Been sick with strep throat, depression and poor card judgment the last week or so. Almost got well tonight. It was The Bluffers League WSOP Final, the long-awaited wrap-up to a series we began at Vegas Poker 24/7 before that site was bought by Absolute Poker.
The Bluffers is a great league, a fine forum and a good bunch of people. Thanks to everyone there for a lot of fun!!! Check 'em out and come play with us all sometime! Link on the right...
Tonight's final had 34 qualifiers/entrants. It was winner-take-all for $2,100. I didn't really break out of my recent poor card run, but I did get better results for once -- almost like my old self. I even led much of the tournament after there were 10 left. Heads-up, KeithG13 (keithg) and I began about even; then he won a big hand to take over a 3-1 chip lead on me. I hung in and nibbled away, until this:
Stage #1189864267 Tourney ID 2017319 Holdem Multi Normal Tournament No Limit $1000 - 2008-05-28 20:48:12 (ET)
Table: 3 (Real Money) Seat #3 is the dealer
Seat 2 - SHAMANALIX ($17155 in chips)
Seat 3 - KEITHG13 ($30915 in chips)
SHAMANALIX - Ante $75
KEITHG13 - Ante $75
KEITHG13 - Posts small blind $500
SHAMANALIX - Posts big blind $1000
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to SHAMANALIX [4h 5c]
KEITHG13 - Raises $1500 to $2000
SHAMANALIX - Calls $1000
*** FLOP *** [5d 5s Kc]
SHAMANALIX - Bets $1000
KEITHG13 - Calls $1000
*** TURN *** [5d 5s Kc] [Ks]
SHAMANALIX - Bets $2000
KEITHG13 - Raises $4000 to $4000
SHAMANALIX - All-In(Raise) $12080 to $14080
KEITHG13 - Calls $10080
*** RIVER *** [5d 5s Kc Ks] [8d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SHAMANALIX - Shows [4h 5c] (Full house, fives full of kings)
KEITHG13 - Shows [Kh 5h] (Full house, kings full of fives)
KEITHG13 Collects $34310 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total Pot($34310)
Board [5d 5s Kc Ks 8d]
Seat 2: SHAMANALIX (big blind) HI:lost with Full house, fives full of kings [4h 5c - B:5s,B:5d,P:5c,B:Ks,B:Kc]
Seat 3: KEITHG13 (dealer) (small blind) won Total ($34310) HI:($34310) with Full house, kings full of fives [Kh 5h - B:Ks,P:Kh,B:Kc,B:5s,P:5h]
Bad thing is, on the flop, I just sensed he had a king. But what ya gonna do? (siiiiiigh) Back to the sick bed...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Gotta Remember the Big Picture
(sigh!!) Will I ever learn? Was in a $26 token tournament at Full Tilt. Two from the tokens. I've got 3K left, but there are 10 folks worse off and we're playing hand-for-hand.
Table members are colluding, talking folding to the blinds and "everyone here makes it." I hate collusion; it's cheating. It puts me on tilt, because it's wrong.
My Big Blind ($1K/500, ante 125). Pocket cowboys! The button who has about $5K calls the BB. And I push. And he calls. And he turns over big slick. And an ace flops. And I'm out without a token.
Moral of the story? Would I have played it different in a regular tournament? A league game? A freeroll? The WSOP? I'll have to think on that. It's what I did this time, and it did not turn out well. That's poker. I have to remember to give more study to the bottom lines...
Table members are colluding, talking folding to the blinds and "everyone here makes it." I hate collusion; it's cheating. It puts me on tilt, because it's wrong.
My Big Blind ($1K/500, ante 125). Pocket cowboys! The button who has about $5K calls the BB. And I push. And he calls. And he turns over big slick. And an ace flops. And I'm out without a token.
Moral of the story? Would I have played it different in a regular tournament? A league game? A freeroll? The WSOP? I'll have to think on that. It's what I did this time, and it did not turn out well. That's poker. I have to remember to give more study to the bottom lines...
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Help the Computer Challenged
Yeah, I'm still here. Survived the March floods and sick friends/family and the ups and downs of poker (happily the month was mostly ups!; more on that at another time).
It's now April (didn't even get to play any April Fool's jokes, except not posting), and month two of the Battle of the Bloggers III Tournaments. Congrats to those who've won seats in the big Tournament of Champions at the end, and to the march monthly champion. We'll get names and numbers at another time. Still many WSOP seats to be won!
This is on the fly, so it's brief. Just wanted to remind folks of the events at Full Tilt, and post another of AlCantHang's banners (smaller than the last). Get over to the events, they're fun and challenging. The shamalamadingdongdorkdonk's plan is still the same: pick and choose my games, win one, then roar at the TOC.
And if anyone can teach the old old old shamster how to post links and banners on the sides of this boring blog, I will be eternally greatful (maybe even scrape up some thank-you bucks)!!! A week of playing and experimenting with it have gotten me nowhere. I miss the old copy- and type-setting paginators!
It's now April (didn't even get to play any April Fool's jokes, except not posting), and month two of the Battle of the Bloggers III Tournaments. Congrats to those who've won seats in the big Tournament of Champions at the end, and to the march monthly champion. We'll get names and numbers at another time. Still many WSOP seats to be won!
This is on the fly, so it's brief. Just wanted to remind folks of the events at Full Tilt, and post another of AlCantHang's banners (smaller than the last). Get over to the events, they're fun and challenging. The shamalamadingdongdorkdonk's plan is still the same: pick and choose my games, win one, then roar at the TOC.
And if anyone can teach the old old old shamster how to post links and banners on the sides of this boring blog, I will be eternally greatful (maybe even scrape up some thank-you bucks)!!! A week of playing and experimenting with it have gotten me nowhere. I miss the old copy- and type-setting paginators!
Brought to you by the
Online Poker Room Full
Tilt Poker and the
Dead Money Poker Blog by
AlCantHang
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Random Thoughts
Random short thoughts on a Thursday afternoon, having cancelled my modelling gig today (too far to travel, too much time, too little pay) and hiding inside from what's left of the 10 inches of snow St. Louis got Tuesday over primarily a five-hour span (hey, that ain't much to a New Yorker or a Rocky Mountaineer, maybe, but it's more than I've seen here in 10 years back!). Anyway:
-- Read Doyle Brunson's blog!!! (Link at right.) Sorry, Eric Clapton, but Doyle is god! The March 4 entry is classic, featuring the scoop on the NBC Heads-Up outcome, Doyle at a country-western concert on Fremont, downing 10 beers, giving his hat to a musician, Phil Hellmuth drunk and dancing to country at a biker bar, Clonie Gowen and Doyle's daughter on the bar, and so much more. Reading Doyle makes me want to write more and more. And get my move to Vegas finalized.
-- Started reading Michael Craig's superb "The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King" last night. Awesome. Love the insights, behind-the-scenes and thought processes. Well done. Gonna be hard to put down; I read slow, but will be done with it before dawn Saturday.
-- Talking about gambling and high rollers gave me an "aha!" moment. (I love those!) I'm the kind who'll bet $20 on Mizzou, $20 on Texas, $20 on whoever's playing Kansas, etc., rather than playing one or two games heavy and solid. It's the action junkie in me. Hmmmmmm!!! And at the poker tables I'm trying two events at once, instead of pouring full focus and effort into one? And playing micro rings, instead of stepping up to brick-and-mortar-size contests? Aha!
-- Get well soon, bwop and ig and anyone else hurting ...
-- Classical music is far and away the best. Classic rock is a solid runner-up. Rap is missing a letter ...
-- My early Kentucky Derby money is on Fierce Wind, Colonel John and Z Fortune. War Pass (who will probably be the winner May 3) and Pyro are awesome and will be in my exotic wagers, but I gotta go with the best-paying prospects in the Future Pools.
