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January 31, 2005
We now return to...
When I was in high school, my senior English teacher told me my life was a soap opera. And you know, for an 18 year old who was in the midst of such HUGE life altering decisions such as who to go to the prom with (screwed that one up), where to go to college (picked ok, should have just...oh...worked harder once I got there), and what to do on the weekend (drive. smoke. club. Denny's at 2am.), this was funny to me. Completely accurate, but funny. What's not quite so funny is that in the ten years since then I have thought numerous times that it still is. I'm not sure why this applies to my poker game, but I feel like it does, because I haven't had that thought in a long time, but tonight, it returned, and I feel poker is to blame. I guess because I'm facing my bankroll at a sad little level...lowest ever I do believe, I mean, since I really started caring about it. There's more to it to - but it's personal (but yet, still related to poker), and it's not that I'm not willing to share (anyone who knows me will tell you I am plenty open), but it's a freakin' novel to give you the full backstory. (And I'm no Pauly). Hopefully it is sufficent to say that a lot of that soap operaness of recent years had to do with me not putting myself first in a friendship I had...despite many mornings, at oh, 9:30ish, declaring never again would I allow myself to be treated in such a manner...but as my assistant/best friend can attest to, by about 3:30, that had all gone to hell. And as we know as poker players, patterns are hard to break.
Anyway...let me try and write this before I toss my laptop off the balcony. Now it has added the inability to charge to the whole overheating and shutting down randomly thing. I suppose I should just take it in to the shop before something really horrible happens that forces the issue.
Tonight was a night of swings. Like the kind of swings you see in those TV shows where the kid goes flying off into the horizon and the stupid parents get that "uh oh" look on their face? Yep - that was me. And just at one table! I finished down $20 - not a lot, I know. I mean really, compared to Sir (my poor Sir) I have nothing to complain about really. But at the same time...I am so close to being right there with you babe. And as much as I love ya - I don't really wanna!
I know swings happen...it was the way these came that affected me really. I was doing OK...taking small pots here and there, haven't played a lot of hands, and then find As Qc. I limp in, flop comes 4d Ac 9s. I'm 3s, I bet .50. 4s folds, 5s raises to $2.75. Everyone else folds. I figure he's paired the Ace, but I know my kicker is good. If he had Ace King, he would have raised. I call. Turn is 2d. I bet $5, he calls. River is 6d. He's got $5.45 left in front of him...I bet exactly that. He calls. He's got? A8...diamonds. So yea...my read was right, but it just cost me about $13.50 - half my stack.
A few hands later I get As Qs, pair the Q on the flop, and take in a net $5.95 pot. Build up continues with As Qh, flop of Th Kh 7d - bet is $1.35, and I call (remember your poll BSN? ;)). Turn is 7c. Check all around. River is Js, bet is $1, I raise to $3, and get a call. My straight beats his two pair, I win a net $7.2o (had to type it that way :))
So, ok...at this point my stack is at nearly $27, which would be a small profit for the night, but hey, it's a profit, and after that beat down earlier...and it gets better, cause the deck is just hitting me in the face. The next few hands are AK, TT, AK. But do I win? No. It's like the Poker Gods are saying, "That money you have there? Yea...don't get used to it."
I get Kh Ah...hell, apparently I limped, so I guess I deserved this. Flop is Tc Ks As. I bet $1.50, get 3 callers. Turn is 8s. Checkity check check. River is 5c. Bet of $3 to me, I call. Raise to $6. One out, first better calls, I call. Raiser has Jh Qs, better has Kc Th. Least I had one of them beat... [OK...why do we write these blogs? Partly to analyze our play. Mistake one - getting cute with AK. I suppose not really a mistake, just like getting cute with AA, it can be profitable at times - we'll get to that in a moment. Mistake two - Two spades on the flop though, plus the straight "draw" (not knowing it was made for someone) - should have bet HARD. Probably wouldn't have chased him off then, but if you had bet the turn....]
Very next hand, pocket tens. I limp in middle position, hoping for someone to raise...nope. Flop comes 9s 4c Kd. It's bet $1.50 - I'm the only caller. Turn is a Th, and it's checked to me. I bet $2.50, and my opponent re-raises all-in for $2.75. I call. River is 6c. He's got Js Qc, giving him the King-high straight. But...that was my ten...
See...this is it...what I should explain is - my first winning session in a long time was the other night, where I doubled up my buyin in one hand (pocket 10s) by limping in, and made a set, and then a boat, and since I had limped, my opponent never knew what I had.
It's like everytime I hit a great hand, and finally feel back on track, something comes along a few minutes later to take it away. And it always seems to be the exact same copy of the hand that brought on the high earlier. It's like I'm getting karma for some wrong I committed, but yet - I don't know what I did! I mean, for God's sake, my dog just died! Give me a break!
I could then go on and tell you about the Ace-high flush I flopped, and played fairly well (I was a good girl and checked the flop Sir, but I did get greedy and raise the turn...:(), only to lose more than I won on that hand to the exact same guy two hands later to his Ace-high flush.
I played pocket 4s in a $1 tournament tonight...something I would normally never do. Hell, I even called a raise with them. The flop came 6d 8d Kd - mine were black. It was bet T180, I raised to T360, and he called. Turn was Ac. I bet 525 to put my opponent all in, and he's got 9d As - oops. River was 4h. I felt bad, I really did. I couldn't decide - was that horrible poker, or masterful agression in the early stages of a tournament?
I didn't last long in this one - big slick again, Kh As. Blinds at 15/30, a pre-flop raise to 60 (someone's crying!!) and 3 callers, myself included. Flop is 4s Kd 5s. I bet 75, two fold, the pre-flop raiser raises to 495. I call. Turn is 2h I bet 500. He goes all in for 1720. I call. River is 2d.
