deucehighnogood

Out of Commission

2006-09-26T10:37:00.000-05:00

No posts recently, haven't played as much, and now my computer has decided to go haywire on me, and is being repaired in " 10 business days". Which could mean a month. I am going down to A.C. this weekend to play some live tourneys and cash games, so hopefully I will have something interesting to report.

A Long time....

2006-07-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't been updating my blog recently, but I am still plugging along online. Took down another Stars 180 Sit and Go two weeks ago, but that is my only win of note. Also my live play has been horrific recently, as I have absolutely been getting killed at 1-2 NL. I have been working on reconstructing my game online playing at micro-limits, with some success so far.

A few interesting notes:

WSOP---not much more to say, everyone I talk to says they go broke on my hand, given the paltry stack you start with in the 1500 NL. I just wish I had gotten more of the "experience" rather than getting bounced so fast.

HORSE---played HORSE at the MGM grand in vegas--most fun I have had playing poker in ages. I like playing other games besides hold'em

New Borgata Room--HUGE. Very nice as well. Only problem is that the floor is not ready nor capable of dealing with a room this size---seating and filling tables is a huge problem.

Good luck to everyone playing WSOP events in the next few weeks.

39 Minutes

2006-07-01T07:03:00.000-05:00

Is precisely how long I lasted in WSOP event 2. AQ ran into pocket tens on a AQT flop. see ya. More later about my Vegas trip.

Cash game blues

2006-06-13T13:01:00.000-05:00

Played some 1-2 No-Limit this weekend in A.C., and got creamed. One hand I think i played poorly was this one:
I am fairly new at the table, but I notice these two guys bickering. Guy one raises to 15, guy 2 calls, and I call with AK (first mistake, think i should have reraised). Flop comes A 7 6, checked to preflop raiser, who bets 25, guy 2 makes it 60, and I call, preflop folds. At this point I have about 140 behind, and after the turn blanks, Guy 2 sets me all-in. I need to fold here, i think, what can I beat? AQ? Anyway, i called, he showed a set of 6's, and the downward spiral began. I rebought, got Aces all in preflop against Kings, and the turn was an ugly K. The rest of the night didn't go much better.
Hopefully Vegas will go better at the end of the month!

2006-06-01T10:19:00.000-05:00

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 2354514

Making a trip to Vegas...Full Tilt Style

2006-05-31T00:58:00.000-05:00

Subject: bracelet winner

Congratulations on your finish in our “Race For Bracelets”™ tournament.
We
are pleased to tell you that $500 has been placed in your account, and
that you can collect your $1500 in World Series of Poker tournament
chips
at Full Tilt Poker’s hospitality suite at Rio Hotel in Las Vegas. These
tournament chips can be put toward the entry fee for any of the WSOP’s
tournaments, including the Main Event.

Please note, you are responsible for your own travel arrangements and
expenses. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Also make sure that you are aware of the identification requirements
that
need to be met to receive your prize. You can find all of the
information
at the link below:

http://www.fulltiltpoker.com/wsopseats.html

You can pick up the chips in our hospitality suite. The suite will be
across from the main tournament area in the convention center space of
the
Rio. Here is the schedule for the hospitality suite:

Tropical rooms E,F, and H from June 26th – August 8th

The suite hours are 11:30 AM to 2:00 pm and from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
daily.
It would be best to pick up the chips and register for the event the day
before to avoid being in line the next morning.

Congratulations again on your fine play.

Team Full Tilt

slump and bump

2006-05-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

Haven't had much to report recently....I have been getting bounced pretty early in most of my MTT online, although I have been playing NL cash games with mild success, both in person and online. This past weekend I was stuck in the hospital with a massive migraine, so needless to say that has curtailed my play somewhat. Hopefully I will be healthy and winning again soon. Until then, play good!

Not too much Poker recently...

2006-05-19T11:04:00.000-05:00

But I did take down the home game this week. The key hand for me was early on. 7 handed I limped with K 10, button raised 3XBB, i called. Flop came K 9 6, i checked, button bet half the pot i called. Turn Q, i led out for 300, he raised to 800, and i called. The river was a rag of some sort, I checked, he thought for a while and bet 1000. I had about 1600 in my stack (he had about 900 more behind, and had me covered) and at this point I thought the only thing I could beat is a bluff, because I couldnt imagine he would bet a hand like JJ, or AQ here. So I laid down my top pair (i later found out he had AA), and I ended up putting those saved chips to good use.

