Chip Value

One of the key mistakes I frequently see is the "light call".  You know, the big stack who calls your small stack shove with J/3, or the small blind (worst position on the table) calling your under the gun shove with 5/7 suited.  A chip lost is one that must be re-won and sometimes that one chip is the difference between being knocked out of the tournament and surviving to win with a "chip and a chair". 

That said, I am coming to appreciate more the subtleties of limping in from late position and small blind with garbage.  Sometimes it even pays to call the small raise.  I often see very good players counting the pot to figure their calling odds.  This makes sense if also tied in with a good read on the raiser's tendencies.  Does he bluff a lot?  Does he always C-bet?  Does he only raise with pairs?  Only with connectors?  If you are paying attention to his style of play it can be an excellent spot to float in position with nothing, or better yet, flop the nuts and let him donk away his chips with others joining in!!!  This morning in a SNG tournament I folded 6/8 on the button to a 3x raise.  There were several limpers who called and the flop came 6/6/8.  Youch!  However I am please to report that I ultimately ended up winning the tournament so opportunity missed but great outcome.

Speaking of outcomes, it is time to again address the wisdom of separating good decisions from bad outcomes.  It is sooooo easy for us to kick ourselves when we fold that 6/8 and flop the nuts, yet 98% of the time it is the right thing to do.  I often refer to Annie Duke's book (with John Vorhaus) "Decide to Play Great Poker".  She talks about making the right decisions as being the key to winning at poker.  It just doesn't seem that way sometimes.  So, we must choose our path carefully, balancing our instincts (reads) with logic and traditional lines of play.  We must also strive to not be predictable as that is a sure way to fail.

Tri-Cities Binge Poker and Scotoma

This past week was a heavy duty binge poker session.  I arrived in Pasco late Wednesday and did not play that day.  I left Sunday morning after playing in 8 tournaments and one 2 hour cash game on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  To recap my adventure,

Final Tables:  3
Cashes:  1 (2nd place) for $130
Cash game winnings (Omaha):  $154
Times eliminated from tournaments on coin flips:  4
Times eliminated from tournaments with AK:  3
Total net win/loss:  $61 loss

All in all it was a pretty fun trip.  I had a chance to see old friends, celebrate my friend Bob's birthday, play more poker than should be allowed, and did not go broke in the process.  I am not super anxious to do it again as the 6 hour trip is getting to be a bit much for me, but not ruling out another trip over the next few months.

Now to address the scotoma.  The definition is basically a "blind spot".  In a psychological sense, it is something that we just don't see, even when it is obvious.  My scotoma was the presence of the Audi Q5's of the world.  Since winning one, I am seeing them everywhere, probably 6 on the drive back to the beach.  What other blind spots do I have?  Who knows?  I am just not sensitized to them.

Lucky Boy

Putting the Audi story back up.....

This story will blow your mind.  It began about a month ago at Safeway in Seaside.  I was wandering around as usual, aimlessly searching for empty fattening calories while my wife shopped for vegetables and other healthy stuff.  I noticed a big display for Widmer beer that advertised a contest. In order to enter you had to enter some numbers and send them by text to the number listed.  I thought, "what the heck" and did it.  So, now fast forward to this morning.  I am talking to my sister on our landline phone when my cel phone goes, "Bing, bing, bing, bing".  I look at the text messages and holy cow!  The caller is informing me that I have won 1st (and only) prize in the Widmer contest!  I text back to him my date of birth as you must be over 21 to qualify, and my email address so he can send me some documents.  I am pumped but cautious due to identity theft issues and general scumbag scammers working the internet.

So, my next step is to contact Widmer in Portland.  The lady on the phone doesn't know anything about it, but promises to look into it and get back with me.  In the meantime, I look online for the guy's company (an advertising/marketing/web development firm) from his email.  The site is legit and I am pumped.  I feel that this is about a 95% sure thing, but now need to get a notorized letter to the firm and a withholding W-9 statement faxed to the company.  This is my sticking point as it means providing my social security number because the prize is over $600 in value.  So, at this point you are probably asking yourself "what did he win?"  The prize is pictured below:

Yes, this is an Audi Q5, starting price $40,500.  It comes equipped as shown with the Yakima roof rack and bike rack. In fact, this is the actual car.  Now who is the lucky boy?  Only downside I gotta live with the paint job or pay for a new one.  Just kidding, actually it is a wrap that comes right off. Spoke with Widmer this morning and faxed the appropriate documents to the marketing company. The keys will be given to me at half-time during the Portland Timbers MLS game on October 3rd. Not sure yet how many tickets they will be sending but would be nice to take family.  If you are nice to me I will give you a ride in it.  Think I will keep the wrap on for a little while just for grins.
  

Stubborn

Do you ever get this stubborn with a poker hand?  Sometimes you just have to know when to let go. 

Video Music Awards

Pocket 4's

Pocket 4's were the nuts today in an online game.  I was playing against a major league donkey who had chipped up big with a multi-way all-in garbage hand that got lucky.  He was raising or shoving most every hand.  I had doubled up once through him so when I limped in with 4/4 and he shoved I just snap called it.  Rut-Row!!! He had aces, proving again that even donkeys get real hands. However luck was with me and I flopped a 4 along with a pair that filled me up.  Now chip leader I just cruised along....until this hand.  I raised with QQ after a couple of limpers and the player next to me re-raised big.  I put him all in and was pleased to see 4/4....that is until he hit a 4 on the flop.  Now shorter but still in good shape I was amused when he got it all in on the very next hand with QQ against the big stack who had....ready for it?......4/4.  He hit a 4 and the player was gone.  LOL.

My last hand was a shove with 10/10, called by AK who flopped an ace and eliminated me and a short stack.  Out in 5th place, the bubble boy.