WV Shuffle Up and Deal

Boys and girls the time grows near. According to the following article:
http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/500300.html
(Thanks to Frank Wolfe for sending me the link!)
West Virginia's casino/dogtracks will be running table games. First on the horizon will be the coming of the Poker Tables. It's time to Shuffle Up and DEAL in West Virginia! Of course this is the casino's logical choice, since there is less of a security presence necessary in the poker room, as the casino's cut is absolute...they need only watch for player against player cheating. The other "house" games of course require a more seasoned security force. They are getting there fast, as the article mentions training being conducted by "consultants from Atlantic Cape Community College in Atlantic City, NJ," which of course makes sense. At any rate, the "WHEN" date they are touting is November 1st for both Wheeling Island and Mountaineer Race Track, of course this date is contingent upon the WV Lottery Commission, the authority having jurisdiction. I'm excited for the prospect, although I doubt this will have much of an impact on my playing at home, online or hosting my routine tournaments. It will just be another option for me, when looking for entertainment on a long weekend. Still having a casino option North or South of me, a 1hr to 2hr drive...sounds VERY appealing, and I can envision a terrific Friday work exodus from the building...hoping in a car and breaking a few speed limits to hit the tables, for an extended weekend of debauchery! : ) Okay maybe a little light on the debauchery side, but I'm always open to something new!

In other news, tonight I'm going to play cards tonight, while the WVU game is on the boob tube tonight. Matt J, called a few nights ago, to tell me that his brother-in-law Bob was hosting a card game (which is tonight's game) and that I was invited. Turns out the stakes are .50/1.00 NLHE, at first he thought it was going to be 1/2, but Bob at least wanted to "start" a friendly sort of game. What he's hoping is that we develop a rotating game, that will run during college football season, and beyond. Most likely on Thursday nights. I would be game for it, especially if tonight's session goes well. Of course as Frank put it... I'm probably the fish. As Mike McD would put it..."if you can't spot the sucker in your first 1/2 hour at the table, then you are the sucker." Or as All-In Allman would say, "I'm you're huckleberry!" Whatever the outcome, you'll read all about it here. Hopefully, it'll involve more $$$ signs coming in, than out!

Also, if I recall correctly, the Wolfe's may be hosting a poker-ish get together on Saturday afternoon\evening, but that is a plan best left to our better halves. No pressure here, Red Snappers, it's all about you!!!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Drinking BMW's

Drinking BMW's? a.k.a the Brothers-es, Murrays, and Wolfes. : )
Last night the six of us met at Applebees and made our best efforts at draining the kegs. We actually ate a little bit too, but not enough to get in the way of the alcohol. I think maybe I dropped the F-bomb a few too many times at the table...sorry dear! It was good to get together with friends and cut up a little bit.

After getting home, and getting situated, Big Red opted to hit the hay early, since she was tired. I took the opportunity to take in 30 minutes of poker on Bodog. Here fishyfishyfishy!!! Wow, I moved up to $134.45 last night! I hit two phenomenal NUT flushes, and people kept betting into me. I raked in some healthy pots, at the 5cent 10cent NLHE tables. I would have been a little higher too, had I not been forced to get involved with pocket rockets. I raised like a madman preflop, and got called. I flopped a set, but kept getting called down, finally four cards to the flush filled in and the smooth caller popped it on the river, so I waited, and typed in the chat window... "Congratulations you just cracked Aces" ... and then folded 'em. But I'd dropped $5-$6 in that pot. So I had been flirting with the $140 mark! But hey, I'll take the gain that I got. May there be many, many more.

I committed myself to go to Friday's poker game with Matt. I figure I've got $200 I can afford to take to this $1/$2 NLHE ring game. It'd be sweet to double it up...but I'm going in with the game plan to play SMART POKER. Nothing less will do. Just say no to donkin'...

No walk today...it's raining too hard, but I won't complain. I've been doing really good, and walking at lunch. From the building up to 13th Street for the past week and a half. I've got to make this commitment, and get myself healthy again. Incidentally I'm going for another "test" tomorrow, to figure out what's wrong with my innards. The pain "seems" to be gone, although I detect a tender spot in my stomach every once in a while. But nothing has shown up yet on the tests, so I guess that's a good thing, right?!

Enough about me...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Some grease for this grind...

