to $41.07 from my initial $1.20. I had gone from $0.02/$0.04 (level 1) up to $0.50/$1 (level 5) and was knocking on the door for the 1/2 game. Then variance hit and I got knocked back down to $0.10/$0.20 (level 3). I slid through a few levels on the way, but hit bottom and started to climb back out.

Now I'm moving up slowly, two steps forward, one step back style. Played when I got back on Monday evening and made a whooping 4.5BB (well, a bit more...$0.95) to bring me back to $12.02 total and closer to moving up a limit. But then last night I lost $1.65 back to push me down to $10.37. I'm still way, way up, so I have no complaints. I thought the challenge would be about making money in the higher limits, and I still think that when I get there it's going to be tough. But right now it's about grinding out in Low-limit hell when people call all the way down with AK - A10 off, any two suited cards, any two connected cards. I found myself slipping a bit and starting to emulate that play, just being lazy. This challenge is all about the grind, not about being fancy.

So here I sit, at the $0.10/$0.20 game again, grinding. To combat the boredom, I joined a $10+1 SnG that I won, so things aren't all bad. I hope to be back to the $0.25/$0.50 game by the end of the weekend. I'll post again in a bit with an update.

In other news, I'm stoked to be playing in the next Blogger Event, which will be Sunday night HORSE. I'm doing well in mixed-game formats, so I'm hoping to earn some more points here soon. No way I'm going to win it, let alone crack the top 10, but top 20 is a possibility if I can make some more events. Click on the WPBT logo to the right to learn more about the World Poker Blogger's Tour.

Oh, and I'm hoping to take down the "World Blogger Championship of Online Poker" over on PS on the 18th. Or at least do better than my abysmal finish last year in the bottom 10%. Click on the link up there and register if you have a blog. First place is a WSOP main event package, and the whole FT gets a WSOP seat in a $1500 buy-in event. Should be a fun time.

I'll cya at the tables....

Not a Hiatus...but a European Poker Tour! BIG NEWS INSIDE!!!

2006-05-31T16:46:00.000-05:00

Hope that you are all well. I haven't updated since my internet connections over in Europe were a bit spotty, at best. But thanks for sticking with me. Here's the data dump. In a wink and a nod to Iggy, this will be in Uber-post form.

I played all of my poker in London, as that was the only weekend time that I had. Hard to play during the week when you have work. Damn work. I played at two (tried at three, but we'll get to that) clubs in London, the Gutshot and the Sportsman. The third club, the Grosvenor Victoria (aka the Vic) I went to but never played at, for good reason. That's the big news, but you will have to wait and read on. Here's my notes from the trip....

Day 1 - Friday
Well, I was thinking I would be able to post more often, but that's not the case. Internet connection at my hotel isn't working, except in the lobby on wireless, so I might post from there later.

No poker until I got to London yesterday. Should have been here by 4pm local time, but the train from Newcastle had a whole slew of issues with the track signals, so we didn't get in until 5:30. Wrestled my one huge piece of luggage onto the Tube, one train change, into the hotel. 6:15 then. Checked in, went up to clean up a bit and off again about 7:15. Asked the front desk for the address to the Gutshot and they couldn't find it. I knew it was on Clerkenwell, and I thought it was in the 40-50 region so I told the taxi to shoot for 44. Would have taken the tube, but I wasn't sure where the place was and thought I'd be safer in a taxi to get there.

Taxi driver had never heard of it. (Hmmm...seems to be a theme here) He dropped me off at what he thought was the 40-50 block, which it was on the south side of the street. The north side was still in the 60s, so, off I hoofed it....and there I was, finally. Got there about 3 mins before the 8pm £10 rebuy event. So finally, some poker!

Got seated at a table near to the back of the new room....for those who don't know, the Gutshot is a "private" club that attests that poker is a game of skill, not luck. Therefore, as a private club they have to reinvest all profits into the club. They have made enough that they were able to buy the storefront next door and open that as a tourney area. It's really nice, non-smoking except near the front and the bar.

Okay, time to play. They are set up where the players deal and so areound we went. First hand, I'm in MP and the guy in front of me raises to 325. I look down to find 10-10 (my favorite hand). You start with 500 chips and 25-25 blinds. I figured it was worth the shot and tried to isolate by going all-in. BB hemmed and hawed and folded. Player flippled up A-10 suited and I was damn happy. Only a three outer. No A for him and I'm now at 1050. Next hand I get A-10 suited and figure what the hell, and raise to 300. Guy two to my left reraises all in and I actually think for a second, then call. He shows 6-6. Flop is Q J K. And I'm on my way to getting someone else to rebuy. Turn is a K....uh oh.....river is a 6! Runner-runner full houses aren't just an online phenomena!!! WTF? Ah well, I'm still okay with 550. Next hand (yes, we are only 3 hands in) I get AK off. People are now thinking I'm nuts, so I go all-in again UTG. Two call. One has A-5 off, one has QJ off...heh. Now I'm back to 1500+ and two more fish have to rebuy. That was the end of my streak, but a hell of a way to start a tourney.

I make it to the first break without having to rebuy, but I'm the only one at the table who didn't have to rebuy. I have 2500 in chips(Had QQ hit a set and then a flush). I do the £10 add on for 500 more (probably shouldn't have, but I was a middle-sized stack at the table and everyone else did). So after the break I have 3000. After the break the action slows down. Guy to my immediate left however tried to pull a fast one after the break and went all in immediately, and said.."I can get one more rebuy, right?" Uh, no...and we aren't falling for your "fake drunk" escapades...everyone folds, he laughs and shows AA.

I few hands later I have A9 sooooted in MP and decide to raise (since I've been showing premium hands...well, other than the A-10 which is marginal to good) I make it 350 to go in the 50-100 blinds and have two callers. Flop is 9-8-3 rainbow. Girl in the SB who has been very tight goes all-in for 600 chips into a 1000 chip pot and other player mucks. I decide to call and hope she doesn't have an overpair (hoping 7s, or A-9 or A-8 suited)...but she has 10-10 and I can't hit any of my few outs. I take it easy for a bit and when the BB comes around to me again I find A-J spades. Button min-raises, and instead of pushing back, the SB and I just call. Flop is J-3-6 with 2 spades. SB bets, I decide to push the button all-in (leaving me with about 1050 behind) since I have the TPTK and flush draw outs. Button insta-calls (not a good sign, his chips almost beat mine into the pot) and SB folds. Button shows 3-3. SB says "Wow, I had that other 3". My flush misses. Sigh....

I finally get moved and am card dead. I finally get a soooted Q9 UTG and decide I'm tired (still a bit jet-laggy). So I go all in. LP guy reraises me all in to isolate and everyone else folds. I know I'm in trouble. He shows A7 sooted (but a different suit than mine) and the flop comes J-10-4 rainbow. Turn is a blank and neither of us can flush, but I have a ton of outs...any K,Q,9,8 and I win it. But none come and I head back to the hotel.

That's it for now. I won't have pics until the wife gets over next Saturday, since I forgot the cable to transfer pics to the comp, and I have no connection yet at the hotel anyway. I'll update after I play some this afternoon. They hav £25 max PLHE with £0.25-£0.50 blinds that I'm going to try out. I'll cya all later.

Well, now I have pics..here's the new cardroom at the Gutshot.

Day 2 - Saturday

9pm update. Played the £1-£1 £25 min, £50 max PLHE cash game. Moved it up to £90. Used that to buy into a £11 SnG for the £110 freezeout. Got to heads up with 3000 vs 7000 in chips (10-handed, 1000 chips each) offered the guy £70 for the seat. He said he wanted to play for it, so we did.

