Poker is WAR

Wedding day!

2009-08-25T11:40:00.001-05:00

Well, today is the day! Here is the link for the live webcast of our wedding: http://wedcast.istreamplanet.com/lwc/whitechapel.asp 7pm PST! Enjoy!

2009-07-19T03:01:00.002-05:00

So, Full Tilt released a huge update approximately 8 days ago and it's been a disaster. They have since had 5 more small updates and they're still having major problems.

So while perusing the various threads over at 2p2, I came across this gem:

"Full Tilt support emails are like fortune cookies. Just vague enough to be true, not specific enough to be helpful."

Truer words have never been spoker.

To Whom This May Concern...

2009-07-02T09:43:00.003-05:00

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Jody gets on the scoreboard!

2009-06-18T05:13:00.002-05:00

So, congrats to my boy, Jody, for his first ever WSOP cash. He busted 198th, but cashed. Pokernews got the hand wrong that busted him, but whatever. Roland de Wolfe limped in, Jody shoved the nuts (ie. J7o) and Roland calls w/ AKo and it holds un-improved. But still, a great day for him. Glad he got it and glad I was there for it.

Afterwards, he, myself, and his brother, Jeremy, (who is here for the week) all played some more $2/$5. For the 2nd time this week, between the 3 of us, we had a +$3k day (me w/ +$1700). Good times.

I'm sick w/ a cold, but still managing to put in hands/hours, since the games are so ridiculously soft right now.

That's all I got for today. I'm sick, and tired, but seperately...but I just read something that had me in stitches for about 4 minutes. I laughed so hard and for so long, my sides still hurt:

from mydrunktexts.com comes this gem:

"(703): (rec'd): fucking a dude (rec'd 1 min later): i mean: fucking a, dude (sent): wow, that comma made all the difference there"

Tears :)

Slow 'n low

2009-06-17T00:54:00.004-05:00

So I haven't written in a long time. I just got tired of telling the world all about me. I dunno, whatever.

So I'm still playing poker and I'm still grinding away, although it's been really tough, at times. The only other thing that I would rather be doing is running/cooking/owning my own restaurant, but for those that know me, that's nothing new. But, all things considered, I'm really happy, still.

Anyway, having a good time during the WSOP this year and beating the cash games for a good bit. Also, my best friend, Jody (Fidodell to 2p2'ers), is getting dangerously close to going deep in today's $1500 event. Gogogogogogo Jody!

Speaking of which, someone posted this and I it really struck me as, well, damn good motivation. Maybe it will help someone else too?

I've really learned that day-to-day results really don't matter one bit...it's all about the long-term and the correct decisions. I mean, I've known this all along, but KNOWING it and not just saying you know it, I've learned, are two very, very different things. I've learned that slow 'n low, (ie. the tortoise, not the hare) wins the race. Life's is easier now that I understand that.

Never quit on your dreams!

2008-08-18T07:30:00.000-05:00

Never quit on your dreams!

Mmmmm rain...

2008-07-26T10:26:00.002-05:00

Let me start by saying that I have absolutely been killing the games the last couple/few weeks. That is not the reason for lack of updates. I just write when the mood strikes and, well, it struck this morning.

It's 830am here in Vegas and it's absolutely POURING rain outside and I couldn't be happier. Amanda & I have said that the only thing missing from Vegas, which would make it 100% perfect, is rain. Since we first said that @ 6 weeks ago, it's rained 7 times. It reminds me of growing up back in Portland, Oregon...

There really is something just pure and wonderful about waking up early on a Saturday morning and enjoying a cup of tea (or coffee) and listening to the sound of the rain. It's really a little slice of heaven for me and right now, life couldn't be any better than it is. It really is the small things that can make everything in life seem just a little bit sweeter. Today is a good day.

Since it has been a while since I last updated here, I had planned this whole long, drawn-out post about all the 'events' that have happened:

- Sugarland concert
- Amanda & my week long trip to LA
- The WSOP
- My best bud, Jody, coming to stay during the entire WSOP
- The 2p2 gathering
- Go-Karting/Golf
- The big BBQ w/ a bunch of 2p2'ers
- Meeting Floyd Mayweather @ a NBA Summer League game
- Coldplay concert

Well, that'd make a ridiculously long post and I don't know that many would want to read about all of it. I'll just summarize. :)

I played in Event #2 of the 2008 WSOP and busted out #229 of the 3k or so that entered it. John Nieznanski, tournament director @ the Bellagio, shoved his A2c into my AA in blind vs blind and had the flop come 225r to essentially end my tournament run. It was pretty awesome to cash in my first ever event, but it really showed me the crazy variance that goes along w/ tournament poker.

I didn't play in any other events and to be honest, wasn't that "up" for the WSOP this year. I don't know...maybe it's because we still were getting settled into living here and whatnot that I wasn't really mentally prepared for the 7 weeks, but for the most part, to me, it was a lot of "meh". I fully expect next year to be completely different.

Having Jody here was a total blast, though. Everything from battling it out racing Go-Karts, playing bogey golf, getting my ass handed to me in NHL07 on the 360 (he IS Canadian, eh), or talking poker, non-stop, for 6 weeks, Amanda & I thoroughly enjoyed having him here. Hell, Assani and Anthony seemed to like him here too. A great guy and we had a helluva lot of fun. I just wish we could play as much poker as we'd both wanted. C'est la vie. That's what the other 11 months are for, right? :)

Speaking of Jody and poker, it occured to me this morning, while perusing the regs thread over at 2p2, that our little poker group really has come a long way from when we first started a year ago. The group consisted of me, Jody (Fidodell), Mark (Awful Fish), Alex (RiverFenix), & Tony (PHILIVEY9563). While we're not yet killing it up as high as we want to be, we're certainly gettin' it done at SSNL. So congrats fellas and keep crushing!

So, to recap, life is good, I have a fantastic girlfriend, great friends, and I couldn't be happier with my life.

Tonight is the Miguel Cotto v Antonio Margarito fight @ MGM. We're gonna head down and pick up tickets there at the arena. It should be an incredible fight. I hope to post about it soon with some pics we take tonight.

High Stakes Poker...sort of & more!

2008-05-11T16:04:00.005-05:00

I really enjoy writing in my blog here. I really do. I just find that when I'm running really badly, two things happen:

1)I want to play more poker to get of the schneid (which means less time to write)

2) I don't enjoy writing because losing sucks and writing about losing sounds like whining, which sucks even more.

So yeah, I've been slacking. But a lot of fun things have happened since my last post.

Back on Apr 23 (Wed. night), during the $25,000 WPT Championship, Assani and I ventured up to the SWPC and there was an incredibly soft/juicy/good 5/10 game going on w/ a must move so I took a seat in it. Assani was only there to play some pot limit Omaha (PLO) so he didn't want to be bothered slumming it in the 5/10 :) So things are cruising along when Vanessa Selbst (aka fslexcduck, an instructor for DeucesCracked.com as well as a well known MSNL poker player) walked into the room. She also is 'famous' for in the 2006 WSOP at the Final table of one of the preliminary events (which has been on ESPN numerous times), she raised then 4 bet shoved on a guy who had AA w/ 52s. Anyway, she's made some fantastic videos for DeucesCracked and whatnot, so I was excited to be able to play vs her. She ended up getting a seat in the must move on my right, so we were chatting it up a bit.

A bit later, we both got moved to the main game and it was just as juicy as it had looked earlier. So we're playing and BS'ing and everyone was having a good time and there were some guys who were there to do nothing BUT gambooooooooooooool. I mean throwing yellow $1k chips around like they were $5 chips. It was a great game. But then a few guys walked in the room and that changed for me. Phil Galfond (aka OMGClayAiken/Jman28) walked into room with Andrew "Good2cu' Robl and a couple of other 2p2'ers. Phil saw Vanessa and they started talking about their WPT bustouts and just general BS. Phil said that he and the fellas were gonna try and start a 5/5 PLO game and Vanessa said she'd join. Well, while this 5/10NL game was rockin', guys at my level don't get much of a chance to sit with guys who routinely play on "High Stakes Poker" & in Bobby's Room @ the Bellagio. So why not have some fun right? Juicy poker games will come and go all the time, but experiences like this, at least at this point in my career, don't. And life is all about experiences and not necessarily always about making money, so I quit the 5/10NL and got a seat @ the 5/5 PLO game.

Here was the lineup:

Seat 1: Brett 'gank' Jungblut
Seat 2: Andrew ' Good2cu' Robl
Seat 3: Vanessa 'fslexduck' Selbst
Seat 4: Me
Seat 5: 'KhalynYohrk'
Seat 6: Mikey
Seat 7: Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond
Seat 8: 'Bones'
Seat 9: Assani Fisher (my roommate)

Long story short, we were all doing rounds of shots and just all BS'ing and having a lot of fun. Everyone at the table was really laid back and very cool. Noone had any type of attitude or whatnot, we were all just there to have fun and chill. Phil was joking that he was going to get unstuck from earlier in the day, by taking down the blinds, $10 at a time (he said he'd dropped $250,000 earlier that day playing 300/600 NL/PLO in Bobby's Room). Phil was really cool about answering some various questions some of us had. Overall, I dropped $800 but had a fucking BLAST doing it.

*click pic below for a few more*

In the last couple of weeks, Amanda & I have gone to the Shark Reef @ Mandalay Bay and also went to a benefit concert for Lili Claire
featuring the Goo Goo Dolls concert (with Sugar Ray) and really enjoying life.

*click for more Goo Goo Dolls pictures*

*click for more Shark Reef pictures*

Also, during my absence, Amanda had her birthday. I gave her a week-long trip to LA coming up next week so we could hit Six Flags, a few Reds games, and she could get her tattoo from Kat VonD @ High Voltage.

Then last night, we all (everyone here @ the house: me, Amanda, Assani, Anthony, & Katie) were going to head out to a club, most likely, Tryst. So around 7pm, Amanda, Assani, and I piled into the Caddy and we headed out to the Wynn. The plan was to play some pokers until Anthony & Katie met up with us @ 11pm and head to Tryst from there. We were thinking of getting bottle service, but they had a two bottle minimum (read: $1200), so we decided to pass. If it had been a one bottle minimum, we'd have gotten a table, but c'est la vie.

So when we get to the SWPC, there's a pretty long list for the 5/10 even with two games going. So the three of us are just sitting around and Assani asks if I wanna play some Chinese Poker while we're waiting. Sure, why not. So Assani and I start playing $15/point and Amanda is playing vs both of us for $5/point. After about 10 mins, Jean-Robert Bellande walks up and asks what we're playing. We tell him Chinese for $15/pt and he walks around for a bit then sits to play. He wants to play $20/pt and Assani & I are game and he joins (Amanda keeps playing $5/pt w/ all of us though). We play for about 30 mins when a seat opens up in the 5/10. Assani's up first but he'd rather keep playing Chinese, so I take it after dropping $200 @ Chinese. Amanda also quits, dead even, since she doesn't want to play if I'm not. She had a really good time though and J.R. was a good sport. Cocky, but a nice enough fella.

So I sit in the 5/10 and it's like 7 regs and 2 tourists, but I think I'm finally coming out of my DS. I hit two sets and value bet top pair vs one of the tourists and come 11pm, I book a nice $1k profit. Novel, trust me.

Now, about 10pm, Anthony & Katie show up and watch the fellas play Chinese. About that time, J.R. hollers over at me and asks if I want him to walk us into Tryst. Well, since I loathe waiting in lines (got enough of that shit in the USMC), I was like, "Sure...handle that will ya?" :)

So I cash out and watch Assani, J.R., T.K (Chinese/mix game reg @ SWPC), and another guy play Chinese. During the next 15 minutes or so, we all are doing shots of SoCo w/ Lime and pounding drinks. Then the final two hands, the guys want to play double ($40/pt) and the final hand is triple ($60/pt). Since they were 3-handed, J.R. says he's gonna play 2 hands on the button and at $60/pt, asks me to set one of his hands...heh. I take a look at the hand and he's got dick. I mean, a really bad Chinese hand, so I tell him he's not gonna like it and set it for him. Assani ends up making a good bit the final two hands but when they quit, he's still stuck pretty good...maybe that will keep him from playing too much Chinese vs real poker ;)

So after the game ends, we're all sitting around Table 2 drinking and waiting for J.R. come back from the bathroom to walk up into Tryst. We're all cutting up and doing more shots and overall just being loud, obnoxious and having fun. About 10 mins. later, J.R. asks if we're ready and we head over to Tryst.

Now, for those that have never been to a club in Vegas, the lines on the weekends are just stupid. They go on for about 54 miles. So being able to avoid them w/o getting bottle service is a big deal. So we walk up to one of the hosts and J.R. talks to him...and J.R.'s contact isn't working that night and the host is kinda like, "Sorry for ya"...and he's about to walk away when I pipe up and say, "Bro, you really don't know who he is?!?", hoping to pique the guys interest. I'm sure some/most of y'all reading this also know that J.R. was on "Survivor" fairly recently, so I figure this cat would ask and once he found out, would let us in. J.R. trys to play it off, but the host is like, "Ok, now I'm curious..." and we're in ;)

We get a script that lets us in w/o waiting in line and w/o having to pay. We still ship the head host who J.R. DOES know $60 and we head into the club. The place is obviously bellybutton-to-asshole with people, but it's a pretty damn impressive place. Not a place I'd want to hit up weekly, but if you're gonna go clubbin', this is definitely one of the places to check out. Obviously the drinks are expensive, but that was to be expected, hence why we were pounding the drinks & shots at the poker table (read: free + tip). Fast forward 3 hours and we're all feeling no pain and having a really good time. Katie and Anthony headed out to meet some other friends and we were going to meet up with them, but Assani really wanted to stay at Tryst but didn't want to be by himself so we stayed another hour or so. But then, Assani is toast and wanders off never to be heard from again, or at least until the next day from a random chix's hotel room. So we text Anthony and they're home already so we call it a night and head home.

*click for more drunken Tryst pictures*

All-in-all, though, a great time had by all. Vegas is still a helluva lot of fun and it seems as though I'm emerging from my downswing, so things are just going to get better with the WSOP only 3 weeks away!!! My good buddy, Jody, is coming to town for most of June for the WSOP so that should be a blast as well. I'm looking forward to 96-hour work weeks during the length of the WSOP and maybe even scoring a nice chunk of change in a couple of the events...either way, it's going to be a fantastic 7 weeks!

FIGHT NIGHT!!!

2008-04-20T19:34:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Vegas!!!

We woke up Saturday @ noon and I asked Amanda what she wanted to do today. "I thought we were gonna try to get tix for the fight tonight?" Oh snap...that's right. The Bernard Hopkins/Joe Calzaghe title fight was that night and I told her I'd try to land us some tickets. The fight was taking place at the Thomas Mack Center (home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels) and should be a great fight. So why not, right? Provided we can land tickets for the price that I want to pay.

So I get dressed and hop online and check out both craigslist and eBay. It's now @ 12:30pm and the fight starts at 6:45pm local time, since it's being broadcast on HBO, live. So I see adds for tix for like $800/ea and such and heh, no. But I see one on ebay that offers $1500/ea tickets for $600/each. Well, it's not 5 hours til fight time and I send him a message saying I'll buy a pair for $300, total. I also made a couple of calls to craigslist listings and said the same. I figure $0.10 on the dollar is fair, being so close to the actual event. I figure the scalpers and brokers would rather make something for the tickets, right? Well, a couple of them said no, but to call back later. The cat I left a message for thru eBay called me back and we agreed on section 106, Row M, two tickets (lower bowl, center of the ring), for $300 total. He asked if I could meet his guy on the Strip. I said, no, that I'd meet him at the main entrance of the Thomas Mack center. He agreed and I knew that doors opened at 1:45 and that there were 7(!!!) fights on the undercard so we said 2pm. He agreed and we got ready to go check out the fights!!!

I was still a bit apprehensive, getting SUCH a good deal on the tix that they might be counterfeit, but that's why I wanted to meet by the entrance so that I could get the tix scanned before I paid him and make sure everything was on the up-n-up. Plus, if they were legit tickets, he shouldn't mind. So we head out and he texts me to let me know he can make it at 230pm. Ok, no problem. Gives us time to grab a quick bite then head to the TM Center.

We park at the back of the parking lot, near one of the exits and start walking toward the main entrance. "Nick" calls and tells me what he's wearing and we meet by the escalators heading to the main entrance. I ask if he has a problem is I take one of the tickets up to get scanned and if it's all good, Amanda would pay him the money. He says sure and I get it scanned and we're all set. I give Amanda the thumbs up and she hands him the money and we're in! I also asked if he usually gets tickets to the major fights here and he said yes, so I have a hookup now it seems. Good deal!

So we walk around the concourse and I sneak a peak inside one of the entrance ways and holy shit we're gonna have some good seats...

We finally find our section and just wow. We were like 25 rows behind ring-side and had an incredible view of the ring. It was pretty empty during the early undercard fights so we moved down pretty close and enjoyed the first few fights. We went and bought a brew and some dogs and it seemed as though most of the inhabitants of Wales were inside the Thomas Mack Center. I swear that we were out numbered 3:1, Welsh to American. I know they travel well, but fuck me people. And they were hilarious. We met a few of them and had a great time.

So the place started filling up, so we headed back to our 'real' seats and as we're sitting there watching the 6th of the 7 undercard fights (Audley Harrison was the only real *name* fighting on the undercard, mostly a sad undercard, really), former Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd and his wife walked by, down to their seats. About that time, Amanda points out that she really liked Chris' wife's hair. See, she's been looking for a good place to get her hair 'did' since we moved out here to Vegas and has not been able to, yet. So about 2 minutes later, I say, "So you really liked her hair, eh?" She says, yes, she really did. Ok cool...

So I head down to where Chris Byrd and his wife are sitting and say something to the effect of, "Excuse me, Mr. Byrd, I hope I'm not intruding but y'all just walked past us and my girlfriend really likes your wife's haircut. I was wondering, do y'all live here in Vegas?" He has this look on his face, at this point, of, Um, oh, ok you're not here to talk to me, cool. "Yes, we do". Nice... So I look at his wife and ask, "Would you mind tellling me where you get your hair done then? We just moved here and she's looking for a place to get her hair done and hasn't found one yet..." At this point they both kinda laugh and she then proceeds to ask if I'm familiar with the Henderson area (score!) and gives me a reference and a phone number and tells me to just tell her that she referred me. "Um, do I just say that Chris Byrd's wife referred me?" "Yeah, that'll do it!" LOL. During all of this, Chris and I are bullshitting about his upcoming fight on ESPN's Friday Night Fights and how they are promoting his opponent: 'The always dangerous Shaun George'. I joked with him that that means that he's gonna get his ass kicked. He got a good laugh at that. BTW, at first glance I didn't recognize Chris as he's dropped a shitton of weight dropping down to Light Heavyweight from Heavyweight, so he's a LOT smaller than I expected.
We then got to talking about the Hopkins/Calzaghe fight and I asked who he liked. He said he really didn't know because although Hopkins is getting old, he still knows how to win and although Calzaghe is moving up in weight, he's still the bigger guy between them. He thought Calzaghe might win, but that it should be a good fight.

I thanked them for the reference and their time and went back to our seats. Now, prior to this, there was a guy two seats over from us who we had been talking to during the last fight and he was wide-eyed that I had gone down there and chatted w/ them for the better part of 5 minutes and I came back and told the story to he and Amanda and they both got a kick out of it. Good times.

A little later during the Audley Harrison snoozefest (read: final undercard fight), I went down ringside (or at least like 5 rows from ringside) to get some pictures and it really was a who's who of A-list fighters and celebrities there. I mean, I KNEW it was going to be, but it was pretty cool seeing all of them. Everyone from Catherine Zeta-Jones (supporting her fellow Welshman Calzaghe) to Jay-Z, Sugar Ray Leonard, Winky Wright, Marco Antonio Barrera, Sly Stallone and a ton of others. So after the final undercard fight the place was really starting to fill up and Amanda came down to see all of the "beautiful people" and we were having a good time BS'ing with some of the punters down there. I kept my eye on a block of seats that was about 10 rows behind ringside that had been open the entire time. Fuck it, I said, and I grabbed Amanda's hand and we plunked down in two of the seats, dead center, like we owned them. :)

We never had to move the rest of the night. People all around us were being asked to vacate their seats and the real seat owners were arriving (some as late as the 6th round...I mean, really?!?), but not us. I guess I run good at life.

Click the pic below for the photo album from the fight!

I'm sure you've already heard the results, but Joe Calzaghe won in a split decision. I think that it was a 2 point win for Calzaghe, as I was scoring the fight. I'm not sure what fight that Adelaide Byrd was watching, but she's been a pretty horrible judge for a long time now. At least two of them got it right and the right guy won.

That said, the atmosphere was just electric in the Thomas Mack Center last night. The Welsh were doing all they could to energize Calzaghe and he was returning the favor by just dictating all of the action. We completely enjoyed ourselves and had an absolute blast at the fights last night and can not wait for the next one. Cotto/Margarito should be awesome, but if Floyd Mayweather stops dodging Miguel Cotto, I'm going to do whatever it takes to get us tickets to that fight. That should be one helluva fight!

God, are we loving Vegas!!!

Rekrul, Elky, and a fun night at SWPC

2008-04-20T18:59:00.003-05:00

Friday night was an interesting evening for me. For the first time ever, I was asking myself if it was worth the aggrevation of dealing with this one asshole for "only $1k-$2k". But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I headed out to play a session at the SWPC (Steve Wynn Poker Club ie. the Wynn for my non-regular readers) at around 8pm. I was a pleasantly surprised to see 3(!!!) tables of 5/10 going. I immediately got seated in the 3s in the must move game. I loved that I recognized a whopping 1 player at my table. Almost always this is a good sign, as they're not regs there.

About an orbit into the session, I got locked up in a hand where I had AA in the BB and I 3bet a guy from MP. Long story short, we got it all in on the turn, he had a set of Q's vs my AA and I river one of the two A's left in the deck to take down a $3k+ pot. Not much else happened the next 30 mins or so when in a 5-way limped pot, I flop top set w/ 88 and get it all in for @ $1k each vs the nut flush draw. I boat up on the turn and I'm off and running.

But shortly after that, I got moved to one of the main games and there was a guy who was just the epitome of annoying. He thought he was the life of the party and was slowing the game down to an absolute crawl. Now, normally, this wouldn't bug me so much, as happy tourists usually don't mind losing lots of money, but there was something about this cat that was just grating me. I finally put my headphones on and turned my Ipod up loud enough to drown him out. But even then, the pace of the game was almost unbearable. I even got to the point where I got up and went over to where Assani was playing some Chinese poker w/ Mike Chow, Bari, and Brett 'gank' Jungblut, and I asked him, "Is it worth the aggrevation of dealing with this one asshole for 'only $1k-$2k'?" He said to stick with it for a bit and if it gets to be too much, fuck it, just leave bro. Ok, I'll give it a go.

Around this time, two young looking guys came over, one of which was taking our one open seat and the other was in the other main game. I knew they looked familiar, but I couldn't place them. I assumed that since they both bought in pretty deep, they were decent players (young + deep usually = online players = good). We got to playing a bit and I finally loosened up and the guy wasn't slowing the game down so much, so I got to talking...

"Hey bro, where do you play online?" I just assumed he was an online player so we'd see where that went. "Pokerstars". Oh yeah? Cool, "what's your name on there?" "Rekrul"...so at this point, it still isn't sinking in, so we just get to talking and such and I find out he lives in South Korea and was a former professional "Starcraft" player. No shit, eh? Cool. We kept talking a bit and he mentions that the other cat in the hoodie at the other table was none other than ElKy. No kidding? So at this point, even though I can't figure out who the fuck this kid is (I know I know rekrul from somewhere though...), I give him a good bit of credit since he's rolling w/ the 2008 PCA champ, ElKy. I also figured that he was going to try and run the table over w/ aggression so I made some pretty good call downs w/ marginal hands and took him for @ $2k over the course of the evening. He was a nice guy and quiet, but didn't mind chatting it up a bit either. He and I cashed out near the same time and he said he was heading over to play in a bigger game over at the Bellagio and I told him GL and maybe I'll see you around some this summer during the WSOP.

I got him and I googled "rekrul" and oh yeah...now it hits me: Rekrul. And here I was playing back at him because I knew he was going to be superaggro being an internet kid. Maybe it's best that I didn't know who he was at the time...it may have made me more timid. Dunno. Either way, that was pretty damn fun and I'm glad I stuck it out and didn't let that asshole bother me to the point of leaving!

Rostucko & Assani's Score!