I'll probably be down in AC tomorrow, maybe play a tourney and some 1/2 NL

Advice of how to accumulate chips early in stars 180 s&G

2006-05-11T10:26:00.000-05:00

Here is one suggestion I have...in the first half hour or so of the tourney, if you pick up a big pair, put in a huge raise or reraise. Let's say the blinds are 20/40, and someone raises to 120, i will often push all in with Aces of Kings. I would say I am more likely to get called in that instance then if i just reraise to 300 or so. People love to gamble early on in these tournaments, and when I go all-in, they see this as any easy way to double up.

This has worked for me in both of my recent wins. First series of blinds, I was a facing a single raise, looked down at Kings, and pushed my whole stack in. and the original raiser folded, but another guy who acted after me called with 44.

The second time was my favorite, there was a raise to a 100 and a call. I looked down and saw AA and pushed all-in for 1600. BOTH the original raiser and the caller called with KQs, and A7o.

Fortunately for me, I was able to put those chips to use...

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

2006-05-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

The Good---Took down another Stars 180 S&G last night for $1080.00...when we got to heads up I had a 6-1 chip lead, and he ended up winning 6 all-in's for his whole stack in a row (3 times he was the favorite, 3 times myself), but I stole and pecked and finally pulled it out.

The Bad---Played in the Borgata Super on Fridayn (to get into the big tournament on sunday, where they give away a package of seats to different tourneys and cash), was card-dead for most of the tourney and then with the blinds at 200-400 and a 50 ante, this hand came up. 3 limpers, i look down on the button at j 9 of spades. I decide to push in my remaining 6700 and hopefully grab all of those chips in the pot (none of the limpers had more than 14000 or so). It works like a charm as both blinds and the first two limpers fold. Itgets all the way back to the third limper, who thinks for a while, and then calls with.............QQ!! Who plays queens this way? Oh well, made a move at the wrong time. Damn Ninja.

The Ugly--Immediately after the Borgata tournament I took a cab over to showboat to meet some friends for the 7pm friday tournament that I had won last week. I got there at about 715 (not too late to register) sat down, and lost my stack in 10 minutes when my KK got chased down by q 10, on a flop of 10, 7, 3, when the turn and river came Q, 10. So in the span of about 25 minutes i managed to get eliminated from two tournaments at separate casions....this must be a record.

Chop it Up!

2006-04-29T12:12:00.000-05:00

Chopped the Friday night Showboat (60 +15) Tourney 3 ways for just over $700 each. Not a huge amount of money, but it is always fun to win one in person. For the first half of the tournament I was a pretty avearge stack and then i went on a 15 minute run to vault to the top, before I lost a huge hand where my 10's were caught by AQ. I was down to T7500 with the blinds at 1000/2000, but I managed to double up with A8 vs KQ, and then steal my way to the final table. Best hand at the final table...i am all in for 24K with 88, KQ calls me for his whole stack (hmmm). Flop KQ6, turn a beautiful 8. I get the obligatory nice catch from the guy who obviously can't comprehend that I was the favorite when the money went it. When we were down to 3 handed, we all had similar stacks and the blinds were so high that a chop made sense. For those of you who want to play a decently structured tournament with a low buy-in, I recommend the Showboat (House of Blues Poker Room) friday night.

Hand of the Week

2006-04-28T10:55:00.000-05:00

Playing in another stars 180 S&G, about 16 people left. Blinds are at 200-400, with a 25 ante. My Stack was 17G. I open in middle position for 1200 with AA, guy next to me (who barely had me covered) raises to 3G. The next guy, who was shortstacked at 3400, thinks for a long time and then pushes all in. Action back to me, and I push.....and the re-raiser insta-calls with..........................KQ. Well done, sir. The other guy had AJ (surely he too could have found a better place for his money, short as it was).

I happily won the whole pot, although I then proceeded to donk off a bunch of chips and finish 7th.

Sunday Night Special

2006-04-24T01:09:00.000-05:00

Took down a 180 person s&g on stars tonight for $1080....got lucky on the last hand, as my 33 flopped a set against his JJ, but I had a 4 to 1 chip lead at the time. Was away most of this weekend, but last week I had some good results playing the HORSE s&g on full tilt...i am starting to like mixed games more and more.

Monday Deep Stack on Stars

2006-04-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

Finished 32, for a whopping payday of $64. That being said, I think it was the best I have played in a long time. I had a big stack for a lot of the tournament, and only losing a coin flip with great pot odds brought me down to average.

Here is my bustout hand...certainly more than one way to play this, although I am not too down on myself..

