Somewhere along the line, I've performed a "core dump" of poker skill and ability. Certainly something happened, I just wish I could remember when it happened and how. Armed with such knowledge I'd quickly set about returning that which has been lost to the ole gray matter. Whenever it was the core dump had other sweeping effects as well. Along with it came, frustration and a complete lack of confidence. This is serious people. Are you hearin' me? I blew a chunk of the online bankroll yesterday and I'm left wondering what happened and reeling from the feeling. The best I could do while 2 tabling was to tread water on one table, while the other just sucked the life and cash out of me. By and large, I was slowly and painfully being blinded. Then, I'd get involved in a pot with Big Slick (several times) but never connect with it. Or I'd look down at the Hilton Sisters, but get bested by someone with a baby ace on the flop. It was a horrifying extended session to say the least. Top it all by the fact that I wasn't even enjoying it. It was just frustrating and I felt the quicksand just pulling me down. There's nothing can be done about it now, I'll just have to live with it and move on. Once your money hits the middle of the table... it's no longer yours. I have to live with it...but I don't have to like it.
Tonight is poker night at the Yanok's house. It sounds like it's going to be a big crowd. I'm looking forward to it. Hoping to redeem myself for a poor showing at the tables yesterday online. Of course just saying that could jinx me, so let's just say I'm going over to hang out with some of my favorite people and lay waste to a few bottles of beer. What could possibly go wrong. Tomorrow night while my daughter is at her 9th grade prom... a motley crew of us will be heading to the Eagles for the band, the slot machines, the booze and one another's company. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to bring along the poker chips as well. I know you're all detecting a general issue here now aren't you. Somewhere\sometime tomorrow I have to go get Big Red and my own mother a present for Mothers' Day. I didn't forget, but I do procrastinate something fierce! I was informed that this year, she wasn't buying for herself. The kids were old enough to see to it themselves (with my help.) In which, after reading between the lines, I came up with the following translation: Get off your sorry ass and go buy me something nice!!! Fear not dear... your man's on the job. Thank goodness for liberal return policies this time of year!
Hope all is well in your neck of the woods, wherever that may be... and none of you forget your MOMS either. You know you have one... and she already knows you for the lousy no good that you are, so this weekend prove her wrong for once, and do something nice.
Have a great weekend... and here's hoping that mine will not turn to the dark side. Oh and just in case...curse you Jack Daniels and all your filthy kith and kin.
Regards,
cheer_dad
Showing posts with label poker rewards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poker rewards. Show all posts
Friday, May 09, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
A little PLO goodness
Looking for inspiration this morning to begin the blog writing du jour I headed back to Google and fired up an image search. I was just looking for a lead in but low and behold I found a topic instead. It all started with a search on "cubicle farm." and somehow I ended up over at ThinkGeek.com (which by the way I highly recommend their vast collection of geek shirts as well. But I hadn't seen the cube people before, and well I've probably found a new way to waste more of my money. Check 'em out for yourself, and you gotta take a look at the "Action Shots" sent in by their customers. These are great!
What started it all really though was me looking for a lead in, like I said. After the daily drudgery of work and then heading home for a 30 minute treadmill run, Cole's homework, a chat with Whitney, and getting the clan situated eventually for bed; well frankly I was spent. I needed a little ME time. So, of course I fire up the laptop and scope out the poker landscape. PokerRewards becomes the target of opportunity. Last night I'd donked off a couple bucks on PokerStars, the few that I'd either won in a freeroll or been given as a pittance by the PokerStars overlords. Tonight I was looking for things to go better, than that. The previous night I'd lost hard on AKs, AKos (twice), and while sitting on an OESFD (open-ended straight flush draw) with two cards to come...and couldn't get there. I didn't want a repeat, obviously. So, I sitting staring at the glow of the screen wondering what to play and who to give my money to and I put my name on a waiting list for .05/.10 NLHE, and then I happen to glance at the coffee table. There's my CardPlayer magazine, with my wife's favorite poker god on the cover, Patrik Antonius (I don't even want to think about what unspeakable acts...) And I recall Teresa recapping for me the article (yeah, she looks for the articles) and she had told me that when Patrick first started playing it was online and he deposited a couple hundred bucks and played PLO, and within a couple months had turned $200 into $20,000! Well to hell with her poker eye candy, I can do that too! (Okay, no I can't but I'd like to anyway.) So I drop my name on the .05/.10 Pot Limit Omaha game (Hi/Lo) since that was where the peeps were. I get called to that table first! Of course not long after that I get seated at the Hold 'em table as well, so I end up playing both poker varieties simultaneously, which remarkably didn't get confusing at all!
