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15/30 Live Blog: It’s Almost Tournament Season

March 23, 2019

First off, I’m a little skeptical about today’s session. It’s 75 minutes before game start and there are only six names on the list and Palace has all ten tables in action. That’s a lot of players in the building not wanting to play 15/30, plus the list for bigger games is almost always at least 33% bullshit. I doubt they are going to break a full game to start a weak short-handed 15 game, but we shall see.

My priorities shifted to baseball this past week. I wrapped up an online draft via Discord in my super deep 23 keeper dynasty league last weekend before having two drafts on Sunday – one for an AL Only auction league and one for the 5 keeper dynasty league that I run.

On Tuesday, I had another draft and in this one a group of six draft four teams each for most wins and then write in one of the last six team in for our final team, giving us a total of five teams each. Then we draft four players each for most homeruns (top 2 only) and four pitchers for most wins (also top 2).

I won’t bore you with my fantasy rosters, but I will share the results of that last draft since it’s a bit easier to digest.

Here are my picks with the draft pick at which I took each in parentheses:

  • Indians (5)
  • Phillies (8)
  • Reds (17)
  • Padres (20)
  • Rangers (write in)

I’m not too thrilled about those results. I took the Indians over the Dodgers and the Phillies over the Nationals and Braves, mostly because those picks align with my win total bets. The Reds, Padres, and Rangers were all last place squads that topped out at 67 wins last year, so that’s pretty frightening. The Pads and Reds are both projected to finish around 80 wins though, so they are supposed to see big improvement. The Twins and Mets both got sniped right before I took the Reds so I basically got the first team off the board not really capable of making the playoffs. I thought the Rangers were the only team in the leftovers (Marlins, Giants, Tigers, Royals, Orioles) with enough MLB-ready talent to exceed projections but unfortunately that was a popular theory as four out of six of us took Texas with our last pick.

  • Aaron Judge (2)
  • Nelson Cruz (11)
  • Matt Olson (14)
  • Max Muncy (23)

I liked this draft. I think I’m the only person that got four guys capable of hitting 40+ and Judge is one of maybe 2-3 players that can put up insane totals in the 50+ region. Muncy hit 35 homers in less than 400 ABs last year, so I like that upside even if he’s unproven. Unfortunately, I am also the first person to get dinged with a major injury as Olson just hit the shelf until June.

  • Chris Sale (3)
  • Aaron Nola (10)
  • David Price (15)
  • Rick Porcello (22)

Uhm. Go Red Sox? I expect Boston to win a lot of games and a good portion of those games are going to be lopsided wins. In addition, all three of these Red Sox starters have long leashes – they are going to routinely pitch into the 7th inning. Wins are pretty volatile and kind of a stupid stat, but I can envision each one of these guys winning 20 games and not even having to be spectacular to do so. With that said, I expect Sale and Nola to be strong Cy Young contenders if they stay healthy.

Last Saturday I booked a +$1455 in 12 hours of 15/30, wrapping a second straight weekend of +$2000+.

Tuesday I went +$123 in 2 hours of 4/8 killing time before a draft at All Star Lanes and then I went to bed early so I could wake up in the middle of the night to watch the Mariners open the MLB season in Japan against the Athletics at 2:35 AM PST. I played 8/16 while watching the game and finished at +$450 in 6 hours.

I took Wednesday off from PLO and set my alarm to watch Ichiro Suzuki’s farewell game and Yusei Kikuchi’s MLB debut, but this time I stayed home and slipped in and out of sleep after about 7 innings before being wide awake for the extra inning finale (but not Ichiro’s exit 😢).

Thursday I played 2.5 hours of 20/40 at Fortune and lost $150 before checking out Jordan Peele’s Us in IMAX (review next week after I see it again).

Last night I played 10+ hours of 15/30 and won a whopping $145.

That puts my month at about +$4300 which is pretty cool considering I led off with a -$1700 session.

Like I said… it’s tournament season starting next week. I’ll post my upcoming schedule when I get to Palace and have some time.

4:14 PM: Welp. This is pretty dumb. The list was 9 deep when I got here but four players were call-ins (myself included) and three of them are still not here. Plus, as soon as they tried to start the game two players that were here took their names off.

That left a list of 7 with three call-ins and one person not wanting to start short-handed. A table actually broke and the other guys wanted to start 3-handed so that’s what I’m doing right now, which makes it virtually impossible to blog until we fill up a little bit.

There’s more bad news on the horizon as well. I think two of the three names up as call-ins are pretty unlikely to sit down and play short long enough for this game to fill up.

4:27 PM: Flea makes us 4-handed and he was one of the names I thought might not play, so that’s a nice start. He’s sitting down with $1000, but I’ve started a super short game with him before and he bailed after winning $800 in 20 minutes, so we’ll see what happens this time.

4:43 PM: And the other call-in I thought might not play just made us 5-handed, which is still going to make it hard to blog while I’m playing, but at least I won’t be on the button or in the blind every hand now.

This game is very reliant on Flea and the other player winning if it’s going to have real legs. I’m off to a bad start, so that’s promising. I just had QQ vs A8 and K8 and somehow the board came out 88AKA.

What.

(I check-called flop and check-folded turn)

Upcoming Tournament Schedule

  • Friday, March 29th: Muckleshoot Classic $300 No Limit Hold’em
  • Saturday, March 30th: Muck Classic $400 No Limit Hold’em
  • Sunday, March 31st: Muck Classic $200 No Limit Hold’em
  • Friday, April 5th: Muck Classic $400 No Limit Hold’em
  • Saturday, April 6th: Muck Classic $750 No Limit Hold’em Main Event
  • Monday, April 8th: Spring Round Up $220 Omaha 8 or Better
  • Tuesday, April 9th: Spring Round Up $165 H.O.R.S.E.
  • Thursday, April 11th: Spring Round Up $220 No Limit Hold’em
  • Friday, April 12th: Spring Round Up $330 No Limit Hold’em
  • Saturday, April 13th: Spring Round Up $550 No Limit Hold’em Main Event
  • Saturday, April 20th: South Sound Classic $560 No Limit Hold’em Main Event

    • That’s a lot of no limit Hold’em on the horizon (puke) and the mix game events are super small buy ins, but it should be a fun three week stretch anyway. I haven’t been to Pendleton, Oregon for the Round Up since spring of 2016, back when my biggest tournament score was still less than $6000, so it will be my first time making the trip with a sizable bankroll.

    5:25 PM: Holy shit. Super Dave – the #1 all-time Palace maniac – with a shocking Saturday night appearance, makes us 7-handed just as Flea was threatening to quit. Unfortunately, he is only sitting down with $200 and says he can play for less than an hour.

    He could literally be busted in two hands. It wouldn’t surprise me at all.

    5:32 PM: I’m not sure how many hands it was, but Super Dave is busted… and gone.

    5:34 PM: Back to 6-handed… the nut low number of players. At 5-handed we can play without the PSJ drop and just a $1 rake, but 6-handed the PSJ is $4 and rake is $2, which is a HUGE, disgusting, almost unbearable difference. I hate chopping 6-handed but with that kind of price you have to and, honestly, we shouldn’t even be playing at all, in protest.

    5:44 PM: Flea just quit, cashing out around $1500, but then a new player walked in the door and said he’d sit down if Flea sat back down… so Flea sits back down… with $1000, going south in the most in-your-face fashion I’ve ever seen. It’s pretty scummy, but I’m happy to see him sitting back down with $1000, even if it’s $500 less than he had literally five minutes ago.

    6:22 PM: I haven’t really been able to post any hands, so here’s a couple:

    Cobra opens button (back when we are 4-handed), I 3-bet J8 of hearts, which is bottom of the range stuff here and not an auto 3-bet spot for me. Part-Time calls from the big and Cobra also calls.

    Flop is T95 with two hearts and one spade. I bet and only only Part-Time calls.

    Turn pairs the ten and brings another spade. Part-Time likes to bet weak, made hands or draws when he gets checked to in spots like this, so I play this like I will an overpair some of the time and check it over to him with the intentions of raising and betting the river if he calls. He does bet and calls my raise.

    The river is an 8 and since I might have the best hand and he’s probably not folding a nine, I check it, planning to bluff catch his missed draws. He checks back and tables 86 of spades and I win the pot with a jack kicker.

    7-handed now, Flea opens mid position, I 3-bet KQo from the small blind, and he caps it.

    Flop is J53 rainbow. I check and he bets. Flea is generally wide and just because he capped pre, he doesn’t need to have a strong hand here and this board is pretty dry. I don’t like check-calling and trying to make something with king high, so I check-raise and plan to barrel off. I think it’s a reasonable line as kings, queens, tens, and nines are all good cards for me. Plus, taking the betting lead gives me a chance to win without improving.

    And that’s what happens… the board runs out ten and jack and he folds to my river bet.

    The game is full for the first time now!

    6:53 PM: I guess my only interesting hands are bluffs today. Someone limps under the gun, a posting player raises his option, and I defend Q9o.

    Flop is 653. Seems like a whiff, but this board texture favors my range and bricks theirs. Also, I saw this dude that raised his post 3-bet with KJo from the small blind and then lead into three opponents on a 765 flop, so he’s obviously over c-betting and in terrible spots. I raise and the under the gun player calls (yikes) and so does he.

    I might give up here if the turn bricks, but when it comes a 7, I have to keep telling the story and they both fold when I bet.

    First Overs pot of the day:

    One player limps, I raise 98 of hearts, Part-Time defends, and the limper calls.

    Flop is 873 and I get check-raised by PT. I call, planning to call this one down.

    Turn is a 4. I call $50.

    River is a 5. It completes 96 (plus 65 turned a straight) and gives 86 and 76 a straight also, but I think Part-Time is good enough to know that if he has something like JT or T9, he has to bluff here. I don’t think he would turn his 8s or 7s into bluffs here so maybe this is a folding spot, but I pay it off and get to look at pocket sixes.

    7:10 PM: It’s the return of FBI Guy! If you haven’t checked out my Blog Nicknames entry for him, you should. He’s already acted out of turn multiple times and he’s been playing for less than an orbit. He says to Part-Time, whose cards are plainly visible in front of him that he didn’t see his hand and Part-Time snaps back, “I thought you were a policeman. You’re supposed to see everything. You see nothing.”

    7:17 PM: A big clash: Flea opens, two call, and I defend with 54o.

    Flop is AK3 with two clubs. Flea bets, the other call, and I call closing the action and getting 11 to 1.

    The turn is a 2 and fireworks start. We check to Flea, he bets, the cutoff raises and the small blind calls $60 cold! Uhm, yes please. I 3-bet and Flea caps it! The cutoff folds! 😮. The two of us in the blinds call and I go to the river, praying to dodge clubs and board pairs.

