Crossing the line

First, don't forget to watch the WPT Champion of Champions two-hour special on NBC (first poker show on a network) at 4 p.m., Super Bowl Sunday. If it gets good ratings (and I'm sure it will), you can almost guarantee seeing a poker series on one of the major networks next season. And you think this is the dot-com era of poker, wait till it arrives on network TV! I mentioned a bit about this special when I was in the studio audience in December.

Second, not to be outdone by Paradise's $250 bonus in February offer, UltimateBet is now offering a $100 redeposit bonus (good now through Thursday)! Agh, at this rate I'll never clear my UB bonuses (which is a good thing, believe me).

Third, someone please win The Hammer Challenge III! We're up to $65 now so it's actually +EV to play those 72o cards. I'm adding a brand new Terrible's t-shirt (size large) to the prize package.

Fourth, check back here on Monday for a big announcement. The only hint I will give you is: Feb. 22. Clear your calendars!

§
More and more, poker has consumed my life. The excellent poker blogging going on is no help! Catching up on the poker blogs is an addiction unto itself.

If I were doing it for a living, that would be a different story. That would be an excuse to play even more. But trying to balance time spent playing (which is at least 3-4 hours a day, plus another couple hours with Poker Grub as well as reading other blogs and boards) with the day job and personal life and sleep is becoming harder to manage.

Personal life and sleep -- eh, what's that?

But I've realized I've gone overboard, and the day job is suffering. I'm a zombie at work, having barely slept the night before because of you-know-what. Work is not getting done. I've let a project slip that has been due and overdue that I need to go in today and Sunday to work on, and I'm still not sure I'll be able to finish. I come into work late and end up taking vacation time because although I'm present in body, in spirit and in Internet I'm scouring poker-related items.

Even the play -- I normally would've attended all the performances to check out the audiences and support the cast and crew. Instead I only saw opening night. Good intentions.

I'm a gambling addict (but I can stop at any time).

And even though all I want to do is play poker, it's time to shift focus to real life for awhile.

What exactly this means in execution, I'm not sure, but it will probably result in skipping a day or two here and there of play and blogging. Don't be scared. I'm still eating Wendy's.

The bad thing is that I love the game. I love it. If I could, I'd marry it. Anything and everything associated with it, even its annoying in-laws. I never tire of it, never get bored. I can sit for hours live at the table or virtual on the computer. I can't get enough of other people's blogs (share the addiction -- poker blog godfather extraordinaire Iggy rounds up poker blogs in his informative and entertaining article for PokerSavvy).

The other bad thing is I feel I'm playing better than I've ever played before (bad beats and all -- because if it weren't for bad beats, you wouldn't be playing correctly). I lost a mindnumbing $2667 in my 10 days in Vegas before and after Christmas (that was just gambling, not including other incidentals). None of the loss was from playing poker (had I just played poker, I would've been up $285) -- I got sick a few days into the trip and was confined to the awful slot machines, because slots love you even if you cough on them. While losing on the slots, I kept thinking it was okay, that I'd just recoup that loss playing poker online. And since then, I have.

Poker creeps into other aspects of my life. I was telling Iggy that I think of poker concepts while driving. The car in front of me that has its right signal on -- is that a bluff? Should I speed up and be the aggressor, or will he come over the top and crash into me? And what about the third person still in the hand who could suddenly check-raise -- the cop hiding in the bushes. But what are the odds three-handed? So I speed past the car. And he crashes into me and I get a ticket. Damn fish.

§
So last night...

I'm at work and utterly exhausted from staying up most of the previous night playing.

It's 7 p.m. and some friends were going to the show, and I thought I'd join them. It's nice when friends see your work, and I like to watch their reactions as they watch the play.

Then it's 7:15... 7:30... I'm just too tired.

But wait -- what's this email I see? Something from Empire saying because I'd entered last Sunday's 150+12 tournament, I was registered for the Friday night freeroll ($5,000 prize pool). It started at 10 p.m.

Quick calculation. I could hit the play at 8 and be home by 11 p.m. -- enough time to pull a Phil Hellmuth and saunter in to the tables with my Starbucks a scant sixty minutes tardy. It's limit anyway, so the hands would last longer and I wouldn't be blinded off that much.

But I'm falling asleep. I need sleep.

7:45. Okay, skip the play, go home, get a couple hours' rest and then if I felt like it, play the freeroll. No harm if I missed it, as it was free and I didn't even think I was entered (they had previously advertised only Saturday night tourney participants could play in the Friday freeroll -- but I suspect not enough players, so they brought in Sunday's as well).

I give a call to my friends, but no answer. Leave a message in voice mail saying I'd had a long day and was going home to crash. Also left them comps to the play, feeling guilty.

But I was so tired, just the thought of getting up to go home was exhausting.

So I messed around in email, caught up on all the poker blogs (man, there's so much good stuff out there), and decided to play some.

Always a dicey proposition at work. But playing at work makes poker feel like work (in a good way), and I have no fear of disconnects, just fear of people still roaming around the office.

I install and run ChoicePoker, the new kid on the block of online cardrooms. They're so new that the past two times I've logged in, no one was playing the real money games. And the high hand bonus was a full house.

A 3/6 table going. The only real money table running on the whole site. I sit down, planning to work off my $100 bonus. I'm quickly down $50. Whoops. Good players there, rarely seeing an unraised flop.

I exit when the table breaks, then sit down in a 1/2 table. No one at 3/6 anymore, so now this 1/2 table is the only real money table running. With the same 3/6 players. It's nice in a way, because it becomes like a home game. You recognize all the players because you've played them before. Zach, the host of ChoicePoker (according to his moniker) said in chat, "grubby, haven't seen you here before." I told him that I hadn't seen him before either.

So I lose that $50 playing badly. But in the interim make an open-ended two-outer straight flush on the turn. Because of the high-hand jackpot, I check the whole way not knowing whether it counted if everyone else folded.

The previous high hand was a 4 of a kind, and my straight flush held up. That gives me $25 in ChoiceCash (essentially more bonus money to work off), though several hours later it still wasn't in my account.

I'm playing the 1/2 badly because I also have Empire installed and loaded and am simultaneously playing 5/10 6max (yes, I know I was going to lay off for awhile and concentrate on SnGs, but...).

Empire was the dominant screen and, similar to The Gaming Club, Choice would time me out without me being aware it was my action.

No matter though -- I closed Choice, down $100 (with almost half the bonus worked off), and focused on the 5/10.

Great game, as usual. There is no game better and more profitable than the 5/10 6max at Party/Empire.

My goal was still to push my Empire bankroll to $1000, and I thought I could do it here and now. It was currently at $897 and I didn't think it'd be that difficult to accomplish. (I put out of my mind the $100 loss at Choice.)

Typical swings and I'm down $150. Oops, spoke to soon.

The tourney has started, and I've missed it because Empire didn't automatically seat me at the table. I seat myself and find I've missed a few hands but wasn't yet the blind. T1000 still to go.

Why aren't more people being knocked out? Oh yeah, it's limit. This'll be a loooong game.

I play my normal tourney game while concentrating on the 5/10. There, I make up the $150 and then level off around my buy-in of $250. Some beats, some fish, some good players. All passed through during my three-hour stint.

Three hours! It's now 1 a.m. and I'm still playing... at work! And it's freezing. The heat is shut off at 7 or 8, and my hands were icing up.

It's down to the final two tables in the tourney -- 20 people left out of 120, and only the top ten cashed (10th paid $100).

I bid adieu to the players on the 5/10 (three of them were excellent, one was a fish, and one seat was empty or filled for brief moments before they donated their money), closed it out up $220 (happily bypassing my $1000 goal) to put all my attention on the multi.

Both tables open, I watch each game and player and chipstack as people get knocked out. I'm playing tight and my medium stack is being chipped away.

It's now down to 11. I'm hoping against hope not to be on the bubble. It's painful when I'm 4th in SnGs and place just out of the money... if I were 11th in a multi, you'd hear some real screams.

My strategy is to fold into 10th and then start playing. But I would raise on good cards. If I ever got any good cards.

It was two tables of six and five, we just needed one to get knocked out and we'd all advance to the final table. Then I get AA and a guy reraises. He's the shortstack, but I'm more concerned about the third person in the hand. I reraise, the third guy calls, then the shortstack reraises. I cap, and finally the third guy folds. Shortstack had QQ. He goes out, I get his chips, and onto the final table!

It's a blur, but I'm folding like a maniac. What happened to my strategy? Doesn't really work without at least something to play. No round goes without a preflop raise. I can't call with suited connectors heads-up. Even small pairs were jettisoned. But if I was first to bet, I raised any pair. I raised any paint cards and any big Ace. I tried to steal a blind a couple times but only got reraised. Otherwise I folded.

And then I get 33. I raise with it and am reraised. I call (when I should've folded) and we're heads-up.

The Flop: 322.

I check, he bets. Turn is a 7. I check, he bets, I check-raise. He pauses a long moment and then folds.

Perhaps I should've taken him to the river before making my move, but I put him on a big pair and was hoping he'd reraise. I think he would've called my raise with a big pair, so he probably had a big Ace.

That put me in fighting position, about medium stack with 8 to go.

I was already set -- I could go out now and be happy. I had the $150+12 buy-in for the Sunday game covered (and I'll play it again if the overlay is good again).

But let's see how long I can last.

It's another blur (I wish I could get hand histories of multis), but I folded a lot and I recall being 5th place ($400) and the smallest chipstack at T936. I go all-in with A J, three callers, and I win, putting me back in the game. Still smallest chipstack, but able to survive another few rounds of blinds.

Then I remember being 3rd place ($600) and the chip leader being ultra aggressive with The Hammer of all things (a 2 was onboard, sure...). But he lost to the other guy. And soon he was knocked out.

Now two of us. The new chip leader has four times as many chips as I do. 2nd place is $1000. I'm ecstatic.

Over the next hour and two breaks, we seesawed up and down, back and forth, left and right. And then equal! Then I was ahead, then back to equal, then down, then back even. Then up.

