Playing Poker Sounds Like Fun!!!

This happens every so often.  A stranger wanders into the poker venue and decides that they want to play.  We are an "inclusive" club at the American Legion so it is open to any visitor.  She arrived fashionably late and wanted to buy in.  She was a blonde.  The open seat was #9 at table 4 where I was dealing.  I explained the chip values and told her what the blind level was.  When it was her blind I helped her put the chips out.  This was to happen many times as she never could figure out when it was her blinds and how much to put in front of her.  Also, when it was her turn I had to explain her options, call, fold or raise.....every single time.  It was an excercise in patience, and as is typical of new players she played every hand.  Because a guardian angel hovers over new players I was trying to be very careful.  I did take a big chunk of her chips when I turned a full house (temporary high hand of the night) but she almost eliminated a highly skilled (think WSOP senior/super senior cashes) player when he flopped two pair and she has 2 bigger pairs.  Now chipped up I was fortunate enough to raise with QQ and get her call.  The flop came A/A/Q and we ended up all-in.  I had nightmares of her playing ace/rag and hitting on the turn or river but amazingly she had given me all of her chips with 9/6 off!!!! WTF!!!!  Now armed with some serious chippage I went on to the final table later and ended up chopping for $256.  Interesting night if somewhat stressful at first.

Fast forward to the Seaside Legion "Big Game" on Monday.  There were 34 players and with the $100 buy-in plus $50 add-ons, the prize pool was around $5000.  Looking back, there were 3 hands that hurt me early.  The first was my pre-flop raise with A/Q called by Q/10.  The flop came Q/10/x and I was lucky to have lost "only" 1/3 of my stack.  The second came with a J/9 of spades on a flop of 9/x/x, two spades.  The turn brought in my flush draw and the persistent big blind called bets on the flop and turn.  The river brought another spade and this time we both checked.  He had K/x of spades for the bigger flush, only saving thing for me was the 4th spade which caused this savvy player who knows my game to put on the brakes.  The last regrettable hand was calling a shove from a short stack playing A/6 of hearts.  I snap called with A/Q of spades.  No problem until the river when he hit his 3 outer 6 to double up.  He would go on to chip up big and be one of the chip leaders on the final table.  The final table was tough for me with mediocre cards and a lot of aggression from the big stacks.  Down to 8 players (paying 5 plus bubble) I was down to 2 big blinds with 2 other players in similar predicaments.  I pick up AJ suited on the button and shove against another shortie in the small blind and the chip leader in the big blind.  He calls with 6/9 suited and manages to river a flush.  So close.  The very short small blind in that hand later went on to double up a couple of times and win $850.

Final report, last night at the Legion, I made yet another final table, went on a heater knocking 3 players out, finishing 2nd in chips on a 4 way chop for $299 each.  A good night of poker, one of my knockouts being the small blind player from the Seaside final table with my J/10 suited vs. 5/5.  River jack.  Another satisfying knockout was my shove of A/A called by KQ suited and despite flush and straight draws my pair holding up.

I have been on an incredible heater with these statistics in the past month:

10 Tournaments played
9 Final Tables (1- 10th place, just missing FT)
5 cashes
4 chops
2 money bubbles

Next week we are moving to Bothell, Wa into our small apartment there to be close to family.  I will miss my coast poker games and buddies but look forward to playing lots of morning tournaments and omaha cash games at the Tullalip casino only about a 1/2 hour drive away.  Will still be coming to the coast at least once a month and will time it to plug into some games here.

Gutterballs, Double Bubble Trouble

Have not played at the American Legion in Seaside for several years but decided to play it last night. The structure, chips and starting stack are different, and it is an add-on tournament which I really don't care for.  My cards stank it up at first and by break time I was well below starting stack.  Nearly everyone did the add-on for $20, so with three tables it was a pretty juicy prize pool, paying 4 places plus bubble.  I decided to contain my losses since cards were running bad, so no add-on for me.

I was flopping lots of gutshot straight draws last night.  I refused to chase any of them.  The odds of hitting the gutterball are so small that it takes very special circumstances to pursue them.  That did not exist last night.  Finally the cards turned in my favor and I got a couple of double ups and some other juicy pots.  Moving to the final table I was in good condition, but had big trouble to my right 2 spots.  A player there had been crushing one of the other tables and had as many chips as all of us combined.  He was both lucky and aggressive, rivering me one time with runner-runner.  I played back at him strongly once when he raised and I shoved with AK suited.  With his chips and luck surprised to see him fold.  Must have been a very weak hand.

