It's been some time since I played some meaningful online poker. On Sunday, I played a freeroll sponsored by WannaTalkPoker, but I didn't win any cash so I didn't bother mentioning anything in the Sketchbook. Last night, I played the weekly VIP freeroll on Absolute Poker, but I didn't place in that tournament either. Of the 1,000 people who joined that tourney, I believe I finished in 182nd place. I was only 164 spots from the money. Ha ha!
Tonight, I tried to make up for my lack of activity by sitting at a 6-man $5/$10 table for nearly 4 hours on Party Poker. When I was done, I was pooped! Playing that long on a 6-man table is exhausting!
After 1 hour of play, I was up $80. After my 2nd hour of play, I was still up - but my winnings had been reduced to $55. My 3rd hour of poker went badly, and I found myself down $135. Ouch!! At that point, I was very frustrated with my inability to hit a turn or river card after flopping 4-to-a-flush, but I tried to take it in stride. I specifically remember folding one hand, however, after flopping 4-to-a-flush, and that's the hand that would have paid me off. After watching that happen, I was ready to toss the laptop out the window.
Thankfully, my 4th hour went relatively well and I eventually retired for the night with a modest profit of $34.50. I was down nearly $200 at one point during tonight's lengthy session, so I was happy to escape from Party Poker with any kind of profit.
So, after all was said and done, I made a little bit of money in August. That's not bad when you consider that I invested $240 in fantasy football leagues this month. I've got one more draft next week, so I hope to offset the entry fees of that league with some poker winnings. We'll see what happens . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $34.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $65.15
August 28, 2006: Fantasy Football Draft #3
I drove to Kohler this evening and participated in my 3rd Fantasy Football draft of the season. Only one more to go! Even more importantly, only 9 days until the start of the NFL regular season. Woo hoo!
For the first time that I can ever recall, I drew the #1 pick in David's league - which I used to select LaDainian Tomlinson. I don't know that I'm overly excited about the rest of the team that I drafted in this 12-man league, but it's hard to draft another stud when you don't pick again until the end of the 2nd round. Hopefully, Tomlinson carries me this season!
Here's my team. This is the most expensive league that I play ($115), so I'm really crossing my fingers that things work out.
1. L. Tomlinson - SD (RB)
2. Reggie Bush - NO (RB)
3. Antonio Gates - SD (TE)
4. Tom Brady - NE (QB)
5. Kevin Jones - DET (RB)
6. Terry Glenn - DAL (WR)
7. Rod Smith - DEN (WR)
8. Seattle Defense
9. Antonio Bryant - SF (WR)
10. Eddie Kennison - KC (WR)
11. Travis Henry - TEN (RB)
12. John Kasay - CAR (K)
Daily Sketch: Down $115
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $30.65
For the first time that I can ever recall, I drew the #1 pick in David's league - which I used to select LaDainian Tomlinson. I don't know that I'm overly excited about the rest of the team that I drafted in this 12-man league, but it's hard to draft another stud when you don't pick again until the end of the 2nd round. Hopefully, Tomlinson carries me this season!
Here's my team. This is the most expensive league that I play ($115), so I'm really crossing my fingers that things work out.
1. L. Tomlinson - SD (RB)2. Reggie Bush - NO (RB)
3. Antonio Gates - SD (TE)
4. Tom Brady - NE (QB)
5. Kevin Jones - DET (RB)
6. Terry Glenn - DAL (WR)
7. Rod Smith - DEN (WR)
8. Seattle Defense
9. Antonio Bryant - SF (WR)
10. Eddie Kennison - KC (WR)
11. Travis Henry - TEN (RB)
12. John Kasay - CAR (K)
Daily Sketch: Down $115
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $30.65
August 27, 2006: Fantasy Football Draft #2
I hosted my 2nd fantasy football draft of the year this evening. As I mentioned earlier, this is one of my favorite times of the year! Tomorrow, I drive to Kohler for another draft. Yipee!
Historically, I've done pretty well in Dave's league, so I'm pretty confident heading into the upcoming season. This league costs $50 to enter - so that's the damage to today's Sketchbook. I'm sure I'll recoup that money by the end of the year!
We get to keep four players from year-to-year. Here's how my team looks in this league. Wish me luck!!
1. Tiki Barber - NYG (RB)
2. Antonio Gates - SD (TE)
3. Randy Moss - OAK (WR)
4. Eli Manning - NYG (QB)
5. Tatum Bell - DEN (RB)
6. Roy Williams - DET (WR)
7. Dominick Rhodes - IND (RB)
8. Chris Brown - TEN (RB)
9. Terry Glenn - DAL (WR)
10. Corey Bradford - DET (WR)
11. Brett Favre - GB (QB)
12. Jerome Harrison - CLE (RB)
13. Michael Turner - SD (RB)
14. Courtney Anderson - OAK (TE)
15. Josh Brown - SEA (K)
16. NYG Defense
Daily Sketch: Down $50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $145.65
Historically, I've done pretty well in Dave's league, so I'm pretty confident heading into the upcoming season. This league costs $50 to enter - so that's the damage to today's Sketchbook. I'm sure I'll recoup that money by the end of the year!
We get to keep four players from year-to-year. Here's how my team looks in this league. Wish me luck!!
1. Tiki Barber - NYG (RB)
2. Antonio Gates - SD (TE)
3. Randy Moss - OAK (WR)
4. Eli Manning - NYG (QB)
5. Tatum Bell - DEN (RB)
6. Roy Williams - DET (WR)
7. Dominick Rhodes - IND (RB)
8. Chris Brown - TEN (RB)
9. Terry Glenn - DAL (WR)
10. Corey Bradford - DET (WR)
11. Brett Favre - GB (QB)
12. Jerome Harrison - CLE (RB)
13. Michael Turner - SD (RB)
14. Courtney Anderson - OAK (TE)
15. Josh Brown - SEA (K)
16. NYG Defense
Daily Sketch: Down $50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $145.65
August 26, 2006: Spotted Cow XIII
Last night (Friday), I attended Angela's 30th birthday party at Slim McGinn's. At one point in the evening, Jon and I played Ship-Captain-Crew with some bar dice, and I lost $5. So that's how today's Sketchbook begins - with a small deficit. Congrats to Jon on his glorious victory!On Saturday, I hosted Spotted Cow XIII. Yet again, it was a glorious event, as 21 of my closest gambling degenerates gathered for a night of poker in the clubroom of Juneau Village. After all was said and done, I had a decent session.
I played in four tournaments - each costing $30. So, my goal was to win $120 to offset the costs of my entry fees. In the first tournament, I finished in 3rd place and won $90. At the same time, I also claimed a bullseye - which was worth another $15. Sadly, I don't really remember the specifics of any hands I played, although I recall knocking out two players at once while holding something like 3-5. At the time, I had a pretty large stack of chips and it didn't cost me much to match a couple "all in" bets. I rode the momentum of that hand to 3rd place.
The 2nd and 3rd tournaments didn't go nearly as well. I finished in 12th and 11th places, respectively. I didn't catch any cards in either tournament and I was basically blinded away. I can't recall losing a hand that I should have won. I simply didn't get the cards.
I found some success in the 4th tournament, however, and finished in 2nd place - which allowed me to claim $140. I might have won this tournament if the clock hadn't struck midnight. At 12:10am, our local security guard asked us to start packing up, and Kent and I were locked up in a heads-up tussle for 1st place. I probably should have proposed that we split the 1st and 2nd prizes, but I decided to go "all in" with another 3-5. It didn't find any help, and Kent took 1st place when he called me while holding an Ace (I think).
So, after all was said and done, I claimed total prizes of $245 at Spotted Cow XIII. It cost me $120 to win that cash, so I claimed a profit of $125 during the entire day. Netting out the $5 I lost to Jon at Slim McGinn's, today's Sketchbook still sees a decent profit.
Today's winnings will help cover the costs of some of my Fantasy Football Leagues.
Daily Sketch: Up $120
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $195.65
August 25, 2006: Back to Potawatomi
I took the day off from work today and headed to Potawatomi. Since I had that $2 chip burning a hole in my pocket from last night's session, I couldn't think of a good reason to stay away from the poker tables!I arrived at the casino at 9:30am. I was surprised to see the parking structure remarkably empty. On the other hand, I don't ever recall visiting this casino at 9:30am on a weekday, so it's probably normal. Regardless, I was a little concerned about the selection of poker games I'd find.
As it turns out, my concerns were warranted. Upon arriving in the poker room, I learned that there weren't any $5/$10 games going. I was told, however, that a game would probably commence shortly and that I could bide my time at a $1/$5 Seven-card Stud table - so that's where I headed.
I didn't catch much. I sat at the table for 30 minutes and lost exactly $38. Most of that amount was lost when my set of 9's lost to another player's set of Kings. Ugh!! I was very happy when a $5/$10 table opened at 10:00am.
