Pokerstars Blogger Tournament

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 6876791

Vegas Bound!

In seven short hours I'll be on a plane from JFK headed for Las Vegas! I'll be staying at the Paris, with a number of my colleagues there as well as some at Caesars. The initial plan is to be sitting by the pool at Caesars or the Paris by noon, do a little reading, sip a few adult beverages, and head over to the MGM poker room by 6. Ever since it opened, I found the MGM's room to be my favorite. When it opened, I think they set the standard by which all the new rooms seem to be following, mainly a spacious floorplan. No more bumping into the guy at the next table when you want to get up. I'll probably take in the new room at Caesars as well, and even though they only have a few tables, I plan on partaking at the Paris as well, if only for convenience sake. The rest of the week will be work at the convention center, dinner meetings, and more poker into the nights. So if anyone reads this, and wants to hookup sometime over the next week, leave a comment, or drop me an email at voodoopoker at yahoo.

Until next time, may variance be kind, and hopefully I'll be posting positive updates throughout the trip.

Variance....

Variance: A difference between what is expected and what actually occurs.

And that is putting it lightly the way variance has hit me of late. I cannot remember a time in the past couple of years that good decision making continually goes unrewarded. I can't count the number of times I was runner-runnered as a favorite. It got to a point that all I could do is say unbe-fuckin-leavable.

Rationally, I cannot be upset at the beats, because over time good decisions pay off. I want these players at my table continuing to call my bets when they are behind or drawing thin. During these runs, it's the psychological part of the game that makes poker difficult for me. I find that when I am in the midst of a run like the past couple weeks, I do not get the value I should from my good hands. I play hyper aggressive with my monsters to avoid the beats, and too conservative when I may have a slight edge, losing value on both ends. Rationally I know I should not be playing this way, but psychologically I only remember the last 428 times when I was in the same situation, the opposition sucked out. This my own private tilt hell. It's not the beats that put me on tilt, its my reaction and change in play that does. Nothing a couple of days away from the tables won't fix.

After a couple days of being placed on poker restriction, and mandatory reading homework, I get back to tilt free poker. And to double my pleasure, the variance monkey has swung in the other direction, hands hold up, and all is well again. After what seemed like forever and not making the money in any of the SNG's I played, I placed 2nd in back to back 30+3's, with my ROI over the past 34 SNG's getting back to where it should be. Even though this is a small sample in the grand scheme, it's easy to tell when variance is on your side or against you. It's becoming more appearant to me that taking a break for a day or two does me a world of good. Your mileage may vary.

I'm a Thin the Field

You scored as Pocket Aces. You are Aces, baby. Pocket aces, to be exact. You are confident, value yourself highly, are most comfortable in small groups - large gatherings tending to expose your vulnerability. The Hammer 63% Pocket Aces 63% Pocket Kings 63% Big Slick 50% Pocket Queens 44% What starting Hold 'Em hand are you? created with QuizFarm.com

Two Flopped Quads in One Night

Twin Hiltons


Brokeback and Brokeback the Sequel - Segregation

Dry Side Stupidity - ATLarge Part 2

ATLarge Trip Report Part 1

So... After giving back some earlier winnings, I head back to check in at around 1:30am. I decided to stay at the Knights Inn because it was cheap and, as the web site says, "Newly built Hotel - 2005", figuring, you can't go too wrong with a place that is barely a year old. So much for that idea. The interior was cheap, and looked like it was 12 years old, not one. OK, no problem, I'm just going to go to sleep, shower in the morning, and head to the Taj for some Stabucks, and the tournament. So much for that idea #2. There were probably 6-8 high school kids in the next room that didn't care to settle down until 5:30, so needless to say, sleep was at a premium most of the night. Wrap things up with a ceiling tile in the shower that was wet, moldy, and smelling like urine, a front desk person acknowledging that they were aware of it, and not seeming to care that it has probably been there for weeks, and it's time to add Knights Inn to the list of places NEVER to stay.

