Blogger NL Action with Wil F***IN’ Wheaton

21 NOV 05

So, I didn’t think to copy the chat portion of the conversation where Wil Wheaton and I had a “geek-off” (BTW- I’m a HUGE geek, but I think he may have me. He did write a book called “Just a Geek,” after all). I mentioned that I sited Bones McCoy in my application to medical school, and it was met with stunned silence. Perhaps no one believed. Well, technically it’s not true, but I did talk about McCoy in my interviews. It helps that most doctors are huge Star Trek fans…

I intended to just post the portions of the conversations that involved me, but there was some pretty funny exchanges between another of my blogger heroes (Dr. Pauly) and Wil:

DrPauly: i got the hammer wil
Wil Wheaton: sigh
Wil Wheaton: dammit
Wil Wheaton: you should call
Wil Wheaton: so you can show
Wil Wheaton: for serious
Dealer: DrPauly, it's your turn. You have 15 seconds to act
BStouts [observer]: call him
Wil Wheaton: wuss
Dealer: Wil Wheaton has two pair, Kings and Queens
Dealer: DrPauly has a pair of Sevens
Dealer: Game #3101315314: Wil Wheaton wins pot ($8) with two pair, Kings and Queens
Wil Wheaton: DING
DrPauly: asscock
Wil Wheaton: hahahaha

And this gem:

Wil Wheaton: eight no goot?
DrPauly: i got 7-3 wil
DrPauly: but do i have hearts
Wil Wheaton: really?
Dealer: Wil Wheaton, it's your turn. You have 15 seconds to act
Wil Wheaton: i have a pair
Dealer: Player Wil Wheaton has requested TIME
Wil Wheaton: it's not a good pair
DrPauly: raise me
Wil Wheaton: i think i'll just call
DrPauly: i'll show
Wil Wheaton: heeeeeehaaaaaawwwwww
Dealer: DrPauly has a straight, Four to Eight
Dealer: Wil Wheaton has a pair of Eights
Dealer: Game #3101363457: DrPauly wins pot ($0.99) with a straight, Four to Eight
Wil Wheaton: nice - hahahaha

It’s always a good idea to insult your gracious host:

Wil Wheaton: now i think i win because i chased it all the way and got there
Dealer: Game #3101378370: Wil Wheaton wins pot ($1.39)
Wil Wheaton: i told you i chased it like a donkey
Wil Wheaton: i felt it
Wil Wheaton: i was going all the way
DrChako: you win back the donkey title
Wil Wheaton: YES!
Wil Wheaton: Heeeeeee Haaaawwwww (shows just how gracious)

This one did involve me:

DrChako: okay - my last hand – it’s my wife's birthday (which was quite true – happy birthday, honey!)
DrChako: take it easy on me
Wil Wheaton: everyone call so chako can have fun on his last hand
Wil Wheaton: wheeee
DrChako: i got a piece
Wil Wheaton: you should totally win, because it's your last hand
Wil Wheaton: i just flipped the switch for you
DrChako: this is my pot
DrChako: are any of you listening?
Wil Wheaton: ding!
DrChako: darn
Dealer: Game #3101545295: PhoebusX wins pot ($1.27)
Wil Wheaton: that wasn't very nice, phoebus
PhoebusX: hehe, sorry
Wil Wheaton: see ya dr.chako :)
Tactix: happy b-day to the wife!
DrChako: thanks - she's sweating me, so you told her yourself
Wil Wheaton: happy birthday!

I won about $2.50, but more importantly had more fun playing poker then I can remember. Thanks again to all involved. I hope to see some or all of you in Vegas.

Final thought: I wonder if the birthday greeting from Wil meant more than the birthstone ring I got her…

The Atomic Hammer

15 NOV 05

The blogger community has united around certain nomenclature. 72 off-suit is known as the hammer because of its awesome (and stealthy) powers. Here is my version – the atomic hammer:

(Warning: Hand History)

Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2005/11/14 - 21:19:51 (ET)
Dealt to DrChako [7c 2s]

*** FLOP *** [7s Js 2h] BAM!!

*** TURN *** [7s Js 2h] [2d] BAM BAM!!

*** RIVER *** [7s Js 2h 2d] [2c] ATOMIC HAMMER, BABY!!

*** SHOW DOWN ***

DrChako: shows [7c 2c] (four of a kind, Deuces)

Of course, that set the stage for my bust out from a live tourney last night. Playing at PJ Pockets in Federal Way, I had AA and raised to 3xBB (it was my second AA of the night - should have folded pre-flop), and got two callers. The flop was KJ3 rainbow. First all in had Q10 and the second all in had K8.

