Rotten Luck in Step Tournament

My first bit of rotten luck was trying to sign up quickly for a step 5 ($10 buy in). I forgot to check the free buy that I had won, so my account was charged $10 plus buyin. Ouch. Then, I get short stacked with 7 players left and go all-in with suited diamond AJ. I get called by a big stack with suited AJ clubs. Great, chopped pot coming except for one club on the flop. You guessed it, runner runner clubs. Man, how bad is that! I also got bounced out of another step 5 when my all-in A8 is called by queen 8. You have to love the call with the dominating hand, but he spikes a queen. How can these guys continue hitting their 3 outers on me?

Time Off From Poker

Helene and I traveled to Seattle this weekend for Meg & Vinay's wedding. A happy break from poker, though I did take Vinay's father & grandfather to the Tulalip casino on Friday & managed to get a little table time on a very soft 4/8 game. I made about $50 in less than an hour, but disciplined person that I am got up with my winnings, bought lunch for us, and got out with a small win after disaster at the Let It Ride table. Small winning at the Spanish 21 game and home for dinner.

The wedding was very nice, on a rooftop overlooking the city and Puget Sound. Everything went off without a problem except for the barbeque guy who was cooking there when we arrived. Despite having reserved the space, he claimed there was no notice and needed another 15 minutes to finish his cooking. We took photos and he waited uncomfortably before scooting out when his steaks were done. All in all, the wedding was well done (I think the steaks were medium rare!).

We went as a group to the Dahlia Lounge for a very nice dinner. It is one of the finest restaurant's in downtown Seattle, and a favorite of Meg's. I brought some wine that had been given to us by the owners of the winery who had stayed with us the previous weekend. The food there was wonderful and we had a very good time before walking back to the condo for wedding cake, one of my old favorites: Red cake.

We are kicking back today, enjoying some more delicious Indian food prepared by Vinay's mother and will watch the Oscar's tonight. We are all pulling for Slumdog Millionaire!!!

King of Sit n Go's

I am the undisputed king of the sit n go tournament. I have doubled my bankroll in the last two days thanks to a 1st and 2nd in 45 person tournaments back to back. Hanging in there with the step tournament, still stuck at 5th step, but hopeful.

My cough is still with me, but with new medication I see hope. We leave for Seattle tomorrow, leaving the computer at home for focused family time.

Still Sick but Using my Time Wisely

Man, I am still sick! I cough and cough until I almost cannot breathe. I have a telephone appointment with the doctor from Kaiser so maybe some heavy duty codeine laced products are on the horizon for me. Last night I could not sleep, and understandably neither could Helene. I tried to sleep on the recliner sofa, but just could not get to sleep. I finished my most excellent book, "A Year of Living Biblically", by A.J. Jacobs. It has given me a lot to think about, spiritually. I highly recommend it for anyone trying to understand the crazy Judaic/Christian fundamentalists and religious observance in general. On other recommendations, you must, I repeat must, see "Slumdog Millionaire". I am really a movie fan with wide tastes (some say tasteless), but really think this would make any one's top 20 of all time lists. It will leave you stunned and joyful with a very rough ride at times.

My new poker focus is on Ultimate Bet's new 10 step WSOP tournament. The concept is that you buy into step 1 9 player Sit N Go for 10 cents. If you come in 1st or 2nd, you win a free entry into step 2 (regular retail 30 cents). 3rd or 4th place earns you a free reentry into step 1. This continues each step, except that 6 places are paid. First 2 progress, 2nd 2 reentry, next reentry into previous step, last place some small change. I am up to step 4, but stuck. I have another free entry to 4 (reg. $3.00), so going to give it another try. You can also buy into higher levels, but there is a bonus for going through all the steps, an entry into Aruba tournament. Also, you wear their branded gear at the WSOP and win, they give you a $10 million bonus. Not bad for a 10 cent investment!

Sick at Poker

Let me elaborate. I am not sick of poker, but Wednesday night I began coughing, which for me is never a good thing. Since I was kid, whenever I get a cough it gets really bad and lingers forever. After I had annoyed the boys at the Omaha cash game enough, I quit while ahead, but in all fairness not ahead for the day.

On top of that, I had to drive home to Cannon Beach on Thursday. I woke up very late, around 9:30 and was super tired and nauseated. I was packed and ready to go, so I drove straight through with the help of cough syrup (warning: contains codeine, do not operate machinery or drive). Had to pull over once and just close my eyes.

Sleeping on the sofa last night, who wants to be around a hacking cougher? And, spent the whole day on the sofa drinking tea, sucking on lozenges and sleeping. Tomorrow I am supposed to help with the fund raising Wine Walk. Think I will have to pass.