Off to the Taj, and a stop at Starbucks on the way in the casino. So much for that idea #3. The Starbucks on the way in from the parking garage has closed. Luckily, after checking with guest services, I learn there is a Starbucks next door at the Showboat. Perfect, a chance to get out in the sun, take a short walk along the boardwalk, and take in some fresh morning air before hitting the tournament.

Time to play. 174 runners registered, playing for a top prize of $6,630, top 18 cash. Structure is ok, $1,000 in chips & 30 minute levels. I draw table 6, seat 9, hmmmmmm... 69 can't be all that bad. I muddle through the first two levels, and can't seem to get anything going. I play too loosely and have to tighten up after not hitting any flops, even with decent starting hands. Two hours in it feels like all I'm seeing is Q-4, 7-2, 9-3, J-4...wash... rinse...repeat. Midway through level four, I'm down to T825 with 134 players remaining, and end up having to muck JJ after a 4x preflop raise, and a feeler bet on a AQx flop. Now down to T325 I have to push pretty soon with the blinds at 50/100. After doubling up when my Hiltons hold up, and still well below average, I start stealing with a push or fold strategy, and get back to my starting stack of T1,500, but well below average. At least have a little breathing room to play now. Since I didn't take notes, I don't have any real details, but the next few levels I made some good reads and forced some better hands to fold, still not making any hands myself. Now it's level 9 and 40 or so left and I finally look down at AA, in the big blind. Of course it folds around and I'm hoping the small blind at least completes. Nope, SB tries a semi steal with A-10 and raises to 2,000. I double to T5,800 and for the first time near average.

A few hands later I bust making not one but THREE rookie mistakes. I look down and find KcQc. Folds to me and I raise 3x to T1,200 from middle position, hoping to pick up the blinds, and get smooth calls from a tight short stack, and the big stack button.

Mistake #1 - A red flag should have gone up here with a tight player smooth calling nearly half his stack, but no. Flop comes Jxx, one club. I check, short stack pushes his remaining T1,500 and gets a call from the button. I go into the tank, and again completely overlook the short stack and start playing back hands that I had played with the button earlier in the day.

Mistake #2 - I was looking for a reason to stay in the hand with the button. The reason I found was a completely different situation than this one, but I somehow justify the call. Turn comes off another club, giving me 4 to the flush, and I present you with the most egregious mistake....

Mistake #3 - Without even a second of thought, I push my remaining T2,800 into the dry side pot, on a draw. I have nothing to gain by pushing the button off his hand, I'm beaten by the short stack for the main pot at least 90% of the time here, and beaten by the button if he calls and I don't improve. Why would I act without even thinking? Oh ya, I wasn't thinking. Ultimately, I wanted to push the button off the hand, and that's what lead to all three mistakes.

The button actually considers folding, but calls with, "you are ahead now", and tables AQ, and I'm dominated. The river is a blank and he takes the side pot with a high card ace. IGHN in 31st place. If I take a second and evaluate the situation on the turn and check the turn, he most likely checks behind me, and with a blank on the river, we check it down and I still have chips. Oh ya, tight short stack held AA.

So boys and girls, what did we learn/I remind myself of today?

Don't put too much value on one hand in the past

Take the time to evaluate the current circumstances, and compare it to previous situations

Don't bet into a dry side pot, when you can take one off.

I'm sure there are more points here, but I'm on mega tilt with myself after blogging this. Good thing I'm at work, and not at the tables!

Great experience overall, great group of people. Coming back from near broke with 130+ left, to finish 31 good. Busting making three stupid mistakes in the same hand, very bad. One lapse in concentration, or a single rushed decision/judgment is all it takes.

I Still Have no Idea What I Was Doing - WPBT Event #1

Well THAT was interesting to say the least. Congratulations to StB who won the first event of the WPBT-POY Circuit. Thanks again to Biggstron for putting this together. We have here great group of people here in this poker blog space, and I'm looking forward to future events, as well as hopefully meeting some of you in the greater NYC area.