He had Aces. I confess, I never really put him on a hand...but with that little raise, it sure as hell never crossed my mind that he had Aces. Never even crossed my mind that he had a set of Kings even. That one I figure to be immediate karma from the 4s, and pretty much deserved.
I can't really decide if I just suck, or if I've done something to incur the wrath of The Powers That Be. (Too much watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer - and if you get that refrence, you too). I guess that's where the soap opera thing comes in...because I'm seriously at a loss. It hit me the other day, it's not fun to play anymore. I know one reason for that...but I can't do anything about that (see first paragraph :)). But the main reason is, I'm losing! And that's no fun! And it's not even the slow drip of the bankroll, it's that I can do better, and know better, but apparently haven't been? I guess, that I have been suffering from quite a bit of lack of focus.
Sigh...thanks for listening to me whine. Feel unfullfilled? Go read Otis - he did a beautiful job for the first leg of the tour, and I know the rest will be the same. Otis makes me smile, and Chad makes me laugh.
Allright...6 hours for me to sleep and the laptop to decide it wants to charge. Let's be careful out there folks.
Posted by April at 11:04 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 29, 2005
"You're wicked bad luck baby"
-GROB, 1/25/05
Yea...that may be true. GROB was slumming it with me at the .10/.25 tables at UB, just killing time while he was also in a NL tournament (this was of course before he got pissed at UB and cashed-out). An IM from TheFilmGeek led to a challenge to him to turn his remaining $1 at UB into the $5 minimum buyin for our table. See, we get blogger tables going at UB sometimes. Of course, they've both left me now...but I'll be allright. :cry: Now, what happens in PokerTracker stays in PokerTracker, but of course, it led GROB to say the above...so draw your own conclusions. I closed that table up a whopping 70 cents. Please...requests for loans will be handled in the order in which they are received. We appreciate your patience. I finished the night down overall, because at the next table, I ended up a loser of $7.60, and at table #3, a winner of...5 cents. For my second table, I think only one hand I really played BAD. I was in the SB with Js Th, flop is Tc 4c 2d, I bet .25, and get one caller. Turn is Ks, I bet .75, and get called. River is 7s, I bet $1.25, he raises to $2.50, and I call. He had Qd Kd, so he paired up on the turn. For my other big losing hand, I had pocket Kings, and raise to $1.50 pre-flop, and get two callers. Flop comes 8s Ad Jh. One caller checks to me, and I bet $2. Caller #2 folds, Caller #1 raises to $4. Since any Ace or pair of Jacks has me beat here, and both are highly possible since my raise was called, I fold. I don't think that was a bad move really...but am certainly willing to hear other opinions. :)
Let's see...do you really want to hear about my losing ring games? About my inability to lay down TPTK, despite my opponent betting into me heavily, which would normally scream "I have two pair, or a set, or something else that beats your pair, even if it is Aces with King kicker! It's shit now!" Nah...I mean, if you're really into that sort of thing, I can send you the hand histories.
While I am not having a great night that night, Chris (TheFilmGeek) is tearing up the tables turning his $1 into $5. He and I are in cotact via IM and we get this great idea...try the $1000, $1 buy in tournament that is starting in a few minutes. Well why not? That was one of my goals for this year...to try some real money tournaments. (I'm halfway there...at UB you can buyin with Ultimate Points...so I used those - baby steps people!).
We were expecting a wild bunch, for just a $1 tournament (or less, for wimps like me - shut up). Actually, both our tables were quite well-behaved. None of that all-in every hand crap you see a lot of times.
Notable hands for me? Well..I got a suited hammer in the BB at one point, paired the seven, minimum bet the flop, got two callers, and bet 100 on the turn, and got a raiser...and then folded (there was a straight draw). Stupid fake hammer...
None of my draws paid off...I'd have a straight and flush draw...oodles of outs...and not get a one. I was beginning to think GROB was on to something...
My big hit was on Th Qc, flop was Jh 2d Tc. I check, he bets T20, I call, other guy folds. Turn is a 2c. I check, he bets 100, I call. River is a Kd. I check, he bets 300, I call. He had...Jd, Kc. That cost me quite a bit. But what bugged me most of all, was - hello?? Litterally - HELLO? I'm a freakin' calling station! Just put the little phone icon right back next to my name in Tracker.
Sigh...oh well. Make note, move along. Riiigghhtt....
A few hands later, Paris & Nicky come along in the BB. I've got T575, blinds are 30/60, but I am the short stack at my table, so I figure I get a caller...all-in. It's raised before it gets back to me...hmm...oh well, a plan's a plan! I get two callers, the inital raiser and one other guy. Flop comes...Ks Kh 3s. (Can you say...fuuuccck?) Turn is 8c, and here the other guy, not the inital raiser, bets, and initial raiser folds. River is Jd. I was up against? Qs Kd. So yea...that was it for me.
Well now I'm a tournament addict. The next night I did another, this time it was a $3 rebuy tournament (oooo...she's a big spender now! Not really...still just more points). Being the tournament novice, I'd never done a rebuy before, so I wasn't really sure how to change up my strategy. But I was going with "play smart, let them rebuy, and just take their chips".
It was working so far...the guys at my table were bluffing hard, so as long as I had a real hand, it was going to pay off. And they didn't mind rebuying. Chris and I have been swapping bad beat stories lately...and he had just shared how his straight had been beaten by a boat made on the river to take down a monster pot, so of course I had to share when I made kings full of aces on the river early in the tournament, taking in a T2930 pot, as my opponent had been all-in on the turn. That wasn't a bad beat though, I had AK and had flopped a set of Kings...that Ace was just gravy. So maybe GROB wasn't right...
