Honey??? When can we go back???

So, as you can likely figure out, there were no glory stories for me at the WSOP. I didn't even make it to level 3. Quick synopsis of my day (which won't take long since I lasted exactly 2 hours).

Lost one blind v blind hand, when my 2 pair J-5 were topped by opponents 2 pair J-6 (he flopped two, I turned my 2).

Lost a pot where I was likely bluffed out of it. Uber connected board, I had top pair kings, with 10 kicker. I was in the blind, but too may hearts on board. I mucked to all in bet on river.

Those hands cost me nearly half of my stack, but I would double up when my AA held v. JJ.

Didn't play another hand until I went broke. Here's the story.

After watching 3 full orbits, I open raise (blinds are 25-50) to 150 with Q9 hearts. Not premium, but players at my table were fairly observant, so I raise it. Pick up 1 caller in seat 8 (I was in 3), button, SB fold, BB calls for 100 more.

FLOP: Q-9-3, rainbow

Niiiiiiiice.... I bet out 500 (into a pot of 475), lose seat 8, seat 1 (BB) comes along.

TURN: 2 (puts 2 diamonds on the board)

I bet out 800, seat one ships it.

Huh????

I call, and he shows 2-2 for a turned set. He then says to me "I thought you had a set of 9's." My reply was simple..."why would you call on the flop then?"

River bricked off, and I was done. Not a bad beat story, but a bad play story. I heard another player in another tournament saying (as he got up from a table when he busted from a tourney), "you can't make 'em play good." Divine wisdom, right there.

No promises, but will try to hit this blog a little more often. Came home with a cash on Saturday in league event, but still thirty for a win. Haven't had one in a while. I think I'm due.

Good luck and good cards.

~M

Remember me?

Wow, has it really been 18 months since I've written an entry here? My buddy Adam had a blog that was called "This Blog May or May Not Suck." My blog definitely sucks. Apologies.

Regardless of the level of suck, I am back with some renewed energy for poker blogging, and it happens to coincide with the start of the 2011 WSOP, and the fact that I will be in the center of the poker universe is less than a month.

Since it's been more than a calendar year, a quick update. The usual run of 1-6 outers continue to follow me,, but I have managed to turn the tables a few times and spike a miracle card that helped me. Went through our 6th league season, made the Tournament of Champions based on points, and managed to finish 2nd after my opponent went crazy on an A-10-7 rainbow board with a pair of deuces thinking he was good. He wasn't until his 3rd deuce hit on the river, busting my already flopped 2 pair. Oh well, I run goot, I run bad.

Starting up season 7 (amazing) in a few weeks, and am looking forward to it. Most of all, though, I'm amped for my WSOP return. July 5th, event #56. I won the seat in a tournament, and will be armed with my best possible game, and enough of my battle gear to get me through 3 days of play. It will be my first WSOP since 2006, and my short term goal is to bag my chips after day 1. If I can manage that, I should be inside the money bubble. As I said on the day I won the seat, I don't want good luck, just average luck. If I can get average luck, I think I have enough ability to survive into the money bubble. After that, it's anybody's guess. I know there will be more skilled players than I in the field, so I'll have to get lucky in spots if I have any chance of making the final table.

First things first, I gotta get through day one.

Anyway, looks like Phil Ivey is taking a stand against Full Tilt Poker, and their foot-dragging when it comes to paying players. Ivey says he won't play in any WSOP event until FTP starts making good on getting money back to players who have their funds tied up right now. It's a noble stance, and a costly one for him as well. Ivey does quite well at the WSOP, and this could cost him a shot at some additional wrist-wear.

No need for me to re-hash Black Friday, when the US government took yet another step in protecting us from ourselves, by shutting down online poker as we knew it. I thought President Obama was a poker player? Guess he's nothing more than a fish in his game, because if he was half the player the voters thought he was, he would have found a way to embrace online poker as a source of MUCH NEEDED REVENUE IN THESE DIFFICULT ECONOMIC TIMES.

I digress. Maybe one day, the powers that be will find a way to +make online poker a thriving, and legal business in the USA. One that isn't viewed as a dirty profession. It's a hard way to make an easy living.

I know, I'm preaching to the choir. Sorry.

