With the new year fast approaching I am trying to get things in order. I have moved into a condo in Henderson, finished furnishing it, and am finally ready to put all my concentration back into poker. With my bankroll now at an all-time low I have no choice but to get after it with much fervor.
I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions but in 2013 I will make my best effort to study more, play more, and tilt less. And most of all, avoid working for the man.
Many thanks to Mr. Sub(optimal)liminal for prodding me back to the computer. I plan on making more posts, even if they are shorter in length.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Lessons
In the midst of this 2 week break even stretch, which has had it's share of ups & downs, I need to reiterate some basic lessons to myself. Listening to different sessions on StackEmCoaching.com I've realized it all comes down to this:
1)Control tilt
2)Play your "A" game
3)It's all one long game
4)Let the game come to you (don't force things)
Thank you John Kim & Nick DiVella for the insight & reminders. Now if I can just remember these things. I may write them down on a note pad & take it with me to the table to remind me.
1)Control tilt
2)Play your "A" game
3)It's all one long game
4)Let the game come to you (don't force things)
Thank you John Kim & Nick DiVella for the insight & reminders. Now if I can just remember these things. I may write them down on a note pad & take it with me to the table to remind me.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Rollercoaster
Man it's been a crazy month so far. I'm still up for the month but it's been very swingy. Big wins followed by big losses. Very strange, but I guess that's the nature of the beast.
Played an interesting hand at Wynn the other day. Villain & I both have ~$600. I'm in the cutoff with K7hh & limp after 2 others. Button limps, SB completes, BB checks. Flop is Th3h6h giving me the 2nd nuts. My idea on this flop is to bet about half pot if checked to me; I need to see where the Ah is & I want to make any possible flopped sets pay to pair the board. Surprisingly an EP limper fires $18. With 3 others left to act my thinking is now to just call, string them along, & reevaluate the turn.
The button calls but then the SB check raises to $50. The BB folds, EP who led for $18 folds, leaving it up to me. Now I'm trying to put SB on a range of hands. I take the nut flush out of the equation because I think he would just call & try to string the rest of us along. I put him squarely on 2 pair, a set, or a smaller flush. If he has any of that I want to get as much money as possible in now, but don't want to lose him. So I "spring the trap" & raise to $140. To my additional surprise the button flat calls my raise. I immediately know he has the ace of hearts. SB also calls.
Turn is an offsuit 8, changing nothing. SB checks & I instantly jam my remaining $320. Button folds immediately in disgust & SB tanks for about 15 seconds before calling. River is the 4h. I see the button slump in his chair in agony. I table my flush & SB shows TT for flopped top set. So the dealer pushes the ~$1150 pot to me. I almost threw up.
Anyway, I'm taking the night off to try to get my sleep schedule on some kind of normalcy. This wake up at 3-4pm, fall asleep at 7am crap is for the birds. When I was winning in July I was up by noon, playing until about midnight, and asleep by 2-3am. Plus I have some errands to run & can't get some errands accomplished at night.
For any Howard Stern fans the Ronnie Mund Block Party & Poker Tournament is going to be at the Hard Rock Casino Saturday night. I kind of want to go, and it's only $25 for the party. The poker tourney is $250, but I don't plan on playing unless I go on a tear this week. Also excited about Guns n Roses taking up residency here soon. I know it's not the real GnR but if the price is right, I'm there.
Watching the WSOP coverage on ESPN. Next week I may get some TV time, so keep your eyes open. That's about all from Vegas. Looking forward to my parents coming in next weekend. Finally get to eat some real (expensive) food!
Played an interesting hand at Wynn the other day. Villain & I both have ~$600. I'm in the cutoff with K7hh & limp after 2 others. Button limps, SB completes, BB checks. Flop is Th3h6h giving me the 2nd nuts. My idea on this flop is to bet about half pot if checked to me; I need to see where the Ah is & I want to make any possible flopped sets pay to pair the board. Surprisingly an EP limper fires $18. With 3 others left to act my thinking is now to just call, string them along, & reevaluate the turn.
The button calls but then the SB check raises to $50. The BB folds, EP who led for $18 folds, leaving it up to me. Now I'm trying to put SB on a range of hands. I take the nut flush out of the equation because I think he would just call & try to string the rest of us along. I put him squarely on 2 pair, a set, or a smaller flush. If he has any of that I want to get as much money as possible in now, but don't want to lose him. So I "spring the trap" & raise to $140. To my additional surprise the button flat calls my raise. I immediately know he has the ace of hearts. SB also calls.
Turn is an offsuit 8, changing nothing. SB checks & I instantly jam my remaining $320. Button folds immediately in disgust & SB tanks for about 15 seconds before calling. River is the 4h. I see the button slump in his chair in agony. I table my flush & SB shows TT for flopped top set. So the dealer pushes the ~$1150 pot to me. I almost threw up.
Anyway, I'm taking the night off to try to get my sleep schedule on some kind of normalcy. This wake up at 3-4pm, fall asleep at 7am crap is for the birds. When I was winning in July I was up by noon, playing until about midnight, and asleep by 2-3am. Plus I have some errands to run & can't get some errands accomplished at night.
For any Howard Stern fans the Ronnie Mund Block Party & Poker Tournament is going to be at the Hard Rock Casino Saturday night. I kind of want to go, and it's only $25 for the party. The poker tourney is $250, but I don't plan on playing unless I go on a tear this week. Also excited about Guns n Roses taking up residency here soon. I know it's not the real GnR but if the price is right, I'm there.
Watching the WSOP coverage on ESPN. Next week I may get some TV time, so keep your eyes open. That's about all from Vegas. Looking forward to my parents coming in next weekend. Finally get to eat some real (expensive) food!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
How a Fold Lead to a Win
I know it's been a little over a week since I've posted anything, and while I could go on about what's been happening the last week - bad back, horrendous start to August & the rebound - I want to discuss a hand that played out a couple of days ago. Matter of fact, I only remembered this hand about 15 minutes ago & felt the need to write about it. OMG, poker content!
Anyway, I was at the Mirage playing a 1-2 game. I don't usually play there due to bad rulings/bad results, but word on the street was the games were really soft this week, so I decided to check it out.
