I'm just about ready to leave Albuquerque. I have some stuff to post but I don't have a lot of time so I'll leave it for tomorrow. I just wanted to say good job to surf who final tabled a tourney last night.
I'll probably write up my post on the plane so it could be a big one tomorrow.
Have a great day.
It's time for a rare Saturday post. I went to bed early this morning after a long night on the tables. I had a good run at one tourney that ended in the money but didn't pay well cuz i was card dead an couldn't beat anyone into the pot for a steal. I also played some cash games with Surf and his boss chipperdh. The end of the evening/morning was spent at UB playing some NL and some HORSE. I played like a donk in HORSE but came back near the end to breah even. NL was a little better with a small win.
I have three minutes to leave the house for Softball E's tourney so have a great weekend.
I had some fun yesterday at waffles expense with my post about the eye of the storm. I can understand the quandary he is in because there are times when this blog seems to get in the way. I try to post every day during the week but sometimes I just don’t have anything to say. It can be seen in the quality of writing that is put out, not that I have any quality. Anyway, I don’t think waffles will quit because he loves to rant to much.
I was lucky enough to play a little last night for a change. Softball has put a dent in poker time but that’s ok. The kids are more important. Anyway, I play in a Razz tourney and had a nice run. I was in the top 10 for much of the tourney but as the bets increased, so did the number of bring ins and pocket pairs. I went card dead for the longest time but stayed tight. I made a move with A34 and had the nut draw after 4th street but bricked the rest of the way to lose a large chunk of chips to a made 9. In my final had I was drawing to a 7 just like my opponent but he hit a lower number and I went home 1 off of the bubble.
I also 2 tabled HORSE for about an hour or so but spun my wheels for the most part. I was happy with the result because I caught no cards to speak of. I think the best I did was scoop a pot in Stud h/l when I hit the low and a straight on 7th street.
I’m gonna try and play tonight and if things go well I will. The rest of the weekend is out of the question. Softball E has a tourney on Saturday and we are heading to the lake after she is done. Sunday will be spent in the land of cheese. We will be fishing and turtle hunting for most of the day with maybe a bit of reading thrown in there for good measure. Monday morning will head back to Illinois to watch the Kane County Cougars play and eventually arrive home for the end of a long weekend.
That’s it. Have a great weekend and remember the veterans who died so we can play poker online even though we struggle to get money on the sites we play.
There is a storm brewing in the northeast. It has the potential of turning the blogging word up side down with the significance of its churning clouds and lighting bolts. The maelstrom will affect our live regardless of its final destination. The tempest is Waffles.
From his humble beginnings, he attempted to chronicle his poker-playing career in a lighthearted form that was funny and sad as he wrote of his successes as well as his bankroll dumping ways. He helped us to realize that we all tilt, some more then others, and by writing it down for us to read we come to understand that we all have issues from time to time. This is the early stages of the storm.
As time passed by the storm was fed by donkey play and old fashion fun. It grew into a steady downpour of rants and observations that entertained us. But the storm continued to grow. It fed off the daily ramblings and maniacal ravings of an online madman.
This typhoon is starting to gain more strength then it can handle. It has transformed from a place of reflection to, in essence, a parody of it’s origin. But now people call for the parody like a drug. They are addicted to the musings in a blog that has taken a life of its own. No longer is it a place to get a chuckle when we read about losing a buy-in or two. It has its own life.
This can all be summed up by on phrase that was created by The Clash.
I want double trouble.
An evening of freedom at the PE’s house. No games for a change but I did spend some time looking up information on The Great Lakes for Speedy E’s report that is due Thursday. We got it finished just in time for me to watch the Cubs game.
That was about it for me last night.
Tonight we have 2 games at the same time and I’m suppose to be coaching both of them. I think I’ll start with one and finish with the other. All I really have to do for Speedy E’s game is make the line-up. My other coaches can take over for me if I have to leave. I’m not really required to do much for Softball E’s team. I’m the pitching instructor and first base coach and it is understood that I won’t be there all the time.
It looks like I may be able to play the Mookie tonight if we can get home in time. It will be close because we are going out after the game for a bit of ice cream but I should be home in time. Regardless, you should play the Mookie on Full Tilt at 9:00 central time. The password is vegas1 and it will earn you the chance to be beat by donkey bloggers. There is also a 2nd chance event at 10:30 so you have a wonderful opportunity to mix it up with want to be poker players like my self.
