O-Poker

A picture is worth 1,000 words. I went from 3rd in chips with 13/14 left to out in 11th in the Pokerstars nightly $150. So close once again. (Something about horshoes and hand grenades)

I ran into some big hands short handed and came out on the short end. Oh well, such is poker.

Full Tilt Poker is running a promo for their 12 days of Christmas. They are giving away a large item from their store for each of 12 days running and each day they are giving 50 players - $100/each, 200 players - $25/each, and 500 players - $10 each.

I was a lucky winner today (for my play yesterday) of $10!!! I guess it proves the doubters wrong - they really are giving the money away. :)

I was browsing through 2+2 today and came across this gem. It is a conversation where Phil Ivey ask sbrugby (aba) if Erik1223 can borrow some money. (I edited out a lot of the Observer chat and added my comments in red)


Phil Ivey: have sb send you some money erik i will vouch (translation - you have been cleaning up and erik is tilting a little right now)
Erik1223: sb can you? (please I neeeeeeed to get back to even)
Phil Ivey: sb can you get my number from someone and call me
sbrugby: In tahoe my phone doesn't work (come on, I don't really want to lend money out to anyone)
Phil Ivey: lol (um, just say you don't want to lend him the money)
Phil Ivey: ok
Erik1223: `ul
sbrugby: how much do you need erik? (ok, ok, I'll send him some $$)
Erik1223: i would like 200k so i dont have to fool around everytime i lose one hand (who said there is much variance in poker)
Phil Ivey: if he dies i will pay you sb (LOL!!!)
sbrugby: and when would I get it back?
Erik1223: within 7 days if I lose all today i I win
Erik1223: ill just send you a wire
sbrugby: and you are vouching for him phil?
Phil Ivey: yup
sbrugby: k sending (Hold on a sec, I have to dig through the couch cushions for the 200k)
Erik1223: its the most solid money youll ever have lol
Phil Ivey: your a little safer loaning it to him instead of matusow
Mike Matusow (Observer): namines more solid (Just have to wait until I make another WSOP Main Event FT - should be this year)
Mike Matusow (Observer): lol
Mike Matusow: i heard that
Phil Ivey: lol
Mike Matusow: mines the safest
Mike Matusow: hey sby im sending u 20 now (as soon as I can remember my bank of sb pin #)
sbrugby: k
Erik1223: its proccesing
Erik1223: ty sir
sbrugby: np

I don't think there is anyone that can touch sbrugby online right now. He is on fire.

....and sometimes poker (but this isn't one of those times)

I just finished 7th in the FTP $150 $35k Guarantee. The payout was OK (don't get me wrong) but the payouts for the top 3 make 7th look like chump change.

I can't complain though, because I got a timely lucky suckout to stay in when we were down to 3 tables with my QQ vs. KK. I wound up busting out with 88 vs. AQ all in preflop. An A and Q on the flop all but sealed my fate.

I am going to put my hhs for the tourney up on the pokerxfactor.com mtt hh viewer for anyone interested. (It won't be until tonight because the hh is stored on my wife's computer.)

I was reading through a few blogs while playing last night and came across Smokkee's post pimping CC's Thursday Bash. I opened the private tourney tab on pokerstars a little after 9:30 and saw that the tourney was still open for late registration, so I signed up. I am glad I did because I, somehow, managed to win the thing after a long heads up battle with VinNay.

I had a good seat at my first table - mainly because Jordan was on my immediate right and loosening up the table. He was spewing comments of "weak-tight" left and right. The comments seemed to be working because there were a lot of big raises and big re-raises.

I managed to double up and put Jordan out (I think he went out on that hand) with my AA vs. 22. He check-raised me all-in on a 889 flop with 2 hearts after he had flat called my re-raise preflop. In my mind, the c/r screamed of a flush draw or a pair (1010-QQ) based on his preflop call. I know that he was trying to represent the 8, but I didn't think he would c/r all-in with the 8. I understand his thinking behind the raise. If I have a big Ace, I have to fold. If I call with a big Ace, he is a favorite. Unfortunately for him, there is no way I am letting go of AA there based on how the hand played out. A flat call of my flop bet and an all-in bet on the turn (he was 1st to act) would have made a call with AA a lot tougher for me.