I will preface the hand I want to talk about with a hand that happened immediately prior. I was in the 4 seat & raised to $10 preflop with QQ, & only the 5 seat called. The flop came J high rainbow, I bet $15, he calls. Turn was a baby, I checked to pot control/induce a bluff, he check back. River paired the board. I just knew villain had a jack, so I value-bet about $40, he calls. I show the QQ, he shows JT, and I scoop.
Now the hand of note, which was the very next hand. UTG limps, all fold, I look down at KK & raise to $12, only the limper called. Flop comes down J76 rainbow. Perfect! He checks, I fire $20, he thinks for about 5 seconds & calls. Turn brings an 8. He checks, I fire $45. Villain now thinks for about 10 seconds then shoves another $125 on top. What the hell? I get TWO premium hands in a row & this guy wants to shove on me? So I tank.
I think about all the possibilities of hands that he has. I realize he has played kind of solid and hasn't gotten out of line to this point. I take about a solid minute, finally apologize to the table for taking so long, then I did something I rarely do. I started talking to the guy. I wanted information.
"Do you really have 9T here? 45?"
"Did you flop your set?"
"Are you on a draw?"
The entire time the guy sat there looking away in the distance in front of him with his head resting on his hand. But the more I talked to him the more I thought I saw him turning red. Now I had to interpret what this meant. I took a few seconds with this and finally determined that he was reddening because he wanted a call. I also figured there would be better opportunities at this table to make money. So I sighed really big & said "OK, you got it" & folded my KK face up hoping to get a show from him.
And he turned over 9Tcc for the turned straight. I smiled & turned my head to the heavens, thanking God for helping me find a fold there. It also dawned on me that, as with the hand prior, my reads were spot on. As the villain was stacking his chips my neighbor in the 3 seat turned to me & said "that took a little chunk out of you, huh?" He wasn't intending on being cruel, he was genuinely trying to be nice. But I looked at him and said "yeah, it might have. But if I keep making reads like that, I'm going to make some money today."
Needless to say, I left a couple of hours later up a buy in. This leads me to 2 things. 1) A quality fold can be profitable later on, & 2) NEVER let your opponent know he made the right decision.
Thanks for reading & run good!
Anyway, I was at the Mirage playing a 1-2 game. I don't usually play there due to bad rulings/bad results, but word on the street was the games were really soft this week, so I decided to check it out.
I will preface the hand I want to talk about with a hand that happened immediately prior. I was in the 4 seat & raised to $10 preflop with QQ, & only the 5 seat called. The flop came J high rainbow, I bet $15, he calls. Turn was a baby, I checked to pot control/induce a bluff, he check back. River paired the board. I just knew villain had a jack, so I value-bet about $40, he calls. I show the QQ, he shows JT, and I scoop.
Now the hand of note, which was the very next hand. UTG limps, all fold, I look down at KK & raise to $12, only the limper called. Flop comes down J76 rainbow. Perfect! He checks, I fire $20, he thinks for about 5 seconds & calls. Turn brings an 8. He checks, I fire $45. Villain now thinks for about 10 seconds then shoves another $125 on top. What the hell? I get TWO premium hands in a row & this guy wants to shove on me? So I tank.
I think about all the possibilities of hands that he has. I realize he has played kind of solid and hasn't gotten out of line to this point. I take about a solid minute, finally apologize to the table for taking so long, then I did something I rarely do. I started talking to the guy. I wanted information.
"Do you really have 9T here? 45?"
"Did you flop your set?"
"Are you on a draw?"
The entire time the guy sat there looking away in the distance in front of him with his head resting on his hand. But the more I talked to him the more I thought I saw him turning red. Now I had to interpret what this meant. I took a few seconds with this and finally determined that he was reddening because he wanted a call. I also figured there would be better opportunities at this table to make money. So I sighed really big & said "OK, you got it" & folded my KK face up hoping to get a show from him.
And he turned over 9Tcc for the turned straight. I smiled & turned my head to the heavens, thanking God for helping me find a fold there. It also dawned on me that, as with the hand prior, my reads were spot on. As the villain was stacking his chips my neighbor in the 3 seat turned to me & said "that took a little chunk out of you, huh?" He wasn't intending on being cruel, he was genuinely trying to be nice. But I looked at him and said "yeah, it might have. But if I keep making reads like that, I'm going to make some money today."
Needless to say, I left a couple of hours later up a buy in. This leads me to 2 things. 1) A quality fold can be profitable later on, & 2) NEVER let your opponent know he made the right decision.
Thanks for reading & run good!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
July Recap & August Goals
So July ended up being pretty good. It started off tremendous then kind of puttered out towards the end. I still ended up making $16.50/hr. averaging 41 hours a week. Not too bad from what I hear. That being said I have already made some goals for the month of August. Here goes:
1) 50 hour weeks. It has been told to me to set a goal each day of how much to win, then stop. I have followed that and been successful. But to make a good living playing these stakes you need to put in volume. So I am alternating the Stop Win goal to play somewhere, make a certain amount, then go to another location. Will probably start playing 6 days a week, too.
2) Maintain $16/hr. $20/hr. would be great but maybe not sustainable.
3) Limit Expenses. This has been a huge leak for me. Oh, I'm up 3 buy ins the last 2 days? Let's eat out! Let's buy some stuff! No more. I'll be happy with what I have until I can move to 2-5.
4) Start exercising. I will spring for a gym membership at UNLV - only $25 a month. Now I just have to use it. The plan is to work out after I wake up, eat, shower, hit the rooms.
5) Take shots at 2-5. The 'roll is close to the imaginary number I need to start taking shots here. If the beginning of the month goes well I'll start towards the end of the month, playing at Bellagio, where I hear the game is softer.
That's all I've thought of for now. I will update here as the month goes along. If you guys can think of any other suggestions don't be shy. Thanks for reading!
1) 50 hour weeks. It has been told to me to set a goal each day of how much to win, then stop. I have followed that and been successful. But to make a good living playing these stakes you need to put in volume. So I am alternating the Stop Win goal to play somewhere, make a certain amount, then go to another location. Will probably start playing 6 days a week, too.
2) Maintain $16/hr. $20/hr. would be great but maybe not sustainable.