Per usual, I spent a lot of time simply watching and reacting to other players. Two elderly men sat next to each other, and they seemed to be the best of friends. Another player kept lamenting about the terrible luck he's seen the past two months. More than once, I learned that he's lost on the river 50 times in the past 60 days. I pointed out that losing on the river less than once a day was actually quite good, but he wouldn't have any of that argument.
Directly to my right was a recently retired man who golfs regularly during his free time. I had a good time chatting with him. The player directly to my left was quite the opposite, however. He was an aging Greek man who continued to have the worst of it. He suffered a number of bad beats and kept muttering under his breath - in Greek. Every once in a while he'd mutter in English and I'd catch an F-bomb or two, so I assume he was also swearing in Greek. If nothing else, I picked up a few Greek terms that probably shouldn't be repeated if you're looking to make friends. He sat at the table for 3 hours and lost $300 before leaving in a huff.
I left the casino at 2:45pm - which means that I played for a bit over 5 hours. After all was said and done, I broke EXACTLY even. I was surprised when I counted my chips, but I had won exactly $38 at the hold 'em table - which exactly offset my losses at the 7-card table. Admittedly, I did throw a $2 tip to the dealer when I left the table - realizing that the tip would cause me to finish even.
Generally speaking, there weren't many exciting hands worth recounting in today's Sketchbook. At my worst, I was probably down $130. At my peak, I think I was up $75. In the end, however, it all balanced out. My luckiest hand occurred while holding pocket Jacks. Another Jack appeared on the flop and I stole a hand from another player who was holding pocket Kings. I believe my unluckiest hand occurred while holding pocket 3's. I flopped a set, but another player hit a straight on the river.
So, after all is said and done, I spent 8 hours at Potawatomi the past two days and netted a profit of $43. Hmmmm . . . that's not a very productive outcome, is it?
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $75.65
August 24, 2006: Poker at Potawatomi
Theresa flew to Minneapolis this morning for work-related activities. She'll be gone until Saturday night, so I'm on my own for the next few days. With all this time to myself, I figured that I had the perfect opportunity to visit Milwaukee's Potawatomi Bingo & Casino Hall. If nothing else, online poker hasn't been particularly kind to me this month, and I was eager to see how I'd do in a "live" game. The last time I visited the casino (last December), I won $350. If I found that kind of success tonight, I'd be delighted!Before leaving work this evening, I called Potawatomi to see if the poker room was crowded. I was delighted to hear that the waiting list was nearly non-existent, so I headed straight to the casino. I walked into the poker room at 5:55pm and I was sitting at a 10-man $5/$10 by 6:00pm. That's gotta be the quickest I've ever sat down! As luck would have it, when I sat down, I was immediately sitting in the Big Blind's position. Things were, indeed, going wonderfully! I didn't need to sit out a few hands waiting for the Big Blind to come around to me.
Things were really going well when I saw a flop of 3 spades while holding A♠ 3♠. On my very first hand of the night, I had flopped the nut flush! I proceeded to scoop the pot and I was up $40 before I had a chance to get comfortable. Woo hoo!!
Two hands later, I was dealt pocket Jacks. Then, three hands after that, I was dealt pocket Queens. Unfortunately, I lost both pots and my $40 of profits quickly became $60 of losses. Ugh!!
Over the course of the first half-hour that I played, I couldn't win a hand. I saw nice cards (pocket 5's and pocket 9's), but I kept finishing 2nd best. After 30 minutes, I was down $120 and my only victory had come on the very first hand that I had played. At that point, more than one person at the table reminded me of the curse of winning the first hand you sit in. Hmmmm . . .
There were some interesting people at my table. We had a pair of 22 year-old twin brothers who seemed to come straight from a frat house at UWM. They kept chiding each other's play in a good-natured way, and it kept things relatively loose at the table. I got the feeling that the brothers were playing with money earned from hosting countless house parties over the summer.
Sitting directly to my left was an older gentleman ("Grampa") who thought that any ace was divine. When I had been dealt my pocket Queens, I had raised the preflop bet to $10 and Grampa quickly reraised me to $15 with A-6 offsuit. It took me a while to learn, but Grampa raised EVERY pot whenever he had an Ace - regardless of his kicker. He got burned by that strategy numerous times. Unfortunately, an Ace hit the board when I had the Queens, and that cost me a bit of money.
Finally, the other noteworthy person at the table was the female sitting directly across from me. She was 30-something and had obviously spent a good deal of time in casinos. She shuffled her chips very well and had the lingo down perfectly. She was a very loose aggressive player who always seemed to be in the middle of big pots. I got the feeling that she regularly played at levels higher than $5/$10. She had a picture of her daughter beside her for good luck.
After one hour, I was down exactly $140. To put it mildly, things weren't going particularly well. After watching myself get down $160, we played a $10/$20 kill pot. Sitting in the small blind, I was dealt pocket Aces and everyone folded around to the player to my immediate right. He raised the ante to $20 and I quickly called. Having already started a running monologue with this player, I had learned that he was from Illinois and liked to come to Milwaukee to take money from the "fishes" he frequently found at Potawatomi. This guy believed he was as good as any pro you see on television - and he wasn't afraid to tell me how bad everyone at our table was playing. When he raised the bet to $20, I figured that he was trying to steal the pot. I'm guessing that he viewed me as another fish in the pond. After all, I was down $160.
The player in the Big Blind (Grampa) called and three of us saw the flop. It came 2-10-A (rainbow). Bingo Bango Bongo! I had flopped a set!!
Illinois Pro made a $10 bet. I called. Grampa raised the bet to $20 and, after watching Illinois Pro make the call, I did the same. At this point, I figured that Grampa had hit another ace, and I was ready to teach him a lesson about raising with a pair of Aces and a bad kicker.
The turn, however, was ANOTHER ace. Yikes! I had quad Aces. To put it mildly, that doesn't happen very often. I couldn't believe my eyes! I guess that Grampa didn't have an Ace, after all.
This time, Illinois Pro checked and I did the same. I was worried that the betting would slow down and that my opponents would fold if I threw chips out there. Thankfully, Grampa bet $20. The Illinois Pro called and I did the same. In hindsight, I probably should have raised the bet to $40. I think I would have gotten two callers.
The turn was garbage. Before anyone could act, Grampa checked - out of turn. The dealer immediately corrected him and I watched as the Illinois Pro correctly checked first. I had originally planned on checking the 1st time around and raising later, but Grampa's premature check let me know that I was going to lose a $20 bet if I didn't make my move. So, I bet $20 and Grampa called. Illinois Pro folded.
Quite obviously, I scooped the monster kill pot and some "ooohs" and "ahhhs" came from the crowd when I revealed the 4-of-a-kind. Grampa flipped over pocket 10's - and more "ooohs" and "ahhhs" followed when people realized that he had flopped a set and finished the hand with a full house. That was bad luck for him.
Lucky me!!
I don't know the exact size of the pot, but it was pretty substantial. When the 2nd hour of action had ended, I was suddenly up $140. I lost a few pots near the end of that hour, so I'd guess that I peaked at a profit of $200 after hitting those aces. That was pretty good - especially when you consider that I won (maybe) 4 hands during the 1st two hours that I sat at the table.
Unfortunately, my 3rd hour of action was rather ugly as I became a folding machine. I saw nothing come my way and slowly watched my profits bleed away. I think that I won two hands during that 3rd hour - and neither was substantial. It was a very uneventful hour of cards.
When the clock struck 9:00 pm, I decided to retire for the night. During my three hours of action, I claimed a profit of exactly $43 at Potawatomi. Thank goodness for the quad Aces, or it would have been an ugly session!
When I cashed out, I forgot to redeem a $2 chip - which I found in a pocket when I got home. So, I may hafta go back to the poker room in the very near future with the $2 chip to see what happens . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $43
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $75.65
August 23, 2006: This 'n' That
Party Poker must be hosting a Guaranteed $40k Multi-Table Hold 'em Tournament more than once-a-week. In fact, when I got home from work this evening, I saw that another session was scheduled to begin at 6pm. Maybe it's become a nightly thing?
I wasn't overly inspired, however, to pay another $109 entry fee (like last night), so I looked around the software for some other options. I quickly found a $10(1) Qualifier for Sunday's Million Dollar Tournament, so I signed up to play in that bonanza. A total of 60 people were registered, and the top two players were guaranted spots in Sunday's $200(15) Tournament. For those of you who have forgotten, that's the weekly "big one" that's played every Sunday afternoon/evening. If I ever won that tournament, I'd be sitting on Easy Street! A few months ago, I won $900+ in that tourney.
