Fickle Wench...

My mistress Lady Luck is a fickle wench. I returned to the tables later on in the night and watched as I merely treaded water in a sea of craptacular hands at all 4 tables. I stole from a few spots, and managed just to minimize the draining of my chip stack. Then, joy of joys, pocket Aces, in late position and I get to raise. I get one caller, a rather innocuous flop shows up and he rams and like an idiot I call. I figure he's either bluffing or not... man I'm a friggin' genius. Call... he shows pocket Jacks, which go nicely with the one that showed up on the board. I have a not flush draw, but it doesn't get there. You know though, what can you do. I could have been a complete wuss and dropped Aces, but there's no history to draw from on this guy to lead me in that direction. I've got no notes inscribed next to his name. I got nuthin' but my two RED ACES staring back at me. So, Lady Luck deals me a blow to take away some of what I bragged on her about earlier. But, you know, I've bounced back up from a few weeks ago. It's slow going, but being back over the $500 mark again gives me some leeway. A little more than a single buy-in loss is not devastation. It's barely a blip on the radar. Herein, lies the true value of bankroll management. All successful poker players regardless of the stakes at which they play, must acknowledge the fact that sometimes you just lose, despite your best efforts. Sometimes you lose because of your worst efforts too, and every other level of effort you can think of. But having a legitimate/sustainable amount of cash set aside for the purpose enables you to ride it out, and allows you to return to the table another day, and at some point you will begin to climb.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Luck be a Lady...

Last night's Credit Union banquet was a good choice for me last night. Not only was it a good night with friends and libation. But Lady Luck decided to grace me with her presence. Chris, JR, and I left the banquet when they started to break out the Bingo cards, and went next door to the Eagles. And as the night went on of course the drinks flowed. While sitting at the bar, just hanging out I look up to see Santana running from the other side of the bar. To those of you who know her... well that in itself is a sight to behold! But no, she's running toward me... and yelling that I'd just won the Quarter Jug drawing. Now, me and Lady Luck have ourselves a strained relationship at best and so I tend to err on the side of subdued optimism. I mean how good could it be, being a "quarter" right? Well try $429 on for size, cheer_dad! And I'll be damned, I'd even remembered to register that night. At the same time on the other side of the bar, I spot my wife, whose waving like mad to tell me that she had just hit the "rip-off" tip for $100. To top it off, later on I end up splitting the next $100 tip prize with another person who Big Red had decided that we would split since we each had even numbers of viable tickets in the drawing. All in all, not a bad night. I think I'm gonna give up poker altogether and stick to true games of chance from here on out. Oh wait, I can't make that promise just yet... there's an NDPT game tonight at the Wolfes house!

I'll see several of you real soon.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Goody, goody gum drops!

It was a crazy weekend. Saturday night Big Red and I headed out to meet JR and Nikki, and what seemed to be a cast of thousands of other family and friends, from Nikki's side... All great people. The evening started out at the Eagles, of course. : ) We quickly migrated after the band just wasn't "doing it" for the younger ones among us. We headed over to Six Pence where there was an enormous crowd crammed all around the central/sunken in bar. The band was good, and did an on-going jam-style session, which just never seemed to end. They were a talented bunch. Anyway, pitchers, buckets, shots (chocolate cake) and sundry mixed drinks rounded out the evening. I'm sure everyone had a helluva time, a few might even remember. Big Red and I took our leave from the group, late... and as you'd know it I fired up the Bodog client for a little late night drunken poker. As I posted last time, this session didn't go well either. To the tune of a higher dollar amount unfortunately. Okay, so it was only like 23 bucks, but I hate to lose. The loss came at the hands of Queens. The table is tight, too tight for its own good, and it was hard to generate any action at all. I call from LP with Q-10os, and hit trips on the flop. Bet... called by one other guy. The board fills in a couple of bricks, and we get it all in there on the river. He turns over a Q-5os, for a "turned" full boat. Oops, maybe cheer_dad should call it a night. And I did. So, the two losing online sessions, were for under $35 total. Still I don't like it.

