5.25.2009

Conspiracy Theory

I made it out to Harrah's Friday night but I didn't get lucky and hit the bad beat. I headed there about 8:45 or so and gave Joe a call to put me on the 2/5 list. When I got there it was perfect, they had two 2/5 games going and they opened a third as I was walking in and William the floor guy pointed me to table #2. This was a must move game which I'm not a fan of at all but the upside (if there was any) is that at least I'm on the bottom of the move list so when I have to move it may at least give a couple hours in the game. Well the first hand I got a chance to play was when I had jacks UTG and had $5 in b/c I thought I was the BB. Oh well I just kept it in there and then looked at my cards after the guy next to me made it $20. Well a few ppl call and this is an easy chance to pick up $100 if I repop and everyone folds. I make it $80 total and get two callers (not really what I was hoping for). Flop came 7,4,4 and the flop was harmless but I was more worried about being behind preflop. Not sure if it was the right play or not but I was just lost and checked the flop. PFR checked and the position guy bet $100. I almost had him locked in on a mid pair. Only thing that made sense. I was contemplating my action and the PFR grabbed $100 when it was barely my turn to act. After what seemed like forever I folded my JJ on a 7,4,4 board after I limp-reraised. They eventually get it all in and the guy in position flopped sevens full and the PFR called all his money off with A,Q. Kinda got lucky with that one.

The game then proceeded to get nuts. People in the main games were trying to get into our game and action was really good. I was relatively card dead and just wasn't connecting on flops. I bled away about $200 never really doing anything and this wasn't a game that I wanted to be short in so I added $300 more and was in for $800 total. Then something kinda weird happened at the table. I'm in the two (on a 9 handed table) and a guy comes into the one seat and is just slurring and seeming really drunk but a nice drunk. He starts with the whole "I never play in a casino and it's been a long time since I played so don't let me do anything stupid...just tell me if I do something wrong." Now sometimes these are guys are sincere, sometimes it's sarcasm b/c they think they are really good at poker and it's there clever way of saying coming into a game, and sometimes it just comes off really shady. Well this is one of those times that it comes off really shady, it was almost as though the guy wanted me to know this and was just volunteering a lot of "I'm a bad player information" Well it was a must move game and about 5 minutes later a seat opened up and another guy came to the table he was in the 7 seat and had a mardi gras bead around his neck and was drinking pina calodas (a real manly drink) and he was slurring and being drunk too. So between the drunk guy on my right and the one in the 7 seat and Henry (rich old guy) in the 9 this game is getting better. Well the whole table is talkative, everyone is talking to everyone...no shyness at all.

Something just isn't right the more I watch things progress. I start talking to the guy on my left who is a regular and we've played at the same table plenty times. I tell him that I'm not sure about these "drunk guys" that just got to the table. He's not sure what I mean and I just say, I doubt they are smart enough to pull it off but I kinda got this feeling they might being doing the whole drunk guy routine and are attempting to play together. He doesn't really buy it and I wasn't really trying to sell it...I was just making an observation that I wanted another player to pay attention to in case he picked up on something I missed. The more things go the more these two never really play a hand against each other and when they did we never saw a showdown and they never talked although they engaged everyone else in conversation while in a hand, they show up to the table similar times, they both have that thick Baton Rouge accent. (I'm not saying collusion, but I'm just saying). I eventually get moved to the main game before I could really put anything together.....(are they cheating, to be continued later this blog..)

The main game was very nice to me. I sit in the 10 seat and Bo, a regular is in the 9 and it was nice to have someone to bullshit with at the table. Well nothing really exciting happens and I pick up a few small pots and I have about $450 in front of me when the first big hand shows up and something that hasn't happened in a loooooong time happened. I have 55 in position and it's a $20 to go with 4 players. I flop a set with straight cards all over the place. It checks to me and I bet $50 and get called in one spot. The turn card is a 3 and it puts a gut shot draw getting there so I'm not too concerned about it. She checks and I bet $85 and she calls. River is another 3 and she leads for $100. Well I don't do too much Hollywood and she shows me how much she has left and I say all in and she calls. I hit gin on the river b/c she was opened ended on the flop with 3,4 and hit running three's. Only card that can hit to make her go broke.

