First off, let me shout out a big YAHOOOOOOOOO!!!! The Canucks pulled it off in dramatic fashion winning game 7 last night and moving on to the second round. One round does not make a championship, but it does mean that they only have 12 more wins to go!
Here's how I did in the first round:
The West: I got each series winner correct, but never got the number of games right in any of them
The East: I got each series winner correct except for Pittsburg. I am not sure what I was thinking there. Ottawa was just way too tough and Emry is looking much better than I expected. Regardless of what I though Sid could bring to the table, it was just too soon. But look out, the Pens look like they are for real now and I wouldn't be surprised if they go very deep next year.
Here are my picks for Round 2:
The West:
(1) Detroit vs. (5) San Jose Sharks - I'll take the Red Wings in 7
(2) Anaheim vs. (3) Vancouver - I'll take the Canucks of course in 6 games (at home)
The East:
(1) Buffalo vs. (6) New York - As much as I want the Rangers to win, I have to stick with Buffalo in 6 games.
(2) New Jersey vs. (4) Ottawa - I like the Senators to win in a dramatic 7th game.
See you at the Mooooook tomorrow.
24.4.07
23.4.07
JC Satellite via Fuel55, WPBT #4 runner up
Great weekend overall. However, the Canucks not winning game 6 on Saturday still stings. Consequently, leaving a big black cloud hanging over what was otherwise a fantastic 2 days off. I usually try to get as many "activities" in as I can on Saturday and Sunday, and this weekend was full of them. Let's just say tomorrow night's game 7 is about as big as it gets right now... so I don't like my chances of showing up for the MATH tomorrow.
Have a good week everyone. Mine's only 3 days long! Lot's to do though.
I headed down to the FCPC on Friday night as Fuel55 had invited me out to participate in a private satellite ($55) for the upcoming Johnny Chan Poker Classic being held during the first week of May. There were 19 players, 1st earned a ticket ($550 value) and the next 3 players chopped up the remaining money (silly me, I proposed the chop... and managed to come out ahead). I finished a dissapointing 4th place, but did manage to make it to the money and overall I had a really great time. They had a great tournament structure, and it allowed for a lot of poker to be played (and suckouts of course). Simon, the organizer, and a few other strong and accomplished players tested my game continuously. It was a good time, and I am glad I had chance to meet up with JV. He also made it to the final table, but wasn't as lucky. He got donkey called by the eventual winner who was in the SB. Fuel was on my left and it folded around to him in late position, he raised it 3x and the SB called with 56o!! Fuel hits his K and bets, gets called by the small blind. The turn is another 5 and the rest is history. Fuel was so choked he wasn't there for more than 5 more minutes and then quite possibly headed for the River Rock to let off a little steam. Thanks again for the invite Fuel.
Played golf both Saturday and Sunday. Bleah. I need practice. Lots of practice. I have a tourney next weekend (The "Rattlesnake Open"), which is why I won't be able to play in the blogger bracelet race on the 29th. Make sure you register if you can make it, and good luck!
I played in my second ever Token Frenzy on Sunday and won my second consecutive token. I'll be saving it for the Big Game, unless something else comes along before hand. As I've said before, these token frenzy tourney's are SOFT.
While I was playing in the token tourney, I was also playing in WPBT event #4 - limit holdem'. When it comes to poker, limit poker is the first game that I learned about 5 years ago. The casino, online and with buddies, I always seemed to play limit. When NL exploded, I couldn't resist and honestly over the last 2-3 years, I haven't played it more than a handful of times (not including horse). I started off very poorly, not remembering the differences right away. It took me a few orbits to feel comfortable at my table, and I really just focused and watched the other players. At first I just wanted to get some points. Then when I made it to the final table, I realized that I actually had a chance. When we got past the bubble, I was elated. Not only was I going to cash in my second consecutive WPBT event (I missed event #3 - razz), I was going to earn some good points for the overall race. Things went well for me and I found this hand shortly after the bubble burst:
Full Tilt Poker Game #2268639679: WPBT 07 event #4 (16100008), Table 1 - 600/1200 - Limit Hold'em - 23:27:24 ET - 2007/04/22
Seat 1: Schaubs (11,660)
Seat 1: Schaubs (11,660)
Seat 7: maigrey (15,120)
Seat 8: change100 (4,720)
maigrey posts the small blind of 300
change100 posts the big blind of 600
The button is in seat #1*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to Schaubs [Ac Qc]
Schaubs raises to 1,200 (I should raise right?)
maigrey folds
change100 calls 600
*** FLOP *** [5c 9h 6d]
change100 checks (ok she checks top pair)
Schaubs bets 600
change100 raises to 1,200 (yikes check raise!, if we were on the bubble, I'd be folding)
Schaubs calls 600 (ok I agree, questionable call, but I am in the money and going for first here, so I am willing to gamble a bit more at this point)
*** TURN *** [5c 9h 6d] [Tc] (I now have a flush draw)
change100 bets 1,200
Schaubs calls 1,200 (let's gamble some more, can't look back now)
*** RIVER *** [5c 9h 6d Tc] [Jc]
change100 bets 1,120, and is all in
Schaubs calls 1,120
*** SHOW DOWN ***
change100 shows [Td 9s] (two pair, Tens and Nines)
Schaubs shows [Ac Qc] (a flush, Ace high)
Schaubs wins the pot (9,740) with a flush, Ace high
change100 stands up
change100 stands up
Change100 was pretty choked at me and I agree I did suckout, but like I said, once I was in the money I was in gamble mode, and it paid off. Dr.Pauly was there to cheer her on, and she played very very well. GG, I just had some timely luck there, and you are right, I really didn't give you credit for a hand there.
