Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Chips, Chips, Chips
Here's a picture of my stack that I took last night.
I like to keep my chips in a big triangle formation. It's easy to instantly know how many chips I have, since I can use the formula for the sum of the 1st N positive numbers, which is N*(N+1)/2. I just have to count the base layer of the triangle and I know how many stacks I have, and I keep my stacks in 20 chips each.
55 stacks is 11 racks. I normally buy in 2 racks, so 8 racks in 4/8 chip structure game is 100 big bets. I have won 100 big bets only a couple of times in my life. In other words I have only had my big triangle to almost 10 stacks in the base layer, only twice. Soon, I envision, my massive triangle being a two story condominium of chips! I like triangles.
Here's the mapping by the way for the mathematically challenged:
N(2) = 3
N(3) = 6
N(4) = 10
N(5) = 15
N(6) = 21
N(7) = 28
N(8) = 36
N(9) = 45
N(10) = 55
Easy Night!
Got some pokers in on Sunday. Went to mass in the morning, then my wife went to the Korean church, and left me in charge of the kids. We watched the Charger game, then I microwaved a prepackaged tri-tip roast (not so good) for lunch. My youngest daughter is getting over being sick, so I made her chicken noodle soup from a can. At first she didn't want to eat it, but after I told her it's like medicine it will make you feel better, she ate almost the entire bowl, saying yum, this is good.
After my wife got back home, we lazed around for a bit, and then decided to go out for Italian. I was all geared up to go to Domenic's in Poway, a good Italian restaurant I like, when my wife said, let's go to Olive Garden, since the kids like it there. I was stunned . . . what? Olive Garden? Seriously? I haven't been there in like 10 years. It was as bad as I remember.
Then I got to Oceans-11 around 8:15 pm and ran over the 20/40 game to the tune of 65 big bets in like 5 hours. Nothing like winning a rack an hour, and that doesn't include the bajillion hands that had I played I would have made the nuts. And the time my top set of aces got cracked by T7 sooted!
On Friday night, I sweated the sickest no-limit hand I have ever personally witnessed. I walked up to my buddy playing in a 3-handed 10/10 no limit game. He was in the small blind with 56 off suit, the button live straddled. He called, the big blind made a small raise to like 90, and both players called. Big blind had maybe 1000 total, and the button had around 6 thousand, and my buddy covered them both. Flop came 378 two diamonds. Some bets went in, and we see a turn of the 4h. My buddy has the stone cold nuts. He checks, big blind moves all in for his last 500, button calls, and then my buddy ships it all in for like 4500 more. The button agonizes forever, shows his hand Ad9d, and then CALLS off all his money on a just a draw. The river blanks off, and my buddy scoops like a 13,000 dollar pot with 56 off suit. Oh, the big blind? He had pocket aces and was drawing dead on the turn. My buddy gave me 50 bucks for sweating him the hand. Recently, I have been sweating everybody winners! I am like the sweat good luck box magnet these days.
After my wife got back home, we lazed around for a bit, and then decided to go out for Italian. I was all geared up to go to Domenic's in Poway, a good Italian restaurant I like, when my wife said, let's go to Olive Garden, since the kids like it there. I was stunned . . . what? Olive Garden? Seriously? I haven't been there in like 10 years. It was as bad as I remember.
Then I got to Oceans-11 around 8:15 pm and ran over the 20/40 game to the tune of 65 big bets in like 5 hours. Nothing like winning a rack an hour, and that doesn't include the bajillion hands that had I played I would have made the nuts. And the time my top set of aces got cracked by T7 sooted!
On Friday night, I sweated the sickest no-limit hand I have ever personally witnessed. I walked up to my buddy playing in a 3-handed 10/10 no limit game. He was in the small blind with 56 off suit, the button live straddled. He called, the big blind made a small raise to like 90, and both players called. Big blind had maybe 1000 total, and the button had around 6 thousand, and my buddy covered them both. Flop came 378 two diamonds. Some bets went in, and we see a turn of the 4h. My buddy has the stone cold nuts. He checks, big blind moves all in for his last 500, button calls, and then my buddy ships it all in for like 4500 more. The button agonizes forever, shows his hand Ad9d, and then CALLS off all his money on a just a draw. The river blanks off, and my buddy scoops like a 13,000 dollar pot with 56 off suit. Oh, the big blind? He had pocket aces and was drawing dead on the turn. My buddy gave me 50 bucks for sweating him the hand. Recently, I have been sweating everybody winners! I am like the sweat good luck box magnet these days.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Full on Doom Mode!
