According to Pokerpages.com, David Dickelman survived his first full day at the $10k main event of the World Series of Poker. In fact, the website is showing that he's sitting with 30,150 chips. Way to go, David! He's obviously riding the momentum he created at the last Spotted Cow Hold 'em Tournament.
His next day of action is tomorrow. Good luck!! There will probably be about 3,500 people still alive when action starts tomorrow.
July 30, 2006: Another Bad Day
I played in WannatalkPoker's weekly freeroll on Absolute Poker today. Only 14 people signed up to play, and I took 3rd place. For the accomplishment, I won a whopping $5. Woo hoo!!
I was going to retire for the day, but the win buoyed my confidence. Unfortunately, I headed to Party Poker and lost exactly $100 in about 90 minutes. After all was said and done, it was a $3/$6 session of lost races. If I was ever dealt AK, I lost pots to guys holding 7-7. If I was dealt 9-9, I continued to lose hands to guys holding A-J. No matter which side of the race I was on, I lost. Ugh!
Needless to say, it was a very frustrating session. It was so frustrating, in fact, that I cashed out the last $200 I had in my Party Poker account and I'm taking that cash to Indianapolis next weekend. This past weekend was a frustrating series of poker and I'm going to take a few days off from gambling before heading to the Brickyard 400. By taking the $200 out of my Party Poker account, I won't even be tempted to log into the software this week.
So, the Sketchbook is going to be dark for exactly 7 days. I know it's boring - but I could use the break. A once-promising month has turned into a very pedestrian month.
Daily Sketch: Down $95
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $94.93
I was going to retire for the day, but the win buoyed my confidence. Unfortunately, I headed to Party Poker and lost exactly $100 in about 90 minutes. After all was said and done, it was a $3/$6 session of lost races. If I was ever dealt AK, I lost pots to guys holding 7-7. If I was dealt 9-9, I continued to lose hands to guys holding A-J. No matter which side of the race I was on, I lost. Ugh!
Needless to say, it was a very frustrating session. It was so frustrating, in fact, that I cashed out the last $200 I had in my Party Poker account and I'm taking that cash to Indianapolis next weekend. This past weekend was a frustrating series of poker and I'm going to take a few days off from gambling before heading to the Brickyard 400. By taking the $200 out of my Party Poker account, I won't even be tempted to log into the software this week.
So, the Sketchbook is going to be dark for exactly 7 days. I know it's boring - but I could use the break. A once-promising month has turned into a very pedestrian month.
Daily Sketch: Down $95
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $94.93
July 29, 2006: A Little Crazy
Before heading to Adam's high school graduation party this afternoon, I spent a couple hours playing $3/$6 hold 'em on Party Poker. To put it mildly, it was a rather uninspiring session. In fact, I believe I was down the entire time that I played and I eventually finished with a modest deficit of $14. At one point, I was down nearly $100, so I was relatively happy to nearly break even.
After getting home from the graduation party in the early evening, I played poker for another 90 minutes. Again, the cards were rather uninspiring and I lost another $13. With 3 1/2 hours of poker behind me, I began to realize that today's Sketchbook was going to be rather uneventful - so I (admittedly) got a little crazy.
Bored with the results thus far, I decided to bump up my stakes to $10/$20 to "juice" things up. If nothing else, I thought I'd play for a few minutes and either (1) record a nice profit or (2) show a big deficit. I know - it's a bit crazy - but what the hell!
Unfortunately, after sitting down at a 6-man $10/$20 table, I lost a quick $200 and things were looking bleak. However, I proceeded to win a couple decent pots and suddenly found myself up $100. At that point, I was almost ready to quit. Then the following hand occurred:
Dealt A♥ J♥, I raised the bet to $20 and got reraised to $30 by one opponent. I called and the flop came 4♥ A◊ J♠. I bet $10 and my opponent called. I was feeling pretty good about my two-pair.
The turn was a 7♣. I bet $20 and got raised to $40. Yikes! I was still holding two-pair, so I made the call.
The river was a 7◊. Again, I bet $20 and my opponent raised me to $40. I made the call and crossed my fingers.
My opponent flipped over A♠ 7♠. The runner-runner 7's gave him the full house and he scooped a pot worth over $250. Ugh!!
To say that I was "steaming" after this hand would be a gross understatement. In fact, I was ready to throw the laptop off the balcony after this bad beat. Too bad it happened at a $10/$20 table, ehhh?
I played for a couple more minutes and lost another hand when my opponent rivered a flush. Completely disgusted with Party Poker, I logged out of the software with an overall loss of $162 today. Sigh!!
I'm going to play in a WannatalkPoker freeroll tomorrow afternoon. After ending tonight on such a dismal note, I think I'll restrict my action to that single tournament and otherwise take a day off from the exciting world of online poker.
Daily Sketch: Down $162
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $189.93
After getting home from the graduation party in the early evening, I played poker for another 90 minutes. Again, the cards were rather uninspiring and I lost another $13. With 3 1/2 hours of poker behind me, I began to realize that today's Sketchbook was going to be rather uneventful - so I (admittedly) got a little crazy.
Bored with the results thus far, I decided to bump up my stakes to $10/$20 to "juice" things up. If nothing else, I thought I'd play for a few minutes and either (1) record a nice profit or (2) show a big deficit. I know - it's a bit crazy - but what the hell!
Unfortunately, after sitting down at a 6-man $10/$20 table, I lost a quick $200 and things were looking bleak. However, I proceeded to win a couple decent pots and suddenly found myself up $100. At that point, I was almost ready to quit. Then the following hand occurred:
Dealt A♥ J♥, I raised the bet to $20 and got reraised to $30 by one opponent. I called and the flop came 4♥ A◊ J♠. I bet $10 and my opponent called. I was feeling pretty good about my two-pair.
The turn was a 7♣. I bet $20 and got raised to $40. Yikes! I was still holding two-pair, so I made the call.
The river was a 7◊. Again, I bet $20 and my opponent raised me to $40. I made the call and crossed my fingers.
My opponent flipped over A♠ 7♠. The runner-runner 7's gave him the full house and he scooped a pot worth over $250. Ugh!!
To say that I was "steaming" after this hand would be a gross understatement. In fact, I was ready to throw the laptop off the balcony after this bad beat. Too bad it happened at a $10/$20 table, ehhh?
I played for a couple more minutes and lost another hand when my opponent rivered a flush. Completely disgusted with Party Poker, I logged out of the software with an overall loss of $162 today. Sigh!!
I'm going to play in a WannatalkPoker freeroll tomorrow afternoon. After ending tonight on such a dismal note, I think I'll restrict my action to that single tournament and otherwise take a day off from the exciting world of online poker.
Daily Sketch: Down $162
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $189.93
July 28, 2006: Poker at Tom's
I played poker with Tom, Jared, Rob, Chris, and Craig in Sussex this evening. Playing relatively modest stakes, I experienced a decent night of cards.
The evening started with a $5 Hold 'em Tournament. I was the first person eliminated and finished dead last. Ooops!! Craig and Chris proceeded to share the 1st & 2nd place prizes.
For the next 5 hours, we played a wide variety of Dealer's Choice games. I found success and won $16.50 in those games. So, when 11:30pm arrived, I was up $11.50 for the night and we decided to play one more $5 Hold 'em Tournament to conclude the night's festivities.
Unlike the 1st tournament of the night, I caught some good cards and took home the first place prize ($20). Rob took 2nd ($10). As a result of my win, I netted an additional $15 in profits - netting me an overall profit of $26.50 for the entire night. Woo hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $26.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $351.93
The evening started with a $5 Hold 'em Tournament. I was the first person eliminated and finished dead last. Ooops!! Craig and Chris proceeded to share the 1st & 2nd place prizes.
For the next 5 hours, we played a wide variety of Dealer's Choice games. I found success and won $16.50 in those games. So, when 11:30pm arrived, I was up $11.50 for the night and we decided to play one more $5 Hold 'em Tournament to conclude the night's festivities.
Unlike the 1st tournament of the night, I caught some good cards and took home the first place prize ($20). Rob took 2nd ($10). As a result of my win, I netted an additional $15 in profits - netting me an overall profit of $26.50 for the entire night. Woo hoo!!
Daily Sketch: Up $26.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $351.93
July 27, 2006: A Trifecta of Sit 'n' Go's
I slept TERRIBLY last night. As a result, I was pretty tired when I got home from work this evening. If nothing else, I've learned that I'm an average - at best - poker player when I'm tired, so I decided to stay away from the $3/$6 tables tonight. Instead, I decided to play some Sit 'n' Go's. Relatively speaking, I play very tight when I play these tournaments - so it's pretty easy to play if I'm a bit groggy. It doesn't take much effort, after all, to fold repeatedly.I began my night of gambling by joining a $30(3) 10-man Tournament on Party Poker. I played relatively well, caught some respectable cards, and finished in 3rd place. As a result, I was awarded $60 - netting me a profit of $27. On the very first hand of the tournament, I was dealt pocket Aces. When everyone folded to my modest raise, I thought that someone was telling me something - and it wasn't good. I was very happy to record a modest profit in this opening tourney of the night.
In my 2nd $30(3) tourney of the night, I quickly found myself with a small stack. However, I managed to stick around and scooped an occassional pot. As a result, I was able to sneak into 3rd place and took home another $60 and a $27 profit. Interestingly, the same player who took 2nd place in my last tourney joined this tournament. He couldn't find the same success, however, and finished in 8th place in this tourney.
Up $54 for the night, I was tempted to log out of the Party Poker software. I was tired and felt rather uninspired, but I thought I'd try another tourney to see if I could complete a trifecta of cashouts. However, rather than joining another $30(3) tourney, I stepped down a notch and joined a $20(2) tournament. Even if I lost, I'd still show a modest profit tonight.
