In the past 48 hours, I've made 7 attempts to qualify for Party Poker's Sunday Guaranteed Million Dollar Tourney. Unfortuntely, I didn't make it. So, the dream ends. I won't be winning big bucks Sunday afternoon/evening.
I made it past the initial 10-man $7 tourney two different times, but I couldn't win the $26 Tournament that followed. I experienced a flurry of bad beats, which really annoyed me. Ugh!
All told, I spent $49 chasing the dream. I did, however, finish 3rd in one of the $7 tournaments, which allowed me to claim a prize of $8. So, all told, I spent $41 trying to make the big tourney.
After that many attempts, I decided to quit. After all, it's exhausting losing time-and-again! The next time I play online poker, it'll involve "traditional" play. Theresa is taking the laptop to Chicago for the next couple days, so I probably won't play poker again until Tuesday night.
In the interim, I'll simply root for my fantasy football players tomorrow. At the same time, I've gone 4-2 with my college football picks so far this weekend, so my year-to-date record has improved to 16-6 in Tom's $100 Pool. Meanwhile, my "lock and load" pick of the weekend (Idaho over Utah State) easily covered. My "lock and load" is 4-0 this young season.
Daily Sketch: Down $41
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $114.48
September 27, 2006: Chasing the Sunday Million
The Green Bay Packers don't play until Monday night this upcoming weekend. So, with that in mind, I thought I'd try to earn an entry into Party Poker's Sunday Million Dollar Tournament. The direct buy-in costs $215, but I'm not ready to dish out that kind of dough to play. Instead, I decided to play some qualifiers this evening to see if I could win an entry into Sunday's big tournament.
I started my night by playing in a 10-man $7 Satellite Qualifier. When we got down to 7 players (the top two players advance to another Qualifier), I found myself holding A♥ Q◊. I had a moderate stack of chips, and I made a moderate raise. I got raised by a low stack, and he flipped over 5◊ 6◊ after I called his "all in" bet. I proceeded to flop two pair, but the turn and river were both 6's, and my stack was suddenly crippled. Shortly thereafter, I went broke. Ugh!
I improved by one spot in my next tournament. Sixth place, however, is no good. I went broke on an ugly river.
Down $14 for the evening, I thought I'd give it one more shot - so I joined another $7 Qualifier Tournament. However, the recurring theme of the night continued to unfold, and I couldn't do better than 7th place. Ugh!
So much for my nightly dream of earning an entry into Sunday's tournament. Oh, well. Maybe next time . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $21
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.48
I started my night by playing in a 10-man $7 Satellite Qualifier. When we got down to 7 players (the top two players advance to another Qualifier), I found myself holding A♥ Q◊. I had a moderate stack of chips, and I made a moderate raise. I got raised by a low stack, and he flipped over 5◊ 6◊ after I called his "all in" bet. I proceeded to flop two pair, but the turn and river were both 6's, and my stack was suddenly crippled. Shortly thereafter, I went broke. Ugh!
I improved by one spot in my next tournament. Sixth place, however, is no good. I went broke on an ugly river.
Down $14 for the evening, I thought I'd give it one more shot - so I joined another $7 Qualifier Tournament. However, the recurring theme of the night continued to unfold, and I couldn't do better than 7th place. Ugh!
So much for my nightly dream of earning an entry into Sunday's tournament. Oh, well. Maybe next time . . .
Daily Sketch: Down $21
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $73.48
September 25, 2006: PokerEdge Website
I discovered an interesting website today. Poker-Edge.com keeps a database of all the poker being played on all the big websites - including Party Poker. In fact, they claim that they are currently tracking the activity of over 600,000 online poker players. Using all this data, they group players into particular categories.Naturally curious, I typed my name into the website to see if I was in the database. Here's what came up. You'll probably need to click on the image to read everything:
By entering my e-mail address, I got more details. Again, you'll probably need to click on this image to read everything:
Fascinating stuff! Since I primarily sit at 6-man tables, I'd expect that this database would consider my play a bit aggressive. Poker-Edge.com probably assumes that I'm sitting at typical 10-man tables. As such, I can understand the website's analysis of my play. When sitting at a 6-man table, you hafta be more aggressive than you'd otherwise be at a 10-man table.
If you're playing online poker, I recommend visiting this site. Maybe you'll learn something about yourself. If nothing else, this site confirms that I'm making a bit of money while playing on Party Poker.
