Business and Riverchaser's

I had a business trip yesterday that involved a 3 hour trip each way with my boss and two other guys. We make the trek to just north of Milwaukee to the customer’s plant and our contact said he didn’t know we were coming. We made the plans last week but somehow he forgot. We ended up calling on another customer and got some swag so it wasn’t a total loss but it was disappointing.

I got home at my regular time ready to cook some steaks on the grill. Now for most of my life I’ve been a charcoal kind of guy but with a family of five that is always on the run I have converted to the gas grill. So I fire up the grill and get the meat all ready to go but I have a problem…the gas is out. This isn’t an issue because I have two tanks and can make the change over in no time at all. But I know the other tank is empty and I’m not going down to the gas station to exchange a tank for $20 when I can get it filled for8 or 9 at the FS in town. So steaks were enjoyed but out of the oven.

So with a day on the road I had blogs to read so I jumped on the computer and checked bloglines for some good reading material. I read a few thing when I happened to find that Al is running a freeroll HORSE tourney for the Riverchasers so I jump on for some free fun and a chance for part of the $100 prize pool.

I had Bobby Bracelet sitting to my left a few spots but nobody else I recognized. I donked off a few chips durng the first few rounds and got some back in Razz. Stud hit me in the face with some great hands and by the end of the first break I had 5500 chips.

On the second hand after the break I was dealt AAJJ and hit a J on the flop. The board paired giving me the high boat to scoop a 2900 chip pot. I also won a nice hand in Razz but basically held my own to this point. My lucky hand of the night saw me with pocket 10s in a raised pot with two other players and being last to act. The flop is 78Q and the BB bets and UTG raises. UTG had raised preflop but I want to see if he is strong so I 3-bet and the BB caps. I figure I’m behind and I will drop the hand unless I get a good card and I did. Another 10 came on the turn. The BB bets and UTG calls. I raise and they both call. The river is a jack giving many straight possibilities and it is checked around giving me the win. The BB had a queen and UTG had pocket kings. So now I’m at 14K and in 2nd overall. I end the 2nd hour near the top and ready for my Razz game to push me up.

Razz gave me no love as I didn’t get one playable hand. We are near the money and in stud when I get jacks and queens on 4th street during stud. I’m ready for the hand that puts me at the top except I run into trip aces from the beginning and I’m crippled. I doubled on the next hand with three diamonds that turned into two pair to get me back to 6000. At the bubble I get 578 suited in Stud hl and complete the bet with 2 callers, one being alcanthang. I catch a 4 so I now have a good low going as well as a backdoor flush and a gut shot straight chance so I call Al’s bet. 5th street is the 10 of my suit so I raise al’s bet all-in and catch a six for the straight and the low vs. his kings. The virtual end of my night happened when I tried a steal with A10 and got re-raised Bobby BI who was short so we got it all-in. He had AK and I’m down again. I doubled back up but ended up out in Omaha and finished 17th.

It was a fun night and thanks goes to Al for hosting the event.

It Was a Weekend and March Madness Bracket

I have started a bracket pool on espn. If you would like to be involved go to ESPN and create an account. If you are interested you can e-mail me at thepokerenthusiast at comcas.net and I will give you the details. I'm looking at $5 per entry with 5 entries max. The payout will be like a poker tourney so it will be based on the number of entries. You will be ablt to send me the money by transfer on Full Tilt and if you win I will send it back the same way. Send me your screen name and I will give you the group information. I must have the entries by tip off of the first game as well as the money transfered to be elgible. Contact me if you have any questions. Here is a link to the page.

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With all the luck that friends and family have been having as of late my wife went with to another wake on Friday night. That left me in charge of our three kids as well as the two children of the lady that went with her. So what do I do? I fire up the poker machine because they all get along and they are old enough to stay out of most trouble.

The first success I had was in this event.



This isn’t a game I play a lot but I do enjoy it. I made a nice run and again got knocked out when I had great draws to the nuts after the flop.