I'm now ahead about 5:4. We lamented how it wasn't no-limit, that we'd be there forever with the blinds increasing minimally every half hour. He wanted to declare an all-in in chat and then we'd both raise and reraise till all our chips were in (heads-up play had no cap for raises like in cash games). I said I'd rather play it out. I suggested chopping, he said chopping sucks... but get back to him in half an hour and he might change his mind.

I played the best I could, and half an hour later he didn't have a chance to change his mind, because I had all the chips! Final hand was my AQs vs. his A8o. He had about T15,000, I had T105,000. I could sense he just wanted to end it, raising and reraising with A8o. His final words were, "please 8."

No 8 came (an Ace did, which didn't matter) and I won my first multi! $1500, my largest payday ever. Earlier I was reading on twoplustwo how people felt when making the final table. What they described made me recall the few times I've made it (but never won). When I entered the freeroll, I thought, "What if..."

And now I know: it's exhilarating. Nothing like it. If they could only somehow combine the feeling of the final table with sex, Ecstasy, Red Bull & Vodka, and a good medium-rare steak, there wouldn't need to be a Heaven.

And that tiredness I felt at 7:30 p.m.? It was now 4 a.m. and I was wide awake. And I was still at work.



yesterday...

lunch:
McDonald's 10 chicken McNuggets
fries
3 Otis Spunkmeyer cookies
chocolate cake

2 Diet Cokes
3 Diet Vanilla Cokes

dinner:
skipped, but for peaches and cream oatmeal

grub: 26 (incl. gas)
poker: 1620



today...

lunch:
Healthy Choice country breaded chicken
Tostitos

dinner:
...

grub: 0
poker: 0

 
Once a bonus whore...

If you use Neteller (you shouldn't be using anything else), Paradise Poker is offering a 10 percent deposit bonus (up to $50) for every Sunday in the month of February. You'll get $250, sure, but you'll first have to put up $2500 in $500 weekly increments... or will you?

Once the bonus is in there, it's there for good. No 30-day expiration date. But it comes at a cost -- 10x the amount of the bonus in raked hands. In other words, to claim the $250, you'll be playing 2500 in raked hands. Fortunately, every time you play 100 raked hands, $10 is released into your account. And it's not just the hands you win, but any hand that you're involved with that is raked. Even if you fold preflop.

I first started my online poker playing at Paradise, playing 7-card-stud. I was awful at it. I still don't know how to play well. Looking over some records early on, it's embarrassing how much I lost. Then I switched to hold'em and lost even more.

When they added the 5-card-stud games, I played that. Lost. Tried Pineapple. Lost. Switched to 7-card, then hold'em. Lost, lost.

I have never done well at Paradise. Even now. I don't know what it is about them. A deposit is offered, I jump on it, then escape with less. This last time they offered a bonus, I lost half my deposit (including what was left of the bonus) and cashed out, not bothering to finish it out.

Every time they offer a new deposit bonus, though, I will jump onboard. Free money is free money, and you can't not participate. Because every time there's a deposit bonus at a big online cardroom, the fish flock to it. The normal tight games of Paradise will be loose throughout February. Not as loose as Party, but is Party giving you $250?

As for getting around the hefty ultimate $2500 deposit, that's simple if you can gather $500 together. Put it into your Neteller account now so that it clears by the end of Sunday. Deposit it all into Paradise, wait a couple days and withdraw. Do the same thing for the succeeding Sundays. By the end you'll have $500 in your Paradise account and $250 in bonus to work off, and you won't even have played yet.

To work off the 2500 raked hands at two tables of 1/2 should take you approximately 362.3168 days.

Actually, more like 20 hours. Think of it as earning $12/hour just for folding a lot.

§
Had a Scrabble date tonight. First time I'd played in years.

When we lived in the same state, grubette and I used to play all the time. I think it's what brought us closer after constant fights growing up. We'd play competitively and always for money (at least $20, then double or nothing up to $100). If we didn't have cash, we'd write each other checks. I still have some pieces of paper with our scores (and wagers) from years ago. Christmastime was full of Scrabble games. Now they're full of card games since the cousins now have money of their own that they can lose to us.

Then something happened. grubette got really good and far eclipsed me. She played tournaments, even began using a Scrabble clock. But we'd still play, still for money. At least once a game she'd plop down a 7-letter-word for a 50-point bonus.

I struggled to keep up. She'd spot me 100 points. I'd still lose.

For Christmas one year I got her the Franklin Mint edition of Scrabble. We'd gradually lost interest by then, and had moved on to other obsessions before finding poker. grubette was the one who first introduced me to playing live poker in Vegas. I started with 7-card-stud at Mandalay Bay and Bellagio. Then spent a few months losing online. Then back to Vegas playing 7-stud at Bellagio and The Palms. Our game was breaking up, and grubette suggested they switch the table to hold'em. That was her sole game by this point because, as she said, you can be drunk and only have to concentrate on two cards. I switched to hold'em and never looked back. (And lost and lost and lost until I stopped my fishy ways.)

So I haven't played Scrabble in awhile, and after discovering a girl I'd been out with a couple times was into the game, I challenged her. "Looking forward to beating you," "Better make it half an hour later so you can read through the dictionary," that sort of thing. Tonight was the showdown at her place.

She had the 50th anniversary edition with swivel tray and word guide. I brought the 3rd edition (hardcover) of the Official Scrabble Dictionary (OSD). This edition is not accepted by the Scrabble community, but it didn't much matter since I'd forgotten all the two- and three-letter words.

She challenged me on a couple words, saying you had to define it and use it in a sentence. My big word (because it connected several words) was "et" which I knew to mean the past tense of eat. I then proudly opened the OSD to the entry. She gave it to me, but only after running upstairs to prove it wasn't in her her dictionary that was too heavy to lug down.

I guess I still remembered some obscure two-letter words. I then stayed away from them and played normally but strategically. Kept the board tight.

Ended up winning by a few dozen points, though she conceded in the end because she was tired.

And I quickly realized that she liked to play for fun. She was good, but not competitive. She didn't care if she won or lost, she just enjoyed playing. She said she wanted me to win because she knew how important it was to me.

I started thinking about that. I like to play for fun as well, but I'll always play to win. I won't soft play. I won't lose on purpose. Even if it's against a 5-year-old. The kid's gotta learn that life is cruel sooner or later.

So I felt bittersweet about the win. There was nothing riding on it, so I only feel good about winning if the other person is also in it to win; otherwise, there's no real challenge.

Where she works is very competitive. It's mostly men who've been in the business 20 years longer (and are making just about that much more). She says that's plenty competition. When she gets home she likes to relax.

Perhaps I'm the opposite.

On the other hand, she didn't bat an eye about my poker playing (she loves slots herself), and we traded several Las Vegas stories.

§
When I got home, true to my word to her, I pursued more of my Empire journey.

Three 30+3 NL SnGs: 3rd ($60), 2nd ($90), 2nd ($90)

Nice to cash in all three. I really don't mind coming in third in the SnGs -- any return above the buy-in is still a win to me.

The last SnG was perhaps the longest and most difficult heads-up match I've played. We had knocked everyone else out by the 25/50 blinds and had plenty of time for a prolonged heads-up game. He won, and he won fair and square, mostly from my lack of aggression (he folded many hands until the end when blinds were 300/600). It was good to get in some heads-up practice, which I'm least experienced with. When I've won 1st places in the past, it was from big calls that I had no odds in calling, and other players' bad plays. And though I don't believe in it, mostly it was luck. Luck of the cards.

I then decided to take a baby step back into the volatile 5/10 6max. I set a time limit of half an hour. Up or down, I'm out in 30 minutes.

Found some bluffers that would raise the flop with nothing. Like a classic fish, I called them down with middle pair. And my hand was good.

Left +125 and with the SnGs, a total of $266 after two hours.

The Empire balance is now at $897, just a boulder's throw away from my goal of a grand by next weekend. I'm confident I can do it. I'm still smarting from last week's bad run at 5/10, the wound of which is still very fresh.

Time to tread carefully.



lunch:
salad with grilled chicken and tuna
Ruffles potato chips
Belgian chocolate cups

2 Diet Vanilla Cokes (regular Diet is still sold out)
3 glasses of German white wine (didn't catch the label, but it was a dessert wine)

dinner:
Healthy Choice mesquite chicken
Wheat Thins
salami
crackers and olive/pepper sauce

grub: 10
poker: 266

 
Slow and steady

Busted out quickly from tonight's 50+5 multi $10K guaranteed at Empire. Very quickly. In fact, let's just say it happened, it's over, and my rear is sore. Let's keep the shame inside.

156 people entered (Empire again lost money, but not as much as Sunday's game). I was 150th. And this was limit, too! Goodness. Do I really fancy myself a tournament player? Where's the 5/10 6max?

Two pivotal back-to-back hands that sealed my demise...

The first: AQs. The flop was AQ8. Turns out one person had 88 and the other had QQ. I was an underdog the whole way, but I couldn't let go. A good player would have folded to constant reraises. I'm not that good.

The second: 10-10. On the flop is a 10. I'm betting my heart out. Turn is a Jack. The guy had JJ. A good player might have put him on an overset. I'm not that good.

And I quickly exited in half an hour of play, my tail very much shriveled up. Wait, that's just the cold!

Speaking of cold, here's a Gruboise tip:
To defrost your car windshield faster, pull down the sun visors to trap the heat.

There now, wasn't reading through my failure worth it? A friend played in the same multi and busted out a couple dozen hands later... he lost twice with AA.

A big hearty congrats, however, to Ed at Openers. He was at my table for the Sunday game and went on to place 9th! Way to go, Ed! And of course I accept your dinner offer whether in DC or NC. I'll never turn down a meal. 'Specially a free one.

And look out for Lord Geznikor at Rhymes with Joker. He's moving up fast in the multis. He posts a terrific first-time Vegas trip report where he took a very nice first place win at The Orleans.

I'm determined to place in one of these multis sooner or later.

Faced with a depleted bankroll of $184, I played some SnGs...

Six 30+3: 4th, 3rd ($60), 5th, 1st ($150), 1st ($150), 2nd ($90)
One 50+5: 1st ($250)

A bit over four hours of play past the multi "experience," and that was enough to propel me to a $392 win. Now the Empire roll is at $631, well on my way to my $1000 goal by next weekend.

