Each year for the past few Academy Award presentations my family and I gather together and compete to see who can pick the most winners for the Oscars. With my superior movie knowledge, keen awareness of who has won what going into the event and handle on what the minds of Academy members are thinking I have always crushed my competition leaving the rest of the family to play for second place. This year was totally different.
Overall the event was pretty ho-hum. It wasn’t that Ellen DeGeneres wasn’t funny or the anticipation for who was going to win what wasn’t there. In fact, the collection of nominees in each category was so assorted – both in talent and nationality – it was a grand night to watch the moviemakers not linked with Hollywood reap the benefits of film’s greatest honor.
Director Martin Scorsese finally got what he deserved in a Best Directing award for “The Departed.” I think he definitely deserved one of these awards, but “The Departed” certainly shouldn’t have been the one to do it. “The Departed” also won the prestigious Best Picture award, which was also a mistake in my opinion seeing as “Little Miss Sunshine” was a far superior film overall.
The greatest shock in my opinion for the night was Alan Arkin winning Best Supporting Actor for his turn as a brash, drug-addicted grandpa in “Little Miss Sunshine.” It’s not that Arkin’s acting wasn’t good enough, but the hype surrounding Eddie Murphy’s performance in “Dreamgirls” made you believe he would end up second to none. I even considered Mark Wahlberg’s turn as a Boston cop not afraid to use harsh language was in the running for the award.
The night ran smoothly for the most part, aside from some “green” chatter concerning Al Gore and his award-winning documentary on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth.”
Speeches were kept to a minimum time frame due to two different features. The first was a familiar one, with the orchestra chiming in if the winner started to run long, and they didn’t mind where you were in the speech when it came to beginning the first note. At one point the conductor started as the guy was in mid-sentence thanking his wife.
However, that is where the second feature of the acceptance speech presentation came into play. Backstage winners were given as much time as they wanted to talk in front of a camera that would record the speech and be put on the Academy Awards website. Academy personnel said they would leave the speeches online until next year’s presentation. This gave winners the opportunity to give a more heartfelt speech onstage rather than go through a long list of people who aren’t known and probably don’t deserve national television credit anyway.
Well, by the middle of the evening I was in last place among my family in our “pick the winners” contest and in the lead was Kristyn, whose only knowledge of movies comes from People magazine photographs of the stars walking down Rodeo Drive with their babies in tow. Fortunately for me, her luck ran out and I began to pick up some steam coming down the homestretch. I ended the night tying Cint for first place, with ten correct predictions. This was an immense drop from last year’s record-setting selection of 18 correct predictions. This coming year I have vowed to return to my previous glory and slaughter my family with 20 accurate selections in next year’s game.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Session 16
Another very solid night for me gave my February a much happier ending than it did a beginning.
I played for five hours and was sitting pretty at approximately $450 when I lost it all on one single hand against an Asian kid who was getting lucky on key hands and then bluffing off a ton of chips so that his swings were all over the place. In the five hours I was with him at the table I saw him go from $70 to $900 in about four or five different up and down motions. When I left he had only about $300 left.
The hand that should have put me on eternal tilt was a set over set hand. I had pocket sevens and he had pocket nines. We both hit on the flop and bet all of our money by the turn. I couldn't river quads and was re-buying for $200.
The very first hand of my re-buy I doubled up. I had pocket fours in middle position and it was a straddled pot. I limped in and when it got back to the straddler he made it $25 to go. A player before me called and I decided to play a little more aggressive with my meek fours. I re-raised it to $100. Keep in mind I only have $200 total at the beginning of the hand. Everybody folded around to the straddler. He contemplated the play and decided to call. The guy between us folded. There was now approximately $235 in the pot.
The flop was K-8-5 rainbow. The straddler checked to me and I pushed my remaining $100 in. He called and I told him if he could call he most likely could beat me. He had A-9 offsuit and I won the pot when he didn't improve. Four hands later I doubled up again.
I had A-2 in the big blind. Six players called the two dollars and we saw a flop. The flop was A-Q-2 giving me two pair. Since nobody raised I figured to have the best hand right now and decided to let somebody else bet for me. I checked after the small blind checked, but everybody else checked. That stunk.
Then the turn came with a beautiful two, giving me a full house. I again decided to check and let somebody have something to bet with, but again it checked around. Stinks again.
The river was a three putting out on the board A-Q-2-2-3. I figured if anybody had anything then I would get called, otherwise I wasn't going to make any money anyway. So I led out with a $15 into a $14 pot. The Asian kid who felted me earlier raised it to $40. The player after him called for all of his chips, which amounted to $26. It folded around to me and I thought for about ten seconds and made it $115. The Asian kid almost immediately re-raised all in. Usually when I'm holding a full house and it has been checked to the river I am not reluctant to think I have the best hand, but since he had raised me and then re-raised when I re-raised him it made me a little nervous. I eventually told him I had to have the best hand and I called. He showed 4-5 for a straight and I took down the pot.
After this hand I pretty much just chipped my way up to the $1,000 mark and then some. A hand that helped me accumulate more chips was when I was in a blind and had an open-ended straight draw that a player gave me the odds to draw to, with the help of a girl who was calling his bet. I hit it on the river and was paid off. That pot netted me an additional $175 or so.
