High On Poker

TripJax and GCox posted their lessons learned from the SNG Challenge, in which the two aforementioned bloggers, Kipper, DNasty, SteelerJosh, and I started with $55 and played SNGs solely with $25 on the line for each player. Winner gets $125. 2nd Place gets $25. I get nothing. I’ve already busted.

So, what did I learn while I lost my SNG Challenge Bankroll. More than I expected, really. This may not be very strategy focused, but that’s what you should expect from someone whose strategy involved losing. A lot of these are common sense. This may even bore you. Regardless, this is what I learned, looking back. Here goes:

Lesson 1: Poker is Fun with Others
I love poker. No doubt about that. But I enjoyed poker the most when I was at a table with any of the aforementioned players. There was someone to get my jokes, or to play into my “disguises,” like the time I pretended to be a new player. And losing is a lot less traumatic when you can talk out your donkey plays after the fact with two players who know you, know your poker, and saw every hand from the start.

Lesson 2: If You Play to Lose, You Will Succeed…at Losing
In my last SNG before busting out, I was coming after a stretch of five losses in a row. It was late, and GCox was still on. I thought, well, I might as well lose the last one now, and call it a challenge. And I succeeded at losing. Bottom line, you must always play to win. When you feel that you will not win, don’t play. This applied throughout the Challenge. It applies in life. I’m sure it will apply the next time I hit a casino and think “I never win in casinos.” I’ll work on that though, thanks to the lesson learned in the SNG Challenge.

Lesson 3: Bankroll Management is the Most Underrated Part of Playing Successful Poker
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bankroll management is KEY to being a winning player. You are going to lose games or hands even though you should have won. The variance monster is going to jump out from under your bed and eat up you trips Aces on the flop, after shmucko calls your all in and hits runner runner straight. It will happen. If you play with your entire bankroll in that one game when it happens, you will go broke. Then, you will bitch and moan about the bad beat on which you lost your entire bankroll. News flash! You shouldn’t be betting your entire bankroll. The SNG Challenge was slightly different because toward the end there is incentive to playing with larger chunks of your bankroll. After all, not only can you win the SNG money, but there is an additional $125 to sweeten the deal, which changes your expectation. However, I bumped up the stakes too early. I was able to fight my way back to my original $55 from a low of about $25. Then I switched to $10 SNGs (from $5 SNGs), lost five in a row, and was broke. If I stayed with the $5 SNGs, I’d be down to $30 (assuming I lost 5 SNGs). I can come back from $30. I cannot come back from $5.

Lesson 4: Play YOUR Poker
I’m a showboat and a loudmouth, especially when competing. Some people find it annoying. I don’t think that those people know where I’m coming from (and why would they know). Other people get it. I’m a ham. I don’t mean it when I say, “If you are nice to me, I’ll carry you to second place.” or “Why don’t you just give me your money and save us the trouble.” I do it because there is something funny (to me) about the guy who is uber-confident. It’s a farce. That is how I am at the table. With my showboating personality comes a certain style of poker. I play a variety of hands, I play them loose and fast, I change things up a lot, and I go on big swings (of course, changing things up all the while). After losing a series of SNGs and watching GCox, I thought that my style of poker doesn’t work in SNGs. The swings put me at a disadvantage to bust early. So I switched to a more conservative approach. I was wrong. Trip plays aggressive AND he wins. It was probably some bad variance on my end. Changing my style of play worked in certain situations, but in the end, it wasn’t me. I think I would’ve been better off playing my style in the right environment. This leads me to:

Lesson 5: Choose Your Games Wisely

Do not play a 10-person regular speed SNG when you are in a rush. If you are conservative and have time, go for it. It’s made for you. Just ask GCox. Do not play a 6-person Turbo SNG if you are a very conservative player and only play a limited group of starting hands. You’ll be blinded to death, and bubble out more so than not. If you are an aggressive player, though, hop into the Turbo 6-person. It’s made for you. Go nuts, and have fun. I should have played more 6-person Turbos. Coulda woulda shoulda.