The Bodog account is now up to $117.xx. No that's not stellar, I realize, to have moved from 110-ish to 117-ish last night BUT if you'd seen the majority of the cards that I was seeing in last night's session you'd give me credit for moving up at all. Lots of dismal cards from every position last night. And when I would get some feeble little pocket pair, like 3's or 5's from late position, there would invariably be a raise and a re-raise if not more before it got to me. There were nut-jobs at the table pushing $10+ preflop to steal the blinds, which I'll remind you were 5cents and 10cents! I was seeing 3 and 4 people move all-in preflop, with absolute crap hands. So, it was time just to lie in wait. I made some colossal good lay downs too. I waited for better positions, and better days, and watched my statistics take a nose dive. I'm down to a 10% win when dealt cards. I'm seeing the flop only 31%, winning at showdown 60%, and winning when seeing the flop at like 27%. I find that when a table temporarily disintegrates that these uber fast hand cycles tend to skew the stats something fiercely. You're in every hand, raising and bluffing to steal, and dropping when you feel your beat. A few of these rounds will start the stats to spinnin'. Anyway, I did have some good hands too. But there were a number of times when after the flop I was forced to lay down pockets, and AK and AQ. I was beat and knew it. I resisted the urges most of the time to get in there on coin flips. The outlandish play was liable to hit whatever crap boards were coming out. There were times that I kicked myself when I'd folded preflop, when I would have hit BUT more often than not, had I stayed in with my hole cards, I would have gotten coolered by the nuts that someone else was holding. It was uncanny! But put a smile on my face, since I stayed out! I made one mistake as far as I can tell and it wasn't overly costly. I tried to slow play flopped trips, when two 10's hit the board, matching my 10-J nicely. My opponent hit runner, runner, runner flush on me, and I got off easy, only having to pay him off an additional 75cents-ish for it. Lucky there. If he'd popped it, I'd have passed, and I believe that. I did hit a straight flush on a hand, and it took me a while to figure that out. I had to double take on it. The pot had grown to like $4.80 with me and a couple of other guys in the hand. When I realized I'd rivered the SF, I had to do a double take. Then, thinking (hoping) that one of them had the ACE, I popped it hard, hoping to get paid off. Someone must have smelled the rat, but I did take down the pot. Surprisingly to me, I resisted getting into coin flips most of the time except for twice! I was being slapped around at the table, by guys who thought I was week, but I really wasn't getting the cards. Then for some reason, I "felt" something and decided to go for it on a hand. Granted it was AQc, but the $2.00 preflop bet put me off a little, since I'd been seeing this stupidity too much. Granted it's just 2 bucks but this is a LOWLY BUY-IN table folks. That's 1/5 of the BI! But I felt it was time...and also wanted to diffuse my chicken little image at the table. I called him down, and he flipped over pocket 10's I hit two Queens before the dust settled and took the pot and sent him to the rail. Now the other hand felt even better. There was this guy with some "camel-jockey" type name, with the face of some wild-eyed Arab as his avatar, who was playing like he'd declared a jihad against every stinkin' American at the table. (Granted he was probably some high school punk, stateside, but the whole thing left me, wanting to bust his ass.) He kept raising preflop, playing his position at times, other times, just for kicks. He wasn't getting that many winning hands that often. He was just a punk, trying to be table bully. So I'm the big blind, and look down at A-2 sooted! : ) Meek little, play me fer cheap hand! Of course, it gets around to him and he pops it, for his usual amount, and I hesitate for a moment, and decide WTF, just once! I flop two pair...and coyly check it. He fires $1.50, which I double, which puts me close to all-in at that table, which I'd been running horribly on. He mashes the button, for all-in. If he's made his set, then so be it...hang on kids, here we go. Well he didn't...he'd hit the Ace with a 10 kicker. Not a terrible hand, maybe I should have given him more credit. But he didn't double pair, and I took the pot...and he had to rebuy. He stopped his "raisy-daisy" ways, and I got a handle on the table, got back to even + the aforementioned $7-ish, and made my exit stage left. Thankful to be up...more thankful not to have gotten stuck for both my table buy-ins. I'm sure some would not approve of my tighter-than-tight approach, but I'm rebuilding...and frankly I'm climbing albeit slowly. However, these paltry little sums are significant when weighed against the $10 max buy-in. So, I'm trying to think in terms of chips, or units of betting, and not the "true" dollar amounts. It's keeping me sane, and improving my play, I think. Others would argue I'm not seeing enough flops, and I'm not gambling enough. I'm not sure how I feel about that anymore. I still don't like to think of poker as gambling. Calculated risk yes, but not out and out gambling. I'm more apt to try and avoid the coin-flips. There are MUCH better opportunities which present themselves at the table. I'm trying to seize upon these moments for now. Hey, if I can get the Bodog roll up to $400-$500, sure we'll talk, but until then I really can't and won't grant myself the luxury. This is a new disciplined approach to the game. And you can be damn sure there will be NO ONLINE BLACKJACK in the mix again...ever! I really mean that this time. I'm not going to forgive that indiscretion. It cost me in terms of blackjack losses and the tilt factor that compounded poker losses, well it was just fargin' stupid...just bad business. Time to play on the belly for while, and literally GRIND it out. Some of you aren't willing to grind out this low and slow...I am, get over it. It'll pay off, further on down the line.