I left the table with $1,266 for a $866 profit. That puts me at $2,565 profit for the year. Pretty good for two months of work.
I played for five hours and was sitting pretty at approximately $450 when I lost it all on one single hand against an Asian kid who was getting lucky on key hands and then bluffing off a ton of chips so that his swings were all over the place. In the five hours I was with him at the table I saw him go from $70 to $900 in about four or five different up and down motions. When I left he had only about $300 left.
The hand that should have put me on eternal tilt was a set over set hand. I had pocket sevens and he had pocket nines. We both hit on the flop and bet all of our money by the turn. I couldn't river quads and was re-buying for $200.
The very first hand of my re-buy I doubled up. I had pocket fours in middle position and it was a straddled pot. I limped in and when it got back to the straddler he made it $25 to go. A player before me called and I decided to play a little more aggressive with my meek fours. I re-raised it to $100. Keep in mind I only have $200 total at the beginning of the hand. Everybody folded around to the straddler. He contemplated the play and decided to call. The guy between us folded. There was now approximately $235 in the pot.
The flop was K-8-5 rainbow. The straddler checked to me and I pushed my remaining $100 in. He called and I told him if he could call he most likely could beat me. He had A-9 offsuit and I won the pot when he didn't improve. Four hands later I doubled up again.
I had A-2 in the big blind. Six players called the two dollars and we saw a flop. The flop was A-Q-2 giving me two pair. Since nobody raised I figured to have the best hand right now and decided to let somebody else bet for me. I checked after the small blind checked, but everybody else checked. That stunk.
Then the turn came with a beautiful two, giving me a full house. I again decided to check and let somebody have something to bet with, but again it checked around. Stinks again.
The river was a three putting out on the board A-Q-2-2-3. I figured if anybody had anything then I would get called, otherwise I wasn't going to make any money anyway. So I led out with a $15 into a $14 pot. The Asian kid who felted me earlier raised it to $40. The player after him called for all of his chips, which amounted to $26. It folded around to me and I thought for about ten seconds and made it $115. The Asian kid almost immediately re-raised all in. Usually when I'm holding a full house and it has been checked to the river I am not reluctant to think I have the best hand, but since he had raised me and then re-raised when I re-raised him it made me a little nervous. I eventually told him I had to have the best hand and I called. He showed 4-5 for a straight and I took down the pot.
After this hand I pretty much just chipped my way up to the $1,000 mark and then some. A hand that helped me accumulate more chips was when I was in a blind and had an open-ended straight draw that a player gave me the odds to draw to, with the help of a girl who was calling his bet. I hit it on the river and was paid off. That pot netted me an additional $175 or so.
I left the table with $1,266 for a $866 profit. That puts me at $2,565 profit for the year. Pretty good for two months of work.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Session 15
I got back on that horse Tuesday night and drove to Choctaw to see if after breaking the losing streak in Shreveport I could perform well in Oklahoma. Greatest decision I ever made.
I played for my usual four hours and left with a profit of $951. It was a good mixture of great cards and well-timed bluffs. I did get caught bluffing once, but I got away with it on about three medium-sized to large pots so it was okay.
My initial surge to profits-ville was actually from a bluff. I had pocket threes in the big blind and called another $10 when it was raised from late position. Another player behind me called the raise and we went to a flop with the pot at $30.
The flop was Q-6-5 rainbow. I checked, the player after me checked and the raiser bet $20. I thought for a good thirty seconds about my options. I could either fold since I only held a small pocket pair. I could call to see what came later and see what the bettor did. I could raise since the bettor could simply be on a continuation bet.
While I was going through my thought process the bettor started to do some table talk and began hinting that he was afraid of me since I was in the blind and could have anything. I thought he wasn’t posturing for a call and actually didn’t want a call.
I decided not to fold and not get crazy. I wanted to see how the bettor reacted to a call. So I put in the money and expected to move on to the turn, but the guy behind me called. That’s not good. The pot now had $90.
The turn was a 2. This was good for me since it most likely didn’t help anyone and it gave me four more outs for an inside straight draw. I elected to check again and both players behind me checked. I now knew the pre-flop raiser was doing a continuation bet but I couldn’t figure out what the guy after me was doing.
The river was a 5, putting Q-6-5-2-5 on the board. I thought for a few seconds and figured I could bluff the best hand in this situation if I didn’t have the best hand and I led out for $60, which was about a third of what I had left. Both players instantaneously folded and the pre-flop raiser asked if I had a five. I said no and flipped up my threes. He said he had one of my outs and that probably means he had A-3. I don’t know what the other guy had.
My next big hand was a full house when I held pocket jacks. I called a pre-flop raise, flopped a set, checked to the bettor, called his bet, turned a boat and called his all in after checking to him. Pretty straightforward. Knocking him out gave me an additional $250 to work with.