As it turned out, I should have quit. After watching two players drop out in the 3rd tourney, I was dealt pocket Jacks. I limped into the pot (I was the small blind) and five of us saw a garbage flop that had two spades and no overcards. As it turned out, one of my opponents (Martythomas) had flopped 4-to-a-flush. I made a big bet and Martythomas (with the flush draw) matched my bet. The turn was garbage (no spade) and I went "all in". Interestingly, Martythomas called my "all in" bet on a complete draw. Quite naturally, the river was a spade and I was knocked out and finished in 8th place. Ugh!
I suppose I should have raised preflop. That might have gotten MartyThomas out of the hand, but it seems unlikely. He was holding J♠ Q♠ and probably would have matched a modest preflop raise. Oh, well. I would have scooped a really nice pot if that last card hadn't been a spade, so I'm not going to complain too much. I think I played the hand well enough. Sometimes the cards simply don't cooperate.
At least the Sketchbook shows a profit tonight, but I'll be dreaming of that ugly river spade tonight.
Daily Sketch: Up $32
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $326.43
July 26, 2006: Back to the Party
After suffering through last night's session, I decided to visit Party Poker this evening. Maybe my luck on Party would be better than my luck on Absolute last night. If nothing else, I was in the mood for a change.
Per usual, I sat down at a 6-man $3/$6 table to try my luck. Thankfully (for the Sketchbook), I found a little luck while watching Bonnie & Clyde on television. To this day, that is still one of my favorite movies.
For the first hour that I played, I plodded along. In fact, breaking even for 60 minutes, things didn't appear very promising until I hit a nice stretch of cards. For 15 minutes, I caught a nice rush and found some players willing to pay me off. During those 15 minutes, I won nearly $100.
Then I hit another dry stretch and plodded along for another 45 minutes. Finally, after playing poker for 2 hours (that's how long the movie lasted), I decided to call it a night with a tidy profit of exactly $85.17. That's MUCH better than losing $150!
I had really hoped to recoup all of yesterday's $150 losses, but the cards wouldn't cooperate. If not for the lucky 15 minutes half-way through tonight's session, it would have been a very boring evening of cards on Party Poker.
Daily Sketch: Up $85.17
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $294.43
Per usual, I sat down at a 6-man $3/$6 table to try my luck. Thankfully (for the Sketchbook), I found a little luck while watching Bonnie & Clyde on television. To this day, that is still one of my favorite movies.
For the first hour that I played, I plodded along. In fact, breaking even for 60 minutes, things didn't appear very promising until I hit a nice stretch of cards. For 15 minutes, I caught a nice rush and found some players willing to pay me off. During those 15 minutes, I won nearly $100.
Then I hit another dry stretch and plodded along for another 45 minutes. Finally, after playing poker for 2 hours (that's how long the movie lasted), I decided to call it a night with a tidy profit of exactly $85.17. That's MUCH better than losing $150!
I had really hoped to recoup all of yesterday's $150 losses, but the cards wouldn't cooperate. If not for the lucky 15 minutes half-way through tonight's session, it would have been a very boring evening of cards on Party Poker.
Daily Sketch: Up $85.17
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $294.43
July 25, 2006: I Don't Enjoy Losing
As well as things have been going lately, they went horribly wrong tonight. Too many times to count, I flopped 4-to-a-flush and I only recall hitting my flush one time. I'd guess that I was 1-for-10. Unfortunately, the only time I caught the flush, an opponent caught a bigger flush. That was a VERY costly pot.
As a result, I lost a healthy $150 tonight on the $3/$6 tables. Ugh!! While yesterday's entry was titled "I Enjoy Winning", tonight's title is definitely "I Don't Enjoy Losing." I guess that's what I get for posting a pile of cash in yesterday's entry. Ha ha!!
Oh, well. At least I'm still ahead for the month.
I don't know how people play poker for a living. Just playing these modest $3/$6 tables, I'm experiencing some decent daily swings. If I were playing for a livlihood and playing on $10/$20 tables, for example, these losses would definitely be harder to stomach!
Daily Sketch: Down $150
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $209.26
As a result, I lost a healthy $150 tonight on the $3/$6 tables. Ugh!! While yesterday's entry was titled "I Enjoy Winning", tonight's title is definitely "I Don't Enjoy Losing." I guess that's what I get for posting a pile of cash in yesterday's entry. Ha ha!!
Oh, well. At least I'm still ahead for the month.
I don't know how people play poker for a living. Just playing these modest $3/$6 tables, I'm experiencing some decent daily swings. If I were playing for a livlihood and playing on $10/$20 tables, for example, these losses would definitely be harder to stomach!
Daily Sketch: Down $150
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $209.26
July 24, 2006: I Enjoy Winning
I always enjoy a good night of cards - especially when I win. Thankfully, tonight was one of those nights.Sitting down at a 6-man $3/$6 table on Absolute Poker, I played for 70 minutes and won a healthy pile of cash (as pictured). I caught a nice run of cards and the donkeys at my table kept paying me off. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who believe that I'm a bluffer!
All told, I netted a profit of $106.75 this evening. When you consider that I barely played for an hour, that's not bad. In fact, my nightly profit was quite good.
At one point, I was up $130, but lost a few hands in a row to end my session. I was determined to report a profit of at least $100 before that happened, so I quit before I had a chance to dip below the century mark. I might have garnered more profits if I had kept playing, but I'll never know. My nightly profit left me plenty happy!
Daily Sketch: Up $106.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $359.26
July 23, 2006: Chasing my Hundy
After spending the last 24 hours in Appleton, I was a little tired after Theresa and I made the 2-hour drive back to Milwaukee this afternoon. I was tempted to start "vegging" on our couch when we arrived at the apartment, but Absolute Poker was calling me. After all, two days ago, I lost $100 while playing on the site. I wanted to see if I could win back some of those losses.
So, I sat a $3/$6 table for 50 minutes this afternoon and won back most of my money. In fact, I claimed $80.25 before logging out of the software. Then I started "vegging" on the couch.
Daily Sketch: Up $80.25
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $252.51
So, I sat a $3/$6 table for 50 minutes this afternoon and won back most of my money. In fact, I claimed $80.25 before logging out of the software. Then I started "vegging" on the couch.
Daily Sketch: Up $80.25
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $252.51
July 22, 2006: Golf, Wiffle Ball, & Bocce Ball
I golfed at Kettle Hills this morning with Jared, Ty, and Tom. For 16 holes, I golfed respectably and was on my way to shooting an 88 until scoring a 6 (par 3) on the 17th hole and a 9 (par 4) on the final hole. I limped to the finish line with a 95.
Despite the debacle of the last two holes, I still claimed $2 in profits while wagering with Jared and Ty. It's not a mountain of cash, but it's better than the $22 that I lost on Thursday while golfing wtih the same guys. Based on my performance the past two times out, I think it's time for a break from golf. I probably won't be on another course until I visit Indianapolis in two weeks.
After completing today's round of golf, Theresa and I visited friends in Appleton. Late in the evening, Andrew, Corey, and myself partook in a home-run hitting contest with wiffle balls in Corey's backyard. I won the competion! Then, we played bocce ball I won 1 of 3 matches. After all was said and done, I claimed a profit of $5 in those games - giving the Sketchbook a "healthy" profit of $7 today.
Daily Sketch: Up $7
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $172.26
Despite the debacle of the last two holes, I still claimed $2 in profits while wagering with Jared and Ty. It's not a mountain of cash, but it's better than the $22 that I lost on Thursday while golfing wtih the same guys. Based on my performance the past two times out, I think it's time for a break from golf. I probably won't be on another course until I visit Indianapolis in two weeks.
After completing today's round of golf, Theresa and I visited friends in Appleton. Late in the evening, Andrew, Corey, and myself partook in a home-run hitting contest with wiffle balls in Corey's backyard. I won the competion! Then, we played bocce ball I won 1 of 3 matches. After all was said and done, I claimed a profit of $5 in those games - giving the Sketchbook a "healthy" profit of $7 today.
Daily Sketch: Up $7
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $172.26
July 21, 2006: A Frustrating Night
I experienced a frustrating night this evening. I just couldn't seem to catch a break and, as a result, the Sketchbook took a bit of a hit. Here's how it went:
With Theresa out of the house for a good part of the evening, I had two hours to spend with the players on Absolute Poker. With the "hit and runs" I've been doing lately, I felt good about my chances during an extended session. After all, if I could make $50 in 45 minutes, I should have no problem making $100 in a couple hours, right?
WRONG!! In fact, it was the COMPLETE opposite! I lost $100 tonight. :-(
This hand typified my night:
Holdem Normal $3/$6
Seat 4 - ME ($144 in chips)
Seat 6 - VEGASWINS ($1041 in chips)
Seat 7 - LUCKYBIAATCH ($48 in chips)
Seat 3 - LESHOVSA ($156 in chips)
VEGASWINS - Posts small blind $2
LUCKYBIAATCH - Posts big blind $3
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to ME [10♥ K♣]
LESHOVSA - Folds
ME - Raises $6 to $6
VEGASWINS - Calls $4
LUCKYBIAATCH - Folds
*** FLOP *** [10◊ 10♣ 8◊]
VEGASWINS - Checks
ME - Bets $3
VEGASWINS - Raises $6 to $6
ME - Calls $3
*** TURN *** [10◊ 10♣ 8◊] [6♠]
VEGASWINS - Bets $6
ME - Raises $12 to $12
VEGASWINS - Calls $6
*** RIVER *** [10◊ 10♣ 8◊ 6♠] [7♠]
VEGASWINS - Checks
ME - Bets $6
VEGASWINS - Raises $12 to $12
ME - Calls $6
*** SHOW DOWN ***
VEGASWINS - Shows [7◊ 7♣] (Full house, sevens full of tens)
ME - Mucks
VEGASWINS Collects $73 from main pot
After a round of golf tomorrow morning, Theresa and I are driving to Appleton to visit friends this weekend. That will afford me the opportunity to take a short break from on-line poker, which is probably a good thing. I've been playing a decent amount of poker lately and I could use a break.