Got all the way down to 1250. Had J5 Soooted and said f-it and pushed. He called with Q9...uh oh. I flopped a 5. He turned a Q. I rivered a 5. Doubled to 2500. Next hand I had KJ off. 200/400 blinds still. I pushed, he called and had the Q9 AGAIN!!. I knew I was done, can't beat that magic twice in a row. He flopped a 9, and I was done.

As soon as it was over he said he couldn't play in the big buy in and offered me the seat for £70. Said he just wanted to play it out so that's why he didn't deal. No biggie, I paid the man and took the seat. Paid £81 - £40 profit earler and I paid £41 for the £100 freeze out. Starts with 4000 in chips and 25-50 blinds, 25 minute levels. Not too bad.

So that started an hour ago and here I sit. Talking with you all again. I did well, moved my 4K to 5K with a few hands and a good bluff. Only had to show two hands, AK suited and AQ off. Came around to me in MP and I looked down to see JJ. I hate JJ. Blinds at 50-100 so I raised to 500. One caller from BB. Flop is all low cards, 9 hi. Caller bets out 500. I stopped to think about it. I've noticed that most Europeans tend to like the check-raise on the flop (how I got knocked down to a low stack last night) when they have a monster, so I am thinking he may have AK, AQ, or pairs down to 10s since he's betting into me. I raise 1500. He thinks for about 3 mins, then pushes all-in. I feel like I'm commited now and have him coved by about 800, so I call. He's got QQ. Ah well, I should have known better.

So I sit and wait and wait and wait. Now into 100-200 blinds, so my 800 is now 600 and I find Kd8d in the CO. Decide to gamble. Two callers. They both check it down to the river and I've missed everything. Same guy who had the QQ vs me has 55 and I'm done.

Now on the list for the £1-£1 game again. I'll let you know how that goes when I come back later.

Still having fun, at least. Here's me in the cash game.

The Saturday Midnight Update-A mini-novel

Okay, the latest from the other side of the pond.....

One word....WOW

Okay, so when we last left our hero, he was down from his early exit in the £100+10 buy in freeze out after his JJ lost to QQ. I was down £41 for the evening. I got on the £1-£1 25min/50 max game list and waited around. Meanwhile the £0.25-£0.50 game with a £25 max started up. Also known as the "pony game". Apparently, Raymer, Hatchem, and Moneymaker were there on Monday for the end of the big week-long European Open and Raymer sat in on this game and it got a little nutty.

It's hard to describe this game. Only good way is that it is 1) NUTS, and 2) a "Gentleman's Game" where there is no dealer from the club (you pass the deal) and no rake. It is Pot Limit Hold Em. It was juicy. However, I got knocked down a bit when my A-10 off in the BB was caught by A-8 suited that turned 2-pair. Such is life. I got called up to the bigger game and left, but might try it again tomorrow. Sat with £25, left with £8.

Took the cash over to the other game and bought in for £25 more, giving me £33. I was up and down a bit until I finally had AQ off on the button. I have to digress a bit here so that you can understand my play.

Side story-skip if you just want the poker

Okay, this table was absolutely nuts, there was a young american punk and a polish guy that were going after each other like they were at war. There was an english guy that has three hands earlier really started to mix it up and put the polish guy on tilt by calling a DOUBLE straddle (made by the young american punk or YAP) with 2-4 offsuit. Yeah, you read that right. Hell, there was so much action I even played my 5-6 SOOTED in that hand cause I could have easily trippled or quadrupled up if it hit. Anyway, the englishman called it and the flop came down A-5-8 with no hearts. Checked around (Europeans HATE to bet the flop..they prefer to check-raise....remember that info if you are playing in a casino over here) and the turn came a 3. Check to the polish guy who bet pot...I muck, another mucks. English reraises pot. Folded to polish. Reraise is enough to put him all in. He calls. At the Gutshot, you don't turn over the cards until the river is dealt in a cash game(like cash games online at some sites, might be all of Europe for all I know) so they polish didn't see he was beat until the end. And he went balistic. I think I might have learned some really really good swear words in Polish, if I could understand the guy. He was close to going over the table, but his buddy talked him down and he finally went to get more cash from the ATM.

End of side story-back to poker

Okay, so I have AQ on the button. Young american punk (YAP) bets the pot in EP..no big deal. I've been pretty tight and not mixing it up much, and have seen a few monsters go down to this kid (He called an £80 PREFLOP bet with 6-6 and flopped a 6 to crack Qs, so I know he could have anything). Polish's buddy calls. I reraise the pot to £18. English reraises me pot. Fold fold to me. His reraise is enough to put me in, I've got about £35 left. I think about it and he says "Well, at least it will be a race I guess" which makes me think he has a mid-PP, like 7s to 10s. I call. He has 10-10. He asks the table if anyone had an A and they all say no. Polish's buddy says he had J-10 off so one of his 10s is gone if I can hit.

Flop is beauty. A-4-9. Turn is a J. River is a 6 and I scoop a £95 pot. Sweet! I wait through another orbit and see a few flops, but it is getting late and I need to catch the tube back to the hotel. I know I could stay and pay for a cab, but damnit, I'm tired and I paid for a daily railcard, so I'm gonna use the thing more than once. I get up, cash out for £91 and realize....I'm dead even for poker at the Gutshot for the day. Like 8.5 hours of playing, and I'm dead even. Sure. I paid for drinks, and dinner, but that was it. One hell of a day.

Tomorrow I'm debating looking for other casinos to hit. There were a few that were advertising in the Bluff Europe that I hadn't seen online, so I might check them out. Of course, dummy me left the mag at the Gutshot. I'll have to swing by and pick one up or just Google and hope to get lucky, but what the heck.

-Side note- Found the other places, as you can see from the start of the article.

Day 3 - Sunday, the day I met a WSOP Champ!

Just played a £30+3 freezeout . 44 entered, I finished 12th when I was on the SS UTG with Jc10c and pushed it. BB called (I would have crippled him, he would have had 1200 left with 300/600 blinds) He thought hard about it. Wish he would have folded he had JJ. J on the flop, paired the 6 on the board on the turn (full house for him) and then another 6 on the river just to dig it into me. I had 666JJ, to his JJJ66. Ah well. What was really interesting was that English from last night was there. This was at a different place, the Sportsman out by Marble Arch.

One interesting side story from this game. The dealers were not very good at all. There were quite a few string bets, etc that the dealers were not calling. I saw one pot pushed to a player that should have been split, but since I wasn't involved, I didn't say anything about it, as I don't want to get into a fight, being the "ugly american" and all that.

Anyway, here's the story. 20 left, I have the big stack with about 8K (started with 1500). I look down to find AJ suited on the Button. I decide to play bully. SB calls, BB goes all in for 500 more. I call, SB call. Flop is A 8 5. SB bets 500 into the dry pot and I decide to bully again, and I go all-in.

He shows 5-5 for a set. I ask him how much will I owe (as an A to help me will fill him up) and the dealer says "Wait till the end".

Turn is a K, river is an A and everyone goes nuts. A few were saying "He sucked out!" The guy starts to get up, the dealer starts to push me the pot and I hear a voice say "He's got a full house". And realize that voice is mine.

Everyone stops, and looks.

Would you have done the same? I just can't see letting that happen, I think that there should still be some class in poker.

Anyway, back to the main story. Sorry for the digression. I left the Sportsman with time to get to the Gusthot for their 8pm...the story continues...almost to the good part, trust me!

