High On Poker

On Saturday, I had a first. I visited a pokerroom on Long Island. An illegal pokerroom. In NYC, there is no legal casinos within a 2 hr radius. I don’t have a car, so its few and far between when I can play in a legitimate (i.e., not a home or Internet) game. I guess the illegal pokerroom is no exception, but it was closer to the real deal.

On Saturday morning, the local newspaper had an article about two raids on illegal pokerrooms in NYC. The rooms must have been getting too popular, because they had been operating for a while without problems. Their usual take was about $10,000-20,000 a night. At the time of the raid, $100,000 in cash was seized. The players originally thought they were being robbed. Cops reported hearing them say, “Thank god, its only the police.” “Thank god” is right, because the players were allowed to leave without trouble.

I’ve always avoided the NYC cardrooms for one major reason: I love poker. I thought that my fixed income would be put at risk if I had a game accessible 24/7. But then my little brother’s friend (little bro = 23 yrs old) told me that he was dealing in a room on LI. I grew up on LI. My parents live on LI. So I’m there every couple of weeks. When he told me about the pokerroom, my mind started to put things together. Here was a room that I could not go to without a 1 hr train ride and arranging a car with my family. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place when he told me about the $30 rebuy tourneys on the weekends. So here it was: a pokerroom, close enough to get to conveniently, far enough to be only an occasional thing, and cheap enough to play responsibly.

On Saturday, I got to the pokerroom at 2pm, expecting the tourney to start at 3. I was wrong, as the tourney starts promptly at 2, and players can buy in for the first hour. In the future, I may intentionally miss the beginning, but this is yet to be seen. After reassuring the doormen that I was who I said I was (they didn’t believe my I.D. until I showed them my work idea and the progression of my follicle exodus until my present state) I sat at a table with a rag-tag group of players. Included were two black guys who were clearly sharp players, a couple of young guys who were the marks, a couple of old guys who looked like they’d rather spend their money on a long-shot bet than on a spin-cycle at the local laundramat, and a chain smoking middle-aged woman. What a crowd! I was right at home.

Chip counts started at T1000, and blinds at 25/25, raising to 25/50, 50/100, and then the rebuys stop and the antes come into play.

My first big hand was when I raised it to 200 with 66 on the button. The flop was T94 with two clubs. There was just me and some kid wearing a full-on jacket where most people were wearing shorts. The dude looked doofy, but I was not 100% sure of his game yet. He had certainly been aggressive. He called two all-ins a couple of hands ago post-flop with the nut-flush draw and hit it, tripling up.

With all of this info, I raised it up 200. He pushed me all in for just shy of 600 more. All-in would’ve been tough. I thought for a minute about my options, and then I looked at JacketMan. He was looking at the table quietly. Thank you Mr. Caro. I called the scared kid, but only after stating, “Well, if you paired the 9 or 10 I’m screwed, but I’m willing to bet you are on a draw.” I was wrong. The twerp had pocket 5s. At least I picked up on his tell. He didn’t want the call, but that’s what he got, and I doubled up.

A while later, a strong hand of mine was cracked and I ended up double rebuying (they allowed this) for $40 and T2000. I also did a single add-on at the break to keep my exposure below $100 (the rest of the table bought a double-add-on. At the end, I was shortstacked with about 1200 (remember all of their add-ons), with 50 ante and 150/300 blinds. I went all-in UTG with AQs, and one player called with AKo. The flop was QJ4 and I was singing, “Lady in Red” quietly as the Q was a Q of hearts. However, ole lady luck stuck it to me good when she coughed up a T to give my opponent a Broadway straight.

Losing sucks, but at least I’ve found a new place to play. Now I’d like to direction your attention to:

You Decide #8
In the tournament at one point with 100/200 blinds I was down to about 1400. One of the black guys, an aggressive player, raised it from 100 to 500 UTG+1. The table folded to me in the BB. I was thinking that I would likely lay it down until I saw my cards, AA. I raised it to 1000, leaving myself with 400. At the time, I wanted him to call. I announced, “I’m making a play for your chips.” I expected him to push me all-in, but he called.