I have T65000, right around average. Blinds 750/15000. UTG +1, open limps (he did this a lot), and a player who had not been involved in too many hands raises to 4800. Both players have me covered. I am on the button with As Ks. I decided to flat call because of my superior position, although certainly a case can be made for a big raise here. In any event, the three of us take the flop which comes Qs Js 8d. Loose limper checks, and the tight raiser bets out 12K. He has about 65k behind. I think the only play for me here is to push, so I do. The first guy folds, and the raiser calls with Ad Qd. Unfortunately, I dont get there, and I go to bed.

Now obviously, in retrospect, a big raise preflop probably wins me a nice pot, but I still managed to get my money in with a decent overlay as a 55 percent favorite. Does anyone play this differently, and if so, why?

Small Basket from the Poker Bunny

2006-04-17T09:43:00.000-05:00

Booked a small win this weekend at AC playing 1-2 no limit, and then followed it up with a 4th place in a stars 180 s&g, and a 8th place in the Full Tilt 12pm, 6K Guaranteed. No terribly interesting hands to report---most of my cash winnings were medium sized pots where i showed down the best hand, although i did pick off one bluff...

Loose player opens up in middle position for 10 dollars,i call on the button with jd 10d, big blind calls.
Flop comes 10, 5, 4 rainbow, BB checks, she leads out for 20, i call, bb calls. Right now the BB call has me more concerned, as he was a fairly tight player. Turn comes K (rainbow board), BB chekcs, loose player checks, i check behind (bet might be right here, but i am worred about a check raise from the BB). River Jack. BB checks, she bets out 50, and I lay the badge on her and call, BB folds. She tables A6o. Good times.

Small Tourney Win/Deep Stack High Finish

2006-04-12T16:02:00.000-05:00

Finished 1st in a Full Tilt 10 dollar buy-in with 157 players---Won about $370. Good to get off the snide. No really interesting hands to report, most of the play was straightforward, although I was able to steal a ton when we got 3 handed.

Then later last night, I managed a 4th place finish in the 20 dollar Stars deep stack. It is worth repeating, anyone who wants to play poker where all-in is the exception rather than the rule should give these a try, but try not to do it when you have work the next day! I am exhausted.

Still it is good to win again!

Aggression Early in Tournaments

2006-04-11T08:41:00.000-05:00

When reviewing my recent tournament results, I have noticed that I often plod along with a short stack through about 3/4 of the field, only to be eliminated right before or on the bubble. I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I am not playing aggresive enough early in the tournaments. You need to accumulate chips in order to win, and I think I have been too concerned with preservation, and not enough with accumulation.

Here is an example. Let' s say it is a 180 person s&g on stars. I have T 1300. Blinds are at 25/50. I open in middle position for 150, and the button pushes all in for T1200. What hands do I call with here? Generally, I would only call with AA, KK, QQ, AK, and maybe JJ. Now, I am thinking maybe I need to take a few more chances early on, so as to be able to use my increased chip stack later in the tournament. The question is, how far should I take this?
TT seems ok, but what about 99? AQ? 88?

Any thoughts?

Where's my mojo?

2006-04-07T00:04:00.000-05:00

Right now I feel like I am the worst no-limit tournament player in the world. I played a few s&g on stars last night, and i didn't even come close to cashing. I feel like I have lost some of my aggresiveness, and when i do ratchet up the aggression, I invariably take the worst of it. I thought it was just a streak of bad luck, but now I really think I am playing poorly. Has this happened to anyone before? Any suggestions on how to get my mojo back?

Stud Eight-or-better Slump Breaker

2006-04-06T03:13:00.000-05:00

Three way chop for first place in a 10 dollar Stud Eight or Better Tourney on Stars...not a big win, $500, but nice to win something for the first time in a while.

I am beginning to think this game is a gold mine---the key is quite simple, play hands that can scoop the pot. I know you read that everywhere, but trust me, people don't do it!

(I was so tired I originally titled this post, O8 or better and didn't notice until the next day!)

Slump Time

2006-04-05T14:10:00.000-05:00

The last 3 weeks or so I have been getting creamed, both online and in person. My pairs are losing to underpairs when people are flopping sets, AK cant take down AJ, blah, blah blah. The more important thing i am noticing is that I am letting a bad run impact my play. For me, it makes me tighter, less likely to raise or value bet. Obviously, this is my way of tilting...it is a more subtle way than playing every hand, but no less insidious. I took a couple of days off, but I am going to play some tonight and see if I can rid myself of this bad habit. Does this happen to anyone else? Any thoughts?