Or maybe so. I lost T1300 playing Ks Qs, flop came Jc 7s 9s. Player went all in...I had him plently covered, blinds were 20/40...and oh, the outs. So I called. Turn was a 7h (no...had one of those!) and river was an Ah. Bah.
OK, no biggie. Now have T1385, blinds at 30/60. I'm in the SB, and well...look who's here...it's Paris and Nicky again! Hello girls! It's raised to 330 before it gets to me...hmmm...this seems familar...I re-raise to 630. He re-raises to 2070. Hmmmm...let's see...re-buy period is still open...what the hell? I'm all in. Flop is 3d 3h Js, Turn is 2c, River is 2s...yikes. No matter though, cause he had Kings. Rebuy! Damn you Paris & Nicky...
I crack Aces with Kc Jd, and take in a T1530 pot, when I get (dare I say it?) lucky and catch a Jack on the river. If not for that lucky river, I would have been out again then, since I was all-in on the turn. I start getting lucky, playing connectors and flopping a set, then getting pocket 10s and taking in a nice pot with that.
But then...the words of Pauly would come to haunt me...
"AJo is like your shopoholic ex-girlfriend... at some point you know she's going to bleed you dry."
Truer words were never spoken my friend. Blinds at 100/200, I have T5080. (See how nicely I've bounced back?). Flop comes 7d As 9s. 4 people check to me - I bet T500. One caller, then a raise to 3000. I call. Turn is a 5s. My opponent goes all in for 925. Not hard to decide to call at this point. River is 8d. He had Ac 9c. I lost T4125 on that hand, and the entire time I played it...I could hear Pauly's words in my head, not to mention the fact that I already know AJ is trouble to begin with. But at that point, AK would have killed me...and truth is, since it was s000ted, he might not have dropped it pre-flop no matter the raise.
Now I've got T955, with blinds at 100/200. Rebuy period is over, and I didn't opt to add-on. I've said before I don't believe in being blinded out of tournaments. I find Jd Kd...sure, why not? I'm called, and I'm up against those familar ladies. Flop is Kh 2c 5d (Yes!), turn is Qs (No! You whores!) and river is 9d.
Someone remind me to burn my Hilton HHonors membership card, will ya?
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Thank you to everyone to commented on my last post or privately. I really appreciate all the kind thoughts.
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I've been meaning to post this for a while, but kept forgetting. While we were in Hawaii, Jason spotted this guy's artwork in an art gallery, and of course, thought I'd be interested. The artist is Michael Godard, and his work is amazing. It combines the two favorite things of many of our favorite bloggers. Think we can commission a special edition print with a shot of SoCo and the hammer?
Posted by April at 12:19 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
January 26, 2005
An Empty Kitchen
Played poker tonight, but no poker content in today's post, sorry. For now, a story about a girl and her dog.
Growing up my Aunt Amy (really my Godmother, but we always referred to her as my Aunt) always had a pomeranian. I loved those dogs. I remember one of them was fiercly protective of her and even "attacked" me, pulling on my long nightgown one morning when he thought I was getting too close to her. So it was no surprise that I wanted one too. My father though was a cocker spaniel man. We had one ever since I was born, named Dallas (the story was that he named the dog Dallas so that he could yell at the Cowboys - "Dammit Dallas!" - and the neighbors would think he was yelling at the dog.) Dallas was a great dog, continuing to guard the house and family as best he could long after he had gone mostly deaf and blind. He lived with my father in Huntsville, TX (my parents weren't divorced...long story) and passed away when I was in high school. We also had Murphy, a blond cocker spaniel that we had rescued one day at Petco, simply because he was there, and my father had always wanted a blond cocker spaniel. We take in animals, you see. We briefly had another cocker spaniel that we had rescued, she also lived in Huntsville with my father, but she was a pure breed, and apparently died during a thunder storm from some sort of shock - our best guess was that she got scared from the lightening and thunder, and had some sort of heart problem. We also had a dachshund named Austin (notice a theme?)...but never a Pom.
I had two cats growing up. One named Snowball (come on...every girl needs a white cat she can name Snowball) and when I got older and became a politics geek, a brown tabby rescue my father surprised me with that I named Foley, after the Speaker of the House at the time, Tom Foley.
Once I did get into college and move to Austin, I missed my Foley, of course. I was living with my cousin, and he got me a cat. A cute black kitten I named Fitzgerald, after a club I spent many a night at in Houston. I then met my soon-to-be husband, Jason, and he had a cute little black kitten of his own, Moose. Moose then got herself knocked up (all planned, of course) and had a litter of kittens. We kept one, and Jason's sister named her Ugly (she was, when she was a kitten...she's beautiful now). Then about a year later came Little Sister. But still no dog...
For Christmas that year, I got a promise from Jason...when we had the money, I'd get my Pom. Well, I did some soul-searching. Puppies are cute and all, but there are an awful lot of dogs out there that need good homes. It just didn't seem right to spend hundreds of dollars on a new puppy when there were so many dogs sitting in the Humane Society waiting for someone to give them a home. It turned out that there was a pomeranian rescue organization in Texas, and they had Poms in need of homes right then. So one day in January, 1998, Jason & I drove to Lake Jackson, TX to pick up our new baby. His name was Reddy. Guess what color he was? :)
We didn't tell anybody what we were doing. And at one point in the trip, we were litterally 30 miles from my parents house. But I knew if my parents knew they would disapprove, because we already had three cats, and "didn't need another damn animal". But I was finally getting the dog of my dreams, and I didn't care if it made sense or not. And he was so cute... I'll never forget, on the way back to Austin, we stopped and got McDonald's, and Jason fed him french fries in the backseat. (Spoiled from the very beginning).