3) Limit Expenses. This has been a huge leak for me. Oh, I'm up 3 buy ins the last 2 days? Let's eat out! Let's buy some stuff! No more. I'll be happy with what I have until I can move to 2-5.
4) Start exercising. I will spring for a gym membership at UNLV - only $25 a month. Now I just have to use it. The plan is to work out after I wake up, eat, shower, hit the rooms.
5) Take shots at 2-5. The 'roll is close to the imaginary number I need to start taking shots here. If the beginning of the month goes well I'll start towards the end of the month, playing at Bellagio, where I hear the game is softer.
That's all I've thought of for now. I will update here as the month goes along. If you guys can think of any other suggestions don't be shy. Thanks for reading!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Swongs
July is coming to an end and it makes me sad. I've had a pretty good month, averaging about $15 an hour, which I hear is good for 1-2 & 1-3NL. I HAD been averaging about $20/hr. but the last 2 days have been horrible. Still a winning month overall, plus I still have 2 days left to make it even better.
I think I have been controlling my tilt a little better at the tables. I have been reading The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler & think it is awesome. That, along with subscriptions to Crush Live Poker by Bart Hansen & Stack Em Coaching have helped transform my game & approach.
Anyway, on to life. I flew back to Houston last weekend to surprise my 5 year old for her birthday. I had an incredible time with both my girls, taking them to Chuck E. Cheese for Ashley's birthday & Toys R Us for birthday presents. The best times were when we would be back at their house - the wife was good enough to let me stay with them, thanks K! - watching TV & Ashley would crawl up the couch & lay with me. She'd tell me she loved me & how much she missed me. I'm grateful to have such an affectionate daughter. She bawled when they took me to the airport, which broke my heart. She tried telling K that she was "going with Daddy. I'll be back in 3 days." Oh how I wish. I miss that little stinker.
I have decided I'm fat enough & am going to do something about it. It's so bad now that when I walk from the parking garage to most poker rooms my lower back starts to hurt. Plus when I saw that picture of Antonio Esfandiari & me I was appalled. It never looks that bad in the mirror! So I have found a gym at UNLV, which is literally 3 minutes away. I haven't visited it yet but plan to either Tuesday or Wednesday. From what I've read it's only $25/month, you can use all the facilities, and you can get personal training at a huge discount. Now I just need to join, and get there as soon as I wake up in the afternoon.
Along with this weight loss thing I am going to attempt to eat more organic foods. Or let me say, less processed foods. That includes bread, pastas, chips, basically shit that needs to be made. I will try to eat more living stuff: fruits, veggies, red meat, chicken, fish. I will be purchasing a George Foreman to help cook some stuff. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'm ready to put in the work. I plan on keeping everyone updated on here as to how it goes. Just writing about poker stuff is kind of boring anyway.
I guess that's all from Vegas. Thanks for reading!
I think I have been controlling my tilt a little better at the tables. I have been reading The Mental Game of Poker by Jared Tendler & think it is awesome. That, along with subscriptions to Crush Live Poker by Bart Hansen & Stack Em Coaching have helped transform my game & approach.
Anyway, on to life. I flew back to Houston last weekend to surprise my 5 year old for her birthday. I had an incredible time with both my girls, taking them to Chuck E. Cheese for Ashley's birthday & Toys R Us for birthday presents. The best times were when we would be back at their house - the wife was good enough to let me stay with them, thanks K! - watching TV & Ashley would crawl up the couch & lay with me. She'd tell me she loved me & how much she missed me. I'm grateful to have such an affectionate daughter. She bawled when they took me to the airport, which broke my heart. She tried telling K that she was "going with Daddy. I'll be back in 3 days." Oh how I wish. I miss that little stinker.
I have decided I'm fat enough & am going to do something about it. It's so bad now that when I walk from the parking garage to most poker rooms my lower back starts to hurt. Plus when I saw that picture of Antonio Esfandiari & me I was appalled. It never looks that bad in the mirror! So I have found a gym at UNLV, which is literally 3 minutes away. I haven't visited it yet but plan to either Tuesday or Wednesday. From what I've read it's only $25/month, you can use all the facilities, and you can get personal training at a huge discount. Now I just need to join, and get there as soon as I wake up in the afternoon.
Along with this weight loss thing I am going to attempt to eat more organic foods. Or let me say, less processed foods. That includes bread, pastas, chips, basically shit that needs to be made. I will try to eat more living stuff: fruits, veggies, red meat, chicken, fish. I will be purchasing a George Foreman to help cook some stuff. I'm looking forward to the challenge. I'm ready to put in the work. I plan on keeping everyone updated on here as to how it goes. Just writing about poker stuff is kind of boring anyway.
I guess that's all from Vegas. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Outta Here
I'm leaving for the airport in a few minutes. Heading to Houston to surprise my 5 year old for her birthday. I will be without the laptop so no posts until I get back - like I make a lot anyway. I'll probably post a trip report when I get back, although it will be lacking in poker content. Peace guys.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Figuring Things Out
As the title suggests things might be coming together, and a lot of the things some of you were saying early on are proving to be true. I play a tighter game than when I arrived. I am also playing shorter sessions. If I get up $150-$300 early I cut the session even shorter, then move on. I am no longer "afraid" to get up after only an hour or two. If I want to leave, I do. Fuck 'em if they don't like it.
There is NO meta-game in 1-2 & 1-3 no limit! From what I hear, there's no meta-game in 2-5 either. So I don't over-analyze things anymore. It's all cut & dry. I'll still think to put an opponent on a range of hands if the hand plays out kinda weird, but I never think I'm getting leveled. If I am, good for them. They bluffed me. Great. Enjoy the current pot & get ready to get destroyed later.
I'm realizing I don't need to make rent or get unstuck in one day, let alone one session. I can make a couple hundred, get out of there, and hit up the next place for a couple hundred.
So for all of you who have been telling me all these things for the past 2 months, thank you. I think it has finally settled in. Needless to say I've had a pretty good couple of weeks. They will hopefully continue to improve as I implement the above criteria. Thanks again all. Later!
There is NO meta-game in 1-2 & 1-3 no limit! From what I hear, there's no meta-game in 2-5 either. So I don't over-analyze things anymore. It's all cut & dry. I'll still think to put an opponent on a range of hands if the hand plays out kinda weird, but I never think I'm getting leveled. If I am, good for them. They bluffed me. Great. Enjoy the current pot & get ready to get destroyed later.
