Should I keep Robbie Gould and give up a 3rd round pick (keeper pool remember) or should I dump him and grab a kicker in the 4th or 5th round... maybe even get him again.
There seems to be a bunch of good ones out there, so I am leaning towards dropping him and making the best out of my 3rd round pick. No one else will be keeping a defense so I think I will still have an advantage there when people realize that the Ravens are gone next and push the panic button in the third round.
One season does not make a kicker.
----
Played in the Mookie last night and couldn't really get into it. I was too busy studying for the upcoming drafts!
I've been talking with Fuel a bit about the December gathering and it looks like it will be a go. It's just a matter of finding a place to stay, and there have been some preliminary discussions about the Canadian dudes getting a big place together at the Bellagio. More on that later. He noted that the 10/20 game there is pretty soft and juicy... probably a bit out of my league, but I might take a stab if it looks to be ridonkulously easy.
Deepstacks tomorrow should be interesting. I'll attempt to trap Fuel again, but I think he is on to me already... I check my sets... remember that okay Simon?
29.8.07
I've a got a fever... and the only prescription... is... Fantasy Football!
I need some keeper advice. Below is my FF team as it ended in early 2007. I must keep 7 players (including defense if I so choose) and I can keep an optional 8th player if he is a rookie in 06/07 and was not in the top 10 in his position.
For me, that is Lendale White. He's no slouch, but I am not sure if I can justify keeping him as it would result in having to give up my third round pick. Not to mention the fact that, well, he sucks. He's just got no heart and no will.
The other factor, is expansion. Our league expanded to 14 teams this year and we will therefore have an expansion draft prior to the free agent draft. There will only be the 2 new teams in the expansion draft and they will be entitled to draft from the pool of "dropped players" that we choose to leave behind. Note that they can not take any new rookies as part of their initial 7 picks.
The two expansion teams have also received the 2nd and 3rd pick of each of the subsequent rounds after expansion (i.e. - the free agent draft). Giving them a shot at a decent rookie... but not the best available (such as Calvin Johnson). So Calvin goes first (I know this already as it is Thorndog's pick) and so on.
I have 7th pick.
Here is my current roster as it stands. I need to keep 7 for sure, and like I said, I can always keep Lendale White in my rookie slot (although I've pretty much decided that I am going to drop him unless someone here can convince me otherwise - by Monday).
Philip Rivers
Larry Johnson
Tony Gonzalez
Hines Ward
Reggie Wayne
Robbie Gould
Bears Team Defense
Chad Pennington
JP Losman
Lendale White (rookie, and did not finish in the top 10 in RB last year)
Ronnie Brown
Marty Booker
Mike Furrey
Heath Miller
So.... oh wise readers, who do you keep? Keep in mind I will have 7th pick in the free agent draft. However, 14 additional players will be drafted prior to that, so effectively I have the 21st pick.
I think it's pretty straight forward as far as the top 6. Let me know your thoughts as I am struggling with my final strategy.
I obviously need depth at RB and WR. However I'm pretty confident.
Having 7th pick on the rookies almost makes me want to take Chicago Defense again if there are no decent rookies in Round 1.
----
EDIT!
I just came up with a new scenario!! Philip Rivers is also a rookie and finished 11th in scoring!
In my original plan I had decided to just keep him in my original 7...
Therefore, I could actually keep Rivers in the rookie slot and I would still be able to keep the Bears defense, along with my kicker... and of course, drop Lendale!!!
I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier, it's like it just hit me out of nowhere. I love it when that happens! I also just noticed I am using a lot of exclamation points right now!
Anyway, this is quite a breakthrough and I am sure there are a few of you who have given up reading by now, which is totally fine. If you're still here... thanks!!!!
Time to run some new scenario's!
I guess the question is: would I benefit from keeping the bears defense?
(in which I would have to give up a third round pick for... where I believe the Bears and maybe even the Ravens might be gone by then).
I just think that if I can shore up both the K and Defense positions prior to the draft it will give me a lot more flexibilty in drafting my bench and bye week subs.
Anyway, thanks for listenening. It might make more sense in the morning... or it might just put a little more pressure on me to make the right decision.
I need advice, so feel free to speak your mind!
For me, that is Lendale White. He's no slouch, but I am not sure if I can justify keeping him as it would result in having to give up my third round pick. Not to mention the fact that, well, he sucks. He's just got no heart and no will.
The other factor, is expansion. Our league expanded to 14 teams this year and we will therefore have an expansion draft prior to the free agent draft. There will only be the 2 new teams in the expansion draft and they will be entitled to draft from the pool of "dropped players" that we choose to leave behind. Note that they can not take any new rookies as part of their initial 7 picks.
The two expansion teams have also received the 2nd and 3rd pick of each of the subsequent rounds after expansion (i.e. - the free agent draft). Giving them a shot at a decent rookie... but not the best available (such as Calvin Johnson). So Calvin goes first (I know this already as it is Thorndog's pick) and so on.
I have 7th pick.
Here is my current roster as it stands. I need to keep 7 for sure, and like I said, I can always keep Lendale White in my rookie slot (although I've pretty much decided that I am going to drop him unless someone here can convince me otherwise - by Monday).
Philip Rivers
Larry Johnson
Tony Gonzalez
Hines Ward
Reggie Wayne
Robbie Gould
Bears Team Defense
Chad Pennington
JP Losman
Lendale White (rookie, and did not finish in the top 10 in RB last year)
Ronnie Brown
Marty Booker
Mike Furrey
Heath Miller
So.... oh wise readers, who do you keep? Keep in mind I will have 7th pick in the free agent draft. However, 14 additional players will be drafted prior to that, so effectively I have the 21st pick.
I think it's pretty straight forward as far as the top 6. Let me know your thoughts as I am struggling with my final strategy.
I obviously need depth at RB and WR. However I'm pretty confident.
Having 7th pick on the rookies almost makes me want to take Chicago Defense again if there are no decent rookies in Round 1.
