I headed back to the Gutshot for another Tuesday night ‘beginners night’ tourney. I figured that I cant play the cash games until I can afford to suffer a few bad runs from the deck so until then I can just cap my max potential losses at £20 and still have decent prospects of making some decent coin. I’m still playing online as well but not as much as id like and when I do play its still a battle to keep my cash out of Sit n Go's and on the cash tables. The draw of the Sit n Go's is like a magnet for me even though I know full well that I have much better returns from cash games. I also know that to make something of a poker career I've gotta focus on cash games and try and ignore the massive wins I see in the WSOP and WPT as the top pros can go months and even years without winning one or even cashing. Cash games are going to be my ticket to the big time – I'm just not sure I can afford it yet.
Anyway, now that that tangent is over, back to Tuesday night. I had arrived way to early last time and had to sit and wait for like 45mins so this time I arrived about 20 mins before the start and only just got registered in time. There were 110 runners and the prize pool had crept up over £2000 which was a nice figure to see on the tournament screen.
In what was probably the most amazing start to a tournament I've ever seen, a dude (I’ll get back to him later in the post) got dealt pocket rockets on the first hand. ‘Not so amazing’ I hear you say. Well the guy to his right had raised it up and didn’t leave himself much fold equity as he had only bought in for a tenner. The rockets guy reraised enough to put him all in and the guy insta-called and flipped over AK. Needless to say the aces held up and the AK guy was sent packing on hand one.
Hand two is dealt and the guy to the right of rockets dude raises it up again. Rockets dude sits and thinks about it for a while and then reraises him all in. I was suspicious of this and figured he was trying to steal but when I saw my holdings (two rags of some sort) I had to fold and watch how it developed. It folded back to the initial raiser and he went into the tank. Bear in mind he was friends with the busted guy – not that it’s relevant but just funny. I was fully expecting a call and eventually he flipped his AK and said you can have it mate. Rockets guy instantly flips over another two fucking aces - unbelievable!!!!! I’ve never even seen that kind of shit online let alone live. I know if I had that AK I was going home after that hand. How he folded it I’ll never know but what a laydown.
So rockets guy was on a roll and trust me, the rest of the table was hating it. This dude was an English guy of Indian or Paki decent (or something in that region) and he would not shut up. He just talked smack the entire time regardless of whether he was in the hand or not. The scary thing was he was playing pretty well and accumulating lots of chips. When he busted out two more guys on one hand and had a massive stack I was very pleased that our table got broken up. He will make another appearance in this post though as he was truly the poker villain for the rest of the 109 runners.
I played really well – got down to a short stack early after suck out but slowly built it back up to around average and never really dropped below average until the final three tables. I was really enjoying myself and when I won a race with my pocket deuces against a guys KQ (I think – I know they were overcards) the table thought it was wicked when they commented on how lucky the deuces were and I scoffed and said they were always gonna win and that’s why I had them tattooed on my wrist.
It was about this time that our old friend the rockets dude was making his exit. He was mouthing off to everyone that he was better than anyone in the room and would take anyone on in a game of heads up. He basically got told in no uncertain terms to fuck right off. What a wanker!!!
A few orbits later and I was low on chips with the break about 30 seconds away when I hit top pair top kicker on a sketchy looking board. I was out of position but put in a bet trying to take it down. The chip leader raised me all in fairly quickly but I really only put him on a draw and thought he was playing the bully. I also figured I would call it regardless as if I busted I could leave and not have to sit through the break with the hope of making my short stack a cash cow. If I was right and the board didn’t help him then I would double up. So I called and flipped my hand only to see him excitedly show his flopped straight and I was busted in 22nd out of 110.
I was happy with my play but not so happy with missing the cash. I’m feeling more in the groove now and although I wasn’t exactly getting dealt great cards, I was making moves and they were paying off. I think I only got two pocket pairs all night and they were both 66 so I think I did pretty well with the hands I had.
The top two chopped the pot for around £500 each and I know that when (not if) I win one of these I’ll be more than happy with £500.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Welcome to the Gutshot
I’ve been in London for coming on three weeks now and kind of dipped my toes so to speak into the massive poker scene over here. I had done a little bit of research prior to coming over, checking out various poker clubs online sites etc. I found a joint called ‘The Gutshot’ and the website looked pretty flash so I made it my choice to check out for real once I arrived.