Maigrey ended up kicking my ass when we got to heads up. I was totally dominated and eventually relinquished my chip lead and a few hands later it was over.
Have a good week everyone. Mine's only 3 days long! Lot's to do though.
18.4.07
Sitting 25th BBT & RPT, Canucks, Wii Lebowski
I'm currently sitting at 25th place in both the BBT and the Riverchasers Tour... I haven't played in too many Riverchasers thus far, but I've place well when I've found time. Thursday's seem to be tougher (and harder to justify a third night a week) in playing poker online. There is the odd time that I'll get into a cash game during the Canucks as well which is always nice and the guys I play with are average at best. So it makes it worth it. It's nice that the Riverchasers tournaments aren't every single Thursday though, so it really hasn't been too bad lately.
Last night worked out well, and I did get my share of luck which is necessary to win the Mookie, that I know for sure (just ask pokerpeaker). My final table bubble play has improved and I look forward to the WPBT #4 (Limit Holdem') this Sunday. I managed to win a token last night while playing the Mookie so I'm already registered... are you? Do it.
GO CANUCKS! Game 5 tonight is the real reason I'll be missing RPT event #8. It's all on you Luongo. Sorry TFG, but tonight could be the end of the Dallas Stars.
I thought I'd throw this in here at the end. I am a HUGE "Big Lebowski" fan and when I saw this, I just had to post it.
Some of favorite lines (just off the top of my head) from the movie include:
- Do you mind if I do a J?
- That's just ahhhh your opinon, man.
- This aggression will not stand, man. (the Dude stole that from the Reagan speech)
- You're not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole!
- Obviously, you're not a golfer. (classic stuff).
- I'm not Lebowski... you're Lebowski. I'm the Dude!
Mental note: watch Lebowski this weekend... it's been too long.
See you Sunday.
Last night worked out well, and I did get my share of luck which is necessary to win the Mookie, that I know for sure (just ask pokerpeaker). My final table bubble play has improved and I look forward to the WPBT #4 (Limit Holdem') this Sunday. I managed to win a token last night while playing the Mookie so I'm already registered... are you? Do it.
GO CANUCKS! Game 5 tonight is the real reason I'll be missing RPT event #8. It's all on you Luongo. Sorry TFG, but tonight could be the end of the Dallas Stars.
I thought I'd throw this in here at the end. I am a HUGE "Big Lebowski" fan and when I saw this, I just had to post it.
Some of favorite lines (just off the top of my head) from the movie include:
- Do you mind if I do a J?
- That's just ahhhh your opinon, man.
- This aggression will not stand, man. (the Dude stole that from the Reagan speech)
- You're not wrong Walter, you're just an asshole!
- Obviously, you're not a golfer. (classic stuff).
- I'm not Lebowski... you're Lebowski. I'm the Dude!
Mental note: watch Lebowski this weekend... it's been too long.
See you Sunday.
17.4.07
Which Poker site is #3?
I've been thinking of joining another poker site and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. I currently have accounts with the big two (Full Tilt & Pokerstars) and I do still poke around at my first ever site which was Party Poker. However I don't have much over there anymore. I am getting tired of Pokerstars so I think I would like to dump a few bucks into another site and see how it goes. Please make a suggestion based on this criteria:
1. I want a 100% first deposit bonus (or something of equal value)
2. I want to be able to play in MTT's that would be, in your opinion, "softer than usual."
3. I want to play at a site that offers WSOP qualifiers.
4. I want to be able to transfer funds in from Full Tilt... not sure if this is even possible actually.
Your suggestions and thoughts are much appreciated.
Just from what I've read lately, it seems that Bodog might be the way to go, but I'll see what my small loyal group of readers have to say. If you're new to this blog, I'll listen to you too don't worry. I'm sure you're asking yourself by now "why doesn't this guy just do some due diligence and make his own decision?" Well now that would just be too much work for a guy like me and frankly why would I bother when I can just post this and get some valued opinions. Anyway, hopefully some of the readers who don't comment here, will actually have a say this time. I appreciate it as always.
Make sure you Mook it up tonight during Lost and then Dook it up 1.5 hours later.
1. I want a 100% first deposit bonus (or something of equal value)
2. I want to be able to play in MTT's that would be, in your opinion, "softer than usual."
3. I want to play at a site that offers WSOP qualifiers.
4. I want to be able to transfer funds in from Full Tilt... not sure if this is even possible actually.
Your suggestions and thoughts are much appreciated.
Just from what I've read lately, it seems that Bodog might be the way to go, but I'll see what my small loyal group of readers have to say. If you're new to this blog, I'll listen to you too don't worry. I'm sure you're asking yourself by now "why doesn't this guy just do some due diligence and make his own decision?" Well now that would just be too much work for a guy like me and frankly why would I bother when I can just post this and get some valued opinions. Anyway, hopefully some of the readers who don't comment here, will actually have a say this time. I appreciate it as always.
Make sure you Mook it up tonight during Lost and then Dook it up 1.5 hours later.
MSM and FTOPS ME
MSM = My second Math. It was terrible. I just wasn't into it. I kept getting these borderline hands in the first half hour, and I couldn't drum up the patients to throw ALL of them away. So I donked out very very early in that one. One token spent.