----
EDIT!
I just came up with a new scenario!! Philip Rivers is also a rookie and finished 11th in scoring!
In my original plan I had decided to just keep him in my original 7...
Therefore, I could actually keep Rivers in the rookie slot and I would still be able to keep the Bears defense, along with my kicker... and of course, drop Lendale!!!
I can't believe I didn't think of this earlier, it's like it just hit me out of nowhere. I love it when that happens! I also just noticed I am using a lot of exclamation points right now!
Anyway, this is quite a breakthrough and I am sure there are a few of you who have given up reading by now, which is totally fine. If you're still here... thanks!!!!
Time to run some new scenario's!
I guess the question is: would I benefit from keeping the bears defense?
(in which I would have to give up a third round pick for... where I believe the Bears and maybe even the Ravens might be gone by then).
I just think that if I can shore up both the K and Defense positions prior to the draft it will give me a lot more flexibilty in drafting my bench and bye week subs.
Anyway, thanks for listenening. It might make more sense in the morning... or it might just put a little more pressure on me to make the right decision.
I need advice, so feel free to speak your mind!
27.8.07
Another second place, Double pocket aces cracked, and Vegas baby!
I finished 2nd yesterday in event #8. I did have one suckout on presto where I turned a boat on my top 2 pair vs. a bottom set of 5's. That set me up for a comfortable run for first, but in the end Mattazuma was just too much, and he took me down after about 30 minutes of heads up action. It looks like I'll be in second place for a little while longer.
I played a bit of cash on the weekend. I've dropped down in levels in an attempt to be bank roll responsible. I got it all in vs. a couple of dudes and this is how it turned out:
A major suck out.
Variance rules.
If I recall correctly, MP limped, I raised, BB smooth called, MP re-raised all in... I called (donkey) and BB called as well. They were both short stacks and it seemed like a donkey call at the time knowing that I am beat by at least one. As you can see by the massive pot that I won, I was pretty happy...
I love hitting a 2 outter to take out double aces. That is definitly a first for me.
----
In other news... I am heading to Vegas!!! Details to follow, but it looks like we are planning a trip October 19th-22nd. Beers, Poker, Golf. It's been way too long, so I am glad that I will be making the trip in little over a month.
Can't wait.
Now I just need to figure out which tournaments I should try to play in and hit the River Rock and start building a bank roll. I am sure Chad will have some good advice on which Vegas tourney's have the best value.
I'm still not sure if I will be making it out for the winter classic, so this trip just might have to do. Time will tell.
Have a good week everyone.
25.8.07
WPBT 07 event #8
If you've got some spare time in the afternoon tomorrow, make sure you stop by for event #8:
Name/Title: WPBT 07 event #8
>> Password:
>> Date: 8/26 (Sunday)
>> Time: 2pm (Eastern/Server Time)
>> Buyin: $24 or token
>> Game: HO (Holdem & Omaha)
>> Limit: PL
>> Amount of minimum players expected: 25-40
The password is for bloggers only, however I'll give you a couple of hints:
4 letters followed by 2 numbers with no spaces
the first 4 letters are listed in the title of this post
the last two numbers are even par
See you there?
I might be there, but I've got to win a token first.
Name/Title: WPBT 07 event #8
>> Password:
>> Date: 8/26 (Sunday)
>> Time: 2pm (Eastern/Server Time)
>> Buyin: $24 or token
>> Game: HO (Holdem & Omaha)
>> Limit: PL
>> Amount of minimum players expected: 25-40
The password is for bloggers only, however I'll give you a couple of hints:
4 letters followed by 2 numbers with no spaces
the first 4 letters are listed in the title of this post
the last two numbers are even par
See you there?
I might be there, but I've got to win a token first.
22.8.07
SnGmachine RIP
Cracknaces has changed his blog.
You can find it here now.
I guess he gave up on his 500 challenge... can't really blame him. Talk about the biggest grind in poker!
You can find it here now.
I guess he gave up on his 500 challenge... can't really blame him. Talk about the biggest grind in poker!
21.8.07
Baseball tournament win, Fantasy Football de-stress
First off, we won the tournament we played over the weekend. We came back from 4 runs down in the bottom of the 7th to win by one and advance to the finals. We then went on to crush the team we lost to in the early part of the tournament. BBQ, Beers and an all around great time was had by all. I didn't have my best outting, but our team was very deep and everyone stepped up at one point or another. The biggest being Thorndog hitting a 3 run shot to get us within one in that semi-final game. Good stuff.
No poker to report, I've got to save my money and be wise so I can pay for my FF pool.
Here is probably the best news of the day:
08/21/07 01:38 PM
THE NEWS
The Chiefs and running back Larry Johnson agreed to a contract extension on Tuesday, and the Pro Bowler joined the team for part of their practice session, the Kansas City Star reports. ESPN.com is saying that it is a five-year extension worth $45 million that will keep Johnson in Kansas City through 2012.
----
I've got this guy in a keeper league that I have been in for 3 years now. I've been pretty nervouse about LJ's holdout issues as he is a guy that has been on my team from the get go. It will be tough for him to maintain his top 3 status again this year (Tomlinson and Jackson) but hopefully the offensive line can step it up and provide him the protection to take me to the promise land.
Missed the Math last night (by choice) and watched a Marky Mark movie called "shooter" and it was actually... ok.
I might pop into the Mookie tomorrow night so maybe I will see you there.
No poker to report, I've got to save my money and be wise so I can pay for my FF pool.
Here is probably the best news of the day:
08/21/07 01:38 PM
THE NEWS
The Chiefs and running back Larry Johnson agreed to a contract extension on Tuesday, and the Pro Bowler joined the team for part of their practice session, the Kansas City Star reports. ESPN.com is saying that it is a five-year extension worth $45 million that will keep Johnson in Kansas City through 2012.