Lesson 6: If You Are Not Having Fun, You Aren’t Playing Poker; Poker is Playing You
When I’m not enjoying myself, I lose more often than not. This is usually when I’ve played 3 SNGs, lost them, and feel that I need to catch up with one more. I might be tired, or (god forbid) bored with poker, but still I play. Not good. When I’m up for it, though, winning or losing, I’m enjoying myself. So, if I lose $5.50 in an SNG, I’m paying for entertainment. And when I win…I WIN!! Poker is a game. A fun game. When it becomes a chore, take a break.

Class is out. I’m going to play some Noble .50/1 limit until my connection goes out again. Have a good weekend.

In the category of “Just Can’t Win”, I’ve moved into my new apartment, but will not get cable or Internet until Mon night. Right now, I am pirating off of my neighbors’ week Wireless connections. This means no online poker, as I keep on losing my connection. And yet, I took off work on Monday, which would be a perfect time to devote my day to MTTs. I’m itching for MTTs. Oh, God, how you toy with me.

Read TripJax’s post on SNGs. After reading it, I once again thought that I could’ve used his expert analysis BEFORE the SNG challenge. I think I am closer to TripJax’s style of poker, but I was trying too hard to be like GCox. I’m aggressive, and I like taking advantage of the fact that most of the time in a 6-person SNG, the few players left in the pot post-flop don’t hit enough of the board to call post-flop bets. I needed to send out more probe bets too.

I’m currently STILL reading Harrington on Holdem Vol. 1. Its good reading, but now that I am done with SNGs (for the time being), it isn’t as applicable to my game. Harrington is all about the tourneys. That said, I do want to play more MTTs, so maybe I should pay more attention.

I’m also reading V for Vendetta, a comic book which is being made into a movie starring Natalie Portman. I had this interesting interaction with I’m-different-so-that people-have-a-reason-to-hate-me-besides-the-fact-that-I-am-chubby-ugly-stupid-and-have-the-personality-of-a-wet-mop PunkGirl, a clerk working the register at Borders:

[This conversation took place after hearing PunkGirl have a 10 min conversation about the virtues of Harry Potter to a disinterested customer. I stroll up and put down V for Vendetta.]

PunkGirl: Oh, they are making a movie out of this comic.
Me: Yep. I hope they do a good job. Its starring Natalie Portman
PG: I really want to see it when it comes out.
Me: Yeah? Did you read the comic?
PG: [with indignation] I don’t read comics.
Me: Well, fuck you then. Enjoy your neo-classic Harry Potter, you self-righteous bitch!

Okay, what I actually said was. “Okay…” and then left.

I bring this whole thing up because brother Keith told me about an altercation he had with PunkGirl 2 days ago, without even knowing about my experience. He was buying a conservative book called, “100 People Who Are Ruining America” or some such tripe (it ain’t my thing). She saw it and said, “I can’t believe we’ve sold so many of these. It really makes me look down upon my fellow NYers.” What is wrong with people? I’m thinking about going there today and buying that book just to bait her. When she makes the inevitable OpEd, I’ll ask to see her manager. But that would be bad. And then God may not grant me a decent wireless connection.

All Moving and No Poker makes Jordan a Dull Boy!

I’m out of the office, and not doing much, so this’ll be a short and sweet post. Besides, why write a lot when people like GCox are writing stellar SNG strategy posts. Played with GCox a little last night. I decided to get rid of my last $2.50 on UB. I did it in classic fashion. .05/.10 NLHE. I have AA in MP. I raise the pot (.65). 3-4 people call (not good). Flop is 8c6c4x, or thereabout. I push, and a player to my left raises a bunch to isolate. I need to start isolating. I knew immediately that the player had pocket 8s. Done and done.