Daily Sketch: Down $100
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $165.26
With Theresa out of the house for a good part of the evening, I had two hours to spend with the players on Absolute Poker. With the "hit and runs" I've been doing lately, I felt good about my chances during an extended session. After all, if I could make $50 in 45 minutes, I should have no problem making $100 in a couple hours, right?
WRONG!! In fact, it was the COMPLETE opposite! I lost $100 tonight. :-(
This hand typified my night:
Holdem Normal $3/$6
Seat 4 - ME ($144 in chips)
Seat 6 - VEGASWINS ($1041 in chips)
Seat 7 - LUCKYBIAATCH ($48 in chips)
Seat 3 - LESHOVSA ($156 in chips)
VEGASWINS - Posts small blind $2
LUCKYBIAATCH - Posts big blind $3
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to ME [10♥ K♣]
LESHOVSA - Folds
ME - Raises $6 to $6
VEGASWINS - Calls $4
LUCKYBIAATCH - Folds
*** FLOP *** [10◊ 10♣ 8◊]
VEGASWINS - Checks
ME - Bets $3
VEGASWINS - Raises $6 to $6
ME - Calls $3
*** TURN *** [10◊ 10♣ 8◊] [6♠]
VEGASWINS - Bets $6
ME - Raises $12 to $12
VEGASWINS - Calls $6
*** RIVER *** [10◊ 10♣ 8◊ 6♠] [7♠]
VEGASWINS - Checks
ME - Bets $6
VEGASWINS - Raises $12 to $12
ME - Calls $6
*** SHOW DOWN ***
VEGASWINS - Shows [7◊ 7♣] (Full house, sevens full of tens)
ME - Mucks
VEGASWINS Collects $73 from main pot
After a round of golf tomorrow morning, Theresa and I are driving to Appleton to visit friends this weekend. That will afford me the opportunity to take a short break from on-line poker, which is probably a good thing. I've been playing a decent amount of poker lately and I could use a break.
Daily Sketch: Down $100
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $165.26
July 20, 2006: Terrible Golf
I probably golfed my worst round of the year at Tuckaway Country Club this morning. Taking a day off from work with Jared and Ty, I limped to the finish line with an ugly 107. Along the way, I lost a healthy $22 while wagering with the boys. It was an abysmal performance!
After getting home in the late afternoon, I was a bit tired, but I wanted to see if I could offset those losses on Absolute Poker. If anything, I was rooting for a short session that resulted in a quick profit.
Mission accomplished!
I played poker for no more than 20 minutes and eventually left the $3/$6 table with a tidy profit of $53.50. I was on the brink of having a REALLY nice 20 minutes, but I lost a decent pot on the last hand I played while holding pocket Jacks. Unfortunately, another Jack on the board proved costly - as one of my opponents caught a flush.
After losing that hand, I decided to leave the online poker world. I had effectively offset my golfing losses and I was plenty happy with that accomplishment. The Sketchbook is positive for the day!
Daily Sketch: Up $31.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $265.26
After getting home in the late afternoon, I was a bit tired, but I wanted to see if I could offset those losses on Absolute Poker. If anything, I was rooting for a short session that resulted in a quick profit.
Mission accomplished!
I played poker for no more than 20 minutes and eventually left the $3/$6 table with a tidy profit of $53.50. I was on the brink of having a REALLY nice 20 minutes, but I lost a decent pot on the last hand I played while holding pocket Jacks. Unfortunately, another Jack on the board proved costly - as one of my opponents caught a flush.
After losing that hand, I decided to leave the online poker world. I had effectively offset my golfing losses and I was plenty happy with that accomplishment. The Sketchbook is positive for the day!
Daily Sketch: Up $31.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $265.26
July 19, 2006: The British Open
The 2006 British Open begins tomorrow. Per usual, I've invested $10 to play in Jim' s pool and another $50 to join Bob's pool. I'm subject to a salary cap in each case. Here are my four teams:Jim's Pool Entry #1: Vijay Singh, David Howell, Colin Montgomerie, Angel Cabrera, Jose Marie Olazabal, Nick Dougherty, Greg Owen, & Johan Edfors.
Jim's Pool Entry #2: Geoff Ogilvy, Tiger Woods, Darren Clarke, Carl Petterson, Jose Marie Olazabal, Nick Dougherty, Greg Owen, & Thomas Bjorn.
Bob's Pool Entry #1: Sergio Garcia, Jim Furyk, David Howell, & Phil Mickelson.
Bob's Pool Entry #2: Geoff Ogilvy, Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, & Jose Marie Olazabal.
Wish me luck!
After submitting my teams via e-mail, I spent 45 minutes on Absolute Poker's $3/$6 tables this evening. Yet again, I found success and pocketed $65.50 before joining Absolute's weekly VIP Multi-table Freeroll. If nothing else, I can't complain about my poker play lately. I'm doing quite well at the $3/$6 tables.
Unfortunately, I didn't do very well in the VIP Freeroll and finished far from the money. Oh, well. I won enough money at the $3/$6 tables this evening to offset my British Open Pool entries.
Daily Sketch: Up $5.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $233.76
July 18, 2006: Donkey Lovin'
Poker Donkey: A term used to describe a poor poker player that makes blatantly bad plays. A weak player. Also known as a fish or pigeon. Example -> Last time I was at the card room, I got a table of donkeys - no one knew how to play at all.I don't know where they came from, but I found a herd of donkeys sitting at a $3/$6 table on Absolute Poker tonight. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd swear that I was part of a National Geographic special. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to find this table and had the privilege of dancing with the donkeys this evening. Woo hoo!!
All told, I won $125 in less than 20 minutes. The table was full of loose callers and crazy bluffers, and I was the recipient of everyone's generosity. I couldn't believe how bad these guys were playing. I don't know if they were on tilt from previous losses, but they certainly played like garbage. I'd describe some of the bad play, but there were so many bad plays. It's hard to pick out one or two!
Unfortunately, most of the donkeys left the table after 20 minutes and I was left playing with competent players. I gave back $25 before I decided that it was time to leave the table - up exactly $100 after 30 minutes of work.
Content with my profits but eager to keep playing poker, I decided to have fun at a $1/$2 table. I played for 45 more minutes, but I could only muster an additional $1.50 in profits. Of course, with the hundy already sitting in my back pocket, I felt fine with the night's performance.
I love playing with donkeys - and the Sketchbook enjoys the positive entry!
Daily Sketch: Up $101.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $228.26
July 16, 2006: Winning it Back
After losing $110 yesterday afternoon, I was eager to get back into a poker game. However, I had a 9:08am tee time with Jared and Don at the Broadlands, so my adventure into the world of online gambling was forced to wait until I got home around 3:30pm.
FYI: I shot a respectable 93 today. Again, it was sweltering outside, and I'm relatively comfortable with my score. No wagers were placed on the course. As a result, that's enough about my golf game . . .
I thought that the easiest way for me to win back yesterday's cash was to join a 9-man $40(4) Tournament on Absolute Poker. Unfortunately, that plan went terribly. Playing conservatively for the first 20 hands, I then proceeded to flop the top pair on consecutive hands. Unfortunately, I lost big pots each time when opponents rivered me with straights. Ugh! As a result, I finished in LAST place. Double Ugh!! This probably goes without saying, but last place doesn't pay any money!
Down $44, I went back to the 6-man $3/$6 tables that caused yesterday's deficit. I sat down with $56 and watched as my stack of chips steadily increased. In fact, after an hour of play, my $56 stack was up to $157.50 and I was feeling pretty good about my game. Then came this hand:
Holdem Normal $3/$6 - 2006-07-16 18:21:47 (ET)
Table: MAIN ST (Real Money) Seat #4 is the dealer
Seat 4 - REDRANCH10 ($112.50 in chips)
Seat 5 - ELTOASTO ($138.70 in chips)
Seat 6 - STV1313 ($157.50 in chips)
Seat 9 - CRIMEDOGG ($88.10 in chips)
Seat 1 - GRITSNGRAVY1 ($218.30 in chips)
Seat 2 - IBEATU2 ($131 in chips)
ELTOASTO - Posts small blind $2
STV1313 - Posts big blind $3
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to STV1313 [K♣ J◊]
CRIMEDOGG - Raises $3 to $6
GRITSNGRAVY1 - Folds
IBEATU2 - Folds
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
ELTOASTO - Folds
STV1313 - Calls $3
*** FLOP *** [10♥ A♣ Q♠]
STV1313 - Checks
CRIMEDOGG - Bets $3
REDRANCH10 - Calls $3
STV1313 - Calls $3
*** TURN *** [10♥ A♣ Q♠] [9◊]
STV1313 - Checks
CRIMEDOGG - Bets $6
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
STV1313 - Raises $6 to $12
CRIMEDOGG - Raises $6 to $18
REDRANCH10 - Calls $12
STV1313 - Raises $6 to $24
CRIMEDOGG - Calls $6
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
*** RIVER *** [10♥ A♣ Q♠ 9◊] [5♥]
STV1313 - Bets $6
CRIMEDOGG - Calls $6
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
*** SHOW DOWN ***
STV1313 - Shows [K♣ J◊] (Straight, ten to ace)
CRIMEDOGG - Mucks [9♥ 9♠]
REDRANCH10 - Mucks [A♥ 10◊]
STV1313 Collects $116 from main pot
Woo hoo! After watching the pile of chips in the center of the table slide in my direction, I was suddenly sitting with $234.50 and had claimed more than enough money to offset yesterday's losses. Thankfully, the river 5♥ did nothing to improve my opponents' hands, 'cuz they were each on the brink of taking down the monster pot. Phew!