-- World Series 2008: Detroit vs. the New York Mets. The Cardinals won't make .500 at the wire. Looking forward to two fantasy leagues I'm going to play (well, one I'm in, the other I'm hedging). Both of those leagues draft next Monday evening.
-- I forgot what I was going to put here. Siiiiiigh ...
-- I can't believe it's been almost exactly 10 years since I moved out of Austin. I miss the Hill Country. Hope to make it back there for the first time in 6 years for Weekend at Mookie's or whatever the Blogger Bash is called. The wallet's ready; it's up to the work commitments ...
-- Speaking of Poker Bloggers, I'm plunging back into the BBT3 wars tonight at Full Tilt; the weekly $10+$1 Riverchasers game is at 8 pm St. Louis time.
-- No poker Friday. Off to model at my favorite, Principia College up in Ilinois, and will make a day of it at the Argosy Casino, Fast Eddie's restaurant and a number of clubs I get to all too rarely, sadly. This class ends the quarter at Principia (they're one of the rare schools who don't go by semesters), and figure drawing is only offered during this "third" quarter. But there's encouraging talk of a figure painting class in the fourth quarter, so ...
-- Busy poker weekend ahead, altough not as big as the five-star events ths following weekend. My schedule will include: (3:05p Saturday) Nationwide Poker Tour online satellite to Sunday's $500 Bodog Open Main Event, at Bodog; (7p Saturday) Final Four Package Tournament, at Oddsmaker; (3p Sunday) either Bodog Open Main Event or Bugsys Championship Series Main Event, a $110 buy-in NLHE with $15K guaranteed prize pool; plus the usual assorted games and leagues from Aces Cracked, Poker Analysis, Maximum Poker League, The Bluffers, Real Poker Players, AJ Poker and so on. What was that I said about picking and choosing???
Peace. Back to the book ...
-- Read Doyle Brunson's blog!!! (Link at right.) Sorry, Eric Clapton, but Doyle is god! The March 4 entry is classic, featuring the scoop on the NBC Heads-Up outcome, Doyle at a country-western concert on Fremont, downing 10 beers, giving his hat to a musician, Phil Hellmuth drunk and dancing to country at a biker bar, Clonie Gowen and Doyle's daughter on the bar, and so much more. Reading Doyle makes me want to write more and more. And get my move to Vegas finalized.
-- Started reading Michael Craig's superb "The Professor, the Banker and the Suicide King" last night. Awesome. Love the insights, behind-the-scenes and thought processes. Well done. Gonna be hard to put down; I read slow, but will be done with it before dawn Saturday.
-- Talking about gambling and high rollers gave me an "aha!" moment. (I love those!) I'm the kind who'll bet $20 on Mizzou, $20 on Texas, $20 on whoever's playing Kansas, etc., rather than playing one or two games heavy and solid. It's the action junkie in me. Hmmmmmm!!! And at the poker tables I'm trying two events at once, instead of pouring full focus and effort into one? And playing micro rings, instead of stepping up to brick-and-mortar-size contests? Aha!
-- Get well soon, bwop and ig and anyone else hurting ...
-- Classical music is far and away the best. Classic rock is a solid runner-up. Rap is missing a letter ...
-- My early Kentucky Derby money is on Fierce Wind, Colonel John and Z Fortune. War Pass (who will probably be the winner May 3) and Pyro are awesome and will be in my exotic wagers, but I gotta go with the best-paying prospects in the Future Pools.
-- World Series 2008: Detroit vs. the New York Mets. The Cardinals won't make .500 at the wire. Looking forward to two fantasy leagues I'm going to play (well, one I'm in, the other I'm hedging). Both of those leagues draft next Monday evening.
-- I forgot what I was going to put here. Siiiiiigh ...
-- I can't believe it's been almost exactly 10 years since I moved out of Austin. I miss the Hill Country. Hope to make it back there for the first time in 6 years for Weekend at Mookie's or whatever the Blogger Bash is called. The wallet's ready; it's up to the work commitments ...
-- Speaking of Poker Bloggers, I'm plunging back into the BBT3 wars tonight at Full Tilt; the weekly $10+$1 Riverchasers game is at 8 pm St. Louis time.
-- No poker Friday. Off to model at my favorite, Principia College up in Ilinois, and will make a day of it at the Argosy Casino, Fast Eddie's restaurant and a number of clubs I get to all too rarely, sadly. This class ends the quarter at Principia (they're one of the rare schools who don't go by semesters), and figure drawing is only offered during this "third" quarter. But there's encouraging talk of a figure painting class in the fourth quarter, so ...
-- Busy poker weekend ahead, altough not as big as the five-star events ths following weekend. My schedule will include: (3:05p Saturday) Nationwide Poker Tour online satellite to Sunday's $500 Bodog Open Main Event, at Bodog; (7p Saturday) Final Four Package Tournament, at Oddsmaker; (3p Sunday) either Bodog Open Main Event or Bugsys Championship Series Main Event, a $110 buy-in NLHE with $15K guaranteed prize pool; plus the usual assorted games and leagues from Aces Cracked, Poker Analysis, Maximum Poker League, The Bluffers, Real Poker Players, AJ Poker and so on. What was that I said about picking and choosing???
Peace. Back to the book ...
Monday, March 3, 2008
That's A Winner!
The Bugsys Championship Series is currently under way at Bugsys Club. It offers 27 events through Sunday, with a Championship Playoff on March 15. It may not be as big or lucrative as FTOPS or WCOOP, but I wanted to give it a try in my steady dive into tougher challenges and competitions. Even though I hadn't played at Bugsys since April '07 (I don't know why).
(This is where the screenshot of Sunday March 2's Event 5, Limit Omaha H/L, $1,000 guaranteed (prize pool eventually closed at over $2K), buy-in $25 + $2.50, should go. If I can ever figure out how. Thank you pal sharbear of MaximumPokerLeague et al. for taking the screenshot at Bugsys for me; I could cut-and-paste from your PM into an e-mail for my records, but haven't been able to c&p the shot into any forum posts or here yet. (siiiiiigh!) Some day...)
Anyways, if you were looking at the screenshot, you'd notice that 82 players enterred, and when the smoke cleared the $615.00 first prize belonged to shamanalix. Yup. A solid payday for the shamster. I'm still walking on air a bit!
It was a very enjoyable event: calm, straightforward play, only a couple of jerks. A number of luckouts and bad beats, but you get those everywhere, even live ... and this game I was able to avoid most of them. We started with 2,500 chips each. At the first break I was 29th of 60 left, my best hand having been quad aces in level 3 that won me a 1,425-chip pot (no low). The second hour I played steady and picked my spots and mostly avoided mistakes and chases, so that at the second break I was 6th/16 remaining. Ten got paid.
I seriously had my eyes just on cashing, not on winning the whole thing, but the first hand after Break 2 alterred my thinking. Level 13, blinds 2,000/4,000. A 2 turn and 3 river gave me a small boat and got me firing back at the table bully/big stack until I was all-in. He'd hit a flush on the river, but I had him and scooped the 31,000 pot. And that's when my gear-shifting and gameplan intensified.
We hit the final table (and the money) with the shamster 4th/10. My strategy and cards had me in and out of 1st place in levels 14 and 15, the latter when we were down to 7 players. Then I beat the bully again with 2s full of As and soared to 102K chips -- about 80K ahead of second place! I eased the attack, then I couldn't land a filler/killer, and my big lead shrank; but so did the field size.