    It’s a jack! I’m only losing to QT of clubs now. The small blind power folds like a jack ass and I bet because I don’t want the river to check behind and, well, maybe something cool will happen. He raises! I re-raise and he finally slows down with pocket aces and calls.

    Monstah pot!

    I was working on -$1k before that hand and now I’m only down a few hundred.

    Lineup Update: random old man, Part-Time, Joker, FBI Guy, random, Cobra, Flea, and one open seat.

    8:11 PM: Random opens and I 3-bet AJo and he caps.

    Flop is A86. He bets, I call.

    Turn is another ace. He bets. I’m up against a strong range here it seems, but my hand is too good to just call. I raise, he raises, I call. Sigh. Nice little cooler unless he’s spazzing.

    River brick. I call and he shows 88.

    And then doesn’t take another hand and leaves us 7-handed. FBI Guy is not one to play short-handed and Flea is on fumes, so this game is in the Danger Zone again.

    And I’m back to -$800.

    Blah.

    I don’t get how there can be two full games with a list on Friday and this game has been struggling all night on a Saturday.

    9:06 PM: We are down to 6-handed and that includes FBI Guy and Flea, so Joker and I just set an over/under of 40 minutes for the game breaking. The over is probably a good bet. It seems like every time I worry the game could break it picks up again… but we shall see.

    9:09 PM: And just like that, we pick up a player! Oh wait, it’s The Invisible Man… we are still pretty much 6-handed.

    9:39 PM: Down to 5-handed and one of them is The Invisible Man. On the bright side, we are back to $1 rake with no PSJ drop.

    First hand of 5-handed play, I lose $200 in a blind vs blind hand where I have A4 on AJ562 and Flea has J6o.

    11:08 PM: And we’re down. Flea quit. Cobra quit. Invisible Man quit. Yawn.

    I finished at -$91 and I’m happy with that since I was down almost $1k, made a comeback, and was down almost $1k again.

    I think I’ve settled into a groove of blogging about once a week. It’s hard (and kind of brutal) to write during every session I play and lately I’ve only been playing three days a week, so the opportunity hasn’t really been there anyway.

    I’ll be posting stack updates and some hand histories during the slew of tournaments coming up though, so expect a lot of content over the next three weeks starting next weekend.

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    March 2019 Goals

    March 1, 2019

    But first, let me talk about February 2019 real quick.

    It was the worst month of poker in my career.

    I basically look at my poker career as starting in June of 2011. By that point, I was almost a year sober and I had just spent almost all of May 2011 sitting in a jail cell for a probation violation, preparing myself for success when I got out.

    I had been playing poker for nearly seven years before that and while I had a good amount of success, I was also a raging alcoholic during that period and totally incapable of keeping a bankroll together. I could have been one of those poker boom success stories you hear about nowadays, but I blew my chance. I had a massive leak (drinking) and no concept of bankroll management, plus I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought I was.

    At one point, in the spring of 2005, I had turned $300 into something like $25k in a few months, at a time when I was basically living check to check. So that was a massive amount of money to me. Enough, that I was sitting in class at UW, weeks shy of graduating from a good college, and “realized” that I was wasting my time there when I could be making $100/hour playing poker online. So I dropped out. And quit my job.

    By spring of 2006, I was unemployed with -$700 in my bank account, an eviction notice on my apartment door, and my Jeep Grand Cherokee on loan to a fellow player expecting him to make my monthly payments (he didn’t).

    I suppose that was my absolute worst rock bottom, but I would bottom out at least two more times in the next half decade.

    So yeah, maybe I’ve had a worse losing month in my life. I’m not sure. Like most long term losing players, I stopped keeping track back then and have no trace of these dark times records now.

    However, I am sure that February 2019 is the worst month I’ve had since I quit drinking over eight years ago.It was my first month losing over $5000. And I started the month with a $5000 cushion. Crazy. I’m pretty sure that 10k slide is the worst cash game downswing I’ve ever had.

    Yesterday I decided to put in a marathon 8/16 session in the hopes that I could crack the Top 40 in hours and get $15 meal comps for the month of March (got ’em!), even though I was out of town for over a third of the month.

    I had a chance to avoid a record-setting losing month, but I posted a -$490 to set a new bar after finding ways to lose with AA on A33, JJ to 52 on 833 rainbow, and 99 to JT on 963 rainbow, just to name some of the more memorable uppercuts to my chin.

    On the bright side, we sold a house and got some much appreciated padding to the bankroll.

    So I guess, in a sense, February was a really good month for us.

    But goodness am I glad to see March.

    My goals for March are going to be a bit different than normal. Palace basically has three must play days for me (PLO on Wednesdays and 15/30 on Fri/Sat) and that leaves me with four days a week to occupy my time elsewhere.

    With the Muckleshoot Spring Classic coming up at the end of March, my focus is going to shift towards setting myself up for success in what is probably going to be an all no limit Hold’em schedule.

    My top poker objective for the month of March is to play 100 NLHE tournaments before the Muckleshoot Spring Classic starts.

    In addition, I will be focusing all my study on no limit Hold’em tournaments for the next six weeks or so (also looking ahead to the Spring Round Up in Pendleton, Oregon next month).

    Almost all of the tournament volume will be accomplished online at Global Poker, but I am also aiming to play 3-4 of the Muckleshoot weekly tournaments as well.

    My other goals for the month are health related. I have been lifting, meditating, hiking, and doing yoga since 2019 started, but it hasn’t been as consistent as I’d like. I’m pretty good at going to the gym twice a week, but I really need to be in there four times a week. And meditating on a daily basis.

    Also, here’s a look at the first draft of my desired WSOP schedule. My must play events are highlighted in purple. Also, I have not looked at schedules for anywhere else yet, but I will definitely be playing some non-WSOP events.

    Once I get a better grasp on what I’ll be playing, I’ll offer some series packages and pieces of various tournaments. Anyone that wants action in the Main Event can hit me up now and I’ll start making a list.

    Seeing as how I’ve lost four consecutive 15/30 sessions in painful fashion, I will not be live blogging my tonight. Maybe tomorrow.

    Last year, March was my best month thanks to the Spring Classic and I’m looking forward to trying my best to repeat as Player of the Series.

    Leggo.

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    Cali Trip Report and PLO Hands

    February 13, 2019

    img_5847

    So I’ve basically been in Los Angeles for three weeks straight with a little mini-trip home for a weekend in between.

    To illustrate, I’ve played 5.5 hours at Palace (my home court) since January 18th.

    I’ve been gone a lot. And I feel discombobulated. Unorganized. Tilty even?

    I was playing on Global Poker last night and after establishing a new record number of bullets fired in the $7K rebuy, I actually had to unregister some tournaments because I knew I was in total C-game mode. Somehow I managed to take 3rd in the $5.50 PLO rebuy to almost salvage my night.

    I’m totally off my routine and I have to admit it’s throwing my shit off completely. I’m excited to get back into the routine of normal life and start being productive again.

    But first! A recap of my Cali trips:

    • 1/20: +$135 in 5 hours of 20/40 LHE @ Commerce
    • 1/21: 18th of 186 for -$120 in $350 Omaha 8 tournament @ Commerce
    • 1/22: -$350 in Triple Stud tourney @ Commerce
    • 1/22: +$69 in 1.5 hours of 20/40 LHE @ Bike
    • 1/22: +$161 in 3.5 hours of 20/40 Mix @ Bike
    • 1/23: +$1945 in 10.5 hours of 20/40 LHE @ Bike
    • 1/24: -$350 in Stud 8 tourney @ Commerce
    • 1/24: +$4 in 2.5 hours of 8/16 Stud 8/Big O @ Commerce
    • 1/25 to 1/29: back in Washington
    • 1/30: -$700 in Limit Hold’em tourney @ Commerce
    • 1/31: -$350 in HORSE tourney @ Commerce
    • 1/31: +$1235 in 5.5 hours of 40/80 LHE @ Commerce
    • 2/1: +$5035 in 11.5 hours of 40/80 LHE @ Bike
    • 2/2: -$350 in NL HORSE tourney @ Commerce
    • 2/3: -$9 in 1 hour of 20/40 LHE @ Bellagio
    • 2/3: -$2177 in 2 hours of 40/80 LHE @ Bellagio
    • 2/4: -$570 in Omaha 8 tourney @ Commerce
    • 2/4: -$555 in 2.75 hours of 7 Card Stud @ Commerce
    • 2/5: +$1708 in 10.25 hours of 40/80 LHE @ Bike
    • 2/6: -$2060 in 8.25 hours of 40/80 LHE @ Bike
    • 2/7: -$570 in HORSE tourney @ Commerce
    • 2/8: Day off
    • 2/9: +$20 in 9 hours of 20/40 LHE @ Bike
    • 2/9: +$184 in 4.75 hours of 40/80 LHE @ Bike

    Cash games: +$5695 in 78 hours

    Tournaments: -$3360 in 48 hours

    Meh. You can do the math there. It was an okay trip, but when you factor in expenses it basically equates to a huge waste of time… except one thing! I got a lot of experience at the 40/80 level. That is valuable.

    Actually…. if you erased that insane trip to Las Vegas from my results ledger, it would look a whole lot better. Not amazing… but I could probably at least label it a good trip.

    Gosh damn Flipper.

    The tournament side of things was a massive disappointment. I cashed only one time in eight events – which is only slightly below average – but I was in two bullets when I cashed and still managed to lose money in the event. More annoyingly, I never made an actual interesting run in any of the LAPC events. I never had a stack at a stage of the tournament where I really thought I had a chance to do some serious damage.

    Sometimes it makes you wonder… why bother?

    Sigh. Next year!

    I’m back at Palace tonight for some PLO. I’ll jot notes and post some hand histories later and probably publish tomorrow (Thursday).

    Starting Lineup: Kitsap Reg, 8/16 Reg, Part-Time, Charlie Hustle, Hit&Run, JOKER, Lee Markholt, Crypt Keeper

    Notable Pots:

    I make it $15 with AAJ2 with a suited ace in clubs and get 5-way action to the Q54 rainbow flop. I start with a check, Hit&Run bets $75 and everyone else folds. It’s not a great spot, but I’m against a player that can have a hand as weak as a pair of queens with no draws here. Plus I do have a gutshot and a club is on the board. It’s not much of a hand, but I think I have to continue here.

