The Vegas Recap Day 3

Saturday 4/18/09 Las Vegas

On Saturday morning, we knew we had to take full advantage of the our last full day in Vegas. I woke up around 10:30 to Pat busting in the room with a bottle of Captain. I had a golf outing at 12:30 and Ben and Pat were going to get the day started right. While I golfed, they boozed. The golf trip was excellent. There were six of us. Rob is a pro at a course in Phoenix, so he got us a great deal for the round. It was Tim, Chad, and I versus Wilkerson, Scott, and Rob. I believe they gave us 18 strokes (Rob is good) and we won by 1. My round was not what I was hoping for. I personally shot a 102. I had 3 pars, and lots of bogeys and double bogeys. I had some good shots and some real pathetic ones. Either way, it was a great trip. We had some amazing mountain views and the course was in great shape. I got no sunburn, save for my legs getting super red. We got back to Vegas at around 6:30. I found Pat, Ben, and Emily at the IP bar. They were mostly lit. They had been at the Sports Book all day, parlaying everything they could think of. They Cardinals lost in 11 and that ruined it right there. So, while they continued to drink, I went upstairs and got ready for the night. I donned my black pinstripe button down and jeans. They also got nice and dressed up. While they were getting ready, I went back down to the bar to convince Emily that I in fact did not hate her and wanted her to go out with us that night. I'm glad I did because she did come out and it was a great time. My goal was to get over to Harrah's to get some black shoes from Tim. The idea was that it would be impossible for me to get into either Ghost Bar or Rain with my green and orange Asics. Well, I got caught up talking to Emily and Tim left without me. They went early to get some Rio Buffet. That is phenomenal planning. Anyway, I was stuck with my Asics. It would be a test to see if I could get in. It almost made us bail on the Palms altogether. It turns out, we are all happy we made it.

The line at Rain is out of control. They are all kinds of ropes and lines and really awesome door guys wearing ear pieces. Anyway, we were on the list and got in rather quickly. We bypassed the entire line. It was nice but the $30 cover hurt a little. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it. It turns out it was. On the way into Rain, you can hang out at the pool bar. While we waited for Pat and Emily to get in, Ben and I got a drink. It was a standard 2 drink $20 price. Thankfully, Tim went back and got Pat and Emily inside. Whew! The show that night was the Paul Oakenfold Experience. There were people dancing on rings hanging from the ceiling and guys on stilts walking around with spotlights. It was pretty crazy. We decided to get a shot. It was going to be Ben's staple, RumpleMinze, but we weren't sure if they would have it or not so Pat just ordered 4 CP's. The cost: $44. Wow. I will say that the shot was pretty big. It semi made up for the price. I owed a round from a couple nights before, so I paid. Now comes the good part. Raving. The Oakenfold music was non-stop Techno. I loved it. We 'went to the middle'. The dance floor was jam packed with people and thats where we wanted to be. The four of us made it to 'the middle' as I liked to call it. While there, I sweated more than I have ever sweat. It was dripping off my eyes and nose and ears. It was everywhere. And damn, was it worth it. We just raged. The music never ended. The dancers were directly above us. And then.....it rained. Every few minutes, they make it rain. It is more like snow bubbles. In either case, rain combined with strobe lights was quite the experience.

We took a break and lost Pat and Emily. We found Pat but could not find Emily. Ben and I took a big shot of Absinthe. It is light blue in color and tastes like black licorice. We also bought a new drink. Ben decided to leave his in a corner and hope that it would be there when he came back. It was a horrible idea, as it was very much gone when we made it back 30 minutes later. BUT, 30 minutes later, we got a free shot of Absinthe thanks to our background in bartending and our friendly nature. Between the lost drink and the free shot, Ben and I decided to get back to the middle. We got back and Ben started pimping. He starting dancing with a girl and then did some recreational kissing. After she left, he started dancing with another girl and did even more recreational kissing. The only difference was the older brother. We left the middle and tried to get in the limo to the strip club but got lost. We decided to enjoy the EGG-travaganza across the street. At this point, it was around 3 am. We had some good drunken conversation. After, we walked to the empty lobby and grabbed a cab. We got the cab home for $12 after the guy went the wrong way. He was a nice guy and took a couple bucks off the fair. We got home around 4:30. All in all, Saturday night was the night of all nights for us in Vegas. Ask if you want more details. I wish I could have this night more often. Sunday was nothing to talk about. We went to BLT Burger and had a really cute waitress. Then we laid around until our flight. All in all I bought $550 worth of goods with only $410.