Finally we were four-handed in level 17 (8K/16K blinds), me barely ahead as we all had about the same amount of chips. I took out the bully in fourth for a 92K pot; I flopped trip 6s, we built it till he was all in and his chasing couldn't catch me. Eventually I was heads-up against MiaLauren, who'd done a superb job of bouncing back from being ultra-low-stack a couple of times. She took the lead from me when she got quad 7s and I folded to her river bet; this was level 18 (10K/20K). But pots were big, I got the lead back in a couple hands and then wrapped it up with a 10-high flush as she couldn't fill her boat. I had a bigger two pair than her (quit thinking dirty, Al and ck!) until the river, when the 10 of spades gave her a bigger two pair (hush ig) but completed my flush. We both had straight draws to boot, and no low qualified, and it had been over 3 hours for the tournament, so this hand was the final showdown.
It was just my night/game. The universe needs more of those! Sorry I missed the Big Game of Miami Don's that kicked off Battle of the Blogger Tournament 3 at Full Tilt, but there'll be plenty more of those. This $615 payday will give the sham's bankroll a boost in picking and choosing points of attack at BBT3. Likely starting Tuesday with the Blogger Skill Series (if it ain't stud!). For sure Thursday with Al and riggs' Riverchasers game. (I didn't know my Poker Analysis pal wolfshead, aka herb, was a Riverchaser from Pennsylvania; dang!...)
One good game like Bugsys on Sunday can erase 10 frustrating games, and give insecurities a necessary boost. The adages are really true: Just keep playing your game and try to maintain an even keel, and it all works out in the end.
On the WSOP front, I can get a Vegas studio apartment for June and July for about $2K. Anyone want in? Still not 100 percent sure with my mom's health that it's wise to get away for so long. I do have my eyes on WSOP events 2 ($1500 NLHE, the monster-sized "opener"), 42 ($1k seniors), 51 ($1.5k HORSE) and 54 ($10k Main Event), plus some others. I'll preregister for sure it the next 10 days for the Seniors to get on their players list, and then we shall see what develops.
Meanwhile, back to the journey. Can't over-enjoy a success, just like I don't dwell on the non-successes. But this sure feels real real nice...
(This is where the screenshot of Sunday March 2's Event 5, Limit Omaha H/L, $1,000 guaranteed (prize pool eventually closed at over $2K), buy-in $25 + $2.50, should go. If I can ever figure out how. Thank you pal sharbear of MaximumPokerLeague et al. for taking the screenshot at Bugsys for me; I could cut-and-paste from your PM into an e-mail for my records, but haven't been able to c&p the shot into any forum posts or here yet. (siiiiiigh!) Some day...)
Anyways, if you were looking at the screenshot, you'd notice that 82 players enterred, and when the smoke cleared the $615.00 first prize belonged to shamanalix. Yup. A solid payday for the shamster. I'm still walking on air a bit!
It was a very enjoyable event: calm, straightforward play, only a couple of jerks. A number of luckouts and bad beats, but you get those everywhere, even live ... and this game I was able to avoid most of them. We started with 2,500 chips each. At the first break I was 29th of 60 left, my best hand having been quad aces in level 3 that won me a 1,425-chip pot (no low). The second hour I played steady and picked my spots and mostly avoided mistakes and chases, so that at the second break I was 6th/16 remaining. Ten got paid.
I seriously had my eyes just on cashing, not on winning the whole thing, but the first hand after Break 2 alterred my thinking. Level 13, blinds 2,000/4,000. A 2 turn and 3 river gave me a small boat and got me firing back at the table bully/big stack until I was all-in. He'd hit a flush on the river, but I had him and scooped the 31,000 pot. And that's when my gear-shifting and gameplan intensified.
We hit the final table (and the money) with the shamster 4th/10. My strategy and cards had me in and out of 1st place in levels 14 and 15, the latter when we were down to 7 players. Then I beat the bully again with 2s full of As and soared to 102K chips -- about 80K ahead of second place! I eased the attack, then I couldn't land a filler/killer, and my big lead shrank; but so did the field size.
Finally we were four-handed in level 17 (8K/16K blinds), me barely ahead as we all had about the same amount of chips. I took out the bully in fourth for a 92K pot; I flopped trip 6s, we built it till he was all in and his chasing couldn't catch me. Eventually I was heads-up against MiaLauren, who'd done a superb job of bouncing back from being ultra-low-stack a couple of times. She took the lead from me when she got quad 7s and I folded to her river bet; this was level 18 (10K/20K). But pots were big, I got the lead back in a couple hands and then wrapped it up with a 10-high flush as she couldn't fill her boat. I had a bigger two pair than her (quit thinking dirty, Al and ck!) until the river, when the 10 of spades gave her a bigger two pair (hush ig) but completed my flush. We both had straight draws to boot, and no low qualified, and it had been over 3 hours for the tournament, so this hand was the final showdown.
It was just my night/game. The universe needs more of those! Sorry I missed the Big Game of Miami Don's that kicked off Battle of the Blogger Tournament 3 at Full Tilt, but there'll be plenty more of those. This $615 payday will give the sham's bankroll a boost in picking and choosing points of attack at BBT3. Likely starting Tuesday with the Blogger Skill Series (if it ain't stud!). For sure Thursday with Al and riggs' Riverchasers game. (I didn't know my Poker Analysis pal wolfshead, aka herb, was a Riverchaser from Pennsylvania; dang!...)
One good game like Bugsys on Sunday can erase 10 frustrating games, and give insecurities a necessary boost. The adages are really true: Just keep playing your game and try to maintain an even keel, and it all works out in the end.
On the WSOP front, I can get a Vegas studio apartment for June and July for about $2K. Anyone want in? Still not 100 percent sure with my mom's health that it's wise to get away for so long. I do have my eyes on WSOP events 2 ($1500 NLHE, the monster-sized "opener"), 42 ($1k seniors), 51 ($1.5k HORSE) and 54 ($10k Main Event), plus some others. I'll preregister for sure it the next 10 days for the Seniors to get on their players list, and then we shall see what develops.
Meanwhile, back to the journey. Can't over-enjoy a success, just like I don't dwell on the non-successes. But this sure feels real real nice...
Sunday, March 2, 2008
The Real 3 R's
Some may have you believe the "3 R's" of learning are readin', writin' and 'rithmetic. Sorry, not true. To a poker player like me, the 3 R's are reading, reacting and 'rmadilloing.
The education picks up a notch today with the official start of BB3, a.k.a. Battle of the Blogger Tournament 3. Three months, 55 tournaments, a Tournament of Champions at the end for individual event winners only ... and even World Series of Poker prizes amongst the swag put together by the legendary Sir AlCantHang and Full Tilt Poker. The official information is at http://alcanthang.blogspot.com/2008_02_24_archive.html#5035587135491417942. (Dang, why can't I make copy one thing and html link a separate thing? Like worked finally with the BB3 banner? Grrr. And the link's not even a live one to click? Sorry. Siiiiigh...)
There's plenty of action, and plenty of chances along the way to have that one miraculous in-the-zone game and win a TOC seat. Or perform steadily and win a monthly prize. And since they're all buy-ins (of various amounts, at varying games), there's oodles of greenbacks to be earned. I'll pass the rich opener tonight, the Blogger Big Game ($69+$6) hosted by Miami Don. Got a seat in Bugsy Championship Series Event 5 (Limit Omaha H/L), so that takes precedence and sham's limited attention/focus. But with BB3 events nightly Monday through Thursday, I'll be gathering the shekels and tokens and showing up there often.
Saturday went well. Won the MaximumPokerLeague TPFC qualifier at Nordica, as me and four teammates qualified for the final there in two weeks. Picked up a little cash at DoylesRoom ring games, the first time I've played those since they let the Yanks back in (well some of us, they still ban residents of the O'Shunned Eleven states).
