Decided to not play again until Vegas tomorrow night and feel great about it. Did my dishes and the week's laundry and spent the night at the condo eating and watching TV. Very relaxing as I know that the next two weeks will net me very little sleep.
The estate sales down here are just SICK!!! I find more things in any given weekend here than I do in 5 or 6 weekends up in Victoria.
Wound up hitting a sale Saturday that turned out to be the sale of a former dealer. He and his partner(two older gay guys...((in Palm Springs???))...whoda thunk huh?)were getting rid of some incredible items.Very interesting guys and I actually spent about 2 1/2 hours at their stunning mid century home listening to tales of Palm Springs from the 60's and 70's.
Was able to watch sales from the other side for a change and,was amazed at the amount of gay men and women in this city who continued to come in for most of the morning. They all seemed to know the "two Johns" and it was amusing how the more outgoing John,treated his customers. Very entertaining to say the least. Nothing funnier than a Jewish(Don Rickles style) gay guy on a roll." Man....and I thought that I got away with saying insulting things to people!
Picked up some great furniture and my van is full for the ride home already. French 1950's coffee table,tw0 Italian leather and chrome chairs as well as a gorgeous vintage chrome and glass dining table;two Herman Miller chairs;an Italian lamp from the 60's;a very vintage collapsible tea trolley;a very cool Sputnick radio, and a few smaller items. All this for around $350!!! I just hope that it all doesn't get stolen during my stay in Vegas!
I am amazed at the quality and style of the garage sales here. Even with the competition,there is lots to be had. I so love this place, although sometimes I feel like the only straight guy in the city. As one of the Johns said: "For a straight guy you sure do have a lot of "queer" taste",so I am able to blend it rather easily. Hmmm...is that a good thing I wonder?...lol
Sat by the pool for an hour today as the temperature had cooled down to 94 so I did not feel like a melted cheese sandwich when I was lying outside.
Off to Las Vegas first thing in the morning. A four hour trip(although I know that I will stop off at a couple of my favorite eateries on the way),and as soon as I check in I will be heading straight to the poker room for what I hope is continued success. Marty(card rack) said that she was going to be in Vegas this week and was going to play at the Venetian. NOTE TO SELF.....STAY AWAY FROM THE VENETIAN!!!
Hopefully the casino will have a computer for me to update you all.
Next stop Vegas!!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
The pain...the pain...ACES CRACKED TWICE!!!
So,I get to the casino and there is a seat open. Unfortunately it is to the right of the human card rack woman from last night who won over $2300.
I sit and wait for a hand to play as Marty(her name) is raking in hand after hand with some of the most amazing crap I have ever seen. $30 pre flop bet? No worries cause Marty will call. She started with $200 and within 45 minutes had over $1200 in front of her! 6-3 becomes a full house. K-5 becomes a straight. A-6 suited becomes a flush. 8-3 becomes trips. River beats etc.
I am dealt pocket aces in the small blind and raise to $20 and get 6 callers? The flop comes A-Q-3. Checks all around and I bet $100. I am screaming that I have the ace here everyone!!Two callers. Next card is a 10...not good. First player goes all in for 80 and the next one folds. I call because there is too much money in there to fold my trip aces. The guy has the straight of course and I lose a biggy. Not a happy camper folks as I have been losing with some great cards down here the past 24 hours.Oh well....it is a glitch.
About 10 hands later I am dealer boy and I look down at AA again. Lead guy bets $10 and everyone calls of course.I raise to $100 and Marty of course calls me. The flop is Q-J-9. She goes all in and I only have around $150 and I call. She has 10-8(are you kidding me here????) and felts me!!!
I simply looked at her....patted her on the back and said: "Nice hand",and walked away down $300 for the night. I know that it happens but it is so distressing to lose like that when I see some of these players calling huge bets with spec hands and hitting. Marty won a tourney at Morongo Casino the other morning for $7500 and then $2300 last night. When she won the tourney she was telling us the story of her amazing suck outs...river this...river that etc.
and is well on her way to another great night. Good player...I will give her credit BUT....calling huge bets with the crap that she plays? I just don't know.
So...my winnings are still about $1000 but this last 24 hours have taken their toll on my confidence and I think that I may be done until Vegas on Monday.
I sit and wait for a hand to play as Marty(her name) is raking in hand after hand with some of the most amazing crap I have ever seen. $30 pre flop bet? No worries cause Marty will call. She started with $200 and within 45 minutes had over $1200 in front of her! 6-3 becomes a full house. K-5 becomes a straight. A-6 suited becomes a flush. 8-3 becomes trips. River beats etc.
I am dealt pocket aces in the small blind and raise to $20 and get 6 callers? The flop comes A-Q-3. Checks all around and I bet $100. I am screaming that I have the ace here everyone!!Two callers. Next card is a 10...not good. First player goes all in for 80 and the next one folds. I call because there is too much money in there to fold my trip aces. The guy has the straight of course and I lose a biggy. Not a happy camper folks as I have been losing with some great cards down here the past 24 hours.Oh well....it is a glitch.
About 10 hands later I am dealer boy and I look down at AA again. Lead guy bets $10 and everyone calls of course.I raise to $100 and Marty of course calls me. The flop is Q-J-9. She goes all in and I only have around $150 and I call. She has 10-8(are you kidding me here????) and felts me!!!
I simply looked at her....patted her on the back and said: "Nice hand",and walked away down $300 for the night. I know that it happens but it is so distressing to lose like that when I see some of these players calling huge bets with spec hands and hitting. Marty won a tourney at Morongo Casino the other morning for $7500 and then $2300 last night. When she won the tourney she was telling us the story of her amazing suck outs...river this...river that etc.
and is well on her way to another great night. Good player...I will give her credit BUT....calling huge bets with the crap that she plays? I just don't know.
So...my winnings are still about $1000 but this last 24 hours have taken their toll on my confidence and I think that I may be done until Vegas on Monday.
The morning tourney and AK again??? Wtf?
I promise that I will fold AK forever....maybe not forever....but at least once in the next few days.