I had 10 minutes to kill before the $10(1) Qualifier began this evening, so I visited Party's Blackjack tables - which is always exciting. My simple goal was to claim a $11 profit to cover my poker entry fee. Unfortunately, I lost a quick $25 in the blink of an eye. I must've lost 9 of my first 10 hands. Thankfully, I was only betting $2/hand. The dealer was given three 21's during that time. Ugh!!
After burning through $25, I invested another $25 and quickly won all my money back - including the $11 I had already invested in the poker tournament. In fact, when I left the blackjack table (I played for exactly 9 minutes), I was up exactly $11.50 - which meant that I was up $.50 for the night - no matter what happened in the tournament.
It was time to play the Qualifier!
Unfortunately, I couldn't catch any cards. I was eliminated shortly after the 1-hour break in 33rd spot. I think I scooped two pots - and neither hand was significant. Ooops! To illustrate how bad things went, I was eliminated while holding 4-9 (offsuit) - after going "all in" before the flop. The blinds had sucked me nearly dry and I had no choice but to risk my tiny pile of chips when I was sitting in the big blind. I lost to a guy holding pocket 2's. He flopped a set.
Due to my early elimination, I had time to "browse" around and found Absolute Poker's Weekly VIP freeroll scheduled to begin at 8pm - so I signed up. One thousand people registered to play and 1st place was scheduled to win $300. Considering the fact that this weekly tourney is free, I figured I had nothing to lose. After all, I was only watching the Brewers game on television and I had nothing better to do with my time.
Overall, I thought I played pretty well in this freeroll. Again, however, I just couldn't catch any magical cards, although I did survive for nearly 2 hours and I outlasted 90% of the field. I finished in exactly 100th place - which was 82 spots from the money. Oh, well. I had a decent pile of chips when I was eliminated, but I was outkicked while holding AJ. My opponent had AQ and I was eliminated when an ace appeared on the flop.
So, in the end, the Sketchbook sees a whopping profit of exactly half-a-buck this evening. Ha ha!! If all goes according to plan, I should have interesting Sketchbook entries each of the next three days.
So, stay tuned . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $32.65
I wasn't overly inspired, however, to pay another $109 entry fee (like last night), so I looked around the software for some other options. I quickly found a $10(1) Qualifier for Sunday's Million Dollar Tournament, so I signed up to play in that bonanza. A total of 60 people were registered, and the top two players were guaranted spots in Sunday's $200(15) Tournament. For those of you who have forgotten, that's the weekly "big one" that's played every Sunday afternoon/evening. If I ever won that tournament, I'd be sitting on Easy Street! A few months ago, I won $900+ in that tourney.
I had 10 minutes to kill before the $10(1) Qualifier began this evening, so I visited Party's Blackjack tables - which is always exciting. My simple goal was to claim a $11 profit to cover my poker entry fee. Unfortunately, I lost a quick $25 in the blink of an eye. I must've lost 9 of my first 10 hands. Thankfully, I was only betting $2/hand. The dealer was given three 21's during that time. Ugh!!
After burning through $25, I invested another $25 and quickly won all my money back - including the $11 I had already invested in the poker tournament. In fact, when I left the blackjack table (I played for exactly 9 minutes), I was up exactly $11.50 - which meant that I was up $.50 for the night - no matter what happened in the tournament.
It was time to play the Qualifier!
Unfortunately, I couldn't catch any cards. I was eliminated shortly after the 1-hour break in 33rd spot. I think I scooped two pots - and neither hand was significant. Ooops! To illustrate how bad things went, I was eliminated while holding 4-9 (offsuit) - after going "all in" before the flop. The blinds had sucked me nearly dry and I had no choice but to risk my tiny pile of chips when I was sitting in the big blind. I lost to a guy holding pocket 2's. He flopped a set.
Due to my early elimination, I had time to "browse" around and found Absolute Poker's Weekly VIP freeroll scheduled to begin at 8pm - so I signed up. One thousand people registered to play and 1st place was scheduled to win $300. Considering the fact that this weekly tourney is free, I figured I had nothing to lose. After all, I was only watching the Brewers game on television and I had nothing better to do with my time.
Overall, I thought I played pretty well in this freeroll. Again, however, I just couldn't catch any magical cards, although I did survive for nearly 2 hours and I outlasted 90% of the field. I finished in exactly 100th place - which was 82 spots from the money. Oh, well. I had a decent pile of chips when I was eliminated, but I was outkicked while holding AJ. My opponent had AQ and I was eliminated when an ace appeared on the flop.
So, in the end, the Sketchbook sees a whopping profit of exactly half-a-buck this evening. Ha ha!! If all goes according to plan, I should have interesting Sketchbook entries each of the next three days.
So, stay tuned . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $32.65
August 22, 2006: Party's $40k Tournament
When I got home from work this evening, I decided to check out Party Poker to see if there were any multi-table Hold 'em Tournaments getting ready to start. When I looked around, I found that the weekly $40k Guaranteed Tournament was scheduled to begin at 6pm. No matter the number of people that join this tournament, Party Poker guarantees that the prize pool will be $40,000.
The tournament costs $109 to enter, so I was a bit reluctant to throw out that kind of cash. On the other hand, there weren't any other tournaments scheduled to start, so I signed up and crossed my fingers.
As it turns out, there was no need to worry about the $40k. A total of 758 signed up to play, which meant that the prize pool was $75,800 - which nearly doubled the guaranteed prize pool. First place was scheduled to win a whopping $17,813. Yikes!
Here's how it went:
The first 59 minutes of the tournament were mediocre. In fact, my starting stack of 3,000 chips had been whittled down to 1,255 and things were looking bleak. Then our dealer announced "There will be a break in 1 minute" and I found myself looking at A◊ J◊. I wasn't overly excited to sit through a 5-minute break with a tiny stack of chips, so I went "all in". Unfortunately, I was called by two players and we watched a flop of 2◊ 6♥ 5♠ appear on the board.
It seemed harmless enough, but one of the remaining two players declared that he was "all in" with his monster pile of chips. After a few seconds, I was dismayed to see my other opponent call the "all in" bet. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble.
My fears were confirmed when the 1st player flipped over 9♠ 9♥. The 2nd player flipped over A♣ Q♠ and I was in BIG trouble. Even if an ace hit the board, I was going to lose to the bigger Queen kicker.
The turn, however, was a miraculous J♥. Just like that, I had taken the lead! A harmless 7♠ fell on the river and I was suddenly up to 3,865 chips. There were 390 players still alive and the average stack had 5,830 chips. My stack wasn't huge, but I was still alive!
During the next hour, I was dealt pocket Aces two different times and scooped respectable pots. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch anything else and my stack of chips never grew out of control. I believe I peaked at 8,500 chips during the hour.
When we hit the 2-hour mark, I was sitting on 6,070 chips and we were down to 114 players. The pace of play had slowed considerably - primarily because the Top 100 players were going to get paid. At that moment, my goal was to limp into the Top 100 and go from there. Who knows? Maybe I'd get lucky when the "real" money was on the line.
When we finally reached 100 players, I was down to 3,545 chips. A few hands later, I doubled up when my A♠ Q♠ held on against an A♥ J◊. I felt pretty good after that hand.
Shortly thereafter, I thought I was headed down a road of riches when I was dealt Q◊ Q♣. I went "all in" and got called by a bigger stack holding A♣ K◊. I lost the race (an Ace AND a King appeared on the board) and I finished in 86th place. As the image (below) shows, I was awarded $151.60 for my efforts. That netted me a modest profit of $42.60 for the night.
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $32.15
The tournament costs $109 to enter, so I was a bit reluctant to throw out that kind of cash. On the other hand, there weren't any other tournaments scheduled to start, so I signed up and crossed my fingers.
As it turns out, there was no need to worry about the $40k. A total of 758 signed up to play, which meant that the prize pool was $75,800 - which nearly doubled the guaranteed prize pool. First place was scheduled to win a whopping $17,813. Yikes!
Here's how it went:
The first 59 minutes of the tournament were mediocre. In fact, my starting stack of 3,000 chips had been whittled down to 1,255 and things were looking bleak. Then our dealer announced "There will be a break in 1 minute" and I found myself looking at A◊ J◊. I wasn't overly excited to sit through a 5-minute break with a tiny stack of chips, so I went "all in". Unfortunately, I was called by two players and we watched a flop of 2◊ 6♥ 5♠ appear on the board.
It seemed harmless enough, but one of the remaining two players declared that he was "all in" with his monster pile of chips. After a few seconds, I was dismayed to see my other opponent call the "all in" bet. At that moment, I knew I was in trouble.
My fears were confirmed when the 1st player flipped over 9♠ 9♥. The 2nd player flipped over A♣ Q♠ and I was in BIG trouble. Even if an ace hit the board, I was going to lose to the bigger Queen kicker.