Finally a Cash Game Win

Despite small wins this week (I am thinking of marathon Sunday win of $45 including one 4 hour tournament), finally a decent win with reasonable time spent. Mondays the Moose offers a progressive high hand starting at $150 and increasing $50 an hour until hit by aces full of queens or better. I didn't manage to win that, but after getting stuck over $200 came back to win almost $200 in about 6 hours. With the small blinds ($1 and $2 in all games) it can make for a pretty bad game with lots of folders and little action unless you get the calling stations in the game. I got lucky on a couple of hands and tightened up a little with good results.



I really have to focus on the process and making good decisions rather than the outcomes. Isn't that a little like our lives in general?

Funny Moments at the Moose

I have said it before, and I will say it again. Some things happen playing poker that are like a ufo sighting, nobody believes you when you tell them what you saw. Last night a drunk guy (re-occurring theme) hits quad kings for a $158 Monte Carlo jackpot. The only problem is that he has driven there without his driver's license or other ID. So, in order to collect his money he proceeds to get in his car and back up into a parked car (which happens to be occupied). When the police come, he has no license, no insurance and is drunk. One would assume that his next stop would be jail, but no, he is very lucky tonight as the accident happened on private property and he gets off scot free. Very lucky indeed. He is however able to collect his money, but booted from the game due to being drunk.

Worst Lay Down In History

I am on serious tilt right now because of a very stupid laydown. The 3/6 game at the Moose was o.k. except for a drunk truck driver from Minnesota who felt he must raise every hand. His chip stack at one time approached $500, but I knew it would not last. When someone suggested we switch to 4/8, we had some who refused, so I suggested 10/20 over buttons. I was stuck about $100 or so at the time. The trucker and Frank both took one too, excellent. I ended up heads up with him at least once with the best hand, and quickly got unstuck. His stack dwindled and eventually had to rebuy for another $100, but he continued to ram and jam with almost any two cards. I finally picked up pocket queens, so I rejam and we are capped with Dan also in the pot. The flop is small, but coordinated 10 high with a couple of smallish cards and he bets, I raise, he reraises, and Dan comes along. Truthfully, I have no idea of where I am in this hand. Dan, mumbles something about 2 pair, and I try to disregard this information, or possible misinformation. The turn card pairs the 6 already on the board, and trucker bets out. I call and Dan calls. Still no clue where I am, but if Dan truly had 2 pair, he just filled up, and would not raise to drive away customers. The river is a king...great.... trucker bets, Dan comments that this is his pot, and prepares to call. I am not sure where I am, but suspect that I am behind at least trips so I fold, despite the enormous size of the pot and given my pot odds for a bluff or worse pair. Trucker claims to have missed his straight flush draw and dan shows 10/9 for a pair of 10's. I am now enormously on tilt, and immediately quit & go to the cable for the omaha tournament which I am first out with no hand remotely close to winning or any hand played to river. The cash games goes as bad, so I head to the tournament. I am doing fine, winning quite a few pots until the small blind raises my A/10 preflop. I call to see the flop with the assumption that he would raise with: A. Any ace or B. Any pair. The flop is Ace, King, something and he goes all in. I call with no hesitation to see AQ. The turn however brings my kicker, but the relief is short lived with a Jack on the river for his straight. Suck and re-suck.

On a brighter note, my friend Bob Pishel hit the royal in diamonds for $700 something. Sweet, except I was in the pot with pocket queens.

My Fortunes Improve

Sunday tournament at the moose was great for me. I think I played a smart game, didn't take many dumb chances (2 all-ins with great hands), and ended up chopping $1290 three ways. Sweet! Saw some big hands, quad queen flopped and straight flush rivered, but fortunately wasn't in the hands. If only my cash game could compete with tournament play. I have given back most of my winnings over Sat/Sun/Mon. Got frustrated with Marco tonight. He acts like he is this great player when he just sometimes gets very lucky. The one seat on the 4/8 had wiped out 3 players for over $600, then he sits down and flops quad queens for high hand worth $150, and cleans up generally. I had pocket queens one hand, raised preflop, he calls with j/10. O.K. I would call too. The flop is q/8/3 offsuit, a very nice flop for me. I bet, he calls. The turn gives him a 7 for a gutshot. I bet he calls. The river is of course the 9 when you are a donkey luckbox for his straight. When I whine about him chasing, he says "I could have check-raised you, but I bet it out". Thanks a bunch donkey.

Frustrated, I quit after losing my chips, and play an online 45 person SNG and come in 3rd, only because one player got lucky on me twice, chasing my top pair with a middle pair and hitting 2 pair on the river......And that folks is why I usually prefer tournament play, I can protect against that most of the time with big enough bets, except for the occasional idiot.