I played poker at Bernard's tonight and won $15. I was a little disappointed that more trickers and treaters didn't wander by his Brookfield home during the course of the evening, but what can you do? The lack of kids made for extra candy for us poker players!
Anyway, I won nearly $35 during the first 90 minutes of play, but a very bad run of cards for the next 90 minutes took back most of those winnings. Then, I flopped a full house in the last ten minues, and that accounted for most of my nightly profits.
Daily Sketch: Up $15
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $251.25
October 29, 2005: A Bad Morning
I jumped up to the $5/$10 tables on Party Poker and had a bad morning. All told, I played for a little over an hour and was down about $50. Then, the cyberspace poker gods turned against me in an instant.
On back-to-back-to-back hands, I lost big pots on the river, and that effectively ended my session. I had taken $200 to the table, and that's what I lost in a matter of minutes. It's amazing at the speed that $150 can disappear when you're playing online poker.
On the first hand, I was sitting in the big blind while holding 6c 7c. The flop came 5-6-7 (rainbow) and I felt relatively comfortable with my two-pair. I eventually lost the hand, however, when a 4 on the river gave the pot to my opponent - who was holding A-8. He won with a straight. Ugh!
On the very next hand, I'm dealt 10-10 and the flop comes 4-10-J. This pot became quite tasty, but I lost the hand when a king appeared on the river. My opponent was holding pocket kings and his 3-of-a-kind took it home. Ugh!!
Finally, on the very next hand, I'm holding As Ks and I call a preflop raise. The flop comes 10s-Jc-Qd. I flopped the nuts. Per usual, the betting gets crazy. As it turns out, my opponent is holding pocket Queens, so he's flopped 3-of-a-kind. The turn (3s) and river (3c) seemed harmless enough, except that they completed a full house for my opponent. Ugh!!!
That last hand was particularly devastating. After the river, I had gone "all in", but I felt very uneasy when my two opponents kept betting after the 2nd three appeared on the board.
Now I remember why my gambling has slowed down lately. I think I need to visit Potawatomi sometime soon and play "live" poker - primarily because this online action is getting seemingly ridiculous. To lose three hands in succession on the river is very difficult to take.
Daily Sketch: Down $200
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $266.25
On back-to-back-to-back hands, I lost big pots on the river, and that effectively ended my session. I had taken $200 to the table, and that's what I lost in a matter of minutes. It's amazing at the speed that $150 can disappear when you're playing online poker.
On the first hand, I was sitting in the big blind while holding 6c 7c. The flop came 5-6-7 (rainbow) and I felt relatively comfortable with my two-pair. I eventually lost the hand, however, when a 4 on the river gave the pot to my opponent - who was holding A-8. He won with a straight. Ugh!
On the very next hand, I'm dealt 10-10 and the flop comes 4-10-J. This pot became quite tasty, but I lost the hand when a king appeared on the river. My opponent was holding pocket kings and his 3-of-a-kind took it home. Ugh!!
Finally, on the very next hand, I'm holding As Ks and I call a preflop raise. The flop comes 10s-Jc-Qd. I flopped the nuts. Per usual, the betting gets crazy. As it turns out, my opponent is holding pocket Queens, so he's flopped 3-of-a-kind. The turn (3s) and river (3c) seemed harmless enough, except that they completed a full house for my opponent. Ugh!!!
That last hand was particularly devastating. After the river, I had gone "all in", but I felt very uneasy when my two opponents kept betting after the 2nd three appeared on the board.
Now I remember why my gambling has slowed down lately. I think I need to visit Potawatomi sometime soon and play "live" poker - primarily because this online action is getting seemingly ridiculous. To lose three hands in succession on the river is very difficult to take.
Daily Sketch: Down $200
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $266.25
October 26, 2005: Ugly Players
I encountered an unusually high number of bad players tonight. Unfortunately, I couldn't beat them. As a result, the Sketchbook took a small hit today.
I began my night by throwing $12 at the Mini-Step Tournaments. I eventually lost the money, however, when some real "donkeys" chased some cards that they always seemed to hit against me. I didn't make it to Step #2 and couldn't even win a free entry back into a Step #1.
Next, I went to some $1/$2 tables and found the same type of people. I lost two particularly big pots to a guy who chased every flush possibility to the river. If he was holding any two suited cards, he'd call any preflop raise. If only a single card of his same suit appeared on the flop, he'd call any bet or raise and chase the flush.
On one hand, I lost to his 9h 2h while holding Qd Qs. The flop came Qh Ks Ad and I eventually lost a big pot when the turn and river came as hearts. I had raised before the flop and bet after the flop, but he kept calling my bets. Ugh! My 3-of-a-kind lost to his miracle flush.
