The other day, I received an e-mail from UltimateBet declaring that it's "Player Appreciation Week." As part of the festivities, they offered me a 50% redeposit bonus - even though I already had money in my UltimateBet account. Taking advantage of the offer, I immediately moved $150 into my Ultimate Bet account (from my Party Poker account) and was subsequently awarded $75 in bonus dollars that will be earned by playing raked hands on UltimateBet's poker site.
Tonight, I decided to chase that $75 by simultaneously playing a couple $1/$2 tables on UltimateBet. Since my night was free of plans, I thought I'd have a decent chance of earning all $75 tonight - especially if I could maintain my standard bonus dollars earning rate of $20/hour. I also thought that it was a good way to conclude the month. It was going to be pretty hard to lose a lot of money at $1/$2 tables and I was pretty confident that my Month-to-Date Sketch would stay positive if I stayed on the $1/$2 tables all night.
After a little over 3 hours of play, I earned all $75 and it was deposited into my "real" money account. Unfortunately, I lost $63.25 while playing on the tables - which means I netted ahead only $11.75 tonight - which isn't very good. Oh, well.
After all was said and done, here is my September summary of gambling activities:
Up $172.82 -> Online Poker
Up $154.52 -> Vegas Trip
Up $ 2.00 -> Miscellaneous Wagers
Down $ 9.20 -> Live Poker Games
Down $254.00 -> Football Pools
Up $ 66.14 TOTAL
While I (obviously) didn't make a lot of money gambling this month, I'm still pretty happy. Over the last two months, I've spent $479 on football pools (fantasy football, confidence pools, Tom's $100 pool, etc.). Yet, despite the significant outlay of money, I still finished each month with a positive sketchbook total.
Going into August and September, my goal was to simply make enough money on other gambling ventures to pay for the football pools. Mission accomplished! In fact, had I not lost $350 in one night (Sept. 10th), my winnings would have easily outdistanced my football pools. Ooops!
Hopefully, I'll see a lot of football pool money come back in January - once the NFL season ends. Until then, I'll hafta focus on poker to make money. Wish me luck!
Daily Sketch: Up $11.75
Final Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $66.14
September 29, 2004: A Little Six-Man Action
Theresa and I had some errands to run this evening, so I didn't have a lot of time to play poker.
With an hour of time available to me, I started on a 6-man $1/$2 table on Party Poker and played for 45 minutes. I was never ahead and slowly (yet surely) lost $40.50. I suffered a couple bad beats but, generally speaking, never really got any cards I could work with. Frustrated with my performance, I decided to jump up to a $5/$10 table.
Side Note: One of the best things Party Poker could do to improve their site would be the addition of some 6-man $2/$4 or $3/$6 tables. As it stands, there are no 6-man tables between $1/$2 and $5/$10. That's quite a jump! UltimateBet, meanwhile, has 6-man tables of nearly every denomination - a definite bonus.
Anyway . . . I played for less than 15 minutes on the $5/$10 table. For the first few rounds, nothing eventful happened. I lost a few small pots and was down another $35 when I was dealt Js-9h in the big blind. Four players matched my $5 ante before the small blind decided to raise the bet to $10. Since I was already in the hand for $5, I reluctantly threw in another $5. Interestingly, every other player threw in another $5 - which meant all six of us were going to see the flop - a VERY unusual circumstance on a 6-man table.
The flop came Jc-10s-9c. I had flopped two pair, but I didn't feel confident that I was leading the hand. The first four players checked and the small blind bet $5. At that point, I was stuck - so I called - something I HATE to do. In this situation, I would usually raise the bet to see where I was at, but I was reluctant to act boldly with so many players still in the pot. Two of the remaining players called the initial $5 bet and the other two folded - leaving four of us to see the turn. I was relatively sure that someone was slow-playing the straight or the flush draw.
The turn came as a 2h - an utterly useless card. The small blind bet $10 and the rest of us called the bet. The pot was getting pretty juicy!
Finally, the river produced a 4s. If nothing else, I felt ok about that card, since it meant that no one was taking the pot with a flush. However, the small blind bet $10 (again) and I felt very uneasy calling him. I felt REALLY uneasy when the other two players called the bet. Certainly, someone was beating my two pair, right?
The cards were revealed and $148 (I think) was slid in my direction. My two pair had held up!! Had someone raised the final $10 bet, I might have folded. Instead, I found myself scooping a big pot.
As it happened, the small blind was holding KK. Another player was holding 10-9. The last player was holding AJ. Whew!!
Shortly after this hand, I left the table. In 10 minutes, I netted $73 ahead at that table - which easily offset the $40.50 I had lost in 45 minutes at the cheaper table.
Daily Sketch: Up $32.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $54.39
With an hour of time available to me, I started on a 6-man $1/$2 table on Party Poker and played for 45 minutes. I was never ahead and slowly (yet surely) lost $40.50. I suffered a couple bad beats but, generally speaking, never really got any cards I could work with. Frustrated with my performance, I decided to jump up to a $5/$10 table.
Side Note: One of the best things Party Poker could do to improve their site would be the addition of some 6-man $2/$4 or $3/$6 tables. As it stands, there are no 6-man tables between $1/$2 and $5/$10. That's quite a jump! UltimateBet, meanwhile, has 6-man tables of nearly every denomination - a definite bonus.
Anyway . . . I played for less than 15 minutes on the $5/$10 table. For the first few rounds, nothing eventful happened. I lost a few small pots and was down another $35 when I was dealt Js-9h in the big blind. Four players matched my $5 ante before the small blind decided to raise the bet to $10. Since I was already in the hand for $5, I reluctantly threw in another $5. Interestingly, every other player threw in another $5 - which meant all six of us were going to see the flop - a VERY unusual circumstance on a 6-man table.
The flop came Jc-10s-9c. I had flopped two pair, but I didn't feel confident that I was leading the hand. The first four players checked and the small blind bet $5. At that point, I was stuck - so I called - something I HATE to do. In this situation, I would usually raise the bet to see where I was at, but I was reluctant to act boldly with so many players still in the pot. Two of the remaining players called the initial $5 bet and the other two folded - leaving four of us to see the turn. I was relatively sure that someone was slow-playing the straight or the flush draw.
The turn came as a 2h - an utterly useless card. The small blind bet $10 and the rest of us called the bet. The pot was getting pretty juicy!
Finally, the river produced a 4s. If nothing else, I felt ok about that card, since it meant that no one was taking the pot with a flush. However, the small blind bet $10 (again) and I felt very uneasy calling him. I felt REALLY uneasy when the other two players called the bet. Certainly, someone was beating my two pair, right?
The cards were revealed and $148 (I think) was slid in my direction. My two pair had held up!! Had someone raised the final $10 bet, I might have folded. Instead, I found myself scooping a big pot.
As it happened, the small blind was holding KK. Another player was holding 10-9. The last player was holding AJ. Whew!!
Shortly after this hand, I left the table. In 10 minutes, I netted $73 ahead at that table - which easily offset the $40.50 I had lost in 45 minutes at the cheaper table.
Daily Sketch: Up $32.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $54.39
September 28, 2004: Poker at Bernard's
Tonight, I played in my new "regular" live poker game. The first two times I've played, the games have been at Joe's house. Tonight, however, Bernard hosted the game.
Before heading to Bernard's home in Brookfield, however, I played one 10-man $10(1) tournament on Party Poker. It was a pretty unexciting tournament - until we reached the Final Four players. At that point, the chip leader had 3,500 chips. Another player had 3,400 chips, and the last 1,100 chips were split between myself and a 4th player. It was obvious that I was in a race for 3rd place - the last position that would pay out. The blinds were 100/200. I was able to steal the blinds during one round, but the other short-stacked player did the same thing. Then came an interesting hand:
Sitting in the small blind, the 2nd place player raised the chip leader to 400 chips. The chip leader called the bet. The flop came 8-9-Q (rainbow). The 2nd place player bet 400 chips and was quickly raised to 800 chips by the leader. The 2nd place guy subsequently re-raised to 1,200 chips and the chip leader paused before doing anything. The next thing I knew, he went "all in" and was quickly called by the 2nd place player.
As it turned out, the chip leader was holding J-10, giving him the nut straight. The 2nd place player was holding Q8 (two pair) and was quickly eliminated from the tournament when the turn and river didn't help him out. From 2nd place to out-of-the-money in the blink of an eye! What a dumb play!
The very next hand, I was dealt QQ and quickly declared "all in" with 560 chips. The other low-stack called my bet and was eliminated when his A8 couldn't catch any help against me. Suddenly, I had vaulted up to 2nd place!
The very next hand, I was AGAIN dealt QQ and (again) quickly declared "all in" with 1,090 chips. The chip leader called my bet and showed an A8 - the very same hand I had just played against. In my 15 (or so) months of playing on-line poker, I don't ever recall seeing anything like that happen before.
Unfortunately, my good fortune ended quickly. The flop saw an Ace and an 8 appear, so I lost to the two pair. Thankfully, that didn't happen the first time I faced A8 with my queens.
For my performance in the tourney, I won $30 - for a net gain of $19.
After the tourney, I headed to Bernard's for some "live" action. Over the course of three hours, I made exactly $18. Most of that money was won on the last hand, when I was able to build 4-of-a-kind in "Pass the Trash."
Daily Sketch: Up $37
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $21.89
Before heading to Bernard's home in Brookfield, however, I played one 10-man $10(1) tournament on Party Poker. It was a pretty unexciting tournament - until we reached the Final Four players. At that point, the chip leader had 3,500 chips. Another player had 3,400 chips, and the last 1,100 chips were split between myself and a 4th player. It was obvious that I was in a race for 3rd place - the last position that would pay out. The blinds were 100/200. I was able to steal the blinds during one round, but the other short-stacked player did the same thing. Then came an interesting hand:
Sitting in the small blind, the 2nd place player raised the chip leader to 400 chips. The chip leader called the bet. The flop came 8-9-Q (rainbow). The 2nd place player bet 400 chips and was quickly raised to 800 chips by the leader. The 2nd place guy subsequently re-raised to 1,200 chips and the chip leader paused before doing anything. The next thing I knew, he went "all in" and was quickly called by the 2nd place player.
As it turned out, the chip leader was holding J-10, giving him the nut straight. The 2nd place player was holding Q8 (two pair) and was quickly eliminated from the tournament when the turn and river didn't help him out. From 2nd place to out-of-the-money in the blink of an eye! What a dumb play!
The very next hand, I was dealt QQ and quickly declared "all in" with 560 chips. The other low-stack called my bet and was eliminated when his A8 couldn't catch any help against me. Suddenly, I had vaulted up to 2nd place!
The very next hand, I was AGAIN dealt QQ and (again) quickly declared "all in" with 1,090 chips. The chip leader called my bet and showed an A8 - the very same hand I had just played against. In my 15 (or so) months of playing on-line poker, I don't ever recall seeing anything like that happen before.
Unfortunately, my good fortune ended quickly. The flop saw an Ace and an 8 appear, so I lost to the two pair. Thankfully, that didn't happen the first time I faced A8 with my queens.
For my performance in the tourney, I won $30 - for a net gain of $19.
After the tourney, I headed to Bernard's for some "live" action. Over the course of three hours, I made exactly $18. Most of that money was won on the last hand, when I was able to build 4-of-a-kind in "Pass the Trash."
Daily Sketch: Up $37
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $21.89
September 27, 2004: Starting Bonus Chips
Tonight, I didn't play a lot of poker. Instead, I simply watched Monday Night Football and did some simple research regarding my Party Poker account. Among other things, I wanted to see how many starting bonus chips I've accumulated for the semifinal tournament in November. Based on a person's frequency of play on the site, one can earn up to 2,000 bonus chips that can be used in the semifinal tournament. While a "rookie" player will start the tournament with 1,000 chips, most players start with the maximum allowable - 3,000 chips.
It isn't difficult to accumulate chips. Generally speaking, you get a bonus chip for every raked hand you play on the site. You also earn chips by performing well in smaller tournaments. With my recent success in tournaments, I learned that I've accumulated 900 starting chips. So, if the semifinal tournament started today, I'd begin with 1,900 chips. Ultimately, I shouldn't have any difficulty increasing the 900 bonus chips to 2,000 over the course of the next five weeks. Starting the semifinal tournament with anything less than 3,000 chips isn't a good idea.
Quite naturally, I couldn't simply ignore the poker tables after logging into my account. After all, that would be crazy!! I only played for ten minutes, but I made a quick $9.75 on Party Poker while playing on a 6-man $1/$2 table. Most of that money was made off a guy who had been reduced to his last $10 when I sat down at the table. He started betting wildly, hoping to save his $10 and win a big pot. It didn't happen, however, and he lost most of his last $10 to me before exiting the table. After he left, another player commented that he was on tilt, and that I had simply sat down at the right time. That worked for me! Shortly after he left, I left.
On another note, I suffered through a 2-2 fantasy football weekend - my worst weekend of the young NFL season. It's amazing how a couple 3-1 weekends really heightens expectations, ehh? Interestingly, my four fantasy football teams are all 2-1 after the first three weeks of the NFL season. What are the odds of that happening?
I definitely won't complain about being 2-1 in each of the four leagues, however. I like my teams and I'm relatively confident about my overall outlook this season. I won't see any money until January, but things are heading down the right trail - for now.
Daily Sketch: Up $9.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $15.11
It isn't difficult to accumulate chips. Generally speaking, you get a bonus chip for every raked hand you play on the site. You also earn chips by performing well in smaller tournaments. With my recent success in tournaments, I learned that I've accumulated 900 starting chips. So, if the semifinal tournament started today, I'd begin with 1,900 chips. Ultimately, I shouldn't have any difficulty increasing the 900 bonus chips to 2,000 over the course of the next five weeks. Starting the semifinal tournament with anything less than 3,000 chips isn't a good idea.
Quite naturally, I couldn't simply ignore the poker tables after logging into my account. After all, that would be crazy!! I only played for ten minutes, but I made a quick $9.75 on Party Poker while playing on a 6-man $1/$2 table. Most of that money was made off a guy who had been reduced to his last $10 when I sat down at the table. He started betting wildly, hoping to save his $10 and win a big pot. It didn't happen, however, and he lost most of his last $10 to me before exiting the table. After he left, another player commented that he was on tilt, and that I had simply sat down at the right time. That worked for me! Shortly after he left, I left.
On another note, I suffered through a 2-2 fantasy football weekend - my worst weekend of the young NFL season. It's amazing how a couple 3-1 weekends really heightens expectations, ehh? Interestingly, my four fantasy football teams are all 2-1 after the first three weeks of the NFL season. What are the odds of that happening?
I definitely won't complain about being 2-1 in each of the four leagues, however. I like my teams and I'm relatively confident about my overall outlook this season. I won't see any money until January, but things are heading down the right trail - for now.
Daily Sketch: Up $9.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $15.11
September 26, 2004: Party Poker Qualifying Tournament
With 90 minutes to kill before the start of today's NFL games, I decided to spend $32 to enter a 10-man Sit 'n' Go qualifying tournament on PartyPoker. The winner of this tournament earns an entry into the semifinals of the PartyPoker.com Million poker tournament. The next set of semifinals are scheduled to be played during the first weekend of November.
For those of you unaware, Party Poker hosts an annual tournament every March. The tournament is played on a cruise that typically lasts a full week. Last year, the winner of the tournament won exactly $1,000,000 and the finals are broadcast as part of the WPT Tour on the Travel Channel. The easiest (??) way to gain entry into the tournament (and the cruise) is to plunk down the $10,000 entry fee. The 2nd easiest way to qualify is through a variety of exhaustive satellite tournaments.