FTOPS ME = After noticing that Fuel had qualified for the FTOPS ME (a buyin of $535) I decided to give it a shot as well. aAccording to Fuel all you have to do is be patient. Apparantly playing ultra conservative is the way to go... just let the bad tokendonks give you their chips. 130 or so runners (his only had 33?)... well you know how that turned out. I just wasn't into it at all. Too many distractions is the best way I can sum it up. My second token spent.
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It is frustrating when I can spend 2-3 hours on the weekend and hammer out a positive return, just to give it right back on Monday. I won 2 $26 tokens and 2 Sng's for a 100% win ratio on Saturday and Sunday. Big deal. Now all I have to show for it is about half of that. I guess that is variance though. I also managed to lose half a buyin at the $0.25/50 6 handed NL table in roughly 30 minutes. The only reason that happened though was because I was dealt Aces. UTG calls with Js6d... I raise from the button with AA to $2.25. SB & BB fold. UTG (who happens to be the big stack) calls. Flop comes J72 rainbow. he checks. I bet $3 into a $5.25 pot. He calls. The turn is a 3. He checks. I bet $7 into a $11.25 pot. He calls. The river is a 6. He checks. I check (luckily I guess). He tables the fearful J6o. I am not sure what I did wrong there. I guess I should have bet more on the flop and turn? Anyway, everyone called him a donkey for a while. Then I just left because 24 was starting. That show is unbelievable.
Tonight, it's the Canucks vs. Stars game 4. This is a huge game for the Canucks and if they can win this tonight, they will be set up to take it down by either Thursday or Saturday. Luongo has been amazing so far, and I look for many more great saves to come.
I've been invited to play in a Johnny Chan Classic satellite tournament over at the FCPC. Fuel has been trying to get me to come out to his Friday night game for a few weeks now, so I think I will give it shot. $55 could net me $65,000 if I go on a sick sick run of luck and play the best poker of my life. You just never know. I don't see why it can't happen to a guy like me. Why the fuck not.
See you at the Moooook tomorrow.
FTOPS ME = After noticing that Fuel had qualified for the FTOPS ME (a buyin of $535) I decided to give it a shot as well. aAccording to Fuel all you have to do is be patient. Apparantly playing ultra conservative is the way to go... just let the bad tokendonks give you their chips. 130 or so runners (his only had 33?)... well you know how that turned out. I just wasn't into it at all. Too many distractions is the best way I can sum it up. My second token spent.
---
It is frustrating when I can spend 2-3 hours on the weekend and hammer out a positive return, just to give it right back on Monday. I won 2 $26 tokens and 2 Sng's for a 100% win ratio on Saturday and Sunday. Big deal. Now all I have to show for it is about half of that. I guess that is variance though. I also managed to lose half a buyin at the $0.25/50 6 handed NL table in roughly 30 minutes. The only reason that happened though was because I was dealt Aces. UTG calls with Js6d... I raise from the button with AA to $2.25. SB & BB fold. UTG (who happens to be the big stack) calls. Flop comes J72 rainbow. he checks. I bet $3 into a $5.25 pot. He calls. The turn is a 3. He checks. I bet $7 into a $11.25 pot. He calls. The river is a 6. He checks. I check (luckily I guess). He tables the fearful J6o. I am not sure what I did wrong there. I guess I should have bet more on the flop and turn? Anyway, everyone called him a donkey for a while. Then I just left because 24 was starting. That show is unbelievable.
Tonight, it's the Canucks vs. Stars game 4. This is a huge game for the Canucks and if they can win this tonight, they will be set up to take it down by either Thursday or Saturday. Luongo has been amazing so far, and I look for many more great saves to come.
I've been invited to play in a Johnny Chan Classic satellite tournament over at the FCPC. Fuel has been trying to get me to come out to his Friday night game for a few weeks now, so I think I will give it shot. $55 could net me $65,000 if I go on a sick sick run of luck and play the best poker of my life. You just never know. I don't see why it can't happen to a guy like me. Why the fuck not.
See you at the Moooook tomorrow.
12.4.07
I prevented the three-peat
That's right, the elusive three-peat is safe... for now. I busted MiamiDon early on at the Mookie yesterday, and it was my KK that took down his JJ in his SB. I'm pretty happy with the way I played it, although he did say it was "so obvious" that I either had KK or AA. Well he was right.
Then I proceeded to GIVE ALL THOSE CHIPS AWAY for no reason whatsoever... in one hand. It wasn't even a bad beat. I got caught making a bluff, and my first mistake was calling the raise from MP in the first place. Sellthekids who, I am not sure has a blog, raised 3X from MP with JKo. Everyone folded. I called for no good efffffing reason with 36s. Oh wait, there's one. I'm a donkey, there I said it. Whenever a bluff goes bad, I seem to beat myself up over it for quite some time. Note to self - don't bluff into the nuts.
Oh well, I guess winning the Hoy's bounty for taking out Miamidon will have to do. Thanks again Hoy, and thanks go out to Mookie as well for hosting another great turnout. I guess that was a free roll for me... however I'll use it for what it was intended and play in a token frenzy this week as instructed. I am not too sure that I'll play in MiamiDon's Big Game because of prior commitments taking place 90 minutes after the scheduled start time, but if I do end up winning a token before Sunday, then I'll sign up regardless. It just makes sense to me. Hoy rocks.
Here's my final hand against Iakaris. If this isn't a BB special then I don't know what is... all in preflop where I just call the SB after EVERYONE folded to me AND I only had 10 BB's left after the above noted DONKEY play, Iak raises and I re-raise all-in as fast as possible... that's poker.
11.4.07
Let the NHL playoffs begin!