The flop looked okay to me: 562. I raised all-in for 400 more. I told the guy that he could save himself 400 if he wanted. Realistically, he was going to call no matter what. I was happy when I saw 78s. The turn was uneventful, but the river was a 4.

Did I play this wrong? Felicia (I think) recently posted a comment that stated that you try to protect your good hands in tournaments and get value in ring games. I definitely didn’t play to protect, but I didn’t slowplay either. Here I thought that I could get my opponent to call heads-up with inferior cards. I was hoping for a high pocket pair, but you see what I got. I was still dominating, but luck has to come into play somewhere. So there you have it. Did I play this wrong or right? You decide. Post a comment. Your thoughts are always appreciated.

Poker poker poker.

What a question: Do I suck? I’m afraid that the answer might be yes. Last night, I was sucked out more than an ice cream cone with a cracked bottom. Playing limit is killing me. These players will stay in with anything. In one hand, the flop was AQ5, and I had AK. I rammed and jammed until some yahoo hit his trip 5 on the river. This was typical for me. But I have to admit, I gave some chips away too, chasing things that were not going to happen. I am currently at a bit shy of $25 on Noble, which is ridiculous. At this rate, I will have to reload my account just to play in the Limit Challenge against DNasty.

This all brings me back to my original question: Do I suck? I placed 4th out of 153 a couple of days ago; in Jan I placed 2nd out of 180 or so; in Feb AND March I placed 1st our of over 180. These stats alone would lead me to believe that I don’t suck. But my play on the cash tables has been pretty inconsistent, leading to what I estimate to be more losses than wins. Then I see on TV or read in a blog that player x cleans up online, and I wonder, what the hell is wrong with me?! Why aren’t I a winning player online?

I’ve been thinking about this and a couple of things might alleviate some of my concerns. (1) Maybe I’m just a good tournament player and I should stick to my strengths. MTTs have generally gone well for me in the past. Should I change focus? The problem here is that I usually don’t have enough time to dedicate to these long tourneys. (2) I need to close up shop whenever I have a losing table image. Maybe this is why players keep calling me down. When I’m losing left and right, why not call me down. (3) I need to stop chasing, bluffing, and semi-bluffing at low limits. These players just won’t fold. So, I am losing a lot of value to my chasing/semi-bluffs. My belief is that if you have a draw, you may as well bet because your opponent may call and you can hit your card OR the opponent might fold right away, in which case you don’t need your draw. The second aspect is gone with these low limit players. At least in NL I can force them out. The same is true for a bluff. You can’t bluff someone when there is a AKQ on the board if they are willing to call with J high (it just happened!). Things that make you go hmmmm. Finally, (4) NL might just be the way for me. I’m not saying that I always win in NL, but I do feel like I am more in control. I’ve made this argument before, so I don’t want to get repetitive. But, bottom line, NL is more my game of choice.

That said, to become a well-rounded player, I’m sticking to the Limit Challenge and hoping that this dip is just a bit of variance. Hopefully, I’ve used up all of my bad luck just in time to show DNasty whose the boss…and it ain’t Tony Danza.

Before I go, let me show a hand that I won. It still exhibits two things: the ridiculous calls by my opponents on Noble Poker and my ridiculous plays. After all, it is not just my opponents’ fault:

I have the Hammer, 27o, in the SB heads up against a player “OneOf” who only has 1.72 left at the .50/1 limit table. I limp in and he checks. The flop is KQ4, so I check. He checks too. The turn is A. Feeling that he won’t call a $1 bet with only 1.22 left, I bet. After all, there is no way I can win on a showdown, and worse case scenario, I only lose another 1.22. He calls, and I know I am in trouble. At the very least, he must have a high-card. The river is a 9, and I dutifully check. He checks too, and shows his 56o! The dude was calling me down with 6 high, and I took it down with my 7. I almost didn’t understand how I won at first.