Sweet.

An 8 on the river sent me home.

Final thought: All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence; then success is sure. - Mark Twain, Letter to Mrs Foote, Dec. 2, 1887

SNG and Publishing Update

10 NOV 05

Boring stuff to just about anyone but me, but here goes:

Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
4th place. $27.00
Buy-In: $5.00/$0.25 - 4 players
1st place. $20.00
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
1st place. $108.00
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
4th place. $27.00
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
3rd place. $54.00
Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
6th place. $29.70
Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
6th place. $29.70
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
2nd place. $81.00
Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
6th place. $29.70
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
4th place. $27.00
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
1st place. $108.00
Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
1st place. $153.46

That’s $694.56. Not too shabby. Of course, it’s meaningless unless you know what I spent for all tournaments entered (including those I didn’t cash in). I can tell you that my bankroll has climbed, so my tournament play is clearly +EV. In the future, I’m going to change to the Drizz format and just state total gain/loss.

It occurred to me that online poker has given me a scary gift. Most poker pros probably get this knowledge after years of the tournament grind. I’ve gotten it after less than one year of play. It’s this – make good decisions and you will win in the long run. Bad beats, and even bad moves will take care of themselves. Doyle said it best. He was talking about the play of individual hands when he said that he stabs at smaller pots and wins quite often. This allows him to take bigger chances when he may not have the best hand because even he is supposed to make his share of draws and suckouts.

I’m applying this same attitude to tournament play, and it’s done two things:
1. It’s allowed me to make more aggressive plays closer to the money, and
2. If feel less bad when I don’t hit.

That coupled with a plump bankroll has given me a lot of confidence, and confidence breeds winning.

Final thought: There has been early and positive interest in my publishing idea. Please keep your thoughts and ideas coming (and next time post them on the blog – don’t be shy!). One idea was to pay the writers up front AND offer some kind of royalty. Good idea. My new plan is to distribute 50% of the net profits to the writers. What’s not to like?!?!

Publish!!

9 NOV 05

I love reading other poker bloggers. Our great secret is that there is so much to learn. Good poker bloggers teach you a lot about poker theory, how to play individual hands and how to manage your bankroll. Great poker bloggers teach you about life.

Dr. Pauly mentioned the other day that he still hasn’t published his books yet. I had a publishing company for a while, and I would have loved to publish it for him. Unfortunately, with the advent of self-publishing and the lack of great writing, I stopped after one novel (a very good one by Hunter Silvastorm, check it out if you get the chance).

But now I’m thinking that there is already some great material out there, and it sure would be easy to compile it into book form. The marketing is already there – bloggers would surely push the book, especially if their own work was included. I still have to decide a target price and such, but I was thinking about offering cash for great submissions. Heck, I might even try to get Wil to write the forward…

Your thoughts would be appreciated. Would you let me incorporate some of your best stuff? I’m thinking like $50 for five great submissions. Of course, I get to choose which ones get included (and who gets paid), but do you think this would work?

Vegas Recap

3 NOV 05

Okay. I got it now. Poker is (+) EV. Gambling is (-) EV.

But gambling is fun!!

I broke down the totals from my trip last week to Las Vegas.

NLHE: (-) $190
LHE: (+) $90
Tournament: (-) $124

Roulette: (-) $60
Craps: (-) $6
Blackjack: (-) $10

Total: (-) $300

It would seem like Limit Hold ‘em is my specialty, but I don’t think that’s true. I killed the No Limit tables at 1-3, but GOT killed at 2-5. Once again, I bought in for the minimum and I was over my head. When that happens, I don’t bet appropriately. I know that. I KNEW that, yet when that 2-5 table opened up, I sat right down. There was one famous guy at the table – people called him Cowboy. You’d recognize him from the WSOP broadcasts. He cleaned up and overbet when he knew someone would fold. That’s such a powerful tool, and I had it in my arsenal at 1-3, but not at 2-5. I couldn’t pull the trigger on a $200 bluff. I did in fact pull the trigger on a $90 semi-bluff at 1-3.

