I haven't played a whole lot of poker over the last month or so. A few cash game sessions, and a handful of tournaments and SNGs. I played the PokerWorks Family 8-Game tourney on PokerStars both times in May; won the first one, busted 8th of 9 in the second. I cashed in a SNG on Full Tilt for the first time in almost two months, so that was nice, although it wasn't even close to a big enough payout to offset my losses there. Now I will be away from the virtual tables for a couple of weeks on vacation. I'll be back, though.
Congratulations to CK for her cash in the $2,500 WSOP Omaha 8/Stud 8 Event! That is awesome.
The poker bill in the Texas legislature didn't make it through, but its sponsor said he plans to bring it up again next session. Let's hope they can take it all the way next time.
Here's a bit of information that my mind came up with regarding the skill vs. luck debate about poker, which I can't recall having read or heard elsewhere yet. I would think it must have appeared somewhere because it is so obvious, but I certainly haven't read EVERYTHING written about poker, so I'm sure I just missed it.
Poker has an element of luck about it; no one disputes that. The people who think that poker is just a gambling exercise in which skill does not play an important role are, I suspect, forgetting an extremely important fact about the game that sets it apart from so many other games.
In poker, there are two ways to win a hand or a pot:
1. To have the best hand at showdown
2. To be the last active player after everyone else has folded
#1 is more dependent on luck; if you don't get good cards dealt to you, you are less likely to have the best hand of those that go to showdown. But, skill still counts: if you know what the odds are of having a better hand, or of drawing to a better hand, than your opponents, then you can play your hands in such a way as to increase your chances of winning more, or of losing less.
#2 is where skill is even more important. If you can play in such a way that you get all of your opponents to fold in a given hand, then you win the pot without needing to show the best hand. Luck plays a much smaller role in this part of the game. (Yes, if your opponents are all dealt crap hands, you may not need to use much skill to get them to fold.)
This is way oversimplified, but the fact remains that it is the two-fold nature of winning in poker that, as I see it, makes it predominantly a game of skill compared to other gambling games. I hope that those who oppose poker thinking that it is all up to luck will realize this and allow poker its place as a legitimate game of skill that should not be lumped in with strictly-chance games.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Another month already?
Time once again for my monthly (give or take a few days) update. So how have things been going for this sporadic micro-limit donkey since my last post? Let's take a look...
Bodog - 3 tourneys and 2 SNGs; 2 first place finishes; small profits in cash and in T$.
PokerStars - only one tournament, the PokerWorks Family 8-Game tourney last Sunday, where I finished 9th out of 10 runners. Stellar.
FullTilt - 9 SNGs plus last night's Friday Night Donkament. Didn't cash in a single one.
Cash games, various sites - a few sessions of different games, for a modest loss.
Over the past several months, I have done most of my playing at FullTilt in the hopes of building my roll there, and using my winnings to play in the some of the BBT4 events. Unfortunately, my run there has gone in the opposite direction, and my FT bankroll is now under $100, making playing in any BBT tourneys an exercise in bad money management. So why do I keep playing there, I ask myself? I haven't come up with a good answer yet. Because I don't play in the BBT, I very seldom play with the bloggers that I know. I do enjoy some of the games FT offers, notably the $3 + 0.30 Deep Stack KO turbo SNGs. But I haven't had any real success in them lately, so either my game is worse than usual or I'm on a bad streak which should eventually end.
I suppose I should play more at Stars and Bodog. Stars offers plenty of games, so selection shouldn't be a problem. Bodog doesn't have as many tourneys, and the SNGs can take a long time to fill up. But I have a healthy roll at Bodog, and I probably should take advantage of that. I'm in decent shape at PokerStars as well, so maybe I will give them some more of my action.
I bought Harrington on Cash Games, Vol. 1, a while back and have been reading that a bit here and there. Some of the concepts I had read before, some I had picked up here and there, but the book has plenty of useful information that I plan to study and put to use, because my NLHE skills are sorely lacking. I think there are others like me who prefer no-limit for tournaments and limit for cash games, but I know that improving my NLHE game will do me a world of good. In the few micro-stakes NLHE cash games that I have played lately, I have seen some plays that look, even to me, like big mistakes, and I want to be better equipped to take advantage of those mistakes. I don't want to look around the table only to find that I can't spot the sucker until I get back to myself.
Over at Pokerati.com, I have been following the news about the progress, or lack of it, of the poker legalization bill here in Texas. Although things don't look so good at the moment, apparently it isn't dead, so I will hold out some hope that it has a chance to pass. If it doesn't get through, the poker rooms in Oklahoma and Louisiana will be happy to take the money of Texas poker players. It's a shame that we can't have card rooms for Texas Hold 'Em in Texas, but that's politics for you. I sent e-mails via the Poker Players Alliance to my state reps; I hope it helps in some small way.
Non-poker content: I saw the new Star Trek movie Thursday night. Go see it, right now. It is spectacular, funny, thrilling, and a great ride, whether or not you are a Trek fan.