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $52.48
September 24, 2006: The Streak Ends
Well . . . I got all three of my NFL selections wrong today. It was a hard fall from the world of the elite! The Bears didn't cover by 1/2 point, the Ravens didn't cover by 5 1/2 points, and Miami and Tennessee came no where close to covering the over. Ooops!
Regardless, I'm still 12-4 this season in Tom's pool and I lead the year-to-date standings. There's no reason to get too depressed.
At the same time, it looks like I'm going to go 4-0 in fantasy football this weekend. Woo hoo!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $52.48
Regardless, I'm still 12-4 this season in Tom's pool and I lead the year-to-date standings. There's no reason to get too depressed.
At the same time, it looks like I'm going to go 4-0 in fantasy football this weekend. Woo hoo!
Daily Sketch: $0
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $52.48
September 23, 2006: Poker at Tom's
I played poker at Tom's house in Sussex this evening with Chris, Jared, Rob, and Art. After all was said and done, I had a pretty good night.
Per usual, we started with a $5 Hold 'em Tournament. On the 2nd hand of the tournament, I flopped top pair, went "all in", and found myself way behind when Jared showed that he had flopped a set of 4's. He hit another 4 on the river and I was eliminated by the quad 4's. Yikes!!
Thankfully, my luck turned around the rest of the night. Playing a variety of dealer's choice games, I proceeded to win back $32.20 during the the rest of the evening. Netting out the $5 I lost in the opening tournament, I netted a final profit of $27.20 while playing poker at Tom's house this evening. Woo hoo!
Even before I headed to Tom's house, however, the Sketchbook was already up for the day. I joined a $20(2) Tournament on Tony G Poker in the morning and finished in 2nd place. Only 17 people signed up to play, but I did win $80 for the accomplishment. As a result, I netted a profit of $58 at Tony G's poker site.
Per usual, we started with a $5 Hold 'em Tournament. On the 2nd hand of the tournament, I flopped top pair, went "all in", and found myself way behind when Jared showed that he had flopped a set of 4's. He hit another 4 on the river and I was eliminated by the quad 4's. Yikes!!
Thankfully, my luck turned around the rest of the night. Playing a variety of dealer's choice games, I proceeded to win back $32.20 during the the rest of the evening. Netting out the $5 I lost in the opening tournament, I netted a final profit of $27.20 while playing poker at Tom's house this evening. Woo hoo!
Even before I headed to Tom's house, however, the Sketchbook was already up for the day. I joined a $20(2) Tournament on Tony G Poker in the morning and finished in 2nd place. Only 17 people signed up to play, but I did win $80 for the accomplishment. As a result, I netted a profit of $58 at Tony G's poker site.
Besides winning exactly $85.20 today, I was delighted to see Florida State cover the spread against Rice this afternoon. The Seminoles were favored to win by 29.5 points. They won by a score of 55-7. I have now correctly picked 12 consecutive games against the spread. I know I'm looking at these games a bit too closely when I conclude that an otherwise inocuous Florida State/Rice game is the best game of the college football weekend.
If I get all three of my NFL games correct on Sunday, I may faint.
Daily Sketch: Up $85.20
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $52.48
September 22, 2006: Getting Lucky
I spent 3 hours watching the Nevada/Northwestern football game on ESPN2 this evening. At the same time, I sat at a 6-man $3/$6 table on Party Poker and took my chances.
Playing online, I was up for most of the night - albeit moderately. At my peak, I think I was up $90. In the end, I finished the night with a very modest profit of $25.50. I can't say that I'm really disappointed with the results, however. I have a stinging headache and staring at a laptop didn't help. I was happy to win a little loot this evening with a head that was throbbing.
Meanwhile, I got VERY lucky during the football game. In Tom's $100 pool, I picked Nevada to cover the -7 points they were being given, and things weren't looking good with 2:30 to go in the 4th quarter. Northwestern was only down 3 points and they had the ball. The Wildcats were ready to drive for a tying field goal or a winning touchdown. My chances of having Nevada win by more than 7 points seemed slim.
Thankfully (for me), Northwestern threw an interception and Nevada returned it for a touchdown. Wow! Northwestern muffed the ensuing kickoff, Nevada recovered, and the Wolfpack proceeded to win by 10 points. Wow! Just like that, Nevada had covered the spread and I had gotten my 11th consecutive game correct. I'm 11-1 against the spread this season. Without doubt, tonight was my luckiest moment during the streak.
I'd publish my picks for the other 4 games I like this weekend, but I'm afraid to jinx things. I've picked one college game tomorrow and three NFL games on Sunday. Let's see if "Steve the Swami" can continue his streak!