Change of Pace---baseball picks for 2006.

2006-04-02T18:12:00.000-05:00

For those who are interested:

AL East

Boston Red Sox
New York Yankees
Toronto Blue Jays
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Baltimore Orioles

Al Central
Chicago White Sox
Minnesota Twins
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
K.C. Royals

Al West
Oakland A's
Texas Rangers
L.A. Angels
Seattle Mariners

NL East
Philadelphia Phillies
N.Y. Mets
Altanta Braves
Florida Marlins
Washington Nationals

NL Central
S.T. Louis Cardinals
Milwaukee Brewers
Chicago Cubs
Pittsburgh Steelers
Houston Astros
Cincinatti Reds

NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers
Arizona Diamondbacks
San Diego Padres
S.F. Giants
Colorado Rockies

Wild Cards--N.Y. Yankees, N.Y. Mets

Playoffs--A.L.
Oakland over NY in 5
Boston over Chicago in 4
Boston over Oakland. in 6

Playoffs N.L.
N.Y. Mets over St. Louis in 5
Philadelphia over L.A. Dodgers in 4
Philadelphia over N.Y. Mets in 7

World Series
Philadelphia over Boston in 6.

The Downward Spiral

2006-04-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

Went down to Atlantic City last night---played in a small buy-in tourney at the new house of blues room--I got bounced pretty quick, nothing interesting to report, just didn't pick up any hands.

Then the "fun" began, as I sat down at 1-2 NL. I was going along well up about 80, when i lost a big pot when my AKspades went down in flames to AKh, when three hearts flopped. I offerred to chop the pot with the guy before the cards were dealt, but he turned it down. I figured, the skill part was over, and I was happy just to win the dead money in the pot. He wanted to get lucky, though, and it worked out for him. Oh well.

That should have been a sign to me. I turned a flush, only to have someone wake up with a random full house, stacked once. Then this hand came--this is the one I think could have gotten away from. Three limpers, i just call in late position with AJs. Flop comes A T 2 rainbow, i bet the post and get one caller. Turn Ace, I bet 3/4 of the pot ($40), and I get one caller. River, some rag, i bet out $50, and he pushes all in. He has me covered, and I have about 100 behind. What's your play here? I think I called too quickly, and he showed tens full.

I bought in one more time (questionable decision), and i turned a straight, only to be rivered by a full house. Mercifully, we then went home.

Live poker is so obviously rigged!

Born of Frustration

2006-03-30T01:02:00.000-05:00

Been a frustrating poker week for me. Seem to keep running AK into AJ and losing, and when i am not getting bitten by bad luck, I am donking off my chips. Case in point:

In the deep stack tourney wed night on stars, Blinds were at 150, 300,I raised to T900 on the cutoff with AKS, got one caller, the SB who had about T7500. Flop Qs 2d 2c, the Sb checks, and I pushed for my last T5900. What a terrible play, what hand is going to call me that can't beat me? If i bet about 1200, Ican stil lay down to a raise, and I accomplish the same thing when the SB has nothing. I had been missing flops with AK all night, and I just got frustrated. Anyone have tips for dealing with this kind of frustration (besides finding a new hobby!)

Full Tilt Final Table Bubble--Question?

2006-03-24T02:02:00.000-05:00

Finished 11th in the 10pm Full Titl 17K guaranteed. This hand, right before my bustout, has been bugging me.

We are playing 6 handed, Blinds 2k 4k, with ante. I have T 65000. I open on the button for 10G with AhTh, the small blind (who has about T100,000) raises to 30G. Action back to me, and I fold. The more I think about it, I think a push is right here. I had been playing fairly aggresively since I had been moved to that table about 10 minutes prior.

Any thoughts?

AJ in NLH tourneys

2006-03-22T10:19:00.000-05:00

Back from Foxwoods. It was a fun weekend, and I got to play in the new poker room on opening day. I only had time to play for a couple of hours, so no eventful hands to report, but I will say the new room is much nicer and absolutely HUGE. Biggest poker room I have ever seen, and it isn't even close. Tables are very nice as well. Just a warning, they definitely have some organizational kinks to work out, though.

Now on to a question. Does anyone else have trouble playing AJ in NLH tournaments. Unless I am in late position, I find myself constantly debating whether to raise, call, or fold with this hand. I feel like it is too good of a hand to routinely fold, but by the same time I can never stand a reraise with AJ. Any advice on how you handle AJ? (obviously, it isnt a problem if you are real short stacked, you just push, I am talking when you have chips).