Have a great day.
I’m doing a study of how temperature influences the dimensional results of our product. The specification tolerances are +- 50 microns which equates to +- 5% of a millimeter. The industry we are producing for needs these tolerances to make a quality product so I have to show the influence of temperature to our product. If things go well then we will be able to get an upgrade for our air handling in the clean room.
It looks like I’ll be missing another Mookie on Wednesday. That will be 3 in a row and I’ll also miss next week for sure because of a business trip so I’ll be Mookieless for a month. I guess I might as well forget about the BBT. The sad part is that I’ve played in less then 25 % of these tourneys and I’m still sitting just outside of the qualifying mark. Maybe I can get a sponsors exemption like has been golfers get in the PGA.
Yesterday I was sitting at my desk when the HR manager came by and asked me to interview a prospective Sales Engineer. I said “ Sure…get me a copy of his resume and I prepare some questions.” The guy was already on site and ready for the interview. Now I’m a very adaptable person but asking me to interview a guy 1 minute before the interview puts me in a tough spot. I worked my way through it and gave my input as required. I actually liked the fact that they wanted my input but I hope they give me a little notice next time around.
The Poker Enthusiast family was very busy over the weekend. We had softball, poker and parties to keep us on the go almost non-stop.
Friday night Softball Enthusiast had a game about 5 minutes from my work place. This was a nice change in that I didn’t have to hurry home to see her play. Her team played a team from St. Charles and they won 18-2. The other team could do anything against the pitching they saw while S.E.’s team scored at will. Apparently the other team was missing a pitcher due to injury and thus could field a competitive team.
When we got home, I fired up the poker machine and jumped into two tourneys. I made a nice run in the first one but never got the stack I needed to close the deal. I went out a little before the money but played a solid game for the most part. The second tourney was all together different.
I chipped up early. They best part was that I didn’t put my self in jeopardy at any point. I did have to throw away a hand or two but almost everything I played worked out. With about 50 players left I was sitting in the top 10 when I got involved in a hand with AK. I raised and got called by one of the blinds. The flop came Axx and it was checked to me. I mad a pot size bet and my opponent pushes. I have him covered and I won’t be crippled if I call and lose so I make the call. I put him on a weaker ace and that’s what he had. AJ is gold when he hits his jack and I’m now in a fight. I switched gears a little and started to increase my steals. With 18 left I’m back into 10th place and read to make the final table. By the time we get down to 13 players, I’m still in 10th and need to chip up some more. That’s the time I get caught in a steal attempt while holding K6. I make the call knowing I’m behind except that I’m really ahead. He pushed with JT. The flop comes TTJ and my game is over. 13th isn’t bad.
After the tourney I jumped onto UB and played some HORSE and eventually changed to Triple Draw. I had a great run and won a buy-in vs. a couple of calling stations. It was a good night of poker.
Saturday was another softball day with both girls having games. Both played well but don’t ask me the score of Softball E.’s game because I don’t remember. Anyway Speedy E.’s team lost by 1 in a very good game. Speedy was up with the bases loaded and two outs in the 6th and hit a one hop smash up the middle. The pitcher for the other team snared the drive and threw her out to end the inning. In the 7th we had 3 lined drive outs that ended our chances to win the game.
Sunday was church in the morning, birthday party in the early afternoon, another Softball E. game in the mid-afternoon and a party to finish the day. By the time I got home last night I was beat and ready for bed. But instead I jumped onto FT and watch hoy make a great run in the FTOP’s main event. He ended up taking 101st if I remember right and the cash that went with it. Good job man.
So that was my weekend. How was yours?
This is a paid reiview
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I think I’ll post about my 3rd place finish in a $2, 6 player, sng while I railed the Mookie the other night. Personally, I don’t think it matters what people write about. This blog is a personal reflection that I allow other people to read. We all have the right to express out opinions and to give commentary on what others think but they are only opinions. Do all of us have the same skill set when it comes to writing? I know I don’t come close to being as good as most but who cares. People will either like what I write or think it sucks and move on to the next blog on the list.