The morning tourney.... and I am sailing along minding my own business when I happen to hit the old nemesis AK on the button. Blinds are 500-1000 and I have about 14,000. Two limpers, and one player bets 5,000 all in . The bettor is a good player from New York and I know that he will try and steal blinds from anywhere with almost anything,especially with his stack so low. OK...I have this silly ass AK on the button and I decide to call his bet and then one of the limpers decides to also go all in!!! Now...this all in player is simply awful,but has me covered, but I sense an ace as he plays any ace like it is gold. I auto call of course as I know that I have him beat and we all turn over our cards.New York guy turns over A-K also and "bad player guy" turns over an A-7???? Well...to make this story real short...A-7 guy hits his 7 and we are both knocked out and shake our heads in amazement as this clown wins.
I call him a clown because two hands earlier he made a call for 7,000 in chips against a player who went in with A-J. Clown man called the bet with a K-6 off suit and hit his K. The all in player was beside himself and New York guy and I were amazed at the bad play on this guy's part. The player who lost asked how he could call with that hand and the answer was: "what was wrong with that? I had a K???"
Yikes.....no wonder,despite the bad luck in that hand,that I am making money down here!
Tonight is Friday and it is tourist time. Hopefully I will be rewarded with some playable hands and can keep the cash streak going.
I am seriously debating about sticking to cash games in Vegas. I have already signed up for 3 small tourneys but,with the amount of luck needed in a tourney of 1,000 or so players(WSOP),I wonder. I will decide when I arrive on Monday.
The morning tourney.... and I am sailing along minding my own business when I happen to hit the old nemesis AK on the button. Blinds are 500-1000 and I have about 14,000. Two limpers, and one player bets 5,000 all in . The bettor is a good player from New York and I know that he will try and steal blinds from anywhere with almost anything,especially with his stack so low. OK...I have this silly ass AK on the button and I decide to call his bet and then one of the limpers decides to also go all in!!! Now...this all in player is simply awful,but has me covered, but I sense an ace as he plays any ace like it is gold. I auto call of course as I know that I have him beat and we all turn over our cards.New York guy turns over A-K also and "bad player guy" turns over an A-7???? Well...to make this story real short...A-7 guy hits his 7 and we are both knocked out and shake our heads in amazement as this clown wins.
I call him a clown because two hands earlier he made a call for 7,000 in chips against a player who went in with A-J. Clown man called the bet with a K-6 off suit and hit his K. The all in player was beside himself and New York guy and I were amazed at the bad play on this guy's part. The player who lost asked how he could call with that hand and the answer was: "what was wrong with that? I had a K???"
Yikes.....no wonder,despite the bad luck in that hand,that I am making money down here!
Tonight is Friday and it is tourist time. Hopefully I will be rewarded with some playable hands and can keep the cash streak going.
I am seriously debating about sticking to cash games in Vegas. I have already signed up for 3 small tourneys but,with the amount of luck needed in a tourney of 1,000 or so players(WSOP),I wonder. I will decide when I arrive on Monday.
I folded WHAT? And I hit WHAT? SHIT!!!!
Played last night and got to a pretty loose table(they all are) on the left of the big stack with a big mouth. Had patience and was in the BB with 99. First to act bets $12 and gets 7 callers of course. The flop is a gem as it is 9-2-5(like the song). I check and one guy makes it $40. Next guy goes all in for just over $100(whooppee!!).The next players fold to the dealer who decides to "double the bet" of the "all in" better. Well,I only have $163 so I go all in of course. The dealer,for whatever reason flashes his 9 of diamonds(ouch) to the player on his right and the initial $40 better is pissed off because two people have seen that 9. An argument insues and,after it is settled,the initial raiser(German guy),also goes all in for about $400 more. This puts the pressure on the mouthy dealer guy who knows now that his 9's are no good so he folds.
After all of the chips are sorted I turn over my hand and am faced with set over set OVER SET!!!! OH MY. I have no outs and they each have one. My hand holds and I rake in a great pot!
About a half hour later I make what I think is a good fold but it turns into a nightmare which haunts me the rest of the night. Here is how it goes:
In the past 3 hands there have been 3 different players felted with set over set flops. Pure craziness.
I am on the button with 2-2. The first to act player bets $12 and of course everyone calls. I think about calling because it is only going to cost me $12 right? And then I overthink. I know I am probably behind everyone. I know that it is only $12 to call(can't raise on this table). I think about what happens if I hit the set and remember that set over set has happened frequently recently....but my heart is saying call....I think and think, AND I FOLD!! The flop is 2-2-A!!!! OH NO!!!! What have I done? One player goes all in for about $60 and gets two callers. Next card is a 5. Another player goes all in AND GETS CALLED BY MOUTHY DEALER GUY! Oh man...the money that I could have made there!
When all is said and done. We have a straight.We have trip 5's. We have a flush on the river by MOUTHY DEALER GUY!. he takes down a huge pot and I am simmering!
In retrospect,if I do not hit 2-2 on the flop(odds over 4,000 to 1 that I will flop quads)and hit only the one 2,I am dead meat. BUT...it was only $12.00! Retrospect is such a bitch. Grrrr....
Even though I made some money last night,I literally hit nothing for the next 3 hours. The table was fun and SO VERY LOOSE,and I did not mind staying just for the entertainment value, but it was sickening not being able to play. Found out today that one girl(excellent player but would call with almost anything, and she hit some sick cards) walked out over $2,300 up. Another player from New York, who I saw this morning, cashed out for almost $1,000. This is a $1-$3 for cryin' out loud!!!
There was so much loose and bad play I could not believe it and it was so sad to sit there and fold and never be able to get into the action because of the inferiority of my hands. Bluffing was out of the question as there was never a bet big enough to get people to fold.
After so many hands and so many horrible cards you would think that the Gods would occasionally offer a carrot...but nope....the curse of the folded quads wreaked it's damage on my soul!!
After all of the chips are sorted I turn over my hand and am faced with set over set OVER SET!!!! OH MY. I have no outs and they each have one. My hand holds and I rake in a great pot!
