weekend at poker

This will be short-- I'm tired-- but I've had some good success lately.

Last night I got home from the bar and fired up some NL cash games on Party Poker. before long I found an insanely fishy player who was doing things like raising to $77 preflop (at $3/$6 no-limit). I followed him around 4 tables and made around $5500 in four hours.

Tonight I had my big score in the Stars $215 rebuy. We chopped it three ways and I took $20k.

I think I'm actually going to take a couple of days off now that I've gotten a nice win under my belt. I've got a few other things I want to do-- writing and planning both my finances and my future-- and I feel like a win takes the pressure to make money off me for a while.

i suck at taking breaks from poker

but at least i'm running good again.

won the Full Tilt Aussie Millions satellite today. 18k prize package, going in January.

getting a new laptop seems to produce good results. maybe i'll buy another one before i play the big Sundays.

sorry for the lack of updates

I got back from Las Vegas a week ago. There just hasn't been much going on in my poker life to warrant mentioning. I'm on a downswing... my online play has been slim lately, but the first-place finishes are turning into 6ths and 7ths and the final-table appearances are turning into second-table knockouts.

I'm going to Lake Charles for a while. My dad (my biggest fan) is having quadruple-bypass surgery tomorrow. Obviously I'm going to see him; those of you who know about my fall may not know that he was a major reason I got through it alive; he supported me and took care of me more than anyone else in my family while I was in the hospital and I stayed with him afterward as well.

When I have more to write, about poker or life, you'll know. 'Til then.

report from the last couple days at the WSOP

I took some time off to unwind after busting out of the main event. I didn't think I played very well the second day; after my first day's disastrous last level I lost a lot of my patience and just tried to pick up pots even when I had no business doing so.

I realize I have a lot of problems playing an "orange zone" stack, when you're too big to open all-in but you still have to move sometimes with hands that are less than ideal but can't stand a reraise. I want to work on that.

I entered two of the $1500 "second-chance" bracelet events they were running during the WSOP and neither one went well. My plan was to try to pick up enough chips early to go deep; in the first one I got some good hands but never got action on them. Sucks because I was at a good table.

I got up to 1900 before running KK into AA in the second level. I misplayed the hand; I panic-pushed a really bad flop but obviously it didn't matter.

Second tournament I got lots of garbage. To complicate things Thayer Rasmussen (2+2er UCF THAYER) was on my left and playing well and had a big stack.

I actually folded AK preflop. Mid position made it 100 at 25/25 and got a caller; button made it 400 with 600 behind. I had AKo in SB and just dropped it; I figure I'm never good with that action and maybe not even racing. MP and button got it in the flop with QQ and 99. No ace or king hit anyway.

The first pot I tried to make a real move at was when I raised an MP limper from LP with JTo. I made it 125 at 25/25. The SB who was really short moved in for 250 more. I was getting a little better than 2:1 and figured he was moving with anything so I called. He had Q9s; the flop was QT8 and I didn't improve.


This knocked me to 1200 and I got a long run of garbage after that. At 25/50 I opened 55 in MP and got a caller in the big blind; the flop was AA5 and I got no action.

I folded AJ UTG+1 to an UTG raise. Turned out to be the right move; he had QQ and flopped top set and busted a guy with a pair and a flush draw.

I got down to about 800 before picking up a pot at 25/50 UTG with AK. Two hands later M/LP (bigger stack and fairly aggressive guy) made it 200 after an older lady limped in (she was doing that a lot; seemed weak-tight). I had JJ in SB and pushed 800 more and he folded.

Next hand I had TT on button and 1300 in chips or so; I opened to 175. Thayer called in the SB. The flop was 662 with two hearts. He checked, I bet 325 and he pushed. I called because I think he does that with lots of hands I beat; draws and smaller pairs, for example. Unfortunately he had A6.

I probably won't play tomorrow's. I just need a bit of a break from poker. I'll spend the last couple days trying to relax and packing up and such. I return to Houston Friday and I'll see my friends but after that I think I may take a vacation somewhere where I can really relax. Take some time off from both poker and partying. I play better when I'm better rested and in better shape anyway.

poker glossary?

some of my friends who don't play poker but want to follow my blog and my WSOP progress are extremely lost by the jargon i use to describe hands and situations.

i don't want to water down my writing for them so i was wondering if anyone could point me to a place that offers a glossary of the general shorthand we use to describe poker hands.

if not i can write one up myself.

Out of the WSOP main event

I'm really angry about the way the day went because I played badly. I got a pretty good table and even made a couple of big hands early. I then proceeded to give my money away on a series of bad decisions. On at least five separate hands where I had a decision where I should have raised or folded, I called instead and gave away chips.
I deserved to lose, especially since I've been living like a fat fucking alcoholic pig since my first win.

I'm playing some online today in an effort to get back the style that got me here in the first place. To stop playing like a weak pussy. To stop making myself guess and to attack, attack, attack.