If this continues much longer, I'm gonna hafta start betting these games for real. While a 1st place payout in Tom's $100 pool will be nice, I feel like I'm wasting a great opportunity by not placing some real wagers on these games.
Hmmmm . . . maybe I should establish a 1-900 number and start charging for my picks. On second thought, I watched "Two for the Money" a couple weeks ago, and that movie wasn't very flattering for that type of career. In fact, that movie was quite depressing to someone who loves to gamble.
Daily Sketch: Up $25.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $136.48
Playing online, I was up for most of the night - albeit moderately. At my peak, I think I was up $90. In the end, I finished the night with a very modest profit of $25.50. I can't say that I'm really disappointed with the results, however. I have a stinging headache and staring at a laptop didn't help. I was happy to win a little loot this evening with a head that was throbbing.
Meanwhile, I got VERY lucky during the football game. In Tom's $100 pool, I picked Nevada to cover the -7 points they were being given, and things weren't looking good with 2:30 to go in the 4th quarter. Northwestern was only down 3 points and they had the ball. The Wildcats were ready to drive for a tying field goal or a winning touchdown. My chances of having Nevada win by more than 7 points seemed slim.
Thankfully (for me), Northwestern threw an interception and Nevada returned it for a touchdown. Wow! Northwestern muffed the ensuing kickoff, Nevada recovered, and the Wolfpack proceeded to win by 10 points. Wow! Just like that, Nevada had covered the spread and I had gotten my 11th consecutive game correct. I'm 11-1 against the spread this season. Without doubt, tonight was my luckiest moment during the streak.
I'd publish my picks for the other 4 games I like this weekend, but I'm afraid to jinx things. I've picked one college game tomorrow and three NFL games on Sunday. Let's see if "Steve the Swami" can continue his streak!
If this continues much longer, I'm gonna hafta start betting these games for real. While a 1st place payout in Tom's $100 pool will be nice, I feel like I'm wasting a great opportunity by not placing some real wagers on these games.
Hmmmm . . . maybe I should establish a 1-900 number and start charging for my picks. On second thought, I watched "Two for the Money" a couple weeks ago, and that movie wasn't very flattering for that type of career. In fact, that movie was quite depressing to someone who loves to gamble.
Daily Sketch: Up $25.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $136.48
September 21, 2006: Back to Omaha Hi/Lo
Taking the laptop, Theresa went to Chicago for the night. I was left with our regular computer - which only has Party Poker loaded on it. Rather than downloading new software (like Tony G Poker) onto the home computer, I decided to take it easy this evening and simply played two Omaha Hi/Lo Tourneys on Party Poker.
Each tournament cost $11 to play. As I've mentioned in previous posts, there aren't a lot of Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament organizing on Party Poker, so I join whatever I can find. The meager stakes made it easy to play with little stress.
My 1st tournament ended with a 5th place finish. I accumulated a monster pile of chips early, but I couldn't catch a break and bowed out relatively soon. Ooops!
My 2nd tournament ended horribly. Down to five players, I flopped a set of kings and went all in. Another player (who barely had me covered), called with the nut low draw and hit a runner-runner wheel and scooped the entire pot. I was eliminated. Ugh!!
Daily Sketch: Down $22
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $161.98
Each tournament cost $11 to play. As I've mentioned in previous posts, there aren't a lot of Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament organizing on Party Poker, so I join whatever I can find. The meager stakes made it easy to play with little stress.
My 1st tournament ended with a 5th place finish. I accumulated a monster pile of chips early, but I couldn't catch a break and bowed out relatively soon. Ooops!
My 2nd tournament ended horribly. Down to five players, I flopped a set of kings and went all in. Another player (who barely had me covered), called with the nut low draw and hit a runner-runner wheel and scooped the entire pot. I was eliminated. Ugh!!
Daily Sketch: Down $22
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $161.98
September 19, 2006: Tony G's Tournaments
For the past few nights, I've been playing cheap multi-table tournaments at the TonyG Poker Room. The tournaments that have guaranteed prize pools, in particular, are the way to go. You don't hafta risk much money to win a bit of cash.
As an example, I joined a $5.50 multi-table tournament last night. Only 13 people signed up to play, but the total payout was a guaranteed $150. First place won $80. With an entry fee of only $5.50, that's a pretty good deal!