I'm very happy with the SnG results, and I know I should stick with these single table tourneys. You can play many more of them on a limited bankroll. With $184, I should probably have played some 10+1s, but my impatience got the better of me (see fortune cookie, below).

With SnGs, you can play your chips much more liberally (and correctly... RAISE those premium cards!) because you're not playing with scared money. You've already spent that money on the SnG (think of it as purchasing an hour's entertainment without expecting anything in return except maybe a goodnight kiss). Now you have chips. Everyone has the same amount of chips. Just be the one with the most by the end. That's a much different feeling than sitting in a cash game and letting go of your money little by little. If you're playing that way, by the way, you shouldn't be playing.

So stay with SnGs is my sound advice to myself, as I'm still building up the roll.

Oh, but you know 5/10 6max is coming. You know it. Because I can't stay away. And then just watch for the bad beats. 'Cuz they be a-comin'.



lunch:
chocolate doughnut
chicken with mixed vegetables (no cabbage)
steamed rice
fortune cookie: You have great patience (they're watching me! is my game that obvious?)
Oreos
Krackle bar

1 Coke
2 Diet Cokes

dinner:
Healthy Choice mixed grills chicken with roasted garlic tomato sauce
Wheat Thins

grub: 55 (incl. a pair of shadow puppets for an upcoming play event)
poker: 392

 
Goodbye Party, hello Empire

The Federal government actually closed three hours early today because of predicted icy conditions.

Why don't I work for the government like half of DC? Oh yeah, I hate dressing up.

That's why poker is so fitting. I just earn enough points online to cash in for baseball caps and shirts, and my wardrobe is all set.

Because of their new yet-to-be-fully-developed point system, I'm switching to Empire to focus on SnGs. They're the same as Party, but I don't get anything extra playing on Party. In the past, I would play at one site for a few months until the other site offered a comeback reload bonus, then switch, then repeat. The points are as good as any incentive, plus Empire's new guaranteed multis are too good to pass up.

The top 100 members with the most EPoints will be entered into a freeroll to compete for a $25,000 seat to the Five-Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio. You can then use those points to buy into a December tourney to win a Porsche.

I want both! I have no idea how to determine my ranking, but for some reason I now have 5007 points. Want to know where you stand? Enter your Empire name at this link.

On Sunday I deposited $300 to play the $150+12 multi on Empire. I lost the tourney, but won a bit of it back playing ring games. Tonight I played two 10+1 SnGs (placed third in one) and a 30+3 SnG (won first).

My Empire account now has a grand total of $239. This will be -55 tomorrow night, when I enter their guaranteed $10K multi.

My goal will be to transform this meager roll into $1,000 by next weekend, so I can blow it all on the loose card barns in California.

Let's see how far it takes me.

§
I finally finished Tomb Raider II: Cradle of Life. On a sequel binge, also watched Jeepers Creepers II.

Both, for the most part, sucked rocks. The first Jeepers had something going for it with that creepy half-alive truck (that honk!) chasing the siblings. Then it quickly went downhill when the Creeper was revealed, and not only was he invincible but he could fly (!). Only to tumble further downhill when that inane psychic was introduced.

I admit it's hard for me to get past the history of the writer/director (Victor Salva spent time in jail for child molestation). Particularly when we see boys running around with their shirts off ever since Powder. Still, I know enough when something stinks on ice.

II has nothing. It's a generic monster who's hungry every 23 years for 23 days. We even have a girl psychic who dreams about his origin, just so we know why the monster's after everyone. Well, they put it in writing right at the top of the movie so we the audience know. But the kids in the movie need to know too, so we get to sit through not only the explanation once more but the catcalls of "you're crazy."

Now it's the 23rd day, there's a busload of teens, and monster boy is starvin'. So why toy with the kids? He's selective, sure, but why not just get it over with? They establish he can rip apart metal with his bare claws (heck, he rips apart his own face and still lives to grunt about it). And it's established how flimsy the bus roof is when one of the girls takes a javelin (yeah, I always remembered keeping spare javelins on my school bus) and spears it not only through the bus roof, but through the skull of the Creeper. Which, of course, has limited effect because he is invincible.

So why not peel back the sardine lid and have your pick of body parts? He's on a deadline (in the morning he goes "back to the earth"), make haste now Mr. Monster.

Oh. But it's not just the busload of kids we have to contend with. We're also introduced to a Moby Dick-ish character (named Jack Taggart, Sr.) who witnessed his son being snatched away by the Creeper (again he teases -- why didn't he pick the kid up and fly immediately away rather than run through the cornfield and then fly off? If I could fly, I wouldn't spend much time running). Over the next, um, day, Mr. Taggart, Sr. becomes obsessed and spends all his waking hours building a mountain out of mashed potatoes and creating a harpoon to kill the Creeper. Is there no thought that the son might still be alive?

Ho hum.

I dearly love horror movies, but all they've become are a battle between monster vs. nubile teen. There's no threat, suspense, or terror any more. C'mon, Wes Craven -- forget that tepid Scream series and develop something new. I know you're capable (how scary was the first Nightmare on Elm Street?!).

Even Lara Croft ends up battling monsters (and early on, a shark that she KOs right in the jaw). Here was an Indiana Jones-ish idea (Pandora's Box) that is dropped as soon as she discovers it. Suddenly she realizes the potential for harm? Where's the Superman II scene where she opens the box to save the life of the man she loves?

And when you fight Lara, why don't you just grab her ponytail and swing her around?

Story has been replaced by CGI. Make it look cool, and people won't notice. Come up with a good fight scene, and people won't care.

But people do notice and do care. The digitized effects look like they were done by a computer. You can practically see the green screen. Things don't bounce around like cartoons (withholding the obvious Angelina Jolie breast joke).

There's a reason these sequels didn't do well at the box office.

I hope.



lunch:
grilled chicken salad
plain M&Ms
Jaffa Cakes

2 Cokes

dinner:
edamame
Tostitos
Nestle Crunch bar (which forces you to their slow website to see if you've won $1M)

grub: 20
poker: 115

 
Bad luck baby buck

I don't know what's more frustrating. Losing to a string of bad beats or wrestling with Blogger after a particularly long post.

I like the utility (futility?), I really do. But sometimes I can't stand it. It's slow, clunky, and once you click "Post & Publish," your fate is to be determined. If it doesn't take, it's gone. In this case, I clicked, I waited, I waited some more, and nothing.

This post was gone.

Sure, I could prepare it somewhere else and then copy and paste into Blogger. But I'm too lazy to do this offline. I need to be able to stream-of-consciousness it right within Blogger. And if I lose it, I've lost that stream and can't bear to repeat it because I've already written it.

This makes three times Blogger has failed me. (The rest of the Vegas trip report was part of that, which I'm still steaming and haven't yet rewritten.)

Felicia, don't listen to everyone trying to convince you to move to a blog. Stay with Yahoo Groups. Much less aggravating, to be sure.

Sigh. Here we go again...

§


(photo by Dennis Cook, Associated Press)
The Supreme Court, Jan. 26, 2004
Outside, a snowblower clears the steps.
Inside, justices review whether teenagers should be sentenced to death.

The snow kept some people out of the office, so I stayed late and got a shot at the $7000 multi tourney at The Gaming Club. Unfortunately, it was 20+2 limit with two $10 rebuys and one $10 add-on. Rebuys just serve to protect the maniacs, and I'm not sure how to play with the rebuys yet. Especially with limit.

I'm not a fan of rebuys. Just make it one amount + juice and be done with it.

I suspect they're to keep the house from losing more. Although there were only 213 people who entered (as per usual for the terrific TGC overlay), the prize pool went to over $7200 with rebuys and the add-on. Poof -- no overlay. And no reason for me to hang around TGC any longer.

No, the best place for multis is now Empire, which could stand to add rebuys to avoid losing tens of thousands per week. Too bad Party's software isn't equipped for it. Yes. Too bad. Enjoy it while you can, though. Empire isn't going to sit around and continue to throw money at these multis. They already realize we use them for the bonus and then switch back to Party. Now they're trying to lure us with their multis. So far it's not working. (Which I'm glad for, because it means a better overlay and odds for me.)

I didn't do any rebuys and placed 24th (top 20 cashed). My final hand was on a difficult decision. I was third from the bottom. Second from the bottom was at my table and he went all-in. He was called by two people. I was SB and could either fold (leaving me one more orbit to hope for a better hand) or raise. I had A 8 and was getting good odds. I decided to raise.

No help for any of us except the person who went all-in, who had 88.

A previous hand I was in the cutoff and it was raised behind by the chip leader. I had AQo and mucked. Too bad, because chip leader had A-10o and won with Ace high.

If you think Party has calling stations in their tournaments, check out TGC. Frequently seven people to a flop. And even with huge blind increases at a faster pace.

Over the course of three hours, I played maybe half a dozen hands, including KK twice (won both; the second I flopped quads with four people calling to the river), 99, and the ill-fated A8.

§
Then swam in the Party waters and ended down for the session. Yet again.

These last few down days have been frustrating me. I don't feel I'm playing badly. I'm not playing any differently than I normally do, and I'm not tilting. Evidently, luck is not a factor for me (too much "Fear Factor").

I went to the hand histories and PokerTracker and didn't see any hands that I would've played differently. I pulled a few hands of interest, which I'm posting below. The first hand shows how completely devoid I am of luck and when I grow up I want to be just like Elmo (or at least read his book).

I know this is temporary and I'll begin posting wins again. Just hoping it's sooner than later.

File them under the category: Just how good is 5/10 6max on Party?

§
I'm revealing a fish's screen name here. It's not his full name (some numbers follow), so he's still safe. But normally I don't post anyone's name. Until now. My revenge. Muhahahahaha.

Elmo is in the cutoff. Keep an eye on him. He's a big honkin' whale of a fishy fisherton.

I'm acting right before Elmo.

And we're off.

Two people fold to me and I raise with Q Q.

Elmo calls. I'll reveal his cards right now: 4 7. My note on him is that he plays any flush cards, and here they are, right on schedule.

