Staying away from Absolute Poker, I decided to play on Party Poker this evening. Since I'll probably be away from the world of online poker this weekend, I thought I'd "up the ante" a bit tonight.
Starting with $100, I lost exactly $77 while playing on a $3/$6 Omaha Hi/Lo table for about 90 minutes. The river kept killing me! More times that I could count, someone hit a miracle flush or straight and took big pots from me.
With my hundy whittled down to $23, I jumped onto the Blackjack table and found immediate success. Betting $5-$10 each hand, I saw my pile of chips grow to $130 in 10 minutes. Just like that, I was up for the night!
Then, disaster struck and I proceeded to lose my next 9 consecutive hands in about 3 minutes. I lost all $130 - which included a pair of double-downs. At that point, I was ready to throw the laptop out the window.
Losing 9 consecutive hands can really soure one's taste for blackjack!
Daily Sketch: Down $100
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $305.74
December 29, 2005: More Heads Up Action
I played five Heads-Up Hold 'em Tournaments on Absolute Poker this evening while watching Oregon and Oklahoma play in the Holiday Bowl. I really needed Oregon to win to stay in the running in David's College Bowl Pool.
Starting on the $5(.25) tables, I defeated Gufling - but I promptly lost my next match to MobBoy. That was a particularly distressing loss, because I had MobBoy "all in" preflop while I was holding AA. However, his Q9 (suited) took the pot when he hit two pair. He had less than 500 chips when he went "all in", so I can't fault him for his play. I can fault the dealer on Absolute, however, who cost me $5 in that game! MobBoy caught a great rush of cards after that hand and I never seemed to have a chance after losing with the pocket Aces.
Recovering from that loss, I defeated SGSHIR and, at that time, showed a small profit for the night. Realizing that I wasn't going to play much longer, I decided to play on a $10(.50) table. Unfortunately, Shaunnn got the best of me. Ugh!
I went back to the $5(.25) tables and won my final match of the night against FarrarIDude7. So, after all was said and done, I went 3-2 tonight. However, I lost $1.50 due to my loss at the $10(.50) table to Shaunnn. When I closed the software for the night, my Absolute Poker account had 21.25 in it.
It's not exactly a big night, but I wasn't inspired to play poker this evening anyway. With my weekend full of New Year's plans, there probably won't be a lot of "Sweet Action" in the Sketchbook the next few days. I've recorded a decent profit this month, so I'm relatively happy.
Daily Sketch: Down $1.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $405.74
Starting on the $5(.25) tables, I defeated Gufling - but I promptly lost my next match to MobBoy. That was a particularly distressing loss, because I had MobBoy "all in" preflop while I was holding AA. However, his Q9 (suited) took the pot when he hit two pair. He had less than 500 chips when he went "all in", so I can't fault him for his play. I can fault the dealer on Absolute, however, who cost me $5 in that game! MobBoy caught a great rush of cards after that hand and I never seemed to have a chance after losing with the pocket Aces.
Recovering from that loss, I defeated SGSHIR and, at that time, showed a small profit for the night. Realizing that I wasn't going to play much longer, I decided to play on a $10(.50) table. Unfortunately, Shaunnn got the best of me. Ugh!
I went back to the $5(.25) tables and won my final match of the night against FarrarIDude7. So, after all was said and done, I went 3-2 tonight. However, I lost $1.50 due to my loss at the $10(.50) table to Shaunnn. When I closed the software for the night, my Absolute Poker account had 21.25 in it.
It's not exactly a big night, but I wasn't inspired to play poker this evening anyway. With my weekend full of New Year's plans, there probably won't be a lot of "Sweet Action" in the Sketchbook the next few days. I've recorded a decent profit this month, so I'm relatively happy.
Daily Sketch: Down $1.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $405.74
December 29, 2005: College Bowl Pool Update
Through the first 11 games, I'm not doing bad in my College Bowl Pool. The winner gets over $250 and I'm currently tied for 5th. Here's an update I found in my inbox this morning. At least I'm beating Elvis (the tournament's organizer's dog).
Here's the latest after the close finish in the BC/Boise State game. Four people remain undefeated: Tom Strenger, Scott Weiss#1, Nick Gephart, and Ann Dickelman. Yes, Ann Dickelman??? I do have the dog beat so far, but he's not far behind.
Note: The preceding message was sent before Nebraska beat Michigan last night. No one in the pool picked that upset - which is rather incredible when you consider how many people are in the pool.
STANDINGS:
Rank Person #Correct
1 Tom Strenger 10
2 Scott Weiss #1 10
3 Nick Gephart 10
4 Ann Dickelman 10
5 Steve Schroeder 9
6 Jerry Timm 9
7 SUOK 9
8 David Dickelman 1 9
9 Jay Maki 9
10 Jeff Gabrielse 9
11 Randy Hobart 8
12 Matthew Owens 8
13 Bob Kaufhold 8
14 Jeff Timm 8
15 Mark Emery 8
16 Chris Cole 8
17 Richard Saaman 8
18 Eric Jens 8
19 Bruce Sackmann 8
20 Don Fox 8
21 Mark Jacobs 8
22 Mike George 8
23 Deb Schmidt 8
24 Dan Steinacker 7
25 Marilyn Dickelman 7
26 Jon Hisgen 7
27 Ed Dountz 7
28 Corey Girdaukas#2 7
29 Brian Franzen 7
30 Scott Opper 7
31 Rob Schlicht 7
32 Jon W. Hisgen 7
33 Elvis Dickelman 7
34 Sandy Bartel 7
35 Alison Hisgen 7
36 Adrian Brusky 7
37 Tom Dountz 7
38 Jeff Ackel 7
39 Jim Dickelman 7
40 GEORGE HESS JR 7
41 George Hess III 7
42 Michael Dountz 6
43 Brian Cassata 6
44 Michael/ET 6
45 Scott Weiss #2 6
46 Kurt Bartel 6
47 Corey Girdaukas #1 6
48 Mason White 6
49 Alan Brunnbauer 6
50 Sue Opper 6
51 Mike Kaufhold 5
52 Greg Holcomb 5
53 David Wietor 5
54 Dylan Lewis 5
55 Cindy Wang 5
56 Sara Hess 4
57 Kenton Barello 4
58 David Dickelman 2 4
59 Jonette White 3
Here's the latest after the close finish in the BC/Boise State game. Four people remain undefeated: Tom Strenger, Scott Weiss#1, Nick Gephart, and Ann Dickelman. Yes, Ann Dickelman??? I do have the dog beat so far, but he's not far behind.
Note: The preceding message was sent before Nebraska beat Michigan last night. No one in the pool picked that upset - which is rather incredible when you consider how many people are in the pool.
STANDINGS:
Rank Person #Correct
1 Tom Strenger 10
2 Scott Weiss #1 10
3 Nick Gephart 10
4 Ann Dickelman 10
5 Steve Schroeder 9
6 Jerry Timm 9
7 SUOK 9
8 David Dickelman 1 9
9 Jay Maki 9
10 Jeff Gabrielse 9
11 Randy Hobart 8
12 Matthew Owens 8
13 Bob Kaufhold 8
14 Jeff Timm 8
15 Mark Emery 8
16 Chris Cole 8
17 Richard Saaman 8
18 Eric Jens 8
19 Bruce Sackmann 8
20 Don Fox 8
21 Mark Jacobs 8
22 Mike George 8
23 Deb Schmidt 8
24 Dan Steinacker 7
25 Marilyn Dickelman 7
26 Jon Hisgen 7
27 Ed Dountz 7
28 Corey Girdaukas#2 7
29 Brian Franzen 7
30 Scott Opper 7
31 Rob Schlicht 7
32 Jon W. Hisgen 7
33 Elvis Dickelman 7
34 Sandy Bartel 7
35 Alison Hisgen 7
36 Adrian Brusky 7
37 Tom Dountz 7
38 Jeff Ackel 7
39 Jim Dickelman 7
40 GEORGE HESS JR 7
41 George Hess III 7
42 Michael Dountz 6
43 Brian Cassata 6
44 Michael/ET 6
45 Scott Weiss #2 6
46 Kurt Bartel 6
47 Corey Girdaukas #1 6
48 Mason White 6
49 Alan Brunnbauer 6
50 Sue Opper 6
51 Mike Kaufhold 5
52 Greg Holcomb 5
53 David Wietor 5
54 Dylan Lewis 5
55 Cindy Wang 5
56 Sara Hess 4
57 Kenton Barello 4
58 David Dickelman 2 4
59 Jonette White 3
December 28, 2005: The Baltimore Freebie
Tonight I played in the finals of a freeroll tournament sponsored by a Baltimore radio station on Absolute Poker. A total of 77 people qualified for this event. First place won $1,500. Second place won $750. Third place won $250 and the next 26 people all won $20. Considering the fact that 29 of the 77 people playing tonight were going to win money this evening, I felt pretty good about my chances.
When the tournament began, I found myself seated at a table with a player who had won one of the three qualifying tournaments a couple weeks ago. For that accomplishment, he claimed $250. However, he admitted that it took 4 days to get his money. Apparently, the organizers of this tournament weren't excited to see people outside Baltimore winning money. Still, he eventually got his money, but it's amusing to hear that he had trouble getting the cash.
Unfortunately, tonight's tournament didn't go as planned. For the first hour of the tournament, I became a folding machine. I won two pots, but otherwise saw little action. At the end of 60 minutes, I was sitting with 1,935 chips - which was an increase from my starting position of 1,500 chips. Still, I didn't feel quite right about things. Regardless, there were 45 people left in the tournament, so all I had to do was outlast 16 more people to claim $20.