Once I was up to $800 I knocked a player out by hitting one of my 15 outs with two cards to come. I limped in with 6-7 of clubs and the player two to my left raised it $10 more. Four others called the raise and I decided to speculate a flop. The flop came 8-5-2 with two clubs. I had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. I checked. The original raiser bet $15 (into a $70 pot). The player on his left said, “If I can’t win with this then I need to go home,” and he went all in for $95 total. It folded around to me and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. I figured the original raiser/bettor wasn’t going to call, even if he had a monster hand pre-flop like aces or kings. The only way he was calling the extra $80 if I called was with a set or A-K of clubs (which is still questionable). I figured it would end up heads-up so I called, not wanting to risk any more than I had to. Sure enough the original bettor folded and the all in player tabled top set of eights. I turned the flush and he didn’t fill up.
A few hands later I lost almost $100 when I called an all in pre-flop with Q-J offsuit. I was under the gun and raised it to $10. I usually don’t raise this early with a hand like this, but I hadn’t raised all night and with $900 in front of me I decided to show them I had this ability. I received two callers and then the big blind moved all in for $87 total.
On a normal day there is almost no way I am calling a $77 raise pre-flop with Q-J offsuit, but there are some details you need to know that influenced my decision. The big blind had in the last 10 minutes lost about $200 on some bad beats and loose plays. The hand before this one he had straddled the big blind, moved all in pre-flop and wasn’t called. When he did it again I had a feeling he wasn’t that strong, but I’ve been wrong before. He seemed very nervous, shaking his knee rapidly, and I just sensed his hand wasn’t good enough to make this kind of move. I also had to worry about the two guys behind me, but if they had just called my $10 raise and then face a re-raise and call from the original raiser I didn’t think they would play also. I called and the other two laid their hands down (one even said he had A-Q). The all in player had K-5 of diamonds (about the range of hands I figured him to have), but he hit his flush and I lost.
I made it over the $1,000 hump when my pocket queens were outdrawn on the turn and then hit a two outer for a boat on the river. It was pretty sweet. I was in the big blind and re-raised it after a player in late position made it $5 to go. The small blind called and I bumped it up to $20. Both players called. There was now $60 in the pot.
The flop was 8-7-6 rainbow. The small blind checked. I bet $40. The late position player raised the minimum to $80, leaving himself only about another $80. The small blind folded. I thought a while and after the guy stared me down for a few seconds I was sure enough that he didn’t have me beat. I said I was all in, which really put him all in and he put the rest out there. He flipped up A-8.
The turn was an eight, giving him trips, and the river brought one of my only two queens for a full house.
I played up the luck box mentality and let everyone think I was just this average player who was getting his fair share of cards until I snapped off a great bluff. Then I would show the bluff and it gave the others some doubt when I made big bets with big hands. I have to say that I was definitely in the zone last night. I was making great value bets and getting paid off with great hands. It was a good night.
The big profit from last night, along with the Shreveport trip, pretty much cancels out my string of losses from two weeks ago. My bankroll is back up to $2,699, giving me a $1,699 profit for the year. For the record, my hourly rate last night was $237.75. Much better than the $5.75 an hour I made in high school at Blockbuster Video.
I played for my usual four hours and left with a profit of $951. It was a good mixture of great cards and well-timed bluffs. I did get caught bluffing once, but I got away with it on about three medium-sized to large pots so it was okay.
My initial surge to profits-ville was actually from a bluff. I had pocket threes in the big blind and called another $10 when it was raised from late position. Another player behind me called the raise and we went to a flop with the pot at $30.
The flop was Q-6-5 rainbow. I checked, the player after me checked and the raiser bet $20. I thought for a good thirty seconds about my options. I could either fold since I only held a small pocket pair. I could call to see what came later and see what the bettor did. I could raise since the bettor could simply be on a continuation bet.
While I was going through my thought process the bettor started to do some table talk and began hinting that he was afraid of me since I was in the blind and could have anything. I thought he wasn’t posturing for a call and actually didn’t want a call.
I decided not to fold and not get crazy. I wanted to see how the bettor reacted to a call. So I put in the money and expected to move on to the turn, but the guy behind me called. That’s not good. The pot now had $90.
The turn was a 2. This was good for me since it most likely didn’t help anyone and it gave me four more outs for an inside straight draw. I elected to check again and both players behind me checked. I now knew the pre-flop raiser was doing a continuation bet but I couldn’t figure out what the guy after me was doing.
The river was a 5, putting Q-6-5-2-5 on the board. I thought for a few seconds and figured I could bluff the best hand in this situation if I didn’t have the best hand and I led out for $60, which was about a third of what I had left. Both players instantaneously folded and the pre-flop raiser asked if I had a five. I said no and flipped up my threes. He said he had one of my outs and that probably means he had A-3. I don’t know what the other guy had.
My next big hand was a full house when I held pocket jacks. I called a pre-flop raise, flopped a set, checked to the bettor, called his bet, turned a boat and called his all in after checking to him. Pretty straightforward. Knocking him out gave me an additional $250 to work with.