Here are my predictions for the first round:
The West:
(1) Red Wings vs. (8) Flames - Wings in 5
(2) Ducks vs. (7) Wild - Ducks in 7
(3) Canucks vs. (6) Stars - Canucks in 6
(4) Senators vs. (5) Penguins - Penguins in 6
The East:
(1) Sabres vs. (8) Islanders - Sabres in 4
(2) Devils vs. (7) Lightning - Devils in 7
(3) Thrashers vs. (6) Rangers - Rangers in 6
(4) Preds vs. (5) Sharks - Sharks in 7
I'm in a few pools this time around, but they are all the "pick a player from this box" type pools. I thought I would just make the picks above for fun, and I'll continue to do so each round.
My Stanley Cup predictions: Canucks vs. Sabres - Canucks win in a dramatic 7th game triple overtime where Daniel Sedin scores on a short handed breakaway.... why not!! Go Canucks Go!
Here's a good one for buddy Astin:
10.4.07
MFM & BRM
MFM = My first MATH of this series where MiamiDon managed to dominate yet a third time. Well done Miami, you Vegas Pro. I finished 9th out of 52 which got me to the final table. But before I could even sit down, I was knocked out. I was in the SB with 10h3h and called the 400 chips (400-800) (I guess I could have folded?). There was myself, MiamiDon in the BB and NewinNov on the button. The flop came 9-10-J rainbow (1 heart) and I checked (maybe I should have just pushed right there?). With 2900 in the POT NewinNov bet 2900. I had about 6100 chips left and really felt like I had the best hand. So I pushed, Miami folded and after after some thinking, NewinNov called with 9-Q. He had bottom pair and an open ender. I was right, however, I was not that big of a favorite with 2 cards to come. The turn brings a King and I am done. GG me. I'll take 9th and another final table. I am really starting to feel like I can take one of these down very soon. I know there are still a ton of leaks that I need to fill... it's the "how" that I seem to struggle with... but the bottom line is - hard work.
Another great turn out and a huge prize pool. I currently sit in 22nd out of 138 which, to me, isn't too shabby for only playing in 2 of the first 4 events. See you at the Mookie.
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BRM = Bank Roll Management. This is something that has always been in the back of my mind as I continue to nurse my original deposit that I had once increased by 14 times. Since then, I have been back and forth a bit, but have lost about 1/5th of that BR in the last 1.5 months. It has been to any game in particular. I have been running ok in the odd SnG, and have picked up the odd token here and there. I have tried a handfull of times to qualify for the 30k with no luck thus far. I was reading MiamiDon's post about the $14 token frenzy a few nights ago, so when I saw that Hoy and CracknAces were playing in it, I decided to give it a try. In these, the top 15 spots get a $75 token which are great for the Big Game coming up this Sunday. I am not sure if I will be there this time, but I am going to start stock piling these things because trust me when I say they are full of DONKS. Coming from me, that is saying a lot. I won't even get into how dumb people are in these things but let's just say I was doubling up with over pairs with ease, and making people lay down hands and running for the hills regularily. Again, coming from me... let's get serious here. I would say out of the 82 people, MORE than half of them were complete and utter morons.
Ok so back BRM. I guess it all comes down to picking the right games. Picking the right tournament, with the affordable buyin and playing in the them only when I am in the right frame of mind. I mean really, what is the point in wasting $11-$50 on a night where I am really just bored and not into it at all. Overall, I have not fallen into that trap. I just need to keep reminding myself from time to time to stay within my means, in order to continuously increase my BR. I look back at this post and remember that I had said that I would remove some of my bank roll at the end of March... and then I won the Bloggerpods event. Now I am not one to back out of what I have said, but this time... I will. I just don't see the point. Does anyone? I mean why should I withdraw 4/5th's of my current BR and just cash out when I have come this far in so little time? I feel that the only way to survive the highs and lows is to have that cushion in the account. To have a little something to fall back on when I go card dead. We all do. It is a fact, there are times when you are card dead, and there are times when you feel like you can't be beat.
I don't plan on playing much other than these blogger events, however I do find myself wanting to push further for bigger and more lucrative cashes. Don't we all? So enough with the promises. It's time for some new goals. Some actual measurable poker goals. I am going to work on them before I just hammer them down here without truely asking myself if they are achievable. However, in time, I plan on taking the necessary steps to plan out the best methods to continuously grow that BR. If anyone has any tips or tricks, please pass them on. This is the first time I have really had to consider BRM as I can feel that if I don't grab control of it now... all my hard work over the past 3 months could be for nothing. However, just identifying that I have to be aware of this fact will drive me to ensure that it never, ever happens and when I do finally cash out, it will be of Hoyazo proportions. Nice work Hoy!
Another great turn out and a huge prize pool. I currently sit in 22nd out of 138 which, to me, isn't too shabby for only playing in 2 of the first 4 events. See you at the Mookie.
----
BRM = Bank Roll Management. This is something that has always been in the back of my mind as I continue to nurse my original deposit that I had once increased by 14 times. Since then, I have been back and forth a bit, but have lost about 1/5th of that BR in the last 1.5 months. It has been to any game in particular. I have been running ok in the odd SnG, and have picked up the odd token here and there. I have tried a handfull of times to qualify for the 30k with no luck thus far. I was reading MiamiDon's post about the $14 token frenzy a few nights ago, so when I saw that Hoy and CracknAces were playing in it, I decided to give it a try. In these, the top 15 spots get a $75 token which are great for the Big Game coming up this Sunday. I am not sure if I will be there this time, but I am going to start stock piling these things because trust me when I say they are full of DONKS. Coming from me, that is saying a lot. I won't even get into how dumb people are in these things but let's just say I was doubling up with over pairs with ease, and making people lay down hands and running for the hills regularily. Again, coming from me... let's get serious here. I would say out of the 82 people, MORE than half of them were complete and utter morons.