The Vegas Recap Day 2

Friday 4/17/09 Las Vegas

Onto Friday. We woke up around 9:30 and got ready. I was showered and playing craps/drinking at 10:30. We started the day just like we ended the night before. I lost $165 in that craps game. After sick of getting run over, we decided to meet up with the guys who had just gotten in. They were, appropriately, at Chipotle. Nice start, guys. I got a slice of pizza and the 20 of us headed to The Venetian. We were awkwardly standing in the middle of nowhere. The two Jake''s put bets on one spin of the roulette wheel and both lost. Nice one guys. They all started to move on while we stayed and got a hot hand in a game of roulette. I started to get my 'black overs' after I started crushing. I went on a run and won a few hundred. We were trailing them. We went to Treasure Island and the same happened. We won at both craps and roulette. Big Jake kept calling Ben 'Chuck Norris'. We still aren't sure why. Ben was still deep in the hole. Not good. By this time, it was around 4 pm. We had some Blues hockey to check out so we went to the sports book at Caesar's Palace. There we sat for about 4 hours. The games were not going well. We had a 4 team parlay with Blues over Canucks, Dodgers over Rockies, D'backs over Giants, and Tigers over Mariners. It might have been the worst parlay in history. We were losing all of our bets. The Dodgers came back and won but that was our only win of the 4. Sad. While we watched in defeat, we ate some good burgers from the food court nearby. You just walk toward the big chandaleer and go right. Perfect directions. The games ended and we got out of there. By this time it was around 8 pm. We hung out and gambled a bit til around 10:30. Somewhere in here, we went back to Bobby's Room and saw Doyle Brunson and Allen Cunningham. I loved it. I was star struck. I wanted to take a nap before we went out. I went on a bathroom rant about the book club we were with. We were real tired so Pat called it a night and Ben and I went to meet up with Tim. We made it to Planet Hollywood and Paris. There was a piano player at PH and then we gambled at Paris while Tim, Rob, and Cooley bailed on us, mid gamble, mid waiting on cocktail. Lame. We got home around 1 am and called it a night. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

The Vegas Recap Day 1

Thursday 4/16/09 Las Vegas

Ben and I flew into Vegas on Thursday night. We got to our hotel around 10:30.

We met up with Patrick and checked in. Pat had his friend Emily with him. She was there to work. Lucky. We checked in after a long drawn out process by Pat. See, he was trying to decide which credit card to use for the hotel room. He switched cards about 10 times. He kept pulling one out and putting one away and then switching, sometimes between just two cards. He went back and forth between 3 or 4 cards. It was quite the process. Finally, we got checked in. All 3 of us dropped our bags off in the room and got started.

The Imperial Palace is not the best casino around. In fact, it's extremely dated. The chairs look like they are about 15 years old. They are wood, painted white. Real classy. We got our first drink at the IP and started the walk to The Venetian. Our drinks were empty by the time we got there so we decided to gamble so we could drink for free. Well, The Venetian is one of the more expensive casinos on the strip. Our only option was speed roulette. Ben started it off with $60. He was broke. Fast. Pat went next with $20. He went broke quick. I sat next to him and put in $40. I was broke fast. We all put in $20 more and went broke fast. In this time, we had gotten 2 drinks and lost about $200. They were the most expensive drinks ever. Out of the $200, we hit zero numbers on the wheel. It was the most pathetic display of gambling that I have ever been a part of. We were instantly in the hole.

After getting a fresh drink, we decided that The Venetian was not doing it for us. We started the trek to Bellagio. Bellagio didn't go well either. We lost more money playing Roulette and Craps. I bought our first pack of cigarettes for the weekend. It was $8.95 in the Bellagio shop. We decided that because our hotel room was a smoking room, we would smoke the whole weekend. We went to the Bellagio Cafe and ate some food next to some attractive ladies. They ate a lot of good food. I remember one of them had Eggs Benedict and Ben wanted her to take a bite so he could ask her if it was any good. She took a bite but he never asked. We got burgers. They were expensive and delicious. By the time we were finished eating, it was around 3 am. We walked to the poker room and saw a few pros. We saw Johnny Chan, Eli Elezra, Barry Greenstein, Minh Ly (pictured), and a couple others. We got a drink from the bar and pulled straws for the bed situation. I won it and got to sleep by myself. I was glad to win as I have been on a futon for the last few months. We then headed home. We got home around 4:30.