Until then, I'll be the one rolling change to take to the cashier's window!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Update

Back up to $110.76 on Bodog. Some great hands...some crazy schools of fish out there. Pass the tartar sauce! Small sigh of relief. Back to the ole grind. Play it straight and slow. The boys got beat today in the Ravenswood game 16-6, but WOW it was a great game. Ravenswood didn't look so hot, for all the stories I've heard. I look for the Ramblers to pound 'em next weekend. Would have liked Cole and the rest of the Bullets to get the win, but regardless they played their hearts out! Calling it a night.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Coolered but okay w/it

Yesterday I opted to use some of the "player points" on Bodog for the first time. 100 points was the cost of a tournament that paid out T$29 which would get you into a quarter-final round of another tournament. Basically a pathway to some bigger tournaments. 220 people started out and it would pay the top 12. I went out in 18th place. DOH! And I wasn't short stacked at the time, one more score, and I probably could have "skated" to victory. BUT, when you look down at pocket Kings, in late position, what're you going to do. I popped it...got reraised and then we both ended up all in. Yeah, you guessed it he flipped over his Rockets. But hey, I'd played well, and don't think there was any way I was going to get away from the hand. I'm afraid if I'd played it way conservative and stayed out of this and other hands...I would have bubbled, as in relation to my chip stack I was in 13th place as far as chips went. BUT, hey it wasn't a suck out, it was just one of those inevitable hands. I wasn't even all that upset over it. NH...move on. In that same tournament earlier in the first hour I got involved with A-10s, but paired my Ace on the flop. Got smooth called all the way, until the River by one guy, and with 3 Kings on the board...making me a boat Kings full of Aces, he popped it big. And you guessed it I had to pay it off. Yup...Kings full of Aces beaten by QUADS. I guess I should have seen it coming. I mean I only had the 3rd nuts hand. He could have had pocket rockets too, but a King was enough. I survived that onslaught, but had only 3,000 in chips left. I was able to bounce back from that in a few rounds though, and was semi cruising along with 11,000-ish chips. I played well. I played TIGHT! Tighter than I have in a very long time...and it was getting me there too, if only Lady Luck had smiled. I'm really thinking of trying this same approach again in the home game. I deviated from the style which consistently put me on the final table, and a cashout. BUT I did this when the competition continued to improve, or at least I thought so. It might very well be a viable strategy, since my big raises have been ignored as of late. Maybe it's time to wait for the monsters again and get paid. Have to try it out...and let you know, of course if you're reading this you'll know it's coming. Let's see how many of you are! : )

I have bounced back on Bodog, not quite back to where I was, but back to $95.xx. Does little to soften the blow of Friday night's loss, but hey, I'm not out yet... I need to get back to some basics. I read a post by Daniel Negraneau, that said that too many players (amateurs) are used to TV and online play. Fast paced, multiple tabling (online) and constant action, with Degree All-In Moments. Whereas big stack poker tourneys and ring games, aren't like that. It is entirely likely for an hour or more to elapse before you even get a playable hand. Although, with Daniel, I find this UNLIKELY, given that he plays in the neighborhood of 80% of his hands. His game is much more developed and his reads are nothing short of AMAZING! The more I read, and observe, for me during this BR rebuilding time, I need to go back to the slow grind. I won't make a lot...but I won't lose either. I just gotta suffer through it, and one day get back in the fight. I'm frankly not going to forgive myself for poker play indiscretions until I win (back) around $600. So, I'm in for a very long haul.