On day one here I took Tarz on a walking tour of London so she could get her bearings a bit – I have lived here before about 7 or 8 years ago but she had only ever visited. I made sure that the tour magically went along Clerkenwell Road (a bit north-west of the CBD) and there, in a nondescript brown-faced building, proudly stood what I hoped would be the place where I would really start my live poker career.
I play a lot of online poker but there is only so much enjoyment you can get out of sitting at a computer and making bets against faceless opponents for hours on end. The real reason I like poker is the social side to the game – to me, a great night can involve little more than having some good friends around, swigging on beers and talking crap as we battle it out for tiny little stakes – the money is irrelevant in games like that as its all about the banter and the smacktalk. Win or lose I always go home happy after a good session of live poker. Also – there is something fun about mucking around with chips that you obviously can’t experience online.
So back to the Gutshot. Now that I knew where it was, I felt it was only a matter of time before I went in to try and ply my trade against the local competition. We had arrived on a Sunday and I was registering with an employment agency nearby on the Tuesday arvo so I figured what better time to go and join up to the club. I wandered over and had a chat to the guy on the desk while I joined up. He was cool and told me to come back that night which was ‘beginners night’. Although the prospect of beginners night didn’t enthuse me, I figured it would give me a taster of what the Gutshot was about without the threat of killing my already almost non-existent bankroll. 6:45pm rolled around and I hit the tube to make my way in to the city for the 8pm ‘Shuffle Up and Deal’ call.
The Tuesday night tournament is a variable buy in freezeout. I’ve never seen this kind of buy in structure before and don’t really rate it highly but each to their own I guess. The way it works is you can buy in for £5, £10, £15 or £20 and you get 500, 1000, 1500 or 2000 chips respectively. I guess this is good if you can only afford the smaller buy ins but I can’t see the point in buying yourself in as a short stack from the first hand. Needless to say I bought in for the max.
The table talk was friendly and although I didn’t play to the peak of my powers (I’m sure I have powers – still waiting to unleash them once I figure out what they are) I enjoyed my first live experience in the big smoke. There was 87 runners and I got busted out in about 45th after I donked most of my chips off on a stupid gutshot straight draw. I don’t usually chase gutshots so maybe it was the whole ‘I'm playing at the Gutshot so I'm making this gutshot’ thing happening. Regardless, it was stupid and I ended up busting the next hand when I pushed my shortstack holding KQ and got no help from the board against his Jacks.
I checked the website the next day and the winner took down about £520 which isn’t a bad return for a £20 investment and a few hours work. I had a great time and with the possibility of taking down 500 big ones for a £20 buy in I’ll def be back. They also have juicy looking cash games and this is my forte (yeah I have powers and a forte!!!) so I’ll be checking them out once the bankroll starts climbing.
On day one here I took Tarz on a walking tour of London so she could get her bearings a bit – I have lived here before about 7 or 8 years ago but she had only ever visited. I made sure that the tour magically went along Clerkenwell Road (a bit north-west of the CBD) and there, in a nondescript brown-faced building, proudly stood what I hoped would be the place where I would really start my live poker career.
I play a lot of online poker but there is only so much enjoyment you can get out of sitting at a computer and making bets against faceless opponents for hours on end. The real reason I like poker is the social side to the game – to me, a great night can involve little more than having some good friends around, swigging on beers and talking crap as we battle it out for tiny little stakes – the money is irrelevant in games like that as its all about the banter and the smacktalk. Win or lose I always go home happy after a good session of live poker. Also – there is something fun about mucking around with chips that you obviously can’t experience online.
So back to the Gutshot. Now that I knew where it was, I felt it was only a matter of time before I went in to try and ply my trade against the local competition. We had arrived on a Sunday and I was registering with an employment agency nearby on the Tuesday arvo so I figured what better time to go and join up to the club. I wandered over and had a chat to the guy on the desk while I joined up. He was cool and told me to come back that night which was ‘beginners night’. Although the prospect of beginners night didn’t enthuse me, I figured it would give me a taster of what the Gutshot was about without the threat of killing my already almost non-existent bankroll. 6:45pm rolled around and I hit the tube to make my way in to the city for the 8pm ‘Shuffle Up and Deal’ call.
