High On Poker

It’s amazing how I can manage to dissappoint myself two months in advance. After reviewing the Harrah’s Atlantic City WSOP Circuit Event schedule, I found myself scratching my head. I had intended on playing two events, a $300 and a $500 buy-in. I had already set aside Monday through Wednesday on the office calendar as my vacation days, purely coincidentally. When I saw that the WSOP Circuit events would take place between Dec. 9 and 19, I figured I was in great shape to make it work. Sadly, reality set in when I got the final schedule.

Let me make this simple. The series starts on Saturday. My birthday is that Monday. The only $300 events are on Saturday and Sunday, followed by the $500 events on Monday (my birthday), Tuesday, and Wednesday. What does this all mean? Yeah, that’s the perplexed part.

You see, to us degenerates, the idea of ditching your spouse for a WSOP Circuit event is not particularly off the wall. Ditching HER birthday is a whole other animal, and would never EVER cross my mind. But birthdays are a tricky proposition. Logically, we could celebrate on the weekend, and I can head up to AC on my birthday (Mon) and play on Tuesday ($500) and maybe Wednesday ($500). Of course, then I wouldn’t be with wifey Kim on my birthday, and while I knew that there was something conceptually screwey with that situation, hearing her voice reminded me that it would be, in fact, a STUPID move. Just hearing her semi-resolving in with herself, I went on telephone tilt. If I’m in the game and I think of wifey Kim, I’ll get down, and that won’t help my game. Not one bit. So, Monday will be spent in NYC with the Misses. So far, so good.

That leaves me with two options. I can go up on Friday and play Saturday ($300) and retun on Sunday. This sounds like a good option, but damnit, I wanted to play a $500. Also, the weekends will have more people than usual there, and I kind of liked the idea of playing mid-week. Also the $300 have 45-minute levels, compared to the 60-minute $500 levels. It may seem like a minor thing, but I want to be able to play MY game, and for that, I need low blinds compared to the stacks.

Option 2 sees me heading to AC on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I’ll be playing in the $500. On Thursday, I can potentially make the other $500 event. I’d be heading back on Friday. This, of course, requires more time off from work, but it could be worth it, since (a) I have vacation time, (b) the hotels will be cheaper, and (c) the tournament is more attractive to me.

Shit, it seems like a silly probably, especially 2 months in advance. But I just can’t resolve it. I’m perplexed people. If anyone has any advice and/or knowledge regarding these WSOP events, hit me up with a comment or email. Until then, make mine poker!

I’ve been grinding away my bonus at Dream Poker, but taking my damn sweet time. The bonus, through PokerSourceOnline, does not appear to be difficult to complete. However, I’ve been favorng short 2/4 Limit sessions, often shorthanded, because practically every hand has a sufficient rake. All that said, there are definitely easier bonuses out there at VegasPokerPro.com and PSO, but I’ve already completed them. A while ago, I offered up my Bonus Whoring guide to any readers or bloggers who may be interested in running through the PSO and VPP bonuses. The benefit is that you can run up your bankroll a bit faster (PSO), earn free stuff so that your poker has tangible benefits for you or your loved ones without withdrawing money from your bankroll (VPP), or just plain find some new sites with either great software (Poker.com), great fish (Sun Poker), or great varieties of games (NinePoker). One reader wanted to get an iPod. With my advice, he was able to complete over 5 promos in less than 2 months. I’ve got the easy rooms staked out, and other strategies about clearing faster. I’d post them here, but my original intention was to save the info for another project. That’s up in the air, so you may be seeing my bonus whoring guide at some point, but until then, if you are interested, email me at HighOnPokr AT yahoo DOT commoner (don’t forget to leave off the last E for +EV!).