I also played the daily doubles and had a good shot at cashing in both but came up empty in the A event. The B event is a different story. I chipped up a little early after getting AQ three hands in a row and betting out each time. I also doubled up just before the first break to put me at around T5000. I lost some chips with pocket 6s that complete gave me no chance on the flop that came AK10. The next hand I get queens and A shorter stack of 2100 raises to 350 (blinds are 50/100) and gets called by a huge stack. I raise to twice the pot and the shorty call while the big stack folds. The flop is K35 so I put him in because I won’t fold to a 351 chip bet anyway. He shows A9 with a flush draw but my queens hold and I move up to T9000. I won a few more with pocket kings just before finding QQ again. This time I have to throw them away on a bad flop. I folded for a while until my card rack returns with aces. An early position guy calls and I raise to 720 from middle position and get called buy the same guy. The flop gives me trips but leaves a possible flush draw. I want all of his chips so it gets checked around. A king on the turn looks good to me in that I hope he has hit so I make a3/4 pot bet. He insta pushes and I call to see his AJ and no flush draw. I know have T14000. I again win a big hand with aces and move to T18800. I won a big hand with A8 after the SB limped after everyone else folded. I made a big raise and he called with pocket 2s. I hit and 8 and moved to 24,000. I took a few blinds that put me in around 10th place with around 90 players left. I made a position raise with K10 suited and got called by the BB big stack. The flop hit me with a king put I layed it down to an aggressive play by the big stack. This was a bad decision. He was playing big stack poker and I wilted. A push over the top was the right play and if I get beat so be it. It would have cost him over half his stack to call. My game was just about over. A push monkey raises from the button and I call with KJ. Stupid play by me in that even if he was on a steal I called with a less then stellar hand. Down to 7000 I get K10 and push from the SB and the BB has AK.

Talk about screwing up a good run. In 4 hands I went from sitting great to out. I went away from what was getting me there. Enough said.

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Softball Enthusiast had her first game of the on Saturday night. It was in a field house in Dekalb so the conditions were great. We didn’t keep official score but I think her team won by two. She threw OK after calming down a little and gave up one run in her only inning of work. She did have two strikeouts and gave up no hits but the walks have to stop for here to be successful. Hitting wise she was great. She beat out an infield chopped, hit a nice line drive between 1st and 2nd and hit a stand up triple to deep left center field. 3 for 3 is never a bad thing and she looked very ready to play. Over all the team looked so so mainly because the new girls were not ready for the speed of the game. After about the third inning they all settled down and the play solid. All but one girl had a hit and none of them were scared by the solid pitching from the other team. One thing I know is that these girls will hit regardless of anything else.

I Continue to Love Horse

The wife and kids were gone last night so that gave me the chance to play a little poker. I started with a little Omaha hl at UB that ended ugly and moved over to FL for some HORSE and Razz. I ended the evening back at UB playing a couple of SNG and chatting a little with JJ.

Omaha was solid other then I didn’t cash. I had a nice run and was in position to make something happen until running cards took a chunk of my chip stack. I worked hard to gain it back but it wasn’t meant to be as I got knocked out about 12 from the money.

I jumped on the HORSE tourney at FT and saw Don Morris sitting across the table. We chatted up a little as he chipped up and I maintained my chip stack I eventually got moved and I never saw him again. But I did play well for the most part.

It did start well in that I gave away some chips in Omaha hl and when we got to Razz I was at this level.



As you can see my chip stack is low and the cards you see are indicative of what I was getting in Razz. I eventually got a hand when I saw this.



I’m always going to play this kind of hand with a raise because I’m more than likely ahead and I want chips in the pot when ahead. But then I get this on 4th street.



I chickened out and got away from it but as you can see from my small chip stack that I’m in trouble. But the next hand I see this.



This may not be the best spot for this hand but I made up my mind that I was going to war. Stud was about to start and I’d rather get knocked out in Razz, playing a game that I play well. We end up getting to here and I survive.