    The turn is the king of clubs, giving me the nut flush draw and another gutshot, and I have a very easy check-call when he makes a weak-looking bet of $125. I can’t remember what the stack sizes were at this point, but there’s probably some merit to check-potting here. His bet size seems like weakness, so I think I might have a decent amount of fold equity here and I have a lot of outs when I do get called, but Hit&Run makes some super marginal calls and he’s not the kind of player I’m trying to get to fold better hands. I just call.

    The river pairs the 4 and he makes another bet in the $125 range and that card and bet size gives me the snappiest of calls. That sizing was already weak on the turn, so it’s pathetic on the river. He shows QJ75 (with bad clubs) and the 4 counterfeited his two pair and gives me a winner. Like I said, that’s a hand that should be folding if it gets raised to $425 on the turn and I honestly don’t think he’d make that lay down so that’s why I just check-call instead of trying to exploit the weakness I was sensing.

    I believe I limped along with the TT86 with clubs in this hand and bet $10 when it checked to me on the Tc9c6s flop. I had top set, a gutshot, and a bad flush draw and the 8/16 Reg check-called. The turn brought the only club I wanted to see – the 7 – and gave me a straight flush. I bet $20 and he check-called again. I remember sizing down in this spot because I had just played a hand against the same player where I took a much stronger line and thought he might incorrectly smell weakness here. The river brought a blank and I decided to pot it and he folded.

    There’s a series of limpers and Part-Time makes it $30 on the button. I call with KQT9 with a suit and most of the others call as well. Flop is Q86 rainbow and it checks around. The turn completes the rainbow with a ten and gives me top two pair. Despite the lack of flush draws, the board is pretty coordinated here, so I send it around again and the Kitsap guy bets $125 and everyone else folds. It’s not a great spot and I think folding might actually be best here, but I decide to see another card. The river is a blank and we both check. I show my top two pair and then five minutes later he shows me top set.

    There’s a raise from early position and multiple callers and I defend the big blind with AQ52 single suited with spades. The flop is K43 with two spades, giving me a wheel wrap and a queen high flush draw. I decide to start with a check, the PFR checks, Joker bets $50, it folds to Part-Time in the small blind and he calls, and with somewhere around $600 in front of me I’m going with the hand and pot it. Joker makes what looks like a painful fold, but Part-Time almost immediately puts me all in. He has a set of fours and only wants to run it once and the turn card pairs the board and just like that I am felted.

    I reload for $800 and it doesn’t take long for me to raise it up to $30 with AAK6 single suited with hearts and get it all in again with Part-Time on the T73hh flop. I bet $125 on the flop and by doing so, I knew I was committing myself to seeing all five cards, so we ran it once again. Part-Time has a set of 7s this time, someone says they folded three hearts, but somehow I river a flush anyway. Not that it matters. The board immediately paired on the turn and I’m felted again.

    I was having a pretty middling session up to that point and just like that, in about 15 minutes, I lost around $1500 in two hands. I took a lap around the building and decided that I couldn’t possibly quit at 9 PM, three hours into my first session back in Washington, so I reloaded another $1000.

    I make it $20 with an AA hand and can’t recall either of my side cards. Maybe because the flop was A82 rainbow and I didn’t them? I bet $20 and both Part-Time and the Kitsap player call. Turn is the ten of spades, opening up a flush draw and a lot of straight draws, so I pot it this time and only one player calls. The river brings in the flush, but it’s a 2! I’m pretty sure my remaining opponent has a hand he can call with so I bet $200 and he does call… and shows a set of 8s and the nut flush. Yikes! It’s nice to win a pot here, but after the hand all I can think about is how I would have doubled up if Part-Time had his hand.

    By now, Aquaman has made a very surprising appearance in this game and he gives me a very kind assist in this next pot. Someone opens to $15 and I call with JT75 double suited from the blinds. The flop is K96 rainbow, but has one of each of my suits on board, plus I have a sneaky double gutter that only makes nut straights. I check, there’s a $75 bet, Aquaman calls, and I’m happy to continue here as well. The turn completes the rainbow with a blank-looking 3, but that card actually gives me the elusive triple gutshot! I check, the flop bettor fires $200 on the turn, and Aquaman calls again, leaving himself with just under $300 behind. The fact that Aquaman just calls here instead of jamming leads me to believe he’s on a draw, so he probably has at least one of the same straight draws as I do. Still, I don’t see how I can fold here so I call and I’m desperately rooting for a 4 on the river because that card will look like a total brick. I’m planning to check-raise 4s and lead with 8s and queens. The river is an 8, I bet $300 and they both end up folding. Later, Aquaman asks if he would have potted the flop or turn would I have called and says he had a set of 9s. Uhm… hell no, I wouldn’t call.

    There’s a series of limpers to me in the big blind and I make a pot sweetener raise to $20 with AKJT double suited and they all call. The flop is an incredibly sexy AQ8 with two clubs and a spade, giving me ALL the draws… plus top pair. I bet $60 and get calls from Charlie Hustle and Joker. The turn pairs the 8 and that card is a bit annoying to me because if either of these guys has an 8 it basically destroys my hand. However, my hand still looks like it could be AA, so I bet out $125 and Charlie Hustle immediately calls. Sigh. I’m done with it. The river is a ten and that gives me a straight and I am not planning to call a bet here. Part of me is tempted to pot it if he bets (since I can still have AA) but even though this guy has a lot of nitty tendencies, I don’t ever see him make big folds. We both check and he shows A8. I can’t remember his exact side cards, but I ran a sim on this hand and my equity vs his A8 on the flop is over 70%. Pretty disgusting.

    I had a -$233 showing while playing 8/16 before PLO started and finished PLO at -$394. Considering I was stuck $1700 for the day one point, I was pretty happy with that end result.

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    LAPC $570 H.O.R.S.E. @ Commerce

    February 7, 2019

    Chip counts here throughout the day. Maybe some hand histories.

    I forgot to post a final score for my 40/80 session last night. Once I got stuck, I never recovered, fluctuating between -$1500 and -$500 for the rest of the night.

    Well, at least until I took a break, sat back down and posted my big blind. Someone limps, a good prop player raises, a loose and bad player cold calls, and I look down at AQ offsuit. I don’t mind a 3-bet here, but I also don’t mind a call. It’s nice to have some good hands like AQ in my calling range from the big blind. Plus, AQo doesn’t play all that amazing in a 3-bet pot out of position against three players. So I call.

    Flop is Q97 with two diamonds. I have the ace of diamonds in my hand. This is a slam dunk check-raise, so I go ahead and take that line and the prop player just calls and allows the loose player to call behind him for one more bet. I would expect him to raise anything better here.

    And if he doesn’t, I would expect him to raise me on the turn. It’s a black ten. I bet and they both call.

    River pairs the 9. As long as the loose player didn’t stick around with one of those, I expect to win this pot. I bet and only the prop player calls. I have the effective nuts here. Nothing he would play this way beats me and I am desperate need of a nice pot and some upward momentum.

    And then he turns over pocket kings.

    That sends me into shock and I collapse from heart failure. Or low blood sugar. Oh yeah, that’s my thing.

    After they stab glucose into my fatty tissues and revive me, I finish out the orbit and cash out -$2060 for the day after 8+ hours of poker.

    The game was pretty good, but I didn’t see much point in reloading since I wasn’t planning to play much longer and I just called it a night instead.

    Starting stacks in this HORSE are 15k with 40 minute levels. I have Carol Fuches and Ron Ware at my starting table.

    First Break: 12,475

    Not a great start. I won a couple of Stud 8 pots with split aces, but they were both small. I didn’t win any hands in Hold’em, Omaha or Razz, but I also didn’t lose any big pots.

    My most notable hand came up in Stud when Ron Ware completed with the 8 of spades up. I have A6dd-A, isolate, and he calls.

    I catch a blank on 4th and he makes another spade. I bet, he calls.

    Another blank for me on 5th and another spade for him. My hand isn’t developing and his board is a disconnected three flush. I’m going to get raised a lot when I bet here, I think, so I check it over. He checks back.

    I make aces and sixes on 6th and he catches the jack of clubs. I’m pretty sure I have to lead here, so I bet and now he raises me? Okay. My hand is too good to fold, so I’m paying this off.

    I brick 7th and check-call again. He shows me a flush and I’m pretty sure he had it on 5th street. Interesting check back.

    Second Break: 9175

    I just went on an epic cold stretch in this tournament. I won a couple pots in Stud 8 in the first few hands after arriving late in level one and here’s what happened before I won my next pot (didn’t even steal blinds or antes):

    -four full 40 minute levels passed

    -nine different variants passed

    -3+ hours passed

    At least I wasn’t active and losing every hand I played. I was just ice cold. In fact, I only lost one pot of significance, but it was a doozy:

    We are in limit Hold’em and the cutoff opens. Folds to my big and I defend with JJ.

    Flop is QJ8 with two hearts and one diamond. It checks around. Gross start.

    Turn is the ace of clubs and I highly doubt he’s going to check that card, so I send it over again. He does bet and now I raise and he calls.

    River is the ten of hearts. A very bad card for me, but I’m considering going for some very thin value. I decide against it and check. He bets. I expect most players to bet this flop with AK, a flush draw, or any straight draw against a single big blind defend, so not really sure I can fold, but at the same time, I don’t expect to be winning very often.

    I make the crying call and this guy shows me the K7 of spades.

    Oh.

    My.

    God.

    The hand that finally broke the cold stretch is back in Stud 8. Ron Ware limps a king, guy on my right limps, and I decide to come along with a very marginal AhTh-5d with no hearts or pair cards dead.

    No one raises and I catch the Qh on 4th. Ron bets with K9 showing and I peel.

    On 5th he catches a blank and I get the 6h. I call a bet again.

    6th street is the Ks for me. I call another bet.

    On 7th I somehow catch a jack and make a Broadway straight. Amazing. Ron check-calls and is in disbelief when I show my hand. He shows kings and nines, but can’t produce a full house and I scoop a much needed pot.

    I played one more hand of note, 3-betting to isolate with 88 in limit Hold’em, but I picked up two additional hitchhikers.

    I tried to peel the AAT flop for a single bet, but a flurry of raises pushed me out and AT ended up scooping vs A8.

    Coming back to 500/1000 betting limits with about ten big bets. Registration will be closed after this break.

    BUSTED

    One of the first hands back, I lose a 3-bet pot with AK to 33 after c-betting Q86 and giving up on 5-6 runout.

    The hand that cripples me, I open AA74 double suited aces from under the gun in Omaha 8 and only the blind defends.

    Flop is 854 with two hearts, so I have an overpair, gut shot, the nut flush draw and a weak low draw. I bet and he calls.

    Turn is the 2 of clubs. He checks and I think for a while about whether or not I should bet here. I’m blocking A3 pretty hard and I’d expect him to lead that hand anyway. I decide to bet and he jacks me up. I call.