I have Q 10 off with the Queen of clubs. I raised to $12 on the button and get two callers. The flop comes all clubs, King-high. I had a straight and flush draw. The first position guy bets $15. That screamed “continuation-bet.” The second guy just called, so I put him on a draw. He was a good player, so I knew he would fold if I bet appropriately. I paused for effect, and bet $90. Both folded, and I raked a decent pot.

Here is one hand I’m not sure I would play differently. I’ve gamed several scenarios, and all have me losing, sometimes losing a lot more than I did.

Playing 1-2 NL at the Sahara. There is a bully to my right who refuses to chop the blinds. He raises to $10, and I call with 4 5 off.

Flop A 4 4, rainbow. Sweet.

He bets $10 and I quickly call.

Turn 7.

He bets $20, and I quickly call.

River 7. Full house, baby.

He checks.

I take my time and bet $30. He quickly raises to $100.

Pocket aces? Case 7? No way. I put him on AK.

I call. He turns over K 7 diamonds for the higher full house.

Before the night was over, most of us at the table had his money, but I heard from one of the locals that he wins more than he loses. Go figure.

Movin’ On Up

3 NOV 05

I’ve finally figured out my motivation for playing poker – making money. You laugh, but it’s not as obvious as you think. Up until now, I’ve been playing for the challenge and the adrenaline rush, and I’ve had plenty of both. My bankroll stagnated for a while, but now that it’s on the upswing, I’ve been afforded the luxury (no pun intended) to do some soul searching. I want to make some serious money. Granted, I do pretty well in my career as a physician, but this endeavor is separate. In order to call myself a successful poker player, I need to set a goal, and not stop until I achieve it.

That goal is $25,000.

Okay. It may sound unrealistic to some, but after spending a week in Vegas and watching a guy blow that much in 5 hands on the blackjack table, I think it’s a good and attainable goal.

Now, how do I do it? Here is a start:

Buy-In: $25.00/$2.00 - 18 players

You finished the tournament in 2nd place. A $135.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

That’s right. I’m moving up in limits in online tournaments. Up until now, I have only played the $15 + 1 two-table SNG’s, and have been doing quite well. I found the skill level at $25 to be no different. I wonder how it will change as I move to the $35 and $55 tournaments. I also intend to play the bigger tournaments more often.

Stay tuned.

It’s Variance, Idiot!!

25 OCT 05

The epiphany came to me yesterday as I was trying to think why I’ve been so successful at online poker, but so horrible in the casino. Sure, it could be because the online players are donks and the casino players are all better than me, but it had to be more than that. As I’ve said before, if you delude yourself about your skills you will lose money. That being said, I’d like to think I’m fairly intelligent and an above average poker player.

So what gives?

What gives is variance. Much thanks is owed to several bloggers and poker authors for trying to pound this idea into my head. Leave it to Excel to drive it home. Here is the epiphany: I have been buying into limit games with too little to allow for aggressive play PLUS variance.

Let me explain.



Figure 1. Here is me. I buy into a 4/8 table with $100, or about 12 x the BB. With my aggressive style of play, as soon as I get to the inevitable downswing and hit -12 BB, I’m done. I don't allow myself to rebuy, so I walk away down for the session (and pissed off to boot).


Figure 2. Here is where I should be – buying in with at least 30 x the BB. This way, if and when I swing below 12 x the BB, I’m giving myself a chance to swing back.

The key to this strategy is two fold:
- Walk away when you reach a set limit.
- Never lose more than 30 x BB in one session.

Another factor is the change of style once I get close to the – 8 BB point. I become less aggressive, or I go on tilt, and both are HUGE –EV.

I’ll let you know how it goes when I get back from Vegas.

Final thought: This only applies to limit. I’ll be trying some no-limit ring action and a few tournaments, but that’s for another blog.

Blogger Tourney Bust Out

24 OCT 05

902nd.

At least I outlasted Dr. Pauly.