I withdrew all $ from Bodog. As much good as I’ve done, I’ve only won about $30 there, due to a $20 loss last night in PL Omaha H/L and some shitty cards earlier this week. I think you might recall me bitching and moaning. So be it.

At least I’m on my way…I’m on my way…Home Sweet Home! Noble poker, natches! Time to lace up and whoop some limit and MTT ass. GCox sent me a forward from Noble regarding their new promotion. If you win 7 SNGs in a row, you get $1,000,000. Hahaha. Thanks G, because I am so damn good at SNGs.

Enjoy your weekend, folks. I’m moving a whopping 3 floors, so I might not have Internet for a few days. That’s ok by me, since I withdrew from Bodog and have to wait a couple of days before the money is back in Neteller.

Poker poker poker. Adios!

**Update**

Unlike Noble, the withdrawal from Bodog to Neteller was immediate. I’m back up in Noble. Hide your $$.

**Update**

Sometimes you can’t win. Noble’s reload bonus isn’t in effect now. So, I’ve withdrawn most of my bankroll from them, which will take a couple of days to return to Neteller. I left some in though ($40 or so), so I can play on a whim. The rest is off to Absolute. I’ll see if I can get a better reload bonus through them directly v. through PokerSourceOnline (referral code GCox25 or TripJax).

I played at Hole’s tonight. In fact, I’m still here. It didnt go well though. I lost $40, but fortunately stopped there. No need chasing good money with bad. Budgeting before the game was a good idea. The table was pretty full. It went as follows:

1. Me
2. Scotty, aka Vader. He’s a 40 some-odd guy, and didn’t mind spending and losing money. Above all though, I appreciated that he could laugh at himself and my jokes. Case in point: when I cashed him in for the 4th time, he asked, while gesturing to a stack, if those were his chips. I replied, “They are for now, but probably not for long.” And he laughed. When someone asked what he does for a living and I jumped in with “Poker” he laughed again. Thank god.
3. Pete. Definitely a shark. He knew what he was doing.
4. Robbie Hole. He played well, and for that I am proud.
5. Randy Hole. Very quiet this game, which is good for me. He always seem to take me out.
6. Dave Roose. He was hitting cards and playing well. I lost a big one to him even though I knew he held KK or AA. I couldn’t help it. That was the epitomy of my evening…losing to hands when I knew I should fold.
7. Jeff Hole (Rob’s bro). He played extremely fishy in the first hand. He then took me for my 1st $20. Fuck him. He deserved it.
8. G-Lon. He lost some more dough. Seems to be his thing. He makes the same mistakes as me, only he makes them more consistently. I’m always rooting for him though. I love the underdogs.

First off, the best pocket cards I had of the night was 77, once. I also had KQ once. No higher pocket pairs.

The first hand of the night was a doozee, and actually set up my later fall. The last time I played with Robbie Hole’s brother, it was clear that he was a newbie. I expected more of the same tonight. The first hand solidified that image.

I was the dealer. Pete was SB. We only had 5 players, and Jeff was two seats to my right. Jeff raised from .50 to 1.50. Pete raised to $3. It was only the two of them when the flop came down. Jxx. Pete checked, and Jeff checked. The turn was a Q. Pete checked. Jeff bet a dollar. Pete called. The river was a 10. Pete checked. Jeff bet $5. Pete pushed all-in and Jeff called. Jeff had JQ. Obviously, Pete had AK. Obviously. I called it before he showed his cards. He told Jeff that if he had bet more on the turn, Pete would’ve folded. I don’t know if that was Jeff’s intention, but I knew before the river what Pete had.

A little while later, I was involved with a hand with Jeff. I had 97o in the button, but decided to see a flop. The flop looked good, 986. I bet out and pushed a couple of players out of the pot. I didn’t need to worry about overcards. Jeff stayed in. I put him on a draw. The turn was an 8. I bet and he called. Again, I wasn’t scared. The river was a 6. I hit a straight. I checked and he bet $5. I pushed for another $6. He called with T7. My read was off, and he slowplayed me. I deserved it too.