We went all out with Reddy...toys, bed, treats, hell, we even etched his name into a glass treat jar. Of all that, only the treats and treat jar remain to this day. Reddy didn't care about toys or a bed. He was not an "active" dog. Normal Poms are. Reddy was not breed standard, by any means. He was too tall, too wide, and did not give a damn about it at all. His idea of the pefect day? Wake up, trip outside to the bushes, come back in, sleep, dinner at 8 (and I mean, promptly at 8 ), more sleep, another trip outside, then bed.
From the beginning, he tested us. Oh yes, there were the usual discipline battles you have with any new pet. But I'm talking about the "how much do you love me?" kind of tests. And Reddy wanted you to prove with trips to the emergency vet. So he would come down with all sorts of mysterious ailments - he'd be out walking with Jason, and suddenly yelp, and then favor his leg. What?? Break it? Sprain it? Bee sting? What???? He would be in such pain...until you'd get to the vet ER...and then he'd be FINE. But not so fine that you'd get out of the visit fee. He did this act time and time again...
It got so bad, that one time on a visit to Ft. Worth, we were at Jason's parent's office, and Reddy was on a ledge, standing by me. Now, Reddy was not a jumper. At all. He wouldn't even jump out of my Mustang. Floorboard. So we weren't worried. But sure enough...there he went...must have been a good eight feet. He landed on his back, and it took Jason and I a full minute to get over the shock. Once we got to him, he was bleeding out of his mouth, and immediately, we were thinking, "Great...another ER vet trip...". But we were so jaded to his little visits that we actually stood there in the yard of the office and debated as to if we would take him or not (we weren't evil, just poor, and this dog was the master of deception!). Turns out he had just bitten his tounge thankfully, so we cleaned him up and all was well. This was afterwards known as the time Reddy tried to kill himself, or, how Reddy got his food forever changed to Pedigree Little Champions pouches.
Since Reddy was adopted, his age was unknown. Best guess was 6 or 7. Poms live a long time. But that puts him at 13 or 14 now. So he was an old man...so it wasn't uncommon for him to have bladder issues. So he was often confined to the kitchen, with baby gates at both openings. Hence the all too common response in our family and group of friends to the question "Are you ready?" - "No, he's in the kitchen!". Everyone groans...but they love it. It catches on quick, and that's how you know you're part of the family, when you start using that in your conversation. And again, bladder issues. We go through Swiffer WetJet products in this house like gangbusters. One time after returning home after the dinner portion of our Movie Night outing, I found that Reddy had relived himself on the kitchen floor. As I proceed to clean it up, I remarked, "I love coming home to piss on the kitchen floor." My friend Bill replied, "What are you doing peeing on the floor girl?"
Like I said, he was an old dog. These past few months, he's been laying around a lot. The other day I was standing near the kitchen with my friend Jonathan, and remarked "Sometimes I stare at him a while, just to make sure he's really breathing." Jonathan's reply was, "I know. I do too."
Monday night, I was about to go to bed, and Ugly, who is normally somewhat graceful, decided for whatever reason (I like to think she was guided by divine force - either St. Francis or the spirit of a recently departed Boston Terrier who helped raise her when her mother was too sick to do so) to knock off a can of root beer from the coffee table. When there wasn't enough napkins on the table to clean it up, Jason went to the kitchen to get more. There he found Reddy on the kitchen floor, surrounded by blood. He had a nose bleed, with no apparent cause. So off to the emergency vet, where it's not normal for them to have your information already in the computer...
The guess was that it was either his teeth (which were bad) or something else...something else being either cancer, or an auto-immune disease, or who knows what. Blood was drawn, and that indicated it wasn't the teeth. Well damn. So off to the regular vet today. More tests. On the way home, Reddy shuddered a little in my arms...almost like a little seizure. I didn't really know what it was, and kinda thought it was my imagination, but kinda knew...my puppy wasn't in good shape. While I was getting ready for bed tonight, he did it again. Jason was trying to figure out some way for Reddy to sleep with us...and then Little Sister heard him crying.
I'm gonna miss my puppy.
Posted by April at 01:38 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
January 24, 2005
That Chris Halverson is one smart man...
This thought went through my mind at least twice as I made my ten-minute trek across campus today. Only this time, instead of having "move stupid" thoughts in my head, I had Pearl Jam's "I Am Mine" to keep me company, and then, beautifully, a transition to Stevie Ray Vaughan. There's something very appropriate about being in Austin on a perfect day like today with SRV in your head.
So yea, liking the iPod. Oh, we've had our battles. Let's face it, we're living in a Windows world and I am a Windows girl. iTunes and I are learning how to best communicate with each other. But we'll get there.
Ummm...Bloggies voting is up. I am happy and sad. I was a panelist for just a few of the categories. Some of the ones I liked made it through to the finals, so woo hoo. But some didn't, so wah. :( There are some rather notable absences, that surprise me quite a bit. But anywho. I found quite a few...interesting sites. (A cat blog where the entries were literally nothing but the word "meow" typed over and over again...I mean really...WHY?) This one however, you can go vote for, and I highly recommended you do...cause it's damn funny. I'll be adding links to the other sites I really liked in the near future.
Oh, speaking of using cats in lieu of real content...check out the new Fatboy Slim video...(what?? I have a new iPod! I've always liked music, and I'm a little into it the moment, OK?? Sue me) If you really want to see some freaky cat videos, check out what Bjork's been up to.
OK, enough music. Poker. Played in another CollegePokerChampionship tournament this Sunday. I really wasn't in a poker mood, believe it or not. (Shocking, I know!!) Stayed up late the night before, un-checking 500 songs in iTunes, so I was a little tired. Anywho...first few hands I get aces, then queens...then nothing. I get a little short stacked, blinds are 25/50. I have KQc, and there is a King on the board. I bet 200 at the turn (don't have notes on flop, sorry) and it's called. I bet another 200 at the river, and this leaves me with about 30 in chips. It's re-raised to put me all in. I of course call, and win, since my opponent only had Ace high.