Once I was up to $800 I knocked a player out by hitting one of my 15 outs with two cards to come. I limped in with 6-7 of clubs and the player two to my left raised it $10 more. Four others called the raise and I decided to speculate a flop. The flop came 8-5-2 with two clubs. I had an open-ended straight draw and a flush draw. I checked. The original raiser bet $15 (into a $70 pot). The player on his left said, “If I can’t win with this then I need to go home,” and he went all in for $95 total. It folded around to me and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. I figured the original raiser/bettor wasn’t going to call, even if he had a monster hand pre-flop like aces or kings. The only way he was calling the extra $80 if I called was with a set or A-K of clubs (which is still questionable). I figured it would end up heads-up so I called, not wanting to risk any more than I had to. Sure enough the original bettor folded and the all in player tabled top set of eights. I turned the flush and he didn’t fill up.
A few hands later I lost almost $100 when I called an all in pre-flop with Q-J offsuit. I was under the gun and raised it to $10. I usually don’t raise this early with a hand like this, but I hadn’t raised all night and with $900 in front of me I decided to show them I had this ability. I received two callers and then the big blind moved all in for $87 total.
On a normal day there is almost no way I am calling a $77 raise pre-flop with Q-J offsuit, but there are some details you need to know that influenced my decision. The big blind had in the last 10 minutes lost about $200 on some bad beats and loose plays. The hand before this one he had straddled the big blind, moved all in pre-flop and wasn’t called. When he did it again I had a feeling he wasn’t that strong, but I’ve been wrong before. He seemed very nervous, shaking his knee rapidly, and I just sensed his hand wasn’t good enough to make this kind of move. I also had to worry about the two guys behind me, but if they had just called my $10 raise and then face a re-raise and call from the original raiser I didn’t think they would play also. I called and the other two laid their hands down (one even said he had A-Q). The all in player had K-5 of diamonds (about the range of hands I figured him to have), but he hit his flush and I lost.
I made it over the $1,000 hump when my pocket queens were outdrawn on the turn and then hit a two outer for a boat on the river. It was pretty sweet. I was in the big blind and re-raised it after a player in late position made it $5 to go. The small blind called and I bumped it up to $20. Both players called. There was now $60 in the pot.
The flop was 8-7-6 rainbow. The small blind checked. I bet $40. The late position player raised the minimum to $80, leaving himself only about another $80. The small blind folded. I thought a while and after the guy stared me down for a few seconds I was sure enough that he didn’t have me beat. I said I was all in, which really put him all in and he put the rest out there. He flipped up A-8.
The turn was an eight, giving him trips, and the river brought one of my only two queens for a full house.
I played up the luck box mentality and let everyone think I was just this average player who was getting his fair share of cards until I snapped off a great bluff. Then I would show the bluff and it gave the others some doubt when I made big bets with big hands. I have to say that I was definitely in the zone last night. I was making great value bets and getting paid off with great hands. It was a good night.
The big profit from last night, along with the Shreveport trip, pretty much cancels out my string of losses from two weeks ago. My bankroll is back up to $2,699, giving me a $1,699 profit for the year. For the record, my hourly rate last night was $237.75. Much better than the $5.75 an hour I made in high school at Blockbuster Video.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
My Vacation (Including Sessions 13 & 14)
The Nacogdoches/Shreveport trip was worth it just for the drive down Friday morning. I left Ennis at about 9:45 a.m. and for half of the three-hour drive I listened to 1310 The Ticket’s Norm talk about the Mavericks and Cowboys. The scenery was beautiful and I decided to take the longer, more scenic route to Nacogdoches, which was definitely the right decision. East Texas is a beautiful piece of countryside that is overshadowed by the dry, barren half of West Texas in the minds of the national public.
After arriving in Nacogdoches at 1 p.m. I drove around the city to look at my old house where I have countless great memories of the good times I had in college. I made my way to Peking and savored my favorite dish. General Sao’s Chicken is still as good as I remembered it. Following lunch I went to the campus and walked around a bit. They are making a lot of changes, particularly in parking. I saw two new parking garages on campus, my dorm was torn down to build new apartment-style dorms and the University Center is being remodeled. I bought two SFA shirts and a hat. I also saw my favorite professor from the journalism department, who I think had a small for of turrets syndrome or was just a kooky old man that loved his job. He was across campus and I didn’t get a chance to talk to him, but I doubt he would have remembered me anyway so it was for the best.
After the shopping and campus tour I played a round of Frisbee golf. I shot a –2 for the course, which is pretty great since I haven’t played the course in years and I haven’t played Frisbee golf in several months. I was bogey free until hole 16 where I missed a 10-foot putt that cost me par. It was even more defeating because I was so close to going the entire game without a bogey and it occurred on a hole I usually birdie.
Once I finished my game I took a little more time to see the town and what had changed (a few new restaurants and some businesses had closed down). I finally hit the road for Shreveport.
Once I arrived in Shreveport, instead of finding a place to spend the night I immediately made my way to El Dorado (formerly Hollywood Casino) to begin my poker comeback. I played for seven hours and finished with a profit of $189. I had to put in a $160 add-on to keep going, but it was worth it in the end.
I lost with pocket queens... again. This seems to be the hand of my demise lately. The only good thing to come out of losing with the queens was I stopped putting money into the pot once I knew I was beat. I raised pre-flop and got two callers. The flop came out with three lower cards than my queens. I bet about two-thirds of the pot and received one player. The turn was an ace and he checked to me again. I checked behind him and the river was insignificant. He checked again and I flipped up my hand. He showed his A-J and won the pot. He had nothing on the flop but decided to call with his overs. Oh well, that is what I want in the long run.