Ok so back BRM. I guess it all comes down to picking the right games. Picking the right tournament, with the affordable buyin and playing in the them only when I am in the right frame of mind. I mean really, what is the point in wasting $11-$50 on a night where I am really just bored and not into it at all. Overall, I have not fallen into that trap. I just need to keep reminding myself from time to time to stay within my means, in order to continuously increase my BR. I look back at this post and remember that I had said that I would remove some of my bank roll at the end of March... and then I won the Bloggerpods event. Now I am not one to back out of what I have said, but this time... I will. I just don't see the point. Does anyone? I mean why should I withdraw 4/5th's of my current BR and just cash out when I have come this far in so little time? I feel that the only way to survive the highs and lows is to have that cushion in the account. To have a little something to fall back on when I go card dead. We all do. It is a fact, there are times when you are card dead, and there are times when you feel like you can't be beat.
I don't plan on playing much other than these blogger events, however I do find myself wanting to push further for bigger and more lucrative cashes. Don't we all? So enough with the promises. It's time for some new goals. Some actual measurable poker goals. I am going to work on them before I just hammer them down here without truely asking myself if they are achievable. However, in time, I plan on taking the necessary steps to plan out the best methods to continuously grow that BR. If anyone has any tips or tricks, please pass them on. This is the first time I have really had to consider BRM as I can feel that if I don't grab control of it now... all my hard work over the past 3 months could be for nothing. However, just identifying that I have to be aware of this fact will drive me to ensure that it never, ever happens and when I do finally cash out, it will be of Hoyazo proportions. Nice work Hoy!
4.4.07
The Masters Eve, The BBT & a positive Cash game session
Lots to talk about today as you can tell by the title. So away we go...
It almost goes without saying, but The Masters is BY FAR my favorite tournament of the entire year. In fact, it is the Masters that really got me into golf when I was about 11 or 12 years old, and it is the Masters that produced part of my nick name... You see, the year was 1994 and I had just set up my first Masters golf pool with a bunch of buddies. The guy who won it that year was none other than Jose Maria Olazabal. Quickly, guys started to call me Olaschauble... and over the years it was shorted down to just plain "Ola." My weekend plans are... you guess it - sitting on the couch all weekend (I'm so happy its on Easter weekend this year) including Friday! I've even got my own green jacket. Yes, that's right, I made one. Ok so it was for halloween. I went as Mike Weir in October 2003 after Mike pulled off one of the most exciting vicorites that I have ever witnessed. I cut a golf ball in half and stuck it to my head like it was "embedded" in my forehead (fake blood and all). It was pretty funny, I even used a Nike golf ball and put the name "tiger" on the ball. Tiger is and always will be the King (IMHO), and I predict another green jacket for Woods in 2007. I also like Phil's chances along with Adam Scott. This will be Tiger's 5th green jacket and it will continue to soldify the fact that he will go down as the greatest player to ever play the game professionally. Hands down. I am sure everyone remembers 2005 when he made that once in a lifetime chip in on the 16th green on Sunday to set up the playoff and win against Chris Dimarco... maybe this is his year for revenge? The only person that will beat Tiger, is Tiger.
**Edit... It looks like my prediction is not going to come true... However I am putting this in here in the hopes that Tiger somehow makes the cut and stages some sort miraculous comeback (if he makes the cut)... stay tuned... at this moment he is 5 over with 3 to play... the cut looks like it might end up at 6 or 7 over... **
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Well, much to my surprise... bloggers are now betting on me! You see, as many of you know there is a new Blogger tournament series that just got started on Monday (what a turnout for the first event by the way). I couldn't make it out Monday as I had already made plans with some friends. I do plan on making it tonight though to the Mookie as usual. This will be event #2 of a 40 event series. Check it out and be sure to show up as often as possible, because there are some really great bonuses (rake back and Nintendo shit baby) attached to this series that are just too good to pass up. So I'll be there, and I'll be grinding out for the guys that laid some cold hard cash on me. I'm not going to speculate why I was picked by both Sir Al and PokerWolf but I do know that I will try my best to make it out to as many events as possible (ok maybe that is why...?). With the golf season just around the corner, I'll take my best shot at at least playing in one of these, if not two events per week. If I could average 1.5 events per week for the entire series then I think I could make a nice showing overall. Good luck everyone, I look forward to the challenge. I plan on taking my share of wins and losses over the next few months... because "I am a lucky player. A powerful winning force surrounds me." Say it. Believe it.
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However what I can't believe is that... I actually won cash in a cash game last night! I stuck to my 3 beer rule and it worked to perfection. The Canucks were on (they won... again) and we were all up for some good old $0.50/$1 NL Holdem donkey play. I managed to stay out of the way and watch the game for the most part. I made one great call where I checked top pair with 5 players and called a guys bluff on the river to clean him out... double up! After that we played a bit more, and a few (3 of 8) wanted to play some Omaha as well. So we decided you could deal whatever you wanted each orbit. I've come to the conclusion that there is a lot of cash to be made in Omaha just based on the simple fact that if you are patient enough, you will eventually win your share. The pots just get so huge. Everyone is raising and reraising preflop it is hilarious. No one at this particular table knew what they were doing except for the 3 of us. So everyone would usually fold and the three of us would just battle it out. I want to detail a hand that I played in and get some feedback. I made a laydown at the end of the night and I am not sure if it was correct. Check it out:
6 players
I was in the small blind
LP calls
Button (who is a loose cannon) raises to 10 chips
I call
BB folds
LP calls
I had Ad7d7c10d
(should I have raised knowing that the button plays pretty much anything hoping to hit?)
