What a week, day by day.

Pretty busy week this time.  I had a lot of up’s and downs.  The thing I have noticed is that I tend to have good days and bad days, and oddly enough they tend to be on the same calendar days.  For some reason I have never had much success on Sundays.  not sure why that is.  I played a lot of Sundays when I was in Florida and a couple of times since then and I have gone bust more times than not.  I am not sure what factor is causing this.  Maybe I am more distracted, maybe I just party too hard on Saturdays, who knows.

Anyway, sunday started out bad and ended worse.  I bought in for my normal stack and immediately went south.  Lost a few races, lost a few chases, and within the first hour I was down to about half my stack.  This is not a good way to start things, obviously, and I need to turn it around.  So I am UTG with AQ and raise it up, and 6 people call.  As I have stated before this is far from abnormal.  No one folds where I play, so if you are going to get into a hand you better like what you got.  Anyway, the flop comes out pretty good for me, A 10 2. Top pair and 2nd best kicker.  I C-bet, most of the table folds except the button who raises me.  I know he has something but I have already committed 30% of my stack on this hand, so I have to decide ship or fold.  Those are really my only two options in this situation.  So I decided to ship it in.  I chose wrong.  The button snapped called and showed A2 for two pair.  Crap.  Turn is a K which gives me more outs.  I can catch a 10 or Q to counterfeit, K for the chop, and J for broadway.  Sadly I bricked the river and after less than 2 hours I went home.  The only real rule I have is that I don’t rebuy.  Seems kind of counterintuitive, but the mindset I have if that even if I double up that just gets me back to even.  Granted even is nice, but I feel too much pressure to accumulate chips and it affects my game.

So I took a couple of days off to reset my brain and go back and try again.  Once again I start bad and after a couple of hours I am pretty short stacked, down to $80 from my initial $200.  I wake up with Kings UTG and make a standard $12 raise (yes, that’s what the base raise is on a 1/2 game).  The guy in the hijack re-popps, the button flats, and I shove it in.  Both of them call and my first thought is crap.  Ace in the window and my next thought is CRAP!!  Somehow I manage to spike a King on the turn, but river brings 3 diamonds.  Dealer calls for a winner, I show the 3 kings and somehow I take down the pot.  The guy in the SB said he folded a King flush.  Not sure if I believe him or not, but if he was honest that would be the 1st one-outer I have hit in I don’t know how long.  I play for a couple of hours longer and manage to make most of what I lost on sunday back.  Never really hit any big pots or memorable hands.  But still a win is a win.

Thursday comes around and its time to get serious.  I sit down and see my favorite fish.  There is this one guy that I have played with a few times and I have his game down pretty well.  He can be a little wonky at times, but for the most part its easy to put him on a hand.  My bigger concern is the guy two to my left who has a big stack.  Easily about 500 or so.  Since the table limit is 300, someone with that much cash always gets my radar up.  Anyway about 5 hands into it I get AK utg and raise it up.  5 people call and the flop is not good for AK.  2 low connecting cards, a jack, and the 4 flush is possible.  Checks to me.  I think for a second and elect to check. I figure anyone on a draw is going to call me anyway, might as well try to control the pot a little bit.  Maybe a mistake there, we will see.  Turn completes the flush draw and adds another straight draw.  SB bets about half the pot and the BB snap calls.  I just shake my head and fold, half showing to the guy on my left.  I honestly don’t know why I did that, maybe just upset at the way I played.  The guy who had the big stack said I shouldnt have folded, at least, that what I thought he said in between him slamming down beers at 2pm.  I mentioned that with the BB calling my odds of being ahead or having the winner were pretty slim.  He actually said, near as I can quote, ” You keep doing your calculations, I will stick to luck.”  Yea, that was his mindset.  I had one of those psychic moments and thought to myself, he will be broke before I leave.  Anyway, back to the hand.  River bricks off, SB make about a 3/4 pot size bet and the BB folds, so no idea what the hands were.