The second session came Saturday when I played at the Horseshoe Casino. I won $135 at this game, but it was just as bad as WinStar, except I wasn’t surrounded by 19-year-olds.
One guy at the game raised pre-flop to $55 on several occasions with nobody yet voluntarily entering the pot. By the way, I was playing in a $1-2 no-limit game, not a $2-5. After frustrating the table with his bets he started to get action but unlucky for us he hit the hands he needed. He was raising with K-J and Q-9 and would either hit and win a big pot or miss and bet all in forcing the other players out. He left with a profit of about $450 and we were all glad to see him leave. Actually, he did tone it down a little for a while, only making it $20-25 pre-flop but eventually made his way back up to the $45 range near the end.
I also played against the most annoying player I have ever been around at this session. He was a loud-mouthed, cocky, ignorant, jobless man from Arkansas who only talked about how we were a bunch of donkeys who he was going to roll up, felt or ride back to Arkansas. I was only given one opportunity to double up through him when I semi-bluffed the turn with a straight draw and flush draw. I hit the straight on the river and bet $35 (with the pot sitting at about $55). He thought long and hard about raising and finally folded. He said he folded top pair and was going to raise me but he couldn’t pull the trigger. I told him he should have because I missed my flush and only had ace high.
A big hand for me came when I elected to speculate a flop with 6-7 suited and flopped a straight. A player with Kings raised pre-flop and after the limpers got out of the way and another player called I decided to see what happened. If I didn’t hit two pair or better I was gone. When I flopped my straight both myself and the other caller checked. The raiser went all in for $30 more (with about $40 in the pot). The first player called the bet and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. There were two diamonds on board (which was not my suit) and I elected to raise another $60. I figured if the caller had a draw he would let it go and if he hit something decent he might hang in there. The caller folded and I flipped up my hand. The river would have made a higher straight for the caller so it is good I did what I did. By the way, the table proceeded to discuss how bad I was because I played junk hands like 6-7 suited in a raised pot. Eh, maybe they are right, but I stand by my decision. I would certainly complain about losing to 6-7 suited when I had pocket kings.
Overall the trip was great and I had a really good time. For anyone going to Shreveport anytime soon I recommend El Dorado’s card room over the Horseshoe’s room. It is more spacious and the game is not as wild. My bankroll was bumped up to $1,748 after my two winning sessions and I will be making my return to Choctaw soon.
After arriving in Nacogdoches at 1 p.m. I drove around the city to look at my old house where I have countless great memories of the good times I had in college. I made my way to Peking and savored my favorite dish. General Sao’s Chicken is still as good as I remembered it. Following lunch I went to the campus and walked around a bit. They are making a lot of changes, particularly in parking. I saw two new parking garages on campus, my dorm was torn down to build new apartment-style dorms and the University Center is being remodeled. I bought two SFA shirts and a hat. I also saw my favorite professor from the journalism department, who I think had a small for of turrets syndrome or was just a kooky old man that loved his job. He was across campus and I didn’t get a chance to talk to him, but I doubt he would have remembered me anyway so it was for the best.
After the shopping and campus tour I played a round of Frisbee golf. I shot a –2 for the course, which is pretty great since I haven’t played the course in years and I haven’t played Frisbee golf in several months. I was bogey free until hole 16 where I missed a 10-foot putt that cost me par. It was even more defeating because I was so close to going the entire game without a bogey and it occurred on a hole I usually birdie.
Once I finished my game I took a little more time to see the town and what had changed (a few new restaurants and some businesses had closed down). I finally hit the road for Shreveport.
Once I arrived in Shreveport, instead of finding a place to spend the night I immediately made my way to El Dorado (formerly Hollywood Casino) to begin my poker comeback. I played for seven hours and finished with a profit of $189. I had to put in a $160 add-on to keep going, but it was worth it in the end.
I lost with pocket queens... again. This seems to be the hand of my demise lately. The only good thing to come out of losing with the queens was I stopped putting money into the pot once I knew I was beat. I raised pre-flop and got two callers. The flop came out with three lower cards than my queens. I bet about two-thirds of the pot and received one player. The turn was an ace and he checked to me again. I checked behind him and the river was insignificant. He checked again and I flipped up my hand. He showed his A-J and won the pot. He had nothing on the flop but decided to call with his overs. Oh well, that is what I want in the long run.
The second session came Saturday when I played at the Horseshoe Casino. I won $135 at this game, but it was just as bad as WinStar, except I wasn’t surrounded by 19-year-olds.
One guy at the game raised pre-flop to $55 on several occasions with nobody yet voluntarily entering the pot. By the way, I was playing in a $1-2 no-limit game, not a $2-5. After frustrating the table with his bets he started to get action but unlucky for us he hit the hands he needed. He was raising with K-J and Q-9 and would either hit and win a big pot or miss and bet all in forcing the other players out. He left with a profit of about $450 and we were all glad to see him leave. Actually, he did tone it down a little for a while, only making it $20-25 pre-flop but eventually made his way back up to the $45 range near the end.
