2007 was my first year blogging. There is no post of my goals for 2007 so guess what I'll claim? I did everything I set out to do! Yeaaahhhh, that's the ticket!
I had started a personal blog a couple years ago and never really got into it. Earlier this year, I decided I'd start updating it more regularly. OhCapatin has many facets. I'm a proud father, I have a deep passion for constitutional law and governmental policy, I'm an avid poker player and an semi-pro amateur photographer. When I started mixing all of this together, some more vocal readers weren't as interested in one subject or another. So something needed to change.
About this same time, Bodie25 was starting his blog. He was focusing on poker. I really loved the idea and started OhCaptain Poker. I also spun off my other hobby and created a blog focusing solely on my photography.
This year I've gone through many highs and lows in poker. Live poker and online poker both seemed to show growth this year.
I started the year fighting my way up the leaderboard at the local bar poker. The nearest casino is a hour drive, about 50 miles, one way, so I don't get there very often. Bar poker and home games have to do. By the end of the spring 10 week league, I'd been the league leader, but let it slip and found myself finishing 3rd. This meant I need to to battle my way at the regional tournament to get to state. Ironically, I finished 3rd there as well. Besting about 90 people there.
The regional tournament taught me a valuable lesson. Play the opposite of the table. This tournament was like the wild west. People were flinging chips around with little regard for the the strength of their hands. I folded every hand for 90 minutes. Then they started talking about how I wasn't playing any thing. When the table leader says, "You gonna fold your way to state?" I knew I was golden. I shift gears gently and moved up the chips. When I started getting some solid hands, I was able to set the trap and double through...I final tabled and made it to state.
I recapped that here because it happened just before I started blogging. The first real attempts at blogging. The rest of the year was pretty chronicled in the blog.
I got to state. I had hoped to go deep enough to win something, but 15 didn't pay. Would have been nice. 163 runners and only the top ten got anything. Pretty steep if you ask me.
I pretty much sucked at bar poker all summer. I played with emotion and contempt for bad play. Never good. But turned it all around in the last 16 week league of the year. I'll be on my way back to the state tournament!
Bodie25 and I went to a casino in Iowa, Made a little money in the cash game and made a bit more in the SNG. My second experience with live poker in a casino and I go home with a profit! One more trip this year to a different casino taught a lot about playing limit poker. I learned quickly and made a profit there as well.
OhCountess and I hosted 5 home games this year. These are really fun. I love hosting home games and can't wait to host another one. These were profitable as well. Of the 5, I cashed in 3, and bubbled 2. Worst part...I never finished better than 2nd (did that twice). See goals for 2008.
Bourbonators was as fun as it should be. We play poker, but I really consider it more of a night out with the guys. I keep no records other than what I write here. The guys are really starting to improve their game. This makes for some fun poker.
I think my live game is stronger than ever. I am never more comfortable playing poker then when I'm in person. There have been many times this year that I felt like Doyle Brunson. I looked into people's eyes and saw their cards. Ok...I'm no Texas Dolly, but still. Even during the limit session at the casino, the longer we were there, the more clearly I could see the cards. Poker league, I can play several people as if their cards are face up. I think you'll understand one of my goals for 2008...oops, but that's another post.
Now, online poker had the most going on. I had run up my bankroll to double its starting size, and then late this summer drove it write to the edge of the toilet. All my gains were washed away and I was playing my own money again. Ugg.
I put my tail between my legs and went all the way back down to the $1 45 person sng. For some reason, Poker Tracker showed these to have the least variance for me. I played hard, regained my confidence and moved back into the black.
November, I just turned up the heat and recorded an absolutely sick month.
This brings me to December. December is my most profitable month ever. And that's all to do with one tournament and the trip to the casino. I made a mere $31 dollars at the casino. Fairly impressive if you consider the fact that I really have never studied LHE and before this night, considered it my worst game. The real cake was delivered just last week. I won the friggin Mookie! I know, other bloggers have won bigger tournaments and there are some who've won it more than once. Heck, I know the MATH is even a bigger buy in, but heck, as far as my poker history is concerned...It's my biggest win...EVER!
Well, that ended my year well into the black. I'm looking forward to 2008...put that's the next post.
Happy New Year Everyone!
Monday, December 31, 2007
Reflections on 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Ah, Captain Smith, sir. I think we have a leak
The Hero Call
There is a major leak in my game and I'm not sure how to get rid of it.