About a half hour later I make what I think is a good fold but it turns into a nightmare which haunts me the rest of the night. Here is how it goes:
In the past 3 hands there have been 3 different players felted with set over set flops. Pure craziness.
I am on the button with 2-2. The first to act player bets $12 and of course everyone calls. I think about calling because it is only going to cost me $12 right? And then I overthink. I know I am probably behind everyone. I know that it is only $12 to call(can't raise on this table). I think about what happens if I hit the set and remember that set over set has happened frequently recently....but my heart is saying call....I think and think, AND I FOLD!! The flop is 2-2-A!!!! OH NO!!!! What have I done? One player goes all in for about $60 and gets two callers. Next card is a 5. Another player goes all in AND GETS CALLED BY MOUTHY DEALER GUY! Oh man...the money that I could have made there!
When all is said and done. We have a straight.We have trip 5's. We have a flush on the river by MOUTHY DEALER GUY!. he takes down a huge pot and I am simmering!
In retrospect,if I do not hit 2-2 on the flop(odds over 4,000 to 1 that I will flop quads)and hit only the one 2,I am dead meat. BUT...it was only $12.00! Retrospect is such a bitch. Grrrr....
Even though I made some money last night,I literally hit nothing for the next 3 hours. The table was fun and SO VERY LOOSE,and I did not mind staying just for the entertainment value, but it was sickening not being able to play. Found out today that one girl(excellent player but would call with almost anything, and she hit some sick cards) walked out over $2,300 up. Another player from New York, who I saw this morning, cashed out for almost $1,000. This is a $1-$3 for cryin' out loud!!!
There was so much loose and bad play I could not believe it and it was so sad to sit there and fold and never be able to get into the action because of the inferiority of my hands. Bluffing was out of the question as there was never a bet big enough to get people to fold.
After so many hands and so many horrible cards you would think that the Gods would occasionally offer a carrot...but nope....the curse of the folded quads wreaked it's damage on my soul!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
The streak ends on....what else?...AK....grrrr
Played for about 3 hours last night but caught a nice run of cards at a fairly soft table with lots of limpers and chasers and came out ahead about $231 to push up the winnings to just over $1200.
Decided to try the morning tourney again today.
During the first hour when the blinds were low I played 4 hands and won them all despite the fact that I had nothing really to play with. I used my tight "I can't get any cards"(you guys think that I don't cultivate that image???...:-)?) routine so was able to play in position and not get challenged.
Was all in once on the button with AQ and was called by another AQ,so no harm was done.
Got my stack up to around $14,000(start with 7000) and then....disaster hits!
I am on the button with AK diamonds. Four limpers in at 1,000. I make it 8,000 as I have all of the limpers pretty well covered and we are close to the final table. Big blind goes all in for an extra 1,500. Everyone folds and I call. He has KK and I lose. Now I only have 4500 left.
Next hand: I have AQ. Limp,limp, and I go all in for my last 4500. Everyone folds so I add 3500(2 limpers + blinds)to my stack for a total of 8,000. OK...not great but not horrible. AND THE.....horror of horrors....I look down at my next hand and am faced with AK SUITED AGAIN!! Oh no....I hate this hand so much I cannot even believe it!
The player who had split the AQ pot with me earlier raises to 5,000. I seriously consider folding this hand but cannot of course, as I am trying to get some damn chips for the win. So...I raise all in my my extra 3,000 and he thinks for a couple of minutes(good sign) and then calls(bad sign). He turns over 9-9 and of course I miss everything and am gone. CRAP!!!
The only reason I am not over the $2,000 mark right now is because of that piece of shit AK...."top 6"...whatever...hand.
Oh well,at least the cash games are going well.
One thing I am(and have been working on)is my money management down here.
I am learning to walk away from the table when things look like they are going sour. No use giving up all of the money you work so hard for by sticking around "past your time".
As for that AK thing......some day I will get my share of hits with it.
One hand of note last night which saved me a ton of money(like....all of it),was laying down pocket AA when the flop hit 10-10-8
I had bet preflop $20 dollars from the cutoff position with 5 limpers in front of me and got 4 callers of course(told you that this was a soft game.....lots of chasers,speculators and limpers(felt that I was playing free poker). Everyone checked to me after the flop,and I raised $40 to see where I was at. Well...first guy called and the next one raised $200. OOPS...I am in deep doo doo here folks as the guy who raised always had the nuts when doing in previous hands, so.... thought for about 4 minutes(had to apologize to the table),and reluctantly folded. The other player called as he was short stacked. The raiser had 9-10 suited!!!!! and the all in caller had JJ. The 10's held when nothing else came up and I was relieved to have made the right call. It helped that I had played against these guys during the past couple of days.
So...a $15 raise and the guy stays with 9-10 and catches. Good for him...but bad for me.
No worries though as I was able to play on and come out ahead.
Am taking the night off so will be back online either tomorrow or Friday.
Hope that this holds up as Vegas is only 6 days away. Hate leaving this area as the play is soft and there is money to be made(obviously)but want to see if I can continue my winning ways over there.
Decided to try the morning tourney again today.
During the first hour when the blinds were low I played 4 hands and won them all despite the fact that I had nothing really to play with. I used my tight "I can't get any cards"(you guys think that I don't cultivate that image???...:-)?) routine so was able to play in position and not get challenged.
Was all in once on the button with AQ and was called by another AQ,so no harm was done.
Got my stack up to around $14,000(start with 7000) and then....disaster hits!
I am on the button with AK diamonds. Four limpers in at 1,000. I make it 8,000 as I have all of the limpers pretty well covered and we are close to the final table. Big blind goes all in for an extra 1,500. Everyone folds and I call. He has KK and I lose. Now I only have 4500 left.
Next hand: I have AQ. Limp,limp, and I go all in for my last 4500. Everyone folds so I add 3500(2 limpers + blinds)to my stack for a total of 8,000. OK...not great but not horrible. AND THE.....horror of horrors....I look down at my next hand and am faced with AK SUITED AGAIN!! Oh no....I hate this hand so much I cannot even believe it!