I'm realizing I don't need to make rent or get unstuck in one day, let alone one session. I can make a couple hundred, get out of there, and hit up the next place for a couple hundred.
So for all of you who have been telling me all these things for the past 2 months, thank you. I think it has finally settled in. Needless to say I've had a pretty good couple of weeks. They will hopefully continue to improve as I implement the above criteria. Thanks again all. Later!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
June Swoon
Not a lot to report as of late. The WSOP Main Event is underway, and an old friend from home games in Houston - AJ Jejelowo - is still in and among the chip leaders. He also won the Southern WSOP Circuit Championship last year, so he has experience in these situations. Let me publicly say good luck to him, and I hope he finishes this out.
I got to see another buddy from Houston play on Day 2, Dwain Capodice. We played together at Chris Chancellor's game in Houston. Sorry I was there to see your QQ run into KK. I kind of feel responsible. My bad luck runneth over.
As some of you know June was a terrible month for me, ending as an overall loser. I am happy to report I have fixed some leaks - I think - and have turned things around for July. I am trying to play tighter for the most part, not push things, and wait patiently for decent hands. There's not really a lot of meta-game in 1-2 or 1-3NL. I found myself sort of out-leveling myself in June, thinking these idiots were outplaying me or making moves. You can't think on the 4th or 5th level if these morons can't get off the 1st level. It just doesn't work.
I have also changed my stop-loss & stop-win parameters. I will now stop if I either 1)lose my initial buy in all in, 2)lose half my initial buy in by bleeding it away, 3)double my buy in if the table is tough, & 4)triple my buy in at a soft table. I figure to leave sooner when losing because my image is probably shit by then, and why continue to play with a shitty image when I can just move to another room & build a good image?
On a personal note I will be flying into Houston July 19-22 to surprise my 5 year old daughter for her birthday. She has no idea I'm coming. Should be a great time. I'm also probably taking one night to meet up with some of my friends, so hit me up soon if you want to do dinner or something.
Sorry for the long delay in between posts but sometimes I just don't know what to talk about. Gimme some suggestions my 4 readers! Later!
I got to see another buddy from Houston play on Day 2, Dwain Capodice. We played together at Chris Chancellor's game in Houston. Sorry I was there to see your QQ run into KK. I kind of feel responsible. My bad luck runneth over.
As some of you know June was a terrible month for me, ending as an overall loser. I am happy to report I have fixed some leaks - I think - and have turned things around for July. I am trying to play tighter for the most part, not push things, and wait patiently for decent hands. There's not really a lot of meta-game in 1-2 or 1-3NL. I found myself sort of out-leveling myself in June, thinking these idiots were outplaying me or making moves. You can't think on the 4th or 5th level if these morons can't get off the 1st level. It just doesn't work.
I have also changed my stop-loss & stop-win parameters. I will now stop if I either 1)lose my initial buy in all in, 2)lose half my initial buy in by bleeding it away, 3)double my buy in if the table is tough, & 4)triple my buy in at a soft table. I figure to leave sooner when losing because my image is probably shit by then, and why continue to play with a shitty image when I can just move to another room & build a good image?
On a personal note I will be flying into Houston July 19-22 to surprise my 5 year old daughter for her birthday. She has no idea I'm coming. Should be a great time. I'm also probably taking one night to meet up with some of my friends, so hit me up soon if you want to do dinner or something.
Sorry for the long delay in between posts but sometimes I just don't know what to talk about. Gimme some suggestions my 4 readers! Later!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Out with the Grrouch
After last night's adventures I was planning on a relaxing day running errands, grocery shopping, and probably a haircut. However, upon waking (at 4:00pm), I check the twatter account & see my fellow blogger Grrouchie was eager to play a little pokah. Being that I'm a social creature I happily obliged, and after a (healthy, not really) dinner at BLT in the Mirage, I set out to Bally's, where the games are significantly softer.
I arrived about 5 minutes before him, taking the 5 seat at table 4, while he got seated at table 9. About 30 minutes later he gets moved to my table, directly to my left. The shit talking started immediately as either he or I raised every other hand for about 5 orbits. I was trying a looser style brought upon by watching my friend Raj at Harrah's last night. It generally seems to keep the other players confused & irritated, thinking how can this guy have a hand every time, so they play back at you when you actually HAVE a hand.
This goes on for a couple hours. I slowly built my stack up by about $50 to $100 when I get a guy to shove AK on a Q hi board into my AA. Bingo! Loose style working like a charm. I also watched Grrouchie take one in the butt as his turned straight got rivered by a boat, and he lost about a buy in on the hand. For the night he only lost a few bucks, while I won over a buy in. Good start to the night.
We parted ways as he has a real job - sucker! - and has to be there at 6am. I went on to Harrah's to log in more hours for the freeroll tournament on Sunday, in which you only need 15 hours of live play to participate. I get my seat and immediately start raising. I take down a few small pots before flopping two pair with the mighty Wulf (35 soooted) and taking a decent pot off a guy. Then things went downhill.
First I double up a guy who bought in for around $175 when I completely went brain dead and over-thought things, totally leveling myself into shoving into this guy's full house. Why do I feel the need to think on the 5th or 6th level when these idiots can barely think on 2 levels? Guess it was another case of tilting & another Stump blow up (pardon the infringement Mr. Matusow). Not 30 minutes later I do the same thing & stack off to KK with my TT when the board read out QJ9x, trying to hit my straight on the river like a fish. Oh I was so mad at myself.
Damn, when am I ever going to quit overthinking things & just play ABC poker? Especially at these levels? With these morons at Harrah's? It's not like they're tougher competition at like Aria, Venetian, or the like. Maybe one day. Until then I might look into dealer schools to learn blackjack or craps & get my foot in the door at a casino. I'll learn poker later in January when classes start up. Who knows.
I arrived about 5 minutes before him, taking the 5 seat at table 4, while he got seated at table 9. About 30 minutes later he gets moved to my table, directly to my left. The shit talking started immediately as either he or I raised every other hand for about 5 orbits. I was trying a looser style brought upon by watching my friend Raj at Harrah's last night. It generally seems to keep the other players confused & irritated, thinking how can this guy have a hand every time, so they play back at you when you actually HAVE a hand.