Now here I think about something that I often see in ring games. Let's ignore the fact that he only had ace high and should have dropped that hand long ago. Let's assume he had a piece of the board. When someone does what I did...and bets almost all of their stack...but not all-in...what do you think they're doing? I've always thought they didn't have a real hand, and so I've done exactly what he did...re-raised them to go-all in, forcing them to commit. But at that point in the hand...well, it would have been stupid of me to lay it down then...clearly I had something. It may not have been the best something, but talk about being pot committed. The only reason I didn't go all-in on the river was because I wasn't paying attention to the amount I was betting relative to the amount I had in front of me. (Again, tired/not focused/shouldn't have been playing/blah blah blah) Anyway...just made think, that used correctly that could be a nice way to induce a raise on the river. Had I gone all-in myself, he may not have called. But I'm sure you all probably know about this already. It's probably written in a book somewhere, as I seem to have been on the losing end of this move in ring games before.
Next hand I get J 10, with a 10 on the flop. I bet, everyone folds. (Having just shown down KQ, I guess so). An Aggie gets moved to my table (I know this because it says so in his screename) and soon proceeds to go all in with nearly every hand. And he's on my left. The Longhorn in me wants to attribute this nuttiness to his Aggieness, but apparently he had plan. After showing his all-ins with hands like 7-3 (so close), then 7-2 (there ya go), he then goes all in with KJ. I had AJ at this point...and was very tempted to call. I didn't, but another AJ did. And of course they won.
Later I get K9 in the BB, and flop a set KKx. Which was great, until I met a full house on the river. I should have been more agressive with my betting, but I was trying to get as many chips as possible, so I was just making the minimum bet on each street. Even if I was more agressive, I may have ended up doing more damage to myself, since he apparently had K8.
I finished 876/2113. I was moved to a new table, and went all in with KJ. It was vs. AK. Unfortunately, I lost to the table coach. I hate table coaches. Usually, there is something wrong with the advice/opinion they give, and of course, they have that additude. (You know the one). For instance, in my case, with the blinds at 100/200, and my stack as it was, and my position...KJ was as good as any. Am I supposed to sit around and wait for Aces all day? I don't believe in being blinded out of tournaments. And of course, as I finished typing up my notes with that table open, it was nice to watch Mr. Table Coach go all in with AJo and lose a nice chunk to Q10 (and then tell the player what a horrible play that was). And then a couple hands later he was out completely, his sixes losing to Q8. (And then hang around and rant and rave about the horrible play that was too). Karma is a bitch dude...move along.
Posted by April at 05:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 23, 2005
Bounty
To make things interesting, I'm offering up a bounty on myself for the WPBT Stars tournament.
Depending on how many links you've clicked off this site, you may or may not know that in addition to being a college student and poker player, I also have a jewelry design business. It's called Fat Tabby Designs, named in honor of a beautiful orange tabby cat I call Little Sister. (Gangsta nickname "LS"). If you're interested, you can read more about her on the website. But suffice to say, she's fat. One time at a friend's house, we paused a poker game to take bets on her exact weigh in. She hovers around 23 lbs. Oh, and she's a bitch. But she has charm too. She's always had a special place in my heart, hence the reason why I named the business in her honor and not after one of the other cats. She has her own blog on the website if you're interested. (But she does more than meow, unlike some of the other cat blogs I've found this week). In fact, this little blog here started off as a simple little page off the main site of that domain. But it didn't take long before what I wanted to write about most was poker...and besides, Jennifer was the only one reading that blog anyway. :) (And she still checks in here! Damn, things must really be boring at my former worksite!!)
Anyway...poor little Fat Tabby Designs. It's so neglected. Needless to say (so why are you saying it April?) all my free time goes to poker. I mean look at the damn site...I still have the Summer '04 Collection up on the main page like that's something to be proud of. Ummm....last I checked it was January '05 now...pretty sure that was well into winter, and in fact, as far as being a designer goes, time to come out with Spring stuff.
I do love to create new designs, and play with the gemstones. I really don't wear jewelry all that much myself...most likely because I don't buy stuff because I know I can just as easily make it (but never do) and no one ever buys me any because of the same reason. But I do have these really cool gemstones in the shape of card suits...
So. Here's the deal. IF you knock me out of the tournament, you get your choice of creation from said card suit gemstones. Possibilites are relatively endless. Suggestions? Well...I have a bracelet. So does Wil Wheaton. (Warning - really bad picture of me...please don't judge me by it...please). I made a keychain for John, that he decided would work better as a card protector for casino visits. I could make earrings too, should a woman knock me out, or should one of you gents just feel like treating the woman in your life.
My PokerStars user name is, appropriately enough, FatTabbyMama. I considered getting a new one, but NotAPokerBlogger is too long. Little Sister would be pissed off if I changed my ID anyway. And you don't want to piss her off, let me tell ya...she tilts easily, and she understands position.
In my Bloggies review work, I've learned that often times, in lieu of actual content, present pictures of cats. An since I know CJ loves cats, I figure why not glorify the one I love so much? (I was sooo tempted to use the p word there, but I decided to be a good girl. ;))
She was such a cute kitten...
I told you she tilts!
Not. Taking. My. Button!
Always my baby...
Posted by April at 12:53 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 22, 2005
Not that you care, but...
Going shopping today with the hubby.
I've avoided it as long as I could, but...
I think I need an iPod.
Yep, I really really think I do.
Posted by April at 02:22 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
Move along folks, nothing to see here...