After watching the blinds pass thru me once and content with the results of today's $3/$6 session, I logged out of the Absolute Poker software - with a tidy afternoon profit of $131.50.
I was happy. I won back the money I lost yesterday.
Daily Sketch: Up $131.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $126.76
FYI: I shot a respectable 93 today. Again, it was sweltering outside, and I'm relatively comfortable with my score. No wagers were placed on the course. As a result, that's enough about my golf game . . .
I thought that the easiest way for me to win back yesterday's cash was to join a 9-man $40(4) Tournament on Absolute Poker. Unfortunately, that plan went terribly. Playing conservatively for the first 20 hands, I then proceeded to flop the top pair on consecutive hands. Unfortunately, I lost big pots each time when opponents rivered me with straights. Ugh! As a result, I finished in LAST place. Double Ugh!! This probably goes without saying, but last place doesn't pay any money!
Down $44, I went back to the 6-man $3/$6 tables that caused yesterday's deficit. I sat down with $56 and watched as my stack of chips steadily increased. In fact, after an hour of play, my $56 stack was up to $157.50 and I was feeling pretty good about my game. Then came this hand:
Holdem Normal $3/$6 - 2006-07-16 18:21:47 (ET)
Table: MAIN ST (Real Money) Seat #4 is the dealer
Seat 4 - REDRANCH10 ($112.50 in chips)
Seat 5 - ELTOASTO ($138.70 in chips)
Seat 6 - STV1313 ($157.50 in chips)
Seat 9 - CRIMEDOGG ($88.10 in chips)
Seat 1 - GRITSNGRAVY1 ($218.30 in chips)
Seat 2 - IBEATU2 ($131 in chips)
ELTOASTO - Posts small blind $2
STV1313 - Posts big blind $3
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to STV1313 [K♣ J◊]
CRIMEDOGG - Raises $3 to $6
GRITSNGRAVY1 - Folds
IBEATU2 - Folds
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
ELTOASTO - Folds
STV1313 - Calls $3
*** FLOP *** [10♥ A♣ Q♠]
STV1313 - Checks
CRIMEDOGG - Bets $3
REDRANCH10 - Calls $3
STV1313 - Calls $3
*** TURN *** [10♥ A♣ Q♠] [9◊]
STV1313 - Checks
CRIMEDOGG - Bets $6
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
STV1313 - Raises $6 to $12
CRIMEDOGG - Raises $6 to $18
REDRANCH10 - Calls $12
STV1313 - Raises $6 to $24
CRIMEDOGG - Calls $6
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
*** RIVER *** [10♥ A♣ Q♠ 9◊] [5♥]
STV1313 - Bets $6
CRIMEDOGG - Calls $6
REDRANCH10 - Calls $6
*** SHOW DOWN ***
STV1313 - Shows [K♣ J◊] (Straight, ten to ace)
CRIMEDOGG - Mucks [9♥ 9♠]
REDRANCH10 - Mucks [A♥ 10◊]
STV1313 Collects $116 from main pot
Woo hoo! After watching the pile of chips in the center of the table slide in my direction, I was suddenly sitting with $234.50 and had claimed more than enough money to offset yesterday's losses. Thankfully, the river 5♥ did nothing to improve my opponents' hands, 'cuz they were each on the brink of taking down the monster pot. Phew!
After watching the blinds pass thru me once and content with the results of today's $3/$6 session, I logged out of the Absolute Poker software - with a tidy afternoon profit of $131.50.
I was happy. I won back the money I lost yesterday.
Daily Sketch: Up $131.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $126.76
July 15, 2006: Baking in Milwaukee
Jared and I visited Brown Deer Golf Course at 7:44am. Since it was only the two of us, I decided that we'd play for fun and, consequently, we didn't make any wagers on the course. My unofficial goal was to shoot a score lower than the temperature (as reported by Jared's car). When we got to Jared's car (around 12:30pm), the car claimed that it was 105 degrees. Eventually, it cooled down and reported 95 degrees. I barely beat that figure, as I shot a 94. Considering how hot it was, I was happy enough with the 94.
After getting home from the golf course, I played poker for about 45 minutes. Sitting at a $3/$6 table, I lost exactly $110 on Absolute Poker. Ooops! The cards didn't want to cooperate and I lost a few really ugly pots on the river. I was tempted to continue the session to see if - per usual - I'd make up the losses, but I was too tired. Golfing in 95 degree temperatures is mighty exhausting. I needed a mid-afternoon nap!
Daily Sketch: Down $110
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $4.74
July 14, 2006: Back to Absolute
Having earned my redeposit bonus at Party Poker, I went back to Absolute Poker tonight. I've had decent success on that site the past month, so I don't want to stray away. After all, while the cards are running well, there's no need to leave! I left $50 behind at Party Poker (fun money), but the rest was moved back to Absolute. That's my "working" money.
I have an early tee time at Brown Deer Golf Course tomorrow, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time playing poker this evening. Amazing at it may seem, I get tired playing online poker. When you're playing at a 6-man $3/$6 table, you can't really afford to take a bunch of hands off. I really need to concentrate on each hand and watch how my opponents act. Even if I've folded out a hand, I take note of what's happening. You never know when it might help you down the road.
So, with that in mind, I played poker for 70 minutes tonight and won exactly $24.75 before deciding to rest for the remainder of the evening. Similar to most of my recent sessions, I started in a hole (about $50), but eventually fought my way out of it. If I could ever start a session on a positive note, I'd be dangerous!
Daily Sketch: Up $24.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $105.26
I have an early tee time at Brown Deer Golf Course tomorrow, so I didn't want to spend a lot of time playing poker this evening. Amazing at it may seem, I get tired playing online poker. When you're playing at a 6-man $3/$6 table, you can't really afford to take a bunch of hands off. I really need to concentrate on each hand and watch how my opponents act. Even if I've folded out a hand, I take note of what's happening. You never know when it might help you down the road.
So, with that in mind, I played poker for 70 minutes tonight and won exactly $24.75 before deciding to rest for the remainder of the evening. Similar to most of my recent sessions, I started in a hole (about $50), but eventually fought my way out of it. If I could ever start a session on a positive note, I'd be dangerous!
Daily Sketch: Up $24.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $105.26
July 13, 2006: Bonus Earned
It took an hour, but I earned my $60 redeposit bonus from Party Poker this evening while sitting at a 6-man $3/$6 table. In 60 minutes, I made a modest $13.36. Too be honest, I was anxious to get through the last 93 raked hands, as I really wasn't in the mood to play poker tonight. As a result, I played very conservatively. After playing for three hours the last two nights, I needed a short and simple night.
So, I was thankful to make the $13.36. In fact, it was a rather uneventful session of cards. However, along with the $60 bonus, it was a respectable night for the Sketchbook.
Time to get off the computer. I've been staring at this screen too much the last couple nights . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $73.36
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $80.51
So, I was thankful to make the $13.36. In fact, it was a rather uneventful session of cards. However, along with the $60 bonus, it was a respectable night for the Sketchbook.
Time to get off the computer. I've been staring at this screen too much the last couple nights . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $73.36
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $80.51
July 12, 2006: Chasing the Bonus
Three weeks ago, I lost $1 to Tom Johnson while golfing in the Big Daddy Invitational at Nagawaukee Golf Course. We were both sitting five (or so) yards away from the 10th green and we wagered on who could chip closer to the pin. Unfortunately, Tom won by 3 inches. I forgot to pay him that day, but the debt was settled today. So, even before I logged into Party Poker this evening, I was on "tilt" - as I was already down a buck. Ooops!
As I entered the poker world this evening, my goal was to play as many raked hands as possible in pursuit of my $60 redeposit bonus on Party Poker. So, similar to last night, I played poker for about three hours. During that time, my biggest deficit was $60. The most I was ahead was $110. In the end, however, I finished the night with a profit of exactly $71.50 after playing 246 raked hands. After last night's struggle to barely make $20, I felt pretty good about tonight's profits.
I'm only 93 hands away from earning my $60 bonus. I was prepared to play those last 93 hands this evening, but the Party Poker software went down shortly before 9pm. I haven't played on Party Poker in quite some time, but it's the first time I've seen the entire network go down in quite some time. Years ago, when I first started playing on Party Poker, the software seemed to bomb once a week. That was mighty frustrating!
I didn't stick around very long tonight to see if things would start working again on Party Poker. After ten minutes, I figured that it was karma and retired for the evening. As long as the software is working tomorrow, I'll should have no problem playing 93 raked hands and claiming my $60 bonus.
Daily Sketch: Up $70.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $7.15
As I entered the poker world this evening, my goal was to play as many raked hands as possible in pursuit of my $60 redeposit bonus on Party Poker. So, similar to last night, I played poker for about three hours. During that time, my biggest deficit was $60. The most I was ahead was $110. In the end, however, I finished the night with a profit of exactly $71.50 after playing 246 raked hands. After last night's struggle to barely make $20, I felt pretty good about tonight's profits.