I was a card rack for a good part of the first hour. I managed to get lucky and knock out GCox for a huge pot when we were down to the final table. I was dealt KsQh in late position and made a standard 3xBB raise. GCox smooth called from either the cutoff or button. The flop came AKJ all hearts (i think - have to go back and check HH.) It was decent flop for me, so I made a continuation bet to see where I was. GCox flat called. I really thought I was in trouble with the flat call. The turn couldn't have been more perfect - 10s. I made a straight and had the nut flush draw. I couldn't put him on a flush because I had the Qh and he probably would have raised me on the flop with a mid flush to protect his hand. I made another bet and he went all in. I called. He had 1010 (with the 10 of hearts I think). He didn't fill up on the turn and I won a huge pot. Tough hand for GCox - I got really lucky.

I was pretty card dead for most of the final table. When we got heads up, VinNay had a pretty good chip lead on me. I wasn't getting any hands and finally put all my chips in with 22 against his JJ preflop. The poker gods were on my side when a 2 came on the flop. It took us over an hour for me to finally take it down with my 77 vs his 33.

It was a really fun tourney and I was able to win because I am a luckbox card rack. Thanks CC and thanks poker gods.

You know it is time to stop Christmas shopping for the day when you can't fit any more X-mas presents in your SUV (Durango).

We lined a babysitter up for the entire day yesterday, so that we could get all our X-mas shopping done in one day.

12:00 - Brunch with some neighbors (bottle of wine to ease the pain of shopping)

2:30 - Toys 'R Us. I don't understand how some people can get so crazy, demanding and pushy. It seemed like a lot of people had very little patience or respect for anyone's space. Somehow, we managed to finally work our way out of the store after about 2 hours. (waiting for a bike that wasn't in stock, but shown as in stock is the main reason it took so long.)

If the bill from Toys 'r Us is any indication, our kids should be really happy with their gifts this year.

4:30 - 8:30 More Shopping ----> Dinner ----> Bar!! We had to have a couple of drinks after working our way through the mobs of other zombie shoppers.

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Poker related

I played one of the Mansion added dollar tourneys last night. It was the $215 with $20,000 added to the pool. I signed up because of the added value/overlay and it looked like it was going to be a small field. I was surprised that the tourney only drew 151 players. (Basically, it was $132 of added equity for each player.)

It didn't take me long to realize why the field was so small. The structure was horrendeous (especially for a $200 mtt) - equivalent to a turbo. For some reason, they raise the blinds every 12 minutes during the 1st hour and then every 15 minutes for the remainder of the tourney. You start with only 1,500 chips and the rapid blinds made it become push or fold for a lot of players by the start of the 2nd hour.

At the end of the 1st hour, I sat at 1985 chips and the blinds were already 100/200. The majority of the players at my table were either pushing all-in or folding at this point because of their stack sizes - no joke.

I busted around 58th (about 1 hr, 15 minutes into the tourney). Almost 2/3rds of the field had been eliminated shortly into the 2nd hour.

My bustout hand was a little brutal.

1,685 chips
Blinds 100/200 (about to go up)

I am dealt 55 (I know someone that would have said just push with 55, it's can't lose.)
UTG limps (I thought this was strange since no one had been limping especially UTG)
I flat call (Let's see a flop)
SB completes, BB checks his option

Flop 994

SB bets minimum (no way does he have a 9 since surely somone else is going to bet behind him on that flop)
BB folds, UTG folds.
I decided that my best option is to push

SB thinks and calls with 47. I am in great shape.

Turn 8, River 8. I lose to his 99887. :)

I deposited $$ in Mansion to play a couple of these added money tourneys, so I guess I will probably play a couple more of them. I'll just go into the tourney ahead of time with the mindset for playing a turbo tourney.