Football game today for Cole, against Ravenswood. Gonna be a rough one people. Hope we do our best, and that's all that can be hoped for. May it be an injury free day. Go Bullets!!!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Hee Haw

I donked it up last night...those of you who were there at the "guys-night" poker game know it too. Started off okay, not moving up, just treading water. Then thanks to straddles, Omaha Hi/Lo, and craving the win of at least a friggin' pot, I played like a blaster, and got blasted. As I said last night..."I hate this fuckin' game!" Though no one believes me...well including me. I love poker. I love watching it, reading about it playing it, analyzing it...you name it. Lately, though I just can't get my shtuff together. I'm seriously disatisfied with my play lately. I'm the problem, and not just the cards. I really need a confidence booster...but poker is a fickle mistress, and seldom does what you need her to. I dropped $50 last night. Bought in orginally for $20, which lasted a while. Then crashed and burned, rebought for $20, lost it quickly, and then threw in my last $10, and soon that was all she wrote. Thank goodness I was enjoying the BEER at least. I keep telling myself this is going to be the night, where I turn it around. Start of tight...but then see good hands get crushed over and over. Make good reads, but then behave in ways which defeat the read. The two hands that I recall winning last night were, making a straight, playing an A-4os...and playing J-4os, for no particular reason, and making a boat. That's just how it's been. This is the life.

I wish I could remember what I did when I logged on to Bodog late last night. Looks like a made $7.xx out there. Who knows what I was playing? Anyway, once more into the abyss.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Cry real pretty for me...

Another setback on the road to poker riches. I dropped below the beloved $100 mark last night on Bodog. Down to $85.xx now. Which granted is still above the $52 starting point, so I'm still on top...oooooooooh. Whoopteefrickindoo, right?! Hey in the grand scheme of things, the paltry sum I'm up...and the small loss aren't going to make or break anyone, yeah I get it. But wow, the cards and the situations that I found myself in last night. I'm still mulling over (stewing) 3 hands in particular, wondering how I came up short.

#1 Which frankly bugs me the most. From middle position I look down at a wired pair of 3's, and call the unraised blinds, along with a couple of others. Hey this is a perfect, wait and see hand. Flop comes 3-6-8 rainbow. Sweet! I check, trying to be coy, I mean hell I want some action here, right? And there's my huckleberry. He leads out with a pot size bet. Which of course I double. He comes over the top, to put me all in. Hey, I only started the table with the maximum $10 buy-in. Of course I'm calling this. He could have lots of things, including a cooler set, but I know for this price, I'm not getting away from this hand. Everyone else out of the way, and now we flip 'em. I'm on top, with my set of 3's over his flopped 2-pair, 6s and 8s. But you can see where this is going can't you readers. Yup, you guessed it, he rivers a four-outer, with an 8. I make the inferior boat, to his NUT BOAT. We need a fresh rack over here, and a Kleenex to wipe the tears. Atta boy, back on the horse...hair of the dog...gonna be a bear be a grizzly, all that shtuff. I resign myself to this...and give it the eh...it happens. Well up until whistle dick types in the chat window..."you shouldn't slow play." What I reply is, "save your lecture." What I want to type is "save your lecture...cocksucker!" See I can show restraint! If I had pumped the All-In button, from the get go, like he would have folded his flopped two pair. Next time cradle my junk, during the suckout. Moving along...

#2 Late position A-6os. Unraised pot, with 4-5 people seeing the flop. I pair the Ace...and know it's weak. I call a .15 bet, along with another guy, so three of us to the turn...which is a Q, no real action, just a check around. River is another Ace. Okay, so my pair is now trips, with a week kicker, but like a Q and I think a 9 on the board. How bad could it be right? Small bet, from player #1, player #2, jumps in for a raise this time. Huh?! He's been making now moves at all, none...nada... Didn't seem interested in the original ace. Where's this going? Okay, I'll call it. So does player #1, who turns up his Ace...crappier kicker than mine. Player #2 displays pocket Q's. Oh yeah...that blind-sider friggin' boat'll do the job, thank you very much. Moving along...still nothing to see here.

#3 From the BB, I look down at a dismal little 3-6s. No raisey-daisey, so sure let's see a flop. It hits the board A-Q-6 rainbow. I click the check/fold button, and miraculously no action...and we go to the turn...like a 2 brick. No action...again... Sure why not. River is another 6. Okay so weak kicker/schmicker. I hit trips, with an A-Q on the board. Still I'm checkin' this bitch. Burned a few too many times, just want it to be over...and of course, the other guy bets the pot. Okey-dokey...let's just split this shall we. Uhhhh, how 'bout no. He tables his 6.....KING. Why yes that IS one card better than the friggin' Queen on the board, making my hand 2nd best. Thank you come again...