The World Baseball CLASSIC

Who gives a shit? Anyone in America? NO. 2009 marks the second year of the WBC. The 'C' stands for classic. Nothing can be called Classic if it's in its second year of existence. Not even Coca Cola. Coca Cola has put its time in and can now be called Classic. The World Baseball Classic cannot be classic for at least 10 years. At least. Maybe not ever. This tournament sucks.

Pedroia to Jeter to Youkilis for a double play? Something is extremely wrong with the sound of that. Pedroia is a Red Sox and Jeter is a Yankee. These two should never turn double plays together. They should be throwing punches at each other. I would take Pedroia anyday in that fight. Jeter is a pussy more concerned with how he looks than how he plays. Pedroia would no doubt club him in the face with his MVP trophy, ending the fight quickly. (See: here)

What about the MLB season? Why are the players in the WBC playing every other or every second day? They have the real season coming up and, instead, they are wasting their time sitting on the bench for Team USA? This puts everyone behind. I'm glad the St. Louis Cardinal players aren't busy with the WBC. Chipper Jones said it best when he said this tournament has serious flaws. I have a solution: Get rid of it.

The NEW Up and Down

Ok, the Sweet Up and Down was once my place to bitch about bad beats and other BS that goes on at the poker table.  Now that that life is fading in the distance, I have decided to post the things that have been Burning me.  Thanks to my friend Bryan for the inspiration.

Selection Sunday.  Tons and tons of basketball. I love selection sunday because college basketball is the best sport.  Luckily, I went to KU and saw a National Championship and now I know what good basketball looks like.  There is also BAD basketball. Watching the SEC Tournament Championship game was like watching the WNBA championship.  (check this out WNBA 2K8)  It was awful.  Mississippi St. vs. Tennessee.  Both of these teams suck.  Tennessee especially is grossly overrated.  I'm glad Miss. St. won mostly because Tenn. does not deserve to win anything, ever.  What Tennessee calls offense, I call craptastic basketball.  It is simply unwatchable.  They never take good shots or even run any set plays.  Then, and this is the funny part, they miss a shot, get the rebound and immediately shoot again?!  I mean, this is pathetic basketball.  I honestly find myself laughing out loud. High percentage shots is what it's all about.  Bruce Pearl does not know this.  Watch these teams crash and burn in the early stages of the tournament.  I anticipate some haters pointing out KU's quick exit from the Big 12 tourney and I will reply with "we lost all 5 starters and Bill Self is the best coach ever".

Just above this version of basketball is the Big Ten.  Purdue vs. Ohio St.  They are almost as unwatchable as the SEC.  I've seen pickup games more entertaining than this garbage.  No one can score the basketball.  But if you ask an expert (not Dickie V), it's because the Big Ten plays such great defense.  HA.  The truth is, they pass the ball around until the shot clock runs out.  Then they have to shoot.  Any top team in the Big 10 (11, but don't get me started) would be destroyed by any good team in the ACC, Big East, and Big 12.  It's kind of like Big Ten football.  They all think they are the best but I can't seem to find one good team out of the bunch of losers.  THE Ohio State?  Lick. My. Nuts.  

Now all I can think of is how much I hate Jim Tressel.  This naturally leads me to how much I hate Pete Carroll.  I can picture them with their headsets on their stupid heads and it makes me want to punch them in the face.  Coaches should be like Mark Mangino.  HUGE.  And mad.  

Until the next Burn...

The Bad Taste Never Leaves...

I'm sitting here listening to this bullshit that I could not care less about.  All day long, I go through the motions.  My life has become the thing that I hate the most: routine, mundane, boring.  For six months of my 24 years on earth, I played poker every day.  It was a mix of emotions.  I was stressed, upset, nervous, excited, and alive.  I was doing something different.  

Now, I know poker has had its rise in popular culture and has reached a climax.  Even so, I felt like I was doing something that could work for a while - and it did.  For those six months,  I was making 25/hr.  I would leave at 9 am with 400 in my pocket and come home with 800 or 600 or 1000 or 100 or 0 or 500.  It was such a unique type of living and I was pulling it off.  I was really doing it.

Of course, things started to turn downhill.  I started to pay back my debts to Annie and to those who got me through school. The bankroll started to dwindle.  The bills started to pile and I felt the pressure at the tables.  During the height of my six month run, I won 16 sessions in a row. After the pressure started to mount, I had a hard time winning 3 in a row.  I wasn't myself.  I was playing differently, less aggressive.  It didn't help that I started to get incredibly unlucky during this span.  The combination of the dwindling bankroll, the loss of confidence in my game, and outdraw after outdraw, it was tough to keep up. After a while, I could not.