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Ouch!!

Wow, these poor guys. Pokerstars has a freeroll that guy away 3 seats to the PCA at Atlantis int he Bahamas. There were 11,000+ players entered and only 3 seats.

How would you like to play an online poker tourney for 14 1/2 straight hours only to miss the PCA package by 1 spot. OUCH!!!

EDIT: As pointed out by TripJax, the sixth place finisher is a blogger - NEWINNOV - that some of us have played with in the past. I feel for ya. It must be brutal to have played so well for so long and have nothing to show for it. Still, it is amazing to have gotten so deep in such a huge field.

I decided to play a couple of tourneys last night (little burnt out on cash games), so I played the $22 rebuy on stars (busted out in the high 100s) and the $25 $16k Guarantee on stars (with 1,163 others). I wound up winning the $25 tourney.

When we were 3 handed, I said I was willing to deal. One guy didn't want to - no worries. We got heads up a little later. After playing heads up for 20 minutes and almost exactly even in chips, I offered a split. He said no - no worries.

I finally won it out right after long heads up battle. (will post more tomorrow or the next day).

Dear sportingimag,

You finished the tournament in 1st place.A $6,082.50 award has been credited to your Real Money account.

You earned 819.24 tournament leader points in this tournament.

I haven't been doing well in tourneys lately. I seem to run either hot or cold. (The PCA win and this win within a few days of each other.)

I guess when I run good, I run good. (Was down to 500 chips at one point)

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Also, a big congrats to Lucko for taking down $25k in the $109 rebuy on pokerstars last night - amazing score.

I would not have won my seat to the PCA if it hadn't been for my wife. Thanks Veronica!!! She suggested that I drive to my office to play the tourney, so that I would be distraction free. (The kids get a little crazy in the afternoon.) I think being up at the office helped me focus on the table conditions and not get disctracted by the TV, phone, sick crying kids, etc. BTW - I didn't realize how scary of a place my office can be at 3 AM.

Hand 1 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662620

Battle of the blinds. I limped and was raised to 3xBB. I decided to call with 89o because this guy kept raising if I limped from the SB and was fairly predictable after the flop - He could basically have any two. On the Flop - Based on his previous betting, I didn't think there was any way that he had a King or a pocket pair. I bet into him on the turn and he flat called. If he had a King, he was definitely raising me because of the possible flush draw. I bet again on the river, because I thought my hand was good, I wanted to control the size of the pot and I didn't want to check to him and have to call a bigger bet.

Hand 2 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662638

I think the first hand played a big part in this hand. The guy had shown a history of not letting up on his continuation bluffs. I really didn't think there was any way that he had a set, two pair or AK here, so I went with my gut and luckily I was right.

Hand 3 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662729

This hand cost me some chips. I think that it was an auto-call because the guy went all-in UTG the first hand after a break. He had opened all-in a few times before the break without getting a caller. I called and got unlucky.

Hand 4 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662733

Good, loose player with chips UTG limps - unusual because he usually opened for a raise. I raise on the button with AQ to try to see where my hand stands. Blinds fold - he flat calls. I am pretty sure by his call that he doesn't have a big pair. I make a continuation bet on a King high flop and am flat called again. Turn pairs the board. Check, check. River Blank. He bets 1,200 into a 9,300 pot. I can't see him having a hand here based on the way the hand played out. If I call and lose, my stack is at 3,700. If I fold, my stack is 4,900. I decided the chance to get more chips was worth the extra 1,200 since there was a possibility that my hand was best and I needed chips. It turned out that he had AQ also - split pot - Whew.

The result was good, but I think I might have played this hand poorly.

Hand 5 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662741

I think this was my turning point in the tourney. I was either doubling up or getting knocked out.