I somehow managed to out last 44 of the 54 runners in last nights inaugural event in the WPBT-POY series. Although 10th meant I was the bubble boy, with DoubleDave going out in the same hand, in the money and 9th. Its good to see that he put my chips to good use from not one, but two earlier double ups courtesy of yours truly. I suppose I should have waited it out and folded my small blind to Iggy, but I continued with the pedal to the metal, even on the bubble. So aside from not letting DoubleDave go bust first, I have to say my first foray into Omaha Hi, was a marginal success.

Current WPBT-POY Standings after Event #1

Having never played Omaha Hi, and only reading bits and pieces here and there on the game, what did I learn? I could be totally off on this observation, or it could be Omaha 101, but it seems that pocket pairs even high pockets aren't nearly as valuable as it would seem. The exception to that, would be highly valued HAMMER Rockets, AA72! Another observation is that generally you have many more outs in a hand. Its easy to see now that drawing hands are so much more valuable in this game than Hold-Em. And third, its way to easy to play too loose in this game. It took getting below T900 for me to realize that I was playing way too many hands before the first break.

First WPBT-POY Race Event

WPBT Event #1
What: Pot Limit Omaha
Where: PokerStars (Private Tourney 20742121)
When: Sunday, March 12th at 9:30 PM EST (6:30 PM PST)
Cost: $20+2
Password: wpbt72
Restrictions: Bloggers only!

A big THANKS goes out to Biggestron for setting up the WPBT-POY Circuit

ATLarge Trip Report - Part 1

Two weeks ago was the ATLantic City Annual RecGambling Excursion gathering, which attracted over 200 runners, participating in 3 different events, HOE, NLHE, and Stud. The event was held at the Trump Taj Mahal again this year and was sponsored by PokerStars.

I left the office around noon, in hopes of getting to AC around 2:30, so I would have time to check into my cheap off the boardwalk room, and get to the Taj to play a little $1/$2 NL before the PokerStars banquet at 8pm. No such luck with that plan. After wasting over an hour sitting in traffic approaching the George Washington Bridge in NYC, I finally made it down there at close to 4pm. Al this meant, no time to waste checking in when there is poker to be played!

I sat down and proceeded to donk off $120 in the first hour playing to aggressively and making bad calls/reads. After settling down, and not getting anything to play for easily an hour, I started to pick up a few pots, when I finally found a decent hand. By now my table image should have been very rocky, with the combination of tightening up my play, and not getting any hands. I was in late position with about $260 behind and I look down at the Hiltons (Q-Q) after a raise to $12 and 4 callers. No way I want that may in the pot, so I raise to $60 hoping for a caller, but happy to take down the $51 there since anyone with any powers of observation would realize that I haven't played a hand in forever. So much for that assumption, two callers later we see a flop of 10-6-2 rainbow. Check, check to me and I push my remaining $200 in. After going into the tank, an older gentleman who was a calling station, made the call with A-10s. I fade his 5 outs and stack a very nice pot of just over $600. A few more orbits of nothing, I book $300 and it's off to the PokerStars banquet.

This years PokerStars banquet included a Q&A with the 1983 WSOP Main Event Champion, and 4 time bracelet winner, Tom McEvoy, as well as a talk on theory by Jerrod Ankerman and Bill Chen. The food was good. Your regular buffet fare, salads, pastas, chicken, fish, and a carving station. Two trips thru and another two trips to the desert station, the two talks began. Tom was very personable and his great passion for the game was very apparent. The talk on theory was a plug for their upcoming book which is going to bring together math and poker and optimal play theory. I believe it may be a 2+2 published book.

After the banquet I head back down and sit for a short 2 hours and, play poorly, and give back $200 from the earlier session, and decide it's time to go check in and get some rest for the tournament tomorrow morning.