My son graduates from high school in four weeks. He starts college at the University of Oklahoma in 3.5 months. It is quite a time in our lives.
In June, my wife, son and I will go to Italy and Greece for a cruise of the eastern Mediterranean. It is partly a graduation celebration, but mostly a vacation that all of us have wanted to go on for some time. We are all excited about the trip. And yes, the casino on the cruise ship should have Hold 'Em available. I will probably play a few hands when we aren't enjoying the sights.
Maybe I will post again before another month goes by. I do plan to write something before the big trip. I hope it will be about a big win or some other good news. Wish me luck.
Bodog - 3 tourneys and 2 SNGs; 2 first place finishes; small profits in cash and in T$.
PokerStars - only one tournament, the PokerWorks Family 8-Game tourney last Sunday, where I finished 9th out of 10 runners. Stellar.
FullTilt - 9 SNGs plus last night's Friday Night Donkament. Didn't cash in a single one.
Cash games, various sites - a few sessions of different games, for a modest loss.
Over the past several months, I have done most of my playing at FullTilt in the hopes of building my roll there, and using my winnings to play in the some of the BBT4 events. Unfortunately, my run there has gone in the opposite direction, and my FT bankroll is now under $100, making playing in any BBT tourneys an exercise in bad money management. So why do I keep playing there, I ask myself? I haven't come up with a good answer yet. Because I don't play in the BBT, I very seldom play with the bloggers that I know. I do enjoy some of the games FT offers, notably the $3 + 0.30 Deep Stack KO turbo SNGs. But I haven't had any real success in them lately, so either my game is worse than usual or I'm on a bad streak which should eventually end.
I suppose I should play more at Stars and Bodog. Stars offers plenty of games, so selection shouldn't be a problem. Bodog doesn't have as many tourneys, and the SNGs can take a long time to fill up. But I have a healthy roll at Bodog, and I probably should take advantage of that. I'm in decent shape at PokerStars as well, so maybe I will give them some more of my action.
I bought Harrington on Cash Games, Vol. 1, a while back and have been reading that a bit here and there. Some of the concepts I had read before, some I had picked up here and there, but the book has plenty of useful information that I plan to study and put to use, because my NLHE skills are sorely lacking. I think there are others like me who prefer no-limit for tournaments and limit for cash games, but I know that improving my NLHE game will do me a world of good. In the few micro-stakes NLHE cash games that I have played lately, I have seen some plays that look, even to me, like big mistakes, and I want to be better equipped to take advantage of those mistakes. I don't want to look around the table only to find that I can't spot the sucker until I get back to myself.
Over at Pokerati.com, I have been following the news about the progress, or lack of it, of the poker legalization bill here in Texas. Although things don't look so good at the moment, apparently it isn't dead, so I will hold out some hope that it has a chance to pass. If it doesn't get through, the poker rooms in Oklahoma and Louisiana will be happy to take the money of Texas poker players. It's a shame that we can't have card rooms for Texas Hold 'Em in Texas, but that's politics for you. I sent e-mails via the Poker Players Alliance to my state reps; I hope it helps in some small way.
Non-poker content: I saw the new Star Trek movie Thursday night. Go see it, right now. It is spectacular, funny, thrilling, and a great ride, whether or not you are a Trek fan.
My son graduates from high school in four weeks. He starts college at the University of Oklahoma in 3.5 months. It is quite a time in our lives.
In June, my wife, son and I will go to Italy and Greece for a cruise of the eastern Mediterranean. It is partly a graduation celebration, but mostly a vacation that all of us have wanted to go on for some time. We are all excited about the trip. And yes, the casino on the cruise ship should have Hold 'Em available. I will probably play a few hands when we aren't enjoying the sights.
Maybe I will post again before another month goes by. I do plan to write something before the big trip. I hope it will be about a big win or some other good news. Wish me luck.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
You win some, you wish you won some....
I have had some modest successes since my last post. Two weeks ago, I played in the PokerWorks Family HORSE tournament again, and won it again. It was a small field, but the competition was tough, so I feel like I accomplished something by taking it down. Linda and I had a pretty good heads-up match at the end, but the cards came my way when I needed them. I think it would be great if this tournament could get a bigger turn-out. Here is the info; mark it on your calendars and sign up to play.
PokerWorks Family HORSE tournament
PokerStars
Sundays at 9:00 PM ET, every two weeks
Buy-in: $5 + 0.50
Password: donkeys
The game is on tonight. I may not make it due to a family commitment, but don't let that stop you from registering.
Two nights ago, I played in Katitude's Friday Night Donkarama on FullTilt for the first time in ages. I find it hard to get into the push-with-ATC spirit of this game, mainly because my bankroll isn't deep enough to handle pitching dollar after dollar for the rebuys. I donated more than I had planned, and ended up quitting before the break so I wouldn't bleed off any more. Because I busted early, I decided to try to win some back by registering for a $3 + 0.30 deep stack turbo KO tourney. I had to get lucky several times to hang in, but I made the final table. I was the shorty, but got lucky again and doubled up to get within striking distance of the rest of the pack. On the next hand, I made a stupid mistake.