Nothing much poker wise the past couple of days. True to my statement in my last post, I have been thowing away money at the blogger table (really...I don't suck at poker...I just lose all my senses playing with y'all...but it's all good. :))
I am physically worn out from the first few days of classes. Not sure why exactly I thought I could make it from one end of campus to the other in 10 minutes. Probably would be easier if these damn CHILDREN would MOVE THE FUCK OUT OF MY WAY. Seriously...it's a freakin sidewalk...hundreds of people are trying to use it...and two people suddenly pick that exact moment and location to stop and have a chat? What the fuck? MOVE. And then the ones that actually do decide to keep some sort of forward momentum while they have their conversations (which almost always include some sort of description of how much/what they drank the night before...pppfff...please...I laugh at them...children! No way they canhang) are usually moving at a snail's pace, to say the very least. And my body is sore from carrying this ten-pound beauty on my back the entire time. Can't even use it to knock people out of the way with, though the thought has crossed my mind on more than one occassion... Oh, and people on the bus? Quit reading my Slansky over my shoulder, dammit! Get your own. Jennifer...are you sure we're not too old for this??? :)
I have to take escalators to get to two of my classes. I hate getting on and off escalators. I'm not as bad as a friend of mine, who has a fear of being on them in general (seriously, while on them together, I have to keep a hand on her back to make her feel good...it's so cute). But the first day, I thought to myself...wonder how long it's gonna before I trip on one of these bad boys?
In my learning skills class (shut up, I need the A), we had to do this goals assesment thing. Come up with 20 goals. That was hard. Plus, I hate to admit too much of my poker addiction hobby. So I limited myself to things like "win a poker tournament" and "meet my friends in Vegas in June" instead of "win back the $25 I dropped at the blogger table at Party last night" or "bring my bankroll into the black". Then for the goals, we had to answer some questions, like how much does it mean to you, and then is this a goal other people want you to do? (Vegas trip? - yes. Will you be disappointed and embarrased if you don't meet this goal? Yes.)
Also for this class, the teacher wants us everyday to write a "gem" on a notecard and give it to her...just a random something about our lives. Poor woman has no idea what she's getting herself into. ;)
Beautiful post from Maudie...made me think of all the people that we've known in our lives that we've maybe let go for whatever reason...and that if it's not too late, to hopefully try and connect with them again. Like my friend Josh who I met when I was 4, went through every grade with (including one very notable day when I had to literally carry home the entire contents of his very messy desk in third grade) and who was "man of honor" at my wedding. Haven't spoken to him in years. His parents still live on the street behind mine...and every time I go home to visit I think about stopping by and asking where the hell their son is, but I never do. And then my missing mentor...whom I miss very much, and again, I could pick up the phone, but I don't. And then I have some phone calls of my own I've been avoiding. Guess I should take care of those...
Posted by April at 12:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 20, 2005
The Longest SnG...
"Is this the place to whine about bad beats, or do I have to write about it tomorrow?"
- Me, at last nights blogger table at Party
Well duh. Write about it of course. Then you can just think "bad beat story - boooring" and click on one of the links to the left! :)
Actually, it's not all a bad beat story. And I don't whine...much. ;)
I haven't played an SnG in a long time. I go through spells with them, I'm not really sure why. Fear of tossing away money, I suppose. At least with a ring game you have a chance of making some money. (Yes, I know...you have a chance of making money in an SnG too). But it only takes a few early bust-outs in a string of SnGs to put a bad taste in your mouth. But I really do enjoy tournaments. In fact, I think of myself as more of a tournament player really. I just don't have the (*ahem*) balls to put up real cash to actually play in a MTT. (Exception: blogger tourney. I'll throw away money for you people. You're killing me with $20 Iggy, but I did it as a reader/baby blogger, and I'll do it again without a second thought. That's love right there). That's why I like freerolls...all the tournament fun, none of the investment from me. I like UB's freerolls especially, because they actually give bonus dollars. (I realize my liking freerolls statement somewhat conflicts with my *ahem* "dryness" statement from my previous post...let me explain. I like freerolls. But they're still freerolls. They come...they go. Even one with a big prize pool...hell, I haven't even checked the calendar, I may be busy that day. Again, the investment thing - I have nothing invested in it...I put nothing up...if I play, I play. If I When I win, awesome. It's this lack of investment that brings out a lot of crazys, I know. But I treat my play just like normal. And I know some people say that no self-respecting poker player would play a freeroll. Well. Obviously I disagree with that. I mean. They're free. It's poker. You can win stuff. I see no problem.
Anyway. I've gotten off topic. But this is good, because I've come to a realization in my off-topicness, and I'll share it with you in a moment.
So...last night. Ring game. Didn't play many hands, felt in an SnG mood. Fired up a $5 10 person. Tried to do both, despite the fact that I don't multi table well. So, I close the ring game, up about 60 cents or so. (woo hoo!)
I get decent cards in the SnG, but Oh. My. God. Becky. This thing goes on FOREVER. I mean...for a $5 SnG...people usually are a little bit nuttier. This is a tight, tight group of folks. I play my cards well when I get them and do OK, but because this thing is going on so much longer than SnGs usually do...blinds are becoming a problem...so the comeback has to begin. Blinds are 75/150. I'm SB with Jh Kh and T890 (smallest stack). 4s (T925) raises to 350. I go all-in. Everyone else folds, 4s calls. He shows TcKd. King on the turn, I now have T1930 and he has T35. He was nice guy...I tell him I'm sorry in the chat, but...I really don't mean it. ;) He's out on the next hand, his As9s vs 2c2s.
A few hands later I find Aces on the button, and raise it to 675. No callers, so I collect the blinds. We get down to the bubble with blinds at 100/200 (finally! the bubble!) and then...beautifully...ITM.
