Did I Play This Right?

2-table SnG, 8 players left (payout is 4), I'm on the button, dealt 9s. Blinds are 75/150, I raise to 600. Get 1 caller (BB), and another player raises all-in to 1060. I call his raise. Flop comes 10-6-4, and BB goes all-in for 4200. I have T3500 left, so he has me a bit covered. I lay down the 9s. BB turns over AQo, caller turns over 8s. Flop-turn-river, my hand would've been good. Caller wins with his 8s. Is this what's wrong with my game? Have I lost my, um...balls?

Hindsight is 20/20. I should've stuck with it. Did I play this right??

Update: Now 4-handed, in 2nd place with T6233 (chip leader has T14571)...

Update: Winner.

An Aside about O8B

I played in a SnG this AM and finished 3rd. Not shabby, but not impressive either. I think maybe we all have the wrong idea about poker. This lady I played against (luckylady22), played EVERY single hand to the river. All of them--no exception. She did not press the "fold" button even ONCE. She called every bet to the river.

She won.

She played hands that would make even the most seasoned and aggressive O8B player vomit. J-6-2-9...RAINBOW. She played it--to the river. And somehow, she won. Inexplicable. I wonder if she would play that way for real money...?

Anyway, the payout streak in SnG's now stands at three. 1st, 1st, 3rd. We'll see how things go!

Cashed Out

As you can see, I've given it up for a while. I cashed out my PS account, after playing 2 more SnG's this morning and finishing 7th in both. I played in a combined total of 58 hands, and won NO POTS. Not one. Zero. Zilch. I went all-in in tourney #1 with pocket Jacks with only T815 remaining (Turbo tourney, blinds 100/200), and was called by a guy with K8d. Flop comes J-diamond-diamond. Turn: You guessed it--diamond. River (needing a Jack or pairing the board): rag. Out. Second tourney I went all-in with AKs against AQo. Flop: Q-Q-8. Turn: K, River: rag. Out. It has been the story of my poker life since I had the big day. A week of HORRENDOUS luck has me re-examining my game. I'll try again at some point to play real money online, but for right now, all I'm going to do is hemhorrage money, so the best thing I can do is take my +$30.95, and get the hell out. It's tough to lose $60.00 in a week playing 0.05/0.10 and $5 SnG's, but I managed to do it.

Back to the kiddie pool for a while.

Horrible Losing Streak CONTINUES

I'm in the midst of a horrendous streak where I literally can't catch a card if you threw the deck at me. I'm losing almost consistently, and I'm so paranoid about not catching that I'm laying down winners. I laid two down tonight in SnG's, first calling a 2nd-hand raise to T90 with Jacks then laying them down when a LP player went all-in. He had QKo, another guy had 9's, my Jacks would have been good. Another SnG, I had 9's, and I wouldn't call a T120 bet early on to the river facing a Jack-high board. I had the read that he had a pair of Jacks, he bet, I laid the 9's down. The river? You guessed it, a 9. My set would've been good. I've become so paranoid about bad cards that I lay down winners, play super-tight, and STILL LOSE.

I need a poker shrink. I'm down to $92.95, the lowest I've been in a while, and there seems to be no end in sight to this hemhorrage of money I'm displaying at the tables. It seems like ever since I cleaned the live game, first off, I'm getting dealt consistent crap. When I get dealt cards, the flop does nothing for me, and strengthens my opponent. When the flop DOES hit me, I'm getting drawn out on. Trip Jacks on the flop, bet out, get called, runner-runner flush. Guy called with NOTHING. This has been MY poker life lately. Work has me stressed, the Eagles are doing great, and I'm really thinking about cashing it out while I'm ahead and returning to the play chip tables to scare the demons away.

Of course, I am PETRIFIED of the cash-out curse.