So, I was playing 2/4 last night at Dream Poker, and the players were practically giving me their money. It was another one of those situations where winning begets winning (or perhaps my opponents’ losing begat more losing). My bullshit detector was on high alert, and I was making some beautiful reads. In one hand, I’m in the BB with J8s and the SB raises preflop when it folds to him. I call. The flop has an Ace and a whole lotta nothing, and my opponent bets. I call. The turn was another Ace, and when my opponent bets, I think, “Okay, I’ve been calling so far. What could he be thinking? He took the lead, and theres a very good chance that he was continuation betting after the flop. Meanwhile, I’m calling him, so he’s got to be somewhat concerned that I have a baby ace or I’m slowplaying him. In limit, there isn’t much variety in play since bets are standard amounts. So, if I bet here, its going to look like I had an ace and waited until the big bet on the turn to re-raise. If he has KK he’s going to be hard pressed to call. The only thing I fear is an Ace.” I then bet, and he folds. It seems simple enough, but it takes cajones to bluff re-raise in Limit.

A while later, another player tries the same trick on me. I’m continuation betting with KJ after a useless flop, and an Ace comes on the turn. When the turn comes and I bet, my opponent re-raises. I think, I’ve seen this before. I re-raise him back. It’s my way of saying, “Listen, fuckface, I have this hand, and you are making a play.” He sheepishly folded.

Now, before I get the comments about these donkey plays, put down your Winning Low Limit Poker book and listen to me. I had reads on these players. Sure, in both instances I was putting an unnecessary $4 at risk when I didn’t have a hand, but I was willing to take that calculated risk. That’s all poker is: calculated risk. It definitely helped that I was playing one table alone in my apartment with no TV playing in the background. I watched my players, took copious notes, and made calculated plays. It felt good, to the tune of $90+.

Of course, later in the night, I went back to play some tournaments. I played in a $20+2 18 person SNG on Stars, working off their most recent reload bonus. I went out 13th after some bad luck and bad play. It was one of the softest tables I’d ever seen, with players playing any 2 and betting out with bottom pair before calling the reraise and every other bet to the river. Consequently, I entered every hand as well. Some would tighten up, and they wouldn’t be wrong. But I saw that if I could even hit middle pair, I was good against three or so players. That style of play means a higher variance, and it eventually caught up to me. But in the meanwhile, I had fun.

I also entered a $20+2 PLO8 MTT on Stars. When I signed up 5 minutes before the start, there were 70-90 players in it. By the time it started, there were over 180. This is the one shortcoming about Stars. You can’t get into a smaller-sized MTT…unless you go for thier multi-table SNGs. So, I guess they have that going for them. For some reason, though, I’d rather play a $20+2 scheduled MTT with only 17 people on some small site than sit down for a $20+2 multitable SNG with 18 people (or hell, 45) at Stars. Kooky, I know.

This weekend will hopefully afford me an opportunity to excel in one of these large tournaments. Wifey Kim will be out with the gals Saturday afternoon, so that’s my prime time. I have a bachelor party Saturday night and brunch with family on Sunday, so really, Saturday is it. Of course, Monday is my 1st Anniversary with wifey Kim, so I’m ecstatic for that. In the game of life, wifey Kim are those magical pocket Aces that always hold up.

Until then, make mine poker.

The march toward the WSOP Circuit events in December at the Harrahs in Atlantic City continues to march forward. After a grueling day of work yesterday, which consisted mostly of traveling and dealing with malcontent and chromosome-short Court clerks, I decided to join the weekly Roose Home Game. I’ve played there before, but if they play once a week, I may make one game a month, if I’m lucky. The trip out there is a bit of a pain in the ass, but following the $100 win at the 180-person SNG and the $500+ win at Dawn’s homegame, I decided to make the trip. There were three other reasons to go, too. Wifey Kim was going to be watching the season finale of Project Runway at her friends apartment (as it turned out, it wasn’t the finale), I need more live game practice, and Backer Scotty was going to be there.