2008-04-19T10:08:00.000-05:00

Thursday afternoon, Assani told me that he was going to go and play the Venetian Deep Stack tourney that night. It was a $340 entry tourney and that's what he excels at, tournamnet poker. Even though he does well, he really doesn't like live tournaments as he has ADD or something to that affect, so he doesn't enjoy having to sit there w/ nothing else to do. I mean, for instance, right now, he's behind me in our office, at his computer, playing some 10/20 PLO, surfing the web, and watching some playoff basketball on TV. But that's how he plays his best. Nonetheless, he was heading out to play in the tourney. I told him I'd stop by to see how he's doing before I hit the Wynn to play a session.

Fastforward to @ 8pm that night and I stop by the "V" to check in on him. I find him during Level 3 of the tourney and he has a pretty big chip stack. I stay and sweat him for awhile, during which I see a bunch of people I knew from either Amarillo or Albuquerque from when I'd play in the underground games there or Sandia Resort. Anyway, I watch for a bit and see him doing well and tell him that if he goes deep, to call or text me as I was heading to the Wynn to put in a sess.

I decided to just walk thru the Palazzo over to the Wynn and I see what people mean by the Palazzo not being a comfortable place to gamble. It has a very wide open feeling to it and just "different" from most other casinos in which you might find yourself. But it's pretty in there, so I guess there's that.

Anyway, I get into a $5/$10NL game immediately and over the course of the next 3 hours, I find myself stuck @ $2600 and irritated at my play. I just was trying to force it too much and my results were showing it. So I took a short break by going for a walk, splashed a little water on my face and told myself to either pull my head out of my ass and play like I know how to or just quit for the night. Well, I really didn't want to have to go and tell Assani and Amanda I had yet another losing session, so I chose the other route. 3 more hours later, I had pulled myself out of the hole I had dug and was up a huge $52. Then I noticed that I was starting to play to not lose, not to win. The moment I realized it, I racked up left. Just prior to that, Assani had texted me that he was at the Final Table!

So I was feeling pretty good about coming all the way back and getting rostucko (granted it was only $52, but sure beats -$2600 :) ). So I was walking a bit quicker than normal to make sure I made it in time to see Assani @ the FT. When I got to the Venetian poker room and found the table, I came up behind Assani and saw that he had just raised a couple of limpers. The first limper was tanking and finally shoved. The other limper mucked and Assani, who had the limper covered, snap called as the price was right. Assani tables his JJ and the limper showed AA. Assani, being the stud he is, pulls a rabbit out of his ass, and rivers a J to bust the kid in 6th place! :) The kid had on a Cowboys jersey, so I was a bit sad for him, but Assani's my boy, and well, c'est la vie!

Like 2 mins later, they went on break and I found out that first place paid just a bit over $16k and that he was guaranteed $3,200 at this point. We chatted a bit and I also noticed that Sam, one of the regs with whom I had played a ton vs @ Sandia was also still in the remaining 5 players. Nice to see. Sam's a good guy who never says an ugly thing about anyone, win or lose. So it was good to see him doing well.

Shortly after the break, Sam, the short stack left, open shoved from the button and Assani called with JJ again. Sam had A5o. Sam bricked and Assani hit a 3rd Jack on the river just for good measure and then there were 4. Sam and I chatted a bit and I found out that he has been in town about 6 weeks now and he has found that Sandia plays too small for him. I can relate, good buddy. Trust me I feel ya. My last few trips there were like pulling teeth. Why go play live in a game that is either equal or smaller than what you play online?!?

Anyhow, with 4p layers left, one guy got locked into a pot w/ the lady at the final table. Flop came KQTr and they got it all in on the flop. The guy had K5o for TP and the lady had QTo for bottom two pair. The guy bricked and they were down to 3. Now at this point all three of the players left were pretty close in chips...all w/i T100,000 of each other. So they started talking deal. Since they were so close in chips, they finally agreed to an equal chop of @ $10,510 each. Nice score, Assani!

I should also mention that when I first stopped by the tourney, at Assani's table was a guy you all may have seen during last year's WSOP, William Rockwell. He and I talked a bit and seemed like a pretty cool cat. His mom sits behind him and helps him stack his chips when he takes down a pot. Other than that, he does it all himself. It's quite impressive watching him play. The determination it must take this guy to play like this really is kinda humbling. And I must give serious props to the tourney director for the Venetian too. He and I were talking during the FT and I mentioned meeting William and he said that yeah, he's a nice guy. And anyone who has a problem with either him or the blind gentleman that uses a reader (another peron to tell him his cards and the board cards), they will not be welcome to play in the Venetian tournaments. I mean, it really should be a non-issue, but I guess some people really have a problem with these guys. How, I don't know, but I guess they do. It's sad that people have a problem with guys like William and the like. But then again, some poker players really are life nits...and not in a good way.

1 month in...

2008-04-14T11:10:00.002-05:00

I've been told that I'm a slacker and that I need to blog more. Heh, I guess that if I miss a few days, I'm missed. I suppose those there are worse things in the world, eh?

I was leaving GRV this morning @ 8am after a session there and it hit me again just how lucky I am to have the life that I do. It's a gorgeous day here in Vegas, supposed to be a high of 93 and not a cloud in the sky. GVR is approximately a 7 min drive (garage to garage) and as I turn onto Pecos, you have a fantastic view of the Strip just ahead and to your left. I mean, it's Monday morning and most of the country is trudging off to their jobs for another week 'working for the man'. And here I am living my dream...

I have a fantastic girlfriend. I live in Las Vegas. my job is one that I truly love and am passionate about, not to mention it's one that I can make plenty of money at. I have great friends and finally, I live in a killer house. Obviously things could get better (make more money, be financially secure for my future, own my house), but these things are all in the works and I plan on having all of those things sooner rather than later.

But today, on a pulchritudinous Monday morning, I'd be hard pressed to think that my life could be better than it is, right now, at this moment.

As for what's been going on w/ me... After my blistering good/fast start, variance has found me some. I've played well in spots, poorly in others, but the poorly spots I think that I have corrected, so that should help out. I really love and appreciate having someone like Assani to be able to bounce ideas off of and talk thru hands, esp. live hands, since he also knows most of the players. Not to mention that I have made a few other 'poker buddies' who I can talk shop with. Couple that with my online fellow co-workers *chuckle*, and I have a pretty solid group in which to talk poker with. That's really an invaluable asset to have at my disposal and I definitely feel like I'm taking full advantage of it.

So like I said, I've cooled off some, but I'm still up a significant amount since I've moved out here a month ago, today. Wow, didn't realize that it's been a month. It surely feels a lot longer than that, but in a good way. I feel so comfortable out here and in the various rooms that I play in. Yeah, I don't see this getting old...ever. :)

Oh, one last note here today. I seem to have some folks out there that don't like seeing a fella succeed in his dreams. What I mean by that is that I have a couple of folks that are attempting to leave some quite derogatory comments here. I guess they just haven't figured out that I have to approve any/all comments before they are put out there for public consumption. I don't mind criticism, but come on people, you really think I'm going to post the drivel you're writing? Tsk tsk.
Like mom used to say, "If you don't have anything nice to say...."

Fat and outta shape, but can still shoot!

2008-04-07T17:58:00.003-05:00

Late last night Assani got up @ 1am and a few hours later he asked if I wanted to hit the gym with him and go shoot some hoops. So @ 445am we head over to 24 Hour Fitness and I think I surprised him how well this 'old man' can shoot. We were just shooting around for awhile then played some HORSE. He was a shooting guard in college and can really shoot, so he said he'd shoot left handed vs me. I crush him H to HORSE. Then he shoots right handed and beats me HO to HORSE. Then back to left handed and I win again. Back to right handed and he beats me.

Now, keep in mind that I'm totally fat and out of shape. I mean, I haven't seen a gym, before this week, in over 2 years. Yeah, yeah, I let it go, no doubt. But I'm back in there trying to get my fat ass in shape.

With that in mind, after the 4th game, I was starting to lose my legs a little and Assani beat me in the 5th game. Then we played some one-on-one and he skunked me. Then we played one-on-one, just post play and he skunked me again. *sigh* The kid can play some decent defense...and the fuckers quick. But at least he wasn't just taking me to school. I was playing some decent defense, but he's just too damn quick.

*sigh* I'm old...32 years old and I'm old *sigh* x2

That's aight though...3 months from now, it's gonna be a different story. ;)

The more I learn...

2008-04-07T03:59:00.002-05:00

I really didn't expect live play (ie. at the casino) was going to play such a prominent role when I got out here to Vegas, but lately, that's all I'm playing. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm up over $14,000 so far this month and it's only now becoming the 7th of April. Obviously, I'm running well, but I also feel as though I'm playing my ass off and playing really really well. When those two things go hand-in-hand, it makes for a boatload of confidence. And confidence can not be understated for a poker player. And I have it in spades right now.

I thought about posting just a shitton of hands here from my last two sessions, for discussion, but let's face it...there's no discussion going on. Not to mention that I know Jeff and possibly a couple of other regs that I play with know about this here little spot of my innernets, so let's not, eh? :)

Instead, I thought I'd just ramble for a bit :)

About a week and a half ago, Assani & I were sitting in our office, talking shop, when I lamented to him about my, so far, only losing session out here in Vegas. I went over a hand with him and he pointed out that, "Bro, it's live poker...you're giving people FAR too much credit". That got me thinking. Could he be right? I have since stopped over thinking things and such and the game (live) has become so much more enjoyable and profitable. I just assumed that since people are playing deep, they were more sophisticated players. While some are obviously strong players, there are plenty of others who just don't seem to move past 0 or 1st level thinking.

So I'm sitting here tonight thinking back over my last few sessions and I can't help but think that Assani did me a world of good by making that simple little statement the other night. So as I sat here thinking of what I was going to write about, I clicked the link to my buddy, BigSug's blog (see sidebar for David Z's blog). And I couldn't help but chuckle to myself that he posted the tournament equivalent of what I was going thru in cash games. While I don't think that I'm at a world class level (yet), I do feel as though I certainly have an edge in the games I play. Yet the more that we learn about the game, the more we have to be cognizant that not everyone is on the same level that we are on, therefore, have to try to put ourselves into their head. While this can be tough to do, at times, they're the guys who pay the rent, right?

The more we learn, the more there is to still learn, eh, Dave? ;)

Citizen Cope Part II and another live session

2008-04-02T05:54:00.005-05:00

That couch, we found out when we got to the box office to pick up our tickets, was actually a bar table just off of center at the back of the venue, which were quite good seats. They told us the wrong option when we bought them (they had the upstairs VIP area closed off and it was downstairs instead). Still good seats.

We messed around and made $50 playing $25 BJ (enough to pay for dinner) then we grabbed dinner at the Burger Bar and it was quite a fine burger. Granted, it's not a place to go on a regular basis ($50 for both of us), but a must try at least once. We'd eaten there before the JT concert that I surprised Amanda with last Labor Day.

After dinner, we stopped into the Peter Lik gallery and oogled his incredible photographs (one day, I'm going to own a couple of those...) and the Jack Gallery to see one of Amanda's favorite pieces of art, Tom Everheart's "Black Velvet Scream". After some high pressure sales by the idiot monkey who really didn't take a hint worth a damn, we headed over into the House of Blues for the show. On the way, we hit up the Mandalay Box office to inquire about Goo Goo Dolls tix for later this month. We landed some pretty good seats for that show the last Saturday of this month, so we're looking forward to that as well.

***PSA*** If you are ever going to enjoy a Citizen Cope concert/show, whatever you do, do not do so on a full stomach.

Man, it was putting me to sleep the first 2 or 3 songs. Soon after that though, things got jamming pretty good. It was a decent show, but nothing great. I don't mind having spent what we did for the VIP tix, but I wouldn't spend that much again. Unfortunately, they found our camera before the show, so we had to check it like it was a coat and, alas, no pictures this time. But it was a relaxing 2 hours spent watching the show.

After the show, we headed home and chilled out for a bit and Assani and I had plans to head out to GVR to play some poker. When we got home from the show, he still hadn't hit the gym yet, so I went w/o him and he was gonna meet me up there later.

When I got to GVR, there wasn't a seat available, but about 1 min after I got on the list, some guy bluffed off his stack and "Seat Open" was called. It was the 7 seat and I bought in for my usual $1,000 and we're off and running. About 2 hands into the session, I realized that my seat was not the best, to say the least. I had to LAG's to my immediate left, so once the 4 seat opened up, I took it.

For the first hour or so, there was nothing too exciting involving yours truly and I hovered between $950 and $1100. That was until this hand came up:

Hand of the Day #1:

There were 2 limpers and Max, an aggressive, but fairly transparent reg. raised to $30 from the CO. The button folded and I look down to see two black Kings. I had been pretty quiet so far into the session and thought that I could play it a bit slow so that I don't announce myself too much. One of the limpers calls then the second limper shoved for $230 more. This was a great thing to see...but what was even better was when Max pondered for about 10 seconds and announced that he was all-in for about $460 as well. Well shit, what am I fading, fellas?

Obviously, I call and I table my KK but neither of the other two fellas table theirs. I ask the dealer to just gimme a K so I don't have to sweat it and he delivers on the turn and Max's QQ was no good. The other fella never showed, so that's cool too. It should always be this easy, right?

Max didn't rebuy and we were down to 5 handed. This is where I excel, usually, but I had one of the super-Lag's two players to my left, so I did tone things down a little bit, but still was building my stack up.

Hand of the Day #2:

We're 5 handed and the game has been playing super fast and loose and 4 of the 5 of us are at least $1300 deep, so it's a deep game as well. 2 players limp and the SB ($1400) makes it $30 to go. I look down at 56s and call and the limpers folded (isn't live play great!). He's been pretty tight and is capable of making moves. I had snapped off a $150 bluff from him w/ top pair, no kicker about an orbit earlier.

(Pot: $70)
Flop: Jc 6d 5h

SB bets out $40 and I just call.

(Pot: $150)
Turn: 2d

SB checks and I bet out $80. He thinks for a bit and calls.

(Pot: $310)
River: 3s

SB thinks for about 5 seconds and bets $150. My move...

What I did:

I called and he showed me 42d for runner runner straight.

What I think I should've done:

The exact same as I did on every street. His continuation bet on the flop was standard and it's an extremely dry board. He checks on the turn and allows me to value bet my well hidden 2pr. When he calls I really think that he's trying to set me up for a move on the river. Had he checked the river, I would have value bet my 2pr and probably called a c/r as he would be pretty sure I didn't have a 4, as I thought the same of him. Like I said, he can make moves and his call on the turn illustrates that because he wasn't calling to hit his 4 outter. All-in-all, a pretty well played hand I think that was unlucky.

Shortly there after, I river trips against the tightest player at the table who had raised preflop and bet it down and I made a good $150 value bet on the end and he said, "I think you're making a move on me" and spite called. At that point, I table my hand and he grumbles and takes his last $100 or so and leaves. One other player had busted as well, so we were down to 4 handed w/ 2 solid players (1 of which was the LAG who had me and my $1990 covered) and one 'meh' player. One of the other guys said he didn't want to play 4-handed and tbh, I was really ok w/ that as it wasn't the best game to be playing in that deep, so I racked up as well and left, booking another $1k win.

A pretty easy, smooth session and an enjoyable day today. So April is off to a blisteringly good start (+$2500) and for my last 3 live sessions, I'm almost $6,000 to the good. Just like the first 2 weeks of February and my professional poker career, we're off on the good foot here in Vegas!

Citizen Cope, Part I

2008-04-01T17:39:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned this morning, Citizen Cope is in town and I refuse to stand for a concert, so GA SRO tix are out of the question...

So I went the 'balla' route and got a couch for Amanda & I to watch from the balcony tonight...

They say no cameras in the venue are allowed, but I have my BJII so I'll see what I can do tonight!

Will report back after the show!

Dr. Al and leaving $1,000 on the table

2008-04-01T09:34:00.003-05:00

For those that do not play online on Full Tilt, they have an ongoing promotion that has been running since January of last year. It awards you "Iron Man medals" if you accrue a certain number of Full Tilt Points each day, for a minimum of 15 seperate days. They have 4 different levels and you get more medals (which you can use to buy things in the store or entries into tournaments, as well as to buy bonuses) the more days you accrue a minimum of 100 points.

With the move and all that went with it, I was cutting it REAL close on whether I'd make it this month. See, if you miss one month, the amount of months you've been in it (10 for me) is reset to 0, so it really is fairly important (bonus medals etc) to continue to make at least the lowest level of Iron Man, which is Bronze.

I made it w/ @ 20 mins to spare in the month. I played such a woefully small amount of hands this month (like 11k, online), but still pulled in a healthy number between online, live, and rakeback (think 5 figures). So all things considered, with all the upheaval our lives were in this month, I'm thrilled with the end result of my first full month as a pro.

As I was finishing up my session last night to attain my needed points for Iron Man, I checked into twoplustwo (2p2) and noticed that I had a PM from a reg. in there and he informed me that there is a Monday Poker Discussion group that meets @ Tuscany Casino Cafe on Mondays at 9pm, headed by poker author Dr. Alan Schoonmaker. I read this about 820pm and thought, "why not check it out" since I'll be finished w/ my online sess shortly and have nothing else going on.

So I head out and battle the traffic on Flamingo as you approach Koval St. and arrive right @9pm. I noticed Dr. Al in short order and grabbed a seat w/ the other dozen or so people there for the discussion group.

Apparently a week or two prior, Dr. Al had handed out a questionaire for them to fill out and they were going to go over 2 of the guys questions on how to improve they're play. While I liked the idea of it, it tended to get repeatitious and I also noted that everyone in the group is almost exclusive live players, some limit and some uNL players (1/2 and the occassional 2/5 players). So while I don't expect to get into any real deep conversations w/ anyone other than one of the guys there regarding strategy in a bigger, deeper NL game, it was really interesting to hear feedback from more an of "average Joe" player. It was eye opening and while it's not going to directly help me and my game, it did help me realize how more inexperienced players think about the game. Sometimes I think that I tend to overthink things and give 'villains' too much credit, so it was good for me in that respect.

So I'll give it another go next week and see where things go from there. There also is another group that meets up at Binion's on Wednesdays...why not check it out, too, right? ;) As the meeting ended, I had Dr. Al sign one the books I have of his and headed out to the car.

I noticed that I had a serious itch to play some live poker after listening to everyone in the meeting. Tuscany is like a 5 min drive from the Wynn, but I only had like $500 on me, so that wasn't an option. I decided to head home and freshen up, pick up some more cash and head out to GVR to play some $3/$5NL $1,000max.

I got to the casino @ 1215am and they had an open seat in the one $3/$5NL game going. I bought in for a rack & a stack (rack of red $5 chips *$500* and a stack of green $25 chips *$500*) which is my normal buy-in. The lineup didn't see too bad, so I just settled into my session only planning on staying 2 hours or so.

Hand of the Day #1:

The first hand of note has me w/ @ $1100 about 4 orbits into my session. A solid, tight player (a reg and a pro as well) limps UTG ($1200) as does UTG+1 ($500) and the SB and I knuckle my T6o in the BB.

(Pot: $40)
Flop Jc Tc 6h

I bet out $35 and UTG thinks for about 5 seconds and makes it $120. UTG+1 (who also seemed pretty tight) mulls it over for a while and calls. The SB folds and it's to me...

What I did:

I thought for a little while and mucked.

What I think I should've done:

I like my fold here even though I flopped 2 pair. I sat and thought about what UTG is limping w/ UTG and then raising this flop with. I thought his range was AJ, KQc, JT, 66 and mayyyybe JJ or TT. With the flush draw out there I expect him to raise that entire range both for value and protection. So that's what I put him on...but then UTG+1 cold-called the raise behind him w/ me still to act. Now, given how UTG+1 hesitated and such, I put him on a draw, be it a flush draw or something like KQ or 89. So if that's the case, it makes it more likely that UTG has me crushed w/ either a set or a higher 2 pr, that I don't like playing for stacks OOP w/ bottom 2 pr on a extremely draw heavy board.

The turn was Qs and it went check, check, then the river bricked off (3h) and UTG bets $120 and UTG+1 calls and UTG shows JTh for flopped top 2 pr and KQo for UTG+1.

So it felt good that my reads were pretty on and I started cruising along. After my last session at GVR, Assani and I had talked about how I learned that bluffing, as a whole, live, has MUCH less value than just playing lots of hands in position and value betting them to death, so that's what I started doing.

Fast forward about 2 hours and I'm sitting on about $1800 or so when the next hand takes place. About an hour prior to this hand, the 9 seat left and the tight player to my left wanted it. This opened up the seat to my left and I slid over to take that because a new player was coming in who just had the look of a huge LAG and I didn't like the idea of him being on my direct left. He took my old seat and quickly doubled up his stack so that he had me covered by about $200-$300.

Hand of the Day #2:

The LAG straddles for $10 (which he's done nearly every time and has yet to raise it) and I limp UTG w/ J9o (his straddles had been almost never raised, so I thought I could get away with it and we're deep and I have position on him) as do about 1,639 other players at the table. The LAG (Eric) pops it $30 more to $40 total. I know that a few of the others are coming along, so I call as do 2 others.

(Pot: $175)
Flop: 8s Th Qs

GIN! I flop the nuts and he bets out $120. I tank for a short while and decide to put in a small raise to get all the flush draws out behind me and hopefully represent a semi-bluff myself w/ the nuts. I make it $260 and it folds around back to Eric who tanks and eventually calls.

(Pot: $695)
Turn: 5c

He checks and I think for a bit and bet $560 and then it's his turn to tank. He thinks for about 20 seconds and says "I'm all in" and I snap call. Now here is where I feel I made a bad decision. Before the dealer burns and turns, I ask him what he's got and we both table our hands. He has QQ for top set and I have the nut straight.
Now, I'm a 4:1 favorite and it's a $3600 pot...but for some dumb ass reason, instead of asking him if he wants to run it twice or three times, I offer him to take his raise back and just play for what's in the pot. As a 4:1 favorite...Jesus I am a fucking moron. *sigh* Obviously, he jumps at the chance and the river was the 7h and I scoop the pot. Just a horrible, horrible decision by me and while I'm bankrolled for the game, I let the size of the pot somehow, someway skew my thinking. I was pretty disgusted at myself for leaving @$1,000 on the table. I'd like to think that I can justify it by knowing that if the situation ever comes up again vs Eric, who playing in both of my games (GVR and the Wynn) that I know he'll reciprocate, but no, there's no excuse. I was had a total brain fart and fucked that one away.

So, even after that dumbshit move, I'm cruising along, building my stack up when the final significant hand came up.

Hand of the Day #3:

I'm now sitting on @ $2000 and we're playing 7 handed as people busted out (either to Eric or me it seemed...we both had $2k+ and the next nearest was $900 or so with the rest below $500). Most of the table is now straddling $10, so the games playing a bit bigger at this point. There is one limper then Eric limps in the CO and I make it $60 on the button w/ 9s 9c. It folds around to Eric who tosses out two green $25 chips and we head to the flop headsup.

(Pot: $135)
Flop: Qh 8h 8c

Eric checks and I make a continuation bet of $90. He snap calls.

(Pot: $315)
Turn: 9h

Eric checks and I tank for a little bit and bet $240 and then it's Eric's turn to tank. He asks if I'm going to offer him anything and I say, "No, sorry". He thinks for about a minute and then calls.

(Pot: $795)
River: Ah

Eric thinks for a short while and bets $240. My move...

What I did:

I called and he showed QJo (no heart) and I scoop the pot.

What I think I should've done:

The only decision in the hand was to raise the river or not. After I turn my unlikely full house, I'm wanting to get max value for my hand, but Eric is quite tricky and we're seriously deep here. While I feel like I often have the best hand, I just don't know what would call a river raise here. While 88 and TJh is unlikely here, I can not rule them out, nor could I rule out QQ. My issue wansn't so much whether or not I'm ahead as I thought I was a large % of the time...the question was what could call a river raise??? Thoughts?

So after than hand, I stayed for another 30 mins or so until one guy who open shoved for his remaining $227, 4 out of 6 hands, had his 67o caught by ATo (not me :( ), and the game broke. I cashed out $2393 and called it a night.

While I think I played really well and was able to valuebet well and keep myself out of some nasty spots, that one deal I made sticks in my craw and is eating at me. Maybe that will teach me to not be such a pussy and stop being so damn risk adverse.

Tonight is the Citizen Cope concert at the House of Blues @ Mandalay Bay. We don't have tickets yet and while I REALLY want to go to the show, if we can't get assigned seating, we're not going. With my bad back, I learned last summer that SRO tickets just ain't cutting it anymore for concerts. Gimme a seat or we don't go. We'll see....

Joss Stone, Live @ The Joint (Hard Rock Casino)

2008-03-30T04:19:00.004-05:00

Amanda is a big Joss Stone fan and the last time we were out here in Vegas (Labor Day, '07), we just missed being able to see her show, so I was determined to make sure she could see her this time.