I picked up Harrington on Hold'em and plan to read it, since "Action Dan" plays a similar style to mine (when I actually play a style....) I think after tonight I need to shut it down for a while and figure out what's wrong with my game. Great one day, tank the next. I lost the aggressive streak (endless seas of bad beats will do that) and I don't know how to find it...

Case in point: 12th hand of SnG, with T1850 in MP, I get dealt AKo. I raise to T120, two callers (chip leader and small stack). Flop comes 10-Q-10. I think "inside straight draw." Yippee. I get ready to bet, the chip leader bets T450, small stack raises to T700 (all-in), I toss it. Lucky for me, too. Chip leader calls, turns over T2o. Small stack turns over QJo. Flop: J, River: 2. Full-house. I HIT my draw, and would've been beaten by a guy who shouldn't have even been there. Even from the BB, would you call a MP raise to 4BB with T2o? This is the anatomy of what is happening to me now. As it stands now, I've seen 3 of 18 flops, and won 1 pot. I'm in 3rd of 7 remaining players, but this is just ridiculous.

Again, win, lose, or draw, I may shut it down for a while to get my game in line. Comments always welcome folks.

Go Eagles...

The Cash Game Reversal of Fortune

Today, dear readers, I went on a psychotic run on the (and you higher limit players, no laughing...) 0.05/0.10 NL tables on Stars. I played two tables, bought into each for half the maximum ($5.00, as some of you know and chide me for--April... :-), and as I get ready to leave the two tables, I have $25.45 on one, and $16.40 on the other. I played about 2 hours, for a $31.85 profit. That's 200 hands, and an obscene win rate of 159.25BB/100 hands.

All I did was play patient, fold marginal and/or bad situations, and exploit good ones. Pot odds, implied odds--I had it all today. Along with 2 cashes (2nd and 3rd) out of 3 SnG's leaves me with quite the nice little (and I do mean little) roll.

I'm off to visit the parents today, tomorrow will be filled with cleaning and such, and Sunday is the big day--Eagles/Vikings. I'll be there (in the lot at 7 AM, in the Linc by 12:00), and it's gonna be crazy. I doubt I'll play much poker this weekend, except maybe tomorrow morning, so until then...

Oh, and a post-script: I've really chosen not to weigh in on this whole Hammer controversy that has essentially rocked the world of the poker blogger. The Hammer (72o for the un-initiated) is generally considered the worst starting hand in Holdem, and for most players wanting to make a living from the game (thank God not me...), it is really a major-league -EV play. In fun games, like many of us play, hey, it's fun. Poker for many of us is fun. For Taylor, poker is how she makes her living. For her, it's a -EV play. Hell for me, A8o is a -EV play. She may have offended some by calling it "stupid," or saying other things in her blog that were perceived as offensive, but the backlash she's taking here is above and beyond anything she could have ever said or done. People leaving unprintable things in her comments are just uncalled for. Iggy has taken the higher road in the whole thing, but other bloggers have not, and that's truly a shame. Now I've never met ANY of you, but from what I've read from your respective blogs, you all lead pretty damn interesting lives, and it's fun to read about you all and your ventures. So does Taylor. Whether or not you agree with Taylor, her way of life, or how she plays poker means nothing. It's her life, her dream, and she can live it however she wants, just like Felicia, me, or anyone else. Some of you may have been offended, and you have the right not to read her blog or link to it, but for those of you who left the nasty and obscene comments, shame on you. If you're offended--don't read it. The poker blogging community needs this like we need another hole in our collective asses. Stop the name calling, all of you, whatever "side" you're on. It's not worth it, and all it does is split this community that many of you have worked hard to build.

End of pulpit session. Flame away if you want--I have broad shoulders.