The turn, however, was a miraculous J♥. Just like that, I had taken the lead! A harmless 7♠ fell on the river and I was suddenly up to 3,865 chips. There were 390 players still alive and the average stack had 5,830 chips. My stack wasn't huge, but I was still alive!
During the next hour, I was dealt pocket Aces two different times and scooped respectable pots. Unfortunately, I couldn't catch anything else and my stack of chips never grew out of control. I believe I peaked at 8,500 chips during the hour.
When we hit the 2-hour mark, I was sitting on 6,070 chips and we were down to 114 players. The pace of play had slowed considerably - primarily because the Top 100 players were going to get paid. At that moment, my goal was to limp into the Top 100 and go from there. Who knows? Maybe I'd get lucky when the "real" money was on the line.
When we finally reached 100 players, I was down to 3,545 chips. A few hands later, I doubled up when my A♠ Q♠ held on against an A♥ J◊. I felt pretty good after that hand.
Shortly thereafter, I thought I was headed down a road of riches when I was dealt Q◊ Q♣. I went "all in" and got called by a bigger stack holding A♣ K◊. I lost the race (an Ace AND a King appeared on the board) and I finished in 86th place. As the image (below) shows, I was awarded $151.60 for my efforts. That netted me a modest profit of $42.60 for the night.
I suppose I should be happy to make the money. After all, I got very lucky to see that Jack at the 1-hour mark. On the other hand, I would have been sitting on a respectable pile of chips if my pocket Queens had held up. It would be nice to hit a big payday in one of these tournaments!
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $32.15
August 21, 2006: PGA Championship Results
I had hoped for something a bit better, but I still won $120 in Bob's PGA Championship pool this past weekend. I might have won more if Mike Weir hadn't choked on the back 9 at Medina, but what can you do? I'll still take the cash!
As a result of the stellar performances by both of my teams, each of my entries qualified for the "bonus" tournament this upcoming weekend. Throughout the year, Bob has been pulling money from each of the Majors' pools, and a dozen of us will be chasing a $450 prize pool when the PGA visits Akron for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Thankfully, I have a 2-in-12 chance of hitting a nice payday this upcoming weekend - and it won't cost me a cent. We'll see how it goes! The Sketchbook could use a nice entry - especially since I've got three more fantasy football drafts on the horizon.
I gotta start thinking about the two golf teams I'll submit . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $120
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $10.45
As a result of the stellar performances by both of my teams, each of my entries qualified for the "bonus" tournament this upcoming weekend. Throughout the year, Bob has been pulling money from each of the Majors' pools, and a dozen of us will be chasing a $450 prize pool when the PGA visits Akron for the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. Thankfully, I have a 2-in-12 chance of hitting a nice payday this upcoming weekend - and it won't cost me a cent. We'll see how it goes! The Sketchbook could use a nice entry - especially since I've got three more fantasy football drafts on the horizon.
I gotta start thinking about the two golf teams I'll submit . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $120
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $10.45
August 20, 2006: Fantasy Football Draft #1
The NFL season is right around the corner. How do I know this? Because I partook in my first fantasy football draft this evening. Woo hoo!! Excluding the NCAA basketball tournament, this is my favorite time of the year!
Jon's league is a 10-team keeper league with restrictions on the pair of players each team is allowed to retain. In the end, I kept Steve Smith (left) and Willie Parker. Due to the fact that I had the 2nd best record in this league last season, I drafted 9th in the "snake" draft.
Jon's league costs $75 to enter, so that's the "hit" that the Sketchbook takes today. Here's how my team looked after the draft:
1. Steve Smith - Carolina (WR)
2. Willie Parker - PIT (RB)
3. Willis McGahee - BUF (RB)
4. Marvin Harrison - IND (WR)
5. Tony Gonzalez - KC (TE)
6. Donovan McNabb - PHI (QB)
7. Mike Bell - DEN (RB)
8. Cedric Benson - CHIC (RB)
9. Jake Delhomme - CAR (QB)
10. Jason Elam - DEN (PK)
11. NYG Defense
12. Antonio Bryant - SF (WR)
13. John Kasay - CAR (PK)
14. Dallas Clark - IND (TE)
15. Atlanta Defense
I'm very happy with the way the draft proceeded. In particular, I'm very excited to have the top two WR's on my draft board make it on my roster. As long as two of my RB's pan out (they are a bit of a motley crew), I think I'll have another successful season. Wish me luck!
At the same time, I'm hoping to post a favorable Sketchbook entry sometime tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly how my teams stacked up against the rest of the field, but my entries into Bob's PGA Tournament Pool seemed solid. I correctly predicted Tiger's victory, and I also included Luke Donald (3rd place) and Mike Weir (6th place) on my teams. Hopefully, that's good enough to win some loot. I won't know, however, until Bob posts the final results - which should happen sometime tomorrow.
Daily Sketch: Down $75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $130.45
Jon's league is a 10-team keeper league with restrictions on the pair of players each team is allowed to retain. In the end, I kept Steve Smith (left) and Willie Parker. Due to the fact that I had the 2nd best record in this league last season, I drafted 9th in the "snake" draft.
Jon's league costs $75 to enter, so that's the "hit" that the Sketchbook takes today. Here's how my team looked after the draft:
1. Steve Smith - Carolina (WR)
2. Willie Parker - PIT (RB)
3. Willis McGahee - BUF (RB)
4. Marvin Harrison - IND (WR)
5. Tony Gonzalez - KC (TE)
6. Donovan McNabb - PHI (QB)
7. Mike Bell - DEN (RB)
8. Cedric Benson - CHIC (RB)
9. Jake Delhomme - CAR (QB)
10. Jason Elam - DEN (PK)
11. NYG Defense
12. Antonio Bryant - SF (WR)
13. John Kasay - CAR (PK)
14. Dallas Clark - IND (TE)
15. Atlanta Defense
I'm very happy with the way the draft proceeded. In particular, I'm very excited to have the top two WR's on my draft board make it on my roster. As long as two of my RB's pan out (they are a bit of a motley crew), I think I'll have another successful season. Wish me luck!
At the same time, I'm hoping to post a favorable Sketchbook entry sometime tomorrow. I'm not sure exactly how my teams stacked up against the rest of the field, but my entries into Bob's PGA Tournament Pool seemed solid. I correctly predicted Tiger's victory, and I also included Luke Donald (3rd place) and Mike Weir (6th place) on my teams. Hopefully, that's good enough to win some loot. I won't know, however, until Bob posts the final results - which should happen sometime tomorrow.
Daily Sketch: Down $75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $130.45
August 18, 2006: What is Going On?
Before I recount tonight's gambling odyssey, I need to report on the $1 that I lost last evening at Miller Park Betting $1/hit, I broke even with Chris while watching Milwaukee lose to Houston. I had the odd-numbered Brewers and the even-numbered Astros. After all was said and done, we broke even. How boring!
I did, however, lose a buck on the sausage race. I can't seem to ever win that contest! For those of you curious, the Brat won the race. I had the Polish Sausage.
Tonight I joined a multi-table $10(1) Tournament on Party Poker. I was determined to keep from recording a Sketchbook that showed a deficit of $11, so I decided to visit Party's Blackjack tables for a few minutes before the tournament started.
Incredibly, I found just enough luck to win $12 and quickly left after hitting consecutive 21's. So, no matter what happened in the tournament, the Sketchbook would show no losses. Woo hoo!!
The poker tournament had 2,972 entrants. First place was ticketed to win $5,277.05. Not bad for an $11 investment, ehhh? That would surely offset this week's losses!
Per usual, I started relatively well. After 45 minutes, my stack of 3,000 chips had grown to 5,000. I was winning some small pots here and there and I thought I was playing relatively well. Generally speaking, the table was playing pretty loose and no one seemed to ever have a monster when the betting got crazy. I avoided big confrontations and slowly watched as my stack of chips nearly doubled.
Then I was dealt Q♣ Q◊. I made a decent preflop raise and a player to my left went "all in". This same player could be characterized as VERY loose. Every time he had an ace (no matter the kicker), he bet aggressively. Interestingly, the strategy was working, as he kept hitting 2-pair and scooping decent pots - despite the fact that he always seemed to be behind when the chips got put it in the middle. As result, this guy had nearly 9,000 chips when this hand began.
When this joker put all his chips in the middle, I quickly called his bet, fully expecting to see something like A-8. Instead, for the first time in 45 minutes, he flipped over a monster and showed K♠ K♣. Ugh! It was the best hand anyone had shown in 45 minutes and I was way behind.
The flop, however, came A♠ Q♠ 4♠ and I rejoiced in my luck. I had flopped a set! However, before I had a chance to really comprehend what was happening, the turn produced a 2♠ and my opponent had backed into the nut flush. Quite naturally, the river was no help to me (6♥) and I was sent packing in the flicker of a moment. As has become the trend lately, a couple people at the table quickly typed phrases like "Ouch" and "Wow" after watching me leave.