----
I've got this guy in a keeper league that I have been in for 3 years now. I've been pretty nervouse about LJ's holdout issues as he is a guy that has been on my team from the get go. It will be tough for him to maintain his top 3 status again this year (Tomlinson and Jackson) but hopefully the offensive line can step it up and provide him the protection to take me to the promise land.
Missed the Math last night (by choice) and watched a Marky Mark movie called "shooter" and it was actually... ok.
I might pop into the Mookie tomorrow night so maybe I will see you there.
17.8.07
Sports-Wolf
"Holy, play a lot of sports... wolf"
Still to this day, I seem to use the expression "wolf" as it refers to some who does "a lot of something." It is a term that a friend and I continue to use on a not-so-regular basis when referring to a friend or a foe, that does an excessive amount of "something."
Here is an example: If I was talking about Tiger Woods I might say "Holy, win a lot of majors... wolf."
Anyway, I am sure you get it. It's the same as using the term "soup nazi" in Seinfeld. It's something you are so serious about/involved with, you become a wolf. In fact I am pretty sure there is fellow poker blogger out there called pokewolf... I wonder if it has any relation to the term...? Go check it out.
Ok so back to the title. I think I have become the "guy that plays a lot of different sports... wolf"
Yesterday I played 18 holes, it was a great day. Sunny and hot (not jamyhawk hot where it is 110 degrees and a billion percent relative humidity) and the best part was... I got to skip out on work early! I was outta there by noon and off to the canal course at Northview. I just love that course. It was a banker type invite tournament where I was truly free rollin.'
Can anyone say... open bar? Why is it that when there is an open bar I am never prepared? Damn it. It was a work related invite so I wasn't about to piss it up, but it was tempting.
Anyway, back to the sports portion, and the entire point of this post.
I played beach volleyball today with my sister and her two buds P & K. It is a league that they have been a part of all summer and my sister was finally able to convince me to sub in this week. Man I was rusty. We lost the first match, but not by much. But by the third match we were really clicking. It just so happened to be the best team in our bracket. We went to the third game in a best of three match. It came down to the final point. It was all tied and it was their serve for the win. Three hits and we send it sailing back over to their side, (hoping that they make a mistake) they dig it up, set it up, and spike it, hard, right into my block!!!
"Yeeeeeaaaaahh" is something like the noise I produced as I flew straight up in the air and stuff the shit out of this dude's spike. I think it was more of a grunt, or a sound of relief that it was finally over... and I could finish my beer.
A great night, and just another sport to add to the list of many. This summer has been filled with many such as football, golf, baseball, soccer... and now beach volleyball.
Is poker a sport? People seem to continuously call it a sport. It's on ESPN, so it must be a sport right?
Maybe I should start a debate.
Actually wait, it's been done. Check it out here, instead. And here is where an very well known blogger called "G-Rob" hosts the very debate I planned on starting. Isn't that just always the way? Feel free to comment nonetheless.
Anyway, I've got a slow pitch ball tourament to play in this weekend. I hope yours is filled with some sort of physical activity other than poker as well.
P.S. - Holy Hoyazo writes a crazy amount about poker... wolf.
Still to this day, I seem to use the expression "wolf" as it refers to some who does "a lot of something." It is a term that a friend and I continue to use on a not-so-regular basis when referring to a friend or a foe, that does an excessive amount of "something."
Here is an example: If I was talking about Tiger Woods I might say "Holy, win a lot of majors... wolf."
Anyway, I am sure you get it. It's the same as using the term "soup nazi" in Seinfeld. It's something you are so serious about/involved with, you become a wolf. In fact I am pretty sure there is fellow poker blogger out there called pokewolf... I wonder if it has any relation to the term...? Go check it out.
Ok so back to the title. I think I have become the "guy that plays a lot of different sports... wolf"
Yesterday I played 18 holes, it was a great day. Sunny and hot (not jamyhawk hot where it is 110 degrees and a billion percent relative humidity) and the best part was... I got to skip out on work early! I was outta there by noon and off to the canal course at Northview. I just love that course. It was a banker type invite tournament where I was truly free rollin.'
Can anyone say... open bar? Why is it that when there is an open bar I am never prepared? Damn it. It was a work related invite so I wasn't about to piss it up, but it was tempting.
Anyway, back to the sports portion, and the entire point of this post.
I played beach volleyball today with my sister and her two buds P & K. It is a league that they have been a part of all summer and my sister was finally able to convince me to sub in this week. Man I was rusty. We lost the first match, but not by much. But by the third match we were really clicking. It just so happened to be the best team in our bracket. We went to the third game in a best of three match. It came down to the final point. It was all tied and it was their serve for the win. Three hits and we send it sailing back over to their side, (hoping that they make a mistake) they dig it up, set it up, and spike it, hard, right into my block!!!
"Yeeeeeaaaaahh" is something like the noise I produced as I flew straight up in the air and stuff the shit out of this dude's spike. I think it was more of a grunt, or a sound of relief that it was finally over... and I could finish my beer.
A great night, and just another sport to add to the list of many. This summer has been filled with many such as football, golf, baseball, soccer... and now beach volleyball.
Is poker a sport? People seem to continuously call it a sport. It's on ESPN, so it must be a sport right?
Maybe I should start a debate.
Actually wait, it's been done. Check it out here, instead. And here is where an very well known blogger called "G-Rob" hosts the very debate I planned on starting. Isn't that just always the way? Feel free to comment nonetheless.
Anyway, I've got a slow pitch ball tourament to play in this weekend. I hope yours is filled with some sort of physical activity other than poker as well.
P.S. - Holy Hoyazo writes a crazy amount about poker... wolf.
16.8.07
Low limit loser
I tried my best, but it is just so easy to fire up Full Tilt on a whim. I really thought I was on to something after winning a couple of buyins 2 days ago at a 6 max table. I dropped limits because of my recent BR tilt. It's a bit embarassing even, but whatever, you gotta deal with what you've got, or reload right. I thought I could pull off a second consecutive winning session last night... of course the donkey's we're in full force and I eventually got the raw end of a gut shot ghey draw.