Full schedule today, resuming sortly with The Bluffers League game at Absolute Poker. Bluffers are a fun group, you should check them out. Link at right. (I'll learn how to put more links into the copy slowly but surely, thanks to the patient teachings of folks like Al and Irongirl. Maybe.) Also I'm playing a lot with Real Poker Players league; $25 for a year to join, then lots of league games and monthly prize events, plus about a buy-in a week at Ultimate Bet ... and these folks play tight/tough.
Gotta keep improving and learning, while the escalator continues the climb to whatever's ahead...
The education picks up a notch today with the official start of BB3, a.k.a. Battle of the Blogger Tournament 3. Three months, 55 tournaments, a Tournament of Champions at the end for individual event winners only ... and even World Series of Poker prizes amongst the swag put together by the legendary Sir AlCantHang and Full Tilt Poker. The official information is at http://alcanthang.blogspot.com/2008_02_24_archive.html#5035587135491417942. (Dang, why can't I make copy one thing and html link a separate thing? Like worked finally with the BB3 banner? Grrr. And the link's not even a live one to click? Sorry. Siiiiigh...)
There's plenty of action, and plenty of chances along the way to have that one miraculous in-the-zone game and win a TOC seat. Or perform steadily and win a monthly prize. And since they're all buy-ins (of various amounts, at varying games), there's oodles of greenbacks to be earned. I'll pass the rich opener tonight, the Blogger Big Game ($69+$6) hosted by Miami Don. Got a seat in Bugsy Championship Series Event 5 (Limit Omaha H/L), so that takes precedence and sham's limited attention/focus. But with BB3 events nightly Monday through Thursday, I'll be gathering the shekels and tokens and showing up there often.
Saturday went well. Won the MaximumPokerLeague TPFC qualifier at Nordica, as me and four teammates qualified for the final there in two weeks. Picked up a little cash at DoylesRoom ring games, the first time I've played those since they let the Yanks back in (well some of us, they still ban residents of the O'Shunned Eleven states).
Full schedule today, resuming sortly with The Bluffers League game at Absolute Poker. Bluffers are a fun group, you should check them out. Link at right. (I'll learn how to put more links into the copy slowly but surely, thanks to the patient teachings of folks like Al and Irongirl. Maybe.) Also I'm playing a lot with Real Poker Players league; $25 for a year to join, then lots of league games and monthly prize events, plus about a buy-in a week at Ultimate Bet ... and these folks play tight/tough.
Gotta keep improving and learning, while the escalator continues the climb to whatever's ahead...
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Flowing
Anger. Frustration. Disappointment. Tiredness. Poker. Arrrrgggghhhhh. Close. Cigar? No. Way.
Satisfaction in recent results and play. Perturbed by near-misses and short-handed meltdowns -- twice tonight (Friday)!! Adjusting my game, but so many adjustments and tweaks and one-way streets that truly hold a thousand options. My head and my gut and my heart tell me it'll never work, never get better, never get ... it. But they're not really telling me that. What are telling me that are the things that are right, yet all wrong. So I'll ignore "them" and plug on.
Won 18 cents in the Quick Draw at Doyle's (249th/2,454 freerollers). Made $15 for taking 2nd/23 in TheBluffers game at Reefer. Earned 12 points as 3rd/44 in Real Poker Players League's Limit H.O.R.S.E. at Ultimate Bet. Three-for-three "good" outings. After my 7-days-of-profit streak had turned into 2-days-of-losses, we're headed back in the right direction.
And I should have won those last two tournaments. Long heads-up with Bluffers rival (sorry, bad with names, forgot already); led most of the way until I finally lost one big hand and gave him a lead I could never overcome. And in RPP game I was a maniac at final table, dispatching foes and building 20K-chip castle, 10 times more than my last two rivals each had ... yet it all disappeared in Omaha 8/b, normally one of my best games. The poker goddesses were sure having fun with me.
Gotta not let the results and the immediate happenings bug me. Just like loud-mouth sore losers (no names of juvenile clown bloggers who could use a swift kick in their humanity-lessness). Too sensitive, too nice, the shamster. Gotta shrug it all off. One hand at a time. All that matters. And nothing really matters.
Big weekend of games ahead. Model Saturday morning, which'll put a crimp in my participation but offer a nice distraction, a good opportunity for reflection and re-planning. Then back to the faux felt starting Saturday dinnertime. There are big events at Bugsy's Club and Bodog and elsewhere to choose from, plus the usual league challenges. And the BB3 is right around the corner.
(Weird, I type a word and a different word appears on the screen. Haunted keyboard? Or bad misconnect between "brain" and "fingers" -- plan and execution? Just old? Pooh...)
Maybe that's the trouble. Maybe there's no trouble. Definitely there's a bed calling. Morning is another day. One big success will more than erase a thousand defeats and disappointments. And it IS coming! Meanwhile, we'll continue savoring every little victory, every step in the right direction ... while not making a big deal of them, just like we treat the oopses.
You can stop shuffling. For now. New deal soon...
Satisfaction in recent results and play. Perturbed by near-misses and short-handed meltdowns -- twice tonight (Friday)!! Adjusting my game, but so many adjustments and tweaks and one-way streets that truly hold a thousand options. My head and my gut and my heart tell me it'll never work, never get better, never get ... it. But they're not really telling me that. What are telling me that are the things that are right, yet all wrong. So I'll ignore "them" and plug on.
Won 18 cents in the Quick Draw at Doyle's (249th/2,454 freerollers). Made $15 for taking 2nd/23 in TheBluffers game at Reefer. Earned 12 points as 3rd/44 in Real Poker Players League's Limit H.O.R.S.E. at Ultimate Bet. Three-for-three "good" outings. After my 7-days-of-profit streak had turned into 2-days-of-losses, we're headed back in the right direction.
And I should have won those last two tournaments. Long heads-up with Bluffers rival (sorry, bad with names, forgot already); led most of the way until I finally lost one big hand and gave him a lead I could never overcome. And in RPP game I was a maniac at final table, dispatching foes and building 20K-chip castle, 10 times more than my last two rivals each had ... yet it all disappeared in Omaha 8/b, normally one of my best games. The poker goddesses were sure having fun with me.
Gotta not let the results and the immediate happenings bug me. Just like loud-mouth sore losers (no names of juvenile clown bloggers who could use a swift kick in their humanity-lessness). Too sensitive, too nice, the shamster. Gotta shrug it all off. One hand at a time. All that matters. And nothing really matters.
Big weekend of games ahead. Model Saturday morning, which'll put a crimp in my participation but offer a nice distraction, a good opportunity for reflection and re-planning. Then back to the faux felt starting Saturday dinnertime. There are big events at Bugsy's Club and Bodog and elsewhere to choose from, plus the usual league challenges. And the BB3 is right around the corner.
(Weird, I type a word and a different word appears on the screen. Haunted keyboard? Or bad misconnect between "brain" and "fingers" -- plan and execution? Just old? Pooh...)
Maybe that's the trouble. Maybe there's no trouble. Definitely there's a bed calling. Morning is another day. One big success will more than erase a thousand defeats and disappointments. And it IS coming! Meanwhile, we'll continue savoring every little victory, every step in the right direction ... while not making a big deal of them, just like we treat the oopses.
You can stop shuffling. For now. New deal soon...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Blogger Madness Starts Sunday
The streak is at six straight days of online profit and counting. I'll tell ya about it another time; just not very good at bragging, or at finding time amidst real life.
Had to post something, though, to try (again) to put up one of the banners about the latest Blogger Series. Starts Sunday. Holy Grail at the end is 7 WSOP seats (Holy Heck!!!!!!!!). More details to come, best info is at organizer/cat-herder Al Cant Hang's blog (link at right). I vow to win the writing contest; it's time for the sham to reveal his true skills and block the writer's block.