I'm only 93 hands away from earning my $60 bonus. I was prepared to play those last 93 hands this evening, but the Party Poker software went down shortly before 9pm. I haven't played on Party Poker in quite some time, but it's the first time I've seen the entire network go down in quite some time. Years ago, when I first started playing on Party Poker, the software seemed to bomb once a week. That was mighty frustrating!
I didn't stick around very long tonight to see if things would start working again on Party Poker. After ten minutes, I figured that it was karma and retired for the evening. As long as the software is working tomorrow, I'll should have no problem playing 93 raked hands and claiming my $60 bonus.
Daily Sketch: Up $70.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $7.15
July 12, 2006: Lost Points
About a year ago, I was sitting on 60,000 Party Poker Player points. Party Poker "points" can be used to purchase merchandise - or they can be used for free entry into various tournaments. A person earns these points by playing poker on the Party Poker site. The more you play, the more points you earn. Since I've played A LOT of poker on Party Poker, I had earned a good number of points.
One year ago, the selection of items available for purchase with Party Poker Points was rather weak. I wasn't overly interested in getting a Party Poker hat or a cheesy duffle bag, so I ignored the program. I did, however, use A LOT of my points to play in tournaments. Unfortunately, I was never able to cash out in any of those tourneys, so I really wasted the points. Last I recall, I was down to 15,000 Player points.
In the past year, Party Poker has upgraded their inventory and they currently offer plenty of quality merchandise. Using your Party Poker Points, for example, you can buy sunglasses (35,000 pts), IPOD's (75,000 pts), and 50-inch televisions (875,000 pts).
I'd estimate that I'd be sitting on 100,000 Player Points if I hadn't cashed them in to play in free tournaments. Instead, I was sitting on 15,000 chips last I checked - and that doesn't get you much. In hindsight, I wished I had saved those points. I could use a new IPOD!
When I reviewed my Party Poker account this morning (something I haven't done in months), I noticed that the site was showing that I had less than 100 points. Huh? What happened to my thousands of points?
After doing some surfing, I found this snippet on the website:
Forfeiture of PartyPoints due to inactivity: ‘Inactivity’ for these purposes means not earning Players Club ‘Regular PartyPoints’ for a continuous period of 30 days. In the event of your PartyPoints Account becoming inactive (as defined above), the full balance of your PartyPoints shall be forfeited. You will not be able to redeem any forfeited PartyPoints.
Apparently, as a result of wandering off to Absolute Poker the last couple months, I've given up all my Party Poker accounts. Oops! I guess I should have played on Party Poker every once in a while if I wanted to retain my points.
Oh, well. I had less than 20,000 points and I probably couldn't have gotten much for that price, anyway.
One year ago, the selection of items available for purchase with Party Poker Points was rather weak. I wasn't overly interested in getting a Party Poker hat or a cheesy duffle bag, so I ignored the program. I did, however, use A LOT of my points to play in tournaments. Unfortunately, I was never able to cash out in any of those tourneys, so I really wasted the points. Last I recall, I was down to 15,000 Player points.
In the past year, Party Poker has upgraded their inventory and they currently offer plenty of quality merchandise. Using your Party Poker Points, for example, you can buy sunglasses (35,000 pts), IPOD's (75,000 pts), and 50-inch televisions (875,000 pts).
I'd estimate that I'd be sitting on 100,000 Player Points if I hadn't cashed them in to play in free tournaments. Instead, I was sitting on 15,000 chips last I checked - and that doesn't get you much. In hindsight, I wished I had saved those points. I could use a new IPOD!
When I reviewed my Party Poker account this morning (something I haven't done in months), I noticed that the site was showing that I had less than 100 points. Huh? What happened to my thousands of points?
After doing some surfing, I found this snippet on the website:
Forfeiture of PartyPoints due to inactivity: ‘Inactivity’ for these purposes means not earning Players Club ‘Regular PartyPoints’ for a continuous period of 30 days. In the event of your PartyPoints Account becoming inactive (as defined above), the full balance of your PartyPoints shall be forfeited. You will not be able to redeem any forfeited PartyPoints.
Apparently, as a result of wandering off to Absolute Poker the last couple months, I've given up all my Party Poker accounts. Oops! I guess I should have played on Party Poker every once in a while if I wanted to retain my points.
Oh, well. I had less than 20,000 points and I probably couldn't have gotten much for that price, anyway.
July 11, 2006: Party Poker Reload Bonus
I found the following e-mail in my inbox today:
Dear Stv1313,
Turn up the heat this July with a blistering reload deposit bonus: Get 15% extra, up to $75. Don’t delay: You’ve got until Wednesday, July 12, 2006 to take advantage of this great summer offer. Just use bonus code July06Reload when you make a deposit.
Sincerely,
Mike O'Malley
Party Poker Room Manager
It's been awhile since Party Poker has offered a reload bonus and it's been awhile since I actually played on Party Poker, so I decided to take advantage of this offer. So, moving $400 from my Absolute Poker account, I now have a pending bonus of $60 waiting for me on Party Poker. In the next 7 days, I'll need to play 600 raked hands to earn the $60. That shouldn't be a problem. After all, my wife says I'm a poker addict!
I started my quest for the $60 by sitting at a 6-man $3/$6 table this evening. While watching the MLB All Star game, I played poker for exactly 3 hours and partook in 322 total hands - and got credit for 261 raked hands. To qualify as a "raked" hand, the total pot must get to $20. That's not too hard when you're playing $3/$6.
Anyway, using tonight's pace as the standard, it's going to take a total of 7 hours to earn the $60 - which isn't exactly a robust rate of return. Nevertheless, $60 free is $60 free and I only need to play 4 more hours of poker to earn the $60.
It's funny how "foreign" Party Poker's software seemed tonight after playing exclusively on Absolute Poker over the past month or two. Every poker website is different and every website has a different "feel" to its game. Despite the fact that I've played thousands of hands at Party Poker, it still took awhile to get accustomed to the software this evening.
Maybe that affected my play . . . but probably not. After 90 minutes of action this evening, I was down a robust $120. Simply put, I couldn't catch any breaks. I flopped 4-to-a-flush numerous times, but I couldn't catch the last card. I flopped middle pair numerous times, but someone always seemed to flop top pair. When people noticed me losing repeatedly, they bet aggressively into me. When I called, I lost. When I folded, they'd show the ugly bluff. It was very frustrating!
Thankfully, the last 90 minutes improved dramatically. Suddenly, I was flopping top pair. When limping into pots with bad cards, I flopped two pair. It was nice! Then, similar to last night, I scooped a big pot when my river nut flush beat another player with a smaller flush.
Luckily, I made back all the money I lost. In fact, after all was said and done, I finished the night with a modest profit of $22.45. Despite the relatively paltry figure, I was VERY happy to finish the night with any kind of profit. When you're down $120, you start to envision ugliness. Thankfully, that didn't happen tonight. It would be nice, however, to start a night on a winning note. Battling from behind is rather exhausting!
Only 339 more raked hands until I earn my $60 redeposit bonus!
Daily Sketch: Up $22.45
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $63.35
Dear Stv1313,
Turn up the heat this July with a blistering reload deposit bonus: Get 15% extra, up to $75. Don’t delay: You’ve got until Wednesday, July 12, 2006 to take advantage of this great summer offer. Just use bonus code July06Reload when you make a deposit.
Sincerely,
Mike O'Malley
Party Poker Room Manager
It's been awhile since Party Poker has offered a reload bonus and it's been awhile since I actually played on Party Poker, so I decided to take advantage of this offer. So, moving $400 from my Absolute Poker account, I now have a pending bonus of $60 waiting for me on Party Poker. In the next 7 days, I'll need to play 600 raked hands to earn the $60. That shouldn't be a problem. After all, my wife says I'm a poker addict!
I started my quest for the $60 by sitting at a 6-man $3/$6 table this evening. While watching the MLB All Star game, I played poker for exactly 3 hours and partook in 322 total hands - and got credit for 261 raked hands. To qualify as a "raked" hand, the total pot must get to $20. That's not too hard when you're playing $3/$6.
Anyway, using tonight's pace as the standard, it's going to take a total of 7 hours to earn the $60 - which isn't exactly a robust rate of return. Nevertheless, $60 free is $60 free and I only need to play 4 more hours of poker to earn the $60.
It's funny how "foreign" Party Poker's software seemed tonight after playing exclusively on Absolute Poker over the past month or two. Every poker website is different and every website has a different "feel" to its game. Despite the fact that I've played thousands of hands at Party Poker, it still took awhile to get accustomed to the software this evening.
Maybe that affected my play . . . but probably not. After 90 minutes of action this evening, I was down a robust $120. Simply put, I couldn't catch any breaks. I flopped 4-to-a-flush numerous times, but I couldn't catch the last card. I flopped middle pair numerous times, but someone always seemed to flop top pair. When people noticed me losing repeatedly, they bet aggressively into me. When I called, I lost. When I folded, they'd show the ugly bluff. It was very frustrating!
Thankfully, the last 90 minutes improved dramatically. Suddenly, I was flopping top pair. When limping into pots with bad cards, I flopped two pair. It was nice! Then, similar to last night, I scooped a big pot when my river nut flush beat another player with a smaller flush.
Luckily, I made back all the money I lost. In fact, after all was said and done, I finished the night with a modest profit of $22.45. Despite the relatively paltry figure, I was VERY happy to finish the night with any kind of profit. When you're down $120, you start to envision ugliness. Thankfully, that didn't happen tonight. It would be nice, however, to start a night on a winning note. Battling from behind is rather exhausting!
Only 339 more raked hands until I earn my $60 redeposit bonus!
