I played the Mini-Step #5 Tournament last night. I would have written about it 24 hours ago except for the fact that my home computer was acting up and it was getting late by the time I finished. Here's how it went:
It costs $430 to buy-in directly to a 10-man Mini-Step #5 Tournament. As I mentioned the other night, the top prize is $2,000, but the top five spots get paid. It took a good 20 minutes before all 10 seats at the table were finally claimed.
My first 10 hands were very unexciting. In order I was dealt . . .
(1) Ks 3d
(2) 4d 10h
(3) 8h Qc
(4) 2h 4c
(5) 6d Jc
(6) Js 5s
(7) Js 5s - yes the EXACT same hand as last time!
(8) 2h 10h
(9) 10h 7s
(10) 6d Jh
Unfortunately, I was already getting a bit frustrated. However, I wisely folded each of these 10 hands and was sitting on 975 chips (after starting with 1,000 chips). The table was playing looser than I expected, and our first player was eliminated on the 10th hand. He had flopped a set, but was called by another player holding an open-ended straight. The straight came through, and we were down to 9 players.
My run of bad opening cards continued:
(11) 6d Jh
(12) 3d 9d
(13) 5h 7h
(14) 2h 3d
(15) 8c 3s
(16) 3d 10h
(17) 3d Kd
(18) 9c Qd
(19) 4c 2d
(20) Kd 7d
This was beginning to get ridiculous. After 20 hands, I had yet to see a single flop. My patience was paying off a bit, however. We were already down to 7 players, although I had only 900 chips. In fact, only one other player at the table had less chips. The table leader, meanwhile, was sitting on 2,595 chips. The last player eliminated went "all in" with A-9 and was called by another player holding A-J.
(21) 9c As
Oh my God! I finally got an ace dealt to me!! I limped into the fray, but another player raised the pot to 190 chips. That was too pricey for me, so I folded. Everyone else folded, so I'll never know what might have happened. Still, I wasn't going to lose with the same hand that had just been the downfall of another player.
(22) 7s 5c
(23) 4s Jc
(24) Jd 9h
(25) 5d 10h
(26) 5h 8d
(27) 5c 3s
(28) 4d Kd
(29) 10h Qc
I've finally picked up two cards that are relatively high. Of course Q-10 is nothing great, so I'm not overly excited. However, at this point, it seems great. I raise the bet to 100 chips (the big blind is 50 chips) and everyone folds to me. Woo hoo!! I've just won my first hand. Of course, my enthusiasm is tempered. All I've really done is win the blinds.
At this point, I'm sitting at 870 chips. There are still 7 players alive, and I'm only ahead of one player. He's got 740 chips. It would sure be nice to get some cards, ehhh?
(30) Qs 9d
(31) 4h 2h
(32) As 4c
I've gotten an ace, but the kicker takes me out of this hand. The flop comes 6s-8c-10d and a player holding 9c Js goes "all-in". He's called by an opponent holding 9d 10h. The 10's hold up and we're down to 6 players. I'm still alive - despite the fact that I've manged to win only a single hand in this lousy tournament.
(33) 8s Jh
(34) 6h Ah
Before we see a flop, the bet is raised to 250 chips. A player in front of me re-raises to 650 chips, and I quickly fold. It's a good thing, 'cuz my two opponents are holding AK and AQ. My A6 would have been dominated. Two more kings appear on the board, and the player holding AQ is eliminated in 6th place. If nothing else, that means I'm guaranteed to win some cash.
(35) 5s 2h
(36) 7s 5s
(37) Ad Qc
Finally! My first really decent hand! As the first person to act, I raise the bet to 200 chips. A couple players fold, but another player re-raises me "all in". He's got me covered. I think about it for a short time and decide to call his bet. He flips over J-J. He's the favorite.
The flop comes Qs-Jd-10h. Ugh!! I've hit my queen, but he's hit a set of Jacks. My only real hope for winning is to hit a king.
Alas. The turn is a 6h and the river is a 7h. Just like that, I'm eliminated in 5th place. It pays $200, but it's still a disappointing way to finish.
After all was said and done, I played 37 hands in the Mini-Step #5 Tournament and won a grand total of ONE. That, my friends, is an UGLY winning percentage. I suppose that I should feel fortunate to win $200, but it would have been nice to have been given a fighting chance.
Despite the fact that I lost, I don't regret going "all in" on the last hand. After all, I did hit one of my overcards. It's unfortunate, though, that my opponent hit his set.
Oh, well. Back to Mini-Step #1.
Daily Sketch: Up $200
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $871.25
June 29, 2005: Win a Porsche
Last week, Party Poker introduced a new freeroll tournament slated to take place next month. The tournament's grand prize is a Porsche Carrera valued at $85,000. In order to play in this freeroll tournament, however, you must play 10,000 raked hands on Party Poker between June 24th and July 23rd. That's A LOT of hands!
The tournament is limited to the first 2,500 people who qualify and it's a first-come first-seated tournament. I'll be interested to see how quickly 2,500 people play 10,000 hands and sign up to play. I'm certain that the tournament will have a full complement of players. After all, there are a lot of gambling degenerates out there who will be inspired to play more poker in an attempt to win this car.
I think that it's safe to say that I play a fair amount of on-line poker, and most of that play (as of late) has been with Party Poker. However, having said that, I've "only" played 5,163 raked hands since May 1st. If I wanted to play 10,000 raked hands in one month's time, I'd really hafta pick up my pace. So, I guess I won't be winning a Porsche next month.
In other news, the results of last week's NASCAR race came out and I've taken over 1st place in my fantasy league. The results are linked on the right side of this web page.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,071.25
June 28, 2005: The 2005 Big Daddy Invitational
I took the day off from work and played in the 8th Annual Big Daddy Invitational. I didn't do any gambling today, so the Sketchbook is rather boring.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,071.25
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,071.25
June 27, 2005: Poker at Bernard's
I visited Bernard's home tonight for my weekly poker game. All told, we had 8 players. I won exactly $14. That'll cover a few days' lunches this week.
It doesn't look like I'll get on-line until Thursday. So, Step #5 will hafta wait until then.
Daily Sketch: Up $14
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,071.25
It doesn't look like I'll get on-line until Thursday. So, Step #5 will hafta wait until then.
Daily Sketch: Up $14
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,071.25
June 26, 2005: A Very Respectable Day
I spent a pretty good amount of time on-line today. The NASCAR race in California was pretty boring, so I had no problem concentrating on the poker tables while half-heartedly watching the race.
The first thing I did was join a Mini-Step #2 Tournament with the free pass I earned yesterday. However, for the longest time, I couldn't catch ANY cards. On hand #27, I finally scooped my first pot, but it still didn't look pretty. Thankfully, another player (Jas2121) kept eliminating player after player, so things weren't quite as bleak as they otherwise should have been. When we got down to five players, here's where the chip counts stood:
Seat 1: SONOFSAILOR ( $805 )
Seat 2: paperman45 ( $752 )
Seat 3: jas2121 ( $5033 )
Seat 6: Stv_1313 ( $650 )
Seat 8: RogerDe ( $760 )
Considering the fact that only the top two players reach Step #3, it became a race for 2nd. Sitting as the low stack, my prospects weren't great. However, we were all pretty close.
A few hands later, paperman45 eliminated SONOFSAILOR. A dozen hands later, paperman45 continued his nice comeback, and he took out RogerDe. At that point, here's how we stood:
Seat 2: paperman45 ( $2817 )
Seat 3: jas2121 ( $4758 )
Seat 6: Stv_1313 ( $425 )
I needed a miracle. Thankfully, it happened!
Holding A-2 in the big blind, I won the next hand when an ace appeared on the board. A few hands later, I was dealt A-6 and scooped a sizeable pot when a 6 came out. Just like that, I was up to 2,075 chips and I was in the game.
I slowly increased my stack to over 3,000 chips. Then came this hand:
#Game No : 2266325708
Table Mini Step 2 #1014336 (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 2: paperman45 ( $2417 )
Seat 3: jas2121 ( $2558 )
Seat 6: Stv_1313 ( $3025 )
Trny:13422952 Level:6
Blinds(100/200)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Qh 3c ]
Stv_1313 folds.
paperman45 raises [800].
jas2121 is all-In [2358]
paperman45 is all-In [1517]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 8h, 9h, Qc ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ac ]
** Dealing River ** [ Td ]
paperman45 shows [ 6d, Ad ] a pair of aces.
jas2121 shows [ Ks, 4s ] high card ace.
jas2121 wins 141 chips from side pot #1 with high card ace.
paperman45 wins 4834 chips from the main pot with a pair of aces.
Down to 141 chips, jas2121 was eliminated on the next hand. Just like that, I was guaranteed a spot in Mini-Step #3. Woo Hoo!!
I wanted to relish my "miracle" in that tournament, so I joined a stress-free 30-man $5(1) Tournament. At the same time I was watching the NASCAR boyz race around California, I found decent success in the tourney. Eventually, I finished in 2nd place and won $37.50. Considering the fact that the tournament only cost me $6, I suppose that the prize was reasonable. However, when you consider the fact that the tourney took 90 minutes to play, the payout seemed like nothing.
It really seemed like nothing when I lost all my winnings on a 6-man $1/$2 Tournament. In 30 minutes, I proceeded to lose exactly $35.44. Oops!
Disgusted by that performance, I went back to the Steps and joined a Step #3 Tournament. Similar to Step #2, only the top two advance.
Things started swimmingly well. Very early in the tournament, I was dealt QQ and saw a flop of 9-Q-9. My opponent was holding Q-J and eventually gave me all his chips. Woo Hoo!!
When we got down to five players, I had the fortune of having this hand:
#Game No : 2266572321
Table Mini Step 3 #1023135 (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 5
Seat 1: Stv_1313 ( $2205 )
Seat 7: seveng59 ( $1070 )
Seat 10: Bunster ( $1340 )
Seat 9: Cryer33 ( $1140 )
Seat 8: obsfobsf ( $4245 )
Trny:13424644 Level:4
Blinds(50/100)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Ad 3s ]
seveng59 folds.
obsfobsf folds.
Cryer33 folds.
Bunster calls [50].
Stv_1313 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ac, As, 9c ]
Bunster bets [200].
Stv_1313 calls [200].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ts ]
Bunster is all-In [1040]
Stv_1313 calls [1040].
** Dealing River ** [ Ah ]
Bunster shows [ 4c, Kc ] three of a kind, aces.
Stv_1313 shows [ Ad, 3s ] four of a kind, aces.
Stv_1313 wins 2680 chips from the main pot with four of a kind, aces.
Bunster finished in fifth and wins Entry to Mini Step 2
Bunster has left the table.
At that point, we were down to four players and I shared a monster chip lead. Thankfully, the other player with a lot of chips was pretty good, and the two of us steamrolled the other two players. A dozen hands later, I had reached the Final Two and had earned a ticket to Step #4.
I was extremely tempted to retire for the day. The NASCAR race had ended and I was satisfied with my progress through the Steps. However, a voice in my head kept telling me that I needed to ride the wave, so I did.
It took quite a while for the game to form, but I played in a Step #4 Tournament. If you wanted to buy directly into this level, it would cost $165. Considering the fact that this run cost me $6, I felt pretty good.
To say that I played conservatively would be an understatement. Interestingly, the rest of the table was pretty loose, however. One particular player (Isaiahmason9) took advantage of the loose play and dominated the table. I won a few hands, but I couldn't keep up with Isaiahmason9. Before I knew it, we were down to five players and Isaiahmason9 had a huge pile of chips in front of him. I didn't really care, 'cuz the Top 5 players are guaranteed a return trip to Step #4. If nothing else, I reasoned, I wasn't going to ruin my day if I played foolishly from this point on. Still, it would be nice to finish in the Top 2 and earn an entry into Step #5.