This goes on for a couple hours. I slowly built my stack up by about $50 to $100 when I get a guy to shove AK on a Q hi board into my AA. Bingo! Loose style working like a charm. I also watched Grrouchie take one in the butt as his turned straight got rivered by a boat, and he lost about a buy in on the hand. For the night he only lost a few bucks, while I won over a buy in. Good start to the night.
We parted ways as he has a real job - sucker! - and has to be there at 6am. I went on to Harrah's to log in more hours for the freeroll tournament on Sunday, in which you only need 15 hours of live play to participate. I get my seat and immediately start raising. I take down a few small pots before flopping two pair with the mighty Wulf (35 soooted) and taking a decent pot off a guy. Then things went downhill.
First I double up a guy who bought in for around $175 when I completely went brain dead and over-thought things, totally leveling myself into shoving into this guy's full house. Why do I feel the need to think on the 5th or 6th level when these idiots can barely think on 2 levels? Guess it was another case of tilting & another Stump blow up (pardon the infringement Mr. Matusow). Not 30 minutes later I do the same thing & stack off to KK with my TT when the board read out QJ9x, trying to hit my straight on the river like a fish. Oh I was so mad at myself.
Damn, when am I ever going to quit overthinking things & just play ABC poker? Especially at these levels? With these morons at Harrah's? It's not like they're tougher competition at like Aria, Venetian, or the like. Maybe one day. Until then I might look into dealer schools to learn blackjack or craps & get my foot in the door at a casino. I'll learn poker later in January when classes start up. Who knows.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Another Losing Night but Enjoyable Ending
So I just got home from playing a session at Harrah's where, on my last hand, my JJ lost to TT when TT flopped a set (as usual) and I doubled him up. And I was hoping that all that bad luck would have ended with June.... Oh well.
I got a text from one of my Houston poker buddies named Raj, telling me he & a couple other guys were gonna be driving through town. I told him I was at Harrah's & to stop on by. So after he busted out of the 10pm daily Deepstack at the Rio he cabbed it over. It was great to see a familiar face from the old stomping ground. He quickly bought into the 1-2 game and sat to my immediate right, so we could bullshit.
Long story short he more than doubled his money when his AA held against KK all in pre (how does he do that???). I doubled up that shorty shortly after, leaving me with only $47, so I decided to call it a night. He asked if I wanted to go to Bellagio, out to eat, a strip club, ANYTHING instead of going back to his room at the Orleans. On the road he convinced me to stop in at Girls Girls Girls, Vince Neil's strip club directly across the street from Orleans. His treat. How could I resist?
About 4 drinks, 4 lap dances in the VIP section from the lovely (oh shit what was her name???) and exchanged pleasantries later, I was all better. Thanks Raj! You really know how to cheer a guy up!
So here I am at 5am, watching the intro to Wimbledon on ESPN, still half drunk, typing this recap of the night. I guess things could be worse. Have a great day all! Probably taking the day off then hitting it hard on Tuesday. Peace!
I got a text from one of my Houston poker buddies named Raj, telling me he & a couple other guys were gonna be driving through town. I told him I was at Harrah's & to stop on by. So after he busted out of the 10pm daily Deepstack at the Rio he cabbed it over. It was great to see a familiar face from the old stomping ground. He quickly bought into the 1-2 game and sat to my immediate right, so we could bullshit.
Long story short he more than doubled his money when his AA held against KK all in pre (how does he do that???). I doubled up that shorty shortly after, leaving me with only $47, so I decided to call it a night. He asked if I wanted to go to Bellagio, out to eat, a strip club, ANYTHING instead of going back to his room at the Orleans. On the road he convinced me to stop in at Girls Girls Girls, Vince Neil's strip club directly across the street from Orleans. His treat. How could I resist?
About 4 drinks, 4 lap dances in the VIP section from the lovely (oh shit what was her name???) and exchanged pleasantries later, I was all better. Thanks Raj! You really know how to cheer a guy up!
So here I am at 5am, watching the intro to Wimbledon on ESPN, still half drunk, typing this recap of the night. I guess things could be worse. Have a great day all! Probably taking the day off then hitting it hard on Tuesday. Peace!
Sunday, July 1, 2012
July=New Start
After the horrible month that was June I am looking forward to July & new beginnings. Selfishly I have not blogged in a while because I was steaming too much & didn't feel I had too much to share. But after meeting some of my "fellow" bloggers at both the AVP Meet & the TBC Meet I have decided to get back at it.
I want to blog more about my mental state in poker as well as general goings on around Las Vegas. I would like this blog to be more theraputic for me personally, even though I am putting it out there in public. I have been reading Jared Tendler's book in an attempt to get more in touch with why I tilt & want to berate other fish for their awful play, which lately has ended up losing me money.
A quick update of the month of June, which I want to forget as soon as possible: ended up losing almost $900 in play, along with my expenses made it a terrible month. Bankroll is still strong, around $13k, so I'm not completely stressing yet. I was going to start taking shots at 2-5 at $15k but went back on a losing streak.
Anyway, thanks for your patience and jump back on the bandwagon!
I want to blog more about my mental state in poker as well as general goings on around Las Vegas. I would like this blog to be more theraputic for me personally, even though I am putting it out there in public. I have been reading Jared Tendler's book in an attempt to get more in touch with why I tilt & want to berate other fish for their awful play, which lately has ended up losing me money.
A quick update of the month of June, which I want to forget as soon as possible: ended up losing almost $900 in play, along with my expenses made it a terrible month. Bankroll is still strong, around $13k, so I'm not completely stressing yet. I was going to start taking shots at 2-5 at $15k but went back on a losing streak.
Anyway, thanks for your patience and jump back on the bandwagon!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Missing Home
Well I said when I started this blog I would be honest about all aspects of my life. Right now I am missing home, my kids, my wife, everything. Funny part is I knew I would miss them but not this much. The wife sent me a picture of my 4 year old in her little cap & gown from graduating pre-school & I almost lost it. I made the picture my wallpaper on my phone so everytime I turn it on I see her, and it just breaks my heart.