Damn fish! I may’ve won the hand, but it shouldn’t have played out like it did.

Have a good day, and a better tomorrow.

…that don’t bother me at all. Playing solitaire till dawn with a deck of 51. Smoking cigarettes and watching Captain Kangaroo. Now don’t tell me, I’ve nothing to do.

If you don’t know what that quote is from, its lyrics to the song “Flowers On The Wall” by The Statler Brothers. I know the song from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, one of the best soundtracks ever put together (but not the best, which is probably the soundtrack to Trainspotting).

The song embodies my late afternoon. After a very prolific and efficient morning, I’m counting flowers on the wall. With about 45 minutes left in the work day, this is a bad thing. Mostly, its bad because I have to bill for my time, as a lawyer. So, sitting on my hands for the next 45 minutes would be sweet if I were a government employee or had some regular gig. Instead, while I have to make up my hours so that I can fulfill my annual requirement of 2000 billed hours. Boo hoo hoo. At least it is the Friday before a long weekend, which is probably why things have slowed down (I am waiting on about 5 calls and 10 documents to be sent to me).

This weekend will be an eventful one. Fiance Kim and I have a bat mitzvah on Saturday night and a wedding on Monday night. As a result, we are missing work on Tuesday. Not too shabby. As for tonight, fiance Kim wanted to stay in and pack. That girl loves her options so packing for two major events and several days in between should be quite a sight. In the meanwhile, I, her loyal man, will be waiting at the rail. Or more accurately, I will be playing online poker to keep myself from going stir crazy. Tomorrow morning, fiance Kim heads out early for girlie stuff, so I can sleep late and stroll back to Long Island (NYC suburbs) whenever I damn well please. More time for poker? Don’t mind if I do! Of course, Saturday night will be filled with small talk and “free” food and drink (is it really free when I am hemorraging gift money?). Sunday should be laid back, so maybe I can get into the cardroom tournament in Long Island. I’ll have to speak to my connection, a dealer at the cardroom. As I’ve placed 4th of 153 or so this week, I’m feeling good about my tournament play. Monday will be shot, poker-wise, but by then, I’m sure I would have had played enough to hold me over.

I read today that Scott Fischman won two braceletes back to back in the $1500 NLHE and $2000 HORSE tournaments at the WSOP. Why didn’t I know this? I’ve always felt that he looks like a prick, but I guess I have to give credit where it is due. Maybe I’ll open an account with the Fishtank poker room…HA!! Why would anyone play on a site like that when there are more popular sites? Then again, I am playing on Noble Poker…he in glass houses…

While I am rambling, something really got my goat yesterday. I’m watching Britney and Kevin: Chaotic on MTV. Why, you ask? Well, because my on demand service isn’t working (SCREW YOU TIME WARNER) and my computer was uber-slow (SCREW YOU TIME WARNER) while it downloaded the Noble software. Fiance Kim was in the bedroom on the phone and using the laptop, so this was my only entertainment option.

So I’m watching Britney’s show and I’m thinking, WHY? Why would she volunteer and produce a show about how deluded and desperate she is? The show is her own home videos showing her courting Kevin Federline. The problem is, she is clearly throwing herself at him, and he consistently rejected her. I can’t blame him, because in the occasions in which a girl has thrown herself at me (I can count it on one hand) it’s usually a turn-off. Its sort of like the old pre-kid-toucher Woody Allen line, “I don’t want to be in any club that would have me as a member.” Come to think of it, that may have been a Marx brothers line. But I digress.

Here I am watching Britney show the world how pathetic she is. And then it gets worse. She starts asking everyone she can what their favorite sex position is. And then she goes on to talk about what celebrity she would most like to bang. I’m thinking, damn, get that girl a man, stat! She came off looking like a ditzy, attention-desperate whore. Now, I like ditzy, attention-loving whores as much as the next guy, but come on…she’s PREGNANT. Which means she will have a kid within a year. Does she want this video to be available to baby Spears-Federline?! Discretion please.