So I sat in the £30+3 for about 15-20 mins before a donk took me out. He was going in with any A, any pair. He had sucked out on 4 other guys in 20 mins. I looked down in MP and found AsJs and decided to raise. If he reraised again (which he would with any A) I would go over the top. Everyone else respected the 3.5X BB raise but him. I went over the top, he called with A10 off. One guy said "You've got him, I mucked 10-4 offsuit" and I knew that those words sealed my fate. Sure enough, the 10 came on the flop and I was out. I did have a shot as the board paired Ks and gave me a gutshot str8 draw as well, but alas, I couldn't suckout a gutshot at the Gutshot (and what the hell is up with that? would have made the story better) In fact, the board was K 6 10 K on the river, so any A,K,Q or J would have given me the win (or split with the K). Such is life. He can hit his 2-outer, but I can't hit my 10-outer.

So I went back to the £50 buy in, £1-£1 blind PLHE game. Made 38 back. And then decided I wanted to try a new club and took the tube over to the Victoria Casino.

Wow, what a difference. Much more Vegas-like with the glitz and glamour. The Gutshot is definietly a better place to play for the action, but the Vic was a lot nicer looking and cleaner.

And it had Greg Raymer. Yep, you read that right. I'll give you a minute to let that sink in......

I came all the way to the UK, decided on a whim to try a third card club, and ran into a WSOP champion. He was sitting with about £3K in a £250 min, no max buyin with £5-£5 blinds that was a mixed game. They were playing all kinds of stuff, some that I had never heard of nor seen before. I didn't even notice him at first as people were leaving him alone. I put my name on the list for the £1-£1, min £100 buy in PLOmaha and sat down out in the lounge and was waiting for my table. I was looking around the cardroom when a guy got up to adjust his chair and thought "hey, he looks kind of like Raymer" followed immediately by "HOLY SHIT, THAT IS RAYMER".

So, knowing that he's a nice guy I walked over to the table, and waited until he was not in a hand and chatted with him for a bit. I asked for a photo with him and he agreed, but they don't allow cameras in the Casino, so we would have had to go downstairs. He wasn't ready for a break, and I was still on the list so I just stood there and we talked. Looking back, I think I missed a golden opportunity (I was tired and a bit shell-shocked) as he said he was hungry and asked if I knew a good Thai place nearby. I bet if I had found one and offered to buy, he would have taken a break and I would have a much, much cooler story about the time that I bought Raymer dinner in London. Instead, you get this tale. Such is life, again....sigh....

So I waited for a bit. It had been about an hour and they hadn't called me. I was tired and had a flight on Monday morning, so about 11:30 I asked if he was ready for a break and he said he was stuck, and one of his vices in poker is that he won't get up for a break until he's even (I think that was his polite way of saying no), so no picture with him.

I did get a nice autograph that is personalized. He carries a deck of Pokerstars trading cards (look like baseball cards, kinda) that he autographed for me. I asked if he would be around next weekend and he said "Maybe" so I may try to head back on Friday night when I get into town. If he's not at the Vic, I'll be heading back to the Gutshot to make a little cash. I'll post again when I get back off the business trip and onto my "Holiday" (vacation for you in the states....Europe is starting to sink in too much)

Day 5 - one week later

Well, I didn't get in until late on Friday, as there was bad weather in London and my flight from Frankfurt was delayed. Wife came in on Saturday, so I had to keep her up and moving to get her adjusted to the right time. So on Sunday, I went back to the Sportsman to try my hand at the £30+3 freezeout again. Did okay, made the final two tables but the cards just weren't there. Finally had to get all-in vs a guy from the week before who I'd been chatting with prior to the game start when he raised my BB from MP. He stuck in a 3XBB raise for 600, and I only had 1600 left after posting (M of about 5) and I found A8 suited. I reraised all in but my flush didn't come and his AK had me outkicked. Such is life.

So that's it for the European Adventure. Now I'm back to my limit challenge, and I'll post updates to that again.

Limit Update - post slide

2006-05-07T22:08:00.000-05:00

Okay, update time. If you haven't seen the post about my slide, you can start there, or just pick up here.

I'm now back down to .10/.20. Had the roll all the way up to $41.07 and then the slide started. Bottomed out at $7.47 before I started the upswing again. Not sure how much time I'll have to put in over the next few weeks, as I'll be travelling for work (and playing some live games at the Gutshot )

After hitting the low, I have had two sessions with minimal improvement. I would like to say that it is the weekend players, and I just didn't make the right adjustments, but I should blame myself as well as I started to slip and play some draws WAY too aggressively. So I'm back up to $11.07, and almost to the .25/.50 level again, clawing my way back toward daylight.

In other news, since Grumpy's curious, I got knocked out of the Illinifan Invitational in a pretty low position, a whopping 47th out of 65. I just couldn't put anything together, and know that I got my chips in with a pretty decent, but not great hand (my pocket fives got called down by K10 offsuit and I was done). After that I just waited for "the hammer" and got it all in the middle. End of game for me.

Variance rears it's ugly head

2006-05-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

Wow. Talk about going from cloud nine into the crapper. My limit challenge has finally hit a bit of a rough patch. And I mean ROUGH. I could post and post about the bad beats, the suckouts. When my 10-10 that I capped preflop with lost to a runner runner set to A5 when the flop came 9 8 3. When my A5 suited in the big blind flopped top two pair only to get chased and sucked out on by A3 offsuit when he hit runner-runner boat. Just to name a few. But I was running really well on the way up, all my flushes would hit. All my PPs would flop a set and get paid off. It was time for variance to turn around and take a chunk out. But why so big?

How far have I fallen? Two full levels. I was all the way up to $0.50/$1 with a healthy BR of $41.07 last night when I started up. First session, I dropped $29.25. Urp. Was still playing the right kind of poker, just missed my draws and had some suckouts on the way down (see above). Variance is a fickle mistress. I lost $18.75 at the $0.50/$1 before moving down to the $0.25/$0.50 game and dropping the rest. That was enough to put me back to the $0.10/$0.20 level. Where I have yet to have a winning session to start to rebuild.

But rebuild I shall. I have faith that my play is correct, it was just time for a downswing. As I write this I'm down another $2 in the $0.10/$0.20 game. The old BR is now down to $8.27. I really can't complain, I'm still up from my start. Just a little "correction". I'll be working my way back up soon. I have been pretty good at controlling my tilt and not just going off the deep end. This little experiment has done me wonders on thinking about where my BR is vs where it was earlier. I'm no longer getting frustrated because I'm down over $30 in a day playing microlimits. Everyone knows that bad beats happen. Draws miss. I have to keep focused on the bigger picture, that I'm still up in the challenge and I can rebuild.

I'll be playing in Full Tilt's Silver Freeroll this afternoon. Maybe I'll have the challenge up at the same time and try to scrape my way back. Either way, I'm not going in the tank, yet.

I'll cya at the tables..

Climbing the ladder in the Limit Challenge

2006-05-04T17:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks for stopping by to check in. Today will just be a quick update on the Limit Challenge.

Current bankroll: $37.32 (+$36.12). Current Level: 5 ($0.50/$1) Goal for next level: $60. Amount needed for next goal: $22.68.

I've been working my way up steadily, with just a few downswings. I was successful in making it to Level 5, the $0.50/$1 game. First time there, I had a downswing and left the table down about $5. That forced me to move back to the $0.25/$0.50 game, as I no longer had the 30BB buy in to sit with when I was ready to start up again.