I like making the hero call. There, I said it.
When I'm at a table with a player I deem Loose/Aggressive, I will call off huge portions of my stack with modest holdings because I believe they are on a draw or worse...bluffing. I get it right once and while, but even then, I'll lose before all the cards are dealt.
My first Mookie, I read the situation perfectly. There was no way that fluxer had a hand better than pocket tens. I was right and he only had bottom pair. But I risked my entire tournament that his hand wouldn't improve. It did improve and I'm out of the tournament holding nothing more than pocket tens.
My second Mookie, I found listening listening to BuddyDank with my headphones on. The same way I play live poker. OhCountess wasn't suck a big fan of BDR and didn't want to listen. But when I wear the headphones, I tend to concentrate on the task at hand and think about things. That and I was never really desperate for chips, meant I wasn't compelled to call huge raises.
My bankroll was flush with new money on Thursday night, so I figured I'd back up my performance with a strong showing in the Riverchasers. My confidence never more inflated. Well, I made a hero call and pissed down my leg (top pair - Ace with a 4 kicker...ugg). Out early when I had been so in control and building a solid stack.
I now my personality has a desire to stick it to people that are doing wrong to others. I love a good trap, or whacking a bully. How do we as poker players over come these leaks? I've had this one for a while and I'm not sure how to get rid of it. I can be a solid player when I'm on my game, but then I go and donk it off putting someone on bluff or a draw when all I have is top pair and a 4 kicker.
What do other bloggers and players do when they know they have a leak like this?
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Wow! Holy Crap! I won the friggin Mookie!
Please excuse my French...but did you see who won the Mookie?
Wow. My biggest cash ever! I'm sure a few people that play bigger tournaments will see this and some of you watched me play. Hopefully, I didn't donk it up too much.
Thanks a bunch to Bodie25. He talked me into entering this just minutes before it started. I'd been having a horrible stretch at the tables. $10 seemed like a lot money to throw away considering I couldn't even beat a $1 table today.
Congrats to KngofKngs. One heck of a match heads up.
I read bayne_s' blog every day. Congrats on your deep finish as well. It was an honor to play with you.
A very special thanks goes to all the guys at BuddyDank Radio with the extra thanks to Chad. When given the option to take the field (KngofKngs and myself), the crew took the pass. The show was fantastic as usual. Great job guys!
To basically sum up the tournament...I played tight and avoided being caught with my pants down. Last week was my first Mookie, I made a hero call and went home. It was the right call, but the aggressor had way to many outs and me covered. Not a good combination.
Tonight, I scored a bit pot early. The blinds are 20/40. The table folds to me on the button. I raised with J♣10♠ to 140 and JoeSpeaker calls from the SB. The flop comes Q♠10♣2♣. JoeSpeaker bets 240. Seemed like a weird bet to me, I have second pair and call. The turn was a 10♦. Joe raises to 640. I don't like the flush draw or the straight draw and decide to end it right here. So I push my all my chips and which has him covered. He calls and tables KJ for the straight draw. My set holds!
With one last race before heads up. Bayne_s and I found ourselves racing to destiny...him with AK0 and me with QQ. Help never came and my queens held up.
This is now clearly my biggest cash ever, but I surprisingly feel very comfortable. I play a LOT of SNGs. MTTs just aren't my thing. They take a long time and my window of opportunity to play poker is usually limited. But I've definitely been in this spot before. I technically didn't take him out until the next hand, but he was totally crippled.
Heads up arrives and it looks like: Seat 2: KngofKngs (110,446)Seat 3: OhCaptain (42,554)
Not quite a 3:1 chip advantage, but pretty close. One advantage of playing a lot of SNGs, I feel very comfortable playing heads up. All I needed to do was ignore the fact this win would represent 66% of my current bankroll.
I started playing with the idea that I had nothing to lose. I'd be proud of the fact that I took 2nd. This is only the second time I've played this tournament, but I definitely wanted to win more.
We battled on for a while and I grinded my way back to a more manageable ~70,000 to 80,000 stack sizes. This helps by making my pressure more useful. He calls and looses and he finds himself with a big hill to climb.
The tide turned when KngofKngs found his JT behind my QQ. I doubled through him! Whew!
This swung the chip lead 6:1 in my favor. I kept the pressure on, trying to avoid doubling him up and letting him back in.
