20/40 Hold Em'

I have played 20/40 Limit Hold Em' a few times now with 1 winning session and 1 losing session. The second session I had only 600 bucks and shipped it. Why? because i am a monkey. I have evolved into a player that likes to see flops. I am sure playing tight is the right way but then again, with the proper bankroll, it is probably proper to see a lot of flops (position matters). In any case, I found myself raising a lot pre-flop with a wide range of hands and could not connect on a damn thing or get anyone out of the pot. I don;t understand the call on the flop if you have nothing and even the turn. I guess not everything makes sense. i am a firm believer if I am going to be the first one in that raising is the right thing to do. If I can't raise i should fold unless I am mixing up my play or just trying to see a flop with a "volume style" hand. I am tired and really don;t know what the fuck i am trying to say here, but I know raising is good and a healthy bankroll is better. I need about 10K to play 20/40 comfortably and play the way I think is optimal. maybe tight is right, but when playing tight at that level I never get the action I want on the hands I want it!!!!

TOUGH

I love poker and think about it for most of my waking hours. I think a lot about how I have played in the past and how I have let emotions and drinking effect my life and bankroll. Since moving to Seattle I have played mostly 3/6 Hold Em' and have mixed in 10/20 Hold Em', 6/12 Omaha 8, 4/8 Omaha 8 and 3-5-500 Spread Limit Hold Em'. In that time I have slipped up horribly and started drinking, played some horrible poker and then stopped drinking and started playing good poker. The 3/6 game out here is easy and looks to be a good way to get my bankroll going is I can stay sober. I have cased out for almost 1000.00 twice in the last 3 weeks. I payed off some debts and now and am soley focused on moving up the poker ladder if success. I have learned the only way to win at limit is that playing tight and aggressive is the winning stlye. Playing loose only eats yme up. Solid hands and good decisions get the money. I have learned playing too many hands is what makes me an action junkie and I will never win if I keep playing in that sense. I can see why I was welcomed to games with a smile knowing I would play good for the first hour and then once I had a few beers in me and a bad beat or two I was bound to fly open for just shipping money. I was the monkey tilt master and it was a beatiful thing for any game when my pockets had money in them. Well, I think I am on the way to curing the misey that I was living and now understand how alcohol and tilt can eat my bankroll and put me in financial peril. I am on the road to smart play. I keep mental notes on all the players and what hands they turn over and how they react to situations. I am becoming the player I have thought of being and I will succeed. And I will not fall victim to the weaknesses that have killed my game in the past. I will use my knowledge and put forth my best effort to win at every game I play.

Had a Good Night

Well, I played Merk's game last night and actually had a winning session. I think the last time I walked out a winner was about a month ago. I was fortunate to catch some cards early and then was able to protect what I made until I left. That is one thing I am happy about, because lately I will get up, and then just burn through the money making horrible calls. Well, i shall see how I do here over the next week.

Shredded

I have been shredded like cabbage the last few weeks at poker and therefore have fallen to 0 on my poker funds. I played to high limit at Borgata last night and ultimately lost my little little bankroll. I also made a terrible call against NOTUAEGREG at E and Keenan's game Monday. So, as always, the only person to blame for these losses is me and this will be a tough one to come back from.

H.O.E., Finished on the Bubble

Top 4 paid, I finished 5th and to be honest I have no idea of how I got that far. Seriously, the best starting hand I was dealt the whole evening was K99 in Stud 8. I just played tight and passive because I had nothing to bet with. I think I played well, just never got a hand that I could win a huge pot on. The tourney was fun, I just hate playing 5 hours to finish just out of the money. Leaves a sour taste. I just wish I could have gotten that one hand.

Bad Beats, Brutal 5th Streets, and Sickening Defeats: "The Mint," April 24th, 2007

In my poker playing days I had not encountered such a wild poker game until last night at Anthony's game at "The Mint." Somehow, all the forces lined up to bring forth this frustrating night. The games played were 5-10 limit Hold Em', Omaha 8, Razz, Stud, Stud 8, Omaha, 2-7 Triple Draw, Badugi, 5 Card Stud and a 5-25 spread limit 5 Card Draw Game set in a Dealer's Choice format.