It has been nearly 3 months since my last session at a casino.  3 months can give you some perspective.  I have learned a lot about myself through the time I spent playing poker.  I learned that I can really do it.  FACT: I made a living playing poker.  I learned that the saying is right on. "Poker is a hard way to make an easy living."  FACT:  This shit is hard.  Putting in the hours is just as stressful as an office job.  In some ways, it is more stressful, more difficult, and scarier.  I was my own boss.  I had to show up on time and I was responsible for everything.  Money management is extremely important.  Not just in poker but in life as well.  

If I were to make a come back, and that is a big IF, it would be under different circumstances.  My bankroll would be safe.  I would have no debts to anyone.  In order to do this, I would have to somehow get a hold of around 38k.  That is why the IF is so big.  Lots of things would have to happen.  BUT, if this were to happen, the 38k, I believe I could really make a run at it.  The situation would be set up nicely.  My routine from Chicago to Indiana was smooth.  The only thing that I could see as a problem would be the gas necessary for the vehicle I used.  If I were to make a run at it in some other city, it would most likely be even more smooth.  

Until I either realize that I do not want to play poker anymore OR get the perfect situation to maximize my EV, I will have my boring new life and the memories of what once was.  You know the bad taste never leaves.

I run bad

I run my Streak for the Cash up to 10 and then Buffalo can't finish at home against the lowly Browns. Sad. So I have 99 run into 1010 on a board of 245 and then my streak goes to shit after I make an impressive run.  

How else can I run bad?  I guess the rest of my life is running pretty well.  My computer freaks out from time to time but mostly it has been running smoothly as of late.  I hasn't happened in a bad way lately - the way that requires multiple restarts and battery removal -  just the good way where all it requires is a quick restart.  

The more I think about it, the more I realize that running bad is a state of mind.  It's a function of your ability to think the worst of yourself.  I think that is how poker players are.  They are eternal pessimists.  If they get it in with the best of it, they immediately ponder how they could possibly lose it.  I think that way.  But why?  All you can do as a poker player is get it in while you have the best of it.  While that does not happen every time, it does happen most of the time.  If that was not true, I would not be a winning player.  Once I get it in with the best of it, there is nothing else to do.  

Tonight,  I thought my bet of Buffalo was +EV and I still think it is.  I would make the same bet again if I had to.  That's all I can do.  If this one time it turns out to be -EV, then so be it.  I can do no more.  

This is the attitude I need to really concentrate on.  Results do not matter.  Decisions are the most important part of anything.  I try to make the best decisions, the most +EV spots I can get.  If the results don't follow, I have to remember that they eventually will.  Stick to the grind. Stick to what you do.  If what you do is +EV then you get +V, even if you feel you are running bad.

Things I Do

What do I do well? I thought I would make a list.

I know correct hand ranges for opening the pot in and out of position.

I know how to attack weakness with bluffs/semi-bluffs.

I know how to take someone down to Value Town.

I know how to play in position against weak opponents.

I know how to properly size bets depending on situations.

I know how to determine hand strength.

I know what it takes to stay mentally tough.

I know how to exploit my tight image.

I know how to release a hand.

I know how to switch gears.

I know how to translate board texture and table texture.

I have good money management.

What do I need to work on?

I need to not let my emotions control my actions.

I need to lose all distractions affecting my play.

I need to learn to pick off bluffs.

I need to avoid getting bluffed.

I need to become more aggressive in position.

I need to not worry about my plus/minus and concentrate on each hand.

I need to get to level 3.5/4 thinking.

I need to get finances in order to play optimally.

I need to be more patient when donkeys go on heaters.

I need to see the big picture while in the trenches.

I need to not involve other people when I'm upset.

I need to realize that Rome was not built in a day.

A revelation? This all happened in like 15 min.

I just pwnd .05/.1 and I'm not sure why.  I had $3.45 left in my FullTilt account and just ran it up to $11.85 in 20 minutes.  I spent some time watching CR/Stox videos and am already feeling the effects. I want to be the best I can possibly be and I may be on my way.  I am very excited for Monday.