Daily Sketch: Up $22.45
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $63.35
July 10, 2006: A Short Night
After playing a lot of online poker this weekend, I really wasn't in the mood to get "back to the grind" again tonight. However, after yesterday's success at the Sit 'n' Go Tournaments, I felt obligated to play at least one tournament this evening. So, I joined a 9-man $40(4) Tournament on Absolute Poker.
Admittedly playing uninspired, I watched three other players get eliminated. Then, dealt K♣ Q♣, I effectively doubled the big blind's bet with a modest raise. I was the low stack at the table and got called by the big blind. His stack of chips was significantly larger than my own stack of chips.
The flop came 2♥ J♥ 2♠. Sensing that my opponent hadn't hit that flop, I went "all in" with my last 425 chips and crossed my fingers.
My opponent quickly called my bet and flipped over 6♥ 7♥. He had flopped 4-to-a-flush.
Thankfully, my opponent missed his flush. However, the river was a 6◊ and the pair of 6's was good enough to knock me out. Ugh!! Just like that, I was down $44.
Determined to get that ugly taste out of my mouth, I visited a 6-man $3/$6 table. As soon as I won $44, I was going to quit.
Remarkably, I won the first two hands I was dealt. Then, I was dealt pocket Jacks and nearly fell off my chair when another Jack appeared on the flop. Winning this $44 was going to be easy - and quick!
Unfortunately, as luck would have it, another player at the table caught a river flush and I lost a big pot. Just like that, I was down $20 at the $3/$6 table and my hopes of winning back a quick $44 seemed dashed.
Ten minutes later, however, I caught my own river flush while holding K♥ J♥. The same opponent who had river flushed me earlier was holding 8♥ 10♥ and the betting got capped when the last heart fell on the river. As a result, I scooped a giant pot and found myself suddenly up $52 at the $3/$6 table. That offset my losses in the Sit 'n' Go Tournament and I retired for the night - content to post a small profit on a night when I was completely uninspired to play poker. Yay for me!
Daily Sketch: Up $8
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $85.80
Admittedly playing uninspired, I watched three other players get eliminated. Then, dealt K♣ Q♣, I effectively doubled the big blind's bet with a modest raise. I was the low stack at the table and got called by the big blind. His stack of chips was significantly larger than my own stack of chips.
The flop came 2♥ J♥ 2♠. Sensing that my opponent hadn't hit that flop, I went "all in" with my last 425 chips and crossed my fingers.
My opponent quickly called my bet and flipped over 6♥ 7♥. He had flopped 4-to-a-flush.
Thankfully, my opponent missed his flush. However, the river was a 6◊ and the pair of 6's was good enough to knock me out. Ugh!! Just like that, I was down $44.
Determined to get that ugly taste out of my mouth, I visited a 6-man $3/$6 table. As soon as I won $44, I was going to quit.
Remarkably, I won the first two hands I was dealt. Then, I was dealt pocket Jacks and nearly fell off my chair when another Jack appeared on the flop. Winning this $44 was going to be easy - and quick!
Unfortunately, as luck would have it, another player at the table caught a river flush and I lost a big pot. Just like that, I was down $20 at the $3/$6 table and my hopes of winning back a quick $44 seemed dashed.
Ten minutes later, however, I caught my own river flush while holding K♥ J♥. The same opponent who had river flushed me earlier was holding 8♥ 10♥ and the betting got capped when the last heart fell on the river. As a result, I scooped a giant pot and found myself suddenly up $52 at the $3/$6 table. That offset my losses in the Sit 'n' Go Tournament and I retired for the night - content to post a small profit on a night when I was completely uninspired to play poker. Yay for me!
Daily Sketch: Up $8
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $85.80
July 9, 2006: Sit 'n' Go Madness
Over the past few weeks, I've been concentrating my poker action exclusively on 6-man cash tables. However, after playing countless hours of $3/$6 poker yesterday, I decided to try something different today. So, I resolved to concentrate on Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. Here's how my day went:
10:55am -> I begin my day of gambling by joining a 9-man $30(3) Tournament on Absolute. This is the only site that I've seen that doesn't host 10-man Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. Regardless, first place still wins $135. Second place wins $81. Third place wins $54.
11:48am -> My opening tournament of the day ends with a 3rd place finish. Holding J♣ 8♣, I'm the low stack and go "all in" after seeing a flop of 8♥ 6◊ 9◊. Unfortunately, my opponent (the big stack) is holding J♠ 9♣ and his pair of 9's spell my doom. Still, by finishing third, I record a modest profit of $21. Not a terrible start to the day.
11:54am -> There aren't any $30(3) Tournaments organizing, so I join a 9-man $40(4) Tournament. That's the price I pay for playing on a smaller site - I guess - as you can't always play the exact tournament that you want. There are 11,000 people logged into the Absolute network this afternoon, but most of them are playing regular cash games or larger multi-table tournaments. Oh, well. I just paid $33 to play in my last tourney - and $44 isn't much more. Besides, I'm up (albeit barely) for the day. I can afford the extra $11.
1:06pm -> Man, these 9-man tournaments sure take a long time! However, in this case, it's worth the wait. Seventy-two minutes after it began, I claim 1st place in the $40(4) Tournament. For taking 1st, I'm awarded $180 - which nets me a profit of $136. Just like that, I'm up $157 for the day and feeling pretty good about my game.
2:00pm -> After taking a break for lunch, I join WannaTalkPoker's weekly freeroll on DV8 Poker. Twenty-nine people have signed up to play - with the top prize being $20.
2:24pm -> The WannaTalkPoker Freeroll Tournament ends quickly for me. Since the top prize is relatively paltry, I play pretty loose and I see most of my chips disappear while holding 10♥ J♥. After seeing two hearts appear on the flop and a 6♥ on the turn, I'm feeling pretty good about my flush. Unfortunately, the turn card gives my opponent a full house. Ooops! I subsequently finish in 21st place. Oh, well. At least it didn't cost me anything.
2:27pm -> I venture back to Absolute Poker to continue the Sit 'n' Go Madness. However, I'm a bit discouraged from my performance in the WannaTalkPoker Freeroll, so I lower my stakes and join a modest $10(1) Tournament.
2:56pm -> Relatively speaking, this $10(1) Tournament is VERY speedy. In fact, it takes only 29 minutes to complete and I'm able to finish in 2nd place and claim a prize of $27 - which nets me a profit of another $16. It's not a mountain of cash, but it's a win nonetheless.
3:48pm -> After taking an hour off from poker to watch the end of the World Cup championship game between Italy and France, I join a $20(2) Tournament. Thus far, I'm up $173 exclusively playing these Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. I'd like to crack the $200 mark . . .
4:11pm -> The $20(2) Tournament goes poorly. I finish in 6th place and catch nothing. In fact, I only scoop one pot in 24 minutes - and that's after I raise preflop and watch everyone fold - netting me a tiny pile of chips. I need a short break . . .
4:55pm -> After that last performance, I think I'm going to retire from the world of 9-man Tourneys for the day. Instead, I think I'll try my luck at some 1-on-1 Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. So, I sit down at a vacant $10(.50) table and wait for an opponent to join me. Thirty seconds later, a player by the name of EvilMonkey6 appears to challenge me.
4:59pm -> Winner! It only takes a few minutes, but EvilMonkey6 goes bankrupt after playing some suspect hands. I take home the $20 first place prize - which nets me a quick profit of $9.50. Thanks EvilMonkey6! He didn't play well.
5:06pm -> My next opponent in the world of $10(.50) 1-on-1 Tournaments is JRSS1322PSU. I'm up $160.50 today and feeling pretty good about my game. Let's see how this goes . . .
5:26pm -> After a long battle, I take the $20 first place prize. As it turns out, JRSS1322PSU is one of the biggest idiots on this site. A few minutes into the tourney, JRSS1322PSU demonstrates that he's a calling station. No matter what he's got, he calls my every bet. So, after finally scooping a pot a few minutes into the tourney, JRSS1322PSU types, "Keep betting idiot." Not much later, he types "Your terrible."
I respond by pointing out that he's a calling station and that 'your' would actually be spelled 'you're' - which leads to a profanity-laced tyrade. I wouldn't doubt if this guy was 13 years old - 'cuz that's how he acted. Regardless, I was determined to beat this monkey - which I did - thankfully! Even after going bankrupt, JRSS1322PSU showed real class by typing "Your a joke." I didn't bother telling him that he misspelled 'your' again. After all, I was plenty happy taking his $9.50.
Up $170, I decided to retire for the day. I felt really good about beating JRSS1322PSU, and I didn't want to damper those feelings. I was hoping to follow JRSS1322PSU around the site and see if he acted this way with everyone else, but he quickly logged out of Absolute Poker after losing to me. Too bad!
After all was said and done, it was a nice end to a nice day of poker. I was very happy to claim enough money to offset yesterday's losses.
Daily Sketch: Up $170
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $93.80
10:55am -> I begin my day of gambling by joining a 9-man $30(3) Tournament on Absolute. This is the only site that I've seen that doesn't host 10-man Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. Regardless, first place still wins $135. Second place wins $81. Third place wins $54.
11:48am -> My opening tournament of the day ends with a 3rd place finish. Holding J♣ 8♣, I'm the low stack and go "all in" after seeing a flop of 8♥ 6◊ 9◊. Unfortunately, my opponent (the big stack) is holding J♠ 9♣ and his pair of 9's spell my doom. Still, by finishing third, I record a modest profit of $21. Not a terrible start to the day.