Then it came time to start making money.  Another orbit around and I get 6′s UTG and make the same bet.  This time I flop a 6 on a A 9 6 board.  No checking here.  I C-bet and my favorite fish re-raises me.  Folds to me, and I re-pop him.  He shoves and I insta-snap and show the set, he flips over AQ.  He always has an ace.  Anything A10-AK, suited or not, he is playing.  5 on the turn and I felt him.  He goes back and rebuys for another 200.  That’s the other reason why I leave if I get felted.  Now I know he has a grudge against me and he “wants his money back”  So I just gotta wait my turn.  About an hour goes buy and I have raked in a few more pots. I get KQ utg (yea, I noticed a lot of my good hands tend to be there) and raise it up.  Fish calls and flop comes king high.  Good for me, board is not even remotely connected.  I am curious what fish has, so I check to him and he bets 40.  Cant put him on a hand.  Maybe AK, maybe he hit a set.  So I just flat the 40 and see the turn.  Complete brick.  no flush draw, no straight draw.  I check again and he bets half his stack.  Ok, not sure what he has but it’s definitely got me beat.  I muck and he shows AA. Good fold. 

About an hour later I get the money back and then some.  I managed to flop another set on him, but the board connected weird and had both straight and flush draws hit on the river, so I couldn’t get any real value out of it.  Still by the end of the day I was almost triple my buy in.  Very good day.  Meanwhile the guy that had the stack kept drinking and lost it all, bought back in and lost it some more.  Apparently his “luck” ran out when he called of a big river bet with A4 on a board of 10 7 7 4 2 against an A10.  He made several bad weak calls like that.  Sadly I never got any of his money, but everyone else did.

Southbound and down, and the ride back up.

So its been another wonky week here in Florida.  I had easily the worst experience at the table so far followed by the best.   The ride might make me puke soon, but it’s definately an E ticket ride.

Lets start with the worst, since it happened first.  I went to one casino that I had been to before.  I hadn’t had much luck but I wasn’t really in a large crowd kind of mood and I knew from past experiences that the casino I was going to didn’t really have a large base, so I could go and just chill out.  I get there just as a table starts to open, so I sat down at a short table and started to play.  As per usual, I was pretty card dead to start.  Didnt get a lot of hands, opened up my play range and lost a bit quickly.  It’s a normal thing for me to start out slow like that.  I got to get a feel of the table and the players.  Are they going to jam or will they check it down?  Will my bets get respect or am I going to get 3 bet a lot.  The money I win or lose at the start is my way to figure that out.  The worst part of the table was the guy on my right.  He was straight out of the Sopranos.  F this, F that, fugetabout it.  He was really getting on my nerves.  Especially his bitching.  Hands were going on and he couldn’t stop complaining about how his cards suck, the dealer sucks, he never gets any hands.  Bla bla blaaaa

Anyway, after a few orbits of random cards I finally get a monster.  Queens under the gun, so I pop it to $8.  A guy on the end of the table calls, as does bitchy McCrabbypants.  Flop comes out 3 6 10 with 2 diamonds.  Safe enough flop for QQ.  Bitchy checks, so I make it $20.  The guy at the end of the table thinks about it for a min and folds.  Bitchy flats leaving himself $13 back, which is weird.  I figure that he is going to be the turn regardless of the card.  Turn is probably the worst card for me.  Ace of Diamonds.  Bitchy immediately puts his last $13 in.  I am not sure if the ace hit him or not, but I know he is on a diamond draw.  I call it because there is already $78 in the pot.  Bitchy exposes the King of diamonds, so I figure that’s all he has.  Sure enough a 4th diamond is on the river, so he has the nuts.  I nod and say its good. The dealer takes his cards and shows them since he has to show the full winning hand.  Turns out Bitchy had AK.  I don’t mind getting beat, but getting slow rolled like that pissed me off.  I had still had my cards so I slammed them down in frustration.  Bitchy immediately demands the dealer shows my cards, which he does.