So here goes with the (medium) banner, more soon, I'm jealous of the Eh! Vegas survivors/victims, and have a great week!:
(Siiiiiigh!!!) Nope, blogger "banner" didn't publish. Ya have to click the link to see it. I'll have to talk to someone who knows how to do things and figure how to make it appear. I'm so hopeless at some things. Ciao...
UPDATE: As you can (hopefully) see, the blogger banner/promo now is publishing, thanks to brilliant guidance from the one-of-a-kind Sir AlCantHang. Thankee...
Had to post something, though, to try (again) to put up one of the banners about the latest Blogger Series. Starts Sunday. Holy Grail at the end is 7 WSOP seats (Holy Heck!!!!!!!!). More details to come, best info is at organizer/cat-herder Al Cant Hang's blog (link at right). I vow to win the writing contest; it's time for the sham to reveal his true skills and block the writer's block.
So here goes with the (medium) banner, more soon, I'm jealous of the Eh! Vegas survivors/victims, and have a great week!:
(Siiiiiigh!!!) Nope, blogger "banner" didn't publish. Ya have to click the link to see it. I'll have to talk to someone who knows how to do things and figure how to make it appear. I'm so hopeless at some things. Ciao...
UPDATE: As you can (hopefully) see, the blogger banner/promo now is publishing, thanks to brilliant guidance from the one-of-a-kind Sir AlCantHang. Thankee...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Must Be the Full Moon...
The full moon was beautiful last night. I didn't watch the partial eclipse, but heard it was inspiring. But, dang, why is it every time there's a full moon, people and poker seem to get even whackier than usual???
The bad news is that the "spell" didn't end by awakening this morning; if anything, seems it's getting "weirder." I won't call it "worse", that's all relative; but it's definitely uncomfortable to an overly sensitive underly confident semi-human like the shamster.
Today there's an wave of ice and snow storms rolling through St. Louis. So decided against risking the weather and road quirks, and cancelled my modelling session at Principia University up in Illinois. The beautiful Principia campus, as I've stated before, is one of my favorite places to hang out, and they pay well, so nixing this gig hurts. On the bright side, it means I get to play poker all day (seems like it's been forever!).
On the dark side, my first (and so far only) foray onto the faux felt today was at PokerStars, a $5.50 rebuy/add-on turbo super satellite to EPT-4 Monte Carlo, the final stop in this year's European Poker Tour. I followed my strategy in the early goings: no rebuys, take the single add-on for $5 and play smart and patient amidst the five-minute levels. Worked like a charm, my hands held and I won two races at the river, and come first break I was 1st of 36 left. The event had started with 63, 12 would get paid off and top 6 would advance to the Thursday afternoon EPT-4 MC satellite.
And of course you can guess how it all ended. Shamster finished 13th, bubble boy once more. Went card dead, couldn't hit when made a couple feelers, won a couple pushes after I fell out of top 10. Decisive hand, with 3K left and blinds 800/1600 (150 ante), I called table's top aggressor on my right as he tried yet again to steal pot momentum from me. I had 33, he had KT suited, and everything went nice -- until a darn cowboy rivered. (Siiiigh!!!) What's a poor shamalamadingdongdorkdonk to do? Just move on to the next challenge, I guess.
There should be quite a few of those today, as I try to make up for lost time in online poker-land. I'm aiming for the Rounders Radio freeroll at Carbon in about an hour, then tonight will drop in on league games of Poker Analysis Freeroll League (Cake), Maximum Poker League (Cake), and maybe Shark Poker Tour (Absolute Poker) and/or The Bluffers (Reefer). That last site, Reefer Poker, is a new one that's a skin of poker.com, Carbon, Nordica, etc. More on Reefer at another time, though know that since I can't deposit there until probably next month I intend to freeroll a lot of Reefer to build my roll. (That sounds bad, and I love it!)
Got a poker scare earlier this week when a co-owner said he was going to have to close my home forum, Poker Analysis. The other co-owner, his estranged wife, said she wouldn't let that happen to PA, so things go on fairly normally as the soap opera plays out. I will still play for PA in the next Online Forum Challenge, set for mid-March at Reefer. A lot of good players are at and have come through PA, including Mike Sowers (SowersUNCC), a recent preliminary event winner live at Borgata on the WPT Tour (or was it WSOP? I'm always a confused shamster...).
Another poker "scare" earlier this came when the two February posts in Doyle Brunson's blog disappeared. Happily, they're back today, with new entries; seems he's changed the look/set-up of his blog. And now it allows comments. Doyle's Blog (link at right) is still one of my absolute must-reads on the web.
Modelling Tuesday at St. Louis Science Center with the "Body Worlds 3" exhibition was fun, though not as much as the first time. The initial newness and thrill were lessened, making it more just a job. And one of the other models got his picture in the paper today with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's article on the exhibition. Pooh. Oh well, SLSC curators promised they'd send us models a CD of pictures they took of us at work, so I'll get to share that with y'all eventually.
Yesterday night I lost my temper for a moment with an extremely talented artist, Metra Mitchell, who works as T.A. for the class I was doing at Fontbonne University. Long story short I can sometimes get paranoid when someone uses a laser pointer on me unexpectedly, especially on my face. We had a little cry and I think got over it. I figured later it must be partially the full moon's fault. That also explains Monday and Tuesday and today. Gotta hope the waves mellow soon ... and meanwhile try to flow with them and adapt.
OK, tables, I'm coming, moon or no moon. Brace yourselves...
The bad news is that the "spell" didn't end by awakening this morning; if anything, seems it's getting "weirder." I won't call it "worse", that's all relative; but it's definitely uncomfortable to an overly sensitive underly confident semi-human like the shamster.
Today there's an wave of ice and snow storms rolling through St. Louis. So decided against risking the weather and road quirks, and cancelled my modelling session at Principia University up in Illinois. The beautiful Principia campus, as I've stated before, is one of my favorite places to hang out, and they pay well, so nixing this gig hurts. On the bright side, it means I get to play poker all day (seems like it's been forever!).
On the dark side, my first (and so far only) foray onto the faux felt today was at PokerStars, a $5.50 rebuy/add-on turbo super satellite to EPT-4 Monte Carlo, the final stop in this year's European Poker Tour. I followed my strategy in the early goings: no rebuys, take the single add-on for $5 and play smart and patient amidst the five-minute levels. Worked like a charm, my hands held and I won two races at the river, and come first break I was 1st of 36 left. The event had started with 63, 12 would get paid off and top 6 would advance to the Thursday afternoon EPT-4 MC satellite.
And of course you can guess how it all ended. Shamster finished 13th, bubble boy once more. Went card dead, couldn't hit when made a couple feelers, won a couple pushes after I fell out of top 10. Decisive hand, with 3K left and blinds 800/1600 (150 ante), I called table's top aggressor on my right as he tried yet again to steal pot momentum from me. I had 33, he had KT suited, and everything went nice -- until a darn cowboy rivered. (Siiiigh!!!) What's a poor shamalamadingdongdorkdonk to do? Just move on to the next challenge, I guess.
There should be quite a few of those today, as I try to make up for lost time in online poker-land. I'm aiming for the Rounders Radio freeroll at Carbon in about an hour, then tonight will drop in on league games of Poker Analysis Freeroll League (Cake), Maximum Poker League (Cake), and maybe Shark Poker Tour (Absolute Poker) and/or The Bluffers (Reefer). That last site, Reefer Poker, is a new one that's a skin of poker.com, Carbon, Nordica, etc. More on Reefer at another time, though know that since I can't deposit there until probably next month I intend to freeroll a lot of Reefer to build my roll. (That sounds bad, and I love it!)