The next day, involved sleeping in. Then taking care of the laundry and getting the kids situated. This was the day of the Eagles Poker Tournament. We were concerned about numbers early on, but then surprisingly we had several new faces show up. I think around 22 in all, despite having a number of our regulars absent. The first hour or more was frankly a yawn-fest for me as the cards weren't there at all. I looked down at Q-7os AT LEAST 8 times, I kid you not. I had pocket rockets once and barely got paid at the first table. The majority of my money came either from pushing hard with a high card, or in one case 2nd pair, to a guy who called me down with 3rd pair. That helped. I headed to the final table with like $1,600 in chips. Part of that came from my buddy JR, who called my all-in raise, when I was holding A8c. He had A-10os and I was dominated. Unfortunately, "puppy paws" always seems to get there, or at least so I've heard somewhere out there in the blogosphere. Yes, it was Suckout City, but we all need the sucker bite from Lady Luck every now and again.

The blinds escalated and I went card dead again. I stole a couple of pots, with late position raises with absolute air. I was nearly out of the game when I shoved from early position, with nothing more than double the big blind, as my bet. My bounty chip must've looked scrumptious and I garnered two calls. This time though, I wasn't nearly as full of shit as I can be at times, I had Big Slick on this occasion. I hit trip Aces and I was back in it. A few rounds later... another hand that got a lot of attention. The table folds around to me (on the small blind.) I barely glance at my cards and shove. The Kwazy Kowean (as he calls himself,) John, is left staring at me from the bb and looks upward for divine intervention. After a long time, and a lot of discussion he still can't decide to call or fold it. I finally offer up, "will it help if I show you after we're done?" That seems to do it for him, and he folds his pocket Jacks up to me. Unfortunately this hand got in his head for the rest of the game, I flipped over my horrendous hand Q2h. He really did think I had a good hand. I hadn't even considered him having anything before making my move to steal. In the future I'll need to be wary of this move, against my old friend. He is very liable to ram those Jacks where the sun don't shine next time! Of course it wasn't all that bad, he and his wife gave me a ride home.

The final table, finally dwindled down to a heads up match, with Del and Me still in it to win it all. It was back and forth. Big hands were obvious among us, and there was just a lot of jockeying for position. Then, the final hand of it all, Del open raises it to my BB. I reraise, he shoves, and I insta call. Del turns over pocket Queens... I turn over pocket Kings. They hold and I take it down for the day. Nothing he could do, well played Del. The tournament ran longer than expected but I still had a ball.

So, buy-in for $25 cash out for $240 (including bounty chips.) That took some of the sting off the Bodog loss from earlier. It also infused some strength back into the offline bankroll. The money clip in my dresser drawer was feeling neglected. The next time I play any cards will be next Sunday, early evening. But I'll be changing venues baby!!! Our flight from Columbus, OH departs at 2:40pm destined for the bright lights of Las Vegas! I've got WOOD just thinkin' about it! I cannot friggin' wait! Win or Lose... there's just nothing like Las Vegas!

Our plan at this point is to head downtown to old Vegas on our first night. Some of the group has never been down there, and in the past every time we've planned to head down there to show it to them, we've just never got around to it, so this time, it is part of the Day 1 plan! Maybe some poker, but cheap Blackjack and Let It Ride will definitely be part of the plan. The 2nd day we will be doing some casino hopping on the Strip. We'll spend a lot of time at Paris (where we're staying) and Bally's I'm sure. Gotta blow some of the money where you're staying to get 'em to comp the room this time and again in the future. Yes, I'm a cheap bastard. Our poker playing plans are going to include the Venetian on high recommendation from bwop and others. As well, for the "fun atmosphere" we'll definitely end up at the Imperial Palace.

As I wrote in my last blog post, I have mobile blogging setup, so I'll be able to post to the blog from my cellphone at anytime. I'll try to keep it relatively current, if any of the Las Vegas resident bloggers would like to insert themselves into our plans, please feel free to. It would be a welcome encounter! I'd be more than happy to meet you all!

You know, this doesn't feel like a Monday at all! : )
Hope you're all having a great day!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Quote of the Day

“I know of no more disagreeable sensation than to be left feeling generally angry without anybody in particular to be angry at”
~Frank Moore Colby

I stumbled across this quote this morning while out looking around for a "Quote of the Day" to share with my team, as I've been doing now for several months now. It had particular meaning for me, in a most non-work-related sense, but is applicable to everyone else in general so I found it acceptable. Aside from the lessons in the work environment, let's get to what really matters. ME, and my poker shenanigans. Let's just say that Lady Luck was wearing a strap-on last night and driving it home to glory! Fuck me... and I don't mean in a good way! : o I know... I know... you need details.