Full Tilt Poker $0.05/$0.10 $3 Cap No Limit Hold'em - 6 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

Hero (BB): $11.35
UTG: $4.65
MP: $8.70
CO: $6.70
BTN: $5.85
SB: $3.00

Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with A 8
1 fold, MP calls $0.10, 2 folds, SB calls $0.05, Hero checks

Flop: ($0.30) K 2 9 (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP checks

Turn: ($0.30) 8 (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $0.30, MP calls $0.30, SB calls $0.30

River: ($1.20) 7 (3 players)
SB checks, Hero checks, MP bets $0.80, SB folds, Hero calls $0.80

Final Pot: $2.80
Hero shows A 8 (a pair of Eights)
MP shows 3 J (King Jack high)
Hero wins $2.55

I Pwn MSNL

Full Tilt Poker $0.05/$0.10 $3 Cap No Limit Hold'em - 4 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

Hero (BB): $9.15
CO: $6.55
BTN: $7.80
SB: $6.30

Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BB with 8 Q
2 folds, SB calls $0.05, Hero raises to $0.30, SB calls $0.20

Flop: ($0.60) 6 8 6 (2 players)
SB bets $0.40, Hero raises to $1, SB raises to $2.70, Hero calls $1.70

Turn: ($6.00) 7 (2 players)

River: ($6.00) 4 (2 players)

Villain mucks Kc10d

PWN

Full Tilt Poker $0.05/$0.10 $3 Cap No Limit Hold'em - 5 players
The Official 2+2 Hand Converter Powered By DeucesCracked.com

Hero (BTN): $6.35
SB: $5.15
BB: $5.65
UTG: $5.70
CO: $7.25

Pre Flop: ($0.15) Hero is BTN with Q J
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.35, 1 fold, BB calls $0.25

Flop: ($0.75) 2 Q Q (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $0.50, BB calls $0.50

Turn: ($1.75) 7 (2 players)
BB checks, Hero checks

River: ($1.75) 9 (2 players)
BB bets $0.10, Hero raises to $0.80, BB calls $0.70(AcKc)

How about a blog?

So I have been avoiding blogging because I've been getting run over lately. I mean hard. Get hit by a car type of running over.

I had A8 against AA on a board of A82

I had JJ on a board of QJQ and lost to KQ when a K spiked.

I had second nut flush with J8h on a board with the Ah and Kh.

I had JJ on a board of Jh10c9h8h.

I had 89d on a board of 10d Jh 5d 3h Qc.

And now on the other side of it all, I had two set of Jacks today.  One was a double up and the other was  a big pot.  I also raised with 35s and flopped 246.  Sickening.

So what is poker?  What's it all about?  I've been doing this for 5 months now and wow, what a roller coaster.  I have had some crazy swings.  And the thing is, I didn't have any swings for the first month, my best month.  It was the month of 16 winning sessions in a row.  I would love to make a run like that again.  I could not agree more with the saying that playing poker for a living is a hard way to make an easy living.  I mean that is truth.  This is no walk in the park.  I have been hit in the face with some tough situations.  I have been on the highest of highs and more recently the lowest of lows.  I lost 3 buyins in one session just last week.  It was brutal.  I was in the most unlucky of spots.  

I am not sure if this is true but I think playing 9 handed does something to poker.  I have been a lot less consistent since switching to the Horseshoe, where they play 9 handed only AND, probably more importantly, have better players.  But having better players cannot explain everything because I still consider myself the best player at my table at any given time.  I have just taken some brutal beats.  

Perseverance and mental toughness is something you must have to player poker.  There was this guy at the table today who was livid, and I mean LIVID, every time something bad happened to him.  Imagine being in the BB and having the guy next to you straddle.  This made him livid.  Imagine having to fold after you limp because someone raised.  This made him livid.  I raised once and he folded while showing only his middle finger to the table.  He must have rebought 5 times and everytime he lost he mumbled 'son of a bitch' under his breath, threw his cards into the muck, punched the felt, and had the greatest look on his face.  He was obviously the biggest donk ever 3.0.  I kept laughing.  It was extremely amusing.

What a sick session

I had a gross session today.  I felt like I was in the zone for the first time, ever.  What I mean when I say that is that I was really in the zone.  I mean for real.  I have felt good in the past but today was different.  It was unlike any day I have ever had.  I was in the 1 seat for a while and the guy in the 9 seat was real active.  He made some sick calls and was a real good player.  He had a poker hoody on, which is lame.  There was also the amateur to my right who was tight but a decent player.  

We were all talking, having a good time winning pots of each other and the other idiots at the table.  I moved to the 4 seat after a few hours.  I had a big hand against Mr. Jones, sitting in the 8 seat.  I had QJc.  The flop came Qh 6c 9c.  I led out and he raised me.  He had 100 left and I shoved it in.  He called with the 9h 9s.  I missed.  That took out one of my towers.  Later on, I started playing well, getting some hands.  I made a good value bet with the 56d.  I rivered a straight and a flush.  I bet it and got called.  I also raised in the CO with 55 and got called by Mr. Jones in the BB.  The flop came KK8.  He checked, I bet. He called.  Turn 3.  He checked and I bet.  River was a K.  He checked and I bet again.  He paid me off with 22.  What else?  I stacked Ron with a set of 5's.  I had some big pairs, and picked up some pots with nothing or middle/bottom pair.

