Sunday, February 17, 2008

Write, Part II

Two live 1/2 NL sessions i havent posted about. I went to the track after Reece went to bed last week with one bullet. This was the biggest I have ever seen the 1/2 game there. The standard opening raises were $15.

I picked up a pot early and was sitting on around $125 when this hand came up. A tricky player from late position raised to $15 abd I called from the button with A,10. The flop comes A,K,10hhh. He checks. This check from him immedialtely set off red flags in my head. I checked behind. The turn was an off-suit baby and he leads for $25 and I called. Here is where I think I could have gotten away from the hand but didn't. The river was another off-suit baby. He shoves and I tank it. I replay the hand back in my head and I have to put him on A,K or a set. I fold and he shows me A,K. After reviewing it the only way I possible lose less money is if I bet the flop for $20 and see what he does.

I am down to around $70 when I get A,Q in the BB. A loose player raises it up to $15 in middle position. He had been raising to $15 about 4-5 out of 10 hands per lap and had already busted and rebought. He has me covered on this hand. I flat call and we are heads-up. The flop come Q,4,4. I check and he bets out $25. I call here with the intention of CRAI on the turn. The turn is a 10. I check He bets $25 I shove and he calls and shows me A,A. Fuck me! The one time I think I have an aggro player trapped he is holding bullets.

I was felted and left down $100 after about 75 minutes.

Next live session is a good one where I posted my largest profit since the limits changed. I will get this one up tomorrow.

Write, Write, Write

I think I have enough content for a 10,000 word post. We shall see how long this gets. After a month and a half lets go back and look at my New Years Resolutions to see how I did.


1. Play 30 live cash game sessions in the local card rooms. Well I am already off to a good start on this one. I already have two sessions in.

I am off to a good start in this one already. So far I have played 7 sessions for a $47 profit.

2. Blog more, especially about live play. Over the second half of last year I think I did a good job of this. As long as I do #1 aboce I should be able to keep this resolution.

Fail. I have a ton of content but just can't seem to find the time to post it. I am on the road the next 5 weeks so maybe I will get a chance to post some stuff up.

3. Be a winning live player for the year. I think its pretty safe to say that I have not had a live winning year to date. If I stayed within my roll I think I could do it. Inevatably the WSOP rolls around and I spend around $5k in buy-ins with nothing to show for it and I am pretty much stuck for the year.


Not a good start here either. Tunica definately started me on the wrong track.

4. Not play a big buy-in event unless I am showing a profit for the trip even if I do not cash. Nuff said here. Note: I will probably break this one in about 3 days when I go to Tunica.

As expected, Fail. I was down on the trip and played the $500 Stud/8 event.

5. Log all of my live sessions in a spreadsheet. I am going to maintain three separate pages, one for cash games, one for tournaments and one for single table satellites.

Massive failure. Just to find out how I was doing in the live games at Tampa Bay downs I just now had to go back and read my blog posts.

6. Cash in a big tournament. I am defining big tournament as one with a buy-in for $300 or more.

Mission accomplished! Its good to get this one out of the way early.


More to come when Reece takes a nap today.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Small Win

I got off of my ass and went to the track today to play some 1/2 NL. When I got my seat card and went t the table I wanted to turn around and run home. I drew "the rock garden" table. They are a bunch of regulars that play fuckin tight as can be. One guy who I consider one of the strongest players in the game is already up a buy-in. The saving grace the the 80 year old two seats to my left who is possible THE worst player at the track. I decide that if I get up $50 I am walking.

I picked up a hand about the third trip around the table with A,Q. I raise it up to $10 and get 3 callers. Flop comes 9,7,3 two spades. One old dude bets out $6 from the blin and I am the only caller. The turn brings the 2s. He leads for $11. I have the Qs and call. The river is the Js. He checks and I fire $25 and he folds. He commented to his octaganarian buddy next to him that he flopped 2 pair. WTF did he call $10 pre-flop with?

The only other winning hand of the session I had 8c2c from the SB and called. The flop cames 8,5,2 with two hearts. I bet two chips in my hand which I thought were red ones. Well they were blue $1 chips. the player in the BB raises to $10 (whew) and its folded back to me and I reraise to $45. H folds showing me a heart. After the hand I am up $46. Damn it, close.

I folded for about the next 1/2 hour only seeimg the turn once. I ended up leaving up $10. Not a lot but a win none the less.

I have been playing some heads-up SNG's in advance of CHIMPS. So far over the last few days I have been 4-0. Just playing these few I think I have learned so much. I need some more points to improve upon my 2nd place finish last week. That was kinda amazing considering I was down to 92 chips and 14 left playing 100/200. I had the 2/1 chip lead heads-up but got scooped when I held a pair and an 8 low.

Congrats goes out to Snarf for cashing in FTOPS Event #1. WTG!!!!

I have been meaning to do a Stud8 strategy post. I wanted to wait till CHIMPS was over. I shoud get to it this week.

Friday, February 08, 2008

On The Upswing???

I have posted a profit in my last two live sessions, a $60 win and a $55 win playing 1/2 NL. I am going to get another live session in tonight hopefully when Reece goes to bed.

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Club One - Day Two

Since I am in Pittsburgh doing nothing I suppose I could do some catch-up.

On day 2 I decide to play smaller because of the loss from the day before. I got there around 10:30 and the tourney started at 10:00. I could have been added to the waiting list but passed. I signed up for 2/4 limit and got a seat within about 20 minutes. I also threw my name on the list for 2/2 NL. It looks like it usually gets going when the tourney players start busting out.

I sat down with $100. The table was a typical loose passive one, standard for this game. In about 30 minutes at the table I flopped a set and turned a flush to build a nice profit early. My name was called for the 2/2 NL game and I got up with a profit of $82.

I sit in the NL game with the full $100 buy-in. I won a couple of hands early and I had my stack up around $200 actually showing a profit for the trip. I guess I was saying that to myself too soon. Over about two hours the best hand I saw was Q,J. I didn't even get a small pocket pair. I just bled and bled. Before I knew it I was sitting on the same $100 stack. SOme more bleeding insued over the next hour and I was all the way down to $40. I picked up A,Q and after a raise and I call I shipped it only to have both call. I was up against K,K and A,6. Drawing really slim I did not hit and I was down $100.

I was going to get up as it was almost time to go. Me being the money spew machine that I am I break out another $100. Two laps later I had $28 left and finally got the hell out of there. Just not a good start to 2008.