Well still rolling my eyes at myself for my "late-night" online antics after the Wolfe game which cost me a buy-in on Bodog when I put too much faith in pocket ladies... I opted "last" night to get back out there and do a little something, play it straight and narrow and pick my spots. And I did just that. Got it all in there with the best of it, and got it rammed into some uncomfortable orifices. I started out (I'm ashamed to admit where) UB... just to see what paltry sum I had left out there on the no good cheating site. (Other reasons to hate... hmmm hello, they sponsor Phil Hellmuth, who wouldn't be so bad I guess if he just ya know, couldn't speak! --but I digress.) Anyway, I find under $20 still lounging out there on UB, getting more tainted by the filth every second. So, I plop it down on two tables, MAX $10's NLHE, 5 cent/10 cent... I got in about 100 hands, but it all came down to 2 big hands when you get right down to it. I made superb laydowns, great reads, the whole bit. On one table, I look down at AA from late position and there's a raise and a reraise in front of me. I pop it, to get heads up, which I do, and he flips over pocket Kings and hits his set on the flop and I head to the rail. Less than 3 minutes later, I look down at KK on my other table, and there's a raise and a reraise all in, and I throw all mine in too, to get heads up, and he turns over AKos... and this time Lady Luck waits til the river to ruin my day with the Ace... I decide to keep my remaining 2 bucks for another day... as I'm feeling all squishy inside.

I make the obligatory notes of my dismal failure in my poker log, breaking the lead in my mechanical pencil a number of times before getting it all down. Those F-bombs are murder on pencil lead. Anyway, I'm sitting there stewing in my own juices all pissed off, and there's nothing on the tube and I've got like 2 hours before bedtime, so allowing a 30 minute cool off, I snap-grab the laptop and fire up Bodog this time. Here, there were no big plays, no great cards, no caught sets, no flop connections. (Well there would have been this one, that I would have raped a couple of idiots, but oh yeah that's right, I got out of their idiotic ways and let 'em fight it out. From mid/late position there is a raise and a big over the top reraise, when I look down at JJ. I drop since in the 50-60 hands I've been playing I can't recall this guy playing a hand let alone ramming his stack out there. So, I'm out of it, and it folds around to the original raiser, who snap calls, and I'm waiting for fireworks here baby! WTF!!! Original raiser has A-10os preflop... and the overboard kid tables a Q-2 sooted! The flop comes J-4-4 and I'm livid, hating, wanting to kill something, anything, and watch as a friggin' ACE HIGH takes the pot down! Again, I digress.) I saw so much trash winning all around me. I played a few more suited connectors than normal, but nothing real sloppy. I raised with the big stuff when I could and got destroyed again. Before calling it a night I checked my stats, and of the just over 100 hands played on Bodog, I had WON 4, and had played only like 20% of the hands I'd been dealt. No shit! The four I won... I recall 1 or 2 being a meager winning of the blinds alone. I logged off.

Now some of you might say, I should have got out when it was going bad, but hell that would have been when I started. Others might say, you're just running bad... well let's just say I don't remember the last time I won anything of substance. Some might point back to a previous post in which I excitedly spoke of the Beginner SNG's on Bodog, in which I was winning; but let's just say that those profits are all but gone now and I'm back where I started from again on Bodog. I'm not even a break even player at this point this year... I think I've lost ground. My only comfort in this is that I wasn't keeping good notes about wins and losses and so I have some wiggle room to hope on. But now, I'm keeping very specific notes, and tracking myself, and brother let me tell ya, the picture ain't pretty right now. I should have been tracking when things were going well, to help balance this shit out huh!?!