Here were the standings:
Seat 1: Stv_1313 ( $1790 )
Seat 5: richnsingle2 ( $2080 )
Seat 9: swspecailist ( $1195 )
Seat 10: see3poh ( $325 )
Seat 7: isaiahmason9 ( $4610 )
I didn't know it, but the tournament was four hands from being over:
Hand #1: Isaiahmason9 is dealt AA and eliminates swspecailist (who was dealt 22). We're down to four players.
Hand #2: Isaiahmason9 is dealt Q9 and eliminates see3poh - who goes "all in" with A2. A queen appears on the board. We're down to three players.
Hand #3: Isaiahmason is dealt 77. richnsingle2 is dealt A-10. The flop is 4-A-7 and richnsingle2 falls into the trap. He eventually goes "all in" and loses all his chips to Isaiahmason9.
Hand #4: I don't care what happened on this hand. Down to two players, it didn't matter. I was too busy thanking Isaiahmason9 for the ride to Step #5. I know I lost this hand, but I was flying high!
So, I've earned a free entry to Step #5. I'm VERY happy to get this far. Although the voice in my head asked that I play it tonight, I need a rest. I definitely don't want to go into the Final Step #5 with any sense of grogginess.
I'll play Step #5 sometime this week. First place gets $2,000. Second place gets $1,000. Third place gets $500. Fourth place gets $300. Fifth place gets $200. Sixth thru tenth places get nothing - not even a free trip to another Step. Basically, Step #5 is all-or-nothing.
Suddenly, I have a shot at making up my entire Month-to-Date losses. Wish me luck!!
I may have lost a little money, but it was definitely a very respectable day.
Daily Sketch: Down $3.94
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,085.25
The first thing I did was join a Mini-Step #2 Tournament with the free pass I earned yesterday. However, for the longest time, I couldn't catch ANY cards. On hand #27, I finally scooped my first pot, but it still didn't look pretty. Thankfully, another player (Jas2121) kept eliminating player after player, so things weren't quite as bleak as they otherwise should have been. When we got down to five players, here's where the chip counts stood:
Seat 1: SONOFSAILOR ( $805 )
Seat 2: paperman45 ( $752 )
Seat 3: jas2121 ( $5033 )
Seat 6: Stv_1313 ( $650 )
Seat 8: RogerDe ( $760 )
Considering the fact that only the top two players reach Step #3, it became a race for 2nd. Sitting as the low stack, my prospects weren't great. However, we were all pretty close.
A few hands later, paperman45 eliminated SONOFSAILOR. A dozen hands later, paperman45 continued his nice comeback, and he took out RogerDe. At that point, here's how we stood:
Seat 2: paperman45 ( $2817 )
Seat 3: jas2121 ( $4758 )
Seat 6: Stv_1313 ( $425 )
I needed a miracle. Thankfully, it happened!
Holding A-2 in the big blind, I won the next hand when an ace appeared on the board. A few hands later, I was dealt A-6 and scooped a sizeable pot when a 6 came out. Just like that, I was up to 2,075 chips and I was in the game.
I slowly increased my stack to over 3,000 chips. Then came this hand:
#Game No : 2266325708
Table Mini Step 2 #1014336 (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 2: paperman45 ( $2417 )
Seat 3: jas2121 ( $2558 )
Seat 6: Stv_1313 ( $3025 )
Trny:13422952 Level:6
Blinds(100/200)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Qh 3c ]
Stv_1313 folds.
paperman45 raises [800].
jas2121 is all-In [2358]
paperman45 is all-In [1517]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 8h, 9h, Qc ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ac ]
** Dealing River ** [ Td ]
paperman45 shows [ 6d, Ad ] a pair of aces.
jas2121 shows [ Ks, 4s ] high card ace.
jas2121 wins 141 chips from side pot #1 with high card ace.
paperman45 wins 4834 chips from the main pot with a pair of aces.
Down to 141 chips, jas2121 was eliminated on the next hand. Just like that, I was guaranteed a spot in Mini-Step #3. Woo Hoo!!
I wanted to relish my "miracle" in that tournament, so I joined a stress-free 30-man $5(1) Tournament. At the same time I was watching the NASCAR boyz race around California, I found decent success in the tourney. Eventually, I finished in 2nd place and won $37.50. Considering the fact that the tournament only cost me $6, I suppose that the prize was reasonable. However, when you consider the fact that the tourney took 90 minutes to play, the payout seemed like nothing.
It really seemed like nothing when I lost all my winnings on a 6-man $1/$2 Tournament. In 30 minutes, I proceeded to lose exactly $35.44. Oops!
Disgusted by that performance, I went back to the Steps and joined a Step #3 Tournament. Similar to Step #2, only the top two advance.
Things started swimmingly well. Very early in the tournament, I was dealt QQ and saw a flop of 9-Q-9. My opponent was holding Q-J and eventually gave me all his chips. Woo Hoo!!
When we got down to five players, I had the fortune of having this hand:
#Game No : 2266572321
Table Mini Step 3 #1023135 (Real Money)
Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 5
Seat 1: Stv_1313 ( $2205 )
Seat 7: seveng59 ( $1070 )
Seat 10: Bunster ( $1340 )
Seat 9: Cryer33 ( $1140 )
Seat 8: obsfobsf ( $4245 )
Trny:13424644 Level:4
Blinds(50/100)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Ad 3s ]
seveng59 folds.
obsfobsf folds.
Cryer33 folds.
Bunster calls [50].
Stv_1313 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ac, As, 9c ]
Bunster bets [200].
Stv_1313 calls [200].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ts ]
Bunster is all-In [1040]
Stv_1313 calls [1040].
** Dealing River ** [ Ah ]
Bunster shows [ 4c, Kc ] three of a kind, aces.
Stv_1313 shows [ Ad, 3s ] four of a kind, aces.
Stv_1313 wins 2680 chips from the main pot with four of a kind, aces.
Bunster finished in fifth and wins Entry to Mini Step 2
Bunster has left the table.
At that point, we were down to four players and I shared a monster chip lead. Thankfully, the other player with a lot of chips was pretty good, and the two of us steamrolled the other two players. A dozen hands later, I had reached the Final Two and had earned a ticket to Step #4.
I was extremely tempted to retire for the day. The NASCAR race had ended and I was satisfied with my progress through the Steps. However, a voice in my head kept telling me that I needed to ride the wave, so I did.
It took quite a while for the game to form, but I played in a Step #4 Tournament. If you wanted to buy directly into this level, it would cost $165. Considering the fact that this run cost me $6, I felt pretty good.
To say that I played conservatively would be an understatement. Interestingly, the rest of the table was pretty loose, however. One particular player (Isaiahmason9) took advantage of the loose play and dominated the table. I won a few hands, but I couldn't keep up with Isaiahmason9. Before I knew it, we were down to five players and Isaiahmason9 had a huge pile of chips in front of him. I didn't really care, 'cuz the Top 5 players are guaranteed a return trip to Step #4. If nothing else, I reasoned, I wasn't going to ruin my day if I played foolishly from this point on. Still, it would be nice to finish in the Top 2 and earn an entry into Step #5.
Here were the standings:
Seat 1: Stv_1313 ( $1790 )
Seat 5: richnsingle2 ( $2080 )
Seat 9: swspecailist ( $1195 )
Seat 10: see3poh ( $325 )
Seat 7: isaiahmason9 ( $4610 )
I didn't know it, but the tournament was four hands from being over:
Hand #1: Isaiahmason9 is dealt AA and eliminates swspecailist (who was dealt 22). We're down to four players.
Hand #2: Isaiahmason9 is dealt Q9 and eliminates see3poh - who goes "all in" with A2. A queen appears on the board. We're down to three players.
Hand #3: Isaiahmason is dealt 77. richnsingle2 is dealt A-10. The flop is 4-A-7 and richnsingle2 falls into the trap. He eventually goes "all in" and loses all his chips to Isaiahmason9.
Hand #4: I don't care what happened on this hand. Down to two players, it didn't matter. I was too busy thanking Isaiahmason9 for the ride to Step #5. I know I lost this hand, but I was flying high!
So, I've earned a free entry to Step #5. I'm VERY happy to get this far. Although the voice in my head asked that I play it tonight, I need a rest. I definitely don't want to go into the Final Step #5 with any sense of grogginess.
I'll play Step #5 sometime this week. First place gets $2,000. Second place gets $1,000. Third place gets $500. Fourth place gets $300. Fifth place gets $200. Sixth thru tenth places get nothing - not even a free trip to another Step. Basically, Step #5 is all-or-nothing.
Suddenly, I have a shot at making up my entire Month-to-Date losses. Wish me luck!!
I may have lost a little money, but it was definitely a very respectable day.
Daily Sketch: Down $3.94
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,085.25
June 25, 2005: A Respectable Day
I went to the Milwaukee Mile this evening to watch the Nascar Busch Series cars race around the 1-mile oval. At the track, Rob and I wagered $5 on the winner. Rob took all the even-numbered cars, giving me all the odd-numbered cars. Johnny Sauter's #1 car proceeded to win the rain-shortened race, netting me a $5 profit. Woo Hoo!!
Before heading to the track, however, I had the chance to spend a couple hours on-line playing poker.
Overall, I had a respectable day. Playing on a 6-man $5/$10 table for nearly an hour this morning, I won $37. I would have had a much better session if two particularly bad rivers hadn't cost me massive pots. On one hand, I was holding 6-J and I saw a flop of 6-6-J. The betting got aggressive, but an ace on the river allowed another player holding 6-A to scoop the pot. A 3rd opponent hit a flush when the river ace appeared, so (as you can imagine) the betting got hot and heavy. I'm going to have nightmares about that river ace!
My day was made particulary respectable, however, when I joined a $5(1) Mini-Step Tournament and (finally!) won it. In doing so, I advanced to Step #2. Thank God! It's been a long battle getting to Step #2. I was tempted to immediately play at Step #2, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow. After all, I'd rather not damper my respectable day!
Daily Sketch: Up $36
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,081.31
June 24, 2005: A Little Evening Poker
I took the afternoon off from work and golfed with Jared at Brown Deer Park. Considering the fact that my truck reported a temperature of 98 degrees when I finished my round, I feel fortunate to have gotten through the round while cracking 100. Actually, thanks to the fact that I parred the final two holes, I shot a 99. I didn't place any wagers with Jared on the course - which is a good thing. He shot an 82.
I spent a few minutes on Party Poker this evening. First, I used my free entry into a Step #1 Tournament and was eliminated quickly in 8th place. Holding AQ, I saw a flop of A-2-7. My opponent went "all in" and I called his bet. He revealed a pair of 2's underneath. Ooops!
After that, I visited the $5/$10 tables on Party Poker while watching HBO. It was a rather uneventful session - which is probably a good thing after last night's debacle. All told, I won exactly $34 while playing for about 90 minutes.
Daily Sketch: Up $34
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,117.51
I spent a few minutes on Party Poker this evening. First, I used my free entry into a Step #1 Tournament and was eliminated quickly in 8th place. Holding AQ, I saw a flop of A-2-7. My opponent went "all in" and I called his bet. He revealed a pair of 2's underneath. Ooops!
After that, I visited the $5/$10 tables on Party Poker while watching HBO. It was a rather uneventful session - which is probably a good thing after last night's debacle. All told, I won exactly $34 while playing for about 90 minutes.
Daily Sketch: Up $34
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,117.51
June 23, 2005: Another Brutal Night
It was an ugly night for the Sketchbook. I went back to the raked 6-man tables this evening and suffered a beating.
I started the night out pretty well and was ahead over $100 after 45 minutes of play on a $5/$10 table. Then the wheels came off.
I lost back the $100 before I knew what happened. I suffered back-to-back bad beats when my opponents hit miracles on the river, and that was just the start.