Full Tilt Poker Game #11495044495: $3 + $0.30 KO Sit & Go (86320637), Table 10 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:27:55 ET - 2009/04/03
Seat 1: Barbie19 (34,417)
Seat 2: Mas Malo (72,355)
Seat 4: yestbay1 (24,660)
Seat 6: JHearn (26,225)
Seat 7: Assman08 (40,900)
Seat 8: Don7768 (33,998)
Seat 9: xriex (37,445)
Although I am still the short stack, I am not far behind several of the others. I could have waited for a better opportunity to pick up more chips.
Barbie19 antes 400
Mas Malo antes 400
yestbay1 antes 400
JHearn antes 400
Assman08 antes 400
Don7768 antes 400
xriex antes 400
Don7768 posts the small blind of 1,500
xriex posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to yestbay1 [Kc Jc]
A nice hand, and one I'm ready to play. A little too ready.
Barbie19 raises to 9,000
UTG raises, which should make me pause. Barbie hasn't been all that loose, although I have seen her make some iffy plays. I should have expected her to have a stronger hand than my sooooted KJ with a raise in early position. But, flush with my success on the hand just before, I try to keep the momentum going.
Mas Malo folds
yestbay1 raises to 24,260, and is all in
JHearn folds
Assman08 folds
Don7768 folds
xriex folds
Barbie19 calls 15,260
yestbay1 shows [Kc Jc]
Barbie19 shows [Ac Qh]
Now, another player in Barbie's situation might think, "Hmmm, this guy re-raised me after I raised in early position. Would he do that with something other than a premium hand? Maybe he has AA or KK or QQ. Do I want to call off most of my stack with AQ offsuit? Maybe I should fold." But, maybe she thought I was pushing with a weaker Ace and she had me dominated. In any case, she was ahead, but I still had live cards. Unfortunately, none came through.
*** FLOP *** [Qc 6s 7d]
*** TURN *** [Qc 6s 7d] [8d]
*** RIVER *** [Qc 6s 7d 8d] [4s]
yestbay1 shows King Queen high
Barbie19 shows a pair of Queens
Barbie19 wins the pot (55,820) with a pair of Queens
yestbay1 stands up
I feel like I should have been more patient there. If it had folded to me, I was probably shoving with that hand, but with the raise in front of me, I should have waited for a chance to get my money in first. 7th place is OK but I expect I could have finished higher if I had been smarter and less impulsive.
In another of these $3 + 0.30 tourneys a few days earlier, I finished 8th, once again making some bone-headed plays to screw up my shot at a bigger cash. It is frustrating to feel like I am not learning from my mistakes. More frustrating than just about any bad beat. All I can do is keep trying, and hope that some of it sinks in, however slowly.
PokerWorks Family HORSE tournament
PokerStars
Sundays at 9:00 PM ET, every two weeks
Buy-in: $5 + 0.50
Password: donkeys
The game is on tonight. I may not make it due to a family commitment, but don't let that stop you from registering.
Two nights ago, I played in Katitude's Friday Night Donkarama on FullTilt for the first time in ages. I find it hard to get into the push-with-ATC spirit of this game, mainly because my bankroll isn't deep enough to handle pitching dollar after dollar for the rebuys. I donated more than I had planned, and ended up quitting before the break so I wouldn't bleed off any more. Because I busted early, I decided to try to win some back by registering for a $3 + 0.30 deep stack turbo KO tourney. I had to get lucky several times to hang in, but I made the final table. I was the shorty, but got lucky again and doubled up to get within striking distance of the rest of the pack. On the next hand, I made a stupid mistake.
Full Tilt Poker Game #11495044495: $3 + $0.30 KO Sit & Go (86320637), Table 10 - 1500/3000 Ante 400 - No Limit Hold'em - 23:27:55 ET - 2009/04/03
Seat 1: Barbie19 (34,417)
Seat 2: Mas Malo (72,355)
Seat 4: yestbay1 (24,660)
Seat 6: JHearn (26,225)
Seat 7: Assman08 (40,900)
Seat 8: Don7768 (33,998)
Seat 9: xriex (37,445)
Although I am still the short stack, I am not far behind several of the others. I could have waited for a better opportunity to pick up more chips.
Barbie19 antes 400
Mas Malo antes 400
yestbay1 antes 400
JHearn antes 400
Assman08 antes 400
Don7768 antes 400
xriex antes 400
Don7768 posts the small blind of 1,500
xriex posts the big blind of 3,000
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to yestbay1 [Kc Jc]
A nice hand, and one I'm ready to play. A little too ready.