She had thought that I'd forgotten about it, as I hadn't mentioned the concert in a couple of weeks, whilst, unbeknownst to her, I had already landed 4th row, center seats for tonight's show. ;) I sprung them on her a few days back and she was pretty jazzed about the show.

So we headed out to the Hard Rock tonight @ 6pm and were able to park valet to not deal with the crowds/taxi's etc like we did last summer when we say Louis XIV and The Killers. That was a nightmare we didn't want to relive.

We grab a quick, tasty, margarita pizza at Mr. Lucky's and then settle into our seats at the show. The show kicked off about 8:10pm and it was exactly as you'd expect from Joss. Very soulful and she's quite the showman. She hams it up a bit and everyone loves it. The show ran about 1:45 and well worth the money spent.

Click the pic below to see the photos I took from the show:

5/10 @ the Wynn

2008-03-29T04:39:00.004-05:00

I have put in a woefully small number of hands this month. I like to think it's all due to moving, setting up the new house and just getting settled in, so we're gonna go with that.

With that being said, I'm up a good bit from when I have found time to get hands in. This move has cost more than we origanlly budgeted/expected, but we're still in good shape and we have some really nice furniture, esp. our bedroom set. It's pretty nice to come home and feel comfortable and be able to truly relax after a long session 'at work'.

Speaking of which, I have found 2 poker rooms that I really like. I started out playing the 3/5NL ($1,000 max) game at Green Valley Ranch. It's almost exclusively regs in that game, but it's still not what I'd term a "tough" game. I've managed to run AA and 66 into quad 10's twice, both on TT6 flops, both in the same session. Outside of that, I've done pretty well there. Granted it's a whopping 3 sessions, but nonetheless, I like it there. The dealers and floors are all professional and nice to the players, which seems to be a novel concept thus far (obviously I'm referencing the Bellagio...God I loathe that room). And while there's usually only 1 or 2 3/5 games going, they seem to be good games. Time will tell.

I also played the HORSE tournament they had this past Wednesday. 48 entries and Top 7 paid, w/ the final 8 making the final table. I bubbled the final table and took 9 for a whopping $0. The blind structure, as you might expect for a small buy in tourney was pretty steep, but it was fun and really, that's what I was wanting from it. First paid a little over $500, so while the money would have been cool, I just wanted to play HORSE, live and have fun. Check and check!

Earlier that day, while both Assani and I were putting in a session, online, he (Assani) brought up the prospect of staking me in the 5/10NL game at the Wynn. We had previously talked about him staking me for the big Sunday tournaments online, but, to be honest, the idea of him staking me for cash games never occured to me. He just brought it up, outta the blue. So it got me thinking...I could continue to play in the 3/5NL $1k game at GVR and take all the risk or I could 'freeroll' the 5/10NL game at the Wynn. Hmmmmm.

A little background on the Wynn game seems in order as well here. Every NL game, be it 1/3, 2/5, 5/10, or the occassional 10/20, are all uncapped, meaning that you can buy in for any amount you want. I heard that a year or so back, Daniel Negreanu bought in for $250,000 in a 2/5NL game. *snicker* Assani has told me that in the 5/10, it's normal for most to buy-in for $5,000 to $10,000. Now that's some deep stack poker! Obviously, most of that is usually for show and would almost never come into play, but nonetheless, that is a shitton of money for a 5/10 game. He also told me that on the weekends, the game(s) can be pretty soft, for the most part.

So the offer was pretty standard and after thinking it over for a short while, I agreed to it. There's something appealing about playing risk-free. I don't think that my ego or my whatever takes a hit here either since I'm playing for money, not "style points" and this allows me to play higher than my current bankroll would comfortably allow me to play.

So fast forward to tonight and I got my first taste of the 5/10 at the Wynn. We got there around 7pm or so and the room looked to be pretty rocking. The 5/10 is on the raised platform in the back of the room so while the room seemed pretty busy, the "high limit" area had two tables going, a 5/10NL game it's must move table as well.

Without hardly any wait, they had two seats open, me in the 6 and Assani in the 9. He had given me $4,000 (a rack of blue $10 chips and 2-$1,000 chips) so I had two buy-ins to get started with. I was a bit nervous at first, to be perfectly honest, for a few reasons. First, I wasn't playing my money for the first time ever and had my backer playing across from me, so that was the first thing. Secondly, it was a new room and I'm usually nervous the first time I play in a new room...gimme about 30-45 mins and I get a feel for things and I'm good from there out. That was the case tonight.

There were a handful of interesting hands that I was involved in and I'll just run thru them:

Hand of the Day #1:

This is about 2 orbits into my session and an unknown opens from UTG+1 to $50 and I am in MP and see QsQd. I still have @ $2k and I cover him ($1000-ish).I decide to just flat and see what happens since I'm still pretty new to the table.

(Pot: $115)
We take the flop heads up Kh Th 5s. He checks and I check it behind him.

(Pot: $115)
Turn is 3c. He now bets out $130. I call.

(Pot: $375)
River is Ks. He checks again, my move...

What I did:
I value bet the river $130 and he thinks for a bit and calls. I table my QQ and he triumphantly flips over his AA to scoop the pot.

What I think I should've done:
I think I played the hand well and with his check on the flop, my value bet on the river wasn't too thin, as I think I get called by worse (AT, any pocket pair), having played it a lot like a flush draw. I'm open to discussion though.

Hand of the Day #2:

I have @ $1600 or so and villain has me covered. Villain is a youngish 30-something LAG who seems to like to bully when in position. I'm UTG and raise to $40 w/ AKo. I get 3 callers, UTG+2 (LAG), 1 in LP, and the SB.

(Pot: $170)
Flop comes KJ4 all hearts. I have no hearts. SB checks, I bet $120, LAG nearly instantly raises to $400 and it folds to me. My move...

What I did:

I thought for a little bit and folded

What I think I should've done:

I think this is a pretty standard fold w/o any solid reads at this point. Yes, he's been very aggressive, but if I do anything BUT fold here, I'm playing for stacks and I'm not sure that I want to do that being OOP to him. I think I can find a better spot to get my money in.

Hand of the Day #3:

It's now been about an 75 mins since my session has started and I'm down about $1200. I pulled out another yellow $1,000 chip out of my pocket and added it to my stack, so at the beginning of this hand, I had @ $1800. Just prior to this hand as well, the one seat was called to the main game and a new player was about to sit and he asked if anyone wanted that seat. I told him that I'd take it (so that I had position on the LAG who had been abusing me pretty good up to this point). Assani points out that since I'll have to post, I might as well play one more hand in my current seat, since he was the button. It made sense, so I told the dealer to deal me one more there, in the 6 seat. I was standing when he dealt and then had one knee on my seat, assuming that I'd just muck it and move.

There are two limpers to me and I look down to see Kd, then I look at the other card and it's the Ks. Alrighty then, I'll play it...I toss out 6- $10 chips and LAG instantly calls me and everyone else folds.

(Pot: $145)
Flop comes 6h 6s 5s. I bet a little larger than normal here and put out $120. He calls.

(Pot: $385)
Turn 3c. I peel off 3-$100 bills and 2- $10 chips. He calls quickly.

(Pot: $1025)
River Ac. I check and he says "I'm all in". My move...

What I did:
I snap call and he says, "What you got?" I tell him, "I called you, you show". He tables KJs and my KK is good and I get shipped a $3600 pot. The biggest of my life thus far.

What I think I should've done:

Exactly what I did. Assani and I talked this one over a little while afterward and my thinking was like this. Obviously preflop and flop are pretty standard. When he just calls the flop, I put him on a range of flush draw, a pocket pair over the 6's or just a float. I've been c-betting a good bit and not 2-barrel bluffing, so I expect him to float a decent amount here and to continue trying to bully me. The turn was a good card for me as it's tough to see that improving him much unless he's playing 74 or 42, so I'm not too worried about it. Now, like I said, I'd been giving up often on the turn, so I thought that if I bet here, he'd think that I'm trying to not be bullied and maybe trying to feign strength. Also, I didn't want to allow him to check behind w/ a flush draw and give him a free card. I did consider check raising all-in (crai), assuming he'd bet, but I didn't want to risk it. When he just calls again on the turn, I don't put him on the nut flush draw as I think that if he has Axs, he's likely to raise at some point, but I'm willing to discuss that part. When he called the turn, I had made the decision to c/c any non-spade river, regardless of what it was. I think either crai turn or playing it as is was ideal. Thoughts?

Shortly after the above hand, LAG stacked off his last $600 or so to the 5-seat and storms off. At this point, we're down to 4-handed and it's fairly uneventful, as we all wait to be moved to the main game. I did 3-bet Assani from the BB w/ AA vs his UTG raise and he folded his AQs face up and I show him my AA and we chuckle a bit.

After about 3 or 4 orbits of 4-handed play, both Assani and I get moved over to the main game. Now, Assani had given me his reads on some of the players so that I knew who were the more solid players and the ones to not go out of my way to play pots with.

I later told Assani that you know that I'm really on my "A" game when I'm chatting it up, usually putting most, if not the whole, table at ease, laughing and having a good ole time. This was the case during the session. Once I got over my "new place" jitters, I settled into my game.

I made a couple of really good call-downs vs one of the better players in the game, Bari. He's a Persian 20-something from Germany who apparently plays pretty high online (like $25/$50NL). He made a comment to me after I took a pot from him that "I just want to win one pot from you tonight." I looked at him and told him, "But you have bro." He was like, huh? No I haven't...you've won every one. "No sir...one hand you raised from EP and I called and you c-bet and I folded. See, you won one." "But that's not what I meant, that's piddly." I chuckled and said, "well, you didn't say you wanted to win a significant pot from me. That usually won't happen if it goes to showdown." :) We all were having a pretty good time, talking about playing online and such, even some of the older fellas at the game.

The final significant hand of the night went down like this...

Hand of the Day #4:

Villain is Nills, a regular that Assani had told me was pretty solid. He had been fairly active, but not overly so. Nothing too outta line. He has @$1800 and I cover. He raised from UTG to $40. I'm UTG+2 and call w/ 22. Everyone else folds.

(Pot: $95)
Flop comes J52 rainbow. He bets out $50 and I call.

(Pot: $195)
Turn: Qc (completed the rainbow). He bets $120 and I call again.

(Pot: $435)
River As (no flush out there). He thinks for a bit and bets $320. I mull it over for a bit and count out 7 bills and bet them ($700). He then tanks for what, to me, feels like an eternity, but in actuality was probably 45 seconds and re-raises to $1300 straight, leaving himself $200 or $300 behind. My move...

What I did:
I called and he said, "You're good" and mucked his hand. I never had to table my hand. A few of the guys asked if I'd show it and my response was, "Sorry fellas, we'll be playing a bit together, so I best not." and mucked it, raking in a $3,000 pot.

What I think I should've done:
This is the most interesting hand of the night, in my opinion which I hope generates some discussion. My thinking thru the hand went pretty much like this...

Preflop is standard as 3bets were extremely rare, so I didn't fear getting squeezed behind. I flop bottom set on a truly bone-dry board. He continuation bets and I see no reason to scare him off if he has a hand like AK or AQ here, so I just call. I understand the argument for building myself a pot, but we have more streets to do that on, so not necessary here.

The turn is the big spot here and I think where I made a mistake. He decides to keep firing at the pot and I think that I could/should maybe have raised here, but I talked myself out of it because I didn't want to spook him because the only hands I'm calling the flop w/ and raising the turn are maybe QJ and sets and I suppose maybe the occassional float, but still, that's a pretty thin range. So I talked myself out of raising here and, in hindsight, I'm not sure I played it correctly.

The river is interesting because I could have just been drawn out by AA, but otherwise, it didn't change anything. Either I had him crushed and still do or he was ahead w/ a set already. So when he bets out, I'm hating myself for not having raised the turn. So now I tank for a bit and try to put him on a range of hands that will call a smallish river raise...2 pr and sets. I waffle for a little bit, not wanting to be a pussy for having never raised w/ a flopped set, so I decide on a smallish raise, planning on throwing up if he shoves, but the pots too big to fold, so I'd have to call. All-in-all, I don't think I butchered the hand, but it plays MUCH easier if I raise prior to the river. I'm all for input on this one though.

After that, Assani left shortly thereafter to meet up with some friends and I stayed for another hour or so until I got hit with a HUGE headache and cashed out $7200. I also was paid a pretty big compliment by one of the solid players in the game, Jack. As Assani was cashing out, Jack was doing the same and I was standing talking to Assani when I saw Jack there and I shook his hand saying that it was a pleasure playing w/ him and he responded with, "The same here. You guys are good for the game. You keep the mood light, are respectful, and play well. Good for you guys!" I told him thank you very much and that if you can't enjoy your time on the felt, go do something else, right? He said, "That's a great outlook both in poker and life. Good to meet you, Eddie, and we'll see ya soon!"

So, all-in-all, a great first session in what I see as my new "home" casino. The dealers and floors, esp. A.J., were great and they really act like they want your business. Just a quality setup and very well run room. I'm really looking forward to going back to become a regular at the Wynn 5/10.

Hope this never gets old

2008-03-29T04:19:00.002-05:00

We have finally, truly arrived and settled into Vegas. The trip was pretty uneventful and Amanda made the drive, following me, with some white knuckles, but otherwise, she drove it pretty doggone well. The following I wrote a few days back but never published it. My bad. Anywho, here ya go:

The drive took 12 hours to get to the Hoover Dam area. That is after driving thru the hail and snow in Flagstaff. Yeah, notsomuch fun, lemme tell ya. Amanda isn't much of a highway driver as is (a couple of really bad wrecks when she was younger, so she's skittish for sure), so that was not an enjoyable part of the drive. But, we made it to the Hoover Dam area in good time and she held up quite well (we had to each drive our own cars), so I was really happy to see that.

I keep saying Hoover Dam 'area' because with it being spring break etc. we hit a total parking lot about 5 miles south of the damn dam. Yeah, it took 2.5 hours to make it thru to the other side. But oh was it worth it! Our first stop was our house, even though we couldn't get inside until the following day. Nice, quiet neighborhood in just an awesome location. We're right on the border of the Green Valley area and man, it's gorgeous down here. It feels nothing like Vegas, which I think is a good thing. We can have a "normal" time while here and if we want "Vegas, Baby, Vegas" it's 10 mins away. So we stopped at the house and dropped her car off and headed to the Flamingo to check into our home away from home for the next two days.

We then headed to Ellis Island to have our ghetto steak dinner and a drink and then made it back to the room where we promptly crashed out.

The next day, we met up w/ Anthony and Assani at the realtors office and signed our lease and got the keys, then drove off to see our new place. Yeah, the pictures did not do this place justice. esp. now that we're getting it furnished...man, we done did goot!!! (Here are some pics now that it's just about set up)

Anyway, the last 4 days or so have been spent unloading our moving truck, dealing w/ Direct TV and buying furniture and very little playing poker. It was expected and all, but a bit frustrating as well, but again, I knew this week was going to be like this.

I did manage to get out to the Bellagio for about a 2 hour session of 2/5 and booked a whopping $25 win. Have I mentioned previously, how much I dislike the "B"? The floors are #####, the players act like they're Gods gift to poker and it's cramped. Yeah, you won't find me there often, to say the least.

Also, on Tuesday night, I stopped at Green Valley Ranch (GVR) for a 3.5 hour session of 3/5 (yes, 3/5 w/ a $1000 cap). There was only one table of it going and it was ALL regs and all but one was short. I'm talking $300-$500 stacks and all but one played REALLY weak-tight. The floor on duty was nice and basically the opposite of the "B" floors and all but one dealer was good. The regs were, for the most part, friendly and the room as a whole was really comfortable. I booked a $414 win w/o playing any big pots. It was a stress-free, relaxing session and I have a feeling that with it being so close to the house (4 mins or so), that will be my "home" casino. I still wanna check out the Wynn, but I really enjoyed playing at GVR.

Last night, me, Amanda, & Assani met up w/ Matt (Keys) and his pops and we all had a blast. I'll write up more about it later, as right now, we need to go get us some breakfast. One last thing...we hoped onto the 215 last night on our way to meet up w/ Keys and as we rounded a bend in the highway, we saw the Strip and we both were like, "Holy ####, we LIVE HERE!!! Yeah, I hope this never gets old

So far, we're loving it.

"Don't Get Broke"

2008-03-15T18:39:00.005-05:00

We really are heading out to Vegas in the morning, really, we are. But all along, Sunday was supposed to be driving day, so here we are in a beyond sparse house, killing time.

Yesterday, though, was a bit surreal. The day started at @ 5am with us getting up and finally finishing up the packing before the fellas came over to help w/ loading the truck. They got here @ 10am and we went to work. 4 hours later, all of our material possessions were loaded (read: crammed...think tetris) into a space 8'x9'x8' in the tractor trailer. Well, everything that we were taking anyway. The few items that we were not taking (old computer chair, old computer desk, etc.) we put up along the fence facing the street and put a sign saying "$10/ea or $50 for all" and about 15 mins later, someone actually came up and wrote out a check for $50. We were just trying to unload it and expected people to just come take the shit. Lo and behold, someone paid us for it. Niiiiiice. I suppose we could have made an extra $50 here or there on the crap by listing in the paper or craigslist (really? in Amarillo?), but meh, the time involved simply wasn't worth it.

So fast forward a couple of hours. The moving company came and got their truck to start moving it on to Vegas and I had spent @ 1.5 hours at AT&T getting our new fancy Las Vegas phone numbers. I came home and Amanda was wiped out. We had plans with Adam and Adrian to have drinks and shoot a lil pool after they got off work at midnight, but if she was going to make it, she needed some sleep. After taking a long Hollywood shower, I felt refreshed and while a bit worn down myself, wasn't wanting to take a nap. A few hours earlier, I had gotten a text for one of the local underground poker games here in Amarillo...they were promoting a guaranteed $1,000 for 1st place tourney that started at 730pm. Hmmmm. Well, shit...Amanda wants to chill/read/sleep, so why not one last stop here in town before we head out?

So I head over to the new location and there are some of the same old faces there along with some that I didn't recognize. I should interject here that over the course of the last 3 1/2 years, this is one of the 3 local underground games that I frequented. It was the first one that I'd found out about (3 days after getting into town) and over time, I really started to dislike a lot of the people there. There were exceptions, of course, but not too many. I guess my 'beef' was that I was always kinda the outsider and when I went there, I was there to play poker. Most felt that poker was there, but that it was social hour. I am one of the more gregarious people you'll ever encounter at a poker table, but I don't let that affect the speed of the game. So yeah, not everyone there liked me and I didn't like most of them. I will say though, that I liked the way the guys ran the room. I never was concerned about safety/security and I think that's #1 when in an underground room.

Anyway, I had gotten there about 720pm and the tourney was supposed to start at 730pm. I saw they had one $2/$5NL 6-handed game going and after watching just a couple of hands, I was chomping at the bit to sit. I understand that I come from an online 6max background, so therefore more aggressive than most live players, but man, this was sick soft. I asked to get a seat but they said the table was going to break shortly for the tourney, so I didn't sit. 40 mins later, the cash game was still going and we still had not started the tourney, but c'est la vie. I was there to relax and kill some time until I met up with the fellas at midnight. David, whose room it was, came up and said 'hi'. He's a good guy and easy going and always welcomed me to the room, although it'd been nearly a year since I'd last stopped in.

So finally, at @ 8:10, we got the tourney started. It's not the greatest structure, but small buy-in tourneys never are and that's just fine w/ me, as we all know that going in. It was a $60 buy-in w/ a single $40 rebuy if you bust w/i the first 4 (15 min) levels, at which point, there is an optional $20 add-on. So most are in for $120. We had 24 or 25 runners and we were off. I had drawn Table 1, seat 8. We started w/ T1500 and blinds 25/25.

About 5 mins after the tourney started, David got a phone call and Slim was on his way and wanted to know if he could still get in. He was told that he could, but he'd be blinded off til he got here. For those that don't know, Slim is THE "Amarillo" Slim Preston. World Series of Poker World Champion in 1972 and he holds 3 other bracelets as well. I have played with Slim on a few other occassions here in town, but I thought it was appropo that he'd be playing my final night here in Amarillo. Every time I've seen him, he's worn his WSOP Championship bracelet and I always thought it was pretty damn cool. He was seated two to my right and he arrived @ the beginning of the 2nd level.

The only interesting hand for me early on is when I called an EP raise (T100) w/ 86h on the button. Another player called from the BB and we're 3 to the flop. The flop came down Q84 all clubs. It checked around. The turn was an off-suit 6. The BB checked, the original PFR bet out T250 and I raised it to T675. The BB then wakes up and shoves his remaining T800 into the pot. The original raiser mucked and I was forced to call, knowing I'm probably drawing to 4 outs. I brick and he tables his A7c for the flopped nuts. That crippled me and I got it in A4o vs ATo and was honored to be the first "REBUY" you heard in the room. *snicker*

The very next hand, I got it all in after I'd 3b the same fella from the last hand and we got it all in preflop. My AKs vs his AJo and now we're in business. Around that time, Lucia (David's wife and she was running the tourney since he was playing) announced that whomever knocked out Slim would get an autographed copy of his book. Cool. Now, like I said, I've played with Slim on occassion in the past and, true to form, this man can hold his own vs the best of them when it comes to shit talking. I mean, the guy has a one-liner for everything and he's just hysterical. But, when you stop and think about it, this guy has seen it all in his long life as a road gambler back w/ Sailor Roberts and Doyle Brunson. The guy is just a riot to listen to. And quite a solid player too. I mean, obviously, he was, back-in-the-day, but he still is now. Let's just say I'm damn happy he was on my right.

So about 20 mins later, Slim rebuys and we only have had about 2 people bust out. After the 4th level, we're down to about 18 people left in the tourney and I have realized that while there are about 3 others at my table other than Slim and myself who even have a clue, that the only real players that I have to be concerned about are both directly to my right. Slim and what I have to assume is a 2p2'er.

During the 5th level, I was sitting on about T6000 in chips when I raised to T750 w/ AKo in late position (blinds 150/300) and was only called by the SB (same fella from the above two hands). I had him covered as after calling the raise, he had about T1600 left. The flop came down 852 w/ two spades. I held the As. I was watching him watch the flop and he stared at it for a bit before betting out T900. I had been watching this guy play for an hour now and had seen that he was pretty weak/tight and while watching him stare at the flop, I really felt he was weak, so since he only had T700 left, I raised and he thought about it and called. He tabled Q7o and I faded his 6 outs and busted him out. Soon thereafter, Slim raised in MP to T1200 and I 3b him from the CO to T3400 and he instafolded. At this point, he was getting short. He only had about 6BB left and he shoved it in UTG. I looked down and saw 99 and called. The rest of the table folded and he tabled his QJo and I did so w/ my 99. I flopped a 9 and that's all she wrote. Granted it was just a little $100 tourney, but it was pretty cool busting out a former World Champion. While I don't target or play scared when I play with 'name' players (I got 2004 World Champion to sit for 2 hours and play in our $2/$5NL game at the Rio last summer during the WSOP), I still think it's pretty cool to match up vs them...even if it's baby-stakes.

So from there on, I seemed to win all my flips and make good reads all the way to the final table. Top 4 places paid and I came in as chip leader. But to be honest, the blinds were escalating so fast and so high at this point, that it came down to catching cards. The final table started w/ blinds at 500/1000 for about 2 mins, then jumped to 1000/2000 and as you can tell, it wasn't going to last too long. The first hand, I was UTG w/ AJo and I raise it up to T2700. UTG+1 thinks for about 10 seconds then pushes in his remaining T1700 chips. It folds around, I take my T1000 extra back and I see that I'm up against 88. I flop a J and he doesn't improve. From there, I busted all but 1 of the first 5 players at the final table to widen my chip lead. The only notable hand during that sequence was when it got down to 5 handed. Blinds 1000/2000 and it's folded to me on the button when I look down at AKs. I have both of the blinds covered, but they still have enough chips that it would take a big chunk out of my stack if we got all in. I raised it to T4500 and the BB is the only one who called. The flop came down J64 rainbow. The BB thought for a little bit and shoved in his remaining T5500 chips. I'm not sure if I made the right call here or not, but getting almost 3:1, I called and he tables Q8o for no pair, no draw. My AKo was ahead until the turn which brings a Q and things look bleak, until the river is a beautiful Ts to give me runner-runner broadway. I guess suck/re-suck is fair :) The gentleman took it well as he said, "Well, you deserved it...you were ahead when the money went in", so that was nice that he wasn't bitter.