I am doing my best to meet fellow players/bloggers/AVP'ers to get a support system while I'm here. Think I made a mistake last night because 3 of my favorite bloggers were playing at the table directly to my left & I never went to say hi to them. Of course, by the time I realized it was them I took a 2 outter about 15 minutes later & never said anything. So Grump, Grrouchie & Rob, sorry for the dis. Won't happen again.
Had an interesting situation happen to me at the Bellagio the other night. I was hanging out with AlaskaGal1 playing some 1-2 at the same table when I decide I'm starving & order the over-priced chicken strips. About 20 minutes later they show up & I instantly get propositioned by almost every player in a 3 table radius. "I'll pay you for a strip", "can I have some carrots?", "how about your celery?" were coming at me fast & furious. I rejected all the offers & started to mow. When I was on my 2nd strip I get involved in a hand. I finish the hand & look to my left & see the table drunk from the table behind me with a chicken strip in his mouth taking a bite. He smiles, puts the strip down then says "hey, I'm sneaky!" WTF?!?!?! I tell him if he ever touches my food again I'm punching him in his f*cking face. Should I have called the floor? Demanded a new order of food? Had the guy kicked out? (I did notice he left shortly afterward, and as he did the table broke. Thank god for drunks?)
I won't complain about bad beats, they happen to everyone, but let's just say I'm down a couple of buy-ins from the last 2 days by getting 2 outtered both times. No worries, have to come back strong from those. But getting those beats on top of already feeling homesick was kind of much. Took the rest of the night off last night, stopped at the corner store for some vodka & pineapple juice, went home & drank it off. Not my proudest moment but whatever.
I tweeted yesterday about bluffing the living crap out of someone & y'all wanted details, so here it is. I limp behind 1 other in the hijack with 5c6s, 1 more limps, SB completes, BB makes it $12, 1 other calls & I call. Flop comes 4c4s3c, so I'm open ended with backdoor flush draws. BB bets $20, other limper folds & I call. Turn is 8d. BB bets $40, I call again. River is the beautiful Ac. BB checks & I sense incredible weakness now, so I shove. Dude tanks for about 2 minutes & folds. I didn't show. We can get into my thinking but most of you better players probably know what was going on in my head. If I hit my straight I stack him. Otherwise I treated the hand as if I had 1)a club draw, 2)flopped trips, 3)flopped boat, 4)overcards like Ax (but that's stretching it). I played it like I had all those.
Anyway, guess that's it for now. I was gonna take the day off but after running so bad I think I need to get back in there & battle. My head is in a better place thanks to all the love I got on Facebook & texting & phone calls. I really appreciate all the love & support you guys have given me. I can't thank y'all enough.
I am doing my best to meet fellow players/bloggers/AVP'ers to get a support system while I'm here. Think I made a mistake last night because 3 of my favorite bloggers were playing at the table directly to my left & I never went to say hi to them. Of course, by the time I realized it was them I took a 2 outter about 15 minutes later & never said anything. So Grump, Grrouchie & Rob, sorry for the dis. Won't happen again.
Had an interesting situation happen to me at the Bellagio the other night. I was hanging out with AlaskaGal1 playing some 1-2 at the same table when I decide I'm starving & order the over-priced chicken strips. About 20 minutes later they show up & I instantly get propositioned by almost every player in a 3 table radius. "I'll pay you for a strip", "can I have some carrots?", "how about your celery?" were coming at me fast & furious. I rejected all the offers & started to mow. When I was on my 2nd strip I get involved in a hand. I finish the hand & look to my left & see the table drunk from the table behind me with a chicken strip in his mouth taking a bite. He smiles, puts the strip down then says "hey, I'm sneaky!" WTF?!?!?! I tell him if he ever touches my food again I'm punching him in his f*cking face. Should I have called the floor? Demanded a new order of food? Had the guy kicked out? (I did notice he left shortly afterward, and as he did the table broke. Thank god for drunks?)
I won't complain about bad beats, they happen to everyone, but let's just say I'm down a couple of buy-ins from the last 2 days by getting 2 outtered both times. No worries, have to come back strong from those. But getting those beats on top of already feeling homesick was kind of much. Took the rest of the night off last night, stopped at the corner store for some vodka & pineapple juice, went home & drank it off. Not my proudest moment but whatever.
I tweeted yesterday about bluffing the living crap out of someone & y'all wanted details, so here it is. I limp behind 1 other in the hijack with 5c6s, 1 more limps, SB completes, BB makes it $12, 1 other calls & I call. Flop comes 4c4s3c, so I'm open ended with backdoor flush draws. BB bets $20, other limper folds & I call. Turn is 8d. BB bets $40, I call again. River is the beautiful Ac. BB checks & I sense incredible weakness now, so I shove. Dude tanks for about 2 minutes & folds. I didn't show. We can get into my thinking but most of you better players probably know what was going on in my head. If I hit my straight I stack him. Otherwise I treated the hand as if I had 1)a club draw, 2)flopped trips, 3)flopped boat, 4)overcards like Ax (but that's stretching it). I played it like I had all those.
Anyway, guess that's it for now. I was gonna take the day off but after running so bad I think I need to get back in there & battle. My head is in a better place thanks to all the love I got on Facebook & texting & phone calls. I really appreciate all the love & support you guys have given me. I can't thank y'all enough.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Couple of good days
I never let on in the last post what had been going on with the poker playing. Well, it was up & down to say the least, with a little more down than up. Win in Arizona, lose when I get to Vegas. I'd follow a decent winning session with a decent losing session. I believe I was trying to push too many things & over-think everything, which can be a killer at the 1-2 or 1-3 level. Usually just ABC poker gets the money. People at these levels aren't capable of thinking on multiple levels. So I decided to nit it up a little bit, quit playing so many hands & overthinking things, and just let the game come to me.
I wake up Wednesday morning with the intention of either taking the day off or doing a light schedule. After being awake for 30 minutes I got the urge to play, so I was thinking about what rooms would have a game going about 9:00am. Usually one of the bigger, more popular rooms would. I decide on Bellagio because I hadn't played there yet & figured there would be a lot of older nitty players I could try to fleece. I wasn't disappointed.