The player who had split the AQ pot with me earlier raises to 5,000. I seriously consider folding this hand but cannot of course, as I am trying to get some damn chips for the win. So...I raise all in my my extra 3,000 and he thinks for a couple of minutes(good sign) and then calls(bad sign). He turns over 9-9 and of course I miss everything and am gone. CRAP!!!
The only reason I am not over the $2,000 mark right now is because of that piece of shit AK...."top 6"...whatever...hand.
Oh well,at least the cash games are going well.
One thing I am(and have been working on)is my money management down here.
I am learning to walk away from the table when things look like they are going sour. No use giving up all of the money you work so hard for by sticking around "past your time".
As for that AK thing......some day I will get my share of hits with it.
One hand of note last night which saved me a ton of money(like....all of it),was laying down pocket AA when the flop hit 10-10-8
I had bet preflop $20 dollars from the cutoff position with 5 limpers in front of me and got 4 callers of course(told you that this was a soft game.....lots of chasers,speculators and limpers(felt that I was playing free poker). Everyone checked to me after the flop,and I raised $40 to see where I was at. Well...first guy called and the next one raised $200. OOPS...I am in deep doo doo here folks as the guy who raised always had the nuts when doing in previous hands, so.... thought for about 4 minutes(had to apologize to the table),and reluctantly folded. The other player called as he was short stacked. The raiser had 9-10 suited!!!!! and the all in caller had JJ. The 10's held when nothing else came up and I was relieved to have made the right call. It helped that I had played against these guys during the past couple of days.
So...a $15 raise and the guy stays with 9-10 and catches. Good for him...but bad for me.
No worries though as I was able to play on and come out ahead.
Am taking the night off so will be back online either tomorrow or Friday.
Hope that this holds up as Vegas is only 6 days away. Hate leaving this area as the play is soft and there is money to be made(obviously)but want to see if I can continue my winning ways over there.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Morning tourney...sitting by a 500 pound call station
Tuesday morning 11:00 AM tourney. 7,000 in chips and blinds start at 50-100.
I have a guy beside me who is HUGE...gotta weigh 500 pounds,sweating like a pig and calling everything and of course is hitting everything. Pocket this,pocket that...AK.AQ....blah,blah,blah whatever.
I am hitting nothing for about 3 rounds and cannot make a play on this guy as he has called nearly every bet.
Finally get JJ and bet 2000(blinds are 300-600). I get 3 callers and am rewarded with a J on the flop so I take down a nice pot.
Not much happens for a bit until I get the infamous AK. I make a huge raise and of course big whale guy calls and hits trips and cripples me.
I stay patient though and do not get into any situations in which I am in huge trouble. Now I have AQ....I make a huge raise and whale guy calls again. The flop is 7-8-10. Not good but I raise anyway. Whale guy goes all in and I know that once again I am toast. Damn. I fold. He shows a j-9 suited....grrr.... and they announce that the final table has been reached.
I am now at the final table with only 6000 in chips and the blinds are 2000-4000. This is not good folks. Luckily,on the redraw for seats I am in the cutoff position so I can wait a bit anyway.
Sure enough,two players get knocked out quickly. They are paying the top 5. Man I need a hand BADLY. Finally I get 99 and go all in. Whale guy calls of course as does one other player. I win!!!Each had A-Q. Now I have some breathing room.
Meanwhile,whale guy is steadily donking off his chips. Betting into dry sidepots and chasing potentail winning hands out and letting people stay in to survive. PLayers are pissed at his stupidity.I watch him self destruct and...as if God is watching over me... I TAKE HIM OUT on the bubble when my QQ takes out his k-7!!! BEAUTY!!! I am now in the money despite going to the final table with the shortest stack.
The other guy who was short stack at the table and I play tag team on the two others and between us we wind up knocking them out. We decide to split the pot which is $300 each.
On a roll and I love it!!!
Now up over $1000 after about 9 hours of total play.
Going home to rest so that I can play this evening.
I have a guy beside me who is HUGE...gotta weigh 500 pounds,sweating like a pig and calling everything and of course is hitting everything. Pocket this,pocket that...AK.AQ....blah,blah,blah whatever.
I am hitting nothing for about 3 rounds and cannot make a play on this guy as he has called nearly every bet.
Finally get JJ and bet 2000(blinds are 300-600). I get 3 callers and am rewarded with a J on the flop so I take down a nice pot.
Not much happens for a bit until I get the infamous AK. I make a huge raise and of course big whale guy calls and hits trips and cripples me.
I stay patient though and do not get into any situations in which I am in huge trouble. Now I have AQ....I make a huge raise and whale guy calls again. The flop is 7-8-10. Not good but I raise anyway. Whale guy goes all in and I know that once again I am toast. Damn. I fold. He shows a j-9 suited....grrr.... and they announce that the final table has been reached.
I am now at the final table with only 6000 in chips and the blinds are 2000-4000. This is not good folks. Luckily,on the redraw for seats I am in the cutoff position so I can wait a bit anyway.
Sure enough,two players get knocked out quickly. They are paying the top 5. Man I need a hand BADLY. Finally I get 99 and go all in. Whale guy calls of course as does one other player. I win!!!Each had A-Q. Now I have some breathing room.
Meanwhile,whale guy is steadily donking off his chips. Betting into dry sidepots and chasing potentail winning hands out and letting people stay in to survive. PLayers are pissed at his stupidity.I watch him self destruct and...as if God is watching over me... I TAKE HIM OUT on the bubble when my QQ takes out his k-7!!! BEAUTY!!! I am now in the money despite going to the final table with the shortest stack.
The other guy who was short stack at the table and I play tag team on the two others and between us we wind up knocking them out. We decide to split the pot which is $300 each.
On a roll and I love it!!!
Now up over $1000 after about 9 hours of total play.
Going home to rest so that I can play this evening.
Why I hate AK but LOVE 8-5....
Played the $1-$3 NL cash game last night at the Spa.