There were other hands which shaped the evening's $17 loss, and it could've been a lot worse, and at a lot higher stakes. But cut me some slack here. Let me get my head above water just long enough to take one breath, and taste the sea foam. I had SOOOO MANY pocket pairs, miss the flop big time. So many A-Ks and A-Qs that friggin' missed the whole board, and I was able to get away from. I was playing some pretty smart poker. I credit the majority of the loss to Hand #1, that I've outlined above. That one stung. I probably played a few hands that I wouldn't normally have played, BUT heck...if I hadn't, I would have been just blinded off, literally. The Big Granddaddy Hands weren't hitting. I couldn't have hit water if I fell out of a friggin' boat.

Worst of all the statistics. I was 3-tabling. I had been sitting on a 12% win per hand dealt, which I'll take. Seeing the flop 33% of the time, winning the hand 33% of the time I see the flop. And winning 67% of the time when it came down to showdown. That sounds okay doesn't it? Well after logging these 300-350 hands for the evening...Those #'s had changed to these, respectively. 11% (had dropped to 10% at one point), 32% seeing the flop, 28% winning when seeing the flop, and 57% win rate at showdown. Those %'s had been solid since I began this current calculation run, since Sept 9th. For a total of like 1,500 hands, up to last night. What a difference one session can make.

Didn't poker used to be fun? I will confess to a suckout of my own...ONCE. I was bloody and beaten, and dejected, and looked down at A-Kos, and bet pot...which is like a whopping .45 and get raised by the only other guy who stays. I get this fuckit take what little dignity I have left attitude, and reraise him. He mashes the All-In button, and I oblige. Yup...he's got the rockets, and I wasn't surprised. Seemed fitting. I hit four to the flush for the NUTS with my Ace. Buddy I feel your pain...now get outa my way while I drag this pot. Still down...not out...I'll be back for more of the flopapalooza tomorrow or the next night. Until then...

Regards,

cheer_dad

Look closely at that face...just a little girl. Well this "little girl" just took down the WSOP-Europe Main Event (NLHE.)
Her name is Annette "Annette_15" Obrestad. She is just a few days shy of her 19TH BIRTHDAY!
After 5-days of grueling poker she bested the field in the £10,000 buy-in.
She walked away with the £1 million, or $2,013,102, first-place prize and a World Series of Poker bracelet.
She's been playing poker since she was 15 years old. At the time her mother refused to allow her to fund her account with a credit card.
She opted to play in freerolls, that offered up small cash prizes. She hit a $9 score, and since then has torn up the tables.
According to the Tao of Poker blog by Pauly:
"Annette_15 has been crushing the competition online over the last year. In the first two weeks of May of this year, she's earned over $68,000! ...She final tabled the $2,500 buy-in World Championship of Online Poker main event on PokerStars last year. Last month, she took down the $500K on Full Tilt, where she put on a clinic at the final table.

Congratulations Annette!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Bodog Poker

Bodog has been treating me kindly...so far. (Knock on wood) Playing .5/.10 NLHE (max $10 buy-in) I've managed to turn $52.00 into $105.00...since doing the ole "cashout" on both UB and Poker.com. Agrevation led me to that point, fear of tilting even further. I decided to take the bull by the horns, and force myself back into the smart play methods that I know in fact will work. Playing on my belly, but stealing whenever the opportunity presents itself...and always thinking POSITION! I was getting wasteful with my money...and perhaps playing above my online means, in hopes of hitting the big score. Well that ain't gonna happen now. The money's not there to do that with. I received my first cashout check today from Poker.com...I'll see Monday if it'll bounce! (Recall my GamingClub.com experience, those bastards!) If all goes well maybe some day in the near future I'll deposit some of the cashouts back onto Bodog, but time will tell. I just really needed to get my head on straight.

Tonight is NDPT Tournament #9, here at the home of yours truly. 25 players will soon converge, game time is less than 45 minutes away now. The tension is already in the air. May the best man win...as long as that man is me!!! : )

Time to finish getting the place ready...see you all soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad

The end is near...

Take the title for what it's worth.
It or me.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Oh what a night...