Early in Stud I see a cheap 4th street and pair my 10. My opponent bet into me so I raised to see where his was at. He only called so I figured him for nothing but the Q.



Smelling weakness I bet on 5th street when it appeared to be a blank for him and he again called.



6th street gave me one of his 6s but also gave him a double draw to a flush as well as a straight but I bet out hoping to find out where I stood. He called so I’m wondering if he really has something or is just chasing.



I check 7th and we show down with this result. I’m not sure what he was calling with to my aggression but it didn’t hit and I chip up.



When we got to Stud hl I woke up with 666 and bet out and get three callers.



I continue to bet on 4th street and hope to keep everyone in the game.



I get quads on 5th so at worst I’m splitting the pot so I continue to bet out and I get heads up.



He hits the low and we split.

A little later I wake up with this hand and I bet into the pot.



4th street gives me two pair and I continue to try and build the pot without driving guys away.



5th street gives my opponent trips and I have to drop my hand. This may have been a key hand in that some players may chase here but I only have 4 outs at best and I may only have two. I think I have to fold here.



I won a nice pot from the blinds when I flopped 2nd pair. I made a reraise after the flop and bet out on the turn to represent the flush and I take it down.



I chipped up a little more until we got to Razz again when I got this hand.



As you can see the next card was nice to me so I continue to bet. Some will check here because it is a small bet but his 8 should keep him in the game regardless unless he gets a terrible card on 5th.




I missed catching a screen shot of the hand that put me over the top but catching a low straight in Stud hl is a good thing. I scooped the huge pot and moved into the chip lead as the final table approached. When we got to the final table it looked like this.



I was in a great position. Top three should be easy and I’m feeling great about my chances to take it down. That is until this hand. I get dealt 2c Jd Qh Ac. I have suited hl possibilities as well as some connecting cards so I see the 1000 chip flop. The flop is K3T with 2 clubs so my draws are top notch. One player bets and I call. I should have re-raised here but I didn’t want to commit to much before having my hand made. The turn is an 8 giving me nut high draws and nut low draws so I have to stick around. The river is the J of clubs so I have the nut high. He bets into me and I insta raise. We cap it and the chips are pushed to him. WTF. Wait… that wasn’t a 2 of clubs…it was a 2 of spades. What a moron I am. I cripple my self by being an unfocused idiot. I held on for a while and got some chips back but got knocked out way to early for my chip stack.

This was a great example of losing focus and how it can be –ev. I left a lot of money on the table because of a few distractions.

So I also played some Razz last night and had great starting hands but no love as I got knocked out a little before the money. I had some picture for that also but I’ve spent enough time on this today.

Have a great weekend.

Trying to Play Poker While Live Blogging the Mookie

Trying to live blog isn’t that hard when you are only watching your own table. I have a small bit of respect for Mookie now that I’ve tried it but I don’t think I will do it again anytime soon. Go to here to see the commentary.

I started the night playing an ultra turbo SNG at UB just because I had time before the Mookie started. I stayed about as tight as you can in a tourney that has 2 minute levels hit the jackpot when I got 10s in late position and raised it up. One caller and the flop gives me trips so I raise it up and the other guy pushes with aces. So I cracked aces and on the next hand I get 10s again and I raise. A shorty pushes and gets one other caller so I call to see the flop. I hit trip 10s again and bust two more guys. Now it is bubble time and I have a huge stack so I’m raising with any two semi decent hands and suck out on a push with Q9 vs. KQ and then bust another guy with my J10 vs. his AK. I made short work of the final guy to take this donk-fest down.

My Mookie was OK as I got into the 2nd hour but I over played 1010 and left my self committed to a pot and lost to the JJ of pokerpeaker.

This knockout allowed me to concentrate on blogging and taking screen shots so her is a photo gallery of some of the action last night.


Here is Fuel pushing his KQ suited into peakers Aces and going home.


This is columbo getting unlucky after he gets his aces to only see the trip jacks surfexus is holding.


Surf sees the bad news.


Roberto doubles up.


Gcox doubles through Zeem.