Okay, that had nothing to do with poker, and everything to do with having too much time on my hands. Sorry readers. I’m out!

It’s official. DNasty13 and I are locked in mortal combat. A limit challenge has been proposed and accepted. Now all that is left to see who will be crowned the 2005 Limit Challenge Champion!

If you have been reading for a while, you may recall that about a month ago I picked up on something in DNasty’s blog. DNasty posted a chart that was taken from DoubleAs’s site, which was taken from someone else. The concept is as follows:

Start with a set amount of money. In this case, DN and I are starting with $50, as opposed to the $25 suggested by the original Limit Challenge spreadsheet. With $50, we start at .25/.50 limit table ONLY. Once the bankroll reaches $110, we can move up to the .50/1 tables. Then at $215 move to 1/2, $370 to 2/4 and so on. There are also drop-back levels. For instance, if I’m at .50/1 and drop to less than $100, I’m put back at .25/.50.

Now, personally, I think this will be good as a test in sustainability and profitability over time. It is also a test in discipline. There are a couple of potential difficulties, however.

First, I am ADD when it comes to poker. I change my game (SNG, low limits, NL, Omaha) ever couple of days. The challenge will require me to buckle down and play only one game consistently. I am almost tempted to open a new account on a different site so I can still play other games and not mess with my Limit Challenge Bankroll. Of course, the short-coming there is that such a move will cut into my Limit Challenge time. We will see how this plays out.

Second, I am currently on Noble Poker (online poker serial monogomist that I am), and NP offers a 100% bonus that is based on the limit you are playing. Starting at .25/.50 will slow down that progress. But this is something I will just have to accept.

Third, I have been running cold on limit, especially at low limits. I’ve been playing limit for a couple of days in preparation, and it has not been going well. In fact, I think my Noble bankroll may have dipped below the $50 mark. If that is the case, then I’ll have to start a new account elsewhere just to start the Challenge. I am seriously considering entering money at Ultamite Bet, the favored site of DNasty. This way we can potentially play the Challenge at the same table here and there. This might be the best move, so I can start with a clean $50. The only shortcoming I can see is that I have read (and only read, never tried) that UB has quality players. Hopefully, that is not the case at the .25/.50 tables.

So, that is it for now. I am looking forward to the Challenge. It is set to last for 6 weeks, starting on Monday, May 30th (when I will be at a wedding, thereby giving DNasty a head start). At the end of the 6 weeks, Sunday, July 10th, DNasty and I will compare bankrolls and see who came out the winner. If either of us bust out before then, the other player is the default winner. The prize, a cool $25. Okay, it won’t break the bank, but it is just to keep things interesting.

Stay tuned, as I hope to update my Challenge standings often, starting Monday. Thanks for reading.

Life is like a starting hole card, you never know what you are going to get.

I recently emailed TripJax. I checked out his site after playing with him at the Pauly freeroll, and wanted to leave a quick message. As it turns out, Trip had seen my site before, and he mentioned that he laughed at my pic with the AK-47. Reflecting on it, I thought I should share the story of how that picture came to be.

When taking photographs, I often like to shake things up. I can only do so many cheesy smiling pics. It isn’t my style. So, when I was at my friend’s summer home in the Hamptons (yeah, he’s got dough) and he told me his dad, a gun aficianado, bought an AK-47 before they were banned in NY, I had to get the shot. Hence my freedom-fighter pose. I don’t think I’ve ever really shot a gun, except for a rifle at summer camp once or twice. So, I’m not a gun nut…I just like absurd humor.

There you go. For now on, however, I will be adding 47s (and not 47o) to my playable/bluffable hands, in commemoration of this posting [notice my clever way of turning this into a poker posting].