The final hand of the night was both exciting and a little disappointing. I really didn't want to win this by sucking out, but I did. We got all the chips in. Me with AT KngofKngs with AJ. A luck ten on the river and it was all over.
Wow, what a ride. Many thanks to Bodie25 for not only talking me into playing, but getting most of these screenshots. I kept forgetting to click the button.
Way past my bedtime! Thank god I'm on vacation this week. Hopefully I didn't donk this up too much. BTW...welcome to my blog!
See you next week!
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
FTP Pro slumming in the cheap seats
Wow, you I've never seen this before, but Full Tilt Poker pro Lynette Chan decided to play $1.25 45 person sng tonight. She busted in 27th position. Got mixed up in a horrible spot with 99. Not sure a pro would realize that 5 people will likely call her with dang near any hand.
I played no hands with her and our table got busted pretty fast. When our table broke, she still had most of her chips. I'm still in the tournament, not sure about this crowd, I haven't seen a hand yet, but floating appears to be working against most of the chip leaders.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Merry Christmas From Our Home To Yours
(Please ignore this ad below. I have no idea where it came from or why its there. If you have any ideas...let me know...it's driving me crazy!)
Merry Christmas!
It's Christmas Eve morning. The OhKids can't wait and are already jumping and bouncing. OhCountess is getting our stuff ready before we go visit the in-laws. A family tradition that dates back many years, St. Nick himself will join us tonight.
No poker for me (maybe) today. Tis the season to spend time with family.
Enjoy everyone!
Merry Christmas!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
A trip to a brick and mortor
I got a message from Bodie25 on Thursday, he's got a itch to go play some limit hold'em at Treasure Island, an Indian casino in the area. In Minnesota, all they can have is limit and spread games. I've never really tried to hide the fact that, frankly, I suck at LHE.
My live bankroll has been doing just fine. I'm in no danger of going broke and hanging out with Bodie25 before the Christmas insanity begins sounds like fun!
We call ahead, and get on the list for the $2/$4 and the $3/$6. I'd prefer to play the $2/$4 cause I suck at LHE, but I've got enough with me to play either. Surprisingly, we really only waited about 20 minutes when we got there which was awesome. The last indoor places you can smoke in Minnesota are the Indian casinos and the only real place you can escape the smoke is in the card room.
I sit down first. I feel more comfortable right away. It seems that Mike McDermott knew what he was talking about and I spotted the suckers almost instantly when I sat down at the table. Profiling the people here was about as easy as it comes. Tourists and gamblers but amazingly, no rounders and by that I mean, there were no students of the game at this table.
All of this is good and all, but I still suck at LHE. Priority one: figure out how to play at a table full of tourists and gamblers.
I started out kind of tight. On the very first hand (in the BB of course), I'm dealt 75o. No one raises so I see the flop. The 34T rainbow. After being at the table for a few minutes, I figured out that the guy that raises the flop, will continue to raise every flop, but being new here I fold to the raise. As it turns out, this guy is the only one at the table that ever raises. Without hesitation the dealer delivers a 6 on the turn. With a table full of calling stations and a guy that never stops raising...I miss out on a nice big fat juicy pot. A pair of tens took it down. Ugg!
I steam on this for a while and decide I need to see more flops and call more myself. Not sure originally why I thought this was a good idea, but I'm trying to learn here.
Bodie25 joins the table shortly after this. He's got a lot more experience than I do at LHE cash games and proceeds to build a stack of chips. I'm impressed that he was really never into his buy in and just starts winning.
The original strategy runs my $100 right down to $32. CRAP! This isn't working! I'm down $68 and this is only the $2/$4 game. While playing, I've been concentrating on what makes this game work. The original guy that raises everything had left and the table now sat with Bodie25, myself and 8 calling stations. I realized at this moment, the table needed a maniac or at least the image of one. So I change the plan to adapt to this table. I start to raise in the blinds and LP when I have hands that draw well. Suited and connected cards. But more importantly, I change my table image. Instead of just sitting their quietly, I start chatting it up and talking.
This new strategy does the trick and I start winning some pots and I did in a way that was causing other people to get off their game. It was apparent to me that it was more important to be drawing to a strong hand then sitting there with top pair. Most of the people at the table would call everything to the river with a pair. So to win more pots, you need to be willing to gamble on getting to something bigger. I'm also raising the whole way now. I'd raise before the flop, on the flop and on the turn and much of the time, with only a draw. This show of confidence and strength was often winning me pots by getting the stronger hands to fold and the middle pair players to keep calling.