~M

I've issued a challenge

OK, it's not an original idea, but I think it's ambitious. Win my way into the WSOP in 2010.

Not by tournament qualifying, mind you.

By grinding.

Got an e-mail from an online poker site that I used to frequent (haven't played online in a long time, due to the UIGEA, and watching how it all played out). Anyway, the e-mail says, "hey, there's a balance of $10 in your account. Why have you stopped playing here?"

Honestly, I had no idea there was $10 in that account. So, I have taken that as a challenge. Run $10 into a WSOP (smaller buy in) seat.

I'll be keeping tabs on the progress here at the blog, and hopefully, will be able to be triumphant. The goal is to run it into a buy in for my June trip to Vegas, during the heart of the WSOP.

If I go broke, I go broke. All I lose is $10 I didn't know I had in the first place, right?

Session 1:
START - $10
END: $28.31 (+18.31)
GAME: .05/.10 NLHE
TIME PLAYED: No clue. ROI isn't important to me at the moment. Just trying to build the roll.

~M

EDIT: this challenge lasted about 2 months, highest I got the account to was about $50, and got bored with micro-limit cash games. Went nuts playing $5 tourneys until it was gone. GG, me.

Quick Blast on a Thursday

Strange to think we are in 2010. Anyway...had some table time, thought I'd pass along some stuff.

Hosted some friends last Saturday, short pot (just 3 rebuys? Really?), and managed a 2nd place finish. Got close to the felt, and stuck it in with 9-5 suited. Yeah, I was really short stacked. Got called by 7-7. Flop rolls out 5-5-9. Talk about hitting lucky! After that, was able to win some smaller pots, build up my stack. Got to HU, traded small pots, until I got it all in after the flop with AA on a 2-4-5 rainbow board. Got called, chip leader had K-5. Brick the turn, K on the end. Meh.

Not unhappy about my play there, just managed to get unlucky (again). It's funny, and I know you're reading saying, "he's griping about being unlucky again." Let me take you back to our Vegas trip in July. One of the dealers at Fitzgerald's (Grant, my "Lodden Thinks" buddy), told me he has never seen a player get victimized by so many single-digit outs. If I have the lead, my opponent has 5 outs, he hits. Happens all the time. Long term thinking, I am getting my chips in with the goods. That's how I have to think, even when the results don't show it.

Sat at Irish Jim's on Wednesday, got smoked with the deck most of the night. KK on the first hand, flop trips, but muck the hand after the turn brought out a 3rd club, and also put a straight draw out there. Based on the history of some of the other players in the hand, I figured to be a huge underdog once the 3rd club hit. I ended up being right with my fold, as a 4th club fell on the river, making one player the winner with the nut flush (he had K of clubs), and another ran a straight (which also had me beat).

Saw AA twice, had KK again later, and got outflopped by a caller with A-7. Chipped down to 1400 with 300/600/75 level, stuck it in bad with Q-10 off, called by K-9 in BB. Dunzo.

For the most part, I am playing well, not making horrible mistakes, but still making mistakes. Need ot tighten those up, with next league game coming next weekend. Before that, a potential weekend game at home, and Mrs. Chipstack's birthday. She'll be 29 for the 11th time, so it's a biggie!

Good luck and good cards,
~M

OK, I've held off long enough

Joe Cada won the 2009 WSOP Main Event, and did so by keeping his head out of the crossfire early, sticking it in bad in a couple of huge pots, and then getting Darvin Moon to over-moxy himself out of the title.

Cada will be good for poker, provided he is able to handle the demands on being the man. Keep in mind, he's maybe 22 now, so if he stumbles, you kinda have to give him some slack. i just hope he is the face of poker that people remember as being a solid player, and can bring people to the game.

That final table was sick. As my friend Klownboxer would call it, "Bad Beat Boulevard." I'm not gonna go into hand breakdowns in this blog--frankly, I couldn't get my head around some of them. Just seemed that, of the hands shown, the 3-outers hit at that final table as often as people hit them on me. I'll just leave it at that.

This coming weekend sucks, but is awesome all at once. It sucks, because I miss our December league event--which I hate because I actually have an outside shot at picking up regular season P.O.Y. honors, but this month's donut will hurt. I'll miss seeing my buddies, and such, but it's awesome because of the work detail I have. I say work, only because it is through my company. This weekend is fun, with my assignment of championship football. I look forward to this every year, so while I hate missing my pok-ah, I'll love the reason I am gone.