Back at $0.25/$0.50 I quickly made up the $5 when I got called down by a small PP when I flopped a set of Js. The turn filled me up and gave him his two pair, and he was unable to get away from it. Another player called to the river before folding (one of my favorite donk moves). I understand if there is a flush or str8 draw available that calling is a good option at times, followed by a fold when you miss the draw on the river. I'm still fascinated by the player who's moves include calling with an A (or K or Q) and folding when the A (or K or Q) doesn't hit on the river. I usually play only sets or big str8 or flush draws, so if people hit their A on the river it still doesn't help them. I guess I'm still not to a level where people pay attention, although there are quite a few more folds to a pre-flop raise in the $0.50/$1 game than there were at previous levels.

But I digress. Back to the report. After getting back above $30, I moved up to the $0.50/$1 again and hit a cold streak. Was down another $9 at one point before finally hitting a good run and finishing the session up $6. I think getting to the next level from here on out is going to be more of a grind. I'll see if I can maintain discipline and continue to move up. I'm curious to see where my tight/aggressive/aggressive behavior will finally hit a wall and I will have to start making some "moves" (limping into pots vs raising, check raises, etc) in order to keep the roll moving in the right direction.

That's all for now. Playing the challenge mostly over on PokerStars under "Illinifan". Stop by if you want and say hi, or sit and try to knock me back a level. Might be nice to have a few people in there to mix up the monotony once in a while.

I'll cya at the tables.

Good news and Bad news...

2006-05-01T17:25:00.000-05:00

THE BAD
We'll start with the bad news. I played in the WPBT Stud Event #4 last night and Vegaas really had my number. I'd have a good starting hand (kings buried once) and he would have an A for his door card. I'd raise, he'd call. His next card would be an A. This happened 3 times. It was horrible. I eventually got so low I had to go in with 7K7. He had 9J10, then a Q, then a J and I was done. GG me.

THE GOOD
So the good news is on the limit challenge. I have successfully grown my initial $1.20 into$22.22, and I'm now on Level 4 playing .25/.50 limit. You remember my goal is to make it to level 9 ($5/$10) by Christmas. Looks like Christmas might come early this year. I don't want to get too cocky though, as the cards have been running well for me. I figure I will have to have at least one bad run that will knock me back 2-3 levels here sometime. I just hope I can make it to 2/4 or 3/6 before I hit that bad run.

Other than that, I'm still doing well. Since I started the limit challenge, my online roll has actually gone +$260ish (but $60 is from bonus money). I have had a few good finishes (including 3rd in the WBPT DADI event). I really need to work on my heads-up play however. In 131 SnGs this year, I am 42.7% (56 times) in the money. I have 11 firsts, 27 seconds, and 17 thirds (and one 6th in a 45-person SnG). That's way too many 2nds, so now I know what I need to work on. I may try a few HU SnGs just to practice that part of my game.

I also made it into Full Tilt's $15K Silver Freeroll (I miscalculated one day and got 99.4 points. Whoops, that was it I was out of the $20K Gold). I'm not going to do this again for May, as I'll be gone for a lot of May for work.

Well, time to light the grill and cook some meat. I love springtime. I'll cya at the tables.

Limit challenge update

2006-04-27T21:21:00.000-05:00

I have managed to already make it from the $0.02/$0.04 limit up to $0.10/$0.20. My $1.20 has grown to $6.39. I've had a 5x improvement in my roll in about a week. Maybe I should have started with $120 instead.

Just kidding. I expected to be able to fly through some of the lower levels, as most people here are in the "ah, I'll call it down, it's only 4-cents" mode. People need to learn that you should play the same game at every limit. I'm glad that I'm doing this because it is forcing me to really focus on the game indepenent of the limits.

Here's the tracking:

	BB	In	Out	Profit/Loss
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.95	0.75
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.74	0.54
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.51	0.31
Level 1	0.04	1.2	1.43	0.23
Level 2	0.1	3	4.2	1.2
Level 2	0.1	3	5.19	2.19

So it took me 4 sessions to get to level 2, and only 2 sessions to make it to level 3. I almost made it to level 3 in a single sitting, and was actually only $0.70 away after seeing only 3 flops in about 25 hands. Had a person draw out a gutshot though to beat my flopped set which set me back a little. I'll start level 3 tomorrow.

I am still amazed at the hands that people will see a flop with in limit. Here's a good example. This is the hand that put me over the top in level 1.

PokerStars Game #4745841863: Hold'em Limit ($0.02/$0.04) - 2006/04/25 - 23:24:12 (ET)
Table 'Pluto' 10-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: kevonfire ($0.14 in chips)
Seat 2: Kent Hrbek ($1.03 in chips) <--nice to see a fellow forumer showing support!
Seat 3: zhunter ($2.91 in chips)
Seat 5: duke 96 ($1.57 in chips)
Seat 6: IlliniFan ($0.74 in chips)
Seat 7: Tired Dan ($0.45 in chips)
Seat 8: Tjorgey ($0.78 in chips)
Seat 10: PorkerRosey ($0.03 in chips)
Kent Hrbek: posts small blind $0.01
zhunter: posts big blind $0.02
michaelm82: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to IlliniFan [Ad Ac]
duke 96: calls $0.02
IlliniFan: raises $0.02 to $0.04 <--jam it with AA
Tired Dan: calls $0.04
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
PorkerRosey: calls $0.03 and is all-in
kevonfire: raises $0.02 to $0.06
Kent Hrbek: folds
zhunter: folds
duke 96: calls $0.04
IlliniFan: raises $0.02 to $0.08
Betting is capped
Tired Dan: calls $0.04
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
kevonfire: calls $0.02
duke 96: calls $0.02 <---ugh, way too many people in the pot for AA..I'm worried.
*** FLOP *** [2c Ts 3s]
Kent Hrbek said, "IF -- this will give you nrain issues" (soooo true Mr. Hrbek...)
duke 96: checks
Kent Hrbek said, "brain*"
IlliniFan: bets $0.02
Tired Dan: calls $0.02
Tjorgey: calls $0.02
kevonfire: raises $0.02 to $0.04 <---should reraise but there's too many in. Want to minimize my losses if someone sucks out.
duke 96: folds
IlliniFan: calls $0.02 <-- But I don't, I'm a wuss...
Tired Dan: calls $0.02
Tjorgey: calls $0.02
*** TURN *** [2c Ts 3s] [7c]
IlliniFan: bets $0.04 <---I'll still bet it. All I'm worried about is a set now.
Tired Dan: calls $0.04
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
IlliniFan said, "i don't like this action for sure" (true words)
kevonfire: calls $0.02 and is all-in
*** RIVER *** [2c Ts 3s 7c] [5s] <---Not liking that 5. now there could be a donk with a str8.
IlliniFan: bets $0.04 <--but what the hell
Tired Dan: folds <--- I love this move, and you will see it a lot in limit. Chasers that chase and then fold when they miss. Make note of this, these are the people you can bluff in limit games.
Tjorgey: calls $0.04
*** SHOW DOWN ***
IlliniFan: shows [Ad Ac] (a pair of Aces)
Tjorgey: mucks hand
IlliniFan collected $0.14 from side pot-2
kevonfire: mucks hand
kevonfire leaves the table
IlliniFan collected $0.49 from side pot-1
PorkerRosey: mucks hand
IlliniFan collected $0.21 from main pot <---how the hell did I just scoop all those?
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $0.84 Main pot $0.21. Side pot-1 $0.49. Side pot-2 $0.14. | Rake $0
Board [2c Ts 3s 7c 5s]
Seat 1: kevonfire (button) mucked [Jh 7h] <---he was SOOOOTED
Seat 2: Kent Hrbek (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: zhunter (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 5: duke 96 folded on the Flop
Seat 6: IlliniFan showed [Ad Ac] and won ($0.84) with a pair of Aces
Seat 7: Tired Dan folded on the River
Seat 8: Tjorgey mucked [Td Js] <---called down with TP crap kicker
Seat 10: PorkerRosey mucked [3h 8h] <---he was SOOOTED too

I used to play just like these guys. I'd get frustrated at low limits or suckouts and then just call down with any two cards. Limit is about patience. Wait for the cards. The money will follow. Sure, you will have suckouts, but in limit you can minimize you losses, and call down with a hand that you know is beat for cheap to gain info on the other players to exploit later. I am still amazed at how many people out there want to give you their money by "gambling" with any two cards.