Quick recap:

I’m in EP with A 10 off (no diamonds) and raise to 3x BB. I get one caller. The flop comes three diamonds. I check and the caller bets small. I put him on a hand but fearful of the diamonds. I push and he calls with AcJd. That’s right. No pair, and only the J of diamonds. No more diamonds come, so he beats me with J-high. He didn’t really have me outchipped. Maybe it was a good read…

BS. He made a bad call and got lucky. I noticed that he did not finish in the money.

So there.

Down a little for the weekend, but Vegas is right around the corner. If Pauly is still there, I’m buying him a beer or three just to say thanks for all the free entertainment.

You should be listening to: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/music/thingaweek/BabyGotBack.mp3

What On Earth…?

21 OCT 05

What on Earth did you like about that flop?

I can’t believe how many times I said that yesterday. Gotta love the Muckleshoot, where if you dream it, your card will come.

I hate having made hands trumped by gut shots, especially when the pot odds clearly did not warrant idiots staying in. Lost with KK, QQ and AQ like that. Of course, I had my one suck out when I caught a third 8 to my pockets and busted a guy with AA. I limped in middle position. There was one caller and he raised. I called, and so did MP.

The flop was 7 6 2 rainbow. I had an overpair so I bet it. MP calls and AA guy raises. I call and so does MP. There are now 10 big bets in the pot. The turn is a 5, giving me the open ender and the over pair. I check and so does MP. AA bets and we both call. I think I’m beat, but I have 10 outs (two 8’s, four 4’s and four 9’s).

River was an 8.

I bet, and as MP is calling, the button guy shouts, “you sonofabitch,” because he knows his rockets got busted. With the way the table was going, he should have expected it. Besides, he was one of the morons that sucked out on me two hands earlier.

Small consolation as I still ended up down for the night. I was happy with my play – more aggressive, but I still screwed up one hand by playing too tightly.

I’m dealt KK in middle position and the LAG to my right raises. I reraise and (holy crap), I isolate him. That almost never happens at the Muck. Anyway, the flop comes undercards. He bets and I raise. He calls. The turn is another undercard. He bets again.

Now, I’m thinking, AA? Trips? I just called. That was my mistake. I should either raise or fold that hand. At this point, he looks at me and says, “what, no raise?”

Jerk.

River is an Ace. He bets, I call, and he beats me with A Q.

Final thought: T minus 5 days to Vegas.

You should be reading:
www.Banterist.com
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8335653541
www.Sixtysecond.com

Instant Karma

19 OCT 05

First, my tournament update (‘cause I know you love these updates):

You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

I also tried three 5 table tourneys (and cashed in all three):
Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/07 - 23:47:36 (ET)
Dear DrChako, You finished the tournament in 6th place. A $29.70 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/11 - 19:45:08 (ET)
Dear DrChako, You finished the tournament in 5th place. A $44.55 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

Buy-In: $11.00/$1.00 - 45 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/13 - 17:23:39 (ET)
Dear DrChako, You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $153.46 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

And this one I especially liked, because I outlasted a huge field and only got beat on a bad suckout:

Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00 - 1345 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/13 - 21:35:00 (ET)
Dear DrChako, You finished the tournament in 34th place. A $47.07 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

Skills are still intact, despite a couple of bad beats the other day. As an aside, how can I win $704.98, and still go on tilt when I lose $35? Talk amongst yourselves…

On to karma.

So last night, I’m leaving the hospital at 8 pm, when I encounter Jo. Jo is breathing quite heavily while leaning against a car in the hospital parking lot.

Me: “Can I help you?”

Jo: “I can’t find my car! My husband is bleeding from his rectum and I’ve been walking around this parking lot for the last two hours and I can’t find my car and I want to go home and I don’t think I can go on much longer, and…”

Me: “BREATHE!!”

Jo: Silence. Rapid, but quiet breathing.

Me (extending my hand): “My name is Dr. Chako.”

Jo: “God bless you. I’m Jo.”

Me: “Take my arm, and I’ll get you to security. I won’t leave until I’m sure you get where you need to go.”

There is much crying interspersed with lots of thanks as we make our way to the ER and find security. Dr. Chako saves the day.

Fast forward to later that evening and a $25 two-table SNG:

You finished the tournament in 2nd place. A $135.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

Coincidence? I think not. Maybe if I drove her home myself, I’d have gotten first.