The poker blogging community isn’t any different then the neighborhood you live in. There are people you like, people you don’t like, and many in between but you still have to live there. I for one can’t stand the neighbor across the cal-d-sac but I don’t put a sign in the neighborhood telling everyone he’s a dickhead, I told him face to face. Maybe I should put a sign up so I can start a pissing contest with everyone and cause hate and discontent.
This equates to the blogging world when people criticize other people writing because they don’t write as eloquently or they write about things that are beneath them. Everyone has a place and if some people don’t like it to bad. I say, if you want to write about your $2 sng 3rd place finish then go right ahead. If this helps you to improve your game in the long run then this is what you should do. Don’t let anyone tell you different.
Have a great weekend.
Surf tagged the world with the meme that has been going around so I’ll step up and do my part.
1) All of my children were conceived while I was on a softball trip. Softball Enthusiast began her existence while I was playing in Decatur Illinois. I wont go into the details but my wife and I were early in our marriage and still took every chance we to do the bump. Speedy Enthusiast was conceived at the NAFA World Series In Salt Lake City. If I could pin it down to a moment in time it would have been while we were watching TV, waiting to head to the mountains with another couple. And Baseball Enthusiast while not officially being conceived during the trip was basically created while attending the AAU World Series at Disney World. It really happened during the build up for the trip but it was close enough for us to say we was made during the trip.
2) I spent one hour of my life in jail for driving on a suspended license. When I first got my license I got a ticket for doing 35 MPH in a 30 MPH zone. I didn’t have the money to pay for the ticket so eventually I had a warrant for my arrest sitting out in the police world. After being informed of my license being suspended I paid the ticket and thought it was over. 3 years later I got pulled over on my way to work and got hauled to the Aurora police station. I still had the recite but it didn’t matter to my dad who had to bail me out of jail. As it turns out, I needed to send $15 to the state to have my driving privileges reinstated. I sent the money down state and got the reinstatement but the court said they had to charge me with something so I now have a petty offense on my record. It is a misdemeanor so I can vote and own a gun.
3) On my 22nd birthday I was playing in a softball tourney in Iowa with a bunch of guy in their late 30s and early 40s. They got me hammered and poured me back into the hotel room around 3 am to get some sleep before the 8 am game the next day. At some point in the middle of the night I woke with the urge to pee. Someone was in the bathroom so I found a chair in the corner of the room and used it for a urinal. I didn’t really know I was doing until the guy sleeping next to the chair started yelling at me. I guess he didn’t like getting splashed in the face with my urine.
4) I lost my virginity in my father’s truck on Jeter Rd. in rural Big Rock, Illinois. I had asked my burnout stepsister to hook me up and she came through. My prerequisites were that she had to be cute and she had to be easy. She was both and we headed to a party a friend of mine was having. So after the 30 seconds of lust was over, we headed back to the party to find my mom and my friends mom sitting in the kitchen. They knew the party was going on and had come back to see how things were going. It wasn’t a big deal. Not until my buddy threw me under the bus and told my mom I had just gotten laid. The next day my mom shows up at my dad’s house and we have a discussion on sex and the responsibilities we have in life. I denied the whole incident say that my buddy was just trying to keep the focus off of himself and his cherry busting moment he also had that night. To this day, I won’t tell my mom that I lied.
5) I was a band geek in high school and proud of it. I played the clarinet for 7 years and quit playing my senior year because band got in the way of accounting class and my girlfriend who was in accounting. In reality band was an easy A and it was dumb to quit when I did. I did have a lot of fun and we took some cool trips to various places including one trip to Detroit my sophomore year. To this day I will still pull my clarinet out of the case and see if I remember how to play.
6) For all the sports and activities I’ve done in my life I’ve never officially broken a bone in my body. There was a couple of time when I may have broken a finger, like when I hit a mailbox with my hand at 40 MPH trying to hit the mailbox with a beer bottle. The other time was during soccer when I slipped on the astro turf and my little finger swelled up. I just taped it up and had friends open my beer bottles for a week. Anyway, I have had a separated shoulder, knee surgery, surgery on the other shoulder and more sprained wrists and ankles then I can count. Just no broken bones.