    River gives me top set and a live 7, but I’m getting scooped by almost any 3x hand now. Maybe it’s a fold, but pot is big so I call and pray for a piece. He has 63 and that scoops me.

    That left me with less than 2.5 bigs, which I got in two hands later with K643 double suited in a 3-way pot. I made the nut low but bricked a flush draw and had to settle for half the pot.

    I opened under the gun in Razz with 63-4 and almost no low cards out and it folds to the bring in. He has a queen up and I know he’s going to bust me. I just know it.

    He does call and shows A5 in the hole.

    Amazingly, I make an 86 on 5th and he’s caught nothing but face cards and he’s drawing dead already.

    A short while later, I open the 84-3 and get multi-way action. On 5th street I have 84-3J9, Ron Ware has 4Q5 showing and Craig Chait has 2QA. Craig has bet and Ron has called. I have 1.5 big bets left and while I do have the best made hand at the moment, I’m pretty sure I’m a favorite to get stacked here… so… obviously I go with it.

    I pair the 9 and they both improve and that means I am drawing dead here like 99% of the time.

    GG

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    h1

    No Limit H.O.R.S.E. at the LAPC – Say What?

    February 2, 2019

    Honestly, I was skipping this event. I love HORSE. It’s my favorite game. But I don’t love no limit. I prefer limit structures, for all sorts of reasons, but mostly because I’m way better at them. Also, this tournament starts at 4 PM on a Saturday. Considering what I can make in a cash game on a weekend night (more on that later), why would I want to fire in a $350 tournament that starts late and might even last two days?

    I wouldn’t. I would not want to do that.

    But then I was at The Bike yesterday and someone recognized me from the LAPC and lured me into his conversation and asked me about the NL HORSE. I said something along the lines of “I’ve never played no limit for most of these games” and his friend that he was talking to (that was playing in the huge NL game on Live at The Bike) said, “yeah, that’s a good reason not to play it. I’ll take the under on 5% of the field having played a hand of no limit Razz.”

    That basically translates to: don’t be such a pussy.

    Okay, fine. I’ll be there.

    The more I thought about it, the more excited and intrigued I got. It seemed like people would be flying out of this tournament because they’d be going all in in terrible spots or just because they are totally lost and I thought it would be a good idea to have unlimited rebuys until registration closed. Sure enough, there are unlimited rebuys.

    Good. Now if I do something really stupid, I can just buy back in. I’m not going to be looking to punt my stack around and hope to get lucky, but I am willing to fire up to four bullets in this thing if I’m enjoying myself.

    I also got to thinking about all the ways the big bet structure could change how the various games are played.

    Let’s imagine a Razz hand. Someone opens with a 5 up and you look down at A2-3. For simplicity sake, let’s assume all cards are live. Pretend your opponent has 34-5. How big of a favorite do you think you are?

    Here’s the answer:

    You have the nut starting hand and you’re basically coin flipping.

    Even against a rougher hand you’re not a huge favorite:

    I’m not really sure how this should affect my strategy in a big bet structure, but against a large field of inexperienced and unpredictable players, I don’t think pushing small edges is going to be ideal. If someone opens and you 3-bet, they are unlikely to fold and look how big of an impact 4th street has on the equities:

    Just like that, you go from a slight favorite to a sizable dog – even when your opponent catches a mediocre card like a 9. Unlike in limit, where you should usually still call here, they can bet enough to make your continuing decisions much tougher.

    So the question is… when the stacks are deep, do we want to be bloating the pot on third street?

    I don’t know. I think I’m going to be playing cautiously, mostly because I expect my opponents to have no clue what they are doing and that unpredictability is drastically going to increase everyone’s variance.

    I feel like Hold’em, Omaha 8, and Stud Hi should come somewhat naturally to me in the big bet structure. Big pairs are going to be boss in Stud Hi.

    Stud 8? No clue. I have a hard enough time trying to play that game well with a fixed betting structure. Honestly, my goal in this variant will just be to avoid losing heaps of chips. I’m just going to fold all the hands (not really)(but seriously, maybe).

    I’m going to spend the next hour or so continuing to run sims in the various games to get a better grasp on my equities in certain spots.

    But first, let me tell you about yesterday.

    I checked in to The Bike just after 4 PM and immediately got a seat in a $40/$80 limit Hold’em game. Kiddie gloves are off. With a good amount of equity coming our way from the sell of our previous house, I don’t feel like I’m taking a shot at this level. I can play in it. I mean, shit, I haven’t even really gotten used to the swings at $20/$40 yet, but whatever.

    Before I had chips, I was down $250. I played another pot in my first orbit and flopped a pair against an underpair but they turned a set… in a 3-bet kill pot.

    Before I posted my first blind I was stuck $850.

    Before I posted my second blind I was stuck $1400.

    Before I won my first pot, I folded 44 to a raise and then watched the action go off multi-way and get 3-bet only to see this flop roll off:

    That’s a pretty sick feeling when you’re stuck a rack and a half already, still looking for Pot A.

    I started having flashbacks to my first $40/$80 session ever when I lost almost $2300 in less than two hours and rage quit because my body was literally shaking from tilt.

    The good news was… I didn’t feel anything like that. I mean… I wasn’t thrilled about being stuck a mortgage payment in my first 15 minutes of play, but I was thinking about reloading, not bolting for the door and spending the next day walking around Disneyland by myself.

    I didn’t buy more chips and I started winning a pot here and there but I was still stuck about $1500 three and a half hours into my session when momentum started to swing my way.

    I picked up AA in a kill pot and it got raised in front of me. I jacked it up and the killer and raiser both called.

    Flop was 992 with two spades and they both check-call a bet.

    The turn is the 5 of spades and the killer leads out. The other guy folds. I’ve already established that the killer is the loosest (and probably worst) player at the table, however I did see him check-call flop in a similar spot earlier and then donk the turn with flopped trips. So I know he’s capable of having trips here (and probably flushes) with this line, but I also know he’s not be trusted. I call.

    The river is a very unfortunate 4 of spades, putting four spades on the board and none in my hand, and he bets again. But I’m not folding AA in huge pots for one bet to a wild player, so I pay it off and he can only show a 53 with no spades and I drag a big one.

    Then I get moved to the main game and one of my first hands I pick up AJ of clubs in a 6-way raised pot and flop the nut flush draw on a T76 board. I get three bets in on the flop and five of us see a turn that gives me the nuts. That clears the field down to three and my hand stays nutty on the river and I get one caller.

    Just like that, I go from -$1500 to +$1200 in about 15 minutes!

    Sick swings in this game.

    I lost some dumb hands every now and then after that, but it was mostly smooth sailing for me the rest of the night.

    My final score? +$5035 in 11.5 hours!

    That’s good for my second best cash game session ever.

    What a great start to my trip and a great first day of February, right on the heels of a +$10k month of January.

    Feels good man.

    Alright, it’s 2:15 PM right now, so I’m going to study up for the next hour or so and then get ready to head to Commerce.

    Check back here after 4 PM for stack updates in the NL HORSE tournament and I’m sure I’ll also have some hands to write about.

    4:11 PM: Might be hard to blog this. My table is 4-handed. There are 8 players in the tournament total. 😂

    I can say I won 6 of the first 8 hands, all in Stud Hi, and two of them were pretty sizable.

    Starting stacks are 12.5k but blinds are 25/50 with a 25 ante and 25 bring in with 20 minute levels.

    A third table just got cards in the air. Looks like we are up to 15 entrants!

    5:25 PM: Steadily building. I feel very comfortable with the format and my table draw. There are six levels before the first break so I’m just going to type up the most interesting hand I’ve played real quick.

    Stud Hi, 25 ante, 75 bring in… I start with K6ss-9s and someone limps in front of me with a ten up. There’s a king and six up, but all the spades are live. I make it 300. The king and ten up call.

    On 4th street, the king catches a 5 of spades and leads out for 600. Ten catches a blank and I get the four of spades. I like it. I like it a lot. The ten folds and I decide to just flat. Maybe I can raise to get it in here, but we feel too deep still.

    On 5th, I catch the ace of clubs and he gets another small spade. That’s annoying. I check to him and he bets 2000, leaving himself with around 8-9k behind. I think this is a pretty silly bet when I catch an ace because… I stuff it in his face.

    How much do you like a pair of kings here? Shoot, how much do you like kings up?

    He tanks for a while and says “kings up no good” and mucks it.

    Sims coming…

    Interesting. I would have thought I’m a bigger favorite on 4th street. When I get it in on 5th, I certainly don’t think I have an equity advantage, but the ace is such a good card to bluff with. He said he had two pair, and maybe he did, but it’s worth noting that my equity on 5th jumps up to around 41% if he just has a pair of kings.

    First Break: 16.9k

    Coming back to 75 ante (in all the games!), 200 bring and 250/500 blinds for the flop games.

    Registration is closed and I’m healthy on bullet #1! Leggo.

    Second Break: 6800

    I’m pretty sure I didn’t win a hand for the entirety of those four levels.

    Oh wait. That’s not true. I was all in for my tourney life in Razz with 92-4J7T against a board of xx-J78J and I had bet somewhere around 2.5x the size of the pot. I have a board lock, but it’s pretty obvious he’s drawing to an 87 here and you know what? I don’t want to be called. If I make a normal sized bet and he calls, I could find myself in a really weird spot on 7th street. He doesn’t know I have a 9 buried, so that’s nice, but still… I don’t want to face any pressure or lose this pot with another card.

    It’s probably a good thing I jammed because he tanked for like two minutes with his junky board facing a huge oversized bet.

    Of course I got short just in time for Stud 8. It seems like I should be jamming my whole range, but it’s weird because the starting pot size is smaller in the Stud games.

    I’m basically trying to survive until Hold’em unless I find a super obvious spot to get it in.

    I folded K3-K under the gun with only one small card out, but it was an ace. I’m probably supposed to get it in here but I don’t know, so I fold.

    Then a 5d opens and a 5h calls. I have Qh2h-Ad and I don’t know what to do, so I fold.

    There are two hands of Stud 8 left after the break and then I will have the small blind in Hold’em with approximately 4-5 bigs (unless I bust or double first).

    67 entrants, 35 left, 9 cash, with $6250 for 1st.

    I have about 25% of the average stack so…

    Let’s run it up?

    8:00 PM: I make it to Hold’em and I have 4.5 bigs after posting my small blind. Someone opens to 2.5 bigs, I jam with 66 and he calls wi-

    Wait. He’s tanking. Wtf? Am I really going to win this pot without running the cards? What does he have to think about here? Nothing. He has nothing to think about. It’s a snap-call.