Take a Chance, Make it Happen...

2006-03-16T20:58:00.000-05:00

Off to foxwoods for a bachelor party weekend. Hopefully I will return with tales of victory at the uber-juicy 5-10 hold em with a kill game. Play good!

Decent Score

2006-03-14T21:00:00.000-05:00

Second in a Stars 180 s&g, that is my 3rd second in these, need to work on heads-up!

Any thoughts on this hand

2006-03-13T23:03:00.000-05:00

Played this a little before my bustout...i think i played too conservatively

blinds 200-400. im dealt kh th on the button, two limpers, i limp, sb folds, big blind checks. flop comes ks js 5s
my stack t18000, bb t16000
BB leads out for 1200, two limpers fold, i raise to 4000, bb calls.

turn 7d, he checks, i check (I think a bet is right here, i guess i got scared by his call on the flop)

river 10c, i bet 4000, bb calls with qd 9c for the straight.

Does anyone else check behind on the turn? Am I fearing monsters under the bed?

Oh well

2006-03-13T22:58:00.000-05:00

Out in 97th.....button raises to 1800, i push all in with QQ for 12000, he insta-calls for half his stack with kq, king on the river....that's poker, right?

In any event, it is my fault for not having more chips to absorb this blow. I found myself playing too tentatively at times during this tournament. Something about the time investment, not wanting to bust out after playing for so long....i definitely need to work on this.

Monday Deep Stack on Stars in Progress

2006-03-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

Average stack with 100 people to go.....

Bodog?

2006-03-12T22:23:00.000-05:00

Anyone have any experience playing there? I set up an account tonight...the software seems a little awkward, but I have heard good things about the players.

Trip Report--AT LARGE

2006-03-11T00:35:00.000-05:00

This is my first trip report, so I apologize if it is choppy or poorly written. Friday morning I hopped on the train from Philly, and arrived at the Taj around 10am. The poker room was already hopping, so i quickly registered for At large and the 11am HOE tournament. This was my first time playing At large, and I was struck immediately about how friendly everyone was. I really didn't know anyone here, and I was worried about feling awkward, but everyone was very nice. I was more nervous than usual to be playing a tourney, since I never played Stud Eight or Better in person before, and in fact, had only played it online the first time earlier in the week. Well, I figured, this would be a nice lesson.
I arrived at my table, and was immediately shocked about how few chips we would be starting with. Fortunately, this situation was quickly rectified, as we received an extra 500 chip, to give us a total of T1500 to start. Luckily we were starting with limit hold-em, a game I still consider my bread-and-butter (even though I probably play more no-limit at this point). The first few rounds were uneventful, as I didn't play a single hand outside of the blinds in Hold'em. Omaha and Stud didnt go much better, and i was quickly down under T1000. Then came my first lucky break, (and one of the few hands I remember), as I was dealt a suited A, 2, 3 in Omaha.. Better yet, the board came 333, and I was called down to the river. That put me right at my starting stack again, and that is where I stayed until the first break.

Right after the first break, I got involved in a big Stud pot, where i made a 6 low, and two pair and scooped the whole pot. Now for the fist time, I had some chips. From there I won a pot here and there and kept my stack about steady. At that time, Bill Chen was moved to my table. Now I had never met him, but I knew that he was writing a book on game theory (along with Jerrod Ankerman, who unknown to me had been at my table early on in the tourney). I asked Bill about the book, and he was nice enough to tell me some details in between scooping some big pots. Meanwhile, I noticed people were dropping like flies, and for the first time I wondered if i had a chance to sneak into the money. Right as that thought hit my mind, I was carded off my table and onto another table with 2 huge stacks. We were on Hold'em and I picked up KK on the button. It was raised and called when the action got to me, and I three bet and got two callers. The board came three rags, two of them spades, and I was check-raised, at which point I three-bet. We were heads-up until the river, and when a queen hit, my unlucky opponent had to call me down with AQ spades. That was a huge pot, and I quickly became the chip leader at the table.

Naturally, I was almost immediately thereafter carded from my seat. At this point in the tourney we were down to about three tables. My new table turned out to be fairly aggresive, especially a woman across the table who raised almost every pot, much to the consternation of one member of the table who dubbed her a "raising station". This strategy turned out to be highly successful, and it would not be the last I heard from Jodi (I soon thereafter learned her name). Meanwhile, we switched back to hold em, and I picked up QQ on the cutoff, raised, and Bill Chen called from the BB. The flop came 10 8 2 rainbow, and Bill check-raised me. I three-bet, but was somewhat worried that I was behind. Now, for the first time in the tournament I got lucky and the board paired deuces--I didn't find out how lucky I was until the river when Bill turned over 10 8, and I scooped a big pot. I now had a huge chip stack, and with the bubble approaching, quickly used it to my advantage, stealing a fair number of pots. Finally, after a annoyingly long period of hand-for-hand play, we were in the money, and down to 2 tables.