About 20 minutes after the first break, we were down to 36 players and I'm dealt Ac 6c in the big blind. The table folds to the small blind, who makes a significant raise. This same player has been stealing pots for the past 90 minutes by making preflop raises, so I put him on the bluff. I re-raise him all my chips and I'm a bit surprised when he calls my bet.
My opponent flips over A-1o and I'm in trouble. However, when the flop comes with two clubs, I have hope. Unfortunately, that hope is quickly dashed when the turn and river are both garbage and I find myself out of the tournament in 36th place - 7 spots out of the money. Ooops!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $407.24
When the tournament began, I found myself seated at a table with a player who had won one of the three qualifying tournaments a couple weeks ago. For that accomplishment, he claimed $250. However, he admitted that it took 4 days to get his money. Apparently, the organizers of this tournament weren't excited to see people outside Baltimore winning money. Still, he eventually got his money, but it's amusing to hear that he had trouble getting the cash.
Unfortunately, tonight's tournament didn't go as planned. For the first hour of the tournament, I became a folding machine. I won two pots, but otherwise saw little action. At the end of 60 minutes, I was sitting with 1,935 chips - which was an increase from my starting position of 1,500 chips. Still, I didn't feel quite right about things. Regardless, there were 45 people left in the tournament, so all I had to do was outlast 16 more people to claim $20.
About 20 minutes after the first break, we were down to 36 players and I'm dealt Ac 6c in the big blind. The table folds to the small blind, who makes a significant raise. This same player has been stealing pots for the past 90 minutes by making preflop raises, so I put him on the bluff. I re-raise him all my chips and I'm a bit surprised when he calls my bet.
My opponent flips over A-1o and I'm in trouble. However, when the flop comes with two clubs, I have hope. Unfortunately, that hope is quickly dashed when the turn and river are both garbage and I find myself out of the tournament in 36th place - 7 spots out of the money. Ooops!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $407.24
December 27, 2005: Heads Up Action
I gambled for an hour on Absolute Poker this evening. Heading into the night, I had exactly $9.50 in my account. Having won $10 in a freeroll two weekends ago, that amount had been reduced slightly as a result of two $5(.25) Heads-Up Tournaments I played some time ago. I had gone 1-1 in those two tourneys - resulting in a $.50 loss.
My short-term goal is to see how long I can play on Absolute without making a real money deposit. I'm playing in another freeroll tomorrow night, so I'm hoping to win some cash in that tourney. If not, we'll see what I can do with the $9.50. Perhaps it'll grow into millions!
Tonight, I exclusively played in $5(.25) Heads-Up Tournaments. If you win, you get $10. If you lose, you lose your $5.25 investment. In case you're unfamiliar with this format, you simply play 1-on-1 Hold 'em against an opponent. The winner takes the pot.
My first match was against DPenney. He was a good opponent, but I prevailed. That's a very good thing, because I wouldn't have had enough money in my account to pay for another $5(.25) tournament.
Next, I played two games against BigRay57. After winning the first match, I lost the second game. At that point of the night, my record was 2-1 and I had $13.75 in my account.
Then, I hit a hot streak. In order, I proceeded to consecutively defeat AllIn303, XSnakeBiteX, & MoneyBags33 and, just like that, I had exactly $28 in my account.
My hot streak ended when I played Thagza, however. I built a huge lead (I had 5 times his chips), but I couldn't finish him off and he came from behind for the win. Frustrated that I had lost that match, I retired for the night.
I went 5-2 in Heads-Up action this evening and made a modest $13.25. So, I have $22.75 in my Absolute Poker account as I head into tomorrow night's freeroll. That event is sponsored by a Baltimore radio station and I qualified for tomorrow's final tourney a couple weeks ago. The prize structure is good. I think I'll win something. We'll see, I guess.
Daily Sketch: Up $13.25
Month-to-Date Sketch: $407.24
My short-term goal is to see how long I can play on Absolute without making a real money deposit. I'm playing in another freeroll tomorrow night, so I'm hoping to win some cash in that tourney. If not, we'll see what I can do with the $9.50. Perhaps it'll grow into millions!
Tonight, I exclusively played in $5(.25) Heads-Up Tournaments. If you win, you get $10. If you lose, you lose your $5.25 investment. In case you're unfamiliar with this format, you simply play 1-on-1 Hold 'em against an opponent. The winner takes the pot.
My first match was against DPenney. He was a good opponent, but I prevailed. That's a very good thing, because I wouldn't have had enough money in my account to pay for another $5(.25) tournament.
Next, I played two games against BigRay57. After winning the first match, I lost the second game. At that point of the night, my record was 2-1 and I had $13.75 in my account.
Then, I hit a hot streak. In order, I proceeded to consecutively defeat AllIn303, XSnakeBiteX, & MoneyBags33 and, just like that, I had exactly $28 in my account.
My hot streak ended when I played Thagza, however. I built a huge lead (I had 5 times his chips), but I couldn't finish him off and he came from behind for the win. Frustrated that I had lost that match, I retired for the night.
I went 5-2 in Heads-Up action this evening and made a modest $13.25. So, I have $22.75 in my Absolute Poker account as I head into tomorrow night's freeroll. That event is sponsored by a Baltimore radio station and I qualified for tomorrow's final tourney a couple weeks ago. The prize structure is good. I think I'll win something. We'll see, I guess.
Daily Sketch: Up $13.25
Month-to-Date Sketch: $407.24
December 26, 2005: Fantasy Football Update
My fantasy football season ended today. Playing in the Fantasy Super Bowl of two leagues, I didn't find any success this weekend, as I lost the championship game in both leagues. In Jon's league, I was the victim of Steve Smith's 3rd quarter ejection and Mike Anderson's sprained ankle around halftime. I didn't lose by much in that league, so I might have won if Smith hadn't been kicked out of the game and if Anderson had been able to play the entire 2nd half. Ooops!
In David's league, I fell victim to a big game from Shaun Alexander and my inability to activate Edgerrin James. I put Cedric Houston into my lineup to replace James, and he stunk it up against New England. As I thought would happen, James didn't do much for Indy, but Cedric Houston did even less for the the Jets. Regardless, any lineup I had created wasn't going to be enough to win the title. My opponent did quite well with Alexander in his lineup.
Despite my unsuccessful weekend, I still made money in each league. In Jon's league, I won $150 for finishing 2nd, so that goes into the Sketchbook. In David's league, I claimed $157 for my 2nd place finish - so that's another positive entry. I'm waiting for my check from Dave's league (where I won a division title but was quickly eliminated from the playoffs), and I'll record those winnings when the check arrives. In the interim, however, the Sketchbook shows a healthy profit today.
After all is said and done, I spent approximately $338 on fantasy football this NFL season. My overall winnings should be around $375. It's not exactly a windfall, but at least it's a profit, right?
Daily Sketch: Up $307
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $393.99
In David's league, I fell victim to a big game from Shaun Alexander and my inability to activate Edgerrin James. I put Cedric Houston into my lineup to replace James, and he stunk it up against New England. As I thought would happen, James didn't do much for Indy, but Cedric Houston did even less for the the Jets. Regardless, any lineup I had created wasn't going to be enough to win the title. My opponent did quite well with Alexander in his lineup.
Despite my unsuccessful weekend, I still made money in each league. In Jon's league, I won $150 for finishing 2nd, so that goes into the Sketchbook. In David's league, I claimed $157 for my 2nd place finish - so that's another positive entry. I'm waiting for my check from Dave's league (where I won a division title but was quickly eliminated from the playoffs), and I'll record those winnings when the check arrives. In the interim, however, the Sketchbook shows a healthy profit today.
After all is said and done, I spent approximately $338 on fantasy football this NFL season. My overall winnings should be around $375. It's not exactly a windfall, but at least it's a profit, right?
Daily Sketch: Up $307
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $393.99
December 24, 2005: Pocket Nines
This afternoon, I played in Absolute Poker's Guaranteed $100k Hold 'em Tournament. With my recent success on the site, I felt relatively good about my chances. A total of 347 people signed up to play. Top prize was $25,000, and the payouts went all the way down to 63rd place ($250). If I could simply outlast 284 people, I could win $250!
The first hour was rather uneventful. After 60 minutes, I found myself with a stack of 1,670 chips - after starting with 1,500 chips. I won a few hands and I lost a few hands, but there wasn't anything too exciting that really happened. All the while I was playing, however, Theresa's immediate family sat around me in the living room as I pursued the big payday. After all, it is Christmas Eve and we had to go forward with our plans of entertaining everyone today.
Shortly after the 1-hour break, I was dealt A-K and scooped a nice pot when a player ahead of me went "all in" while holding A-9. After that hand, I found myself sitting with 2,500 chips and feeling pretty good. There were approximately 150 players still alive, and I had an average pile of chips.
I won a couple more small pots and found myself sitting with 3,145 chips when the following hand occurred about 90 minutes into the session:
Dealt 9d 9c under the gun, I raised the bet to 600 chips. At this point, the big blind is 200 chips - so I've made a modest raise.
SashKAO04 reraises me to 1,952.50 chips - effectively putting himself "all in." Every other player folds back to me, and I call 1,352.50 chips with my pair of nines. To the few people sitting near me in the living room, I asked that my opponent be holding AK. If that happened, I'd be a small favorite.