Surf doubles up Mattazuma and is now the short stack.


He then gains some chips back at the expense of bayne when he hit an ace.


Roberto continues to win coinflips as he knocks out bayne.


Gcox doubles Through willwonka.


surf gets his hand caught in the cookie jar.


Mattazuma drops the hammer.


Surf wins a coin flip to eliminate zeem.


Roberto's queens knock out Mattazuma. Then I don't know what happened other then I started to watch instead of take screen shots. The next thing I know we are down to 4 players.


Mean_G stays alive with his best hand hitting a king on the turn.


And then he knockes out pokerpeaker with his pair of 2s.


Roberto eleminates Mean_g to get heads up with Astin.

How I didn't get any screen shots of Astin I don't know. Mainly because he was pushing players off their hands and building his chip lead. Great game all and see you next time.

Live Blogging the Mookie

Boy Enthusiast: Mommy, Brad doesn’t want to play with me.

Mrs. Enthusiast: What’s the matter?

Boy Enthusiast: You know how you always want me to try my best…well the score is 8-2 and Brad has 2 so he’s mad.

Mrs. Enthusiast: Why don’t you let him score a couple to make it closer?

Boy Enthusiast: But that’s not trying my best…you always want me to try my best…right?

How do you argue with that logic? He has my competitive spirit for sure.

The other day I took Boy Enthusiast to a birthday party. I had to drop Softball Enthusiast off at practice first and I mentioned that we would go back tot the practice after I dropped him off. Speedy Enthusiast didn’t want to come back to the practice so Boy Enthusiast says ”I would rather stay and watch Softball Enthusiast practice but I feel I have to go to this birthday party” He’s 5 years old.

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Tonight is the Mookie so I think everyone who is cool should be there. It will have the donkiest of bloggers, namely me, so you already have a +EV if you play. The 2nd chanse tourney is Stud and even though I suck at Stud I will probably donate to the prize fund.

Overall I’m trying to improve my finishes from last time when I final tabled both events and didn’t cash. I’m offering up my live blogging skills to Mookie so We’ll see you at the Mook.

Empathy and a Little Poker

I thought I could be empathetic of the feelings the young girls family was going through but how can I truly understand what they are going through. I haven’t had one of my children die tragically. Sympathy is a more realistic term for how I felt as I walked down the receiving line, shaking the hands of relatives I’ve never met. As I approached her mother and step-father I couldn’t help but stroke the hair of my 5 year-old son as he waited impatiently for us to finish. I gave her mother a hug and attempted to choke back the tears that wanted to fall free flowing from my puffy eyes. A hand shake between her step-father and I because that is what men do.

Standing in front of the casket of a young woman who almost made 18 years of age is hard to do. Her bloated face caused by the embalming fluid doesn’t do her justice. The agonizing loneliness that fills the hearts of the endless lines of people streaming into this room to pay their respects can’t be described. The pain of loss is individual and can only be consoled.

M and B were happy to be away from the morbid surroundings. There was food and drink down stairs and this was now a time to spend with their friends. L found her friend, the deceased girl’s cousin, to spend time with her friend in her time of need. The Poker Enthusiast parents went down stairs and socialized with friends and family while B tried to eat cookies for dinner. Life must move on and food must be the first step to recovery.

As we walked the two blocks to our parking space, the funeral home parking lot was full, I thought about how my life has been changed by the deaths of family and friends over the years and realized that all things come to an end. And though death has marked my life yet again I will go on. The world doesn’t stop and wait for your return.

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I didn’t play any poker lat night but I did watch JJ, surf and worldpoker05 play for a while. I wasn’t in the right mindset to play and just wanted to veg out. They all cashed in their respective tourneys so I guess I’m good luck. It was nice to look at the different styles of play as each of them had different approaches. They all did the job all be it with different endings.