Maybe I'm the donkey who just doesn't bet enough on the flop... let me know what you think:
Full Tilt Poker Game #3266701373: Table Zola (6 max) - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:50:06 ET - 2007/08/16
Seat 1: Kathy_Paul ($13.80)
Seat 2: natskei ($34)
Seat 3: YyouCryin ($30.30)
Seat 4: Enfilade ($29.85)
Seat 5: BadugiOrBust ($25.55)
Seat 6: Schaubs ($37.70)
BadugiOrBust posts the small blind of $0.10
Schaubs posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Schaubs [Tc Ac]
Kathy_Paul calls $0.25
natskei folds
YyouCryin calls $0.25
Enfilade calls $0.25
BadugiOrBust folds
Schaubs raises to $1.35
Kathy_Paul calls $1.10
YyouCryin calls $1.10
Enfilade calls $1.10
*** FLOP *** [Ad Qh Th]
Schaubs bets $2.75 <--- EP, I c-bet, but get no respect, who knows...? did I bet enough?
Kathy_Paul folds
YyouCryin calls $2.75
Enfilade has 15 seconds left to act
Enfilade calls $2.75 <--- did he have odds to call here now that YyouCryin called as well?
*** TURN *** [Ad Qh Th] [9c]
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs bets $7.50
YyouCryin folds
Enfilade raises to $25.75, and is all in <--- I really should have just folded here. he obviously hit right?
Schaubs calls $18.25 <---- donk-donk-da-donk-donk-donk...
Enfilade shows [8s Js]
Schaubs shows [Tc Ac]
*** RIVER *** [Ad Qh Th 9c] [5d]
Enfilade shows a straight, Queen high
Schaubs shows two pair, Aces and Tens
Enfilade wins the pot ($62.25) with a straight, Queen high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $65.25 Rake $3
Board: [Ad Qh Th 9c 5d]
Seat 1: Kathy_Paul folded on the Flop
Seat 2: natskei didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: YyouCryin folded on the Turn
Seat 4: Enfilade (button) showed [8s Js] and won ($62.25) with a straight, Queen high
Seat 5: BadugiOrBust (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Schaubs (big blind) showed [Tc Ac] and lost with two pair, Aces and Tens
Maybe I'm the donkey who just doesn't bet enough on the flop... let me know what you think:
Full Tilt Poker Game #3266701373: Table Zola (6 max) - $0.10/$0.25 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:50:06 ET - 2007/08/16
Seat 1: Kathy_Paul ($13.80)
Seat 2: natskei ($34)
Seat 3: YyouCryin ($30.30)
Seat 4: Enfilade ($29.85)
Seat 5: BadugiOrBust ($25.55)
Seat 6: Schaubs ($37.70)
BadugiOrBust posts the small blind of $0.10
Schaubs posts the big blind of $0.25
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Schaubs [Tc Ac]
Kathy_Paul calls $0.25
natskei folds
YyouCryin calls $0.25
Enfilade calls $0.25
BadugiOrBust folds
Schaubs raises to $1.35
Kathy_Paul calls $1.10
YyouCryin calls $1.10
Enfilade calls $1.10
*** FLOP *** [Ad Qh Th]
Schaubs bets $2.75 <--- EP, I c-bet, but get no respect, who knows...? did I bet enough?
Kathy_Paul folds
YyouCryin calls $2.75
Enfilade has 15 seconds left to act
Enfilade calls $2.75 <--- did he have odds to call here now that YyouCryin called as well?
*** TURN *** [Ad Qh Th] [9c]
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs bets $7.50
YyouCryin folds
Enfilade raises to $25.75, and is all in <--- I really should have just folded here. he obviously hit right?
Schaubs calls $18.25 <---- donk-donk-da-donk-donk-donk...
Enfilade shows [8s Js]
Schaubs shows [Tc Ac]
*** RIVER *** [Ad Qh Th 9c] [5d]
Enfilade shows a straight, Queen high
Schaubs shows two pair, Aces and Tens
Enfilade wins the pot ($62.25) with a straight, Queen high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $65.25 Rake $3
Board: [Ad Qh Th 9c 5d]
Seat 1: Kathy_Paul folded on the Flop
Seat 2: natskei didn't bet (folded)
Seat 3: YyouCryin folded on the Turn
Seat 4: Enfilade (button) showed [8s Js] and won ($62.25) with a straight, Queen high
Seat 5: BadugiOrBust (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: Schaubs (big blind) showed [Tc Ac] and lost with two pair, Aces and Tens
13.8.07
No coolers, just cash @ the FCPC and a Fuel K.O.
For those of you who continued to come back looking for something new to read last week... I just wasn't into it, but I thank you for your continued interest and wish there was more to say. After beating myself up all week, I've finally got something positive to reflect on. I'm not one to bring the party down, so if there isn't something good to write about, chances are, I won't be writing. However if it's poker related and I think I need some advice from my peers, then I'll usually put something up for the purposes of feedback.
I have commited bank roll suicide. To the point where I'll have to reload just so that I can pay Chad for our upcoming fantasy football league. I'm almost positive it's not a keeper pool, which can alter a person's drafting strategy greatly if you think about it. Anyway, how have I committed BR suicide you ask? Well it's pretty straight forward... TILT!
So needless to say, my BR tilt has held me back from coming up with anything good to write about. The fact that I bubbled the freeroll just sent me off on a wild 7 days of donklalism. I was looking for anything to throw my hard earned roll at. Rebuys, FTOPS, SNG's, cash games... you name it, I donked it. It got to a point where I just had to say enough was enough. I mean I didn't go broke, but it sure felt like it. I've decided to take an online break and concentrate on live games (excluding home cash games). I know it is only a matter of time before I start to show some consistent gains again, until then you'll just have to read about whatever else comes to mind.