Unfortunately, I haven't been very lucky in these tournaments the past couple nights. All told, I played 7 such tournaments, and I couldn't place in any of them. Ugh! My most expensive tourney was $11, and my cheapest was $1.10. As I entered my 8th tournament tonight, I was down exactly $37.40 playing these tournaments.
Thankfully, I finally found a little success in my 8th tourney - a cheap $1.10 event. Only 19 people signed up to play, but the payout was guaranteed to be $50. First place was scheduled to win $30.
I didn't win the tourney, but I did place 2nd. As a result, I claimed a prize of $30 - netting me a profit of $28.90. Admittedly, it's not a boatload of money, but it felt good to finally place in one of these tourneys. I wasn't overly eager to play poker tonight (I think I'm catching a cold), so that's why I elected to play in a super-cheap tourney. In the end, it worked out.
As an example, I joined a $5.50 multi-table tournament last night. Only 13 people signed up to play, but the total payout was a guaranteed $150. First place won $80. With an entry fee of only $5.50, that's a pretty good deal!
Unfortunately, I haven't been very lucky in these tournaments the past couple nights. All told, I played 7 such tournaments, and I couldn't place in any of them. Ugh! My most expensive tourney was $11, and my cheapest was $1.10. As I entered my 8th tournament tonight, I was down exactly $37.40 playing these tournaments.
Thankfully, I finally found a little success in my 8th tourney - a cheap $1.10 event. Only 19 people signed up to play, but the payout was guaranteed to be $50. First place was scheduled to win $30.
I didn't win the tourney, but I did place 2nd. As a result, I claimed a prize of $30 - netting me a profit of $28.90. Admittedly, it's not a boatload of money, but it felt good to finally place in one of these tourneys. I wasn't overly eager to play poker tonight (I think I'm catching a cold), so that's why I elected to play in a super-cheap tourney. In the end, it worked out.
On a sidenote, doesn't this image look pretty good? I've discovered a cool program that converts any image on a computer screen into a .jpg file. It makes it very easy to post images like the one you see above. I like it!
The Sketchbook still shows a slight deficit tonight (as a result of losing in 7 consecutive tourneys), but the deficit would have looked worse if not for my 2nd place showing.
Daily Sketch: Down $8.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $139.98
September 18, 2006: Steve the Swami?
We're exactly two weeks into the NFL season, and things are going swimmingly well. After watching Jacksonville's 9-0 victory over Pittsburgh tonight, I finished 3rd in Bruce's weekly Confidence Pool. As a result, I won $26 and today's Sketchbook shows that profit. More importantly, however, I'm probably on top of the year-to-date standings, which isn't bad when you consider that approximately 75 people are participating in this pool. At the end of the year, the top 10 players win cash and 1st place - in particular - gets a pretty hefty payout.
At the same time, I also won my workplace's weekly NFL Point Spread Contest. I went 11-5 against the spread this weekend, which allowed me to claim the $52 1st place prize. It costs $5/week to play this pool, so my winnings will help to cover the first 10+ weeks. Since I'm dedicating my winnings to pay for future weeks, I'm going to record my final net profits/losses later in the season. For now, the Sketchbook won't know the difference - since the cash didn't appear in my wallet.
On a related note, I'm doing very well in Tom's $100 Point Spread Pool. After incorrectly predicting that Miami would cover against the Steelers in the first game of the year, I have correctly picked my last 10 games - including tonight's win by Jacksonville. With a record of 10-1, I'm leading this pool, but I still have 89 more games to pick this season. When you consider that I finished last season with a 35% success rate, I have plenty of chances to screw up this good start. For now, however, I think I'll simply start calling myself "Steve the Swami" and wait for the bubble to burst. I can't ever recall picking 10 consecutive games (against the spread) correctly. If I were in Vegas, I'd be swimming in the cash!
Finally, my four fantasy football teams have a collective record of 6-2. I'm relatively comfortable with each of my teams, so we'll see what happens. Things look promising right now. Antonio Bryant and Donovan McNabb have treated me well.
Today, the Sketchbook merely shows my profits from Bruce's weekly Confidence Pool. Hopefully, the NFL season continues to progress swimmingly well. In fact, if "Steve the Swami" can keep picking games correctly, the Sketchbook will really start to reap some positive results.
Daily Sketch: Up $26
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $130.48
At the same time, I also won my workplace's weekly NFL Point Spread Contest. I went 11-5 against the spread this weekend, which allowed me to claim the $52 1st place prize. It costs $5/week to play this pool, so my winnings will help to cover the first 10+ weeks. Since I'm dedicating my winnings to pay for future weeks, I'm going to record my final net profits/losses later in the season. For now, the Sketchbook won't know the difference - since the cash didn't appear in my wallet.