Honestly though, the thing that pissed me off more than getting slow rolled was that Bitchy spent the next to orbits complaining how he never gets hands and he never wins a pot and how the dealer never gives him anything to play.  I snapped a little and made a snarky comment about him winning that pot and him slow rolling me, but he didn’t care.  I wound up losing about half my stack a few hands later when I got slow rolled again(different player) when my set didn’t have a strong enough kicker.  The bitch of that was my kicker didn’t play, his kicker was a King.  He took a good 20 seconds looking at the board before exposing his hand.  I was beyond pissed and did something I have never done before.  I stood up on my small blind and left.

On to better things.   I tried a casino I had been to a few times and had the best run I have had since I got down here.  I started at a new table and after a few hands a guy that had the common tactic of playing short and re-buying a bunch bet all in for $45 against my Kings with a pair and a straight draw.  Kings held an I am on a roll.  The table breaks after only an hour cause all the micro stacks (Seriously, who buys into a 1/2 table with $45???) and I get moved to the button which I don’t even have to post because of the break.  After a few hands I open up my game.  I get A3 diamonds UTG and limp.  Sounds weird but they play so weak-soft down here you really don’t need to be aggressive. 

Anyway, 4 people come along and the flop comes out Q high with 2 diamonds.  It checks around.  Queen on the turn.  I check and a guy in the cutoff bets 5 into a 15 pot.  I figure either he is stealing it or has a weak Q.  Everyone else folds so I float the $5.  Bazinga, diamond on the river.  I check, guy at the end bets $15.  I am not sure if he made the boat, but I want to get some more money in the pot, so I re-raise another $25.  He snap calls and I think crap, but he didn’t hit a boat so my flush was good.  A few hands later its my big blind.  It limps 4 way around to me and I get 7 8 suited.  Good hand, but I see people limp with kings and better all the time, so I just check.  Bazinga.  Flop comes out 4 5 6 rainbow.  I check, guy on my left checks, everyone else checks.  Turn is an Ace.  This a good card for me.  Anyone that has an ace will come along with a small bet, so I passively chuck out $5.  The guy on my left immediately gets my attention by raising it to $15.  Everyone else folds, I figure he hit 2 pair or just has an A with a good kicker.  So I flat the other $10.  River isn’t the best card for me, it’s an 8.  If he had A7 then we chop, but that’s the worst I figure it could be.  9 7 is the only hand that beats me and I don’t figure he had that.  So I lead out $45 and he flats and shows A8 for the 2 pair I thought he had on the turn.  I show the nuts and scoop the pot.

Literally, Literally the next hand I am in the small blind.  3 guys limp around and the guy on the button raises to $7 with $8 in the pot.  I look down and have pocket 4′s.  I figure the guy has a good ace or is just trying to steal the pot.  So I flat the $7 and the whole table comes along, so the pot is already big.  But being in the small blind I am not attached to my cards.  If I miss I can easily muck.  BAZINGA!!!!!!!!!!!.  Board comes out Q 4 4.  WTF?  Did I seriously flop quads after flopping the nut straight on the last hand.   Holy crap.  Anyway, no reason to donk bet, so I check.  Guy on my left checks, and a guy in the 6 seat bets out 20.  Folds to the raiser, who calls.  I flat the 20 and the guy that was the BB folds.  The turn is a offsuit 2, so I check.  The 6 seat goes all in for another 35.  Button folds, I call and show the nuts.  6 seat had KQ, so he is drawing dead. 

I play a few more hands but nothing really clicks.  I wind up leaving after 3 hrs being up 245, which is a good short day for me.  Glad to see variance turns around in time to keep me from losing my mind.

Holy downswing

Where have I been the last few weeks.  Well its be utter chaos right now.  I sit here typing this out, pretty much not believing what I am seeing.  I decided to take a break from Indiana poker for a while and came down to visit a poker buddy and try playing some poker in Florida.  Recently, back in July, the state raised the maximum on the table limit buy-in for poker, and from what I have heard the scene has been pretty hopping. 

So when the cold weather started rolling around I though I would drop in and see what its like.  Apparently the Sunshine State can rename it self the Bad Beat State, or the Suckout and ass-fuck the new guy state, take your pick.