I only lost 1500 on the night combined in the 20/40 and 40/80 games that I played last night. I actually won 500 in the 20/40 before playing the 40/80.
I was up maybe 2 racks in the 40/80 when Persian LAG master Alex takes the seat two to my left and proceeds to amp the game into hyperdrive.
I got killed in so many big pots with big hands that it was absolutely sick. Pocket kings cap preflop, 5 ways on a J72 board. I lead right in and only JB the fish calls, and bink he turns a set with a 6.
Another hand I 3-bet drunk tilting Sam with pocket tens, and Amir calls from either the blind or under the gun, I forget which and then he fricking peels on a J54 board with Q9 clubs, with NO CLUBS on the flop. Don't worry he binks a Queen on the turn.
Then this monstrosity happens. I raise with red 77, Alex 3-bets, 3 other callers, 5 players to a flop of 975 2 clubs. I check to Alex who dutifully bets, Amir raises, I 3-bet, Alex calls, Amir calls. Turn is a 9. I bet, Alex raises, Amir takes 2, I 3-bet, Alex calls, Amir calls. River is a Queen. I bet, Alex raises, Amir folds, and I call with incredulity and say did you really play pocket queens that bad? Yep, he did, and 4-outed me on the river. Amir had a straight draw flush draw and was drawing dead on the turn.
Don't worry I had pocket kings and pocket aces cracked twice two other times too. It didn't feel like I was playing 40/80, more like BINGO. Limit holdem, what a joke sometimes.
I was up maybe 2 racks in the 40/80 when Persian LAG master Alex takes the seat two to my left and proceeds to amp the game into hyperdrive.
I got killed in so many big pots with big hands that it was absolutely sick. Pocket kings cap preflop, 5 ways on a J72 board. I lead right in and only JB the fish calls, and bink he turns a set with a 6.
Another hand I 3-bet drunk tilting Sam with pocket tens, and Amir calls from either the blind or under the gun, I forget which and then he fricking peels on a J54 board with Q9 clubs, with NO CLUBS on the flop. Don't worry he binks a Queen on the turn.
Then this monstrosity happens. I raise with red 77, Alex 3-bets, 3 other callers, 5 players to a flop of 975 2 clubs. I check to Alex who dutifully bets, Amir raises, I 3-bet, Alex calls, Amir calls. Turn is a 9. I bet, Alex raises, Amir takes 2, I 3-bet, Alex calls, Amir calls. River is a Queen. I bet, Alex raises, Amir folds, and I call with incredulity and say did you really play pocket queens that bad? Yep, he did, and 4-outed me on the river. Amir had a straight draw flush draw and was drawing dead on the turn.
Don't worry I had pocket kings and pocket aces cracked twice two other times too. It didn't feel like I was playing 40/80, more like BINGO. Limit holdem, what a joke sometimes.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The Real World
Birth and death, happiness and sorrow, regret and pride. The emotions are like a roller-coaster.
My wife's father, my father-in-law, passed away early this morning. I feel so very helpless and seemingly unable to comfort and console my wife. We knew that he was sick. She was out in Minnesota visiting back in September when things looked bad. She returned, and then earlier this week we decided that she should go back to Minnesota again. She was planning on leaving tomorrow, but then this happened. She caught the first flight out this morning. I know she feels guilty, because I suggested to her to go on Friday, but she decided not to. Now she is regretting not being there with her Dad in his final moments. I'm not sure what to do or say. I'm still at home in San Diego with the kids, and after arrangements have been made I will need to go to Minnesota as well.
My kids asked me this morning where Mom was, since Mom was here last night and was gone this morning. I tried to explain the situation to them as best I could. The 5-year old seemed to understand, the 3-year asked if she could watch TV after I finished explaining to her why her mom wasn't home and why I didn't know when she would be back. So I guess she probably doesn't really understand what is happening right now. I suppose that's a good thing in some ways.