In commemoration of the season finale of Lost, I lost some money! I surrepticiously played some quick 1/2 action early last night while fiance Kim was on the phone with one of her friends. It was surrepticious because I told fiance Kim that I was going to take a night off. I should have followed my own advice, because I gave up about $15-20. I made some great laydowns, including folding an overpair on the river after betting the entire way. The river matched the low card on the board, and there were four players still in the hand. Some schmuck must have stayed in with that low pair, and probably made trips. I didn’t want to fold, but when one player bet out and another called, I knew my goose was cooked. I folded TPTK, and the bettor showed his trips. Of course, it sucks that he hit trips on the river. But that will happen. It is up to me to avoid giving him any more of my money when it happens.

On a separate note, I have not played a game with fellow poker degenerates Robbie Hole or Rouss in some time. I’ve been very busy with family obligations lately, and I haven’t spoken to the guys recently either. Come to think of it, I haven’t spoken to a lot of people. Once I am done with this weekend (chock full of a distant cousin’s bat mitzvah and fiance Kim’s friends wedding), I’ll have to change that. Make some calls, do some drinks, and if poker is a possibility, that too. The three of us are going to AC of June 5th (thanks to a free room at Resorts), so that is also coming up. Thank god, because this self-imposed exile is starting to make me stir crazy.

Not much in the way of poker, I know. But all in due time.

I got an email from some dude who wants to advertise on my site. I was flattered, but in order for me to get anything out of it, I’d have to provide players for some online casino or another. I don’t know if I have the pull or the readership for that, so as of now, I’m asking questions of the ad guy before making any decisions.

If anyone is playing on Noble Poker, let me know your screenname and maybe we can meet up and kick some poor unsuspecting table’s ass. I’m liking the site. I’m not sure how I feel about the players though. NP bankroll is now in the mid-to-high 70s. I also have to consider when to withdraw my funds. I need to start chalking up some wins, because I am behind my goal of $100 in profit per month. I know it ain’t much, but its a goal I can reasonably hit without playing limits that I cannot afford.

That’s all(-in) folks.

Let me start this off with a quick apology to anyone I pissed off during the Noble Poker $200 Freeroll. Sometimes, while sitting at my computer playing poker, I get a bit chatty. Unfortunately, my sarcasm often doesn’t come across in type…a little bit of tone of voice can go a long way. I tend to gloat when I hit hands or win with a bluff, and I even sulk at times when things aren’t going well. I guess with the non-face-to-face computer setup, it can get even worse. So, my apology if I came off as a prick to anyone.

Okay. So I kept notes on Blogger throughout the entire freeroll tournament. I have to thank Pauly once again for setting this thing up. I expected Noble Poker to be a sub-par site, but it was just the opposite. I deposited $50 for my own purposes, and will receive a 100% bonus, depending on how many raked hands I play (rather than the amount of rake per hand). I also recieved an immediate $10 bonus, as well as an entry into a freeroll on June 5th (I will be in AC, ironically). The graphics are good. The players are sufficient in number. Overall, good stuff.

The Freeroll started at 9pm. I was in bed next to fiance Kim who was watching Rob and Amber’s Wedding. I was more than happy to have something like poker to distract me. Admittedly, the notes to follow will focus almost entirely on hands I was involved with. It was hard enough keeping notes while playing (which caused me at one point to auto-fold 22 pre-flop; a 2 came out on the flop!). As a result, I kept the notes to my hands only, especially later on in the tournament.

So, I start the freeroll at a table with Otis, G-Rob, and Spaceman, to name a few. We start with 1500 chips. Right away, I can tell this is a different game. Lots of chat. I get into the flow of laying down hand after hand. Nothing much is happening. I have visions of blinding myself to death (ala Broomcorn’s uncle).

9:14. I have the Hammer (27o) UTG. I raise 4x blind, and get only one caller. I miss flop, but make a pot-sized raise anyway, and my opponent folds. Naturally, I show the hammer and type “HAMMER!” in the chat.

9:18. Greggie goes all in with 99 in MP and is called by Pokerama w/ AK. Greggie doubles up to 1550.

9:23. The table is really tight. I’ve had the SB fold to me twice already. What’s going on here? I’m the 2nd big stack with just short of 2000.