SashKAO04 flips over Ac Jc, which is better than I hoped. The flop comes 5s-10h-4d. "No jack, no ace" I call out. The turn is a 7d. "No jack, no ace" I call out. I'm one card away from scooping a nice pot until the river reveals a Jd. SashKAO04 takes the money with a pair of jacks. Ugh! Just like that, I'm down to 1,167 chips.
The very next hand, I'm dealt 9h 9c. With my diminished pile of chips, I go "all in" and cross my fingers. Everyone folds to the small blind, who reraises me all of this chips. The big blind thinks for a moment and eventually throws a pile of chips into the middle - effectively calling both of our bets. He's got us both covered.
The small blind flips over 10d 10h. Ugh!! The big blind flips over 4d 4s.
The flop comes 8c-7c-4c. The big blind has flopped a set, but another club gives me the flush. I have hope!
The turn is As. That's no help. I'm one card away from being eliminated, but I'm also one card away from getting back into the game.
The river is a Js. The big blind scoops the entire pot - despite the fact that he had the worst hand when all the money was thrown into the middle. Why can't I have that type of luck?
Just like that, I'm eliminated from the tournament in 101st place - exactly 38 spots from the money. A pair of consecutive pocket 9's proved to be more than I could overcome. Ugh!
Interestingly, the big blind in that hand (Kowboysup33) went on to finish 11th in the tournament and won $1,100.
At the same time, SashKAO04 - who was one card away from being eliminated until that jack appeared on the river the first time I had pocket 9's, had a good tournament. After hitting that miracle Jack, SashKAO04 caught some nice cards and proceeded to win the entire tournament. He won $25,000. Amazing how one card can turn everything around, ehh? As he sits home with his $25,000 this evening, I wonder if SashKAO04 remembers staying alive with that miracle jack.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.99
The first hour was rather uneventful. After 60 minutes, I found myself with a stack of 1,670 chips - after starting with 1,500 chips. I won a few hands and I lost a few hands, but there wasn't anything too exciting that really happened. All the while I was playing, however, Theresa's immediate family sat around me in the living room as I pursued the big payday. After all, it is Christmas Eve and we had to go forward with our plans of entertaining everyone today.
Shortly after the 1-hour break, I was dealt A-K and scooped a nice pot when a player ahead of me went "all in" while holding A-9. After that hand, I found myself sitting with 2,500 chips and feeling pretty good. There were approximately 150 players still alive, and I had an average pile of chips.
I won a couple more small pots and found myself sitting with 3,145 chips when the following hand occurred about 90 minutes into the session:
Dealt 9d 9c under the gun, I raised the bet to 600 chips. At this point, the big blind is 200 chips - so I've made a modest raise.
SashKAO04 reraises me to 1,952.50 chips - effectively putting himself "all in." Every other player folds back to me, and I call 1,352.50 chips with my pair of nines. To the few people sitting near me in the living room, I asked that my opponent be holding AK. If that happened, I'd be a small favorite.
SashKAO04 flips over Ac Jc, which is better than I hoped. The flop comes 5s-10h-4d. "No jack, no ace" I call out. The turn is a 7d. "No jack, no ace" I call out. I'm one card away from scooping a nice pot until the river reveals a Jd. SashKAO04 takes the money with a pair of jacks. Ugh! Just like that, I'm down to 1,167 chips.
The very next hand, I'm dealt 9h 9c. With my diminished pile of chips, I go "all in" and cross my fingers. Everyone folds to the small blind, who reraises me all of this chips. The big blind thinks for a moment and eventually throws a pile of chips into the middle - effectively calling both of our bets. He's got us both covered.
The small blind flips over 10d 10h. Ugh!! The big blind flips over 4d 4s.
The flop comes 8c-7c-4c. The big blind has flopped a set, but another club gives me the flush. I have hope!
The turn is As. That's no help. I'm one card away from being eliminated, but I'm also one card away from getting back into the game.
The river is a Js. The big blind scoops the entire pot - despite the fact that he had the worst hand when all the money was thrown into the middle. Why can't I have that type of luck?
Just like that, I'm eliminated from the tournament in 101st place - exactly 38 spots from the money. A pair of consecutive pocket 9's proved to be more than I could overcome. Ugh!
Interestingly, the big blind in that hand (Kowboysup33) went on to finish 11th in the tournament and won $1,100.
At the same time, SashKAO04 - who was one card away from being eliminated until that jack appeared on the river the first time I had pocket 9's, had a good tournament. After hitting that miracle Jack, SashKAO04 caught some nice cards and proceeded to win the entire tournament. He won $25,000. Amazing how one card can turn everything around, ehh? As he sits home with his $25,000 this evening, I wonder if SashKAO04 remembers staying alive with that miracle jack.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.99
December 22, 2005: Omaha Explained
Frequently enough, people ask me about the rules of Omaha. Generally speaking, it's a pretty confusing game that takes some time to learn and master. That's part of the reason why I introduce this variant at my recurring poker games. :-)
Today, I found a nice explanation of the game and I thought I'd share it. For those of you who have tried to play Omaha, I think you'll find this rather amusing . . .
"What you do is get four cards. Doesn't matter much what they are because nobody really looks at them anyway. Next, they put three cards on the board. It doesn't matter what they are because nobody really pays any attention to the flop either. Then one more card for the turn and another one for the river. Same betting scenario as before. Doesn't really matter much what they are, except, for a few of the players that may have "cheated" and looked at their hole cards. These players may now fold if they have absolutely no outs. (Mostly bad sports.) Now, at the showdown, everybody turns over their cards and helps the dealer figure out who has the best hand. You MUST play two cards out of your hand so this usually takes a while and and the winning hand is usually found out after a little bit of searching by all of the players and a partially confused dealer. The dealer now pushes the pot to the wrong player and everybody yells at him and he smiles glibly and says, "Oh yeah,,,sorry" and then sends it in the right direction. Then, after all of that excitement dies down, everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief and gets ready to wind up and do it all over again. Fun game."
On another note, I forgot to mention that I joined David's annual College Football Bowl Pool earlier this week. That's $10 that I'll never see again! A total of 59 people have joined the pool, and the winner gets $265.50, with payouts extending to the Top 5. Picking the winners of every bowl game has grown very difficult for yours truly through the years, so I'm not counting on much.
Entering tonight's bowl games, I am 2-0, so maybe there's hope. In the interim, the $10 goes into the Sketchbook. Per usual, Eric and I have established a $10 side wager on our individual performances, so maybe I can simply recoup my entry fee in a couple weeks.
Daily Sketch: Down $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.99
Today, I found a nice explanation of the game and I thought I'd share it. For those of you who have tried to play Omaha, I think you'll find this rather amusing . . .
"What you do is get four cards. Doesn't matter much what they are because nobody really looks at them anyway. Next, they put three cards on the board. It doesn't matter what they are because nobody really pays any attention to the flop either. Then one more card for the turn and another one for the river. Same betting scenario as before. Doesn't really matter much what they are, except, for a few of the players that may have "cheated" and looked at their hole cards. These players may now fold if they have absolutely no outs. (Mostly bad sports.) Now, at the showdown, everybody turns over their cards and helps the dealer figure out who has the best hand. You MUST play two cards out of your hand so this usually takes a while and and the winning hand is usually found out after a little bit of searching by all of the players and a partially confused dealer. The dealer now pushes the pot to the wrong player and everybody yells at him and he smiles glibly and says, "Oh yeah,,,sorry" and then sends it in the right direction. Then, after all of that excitement dies down, everybody lets out a collective sigh of relief and gets ready to wind up and do it all over again. Fun game."
On another note, I forgot to mention that I joined David's annual College Football Bowl Pool earlier this week. That's $10 that I'll never see again! A total of 59 people have joined the pool, and the winner gets $265.50, with payouts extending to the Top 5. Picking the winners of every bowl game has grown very difficult for yours truly through the years, so I'm not counting on much.
Entering tonight's bowl games, I am 2-0, so maybe there's hope. In the interim, the $10 goes into the Sketchbook. Per usual, Eric and I have established a $10 side wager on our individual performances, so maybe I can simply recoup my entry fee in a couple weeks.
Daily Sketch: Down $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.99
December 21, 2005: Flushed Away
I simultaneously played in the Madison and Milwaukee freerolls tonight on Absolute Poker. These are the entries I earned by finishing in the top 10% of a pair of qualifying tournaments a couple weeks ago. The winner of each tournament this evening won $1,000. The rest of the field got nothing - so it was truly an "all or nothing" night of cards.
A total of 81 people were playing in the Milwaukee tourney and 63 people were in the Madison tournament. Considering the fact that I won a tournament this past weekend that had 104 players, I thought I had a reasonable shot at winning either grand prize tonight.
Before the tournaments began, I had established a $1 side wager with Rob. Whoever lasted longer in the Milwaukee tournament would claim the buck.
Starting at 8:00pm, the first 45 minutes of each tournament were rather boring. Then, I get dealt QQ in the Madison tournament and I call a smaller stack who goes "all in" ahead of me. Unfortunately, he's holding KK and my stack of chips takes a serious hit. Ouch!
Five minutes later, however, I'm dealt another QQ in the Madison tournament. This time, I'm called by a player holding 9-9 and I proceed to win most of my chips back. Yay!