Once the bubble burst, people were dropping like flies, and quickly we were down to the final table. I would say I had a slightly above average stack at the start of the final table, and I felt good about my position. Unfortunately, the cards had another idea, as I went through an entire rotation of games without playing a single pot, save for two blind steals with garbage. Fortunately, a very nice woman named Llew entertained me with great stories as I folded hand after hand. Also, this quickly became the final table where no one would die, as anyone that was all-in was guaranteed to stay-alive. After about an hour, however, people began busting quicky , and we must have lost 5 people in 5 hands. I was able to eliminate two players when my aces held up in Omaha, and we were down to 4 players, me, Bill Chen, Rob Catlett, and Jodi Neufeld. Bill, who was due to speak shortly at the poker-stars sponsered buffet was eliminated by Jodi, and if memory serves me correct, she eliminated Rob on the very next hand.

I started heads-up at about a 2-1 chip deficit to Jodi. The blinds were so high, and it was so late, that we just decided to play No-limit Hold em with blinds of 5000/10000. There were only 150,000 chips in play, so I knew there would be a lot of pre-flop pushing. Jodi , of course, quickly informed me that she had won the Fossilman heads-up championship at FARGO, and I could quickly see why, as she was very aggresive and difficult to read. To compound my problems, I feel like heads-up is the weakest part of my game. I was, however, able to push over the top of Jodi on a couple of hands and get the chip lead. Very shortly thereafter, Jodi raised, and I looked down to see AT0. I pushed in, and Jodi correctly called with KQ. The flop came down KQx, and I was down to hoping for a J, which did not appear. Jodi had seized the chip lead back, and from that point on, she plain and simple whooped me, and earned the title and the majestic plaque that came along with it. After collecting our loot, Jodi and I went to the buffet dinner, and I enjoyed both great food and a great presentation on game theory.

After about an hour i excused myself, checked into my room at the Taj, and laid down to take a brief nap with the intention of meeting some friends at the Trop for some later night NL ring games. After 11 hours of poker, though, my body had different ideas, and I woke up at 5am not knowing where the hours had gone. I eventually fell back asleep, and woke up just in time for the NL tourney the next morning.

The NL tourney was much less eventful for me (although I did receive a bottle of cider as a bustout gift) About two hours in, I called a raise from the big blind with T9d. The flop came Q and two baby diamonds, and I raised the flop. The pre-flop raiser thought a long time, and pushed the rest of his chips in. I had him covered, and the pot was offering me almost 3-1, so i called. Alas, no diamond came, and i was down to T400. Shortly thereafter i pushed on the button with Q9, was called by KJ, and did not improve. I was out in 133, but I still had a great time. After playing some ring games for a couple of hours, I had to head home, and didn't get to play Stud on Sunday. Neverthelss, I had a great time at ATLARGE, and met some really nice people, and can't wait to play again next year.

Deep-Stack Purgatory

2006-03-10T11:17:00.000-05:00

Played the 20 +2 deep stack on Stars on Wednesday night. Played for 7 hours, finished 38 and cashed for $38.50. Needless to say, this is a little depressing. I think I am only going to play deep-stacks with a bigger buy-in, even though my bankroll is still relatively small. There is a HUGE advantage in these things if you play well (or even competently) To wit, an example:

Blinds are 800 1600. I have 24000. I pick up TT on the cutoff. Two limpers in front of me, both have me covered. I push. Folded all the way around to the second limper, who calls instantly for most of his stack (He had about 35000) and turns over 98suited. Hmmmm...

Extra-tight is best

2006-03-06T20:39:00.000-05:00

Playing a 20 dollar limit S8 tourney on Stars now....my first observation is that the players seem way too loose. I have seen several people pump the pot heads-up with the best case scenario would be splitting the pot. More thoughts later.

My first post

2006-03-05T23:25:00.000-05:00

I know, yet another poker blog, just what everyone wants to read. I will try and keep it interesting, though. I invite people's opinions, and feel free to tell me when I am playing like a donkey.

This week's mission---Keep practicing high-low games, specifically O8 and S8.