Barbie19 raises to 9,000
UTG raises, which should make me pause. Barbie hasn't been all that loose, although I have seen her make some iffy plays. I should have expected her to have a stronger hand than my sooooted KJ with a raise in early position. But, flush with my success on the hand just before, I try to keep the momentum going.
Mas Malo folds
yestbay1 raises to 24,260, and is all in
JHearn folds
Assman08 folds
Don7768 folds
xriex folds
Barbie19 calls 15,260
yestbay1 shows [Kc Jc]
Barbie19 shows [Ac Qh]
Now, another player in Barbie's situation might think, "Hmmm, this guy re-raised me after I raised in early position. Would he do that with something other than a premium hand? Maybe he has AA or KK or QQ. Do I want to call off most of my stack with AQ offsuit? Maybe I should fold." But, maybe she thought I was pushing with a weaker Ace and she had me dominated. In any case, she was ahead, but I still had live cards. Unfortunately, none came through.
*** FLOP *** [Qc 6s 7d]
*** TURN *** [Qc 6s 7d] [8d]
*** RIVER *** [Qc 6s 7d 8d] [4s]
yestbay1 shows King Queen high
Barbie19 shows a pair of Queens
Barbie19 wins the pot (55,820) with a pair of Queens
yestbay1 stands up
I feel like I should have been more patient there. If it had folded to me, I was probably shoving with that hand, but with the raise in front of me, I should have waited for a chance to get my money in first. 7th place is OK but I expect I could have finished higher if I had been smarter and less impulsive.
In another of these $3 + 0.30 tourneys a few days earlier, I finished 8th, once again making some bone-headed plays to screw up my shot at a bigger cash. It is frustrating to feel like I am not learning from my mistakes. More frustrating than just about any bad beat. All I can do is keep trying, and hope that some of it sinks in, however slowly.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Book review, and taking a dip
I am going to take a slight detour from the ostensible poker theme of this blog to write a short review of a book that I recently read. There is a poker connection involved, and I'll keep the review brief for those of you whose minds wander if "pot odds" and "cracked Aces" aren't mentioned in every other sentence.
The book is Sunken Treasure by Wil Wheaton, whom some of you know, or at least know of, as an actor, writer, award-winning blogger, and poker player. Sunken Treasure is a "sampler" collection of Wil's writings from his blog, his previously published books, and a couple of things that have not appeared anywhere else. I have enjoyed Wil's candor, humor, and willingness to tell it as he sees it in all his writings, and this book is no exception. Each entry is filled with Wil's engaging insights on a variety of aspects of life and its ups and downs. Whether he is writing about his relationships with his sons and wife, or about acting, or about memories of video game arcades, he always offers the reader an entertaining, informing, and often touching account of his experiences. Go order Sunken Treasure now at lulu.com; you'll be glad you did. And don't forget his other books, which you should also have in your library: Dancing Barefoot, Just a Geek, and The Happiest Days of Our Lives.
The poker connection I mentioned? Well, besides the fact that Wil is an avid player (when he has time between writing and acting projects) and once was a member of Team PokerStars, he includes in Sunken Treasure a sketch about a poker game that he wrote for ACME Comedy Theatre, a group Wil worked with a couple of years ago in Los Angeles. The sketch, titled "William's Tell," is fall-down hilarious, and especially so for poker players. It is worth the price of the book on its own, IMO. Get it, already.
So, on to poker news. Variance (and some less than stellar play) have led to a couple of losing cash game sessions of late. I also played in my first BBT4 event, the Brit Blogger Game earlier today. I finished a lowly 36th out of 61, mostly because I got very little to play with. I'll still be plugging away in the micro-stakes games at PokerStars and FullTilt, and I hope to get in some time on Bodog as well. Balancing my family time with poker time is, as many of you know, a trick of its own, but I have managed to keep things agreeable at home so far. Let's hope it continues that way.
The book is Sunken Treasure by Wil Wheaton, whom some of you know, or at least know of, as an actor, writer, award-winning blogger, and poker player. Sunken Treasure is a "sampler" collection of Wil's writings from his blog, his previously published books, and a couple of things that have not appeared anywhere else. I have enjoyed Wil's candor, humor, and willingness to tell it as he sees it in all his writings, and this book is no exception. Each entry is filled with Wil's engaging insights on a variety of aspects of life and its ups and downs. Whether he is writing about his relationships with his sons and wife, or about acting, or about memories of video game arcades, he always offers the reader an entertaining, informing, and often touching account of his experiences. Go order Sunken Treasure now at lulu.com; you'll be glad you did. And don't forget his other books, which you should also have in your library: Dancing Barefoot, Just a Geek, and The Happiest Days of Our Lives.
The poker connection I mentioned? Well, besides the fact that Wil is an avid player (when he has time between writing and acting projects) and once was a member of Team PokerStars, he includes in Sunken Treasure a sketch about a poker game that he wrote for ACME Comedy Theatre, a group Wil worked with a couple of years ago in Los Angeles. The sketch, titled "William's Tell," is fall-down hilarious, and especially so for poker players. It is worth the price of the book on its own, IMO. Get it, already.