That's all for tonight. I'll cya at the tables.

WPBT - a nice run

2006-04-25T20:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, my third blogger event and I money and get some free swag. I could get into this. I'm pretty sure it's that I'm new to the tour and people don't have a good read on me yet, but I'm going to ride the wave as long as I can. Thanks the guys at DADI for putting this together, I had a great time.

And here's the final results:

Yep, that's me in THIRD! Wow, I'm pretty excited about it. Got $100 for the finish and I was pretty short stacked for about the last 1/4 of the tourney. In fact, at one point, I was 18th out of 18. So I'm pretty proud of the comeback to finish 3rd.

Winning was a nice, but there is something I can actually be more excited about. I collected a pretty neat bounty on the way. Wil Wheaton hosts a weely tourney on PokerStars. The WWdN. Whoever knocks him out gets the next one named after them. Guess who now has that honor for next week? That's right!

Pretty sweet deal.

Other Updates

Time for an update to my limit challenge as well. Been playing on and off and have run my $1.20 up to $2.80, so I'm about 5BBs away from moving up to the nickle/dime game. Should hit that tonight and then start the climb.

I need to do some serious updating and additions to the blogroll now that I'm trying to get back into this a bit more. Look for some updates this weekend. I have a live game on Saturday night, so look for the report from that as well.

I'm off to Europe for a few weeks in May due to work, so this might sit idle for a few weeks. I'm going to make a weekend trip to London and check out the Gutshot Card Club. That should be fun and interesting. I've heard a ton about the place and I'm eager to say that I was able to play there as well.

That's about it for now. I'll cya at the tables.

The limit challenge...how far can you get on $1.20?

2006-04-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Okay, here's the plan. I have been crushing the limit games lately whenever I play. I seem to have hit a great groove there. So I started to think about it. Limit is very structured, very organized and takes a lot of discipline to play correctly.

I had a downswing this week, and started to look at my hand histories, and noticed that I have been getting sloppy. Starting to call with marginal hands to see a flop. Starting to raise with some other marginal hands in position. This is a huge no-no. Limit is all about discipline.

So to work on my discipline, I'm going to set a challenge for myself. I want to turn $1.20 into $300 by Christmas. Can it be done?

I'm only a part time player. I try to play for about an hour to an hour and a half a day during the week, and maybe 3-4 hours on the weekend, sometimes more if I make a run at a bigger MTT. I choose $1.20 because it is the lowest limit game at the sites that I play currently. I will start at PokerStars on a $0.02/$0.04 limit table.

Here's the rules: I have to sit with 30BB. If I break my run into several sessions (which I know I will) when I join a new table it will be with 30BB only. When I get 30BB for the next level, I will move to that level. PS has big blinds of $0.04, $0.10, $0.20, $0.50, $1, $2, $4, $6, $10, $20, $30, $60, then $200.

If I drop below 15 BB at one of the limits, I have to move back. This should keep me competitive at whatever level I am at, and instill that discipline that I need in a limit game. This should really help me focus.

I started today and played for about an hour and a half. I am up to $1.95 from the $1.20. so not quite 19 BB. Not a bad start. I think that the low levels will move fast, but this will get tough as I get into the middle levels ($4-$10 blind levels). I'm guessing I should be able to average moving up a level and being able to stay there about once a month. This should put me to my goal of $300 by Christmas.

I'll keep you all updated. Check back often to see how things are going.

I'll cya at the tables.

My journey into the WPBT

2006-04-17T19:07:00.000-05:00

I'm going to take another shot at getting more involved in the poker blogging community, since I live in the same city as the blogfather (at least I did last time I was serious about this thing).

If anyone out there in the community is reading this, email me or comment, please. I'll be posting more on the subject later. It's dinner time now.

Cya at the tables.

Live Game Report

2006-04-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, I finally made it down to Lousiville to Caesar's. "The best poker room in the midwest". Wow. I'm impressed. definitely the largest room that I have been to outside of Vegas. Interesting place to say the least.

Got there about 3pm after we signed up for players clubs cards. A bunch of empty tables, so I thought we would be quick to get on. Went with Ralph, a fellow player that's been to a few of my home games. They had a pretty good variety of games, so I got on the list for $1/$2NL ($100 min, $300 max buy in), $2/$4 limit and $4/$8 limit. I was hoping for the 4-8 game. However, they called me for the 1/2NL game first. I've been doing well at limit, so I choose to pass as I was next on the list for the 4/8 game and Ralph just got a seat ahead of me. 20 mins later I was kicking myself as no one was leaving the 4/8 game when they called me for the 2/4 table that they were starting up.

So, as many of you know who play with me, I've been cleaning house at the 1/2 game online and thought that I'd play the 2/4 for a bit and bump up to 4/8 when that opened. I was just going to kill time. Boy was I wrong. I sat with 200 since there aren't chip runners and the cashier line is a bit long. I wanted enough to get to 4/8 when they call me.

First hand I come in 3 off the button and have to post. Thought about waiting and watching for a bit but the dealer dealt me in then said "you have to post" so I figured what the hell. (Side note, the dealers were not very good in the game. I saw about 8 in my 4 hours and only 2 were any good at all...but I digress). I post and look down at 8d8h. Not too bad. I decide to raise and get a flavor for the table. As I sat they were still talking about the last hand where AA was cracked by 58 offsuit. I'm liking this game!

I raise, get reraised and capped. Five players to the flop and I'm gonna at least take a look with a mid-PP. Flop is 9dJh9h. Ugh. BB checks, I check, guy to my left bets 2. Call, call, call and I figure what the hell, I've got some backdoor outs (yeah, yeah, not that great but I'll pay 2 here and get away on the turn if it looks bad). Since no one raised, I'm guessing that there's not a 9 out there unless it is the original bettor to my left. Turn is a black 8. BINGO! BB checks. I decided to see where I am and I bet 4. Guy to my left calls. Next guy raises to 8. I'm starting to worry a bit, next guy calls, BB calls. I think my boat is good so I reraise. Guy to my left calls, call, call, call. Sweet!. River is the 3c. Check to me. I bet it again and EVERYONE CALLS. Holy crap, I must be beat. Nope. Guy to my left has 1010, one guy mucks, next shows AJ offsuit, BB mucks. And I rake in a $77 pot after rake and tip. I'm off to the races!

I pick up some hands and a few small pots, but people are starting to see that I'm betting with good starters and I'm ruthless after the flop if I hit. I have KdQh in the SB and limp with 6 to the flop (about average at the table). Flop is Kh Jh 3h. I bet. Call, call, fold, raise, called around. Wow. Turn is the 8h, so now I have 2nd nut. I bet it again. Fold, fold, raiser calls, call. River is the 2h. Still second nut, I bet it, guy calls. I show the KQ, he mucks and says he had 10h6h and flopped the flush. I rake another $40ish pot.