A new guy sits down to the table. He looks to be a working stiff kind of guy. Not particularly crafty and probably just plays this game casually. Since the table dynamics were changing a bit, I find the hammer in MP and raise it up. The flop comes AK9 rainbow. Not particularly good for the hammer, but let's see if we can do a little advertising. I raise the flop and he instantly calls. I'm pretty sure he's got an ace or king...duh. The turn is something unimportant, I check and he checks. The river is a card that I could care less about because my marketing budget has been spent. He bets out and I fold, turning over the hammer. He gets this really surprised look on his face and the table gives up a nervous chuckle. Let's see if I can get this to pay off.
In the mean time, Bodie25 is turning up the heat as well. This guy is a limit machine. He's just grinding away and building a stack.
My stack is trending in the right direction. I'm using my live poker skills of reading players and situations the best I can and its working well. Most of these players have no idea how much information they are giving off at the table and their betting patterns and card ranges are very ridged.
I get back over my buy in again. Whew! That's a relief! I'm in the black and in the SB and find a suited A7. So raisy daisy it is! Unfortunately, the guy to my immediate right had raised as well. He's just recently sat down. He's an late 20's early 30's responsible looking guy. Nice jacket, button up shirt. His range of hands for this move I guess to be a bigger pocket pair or larger ace. My raise here is to test his metal. This clears out the calling stations. The flop is A9? rainbow. With my top pair in hand, I raise it up and he also raises. I call. let's not get crazy here, I have top pair and what I can only guess to be the worst kicker. I put him on AK to AJ to KK, QQ or JJ. The turn gives me a 7. Cool!, my kicker is now a made pair. If my read is correct, I'm ahead! We do the raising dance one more time. The river is a blank. Something low. We raising dance one more time. I turn over 2 pair, he turns over a set of 9s. On the turn, the set had entered my brain...I should have listened. This cost me ~$40. Not good. I'm back below par, again.
In the mean time, Bodie25 continued to just fleece the table. I'll let him tell the story, but I watched him win the most amazing pot with J2. Most of the streets were capped, and he was the one betting out! He felted one person and devastated 3 others. Absolutely amazing!
I continued playing the loose but smart strategy. I recovered all my money and made a bit more. I was also getting some people ticked cause I was "sucking out" my draws. What these people failed to realize was that I was playing hands that were drawing more than one way. I usually had at least one over card, a straight draw and a flush draw. So when I hit something on the river, I could usually beat top pair.
Now this total isn't really impressive. I started getting too tired to play my best and decided that a $31 profit was enough. The best part was I figured this game out. Had I not been tired and decided to stay, I'm quite positive I could have made even more money. Bodie25 was making a fortune. He more than tripled his buy in.
With profits in hand, we drove home. The fog was intense and the trip took a lot longer than normal. Which was fine, the conversation of the game was plenty good.
Let's hope we can keep finding tables this soft!
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
My First Mookie
The question is, could I have done this any different?
I played my first Mookie. I've been watching the past few weeks. It's definitely a gambler's paradise. L9t's of crazy plays with hands that are...not as strong as you'd think. It was very interesting to have Columbo on my left. How bad could I be playing, I hung right around his chip stack until...
I decided to start it playing passive. Letting people get the better of me. Not bleeding chips like crazy, but just not playing very strong. I really figured that this would give me the best chance to get action when I have a strong hand. And for the most part, this really worked for me. I finally get one hand, pretty strong and I get action from fluxer. Not sure which blog is his.
I raised in an MP with TT. A bit loose for me, but I've pretty much been a folding limp monkey, so this raise should seem out of place. fluxer insta-calls from the BB. Now I've been trying to pay attention here and as far as I could tell, he likes his aggression. Lots of big raises to push people off hands. The flop comes JJ3. I raise it pot size to 450 and he instantly goes all-in. Just like he has been doing to people. This tells me he's really not likely to have a jack. He'd want value if he's got a J. It also tells me that he thinks my hand is too weak to call so he probably doesn't have QQ or better. I'm actually thinking he's got ace something. As it turns out, he's got just that. A3. I called him because I knew I was ahead, but the poker gods decided it just wouldn't be the Captains night.