This day was so good, I played for 12 hours.  I just couldn't get up.  I didn't even with THAT much.  It was a good 20/hr day.  Not the best but I felt so good.  If I wouldn't have gotten up, I'm sure I would have been able to take a chunk more off the table.

Lunatics and Bottom Set

Lunatic guy two to my left.  I stacked him twice.  

I'm in the BB with the 10 7

The table limps around 6 handed and I check.  Pot is 12.

Flop comes 5 8 9.  Table checks around. 

Turn comes 6.  I bet out 10.  Lunatic raises to 25.  Table folds around to me and I raise to 80.  He moves in and I call.  I think he had about 100.  River is the 9.  Scoop.

So this lunatic reloads.

About 30 minutes later, a guy from middle position raises to 12.  I find the 10 10 in the CO and call.  The lunatic in the SB moves in for 65.  He says that he wants to see how big that guys hand is.  Well, he mucks and I call.  He forgot about me.  Board runs out 8 high and I scoop again.  

Very next hand, I pick up AK and raise to 12.  He shoves his reload of 120.  What is my decision?  After a minute or two, I muck it.  Right play?  I can't tell.

So my buddy, Vic, sits down next to me after he had waited for a long time to get a seat.  I know him to be a TAG, plays good cards, and bets them.  One of the best laydowns I have ever made.......

The table limps around to the guy to my left who makes a pot-builder raise to 7.  Vic calls I call and a couple others call.  I have 3 3.

The flop comes 3 4 5.  Vic bets out 21 into a pot of 35.  I am to his left, so I'm next.  What are my options.  Fold Call Raise. A fold here would be premature.  I can't just muck.  I am obviously suspicious of his holding but can't just lay it down now.  A call could be good as I am in position on him and could see what he does on the turn.  A raise here would also be OK in certain spots. I decided that this spot was not good for a raise as there were 5 to the flop and someone behind us could make a play with 67 or A2.  I also thought that because my set was bottom set, I might get in trouble against a higher set.

I called the 21 and the table folded.  The turn comes a K.  Vic bets out 50 into 77. I tank. Could he have 67?  Very possible. The preflop action was so weak, he could have 67 or A2.  Could he think I was on a flush draw of some sort, like AQs or AKs?  If I have AKs, I hit top pair and still have the nut flush draw but that doesn't seem to bother him at all.  So what could he have? And what does he think I have?  I thought he must have had 1 of 3 things, all of which beat my set.  I decided he had 67, A2 or either 44 of 55.  SO, I mucked.  He showed 4 4.  It was the happiest I have been to lose in a long time.

Sit on It

I find 8h8c in MP and limp.  There are 4 limpers and the BB, Ron makes it 7.  BB calls, EP calls, I call and BTN calls.  Five take the flop.  The pot is 35.  

Flop comes Qc 3c 8h.  Check Check Check, I bet it.  I bet 20.  The BTN calls and everyone else folds.  The pot is 75.  

The turn is the 4d.  I bet 45 this time.  BTN calls again.  

The river is the 7c.  I bet again.  60 this time.  He calls. He said he had AQ.  A nice sized pot.

Another pot involved Ron on the SB again.  There was a straddle and I raised to 17 with the AdKc.  It folds to Ron in the SB and he raises another 25.  So he makes it 42 total.  It's back to me and I really am thinking about it.  Ron is a tight weak player.  I often bet him off hands and he goes away quietly.  For me to see him raise out of position told me that he had a hand.  

I thought of all the options.  I thought it would be OK to fold.  I was in position and I had a pretty big hand so I decided that it wasn't worth a fold here.  While I was thinking about it, Ron showed me his stack size, seemed kinda loose and feeling alright. He put his chips in front of his cards and counted them down, telling me he was willing to go all the way with it.  After he counted it down, he got a little uncomfortable.  I'm not sure what it was...not so willing to put his chips in.  So I thought a raise might be the right choice.  If he has AA or KK, I'm dead but anything else, I'm OK.  I ended up calling.  I was in position and I thought he had a pair but I would have two overs.  Plus, he is weak tight and I might be able to get him to fold something.  