Other notable hands: I didn’t lay down my 77 to Dave Roose’s KK, even though I knew I was beaten. This is stupid. I did lay down my top pair on the river against Hole when he bet like he had the 8 needed to match the inside straight draw on the board. He told me later that I was right. He had the 8. I believe him. This is how I should’ve played all night.

My last hand has become:

You Decide #13

This one is all about pot-odds. Let’s assume that I messed up by not folding in the first place.

I had Jc9c one to the right of the button. I was shortstacked. Randy, UTG, limps too. Roose folds. Jeff raises to $1. Ilan calls. I call, thinking I am acting in late position and there are good pot odds. Scotty calls. Pete calls. Robbie Hole raises to $4. Randy and Jeff call before me, so I called, thinking pot odds again. Scotty calls, but is very loose. Pete folds.

The flop was QTx, rainbow. Robbie Hole raises $10. Everyone folds to me. I look down at $6. I call, thinking…ready…pot odds. There was $36.50 in the pot (give or take $3). Scotty folds.

He has AQ. I have J9, for an open-ended straight draw. I don’t hit and I’m out for the night.

Were the pot odds there? I think they were on the end. I don’t even want to do the math.

This night was not an ideal one. I didn’t have any cards. In the few hands I won, I played timidly, because I was reeling from over-straight from Jeff. Chasing demons! Woe is me!

Jc9c lost to AQ, QTx , PF raised to 1, called, raised to 3. flop. raised to 10 by Hole.
77, with Dave with KK
Jeff lost with JQ to a rivered straight by Pete.
I lost with 97, 986,8,5. Jeff had 107

**Warning: No Poker Content in this Posting**

“What’s that sound?,” I asked, knowing without a doubt in my mind that it couldn’t be good. I looked around the 8′x8′ room, and knew there was only one way out. What I didn’t know was what would be waiting for me on the other side of that door.

“Shh…I’ll be right back. Stay here,” she said. I was hardly reassured. At this point, I could hear that the noise was a garage door openning. That garage was attached to the house, and the door from the garage to the house was a mere 2′ from the very room in which I waited.

With nothing to do but wait, I started thinking about an exit strategy. A mere fifteen minutes before, I pulled up to my girlfriend’s house and saw a note on her door. “Jordan- I’m in the shower. Come on in. -L”

I was a highschool senior and L was a sophomore. We met several months before through a your organization, and we immediately took to each other. I followed the note’s instructions a little too literally.

After parking my car on the street, I came downstairs to L’s bathroom. The girl, like many girls would do, had acquisitioned the families’ second bathroom as her own. Unfortunately, the location was less than ideal. It was on the landing between the kitchen steps (up) and the den steps (down). On that landing were three doors: the bathroom, the garage, and the sliding backyard door.

I didn’t hear the shower on, and was disappointed that I missed the moment, but L was still in the bathroom doing whatever girls do as they stare in the mirror in a towel. We didn’t do much. No. I did, however, take my shirt off, and toss it without a care into the hallway. Her parents both worked and shouldn’t be home for another hour. I would need about 1 1/2 minutes once game time started. Unfortunately, one of the wardens came home early, and it was time to scramble.

‘It’s cold in here’, I thought, shirtless and hiding with my pants and shoes on in her shower. ‘At least if her mother or father come in here, they might not open the curtain.’ Suddenly the door openned. I winced as the curtain was pulled back. My shirt was thrown at me, and I fumbled a bit before I caught it. “You left this in the hallway!” It was L, thank the lord. “Who is it out there?”