My Mookie dreams are dashed for the week. Maybe again next week.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
A weekend of poker happenings - but surprising short and sweet
I went into this weekend thinking Friday night would be all there was. Friday night was Bourbonators. My monthly home game...with the whisk(e)y, scotch or bourbon of the month. Num num!
We had 11 guys show up this month and pony up the $5 for booze and $5 sng. Yeah, this is definitely not High Stakes Poker. The range of these guys goes from almost need cheat sheets to some pretty solid players. One guy is a regular at a local indian casino playing limit hold'em.
The first hand of the night told me it might just be one of those long poker nights...8 of the 11 guys called the first hand. Wow. I played button down tight poker all night. It only helped so much, I got a guy to call me all in when the blinds were big and my stack was small. My AK of course lost to AJ...it's just one of those nights. The second game didn't go much better. Since it was my house, I got everything pretty well cleaned up before the game ended. Yipee.
Saturday morning, the OhKids were up bright and early. Dad was not real excited, but that's life in the fast lane (I could feel the love of Sam Houston). For some reason, while I collect my thoughts in the mornings, I fire up the laptop and play poker while the different areas of my brain come back on line. This particular morning, I must have had enough brain function to win a satellite token on FTP. As you've already read...I used it in the AIPS Main Event.
AIPS ME was fun. This was the biggest pile of dough I've ever spent on an online poker tournament. Here's the run down...I played for 43 minutes. I saw the flop 4 times. Folded the flop twice. Took the blinds once. I even flopped 4 of a kind. It might have paid better if I'd only chosen to play 93o from UTG. For some reason...this tight player folded it preflop. When I finally grew a pair and played hard QQ...I ran into KK. He didn't fold them either. It was pretty cool to have Shamus from over at Hard Boiled Poker and Chris from Ante Up! at my table. They are taking comments over at the Ante Up! blog. I'm sure they'd love to hear your suggestions for next years AIPS events. I know I'll be playing more of them!
Final poker news for the weekend...it's official! I'm going to play in the Minnesota state poker Championship in Fargo! Whew! OhCountess and I booked a room and are arranging proper care for the OhKids. I'm totally excited for this. I'd really like to cash this time, but I do need to make it through a field of about 150-200 people. I just really wish Fargo wasn't so damn far away. Wish me luck!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Well...that sucked - AIPS is done
Well, that sucked. After folding almost ever hand in 47 deals, I get QQ. The board has nothing scary...and KK won't let go. D'oh! My AIPS II Main Event is over. I busted in 78th place. POOP!
Good luck to everyone else still in this. OhCountess had a list of things for me to do...thanks for getting rid of my only excuse!
See ya on the felt!
The stars began to align - I got a Satellite Token!
Bourbonators was last night. I'll post about that later...bigger news this morning. First, OhCountess is home from work sick today. She's on the tail end of the flu. She's a nurse and works with people with weak immune systems, so there department has extra tight rules for sick calls...I'm so jealous.
Second, I took one last swing this morning at a $26 Satellite Token. A long hard fought battle and some choice words for each other. The guy that took second and I will probably not be friends in the near future...but I'm registered for the AIPS Main Event! Shamus! Where are you?
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Is Full Tilt down for everyone?
You guys playing the Riverchasers, did Full Tilt go down? I'm seriously in the running to cashing in a micro buy-in MTT! DAMN!
Here's the last hand in my log.
