Session #42 - Any two will make ya'!

Well, this session was divided into two parts. I had some time during the day yesterday to play some hold 'em so I popped into the clubhouse around 11:00 in the morning and ended up playing till about 2:00 in the afternoon. Right up until the end my day was very swingy. I had come in determined to be disciplined and I saw my stack swing to the negative on the couple of times I stepped out or tried to bluff heavily at a pot. A real lesson to stick to an extremely disciplined game during $3/$6 limit. I really had to leave at the end so I was playing my last round of the button and was stuck around $30 with two free hands to go and I ended up winning both of them. The one I called down to players with an ace and king on board because they were both bullshitting and I knew it and sure enough my pocket tens held up. The next hand I flopped the flush and kept betting hard at it and was paid off. Ended up cashing out $100 up.

The second part of this session came after attending some improv theater at a bar and then popping in at 10:30 at night for some $4/$8 Omaha hi/low split. Again, another very swingy session, but this time I felt I played disciplined throughout (accept for maybe one bad raise that ended up getting me quartered... duh) and the stack swing was just due to getting chips up and then being counterfeited on the river. I ended the evening at around 3:00 in the morning with a $150 more in my pocket. I verbally sparred with the greek a few times and called him out on some of his bullshit. Earlier in the evening he had given one of the dealers, who was playing at the time, crap for slow rolling a flush and then the bugger does the same thing to me as the pot is just about to be pushed to me he turns over his flush. I immediately called him out on his slow roll and he got all defensive and blustery. *sigh*

Session Total = +$250.

Live MTD earnings are +$529 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$86 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$279 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$86 US.

Are they missing the boat or is it just me?

So I tried to sign up for the Bodog affiliate program and here's the reply I got from them:

Dear Xorply,

Thanks for your interest in Bodog.com's Affiliate Program. I had the opportunity to browse through your website and I did find it to be quite interesting, it contained lots of industry specific content. However we would like to hold off on entering into an affiliate agreement with you at this time. We do not currently accept any blog sites, but if you would like to contact us again in 6 months we would be more than happy to review your site again. Thank you again for taking the time to contact us and for your interest in Bodog.com.

Best regards,
The Affiliate Team

Are they missing the boat here? Bloggers are being rapidly recruited by all major poker sites as we are a driving force of traffic (and hence revenue). I mean, this little site doesn't generate piles of cash but it makes enough for me to pay one loan payment a month and a bit of gambling money. Multiply that times five and you get the poker site's revenue. Multiply that by the number of bloggers out there and you're talking huge revenue.

Ok, Bodog. I'll be contacting you real soon. How about you contact me instead?

Session #41 - Just plain stupid

This was one of those days where I couldn't have caught a card to save my ass if I paid for it. And believe me... I did pay for it. I think what's notable about today's session was the awareness I came out of it about how bad I played (and have been playing) and it comes down to the old poker adage of hand selection. I was not choosing the proper starting hands. I played for three hours and I probably had 10 decent starting hands. But if you think about it, if I had only played those ten hands and ten hands only, of which I won half at least, I would have had a positive or break even session. Instead, I pumped off $330.

So from here on out, I plan on working on my discipline at the table. I mean, I'm the one who's always preaching to myself that the money is the first priority at the table and not the fun, and yet today I found myself playing hands for fun or out of boredom from lack of playable hands.

Session Total = -$330.

Live MTD earnings are +$279 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$336 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$279 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$86 US.

Sessions #38 - #40 - Playing Catch-up

I'm missed posting three sessions but none of them were truly noteworthy other than the fact that they were all winning sessions! Session #38 was $3/$6 limit and I took $60 off the table. Session #39 was $1/$2 no-limit and I again took $60 off the table. Session #40 was $3/$6 limit and I snagged $70.

Sessions Total = +$190.

Live MTD earnings are +$609 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$336 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$279 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$86 US.

Session #37 - Table Antics

Ok, this took me awhile to get around to posting but I had to really think about how I wanted to put it down. If I had written this entry right away, it would have been filled with expletives. Tuesday of this week (14th?) was $4/$8 Omaha Hi/Lo at the clubhouse and I have but one hand to talk about.