So now we're in the money and it pays out as follows: 1st- $1060, 2nd $540, 3rd $260, 4th $140. The guy who had been on my direct right (between Slim and myself at Table 1) also was on my direct right at the final table. He was still alive and doing well too, when we hit the money. He quickly busted out the 4th place finisher w/ KK and now we're 3 handed. The guy to my right and I had about 85% of the chips in play and it didn't take long to get heads-up w/ him. I was in the SB w/ AKo when the button folded and the blinds at T1500/T3000. I was about to raise when the BB says, "I'm all in for T7000 more". I politely point out that I haven't acted yet and he apologizes and I sheepishly just complete my SB and he shoves, as he noted. I snap call and it's a race: 33 vs AKo. Flop KQ4 and he starts chanting, "3, 3, 3" and the turns a 2 as is the river and we're heads up. We were close in chip counts and he asks if I want to chop $800 each. I tell him that we can if he wants (remember, he's a solid player as well and I do not fancy myself as too good of a heads-up player), but why not chop $700 each and play for the last $200 so that one of us can "win". He likes that idea better and we're off. At this point, Lucia comes over w/ a 2nd deck of cards and shuffles for us so we don't spend all our time shuffling the cards, which helps since the blinds are getting ridiculously high, but we still have about 12 BB's each, so it is what it is. We go back and forth and heads-up lasts about 25 hands, which was surprisingly long...both of us trying to win. The final hand has me w/ Q8s on the button and I complete and he checks his option. Flop comes out 754r. We both check. The turn is 9s giving me a gutshot straight draw, a flush draw and an over. He checks and I bet T5500 and he shoves for about T8000 more. I have him covered and figure I have enough outs given the potsize and I call. He says I'm good as he turns over his ATo and I tell him he's ahead as I turn over my Q8s. The river is an 8c and I win the tournament and $900. Not to mention I got the personally inscribed, autographed book from Slim.

So after I win, we shake hands and I turn to where the cash game table is at and thank David for the last couple of years of being able to play here in town and mention that I'm moving to Las Vegas and have already been playing as a pro for the last month plus. He tells me good luck and I get some sideways looks from some of the people, but fuck'em. They're stuck in Amarillo w/ their dead-end jobs and I'm going to go live my dream. Fuck the haters, right?

As I am heading out the door, I turn around to say good-bye to David & Co. and Amarillo Slim is the final voice I hear as I walk out the door, "Don't get broke!"

I couldn't have written a better ending to my living in Amarillo. I met up w/ the fellas for a couple of drinks and came home. Goodbye, Amarillo and I promise to listen to your advice, Slim. Thanks and thanks for the book!

And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go!

2008-03-13T18:06:00.002-05:00

The moving truck just arrived and for it being 28' long, it really isn't as big as I thought it would be (in my mind's eye), even though I measured it out. :shrug: The packing is almost complete now and we're down to the piddly stuff. As crazy as this might sound, it's the piddly stuff that is the toughest part of moving, for me. Luckily, Amanda doesn't mind packing up that crap and leaving the big stuff to me. Works for me!

The fellas are going to be here at 10am tomorrow to help us pack up the truck. We "rented" 6' of trailer space and, having packed most everything up, I see zero problem with fitting everything in there in our allotted space. We can use more space, if we needed and just pay by the horizontal foot. Seeing as the trailer is 9'x8'x28', I think our little 9'x8'x6' should be plenty. The price was right too...about the same as a U-Haul except I don't have to drive the fucking thing. THANK GOD! As if driving my POS isn't going to be rough enough. I loathe the idea of having to drive a moving truck halfway across the country. Ugh.

So this is it. We're 3 days from actual leaving this town, but, for all intents and purposes, we be gone! It's funny too, looking back at how quickly this has happened. On the one hand, it's been 3 years since this ball got rolling, but, man, it sure seems like it happened pretty quickly. Looking at the last 3 months, it's all been a blur. And here we are...standing on the precipice of our future. It's really a "Wow" moment when you think about it. I've made the jump to becoming a professional poker player already, but it hasn't had that 'WOW, I DID IT' feeling, really. Not yet.

In about 58 hours, I'm thinking it's gonna feel pretty damn real then, eh? And I can not fucking wait! Next stop, Las Vegas!

Five very long days

2008-03-11T15:04:00.002-05:00

So we're packing up the kitchen today and all clothes we're not keeping out for the trip and first couple of days in Vegas and it dawned on me just how frustrating today thru Saturday is/is going to be. I mean, the house is in all sorts of disarray due to packing etc. and yet there are things that it's just too early to do: breakdown/pack the computers, TV's etc. so it feels like there is a good bit or work yet to do, but since the moving truck doesn't come til Friday morning, we're in a holding pattern on some stuff.

And due to the living room being in all sorts of boxes and just uncomfortable right now, I can't play any poker because I know that if I do, in this uncomfortable environment, I won't play my "A" game and force it, therefore, more than likely just spew. So that's not an option. Grrrrr...this shit is so frustrating right now.

Any suggestions on what to do or how to 'bide' our time over the next few days?

Goodbye Amarillo!

2008-03-09T01:56:00.012-06:00

Moving sucks. I mean, it's not so much the moving...more the packing part. Although, as much as it sucks, it's not as horrible as it normally would be, seeing as we're moving to Las *fucking* Vegas in one week! But it still sucks.

Since we're moving/packing/life upheaval, I haven't been able to put in nearly enough hands since my last post. Speaking of which, remind me to never post a graph mid-month again. Apparently someone from Full Tilt saw my graph and put 2 + 2 together, figured out who I was and thusly, activated the dreaded "doomswitch" for the remainder of February. Ok, fellas, I get the point. Lesson learned. At least you guys flipped the switch the other way once the month of February fell off of the calendar. ;)

Today I had my single biggest session, online, that I have thus far (going back @ 2 years). I've had bigger days but not single sessions, so that was awesome. To be honest, the only difficult part of the entire session was this hand:

Full Tilt Poker, $1/$2 NL Hold'em Cash Game, 5 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): $588.85

UTG: $193.85

CO: $286.45

BTN: $346.45

SB: $238.90

Pre-Flop: Q A dealt to Hero (BB)

UTG calls $2, CO calls $2, BTN folds, SB raises to $13, Hero calls $11, UTG calls $11, CO folds

Flop: ($41) 6 4 Q (3 Players)

SB checks, Hero bets $31, UTG folds, SB calls $31

Turn: ($103) 5 (2 Players)

SB checks, Hero bets $76, SB raises to $194.90 and is All-In, Hero calls $118.90

River: ($492.80) T (2 Players - 1 is All-In)

Results: $492.80 Pot ($3 Rake)
Hero showed Q A (a pair of Queens) and WON $489.80 (+$250.90 NET)
SB showed Q K (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-$238.90 NET)

Villain's line made little sense with the history between he and I, but it was confusing nonetheless. So yay on a big session. I guess I should mention that I also qualified for a seat in FT's WSOP Main Event Final this week too. Top 3 spots get a $12,500 package for the ME (main event). Well, 2 seats for everyone else and... (just kidding FT guys. No more doomswitch, plzkthx! :) )

Oh, I should note that losing days/sessions does not keep my from posting here...this damn move does though, Heh.

So, what else has been going on...

I can honestly say that I'm going to miss VERY little of Amarillo, Tx. The weather is beyond teh suck here and, well, it's fucking Amarillo, Tx. I mean, ugh. But on that same note, I'm going to miss the people. Not all of them, mind you, but a few in particular. Not to mention that for as bad as the weather is and as isolated as you are here, the people, in general, are some of the nicest you'll ever want to meet. I don't know if that's due to it being a smaller town than anything I've been around before or not, but the people, again, in general, are really some quality folks.

Now, the ones in particular I'm going to miss are my best buddy since I've been here, Adrian, and my former supervisor, Adam. There are others (James, Lee, Sebastian, FNG, Matt, Jeremy and a couple of others as well, but you get the point), but those two in particular. Those two guys are just great guys. I mean, Adrian would do anything he could to lend a hand, regardless of, well, anything. Not to mention that he's just funny as shit and a great bud to hang with. I seriously could not have made it as long as I did at my former job w/o him. Thanks, bro...Regardless of what mama says, I'm flying your ass out to Vegas at some point! ;) And Adam...not only was he a killer supervisor (for quite a few reasons: he knew/knows what it's like to be a guy on the floor, he looked out for his people, and respected us, therefore, we did w/e it took to get the job done and make him look good to his boss), but a good man as well. He was instrumental in me making the change from working stiff to poker pro, when I did. He and I would talk for long stretches of time from everything from being a good father to doing what you love for a living and then also, can't forget which is Van Halen's best song. :) I'm grateful for all your advice and guidance. I promise to not disappoint you guys!

So, let's see...what else...

Oh yeah, I hadn't mentioned that we got our house in Vegas! Well, obviously, we got one, but I hadn't talked about it yet. It's a 4 bedroom (and a poker office), 3 bath 3500 sq. ft house w/ an in-ground pool & jacuzzi in the backyard. Awesome location (Green Valley Ranch area) and only like 10 mins from the strip too. I promise pics once we get there next week. We're real excited about not just the house, but the location too! It's exactly what we were looking for.

And for any of you gamers out there, I know it's a little old, but I just picked up the Gold Edition of "Titan Quest" and have been addicted to it when I get some free time. It's a Diablo II clone, but a damn fine one. Good stuff...nothing beats having a bad session and loading up TQ and hacking & slashin' some baddies. Good stress release. It's gonna have to suffice until the after we move and I have access to the 24-hour Fitness!

So hopefully the next time y'all hear from me, I'll be posting from our new house/life in Vegas...Vegas, Baby, VEGAS!!!

Good foot...

2008-02-15T16:49:00.007-06:00

To completely steal the idea from my buddy, BigSug (Dave Z.), off on the good foot!

***click image below to see full image***

Sick, Music and running well!

2008-02-14T12:55:00.000-06:00

Yeah, so I'm still sick. This is getting old at this point. It's a headcold that has migrated down into my chest. Between lots of fluids (water and hot green tea), dayquil, NyQuil (which isn't helping me sleep), and some Shower Soothers, I'm trying to get better, but I'm not sure how well it's working. Am I going to have to look into getting an iron lung here or what?!? Amanda has gotten sick too (isn't Amarillo GREAT!), so we're a house of suck, currently. Not to mention that even after taking a couple of swigs of 'big fuckin'-Q' before I head to bed, I'm still topping out at 4hours of sleep a night. Yay :/

Outside of that, man, well, shit, life's pretty damn good right now. There are so many things going well that, I'm loving the transition, despite being pathetic and sick.

First off, poker is going great. Take today, for instance. I was fortunate enough (insert sarcasm here) to run AA into sets 3 seperate times, JJ into QQ, yet still booked a $500+ win, all before breakfast. I guess I'm running a little hot, but more than that, I just think that I'm really learning to pick my spots well and my ability to change gears has me kinda giddy about the shape my game is in right now. So teh pokerz is goot!

I also have been in a musical rut of late. I mean, I love pretty much every type of music, but I found myself just listening to the same things over and over...and over. Well, thanks to the good guys over at Footballguys, I got turned onto 3 seperate bands yesterday that I'm really digging:

Mofro "Brighter Days" I don't know how to describe them, but damn they are great! "Brighter Days" and "Fireflies" are my fave two so far...but still haven't heard them all.

Built To Spill Not sure which is my favorite yet, but digging them for sure.

Citizen Cope "Brother Lee" I think that my take on them is Sublime meets DMB. Thoughts on that? And yeah, good shit!

Another great thing going on right now is that I think we have found our house in Vegas! We have two particular ones in mind, but there certainly is one in particular. It's in SE Vegas, better known as Green Valley Ranch. 3466 sq. ft. 5 bedrooms, 3 bath, 2 fireplaces, in ground pool & jacuzzi in the backyard. Not sure if it qualifies as 'balla', but it's gorgeous and we're pretty jazzed about it. Assani is supposed to go see it w/ the real estate guy today, so hopefully he likes it as much as we do. If not, the other one is 3982 sq. ft, 5 bedrooms, 3 bath, w/ the pool and jacuzzi as well. Both are right in our range, budget-wise, so yeah, we're really hoping one of these two pan out. I promise pics once we move in!

So yeah, despite being miserable, health-wise right not, there's a lot of things going well. I plan on doing all that I can to ensure it continues as well.

And if any of y'all reading this have any suggestions/ideas on how to get this crud outta my chest, please lemme know!

In a world of suck

2008-02-12T07:34:00.000-06:00

Imo, there are few things that suck as much as being sick. Well, having to go into work being sick is worse, but thankfully, that's a non-issue now, eh? You body aches, head throbs, and no matter what you do, you can't get shit for sleep. Hello 4 hours tops and wake up miserable. No amount of antibiotics and fluids make it better, until they do. But until then, you're just in a world of suck. So here I am, in a world of suck.

Poker-wise, though, I'm at the polar opposite of suck. Everything is clicking. Even after my 'meh' sessions (meh meaning nothing of interest, just kinda 'was'), I'm booking a BI win. This month has been going very very well. My favorite part about it is that I'm full of confidence and not really running 'lucky' either. I feel in control of my game and that's a pretty killer feeling. My bluffs work, my monsters get paid off and I'm picking the right spots to value bet thinly. I know this won't last forever, so I'm surely enjoying this little mini-heater. I think most importantly, I'm not dreading the other side of this rush. I mean, I know it'll eventually come, so why worry about it? Just try to make the best decisions I can every chance and fuck variance. Play well and I know I'm happy.

Last night, I felt I misplayed a hand and it ate at me for a couple of hours afterward because I felt that I had played it poorly. Not because I lost, but because I made a mistake in the hand. I think that's a good sign that I'm not really dwelling on my wins and great call-downs etc. I'm dwelling on my mistakes and making sure that I learn from them. Cool thing is, after hundreds of thousands of hands, I'm still as eager as ever to learn and improve.

So, on another note, I added a new counter to the blog that tracks traffic etc. to my lil space of the innerwebs and I noticed that someone had read one of my posts from like 1 1/2 years ago.

HOLY SHIT!!! how little I knew back then. And seriously, LOL at me being stunned at people 8-tabling back then. *sigh* Wasn't I cute. Just shows how much someone can learn about this game and this life in only 18 months or so.

I go from 3-tabling 2/4 LIMIT hold'em, to 6 tabling 200NL and 400NL. Man how things have changed. I look back at some of my posts in here and realize how big of a fish I was back then. Even though I'm light years further along from where I was, skill wise, I still have that wide-eyed awe of my inner 8 yr-old who still longs to learn more and who still can not get enough of this game. God I hope I never, ever lose that. I love my passion for this game and all that comes w/ it. I may be in a world of suck, being sick, right now, but man, I love my job! I just can't wipe the smile off of my face. Life is good!

Hi everyone!

2008-02-11T08:10:00.000-06:00

Wow! I didn't expect to get so many visits so soon. Well, just wanted to welcome everyone (again) and encourage all y'all to leave comments! I'd love to know who my readers are!

Damn the Man Day!

2008-02-10T00:46:00.001-06:00

Holy shit do things change quickly...

Last Friday (Feb. 1), my supervisor asked me the question that my closest friends have asked me for months and the one that I have asked myself numerous times as well, "Why the fuck are you still here?". See, ever since around my 30th B-day, I've entertained the idea of saying goodbye to my ole 9-5 life grind and take my shot as a professional poker player. Obviously I was nowhere near ready back then, but about 6 monnths ago, the ball was set in motion and the date of February 1, 2008, was supposed to be "D" day.

Lots of things happened between my first entertaining the idea and the day that "D" was set. The biggest of which was my divorce from my wife. It was amicable (on my end at least lol), but obviously a huge life-changing event. No kids, thankfully, but a big change nonetheless.

So about 9 months after that, I made the decision to set "D" day and with it came the decision to move to Las Vegas as well. Now, for those that have spent any time in Vegas, I'm sure you're asking WTF would you want to move there when the average person is near death after a week, due to burning their candles at both ends. This would be a good time to mention that I have a serious girlfriend and we have spent some time out there as well and, well, we fucking LOVE it there.

I mean, come on, what's not to love? You'll never be bored, fantastic restaurants, cost of living (esp. now) is quite reasonable, everyone who is anyone, music-wise, comes thru Vegas, we both love boxing and Vegas is the home of the big fights, the location is excellent (we like the desert and you're a quick flight from LA, SD, SF, Phoenix etc) and we both just love the town. Not to mention that neither of us have much by way of your normal vices assosciated w/ Vegas. So why the fuck not?

So, sometime in November, my buddy and also a poker pro, Assani, and I were talking and we brought up the idea of being roommates when we move out to Vegas. It would help save on the expenses when we first get out there etc. and we all get along, so why not? We had originally planned on moving out there @ May 1. May seemed good since it gives us a little more time to prepare as well as gives us a month to get settled in before the WSOP begins. But Assani said his lease is up at the end of March. Hmmmm, April 1 sounds good then, eh?

Then, a week later, out-of-the-blue, Assani's bestfriend, Anthony, calls him and says that he got a job offer from the minor league hockey team out in Vegas...random, but, hey, things happen for a reason, right? So we are now 5 (me, Amanda, Assani, Anthony, & Katie (Anthony's girlie girl). Well, alrighty then!

So we started brainstorming regarding what we wanted in a house.

[x] safe/good neighborhood
[x] running water
[x] air conditioning
[x] 4+ bedrooms (one of which will be used as Assani's and my poker office)
[x] 3+ bathrooms
[x] in-ground pool
[X] in-ground jacuzzi
[x] big ass kitchen

So, with that criteria, we've were looking online, but didn't want to start too soon, since we stil had 3+ months til we all moved in. But man, holy good fuck are there some killer pads out there for CHEAP! Thanks to the mortgage crisis, houses are real cheap, but it's still not ideal to buy, yet, so hence here we are for a year or so.

So, back to the whole, "Why the fuck are you still here?" question from my supervisor...Not sure if I have mentioned it in here before or not, but I was a flight electrician on the V-22 Osprey. A pretty solid job and it's aviation, which is what I've been doing for the last 15 years, first in the USMC then into the civilian world. But, man, I've been burnt out on it for a long, long time. It got to where I just felt like going into work, everyday, day-in-day-out, was a huge drain on my life, but the money was decent.

And Adam, my supervisor knew it, as did all my friends. I mean, let's face it. Eddie is not, nor has he ever, been cut out for a 9-5. I really believe that there are people that thrive in that type of environment, but I am not one of them. So, when I came into work that day, I don't know why, but Adam says that to me...I think it may have had to do with yet another day of just total bullshit that we had to deal with thanks to the government giving excuses why they didn't want to fly our aircraft or the like.

He and I were standing near his cubicle and got to talking about it and I told him that since we're not moving until the end of March, I might as well get that paycheck a little while longer. But then he says something so obvious, yet so profound that it stopped me in my tracks. "But you make a shitload more, per hour, than you do here. You'd have even more time to do it if you didn't have to come in here and be so fucking miserable."

Funny thing is, I knew this already. As did Amanda. And Adrian. And everyone else who knew me. I think I just needed that one more little shove. So what did I do? I called Amanda and ran it by her. Her response? "About time." LDO, right? So, I went to one of our computers and wrote the following:

Adam & Dave,

I am hereby resigning my position as a V-22 Flight Electrician for Bell Helicopter, as of Feb. 8th, 2008. I would like to personally thank the both of you, as well as Bell, for giving me the opportunity to work and grow both professionally as well as a member of the Bell Team. But, the time has come for a change and I must go.
Thank you very much,
SirFelixCat

I signed it, handed it to Adam and asked him to sit on it til the following Monday. He smiled and said that he would and I immediately felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off of my shoulders.

That weekend (last weekend as it were) Amanda and I talked it over and it became the obvious choice. So come Monday, I told Adam to hand it in and then I found myself much more happy and relaxed than I had been in months. I knew that I had the bankroll and the savings to take the shot, just needed a little help taking that first step.

I mean, to be honest, I do not fear failure in the least. I fear regret much more than I ever do failure, so I would much rather step up to this cliff, jump, flail around and crash than to have stepped up to the edge of the cliff then backed away, too scared to jump. How the fuck can you realize your dreams if you never put yourself out there and take that chance?!?

So on February 8, 2008, I punched the timeclock for the final time. Play well and fuck variance, eh? Here we go!

Blast from the Past...

2008-01-20T04:14:00.000-06:00

So yeah, I guess I slacked off a bit. Man, where to begin...

I now sit 2 months from actually taking the plunge and becoming a professional poker player. I chuckle to myself looking back that all of this thinking I knew anything. I like to think that I do now. So, from here out, we're back on the blogging path. Welcome back, Felix.

93.8

2006-07-06T02:25:00.000-05:00

That, right there, is the percentage favorite I was when I sustained the worst beat that I have taken in a NL game, thus far. It just so happened to be in the 2nd biggest pot that I have ever been involved in. Ya know what, though? I'm thrilled about it. I mean, truly, tickled pink.

Not because I lost a monster pot. No, no...Felix was down right ill when Daniel sucked out, on two consecutive streets to pull out his improbable win. Nope, none to happy at ALL! So why, you may ask, am I happy then? For two very important reasons:

1)The way I handled it. Now, don't get me wrong, I wasn't gracious about it because I didn't want to chase "Mr. Gill" away from the table, oh no, Daniel would still be there tomorrow. It was for the simple fact that, if I want to be a professional, one would think I'd know how to act like one. Oh, it stung like a bitch, surely, but it wasn't his fault he caught on me. He was more than willing to put his whole stack in as a huge dog, I should be praising him. It's what I wanted (want) him to do. It just sucked a lot that he caught.

2)The following day, less than 12 hours later, I was back at the felt, having put the huge loss behind me and proceeded to make over four times what I had lost the previous night. It really felt great. Played the best poker of my life and caught hands when I needed to...simple, really. I'm quite proud of myself for putting the previous session behind me and proceeding to crush the game that I was in. Those 2 things, being able to sustain a big loss and taking it like a professional and being able to bounce back immediately are two important traits in a poker player and I'm thrilled to know that I possess them both.

Last weekend, I had an extra couple of days off, due to the holiday, so it seemed like a good time to take off and go play some cards and clear my head. Off to Sandia I go, Saturday morning. I fly in, the resort picks me up and puts me up in a gorgeous suite that facing the mountain and overlooks the beautiful golf course they have there. Nice start to the weekend, lemme tell ya.

I head down to the poker room and they have a "meh" kinda 1/2 NL game going, and while it doesn't look that great (read: no real deep stacks), I have a few hours to kill before my room is made up and ready, so I decide to sit.

Within the first 45 mins, I'm down 3 1/2 buyins. Yay, this is fun. Flopped straights losing to rivered higher straights, flopped straights losing to rivered flushes, boat losing to rivered higher boat. Yeah, poker is fun, lemme tell you...

But, there was a silver lining. There was this kid in the 1 seat who was beyond belief. He would raise every single hand...blind. I mean, the kid got dealt two cards, would place a chip on them, then when the action got to him, he'd raise. BLIND! 9 out of 10 hands he would do this. And another 9 our of 10 times, he'd make a continuation bet blind as well, having never once looked at his cards. And man, he was catching cards. But by doing this, he made most everyone at the table play much worse and much looser than they normally would, as they were trying to "catch" him. I, on the other hand, was completely card dead. And since this kid was willing to push his whole stack in, blind, I knew I needed something resembling a real hand to go up against him. Oh and I was stuck a chunk already too and didn't want to start my weekend off in a HUGE hole that would take all weekend to climb out. So I decided to wait for a real hand. I didn't know that that would take upwards of 4 hours.

During that 4 hours, one dealer managed to piss off the kid enough to chase him from the game. The kid, "Gil" from here out, mucked out-of-turn two hands in-a-row, and when warned the second time, got pissed off at the dealer. Now, the dealer was well within his/her right to press the point, but come on, Gil is driving the game. Just STFU and go easy on him, PLEASE?!? I even tried to coalesce Gil by telling him the dealer would be out of the box in @ 13 mins. He didn't care. He racked up and left. I told him to take care and enjoyed playing with him, hoping he'd come back. Then I turned my attention to the dealer, shooting a look that told'em that I was really fucking pissed that they ran off my easiest chance to get unstuck. While I didn't say anything verbal, I think the dealer caught the point. Later on, after the dealer's down was over, I did take'em aside and asked, that, in the future, to please try and be more diplomatic when reprimanding a player for an infraction. The dealer was receptive, so hopefully this won't happen again.