Ah, The Obligatory Losing Streak

I guess I shot my wad at the table Monday night, since I've endured a 3-SnG losing streak now. 4th, 5th, and 8th...The 8th place finish was losing with KQh and a King-high flush to A2h and an Ace-high flush. Yes, I raised to 5 BB (T100) pre-flop, yes, he called, yes, I led with the all-in on the river. He called and took it. Bad luck, I suppose. This morning I played two SnG's, and saw flops on a combined 26 of 140 hands. This included surviving all-ins with A5o, and K9o. I ask again: When even the best players aren't getting starting hands, what do they do? This may be the only thing I'm unsure about in this game. Yesterday and today, I get dealt AKs, flop comes rags, and I'm bet into large. I get dealt pocket Js and the flop drops K-T-A with a player going all-in. Have I lost my nerve suddenly? I need to give it a rest...Till next time!

Taking Down the Home Game

Last night, I played a $20 buy-in NLHE "thingy" at Domenic's house. Six players, one guy with inexplicably deep pockets, and a long night...

We shuffled chips around the table for about an hour on so until I trapped Domenic with A7s, flopped a flush draw, then stayed in long enough (make it expensive folks...) to hit the nut flush, I think he had the queen. As time goes on, the remaining 5 players went back and forth. Chris (Mr. Deep Pockets) got busted out and re-bought (hee-hee), Chris' girlfriend Shayna busted out to this other guy Dom when he rivered a Jack to make a boat. She had A9o, he had J9o, with trip 9's when the river brought a Jack. She actually wasn't too bad a player.

First off, this game was like Party Poker, only live...One player, Cliff, a nice guy, was so new to the game that he didn't realize he hit a flush. He called out "pair of Queens," which was good anyway, and turned over a flush...Nice guy, beginners' luck. He left about 1:00 with a tidy little profit. Chris was a calling station. He'd bet big, miss his flop, and just keep calling even though he was beat and knew it. I love it when the aquarium is full.

Now comes the big one. This other guy Dom (not my bud Domenic) is sitting in the SB, I get dealt ATs and limp. Flop comes A-2-2. I throw in $1.50, he calls, Chris calls. Turn comes a 2. I have the boat and throw in $3. Chris calls, Dom calls. Pot's getting quite large now. It's around $15 (30BB--not bad for a home game, eh?). River is a J, and I spot something in Dom. Don't know what, but he hit the J for a boat. I go all-in with my remaining $29.75. Chris bails (I had him covered), and Dom (who had the chip lead) goes into the tank and decides to call. I look across the table, tell him to show me his Jack, and ask him if it's J2. He said no, I showed him my Ace and took down the $70+ dollar pot. I had a read on this kid all night long. He still had like $18, but the hit was crippling and a silence fell across the room. He said to Domenic, "I thought he was bluffing." Domenic looked at him (actually proud that I took this kid for a good chunk of change) and said, "Bad move. He never bluffs..." Overall, I bought-in for $20, left with $71. Not a bad little night's work.

Thanks for the props, Dom, and keep thinking that, faithful readers. I never bluff. Or do I?

An Amazing Stroke of Luck

I just played in a Stars $6+0.50 Turbo NL SnG, and I had the most amazing thing happen. I am so damn jacked about it, I have to write about it NOW!

Let me set the stage. I have been putzing around, basically holding on by a thread for maybe the last 15 or so hands. I'm the 4th stack at a table that pays the top 3, and I figure it'll take a miracle to get me into the money. Poker gods, I love you all. A miracle is what I got:

Blinds are 300/600, ante of 50 (Level 9):
Seat 1: Tiburon 41 (T940)
Seat 2: TURFTOES (T2925)--SB
Seat 4; Cripes (T1745)--BB
Seat 7: Galvan (T7890)

Antes are posted. I get dealt 6d, 8c and promptly fold with my little 890 left. Now, the miracle unfolds:

***HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Tiburon41 [6d 8c]
galvan: calls 600
Tiburon41: folds whew...
TURFTOES: calls 300
Cripes: checks
*** FLOP *** [7d 2s Ts]
TURFTOES: bets 2275 and is all-in huh?? not too shocked, he did it before...
Cripes: calls 1095 and is all-in huh? this guy's tight!
galvan: calls 2275 wow--huge pot...
*** TURN *** [7d 2s Ts] [Kc]
*** RIVER *** [7d 2s Ts Kc] [Jc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
TURFTOES: shows [Td As] (a pair of Tens)
galvan: shows [Kd Th] (two pair, Kings and Tens)
galvan collected 2360 from side pot
Cripes: shows [7c 2h] (two pair, Sevens and Deuces)
galvan said, "bye bye"
galvan collected 5285 from main pot
Tiburon41 said, "are you friggin kidding me?"
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7645 Main pot 5285. Side pot 2360. | Rake 0
Board [7d 2s Ts Kc Jc]
Seat 1: Tiburon41 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: TURFTOES (small blind) showed [Td As] and lost with a pair of Tens
Seat 4: Cripes (big blind) showed [7c 2h] and lost with two pair, Sevens and Deuces
Seat 7: galvan showed [Kd Th] and won (7645) with two pair, Kings and Tens

End result: TURFTOES--OUT. Cripes--OUT (with the Hammer!), galvan--HUGE CHIP LEAD OVER ME.

But I don't give a damn. I went from "done" with the next orbit, to 2nd place money! $16.20 for just getting the hell out of the way. I actually lasted a few hands, even though the chip counts were 12,610 to 890. Of course, I was stunned. The first words I could type after that carnage: "chop?"

After not being able to catch a card if you threw the deck at me, all I can say is that the Poker gods have a way of biting the non-believers in the ass. Poker gods--I believe.

I have seen the light. I am now a Poker Evangelist. Believe and you shall be saved. I was. I am now a Born Again Rounder!

Disclaimer: not meant to mock any religion, group or denomination. The above sentences are said in jest...

A New Approach

Well, it's been a few days since I started using the trial version of Poker Tracker. Now, generally, my thoughts are that it forces you into playing "within the box," and it doesn't really allow you to play your style--it basically forces you to watch statistics, which are the biggest liars of all. The first batch I imported in rated me as "Loose-Aggressive/Passive," and even though I was winning, it got to me a bit. I was being labeled something that I never thought I'd be. After all, I was by far the tightest player in my little group.

So I reacted. No, fellow Bloggers, not by throwing the computer through a wall. I tightened up. Nothing worse than A9o, and even that usually only limping. I played two $5+0.50 SnG's this morning, and what happened? First place, second place. +EV. Now, PT rates me as "Semi-Loose Aggressive/Aggressive," and I feel better about my game. I improved my bankroll significantly, all by following the recommendations of PT. Maybe I will buy it after all...

Progress Update

In 10 days, I have managed to double my meager $50 bankroll, all while playing nothing higher than 0.05/0.10 NL or $5+0.50 SnGs. I'm not really sure what that means to my ability, after all, the aquarium is rather full at those limits, but regardless, I am very proud of myself. For my first journey into real money online (scary place that it is), I feel I've done very well for myself. I think after a few more winning sessions (I have yet to have a losing session in ring games), I'm going to move up to the 0.10/0.25 NL tables. I will continue to buy-in with just half the maximum ($12.50 in this case), and my other rules will continue to apply. The loss-limit is 1.5 buy-ins--no more, no less. Should I lose more than $18.75 at 0.10/0.25 NL in one session, it's over, just like my $7.50 limit at 0.05/0.10 NL.Hopefully, the cards will break right when I need them to, and my hand reading skills will continue to improve, especially relative to the limit.

Sometimes, being a tight-aggressive player can be detrimental, especially when you end up folding a winner because you figure the other player just has to have it...then you discover he was playing and calling garbage to the river. However, I keep the faith that regardless, over time, the tight-aggressive hand-reading player will win out over poorer players. Playing premium hands will eventually get you premium pots.

For now, I'll just bask in the glory of my minor achievement. 'Till next time!