Lola and I went to Bishop's Restaurant last night. It's already been 1 year since I saw my beautiful bride walk down the isle in the back yard poolside setting of her parent's house. I chose to surprise Lola and made the reservation a month ago after getting advice from my pal the food critic Fuel55. He's was bang on with his suggestion and it was a very special night. Thank you JV.
Nothing much to report on with golf. Although I am playing in a tournament this Wednesday here via an invite from our bankers. I haven't played the Canal course this year, so I look forward to that.
----
Ok so I guess I should actually write something that relates to the title of this post. I made my third visit to the False Creek Poker Club and finally have something to show for it. When I first got the invite from JV a few months back I didn't know what to expect. He likes to go on about how it's a room full of donkey's... but I just didn't see it that way (but maybe that's because I fit right into the donkey persona). Of course I have witnessed some horrific calls and moves, but that seems to be pretty standard these days in a live game. The competition overall has been nothing specataular, but at the same time there are some really good players who all seem to have a good grasp of mid level thinking and tournament strategy.
Since this was another Big Stacks 11 person "SNG" type of tourney I decided to employ some of my tighter strategies throughout, and didn't really get into any situations where I would have to make a call for my tournament life. In fact I can recall at least 2 situations where I had to lay down what I knew would be a race situation. I wanted to make some money, that was my #1b goal. #1a of course, was to win. I don't plan on ever sitting down at a table not trying to win the whole thing. It's just a matter of picking the right spots, with the right hands. I found myself laying down a few preflop hands that I normally may have pushed with in the past. If someone pushed back at me, I would let it go, knowing that I was facing a 50/50 or 60/40 call.
Employing tighter starting requirements early was the key to setting up my image (as always). So on the first hand of the night I was dealt A6o and decided to raise it up in MP. LOL, sound confusing? That was the point. I wanted to show aggression early as well and let people know that I wasn't going to be laying down and rolling over. Nope. So with only one caller in the first pot I managed to bluff my way to a nice small early chip lead that allowed me to observe and lay low for about an hour. Fuel noted that I "must have had him beat" since I pulled out a c-bet and second bullet on the turn with only Ace high. Wrongo, but I guess he had nothing too. His range is quite large in what he likes to call "a table full of donkey's" so you just never know what he's holding. I saw him win a really nice pot with 10-3 spades against a guy who had to pay him off on the river after checking his turned flush. It was pretty cool to watch. Fuel's got some pretty tricky moves... noted. In fact I would later forget to value bet the river and probably left some money out there. More on that later.
Another comment that he made early on... "always bet your sets guys!! That is how you win big pots"... noted. I decided that I could probably use that against the table later on... little did I know it would be against none other than Fuel himself.
So we're still 11 handed and the blinds are now up to about 150/300. I get dealt 88 UTG. Limp (sometimes I will raise here, depending on the stage of the tournament obviously). This time I had JV on the other side of the table (which was much better than when he was on my direct right for the first deep stacks). It folds around to JV who is in late position and he raises 3x (he's doing this at least once per orbit, if not twice, and calling raises in position often). Both blinds call and I call hoping to hit gold.
The flop comes out Q-8-7 rainbow. Both blinds check and I quickly check as well hoping for the C-bet. C-bets seem to be so mandatory these days. I don't know what it is, but everyone in the poker world seems to represent something whether they've missed or not. Now I am not putting Fuel in this category at all, but it is interesting to note that it seems the the C-bet is getting less and less respect these days. Noted.
So after I check my set, Fuel pushes his 15K stack into the middle... I could barely control my excitement. However, with two people to act I couldn't exactly insta-call. I played it cool and tried to come accross as if I was planning to fold. Hoping to induce a three way where someone just couldn't let go of TP. The SB folded (Cathy, who eventually made it to HU) and the BB (Kent, who they kept calling the new guy, although he had been there twice as much as me so far) eventually folded after stating that he did have a Queen (if I recall correctly). I insta-call and Fuel flips over 10-9 off for the OESD. He misses on the turn and river and I send him packing. He loses a last longer bet and is gone less than 5 minutes later. I did feel kinda bad taking him out, but on the other hand it felt good to play what I think was correct poker after hitting my set considering the circumstances.
I asked him earlier this morning if he minded if I posted the hand and his response was "expose my fishy ways all you want" LOL which isn't really the response I was expecting. As we all know, that man can play poker and outplay most of us here in bloglandia. Just an untimely move against a deceptive sneaky donkey.
After that I held the chip lead for the next hour or so. I didn't get too involved with anyone and stole blinds minimally. The blinds got up to 1000/2000 and we were down to about 8 players. Three hands in a row I raised 3x the BB. The first hand AKs - I get reraised all in by a middle stack. I fold. The second hand I get AA and everyone folds. The third hand (UTG) I raise with 99 and everyone folds. So in three hands, they are all playable, and I manage to break even. In hindsight I should have probably limped the aces... noted.
So after not getting any action with my raises, I decided I was going to limp the next big hand I was dealt. I get KK on the button and two to my left (they call him 240, he is the guy that cracked my QQ with AA last time) pushes from the SB with Q5d. My Kings hold up and I still have a nice lead.
I get A2o in the SB. It folds around to me and I min raise to 4,000. The BB calls and we see a flop of Q-2-x (2 hearts I think). BB bets small, I call. I'm not going anywhere in a battle of the blinds. The next card is a 2 (lucksack). I check, BB bets again and I min-raise. He calls (quickly). The river is a blank (non heart) and I push all in for his remaining 8K. He thinks about it, I try to act weak. I even do a bit of the hand shaking to sell it a bit further. After about 3-4 minutes he folds saying he has a Q. I think I could have value bet a bit on the river and had him call or come over the top on me. I really think I left a few chips out there.
After shaking my head for a while (but knowing I got lucky on the turn) I decided to stay tight and just let the push monkey's bad beat each other. Sure enough, two hands in a row AK gets cracked by a weaker ace and we are down to 3 and I was actually third in chips at this point.