The game at Roose’s is a bit slow. The room is generally impaired, so action can sometimes slow to a crawl. For the most part, though, you just grin and bear it, since the game, while competitive, is not intended to be a hardcore “LET’S GET IT ON” time poker game. The table was actually quite full at 10 players. The thing about the Roose game, especially when you aren’t there weekly, is that the players are so unpredictable. For the most part, the players have gotten exponentially better. I’ve mentioned Petey here before, but usually in reference to his newbie poker status and underdeveloped game. There are still holes left to be filled (like taking 10 minutes to make a simple fold), but his play overall is miles away from when it started. In one particular hand, he was able to fold an overpair to the flop, correctly guessing that I had a higher overpair. To a seasoned player, such a play is not amazing. It just goes with the ole, “Don’t go broke on an overpair” saying. But to see Petey do it was just plain impressive.

I’m used to playing with the same 6 to 8 people at the Roose game, but there were some players that I was less familiar with. I’d played with Eric before, but last night he was just wild. He’s the type of player who pushes with 78h preflop when he is barely a shortstack (and sometimes not short at all). On one hand, I like the aggression, especially with 78h as opposed to A7o. But on the other hand, he made the same play with T5h and some other questionable hands. Needless to say, at the next game with Eric, if he’s pushing preflop, I’m calling with any Ace or any 20 hand (think blackjack people).

Joe was there, and I hadn’t played with him in a long while. He was never one of the better players, but I’ve seen some big changes. Perhaps the biggest is the way he became a complete poker nut. Apparently, he spends many weekends in Atlantic City at the Hilton, where his highroller buddy has a suite comped regularly. He invited us all down for October 7 weekend, and I at first said that I couldn’t make it…until I realized that I could. Wifey Kim will be in Connecticut having a girls’ night out with her friends, so why not head to AC? I’ve been checking out rental car prices, but I have to admit, they all seem damn exhorbitant, like $250+ for Saturday afternoon to Sunday late afternoon. I’d hate to have to travel back to LI (an hour out of the way) and then back to NYC (another hour), but I may just have to do it. Unless, of course, any locals (cough cough I Had Outs cough cough) felt like going to AC on Saturday October 7th. Oh, and any advice on alternative transport like busses and trains would be greatly appreciated, my dear readers.

In the end, I ended up chopping 1st and 2nd place with Scotty, my future backer. Scotty is damn excited for the WSOP and even suggested that we go a bit higher, into the $1000 event. Mmmm…sounds good, sorta. I want about 1/2 of my action, and I don’t necessarily want to put $500 on the line in one tourney just yet. But maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll be some satellites, similar to the $50 satellites that Surflexus used to get into the $500 event. Of course, backer Scotty wouldn’t bat an eye at putting more than 50% in, but I’d rather walk before I run. Who knows though. If the timing isn’t right, I might have to play a $1000 event. Poor me.

That’s is for now. I look forward to a relaxing night with wifey Kim tonight. Until then, make mine poker!

=

A big thanks to Surflexus. He’s one of those guys who always seems to win those damn -EV blogger tourneys, so when I heard he was going to play in some WSOP Circuit events in Tunica, I heard opportunity knocking. I’ve never backed anyone before, but I figured it was worth putting a couple of bucks into Surf. In total, I had 5% of his action. He played a $300 event, but busted out fairly deep. Last night, though, ole Surfy came through. He moneyed in 48th place! Sounds like I’ll be getting some of my money back! Thanks also to BTheCloser69 for his great sports betting advice and for giving updates of Surf’s action.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I didn’t necessarily need that money. After all, I placed 7th last night in a 180 person SNG on Stars netting over $100 in profit. It’s not first place ($1080!), but I feel good about my game!

Until next time, make mine poker!

I’ve read a lot of bellyaching posts lately complaining about donkey this or donkey that playing a crappy hand and getting lucky. I can understand where these posts are coming from. Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the game is accepting losses, especially when you think you played the hand perfectly. However, sometimes it may be too easy to blame it on your opponent’s stupidity. Sure, there are donkeys out there. But there are some really solid players who play a different game then the TAG style you’ve adopted and come to accept from your opponents.