Every two months, Party Poker hosts semifinal tournaments. Typically, 2,000 people enter these tournaments and the top 30-40 people earn their way onto the cruise. The semifinal tournaments cost $216 to enter, but a person can qualify for the semifinals by winning a $29(3) 10-man table - thereby bypassing the $216 entry fee. Even if you don't win the 10-man tournament, the 2nd and 3rd place finishers each win a free entry into another $29(3) 10-man qualifying tournament.
Personally, I don't know why anyone would pay $216 to enter the semifinal tournament. If you can't win a $29(3) 10-man tournament, what hope do you have of outplaying nearly 2,000 other people in the semifinals? I've never failed to qualify for the semifinals, and I've never spent more than $96 attempting to qualify for a semifinal tournament - which is significantly less than the $216 entry fee I would have paid otherwise.
Interestingly, I was able to win this morning's $29(3) tournament on the first try and, consequently, I've qualified to play in the semifinals for $32 - or $184 less than the standard entry fee. I believe this is the 6th time I've qualified for the semifinals - and it's the first time I've won the first qualifying tournament I've played. One other time, I finished 3rd on my first attempt and made the semifinals on my next "free" attempt - so I still only spent $32. However, I didn't need to play that 2nd tournament to make it today - a new record!! Maybe my game is getting better . . . .
The tournament itself wasn't all that exciting, as I slowly (yet surely) watched my stack of chips increase. Because it was a Limit Hold 'em Tournament, there were no "all in" bets (until you were nearly out of chips). It took nearly 90 minutes to play (most 10-man No Limit Hold 'em Tournaments take less than hour), but patience eventually paid dividends for me.
When the last hand of the tournament was dealt, I was holding 6,200 chips and my opponent was down to 1,800 chips. I was holding a 2-2 and decided to raise. My opponent was holding Q-10 and decided that it was a good enough hand to re-raise and, consequently, she put all her chips at risk. A queen appeared on the flop, but a miraculous 2 on the turn gave me three-of-a-kind, the tournament title, and the entry into the semifinals.
Due to the fact that there wasn't a cash prize for the qualifying tournament, the morning's sketchbook shows a negative total. Considering the fact that it's only going to cost me $32 to play in November's semifinals, however, I'm completely happy with this morning's performance.
Then, after watching the Packers lose to Indianapolis this afternoon, I jumped back into Party Poker while watching the Sunday night NFL game . . .
First, I joined a 10-man $20(2) NL tournament and did poorly. I was eliminated in 6th place and couldn't get anything going. I drew several suited connectors during the tournament, but I couldn't turn them into anything. Eventually, the blinds got the best of me and I was forced to go "all in" with a mediocre hand that I can't even recall.
Next, I entered another $20(2) tournament. This time, I finished in a very disappointing 4th place - one spot out of the money. Down to four players, I was 2nd in chips and was dealt an As Jh. The flop came up Ah 9d 4s. I immediately called "all in" against the chip leader, who immediately called me. He revealed Ad 2d and I had a big lead. The turn and river both revealed diamonds, however, and I lost to the flush. Ugh!!
Admittedly annoyed, I decided to "up the ante" and quickly joined a $50(5) tournament - which usually isn't a good idea. When a person suffers a particularly bad beat, it's not very smart to increase your bet and join a more expensive tournament. In this case, however, it worked out ok.
I was especially careful to not go "on tilt" and folded several hands that I otherwise might have played if I were on a winning streak. Thanks to my patience and EXTREMELY conservative play, I ended up taking 2nd place in this tournament and won $150 for my achievement - a net profit of $95. The big hand of the tournament occurred when my 10-10 in the hole saw another 10 appear on the flop. Another player had been dealt JJ and he gave up a lot of chips that I used to carry me to the Final Two - where I was eventually eliminated. Still, despite "only" finishing in 2nd place, I was delighted with the profit and quickly closed the Party Poker program for the day.
Using the $150 to help offset the $44 I spent in the previous two tournaments, I made $51 this evening - which (barely) offsets the cost of this morning's qualifying tournament. Woo hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $19
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $24.86
For those of you unaware, Party Poker hosts an annual tournament every March. The tournament is played on a cruise that typically lasts a full week. Last year, the winner of the tournament won exactly $1,000,000 and the finals are broadcast as part of the WPT Tour on the Travel Channel. The easiest (??) way to gain entry into the tournament (and the cruise) is to plunk down the $10,000 entry fee. The 2nd easiest way to qualify is through a variety of exhaustive satellite tournaments.
Every two months, Party Poker hosts semifinal tournaments. Typically, 2,000 people enter these tournaments and the top 30-40 people earn their way onto the cruise. The semifinal tournaments cost $216 to enter, but a person can qualify for the semifinals by winning a $29(3) 10-man table - thereby bypassing the $216 entry fee. Even if you don't win the 10-man tournament, the 2nd and 3rd place finishers each win a free entry into another $29(3) 10-man qualifying tournament.
Personally, I don't know why anyone would pay $216 to enter the semifinal tournament. If you can't win a $29(3) 10-man tournament, what hope do you have of outplaying nearly 2,000 other people in the semifinals? I've never failed to qualify for the semifinals, and I've never spent more than $96 attempting to qualify for a semifinal tournament - which is significantly less than the $216 entry fee I would have paid otherwise.
Interestingly, I was able to win this morning's $29(3) tournament on the first try and, consequently, I've qualified to play in the semifinals for $32 - or $184 less than the standard entry fee. I believe this is the 6th time I've qualified for the semifinals - and it's the first time I've won the first qualifying tournament I've played. One other time, I finished 3rd on my first attempt and made the semifinals on my next "free" attempt - so I still only spent $32. However, I didn't need to play that 2nd tournament to make it today - a new record!! Maybe my game is getting better . . . .
The tournament itself wasn't all that exciting, as I slowly (yet surely) watched my stack of chips increase. Because it was a Limit Hold 'em Tournament, there were no "all in" bets (until you were nearly out of chips). It took nearly 90 minutes to play (most 10-man No Limit Hold 'em Tournaments take less than hour), but patience eventually paid dividends for me.
When the last hand of the tournament was dealt, I was holding 6,200 chips and my opponent was down to 1,800 chips. I was holding a 2-2 and decided to raise. My opponent was holding Q-10 and decided that it was a good enough hand to re-raise and, consequently, she put all her chips at risk. A queen appeared on the flop, but a miraculous 2 on the turn gave me three-of-a-kind, the tournament title, and the entry into the semifinals.
Due to the fact that there wasn't a cash prize for the qualifying tournament, the morning's sketchbook shows a negative total. Considering the fact that it's only going to cost me $32 to play in November's semifinals, however, I'm completely happy with this morning's performance.
Then, after watching the Packers lose to Indianapolis this afternoon, I jumped back into Party Poker while watching the Sunday night NFL game . . .
First, I joined a 10-man $20(2) NL tournament and did poorly. I was eliminated in 6th place and couldn't get anything going. I drew several suited connectors during the tournament, but I couldn't turn them into anything. Eventually, the blinds got the best of me and I was forced to go "all in" with a mediocre hand that I can't even recall.
Next, I entered another $20(2) tournament. This time, I finished in a very disappointing 4th place - one spot out of the money. Down to four players, I was 2nd in chips and was dealt an As Jh. The flop came up Ah 9d 4s. I immediately called "all in" against the chip leader, who immediately called me. He revealed Ad 2d and I had a big lead. The turn and river both revealed diamonds, however, and I lost to the flush. Ugh!!
Admittedly annoyed, I decided to "up the ante" and quickly joined a $50(5) tournament - which usually isn't a good idea. When a person suffers a particularly bad beat, it's not very smart to increase your bet and join a more expensive tournament. In this case, however, it worked out ok.
I was especially careful to not go "on tilt" and folded several hands that I otherwise might have played if I were on a winning streak. Thanks to my patience and EXTREMELY conservative play, I ended up taking 2nd place in this tournament and won $150 for my achievement - a net profit of $95. The big hand of the tournament occurred when my 10-10 in the hole saw another 10 appear on the flop. Another player had been dealt JJ and he gave up a lot of chips that I used to carry me to the Final Two - where I was eventually eliminated. Still, despite "only" finishing in 2nd place, I was delighted with the profit and quickly closed the Party Poker program for the day.
Using the $150 to help offset the $44 I spent in the previous two tournaments, I made $51 this evening - which (barely) offsets the cost of this morning's qualifying tournament. Woo hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $19
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $24.86
September 25, 2004: On-Line Saturday
Historically speaking, I have not had a lot of luck playing on-line poker on Saturdays. Today was no exception. At least I kept my wagers reasonable, however, and didn't lose an inordinate amount of money.
I started my day at a 20-man tournament that only cost $10(1). Very early in the tournament, I was dealt QQ. The flop came up garbage (4-6-9) and I immediately declared myself "all in" with my remaining chips. Another players called my bet and revealed 10-10. I was a big favorite to scoop the pot, but a 10 appeared on the river and I was eliminated in 19th place. Ugh! Before losing this tournament, I had a pretty nice winning streak going.
Not feeling very lucky, I decided to join a $5(1) tournament that had a total of 1,370 players sign up. The top prize was over $1,200, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Overall, this was probably the most uneventful tournament I've ever played. For 90 minutes, I couldn't catch anything. I didn't see a lot of flops and fluctuated between 800 and 1,200 chips. Finally, I was dealt 2h 3h and saw a flop of 8h 8s Ah. The two other players who had seen the flop each checked to me, so I decided to go "all in" with my 870 chips. Another player called and revealed an As 10h. Admittedly, I was behind, but one more heart would double me up. Thankfully, a 4h appeared on the turn, but a Jh appeared on the river and my opponent's 10h gave him the higher flush. Ugh!! That, my friends, is bad luck! I finished in 329th place - only 249 spots out of the money. :-(
Next, I decided to wander over to a six-man $1/$2 seven card hi-low table to try my luck. $52 down, I finally left the table - very frustrated. I played 27 hands and didn't win a single hand. Considering the fact that 50% of the pot goes to the guy with the best hand and the other 50% goes to the guy with the worst hand, it's actually quite amazing that I couldn't win a single hand on a six-man table.
Next, I wandered over to a simple $1/$2 six-man hold 'em table to lick my wounds. I only played for 20 minutes, but I left frustrated (again). I lost exactly $17.
Finally, I decided to go back to "old reliable" and joined a $20(2) 20-man tournament. About 45 minutes into the tournament, there were 12 players remaining in the tournament and I was sitting comfortably with 1,300 chips when I was dealt JJ - one of my least favorite hands. Still, I immediately went "all in" and felt pretty good when my only caller revealed a 4-4.
To everyone's shock at the table, two more 4's appeared on the board and I lost to the four-of-a-kind and was consequently eliminated in 12th place. Ugh!!
I'm tempted to keep chasing my losses, but I've decided against it. It's apparent that the poker gods don't want me to play today. Time to "regroup" and play another day!
At the same time, my college picks in Tom's $100 pool didn't do very well today. I went 7-8, bringing my YTD record to 15-12. That's not terrible, but it isn't good enough to have the lead.
Daily Sketch: Down $108
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $43.86
I started my day at a 20-man tournament that only cost $10(1). Very early in the tournament, I was dealt QQ. The flop came up garbage (4-6-9) and I immediately declared myself "all in" with my remaining chips. Another players called my bet and revealed 10-10. I was a big favorite to scoop the pot, but a 10 appeared on the river and I was eliminated in 19th place. Ugh! Before losing this tournament, I had a pretty nice winning streak going.
Not feeling very lucky, I decided to join a $5(1) tournament that had a total of 1,370 players sign up. The top prize was over $1,200, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Overall, this was probably the most uneventful tournament I've ever played. For 90 minutes, I couldn't catch anything. I didn't see a lot of flops and fluctuated between 800 and 1,200 chips. Finally, I was dealt 2h 3h and saw a flop of 8h 8s Ah. The two other players who had seen the flop each checked to me, so I decided to go "all in" with my 870 chips. Another player called and revealed an As 10h. Admittedly, I was behind, but one more heart would double me up. Thankfully, a 4h appeared on the turn, but a Jh appeared on the river and my opponent's 10h gave him the higher flush. Ugh!! That, my friends, is bad luck! I finished in 329th place - only 249 spots out of the money. :-(
Next, I decided to wander over to a six-man $1/$2 seven card hi-low table to try my luck. $52 down, I finally left the table - very frustrated. I played 27 hands and didn't win a single hand. Considering the fact that 50% of the pot goes to the guy with the best hand and the other 50% goes to the guy with the worst hand, it's actually quite amazing that I couldn't win a single hand on a six-man table.
Next, I wandered over to a simple $1/$2 six-man hold 'em table to lick my wounds. I only played for 20 minutes, but I left frustrated (again). I lost exactly $17.
Finally, I decided to go back to "old reliable" and joined a $20(2) 20-man tournament. About 45 minutes into the tournament, there were 12 players remaining in the tournament and I was sitting comfortably with 1,300 chips when I was dealt JJ - one of my least favorite hands. Still, I immediately went "all in" and felt pretty good when my only caller revealed a 4-4.
To everyone's shock at the table, two more 4's appeared on the board and I lost to the four-of-a-kind and was consequently eliminated in 12th place. Ugh!!
I'm tempted to keep chasing my losses, but I've decided against it. It's apparent that the poker gods don't want me to play today. Time to "regroup" and play another day!
At the same time, my college picks in Tom's $100 pool didn't do very well today. I went 7-8, bringing my YTD record to 15-12. That's not terrible, but it isn't good enough to have the lead.
Daily Sketch: Down $108
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $43.86
September 24, 2004: No Poker Today
This evening, Theresa and I visited LaFuente with friends, so I didn't play any poker. However, the sketchbook wasn't completely void of activity:
I spent $1 in Extendicare's Fantasy Football League to pick up Antonio Bryant. So, I'm down $1 for the day.
I also made 15 picks in Tom's $100 Pool. Since I've had moderate success posting my picks (and because I don't have anything else to write), I'll publish my picks for this weekend again. If you're looking for any logic to these picks, you'll be looking for a long time.
Wish me luck!!
Iowa +13.5 over Michigan
Boston College +1 over Wake Forest
Kentucky +19 over Florida
Navy -8 over Vanderbilt
Louisville -7.5 over North Carolina
Texas Tech -6 over Kansas
Mississippi -4 over Wyoming
Toledo -8 over Temple
UAB +2 over Memphis
USC -21.5 over Stanford
Alabama +5.5 over Arkansas
South Florida +9 over TCU
San Jose St. +1.5 over SMU
Northwestern +15 over Minnesota
Arizona St. -7.5 over Oregon St.
Finally, I picked Atlanta as my Sure Bet selection (over Arizona). Go Falcons!!
Daily Sketch: Down $1
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $64.14
I spent $1 in Extendicare's Fantasy Football League to pick up Antonio Bryant. So, I'm down $1 for the day.
I also made 15 picks in Tom's $100 Pool. Since I've had moderate success posting my picks (and because I don't have anything else to write), I'll publish my picks for this weekend again. If you're looking for any logic to these picks, you'll be looking for a long time.
Wish me luck!!
Iowa +13.5 over Michigan
Boston College +1 over Wake Forest
Kentucky +19 over Florida
Navy -8 over Vanderbilt
Louisville -7.5 over North Carolina
Texas Tech -6 over Kansas
Mississippi -4 over Wyoming
Toledo -8 over Temple
UAB +2 over Memphis
USC -21.5 over Stanford
Alabama +5.5 over Arkansas
South Florida +9 over TCU
San Jose St. +1.5 over SMU
Northwestern +15 over Minnesota
Arizona St. -7.5 over Oregon St.