Seriously, I havent had this many bad beats since I was getting bullied in grade school.  Hands are irrelevant, but I have been felted every time I have gone and played live and I have lost more money playing live in the last 5 days than I have in the last 6 months playing poker.  Some of the hands involve the following:  Flopped a flush, got it all in, lost to a boat.  Flopped bottom set, got it all in vs A high, double ran a flush.  Flopped a straight, got it all in, double ran a flush.  Got it all in pre flop AA vs AK, AK flopped a straight.

Just any kind of bad beat story you can think of, it’s happened to me.  I show up eager and ready to get things started, leave broke and dejected.  It’s like my prom all over again.  Really not much to say.  This is more of a rant than an actual post.

Up and down

I wanted to say hot and cold, but we can’t say that now cause of that stupid song.

Anyway, had an up and down day last week.  Wednesday was a definate up.  I was on the juciest table, but at times I was scared out of my head.  The table was super loaded, lots of cash on the table.  If you can believe it or not, it was even more loose than the normal 1/2 I have been playing.  There were lots of crazy characters at the table, lots of hands that stick out.

Probably the hand I will remember the most is the one that almost scared the crap out of me.  I had been rollercoastering all day, been playing about 4 hrs.  I got AK diamond UTG and raised it to 7, and 7 people came along for the ride.  In case you haven’t noticed from some of my previous posts, no one believes anyone at the 1/2 table.  From what I can tell the averge number of people that see the flop is around 4-6 for a 10 handed game.

Anyway, flop comes out K Q 8 with 2 spades.  Not a bad flop per say, but man there was way to many draws for me to be comfortable with.  So I make a pot sized bet of $50.  I hate betting to know where I am, especially that much.  But with so many people in the pot and so many draw potentials, I gotta thin the herd.  It made me even more freaked out when 3 people called.  All I cold think was **crappity crappy crap**.  Then I psychically willed the dealer “Low and offsuit, Low and Offsuit.  LOW AND OFFSUIT.”

Turn was 4 clubs.  Phew.  But now what I do.  I don’t dare check.  I really doubt anyone with pocket 4′s is still in the hand, but I gotta take it down right now.  I can’t risk the river hitting someone’s draw.  So I go all in for $241.  Now this pot is seriously bloated, but it was really my only move.  Thankfully everyone folded and I managed to end the day up about 230.

Monday was about the complete opposite you could get.  Granted the table was just as loose and just as wet, but the whole day was fail.  5 separate times I had a mid to upper mid pocket pair, raised and got called by at least 3 or 5 people and the flop was all paint.  77 flopped AKQ.  88 flopped AA10.  And when you have position but 3 people bet and raise ahead of you, no way your hand is good.  I also had several hands where I went for the draw and missed and even more hand where I bailed early and would have hit my draw.  All in all, I finished -60, and had I made the opposite decision on my draw hands I figure that I might have been up 300-400.

Still, these things are what I am going to have to get used to if I want to try to make my living playing poker.  Managing the swings.  Oh well, no poker next week.  Gotta get my car in the shop and there are no loaners to be seen.

Back to the grind.

So, after a mental break from my horrible play at the Circut events, I was back at the tables today and I must say I do enjoy playing poker, even if it frustrates the crap out of me all the time.  Hard way to make an easy living I guess

My first 1/2 session back was profitable, if a bit weird.  They were still playing the circuit main event when I got that.  Day 2 still had 60 people into it and only 30 got paid.  So the people that paid $1,500 or sat or freerolled their way in still easily had another 9 hrs of poker to cash. 

Regardless, I was 13th on a list for the 1/2 table, so when the new table opened I didn’t sit down right away.  And it was a juicy table.  The guy in the 5 seat was felted on the 2nd hand.  Right away.  I didn’t see how the action went down, but I was chilling at a dead table next to the new table, heard someone say all in, and check it out.  The board was 3 4 5 10 10, and the guy in the 9 seat eventually said call and showed A5.  Apparently that was good enough cause the guy in the 5 seat mucked.

