The Mookie Last Night and the Riverchasers Tonight

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.

A Little About My Game and the Mookie

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.

April Results

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.

Poker and Ball are Fun

Playing poker and watching ball are two of my favorite things to do and I got some of each over the weekend.

Friday night I jumped on the poker machine, got into a Razz tourney and a MTT, and started my quest for obscurity. JL514 was around so we played the same NL tourney and both made a nice run with me getting a little farther.

Razz was the usual donkey fest of idiotic play that frustrates me to no end. I made a nice run but missed the money by a couple of spots after being down to 87 chips at one point. I waited as patently as I could and doubled up when I had to stay on the last spot for about 40 minutes until I got a couple of hands back to back to move me near the money bubble. I kept my stack as level as I could but got chased down by a big stack when my A234 bricked the rest of the way and got beat by a made queen.

Mean while I have the NL tourney going and I am moving up as we get near the bubble. 541 runners started the event and we are down to about 60 with 54 getting paid. I’m getting nothing for cards but Have been stealing to maintain my stack in hopes of getting a big hand. It’s folded to me and I push the blinds with my T3 hoping to induce a fold because they will be crippled if the call and lose. The BB calls with JT but I suck out a 3 to double up. Next hand I get pocket queens and double again to put me in the chip lead. I maintain that lead for much of the remainder of the tourney until just before the final table when I drop down to 5th or 6th. I made a big lay down pre-flop when I held AK. I had a read on a guy and felt his min re-raise smelled like a big pocket pair so I folded. I ended up not seeing what he had but I felt that I was dominated. I had another big lay down when I saw a free flop vs. the SB. I held 65 and the flop comes 885. The small blind makes a min raise and I re raise with my 5. He comes over the top and I eventually fold. He showed pocket aces. As we got near the end of my run, I pushed my 77 into AJ and got beat on the flop when a jack hit the board. I’ll take the 7th place but would have liked to win that coin flip.

Mean while I played a re-buy tourney and played it deep but bubbled when I tried to push my AT into JJ and got knocked out. Two real nice runs on the night and an ok amount for a return.

Saturday morning was terrible as I woke up late for my daughters tourney and had to scramble to get her there on time. We had to meet with her teammates at 7:15 and didn’t get up until 6:45. Anyway, we made it on time and had a great day out in the sun watching ball. They probably had the top two teams in there bracket and played well against them except for one inning each game that saw them give away runs. They scored 3 runs against the best team there while no other team scored more then 1 so there was a positive to the games.

Sunday saw an early start. There first game was at 7:00 and they had to be at the park at 6:15. Being that we live about 45 minutes from they tourney meant we were on the road at 5:15. Softball Enthusiast pitched the early game and did well. I don’t know the totals but they ended up losing by 1 after tying the score. They had a problem catching and throwing so the 3 hits she gave up turned into 6 runs. I think she had 8 strike outs but 6 walks didn’t help and bad throws and walks don’t mix. In there last game they held the lead for much of the time but gave up a bunch late and lost by 2. They did battle hard and had the tying and winning run on base with 1 out but couldn’t get them around to score. It was a great experience for the girls.

That’s all for today. Have a great day and all that other stuff.

TGIF

Again, no poker last night. I had a meeting that lasted until after 9:00 and by the time I got home, I wasn’t in the mood to play. I did checkout the new options at UB that give you the ability to play at a blackjack table or even play Roshambo. Blackjack is at a standard table with the same rules as in a casino so no biggie there. Roshambo cost .10 to play a best 2 out of 3 match with a 10% juice so you pay .10 to win .18. Many players were placing the .10 bets just to throw a rock. Crazy stuff. They also have a free version so you can work on your mad skills. Soon to come will be tournaments.

I’m gonna try the Donkarama tonight if I can play early enough. 8:00 is a little early so I may just play a couple of $5 or $10 tourneys instead. Either way it will be any early night because of softball tomorrow.

Softball Enthusiast has qualifier for the nationals this weekend. It will be the first time this team has tried to earn a birth to a big event so it will be interesting to see how they act. I think they could have a shot if the pitching holds up.

Have a great weekend.

Paella Marinera

I had no time for poker last night as I was having dinner with some customers at a Spanish restaurant. I was home in time to play the Mookie but I hadn’t seen the family all day and thus poker was not important. Sorry all but my family is more important then you. Anyway, the dinner was excellent consisting of Paella Marinera which is seafood with rice and various veggies mixed together and served family style. It was outstanding. The best part was it didn’t cost me a thing to try something new because it was a business dinner. +EV for sure but I can’t say that for the Mookie.

I have a meeting tonight so Prolly no poker again but maybe Friday. No games to go to and no practices that I know of so Friday should work. Anyway, That’s all today. I just got finished with an all day meeting and have a little time to catch up on work so I must do that.

Have a great day.

All is Well I Guess

To busy to post anything solid, not that I write solid anyway. I had two nice runs yesterday while I was sitting home under the weather. The first one was a top 20 finish that saw me sitting near the bottom when a big stack raised my BB again. I pushed my remaining chips with 97 hoping for two live cards and saw him flip over AQ. I got my wish and hit a 7 on the flop but lost on the turn when a queen appeared.