Finally, I picked Atlanta as my Sure Bet selection (over Arizona). Go Falcons!!
Daily Sketch: Down $1
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $64.14
September 23, 2004: A Small Step Up
Based on my tournament performance the last few days, my confidence was soaring as I entered tonight's on-line poker action. With that in mind, I decided to up the ante a little bit, and I entered a 20-man tournament on PartyPoker that cost $55 - versus the normal $33.
My cards couldn't have been much better during the first ten hands:
Hand #2: I'm dealt AA and win a small pot when everyone folds after the flop.
Hand #3: I'm dealt 8d 9d and the flop shows two diamonds. The turn is another diamond and I take home another modest pot with the flush.
Hand #4: I'm dealt Kd 9d and limp in. The flop is 4 6 9 and I win another small pot when no one matches an aggressive bet I throw into the middle.
Hand #6: I'm dealt Ac Jc. The flop is garbage (3-4-4). The turn is garbage (8). The river is an ace, however, and I take another modest pot when a player with A-10 calls my bet.
Hand #10: I'm dealt KK. Again, I win a small pot when everyone folds after the flop.
Despite the fact that I was dominating the table, I was "only" up to 1,728 chips - from a starting point of 1,000 chips. I was getting great cards, but no one wanted to play with me.
For the next 30 minutes, I hunkered down and watched some players fall from the tournament. When we were down to 11 players, I was dealt A-8 in front of the small blind and subsequently put in a sizeable raise (500 chips). The small blind went "all in" with his last 400 chips - which I expected. I didn't, however, expect the big blind to immediately call "all in" with his last 950 chips. At that point, I felt pot-committed, so I threw in another 450 chips - fully aware I wasn't winning.
Sure enough, the small blind had a suited J-10 and the big blind was holding KK. Miraculously, the flop showed an Ace and an 8 and I was on my way to scooping the entire pot with two pair. Suddenly, I was up to 3,100 chips and comfortably positioned in 2nd place with 9 players alive.
The play slowed down a bit, but I tried to stay aggressive. As a result of my aggressiveness, I lost a few chips, however. We were down to six players and I was down to 2,400 when the low-stacked player (sbnyrfan) went "all in" ahead of me with 1,550 chips. I was holding a 5-5 and figured it was a coin flip situation, so I took a chance and called his bet. At the time, I was holding the 2nd smallest pile of chips and figured I needed to make a move. Unfortunately, sbnyrfan showed a KK - leaving me a huge underdog.
Miraculously (again), a 5 appeared on the turn, I scooped the pot, and we were down to 5 players. However, with only four of us guaranteed money, we all started to play scared - worried about falling one place short of the cash.
Slowly but surely, however, a couple players' stacks were whittled down and they were forced to go "all in" with iffy hands. Personally, I didn't eliminate anyone, but I suddenly found myself guaranteed 2nd place when one particular player started catching cards and subsequently knocked everyone else out of the tournament. The chip leader had 16,200 chips. I was holding 3,800 chips. I won a couple small hands, but I was eventually eliminated when my J-Q "all in" bet lost to an A-10. To be honest, the other player probably deserved to win more than I. I played pretty timid when we got down to five players, but I didn't seem to get the cards I needed to be more aggressive.
As a result of my 2nd place finish in this $50(5) tournament, I was awarded $300 - for a net profit of $245.
I'm definitely enjoying these multi-table tournaments. I may have found a niche! I've made up my entire Month-to-Date negative Sketch total in a matter of days - and I haven't had to play a ton of poker to do it. Typically, these 20-man tournaments take 90 minutes to play and I haven't dabbled in other poker games. Theresa is probably happy to see me step away from the computer at a reasonable hour each night - and I'm pretty happy when I quit ahead.
Hopefully, I can start accumulating some winnings the next week (or so) . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $245
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $65.14
My cards couldn't have been much better during the first ten hands:
Hand #2: I'm dealt AA and win a small pot when everyone folds after the flop.
Hand #3: I'm dealt 8d 9d and the flop shows two diamonds. The turn is another diamond and I take home another modest pot with the flush.
Hand #4: I'm dealt Kd 9d and limp in. The flop is 4 6 9 and I win another small pot when no one matches an aggressive bet I throw into the middle.
Hand #6: I'm dealt Ac Jc. The flop is garbage (3-4-4). The turn is garbage (8). The river is an ace, however, and I take another modest pot when a player with A-10 calls my bet.
Hand #10: I'm dealt KK. Again, I win a small pot when everyone folds after the flop.
Despite the fact that I was dominating the table, I was "only" up to 1,728 chips - from a starting point of 1,000 chips. I was getting great cards, but no one wanted to play with me.
For the next 30 minutes, I hunkered down and watched some players fall from the tournament. When we were down to 11 players, I was dealt A-8 in front of the small blind and subsequently put in a sizeable raise (500 chips). The small blind went "all in" with his last 400 chips - which I expected. I didn't, however, expect the big blind to immediately call "all in" with his last 950 chips. At that point, I felt pot-committed, so I threw in another 450 chips - fully aware I wasn't winning.
Sure enough, the small blind had a suited J-10 and the big blind was holding KK. Miraculously, the flop showed an Ace and an 8 and I was on my way to scooping the entire pot with two pair. Suddenly, I was up to 3,100 chips and comfortably positioned in 2nd place with 9 players alive.
The play slowed down a bit, but I tried to stay aggressive. As a result of my aggressiveness, I lost a few chips, however. We were down to six players and I was down to 2,400 when the low-stacked player (sbnyrfan) went "all in" ahead of me with 1,550 chips. I was holding a 5-5 and figured it was a coin flip situation, so I took a chance and called his bet. At the time, I was holding the 2nd smallest pile of chips and figured I needed to make a move. Unfortunately, sbnyrfan showed a KK - leaving me a huge underdog.
Miraculously (again), a 5 appeared on the turn, I scooped the pot, and we were down to 5 players. However, with only four of us guaranteed money, we all started to play scared - worried about falling one place short of the cash.
Slowly but surely, however, a couple players' stacks were whittled down and they were forced to go "all in" with iffy hands. Personally, I didn't eliminate anyone, but I suddenly found myself guaranteed 2nd place when one particular player started catching cards and subsequently knocked everyone else out of the tournament. The chip leader had 16,200 chips. I was holding 3,800 chips. I won a couple small hands, but I was eventually eliminated when my J-Q "all in" bet lost to an A-10. To be honest, the other player probably deserved to win more than I. I played pretty timid when we got down to five players, but I didn't seem to get the cards I needed to be more aggressive.
As a result of my 2nd place finish in this $50(5) tournament, I was awarded $300 - for a net profit of $245.
I'm definitely enjoying these multi-table tournaments. I may have found a niche! I've made up my entire Month-to-Date negative Sketch total in a matter of days - and I haven't had to play a ton of poker to do it. Typically, these 20-man tournaments take 90 minutes to play and I haven't dabbled in other poker games. Theresa is probably happy to see me step away from the computer at a reasonable hour each night - and I'm pretty happy when I quit ahead.
Hopefully, I can start accumulating some winnings the next week (or so) . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $245
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $65.14
September 22, 2004: More $30(3) Sit 'n' Go Tournaments
I jumped back on the $30(3) Sit 'n' Go bandwagon tonight . . .
I started the night with another 20-man tournament. For the first hour, things went relatively well. One player (feesweetness) got particularly hot and took out a number of people. At the 60 minute mark, he was holding 9,110 chips - nearly tripling any of the other five people who survived the first hour. At that point, I was sitting in 2nd place - with 3,195 chips - and feeling pretty good about my chances.
On the third hand after the one hour break, I was dealt Ah Jh. With only six timid players remaining, I decided to go "all in" pre flop - expecting everyone to fold. That didn't happen, however, and another player holding AK (with 2,700 chips) called my bet. I didn't get any help and was immediately reduced to less than 500 chips.
Two hands later, I went "all in" with a suited 9-10 and was called by another player with Q6. Neither one of us paired a card, so his "Queen high" took the pot and I was eliminated in 6th place - two spots out of the money. Bummer!!
Frustrated by my near miss, I went to a 10-man $30(3) table to try my luck with fewer players. For the first 25 (or so) hands, I basically became a folding machine. I won a couple small pots, but when we got down to five people, I was the low stack with 750 chips.
For the next 20 (or so) hands I became an "all in" machine. It was obvious that the remaining players were targeting the Top 3 spots and were each afraid of being eliminated just out-of-the-money. So, my "all in" bets were never called and I eventually accumulated over 4,000 chips - despite the fact that my hands weren't all that great. It was amazing at the number of blinds I continually stole by going "all in." Once I got the chip lead, there was no stopping my "all in" bets.
Finally, the other players decided that they had no choice to sacrifice all their chips and started calling my "all in" bets - but it was too late. It was easy for me (a guy with 50% of all the chips) to call other players holding only a few hundred chips.
Despite the fact that I was usually behind when someone else went "all in," I continued to catch nice flops and soon we were down to two players. I had an overwhelming lead and it only took a few hands to win the tournament. The final hand saw my opponent receive a 2-2, but my Q6 took home all the money when another queen appeared on the board. As a reward for taking first, I won $150.
So, despite the fact that I didn't win any money in the 20-man tournament, my performance in the 10-man tournament was enough for me to claim a modest profit for the night. Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to overcome the negative Month-to-Date Sketch total.
Daily Sketch: Up $84
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $179.86
I started the night with another 20-man tournament. For the first hour, things went relatively well. One player (feesweetness) got particularly hot and took out a number of people. At the 60 minute mark, he was holding 9,110 chips - nearly tripling any of the other five people who survived the first hour. At that point, I was sitting in 2nd place - with 3,195 chips - and feeling pretty good about my chances.
On the third hand after the one hour break, I was dealt Ah Jh. With only six timid players remaining, I decided to go "all in" pre flop - expecting everyone to fold. That didn't happen, however, and another player holding AK (with 2,700 chips) called my bet. I didn't get any help and was immediately reduced to less than 500 chips.
Two hands later, I went "all in" with a suited 9-10 and was called by another player with Q6. Neither one of us paired a card, so his "Queen high" took the pot and I was eliminated in 6th place - two spots out of the money. Bummer!!
Frustrated by my near miss, I went to a 10-man $30(3) table to try my luck with fewer players. For the first 25 (or so) hands, I basically became a folding machine. I won a couple small pots, but when we got down to five people, I was the low stack with 750 chips.
For the next 20 (or so) hands I became an "all in" machine. It was obvious that the remaining players were targeting the Top 3 spots and were each afraid of being eliminated just out-of-the-money. So, my "all in" bets were never called and I eventually accumulated over 4,000 chips - despite the fact that my hands weren't all that great. It was amazing at the number of blinds I continually stole by going "all in." Once I got the chip lead, there was no stopping my "all in" bets.
Finally, the other players decided that they had no choice to sacrifice all their chips and started calling my "all in" bets - but it was too late. It was easy for me (a guy with 50% of all the chips) to call other players holding only a few hundred chips.
Despite the fact that I was usually behind when someone else went "all in," I continued to catch nice flops and soon we were down to two players. I had an overwhelming lead and it only took a few hands to win the tournament. The final hand saw my opponent receive a 2-2, but my Q6 took home all the money when another queen appeared on the board. As a reward for taking first, I won $150.
So, despite the fact that I didn't win any money in the 20-man tournament, my performance in the 10-man tournament was enough for me to claim a modest profit for the night. Slowly but surely, I'm beginning to overcome the negative Month-to-Date Sketch total.
Daily Sketch: Up $84
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $179.86
September 21, 2004: A $30(3) Sit 'n' Go Tournament
With time running out, I've got limited opportunities to make up September's losses. I'd rather not experience my first "bad" month, so I need a strategy.
Having said that, I'm going to focus upon on-line tournaments (versus stakes games) during the next week. Maybe I can hit a significant payday (or two) and quickly offset the negative $410.86 I'm looking at entering today's action. It may not be the soundest strategy, but we'll see what happens.
Tonight, I entered a 20-man $30(3) tournament on PartyPoker. The top prize was $240 - with payouts extending to 4th place.
The tournament started shakily. Thirty minutes into the tournament, I was down to 495 chips (from 1,000) and found myself going "all in" with an A7 from the small blind. No one else at the table had matched the big blind, so I figured it might be a good chance to steal the big blind. Unfortunately (for me), the big blind called and revealed an A8. I was a big underdog! Still, a miracle '7' on the river saved my skin and I doubled up to 990 chips. Whew!
The next 60 minutes were relatively uneventful. When the 20 players were whittled down to 10 players, I had accumulated 1,340 chips. Suddenly, one of the players at the table started to catch some incredible draws and took out 4 players before anyone knew what happened. He was up to 7,000 chips - double anyone else at the table.
The incredible luck for that player continued, although my own cards started to improve. I won a couple decent pots and ultimately took out the 5th place player myself (holding an 8-8) - assuring that I'd get paid the 4th place prize of $60.
When we got to four players, the "all in" bets started flying. Everyone was afraid to match any big bets and the four of us traded chips for the next 10 minutes as everyone folded to any "all in" bets. Finally, the "lucky" player (who had nearly 10,000 chips) drew 10-10 and beat another player's AQ when a 10 ultimately appeared on the board. A few minutes later, I caught a JJ and took out the 3rd place finisher who desperately went "all in" with a J5.
For the next 10 minutes, I played one-on-one for the tournament's title. Slowly but surely, I accumulated chips and found myself with a little over 15,000 chips (only 20,000 chips were in play) when I was dealt A4 (suited) and went "all in." My opponent called with 6-6 and we were suddenly tied when a 6 appeared on the flop. Argh!
I lost a couple hands and eventually went "all in" when dealt an A-8. My opponent was holding a 9c 10c and called. Unfortunately, a Jack, Queen, and King all appeared on the board and my opponent knocked me out of the tournament with a straight. Argh!!
The 2nd place prize was $180. Netting out the $33 entry fee, I made $147 tonight. That'll make a good dent into this month's negative sketch!!
Daily Sketch: Up $147
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $263.86
Having said that, I'm going to focus upon on-line tournaments (versus stakes games) during the next week. Maybe I can hit a significant payday (or two) and quickly offset the negative $410.86 I'm looking at entering today's action. It may not be the soundest strategy, but we'll see what happens.
Tonight, I entered a 20-man $30(3) tournament on PartyPoker. The top prize was $240 - with payouts extending to 4th place.
The tournament started shakily. Thirty minutes into the tournament, I was down to 495 chips (from 1,000) and found myself going "all in" with an A7 from the small blind. No one else at the table had matched the big blind, so I figured it might be a good chance to steal the big blind. Unfortunately (for me), the big blind called and revealed an A8. I was a big underdog! Still, a miracle '7' on the river saved my skin and I doubled up to 990 chips. Whew!
The next 60 minutes were relatively uneventful. When the 20 players were whittled down to 10 players, I had accumulated 1,340 chips. Suddenly, one of the players at the table started to catch some incredible draws and took out 4 players before anyone knew what happened. He was up to 7,000 chips - double anyone else at the table.
The incredible luck for that player continued, although my own cards started to improve. I won a couple decent pots and ultimately took out the 5th place player myself (holding an 8-8) - assuring that I'd get paid the 4th place prize of $60.