Blinds fold and it's just me and the muppet.

The flop: 8 9 5.

I bet, Elmo calls. See, there's still the chance of runner-runner hearts. And a gutshot to the straight. Plus that grubby dude probably just has overcards, so lots of outs.

Turn: (8 9 5) 8.

I bet, Elmo calls. Okay, nix the heart draw. But look at all the players still in and the huge pot odds, so let's try for the 6, the one card that will help. Odds are pretty good, right? There're four in the deck, after all. That's not to mention how many other outs there are -- three 4s, three 7s. That's 10 outs, because that grubby guy probably just has overcards. 4 7 is just a monster!

River: (8 9 5 8) 6.

I pause. I think I'm still good. Every time I value bet the river, it seems I get raised by some calling station who gets his catch. Could Elmo have trip 8s? No, he would've raised on the turn. Could he have a set for the boat? No, he would've raised on the turn.

I bet. Elmo raises. How could that 6 have helped him? I consider reraising, thinking he just has a pair. I have a bigger pair. Could he have rivered a set of 6s? Possible. At no time though did I remotely consider I was beaten by a straight. I call.

His straight takes it down, I muck my Queens, and I sob into my armpit.

The next 30 seconds were filled with [expletives deleted] and [expletives deleted]. The same cuss words that I used when Blogger deleted this post. I typed "wow" in the chat but refrained from substituting further colorful [expletives deleted] to drive the fish away. I downed another Capt. & Coke and concentrated on getting my money back. Which was only a losing proposition, as I just ended up donating more money to him on similar heads-up beats.

§
From the same Fish Files...

5/10 6max again, different table.

I have 2 2 in the same position as the previous hand, one from the cutoff.

Two people fold, I call, cutoff calls, SB folds, BB checks.

Flop: 2 4 7.

A Hammer hand! Quite possible from BB, though. Some free random cards and this is a flop well-suited for BB. With my set, that's what I'm hoping. Seems with no overcards to scare, players will call down (and even bet out with) any flopped pair. Kicker doesn't matter.

BB checks. I smooth check, deciding to take a risk that a third heart would fall and figuring cutoff would bet. Then perhaps BB would call one just to see the turn. In 5/10 6max, rarely does a round get checked through.

As expected, cutoff bets. Unfortunately, BB folds. I smooth call again, getting ready to pop the turn. Please, no heart.

Turn: (2 4 7) 7.

Even better. I bet out to represent the 7 helped me, that I now have trips. But I think that he thinks if I really had it, I would have check-raised him. This is a move that many players make to get you off a hand or make you stop and think. I use this move to my advantage and actually bet out when I really do have something. Because players make this move as a bluff, they think I'm bluffing.

He raises.

Okay, so he has something good. Maybe he has trip sevens. No matter, I'm still better. But let's see.

I reraise. He calls.

No cap, no trips. I think he thinks I now have trips. Which I do, just not trip sevens.

River: (2 4 7 7) A.

I bet, he calls.

I win.

What did he have, you might ask? A 9.

He bet the flop on nothing (I'd make the same play to steal the pot). But he raised me on the turn, still with nothing but Ace high.

I probably could have extracted another bet from him had I check-raised the river. But I didn't put him on an Ace, and wouldn't think he'd call all that way heads-up just trying to catch.

But they do. This is how Party 5/10 6max players play. An Ace high is a good hand, they think, so no matter the kicker, they will call with it and call and call, hoping to catch that Ace on the river.

Sometimes they get it (most times, it sure seems lately), sometimes they don't.

This is why despite my losses tonight and the past week (dagnabbed variance), the 5/10 6max is/will be ultimately profitable.

§
And one final hand, again 5/10 6max. This one's a doozy and I know it's long, but it's worth following. The strategy that went into this is one reason why I love poker so much.

For an hour or so, play has been pretty tight. Typically if anyone raised they would get the blinds. Time for a different strategy. I played looser while still raising. I also just called the premium hands UTG, risking letting the blinds in if no one raised after me.

I'm in the SB with K 6.

UTG folds. Cutoff slowplays and calls with J J. I complete, BB checks.

Cutoff made the mistake of not raising anyone out with JJ. I would always raise with this, no matter the position. In last position with three callers? Sacrilege not to raise.

But like I said, the table's been tight and a raise preflop usually just picked up the blinds.

Let's take a peek at what BB has: A 4.

Think BB would've folded to a raise? Maybe. Think I would've folded with $8 to me? Most definitely.

But that's not how it happened, and Cutoff only has himself to blame for letting the blinds see a flop.

So three people to the flop of 5 8 3.

After creaming my pants, I consider there's a possible straight flush draw with 6 7 (when you've been beaten this many times, you start to see monsters under the bed). But I'm relieved when I realize I have the 6. I'm first to bet. Should I check or bet?

My opponents aren't likely to credit me with a made flush (that thing again about if I had it, I wouldn't bet but instead check-raise... because that's what they do, so I would do it too).

I also think that I want to charge the A guy, if there's one out there.

So I bet out.

BB calls with his A 4. I would probably have done the same thing. But -- there's someone else to follow. With the nut flush draw, I might have raised to get Cutoff to fold and get heads-up with that tight SB named grubby. If another didn't fall, I'd check the turn for a free river card.

But BB calls.

Now Cutoff springs to life. To him, I was probably representing top pair or a flush draw. Same with BB. Cutoff raises. I would've made the same play. But I also would've raised preflop.

For a second I think Cutoff already has the nut flush. But I put him on the A nut flush draw that BB has.

I consider raising, but I want BB to stay. I'd rather show weakness here. Plenty of time for raises on more expensive streets.

I call, BB calls.

Three to the turn: (5 8 3) 2.

I want to trap BB into two bets, so I bet out.

BB now unexpectedly raises. A good move, as his A 4 gives him a straight and a nut flush draw.

Cutoff calls.

I didn't put BB on a straight, but figured he popped the turn with the nut club draw. Either that, or he already had it and I was drawing dead.

Well, let's see.

I reraise.

BB now just calls. Cutoff calls too (with JJ and not even a J, he should've folded by now).

I figure BB as well as Cutoff are now fearing that I flopped a flush.

I think I'm good, as long as another doesn't drop.

River: (5 8 3 2) J.

I pause for a second and decide to check, now hoping to trap Cutoff but risking a Sklansky catastrophe by having it checked through and losing two bets.

But I figured BB had to have something for him to have gone crazy on the turn. If I checked, he could possibly bet.

And he does. Cutoff makes a crying call with his rivered set of Jacks.

I still fear BB having flopped the nut flush, but I raise anyway.

BB calls (yes -- he doesn't have the nut flush).

Cutoff makes another crying call. He should have folded long ago. He still doesn't know he's in third place.

And I take down a $193 pot, pulling $65 from each of my new friends.



lunch:
grilled chicken caesar salad
handfuls of plain M&Ms

3 Diet Cokes
Red Bull
Capt. & Coke

dinner:
more handfuls of plain M&Ms

grub: 6
poker: -286

 
Snow falling on cedar grubs

It's snowing! 16 degrees. They say up to 8 inches by morning. Earlier today I joined the supermarket frenzy and traded my soul for the last remaining Healthy Choice frozen dinner.

A good excuse to stay indoors and play some poker. Not that I need much of an excuse, I just feel less guilty when there are other things I could be doing -- like watching the rest of Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

§
Last night I took a date to Melissa Arctic by Craig Wright. You'd think I'd take her to my own play to impress her, but well, a small blackbox theater in the barren bowels of Northeast D.C. ain't all that impressive unless you're out looking for crack.

So instead we went to the barren bowels of Capitol Hill to the Folger Theatre (part of the massive Folger Shakespeare Library). Folger primarily does works of Shakespeare, and this play is based on Shakes' A Winter's Tale. (Mental note: write something based on a Shakespeare play to get bigger venues.)

Craig Wright is known for The Pavilion and the recent Recent Tragic Events (Playwrights Horizons in NYC). But he's now better known as one of the writers on "Six Feet Under."

Melissa Arctic certainly has a "Six Feet Under" feel. Vignettes of family life, centered around the disintegrating relationship between two friends (who may as well have been two brothers). Act II is 18 years later. There's a mortician with stories of a guy falling into a cheese slicer, who now grows flowers. There's the artist who paints. There's the parent who died tragically and haunts everyone. There's the rebellious kid who doesn't want to go to college. There's the treatise on mental illness (the most interesting part of the play). Sound familiar?

Though it's the first production, I'm sure Wright drafted the play before "Six Feet" and it probably helped get the gig with Alan Ball. Just rename the characters, and you have an episode of "Six Feet Under."

As a play, however, it doesn't all fit. The emotion is there, but it's false, feels unfinished, and there needs to be further exploration of the initial ideas set forth in Act I.

Across the street at Pennsylvania Ave. and East Capitol St., they were filming something for "The West Wing." No more Rob Lowe, so we made a hasty retreat.

§
Haven't been doing well at the tables.

Yesterday, Party's lag was so bad they cancelled a 5+1 multi I was in. Only four hands into it, and it took 45 minutes. I never played a hand and stayed at T1000. They split the prize among the remaining players (yep, a few dozen were knocked out in those four hands), resulting in a 13-cent win for $6.13. Wooo.

Played some more 24+2 qualifiers to get into the big game (no success), plus some 50+5 and 30+3. Only placed third in a 50+5, the others either the dreaded 4th or worse.

Switched to UltimateBet to work off some of my bonus. Sat in two 2/4 tables. UB players are better than Party players but they're trickier and more apt to bet into scare cards (a flush, a straight, trips). More than likely they don't have it, but it causes some pause when they were calling until then.

About even on one table, way down on the other (the one with the kill -- they go crazy for kill pots). I was the first to sit down at both (double points), and I worked off $60 of the bonus, which, factored into the day's earnings, still resulted in a loss.

§
Today, I played $100 NL (some well-timed steals but otherwise mostly folding until hitting big pocket pairs) while playing a couple more tourneys. Empire Poker has a TGC-ish overlay in their Sunday big game multis. Desperate for more players, they started offering guaranteed prize pools right after Thanksgiving. Party does this, but they always attract more than their guarantee.