What I’m really talking about is playing crappy hands and turning them into gold. This is actually a topic that I mentioned briefly in my recap of the game at Dawn‘s apartment last week. To the casual observer, I made some ridiculous plays, calling a 4x the BB raise preflop with J2c or T7s. In fact, I always had a strategy in mind, and I was able to utilize that strategy to get paid off when it counts.

The key to turning crappy cards into gold is all in the selection and timing. Your opponent, ideally, has a deep stack. You need this, because for every 100 times you call with crappy cards, 90 of those times you are going to miss the flop. Out of those 10 times that you hit, only about 5 or less will hit with enough force to actually propel your crap into that golden range. So, its a high variance play, where you will lose a small amount of chips (the preflop bet/raise) often. When you do hit, you want to get paid out by a big stack, otherwise the play lacks the necessary implied value. You also want position, more often then not, so you can take advantage of all the information before you. In a play like this, information is everything, and acting blindly will lead you to winning a small pot with a monster or losing a big pot with rags.

Let’s look at two such hands from the I Had Outs game. I was in early position in one hand with J2c. I decided to limp, mostly because I was winning and I wanted to see a cheap flop. I’d easily fold the $1 if I miss, and if I face any real raises preflop, I can let my $1 go there as well. SoxWife, who has good hand selection (i.e., tight-ish), decided to pop it up to $5 total from the SB. The obvious move would be to fold. Who would call $4 with J2c? Here’s the thing though. (1) SoxWife likely had a big hand, so if I hit, it’ll be hard for her to fold. I put her on TT through AA, and maybe AK. (2) I had position on SoxWife, so I’d know how she was going to act before I acted for the rest of the hand. (3) SoxWife had a decent stack, so if I could get paid off, it’d be worth it. (4) I had SoxWife covered, so I could take all of her chips. Also, I had chips to spare, so the $4 would not break me.

As you may already know, I hit the flop with two-pair. I then turned a fullhouse. I also took her whole stack. I won’t go into the betting, per se. It’s the setup that mattered.

Similarly, I called a bet from Mary with T7s, another speculative hand. I ended up flopping a flush draw and turning the flush. As it turned out, Mary actually didn’t have much (K6o) preflop, but by the river, she hit two pair. My call preflop may have seemed like a donkey move, but she had enough chips to make it worth my while and she hadn’t played many hands, so I figured her for a high pair. I believe I bet my flush draw as well. If I did, that’s a whole other issue (betting your draws to build a pot and hide your draw when it hits). But they all connect to the same principle: playing crappy cards because if they hit, you can and will win a maximum amount of chips.

So, next time some donkey calls your big bet from MP with 25d and you lose with your pocket Kings after the flop comes down 25Q, don’t just label your opponent a donkey. Instead, consider whether that faux donkey is really a shark in donkey’s clothing. You just may save your stack next time, and you’ll hopefully save your sanity too.

On a wholly unrelated note, things are looking good for Jordan’s WSOP Circuit premiere. Surflexus is right now taking his shot at some of the Circuit events in Tunica, and I’ll probably make my premiere in December at the WSOP Circuit event at Harrah’s in Atlantic City. I have my backer in place, and I’ll probably have him back me 50% iun a $500 buy-in event. I’d also like to play in a $300 event, but I don’t want to over reach his generosity or my current bankroll. Then again, my birthday is in the middle of the tourney dates (Dec. 9-19), so maybe I can get me some backing from birthday gifts. Who knows! All I know is that I wish Surf well (I have 5% of his action), and I hope that I can make my mark when my time comes.

Until then, make mine poker!

Probably the most surprising part of my trip to the Bash at the Boathouse occurred before we even hit the road. SoxLover was kind enough to offer me a ride to the Bash, and I was glad to take the offer. SoxWife met me at the door and let me into their apartment. As I made my way to the couch, I heard Sox’s voice, “Hey honey, are we going to take the…” I turned my head toward the direction of the voice, and was surprised to see Sox, buck fucking naked. I looked away, but frankly I didn’t even have to. The momentary glimpse of full frontal had burned my retina. We’d be halfway to Philly before I could see clearly again.