7) One of the most painful experiences in my life involved me and an enlarged prostrate. One morning I woke up and hit the bathroom like any other day. The difference this day was the pain I felt when I took a leak. There is no way to describe the amount of pain I felt other then to stay I though someone stabbed me with a knife. I met with my doctor later in the day and by the end of the next day, the pain was all but forgotten. That is until the medication ran out. I eventually changed doctors and received the right prescription for my ailment and have been pain free ever after. The only bad part was that I had to get my prostate check and that involves a rubber glove, ky-gel and no dinner after then intrusion. All I got was a paper towel and a bill for services rendered.
I played a little last night basically spun my wheels. I had a good start in a HORSE tourney but a series misfortunate events happened and I donked out in the middle of the pack. The killer was in stud when a guy chased a strairt draw until the end and caught. Before that I flopped trips with a pocket pair in Omaha hl and help the nut low only to be counterfeited on both at the river. I didn’t know it could happen but it did. Also played a cheap NL tourney and didn’t do very well. My good starting hands are missing flops and my pocket pairs are seeing over cards.
I also played some HORSE cash games and won back my buy-ins but not much more. The best part of the night was hitting quad 4s and having a guy with 3rd pair re-raise me. Overall I’m seeing that if you play tight the donkeys will pay you off. They pay no attention to the fact you have just folded the last 15 hands.
Speedy E and Baseball E both have games tonight so an evening of running around is in store. It also means that I won’t be playing the Mookie unless there is a great flood.
I played for a fastpitch softball team that competed against and beat the top teams in the world. Now when I say world I’m talking about club teams, not national teams because it would be hard to believe a group of guys from Aurora, Illinois could consistently beat the Canadian National Team. Anyway, this experience was not unlike war most of the time. We didn’t let up, we didn’t take it easy, we didn’t soft play anyone.
I remember one time in particular in Portage Wisconsin where we had made it to the first championship game of a double elimination tourney. The other team in the finals was also from our town and was a very good team. The manager asked if we wanted to split the championship money and just head home because it was already 9:00 and we had a 3 hour drive home ahead of us. To a man we said lets play. The money was insignificant. We had been whipping up on this team all season and they didn’t want to get beat by us again. They were scared. We won the game and started home around 11:00…the same time I was suppose to be at work. I called up my boss and let him know where I was at and headed into work a few hours late…in my ball uniform. He covered my time and I busted my ass the rest of the night because we won and he understood the importance of ball in my life.
A few years later, I think it was 1996, there was a huge flood in northern Illinois. We had something like 17 inches of rain during a 24 hour period and everyone on the team was affected by the storm. It happened one month before the ISC World Tournament, the busiest part of our schedule, and our season came to a screeching halt. One guy on the team had water 4 feet into his first floor and another had the building where he worked all but covered by the storm water. I even had just under 4 feet of water in my basement. In essence, we had to put our lives back together before we could even think about personal things like playing ball. We went to the world tourney that year, In Kimberly Wisconsin. And played our asses off. We won our first game 1-0 on an inside the park homerun in the 6th inning after we almost had to forfeit because guys were still on the way to the ball park. We lost the next game 2-1 to knock us into the losers bracket. Our center fielder got hit in the face by a pitch and taken to the hospital to get x-rays. He was back at the game before it was over. He had a broken jaw but played center field for the rest of the tourney. We came back and beat the Guatemalan National team and a team from Milverton Ontario to get in a position to make a run. Our season was over after losing our final game but we ended in a tie for 13th or something like that. Not bad for a group of guys who hadn’t played any ball for a month.
I guess this post has nothing to do with anything other then having the will to compete and to work for what you want. You can’t let adversity diminish what you have done in the past or let it get in the way of what you want to accomplish. Focus and determination will over come in the long run. Set your goals and find the path that will lead you to success.
Not at all unlike the poker tables.
It’s been a few days since I posted. Way to much stuff going on and no time for writing mediocre blog post on the internet. Anyway, I’ll try not to waste your time to much today.