The Tuesday night tournament is a variable buy in freezeout. I’ve never seen this kind of buy in structure before and don’t really rate it highly but each to their own I guess. The way it works is you can buy in for £5, £10, £15 or £20 and you get 500, 1000, 1500 or 2000 chips respectively. I guess this is good if you can only afford the smaller buy ins but I can’t see the point in buying yourself in as a short stack from the first hand. Needless to say I bought in for the max.
The table talk was friendly and although I didn’t play to the peak of my powers (I’m sure I have powers – still waiting to unleash them once I figure out what they are) I enjoyed my first live experience in the big smoke. There was 87 runners and I got busted out in about 45th after I donked most of my chips off on a stupid gutshot straight draw. I don’t usually chase gutshots so maybe it was the whole ‘I'm playing at the Gutshot so I'm making this gutshot’ thing happening. Regardless, it was stupid and I ended up busting the next hand when I pushed my shortstack holding KQ and got no help from the board against his Jacks.
I checked the website the next day and the winner took down about £520 which isn’t a bad return for a £20 investment and a few hours work. I had a great time and with the possibility of taking down 500 big ones for a £20 buy in I’ll def be back. They also have juicy looking cash games and this is my forte (yeah I have powers and a forte!!!) so I’ll be checking them out once the bankroll starts climbing.
Adding some pics
I want to try and make this blog a little more aesthetically pleasing so im gonna slowly add in pics for previous and future posts....
To start with here is my latest ink. Its on my left wrist and speaks for itself.....
To start with here is my latest ink. Its on my left wrist and speaks for itself.....
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Strange Sit n Go result
So I’m playing a few cash tables last night waiting for Tarz to get home from her dinner. I was up about $20 USD after about 90 mins playing two $0.05/0.10 tables. Just for something added, I bought into a single table Sit n Go ($1 buy in).
No sooner than I had been seated, my phone rang and it was Tarz announcing she would be home in a few mins. Seeing as I had been playing for a while I thought I’d just donk off my chips in the Sit n Go until she got home and then finish up.
So I start out making ridiculous bets and taking down some pots. I call a few huge bets with nothing and suck out and win a few more hands. I’m playing so purposely badly that when Tarz gets home I’m the short stack of the 8 remaining players. To try and end it I start a mission of all in bets. I win a few pots by the table folding, a few by having the best hand and a few by sucking out. I’m sure my table image was shot to pieces as I would have just come across as a maniac who has no idea.
But……after a while it was down to three and I was the chip leader – I play for freaking sixind levels like a fool and come out chip leader and in the money already – go figure.
The next 10 or 12 hands were pretty much uneventful as the blinds just moved around between us.
The following two hands ended the tournament.
I think I played the first one badly but got lucky and I like how I played the 2nd to win it all!!!! (well $4.50)
PokerStars Tournament #49359488, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2007/05/03 - 09:05:14 (ET)Table '49359488 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: THE CALLA (3880 in chips)
Seat 6: famouspmac (4830 in chips)
Seat 9: EarthHoney (4790 in chips)
famouspmac: posts small blind 100
EarthHoney: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to famouspmac [8c 3d]
THE CALLA: folds
famouspmac: calls 100
EarthHoney: checks
*** FLOP *** [8s Tc Ad]
famouspmac: bets 200
(I put in a min bet - if raised any bigger I would have thrown it but it was a tiny raise in relation to the bet so I didn’t really put him on much)
EarthHoney: raises 200 to 400
famouspmac: calls 200
*** TURN *** [8s Tc Ad] [3s]
famouspmac: checks
EarthHoney: bets 1200
(I’ve now put him on an A or a T – he had been pushing a lot so if he had nothing or 2 pair or more I would expect a push)
famouspmac: calls 1200
*** RIVER *** [8s Tc Ad 3s] [Kh]
famouspmac: bets 2000
(I’m pretty certain I’m in front here so I lead out)
EarthHoney: raises 990 to 2990 and is all-in