When we got to four players, the "all in" bets started flying. Everyone was afraid to match any big bets and the four of us traded chips for the next 10 minutes as everyone folded to any "all in" bets. Finally, the "lucky" player (who had nearly 10,000 chips) drew 10-10 and beat another player's AQ when a 10 ultimately appeared on the board. A few minutes later, I caught a JJ and took out the 3rd place finisher who desperately went "all in" with a J5.
For the next 10 minutes, I played one-on-one for the tournament's title. Slowly but surely, I accumulated chips and found myself with a little over 15,000 chips (only 20,000 chips were in play) when I was dealt A4 (suited) and went "all in." My opponent called with 6-6 and we were suddenly tied when a 6 appeared on the flop. Argh!
I lost a couple hands and eventually went "all in" when dealt an A-8. My opponent was holding a 9c 10c and called. Unfortunately, a Jack, Queen, and King all appeared on the board and my opponent knocked me out of the tournament with a straight. Argh!!
The 2nd place prize was $180. Netting out the $33 entry fee, I made $147 tonight. That'll make a good dent into this month's negative sketch!!
Daily Sketch: Up $147
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $263.86
September 20, 2004: Poker Poker Poker
This morning, I played three one-on-one Sit 'n' Go Tournaments on UltimateBet as I recovered from yesterdays Lambeau debacle. Unfortunately, I lost all three. Ugh!! It was Bad Beat City!! All told, I lost $83.
In the afternoon, I decided to focus on some simple multi-table tournaments on PartyPoker. First, I entered a $10(1) 20-man tournament and finished in 4th place - the last spot to pay out. For my efforts, I won $20. I was eliminated holding an Ac 6c. The flop came A 4 6 and I immediately called "all in" with that hand. I was called by a bigger stack holding an AJ. Unfortunately, a jack appeared on the turn and my tournament was ended. I experienced a modest $9 profit.
Then, I entered a $20(2) 20-man tournament. I couldn't do anything in this tournament and finished in 9th place. I don't know if I won more than two hands as I became a folding machine. Eventually, the blinds got the best of me, and I was forced to go "all in" with a mediocre hand I don't even recall. I quietly exited the tournament.
Next, I entered a $30(3) thirty-man tournament. This time, I was eliminated in 11th place. I never really caught any cards and was slowly (but surely) whittled down to nothing. I think I went "all in" when I had K -2. I actually caught a king on the flop but my opponent's JQ ended up catching a straight.
Finally, I concluded my afternoon by playing another $20(2) 20-man tournament. This time, things went much better. I couldn't win any big hands, but I was able to stick near 1,500 chips for a long time. Eventually, I found myself in the Final Five (only four people get paid out) and the five of us struggled for quite some time waiting for someone to be eliminated. I worked my way up to 3,000 chips and was elated when the chip leader's 2-2 saw a 2 on the flop. He ousted a player holding AK and I was guaranteed the 4th place prize of $40.
With the final four players guaranteed money, the table suddenly got very loose. Usually, at this point, I start to play loose myself, but I decided to let the other players eliminate themselves. Sure enough, despite the fact that I only played one big hand (I won it), I suddenly found myself in the Final Two. I was only holding 3,800 chips - while the leader had 16,200 chips.
For the next several hands, I got hot. No matter what I was holding, I seemed to flop the top pair. I didn't want to scare my opponent, so I bet moderately. He continued to call and, soon enough, I was in the lead with 12,000 chips. Then, I was dealt KQ. My opponent went "all in" (pre flop) and I decided to take a chance. I called his bet and he revealed K-10. I was in the lead!!
A king appeared on the flop (with some garbage). Thankfully, no 10's appeared and I won the pot, the tournament, and took home the $160 first place prize. Woo Hoo!!
At night, I played some low-stakes poker at Joe's house. I didn't catch very good cards during the three hours of play but still netted ahead exactly $2.65, which isn't exactly a windfall. But, I guess it's better than losing, right?
In other news, I went 3-1 in fantasy football (again) this past weekend - losing to Rob in Extendicare's league. It didn't help that my free agent WR pick-up last week (Cedric Wilson) didn't even play. Still, my cumulative record in my four fantasy leagues is 6-2, which isn't bad. After a great start to the weekend, I finished 5-4 in Tom's $100 pool - courtesy of an 0-3 record in NFL games. I'm 8-4 so far this year picking NFL and college football games against the spread. Finally, as I mentioned yesterday, I lost my Sure Bet pick of Green Bay, but my 2nd entry (New Orleans) is still alive, so I still have hope in that pool. The NFL season is still young, but I'm happy with the direction it's heading so far.
Daily Sketch: Up $11.65
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $410.86
In the afternoon, I decided to focus on some simple multi-table tournaments on PartyPoker. First, I entered a $10(1) 20-man tournament and finished in 4th place - the last spot to pay out. For my efforts, I won $20. I was eliminated holding an Ac 6c. The flop came A 4 6 and I immediately called "all in" with that hand. I was called by a bigger stack holding an AJ. Unfortunately, a jack appeared on the turn and my tournament was ended. I experienced a modest $9 profit.
Then, I entered a $20(2) 20-man tournament. I couldn't do anything in this tournament and finished in 9th place. I don't know if I won more than two hands as I became a folding machine. Eventually, the blinds got the best of me, and I was forced to go "all in" with a mediocre hand I don't even recall. I quietly exited the tournament.
Next, I entered a $30(3) thirty-man tournament. This time, I was eliminated in 11th place. I never really caught any cards and was slowly (but surely) whittled down to nothing. I think I went "all in" when I had K -2. I actually caught a king on the flop but my opponent's JQ ended up catching a straight.
Finally, I concluded my afternoon by playing another $20(2) 20-man tournament. This time, things went much better. I couldn't win any big hands, but I was able to stick near 1,500 chips for a long time. Eventually, I found myself in the Final Five (only four people get paid out) and the five of us struggled for quite some time waiting for someone to be eliminated. I worked my way up to 3,000 chips and was elated when the chip leader's 2-2 saw a 2 on the flop. He ousted a player holding AK and I was guaranteed the 4th place prize of $40.
With the final four players guaranteed money, the table suddenly got very loose. Usually, at this point, I start to play loose myself, but I decided to let the other players eliminate themselves. Sure enough, despite the fact that I only played one big hand (I won it), I suddenly found myself in the Final Two. I was only holding 3,800 chips - while the leader had 16,200 chips.
For the next several hands, I got hot. No matter what I was holding, I seemed to flop the top pair. I didn't want to scare my opponent, so I bet moderately. He continued to call and, soon enough, I was in the lead with 12,000 chips. Then, I was dealt KQ. My opponent went "all in" (pre flop) and I decided to take a chance. I called his bet and he revealed K-10. I was in the lead!!
A king appeared on the flop (with some garbage). Thankfully, no 10's appeared and I won the pot, the tournament, and took home the $160 first place prize. Woo Hoo!!
At night, I played some low-stakes poker at Joe's house. I didn't catch very good cards during the three hours of play but still netted ahead exactly $2.65, which isn't exactly a windfall. But, I guess it's better than losing, right?
In other news, I went 3-1 in fantasy football (again) this past weekend - losing to Rob in Extendicare's league. It didn't help that my free agent WR pick-up last week (Cedric Wilson) didn't even play. Still, my cumulative record in my four fantasy leagues is 6-2, which isn't bad. After a great start to the weekend, I finished 5-4 in Tom's $100 pool - courtesy of an 0-3 record in NFL games. I'm 8-4 so far this year picking NFL and college football games against the spread. Finally, as I mentioned yesterday, I lost my Sure Bet pick of Green Bay, but my 2nd entry (New Orleans) is still alive, so I still have hope in that pool. The NFL season is still young, but I'm happy with the direction it's heading so far.
Daily Sketch: Up $11.65
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $410.86
September 19, 2004: Bears 21, Packers 10
Today, seven guys (myself, Rob, Jared, Chris, Jay, Tony, & Al) gathered to attend the Packers/Bears game at Lambeau Field.
Leaving at 7:00am, we piled into a limo and played some craps during the ride up north. All told, I won $11 covering everyone's bets. We kept it simple - as wagers were limited to the pass or don't pass lines. Basically, the other six guys made their bets and I agreed to cover the balance of everyone's wagers. At first, individual bets were limited to $.50 apiece, but that grew tedious after an hour of play. Eventually, the bets increased (I believe the largest individual wager was $6) and I netted the relatively meager profit of $11.
Then, in the hour or two immediately preceding the game, we played some Ship-Captain-Crew while tailgating. While we played for the "opportunity" to slam a beer, I won $1 on a small wager regarding the ability of another player to shoot a particular score.
The actual game was dismal, as the Bears shocked the Packers by a score of 21-10. Ugh! Unfortunately, one of my Sure Bet selections this weekend was Green Bay, so that entry was eliminated. Thankfully, my other Sure Bet pick (New Orleans) squeaked past San Francisco, so that entry is alive.
On the ride back to Milwaukee, the boyz decided to play a $10 hold 'em tournament in the limo. I was eliminated pretty quickly, so the $10 cut into my $12 morning profit.
Daily Sketch: Up $2
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $422.51
Leaving at 7:00am, we piled into a limo and played some craps during the ride up north. All told, I won $11 covering everyone's bets. We kept it simple - as wagers were limited to the pass or don't pass lines. Basically, the other six guys made their bets and I agreed to cover the balance of everyone's wagers. At first, individual bets were limited to $.50 apiece, but that grew tedious after an hour of play. Eventually, the bets increased (I believe the largest individual wager was $6) and I netted the relatively meager profit of $11.
Then, in the hour or two immediately preceding the game, we played some Ship-Captain-Crew while tailgating. While we played for the "opportunity" to slam a beer, I won $1 on a small wager regarding the ability of another player to shoot a particular score.
The actual game was dismal, as the Bears shocked the Packers by a score of 21-10. Ugh! Unfortunately, one of my Sure Bet selections this weekend was Green Bay, so that entry was eliminated. Thankfully, my other Sure Bet pick (New Orleans) squeaked past San Francisco, so that entry is alive.
On the ride back to Milwaukee, the boyz decided to play a $10 hold 'em tournament in the limo. I was eliminated pretty quickly, so the $10 cut into my $12 morning profit.
Daily Sketch: Up $2
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $422.51
September 18, 2004: Saturday Poker
This morning, I decided to play one $20(2) ten-man poker tournament on UltimateBet. It went well.
During the first 20 minutes of the tournament, one particular player got hot. All told, he eliminated three players himself and had accumulated 4,000 chips (after starting with 1,000). After that, the table got especially timid and I was able to semi-bluff my way through several hands - slowly increasing my own chip count. Everyone seemed to fear being the next player eliminated - so the table became very tight - and I took advantage by playing very loosely.
Eventually, we got down to four players (it took quite a while) and I was able to eliminate a player when my two pair topped his two pair. With only three players remaining, I was guaranteed a $40 payout. From there, however, my cards got hot.
First, I flopped a flush holding Ac Jc. Another player went "all in" with top pair and I coasted to 2nd place. Then, facing the original player who had started so well, I again flopped a flush a few hands later. I got especially lucky - because he flopped two pair and went "all in" against me. Thankfully, he didn't hit a full house and I won first place. It paid $100 - which gave me a $78 profit for the tourney.
At night, I played low-stakes poker at Tom's house with Rob, Chris & Art. Playing a game with a maximum bet of $.50, I couldn't catch much all night. I lost a quick $5 in the opening hold 'em tournament - and things never got better. All told, I lost exactly $29.85 for the night - a relatively substantial amount considering the low stakes. As best we could tell, Chris was the big winner ($50) for the night.
At least I won money in the morning while playing on-line, so I netted ahead for the day.
Daily Sketch: Up $48.15
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $424.51
During the first 20 minutes of the tournament, one particular player got hot. All told, he eliminated three players himself and had accumulated 4,000 chips (after starting with 1,000). After that, the table got especially timid and I was able to semi-bluff my way through several hands - slowly increasing my own chip count. Everyone seemed to fear being the next player eliminated - so the table became very tight - and I took advantage by playing very loosely.
Eventually, we got down to four players (it took quite a while) and I was able to eliminate a player when my two pair topped his two pair. With only three players remaining, I was guaranteed a $40 payout. From there, however, my cards got hot.
First, I flopped a flush holding Ac Jc. Another player went "all in" with top pair and I coasted to 2nd place. Then, facing the original player who had started so well, I again flopped a flush a few hands later. I got especially lucky - because he flopped two pair and went "all in" against me. Thankfully, he didn't hit a full house and I won first place. It paid $100 - which gave me a $78 profit for the tourney.
At night, I played low-stakes poker at Tom's house with Rob, Chris & Art. Playing a game with a maximum bet of $.50, I couldn't catch much all night. I lost a quick $5 in the opening hold 'em tournament - and things never got better. All told, I lost exactly $29.85 for the night - a relatively substantial amount considering the low stakes. As best we could tell, Chris was the big winner ($50) for the night.
At least I won money in the morning while playing on-line, so I netted ahead for the day.
Daily Sketch: Up $48.15
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $424.51
September 17, 2004: UltimateBet NL
Tonight, I watched the Boston College/UCONN football game while playing on a $1/$2 NL table on UltimateBet. Don't be fooled by the meager stakes. On this NL table, there were numerous hands that saw pots in excess of $100.
All told, I played poker for three hours and lost exactly $28.05. At my peak, I was up $98. An Ad Jd proved to be my downfall when my flush lost to another player's full house. I caught the flush on the river, but my opponent had gotten the boat on the turn and shrewdly slowed-played it against me. Ugh!!
If nothing else, at least BC covered the -8 line. I'm 4-0 in Tom V.'s pool. Considering my poor poker play lately, I need to start making some money in my other pools!
Daily Sketch: Down $28.05
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $472.66
All told, I played poker for three hours and lost exactly $28.05. At my peak, I was up $98. An Ad Jd proved to be my downfall when my flush lost to another player's full house. I caught the flush on the river, but my opponent had gotten the boat on the turn and shrewdly slowed-played it against me. Ugh!!
If nothing else, at least BC covered the -8 line. I'm 4-0 in Tom V.'s pool. Considering my poor poker play lately, I need to start making some money in my other pools!
Daily Sketch: Down $28.05
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $472.66
September 16, 2004: Not Much Happening
The sketchbook is starting to get a little boring, ehhh? I haven't played on-line poker since last week's one-on-one debacle, and I don't really have the ambition to play again. At my current rate, it's going to be impossible to make up the money I'm down this month.
I spent $2 in Extendicare's fantasy football league picking up two free agents (Cedrick Wilson & Maurice Morris). So, that's my daily sketch.
I also made nine picks in Tom V.'s $100 pool. Since I went 3-0 last week when I published my picks, I'll try publishing them again and see if my good fortune continues. If I flop this weekend, I'll stop boring everyone with my picks.
BC -8 over UCONN; KENT +11 over RUTG; PENN ST. -21.5 over CENT FL.; VANDY +6.5 over OLE MISS; SYR +1 over CINCY; WIS -10 over ARZ; GB -9 over CHI; NO -7 over SF; & KC -6 over CAR.
Wish me luck - and call your bookie! I'm hot! :-)
Daily Sketch: Down $2
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $444.61
I spent $2 in Extendicare's fantasy football league picking up two free agents (Cedrick Wilson & Maurice Morris). So, that's my daily sketch.
I also made nine picks in Tom V.'s $100 pool. Since I went 3-0 last week when I published my picks, I'll try publishing them again and see if my good fortune continues. If I flop this weekend, I'll stop boring everyone with my picks.
BC -8 over UCONN; KENT +11 over RUTG; PENN ST. -21.5 over CENT FL.; VANDY +6.5 over OLE MISS; SYR +1 over CINCY; WIS -10 over ARZ; GB -9 over CHI; NO -7 over SF; & KC -6 over CAR.