The rock (Kent the "new guy) is on my right and Cathy is on his right. We battled back and forth for a good 20 minutes. I am folding and folding and getting nothing to call with. I push the odd Ace and get the blinds back. I finally push again on the button with K8c and get called by AK in the BB and suck out with an 8 on the flop. I donk off some more, and push again with 690 and flop a 9 to stick around a little longer. Then I take most of Kent's chips when my pocket 4's hold up against his K4s.
Other than those two timely suckouts, I played one of more memorable solid games in a while. Always aware of the bubble and chip stacks etc. It felt great to get back into it.
Kent gets knocked out by Cathy shortly after that. 2 hands later Cathy suggests a chop and I agree as it was already midnight. We both take $370 for our hard work. I suggest a high card draw for the last $10 (no one had two fives LOL) and I manage to pluck the Ace of clubs for the win.
Thanks to Sean and 240 for sticking around and dealing. I really had a great time at the FCPC and look forward to the next event.
I have commited bank roll suicide. To the point where I'll have to reload just so that I can pay Chad for our upcoming fantasy football league. I'm almost positive it's not a keeper pool, which can alter a person's drafting strategy greatly if you think about it. Anyway, how have I committed BR suicide you ask? Well it's pretty straight forward... TILT!
So needless to say, my BR tilt has held me back from coming up with anything good to write about. The fact that I bubbled the freeroll just sent me off on a wild 7 days of donklalism. I was looking for anything to throw my hard earned roll at. Rebuys, FTOPS, SNG's, cash games... you name it, I donked it. It got to a point where I just had to say enough was enough. I mean I didn't go broke, but it sure felt like it. I've decided to take an online break and concentrate on live games (excluding home cash games). I know it is only a matter of time before I start to show some consistent gains again, until then you'll just have to read about whatever else comes to mind.
Lola and I went to Bishop's Restaurant last night. It's already been 1 year since I saw my beautiful bride walk down the isle in the back yard poolside setting of her parent's house. I chose to surprise Lola and made the reservation a month ago after getting advice from my pal the food critic Fuel55. He's was bang on with his suggestion and it was a very special night. Thank you JV.
Nothing much to report on with golf. Although I am playing in a tournament this Wednesday here via an invite from our bankers. I haven't played the Canal course this year, so I look forward to that.
----
Ok so I guess I should actually write something that relates to the title of this post. I made my third visit to the False Creek Poker Club and finally have something to show for it. When I first got the invite from JV a few months back I didn't know what to expect. He likes to go on about how it's a room full of donkey's... but I just didn't see it that way (but maybe that's because I fit right into the donkey persona). Of course I have witnessed some horrific calls and moves, but that seems to be pretty standard these days in a live game. The competition overall has been nothing specataular, but at the same time there are some really good players who all seem to have a good grasp of mid level thinking and tournament strategy.
Since this was another Big Stacks 11 person "SNG" type of tourney I decided to employ some of my tighter strategies throughout, and didn't really get into any situations where I would have to make a call for my tournament life. In fact I can recall at least 2 situations where I had to lay down what I knew would be a race situation. I wanted to make some money, that was my #1b goal. #1a of course, was to win. I don't plan on ever sitting down at a table not trying to win the whole thing. It's just a matter of picking the right spots, with the right hands. I found myself laying down a few preflop hands that I normally may have pushed with in the past. If someone pushed back at me, I would let it go, knowing that I was facing a 50/50 or 60/40 call.
Employing tighter starting requirements early was the key to setting up my image (as always). So on the first hand of the night I was dealt A6o and decided to raise it up in MP. LOL, sound confusing? That was the point. I wanted to show aggression early as well and let people know that I wasn't going to be laying down and rolling over. Nope. So with only one caller in the first pot I managed to bluff my way to a nice small early chip lead that allowed me to observe and lay low for about an hour. Fuel noted that I "must have had him beat" since I pulled out a c-bet and second bullet on the turn with only Ace high. Wrongo, but I guess he had nothing too. His range is quite large in what he likes to call "a table full of donkey's" so you just never know what he's holding. I saw him win a really nice pot with 10-3 spades against a guy who had to pay him off on the river after checking his turned flush. It was pretty cool to watch. Fuel's got some pretty tricky moves... noted. In fact I would later forget to value bet the river and probably left some money out there. More on that later.
Another comment that he made early on... "always bet your sets guys!! That is how you win big pots"... noted. I decided that I could probably use that against the table later on... little did I know it would be against none other than Fuel himself.
So we're still 11 handed and the blinds are now up to about 150/300. I get dealt 88 UTG. Limp (sometimes I will raise here, depending on the stage of the tournament obviously). This time I had JV on the other side of the table (which was much better than when he was on my direct right for the first deep stacks). It folds around to JV who is in late position and he raises 3x (he's doing this at least once per orbit, if not twice, and calling raises in position often). Both blinds call and I call hoping to hit gold.
The flop comes out Q-8-7 rainbow. Both blinds check and I quickly check as well hoping for the C-bet. C-bets seem to be so mandatory these days. I don't know what it is, but everyone in the poker world seems to represent something whether they've missed or not. Now I am not putting Fuel in this category at all, but it is interesting to note that it seems the the C-bet is getting less and less respect these days. Noted.
So after I check my set, Fuel pushes his 15K stack into the middle... I could barely control my excitement. However, with two people to act I couldn't exactly insta-call. I played it cool and tried to come accross as if I was planning to fold. Hoping to induce a three way where someone just couldn't let go of TP. The SB folded (Cathy, who eventually made it to HU) and the BB (Kent, who they kept calling the new guy, although he had been there twice as much as me so far) eventually folded after stating that he did have a Queen (if I recall correctly). I insta-call and Fuel flips over 10-9 off for the OESD. He misses on the turn and river and I send him packing. He loses a last longer bet and is gone less than 5 minutes later. I did feel kinda bad taking him out, but on the other hand it felt good to play what I think was correct poker after hitting my set considering the circumstances.