famouspmac: calls 990
*** SHOW DOWN ***
EarthHoney: shows [7h Ah] (a pair of Aces)
famouspmac: shows [8c 3d] (two pair, Eights and Threes)
famouspmac collected 9580 from pot
The very next hand……
PokerStars Tournament #49359488, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2007/05/03 - 09:06:08 (ET)Table '49359488 1' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: THE CALLA (3880 in chips)
Seat 6: famouspmac (9620 in chips)
famouspmac: posts small blind 100
THE CALLA: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS *** Dealt to famouspmac [6s 8s]
famouspmac: raises 200 to 400
THE CALLA: raises 600 to 1000
(no idea what he has here but I suspect a big pair or AK, AQ, AJ – I’ll call just to see if spades hit)
famouspmac: calls 600
*** FLOP *** [2s 8c Ks]
THE CALLA: bets 1000
(I’ve got middle pair with the flush draw and he hasn’t shown much strength so I flat call. Im thinking he is trying to get me off the flush draw)
famouspmac: calls 1000
*** TURN *** [2s 8c Ks] [3s]
THE CALLA: bets 1880 and is all-in
(there is a chance he has the higher flush but the way he had been betting I’m almost certain he only has a pair)
famouspmac: calls 1880
*** RIVER *** [2s 8c Ks 3s] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
THE CALLA: shows [Ts Tc] (a pair of Tens)
famouspmac: shows [6s 8s] (a flush, King high)
famouspmac collected 7760 from pot
No sooner than I had been seated, my phone rang and it was Tarz announcing she would be home in a few mins. Seeing as I had been playing for a while I thought I’d just donk off my chips in the Sit n Go until she got home and then finish up.
So I start out making ridiculous bets and taking down some pots. I call a few huge bets with nothing and suck out and win a few more hands. I’m playing so purposely badly that when Tarz gets home I’m the short stack of the 8 remaining players. To try and end it I start a mission of all in bets. I win a few pots by the table folding, a few by having the best hand and a few by sucking out. I’m sure my table image was shot to pieces as I would have just come across as a maniac who has no idea.
But……after a while it was down to three and I was the chip leader – I play for freaking sixind levels like a fool and come out chip leader and in the money already – go figure.
The next 10 or 12 hands were pretty much uneventful as the blinds just moved around between us.
The following two hands ended the tournament.
I think I played the first one badly but got lucky and I like how I played the 2nd to win it all!!!! (well $4.50)
PokerStars Tournament #49359488, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2007/05/03 - 09:05:14 (ET)Table '49359488 1' 9-max Seat #1 is the button
Seat 1: THE CALLA (3880 in chips)
Seat 6: famouspmac (4830 in chips)
Seat 9: EarthHoney (4790 in chips)
famouspmac: posts small blind 100
EarthHoney: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS ***Dealt to famouspmac [8c 3d]
THE CALLA: folds
famouspmac: calls 100
EarthHoney: checks
*** FLOP *** [8s Tc Ad]
famouspmac: bets 200
(I put in a min bet - if raised any bigger I would have thrown it but it was a tiny raise in relation to the bet so I didn’t really put him on much)
EarthHoney: raises 200 to 400
famouspmac: calls 200
*** TURN *** [8s Tc Ad] [3s]
famouspmac: checks
EarthHoney: bets 1200
(I’ve now put him on an A or a T – he had been pushing a lot so if he had nothing or 2 pair or more I would expect a push)
famouspmac: calls 1200
*** RIVER *** [8s Tc Ad 3s] [Kh]
famouspmac: bets 2000
(I’m pretty certain I’m in front here so I lead out)
EarthHoney: raises 990 to 2990 and is all-in
famouspmac: calls 990
*** SHOW DOWN ***
EarthHoney: shows [7h Ah] (a pair of Aces)
famouspmac: shows [8c 3d] (two pair, Eights and Threes)
famouspmac collected 9580 from pot
The very next hand……
PokerStars Tournament #49359488, $1.00+$0.20 Hold'em No Limit - Level VI (100/200) - 2007/05/03 - 09:06:08 (ET)Table '49359488 1' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: THE CALLA (3880 in chips)
Seat 6: famouspmac (9620 in chips)
famouspmac: posts small blind 100
THE CALLA: posts big blind 200
*** HOLE CARDS *** Dealt to famouspmac [6s 8s]
famouspmac: raises 200 to 400
THE CALLA: raises 600 to 1000
(no idea what he has here but I suspect a big pair or AK, AQ, AJ – I’ll call just to see if spades hit)
famouspmac: calls 600
*** FLOP *** [2s 8c Ks]
THE CALLA: bets 1000