9:25. Obie is all-in post flop with 66. BigSlickNuts calls (he is now all-in as Obie is chip leader) with AQ. Flop was 9Q5/K/A. Obie is at 855. BSN is near 3000.

9:29. Otis moves all-in pre-flop with 99, and is called by BigSlickNuts with AA. When a 9 hits the flop, Otis takes it down. Immediately followiung, BSN takes out G-Rob when G is preflop all-in with AT against BSN’s QQ. BSN is running hot, and back to 3000. Meanwhile, I appreciate the fine linen chosen for the tables at Rob and Amber’s wedding.

9:35. I take out Pokerama when he goes all-in KQs and I have 99 pre-flop. I’m now at 2170.

9:37. BigSlickNuts raises with the Hammer pre-flop and takes down a hand. He then goes all-in, called by Otis. BSN has Hammer (again!), Otis has KK. Its academic. BSN is at 100. Otis is at 4600.

9:40. Moved to a table with BadBlood, thefatguy, BSN, and Tripjax, to name a few. Tripjax turned out to be one of the more entertaining players. More than a few witty statements were shared.

9:42. Dnasty shows up to join the fun. My bad. He just stopped by to say hi. He and SteelerJosh are playing at another table in the tourney.

9:51. What? Pauly was already out in 119! Sucker!

9:54. TripJax takes out KingPenguin, when Penguin is all-in with K7 agains Trip’s 67…and a 6 and 7 come out. I’m the shortstack besides absentees (people who were not there but still entered the tournament) with just north of 2000.

9:57. Trips’ AK against Funknee’s AJ all-in pre-flop. J comes on river, but makes Trips makes a flush with the J. Funknee is out.

9:59. Double up off of donkeyman when my AT suited hits T high flop. I have only 800 and bet it into a 900 pot (all-in) after donkey checks. He calls with middle pair and a shit kicker. I take it down. 2740, and we are at the break. I watch Rob and Amber buy each other way-too-expensive wedding gifts.

10:09. I get JJ in the BB, but all fold to me. Damn those cowards.

10:10. I get Hammer on the Button. All fold to me. I move all-in, knowing full well that the SB and BB are absentees and will auto-fold. However, SB was already all-in in the SB and has to call. BB folds. SB has A7 v. 27, and then hits 4 of a kind As on the flop. I lose 30 or so.

10:13. AKo in MP, with a caller before me and a caller after. KJT flop. It’s checked to me. I bet 900, and all fold. I’m at 4480.

10:26. Some players tell me my blog isn’t working, I checked and it ain’t. Too many things at once. I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Its nice to know they tried.

10:37. PokerProf’s AJ takes out KQ and AT which were both all-in. He now has 20,000. I am short of 6800.

10:47. I have KK, to the right of Button. All fold to me. I double blinds from 1000 to 2000. Snailtrax calls in the BB. 683 flop. Snail goes all in w/ Q6 and I call. Double up to over 15K.

10:51. 22 Utg+1. I raise to 2000. A9 goes all-in for 2000 more. I call, hoping he has two high cards. I’m right, but he hits the straight…until a rivered A gives me the same straight and we split. Whew.

10:53. I play 64o in the SB with only the BB (GCox) in the hand. An opportune bluff after the flop pays off. I show my cards. Booya!

10:57. 16 players left, and 15 spots pay. I limp for 1500 UTG with KJs, hearts. I am currently 4th in chips. I take down the hand on the flop (K high with two hearts) with a small bet.

11:03. 12 players left, and I’m in 4th. Sydrian in SB doubles up on me when he raises a small amount all-in and his A high pocket beats my K high pocket. 20,000 chips.

11:09. Break time and I’m in 7th out of 11. I have to make it to 5 to move up a payout from $5 to $10. Plus, I’m playing for street cred. Right now, things are ok. I’ve been slightly wild (or at least that’s what I want the table to think). GCox, on my left, is getting the worst of it. I showed him two bluffs earlier with 25o and 64o back to back, and ever since then he has been more aggressive against me. He’s the table chip leader (3rd overall) and the wrong person to mess with, but he is also my current target. Oh well, I’ve made my bed.