    But he folds and I double up without a showdown. Holy shit.

    Very next hand he opens again and the cutoff jams for slightly more than what I have. I look down at AK of spades and with my 10 big blind stack there is nothing to think about here. I put all my chips in. Opener folds and I’m in a race against…

    AA.

    Goddammit.

    I don’t know why, but I feel pretty good about it and then I flop a flush draw and feel like I doubled up already.

    But then… I brick out? How is that even possible?

    Sigh.

    Flipper convinced me to make a road trip to Vegas for Super Bowl Sunday and lured me with MLB Futures betting possibilities and, I mean, I’m not capable of saying no to that, so that’s what I’m doing tomorrow.

    Which means I’m done playing poker today. We are probably going to be leaving pretty early, so I’m going to take it easy and go catch The Green Book at the theater and then head back to my spot.

    No idea what my poker plans are tomorrow but I’ll be back in LAPC action on Monday for the $570 Omaha 8 or Better tournament.

    Bricking is so fun!

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    h1

    LAPC $350 H.O.R.S.E. @ Commerce (Stack Updates)

    January 31, 2019

    12.5k to start with 100/200 betting limits.

    Yesterday sucked. I woke up at 4 AM to catch an 8 AM flight and I was in the $350 limit Hold’em at Commerce by 1:22 PM.

    I never had any momentum and I think my stack peaked around 15k (from 12.5k starting). I managed to expertly bust out on the last hand before registration closed (for the second time this series in four events) to ensure that I got minimum value out of my second bullet.

    I had 13.5k with blinds at 1000/1500 when I picked up KK under the gun. I jacked it up and got callers from the button and the big blind.

    The flop was a very sexy KJ4 rainbow. I bet and only the button called.

    The turn was a 9 and the button called again.

    I’m not sure why, but when the button called on the turn, I had a bad feeling. Maybe there was a change in the way he put his chips in the pot or in his appearance that my subconscious was picking up on. Maybe it was just a case of MUBS (Monsters Under the Bed Syndrome).

    Whatever it was, it was strong enough that I was seriously considering checking when the river bricked off. I had two big bets left. If I check-called and lost I’d still be in the tournament (albeit with one big bet left), but if I bet and called with the worst hand, I’d be out. But then I thought about how ridiculous it would be if I check and called with top set and it was good or if it checked around when I desperately need chips. It’s not like there was a front door flush draw this guy could bluff with and I can’t remember if the turn badugi’d or not.

    So I bet. And then I called. And then I walked my ass right out of the casino and checked into my AirBnB where I was asleep for the night by 10:30 PM – one of the 4-5 times a year I fall asleep before midnight.

    Oh. Yeah. He had QT for a straight.

    I was back in Washington for roughly five full days and I only played ~5.5 hours of poker on Friday night, posting a -$142 in $15/$30 at Palace.

    Saturday was spent fixing up our old house so we could put it on the market by Monday and we were so wiped we just stayed in and relaxed all night.

    Sunday we hiked up the Little Si trail in North Bend and our little Pomeranians continue to be hiking superstars. Who’d a thunk?

    Monday and Tuesday were more relaxing days before a long trip back to L.A. and we had at least three different parties walk through our old house and by Tuesday night we received three offers! And we reached mutual acceptance on one of them!

    🤯

    I really thought we might have to endure two months or so with our house on the market and we sold it in less than 48 hours. I am honestly stunned. I am not a religious or spiritual person by any means, but sometimes I really do feel like we are blessed.

    Then again, here I am sitting with 10k in level 3 of this HORSE tournament wondering how the hell you win a pot in one of these things.

    I had a decent Stud round but I’m right back to running like crap in LHE.

    I open TT and QJo cold calls next in and gets the QQ4 flop and then JTss whiffs the AQ9 one spade flop.

    Momentum! One time please!

    First Break: 9.7k

    Second Break: 19.8k

    Got over 20k and then Hold’em happened again.

    I got a free flop from the big with A8 vs one limper and the small blind and we saw the A73 flop and the limper had A7. Then I lost with TT to KQ in a 3-bet pot when they turned a king. Then I had 66 vs AQ in a 4-bet pot (yes, he put a lid on it with AQ out of position) and gave up on Q98Q. Then I defended 22 on the last hand and check-folded KT8.

    Good God. There are only 8 hands of Hold’em and I played half of them, losing half of my stack.

    This is my best game… and I’m just hemorrhaging in it.

    I was all the way down to 10k or so when I decided to call a raise on the button in O8 in a multi-way pot with AKJ7 double suited. Pretty questionable but it looks like it will go 6-ways and I have a decent high only hand.

    Fortunately the flop is T83 giving me the nut flush. It checks to me and I get two callers. Turn is a queen and I am now heads up. A low gets there on the river and my opponent check-calls and somehow I am scooping this pot still (I do have an A7 for low).

    Some more good news: registration is closed. I won’t have to fire two bullets today!

    5:25 PM: Things have been uneventful. I just wanted to say I’m starting limit Hold’em with 19k. Let’s see if I can avoid getting tortured this time.

    5:42 PM: I did it! 24.4k after 8 hands of Hold’em!

    Third Break: 18.8k

    Betting limits will be 1200/2400 after the break.

    166 entrants. 21 cash. ~112 left. Average stack size is ~18.5k. Number of players left could be way off though.

    $11.8k up top for 1st place.

    BUSTED

    Slow, steady drip with basically no hands of note. Just blinding and anteing out and immediately bricking any hand I did play.

    I’m short in Razz. There’s a raise and call. I defend A2-K as the bring in with only two cards lower than a ten up. I’m super live.

    I catch a 5 on 4th and am now heads up against two medium up cards. If I catch good on 5th, I’m raising to get all in.

    But I pair the 2 and the guy fucking knows it. He has three medium cards up now and I’m two streets behind now. Probably. I fold.

    My bust hand is bizarro world. I bring it in with a jack up and three people limp.

    So I get to see 4th street at no extra charge. They all catch a king or queen. Jesus. I’m in the lead. I’m not far ahead though, so maybe this is a spot to check since I have very few chips and bricking on 5th could be devastating. But I bet.

    I got called in two spots.

    On 5th street I improve to 86-J35 and I’m facing boards of 6J6 and 4QA. I bet and am all in and I know the 4QA is calling but I’m shocked to see the 6J6 also continue on the big bet street. Unreal.

    I make an 8 on 6th by catching a 2 and the J6 improves and the A4 catches a 9. I have the best hand. I just need to dodge…

    … the J6 bricks, but the A94 improves to an 85. I have an 86. I need to catch a small card and I do!

    But it’s another 2, pairing me, and I’m out with about 50 players left.

    Razz is impossible. Poker is hard.

    I hate this spot. I’ve already been playing poker for 7 hours today and I don’t typically start cash game sessions this late. But I also don’t really have anything to do tomorrow. I’m not playing the short deck tournament at 1, even though it sounds fun. There’s a T.O.E. (2-7 Triple Draw, Omaha 8, Stud 8) tournament at 5 PM, but I’m not sure how wise it is to lock up my Friday night playing a $350 tournament when going deep would also require me to come back for a Day 2 on Saturday.

    I’m on the fence about tomorrow. I’ll probably just play cash games.

    For studying purposes:

    There is 3200 (two small bets) in antes plus 4500 (five small bets) from the three players involved on 3rd. Two players left on 4th and one big bet on 5th makes the pot 4.5 bigs bets. I’m getting 4.5 to 1 to continue, so I need about 18% equity to call here.

    Basically, if he made an 8, I’m smashed. If he has a pair, a king, or a queen, I should call. I can call profitably if he showed me a made jack but not a made ten.

    Here’s how bad that 5th street is for me. If I catch a good card, let’s say a 3, I’m 42% to scoop even if he has a made 8. That’s a sick swing there.

    Ah well.

    I decided to sit in a $40/$80 game, looking to avoid disaster and hoping to smash their faces in. My table is so juicy I have Barry Greenstein sitting at it!

    I’m not going to blog hands though. I’m going to give this game my 110% attention.

    10:52 PM: This $40/$80 game I’m in is amazing. Barry moved on to the next game and I’ve seen four different players in my current lineup open-limp! That’s something you mostly stop seeing at the $20/$40 level. It’s one thing to see one player at this level do it, but four?!?!

    My mind is honestly blown.

    I saw one guy open-limp the button and show 88. The next hand he open-raised the cutoff and showed A4.

    I don’t even know what that means. He’s playing like 70% of the hands.

    I’m admittedly running pretty good. Even after managing to lose with AJ of spades heads up on an A98 two spade flop (JT turned a straight) and QJdd to 98 after a AQJ flop, I’m still up $1400.

    Here’s a fun hand: I open cutoff with 77 and the small blind 3-bets.

    Flop is 653 with two hearts and that’s definitely a good flop for my hand. I jack her c-bet up and she just calls.

    Turn is a queen and I check-back because I have zero interest in bet-calling here and I have to see a river.

    River is an ace and she checks to me again. That’s weird. I’d basically be bluffing if I bet here. She’s definitely not going to fold a better hand here. I’m pretty happy to show down for free, so that’s what I do.

    She tables QQ!

    Sometimes you feel like you won even when you lost.

    $40/$80 Final Score: +$1235 in 5.5 hours

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    h1

    LAPC: $350 Triple Stud Stack Updates

    January 22, 2019

    Gonna focus on Stack Updates here only and not posting hands constantly.

    Same structure as yesterday. Triple Stud rotates every eight hands between Stud, Stud 8 or Better, and Razz

    No Radio Mike or Frankenstein today. Same notables as yesterday.

    First Break: 14.5k

    We are coming back to 300/600 betting limits. Razz went horribly for me. I started with a couple monsters and got super rough runouts. Fortunately I just sucked out in Stud 8 in a pretty gross spot when I backdoored deuces full against someone I think made three jacks on 4th street.

    Second Break: 13.6k

    Betting limits will be 600/1200 when play resumes. I won a big Stud 8 pot early on during this last stretch and that’s about it. I still haven’t won a Razz hand in this tournament. I’m getting some good starting hands but my runouts have been way below average.

    In other news, EDGAR MARTINEZ IS A HALL OF FAMER! So awesome! I actually got a little teary-eyed watching it be announced. It’s pretty silly he had to spend a decade on the ballot waiting to get in when he’s quite clearly one of the 50 or so best hitters to ever live. Congrats to Edgar! Second Mariner ever elected!

    Third Break: 26.7k

    Betting limits are 1200/2400 after the break. Finally had a spurt of positive momentum and won my first Razz hand!