When we arrived, my roommates TripJax and Poker Wolf were already at the Boathouse. They had come in the night before and had played in a tournament with the rest of the crew along with poker extraordinaire, WPT champion, and host of CardPlayer’s The Circuit Podcast , Gavin Smith. I dropped my stuff in the room and met Sox and SoxWife outside (both fully dressed) and we made our way to the Boathouse.

Upon arrival, a charming female hugged Sox hello. She then walked right by me. I caught up with her outside. I could tell by the voice that she could only be Veneno.

After meeting V, I made my way around the bar. I saw Trip right away, and we sat down for a drink (him an Arrogant Bastard Ale, me a Vodka and RedBull…it was going to be a long day/night). Hell, it was barely noon and I was consuming hard alcohol. Not too much later, I found myself doing a shot of SoCo with AlCantHang, himself. What a host!

After drinks, I walked around and met the rest of the crew. It was a large group, but it all was very natural. I bumped into BG and we introduced ourselves. A while back, he and I had an argument (for lack of a better word) regarding some posts. It was refreshing that it was not an issue. In fact, I had a great time playing Chinese Poker with him. I have nothing but respect.

About 20 minutes after arrival, we started up the first Chinese Poker game. The first group was me, BG, Trip and Veneno. I was on fire, and took about $27 from the table ($1 per point). Meanwhile, Sox and Sox Wife had a .25/point game going with Katitude and Drizz (I think). Behind us, F-Train, Gracie, Maudie and probably a few other people were playing poker for a round of drinks. On the outside deck, Speaker, CJ, Gavin Smith, Brandon Schaefer and others were playing in the $1000 buy-in charity tournament.

Meanwhile, the drinks continued to flow. After a long while of Chinese, it was time to get down to the real poker. Sox, SoxWife, slb, Trip, Wolf, Veneno, Kat, Steve, Drizz, and perhaps one or two other people joined us for some .25/.50 NL. Overall, it went rather well. I actually lost $36 or so, but I was having fun the entire time. I had two side bets going, which helped a lot. If the flop was all black, I win $5 from Trip. If it was all red, he wins $5. Meanwhile, if there was a Jack on the flop, Wolf paid me $1. If there was a Queen, he’d get a buck. If there were both it was a push. If it weren’t for these side bets, I’d easily be down $50 or more.

Man, I could go over it all, but I’ll never do it justice. I even tried to list everyone who was there (all of whom I had an opportunity to chat (or play) with, but then all I would have is a laundry list. Instead, let’s check out the highlights:

• Meeting Gavin Smith rocked. I’m not much for celebrity hero worship, but Gavin really is a man of the people. I think out of any of the various forms of media, you can learn the most about a person through talk radio. You get a lot of opportunity to riff, there is no script, and its weekly (or daily). I have to say that the Gavin Smith that you can hear on the Circuit is every bit the Gavin Smith you get in person. What a class act and all round funtime guy. That and he’s taught me a lot about small pot poker from the Circuit podcasts. Two thumbs up.
• Having a dial-a-shot with GCox. Trip and I were at the bar, and when we were done with the shot, Trip stumbled off (he’d be sleeping back at the hotel before 11). I looked down at the bar and there was a cell phone…Trip’s cell phone. Oddly, I was the one to call G, so I don’t even know why Trip had his phone out. When I found him later, I asked him if I could borrow his phone. Boy, I love that look of panic!
• Having a long conversation with Wolf at the bar and hotel. It was a real pleasure.
• Finding Trip’s credit card. I was chatting with Joaquin when the bartendress walked up to us. Do you know this guy? She showed us the credit card. “Yep, he’s my roommate. I’ll get it to him.”
• The arrival of Dawn and Karol from I Had Outs. They got in late, and I only learned why later. They were in AC, having made the trip the night before…from Philly…after the Friday night game…and after going to AC on the Thursday before. If there were two people who possibly liked poker too much, it might be the ladies from I Had Outs. If there are two people who I maybe like too much, its them as well. They are some of the most easygoing, fun loving players in the bunch. And I think their degeneracy is a nice companion for my own.
• Putting faces to names. This pretty much covers it all, doesn’t it?