Christmas is fast approaching--where the hell did the year go? What a ride! I will try and post at least once more before the calendar turns to 2010, but if I don't - which is likely - have a great holiday!

~M

Hello Blogosphere

Been away far too long, but haven't felt the muse to write since the passing of my friend Pug. This will be quick, just to let you know I still draw breath.

I ended up winning that August event (don't remember if I mentioned that in the obit story from August), so I locked in my spot in the TOC. Glad to have that win, get my spot locked in, and can carry on to play for wins, and not worry about repercussions. I followed the win up with a final table in September. That gave me the league points lead, but that didn't last, as I went out first in October. Ack. For as well as I played in August and September, I was nothing more than a donk in October. Pure and simple. Anyway, we carry on, and look for a good showing in November.

Been watching the WSOP on tv, and many of you know who is doing what, who is in the November 9, etc. I am not talking about results as I have several friends that have managed to stay away from the internet sites with articles about who is there, chip counts, etc. Suffice to say, I do know who is there, and can't wait to see the final table highlights.

Luckily, my work schedule has been crazy enough that I have managed to sit in Irish Jim's game much more in the fall than I have all year long. Nice having the chance to get away and grind at the table. It's helping me in a lot of areas, but I haven't seen the results there that I would like. I am playing a little better, but I am not quite on stroke the way I know I can be.

Life, for the most part, is good. Work has been crazy, but manageable. Luckily, I am able to keep the juggling act fairly stable, and it will stay at this pace for about 2 more months. After that, it should calm down a little bit.

Nice to be back--more poker to come, once a WSOP Champ is crowned. I have opinions on a lot of players, but am holding off until the bracelet is awarded.

Good luck and good cards,
~M

His name is Pug

"Hi. Nice to meet you. Your name is?"

"Pug," was the reply.

And that's what his name was. Pug. For more than 4 years, that was the only name I knew of this man, who loved his bluegrass music, the Grateful Dead, moonshine, and the occasional cigar. Oh, and he loved his poker. From hold 'em, to the 5-card draw games at Poker Stars. Loved it.

He loved the people he played with, although he wouldn't let on if they put a bad beat on him. He wouldn't shake a players hand that busted him with a bad play. His two kings against 2 aces? Handshake. His 2 jacks against a 2-3 off suit? Forget it. He wasn't bitter, but his rationale was, "why would I shake your hand for busting me with junk? It's like I'm agreeing with your bad play, and kinda rewarding you for it."

Hard to argue that.


Oh sure, Pug would play the reckless hand from time to time, claiming his 5-8 suited from the BB with no raises was fine. Even after a flop of K-Q-4 with one of his suit, betting around, and he calls it all. The thinking there was always, "well I had a flush draw....they were suited after all." Funny thing was, he somehow always managed to get there. 2 runners for the straight, 2 runners for the flush. He'd get the hand home.


Then there were the times the Pugster would mis-read his hand. Thinking he rivered the nuts, and exclaiming "I gots the boat!!!!." In reality, he held just 2 pair, or maybe just 1, and another card that was just one pip smaller or larger. The table would laugh. Pug would, too. Then he would sit in at the side game, telling jokes, or running through his encyclopedia of sayings.


"One's scared, and the others glad of it."


"Ya can't go through life checkin'."


There were more, but frankly, I don't have the heart right now to look them all up.


The world lost Pug on August 17, 2009. At the age of 43, no less. Far too young. Gone far too soon.

My encounters with Pug were at the poker table. I can't think of a time we were together when poker wasn't involved. I am the one that feels the loss in this cold fact. There is so much I missed out on from this kind man. He was, as my buddy Vito put it, "a good ol' boy in every sense of the word." Vito is right. He was a boy. He was good.


My loss pales in comparison to the hurt his family is enduring at this hour. Pug was a small part of my life, but the biggest part in theirs. My thoughts and prayers go out to them this night. May God help you through this very difficult time.


My pain is summed up best in this next story. 3 weeks ago, he friended me at my Facebook page. That was the day I learned his real name.


To me, he will always and forever, be Pug.


I miss you buddy.


~M