Now they call me for the 4/8 game. I've been here about 35 mins, and I'm up about $80 (missed a few draws) so I decide to stay. Might have been a mistake, but I feel like I can win at this game so I am reluctant to leave.

Get 10s on the button and raise. 5 callers to the flop, which is 4 6 J rainbow. Checked to me, I bet it out. Guy to my left in the SB (I loved this guy, but he left too early. When I would raise, he would say..."I'd normally fold this, but it's you...so I gotta play) calls, then a call then a raise...WHOA..check raise...now a caller to the two bet and I know I'm beat so I muck. Guy to my right calls. Turn is a blank. Check from the SB, bet, call, fold, call. River is the Qc. Now the SB bets it and both call. He shows Q4 off from the SB. The check-raiser shows a J but not the other card and the SB rakes.

Qd10d in MP. I would usually fold, but I decide to limp. Again 5 callers to the flop. Flop is Q 7 5 rainbow. Checked to me and I bet it. Lose one and have 3 callers. Turn is a blank. Again I bet and 3 call. River is nothing. I bet and only one calls, an older guy 4 to my right. This is the same guy who said he flopped the heart flush that I won with my Qh. I show the Q10 and they both muck. Older guy says something about "you and your damn queens" and I smile.

Then I go dead for a while. Pick up 77, raise, miss the flop. QJ suited twice, raise, miss (or get 2nd pair and don't chase). Have KJ in the BB and see the flop of Q 10 5 rainbow for free, have the odds to chase the straight, and miss.

Then I pick up AJ off in the cutoff. I raise again. 4 callers this time. Flop is Qh 5s 2h. I'm unsuited. Guy who was complianing about the queens is in the BB and actually sighs and mumbles about the Q. I think this could be a trap, but I decide to bet it anyway when it is checked to me. Everyone listens to him and folds. He calls. Now I'm thinking it's not an anit-tell, its the real deal. But I want to know more. Turn is a 7, not help for the flush. He looks at his cards, me, the board...sighs. Checks. I have the chips in my hand already and bet it as soon as he checks. He calls. River is the Kc. He looks like he's in pain and I put him on A-5 of hearts. He mumbles something and sighs. I decide to fire a third shot at the pot and continue my bluff to see if my read is right. He grumbles about the "damn queen" and FOLDS. I about fell out of my chair. A bluff worked! I figure I must have the right image and there is no way I'm leaving now. I now have a huge pile of whites and a stack and a half of reds. I'm up like $110 in two hours. Not too shabby. I hop up after I fold one to check on Ralph. He's not happy. He's down $100 at his 4/8 game but he says that the play is similar.

I return and find 22 in the hole on my next SB. I limp. Flop is 2 4 5 with two hearts. I'm a little worried about the straight and flush draws so I bet it out. 4 callers, one fold. turn is the 8c. I bet. Now the "I gotta play if you're raising" guy raises. One caller, two folds. I decide to push back and reraise (I put him on 2 pair, which he plays as the nuts in a bunch of hands I have been watching). He caps and one other comes for the ride. The river is a 5. I bet, both call. I show the boat, he shows 84 off. Other guy mucks. I rake. I'm now up about $150 for the session.

Again I go card dead and miss flops when I have them. I lose about $40 in blinds and bets. Then I get AhJh in MP. Raise again. 6 to the flop. You know the drill. Flop comes down J J 9. beautiful. Checked to me, I bet, called by all. Turn is an 8 and I get a little worried, but continue the aggression. All call. River is a 4. Checked to me and I bet again. All call. I say, well, someone must have my set beat with a straight. But no one does. Amazing. I tip the dealer $2 and say "one for the hand and one for the flop, but don't scare me on the turn like that again". He looks me right in the eye and says "You got a lot of action there, I wouldn't complain. I wish I could be at this table playing" Damn it, he's right. He was one of the two good dealers.

After that I go dead again and Ralph comes over and is ready to go. He's now down $173. I wait for the blinds to hit and get up. Cash out $333 after sitting with $200. Not bad for four hours work.

I made the decision early to play tight aggressive poker. If I had played a few more hands and gone off my discipline (mucked J10 off once UTG and the flop came down KQ9. mucked A4 in EP and the flop was 235. Mucked Q7 on the button and the flop was Q77. Mucked 75 off in the SB when someone else at the table raised preflop (a rare event) and the flop came 755) I would have probably walked away with $450 or so. But I can't complain. I stuck to my gameplan and walked off with over 10BB/hour. That's an amazing run for a limit game. I just got the right cards and hit quite a few flops.

Well, it's late now. Tomorrow, don't forget to sign up for the American Cancer Society event at Fulltilt.

What: Hammer Out Cancer - WPBT-POY Circuit Event
(Tournament ID 3381723 under the Private section)
When: April 16th - Sunday Time: 9pm EST
Where: Full Tilt Poker
How Much: $10 + $16
($15 goes to American Cancer Society so buy-in is 25+1)
Password: dahammer

I'll be there. Cya at the tables....

More charity events

2006-04-15T22:59:00.000-05:00

Go play in the American Cancer society event..part of the WPBT events...details here.

What: Hammer Out Cancer - WPBT-POY Circuit Event
(Tournament ID 3381723 under the Private section)
When: April 16th - Sunday Time: 9pm EST
Where: Full Tilt Poker
How Much: $10 + $16
($15 goes to American Cancer Society so buy-in is 25+1)
Password: dahammer

Fish at the table, friend or foe?

2006-03-30T18:12:00.000-05:00

Okay, so you hear a lot of things lately about how you want fish at your table. I agreed, in some circumstances. I disagreed that you want a LOT of fish at your table. People didn't seem to be thinking about the equity that you lose for every calling station that sits and chases. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read on and learn with me.

For those who don't pay attention, I play my micro limit cash ring games pretty exclusively now at Full Tilt (see the ad over there? Click it and get it now! Okay, advertisement over). Why? I have found that there are less fish in the micro limit games at FT than at any other sites. How do I know that? I use PokerTracker to datamine. When I rate players, the Full Tilt dB has the least number of people that are rated above Semi-Loose Passive-Passive (go look at the site to see what this means if you don't know). I consider anything worse on their scale than this as a fish, other than a few players who play a LAG style very well. So you have more serious players at the site, and less fish. Was I right in my thinking? Read on and let's learn together!

First of all, I used pokerstove for all these calculations. If you don't have it, go get it now. I can wait.......

Got it? Good. Now let's play with some numbers. First of all, what happens to your AA when you are up against a completely random hand? What's your equity? Well, according to the stove, you have 85.2037% equity. So for every dollar that is put in the pot with this hand, over the long term, you should see 85 cents coming back. This is the best chance that you have against any random hands. You are still +EV as for every dollar you put in, you will get 1.70 out with one caller. Here's the pokerstove output:

2,097,572,400 games 2.468 secs 849,907,779 games/sec

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)

Hand 1: 85.2037 % 84.93% 00.27% { AcAd }

Hand 2: 14.7963 % 14.52% 00.27% { random }

So that's just one fish at the table that will call with any two cards. A lot of sites now are known for having a lot of "fishy" players. What happens when you draw a table with more? Let's see! (A word of caution....If you want to try this yourself, I'd recommend that you move pokerstove to a Monte Carlo mode and get time on a parallel processing system. The stats I'm about to give took several hours to run on my Athlon XP 3200+ processor. User beware!)