I asked him earlier this morning if he minded if I posted the hand and his response was "expose my fishy ways all you want" LOL which isn't really the response I was expecting. As we all know, that man can play poker and outplay most of us here in bloglandia. Just an untimely move against a deceptive sneaky donkey.
After that I held the chip lead for the next hour or so. I didn't get too involved with anyone and stole blinds minimally. The blinds got up to 1000/2000 and we were down to about 8 players. Three hands in a row I raised 3x the BB. The first hand AKs - I get reraised all in by a middle stack. I fold. The second hand I get AA and everyone folds. The third hand (UTG) I raise with 99 and everyone folds. So in three hands, they are all playable, and I manage to break even. In hindsight I should have probably limped the aces... noted.
So after not getting any action with my raises, I decided I was going to limp the next big hand I was dealt. I get KK on the button and two to my left (they call him 240, he is the guy that cracked my QQ with AA last time) pushes from the SB with Q5d. My Kings hold up and I still have a nice lead.
I get A2o in the SB. It folds around to me and I min raise to 4,000. The BB calls and we see a flop of Q-2-x (2 hearts I think). BB bets small, I call. I'm not going anywhere in a battle of the blinds. The next card is a 2 (lucksack). I check, BB bets again and I min-raise. He calls (quickly). The river is a blank (non heart) and I push all in for his remaining 8K. He thinks about it, I try to act weak. I even do a bit of the hand shaking to sell it a bit further. After about 3-4 minutes he folds saying he has a Q. I think I could have value bet a bit on the river and had him call or come over the top on me. I really think I left a few chips out there.
After shaking my head for a while (but knowing I got lucky on the turn) I decided to stay tight and just let the push monkey's bad beat each other. Sure enough, two hands in a row AK gets cracked by a weaker ace and we are down to 3 and I was actually third in chips at this point.
The rock (Kent the "new guy) is on my right and Cathy is on his right. We battled back and forth for a good 20 minutes. I am folding and folding and getting nothing to call with. I push the odd Ace and get the blinds back. I finally push again on the button with K8c and get called by AK in the BB and suck out with an 8 on the flop. I donk off some more, and push again with 690 and flop a 9 to stick around a little longer. Then I take most of Kent's chips when my pocket 4's hold up against his K4s.
Other than those two timely suckouts, I played one of more memorable solid games in a while. Always aware of the bubble and chip stacks etc. It felt great to get back into it.
Kent gets knocked out by Cathy shortly after that. 2 hands later Cathy suggests a chop and I agree as it was already midnight. We both take $370 for our hard work. I suggest a high card draw for the last $10 (no one had two fives LOL) and I manage to pluck the Ace of clubs for the win.
Thanks to Sean and 240 for sticking around and dealing. I really had a great time at the FCPC and look forward to the next event.
3.8.07
the BBT freeroll cost me ten bucks, and I bubbled...
I feel like puking.
Not sure I'll even get into it.
12 paid, I go out 13th.
so smart.
so very smart.
I think I forgot we were on the bubble or something. I pushed AK into an EP raiser who insta-called with Aces.
To top it off, I lost a last longer bet of $10 to HighOnPoker.
I'm still shaking my head...
Not sure I'll even get into it.
12 paid, I go out 13th.
so smart.
so very smart.
I think I forgot we were on the bubble or something. I pushed AK into an EP raiser who insta-called with Aces.
To top it off, I lost a last longer bet of $10 to HighOnPoker.
I'm still shaking my head...
2.8.07
Aces cracking
I always set a time limit when playing cash games. I will usually play anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours at a time. This was the last hand of the evening last night. I'm not sure if I would have done anything different as I got all my money in on the flop. Stupid variance.
Full Tilt Poker Game #3128915467: Table Corporate Center - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:28:25 ET - 2007/08/02
Seat 1: -ztb388 ($50.50)
Seat 2: Schaubs ($24)
Seat 3: NeverTilt1337 ($11)
Seat 4: DIMOSS ($80.05)
Seat 5: Alcahaelas ($74.65)
Seat 6: FishYouNot ($50)
Seat 7: cubman3 ($24.90)
Seat 8: wrestlingstud3 ($63.85)
Seat 9: isplashzildjian ($50)
Schaubs posts the small blind of $0.25
NeverTilt1337 posts the big blind of $0.50
5 seconds left to act
isplashzildjian posts $0.50
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Schaubs [Ac Ad]
DIMOSS raises to $1
Alcahaelas folds
FishYouNot calls $1
cubman3 folds
wrestlingstud3 folds
isplashzildjian calls $0.50
-ztb388 folds
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs raises to $3
NeverTilt1337 folds
DIMOSS calls $2
FishYouNot calls $2
Schaubs has been disconnected
isplashzildjian folds
*** FLOP *** [7d Kh 4d]
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs has reconnected
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs checks
DIMOSS bets $5
FishYouNot adds $3
FishYouNot folds
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs raises to $21, and is all in
DIMOSS calls $16
Schaubs shows [Ac Ad]
DIMOSS shows [Qh Kc] <---- TP donkey.
*** TURN *** [7d Kh 4d] [6s]
Schaubs has been disconnected
Schaubs has reconnected
*** RIVER *** [7d Kh 4d 6s] [Qs] <---- Donkey gets paid.
Schaubs shows a pair of Aces
DIMOSS shows two pair, Kings and Queens
DIMOSS wins the pot ($49.90) with two pair, Kings and Queens
Schaubs is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $52.50 Rake $2.60
Board: [7d Kh 4d 6s Qs]
Seat 1: -ztb388 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Schaubs (small blind) showed [Ac Ad] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 3: NeverTilt1337 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: DIMOSS showed [Qh Kc] and won ($49.90) with two pair, Kings and Queens
Seat 5: Alcahaelas didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: FishYouNot folded on the Flop
Seat 7: cubman3 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: wrestlingstud3 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: isplashzildjian folded before the Flop
See you at the freeroll part two tonight.