Again, I know these are some mighty low stakes for the most of you, but right now let's just call it "good bankroll management" on my part. Okay!? So, I've got $20 in total sitting on the tables, and of course it starts out slow for our hero. But then a rhythm starts. I start to get hit by the deck. Man I remember sessions like this! They haven't happened in a very long time. I wasn't playing great, just getting cards, and for once was capitalizing on the opportunities that were presenting themselves. The Hold 'em table I was mostly treading water on, and it finally started to break up. I ended up playing heads up for a while against one guy who was just cleanin' my clock, winning pots with a card just one better, most often. If I had a Jack, he had a Queen, you get the picture. No biggie, I was really more focused on the Omaha table, inspired by my wife's man candy. Normally when I sit down to play with $10 at a table, I'm content to walk away with a buck or two, ah hell I'm content just to walk away being down by that much. Tonight though, I cashed out from Omaha for over $33!!! Yeah, I know, more than tripled up at a table. Why? Like I said I was getting hit by the deck, and I was just playing to have a good time. I wasn't bogged down by the typical bullshit. I was there to relax shake off a little of the day's wear and tear. I started playing more drawing hands, scoping out straights and flushes. Then, my attention was grabbed by the fact that most of these guys were playing the high and seldom the low, when betting. So, I started sweetening the pot for myself with my low hands, and taking 'em down. Then I hit a series of full boats, when the board screamed flush and a few times I was flopping my boat! On top of that, I was scooping (taking the high and the low in a number of cases.) I even hit Quad Kings once and destroyed some guys full house, and sent him to rail cryin' for mommie! When I finally cashed out, I felt satisfied (for once.) I don't credit my win to great play at all, but I was able to boost my wins and milk 'em for all they were worth.
When I looked down at the coffee table again, I swear Patrick winked and gave me the thumbs up. Yes, Teresa he's a good looking guy... I'd do him! : ) She hates it when I say that! :P
But speaking of good lookin' can I assume that this is his wife? She's not too hard on the eyes either!
Anyway, it's time to call this a blog post and get on with the rest of the world.
Regards,
cheer_dad
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Tournament weekend whirlwind
I wasted a great deal of the day. Sleeping in, then trying to tackle an issue with this laptop I'm typing on now. This evening I get another clue... when my daughter tells me her iTouch isn't connecting to the internet either. Which for the first time makes me think there might be a problem elsewhere, other than my wireless card. Hummmmm, maybe the frackin' ROUTER!!! Power off and on and POOF, all is well with the wireless world again. As much a part of my life and work is technology, sometimes I just hate it!
The weekend, as the title of this post implies has been a real whirlwind. Friday, I had time to get home from work, do a quick 30 minute run on the treadmill...shower, eat, and then it was off to Yanok's for their first tournament of the year. Actually we usually play two games, and in this case the second game was the monthly qualifier. I did well "early on" in the first game, and headed into the final table. Thinking things were going my way. There in was my demise. I bubbled! FRACK! Strange hands and oddities, through the night. I pushed with AKos, from late position, and ran into Shelley's pocket rockets...but I bounced back from that one. When we got down to the last four players (three getting paid) I had to drop a hand when the board rivered four cards to a straight, and all I had was top pair, and I got pushed. Some questioned why I folded, that I had the right "odds" to call, but when I KNOW I'm dead...I know it. I was. I mucked it. Then, there was the hand where I was the small blind and still stacking chips from the previous hand, and I hadn't even got or seen my cards and it was folded around to me, I reached down for my cards, which weren't there. Turns out that everyone had tossed their cards to the center, where I had never retrieved my cards in the first place. I didn't argue, and the big blind Robert offered to hand my $25 back to me...but I technically had failed to protect my hand. No sense whining or bitchin'. Moved on. Then, I saw the Big Blind fold to the Small Blind when the blinds were at $50/$100, by mucking, when no one else was in the hand. That's a good return on your money if you ask me. Finally, my last hand. I'm in the BB, look down at 10-8os...wahoo... but I get one caller the small blind. I flop top pair, SB bets out minimum, I raise all in, get insta called, Shelly gives me the sheepish grin and turns over her pocket kings. Cheer_dad's run comes to an end. She went on to win it. Congrats Shell!
Tourney #2 was a write off for me, I went nowhere fast, and my horrific play was punctuated by my "failed" attempt to bluff Jerry off his hand on the river. Of course, his friggin' BOAT 10's full of 3's was plenty to call my idiot ass. Oops! On a positive note. The lovely Big Red took down the TOP SPOT in the 2nd tournament thereby turning our losing night into a winning one. And don't forget this tourney got here qualified for the year end tourney. All the rest is GRAVY! Go Big Red!!!
Next day had the whole family hoppin'. Whitney and Cole both had basketball games at conflicting times. So we divided to conquer. Then, later Cole had hockey from 4:30-5:15, and Teresa and Whit had several errands to take care of. Cole and the rest of the kids had a ball playing, as usual. I'm glad to see them out there and active. I'm hopeful that the lessons of sports and fitness eventually take root, and never allows either of them to become the over-weight sloth I've become. Okay, that's harsh. Anyway, we finish hockey and rush back to the house, pick up Whit and Teresa and head over to the Wolfe's. Tournament #1 for the NDPT, River's Edge, and SmartAss Poker combines crews. (We really need a new nickname, since we consolidated.) I had a lackluster start, and miraculously made it to the final table, with a tiny stack. I began to loosen up as I saw everyone else ratcheting down TIGHT! I began to rebuild the stack. I got sucked out on once, which hurt, but soon after got it all in again, but found myself behind and returned the suckout favor! : ) Give some, get some. In the end I found myself at the final table with only two others! I was still the short stack, but hey I was getting paid back and then some for the night of fun. I finished third...and shortly thereafter JR and Jamie opted to chop the 1st and 2nd place. Jamie had a slight lead and therefore got the 1st place finish points in the first qualifying tournament of the night.