When we reached the 1-hour break, I was up a buck. Rob was eliminated in 57th place. Sorry, Rob, but thanks for the dollar! At the same time, I was sitting on 2,455 chips in Milwaukee and 1,935 chips in Madison. There were 41 people still alive in the Milwaukee tournament and 34 people were still alive in Madison. Although I wasn't sitting on a monster pile, I felt pretty good.
On the very first hand after the 1-hour break, I'm dealt 10c 10d in Milwaukee. I make a modest raise before the flop and get two callers. The flop comes 8s 4s 5h. Holdng an overpair, I quickly bet half my stack and I'm called by one of my opponents - who happens to be the loosest player at the table. To this point, he's seen almost every flop.
The turn is a 10h.
Bingo! I've just hit my set. So, I bet the rest of my stack and I'm called by the loose player. My opponent flips over Jh 8h. He's got top pair on the board and a flush draw. It doesn't surprise me that he's playing Jh 8h. The river, however, is a 3h and I'm eliminated from the tournament. I lose to the flush and finish in 39th place. Ugh!! Runner-runner flushes are hard to stomach!
Shortly thereafter, I'm dealt pocket aces in Madison and scoop a decent pot when I match the "all in" bet of an opponent holding Ad Kd. At that point, I'm sittin on 3,130 chips - which leaves me with an average stack. Although I've been eliminated in Milwaukee, I can redeem myself in Madison.
Exactly 16 minutes after getting my pocket aces, I'm dealt Kc Qd while sitting in the small blind. Everyone at the table folds to me, and I make a modest raise into the big blind. He calls my bet.
The flop comes Qh 7d 8h. Great! I've flopped top pair! I make a sizeable bet and my opponent calls.
The turn is a Kh. Bingo! I've got 2-pair so I go "all in". Again, my opponent calls. He flips over 5h 6h. He's got the flush. My only hope is to see a Queen or King on the river.
The river is a 3c. I'm eliminated in 28th place - couresty of a big blind special. For the 2nd time tonight, I lose to a flush. Ugh!!
I'm sure that many of the people who lost tonight had Bad Beat Stories - including Rob. Nonetheless, it's never fun to be eliminated from tournaments so rudely. Hopefully, this doesn't happen on Saturday - when I play for the big bucks in Absolute Poker's weekly $100k Guaranteed Tournament.
Daily Sketch: Up $1
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $96.99
A total of 81 people were playing in the Milwaukee tourney and 63 people were in the Madison tournament. Considering the fact that I won a tournament this past weekend that had 104 players, I thought I had a reasonable shot at winning either grand prize tonight.
Before the tournaments began, I had established a $1 side wager with Rob. Whoever lasted longer in the Milwaukee tournament would claim the buck.
Starting at 8:00pm, the first 45 minutes of each tournament were rather boring. Then, I get dealt QQ in the Madison tournament and I call a smaller stack who goes "all in" ahead of me. Unfortunately, he's holding KK and my stack of chips takes a serious hit. Ouch!
Five minutes later, however, I'm dealt another QQ in the Madison tournament. This time, I'm called by a player holding 9-9 and I proceed to win most of my chips back. Yay!
When we reached the 1-hour break, I was up a buck. Rob was eliminated in 57th place. Sorry, Rob, but thanks for the dollar! At the same time, I was sitting on 2,455 chips in Milwaukee and 1,935 chips in Madison. There were 41 people still alive in the Milwaukee tournament and 34 people were still alive in Madison. Although I wasn't sitting on a monster pile, I felt pretty good.
On the very first hand after the 1-hour break, I'm dealt 10c 10d in Milwaukee. I make a modest raise before the flop and get two callers. The flop comes 8s 4s 5h. Holdng an overpair, I quickly bet half my stack and I'm called by one of my opponents - who happens to be the loosest player at the table. To this point, he's seen almost every flop.
The turn is a 10h.
Bingo! I've just hit my set. So, I bet the rest of my stack and I'm called by the loose player. My opponent flips over Jh 8h. He's got top pair on the board and a flush draw. It doesn't surprise me that he's playing Jh 8h. The river, however, is a 3h and I'm eliminated from the tournament. I lose to the flush and finish in 39th place. Ugh!! Runner-runner flushes are hard to stomach!
Shortly thereafter, I'm dealt pocket aces in Madison and scoop a decent pot when I match the "all in" bet of an opponent holding Ad Kd. At that point, I'm sittin on 3,130 chips - which leaves me with an average stack. Although I've been eliminated in Milwaukee, I can redeem myself in Madison.
Exactly 16 minutes after getting my pocket aces, I'm dealt Kc Qd while sitting in the small blind. Everyone at the table folds to me, and I make a modest raise into the big blind. He calls my bet.
The flop comes Qh 7d 8h. Great! I've flopped top pair! I make a sizeable bet and my opponent calls.
The turn is a Kh. Bingo! I've got 2-pair so I go "all in". Again, my opponent calls. He flips over 5h 6h. He's got the flush. My only hope is to see a Queen or King on the river.
The river is a 3c. I'm eliminated in 28th place - couresty of a big blind special. For the 2nd time tonight, I lose to a flush. Ugh!!
I'm sure that many of the people who lost tonight had Bad Beat Stories - including Rob. Nonetheless, it's never fun to be eliminated from tournaments so rudely. Hopefully, this doesn't happen on Saturday - when I play for the big bucks in Absolute Poker's weekly $100k Guaranteed Tournament.
Daily Sketch: Up $1
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $96.99
December 20, 2005: I'm (kinda) Famous
I only played poker for a few minutes tonight. For most of the evening, I watched Rob play on Absolute Poker and I saw him qualify for tomorrow night's ESPN 1510 Final Tournament that I already qualified to play two weeks ago. Congrats to Rob! Maybe we'll find ourselves sitting at the same table tomorrow night.
With that being said, I decided to take my $10 winnings from this weekend's freeroll and played a $5(.25) Heads Up Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament on Absolute Poker during the slow times of Rob's tourney. I found success and won the tournament - netting me a profit of $4.75. My opponent was very bad.
Happy to have won, I decided to join another Heads Up Tourney. When my new opponent sat down, he typed "ha ha didn't you win the WTP tournament the other day?" Apparently, STV1313 is famous on Absolute Poker!
Unfortunately, I didn't win the 2nd tournament. More than once, I had my opponent "all in", but he kept pulling river cards that allowed him to escape. One time, I was in the middle of typing "good game" (after flopping the nut flush) when he hit a miracle runner-runner (for a full house) and I had to erase my pending victory speech
Eventually, my lucky opponent took the lead and won the tournament. So, all told, I lost $.50 for the night.
Oh, well. I'm (kinda) famous!
Daily Sketch: Down $0.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $95.99
With that being said, I decided to take my $10 winnings from this weekend's freeroll and played a $5(.25) Heads Up Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament on Absolute Poker during the slow times of Rob's tourney. I found success and won the tournament - netting me a profit of $4.75. My opponent was very bad.
Happy to have won, I decided to join another Heads Up Tourney. When my new opponent sat down, he typed "ha ha didn't you win the WTP tournament the other day?" Apparently, STV1313 is famous on Absolute Poker!
Unfortunately, I didn't win the 2nd tournament. More than once, I had my opponent "all in", but he kept pulling river cards that allowed him to escape. One time, I was in the middle of typing "good game" (after flopping the nut flush) when he hit a miracle runner-runner (for a full house) and I had to erase my pending victory speech
Eventually, my lucky opponent took the lead and won the tournament. So, all told, I lost $.50 for the night.
Oh, well. I'm (kinda) famous!
Daily Sketch: Down $0.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $95.99
December 19, 2005: A Monday Night Miracle
Entering Monday night's football game between Green Bay and Baltimore, my fantasy football team in Jon's league was trailing by 19.5 points. I had the Baltimore defense in action, but I didn't give myself much of a chance. After all, the most fantasy points I had gotten from the Ravens defense during the entire season was 15. If I was going to advance to the Final Two in Jon's league, I needed a Monday Night Miracle.
During the first three quarters of the game, things weren't going particularly well. At that point, I believe that my defense had 7 points. I came very close to turning off the television and hitting the sack. However, the Packers took Brett Favre out of the game and things started to turn in my favor. Favre's replacement (Aaron Rodgers) fumbled once and threw an interception in the 4th quarter.
Despite that, I was still trailing by 6.5 points with 31 seconds remaining. The Packers had the ball (3rd and 1) when Aaron Rodgers stepped back to pass. The Baltimore defense came with a hard rush and sacked Rodgers (1 point for my defense). Rogers fumbled the ball (2 points) and it was promptly scooped up by Adalius Thomas - who scampered 35 yards for a touchdown (6 points).
Just like that, I had come from behind and claimed the improbable victory. As a result of this Monday Night Miracle, I'm guaranteed to win $150 in Jon's pool and I play for the league's championship next weekend - where I have the opportunity to win another $150.
Until I see my final payment in the mail, the Sketchbook won't record this profit. However, in the interim, I love Aaron Rodgers - and Adalius Thomas!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $96.49
During the first three quarters of the game, things weren't going particularly well. At that point, I believe that my defense had 7 points. I came very close to turning off the television and hitting the sack. However, the Packers took Brett Favre out of the game and things started to turn in my favor. Favre's replacement (Aaron Rodgers) fumbled once and threw an interception in the 4th quarter.
Despite that, I was still trailing by 6.5 points with 31 seconds remaining. The Packers had the ball (3rd and 1) when Aaron Rodgers stepped back to pass. The Baltimore defense came with a hard rush and sacked Rodgers (1 point for my defense). Rogers fumbled the ball (2 points) and it was promptly scooped up by Adalius Thomas - who scampered 35 yards for a touchdown (6 points).
