A quick one on a Friday night

February League tourney is ready to go....turnout is a bit sluggish (again), and it is quite frustrating. the League's Executive Committee does do a lot to make sure these things run as smoothly as possible. They get no pay, or anything like that, and it just seems that some folks don't appreciate it, or kinda take it for granted. The frustration level has me seriously pondering my involvement for next season in an official capacity. We'll see. It also may just be Friday, and I've had a long week.

Chips are sorted, cards prepared, buttons ready, tables cleaned. Shuffle up and deal. My question is whay hockey jersey to wear? Old skool Blackhawks? LA Kings? Quebec? Old skool Vancouver? Decisions, decisions...

Had a chance to play in a free poker tourney at a local watering hole last Sunday. It's part of a local league that runs games at bars in various parts of town. Good people running it, free for the players, a very nice time. I'm not just saying that because I finished 2nd in my tourney. Not at all. They are running a points system that will qualify X-number of players for a year end tourney. Tourney winners will get buy-ins to WSOP events (or satellites-I honestly forget). I wonder how these guys running all this make any money on these things. They must, otherwise they wouldn't do it. I am grateful for them, and plan on playing some more in the future.

Gotta run--have a great weekend!

~M

A valuable lesson

The names have been changed to protect the innocent...well, I'll just leave them out altogether. The lesson is this: ALWAYS ALLOW THE CARDS TO SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

1 table tourney, with rebuys. Level before rebuys end, this hand comes up.

Player A has 66, and raises pre-flop. Amounts are unnecessary at this point. All fold to BB, who makes the call.

Flop comes: Q-6-4 rainbow.

Player A checks, BB shoves all in for his last 3K or so (again, the details are sketchy, and this is not about making the right or wrong play). Player A makes the call.

Player A has trip 6's, and the BB holds Q-4 for 2 pair.

Turn is a brick (it was beleived to be a 2). The river brings a 4.

Prior to the river, a player not involved in the hand, allegedly says "he needs the case 4, since I folded one). When the 4 spikes on the end, the table erupts, and the pot is pushed to the player in the BB.

The power of suggestion took the hand away from its rightful winner, as even Player A beleived he had been beaten by a 1-outer.

No one is at fault for their actions during the hand. Idle chatter at a table is quite common, and really, at its heart, is harmless. The suggestion that was made, though, was enough to get all eyes trained on the board looking for that single 4 left in the deck, beleiving that was the one card that would in the hand.

Step back, and READ THE BOARD, AND THE CARDS IN PLAY. In the long run, it will prevent you from feeling sick the next day when your buddy explains to you that YOU should have scooped that monster pot, instead of being crippled as the rebuy period was about to end.

Good luck, good cards, and good VISION!
~M

Quick hits on a Monday

1-NY Football Giants. Wow. Unreal game. I have to admit, I was split on this one. I wanted to see New England win it, go undefeated at 19-0, and send the 1972 Dolphins away, with a case of champagne in hand. Every year, an NFL team flirts with a perfect season, and every year that team finally drops a game, the '72 Dolphins roll out of the mothballs, start clinking glasses, and making most of the football watching population throw up in their mouths a little. I respect what they did. Any football fan knows what they did. We all get it. Enough with the champagne. go away.

To see the G-men win it, though, tugs at the very heart of sports. The underdog, with no chance to win, everyone saying there's just no hope for a victory. They come out, bash the Patriots in the mouth, beat up Tom Brady at every turn. They played a whale of a game. Mad props to them for that.

2-My buddy AB is officially engaged. Couldn't happen to 2 nicer people. He and his future missus are a TERRIFIC couple, and AB joins the ranks of us that have outkicked our coverage in the love department. I am very happy for both of them. Their wedding will be whip ass.

3-Poker? What's that? LOL. Haven't played since the home game 2 Sundays ago, and getting the itch in a big way. Maybe this weekend, I dunno. Have to plan a little as the week goes along, but yeah, I gotta get me in a game.

February league event is 2 weeks away. Looking forward to that, as I do every month. I just like the fact that I don't have to drive anywhere this month. A good time will be had by all, but especially me, since I plan on winning, and taking the points lead. OK, it won't be that simple, but I have to maintain a positive outlook, right?

4-Poker After Dark. Last week's show has been pretty good--only seen 3 episodes. Need to watch the rest so I can clean off the DVR.

OK, at work now, and have to run. Lots to do, the day after Superbowl XLII.

