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.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
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.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Doom Switch Avoided!
Since I posted last, I played 5 sessions. 8/16 in which I lost $98, a 20/40 session which midpoint I was up about $1ooo, but then ended up losing $300 instead. This was an interesting game, because two visitors from Chicago, who I have nick named twiddle dee and twiddle dumb were in the game. They have played at Oceans before, and I remember one of them, and apparently they have been playing every night this last week. They have taken to be the unpaid prop players this last week at Oceans.
Then I played 40/80 on Thursday night, and one of the players got very drunk after like 6 apple martinis. I ended up booking a 2 dime win in this game. Then I played the 20/40 on Friday and Saturday night.
Friday night, twiddle dee and twiddle dum were playing the 8/16 for some reason, and I skipped the 40/80 when my name was called, since I was tired. I booked a 750 win, and the game broke pretty early like 1:30am or so, and I didn't want to play the 40/80 so I went home.
Then on Saturday I had dinner with my wife at a nice restaurant in La Jolla. We've been there before, and we usually like their food, but this time it wasn't so good. We let the server know that we didn't think our appetizers were particularly good, and we ate very little of it. The manager stopped by and bought our alcohol for us, so that was nice. The entrees were just acceptable, nothing spectacular. Dessert was good. After that we did some grocery shopping and then headed home to relieve the baby-sitter. I know, we're boring, but my wife said she was tired and just wanted to sleep.
So I headed out to Oceans, and the 40/80 had already broken by the time I got there. I was first up for the 20/40, but I ended up waiting like 45 minutes or so before I got a seat. Twiddle dee and twiddle dumb were in the game, along with two other spectacular fish. It was simply one of the best, most awesome games I have ever been in. I won 3300 in a little over 3 hours. I would have stayed past 2:30 am, but I was tired and it was foggy out and I knew that if stayed too much longer, I wouldn't be able to safely drive home, so I racked up my 9 racks. I got my buddy to laugh at me, since I literally went and got one of those rolling trays used to hold drinks and laid my racks on the tray filled them up, and wheeled my rolling tray of racks of redbirds to the cage. I suppose I should have taken a picture. I busted twiddle dee and twiddle dumb as well. Not sure, how long they are in town for, nor how long their bankrolls will last. I don't think I will get out much this week, but we'll see.
Then I played 40/80 on Thursday night, and one of the players got very drunk after like 6 apple martinis. I ended up booking a 2 dime win in this game. Then I played the 20/40 on Friday and Saturday night.
Friday night, twiddle dee and twiddle dum were playing the 8/16 for some reason, and I skipped the 40/80 when my name was called, since I was tired. I booked a 750 win, and the game broke pretty early like 1:30am or so, and I didn't want to play the 40/80 so I went home.
Then on Saturday I had dinner with my wife at a nice restaurant in La Jolla. We've been there before, and we usually like their food, but this time it wasn't so good. We let the server know that we didn't think our appetizers were particularly good, and we ate very little of it. The manager stopped by and bought our alcohol for us, so that was nice. The entrees were just acceptable, nothing spectacular. Dessert was good. After that we did some grocery shopping and then headed home to relieve the baby-sitter. I know, we're boring, but my wife said she was tired and just wanted to sleep.
So I headed out to Oceans, and the 40/80 had already broken by the time I got there. I was first up for the 20/40, but I ended up waiting like 45 minutes or so before I got a seat. Twiddle dee and twiddle dumb were in the game, along with two other spectacular fish. It was simply one of the best, most awesome games I have ever been in. I won 3300 in a little over 3 hours. I would have stayed past 2:30 am, but I was tired and it was foggy out and I knew that if stayed too much longer, I wouldn't be able to safely drive home, so I racked up my 9 racks. I got my buddy to laugh at me, since I literally went and got one of those rolling trays used to hold drinks and laid my racks on the tray filled them up, and wheeled my rolling tray of racks of redbirds to the cage. I suppose I should have taken a picture. I busted twiddle dee and twiddle dumb as well. Not sure, how long they are in town for, nor how long their bankrolls will last. I don't think I will get out much this week, but we'll see.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Cue the Doom Switch
Hopefully not. I finally got around to entering all of my data from this years session into my database. Some wild swings as usual. I have been running pretty well recently and just to find out, I looked at my last 200 hours of live play. I am up a touch over 24k, in the last 200 hours, for an hourly rate of a shade over $120/hour. Not too shabby, but I'm still stuck for the year. That should let you know how much of a struggle it has been this year.