(I’ve got middle pair with the flush draw and he hasn’t shown much strength so I flat call. Im thinking he is trying to get me off the flush draw)
famouspmac: calls 1000
*** TURN *** [2s 8c Ks] [3s]
THE CALLA: bets 1880 and is all-in
(there is a chance he has the higher flush but the way he had been betting I’m almost certain he only has a pair)
famouspmac: calls 1880
*** RIVER *** [2s 8c Ks 3s] [7h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
THE CALLA: shows [Ts Tc] (a pair of Tens)
famouspmac: shows [6s 8s] (a flush, King high)
famouspmac collected 7760 from pot
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Some thoughts on Cash Poker vs Tournament/Sit n Go Poker
I’ve been playing poker online for about 18 months now. At first it was just for a bit of fun and I didn’t really care how well or how badly I performed, I was happy just to donate some money into my account and then see what happened. I didn’t take it too seriously and I had a lot of fun.
It was around a year ago that I really got bitten by the poker bug and started playing a lot more. I would stick to mainly No Limit Hold Em Sit-n Go’s with a buy-in of $5 or multi-table tourneys with smaller buy-ins. I was winning a little bit but was mainly up and down and not really turning a profit. Still I was having fun and didn’t mind the fact that I wasn’t making any money.
The last six months have been a bit different. I started playing cash games online and now I think I’ve finally reached the point where I prefer them to Sit n Go's or tournaments.
Let’s say I sit down at a micro limit table (blinds of $0.02/0.05) of No Limit Hold Em with the max buy in of $10. This is the equivalent of say two $5 Sit n Go’s (not including rake) yet I feel my return of investment is much greater. I can sit on the $10 for hours without going broke if the cards are running bad however I could easily blow through two Sit n Go's in no time at all if the cards are running similarly bad. On the flipside, if I win a sit n go of those stakes I can pocket around $22 for a $17 profit. This kind of profit at a cash table is really nothing and easily obtained as long as one has PATIENCE.
I guess for me, it makes more sense to spend 2 or 3 hours grinding away at a few cash games (multitabling) for a $20 or $30 profit with a low chance of busting out than to invest my bankroll in a Sit n Go where one bad hand can bust me out with no chance of getting my money back.
Patience really is the key. In general, I’m not a very patient person. I have had to really focus on it when playing my cash games. The ability to sit there and wait for the opportune moment to maximise my profit in a cash game doesn’t come easily. I will often play 3 or 4 tables at once but I’ve found I perform best when I’m playing at just one or two tables.
So with a firm decision made to focus on cash games, the question remains – what game is my game of choice. I’ve played so much No Limit Hold Em that I think I need a break from it. Don’t get me wrong – I love the game. I love its simplicity yet I also love its complexity. If you don’t know what I mean then you should stick to recreational poker.
So what does that leave??? Draw poker??? Not a chance. I will play the odd sit n go as I can cash in them regularly but I just cant get as absorbed by draw poker as other forms. Seven Card Stud??? Perhaps. I’ve played a bit of Stud but still consider myself a beginner at it. Getting used to not having community cards is something I’ll attack later on down the track. Razz (Lowball Seven Card Stud)??? Enough said about Razz.
That leaves Omaha (well there is a lot more, but of the games I have played over the last 18 months it only leaves Omaha). I stick to the Hi/Lo split and I find I'm really enjoying it. I like the multiple options with the four hole cards and I like the high hand/low hand split – especially when there is no low hand and I scoop the pot.
When I started playing I used to just throw away cash not really understanding which starting hands were of value etc, or chasing down the pot with a crappy low hand and getting pipped for the entire pot by a dude who flopped a wheel (A2345) or something similar. The more I play and read about Omaha though the more I like it and the better I am getting at it (I can gauge this by the fact that I'm now turning a small l profit on the cash tables).