Flop comes 6d7cAc
I bet 15 chips into a 32 chip pot
LP raises to 30
BB calls
I call (should I have pushed right there? I am covered)
Turn - 5s
I check
LP (chip leader) goes all in!
Button calls!
I put the button on the nut straight
and i had no idea what the LP had, but i wasn't sure if even had him beat... if I was sure, of course I would call, but I wasn't. But really in hindsight, what hand could he realistcally have that would beat my set?
I had to call the rest of my stack because LP had me covered for another $50
There was probably $75 in the pot at the time, plus another $50 from LP to cover me
it was a nice move by him, i just couldn't figure it out, but i knew i was behind, so i folded.
LP has 6c6sragrag (a set of sixes)
Button has 8c9hJs10d (nut straight as predicted).
River 8d
LP rivers the full house and scoops the whole pot.
I would have filled my higher boat and taken down a massive pot.
Instead, later on I turned that $50 into $100 and had my first live winning cash game session in what seems like an eternity. So I'll take it, but I am still reeling as whether or not I made the right lay down. I'm still an Omaha rookie, but its times like these that make me want to be a better player. I just need to do some more work on and off the felt.
Good luck tonight, see you there.
GO TIGER!
It almost goes without saying, but The Masters is BY FAR my favorite tournament of the entire year. In fact, it is the Masters that really got me into golf when I was about 11 or 12 years old, and it is the Masters that produced part of my nick name... You see, the year was 1994 and I had just set up my first Masters golf pool with a bunch of buddies. The guy who won it that year was none other than Jose Maria Olazabal. Quickly, guys started to call me Olaschauble... and over the years it was shorted down to just plain "Ola." My weekend plans are... you guess it - sitting on the couch all weekend (I'm so happy its on Easter weekend this year) including Friday! I've even got my own green jacket. Yes, that's right, I made one. Ok so it was for halloween. I went as Mike Weir in October 2003 after Mike pulled off one of the most exciting vicorites that I have ever witnessed. I cut a golf ball in half and stuck it to my head like it was "embedded" in my forehead (fake blood and all). It was pretty funny, I even used a Nike golf ball and put the name "tiger" on the ball. Tiger is and always will be the King (IMHO), and I predict another green jacket for Woods in 2007. I also like Phil's chances along with Adam Scott. This will be Tiger's 5th green jacket and it will continue to soldify the fact that he will go down as the greatest player to ever play the game professionally. Hands down. I am sure everyone remembers 2005 when he made that once in a lifetime chip in on the 16th green on Sunday to set up the playoff and win against Chris Dimarco... maybe this is his year for revenge? The only person that will beat Tiger, is Tiger.
**Edit... It looks like my prediction is not going to come true... However I am putting this in here in the hopes that Tiger somehow makes the cut and stages some sort miraculous comeback (if he makes the cut)... stay tuned... at this moment he is 5 over with 3 to play... the cut looks like it might end up at 6 or 7 over... **
----
Well, much to my surprise... bloggers are now betting on me! You see, as many of you know there is a new Blogger tournament series that just got started on Monday (what a turnout for the first event by the way). I couldn't make it out Monday as I had already made plans with some friends. I do plan on making it tonight though to the Mookie as usual. This will be event #2 of a 40 event series. Check it out and be sure to show up as often as possible, because there are some really great bonuses (rake back and Nintendo shit baby) attached to this series that are just too good to pass up. So I'll be there, and I'll be grinding out for the guys that laid some cold hard cash on me. I'm not going to speculate why I was picked by both Sir Al and PokerWolf but I do know that I will try my best to make it out to as many events as possible (ok maybe that is why...?). With the golf season just around the corner, I'll take my best shot at at least playing in one of these, if not two events per week. If I could average 1.5 events per week for the entire series then I think I could make a nice showing overall. Good luck everyone, I look forward to the challenge. I plan on taking my share of wins and losses over the next few months... because "I am a lucky player. A powerful winning force surrounds me." Say it. Believe it.
----
However what I can't believe is that... I actually won cash in a cash game last night! I stuck to my 3 beer rule and it worked to perfection. The Canucks were on (they won... again) and we were all up for some good old $0.50/$1 NL Holdem donkey play. I managed to stay out of the way and watch the game for the most part. I made one great call where I checked top pair with 5 players and called a guys bluff on the river to clean him out... double up! After that we played a bit more, and a few (3 of 8) wanted to play some Omaha as well. So we decided you could deal whatever you wanted each orbit. I've come to the conclusion that there is a lot of cash to be made in Omaha just based on the simple fact that if you are patient enough, you will eventually win your share. The pots just get so huge. Everyone is raising and reraising preflop it is hilarious. No one at this particular table knew what they were doing except for the 3 of us. So everyone would usually fold and the three of us would just battle it out. I want to detail a hand that I played in and get some feedback. I made a laydown at the end of the night and I am not sure if it was correct. Check it out:
6 players
I was in the small blind
LP calls
Button (who is a loose cannon) raises to 10 chips
I call
BB folds
LP calls
I had Ad7d7c10d
(should I have raised knowing that the button plays pretty much anything hoping to hit?)
Flop comes 6d7cAc
I bet 15 chips into a 32 chip pot
LP raises to 30
BB calls
I call (should I have pushed right there? I am covered)
Turn - 5s
I check
LP (chip leader) goes all in!