Wish me luck - and call your bookie! I'm hot! :-)
Daily Sketch: Down $2
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $444.61
September 14, 2004: Back from Disneyworld
Yesterday, I returned from Disneyworld. It was a great trip!
As I had suspected, I didn't place any wagers during the long weekend in Florida, so there's nothing to really report in the sketchbook. My fantasy football teams, however, went 3-1. I also went 3-0 in Tom V.'s $100 pool and both of my Sure Bet selections won. So, it was a good weekend.
Weekend Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $442.61
As I had suspected, I didn't place any wagers during the long weekend in Florida, so there's nothing to really report in the sketchbook. My fantasy football teams, however, went 3-1. I also went 3-0 in Tom V.'s $100 pool and both of my Sure Bet selections won. So, it was a good weekend.
Weekend Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $442.61
September 10, 2004: Tom V.'s $100 Pick 'em Pool
Today, I officially entered Tom V.'s $100 Pick 'em Pool. In this pool, each participant is required to pick the winner of 100 NFL and/or college football games (against the spread) and accumulate a Season-to-Date record. You have all season to pick your 100 games and I'm guessing that we'll get 10 people to play - with the Top 3 getting paid out. A person could (technically) pick all 100 games in the first couple weeks or, more conventionally, pick a handful of games every week until you reach 100. The lines are based upon the published odds in every Wednesday's USA Today.
If anyone is interested in playing, it's not too late to sign up. Simply send me an e-mail and I'll give you the details. Typically, a record of 55-45 wins the thing.
As it's my first week, I took it easy and only picked three games - all in the NFL. Here are my picks for the opening weekend. Only 97 more picks to go!!!
TEN -3 over MIA
WAS -1.5 over TB
MIN -4.5 over DAL
Tomorrow morning, I leave for a long weekend in Orlando, FL. There probably won't be much (if any) gambling in Florida. With that being said, I decided to go online and play some poker. It went HORRIBLY!!!
I got on a $5/$10 table on PokerRoom and played a guy named sak31 - one on one. It's almost embarrassing to write, but he took exactly $350 from me this evening. He was an extremely aggressive player who raised every pot to $10 - regardless of what he had. He continually chased cards to the river (he folded a handful of hands), but he kept hitting his cards. It was amazing to watch how many times he could turn a 3 and a 7 (offsuit) into a winning hand. I probably should have gotten up from the table before losing $350, but this guy was asking to give away his money. If this is his normal mode of play, he must have some wild fluctuations from night to night.
I specifically remember flopping two nut straights against him. Each time, he bet his normal routine and I played along. Amazingly, I split each of the hands with him when we turned over the same cards that I had. So, even when it seemed I was destined to win a hand, I'd split it with him. Ugh!
Oh, well. I'm off to Orlando tomorrow, so I have plenty of time to shrug off tonight's losses. It's going to be difficult to make up the money I lost over the last couple weeks of the month, but we'll see what happens.
Regardless, the sketchbook will go dark for a few days. See ya when I get back!!
Daily Sketch: Down $450
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $442.61
If anyone is interested in playing, it's not too late to sign up. Simply send me an e-mail and I'll give you the details. Typically, a record of 55-45 wins the thing.
As it's my first week, I took it easy and only picked three games - all in the NFL. Here are my picks for the opening weekend. Only 97 more picks to go!!!
TEN -3 over MIA
WAS -1.5 over TB
MIN -4.5 over DAL
Tomorrow morning, I leave for a long weekend in Orlando, FL. There probably won't be much (if any) gambling in Florida. With that being said, I decided to go online and play some poker. It went HORRIBLY!!!
I got on a $5/$10 table on PokerRoom and played a guy named sak31 - one on one. It's almost embarrassing to write, but he took exactly $350 from me this evening. He was an extremely aggressive player who raised every pot to $10 - regardless of what he had. He continually chased cards to the river (he folded a handful of hands), but he kept hitting his cards. It was amazing to watch how many times he could turn a 3 and a 7 (offsuit) into a winning hand. I probably should have gotten up from the table before losing $350, but this guy was asking to give away his money. If this is his normal mode of play, he must have some wild fluctuations from night to night.
I specifically remember flopping two nut straights against him. Each time, he bet his normal routine and I played along. Amazingly, I split each of the hands with him when we turned over the same cards that I had. So, even when it seemed I was destined to win a hand, I'd split it with him. Ugh!
Oh, well. I'm off to Orlando tomorrow, so I have plenty of time to shrug off tonight's losses. It's going to be difficult to make up the money I lost over the last couple weeks of the month, but we'll see what happens.
Regardless, the sketchbook will go dark for a few days. See ya when I get back!!
Daily Sketch: Down $450
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $442.61
September 9, 2004: Sure Bet
Today, I submitted two entries for Sure Bet - the annual NFL Survivor Pool I started many years ago and have since passed on to Bruce. To summarize, you pick the NFL team that you feel is most assured of winning during the opening weekend. If your team wins, you continue on to the 2nd week. If your team loses, you're eliminated from the contest. The pool continues into the season and the last person left wins the entire pot. In all the years we've been playing, we've NEVER had anyone last an entire year.
As I mentioned, I'm entering twice - so it's going to cost me $20 ($10 per entry). Last year, we had 114 people join the fun - which meant that the winner won $1,140. Unfortunately, I was eliminated during the opening weekend when Houston shocked the world and beat the Dolphins in Miami. If nothing else, I hope to last longer than one week this season! We'll see how it goes. I've selected Minnesota and St. Louis as my Sure Bets for the two entries I've submitted.
Down $20 for the day, I decided to play a few minutes of poker this evening (before going out for dinner) in an effort to recoup my Sure Bet entry fees. It was an interesting time . . .
First, I went to a 10-man UltimateBet NL table and lost $84.13 in the blink of an eye. I lost $31 on a hand when my high two pair was beaten by someone who had flopped a set. Then, I lost a big pot when my set of 7's lost to another player who caught a straight on the river. Ugh!! All told, I played exactly 13 hands and those 13 hands depleted all the money in my UltimateBet account. So much for that, ehhh?
Frustrated (and broke), I went to PokerRoom's site, where I've got plenty of money in my account. Playing a bit on tilt, I jumped on a 5-man $5/$10 table in search of the $84.13 I just lost. I only had five minutes to play before needing to head out the door for dinner, but I thought I'd give it a shot.
On the 5th hand I played, I was dealt KK. Ironically, that's the hand that ultimately led to my demise in Las Vegas. Anyway, another player raised (preflop) and I decided to call. One other player called and three of us saw the flop.
It came K-K-A. Yipee!! I had flopped four-of-a-kind! Playing slow, I checked. The 2nd player bet $5 and the 3rd player (the original raiser) raised to $10. I quickly called and the other player followed suit. I was happy to see everyone stay in the hand.
The turn was a 6. After looking at it, I realized that three hearts were on the board - which was fine with me. The 1st player bet $10 (I assumed he had the flush) and the 2nd player raised to $20 (did he also have a flush?). Not wanting to be bashful, I raised to $30 and each of the other players called. This was going pretty well.
The last card was another 6. This time, the 1st player checked and the 2nd player bet $10. I figured that one of them had a flush and I (naturally) raised to $20 and was, interestingly, called by both players. Considering the fact that neither one of them had a king (after all, I had both of the other kings), I was very surprised to see everyone stay in this hand.
It was a nice pot that I had NO CHANCE OF LOSING. As I surmised, the 1st player had a flush. The 2nd player had an A6, so he had caught a runner-runner full house. Still, my four-of-a-kind took home the huge pot. As it turned out, I didn't even need both kings. One king would have been fine.
A few hands later, I quit. I won $88 on PokerRoom, which (quickly) offset the money I lost on UltimateBet. It wasn't enough to offset the money I also put into Sure Bet, but that's fine. It was looking pretty ugly until I got those kings!
Daily Sketch: Down $16.13
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $7.39
As I mentioned, I'm entering twice - so it's going to cost me $20 ($10 per entry). Last year, we had 114 people join the fun - which meant that the winner won $1,140. Unfortunately, I was eliminated during the opening weekend when Houston shocked the world and beat the Dolphins in Miami. If nothing else, I hope to last longer than one week this season! We'll see how it goes. I've selected Minnesota and St. Louis as my Sure Bets for the two entries I've submitted.
Down $20 for the day, I decided to play a few minutes of poker this evening (before going out for dinner) in an effort to recoup my Sure Bet entry fees. It was an interesting time . . .
First, I went to a 10-man UltimateBet NL table and lost $84.13 in the blink of an eye. I lost $31 on a hand when my high two pair was beaten by someone who had flopped a set. Then, I lost a big pot when my set of 7's lost to another player who caught a straight on the river. Ugh!! All told, I played exactly 13 hands and those 13 hands depleted all the money in my UltimateBet account. So much for that, ehhh?
Frustrated (and broke), I went to PokerRoom's site, where I've got plenty of money in my account. Playing a bit on tilt, I jumped on a 5-man $5/$10 table in search of the $84.13 I just lost. I only had five minutes to play before needing to head out the door for dinner, but I thought I'd give it a shot.
On the 5th hand I played, I was dealt KK. Ironically, that's the hand that ultimately led to my demise in Las Vegas. Anyway, another player raised (preflop) and I decided to call. One other player called and three of us saw the flop.
It came K-K-A. Yipee!! I had flopped four-of-a-kind! Playing slow, I checked. The 2nd player bet $5 and the 3rd player (the original raiser) raised to $10. I quickly called and the other player followed suit. I was happy to see everyone stay in the hand.
The turn was a 6. After looking at it, I realized that three hearts were on the board - which was fine with me. The 1st player bet $10 (I assumed he had the flush) and the 2nd player raised to $20 (did he also have a flush?). Not wanting to be bashful, I raised to $30 and each of the other players called. This was going pretty well.
The last card was another 6. This time, the 1st player checked and the 2nd player bet $10. I figured that one of them had a flush and I (naturally) raised to $20 and was, interestingly, called by both players. Considering the fact that neither one of them had a king (after all, I had both of the other kings), I was very surprised to see everyone stay in this hand.
It was a nice pot that I had NO CHANCE OF LOSING. As I surmised, the 1st player had a flush. The 2nd player had an A6, so he had caught a runner-runner full house. Still, my four-of-a-kind took home the huge pot. As it turned out, I didn't even need both kings. One king would have been fine.
A few hands later, I quit. I won $88 on PokerRoom, which (quickly) offset the money I lost on UltimateBet. It wasn't enough to offset the money I also put into Sure Bet, but that's fine. It was looking pretty ugly until I got those kings!
Daily Sketch: Down $16.13
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $7.39
September 8, 2004: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained
After a long weekend in Las Vegas and last night's fantasy football draft, I needed a night of rest.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $23.52
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $23.52
September 7, 2004: Another Fantasy Football Draft
This evening, I drafted my 4th (and final) fantasy football team of the year. Extendicare's league costs $75 to join and there are 16 different teams - the largest league I'm in. Unfortunately, I drew the short end of the stick and came into the draft holding the rights to the 16th pick. Of course, that meant that I also had the 1st pick of the 2nd round, but it also meant that I wouldn't be drafting Priest Holmes, LaDanian Tomlinson, or Ahmann Green. Here's my team:
1. B. Westbrook (PHI)
2. D. Culpepper (MIN)
3. T. Wheatley (OAK)
4. S. Smith (CAR)
5. R. Smith (DEN)
6. Baltimore Defense
7. J. Jackson (CLE)
8. S. Morris (MIA)
9. M. Anderson (MIN)
In addition to the $75 entry fee for this league, I also gave Bruce $56 to cover my fees for his weekly Confidence Pool - that costs $3/week during the regular season and $5 for the postseason. So, all told, I coughed up $131 this evening. If nothing else, my wins in Vegas covered the costs of tonight's draft and the Confidence Pool.
Daily Sketch: Down $131
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $23.52
1. B. Westbrook (PHI)
2. D. Culpepper (MIN)
3. T. Wheatley (OAK)
4. S. Smith (CAR)
5. R. Smith (DEN)
6. Baltimore Defense
7. J. Jackson (CLE)
8. S. Morris (MIA)
9. M. Anderson (MIN)
In addition to the $75 entry fee for this league, I also gave Bruce $56 to cover my fees for his weekly Confidence Pool - that costs $3/week during the regular season and $5 for the postseason. So, all told, I coughed up $131 this evening. If nothing else, my wins in Vegas covered the costs of tonight's draft and the Confidence Pool.
Daily Sketch: Down $131
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $23.52
September 6, 2004: Coming Home
It's Labor Day - and I flew home today. I was tempted to place some wagers at the Las Vegas airport, but decided to abstain. I'm relatively happy to come back with a modest profit and a relatively enjoyable poker experience, so I decided to leave well enough alone.
On the flight back, I tabulated my weekend's results. Here's how my modest profit broke down. Apparently, I should play the slots more often! :-)
Profit/(Loss) Game
+ $360.25 Wheel of Fortune
+ 49.27 Other Slot Machines
+ 42.00 Craps
+ 25.75 Pai Gow Poker
- 5.00 Keno
- 20.75 Blackjack
- 21.00 Poker
- 115.00 Sports Wagers
- 161.00 Let it Ride
+ $154.52 Total
Admittedly, I usually wager more aggressively when I visit Las Vegas. However, my early deficit and the company of Theresa, her mother, and her aunt really kept me from getting too wild - which is probably a good thing. Last year's Labor Day trip was astoundingly unsuccessful, so I'm simply happy to have won some money this year. After all, I've got a wedding to pay for, so all's well that ends well! Besides, it would have been pretty depressing to lose a lot of money in Vegas and then be forced to document the losses on the website.
Las Vegas - I'll see you next Labor Day. In the interim, it's back to on-line poker!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $154.52
On the flight back, I tabulated my weekend's results. Here's how my modest profit broke down. Apparently, I should play the slots more often! :-)
Profit/(Loss) Game
+ $360.25 Wheel of Fortune
+ 49.27 Other Slot Machines
+ 42.00 Craps
+ 25.75 Pai Gow Poker
- 5.00 Keno
- 20.75 Blackjack
- 21.00 Poker
- 115.00 Sports Wagers
- 161.00 Let it Ride
+ $154.52 Total
Admittedly, I usually wager more aggressively when I visit Las Vegas. However, my early deficit and the company of Theresa, her mother, and her aunt really kept me from getting too wild - which is probably a good thing. Last year's Labor Day trip was astoundingly unsuccessful, so I'm simply happy to have won some money this year. After all, I've got a wedding to pay for, so all's well that ends well! Besides, it would have been pretty depressing to lose a lot of money in Vegas and then be forced to document the losses on the website.
Las Vegas - I'll see you next Labor Day. In the interim, it's back to on-line poker!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $154.52
September 5, 2004: Las Vegas - Day #3
Even before the trip began, I told the girls that today was going to be "Poker Sunday" and that they were probably going to be on their own for most of the day. I was going to be in the poker room.
Scheduled to begin at 11:00am, the Imperial Palace was hosting a NL poker tournament with a $60 buy-in. I arrived at the poker room at 10:00am and learned that the tournament was being delayed and wouldn't start until 1:00pm.
With extra time in my back pocket, I won $32.50 on a $5 blackjack table. Then, I won $9 after visiting a $.25 Wheel of Fortune Machine. Finally, I visited the poker room and won $61 while playing on a $2/$4 table in the 30 minutes immediately preceding the tournament's start. If nothing else, the early winning streak gave me a little confidence entering the tournament.