I hovered around even for a while, and I decided to bump my stakes up to the $10/$20 table. All told, I lost exactly $352 while playing for about an hour.
I continue to be amazed by people that play on these tables. On one particularly agravating hand, I found myself holding Ks Qs. I raised the initial bet to $20 and a guy holding Ac 9h called my bet. We saw a flop of 3-5-K (rainbow) and I bet. My opponent called.
The turn was another 5. Again I bet. Again I was called. The river was (0f course) an ace and my opponent scooped the pot. How a guy calls all my bets praying for an ace on the river is beyond me. How he catches that ace on the river is also beyond.
That same guy proceeded to lose all his money in the next 20 minutes. Of course, he lost it to other players at the table, so I was the big loser.
Anyway, I'm back off the sauce and I'm going back to the Steps. Losing $352 in one night to the morons on Party Poker is too aggravating for me right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $352
Month-to-Date Sketch: $1,151.51
I started the night out pretty well and was ahead over $100 after 45 minutes of play on a $5/$10 table. Then the wheels came off.
I lost back the $100 before I knew what happened. I suffered back-to-back bad beats when my opponents hit miracles on the river, and that was just the start.
I hovered around even for a while, and I decided to bump my stakes up to the $10/$20 table. All told, I lost exactly $352 while playing for about an hour.
I continue to be amazed by people that play on these tables. On one particularly agravating hand, I found myself holding Ks Qs. I raised the initial bet to $20 and a guy holding Ac 9h called my bet. We saw a flop of 3-5-K (rainbow) and I bet. My opponent called.
The turn was another 5. Again I bet. Again I was called. The river was (0f course) an ace and my opponent scooped the pot. How a guy calls all my bets praying for an ace on the river is beyond me. How he catches that ace on the river is also beyond.
That same guy proceeded to lose all his money in the next 20 minutes. Of course, he lost it to other players at the table, so I was the big loser.
Anyway, I'm back off the sauce and I'm going back to the Steps. Losing $352 in one night to the morons on Party Poker is too aggravating for me right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $352
Month-to-Date Sketch: $1,151.51
June 22, 2005: Easing My Way Back
I'm trying to ease my way back into "real" poker action. I'd like to jump back into the 6-handed tables on Party Poker, but I don't want to lose a quick grand - again. So, I'm going to take 'er slow and easy!
I started my night, however, by jumping back into the Mini-Steps. Having lost my free entry last night, I was forced to ante up the $6 to play this evening. In my first tournament, I finished in a disappointing 2nd place. Had I won, I would have advanced to Step #2. Instead, I merely earned another free entry into a Step #1. By the time I got to the final two players, my opponent had a 5-1 chip advantage, so I was in a tough spot. Still, it's distressing to advance that far and fall just short.
I played a 2nd Mini-Step, but my patience wore thin. After making the Final Five (and earning a free entry), I got too loose with my chips and I was quickly eliminated. Still, I'll be able to play for free the next time I join a Step #1 Tournament - so the 2nd tournament wasn't a complete loss.
Down $6 for the night, I concluded my evening by jumping onto a 6-man $5/$10 table. I played for 20 minutes and won exactly $35. So, similar to last night, I get to record a modest profit today.
Baby steps, I guess. After all, I've got a long hill to climb.
Daily Sketch: Up $29
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $799.52
I started my night, however, by jumping back into the Mini-Steps. Having lost my free entry last night, I was forced to ante up the $6 to play this evening. In my first tournament, I finished in a disappointing 2nd place. Had I won, I would have advanced to Step #2. Instead, I merely earned another free entry into a Step #1. By the time I got to the final two players, my opponent had a 5-1 chip advantage, so I was in a tough spot. Still, it's distressing to advance that far and fall just short.
I played a 2nd Mini-Step, but my patience wore thin. After making the Final Five (and earning a free entry), I got too loose with my chips and I was quickly eliminated. Still, I'll be able to play for free the next time I join a Step #1 Tournament - so the 2nd tournament wasn't a complete loss.
Down $6 for the night, I concluded my evening by jumping onto a 6-man $5/$10 table. I played for 20 minutes and won exactly $35. So, similar to last night, I get to record a modest profit today.
Baby steps, I guess. After all, I've got a long hill to climb.
Daily Sketch: Up $29
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $799.52
June 21, 2005: Cubs 4, Brewers 2
I visited Miller Park this evening and watched the Brewers fall to the Cubs. Milwaukee was ahead for most of the game, but four consecutive bad pitches in the 7th inning resulted in four Cubs' runs and another Brewer loss. Oh, well.
Before and after the game, I played a little poker on-line. I joined a Mini-Step #1 Tournament and finished in 6th place. I won $4 for the accomplishment, but I lost my free entry into another Step #1. The next time I play a Step Tournament, I'll hafta pony up the $6.
I also played on a 6-man $5/$10 table for a little while. I actually won $15! Considering my luck this month, I consider it a minor miracle that I actually took a bit of a profit this evening. Woo Hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $19
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $828.52
Before and after the game, I played a little poker on-line. I joined a Mini-Step #1 Tournament and finished in 6th place. I won $4 for the accomplishment, but I lost my free entry into another Step #1. The next time I play a Step Tournament, I'll hafta pony up the $6.
I also played on a 6-man $5/$10 table for a little while. I actually won $15! Considering my luck this month, I consider it a minor miracle that I actually took a bit of a profit this evening. Woo Hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $19
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $828.52
June 20, 2005: US Open Results
When I submitted my two fantasy teams into Bob's US Open pool last week, one of my teams was essentially decided by Theresa's ability to pick names out of a hat. I "guided" her through the selection process by giving her multiple choice selections that she used to form a team that I submitted under her name. Theresa's choices may as well have been pulled out of a hat, however, since she NEVER watches PGA golf.
Theresa knows nothing about PGA golf and she would have no idea how to pick golfers on her own. In fact, I can't imagine that she could identify any golfer outside of Tiger Woods. For example, when I gave her the choice of picking either Goosen or Garcia, she thought that Goosen's name was funny and picked Garcia instead. That turned out to be a good decision, because Garcia finished in a three-way tie for third place, while Goosen limped to the finish line in 11th place.
This morning, I found the following e-mail in my inbox from Bob:
Lady and Gentlemen-
The 2005 US Open may not have been what we all would call exciting, but as far as our little pool goes it was historic. Mrs. Theresa Schroeder did something that Annika, Michelle and that obscure chick from Connecticut who qualified from a different set of tees could not. She not only played with the boys, she beat them all. What is statistically amazing is that this was the 11th pool in which we have roughly 19 entrants each time and Theresa became the 11th different winner. Several people have finished in the money multiple times, but we have still yet to have a repeat champion. Seeing as no one had Michael Campbell in their pool, it was her combo of Tiger, Sergio and Singh that outdid my own foursome by a little over $100K. Regardless, I join the ranks of Theresa, Brad and Pat as guaranteed entries in the end of the year bonus NEC tournament. Rounding out the rest of the top 4 were Eric Breska (who once again finished in the money, but is still in search of that first ever win) and Joe Mallinger (who is a first time money winner). Congratulations to both. I have also enclosed the year-to-date money totals so you can see where you stand. All 1st and 2nd place finishers in each major along with the top eight overall get the chance to play in the bonus pool. So take a look at where you stand and take some time to study up for the British Open which will be played at the historic St. Andrews golf course this year. They will be teeing off very early AM on July 14th. Until then, take care and enjoy. I will be contacting all of those that still owe money for the year seperately so I can square that away ASAP. Thanks.
-Bob
As a result of her shrewd selections, Theresa won me $190. That'll help my Month-to-Date Sketchbook look a litte better, ehhh?
Daily Sketch: Up $190
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $847.52
Theresa knows nothing about PGA golf and she would have no idea how to pick golfers on her own. In fact, I can't imagine that she could identify any golfer outside of Tiger Woods. For example, when I gave her the choice of picking either Goosen or Garcia, she thought that Goosen's name was funny and picked Garcia instead. That turned out to be a good decision, because Garcia finished in a three-way tie for third place, while Goosen limped to the finish line in 11th place.
This morning, I found the following e-mail in my inbox from Bob:
Lady and Gentlemen-
The 2005 US Open may not have been what we all would call exciting, but as far as our little pool goes it was historic. Mrs. Theresa Schroeder did something that Annika, Michelle and that obscure chick from Connecticut who qualified from a different set of tees could not. She not only played with the boys, she beat them all. What is statistically amazing is that this was the 11th pool in which we have roughly 19 entrants each time and Theresa became the 11th different winner. Several people have finished in the money multiple times, but we have still yet to have a repeat champion. Seeing as no one had Michael Campbell in their pool, it was her combo of Tiger, Sergio and Singh that outdid my own foursome by a little over $100K. Regardless, I join the ranks of Theresa, Brad and Pat as guaranteed entries in the end of the year bonus NEC tournament. Rounding out the rest of the top 4 were Eric Breska (who once again finished in the money, but is still in search of that first ever win) and Joe Mallinger (who is a first time money winner). Congratulations to both. I have also enclosed the year-to-date money totals so you can see where you stand. All 1st and 2nd place finishers in each major along with the top eight overall get the chance to play in the bonus pool. So take a look at where you stand and take some time to study up for the British Open which will be played at the historic St. Andrews golf course this year. They will be teeing off very early AM on July 14th. Until then, take care and enjoy. I will be contacting all of those that still owe money for the year seperately so I can square that away ASAP. Thanks.
-Bob
As a result of her shrewd selections, Theresa won me $190. That'll help my Month-to-Date Sketchbook look a litte better, ehhh?
Daily Sketch: Up $190
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $847.52
June 19, 2005: More Mini-Steps
I know it makes for boring reading, but I continued my pursuit of the Mini-Steps on PartyPoker today. Staring at the ugly Month-to-Date deficit isn't easy. However, based on my luck at the raked tables the past few weeks, my best shot at overcoming the deficit may be through the Step Tournament program. Unfortunately, I'm not climbing very high on these Steps.
The winner of a Step #5 Tournament wins $2,000. At this point, however, I'm having great difficulty simply getting past Step #1. If nothing else, however, it's very cheap entertainment.
To reach Step #2, you must win a 10-man $5(1) Step #1 Tournament. Even if you don't win a Step #1, however, you can earn a free entry into another Step #1 if you simply finish in the Top 5. Sixth place gets $4, so the only real losers of a Step #1 are the sorry four guys who finish 7th thru 10th.
All told, I played six Step #1 Tournaments on Party Poker today. In order, I finished 3rd, 5th, 1st, 10th, 3rd, & 4th. The one time I advanced to Step #2, I finished in 7th place and was immediately thrown back to Step #1. Ugh!
I played a lot of poker today, and it cost me exactly $6. Like I said, the pursuit of these steps is cheap entertainment. It would be more entertaining, however, if I could simply get past Step #1.
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,037.52
The winner of a Step #5 Tournament wins $2,000. At this point, however, I'm having great difficulty simply getting past Step #1. If nothing else, however, it's very cheap entertainment.
To reach Step #2, you must win a 10-man $5(1) Step #1 Tournament. Even if you don't win a Step #1, however, you can earn a free entry into another Step #1 if you simply finish in the Top 5. Sixth place gets $4, so the only real losers of a Step #1 are the sorry four guys who finish 7th thru 10th.
All told, I played six Step #1 Tournaments on Party Poker today. In order, I finished 3rd, 5th, 1st, 10th, 3rd, & 4th. The one time I advanced to Step #2, I finished in 7th place and was immediately thrown back to Step #1. Ugh!
I played a lot of poker today, and it cost me exactly $6. Like I said, the pursuit of these steps is cheap entertainment. It would be more entertaining, however, if I could simply get past Step #1.