I also played against the most annoying player I have ever been around at this session. He was a loud-mouthed, cocky, ignorant, jobless man from Arkansas who only talked about how we were a bunch of donkeys who he was going to roll up, felt or ride back to Arkansas. I was only given one opportunity to double up through him when I semi-bluffed the turn with a straight draw and flush draw. I hit the straight on the river and bet $35 (with the pot sitting at about $55). He thought long and hard about raising and finally folded. He said he folded top pair and was going to raise me but he couldn’t pull the trigger. I told him he should have because I missed my flush and only had ace high.
A big hand for me came when I elected to speculate a flop with 6-7 suited and flopped a straight. A player with Kings raised pre-flop and after the limpers got out of the way and another player called I decided to see what happened. If I didn’t hit two pair or better I was gone. When I flopped my straight both myself and the other caller checked. The raiser went all in for $30 more (with about $40 in the pot). The first player called the bet and I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do. There were two diamonds on board (which was not my suit) and I elected to raise another $60. I figured if the caller had a draw he would let it go and if he hit something decent he might hang in there. The caller folded and I flipped up my hand. The river would have made a higher straight for the caller so it is good I did what I did. By the way, the table proceeded to discuss how bad I was because I played junk hands like 6-7 suited in a raised pot. Eh, maybe they are right, but I stand by my decision. I would certainly complain about losing to 6-7 suited when I had pocket kings.
Overall the trip was great and I had a really good time. For anyone going to Shreveport anytime soon I recommend El Dorado’s card room over the Horseshoe’s room. It is more spacious and the game is not as wild. My bankroll was bumped up to $1,748 after my two winning sessions and I will be making my return to Choctaw soon.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Weekend O' Poker
I am taking the day off from work tomorrow and since I have nothing to do with my weekend, except entertain the children on Sunday, I have decided to travel east and spend the night in Shreveport. Before arriving at my destination though I will be making a pit stop in Nacogdoches in order to take a trip down memory lane.
I will play some frisbee golf at the greatest course in Texas, better known as Pecan Park. In order to cancel out one of the things I am "out" on I will be purchasing some Stephen F. Austin gear. I am out on people who own more clothing from a school they didn't attend than one they did, so this trip should balance me out.
The best part about stopping in Nacogdoches is I will be getting my favorite meal ever, General Sao's Chicken from Peking Restaurant. I haven't had it in so long and am salivating already for the great taste.
Once I have spent enough time in my college town I will then finish my road trip to Shreveport where I plan to play either two or three sessions of poker. One Friday night and either one or two on Saturday. Depends on if my slump continues or not.
I am really excited about the trip and will let you know how it goes. I may even try to beat the record Chad has at Pecan Park for lowest score, but I doubt that happens considering I haven't played frisbee golf in at least eight months.
I will play some frisbee golf at the greatest course in Texas, better known as Pecan Park. In order to cancel out one of the things I am "out" on I will be purchasing some Stephen F. Austin gear. I am out on people who own more clothing from a school they didn't attend than one they did, so this trip should balance me out.
The best part about stopping in Nacogdoches is I will be getting my favorite meal ever, General Sao's Chicken from Peking Restaurant. I haven't had it in so long and am salivating already for the great taste.
Once I have spent enough time in my college town I will then finish my road trip to Shreveport where I plan to play either two or three sessions of poker. One Friday night and either one or two on Saturday. Depends on if my slump continues or not.
I am really excited about the trip and will let you know how it goes. I may even try to beat the record Chad has at Pecan Park for lowest score, but I doubt that happens considering I haven't played frisbee golf in at least eight months.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Session 12
I have almost negated an entire month’s profits in four consecutive and disappointing losses. Tuesday night’s game was another $400 loss and a huge blow to my self-esteem. I felt demoralized and dejected after losing two buy-ins in about two hours.
What made this loss the worst of the last four was I actually played very well. It was probably the best I have played in several games.
My first big hit was when I turned trips and had called a bet on the flop and led out on the turn from the button. While facing two opponents on the river and holding a three kicker I elected to check, which was a good decision because I lost the hand to K-10.
Another large loss was when my K-9 lost against two guys who were all-in with K-Q and A-7. The K-Q had me beat the whole way when we both paired a king on the flop and the A-7 player, who was a beginner and had no clue as to what was going on, sucked out on the turn with a third seven. I should have checked the turn and let them show their strength on the river, which would have saved me $50, but both players checked to me on the flop and turn. This hand was probably my only true mistake in the night.
I lost my first buy-in when holding A-K and elected to go all in pre-flop after the under-the-gun player raised it to $15 (at a $1-2 game). He received two callers and I felt the pot was big enough that I could try to take it down then and even if I was called I might not be in too bad of shape. I pushed my $64 in the middle and was then re-raised by James, who was holding pocket kings. This got everyone else out, one of whom was holding Q-Q. We both hit a king on the flop and I was out.
My second bust out was with A-J suited. I called a $20 pre-flop raise, along with the beginner, from an early bettor. The flop brought three low cards and two spades. The raiser checked and I felt it was a good opportunity for me to try and win the pot. I moved all in for $94 (into a $60 pot). The button folded and the original raiser called. He had K-K and I didn’t improve.
