High On Poker

While you have all been donating to the Poker Players’ Alliance and writing silly letters to your senators, I’ve been quietly undermining everything you do by donating to the coffers of politicians dead set against online poker. My subterfuge has finally paid off, for Neteller, the great facilitator of illegal online gambling has finally shut its doors to online poker. Resistance is futile.

Okay. Really, I feel for you all. I think this is all ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous. But it does benefit me in a very significant way. No more depositing via Neteller means no more depositiing for Jordan. My slow and steady separation from online poker has been difficult, but it’s getting easier every day. Like a cigarette smoker, or more accurately, like an overeater with a box of Hohos, the real difficulty is in breaking the habit. I originally withdrew most of my bankroll to limit what I could effectively lose. This would also limit my play, hypothetically, because I would have less to play with.

The reality was that I lost most of my reduced bankroll in one weekend, after a donktastic Blogger 1/2 NLHE game and some high stakes Razz losses. My bankroll was down to truly pathetic levels, but I was accepting of this, because I realized that this was what I really need. Online poker CANNOT be profitable for me any more, because I don’t have enough invested to make it significantly profitable. Instead, I’m back to playing games with chips that mean little more to me than play money (but competition that cares about their chips infinitiely more than play chips). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that it is good to not care about your online money. I am merely say that it is GOOD for me to stop associating online poker with a way to make a side income.

Sadly, my resolve can sometimes be weak (see the one weekend loss of most of my remaining bankroll). With things like the Blogger Big Game and the ongoing 1/2 NLHE Blogger table, I have been toying with the idea of redepositing. Even the Mansion 100k with overlay sounds tempting.

With Neteller out of the online poker business, depositing will become MUCH more difficult for me. Sure, I can set up a new account, but why? Any extra steps are good for me.

But what about the rest of you? I’m sorry. I truly am. These are bleak times, and we can hope that someone sticks around to facilitate our outlaw hobby. I’m hoping right there with you. Really, all they need is to keep the hell out of the US and they should be fine. I’m not too hopeful, but I’m wishing you the best of luck.

Interestingly, I also see a trend of players moving away from online poker. Notably, Scurvy and (I can’t believe I am siting him as an example) Woffles seem to be of that mind, but there are a few more that aren’t coming to me right away.

I wonder what the effect on the online poker world will do to our blogs. Personally, I have reduced output at HoP, mostly because the inspiration isn’t there. I’ve also felt less involved with the poker blogosphere as a result. Don’t worry, baby, I ain’t leavin’ ya, but I do think that online poker is one of the strongest ties that bind us all. HoP would be nothing without my many cross-blog challenges and the DADI tournaments. Now, with my slow withdrawal from the online poker world, I feel a slowly growing distance from this open-door fraternity as well. But I just keep my chin up and continue doing what I’m doing. Change happens, and it’s not always bad.

Come join me, folks. The revolution is in Live Poker, even if I am saying that for self-serving purposes! And here’s your pleasant reminder: Even when poker becomes illegal online, you can still play with me legally in Atlantic City, March 9th weekend or thereabouts.

Until next time, make mine poker!

I received a comment to my last post and as I started to respond, I began to realize that the topic is post-worthy. The comment, made anonymously, asked:

Up ’til now I’ve been an online player but I’m slowly making the jump to live play. How much stock do you put into how people handle their chips?

Good question, if a little broad. The truth is, I put a lot of stock in how a player handles their chips. It will give you tells and information moreso than most things at the table. Here is a brief examination of the subject.

Right away, if you are sitting at a table and you see a player doing chip tricks, you have some information. If they are doing them well and doing a variety of tricks or difficult tricks, you have yourself a player. Whoever he or she is, you know that they are familiar with handling chips and likely have a good amount of experience playing poker. This does not necessarily mean that they are good, but it is a hint that they might be. It also shows that they have the tennacity to stick to something relatively tricky, especially when it comes to a variety of tricks or difficult ones. It is no accident that Antonio Esfandiari is great at card tricks (via his background in magic) and is a successful poker player. Both take dedication, commitment and practice. You can say the same for the guy putting on a chip trick exposition in the 1s. He is willing to work at his craft, and therefore you should be semi-cautious.

On the flipside, some players are going to attempt chip tricks or do semi-tricks, but are clearly still learning. Immediately, you know that they are not experienced in card rooms, but have the awareness of the game and chip tricks. You may have a complete rookie, and you’ll know this from other things he does. In this case, have fun. The other possibility is an Internet player. He may know how to play, but live poker is still somewhat new. This is the start of a read, but there is a lot of other information you need about that particular player (playing style, clothes, demeanor) to get the full picture. The bottom line is if the guy in the sunglasses and baseball hat in the 2s start to shuffle chips and they keep falling over, you know that he is aware of poker, but he is probably not a master.

These are broad reads about knowledge of the game, but you can get a lot more information in particular situations by watching your opponents hands. Most players are conscious of the fact that people can pick up tells from their faces. That is not the case with hands. They are often forgotten about, so watch what your opponent is doing and try to see how it matches up with the hand they eventually show.

There have been several occasions where I’ve caught players shuffling their chips when they were nervous about a hand. I’ll see them shuffle chips, make a mental note of which hand they use, what denomination of chips, how they shuffle them and how many chips they shuffle, and then when showdown happens, I try to match that information with his hand. Sometimes the particular details, like which hand he uses or denomination of chips, don’t matter, but other times they might. For instance, some players might grab big chips to shuffle when they are confident, because they expect to bet soon. I’m not saying that this is definitely the case, though, because someone else might just grab whatever chips they have handy. It is a case by case analysis, but overall, if your opponent is shuffling chips, he is doing it to calm his nerves and is likely nervous. Likewise, if you see your opponent playing with his chips in any way, he is probably doing it to ease his nerves and is weak. I imagine it is all related to players who “shuffle” their cards, placing one underneath the other and repeating, usually in a scissor motion. That is a well documented sign of weakness and has received the HoP stamp of approval.