Anyway, after all was said and done, I gave away $40 at the $1/$2 tables. Coupled with the $12 I spent at the Mini-Steps, I lost $52 this evening. I guess I should have stayed at the $3/$6 tables, ehhh? I was tempted to visit those tables after losing the $40, but I knew I was on a bit of tilt and wasn't in the mood to lose more money.
Daily Sketch: Down $52
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $66.25
I began my night by throwing $12 at the Mini-Step Tournaments. I eventually lost the money, however, when some real "donkeys" chased some cards that they always seemed to hit against me. I didn't make it to Step #2 and couldn't even win a free entry back into a Step #1.
Next, I went to some $1/$2 tables and found the same type of people. I lost two particularly big pots to a guy who chased every flush possibility to the river. If he was holding any two suited cards, he'd call any preflop raise. If only a single card of his same suit appeared on the flop, he'd call any bet or raise and chase the flush.
On one hand, I lost to his 9h 2h while holding Qd Qs. The flop came Qh Ks Ad and I eventually lost a big pot when the turn and river came as hearts. I had raised before the flop and bet after the flop, but he kept calling my bets. Ugh! My 3-of-a-kind lost to his miracle flush.
Anyway, after all was said and done, I gave away $40 at the $1/$2 tables. Coupled with the $12 I spent at the Mini-Steps, I lost $52 this evening. I guess I should have stayed at the $3/$6 tables, ehhh? I was tempted to visit those tables after losing the $40, but I knew I was on a bit of tilt and wasn't in the mood to lose more money.
Daily Sketch: Down $52
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $66.25
October 24, 2005: Poker at Joe's
I played poker at Joe's tonight. It's been quite a while since I played low stakes poker with the boys, so it was a good time. Unfortunately, the cards didn't cooperate and I lost $9 this evening. Oh, well.
Daily Sketch: Down $9
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $14.25
Daily Sketch: Down $9
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $14.25
October 22, 2005: A Bad Router
I had planned on spending a lot of time playing on-line poker today, but my wireless router had other plans. Around 10:00am this morning, my Roadrunner went out - prematurely ending two Mini-Step #1 Tournaments that I was playing. I had gotten down to the final four players in each tournament, so I earned free entries back into Step #1's. However, I was obviously frustrated by the fact that I missed two shots at getting to Step #2.
For the better part of the day, I waited for Roadrunner to come back while reclining on the couch and watching college football. This has happened frequently enough, and I assumed that my entire apartment building's Roadrunner service had been lost. However, after watching the Badgers beat Purdue late in the afternoon, I finally decided to investigate my own computer. After a little testing, I found that my router wasn't working. After hitting the reset button, everything was fine. Ugh! That's a solid 8 hours of gambling that I lost!
After all was said and done, I played on a $3/$6 table for about two hours before Theresa came home from her day of errands. All told, I won $27.50. Not exactly a windfall, is it? If nothing else, today's winnings paid for the Chinese that we had delivered to the apartment for dinner.
Daily Sketch: Up $27.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $5.25
For the better part of the day, I waited for Roadrunner to come back while reclining on the couch and watching college football. This has happened frequently enough, and I assumed that my entire apartment building's Roadrunner service had been lost. However, after watching the Badgers beat Purdue late in the afternoon, I finally decided to investigate my own computer. After a little testing, I found that my router wasn't working. After hitting the reset button, everything was fine. Ugh! That's a solid 8 hours of gambling that I lost!
After all was said and done, I played on a $3/$6 table for about two hours before Theresa came home from her day of errands. All told, I won $27.50. Not exactly a windfall, is it? If nothing else, today's winnings paid for the Chinese that we had delivered to the apartment for dinner.
Daily Sketch: Up $27.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $5.25
October 20, 2005: A Quick Update
I've been tinkering around in Mini-Step #1 the past few days. I think I've played 5 times, and I've finished 2nd twice, 3rd once, and 5th two other times. Ugh!
At the same time, I've dabbled in the $3/$6 tables and won a whopping $14.25. Woo hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $14.25
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $32.75
At the same time, I've dabbled in the $3/$6 tables and won a whopping $14.25. Woo hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $14.25
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $32.75
October 17, 2005: Another Mini-Step Update
Tonight was a disaster in the world of Mini-Steps. After reaching Step #4 last night, I felt pretty good as I logged onto my laptop this evening. Unfortunately, my enthusiasm was quickly tempered.