With the economy being bad, a lot of the fishy rich business owners haven't been coming in and playing as much as they used to. Thus it has been the regulars beating each other up, with the house making the vast majority of the money. According to Tommy Angelo, it costs about $20/hr to play mid-limit poker in the casino, and that sounds about right. I've logged a shade over 800 hours this year, so that 16 dimes right there. Sickening how much the drop really adds up if you play any significant amount of live poker.
In any case, I have been running and playing really well lately. Here's my last 10 sessions results:
+1375 20/40 5.5 hours
+110 8/16 0.75 hours
-1393 20/40 3.5 hours
+256 8/16 0.75 hours
-1499 20/40 3.0 hours
+6510 40/80 7.0 hours
+200 40/80 9.5 hours
+4185 40/80 4.5 hours
+2050 20/40 6.0 hours
+1220 40/80 3.0 hours
8 wins and 2 losses, I'll take it. I will continue to try to stay disciplined and not spew off chips. I have recently been nitting it up a lot preflop, and it seems to be working, as most of the players seem to be thinking that I am still playing my LAG style preflop, which I am still doing, but more so from late position only. However, Jed, noticed it last time I played, and said hey we have 3 seats open. He hasn't played a hand in like 30 minutes.
In other news, there was a Mike L sighting at Oceans. His sabbatical from poker seems to have come to an end, for better or worse. Hopefully he will beat up on the Commerce games, and not play the 40/80 regularly at Oceans, as he is not the easiest spot in the world to play against.
On a lighter note, here's a picture of one my poker buddies and his girlfriend. He's sweating her playing the 40/80, while drinking, well certainly not a manly drink.
With the economy being bad, a lot of the fishy rich business owners haven't been coming in and playing as much as they used to. Thus it has been the regulars beating each other up, with the house making the vast majority of the money. According to Tommy Angelo, it costs about $20/hr to play mid-limit poker in the casino, and that sounds about right. I've logged a shade over 800 hours this year, so that 16 dimes right there. Sickening how much the drop really adds up if you play any significant amount of live poker.
In any case, I have been running and playing really well lately. Here's my last 10 sessions results:
+1375 20/40 5.5 hours
+110 8/16 0.75 hours
-1393 20/40 3.5 hours
+256 8/16 0.75 hours
-1499 20/40 3.0 hours
+6510 40/80 7.0 hours
+200 40/80 9.5 hours
+4185 40/80 4.5 hours
+2050 20/40 6.0 hours
+1220 40/80 3.0 hours
8 wins and 2 losses, I'll take it. I will continue to try to stay disciplined and not spew off chips. I have recently been nitting it up a lot preflop, and it seems to be working, as most of the players seem to be thinking that I am still playing my LAG style preflop, which I am still doing, but more so from late position only. However, Jed, noticed it last time I played, and said hey we have 3 seats open. He hasn't played a hand in like 30 minutes.
In other news, there was a Mike L sighting at Oceans. His sabbatical from poker seems to have come to an end, for better or worse. Hopefully he will beat up on the Commerce games, and not play the 40/80 regularly at Oceans, as he is not the easiest spot in the world to play against.
On a lighter note, here's a picture of one my poker buddies and his girlfriend. He's sweating her playing the 40/80, while drinking, well certainly not a manly drink.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Working like a dog
Been working a ton lately. I went to Idaho to go visit my parents on their ranch over the labor day weekend. Very calm and peaceful, and beautiful countryside. Nice place to visit and relax, wouldn't want to live there.
I have been on a mini-heater of late and am up 11 dimes since about mid-August. Hope to get out tonight, but I have been working late every night this week so I am pretty tired. We shall see.
I have been on a mini-heater of late and am up 11 dimes since about mid-August. Hope to get out tonight, but I have been working late every night this week so I am pretty tired. We shall see.
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