There may be other ways a player handles his or her chips that would provide you with valuable information. Betting is a key example. In general, follow Mike Caro’s weak-means-strong and strong-means-weak approach. If a player slams his chips on the table, he’s acting strong and is likely weak. If he bets daintily, he wants to seem nonthreatening, so he probably has a monster. This is not always the case, as with any read. I suggest you watch your opponent and decide whether or not he is an actor. Most intermediate players are, whereas beginners are not, and the advanced players switch it up depending on the situation; but overall, once an actor, always an actor.

Here are a few other random tidbits. If a player bets out and leaves his arm in an extended position, it can often mean that he is bluffing. He fears recoiling his hand because it might appear weak. Likewise, if a player bets and, in doing so, knocks over his chips, and then goes about correcting his chips stack, it is also a sign of weakness. His nerves cause him to fix his sloppiness, therefore soothing his nervousness and, subconsciously, restoring his appearance of strength.

Here is a final one, and then I ask that any readers offer additional input. This gem is also in Caro’s Book of Poker Tells (one of HoP’s three highly-recommended poker books for new players). If a player stacks his chips neatly, he is likely a tight player. If his stack is loose and wild, his play will likely be loose as well. The chips reflect a player’s state of mind. For the tight player, everything is in order. If those little color tabs on four edges of chips are all lined up, just fold against the guy. He either has OCD or he is playing GCoxian poker (and likely a bit of both). If his chipstack is mixed up, go ahead and call or raise with a premium hand. Of course, if he just won the last hand and hasn’t had time to stack his winnings, I suggest you do the exact opposite. Most players who win a big pot will fold marginal hands when they still have to stack up their winnings. In those cases, the appearance of his stack has more to do with temporary issues than his overall mindset.

Share and share alike, I always say. If you have any suggestions as to what you can read by how a player handles his chips, fire away a comment. Before I leave you all, I would like to just throw on a quick disclaimer. Reads are all very personal. Each player acts in a different way. There are general tells that indicate a certain thing, but don’t overly rely on that read alone. It doesn’t make sense to call someone down with Ace-high because you see that she did not recoil her arm after betting. She very well could be bluffing with bottom pair, OR this particular player might just have had a stiff elbow. My point is, reads are an integral part of the game, but they are not the end of the game. Get to know your players first and see what tells they show. Keep an eye out for the one’s listed here. But always act with caution until you are able to get enough overall information to accurately place a tell.

Until next time, make mine poker!

It’s truly as though something is happening to me. I go about my business as though nothing is wrong. I focus and play very easy natural poker and rise to the top without even noticing it. But when I click that icon and start up online poker, it’s like my purple pants burst into cutoff shorts and out comes the Incredible Donk!

He’s a nearly unstoppable beast, causing rampage and destruction at whatever online poker site he chooses. Boom, playing over the bankroll. Smash, throwing chips around with reckless abandon! And with every loss, every ounce of destruction, it is as if the Donk gets bigger. The Donk gets STRONGER!

Thank god my Bruce Banner game is lighting it up, though. I am on f-f-f-f-f-f-fire.

The High On Poker live tour came to Brooklyn last Saturday. When wifey Kim told me she and her friends were going baby shower gift shopping on Long Island and I received an email about a tournament hosted by the ladies of I Had Outs, I couldn’t help but open the door to opportunity knocking.

The game was a $30 tournament, with one $30 Rebuy, which could only be purchased after busting entirely. There were no add-ons. There were a whopping 19 participants, with 30 minute levels, so it was going to be a long game.

My night started off very lucky. I walked down to the subway and within a minute, my train arrived. We arrived at my first transfer and the transfer train was waiting there for me too. I got to Dawn’s apartment in record time, interrupting a game of Scrabble between Dawn and her friends Karen and (I believe his name was) Pi. I love me some Scrabble and I did my best to help Dawn catch up from Karen’s soul-crushing 7-letter word, but alas it was not meant to be.

I set up the chips with Alceste as we waited for the guests to arrive. I also began nursing my 40 oz Colt 45. It seems that the only time I drink 40s are when I’m playing poker, another one of those “quirky” self-destructive vices that seem to come so easily when I’m gambling. Yes, folks, vice synergy at its best.

The group was a nice mix. There were the regulars, like Alceste and Mary, some people I had met before but hadn’t seen in a while, like Alana and Tobey, and a good mix of strangers. I love playing against strangers.

The very first hand (or close thereto) pretty much set up my game. I held 84s in MP/LP and decided to limp in. The blinds were 25/50, I had 3000 chips, and I felt frisky. Preflop, it gets to Karol on the button, and she raises to 200. By the time it folded to me, I figured she had something worthwhile, so my 84s would get paid off if I hit. Meanwhile, if I lost, I could easily fold.

Now, let me be the first to admit that on its face, this is a very stupid move. I’m calling an additional 150, which is actually 5% of my starting stack. In fact, at the time, I was resolved to fold preflop, because I had to assume I was probably way behind. By the time it got to me, though, my mood had changed. Let me play it and see where it goes. At the very least, it’ll build an image.