    This tournament got 125 runners – down from the 186 that showed up for Omaha 8 yesterday.

    77 players remain and 16 of us will cash. There is $9500 up top for first place.

    Average stack is 20.2k so I’m in much better shape than I was at this point yesterday.

    BUSTED

    It was a solid drip since the last break but the hand that broke me is in Razz. Dude limps with a 9 up and I raise with 72-5. He makes an open pair and I still can’t beat his fucking hand.

    On 5th street…

    Me: 72-5J5

    Him: xx-944

    I should just fold right there. I think I only called because it made me sick to let him win with a 9 and a pair on his board. It can’t be strategically sound to continue here. This is pure emotionally driven spewage.

    On 6th street, I catch an ace (heeeeey!) and he picks up a ten. So he now has four upcards and only one of them is a good one. I call again.

    I pair the 7 on 7th and then I make another dumb, emotionally driven mistake by betting the river when he checks to me.

    Here’s something that’s never going to happen: guys that limp in and call raises with 9s up in Razz are not folding on 7th street in big pots. You are going to have to show them the best hand. I couldn’t do that and I think I lost three big bets here I shouldn’t have.

    Two hands later, he limps in again and I get 3-way action on my last 2200 starting with A3-4 in Razz.

    He bets the other player out on 6th and I have a made 87 against a 98 with one card to go. He improves to an 86 and I brick and that’s that.

    GG.

    Pretty steamed up right now. Nothing upsets me more than making dumb mistakes.

    I will definitely play some cash games tonight as I will be playing on LIVE AT THE BIKE tomorrow and I don’t plan to be there until around 2 PM and the show doesn’t start airing until 6 PM. I will post details on how to watch tomorrow.

    I’m not going to blog my cash game session tonight.

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    h1

    LAPC – $350 Omaha 8/B (Stack Updates)

    January 21, 2019

    I’ll be posting stack updates here.

    First night in L.A. was decent. Radio Mike and I put in a $20/$40 session together and I won my first hand to draw live at The Coast-to-Coast Challenge but then Radio Mike ruined my chances by opening with A3ss when I had AA and got the 7645x board. Losing that pot put me in the danger zone and I didn’t recover.

    Radio Mike went on to beat me in every notable pot we played together and I found myself stuck $1000 at one point but somehow made a late session rally and booked a +$135 for the night.

    My most notable pot was when I opened 98 of spades and got heads up against the big blind. He check-raised me on a T92 one spade flop and I raised him on a 4 of spades turn – not because I thought I had the best hand but I thought it would be unlikely for him to 3-bet and since I’m calling turn and river (most of the time), raising the turn allows me to collect an extra big bet when I improve. River was a queen of spades and he donked into me, so I raised it up and got two big bets on the river also, plus my line in the hand had the affect of riling up half the table for some reason.

    Cards will be in the air in about 15 minutes. Surprisingly, both Frankenstein and Radio Mike are playing this event with me. I will post stack updates for all three of us here throughout the day and maybe some of my more interesting or notable pots.

    Specifics

    12,500 starting stack, one re-entry until 5:30 PM, 30 minute levels, with blinds starting at 50/100

    Amazingly, Radio Mike is seated on my immediate left. I love it. This is Radio Mike’s second ever Omaha 8 tournament and his first was a freeroll at Palace against a field that almost never plays with four cards in their hand. I’m excited for him! And I get a front row seat for it all!

    Our table is currently 6-handed and I don’t recognize anyone else at out table.

    Notables in the Field

    Ron Ware (WSOP bracelet winner, $655k)

    Miami John Cernuto (3x bracelet winner, $5.8M)

    James Woods (2x Oscar nominee, $307k)

    Shirley Rosario ($537k)

    Frankie O’Dell (2x bracelet winner, $2.4M)

    2:23 PM: First stupid pot of the tournament:

    Two limpers from late position, small blind calls, and I check with AAQJ single suited. No sense in raising since I’m out of position against half the field with a one way hand.

    Flop is very good though: AJ9 with two clubs. I bet and only the small blind calls.

    Turn is a ten and now my opponent check-raises me. Wtf. Obviously KQ, Q8, and 87 got there and he’s not raising the turn without a straight unless he’s a total dingus, so I just call.

    River bricks out and I call again and this guy shows me KQ77 with no clubs in his hand.

    To recap, the pot had five small bets in it when he called on the flop and he had four total outs and 25% of them complete a flush. 👍🏻

    I’m kind of shellshocked after seeing that flop peel, but God bless him.

    First Break

    Dark Knight 9500

    Radio Mike 12,100

    Frankenstein 10,300

    Not a great start. I was pretty active the first 15 minutes I played but I’ve played almost no hands the last three levels and my one good board connection fell victim to a nasty reversal.

    But our table is really good. The two players on my immediate right are both playing way too loose. One of them hit that straight on me and I just saw the other guy play four hands in a row before the break, calling a raise in three of them, and the only time I saw his cards he has QT87.

    So… rough start but lots of potential for good things to happen if the cards will cooperate.

    3:38 PM: Spewer on my right opens, I call with A722 suited ace and three of us see a J73 flop. Checks to me and I bet. Both call.

    Turn pairs the 3 and the donk on my right bets out. Annoying. I was checking back on that card. I call and other guy folds.

    River is a king and I fold to a bet. He flashes a 3 and then a king.

    Solid. I go from good chance of scooping to having to fold on the river. Another solid reversal.

    The four guys on my right are playing almost every hand and I have half the starting stack somehow.

    Injustice tilt. Entitlement tilt.

    Check. Check.

    4:28 PM: Double suited aces with a king and an 8 in my big blind. I check after two limpers.

    Flop is AK5 rainbow and I raise after the small blind bets. Limper calls and so does SB.

    2 on turn. Sigh. No waiting. I check-call the limper and do so again on an 8 river and he has 6543 which means he drilled his only scoop card. Dude calls two bets cold on the flop in this dinky pot and he’s not even drawing to the nut low.

    Sheesh.

    This is dumb. Down to 4600 with a 600 big blind. There is one re-entry until 5:30 PM though and I’ll probably fire a second bullet if I bust in the next hour.

    It would be hard to imagine getting a better table draw than this one.

    4:48 PM: The blaster on my right is busted and I have a third of the chips I started with. Seems likely. I have 5.5 big blinds and 40 minutes left to re-enter.

    Second Break

    Dark Knight BUSTED

    Radio Mike 9500

    Frankenstein BUSTED

    I couldn’t find a good hand to go with when I had 5.5 bigs, so I ended up betting flop and turn with top pair and a flush draw in a 3-way pot but the river brought in a running flush and the limper bet and the small blind called, so I folded with less than a big bet behind (and zero chance to win the pot) and sure enough he had the flush.

    Then I got all in on the last hand before registration closed with QJ42 suited queen from my small blind in a 5-way pot and I made the third nuts and that was good for a trip to the registration window for a last second re-entry.

    Sitting with a fresh 12.5k to start the 500/1000 blind level. $350 for 12.5 bigs and 6 big bets. Lol.

    5:32 PM: Comical. I went from maybe the best table in the tournament to the worst. Frankie O’Dell, Ron Ware, and Barbara Enright are all at my table. Plus, 3 of the other 4 guys have the superficial appearance of being competent.

    5:43 PM:

    Radio Mike BUSTED

    5:55 PM: Poker is fun. Multiple limpers and I have A2T8 suited ace in the small blind.

    Flop is QJ9 two tone and I start with a check and it goes bet and two calls back to me. Kind of funky. I don’t love it, but I do have the AT redraw for backup. I call.

    Turn is a 6 that opens up a second flush draw. It checks around.

    River is a 7 that doesn’t complete a flush. It seems like I have the nuts here. I bet, two players fold, and the button raises me.

    What.

    The.

    Fuck.

    Not sure how this guy can ever have the nuts here. Calling the flop is weird enough, but checking back the turn when everyone has checked to you? How?

    The problem is… I’m kind of buying it. What else can he raise here? The same hand I have. At worst. You’d think.

    I call and he does have KT.

    I don’t get it. Maybe this is some advanced level tournament chip conservation strategy I’m not savvy to yet. Two flush draws on board? Can’t value bet a straight with no low draw possible when the whole field checks to you.

    I don’t know. Pretty annoying though.

    6:09 PM: Oh my! Button opens and I look down at AA32 with a suit in the small blind. I raise. He calls.

    Flop is QQT. I bet and he calls. I have less than two big bets left and I’m pretty sure this is it for me.

    Turn is an 8. I bet and…

    …he folds!

    Trust me. We did not want a call there.

    6:17 PM: Woah. Huge turn of events. I went from under the gun at my lethal table but it broke and I got moved back to the exact same seat I started the tournament in – and I’m in the cutoff.

    Sick.

    Peaking at 18.5k and I got three splashers on my right again.

    Third Break

    Dark Knight 24k

    66 left. 24 cash. Average is 35k. Work to do.

    7:45 PM: Peaking! Down to a little over four bigs so I 3-bet the AK93 with a suited king and get two callers. They both call again on T54 with one diamond (my suit). Turn is an 8 of diamonds and they both call my micro bet. River is the queen of diamonds giving me the second nuts both ways and that’s good for a scooper!

    Just won another pot after that.

    Sitting on 60k all the sudden. I’m above average for the first time all tournament.

    50 players left.

    Fourth Break

    64k coming back to 5000 big blind. I’m still slightly above average with players left.

    I need to finish top 14 to get a positive ROI on my two bullets.

    $13k up top.

    9:27 PM: I open AKK6 double suited and it folds to Mark Gregorich’s (O8 legend, $1.8M in cashes) big blind. He goes all in for a little less than three bigs. I call.

    He shows AA37. He has me crushed. Bigger pair, better low possibility, and has one of my suits covered. I need spades or a king.

    Board: Q84ss8sJh

    Woah.

    I scoop and bust the best player left in the tournament.

    Peaking at 107k with 27 left.

    10:10 PM: Rebate! I’ve been on a slight drip since making the money. 21 left now. Still haven’t made money.

    10:22 PM: Someone opens and I 3-bet AAT9 with a suit. I get a Q87 rainbow with one of my suits and get a check-call. Decent flop for me. Hard to get scooped. Turn pairs the queen and puts a second club on board (I have spades). My opponent check-calls again. River is the 6 of clubs and he donks out. I have just over one big bet left so I’m not folding. I did make a straight on that card, but backdoor clubs got there.

    I call and he shows AKK2 with clubs.

    Crippled.

    I had 3000 left after the hand and that’s good for 3/8 of a big blind. I get that in with ATT3 double suited and quadruple up with that. Then I fold to my big blind and get my last 12k in without looking and have AK75 double suited against KK88. I make two pair and double up.