I started the 10-man Mini-Step #4 Tournament with 1,000 chips. On the 7th hand, I'm dealt Ad Kh and quickly raise the ante to 80 chips. The flop comes 5h Td 5c and I call a bet of 75 chips that's made by my only opponent. The turn is a 3h and I fold my hand when my opponent bets 125 chips.
On the 10th hand of the tournament, I'm dealt Ac Ah and raise the ante to 80 chips. This time, everyone folds and I scoop the blinds (25 chips). That, my friends, is VERY unfortunate. Considering the fact that you'll be dealt pocket rockets once every 220 hands, you need to win more than 25 chips when you actually get them.
On the 14th hand of the tournament, I'm dealt Ts Td and I call another player's raise to 105 chips. The flop comes 6d 5d Jc and I bet 75 chips. My opponent raises to 275 chips and I'm forced to muck my hand. Despite the fact that I'm getting nice cards, I'm down to 635 chips and I'm already the low stack at the table.
On the 23rd hand of the tournament, I'm dealt 9d 9c. Another player raises the bet to 100 chips and I call the bet. The flop comes Jh 8h 5h and I curse my luck. Why don't I have a heart? After the two of us both check, the turn is a 3d. I bet 50 chips and my opponent calls. The river comes as a Qh and I fold when my opponent bets 125 chips. I can't imagine that I was going to win this hand if I called the bet. I'm sitting on 435 chips.
By the time the 37th hand of the tournament has rolled around, I've been blinded down to 285 chips. I'm dealt 6c 6h and I'm forced to go "all in" before the flop. I'm called by one guy holding Ad Kc. The board comes 7h Qd 9s 7d 9c and I lose the pot when my opponent's Ad serves as a better kicker for the two-pair that's come out on the board. Can my luck get any worse? My "reward" for a 9th place finish is a free entry into a Mini-Step #1 Tournament.
I can't imagine an uglier run of 37 hands. Poker can seem mighty unfair sometimes. Ugh!
For the rest of the evening, I floundered at Step #1. In one tournament, I had 7,300 chips and my only opponent had 700 chips and I still couldn't win the tournament. Time after time, I'd make it to the final three or four players, and then the cards would turn horribly south. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement. I thought about throwing my laptop out the window, but decided that my freeroll into a $5 tournament wasn't worth wrecking a $500 computer.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $47
I started the 10-man Mini-Step #4 Tournament with 1,000 chips. On the 7th hand, I'm dealt Ad Kh and quickly raise the ante to 80 chips. The flop comes 5h Td 5c and I call a bet of 75 chips that's made by my only opponent. The turn is a 3h and I fold my hand when my opponent bets 125 chips.
On the 10th hand of the tournament, I'm dealt Ac Ah and raise the ante to 80 chips. This time, everyone folds and I scoop the blinds (25 chips). That, my friends, is VERY unfortunate. Considering the fact that you'll be dealt pocket rockets once every 220 hands, you need to win more than 25 chips when you actually get them.
On the 14th hand of the tournament, I'm dealt Ts Td and I call another player's raise to 105 chips. The flop comes 6d 5d Jc and I bet 75 chips. My opponent raises to 275 chips and I'm forced to muck my hand. Despite the fact that I'm getting nice cards, I'm down to 635 chips and I'm already the low stack at the table.
On the 23rd hand of the tournament, I'm dealt 9d 9c. Another player raises the bet to 100 chips and I call the bet. The flop comes Jh 8h 5h and I curse my luck. Why don't I have a heart? After the two of us both check, the turn is a 3d. I bet 50 chips and my opponent calls. The river comes as a Qh and I fold when my opponent bets 125 chips. I can't imagine that I was going to win this hand if I called the bet. I'm sitting on 435 chips.
By the time the 37th hand of the tournament has rolled around, I've been blinded down to 285 chips. I'm dealt 6c 6h and I'm forced to go "all in" before the flop. I'm called by one guy holding Ad Kc. The board comes 7h Qd 9s 7d 9c and I lose the pot when my opponent's Ad serves as a better kicker for the two-pair that's come out on the board. Can my luck get any worse? My "reward" for a 9th place finish is a free entry into a Mini-Step #1 Tournament.
I can't imagine an uglier run of 37 hands. Poker can seem mighty unfair sometimes. Ugh!
For the rest of the evening, I floundered at Step #1. In one tournament, I had 7,300 chips and my only opponent had 700 chips and I still couldn't win the tournament. Time after time, I'd make it to the final three or four players, and then the cards would turn horribly south. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement. I thought about throwing my laptop out the window, but decided that my freeroll into a $5 tournament wasn't worth wrecking a $500 computer.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $47
October 16, 2005: A Mini-Step Update
For the past two days, I've been trying to advance through Party Poker's Mini-Step 10-man Tournaments. When last I wrote about them (on Thursday), I was sitting at Step #3.