HANDS OF NOTE:
Had severe patience at the beginning and was not really hitting much but was able to get ahead about$200 after an hour and a half or so, AND THEN....I am dealt KK on the button! NICE!! Six limpers in the pot. Who knows what is out there,so I raise $20. Of course I get 5 callers so there is over $115 now in the pot. I say a little prayer which goes like this: "DEAR LORD,PLEASE DO NOT LET A FRIGGIN' ACE HIT THE BOARD. AMEN!" The flop comes Q-8-10. Hmmm...not great but certainly not bad. Everyone checks to me and I bet $60. One player calls. Hmmm...this may not be good as he has around the same amount of chips as me and is VERY aggressive. Turn card is a 2. I think I am ahead and I bet $100 as I kinda want a call but don't care if I get one. Instead the guy goes all in on me!!!! Now what in the hell do I do? If I call and lose I am broke but if I pull it out.....and why would he do this if he has a great hand against someone who can cripple him unless he is bluffing or simply does not want a call.
I go into the tank and think about it. I cannot put this guy on anything as I have seen him play and he bluffs alot and pushes around his stack. PLUS....he wants to go home as I can see him getting ready,win or lose to go. I am trying to put him on a hand and all that I can imagine is trips(good for him),AQ or perhaps a straight draw as I have seen him chase before. I decide to call. If he has trips...well....so much for that. He turns over A-Q!!! All I have to do is dodge a Q or A and the river is a harmless 6. BINGO....the pot is over $800 and I now have a great chip stack.
Play goes on for a while and not much is happening. I have AK 3 times and lose all 3 times but it does not cost me much. God I hate that hand.
I am in the big blind with my favorite hand 8-5 suited spades. Everyone at the table has limped in so there is 24 dollars in the pot. I decide to change my game around as I have only been playing and showing premium hands. I decide to raise it up $30 to try and steal. Hmmm....not in this game apparently. I get two callers and now I am in a bit of a pickle unless I get a dream flop.
The flop comes:6-7-4!!! And two of them are spades(6-7)!!! I* decide to bet it and I lead out for $50. The player against me is a pretty good opponent and has been hitting cards all night. She calls. I put her either on trips or maybe a flush draw as well since she usually calls in this situation. The next card is a 9 hearts. Hmmm....what am I worried about?. I have the straight but something seems wrong as she seems a bit more attentive now. Now I wonder...does she have a hand like 88 and now is on a draw as well? Does she have 2 higher spades? I decide to check and now she checks as well which tells me that she is on a draw as well. The river card comes and it is a beautiful 10 of spades. BUT...I am still not convinced that I have the best hand here so I check. She bets out $100 and I decide to call and am rewarded with the pot. She had an 8-9 clubs and the straight came on the river for her but I win another big one. SWEET!
Final hand of the night. It is now around 12:00AM and I am dealt a stupid ass AK Diamonds in the small blind. Three limpers and a raise from a fairly tight player. I decide to simply call the raise and go from there. The flop comes A-Q-7. I bet $50 to tell people that I have the A. Tight old guy calls. Oh my...I have a bad feeling here. Turn is a brick. I bet $80. He calls. CRAP...I know that he has AQ now. River is another brick. I check and he bets $40. Nice bet sir! Didn't put himself all in and leaves me rope to hang myself. I wind the noose tightly around my neck and call. He has trips! Damn...I knew I was beat but called anyway. I wind up the night with a profit of $653. Not bad,but I was still annoyed that I did not listen to my inner voice.
Oh well....time to go home and relax. There is a tourney at 11:00 AM.
HANDS OF NOTE:
Had severe patience at the beginning and was not really hitting much but was able to get ahead about$200 after an hour and a half or so, AND THEN....I am dealt KK on the button! NICE!! Six limpers in the pot. Who knows what is out there,so I raise $20. Of course I get 5 callers so there is over $115 now in the pot. I say a little prayer which goes like this: "DEAR LORD,PLEASE DO NOT LET A FRIGGIN' ACE HIT THE BOARD. AMEN!" The flop comes Q-8-10. Hmmm...not great but certainly not bad. Everyone checks to me and I bet $60. One player calls. Hmmm...this may not be good as he has around the same amount of chips as me and is VERY aggressive. Turn card is a 2. I think I am ahead and I bet $100 as I kinda want a call but don't care if I get one. Instead the guy goes all in on me!!!! Now what in the hell do I do? If I call and lose I am broke but if I pull it out.....and why would he do this if he has a great hand against someone who can cripple him unless he is bluffing or simply does not want a call.
I go into the tank and think about it. I cannot put this guy on anything as I have seen him play and he bluffs alot and pushes around his stack. PLUS....he wants to go home as I can see him getting ready,win or lose to go. I am trying to put him on a hand and all that I can imagine is trips(good for him),AQ or perhaps a straight draw as I have seen him chase before. I decide to call. If he has trips...well....so much for that. He turns over A-Q!!! All I have to do is dodge a Q or A and the river is a harmless 6. BINGO....the pot is over $800 and I now have a great chip stack.
Play goes on for a while and not much is happening. I have AK 3 times and lose all 3 times but it does not cost me much. God I hate that hand.
I am in the big blind with my favorite hand 8-5 suited spades. Everyone at the table has limped in so there is 24 dollars in the pot. I decide to change my game around as I have only been playing and showing premium hands. I decide to raise it up $30 to try and steal. Hmmm....not in this game apparently. I get two callers and now I am in a bit of a pickle unless I get a dream flop.
The flop comes:6-7-4!!! And two of them are spades(6-7)!!! I* decide to bet it and I lead out for $50. The player against me is a pretty good opponent and has been hitting cards all night. She calls. I put her either on trips or maybe a flush draw as well since she usually calls in this situation. The next card is a 9 hearts. Hmmm....what am I worried about?. I have the straight but something seems wrong as she seems a bit more attentive now. Now I wonder...does she have a hand like 88 and now is on a draw as well? Does she have 2 higher spades? I decide to check and now she checks as well which tells me that she is on a draw as well. The river card comes and it is a beautiful 10 of spades. BUT...I am still not convinced that I have the best hand here so I check. She bets out $100 and I decide to call and am rewarded with the pot. She had an 8-9 clubs and the straight came on the river for her but I win another big one. SWEET!