About 45 mins later, another player had just left Gil's seat and this B & M rookie took their place on my direct right. Poor kid. He said he'd played in home games and such, but really had a deer-in-the-headlights look about him. He also said that he was waiting for a seat in the 2/4 LHE game to open up too. So not 10 mins after he sat, who came back into the room to put his name on the list? None other than Gil himself. I saw this and when Gil left the room, with his name 1st on the list (keep in mind that this was at 10am), I asked the kid if he'd get up from his seat for $20. He was like, "huh?!?". I then asked him again and he turned me down. The very next hand, the kid got stacked by another player and rebought short. Tsk tsk...should have taken the offer, kiddo. Oh well, after another 20 mins or so, his seat at the 2/4 LHE game opened and the seat came open for Gil. GAME ON!

I proceeded to muck damn near everything for over an hour as Gil got more and more chips. A little while later, I'm UTG, but talking to a friend the table behind me and just throw the $2 into the pot, blind. One other limper and then Gil pushes his whole stack (about 2 buy-ins) in the pot, from the BB. I look down to find A3o and decide that my Ace was good enough to gamble with. Right or wrong, I only had about $150 infront of me, so why not...I'm already stuck over $700...plus I really figured that my A-high was better than a random hand, so let's gamboooooooool! The rest of the table and we see a flop of Q42r heads up. The turn brings a Q. River pairs the 4 and MHIG!

Ok, now that I have at least a little something to play with, I finally start catching some hands. Next orbit, I pick up QQ in the SB. Gil raised on the button and I just called, hoping he'd get frisky on the flop, assuming no A or K flopped. While not a standard play, Gil is still playing it blind and I wanted a safe flop before playing a big pot against him, now that I have a stack that has at least a little "oomph" behind it. One other player tagged along (maybe it was a mistake to just call the raise now, but at the time, I thought it was the right play). We see a flop of Q85r. BOOM! Now, normally, I'd bet right out here, but with Gil last to act, he was sure to fire at this bad boy...and fire he did. Both MP and myself checked and Gil didn't bet...HE PUSHED! I insta-called, knowing that MP was long gone and he tables a set of 5's. Apparently, Gil looked at his cards at some point...something I was keenly aware that he hadn't been doing. Nonetheless, a couple of bricks on the turn and river and MHIG again.

Over the next 3-4 hours, Gil rebought another 3-4 times after that, 2 of them he lost to me, and the rest to the rest of the table and after 10 hours of play, I was unstuck and showing a profit for the trip. When Gil left, the game tightened up considerably and it was time for me to go take a nap until 2am or so, so I could be fresh when all the stuck players are playing tired and trying to get unstuck.

And with that, I headed up to my suite and crashed out, not knowing the roller coaster that awaited me the follwing 2+ days.

We'll continue this tomorrow night...until then, play well!

Welcome!

2006-06-12T22:18:00.000-05:00

Wow...didn't expect to see so many visitors. 400 the last couple of days. Enjoy your stay, read a little, and feel free to leave a comment. No, but really, leave a comment ;)

Poker is fun...

2006-06-10T05:53:00.002-05:00

I have traditionally not fared well at online poker. I am a much, much better live player. I use Poker Tracker and also PA Hud as well for stats and overlay, but I still am not anywhere near as good as I want to be. I really think there are people that were meant to play live and those, online. Felix, apparently, is the former. So about 6 weeks ago, I swore off online poker until I could get someone to sweat me for a few sessions and see if maybe I have some leaks, online, that I just can't find.

That was until the big tourney win. Then I figured, ahhh what the hell, $400 and I vow to not play NL nor anything higher than 2/4 limit. Just work on my game and grind it out, which, I truly enjoy. So I deposit $400 into one of my online poker accounts, Monday.

Well, the first day, I book a $35 win 3-tabling, which seems to be the most I can play comfortably and play my "A" game. Or what I think is my "A" game. I read that there are those that 8-table and some more than that! That really astounds me. I mean, come on, I'm part of the videogame generation and I can't fathom that. I know it's happening, but it still blows me away. Anyway, over the next 3 days, I just CRUSH the game to the tune of 165BB's. For the math challenged, that's $660 at 2/4, in 4 days, in 2,100 hands. Or almost 8 BB/100 which is sick good. And completely unsustainable. But, needless to say, it did help with the confidence.

I had promised myself, that under no circumstances, would I move up above 2/4 until I hit $1,000 in the online 'roll. I did NOT expect it to only take 4 freaking days at 2/4. I mean, COME ON!?!

So, even though I hit my mark, I decided to stay at 2/4, because no matter how good my limit game is and how much better than the players I may feel that I am at that level, I know that to win that much, that quick, is a big chunk of variance. So I want more hands at 2/4 before I move. Felix can be smart on occasion ;)

I was playing a few tables of 2/4 and one of the low limit idiots starts running his mouth. Now, normally, I just ignore them and target them as a donkey and someone who wants to give their money to me. But for some reason, I wanted to goad him a little. And I tell him, "nh, superstar" when he shows down 86o in MP with a turned 6 which wins a meager pot. He took the bait. He starts mouthing off, talking all kinds of smack. The table starts "lol"ing him and it sends him off even more, talking about wanting to play anyone heads up for a $1k freezeout, yadda yadda. "Ok kiddo, you're on!", I say. He asks what stakes. I tell him to choose. Then I say, "Wait a minute...You probably don't have that much. How about $500, you might actually have that much." He starts calling me names. I ask him, "Why is it you low limit idiots are always talking shit and wanting to play huge limits (compared to what you're playing right now) heads up with people? Is your dick THAT small? *important to not that on this particular site, my icon is female* He then replies that I'm too chickshit to play and that I have no balls. "Newsflash, I'm female and you're right, I don't have balls." And with that, the entire erupts in laughter and that sends him right over the edge. He tells me I don't have that much money to play him *on and on he goes* So I bring $500 to the 2/4 table to try and goad him some more. It works. He does the same. I tell him, "Ok, Superstar, pick the table." He asks me what stakes. I tell him you choose. He says 15/30, I say fine and I find an empty table. I tell him the name and he sits with the $500. I sit with $500 and I ask him how I know he's not going to run away if he wins the first few hands? He tells me "freezeout", but I don't expect him to sit the whole time. I win the first hand, then 30 hands later, he is BUSTO!!! Here is what it looked like:

Mouthing off doesn't pay

Poker is fun. Cheers!

Thirty-One

2006-06-08T01:36:00.000-05:00

Well, another year is in the books folks. The best way to describe how I feel...hmmmm...Imagine you're in a car, by yourself, with quite a drive in front of you, you're on a fairly deserted highway and it's pouring down rain. There's crap on the radio (XM if you're smart) and overall, you're not really thrilled having to drive thru all of it. Then, suddenly, one of your favorite songs comes on, the rain starts letting up, and off in the distance, you can see a break in the clouds and see a little bit of sunshine. Then it dawns on you...It's not all doom and gloom! You realize that it's gonna clear up, and in the end, you're gonna be just fine, clear sailing the rest of your trip. Yeah, that about sums it up.

I am very much NOT where I want to be, both literally and figuratively. Still hate my job, still hate my personal situation, still not 'where I wanna be' and it's so damn frustrating. I hate that 99% of the people I know, here in town, wouldn't miss me if I left tomorrow. I hate that I really don't have any real close friends. Hell, I haven't had any since I left the Marine Corps back in 2001. At the same time, I think it's by my own doing, in a sense that, I'm not where I want to be, therefore, I don't want to put down roots and make any attachments that I can't leave behind when I finally am able to get to my going place. But in the mean time, damn it's a lonely, cold place here, even with the temperature over 100 degrees outside. Yet, at the same time, I kinda welcome the solidarity. It's like an old friend that you don't have to say anything to, for this friend knows just what your thinking and feeling. But, on the other hand, there is a silver lining just around the corner. I can see it. But it frustrates me to no end that I can't reach it yet. Just a little while longer and I can, but my inner 3 year-old wants it and he wants it now, DAMN IT!!!

A whole lot has changed since last year when I started this voyage. More than I care to share with the world quite yet. There are a few things that have not though, and for those, I'm very grateful. I still plan on stepping out on my own, trying to make it playing cards for a living. Unfortunately, it's had to be pushed back, obviously, cause May done come and gone and here I am, still at the ole 9-5, so-to-speak. But, there have been some good things that have come of it. While I'm not going to get into my personal details right now, from a poker standpoint, my game has never been better than it is now. And it's ever improving, getting to a point that I feel comfortable in any setting, at limits that I didn't expect to be comfortable at, this soon. (could I have a worse run-on sentence, sheesh)

Since we last spoke, essentially, January, I have won two live tournaments, one being the biggest single score, thus far. $7,365 win. That felt gooooooooooood! That was the NM State Poker Championship. Still holding out hope it'll make its way into PokerPages and/or Cardplayer. Hey, I'll take it...You would too! ;)

One other thing that has changed about my goals and future plans is that I have decided to start dealing poker after I leave my current career. While some may scoff at the notion of becoming a "lowly dealer", I don't think there has ever been a profession better suited to me. First off, notice the difference in terms I used. My current job, or career is just that. It's my work that I do in return for an amount of money. Whereas, a profession is a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive preparation. To become a [I]professional[/I] in your desired path. Subtle, but significant. IMO, there are two different ways to think of one's chosen path: job or profession. I want to be the best dealer I can be. Again, scoff as you may, I really think I would be happiest dealing cards. And you know what? I'm really ok with that. Oh, and the pay is pretty solid as well. To each their own, and if it makes me happy and I don't dread going to work on a daily basis, that, folks, is worth more than money. It's worth a whole lot more. Even so, it's still a means to an end. I don't plan on dealing forever. Just long enough to get me comfortable to where I can take the plunge. I think it's a great way to ease into it as well.

So, without setting any hard and fast deadlines, I don't plan on being where I am right now, writing in here, this time next year. Moving on and moving up.

To sum it up, a song really come to mind: "Babygirl" by Sugarland.

"I know that I'm on my way.
Well, I can tell every time I play.
An' I know it's worth all the dues I pay,
When I can write to you and say:

"Dear Mom and Dad,
"I'll send money. I'm so rich that it ain't funny.
"Well it oughtta be more than enough to get you through.
"Please don't worry 'cause I'm all right,
"See, I'm stayin' here at the Ritz tonight
"Whaddya know, we made our dreams come true."

I miss you very very much, Mom. I know you'd understand. I love you.

New Mexico has a State Poker Championship?

2006-06-05T00:55:00.000-05:00

For only a $100 buy-in? Who knew? Well, I didn't until Memorial Weekend, when I took a 5-day trip to try and really get my bankroll healthy. When I got to Sandia, I saw this 2.5 foot trophy and knew they were having some kinda tournament. The '2006 New Mexico State Poker Championship' was at stake. Hmmmm.

So after about 7 hours on Memorial Day, I ended up being the last man standing and won the trophy and all the money that went with it. I now have entered a total of 7 live tournaments in my life. I've won 2, final tabled 5 and crashed and burned in 2. And to think, I really don't like tourneys.

Who knew, eh?

Back and better than ever

2006-01-05T04:13:00.000-06:00

I'm back playing again. After a long hiatus (6 weeks), I'm back. I didn't quit due to losing, just life made the choice for me. So if any of y'all are still reading, I'll be here much much more often now. And if not, I guess I go back to writing this for my original reasons....

Just like "Fast" Eddie Felson said in "The Color of Money": "If I don't whoop ya now, I'll whoop ya the next month or the month after that....Hey... I'm back!"

Computer done died...

2005-12-09T22:03:00.000-06:00

Woe...

My computer essentially died upon my return my my trip to Phoenix, hence the hiatus. I just last night got the new one built and up and running...I will update here this weekend.

Talk to you all soon.

-Felix

Online plateau...

2005-11-11T14:03:00.000-06:00

So, it's been a bit of a rollercoater ride this week. See, I've been home sick with a nasty viral infection that has be pretty much in the prone position...anything more vertical than that and it's quite uncomfortable. So, since I'm home all day and all night for a week, what else am I supposed to do? I mean, come on, how much day time TV can one kitty kat take?

So to make a long story short, I laughed, I cried, I had lots of hot tea 'n soup. Also, I have made a decent amount on money playing online, but I seem to have hit a plateau. I am hovering around the same amount now, no matter what I do. If I multi-table, I still stay around the same BR #. If I play one table, same thing. So maybe taking a little break from online might be in order. I mean, while I have kinda spun my tires of late, I have done well with rakeback and I am one of the top 200 point earners this month on Full Tilt, so maybe I'll have enough points so that I can coast to qualify for their $28,000 free roll tourney for the top 500 point earners for the month of November. I have the "big" game tomorrow, so maybe that will be just what the doctor ordered, a break from online plus a chance to see if I can have a repeat performance of last week.

Part 2 of "The Slacker"

2005-11-07T14:35:00.000-06:00

I think I have finally rounded the corner. I went thru a phase where I just didn't feel like posting. Not because I haven't been winning (actually have had my 3 biggest wins of my life during this stretch), but just haven't been in the mood to write. Then, when I was in the mood, I just felt overwhelmed by having not posted in so long, that when I did get in the mood, I felt there was just too much to have to update, so I didn't. But I think that I have turned the corner and while they may not always be long and hugely drawn out posts, I will now regularly update. I know you all have heard that before, but it no longer feels like a 'chore' that it sometimes did. I am anxious to update now. That being said, I am going to just highlight (in bullet form) the last month or so. Sooooooo, w/o further adieu:

***Went to Albuquerque. Met up with some great people (Reuben, Lee, Mike 'n Mike). Won over $2k in 2 days. Day one, bought in for $300 and cashed out $100 short of a rack of green (rack of green chips = $2500). I guess that equates to "crushing" the game, no?

***Continued to beat my regular $1/$2 PLHE game like a drum. Routinely taking $300-$1000 off the table a night.

*** Have played in the local $5/$10 NLHE game and have found myself up fairly big both times and both times have lost most of it with the 2nd nut flush. Lesson learned here.

***Made another trip to Albuquerque and though I lost on the trip ($400), felt I played great. Did have my highest finish ever in a MTT though...179 entries ($35+$5), I took 4th place. Final table paid, so I tried to get aggressive near the bubble and found myself on the dominated side both times against short stacks: A8s vs ATo and K8s vs KTo. Both times, I rivered a straight to bust them out. Then, at the final table, I went to it with the 2nd biggest stack (@15% of the chips in play) while the leader had @40-50% of the chips in play). Busted a guy when my 55 hit a straight on the turn vs an unimproved AQo. Then went card dead and busted out in 4th. Not too bad for a non-tourney player though, imo. Paid $421...tipped the dealers the $21 and was a little disappointed...1st paid $1800. Won by one of the dealer's there, Benny. Good guy...he played great too. Good for him!

***Came back from said trip and finally got "serious" about online poker. Signed up thru a buddy with Full Tilt and have loved it. Also was able to land Poker Academy Pro 2 for free thru a sign-up "gift" on Bodog. Love that program. And love both of those sites. Bodog is incredibly soft and Full Tilt is not the rock garden many say it is. Deposited $600 in each and built it up to almost $3k mostly by multi-tabling 10/20 or 3/6NL on Bodog. Then took a shot at 15/30 and one at 20/40. Oops. There went that $3k. During that stretch, I did take $800 off of David Williams at a 3/6 NL table on Bodog and took $600 off of Richard Brodie at a 15/30 game on Full Tilt. My two brushes with celebrities. Richard Brodie is the guy who wrote Microsoft Word. More money than God. Asked him how a guy with his $$$ can play 15/30 and take it seriously. He said it's easy...he hates to lose and doesn't have the "stress" of worrying about losing some money, so he can play and not sweat the money. Made sense, I guess, just that I think it would be hard to play it straight up...kinda like me trying my best at a 2/4 table...notsomuch.

Anyway, made a promise to myself that I would not play any higher than 10/20 until my BR could afford a "shot" at the higher tables. I thought I played well, possibly a little too aggressively, but ran into a guy, heads-up, who ate my lunch. He outplayed me and was catching cards like a madman. Methinks I will stay away from HU play and higher limits than I can afford...not a smart combination. Glad it only cost me, in essence, $1200 for that lesson. Foolish, maybe, but a good lesson none-the-less.

***During the above losses, I took a 1/2 day at work last Friday (Oct 28) and played in the local tourney...$60 with a $20 rebuy and a $20 add-on. I never rebought, but did do the add-on, and wouldn't ya know that this non-tourney playing fool won the damn thing!?! $875 and my first ever MTT win :-) That felt GREAT! My last two tourneys then were a 4th place and a win...luck? Probably, but still, not a bad little run.

So that brings us up to this past weekend. The Skirt was out of town so it was going to be a poker-filled weekend (like it's not normally?) Anyhow, Friday was non-descript, though I couldn't play in the tourney to defend my title as I had to work the whole shift.

I then played on Saturday in the 5/10 NLHE game knowing that every time I had played in it previously, I had gotten up a considerable amount and pissed it away on a foolish trap hand. I was determined to not do that this time.

So I go and buy in for $300. I took a friend's advice (rapidfireweasel) and had plenty in my pocket to make sure that I could withstand any swings and started at @ 230 pm. I was determined to play my absolute best and if I did, be happy with the results, whether they were good or bad. The table is a beautiful mix of very loose and some very bad players, although my nemesis, Alex, is there. He is your prototype LAG, but a very very good one. He can read hands very well and release ones that are losers. Very tough to play against.

So, after folding most of my hands, I look down to find two black J's in the BB. The table has some REAL loose players, so I was hoping one of them would raise and I could push my remaining $200. One of them in LP did raise to $40 and I pushed, trying to take down the $100 pot there and feeling confident that if the raiser called, I was ahead anyway. It folded around to him and he called. He flips over KK and I rebought for $300 more.

There were 3 hands that really stand out as hands that I felt I played really well and/or had a big impact on my day:

An orbit around the table after the above hand, I have $300 and I decide to straddle the BB for $20. The following should let you know the kind of soft game this is...it is 10-handed and all but one person called the straddle. I look down to find A5o and check my option to raise. Flop comes A33r. The blinds check and I check. It checks around. So we go to the turn with $180 in the pot and 9 players still in it. Turn brings an Ace. I now am ahead of everything buy 33. The blinds check and I check, knowing that I will get a bet from someone eventually. It checks around. River brings a blank with 9 people still in it and still $180 in the pot. The blinds check and I check as well, convinced that someone will make a stab at the pot and at worst, I'll split and take my $90. Checked around to Alex who bets the pot. BINGO! But what is even better, the player to my left, Kempy (read previous posts about him) calls. I push my $300 or so and they both fold. Muy Bueno. I was quite pleased about the play and my read knowing someone would try and steal that pot. I felt that I wasn't really risking much by checking it, but could win a bunch if someone did try to steal at it.

The next hand happened about an hour after that...

I am on the button with A8d. 3 callers and a raise to $35 from the worst player at the table. I call as do the other 3 callers. $175 and 5 players to the flop of A74 with 2 diamonds. That is about the best flop I could have seen for my hand. It's checked to the original raiser who bets out $50. Me and Alex (EP) call. Turn brings a gorgeous Kd. Alex checks and the same player now bets out $125. I smooth call, hoping Alex will come on in. He does. River brings a brick: 5s. They both now check and I give the impression that I am confused. I think that Alex has a flush, but a weak one and no clue what the other guy has...he could have been betting and raising with anything from KK to air. Who knows. I just want to bet enough that I can get a caller here. There is @$700 in the pot...I have about $800 in front of me...I fire out $200. To my shock and glee, they BOTH call. I turn over the nuts and Alex mucks. The other guy shows me his KK for a set and mucks. Niiiiiiice. Alex tells me he had 2nd nuts. See, I learn :)

I say I learn then this hand comes up nearly 3 2 hours later. I'm in the CO with 9Td. 3 callers, again, and the same maniac raises to $35. I call as does the button and 2 others. Flop comes AJ6 with A and J being diamonds. It's checked to the maniac who checks, but says to the table that next card, he is betting his whole $500. He is known to bet that much in the dark (love this game), so we all believe him and hence, no one opens up the betting on the flop to give him a chance to do so now. Turn brings the Kd yet again. So I now have the 2nd nut flush. It's checked to the maniac who is good to his word and pushes the $500. Kempy folds and I gotta call. Folded around and maniac says "there's the flush", to which I respond, "Yes, sir". "Well, I have 4 outs I guess" and tables A6o for two pair. A brick on the river and MHIG. He then leaves. Bummer...>:)

I left shortly there after up nearly $2,000. That was my single biggest day to date. And I am chomping at the bit to go back. Me thinks that I will become a regular in that game now...3 times I have been up big ($1000) and 2 times I pissed it away. I think I have learned how NOT to do that now. One can hope anyway....

Yesterday, I had a $7,000 freeroll tournament on Full Tilt due to being one of the Top 1,500 point earners during the month of October...I only played the final week of October...nice. First place was $1400 and the Top 3 places paid something worth it...the rest, down to the final paid spot was meh, $14.

I got seated at a table in which I was the only person there. The rest were on "auto-fold". Well, isn't that nice...I was able to raise every hand and take it down for the first 4 levels and built my stack up to the tourney leader of T14,000. Then once I busted out most of the auto-folders, 4 of the top 9 others in chip counts got moved to my table. Figures, eh? We battled it out for awhile and when we got down to 90 of the 500 in it, I got moved to a new table. I started getting uber-aggressive near the button as everyone tightened up...why they tightened up I know not, as 81st place paid that whopping $14. I was able to steal some pots and then went all-in once we made the money and was outdrawn on the river to be put out in 70th place and got paid $15.40. I know, I know...slow down there Felix...I know.

So here we are, sick as a dog, laid up in a blanket, finally updating this damn thing. I made back most of what I lost this past couple of weeks. Funny, here I was bummed that I had hit a high-mark for my bankroll, 2 months ahead of schedule, and have pissed too much of it away trying to hit-n-run games too high for me, but I still have eclipsed the $$$ mark that was my goal come Christmas. Still, nothing higher than 10/20 online for awhile...promise.

Oh, one last thing...I have a trip lined up to go down to Phoenix and play in what is to become my "home", Casino Arizona, with 2 fellow poker professional friends of mine. I can not wait. This should be a blast of a trip. Dan, Mike, and Felix...game on!

Part 1 of "The Slacker"

2005-10-12T01:29:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a slacker. Well, that's not really true. I know that you all know that life can sometimes get in the way of things and that is pretty much how things have been the last couple of weeks. Between work and actually playing cards, I really have not had much time to do much of anything else. Just ask the skirt. Funny thing is, as good as I've been running and playing, you'd think I'd immediately want to get on here and brag it up some...see, I really have been busy ;)

So, we last left our Hero when he was about to have a full weekend of poker, starting with Friday night. Well, to be honest, the weekend was really kinda blah, both in play, results, and in general. Friday really was nothing to write home about *heh* as I took home about a $60 profit.

Saturday was my first foray into the "big" game, the $5/$10 NLHE game in which there are some seriously deep pockets, not to mention be a game that Amarillo Slim himself used to play up until last year (it'd be cool if he ever started playing in there again). I got there about 230pm and the table was already full, so I sat around, watching and waiting for a seat. The place was nice, esp. for an underground card room, but the smoke was a bummer. Call me spoiled, but I kinda had gotten used to the non-smoking rooms and casinos that I frequent. The table had 4 familiar faces and 6 others that I had never seen before. I finally got to meet "Kempy". Older than Methuselah and more money than God, from what I'm told. The guy really is a trip, not to mention a relic. He and Jack (it's Jack's place) told a few stories about the "old days" back when they used to play with Slim all the time yadda yadda. It was worth the price of admission just to hear some of the stories. Great stuff. Anyway, after about an hour or so, I got a seat and bought in for the minimum $300 which I was told was the normal buy-in for everyone until the older fellas get stuck...once they do, watch out. Time to Gamboooooooool!!!

I really didn't get much the first hour or so, which was probably for the best as I was as nervous as........well, let's just say that it took about 3 or 4 hours to relax. During those first 3 or 4 hours, I tried to bully out my old nemesis Alex (the guy who called me down with 34o and started my serious introspection about 6 weeks ago), and failed to do so. So down $600, I bought in for a final $300 and decided that enough was enough and stopped playing like a scared girl. Once I got my head out of my ass and relaxed, I started to play my game and started winning. The only memorable hand, which I'm sure will bring some discussion (I hope) is the following:

I am in the SB and after 4 callers of the $10 BB, I look down to find a sexy pair of red Kings. I'm sitting on a stack of about $500 and decided to pop it for a pot-sized raise of @ $60. The only caller is Kempy with his unmistakable southern drawl of "Eye callllll". Now he could be calling with literally any 2 cards, so I was not too concerned by his calling. The flop comes 972 all diamonds. Not exactly ideal, but I figured I still had the best hand, and if I didn't, I had outs, as I had the Kd. I went ahead and overbet the pot, I bet $250, wanting to take it down right there. You can imagine my surprise and displeasure when he just called my bet, leaving him about $90 left. The turn brings a blank and I check. Kempy goes ahead and gets the rest of it in there and I can't help but call, getting better than 7:1 on my call. We turn the cards up and you just know he had 63d for the flush. I need a diamond like you can't believe and what does the river bring? The most beautiful Ace of Diamonds ya ever saw ;) Hey, I'm allowed to draw out once in a while right?