FullTiltPoker Game #4495714432: $1 + $0.25 Sit & Go (34067267), Table 3 - 500/1000 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:00:48 ET - 2007/12/14
Seat 1: 31fordtudor (7,630)
Seat 2: Sweetcafe (18,100)
Seat 3: OhCaptain (15,290)
Seat 4: BBSpen (4,260)
Seat 5: we3kings (2,850)
Seat 6: maverikdr (4,000)
Seat 7: 19Kaylee69 (5,915)
Seat 9: drliu (9,455)
BBSpen posts the small blind of 500
we3kings posts the big blind of 1,000
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to OhCaptain [9d 2s]
maverikdr folds
19Kaylee69 has 15 seconds left to act
19Kaylee69 folds
drliu folds
31fordtudor calls 1,000
Sweetcafe has 15 seconds left to act
Sweetcafe folds
OhCaptain folds
BBSpen has 15 seconds left to act
BBSpen has been disconnected
BBSpen has 90 seconds to reconnect
BBSpen is sitting out
BBSpen has timed out
BBSpen folds
we3kings has 15 seconds left to act
we3kings has timed out
we3kings checks
*** FLOP *** [Ah 2h Qh]
we3kings checks
31fordtudor has 15 seconds left to act
31fordtudor has timed out
31fordtudor checks
*** TURN *** [Ah 2h Qh] [7c]
we3kings checks
31fordtudor checks
*** RIVER *** [Ah 2h Qh 7c] [Kd]
we3kings checks
31fordtudor checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
we3kings shows [Ks Qd] two pair, Kings and Queens
31fordtudor shows [Qs As] two pair, Aces and Queens
31fordtudor wins the pot (2,500) with two pair, Aces and Queens
31fordtudor is sitting out
we3kings is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2,500 Rake 0
Board: [Ah 2h Qh 7c Kd]
Seat 1: 31fordtudor showed [Qs As] and won (2,500) with two pair, Aces and Queens
Seat 2: Sweetcafe didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: OhCaptain (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: BBSpen (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 5: we3kings (big blind) showed [Ks Qd] and lost with two pair, Kings and Queens
Seat 6: maverikdr didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: 19Kaylee69 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: drliu didn't bet (folded)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Poker League Week 16 - The Finale
What a grueling thing 16 straight weeks of poker is. I think this format helps the more solid players and the players that take this seriously, rise to the top. But I also think, we will continue to see lower numbers because of this. In the past, we'd seen an average attendance in the 70's. This time, we saw attendance only in the 50's and it might have dropped to the high 40's.
If Brook Lyter and the guys at Minnesota Poker League are reading this, we could use some more promotion down here. I know you probably leave it up to the bars to do it, but stopping by would be cool and probably good for a boost in the numbers.
Last night was our final week in the Gold Rush league. We are fighting to win a chance to play Bay 101 Shooting Star Tournament. This is one of the events on the World Poker Tour.That would make for a nice profit. Zero money out of the bankroll and a chance winning some serious cheese!
Going into last night, I was in first place in the league. The top 2 spots are going straight to the state tournament. I was 94 points a head of 3rd and 23 points ahead of 2nd. I'm by no means a lock.
To make things interesting, OhKid2 has decided to fore go sleeping through the night and has instead decided she misses her Dad if she's not sleeping. The last few days have been just brutal. I fell asleep at work yesterday. Then I went to poker league where the cold hard reality set in. Don't play poker when you are sleep deprived. I was impatient and emotional. Two things I haven't been in quite a while.
I busted out just after first break. I took some medium beats...you know the ones, you hit trips and the other guy wakes up with the little flush. Hit top pair, lose on the river to an over card. Each one sapping you confidence and you patience...which were already in short supply. I busted with two pair, when the flush card came on the river. Why not call an all in with a gut shot straight draw and a ten high flush draw...it must be the best hand. It gotta have at least 16 outs...GAWD DAMN IT!
Well, enough of that. I really did just play bad. I didn't get cards, but I still found myself buying in for a peak, when that wasn't optimal strategy. I knew better. I just missed my pillow.
The real drama for the evening occurred after I left. Attendance was low again, so getting points went to fewer people. I really don't care if I get second. First would be nice, but second almost pays the same. I'm sweating 2 people. First. Ryan, the guy in second, need to make the points for me not to go to state. Second, only one player has a legitimate shot but still requires Ryan to get points. As it turns out...both guys make the final table. Jon needs 95 points to beat me. I already went home. Tired and frustrated.
Bodie25 called me with an update. Jon doesn't get enough points...I finished the league in second place. Next stop Fargo. I'm still tired. I must rest now...big day in January...Time for me to win it all a play in the big time.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
My Quest for a token - and a milestone
I'd like to thank Short-stacked Shamus over at Hard-boiled Poker for the plug in his blog today. Funny thing about that, I was actually playing in a $4 token sit-n-go at Full Tilt trying to get me one of those tokens when his post showed up. I sometimes like to read my favorite blogs while playing poker.
Well, that tournament was a complete disappointment. One poor sap at the table just couldn't lose. I minded mine own business, playing quiet sng strategy. I should warn you, that most of this weekend was spent either donking off chips on the one hand I'd chosen to "mix it up," or running AK in 88, when I was all-in preflop. This tournament was no different. My M is fallen to just below 10, I get AK suited, push it in and get called by the poor sap that couldn't lose. His 88 holds up.