Full Tilt Poker Game #3128915467: Table Corporate Center - $0.25/$0.50 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:28:25 ET - 2007/08/02
Seat 1: -ztb388 ($50.50)
Seat 2: Schaubs ($24)
Seat 3: NeverTilt1337 ($11)
Seat 4: DIMOSS ($80.05)
Seat 5: Alcahaelas ($74.65)
Seat 6: FishYouNot ($50)
Seat 7: cubman3 ($24.90)
Seat 8: wrestlingstud3 ($63.85)
Seat 9: isplashzildjian ($50)
Schaubs posts the small blind of $0.25
NeverTilt1337 posts the big blind of $0.50
5 seconds left to act
isplashzildjian posts $0.50
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Schaubs [Ac Ad]
DIMOSS raises to $1
Alcahaelas folds
FishYouNot calls $1
cubman3 folds
wrestlingstud3 folds
isplashzildjian calls $0.50
-ztb388 folds
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs raises to $3
NeverTilt1337 folds
DIMOSS calls $2
FishYouNot calls $2
Schaubs has been disconnected
isplashzildjian folds
*** FLOP *** [7d Kh 4d]
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs has reconnected
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs checks
DIMOSS bets $5
FishYouNot adds $3
FishYouNot folds
Schaubs has 15 seconds left to act
Schaubs raises to $21, and is all in
DIMOSS calls $16
Schaubs shows [Ac Ad]
DIMOSS shows [Qh Kc] <---- TP donkey.
*** TURN *** [7d Kh 4d] [6s]
Schaubs has been disconnected
Schaubs has reconnected
*** RIVER *** [7d Kh 4d 6s] [Qs] <---- Donkey gets paid.
Schaubs shows a pair of Aces
DIMOSS shows two pair, Kings and Queens
DIMOSS wins the pot ($49.90) with two pair, Kings and Queens
Schaubs is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $52.50 Rake $2.60
Board: [7d Kh 4d 6s Qs]
Seat 1: -ztb388 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Schaubs (small blind) showed [Ac Ad] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 3: NeverTilt1337 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: DIMOSS showed [Qh Kc] and won ($49.90) with two pair, Kings and Queens
Seat 5: Alcahaelas didn't bet (folded)
Seat 6: FishYouNot folded on the Flop
Seat 7: cubman3 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: wrestlingstud3 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 9: isplashzildjian folded before the Flop
See you at the freeroll part two tonight.
1.8.07
Victory... not in poker though
We finally won - The Brew J's are the champs! Our mixed orthodox team finally won the league playoffs and we did so in story book fashion. As mentioned on Monday, we were heading into the finals which was a best of three series against the #2 team in the league.
Our first game on Monday was easy. We laid down a huge beating after getting off to a slow start and managed to mercy the "Smokin Batz" 14-4 after 5 innings... game over! Mercy! After being down 4-0 in the second inning, we rallied back and rattled off 9 straight runs in the bottom of the 4th. Lola got smoked in the face when she tried to dive back to third on a throw out play, she was tagged in the helmet and the guy hit her in the face, broke her sunglasses, and now she has a nice little bruise and some swelling around the nose area. She is very lucky that her nose didn't break or crack, but it still sucks because the timing couldn't have been any worse.
One more win, and we would finally put an end to our losing streak in the finals. It's been 6 years now, and every year we seem to do well enough to make it to the second or final round, but never seem to show up when it counts. We'll this year, it felt different.
When we showed up for game 2, everyone was very excited about the possibilty of finally winning the playoffs. However, it really didn't start off the way we wanted. As we did in the first game, we fell behind... by a lot. After the second inning the score was 16-5 in favor of the bad guys. We were all in shock. How could we let this happen? Not again please. The good news was that it was only the second inning. We never got down once. We pulled it together and got on another heater of a rally and clawed our way all the way back! It all started when one of our best players hit a grand slam! From then on, we never looked back and just kept pounding the ball and scoring runs. We got to the bottom of the 7th and we were winning 21-16! We had outscored them 16-0 in the last 5 innings to win the game and win the series 2-0! A great accomplishment by everyone. Very proud.
No Mookie for me tonight (golf), but I will be at the RE-roll tomorrow night.
See you there.
Our first game on Monday was easy. We laid down a huge beating after getting off to a slow start and managed to mercy the "Smokin Batz" 14-4 after 5 innings... game over! Mercy! After being down 4-0 in the second inning, we rallied back and rattled off 9 straight runs in the bottom of the 4th. Lola got smoked in the face when she tried to dive back to third on a throw out play, she was tagged in the helmet and the guy hit her in the face, broke her sunglasses, and now she has a nice little bruise and some swelling around the nose area. She is very lucky that her nose didn't break or crack, but it still sucks because the timing couldn't have been any worse.
One more win, and we would finally put an end to our losing streak in the finals. It's been 6 years now, and every year we seem to do well enough to make it to the second or final round, but never seem to show up when it counts. We'll this year, it felt different.
When we showed up for game 2, everyone was very excited about the possibilty of finally winning the playoffs. However, it really didn't start off the way we wanted. As we did in the first game, we fell behind... by a lot. After the second inning the score was 16-5 in favor of the bad guys. We were all in shock. How could we let this happen? Not again please. The good news was that it was only the second inning. We never got down once. We pulled it together and got on another heater of a rally and clawed our way all the way back! It all started when one of our best players hit a grand slam! From then on, we never looked back and just kept pounding the ball and scoring runs. We got to the bottom of the 7th and we were winning 21-16! We had outscored them 16-0 in the last 5 innings to win the game and win the series 2-0! A great accomplishment by everyone. Very proud.
No Mookie for me tonight (golf), but I will be at the RE-roll tomorrow night.
See you there.
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