So, on to poker news. Variance (and some less than stellar play) have led to a couple of losing cash game sessions of late. I also played in my first BBT4 event, the Brit Blogger Game earlier today. I finished a lowly 36th out of 61, mostly because I got very little to play with. I'll still be plugging away in the micro-stakes games at PokerStars and FullTilt, and I hope to get in some time on Bodog as well. Balancing my family time with poker time is, as many of you know, a trick of its own, but I have managed to keep things agreeable at home so far. Let's hope it continues that way.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
BBT4 and other updates
Another month has gone by since my last post. Dang. Time for me to put something up here for all two of you readers (assuming you are still checking in once in a blue moon).
First, some pimpage. The Battle of the Bloggers Tournament Series, Vol. 4, starts up again on March 1 and runs through May 31. Your wandering poker blogger AlCan'tHang has done it again, with a few tweaks to keep things fresh. All the details are on Al's blog, but the gist is, there will be seven WSOP seats awarded, 2 for the Main Event and 5 for prelims. The tourney series, which as usual is on FullTilt, will consist of the following:
The weekly events:
Tournament: Brit Blogger Game
When: Sundays at 16:00ET
Game: NLHE
Buyin: $5 + $0.50
Password: donkament
Tournament: Riverchasers
When: Mondays at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24 + $2 (or $26 token)
Password: riverchasers
Tournament: Blogger Skillz Game
When: Tuesdays at 21:30ET
Game: Rotation of non-NLHE games
Buyin: $10 + $1
Password: skillz
Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesdays at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10 + $1
Password: vegas1
In addition to the weekly events, Miami Don will be hosting the Big Game on the following dates at 21:30 ET (Password: donkey):
March 1, 2009: NLHE Super Stack ($69 + $6 or $75 token)
April 19, 2009: NLHE Rebuy ($24 + $2, with one $24 rebuy and one $24 add-on)
May 31, 2009: NLHE Super Stack ($69 + $6 or $75 token)
The above copied and pasted shamelessly from B.W.o.P.'s blog, because I'm too lazy to retype it all.
If I play in any of these events, it will be early on, with the hope of cashing in at least one tourney so I can have enough in my bankroll to play more events later. As my roll stands now, I would go broke if I played in a couple of weeks worth of tourneys and didn't cash in any of them (a likely outcome). The Brit Blogger game looks good because of the $5.50 buy-in; maybe I can do a few of those.
Al is also the host of the Poker from the Rail blog at FullTilt, and there are a couple of guest posts there that I want to recommend. As a dedicated micro-stakes player, I very much appreciated and enjoyed the two articles there by my friends Gracie and GCox. Good stuff and well worth reading and remembering.
As for my poker adventures, things have been going pretty well over the past month. I've had a streak of winning sessions at the very low stakes LHE cash games, and a couple of cashes in tournaments, including my biggest in a while: a third place finish in a $4.40 180-person SNG on PokerStars for a $80.00+ profit. That is a welcome boost to my Stars roll, basically doubling what I had there when I entered the tournament. Now I am hoping to catch another nice cash like that on FT to give me some more breathing room there.
There has been more news here in Texas about proposed legislature for legalizing poker, slot machines at race tracks, or full-fledged resort casinos. Whether any of the proposals will make any progress is anybody's guess, but I think poker on its own probably has a better shot than the gambling stuff. At least the case is being made in several locations that poker is a game of skill, and that should work in its favor in the minds of the lawmakers. Or so we can hope.
First, some pimpage. The Battle of the Bloggers Tournament Series, Vol. 4, starts up again on March 1 and runs through May 31. Your wandering poker blogger AlCan'tHang has done it again, with a few tweaks to keep things fresh. All the details are on Al's blog, but the gist is, there will be seven WSOP seats awarded, 2 for the Main Event and 5 for prelims. The tourney series, which as usual is on FullTilt, will consist of the following:
The weekly events:
Tournament: Brit Blogger Game
When: Sundays at 16:00ET
Game: NLHE
Buyin: $5 + $0.50
Password: donkament
Tournament: Riverchasers
When: Mondays at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $24 + $2 (or $26 token)
Password: riverchasers
Tournament: Blogger Skillz Game
When: Tuesdays at 21:30ET
Game: Rotation of non-NLHE games
Buyin: $10 + $1
Password: skillz
Tournament: The Mookie
When: Wednesdays at 22:00ET
Game: Deepstack NLHE
Buyin: $10 + $1
Password: vegas1
In addition to the weekly events, Miami Don will be hosting the Big Game on the following dates at 21:30 ET (Password: donkey):
March 1, 2009: NLHE Super Stack ($69 + $6 or $75 token)
April 19, 2009: NLHE Rebuy ($24 + $2, with one $24 rebuy and one $24 add-on)
May 31, 2009: NLHE Super Stack ($69 + $6 or $75 token)
The above copied and pasted shamelessly from B.W.o.P.'s blog, because I'm too lazy to retype it all.