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,037.52
June 18, 2005: Pig Roast
Getting up at 5:15am, I visted Deertrak Golf Course with Jared, Ty, and Tom this morning. We had a 7:15am tee time, so I needed to get up pretty early. I didn't golf poorly, and I'm content with the 92 I threw at the course. Considering the fact that it was only my 2nd round of golf this season and the fact that we played from the blue tees, I'll take it!
After golf, we visited Theresa's best friend's mother's house for an afternoon/evening pig roast in the backyard of a Waukesha home. The food and drink was good and a television in the basement was tuned to the US Open, so all was well and good.
Around 7:00pm, the family decided to organize a 10-man $10 Hold 'em Tournament in the backyard. Although this may surprise many of you, I had NOTHING to do with that plan. The idea of playing a tournament was formulated by other people at the party and I didn't agree to play until 7 other people had already said they'd play. Several players had never played hold 'em - having only seen it on television. Naturally, I didn't let anyone know that I had been playing poker nearly every day of my life for the past two years. In fact, no more than one or two people at the party had any idea how much poker I played, so I figured this was a good chance to win some quick and easy money.
Although I was correct about the "easy" part of that last statement, I was completely wrong about the "quick" part. The tournament seemed to take FOREVER!!
Most of the people in this tournament had no clue what they were doing. The blinds weren't increased, so I merely waited for premium hands and played them hard. The strategy worked, but the tournament lasted WAY too long. Although the tournament started with the sun shining bright, it ended in darkness.
Whenever someone went all in, they won. It was amazing to watch someone with 5-10 offsuit continually go "all in" with the last of their chips and beat someone holding A-J. In fact, I lost one hand while holding KK. Another player with 5-6 flopped two pair and, as a result, stayed alive.
After three (yes, three!) hours, we were down to our final 3 players. At that point, I was ready to stick a fork in my eye, so I offered to split the pot with the two other remaining players - despite the fact that I was the chip leader and in good position to win the $70 first place prize. We each took $30 from the $100 prize pool and drew cards for the odd $10. I drew an ace and I won the extra $10 - netting me a "not-so-quick" but very easy profit of $30 for the day.
Daily Sketch: Up $30
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,031.52
After golf, we visited Theresa's best friend's mother's house for an afternoon/evening pig roast in the backyard of a Waukesha home. The food and drink was good and a television in the basement was tuned to the US Open, so all was well and good.
Around 7:00pm, the family decided to organize a 10-man $10 Hold 'em Tournament in the backyard. Although this may surprise many of you, I had NOTHING to do with that plan. The idea of playing a tournament was formulated by other people at the party and I didn't agree to play until 7 other people had already said they'd play. Several players had never played hold 'em - having only seen it on television. Naturally, I didn't let anyone know that I had been playing poker nearly every day of my life for the past two years. In fact, no more than one or two people at the party had any idea how much poker I played, so I figured this was a good chance to win some quick and easy money.
Although I was correct about the "easy" part of that last statement, I was completely wrong about the "quick" part. The tournament seemed to take FOREVER!!
Most of the people in this tournament had no clue what they were doing. The blinds weren't increased, so I merely waited for premium hands and played them hard. The strategy worked, but the tournament lasted WAY too long. Although the tournament started with the sun shining bright, it ended in darkness.
Whenever someone went all in, they won. It was amazing to watch someone with 5-10 offsuit continually go "all in" with the last of their chips and beat someone holding A-J. In fact, I lost one hand while holding KK. Another player with 5-6 flopped two pair and, as a result, stayed alive.
After three (yes, three!) hours, we were down to our final 3 players. At that point, I was ready to stick a fork in my eye, so I offered to split the pot with the two other remaining players - despite the fact that I was the chip leader and in good position to win the $70 first place prize. We each took $30 from the $100 prize pool and drew cards for the odd $10. I drew an ace and I won the extra $10 - netting me a "not-so-quick" but very easy profit of $30 for the day.
Daily Sketch: Up $30
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,031.52
June 17, 2005: One Mini-Step
I didn't spend a lot of time on the internet this evening. Instead, Theresa and I visted Theresa's mother's house for a catfish fry. By the way, Theresa's mom makes the best catfish!
In addition to eating a lot of catfish, I also bought a laptop tonight. Primarily intended to help Theresa with her new job, it'll also allow me to play on-line poker anywhere in the house. I bought a wireless router, and it's working swimmingly well. I haven't downloaded any poker software on the new toy (yet), but I'm confident that it'll happen in the near future.
With all that being said, I only had time to join one $5(1) Mini-Step #1 Tournament this evening. I'm getting up VERY early tomorrow morning (to golf), so I wasn't go to stay up late playing poker. I had already earned a free entry into a Step #1 Tournament, so it didn't really cost me anything to play tonight. Overall, I played pretty well and found myself down to the Final 3 players, but I was the low stack. For 10 (or so) hands, we exchanged chips. Then came this hand:
***** Hand History for Game 2222861122 *****
NL Hold'em $5 Buy-in + $1 Entry Fee
Friday, June 17, 21:42:55 EDT 2005
Table Mini Step 1 #1014216 (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 1: GullyFoyle ($2165)
Seat 3: jdwdelft ($4075)
Seat 2: Stv_1313 ($1760)
Trny:13183616 Level:7
Blinds(150/300)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ 9d 2c ]
jdwdelft folds.
GullyFoyle calls [150].
Stv_1313 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ac, 7h, Qh ]
GullyFoyle checks.
Stv_1313 is all-In [1460]
GullyFoyle calls [1460].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jc ]
** Dealing River ** [ 4c ]
GullyFoyle shows [ Kh, 6c ] high card ace.
Stv_1313 shows [ 9d, 2c ] high card ace.
GullyFoyle wins 3520 chips from the main pot with high card ace with king kicker.
Stv_1313 finished in third and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
Stv_1313 has left the table.
Ooops! I guess that bluff didn't work, did it? I'm shocked that my opponent called me with King high, but so goes it. As described above, my 3rd place finish allowed me to earn yet another free entry into another $5(1) Mini-Step #1 Tournament.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,061.52
In addition to eating a lot of catfish, I also bought a laptop tonight. Primarily intended to help Theresa with her new job, it'll also allow me to play on-line poker anywhere in the house. I bought a wireless router, and it's working swimmingly well. I haven't downloaded any poker software on the new toy (yet), but I'm confident that it'll happen in the near future.
With all that being said, I only had time to join one $5(1) Mini-Step #1 Tournament this evening. I'm getting up VERY early tomorrow morning (to golf), so I wasn't go to stay up late playing poker. I had already earned a free entry into a Step #1 Tournament, so it didn't really cost me anything to play tonight. Overall, I played pretty well and found myself down to the Final 3 players, but I was the low stack. For 10 (or so) hands, we exchanged chips. Then came this hand:
***** Hand History for Game 2222861122 *****
NL Hold'em $5 Buy-in + $1 Entry Fee
Friday, June 17, 21:42:55 EDT 2005
Table Mini Step 1 #1014216 (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 3
Seat 1: GullyFoyle ($2165)
Seat 3: jdwdelft ($4075)
Seat 2: Stv_1313 ($1760)
Trny:13183616 Level:7
Blinds(150/300)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ 9d 2c ]
jdwdelft folds.
GullyFoyle calls [150].
Stv_1313 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ac, 7h, Qh ]
GullyFoyle checks.
Stv_1313 is all-In [1460]
GullyFoyle calls [1460].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jc ]
** Dealing River ** [ 4c ]
GullyFoyle shows [ Kh, 6c ] high card ace.
Stv_1313 shows [ 9d, 2c ] high card ace.
GullyFoyle wins 3520 chips from the main pot with high card ace with king kicker.
Stv_1313 finished in third and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
Stv_1313 has left the table.
Ooops! I guess that bluff didn't work, did it? I'm shocked that my opponent called me with King high, but so goes it. As described above, my 3rd place finish allowed me to earn yet another free entry into another $5(1) Mini-Step #1 Tournament.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,061.52
June 16, 2005: The US Open
The US Open starts today. As such, it was time to make my picks for Bob's pool. In this pool, you get to submit the names of any four golfers (although you're limited to picking two of the "Big Four"). The total money that your team wins is your total score. I submitted two teams, with each costing $25. Here are my teams:
Team #1: Singh, Woods, Garcia & DiMarco
Team #2: Woods, Mickelson, Goosen & Kenny Perry.
This evening, I played on Party Poker and (yet again) found little success. I used a free entry to join another Mini-Step #1 Tournament. I got down to the final three players and had a pretty good pile of chips. However, despite the fact that I got some good cards, I lost the last three hands and was quickly eliminated. I earned another free entry into another Step #1 Tournament.
I concluded my night by joining a $50(5) Tournament and finished in 6th place. Holding Qh Kh, I saw a king appear on the flop. I was eliminated, however, when my opponent revealed pocket Aces. I am finding ZERO luck right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $105
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,061.52
Team #1: Singh, Woods, Garcia & DiMarco
Team #2: Woods, Mickelson, Goosen & Kenny Perry.
This evening, I played on Party Poker and (yet again) found little success. I used a free entry to join another Mini-Step #1 Tournament. I got down to the final three players and had a pretty good pile of chips. However, despite the fact that I got some good cards, I lost the last three hands and was quickly eliminated. I earned another free entry into another Step #1 Tournament.
I concluded my night by joining a $50(5) Tournament and finished in 6th place. Holding Qh Kh, I saw a king appear on the flop. I was eliminated, however, when my opponent revealed pocket Aces. I am finding ZERO luck right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $105
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $1,061.52
June 15, 2005: More Steps
With a free entry into a $5(1) Mini-Step #1 Tournament in my back pocket, there was no reason to start my night by spending money on Party Poker this evening. After all, why risk cash when you can play for free?
I easily won the tournament. I jumped out to a decent lead, hit some good pots, and steamrolled my competition. The ease with which I won the tournament was quite amazing. As a reward for my victory, I won free entry into a $20(2) Step #2 Tournament.
Unfortunately, I didn't fair well in that tournament. My starting stack of 800 chips was quickly depleted down to 490 chips during the course of the first 17 hands. Then came this hand:
#Game No : 2212382665
***** Hand History for Game 2212382665 *****
NL Hold'em $20 Buy-in + $2 Entry Fee
Level:2 Blinds(15/30) - Wednesday, June 15, 19:58:19 EDT 2005
Table Mini Step 2 #1014336 (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: jstn123 ($725)
Seat 2: Stv_1313 ($490) (ME!!)
Seat 4: colefinger7 ($665)
Seat 5: jhallum ($785)
Seat 6: ken1940 ($775)
Seat 7: bambam420 ($1105)
Seat 8: full_count ($1115)
Seat 9: IImIlIlImII ($1520)
Seat 10: fastpitchjes ($820)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ As Ad ]
jhallum calls [30].
ken1940 folds.
bambam420 folds.
full_count calls [30].
IImIlIlImII calls [30].
fastpitchjes folds.
jstn123 raises [90].
Stv_1313 raises [135].
colefinger7 folds.
jhallum calls [120].
full_count folds.
IImIlIlImII folds.
jstn123 calls [60].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5s, 4c, 6h ]
Stv_1313 is all-In [340]
jhallum is all-In [635]
jstn123 is all-In [575]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Kh ]
** Dealing River ** [ 7h ]
Stv_1313 shows [ As, Ad ] a pair of aces.
jhallum shows [ 6d, 6c ] three of a kind, sixes.
jstn123 shows [ 9h, 9s ] a pair of nines.
jhallum wins 60 chips from side pot #2 with three of a kind, sixes.
jhallum wins 470 chips from side pot #1 with three of a kind, sixes.
jhallum wins 1560 chips from the main pot with three of a kind, sixes.