This loss knocks me down to a $1,422 bankroll. My February is going very poorly and I really need a win soon, otherwise I may take the Mike Steed approach to the game.
What made this loss the worst of the last four was I actually played very well. It was probably the best I have played in several games.
My first big hit was when I turned trips and had called a bet on the flop and led out on the turn from the button. While facing two opponents on the river and holding a three kicker I elected to check, which was a good decision because I lost the hand to K-10.
Another large loss was when my K-9 lost against two guys who were all-in with K-Q and A-7. The K-Q had me beat the whole way when we both paired a king on the flop and the A-7 player, who was a beginner and had no clue as to what was going on, sucked out on the turn with a third seven. I should have checked the turn and let them show their strength on the river, which would have saved me $50, but both players checked to me on the flop and turn. This hand was probably my only true mistake in the night.
I lost my first buy-in when holding A-K and elected to go all in pre-flop after the under-the-gun player raised it to $15 (at a $1-2 game). He received two callers and I felt the pot was big enough that I could try to take it down then and even if I was called I might not be in too bad of shape. I pushed my $64 in the middle and was then re-raised by James, who was holding pocket kings. This got everyone else out, one of whom was holding Q-Q. We both hit a king on the flop and I was out.
My second bust out was with A-J suited. I called a $20 pre-flop raise, along with the beginner, from an early bettor. The flop brought three low cards and two spades. The raiser checked and I felt it was a good opportunity for me to try and win the pot. I moved all in for $94 (into a $60 pot). The button folded and the original raiser called. He had K-K and I didn’t improve.
This loss knocks me down to a $1,422 bankroll. My February is going very poorly and I really need a win soon, otherwise I may take the Mike Steed approach to the game.
Session 11
The plan was to play for an entire eight hours on Saturday, but I wasn’t lucky enough to make it that long. I started off playing $1-2 no-limit but moved to the $2-5 game after about 30 minutes of play. Big mistake on my part.
I peaked after about another hour at the “big game” at $600. After that I was knocked down to $70 after two big losses.
My first loss came when my A-Q couldn’t shake a guy holding A-J. He rivered a flush on me after flopping top pair. I don’t blame him for calling my bets on the flop and turn, it just sucked to lose the hand when I was betting it very hard to get him off the flush draw. When he did river his flush and I checked to him he decided not to bet and I saved some money there, even though I would have folded to any bet knowing he had me beat.
My second loss was with 5-6 offsuit. I was in a blind and the flop came Q-6-3. I checked and called a bet that was approximately three-fourths the size of the pot. The turn was a five and I checked to the bettor again, wanting to check raise. He bet $50 and I raised him another $75 on top. He thought for a bit and then called. The river was a nine. I bet $150 and he quickly called with Q-9. I was very disappointed that the river brought such a disgusting card.
After being down to $70 I doubled up with A-J offsuit, almost doubled up again with pocket tens and then was busted when I flopped a flush draw with bottom pair. I took my stand and missed when the guy was holding top two pair, which nullified some of my outs.
I lost $500 for the day and that knocked my bankroll down to $1,822, which amounts to a $1,000 loss in less than a week. Yeah, it sucks.
I peaked after about another hour at the “big game” at $600. After that I was knocked down to $70 after two big losses.
My first loss came when my A-Q couldn’t shake a guy holding A-J. He rivered a flush on me after flopping top pair. I don’t blame him for calling my bets on the flop and turn, it just sucked to lose the hand when I was betting it very hard to get him off the flush draw. When he did river his flush and I checked to him he decided not to bet and I saved some money there, even though I would have folded to any bet knowing he had me beat.
My second loss was with 5-6 offsuit. I was in a blind and the flop came Q-6-3. I checked and called a bet that was approximately three-fourths the size of the pot. The turn was a five and I checked to the bettor again, wanting to check raise. He bet $50 and I raised him another $75 on top. He thought for a bit and then called. The river was a nine. I bet $150 and he quickly called with Q-9. I was very disappointed that the river brought such a disgusting card.
After being down to $70 I doubled up with A-J offsuit, almost doubled up again with pocket tens and then was busted when I flopped a flush draw with bottom pair. I took my stand and missed when the guy was holding top two pair, which nullified some of my outs.
I lost $500 for the day and that knocked my bankroll down to $1,822, which amounts to a $1,000 loss in less than a week. Yeah, it sucks.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Pre-Oscar Exciting News
I just read today some AMC Theaters (Theatres?), the Arlington Parks included, will be giving movie goers and Academy Award enthusiasts like myself a chance to see all the Best Picture nominees before the big night on Feb. 25. The day before the movie chain will show all five nominees back-to-back, with bathroom breaks in between of course, throughout the day. Although I have already seen two of the nominees (The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine) I will still take part in this rare occasion.
I received my Academy Award poster in the mail the other day and have already had it framed. This is the second of the last two award ceremony posters that I now own. Last year's poster is more elegant and nicer than this year's, but I still like the new one. They are both far better than anything the Academy has come up with in years past.
I am counting down the days until the big night when I get disappointed certain people and movies win awards that shouldn't and the ones I think are better are snubbed by the Academy. I'm excited!!!