Button raises. I considered re-raising what looked like a steal attempt with Ad4d, but decided to flat call. The flop come Ah3d5d. I check with the intention of check-raising all-in. I have 14 outs (to make flush, two pair, straight) and am the favorite against almost any of his possible holdings. He had AJ which made me about a 53%-54% favortie. I hit on the turn and doubled up.

Hand 6 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662775

AA vs JJ double up - Good timing.

Hand 7 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662786

Had to lay down JJ. My hand was probably good, but I had enough chips not to risk my entire tourney on a coin flip this late. May have been incorrect laydown against a good player that could have been re-stealing.

Hand 8 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662790

I was pretty sure I was good preflop, but flat called wanting to see a flop against what looked like a button steal. On the flop, I wanted to represent a King and decided to play it like I had a King. I checked and he checked behind. The third King on the river was a big scare card and slowed down my plans to bet on the turn. I checked and his bet seemed fishy to me based on his past play and that fact the he looked like he was stealing from the button pre-flop. I called thinking that if he didn't have a King my flat call would scare the hell out of him. I thought about betting out on the river, but thought the best option was to check. I felt like my hand was probably still good. I didn't think he would bet the river without a King and thought he was probably done with the hand if bluffing. If I bet and he raised me, I would have to fold. Check, check and I took down a nice pot with Ace high.

Hand 9 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662839

Very lucky double up late with AQs vs AQ. (Had gotten short after a misplayed steal attempt)

Hand 10 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662860

I thought about calling on this hand, but we were getting close to the seats and I kept seeing this guy's posts in my head. "Don't call off your chips with AQ." It wasn't all my chips, but a large majority of them.

Hand 11 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662926

QQ - Very close to bubble. No messing around. My only move here is all-in preflop. A big stack called me with AJ and I got nervous as hell. I closed my eyes and hoped for the best. Luckily no Ace and I doubled up.

Hand 12 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?662941

I flat called a guy that had been stealing a lot with the intention of pushing all-in on any low card flop. (his preflop raises had been bigger when he had a big hand, but I didn't want a preflop all-in to get called by a big to medium ace.) The flop came 8c9c10d and I thought an all-in bet would look too much like a draw. I bet 6k of my remaining 16k hoping that it would look like I had a monster and was trying to get him to pay me off. It worked and he folded.

Hand 13 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?665726

Only 1 or 2 more people had to be eliminated for the seats. I was dealt QQ in mid-position and flat called hoping to get the shorty to get all his chips in. shorty folds. 3 to the flop. Check around to big stack that bets. I am sure I had the best hand, but folded because we were so close to the seats.

Hand 14 - http://www.pokerhand.org/?665740

Easy fold preflop, since so close to the seats.


A few hands later the shortest stack at another table folded in the BB leaving himself with 2,500 chips and having to post the SB of $3k on the next hand. I think he has to put all his chips in with anything there. It was six players to the flop on the next hand at that table. Checked down. The short stack lost - one player had flopped a set of jacks and it was over.

I am pretty pumped to go to the PCA. I tried to win my way in last year and didn't have any luck. After this tourney, I will have played in the three live tourneys that I have set as goals to play in.

1. UB Aruba
2. WSOP Main Event
3. Pokerstars Carribbean Adventure.

I am really looking forward to Atlantis and think that I have the right attitude about the tourney. I'll play my best and hope things work out, but if they don't I am going to still have a blast in the Bahamas!!

Last Chance, Best Chance.

I played the Last Chance $650 Sat tonight and won my seat - woohooo!!

I'll post more tomorrow. I am tired. The tourney took 8 1/2 hours (It's 3:30 AM) I'm not quite sure how I will fall asleep!!

Below are my standings at each break. I saved a lot of the hhs and will probably go through them in the next couple of days and post a lot of details.

1st Break (I had to fold JJ in a bad spot and was relatively short - still plenty of room to work with the slow blind escalation)








2nd Break (Climbed out of the hole thanks to winning a race against a big stack)










3rd Break










4th Break











5th Break (In decent shape)










6th Break (Needing to get some cards)












7th Break (Bubble time)











I'll post the key hands later.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

After losing with AA quite a few times lately I was beginning to feel like AA was a losing hand.