Final hand of the night. It is now around 12:00AM and I am dealt a stupid ass AK Diamonds in the small blind. Three limpers and a raise from a fairly tight player. I decide to simply call the raise and go from there. The flop comes A-Q-7. I bet $50 to tell people that I have the A. Tight old guy calls. Oh my...I have a bad feeling here. Turn is a brick. I bet $80. He calls. CRAP...I know that he has AQ now. River is another brick. I check and he bets $40. Nice bet sir! Didn't put himself all in and leaves me rope to hang myself. I wind the noose tightly around my neck and call. He has trips! Damn...I knew I was beat but called anyway. I wind up the night with a profit of $653. Not bad,but I was still annoyed that I did not listen to my inner voice.
Oh well....time to go home and relax. There is a tourney at 11:00 AM.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
At this rate I will be rich in 3 weeks...
FINALLY!! Made it to Palm Springs at 6:15 and checked in to a hotel and was given a poolside patio room. Sweet!!!
Went over to THE SPA casino to play their nightly tourney but alas...cancelled:<(
Decided to play in the cash game($1-$3 NL) and,after a half hour wait,I was rewarded with AA in my first hand AND THE DEALER BUTTON!! SWEET!! Two limpers and then a $12 raise and a call in front of me. I decided to narrow the field right there and raised $36. Fold...fold...fold...call.
The flop is A-4-4. I have flopped the FH. Now most people would be elated with that but I still remember a hand from last year in Vegas where I had QQ and the flop was KK. To make a painful story short: there were 4 players all in and they all had a FH. Mine was 2nd best. AA-QQ-JJ-88 were the hands. Down $200 in 5 minutes.OUCH!!
This time though I thought that there was no way I was losing this one.
The player in front of me leads out for $50. Hmmm...what does he have? What does he think that I have? Does his brain even work like that? Hmmmm....raise or call? Raise or call? I go into the tank....screw it,I am going to try and trap this guy. I call the $50. Next card is a Q. Again he makes it $50. This guy is begging for a call...or is he? Too much thinking here. I put him on perhaps A-K,A-Q...maybe A-J or simply an overpair. I cannot put him on the 4 as he called a raise at the beginning and my reraise. I know that I have him so I decide to shut it down right there and I go all in for my remaining stack of just over $100.
He thinks and thinks and I know that he is toast. He folds and turns over 10-10. COOL! I muck my cards of course and he is none too happy.
I might have been able to make some more but I do not want him to see a cheap river card with some whimpy ass call.
Played for the next hour but had nothing to work with as my highest hand after that was Q-4.
Started to get tired and hungry so I packed it in for a tidy profit of $72.
Not much,but much better start than last year.
Tomorrow I will hit the cash game around 2:00 and try and keep you posted.
Went over to THE SPA casino to play their nightly tourney but alas...cancelled:<(
Decided to play in the cash game($1-$3 NL) and,after a half hour wait,I was rewarded with AA in my first hand AND THE DEALER BUTTON!! SWEET!! Two limpers and then a $12 raise and a call in front of me. I decided to narrow the field right there and raised $36. Fold...fold...fold...call.
The flop is A-4-4. I have flopped the FH. Now most people would be elated with that but I still remember a hand from last year in Vegas where I had QQ and the flop was KK. To make a painful story short: there were 4 players all in and they all had a FH. Mine was 2nd best. AA-QQ-JJ-88 were the hands. Down $200 in 5 minutes.OUCH!!
This time though I thought that there was no way I was losing this one.
The player in front of me leads out for $50. Hmmm...what does he have? What does he think that I have? Does his brain even work like that? Hmmmm....raise or call? Raise or call? I go into the tank....screw it,I am going to try and trap this guy. I call the $50. Next card is a Q. Again he makes it $50. This guy is begging for a call...or is he? Too much thinking here. I put him on perhaps A-K,A-Q...maybe A-J or simply an overpair. I cannot put him on the 4 as he called a raise at the beginning and my reraise. I know that I have him so I decide to shut it down right there and I go all in for my remaining stack of just over $100.
He thinks and thinks and I know that he is toast. He folds and turns over 10-10. COOL! I muck my cards of course and he is none too happy.
I might have been able to make some more but I do not want him to see a cheap river card with some whimpy ass call.
Played for the next hour but had nothing to work with as my highest hand after that was Q-4.
Started to get tired and hungry so I packed it in for a tidy profit of $72.
Not much,but much better start than last year.
Tomorrow I will hit the cash game around 2:00 and try and keep you posted.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The sleep of the dead and a scrotum sucking toilet...
An advantage of driving all day with little sleep is the fact that,when you finally crash,you sleep like a baby.
Even though I was exhausted I thought that I would watch some tv and hope that there would be something entertaining to help me unwind.
Wound up watching the nature channel. No animal porn....just creatures hunting down other creatures and feasting on their innards. Kinda gross but I guess that it is the same as us going to McDonalds for a burger. The big diference of course is that the meat a lion may eat seems to be a bit fresher than ole Mac's.
Finally fell asleep around 1:00 and slept the sleep of the dead although the dead probably do not dream. I dremt of poker and...strangely enough...antelope burgers.
Woke up hungry and rested but,when I looked at the clock I could not believe that it was 11:02 AM. Yikes....that will be a chunk out of my day,but that is what vacationing is all about I guess:wasting time.
Went and had breakfast and was not super impressed. Hard bacon,good eggs and hash browns. Hash browns??? What is with Americans and the amount of food that they serve on their plates? No wonder many of them are fat.
Checked out a couple of antique malls but was not rewarded with anything of neatness.
Screw it....I am on a mission.
Stopped in at a casino in Corning...the Rolling Hills or some gay name like that. Just wanted to use the toilet, as casino johns are worth parking yer butt on most of the time.