Anyway, so back to my Quote of the Day from up top. Here I am pissed off, looking for an ass to kick, Lady Luck to bitch slap, a wall to punch, a dog to kick; as it were. And I come across the quote from Frank Moore Colby, “I know of no more disagreeable sensation than to be left feeling generally angry without anybody in particular to be angry at.” And you know what... the man's right. I'm angry... but not with anybody in particular. I can't even be mad at myself, really, as I can't find any move I made last night or in the past weeks which was particularly wrong. Just nothing has been working for me. I'm sincerely hopeful that this is bottom, 'cause the bottom line can't take much more of this. I would sincerely hate to quit playing a game that I love so much, or at least love to hate so much. I don't know whether to take a break or play through this rough patch, like it's some force that's just sitting there and must be worked through. If I leave for a while, it's gonna be there awaiting my return. This poker is an evil thing isn't it. So, suffice it to say, I feel a little better writing it all down, as you've all grown accustomed to seeing on this blog. The quote really put some of it in perspective. I can't make it any better by being angry either. I can fill only the holes I can find in my game, so I've got to continue to take GOOD notes. Beyond that I've just gotta keep making the same decisions in the same spots, and hope that when I get it in good that it starts to hold up, and bring the wheel of variance back into alignment.

One last thought, on my next trip to Charleston, (which I hope is very soon Big Red, honey, sweetie, baby cakes...) I want someone to "sweat me" at the table. To actively watch me, what am I playing, how am I playing, too tight, too loose, spewing chips, bad calls, not focusing? I promise to even lay off the suds and just play cards. I want at least a 6 hour straight, uninterrupted session at the table to really test my metal, and see how it all works out. I don't want a one hand/ get rich quick scheme, I really and truly want to frackin' grind it out, and show the consistent profit from good decisions and a well thought out strategy. So, it'll likely be JR and/or Frank who makes the trip and keeps an eye on me. But at this point this is about the only thing I think makes any sense. So there you have it, my soul has been bared. Lady Luck can bite me... Go ahead, say my name biyatch!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Observations from the Yanok's and then some...

Good time was had by all at the Yanok's house last night. Thanks for your wonderful hospitality. There was a big crowd there for the tournament, and despite a late 9:00pm start time, we still ended up playing a second game, on into the wee hours. Unfortunately, Lady Luck continues to snub me at the tables. Being card dead for a very long time, I joked that the first hand I had that had a face card in it, I was playing it regardless of position or the bet. Time marched on... and I kept on mucking. Hand after hand of 5-2, 4-2, 3-5. I remarked that I was going to have to change my thinking and lower my standards. If a had a 7 or higher, I'd play. That didn't really work either. In the first game, Matt took me out when I (getting low on chips and the blinds getting nosebleedish) looked down at pocket 6's. Matt raised ahead of me to 50. I raised all in for like another 70 or so. He showed AQos. I'm thinking, "dodge 'em!" Unfortunately, we did dodge em' but the Ace high straight filled itself in on the river for him. Yup, Matt you called it. When I finally get a hand, someone else is gonna find a better one. Oh well. In the second game, beer, the lateness of the hour and my utter disdain for this friggin' game of poker, I shoved with pocket Jacks, despite She-Wolfe's advances on the pot. As I turned my cards I asked, do you have 'em. The answer was all too apparent. There be bullets here! Oh well the beer was cold, and the Wild Turkey was gobblin' in Matt's glass, just begging me to sip a bit and then a bit more. : )

It was good to get out for the night with good friends and good times! It should also be noted that Scott Miller, came out of retirement last night and returned to the poker fold. It was good to see him out and about... and draggin' the occasional pot as well.

Other points of interest and just things that caught my oddball attention:

1. Brian Y puts together a great poker music mix!
2. People who typically suck out on you, get sucked out on too, and complain more loudly! : )
3. Sometimes you really should chase after that straight, and follow a flush draw off the edge of the abyss.
4. Matt taught me that mixers are optional for Wild Turkey.
5. Rhinestones are a nice touch to a thong.
6. Also, when Brian begins to lose his voice, he sounds disturbingly like Napoleon Dynamite! (Do the chickens have sharp talons?)
7. If you slur your speech when you're drinking, it's okay, I slur my hearing when I'm drinking.
8. Big Red had never seen a black hockey player! (Come to think of it, neither had I.)
9. If you can't laugh at yourself, others will do it for you.
10. And last but not least... you really can bounce a quarter off of Jody's ass. Buns Of Steel Baby!
    