What is going on? Can my poker luck get any worse? Even when I thought that I had FINALLY found some good fortune, the poker gods immediately beat me down.
So, I lost a buck last night. But, I won that buck back tonight.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $55.45
I did, however, lose a buck on the sausage race. I can't seem to ever win that contest! For those of you curious, the Brat won the race. I had the Polish Sausage.
Tonight I joined a multi-table $10(1) Tournament on Party Poker. I was determined to keep from recording a Sketchbook that showed a deficit of $11, so I decided to visit Party's Blackjack tables for a few minutes before the tournament started.
Incredibly, I found just enough luck to win $12 and quickly left after hitting consecutive 21's. So, no matter what happened in the tournament, the Sketchbook would show no losses. Woo hoo!!
The poker tournament had 2,972 entrants. First place was ticketed to win $5,277.05. Not bad for an $11 investment, ehhh? That would surely offset this week's losses!
Per usual, I started relatively well. After 45 minutes, my stack of 3,000 chips had grown to 5,000. I was winning some small pots here and there and I thought I was playing relatively well. Generally speaking, the table was playing pretty loose and no one seemed to ever have a monster when the betting got crazy. I avoided big confrontations and slowly watched as my stack of chips nearly doubled.
Then I was dealt Q♣ Q◊. I made a decent preflop raise and a player to my left went "all in". This same player could be characterized as VERY loose. Every time he had an ace (no matter the kicker), he bet aggressively. Interestingly, the strategy was working, as he kept hitting 2-pair and scooping decent pots - despite the fact that he always seemed to be behind when the chips got put it in the middle. As result, this guy had nearly 9,000 chips when this hand began.
When this joker put all his chips in the middle, I quickly called his bet, fully expecting to see something like A-8. Instead, for the first time in 45 minutes, he flipped over a monster and showed K♠ K♣. Ugh! It was the best hand anyone had shown in 45 minutes and I was way behind.
The flop, however, came A♠ Q♠ 4♠ and I rejoiced in my luck. I had flopped a set! However, before I had a chance to really comprehend what was happening, the turn produced a 2♠ and my opponent had backed into the nut flush. Quite naturally, the river was no help to me (6♥) and I was sent packing in the flicker of a moment. As has become the trend lately, a couple people at the table quickly typed phrases like "Ouch" and "Wow" after watching me leave.
What is going on? Can my poker luck get any worse? Even when I thought that I had FINALLY found some good fortune, the poker gods immediately beat me down.
So, I lost a buck last night. But, I won that buck back tonight.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $55.45
August 16, 2006: The PGA Championship
Golf's final major tournament of the year begins tomorrow in Medina, Illinois. As such, it's time to submit my teams for Jim's and Bob's golf pools. Jim's teams will cost me $5/apiece - while Bob's teams will cost me $25/apiece. All told, the pools will cost me $60.Here are my teams. Wish me luck!!
Jim's Team #1: Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Luke Donald, Kenny Perry, Nathan Green, Brett Quigley, Jerry Kelly, & Dean Wilson.
Jim's Team #2: Tiger Woods, Chris DiMarco, Phil Mickelson, Carl Pettersson, Stuart Appleby, Woody Austin, & Corey Pavin.
Bob's Team #1: Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Brett Quigley, & Woody Austin.
Bob's Team #2: Tiger Woods, Stuart Appleby, Mike Weir, & Jerry Kelly.
Daily Sketch: Down $60
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $55.45
August 15, 2006: Are You Kidding Me?
Against my better judgement, I logged into Party Poker this evening. As a matter of fact, I decided to play three tournaments. Unfortunately, each tournament seemed to end with incredibly bad luck.
First, I joined a 10-man $50(5) Sit 'n' Go Tournament. Things were going relatively well and I got down to the final four players. Sitting 2nd in chips, I was dealt Q◊ Q♠ and went "all in". I was a little disappointed when the big stack called my bet, but he flipped over 9♠ 9◊ and I felt better about things. I had a big lead! If my pocket ladies hold up, I'm the overwhelming chip leader and on my way to the $250 1st place prize!
Naturally, another 9 appeared on the flop and I was eliminated - one spot from the cash. I went from seemingly 1st to actually worst in a second. You gotta me kidding me, right? The chip leader chatted, "That's bad luck. Sorry."
Yeah, thanks buddy . . . Enjoy my chips.
Disgusted with that finish, I joined a $20(2) Multi-Table Tournament. The tournament started with 450 players, and I was sitting 12th in chips after 90 minutes. My luck seemed to have turned around. Then, sitting in the big blind, I was dealt 7◊ 7♠. One player made a modest raise, I called the bet, and we watched a flop of 7♣ Q♥ A♠.
Bingo Bango Bongo! I had flopped a set. I was about to move up the leaderboard!
After the flop, my opponent went "all in" and I didn't think twice before quickly making the call. Unfortunately, my opponent flipped over Q♣ Q♠ and I was WAY behind. I lost 90% of my chips on that single hand and I never recovered. A few hands later, I went "all in" with pocket 9's and lost (of course) to a player who called while holding A-2. Ugh!
Are you kidding me? From 12th in chips to well out of the money in a single second.
At that point of the evening, I figured that my luck couldn't get much worse. So, against my better judgment, I decided to take the last $77 in my Party Poker account and joined a 10-man $70(7) Tournament - determined to end my losing streak.
Things started well enough and I made it to the final 5 players. Then, sitting in the Big Blind, I found myself holding 10♣ 10♠. The first three players folded and the Small Blind went "all in" ahead of me. He had me covered, but I had no choice but to call. I felt sick about throwing all my chips into the middle - despite the fact that I thought he was simply trying to steal the blinds.
My opponent flipped over 5♣ 5♥ - which was better than I suspected. I had a big lead, but a feeling of trepidation swept over me. Sure enough, the flop came 2♣ 3♣ 5♠ and I lost the pot to the set of 5's and was rudely eliminated from the tournament. Are you kidding me?
I can't remember losing three hands in such disgusting fashion in such a short period of time and having it cost me so much money. Bad beats happen, but this was ridiculous. Tonight's bad beats - coupled with my losses the previous two nights - have really soured me on poker. I will not be logging back into Party Poker anytime soon. My profits from last week have completely evaporated and I'm not in the mood to chase them right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $154
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $4.55
First, I joined a 10-man $50(5) Sit 'n' Go Tournament. Things were going relatively well and I got down to the final four players. Sitting 2nd in chips, I was dealt Q◊ Q♠ and went "all in". I was a little disappointed when the big stack called my bet, but he flipped over 9♠ 9◊ and I felt better about things. I had a big lead! If my pocket ladies hold up, I'm the overwhelming chip leader and on my way to the $250 1st place prize!
Naturally, another 9 appeared on the flop and I was eliminated - one spot from the cash. I went from seemingly 1st to actually worst in a second. You gotta me kidding me, right? The chip leader chatted, "That's bad luck. Sorry."
Yeah, thanks buddy . . . Enjoy my chips.
Disgusted with that finish, I joined a $20(2) Multi-Table Tournament. The tournament started with 450 players, and I was sitting 12th in chips after 90 minutes. My luck seemed to have turned around. Then, sitting in the big blind, I was dealt 7◊ 7♠. One player made a modest raise, I called the bet, and we watched a flop of 7♣ Q♥ A♠.
Bingo Bango Bongo! I had flopped a set. I was about to move up the leaderboard!
After the flop, my opponent went "all in" and I didn't think twice before quickly making the call. Unfortunately, my opponent flipped over Q♣ Q♠ and I was WAY behind. I lost 90% of my chips on that single hand and I never recovered. A few hands later, I went "all in" with pocket 9's and lost (of course) to a player who called while holding A-2. Ugh!
Are you kidding me? From 12th in chips to well out of the money in a single second.
At that point of the evening, I figured that my luck couldn't get much worse. So, against my better judgment, I decided to take the last $77 in my Party Poker account and joined a 10-man $70(7) Tournament - determined to end my losing streak.
Things started well enough and I made it to the final 5 players. Then, sitting in the Big Blind, I found myself holding 10♣ 10♠. The first three players folded and the Small Blind went "all in" ahead of me. He had me covered, but I had no choice but to call. I felt sick about throwing all my chips into the middle - despite the fact that I thought he was simply trying to steal the blinds.
My opponent flipped over 5♣ 5♥ - which was better than I suspected. I had a big lead, but a feeling of trepidation swept over me. Sure enough, the flop came 2♣ 3♣ 5♠ and I lost the pot to the set of 5's and was rudely eliminated from the tournament. Are you kidding me?