I played the Mookie last Wednesday and made the points by great suckoutness. It started ok when I called a raise from late position with AQ. The flop was KK6 and one opponent checked while another made a ½ pot size bet. I cold called thinking that it was a standard continuation bet and that I could take it away on the turn or fold to more aggression. The other opponent folded and it is heads-up. The turn is a 10 and my opponent checks. I’m sure my call looked like a slow play so I made a less call me bet and he folded to get me to 2000 chips. I chipped up to 2300 when I called a raise with AK sooooooted and hit top pair vs. a short stack. I put him all-in and he folded. I hit a big hand a little later when it was folded to me in the SB. I held KJ and made a 3x raise to 180 and was called by the BB. The flop is J high and I make a ½ pot bet and call the BBs push for 600 more. He held 77 and I chip up to 3K.
At about this time the wheels start to come off. I had a nice stack and make a raise pre-flop with AT but I have to through it away to a push. I then make a steal attempt vs. Blinders who is trying to limp to the points. The problem was that the points bubble just broke and he woke up with a hand and I’m knocked down to 1300 chips. I got my chips back when I sucked out big time. I was in the SB when 2 players limped into the pot for 200 each. There is 700 in the pot and I push my 1400 into the middle to steal the limpers cash but something went right for me. Pushmonkey calls with AJ vs. my Q8 and I hit an 8 to double up. Then the end of my night came when I raised with T9, sooooooted hearts, from the SB. I hit a pair of 9s and the flush draw and bet out. Blinders pushed. I had to call with 14 outs but missed them all and his KK held up. I don’t mind this play because I did have a lot of outs regardless.
I also Played the Dookie HORSE tourney and made the final table but missed the money by a couple of spots.
Friday I played a few tourneys and no luck at all. The 26K was the biggest letdown. My big starting hands were missing flops and I bled chips because I got passive. I got them back eventually but never really got anything going.
I also played another MTT that saw me make a nice run. With about 150 players left I had a very nice stack and was ready to move up on the board when I get KK. When I win this hand I’ll be top ten in the tourney and on a run to the final table. I get my opponent to push his chips in the middle with pocket queens. I got knocked out in 145th place.
I did make some cash in another tourney but nothing to speak of. Hell, I don’t even remember what I was playing.
From that point on I did nothing but play cash games. Most of it was HORSE and I did well overall. Many of these HORSE players aren’t good at all of the games so I think I play these for a while. I think there is some money to be made.
As other things go, Softball Enthusiast won her game on Thursday. I didn’t get to see it but she didn’t give up any runs when she was pitched and she had a couple of hits. She also got hit on the back by a 50 mile an hour pitch for the first time. She shrugged it of and went to first base.
Speedy Enthusiast had a good game on Thursday but her team came up 1 run short in the end. They also played Saturday and they came up big and won by 12. She pitched very well in both games and is hit the ball with aggression. Its fun to watch them when they have confidence that can be seen from their body language. She is determined to do well and it shows.
Baseball Enthusiast had another t-ball game. He is taking this way to serious for a 5-year-old but at least I don’t have to teach him to compete.
That’s it for today. Have a great day.
Well the worm turned for the worse after having a terrible run on SNGs. I could go into the bad beats and donkish play but you already know how I play. It is amazing how you can play so well and lose time and time again. I had a run of 10 straight loses before winning one. The good thing is that if I take down any two of those ten then it is a break even session. I really think I played ok overall and just got smacked by the poker gods for posting some success.
One thing I did was get away from the game when I felt I was tilting. I was in game 10 of the bad run when I got a middle pair in early position. I made a raise and was called by one player and saw a flop that was not good. I made a continuation bet and was called. When the turn came I made another bet and was re-raised. I actually thought about calling when I knew I was behind. I laid the hand down but I realized I was trying to make chicken soup out of chicken shit. I finished the game and stepped away from the tables. I guess it was a good experience to identify the tilt coming on but the losses suck. I came back later and cashed in two straight and I’m mostly tilt free.
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Baseball Enthusiast, my 5-year-old son, had his first game on Monday. It is so fun watching these little kids out there playing ball and being so into the game. Now in these games you don’t keep score but if you did you would keep it by counting the outs made by each team because almost everyone gets on base. On the first play of the game a player hit a ball at my son and he caught it on the fly. The next play some one hit it two the 2nd baseman who threw it to 1st and he caught it. And that was it for put outs in the game. He is my son for sure as he knows where to throw the ball and how to take the extra base.