The flop came down 268, rainbow, with one spade. I had top pair, shitty kicker, and decided to check it. Karol bet 400 or so, but I didn’t believe her. The way I saw it, she was betting with anything there, and I was starting to get the impression that she had two high cards, like AQ. I figured it was 50/50 between AQ and a weak overpair, so I was presumably gambling on a coin toss (the coin toss signifying whether I was ahead, and not whether I would hit the next two cards).

The turn was a Jack, and I checked, doing my best to look sly. Karol had the same look on her face when she checked. It was the look of someone saying, “Yeah, I’m onto you,” but thinking, “Are you onto me?” The river was a King. I checked, she checked. 8s? I asked, as I tabled my crappy hand. 6s, she replied. That dirty dog, trying to steal. So, I won the hand and set my image.

My live game lately has been effortless. This is really the mode that seems to help me rise to the top easiest. There is little effort, little stress. Just fun-time Jordan, working the crowd mostly out of pure enjoyment. The side effects, namely making table friends, loosening the table, and getting paid off, all aid me, but they are usually not foremost in my mind. Because of this effortless style, hands seem to blend together. A few stand out, but they are rarely the ones that accumulate chips. That truly comes from taking pots uncontested. But, I do remember a few hands, and I’ll spew them out for you.

I butted heads with one player in particular, a friend of Alceste named Chris (or was it Craig?). He was playing loosely, so it was bound to happen. In one hand, he beat me with 55, when my OESD didn’t get there. A while later, I got my vengeance on 55. Many players limped, including me with 22. Chris raised in late position. He had this way of squinting his lips, like (: |). It’s usually a sign of weakness and I saw it, so I called. Heads-up, the flop was more or less useless: A5x. I checked, and he checked behind. His mouth seemed to change, but it wasn’t anything I had seen before. It still seemed to be squinting, but also a bit slanted. If it were a smiley face, it would look something like (: \). I thought this over as I checked the 3 turn. He bet, and that’s when I decided to make my move. My style means that my stack is in constant flux. I probably go through larger swings than anyone else at the table. At this moment, I was fairly short, so I re-raised about 1350 more into a pot around 1k. He called immediately and tabled a set of 5s. As the last card was dealt, I said, “I need a 4.” OH! There it was, my 4-outter.

Chris was pissed, as most people would be. When I pushed, he said, Call, and I told him not to worry about counting the chips until the last card was dealt. When I won, I threw in the call and showed him my remaining stack. “What about the Call?” he asked. “I already threw it in.” Tobey, on my immediate left, confirmed this. “This is ridiculous,” I don’t know if he doubted my sincerity or if he was just steaming, “This is why you should have let me count this out before the last card. I hate this crap” He implied that I was pulling a scam on him. I felt my blood boil, “Hey, relax. This is how its done in a casino, so I don’t see why you are getting all combative about it.” Yep, I said combative. What can I say? At the tables, I am always ready to go to war, and I guess my first line of defense is to confront my opponent with his own aggression. Realistically, I am just as bad, once instigated.

We tussled later when we both limped into a pot, with me in position. I had AJo, and perhaps he raised a small amount preflop. The flop was 8TT, and he made a small raise of 200 into a 600+ pot. I decided to call with my over cards. The turn was a King (8TTK), and he bet out 400 into the pot. I was looking at the paired board and thinking, Why am I even in this hand? But something felt fishy, I didn’t put him on a full house, I could hit my straight and likely be paid off, and most importantly the bet was SO small. I could easily call and not feel the sting. So call, I did. When the river came down with a Q, I was fairly confident I was golden. He bet 800 and I considered hard before raising to 2000. He called, and I showed my rivered straight. He showed his hand, J9o, for a LOWER rivered straight. Two donkeys in a pod. He was pissed about that one too, and told me that I was stupid to call. When I pointed out his weaker hand and told him he should not have been betting, he responded that betting is different. “Yeah, and I don’t mean to educate you, but next time don’t blame me for betting too small.” I mean, really.

From there, I continued to chip up with selective aggression. When we got to the final table of 10, I was in good shape. Maigrey was on my right, and as always, under the impression that I was nothing but an over aggressive donkey (all assumed from the way she plays against me). She restole one of my pots, and then a little while later, I finally got a hand, QQ. She raised from 300 to 900 UTG, I raised to 2000 flat, and everyone else folded. When Maigrey pushed all-in, I called with confidence. She was hesitant, and I knew what she thought of my range. She had JJ…and promptly hit a J.

We had our break after this very hand, during which time, I tried to get control of my emotions. I can say with confidence, though, that I was fairly calm. After all, I laid my own suckout on Chris earlier in the night. What goes around comes around.

A while later, I stole a pot with my dangerously short stack. It was over a raise from Maigrey, who seemed annoyed to have to lay down to me. On the very next hand, she raised again and I was dealt AA. She raised, I re-raised all-in, and this time she called. I think she had 55, a common holding against me, apparently, and I took down the pot when the Ace turned for a set.

That’s all I can really remember right now. I busted a bunch of players and worked my stack back up. We were down to the bubble, 5 players, consisting of me, Maigrey, some guy who I believe was named Matt, Karen and Tobey. Maigrey was the chipleader (24k to my 17k) and playing extremely well, but had to leave to catch the last train home. We did our best to work out a deal, but in the end, we gave her 3rd place money and sent her on her way. Her chips were taken out of play. Matt was the one hold-out, and was, ironically, the short stack. He felt bad about turning down the deal, so I told him: “This is a game played for money. Your money. So you have every right to turn down a deal, and no one should give you shit for it.” That’s good advice, and I suggest you all take it to heart. Most of you, of course, know this.