So let's do the math. 4 X $4.40 = $17.60. I've won back 2 X $10 = $20. So my grand total for quest for a token sits at +$2.40.
Another snag has also reared its ugly head. It would appear that now OhCountess has to work next Saturday. Ante Up! Intercontinental Poker Series II: Electric Boogaloo Main Event starts at 12:30 PM. Long before she gets home from work. I have no idea how to pull this off. The OhKids have never been big fans of Dad playing poker all day with no other parental figure in the house. Any ideas on how to play online poker with two kids running around the house?
The Milestone:
While Sharkscope has its good points and bad points, it also shows that I've played my 1000 online real money tournament. My results aren't the worlds most impressive and many other bloggers have way more skills than I do, but none the less, I've only made one deposit. Put another way...in 1000 online tournaments, I've never gone broke. I've only made $171. Yep, 1000 tournaments and my average win is 17 cents.
I'll keep reading, keep playing and hopefully improve.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Here you go Kaja - a run for you money!
Welcome back to town! Sorry your not making the Mookie!
88%DRUNKARD
1,887,480How Many Germs Live On Your Keyboard?
71% Geek
Poker League Week 15 - 1 week to go
I'll start today by telling you about a really good audio post. Thanks to Bodie25 for sharing this with me. Over at PokerRoad.com, Barry Greenstein post a very touching ramble about his good friend Chip Reese. Also, Gus Hanson wrote a very touching post on his blog to Chip as well. I really encourage you to go check them out.
Going into last nights edition of poker league, I was second in points, but there was still quite a group of us bunched up at the top. In leagues past, I've really let that mess with my head. I think last night, I was really helped by reading an article by Eric "Rizen" Lynch in a recent poker magazine (not sure which one right now). In the article, he describes coming in second at the WSOP in an event that he had never played live before in a game he's got very limited experience at. He tells the story about how at some points in the tournament, it's not so much being better at the game, but better at playing a tournament. The cards, the game and to some extent, the people don't matter. What you must strive for is being a better tournament player.
The last 4 weeks, I've really be working on this. Before last night, I had made the final table 3 consecutive weeks, finishing first once. I've really worked hard at making the right decision for the situation I'm in. Not the cards, or this bet or that, but what is the best decision at this moment in this tournament.
Last night I had a blast watching Bodie25 play like an utter maniac. He was raising everything, and firing 3 bullets at pots with absolutely nothing. It was truly fun to watch. I could also tell that for the first time in a long time, he was having fun at the felt. We were sitting at the same table for a while, but I'm not playing a pot with a maniac that early in the tournament without backup...like cards. Ultimately, you know he's bluffing, but do you really think 6 high is good? I'll call with your money.
I stayed tight aggressive all night. Folding for most of the night, seeing a few flops here and there. Even hit a couple. Just getting by and not running out of chips.
I doubled through a guy when my AK connected with A rags. I got called by A4, which was the only rag NOT in the flop...whew! Figured I was done for there.
This got me to about 5500 in chips when the blinds are 100/200. I'm sitting pretty...until...I lost my friggin' marbles.
I'm on the button. It folds to the cut-off, who limps. I look down to find A2♥ so I limp. The LB raises another 600 to bring it to 800. The BB calls, the CO calls, dear God, I'm getting some pot odds (Mistake 1, how many aces do you think are already in play?)...so I call. Flop comes AKK. One heart. The LB immediately pushes all in. My first reaction (someone please shoot me)...he's got QQ. Why...I don't know...that was just my first reaction. So now I start thinking through everything. I basically think all through and think I must be way behind (Duh!), but I can't get this QQ thing out of my head. He's only in for 1500, so I add up the pot. I'm getting great odds to call, if he's got QQ (What's with this QQ shit anyways). Even if he has an ace, I could chop the pot (dear God, I'm hoping to chop the pot if I call). So let's score this...Gut says "Call! He's got QQ." Logic and reason, "What the hell did you call the preflop raise for?" As any good donkey does, I call. Of course he turns over AK. I'm drawing dead to another FREAKIN Aces! There weren't many of those left. So I just handed over half my stack, cause, for one moment I lost my mind.
Well, I stewed and steamed about this for a while. I never really recovered. I also never really saw a hand after that anyways. The closest I came to a hand was KJo from UTG at a full table. Sure...let's mix it up with that!