Since that time, I must've played 15 different tournaments while watching A LOT of football this weekend. I've advanced as far as Step #4 and I've been sent down to Step #2. All the while, however, I haven't had to invest another dollar into the Step program. If nothing else, I'm playing well enough to continue earning "freerolls" into these tournaments. As a result, the Sketchbook's Month-to-Date figure isn't moving.
Four different times, I've been on the brink of advancing to Step #5 (the last Step), but I can't get over the hump. On one occassion, I was the chip leader at Step #4 after we had gotten down to three players. Considering the fact that the top 2 players advance to Step #5, things were looking good. However, I couldn't catch the last set of cards that would have allowed me to advance to the final step. In my four attempts at Step #4, I finished 3rd, 5th, 4th, & 4th. Each time, I earned a free entry back into Step #4.
On my fifth attempt at Step #4 this afternoon, I was dealt QQ after we had gotten down to eight players. Before I knew it, I found myself going "all in" before the flop and was called by another player holding QK. I had the lead, but a flop of 9-10-J sent me packing back to Step #2. Ugh!!
For the rest of the afternoon, I battled to get out of the Step #2 hole. Time after time, I'd finish in the Top Five (which guarantees another freeroll into Step #2), but I couldn't finish in the Top 2 (which allows you to move up to Step #3). Finally, around 8:30pm, I won a Mini-Step #2 Tournament and earned an entry into Step #3. At that point, I was almost ready to retire - exactly where I left my readers on Thursday. However, I decided to play one more Step #3 Tournament while I typed up the first part of this daily entry.
Wouldn't you know it, I actually won the Mini-Step #3 Tournament? Down to four players, I went "all in" with AK and two of the other players called with QQ and A-10. A king appeared on the board and I knocked out both players at once - guaranteeing a spot in Mini-Step #4. Woo Hoo!! Happy to be back at Step #4, I logged out of the Party Poker system. I'll reaquaint myself with Mini-Step #4 tomorrow night and see what happens during the Monday Night Football Game.
Overall, I know that these Steps aren't overly exciting for a blog, but what can you do? Considering the amount of time I spent on Party Poker this weekend, it's pretty sad that there's no change in my cash balance. However, the $2,000 prize for 1st place in a Mini-Step #5 Tournament continues to beckon and I'm currently sitting one step away from Step #5. $2k would certainly look good for a daily sketch, ehhh?
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $47
October 15, 2005: Poker at Tom's
I played poker at Tom's house with Rob, Craig, Jared, Tom, and Chris this evening. Generally speaking, the cards fell in my direction and I proceeded to win exactly $53 during the course of the night. Jared was the big winner (we think), as he took home something like $75.
The difference between my own winnings and Jared's profits was a result of the money I won in our opening $5 Hold 'em Tournament. I took 1st in the opening event of the night and started "in the black" by $15 before we started playing dealer's choice games. After that, Jared and I seemed to scoop a lot of pots, which probably helps to explain why we were the only two players to record a profit this evening.
If you happen to talk to Jared in the near future, feel free to congratulate him on his winnings. He doesn't get to read this Sketchbook (his workplace blocks blogs), so he'll miss seeing his name on the worldwide web today!
Daily Sketch: Up $53
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $47
The difference between my own winnings and Jared's profits was a result of the money I won in our opening $5 Hold 'em Tournament. I took 1st in the opening event of the night and started "in the black" by $15 before we started playing dealer's choice games. After that, Jared and I seemed to scoop a lot of pots, which probably helps to explain why we were the only two players to record a profit this evening.
If you happen to talk to Jared in the near future, feel free to congratulate him on his winnings. He doesn't get to read this Sketchbook (his workplace blocks blogs), so he'll miss seeing his name on the worldwide web today!
Daily Sketch: Up $53
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $47
October 13, 2005: Back Up the Steps
It isn't exciting Sketchbook fodder, but I went back to Party Poker's Mini-Steps tonight.
I found pretty good success. Using the free entry that I had in a Mini-Step #1, I proceeded to advance past Steps #1 & #2 on my first attempts. Woo hoo!!
I hit a roadblock at Step #3, however. I played three different times and finished 4th each time. Thankfully, 4th place is just good enough to stay at Step #3, so I wasn't relegated to a lower Step. However, I had enough of the Steps after three tries and joined a $1/$2 regular Hold 'em Table.