Down to 6 places I was in deep trouble with blinds at 2000-4000 and about 10K in my stack.  A player had just doubled up with A/A the previous hand and was now in the big blind, and he had taken the chips from the big blind last hand.  I saw an opportunity to shove with K/5 suited diamonds from the cutoff.  The small blind quickly called me, the BB folded and he turned over A/A.  The flop was good 10/10/x with 2 diamonds.  The turn brought in my flush.  Hooray!!!  Unfortunately he caught his 4 outer on the river (10/10/A/A) to eliminate me in 6th place.  I had not left the table when they starting talking about paying the bubble.  This makes 6 final tables in a row, with 1 bubble and 2 double bubbles. Starting to get old.  Just need some late luck.










     

Running in Mud

Does it sometime seem that trying to accomplish something is like running in mud?  You expend a lot of energy but go nowhere.

Spending the weekend in Seattle I try to help out in daughter's yard/house.  I brought my pressure washer with me with the goal of cleaning their deck, concrete walk and steps.  It is not the easiest thing for me to actually do any work these days.  A combination of age, laziness and probably motivation, but when I decide to do something I want to get 'er done.  So, I rolled my washer over next to the hose reel at the side of the house, unscrew the sprayer and screw the hose into the pressure washer.  This is not as easy as it seems.  The washer on the thing makes it difficult to connect, but I succeed.  Now to turn the water on.  But what the heck!  Where is the turn on valve?  My son in law comes over and shows me (it is under a board in the window well).  We turn it on and water gushes out from the connector hose from the hose reel.  It has come loose and requires a screwdriver to reconnect the clamp.  I can't find a screwdriver anywhere nor my son in law who probably knows where one is.  I force it on, and it looks o.k., but now I notice that the irrigation system which is on the same connection has numerous spouting leaks around the yard.  I go to the biggest gusher and inspect it.  The plastic connector is split.  O.K.  I will check the voluminous quantity of irrigation parts left by the previous homeowner.  I find a giant bag of connectors in the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet which has a serious dent making it very difficult to open.  I cut my little finger on it and am now bleeding profusely.  I find a semi-clean paper towel to wrap it with.  Going through the parts I find what I think is the right piece.  Taking it out to the garden I find it is a male connector, not the female that is needed.  I am informed that there are also 2 other leaks.  I give up.

There are more ways to skin this cat I think.  The other hose reel located in back of the house will barely stretch to enable the cleaning of 1/2 my project.  O.K., better than nothing.  I hook up the hose, go to turn it on and wait....the valve is closed.  Simple to turn on, but it is a "Y" and the other hose needs to be connected.  O.K., it is connected to the outdoor sink.  When I turn it on water begins gushing from the faucet handles which were removed for the winter.  O.K., we remove the "Y" and directly hook up the hose reel.  Awesome!  I am now ready to plug in the pressure washer.  There is an outlet conveniently located next to the other hose reel.  I plug it in, turn on the washer and.....nothing.  There is no power and no other outlets on the front or rear of house.  I now go to the basement, locate the breaker box and find that nothing is tripped.  Hmmm.  I remember an electrical hose reel in the carport.  Great, I plug it in (working outlet), and run it up to the washer....almost.  It is too short.  Searching the garage I find an extension cord.  Now hooked up with water and electricity I pressure wash 1/2 the project.  It is now getting late and I am soaking wet.  Done for now. What seemed like a simple project has sprouted into the need to fix electical outlet, install faucet handles, pick up parts at Home Depot, repair irrigation system and finish original project another day.   

3-peat, Crazy 8's, High Hand

Last week was an amazing heater for me.  It began by cashing in the Friday Legion tournament, then continuing by chopping 2nd, 3rd and 4th places in the $100 Sunday tournament followed by a 3 way chop in the Wednesday Bayway.  The highlight of the Bayway was winning the high hand money with quad aces (king kicker).  It involved a set over set flop vs. 6's against a long time nemesis.  The funny part of it was that I had never kicked in the $2 for the high hand before this because, you know, I just never have the high hand. At the Legion it is not an option and in all my years playing there have only won it once.  Go figure.