11:45 PM Update: Lost a little back--going to play one more orbit, then call it a night. Lost on two suck outs--both to the same guy. First he chased a river straight (and bets and raises) with nothing and hit. Then he went all-in with pocket 5's against my AKs, I hit the Ace on the flop, he hit a 5 on the river... The perils of low limit Hold'em...

Horrible Cards

I should have known that I shouldn't have played tonight. Lost $11 playing 2 separate $5+0.50 SnG's, and lost by being dealt absolute crap. It actually got funny after a while. I watched loose players catch everything they drew to, and I sat there folding just about every hand. At one point, I went 22 hands without even pairing a card. I also went 12 hands without a card higher than 8, and I was dealt 3 pocket pairs in over 160 tournament hands. No AKs, no AQs, nothing. When I would catch a hand like AKo or AQo, the flop would come JJ7 and the player in front of me would bury the pot.

Lost in 4th place (the dreaded bubble) in the first tourney. Lost in 7th place in the second, when a race (obviously) came out wrong. Had KQs, raised, got called, hit a K-9-x flop, went all-in, opponent turned over A9o, then I watched as he hit A-9 turn and river.

Short of the VFW tournament, I don't think I've ever been dealt cards that bad over that much time since I've been playing poker. I'm 2 FPPs from the 12.50 bonus, so I'm playing a bit to get it and recover my losses. That's been a recurring theme in the blog, and one that accompanies almost all my losing sessions. It's very frustrating to KNOW that I can actually play this game, and without variation, almost every time I lose in a session, it's not because I play poorly, It's because I'm not being dealt cards to win. You can be the greatest holdem player alive (props Doyle...) and if you're playing an ungodly 22 hands without even pairing a card AFTER you fold, how can you be expected to win, especially when you're trying to defend your blinds in tournament play? How do the greats handle this? How does ANYONE, amateur or professional, handle this? I've had two losing sessions in the last few weeks (I know--stop bitching), and both have been tournament-related and related to just not getting cards for an extended period of time. I get impatient, and the eyes just light up, "TILT! TILT!"

As I watch the blinds eat my stack away, small though it may be, inside I get so damn impatient, and when I see a premium hand, I go after it. Then (at least when the losses pile up), I proceed to hit NOTHING on the flop, turn, or river. If you've ever just gotten a shitty run of cards, you know exactly what I mean. You know how frustrating it can be. Now what the hell do you do about it?

Grrr.As I write this, I get dealt pocket Queens, flop trips, turn quads, and take down a full house. See, the sun even shines on a dog's ass once in a while.

Gamblers' Anonymous?

Fellow players, fellow bloggers. Has it ever occurred to you that our online real-money poker-playing exploits are seen by many as signs of a gambling problem? An exact quote: "It's one thing to play at a casino. Now, you're gambling at home, too. You spend an hour a day, sometimes TWO hours playing friggin' poker. Your whole life is poker!" Keep in mind, when we entered a tourney at the Tropicana, the rule was NO REBUYS. 25 minutes in, she stands up as if to say, "My night's over." I nod to her, and she rebuys in and makes it just beyond the break (mid-Level 5).

Is it true? Are we just compulsive gamblers?

Here's my profile, in case it will help you in your decision making. I live about 30 minutes northwest of Atlantic City. I travel to the casino maybe 4 times a YEAR. I'm a guy that whether I play the craps tables, blackjack, or poker, I go down with XX dollars. If I lose it (rarely happens ;-), that's it. I go home, or at least to dinner. No ATM. No credit cards, nothing. I lock my ATM card in my truck in case I have a problem traveling, but I don't even have it in the building. Also keep in mind, I am a healthcare professional, with an annual salary of over $100,000. The money I gamble with is mine and has nothing to do with paying bills. We both have individual checking accounts for whatever, and a joint account for our bills. The joint account is funded by automatic deduction from our paychecks and is used only for bills, and only with joint consent. My deposit to PokerStars was the minimum $50.00, and the amount displayed on the screen is what I have total. My initial $50.00, and my winnings. No more deposits, nothing. My Neteller account is still open only to catch cashouts.