My luck ran horrible at that table, however, and I proceeded to lose exactly $50. Ugh! I suffered through some incredibly bad river cards and paid the price. On my last hand, I flopped a set of 8's but lost to a guy who caught a runner-runner straight on a hand he had no right playing. What can you do?
So, I lost $50 tonight, but I'm sitting at Mini-Step #3, so I suppose it wasn't all bad.
Daily Sketch: Down $50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $100
I found pretty good success. Using the free entry that I had in a Mini-Step #1, I proceeded to advance past Steps #1 & #2 on my first attempts. Woo hoo!!
I hit a roadblock at Step #3, however. I played three different times and finished 4th each time. Thankfully, 4th place is just good enough to stay at Step #3, so I wasn't relegated to a lower Step. However, I had enough of the Steps after three tries and joined a $1/$2 regular Hold 'em Table.
My luck ran horrible at that table, however, and I proceeded to lose exactly $50. Ugh! I suffered through some incredibly bad river cards and paid the price. On my last hand, I flopped a set of 8's but lost to a guy who caught a runner-runner straight on a hand he had no right playing. What can you do?
So, I lost $50 tonight, but I'm sitting at Mini-Step #3, so I suppose it wasn't all bad.
Daily Sketch: Down $50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $100
October 9, 2005: Mini-Step #3 Misadventure
Apparently, Party Poker was down for quite some time yesterday so that they could upgrade the software. When I logged in today, I found that Party Poker is now dealing blackjack and offering side wagers on the flop. I played blackjack for 20 minutes this morning and won $17. That might make Priest Holmes (who took the time to sign my Guestbook) somewhat happy.
The side wagers are interesing. At 8-1 odds, you can wager that the three cards in the flop will all be the same color. I tried it twice (at $2.50 a shot) and didn't win either time. To be honest, I've never heard people begging to wager on such a thing, but so be it. I doubt I'll ever place another side bet on the results of the flop. It seemed dumb and a waste of time. I retired from these new games up $12.
After watching the Packers spank the Saints this afternoon, I played my Mini-Step #3 Tournament. To put it mildly, it didn't go well.
After 36 hands, we were down to 8 players and I had an average stack of chips. Then came this hand:
***** Hand History for Game 2852584315 *****
NL Texas Hold'em $50 Buy-in + $5
Level:4 Blinds(50/100) - Sunday, October 09, 16:57:53 EDT 2005
Table Mini Step 3 #1067773 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: kassymacky ( $1047 )
Seat 2: djpark ( $1168 )
Seat 5: Jeff710 ( $1090 )
Seat 10: Stv_1313 ( $1159 )
Seat 4: Bobdacatfish ( $1470 )
Seat 9: mgc2372 ( $1183 )
Seat 7: wooferman ( $1245 )
Seat 6: rwesty2 ( $1638 )
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ 5c 5d ]
rwesty2 folds.
wooferman folds.
mgc2372 calls [100].
Stv_1313 bets [400]
kassymacky folds.
djpark folds.
Bobdacatfish is all-In [1420]
Jeff710 folds.
mgc2372 folds.
Stv_1313 calls all-in [759]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ts, Qc, 5h ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ah ]
** Dealing River ** [ Ad ]
Bobdacatfish shows [ Ac, As ] four of a kind, aces.
Stv_1313 shows [ 5c, 5d ] a full house, Fives full of aces.
Stv_1313 finished in eighth and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
Ugh! I probably shouldn't have gone "all in" with the pair of 5's, but I certainly felt pretty good when I flopped the set. From there, however, all hell broke loose. Ugh!
Daily Sketch: Up $12
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $50
The side wagers are interesing. At 8-1 odds, you can wager that the three cards in the flop will all be the same color. I tried it twice (at $2.50 a shot) and didn't win either time. To be honest, I've never heard people begging to wager on such a thing, but so be it. I doubt I'll ever place another side bet on the results of the flop. It seemed dumb and a waste of time. I retired from these new games up $12.
After watching the Packers spank the Saints this afternoon, I played my Mini-Step #3 Tournament. To put it mildly, it didn't go well.
After 36 hands, we were down to 8 players and I had an average stack of chips. Then came this hand:
***** Hand History for Game 2852584315 *****
NL Texas Hold'em $50 Buy-in + $5
Level:4 Blinds(50/100) - Sunday, October 09, 16:57:53 EDT 2005
Table Mini Step 3 #1067773 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 1: kassymacky ( $1047 )
Seat 2: djpark ( $1168 )
Seat 5: Jeff710 ( $1090 )
Seat 10: Stv_1313 ( $1159 )
Seat 4: Bobdacatfish ( $1470 )
Seat 9: mgc2372 ( $1183 )
Seat 7: wooferman ( $1245 )
Seat 6: rwesty2 ( $1638 )
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Stv_1313 [ 5c 5d ]
rwesty2 folds.
wooferman folds.
mgc2372 calls [100].