So, with eager anticipation I was shooting for a "4-peat" on my wins last Friday.  Sadly it was not to be.  Dealing table 2 I watched pocket 8's destroy the table.  The same guy flopped sets twice and then knocked a player out with them on a 3/4/5/6/7 board.  Didn't see that one coming.  I made the final table but with a short stack went all in with.....you ready for this......pocket 8's.  The big blind was shorter than me so he called with Q/10, rivering a broadway straight.  My final hand came 2 hands later defending my big blind with A/4 vs. A/K.  Not a good matchup.

New update:  Last night I was playing well and running good until late on the final table.  (Side note: I got to the table by cracking aces as a short stack with 9/10, sorry Mike).  Chipped up mightily by flopping a straight with Q/J vs. 9/10 2 pair.  I have to admit some frustration as the aggressive player on my right kept shoving against short stacks with worse hands than mine, taking away my play....then losing and doubling them up when I would have eliminated them on the bubble.  My big error came from a hand in the small blind vs. the big blind.  He is a loose/aggressive player who called my pre-flop raise (A/7 suited), then calling bets on both the flop and turn on a 10 high board (7 on the flop).  I picked up the nut flush draw on the turn and should have shoved as he later told me he had a 7 with a straight draw.  The river was a blank, and barely having him covered I checked and he went all in.  I still had about 4200 left (3 big blinds) and a couple of similar stacks on the table so I folded.  Bad fold.  I was out the next hand when I shoved on the button with K/Q and was quickly called by the same player with his A/Q.  Bubble boy.

All in all not horrible.  5 tournaments, 3 cashes (2 first chops), 5 final tables, 2 bubbles.  With just a smidge more luck would have been a 5-peat.  I can live with it.

I am a sick f__k

Playing poker online while watching Rounders for the 100th time.

Bad Beats Begone

I have been in a poker slump for a while.  Frankly, my enthusiasm for the game has been on the wane since the WSOP circuit event in February. So, have ramped up my dealing activity to mitigate the losses.  The ship may have turned starting in Tulalip, as cashed 4th place on Friday, then chopped 2/3/4 in the $100 quarterly tourney.  Also dealing both so some extra cash.

Nothing spectacular to report, just trying to play tight smart patient poker.  My cards are not running great, little connection to the flops, so must wait for premium cards, position, etc.  Still stuck for the year but slowly digging out.

Next adventure?  Rethinking WSOP.  My current schedule precludes late June, but may go for a few days early June.

Tulalip

Spent the week in Seattle making one trip up North to the Tulalip Casino.  Arriving fashionably late for the 10 a.m. $25. re-entry tournament and no cash games in the immediate future I went ahead and registered as an alternate.  They were about a half hour into the game, 3rd blind level.  Not ideal situation but I was soon seated.  Walking into the big blind I folded to a raise.  Hand one down.  Also folded small blind.  My first opportunity came with a pair of queens in middle position.  I had about 8 blinds so I went ahead and shoved to a shorter stack raise two seats to my right.  He tables 5/5 and I am starting to feel the love.....until he flops a 5.  Now very short, I play until my big blind.  The UTG player shoves a small stack (but bigger than mine), and with $400 of my remaining 700 chips in action, I call with 8/4.  The board runs out 9/10/J/Q, but the utg has shoved with K/10 and I am out with the baby straight.

Undeterred, I sign up for the 1/3 game which is starting momentarily.  It is a pretty crazy game with very aggressive players.  The most active is 2 to my right which puts him on the button when it is my big blind.  I am not to see many unraised pots and throw away many otherwise playable hands when out of position.  I score a nice pot with 6/9 suited on the button, flopping a 6 and rivering another one.  The youngest kid at the table, very aggressive, bets the river and when I call says, "You're good".  Yes I was very good.  The hyper aggressive button guy has stacked at least 3 players and is bullying every pot, straddling every chance he gets.  Finally I pick up 10/J suited in the big blind and call his $15 raise.  With a 10 high flop I check and as expected he bets $25.  I call.  The turn brings a flush draw and I again check.  He bets $25 and I check raise to $50.  He calls.  The river is a very scary card for me, an ace, but figure with 1/2 my $200 buy-in committed I should take an aggressive approach, so I shove about $80-90.  He tanks and finally folds.  Whew.

I played back at him again and won some more, also taking the young kid for a hand, calling his raise with AK and hitting a A/A/J board, but later folding pocket 10's on an ace high board....probably a mistake.  Overall a good session for me, cashing out for $387 after 2 hours by playing tight and I think smart.  It was a pretty tough game due to the aggression but found you could use that against them with a tighter range.