I knew there were two choices: Mom or Dad. Dad was a large, but friendly guy. I liked him a lot, but he was always ignored by the family. He had lost his job a while back and found a new one. But I don’t think he was ever able to regain the respect or head-of-household role that he deserved. All this said, I didn’t know how he would react to finding me in an intimate position with his teenage daughter. Every man has his limits, and this was it. On the other hand, L’s mother was a shark. Her and L always seemed to be fighting, probably for alpha female status. She was nice to me, but I had no doubt that she would clip my balls if she found me in the bathroom. Which one would it be?

“My Dad’s home.” I was semi-relieved. “We have to get you out of here. I’ll keep him occupied.” She left in a hurry.

“Hi Daddy,” I heard her say as I slowly openned the door. They were in the kitchen, around a corner, so I was fortunately out of sight. L, with some foresight, has unlocked the sliding glass door. It was now or never. I moved the 10′ with stealth. I knew that if the Big Man turned that corner, I’d be in direct sight from the top of the kitchen steps. I was glad when I finally eased the door shut behind me. But now, I had to make it out of the yard.

Like a ninja, I clinged to the wall as I rounded the corner of the house. I moved swiftly but silently to the front of the house, easing into the neighbors yard. The block was deserted except for the passing car.

Oh shit! My car! It was parked in front of the house. I had to leave it.

A lap around the block, and I returned to L’s home with a plan. “Hello?” I asked as I entered the front door. “Hey, Jordan. Where were you?” the Big Man asked as he looked through the mail. Good, his attention was elsewhere. Now lets try out the well-planned lie.

“Eh, I came to see L, but she was in the shower. She left a note, but I decided to go around the corner to see Lori.” Lori was a mutual friend. Thank god for Lori and her nearby home. I’d call her later that day to get our stories straight, just in case.

“Well, L’s out now, but I think she’s getting dressed.”

“No problem. I’ll wait for her here. Don’t want to disturb her while she’s getting ready.”

I say this with total sincerity. On that day, and to this day, I have thanked god for the escape. If we didn’t hear the garage, if she didn’t get my shirt in time, if I didn’t get to that back door or come up with my Lori alibi, it would’ve been ugly. Ugly. On that day, I had one thought: “God wanted us to hook up. Thank you god. I am the Golden Child.”

Me and my dog, skipping through the forest.
Me and my dog, playing lots of poker.
Me and my dog, spinning and vomiting.
Me and my dog, making lots of money.

Me and my Bodog had a good time yesterday. I’ve taken all of my money from Noble and moved to Bodog a couple of days ago, in an effort to earn a Poker Source Online bonus. I put in for the red folding poker table because my current green one is starting to bow, and cards sometimes hit the lip at the fold. It isn’t a big deal, but I think its time for a new table. Also, if I ever have a 2-table tournament at my place, the 2nd table top will be nice. The red is also a nice touch, as I haven’t seen anything like it before (although I’m sure it exists).

As soon as I deposited in Bodog ($160–my former Noble bankroll after initially depositing $50, and withdrawing $100), I received the $32.50 bonus (something like that). I could probably get a better bonus if I didn’t go through PSO, but I want that table, damnit. Plus, PSO has bonus codes (or referrals, or whatever) GCox25 and TripJax. If you use either code, they throw in an inflatable sheep sex doll! (Warning: Ignore that last comment if you are stupid, sensitive, or Trip or GCox). I guess that the instant bonus isn’t withdraw-able until you clear 200 Bodog points, but that shouldn’t concern me, as I’ve already lost it. In fact, I think I’m down to about $144 or so. I ran bad, and at one point was down to $112 or so. Thankfully, I played well last night, and turned $50 into $75 at 1/2. 1/2 is above the appropriate limit for my bankroll, (See Limit Challenge) but I think PSO said you need to play at that level or higher to earn the bonus. Sounds good to me. The swings are worse, but I should be able to outlive them.