Anyway, after about half an hour I managed to sit down in the 5 seat because the nut-job felted after reloading and I jumped into that seat. That’s the kind of table I want, people with extra money calling light.

I wound up leaving about 3:30 because I wasn’t feeling well, but I still managed to make a 110% profit from my buy in.  Here are a few hands that stood out:

Folds around to the cutoff who raises to 7.  I call on the button with A3.  Light I know but I had literally folded the first 20 hands I got, so I wanted to play.  Flop comes out A J 9.  CO bets 10, I call figuring he had a J or KQ for the straight draw.  Turn is a 4, so no real change there.  CO bets another 10, don’t put him on an A, just figure he is betting his J.  I flat.  River is a 3, so if I was wrong I paired my kicker.  CO bets another 10, I flatted again, because any raise will only be called by a better hand.  I was wrong, he had A7, so I won my hand.

A few hands later (roughly 30) I had 55 on the button.  3 people limped in, I raised to 15.  The scary thing about the 1/2 game at the Horseshoe in Indiana is that it has lots of people limp and you really gotta raise big pre flop to get a lot of people out.  all 3 limpers called.  Board came out K 10 9, checks to me.  I bet 35, and because of my tight image I got everyone to fold.  Phew.

The hand where I made the most money but had me concerned.  UTG +2 I had 99.  I raise to 15 because there was a $5 button straddle.  Oh, BTW, you can straddle from any position you aren’t in a blind, so lots of people button straddle.  Guy in the 2 seat calls, heads up.  Flop comes out 884.  Fairly safe flop for me. I bet 35, 2 seat calls.  Turn wa a 7.  I check, 2 seat checks.  I figure he has AK or AQ.  River was a 6.  I bet 70.  2 seat thinks for a min and calls.  I show 99.  Here is where I was concerned.  Dealer calls out that I had a straight.  I said no, I have 2 pair.  He corrects himself.  2 seat mucks, but I am not 100% sure he heard the correction.  But he did muck, and not right away.  He looked at my turned up cards for a good 20 seconds, so if  he had my 9′s beat he missed it as well. 

Nothing really noteworthy after that.  I really wanted to stay but I was feeling like crap.  Still, its nice to know that I had the patience I was lacking at the tournaments.  There were more hands, but in the roughly 3 hrs I played, I probably only played 20 hands not counting blinds.  Thats really my style, TAG all the way.  I am not the kind of guy that can play 9 3 and catch it.

Event #3: Just plain broken

So another event is in the books and I was out before it began.  I am pissed at myself, no check that.  I am flat out embarrassed at myself and my play.  I should have just taken the cash and burned it in the front lawn.  It would have saved me some time.

The sad thing is it started out good.  I love the 6max format.  More hands, more room at the table.  Less threat of someone who smells like they havent showered in a month.  I got to my table, and had a real table this time, even though there were alternates again.  The fields are really up this event.  I was placed in the 2 seat, which I am not a fan of but in the 6max I can sit where I can see the table, which I do like.   After folding a few hands I was bored and raised with 10 8 off UTG.  Weak hand I know, but the one thing I noticed from the Saturday event was that I was playing way to tight and the 6max is a good place to open up, because everyone expects you to open up more.  Someone in the 5 seat called, and the blinds folded.  Flop comes out 10 8 2.  I lead out for 200, and the 5 seat calls.  Turn was a 4 and I bet another 200, 5 seat flats again.  I figured they either had a straight draw like me or a 10 with a bigger kicker.  River was a Q and I check, and the 5 seat checks and shows a set of 10′s.  Wait, what?  They had a set and didn’t bet the river.  Unless she (I am assuming she was a she, because I honestly couldn’t tell) put me on J9 and was just mucking about and hit the river, what does a flopped set of 10′s have to fear from my betting.