Button calls!
I put the button on the nut straight
and i had no idea what the LP had, but i wasn't sure if even had him beat... if I was sure, of course I would call, but I wasn't. But really in hindsight, what hand could he realistcally have that would beat my set?
I had to call the rest of my stack because LP had me covered for another $50
There was probably $75 in the pot at the time, plus another $50 from LP to cover me
it was a nice move by him, i just couldn't figure it out, but i knew i was behind, so i folded.
LP has 6c6sragrag (a set of sixes)
Button has 8c9hJs10d (nut straight as predicted).
River 8d
LP rivers the full house and scoops the whole pot.
I would have filled my higher boat and taken down a massive pot.
Instead, later on I turned that $50 into $100 and had my first live winning cash game session in what seems like an eternity. So I'll take it, but I am still reeling as whether or not I made the right lay down. I'm still an Omaha rookie, but its times like these that make me want to be a better player. I just need to do some more work on and off the felt.
Good luck tonight, see you there.
GO TIGER!
2.4.07
Confirmed. Cash games hate me...
...and I hate them. Nevertheless, for whatever the reason, I still find myself playing in cash games knowing full well that I will inevitably make some lazy donkey move at the end of the night and hand back all my hard work. I went to the River Rock last night in the hopes that I would not make said move once again. I was wrong, of course... but I did realize the potential for earnings in the future if I can ever fill in and correct what seems to be some major leaks in my cash game strategy. Oh wait, I don't have one! I'll detail the hand that basically cleaned me out me in a minute, but first let me reflect on what events took place prior to making this decison to try my luck one more time at the $1/2 NL table at the Rock.
It started out at the golf course where I teed it up with the usual weekend crew. This time there was only three of us. Surprisingly, this was my first full round of 2007. I've been itching to play for weeks now, and since the weather was finally cooperating during the week we were finally able to get a full round in without question. I managed to shoot 75 which was 3 over par. I seemed to have this habit though of making a bogey every time I made a birdie. I did that three times, but overall I was happy with my first outting of the year... managing to avoid making a double bogey by relying on my putter to bail me out on a number of occasions. I did manage to miss, what seemed to be, a long two footer for birdie on 15. Note to self: practice short putts. I expected to be a bit rusty so in hindsight, I'm cool with it.
Man, did I ever miss golf... a lot. I'm really looking forward to this season. I'd have to say I'd much rather be golfing than grinding out any sort of card game. Don't get me wrong, I love me some gamble, but I'd rather do it on the golf course where I can control almost every single event that occurs... except, as usual, for what my opponents do on the course and the decisions they make. This sounds similar to poker, however there is one major factor in poker that doesn't apply so much to golf... and that factor is LUCK.
Sure, there are times in golf where you "get lucky" and your ball somehow banks off a tree or two and kicks out into the fairway, but that is rare. Or the time your ball was heading straight for the water and somehow hits a rock or boulder and deflects into play, however that is even MORE rare. Usually its - hit in the trees, stay in the trees. Hit it at the water, go in the water. There are also times where you can get "unlucky" in golf. Such as you hit it in the trees, so now you need to take your medicine and punch out. But wait, for some reason your ball is stuck directly behind a tree, and now you have to hit it out backwards or towards more danger... again, very rare.
Overall though, I'd say there is much less of a reliance on luck in golf than in poker. I pulled this quote from a book I just finished called "Caro's essential secrets of wining poker" which is:
I am a lucky player. A powerful winning force surronds me.
say it with me: I AM A LUCKY PLAYER. A POWERFUL WINNING FORCE SURROUNDS ME.
say it three times, and say it with afirmation.
When you're down in the dumps, say it, believe it. You'll suddenly find yourself playing better, saving money and building that bankroll that we all treasure and nuture.
Ok so we all know we need luck. If that was the only factor that hindered my ability to walk out a winner last night, then I would be fine with that. It is quite obvious though that when I think back about the events that took place last night there is one common theme that seems to support the fact that I seem to toss away my chips at nights end like clock work... and that theme is.... BEER. I was drunk. Beer and poker do not mix... for me that is. Sure some people seem to be able to pull it off, but not me. Therefore I make this promise: I will not play cash games at the casino or any other venue (including online) when I have had more than 3 beers. Simple. Safe. Sensible. I will allow for the odd time when the stakes are small and the focus is "fun."
Now here is the hand in question that I would like some input on. Please note that there are few areas that I screwed up in this hand, but its the final decision to call (never a good decision to have of course) or fold to a re-raise on the turn that has got me questioning myself:
10 players. I am in the CO+1 where there is already two limpers and I look down and see Q-10s. Until this point, I had a very tight image only showing down one hand in the first two hours and that hand was pocket aces... double up. I had almost doubled my starting buyin of $140 to around $270.
I called the $2 (mistake #1), everyone to my left folds so I now have position. The SB raises to $12, BB folds, one limper calls and I call.
The flop: 9h 7s 2d. The SB bets $15 into a pot of $40. The limper folds. My read on this guy was that he was a decent player, but he had not been sitting there for very long at all. I put him on a range of any ace, or pocket pair below 10's. I decided to raise (mistake #2). I raise it another $50, he thinks for about 15 seconds and calls. He now has $140 left in his stack and I have him covered.
The turn is Js. He checks. I now have an open ended straight draw, a gutshot (need an 8) and a flush draw. I decided to be $70 (mistake #3?) and he re-raises all in. It was another $70 for me to call. After some quick calculations in my head I determined that I was priced in to call... so I did.