What a day...er...uhhh...night...it was?
Yesterday's day at work got a nightcap added on! At around 9:45pm last night, I get called by our HelpDesk. One of my guys is still in there working on a failed server. Your standard Dell variety OLD P.O.S. Long past it's good ole days...being propped up on its last leg. He sounds tired and frustrated by the process. I brew a pot of coffee, stop at McDonald's to pick him up a couple burgers and head in. There's a pile of cardboard and styrofoam strewn all over the server room, from the myriad parts and gizmo's that the tech has replaced so far...still no love from the server. Still on the conference call with Dell we continue the troubleshooting process. We finally get to a point, where after all these hours, it is determined that we're basically screwed and starting from scratch, with a vanilla install of Windows and then restoring from tape backup. A comedy of errors ensues, fueled by a lack of sleep and two guys who have been down this road just a few too many times. Suffice it to say that despite being plagued by an oddball keyboard error, 3 failed disks, a whacked out raid configuration, and too much caffeine, by 4:00am, we were on the restore step. I finally left at around 7:00am. I called in later, only to learn that because this server had originally been upgraded (many moons ago) that the install path was different than the default, and that the restore...yeah you guessed it...wasn't going to work and a new job would be kicked off. A tired mind is a terrible thing to waste on a problem. Anyway...it sounds like things are starting to head in the right direction now. I stayed home, and got some rest, and of course played a little poker on Bodog. I climbed out of the drunk hole that I fell into, the other night after the dog track. Now, if I can just nurture the Bodog cash into something of meaning, something of value. Something that resembles the crapload of cash that I donked off, and/or blackjacked away.

I'm hoping to hear back from another blogger. I commented on his last post, and told him that I'd be curious to hear about the hands selection criteria he employs, and style of play online. He's playing massive hands...even though the stakes seem a bit tame, he's making a "living" or at least a profit at it. His expectation of variance is there, BUT his expectation of what he "can" and "will" win is surprisingly (to me) HIGH! I fear that I've set my sites low and it is possible that what has happened has been as a result of this. You know the power of positive thinking and all that, right?!

Sounds like Big Red and I are headed out to dinner with friends tonight, so I still need to rest up a bit, after last night, so I'll call this a post.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Busy weekend

It's been another busy weekend for the Murray clan. Friday night Big Red and I headed over to Shuman's for a good night over poker. I got hammered early on by some guy I didn't know. He called all the way to the river with a 3-5os, against my A-Qos. He paired his 5 on the river and walked away with it. Right after he scalped my stack, they immediately moved him to the other table. ARGGGG! I wasn't upset about the loss. I could have made money off of that guy...I didn't want to see him leave. But there was another fish to be found at the table. Who early on had a monster stack, having sucked out several times early on. After that he played every hand. No matter the raise. I was happy to finish where I'd started. I would have been happier to have earned like some of the guys at the other table. I think at least 3 of them cashed out for over $100. There's always next time.

The following day, we headed to Cross Lanes to watch the doggies run. Frank and Julie, and Matt and Jody accompanied Big Red and I. I did okay on the dogs, but in the end the slots took it down. Just could not make them pay. But the beer and shots of Crown (again all Matt's fault) were very good. Everybody had a good time...and we'll have to do it really soon again.

Cole's football game at 1:00 today, was one for the WIN column. 14-0 against Warren White. Good job boys! I hope the injuries on the other team, were all minor...and that the boys are all okay. Cole did very well, and I'm really happy with how he's playing defense. He's following the ball very well. He's getting good...and I think he likes football again. : )

I go for my ultrasounds tomorrow morning, to see what's wrong with me. Although, I haven't had any pain for a few days now. None, NADA...that's good, keep your fingers crossed for me.

I gave up some money online on Bodog, after getting back from the dog tracks on Saturday. I think I prolly just blew it...wish I could remember. Oops!

Don't forget NDPT #9 is this coming Saturday people, see you then!

Regards,

cheer_dad

What motivates a call?