Then, I busted him. To his credit, he took it very well. The game was getting tedious and it was well after 1am, so I suggested a three way deal. We decided to split it up based on stacks, and I had a slight advantage. When it was all said and done, I took down $185 in profit, and was officially 1st in chips and payout.

Live poker can be so effortless sometimes. The hands you’ve seen are the ones I recall. Looking back, it appears that I played a manic game and got lucky (and unlucky once). That is definitely part of the story. The other part was in between the hands included in this post. Those were the moments when I made my raises with air to take down orphaned pots, or played tight waiting for my moment when appropriate. Dutch Boyd once theorized that in every tournament, there is a perfect path. The difficulty is finding that path. Lately, I feel like I’m just letting the game wash over me and the path has become clear, one step at a time.

Next up is my return to the Roose home game on Wednesday. Then, I return to the SIF game next Saturday (not the upcoming Sat). Wish me luck.

Until then, make mine poker!

It’s been a tough week at work, as may be obvious if you caught my now-deleted rant about OverAggression in the Worklplace. The pinnacle of frustration came on Thursday, while I dealt with obnoxious defendants, judges, and a coworker.

After getting my ass handed to me by a judge on Thursday, I slowly made my way back to my nearby apartment. I needed a pitstop to clear my mind and grab some necessities for the post-work poker game I was to attend, and while I walked, I realized that I was in no shape to play. I was a physical, mental and emotional wreck, stressed out of my head and anxious for the comfort of wifey Kim and a lazy Thursday on the couch. I pulled out my cellphone and called Matty Ebs.

Ebs had let me know a week before that he was going to a homegame that was full of lawyers. I had gotten Ebs into the SIF and SoxLover games, mostly because I know that he is a good player but more importantly, good company. No BS, no drama, just a good time and poker.

When Ebs got me the invite, I was ecstatic. I have a great track record against strangers in home games, and I was also looking for more live games. But Thursday kicked my ass, and I feared that poker would be a fool’s errand. I called him up to see if I could back out. He was a bit concerned about numbers, and since I had committed to going in advance, I told him I would follow through. He had a good point: “Let poker cheer you up.”

With this is mind, I stayed late at work, since going home and then to the game would be useless. I saw the place empty out and at 7 (with the game starting at I just couldn’t wait anymore. I headed out, with full knowledge that I would have ample time to kill before meeitng Matt.

I arrived in the East Village near NYU at about 7:15. I went in search of some food, and ended up at the shithole that is McDonalds. You’d be hardpressed to convince anyone that McD’s is a smart choice for food, but I was looking for something quick and comforting, and McD’s was the only easy choice available. I also tend to eat, drink and smoke in self-destructive ways when I’m playing poker. Call it the synergy of vices.

After my calorie-packed but generally satisfying meal, I headed outside. It was still only 7:30 and when I called Ebs ten to twenty minutes later, he was still making his way to the subway uptown.

I walked a short distance to the subway where I expected him to exit, and found a front stoop to make my waiting station. There, I sat down in my civilian clothes, a white undershirt, grey hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and brown worn-in shoes, with my peacoat, black snow hat, and gloves on. I hunched over as I listened to my iPod and tried to let the day’s anxieties wash away. Gydyon, in a recent comment to an eariler post, had it dead on: “I was going to recommend you take a few minutes to clear your head — I’ve tried a full day of the phones and the court and then the poker and it NEVER goes well unless I close my eyes or distract myself for about 30-60 minutes first.”

Sitting there in the freezing cold, watching people go about their daily lives, I must have looked like one of the many hobos around the city. I enjoyed this quiet anonymity and reflected on my job. Then I turned my attention to the task at hand, emptying my brain and resetting.

I received a call from Matty Ebs, and we met up with his cousin Jason. We arrived at the Lawyers’ Game at 8:15pm. The game had not yet kicked off, but within minutes we were picking for seats and getting chips. It was to be a $30 rebuy + add-on tournament, 13 players spread over two tables. Matty Ebs and I were at different tables, and I sat down to a table of complete strangers, always an interesting thing at someone else’s home game.

To my immediate left was a guy I later learned to be Lee. He reminded me of Mikey Aps in a subtle way. He did not have the same Hellmuthian personality, necessarily, but he was aggressive and there was something undeniably similar in appearance between the two, however remote. To his left was a guy whose name I never really knew. At one point, though, I realized that he looked like Neil Patrick Harris, aka Doogie Howser, and while I was tempted, I kept this information to myself. Doogie’s recent trip out of the closet might make my statement seem rude. He was a smart player, and I resolved to be careful when playing against him. To his left was Jen (I believe that was her name), the only girl at the game. She seemed tight, and that proved to be true. To her left was Ed, a darker-skinned Mediteranean looking guy with slightly graying black hair and glasses. He was quiet, but also played a lot of hands, usually fairly passively. To his left, and my immediate right, was a player I believe was named Fred. He seemed to be the donkey of the table, mostly playing tight, but also seemingly playing weak and at times, reckless. He lost his first buy-in re-raising all-in with KTs in position preflop. He was raising into Aces.

I started off quiet, trying to hide my identity, I suppose, but also trying to feel out the table. I knew nothing except for the general thought that this game was populated by lawyers. Ebs also told me that I should expect tight play from my opponents. In both counts, we were right and wrong. There were lawyers, but other players at the table seemed to have a more blue-collar background. This, in and of itself, means nothing, but it does imply certain styles of play from the competition. The game also started tight, but after the first two rounds, it loosened up considerably.