Stv_1313 finished in ninth and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
jstn123 finished in eighth and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
jstn123 has left the table.
Stv_1313 has left the table.
Argh!! There's no better feeling than being eliminated in 9th place while holding pocket aces. I'll be back to Step #1 next time I play. In the meantime, my poker luck is simply horrible right now.
Despite that, I decided to play a couple $30(3) 10-man tournaments later in the night. In usual fashion, my luck was nothing but bad. In the first tournament, I couldn't catch ANY cards. Despite that, I was able to survive all the way to the Final Four. However, I simply couldn't get anything, and I was eventually eliminated one spot out of the money. Argh!!
The next tournament didn't go any better. About 15 hands into the tournament, I found myself with 700 chips and called another player's "all in" bet while I was holding AK. My opponent had holding JJ and for the upteenth time this month, I lost the race. I got no help and was eliminated in 7th place.
Daily Sketch: Down $66
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $956.52
I easily won the tournament. I jumped out to a decent lead, hit some good pots, and steamrolled my competition. The ease with which I won the tournament was quite amazing. As a reward for my victory, I won free entry into a $20(2) Step #2 Tournament.
Unfortunately, I didn't fair well in that tournament. My starting stack of 800 chips was quickly depleted down to 490 chips during the course of the first 17 hands. Then came this hand:
#Game No : 2212382665
***** Hand History for Game 2212382665 *****
NL Hold'em $20 Buy-in + $2 Entry Fee
Level:2 Blinds(15/30) - Wednesday, June 15, 19:58:19 EDT 2005
Table Mini Step 2 #1014336 (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: jstn123 ($725)
Seat 2: Stv_1313 ($490) (ME!!)
Seat 4: colefinger7 ($665)
Seat 5: jhallum ($785)
Seat 6: ken1940 ($775)
Seat 7: bambam420 ($1105)
Seat 8: full_count ($1115)
Seat 9: IImIlIlImII ($1520)
Seat 10: fastpitchjes ($820)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ As Ad ]
jhallum calls [30].
ken1940 folds.
bambam420 folds.
full_count calls [30].
IImIlIlImII calls [30].
fastpitchjes folds.
jstn123 raises [90].
Stv_1313 raises [135].
colefinger7 folds.
jhallum calls [120].
full_count folds.
IImIlIlImII folds.
jstn123 calls [60].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5s, 4c, 6h ]
Stv_1313 is all-In [340]
jhallum is all-In [635]
jstn123 is all-In [575]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Kh ]
** Dealing River ** [ 7h ]
Stv_1313 shows [ As, Ad ] a pair of aces.
jhallum shows [ 6d, 6c ] three of a kind, sixes.
jstn123 shows [ 9h, 9s ] a pair of nines.
jhallum wins 60 chips from side pot #2 with three of a kind, sixes.
jhallum wins 470 chips from side pot #1 with three of a kind, sixes.
jhallum wins 1560 chips from the main pot with three of a kind, sixes.
Stv_1313 finished in ninth and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
jstn123 finished in eighth and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
jstn123 has left the table.
Stv_1313 has left the table.
Argh!! There's no better feeling than being eliminated in 9th place while holding pocket aces. I'll be back to Step #1 next time I play. In the meantime, my poker luck is simply horrible right now.
Despite that, I decided to play a couple $30(3) 10-man tournaments later in the night. In usual fashion, my luck was nothing but bad. In the first tournament, I couldn't catch ANY cards. Despite that, I was able to survive all the way to the Final Four. However, I simply couldn't get anything, and I was eventually eliminated one spot out of the money. Argh!!
The next tournament didn't go any better. About 15 hands into the tournament, I found myself with 700 chips and called another player's "all in" bet while I was holding AK. My opponent had holding JJ and for the upteenth time this month, I lost the race. I got no help and was eliminated in 7th place.
Daily Sketch: Down $66
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $956.52
June 14, 2005: Mini-Steps
I jumped back into the world of on-line poker tonight. Rather than use the word jump, however, I should probably use the word hop, 'cuz it wasn't much of a jump. I joined a $5(1) Mini-Step Tournament and didn't make a lot of progress.
In my first attempt on a 10-man table, I took 5th place. For that, I was awarded a free entry into another $5(1) Mini-Step Tournament.
My 2nd attempt went much better and I proceeded to win the tournament. That earned me a free entry into a Step #2 Tournament.
Things didn't go well in the Step #2 Tournament and I finished in a dismal 6th place. As a result, I got kicked back to Step #1. At that point, I quit for the night.
The winner of a Step #5 wins $2,000 - but it's a long trek to get to that point. If nothing else, however, playing a Mini-Step Tournament will be a nice way to ease my way back into on-line poker.
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $890.52
In my first attempt on a 10-man table, I took 5th place. For that, I was awarded a free entry into another $5(1) Mini-Step Tournament.
My 2nd attempt went much better and I proceeded to win the tournament. That earned me a free entry into a Step #2 Tournament.
Things didn't go well in the Step #2 Tournament and I finished in a dismal 6th place. As a result, I got kicked back to Step #1. At that point, I quit for the night.
The winner of a Step #5 wins $2,000 - but it's a long trek to get to that point. If nothing else, however, playing a Mini-Step Tournament will be a nice way to ease my way back into on-line poker.
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $890.52
June 13, 2005: Poker at Joe's
I played in my recurring low-stakes game at Joe's this evening. All told, six of us played a variety of Dealer's Choice games.
After all was said and done, I won exactly $10. I'm on the comeback trail!
Daily Sketch: Up $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $884.52
After all was said and done, I won exactly $10. I'm on the comeback trail!
Daily Sketch: Up $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $884.52
June 12, 2005: One Sit 'n' Go
After losing all that money yesterday, I wasn't eager to play poker today. However, I decided to simply join one $30(3) Tournament this afternoon. The Tournament didn't last long. In usual fashion, I'm disgusted by the way I lost. Here's the hand that killed me:
#Game No : 2196792888
***** Hand History for Game 2196792888 *****
NL Hold'em $30 Buy-in + $3 Entry FeeTrny:13036279 Level:3 Blinds(25/50) - Sunday, June 12, 17:15:32 EDT 2005
Table Table 12185 (Real Money)
Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: All4CY ($1438)
Seat 2: Stv_1313 ($839)
Seat 3: phyquetwo ($775)
Seat 4: SeaPussie ($175)
Seat 6: dm050173 ($550)
Seat 7: DeuceVentura ($1866)
Seat 8: tubaboybret ($952)
Seat 9: TheJacobian ($945)
Seat 10: Doupi ($460)
Trny:13036279 Level:3
Blinds(25/50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Kd Kc ]
All4CY raises [100].
Stv_1313 raises [150].
phyquetwo folds.
SeaPussie folds.
dm050173 folds.
DeuceVentura folds.
tubaboybret folds.
TheJacobian folds.
Doupi is all-In [410]
All4CY calls [360].
Stv_1313 calls [310].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 9h, 9d, Jh ]
All4CY checks.
Stv_1313 is all-In [379]
All4CY calls [379].
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3h ]
** Dealing River ** [ Th ]
All4CY shows [ Qs, Ks ] a straight, nine to king.
Stv_1313 shows [ Kd, Kc ] two pairs, kings and nines.
Doupi shows [ Qh, Ah ] a flush, ace high.
All4CY wins 758 chips from side pot #1 with a straight, nine to king.
Doupi wins 1405 chips from the main pot with a flush, ace high.
Stv_1313 finished in ninth place.
Stv_1313 has left the table.
Isn't poker fun?
Daily Sketch: Down $33
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $894.52
June 11, 2005: Uncomfortable
I had a rough day on Party Poker. Sitting exclusively at 6-man $10/$20 tables this afternoon, I continue to be amazed at the level of competition at these tables. All told, I lost a healthy $356 on-line today, but I KNOW that I should be winning money. The people sitting at these table are terrible.
I played for over 4 hours today. That means that I lost (on average) about $90/hr today. Boy, does that sound ugly, or what? Six months ago, my goal was to make $20/hr. Now I'm losing $90/hr. Thank goodness I'm an accountant. Otherwise, I might not notice that the math is not adding up.
I am not comfortable losing $356 in one day and I'm very uncofrtable with my Month-to-Date losses. With that being said, I am going to take a break from playing these raked tables. Despite the fact that I know I'll eventually start winning money on these tables, my frustration level is reaching an all-time high and I gotta take a break. I am not having fun playing on-line poker right now.
Due to the fact that the pots on $10/$20 tables can get quite high, it encourages people to chase cards that they otherwise shouldn't chase. When my opponent is sitting on a gut-shot straight, he seems all too eager to throw money into the pot with the hopes of hitting his miracle card and scooping a lot of money. Unfortunately, my opponent's luck is running exceptionally high right now and they are scooping a lot of money from me.
I'm going to detail a couple hands that epitomized my day. Generally speaking, these two hands epitomize my luck the past 10 days.
About 3 hours and 50 minutes into my day, I was down approximately $100. I was ready to quit, but here were two hands that helped conclude my day:
***** Hand History for Game 2191796530 *****
$10/$20 Hold'em - Saturday, June 11, 18:07:50 EDT 2005
Table Table 11340 (6 max) (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 5: phishead
Seat 6: PickSixBoy
Seat 4: Stv_1313 (me!)
Seat 3: KidsToFeed
Seat 1: VPIP90_PFR80
Seat 2: grebdron
PickSixBoy posts small blind [$5].
VPIP90_PFR80 posts big blind [$10].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Ac Qh ]
grebdron folds.
KidsToFeed raises [$20].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
phishead calls [$20].
PickSixBoy calls [$15].
VPIP90_PFR80 folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ 3d, 8d, Ah ]
PickSixBoy checks.
KidsToFeed bets [$10].
Stv_1313 raises [$20].
phishead folds.
PickSixBoy folds.
KidsToFeed calls [$10].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Js ]
KidsToFeed checks.
Stv_1313 bets [$20].
KidsToFeed raises [$40].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
** Dealing River ** [ 2s ]
KidsToFeed bets [$20].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
KidsToFeed shows [ As, 2h ] two pairs, aces and twos.
Stv_1313 doesn't show [ Ac, Qh ] a pair of aces.
KidsToFeed wins $248 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and twos.
Are you kidding me? My opponent raises on the turn with his pair of aces. His kicker (a two) is worthless at that point and I've got him beat. Naturally, my opponent hits the two on the river. Ugh!!
Two minutes later, I "enjoyed" this hand:
#Game No : 2191807945
***** Hand History for Game 2191807945 *****
$10/$20 Hold'em - Saturday, June 11, 18:10:20 EDT 2005
Table Table 11340 (6 max) (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 5: phishead
Seat 6: PickSixBoy
Seat 4: Stv_1313 (me!)
Seat 3: KidsToFeed
Seat 1: VPIP90_PFR80
Seat 2: grebdron
Stv_1313 posts small blind [$5].
phishead posts big blind [$10].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Qd Ts ]
PickSixBoy calls [$10].
VPIP90_PFR80 folds.
grebdron calls [$10].
KidsToFeed calls [$10].
Stv_1313 calls [$5].
phishead checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ As, Kh, Jh ]
Stv_1313 bets [$10].
phishead folds.
PickSixBoy calls [$10].
grebdron folds.
KidsToFeed calls [$10].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Th ]
Stv_1313 bets [$20].
PickSixBoy folds.
KidsToFeed raises [$40].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
** Dealing River ** [ Tc ]
Stv_1313 checks.
KidsToFeed bets [$20].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
KidsToFeed shows [ Qh, 7h ] a flush, king high.
Stv_1313 doesn't show [ Qd, Ts ] a straight, ten to ace.
KidsToFeed wins $198 from the main pot with a flush, king high.