Softball Enthusiast also had a game on Monday. It was only a few minutes away from my son’s game and we got there just as the game was starting because the other team arrived late. Anyway, the start of the game went well as the girls were fielding the ball well and making good throws. After 2 innings it was 1-1 and SE had one of two hits up to that point. In the third inning the other team scored 2 runs but it could have been worse. The bases were loaded with one out but a nice play by the left fielder stopped the bleeding before it got bad. But our girls came right back and took the lead and shut out the other team the rest of the way for an 8-3. SE was 2 for 2 but didn’t get a chance to pitch. I’m sure she’ll get to throw the ball when they play on Thursday.
Speedy Enthusiast has her first game on Wednesday and as one of her coaches, Mrs. Enthusiast is the other, we are excited about our team. We have 3 solid pitchers and will have a solid infield which is a must at this level. I know the kids are excited and tired of having practice all the time.
The frustrations of playing poker can at times be more then a handful to deal with. The many levels of tilt that surround us, waiting to pounce on our unsuspecting soul, are always hard to avoid but we must to be successful at the game. But how do we do avoid those pitfalls? How do we get back out of the pit of tilt induced bankroll reduction after we fall into it?
One of the things I try to do is set aside time for playing poker. I have two days a week that are dedicated to time spent on the virtual felt but there are constraints within that time that I follow to insure that I am playing with a prepared mind. Wednesday night happens to be one of the nights that I play regularly, mainly because I enjoy playing the Mookie but also because it breaks up the week. I will log on sometime in the evening to register for the Mookie and then get back on around 20 minutes before the start to play the Razz event that starts at 8:45 or to catch up on my blog reading. I will plan to play the second chance and may find one other tourney to keep me busy if I am knocked out early. My time commitment is until midnight unless I’m making a run at a tourney in which case I will stay up until it is over. I will not start anything after 10:30 unless I don’t have to work the next day.
My other day is usually Friday night and I will start the same way by logging on around 20 minutes before 9:00 and signing up for a 9:00 tourney. I will look for other events that perk my interest and will start a tourney no later then 12:00 unless I’m being stupid. Then I may sign up for something like Razz if JJ or Waffles want to play. For the most part, I have my times set up in advance and know what events I’ll be playing for the night well before I start.
Having my time and event allotment set up before I start helps me to control tilt-induced buy-ins that give away money with no chance of return. When I went through my 7-week bankroll reduction plan back late last year, I would be knocked out of a tourney and just jump onto the next one without any thought of consequences. By having a plan I can control the negative affects of tilt.
Having this plan also reduces family tilt in many ways. In my case, I avoid playing before my youngest two are in bed helps a lot. They have many more needs then my oldest and can interfere with focus at any moment. In addition, by following the plan, my time has been segregated so that any request of my time have already been made and accounted for.
Now there are times when I’ll play outside of the system but they are few and usually involve the kids being out of the house. These times are my most vulnerable because they are “free time” and I have to stay focused on bankroll expectations or fear another bankroll reduction of monumental proportion. I’ve stayed within management constraints on these days but have come close to making stupid decisions because I have time to get the loses back. For this reason I’ll put a $ value on what I will play for these “free nights” regardless of wins and loses.
They key result of planning a nights gamming is that when the poker gods decide that you will lose no matter what you do, you have an escape plan that allows you to cut your loses. No more chasing the bad beats and giving away large chunks of your bankroll because you have no self-control. By not allowing tilt to continue the bad run, you make money by not losing it.
This is a conservative approach to playing the game but with it, I’ve been able to maintain a higher level of focus and my results have seen a direct impact from the planned poker night. If you are having trouble with tilt issues or your bankroll management lacks focus, try using this approach to minimize distractions and put you in a winning mind set.
Friday night poker never got off the ground. I went to see Spiderman 3 instead and it was worth it. The story jumped around a little and the action was good but Peter Parker as a semi bad guy for part of the movie was messed up.
I did play one sng on Friday and took it down.