On Empire, the players don't show, and they're losing money hand over fist. (Empire is a skin of Party, but all skins' multis are separate.) Empire also began offering VIP points (similar to UB's UltimatePoints), but right now it's confusing and unclear. I have 5000 points, played a bunch, and still have 5000. And how did I even get the 5000?

The Sunday limit game is a guaranteed $25,000 prize pool. Only 82 people signed up at 150+12, so even adding in the juice, Empire needs at least 154 people to break even.

Normally I wouldn't plunk down $162 for entry to a multi, but with only 82 people, chances were just too good.

After over two and a half hours, I was knocked out at 23rd (only top 10 paid -- 1st place was $7,500 and 10th place was $500) when I threw in the rest of my small chipstack with 33. Ran into 99. To rub it in, he made quads. I would do it again, though. The next hand I was big blind, forcing me all-in on what could've been a worse hand.

Played some 5/10 6max to (almost) make up for that entry fee. Can't seem to get enough of the 5/10...

§
Chris Halverson wrote terrific macros to produce cards' suits. I'm not proficient enough to figure out how to make use of them, so I'm still coding 'em the ol' fashioned way (I stole 'em from twoplustwo... shhh...).

Here's a rather nasty hand. 5/10 6max. I'm in the SB with 7 10.

UTG+1 calls, I complete, and BB checks his option.

7-10 off is a bad starting hand, but there weren't any raises and it didn't seem like a tricky table. I figured I could outplay them on the flop, particularly if overcards fell.

The flop is a dream J 8 9.

I go ahead and bet this, hoping for a raise. Normally I would slowplay, but sometimes slowplaying can kill you at the 5/10.

Both BB and UTG+1 call.

Turn is 8.

Still okay. I bet again and BB raises. UTG+1 folds.

BB could have an 8, but I put him on a small Jack. I reraise.

BB just calls. So I know he doesn't have an 8.

River is 8.

How annoying. I check, BB bets, and I fold.

§
Another hand. One that I felt I played badly and it cost me.

UTG calls, UTG+1 raises, MP calls, a fold, and it's to me.

I see Q Q and I call. I would probably make this play again, because it's 5/10 and the possibility of isolating is remote. Also, if an Ace or King flopped I could get out cheaply.

BB folds and UTG calls.

Flop is 5 4 Q.

Lovin' it!

I thought about check-raising, but instead I bet out, hoping the raiser (UTG+1) will raise so I could reraise.

Didn't happen.

UTG folds. And the other two just call. No matter, I'll just get in a raise on the turn.

The turn: 3.

I figured if I checked, I could possibly induce the raiser (or diamond draw) to bet.

I check. UTG+1 checks. MP bets.

I should've raised here to get UTG+1 out. But I was greedy and figured on the river I could get one more bet in from UTG+1 by not raising him out.

UTG+1 also had $24 remaining. And I'm positive he would call if I reraised. (Later, he said he likes to buy in with a small amount so that he can't be taken off a hand... sure enough, he must've gone all-in six times (either winning or rebuying for $50 when the normal buy-in is $250). Also noticed he continued to stay to the river with just Ace high.

So I just call and UTG+1 calls. Just watch for the fireworks on the river!

The river: 2.

I'm sunk. Someone could've made a runner flush, though unlikely. Worse, it put out a possible straight. And UTG+1 raised preflop, so I put him on a big Ace. Either way, the deuce killed my hand.

I check. As predicted, UTG+1 bets. MP calls (good, so I don't have to keep UTG+1 honest).

I fold my poor set of Queens.

MP had J Q.

UTG+1 took the pot with J A (what he was doing in the pot still I had no idea).

On the bright side, I saved $10. $20 if you count what I would've lost had I raised the turn.

Yet I should have lost that $20 extra, because that was the correct play. I severely underplayed it and serves as a reminder that if you flop the nuts, bet with it and bet hard. Because the Party fish swim around with just overcards or Ace high hoping to catch something. And if you attempt to be sneaky, the poker gods will see through you and give you a time out.



yesterday...

lunch:
Healthy Choice blackened chicken

4 Diet Cokes
Captain & Coke

dinner:
Perdue Short Cuts chicken
2 McDonald's fruit 'n' yogurt parfaits

grub: 5
poker: -351



today...

lunch:
turkey & avocado sandwich on rustic Italian bread
Hershey's s'mores bar
edamame

5 Diet Cokes
Captain & Coke

dinner:
spicy tuna sushi
another Hershey's s'mores bar

grub: 50 (incl. groceries)
poker: -81

 
The premiere

Opening night of the play! I skipped the pay-what-you-can preview last night and went tonight, fresh without even seeing a rehearsal. (Plus there was a champagne reception afterwards.)

I tend to write ambiguity into my plays. Theater is more accepting of unanswered questions than film, and I try to take every advantage in this somewhat dying medium. I do it because I think it challenges an audience, it makes the piece last longer when they're discussing it on the drive home. One person can see something completely different from another -- and both opinions are equally valid. One of my favorite pastimes is eavesdropping during intermission.

(This can backfire. A few years ago, I was sitting behind a guy who clearly didn't care for the play and asked his friends. They didn't seem to have a problem. He said, "I don't know. It's not the acting, it's not the directing... it's the writing." My heart sank. I wanted to quiz him, find out exactly why he thought that way, what I could do to make it better. But instead, I just hid in the back hoping no one would come up to me and have him realize the playwright was sitting behind him ready to strangle.)

A couple weeks ago, when the director emailed me and asked for my ideas while writing the piece, I hedged and changed the subject. I do have specific thoughts and reasons, but I prefer the director come up with her own interpretation and not let me influence. It makes for a more interesting piece, and I get to see something I may not have thought of. Unlike screenwriters, playwrights are still respected. But having started in screenwriting, I'm comfortable with the director making it her own and my not overseeing and approving everything.

She persisted, so I gave her six possibilities... none of which I was actually thinking while writing. She emailed back, describing what she and the actors came up with -- and she nailed it. They had the same idea I did. (It would still come across as ambiguous to the audience, but it helps if the actors have concrete answers for themselves.)

So I felt it was in good hands and didn't feel the need to be involved. I'll sometimes sit in on auditions, particularly with this theater company. The artistic director likes to improv along with monologues, so I feel like I'm getting a full day's worth of free entertainment.

There were three music cues -- Being John Malkovich opened with the track from "Puppet Love" (inside joke -- the play has a Charlie McCarthy dummy). It did set the mood quite nicely, though whenever I hear that score I always think of Malkovich. Then some from "Twin Peaks" (David Lynch was an influence on writing the piece) and The Crow. When she was bouncing around music ideas, I mentioned Donnie Darko, particularly "Mad World," which would make an excellent exit song. Alas, no Donnie.

Because I like to make things even more difficult (I mean, challenging) for others, I wrote in British accents. Forcing accents pretty much shoots you in the foot, because if it's not convincing, you're constantly pulled out of the play thinking how bad an accent it is. And unfortunately, the male actor wasn't as deft with it as the female actor. Some of his words were clipped and difficult to understand.

Overall, I was very pleased with how it turned out. And I just adore my female actor (the one I coincidentally sat next to last week at Cooking with Elvis). She has such a presence onstage. Washington, D.C. has a strong theater community (we actually have the third or fourth largest number of theaters in the nation -- I know, hard to believe), but I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she moved to New York as soon as she hits Equity.

The central idea is two kids locked in a closet (the director later said she actually rehearsed a couple times inside a real closet). Walking through the sold-out crowd, I overheard people mention things ranging from "the brother's torturing the sister" to "it's Nazi Germany outside."

And I didn't have to hide in the back.

I love theater.

§
The Hammer Challenge, or O Desafio Do Martelo to our Portugese readers (I found out someone translated pokergrub.com into Portugese!) is now at $25 (er, $19.87EUR)! We passed the previous record for the first two challenges, so I thought I'd add something else to the prize package.

I'm all out of "Real People" t-shirts, but how does a brand new, genuine leather wallet sound? Oooh, ahhh. Now I know y'all use rubber bands to hold your bankroll like good poker players, but sometimes you might find yourself out in public and a rubber band will not impress the in-laws.

Therefore, win The Hammer Challenge III and I'll stuff the cash inside the wallet and mail it off to ya.

§
When I got home, played a few no-limit SnGs to nurse my ailing bankroll.

Two 24+2 qualifiers for the big game (#1: almost won but took second for $25; #2: lost QQ to AA). Two 30+3 (4th in both -- did I tell you how much I hate being 4th?). And three 50+5 (won one, placed 3rd in the others). A total $283 buy-in and a $450 return.

I did get lucky on the way to placing 3rd in one of the 50+5. About six people left. I had about T1500, I get 99 UTG, and I raise T300. I'm reraised T700 from a guy who was almost all-in. He didn't put himself all-in but left himself with a T56 reserve. Because he was shortstacked and left that extra T56, I put him on AK. So I reraised him all-in. He had AA. But the flop and turn gave me quads! I only had two outs and I hit both. Finally, I get to be the one who sucks out on someone else for a change.



lunch:
McDonald's chicken McNuggets
fries
Welch's mixed fruit (real fruit juice!)

3 Diet Cokes

dinner:
banana oatmeal
Wendy's chicken nuggets
fries
champagne
cheese & crackers & cookies & fruit

grub: 10
poker: 167

 
Poker purgatory

The other night I dreamt I was inside the lobby of some all-white modern, I.M. Pei-like structure (a museum? an arts center? purgatory?) and stood at the registrar's desk. He tells me how much whatever I'm registering for costs, and I dig into my wallet and give it to him. He checks his computer for a moment and realizes there's an additional cost. I give that to him too.

This is repeated for a bit, always in odd amounts -- $56, $48, $23... And I keep going for my thinning wallet, pulling out the amount, and handing it over. "I'm sorry," he says, "but there's one final cost." I open my wallet again and have just enough to cover it with $2 left over.

I woke up with a start, to an Avril Levigne tune.

I realized all the money I was giving were pot amounts. The $2 was the rake. And I was losing!

I've been playing poker too much.