I miss Noble though. You see, the thing about Noble was, bonuses were easy (I think Bodog might be easier), the players sucked, and I was a constant winner. This is a rare thing for me. (See Battered Poker Player Syndrome). In fact, I placed 3rd in a 77 person tournament, which I’ve never done before in a paying tournament (I placed 1st on two occassions in 170+ freerolls [$270], and placed 2nd in the same freeroll once [$170]). So I miss Noble. I plan on returning soon, probably after I get my table. The only problem is that PSO also offers Poker Tracker, a program that keeps track of your play and others’. It has been useful to some people, and I should probably buy it myself, but (a) I’m cheap, (b) I don’t want to learn it, and (c) I stupidly feel that it ruins the soul of poker. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t look down on anyone who uses it. I’m all about having an edge. But I don’t want to check my stats and find flaws in my game using Super Roboto Ultimo Pokernator 2000. I’d rather pay attention to my own play and make adjustments based on what I see happening. Call me old fashioned, but I like my poker non-computerized, my beer cold, and my women easy. Um, I meant classy.

So, next stop on the HighOnPoker bonus whore express is one of two places. I’ll let you folks choose. Majority wins:

1. Absolute Poker via PSO, with a 50% bonus via Neteller.
2. Noble Poker with a 60% bonus.

Voting closes at 5:00pm today.

PS- I don’t actually have a dog.

Just a random assortment of thoughts here.

It’s near the end of my workday, and things are slowing down around the office. I fear that my work will dry up before Sept. 30th (my last day), and I’ll have countless hours to twiddle my thumbs. Some might think this is golden, but at a law firm where you have to account for every .1 of every hour (6 minutes, math whiz), it’s less than fun.

As a result of being laid off, I have to discontinue the namesake of this site. Should be interesting to see how this effects my poker (better concentration and no late-night loose-fests), and writing (late-night posts are back in effect).

Robbie Hole is hosting a homegame tomorrow. I’m going to take notes, because (a) they already make fun of me for having a blog, (b) I have never taken notes at a live game, (c) it should make for an easier and more detailed recap tomorrow, and (d) I won’t be partaking in the namesake so it’ll keep me busy.

Let’s hope that Rob’s game doesn’t get too distracted, as often happens when namesake’s involved. The game slows down to a crawl and I eventually get grumpy. Let’s also see how I play when not with namesake, as this is usually a standard when hanging with the Hole. Oh, sweet temptation.

Hole’s game will be my first live game in over a week (maybe 2)? I miss the Desi home games, and I’m going to have to ask him to host another one. They were always a cash cow for me, and afforded me the opportunity to play with a random group.

I am moving on Friday, officially, so its odd ordering items online or sending out letter and deciding with return address to use. Fortunately, I’m moving within the same building, so it’ll all get to me anyway.

On Aug. 1st, I get cable in the new apartment. On Aug. 2nd, my couch, coffee table and end table will be delivered. On August 4th (Thurs) I want to have the 5 Diamond card room Inaugural game (5 Diamond for apt. 5D). But we’ll be finally settled in, and I don’t think fiance Kim will approve. I don’t “have” to get her permission, but she is my fiance and roomee, so I want to keep things fair. She’s usually cool with poker games, but I wouldn’t be surprised if fiance Kim with a new apartment is like a kid with a new toy…she’ll need a couple of days before she’ll want to share.

Is it just me, or do bloggers (myself included) often share sad stories when not talking about poker. It is my goal to think of one entirely not sad story for my next non-poker post.

I played for an hour during lunch. I live 5 minutes from work, and since I don’t need to impress anyone anymore, I’ve been going home for lunch. I fired up the bodog and played in 2 tables. One was a 6-person 1/2 limit. The other was a heads up 1/2 limit. I ran over the heads up guy, and then gave him back all of his money. I think overall, I lost $10 during lunch. Ignoring the bonus that I received (let’s pretend that never happened) I’m down on bodog. I’m trying to convince myself that it has been some bad luck, and not that I suck. Nope. Not done convincing yet. At least I can justify losing by thinking “I’m just paying for my free table from Poker Source Online [referral from TripJax or GCox25, as if you didn't know]. I’m looking forward to clearing my bonus by Friday and withdrawing money from bodog for the next stop in the PSO whore-myself-for-prizes tour. Any suggestions as to sites where it is easy to clear bonuses? Don’t just stand there; type something!