I can't remember losing three hands in such disgusting fashion in such a short period of time and having it cost me so much money. Bad beats happen, but this was ridiculous. Tonight's bad beats - coupled with my losses the previous two nights - have really soured me on poker. I will not be logging back into Party Poker anytime soon. My profits from last week have completely evaporated and I'm not in the mood to chase them right now.
Daily Sketch: Down $154
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $4.55
August 14, 2006: A Bad Night
Every once in a while, the cards go bad. No matter how well you feel you're playing, you just can't seem to win. Unfortunately, that happened tonight.
Playing on a 6-man $3/$6 table at Party Poker, I lost exactly $134.52 in a little less than two hours. The highlight (or low-light) occurred when I witnessed a flop of K-K-J while holding pocket Jacks. I thought that I was ready to scoop a big pot until an opponent flipped over pocket Kings. It's been a while since I saw 4-of-a-kind. That was a particularly painful pot to lose.
Tonight's session took most of the money I had sitting in my account. I think I'm going to take a day or two off from poker and regroup. In fact, I think I'm going to visit a new site and try my luck elsewhere. Time to do a little research to see what site looks inviting!
Daily Sktech: Down $134.52
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $158.55
Playing on a 6-man $3/$6 table at Party Poker, I lost exactly $134.52 in a little less than two hours. The highlight (or low-light) occurred when I witnessed a flop of K-K-J while holding pocket Jacks. I thought that I was ready to scoop a big pot until an opponent flipped over pocket Kings. It's been a while since I saw 4-of-a-kind. That was a particularly painful pot to lose.
Tonight's session took most of the money I had sitting in my account. I think I'm going to take a day or two off from poker and regroup. In fact, I think I'm going to visit a new site and try my luck elsewhere. Time to do a little research to see what site looks inviting!
Daily Sktech: Down $134.52
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $158.55
August 13, 2006: Sunday Afternoon Poker
I played a lot of poker today, but I couldn't seem to find cards that were good enough to muster a profit. Unfortunately, the memory of my streak of consecutive $100/day winnings is fading away.
I started my Sunday afternoon by joining a 10-man $30(3) Sit 'n' Go Tournament on Party Poker. I finished 5th and missed the money by two spots. I lost a race when I went "all in" (preflop) while holding A♥ K◊. The big stack at the table called my bet with 4♠ 4◊. After I couldn't improve, I was eliminated. Ugh!
Frustrated by that last hand, I joined another $30(3) Tournament. When we got down to 7 players, I found myself holding Q♥ Q◊ with a stack that had been reduced in half by poor play earlier in the tourney. I went "all in" with my pocket ladies, but my only caller (who was holding K♠ T◊) saw another King appear on the board and I was sent packing. Ugh!
Next, I ventured to the 6-man $3/$6 tables and won back $25. However, when you consider that I played for nearly 2 hours, my hourly rate-of-return wasn't very hefty at the $3/$6 tables.
Bored by that action, I decided to join a 6-man $60(6) Tournament Qualifier for today's Guaranteed Million Dollar Tourney. The winner of the 6-man tourney earned an entry into the $215 tourney, but I could only muster a 3rd place finish. Ugh!
Down $107 for the day, I went back to the $3/$6 tables. Again, I played for nearly two hours, and I won some of my money back. After all was said and done, however, my long day of poker ended with a deficit of exactly $57.58.
In hindsight, I guess I should have avoided the Sit 'n' Go Tournaments today, 'cuz I made $74.42 on the $3/$6 tables. That would have made for a much better Sketchbook entry!
Daily Sketch: Down $57.58
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $293.07
I started my Sunday afternoon by joining a 10-man $30(3) Sit 'n' Go Tournament on Party Poker. I finished 5th and missed the money by two spots. I lost a race when I went "all in" (preflop) while holding A♥ K◊. The big stack at the table called my bet with 4♠ 4◊. After I couldn't improve, I was eliminated. Ugh!
Frustrated by that last hand, I joined another $30(3) Tournament. When we got down to 7 players, I found myself holding Q♥ Q◊ with a stack that had been reduced in half by poor play earlier in the tourney. I went "all in" with my pocket ladies, but my only caller (who was holding K♠ T◊) saw another King appear on the board and I was sent packing. Ugh!
Next, I ventured to the 6-man $3/$6 tables and won back $25. However, when you consider that I played for nearly 2 hours, my hourly rate-of-return wasn't very hefty at the $3/$6 tables.
Bored by that action, I decided to join a 6-man $60(6) Tournament Qualifier for today's Guaranteed Million Dollar Tourney. The winner of the 6-man tourney earned an entry into the $215 tourney, but I could only muster a 3rd place finish. Ugh!
Down $107 for the day, I went back to the $3/$6 tables. Again, I played for nearly two hours, and I won some of my money back. After all was said and done, however, my long day of poker ended with a deficit of exactly $57.58.
In hindsight, I guess I should have avoided the Sit 'n' Go Tournaments today, 'cuz I made $74.42 on the $3/$6 tables. That would have made for a much better Sketchbook entry!
Daily Sketch: Down $57.58
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $293.07
August 12, 2006: The Streak Ends
After three consecutive online poker sessions that saw profits of at least $100, my streak ended today. In fact, I had told Theresa that I'd buy directly into next year's World Series of Poker if my streak reached 100 consecutive $100+ winning sessions. Unfortunately, I fell 97 sessions short of that goal. Ha ha!! However, considering that Saturdays have historically been my worst day for gambling, I suppose that I shouldn't be overly surprised by today's performance. Here's how my day went:
With Theresa and I scheduled to visit the Wisconsin State Fair this afternoon, I got up early this morning and jumped onto Party Poker. I caught a bad run of cards and lost nearly $150 in about 90 minutes while sitting at a 6-man $3/$6 table. Things were going terribly - so I decided to switch tables.
Thankfully, I found a horrendous player at another table. Nine out of ten times (no lie!), he'd raise (preflop) - no matter what he had. I don't know if he was conducting some sick experiment, but everyone else at the table enjoyed his crazy play. During the 60 minutes I sat at the table, I'd guess that the guy lost $500 (no lie!). Of that amount, I claimed about $105 of it. I wish I had been able to catch better cards, 'cuz this guy was giving away cash to anyone who wanted it. In fact, during the time I sat at the table, I saw another guy win over $300. That's pretty sweet at a $3/$6 table!!
Needless to say, I recorded this guy's name in my Party Poker Buddy List. Every time I log into the software, I will look for this guy. If he's online, I'm RACING to his table!! I'd share his name with all my loyal readers, but I'd like a head start in claiming this guy's cash!
Down exactly $45.50 for the morning, we headed to State Fair Park for the afternoon. After spending 4 hours in West Allis, I was pretty tired when we got home, so I decided to simply join a 10-man $20(2) Sit 'n' Go Tournament this evening. I found decent success and proceeded to finish in 2nd place. As a result, I was awarded $60 - which was good for a profit of $38.
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook took a minor hit of exactly $7.50 today. When you consider that I was down nearly $150 this morning, I'm relatively content with today's performance. I suppose that it's an unrealistic goal to win $100 every time I log into poker software.
On the other hand, maybe I can start a new streak tomorrow . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $7.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $350.65
With Theresa and I scheduled to visit the Wisconsin State Fair this afternoon, I got up early this morning and jumped onto Party Poker. I caught a bad run of cards and lost nearly $150 in about 90 minutes while sitting at a 6-man $3/$6 table. Things were going terribly - so I decided to switch tables.
Thankfully, I found a horrendous player at another table. Nine out of ten times (no lie!), he'd raise (preflop) - no matter what he had. I don't know if he was conducting some sick experiment, but everyone else at the table enjoyed his crazy play. During the 60 minutes I sat at the table, I'd guess that the guy lost $500 (no lie!). Of that amount, I claimed about $105 of it. I wish I had been able to catch better cards, 'cuz this guy was giving away cash to anyone who wanted it. In fact, during the time I sat at the table, I saw another guy win over $300. That's pretty sweet at a $3/$6 table!!
Needless to say, I recorded this guy's name in my Party Poker Buddy List. Every time I log into the software, I will look for this guy. If he's online, I'm RACING to his table!! I'd share his name with all my loyal readers, but I'd like a head start in claiming this guy's cash!
Down exactly $45.50 for the morning, we headed to State Fair Park for the afternoon. After spending 4 hours in West Allis, I was pretty tired when we got home, so I decided to simply join a 10-man $20(2) Sit 'n' Go Tournament this evening. I found decent success and proceeded to finish in 2nd place. As a result, I was awarded $60 - which was good for a profit of $38.
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook took a minor hit of exactly $7.50 today. When you consider that I was down nearly $150 this morning, I'm relatively content with today's performance. I suppose that it's an unrealistic goal to win $100 every time I log into poker software.