So that hand had me up a little bit for the day, sitting on @ $1000. After a little bit longer, I'm up to about $1200 and I am thinking about leaving, heading to my regular game. As I am sitting there contemplating leaving, I get dealt a hand in which I trapped myself making a poor read for most of my stack. I don't want to go into it, I'll just make a long story short. I got my money in with the 2nd nut hand (K-high flush) and read my opponent for a set, but he had the nuts. Ain't that a bitch. It's my own fault anyway. If I am going to draw to a flush in NLHE, it damn sure should be the nut flush. Idiot. I was pissed at myself for that and after about 2 mins, decided to win my money back. I started building it back when the game got short-handed, just 4 of us. I knew that I could run over the table with aggression, so that is what I started doing. Unfortunately, the game broke before I could get much momentum and I cashed out a meager $303, for a net loss of $597. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

I then proceeded to compound that mistake by going to play in my $1/$2 PL game. Here I am stuck almost $600 and I decide to go play in a game that is for 20% the stakes I was just playing. Needless to say, I played to try and win back what I lost and proceeded to drop another $200 playing like an idiot. Serves me right, trying to do that. So I quit for the weekend down $797. Nice. All this coming the weekend before my next trip to Albuquerque. I could have turned a big loss into a decent win if only I had quit a little bit earlier. Well, I promise you that this was a lesson learned. I was determined to prove that the following weekend in New Mexico.

Cause ya never know...

2005-10-03T00:35:00.000-05:00

I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 7393699

He's baaaack!

2005-09-24T14:26:00.000-05:00

Actually, I never left. Just got too bogged down with work and life to put in the quality time here. Sorry, y'all. With that out of the way, onto the last week or so...

I woke up last Friday with this compelling urge to not go to work. You know, anal glaucoma (can't see my ass going to work). Well, I cut a deal with myself that if I work a half day, I'll play in the weekly tournament ($60 entry, $20 rebuy and a $20 add-on). So I battle my way thru a half-day at work and make it to the tournament only missing 3 hands. Not bad. I happen to get seated at the hardest table in the tourney too. We had Tony, who is a real solid tourney player (knocked out Phil Helmuth at this year's $2,000 Omaha 8/b WSOP tourney), Gary, Shannon, and a few others. Oh fun! I didn't make it til the 2nd break. *sigh* I really need to stick to cash games. Oh wait, haven't I said that before? So I donated $100 to start my night. Yay!

Now that I was knocked out of the tourney, a $1/$2 PL Dealer's Choice game started and I sat down. Bought in for $150 and proceeded to make a profit of $600 that night. The details are a little sketchy at this point, but the number is right, and hey, that's the important thing.

Saturday was a long day. I had thoughts of heading to the big Saturday NLHE game ($5 and $10 blinds), but had made a promise to myself that I would not go until I had made $2000 in my playing bankroll. I had a little over $1700 (from the last 4 weekends or so) so I stayed away. I keep hearing stories that it's very beatable if you don't mind "gamboooooooling". We will see, I guess.

I ended up heading out to my regular Saturday night game at @ 6pm. For the first 3 hours they only have a 3/6 game with a 5/10 kill. I sat with a rack of white chips ($100) and in the next hour, I proceeded to lose $97 of it and never scoop a single pot. Why I keep trying to make moves against 3/6 calling stations is beyond me. And about the time I bought in for another rack, I had a little talk with myself (more like I sat there and listened to myself reprimand myself). Apparently I listened because within the next 2 hours, I had built up my stack to @ $350 ($150 profit). About this time, the 1/2 PL dealer's choice game started up. Well, I didn't want to be the reason the 3/6 game broke up (they were down to 6 with me in it), so I stayed and played for a little bit longer until it just got painful to listen to one of the older players try to dress me down for betting a hand in which I didn't have a made hand, yet, but was a 60% favorite to hit my hand and win. Never ever ever try to argue with a nit, dammit.

After a few more hands, I decided I had had enough and moved to the 1/2 PL game and had a blast. I was able to make some moves and I hit some hands and before I knew it, I was up to around $800 in my stack. Two hands stick with me that I thought I would post to remind myself that sometimes, luck does roll my way and other people can get cold-decked.

The first hand here is against Mario, the guy who crushed me the previous weekend with quads over quads. He had made another killing in the above mentioned 5/10 NLHE game earlier in the day and came to play in the 1/2 PL game here. He had about $300 in front of him, I had about $400 in front of me. He's UTG and raises max to $12. Two callers and I'm in LP and find A4s. I call. Everyone else folds ($48 pot). Flop comes a ridiculous 235r. I flopped the wheel (Ace thru five straight). Mario bets out a pot-sized bet ($50). One other player calls. I raise it another $200, figuring the pot is big enough that I don't mind taking it down right there, but if I get a caller, I think if the board doesn't pair, I can take a HUGE pot. But I really expected to win the hand right then and there. To my surprise, Mario says, "Well, I guess I'll go home early tonight" and calls! With his preflop raise and crying call, I figure he had to have a big pocket pair (PP). The other player folded and my $200 raise was enough to set him all in and so once the other player folded, we turned up our cards. I show my made straight and he flips up KK. The turn and river don't help him and I take down a good sized pot.

The other hand was about 6 hands later and I was still on a heater. I know that I did not play this "right" and that I had the wrong odds etc. but sometimes, I just know it's coming. Yes, I know this sounds like total B.S., but while my play is based in math, I like to trust my gut instincts. It is almost NEVER wrong.

I get dealt 33 in the CO. 3 players had called and I limped for the $2. Cody, on my left, on the button, raised max to $12. One caller and I called. The flop came 567r. I flopped a gutshot straight and nothing else. The EP player checked as did I. Cody bet $20 into a $39 pot. EP folded and I should have folded. I didn't. I knew what was coming. Seriously, I knew it was. I called and you know a 4 came on the turn. Sure, I had the idiot end of the straight, but I damn sure knew that Cody didn't have an 8 betting it the way he did. I checked the turn and he went all in with his last $80 and I called and needless to say, the river didn't help him and I took down the pot. While I wouldn't advise making this play, it paid off, wrong as it was. I officially became the table villain at this point. People were gunning for me, not respecting my preflop raises and such, but it only helped build my stack up to almost a grand.

It was when I eclipsed $1000 stack that I should have left. Did I? Nooooooooooo. I wanted to try to "fight thru" the fact that I had been getting cold cards for about an hour and a half. Three hours later, I was down to $700 ($500 profit for the night) and finally called, "Uncle!" and quit for the night. Funny thing was that all I could think about was how poorly I had played the last couple of hours and how irritated I was at myself for staying longer than I should have. Hopefully that is another lesson learned. I spewed back $300 in chips trying to "fight thru it". Dummy. Time will tell if I learn to not do that any more.

On Sunday, I took the day off and promised the skirt that I would work next weekend to make some extra income for the house and not just the bankroll. I enjoyed a lazy day of doing nothing of importance and tried to refuel for the upcoming week at work. Little did I know what work was going to entail...make a long story short, a $10,000 part got messed up due to a miscommunication from my boss to our crew and he tried to run me up the flag pole. That did not sit well with me and I called him on it in front of his boss. After 3 days of being pissed off at work, my supervisor made a public apology to me and hopefully that is the end of that. Though, I am switching crews to work under a guy who will go to bat for his people and who I have a better shot of getting promoted from. Funny, I am trying to get promoted, yet I plan on leaving in a few months...hey, I can still try though, right?

I played a little on Tuesday night at a home game after work. It also happened to be the night that all of that happened at work. I did it as a test to see if I could block everything out while I played cards. I got there and it was 5 handed, with me being the 5th. It was a single $2 blind, NLHE game. I was able to completely focus on the game and tune "life" out and banked a little $60 win after a couple of hours. That was a nice boost after having such a shitty day at work. That also put my current playing bankroll to just over $2300 for the month playing no higher than $1/$2 pot-limit. It's not my entire bankroll, just the one I'm playing my local games with. The rest of it goes into savings to save it up for "the move" in May.

I was asked by my soon-to-be supervisor, yesterday, if I wanted to work this weekend. Well, I had promised the skirt that I would, but I told him no, not after the week I had, no thanks. I then called the skirt and she came up with this deal...I can play all weekend, but the first $250 I make goes to the house to cover the money I would have made by working Saturday. Sounded fair to me, so I have a game tonight, the big game tomorrow afternoon, my regular 1/2 PL game Saturday night, and also a game on Sunday. Should prove for a long, but fun weekend. I'm very curious to see/play the game on Saturday. I'll try and write up each days events this weekend, at the end of each night. No more lapses, ok? ;)

Turning Point

2005-09-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

So here I am, at 6:15pm on a Sunday, the second week into the NFL season and I really do not miss watching football. WTF, over?

Seriously, though, I don't entirely miss it. Sure, if it's on and I don't have anything else going on, I'll sit and enjoy a game, but it just doesn't have the hold on me like it used to. I guess with all that is going on in my life right now, I have realized that there really is more to life than just sitting there, watching 10 hours of football on one of my only 2 days off a week. It's kind of refreshing not "having" to sit and watch the games. This is due, in part, to me being too busy to play fantasy football this year. Well, that, as well as getting my personal life in order and getting serious about my poker playing, all of which have had a big impact on me making better use of my time. Novel, eh?

Well, about the weekends play...Friday I went up and played some $1/$2 PLHE. Once again, I felt completely in control at the table. Made some good plays and was able to cash in on my bigger hands to the tune of a $271 win for the night. Not bad for 3 hours work.

Saturday, well, was exciting. It started out by me getting a phone call from my buddy, Randy, saying that he wanted to come with and play some low limit hold'em. While I really thought he would not fare well, I did not mind bringing him along. So, around 6pm, we met up at the game and I introduced him to my "main" poker room. He was nervous, but settled in after a short bit. As they were bringing back limit hold'em, some of the older regulars came back to play. We decided to play some 3/6 w/ a 5/10 kill. I started out crushing the game, applying all that I have learned the last few months, but after about 2 hours and guys calling capped preflop with 24o and cracking me, I was down about $140. No biggie, I figured. I just hoped they kept playing those hands and they did. Poor Randy got into two big hands with me when I held KK and a flopped set and I pretty much sent him packing, down about $150. But he must have had fun as he asked if he could come back. By all means, bro, sure. I was pleasantly surprised by his play, too. He held his own, but just ran into some big hands.

After those two big hands and a few others here and there, I quit the 3/6 to go play in the 1/2 PL dealer's choice game down only $40 for the night. I was happy with the come back, but was hoping some of the weaker players would leave the 3/6 as well and test the waters in the PL game. Alas, they stayed away. :( The good news, though, was that some weak players did find their way into our game and after about 4 hours, I found myself sitting on a stack of $573 ($200 of it was my investment) for the night. About this time, the following hand came up. Whatcha think?

$1/$2 PL Omaha 8/b:

I am in LP with AJJ6 double suited. I call the $2 and limp, as do 4 others, including the blinds (Pot: $10). Flop comes QQJ. Nice. It's checked around to me where I bet pot. I get one caller (Pot $30). Turn brings an impossible J, giving me quad Jacks. I bet out $15 and Mario calls (Pot: $60). River brings an interesting K for a board of KQQJJ (there was no flush possible) and me holding quad Jacks. I bet out $15 and Mario thinks for a few seconds and raises me another $50. I stop for about 0.1845 seconds to evaluate the hand and decide to reraise pot (another $190). I hesitate for a few seconds before I make the move to reraise and he insta-reraises me again. I know he doesn't have enough left to make a full raise (he had another $92), so I insta-call and you know what happens, don't you? Yes, my quad Jacks got their arms ripped off and then soundly beaten about the head and shoulders quad Queens.

*Letting that sink in*

*Still*

I wonder what my face looked like. To be honest, it really didn't upset me at all. Sure, it sucked to drop $374 in one hand, but it wasn't like it was a bad beat. I was behind the whole way. For all of you Omaha players out there, quads over quads may be more common than what I imagine, but man, that just sucks. So here I was, bruised and battered, but only down $1 for the night. All things considered, I hadn't lost anything. I used that to keep me even keeled and when the game broke, I left with a total profit of $54. To me, that was one helluva an accomplishment. I simply refused to let that one hand, albeit one really big hand, put me on tilt and throw me off my game. The fact that I perservered and continued on my game was something that I am going to build on and keep building on. I think that was an important step I made regarding the psychological aspect of my game. A turning point, if you will. As well as I have been playing of late and the money that I have won because of it, that $54 was the highlight of my recent accomplishments.

That being said, I am upset at myself for doing something (or in this case, NOT doing something) that I have chastised myself far too often for doing. As big of a hand as that quad Jacks was, I got completely blinded by it and never once stopped, save for that 0.1845 seconds, to attempt to put my opponent on a hand. I simply thought that I was going to get paid, because I hit quads. Whether I could have/would have laid it down at any point is a cow's opinion...it's moo (Friends reference). It's the fact that I didn't stop to try and narrow down his holdings is something that, in the long run, is going to cost me too much damn money. I simply need to try and do this on EVERY SINGLE HAND and I'm not, yet.

The hand in question, I could have narrowed down to two or three holdings that he had, if only I had stopped to think. So, needless to say, I still have plenty of things to work on in the upcoming days/weeks/months. It's a never-ending process, this learning stuff. Good thing I have an insatiable appetite for knowledge, especially for all things poker (though I always said that if I ever won the lottery, I'd become a professional student, as I am the world's biggest 5 y.o. always asking 'Why?' and 'How?').

So, in the end, the weekend was another winner, but, and possibly more importantly, I also came away with some more insight into myself and more awareness of my weaknesses, which is always a good thing, imo. I feel I made one poor read and one poor play on Saturday, as well as getting blinded once. Back to the books and then back to the tables!

I would like to say thanks to someone whose opinion I respect and who emailed me recently and gave me a big compliment. It will only strengthen my thirst for knowledge for the game. Thank you.

Welcome note

2005-09-16T02:05:00.000-05:00

I was going to post about some responses I got on one of the forums that I "promote" this here blog on, but the more I thought about it, the more I wondered what the point of it would be.

I either have a link to here in my signature or have an active thread linking here on the following forums that I frequent: fbg, redszone, CAP, UHEM, and 2+2. If you came/come here from there, welcome. I hope that you enjoy the trip alongside of me as I make the transition from poker as a hobby, to semi-pro, to full-time professional. If you are new here, I would point you to a few of my original posts here as to why I am doing this and the bankroll I will have when I finally take the plunge.

I hope you guys are enjoying the trip thus far. If not, well, keep in mind that I am writing this for me, first and foremost. I do this because I want to and to help me think thru some things. Please keep that in mind. But, also, that being said, I do encourage any/all feedback.

Enjoy the read and maybe I'll see you at the tables.

Forced time off

2005-09-14T02:30:00.000-05:00

Went to go play in the only "home" game that I play in tonight, only to find that it had broken up prior to me getting off of work. :/ Oh well. With as much as I'm working right now, maybe this forced night off from a late night is good for me to refuel a little? At least I have a weekend full of poker and chilling out. That will be nice, especially since I might have as many as 6 nights a week of poker coming up in the next few weeks. How great is that? I know someone who won't be too thrilled with the idea of me playing that much (albeit not EVERY week, but enough of them to cause a little bit of concern), but I think we can find a happy medium. What's even better is that as many as 3 of those nights will consist of limit hold'em, not no-limit! That makes me quite happy and excited to be able to consistently work on that aspect of my game.

One last thing tonight...I was reading 2+2 the other day when I came across a post asking everyone what their favorite poker quotes are. Well, I had two, but I now have three, one of which doesn't exactly pertain to poker, but a way to live life. Here they are:

"Poker is hours of boredom broken up by moments of sheer terror." -Various

"Some people pride themselves on playing the best of the best. Not me. I find people I can beat, and I play with them until they quit. Then, I find new people to beat." - rfw from fbg

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hey Mike, that last one will help us both greatly, me thinks. ;)

For other great quotes, or Tommyisms, check this out

So stay tuned...I think the updates are going to come fast and furious this fall/winter!

On top of my game

2005-09-12T02:51:00.000-05:00

Well, that was fun.

Seeing as I was going back to "the Lodge" where I have been quite unlucky and quite outplayed, I thought I would wear the "Felix" shirt from Friday. It couldn't hurt, could it? I drove out there, all of a 3 minute drive (yes, I live conveniently close to all 3 of my regular games), and parked. When I put the car into park, I, surprisingly, did not get nervous. A good sign I would think. Anyway, seeing as this was the scene of my poker low-point, I decided to give myself a pep talk that went something akin to this:

"Play YOUR game. Do not be intimidated. If you think you have the best of it, do NOT be afraid to get your chips in the middle and lastly, FUCK VARIANCE!"

*I have not consciously kept my blog PG, but I think I have to keep it available to all ages...why I don't know. Nonetheless, on occasion, I will speak very frankly. If you know me personally, you know this. If you don't, well, you do now. Deal with it. It's my site :p*

So after feeling "pepped" by my inner monologue, I headed in. To my surprise, Jay came up to me and told me that they had just started a STT and for $30 ($25+5), I could get in as it was still during the first round. Also, Top 2 get paid: 1st - $170, 2nd - $80. As you, my beloved readers know, I tend to shy away from tournaments. Since I had had a long and rough day and came to play to relax and focus all my energy on one thing, poker, I didn't want to sit and watch, so I ponied up the $30 and sat down. Jay tried to position me to his right, which I did NOT want. See, he is a very good NL player, esp. in tournaments, so I wanted him on my right, not vice versa. So when he offers me an open space to his right, I kindly say no thanks, I'll sit on the other side of you in the 10-seat (10s). Subtle, but important to me.

The table consisted of the following people/players:

1s- Casey, who's dad is a full-time poker pro. Casey also is a fantastic tournament player who won an entry into this year's WSOP Main Event. He also played in a couple of the lesser tournaments during the WSOP.

2s- "Round Man", who runs this game. He is a bookie, poker player, and formerly in charge of running "The Day Game" which is the biggest game in town. From what I hear, he used to be a great all-around poker player, but not-so-much anymore. Not sure on that, as I have sat with him very few times. But either way, he's no slouch.

3s- (forget this kids name), he's a regular at the Lodge and a regular donator to the game as well. Tends to overplay his hands and I do not see him as a threat.

4s, 5s, 7s- 2 older ladies and an older gentleman whom I have never met nor seen in any room here in town.

6s - older gentleman who is a "regular" at the lodge whom I have only met once. No previous read on him either.

8s - Freddie, helps Round run the game when he's not around. Nice guy and runs a fair game. Have not played with him too often, but when I have, I have gotten the impression that he is loose and not the best HE player.

9s - Jay, who I feel is, along with Casey, the best tournament player at the table, as long as he takes it seriously. $30 does not interest him, so his focus can be suspect at times.

10s - Yours truly.

First hand, the blinds 25/50, and we start with 2k in chips (t2000 = $$$ in tournament chips). I am in MP and look down to find JTd (Jack, Ten of diamonds). I raise to T200. Folded around to the 4s who reraises me all-in, T500 total. Freddie, 8s, calls and I fold. My thoughts are that If the 4s doesn't have me, Freddie does. If he had not called, I would have. The run out the board and don't you know that I would have made a straight. :/ Oh well, I'll find a better spot to get in with. The 4s won when she spiked a Q on the turn.

Next 3 hands, I get dealt KQo each time. When I was in the BB with my KQo, I bet the flop of KJ7o and get called 6s and Freddie. I bet the turn when it brings a Tc and get raised all-in by the 6s. Freddie calls and I call. River brings a blank and my KQo is good. BOOM! I won that hand as well as one other of my next 2 hands. The hand that I lost was when, in the SB, the flop comes QQJ 2 hearts and I try to slow play. I bet the turn when another heart comes, but got called in two places. River brings a non-pairing heart and it's syanora Felix. I have to lay down as my trip Q's I know are beaten. 4s shows the Ah for the nut and Freddie shows the Kh for the 2nd-nut, 1st loser.

Still I'm doing alright, chip-wise, when in the course of the next 8 hands, 4 people get bumped out. Down to 5-handed and then Jay raises all-in, about 4x the BB, with the blinds at 50/100. The 4s calls. Jay turns over KK and the 4s turns over, wait for it,...........A7o. She spikes an A and Jay is out. Wow. 3 hands later, Casey raises with JJ and the 4s calls. Flop comes rags: 963 2 spades. Casey bets enough to put 4s all-in and she calls with A5c. No flush draw, no straight draw. Nada. Wow. Needless to say, Casey is not the chip leader when he knocks her out. Down to 4 players. A couple of hands later, Round takes out the kid in the 3s and we're down to 3 and Casey has us both covered and Round and I are about even. I had gotten along with some well-timed steals as well as never having to showdown a hand, winning all my hands on the flop or preflop.

With the blinds at 200/400 and me with @T3000, I'm in the BB and look down to find AJh. Casey had called and Round had folded his SB. I think and raise it T1000 more, so I had committed T1200 of my T3000, not quite pot committed, but close. Also, I felt I was ahead, so keeping my pep talk in mind, raised. Casey thought for about 5 seconds and called. Flop came: J84 2 clubs. I count my chips, think it over, and decide to check it, slowplaying it, hoping to represent weakness and possibly an under pair to the J. Casey thinks for a few moments and fires out T1500. I think for about ten seconds and push my remaining T1800 and he insta-calls. I turn over my AJh and he says, "Nice hand" and turns over A6o. BOOM! A 5d on the turn and I am the new chip leader with over T6000 of the T10,000 chips in play.

The next hand, Casey has to put out T400 of his remaining T900 in chips for the blind. Round raises to T1600 and I look down to find 88. Now, I feel confident that about 80% of the time, I'm ahead right now. The question though, is do I want to tangle with Round and a sure call from Casey when I have such a vulnerable hand, esp. when we're on the bubble to the money? Ummm....no. I don't hesitate in folding and Casey calls and shows a surprisingly strong hand of AJh. Round tables his ATo and takes the lead when the flop brings a ten. He eliminates Casey when he hits trip tens on the turn and now we are heads up. Sweet, I made the money and I'm in the chip lead.

One hand into the HU match and the blinds go up to 400/800. When the blinds are so big compared to stack-sizes, aggression is even more important. I raise the first two hands once the blinds went up to 400/800 and took them both preflop. Next hand Round folds his SB to me. Now I have a commanding chip lead. I am looking now to finish him off with any decent holding. He raises the next hand all in, which would cost me an additional T1600. I look down to find 86d. I then count out the T1600 and see that I would still have a sizeable lead, so I say to Round, "Alright, let's gamble". I show my 86d and tell him he is ahead right now and he counters with, not really. Q3s. Flop comes ATTr. He is still leading. Turn brings a gorgeous 6s and I take the lead. Any non-spade or no Queen and I win the tourney. River brings a red Jack and it's all over. My first live-tournament win.

Now, granted it's not a big tournament nor a lot of money, but the psychological win is HUGE! I felt completely in control the whole tournament and only went all-in 2 times. Both times when I had the best of it. Nice to see my hands held up and great to get the win under my belt.

I really feel that I am playing some of the best poker in my life right now. Amazing to think that only 6 days ago when I was leaving Sandia, I was questioning whether I can realistically give this a go with any hopes of succeeding. Now, I feel like I am playing as well as I ever have, but not even close to my potential. What a difference a week can make. Wow. My baby brother told me tonight that all I needed was a good beating to keep my humble and then I would come back from it stronger than ever. Smart kid ;)

Anyhoo, that concluded the poker for the evening, as a couple of the "kids" had class in the morning and that would leave us to play 4-handed. Thanks but no thanks. While we didn't play poker, we talked about it and the state of the game here in town.

See, the poker boom has brought many a home-game to town to compete with the existing 4 or so established card rooms here. There are two problems that have arisen from this. First off, everyone plays NLHE or PLO. While this appeals to many as this is what they see on TV, it does cause the poor players to lose their money much more quickly than a limit hold'em game would. And let's face it...the town I live in is not exactly the richest around, so when the fish lose their money, they don't replenish it quickly. So with so many games around, many of the poorer players have gone broke and aren't play much, if at all. Secondly, some of these newer home games have gone absolutely crazy with their rake. While the majority of the card rooms here rake a max of $5 per hand, only if the pot goes over $100, a couple of the newer places have been taking, from what the word on the street is saying, $10-$15 PER HAND for the rake. That is just plain criminal.