Quite quickly I learned she(?) was just that bad of a player.  She called down and showed hand that wern’t 2nd best, but easily 5th or 6th best.  I won all the chips back from her a few hands later.  She limped UTG+3 and I raised my BB with A3.  Flop was A68, bet-call.  Turn was a 10, bet-call.  River was 2, bet-call.  I showed A3, she shows 63.  I took  good chunk of chips off of her(?) later.  I had A7 in the BB and she(?) again limped/called.  Flop came out 5 6 8.  I bet on the come/call.  Turn was a 9, bet call.  River paired 5, I bet and she called.  I showed A7 and asked “We chopping with the 7?”  She(?) showed Q 3, no flush draw?  Wait, WHAT? 

After that hand literally everyone at the table wanted to play a hand with her.  If she was in the pot anyone that had a hand raised and called it down.  She was below half stack by the end of the 1st level.  That is shocking because we started with 10k chips and the 1st level was 25-25 blinds.  Any hand she was in she rarely had any kind of hand.  Granted she got paided, but it was rare that she did have the winner.

Then came the 2nd level and the hand I wish I never played.  I am UTG with A9 of spades and raised it to 150.  4 people came along.  Board came out A 9 8 rainbow.  I check, guy in the 4 seat bets 250.  I raised to 700, everyone else folds and the 4 seat flats.   Turn is an off-suit 3 and I bet 2k.  Guy in the 4 seat tanks for a min and shoves.  Near as I can figure he has a big pair like JJ and is betting I dont have an Ace, or and Ace with a overkicker.  So like the dumbass I am I snap call and of course he show 99 for a flopped set.  Blank on the river and I am gone.

What a total waste of my time.  I have no business calling my self a poker player with play like that.  He was screaming strength and I was completely deaf to that fact.  He didn’t even tank that long.  I should have gotten away from the hand.  I have no business thinking I can be a poker player until I can get myself out of those situations, or not even get in them in the 1st place.

I know it seems that I am being hard on myself, but if let myself off the hook and just say it was bad luck or that was the only way the hand would play out, I will never improve my game.  I cant let that happen again, and being hyper-critical i the only real way to fix that.

Event #1: Breakdown

Ok, so event 1 didnt go so well.  Far shorter day than I wanted.  Here is the breakdown of everything that happened.

11:10am.  Buy in the event.  There are how many so far?  Crap thats a lot.  Going to be a big prize pool, long ass day ahead.

12:00.  Fuck berries.  Why did I kill time at the tables.  Should have grabbed a snack or something.  Waste of money

12:01.  Double Fuck berries.  This is my table?  This remind me when I was at the kiddie table at Thanksgiving.  Serioulsy, did they buy this table from Bed Bath and Beyond before the tournament started.  Its literally a folding table with WSOP branded felt.  hope I get moved soon.

Level 1 end:  Bored, bored, bored, muck, lose, bored, muck.  Not much to report.  Down a little, nothing to play.  I hate being in the 1 seat.  I cant see 3 people and can only look at 5.  Why does that guy have to be in the 7 seat.  He reminds me of my friend Chuck.  Sadly, Chuck was born without an inner monolog.  This guy has all of chucks manerisms, but he is a bit of a dick.  **queue dramatic voice** I shall call him EVIL CHUCK **end ironly dramatic voice**

Level 2:  Still bored, still no cards to play.  Down a little more, not bad.  Low blind structure.  Lots of play, no need to go nuts.  Just wish I cold get something other than Q3 or 84 or something like that.  Wish I could get some cards.  Hey, while I am wishing for things that won’t come true, how about a slutty red-headed wife and a winning lottery ticket.

Level 3: Lost a big pot.  I am a dumbas for making that call.  I was right that his kicker was worse than mine.  I was wrong cause he hit that kicker for 2 pair.  Missed my kicker.  now I am down

Level 4:  WTF Evil Chuck.  I can give you a little props for re-raise bluffing for J6. After the guy on your left shoves for the rest of his stack, I don’t care if its only 1100 more, J6 is a crap hand to call with.  You know you are wrong when the guy that shoves has KQ suited and he turns a royal flush.  You should realise how wrong you are when fate puts a 5 card flush on the board for your stupid call.  Don’t defend it.  You were wrong, get over it.