If I play in any of these events, it will be early on, with the hope of cashing in at least one tourney so I can have enough in my bankroll to play more events later. As my roll stands now, I would go broke if I played in a couple of weeks worth of tourneys and didn't cash in any of them (a likely outcome). The Brit Blogger game looks good because of the $5.50 buy-in; maybe I can do a few of those.
Al is also the host of the Poker from the Rail blog at FullTilt, and there are a couple of guest posts there that I want to recommend. As a dedicated micro-stakes player, I very much appreciated and enjoyed the two articles there by my friends Gracie and GCox. Good stuff and well worth reading and remembering.
As for my poker adventures, things have been going pretty well over the past month. I've had a streak of winning sessions at the very low stakes LHE cash games, and a couple of cashes in tournaments, including my biggest in a while: a third place finish in a $4.40 180-person SNG on PokerStars for a $80.00+ profit. That is a welcome boost to my Stars roll, basically doubling what I had there when I entered the tournament. Now I am hoping to catch another nice cash like that on FT to give me some more breathing room there.
There has been more news here in Texas about proposed legislature for legalizing poker, slot machines at race tracks, or full-fledged resort casinos. Whether any of the proposals will make any progress is anybody's guess, but I think poker on its own probably has a better shot than the gambling stuff. At least the case is being made in several locations that poker is a game of skill, and that should work in its favor in the minds of the lawmakers. Or so we can hope.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Front page poker news, and PokerWorks HORSE tourney
I was pleasantly surprised to open my Sunday morning Dallas Morning News and find, on the top left side of the front page, an article about the bill that has been introduced in the Texas legislature by Rep. Jose Menendez to regulate poker in Texas.
The fact that the article made the front page is certainly encouraging; maybe it will bring the issue some attention. What doesn't thrill me, though, is that the article concentrates more or less entirely on the illegal poker scene in the Dallas area, and how the bill is meant to eliminate that. There isn't a single mention in the article about one of the most important reasons why it makes sense for the state to legalize and regulate poker: the thousands, if not millions, of dollars that Texans take across state lines to gamble legally in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Granted, poker revenues may only make up a small fraction of that gambling money, but it exists nonetheless, and Texas is losing out on it. Still, I am hopeful that the article will bring some attention to the poker bill and help to persuade some of our lawmakers to eventually pass it. By the way, check out Pokerati, where they talk about the article and are keeping tabs on the Texas poker bill. They also have a link so you can write to the new Speaker of the Texas House, Joe Straus, to state your support for legal poker rooms in Texas.
Meanwhile, I played in the PokerWorks bi-weekly HORSE tournament Sunday night on PokerStars. I had played in this tourney a couple of times before, with nothing to show for it but spending some fun time with some nice people. Last night, though, things definitely went my way. Through most of the game, I was catching cards like Michael Young catches ground balls. It seemed like I couldn't miss.
I almost never play Limit tournaments, but I made an exception for this one so I could play with the PokerWorks folks. Because I am so accustomed to playing in no-limit tourneys, I had to think harder about my strategy. The game started off fairly easy for me, because I was getting a lot of junk hands that were easy folds. My first big hand was when I picked up Ad 8d in MP and limped in. With three other limpers besides me, Glenda in the SB raised, Linda in the BB folded, and all of us limpers called. The flop came 5s 7d Kd. Sweet; nut flush draw in a nice pot. Glenda bet; three callers and one fold. Turn: Jd. Glenda led out again; one fold, I called, but Alexe55 right behind me raised, and Glenda called. I didn't want to give away my hand, so I just called the raise, hoping to represent a single diamond in my hand and still drawing. River: 7s. Not what I was hoping for, a card that paired the board. Either Glenda or Alexe55 could have had a set which just filled up. But, I wasn't going to back down now. Glenda bet, I raised. Alexe55 and Glenda both called. I found out from the hand history that Glenda had AA, and Alexe55 had the Qd 9d for the second nut flush.
That seems to have been the preview hand of my rush. When we switched to Omaha 8, I went through a dry streak where I didn't get a playable hand for what seemed like the entire round. After folding my way through that, we moved on to Razz, everyone's favorite headache-inducing game. I stayed pretty quiet through that round too, conserving chips and tossing crappy hands.
When it was time for Stud High, the cards started coming for me. I picked up another flush. Then yet another flush. Then (you guessed it) still another flush. I felt like a toilet repairman. Soon it was time for Stud 8. I went back into fold mode until the end of that round, when I scooped a pot with an 8-6 low and, for the high hand, can you possibly guess? Yep, I pulled the toilet handle again.