Good luck and good cards,
~M

PS-spell checking isn't working at the moment, so any mistakes will have to just be lived with, I suppose.

11 months left?

Where did January go? Can't beleive the month is already in the books (well, in another 12 hours or so). Time does fly when you're having fun, or in my case, working, dealing with a cold, and looking for your next card game.

Likely won't have anything this weekend, what with Super Bowl 42 and all. Heading to Irish Jim's for the annual end of the season championship game. New England v. NY Giants. Pats 18-0, Giants a HUGE underdog. If I were in Vegas, I would bet the Giants and take the points--they will need them. Since I am NOT in Vegas, I won't be making a wager on this one.

What else? Mrs. Chipstack finally convinced me on a new TV. We picked it up last weekend, and it's a beauty. I am quite happy with it, and look forward to much enjoyment (read--watching hockey and WSOP coverage in HD) in the future.

I did play a game Sunday, and Mrs. Chipstack sat in and played too. While I was a complete moron, she played great. Finished 3rd, and cashed which was cool. That's her 2nd straight money finish--she rarely plays. When she does play, all she needs is one hand to get paid off on, and she can move her chips around well enough to cash. I dusted off my initial buy in, and then (gulp) 3 rebuys. Volsfan took it all down--she's on a nice little heater of late, playing some damn solid poker.

Been fighting off a head cold for a couple days. Ugh. Sudafed only does so much. Think I will grab some orange juice on the way to work today, and take the offensive on getting rid of this thing.

Anyway, sorry to blog and really say pretty much nothing--that's kinda how things are rolling right now. Nice and quiet, steady and even-keeled. Feels good.

~M

Try to help a friend....

..and the cards spit in yer eye. Check this out.

Fessca (Villain) raises it to 150 (blinds 50-100). I flat-call (I'm playing for beachgal).

Flop comes off as you see it. Villain bets 200, I raise it the pot (975). Villain shoves all-in (has me covered).

What hands would I be fearing here? If Villain hit a set, he would likely check it, hoping I hit the A on the flop. If Villain hit his A, he is likely trying to see where he is (which my raise should indicate I nailed the flop in the privates). I know I have the lead with top 2 pair, as his post flop bet tells me no set is in play.

I call, and he shows me AK. I need to dodge 3 Kings with 2 cards to come. Villain picks up the straight draw on the turn, and fills on the river.

I don't know that I could have played it any better. Can't get all the chips in any better than that. Runner runner to get eliminated.

NOW I remember what I don't miss about online poker.

Sheesh.

~M

NASCAR Week behind me

Thank God. It's usually a fun week, but it's also a huge grind.

There was a big positive to come out of it. We played the ESPN Night Poker tourney on Tuesday at the media hospitality suite. I worked my normal day Tuesday (sort of, as I was in a couple hours early to head over to a luncheon and then driver interviews). Worked my shift, and then left about 10:40. Made the 20 or so minute drive to the hotel, and got into the very last qualifying tournament. I told the ESPN guy (George, a great dude in many respects), that I would be running late, and he made sure they held a seat for me. My buddy Tim came along, and he got in too, but since we were both in, they too chips off of our stacks to make things more balanced at the table. Anyway, Tim goes bust early, I'm hanging around as a short stack, and hit a big hand to triple up. That helped me finish in the top 2 in the qualifying tourney--top 2 advance to the final table. Nice.

As we start the final table, I'm looking around, and I only see one face that scares me. It's this guy that works for a TV station in Roanoke, VA. A fella named Chris, but we all called him "Commonwealth" at the table. Cool guy, and the nickname actually fit. Funny. Anyway, Commonwealth goes bust, and that was a good thing, since he won this event last year, beating me in heads-up. So now, I just need to not get caught up in a bad spot, and wait for a shot to win it. Down to 4 players, I am in the BB with A-4 suited in hearts. No raises to me, so I take the free flop. It's K hi, all hearts. YES!

I sit on it, and check. 2 checks to the SB, who bets out. Time to act....meek....and after a few seconds of thinking out loud, saying things like, "you hit 2 pair?" Or, "you wouldn't move there without SOMETHING..." I call. The other 2 fold.

Turn card is a black 2. I check, he fires again, and I continue to play the weak opponent, and after deliberating again, I just call.