For those that don't understand the rake and its impact on the game and the poker community as a whole, let me explain it. The place that holds the game, the "house", has to make some money for hosting the game, providing food and beverages, etc. To cover their expenses, as well as to make money, the house takes a rake out of every hand dealt. Usually, it's either $1 per $10 up to $3 and $5 total for any pot over $100 or $1 per $20 in the pot with a max of $5. Now, if there is just one game going on, and it goes for, say, 8 hours, averaging 40 hands an hour, that works out to @ $1,000 that the house takes off of the table and into their pocket. Think about that. In a 2/5NL game, the BIG winner of the night can take @ $1500 in profits home. The house takes a GRAND every night. Pretty consistent money maker there. And that is with a $5 max rake. Can you imagine the rake being twice or x3 that??? I don't care how good of a player you are, if the rake is that high, it is impossible to win in that game. Over a short period of time, the house will take all the money there is in the game from the players thanks to the excessive rake. And that is killing the games here in town.

This also shows why it is known that a 2/4 limit game in a casino is virtually unbeatable. For example, at Sandia Casino, the house rakes a MAX of $3 per hand, regardless of the stakes being played. So if you are playing 2/4, max $3 rake. 10/20 = max $3 rake. The difference comes in the amount you can win. When I win a "normal" sized pot in 10/20, I win about 5BB or $100. The casino takes $3. When someone wins the same sized pot in 2/4, they win $20 and the casino takes $3. 3% vs 15%. Ouch eh?

Until I started playing seriously, I never gave the rake much consideration. But the more I read and learn, the more I see how important playing in a low-rake game is. Most of the younger players do not take this into consideration. Or at least this is my assumption as to why they would play in those games. Pisses me off too, because that is money that I could win and use to build my bankroll. Instead, these greedy sonsofbitches are stealing the money from the ignorant. Grrrrrrrrr.

Keeping all of this in mind, I asked the fellas if they knew of any interest at all in playing in a Limit HE game. Casey told me they were going to start one up soon! Fantastic!!! I asked what limits? 10/20? He chuckled and said no, nothing that high, more like 4/8 or 5/10. Lower than I want, but I'll take it. The fundamentals of limit give me a decided edge over most of the players here in town, so I'll play them at that limit if it gives me a large edge, you betcha. And with that, I left for the evening to come home and chill out.

Funny, though, that when I got into town, the 2/5 NL game intimidated me. Now, I can't get a 10/20 limit game to start up. Funny how much my poker game has grown in the one year I've been in Texas. I can't wait to see how well I play come May!

Trip to the Dentist

2005-09-11T19:38:00.000-05:00

Ugh. Yesterday was one of those days that, once I was at the table, it was like getting your teeth pulled. First off, the room opens at 8:30pm. I showed up at @10pm and they still had not started a game; they did not have enough players. Wha??? This is the same place that when I first started going there almost a year ago, they had 2 and usually a 3rd game going. Sad. The money is running out, at least in my town, poker-wise and that sucks.

Finally, we had enough to start playing @1030pm and when it did, instead of it being 2/5NL or at least 2/5PL, it was 1/2PL. Not only that, but it seemed like people were there more to BS and visit than to play cards. Hey, I'm one of the more social guys at the table, but for the love of all that is good and Holy, can we please, maybe, if it pleases you, play cards while bullshitting??? Novel, I know. But it was that kinda night.

As far as the play itself went, I played alright. Nothing spectacular. I do think that the table composition (as in the people, not the wood it is made of...smartasses) made it difficult for my to play my game. It was incredibly passive and in a pot-limit game, you need some loose players to be able to build pots. But it was not to be. One player, "Scott", was a fish that I tried to land something fierce. I had set him up all night, trying to find a spot to be able to stack him, but, keeping in theme with the night, he left before I was able to find that spot. Aarrrrrgh! I do find it encouraging, though, that I feel on top of my game enough to be able to make plays like that; laying down, making it appear that I am weak/tight and will be able to be pushed off a hand (when in reality I have nothing), setting up a time when I really do have a hand and then, BOOM, stack him. So at least I feel good enough with my game to be able to do that.

Anyway, I ended up down a grand total of $10 last night. I felt like I spent 4 hours sitting there and doing nothing but spinning my tires. Some might say, "Hey, at least you didn't lose." Well, true, but I don't play cards to "not lose". I play to make money. Plain and simple. I happen to love the game as well, but let's not lose sight of that fact ;)

And since I got out of work early tonight (double-time night and it was slow so we all left), I am heading out to play again. This is going to be my first trip back to the scene of the crime, so-to-speak, where my bad run started. Time to finally exorcise that demon as well. Talk to you all soon.

My turn

2005-09-10T05:58:00.000-05:00

Ever just KNOW that whatever you do, you're going to win? Whether it be poker, a race, whatever? That was me tonight. I simply decided that I was not going to allow myself to lose. Plain and simple.

I had previous in the day decided that I was going to try and work 6 of the next 7 weekends at work and really build up the savings/bankroll during the next two months. Just seems like the smart thing to do...double time will do that for ya...As long as it doesn't kill me first. ;) So knowing that I am going to have a considerable amount of money coming in in the next few weeks, I really wanted to get back out there and play some cards. Only, there's two small problems: I shot most of my bankroll last weekend, and secondly, if I'm going to play, it HAS to be NL, as here in town, that's all they play. But, I was feeling good, really good, so I thought what the hell, eh?

Small backstory here: My S.O. brought me lunch at work yesterday and sitting on her dashboard was a brand new "Felix the Cat" ballcap for me! That perked up an otherwise dreary day. Went out drinking later, but we don't need to touch on that here ;) So, when I get home from my night out, I have a present waiting for me on the living room table...it's a package with 2 killer "Felix the Cat" t-shirts, which I have wanted for quite some time. I mean, come on. How killer is that??? :D

So, I come home from work tonight to don one of my new shirts and I take my last $200 from my 'roll and head to play in the 2/5 NL game. Seriously underbankrolled, but determined like you can not believe. Instead of going and being social, I was going to work and would not accept losing tonight. Period, end of story.

I walk into the room (underground card room here in town about 2 mins from my house) and immediately get a seat in the 5s. The game is a full game, with most stacks $200-$400. I put on the sunglasses and go to work folding, folding, folding. I catch AQo and make it $30 to go from MP. One caller and I miss the flop. I bet it and take it down. I fold until the 8s gets up to leave. I move there, as I much prefer the 8s and 3s as I don't have to turn my head to watch the table. Also, it keeps the 2 looser players to my right. Speaking of players, a couple of the stronger NL players in town were in this game tonight as well. Just more motivation to play my game and play smart.

To make a long story short, I played wonderfully. I got some hands, but I was able to pretty much outplay the entire table. Once I got the chip lead, I proceeded to use it to bully the others around, as any self-respecting big stack would do. I was responsible for sending 4 of the players home tonight. Just played freaking great. It's amazing how some nights, you just can see it all SO clearly, and others, feel like you have no idea how you ever started playing this game. Sick, isn't it?

Anyway, when the game broke, about 3 1/2 hours after I got there, I walked out with $1080. Ladies and gentlemen, we're back and, this time, I have confidence with me. My turn.

A thousand and counting

2005-09-07T14:57:00.000-05:00

Someone from Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday, was the 1,000th visit to the blog. Nice to see that you all are coming back...I must not be boring you to tears yet. That's good, me thinks. Anyway, just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the kind, albeit rare, comments and the support*coughhintcough*. Hopefully you are enjoying reading about my trials and successes. It should be more and more fun from here on out. I hope everyone is enjoying the trip thus far and looking forward to hearing from some of my new readers over in Rio Rancho as well as others around the country.

Beautiful Disaster

2005-09-07T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back from my first serious foray into the $10/$20 game at Sandia. I am still trying to digest all that I saw, did, and learned from the trip. Where to begin? Hmmm...well, might as well tell a narrative of the trip...come along for the ride, it's a fun train wreck!

The 4-hour drive was not nearly as bad as I expected. Hardly any traffic and I had a friends iPod with my poker tunes on it, so that made the drive much easier. Nothing like a lil Violent Femmes first thing in the morning to get your blood goin', eh? I pulled into Albuquerque early Saturday afternoon and checked into my hotel. Normally, thru priceline, I get the Baymont, which I really like, but not this time. Oh no, instead I got this shabby POS hotel across the street... not even an iron & ironing board in the room. grrrr *pet peeve*. Granted it's thru priceline, so I got it for a very good price, but still, I hate shabby hotels. C'est la vie. I guess it's just a place to crash between sessions.

After freshening up, I headed out to Sandia. I immediately got on the list for the $10/$20 but had to wait as the limit hold'em tournament was about to start. After a few minutes of walking around and watching the main 10/20 game, I finally got a seat into the must-move game. I did not expect this, but I found myself far more nervous than I should have been, and because of this, I was playing seriously weak/tight. After about 4 hours, my discomfort and poor play cost me about $650. During this run of poor play etc. a good number of people I knew from previous trips stopped by to say hi, as well as the usual motley group of dealers ;) Strangely, this had a somewhat calming effect on me. I guess it just helped make me feel at home and alleviated my jitters. So a big thanks to Shaun, Manny (buy that damn hair dryer, will you?), Dawn, Josh, and others that I didn't mention. I finally started to relax and when I did, I realized that I really had the "game" to be able to sit, play, and win at those stakes.

Anyhow, I had forgotten to eat much of anything thruought the day while playing, so after about 10 cups of hot tea and bottle after bottle of water, I got some food and starting making a comeback. *Note to self: When you are so amped up on caffine that you can't focus, try eating...novel idea* After another 6-7 hours, I called it a night and wound up finishinh up about $800 and it felt G-U-D, GOOD!

Sunday found me sleeping in until @2pm, as the Omaha tournament was going to kick off about that time, so I figured I could take my time getting back to the poker room. I bumped into Mike M. when I walked in. He is one of, if not the best, Omaha 8/B players I know and he proved the point by winning that days $95+$5 tournament. Could not have happened to a better guy nor a better player. One of the things that makes him so good is his ability to stay level-headed. This is an ability that I am still trying to get a handle on as was sorely apparent on Monday. I'm open to advice here, Mike. No, really, I am.

After a short wait, I got a seat in the must move game and had the same jitters as the previous day, but was able to get rid of them in short order. I pretty much hovered around even most of the afternoon when I was bestowed my nickname. I'm sitting in the 3s with my back to the board when I hear, "Is there an 'Eddie Amarillo' here?". Uhhhhhhh...I slowly turn my head around and look up at the brush and tell her that I guess that's me. I mean, really, how many of us could there be, right? I take the call and it's a fellow player who knew I was coming into town. Wanted to know if I wanted to go have a drink when he got to the room. From that moment on, I guess I now have my nickname...but dammit, Slim already has "Amarillo". I guess I can't choose my own, but still, I was hoping for something a little more original than "Amarillo Eddie". Well, there is Mike's suggestion of "Tall, lanky, long-haired Eddie". Thanks Mike, but I think I'll stick to Amarillo Eddie :)

I stayed near even the next hour when I went to the bar to go have a couple of drinks. They had a fun little disco cover band that was true to their music with costumes and the whole shabang. They were good too, for it being disco music. Nonetheless, it was fun to have a couple of drinks and relax for a little bit. Little did I know that that was the beginning of lesson time for the author.

I got back to the table and found that I had been gone a little too long and had been picked up. No biggie, I figured. I'll just get back on the list. I did and got a seat in the must-move, which at this time was short-handed (6). I did quite well and after a couple of hours, the game broke with only 2 of us left in the must-move and the main game filled. I ended up sitting at the table talking shop with Tony, the night-shift floor. He and I had hit it off a few trips prior, so when he came over to close the table, we ended up talking for upwards of 45 mins about all things poker. I really enjoyed that chat. Thanks Tony.

After that, I decided to play the 1/2 NL game while I waited for a seat in the 10/20. Normally, I'm the type that buys in for the max buy-in, which in this case, was $200. This time I decided to try a little Ed Miller strategy and short-buy with just $50. 3 hands in, I get dealt pocket Aces in MP. The young kid to my immediate right raises it to $15 and I call, thinking we'll get 1 or 2 more callers. Whoops. 3 others call to see a rainbow flop of J94. It's checked to me and I push my meager $35 into a $82 pot. I get called in 2 places. Turn brings a harmless looking ten and one of the players bets and gets insta-raised by the button. Well, needless to say, I know I'm beat. LP bettor folds and the button shows KQo for the turned gut-shot. C'est la vie. I rebought, short, one more time and lost that when my flopped 2 pr lost to a turn set. I then get called over to the 10/20. Finally. But my fine play *cough* follows me to that game and I give back $400 more of my previous days winnings. Uncle, I call out. Tomorrow is another day. I didn't play badly (save for the smooth called Aces in the NL game), just never really got much to work with. When I did get a solid hand, I would find myself on the losing end of the majority of the big pots. Poker happens. This becomes all to common an occurance, though, the following day.

The day started off with a phone call from a fellow poker player from my town at 7am. He called to ask if I would buy him and another player a seat in the upcoming days' NL Tournament. I mumbled something that sounded like a "yes" and fell back asleep. After a few more hours of sleep, I got up and I had a small bite to eat (see, I learn) and headed off to the casino. I went ahead and bought 2 $100 entries into the tournament as asked and got on the list for the 10/20. It was apparent that all the tables were going to be used for the tournament, so I was in no rush.

About 3 mins before the tournament started, my two buddies walk into the room and they tell me they already have seats. So, I guess I won't be doing that again. I was able to sell the seats for a small profit and waited til the 10/20 started after a few tables broke in the tourney.

When I finally got a seat, the Sandia 10/20 truly came to life. Guys calling raises OOP (out-of-position) with things like T4o and hitting. I was in the 3s and watched the 8 seat go from $500 to over $1700 in under 2 hours playing hands that just could not be profitable, but he made them work. God Bless'um. But that was the story of my night. Mike (different one) and I were sitting together on the other end watching our big pocket pairs, big Aces, any premium hands get run down time after time after time after time. Truly, it was comical. There were two maniacs that would call, literally with any 2. Raised? So? Capped? Blah. Now, don't percieve this as whining. Mike and I just sat there in utter amazement. Needless to say, neither of us did well, profit wise. In fact, I got my teeth kicked in. I left stunned, dazed, and questioning my ability.

I went back to the hotel, literally, in a fog. I figured that I had no chance. whatsoever, of being able to do this full time. There was no way I can handle getting drawn out on seemingly every single hand. I went to sleep thinking that I better get used to the idea of staying in aviation, as I just wasn't cut out to play poker for a living.

I woke up and hit the road to come back home. As the drive went along, I started going back thru the previous evenings play and realized a couple of things. First off, my reads, almost w/o fail, were spot-on. Granted it was REAL tough getting any kind of read on the 2 maniacs, but otherwise, I was making some incredibly accurate reads all night long, as well as some big laydowns when I knew I was beaten. Also, it seemed to me that, outside of Mike and I, few at the table would take any of the math into consideration when making a play, be it call, bet, or raise. That really surprised me as well as gave me back some confidence. Poker happens. Variance happens. And in the end, plays that are +EV WILL WIN OUT. I had dropped $1,000 the previous night, but by the time I got home, I had realized just how well I played and how incredibly unlucky both Mike and I were. I discovered that all the previous night had really done was harden my resolve to improve and to come back and take every single penny that I can from them. They will lose money, I just have to keep getting it in when I have +EV and let "poker happen". Now, with this being said, the biggest hole in my game right now is, as the Gatorade slogan says, "I wanna be like Mike", referring to keeping my head clear and not tilting. I very much did at one point that night and was aware of it when I was doing it, but still carried forward. I got it under control and was able to recover, but it cost me money, nonetheless. I have read up on some tips on trying to control that in the future, so time will tell if they will help. I'm open to suggestions as well.

So, in conclusion, I lost money, but gained the knowledge that, as long as I keep my head straight and control what I can control, I very much belong in that game. There is lots of money to be had and a good bit of it is just waiting to come home with me.

This space for rent

2005-09-01T03:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks...got sick during the trip to Dallas and have not had much 'oomph' of late to post. Had a blast down there, but that will have to wait until Tuesday night when I post again. In the meantime, here's the low down:

-Had a good trip

-Trying to get healthy

-Been reading a ton

- If you want a GREAT bedside book, go get "The Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King"

- I "know" a couple of people mentioned in the credits of above mentioned book

-I am heading to Albuquerque, NM, this Labor Day weekend to go play in the 10/20 at Sandia

-Pray for those in and @ N'awlins.

Talk to y'all on Tuesday.

What's my name again?

2005-08-25T02:56:00.000-05:00

We all have experienced it. Can't remember where you put your car keys or your phone that you just sat down? How about walking into another room for one reason or another and then not having a damn clue why you went in there? Yup, it's been that kinda week for me. Talk about the epitome of absentminded. WOW! Been like that since Monday and not a damn clue why either. Funny, though, when I have been sitting down at the computer to play cards, I can concentrate like nobody's business. But if I'm not playing cards, I think my Beta fish, Rover, has a longer attention span. Kinda fun, in a way. No clue what I might think of/do next though. Like my own sideshow. :giggleamoungstmyself:

Thru all of this, I was able to finish one of my books, "Mastering No Limit Hold'em" though I did have to reread some of it a few times this week. I found it very solid in strategy, though it advocated a VERY tight strategy which I found to be a little too bit restrictive, but I will say this. If anyone were to follow the strategy outlined in the book, they will be a winning player in the games it was written for (Fixed-cap NL buy in cash games). Now I have to go find another book from my Wishlist :coughhintcough: . Either that, or maybe I'll reread "Theory of Poker". Dunno.

Random thought here...Whenever I sit down to play online, I usually turn the TV off or to ESPN on mute, and open up my extensive music library on the computer and choose one of my "Poker" playlists. Now, if you've read my profile, it says that I like just about everything, just depends on the mood. This is so very true. But when I play cards, I'm as eccletic as they come. Currently the playlist loaded has everything in it from Audioslave, BB King, Violent Femmes, Sugarland, Black Crowes, Train, Grand Funk Railroad, Corey Hart, Everclear, Chris Isaak, Fleetwood Mac, and of course, The Outfield. I say "of course" regarding the song "Your Love" by The Outfield. I mean, come on. Is there anyone who doesn't at least like the song, if not love it? I really don't know what it is about that song (maybe Tony Lewis' voice?), but that song still kicks ass...as much now as it did back in the mid-80's, imo. Who's with me?!?

Anyway folks, I want to thank everyone who has been coming to the site. Even though most of you choose not to leave comments, it's nice to check the hits and see that many of you have this saved in your favorites list as well as getting upwards of 70+ hits a day on days I post. Even though I'm one damn funny fella in person, that doesn't seem to translate into print as well. I guess I'm more 'real-time' funny. In spite of this, I'm glad you folks are coming 'round to read. Most of you know that I'm writing this to document my trip into the world or professional poker, but also so that y'all can read and live vicariously thru me. There has been one surprising and added advantage to writing this here blog...when I find myself in a tough spot in a hand, I sometimes will think of all of you and don't want to embarrass myself, therefore, I am making smarter plays. Hey, whatever works, right? ;)

Keep in mind that I'll be out of town this weekend, but I promise to have a trip report upon our return. Sorry, no poker this trip. Next time, I'll make the trip up to Oklahoma and see what kind of havoc I can wreck up there. This trip is all about family, fun, and BASEBALL!!!. Granted, it's not my beloved Cincinnati Reds, but hey, baseball is baseball. Minnesota at Texas. Not to be sacrilegious, but walking into a big league ballpark is like walking into church for me. There are precious few places/things I love more than going to a ballpark and watching baseball. So, until Sunday, have a damn fine weekend and go Reds!

Life's too short

2005-08-22T05:01:00.000-05:00

It's late and it's been a LONG week (last day off was last Sunday, next day off is this coming Friday) so I'm a lil' bit run down. But, the ends justify it. Gotta love that 7th day of work being double time. All in the name of building the bankroll & savings. Sacrifice now for the benefits down the road, but man, this is no way to live. Working 60+ hours a week. Life's too short to "waste" all your time working. Why should we have to work most of our best years just to enjoy the last few years of our lives? Something just doesn't seem right to me there. The grind that most jobs are, are just that, a damn grind. I guess that's why I am making the change this spring, eh? I'll sacrifice temporary security for happiness. Security ain't that damn important.

So, as I guess this is a "poker" blog, I probably should update y'all on how hard that horse is abuckin'. Last night, I played brilliantly (amazing how some days it's so clear and others, I feel like I have never played a day of poker before in my life). But, good to see that the poker gods have a sense of humor...just when I'm feeling better about my play, this hand comes up:

Last night in a live ring game, 2/5NL, I called to see a flop from MP with Ah 7h, along with 3 others. Flop comes Jh Th 7c. I bet and get called. Turn brings a beautiful 4h, for the nut flush. I bet a pot sized bet, get raised another 50, and I push. Guy calls me with Kh Qh and what does the river bring???

9h

Just had to laugh. I mean come on, a 1-outer? Murphy, you sick sonabitch, screw off! I'm not going to let that slow me down. I know I played great. And to prove that point, I am getting rewarded with good results crushing the Party Poker $25 NLHE (6 max) game. That, and I'm trying to take some of what I'm reading about tournament poker and apply it in the form of cheap SNG's (sit-n-go's: single table tourneys). Just the little $10+$1. I am amazed at the absolute horrendous play on those. I could sleep the first 30 mins and make the top 4 or 5 (Top 3 get paid). Needless to say, I don't remember the last time I didn't ITM (in the money). But I do find that my heads-up play has a ways to go...far too many 2nds and not enough 1sts. But all in due time.

In my last post, I mentioned Poker Academy Pro 2 . I have asked the Great Pumpkin for it, but alas, unless he comes around the first week of Sept. he may have to get me something else...not gonna waste another 2 months without it.

Anyway, I am heading down to Dallas next weekend to visit family and go watch a ballgame. God do I miss going to baseball games :sigh:. No better game than baseball, not even poker. So, though no one knows how to post here, all of you reading this are going to have to get by w/o a few days of updates. :bigdamnhinthere:

Hopefully my lil baby bro doesn't beat me up too much when we play a lil nickel/dime poker...confidence is still shaky ;)

I can see clearly now...

2005-08-20T17:03:00.000-05:00

the rain is gone. Well, figuratively speaking. It's pouring here and I'm stuck at work. Fun fun.

Got back on that horse last night and am happy with my play, for the most part. No monsters out there. Amazing what happens when you face your fears...many times they wilt away like a dream.

Though I did not have a winning session (in fact I lost 2/3 of my buy-in...$100), I played rather well. Got Aces twice, doubled up the first time when I raised from UTG, a way-too-loose calling station raised me on the button and I poooooooooshed. He called and showed QQ. Nice. The other time I got Aces, we were down to 5-handed and I got them, again, UTG. I raised to $12 (blinds 2/5) and got 3 callers. Flop comes 345 all spades, and no, of course I don't have the ace of spades. I bet out $40 and one of the LP callers raised me $100 more. I hated it, but laid down my Aces, showing them to him and he shows me his KQs. Not the hardest laydown, but it made me feel good that I was able to get away from them.

Hands that I find that I am having the most trouble with are hands such as Axs where x is any suited card below a ten. If I limp in MP and the flop comes Axx I find myself with far too many questions on what to do...there are times it seems so clear and there are times that it seems I have no clue how to play it. So, that being said, I have noticed that I need to work on two specific areas though:

1- I desperately need to go buy Poker Academy Pro 2 to work on my percentages and to be able to run simulation after simulation to alleviate questions on how to play a certain hand etc. I do know the percentages fairly well, but I feel that if I can get the percentages down cold, and we're talking not even having to think about them and knowing them, I will improve my game ten-fold. No, I don't need that program to do this, but being able to run the simulations will be a huge bonus for this as well.

2- While I am reading a bunch on strategy and such, I find myself in too many situations that I really am not sure what the right play is. I feel that I need to post more over at CAP, and 2+2, to try to help improve my game. I've been wanting to do this, but either haven't made the time or have been to "scared" to do so. Absolute nonsense and I know it. If I really am serious about doing this, I need to set the ego aside and ask for help in areas in which I feel I need it. Couple this with the first problem area, and this should shore up my game quite nicely, over time.

So all this being said, plan on seeing me post much more on CAP (caseacepoker forum) and dedicating more of my time to improving my play and not just playing. I have 8 months til I plan on making a go of this, so this is what I need to concentrate on. Improving my game is more important than making money, at least, right now. If I do the former, the latter comes much more easily and frequently. Well duh...maybe I just needed to "say it" outloud. :rollseyes:

Seeing Monsters...