    Currently sitting on break with a measly three big blinds, but that’s better than 3/8 of a big blind! There are 20 players left and I am guaranteed $580, which is still a $120 loss.

    It would be a pretty epic story if I somehow turned less than half a blind into a big score.

    Stay tuned.

    10:47 PM: Folds to cutoff and he opens. I look down at AKJ9 with a suit. I have 2.5 bigs. I’d prefer to have some low possibilities but I think I have to go for it here. I stick it in and unfortunately run into AAxx. I make two pair but that doesn’t do much good against top set. I bust 18th for $580 (a small loss), but at least I got some Mix Game Player of the Series points.

    Not looking to hop in a live game right now but if Radio Mike wants to keep playing I may go donk around in something small until he’s ready.

    $350 Triple Stud (Stud, Stud 8, and Razz) tomorrow at 1 PM.

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    h1

    2018 Results

    January 7, 2019

    Volume Goals

    play 1800 live hours

    1800 is 150 live hours a month. Technically, I should be striving to play 160 hours a month, but considering how much time I spent playing online poker and studying poker, 1800 live hours is plenty. I met this goal by playing just shy of 1818 live hours of poker last year.

    play less than 33% of live cash game hours at $8/$16 or lower

    The gist of this goal is to put my days of playing lower stakes limit hold’em behind me. I spent way too much time at the $4/$8 level and I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. Fortunately, $15/$30 was going regularly during the first half of 2018 and PLO has become a twice a week game. The $15/$30 sort of fizzled for a bit late in the summer, but seems to be making a comeback. I spent less than 25% of my live cash games hours at $8/$16 and lower. To be exact, 20% of my hours were in $8/$16 and 3.9% were in $6/$12 and lower. That means almost 75% of my cash game volume was at $15/$30 or higher (and I consider the PLO games to be in this category). That’s a good place to be.

    play 500 hours of PLO (online and live)

    Altogether I played 620 hours of PLO in 2018, with 377 hours in online cash games, 180 in live cash games, and just over 60 hours in tournaments. In addition, I played 17.5 hours of Big O and 121 hours of limit Omaha 8 or Better.

    play one mixed game session a month

    I wanted to play in more mixed games last year and I suppose I did, so I guess I achieved my goal, but I find myself a bit unsatisfied. I played 270 hours of poker in games that were non-Hold’em and non-Omaha. However, I only played 36 hours in home mixed games and that’s really where I wanted to increase my volume. In fact, I haven’t played in a home game since May of 2018 when I’d ideally like to do so at least once a month. I also played 55 mixed game hours in casinos, plus another 114 hours in tournaments. Lastly, in December I was introduced to an online training site that specializes in mixed games and logged an additional 64 hours of mixed game training in the last month alone. All in all, I put in substantially more hours here than my goal, but I’d like to play in more home games.

    take more shots

    I am notably nitty with my bankroll and my goal here was to step outside of my comfort zone a little bit more in 2018. I can’t really say I did that too much. I played just over 48 hours in $30/$60 or higher, but only 8 of those hours were at the $40/$80 level. $30/$60 is still in my wheelhouse, so really it’s just the 8 hours where I was legitimately shot-taking and my one Hold’em session was cut very short on account of all the pain from losing so much money so fast. I did play first tournament buy-in of more than $1500 though and it was the $10k Main Event!

    play at least one online tournament a week

    My goal was 52 online tournaments and I wound up playing 234 of them.

    play a bigger WSOP schedule

    Previously, the most events I played in a series was five tournaments in the 2017 WSOP. This past year I played in 10 WSOP events, plus 2 daily deep stacks at the Rio and another 10 non-WSOP events for 22 tournaments total during the summer.

    play 100 hours of NLHE cash (online and live)

    I played 61 hours in NL cash games with 41 of them coming online and only 20 live. Maybe some day I’ll round out my rather diverse repertoire by including the most popular form of poker in the world, but no limit Hold’em is still the last game I’m looking to play when I walk into a casino.

    Win Rate Goals

    1.25 big bets per hour at $15/$30 limit Hold’em

    I remember when I started writing my 2018 Poker Goals, I thought I might be reaching to hit 1.25 BB/HR because I started the year off so poorly at this limit. Well, I sure turned that around, finishing at an absurd 1.96 BB/HR in the game I put by far the most volume in. It’s probably worth noting that I play with an Overs button basically 100% of the time they are in action, so a decent amount of these hours were played with multiple opponents playing $25/$50 with me and a handful of times the whole table had buttons.

    1 BB/HR at $20/$40 (and higher) LHE

    My struggles in bigger games were pretty well documented last year, but my volume was also way down. The presence of a regular $15/$30 game locally meant that I rarely made the trip to Renton in 2018 and I wound up playing a mere 93 hours of $20/$40 LHE and only 61 of them were at Fortune. Altogether I played only 127 hours at $20/$40, $30/$60 and $40/$80. Compare that to 2017 when I played almost 200 hours just at Fortune. I finished at -1.1 BB/HR at $20/$40 and up (for limit Hold’em) and I didn’t book my first win at Fortune until early September. Gross.

    1.25 BB/HR at $8/$16 (and lower) LHE

    I thought this number could see a lot of variance due to low volume, but I actually finished pretty close to my goal at 1.05 BB/HR.

    $50/HR at $1/$3/$5 PLO

    This was basically a goal just for the PLO game at Palace because of the weird blind structure with a $3 big blind but it’s $5 to see the flop. My goal for the year was to run half as good as I did in 2017 ($100/HR) because I thought my previous results were probably unsustainable. Well, I finished 2018 at $86/HR in the same game, so who knows… maybe it isn’t unreasonable to be winning this much.

    10 bb/HR in live PLO

    My goal was to make 10 big blinds per hour in live PLO games outside of Palace but I ended up playing only 4 hours in such games and lost a grand total of $1!

    1 bb/HR in online $0.25/$0.50 6-max PLO

    I got crushed in this exact game in 2017 (to the tune of -26 big blinds per hour!) so I really just wanted to finish 2018 in the green. I did! I put in the second most hours at this PLO limit and finished at 3 bb/HR. I still don’t think that’s particularly good but compared to 2017, it’s a massive step forward.

    5 bb/HR in online PLO

    I barely met this goal, finishing at 5.37 bb/HR for all my online PLO volume. While I met my goal at the $50 6-max level, I put most of my volume in at the $100 6-max and finished at -7.7 bb/HR there. I put in my third most hours at $50 full ring and that’s where my overall number got a boost by posting a rate of 36 bb/HR.

    10 bb/HR in any no limit Hold’em cash game

    I finished at a measly 1.5 bb/HR here over a low amount of volume. I did post a 5.6 bb/HR rate online in the bulk of my hours, so that’s something.

    50% ROI in live tournaments

    2018 felt like a borderline disaster in tournament poker, mostly because I cashed just 3 of 22 tournaments over a long, brutal summer and went 0 for 10 in WSOP events, including a $10,000 brick in the Main. Plus, my three cashes were all small, with my biggest cash being just slightly bigger than my average buy in for the entire summer. Ugh. It was just all pain. I did, however, finally have a breakthrough year in the Muckleshoot Classic series, finishing 1st for $20k in a $300 no limit Hold’em tournament, cashing five times total, and winning Player of the Series in the spring for an additional $6k. I also finished 1st in my first ever Big O tournament for $4900 at Chinook Winds in Oregon. Those three scores basically saved my year and I managed to avoid my first losing year of tournament poker ever by posting an 11% ROI in 2018.

    30% ROI in online tournaments

    I finished 2018 with a 70% ROI in online tournaments. Some other notable stats: I cashed in 49 of 234 total tournaments (20%) with 9 1st place finishes and 5 runner-ups – that means I finished 1st or 2nd almost 29% of the time I cashed. That’s pretty sick. My biggest score was a 1st of 166 in a
    $100 Rattlesnake Open event on Global Poker for $3600. That win got me a cool write up in PokerNews.

    Mixed Games

    I didn’t make a win rate goal for mixed games, but I played enough hours in them that it’s worth noting: I finished at 0.47 BB/HR overall but 1.17 BB/HR in live games.

    Life Goals

    -reach a new bankroll peak
    -clear credit card debt
    -pay off final student loan
    -visit a new MLB stadium
    -play poker in a new part of the U.S.
    -meditate every day
    -do yoga twice a week
    -run/jog more
    -lift twice a week
    -drink more water, drink less soda
    -eat better and smarter, less fast food
    -bring my average blood sugar below 150
    -bring my A1C below 7
    -less distractions
    -no toxic chatting/arguing/debating
    -keep blogging about poker
    -read Jared Tendler’s books
    -study mix games
    -watch at least two vlogs a week
    -read about mindfulness/meditation

    I’m not going to go through these one by one. I think I did get healthier in 2018, but not as much as I would like. I went to the gym more than in years past, but not consistently and while I was doing yoga and meditation pretty consistently in the first half of the year, I was done with both by the end of summer. I played poker in Oklahoma and Mississippi for the first time. We went to MLB games at Minute Maid Park in Houston and Globe Life Park in Arlington, both in Texas. My studying was pretty good in 2018, but I could be more consistent and organized. I never picked Tendler’s mental game books back up and I clearly need to. I also did not reach a new bankroll peak despite having another very good year of playing poker. Lots of room for improvement in just about everything here. I did keep up a consistent blog though. Yay!

    Top 5 Sessions of 2018
    1. +$6754 in 16 hours of $15/$30 at Palace
    2. +$3690 in 6.5 hours of PLO at Palace
    3. +$3429 in 4 hours of $30/$60 7 Card Stud at Bellagio
    4. +$2820 in 8 hours of $15/$30 at Palace
    5. +$2795 in 10.5 hours of $15/$30 at Palace

    Worst 5 Sessions of 2018
    1. -$2253 in 2 hours of $40/$80 at Commerce
    2. -$2226 in 6.25 hours of $20/$40 at Fortune
    3. -$2135 in 5 hours of $20/$40 at Fortune
    4. -$1976 in 9.5 hours of $20/$40 Omaha 8/B at Muckleshoot
    5. -$1714 in 11.5 hours of $10/$20 (with button straddles) at Palace

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    h1

    First Blog of 2019: PLO @ Palace

    January 2, 2019

    Amazingly, we still don’t have internet in our new home. I could go on a rant about my recent experience with Dish but I’m guessing a decent amount of people have had terrible experiences with the various cable companies (Dish isn’t my first run in – 🖕🏻Comcast!).