11:12. In the first hand back, I get 99 on the button. I double the blind. GCox in SB called. KQx board. I raise the minimum. GCox calls. 6 on the turn. I raise the minimum again, feigning strength (as though I want him to call). He folds.

11:15. Poker Prof in Button goes all-in for an additional 5500 or so, after I limped with 44 in MP for 2000. I call to see his QTs. I hit the 4 on the river and take it down (no QT anyway). The low pairs are paying off. Final table time.

11:17. With AK, I double the blind. Iggy in the BB calls. TT9. I fold after he goes all in for 11000+.

11:21. I play AJ on the button. It was a big mistake, as Jedi raises from 2000 to 7000 in BB. I call. The flop is three low cards, two suited. He raises me all-in and I fold with 20K in chips left. In 6th place out of 9.

11:23. I call a raiser with 67s after a minimum preflop raise. Long story short, I fold to his all-in on the flop, in which I hit mid pair. 14K. I’m starting to lose my game.

11:27. Sydrian is out in 9th, after dodging many bullets. I lose my SB and BB to Jedi, the chipleader bully. Down to 9700, 8th of 9.

11:29. albet is all-in in the SB for 4800. Two callers. ReadChom is all-in after the flop. Jedi calls. Chom takes it down with 77 (no one hit the board), and albet is out. I’m in 8th out of 8.

11:31. I’m BB. I might have to make a move no matter what. 9800 chips, 4000 BB. ReadChom in the SB raises me all-in. I call. My Q high v. his J high, and I win. 17500.

11:35. Iggy is all-in and loses to Slayre. I am 6th out of 6.

11:37. GCox is all-in preflop v. Jedi. Jedi’s QK takes out GCox’s 99, when a Q flops. 5th out of 5? I just scratched my way into $10. Now can I make it $20?

11:39. I am all-in preflop on the button with Q2s. SB (Jedi) and BB (Slayre) fold to me. 17.5K.

11:40. ReadChom’s AA takes out slayre’s AJ. Slayre is out, and I’m in 4th! $20! Kaching. I immediately double up against Jedi when my QJ flushes his AQ.

11:49. I am all-in on BB, and triple up when I river a trip 4s (with one 4 in my hand). But I’m out in the next hand when my top pair loses to a baby straight.

That’s it. Jedi took it down. I called it following my loss, and Snailtrax didn’t seem too pleased. Jedi was playing a forceful game and was the chipleader for most, if not all, of the time I was at his table. It was a great time, and reminded me that I can play some fine poker. I bluffed a good amount. I did not slowplay at all. I don’t even think I got to too many showdowns without going all-in.

No poker tonight, because I plan on spending some much needed time with fiance Kim. And the Lost finale is on. If you’ve never seen the show, you don’t know what you are missing.

They can take our lives, but they can’t take our Poker!

I’m looking forward to tonight’s $200 Freeroll, in honor of Dr. Pauly’s move from NYC to Las Vegas. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I hope Pauly rides this thing to the top. He’s a very personable guy with great writing and poker skills. How could you not want this guy to succeed? My guess is that it is only a matter of time before he shows up commentating on some round-table discussion airing on a new Poker or Casino channel (I believe there is more than one in the works).

Tonight is Pauly’s going away freeroll on Noble Poker. I’ve got to sign up when I get home later, and make a better showing then my recent bubble trouble. Hopefully, playing sober will help me a bit.

That’s pretty much it for today, considering that I posted two or three times yesterday. Thanks again to all the new readers. I had almost 60 visitors yesterday, which isn’t too bad considering that my previous high was in the 20s, and my average was single-digits. Thanks also to Double A and Lou for posting comments to my You Decide #7 post. Your insight was much appreciated. I knew that, generally, I played the hand wrong, but your comments have provided me with a different viewpoint, as well as different aspects of the game that I was not focusing on enough.