About 10 minutes later I get a full double up in a limped pot. Flop comes A,3,6 and the BB leads for $25 which is the pot and it's a rainbow board and I have the nut draw. I call as well as the button. Turn card is a 7! Check to me and I bet $65 and the button raises me to $165 (that's such a good feeling..just thought I'd rub it in for y'all). The BB folds and now it's back to me and the question of what to do here? Now I've got about $685 in front of me and I need to figure out how to get it all in the pot. This is my thought process (I think it's the best plan of action):

-if I call it's gonna be a lot harder to get that in on the river b/c I can't just move all in and expect to get called, he could lay down a set if he doesn't fill up with that large of a bet. If I bet $xxx I have to hope he raises me. The best idea I had was to raise for value on the turn where he has to call the river. Well while I'm contemplating on how to play the nuts I can't see how much he has and I don't want to ask so I just kinda stare in his direction and he happily shows me that he's about $1k behind...this was good information b/c to me he's not scared at all. I then say raise and put the $100 more in the pot and whisper to the dealer to pull in the bets before I put out my raise. I make it $200 more and leaving about $285 and he thinks for about 5 seconds and says "all in". I call and praying the board doesn't pair and it doesn't and he slaps his hand down with his two pair and I drag a really nice pot. I'm a little biased but I think that was a good way to play the hand b/c $585 is a lot of money to put in the river with top two pair.

After that I was on cruise control and never really encountered trouble...at least for a few hours. My table breaks and of course table two (the must move that I was on) became a main game like 15 minutes after I got up. Gotta love Harrah's. I got moved from the game that I was now on the list to get back in...weird, huh? Anyway, I hang out and just bull shit with some people and a seat opens up. It was the 7 seat that drunk guy #2 was sitting in. Well what do you know, both guys got up from the table w/in 5 minutes of each other and it wasn't on or near a push and not even in their BB or button. After they leave and I sit down I couldn't help but say something to the table and ask if anyone thought they might have been trying to play together. The guy in the three seat perks up and says "no shit" and says they got here together and left w/in 10 minutes of each other and then says something that is pretty interesting. Apparently everyone noticed that they talked to everyone at the table except each other well right before they got up the guy in the 7 seat got in an argument with the guy in the 3. The argument came up when the 3 seat and the 1 seat got into it. Kinda weird that all of a sudden he was standing up for a guy who he never talked to at the table. We all kinda dismissed it but it was something to think about b/c I know people try to do it but I'm pretty sure more times than not it doesn't happen successfully. On top of that they really didn't take that much money off the table. (enough of the conspiracy theories)

When I moved back to that game I leaked off some money with a lot pocket pairs that never connected and one memorable hand where I folded QQ preflop and 33 won the hand without ever seeing a flop. This game was deep and one person had less than $1200 in front of him and that about $600 total (not exactly short). Guy with "short stack" opens for $15 in early position and 2 callers and I make it $60 total. Henry in the 9 seat repops it to $160. Now if you've ever played with this rich old man you know he's got a wiiiiiide range hands to that with...any pocket pair. Get back to the original PFR he ships it! Now it's back to me and I don't know how the hell I can do anything here except fold and as I'm pitching in my cards the dealer extends her hand out and cards hit her hand and expose my QQ. Henry is flustered by this and says "if those cards are exposed then I can't call" and folds his QQ face up. The other guy shows his 33 and wins the pot. No doubt Henry's logic is nonexistent but apparently if he was behind preflop then two outs is enough to call $500.

On the whole it was interesting night and nice a little win. Went to the Beau Sunday for the 10k gtd with Davey and that was about boring as it could be be. I finished in the neighborhood of 28 or so with a field of 70+. Was beyond card dead for the whole thing and my table was big hand after big hand. Reid even asked what the hell was going at my table b/c he kept hearin "all in." So with all that going on I had almost no chance to steal pots and then I couldn't find a spot to get all in b/c every pot was opened and I was card dead. It was a slow death and eventually got in heads up with A,2 against K,J and he made a full house of course. I'm ready to play some more and I'm gonna try to pick a week night to go and then I'll be at the Beau next weekend for my friend's bachelor party weekend.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.