Perhaps just a short post.
I've been pondering this since last night. I played a 2-table tourney on Bodog last night, 18 players...for a whopping $4.00 + .40. 8 places paid, but 8th, only paid out $4.01 total...go figure! You can guess where I finished, if I told you the adventure only cost me .39... : ) Okay on to the pondering part. We're down to the final 8. I'm last to act in the hand, blinds $50/$100. Guy to my right, is the only caller (aside from the blinds) when it comes to me. I look down at pockets 8's, and push all in, for just over $1,800. I have time and time again reinforced my tight table image thus far in the tournament. I haven't entered a pot that I didn't raise and raise hard. And it has been very seldom that I've been in a pot at all. I'm talkin' uber-tight here people. The blinds fold. Then the guy to my right...goes in the tank...and finally calls. He flips over Q-9os. Now I might understand if he was an enormous stack, but he wasn't. He was in the $3,200 range. There were a couple of guys at the table with over $5,000. Why do you make this call? Am I missing something here, that I need to reconsider? Maybe I've been doing it wrong all along. I'm not upset about it...just curious. Besides a 39 cent loss, is a lot easier to swallow than some of my recent losses. I changed courses rather quickly on you folks, but I decided that I was playing to defend my money, worried about the loss. It was affecting my mood. A little depressing after a while. And I'm questioning my own abilities. I'm sorting through my play, the play of others, and the luck of the draw and trying to size myself up. In the meantime...rather than worry that I was giving away the last few hundred of the bankroll, I opted to clean my self out, and hit the cashout button. I left some small sums out there, to monkey around with. Actually take somewhat of a break from the levels I was playing at. Get back to the sheer enjoyment of poker, and maybe let the winning take care of itself. I'm going to stay at micro limits for a while, and not have high expectations for myself. I just want to play the game. Now, if I'm able to hoist up these paltry sums again, to say the $100 milestone, well then I'll start re-evaluate, and possibly consolidate the roll again into a room and play for a while. I'm also giving thought to involving myself in some "slightly" higher live games. We'll see.

All for now.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Well, I did it...

Rather than allow myself to succumb to what I did on CarbonPoker a few weeks back, and blackjack it all away. I hit the cashout button on UB and Poker.com last night. No there's not much, just a few hundred bucks. I left only amounts smaller than $10-$20 in them. I'm forcing myself back to micro-limits. I don't know if I've just playing above my ability or bankroll, or just generally being unlucky, or just sucking at poker. Whatever the case may be...I was tired of money leaving my possession. I only wish I had done it before the Carbon meltdown. : ) And then yesterday's beatdown, which was in the neighborhood of $250. I've left $56 in Bodog. And a couple of other rooms, have some other tiny sums as well. My thought is to head back to the microlimit games again. Just play for some fun again. Actually get to enjoy the game again, instead of letting the winning/losing influence my moods. Still on my next trip to Vegas, I fully intend to skip the Limit Tables, and head directly to NLHE for sure. I want to see what "rock-hard-solid-play" will do for me for a week. I'm curious to see if it will run like it has in my online experience. Seeing tells, not worrying about the suspicions of collusion, getting a read off of your opponent, etc...these are all things that I would be gained playing live. Only time will tell.

At any rate, I'll continue reading and studying and learning. I just wanted to remove the temptation to do something all too stupid, and blow it. Call me weak, call me what you will, but the reality is, there will be no tilt move here!

Regards,

cheer_dad

QQ vs. KK X 2

(QQ vs KK) x 2 = a costly losing session.
Twice in my morning session today, my pocket Q's were crushed by pocket K's. They just let me keep betting them too. When all low cards came out, with both times No Paint at all, I thought there was hope. Instead, I dropped in the neighborhood of $100 each time it happened on UB. Fargin' Ouch! Turns the weekend "win" into crap again. OHHHH, but I did qualify for the UB $1,000 freeroll on Sunday, which I'll be too busy to play! WhoopTeeFrickinDoo! I seriously considered scrapping the whole online play, and cashing out what little money and dignity I have left...which ain't much folks. I've had my ass handed to me here people. Not poor play, just monster spankings, usually $100 at a clip, whereas my wins are always subdued. Very smallish pots, and cashouts in a session. I just can't seem to weather the storm. Many of you would say that I've played too tight, but I just looked back through my online stats for the session and I'm finding that I'm playing between 30-40% of my hands. I'm trying not to play absolute crap, but of course pocket pairs, AK, AQ, Ax, in position, dropping small pockets when raised big preflop, suited connectors and from time to time suited semi connectors in position. Just can't make it come together. I probably should just cash the rest out and call it quits. Stick to the live games...particularly the one at Yanok's, which is the only place lately I've been profitable. I guess it's a slump...but it's been going on online for quite a while now.

I know, enough whining!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Here's the thing...