All went well except that the toilet was one of those auto flush thingies and I think that this one was either broken or in overdrive as it seemed to flush every 30 seconds or so. Probably the result of some overweight trucker with a bowel plugging 3 coil steamer that threw off the meory bank of said toilet. My concern was, that it was so strong, that I thought that my scrotum was going to be sucked into the bowl every time it flushed. I am sure that some would find this pleasent but I was more concerned about my junk being ripped off so I did not thoroughly enjoy the experience.
Basically a forgettable day driving today. Rain in parts of Northern California but other than that it was clear sailing. I am going to try and make it to Palm Springs tomorrow night so that I can play me some poker at THE SPA casino.
After all...this is supposed to be a poker blog right?
Even though I was exhausted I thought that I would watch some tv and hope that there would be something entertaining to help me unwind.
Wound up watching the nature channel. No animal porn....just creatures hunting down other creatures and feasting on their innards. Kinda gross but I guess that it is the same as us going to McDonalds for a burger. The big diference of course is that the meat a lion may eat seems to be a bit fresher than ole Mac's.
Finally fell asleep around 1:00 and slept the sleep of the dead although the dead probably do not dream. I dremt of poker and...strangely enough...antelope burgers.
Woke up hungry and rested but,when I looked at the clock I could not believe that it was 11:02 AM. Yikes....that will be a chunk out of my day,but that is what vacationing is all about I guess:wasting time.
Went and had breakfast and was not super impressed. Hard bacon,good eggs and hash browns. Hash browns??? What is with Americans and the amount of food that they serve on their plates? No wonder many of them are fat.
Checked out a couple of antique malls but was not rewarded with anything of neatness.
Screw it....I am on a mission.
Stopped in at a casino in Corning...the Rolling Hills or some gay name like that. Just wanted to use the toilet, as casino johns are worth parking yer butt on most of the time.
All went well except that the toilet was one of those auto flush thingies and I think that this one was either broken or in overdrive as it seemed to flush every 30 seconds or so. Probably the result of some overweight trucker with a bowel plugging 3 coil steamer that threw off the meory bank of said toilet. My concern was, that it was so strong, that I thought that my scrotum was going to be sucked into the bowl every time it flushed. I am sure that some would find this pleasent but I was more concerned about my junk being ripped off so I did not thoroughly enjoy the experience.
Basically a forgettable day driving today. Rain in parts of Northern California but other than that it was clear sailing. I am going to try and make it to Palm Springs tomorrow night so that I can play me some poker at THE SPA casino.
After all...this is supposed to be a poker blog right?
Friday, June 12, 2009
Long drive,thunder lightning and road kill
Just arrived in Medford Oregon after a long 16 hour day in a car.
A lesson: Never stop at a casino when you are at the beginning of a trip!!
Since I collect casino chips,I decided to stop at the Skagit casino in Washington this morning to pick up a few for my collection.
45inutes later I am back in my car thinking to myself,"If I keep stopping at casinos on the way down so that I can get more chips,I may not even get to Vegas. So I made a pact with myself(can one do that?)....no more stops until my destination has been reached.
Only had four hours sleep last night as I always seem to wait 'till the last minute to do things LIKE PACK!!! So after only two hours on the road I was already beat. Hmmmm...I could stop and rest, or I can amuse my self with a game of some kind. The game becomes: count the road kill on the highway.
Sheesh:.....the count after 2 hours reads like this: 16 racoons!!!,1 deer,1 cat,2 skunks,4 birds and a couple of things that were so flat...well...who knows? Thought I even saw a dead body at one time on the side of the road, but I think that it may have been a lost sweater...or was it?. No dogs thank God! Actually,the game made me even more tired since I was straining to find dead things on the road. CREEPY MUCH?.... so I pulled in to a rest stop and had a quick 20 minute power nap. Woke up feelin fresh. Whooppee!
The drive down to Madford Oregon was uneventful until about 15 miles out and then BAM!!!.... a lightning storm of bibical proportions hit. The sky was black,black,black. The rain came down in sheets and lightning was everywhere. Quite scary actually but luckily I was close to my goal and arrived in one piece.((NOTE TO SELF: When will I learn that if I wash my car that it will rain the next day?...hmmmm)
So....10 hours finished and tomorrow the goal is to get to Modesto California which is about a 6 1/2 hour drive. I will NOT stop at anymore casinos until I arrive in Pam Springs on Monday....HOWEVER...Saturday IS garage sale day so who knows? Might have to drop in on a few just to see. What can I say? It is a sickness;-)
A lesson: Never stop at a casino when you are at the beginning of a trip!!
Since I collect casino chips,I decided to stop at the Skagit casino in Washington this morning to pick up a few for my collection.
45inutes later I am back in my car thinking to myself,"If I keep stopping at casinos on the way down so that I can get more chips,I may not even get to Vegas. So I made a pact with myself(can one do that?)....no more stops until my destination has been reached.
Only had four hours sleep last night as I always seem to wait 'till the last minute to do things LIKE PACK!!! So after only two hours on the road I was already beat. Hmmmm...I could stop and rest, or I can amuse my self with a game of some kind. The game becomes: count the road kill on the highway.
Sheesh:.....the count after 2 hours reads like this: 16 racoons!!!,1 deer,1 cat,2 skunks,4 birds and a couple of things that were so flat...well...who knows? Thought I even saw a dead body at one time on the side of the road, but I think that it may have been a lost sweater...or was it?. No dogs thank God! Actually,the game made me even more tired since I was straining to find dead things on the road. CREEPY MUCH?.... so I pulled in to a rest stop and had a quick 20 minute power nap. Woke up feelin fresh. Whooppee!
The drive down to Madford Oregon was uneventful until about 15 miles out and then BAM!!!.... a lightning storm of bibical proportions hit. The sky was black,black,black. The rain came down in sheets and lightning was everywhere. Quite scary actually but luckily I was close to my goal and arrived in one piece.((NOTE TO SELF: When will I learn that if I wash my car that it will rain the next day?...hmmmm)
So....10 hours finished and tomorrow the goal is to get to Modesto California which is about a 6 1/2 hour drive. I will NOT stop at anymore casinos until I arrive in Pam Springs on Monday....HOWEVER...Saturday IS garage sale day so who knows? Might have to drop in on a few just to see. What can I say? It is a sickness;-)
Thursday, June 11, 2009
A warm up tourney on Pokerstars
I know...I know....not in Vegas yet,so why do a blog about a goofy Pokerstars tourney?