But one thing was happening around me...people were busting out like crazy! There were three people left from the top 5 point leaders when it was down to two people. And then BAM! The both bust. We had another snow storm yesterday, about 5 inches of snow, so attendance was light. Points didn't start until 9 people were left. But heck, there are 12 people. I might be able to fold my way to the points.
This point structure stuff becomes important this time of year. If I make the points, I'll be in first place going into the final week. If I can go deep, I can pull away now since no one else in the top 5 has a chance. I buckle down and keep track of the census. Remember, if I bubble, I get nothing. If I place 9th, I move into sole possession of first place.
Bam, boom, bam! People start dropping like flies! And I didn't need to wait as long as I thought. It seems like it just took a couple of minutes and all of a sudden, they merge the two tables. We are down to 8! I in! I'm guaranteed first place now!
Bodie25 is still there too. He's still playing it loose and moving his chips around. I'm getting 62 or Q3 or J4 pretty much every hand. And raising is very common now. Luckily for me, anyone raises and I'm all in. Poker gods don't grace me with an amazing comeback this week. I get to the button. It folds to me. I look down at Q♠7♠, this is serviceable, so I push them in. Get called almost instantly by the LB. He's got the monster K9o. He gets his two pair and I go home.
Congrats to Bodie25, he lasted longer than me. I'll be glad to pay him off his soup. It wouldn't be fun to win it every week...or would it????
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Chip Reese: 1951-2007
According to CardPlayer.com, David "Chip" Reese has passed away. I was a huge fan of his. I really enjoyed watching his composure at the table. He took bad beats the same way he took monsters, with class.
I will certainly miss watching him play. My prayers go out to his family.
We need some kind of blogger salute for this...any ideas?
***Update***
Chris at Ante Up! has a great quote from Joe Sebok about this story. Please give it a read as well.
Monday, December 3, 2007
When are we gonna stand up and end this
I saw this video over at Pokerati.com. I just wanted to make sure this got spread as far as possible. If you haven't already joined. Follow the link on my page here to the Poker Players Alliance. Become a member.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
November in review - a toot of the horn
I've never really recapped a month before, but for reasons I hope you will soon understand, I think this time it deserves a little attention.
I had planned to do this last night, but I found out when OhFamily got home from movies (we see Enchanted), our Internet connection was dead. Seems Charter Communications thinks we were attacking their servers with a virus and shut it down.
Well, after all the scanning was done, I remember what the downside is to the beautiful snowy winters here in Minnesota. We got 5 inches of snow followed by freezing rain. We still haven't completely dug out yet...but we've got a good start. More pictures and stories of the rest of this fun filled day on my other blog later.
On to the recap!
Minnesota Poker League: 3 out of 4 final tables this month. One 1st, 4th and 6th place finish and I moved from 12th to 2nd.
Bourbonators: A 1st place finish, a nice cash payment to the live poker bankroll.
Home game: 2nd place finish and an even nicer addition to the live poker bankroll.
All in all - live poker was pretty successful. There was even a trip to a couple of new locations that turned out to be positive. One night at a different free bar poker location and a final table. The only real downside to the month live was a reaffirmation that I suck at Pot Limit Omaha.
Online poker seems to be on track again as well.
Poker Tracker Totals (November):
- 69 Tournaments (Hmm...no wonder nothing else got done)
- $144.70 Buy-ins + Fees
- $200 Amount won
- $55.30 Net amount won
- 38.22% ROI
- 46.38% Finish In the Money
That's a definite improvement from a couple of months ago when I couldn't cash to save my life. The real surprise comes from the $2.25 9 person SNG. 37 tournaments, Net Amount Won - $46.35, 55.68% ROI, 51.35% Finish in the money, Avg Finish - 3.73. Wow...I almost averaged finishing in the money.
Now that I got my confidence back, I think I need to look ahead. Continuing my better bankroll management, I hope to move up a pay grade soon. The online bankroll should allow for a larger buy-in again. I'd also really like to play more of the larger tournaments online. Time is the biggest hurdle to this, but it should be something I can do. I think I'll be giving the Mookie a try real soon and AIPS II Main Event...I'll keep trying for the token, but if that doesn't pan out, I'll have some really thinking to do. But at this win rate, it's hard to justify a $26 buy-in.