Ugh! I flopped the nut straight, but my opponent hit his flush on the turn.
I can't say that my opponent played this hand poorly. Instead, the hand merely shows how my luck is running right now. I am getting NO help on the turn or river these days, and it's really frustrating to lose hand-after-hand that you're leading after the flop.
Like I said, I am going to stay away from playing raked hands for a while. In fact, I plan on limiting my poker play A LOT for the foreseeable future. Right now, my only incentive for playing on-line poker is to recover the money I've lost during the past two weeks. I should be logging into the system with the idea of having fun and (hopefully) winning some money. Until I get that feeling again, I am going to take it easy. I am not having fun playing on-line poker right now. A nice break will do me good. I've still got plenty of cash sitting in my on-line accounts, and I'd rather not squander more of it away during this run of cold cards.
Daily Sketch: Down $356
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $861.52
I played for over 4 hours today. That means that I lost (on average) about $90/hr today. Boy, does that sound ugly, or what? Six months ago, my goal was to make $20/hr. Now I'm losing $90/hr. Thank goodness I'm an accountant. Otherwise, I might not notice that the math is not adding up.
I am not comfortable losing $356 in one day and I'm very uncofrtable with my Month-to-Date losses. With that being said, I am going to take a break from playing these raked tables. Despite the fact that I know I'll eventually start winning money on these tables, my frustration level is reaching an all-time high and I gotta take a break. I am not having fun playing on-line poker right now.
Due to the fact that the pots on $10/$20 tables can get quite high, it encourages people to chase cards that they otherwise shouldn't chase. When my opponent is sitting on a gut-shot straight, he seems all too eager to throw money into the pot with the hopes of hitting his miracle card and scooping a lot of money. Unfortunately, my opponent's luck is running exceptionally high right now and they are scooping a lot of money from me.
I'm going to detail a couple hands that epitomized my day. Generally speaking, these two hands epitomize my luck the past 10 days.
About 3 hours and 50 minutes into my day, I was down approximately $100. I was ready to quit, but here were two hands that helped conclude my day:
***** Hand History for Game 2191796530 *****
$10/$20 Hold'em - Saturday, June 11, 18:07:50 EDT 2005
Table Table 11340 (6 max) (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 5: phishead
Seat 6: PickSixBoy
Seat 4: Stv_1313 (me!)
Seat 3: KidsToFeed
Seat 1: VPIP90_PFR80
Seat 2: grebdron
PickSixBoy posts small blind [$5].
VPIP90_PFR80 posts big blind [$10].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Ac Qh ]
grebdron folds.
KidsToFeed raises [$20].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
phishead calls [$20].
PickSixBoy calls [$15].
VPIP90_PFR80 folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ 3d, 8d, Ah ]
PickSixBoy checks.
KidsToFeed bets [$10].
Stv_1313 raises [$20].
phishead folds.
PickSixBoy folds.
KidsToFeed calls [$10].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Js ]
KidsToFeed checks.
Stv_1313 bets [$20].
KidsToFeed raises [$40].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
** Dealing River ** [ 2s ]
KidsToFeed bets [$20].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
KidsToFeed shows [ As, 2h ] two pairs, aces and twos.
Stv_1313 doesn't show [ Ac, Qh ] a pair of aces.
KidsToFeed wins $248 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and twos.
Are you kidding me? My opponent raises on the turn with his pair of aces. His kicker (a two) is worthless at that point and I've got him beat. Naturally, my opponent hits the two on the river. Ugh!!
Two minutes later, I "enjoyed" this hand:
#Game No : 2191807945
***** Hand History for Game 2191807945 *****
$10/$20 Hold'em - Saturday, June 11, 18:10:20 EDT 2005
Table Table 11340 (6 max) (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 5: phishead
Seat 6: PickSixBoy
Seat 4: Stv_1313 (me!)
Seat 3: KidsToFeed
Seat 1: VPIP90_PFR80
Seat 2: grebdron
Stv_1313 posts small blind [$5].
phishead posts big blind [$10].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ Qd Ts ]
PickSixBoy calls [$10].
VPIP90_PFR80 folds.
grebdron calls [$10].
KidsToFeed calls [$10].
Stv_1313 calls [$5].
phishead checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ As, Kh, Jh ]
Stv_1313 bets [$10].
phishead folds.
PickSixBoy calls [$10].
grebdron folds.
KidsToFeed calls [$10].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Th ]
Stv_1313 bets [$20].
PickSixBoy folds.
KidsToFeed raises [$40].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
** Dealing River ** [ Tc ]
Stv_1313 checks.
KidsToFeed bets [$20].
Stv_1313 calls [$20].
KidsToFeed shows [ Qh, 7h ] a flush, king high.
Stv_1313 doesn't show [ Qd, Ts ] a straight, ten to ace.
KidsToFeed wins $198 from the main pot with a flush, king high.
Ugh! I flopped the nut straight, but my opponent hit his flush on the turn.
I can't say that my opponent played this hand poorly. Instead, the hand merely shows how my luck is running right now. I am getting NO help on the turn or river these days, and it's really frustrating to lose hand-after-hand that you're leading after the flop.
Like I said, I am going to stay away from playing raked hands for a while. In fact, I plan on limiting my poker play A LOT for the foreseeable future. Right now, my only incentive for playing on-line poker is to recover the money I've lost during the past two weeks. I should be logging into the system with the idea of having fun and (hopefully) winning some money. Until I get that feeling again, I am going to take it easy. I am not having fun playing on-line poker right now. A nice break will do me good. I've still got plenty of cash sitting in my on-line accounts, and I'd rather not squander more of it away during this run of cold cards.
Daily Sketch: Down $356
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $861.52
June 10, 2005: Poker at Tom's
After work this evening, I headed straight to Tom's for a night of cards with Tom, Rob, Jared, and Rusty. This is a recurring monthly game that limits most bets to $.50, so I can't say that the stakes are exceedingly high.
We began the night by playing a $5 Hold 'em Tournament. I can't really recall what happened, but I finished out of the money. Tom won it and pocketed the $20 first place prize.
For the next four hours, I lost exactly $8 playing a variety of Dealer's Choice games. Rusty, in particular, found great success while playing Canadian Blackjack.
Around 11:00pm, I was down $13 for the night and we decided to conclude the evening by playing a couple more $5 Hold 'em Tournaments. Unlike the first tournament of the night, however, I found great success in these final two tournaments and proceeded to win each of them - netting a profit of $15 in each tournament.
After all was said and done, I won exactly $17 tonight.
Daily Sketch: Up $17
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $505.52
We began the night by playing a $5 Hold 'em Tournament. I can't really recall what happened, but I finished out of the money. Tom won it and pocketed the $20 first place prize.
For the next four hours, I lost exactly $8 playing a variety of Dealer's Choice games. Rusty, in particular, found great success while playing Canadian Blackjack.
Around 11:00pm, I was down $13 for the night and we decided to conclude the evening by playing a couple more $5 Hold 'em Tournaments. Unlike the first tournament of the night, however, I found great success in these final two tournaments and proceeded to win each of them - netting a profit of $15 in each tournament.
After all was said and done, I won exactly $17 tonight.
Daily Sketch: Up $17
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $505.52
June 9, 2005: The Cards are COLD!!
How did I win nearly $1,500 last month? It seems like such a long time ago . . .
I played on Party Poker for 50 minutes tonight and (yet again) found my cards running exceedingly cold. To date, June has been a horrendous month and it seems like I'm repeatedly making bad decisions. When I should fold, I chase. When I should chase, I fold. As a result, I'm losing money at a pretty good rate.
All told, I lost $171 tonight on a $5/$10 table. To be honest, I don't really think I'm making bad decisions. I believe that I'm folding at the right times, it just so happens that some bad calls would have yielded some nice profits. On the other hand, I feel like I'm chasing cards when pot odds dictate it. I'm simply not catching cards right now.
Oh, well. As a result of last month's profits, I've got a decent amount still sitting in my on-line accounts. I had planned on withdrawing some of those funds this month, however. At my current rate, that won't be happening anytime soon.
Poker is a lot more fun when you're winning! :-)
Daily Sketch: Down $171
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $522.52
I played on Party Poker for 50 minutes tonight and (yet again) found my cards running exceedingly cold. To date, June has been a horrendous month and it seems like I'm repeatedly making bad decisions. When I should fold, I chase. When I should chase, I fold. As a result, I'm losing money at a pretty good rate.
All told, I lost $171 tonight on a $5/$10 table. To be honest, I don't really think I'm making bad decisions. I believe that I'm folding at the right times, it just so happens that some bad calls would have yielded some nice profits. On the other hand, I feel like I'm chasing cards when pot odds dictate it. I'm simply not catching cards right now.
Oh, well. As a result of last month's profits, I've got a decent amount still sitting in my on-line accounts. I had planned on withdrawing some of those funds this month, however. At my current rate, that won't be happening anytime soon.
Poker is a lot more fun when you're winning! :-)
Daily Sketch: Down $171
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $522.52
June 8, 2005: Yankees 12, Brewers 3
I accepted a last-minute invitation to watch the Brewers play the Yankees tonight at Miller Park. Unfortunately, the Brewers got hammered and I didn't make any wagers this evening. It was, indeed, a boring night for the Sketchbook. Alex Rodriguez did hit his 400th career home run.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $351.52
June 7, 2005: Back to PokerRoom
Needing only 144 points to earn my $150 reload bonus, I ventured back to PokerRoom tonight. If nothing else, I thought that the prospect of earning the $150 would do wonders for the Sketchbook's results this month. As was the case last week, however, I found no luck at PokerRoom.
All told, it took nearly 2 hours to earn the $150 bonus while playing on a 5-man $3/$6 table. Unfortunately, I lost $160 in the process - which means that the Sketchbook shows a $10 loss on PokerRoom tonight. Ugh!
It was an extremely frustrating night of poker. Four different times, I was dealt pocket J's. I lost all four times. Each time I was dealt the Jacks, I raised the bet (preflop) and was called by only one player - the big blind. Each time, the big blind was holding an overcard and an undercard. Amazingly, the big blind hit his overcard all four times. Once I lost to aces, twice I lost to kings, and once I lost to queens. It was astounding to watch it happen four times. When only one player calls your bet and you witness a flop of (for example) K-8-6 while holding pocket Jacks, you don't usually figure that your only opponent is holding a king. When it happens four straight times, it starts to get spooky.
There were numerous other hands that frustrated me. One particular player by the name of Vinsky lost nearly $350 during the time I sat at his table. Time after time, he'd chase gut shot straights and time after time he'd lose big pots - unless he was playing against me. I nearly threw my computer out the window when he took a pot while holding As 6h. On that hand, I was holding 10c Jc and we witnessed a flop of 10s-10h-9s, which is a seemingly wonderful flop for me. However, turn and river spades gave my opponent the nut flush and, in the process, put a serious dent in my pile of chips. The fact that my opponent matched my bet after the flop is amazing. The fact that my opponent called runner-runner spades to win the pot is even more amazing. This is what I faced tonight. Ugh!
My luck on PokerRoom the past 10 days has been atrocious. I couldn't catch any decent cards and the Sketchbook suffered the consequences. Anyone who plays poker for an extended period of time will confess that cards go cold for decent periods of time. I hope that this period of time has expired and I hope that these cold cards are restricted to PokerRoom, 'cuz I'm done with that site for a while. Now that I've earned my $150 reload bonus, there's no reason for me to keep playing on that incredibly unlucky site.
I concluded my night by joining a 10-man $30(3) Tournament on Party Poker. My frustrating night of cards continued and I finished in 4th place - one spot out of the money. I went "all in" with pocket nines - and I lost to the big stack who called my bet with A-5 and subsequently hit an ace on the board. Generally speaking, that typified my night.
