High On Poker

I’ve been dying to play live poker lately. This weekend, though, was an utter fail.

With homegames rare and a recent rash of armed robberies in the underground poker scene, the options in NYC have really dried up.

I had attempted to arrange a homegame at my place, a 1/2 NLHE affair, with people from a variety of groups so that it would play more like a casino game than a home game. Alas, although I had 9 potential players (Maybes and Yesses) by Thursday, come Friday night, that number dropped and I finally pulled the plug on the game on Saturday. In the end, I was reminded about how annoying it can be to host a game (not as a result of the players, but as a result of the whole organization thing).

Frankly, in the past, I didn’t do well at my home game because of the distractions. If someone spills, its your job to get them the paper towels. If the doorbell or phone rings, that’s you, buddy. Then there are the less tangible distractions, like that feeling that, as host, you are responsible to make sure everyone is having a good time.

Once the game canceled, I chatted briefly by text with ASG, a reader and now real-world friend. ASG was considering an AC trip, but the weekend Jersey Shore traffic concerned me. We considered Foxwoods or Mohegan Sun in CT, but the bus service out there is not quite as plentiful as I would have liked, so I finally resigned myself to playing online.

Online poker actually went fairly well. I placed 2nd in a 45 person SNG and then won some smaller SNGs. I had discussed recently the possibility of focusing on the online cash games, but when its time to play, I always find myself leaning toward tournament poker online. What can I say? There is something about the beginning-middle-and-end of tournament poker that I love, and the fact that I could win 10x my money by placing 2nd isn’t too shabby either. Plus, a man can only take so much microstakes cash games before he feels like he’s sitting around the kitchen table playing for nickels and dimes (literally). At least I finally got myself to purchase Holdem Manager.

Although my online bankroll grew over the weekend (and last night), my first true love remains live poker. Since I haven’t had a chance to play much, I’ve made it a point to put forth more effort. I must admit, my renewed vigor is directly related to my poker spreadsheet. I took a look at my numbers since 2007 and found that I have earned about 2x the amount I had in my head. That blew my mind and helped me really conceptualize how much money I could potentially make if I played more often. It also reassured me that this poker hobby is not just a hobby but a money-making venture that has significantly and positively affected my and wifey Kim’s lives.

So, what’s a man to do? Next Thursday, wifey Kim and I are flying down to Atlanta to visit her friend. From what I’ve gathered, there are no legal poker venues in GA, so I’d need to find my poker elsewhere. Since I had more days off than I expected by this time of year, I opted to tack on another day of vacation to the beginning of my trip, so next Tuesday night and/or Wednesday is poker time!

The plan, right now, is to head to AC by bus either Tuesday night or Wednesday and play as much as possible before I have to head back to NYC Wednesday early evening. The next day, I’m up at the crack of dawn and heading to ATL.

I’ve also set up some future unexpected poker dates. My mom is turning 60 this year and asked that I save her birthday for her. No problem there. It didn’t hurt either that her birthday is a Monday, and since I am taking off, I can make a Sunday-night trip to AC or PA or CT if I so desire.

After that, Christmas in AC is the tradition, something near 10 years running now. My birthday on December 11 is right smack dab in the middle of the WPBT Winter Gathering (for non-bloggers, a private poker tournament in Vegas arranged by and for poker bloggers). I’ve gone each of the last three years, but this year, I’m sitting it out. I’d like to go, on paper, but I think 3 years away from home without my wife on my birthday is enough, for now at least. That said, maybe a more local gambling trip is in my future.

It’s tough having to carve out time and dates for live poker, but I realize that as I get older, these opportunities will actually get less and less. It’s to the point that I would seriously object to moving anywhere east of NYC because that would add an extra hour or more to any poker destinations. Hell, I keep hearing of new poker destinations and my mind keeps wondering what it would like to live in Bumblefuck, PA or Oldsville, FL.

So, poker poker everywhere and not a hand to play.

Until next time, make mine poker!