Choosing which limits to play has been another issue I have had to deal with. Like most people, I want to try and win as much as possible and the higher stakes you play the bigger the wins will be in theory. But on several occasions I’ve been punching above my weight and ended up going broke and having to reload the bankroll. Trying to stick to some sort of bankroll management strategy was my New Years resolution and at this point although I haven’t got any management software or spreadsheets in place I’ve been able to mentally monitor my wins and losses and have kept the bankroll slowly increasing.
So with the UK trip pending I’m trying to play a little bit more and get my bankroll up a bit. I’ll probably have a bit more time on my hands over there at first and I intend to have net access so hopefully by the time I arrive my bankroll will be at level which allows me to play a bit higher limits.
It was around a year ago that I really got bitten by the poker bug and started playing a lot more. I would stick to mainly No Limit Hold Em Sit-n Go’s with a buy-in of $5 or multi-table tourneys with smaller buy-ins. I was winning a little bit but was mainly up and down and not really turning a profit. Still I was having fun and didn’t mind the fact that I wasn’t making any money.
The last six months have been a bit different. I started playing cash games online and now I think I’ve finally reached the point where I prefer them to Sit n Go's or tournaments.
Let’s say I sit down at a micro limit table (blinds of $0.02/0.05) of No Limit Hold Em with the max buy in of $10. This is the equivalent of say two $5 Sit n Go’s (not including rake) yet I feel my return of investment is much greater. I can sit on the $10 for hours without going broke if the cards are running bad however I could easily blow through two Sit n Go's in no time at all if the cards are running similarly bad. On the flipside, if I win a sit n go of those stakes I can pocket around $22 for a $17 profit. This kind of profit at a cash table is really nothing and easily obtained as long as one has PATIENCE.
I guess for me, it makes more sense to spend 2 or 3 hours grinding away at a few cash games (multitabling) for a $20 or $30 profit with a low chance of busting out than to invest my bankroll in a Sit n Go where one bad hand can bust me out with no chance of getting my money back.
Patience really is the key. In general, I’m not a very patient person. I have had to really focus on it when playing my cash games. The ability to sit there and wait for the opportune moment to maximise my profit in a cash game doesn’t come easily. I will often play 3 or 4 tables at once but I’ve found I perform best when I’m playing at just one or two tables.
So with a firm decision made to focus on cash games, the question remains – what game is my game of choice. I’ve played so much No Limit Hold Em that I think I need a break from it. Don’t get me wrong – I love the game. I love its simplicity yet I also love its complexity. If you don’t know what I mean then you should stick to recreational poker.
So what does that leave??? Draw poker??? Not a chance. I will play the odd sit n go as I can cash in them regularly but I just cant get as absorbed by draw poker as other forms. Seven Card Stud??? Perhaps. I’ve played a bit of Stud but still consider myself a beginner at it. Getting used to not having community cards is something I’ll attack later on down the track. Razz (Lowball Seven Card Stud)??? Enough said about Razz.
That leaves Omaha (well there is a lot more, but of the games I have played over the last 18 months it only leaves Omaha). I stick to the Hi/Lo split and I find I'm really enjoying it. I like the multiple options with the four hole cards and I like the high hand/low hand split – especially when there is no low hand and I scoop the pot.
When I started playing I used to just throw away cash not really understanding which starting hands were of value etc, or chasing down the pot with a crappy low hand and getting pipped for the entire pot by a dude who flopped a wheel (A2345) or something similar. The more I play and read about Omaha though the more I like it and the better I am getting at it (I can gauge this by the fact that I'm now turning a small l profit on the cash tables).
Choosing which limits to play has been another issue I have had to deal with. Like most people, I want to try and win as much as possible and the higher stakes you play the bigger the wins will be in theory. But on several occasions I’ve been punching above my weight and ended up going broke and having to reload the bankroll. Trying to stick to some sort of bankroll management strategy was my New Years resolution and at this point although I haven’t got any management software or spreadsheets in place I’ve been able to mentally monitor my wins and losses and have kept the bankroll slowly increasing.