Karma baby.

Final thought: We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. - Sir Winston Churchill

I’m Back

18 OCT 05

I knew you missed me.

I was off furthering my career and having a heck of a time to boot. Here is a hint of what I did on my summer vacation:

Online poker treated me well while away, but after last night I’m probably even (KK vs. AA, K-high flush vs. A-high flush – that kind of thing).

More trip report perhaps tomorrow.

Final thought: Thanks Scott. Driving it was fun, and I WILL own that car. Oh yes, I will. (I’m starting to sound like Plankton from Sponge Bob. That crabby patty will be MINE!)

Two Peas – Different Pods

6 OCT 05

I’m short-stacked but in-the-money in the latest $15 + 1, two-table SNG, when I get the following hand:

Seat 5: cdf1983 (13775 in chips)
Seat 7: EvilStepDad (8895 in chips)
Seat 8: DrChako (4330 in chips)

Dealt to DrChako [Ad Kd]
EvilStepDad: folds
DrChako: raises 1200 to 2400
cdf1983: raises 11300 to 13700 and is all-in
DrChako: calls 1855 and is all-in

*** FLOP *** [Ac As Kh] Wow!
cdf1983 said, "nh"
*** TURN *** [Ac As Kh] [Ah] Double Wow!!
DrChako said, "holy crap!"
DrChako: shows [Ad Kd] (four of a kind, Aces)
cdf1983: shows [3c Qc] (three of a kind, Aces)
cdf1983 said, "daaaaammmmmmmmmmm"

It’s nice for the variance to come my way for a change. Unfortunately, the yin-yang in the universe decided to seek revenge on my wife. While I was catching miracle cards, I watched her Aces full of 4’s get beat by Aces full of Jacks, her flopped set get beat by a straight when a Queen came on the river (to a moron holding nothing but AK), her pocket Jacks on a flop of 4, 4, 5 get destroyed by a guy holding pocket 5’s, and at least one other 2nd best full-house. It got to the point where I was calling out the bad beats before the cards were turned over.

Flop K 8 6. Turn Ace. River 6. “Oh, he’s clearly gonna flip over Ace-6."

Bam. Ace-6.

It’s probably my fault.

You should be reading: The Blonde. Look for HNT, or in today’s case LNT. Trust me.

Final thought: History will be kind to me for I intend to write it. - Sir Winston Churchill

Kicker Problems

5 OCT 05

Coffee-housing is talking to your opponent in order to:

- Get information
- Create confusion

So, I’m playing heads up with my wife (okay, we’re poker geeks - got it). The specifics of the hand are a bit fuzzy now, but I had something like A 9 off-suit. The board comes A 10 2 rainbow, and she bets.

Now, you have to know my wife. She is not an aggressive player. It’s fair to say that when she’s betting, she has something. She has a couple of tells, and one of them said that she got a piece of that flop.

But, so did I.

Sometimes I can get information just by looking, but I decided to try a little coffee-housing. She’s looking at her chips (tell) and I say, “I got an Ace. You got an Ace?” She pauses ever so briefly (tell) before the tiniest smirk (tell) comes, and she says, “yup.”

I believe her.

“What’s your kicker?” I ask deviously. “You’ll have to bet to find out,” comes her smooth reply (TELL!!)

I go all-in (moron). She calls.

She had the Ace. Her kicker – another Ace.

Thank God we were playing for honor only.

Final thought: I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him. - Mark Twain

Oh, the Wit

4 OCT 05

So, I’m walking arm in arm with my wife, when she say, “your arm hair is really soft.”

My quick-witted reply?

“That’s not the only thing that’s soft, baby.”

Okay. Maybe I need to work on that one.

Online Universities

Flush!

3 OCT 05

First off, welcome to my new readers. Many of you got an email from me today, so I appreciate you stopping by. Feel free to leave comments from time to time. Just realize that anyone can read your comments, so don’t be too vulgar.

If you track back to some of my recent postings, you’ll see that I suffered a horrible string a bad beats (it couldn’t be bad play, right?), and I decimated most of my bankroll. I was filled with self-doubt. Why didn’t I just stick with golf?!