I'm in seventh position with Kh-Qh-8c-10c and literally everyone comes into the hand so I figure I'll take a stab at the pot with this marginal hand since there are so many in, and it eventually becomes a family pot. The flop comes down Qc-Jc-x and I've got an inside straight flush draw with only one card on the board for low. I make it two bets to go and we get down to four players.

Now here's where the hand goes to crap. The guy sitting to my left is showing his cards to the guy to his left (who's a regular at the clubhouse, a well-heeled chinese fellow, who I happen to like personally, but one who should fucking damn well know better) and the guy to my left says something like "I don't think I've got this one" and then the turn comes down Kc and the chinese fellow says "Oop, now you've got it." I think "fuck, he made the nut flush" and throw my hand away when he two bets it.

Well, it turns out I threw the high flush and I did I ever blow up. You ever get really mad you can literally hear the blood rushing through your head. I swore up and down and called bullshit on these two and generally ranted for the better part of two minutes on this amateur horseshit. The chinese fellow agreed and apologized but I don't think he'll learn.

I was so mad I can't recall if the houseman or the dealer said anything to them, but someone should have stepped in earlier and stopped the hand showing. There should only ever be one hand to a person and doing what they did was an extremely amateur play that cost me the winning hand and put me on tilt for the better part of 45 minutes. I was so on tilt that I almost stood up from a winning hand when I didn't see the top full house and almost walked away from $100 pot.

Session Total = -$240.

Live MTD earnings are +$419 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$516 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$279 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$86 US.

Session #36 - Hollywood Idiot

LMAO!! What a howl it was today! The subject of my previous poker blog entry titled Greek Salad was at it again today. He was playing his usual combination of crap hands like K-5 offsuit and hit a few of them, so he had some chips to play with and was all jovial and happy and joking. Typical horseshit.

Then he had a run in with me. He's in the small blind with Q-7 suited and I'm in mid-position with K-9 of the same suit. By the time it gets to me I make it three bets to go, and forgive me, I forget who was all in the hand but us two, but he calls those three bets (capping his small blind plus two raises). The flop comes down A-2-10 with the ace and deuce being our suit. I flop the nut flush draw but smooth call his bet and I believe one other guy came along. The turn made the flush and I did a little hand flutter pretending I missed my hand. A little bit of acting, sure, but that's all part and parcel of this great game. He bets out and I immediately raise and he starts getting all pissy and says "here" and tosses the call out. He checks the river and I bet and he calls.

When I show him the nuts he starts yammering at me about how this is only a $3/$6 game and I don't have to pull the "Hollywood" maneuver and going on, and on, and on. Then under his breath he calls me an idiot and I call him out on it. He doesn't directly respond to me but the hand cracked him right out and he packed up his chips and left shortly thereafter, muttering the whole time.

Whatever. I don't care that he called me an idiot or that he doesn't like the play that I made. It just gives me lots of ammo juice to come at him later. All I have to say is keep calling three bets with Q-7.

Session Total = +$175.

Live MTD earnings are +$659 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$276 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$279 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$86 US.

Session #35 - *Yawn* Oops! Did I do that?

Well here's a lesson in not playing poker when you're tired. I had gotten my Party Poker bankroll up to $325 and I came home last night after a kid's birthday party completely worn out. We got our kids to bed and the wife meandered off at pretty much the same time. I have a hard time justifying going to bed at 8:00 as I just end up getting up too early. So instead of sitting down to a movie or something like I should have done I fired up Party Poker and decided to take on some big guns. I sat down with $300 at a $5/$10 NL game and lost it all on the first hand. I came in with 54 suited in ninth position and flopped an open ended straight draw. UTG bet out to me and I raised to $100 and he called. I immediately (and correctly as it turned out) put him on a flush draw and the turn didn't help either of us. He bet $50 to me and I raised all in. Now here's something I did (and I contribute it to being tired and not thinking correctly) that I really wish I didn't.