All in all, we raised a good amount of scratch for Cystic Fibrosis. I had a great weekend. The Bash even topped my family’s Rosh Hashanah dinner (can you believe it! I can…). So, that is all. Now go sign up for one of the many weekly Blogger tournaments. Until next time, make mine poker.

Congratulations to the Myriad of Money Finishers at DADI 9: Back in the Saddle, our first foray into HORSE and Full Tilt! We had 43 players willing to compete in a five-game showdown. The ultimate winner: TRAUMAPOKER! Congratulations, Trauma! For his win, he gets an iPod Shuffle from PokerOnAMac.com, as well as the 1st place prize money. Chipper took me out, and so, whoever took Chipper out won a Revenge Bounty. As it turns out, this wasn’t the smartest move in a tournament that has Hi/Lo games. So, who took out Chipper? Trauma…I think. Maybe CJ the Luckbox too, according to Trauma last night. And since I get to figure it all out, the prize money was split. Congratulations again to Trauma, and to CJ, whether or not he actually knocked out Chipper!

Second place went to Drizz! For his efforts, he wins 800 VPP Points from VegasPokerPro.com. The VPP Points can be used for a variety of gift certificates and poker-related merchandise. Third place went to CJ (who, apparently, has never Not Moneyed in a Blogger HORSE event), and the Bubble finisher was PatchMaster. They both win 400 VPP Points coming to them.

There was a bounty on VPP_Dave. I don’t know who knocked him out, but hopefully we’ll get that info soon. If it was more than one person, generally the Hi hand wins. The Trust is withholding the decision pending further review.

For all the winners, please contact me at HighOnPokr AT yahoo DOT commissary to claim your prizes!

Thanks again to VegasPokerPro.com and PokerOnAMac.com, loyal supporters of DADI and the Blogging Community. Thank you also to all who came out and joined us.

Somewhere in the middle of the .50/1 $100 max NLHE homegame, Dawn made this comment: “I’m glad Jordan won that hand. It’s easier for me to take it from him.” Dawn’s plan seemed like a simple one. Let Jordan accumulate chips and then fleece him for all he has. Part one of her plan went very well. Part two, not so much…

I have been fighting a nasty cold these last couple of days, and work has been so busy that I’ve felt actually stressed out for the first time in months. (In fact, this post is my two-minute breather, to prepare for the rest of the day). So, when I realized it was time to meet SoxLover and wife and head to Dawn’s homegame, I was actually on the fence. I had backed out of Dawn’s games a handful of times and only attended once, so I felt somewhat obliged to go (not by Dawn, but by my own standards to which I hold myself). The game had changed from a $50 max to a $100 max, which concerned me a bit, but I decided to bite the bullet.

Before we entered Dawn’s building in Brooklyn, Sox, SoxWife and I headed to a corner deli. I wasn’t drinking, but I did pick out three $1 scratch off Lotto cards. I fanned them for my two chauffers. “Take one, for the ride.” They both took their selections.

Scratch-offs are pretty normal for me. I don’t get them more than maybe once every two or three months at most, but they make a fine impulse buy. In fact, one of wifey Kim and my traditions is to give her grandfather lotto cards as a birthday gift. If he’s turning 80, we buy him $80 worth of cards ($1, $2, and even $5 and $10 amounts). One year, he ended up winning over $150. When he was done scratching, the dinner table was covered in the scratch-off shavings. But I digress.