Does this make me a compulsive gambler? Or will her railing on me make me a sneaking-around-to-play-poker type of maniac? Nonetheless, I played and made two mistakes today, still at 0.05/0.10 NLHE (certainly the mark of a compulsive gambler). I called a 10BB bet when I had a flush read on a guy because I thought he might be bluffing. He wasn't. I also called a bet when I thought I shouldn't have. Oh well, bottom line is that I'm up, both today and overall, and I still have yet to have a losing session playing the real money ring games.

I've noticed that I play significantly better when I lead a hand, when I play aggressively. The funny thing is that PokerTracker, in my small sample size (and this verifies why I will NEVER buy a full version), has me rated as "Loose Aggressive" because I am a fan of pre-flop raising, most especially with a premium hand. Is QJs not premium? Especially at a loose table? The funny part is all my friends, including some pretty damn good players (as verified by live tournament cashes and success at ring games), tell me that I'm one of the tightest players they know. Harrington-tight. PokerTracker also has me at a win rate at 0.05/0.10 NLHE of 63BB/100 hands over a sample of 750 hands. Not significant, I know, but jeez...Loose Aggressive?

Work tomorrow, quality time on Thursday, work the WHOLE weekend (AND Wild Card Weekend, even though my Eagles are safely at home), so enjoy....

Micro Limit Tables are Good, Mkay...

I've taken to playing the 0.05/0.10 NL tables on PokerStars to build my bankroll. I'm doing quite the bang-up job with it. I buy-in with $5 and see where it goes. I haven't left a table down yet. I'm up almost $13.85 (small sample size, worthless limits, but yes, more than 138BB in 61 hands) as I write this, and I've been protecting my hands and reading very well. I've lost two pots so far today at showdown, both times just out-kicked (AQ vs AK for one and J9 vs JT for the other), so my play is definitely improving (not that I was doing bad before, but now it's for real...).

I feel like my ring game play and my tournament play is getting stronger each time I play. I won a 10K+325 3-table SnG last night, so the play money stack keeps rising too. When I work up to $100 in bankroll, I'm going to buy into the 0.10/0.25 NL tables, and see where this crazy ride takes me. I also ordered Harrington on Hold'em, Volume 1 from Amazon.com, because I, like Action Dan, play a rather tight-aggressive style and I'd like to see where a guy who has not only won the big one (in '95), but who has made final table in the biggest WSOP's in history in back-to-back years, stands on how I play in tourney and ring games...I've heard some mutterings on the net about it--if anyone already owns the book, let me know how it is, as I've heard good things about it.

Mrs. PokerShark and I have plans tonight, and I'll be visiting my parents tomorrow, so updates will come when they come...

Disappointing Finish

Played a 2-table $5+0.50 SnG tonight, and had another bout of no-card-itis. It also didn't help that I was playing probably the tightest players in history. An example, I was dealt 9-9 in MP with 10/20 blinds. Got six callers at a full table, raised to 40, all folded. If you called 20, why not 40? Lost some blinds, went in with decent hands, caught NO flop, folded, and at one point was down to T325 at the final table. Built all the way up to T4300 before busting out in 5th place (last non-paid position). That really pisses me off. To make it worse, we had one guy who was the big stack who was just bullying the table up and down, raising every hand pre-flop, and with players that are as tight as this table was, that meant an instant blind steal. In the last hand, we're six-handed, blinds 200/400 with a 25 ante, I'm in seat 1 with T1925. I get dealt A9o. I call the BB, and Mr. Table Bully raises it to 1200. This was his typical pre-flop raise. The SB called, putting her all-in, I called, others folded. SB turns over 5-5, Bully turns over QQ. He bet an additional 300, putting me all in, and I called...Board works 2s-Td-7d-6h-6d. Nighty-night. Just out of the money. It's just the benefit of the big stack, and had I cashed, I probably wouldn't have even been pissed about it, but that IS poker, and he was playing appropriately. I just don't like him. I'm a sour puss, a sore loser. Oh well, better luck next time. It's like I've said, it's easy to play from the front, and a real bitch to play from behind.