On the other hand, maybe I can start a new streak tomorrow . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $7.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $350.65
August 12, 2006: A Funny Picture
In talking with David last night, he mentioned that he sat at Phil Ivey's table during the recently completed World Series of Poker. He also mentioned that there was a "weird" picture of Ivey that included David. If I'm not mistaken, that's David in the lower right hand corner of this photo. Way to go David! You're famous!!
August 11, 2006: Poker in Kohler
I made the 1-hour drive to Kohler this evening to play in a couple small poker tournaments hosted by Jim. Each tournament cost $20 and 15 guys played. Here's how it went:
I was a folding machine in the first tournament. I kept getting cards that added up to '9' - so I saw very few flops. It's pretty hard to play aggressively when you're continually being dealt 4-5 and 3-6. Finally, about an hour into the tournament, I was dealt pocket Queens and scooped a sizeable pot. It was my first win of the night.
Despite the fact that I only scooped a handful of pots, I made it to the Final 4 players. Then, I made a bad decision and went "all-in" (preflop) against the big stack while holding J♠ Q♠. The big stack called my bet, he flipped over AJ, and my tourney ended when I found no help. I won $30 - netting me a profit of $10. In hindsight, I shouldn't have gone "all in" at that point. Live and learn, I guess.
I did very poorly in the 2nd tournament. Actually, I simply experienced three unlucky hands in a row and finished in a dismal 13th place. On consecutive hands, I was dealt A◊ K◊, 10♥ 10♠, and 10♥ J♠ and lost all three hands. On the last hand, I flopped top pair and went "all in", but I lost to a big stack who hit his gut-shot straight on the river. So that's how my night of cards ended. Ooops!
After all was said and done, I lost $10 this evening. Oh, well. That's not going to hurt the Sketchbook too much. If nothing else, it's nice to play in a live tourney that I don't hafta organize!
Speaking of which, only two weeks until Spotted Cow XIII!
Daily Sketch: Down $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $358.15
I was a folding machine in the first tournament. I kept getting cards that added up to '9' - so I saw very few flops. It's pretty hard to play aggressively when you're continually being dealt 4-5 and 3-6. Finally, about an hour into the tournament, I was dealt pocket Queens and scooped a sizeable pot. It was my first win of the night.
Despite the fact that I only scooped a handful of pots, I made it to the Final 4 players. Then, I made a bad decision and went "all-in" (preflop) against the big stack while holding J♠ Q♠. The big stack called my bet, he flipped over AJ, and my tourney ended when I found no help. I won $30 - netting me a profit of $10. In hindsight, I shouldn't have gone "all in" at that point. Live and learn, I guess.
I did very poorly in the 2nd tournament. Actually, I simply experienced three unlucky hands in a row and finished in a dismal 13th place. On consecutive hands, I was dealt A◊ K◊, 10♥ 10♠, and 10♥ J♠ and lost all three hands. On the last hand, I flopped top pair and went "all in", but I lost to a big stack who hit his gut-shot straight on the river. So that's how my night of cards ended. Ooops!
After all was said and done, I lost $10 this evening. Oh, well. That's not going to hurt the Sketchbook too much. If nothing else, it's nice to play in a live tourney that I don't hafta organize!
Speaking of which, only two weeks until Spotted Cow XIII!
Daily Sketch: Down $10
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $358.15
August 10, 2006: If it were always . . .
. . . this easy, I'd never leave my house!
I had another successful night in the online poker world. Thankfully, the cards are falling nicely right now, and the online bankroll is (finally) starting to see a steady increase. Hopefully, I can continue this momentum into the upcoming weekend.
I started my Thursday night by joining a 10-man $30(3) Sit 'n' Go Tournament on Party Poker. I found pocket Aces a couple different times early in the tournament, and I rode two respectable pots to a 3rd place finish. Unfortunately, when we got down to the final three players, I couldn't catch a break and advanced no further. I won $60 for the accomplishment - netting me a $27 profit.
Next, I decided to go back to Absolute Poker. I transferred $150 to that website and sat down at a $3/$6 table. An hour later, my account had grown to $244.87 - which means that I won exactly $94.87 during those 60 minutes of action.
I was in position to win significantly more at Absolute when I flopped 2-pair while holding A♠ J◊. However, a 10◊ on the turn gave one of my opponents a set (he was holding 10♣ 10♥), and I lost a pretty good pot. Shortly thereafter, I decided to retire for the night with my winnings.
So, I've won over $100 each of the past three nights and I haven't really played a long session. Like I said - If it were always this easy, I'd never leave my house!
Daily Sketch: Up $121.87
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $368.15
I had another successful night in the online poker world. Thankfully, the cards are falling nicely right now, and the online bankroll is (finally) starting to see a steady increase. Hopefully, I can continue this momentum into the upcoming weekend.
I started my Thursday night by joining a 10-man $30(3) Sit 'n' Go Tournament on Party Poker. I found pocket Aces a couple different times early in the tournament, and I rode two respectable pots to a 3rd place finish. Unfortunately, when we got down to the final three players, I couldn't catch a break and advanced no further. I won $60 for the accomplishment - netting me a $27 profit.
Next, I decided to go back to Absolute Poker. I transferred $150 to that website and sat down at a $3/$6 table. An hour later, my account had grown to $244.87 - which means that I won exactly $94.87 during those 60 minutes of action.
I was in position to win significantly more at Absolute when I flopped 2-pair while holding A♠ J◊. However, a 10◊ on the turn gave one of my opponents a set (he was holding 10♣ 10♥), and I lost a pretty good pot. Shortly thereafter, I decided to retire for the night with my winnings.
So, I've won over $100 each of the past three nights and I haven't really played a long session. Like I said - If it were always this easy, I'd never leave my house!
Daily Sketch: Up $121.87
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $368.15
August 9, 2006: Another Hundy
I experienced another good session this evening while sitting at a $3/$6 table at Party Poker. In fact, after playing for about 90 minutes, I found myself sitting with a tidy profit of $102.
When I cracked the century mark, I decided to retire for the night. After all, my informal poker goal is to make $100 every time I sit down with the laptop. Admittedly, that doesn't happen very often. When it does, however, I often quit shortly thereafter. If I won a Benjamin Franklin every night, I'd be plenty pleased!
I continue to be amazed at the people willing to chase gut-shot straights and middle pairs on these $3/$6 tables. Tomorrow night, I'm probably going to experience a session where the fishies start catching and I'll subsequently give back some of my profits. Thankfully, that hasn't happened the last two nights.
In the interim, I've started the week - and month - on a pretty good roll.
Daily Sketch: Up $102
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $246.28
When I cracked the century mark, I decided to retire for the night. After all, my informal poker goal is to make $100 every time I sit down with the laptop. Admittedly, that doesn't happen very often. When it does, however, I often quit shortly thereafter. If I won a Benjamin Franklin every night, I'd be plenty pleased!
I continue to be amazed at the people willing to chase gut-shot straights and middle pairs on these $3/$6 tables. Tomorrow night, I'm probably going to experience a session where the fishies start catching and I'll subsequently give back some of my profits. Thankfully, that hasn't happened the last two nights.
In the interim, I've started the week - and month - on a pretty good roll.
Daily Sketch: Up $102
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $246.28
August 8, 2006: Changing Gears
After taking a very short nap yesterday afternoon, I jumped onto Party Poker to try my luck. After all was said and done, I was pretty happy with my session. Here's how it went:
I started my evening by jumping onto a 6-man $3/$6 table and broke even for the first 90 minutes I played. I caught just enough cards to scoop a modest pot every once in a while. In fact, it was turning into a relatively uneventful entry for the Sketchbook. Then my luck changed on an unusual hand.
Sitting in the 1st position, I found myself holding 3♣ 5♣. The table was playing relatively tight, so I decided to raise the initial $3 bet (to $6) to see what kind of action I'd get. I got two callers and we watched a rainbow flop of 2-4-6.
Just like that, I had flopped a straight and I proceeded to scoop a decent pot. I was dealt a little "ribbing" from the other players for my preflop raise, and that seemed to open the floodgates. Suddenly, everyone at my table thought I was an incredibly loose player and someone seemed to call my every wager afterward. Shortly after winning with the straight, I was dealt pocket Jacks and pocket Kings and I scooped sizeable pots with each hand when my opponents refused to believe I had anything.
So, during the next 30 minutes, I won a little over $100. I'm certain that my winnings would have been a fraction of that amount if I hadn't won the 3♣ 5♣ hand. I was playing pretty tight up until that moment, and I'm sure that my opponents wouldn't have kept calling my bets if I hadn't played loosely on that one hand.
I guess the moral of the story is that changing gears every once in a while can be quite beneficial - especially when you hit a hand at the exact right moment.