To my delight, Sox and SoxWife were newbies to this absurd form of gambling. To their delight, Sox won $2 immediately. Ever the kind gentleman, he handed me back the $1 and kept the $1 profit. SoxWife took a bit longer, but sure enough, she picked a winner also, for another $2. She, too, redonated to me, keeping the $1 profit. I, on the other hand, lost….twice. I can’t help but roll over a little bit of my psuedo-Sox-winnings.

So, basically, I didn’t expect much. I was already down $2 before I entered Dawn’s apartment. The players are a nice crew. As mentioned, Dawn, Sox and SoxWife were there. Alceste was there as well with his work underling, a friendly chap named Brian. Brad from Ship It Fish was there. He was clearly taking the game very seriously, and I heard that he played a lot of hands. What I saw pretty much confirmed the rumors. Whatever the case, I knew he wasn’t just playing for the hell of it, so I kept him on my watch list. Mary was there as well. She’s been friendly in the few occassions that we’ve met, and I regard her as a steady, tight player. That essentially rounded out our 8 person table. When the action got started we all had $100.

I was planning on playing fairly tight, since I respected so many of the players (and have a reputation as an action player). I got into my first hand in the BB with A9s. I limped, but Alceste, on my immediate left, raised the blinds to somewhere between 3 and 5. There were more than a few callers, so I called as well. The flop was 9-high. When it checked to me, I bet 20, which I think was about pot. Only Alceste calls, and my warning light started to blink. The next card was another 9, and the warning light stopped. I was now in extraction mode. I knew Alceste had a decent hand. I assumed he was on an overpair, like TT or JJ, but he may’ve been on an under pair to the 9s (probably in the pocket, but not a set), and thought I was just trying to bully with my flop bet in position. When he checked to me, I decided to look weak with another $20 bet. Keep in mind, that is a full 1/5 of our starting stacks, so it wasn’t a weak bet, but it did appear weak since I bet the same amount on the flop. He called. The river was a blank undercard. I thought for a bit and bet $35 or $40. He called and I took down the hand.

Not too long later, I had KQs and when there were three limpers in the pot, I decided to bump it up to $5. They all called. The flop was T7x with two spades. I bet out $15, and Brian re-raised me $15 on top. The turn was a blank. I believe Brain led out with a bet, and I called. The river was another blank, perhaps a Jack, and Brian checked. He had been playing tight, so I figured that I could muscle him out of the hand. I bet $50, the largest bet of the night so far. Foolish me, he only had $29 behind, and he had to call. All my profit was gone when he showed that he had hit the Ten on the flop. I shipped it and sat dumbfounded.

I sat shellshocked for a bit, damning myself, but decided, after mentally sitting out a few hands, to get back into the game. I held 27o and decided to raise to $10. I got one caller…Dawn. The flop was K66 and Dawn was first to act. She mucked immediately. Dawn, Dawn, Dawn. Never voluntarily fold when there is no bet to you. Truth be told, I would’ve bet anyway, but you just made it so easy.

A little while later (truthfully, the order and timing might be off), I had Jc2c in early position. I was really enjoying suited cards, so I limped. There were a couple of more limpers, including Dawn, and SoxWife suddenly popped it up to $5. This told me that she probably had good cards. She had been relatively quiet and SoxWife has good hand selection. She also thinks that I’m a maniac. So I called, hoping to hit it or quit it. Of course, Dawn called too.

The flop was J2x, all diamonds. I had two-pair, but they didn’t do much for me. SoxWife bet $10, and I decided to raise to $20. Dawn called, as did SoxWife.

The next card was a Jack, and I suddenly had a well-hidden fullhouse. SoxWife bet $50 and I pondered for a moment. There is a rule of thumb about getting the other player all-in before they miss their draw or before the scare card comes. With that in mind, I saw that SoxWife had probably $60-100 more in front of her. All I knew was that I had her well covered (okay, now I’m sure my order of hands is off). I said, “All-in.” Dawn folded, and SoxWife called. She flipped up AA. The river was a Jack. I hit quads. Booya! Up some decent money.