5.21.2009

A Night of Almost and Back to Normal

I was ready to play some more and after eating some supper decided to go to Harrah's to catch a little of the final table and play some 2/5. I wish I would have just stayed home and watched the weird dude on American Idol. I'm pretty happy I'm not addicted to any television shows. The last show I was addicted to and never missed a new episode was the Sopranos. It was a sad day when that show ended....how can a mob show/movie end without the boss dying? It was the whole reason for the crappy Godfather III movie.

Anyway, I showed up to Harrah's and walked into the theatre and the winner was taking photos with alligator head and all that good stuff. No clue who the winner was or if he was a player or not. I walked over to the poker room and was somewhat surprised. By all means it wasn't packed like it had been but they still had like five 1/2 games and about 7 limit games going too. Even had a list of interest for 2/5 PLO. Had one 5/10 and one 2/5 game going. I put my name on the list for the 2/5 and I was 6th on the list and after about 20 minutes they had 10 ppl on the list. After about 40 minutes the list was 12 and I was still 6th on the list. HMMMMMMMMMM maybe we should get another table going?? But no, the circuit is gone and now things are back to normal over there. Two dealers on break instead of one and a list of 12 players and no new game. I told myself I was going to watch the first half of the Cavs/Magic game and leave if i didn't get in....kept holding on that they would open a new table. Finally 9:15 rolled around and I had no interest in getting in a game that late and it looked like they had no intent to open a new table. I left without ever playing after being on the list for more than an hour and half. But I was proud of myself for not sitting in the 1/2 game.

I also got a text from Gene that the bad beat jackpot should have been hit on the 3/6 table but instead someone won like a $14 pot. Apparently someone started the hand with like $5 (beautiful!) and they would have hit the jackpot with quads over quads but they didn't have the $20 minimum in the pot!...HAHAHA How brutal would that be? No sir you and the table do not get to share the 138k b/c you're playing a game made for retards. Maybe it'll get hit the next time I'm playing.

Maybe this Friday I'll have a chance to hit it unless of course I'm on the list for 2 hours and decide to go home instead. Davey and I might be headed to the Beau for the 10k gtd. on Sunday. That's still up in the air but I wouldn't mind going play.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.

5.19.2009

Pizza Makes Me Smarter?

The circuit is over for pretty much everyone now and it was nice to see so many ppl I know do well this go around. I'm guessing with the improved structures it helped out that better players made deeper runs more consistently. As far as my circuit, the most disappointing part was not being able to play more than one tournament. The upside was that I finished 5th in the one that I played. While the circuit was in town I did have some clarity about my own game and now I'm looking forward to playing some more soon. I have bitched about the 1/2 game and how I just can't beat it so I decided that I wasn't going to play it anymore. I got to Harrah's Saturday morning to play a satellite and then hopefully play the $500 at noon. Well I run like a crippled person in those things. I played one Friday night and got three handed and flopped two pair from the BB and the SB moved in on the flop and he had bottom pair. Don't worry, he got diamond diamond to make a flush. I was so damn sick by this, I just can't even remember when was the last time I got bailed out like that. The one Saturday morning didn't go well either. We see a flop in a raised pot like 5 handed and I flop bottom two pair. A ton action and I folded on the river when I could be nothing. Flush got there, four card straight, and all I could beat was one pair.

Well Friday night after I was done playing I ran into Bill who had just finished day one of the Friday $340 and eventually finished 12th. and I also hung out while Jacob was still in the PLO Rebuy tourney. They broke and me, him and Tim went back to Jacob's and I got stuck in the elevator. That was a shitty feeling. He was pretty freaked out as well as myself when the elevator wouldn't move and the door wouldn't open. Eventually the door opened and I was able to just take the stairs. The pizza was pretty damn good, I'd recommend ppl to try Pie if you get the chance. While we were hanging out eating pizza and bullshitting about just random stuff like sports betting and crazy poker rumors a light went off that it was stupid for me to be trying to beat that 1/2 game. We were talking about when a game plays deep you can play snug and tight and just wait for good hands and when you do make a move it's easier to get away with when everyone has $500+. Well now I was ready to play the 2/5 game and be comfortable in the game that built my bankroll.

After my satellite Saturday morning I went to the poker room and their was an open seat on a 2/5 game and the game didn't look crazy. Seemed like a good spot to get my feet wet again and not be thrown in the deep end right away. Well I sat down with $500 and just felt comfortable right away. Well then I had some bad luck and was just card dead and called some raises and missed and before I knew it was I was down like $250 and was about to put another $200 on the table (and I wish I would have). The pot got raised to like $20 and we saw the flop 4 ways and I flopped a flush with 4c5c on and Ace high board. Well I made the right bets the whole way was able to get a full double up through a guy who made two pair on the end. I was up after that hand and never went below my buy in after that. I played for at least 8 hours b/w getting up to go check on Bill and Jacob's day two and snagging a free buffet with Joe B. Yea you read that right, we had free buffets. The food was actually descent but that could be the fact that it was actually free and not the $30 or so they rob ppl of at full price. Well I was happy to turn a profit and the game had spells of being really bad and then really good. I don't know why locals do that shit when the circuit is going on. There was 3 locals on the table and they had a good bit of money on the table and then all of a sudden we get two new players who wanted a table change. Well they get to the table at the same time and start complaining about how tight the game is. Well genius, you saw the three of us at the table and you and your buddy got a table change and took the places of the ppl who were losing.

Well I got up from the table and left Harrah's to go hang out with CC who I hadn't seen in a few days and on the way home I saw something that completely freaked me out. As I'm exiting I-10 to Airline Hwy I see this huge tornado! Not sure how anyone can ever be prepared to see that. Well it looked like it was right there and I was hoping that it was on the Lake which it was but apparently it did come onto land for a few minutes. It was pretty impressive but still not something that makes it easy to go home and hope a tornado doesn't come.

Well I wanted to go back to play some more Saturday night and the plan was if I woke up at any point in the middle of the night then I was going to Harrah's and play. Well I didn't wake up till Sunday morning so needless to say I never made it back. I'm definitely ready to go play some more in the 2/5 game. So many things make that game better and IMO, easier. For example, I put about $80 in the pot on a draw that missed. Now if $40-60 is put in the pot for a draw in the 1/2 game and missed it takes a lot more hands to get that back. In the 2/5 game I missed the draw and then the next hand I picked up a limped pot and added $25 to my stack. Three hands later I raised to $20 and got two callers. C-bet the flop and with the blinds and limper that folded I picked $50 profit on the hand and the $80 lost on the draw was wiped away. Makes it a lot easier when you pick up limped pots in the 2/5 compared to the 1/2. I also did something that I haven't done outside of a tournament in a while and that's firing (sorry for the poker cliche') a three barrel bluff. I just knew the PFR was weak and raised on the flop with a gutshot draw only and he called, He check called the turn. And when he check the river I knew he couldn't call. It felt so good to fire that bluff with 5 high and know that he wouldn't call. The game just plays so much better with more money on the table and I've always done better when the stakes are deep. I'm ready to go play some more and get on an over due rush.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.

5.15.2009

Seriously Getting Old

So in my attempt to play cash games sessions in order to save some money on buy ins in the tournaments my results have not been successful. I have played 3 cash sessions since last Friday and only booked one winner. That winner being last Friday and a small one. I played Wednesday night and just get my ass handed to me by the shuffle master. I was in for 1.25 buy ins and just couldn't beat the deck. I've tried to play this 1/2 bullshit game so many different ways and I'm coming to conclusion that I just can not beat this game. I consistently beat 2/5 games for years and then beat 5/10 games and then got bored with poker altogether and just stopped playing a while. Since playing on a regular basis again I have still not fully adjusted to this game, or maybe I'm just not having very good luck...I'd like to think it's the luck thing and the hands I'm losing with would imply bad luck but it's also pretty difficult to believe that I'm always unlucky. Wednesday night the game I was in was soft and I approached it with full intention of opening a lot of pots with any two cards and staying involved and not allowing the table to just limp fest and who ever hits the flop wins. I DEFINITELY DON'T RUN THAT WELL!

I have tried to stay positive and I think I have been doing a pretty good job with that. I think you have to when playing tournaments considering you can't reload. But in the cash games it's just getting retarded. It is absolutely impossible to win without hitting draws. And when you can't hit those hidden hands with so much implied odds it's completely frustrating. Wednesday and Thursday night on 5 that's F-I-V-E..one, two, three, four, 5th! times I actually called the flop either floating or with a one draw and picking up an additional 8+ outs on the turn and completely missing every single one of them in a situation where no doubt the other guy would have put as much money in the pot as possible. The biggest pots won are usually the ones where you come from behind. I battled my ass off Wednesday night and the only reason I was treading water was b/c I was making plays. Whenever I did make a strong hand I managed to lose. I folded two pair when the flush gets there and I was beat and then a little while I have top two and and the flush gets there but ppl can't have the flush every single time....XXXXXXXXXXX wrong answer, they most certainly can and those chances are greatly improved when I'm sitting across the table from them. I straddle and raise with QQ and a guy flops a straight with two clubs. Turn is the Q of clubs (of course) and the river is the fourth club....talk about never having a chance to win that hand....poker gods were laughing about that one while it was going on.

I flop two pair from the SB with 2,5 in an unraised pot and get A,Q to put all of their money in the pot ($200+) with one card to come on an Ace high board and of course the board pairs 4's and he wins...did I mention that I also picked up a flush draw on the turn to go with my two pair! It just seems like every time I get up a couple hundred or battle back to even there's always a big pot that someone gets bailed out on. This shit is just getting really old and I'm tired of bitching about it and I'd just like to run like a normal person for a little while. I don't need to get run over by the deck but I'd be thrilled if I could hit my flush or striaght just 20% ofthe time. Overall I've seen some really bad players just winning pot after pot and not acknowledge the fact that they are getting smacked in the face with the deck. Hell I'd love to say that I couldn't lose hands if I tried or that I misplayed hands and still won.

I'm not the only one that's feeling frustrated, I'm sure they have a lot ppl out there that are experiencing the same thing....problem is that most of those people prolly play bad anyway. I actually got involved in one of the dumbest conversations I've ever had at the poker table last night and it caused me to leave while I was stuck a little bit when I could have stayed and prolly got back even. Now I almost never and I mean NEVER engage in strategy conversation or proper play conversation when the table is having an open discussion and giving all their expert post game commentary but last night I fell victim and couldn't keep my mouth shut and had to let this guy know how dumb he was. Guy opens for $25 and I call and girl behind me calls and then then utg (douche bag) calls leaving himself with $50 left. Flop came A high and I check, girl bets $30, douche bag folds and the other guy raises all in and the girl calls. Of course they both have AK and the douche bag had A,8 and would have got there on the turn but instead he put 1/3 of stack in with A,8 suited..flopped an ace and folded. Starts bitching b/c he would have won and then starts talking about his pot odds to call preflop. I got tired of hearing of him and asked if had any idea what pot odds actually means (good gawd that was a bad decision). I basically had to give him and the table an entire lesson why he played the hand like an idiot....you know what, I'm not talking about this anymore...I'm getting annoyed just thinking about how retarded this guy was, I'm pretty sure he needs velcro shoes and and helmet to function daily.

I basically came to the conclusion that I can not beat that game b/c the people have zero clue about the concept of the game. Bad players are supposed to be easy to beat but maybe they are just a little too bad. Maybe I fare better against the player that can actually make sense of situations and has a clue.

Davey had a tough run last night. I'm pretty disgusted just talking about it but I'm sure he won't post about it b/c it's pretty gross. He played the 1k and played well. Withstood some beats and then had some upswings...I'm not sure how many ppl were left but I think about 5o or so and he got one guy all in preflop and and the other person shipped it on him on the flop and he called. Well he had the best hand until the person who moved in on the flop hit a gut shot to make a wheel. He would have had a more than double the average stack. Well he nursed his stack caused by that bad beat for what seemed like a couple hours. Just maintaining enough to where he wasn't forced to move all in. Well he finally had his chance to get back healthy when when he moved in with A,J and some one actually folded 6,6 preflop and then he got called by Ah,6h. Flop came A high and he was dodging one of the two sixes left in the deck and would have been back to around 50k with blinds 600/1200. Well of course it came heart on the turn and heart on the river he was busted with under 50 players left. That is absolutely sick. The gut shot to cripple and then runner runner heart to bust him. I'm not sure how to avoid these situations but if we ever figured it out it would be tough to lose. It's just impossible to win when those hands aren't holding up. It stirs the debate of what's the point to get it in good, it doesn't really solve anything or make me feel any better. I'd rather say I got lucky and smile that someone else got the misery that I've dealt with routinely.

Anyway, I'm done with the venting...hopefully this post was therapeutic for me and all the negative shit is out of my system and I can go play with a clear head. I do feel better now that I'm done with "poor me post"...Congrats to Bill for a chop in the second chance the other night. I'm going win that 9pm tourney tonight. Hopefully I get it in bad with someone who thinks the poker gods are against them and I drill them with my "bad play". Good luck to everyone headed out there this weekend. I really am in a great mood now that I'm done with this.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.

5.12.2009

A 5th Place Finish

So we started back day two of Event #6 with 18 players and I was pretty comfortable with my stack and chances to make the final table. I had great table draws for the entire tournament with never having anyone at the table with a massive stack and always having one of the larger stacks at my table throughout the tournament. When play resumed I picked up right where I left off and was lucky that my table was made up of all people that I had played with on day one. I never really got played back at and I never got called with marginal hands. Heard a lot from the other players when they folded to my raises that they were gonna let me have it and pick a better spot. My image was pretty close to the vest which allowed me to do a number of things such as raising utg with any two cards or three betting and getting virtually no resistance with that. Although ppl saw me as only playing good hands I made it clear that my BB was not to be a target and I defended it a good bit with the exception of maybe two players b/c these guys weren't raising with anything other than top 5 hands.

With about 14 players left I took a pretty big dent when I opened with AcQc utg+1 and one of the two super tight players moves in and it cost less than a complete reraise and I KNOW I'm behind. I call and he has AK and I actually turn a flush draw and whiff. I don't get flustered and just know that I will be able to accumulate unless our table gets wide open for some reason but I know that's not gonna happened. I make a raise or two and win a couple and lose a couple blinds and then one of the most important hands of my tourney came up while I was in the BB. The guy who was in the 9 seat and wasn't really that great of a player but was able to maintain his chip stack for the most part but I definitely had him on a wide range of raising hands ESPECIALLY from the button (he was "that guy"when he was on the button). Well he raises to 13k when the blinds were 3k/6k and I look down at 6,3 of hearts and start contemplating the situation. With him having a wide range I figured it was time to gamble and with 62k to start the hand I call with full intention of making a play at the pot NO MATTER WHAT FLOPS. There is a certain point in tourneys where you're not just taking flops but have to go into every hand with full intention of doing whatever it takes to win the pot. I call the raise and the flop comes 5,7,8 two clubs. I don't like moving all in b/c although it may be complete b.s. I just feel that ppl are more inclined to call thin when someone moves all in rather than making a bet. I bet 24k and he sets me all in and I call. He has Ac,Qc and I'm open ended with two live cards. Turn is a 6 and river a 3 and I double through. And like I have my own P.R. guy at the table the 8 seat tells the guy who just lost "I thought everyone realized by now not to mess with his blind"...I thought it was a little out of line but nonetheless was to the point and I didn't mind.

I had to hear this guy cry about me calling him with 6,3 preflop for a while. Some people just don't get it at all. It didn't matter what I had and he just couldn't comprehend that I wasn't folding any hand there. I don't know where the thought came from like it's against the rules to call with "not good" hands...ppl are just so scared to play after the flop if they don't hit their hand....these are the same guys that would never have the balls to call with Ace high on the river. I eventually went with "I'm sorry sir, I just play really bad...and if you'd like to provide me with a list of hands that is acceptable to call your raises with I'd be happy keep that in mind"....he kinda smirked and we moved on. It was nice b/c I eventually busted him when we were at the final table and he had JJ and I called his AIPF with AK. It even felt better to hit the Ace on the turn.

I lost a shitty hand to the eventual winner and doubled him up. This guy was a good player and he pretty much just had situations where the cards played themselves. I was utg with 88 and completely got lazy and didn't realize the blinds had gone up to 6k,12k and I made a minraise. The SB (who came to the final table with over 230k was not good....he just hemorrhaged like 100k limping and calling)...well he called my minraise and the BB moved all in. The pot was huge and I had moved all in over the top and the BB had 99 vs. my 88 and he held up and never really looked back after that. I made a comeback after that when I doubled after getting it in bad with A,5 vs. A,Q and hit a 5. The eventual winner picked up some good hands in key spots including busting a fellow GCP'er when Kai overplayed his A,10 and the other guy had 10,10 and it held. Kai was pretty disgusted with himself for playing it that fast. I eventually got it all in when the button raised with rags and I had 55. I moved in and he was somewhat embarrassed about his hand but he was in great shape. He had j,7 and the flop came paired over my fives and then turn gave him a gut shot. I was dodging half the deck and he hit his gut shot and I was out in 5th.

It was a good run and I had a great time but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that I didn't win. I stayed relatively emotionless throughout the tourney which is tough and I've always said that I refuse to blind away in a tourney and stayed true to that and tried to pick my spots. Before the final table I only called one river bet and lost. Was only all in three times in the entire tourney and twice at the final table and obviously I only lost one of those. It would have been nice to get a ring, but it was nice to hear congratulations and have friends out there sweating me. Davey was also running pretty well in the nooner and me being on the stage and he being on the floor I could keep an eye on his table while I was at mine. He had a tough end to his night but he did cash so that's at least a positive. And it meant some more money won by some Houma boys as we've had a strong showing thus far. Not sure when I'm gonna play again. Might go play some cash game tonight or Wednesday and then prolly play the $500 on Saturday.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.

5.11.2009

Down to 18

The plan worked out pretty well Sunday and I hung out with CC, got some sun and was ready to play the $340 Event #6. It a was pretty uneventful start and by the first break I was down to 3400 in chips and got at as low as 2700 and didn't sweat it at all. Had some bad luck but managed to stay afloat and pick some spots. With about 50+ players I was stuck around the 34k chip mark and then started to assert myself more and chipped up fairly well. We played with 32 ppl for what seemed like forever and when we made it to 27 ppl and redrew seats, it was very little doubt I was gonna cash at that point. Never really got any action on any big pairs I had the whole night. I only called one river bet and lost (the first level) and I was only all in for my tourney life once as well (4th level). We played to the money and I'm sitting on 75k in chips. I'm ready to play and we'll just have to see what happens from here.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.

5.10.2009

Do They Really Listen?

I must say I'm pretty pumped about the circuit right now. They had a huge turn out for the first event and some ppl I know ran deep...which always makes me a little more excited about going play for some reason. Some Houma guys did well in event one. Three top 20 finishes and one final table. Congrats to Jacob on his 9th place finish.

I was pretty pissed Friday. I was stuck at work and it seemed like EVERYONE I know was playing event #1. It definitely didn't help when I was traded texts with what seemed like 20 different ppl at the same time for updates while I was at work. I had a wedding party for one of my friends on Saturday afternoon so I knew playing Saturday was out of the question and I had some stuff to do Saturday morning in preparation for the party. Well the plan was to go ride by Harrah's when I got off of work if Davey had some chips and just go bull shit with him and take a look at the action. Well Davey busted before I got off of work and I came home to pack up and there was no way I was gonna head to Houma without going ride by Grandma's Harrah's house first. I get there it took 40 freaking minutes to park and I only went around the garage twice. After I parked it was great walking in there. Ran into a bunch of people I haven't' seen in a while and the poker room was packed. Had lists for every game and it almost looked like old times when the circuit would come to NOLA. The action seemed good but it's still not the same. There has definitely been a lack of big games at Harrah's over the last year or so. I think their might have been only two 5/10 games where it seems like there would be 5+ of those when the circuit used to come. Can't even remember when was the last time I saw a 10/25 game going. But nonetheless it was nice to see the room filled and lists with 20+ ppl on it.