Saturday was picture day for the kids and their softball/baseball teams and being their coaches means lots of driving around. Throw in practice and we went non-stop for many hours. After we got home around 2:00 I mowed the lawn and sat back and relaxed for a while. I had changed poker night in my mind and was ready for a night of poker. Then we got a call from my buddy’s mom reminding us of his surprise 40th birthday party that was starting in an hour. So off we go and spend a night of drinking fun with an old friend. By the time we got home I jumped on the laptop for a bit but didn’t get any play in.
Sunday had confirmation for a friend’s son and then a birthday party with softball practice mixed into the bowl. When we got home I made my third attempt to play for the weekend after we got the kids to bed. I made the Razz tourney just in time and made a nice run to the final but didn’t make it deep enough for a good cash. I’ll take the 7th but top 3 would have been much better.
I also worked on the SNG Challenge a bit and got a 1st and a 2nd. To date I’m plus $150 over 14 sngs playing mostly $6.50 turbo sngs. That being said, I have 2 firsts and a second in the $12 turbos which is a majority of my positive gains. I’m very hot, cashing in 71% of the games I’ve played and getting a return of 141%. Lets hope that continues.
Monday at the Hoy takes place tonight so if you have the time take a chance for a big score. It’s on Full Tilt at 9:00 central and the password is hammer.
Tomorrow I’ll have a post about the frustrations of poker and how life is influenced by poker and vice versa. I think it’s a good read so check in tomorrow to see what I think.
A short post today.
I was out voted last night so I played no poker. I wanted to play the Riverchasers but it was no big deal. I wont play enough events to qualify for the BBT finals anyway. That being said I was sitting in 58th place after the Mookie on Wednesday. Not bad for only 5 out of the 14 events to that point.
Today I went on a trip to a customer’s plant and went through some training that our sales engineer was giving. Good stuff for the most part and anytime I can get a free lunch I’m happy.
Friday night is poker night so I hope to find all you degenerate online poker players out and about for some donkey madness during the Donkament.
Have a good weekend.
I left my laptop at home so this is all from memory.
Well I made it to the points last night by getting the last point spot. Waffles would be proud of me. Anyway, I never did get a lot going last night as I was card dead most of the time but did chip up a little just before the points. When the point bubble broke I was sitting with 1800 chips and had a raise in front of me. This player had shown a few hands and I knew that I may be ahead with AJ even though it isn’t a premium hand so I pushed my stack into the middle and hoped for a fold. He had to pay 1150 to win the 2750 in the pot and would be left with 1500 if he calls and loses. After much thought he calls with pocket 4s and the race is on. I miss every thing and I go home in 37th place. I don’t mind the play that much because I think there is many players who may fold this hand to me and I didn’t mind the coin flip at this point in the tournament. Pressure poker backfired but I was sure I had outs.
Other then that last hand I was in survival mode all night. The premium hands I saw were AK one time and KK just before I got busted. Not the pathway to success I wanted but I was in a position to do well if I win the coin flip.
I also played a $5 MTT and made a nice run to the final 100 but got knocked out when pressure poker failed me again. I made a 4x pre flop raise with 33 from the SB and got heads up with the BB. The flop comes 3 three small hearts and I hold a heart so I make a pot size bet hoping to take it down but he pushes and I call with the few chips I have left. His 57 of hearts is golden and I go home.
With all this over by 10:30 or so I decide to play a couple of SNGs to work on my challenge. In the first event I doubled up early with pocket aces and then knock out a player on the next hand when my AK sooooooted holds up vs. AQ. He made a raise pre flop and I reraised to 75% of his stack. He pushed and I called to send him to the rail. I stayed out of the way for a while and ended up taking 2nd in the $12 turbo sng. With enough time to play one more I jumped back onto another one and proceeded to get nothing for the longest time. With 5 left I had 840 chips but there were two other short stacks and we kept the pressure on each other to survive the money bubble. I doubled through the big stack and then the 2nd stack doubled through the big stack and I’m in 2nd place. Two of the shorties were knocked out quick and we were in the money. I caught AK double through the big stack and all of a sudden I’m in 1st. When we got to heads up we were even in chips and we battled back and forth for 20 minutes before I took a big lead. As he worked hard to gain some ground I limped in with KK and he pushed with JQ. 10 seconds later I have the victory and a good end to the night.
So a couple more games for the challenge are out of the way and my results are still strong.