Get there about 9:30a but don't get sat until around 10:00. Got outplayed on one hand where I had KK but the board made a one-liner straight to a 10, villian bet the J river & I folded. He showed QJ for 1 pair & I instantly put the dude in my sights. I never got involved in another pot with the guy but ended up leaving there after about 4 hours up a little over $400. I played nitty & pushed my made hands for the most part. If I sensed someone was weak & would fold, I would bluff, but those times were few and far between.
I left there to come home & rest for a while before deciding to head out to Planet Hollywood around 7-ish. I decided on PHo because there is usually a younger crowd there with over-inflated egos. The plan was to nit it up again & get paid on made hands. They open a new table so I buy in for the maximum, $300. I play tight the first few orbits to see what the table is like. Sure enough, I already pegged the 7 seat as the table young gun who thought he could do no wrong ( I was the 3 seat). It also helped that he doubled up within the first 30 minutes so his confidence was sky-high. Then the hand happened.
He limps along with 2 others & look down at KK. I bump it to $16, I think, they all call. Flop comes Qxx rainbow. Young gun leads into me for like $30, 2 folds, I make it $85, he calls. Turn is a blank & dude instantly shoves on me for my last ~$150 & I snap call. He shows KQ, the river bricks & I rake in a nice pot. Young gun says "I thought you were overprotecting jacks or something." I know, that's why you're a donk. Thanks for the money. I left PHo after about 4 hours up over $700. Up over $1200 for the day. That's what I'm talking about.
Wake up Thursday itching to play so head to the Venetian, which I hadn't been to yet and have a so-so history at. I never win a lot or lose a lot there. No really interesting hands but I played way too many hands due a huge fish there. IMO when the fish gets in a pot you get in the pot, because you want to play pots with them but you also need your hands to hit. The problem with playing all those hands is you rarely hit your hands and you can never bluff them, so it could cost you some cheese to try to stack them. And that's what happened to me. I left there after about 4 hours down $75, but no problem.
Went home to rest again in the late afternoon then headed back out to Bellagio to see what the night action brought. Fanboy alert: Walked by the tournament area & watched Johnny Bax & Jonathan Little play for a few minutes. Went to poker room & got sat after about 30 minutes. They opened a new table for us and bought in for the max, which is $200 there. As I was walking back from the pisser in the sportsbook I hear someone say near the front desk "what you got tonight?" I walk past like it's no big deal, sit back down at the table, then realize it was Daniel Negreanu who asked that. Now I know I'm a fanboy of some of these people & I probably shouldn't be, but Danny N is another story. Dude is arguably the most popular poker player on the planet. Needless to say everything damn near stopped in the poker room as people were clamoring to get a look at him & the fine ass blonde he had with him. I mean wow. One of these days I'm going to learn to load pics on here so I can start showing you some of these people. So he sits down at a 2-5 game 2 tables away for about an hour & must have donked off a grand. Pretty cool of him to sit with the "folks" & play some cards, in my humble opinion. Anyway, after about 4 hours there I cash out over $400 for an overall winning day. W00t.
This morning I played in a $60 WSOP satellite for the $500 employee event or $500 One-Drop satellite. It was a shovefest almost from the start with the ridiculous starting stack of 6k & 100-200 blinds of 20 minute levels. That's right, 30 big blinds to start. Absurd. Anyway I was out after 45 minutes when I shoved my TT into KK, gg me. Headed over to Aria and learned a quick lesson. I was seated after about 5 minutes, and I instantly did not like my table. I knew one old nit there but could tell that like 7 of the other 8 people knew what they were doing. I wanted to change tables after about 15 minutes but stayed like an idiot. Ended up losing $350 when my bluffs got caught & couldn't make any hands. Like I said, lesson learned. If my gut tells me to leave, I'm going to leave.
So here I am back at my place typing this waiting to head back out. I'm probably heading to MGM, Bally's, or maybe Treasure Island later tonight, places where I expect to be drunken idiots begging to give me their money. As far as sessions, you can probably see that I am limiting myself to 4-5 hour sessions. Any more then that & I feel like I'm working. Then I take a break for a few hours & head back out. Anyway, this is longer than I expected. Hope I didn't bore anyone. Thanks for reading.
I wake up Wednesday morning with the intention of either taking the day off or doing a light schedule. After being awake for 30 minutes I got the urge to play, so I was thinking about what rooms would have a game going about 9:00am. Usually one of the bigger, more popular rooms would. I decide on Bellagio because I hadn't played there yet & figured there would be a lot of older nitty players I could try to fleece. I wasn't disappointed.
Get there about 9:30a but don't get sat until around 10:00. Got outplayed on one hand where I had KK but the board made a one-liner straight to a 10, villian bet the J river & I folded. He showed QJ for 1 pair & I instantly put the dude in my sights. I never got involved in another pot with the guy but ended up leaving there after about 4 hours up a little over $400. I played nitty & pushed my made hands for the most part. If I sensed someone was weak & would fold, I would bluff, but those times were few and far between.
I left there to come home & rest for a while before deciding to head out to Planet Hollywood around 7-ish. I decided on PHo because there is usually a younger crowd there with over-inflated egos. The plan was to nit it up again & get paid on made hands. They open a new table so I buy in for the maximum, $300. I play tight the first few orbits to see what the table is like. Sure enough, I already pegged the 7 seat as the table young gun who thought he could do no wrong ( I was the 3 seat). It also helped that he doubled up within the first 30 minutes so his confidence was sky-high. Then the hand happened.
He limps along with 2 others & look down at KK. I bump it to $16, I think, they all call. Flop comes Qxx rainbow. Young gun leads into me for like $30, 2 folds, I make it $85, he calls. Turn is a blank & dude instantly shoves on me for my last ~$150 & I snap call. He shows KQ, the river bricks & I rake in a nice pot. Young gun says "I thought you were overprotecting jacks or something." I know, that's why you're a donk. Thanks for the money. I left PHo after about 4 hours up over $700. Up over $1200 for the day. That's what I'm talking about.
Wake up Thursday itching to play so head to the Venetian, which I hadn't been to yet and have a so-so history at. I never win a lot or lose a lot there. No really interesting hands but I played way too many hands due a huge fish there. IMO when the fish gets in a pot you get in the pot, because you want to play pots with them but you also need your hands to hit. The problem with playing all those hands is you rarely hit your hands and you can never bluff them, so it could cost you some cheese to try to stack them. And that's what happened to me. I left there after about 4 hours down $75, but no problem.