Well I am doing it because I WON...that's why.
Thought I would try and kick start my positive thinking by playing an internet tourney before I leave for vacation.
Had to dodge some major lunacy by a couple of these clowns(of course I mean that in a nice way...lol).
As you can see,I did not play many hands and actually saved my game by folding QQ pre flop due to some outrageous betting and raising and reraising. Turns out the other 3 players had the following hands: A-K;A-10 AND QQ!!! So I was going to be drawing dead no matter what as another player also had QQ. Yikes...a semi brilliant play on my part! Turns out the A-10 won when the guy hit 10-10-rag on the flop! Sick,but I didn't care.
Happy to have dodged a huge bullet there and was rewarded by the eventual win.
No bad beats and I won my races.
A nice pre start to my trip.
Well I am doing it because I WON...that's why.
Thought I would try and kick start my positive thinking by playing an internet tourney before I leave for vacation.
Had to dodge some major lunacy by a couple of these clowns(of course I mean that in a nice way...lol).
As you can see,I did not play many hands and actually saved my game by folding QQ pre flop due to some outrageous betting and raising and reraising. Turns out the other 3 players had the following hands: A-K;A-10 AND QQ!!! So I was going to be drawing dead no matter what as another player also had QQ. Yikes...a semi brilliant play on my part! Turns out the A-10 won when the guy hit 10-10-rag on the flop! Sick,but I didn't care.
Happy to have dodged a huge bullet there and was rewarded by the eventual win.
No bad beats and I won my races.
A nice pre start to my trip.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Or maybe that should be,"Do you know the way to Las Vegas via Palm Springs?"
OK....the goal is simple: I am a poker player,or at least I try to be one,and my goal is to get better.
I am always bitching about playing with people who seem to have no apparent skills in poker. Not that I am outstanding, but I do study poker and play religiously and have won my share of smallish tourneys.
I like to think off my self as a fish with a bigger brain...although I tend to play at times with no apparent brain waves at all. I try hard and am learning,and through this learning I tend to make ridiculous plays as well as seemingly great ones.
Like my idol Mike Matasaw,I tend to have some pretty horrific beats. Guys hitting one outers;runner,runner this;runner,runner that. It gets tiring after awhile but I still plod on and try my best to avoid races unless those races favor me severely. My "huge beat" streak did go on for months though and I started to doubt myself. If one more person was to say to me,"well,at least you had the best hand going in," I would seriously think about ways to dismember that person. It was getting ugly!
I am off to California and Las Vegas for 3 weeks to try my hand at real cash and real tourney games. I say "real" only because I have been getting complacent in my poker when I play with friends. I play too many pots and goof off too much at times,especially during our 1 hour rebuy period.
However,when I play in Vegas or Palm Springs for that matter,I try to play a solid game. Still have fun mind you,but enjoy the thrill of real money and real stakes.
I am off to Palm Springs tomorrow for a few days and then to Vegas to play some cash games and tourneys,with the ultimate goal of playing in a WSOP event.
I have never laid out $1,000 for a tourney before and I am a bit leery to be honest. The bad beats have started to dissipate a bit. Still there of course,as they are part of poker. Nonetheless,if they start again,I hope that they start after the WSOP is over. I can live with the beats if I am rich!
Tourneys are based on luck and skill. I feel that the skill level is there but I worry about the luck factor BUT...I must try and do it. I must swim with the fishes.
So....I wish myself luck. I want to improve my game and do well just to prove to myself that I do not suck. That I can play.
Since I have no laptop I will try and keep you posted through hotel computers.
Will I come back "king o' the fish?" Or......will I be "minnow man?"
Stay tuned....I will keep you posted.
OK....the goal is simple: I am a poker player,or at least I try to be one,and my goal is to get better.
I am always bitching about playing with people who seem to have no apparent skills in poker. Not that I am outstanding, but I do study poker and play religiously and have won my share of smallish tourneys.
I like to think off my self as a fish with a bigger brain...although I tend to play at times with no apparent brain waves at all. I try hard and am learning,and through this learning I tend to make ridiculous plays as well as seemingly great ones.
Like my idol Mike Matasaw,I tend to have some pretty horrific beats. Guys hitting one outers;runner,runner this;runner,runner that. It gets tiring after awhile but I still plod on and try my best to avoid races unless those races favor me severely. My "huge beat" streak did go on for months though and I started to doubt myself. If one more person was to say to me,"well,at least you had the best hand going in," I would seriously think about ways to dismember that person. It was getting ugly!
I am off to California and Las Vegas for 3 weeks to try my hand at real cash and real tourney games. I say "real" only because I have been getting complacent in my poker when I play with friends. I play too many pots and goof off too much at times,especially during our 1 hour rebuy period.
However,when I play in Vegas or Palm Springs for that matter,I try to play a solid game. Still have fun mind you,but enjoy the thrill of real money and real stakes.
I am off to Palm Springs tomorrow for a few days and then to Vegas to play some cash games and tourneys,with the ultimate goal of playing in a WSOP event.
I have never laid out $1,000 for a tourney before and I am a bit leery to be honest. The bad beats have started to dissipate a bit. Still there of course,as they are part of poker. Nonetheless,if they start again,I hope that they start after the WSOP is over. I can live with the beats if I am rich!
Tourneys are based on luck and skill. I feel that the skill level is there but I worry about the luck factor BUT...I must try and do it. I must swim with the fishes.
So....I wish myself luck. I want to improve my game and do well just to prove to myself that I do not suck. That I can play.
Since I have no laptop I will try and keep you posted through hotel computers.
Will I come back "king o' the fish?" Or......will I be "minnow man?"
Stay tuned....I will keep you posted.
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