The flop comes 8c 10c 5d.  Ron checks.  ??  I thought he had a pair but why would he check?  Could he have 99?  Seemed unlikely.  Maybe he had JJ or QQ.  I couldn't really figure it out.  I knew I had two overs.  So, I bet the rest of his money, 84.  He insta-calls.  He shows down 10h 10d.  EEk.  A huge hand.  Turn is the 7c and river is the 9c.  My flush kills a set.  A 5.15% comes back from the dead to take down the pot.

Here is the question.  Does anyone actually think in the course of the decision on the flop that you have the back door flush draw?  I did and I'm not sure if it's a waste of time or not.  

1 in 649,740

I hit a royal flush today.  Nothing happened before or after that hand.  I won the 90 dollar pot, got a 500 dollar bonus and everyone in the hand got 100.  Thank you and you are welcome.

Bad Calls and Good Calls

Sometimes I make a good call and sometimes I make a horrific call.  Today, I did both and the bottom line was in the red.  Lame.  I need to start playing better poker if I want to continue to play poker. 

Here is the horrific call.  The table was 6 handed and I found A6s in EP and limped (mistake #1).  A raise would have been better here.  The flop is seen 4 handed.  It is 6c 6d 9h.  It gets checked around (mistake #2).  I should have bet out.  The turn is the 8s.  This time I bet and get called by one person. The river is a 5s.  Villain checks to me and I bet 11.  He raises to 25!?  I call??!!! (mistake #3).  I am bad.  I called just in case he had something like 67 or 64.  He had 7c10s.  That's just bad poker.  

I made a good call with 88 on a board of 92275.  Flop was checked.  Turn was bet, I called and another called.  River was same bet, I called, other called again.  They both had a seven.  I even said that he had a seven on the turn when he bet $7.  I beat both of them.  This was not enough to cover what I lost on the hand I played extremely poorly.

Perfect, Perfect

Biggest donk of all time.  Seriously. Not a joke.  He had his stack up to 800+ and after about 4 hours, he had to rebuy for 200.  An hour or so after that he was about to around 300.  I was near 300, too.  I was waiting to snap him off when I got the perfect chance.

I find 9h9d in the small blind and decide to just call.  The flop is Qh 2c 9s.  Lock.  I check and donk bets and there is one caller.  I raise.  Donk calls.  Other folds.  Turn is a 5h.  I check again.  No draw at all on board.  He bets 20 and I raise to 80.  He calls rather quickly.  I have him on some Q like Q10 or something of the like.  The river is the Qd.  I move in my 180 left.  He insta-calls  and shows Q5.  On the flop, he was 1.3% and on the turn he was 4%.  He stacked me and now I'm considering quitting poker.

Sometimes, luck

Another usual day of hands and no hands and no action and nothingness.  I was down a bit when the most interesting hand of the day occurred.  I was down 75 but had reloaded to about 225.  I was in my usual 4 seat.  

There was a loose-aggressive player in the 7 seat.  I thought he was a good player.  Him and I had been battling a bit.  We were involved in a few hands, one in which I showed down a 78c to take down a pot with a board of AK3A.  He got his revenge later, putting me all-in when I was unprepared to make the move.  He had won a few big pots, showing down quads and 2 sets.  He had some hands, but played them well.  I'm going to call him Clive.  So Clive had been aggressive on all parts of the game.  He took down pots a lot.  Raised a lot.  Ok, so the hand.

The table had gotten tight for about 5 minutes.  There were a couple people missing and there were 2 chops on 2 of the last 3 hands.  I was in the cutoff and it was folded to me.  I was fearing another chop, so I decided to play the 3d 4h.  I limp and the button folds and the blinds call/check.  Pot is 6.

The flop is 3s Kc 3c.  

SB check

BB check (Clive)

I bet 7.

SB fold

BB raises to 22.

Now this guy is tricky.  I knew I had the best hand, as he made lots of raises and bets.  I had a decision.  Should I raise or call?  I didn't want to shut him out of the pot, and I didn't want him to do something crazy on the turn to shut me out of the pot.  I was in position, which is always good.  I finally decided to just call.  A raise here, I thought, would have ended the pot.

The turn is the 9c.  Not a good card.  It brought a flush but beyond that, it couldn't have changed the hand very much.  This time Clive bets right out.  He bets 45.  Before this bet, the pot was 6 +22 +22 = 50.  Now, it is 95.  The action is to me.  A 45 dollar bet.  ???  I just could not put this guy on a hand that I was afraid of.  Maybe he had a better 3.  I thought it was more likely he had a K of some sort.  Maybe he had K9 and he thought his K now beat my K.  I still thought my hand was good.  My stack had about 200 left in it.  I raised to 110.  He insta-shoved.  WOW.  Not what I was expecting.  He had a lot of chips.  About 400. After my 110 dollar bet, I only had 101 left in my stack so I just bet over 50% of my chips.  Now, am I supposed to be able to fold?  I thought my raise had me committed.  I said that I could not fold so I rolled the rest of my chips into the pot and Clive showed the Ac2c.  