Just like that, I had come from behind and claimed the improbable victory. As a result of this Monday Night Miracle, I'm guaranteed to win $150 in Jon's pool and I play for the league's championship next weekend - where I have the opportunity to win another $150.
Until I see my final payment in the mail, the Sketchbook won't record this profit. However, in the interim, I love Aaron Rodgers - and Adalius Thomas!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $96.49
December 18, 2005: WannaTalkPoker.com
Two weeks ago, I joined a poker forum at Wannatalkpoker.com. Admittedly, the only reason I joined the forum was because they were hosting a free tournament on Absolute Poker this afternoon. Beginning at 2:00pm, the tournament had 104 people registered to play. First place was awarded $10. Second through ninth places got $5 apiece. Not exactly a windfall, ehh?
The real allure of this tournament, however, was the free entry into next Saturday's guaranteed $100k tournament. The winner of today's tourney won that prize - valued at $162. With my recent success at these free tournaments, I figured that I should give it a shot. After all, the winner of yesterday's $100k tourney took home exactly $25,000. That's quite a chunk of change.
Here are my stats from today's free tourney:
All by themselves, these stats don't mean much. However, these are the stats of a champion. Yes, indeed, I won the tourney, claimed $10, and earned the free entry into next Saturday's big $100k tourney. Woo Hoo!!
I didn't take any notes from this tourney - as I was watching the NFL action at the same time I was playing - so my memory is a bit sketchy. When we got down to 30 (or so) players, I was nearly eliminated until a miracle diamond on the river gave me the nut flush. My only opponent had put me "all in" after hitting a set on the river. I had top pair and I didn't know that I needed a diamond on the river to win, but it happened.
When we got down to the final table of ten, I had the 2nd largest stack of chips. When we got down to six players, I was in the lead. I didn't catch any cards for a while, but when we got down to the Final 2, I had 88k chips - versus my opponent's 72k chips.
For a good 20 minutes, I battled for the title. Then, holding A-7, the board eventually showed two more aces and a seven, and my full house scooped a monster pot.
Then, on the very next hand, a flop of 3-4-5 came on the board. I nearly fainted, 'cuz I was holding A-2. Thankfully, my opponent played aggressively, and I won the tournament on that hand.
So, for my efforts, I won $10 and earned an entry into next Saturday's $100k tourney on Absolute Poker. Unfortunately, that tourney is scheduled to start at 3:30pm, and next Saturday is Christmas Eve. Theresa didn't seem overly excited to learn that I'd be playing poker on Christmas Eve, but what can you do? I'm sure that the family will be thrilled to watch me sitting with a laptop next Saturday!
Daily Sketch: Up $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $96.49
The real allure of this tournament, however, was the free entry into next Saturday's guaranteed $100k tournament. The winner of today's tourney won that prize - valued at $162. With my recent success at these free tournaments, I figured that I should give it a shot. After all, the winner of yesterday's $100k tourney took home exactly $25,000. That's quite a chunk of change.
Here are my stats from today's free tourney:
All by themselves, these stats don't mean much. However, these are the stats of a champion. Yes, indeed, I won the tourney, claimed $10, and earned the free entry into next Saturday's big $100k tourney. Woo Hoo!!
I didn't take any notes from this tourney - as I was watching the NFL action at the same time I was playing - so my memory is a bit sketchy. When we got down to 30 (or so) players, I was nearly eliminated until a miracle diamond on the river gave me the nut flush. My only opponent had put me "all in" after hitting a set on the river. I had top pair and I didn't know that I needed a diamond on the river to win, but it happened.
When we got down to the final table of ten, I had the 2nd largest stack of chips. When we got down to six players, I was in the lead. I didn't catch any cards for a while, but when we got down to the Final 2, I had 88k chips - versus my opponent's 72k chips.
For a good 20 minutes, I battled for the title. Then, holding A-7, the board eventually showed two more aces and a seven, and my full house scooped a monster pot.
Then, on the very next hand, a flop of 3-4-5 came on the board. I nearly fainted, 'cuz I was holding A-2. Thankfully, my opponent played aggressively, and I won the tournament on that hand.
So, for my efforts, I won $10 and earned an entry into next Saturday's $100k tourney on Absolute Poker. Unfortunately, that tourney is scheduled to start at 3:30pm, and next Saturday is Christmas Eve. Theresa didn't seem overly excited to learn that I'd be playing poker on Christmas Eve, but what can you do? I'm sure that the family will be thrilled to watch me sitting with a laptop next Saturday!
Daily Sketch: Up $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $96.49
December 17, 2005: Fantasy Football Update
Last weekend, the playoffs began in two of my fantasy football leagues. In David's league, an overtime field goal by Jay Feeley allowed me to escape with an 83-81 victory. The win assured my place in the Final Four. The champion of this league will claim something around $350, so it's important that I continue my run. This weekend, however, I'm playing the Commish, so we'll see what happens.
I experienced some bad luck in my other playoff game. Of the 8 teams that made the playoffs in Dave's league, I had the 2nd highest point total of the weekend. Unfortunately, I played the highest scoring team of the weekend, so I was rudely eliminated from the playoff chase - despite the fact that I finished the regular season with a record of 9-3-1 and my opponent entered the playoffs with a record of 6-7. Drew Bledsoe, Terry Glenn, and Samkon Gado killed me! Oh, well. That's what makes fantasy football so interesting! I won't be defending my 2004 championship in this league.
In my third league, the playoffs start this weekend. Jon's league has always been very good to me, but I've been ransacked by injuries this season. Still, despite the fact that I lost Donovan McNabb and Priest Holmes this year, I still finished with a record of 10-4 and I enter the playoffs as the #2 seed. Here's how the final regular season standings shaped up:
My fourth (and final) league was a disaster. I finished 4-10 and limped to the finish line in Extendicare's league. If nothing else, my team (The Physically Unable to Perform) lived up to their name in this league.
So, after all is said and done, I made the playoffs in three of the four leagues I played this season. Whether the season proves profitable depends on my success in the two leagues where I'm still alive. Wish me luck this weekend!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.49
I experienced some bad luck in my other playoff game. Of the 8 teams that made the playoffs in Dave's league, I had the 2nd highest point total of the weekend. Unfortunately, I played the highest scoring team of the weekend, so I was rudely eliminated from the playoff chase - despite the fact that I finished the regular season with a record of 9-3-1 and my opponent entered the playoffs with a record of 6-7. Drew Bledsoe, Terry Glenn, and Samkon Gado killed me! Oh, well. That's what makes fantasy football so interesting! I won't be defending my 2004 championship in this league.
In my third league, the playoffs start this weekend. Jon's league has always been very good to me, but I've been ransacked by injuries this season. Still, despite the fact that I lost Donovan McNabb and Priest Holmes this year, I still finished with a record of 10-4 and I enter the playoffs as the #2 seed. Here's how the final regular season standings shaped up:
My fourth (and final) league was a disaster. I finished 4-10 and limped to the finish line in Extendicare's league. If nothing else, my team (The Physically Unable to Perform) lived up to their name in this league.
So, after all is said and done, I made the playoffs in three of the four leagues I played this season. Whether the season proves profitable depends on my success in the two leagues where I'm still alive. Wish me luck this weekend!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.49
December 16, 2005: A Mini-Marathon at Potawatomi
This evening, Theresa went to Chicago for an overnight excursion to celebrate her company Christmas Party. Significant others weren't invited to join the jamboree, so I was forced to organize my own adventure tonight. Quite naturally, my plans centered around the world of gambling!
Taking the afternoon off from work, I headed straight to Potawatomi Bingo & Casino in preparations for a marathon poker session. Since Theresa wasn't scheduled to get back to Milwaukee until noon on Saturday, I (theoretically) had 24 consecutive hours of poker available to me. It could turn into quite a gambling marathon!
Arriving in the poker room at exactly 1:10pm with $150 (and a Tyme card) in my wallet, I was delighted to discover that an immediate opening was available at a $5/$10 table. Yippee! Driving to the casino, I feared that I'd probably hafta wait a good hour before sitting down. Thankfully, that didn't happen. After all, in the past, I've had a penchant for losing hundreds of dollars on the main casino floor waiting for a seat at a poker table to open. As I've learned (the hard way), it isn't adviseable to initially sit down at a poker table already on tilt because some blackjack dealer got insanely hot!
Anyway, the average number of poker players to see each flop was probably 4 or 5. However, every 45 minutes (or so), all ten players at the table would see a flop -which helps to illustrate my level of competition. It was a pretty loose table, but very passive in general. The table was filled with calling stations, and no one wanted to be the aggressor - except me. I wasn't catching monster hands preflop, but I saw enough playable hands that kept me going. Whenever I hit something, I bet with a passion. Then, for every 1 suckout that I endured, I scooped 3 decent pots. So, I profited from the "fishy" play at the table.
At the one hour mark, I was up $20. After two hours, I was up $59. After three hours, I was up $90. After that, I (unfortunately) lost track, but my stack steadily increased. In fact, I don't believe I experienced a single losing hour during the first 6 hours that I sat at the table. It was a slow and steady climb, but I was very satisfied with the results.