JJ played a semi loose aggressive style that accumulated chips for him only to get hit hard near the bubble. He made the cash but didn’t get as deep as was hoped. Surf played a mixed style game that was tight and varied. Some luck box action was in store but it was clear his intention was to win the SNG. Worldpoker05 played as tight as I’ve seen anyone play. He took advantage of that image as the bubble approached and stole pots to maintain his chip stack until the bubble burst in his SNG. Three cashes with three styles.

Probably no poker tonight but Mookieness should be in store for Wednesday.

Sometimes Poker Doesn't Matter

I wrote my little story the other day about a family auto accident before I knew about some friends of the family. They’re not good friends but really the family of good friends…but that doesn’t make this less tragic. Their daughter was killed in a car accident Friday morning on her way to school. She was 17.

Many of us have children and all of us are some ones child so there is a degree of understanding and empathy we feel when we hear something tragic like this. Our children shouldn’t die before us….they have so much to look forward to in life but when it gets snatched away because of some unfortunate accident of a long battle with an illness life hits us hard.

Right now her mother is getting ready to be strong at her dead daughters visitation. She doesn’t feel strong but she wants everyone to know that life will go on and that she appreciates their support. The alone times are the ones that hurt. When nobody is there to console her and the world crashes into her being like the car who T-boned her daughters car. There is no justice….just pain.

We will be there for her as will many other people over the next few days. But when the people go away and the silence screams mercilessly at her, tearing at her sanity as she grieves for her fallen child, hopefully she gain perspective and honor the life she had as well morn the life she missed.

March Begins, Token Frenzy, and HORSE

I had a great month in February. It wasn't lucko great or Fuel great but for me it was a success. I played 37 tourneys and had 12 final tables on two different sites. I cashed in aabout 35% of the MTTs I played in and got to the final table in 4 different styles of play. Overall my bankroll increased % wise more then any other month other then the first month I played. My ROI was almost 60% overall. I've regained almost half of what I lost during the 2 month slide I encountered and feel better about my game now then I ever have.

I think the biggest improvement with my game is that I'm staying in my comfort zone and staying away from taking the big tourneys while my bankroll regains its previous levels. I'm staying focused on the proccess of bankroll management and not letting the fonkeys and fuktards blow me away.

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I play a token frenzy tonight and ran into another idiot who thinks calling after a raise and a reraise, with QJ this time, is a great call. I guess KK is a hand I should fold from now on as it seems to be killing me. Really I'm glad guys will call with hands like that because it will be good in the long run.

Friday was my first tourney night of the month and It went well over all as I did this.



I got cold decked and crippled after getting QQx vs. AAx as well as trip 6s vs. trip 9s. I played a sound game and played aggressive to keep moving up the ladder as the game progressed. Lets see if I can match my 12 final tables from last month.

BOOOOM

When I was 19 or so, I had the pleasure of being in a minor auto accident. I had just bought a new/used car and was driving home. It was winter time but the road were clear as I approached our mail box at a reduced rate of speed. A small patch of compressed snow had frozen over and as I attempted to come to a stop the front of the car slide over about a foot and dinged the post that carried the mailbox. There was a small dent that was easily knocked out with a rubber mallet and it was as good as new.

We’ve almost all had some kind of motor vehicle accident in our lives, some of us more then others, and if we’re lucky there is no major damage. About a year after the fender bender above I was involved in a collision. Yes collision sounds more dramatic because it was in many ways. I was working nights at the time and fell asleep on the way home from work. When I came to I was on the floorboard of my car looking up and realizing that this wasn’t a natural position and passed back out. The next thing I remember is being in the x-ray room and asking the nurse if the other guy was alright. She informed me that I had already asked her a dozen times about the health of the other driver and that it had not changed. There is no way I asked her that many times because I would have remembered…right? Anyway, I spent the next few days in the hospital on a painkilling IV of some sort with a bad concussion and a bruised heart and sternum. I had lingering affects from the accident for many, many weeks but eventually I recovered.

Events like these make an impression in your being that molds the way you look at things. Being 20 at the time it reaffirmed that I was invincible. Something like that today would make me thank my lucky stars and deepen my love for my family even more then it already is.