So with the UK trip pending I’m trying to play a little bit more and get my bankroll up a bit. I’ll probably have a bit more time on my hands over there at first and I intend to have net access so hopefully by the time I arrive my bankroll will be at level which allows me to play a bit higher limits.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
The Sandwich
A quickfire dinner is often needed and what better than a bbq chicken and other selected sandwich fillers to slot between some slices fresh ploughmans for a quick and easy meal.
The sandwiches on the night consisted of chicken, cheese, whole-egg mayo (the only mayo) lettuce and some spices and I knocked off two of them. Tarz managed 1.5 and the final ½ was wrapped and fridged. I went to bed safe in the knowledge that I had a half-sandwich breakfast waiting for me the next morning.
At some point an hour or so before I was due to even consider rising, I stirred a bit but I remember thinking about the sandwich and falling back into slumber. My subconscious was now aware of the need for the sandwich and soothed my stirring sleep with thoughts of sliced fresh chicken tit, shaved tasty cheese, crisp lettuce and a fair slathering of the old whole-egg mayo.
Tarz was up earlier than me and was gone by the time I got up. I was starving but didn’t rush to get to the sandwich. I knew there wasn’t a massive feast so I didn’t want to rush in and have it be over in seconds. I got my shit together and headed for the fridge.
As I opened the door the first thing I noticed is that the sandwich was not where I had left it the night before. I didn’t panic but commenced a quick scan of the shelves. Halfway through the scan I realized it was futile. The sandwich was gone. Someone had eaten my breakfast and I just kind of stood there not knowing whether to hunt for a second rate breakfast or to cut my losses and move on, perhaps grab a consolation hot breakfast once I got to work.
I was rattled but I slammed the fridge door closed and headed off. One call to Tarz upon arrival at work confirmed my suspicions that she was the thief. Then again it was technically her sandwich so thievery wasn’t really an issue here. Regardless I felt robbed.
All the negative feelings were soon washed away by an egg and bacon roll and a Dare Espresso.
Still, I’ll never forget that sandwich…….
The sandwiches on the night consisted of chicken, cheese, whole-egg mayo (the only mayo) lettuce and some spices and I knocked off two of them. Tarz managed 1.5 and the final ½ was wrapped and fridged. I went to bed safe in the knowledge that I had a half-sandwich breakfast waiting for me the next morning.
At some point an hour or so before I was due to even consider rising, I stirred a bit but I remember thinking about the sandwich and falling back into slumber. My subconscious was now aware of the need for the sandwich and soothed my stirring sleep with thoughts of sliced fresh chicken tit, shaved tasty cheese, crisp lettuce and a fair slathering of the old whole-egg mayo.
Tarz was up earlier than me and was gone by the time I got up. I was starving but didn’t rush to get to the sandwich. I knew there wasn’t a massive feast so I didn’t want to rush in and have it be over in seconds. I got my shit together and headed for the fridge.
As I opened the door the first thing I noticed is that the sandwich was not where I had left it the night before. I didn’t panic but commenced a quick scan of the shelves. Halfway through the scan I realized it was futile. The sandwich was gone. Someone had eaten my breakfast and I just kind of stood there not knowing whether to hunt for a second rate breakfast or to cut my losses and move on, perhaps grab a consolation hot breakfast once I got to work.
I was rattled but I slammed the fridge door closed and headed off. One call to Tarz upon arrival at work confirmed my suspicions that she was the thief. Then again it was technically her sandwich so thievery wasn’t really an issue here. Regardless I felt robbed.
All the negative feelings were soon washed away by an egg and bacon roll and a Dare Espresso.
Still, I’ll never forget that sandwich…….
Friday, February 02, 2007
Australia Day No Limit Texas Hold Em Championships 2007
Well Australia Day has come and gone and I am no better off financially or title-wise after the annual Australia Day No Limit Texas Hold Em Championships.
This year was a bit different with 3 shorter games in which you earned points according to your finish position. At the end, an overall points winner took home a fair wad of cash as well as the shield.