For anyone who hasn’t seen You Decide #7, please take a look. Feel free to continue posting comments, as I get all comments automatically emailed to me. I respond to just about every comment as well, because I really appreciate the feedback.

Ask not what your poker can do for you, ask what you can do for your poker.

So, here is a hand I faced in NLHE, .05/.10. You tell me, did I mess up? Did I play it perfectly? Post a comment.

I was dealt Ac Kc, and called $0.10. Two players call behind me, and the two buttons called as well. Five players in the hand.

The flop is 6c 3c Jc. SB and BB check. I check. Bettor to my right bets $0.50. All fold. I call.

The turn is 5s. I check, Bettor bets $0.50. I call.

The river is 6s. I check. Bettor bets $0.50. I raise it to $1.30. Bettor re-raises to $3.50. I go all-in, knowing full well that he only has another $1.25. He calls and shows a rivered full house, J6 in the pocket. My nut flush was crushed. So was my FT bankroll.

So what do you think? I usually don’t slowplay, but I thought I was in like flint. Was I wrong to do so? Should I have simply called on the river? Leave a comment and share your thoughts. Poker on!

Now, as an aside, I finally busted out on Full Tilt. I believe my $100 lasted about a month. $100 for a month is not a ridiculous amount of money to lose, but I am woefully behind on my goal to end the year up $1200 ($100 per mo.) Once I deposit in a new site, that’ll bring my winnings down as well (I consider any deposit a loss until I cash out and make it a win). But, I’ve been up and down before. It looks like UB is the next site on my bonus whore tour. That way, I can join DNasty13 and (possibly) SteelerJosh in a Limit Challenge. Details to follow.

Thank you Dr. Pauly and fellow bloggers. Today, I’ve had about three times the traffic as usual. I may have bubbled out on both tournaments, but at least there was some tangible benefit, aside, of course, from cavorting with my fellow bloggers. Keep reading, people. The writing is just going to keep getting better.

So, work has been light today. I took my lunch hour, and went home to scarf down some grub while watching Elimination Match 11 of PokerStars II. This game featured two of my favorite players, Doyle Brunson, the man whose SuperSystem 1 helped me harness my present game, and Mike Sexton, the WPT announcer whose verbal insight and cheesy lines are forever embedded in my brain whenever I play poker.

An Asian feller by the name of Young (I think) went out in one of the first hands due to some horrific decision making. Sexton with TT raised the pot in early position. Young with AQo raised it up. Mimi Yan (I think that’s her name) re-raised all-in with AA. Sexton threw his hand away, and Young thought for a minute before calling. What the hell!? Look, Young, there are only five or so hands she could have had, and the fifth, JJ, is highly unlikely in this situation. There was already two raises, so Mimi could not have been trying to push people out of the hand with a low pair. She would be too vulnerable from one of the big hands, and vulnerable to two high overcards as well (all others, presumably, would fold). So she had to have a premium hand. This included AA, KK, QQ, AK, and maybe…MAYBE JJ. I say maybe JJ because some people might make the all-in move with JJ hoping to force out smaller hands, but also confident that someone might call with overcards or an underpair such as TT or 99 might call. But realistically, JJ is not a good hand to go all-in with here, because the re-raiser, Young, was representing a premium hand. Why call Young? It just goes to show you that even professionals make bad plays. I wouldn’t expect this play from anyone other than a novice.

My Full Tilt bankroll has been on life support for a while. I’ve been putting it all in one NLHE table with the hopes of busting out or doubling up, but neither has happened. Last night, I did double up from about $7.50 to $15, but then gave away $5 in a heads-up SNG. In the SNG, I was a bit distracted, and thought my A9 was suited, with a nut flush draw after the flop. I had been bullying for a while, so I pushed all-in only to be called by AA. When I looked at my cards again, I realized that I was off-suit. I guess it is a donation to the gambling god of stupidity. Maybe Young and I can start a support group.

Poker on, people.