The game started at 8 and the action started off quicly as 5 Stud was one of the first games called. The game was 7 handed and Anthony won all but one round in the series. It was a sick start, as I lost two nice pots as he paired his board on the end each time. I kept betting and he would re-raise with nothing, then hit his cards. Needless to say I was quite bitter to start. Yet, this was only the beginning, as emotions would run heavy throughot the game for everyone at some point during the night. The tone of the night was big hands and great starting hand were going to get cracked. There was no stopping the draw out. The pot was steaming and it was not even 10.

A bit later, Anthony would start to steam a little himself, something I never saw him do, when he started to get big hands cracked. Then the tensions mounted even more as he called his roommate with a pair of 9's to the guys full house in Omaha Hi/Lo. Quite the little argument broke out after Anthony called the bet with his 9 and the guy kept saying, "You had the audacity to call me with a pair of 9's." Man, it was rough. Then, when Anthony busted Pop's for a big pot in 5 draw (see below about hand), Pops told Anthony to "shut the fuck up." I mean we are talking about a wild west shoot-out starting here. I have never seen Pops that frustrated. But it did suck as that was the worst beat I have seen in ages. I myself went of a rampage in 5 draw, when the guy drew one card against my dealt set, and pulled the K to make his full-house. i went steaming into the kitchen cursing about one and two outers.

There was so much more, and even two guys almost got in a brawl over calling Omaha 8. By the end of the night we were all a little dained and sickened by the bad beats. Anthony was the victor of the night along with Rocco. I lost 80 bones and I believe Pops was in the valley of death along with the other guy. Dave, who had been winning was also down a bit. I can't remember what BigSlickster did, but he did much better than his other nights, plus the added bonus of a possible south side brawl.

That is about it on this crazy game. I hope that next time emotions don't run so high, but that can happen with bad beat after bad beat. We are all friends, but none of us like donating hundreds to close to a thousand dollars. The game at "The MInt' is great though, and I the the chance to play all those great games and the older ones too.



BELOW IS QUOTED FROM "POPS":
Here are some of the ingredients to throwing a party (not a social gathering, but a full blown hoe down):

- As mentioned above, get DEALT 22244 in 5 card draw in the BB. Cap the spread limit at 100 with 3 players in the hand. Pat the pull and watch opponent somehow take 3 cards. It gets to a hundo again and I'm shown the TTTAA. Stirfry, can you pull the math for me on that one. First, the odds of getting dealt a made boat in 5card. Then, how about the pulling of the 2-out Ten first, then having exactly a pair with it. Can't wait for the results.

- Have a wheel in Stud HI only, and be in 3rd place to a 10 high straight, that got beat by broadway.

- Lose with 555AA in Stud HI/LO to 666QQ after having A/2/5 suited on first 3.

- Have JJTT after 4 cards to get run down by runner, runner, runner straight in Stud.

- Have EVERYONE fold with a made nut Badugi for one bet. Only hand entire evening that everyone folded to a single bet.

I had about 10 other coolers last night that I can't even remember. Sets being no good in 5-card draw, 7-5 Badugi's being crushed, just over and over. Folding to raises (rightfully) only to have pulled the miracle that would have shipped me a $400 pot, etc. It was the most painful poker experience in quite some time, one can imagine my demeanor. I will say the 5-card draw spread limit 5-20 is a pretty sick game, may even dedicate one cash game to it in the near future (if Tim allows me to steal his thunder). Crazy fucking game last night, I'm still shaking my head, unreal!

J9 vs. J9 wrap in Omaha

I managed to ship like 400 at The PL Omaha game last night. I had J967 and flopped the nut straight on a rainbow board. So the betting on the flop goes something like this. Dude bets pot (GUPPIE (Y)), dude calls (NOTUAEGREG), I raise pot (DUMB ASS 299), dude re-raises pot (GUPLET), other dude folds (NOTUAEGREED), I go all-in (REALLY DUMB ASS 299). I knew at that point I was against the K wrap. With no flush possibilites, I was playing for a split-pot and praying that a few cards didn't fall off. Of course, on the river the 9 fell off and I was cooked. anyway, the moral of the story is, FUCK NUT STRAIGHTS IN OMAHA. I will probably fold those motherfuckers everytime unless I have something strong as a backup. Anyway, they lose like 50% of the time. I was playing so well last night too. Oh well, that is the way the donkey kicks at "The Donkey Corral."