Got a poker scare earlier this week when a co-owner said he was going to have to close my home forum, Poker Analysis. The other co-owner, his estranged wife, said she wouldn't let that happen to PA, so things go on fairly normally as the soap opera plays out. I will still play for PA in the next Online Forum Challenge, set for mid-March at Reefer. A lot of good players are at and have come through PA, including Mike Sowers (SowersUNCC), a recent preliminary event winner live at Borgata on the WPT Tour (or was it WSOP? I'm always a confused shamster...).
Another poker "scare" earlier this came when the two February posts in Doyle Brunson's blog disappeared. Happily, they're back today, with new entries; seems he's changed the look/set-up of his blog. And now it allows comments. Doyle's Blog (link at right) is still one of my absolute must-reads on the web.
Modelling Tuesday at St. Louis Science Center with the "Body Worlds 3" exhibition was fun, though not as much as the first time. The initial newness and thrill were lessened, making it more just a job. And one of the other models got his picture in the paper today with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's article on the exhibition. Pooh. Oh well, SLSC curators promised they'd send us models a CD of pictures they took of us at work, so I'll get to share that with y'all eventually.
Yesterday night I lost my temper for a moment with an extremely talented artist, Metra Mitchell, who works as T.A. for the class I was doing at Fontbonne University. Long story short I can sometimes get paranoid when someone uses a laser pointer on me unexpectedly, especially on my face. We had a little cry and I think got over it. I figured later it must be partially the full moon's fault. That also explains Monday and Tuesday and today. Gotta hope the waves mellow soon ... and meanwhile try to flow with them and adapt.
OK, tables, I'm coming, moon or no moon. Brace yourselves...
Monday, February 18, 2008
Small Victories Still Feel Good
I hope it's an omen for a good week. I'm as computer-inept and technophobic as they come, but I got the Adobe Reader update to download and actually work on my computer! Yeah, yeah, it's a simple thing ... but that hasn't stopped me from messing it up in the past. Now I can see pdfs!!! Now I'll know how yesterday's Horse Race of the Day turned out without going to Equibase's results! Now the world is at my fingertips! (Not really, but I'm an easy guy to please; I'll take any tiny victories life hands me!)
Life didn't hand me tiny victories on the poker tables over the weekend. My play was OK, occasionally sterling, but the results were ... I don't think that disgusting sound translates into letters for a printed page. No wins. Only one cash. Only three final tables. Blah!
This week will be light on online poker once again; work gigs run into the evening, and with modelling every day it doesn't give a lot of time or energy to devote to the felt wars. Things will improve a tad the last week of February when I model afternoons and get my nights back; cannot wait to resume playing in leagues with my friends at Poker Analysis, Real Poker Players, TheBluffers, etc. -- not to mention the Blogger Circuit.
Speaking of the Blogger Circuit, there is one game written in RED INK on my calendar this week that I will definitely play. (Thanks for the heads-up, Dr. Pauly!) Author Anthony Holden hosts the Tuesday Night Game once a month at PokerStars. Holden wrote "Big Deal" and "Bigger Deal", two of the best poker books ever. This tournament commemorates the legendary live Tuesday Night Game in England that attracted many top authors, artistes, etc. The online version plays at 3 pm ET Tuesday Feb. 19 for $10+$1, with $2,700 added and many other prizes. I can only play for about 3 hours. I intend to last that long, and hope it's enough to at least reach the money and the final table; FT players get an autographed copy of one of Holden's books. And he'll be playing. It will be fun. I was the first player registered, a couple weeks back. For more info and the password, check out http://www.biggerdeal.com/ -- and enjoy!
The reason I can only play until about 5 pm my time? Work. But a special gig. Ever hear of Body Worlds, the traveling exhibit of real human bodies treated by the process of plastination into works of art that are like skinless bodies posed in athletic and other activities? (Look it up at http://www.bodyworlds.com/; awesome, though not for the squeamish.) Well, Body Worlds 3 has been at the St. Louis Science Center for months, and with the exhibit almost over they held an "Artists Night" last Wednesday where people could come in and draw the exhibits, with four live human models thrown in for comparitive purposes. I was one of the four live human models. It went over so well, they've asked us for an encore performance this Tuesday from 7-9 pm my time -- thus my time limit in playing Holden's poker game. (www.slsc.org/content.aspx?id=4077) They will have photographers this time (they weren't allowed last week, only sketch artists and painters), so I'll try to post photos from this gig (or a link) after we get prints-for-time trade. Yeah, I'll even try to include the female live models in the pix, just for Uncle Al.
Today, time to get to Fontbonne University and Victor's painting class; they're doing my portrait today and Wednesday. And sitting there will give me good time to ponder ways to tweak the poker game. Needs much pondering. "Is a puzzlement!!!"
Life didn't hand me tiny victories on the poker tables over the weekend. My play was OK, occasionally sterling, but the results were ... I don't think that disgusting sound translates into letters for a printed page. No wins. Only one cash. Only three final tables. Blah!
This week will be light on online poker once again; work gigs run into the evening, and with modelling every day it doesn't give a lot of time or energy to devote to the felt wars. Things will improve a tad the last week of February when I model afternoons and get my nights back; cannot wait to resume playing in leagues with my friends at Poker Analysis, Real Poker Players, TheBluffers, etc. -- not to mention the Blogger Circuit.
Speaking of the Blogger Circuit, there is one game written in RED INK on my calendar this week that I will definitely play. (Thanks for the heads-up, Dr. Pauly!) Author Anthony Holden hosts the Tuesday Night Game once a month at PokerStars. Holden wrote "Big Deal" and "Bigger Deal", two of the best poker books ever. This tournament commemorates the legendary live Tuesday Night Game in England that attracted many top authors, artistes, etc. The online version plays at 3 pm ET Tuesday Feb. 19 for $10+$1, with $2,700 added and many other prizes. I can only play for about 3 hours. I intend to last that long, and hope it's enough to at least reach the money and the final table; FT players get an autographed copy of one of Holden's books. And he'll be playing. It will be fun. I was the first player registered, a couple weeks back. For more info and the password, check out http://www.biggerdeal.com/ -- and enjoy!
The reason I can only play until about 5 pm my time? Work. But a special gig. Ever hear of Body Worlds, the traveling exhibit of real human bodies treated by the process of plastination into works of art that are like skinless bodies posed in athletic and other activities? (Look it up at http://www.bodyworlds.com/; awesome, though not for the squeamish.) Well, Body Worlds 3 has been at the St. Louis Science Center for months, and with the exhibit almost over they held an "Artists Night" last Wednesday where people could come in and draw the exhibits, with four live human models thrown in for comparitive purposes. I was one of the four live human models. It went over so well, they've asked us for an encore performance this Tuesday from 7-9 pm my time -- thus my time limit in playing Holden's poker game. (www.slsc.org/content.aspx?id=4077) They will have photographers this time (they weren't allowed last week, only sketch artists and painters), so I'll try to post photos from this gig (or a link) after we get prints-for-time trade. Yeah, I'll even try to include the female live models in the pix, just for Uncle Al.
Today, time to get to Fontbonne University and Victor's painting class; they're doing my portrait today and Wednesday. And sitting there will give me good time to ponder ways to tweak the poker game. Needs much pondering. "Is a puzzlement!!!"
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Let The Fun Begin!
OK, I am ready for some online poker! After dropping about $100 in live 3-6 LHE mid-week in a short 3-hour session on my first playing expedition to St. Louis' newest casino, Lumiere, and getting to play little on the faux felt all week, I'm eager to get at it!