After the break, we came back to Hold 'Em, with blinds at 200/400. I had the chip lead, but Linda wasn't too far behind. First hand, I get Ah Kc in the BB. Clearspine, who organizes this tournament and had been the victim of my last flush, raised UTG. Linda reraised. It folded to me. I had a good sized stack, and clearspine was on fumes, so I called 400, hoping to catch a flop and knock him out. Clearspine capped the betting, and Linda and I both called.
The flop was 2d 4h 9s. Talk about a whiff for me. I checked; clearspine bet 200. Linda raised to 400. With all that money in the pot, I couldn't throw away AK, so I called. Clearspine bet his last 118 chips. Linda and I, again, both called.
The turn was the 7h. Still nothing for me, so I hoped Linda would check it down. I checked, but she bet. I knew I was beat and folded. Linda took the side pot, and showed her Th Td, while clearspine showed As Ac and took the main pot.
As the blinds continued to rise, I started putting some pressure on where I could, and picked up some pots. Eventually I busted cmacc85 when my As Js caught runner-runner-runner Jacks for quads. That hand put me way out in the chip lead, which I would never relinquish.
From there, it was Omaha 8 again. I caught a straight to bust Greg P and pad my stack. After splitting a couple of pots, I flopped a wheel against Linda to bust her. On the next hand, I turned the nut low and rivered a boat to bust clearspine and win the tourney. Although I had some stretches where I threw away a lot of hands, it seemed like the majority of the hands I played either held up or caught cards to win. Frankly, I think I would prefer to finish a game with the feeling that I succeeded due to good plays on my part, rather than mainly a lucky run of cards. But I'm not going to complain too loudly. Some extra money in the bankroll is always welcome, however it gets there.
I encourage everyone to play in the PokerWorks HORSE tournament. It is held every other Sunday at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on PokerStars, so the next one should be on February 8. Password is "donkeys." I hope to be there, and I hope to see lots of you there too.
The fact that the article made the front page is certainly encouraging; maybe it will bring the issue some attention. What doesn't thrill me, though, is that the article concentrates more or less entirely on the illegal poker scene in the Dallas area, and how the bill is meant to eliminate that. There isn't a single mention in the article about one of the most important reasons why it makes sense for the state to legalize and regulate poker: the thousands, if not millions, of dollars that Texans take across state lines to gamble legally in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and elsewhere. Granted, poker revenues may only make up a small fraction of that gambling money, but it exists nonetheless, and Texas is losing out on it. Still, I am hopeful that the article will bring some attention to the poker bill and help to persuade some of our lawmakers to eventually pass it. By the way, check out Pokerati, where they talk about the article and are keeping tabs on the Texas poker bill. They also have a link so you can write to the new Speaker of the Texas House, Joe Straus, to state your support for legal poker rooms in Texas.
Meanwhile, I played in the PokerWorks bi-weekly HORSE tournament Sunday night on PokerStars. I had played in this tourney a couple of times before, with nothing to show for it but spending some fun time with some nice people. Last night, though, things definitely went my way. Through most of the game, I was catching cards like Michael Young catches ground balls. It seemed like I couldn't miss.
I almost never play Limit tournaments, but I made an exception for this one so I could play with the PokerWorks folks. Because I am so accustomed to playing in no-limit tourneys, I had to think harder about my strategy. The game started off fairly easy for me, because I was getting a lot of junk hands that were easy folds. My first big hand was when I picked up Ad 8d in MP and limped in. With three other limpers besides me, Glenda in the SB raised, Linda in the BB folded, and all of us limpers called. The flop came 5s 7d Kd. Sweet; nut flush draw in a nice pot. Glenda bet; three callers and one fold. Turn: Jd. Glenda led out again; one fold, I called, but Alexe55 right behind me raised, and Glenda called. I didn't want to give away my hand, so I just called the raise, hoping to represent a single diamond in my hand and still drawing. River: 7s. Not what I was hoping for, a card that paired the board. Either Glenda or Alexe55 could have had a set which just filled up. But, I wasn't going to back down now. Glenda bet, I raised. Alexe55 and Glenda both called. I found out from the hand history that Glenda had AA, and Alexe55 had the Qd 9d for the second nut flush.
That seems to have been the preview hand of my rush. When we switched to Omaha 8, I went through a dry streak where I didn't get a playable hand for what seemed like the entire round. After folding my way through that, we moved on to Razz, everyone's favorite headache-inducing game. I stayed pretty quiet through that round too, conserving chips and tossing crappy hands.
When it was time for Stud High, the cards started coming for me. I picked up another flush. Then yet another flush. Then (you guessed it) still another flush. I felt like a toilet repairman. Soon it was time for Stud 8. I went back into fold mode until the end of that round, when I scooped a pot with an 8-6 low and, for the high hand, can you possibly guess? Yep, I pulled the toilet handle again.
After the break, we came back to Hold 'Em, with blinds at 200/400. I had the chip lead, but Linda wasn't too far behind. First hand, I get Ah Kc in the BB. Clearspine, who organizes this tournament and had been the victim of my last flush, raised UTG. Linda reraised. It folded to me. I had a good sized stack, and clearspine was on fumes, so I called 400, hoping to catch a flop and knock him out. Clearspine capped the betting, and Linda and I both called.