At the same time that was happening, the guy next to me endured a wild roller coaster ride. Starting with $100, the guy experienced wild swings that saw his stack of chips grow to over $600 about 3 hours into the day. Then, he went on an incredible losing streak and went "all in" with his last $10 about 5 hours into the session. He won that hand and eventually built his stack to over $400 again as he won four consecutive Kill ($10/$20) pots. Needless to say, it was incredible to watch. This guy played every card he saw, which probably explains his wild fluctuations. I was happy to sit next to him. He was a nice guy to talk with and it was fascinating to watch his chips come and go with the blink of an eye.
At 8:00pm, my starting stack of $150 had grown to exactly $620. Up $470 for the day, I was feeling very good about things as I was dealt 4-4 and saw a flop of 4-7-K while playing a Kill pot. The betting got aggressive and I started to salivate at the prospects of a delicious victory, but I lost a monster pot when an opponent flipped over 7-7. Ugh!! Without doubt, this was the first really bad loss I had endured all day. I threw $100 at this pot before watching it slide in another direction.
Admittedly, I was growing pretty tired. Apparently, I'm getting old, 'cuz I distinctly remember sitting at poker tables in 12-hour increments not so long ago. However, 7 hours into today's session, I was feeling fatigued.
Shortly after losing that big pot, my stack of chips had decreased to $501. I started to consider the prospects of losing more money (while tired) and decided to simply leave - up exactly $351. I played a couple free hands but said my goodbyes when the big blind got back to me.
So, my "marathon" session turned into a "mini marathon" that lasted nearly 8 hours. Admittedly, it isn't the 24 hour session I dreamed about, but I won $351 and got an opportunity to get a good night's rest.
Ugh! I am getting old!
Daily Sketch: Up $351
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.49
Taking the afternoon off from work, I headed straight to Potawatomi Bingo & Casino in preparations for a marathon poker session. Since Theresa wasn't scheduled to get back to Milwaukee until noon on Saturday, I (theoretically) had 24 consecutive hours of poker available to me. It could turn into quite a gambling marathon!
Arriving in the poker room at exactly 1:10pm with $150 (and a Tyme card) in my wallet, I was delighted to discover that an immediate opening was available at a $5/$10 table. Yippee! Driving to the casino, I feared that I'd probably hafta wait a good hour before sitting down. Thankfully, that didn't happen. After all, in the past, I've had a penchant for losing hundreds of dollars on the main casino floor waiting for a seat at a poker table to open. As I've learned (the hard way), it isn't adviseable to initially sit down at a poker table already on tilt because some blackjack dealer got insanely hot!
Anyway, the average number of poker players to see each flop was probably 4 or 5. However, every 45 minutes (or so), all ten players at the table would see a flop -which helps to illustrate my level of competition. It was a pretty loose table, but very passive in general. The table was filled with calling stations, and no one wanted to be the aggressor - except me. I wasn't catching monster hands preflop, but I saw enough playable hands that kept me going. Whenever I hit something, I bet with a passion. Then, for every 1 suckout that I endured, I scooped 3 decent pots. So, I profited from the "fishy" play at the table.
At the one hour mark, I was up $20. After two hours, I was up $59. After three hours, I was up $90. After that, I (unfortunately) lost track, but my stack steadily increased. In fact, I don't believe I experienced a single losing hour during the first 6 hours that I sat at the table. It was a slow and steady climb, but I was very satisfied with the results.
At the same time that was happening, the guy next to me endured a wild roller coaster ride. Starting with $100, the guy experienced wild swings that saw his stack of chips grow to over $600 about 3 hours into the day. Then, he went on an incredible losing streak and went "all in" with his last $10 about 5 hours into the session. He won that hand and eventually built his stack to over $400 again as he won four consecutive Kill ($10/$20) pots. Needless to say, it was incredible to watch. This guy played every card he saw, which probably explains his wild fluctuations. I was happy to sit next to him. He was a nice guy to talk with and it was fascinating to watch his chips come and go with the blink of an eye.
At 8:00pm, my starting stack of $150 had grown to exactly $620. Up $470 for the day, I was feeling very good about things as I was dealt 4-4 and saw a flop of 4-7-K while playing a Kill pot. The betting got aggressive and I started to salivate at the prospects of a delicious victory, but I lost a monster pot when an opponent flipped over 7-7. Ugh!! Without doubt, this was the first really bad loss I had endured all day. I threw $100 at this pot before watching it slide in another direction.
Admittedly, I was growing pretty tired. Apparently, I'm getting old, 'cuz I distinctly remember sitting at poker tables in 12-hour increments not so long ago. However, 7 hours into today's session, I was feeling fatigued.
Shortly after losing that big pot, my stack of chips had decreased to $501. I started to consider the prospects of losing more money (while tired) and decided to simply leave - up exactly $351. I played a couple free hands but said my goodbyes when the big blind got back to me.
So, my "marathon" session turned into a "mini marathon" that lasted nearly 8 hours. Admittedly, it isn't the 24 hour session I dreamed about, but I won $351 and got an opportunity to get a good night's rest.
Ugh! I am getting old!
Daily Sketch: Up $351
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $86.49
December 14, 2005: Free Rollin' Away
I logged into the Absolute Poker software tonight with one simple goal: to find another free tournament to play.
It didn't take long to discover that Sports Talk 1570 (based in Baltimore) was hosting a hold 'em tournament nearly identical to the tournaments being hosted by Madison and Milwaukee. Using a Google search, I quickly found my way to the radio station's website, signed up to play, and started another freerolling adventure at 7:00pm. I love the internet!
Similar to the Wisconsin tournaments, the top 10% of tonight's players advanced to the final tournament - scheduled for December 28th. If nothing else, this program's final tourney isn't scheduled for the same night as the Wisconsin tourneys, so that was good to see. However, unlike the Wisconsin tournaments, this tournament structure pays a bit more money. The overall winner gets $1,500 and it pays out to the top 30 players. The Wisconsin programs each pay $1,000 to the winner, but it doesn't appear that anyone else wins anything.
A total of 331 people signed up to play this evening. Continuing my astonishing run, I was able to squeak into the top 10% - again! Unlike the last three tournaments, however, I found myself on the edge and didn't qualify very comfortably. In fact, I finished in 31st place - my worst finish so far this week. However, since tonight's goal was to simply finish in the top 33, I don't care. I've made another final tournament that shouldn't have many more than 100 people playing for a significant top prize.
So, despite the fact that the Sketchbook still sits in the red this month, there's a glimmer of hope. To date, I can't ever recall doing so well in four consecutive multi-table tournaments. Having said that, I haven't won a penny. I suppose I shouldn't toot my own horn too much.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $264.51
December 13, 2005: Madison's Fox Sports Holiday Poker Tournament
Last Tuesday night, I played in ESPN Milwaukee's free Holiday Hold 'em Poker Tournament on Absolute Poker. By placing in the top 24 of a tournament that had 244 players, I qualified for the final tournament next Wednesday night that will pay $1,000 to the winner. Considering the fact that it's free to play, this program is well worth the effort.
Tonight, I decided to play in Madison's Fox Sports free Holiday Poker Tournament - which is also being played on Absolute Poker. Interestingly, the format is identical to last week's tournament. I think that Absolute Poker is sponsoring these free events in an attempt to get people (like myself) into their software. I don't plan on depositing any money into an account, but who knows?
A total of 231 people signed up to play this evening, and if I finished in the top 23, I qualified for next week's final tournament - which is scheduled to be played at the exact same time as Milwaukee's tournament.
Could lightning strike twice within a week? Could I qualify for another $1,000 tourney? The answer: Yes!
Amazingly, I was able to make the final 23 this evening and qualified for Madison's final tournament. Although tonight's tournament took 150 minutes to play, my success was sealed with two key hands. On the first hand (about 45 minutes into the tourney), I was dealt pocket 6's. Little did I know that my only two opponents on that hand were holding pocket 9's and pocket J's. Things didn't look good. However, a 6 on the flop ultimately allowed me to scoop a monster pot. I nearly tripled up on that hand alone.
For the longest time, I sat on that significant pile of chips. Then, as we neared the 2-hour mark, I was dealt Ah Kh and was forced to consider my options when another player went "all in" behind me. I thought about it for a few moments (he had more chips) and I decided to take a chance. I called the bet and put my tournament life on the line. My opponent flipped over 4-4. The flop was garbage, the turn was garbage, but my entire tournament was saved when a miracle ace appeared on the river. After that hand, I had a ton of chips and was in absolutely no danger of not making the final 23. In fact, I quickly became the table bully and knocked out a few people by myself. After winning the 2nd monster hand, I was 2nd in chips.
So, just like that, I've qualified for two concurent final tournaments next Wednesday night on Absolute Poker. I don't think that there will be more than 100 entrants in either tournament, so I've got two 1-in-100 shots at winning $1,000. Admittedly, those odds aren't outstanding, but they aren't half bad.
On a final note, I decided to play in Milwaukee's 2nd (of 3) tournament qualifiers tonight - despite the fact that I've already made the finals - at the same time I was playing in Madison's tournament. The Absolute Poker gods love me right now, 'cuz I was able to again finish in the top 10% of Milwaukee's tournament - all while half-heartedly paying attention. It didn't really matter how I did in the Milwaukee tourney, 'cuz I can't use a 2nd entry next week, but I did keep one person from making the finals. So, I guess that helps my cause.
The odds of finishing in the top 10% of three consecutive tournaments is quite high. I hope I haven't used up all my good Absolute Poker karma. All I need is one more great run of cards next Wednesday night . . .