§
I secretly checked my Gaming Club account at work. I still can't access it at home because I'm using Windows 1975, so I risk life, limb, and reputation by playing at work. I loaded the software, signed on, and was just about to register for the $7,000 guaranteed no-limit multi tourney when I hear, "Hello." A coworker from the late shift. Damn. And I was on the computer she needed to use. "Whatcha doin'?" she says. "Uh," I say, "I think your project is on the desk." I quickly uninstalled, cleared the browser cache, and logged off. Nice that poker software has efficient cleansing capabilities.

TGC always loses money on these tournaments. Rarely do they get enough signups to add up to $7,000. The overlay is so good, I'd be playing it every day.

The last time I'd logged on, I had played at least 50 raked hands and qualified for their $3,000 freeroll at 1 a.m. I didn't stick around for it but registered anyway.

Before I disavowed all trace of TGC from my coworker's machine, I was happy to notice an additional $4 in the account. Which means I placed at least 260th in the $3,000. My strategy was simple yet tricky and took years to perfect: autopost and autofold.

Hey, $4 is a good deal for a night's sleep (and dreams of poker purgatory).

§
The Hammer has not yet swung a third time, and we're on the four-day, $20 mark. Jason of Stick and Move and Paul at Intrepid Card Player both reached Challenge I and II on their fourth days. Will we finally push past to $25? Boy, when you add this all up it's getting expensive!

I created a separate Hammer page, because the rules fell off this current page and headed to the archives.

§
Miserable night at the tables. Lost a 30+3 and then spent the next few ugly hours in 5/10 6max. One normal loose table, the other extremely loose and aggressive with two raising maniacs on either side of me. Some pretty unbelievable runner-runner straights and flushes. Not much I could really do except leave.

What didn't help matters was the awful lag going on at Party. For a good hour everything slowed and was unresponsive. Switching between tables was painful. Seems as if their servers aren't handling the 33,000+ players very well.

Also lost a lot last Thursday. Perhaps I should take Thursdays off. My dream unfortunately came true. Though in the dream I had $2 left.

I may switch to somewhere else for awhile and get this Party stink off me.



lunch:
Papa John's pizza (pepperoni, ham, bacon, mushroom, pineapple)
Vezir Turkish Delights (only had two; too much coconut)

4 Diet Cokes

dinner:
Papa John's pizza (mushroom and tomato)

grub: 18
poker: -640 (and that even includes the TGC $4 win)

 
Always the bridesmaid, always 4th place

I don't know what I'm more addicted to: poker or poker blogs. There's a ton of quality, thoughtful, funny writing out there, too numerous to mention. iggy's site is a good place to start -- with his daily links and comprehensive blog links, just give in and make his site your homebase for all your poker blog needs.

Reading poker blogs (bad beats and all) will make you a better player. Study the hands that are posted and decide how you would've played them differently. Even if they won, did they win as much as they could? If they lost, did they lose the least? Would you have folded earlier? Would you have raised sooner? Compare their play to yours.

Several times a day I catch myself checking for new posts. I get a bit of a thrill when I go to one still with yesterday's date on it. Then I refresh my screen, and suddenly there's a new update! Ah, it's the little things...

grubette's also been doing the poker blog rounds. So much so that she played tonight. She was adamant about not going to the card barn tonight -- she had just been on Monday and was planning to go Friday. And heck, on Monday she lost $465 to the crazy loosey-goosey 4/8ers who cap preflop with 23 (that's not even Hammer worthy).

But she got to reading the blogs and got the bug.

I was at the end of Tomb Raider II: The Cradle of Life (Lara Croft has just been captured in Africa!) when grubette called saying she was done in by the 4/8ers yet again. She was down $100 in the first ten minutes. I tried to tell her this was good: pots that big + that many people seeing the flop = easy money. This is exactly what I look for when scoping out tables at Party. I know there will be variance, but I embrace it. Unfortunately, her premium hands were cracked and she tilted a bit (and drank more than a bit) to tack on another $350 to her Monday loss. "I could've bought a laptop," she said.

Chin up, grubette! Friday will be better. And when mamagrub's laptop arrives, install some poker software and let's play a multi together!

§
Yesterday I played five 30+3 and six 50+5 NL SnGs (2nd place three times) for a total $495 buy-in and $450 return. Today I played one of each and placed 3rd in the 30+3. And how many 4th place finishes? Fourth place which is equal to 10th place because there's no money for either? Five. A whopping five 4th places. Sure, I could have folded into 3rd for the money, but darn it, I'm here to win the thing not eke into 3rd.

When a SnG gets heads-up or three- or four-handed and I get AKs, I'll raise. I may get reraised or I may be put all-in, but either way I'll reraise all-in or call the bettor's all-in raise. This is the correct play.

And yet three times with this hand I busted out or lost a placement because of blind luck. A3s (hit the flush), A7o (hit the 7), and KJ (hit a straight) all called or reraised me all-in preflop, and all knocked me out.

I don't have luck. I don't win contests. I lose at blackjack, slots, every other gambling game out there. Poker is mostly skill but does have that element of chance, and that element I can't prevent.

I may have to alter my strategy to first see the flop and proceed from there. But I know eventually I will win in the long run by playing AKs strong and fast.

§
Tired of being 4th, I hopped over to the dangerous 5/10 6max tables. Two at a time again. One was the normal fishy players. The other was completely challenging with two tricky players (one of whom check-raised me twice and of course he had AA). I was down $200 almost immediately. Thought about rebuying, but stuck with it. If my last $46 went, it went. This was not a good idea. If a table is that good, I should leave and find the fishies. But challenging can be fun too. I adjusted, pretended I was at a table of twoplustwo opponents, ran that $46 back up to my buy-in and over, and happily cashed out $80 up.

It was also a challenge playing the complete opposite (in other words, straightforward) way on the fishy table. Had some bad beats, folded when I would've won, but I surprisingly never went that far below my buy-in and left $136 up.



lunch:
Popeye's spicy chicken strip po' boy sandwich
cajun fries
Hershey's Kisses
Welch's fruit snacks (100% vitamin C)

3 Diet Cokes

dinner:
Healthy Choice mesquite chicken

grub: 408 (incl. mamagrub's gift)
poker: 188

 
Risks and rewards

Gamblers are a cheap lot.

We balk at forking over $100 for a fine dining experience. $50 for a shirt, are you out of your mind? $1 for a Diet Coke?

I clip coupons. Last month I spent an hour online at Best Buy's website, keying in codes for $1 each... and only one of them worked. Surely my time is worth more than that.

Yet sit us down on a casino stool and we think nothing of tossing out $10, $25 bets. What, the buffet costs $16.95? That's too expensive, I deserve a comp, debbiedimmit! Oh, here're our free drinks! Here's a dollar tip for that free 4 oz. bottled water.

I think nothing of plunking down two $250 buy-ins at two 5/10 6max tables. There's control there. Skill. You elect to play or fold, enter a pot or not. You see the chips bleeding off or stacking up.

The SnG tourneys, though. I play them two at a time, that's $50+5 times two. Jeez, aren't you simply throwing away money? $110 gone in a snap unless you clear out at least seven people. And a multi? Forget about it. Dead money to be sure. You need some major luck, everyone might as well go all-in on the first hand and see who has the best luck. Put it all on red and you get the same result.

Yet out goes the big-headed Jackson and change. Not even into a pot, just gone forever. That's a risk. Because I know I can beat those seven people to cash and if not, I can beat the next seven people. And $110 is worth that. And another $110 is worth that.

But spend $100 for a delicious steak dinner and a big honkin' buttery baked potato at The Palm? No way would I spend that much.

I'm trying to change, trying to shift priorities. I think poker has helped me become more generous with money... at least on others (despite my penchant for saying things like, "See these movie tickets? See this dinner bill? POKER paid for them!"). I'm still less willing to spend it on myself, which is why I'm still wearing the same 100 percent polyester from the Eisenhower administration.

Near my apartment building there's a homeless guy (and his dog Platinum) I pass often. I give him whatever dollar bills I have. He now recognizes me and says, "Thanks again, bro." It's 20 degrees outside. I could do more.

mamagrub has a birthday coming up. grubette and I went in on a laptop that cost us $400 each. That's a lot of money. Yesterday, I lost $450 and grubette lost $465. Both at the poker tables. Is $400 still a lot? We had that much to spend gambling, but we have second thoughts on a gift for our mother?

Years ago, my aunt took me clothes shopping. For my Christmas gift, I could pick out anything. I found a sweater I liked but it was too expensive. She took out her credit card and shrugged. Heading to the cashier, she said, "You need it, right?"

Money for more (or less) money vs. money for happiness and contentment.

Priorities.



lunch:
egg drop soup
mixed vegetables with shrimp
orange chicken
fortune cookie: You will be showered with good luck... at the 5/10 tables
4 Otis Spunkmeyer sugar and chocolate cookies (they were small)
chocolate truffle
Hershey's Kisses

4 Diet Cokes
Red Bull

dinner:
the rest of the Chinese food

grub: 10
poker: -45

 
Twenty questions

"Gamblers Anonymous offers the following questions to anyone who may have a gambling problem. These questions are provided to help the individual decide if he or she is a compulsive gambler and wants to stop gambling.

"Most compulsive gamblers will answer yes to at least seven of these questions."

1. Did you ever lose time from work or school due to gambling?
No. Grinding is work. I never miss a day away from the tables. I read as many poker books and blogs as I can to further my education.

2. Has gambling ever made your home life unhappy?
No. I have no home life because I spend all my time gambling. My home life is happiest when I'm gambling.

3. Did gambling affect your reputation?
Yes. The poker blogging community has lost respect for me, making them play the crappy hand of 72o.

4. Have you ever felt remorse after gambling?
Yes. Every time my Aces are cracked, I have to repair the hole in the wall. Which makes me more remorseful because now I have to gamble some more to afford that expensive plaster and bigger heat bill.

5. Did you ever gamble to get money with which to pay debts or otherwise solve financial difficulties?
Yes. How else could I afford rent, Wendy's fast food, and trips to Vegas?

6. Did gambling cause a decrease in your ambition or efficiency?
No. My ambition is to be a great gambler with great efficiency.