11:54am -> There aren't any $30(3) Tournaments organizing, so I join a 9-man $40(4) Tournament. That's the price I pay for playing on a smaller site - I guess - as you can't always play the exact tournament that you want. There are 11,000 people logged into the Absolute network this afternoon, but most of them are playing regular cash games or larger multi-table tournaments. Oh, well. I just paid $33 to play in my last tourney - and $44 isn't much more. Besides, I'm up (albeit barely) for the day. I can afford the extra $11.
1:06pm -> Man, these 9-man tournaments sure take a long time! However, in this case, it's worth the wait. Seventy-two minutes after it began, I claim 1st place in the $40(4) Tournament. For taking 1st, I'm awarded $180 - which nets me a profit of $136. Just like that, I'm up $157 for the day and feeling pretty good about my game.
2:00pm -> After taking a break for lunch, I join WannaTalkPoker's weekly freeroll on DV8 Poker. Twenty-nine people have signed up to play - with the top prize being $20.
2:24pm -> The WannaTalkPoker Freeroll Tournament ends quickly for me. Since the top prize is relatively paltry, I play pretty loose and I see most of my chips disappear while holding 10♥ J♥. After seeing two hearts appear on the flop and a 6♥ on the turn, I'm feeling pretty good about my flush. Unfortunately, the turn card gives my opponent a full house. Ooops! I subsequently finish in 21st place. Oh, well. At least it didn't cost me anything.
2:27pm -> I venture back to Absolute Poker to continue the Sit 'n' Go Madness. However, I'm a bit discouraged from my performance in the WannaTalkPoker Freeroll, so I lower my stakes and join a modest $10(1) Tournament.
2:56pm -> Relatively speaking, this $10(1) Tournament is VERY speedy. In fact, it takes only 29 minutes to complete and I'm able to finish in 2nd place and claim a prize of $27 - which nets me a profit of another $16. It's not a mountain of cash, but it's a win nonetheless.
3:48pm -> After taking an hour off from poker to watch the end of the World Cup championship game between Italy and France, I join a $20(2) Tournament. Thus far, I'm up $173 exclusively playing these Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. I'd like to crack the $200 mark . . .
4:11pm -> The $20(2) Tournament goes poorly. I finish in 6th place and catch nothing. In fact, I only scoop one pot in 24 minutes - and that's after I raise preflop and watch everyone fold - netting me a tiny pile of chips. I need a short break . . .
4:55pm -> After that last performance, I think I'm going to retire from the world of 9-man Tourneys for the day. Instead, I think I'll try my luck at some 1-on-1 Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. So, I sit down at a vacant $10(.50) table and wait for an opponent to join me. Thirty seconds later, a player by the name of EvilMonkey6 appears to challenge me.
4:59pm -> Winner! It only takes a few minutes, but EvilMonkey6 goes bankrupt after playing some suspect hands. I take home the $20 first place prize - which nets me a quick profit of $9.50. Thanks EvilMonkey6! He didn't play well.
5:06pm -> My next opponent in the world of $10(.50) 1-on-1 Tournaments is JRSS1322PSU. I'm up $160.50 today and feeling pretty good about my game. Let's see how this goes . . .
5:26pm -> After a long battle, I take the $20 first place prize. As it turns out, JRSS1322PSU is one of the biggest idiots on this site. A few minutes into the tourney, JRSS1322PSU demonstrates that he's a calling station. No matter what he's got, he calls my every bet. So, after finally scooping a pot a few minutes into the tourney, JRSS1322PSU types, "Keep betting idiot." Not much later, he types "Your terrible."
I respond by pointing out that he's a calling station and that 'your' would actually be spelled 'you're' - which leads to a profanity-laced tyrade. I wouldn't doubt if this guy was 13 years old - 'cuz that's how he acted. Regardless, I was determined to beat this monkey - which I did - thankfully! Even after going bankrupt, JRSS1322PSU showed real class by typing "Your a joke." I didn't bother telling him that he misspelled 'your' again. After all, I was plenty happy taking his $9.50.
Up $170, I decided to retire for the day. I felt really good about beating JRSS1322PSU, and I didn't want to damper those feelings. I was hoping to follow JRSS1322PSU around the site and see if he acted this way with everyone else, but he quickly logged out of Absolute Poker after losing to me. Too bad!
After all was said and done, it was a nice end to a nice day of poker. I was very happy to claim enough money to offset yesterday's losses.
Daily Sketch: Up $170
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $93.80
July 8, 2006: Good Golf, Bad Poker
My day started at 5:30am - or so I thought. When my bedroom alarm started chirping this morning, that's the time that my clock showed. However, after showering and heading towards the car in preparation for a 6:40am tee time with the guys, I checked my cell phone and noticed that the display showed 4:48am.
Ooops! Apparently - while setting my alarm last night - I moved the time ahead one hour, so I was 60 minutes ahead of schedule. Ugh! It's no wonder why it seemed so dark in downtown Milwaukee this morning.
With an hour to waste, I decided to spend some quality time in my living room with the laptop. Unfortunately, when my 60-minute session on Absolute Poker's 6-man $3/$6 tables ended, I was down $84. Ooops! Not only had my inability to set an alarm cost me an hour of sleep last night, it also cost me nearly $100.
Thankfully, my luck at Brown Deer Park changed. Golfing with Jared, Rusty, and Nick, I shot a respectable 91 and won $7 on the course. I actually lost $6 to Jared, but I won back $13 from Rusty. After shooting a 107 at Whistling Straits earlier this week, I felt much better about my 91 today.
Getting home around noon, I tinkered around Absolute Poker for most of the afternoon. At one point, I was down another $120 and the Sketchbook was looking ugly, but I was able to recoup most of those losses and finished the afternoon's session down $15.50.
So, after all was said and done, I lost $99.50 playing poker today and won $7 on the golf course. Having gotten up at 4:30am, however, I'll admit that it was a struggle to stay awake while watching the Brewers/Cubs game on television this evening.
Mental Note -> I still owe Jared $2 after settling-up with everyone else on the golf course. Hopefully, I don't forget to settle that debt the next time I see him . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $92.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $263.80
Ooops! Apparently - while setting my alarm last night - I moved the time ahead one hour, so I was 60 minutes ahead of schedule. Ugh! It's no wonder why it seemed so dark in downtown Milwaukee this morning.
With an hour to waste, I decided to spend some quality time in my living room with the laptop. Unfortunately, when my 60-minute session on Absolute Poker's 6-man $3/$6 tables ended, I was down $84. Ooops! Not only had my inability to set an alarm cost me an hour of sleep last night, it also cost me nearly $100.
Thankfully, my luck at Brown Deer Park changed. Golfing with Jared, Rusty, and Nick, I shot a respectable 91 and won $7 on the course. I actually lost $6 to Jared, but I won back $13 from Rusty. After shooting a 107 at Whistling Straits earlier this week, I felt much better about my 91 today.
Getting home around noon, I tinkered around Absolute Poker for most of the afternoon. At one point, I was down another $120 and the Sketchbook was looking ugly, but I was able to recoup most of those losses and finished the afternoon's session down $15.50.
So, after all was said and done, I lost $99.50 playing poker today and won $7 on the golf course. Having gotten up at 4:30am, however, I'll admit that it was a struggle to stay awake while watching the Brewers/Cubs game on television this evening.
Mental Note -> I still owe Jared $2 after settling-up with everyone else on the golf course. Hopefully, I don't forget to settle that debt the next time I see him . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $92.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $263.80
July 7, 2006: I can't wait to see this on Television!
For those of you living under a rock, the World Series of Poker began last week. Here's a write-up I found describing how the latest event ended. Unfortunately, it'll probably be 2 months before this is ever televised on ESPN.
$5,000 No Limit Hold'em:
On Day #3 of this event, players continued to exit the final table until it was just Phil Hellmuth Jr. and Jeff Cabanillas playing for the $818,000 1st place prize. The stakes were pretty high for Phil Hellmuth Jr. - as he was also playing for a record-tying 10th WSOP bracelet.
On the last hand of the tournament, the flop was 6◊ 4◊ 3♥. Jeff Cabanillas bet $60,000 and Phil responded with an "all-in" move. Jeff called Phil's bet and showed his hand of 5◊ 3◊. Phil quickly produced 5♥ 4♠ and the turn card was the 4♣. Now that Phil had trips, if anyone could imagine the taste of a gold bracelet in their mouth, it was him. Unfortunately the river card was the J◊, giving the flush to Jeff along with the big money and...the bracelet.
“I would pay a million dollars to win that bracelet,” Hellmuth said as he thanked the crowd afterward, “but that’s not the way the game’s played.”
Without doubt, this is going to make for great television later this summer. I can't wait!!
$5,000 No Limit Hold'em:
On Day #3 of this event, players continued to exit the final table until it was just Phil Hellmuth Jr. and Jeff Cabanillas playing for the $818,000 1st place prize. The stakes were pretty high for Phil Hellmuth Jr. - as he was also playing for a record-tying 10th WSOP bracelet.
On the last hand of the tournament, the flop was 6◊ 4◊ 3♥. Jeff Cabanillas bet $60,000 and Phil responded with an "all-in" move. Jeff called Phil's bet and showed his hand of 5◊ 3◊. Phil quickly produced 5♥ 4♠ and the turn card was the 4♣. Now that Phil had trips, if anyone could imagine the taste of a gold bracelet in their mouth, it was him. Unfortunately the river card was the J◊, giving the flush to Jeff along with the big money and...the bracelet.
“I would pay a million dollars to win that bracelet,” Hellmuth said as he thanked the crowd afterward, “but that’s not the way the game’s played.”
Without doubt, this is going to make for great television later this summer. I can't wait!!
July 6, 2006: Poker Poker Poker!
I sure do play a lot of poker, don't I? Of course, if I didn't gamble this much, the Sketchbook would be pretty boring, wouldn't it?