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $264.51
December 12, 2005: Poker at Bernard's
I played poker at Bernard's house tonight and didn't find much success. The night saw a lot of bad hands. As a result, I lost $10. Not much more to say . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $264.51
Daily Sketch: Down $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $264.51
December 11, 2005: A Bad Day
I started the day with exactly $224 in my Party Poker account. When I retired for the day, I had zero in my account. Ouch!
I started my day on a 6-man Omaha Hi/Lo $3/$6 table and found no luck. I lost about $140 before I decided that I was destined for a losing session. So, I headed for Party Poker's blackjack tables, where I lost the balance in my account. Ouch!
Overall, it was a very frustrating 90 minutes. Now that my account is tapped, it'll be easy to take a break. I'll be playing in free tournaments for a while as I try to recover from today's disaster.
Daily Sketch: Down $224
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $254.51
I started my day on a 6-man Omaha Hi/Lo $3/$6 table and found no luck. I lost about $140 before I decided that I was destined for a losing session. So, I headed for Party Poker's blackjack tables, where I lost the balance in my account. Ouch!
Overall, it was a very frustrating 90 minutes. Now that my account is tapped, it'll be easy to take a break. I'll be playing in free tournaments for a while as I try to recover from today's disaster.
Daily Sketch: Down $224
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $254.51
December 9, 2005: Wisconsin 77, Marquette 63.
The Badgers were able to beat the Warriors in the Kohl Center this afternoon. As a result, I lost $30 to Jon in our recurring wager on this game. Apparently, the home team has a decided advantage in this annual game, and that cost the Sketchbook $30 today.
This evening, I played poker at Tom's house with Jared, Rob, Al, Tom, and Joe. I opened the night by winning the $5 hold 'em tournament, which netted me a quick $15 profit.
The rest of the night wasn't particularly exciting. Generally speaking, we all finished close to even. I lost back $5.80 of my winning, so I finished the night with a profit of exactly $9.20.
Interestingly, I may have been the big winner of the night with that modest figure. Considering the fact that Jared won $70 the last time we played, my winnings paled in comparison. My objective in these games is to have a good time and try to win back enough money to cover the cost of beer and food while we play, and I did that. So, all's well that ends well in that regard. Now, had Marquette only won . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $21.20
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $30.51
This evening, I played poker at Tom's house with Jared, Rob, Al, Tom, and Joe. I opened the night by winning the $5 hold 'em tournament, which netted me a quick $15 profit.
The rest of the night wasn't particularly exciting. Generally speaking, we all finished close to even. I lost back $5.80 of my winning, so I finished the night with a profit of exactly $9.20.
Interestingly, I may have been the big winner of the night with that modest figure. Considering the fact that Jared won $70 the last time we played, my winnings paled in comparison. My objective in these games is to have a good time and try to win back enough money to cover the cost of beer and food while we play, and I did that. So, all's well that ends well in that regard. Now, had Marquette only won . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $21.20
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $30.51
December 8, 2005: An Evening of Partying
I visited Party Poker tonight. Here's how it went:
First, I joined a 10-man $30(3) Hold 'em Tournament and took 2nd place. As a result, I won $90 and I quickly found myself up $57. I was dealt a pair of kings early in the tournament and, after flopping another king, I found myself with a healthy stack of chips that I rode all the way to 2nd place.
Then, I joined another 10-man $30(3) Hold 'em Tournament and didn't find the same kind of luck. This time, I took 7th place. Needless to say, I didn't win any money for that ugly accomplishment. At this point of the night, my winnings were down to $24.
Next, I joined a regular 6-man $1/$2 Omaha Hi/Lo table and quickly lost my $24. I played for 10 minutes and didn't win a single hand. When that happens, you'll find that your money quickly disappears!
Exactly even for the night, I decided to "up the ante" and joined a 6-man $3/$6 Omaha Hi/Lo table. Thankfully, I won some hands during the hour that I played, and I actually won $63.75. After 15 minutes, I was down $50, but a nice rush of cards (finally!) allowed me to finish the night with a profit. Woo hoo!!
Up $63.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $9.31
First, I joined a 10-man $30(3) Hold 'em Tournament and took 2nd place. As a result, I won $90 and I quickly found myself up $57. I was dealt a pair of kings early in the tournament and, after flopping another king, I found myself with a healthy stack of chips that I rode all the way to 2nd place.
Then, I joined another 10-man $30(3) Hold 'em Tournament and didn't find the same kind of luck. This time, I took 7th place. Needless to say, I didn't win any money for that ugly accomplishment. At this point of the night, my winnings were down to $24.
Next, I joined a regular 6-man $1/$2 Omaha Hi/Lo table and quickly lost my $24. I played for 10 minutes and didn't win a single hand. When that happens, you'll find that your money quickly disappears!
Exactly even for the night, I decided to "up the ante" and joined a 6-man $3/$6 Omaha Hi/Lo table. Thankfully, I won some hands during the hour that I played, and I actually won $63.75. After 15 minutes, I was down $50, but a nice rush of cards (finally!) allowed me to finish the night with a profit. Woo hoo!!
Up $63.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $9.31
December 7, 2005: Fantasy Football Update
A couple of my fantasy football leagues saw their regular seasons come to an end this past weekend. In David's league, my Marquette Warriors finished 8-5-1, took 2nd place in the Illinois division, and earned a wild card berth.
Here are the final regular season standings. They're a bit hard to read. Oh, well.
By finishing 2nd in my division, I won $50. In addition, I was high-of-the-week two different times this season, and that equates to another $20. So, heading into the playoffs of David's league, the Sketchbook will show a gain of (at least) $70. It won't become "official" until I see the check. Considering that this league has cost me $127 this year, I still need to experience some postseason success to make it a profitable year.
Overall, I feel pretty good about my prospects. As the standings show, I was the highest scoring team in the league, so I didn't limp into the playoffs. The injury to Priest Holmes, in particular, has helped me, as I've got Larry Johnson on my roster. Heading into the postseason, my starting lineup is Carson Palmer, Edgerrin James, Johnson, Plaxico Burress, Andre Johnson, Chris Cooley, Jay Feeley, and the Carolina Defense. If I get lucky and win three more games this year, I'll collect over $300.
I did quite well in the other league that saw its regular season end this past weekend. In Dave's league, I finished the year with a record of 9-3-1. I won my division and head into the playoffs as the defending champion of this league.
Here are the final standings. Unfortunately, they're even harder to read than the previous results. Oh, well.
Unlike my other league, I'm not completely comfortable with this team. My QB is shared between Brett Favre, Jake Delhomme, and Eli Manning. Then, I start Mike Anderson, Tiki Barber, Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, & Antonio Gates at the skill positions. A couple of these players (Moss and Dillon) have been disappointments, so I feel fortunate to have finished with such a good record.
I don't know the prize for winning my division, but I think I'll (at least) recoup the $60 entry fee for this league. We'll see how the postseason goes, I guess. If nothing else, the deficit that you see in the Month-to-Date sketch should disappear soon.
This weekend, my other two leagues wrap up their regular seasons. I'll report on those leagues next week.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.06
Here are the final regular season standings. They're a bit hard to read. Oh, well.
By finishing 2nd in my division, I won $50. In addition, I was high-of-the-week two different times this season, and that equates to another $20. So, heading into the playoffs of David's league, the Sketchbook will show a gain of (at least) $70. It won't become "official" until I see the check. Considering that this league has cost me $127 this year, I still need to experience some postseason success to make it a profitable year.
Overall, I feel pretty good about my prospects. As the standings show, I was the highest scoring team in the league, so I didn't limp into the playoffs. The injury to Priest Holmes, in particular, has helped me, as I've got Larry Johnson on my roster. Heading into the postseason, my starting lineup is Carson Palmer, Edgerrin James, Johnson, Plaxico Burress, Andre Johnson, Chris Cooley, Jay Feeley, and the Carolina Defense. If I get lucky and win three more games this year, I'll collect over $300.
I did quite well in the other league that saw its regular season end this past weekend. In Dave's league, I finished the year with a record of 9-3-1. I won my division and head into the playoffs as the defending champion of this league.
Here are the final standings. Unfortunately, they're even harder to read than the previous results. Oh, well.
Unlike my other league, I'm not completely comfortable with this team. My QB is shared between Brett Favre, Jake Delhomme, and Eli Manning. Then, I start Mike Anderson, Tiki Barber, Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, & Antonio Gates at the skill positions. A couple of these players (Moss and Dillon) have been disappointments, so I feel fortunate to have finished with such a good record.
I don't know the prize for winning my division, but I think I'll (at least) recoup the $60 entry fee for this league. We'll see how the postseason goes, I guess. If nothing else, the deficit that you see in the Month-to-Date sketch should disappear soon.
This weekend, my other two leagues wrap up their regular seasons. I'll report on those leagues next week.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.06
December 6, 2005: ESPN Milwaukee's Holiday Tournament
Tonight, I played in a free holiday tournament sponsored by Milwaukee's ESPN Radio via Absolute Poker- a site I had never played previously. A total of 244 people signed up to a play in tonight's satellite tournament that ultimately promises to eventually pay $1,000 to the grand prize winner. The top 24 players in tonight's tournament (10% of the field) advanced to the final tournament scheduled to be played later this month. Considering the fact that this program is free to play, I didn't see any reason to not start chasing the $1,000 grand prize. Plus, it's neat to play on-line poker against people generally located in the greater Milwaukee area.
Similar satellite tournaments are being played the next few Tuesday nights. If you're interested in joining this program, I recommend that you give it a shot. Follow this link to the website that'll give you some details. Maybe you'll find yourselves sitting at a table with STV1313! Best of all, it's free to play!