All told, 74 players participated in the tournament - spread out over 7 tables. I was seated next to a competent player I had met Friday night, and we shared a friendly dialogue during the first hour of the tournament. We quietly shared notes on other players and agreed that we wouldn't "face off" against each other. Basically, we concurred that we were probably the best two players at the table, and we didn't see a need to fight each other when there was "easy pickings" everywhere else.
The strategy worked great. Having started with 2,000 chips, I was the table's chip leader after 90 minutes - holding 4,800 chips. The table was playing extremely tight and I bluffed my way through several hands. To indicate how tight the play was, only one player at the table had been eliminated after the first 90 minutes - which is unusual considering the fact that we were playing no-limit. My "partner" had 3,400 chips and things were looking good. Of the 74 players that had started the tournament, 48 still remained.
At that point in the tournament, we were all given the opportunity to re-buy more chips. For $25, almost everyone in the tournament purchased another 1,500 chips. I seriously considered passing on the chips, but I didn't want to give up the table's chip lead and pulled another $25 out of my wallet. Now, I had 6,300 chips.
The next 30 minutes proved to be a bonanza. My cards got hot and some of the lower stacks at my table tried to push the action. I flopped a straight on one hand and caught a set of nines on another hand and suddenly had 11,500 chips. The table broke up and I was assigned a new seat at a new table when the tournament was reduced to 30 players.
I looked at the Payout Schedule and saw that the top 8 players would get money. I checked the stacks of everyone at my table and recognized that only one player at my new table had more chips than I. For the first time, I seriously considered that I might finish in the money in my first "live" tournament (I can't count the Spotted Cow Tourneys as real live tourneys).
Shortly after checking the Payout Schedule, a new one was posted. Now, 9 players were going to get paid. Basically, after everyone had rebought 1,500 chips, there was more money in the pool and, accordingly, the casino decided to expand the payout to 9 players. First place would get $1,440. Ninth place would get $90.
For the next 45 minutes, I slowly (but surely) increased my stack. I thought I was playing pretty well. Of course, I was getting decent cards, but I felt that I had a good hold of the action. With 17 players remaining in the tournament, I was up to 19,500 in chips and was dealt KK in the large blind. Woo Hoo!!
The blinds were 1k-2k. One of the 8 players at my table raised to 4k. Another player (with 12k chips) went "all in." I quickly called that player and the 3rd player declared that he was "all-in" with his 17,500 chips. I was forced to call and - for the first time - my heart started to pound.
Everyone revealed their cards, and things looked good. Each of the other two players was holding AQ and I was holding my KK. When I called, I was VERY afraid that I was facing an AA, but now I was a big favorite and realized that I was in great position to take the overall tournament lead. As long as the 3rd ace didn't appear on the board, I was in a sweet spot.
Naturally, the ace appeared on the flop and my kings lost. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Suddenly, I was down to 2k in chips and in serious jeopardy of not making the Top 9. To that point, it was the hand of the entire tournament. When the three of us went "all in", the action at the other table stopped and the growing number of spectators gasped when the ace appeared.
I won't deny it - I was devastated. I tried my best to put up a game face, but losing that hand was horrible. Undoubtedly, I would have been the dominating player in the tournament. Instead, I was down to exactly 2k in chips - the amount of the big blind. My days were numbered!
Two hands later, I was dealt JJ and went "all in" with four other players in the pot. After a 2-6-7 flop, one of the four players went "all in" and everyone folded to him. He flipped over pocket aces and I was ready to say goodbye. Amazingly, however, the turn was another jack and I scooped 10k in chips when my three jacks held up.
Suddenly, I was back in the game! I didn't have a huge stack, but 10k in chips gave me some breathing room.
For the next 20 minutes, I clung to my chips for dear life. I folded and folded and folded, but I was able to steal the blinds (once) when I declared "all in" with a pair of deuces. Thankfully, no one called and that allowed me to limp along and play another round with 10k.
Eventually, players started to fall and I was moved to the final table, still holding 10k in chips. We were down to 10 players and one particular player had about 2k in chips. I prayed that someone would take him out and my prayers were answered when his suited 10-J lost to (ironically) a pair of pocket kings.
At that point, blinds were 3k-6k. After folding the small blind, I was down to 7k and was dealt J2 with the big blind. One player raised and I was essentially forced to throw my last 1k into the pot. She (the only female at the final table) flipped over AQ and I found myself on the brink of extinction. The flop, however, came with a deuce and I took the lead. The turn was garbage, but the river was a queen, and I was knocked out of the tournament - in 9th place.
Thankfully, the payouts had been expanded to 9 players. For my effort, I was awarded $90 and, essentially, netted ahead $5 for the tournament. All told, I played for 4 hours.
As I type this sketch entry, I think I've recovered from the KK debacle. I'm really happy with the way I played and, ultimately, I was an unfortunate victim of some bad luck. Had my KK held up, I'm certain that I would have finished in (at least) the Top 5 and I would have had a great shot of winning the entire tournament. Having said that, I was VERY lucky to catch a third jack two hands later, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Without that 3rd Jack, I wouldn't have won any money in the tournament. It was a great experience and I look forward to playing in another live poker tournament sometime soon.
After the tournament was over, I spent the next several hours watching Sunday night's NASCAR race. I wagered $15 on Kasey Kahne to win the race (at 15-1 odds). He finished in 2nd place and I lost the $15. So close . . . again . . .
The night concluded with some light wagers around the Strip. After a hard day of poker, I wasn't eager to lose a lot of money with some careless wagers. All told, I won exactly $27.60 while making some modest bets at Oshea's and Caesar's Palace.
Daily Sketch: Up $120.10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $154.52
Scheduled to begin at 11:00am, the Imperial Palace was hosting a NL poker tournament with a $60 buy-in. I arrived at the poker room at 10:00am and learned that the tournament was being delayed and wouldn't start until 1:00pm.
With extra time in my back pocket, I won $32.50 on a $5 blackjack table. Then, I won $9 after visiting a $.25 Wheel of Fortune Machine. Finally, I visited the poker room and won $61 while playing on a $2/$4 table in the 30 minutes immediately preceding the tournament's start. If nothing else, the early winning streak gave me a little confidence entering the tournament.
All told, 74 players participated in the tournament - spread out over 7 tables. I was seated next to a competent player I had met Friday night, and we shared a friendly dialogue during the first hour of the tournament. We quietly shared notes on other players and agreed that we wouldn't "face off" against each other. Basically, we concurred that we were probably the best two players at the table, and we didn't see a need to fight each other when there was "easy pickings" everywhere else.
The strategy worked great. Having started with 2,000 chips, I was the table's chip leader after 90 minutes - holding 4,800 chips. The table was playing extremely tight and I bluffed my way through several hands. To indicate how tight the play was, only one player at the table had been eliminated after the first 90 minutes - which is unusual considering the fact that we were playing no-limit. My "partner" had 3,400 chips and things were looking good. Of the 74 players that had started the tournament, 48 still remained.
At that point in the tournament, we were all given the opportunity to re-buy more chips. For $25, almost everyone in the tournament purchased another 1,500 chips. I seriously considered passing on the chips, but I didn't want to give up the table's chip lead and pulled another $25 out of my wallet. Now, I had 6,300 chips.
The next 30 minutes proved to be a bonanza. My cards got hot and some of the lower stacks at my table tried to push the action. I flopped a straight on one hand and caught a set of nines on another hand and suddenly had 11,500 chips. The table broke up and I was assigned a new seat at a new table when the tournament was reduced to 30 players.
I looked at the Payout Schedule and saw that the top 8 players would get money. I checked the stacks of everyone at my table and recognized that only one player at my new table had more chips than I. For the first time, I seriously considered that I might finish in the money in my first "live" tournament (I can't count the Spotted Cow Tourneys as real live tourneys).
Shortly after checking the Payout Schedule, a new one was posted. Now, 9 players were going to get paid. Basically, after everyone had rebought 1,500 chips, there was more money in the pool and, accordingly, the casino decided to expand the payout to 9 players. First place would get $1,440. Ninth place would get $90.
For the next 45 minutes, I slowly (but surely) increased my stack. I thought I was playing pretty well. Of course, I was getting decent cards, but I felt that I had a good hold of the action. With 17 players remaining in the tournament, I was up to 19,500 in chips and was dealt KK in the large blind. Woo Hoo!!
The blinds were 1k-2k. One of the 8 players at my table raised to 4k. Another player (with 12k chips) went "all in." I quickly called that player and the 3rd player declared that he was "all-in" with his 17,500 chips. I was forced to call and - for the first time - my heart started to pound.
Everyone revealed their cards, and things looked good. Each of the other two players was holding AQ and I was holding my KK. When I called, I was VERY afraid that I was facing an AA, but now I was a big favorite and realized that I was in great position to take the overall tournament lead. As long as the 3rd ace didn't appear on the board, I was in a sweet spot.
Naturally, the ace appeared on the flop and my kings lost. Ugh! Ugh! Ugh! Suddenly, I was down to 2k in chips and in serious jeopardy of not making the Top 9. To that point, it was the hand of the entire tournament. When the three of us went "all in", the action at the other table stopped and the growing number of spectators gasped when the ace appeared.
I won't deny it - I was devastated. I tried my best to put up a game face, but losing that hand was horrible. Undoubtedly, I would have been the dominating player in the tournament. Instead, I was down to exactly 2k in chips - the amount of the big blind. My days were numbered!
Two hands later, I was dealt JJ and went "all in" with four other players in the pot. After a 2-6-7 flop, one of the four players went "all in" and everyone folded to him. He flipped over pocket aces and I was ready to say goodbye. Amazingly, however, the turn was another jack and I scooped 10k in chips when my three jacks held up.
Suddenly, I was back in the game! I didn't have a huge stack, but 10k in chips gave me some breathing room.
For the next 20 minutes, I clung to my chips for dear life. I folded and folded and folded, but I was able to steal the blinds (once) when I declared "all in" with a pair of deuces. Thankfully, no one called and that allowed me to limp along and play another round with 10k.
Eventually, players started to fall and I was moved to the final table, still holding 10k in chips. We were down to 10 players and one particular player had about 2k in chips. I prayed that someone would take him out and my prayers were answered when his suited 10-J lost to (ironically) a pair of pocket kings.
At that point, blinds were 3k-6k. After folding the small blind, I was down to 7k and was dealt J2 with the big blind. One player raised and I was essentially forced to throw my last 1k into the pot. She (the only female at the final table) flipped over AQ and I found myself on the brink of extinction. The flop, however, came with a deuce and I took the lead. The turn was garbage, but the river was a queen, and I was knocked out of the tournament - in 9th place.
Thankfully, the payouts had been expanded to 9 players. For my effort, I was awarded $90 and, essentially, netted ahead $5 for the tournament. All told, I played for 4 hours.
As I type this sketch entry, I think I've recovered from the KK debacle. I'm really happy with the way I played and, ultimately, I was an unfortunate victim of some bad luck. Had my KK held up, I'm certain that I would have finished in (at least) the Top 5 and I would have had a great shot of winning the entire tournament. Having said that, I was VERY lucky to catch a third jack two hands later, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. Without that 3rd Jack, I wouldn't have won any money in the tournament. It was a great experience and I look forward to playing in another live poker tournament sometime soon.
After the tournament was over, I spent the next several hours watching Sunday night's NASCAR race. I wagered $15 on Kasey Kahne to win the race (at 15-1 odds). He finished in 2nd place and I lost the $15. So close . . . again . . .
The night concluded with some light wagers around the Strip. After a hard day of poker, I wasn't eager to lose a lot of money with some careless wagers. All told, I won exactly $27.60 while making some modest bets at Oshea's and Caesar's Palace.
Daily Sketch: Up $120.10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $154.52
September 4, 2004: Las Vegas - Day #2
It's Saturday morning and the weekend is about to begin! I feel pretty good being close to even (especially after Thursday night's start).
With the girls visiting the pool in the morning, I decided to start the day in Imperial Palace's poker room. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I was disappointed to see that the only poker table in play was full - and I was forced to join the waiting list. So, I wandered down to the Blackjack tables and, fortunately, won $43 while waiting for a seat to open in the poker room.
For 90 minutes, I "played" poker on a $2/$4 table. I use that term loosely, because it was pretty ugly. During my time in the poker room, I didn't win a single hand! I'd guess that we played 60 hands of poker during my time there, and to go 0-60 is pretty amazing. Time after time, I was dealt garbage hands and continued to fold. When I did see a flop, I never seemed to catch anything. When I did catch something, my opponent caught something better. All told, I lost $92 - which everyone at the table admitted was impressive considering the fact that I didn't scoop a single pot.
At brunch, I played my first game of Keno and lost $5. After eating, the girls and I decided to explore the far end of the Strip, so we got ready for a long trek. Before leaving, the girls decided to use the ladies room in the casino and, while waiting for them, I decided to investigate a $.25 slot machine by the name "Wild Bear Salmon Run" that looked interesting. After winning exactly $210 on that machine (in about 3 minutes), I was quite pleased with the ladies' decision to use the bathroom. Once again, I was up for the trip!
After leaving the Imperial Palace, our first stop was the Bourbon Street Casino - a place I had never visited. After twenty minutes in the casino, I know why. They didn't have any table games and the place was pretty shoddy and run down. I lost $20 on a nickel "Kenny Rogers - The Gambler" machine and we left shortly thereafter.
Next, we stopped at the Tropicana. Playing for 15 minutes on a $5 blackjack table, I won a modest $3.50. With the girls playing some slot machines, I decided to join the fun and quickly lost $10 in a lame $.05 "Chicago - the Musical" slot machine. If nothing else, however, the trip to the Tropicana was beneficial - as I was able to garner five free sets of playing cards that will be used at the next Spotted Cow Poker Tournament I host.
Crossing the street, we made a quick visit to the Excalibur. Personally, I'm still a little uncomfortable with the theme of that place. There's something strange about watching people dressed in medieval outfits wandering around calling the patrons "my Lord."
Anyway, I quickly won $17.50 on a "I Dream of Jeannie" slot machine. Then, I played a variety of penny slot machines and lost $.38. It's amazing how many penny slot machines can be found at these casinos. Some of them are pretty interesting to play. Of course, if you really want to win some money, it's probably not going to happen on a penny slot machine.
After leaving the Excalibur, we stopped at the Luxor and I quickly lost $20 on a nickel slot "Benny Big Game" machine. Then, I lost another $22.50 on a $10 Blackjack table.
Going next door, I won $35 at the Mandalay Bay playing a $10 Blackjack table. Similar to the Venetian, I've never had success at Mandalay Bay and I was extremely happy to leave that table with an extra $35 in my pocket.
We headed back to the Tropicana (to grab more free playing cards) and I plunked $2 on the wheel at the front of the casino. I won $2 when it stopped on a dollar bill. I took my winnings and ran!
I was feeling pretty good about the day and volunteered to pay for a taxi ride to the Hard Rock Casino - a place I hadn't visited in years. Unfortunately, that was a mistake! I lost $100 on a $10 blackjack table. All told, I played 13 hands and won exactly 3 of them. Then, I went to a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine and lost another $149.25. Ugh!!
The only redeeming party of the trip to the Hard Rock Casino was Theresa's win on a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine. To that point, she was having horrible luck in Vegas and was down a fairly substantial amount of money. However, Theresa won approximately $500 at that casino and was up a modest amount as we left the casino. Her spirits were greatly lifted!