My wife's father, my father-in-law, passed away early this morning. I feel so very helpless and seemingly unable to comfort and console my wife. We knew that he was sick. She was out in Minnesota visiting back in September when things looked bad. She returned, and then earlier this week we decided that she should go back to Minnesota again. She was planning on leaving tomorrow, but then this happened. She caught the first flight out this morning. I know she feels guilty, because I suggested to her to go on Friday, but she decided not to. Now she is regretting not being there with her Dad in his final moments. I'm not sure what to do or say. I'm still at home in San Diego with the kids, and after arrangements have been made I will need to go to Minnesota as well.
My kids asked me this morning where Mom was, since Mom was here last night and was gone this morning. I tried to explain the situation to them as best I could. The 5-year old seemed to understand, the 3-year asked if she could watch TV after I finished explaining to her why her mom wasn't home and why I didn't know when she would be back. So I guess she probably doesn't really understand what is happening right now. I suppose that's a good thing in some ways.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Doom Switch Activated
Lost 4 racks playing in an awesome 40/80 game last night. Can't remember a recent night, where I repeatedly got 2, 3, and 4-outed on the turn or river. Oh well, I knew my winning streak couldn't last forever!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Playing the Donkey!
DeathDonkey made an appearance at Oceans-11 yesterday. I rolled into the casino around 8:30pm and the place was absolutely dead.
No 20/40 game at all, and DeathDonkey and another semi-regular playing heads up 40/80. I decide to join the party and make it 3-handed. I win the first two pots, get up a little, give a little back, while DD is just crushing the other player. He eventually quits on us, and DeathDonkey and I play heads up.
I start the heads up match with exactly 2 racks of chips. I lose early and win late. DeathDonkey got me down to about 3 or 4 stacks at one point, before I started winning.
Some interesting hands that occurred. I raise the button with AQo, DD 3-bets me, and I call. Flop comes AJx. He bets, I raise, he 3-bets, I call. Turn is a King. He bets, I call. River is an Ace. He bets, I call. He tables A9, and I table the winning hand. We had instructed the dealer to not pull in the bets, to speed up the game. He starts stacking up the bets in front of him. I am stunned for a second, and the dealer is not doing anything. I ask him, what are you doing, and he's all like it's a chop pot. I tell him I don't think so, and he finally realizes that my kicker plays.
Later he told me that he knew after the river that his kicker didn't play, and he figured that if I called the river with an Ace, that my kicker couldn't be playing either, since I guess he thought I would raise. Obviously I would raise all full-houses, so I guess his thinking is correct, but I had the one hand that I would play that way. I was planning on raising the turn, but the king was a very scary card, and he bet right into me, so at that point my plan was to just call down.
One cooler hand for me. I raise the button with K8s, DD 3-bets, and I call. I whiff the flop completely, but it comes ace-high. DD bets, and I forgot if I called or raised, but in any case we see a turn, which is a King. He bets, I raise, he 3-bets, and I call. River is an 8. He bets, I raise, he 3-bets again, and I tank, and finally call. He has pocket Kings, and I was drawing dead on the turn, and put in 6 big bets. Ouch.
He did two-out me and was trying to give me his money on one hand. Not sure if he was tilting or what he was thinking on this hand. I raise the button with A3 both clubs he called with T3o in the big blind. Flop comes 256 two clubs. He donks, I raise, he 3-bets, I call. Turn was a blank, he bets, I call. River is a T, he bets, and I call. He tables the winner of course.
I pulled off two sick river bluffs that both worked, and I showed him, one was King high, and the other was seven high. I got in a ton of river check-raises against him too. At one point, I had him gun-shy enough to actually check top-pair good kicker on the river on a not so scary board.
Playing DD, was a lot of fun for me, and it wouldn't had mattered if I won or lost. He's a very nice guy, and pleasure to play with and be around at the table, unlike most of the degenerates who play regularly.