7. After losing did you feel you must return as soon as possible and win back your losses?
Yes and No:
Yes. Time spent away from the tables is time spent not making money.
No. It's one big long session that will even out eventually.

8. After a win did you have a strong urge to return and win more?
No. I don't leave until I lose. But usually I just goad people in chat, set them on tilt, and they just give their money to me.

9. Did you often gamble until your last dollar was gone?
No. Now that my credit cards are maxed out, I can easily borrow or steal to replenish my bankroll. Thanks for the suggestion.

10. Did you ever borrow to finance your gambling?
No. I deal drugs to support my gambling.

11. Have you ever sold anything to finance gambling?
Yes. Isn't that what eBay is for?

12. Were you reluctant to use "gambling money" for normal expenditures?
Yes. Never spend bankroll, are you out of your freakin' mind?

13. Did gambling make you careless of the welfare of yourself or your family?
Yes. Sometimes I can't access porn sites while playing without my computer crashing. And one time when playing a multi on my third Capt. & Coke, I almost missed the bathroom before the break. Now I have a catheter. Problem solved.

14. Did you ever gamble longer than you had planned?
Yes. Have you seen the fish at Party?

15. Have you ever gambled to escape worry or trouble?
No. When my Aces are cracked, I'm worried and troubled.

16. Have you ever committed, or considered committing, an illegal act to finance gambling?
No. Unless you consider the Federal Wire Act and gambling over the Internet illegal, but that's a state-by-state basis.

17. Did gambling cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
No. Who needs sleep when all the fish come out after 3 a.m.?

18. Do arguments, disappointments or frustrations create within you an urge to gamble?
Yes. No. Yes. A trick question, because gambling causes these to begin with.

19. Did you ever have an urge to celebrate any good fortune by a few hours of gambling?
No. I celebrate good fortune at the tables by taking a few hours off to work on the blog.

20. Have you ever considered self destruction or suicide as a result of your gambling?
No. Gambling saved my life.

§
I'm getting a kick out of reading about Hammer hands on other blogs. Even if you don't get the prize, you're still winners to me! The Fat Guy is offering The Tertiary Adjunct to the Hammer Challenge. So intent is he to see The Hammer phenomenon spread (and more likely, trash talk and a tilt table), that if you spot someone playing 72o and yelling "HAMMER!" in chat, he'll give ya a choice of a (used) Amazon gambling book, a tray of clay poker chips, or a couple decks of Faro cards. Very nice. See his site for details.

Challenge I winner Jason (Stick and Move) has personally challenged Challenge II winner Paul (Intrepid Card Player) to see who will be the first to win Challenge III... and he's willing to wager his hard-earned $20 prize money!

Who will win The Hammer Challenge III? Jason? Paul? Some ne'er-do-well fresh out of high school who thought he was playing 7-card-stud? The playing field is evenly matched. It's anyone's game at this point.

§
For those who don't play online or don't play at the places I play, consider signing up through me! There are many deposit bonuses to be had. Plus it will help fund The Hammer Challenges if we go past III. Click here for a list and description of the sites I recommend (including a potential $300 bonus you may not know about). And if you're not on Party (and why not?) you can use HAMMER as the signup code for a bonus of $100 (if you make a first deposit of $500).

§
Yes, I've buried my time at the tables today to the bottom of the blog. Tiptoed back into 5/10 6max and had the whole foot lopped off. Bad beats aplenty on two way aggressive tables. Wanting to halt the hemorrhaging, I emerged from the carnage with a remaining $50 from my two buy-ins of $250. Figure I'll use it to buy bandages.

And back to the SnGs we go.



lunch:
poppyseed bagel
onion bagel
pumpernickel bagel
1/2 cream cheese, cucumber, tomato, sprout sandwich
1/2 turkey and cheese sandwich (weird kind of not-too-appetizing nut bread, though I ate it all anyway)
potato chips
2 big peanut butter cookies

4 Diet Cokes

dinner:
Wendy's mandarin chicken salad

grub: 10
poker: -450

 
Another day, another Hammer

Is there something about the $20, four-day mark that causes people to win with Hammers?

I received an email with a hand history and the question: "Did the Intrepid Card Player succeed in bringing the wrath of thy Most Holy and Apostolic Hammer to smite thy foes!"

Why yes, smited and brought wrath he did! Congrats to Paul at Intrepid Card Player for being the second-ever Hammer Challenge winner. He joins Jason (Stick and Move) as the pioneers in driving up 72o into starting group 1 hands with the likes of AA, KK, and AK. Take note, David and Mason!

Here's the hand history. Note the fish weren't biting this afternoon. Lucky for Paul, who hammered through the flop with opponents too intimidated by hammer power to call another bet before the turn.

Interestingly, Paul also won with 7 clubs and 2 spades -- the same hand that Jason won with. If you get The Hammer and are deciding whether to play it (would you have any doubt?), use these suits as a reference.

***** Hand History for Game 34064xxxx *****
1/2 TexasHTGameTable (Limit) - Sun Jan 18 14:42:38 EST 2004
Table Card Room Table 3528 (Real Money) -- Seat 10 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Player 1 ( $36.25)
Seat 2: Player 2 ( $68.50)
Seat 3: Player 3 ( $20.25)
Seat 4: Player 4 ( $72)
Seat 5: Player 5 ( $76.25)
Seat 6: Player 6 ( $33.50)
Seat 7: Player 7 ( $34.25)
Seat 8: Player 8 ( $37)
Seat 9: Player 9 ( $49)
Seat 10: Paul ( $25)
Player 1 posts small blind (0.50)
Player 2 posts big blind (1)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Paul [ 7c, 2s ]
Player 3 folds.
Player 4 folds.
Player 5 calls (1)
Player 6 folds.
Player 7 folds.
Player 8 folds.
Player 9 calls (1)
Paul calls (1)
Player 1 folds.
Player 2 checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6s, 7d, 8h ]
Player 2 checks.
Player 5 checks.
Player 9 checks.
Paul bets (1)
Player 2 folds.
Player 5 folds.
Player 9 folds.
** Summary **
Main Pot: $5.50 | Rake: $0
Board: [ 6s 7d 8h ]
Player 1 balance $35.75, lost $0.50 (folded)
Player 2 balance $67.50, lost $1 (folded)
Player 3 balance $20.25, didn't bet (folded)
Player 4 balance $72, didn't bet (folded)
Player 5 balance $75.25, lost $1 (folded)
Player 6 balance $33.50, didn't bet (folded)
Player 7 balance $34.25, didn't bet (folded)
Player 8 balance $37, didn't bet (folded)
Player 9 balance $48, lost $1 (folded)
Paul balance $28.50, bet $2, collected $5.50, net +$3.50 [ 7c 2s ] [ a pair of sevens -- 8h,7c,7d,6s,2s ]
Paul: HAMMER!!!!

We'll go one more go-round and complete a trifecta of sorts with The Hammer Challenge III, starting... now!

§
davidross posted a record-winning week after taking a few losses. Glad to see his upswing and a stellar $5,340 win ($4,400 of which was within a 19-hour period)! All he plays are the 5/10 6max Party, four tables at a time. See why they're so lucrative?

But I'm still taking a break from them until I can build up the bankroll playing SnGs.

A miserable showing tonight with four 50+5 and six 30+3 (a 2nd and 3rd place). The rest were 4th or worse. Including a couple 10th places -- all-in with AA and called with 33, who flopped his set... and this happened twice! I think I'd rather lose AA to The Hammer.

Maybe I'll go back to 5/10 sooner than I thought and get me some of that davidross mad money.

§
Took a friend to dinner (she's on a diet and can only eat seared tuna apparently) and made her complicit in my evil poker playing by paying for the meal. Muhahahaha! I've picked up tabs in the past, but now I tell them what's paying for it. Presto -- no more complaints about my gambling degenerateness.

Afterwards we caught a preview screening of Touching the Void, a film based on Joe Simpson's mountaineering book. They combined documentary (interviews with the three main people) with actors and The Mountain, along with narrative film techniques and an orchestral score. For the most part it works and speaks to the survivor in each of us (if at first you don't succeed and you're near death...), though it was a bit long. Simpson gave an eloquent and funny q&a afterwards and was at times more entertaining than the movie. I didn't have the heart to ask my stupid question: when descending by rope and you reach the bottom, how do you reclaim the rope that's secured into the rock 150 feet above? And a followup: who picked out those girly colored ropes?



late lunch/early dinner:
mahi mahi with rice and other things sprinkled atop
one bite of seared tuna
poblano bread
French bread
creme brulee

3 Diet Cokes

grub: 100 (incl. Hammer Challenge prize money, to be mailed soon I promise!)
poker: -268

 
Cooking with Hammers

The Fat Guy emailed, "Don't this beat all!" thinking he'd won The Hammer Challenge II. He declined the money and the book (which he was providing anyway), wanting the challenge to go on. Ah, but while he did win with The Hammer, he was out of the challenge because he was playing .50/1. Good try, Fat Guy! Still, it's good to see TFG back on the tables.

So the challenge continues, with Jason at Stick and Move still the sole Hammer Challenge winner... so far.

§
This weekend was the first I've felt well enough to go out without falling into a coughing fit. As long as I didn't talk much, I figured I'd be fine.

A director friend who's attending The Actors Studio (she gets to see all the interviews in person -- 'course, each interview is four hours (mostly James Lipton blabbering away) that they condense to the hour on TV, so it's not all fun and games) is in town, so I got comps to a play I thought she might like. We went to the Kennedy Center to see Cooking with Elvis, a wacky and funny but flawed comedy that included an Elvis impersonator-cum-quadriplegic. The best parts were the dream sequences, which included Elvis getting out of his wheelchair and singing and talking to the audience. My favorite Elvis song, "Suspicious Minds," was in the repertoire so I was happy.

It was written by Lee Hall of Spoonface Steinberg fame (currently being remounted in London), though he's probably more well known for writing the movie Billy Elliot.

In a complete coincidence, my seat was next to the actor who's in my play next week. I hadn't met her yet, but I recognized her from plays I've seen. Actually, I half-recognized her. I'm terrible with faces, particularly actors offstage, and I didn't know for certain until someone in the audience called out to her by name.