On a related note, I'm doing very well in Tom's $100 Point Spread Pool. After incorrectly predicting that Miami would cover against the Steelers in the first game of the year, I have correctly picked my last 10 games - including tonight's win by Jacksonville. With a record of 10-1, I'm leading this pool, but I still have 89 more games to pick this season. When you consider that I finished last season with a 35% success rate, I have plenty of chances to screw up this good start. For now, however, I think I'll simply start calling myself "Steve the Swami" and wait for the bubble to burst. I can't ever recall picking 10 consecutive games (against the spread) correctly. If I were in Vegas, I'd be swimming in the cash!
Finally, my four fantasy football teams have a collective record of 6-2. I'm relatively comfortable with each of my teams, so we'll see what happens. Things look promising right now. Antonio Bryant and Donovan McNabb have treated me well.
Today, the Sketchbook merely shows my profits from Bruce's weekly Confidence Pool. Hopefully, the NFL season continues to progress swimmingly well. In fact, if "Steve the Swami" can keep picking games correctly, the Sketchbook will really start to reap some positive results.
Daily Sketch: Up $26
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $130.48
September 16, 2006: A New Website
The other day, I caught wind of a new poker site being marketed by Tony Guogo (aka Tony G). By registering thru WannaTalkPoker, I was able to join the 50% rakeback program this new website is offering.Tony G is an Australian player who spends most of his time in Europe. I've seen him on television a few times, and he's pretty obnoxious. Apparently, some designer has decided that his name will bring people to this poker site.
This morning, I moved $50 into my account at TonyGPoker and started playing. At its peak, there were approximately 60 people on the site. That's a few less than Party Poker's 75,000 players, ehh?
I spent nearly 2 hours sitting at a $2/$4 Hold 'em Table. With only 60 people logged into the site, I didn't have a lot of options for other games. Most of the players were sitting at No-Limit Tables, which doesn't interest me - especially since I only had $50 in my account. Instead, I bunkered down at a $2/$4 table to try my luck.
Overall, the software is better than I expected. It's nothing special, but it was relatively speedy. I especially like the feature that allows you to "rotate" the table, in the event you don't like the position you find yourself at. I also liked the fact that I won a bit of money.
After all was said and done, I had $100.50 in my TonyGPoker account when my session ended - which means that I won $50.50. That's not too bad!
Daily Sketch: Up $50.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $156.48
September 15, 2006: Back on the Horse
It's been awhile since I played poker. Tonight, I got back to the action and sat at a 6-man $3/$6 table on Party Poker for about 75 minutes. I didn't do half bad.In fact, after all was said and done, I won $55.50. Generally speaking, I was up most of the night - so it was a session relatively free of stress. I like that!
Daily Sketch: Up $55.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $206.98
September 10, 2006: The Weekend Gone By
I didn't find much success while playing online poker this weekend. I played a little Friday night, a little Saturday night, and bit this morning. I jumped around from Hold 'em to Omaha Hi/Lo and played on 6-man tables ranging from $2/$4 to $5/$10. According to Party Poker's stats, I played for a total of 4 hours and 42 minuts during the past three days.
During that time, I lost exactly $131.50. Ugh! I can't say that there was a consistent theme to my losing ways - I just couldn't catch the right cards to scoop the big pots. I was dealt KK on two consecutive hands this morning, but I didn't even get to see a flop after making a raise. Everyone folded. Ugh!
So, the Sketchbook shows an ugly figure today reflecting this weekend's ugly poker action.
I'm traveling to Jacksonville, FL for a couple days this week (work), so the Sketchbook won't have any activity for a while. That's probably a good thing, as I could use a bit of a break. Three consecutive losing sessions can damper one's enthusiasm to play poker!
At least I went 4-1 in Tom's $100 pool. After going 35-65 picking games against the spread last year, it's nice to get off to a good start this year.
Daily Sketch: Down $131.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $262.48
During that time, I lost exactly $131.50. Ugh! I can't say that there was a consistent theme to my losing ways - I just couldn't catch the right cards to scoop the big pots. I was dealt KK on two consecutive hands this morning, but I didn't even get to see a flop after making a raise. Everyone folded. Ugh!
So, the Sketchbook shows an ugly figure today reflecting this weekend's ugly poker action.