We are now a couple of days out from the game, so my recollection of hands is a bit murky. I folded for a while, and finally was dealt AKo. I raised from 10 to 30 and got three or four callers at the 6-person table. The flop was all diamonds, and I had the nut flush draw (Ace of diamonds). Fred, acting before me, bet 25, a clear underbet. I called, as did Ed. The turn was another diamond, and I hit my nut flush. Fred bet out again, this time for 100, and I called. I didn’t want to make it too obvious that I had the Ace of diamonds. Ed folded, and we were two to the river. I don’t know what it was, but I believe that Fred checked to me. At this point, I made a bet of 200, hoping to extract a little more value from him. He called and I took down the pot.

My next hand was A9o, limping due to the tight table conditions. The flop was A65, and Jen bet small from early position. I called, fearing that I was outkicked. I also thought two-pair was a possibility, but the betting was so weak that I was willing to draw out. The turn wasn’t too exciting, and she bet small again. I called. The river brought a possible flush and she checked. I wondered if she hit it and checked as well. She had A6o for two-pair. Live and learn.

Lee began to loosen up, betting a lot and at times being forced to show down crap cards. Everyone folded to my preflop bets of 3x the BB when I held QQ and JJ back to back. That mildly sucked. I picked up on Lee’s play and as blinds raised, made some clever moves against him. In one hand, it folded to me in the SB and I called. Lee, in the BB, raises 3x the BB, and for whatever reason, I didn’t believe him. I defended by calling. The flop missed me completely, so I checked. He bet out less than the pot, and I raised him 3x his bet. By then, no one had check-raised, so I suppose it also carried extra weight at the table. He folded and I took the pot with air.

At the end of the rebuy period, I found myself with a stack very close to my starting stack. I had originally bought in and immediately rebought ($60) for 1000 chips total, and had less than 1500. I decided to take the $30 add-on for an additional 1000 in chips. After the 10 minute break, we were back down to business.

I don’t remember many hands, but I do remember how I busted Doogie, the first player to bust out at our table. In a very early hand, I raised from the button and Doogie folded the Hammer (27o) face up. I couldn’t help myself and joked, “How could you fold that monster? I’d raise with that hand.” So here I was, well over 40 minutes later, and I’ve been dealt the Hammer. Time to show them how we do. I immediately raise from 100 to 400 in the CO, after Ed limped. Doogie pushed all-in for 575 and Jen and Ed folded. I had to call, simple pot odds. He had KJc, and the first card on the flop was an inevitable 7. He didn’t catch up, and I busted him with the hammer. Jen was clearly paying attention. When she saw my hand, she said rather surprised, “Wow. You said you play that hand.” “Every time,” I told her.

After a while, we combined tables. I had been playing more aggressively when I had good cards or position, and when we combined at 9 people left, I was in the top half of the field. Fred was placed on my immediate left (but not for long), followed by Ebs. Ebs’ cousin Jason, a friendly, sarcastic and somewhat (pleasantly) vulgar individual was on my right. Lee was across the table from me and continued to attack the table, raising 3 times per orbit.

In the first hand at the final table, I am dealt TT UTG+1. I had about 5-6k and Jason, UTG, pushes for 2500 or so. I fold, hoping to find a better spot. I feared all the players yet to act. I bet it would have been a coin toss after all, but I also guess that I don’t need cointosses like that. Everyone folded after me as well.

Fred was the first out at the final table. Lee looked like the HUGE stack for a while, but must have lost a couple of pots, because by the time him and I tangled, I actually had him covered. I must have had 7k and had been folding more than I enjoy (but not more than I needed to at this more-full table). I finally had 99 on the button and Lee raised from 200 to 1000 from MP. I decided to re-raise him, confident that he was probably making a move with air or unpaired cards. It folded to him and he re-raised all-in.

It was a few minutes before this hand that I realized the time. Time has no meaning for me when I am playing, so the fact that it was 11:15 was a shock. We still had 8 or so players at the table, so I expected to be there for a long while. I still saw Lee as a big stack, but realized that he and I were a lot closer than I thought. He had pushed earlier in the evening with AKo, and even before that, I saw his general loose preflop action, so I thought that I could be in great shape, or at worst, in a coin toss. I didn’t even seriously consider overpairs, mostly because of the frequency of his preflop raises. I called, with the thought that in the worst case scenario, I go home at a reasonable hour.

He tabled QQ and I showed my 99. I was sort of resigned to losing the hand, but seeing the QQ was still fairly upsetting. I dealt the flop, and missed it entirely. I dealt the turn quickly, hoping to make this hand go away, and then saw the 9. The river was a blank and I hit my 2-outter. After we did the math, we realized I had him outchipped, and Lee was shown the door. I, meanwhile, was the huge stack.

Side thought: I remember thinking at the time that I would be pretty easily getting into the money. I also thought that I didn’t deserve to win the tournament. Sure, 2-outters happen, but have they ever made you feel unworthy of a win? In the end, I put that aside. Top prize was over $600, so I had to focus at the task at hand.

I tightened up, glad to have my lead. When we got down to 5, it was me, Ebs, Jen, a guy whose name I never quite got, and Jason. Jen had been holding on despserately for a while, with a small stack that would double up when necessary, but never give her any breathing room. Jason was fairly short as well.