For all my readers that don’t leave comments, don’t feel obliged, but do feel free. I was always the kid in class raising his hand. I guess I always wanted to share my viewpoint, hence the blog. I’m sure there are a lot of you that didn’t raise your hand. Well, feel free to raise it freely here. No one will laugh at you…to your face. And besides, I really enjoy feedback.

I guess that is it. Keep on folding!

FUCK YOU VARIANCE! FUCK YOU SUCKOUTS! FUCK YOU GUY WHO CALLS ME DOWN THE ENTIRE TIME ON AN INSIDE STRAIGHT DRAW AGAINST MY POCKET ACES AND HITS THE INSIDE STRAIGHT DRAW ON THE RIVER! FUCK YOU GUY WHO HITS A STRAIGHT ON THE RIVER CRUSHING MY TWO PAIR! FUCK YOU SUCKOUT AGAIN! FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK.

That is all.

I recently posted on Newbie Poker’s site about the Limit Challenge. For those of you who don’t know, the Limit Challenge was something proposed in Double A’s blog. DNasty read Double A’s post and mentioned it on his site. From there, I proposed that DNasty and I both follow the Limit Challenge, and the player with the most success at the end of 6 weeks will receive $25 from the loser. By way of recap, I won. Thereafter, I suggested an SNG Challenge, which lacked the structure of the Limit Challenge, but won the hearts of fans (um, or at least the 6 blogger participants listed on the right).

I will repeat the Limit Challenge structure here, because it has made me a better player. It has taught me patience, bankroll management, and the rules of variance. It also got me to play limit, which I always avoided. As it turns out, I am better at limit than SNGs, so that too was a good lesson.

Preface: You may start the Limit Challenge with any amount. DNasty and I started with $50, but you can start with as little as $25. If you start with $50, you can begin at the second level.
If at any point, you lose at a particular level and your bankroll reaches the Drop Back number, drop to the previous level. Otherwise, it is pretty self-explanatory.

Start $__Limit__Play Until__Drop Back
$25………….10/.25………..$55…………………$0
$55………….25/.50……….$110………………$50
$110………..50/1………….$215……………..$100
$215………..1/2…………….$370…………….$200
$370………..2/4……………$550…………….$350
$550………..3/6……………$750…………….$525
$750………..4/8……………$950…………….$720
$950………..5/10…………$1500……………$915

If you reach the $1500, you should be good to go. If anyone successfully makes the trip from $25 or $50 to $1500, let me know. I’d be more than interested.

Enjoy!

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is with a grave heart that I must tell you that I will no longer participate in the SNG challenge. After defeat after defeat, some due to suckouts, others to inferior play, my bankroll is now at approximately $3.50. I want to thank those readers who supported me in this endeavor. It has not always been easy, but I was able to persevere, knowing that the citizens of Bloggerville supported me. I leave, in my absense, an heir, GCox25. He is the leader at this current juncture, and I expect him to complete the SNG challenge with the dignity and class becoming a Challenger. He has fulfilled this role in the past, and I expect him to continue in the future.

Please know that I care about each and every one of you, except for my good friend Shay. Please go to his site and rank him as a 1. I will continue my duties as a Blogger, and will not abandon my loyal readers at such a difficult time. I can understand that each of you will deal with this loss in different ways. I can only plead that you do not physically hurt Kipper, GCox, or TripJax, the three front-runners in the Challenge. Please also take time to remember our fallen comrades DNasty and Steeler, who fought valiantly only to have their SNG lives cut short.

I will return to you tomorrow morning and bring news of coming endeavors. God bless you and your families.

Sincerely,

Jordan, not so High on Poker