This hand changed my mind, when somehow I won with AA

Click this link if you prefer the pokerhand view - http://www.pokerhand.org/?657876
Full Tilt Poker Game #1373850789: Table Folsom (6 max) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em - 14:36:47 ET - 2006/12/08
Seat 1: cmitch ($926.40)
Seat 2: TheBigBuford ($299.20)
Seat 3: Nufevah ($419.30)
Seat 4: Religion_LOL ($400)
Seat 5: buckwheat29 ($225.25)
Seat 6: Megenoita ($414)
cmitch posts the small blind of $2
TheBigBuford posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to cmitch [Ah Ac]
Nufevah raises to $14
Religion_LOL folds
buckwheat29 raises to $36
Megenoita folds
cmitch raises to $76
TheBigBuford folds
Nufevah has 15 seconds left to act
Nufevah raises to $268
buckwheat29 calls $189.25, and is all in
cmitch raises to $926.40, and is all in
Nufevah calls $151.30, and is all in
cmitch shows [Ah Ac]
Nufevah shows [Ks As]
buckwheat29 shows [Ad Kh]
Uncalled bet of $507.10 returned to cmitch
*** FLOP *** [3h 5s 3d]
*** TURN *** [3h 5s 3d] [9d]
*** RIVER *** [3h 5s 3d 9d] [Qc]
cmitch shows two pair, Aces and Threes
Nufevah shows a pair of Threes
cmitch wins the side pot ($388.10) with two pair, Aces and Threes
buckwheat29 shows a pair of Threes
cmitch wins the main pot ($676.75) with two pair, Aces and Threes
Nufevah is sitting out
buckwheat29 is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $1,067.85 Main pot $679.75. Side pot $388.10. Rake $3
Board: [3h 5s 3d 9d Qc]
Seat 1: cmitch (small blind) showed [Ah Ac] and won ($1,064.85) with two pair, Aces and Threes
Seat 2: TheBigBuford (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Nufevah showed [Ks As] and lost with a pair of Threes
Seat 4: Religion_LOL didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: buckwheat29 showed [Ad Kh] and lost with a pair of Threes
Seat 6: Megenoita (button) didn't bet (folded)

I haven't played a ton of poker lately because things have been a little hectic. My daughter has been sick most of the week (cold). My son (1 yr old) has pnuemonia. He has it in the lower half of one lung. The doctor put him on the Z-pack antibiotic 5 day blast. Hopefully that knocks it out of him quickly gets him back up to speed.

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Car Update

The estimate on the car repairs is $10,500. It doesn't look like we will be able to get a new car. The lady that hit my wife's car had state minimum coverage ($10k) and doesn't seem to have any assests. Between ordering the parts and repairing the car, it is going to be a month before we get the car back. Fun, fun.

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PCA

I played 2 satellites to the $650 this week and didn't win my entry in either one. I think I am just going to just buy into the $650 Super Sat on Sunday. I'll cross my fingers.

I guess Ivey always chooses to raise his monster hands. It seems to work out for him.