It's raised to 400...I have 3h6c...I'll fold. Then the re-raises and all-ins begin, and it's Ah9c vs. Qd6d. The Qd6d wins it, having caught a Queen on the flop and two fours on the board. Now we're down to two...
I get AhKs. Raise to 600. Called. Flop is KcJdTs. I bet 600, he folds.
Next hand...I have T3955, he has T6045. I get 8c2d (just couldn't be a 7, now could ya??). Flop is 2c5h3c - he bets 200, I raise 400. (I figure he's flush drawing). Turn comes Ac. He bets 1200. I call. River is 8s. He bets 3600. I go all in (sweet! Two pair!), he calls.
He had a 4.
Honestly, I didn't even see that straight draw. I was more focused on the flush draw, which I knew he didn't have!
Oh well. $10 for 2nd.
So, I think...well...how 'bout another??? :D
Yea...how 'bout another indeed.
$5 SnGs at UB are hard to come by. They fill up fast...as soon as you see them on the list, they're full! "Well...I just made $10...I could do a $10 one, and worse case, I lose, and then I'm even for the night". (Not counting the fees, but who's counting those? UB, that's who!) Stupid brain.
So....$10 10-person SnG. With shitty shitty cards. I mean...damn. I think I got the hammer. I think that might have been the best hand the whole time. Seriously...scrolling through the hand history summary right now....5-3, 5-2, 9-4, 5-2, 9-8 (which I played...but the flop was then J-3-A...ug)....oooo - AK - stole that one! Good job April! :D But yea...that was pretty much the highlight.
But yea...my bad beat, as already relayed to a fellow blogger, was this one -
Blinds at 75/150 (another long one...but just b/c these people were sllllooooowwwww). I've got T2500 - putting me 2nd in chips - and Ah Qc on the button, so I feel comfortable about raising here. I raise to 300, and get one caller. Flop comes Ad 8d 7h. It's checked to me. I bet 350. He goes all in. I figure my Ace to be good, if he had AK, he would have raised himself pre-flop I imagine (although the AK limp is such a sneaky move...). I call. He has... Jd Kd. Turn is 4c. River is...like I have to tell you?
Really.
You can't guess?
Oh, ok fine. If you're going to bitch about it, I'll tell!!
Damn Queen of diamonds, of course! Giving me two pair and making his flush!
Does that not qualify as a bad beat? I guess we were a coin flip...hell if I know, that's math, and it hurts my head. It sure hurt like a bad beat.
Next hand I had Ac7c...and while I loathe baby Aces, when you're shortstacked, and they're suited...you go with them. Well, screw them, they were no help!
So I was out. Pppfffttt. Oh well.
Anywoo. I said earlier...you know, way back when, at the start of this post, that I had come to a realization about something. And that is....are ya ready? It's kinda good...I think. I say I don't have the balls to put up the dough for an MTT. But really...we're talking about $5, $10, maybe even $15 tournaments here. When I do play in freerolls, I do well. I'm usually ranked in the top 100 for the majority of the tournament...until I fuck up and make some mistake that I know better than and then end up shortstacked with high blinds. So the point is...I don't know why I'm so psyched out of putting up the dough for an MTT. I can certainly do well. I put up $10 for an SnG without thinking twice. I prove myself in other MTT's on multiple occasions...so why am I reluctant to back myself? Good Lord, I'm worse than Dutch Boyd!!
I guess the reason is that the field is shorter, so of course there stands a better chance of hitting ITM. But I suppose over the long run...the one time you make ITM in an MTT, it outweighs all the times you play and don't? Did that make sense? ROI% and all that. Anyway...for me it was just an "ah-ha"/"wtf?" moment...having had success in large field MTT's before, why not take a shot at a "real" one? So...I guess that'll be my goal for 2005. Blogger tourney does not count. :)
"Side" note (hahahahahahahaha...I kill me!)...we have quite the little Austin WPBT contingent going on here. So, because we ROCK, I've removed my fellow Austinities from the regular blogroll and have created a special spot for them all their own. If you'd like to be added....well....move. :) We are working on getting together a WPBT home game though, and if you're interested in joining us for that, come 'on down (said in best Texas accent).
Posted by April at 02:35 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
January 18, 2005
I remember this
Bed at 2 am...alarm at 7:30...ignore alarm...OH! But this time...actually GO to class...that's new. :D Didn't take a shower (ah, screw 'em...they got makeup at least) and didn't make the shuttle, got hubby to drive me, but made the first day, which is more than most people do. My first time in "real" government classes...a little overwhelming...should be interesting. This one meets in the same room that my last government class did...made in A in that one, lets hope that karma carries over. The room is a WiFi hotspot, so that tends to get me in trouble sometimes. (I will not check pokerblogs in class...I will not check pokerblogs in class...) Actually, my biggest problem is the damn UltimateBuddy that logs on everytime I start up the computer...and it's always so tempting to railbird. One time last semester instead of watching a very boring movie in class I watched John in an SnG at UB instead...and so when there was a question regarding said movie on a later test...yea, I had no clue. (But what's the proper move UTG with Aces, huh? Ask me that!!)