2005-08-18T06:16:00.000-05:00

Monsters are scary. Real or imagined, they can terrify, implicitly, and cause you to not act/react rationally. While there are real monsters out there, such as guys like BTK (ie. Dennis Rader ), it's usually the imagined ones that haunt your dreams. Guys like Freddie, Jason, and Michael are not real, but, to millions of people, that makes them no less scary.

In poker terms, seeing monsters means that even when you have a big hand, your mind tries to convince you that your opponent has an even bigger hand...a monster, regardless of your read of him. This usually happens after a prolonged downswing or a series of bad beats. Currently, this is where I am. And frankly, I am not enjoying it.

See, it started 2 weeks ago, where I not only had a series of bad beats, unlike which I had never sustained (though this didn't really bother me as I know I played well, just got unlucky), but then I had something terrifying happen 2 days after...

No-Limit Texas Hold'em has been termed "a game of people, played with cards". I find this to be a perfect description, as reading your opponent(s) is as important, if not more so, than the cards you are dealt. Over an infinite amount of hands dealt, everyone will end up with the same hands. It's how those hands are played, namely by being able to read your opponents, that determine whether you win or lose money. And this brings me to my single most terrifying moment I have ever experienced at the poker table.

The week prior, I had a great week, winning just a shade over $1400. My good play was being rewarded. Then the following weekend, the weekend the monsters came out of the closet, I lost $1000 of it between Friday and Saturday thru the afore mentioned string of beats. C'est la vie. We move on. Then on Sunday, I played some of the worst poker I remember playing. Then "it" came. "It" being that I got called down, for my entire stack, and got caught bluffing. Now, this would not be big news, as this does happen on occasion. What shook me so badly was that I got called down with him holding 23o (2 and 3 off-suit). Let me replay the hand and explain:

I am viewed as a TAG (tight, aggressive) player. Generally, this style of play is accepted as the best way to consistently win. Sure, you have to mix it up at times, but as a table image, this is mine. For those not "up" on poker-ese, this means that I play fewer hands than most, and when I do, I am very aggressive and bet stong. Thus, when I raise, since I play fewer hands than most, and when I show down a hand, it's a legit hand, my raises are usually respected. On this night, though, I was not playing my best and was playing far too many hands, and hence, losing.

I am UTG (under-the-gun - first to act) and look down to see KQs. I have about $145 in front of me (bought in for $200 in our 2/5 NLHE game), and I raise it to $20, which is a standard raise, but being UTG, usually suggests great strength. I get called by a player in middle position (MP) and one in late position (LP) and we see a flop of: A69. I bet out $50 into a $65 pot and the player in MP calls and says "See you on the river". Turn brings a 3. I push my remaining $75 and he calls, almost instantly. Well, I know I'm beat, as he has to have an Ace. The player was also a TAG, who's play I respect and know that he can lay down a weak A. The river was a 5 and he tables his hand and says "Straight"! First thought is, "Are you kidding me?!?". For him to have a straight, he had to call me down with 24, which is beyond belief. I stand up, stare at his hand in disbelief and see him smile. Wait a minute, he doesn't have 24. He has 23. And that still beat my unpaired KQ.

Some of you are probably wondering why this messed me up so badly. "So you got caught bluffing". Well, it's not that I got caught bluffing. It is what I got caught with. HOW THE HELL DID HE KNOW I COULDN'T BEAT HIS PAIR OF 3'S?!?!?!?!?! I raised preflop from UTG and bet when the Ace flops. How does he call that? So welcome to my monster. That was the last hand of poker I played until the tournament this last Sunday. I just do not know how he read me like that. I have never had that happen before and I play mostly live. I have friends who tell me that I do not give off any noticeable tells. I work on changing up my play and my betting patterns, but try to act the same during a hand, everytime. So this shook me to my core. Should it have scarred me like it did? I don't know. Probably not. But, boy, did it. So needless to say, I did not play my best during the tournament. Here are the 2 relevant hands. The first comes about 55 mins in, and I was doing quite well. Was...

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (10 handed) converter

saw flopsaw showdown

CO (t825)

Button (t1945)

SB (t1960)

BB (t1705)

UTG (t1460)

UTG+1 (t1305)

Felix (t2180)

MP1 (t4040)

MP2 (t1770)

MP3 (t1125)

Preflop: Felix is UTG+2 with Tc, Td.

2 folds, Felix raises to t100, 4 folds, Button calls t100, 2 folds.

Flop: (t245) 7c, 9d, Jc (2 players)

Felix bets t200, Button calls t200.

Turn: (t645) Ts (2 players)

Felix bets t400, Button raises to t1000, Felix raises to t1645, Button calls [t645] t1000.

River: (t3290) 2c (2 players)

Final Pot: t3290

Results in white below:

Felix has Tc Td (three of a kind, tens).

Button has Kh Qh (straight, king high).

Outcome: Button wins t3290.

There are a few different ways I could have played this, such as not raising preflop, as most of my value in this hand comes from flopping a set. But, as I did play this, putting him on KQ or any 8 is improbable. A few fellow FBG'ers (if you don't know, don't worry about it) and I were playing in this and we had a chat going on Yahoo, during, so we could follow each others progress. We were talking about this hand and agreed that the most probable hands were QJ, KJ, JJ, a club draw, or a small possibility of KQ. Even with KQ, I had outs. Regardless, I think that I could have and would have gotten away from this hand, had I been playing my best game. But thanks to my monster, I wasn't. Shame on me. So here is the other hand, 3 mins later:

Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t30 (10 handed) converter

saw flopsaw showdown

BB (t1725)

UTG (t4270)

UTG+1 (t1930)

UTG+2 (t1810)

MP1 (t1385)

MP2 (t420)

Felix (t190)

CO (t4130)

Button (t1425)

SB (t1030)

Preflop: Felix is MP3 with Ah, Qh.

5 folds, Felix calls [t190] , 1 fold, Button calls t190, 2 folds.

Flop: (t235) 9h, Qc, 8s (2 players)

Turn: (t235) 2d (2 players)

River: (t235) 9d (2 players)

Final Pot: t235

Results in white below:

Felix has Ah Qh (two pair, queens and nines).

Button has Js Ts (straight, queen high).

Outcome: Button wins t235.

Felix finished in 1712 place

So, I have decided to face my monster and I am spending this time doing a lot of reading and working to improve my game, via Party Poker's $25 max NL tables. It's doing wonders for the self-confidence and also, all the reading I am doing is helping me tighten up my game as well as improving how and when to vary it. So until I September, I am going to keep up what I am doing and keep working hard at exorcising my demon. First weekend in September, though, it's gonna be time to get back on that horse and ride it back into the black numbers. Input is greatly appreciated. I'm all ears, trust me.

I guess now you guys know why I hadn't updated until now. You know how long this took to write??? ;)

Big tourney...

2005-08-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, I may have underestimated the number of people who were going to play in this thing. We are about to start and the final number of $385 entries?

2245

Well, here we go. Game on!

Today is a good day...

2005-08-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

Got my DVR fixed already, REALLY enjoying "Mastering NL Hold'em", my Reds are going for their 10th straight win on the road, the Cowboys first preseason game is on TV tonight, and I'm doing absolutely nothing to contribute to society. Kinda nice to have a complete and total lazy day, ya know. Haven't gotten around to playing "Rome" today, but I have all night after the Cowboy game.

Updated my profile, somewhat, for those that care. Also included a wishlist from Amazon.com in case any of you feel giving (ok, I did that just cause it was there, but hey, I wouldn't argue :guiltysmile:). Read a pretty funny, yet fairly spot-on, quote today from one of the other blogs that I frequent, "Proving that if you put a million monkeys in front of a million computers eventually 65,000 of them will log on to Party Poker."

Btw, people, feel free to ask questions, make requests etc. I am curious as to what you folks want to read about. If you're gonna spend the time to drop by and read, you might as well have some input, right?

Some light reading...

2005-08-13T04:07:00.000-05:00

So, here I am, itching to play again ;) But, I made a promise to myself that I would take a break from playing cards, save for Sunday's big tourney, and get my mind right for when I do play poker again. So what have I been doing? Well, I've been watching a lot of my beloved Cincinnati Reds winning, which has been a welcome surprise. But, thanks to my DVR crapping out tonight, I won't be able to tape any more games to watch when I get home from work. :angry: This is now DVR #2 that has gone to that big recording in the sky w/i the last 2 months. This is getting old. So, until I get it replaced, early next week, I guess I'll have to watch them the old fashion way, and watch them live. How odd that will be ;) Been playing more videogames of late as well. I tried out NCAA 2006 on the PS2. Fun game, but just isn't holding my attention like I would have hoped. Been reading up on upcoming videogames...I am VERY excited about a little game called Indigo Prophecy. Very unique idea behind it that is more movie than videogame. Should be fun to play the hunter AND the hunted. Still waiting for The Fall to come out...been waiting over a year now for the English version. :argh: Also, I am thinking of getting back into one of my favorite games on the PC tomorrow Rome: Total War. Only click that link if you are single, want to be single, or have WAY WAY WAY too much time on your hands. Yes, it's that good. Ok, enough about the gaming...for those that know me, you know that I love to read. Everything from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey (favorite story of all time) to Huck Finn. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to anything from Stephen King. Oh yeah, and most anything on poker too. Novel, I know. Get it? Novel....ah nevermind. Hey it's 430am and I thought it was funny. Point of this lil tangent is to say that I just recently ordered and received 2 books that I am very much looking forward to reading, both about poker, one of which I would consider "bedside" reading and the other is a "work" book. Both of which come highly recommended. So, after reading,. "Theory of Poker", "Tao of Poker", and "Beyond Tells" all in the last 2 months, I am about to sink my teeth into Mastering No-Limit Hold'em which I have been reading great things about and also, it focuses on the types of games that I'll mainly be playing when in Vegas (capped buy-in No Limit Texas Hold'em). This I should have read by the end of next week. Anyone care to read a review when I'm finished with it? The other book, my "bedside reading" poker book should be a fun one, Professor, the Banker, and the Suicide King, The : Inside the Richest Poker Game of All Time . Been looking forward to reading this for some time now. It's the story of the biggest cash game ever held. It's a group of well-known pros pooling their money together and taking turns playing, heads-up, against one of the richest guys around, a Texas banker named Andy Beal. From what I have heard, it takes you into the matches and really puts you "in" the game. I am hoping it's as good as I hear it is. So that's it for now. I am cautiously awaiting Sunday afternoon. I think my original estimate of 500 may have been a little too low. The entries have spiked to 418 as of my writing this. At least the more that enter, the more spots that get paid. Sure it lowers the amounts, but for a $6 investment, $1,250 is still a solid return. But I still very much want to win this damn thing! No, check that. I WILL win this thing. Gotta believe I can to have a chance, right? One last bit...for those that don't know that much about me, I'll be updating my bio soon so that you can all get to know me. And, to be honest, I'm surprised at the amount of hits I'm getting in here. Kind of fun, actually:)

What can $120,000 buy?

2005-08-08T17:37:00.000-05:00

Well, after a completely forgettable weekend, I have decided to take a mini-break and strictly focus on my first "BIG" tournament: Party Poker's $500,000 guaranteed tournament this upcoming Sunday. I bit the bullet and ponied up the $6 that it took for me to enter a satellite tournament, which, if I won, would get me a seat into a $44 tournament, which, if I won, would get me a $385 seat into the big tourney. So, I went ahead and won both satellites and have my seat awaiting me come Sunday, August 14th. While it's not a huge payout, such as you see in the WSOP, first place should pay @ $120k. That would expedite things a touch.

Last I saw, there were about 281 entrants in it. While all realistic expectations do not have me winning it, I do think I have a solid shot at placing in the money. I'm anticipating @ 500 in this thing, and if so, about the top 50 pay. 50th would cash about $1250. Sure, that would be a solid return for $6, I am thinking bigger. Like add two zeros to that :)

So, to all my loyal followers, all 2 of you, here's to hoping I remember how to play this game and hey, maybe luck can fall my way for a change.

It's a funny game...

2005-08-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight, a few things were proven. First, no matter how good you are, no matter how much better than your opponents you may be, LUCK (or, if you prefer, short-term variance) does play a part in poker. Secondly, the second rule of poker was definitely apparent: Only play in games in which your bankroll can support (the first rule of poker, or gambling in general is NEVER, EVER risk more than you can afford to lose).

To make a long story short, I had a rough night, but in the end, it does have a silver lining. I got drawn out on 6 times, each and every time on the river, each and every time betting it hard (ie. making them pay thru the nose to make their hands, so when they caught, all 6 times, I lost a good bit of chips). When you hit stretches like this, it stings...it really does. Esp. when your bankroll is still young and developing. But, the ever present silver lining to this is a simple fact. If I am getting drawn out on often, such as nights like tonight, that means that I am getting the money in when I have the best of it. I am giving my opponents the improper odds to make calls, yet they make them, and on occasion, they hit. But, in the long run, which is what I am doing my damndest to focus on, the probablity is in my favor, as long as I am playing my "A" game. It may seem like me downplaying losing sessions, such as tonight, but I played very, very well and still was able to lose a big chunk of change. But, you know what, if I continue to play well, the long shots will not come in the majority of the time for my opponents as they did tonight. And that is what is going to pay my bills, down the road.

My bankroll can afford the stakes I am playing right now, but I can not handle a prolonged downswing, so that is why it is so important to have a large bankroll when I do this full time. In the meantime, it comes and it goes. I'm still up for August, but not nearly as much as I was.

The two most important things for me to do, now, are : 1) STAY ON IT! That is my mantra. Opponent plays poorly and wins a big hand? STAY ON IT! I hit a cold run of cards? STAY ON IT! Taking a string of bad beats? Don't chase crap hands, STAY ON IT! 2) Forget about tonight. Learn from the mistakes that I did make and then, forget about tonight. Gotta keep on keepin' on :)

Looking for some semblance of sanity...(or why I'm going to play poker for a living)

2005-07-10T09:49:00.000-05:00

I’ve been playing cards for most of my life. I started playing gin with my mom back when I was 5 and have played off and on since then. I have gotten serious into it the last 3 or 4 years, though. I spent from the age of 18 to 26 in the Marine Corps, working Avionics on F/A-18’s. During that time, we’d have poker games in the barracks, or when we were at sea, and, when we went on deployment to a town that had a casino nearby, I would go play. My first trip to a casino, at least being of legal age (18 on the Indian Reservations), was when I was 19. Paradise Casino in Yuma, Arizona. Got my clock cleaned, but I loved it. Then next time I went, it was 2 years later and I had read books and practiced. I spent 56 hours in the poker room w/i a 2-week period. My biggest night, I took down @$750 profit, playing 4/8 hold’em. It was a good night Since then, I played mostly in home games, esp. when I got out of the Marine Corps. Now, mind you, it was never anything more than a hobby, or a way to have fun. The times I was able to play, just playing held as much an importance to me as winning money did. I just loved the game. In all its forms: From Hold’em (HE), Omaha Hi, Omaha 8/Better, Stud, everything. Let me give a little backstory here if I may:

My biological father was a textbook model of everything wrong with a man. He was a con man, involved with the mob, beat my mother, ran rackets, was in prison numerous times, and was a big time gambler. My mother (God Bless her soul) stole me away from him back when I was around 7 or 8 and we were on the run from him from then out until someone did me a favor and killed him when I was @16.To make a long story short, my mom met up with a man when I was 8, who, from then on, would think of as my true father. They married and we were a family. Mike (my step-dad, but I have NEVER thought of him as such) had a son who was 2 years older than me. We moved to Oregon and, while we never were well off, he did what he had to, to make sure we were provided for. I grew up around serious drug use, alcoholism, smoking, the whole bit. But I think I am better off because of it. While most of my family is totally dysfunctional, I think I’ve done well for myself. I have never touched a drug in my life, never smoked, and rarely drink. But I do like to gamble (though using that term for poker is skewed, but most people will see it as such, so I digress). More specifically, I like to play cards. And I’m damn good at it too. But, due to my biologically father having been a serious gambler, it has always had a stigma attached to it, when it comes to me. My only “vice” if you will. Keep in mind, that I do not have a compulsive personality. And my wife knows this. I do it to have fun and make money. Yet, I do not HAVE to play. I NEVER risk more than I can safely afford to lose. Yet, that stigma has been burned into me. Gambling/Poker is BAD!Getting back from my tangent, when I was getting ready to get out of the Marine Corps and go on terminal leave, it was Sept. 2001. I had worked in aviation electronics the entire 9-year tour and REALLY wanted to do the same when I got out. I figured I could get a well paying job w/o a problem. Then, 3 days into my terminal leave, 9/11 happened. I spent the next year waiting tables at 2 jobs to provide for my girlfriend and myself (eventually my wife). Mind you, she had a job as well, but she was also going to school. So I did what I had to, to make ends meet until the aviation sector picked back up.After a year or so doing that, I finally was able to land a job doing what I did in the Marines, but on civilian aircraft. I thought I really loved it. I really knew that I was not willing to admit to myself that I did not want to make a career out of it. But, I only had a little college and did not want to have spent 9 years in a career and waste that. I would not accept that. So, I persevered. After 2 years there, I was tired of being under appreciated and well under paid. I heard about the V-22 project and was intrigued. A 200% raise helped too So that is how I came to work where I do now. Anyway, the pay is good. The benefits are solid. But you know what? I loathe working on aircraft. I think what finally made me realize this was, that, a few weeks ago, I turned 30. Not old by any stretch, but it did afford me the opportunity to reflect on where I am in my life and where I want to go. I realized that I do NOT want to continue in the aviation field. I also realized that for any other career that even remotely interests me, I would need to go back and finish school. That, in turn, would require me to continue in a field that I truly have lost the love for. And, to be honest, I am not willing to do that.

Tangent: Funny, we got to talking at work, the other night, about how many people do you think are truly happy in their line of work? I mean, who out there would, if the pay was commiserating with what they are making now, change jobs, if they could? I would venture that a huge percentage would. And that, folks, is sad. Truly sad. Sure, sometimes, people get trapped. I can understand that. But I really think that, more often than that, people get complacent and they are terrified to take a risk and venture out into the unknown. They have a safe career, with safe money, and a safe life. In which they are unhappy I do not want that to be me. I don’t want to be unhappy, nay, miserable, in my line of work. Your career is too large a chunk of your life to be unhappy in it, no? Yet many people are ok with that. I have come to that point in my life where I am no longer ok with it. It’s time for a change. I NEED to be happy.

Now, it has nothing to do with the company I work for now. In fact, I have a pretty easy job, esp. for the money I’m getting paid to do it. It’s the line of work itself. So that got me thinking…I have always loved math. I took 6 years of it in my 4 years of high school. Also, I have always had a natural ability to excel in every game/sport I have ever tried to play (save for golf ). This is especially true in billiards, chess, and poker. Those 3, in particular, all are based on math and higher thinking. I went to the state championship in chess, when I was in high school, although I had only started playing it about 3 months prior. Back when I was 19-21, I was good enough, both by others opinions, and the amount of money it was providing to me, to try my hand at being a pool pro. I was playing 6 hours a day, 6 days a week. And it paid very well as a “side job”. But, I had other priorities and I don’t think Uncle Sam would have been all that keen on the idea, so that went by the wayside. I have always made money playing cards. Early on, I just figured I was lucky, but after reading more, studying and from comparing my play to others, I have come to realize that, well, I’m pretty a’ight at the game Esp. Hold’em and Omaha. So, that, coupled with being miserable in my career, I breeched the idea of trying to make it playing cards for a living to my wife. To my utter amazement, she thinks I can. And we have come to the agreement to give it a 3-month trial next spring. If after that 3-month experiment, we feel it’s a viable income, I will officially quit my job (I’m planning on taking a leave-of-absence from my current job) and play full time. I’ve run the numbers and everything says I should be able to. Thanks to the advent of online poker, there is a LARGE amount of money to be had with very little risk. If you want to know more about that, let me know. If I do not succeed, I still have my 12 years of aviation experience to fall back on. And even if I can’t take a LOA from work, I will have no trouble finding a good paying job in my industry, either direct or as a contractor. So I have my safety net.Is the idea crazy? Damn right it is. And I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. I am. Very much so. But I also know that I am more scared of not trying it. I don’t want to be 70 and have the regret of not trying to live one of my dreams. I’d much rather try it and fail than to have that regret. Now, keep in mind, that I’m not doing this willy-nilly. My wife has a decent job in which she has full benefits, so that is taken care of. We have no children, yet. No mortgage. One car paid off. The other will be next summer. If I don’t do it now, I might never get the chance. Yet, I’m still scared. Not scared of failing. That’s why it’s not til next spring. So that we can save up enough to cover in case I do fail. So I’m not “playing scared”. Also, I do not plan on doing this, long-term. It’s a means to an end. See, my wife has a dream of owning and running a wholesale coffee roasting business. She and I helped get one off the ground back when we lived in South Carolina, so we have experience in it. She has been doing that for most of her life. So the 3 year plan, once I get started playing, is to save enough to get her business off of the ground and to quit playing and help run it. Could we do that and have the security of my current job? Sure, but I’m not willing to be that unhappy for that long. So, here we are.I think the main reason I’m scared is because of the stigma of it and my biological father’s compulsion. While my mother is gone, my dad, I do not think, will look favorably on this, AT ALL. He has always been the “voice in my head” saying that it’s wrong and that I have it in my genes…the compulsion to gamble. I truly disagree with him. I don’t have any interest at all in any other gambling games. I just love poker. Always have. But, coupled with my dad, I have my wife’s parents in my head telling me how crazy I am and that they cannot believe their daughter married into this. Mind you, no one outside of my wife, myself, and all of you know about this. But that doesn’t stop them from being in my head. Because of that, the misery that is my job, and not being able to sleep, I’ve been pretty damn miserable the last couple of weeks. I really don’t know how to kick this funk I’m in. I guess the reason I wrote all of this and let you all in is because, well, I’m fairly anonymous to most of you, and I guess I need outside input. I understand this is not “the norm” nor what is “socially acceptable”. But it’s something I enjoy. I truly like it. And I really think I can make enough money, consistently, to succeed. I’m not looking to get rich and play in the huge stakes in Vegas. I just want to grind it out and save enough to be my own boss. It just so happens that, along the way, I enjoy my job in the mean time. At the same time, I have read the odds and I have heard the horror stories. I do not feel that I’m above all of that.
But there are 3 rules that I do know about myself:

The golden rule of poker “Never ever play outside of your bankroll” i.e. Don’t play in stakes in which you cannot afford.
I will not gamble. Please keep in mind that poker is not a game of luck. It is a game of skill. And in the end, in the long run, those with greater skill, win. As a full time player, a pro, if you will, I will have the advantage of “the long run” being on my side. And I have the bankroll to sustain the inevitable losses that I will take in the short term.
I will not get into the drug scene, in which so many in that lifestyle fall into.

I needed the therapy of writing it all out. I really would appreciate any and all feedback from you, my anonymous friends. If you think I’m crazy, hey, that’s ok to say. I welcome both sides to this. I just am looking for outside feedback.

May 1st, 2006….The beginning.

2005-07-10T09:23:00.000-05:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

2005-07-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Poker is WAR

Wedding day!

To Whom This May Concern...

Jody gets on the scoreboard!

Slow 'n low

Never quit on your dreams!

Mmmmm rain...

High Stakes Poker...sort of & more!

FIGHT NIGHT!!!

Rekrul, Elky, and a fun night at SWPC

Rostucko & Assani's Score!

1 month in...

Fat and outta shape, but can still shoot!

The more I learn...

Citizen Cope Part II and another live session

Citizen Cope, Part I

Dr. Al and leaving $1,000 on the table

Joss Stone, Live @ The Joint (Hard Rock Casino)

5/10 @ the Wynn

Hope this never gets old

"Don't Get Broke"

And heeeeeeeeeeeeeeere we go!

Five very long days

Goodbye Amarillo!

Good foot...

Sick, Music and running well!

In a world of suck

Hi everyone!

Damn the Man Day!

Blast from the Past...

93.8

Welcome!

Poker is fun...

Thirty-One

New Mexico has a State Poker Championship?

Back and better than ever

Computer done died...

Online plateau...

Part 2 of "The Slacker"

Part 1 of "The Slacker"

Cause ya never know...

He's baaaack!

Turning Point

Welcome note

Forced time off

On top of my game

Trip to the Dentist

My turn

A thousand and counting

Beautiful Disaster

*This space for rent*

What's my name again?

Life's too short

I can see clearly now...

Seeing Monsters...

Big tourney...

Today is a good day...

Some light reading...

What can $120,000 buy?

It's a funny game...

Looking for some semblance of sanity...(or why I'm going to play poker for a living)

This space for rent