Stv_1313 bets [400]
kassymacky folds.
djpark folds.
Bobdacatfish is all-In [1420]
Jeff710 folds.
mgc2372 folds.
Stv_1313 calls all-in [759]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ts, Qc, 5h ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ah ]
** Dealing River ** [ Ad ]
Bobdacatfish shows [ Ac, As ] four of a kind, aces.
Stv_1313 shows [ 5c, 5d ] a full house, Fives full of aces.
Stv_1313 finished in eighth and wins Entry to Mini Step 1
Ugh! I probably shouldn't have gone "all in" with the pair of 5's, but I certainly felt pretty good when I flopped the set. From there, however, all hell broke loose. Ugh!
Daily Sketch: Up $12
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $50
October 8, 2005: Steppin' Up
I muddled around in the Steps today. On my first try this morning, I was able to win a Mini-Step #1 Tournament, so I was feeling pretty good about myself. Then, I proceeded to finish 3rd, 5th, & 3rd in my next three Mini-Step #2 Tournaments. The top two players advance to Step #3, so I was getting pretty frustrated. At least I was allowed to stay at Mini-Step #2 as a result of my strong finishes.
The Badger/Northwestern game was getting ready to start, but I decided to play one more Mini-Step #2 Tournament before focusing on watching the football game. In an unusual twist of good fortune, I was dealt AA twice early and quickly found myself with a lot of chips when people went "all in" against me. I managed to maintain a good pile of chips throughout the tournament and eventually finished in 2nd place. As such, I won a free entry to a Mini-Step #3 Tournament. Finally!
Shortly after finishing my Mini-Step #2 Tournament, Party Poker's website went down for the entire afternoon. I don't know what happened, but I can't imagine that Party Poker was happy to see their site collapse on a Saturday afternoon. They must have lost a lot of profit in rake money that they otherwise would have collected on a busy weekend day.
I wanted to play my Step #3 after watching the Badgers lose, but it didn't happen. By the time Theresa and I headed out for the evening, Party Poker's site was still down. I guess my venture into Mini-Step #3 will hafta wait until tomorrow - assuming Party Poker figures things out.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $62
The Badger/Northwestern game was getting ready to start, but I decided to play one more Mini-Step #2 Tournament before focusing on watching the football game. In an unusual twist of good fortune, I was dealt AA twice early and quickly found myself with a lot of chips when people went "all in" against me. I managed to maintain a good pile of chips throughout the tournament and eventually finished in 2nd place. As such, I won a free entry to a Mini-Step #3 Tournament. Finally!
Shortly after finishing my Mini-Step #2 Tournament, Party Poker's website went down for the entire afternoon. I don't know what happened, but I can't imagine that Party Poker was happy to see their site collapse on a Saturday afternoon. They must have lost a lot of profit in rake money that they otherwise would have collected on a busy weekend day.
I wanted to play my Step #3 after watching the Badgers lose, but it didn't happen. By the time Theresa and I headed out for the evening, Party Poker's site was still down. I guess my venture into Mini-Step #3 will hafta wait until tomorrow - assuming Party Poker figures things out.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $62
October 6, 2005: Mini-Step #2
Upon getting home from work this evening, I immediately joined a Mini-Step #2 Tournament on Party Poker. On my very first hand, I'm dealt As Kh. The blinds are 10/15 and an opponent (HarpoonME) two seats in front of me raises the bet to 70 chips. I call the bet (along with one other guy) and three of us see the flop.
The flop comes Ad Qs 4h. That's not bad. I've flopped top pair and there are no flush draws on the board. After seeing this flop, my opponents both check and I bet 65 chips. I get one caller (HarpoonME).
The turn is the Ac. Wonderful! I've got three-of-a-kind. HarpoonME checks to me. Rather than scare him off, I also check.
The river is a 9d. HarpoonME bets 325 chips. I put him on a Queen, and he may have caught two pair on the river. That doesn't matter to me, 'cuz I've got three aces. I raise him "all in" and wait for a response.
HarpoonME thinks for a moment and calls my bet. He flips over QQ and shows he's got a full boat. He takes the pot and I'm rudely eliminated from the Mini-Step #2 Tournament on the very first hand I've played tonight. Ugh!
Looking back at the hand, there wasn't much I could do about it. That's poker, I guess.