With that short phrase, Mike McDermott began many of the "lessons" set forth in Rounders. So, I'll let it work for me here as well. : ) For a long time, I've tried to think of the online and offline poker money as separate. To a great degree they are. Since I don't currently have money exclusively set aside that I only use to play poker. Somehow, I'd like to start. I grew very careless with the online roll there for a while. I just stopped taking it seriously. I was really getting tired of dabbling around. The whole .5/.10 NLHE was getting extremely dull, and I felt like I was just giving friggin' blinds away. It didn't feel much better at .10/.25 either. So, as I've covered the lure of quick easy money...led to the accursed blackjack table. No more...this time for good. It's just stupid...it's bad business. It loses you a good deal of money as well. Anyway...I've been playing this weekend, frankly quite a lot. Friday night was played at the Yanok's. Two games, both were qualifiers for the month in which they were finished. August 31st led into September 1st. The August qualifier was won by yours truly! Buyin was $30 including bounty and qualifier fees. I "think" I'm in the lead for the year-end race at the Yanok's. Unfortunately here at my own house, I'm on life support. Not impossible...just not probable. And you know my feelings on possibilities vs probabilities. Between the 1st and 2nd games...JR and I joked that I won the first one...so he would win the second, since he and I seem to both be running "hot" over there. We've finished 1st and 2nd, a number of times, swapping roles. I busted out early, when I neglected to acknowledge what Scott was likely to be holding. I just kept charging ahead, til my stack was in front of someone else. As fate would have it...JR did take down the second game. So he got the qualifier for that month. Why do I get the feeling that he and I are going to be sprinting for the win in the final game of the year? Once again butting heads with someone that each of us knows the other so well. Then, we put together a game on Saturday evening here at our house, after having the "Labor Day Weekend" picnic and volleyball game. The SOUTH did it again, in case anyone was wondering. In the poker game I donated $10, and started the cash game, but cashed out even, very early when I started feeling poorly again. This "thing" in my gut...is causing me some issues. Then the following night we went over to the Jacksons, and played cards over there too. $20 in and like $33 out or so. It should have been A LOT more. Not only did I drop some cash into a pot...but then I left it stranded out there, and allowed someone else to drag it in, without putting up enough of a fight for it.

Let me elaborate... The hand goes down like this. I'll not tell you what I cards I had, or my lone opponent until after I lay out the board. I call a preflop raise from late position. The flop comes 8-8-6 with two spades. My opponent bets out $2, and I raise another $5 and get called. The turn is a 9 of spades. My opponent immediately looks at the hole cards...and checks, for some reason so do I. The river brings a 2 of spades. So there is four to the flush on the board. The player bets out $10 immediately. I know we're talking about flushes here, for both of us. The betting pattern leads me to believe AK or pocket Kings to be a likely holding. And in all likelihood the Ace or King is coming my way. I folded..........my pocket Queens, one of which was the spade. I was pleased with my play until the opponent proudly displayed the hole cards......pocket J's, with one spade. Yeah...mull that over. I led through the hand. The whole hand...and read it wrong. BUT, I've replayed this over in my head several times now...and think I've learned something very profound. What I was reading was the confidence level of the player, who thought that the hand was monstrous. Had I mustered the balls to call/raise it, my hand would have absolutely blindsided them. Their though process didn't even run the gamut of the A-K-or the Q of spades. It was simply a spade. I was a fool, I suppose. I applied my own logic and superimposed it on to my opponent. That was a mistake. One I'll try not to repeat again. Still I cashed out on the "+" side. Good hand....JODY!

Then, today after copious amounts of laundry and a trip to Wal-Mart, I sat down for a UB session. It started poorly. I was down like $60 early on...and unfortunately I think I was being bullied. BUT, my reaction then, allowed me to capitalize later, once against "B_Doyle" and "Soccer Dad" later. I'm bought in for like $156, and cash out being up like $45, and considering what the session started out as, THIS was one for the WIN COLUMN. On the other hand, I was fascinated by B_Doyle. The max buy in at the table was $100, for .50/1.00 NLHE. When he cashed out, he had over $500. He played more hands than I...and pushed a lot more...but I also saw him call down a lot of things. Maybe at some point I can capitalize on this. I made notes on others at the table, and hope they'll help me in the future. I just wish, just once I'd have a profit session like B_Doyle did. I just won't do something stupid. I try to play it smart. Not pushy. But I'm learning that the push, is somewhat artistic. The guys at these tables though I don't think are artists. I think they're just mimics of what they've seen on TV, and very dangerous. I just need to relax and ride it all out. The weekend positive cash flow then was in the neighborhood of $150 to the good. This makes the $200 Carbon fiasco a little easier to stomach. Now, if only I had been able to pocket this into one bankroll. But I can't, until I separate it that way. The .50/1.00 NLHE game is definitely meaty. There's money to be made. If I can just see my way into being the one to make the money. I have much yet to learn in this game.

One more day off from work. Whew! I don't know what I'll do with my time. Yeah, I do...and you know too. See ya real soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad