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.

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