Full Tilt Poker Game #1366814434: Table Bennett (6 max) - $200/$400 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:56:36 ET - 2006/12/07
Seat 1: serb2127 ($28,997)
Seat 2: Urindanger ($8,000), is sitting out
Seat 3: Phil Ivey ($106,515)
Seat 4: sbrugby ($46,044)
Seat 5: Luigi66369 ($185,682)
Seat 6: MyRenovatio ($39,940)
MyRenovatio posts the small blind of $200
serb2127 posts the big blind of $400
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Urindanger has returned
Phil Ivey has 15 seconds left to act
Phil Ivey raises to $1,200
sbrugby folds
Luigi66369 raises to $4,000
MyRenovatio folds
serb2127 folds
Phil Ivey calls $2,800
*** FLOP *** [2d 8h 8d]
Phil Ivey checks
Luigi66369 bets $7,200
Phil Ivey raises to $20,800 - Patrick Antonious isn't scared.
Luigi66369 has 15 seconds left to act
Luigi66369 raises to $60,800 - See he raised enough to commit himself
Phil Ivey raises to $100,800
Luigi66369 raises to $140,800
Phil Ivey calls $1,715, and is all in
Luigi66369 shows [9d Jd]
Phil Ivey shows [8c 8s] - Flopping Quads and getting action - WOWZER!!!
Uncalled bet of $38,285 returned to Luigi66369
*** TURN *** [2d 8h 8d] [Kd]
*** RIVER *** [2d 8h 8d Kd] [4c]
Luigi66369 shows a flush, King high
Phil Ivey shows four of a kind, Eights
Phil Ivey wins the pot ($213,627) with four of a kind, Eights
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $213,630 Rake $3 Board: [2d 8h 8d Kd 4c]
Seat 1: serb2127 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Urindanger is sitting out
Seat 3: Phil Ivey showed [8c 8s] and won ($213,627) with four of a kind, Eights Seat 4: sbrugby didn't bet (folded)
Seat 5: Luigi66369 (button) showed [9d Jd] and lost with a flush, King high
Seat 6: MyRenovatio (small blind) folded before the Flop

Full Tilt Poker updraded their site this morning. I think I like the new racetrack view.

All the information on the new upgrade features can be found here.

Cardrunners.com has put up a free promotional 2/4 NL video by Muddywater with him 4 tabling. It is pretty interesting, especially for those that aren't already cardrunners members. If you watch the video, pay close attention to the guy to his left on Table 2 - it's me. The video gives you a feel for the rest of the videos on the site.

I would strongly reccomend joining cardrunners to anyone that is serious about poker, especially if you play NL cash games. The vast amount of information that I have learned since joining the site is incredible. You can't go wrong.

Link to Video - Click the Red Link in the Grey Box

Link to PocketFives Article about the Video

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PCA

I played a $80 sat to the $650 Super Sat last night and busted out somewhere in the middle of the pack.

The last chance is the $650 Super Sat on Sunday. I am going to play that tourney and probably take 2 shots at the Double Shootouts between now and then. These are my last attempts at the PCA package. If I don't win the package, I guess I will have to re-evaluate whether or not I will go to the Bahamas anyway.

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The Car Problems

It looks like they are probably going to just repair the car. I get the estimate today. Hopefully, it will be back to 100% before Christmas.

WOOHOOOO!!!!

We get a shot at the National Championship. I just got back from Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game (7 hr drive each way) - Awesome, awesome game!!! Had a blast. (I'll right more when I'm not so tired)

Go Gators!!!

Goal for November

Cash Game Hands = 20k
PTBB/100 = 5.00

Actual for November

Cash Game Hands = a litte more than 15k
PTBB/100 = 4.61 (7.74 for 2/4)

I had a roller coaster of a month. I got off to a good start followed by a horrible weekend of 5/10 that wiped out all of the profits from the beginning of the month. It was up and down from there with a nice steady upswing to finish off the month. I did horrible at 5/10 losing 3 buy-ins in a bout 2k hands. I looked back over my 5/10 hands and the biggest hits were due to the overly aggressive games that I was playing and getting my money in as a favorite/ slight favorite and getting drawn out on.

The first graph is my Amount/Hands Played for the month at all levels. The 2nd graph is all levels other than 5/10. (You can see how much more profitable I would have been if I had stayed away from 5/10 during the month.)




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DECEMBER GOALS

1. Play 20k hands and average 5.00 PT/100.
2. Stay away from 5/10.
3. Win a seat to PCA (have to find the time to actually play a satellite)
4. Selectively play 15-20 MTTs throughout the month. (Maybe a few at my old poker home - UltimateBet)
5. Get the whole car mess behind us. (oops - that doesn't have anything to do with poker.