No 20/40 game at all, and DeathDonkey and another semi-regular playing heads up 40/80. I decide to join the party and make it 3-handed. I win the first two pots, get up a little, give a little back, while DD is just crushing the other player. He eventually quits on us, and DeathDonkey and I play heads up.
I start the heads up match with exactly 2 racks of chips. I lose early and win late. DeathDonkey got me down to about 3 or 4 stacks at one point, before I started winning.
Some interesting hands that occurred. I raise the button with AQo, DD 3-bets me, and I call. Flop comes AJx. He bets, I raise, he 3-bets, I call. Turn is a King. He bets, I call. River is an Ace. He bets, I call. He tables A9, and I table the winning hand. We had instructed the dealer to not pull in the bets, to speed up the game. He starts stacking up the bets in front of him. I am stunned for a second, and the dealer is not doing anything. I ask him, what are you doing, and he's all like it's a chop pot. I tell him I don't think so, and he finally realizes that my kicker plays.
Later he told me that he knew after the river that his kicker didn't play, and he figured that if I called the river with an Ace, that my kicker couldn't be playing either, since I guess he thought I would raise. Obviously I would raise all full-houses, so I guess his thinking is correct, but I had the one hand that I would play that way. I was planning on raising the turn, but the king was a very scary card, and he bet right into me, so at that point my plan was to just call down.
One cooler hand for me. I raise the button with K8s, DD 3-bets, and I call. I whiff the flop completely, but it comes ace-high. DD bets, and I forgot if I called or raised, but in any case we see a turn, which is a King. He bets, I raise, he 3-bets, and I call. River is an 8. He bets, I raise, he 3-bets again, and I tank, and finally call. He has pocket Kings, and I was drawing dead on the turn, and put in 6 big bets. Ouch.
He did two-out me and was trying to give me his money on one hand. Not sure if he was tilting or what he was thinking on this hand. I raise the button with A3 both clubs he called with T3o in the big blind. Flop comes 256 two clubs. He donks, I raise, he 3-bets, I call. Turn was a blank, he bets, I call. River is a T, he bets, and I call. He tables the winner of course.
I pulled off two sick river bluffs that both worked, and I showed him, one was King high, and the other was seven high. I got in a ton of river check-raises against him too. At one point, I had him gun-shy enough to actually check top-pair good kicker on the river on a not so scary board.
Playing DD, was a lot of fun for me, and it wouldn't had mattered if I won or lost. He's a very nice guy, and pleasure to play with and be around at the table, unlike most of the degenerates who play regularly.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Up the stakes, up the winnings
I am still running like a god. Since September 1, in the 20/40 and 40/80 games combined I am averaging over 8 big bets an hour for over 38 hours, or in terms of real dollars a shade over $487 an hour. Some of it can be attributed to just getting the right cards at the right times, but I think I can say for the first time in a long time, that I feel that my game has improved. And certainly, I tilt less. Recently, I have felt like I am in the zone at the poker table. I just seem to know what the correct decision is every time, almost instinctively.
I have been mixing it up a bit lately by not raising the turn always with my big hands when I don't have the betting lead and waiting until the river. I have been making some thin value bets on the river, that sometimes have not always worked out, but I have been folding to raises and not mindlessly paying off. Also, I have been in some really good games, with just some god-awful players.
Last night, I played 8/16 for an hour and picked up $155. Then I got called for the 20/40 and picked up $506 in two hours and twenty minutes. Then I got called for the 40/80 and picked up $4410 in 3 hours, and then called it quits and went home. So as the stakes, grew so did the winnings. A pattern that I would like to continue, obviously.
I have been mixing it up a bit lately by not raising the turn always with my big hands when I don't have the betting lead and waiting until the river. I have been making some thin value bets on the river, that sometimes have not always worked out, but I have been folding to raises and not mindlessly paying off. Also, I have been in some really good games, with just some god-awful players.
Last night, I played 8/16 for an hour and picked up $155. Then I got called for the 20/40 and picked up $506 in two hours and twenty minutes. Then I got called for the 40/80 and picked up $4410 in 3 hours, and then called it quits and went home. So as the stakes, grew so did the winnings. A pattern that I would like to continue, obviously.
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