We all headed home, I stayed up for a while and sat at a cash game on Poker Rewards for about an hour. I was doing very well, until I was faced with holding AQspades, and the flop came 8s 9c Js... I had raised it to $4.25 preflop by the way. My lonely caller to the right, shoved... I'm looking at straight draw, nut flush draw and big overs. Yeah I make the call, he shows two pair Jacks and Nines. The river brings me SPADE!!! Unfortunately the NINE of SPADES. You do the math, I'll sulk about my lost $28. Another "frack-worthy" moment!
Time to call it a night, hope all is well with each of you.
Regards,
cheer_dad
The weekend, as the title of this post implies has been a real whirlwind. Friday, I had time to get home from work, do a quick 30 minute run on the treadmill...shower, eat, and then it was off to Yanok's for their first tournament of the year. Actually we usually play two games, and in this case the second game was the monthly qualifier. I did well "early on" in the first game, and headed into the final table. Thinking things were going my way. There in was my demise. I bubbled! FRACK! Strange hands and oddities, through the night. I pushed with AKos, from late position, and ran into Shelley's pocket rockets...but I bounced back from that one. When we got down to the last four players (three getting paid) I had to drop a hand when the board rivered four cards to a straight, and all I had was top pair, and I got pushed. Some questioned why I folded, that I had the right "odds" to call, but when I KNOW I'm dead...I know it. I was. I mucked it. Then, there was the hand where I was the small blind and still stacking chips from the previous hand, and I hadn't even got or seen my cards and it was folded around to me, I reached down for my cards, which weren't there. Turns out that everyone had tossed their cards to the center, where I had never retrieved my cards in the first place. I didn't argue, and the big blind Robert offered to hand my $25 back to me...but I technically had failed to protect my hand. No sense whining or bitchin'. Moved on. Then, I saw the Big Blind fold to the Small Blind when the blinds were at $50/$100, by mucking, when no one else was in the hand. That's a good return on your money if you ask me. Finally, my last hand. I'm in the BB, look down at 10-8os...wahoo... but I get one caller the small blind. I flop top pair, SB bets out minimum, I raise all in, get insta called, Shelly gives me the sheepish grin and turns over her pocket kings. Cheer_dad's run comes to an end. She went on to win it. Congrats Shell!
Tourney #2 was a write off for me, I went nowhere fast, and my horrific play was punctuated by my "failed" attempt to bluff Jerry off his hand on the river. Of course, his friggin' BOAT 10's full of 3's was plenty to call my idiot ass. Oops! On a positive note. The lovely Big Red took down the TOP SPOT in the 2nd tournament thereby turning our losing night into a winning one. And don't forget this tourney got here qualified for the year end tourney. All the rest is GRAVY! Go Big Red!!!
Next day had the whole family hoppin'. Whitney and Cole both had basketball games at conflicting times. So we divided to conquer. Then, later Cole had hockey from 4:30-5:15, and Teresa and Whit had several errands to take care of. Cole and the rest of the kids had a ball playing, as usual. I'm glad to see them out there and active. I'm hopeful that the lessons of sports and fitness eventually take root, and never allows either of them to become the over-weight sloth I've become. Okay, that's harsh. Anyway, we finish hockey and rush back to the house, pick up Whit and Teresa and head over to the Wolfe's. Tournament #1 for the NDPT, River's Edge, and SmartAss Poker combines crews. (We really need a new nickname, since we consolidated.) I had a lackluster start, and miraculously made it to the final table, with a tiny stack. I began to loosen up as I saw everyone else ratcheting down TIGHT! I began to rebuild the stack. I got sucked out on once, which hurt, but soon after got it all in again, but found myself behind and returned the suckout favor! : ) Give some, get some. In the end I found myself at the final table with only two others! I was still the short stack, but hey I was getting paid back and then some for the night of fun. I finished third...and shortly thereafter JR and Jamie opted to chop the 1st and 2nd place. Jamie had a slight lead and therefore got the 1st place finish points in the first qualifying tournament of the night.
We all headed home, I stayed up for a while and sat at a cash game on Poker Rewards for about an hour. I was doing very well, until I was faced with holding AQspades, and the flop came 8s 9c Js... I had raised it to $4.25 preflop by the way. My lonely caller to the right, shoved... I'm looking at straight draw, nut flush draw and big overs. Yeah I make the call, he shows two pair Jacks and Nines. The river brings me SPADE!!! Unfortunately the NINE of SPADES. You do the math, I'll sulk about my lost $28. Another "frack-worthy" moment!
Time to call it a night, hope all is well with each of you.
Regards,
cheer_dad
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