He flips over pocket 9's for a set and the river is a 7 giving him the full house. I missed every. single. out. GG me.
I'm not even sure where or how to analyze where I went wrong except for the fact that I should have just stuck to my game and not made such dumb donkey moves like raising the flop or even calling the preflop raise. I'm almost certain that I had to make that call for the final $70 at the end... but at that point, it was already too late, and the poker gods did not grace me with some much needed suckout luck.
Any comments? I'd appreciate it if anyone has something constructive to say. You can even call me a dokey, cuz its true. I hate cash games, and cash games hate me... however I think that with a little more work and some clear thinking, I can at least avoid these situations in the future. Clear thinking is the key. Not dumb drunken decision making at 2am.
Have a good week everyone. Anyone have any good "April fool's" pranks stories to tell? Let me know.
It started out at the golf course where I teed it up with the usual weekend crew. This time there was only three of us. Surprisingly, this was my first full round of 2007. I've been itching to play for weeks now, and since the weather was finally cooperating during the week we were finally able to get a full round in without question. I managed to shoot 75 which was 3 over par. I seemed to have this habit though of making a bogey every time I made a birdie. I did that three times, but overall I was happy with my first outting of the year... managing to avoid making a double bogey by relying on my putter to bail me out on a number of occasions. I did manage to miss, what seemed to be, a long two footer for birdie on 15. Note to self: practice short putts. I expected to be a bit rusty so in hindsight, I'm cool with it.
Man, did I ever miss golf... a lot. I'm really looking forward to this season. I'd have to say I'd much rather be golfing than grinding out any sort of card game. Don't get me wrong, I love me some gamble, but I'd rather do it on the golf course where I can control almost every single event that occurs... except, as usual, for what my opponents do on the course and the decisions they make. This sounds similar to poker, however there is one major factor in poker that doesn't apply so much to golf... and that factor is LUCK.
Sure, there are times in golf where you "get lucky" and your ball somehow banks off a tree or two and kicks out into the fairway, but that is rare. Or the time your ball was heading straight for the water and somehow hits a rock or boulder and deflects into play, however that is even MORE rare. Usually its - hit in the trees, stay in the trees. Hit it at the water, go in the water. There are also times where you can get "unlucky" in golf. Such as you hit it in the trees, so now you need to take your medicine and punch out. But wait, for some reason your ball is stuck directly behind a tree, and now you have to hit it out backwards or towards more danger... again, very rare.
Overall though, I'd say there is much less of a reliance on luck in golf than in poker. I pulled this quote from a book I just finished called "Caro's essential secrets of wining poker" which is:
I am a lucky player. A powerful winning force surronds me.
say it with me: I AM A LUCKY PLAYER. A POWERFUL WINNING FORCE SURROUNDS ME.
say it three times, and say it with afirmation.
When you're down in the dumps, say it, believe it. You'll suddenly find yourself playing better, saving money and building that bankroll that we all treasure and nuture.
Ok so we all know we need luck. If that was the only factor that hindered my ability to walk out a winner last night, then I would be fine with that. It is quite obvious though that when I think back about the events that took place last night there is one common theme that seems to support the fact that I seem to toss away my chips at nights end like clock work... and that theme is.... BEER. I was drunk. Beer and poker do not mix... for me that is. Sure some people seem to be able to pull it off, but not me. Therefore I make this promise: I will not play cash games at the casino or any other venue (including online) when I have had more than 3 beers. Simple. Safe. Sensible. I will allow for the odd time when the stakes are small and the focus is "fun."
Now here is the hand in question that I would like some input on. Please note that there are few areas that I screwed up in this hand, but its the final decision to call (never a good decision to have of course) or fold to a re-raise on the turn that has got me questioning myself:
10 players. I am in the CO+1 where there is already two limpers and I look down and see Q-10s. Until this point, I had a very tight image only showing down one hand in the first two hours and that hand was pocket aces... double up. I had almost doubled my starting buyin of $140 to around $270.
I called the $2 (mistake #1), everyone to my left folds so I now have position. The SB raises to $12, BB folds, one limper calls and I call.
The flop: 9h 7s 2d. The SB bets $15 into a pot of $40. The limper folds. My read on this guy was that he was a decent player, but he had not been sitting there for very long at all. I put him on a range of any ace, or pocket pair below 10's. I decided to raise (mistake #2). I raise it another $50, he thinks for about 15 seconds and calls. He now has $140 left in his stack and I have him covered.
The turn is Js. He checks. I now have an open ended straight draw, a gutshot (need an 8) and a flush draw. I decided to be $70 (mistake #3?) and he re-raises all in. It was another $70 for me to call. After some quick calculations in my head I determined that I was priced in to call... so I did.
He flips over pocket 9's for a set and the river is a 7 giving him the full house. I missed every. single. out. GG me.
I'm not even sure where or how to analyze where I went wrong except for the fact that I should have just stuck to my game and not made such dumb donkey moves like raising the flop or even calling the preflop raise. I'm almost certain that I had to make that call for the final $70 at the end... but at that point, it was already too late, and the poker gods did not grace me with some much needed suckout luck.
Any comments? I'd appreciate it if anyone has something constructive to say. You can even call me a dokey, cuz its true. I hate cash games, and cash games hate me... however I think that with a little more work and some clear thinking, I can at least avoid these situations in the future. Clear thinking is the key. Not dumb drunken decision making at 2am.
Have a good week everyone. Anyone have any good "April fool's" pranks stories to tell? Let me know.
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