Another fine hand saw me with T8s. I believe I limped in early position agian, and Mary in one of the blinds bumped it up to $3 or so. I called. The flop was a non-threatening combination of lower cards with two spades. I believe that Mary raised something like $7-12, which was about pot, and I was the only caller. The turn brought the flush. I don’t remember what happened here. I think she bet and I raised a small amount. Maybe she bet and I flat called. Whatever the case, the river was a King, and she bet out. I raised back and she went all-in. I called and announced the flush. She had rivered 2-pair. Another one rebuys.

I had an exceptional hand against Brad from ShipItFish. He and I weren’t in many hands together up until this point, and I held 55 in EP when I decided to raise to $3. He and SoxLover called. The flop was 743, with two spades. I bet out 8.50, which was slightly less than pot. Brad raised to $20 total, and Sox folded. I thought for a bit. $11.50 wasn’t much, considering my stack, but if I called, I’d have no information about his holdings. I tried to work through the possibilities and the two greatest were TPTK (A7) or a spade flush draw. It took me a while to decide, but I ultimately raised him $40 on top. If he was going to call, he’d be pushing all-in too, for an addition $60 or more. I knew I could fold to that re-raise with confidence that he had me beat. He took a long time, but finally folded 99 face-up. I showed my 5s and raked in my pot. Brad reasoned that I had not re-raised anyone yet, preferring to fold or call. He was pleased that he got me to show, but I was just as pleased to see what he folded. And onto the next hand…

This is probably my largest money-maker of the night. I held AKd, and I was playing the role of too loose card rack. I decided to pop it up preflop, as per usual. This time, I think I bet $5. Brian and Dawn called. The flop was Kxx with two diamonds. I had TPTK with the nut flush draw. I had to bet. $15, about the pot. Brian considered and then raised to $30. Out of nowhere, Dawn says all-in. She had about $69 total. I matched her bet, and then Brian went all-in. He was a tighter player, and I was concerned, but I knew I could at least outdraw him with the flush and there was already so much money in the pot. I called. I was nervous as fuck, and Alceste and Brain went about separating his stack in preparation of the side pots. Fuck that. “Can we just run the cards? I don’t mean to be a jerk, but if I win, we don’t need to count anything out.” The turn was a blank. The river was a diamond. I took it down. Brian had AA. Dawn had an inside flush draw. I had a pile of chips.

Those constituted all of my significant hands. When we left, I was up $545. Sure, I was lucky. But I also was able to maximize my big hands, and play with cunning.

Next up is the Bash this weekend. I have a bad cold which will make drinking miserable, but I’m a trooper damnit! Until then, make mine Poker!

The day is nigh! DADI 9 is upon us! Congratulations to On_THG, the winner of the DADI banner contest. Thanks to Chipper and SlimeFace for thier entries as well. On_THG has won a freeroll into the DADI event. THG, the money has been transfered.

Speaking of transfers, Iakaris is also freerolling tonight, after he took me out in the Mookie charity event for Tanner. Make good use of it Iak.

Those lovely folks at VegasPokerPro.com have donated 2000 VPP Points, good for gift certificates, poker chips and a whole lot more at the VPP Store. 800 Points go to Second Place . 400 Points go to Third Place and the Money Bubble, as well as whoever knocks out VPP_Dave. If VPP_Dave isn’t there tonight, his 400 Point Bounty will be awarded to Fourth Place. Thanks again VPP!

PokerOnAMac.com, home of the Blogger iPod Freeroll, is also donating to the cause. Take First Place, and not only do you win some sweet sweet cash, but you get yourself an iPod Shuffle! Thanks PokerOnAMac.com!

I played some live poker last night at Dawn‘s place. I’d love to share the juicy details, but I’m busy then a fat kid at a pie eating contest, so it’ll have to wait. I will say this though. I was nervous to start, but ended up winning $545 at a .50/1 NL table. A little bit of luck, and a little bit of maximizing my draws and big hands. More to come on that later…

Until then, Make Mine DADI!