I spent another $6 and joined a Mini-Step #1 Tournament. I played three tournaments and finished 3rd, 4th, and 3rd. Each time, I won another free entry into a Mini-Step #1 Tournament, but I didn't make any progress past Step #1. I'm beginning to remember why I don't like these Tourneys. :-)
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $62
The flop comes Ad Qs 4h. That's not bad. I've flopped top pair and there are no flush draws on the board. After seeing this flop, my opponents both check and I bet 65 chips. I get one caller (HarpoonME).
The turn is the Ac. Wonderful! I've got three-of-a-kind. HarpoonME checks to me. Rather than scare him off, I also check.
The river is a 9d. HarpoonME bets 325 chips. I put him on a Queen, and he may have caught two pair on the river. That doesn't matter to me, 'cuz I've got three aces. I raise him "all in" and wait for a response.
HarpoonME thinks for a moment and calls my bet. He flips over QQ and shows he's got a full boat. He takes the pot and I'm rudely eliminated from the Mini-Step #2 Tournament on the very first hand I've played tonight. Ugh!
Looking back at the hand, there wasn't much I could do about it. That's poker, I guess.
I spent another $6 and joined a Mini-Step #1 Tournament. I played three tournaments and finished 3rd, 4th, and 3rd. Each time, I won another free entry into a Mini-Step #1 Tournament, but I didn't make any progress past Step #1. I'm beginning to remember why I don't like these Tourneys. :-)
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $62
October 5, 2005: One Step at a Time
I was in full "Step Mode" this evening.
On my 2nd attempt tonight, I was able to win a Mini-Step #1 Tournament on Party Poker. I must've folded the first 20 hands of the tournament before catching a wave of great cards that eventually gave me a huge lead when we got down to two players. Then, I got dealt K-K and my opponent (who was holding Q-10) went "all in" before me. I made the easy call and advanced to Mini-Step #2. Bear in mind that the only way to win money in this cycle is to finish in the top 5 of a Mini-Step #5 Tournament.
On the 10th (or so) hand of the Mini-Step #2 Tournament, I was dealt Q-Q and made a significant preflop raise. I was called by two players. As it turned out, one of them was holding 5-5 and the other player was holding 9-9. I was the favorite. Woo Hoo!!
The flop came 2-5-8 and I immediately went "all in." Ooops! Naturally, the guy who had flopped a set a of 5's scooped the pot and I was eliminated from the tournament - along with the guy who was holding 9's. Just like that, I was knocked back down to Mini-Step #1.
I floundered at that level for three tournaments before finally winning one. I was getting tired, but I decided to join a Mini-Step #2 Tournament. I played pretty well and got down to the final three players (the top two advance to the next level), but I was eliminated while holding 9-9. I was the low stack, and I went "all in" before the flop. As bad luck would have it, the chip leader was holding A-A and took me down when another ace appeared on the board. Ooops!
As a result of finishing 3rd, I get to stay at Level #2. Tomorrow night, I'll try to advance to Mini-Step #3.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $56
On my 2nd attempt tonight, I was able to win a Mini-Step #1 Tournament on Party Poker. I must've folded the first 20 hands of the tournament before catching a wave of great cards that eventually gave me a huge lead when we got down to two players. Then, I got dealt K-K and my opponent (who was holding Q-10) went "all in" before me. I made the easy call and advanced to Mini-Step #2. Bear in mind that the only way to win money in this cycle is to finish in the top 5 of a Mini-Step #5 Tournament.
On the 10th (or so) hand of the Mini-Step #2 Tournament, I was dealt Q-Q and made a significant preflop raise. I was called by two players. As it turned out, one of them was holding 5-5 and the other player was holding 9-9. I was the favorite. Woo Hoo!!
The flop came 2-5-8 and I immediately went "all in." Ooops! Naturally, the guy who had flopped a set a of 5's scooped the pot and I was eliminated from the tournament - along with the guy who was holding 9's. Just like that, I was knocked back down to Mini-Step #1.
I floundered at that level for three tournaments before finally winning one. I was getting tired, but I decided to join a Mini-Step #2 Tournament. I played pretty well and got down to the final three players (the top two advance to the next level), but I was eliminated while holding 9-9. I was the low stack, and I went "all in" before the flop. As bad luck would have it, the chip leader was holding A-A and took me down when another ace appeared on the board. Ooops!
As a result of finishing 3rd, I get to stay at Level #2. Tomorrow night, I'll try to advance to Mini-Step #3.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $56
October 4, 2005: Back to the Mini Steps
To the dismay of some of my loyal readers, I went back to Party Poker's mini-steps this evening. At $6 a shot, it's definitely cheap entertainment.