At intermission, I turned to my left and said, "Are you..." and gave her full name. "I'm your biggest fan." She blushed, and I revealed who I was. She seemed excited, saying she loved the play and it was going well. Always nice to hear.

My last few productions have been in New York (one during the Blackout) and I wasn't able to make it up for them. The last time I've had one in DC was last January. It's been too long.

There's a thing called Restaurant Week (three-course lunch $20.04 and dinner $30.04) at some high-end restaurants. I suggested it to my friend, but instead we went to her parents' place and had a snack.

It was funny seeing her mother and three relatives around the kitchen table playing an aggressive game of hearts. The room was full of smoke, cursing in Russian (which would just as easily switch to French and other assorted Slavic languages), and chatter about the movie The Battle of Algiers and their grandmother's flatulence problems.

My friend and I went into the living room and ate and drank delicious Port and caught up, hashing out all the things we would have done differently with the play. Okay, I was mostly the critical one.

§
Got home in time for the 200K tourney. First place was $50,040. Second was $30,024. On down to 80th, which paid $500.40. And where was I? Let's just say I ran into a little AQ problem vs. AK (in the future, I need to simply fold AQ) and although placing in the top half, it still wasn't good enough. The tourney would go on for 10 hours.

Then played a ton of SnGs. In all, thirteen 30+3, eight 50+5, two 10+1, and five 24+2 qualifiers. A total of $1021 invested with a $1185 return, and I only cashed about a third of the SnGs. Think I'll stick with these a bit more before plunging back into 5/10 6max.

Some bad, bad suckouts. One hand had me A-10 in last position. I put in a moderate raise and was called from the blind with 73. The flop gave 10-7-x. I bet half the pot and he went all-in. A bluff move I figured, so I called. The river gave him his 3 and I was out in tenth place.

Many all-in bluffs in these things early on. Watch for them. You have to figure, if they really have something, why wouldn't they wait until the turn or river to raise you to accumulate more chips? Players who go all-in on the flop usually have a draw or it's a complete bluff. It's rare to find opponents who double-think this, really wanting you to call because they have a monster and want you to think they have nothing by going all-in.

Another hand I wasn't involved in had someone call a raise with 74o. The flop was Q74. And turn was 7. The guy who raised went all-in on the blank river. He had QQ for a higher boat. The 74o guy kept complaining that he had a full house, how could he lose with a full house. Um. How could you call a raise with 74o? That's not even The Hammer! (Speaking of, one SnG board was 72272 -- what a Hammer board!)



lunch:
7-Eleven bacon, egg, cheese croissant sandwich
Snickers energy bar

3 Diet Cokes
Port (vintage!)

dinner:
French bread
goat cheese and brie
sweet peppers and green apple
Healthy Choice chicken parmigiana

grub: 6
poker: 164

 
The road to the 200K

A couple Lingerie Bowl girls were on Howard Stern today. They gave their plugs, which included PartyPoker.com. First time I've heard Party mentioned on Stern!

§
Hammer champion Jason at Stick and Move already had a copy of James McManus' Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker (of course he did, how else could he ascend to the heights of Hammer champeen so fast?), so into the prize closet it's tossed for the winner of The Hammer Challenge II! Jason is looking to retain his title, so watch yer backs.

§
Two interesting Vegasy rumors in my best gossipy grubby voice:

Hard Rock constantly butts and breasts up against its chief rival for publicity, 21somethings, and Britney Spears' takeback weddings: The Palms. And they lose. But what is a Morton family to do other than spend a few mill making over the interior of their own chintzy Hard Rock casino with loud rock music? Why, put out an offer to buy their arch rival. Three years ago, Mr. Maloof spent $270M to build The Palms. That's nothing to the HRockers, just triple that (how does a 300 percent ROI sound?) and toss in a few comps to the Pink Taco. Think it'll happen? Umm... think George likes the limelight and partying with celebrities too much? Uh huh. 'Nuff said.

The new Steve Wynn casino Wynn Las Vegas (formerly La Reve... but you know Americans' predilection for French verbiage... Freedom Las Vegas, anyone?) is coming along and on track for a spring 2005 opening. (Vegas's first golf course on casino property! A man-made lake! A new Cirque du Soleil show!) Word has it Jack Binion, currently circling the Vegas waters since he headed east, is salivating to put the Binion mark on the Strip (sorry again, Becky) and plans to ante up a huge offer to take Wynn Las Vegas off Mr. Wynn's hands. Just a scant few years ago before being deposed, Wynn reinvented Vegas into a cleaner, slicker commodity with the Mirage properties (including Bellagio) and attempted the same in Atlantic City with The Borgata (still to be determined). Now he's back to reclaim his fiefdom. Will he sell? I think it's a no-Wynn proposition and George Maloof has a better chance of being Mr. Britney Spears.

§
I'm still hurting from the loss last night, so decided to retreat to the SnGs. No big investment, just some fun. And if I lost, I lost.

It's funny, I checked my PokerCharts statistics on just tournaments (including the SnGs) and despite throwing money into all these multis that I rarely place in, I'm actually up! Perhaps I should make the switch to SnGs and multis? When my bankroll was ailing, all I played were SnGs. My bankroll's back to being blue, so let's play some SnGs for awhile.

Ten 30+3 (a 1st and 2nd place) and one 50+5 (won 1st). Total spent on the SnGs: 385. Total won: 490. Profit: 105.

The nice thing about these SnGs is that it only takes a couple wins to put you back to even. I was getting bad beats galore, but I just opened up the next one and got to work.

I then entered a 24+2 SnG qualifier for the 200K tourney this weekend. Of the ten players, first place is a seat to the 200K and second is $25 ($1 less than it cost to enter). Nothing for 3rd. Got unlucky at second place.

Reinvested into another SnG qualifier and this time won! These SnGs are much faster than the 9+1 multi tourneys, though those give you more practice. I've played maybe five of the 9+1, so overall this 200+15 seat tomorrow cost me about $77.

First place in the big game ranges between $40K and $60K. Ahhh, a grub can dream.

'Course, I realized it's only good for this Saturday. I thought the qualifier was good for any of the Saturday tourneys. And there's no refund. I'll need to rearrange my schedule a bit.

Feeling good about the seat win, I plunked some dead money into a NL multi 30+3.

Very first hand I pick up QQ. I don't like to mess with the ladies, so I raise T500 (half the T1000 chips we each get). There's one caller who now has position on me. Everyone else folds.

The flop contains an Ace.

Man oh Manischewitz!

I have to bet here, I know I do. I have to bet, I know.

I check.

As expected, the caller goes over the top and goes all-in.

I use up my 20 seconds of thinking time. Could be a bluff. But wouldn't he think I'm about to check-raise? Any Ace will take me down. AK, AQ, AJ, A3. Finally I said no guts no glory, and I call him. We're both all-in and the board gives no help.

I still had QQ. He had JJ, and he's the first of the 400+ people knocked out.

Almost made it to the second break and had KQ in last position. The flop is QJx. I bet T500, chip leader at the table calls. Turn is 9. I go all-in, he calls. River is a J. My fingers were crossed, but he had 10 J for rivered trips (he also had multiple outs for his open-ended straight).

Much of these multis involve luck. Of course, if I ever win one I'll say it's all skill.

Hmm... the guy I busted out in last place. Perhaps he had the last laugh by claiming an extra two hours' worth of sleep.



lunch:
cucumber & hot pepper & bean sprout & tomato sandwich
an entire box of Jaffa Cakes (jolly good)
assorted candies

3 Diet Cokes
Red Bull
Sprite

dinner:
McDonald's chicken McGrill
McDonald's Big 'n' Tasty burger
large fries
fruit & yogurt parfait

grub: 10
poker: 45

 
The Lord of the Hammer hath been christened

In one of my other lives, I'm a playwright. Before poker took over the better part of my evenings and sleep, I spent much of my time writing. But you can't make a living as a playwright. If I tallied up all the money from my productions, it would be in the three figures. And I've yet to see any royalties from the published plays. (Okay, so poker to date would be in the negative five figures, but I'm working on that!)

Anyway, I have a new one-act opening next week, which I'm very proud of. It's a fun, creepy little thing that runs on atmosphere and ambiguity and stars two young hotshot actors, one of whom has such a strong singing voice (she played the lead in Bat Boy: The Musical) that had I known she'd be cast, I would've written in something for her to sing. Plus the main prop is a ventriloquist's dummy (wearing a sombrero), so it's worth seeing just for that! (Unfortunately, there're no poker references, but Ben Affleck is mentioned.) If you're interested and will be in the Washington, D.C., area between Jan. 22 and 31, shoot me an email and I'll give you info.

A miserable night at the 5/10 6max resulted in a stunning -750 loss over three hours on two tables. Nothing was holding up. I threw in the towel after one rebuy. I think it's time to take a break.

But then everything turned around when I received an email with the subject: "Bringing down the HAMMER." I opened it cautiously. Could it be? Could it be?

Yes! We have a winner for The Hammer Challenge! It's Jason of Stick and Move. Check out his site for his first-hand "You Are There" account of winning. Congrats, Jason! He gets $20, the book from The Fat Guy, a week's worth of plugs, and bragging rights.

Here's the hand history. It was his third attempt, so he had some practice. Notice how he sneakily smooth-called a raise preflop in order to keep two people in. He gets his two pair, but not without a scary all-heart flop. But he valiantly bet and raised on every street, and the fourth heart didn't come. No one called his last bet and he took down a big 11.75BB pot! He flipped over his cards, and a HAMMER! winner was born.

***** Hand History for Game 33618xxxx *****
2/4 TexasHTGameTable (Limit) - Fri Jan 16 01:29:46 EST 2004
Table French Toast (Real Money) -- Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Player 1 ( $86.50)
Seat 2: Player 2 ( $68)
Seat 3: Player 3 ( $99)
Seat 4: Player 4 ( $138)
Seat 5: Player 5 ( $142.50)
Seat 6: Jason ( $83.50)
Seat 7: Player 7 ( $149.50)
Seat 8: Playe