When you end up vs two random hands, you lose another chunk of equity. How much? AA vs two random hands drops the AA to 73.4352% equity. So now every dollar in the pot nets you just 73 cents. However, you now get back 73 cents x 3 (two callers) = $2.19 for every dollar that YOU put in. With three you drop a little more to (rounding here) 64 cents for every dollar in the pot, giving you $2.56 out for every $1 you put in if you get all three to call. Here's the Pokerstove output:

1,894,107,877,200 games 3806.625 secs 497,581,946 games/sec

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)

Hand 1: 73.4352 % 73.21% 00.23% { AcAd }

Hand 2: 13.2824 % 12.92% 00.36% { random }

Hand 3: 13.2824 % 12.92% 00.36% { random }

11,107,035,128 games 31916.750 secs 348,000 games/sec

equity (%) win (%) tie (%)

Hand 1: 63.8345 % 63.61% 00.22% { AcAd }

Hand 2: 12.0549 % 11.59% 00.46% { random }

Hand 3: 12.0561 % 11.59% 00.46% { random }

Hand 4: 12.0544 % 11.59% 00.46% { random }

What about AK? You start at 67 cents for every dollar in the pot, netting you $1.34 for every dollar when you are heads up. If you get two callers, you get about 49 cents of every dollar put in giving you $1.47 for every dollar you put in.

It's pretty tough to get to a point where this becomes -EV for you against random hands. So overall, more fish should be better for you. Sure, you will see big swings in your BR, but overall you should be a winning player.

When I first started this little journey, I thought for sure that I would find that more fish at the table made things worse for you. In fact, when I first started writing this I was thinking about the equity being the amount of return you get for YOUR dollar (and the original post name was "the fish tax"). I neglected to take into account that for every dollar you put in, each caller has to put that dollar in with you.

So now I have to change my tune. I was only looking at the short term variance and fluctuations in my roll when I played at some of the "fishy" sites. That was a mistake by me. I am still going to limit myself when I go out to some of these places, but you might see me dipping my toe in the water again now that I'm convinced in the math. I hope that you learned something with me in this journey.

I'll see you at the tables....

Home Game Report 3/18/2006

2006-03-19T14:51:00.000-05:00

Had a home game last night, first one since November of last year. I got pretty lucky, as fellow forumer the Cat was in to visit family, so he got to show up. Other forumer Khan lives just up the road, so she will most likely become a regular at the game. I'm betting that the food helped a little, too. On to the poker report...

First game, first hand. I'm lucky enough to have both forumers at the table, with the Cat to my immediate right. I have John (or Jack, depends on when you met him) on my immediate left, and I'm in the BB. I look down to 10-9 offsuit (a hand that would come into play again a few times in this report, as you'll see) with 4 to the flop. Flop is 9 9 10. Yahtzee! I bet out 100 into the 80 pot (blinds were 10/20 with 1500 in starting chips). John insta-calls, everyone folds. Turn was a low card (maybe a 5, I'm a bit fuzzy). I fire out 300. Smooth call again. I think that he probably has a 9, maybe a 10 (he's pretty loose). River is a K. I bet out 500. He calls. I say "I don't know what you have, but I have the boat". He says "Me too" and I feel sick, thinking he spiked the K on me. He flips up 10 9, and we chop. Whew.

Next hand of note I get 7c3c in LP. People at my home game think I'm really loose and will play anything, so I need to keep that rep up. Blinds are 20/40. So I fire out 200. There's plenty of "Here he goes again!" (especially from Don "The Mouth", one of my regulars. He's soooo fun and easy to put on tilt, and I love to raise his BB cause he ALWAYS goes into the tank, then folds) I think it gets folded to me. I toss my cards toward the muck, but John had quietly called me (I didn't notice). Luckily, my cards are still separate enough that people are okay with me pulling them back (we run a pretty friendly game). Bad move by me. Flop is 7 10 6, rainbow. I decide to continue and bet out another 200. John smooth calls again. He likes to play any pair, so I have no read. Turn is a 3 and I'm happy. I bet out 500. Smooth call again. I think the hook is set and I'm good. River is a K. He only has about 250 left, I have about 600, so I put him all in. He calls. Flips over K10 off. Suck-resuck action. And I'm crippled...sigh.

We started with 15, and I pay out 5 (friendly game) so now I have my work cut out for me. I have about 350 in chips, so I'm in All-in-or-fold mode. Having a LAG image is helpful. I pick up a few blinds uncontested, and get back up to 490 in chips. We move up to 40/80 blinds and I keep pushing, but now have some decent hands. I manage to double up through John when my K10 beats his middle pair (flopped the K) so I'm back up over 1000 chips. Cat has been quiet (he's VERY shy in person, I didn't realize this) in both talk and play. He's UTG, and goes all in for about 800ish chips (again, didn't take notes). Look down to see AsKs. I think, and decide to call. Folded around. He turns up 77. Khan is dealing, and doesn't want to look at the flop (since she doesn't want to see either one of us lose, bless her) so she closes her eyes, burns one, flops 3. I spike an A. Turn and river don't help, and Cat is out. And my streak of sucking out on him continues.

Blinds continue to creep up (everyone thought the blinds were okay, I do 15 min and BB goes 20,40,80,100,150,200,400,800,1000,2000 to try to end the tourney in about 2.5 hours) and I hang out picking up a few more blinds. We finally get to the final 8 and reseat at the FT with blinds at 100/200. John is still to my left. I can't get rid of the guy. I play a few pots, but am still a medium stack. We get down to 5, and I've gone from being crippled into the money. UTG I find KK and I raise to 600. Folded to the button, who pushes all in for about 2500 more. I insta-call and have him covered by 800 chips. He turns up 66. I double through and now have a pretty commanding chip lead. Next out is Bridget and now it's 3 left, me, Khan, and Todd.

Sidebar: Let me tell you a little about Todd: Todd likes to fish. I call him "The Fisherman" after he spiked and A to beat my KK in a home game in his neighborhood about 2 years ago. I was betting aggressively the whole way, and he kept telling me that he had the odds to call pot sized bets on the turn and river to catch his A. So I'm up against Khan and the Fisherman.

<----The Fisherman, calculating Pot Odds in his own, unique way! So I now have a HUGE chip lead. I have about 15K in chips, Khan has about 3.5K, and Todd has about 3.5K. Blinds move up to 500/1000 and I chip up. You can see me with my monster stack. I look down on the Button to see 10c9c (my 10-9 story continues...) and push all in. Khan calls with A10 off and I think I'm in trouble. However, for those that know me from online, I'm a suck-out artist and the streak continues. I manage to flop a 9, and Khan can't hit her A, so she is out in 3rd. (I feel kinda sorry, but not really :-p). So now we are heads up, me vs The Fisherman. I have a HUGE lead and decide to beat him over the head with it when I can. I have a good hand get beat when my As8s gets beat by Q2 off and he hits a 2. I'm still about 3:1 in chips when I get J10 off and push. He calls, flips up Q10 and my suckout magic fails me. Now we are about even. We play a few more hands back and forth when I get 99 in the BB. He completes the SB and I decide it's time to end it. I push, he calls with A7 off. I have him covered by one blue chip (worth 500). Now it's time for The Fisherman to earn his keep, and he does. Flop is A 7 10. I'm in trouble. I need a 9. The river is an A and I'm down to a chip and a chair...sigh. I manage to double twice, but I'm all in every hand and he eventually beats me. So I get 2nd, he gets 1st, and we are on to the second game of the night.