Daily Sketch: Down $43
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $351.52
All told, it took nearly 2 hours to earn the $150 bonus while playing on a 5-man $3/$6 table. Unfortunately, I lost $160 in the process - which means that the Sketchbook shows a $10 loss on PokerRoom tonight. Ugh!
It was an extremely frustrating night of poker. Four different times, I was dealt pocket J's. I lost all four times. Each time I was dealt the Jacks, I raised the bet (preflop) and was called by only one player - the big blind. Each time, the big blind was holding an overcard and an undercard. Amazingly, the big blind hit his overcard all four times. Once I lost to aces, twice I lost to kings, and once I lost to queens. It was astounding to watch it happen four times. When only one player calls your bet and you witness a flop of (for example) K-8-6 while holding pocket Jacks, you don't usually figure that your only opponent is holding a king. When it happens four straight times, it starts to get spooky.
There were numerous other hands that frustrated me. One particular player by the name of Vinsky lost nearly $350 during the time I sat at his table. Time after time, he'd chase gut shot straights and time after time he'd lose big pots - unless he was playing against me. I nearly threw my computer out the window when he took a pot while holding As 6h. On that hand, I was holding 10c Jc and we witnessed a flop of 10s-10h-9s, which is a seemingly wonderful flop for me. However, turn and river spades gave my opponent the nut flush and, in the process, put a serious dent in my pile of chips. The fact that my opponent matched my bet after the flop is amazing. The fact that my opponent called runner-runner spades to win the pot is even more amazing. This is what I faced tonight. Ugh!
My luck on PokerRoom the past 10 days has been atrocious. I couldn't catch any decent cards and the Sketchbook suffered the consequences. Anyone who plays poker for an extended period of time will confess that cards go cold for decent periods of time. I hope that this period of time has expired and I hope that these cold cards are restricted to PokerRoom, 'cuz I'm done with that site for a while. Now that I've earned my $150 reload bonus, there's no reason for me to keep playing on that incredibly unlucky site.
I concluded my night by joining a 10-man $30(3) Tournament on Party Poker. My frustrating night of cards continued and I finished in 4th place - one spot out of the money. I went "all in" with pocket nines - and I lost to the big stack who called my bet with A-5 and subsequently hit an ace on the board. Generally speaking, that typified my night.
Daily Sketch: Down $43
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $351.52
June 6, 2005: Poker at Joe's
I visited Joe's home this evening for our weekly low-stakes poker game. I can't say that it was an overwhelmingly exciting night. Focusing primarily on playing Hi-Low Omaha 8, I won exactly $8. It's not a mountain of money, but it's better than losing!
Daily Sketch: Up $8
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $308.52
Daily Sketch: Up $8
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $308.52
June 5, 2005: More Partying
I spent a pretty good amount of time on Party Poker this afternoon and evening. Entering the day, I was determined to play some significant stakes. With that in mind, I played on more $10/$20 tables than I usually do.
According to Party Poker, I spent 3 hours and 55 minutes on various tables today. After all was said and done, I lost exactly $55.50. However, that amount doesn't really tell the full story. Yet again, I was down significantly more than that amount during the day, and I feel pretty good about "only" losing $55.50.
I actually started my day with some simple 6-man $1/$2 action in the 30 minutes immediately preceding church this morning. I wasn't particularly excited about the prospect of losing a quick hundy before heading to morning service. After all, there must be something sacrilegious about listening to a sermon while on tilt from the morning's on-line poker action. So, playing the modest stakes, I lost $1.50. Needless to say, I wasn't on tilt while sitting in my pew. God still loves me!
Mid-afternoon, I jumped on a 6-man $5/$10 table and suffered some immediate losses. The most frustrating part of my recent poker play is my habit of ALWAYS losing money during the first 30 minutes that I sit down at a table. In this case, I lost nearly $200 during the first 41 minutes that I sat at the table. After an hour, I was down $168 and it was nearly time for Theresa and I to head to Mayville to attend Theresa's cousin's high school graduation party.
I wasn't particularly excited about driving to Mayville with a $168 daily deficit hanging over my head. So, ten minutes before we left, I jumped on a $10/$20 table in a desperate attempt to recoup my losses. Amazingly, I won two quick pots and left the table with a profit of $126. Down $43.50 for the day, I felt much better heading to the party.
Five hours later, I was back in Milwaukee and sitting at my computer. I joined another 6-man $5/$10 table and, per usual, I immediately started to lose money. Unfortunately, this is becoming a repetitive theme. All told, I lost $230 in exactly 60 minutes. According to Party Poker, I sat at that table for 60 minutes and 7 seconds. Take it from me - it doesn't feel good to lose $230 in 60 minutes and 7 seconds.
Desperate to recoup my losses, I jumped on a 6-man $10/$20 table. The very first hand I played, I found myself in the big blind holding 5-9 and witnessed a rainbow flop of 6-7-8. The betting got wild, and I lost a monster pot to another guy holding 6-7. He hit another 6 on the turn and his full house scooped a pot worth $336. Had I won that hand, I would have immediately retired for the day with a small loss. Instead, I found myself in a hole of approximately $450. Ugh!!
I sat at that table for quite some time and slowly churned out a comeback. Thank God! This would be a pretty depressing Sketchbook entry if I were reporting a $400 negative Sketchbook entry!
When I finally left the $10/$20 table, I had come within $55.50 of recouping all my daily losses. I started to envision a scene where I went on a dry run and realized how depressing it would be to lose all the money back. So, I quit. Interestingly, I don't really remember any of the big hands I won during my comeback. I can easily recall all the bad beats I suffered this afternoon, but I don't usually recall many of the hands I win. I suppose that's normal.
It would be nice to start a day on a positive note. After all, the grind of coming from behind is exhausting. Thankfully, I experienced some decent luck on the $10/$20 table after losing that first monster pot. Although the Sketchbook still shows a deficit this month, it isn't too ugly.
Daily Sketch: Down $55.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $316.52
According to Party Poker, I spent 3 hours and 55 minutes on various tables today. After all was said and done, I lost exactly $55.50. However, that amount doesn't really tell the full story. Yet again, I was down significantly more than that amount during the day, and I feel pretty good about "only" losing $55.50.
I actually started my day with some simple 6-man $1/$2 action in the 30 minutes immediately preceding church this morning. I wasn't particularly excited about the prospect of losing a quick hundy before heading to morning service. After all, there must be something sacrilegious about listening to a sermon while on tilt from the morning's on-line poker action. So, playing the modest stakes, I lost $1.50. Needless to say, I wasn't on tilt while sitting in my pew. God still loves me!
Mid-afternoon, I jumped on a 6-man $5/$10 table and suffered some immediate losses. The most frustrating part of my recent poker play is my habit of ALWAYS losing money during the first 30 minutes that I sit down at a table. In this case, I lost nearly $200 during the first 41 minutes that I sat at the table. After an hour, I was down $168 and it was nearly time for Theresa and I to head to Mayville to attend Theresa's cousin's high school graduation party.
I wasn't particularly excited about driving to Mayville with a $168 daily deficit hanging over my head. So, ten minutes before we left, I jumped on a $10/$20 table in a desperate attempt to recoup my losses. Amazingly, I won two quick pots and left the table with a profit of $126. Down $43.50 for the day, I felt much better heading to the party.
Five hours later, I was back in Milwaukee and sitting at my computer. I joined another 6-man $5/$10 table and, per usual, I immediately started to lose money. Unfortunately, this is becoming a repetitive theme. All told, I lost $230 in exactly 60 minutes. According to Party Poker, I sat at that table for 60 minutes and 7 seconds. Take it from me - it doesn't feel good to lose $230 in 60 minutes and 7 seconds.
Desperate to recoup my losses, I jumped on a 6-man $10/$20 table. The very first hand I played, I found myself in the big blind holding 5-9 and witnessed a rainbow flop of 6-7-8. The betting got wild, and I lost a monster pot to another guy holding 6-7. He hit another 6 on the turn and his full house scooped a pot worth $336. Had I won that hand, I would have immediately retired for the day with a small loss. Instead, I found myself in a hole of approximately $450. Ugh!!
I sat at that table for quite some time and slowly churned out a comeback. Thank God! This would be a pretty depressing Sketchbook entry if I were reporting a $400 negative Sketchbook entry!
When I finally left the $10/$20 table, I had come within $55.50 of recouping all my daily losses. I started to envision a scene where I went on a dry run and realized how depressing it would be to lose all the money back. So, I quit. Interestingly, I don't really remember any of the big hands I won during my comeback. I can easily recall all the bad beats I suffered this afternoon, but I don't usually recall many of the hands I win. I suppose that's normal.
It would be nice to start a day on a positive note. After all, the grind of coming from behind is exhausting. Thankfully, I experienced some decent luck on the $10/$20 table after losing that first monster pot. Although the Sketchbook still shows a deficit this month, it isn't too ugly.
Daily Sketch: Down $55.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $316.52
June 4, 2005: Back to the Party
After typing last night's Sketchbook, a group of us went to River Splash. I bet Jared $1 that I would recognize more people than he, but I lost. In fact, it was a rather pitiful performance. In the end, Jared won 3-1. Despite the fact that I live three blocks from Water Street, I (apparently) didn't know more than one of the thousands of people who were out last night. Ooops! It cost me a buck to learn that lesson. Since it was a gambling wager, the buck goes into the Sketchbook.
On to today . . .
As promised, I stayed away from PokerRoom and played on Party Poker for a couple hours this afternoon. Before doing that, however, I lost a few bucks on the golf course.
Golfing with Jared, Sean, and Nick this morning, I lost exactly $2 while playing "Wolf" at Ironwood Golf Club. I played reasonably well on the front nine, but my game deteriorated on the back nine. I'm quite happy to "only" lose $2. I "tweaked" my back while teeing off on the 15th hole, and that didn't help matters.
When I got home, I found decent success on Party's 6-man $5/$10 tables. All told, I won exactly $130.98. Some joker came to a table with $40.98. At one point, I put him "all in" and I won the pot - which explains my oddball winnings.
Feeling lucky, I decided to join a 10-man $30(3) table. On the 4th hand of the tournament, I saw a flop of 8-9-A while holding 8-9. Unfortunately, I lost a decent pot to a guy holding Q-10 who hit a Jack on the river. Ugh!!
Later, I saw a flop of 3-9-J while holding a pair of threes. I lost that pot to another player who hit a flush on the river. Two clubs appeared on the flop, and (naturally) my opponent hit his final club. Ugh!!
After losing those two pots, I was down to a paltry 120 chips. I worked that number up to 620 chips and went "all in" with pocket 6's. Unfortunately, I was called by another player holding pocket 10's. I got no help and was eliminated in 6th place.
I took a long break to eat dinner and watch some of the NBA playoff game. When that game became a blowout, however, I decided to jump back on the Party bandwagon.
My first hour went HORRIBLY! I joined a 10-man $5/$10 table and I couldn't catch any cards. I played 53 hands at that table and won exactly 3 of them. In the process, I lost $143.50.
After it became apparent that the first 10-man table wasn't working, I joined another 10-man $5/$10 table and quickly lost another $77. In the space of a little over an hour, I was down $220.50. Ugh!! Like I said, the night was going HORRIBLY!
Completely frustrated by my cards, I jumped on a 6-man $5/$10 table and the streak of bad cards continued. In a matter of 10 minutes, I lost another $170. At that point, I was down exactly $390.50 for the my nightly session and cursing the fact that the Miami Heat couldn't make the NBA game more interesting. Had the Heat kept it close, I wouldn't have been forced to play poker to keep entertained. Had the Heat kept it close, I wouldn't have lost nearly $400 in the space of 75 minutes. The night was going HORRIBLY!