9 years ago I got a call at work that my wife and two girls had been in an accident and that they were being taken to the hospital. When I get there I find that my wife has a lacerated spleen and that my oldest daughter was in getting a CAT scan and that she had a broken leg. My other daughter was shaken up but no real injuries other then the trauma of being in the accident. A short time later the nurses wheel in a young child who has blood all over her face and just looks terrible. It was 5 minutes before I realized that it was my daughter and that she was hurt bad. The moved everyone to intensive care for observation and eventually flew my daughter to another hospital that specializes in these types of situations. She would end up with a skull fracture, broken leg, missing teeth and some stitches along her mouth. My wife had the spleen issue and some micro fractures in her teeth while my other daughter has bruised and battered and walked with a limp for about a week. In the end everything turned out OK with complete recovery for all but things like this are scary for everyone involved.

So what does any of this have to do with anything now?

I got a call from my wife that they were involved in an accident this morning. My first reaction was fear but the realization that she was calling quickly helped me regain my focus and that it probably wasn’t that bad. A driver failed to realize that the road were slick and slid through a stop sign and put a nice dent in the front of the van. Everyone is OK and though the van is drivable, a headlight is messed up so it can’t be used at night.

Relief is the best way to describe how I feel.

The Poker Enthusiast is One Year Old

Yesterday was the anniversary of the birth of The Poker Enthusiast. As I look back I realize I’m a much different in many was and still the same in others. My $5 quest to riches has been up and down but has also been a lot of fun along the way. JJ and http://tripjax.blogspot.com were some of the early commenters and I even had one from the good doctor encouraging me and wishing me luck. I now have many make believe acquaintances out in cyber space and I enjoy each and every one of them.

So after my second place finish the other night I thought I would take a shot at one of the bigger events at Full Tilt so the 19K seemed to be the right one. It was a tight table to start with but that change quickly as one of the players started seeing every other hand. He was aggressive and players were letting him run the table. He was my mark. I had been tight to this point and made a raise from middle position with A8 suited. It was more of an attempt to steal some blinds but I got three callers. The flop hit me in the face as I hit top two pair and took it down. I also started attacking limpers when I had strong hands and accumulating chips. I won a big hand with Q2 suited from the BB when I flopped top pair and a flush draw. I bet it out and got one caller. The turn was a 10 and I put him all in and he called with K10 and I scooped. I also won a nice pot with AK on a king high flop. I made a continuation type bet and got re-raised by a solid player. I saw this as a steal and popped it way up and he folded. I got involved with aggressive guy and earned a nice pot when I bet out on my flush draw and gut shot straight draw. I chipped up some with aces and then hit the mother load when I caught trip 8s and stacked a guy. I’m 11th of 260 at this point and I’m really on my game.

Now look at this scenario. Blinds are 120/240 with 25 ante. Three big stacks at the table and two shorties. I am the chip leader with 10900. One shorty betss to 600 and I raise 2640 to put him all-in and to isolate with JJ. The next player (10,077 chips) calls. All fold including the original raiser. What hands can you put him on here. I think any hand that that you would call with here for 25% of your stack is worthy of a push. Maybe not middle pairs put would you risk 25% of your stack with a middle pair? I don’t think so. Anyway the flop is 1095 two hearts. I have the over pair and feel I’m ahead. I can’t check because I don’t want to give a free card for a flush or a straight draw so what do I bet. There is around 6000 chips in the pot so I make raise to 4000 and have 4100 left behind. My opponent pushes. I’m not crippled if I fold and I don’t have a read on the guy as it is a new table. I’m thinking it is an act of desperation and hope to push me off my hand so I call. He has KQ.

Is there anyone sane who would call for 25% of there with KQ after a large bet and a re-raise in front of them. I know of one guy because he hit his queen on the turn and crippled me. I could have check folded but I don’t ever like that play in that situation. He may have checked it down but probably not. I’m calling any bet he makes if I check and maybe I could have folded after the queen comes on the turn. I will make the same play there and win many more time then I lose.