I'll see many of you tonight at the Eagles (for still more poker goodness,) after we get Whitney off to prom. And I'll try to post up some pix of her sometime later on the blog. Proposals and gawking by you pervs will not be tolerated and will be dealt with swiftly. Suffice it to say that despite my obvious bias... my daughter looks absolutely beautiful!

Hope to see you soon... and hope you choose me to give your money to, as Lady Luck for once actually gives me the reach around!

Regards,

cheer_dad

Additional recap, my planning, and LOST

After 1/2 stacking myself because of the AQ and KQ hands; I end up in the big blind with K10os. No raise to speak of, flop comes Kd-9d-4c. I bet 2/3 pot, get raised all-in, and even the other player insta calls. Turn is another diamond...once again that squishy feeling. BUT, here's the proverbial kick in the crotch. I was behind from the get go...not even a Big Blind special for your ole pal cheer_dad. I flop top pair, with mediocre kicker, while the guy who popped it hit his set of 9's, and the other guy, who held the mighty Ace of diamonds and some other rag diamond. So, really I never stood a chance. Horrific session...and oh by the way did I mention that since it was so late when I was playing, and mass beer quantities had me JONESIN' for poker that I had to take one of the few games available to me on PokerRewards, which wasn't the lowly .10/.20 NLHE game but (gasp) the .25/.50 NLHE game. Now it all makes sense to you doesn't it. Lady Luck apparantly read my plans and disparaging remarks about her in yesterday's first post, and replied with "...oh no he di'in't...here's a lil variance love byatch! How you like me now!"

Oh yeah maybe here I should offer up that in my poker imagination that Lady Luck is actually two women. "Good Lady Luck" is Maria Bello from The Cooler (http://imdb.com/title/tt0318374/) dice tattoo and all. While "Bad Lady Luck" is this nameless black/latino little vixen with dominatrix tendencies. (The cat-o-nine-tails hurts so good though!)

Wow, now when I get off on a tangent...

ANYWAY, the whole Vegas trip in July is not necessarily a dead issue, just because of one crappy run at online poker. And I'm not blaming luck in reality, when I know I played it horribly there at last. The AQ and KQ hands hurt but didn't kill me, in fact I had the sense to table one of them when it became apparant that my opponent hit his flush. He called $3 preflop raise by me with J8 sooted, and got where he needed to be. I knew it, er felt it, and got out, while the other two idiot callers did not, which is why I got to see it ALL play out. Okay, back on track again... Big Red even mentioned going to Vegas to see the WSOP again! She really enjoyed that trip last time! And she had logged on yesterday and checked on flight costs! And she started telling everyone all about it at dinner last night. Interest was sparked!!! She says she'll have the money, from an extra Christmas Club account she set up! : ) Me...of course I'm on my own! Well there's always the plasma thing or I could just be a drug mule! Is it tough swallowing that balloon full of cash crop? Digressing again huh...

Well that's enough my minions, I've babbled on enough, and to be honest, I stayed up way too late, in my stupor and got precious little sleep. I really gotta work on that sleeping with my eyes open trick for the occaissional at work nap time. : ) Kidding boss, kidding!

OH and the big news of the day...or night...LOST is on TONIGHT!!! 8 new episodes of cliffhanger goodness tide the masses over! For all the lowdown and discussion that's fit to print and/or blog head over to: http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/
Big Red and I are both stoked about watching LOST tonight. The kids have strict orders to pipe down, and ALL phones will be ignored for the duration of tonight's show. And we have caller ID if anyone gets any bright ideas!

Well this post is now... a wrap! I've covered enough ground here for a few days worth of posting.

Regards,

cheer_dad

Oops

My tournament life ends against Scott E, when I raise preflop w/ pocket 4's. He calls, the 3x bet and the flop comes 3-5-6. I push all in, right before we're heading to 3 table play. He insta-calls, and tables his pocket 5's!!! My open ender never hits...although the poker gods laugh in my direction and give me another 4!!! FRACK! But that's how it goes. No faulting his play. I don't really fault my own, not making him for a low card in the first place. He played it well. I suppose in retrospect I did not. But...I actually put him on either big slick...or lil slick. The smallish pair hadn't really crossed my mind. I did it to myself...and deserve my fate. Now in the role of rail bird...or hey, there's a cash table. Hopefully Lady Luck will pay me a visit in the cash game.

Why...

Regards,

cheer_dad