After much deliberation, the chosen agenda includes: The Bloggers League buy-in at 1 p.m. (all times St. Louis) at Vegas Poker 247; a Poker After Dark Round 2 endeavor at 2:05 pm at Full Tilt (hey, JJ Liu is registered, and you know how I am about Asian beauties); TPFC Finals at 7 pm at Iron Duke (maybe finally get some cash at that site); Aces Cracked League at 7 pm at PokerStars (one of my home groups, gotta contribute, even though TPFC may get more of my attention, plus I won AC game last week); and QuickDraw Turbo Freeroll at 11 pm at Doyle's Room (pick up a few more pennies, won't take long and good practice in patience and maniac-management).
This leaves out tourneys that are still options that I often play and/or like, such as 3:20 pm Saturdays with Dr. Pauly at PStars (PL Omaha), 7 pm Poker Analysis Buy-In League at Absolute Poker, 8 pm Real Poker Players League at Ultimate Bet (Omaha 8/b), and games hosted by Online Poker Tour, Rounders Radio and Holdem Radio, plus my "final day" as an "Exclusive Member" of SpadeClub (they opened this site too quickly and too expensively). Hey, I learned the hard way not to try to do everything! These events will stay options, but don't look playable right now (RPP best possibility of the bunch).
Wish me luck, and hope to see y'all at some of the games! More late tonight, or else Sunday morning. Peace out...
After much deliberation, the chosen agenda includes: The Bloggers League buy-in at 1 p.m. (all times St. Louis) at Vegas Poker 247; a Poker After Dark Round 2 endeavor at 2:05 pm at Full Tilt (hey, JJ Liu is registered, and you know how I am about Asian beauties); TPFC Finals at 7 pm at Iron Duke (maybe finally get some cash at that site); Aces Cracked League at 7 pm at PokerStars (one of my home groups, gotta contribute, even though TPFC may get more of my attention, plus I won AC game last week); and QuickDraw Turbo Freeroll at 11 pm at Doyle's Room (pick up a few more pennies, won't take long and good practice in patience and maniac-management).
This leaves out tourneys that are still options that I often play and/or like, such as 3:20 pm Saturdays with Dr. Pauly at PStars (PL Omaha), 7 pm Poker Analysis Buy-In League at Absolute Poker, 8 pm Real Poker Players League at Ultimate Bet (Omaha 8/b), and games hosted by Online Poker Tour, Rounders Radio and Holdem Radio, plus my "final day" as an "Exclusive Member" of SpadeClub (they opened this site too quickly and too expensively). Hey, I learned the hard way not to try to do everything! These events will stay options, but don't look playable right now (RPP best possibility of the bunch).
Wish me luck, and hope to see y'all at some of the games! More late tonight, or else Sunday morning. Peace out...
Friday, February 15, 2008
Happy Valentine's Day!
OK, so maybe technically it's not Valentine's Day any more as I write this. At least not here, or where you are. But somewhere (Hawaii?) it's still Feb. 14, so the wish is truthful, timely and stands. Just sorry your cards and flowers and chocolates and spa passes will have to wait for another day. If there are any left when I'm done "testing" them.
I'm in a very good mood, which is why I'm writing this (yeah, I know, finally!) instead of diving right into bed. Gotta start trying to follow Doyle's example and post a couple times a week (at least!), even if they are only short snapshots of my life and feelings.
What has me hepped up right now is that I just got 12th in a tournaments at Full Tilt. The $1 Rebuy tournament, to be exact. With 446 entrants and a pool of $1,552 -- and me no rebuys or add-on! Eighty-one got paid, but I played smart and steady and successful for almost 4 1/2 hours. Finally hit the wall when my JJ ran into bullets shortly after break No. 4, when I was 7th/12 left. The jacks never caught up, I plunged from about 110K to 13K, and a couple hands later was out on a 3-way all-in. Still, a very good tourney and a big boost to my confidence after mostly treading water since the Super Bowl debacle.
Big weekend coming up. Last week was full of minor traumas, and haven't played much this week due to work, so I'm going to be real hungry for faux felt chips come Saturday. I'll be back to tell ya about it. Meanwhile, once again, Happy Valentine's Day all, and especially to my favorite ladies (you know who you are!). Peace and happiness.
I'm in a very good mood, which is why I'm writing this (yeah, I know, finally!) instead of diving right into bed. Gotta start trying to follow Doyle's example and post a couple times a week (at least!), even if they are only short snapshots of my life and feelings.
What has me hepped up right now is that I just got 12th in a tournaments at Full Tilt. The $1 Rebuy tournament, to be exact. With 446 entrants and a pool of $1,552 -- and me no rebuys or add-on! Eighty-one got paid, but I played smart and steady and successful for almost 4 1/2 hours. Finally hit the wall when my JJ ran into bullets shortly after break No. 4, when I was 7th/12 left. The jacks never caught up, I plunged from about 110K to 13K, and a couple hands later was out on a 3-way all-in. Still, a very good tourney and a big boost to my confidence after mostly treading water since the Super Bowl debacle.
Big weekend coming up. Last week was full of minor traumas, and haven't played much this week due to work, so I'm going to be real hungry for faux felt chips come Saturday. I'll be back to tell ya about it. Meanwhile, once again, Happy Valentine's Day all, and especially to my favorite ladies (you know who you are!). Peace and happiness.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Yodelaehoo!
Weatherwise, it's a wee bit of a bleak day here on the cliffs overlooking the oozing Mississippi. I was just watching chunks of wannabe icebergs (barely big enough to fill a night's worth of AlCantHang libations) float down the river before taking refuge here in the warm library of Principia College. Too cold outside to enjoy the peace and the view and the energy of the surrounding wilderness.
The aforementioned bleakness is only in the weather. Yes, the shamster is a tropical beast at heart, you understand. But coming up here to the campus in Elsah, Ill., about 12 minutes' drive ($27 cabfare) up the River Highway from Alton ... Ah, coming up here to Prinicipia has been one of my favorite working getaways for the past 8 or so years.
I call this place "Little Switzerland", because the campus truly looks like a village you'd find in the Swiss Alps. Tiny Elsah, at the foot of the cliffs on which the campus sprawls, well, you've seen this town in the dictionary next to the definition of "quaint." And Prinicipia, a Christian Science (I think) college, is peaceful, friendly, vibrant yet quiet, open (despite the security guard's kiosk at the campus entrance) and open-minded. I'm spiritual, not religious, but I do like it here. Even if they didn't pay their art figure models better than most universities and groups, it's still worth the long trip from home (bus, train, bus, bus, cab -- say 3 1/2 hours, not counting the time spent goofing, sightseeing and sipping coffee in Alton).
On the poker front, I've been reading blogs. Mookie has a sensational caption contest that I think I was just too late to get into. Boo. You can access his blog and the scary photo through the link in the blogs list at right. (Someday I'll learn how to do direct links in my copy; ah well...). AlCantHang gives a hilarious recount of Thursday night's Riverchasers Tournament through his bloodshot eyes. And Doyle Brunson has a new entry; I hope his doctor's visit goes well, I hate doctors (and dentists and lawyers oh my!). Well, most d d & l's; there are a few good ones (being good includes reading shamster's blog).
I head back to online poker-playing this weekend; I'm eager, and hungry for success. There are Poker Analysis Buy-In League games Saturday morning (PokerStars) and Sunday evening (Nordica); I need good showings if I'm to defend my monthly title; am currently resting 20 points behind leader DCIAssassin with 3 games to go. Saturday night is the Aces Cracked $11 weekly game at PokerStars; password is "acescracked" and it's at 2100 ET under "private tournaments", if you're brave enough to join the masters. I also might try the first step in qualifying for the NBC Heads-Up Championship at PStars this weekend. And Doyle's Room has some quickie freerolls; gotta get my bankroll over $2 so I'll have the minimum to invade the ring games. And Nationwide Poker Tour Online has its Sunday night game at Bodog, if you want more challenges and good competition. A normal busy weekend of eeny-meeny-miney-mo and lofty expectation$.
