Poker Songs

One of the chapters in my poker book is:  Songs to listen to on your Ipod while playing poker.  In thinking about this, I have several:

1.  Pokerface, Lady Gaga
2.  The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
3.  Lilly, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts, Bob Dylan
4.  Las Vegas Turnaround, Hall & Oates




There are more, which I will add to this post later, just wanted to get started.  I could not find Dylan performing Lilly....or Joan Baez (the best cover in my humble opinion}, so here is another cover if you are not familiar with this song.

Teddy Roosevelt Quote

Hosed

Dontcha just hate it when you get hosed late in a tournament.  This was an intriguing online tourney that paid only one place, but it was for a live TV event paying $300,000.  Wow.  With a starting field of 1561 players, my hopes were pretty low.  After 3 1/2 hours still in it with about $65000 in chips.....notice chip leader at 373 K.  Definitely time to gamble with huge blinds and antes.  I had about 9 big blinds.   Anyway, shoved with A/Q and called by A/3 unsuited.  He hit his 3 and I was gone.

The 13 Reasons for Raising

• Build the pot
• Force out opponents
• Steal the Blinds
• Semi-Bluff or Bluff
• Get information (How good is my hand?)
• Improve betting position
• Isolate a Maniac
• Get a FREE card on the next betting round
• Force out a bluffer on the river
• Buy more outs
• Protect your hand
• Create or change your image
• As a psychological weapon 

How to Lose $400

Losing session last night.  Here is a brief recap:

1.  Raised straddler with K/Q.  He calls (naturally). Flop is K/5/5.  He has 5/2 offsuit.  $80 loss.

2.  Raised with J/J.  One caller (Thuy).  Flop is A/x/x.  I bet $20, she calls.  Check/Check, she has pocket Queens.  $50 loss.

3.  Loose raiser, I call with A/J.  Flop is A/x/x.  He has A/A.  I lose $80.

4.  Playing A/Q of diamonds, player goes all in for $20 on flop of J/10/7 all diamonds.  Frost calls with J/7 offsuit.  I raise $20, he calls.  Turn is a 7.  $60 loss.

While this is "only" $270 of my loss, you get the idea.  Consistently running into either bigger hands, draws that came in, or draws of mine that didn't.  In the meantime, quads hit a couple of times, king high straight flush, etc. by the other players.

There is no worse game than the loose aggressive one played late night at the Moose.  People will call raises with jack shit and raise with garbage.  Add to that 7 people on every flop and it is disaster.

O.K. So Here is More

I have not been playing much live poker for the past two weeks, so really nothing to report.  My family reunion in San Diego was awesome, so great to see all the relatives.  We stayed at the (Lawrence) Welk Resort in Escondido.  Very nice condos with several pools, tennis, golf, etc.  Mostly I just used the hot tub.  Our return flight on Monday was uneventful until we got to Sacramento.  They announced that the flight was overbooked and were looking for a volunteer to be bumped.  The initial offer was a later flight to Las Vegas, overnight accomodations with a connection to Portland the next morning.  But wait, there's more.  Also reimbursement for your ticket ($119.80 in my case) plus a $300 travel voucher good for a year.  You may ask, why I did not jump all over that like shrimp at a buffet?  Simple, I had the keys to my son-in-law's car in my pocket.  I was to get to PDX first, take the Max train where the car was parked, then pick the crew up at the airport later that night.  Darn.  Then, they offered a flight to Phoenix with a connection to PDX getting in at 12:40 that night.  Still a problem for me, but Helene was game, so off she went.  Planning to use the tickets to go to Vegas sometime or she will use to visit her sister in NY.  Life is good.

Played last night for several hours, winning $150 in the cash game.  Playing squeaky tight had aces three times, kings once, and queens twice, winning every pot.....small due to my large preflop raises, but would rather win a small pot with them than lose a big one.

Played a.m. Moose today, finished in 5th place:  pocket 10's taken down by A/9 who called my re-raise all-in.    

River Booty Call

"The river just gave me a booty call.  Apparently it is not done screwing me."