But lately, my internet play has surged (as I knew it would), and my bankroll is flush again. Here is a taste:

No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/01 - 18:54:39 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $12.00/$1.00 - 18 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/01 - 19:48:13 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 2nd place. A $64.80 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/02 - 01:06:49 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/02 - 11:34:34 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 3rd place. A $54.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

No Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 players
Tournament started - 2005/10/02 - 19:14:58 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

And finally, I played in a free qualifier tournament...

No Limit Hold'emSuper Satellite
Tournament started - 2005/10/02 - 12:00:00 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 1st place.You qualified to play in Tournament #12671146 and are automatically registered for it. If you choose to unregister from this tournament your account will be credited with $215.00 Tournament dollars. Tournament dollars can be used to buy into any tournament.

I decided to play the big one. There were 3000 players, about 90% of them paying $215 to play. The rest qualified like I did. Unfortunately, I got knocked out in 845th place. At least I outlasted 2/3 of the field. Too bad. First place was over $100,000.

Still, it feels good to be back.

You should be reading: This (It’s a link to my very first blog. After you click the link, scroll to the bottom.)

Final thought: Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. - Mark Twain

I KNEW This Blogging Thing Would Pay Off

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

This event is powered by PokerStars.

Registration code: 9658918

Strategy Switch

30 SEP 05

Once again, poker confounds me. Playing NLHE ring game (.25/.50 – 9 handed), I get pocket AA twice in one loop. There are several limpers in front. I bump it to $5 – far too high for this game, but I figure to get at least one caller. I get two.

Flop is Q high. I push. Without hesitation, he calls. Q on the river.

Again, I get AA and this time only bump it to $2. Two callers. Flop is J high with 2 hearts. I bet $4 – more than half the pot. He reraises the minimum, and I push (which overbets the pot) to price him out of the flush draw. He flops over Kh 5h and sucks out the heart on the river.

I tell these two bad beats only to illustrate the following hand: KK UTG. I bump to $1.50. MP calls. The button bumps to $5. I bump to $8.50 to try and get MP to fold. No such luck. He calls and button puts us both all in. We both call. MP has QJ (!), and of course, the button has AA.

K on the river, and the suckout comes my way!! I tripled up and left the room.

Bottom line: AA sucks (right, Jarel?)

Some more good fortune in the two table $15 + 1:

Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 playersTotal Prize Pool: $270.00
Tournament started - 2005/09/29 - 23:50:15 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 1st place.
A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 playersTotal Prize Pool: $270.00
Tournament started - 2005/09/28 - 20:36:04 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 1st place.
A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00 - 18 playersTotal Prize Pool: $270.00
Tournament started - 2005/09/26 - 19:48:47 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 2nd place.
A $81.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

And I even tried a LIMIT tournament. It was nice to cash since my wife is such a better limit player than I am:

PokerStars Tournament #12956623, Limit Hold'emBuy-In: $10.00/$1.00
243 playersTotal Prize Pool: $6160.00
Tournament started - 2005/09/26 - 00:30:00 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 20th place.
A $43.12 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 70.09 tournament leader points in this tournament.

I also pulled the laptop in front of the tube to play one of the big games ($11 + 1 with re-buys. There were about 1400 players with a top prize of about $14,000). Bottom line, don’t play while watching final table madness. I finished 250th.

New site to plug: Clarified. She’s not sure if it’s spelled Clareified or Clarified, but it’s always great writing. Laugh out loud stuff.

Final thought: It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. - Helen Keller

A New Game

23 SEP 05

Or should I say, a new way to play online.

I recently found the 11+R tournament. Poker Stars has this three or four times a day, and it’s quite soft. I cashed the first time I played:

PokerStars Tournament #12672464, No Limit Hold'em Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
370 players, Total Prize Pool: $14860.00
You finished the tournament in 34th place. A $74.30 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

First place was over $3000. It was a 4 hour investment of time, but the return on investment is huge. I got knocked out by a chip leader who was being a bully. I called with 9c 10c. The flop came A 10 3, with 2 clubs. I bet and got called. I went all in after the turn (a blank) which was probably my mistake. I had a pair and the best draw (9 clubs for the flush, 3 nines for 2 pair, and two tens for the set). He called and a blank came on the river. He won with a pair of Aces.