Oh, and to make it worse, I have to work at 10AM. Pissed, I tell you, pissed.

Some Analysis

For you faithful readers out there (both of you), I wanted to provide some analysis of what went wrong in my last SnG, where I finished second, despite being dominant for most of the tourney. I looked at the hand history, and I made probably two or three really stupid plays.We'll start with something I did right.

This is the second hand of the tournament. Blinds are 10/20, I'm in seat 9, and I'm dealt A3h. We get 5 limpers and the BB checks. Flop comes Kh-4c-9h. I bet 40 and get 2 callers. The turn comes 2h (nut flush for me), I bet 20 with the same 2 callers. The river is 4d, leaving a Kh-4c-9h-2h-4d board. I worry that maybe I've allowed someone in to the hand with a shot at the full house, but I rule out a pocket pair with no raises. A player bets 1400 (all-in), the second caller folds, and I call him with my remaining 1260. He shows T8h, for a King-high flush, making my nut flush good. I took a risk by allowing the board to pair on the river, but I was also trusting my hand reading skills and not having anyone figured on a pair, especially not KK, and hopefully not 44 or 99, which I figured would have drawn more action or at least a check-raise at one point, and I took down a 2830 chip pot, crippling my showdown partner with only 140 left.

Moving right along, to hand #21, blinds 25/50, I'm dealt AKo in late position, we get one caller, and one player who started with 920 in chips and who was itching to make a move, raised it to 600, I called, since I had 3350 in chips and a good hand, and the SB also called (he started with 1543). The flop came 3s-9h-As. The first caller went all-in with his remaining 320. I was getting great odds (almost 7 to 1) with top pair to call, so I called the bet as he turned over pocket tens. Turn was a 6, river a 6, eliminating the player and pushing me to the chip lead with 4970.

A few hands later, I made my first mistake. 5 handed, in the chip lead, blinds still 25/50, I posted the SB and saw A6s. I limped with one caller and the BB and saw the flop A-A-J rainbow. It was checked around the table (slowplaying--just say no...) until the turn yielded a Qs. I had trip Aces, led with a 50 chip (1BB) bet, it was called by the BB, then raised to 100, which was called as well. The turn came 3s, I led with 100, was called, then the third player went all in with his remaining 1194. I should have had him on the flush, but an (incorrect) instinct had me thinking he was bluffing. I called his bet (unwisely), the other player folded, and to my shock, he didn't show a flush. He turned over KTo, for a straight. I should have bet him out of the pot on the flop. Maybe he would've called, but it was a poorly played hand nonetheless. Remember kids: Don't slow play. It leads to trouble. Your made hand may NOT be good if you slow play too long.

Now at one point in heads-up play, I had 11043 chips, and my opponent 2457. Better than 4-to-1. Dominated. So what did I do? Exactly--I blew it. Blinds are 200/400, ante 25. I'm dealt QJo in the BB, and I raise it to 800. Flop comes 6-3-6. I lead with 800, he calls. Turn is a J, I lead with 800, he calls. River is a K, I lead with 800, he raises to 2400. I call, he has AKo, and suddenly, I'm down almost 4-to-1 to him. It's only a matter of time, and 15 hands later, I finished in 2nd place.

Still made some money, and I chalk it up to lessons learned. Till next time...

Happy New Year

As a tribute to New Years' Day, I offer this, my variation on an old Irish toast:

May Lady Luck smile upon you all the days of your life, and may she shit in your hat 5 minutes before you sit at my table.

As I'm currently a bit tipsy, I'll leave it at that. Happy New Year and Happy Blogging!