After getting home from work this evening, I jumped on a 6-man $3/$6 table and was dealt exactly 48 hands on Absolute Poker. Unlike last night's debacle, I found some early success and quickly found myself ahead $52.50. In only 31 minutes of action, I offset last night's losses.
Woo hoo! It was time to take a break for dinner!
After grilling out, I wasn't overly excited to give back my profits - so I played it safe. Rather than joining a standard cash game, I joined a $10 Multi-Table Tournament and took my chances while watching the Brewers/Cubs game on television.
Unfortunately, things didn't go particularly well. I finished in 44th place - out of 69 players. It was a rebuy event - and A LOT of players bought more chips during the first hour. I stayed near my starting stack of 1,500 chips until being dealt KK shortly after the break. Going "all in", I was called by a player holding A9. Naturally, an ace appeared on the board and my night was finished.
So I played it safe during the first 60 minutes and got all my chips into the pot with a monster hand. Then, I lost. Ugh!
Oh, well. It was a profitable night nonetheless.
Daily Sketch: Up $42.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $171.30
After getting home from work this evening, I jumped on a 6-man $3/$6 table and was dealt exactly 48 hands on Absolute Poker. Unlike last night's debacle, I found some early success and quickly found myself ahead $52.50. In only 31 minutes of action, I offset last night's losses.
Woo hoo! It was time to take a break for dinner!
After grilling out, I wasn't overly excited to give back my profits - so I played it safe. Rather than joining a standard cash game, I joined a $10 Multi-Table Tournament and took my chances while watching the Brewers/Cubs game on television.
Unfortunately, things didn't go particularly well. I finished in 44th place - out of 69 players. It was a rebuy event - and A LOT of players bought more chips during the first hour. I stayed near my starting stack of 1,500 chips until being dealt KK shortly after the break. Going "all in", I was called by a player holding A9. Naturally, an ace appeared on the board and my night was finished.
So I played it safe during the first 60 minutes and got all my chips into the pot with a monster hand. Then, I lost. Ugh!
Oh, well. It was a profitable night nonetheless.
Daily Sketch: Up $42.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $171.30
July 5, 2006: Under the Hump
I couldn't seem to get over the hump today. In fact, it was a rather frustrating night of poker.Initially sitting down at a 6-man $3/$6 table on Absolute Poker after getting home from work, I quickly lost $60 in about 20 minutes. Ugh!
After taking a short break for dinner, I lost another $60 during a 45 minute session. Ugh!
Down $120 for the night, I invested another $60 and envisioned the ugly Sketchbook entry I'd be writing tonight. The Absolute Poker gods didn't seem to like me this evening.
Thankfully, my cards improved and I battled back. After another 55 minutes of play, I was within $15 of even and feeling pretty good about things. However, I just couldn't get over the hump. More than once, I was one card away from scooping pots that would have put me in "the black" for the night - but the cards wouldn't cooperate.
Finally, after losing a decent pot to a player who hit a gut-shot straight on the river, I decided that it was a good time to retire. I "only" lost $42.68 this evening - which wasn't too bad. It DEFINITELY could have been much worse.
Unfortunately, I played poker for nearly 3 hours and couldn't muster a profit tonight. Ugh! I just couldn't seem to get over the hump.
Daily Sketch: Down $42.68
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $213.80
July 4, 2006: Happy Independence Day!
Note: This picture comes from last evening's Milwaukee U.S. Bank Fireworks extravaganza - overlooking Lake Michigan. The fireworks are released less than a mile from my apartment. If it weren't dark, you'd see my building on the left side of the picture.
Today I celebrated the anniversary of America's independence by spending exactly 51 minutes on a 6-man $3/$6 table on Absolute Poker this morning. Unfortunately - for the Sketchbook - the rest of the day was dedicated to "conventional" 4th of July celebrations (i.e. drinking beer and eating grilled food).
Here's how my gambling session went:
After 48 minutes, I was down $21 and things weren't looking good. Then, I hit some hands:
First, holding J◊ Q♣, the board came 8◊ 6◊ 9♠ 2◊ J♥. My opponent was holding K◊ 6♥ and the river Jack allowed me to scoop the $45 pot.
Three hands later, I was dealt A♥ J♣. A Jack appeared on the flop and I scooped a $40 pot when my opponent flipped over J♠ K♠. My Ace kicker won the pot.
A few hands later, I was dealt A♣ A♠. I scooped another $33.50 when my only opponent folded after an Ace appeared on the turn.
I won a couple smaller pots and decided to quickly log out of the software while I was ahead.
Just like that, I was up exactly $55 after 51 minutes of action. When you consider that I won $76 during my last three minutes of action, that's pretty good!
Daily Sketch: Up $55
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $171.12
July 3, 2006: A Visit to Kohler
I joined Jared, Rusty, and Nick for a round of golf at Whistling Straits in Kohler. For those of you unaware, Whistling Straits is the premier golf course in Wisconsin. In fact, the course hosted the 2004 PGA Championship and is hosting next year's Senior U.S. Open. A regular round of golf costs $325 - and that doesn't include the price of a caddy. Thankfully, we got a deal for the price of today's round - although it still cost a pretty penny.
I didn't golf particularly well (107), but I thoroughly enjoyed the day. The weather was PERFECT and I'll probably never golf at a better course in my life. I only lost two balls all day, so I felt relatively good about that accomplishment. Heading into the round, I was a bit worried that the 16 balls I brought to the course might not be enough. Instead, I found 5 balls and actually left the course with more balls than I came with. Woo hoo!
We didn't gamble (thank goodness!), so the day was for pure enjoyment. As a result the Sketchbook wasn't affected by today's round.
When I got home, however, I had the gambling "itch", so I jumped onto a 6-man $3/$6 table on Absolute Poker for 40 minutes. I was able to win $64.38 - which helped offset part of the cost of today's pricey round.
So, after all was said and done, it was a very good day. I got to golf at Whistling Straits and won some money online.
Daily Sketch: Up $64.38
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $226.12
July 2, 2006: A Trip to Green Bay
Theresa and I visited her cousin's family in Menomonee Falls last night, so I didn't have a chance to watch NASCAR's Pepsi 400 on television. As a result, I DVR'd the race and watched it early this morning. While watching the race, I sat at a 6-man $3/$6 table and played some poker at Absolute.
Similar to yesterday, I couldn't make a profit. In fact, playing for 90 minutes, I lost exactly $75. I lost one particularly big hand after flopping a nut flush. Unfortunately, my opponent turned a straight flush, and that really hurt the ol' bankroll.
After watching Tony Stewart win the NASCAR race, Theresa and I drove to Green Bay. We visited a local driving range and stopped at Oneida Bingo & Casino. We planned on sitting at a Let It Ride table, but the only active table in the casino was full. So, we ventured to the slot machines and combined to lose $100 in 45 minutes. Ooops!
After losing the hundy, we went back to the Let It Ride table and found no open spots. So, we decided to put another $100 into a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine and took our chances. Ten minutes later, we had lost all that money and slinked away from the casino down $200. Ooops!
Losing $200 in a casino in less than 60 minutes is pretty easy! :-)
We got back to Milwaukee around 4:30pm. Before heading out for dinner with Jared and Angela, I decided to sit back down at a $3/$6 table on Absolute. Thankfully, I finally found some success. I only played for 20 minutes, but I won exactly $74.50 - which offset my morning losses. That made me feel a bit better about my losses at the casino.
Daily Sketch: Down $200.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $290.50
Similar to yesterday, I couldn't make a profit. In fact, playing for 90 minutes, I lost exactly $75. I lost one particularly big hand after flopping a nut flush. Unfortunately, my opponent turned a straight flush, and that really hurt the ol' bankroll.
After watching Tony Stewart win the NASCAR race, Theresa and I drove to Green Bay. We visited a local driving range and stopped at Oneida Bingo & Casino. We planned on sitting at a Let It Ride table, but the only active table in the casino was full. So, we ventured to the slot machines and combined to lose $100 in 45 minutes. Ooops!
After losing the hundy, we went back to the Let It Ride table and found no open spots. So, we decided to put another $100 into a $1 Wheel of Fortune Machine and took our chances. Ten minutes later, we had lost all that money and slinked away from the casino down $200. Ooops!
Losing $200 in a casino in less than 60 minutes is pretty easy! :-)
We got back to Milwaukee around 4:30pm. Before heading out for dinner with Jared and Angela, I decided to sit back down at a $3/$6 table on Absolute. Thankfully, I finally found some success. I only played for 20 minutes, but I won exactly $74.50 - which offset my morning losses. That made me feel a bit better about my losses at the casino.
Daily Sketch: Down $200.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $290.50
July 1, 2006: Not a Great Start
The new month started on a rather sour note. Playing on a 6-man $3/$6 table on Absolute Poker for 45 minutes this afternoon, I lost a health $60. Simply put, I couldn't catch any cards and slowly bled the $60 away. Interestingly, I thought I was playing well - but the cards didn't want to cooperate.
After leaving the $3/$6 tables, I let Theresa play on my behalf for another hour. Unfortunately, she couldn't find any luck, either. Sitting at a $.50/$1 table, Theresa lost another $30.
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook takes a $90 "hit" to start the new month.
Daily Sketch: Down $90
Month-to-Date: Down $90
After leaving the $3/$6 tables, I let Theresa play on my behalf for another hour. Unfortunately, she couldn't find any luck, either. Sitting at a $.50/$1 table, Theresa lost another $30.
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook takes a $90 "hit" to start the new month.
Daily Sketch: Down $90
Month-to-Date: Down $90
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