Level 5:  Still down, still got 30 blinds, so no need to go nuts.  I love this structure.  Been under half my starting stack for a whole level now and yet I dont feel rushed.  Just wish I could get some cards.  I am just floating right now.  Did hit 2 pair with a Small Blind special.  Got me back up to 4k.  Need cards.  I feel like that kid in Boy’s Town.  “Please sir, may I have some more”

Level 6:  Not quite a double up, but good enough.  AK suited on the button.  Now we are talking.  blind are only 100/200,  so lets see what happens when I bet 600.  WTF?  4 callers, not the best results, but gotta get some chips.  A suit suit.  Best flop I could hope for, check it around.  Suit on the turn, good.  Got the nuts for once.  Checks to the 4 seat who bets 1500.  Total stab.  How do I get more chips.  Not sure I want to risk 2 pair.  Only got 3100 after the 1500.  Might as well ship it.  Shipped.  Damn, he folded.  Oh well, back up to 8k, I can live with that.

Level 7:  Still pretty card dead.  Whole table is still needling Evil Chuck over that J6.  Sorry dude, you made the play, gotta live with it.  Not much to do but ride it out.  Like I am riding out this small stack.  Wish I could make a move, but this whole time (almost 4 hrs now) only 1 person from the table has busted.  Everyone is just moving chips around.  Wow, they are finally done seating alternates.  139 alts.  Over 125K prize pool.  48k to the winner.  Thats nice.  I need me some of that.  54 payed out.  Board shows 440 in.  not sure how accurate it is.  Dinner is in 2 levels, should know how it is after that.

Level 8:  Tripple fuckberries.  Out.  Why did I take a stand with a flush draw.  Why is some nitzilla UTG+1 raising with Q10 off.  Why did he have to hit his damn 10.  Why why why. 

As much as I can summerise, here is what I know.  I love the slow structure. The blind levels might have been 30 min, but they moved up really slow.  Level 8 was only 50/200/400.  Still had about 14 blinds when I busted out.  I don’t think my play was bad per say.  I definately need to find more spots where I can be aggressive.  Kind of hard when my cards were utter crap.  I think I might have had 12 top 15 hands in the 5 hrs I played.  Skill is there, made some good reads.  Gotta learn how to hide what I have better.  But still, massive field.  Not quite sure how the 6 max on Sunday is going to go.

Shuffle the F*k up and deal

Ok, so its almost Oct and that means bigger poker.  Well technically not bigger but more organized.  My local casino has the World Series of Poker Circuit events going on.  10 events, mostly hold em (not surprised) and chances to move on to bigger and better things.

So I have been pouring over the schedule trying to figure out what I want to play. 

Event 1: Run of the mill 9 handed NLHE $350.  Might check it out, see what the field is at

Event 2: Same as before, but $550 on sunday.  Pass.  only 2k more chips for $200 more.

Event 3: Ladies event.  dont have the requirements to play

Event 4: $350 6-max Definate.  My old work schedule I could only play on Mondays and they always have the 6-max on a monday.  So far I have played that style on 4 separate occasions.  I finished middle of the pack, 11th, 4th and 1st.  So I have a good record there. 

Event 5: $350 H.O.R.S.E.  As much as I would love to play this, my Razz game sucks.  Maybe next time

Event 6: $350 1/2 PLO, 1/2 Pot Limit Hold em.  If I cash big in either the 6max or Event 1, I will play.  I am not the best PLO player, but pot limit for the hold em definately gets me an edge.

Event 7 and 8 are both another $350 NLHE events, same structure.  Again performance dependant

Event 9 is a repeat of the $550, so pass

Event 10: $1,600 Circut Main event.  Obviously I want to play this, but unless I cash well enough I won’t be able to.  I am definately a small stakes player, and $300 is what I buy into when I play the $1/$2 tables when I play live.  So using over 5 buy-in’s for 1 tournament doesn’t have the right EV for me.