Sorry, it's been a few days. Just not back in the habit of writing down events and feelings and musings. Heck, if I could do that on a regular basis, I wouldn't be losing the war with "writer's block" and I'd once again be churning out the articles and stories like in the good ol' days. Starting with the last first, that's part of the "consistency" of this post's title. Some day I'll learn how to set aside time to do what needs doin'.
Dang, didn't realize it was so late; got a rescheduled Poker Analysis Buy-In League game ($5.50) starting in about 15 minutes at Poker Nordica. Looks like for the first time I'll have to do a blog post in stops and starts, not all-through-in-one-freeflowing-session like the prior posts. Ah well, who said life should be neat, anyway?? After all, I did just finish the family's day-late Thanksgiving get-together and meal ... and I'm chewing the drumstick to prove it.
OK. Back. Got 5th of 13 in the PA Buy-In; unfortunately, only 3 got paid. Getting very low on funds at Nordica, gonna need to win something there soon -- maybe hit the micro tables and chip up. Of course, we know what disaster happened when I tried that at BigJuicyOdds... Played well on the whole at Nordica just now, lost a few races that crippled me. Glenn hit a straight on the river to put me nearly out. Raz kept getting the bigger boats and better kickers; really lucky he didn't eliminate me before the final table. He was still floating from Arkansas' upset of LSU, I guess. No one any hotter than razorbacker the last few months in the PA Buy-In League. And they don't come any nicer!
Week in review time, and I'll try not to get carried away. The turkey's not sitting well; gonna go root against Hawaii! But in a pumpkin shell, here's the skinny since last we met:
Sunday -- Not exactly the Super Day I expected/wanted. Learned two good lessons: 1) Warming up is good. Works wonders for golfers and baseball players, should also for poker players. I seem to get better as the tournaments go on in a day; would probably do well to play a half-hour of micro rings to get in the right frame of mind, rather than go into a tournament cold. At least I should hit a ring table with play money! Must try to remember and follow through on this revelation.
Lesson 2) Cowboys do not as a rule like me. Did me in two tournaments in a row live in Vegas a couple summers ago. Did me in two tournaments in a row on Sunday 11/18/07. First, in my eagerly anticipated FTOPS VI Event 15 at Full Tilt ($150+$13 NLHE Knockout), I played well but not well enough. Won one $30 bounty, finished 978th of 2,616 entrants -- but I should have been a lot higher, reasonably in the top 153 and the money. Was 152nd mid-level 3, fluctuated between there and 400th for first two hours and was 357th/1089 coming off second break into level 11 (120/240). There I soon got pocket kings, slow-played them with minimum raise Under The Gun, drew three callers. I had about 6K left. Flop came three spades; yuck. I made strong bet, Small Blind and his table-best stack raised me, I went all in ... and he flipped up two spades. Did I mention one of my spades was the K, and the ace dropped on the flop? But no help ensues, and sayonara Sham. Someone had warned me not to slow-play one's big hands too much. I'll learn.
OK, so on to PA Buy-In League ($5.50) at poker.com. Guess what Sham gets early level 2?Yeah, pocket cowboys. No slow-play this time; I jump all-in from late position. And Davidyee in SB who has me covered calls ... with pocket rockets. No help for sham this time either; out 11th/12. Well, at least I'm consistent.
Do lousy in Maximum Poker League VP Series No. 9 ($2, I decline the rebuys/add-ons), ending up 19th/26. Frustrated. But hope springs eternal! I enter two at once at 8:05 pm (St. Louis time), both at Bodog: Rounders Radio Freeroll and Nationwide Poker Tour Online Weekly ($5.50, use some of my tournament credits). Hard for me to do two things at once, but if I do them right it slows me down and focuses me into better situations and less risks. No, I do NOT want to multi-table much. But I get 92nd/214 in Rounders game (only 3 paid). And the NPT game, well, somehow the Shamster came out No. 1! Out of 78 entrants!! Just on a roll, and capped it with a slow play that actually worked: I had AQ, foe A7, I minimum raised after ace on flop, foe went all-in and I smooth-called ... and it held. This experience did wonders for my confidence -- and for my 'roll, to the tune of $117 cash and Tournament Credits $109.
Incidentally, I passed on using my $75 satellite token at Full Tilt on Sunday night's Blogger Big Game. Very tough competition, only looked to pay 4 or 5 folks, so I decided I could have better positive expectations for the token elsewhere.
Tuesday -- That elsewhere came Tuesday night at Full Tilt (worked Monday, no poker). First I bought into a little NLHE Knockout Tourney ($3.30, 50-cent bounties); got no bounties and only 532nd/1,030. When eliminated, I noticed at midnight (which was the beginning of my birthday, Nov. 21) there was a satellite to the $1 Million Guarantee event set for Dec. 16. Only 4 have enterred, at a cost of $69+$6 -- just the size of my token. OK, 90 seconds before gametime I make the jump. And durned if 90 seconds later there aren't 9 players at an immediate Final Table -- talk about a glorified sit-and-go! Not my normal cup of tea. But I was hot, I was on my good game ... and I wound up heads-up with neilh111 for the $500+$35 finale seat. Sad to report, neil had a 3-1 chip lead going into heads-up, I pulled ahead, then tried to put him away with my JJ against his AT. Yeah, an ace flopped. I was down to 100 chips. Won a couple hands to go over 1,000, but eventually he put me away with two aces on a flop to go with one in his hand. Ah, well, second place was $86 cash, so I turned a profit on my token (which I'd won for a $15 investment). There should be another shot at the Million Guarantee, anyway.
Wednesday -- Blogger games, the Mookie (52nd/90) and the Dookie (9th/33 playing limit H.O.R.S.E. turbo). Good practice but no cashes.
Thursday -- Thanksgiving. A 60-cent cash at Doyle's Room for 248th/1,890 in a $1,000 Freeroll; was 75th at one point but eliminated when ran into slow-played pocket rockets -- why does that work so well for some people?? Two forgetable events (8th/8 TheBluffers League PL Omaha at VP247, 1451st/1840 in second Thanksgiving Day Bonus Freeroll at Doyle's). Then played well back at Full Tilt in BBT2 event 17, the Riverchasers Online Tour weekly game, but missed out on final table and money when A9 killed me twice, against AT and AQ. The real killer late in that tourney before the A9 follies, though, was when I read a foe's all-in as weak and called with 33; he had only 95, but flopped a 5 and went on to double through me. That was the start of the end, with Sham ending up 11th/73. And that brings us to today..
Friday -- Did I mention I was 25th/33 in the Bad Beat on Cancer at Full Tilt, an event won by fellow Shark Poker Tour member cardluvr? And that I was 5th/13 in the PA B-I Lg. at Nordica? And that I'm tired and have a tummy ache?
Time to watch football and veg. Saturday is another day. Gonna be a big, busy weekend: Absolute Touchdown game at AbPoke, Shark games at poker.com, Online Forum Challenge games at Intertops, Online Poker Tour freeroll at BJO, more usual fun from Aces Cracked and PA and MPL and Muffmoney and CardPlayer and Nationwide Poker Tour and ...
Life is good. And getting better with each lesson.
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