I received my Academy Award poster in the mail the other day and have already had it framed. This is the second of the last two award ceremony posters that I now own. Last year's poster is more elegant and nicer than this year's, but I still like the new one. They are both far better than anything the Academy has come up with in years past.
I am counting down the days until the big night when I get disappointed certain people and movies win awards that shouldn't and the ones I think are better are snubbed by the Academy. I'm excited!!!
Session 10
I would say this was a crushing blow to the poker ego, but it was nothing compared to my trip the next day.
I learned a valuable lesson about my playing ability. When constricted with a 100x the big blind maximum buy-in I should not play the speculative hands like 6-7 and J-9 until I have won some money and can afford to limp in for a miracle flop.
After dipping down and losing some money with those exploratory hands I then lost a big sum with pocket queens, on three different occasions. The worst loss emotionally was when I bet a little less than the size of the pot after raising pre-flop on a 4-4-3 rainbow board and was called by a guy with A-5 of hearts. He turned an ace and we checked it down, because not winning any more money is what you want to do when you are drawing for a low probability suckout.
I received 10-12 pocket pairs and never hit a single set throughout the night. I lost $300 knocking my bankroll down to $2,322. However, this would be the second of three losses in a row. February is not starting well for me.
I learned a valuable lesson about my playing ability. When constricted with a 100x the big blind maximum buy-in I should not play the speculative hands like 6-7 and J-9 until I have won some money and can afford to limp in for a miracle flop.
After dipping down and losing some money with those exploratory hands I then lost a big sum with pocket queens, on three different occasions. The worst loss emotionally was when I bet a little less than the size of the pot after raising pre-flop on a 4-4-3 rainbow board and was called by a guy with A-5 of hearts. He turned an ace and we checked it down, because not winning any more money is what you want to do when you are drawing for a low probability suckout.
I received 10-12 pocket pairs and never hit a single set throughout the night. I lost $300 knocking my bankroll down to $2,322. However, this would be the second of three losses in a row. February is not starting well for me.
Friday, February 02, 2007
January Statistics
Monthly Profit: $1,622
Yearly Profit: $1,622
Total Monthly Hours Played: 54 hours 15 minutes
Total Yearly Hours Played: 54 hours 15 minutes
Monthly Rate Per Hour: $29.90
Yearly Rate Per Hour: $29.90
Most Profitable Format: $1-2 No-Limit Hold’em
Leas Profitable Format: Online Poker
Rate Per Hour For Most Profitable Format: $44.73
Day Most Played: Saturday (Played Two Tournaments, Twice Online and Once at Choctaw)
Most Profitable Day: Thursday (Played Choctaw Three Times)
Least Profitable Day: Sunday (Played Online Twice)
Rate Per Hour For Most Profitable Day: $92.67
Session 9
I am disappointed to report that my final session in January was a loss of $200.
James and I again were at the same table and he won almost every dollar available, so there wasn’t much left to get for myself. Actually I was up about $130 early on when my pocket aces beat K-Q suited for all of a girls stack. After that though there were slim pickings for the rest of the night.
I reached a point that I couldn’t connect with much when I had good cards and I played bad cards for large raises to offset the bad luck. I should have stopped after about two hours into the night and waited for James to finish his tear of good cards and good play because I didn’t feel well and wasn’t playing to the best of my ability. I still need to work on that aspect of my game.
The hand I went out on happened to be the last hand of the night whether I had won or lost the pot, which I happened to lose. I received A-J of clubs and raised it to $10 in middle position, which was a fifth of my stack since I only had $51 left. I received four callers, two from late position and the two blinds. There was $50 in the pot.
The flop came Q-J-2 with two clubs. It checked to me and I moved my remaining $41 into the middle. I got a caller and we flipped up our hands. He had A-Q taking away some hope. The turn was a queen, which took away more hope. The river was a meaningless card and I went to the cashier’s window where James was cashing in a huge payday.
I surpassed my goal of winning $1,000 for the month. I'll post my January stats later when I have some more time.
James and I again were at the same table and he won almost every dollar available, so there wasn’t much left to get for myself. Actually I was up about $130 early on when my pocket aces beat K-Q suited for all of a girls stack. After that though there were slim pickings for the rest of the night.
I reached a point that I couldn’t connect with much when I had good cards and I played bad cards for large raises to offset the bad luck. I should have stopped after about two hours into the night and waited for James to finish his tear of good cards and good play because I didn’t feel well and wasn’t playing to the best of my ability. I still need to work on that aspect of my game.
The hand I went out on happened to be the last hand of the night whether I had won or lost the pot, which I happened to lose. I received A-J of clubs and raised it to $10 in middle position, which was a fifth of my stack since I only had $51 left. I received four callers, two from late position and the two blinds. There was $50 in the pot.
The flop came Q-J-2 with two clubs. It checked to me and I moved my remaining $41 into the middle. I got a caller and we flipped up our hands. He had A-Q taking away some hope. The turn was a queen, which took away more hope. The river was a meaningless card and I went to the cashier’s window where James was cashing in a huge payday.
I surpassed my goal of winning $1,000 for the month. I'll post my January stats later when I have some more time.
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