Here's how tonight's tournament went:
About 1/2 way through the first hour, I was dealt Jh Qs. When three spades appeared on the flop (including the ace of spades), I made a modest bet and eventually scooped a pretty sizeable pot when another spade appeared on the river. After starting with 1,500 chips, I was sitting on exactly 2,350 chips and feeling pretty good about my chances. After a mere 30 minutes, we were already down to 137 players. I had an average stack, but I could tell that a lot of my opponents had no idea what they were doing. There were a lot of rookies in this field.
For the next 25 minutes, I went on a folding spree. Hand after hand, I saw garbage cards come my way and I nearly wore out the "fold" button. At the same time, people kept going "all in" with hands like A-8 and QK. On the one hand, it was nice to see people leaving. On the other hand, it wasn't good to see that my stack of chips was well below average. Just as I started to think that I was going to need to chase an iffy hand to survive, my luck suddenly changed.
Minutes before the 1-hour break, I was dealt KK. Thankfully, no aces ever appeared on the board and I found myself holding 4,400 chips after scooping a nice pot. On the very next hand, I was dealt Qs Ks. The flop came 6-6-6 and I made a modest bet. The turn was a queen and I ended up scooping a very big pot when another player holding 5-5 decided to call my significant wagers through the insignificant river.
As we hit the 1-hour break, I was suddenly up to 9,155 chips. There were 74 players still alive and the average stack had 4,945 chips. My chances of making the final 24 seemed pretty good.
For the first 43 minutes of the 2nd hour, I played EXCEEDINGLY conservative. I folded some nice hands, but I thought that my best chance of making the final 24 was to only play premium hands - and I (surprisingly) stuck to that strategy. It wasn't easy to adhere to that plan, especially when I continued to watch people with A-8 (offsuit) risk their tournament lives preflop. More than once, I was dealt A-10 and had someone ahead of me go all-in. I was tempted to make the call, but I kept folding those iffy hands.
When we got down to 34 players, my patience was finally rewarded. Dealt AA, I scooped a nice pot and saw my stack of chips increase to 12,715 when another player holding JK hit a king on the flop. At that point, the average stack contained a little over 11,000 chips, and I felt REALLY good about advancing with my 12,715 chips.
To illustrate how tight I was playing, shortly after getting the pocket aces, I folded Ac Kc to a player who raised under-the-gun. To be honest, that's probably too conservative, but I felt that I had enough chips to make those kinds of laydowns. It's not often that you'll see me folding a suited Big Slick to a relatively modest preflop raise! However, since my goal wasn't to win this tournament (just make the final 24), there was no reason to unnecessarily risk my healthy pile of chips.
At the 2-hour break, we were down to 29 players and I had exactly 10,765 chips. The average stack had 12,620 chips, but that didn't really matter to me anymore. Seven players had less than 5,000 chips, and another 5 players had less than 10,000 chips. I still felt pretty good about my chances and simply prayed that the tournament would end quickly. Only five more players needed to be eliminated! As long as I wasn't dealt pocket aces, there didn't seem to be any need to play any more hands.
Unlike other posts that end dejectedly, this one ends on a good note. It didn't take more than 5 minutes to see 5 players eliminated, and I easily finished in the final 24. As a result, I earned a seat in the final event on December 20th. Congrats to me!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.06
December 5, 2005: Poker at Tony's
Tonight's regular poker game was played at Tony's house - rather than Joe's house or Bernard's house. Unfortunately, I didn't catch many good cards at Tony's house and proceeded to lose exactly $13 during the course of the entire night. Ooops!!
Daily Sketch: Down $13
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.06
Daily Sketch: Down $13
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.06
December 3, 2005: Much Poker
I played a lot of poker on Party Poker today. My games ranged from $1/$2 Hold 'em to $5/$10 Omaha Hi/Lo. Generally speaking, it wasn't a good day, however. After all was said and done, I lost exactly $128. Ooops!!
I had several bad runs where the river card seemed to always kill me - particularly in Omaha. Too many times, I flopped sets and couldn't improve and eventually lost to some donkey chasing a gut-shot straight. It was mighty frustrating.
All told, I'd guess that I played poker for 5 hours today. Outside of poker, I also visited the Bradley Center and watched Marquette smoke South Dakota State by a score of 87-52 this afternoon. Sadly, the game wasn't as close as the score might otherwise indicate. Theresa and I also hosted a couples' night this evening in our apartment. The snowstorm kept some people away, but I did win a small hold 'em tournament amongst friends. My only award was pride, however, so the Sketchbook doesn't get to see some sweet action from that tournament.
Anyway, I'm pretty tired right now. I suppose that a $128 loss will do that to a guy. I'm definitely going to stay away from the on-line poker world tomorrow while watching Sunday NFL football. I could use a short break, anyway.
Daily Sketch: Down $128
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $60.06
I had several bad runs where the river card seemed to always kill me - particularly in Omaha. Too many times, I flopped sets and couldn't improve and eventually lost to some donkey chasing a gut-shot straight. It was mighty frustrating.
All told, I'd guess that I played poker for 5 hours today. Outside of poker, I also visited the Bradley Center and watched Marquette smoke South Dakota State by a score of 87-52 this afternoon. Sadly, the game wasn't as close as the score might otherwise indicate. Theresa and I also hosted a couples' night this evening in our apartment. The snowstorm kept some people away, but I did win a small hold 'em tournament amongst friends. My only award was pride, however, so the Sketchbook doesn't get to see some sweet action from that tournament.
Anyway, I'm pretty tired right now. I suppose that a $128 loss will do that to a guy. I'm definitely going to stay away from the on-line poker world tomorrow while watching Sunday NFL football. I could use a short break, anyway.
Daily Sketch: Down $128
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $60.06
December 2, 2005: Blackjack Bails Me Out
Jumping on Party Poker, I sat at a 6-man Omaha Hi/Lo table for nearly two hours this evening. In the first 15 minutes of play, I caught some really nice cards and quickly found myself up $30. For the next 75 minutes, however, my rush of nice cards disappeared and I slowly lost back all my winnings. In fact, when I left the table, I was actually down $4.50.
Frustrated with my losses, I decided to visit Party Poker's blackjack tables. Thankfully, things went relatively well. It took 15 minutes, but I left the table with a $35 profit, as I bet anywhere from $2 to $10 each hand. Once I earned back the $30 I was ahead earlier in the night, I decided to retire for the day - happy to see a profit.
In the end, Theresa and I dined for free this evening. The Chinese food that we ordered cost $30, so I made $.50 this evening. Woo Hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $30.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: $59.94
Frustrated with my losses, I decided to visit Party Poker's blackjack tables. Thankfully, things went relatively well. It took 15 minutes, but I left the table with a $35 profit, as I bet anywhere from $2 to $10 each hand. Once I earned back the $30 I was ahead earlier in the night, I decided to retire for the day - happy to see a profit.
In the end, Theresa and I dined for free this evening. The Chinese food that we ordered cost $30, so I made $.50 this evening. Woo Hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $30.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: $59.94
December 1, 2005: Back to Omaha
A new Month-to-Date tally for my Sketchbook begins. I really like to track my winnings (or losses) by month. If nothing else, it allows me to start fresh every 30 days - regardless of how I did the previous month. As my loyal readers are aware, I hadn't been doing well for the past few months - but November finally saw a profit. Let's see if I can string together back-to-back winning months!
Starting fresh, I visited Party Poker this evening and went straight to the Omaha Hi/Lo tables. However, rather than playing tournaments, I decided to stay conservative and simply played on a 6-man $1/$2 table for 90 minutes. I'm still a bit tired from last night's live hold 'em tournament, so I didn't want to risk much money on a brand of poker I'm not completely comfortable with.
Generally speaking, the 90 minutes went well and I finished with a profit of $29.44. It's amazing to see how many people call any bet preflop in hopes of seeing some miracle cards appear on the board. I may be relatively new to Omaha Hi/Lo, but I know that it can't be smart to throw money at every single pot you play.
Short term, my goal is to see how much of a bankroll I can build during the next few weeks focusing exclusively on Omaha. I'll keep my stakes low and see if I can keep winning at a pace of $20/hour. If I feel like I'm developing a good game, I'll bump up my stakes. Until then, we'll see what happens. If I actually made $30 every night I play, it would be a pretty nice month of action.
Daily Sketch: Up $29.44
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $29.44
Starting fresh, I visited Party Poker this evening and went straight to the Omaha Hi/Lo tables. However, rather than playing tournaments, I decided to stay conservative and simply played on a 6-man $1/$2 table for 90 minutes. I'm still a bit tired from last night's live hold 'em tournament, so I didn't want to risk much money on a brand of poker I'm not completely comfortable with.
Generally speaking, the 90 minutes went well and I finished with a profit of $29.44. It's amazing to see how many people call any bet preflop in hopes of seeing some miracle cards appear on the board. I may be relatively new to Omaha Hi/Lo, but I know that it can't be smart to throw money at every single pot you play.
Short term, my goal is to see how much of a bankroll I can build during the next few weeks focusing exclusively on Omaha. I'll keep my stakes low and see if I can keep winning at a pace of $20/hour. If I feel like I'm developing a good game, I'll bump up my stakes. Until then, we'll see what happens. If I actually made $30 every night I play, it would be a pretty nice month of action.
Daily Sketch: Up $29.44
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $29.44
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