I taunted him. I wrote something like "no flush for you I guess" and he immediately called showing a king high flush draw. The river helped neither of us and he took it down with king high.

If I would have had my wits about me, I would have made a small raise on the turn and then when he missed on the river pushed all-in and he would have been forced to fold.

Lesson learned. Don't play when tired.

Session Total = -$300.

Live MTD earnings are +$484 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$451 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$279 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$86 US.

Session #34 - My friend. Mine enemy.

A couple hours mid-day Saturday at the weekend $1/$2 no-limit hold 'em game at the clubhouse. I started off on the downslope with the bottom being $160 in the red before I hit a couple of key hands. One was going up against an average player sitting in seat one on the button and I'm under-the-gun with A-5 suited. The flop comes down 5-5-7 and I bet out for $8 and he raises to $20. I push all-in for a further $120 and he hesitates before saying "alright" in a kind of resigned way and calls. Someone says "Let's see who has the better kicker" and he turns over 9-5 and I'm way in front. The turn seals the deal with an ace but the river gives him the teaser boat with another nine.

The wise-ass in seat ten remarks that it would have given me a real heart murmur if the nine had come on the turn first. Haha.

The other hand to talk about was the same buddy who was sitting to my right the other day is in the same seat again. The nuances of the hand are moot to my point but basically, I made a midpair on the flop and he made a pair of kings. He tried to "be a friend" and suggestively checked letting me know that he had kings and was willing to check the hand down. I don't like that play and I'll explain why in a second, but first to finish the hand talk, I bet out $8 and he rolled his eyes and raised me to $16 and I called. The turn made me two pair and I raised his bet and he frustratingly threw his hand away, with body language indicating he was frustrated I didn't check the hand down.

Now here's some of the reasons for doing what I did:

• By betting out on the flop and calling his bet, I confused him as to what I had and set him up for a larger bet should I hit my hand. Because of his play, I knew he had Kx (either QK or AK).


• I don't sit at a poker table to have a good time with my friends. I come to make money. Having fun is a by-product of the game, and admittedly, one I enjoy very much, but money comes first.


• I don't like to raise, re-raise and then check a hand down. It might show collusion to the other players. Not something I take part in, but I don't like that play as it isn't game ethical and could lead to worse things at the table.


• I value all the friends I have made playing poker. With that being said, when we sit down at the table, all bets are off. Poker is the focus. I don't expect anyone to "take it easy" on me, and nobody better expect it from me either.

Session Total = +$99.

Live MTD earnings are +$484 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$451 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are +$21 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$386 US.

Session #33 - Greek Salad

You may have noticed that I've decided to starting "naming" my blog entries as opposed to just giving them a session number. Figured this would be a nice way to individualize the posts and make them more memorable.

So Thursday evening was the $1/$2 NL game and I came into it after playing a couple of mini-tournaments with three other guys, neither of which I won. So I sat down at the table already $40 behind (well, actually $30 since I was out of the second one early and dealt the rest of it and the winner tipped me $10).

There were two tables running and I did ok at the first table, reclaimining my lost $30 and adding another $50 on top of it. When a seat opened up at the main table I moved up into seat three with a buddy of mine on my right, a semi-tight aggressive to his right and another player who I would even more sub-categorize as semi-tight aggressive/tricky. The reason for this is he likes to check-raise big hands and I've used this to great effect in previous games when I've flopped a monster against him. For those that know the clubhouse, they'll get the title of this entry as the loose player who's this entry's namesake was sitting in seat ten.

It was a satisfying evening slapping seat ten around as he played his usual coconut combinations like K-10 offsuit in mid position calling two bets cold and then whining to beat the band when he's outkicked or someone makes their straight. Thing of beauty. I personally pushed him all-in four times and won three of them. The one I lost I wasn't worried about as I was sitting on around $400 at the time and he had $30 or so. No big loss.

But I will talk about this hand since I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar and I told a buddy in seat six that I would write it up. Hehe.