I went walk around the tourney area and had my name on the list to play and after about 30 minutes of wait I got called and took my seat. Harrah's has all of a sudden seemed to slightly pull their head of their ass and lend a piece of it's ear to the players for the first time in maybe FOREVER! They did this a while back and stopped taking money out of your stack for the rake if you're not at the table. You get prorated if you leave on the push and come back. That's really cool, the Beau just takes it no matter what (but they're still the class of the Coast by all means). Harrah's has improved the structures and has everyone in a good mood about that. They also changed their buy in rules for the cash tables. On the 1/2 and 2/5 games it was capped or half the biggest stack. I've always felt if you're gonna cap a game then a person should be able to buy-in for at least the size of the biggest stack. Well low and behold they have changed this rule and now you can buy-in for the same as the big stack in the 1/2 and 2/5 games. Now if they change the straddle in the 1/2 to $5 instead of $4 that would be cool too. Well I sat in a game and it was a pretty good game with NO RISK at all. Had a couple interesting hands at the table. A guy in the 5 seat was pretty much a douche bag and he definitely slow rolled a guy and I gave him shit about that for pretty much the whole the time I was at the table. Board was 9 high and paired on the flop and it went checked. The turn was a back door club draw and he bet and got raised and called. The river was the 10 of clubs and he bet and a guy went all in behind for like $30 more and contemplated for a full minute. Now I thought he hit the river when he bet it considering he was playing scared but when he took that long to call that small raise when the pot had about $160 in it I was confused. Well he called and showed 10's full!! The other guy actually thought he won based on how long it took to get called and when he realized the guy took that long to call win a full house he was pretty pissed. I let a "WOW" and asked if was serious about taking that long? He said "I HAVE FOLDED FOR LESS IN BIGGER POTS, HE MIGHT HAVE HAD QUADS"....now this jerk off had over $600 in front of him and really took that long to call with the second nuts.

Well I had some fun him for a while and with the rest of the table for that matter. I made some hands but never won any big pots. Biggest pot of the night for me was when I flopped second pair on a 3 club board with 5,6 in a raised pot 3 handed. The flop went checked and the turn gave me opened ended. I thought I could take it down with a bet and was pretty sure if I got called on the turn that a river bet would take it down too if no club came...didn't think anyone was strong enough to call.....I put out $30 on the turn and it went call, call (oops). river card was my 5 and I made two pair with 3 clubs on board and four card straight. I was about 104384% sure I had the best hand but the key was to bet enough to get called here. I decided on $60 and the PFR folded and the kid who looked like he has never shaved contemplates with his $75 in front of him. I ask if he's gonna make me put the extra $15 in to pay him off and he says "yes" and turns over his q,10 for top pair. Sorry kid...no good but you can pick up a juice box on your way out...thanks for playing.

Well I called it a night at about 10pm and very very reluctantly left and headed to Houma. Saturday was a good day and got to hang out with some friends and gave the groom his gift from the groomsmen which was a pretty kick ass gift if you ask me. We got him a 42" LCD Samsung TV. He was pretty surprised and never expected to get that as his gift. After a long day of bar-b-q'in and hangin out in the sun I made it back to NOLA late Saturday night and wanted to rest before heading to Harrah's Sunday. Plan is to hang out and get some sun and enjoy the afternoon with CC and then go play the $300 at 5pm.

Watching Kill Bill right now and this is a bad ass movie. Much like all of Tarantino's movies. He actually has a war moving coming out in the fall named "Glorious Bastards" with Brad Pitt. It looks really cool. I really wish he would make a movie with Michael Madsen and John Travolta named the "vega brothers"...in Reservoir Dogs, Madsen's character is Vic Vega and Travolta is Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino never said they were brothers but it's a pretty cool coincidence and would most likely be a kick ass movie. Well I'm going to chill and get ready to go play later. Good luck to anyone playing the noon event.
Till Next Time.
Keep It Real Homies.