Went home to rest again in the late afternoon then headed back out to Bellagio to see what the night action brought. Fanboy alert: Walked by the tournament area & watched Johnny Bax & Jonathan Little play for a few minutes. Went to poker room & got sat after about 30 minutes. They opened a new table for us and bought in for the max, which is $200 there. As I was walking back from the pisser in the sportsbook I hear someone say near the front desk "what you got tonight?" I walk past like it's no big deal, sit back down at the table, then realize it was Daniel Negreanu who asked that. Now I know I'm a fanboy of some of these people & I probably shouldn't be, but Danny N is another story. Dude is arguably the most popular poker player on the planet. Needless to say everything damn near stopped in the poker room as people were clamoring to get a look at him & the fine ass blonde he had with him. I mean wow. One of these days I'm going to learn to load pics on here so I can start showing you some of these people. So he sits down at a 2-5 game 2 tables away for about an hour & must have donked off a grand. Pretty cool of him to sit with the "folks" & play some cards, in my humble opinion. Anyway, after about 4 hours there I cash out over $400 for an overall winning day. W00t.
This morning I played in a $60 WSOP satellite for the $500 employee event or $500 One-Drop satellite. It was a shovefest almost from the start with the ridiculous starting stack of 6k & 100-200 blinds of 20 minute levels. That's right, 30 big blinds to start. Absurd. Anyway I was out after 45 minutes when I shoved my TT into KK, gg me. Headed over to Aria and learned a quick lesson. I was seated after about 5 minutes, and I instantly did not like my table. I knew one old nit there but could tell that like 7 of the other 8 people knew what they were doing. I wanted to change tables after about 15 minutes but stayed like an idiot. Ended up losing $350 when my bluffs got caught & couldn't make any hands. Like I said, lesson learned. If my gut tells me to leave, I'm going to leave.
So here I am back at my place typing this waiting to head back out. I'm probably heading to MGM, Bally's, or maybe Treasure Island later tonight, places where I expect to be drunken idiots begging to give me their money. As far as sessions, you can probably see that I am limiting myself to 4-5 hour sessions. Any more then that & I feel like I'm working. Then I take a break for a few hours & head back out. Anyway, this is longer than I expected. Hope I didn't bore anyone. Thanks for reading.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Hello, It's About Time
As I wake up from another losing session, wiping the sleep from my eyes, I have decided to finally start my blog. I've been here in Vegas for a week and I've been reminded from friends to get this thing going, how my life is as a low limit grinder, so without further adieu, here we go.
First I want to mention what I intend to keep in this blog. I will talk about all poker information, from winning/losing sessions, interestng hands, interesting characters (it IS Vegas after all), and the occasional Stump blow up tiltfests - which I promise I'm trying to work on, especially if I plan on keeping this as my profession. Of course, when the table idiot fish calls down with second pair and trips up on the river to take $220 from me....
Second I will try to include most aspects of my life. Everything from losing weight, to family, to schooling should be included. I may change names or use initials to protect the innocent, but you'll all get the idea.
So let's get started. Poker has been a roller coaster to say the least. I stopped in Tucson, AZ to visit the parents - and get a free night's room & board, let's be honest - and get a little poker in at the local Indian casinos. After about 5 hours I was a $130 winner. Great start to the trip. It helps when you flop quads with 22 and table spot - let's face it, they're ALL spots - can't fold KK and gives me his stack. But it was great seeing the parents again.
From there I drove to Vegas, about 7 hours, and checked in to my extended stay/apartment. Not a bad place, really clean, just north of the airport. So we always hear jets landing or taking off, depending on the wind. Honestly I don't really notice as my A/C unit is pretty loud and right next to the bed. Location is about 5 minutes from most strip casinos, although depending on time of day or day of the week can take 20 minutes to get to.
Bankroll-wise I'm down right now, but nothing a good night can't change. With all the first-time expenses I've incurred I'm considerably down, but that will level out. My house is selling & the closing date is around June 15th, so that will be another influx of money for the bankroll. My goal is to be 'rolled for and playing 2-5 by the end of the Series/summer. I do not plan on playing any Series events as I am not properly rolled for any of them, including the $1k's.
This should do it for now. I'll have more later as situations develop. Thanks for your patience as I got this going. I won't take as long between posts I promise.
First I want to mention what I intend to keep in this blog. I will talk about all poker information, from winning/losing sessions, interestng hands, interesting characters (it IS Vegas after all), and the occasional Stump blow up tiltfests - which I promise I'm trying to work on, especially if I plan on keeping this as my profession. Of course, when the table idiot fish calls down with second pair and trips up on the river to take $220 from me....
Second I will try to include most aspects of my life. Everything from losing weight, to family, to schooling should be included. I may change names or use initials to protect the innocent, but you'll all get the idea.
So let's get started. Poker has been a roller coaster to say the least. I stopped in Tucson, AZ to visit the parents - and get a free night's room & board, let's be honest - and get a little poker in at the local Indian casinos. After about 5 hours I was a $130 winner. Great start to the trip. It helps when you flop quads with 22 and table spot - let's face it, they're ALL spots - can't fold KK and gives me his stack. But it was great seeing the parents again.
From there I drove to Vegas, about 7 hours, and checked in to my extended stay/apartment. Not a bad place, really clean, just north of the airport. So we always hear jets landing or taking off, depending on the wind. Honestly I don't really notice as my A/C unit is pretty loud and right next to the bed. Location is about 5 minutes from most strip casinos, although depending on time of day or day of the week can take 20 minutes to get to.
Bankroll-wise I'm down right now, but nothing a good night can't change. With all the first-time expenses I've incurred I'm considerably down, but that will level out. My house is selling & the closing date is around June 15th, so that will be another influx of money for the bankroll. My goal is to be 'rolled for and playing 2-5 by the end of the Series/summer. I do not plan on playing any Series events as I am not properly rolled for any of them, including the $1k's.
This should do it for now. I'll have more later as situations develop. Thanks for your patience as I got this going. I won't take as long between posts I promise.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)