In the second event I accumulated chips throughout the tourney. After the first hour I had 5.6K and sitting near the top. I won a couple of coin flips with short stacks that helped a lot. As the second hour started, the players at my table feared me because I’ve shown only good hands and have not lost anything. They are folding to my bets. I know they are waiting to trap me and thus I gave a little back after a couple of marginal raises. Then a table change. I chipped up some and then held my ground as we got closer to the end. With 2 tables left I was 5 of 9 at my table with 14K. I chipped up well with some strong play and had 25K as I hit the final table in 6th place. With 6 left I was a deaths door but just enough chip equity to stay alive. I got a nice double up when I pushed the BB with my KJ and he calls with K3 and doubled again with pocket kings to put me at 41K and 3 of 5 left. I then got lucky on a steal attempt gone bad when I hit a straight with 93 suited vs. KQ. I took the chip lead for a short bit with 4 left but took a huge hit when I flopped bottom two pair in a battle of the blinds. My opponent hit a straight and I was all but done. I doubled back up on an any two cards push. I out lasted one guy and then got knocked out in third after catching TPSK vs. two overs when one over caught. Solid game with one suckout.

The Mookie is tonight but I’m not sure I’ll be there. I have a business diner that may get in the way.

Have a great day all.

A Day in the Life

I’m feeling better.

I got my pimping out of the way yesterday.

I’m playing a $5 MTT as I write this and sitting 18th of 74.

I attempted to cash out a chunk of money from UB a couple of weeks ago. I got a check but it had someone else’s last name. After contacting UB the canceled the check and will put the money back into my account. I will then have to withdraw the money again. Hopefully they get my name right next time.

I have AK suited with three limpers and I raise to 600 from the BB and get one caller. I flop top pair and nut flush draw and bet ¾ pot to look lick a continuation bet and my opponent pushes. I call and he shows J9 off suit for no pair and no draw. Well played.

I’m now sitting 10 of 63.

9:23 No time stamp as I do this

9:25 My sickness was caused by a combination of to much sun and high blood pressure. I left my medication at work on thursday so I went un medicated for a few days.

9:28 24 from the money and I'm in 9th

9:30 I'm starting another $5 tourney just because.

9:38 Just gave away a chunk trying to steal from the SB.

9:46 moved up with flopped trips and a turned boat.

9:49 7 from the money...I need a double to improve my position.

9:54 just doubled in my other tourney.

9:56 3 from the money pocket queens takes it down

9:59 money bubble is great..I've almost double with aggression.

10:04 stupid bubble won't break and big stack on my left won't let me breath.

10:07 the bubble has broken and I'm top 15 and a double up to top 5.

10:15 sports center gets old after a while.

10:19 sitting 17 of 89 in other tourney.

10:26 got knocked out in 21st place. Tried for a steal and got caught. sitting 13 of 75 in other tourney.

10:31 going through the blogroll while at break.

10:42 8 of 72. moving up. the players at my table have seen me show the best hand every time so they are playing in fear...and trying to trap me.

10:43 I love reading blogs. As soon as they pop up on bloglines I check them out. Great for work place productivity.

10:49 Got a walk with QQ...that sucks.

10:54 Starting another $5 tourney in 6 minutes.

11:00 I'm hungry. That's a change because I've been staying away from food the last few days.

11:05 new tourney didn't last long. My pocket queens don't survive vs 22.

11:07 how come when I set mine I don't catch but my opponents do?

11:12 7 of 42. i love this game today.

11:14 I have yet to show a losing hand. I'm seing about 20% of the flops this tourney.

11:21 18 to the money and I have a good table. A few guys willing to play less then good cards.

11:33 I've been card dead for a while...I'm 13 of 28 with 18 getting paid...I'm looking for a spot to double up.

11:36 Just stole a pot with J6 cuz I haven't played a hand in a while. And no limping on my BB.

11:39 Break time.

11:48 I lost a hand when my AK was no good vs. a short stack and there 54.

11:53 so card dead.

11:56 3 til the money

12:02 money bubble...i'm 12 of 19

12:05 I busted the bubble and I'm sitting 8 of 18

12:34 12 left...I'm 9th...one double from 2nd

12:41 5 of 10 with a check raise and then KK

12:44 Break time. Ski jumped on for a bit and said hello.

12:53 Final table...6 of 9

1:09 8 left...i'm ready to double up.

1:19 sitting 5 of 5

1:25 doubled with KK



1:37 I take the chip lead.

1:40 I give it back

1:46 took a sick beat in the battle of the blinds...Iflop 2 pair and he flops a straight.

1:47 out in third.

Not a bad day.

This is a paid review of BackgammonMasters.com - Animation Series

As a member of the online gaming community I’m always on the lookout for something new. That’s where BackgammonMasters.com comes in.

Many of the top poker players today started with backgammon and for many good reasons. It is a strategy game that has optimum play based on the roll of the dice. Backgammon Masters has taken it to a new level with animation based off of Jean-Claude the animated tiger. Per their press release, he has been given all the preferred strategies and is considered the best online virtual opponent that money could build. They also have examples of the animation if you would like to check out the action.


For those of you who have never played backgammon before, there is a site dedicated to backgammon rules to help you out as you learn the game. There is a first move simulator that shows the optimum move depending on your opening role and many other strategic ideas that are sure to improve your game.

So if you are into trying something new in your on-line gaming experience, take a look at Backgammon Masters. They will be sure test you in many ways and you can be challenged by a new game in the process.

This is a paid review of Sooted Shirts.

Many of us look for the next new shirt that will be both cleaver and catch the eye of our opponent at the poker table. This seems to be the idea that the people at Sooted Shirts are trying to cash in on with their poker apparel.

As I checked out their site, I found A few novel shirt ideas that were of interest to me. They also have the ability to use different colored shirts to satisfy personal preference. The only draw back that I saw was the limited number of options. There were only ten different shirts to choose from that I saw but maybe they will be expanding as time goes on.

One interesting link that I followed was a link for terminology. It gives definitions for fish, donkeys and many other terms that are commonly used in poker. I’m not sure what use it has overall but it is interesting none the less.

There are also links dedicated to contact information as well as about the company in general.

Over all I think this is a site that has some things to offer. The cleaver t-shirt ideas out weigh the limited number of choices for those t-shirts.