    Allegedly, we are scheduled for installation (activation?) tomorrow, but since this is our third scheduled install, I’m not exactly holding my breath. It’s also the last chance for Dish to remain our cable company. I’m hoping they come through because even though it repulses me to keep giving them our business at this point, I really don’t want to have to shop around and go even longer without internet when I already own a Dish modem/router.

    Needless to say, I’ve been without a connection in my home for almost two weeks now. That makes things… difficult. I can’t type these blogs on a keyboard – I have to do it on a phone (as I am right now) and that’s why I’ve gone off the grid during this transition. I just don’t feel like typing these long preambles on my phone.

    It’s also annoying because all my spreadsheets are connected via the net between all my various devices and Excel functions much friendlier on a PC than a mobile device. So I feel like I’m behind on all my accounting and just disorganized electronically altogether.

    Plus, after putting in more cash game volume in the first three weeks of December on Global Poker than I had in any other month in 2018, I have played a grand total of one hour since my internet disappeared on the 21st.

    While we do have unlimited data with Verizon, we don’t seem to get a great signal in our house – it is usually one bar and peaks at two bars. Not good.

    But I’m powering through today, even though I don’t particularly like live blogging PLO cash games. As I’ve said many times before, it’s a lot of sitting on the sidelines and watching – more so than in limit hold’em.

    So… my last post was on the 21st of December, huh? Eek.

    I have played four live sessions since then and it has been a rather miserable experience.

    After finishing -$1323 in my last post and taking four straight days off for Christmas celebrations, I was back on the grind last Wednesday for a -$1303 showing in 6.5 hours of PLO.

    It’s pretty rare that I can walk away from a session and confidently say that I was playing my C-game but this was one such occasion. I already felt like I was off beforehand, but when I mistakenly 3-bet with A4J9 (single suited to the jack) thinking I had AAJ9 (single suited to an ace) and found myself calling down (for $800 total) on AT8(rainbow)2A, I knew something was wrong. I recognized my mistake before the flop came and it was frustrating to see The Crypt Keeper lead into five opponents on that flop (when I’m supposed to have aces!) and then feel like I need to call down because we wound up heads up after the flop action. I think my postflop play might be defensible (TCK had AT here but he’s capable of having all the various straight draws also), but I also know I lost $850 on a hand I would have folded preflop if I knew what I fucking had.

    A while later, I opened on the button with a marginal hand and realized I was actually calling an under the gun raise. I mean… what am I doing with my life? I didn’t stay much longer than that. The game was good, but my game was not.

    Emergency ejection.

    I took Thursday off and was eager to be back in action Friday for some $15/$30 limit hold’em.

  • I got smacked. I wasn’t super active but I lost what felt like every pot I played, missing whenever I was drawing while they never seemed to miss no matter how thin they were drawing. I was overwhelmed with accumulated tilt and quit at 8:30 PM on a Friday after 4.5 hours of play.
  • Yikes.

    • I finished at -$1334, the first time I’ve ever posted three straight losses of $1000+ in my entire poker history (and mind you, this was actually three straight of -$1300+).

    I have started working on my 2018 results post and I’m thinking about my 2019 goals and it’s pretty clear that while my mental game is substantially stronger than the average player (especially in this area), there is still so much room for growth and learning. It will be an area of focus for the new year because while I think quitting when I recognize I’m not playing well for whatever reason (i.e. my PLO quit above) is a good thing, quitting because I’m upset about variance is simply unacceptable. While it’s better to leave than sit and steam, possibly hemorrhaging chips, I should have a better grasp on the concept of variance and it should have little affect on my mood – it’s just part of the game.

    Saturday seemed like another good time to take a breather but The Man informed me that he wants to spread $15/$30 on both Fridays and Saturdays at 4 PM and if that’s his desire I sort of have to the first in line to make sure it happens.

    I clocked in for some Saturday $15/$30 and was happy to see the game start and stay solid until I left. I booked a feel good win of +$585 after 9 hours of play.

    Sunday was another day off and I wasn’t sure what Monday was going to be. Being New Year’s Eve, I wasn’t positive the Santa Claus Game was going to go and it didn’t come close to starting… for the second straight week… granted, both days were holidays of sorts (Christmas Eve the week before), but I have a feeling the coup de grace has arrived. If it doesn’t go next Monday we can officially proclaim it deceased.

    With no $10/$20 straddle, I ended up playing $8/$16 and I was very non-committal about it. I really wanted to ditch the game and go watch Aquaman but the theater where I’m an A-List member was sold out and while I was tempted to actually pay to go to theater next door, I resisted the urge and stayed put.

    But I did leave when my wife got off work and booked a +$35 in 6 hours in my last session of 2018.

    So here we are in 2019. I’m anxious to share my 2018 results and post my goals for the new year, but it’s not going to happen until I can sit at a computer and do some typing. Hopefully that issue will be resolved tomorrow. If not, it’s probably going to be another week or so.

    There are currently 17 players signed up for the PLO game start at 6 PM. I will be back with a starting lineup around that time and hopefully lots of interesting hands to post after that.

    Happy 2019 ya’ll. Let’s get it.

    Starting Lineup: Guy I know from Kitsap, Part-Time, PLO reg, LHE reg, Charlie Hustle, Hit&Run, 8/16 reg, and Lee Markholt

    I think there were 20 names on the list when I got here and that has been whittled down to a full game and 4 players waiting. One of the no shows was Big Baby. 😞

    I give this starting lineup a C+.

    6:23 PM: Some funny hands:

    One hand after I pot Lee on the K84 rainbow flop with KQJ8 single suited in a raised pot (he folded), he raises from the small blind and says, “let’s try this again.”

    Flop 873 with two diamonds and Lee check-calls a pot-sized bet from Part-Time and then does so again on a black ten turn. River is another straight card and Lee check-calls $300. Part-Time tables KQT9 for the nuts and Lee says “you have no idea how lucky you got,” while tabling Ad8d8, and then mutters quietly, “you fucking…”

    And I start laughing out loud because it’s funny to hear someone so accomplished cursing at a Palace regular. But then I feel bad because no one else heard him curse and it seems like I’m just laughing at him losing a big pot.

    I call $15 on button with J987 single suited and bet $60 on a 942ss flop when everyone checks to me. I have top pair and a weak flush draw here, which seems good enough to stab with. Part-Time and Charlie Hustle both call.

    I’m already basically done with the hand… unless I make top two on the turn… which I do. They both check-call a $270 pot-sized bet. Yikes. I have spades, but I don’t want to see one.

    River is the king of spades. Part-Time checks, Charlie Hustle bets $300 and I snap-fold my flush. Part-Time goes into the tank, but really he’s just waiting for me because he didn’t realize I folded so fast. When prompted he quickly folds also.

    Charlie Hustle turns over one card – the ace of spades – and says, “you like that, Lee?”

    Lee responds, “you gotta show more than one card if you want people to think you’re bluffing.”

    I gave it zero thought because he’s literally never calling $270 on the turn hoping he can represent a flush if a spade hits on the river… in a 3-way pot.

    Some people might have that kind of creativity and gumption… but Charlie Hustle is not one of them.

    6:59 PM: Charlie Hustle just called a big river bet and stood up and cheered after he won the pot.

    Oh how the fibers of my being loathe him.

    He is the worst.

    7:33 PM: Charlie Hustle is up $1500 already so obviously he’s out of here. Weird how that works out. His wife is always hurrying him out of here when he wins big early. I’m not a big fan of the hit and run artists, but people are welcome to do whatever they want with their money… but don’t insult our intelligence with your bullshit. Just get up and leave. We don’t need to hear an excuse every time.

    Seriously. Fuck that guy.

    He is replaced by some dude I don’t think I’ve ever seen before… sitting down with $200.

    9:01 PM: Random blind on blind violence from the blinds between me and Lee. We both see the flop for $5 and I have an ugly JJ84 triple suited (three clubs) but get the KJ6 rainbow flop. Lee leads out for $25 and I make it $80 to go. He calls pretty quickly.

    Turn is the 5 of hearts and he check-calls $210, which surprises me.

    River is a queen and it looks like he’s going to bet it but ultimately checks. It’s tempting to go for value but really I’m targeting 66 only – that’s pretty narrow. He’s not going to call me with two pair (on the turn even – unless he picked up a flush draw). If he didn’t have a set he probably has a big straight draw and that might have come in. I don’t think he would check river with straights very often but I also don’t think he’s calling often enough to go for max value, so I check back and he does have 66 (with a jack blocker! And the nut heart draw!)

    10:51 PM: Card dead here and this game is fizzling early tonight. We are currently 7-handed, with Part-Time absolutely crushing the game and Twinkie has joined us.

    Speaking of Twinkie, it’s time for a name change. I hate it. I always have. Someone suggested Scarecrow to me and I loved it… but I somehow ended up going with… Twinkie? Huh.

    No. Sorry buddy. You are The Scarecrow. Embrace your Bat-villainy. Not many people get to be part of my actual Rogue’s Gallery. It’s okay. We are still friends.

    Since I’ve sat back down at the table Scarecrow has put multiple hundreds of dollars into basically every pot I’ve witnessed so far. He’s certainly worthy of a better name than Twinkie.

    11:19 PM: Someone said I haven’t been updating much but this is what most of my hands have looked like: raise to $20 with AKJ9 single suited to the ace, get four callers, check-fold 877 flop. That’s basically been the gist of it.

    But here’s one: I open AKQJ single suited and get two callers. Flop is KQQ and since I’ve checked the flop after raising like ten hands in a row, I go ahead and stay consistent with the new norm and check this one as well. It checks through in a 3-handed pot.

    Turn is a blank and the big blind leads out for near-pot. I call, other player folds.

    Seems like the jig could be up here but he still leads for $150 on a blank river. I make it $400 and he folds.

    That’s it.

    12:28 AM: Same opponent and this time I have QJJ5 double suited and he leads $30 on J77. I make it $125. He calls.

    Turn is a 6 and he check-folds to a $200 bet from me. I thought playing this hand fast might confuse him into a payoff – if he has a 7 – but alas, $125 is all the action I could muster.

    1:29 AM: Ugh. What timing. I open AJ97 double suited and get 3-bet to $50.

    Four of us see an A86 rainbow flop and I lead out for $110. The PFR calls and so does another player.

    Turn is a jack and I bet the $300 max and now the PFR raises another $300. Gross. The third player stacks off for less than $300 total and I call and then call for another $200 when I make three pair on the river. He has AA.

    And I was planning to leave soon anyway, so I player another orbit or so and cashed out for a final tally of +$16.

    Wonderful. Nothing like losing all your profit at the buzzer.

    Now I go home and pray for internet tomorrow.

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