Daily Sketch: Up $106.53
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $144.28
I started my evening by jumping onto a 6-man $3/$6 table and broke even for the first 90 minutes I played. I caught just enough cards to scoop a modest pot every once in a while. In fact, it was turning into a relatively uneventful entry for the Sketchbook. Then my luck changed on an unusual hand.
Sitting in the 1st position, I found myself holding 3♣ 5♣. The table was playing relatively tight, so I decided to raise the initial $3 bet (to $6) to see what kind of action I'd get. I got two callers and we watched a rainbow flop of 2-4-6.
Just like that, I had flopped a straight and I proceeded to scoop a decent pot. I was dealt a little "ribbing" from the other players for my preflop raise, and that seemed to open the floodgates. Suddenly, everyone at my table thought I was an incredibly loose player and someone seemed to call my every wager afterward. Shortly after winning with the straight, I was dealt pocket Jacks and pocket Kings and I scooped sizeable pots with each hand when my opponents refused to believe I had anything.
So, during the next 30 minutes, I won a little over $100. I'm certain that my winnings would have been a fraction of that amount if I hadn't won the 3♣ 5♣ hand. I was playing pretty tight up until that moment, and I'm sure that my opponents wouldn't have kept calling my bets if I hadn't played loosely on that one hand.
I guess the moral of the story is that changing gears every once in a while can be quite beneficial - especially when you hit a hand at the exact right moment.
Daily Sketch: Up $106.53
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $144.28
August 7, 2006: Indy Recap
I am back in Milwaukee after spending the previous three days in Indianapolis with Brian, Rob, and Chris. Many stories could be told about the weekend, but since this is a Gambling Sketchbook, I'll simply recount the wagers (and results) from the past three days. None of the individual wagers was particularly signficant, but here goes:
The gambling began with a $3 poker tournament in the truck while driving down Interstate 65 in Indiana on Friday. It was a "winner-take-all" tournament and I proceeded to come out victorious. I was dealt a variety of great hands, and I had little problem winning the tournament and claiming the $12 first place prize. In fact, I believe I eliminated each of my opponents while holding full houses. As a result, I was up $9 when we arrived at the Indiana golf course Friday afternoon.
Playing Bingo, Bango, Bongo, I proceeded to win another $3.75 while playing $.50/point. I also won another $3 after playing a $1 game of Poison on the teebox of a hole on the back nine. So, heading into the evening's festivities, I was up exactly $15.75 from gambling.
We headed to the Broad Ripple District of Indianapolis and stopped at Average Joe's for dinner. After eating dinner (and drinking lots of beer), we headed to the dart machine. Teaming up with Rob, I lost 7 of 8 games of cricket to Chris and Brian for a buck-a-game. Down $6, I proceeded to challenge Chris to a game of 1-on-1. I proceeded to shoot my best game of the night (I finished the game of cricket in 5 rounds) and quickly won back the $6 that I had lost during the previous hour.
Cursing his luck, Chris challenged me to a $5 rematch. After all, what were the odds that I could finish another game of cricket in 5 rounds? He was right, 'cuz it only took me 4 rounds to win the next game. To put it mildly, I was 'en fuego' and I hit A LOT of triples. After that game, the gambling ended and I finished the day with a tidy profit of $20.75 for the day.
FYI . . . Rob thought it appropriate for me to mention the amount of alcohol consumed during the day, despite the fact that it's not really gambling-related. According to our unofficial tally, I consumed 19 beers, 2 rounds of Jagerbombs, and 1 shot of Crown Royal during the day/night. Apparently, it take about 15 beers for me to excel at a dart board. Needless to say, I was very sleepy when we got back to the hotel at 2:30am!
Saturday morning, we visited the Indianapolis racetrack in time to watch the 10:10am NASCAR Brickyard 400 qualifying session. Throwing $10 apiece into the pot, we watched as Chris' randomly assigned driver (Jeff Burton) won the pole - allowing Chris to claim the $40 prize pool.
Down $10 for the day, we headed to another golf course Saturday afternoon. We played 3 games of Poison on various tees, and I netted a modest profit of $.50 while winning one of the games. At the same time, I was able to claim a profit of $14 while playing Wolf. I was down most of the day, but I won a key "doubler" on the 17th hole that allowed me to win all the cash and offset my losses from the morning's qualifying session.
The Sunday morning before the race, we spent a couple hours playing poker. We played two $3 Hold 'em Tournaments, and I won the 1st. The 2nd tourney extended for a long period of time, until Brian and I decided to split the pot. As a result of the two tourneys, I netted a profit of another $12.
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook showed a profit of $37.75 this weekend. As I said before, there are many more stories from the weekend, but this is a Gambling Sketchbook - so I'll end it.
I had considered visiting Potawatomi today, but I'm still a bit groggy from the long weekend. I think I'll take a quick nap. Maybe I'll play a little online poker later today . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $37.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $37.75
The gambling began with a $3 poker tournament in the truck while driving down Interstate 65 in Indiana on Friday. It was a "winner-take-all" tournament and I proceeded to come out victorious. I was dealt a variety of great hands, and I had little problem winning the tournament and claiming the $12 first place prize. In fact, I believe I eliminated each of my opponents while holding full houses. As a result, I was up $9 when we arrived at the Indiana golf course Friday afternoon.
Playing Bingo, Bango, Bongo, I proceeded to win another $3.75 while playing $.50/point. I also won another $3 after playing a $1 game of Poison on the teebox of a hole on the back nine. So, heading into the evening's festivities, I was up exactly $15.75 from gambling.
We headed to the Broad Ripple District of Indianapolis and stopped at Average Joe's for dinner. After eating dinner (and drinking lots of beer), we headed to the dart machine. Teaming up with Rob, I lost 7 of 8 games of cricket to Chris and Brian for a buck-a-game. Down $6, I proceeded to challenge Chris to a game of 1-on-1. I proceeded to shoot my best game of the night (I finished the game of cricket in 5 rounds) and quickly won back the $6 that I had lost during the previous hour.
Cursing his luck, Chris challenged me to a $5 rematch. After all, what were the odds that I could finish another game of cricket in 5 rounds? He was right, 'cuz it only took me 4 rounds to win the next game. To put it mildly, I was 'en fuego' and I hit A LOT of triples. After that game, the gambling ended and I finished the day with a tidy profit of $20.75 for the day.
FYI . . . Rob thought it appropriate for me to mention the amount of alcohol consumed during the day, despite the fact that it's not really gambling-related. According to our unofficial tally, I consumed 19 beers, 2 rounds of Jagerbombs, and 1 shot of Crown Royal during the day/night. Apparently, it take about 15 beers for me to excel at a dart board. Needless to say, I was very sleepy when we got back to the hotel at 2:30am!
Saturday morning, we visited the Indianapolis racetrack in time to watch the 10:10am NASCAR Brickyard 400 qualifying session. Throwing $10 apiece into the pot, we watched as Chris' randomly assigned driver (Jeff Burton) won the pole - allowing Chris to claim the $40 prize pool.
Down $10 for the day, we headed to another golf course Saturday afternoon. We played 3 games of Poison on various tees, and I netted a modest profit of $.50 while winning one of the games. At the same time, I was able to claim a profit of $14 while playing Wolf. I was down most of the day, but I won a key "doubler" on the 17th hole that allowed me to win all the cash and offset my losses from the morning's qualifying session.
The Sunday morning before the race, we spent a couple hours playing poker. We played two $3 Hold 'em Tournaments, and I won the 1st. The 2nd tourney extended for a long period of time, until Brian and I decided to split the pot. As a result of the two tourneys, I netted a profit of another $12.
So, after all was said and done, the Sketchbook showed a profit of $37.75 this weekend. As I said before, there are many more stories from the weekend, but this is a Gambling Sketchbook - so I'll end it.
I had considered visiting Potawatomi today, but I'm still a bit groggy from the long weekend. I think I'll take a quick nap. Maybe I'll play a little online poker later today . . .
Daily Sketch: Up $37.75
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $37.75
August 3, 2006: Weekend Plans
I'm heading to Indy tomorrow morning for a long weekend with Rob, Chris, and Brian. Ultimately, we'll be attending Sunday's NASCAR Brickyard 400, but the rest of the weekend is sprinkled with activities - some of which will involve gambling. I will provide a comprehensive update on Monday.
At the same time, it appears that David Dickelman has been eliminated from the main event of this year's World Series of poker. Here's a link showing the remaining 1,159 players heading into tomorrow's action - and David isn't on the list. Oh, well. At least he survived Day #1.
At the same time, it appears that David Dickelman has been eliminated from the main event of this year's World Series of poker. Here's a link showing the remaining 1,159 players heading into tomorrow's action - and David isn't on the list. Oh, well. At least he survived Day #1.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