Tonight is the Riverchasers#9 event on Full Tilt so go and play. It starts at 8:00 I think and I’m hoping to play. Thursday isn’t a regular playing day for me but I’ll see if I can find the time to play.
One of the biggest changes in my game since the beginning of the year has been my approach to the tournament game. I’ve always been a tight play but I was dependent upon good cards at the right time for me to make a deep run in any tournament that I played. I used a Dan Harrington style that while allowing me to get near the money on a consistent basis, It didn’t allow me to be in a position to win unless the deck hit me in the face. So what are some of the changes that I’ve made to help me make some deeper runs in MTTs?
One of the things I’ve improved upon is my ability to change gears. It has always been important to understand the image that you are portraying at a table and I think I’m using that image to accumulate chips when needed instead of waiting for premium hands to pay me off. I will use my image more in the middle stages of a tourney to win some small pots that I would have left alone in the past. These orphaned pots add up over time and can make the difference. A draw back is that someone may be trapping so you have to be able to get away from a hand that has nothing to offer.
Another area that I’ve improved is using pressure poker. This can be used in many ways and can help you to accumulate chips at many different stages in a tournament. When using pressure you have to know the table well to understand who is a calling station and who can get away from a hand. This being said you could use it to your advantage vs. any type of player depending on their tendencies. The calling station will pay you off on your big hands while other players may fold to your aggression. The trap is still a possibility in any case and there will be times when you look like an idiot but gaining chips during the middle stages of the tournament is going to give you the ability to make a nice run when it, is all said and done. Cash just after the bubble is not the road to financial success so you must use the pre-bubble to your advantage so you can hit it big.
The last area that I’ve seen my biggest improvement is in determining where I stand in a hand. I’m watching betting patterns more closely then in the past and using my betting patterns to disguise my hands better. Being willing to make a re-raise to define my opponents hand has helped me to escape bad situations as well as take some pots that may not have been mine to hold. These bets can cost you some chips at times but being able to get away from a marginal hand or even a hand that you think may be good is what makes the difference in a deep run and an untimely exit.
Overall, my game is at a level that seems to be better then any point in the past. This doesn’t make me a great player but shows that there are ways to improve your game and to become a winning player on-line.
Now if I could only turn my self into a cash game play maybe I could make some better money.
And don't forget to play the Mookie tonight. The password is vegas1 as always and starts at 9:00 central time. Help to send this Wednesday night event to a new record.
Now that April is over I thought I would give an account of my action for the month as per usual.
With the beginning of ball season comes the inability to play poker because of family commitments and I’ve already seen the effects. A typical moth this year saw me playing 40 or so tourneys but I only played 27 in April. I had a solid month overall with a return of 55% but the buy-ins were smallish and not enough games played. I had a handful of final tables with a 3rd place being the high water mark for the month. My NL game is going well as power poker seems to be the way to play. Overall, I took cash out from UB to pay for a trip later in May and have been able to buy some action from a few players who were playing some bigger tourneys in hopes of getting a percentage.
I started a SNG challenge in April but I haven’t gotten going on it very well. I’ve only played 10 sngs so far which doesn’t tell me anything at all. I do have a ROI of 66% and I’m in the money 55% of the time so hopefully I can keep it up when I get back to it.
So in the end I had a solid month but nothing like the big time players see. If I can catch a few more final table in May for some nice money then I will take some shots at some bigger buy-ins. I think I’m going to stay away from Razz for a while because the fields are so small that the money I can win isn’t worth the time invested. I’ll still play the random HORSE tourney but I am going to stick to NL Hold’em for the most part. No Omaha events either because they have been a negative to my return overall. After the summer I will revisit the non hold’em events but because of the limited amount of time I have to play I think I need to stay focused on NL tourneys.
I retain the right to stray from my objectives if I feel the need to do something different.
Later this month I’ll be meeting with Surf in Evansville for some blogger bonding. We will probably hit a tourney while we are there and just hangout and have some fun.
I missed the Blogger Bracelet Race on Sunday. I wanted to play but there was no way it was going to happen with all the softball and other family stuff that was more important. We celebrated Speedy Enthusiast birthday with my mom because she is going to Florida this week and won’t be back until after Speedy turns 11.
That’s it for today. Have a great day.