I'm traveling to Jacksonville, FL for a couple days this week (work), so the Sketchbook won't have any activity for a while. That's probably a good thing, as I could use a bit of a break. Three consecutive losing sessions can damper one's enthusiasm to play poker!
At least I went 4-1 in Tom's $100 pool. After going 35-65 picking games against the spread last year, it's nice to get off to a good start this year.
Daily Sketch: Down $131.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $262.48
September 7, 2006: Are you ready for some football?
The first game of the NFL season is being played as I type this entry. Woo hoo!! Of course, with the season beginning this season, the Sketchbook takes a pretty good beating.
First, I joined Bruce's annual Sure Bet Pool. That costs $10 to enter. In case anyone cares, I'm picking Arizona to win this opening weekend. If the Cardinals win, I'll pick again next weekend. I haven't seen the final figures, but I'm guessing that we'll get nearly 300 people to play. The last person standing is going to win $3,000. That would certainly look nice in the Sketchbook, ehh?
Next, I joined Bruce's annual Confidence Pool. Ranking the outcome of each NFL game from 16 to 1, I predicted the winner's of this weekend's NFL games. It costs $3/week to play, and I've given Bruce enough cash to cover the entire season ($51), and another $5 to cover the postseason pool. So, today's Sketchbook takes a $56 "hit" today. I'd guess that 90-100 people will join this pool each week.
Finally, I submitted my first five picks in Tom's annual $100 Pick 'em Pool. In this competition, I get to pick 100 NFL or college games during the course of the entire season. I can pick as many games as I like each week, but I need to finish the season with exactly 100 picks. About a dozen people join this pool each year, and I've never won money. Hopefully, I find a bit more success this year. As I recall, I finished last season with a dismal record of 35-65. That's HORRIBLE!
So, after all is said and done, the Sketchbook records a deficit of $166 today. Ouch! Hopefully, I'll easily recoup that money during the course of the next few months. Regardless, I am ready for some football!!
Daily Sketch: Down $166
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $136.98
First, I joined Bruce's annual Sure Bet Pool. That costs $10 to enter. In case anyone cares, I'm picking Arizona to win this opening weekend. If the Cardinals win, I'll pick again next weekend. I haven't seen the final figures, but I'm guessing that we'll get nearly 300 people to play. The last person standing is going to win $3,000. That would certainly look nice in the Sketchbook, ehh?
Next, I joined Bruce's annual Confidence Pool. Ranking the outcome of each NFL game from 16 to 1, I predicted the winner's of this weekend's NFL games. It costs $3/week to play, and I've given Bruce enough cash to cover the entire season ($51), and another $5 to cover the postseason pool. So, today's Sketchbook takes a $56 "hit" today. I'd guess that 90-100 people will join this pool each week.
Finally, I submitted my first five picks in Tom's annual $100 Pick 'em Pool. In this competition, I get to pick 100 NFL or college games during the course of the entire season. I can pick as many games as I like each week, but I need to finish the season with exactly 100 picks. About a dozen people join this pool each year, and I've never won money. Hopefully, I find a bit more success this year. As I recall, I finished last season with a dismal record of 35-65. That's HORRIBLE!
So, after all is said and done, the Sketchbook records a deficit of $166 today. Ouch! Hopefully, I'll easily recoup that money during the course of the next few months. Regardless, I am ready for some football!!
Daily Sketch: Down $166
Month-to-Date Sketch: Down $136.98
September 6, 2006: More Omaha Hi/Lo
I dove back into the exciting world of Party Poker's Omaha Hi/Lo this evening. I began the night by joining a 10-man $10(1) Tournament and found very little luck. I caught a couple decent hands, but it wasn't enough to make the money - and I eventually bowed out in 5th place. Ooops!
Frustrated with that finish, I decided to jump on a regular 6-man $2/$4 Hi/Lo table. I played for nearly 2 hours, and I couldn't get much going. I was down $60 at one point, but I left the table with a profit of exactly $24.52. I met some incredibly bad players along the way, but I didn't get the cards that allowed me to capitalize. Oh, well.
Offsetting my $24.52 of profits by the $11 I lost in the tournament, the Sketchbook sees a very tiny profit. I guess it's better than losing.
Daily Sketch: Up $13.52
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $29.02
Frustrated with that finish, I decided to jump on a regular 6-man $2/$4 Hi/Lo table. I played for nearly 2 hours, and I couldn't get much going. I was down $60 at one point, but I left the table with a profit of exactly $24.52. I met some incredibly bad players along the way, but I didn't get the cards that allowed me to capitalize. Oh, well.