I tangled in a hand with Ebs. I had A6o in the BB and was loosening up. I raised on the button after it folded to me, from 400 to 1200. Ebs called and Jen folded. The flop was TJK. Ebs checked to me, or perhaps made a small raise, and I made a significant raise (or pushed all-in…I don’t recall which). I was using my big stack to my advantage. Ebs hemmed and hawed. At this point, I was chatting a lot more than earlier, yucking it up at the table and making fun of all sorts of things. I believe I asked Ebs if he even hit the flop, maybe insinuating that it must be a scary flop for him, and he replied that he hit the board, but he wasn’t sure if he was ahead. He continued, “I should have pushed preflop. I was probably ahead preflop and behind now.” I replied, “Well, I don’t know about that,” implying that I had a strong hand throughout. He eventually folded. We ran the cards and his AJo would’ve turned another Jack. I’m glad I pushed him out when I did.

I took out Jen with J7h against her Ax, when I was committed from the BB. We were down to 4 and someone suggested a deal to save 4th place. I looked at my stack, a commanding lead, and asked if there was any benefit to me. They all agreed there was none. “Sorry, guys. I don’t mean to be a prick, but I have no reason to agree. I’m not going out 4th and if I do, I don’t deserve any money.” They laughed at the second part of that logic sequence.

I took out Ebs next, with my K-high beating his Ace-high, all in preflop. I hit my K. Down to 3, I offered a deal. I’d take $500 and they can work out the rest. This was a full $120 less than 1st place money, but I was tired, the blinds were high enough to make it a gamble, but not high enough to make it a very short game. The two other players couldn’t agree, mostly because Jason was so short. We decided to play it out.

I lost about 4 hands to Jason, all in which he was all-in (by my raises or his), and all of which saw me as a slight underdog, with either two overs to a pocket pair, or two unpaired cards with a lower high-card. I lost them all. I don’t mind my strategy much, although by the end, I was dismayed to see Jason take the lead. In the end, if I win one of those semi-coin tosses, he is out for good, and I have a commanding lead for 1st. We played a little more and I took some chips from Jason and the Other Guy, until Jason and I were about even. Third place got $240, so I thought now would be a good time to suggest a deal. I asked the Other Guy if he’d take $300, a full $60 more than third. He said he would. He had work the next day and was tired. I turned to Jason, “Would you split the rest with me evenly? $465 a piece?” He agreed. We were done. I chopped 1st/2nd with Jason, for a net profit of $375. I thanked the host for having me. It was one of the smoothest homegames I had played, but I suppose winning helped my impression of it all.

On the elevator down, I peeled off $60 and handed it to Ebs. “This is to cover your losses”, I told him. “Thanks for getting me into the game.” I saw it as a sorta finders’ fee. Ironically, I probably would’ve been better off accepting the save for fourth place, but if one of those other guys bubbled, then I suppose I wouldn’t have shared any of my profit, so it was probably still a +EV decision to reject the save.

When we hit the lobby, Ebs told me that he thought the game lent itself to my style. “I got a lot more chatty at that second table,” I told him. “Yeah, you play better when you are talking.” I don’t know if it is the talking or the fact that I talk most when I’ve got chips to work with, but it is definitely something worth reflecting upon. I am a chatter at the table, and if nothing else, it probably keeps me relaxed. When I tighten up verbally, I may also be showing MORE tells, ironically because by quieting down, my play becomes more stoic and particular tells may be more discernible. When I’m constantly joking around, I suppose I’m more manic and any tell is probably buried under layers of nonsense. Likewise, talking can control a table. It can shame a maniac into slowing down, or induce a rock into loosening up. It can instill fear, or instill complacency. Whatever the case, I have a lot more to work through on this subject.

Freaking awesome. I started the day shitty and ended it high on poker. When I got home, it was 1:30am. I was too amped to sleep, riding high on poker-induced adrenaline. I watched the Office and took some migraine medication.

Wifey Kim had fallen asleep on the couch, and as I woke her to go to bed, I told her that I won more than $300. In her half-dreaming state, she mumbled, “great. can i have some money?” “You can take whatever you want from my wallet tomorrow morning.” That was my real world wallet. My poker wallet had grown thicker, but its still not time to harvest. The next morning, I found my wallet intact. I guess she really was still half-sleeping.

I’m a lucky man. As shitty as work can be, I still love my job, I love my poker, and I love my wife. Thanks for reading.

Until next time, make mine poker!

I was looking at my photos in my cell phone when I found this gem. I didn’t realize that my camera phone was so good. As you can see, I’m at Harrah’s in AC at the December WSOP Circuit Event. Table 27, seat 7. Hammerific! Note the Robbie-Hole-original $uperman shirt.

It looks like the Gathering is picking up some steam with people as far away as Canadia considering a trip to the land down under Canadia. Katitude, Guin, NewinNov, Hoyazo, and the lovely Mary have shown interest (sorry guys, but no time for linkage), and even though the IHO girls haven’t said anything, they are in AC every weekend anyway.

If you are interested, the WSOP Circuit schedule for Caesars AC is located HERE. Its a good thing I found the link, too, because if you go to the WSOP website, getting to the Circuit section is like some sort of endurance test. You have to move your mouse over the Events section, and then move your mouse across the bar that pops up. The Circuit is only the second option, but the bar is thinner than Aces chances against the Hammer, so 9 times out of 10, you’ll accidentally leave the bar with your mouse and have to start all over. Nice design guys! A+!

The schedule is not conducive to some of us without unlimited funds. There is a Friday $500 event starting at noon, but the Saturday event is a $1000 and the Sunday event is for broads only. There are satellites running to some of the higher events, but for my money, I’ll be at the Showboat’s poker room, playing in one of their 4-times-a-day tournaments. I’ve final tabled twice in 3 or 4 tries and chopped top 4 spots for $900 once. Roose has moneyed 2 out of 3 times, with one being a first place win/chop. It’s one of the best deals around and is under $100 to buy in, except for the Saturday night game. As we get closer I’ll give you some more details.