So I'm sitting on the button with 2-5 offsuit and four come into the hand, including seat ten. I figure this is a great time to pick up the pot as everyone has limped in and a reasonable sized bet would get them out so I make it $16 to go. The blinds fold and so does everyone else except seat ten. The flop, I believe, was K-2-10 and seat ten checks to me and I also check. The turn is a rag and he bets $8 and I raise to $20 figuring him for stealing the pot with his usual crap. He thinks for about 10 seconds and then pushes all-in for $12 more. I'm pretty much pot committed so I call and turn over showing my measley pair of ducks and he shows 7-7. The river is inconsequential and he takes the pot down. I believe my mistake here was not making him commit on the flop. That would have been the ball buster. Credit me with an overpair of some sort or call and take your chances with 7's. Lesson learned.

Session Total = +$265.

Live MTD earnings are +$385 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$552 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are +$21 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$386 US.

Session #32 - The Long, Hard Kill

Ok, I blatantly stole this entry's title from Sin City, but man, that movie kicked ass and deserves to be written into pop culture. I had a brutal bad beat today on Party Poker in a $1/$2 NL game, and when I look back at it, I probably deserved it.

I limped in on the button with J-9 suited with four in the hand and the flop comes down Q-J-J and it's checked to me so I bet the pot (nothing much at this point, around $5) and they all fold to me except the guy behind me who smooth calls. The turn is a nine so now I'm looking at jack's full and I think I'm golden. Buddy checks to me and I bet $20 and he calls. The river is a rag and he checks to me again. I bet $40 and he pushes all-in for an extra $42 and I call.

What does he turn over?

Q-Q.

I dropped $100 US on this hand and when I look back at it, I deserved it.

Why you ask?

Because I came in with J-9 that's why. Especially online, it pays to play with premium hands. You come in with crap, and you're bound to get bitch slapped.

Session Total = -$140.

Live MTD earnings are +$120 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$817 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are +$21 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$386 US.

Session #31 - A Fresh Month

March is off to a much better start than February. I received my Party Poker affiliate payout today, and after cashing out the majority of it, I deposited $134 into my Party Poker account. I played a mixed bag of NL, Limit and Sit 'N Go's. I got second in my first SNG game, a Step One game for a world series package. Second means I just get a re-entry into the same level. I also played two multi-tournaments. The first was a $2 Stud tourney and I finished 83rd out of 375 with the top 40 getting paid. Not too bad considering I left my computer for about 45 minutes and had 1/3 of my stack ante'd off. The other was a $6 NL tourney and I finished 132 out of around 600.

Meh.

Session Total = +$161.

Live MTD earnings are +$120 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$817 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are +$161 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$526 US.

Session #30

The problem with not wanting to play the $3/$6 game, is that that's the only damn game offered during the day! Well, I had an hour to kill so I went to the clubhouse and lo' and behold there was enough players to start a second table so I got to sit with a bunch of people who don't play every freaking day, and plus my current favourite loose player was in the game (and he's rich!).

The only notable hand was one I got nicely paid off on. I raised preflop on the button with pocket eights and got three callers. I flopped a set and it got bet out for me and I raised, leaving us heads up. I bet the turn and got called and then the last eight came on the river, I bet and was paid off. Quad eights! My highest hand of the day.

Session Total = +$120.

Live MTD earnings are +$120 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$817 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are $0 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$365 US.

Session #29

I've come to the decision that I actively dislike $3/$6 now. I mean... it's just rundown central. You could have the best flop on the planet and the coconuts who chase you down are just crazy. Example: I'm holding A-K suited and I bet out pre-flop, check-raise the made pair of aces on the flop, bet out on the turn, and am forced to check-call the board pair of queens on the river and watch some idiot turn over Q-7 offsuit! What the fuck? And it happens so often at the clubhouse, I'm just tired of it. I think I'll stick with the no-limit game from now on. I'm tired and I've got the flu, that's all I can write for now.

Session Total = -$340.

Live MTD earnings are -$550 CAN.
Live YTD earnings are -$937 CAN.

Online MTD earnings are -$55 US.
Online YTD earnings are +$365 US.