River card is an A. I check once more, and this time he fires a big bet. I check raise him all in, and he calls. He turns over AK, for 2 pair, and roll over the nut flush. I say "nut flush," and he starts scooping the pot! "Whoa," I say. "I said nut flush." He looks and says, "Oh, I thought you said you had nothing." We both chuckled, and he walked off, eliminated. From there, I eliminated the 3rd place finisher as well, so once heads up began (all chips remaining on the table were 500 denom), my opponent had 1500 in chips, I had the rest.

We played one hand of HU, he had AJ and went all in for his final 1000 (from the button), and with me being the BB for 1000, it was 500 more to call. I called blind. I peek at a MONSTER!

4-2 off.

LOL. I hit the 2 and win it.

What did I win? A weekend for 4 to Busch Gardens, Williamsburg! Hotel, and park tickets taken care of. Last year's winner (which I wrote about in the blog), sponsored a child at Victory Junction Gang Camp in his name. Also a cool prize, but the family can certainly enjoy this one.

We played a cash game after the (.25/.50), and I walked away with a nice profit as well. Drunk players are so much fun to sit with. The table chatter is always entertaining, and the bad calls, and bad plays are very profitable. Anyway, I didn't get home and to sleep until 4am, and had to turn around for an early day at work for the 3rd day of the media tour. I worked a day shift, and made my way to Irish Jim's for his weekly game. I know, now, that I play poorly when I am tired, and I was beat. I busted on the bubble, knocked out 4-handed when my J-7 suited was beat by Klownboxer's K-7 off suit. It happens. He called blind, since it was (I think) 700 more to play the hand. Whatyagonnado?

Anyway, looks like I won't be at Big Kat's on Saturday. Mrs. Chipstack and I will be doing some babysitting Saturday night, and I don't think the rest will hurt me all that much. Klownboxer begins his NASCAR travails this weekend, so a Sunday game won't happen this week, or next, with Superbowl XXLII on tap--that means Irish Jim's for the annual SB bash. No poker, just a football celebration that is usually a good time.

After the low of busting early in the league event, then winning the trip, to the exhaustion I felt at Irish Jim's, taking a few weeks off is probably a good thing, so I can get focused for the February league game. I currently sit 4th in the points, and need to have some high finishes over the final 3 tourneys if I have any chance of winning POY honors.

Good luck and good cards,
~M

Well, THAT was fast...

And yes, I am talking about poker (you sickos).

January league event, that I had been looking forward to, lasted all of 38:19. Likely less, but that is when the computer said I was busted out.

Thing is, I was playing pretty well. Picked up a couple pots early, had my stack, after starting with T3K, up to about 3800, but raised in one hand with AJ, and then folded it to a re-raise from a player with JJ. Little did I know, JJ would be me undoing.

Last hand of the tourney for me:

I am in late position and look down at JJ. I raise it up, and the button flat calls.

Flop: 4-10-3, rainbow.

I bet 300, button re-raises 300 more. I call.

Turn: 3

I check, button bets 1000. I shove, he calls, and shows QQ.

DAMMIT!

Of course, I miss my 2 outer (as I should have), and was done.

It has been a long time since I was the first one busted out of a tournament, and man, do I hate that feeling. I don't mind how I went out--well, I kinda do, because I probably could have gotten away from the hand, but just didn't believe the story I was being told. That's my own stubborn self being an idiot there. My opponent played the hand well, and got the chips. Nh, sir.

Being the first one out is a stinging feeling. The feeling you get when you get caught talking in class, and sent to the principal. It's a lonely walk to that office, and the walk from the table to someplace else to contemplate your fate is identical. It's a feeling I don't want to have, ever again.

If I go out on a bad beat--as in I had the best hand, and got unlucky, then you KNOW it was out of your control. When you get played like I did, well, it's just worse.

I did have some success in the cash game afterwards, so the night wasn't a total loss, but I dropped to 3rd overall in points, and that means I have a ton of work to do if I want to win the POY title. I want that title, so much to do, there is (a little Yoda reference for ya).

There was a positive to come from the tourney. Volsfan, recently released from the hospital after having a surgery, won for the 2nd time this season. She's playing some quality poker, and the results are finally coming for her. I am happy for her, but now, she is my sworn enemy. Mortal enemy, even. I must find a way to disrupt her mojo.

OK, I'm kidding. She really is playing great, so I need to watch my back when we are at the table together.

As for poker for me, gonna be slow this week, as I have NASCAR duties this week. May try for a Sunday game, unless I make it into the field on Saturday at the Big Kat's game on Saturday. Time will tell.

Good luck and good good cards
~M