The flop was 2d 4h 9s. Talk about a whiff for me. I checked; clearspine bet 200. Linda raised to 400. With all that money in the pot, I couldn't throw away AK, so I called. Clearspine bet his last 118 chips. Linda and I, again, both called.
The turn was the 7h. Still nothing for me, so I hoped Linda would check it down. I checked, but she bet. I knew I was beat and folded. Linda took the side pot, and showed her Th Td, while clearspine showed As Ac and took the main pot.
As the blinds continued to rise, I started putting some pressure on where I could, and picked up some pots. Eventually I busted cmacc85 when my As Js caught runner-runner-runner Jacks for quads. That hand put me way out in the chip lead, which I would never relinquish.
From there, it was Omaha 8 again. I caught a straight to bust Greg P and pad my stack. After splitting a couple of pots, I flopped a wheel against Linda to bust her. On the next hand, I turned the nut low and rivered a boat to bust clearspine and win the tourney. Although I had some stretches where I threw away a lot of hands, it seemed like the majority of the hands I played either held up or caught cards to win. Frankly, I think I would prefer to finish a game with the feeling that I succeeded due to good plays on my part, rather than mainly a lucky run of cards. But I'm not going to complain too loudly. Some extra money in the bankroll is always welcome, however it gets there.
I encourage everyone to play in the PokerWorks HORSE tournament. It is held every other Sunday at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on PokerStars, so the next one should be on February 8. Password is "donkeys." I hope to be there, and I hope to see lots of you there too.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
New Year, new post
Wow, it's been just about a month since my last post here. I'll use the usual excuses of holidays and getting back to work afterwards for why I haven't written anything. But then, not much has been going on in terms of poker for me.
Oh sure, I have played some poker on line here and there. Not much in the way of tournaments; a few SNGs, with a couple of cashes, one try at Kat's Friday Night Donkament which didn't go so well, and some microlimit ring games with a (very) small profit there. I noticed on AlCan'tHang's blog that the Battle of the Bloggers Tournament Series # 4 is coming soon. No details on that yet that I have seen, but I am sure we will hear more before long. I don't know if I will play in any of those tourneys, unless I can score a decent cash on FullTilt to pad the bankroll there. I'd like to join in with my fellow bloggers again, so we will see how things go. I am hoping that the Bodog Blogger Series comes back from hiatus soon, as I have enjoyed those games a lot.
I might play in the local Amateur Poker League tourneys again once in a while, to work on improving my live play, mostly in terms of picking up tells. Since I don't get to play any live poker around here, my face to face game tends to be weaker than I want it to be on those occasions that I do get to play live, such as at the Vegas gathering last month. Yes, I know that Winstar's poker room is just over an hour from here, and I suppose that I could find a home game if I tried, but I haven't felt the need to make the drive or the effort to get some hands in.
I do have an unofficial, ongoing goal to improve my play in the coming year - don't we all? I've been reading Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book, which I got for Christmas, and that has been educational and entertaining. I have been just slightly surprised at how often I have come up with the same strategy as Phil proposes in some of the hands in the book. That tells me that maybe my grasp of the game is, in fact, improving.
I'll be playing on line in the coming weeks and months, and I hope to see some of you across the virtual felt soon.
Oh sure, I have played some poker on line here and there. Not much in the way of tournaments; a few SNGs, with a couple of cashes, one try at Kat's Friday Night Donkament which didn't go so well, and some microlimit ring games with a (very) small profit there. I noticed on AlCan'tHang's blog that the Battle of the Bloggers Tournament Series # 4 is coming soon. No details on that yet that I have seen, but I am sure we will hear more before long. I don't know if I will play in any of those tourneys, unless I can score a decent cash on FullTilt to pad the bankroll there. I'd like to join in with my fellow bloggers again, so we will see how things go. I am hoping that the Bodog Blogger Series comes back from hiatus soon, as I have enjoyed those games a lot.
I might play in the local Amateur Poker League tourneys again once in a while, to work on improving my live play, mostly in terms of picking up tells. Since I don't get to play any live poker around here, my face to face game tends to be weaker than I want it to be on those occasions that I do get to play live, such as at the Vegas gathering last month. Yes, I know that Winstar's poker room is just over an hour from here, and I suppose that I could find a home game if I tried, but I haven't felt the need to make the drive or the effort to get some hands in.
I do have an unofficial, ongoing goal to improve my play in the coming year - don't we all? I've been reading Phil Gordon's Little Blue Book, which I got for Christmas, and that has been educational and entertaining. I have been just slightly surprised at how often I have come up with the same strategy as Phil proposes in some of the hands in the book. That tells me that maybe my grasp of the game is, in fact, improving.
I'll be playing on line in the coming weeks and months, and I hope to see some of you across the virtual felt soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