To advance past Mini-Step #1, you need to win a 10-man tournament. However, if you finish 2nd thru 5th, you get a free entry back into another Mini-Step Tournament.
All told, I played 5 tournaments this evening. In order, I finished 3rd, 5th, 5th, 2nd, and 2nd. In each of the last two tournaments, I was the chip leader when we got down to the final two players, but I couldn't catch the cards I needed to take the title. Frustrating!
After all was said and done, I spent $6 this evening. I've still got a free entry into another Mini-Step #1 Tournament, so I didn't really lose anything tonight.
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $56
To advance past Mini-Step #1, you need to win a 10-man tournament. However, if you finish 2nd thru 5th, you get a free entry back into another Mini-Step Tournament.
All told, I played 5 tournaments this evening. In order, I finished 3rd, 5th, 5th, 2nd, and 2nd. In each of the last two tournaments, I was the chip leader when we got down to the final two players, but I couldn't catch the cards I needed to take the title. Frustrating!
After all was said and done, I spent $6 this evening. I've still got a free entry into another Mini-Step #1 Tournament, so I didn't really lose anything tonight.
Daily Sketch: Down $6
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $56
October 2, 2005: A Little Omaha Hi/Lo
I played poker for about 90 minutes this evening and lost $55.50 on a $2/$4 Omaha Hi/Lo table on Party Poker. For 75 minutes, I hovered around even, but I experienced a bad run of river cards for 15 minutes before deciding that I had lost enough money for the day.
On the positive side, it looks like my four fantasy football teams will go 3-1 this weekend, and I have an outside shot of going 4-0.
Daily Sketch: Down $55.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $50
On the positive side, it looks like my four fantasy football teams will go 3-1 this weekend, and I have an outside shot of going 4-0.
Daily Sketch: Down $55.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $50
October 1, 2005: An Afternoon of Partying
I spent a few hours on Party Poker this afternoon. After all was said and done, it was quite unproductive.
When I logged into the network, a $5(1) Multi-Table Hold 'em Tournament was about to start, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. A total of 856 people signed up to play. Unfortunately, I didn't catch ANY cards and I was eventually eliminated in 532nd place. I played for 75 minutes and I didn't win a single hand. It was really ugly!
At the same time that was happening, I played on a 6-man $2/$4 Omaha Hi/Low Table. After two hours, I was up $35.50.
Next, I joined a $50(5) 10-man Hold 'em Tournament. I got down to the Final Four and found myself hold A-Q. The player immediately in front of me (holding exactly 10 more chips than I) went "all in" and I quickly called him. The chip leader then became the third person to join the fun and went "all in." I threw in my last 10 chips.
As it turned out, the chip leader was holding AK. The first player was holding Jc Tc. An ace came out on the board, but the king kicker proved more than I could overcome. I was eliminated on the hand (along with the Jc 10c player) but I was awarded 4th place because I started the hand with less chips. The Jc 10c player got $100. Had the chip leader gone "all in" before I did, I would have laid the AQ down and won $100. Ugh!!
Down $26.50 for the day, I went to a $50 No-Limit table and won back $32 while playing for a little over an hour. So, I finished the day with a small profit. Considering the fact that I played poker for most of the afternoon, however, my meager winnings don't mean much.
Daily Skech: Up $5.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $5.50
When I logged into the network, a $5(1) Multi-Table Hold 'em Tournament was about to start, so I decided to throw my hat into the ring. A total of 856 people signed up to play. Unfortunately, I didn't catch ANY cards and I was eventually eliminated in 532nd place. I played for 75 minutes and I didn't win a single hand. It was really ugly!
At the same time that was happening, I played on a 6-man $2/$4 Omaha Hi/Low Table. After two hours, I was up $35.50.
Next, I joined a $50(5) 10-man Hold 'em Tournament. I got down to the Final Four and found myself hold A-Q. The player immediately in front of me (holding exactly 10 more chips than I) went "all in" and I quickly called him. The chip leader then became the third person to join the fun and went "all in." I threw in my last 10 chips.
As it turned out, the chip leader was holding AK. The first player was holding Jc Tc. An ace came out on the board, but the king kicker proved more than I could overcome. I was eliminated on the hand (along with the Jc 10c player) but I was awarded 4th place because I started the hand with less chips. The Jc 10c player got $100. Had the chip leader gone "all in" before I did, I would have laid the AQ down and won $100. Ugh!!
Down $26.50 for the day, I went to a $50 No-Limit table and won back $32 while playing for a little over an hour. So, I finished the day with a small profit. Considering the fact that I played poker for most of the afternoon, however, my meager winnings don't mean much.
Daily Skech: Up $5.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $5.50
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