Offsetting my $24.52 of profits by the $11 I lost in the tournament, the Sketchbook sees a very tiny profit. I guess it's better than losing.
Daily Sketch: Up $13.52
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $29.02
September 5, 2006: Fantasy Football Draft #4
I participated in my 4th (and final) fantasy football draft of the year this evening. Picking 5th, I'm pretty happy with the makeup of my squad in Extendicare's 12-team league. It costs $85 to play in this league, so the Sketchbook takes a decent hit today. Here are my draft picks:
1. Tiki Barber - NYG (RB)
2. Brian Westbrook - PHI (RB)
3. Anquan Boldin - ARZ (WR)
4. TJ Houshmandzadeh - CIN (WR)
5. Donovan McNabb - PHI (QB)
6. Walli Lundy - IND (RB)
7. Rod Smith - DEN (WR)
8. Cedric Benson - CHI (RB)
9. Josh Brown - SEA (K)
10. Seattle Defense
At the same time the draft was being held, Theresa learned that the offer we submitted for a house has been accepted. So, in about 30 days, we will be moving away from Juneau Village. This information qualifies for the Sketchbook because my new rec room is big enough to accommodate a Spotted Cow Poker Tournament. That was a prerequisite of purchasing a new home!
Daily Sketch: Down $85
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $15.50
1. Tiki Barber - NYG (RB) 2. Brian Westbrook - PHI (RB)
3. Anquan Boldin - ARZ (WR)
4. TJ Houshmandzadeh - CIN (WR)
5. Donovan McNabb - PHI (QB)
6. Walli Lundy - IND (RB)
7. Rod Smith - DEN (WR)
8. Cedric Benson - CHI (RB)
9. Josh Brown - SEA (K)
10. Seattle Defense
At the same time the draft was being held, Theresa learned that the offer we submitted for a house has been accepted. So, in about 30 days, we will be moving away from Juneau Village. This information qualifies for the Sketchbook because my new rec room is big enough to accommodate a Spotted Cow Poker Tournament. That was a prerequisite of purchasing a new home!
Daily Sketch: Down $85
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $15.50
September 4, 2006: A Good Message
I haven't been playing $10(1) Sit 'n' Go Omaha Hi/Lo Tournaments on Party Poker for a long time, but I know that this is a good message to receive when a tournament ends:
When I started my recent adventure into Omaha Hi/Lo a couple nights ago, I didn't really expect to do very well. However, I'm amazed by the poor players I'm discovering at these Sit 'n' Go Tourney Tables. It's interesting to see people worship A-2 and chase it to the river - despite the fact that they're only hoping to win half the pot if they hit a low hand. When they don't hit it, they throw a lot of chips down the toliet chasing it. If nothing else, it's fun to watch!
I only played two tournaments tonight - and I won the first one I played. Per usual, there were 5 donkeys at the table, 2 respectable players, and 3 guys (including myself) who knew what they were doing. That . . . my friends . . . is a recipe for success! Thankfully, it's the recipe I keep finding at these tables. Woo hoo!!
I cruised into the final three players, hit some cards, and coasted to the overall title. As a result, I was up $39 when I entered my 2nd tournament.
Unfortunately, I didn't get as lucky when I reached the final three players in my 2nd tournament. Despite the fact that I was the chip leader when I reached that point, I couldn't catch any luck and bowed out in 3rd place. As a result, the message that appeared on my screen wasn't quite as nice (I did win $20) - but I suppose that you can't win them all, right? I netted a modest $9 profit in the 2nd tourney.
These $10(1) Sit 'n' Go Tournaments are pretty sporadic and there's very little action at higher limits. It takes 5-10 minutes for a $10(1) Tourney to start, and I RARELY see a game starting at the $20(2) or $30(3) levels. So, I guess I'll hafta stick to these relatively low stakes for awhile and see if I can make some steady cash here amongst the fishes. In the meantime, I'll try to enjoy the good messages that keep popping up on my laptop!
Daily Sketch: Up $48
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $100.50
September 3, 2006: More Omaha Hi/Lo
I played on Party Poker for a little less than an hour this morning. Similar to yesterday, I decided to stick to Omaha Hi/Lo - but I stayed away from the Sit 'n' Go Tournaments. Instead, I sat down at a $1/$2 6-man table and took my chances.
Overall, I found decent success. In fact, during my 50-minute session, I made $26.50. There seem to be some people playing Omaha Hi/Lo who have no idea what they're doing. I like that!