Suddenly, however, my cards turned completely around. I think that someone at Party Poker flipped the switch, 'cuz I started winning every hand I played. Time after time, I flopped top pair. Time after time, my opponents chased cards they never caught. In fact, during the next 45 minutes, I don't recall any of my opponents beating me on the river. Considering the fact that I kept taking the lead after the flop, that meant that I kept winning.
During those magical 45 minutes, I nearly recouped all the money I had lost in my nightly session. In fact, I won back all but $20 - which means that I won a healthy $370.50 in 45 minutes. Whew! That's sweeeet action!!!!
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook shows a decent profit today - thanks to my afternoon session on Party Poker. I lost $20 this evening, but I won more than that in the afternoon. I've bumped my stakes up a bit (I didn't play anything below $5/$10 today), and the swings I experienced tonight are indicative of the increase. If nothing else, it certainly makes these daily entries more exciting!
Daily Sketch: Up $75.98
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $261.02
On to today . . .
As promised, I stayed away from PokerRoom and played on Party Poker for a couple hours this afternoon. Before doing that, however, I lost a few bucks on the golf course.
Golfing with Jared, Sean, and Nick this morning, I lost exactly $2 while playing "Wolf" at Ironwood Golf Club. I played reasonably well on the front nine, but my game deteriorated on the back nine. I'm quite happy to "only" lose $2. I "tweaked" my back while teeing off on the 15th hole, and that didn't help matters.
When I got home, I found decent success on Party's 6-man $5/$10 tables. All told, I won exactly $130.98. Some joker came to a table with $40.98. At one point, I put him "all in" and I won the pot - which explains my oddball winnings.
Feeling lucky, I decided to join a 10-man $30(3) table. On the 4th hand of the tournament, I saw a flop of 8-9-A while holding 8-9. Unfortunately, I lost a decent pot to a guy holding Q-10 who hit a Jack on the river. Ugh!!
Later, I saw a flop of 3-9-J while holding a pair of threes. I lost that pot to another player who hit a flush on the river. Two clubs appeared on the flop, and (naturally) my opponent hit his final club. Ugh!!
After losing those two pots, I was down to a paltry 120 chips. I worked that number up to 620 chips and went "all in" with pocket 6's. Unfortunately, I was called by another player holding pocket 10's. I got no help and was eliminated in 6th place.
I took a long break to eat dinner and watch some of the NBA playoff game. When that game became a blowout, however, I decided to jump back on the Party bandwagon.
My first hour went HORRIBLY! I joined a 10-man $5/$10 table and I couldn't catch any cards. I played 53 hands at that table and won exactly 3 of them. In the process, I lost $143.50.
After it became apparent that the first 10-man table wasn't working, I joined another 10-man $5/$10 table and quickly lost another $77. In the space of a little over an hour, I was down $220.50. Ugh!! Like I said, the night was going HORRIBLY!
Completely frustrated by my cards, I jumped on a 6-man $5/$10 table and the streak of bad cards continued. In a matter of 10 minutes, I lost another $170. At that point, I was down exactly $390.50 for the my nightly session and cursing the fact that the Miami Heat couldn't make the NBA game more interesting. Had the Heat kept it close, I wouldn't have been forced to play poker to keep entertained. Had the Heat kept it close, I wouldn't have lost nearly $400 in the space of 75 minutes. The night was going HORRIBLY!
Suddenly, however, my cards turned completely around. I think that someone at Party Poker flipped the switch, 'cuz I started winning every hand I played. Time after time, I flopped top pair. Time after time, my opponents chased cards they never caught. In fact, during the next 45 minutes, I don't recall any of my opponents beating me on the river. Considering the fact that I kept taking the lead after the flop, that meant that I kept winning.
During those magical 45 minutes, I nearly recouped all the money I had lost in my nightly session. In fact, I won back all but $20 - which means that I won a healthy $370.50 in 45 minutes. Whew! That's sweeeet action!!!!
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook shows a decent profit today - thanks to my afternoon session on Party Poker. I lost $20 this evening, but I won more than that in the afternoon. I've bumped my stakes up a bit (I didn't play anything below $5/$10 today), and the swings I experienced tonight are indicative of the increase. If nothing else, it certainly makes these daily entries more exciting!
Daily Sketch: Up $75.98
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $261.02
June 3, 2005: Ouch!!
I took the day off from work. Theresa and I visited a Par 3 golf course midday, but I had plenty of time to play some on-line poker before (and after) the round. Unfortunately, things didn't go particularly well.
Chasing my $150 reload bonus on PokerRoom, I concentrated my play at that site. Unfortunately, the poker gods weren't on my side, and I lost a whopping $324 while playing on different 5-man $5/$10 tables. I think that the dealers at PokerRoom have something against me right now.
I can't say that I suffered a lot of bad beats today. Instead, I lost a lot of hands on the flop. Too many times to mention, I'd find myself in a 1-on-1 pot holding something like K-10. Unbeknownst to me, my opponent would be holding something like K-8, but the 8 kept flopping. It was very very very frustrating!!
After the dust had cleared, my PokerRoom account had been decimated by exactly $324. Ouch!! That's one of my worst days in the past 12 months. If nothing else, the math is definitely not adding up right now. I'm down nearly $400 on PokerRoom over the past week - as I continue to chase the $150 bonus. Ugh!!
I think I'm going to take a short break from PokerRoom. I only need to accumulate 144 more points to earn my bonus, but the bonus doesn't expire until July 23rd. For the short term, I think I'm going to go back to Party and "settle down" for a little while. PokerRoom is really frustrating me right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $324
Month-to-Date Sketchbook: Down $336
Chasing my $150 reload bonus on PokerRoom, I concentrated my play at that site. Unfortunately, the poker gods weren't on my side, and I lost a whopping $324 while playing on different 5-man $5/$10 tables. I think that the dealers at PokerRoom have something against me right now.
I can't say that I suffered a lot of bad beats today. Instead, I lost a lot of hands on the flop. Too many times to mention, I'd find myself in a 1-on-1 pot holding something like K-10. Unbeknownst to me, my opponent would be holding something like K-8, but the 8 kept flopping. It was very very very frustrating!!
After the dust had cleared, my PokerRoom account had been decimated by exactly $324. Ouch!! That's one of my worst days in the past 12 months. If nothing else, the math is definitely not adding up right now. I'm down nearly $400 on PokerRoom over the past week - as I continue to chase the $150 bonus. Ugh!!
I think I'm going to take a short break from PokerRoom. I only need to accumulate 144 more points to earn my bonus, but the bonus doesn't expire until July 23rd. For the short term, I think I'm going to go back to Party and "settle down" for a little while. PokerRoom is really frustrating me right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $324
Month-to-Date Sketchbook: Down $336
June 2, 2005: Poker at Harry's
I visited Harry's home for a recurring monthly game of Dealer's Choice Poker. As a result of the honeymoon, I missed last month's game, so it had been two months since I'd seen the boys.
The minimum bet for the night was $1. The maximum bet was $3, and the night seemed to start well enough. On the very first hand of the night (a game of Texas Hold 'em), I was dealt A-5 and saw a flop of 5-5-J. Unfortunately, one of my opponents caught a runner-runner straight and the night seemed to deteriorate from there.
For the first 3 hours and 15 minutes that we played, I won the equivalent of exactly three-quarters of one pot. I split a pot of Hi-Low 7-card Stud and won another quarter of a pot of Hi-Low Criss-Cross. Admittedly, these games go rather slowly (there's a lot of friendly banter during and after hands), but I still couldn't even win the equivalent of ONE hand during those opening 195 minutes. I'd guess that we played 45 hands during that time period. Ugh! That's a miserable winning percentage!
At that point, I was down approximately $140. I did, however, win the final two hands of the night and finished with a deficit of $49. Thank God for those last two hands, 'cuz the Sketchbook was starting to look pretty ugly!
Usually, the night ends with some hands at Harry's blackjack table or some tosses at his craps table. However, almost everyone else had early plans in the morning, so the game broke up shortly after midnight. I'm off work tomorrow, so I could have played games other than poker. But, it's pretty difficult to "Toss the Bones" without anyone else. Apparently, Harry won A LOT of money playing craps last month, and no one was overly eager to watch him get hot again tonight.
Daily Sketch: Down $49
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $12
The minimum bet for the night was $1. The maximum bet was $3, and the night seemed to start well enough. On the very first hand of the night (a game of Texas Hold 'em), I was dealt A-5 and saw a flop of 5-5-J. Unfortunately, one of my opponents caught a runner-runner straight and the night seemed to deteriorate from there.
For the first 3 hours and 15 minutes that we played, I won the equivalent of exactly three-quarters of one pot. I split a pot of Hi-Low 7-card Stud and won another quarter of a pot of Hi-Low Criss-Cross. Admittedly, these games go rather slowly (there's a lot of friendly banter during and after hands), but I still couldn't even win the equivalent of ONE hand during those opening 195 minutes. I'd guess that we played 45 hands during that time period. Ugh! That's a miserable winning percentage!
At that point, I was down approximately $140. I did, however, win the final two hands of the night and finished with a deficit of $49. Thank God for those last two hands, 'cuz the Sketchbook was starting to look pretty ugly!
Usually, the night ends with some hands at Harry's blackjack table or some tosses at his craps table. However, almost everyone else had early plans in the morning, so the game broke up shortly after midnight. I'm off work tomorrow, so I could have played games other than poker. But, it's pretty difficult to "Toss the Bones" without anyone else. Apparently, Harry won A LOT of money playing craps last month, and no one was overly eager to watch him get hot again tonight.
Daily Sketch: Down $49
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $12
June 1, 2005: A New Sketchbook
.Congratulations! If you're reading this entry, you've found my Sketchbook! Welcome aboard!
Twelve months ago, I started this Sketchbook. Back then, I said that I was going to "take on the monumental task of attempting to track all my gambling exploits." At the time, the over/under on the Sketchbook's life was 3 months. In hindsight, 3 months seemed like a pretty realistic life span.
If nothing else, the Sketchbook wouldn't have survived this long if I weren't winning. After all, it's certainly easy to type a positive entry. On the other hand, I always wince when I'm typing about a night's losses. If I were creating negative entry after negative entry, my enthusiasm for tracking my results would certainly diminish, thereby putting the Sketchbook's existence in jeopardy.
As it turns out, had anyone bet the under, they would have lost. On June 14th, the Sketchbook officially turns one-year old. I had intended on giving my Sketchbook this new website on its birthday, but I've moved that transition ahead two weeks. It was always a hassle transitioning the old Sketchbook into a new month, and this new website makes things very easy. With that being said, June 2005 sees the advent of a new website for my Sketchbook. Yay for me!
I hope that my loyal readers enjoy the new site. I've been testing this site for the past few weeks, and I like it. As you can see, it's very easy for me to add links and polls (see right). I'm especially proud of my politically incorrect Marquette logo (at the top). I'll always be a Warrior at heart!!
I still need to tweak a few things, however. For one, I need to add a hit counter. At this point, I don't know how many people are reading the Sketchbook at this new location. I may also change the look of my polls. I don't know that I'm overly excited about the way it looks. Still, feel free to vote in the poll and let me know if you have any ideas on how to improve the new website. Otherwise, simply enjoy the prose!
On to the gambling . . .
I spent a couple hours this evening on PokerRoom. Playing a 5-man $3/$6 table, I won a modest $37. Per usual, I started the session in the hole. At one time, I was down $150. Yet, I battled back and quickly retired after hitting Quad 8's on the last hand I played. My opponents were probably annoyed when I immediately left the table, but so be it.
I still need to accumulate 559 points to earn my $150 reload bonus. However, considering the fact that I've earned nearly 500 points in my last two sessions, earning PokerRoom's $150 bonus will be a snap.
The new Sketchbook starts with a positive entry. Woo Hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $37
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $37
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