I’ll say it straight up – I didn’t have a great day. I played fairly decent poker but just couldn’t make any real moves and gain chips. I felt like the whole day I was chasing the big stacks and just couldn’t make any headway. In the three games I finished 12th, 4th and 16th (with 23 runners in each) – not high enough to earn cash in any of the games and not enough points to contend for the title. The following hand happened in the first game and it pissed me off - anger isn’t good at the poker table, especially early on in a long day.....Needless to say I donked off many chips in this game after this hand through sheer stupidity....
I get dealt A8 off-suit in early position and have around 2200 (a bit above the starting stack)I just call the big blind (150) as does everyone else
Flop: A-8-8
It’s checked to me and I check again, hoping to get a bet out of someone with the other 8 (or an Ace).
The action gets to the host who bets 500. This guy is a really loose player and will bet with anything. The bet of 500 wasn’t huge and unless he had an A or the 8 then I can't feasibly see him betting that amount on that flop - its just not enough to scare away someone with anything close to the nuts.
So I don’t put him on a bluff but I also know I almost certainly have him beat and am putting him on an A (if he had the case 8 then I'd be expecting a big raise)….. so I sit for a while then push all in for around 2050 (or whatever i had left).
He sits and thinks then starts stacking chips up and counting chips. I look the other way to check out the other tables and when i look back, I'm certain that the stack he was counting was pretty much in the middle with the rest of the pot.....
So I flip my full house and he says “I haven’t called yet'.
I ask why the chips look like they're in the middle and get nothing but a 'sorry mate'.
So I’m furious and obviously he doesn’t call. I ask if he was going to call and he shows me his A (with a high kicker) and says 'Probably not because I figured you had an 8'.
I have played with this guy so much and I just know deep down that he was gonna call the bet if I didnt flip my hand so quick.....
Anyway end result (majority decision) was the he folded and I won the blinds, the pre-flop calls plus his 500 bet.
It’s usually the losing hands that anger me the most but this one is one I’ll remember for a long time...
The moral
a) Wait until you hear the actual players involved in the hand verbally state their action before you flip your cards
That is all
This year was a bit different with 3 shorter games in which you earned points according to your finish position. At the end, an overall points winner took home a fair wad of cash as well as the shield.
I’ll say it straight up – I didn’t have a great day. I played fairly decent poker but just couldn’t make any real moves and gain chips. I felt like the whole day I was chasing the big stacks and just couldn’t make any headway. In the three games I finished 12th, 4th and 16th (with 23 runners in each) – not high enough to earn cash in any of the games and not enough points to contend for the title. The following hand happened in the first game and it pissed me off - anger isn’t good at the poker table, especially early on in a long day.....Needless to say I donked off many chips in this game after this hand through sheer stupidity....
I get dealt A8 off-suit in early position and have around 2200 (a bit above the starting stack)I just call the big blind (150) as does everyone else
Flop: A-8-8
It’s checked to me and I check again, hoping to get a bet out of someone with the other 8 (or an Ace).
The action gets to the host who bets 500. This guy is a really loose player and will bet with anything. The bet of 500 wasn’t huge and unless he had an A or the 8 then I can't feasibly see him betting that amount on that flop - its just not enough to scare away someone with anything close to the nuts.
So I don’t put him on a bluff but I also know I almost certainly have him beat and am putting him on an A (if he had the case 8 then I'd be expecting a big raise)….. so I sit for a while then push all in for around 2050 (or whatever i had left).
He sits and thinks then starts stacking chips up and counting chips. I look the other way to check out the other tables and when i look back, I'm certain that the stack he was counting was pretty much in the middle with the rest of the pot.....
So I flip my full house and he says “I haven’t called yet'.
I ask why the chips look like they're in the middle and get nothing but a 'sorry mate'.
So I’m furious and obviously he doesn’t call. I ask if he was going to call and he shows me his A (with a high kicker) and says 'Probably not because I figured you had an 8'.
I have played with this guy so much and I just know deep down that he was gonna call the bet if I didnt flip my hand so quick.....
Anyway end result (majority decision) was the he folded and I won the blinds, the pre-flop calls plus his 500 bet.
It’s usually the losing hands that anger me the most but this one is one I’ll remember for a long time...
The moral
a) Wait until you hear the actual players involved in the hand verbally state their action before you flip your cards
That is all
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