Daily Sketch: Up $26.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $52.50
Overall, I found decent success. In fact, during my 50-minute session, I made $26.50. There seem to be some people playing Omaha Hi/Lo who have no idea what they're doing. I like that!
Daily Sketch: Up $26.50
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $52.50
September 2, 2006: Omaha Hi/Lo Tourneys
After shopping for new homes for nearly 4 hours this afternoon (I think we toured 11 places), I decided to recuperate by logging into Party Poker this evening. I wasn't overly inspired to play Hold 'em Poker, so I dabbled in the exciting world of Omaha Hi/Lo while watching television and seeing the Badgers beat Bowling Green by a score of 35-14.
Since I'm - admittedly - not a great Omaha Hi/Lo player, I kept my stakes modest. I thought I'd stay relatively safe by sticking to $10(1) Sit 'n' Go Pot Limit Tournaments and go from there. Here's how it went:
I caught 3 or 4 nice hands and scooped monster pots during the 1st tourney I played. As a result, I coasted to the final 2 players. At that point, I found myself heads-up against the best player at the table (yermybitch) and the battle was on. When we started our heads-up battle, we were very close in chips, so it was anyone's title to win. I'd guess that we played 20 minutes of heated action until yermybitch suggested that we simply go "all in" on the next hand to determine a champion. I wasn't overly excited about that idea, so we pressed on.
We probably played for another 10 minutes - but I eventually prevailed when I outkicked him on a flush. As a result, the following message was displayed:
Since I'm - admittedly - not a great Omaha Hi/Lo player, I kept my stakes modest. I thought I'd stay relatively safe by sticking to $10(1) Sit 'n' Go Pot Limit Tournaments and go from there. Here's how it went:
I caught 3 or 4 nice hands and scooped monster pots during the 1st tourney I played. As a result, I coasted to the final 2 players. At that point, I found myself heads-up against the best player at the table (yermybitch) and the battle was on. When we started our heads-up battle, we were very close in chips, so it was anyone's title to win. I'd guess that we played 20 minutes of heated action until yermybitch suggested that we simply go "all in" on the next hand to determine a champion. I wasn't overly excited about that idea, so we pressed on.
We probably played for another 10 minutes - but I eventually prevailed when I outkicked him on a flush. As a result, the following message was displayed:
That netted me a profit of $39. I was pretty happy about that. Like I said, I'm not a great Omaha Hi/Lo Player, and I felt pretty good about winning the tournament. Had I accepted yermybitch's suggestion to go "all in" on the next hand, I might have only claimed a $30 2nd place prize - instead of the $50 that I did win. In hindsight, I'm glad I declined the offer.
In my 2nd tournament, I suffered a HORRIBLE bad beat. After getting down to four players, I saw a Queen hit the flop. At the same time, I was holding two Queens, so I had flopped a set. Needless to say, I was quite pleased! At the same time, my only opponent in the hand was holding two Sixes, and another Six had joined the Queen on the flop. So, my set was WAY ahead, but another 6 on the river gave my opponent the improbable 4-of-a-kind and I was eliminated one spot from the money. Ugh!
That . . . my friends . . . is a HORRIBLE bad beat. I hate losing to 1-outers!
When I signed up for my 3rd tournament of the night, I was surprised to find yermybitch sitting at the table. With 75,000 people playing on Party Poker tonight, I was surprised to see a repeat opponent. Oh, well. I guess that most of the people logged into the software aren't repeatedly playing $10(1) Sit 'n' Go Omaha Hi/Lo Tournaments.
Unfortunately, yermybitch didn't make the money this time. Instead, he was eliminated in 6th place. On the other hand, I found a bit more luck, but I was only able to squeak into 3rd place. I won $20 for that accomplishment - but it only netted me a profit of $9 when you subtract the $11 buy-in.
I was up $37 when my 4th Omaha Hi/Lo Tournament started. Very early in the tournament, I was delighted to flop a full house (7's over 6's), but a 10 on the turn gave my opponent a bigger full house (10's over 6's). When that hand ended, I was the low-stack at the table and cursing my luck. My days were numbered!
Quite naturally, I was eliminated on another bad beat (a miracle 3 on the river gave my opponent a set), but I had such a tiny stack - so it didn't really matter. I finished in a dismal 9th place.
Up $26 for the night, I decided to retire for the evening. If nothing else, it was a nice night of stress-free cards.
Daily Sketch: Up $26
Month-to-Date Sketch: Up $26
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