They lifted even more after we arrived at the Imperial Palace. It was late in the afternoon and we decided that a couple hours of rest were needed before going out to dinner. On our way up to the room, however, Theresa and I decided to play a little craps - and it paid off. Playing on a $5 table, I won $87 when (again) I got on a nice roll throwing the dice. Theresa won nearly the same amount, and it made our pre-rest dinner all that much easier. The $249.25 I lost at Hard Rock still stung, but (at least) I had won some of it back at Imperial's craps table.
Saturday night (after dinner), we ventured back to Oshea's where I promptly lost $86 while playing Let it Ride for nearly two hours. However, shortly thereafter, I went back to my $1 lucky Wheel of Fortune machine and (thankfully) won $81 right back. Then, I went to a penny "Super Cherry" slot machine and won an amazing $74.05 when I (apparently) hit something nice while betting $.15 a spin. I'm still astounded that I won so much money on a penny machine!
Finally, we headed back to the Imperial Palace. It was pretty late and most of the blackjack tables were playing at $25 minimums, so I decided to jump around on some slot machines. First I played on a $.25 keno machine and lost $8. Then, I lost $15 on a Deuces Wild poker machine. Finally, I lost another $4.75 on a $.25 Wheel of Fortune Machine.
Heading back to the room, I was distracted by a Pai Gow Poker table. Having never played in a casino, I jumped on a $15 table. With help from other players, I won $25.75 while playing for (maybe) ten hands. The game isn't all that complicated, but a new player with several drinks in his system appreciated the help from the other players! :-)
In the end, it was a moderately successful day. I won a little money, and I'm (barely) up for the trip. So, I can't complain. Hopefully, I can win some serious loot tomorrow!!
Daily Sketch: Up $45.92
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $34.42
With the girls visiting the pool in the morning, I decided to start the day in Imperial Palace's poker room. Unfortunately, when I arrived, I was disappointed to see that the only poker table in play was full - and I was forced to join the waiting list. So, I wandered down to the Blackjack tables and, fortunately, won $43 while waiting for a seat to open in the poker room.
For 90 minutes, I "played" poker on a $2/$4 table. I use that term loosely, because it was pretty ugly. During my time in the poker room, I didn't win a single hand! I'd guess that we played 60 hands of poker during my time there, and to go 0-60 is pretty amazing. Time after time, I was dealt garbage hands and continued to fold. When I did see a flop, I never seemed to catch anything. When I did catch something, my opponent caught something better. All told, I lost $92 - which everyone at the table admitted was impressive considering the fact that I didn't scoop a single pot.
At brunch, I played my first game of Keno and lost $5. After eating, the girls and I decided to explore the far end of the Strip, so we got ready for a long trek. Before leaving, the girls decided to use the ladies room in the casino and, while waiting for them, I decided to investigate a $.25 slot machine by the name "Wild Bear Salmon Run" that looked interesting. After winning exactly $210 on that machine (in about 3 minutes), I was quite pleased with the ladies' decision to use the bathroom. Once again, I was up for the trip!
After leaving the Imperial Palace, our first stop was the Bourbon Street Casino - a place I had never visited. After twenty minutes in the casino, I know why. They didn't have any table games and the place was pretty shoddy and run down. I lost $20 on a nickel "Kenny Rogers - The Gambler" machine and we left shortly thereafter.
Next, we stopped at the Tropicana. Playing for 15 minutes on a $5 blackjack table, I won a modest $3.50. With the girls playing some slot machines, I decided to join the fun and quickly lost $10 in a lame $.05 "Chicago - the Musical" slot machine. If nothing else, however, the trip to the Tropicana was beneficial - as I was able to garner five free sets of playing cards that will be used at the next Spotted Cow Poker Tournament I host.
Crossing the street, we made a quick visit to the Excalibur. Personally, I'm still a little uncomfortable with the theme of that place. There's something strange about watching people dressed in medieval outfits wandering around calling the patrons "my Lord."
Anyway, I quickly won $17.50 on a "I Dream of Jeannie" slot machine. Then, I played a variety of penny slot machines and lost $.38. It's amazing how many penny slot machines can be found at these casinos. Some of them are pretty interesting to play. Of course, if you really want to win some money, it's probably not going to happen on a penny slot machine.
After leaving the Excalibur, we stopped at the Luxor and I quickly lost $20 on a nickel slot "Benny Big Game" machine. Then, I lost another $22.50 on a $10 Blackjack table.
Going next door, I won $35 at the Mandalay Bay playing a $10 Blackjack table. Similar to the Venetian, I've never had success at Mandalay Bay and I was extremely happy to leave that table with an extra $35 in my pocket.
We headed back to the Tropicana (to grab more free playing cards) and I plunked $2 on the wheel at the front of the casino. I won $2 when it stopped on a dollar bill. I took my winnings and ran!
I was feeling pretty good about the day and volunteered to pay for a taxi ride to the Hard Rock Casino - a place I hadn't visited in years. Unfortunately, that was a mistake! I lost $100 on a $10 blackjack table. All told, I played 13 hands and won exactly 3 of them. Then, I went to a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine and lost another $149.25. Ugh!!
The only redeeming party of the trip to the Hard Rock Casino was Theresa's win on a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine. To that point, she was having horrible luck in Vegas and was down a fairly substantial amount of money. However, Theresa won approximately $500 at that casino and was up a modest amount as we left the casino. Her spirits were greatly lifted!
They lifted even more after we arrived at the Imperial Palace. It was late in the afternoon and we decided that a couple hours of rest were needed before going out to dinner. On our way up to the room, however, Theresa and I decided to play a little craps - and it paid off. Playing on a $5 table, I won $87 when (again) I got on a nice roll throwing the dice. Theresa won nearly the same amount, and it made our pre-rest dinner all that much easier. The $249.25 I lost at Hard Rock still stung, but (at least) I had won some of it back at Imperial's craps table.
Saturday night (after dinner), we ventured back to Oshea's where I promptly lost $86 while playing Let it Ride for nearly two hours. However, shortly thereafter, I went back to my $1 lucky Wheel of Fortune machine and (thankfully) won $81 right back. Then, I went to a penny "Super Cherry" slot machine and won an amazing $74.05 when I (apparently) hit something nice while betting $.15 a spin. I'm still astounded that I won so much money on a penny machine!
Finally, we headed back to the Imperial Palace. It was pretty late and most of the blackjack tables were playing at $25 minimums, so I decided to jump around on some slot machines. First I played on a $.25 keno machine and lost $8. Then, I lost $15 on a Deuces Wild poker machine. Finally, I lost another $4.75 on a $.25 Wheel of Fortune Machine.
Heading back to the room, I was distracted by a Pai Gow Poker table. Having never played in a casino, I jumped on a $15 table. With help from other players, I won $25.75 while playing for (maybe) ten hands. The game isn't all that complicated, but a new player with several drinks in his system appreciated the help from the other players! :-)
In the end, it was a moderately successful day. I won a little money, and I'm (barely) up for the trip. So, I can't complain. Hopefully, I can win some serious loot tomorrow!!
Daily Sketch: Up $45.92
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $34.42
September 3, 2004: Las Vegas - Day #1
After Thursday night's dismal performance, I wasn't overly excited about Friday's prospects. If I could lose $268 in two hours, how much would I lose during a (minimum) 16 hour day of gambling?
It was time to find out . . .
Around 10:00 am, I wandered down to Imperial's Blackjack tables. It seemed like a bad omen when I learned that the power was out on the casino floor. Generators were running and the emergency lights were operating, but it was very eerie. Still, the table games were being played, and I sauntered up to a $5 table. Over the next hour, I won $53 and started to feel better about myself. The air conditioning was out, however, so it was a little steamy in the place!
Next, I joined Theresa, her mom, and her aunt at the $1 Wheel of Fortune Machines. Despite the power outage, a decent contingent of slot machines were still working. For some reason, I guess that the Imperial Palace decided that it was more important to use the generator to feed some slot machines - versus feeding the air conditioner system. Fancy that, ehhh?
Unfortunately, I quickly lost $32 and stepped away from my own machine to watch the girls play. After all, I wasn't feeling good about my chances and didn't want to give back all $53 I had just won at Blackjack. I was also getting hungry and was ready to hit a buffet!
A minute later, a young lady sat down at my vacated machine and hit a $1,000 jackpot on her 4th spin (while talking on her cell phone). Wow! How bad could my luck be? Had I simply slipped another $20 bill into that machine . . .
FYI . . . If any of you haven't experienced the sensation, watching someone win $1,000 on a machine you had just quit playing doesn't feel very good. Quite obviously, a $1,000 jackpot would have changed my outlook on things.
After eating at Harrah's, I ventured over to a $10 Blackjack table to see if my bad luck was confined to the Imperial Palace. The answer: No! During 60 minutes of play, I (amazingly) won 7 of the 8 double-downs I played. Unfortunately, I couldn't win anything else. Slowly but surely, I lost $50 and left the table shaking my head. I didn't particularly like the dealer - who scolded a woman for sitting out a hand. "If you aren't going to play - get up from the table." Shortly thereafter, I got up from the table myself - having left $0 tips behind.
Next, we all ventured over to Oshea's. The girls headed to the slot machines, and I followed closely behind. I had never played a penny slot machine, so I threw some money into a machine and lost $5 in about 5 minutes. With that experiment over, we all went to the $5 Let it Ride table and I lost $60 during the next hour. I hit one 3-of-a-kind. Otherwise, it was pretty dismal.
At this point, I decided to get up from the table and let the ladies play on their own. I walked to a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine that would allow me to keep an eye on the girls while simultaneously throwing more money away. Before I knew it, I was down $140 and wondering how long this bad streak would continue and where the nearest ATM machine was located. I dejectedly took out a $20 bill (I was out of $100 bills) and stuck it in the machine. Two spins later, my bad luck instantly changed and I hit a $750 jackpot. Shortly thereafter, I cashed out - up $764 on that machine (after losing the initial $140). Suddenly, I was up for the trip. Woo Hoo!!
I skipped back to the Let it Ride table (with money in my wallet) and lost $15 over the next 30 minutes. To put it mildly, it was much easier losing that money knowing that I was ahead for the trip!
Upon hearing of my success, the ladies decided to visit the $.25 Wheel of Fortune machines after leaving the Let it Ride table. Joining them, I won $2.75 and decided that I had played enough in that casino. I don't believe that any of the women won money.
We wandered down the strip and stopped at Flamingo's, where I lost $40 playing video blackjack on a $1 machine. Playing for $1/hand, I probably played way too loose and played "against the book" - which probably explains how I could lose so much money at such a low-stakes game. After that, I wandered to a "real" $10 table and broke even over the next 45 minutes - playing "with the book." Considering the fact that I was losing at everything I played (except Oshea's Wheel of Fortune machine), I considered it a mild success that I didn't lose anything at the $10 table.
After leaving Flamingo's Blackjack table, I won $4 on a $.25 Monte Carlo slot machine and completed my successful afternoon of slot action by winning $14.50 on a $.25 Wheel of Fortune machine back at the Imperial Palace. If not for the slots, it would have been a miserable afternoon.
FYI . . . I think I played more slots in the last 12 hours than I've EVER played in Las Vegas. Usually, I stick to the tables and RARELY wander over to the slots. However, due partly to the fact that I wasn't winning at the Blackjack tables and partly to the fact that the ladies liked playing slots, my overall strategy changed. Of course, the $750 jackpot at Oshea's didn't damper my enthusiasm to try and hit another big payday.
With the Packers' exhibition game scheduled to begin at 5:00pm, we headed back to the Imperial Palace to watch it. Arriving a few minutes early to the casino, I played for 20 minutes on a $5 blackjack table and quickly won $47.25. My luck seemed to be changing!!
For the next three hours, however, I agonized over the Packers' poor performance. Throttled 27-7 (I think), the Pack didn't come close to covering the spread and I lost $100 on the game. I had convinced the girls to bet with me, so we all lost something. I didn't think Steve McNair was going to play and I thought Favre would put up a good performance during his time on the field. Unfortunately for me, neither thing happened. McNair played and Favre stunk it up. Ugh!
After the game (and dinner), we used the night to wander back down the Strip - in the opposite direction from the morning. Playing on a $2 craps table at the Casino Royale, I won $35 - all on my own throws. In hindsight, I really wish that I had been playing at a higher stakes table, 'cuz I was hot! However, if the stakes had been higher, I probably would have stunk up the place. Feeling a little luckier, I wandered over to a $.25 Wheel of Fortune Machine - but lost $49.50. Ooops!
Our next stop was the Venetian - a casino I've NEVER had success in. The trend continued, as I lost $26.50 at a $15 Blackjack table. I only played for 10 minutes, and I was (admittedly) only interested in collecting a $5 chip for my collection. I was actually content losing "only" $26.50 at that table.
I should have left the casino, but (unfortunately) stayed way too long! After leaving the Blackjack table, I lost $50 on a $.50 Wheel of Fortune machine. Then, I lost $100 spinning "The Big Wheel" slot machine. Theresa's grandmother had asked that we gamble on a large machine at some point in the trip, so I (foolishly) thought it was an omen. Ooops!!
We headed back to the Imperial Palace, arriving sometime around midnight. Not quite ready for bed, I decided to visit Imperial's poker tables. For 90 minutes, I played on a $4/$8 table and won $4. I couldn't catch much and played very tight. It was a very unexciting 90 minutes, although I enjoyed the banter at the table. It was a good group of guys and they all wanted to share their on-line antics. I learned about a couple new poker sites I may investigate soon.
So, after all was said and done, I netted ahead for the day. However, despite the fact that I won $750 on one spin of a $1 Wheel of Fortune machine, I gave back nearly $500 through a variety of other games. Still, I seem to be losing every game I play, so I'm not overly disappointed to see that I'm nearly even for the trip after my first full day in Las Vegas.
Daily Sketch: Up $256.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $11.50
It was time to find out . . .
Around 10:00 am, I wandered down to Imperial's Blackjack tables. It seemed like a bad omen when I learned that the power was out on the casino floor. Generators were running and the emergency lights were operating, but it was very eerie. Still, the table games were being played, and I sauntered up to a $5 table. Over the next hour, I won $53 and started to feel better about myself. The air conditioning was out, however, so it was a little steamy in the place!
Next, I joined Theresa, her mom, and her aunt at the $1 Wheel of Fortune Machines. Despite the power outage, a decent contingent of slot machines were still working. For some reason, I guess that the Imperial Palace decided that it was more important to use the generator to feed some slot machines - versus feeding the air conditioner system. Fancy that, ehhh?
Unfortunately, I quickly lost $32 and stepped away from my own machine to watch the girls play. After all, I wasn't feeling good about my chances and didn't want to give back all $53 I had just won at Blackjack. I was also getting hungry and was ready to hit a buffet!
A minute later, a young lady sat down at my vacated machine and hit a $1,000 jackpot on her 4th spin (while talking on her cell phone). Wow! How bad could my luck be? Had I simply slipped another $20 bill into that machine . . .
FYI . . . If any of you haven't experienced the sensation, watching someone win $1,000 on a machine you had just quit playing doesn't feel very good. Quite obviously, a $1,000 jackpot would have changed my outlook on things.
After eating at Harrah's, I ventured over to a $10 Blackjack table to see if my bad luck was confined to the Imperial Palace. The answer: No! During 60 minutes of play, I (amazingly) won 7 of the 8 double-downs I played. Unfortunately, I couldn't win anything else. Slowly but surely, I lost $50 and left the table shaking my head. I didn't particularly like the dealer - who scolded a woman for sitting out a hand. "If you aren't going to play - get up from the table." Shortly thereafter, I got up from the table myself - having left $0 tips behind.