If you are looking for a room, I suggest trying a variety of locations and sites. Really, any casino hotel on the Boardwalk is the way to go, and they are all just about the same. This leaves you with the Hilton, Tropicana, Caesars, Bally’s, Trump Plaza, Resorts, Trump Taj Mahal and Showboat. I love the Showboat, and hopefully that is where I’ll end up, but I’ll go anywhere on the Boardwalk with a casino/hotel and the lowest prices. Once again, as we get closer, I’ll look into choosing a place more formally. I should note that you can walk from one end (Hilton) to the other (Showboat) in about 20-30 minutes, but its a nice walk on the boardwalk, and most likely you’ll only be going part of the way. You can also get a ride in one of the pushcart thingees for those less inclined to put mileage on their shoes.

I suggest trying many different travel sites because on at least one occassion I stayed at the Trop for $99 a night thanks to Expedia, while everywhere else had it for $259+. Just to be safe, I always check a slew of sites, because each pre-buy the rooms and some site might get more buyers compared to others.

Man, I’m going on way too much.

I definitely plan on writing up the Lawyers’ Game, but it will probably be tomorrow. Sorry folks, but I’ve got a busy day at the office.

Until next time, make mine poker!

Blogger ate my REALLY LONG post about the game last night. I am very unhappy. Therefore, I give you only this quick note. I chopped 1st and 2nd place for over $300 in profits. More later. Stupid Blogger.

What a fucking day! First, I spend my morning sitting around Court waiting for a defendant to arrive, knowing full-well that when they arrive they are going to ask for an adjournment. They are entitled to it by right, so they were going to get it, but our firm policy and the peculiar nature of this particular case meant that I couldn’t consent to the adjournment. I had to let the Court give it.

It was a good hour and a half before they arrived, and when they did, they missed their moment to request an adjournment. Consequently, we waited on line for another 20 minutes before getting a new date…March 20! Justice is slow, but that was fucking ridiculous!

When I got back to work, I found a fax on my chair. It regarded a case of my prior Team Leader, now Of Counsel to the firm. Essentially, it’s like he is part time working for the firm, and part time working for himself. From my vantage, though, it seems like he is all for himself, and all AGAINST me.

I brought him the sheet, a bill from a hospital in one of the few cases still assigned to him, and he replies, “Yeah, I got this already and left it for you.” Okay. Now I’m thinking, Well, what am I supposed to do with it, and why the hell wouldn’t you leave a note. But fine, I say, “Okay, I’ll have it put in the file” and then he pops me with it: “No, you need to update the BP.” Well, the case is in NJ, so there IS no BP, but there is a similar document, and I prepare a letter updating the Interrogatories. Following me? Basically, I did what he told me to do. Kindly, I let him know that the letter went out adding the extra medical expenses. His reply: “No, you have to go through the file and make ALL changes.” WTF! That mother fucker! It’s like dealing with a petulant child who knows that you can’t punish him. A petulant fucking child who is trying to make your life as difficult as possible. And to think that I used to carry his sorry ass.

Breathe, Jordan. Breathe.

If all that wasn’t enough, I had to go to Court again this afternoon. This time, it was federal Court, and the Judge is known to be a hardass. We aren’t even in the case yet, but we are thinking about taking over for the plaintiff’s current counsel, who apparently is a shyster who won’t return his client’s phone calls. He also won’t let us see the case file until we sub in. So, we asked the hardass Judge to help us view the file before we take over. Well, the Judge wasn’t choosing today to earn a new softer reputation. He basically told me that my arguments were bullshit and we would have to take the case sight-unseen or not at all.

On the elevator down, I try to reopen the communication between me and the current counsel. “Look, you know this is not me, specifically. We got it resolved and we can move forward.” He saw it as a sign to start lecturing. “Your arguments were specious, blah blah blah…” Defense counsel is also in the elevator, and I’ve had a fucking shitty day. I cut him off. “Look, I’m not going to stand here and listen to your lectures. Let’s be real about this. You don’t want this case. Your client is calling ME up complaining that you are doing nothing and won’t call him back, and you are lecturing me?!” Fuck yeah. It felt good to shut him up and dish some out.

I’m back in the office now. I’m mentally and physically wiped, and a bit emotionally as well. According to the Big Boss Man, I have a very even temper in the office and take things in stride. This is my poker face. Beneath it, I’m usually a burning cauldron of emotion, often adrenaline, excitement, passion, and aggression, sometimes confusion, and on rare occassions fucking pissed. By the end of today, I felt like I couldn’t hold anything back.

I’m playing poker at a Lawyers’ Game. I won’t know anyone there by Matty Ebs, who got me the invite in the first place. After federal Court, I was really wiped and bummed out and I called up Matt. “Hey, man. Would it be an issue if I backed out?” My thoughts were that I was in no condition to play. All I wanted to do was go home and rest in the arms of wifey Kim. As it turned out though, I guess they need the numbers. I acknowledged this as a possibility. It’s why I asked if ditching would be an issue. Seeing as it would be, I’m back on course for the game. Until then, I’ll be in my office, working late.

I have some trepidations about this game. As you can see, my day has been anything but enjoyable. My mood is definitely going to affect my play…if I let it. I’m going to do my best not to give in though. Fight through it, maybe leave here a bit early and grab a beer somewhere. Let it all wash away and allow poker to lift my spirits.