For now, one hour till work time, I'm warm enough to head back out cliffside. Gonna eat my sack lunch and watch the river and its baby icebergs flow past down below. Maybe practice a yodel or two. Wish I knew how to spell that "yodelaehoo", though; my writing skills have really atrophied. And cantankerous fingers (it's the keyboard's fault!!) don't help. But I'm moving along.
Peace love and happiness...
The aforementioned bleakness is only in the weather. Yes, the shamster is a tropical beast at heart, you understand. But coming up here to the campus in Elsah, Ill., about 12 minutes' drive ($27 cabfare) up the River Highway from Alton ... Ah, coming up here to Prinicipia has been one of my favorite working getaways for the past 8 or so years.
I call this place "Little Switzerland", because the campus truly looks like a village you'd find in the Swiss Alps. Tiny Elsah, at the foot of the cliffs on which the campus sprawls, well, you've seen this town in the dictionary next to the definition of "quaint." And Prinicipia, a Christian Science (I think) college, is peaceful, friendly, vibrant yet quiet, open (despite the security guard's kiosk at the campus entrance) and open-minded. I'm spiritual, not religious, but I do like it here. Even if they didn't pay their art figure models better than most universities and groups, it's still worth the long trip from home (bus, train, bus, bus, cab -- say 3 1/2 hours, not counting the time spent goofing, sightseeing and sipping coffee in Alton).
On the poker front, I've been reading blogs. Mookie has a sensational caption contest that I think I was just too late to get into. Boo. You can access his blog and the scary photo through the link in the blogs list at right. (Someday I'll learn how to do direct links in my copy; ah well...). AlCantHang gives a hilarious recount of Thursday night's Riverchasers Tournament through his bloodshot eyes. And Doyle Brunson has a new entry; I hope his doctor's visit goes well, I hate doctors (and dentists and lawyers oh my!). Well, most d d & l's; there are a few good ones (being good includes reading shamster's blog).
I head back to online poker-playing this weekend; I'm eager, and hungry for success. There are Poker Analysis Buy-In League games Saturday morning (PokerStars) and Sunday evening (Nordica); I need good showings if I'm to defend my monthly title; am currently resting 20 points behind leader DCIAssassin with 3 games to go. Saturday night is the Aces Cracked $11 weekly game at PokerStars; password is "acescracked" and it's at 2100 ET under "private tournaments", if you're brave enough to join the masters. I also might try the first step in qualifying for the NBC Heads-Up Championship at PStars this weekend. And Doyle's Room has some quickie freerolls; gotta get my bankroll over $2 so I'll have the minimum to invade the ring games. And Nationwide Poker Tour Online has its Sunday night game at Bodog, if you want more challenges and good competition. A normal busy weekend of eeny-meeny-miney-mo and lofty expectation$.
For now, one hour till work time, I'm warm enough to head back out cliffside. Gonna eat my sack lunch and watch the river and its baby icebergs flow past down below. Maybe practice a yodel or two. Wish I knew how to spell that "yodelaehoo", though; my writing skills have really atrophied. And cantankerous fingers (it's the keyboard's fault!!) don't help. But I'm moving along.
Peace love and happiness...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
"Mrs. Brown You've Got A ..."
If the title rings a chime, you know what I'm up to tonight.
No poker today. Five hours of modelling at Webster University, first for a regular figure class and then (I love this group) for Webster theatre students who are forced -- er, "required" -- to take a figure drawing class to help them with (I guess) their actors' poses, lighting insights, costuming thoughts and whatever else goes through a thespian's mind. Being a once and future thespian myself ... Any explanations, Falstaff?
After the classes, a friend and I are hitting a Herman's Hermits concert at Ameristar in nearby St. Charles. Saw Peter Noonan and friends two or three years ago; he's old (who isn't?), but he's still got it. Flashbacks are fun!! Especially with short-skirted waitresses bringing the drinks. After the show, those poker tables at Ameristar are awfully tempting ...
Road day Friday of modelling and mischief in Illinois (Alton area north of St. Louis, to be semi-specific) coming up. Then it's back to the faux felt on the weekend -- after a few days away I'll be more than ready!
Congrats ck on taking out Mookie in his game last night and realizing one of your '08 resolutions! Any bloggers who want a link to their blog in my alphabetical list at right, let me know. And have a great day!!! "Something tells me I'm in to something good..."
No poker today. Five hours of modelling at Webster University, first for a regular figure class and then (I love this group) for Webster theatre students who are forced -- er, "required" -- to take a figure drawing class to help them with (I guess) their actors' poses, lighting insights, costuming thoughts and whatever else goes through a thespian's mind. Being a once and future thespian myself ... Any explanations, Falstaff?
After the classes, a friend and I are hitting a Herman's Hermits concert at Ameristar in nearby St. Charles. Saw Peter Noonan and friends two or three years ago; he's old (who isn't?), but he's still got it. Flashbacks are fun!! Especially with short-skirted waitresses bringing the drinks. After the show, those poker tables at Ameristar are awfully tempting ...
Road day Friday of modelling and mischief in Illinois (Alton area north of St. Louis, to be semi-specific) coming up. Then it's back to the faux felt on the weekend -- after a few days away I'll be more than ready!
Congrats ck on taking out Mookie in his game last night and realizing one of your '08 resolutions! Any bloggers who want a link to their blog in my alphabetical list at right, let me know. And have a great day!!! "Something tells me I'm in to something good..."
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Happy New Year!!!
Happy New Year everybody!!!!!!!!!
Whaddaya mean, NYE was over 3 weeks ago? Hey, I been busy! Winning, learning, working, playing the Absolute Poker 150K guarantee last Saturday, trying to remember my blogger password, ...
Anyways, I'm back, and I'm posting. Every day. Whether you like it or not. Whether I like it or not... (Sure hope posting doesn't act as a jinx to the hot streak I've been on the last month. Now I gotta sign up for ePassporte (sigh! shiver!!) so I can get some of the money offline.)
That's it for now. Working everyday this week. Last game I played was early Tuesday afternoon at Full Tilt, and I won me a $26 token. Sorry katitude (pokerkat.blogspot.com), wish you coulda won one, too; fun playing with ya as always, though!
Next action for me will be late late Friday night ... maybe. Then for sure a hectic weekend, including Quick Draw Free Rolls at Doyle's Room (read The Man's blog, link at right) and National Heads-Up qualifying at PokerStars. And the usual leagues. Shuffle up and keep dealing!
Whaddaya mean, NYE was over 3 weeks ago? Hey, I been busy! Winning, learning, working, playing the Absolute Poker 150K guarantee last Saturday, trying to remember my blogger password, ...
Anyways, I'm back, and I'm posting. Every day. Whether you like it or not. Whether I like it or not... (Sure hope posting doesn't act as a jinx to the hot streak I've been on the last month. Now I gotta sign up for ePassporte (sigh! shiver!!) so I can get some of the money offline.)
That's it for now. Working everyday this week. Last game I played was early Tuesday afternoon at Full Tilt, and I won me a $26 token. Sorry katitude (pokerkat.blogspot.com), wish you coulda won one, too; fun playing with ya as always, though!
Next action for me will be late late Friday night ... maybe. Then for sure a hectic weekend, including Quick Draw Free Rolls at Doyle's Room (read The Man's blog, link at right) and National Heads-Up qualifying at PokerStars. And the usual leagues. Shuffle up and keep dealing!
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