Next, we all ventured over to Oshea's. The girls headed to the slot machines, and I followed closely behind. I had never played a penny slot machine, so I threw some money into a machine and lost $5 in about 5 minutes. With that experiment over
At this point, I decided to get up from the table and let the ladies play on their own. I walked to a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine that would allow me to keep an eye on the girls while simultaneously throwing more money away. Before I knew it, I was down $140 and wondering how long this bad streak would continue and where the nearest ATM machine was located. I dejectedly took out a $20 bill (I was out of $100 bills) and stuck it in the machine. Two spins later, my bad luck instantly changed and I hit a $750 jackpot. Shortly thereafter, I cashed out - up $764 on that machine (after losing the initial $140). Suddenly, I was up for the trip. Woo Hoo!!
I skipped back to the Let it Ride table (with money in my wallet) and lost $15 over the next 30 minutes. To put it mildly, it was much easier losing that money knowing that I was ahead for the trip!
Upon hearing of my success, the ladies decided to visit the $.25 Wheel of Fortune machines after leaving the Let it Ride table. Joining them, I won $2.75 and decided that I had played enough in that casino. I don't believe that any of the women won money.
We wandered down the strip and stopped at Flamingo's, where I lost $40 playing video blackjack on a $1 machine. Playing for $1/hand, I probably played way too loose and played "against the book" - which probably explains how I could lose so much money at such a low-stakes game. After that, I wandered to a "real" $10 table and broke even over the next 45 minutes - playing "with the book." Considering the fact that I was losing at everything I played (except Oshea's Wheel of Fortune machine), I considered it a mild success that I didn't lose anything at the $10 table.
After leaving Flamingo's Blackjack table, I won $4 on a $.25 Monte Carlo slot machine and completed my successful afternoon of slot action by winning $14.50 on a $.25 Wheel of Fortune machine back at the Imperial Palace. If not for the slots, it would have been a miserable afternoon.
FYI . . . I think I played more slots in the last 12 hours than I've EVER played in Las Vegas. Usually, I stick to the tables and RARELY wander over to the slots. However, due partly to the fact that I wasn't winning at the Blackjack tables and partly to the fact that the ladies liked playing slots, my overall strategy changed. Of course, the $750 jackpot at Oshea's didn't damper my enthusiasm to try and hit another big payday.
With the Packers' exhibition game scheduled to begin at 5:00pm, we headed back to the Imperial Palace to watch it. Arriving a few minutes early to the casino, I played for 20 minutes on a $5 blackjack table and quickly won $47.25. My luck seemed to be changing!!
For the next three hours, however, I agonized over the Packers' poor performance. Throttled 27-7 (I think), the Pack didn't come close to covering the spread and I lost $100 on the game. I had convinced the girls to bet with me, so we all lost something. I didn't think Steve McNair was going to play and I thought Favre would put up a good performance during his time on the field. Unfortunately for me, neither thing happened. McNair played and Favre stunk it up. Ugh!
After the game (and dinner), we used the night to wander back down the Strip - in the opposite direction from the morning. Playing on a $2 craps table at the Casino Royale, I won $35 - all on my own throws. In hindsight, I really wish that I had been playing at a higher stakes table, 'cuz I was hot! However, if the stakes had been higher, I probably would have stunk up the place. Feeling a little luckier, I wandered over to a $.25 Wheel of Fortune Machine - but lost $49.50. Ooops!
Our next stop was the Venetian - a casino I've NEVER had success in. The trend continued, as I lost $26.50 at a $15 Blackjack table. I only played for 10 minutes, and I was (admittedly) only interested in collecting a $5 chip for my collection. I was actually content losing "only" $26.50 at that table.
I should have left the casino, but (unfortunately) stayed way too long! After leaving the Blackjack table, I lost $50 on a $.50 Wheel of Fortune machine. Then, I lost $100 spinning "The Big Wheel" slot machine. Theresa's grandmother had asked that we gamble on a large machine at some point in the trip, so I (foolishly) thought it was an omen. Ooops!!
We headed back to the Imperial Palace, arriving sometime around midnight. Not quite ready for bed, I decided to visit Imperial's poker tables. For 90 minutes, I played on a $4/$8 table and won $4. I couldn't catch much and played very tight. It was a very unexciting 90 minutes, although I enjoyed the banter at the table. It was a good group of guys and they all wanted to share their on-line antics. I learned about a couple new poker sites I may investigate soon.
So, after all was said and done, I netted ahead for the day. However, despite the fact that I won $750 on one spin of a $1 Wheel of Fortune machine, I gave back nearly $500 through a variety of other games. Still, I seem to be losing every game I play, so I'm not overly disappointed to see that I'm nearly even for the trip after my first full day in Las Vegas.
Daily Sketch: Up $256.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $11.50
September 2, 2004: I'm in Vegas, Baby!
Thursday night, we arrived in Las Vegas at midnight (local time). For the time-challenged people reading this sketch, that's 2 o'clock am (Milwaukee time), so it was kinda late. I was a little tired, but Sin City never sleeps. Regardless of the time, there was gambling to be done!
Since I had three full days of action ahead of me, I decided that a "short" two hours of gambling would suffice before heading to bed. I didn't want to lose a lot of money during those first couple hours, so I resolved to keep my betting reasonable and confined myself to Imperial Palace - the hotel we stayed at.
Unfortunately, my "reasonable" bets did not turn out very well. Sitting down at a $5 Blackjack table with Theresa, I immediately started losing. I brought $160 to the table and lost $100 before I knew what happened. Three separate times, I was reduced to my final $25. However, I kept betting my last green chip and won all three times - effectively bringing me back up to $50 each time. Eventually, I worked myself back to $80 and decided that being down $80 was all I could stomach at that table. All told, I played for about 50 minutes.
Next, I ventured over to a $1 Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine. During the next 15 minutes, I couldn't get the machine to spin a single time and consequently lost $140. Frustrated by my bad luck, I wandered over to a $.25 video poker machine and played for 25 minutes. I continued my losing ways - although the meager stakes limited me to a $40 loss.
At this point, I wasn't feeling very good about my first 90 minutes in Vegas. I was down $260 and seriously considered hitting the sack. However, I knew I wouldn't sleep very well with that kind of loss in my head, so I headed back to another $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine.
This time, I got lucky hit one particular spin that gave me $200. All told, I made $120 on the machine - which nearly cut my losses in half.
Feeling confident that I was on the road to recovery, I wandered over to a $5 craps table in a quest to get even. Ten minutes later, I slinked away from the table down $80 and a little less confident about my chances.
I figured that I wasn't going to get back to even, but I still wasn't ready to go to bed. So, I attacked another $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine. Similar to my first visit to a machine, however, this machine was very unfriendly and I lost $52 in about 5 minutes.
That was it for me. It was time to go to bed. My "reasonable" bets had netted me a loss of $268. It wasn't the start I was looking for. I guess I should have gone straight to bed when I arrived at the hotel. Ugh!!
Daily Sketch: Down $268
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $268
Since I had three full days of action ahead of me, I decided that a "short" two hours of gambling would suffice before heading to bed. I didn't want to lose a lot of money during those first couple hours, so I resolved to keep my betting reasonable and confined myself to Imperial Palace - the hotel we stayed at.
Unfortunately, my "reasonable" bets did not turn out very well. Sitting down at a $5 Blackjack table with Theresa, I immediately started losing. I brought $160 to the table and lost $100 before I knew what happened. Three separate times, I was reduced to my final $25. However, I kept betting my last green chip and won all three times - effectively bringing me back up to $50 each time. Eventually, I worked myself back to $80 and decided that being down $80 was all I could stomach at that table. All told, I played for about 50 minutes.
Next, I ventured over to a $1 Wheel of Fortune Slot Machine. During the next 15 minutes, I couldn't get the machine to spin a single time and consequently lost $140. Frustrated by my bad luck, I wandered over to a $.25 video poker machine and played for 25 minutes. I continued my losing ways - although the meager stakes limited me to a $40 loss.
At this point, I wasn't feeling very good about my first 90 minutes in Vegas. I was down $260 and seriously considered hitting the sack. However, I knew I wouldn't sleep very well with that kind of loss in my head, so I headed back to another $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine.
This time, I got lucky hit one particular spin that gave me $200. All told, I made $120 on the machine - which nearly cut my losses in half.
Feeling confident that I was on the road to recovery, I wandered over to a $5 craps table in a quest to get even. Ten minutes later, I slinked away from the table down $80 and a little less confident about my chances.
I figured that I wasn't going to get back to even, but I still wasn't ready to go to bed. So, I attacked another $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine. Similar to my first visit to a machine, however, this machine was very unfriendly and I lost $52 in about 5 minutes.
That was it for me. It was time to go to bed. My "reasonable" bets had netted me a loss of $268. It wasn't the start I was looking for. I guess I should have gone straight to bed when I arrived at the hotel. Ugh!!
Daily Sketch: Down $268
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $268
September 2, 2004: Another e-mail
My e-mail account continues to receive poker information. Here's the latest e-mail I found in my inbox this morning:
Dear Steve,
Thanks for playing last month! We have credited your account with 65 Ultimate points for your hours played in August.
Sincerely Yours,
Member Services
UltimateBet.com
I had forgotten all about this policy. For every hour you play on UltimateBet, they give you a bonus buck (in mass - at the end of the month). Apparently, I played 65 hours of poker last month, so my unearned bonus bucks have increased to somewhere around $86. In July, I earned (I believe) 6 bonus bucks, so I didn't even mention it in the sketchbook. Obviously, the hours I spent chasing the bonus bucks in August have paid off in another way. I guess I have another incentive to go back to UltimateBet - to earn the $85 bonus bucks. Thanks UltimateBet!!
For now, I'll probably still focus most of my on-line attention to PokerRoom.com - but it's nice knowing that I've also got $85 bonus bucks waiting for me at UltimateBet. Once I earn PokerRoom's $200, I'll go back to UltimateBet before invading Pacific Poker's tables.
Obviously, yesterday's offer from Empire is looking more and more ridiculous. I wonder how many suckers they "hooked" with that e-mail.
Anyway . . . I leave for Las Vegas at 10:00pm this evening - arriving in Sin City around midnight (local time). I return to Milwaukee around 5:00pm Monday night (I think). In the interim, the Sketchbook will probably go dark - unless I stumble upon a computer in Vegas.
I will do my best to keep track of the gambling. Upon returning from Vegas, I plan on updating the Sketchbook (Monday evening), so there should be a healthy dose of entries by Tuesday morning. For the most part, I plan on concentrating on the blackjack tables. However, I'm certain that I'll also find myself at a few craps tables, some Let it Ride tables, some Wheel of Fortune Machines, a couple poker tables, some roulette wheels, etc. etc. etc. I can't wait!!
According to the USA Today, Tennessee is favored to beat the Packers by 6 points this weekend. With Favre scheduled to play the entire 1st half and Steve McNair scheduled to watch the game from the bench, I won't be ignoring this game when I consider making some sporting wagers. Go Pack!!
Viva Las Vegas!!!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: $0
Dear Steve,
Thanks for playing last month! We have credited your account with 65 Ultimate points for your hours played in August.
Sincerely Yours,
Member Services
UltimateBet.com
I had forgotten all about this policy. For every hour you play on UltimateBet, they give you a bonus buck (in mass - at the end of the month). Apparently, I played 65 hours of poker last month, so my unearned bonus bucks have increased to somewhere around $86. In July, I earned (I believe) 6 bonus bucks, so I didn't even mention it in the sketchbook. Obviously, the hours I spent chasing the bonus bucks in August have paid off in another way. I guess I have another incentive to go back to UltimateBet - to earn the $85 bonus bucks. Thanks UltimateBet!!
For now, I'll probably still focus most of my on-line attention to PokerRoom.com - but it's nice knowing that I've also got $85 bonus bucks waiting for me at UltimateBet. Once I earn PokerRoom's $200, I'll go back to UltimateBet before invading Pacific Poker's tables.
Obviously, yesterday's offer from Empire is looking more and more ridiculous. I wonder how many suckers they "hooked" with that e-mail.
Anyway . . . I leave for Las Vegas at 10:00pm this evening - arriving in Sin City around midnight (local time). I return to Milwaukee around 5:00pm Monday night (I think). In the interim, the Sketchbook will probably go dark - unless I stumble upon a computer in Vegas.
I will do my best to keep track of the gambling. Upon returning from Vegas, I plan on updating the Sketchbook (Monday evening), so there should be a healthy dose of entries by Tuesday morning. For the most part, I plan on concentrating on the blackjack tables. However, I'm certain that I'll also find myself at a few craps tables, some Let it Ride tables, some Wheel of Fortune Machines, a couple poker tables, some roulette wheels, etc. etc. etc. I can't wait!!
According to the USA Today, Tennessee is favored to beat the Packers by 6 points this weekend. With Favre scheduled to play the entire 1st half and Steve McNair scheduled to watch the game from the bench, I won't be ignoring this game when I consider making some sporting wagers. Go Pack!!
Viva Las Vegas!!!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: $0
September 1, 2004: A New Month Begins . . .
This morning, I found the following e-mail in my account:
Dear Steve,
You have been awarded a bonus amount of $10 and the money has been added to your account. You are free to use this bonus money to play at Empire Poker. However, if you wish to cashout the $10, you will need to play 300 raked hands before September 11, 2004.
Hope you are having an exciting time playing at Empire Poker. Please check the latest promotions by visiting our monthly events calendar.
Sincerely Yours,
Customer Care Manager
Are you kidding me? I hafta play 300 hands on Empire Poker to earn $10?!? My best estimate says that I play approximately 100 hands an hour when I sit at a six-man table. So, it would take me (at least) 3 hours to earn the $10. That's a meager $3.33/hour. Geez!!
As you may recall, Pacific Poker simply deposited $10 into my account the other day - no questions asked. I don't hafta play a certain number of hands to earn the money and I can start using the $10 from Day #1. Empire, meanwhile, is offering me $10 if I play (at least) 3 hours on their site - AND I MUST do it within the next two weeks!
It's this kind of stuff that's turning me away from PartyPoker and Empire. It's obvious that they've got plenty of customers and they don't need to offer any special promotions. Why, then, waste my time by sending such a ridiculous offer?
With the Vegas trip pending, I didn't see any real need to gamble today. After all, the weekend will have plenty of activity.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: $0
Dear Steve,
You have been awarded a bonus amount of $10 and the money has been added to your account. You are free to use this bonus money to play at Empire Poker. However, if you wish to cashout the $10, you will need to play 300 raked hands before September 11, 2004.
Hope you are having an exciting time playing at Empire Poker. Please check the latest promotions by visiting our monthly events calendar.
Sincerely Yours,
Customer Care Manager
Are you kidding me? I hafta play 300 hands on Empire Poker to earn $10?!? My best estimate says that I play approximately 100 hands an hour when I sit at a six-man table. So, it would take me (at least) 3 hours to earn the $10. That's a meager $3.33/hour. Geez!!
As you may recall, Pacific Poker simply deposited $10 into my account the other day - no questions asked. I don't hafta play a certain number of hands to earn the money and I can start using the $10 from Day #1. Empire, meanwhile, is offering me $10 if I play (at least) 3 hours on their site - AND I MUST do it within the next two weeks!
It's this kind of stuff that's turning me away from PartyPoker and Empire. It's obvious that they've got plenty of customers and they don't need to offer any special promotions. Why, then, waste my time by sending such a ridiculous offer?
With the Vegas trip pending, I didn't see any real need to gamble today. After all, the weekend will have plenty of activity.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: $0
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