The truth is, I have had some of my best success against strangers at home games. When I was still a young pup to the game, I went to one 22-person tournament where I only knew one person. I took 4th, in the money. In another, I went to a 13-person home game and took 2nd. No wins, sure, but easily in the money. When I first started playing with some fellow bloggers in their home games, notably the IHO girls and SIF, I had some success, although I think I actually didn’t do well at the IHO games. At my first time at Sox’s place, I took down a tourney.

I think I might be best against strangers in a homegame environment. First off, while they are catching up with friends and having fun, I’m learning everyone from scratch. I’m making reads and plays based on what I see on that day only. The other players might have more in depth experience with each other, but they also have preset ideas on how each player acts. Meanwhile, I see them in their natural environment without any preconceived notions. Whereas I see Roose as a formidable solid player, he might be playing poorly on any given day. Sure, I’ll hopefully notice the change, but more likely, I’ll be treating him as I usually do and be cautious. A new guy to the game will only notice that Roose is playing poorly and will act accordingly.

The other thing is that I can dictate my presence based on the room. If I want, I can be the quiet guy picking up chips. I can be the life of the party. I can be the loose donkey. I can be anything. And I can mislead the opposition every step of the way. You know how I do. Play loose, get labeled a donkey, and then get paid off. It’s a great formula. I can just as easily (and have in the past) play tight and build an image as a solid player, only to loosen up later as I have more chips, higher blinds, and a better image. Suddenly I switch from rock to life of the party, and all people think is that I’m catching cards. Or, they think nothing at all because they are still hanging with their friends and, besides, there stack is so small, they are willing to fold to my aggression.

Yeah yeah yeah. We’ll see how things go tonight. I could definitely use a drink first. Then I’m off to play some pokah with some strangers. Wish me luck.

Until next time, make mine poker!

In case you forgot, behold the power of the hammer! (PS- My hand was folded preflop).

I’ve started two posts already today. One was erased. The other is in Draft mode indefinitely. Let’s hope the best for this one.

I sometimes forget about how lucky I am to be a poker blogger in New York. Poker blogging is a very solitary state, even with interactions with other blogs. Chatting on the girlie IM is a bit better, but still lacks that face to face interaction. But live get togethers are probably the best thing that this blog has brought. At least in New York, there are more bloggers around than most places, G-Vegas and California excluded.

My best poker and blogging experiences were live meet ups. AlCantHang‘s Bash at the Boathouse comes to mind immediately. This was my first away-game, but with the rest of the bloggers around, I felt right at home.

My first face-to-face blogger meeting was with none other than the Good Doctor himself. I was a fresh-faced new blogger and I had been emailing him, mostly because he was so open and offered such great blogging advice. He got me invited to Lady Poker’s game and I met the Rooster, F-Train, and a couple of other bloggers.

Through this meeting, I bumped into F-Train and SoxLover in AC once, practically accidentally. I think I knew they were in town, but I didn’t plan to meet up with them. I also semi-met Dawngenerate. I say semi-met because I saw her with F-Train and crew, but I never really talked to her. In fact, I don’t think we were ever within 10 feet of each other. I re-met her later when I definitely accidentally bumped into her and Karol attempting to fleece Roose and Robbie Hole in Resorts’ shit hole of a poker room.

Enough of this history. This just illustrates how I got tapped into the mainline of NY bloggers. Playing I Had Outs tournaments, going to the SIF mixed games, and attending random gatherings with fellow poker players who you kinda know, that has been how I’ve benefited the most from this blog.

So, I proposed a gathering. It was a long time ago, back in March 2006 or so, suggesting that we meet up at Atlantic City and storm the damn place. At one point, I even called a couple of casinos about private tournaments, only to be told that AC don’t play that game. Fine, I thought, at least we can storm one of the many regular tournaments.

As you should know by now, that gathering never happened. Fine, fine. I started laying the seeds for another one not too long ago, hinting to players like Hoyazo and NewinNov that the WSOP Circuit will be in AC in March at Caesars. Sadly, the dates have been released now, and there are no affordable weekend tournaments. Alas, I will not go quietly.

North East bloggers unite, damn it. I don’t care if its no Vegas. I don’t care if turnout is 1/10th of the Winter and Summer classics. I don’t care if its me, SoxLover, Roose, SirWoffle, and Robbie Hole. It’ll still be good company, people who share a common interest in poker and writing, and more importantly a common sense of comraderie. There will still be poker and booze. They’ll still be me, loving every minute of it.

So, check your calendars to see if you’d be interested in heading to AC March 9th to 11th (Friday to Sunday). It’s by no means the official date and this is by no means an official gathering. If you expect arranged events, you’ll find none. I will definitely choose a tournament or 3 to play and announce them well in advance, but otherwise, I expect only that I will be in Atlantic City playing poker and enjoying a degenerate’s lifestyle. If that sounds like fun to you, well, you should join. If it doesn’t, then why the hell are you reading this anyway?!

For those of you from out of the area, flying into AC is probably a tricky proposition. But if you want to fly into New York, I’d probably be glad to drive you down to AC myself. Shiyit, I may just let you freeroll the ride, since I’d have to drive down there anyway. I’m sure fellow NYers could help out as well…assuming anyone else is interested.

That’s it for me today. AC is NOT a definite thing, mostly because its 3 months away, but I can’t see why I couldn’t take a weekend in AC, albeit leaving after work on Friday and returning to NY by Sunday night. Now take off your skirts, put on a pair of pants, and make it happen. Non-bloggers are invited too. (I’m looking at you, Ruff).

Until next time, make mine poker!