I’ll be back.

I also cashed in a few more SNG’s:

Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 4th place. A $27.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 2nd place. A $81.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
Buy-In: $15.00/$1.00, 18 players. You finished the tournament in 1st place. A $108.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

So, then I went back to the Muckleshoot to play in their $45 rebuy Thursday night tournament. You start with 1500 chips, but the blinds start at 25/50 and go up quickly. Antes begin as soon as the rebuy and add-on period is over.

Nonsense.

The online tournament requires FAR more skill. This live tourney was an all-in fest, and I had no fun. I didn’t even bother to get the add-on. I just wanted to get the hell out of there.

You should be reading: www.thepokerdb.com. It lists all tournament winners and includes their lifetime winnings (since 2004). It’s free to register. It does not list SNG wins (otherwise I’d be on there a bunch), and it doesn’t list losses. Several of the players that made it beyond the bubble in the 11+R tournament had lifetime winnings on PS over $20,000.

Final thought: Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. - Helen Keller

Heck of a Way to Make a Living

18 SEP 05

So, I’m on my way to a live home game yesterday, but traffic is miserable on I-5 North. Conveniently, I get off in Fife and I’m forced to drive right past my old stomping grounds – Freddie’s of Fife. They usually spread 3/6 (and 4/8 when they get busy), and they have a fairly good payout structure for their Monte Carlo. I’ve never hit the jackpot, but I’ve been close. Anyway, I hate 3/6 almost as much as 4/8. Statistically it should be a better game because the small blind is only $1. That SHOULD mean that the small blind wouldn’t call with weaker hands because he has to pay more than 50% to see the flop.

Yeah. Right.

There was an average of 5 people to see the flop every time. I reraised in late position after sitting quietly for 5 minutes and the flop came A J 6. They all checked to me. My bet got 4 callers. The turn was a 10. It’s checked to me again. I bet and get one caller. The river is a blank. I bet again and get called.

By pocket 8’s.

Do you realize how ridiculous that is? I sure did. It would be great if I could say that he read my “tell.” The truth is that no one in that room knows how to read tells, and wouldn’t care to look if they did. I just ran into a calling station before I knew what to do about it. I mucked without showing to the great surprise of the rest of the table.

So, at least now I have bluff equity, and should get paid for decent hands.

None came.

As my chips dwindled, I get Jc 8c in the big blind. 5 callers see a flop of K J 8. I’m thinking my two pair is good, but I check anyway in 2nd position (the small blind called the flop, of course). One MP bets and everyone calls.

6 on the turn. Rainbow board.

Now I come out betting, and 4 call me. Bluff equity, right? I’m getting paid, baby!!

The river is a 6.

Shit.

Now I’m beat. With the board paired, anyone holding a K or a pocket pair higher than my Jacks has me beat. On the off chance that this was not the case (all right, so it was a stupid move), I bet. I get three callers.

Two of them had Ace-high. I’m reaching for the pot exclaiming how I can’t believe no one stayed with the case K. The dude on the ends waits until my hand hits the chips and slow-rolls his pocket K.

If I wasn’t on tilt before, I was now. I stood up and pointed my finger in the guys face and said, “that’s called a slow-roll, and it’s not right!” He just gave me a blank look. I took my remaining three dollars and left to the sound of “seat open!”

Strange that I lost my cool like that. I’ve had much worse bad beats. The combination of not winning a single hand in that session (!) plus the slow-roll was too much, I guess.

So with that chip on my shoulder, I went to the home game. I was .25/.50 dealer’s choice with a buck on the river. One joker was good for Aces, straights and flushes. We took it out for a couple rounds of Hold ‘em and one round of Omaha.

One game of baseball had me just calling with a Hollywood (straight flush wheel – in this case A thru 5 of spades) because I was afraid of 5 Aces. Fortunately, he only had 4 Aces. I finished up 7 dollars for the night, and I had a great time. I was going to say BUT I had a great time, but that wouldn’t be fair. A win is a win, and we had a good time to boot.

To finish the night, I played a little NLHE .25/.50 on PokerStars, and I brought my A game. Started with $20 and finished over $60 in about 30 minutes.

Sheesh.