Second game is a little more crazy than the first, as people are warming up. I draw a table with my arch-nemesis (not really, we like to be competitive in poker tho) Ralph. He's a German and VERY competitive, so I find it fun to give him a hard time when I beat him. Of course, he does the same. We are pretty good friends, and the wives get along, so we get to go to dinner and talk poker a couple of times a month. He plays online as well, mostly at PS, tho. I'm more of a Full Tilt guy.

I have also drawn Don "The Mouth", but Khan and Cat are at the other table. Ralph and I start to mix it up right away and I take a hit to my stack and end up down again. Ralph raises under the gun, I look down on the Button to see 10-10 (my favorite hand) and I push to 250. Don's in the BB and gets into his tirade, and finally goes all-in. Ralph mucks (he likes to bluff as well). I think about it for a long time. I almost call. I finally muck. Don shows his A-4 suited ("But it was SOOOOOTED") and we run the cards to see that I would have doubled up. Sigh. I am down to about 675 chips now. Very next hand I have JJ in the cutoff. Blinds are 80/160. Charlotte (a very dangerous player who has taken me out in other home games before) limps, Ralph is in the BB, Don in the SB. I push all-in, no callers. We get around to my BB and Ralph wants to take me out for the bounty and bragging rights (we do a random bounty in the first game, and bounties on 1st and 2nd from the first game in the second game) so he raises to about half my stack. Folded to me, I look down to see AJ off. John is again to my left. I push all-in. John calls. Ralph calls. Flop is Q 8 4. Now John and Ralph are trying to knock me out. John checks, Ralph bets out into a dry side pot. I comment on it and he gets a little testy about me ragging him during a hand, and John calls. (Ralph still thinks I talked John into calling by talking, I don't think so, he's a calling station). Turn is an A so now I'm happy, as I think my A is good. Board is Q 8 4 A with no flush draw. John checks, Ralph goes all in. John thinks a bit and calls, and flips over K10 for the gutshot draw Ralph turns over Ah7h. River is a blank. John is knocked out, and I get the main pot to get up to about 1425 in chips and I'm healthy again. On the other table, The Fisherman gets knocked out and starts mumbling about "damn $10 bounty, people coming after me...blah blah blah.." vv/e

We get down to 4 at the table, other table has 5. One out to the FT again. Our table is me, Ralph, Charlotte and Mark (aka "The Unabomber" as he bets, then pulls his hat down and cups his hands around it to hide). Mark and I are pretty short stacked, Charlotte and Ralph have a lot of the chips. We ante up and the other table says "We are down to 4". I say, "Let's pull back the blinds and combine", not looking at my cards yet (I'm in the BB) but Mark in the SB says "Let's just play one more". I say okay, thinking we will fold around and move on. Folded around to Mark, and he pushes all in from the SB. I'm a little ticked that he just wanted to pick up my blind, and look down to find AcQc. I call. He turns up Q8 offsuit. I flop the A and he's out. Next time maybe he'll just want to move...lol.

So we combine at 7 players. I have about 4000 in chips, again coming back from the brink. I draw Ralph to my right and Charlotte to my left, so I'm in trouble. Ralph has a buddy Matt (who I took out earlier with KK vs 66 for him to finish 5th) who is next to my left, then Cat, Tom (a neighbor), and Khan.

Cat and Khan are both pretty short stacked. We have a few rounds and not a lot goes on. Khan picks up AA and it folds around to Cat in the BB when she goes all in for 600 at 200/400 blinds. Cat has to call with his 72 off, but Khan survives. Cat finally goes out when his AQ loses to Khan's 10-10 vs Ralph's QJ when Ralph flopped a J and Khan turned a 10. A few hands later, Ralph raises from UTG, I fold, Charlotte folds, Matt raises to 1200. Cat, Tom, Khan fold. Ralph reraises all-in. Matt only has 800 left and finally calls. Ralph shows AA, Matt shows 1010 and Matt goes out, and we are ITM again!

In the SB I look down to find CBL, a favorite hand on the forum (3J, figure it out). I decide to limp, and Charlotte checks. Tom had limped as well. The flop was Qc 6c 7h (easy to remember when there are photos!). I check, Charlotte checks, Tom checks. Turn is the Jc. I decide to bet out here as I have about 2000 in chips and I need to pick up the pot (we are at 400/800, so there is 2400 in the pot). Bet 1200, leaving me 1100. Charlotte calls, Tom raises. Now I'm in a spot. I have 1100 left into a 3600 pot. But I'm convinced that Tom hit his flush, so after hemming and hawing, I fold it. Charlotte calls. River is a 2s. Charlotte checks, Tom bets, she folds. Tom tells me later that he had J-x (and thinks it was J-4 or J-5) so I would have chopped. I'm such a wuss, but Tom was playing fairly tight and I thought he had it. Little did I know he'd started hitting the Jack pretty hard and had loosened up considerably.

So we go a while longer, and I look down at 10-9 off UTG. I have 1100 left, and the blinds are 400/800, so I decide its time to make a stand. Charlotte calls with 1000 chips, so I have her by 100. Folds around to Ralph who only needs to call 300 more, so he does. He flips 8-3 off. Charlotte flips 10-9 off as well (second time that I have 10-9 off as well as the player to my immediate left....what are the odds of that, math-geeks?). Now I'm worred as Charlotte and I have each others outs if Ralph hits. And hit he does. The flop is A 8 3 and he hits two pair. Turn is a 6 and Charlotte and I are out. At least I got 4th, since i had that one extra chip :-).

So now we are down to 3. Khan is hanging on, and gets QQ. Drunk Tom calls with 66. He turns the 6 and Khan again loses in 3rd after getting in with the best hand. Sorry lady, maybe better luck next time. Tom and Ralph are pretty close in chips and decide to chop, and the game ends at 1am.

Overall I thought I did well, other than the CBL laydown. Thanks to Cat and Khan for coming by, and thanks for the pics.

<---The Cat, aka Roger. Khan, aka Teresa->
(coughing, sick, but shows up anyway..what a trooper! and thanks for the pics!)

Limit vs NLHE, Ring vs Tourneys

2006-03-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

Been a while since the last post. Hope you are all still with me. Today's topic is pretty broad, but I wanted to get some thoughts down to help me work on my game.

I've come lately to realize that I'm a pretty good limit HE player in ring games (I'm up there the most YTD). However, my NLHE ring game is not very strong. I'm down there.

When I look at my Ring Games vs Sit-N-Goes vs Large Field Tourneys, my results are that I make the most in MTTs, then SnGs, then Ring games. When I play tourneys, I play specifically NLHE. When I play ring, I mix up Stud, NLHE, LHE, and Omaha (both hi and lo)

So looking at my playing style, I can now start to pick it apart and see why. I play mostly low limit NLHE (dime/quarter blinds) LHE (1/2 or 2/4 blinds). Play here still results in huge swings in variance. And that means huge swings in your BR. I try hard to control pot size, but in low limit NLHE this isn't always in your control. At times you are at the mercy of the other players. I do the best when I can control the pot sizes in a game. I know this now, and need to exploit it or play in games where others cannot neutralize this part of my game.

So, naturally, I do better at Limit than No Limit ring games. And I do better in tourneys than ring games, since the increasing blind structures can give those who like to control pot sizes and odds and edge.

So look for me less now at the NLHE tables. Well, maybe not...you always should work on your weak spots. I just need to make sure I play enough Limit and tourneys to finance my "habit".

See you at the tables

Coming together for one of our own

2006-02-12T18:50:00.000-05:00

The Fulltiltforum that I belong to could use your help. Please, look here for more information. And play in the tourney for Rich!