I thought he played the hand extremely well.  He had me.  Check raised the flop and led right out when he hit the flush.  It was well done.  I obviously had a flush in mind but from the history of this player and the way the hand was played, I just didn't think that's what he had.  I was wrong.

Of course, poker hands don't end on the turn.  There is such thing as 5th street - the river.

After all this, the chips were in, I got outplayed and then there was the river.

The Kd.  ;)

:( or :)

I'm not sure what to think of today.  I was even on the day but I had like 5 sets.  I look back on the day and can't find out how I only broke even.  There was one hand I lost a good chunk of money on and if not for that hand, I would have been up about 120.  Here is that hand.  

I was in the CO with the 67h.  There was one small raise to 6 and 3 callers.  I make the call and the flop comes...

4h 8d 9c.  There is a 10 dollar bet from the initial raiser and I make the call.  We go heads up to the turn...

9h falls on the turn.  Now, the original raiser checks and I, with my straight and flush draw, bet 15.  He now min raises me to 30.  Hmm?  I call.  

River comes 5c.  I hit my hand.  The good, hidden way - not the flush and it's the nut straight.

So now he leads out for 75.  WOW.  What in the?  Wow does he have a bare 9?  An overpair?  I was not sure but I knew he had to have something.  Next question.  Is there a spot for a raise?  I decided no, a raise would not be good.  I don't beat tons of things and I knew this guy to be a bit tricky.  He also threw in that min raise at me on the turn.  I decide to call the 75.  He shows me? 

8s8h

It's a tough spot and it makes sense.  Can I fold there?  Daniel?  Can I?

Value City Poker

I just value bet my face off.  I have really improved this part of my game.  I had some spots today where I certainly did not have the nuts and was not sure my hand was good but I was able to make good value bets, and got paid on almost all of them.

I had Ad10h in EP and limped in.  The flop was 10d 6h 3d.  I bet right out and got a caller, a guy with a stack around 1200.  The turn was the 8d.  I liked the card and bet it again.  Once again, I got called.  The river was the 9c.  This guy won't go away and in the past I would concede the pot or check/call.  I bet right out again and got a call from Qc10s.  

I had Jc10s in MP in a 4 way pot.  Flop comes As Qc Qs.  It gets checked around.  The turn is Kh.  I bet out and get a caller.  The river is the 8h.  This time I get led into for 20.  In the past, I would simply had called here and hoped I was not up against a boat.  Nowadays, I can get value here so I raised it up to 60 and got insta-called by a naked Q.  

Sets

Sets are my favorite.  They are why I get up in the morning.  Sets are my goal for any given day.  A lot of the time, sets are the difference between a good and bad day.  I hit a set today and played it well.  Here is a rundown.

I am in EP and find the 6s 6h.  I limp in hoping to get a cheap flop.  It doesn't last as the guy to my immediate left raises to 12. A young guy who had lots of money called and so did 3 others.  There is now 56 in the pot and I need 10 more to call.  The pot is laying me 5.6 to 1.  This is not the same as the odds against flopping a set but the implied odds were easily covering that.  So, I call.  

The flop is the 

Kd 3s 6c.

With so many people in the hand I had to decide what to do.  I was in early position and had a tight image so I decided to go with that image and check.  The initial raiser to my left (who knew I had been tight but caught me on a bluff) bets 40.  The young rich purple chip guy called the 40.  I have another decision.  I wanted to raise here.  I was sure of it.  After much deliberation, I came to the conclusion that my hand is strong enough that I don't have to raise. There are no real draws on board, too.  So, I call the 40.  The turn is the Qh.  The board is still extremely good for my hand.  I continue the slow play and check it again to my two opponents.  The man to my left moves in for 87.  The other guy thinks for a while and I am definitely wanting him to call or even raise.  Unfortunately, he folded.  I called the 87 and he showed 99. 

I was quite surprised to see that he didn't have AK or even KQ.  And if he didn't have it, I thought the other guy must have.  But, it didn't matter as I won the pot.  Good hand, good day.  All in a sets work.

Slow Down

Two slow days of annoyingness

I had a guy raise me on the flop with KK.  I had AA and it got all in and he rivered a K.  No hands today.  NONE. Bluffed my way to a very small win.