As I said, this weekend was devoted to thinking and playing. Did more thinking than playing really. I did get to play in the College Poker Championship. 1900 players in the tournament. These are freerolls, held at Royal Vegas. Prize pools are $500 "scholarships" (cash, but since these are mainly under 21 players...can't be encouraging them to gamble, now can we??). I did well...didn't make mistakes, played tight, and agressive when I had a hand, and was at one table for the most part, so I had my image and was ready to start getting loose (come on Hammer!)...and then I get freakin' moved! Don't really like the set up at RV...don't like the interface much and these tourneys move so fast. But anyway...at my new table...then I start making mistakes. I've got about 7K in chips...and pocket 10s. I'm in the hand with the big stack, who's got about...ooo...18K, and one other guy, can't recall how many chips he's got (my note taking sucks, b/c again, action moves so fast, sorry). Anyway, flop comes 225. Chip leader bets out 1500. Now...I know he's not the kind of guy to play anything that would have a 2 or a 5...so I know I have him beat. So my mistake here was to just call. I should have raised. (Other guy folds). Turn is another 5. Very scary board. He bets another 1500. Again, I call. Again, should have raised. River comes an Ace. He bets another 1500. And I knew...that he was the kind of guy to play a hand with an Ace. So I should have folded, and saved that 1500, knowing my read was right. But...since it was "just another 1500" (bull shit...a bet saved is a bet earned, I know that) I called...clinging to the last little bit of hope that my 10s might still be good. And of course, my read was right, he had an Ace, so he took it down.
That took me down to a little over 2K...and the blinds were rising. So I'm looking for my spot. Now, at this point, the kids are chatting about how we're on the bubble. I'm terribly confused. Bubble? Only top 50 pay...and there are about 190 left. (And I've just knocked myself to the bottom them...having been ranked in the top 100 for the majority of the tournament). I pay no attention...this is a tournament after all...I want first only. I find AJ...this is a good a spot as any, especially since with the blinds now at 800/1600...I'm gonna be out soon. Well...it's raised, and then re-raised all-in...oh well...I call all-in. The boys chat "Why are you all-in on the bubble?" and someone else says "You put too much value on AA as a starting hand". Oh man...poker experts they are, huh? Sure, my AJ could have cracked the AA (course, it didn't, I finished 188 ), but what's wrong exactly with the whole "get your chips in when you have the best hand" concept? Can't say I fault the AA guy for his all-in. As for the advice from bubble-boy...well, apparently, the top 10% in each of these weekly satellite tournaments qualify for a bigger satellite, with a prize pool of $5,000. Ah. I get it now. Well. Allow me to be crass, but a $5,000 freeroll doesn't exactly get me wet...allthough it apparently has the coresponding effect on him. I can spend $10 and access tournaments with larger prize pools...hell, $5 if UB's feeling particulary generous. I guess that's the difference between being legal and not. Although if you do the math...I did burst the bubble, so there. :P
Anyway...I'm just bitter...I don't like children telling me how to play poker. People I respect, that's one thing. (Still may not like it, but I'll listen. ;))
Ring games...eh...about even. Not even worth opening up the main index template to update the stats section. Nothing grand. Oh...guess I could share this beauty. ;)
TexansBaby posts the small blind of $.10.
mike327 posts the big blind of $.25.
Dale1984 posts out of turn for $.25.
Klubdraw: -- --
TexansBaby: 2h 7s
mike327: -- --
HWTexas: -- --
Dale1984: -- --
mooflac: -- --
Pre-flop:
HWTexas folds. Dale1984 checks. mooflac folds.
Klubdraw folds. TexansBaby calls. mike327 checks.
Flop (board: 7d 8c 2c):
TexansBaby bets $.50. mike327 folds. Dale1984
raises to $2.25. TexansBaby re-raises to $4.
Dale1984 goes all-in for $9.75. TexansBaby calls.
Turn (board: 7d 8c 2c Qd):
(no action in this round)
River (board: 7d 8c 2c Qd 2s):
(no action in this round)
Showdown:
Dale1984 shows 9h 9s.
Dale1984 has 9h 9s 2c Qd 2s: two pair, nines and deuces.
TexansBaby shows 2h 7s.
TexansBaby has 2h 7s 7d 2c 2s: full house, deuces full of sevens.
Hand #3898442-7391 Summary:
$1 is raked from a pot of $20.25.
TexansBaby wins $19.25 with full house, deuces full of sevens.
No one said a WORD. And he had just sat down...I busted him out completely with that. I would have made the required comment, but I could not stop laughing. With that hand, The Hammer has now become profitable for me. :)
Oh, but I lost my profits from that a few hands later...QQ vs. KK. (Bonus points if you can guess which one I had??)
Klubdraw is at seat 0 with $8.75.
TexansBaby is at seat 1 with $33.80.
mike327 is at seat 3 with $16.
HWTexas is at seat 4 with $8.80.
mooflac is at seat 6 with $40.60.
The button is at seat 1.
mike327 posts the small blind of $.10.
HWTexas posts the big blind of $.25.
Klubdraw: -- --
TexansBaby: Qh Qc
mike327: -- --
HWTexas: -- --
mooflac: -- --
Pre-flop:
mooflac calls. Klubdraw calls. TexansBaby raises to
$1. mike327 folds. HWTexas calls. mooflac folds.
Klubdraw re-raises to $4.35. TexansBaby re-raises to
$7.70. HWTexas folds. Klubdraw calls.
Flop (board: Kc 7d 6s):
Klubdraw goes all-in for $1.05. TexansBaby calls.
Turn (board: Kc 7d 6s 9h):
(no action in this round)
River (board: Kc 7d 6s 9h 6c):
(no action in this round)
Showdown:
Klubdraw shows Ks Kd.
Klubdraw has Ks Kd Kc 6s 6c: full house, kings full of sixes.
TexansBaby mucks cards.
(TexansBaby has Qh Qc.)
Hand #3898442-7407 Summary:
$.50 is raked from a pot of $18.85.
Klubdraw wins $18.35 with full house, kings full of sixes.
I swear...I haven't seen this limping crap so much since BadBlood first wrote about it. Now...it's everywhere!! Are we too popular for our own good? Or have I just been lucky/oblivious? I'm gonna go with the latter. ;) Just to make sure you get the concept really beaten into your brain, be sure to check out Up For Poker. And then today on the shuttle ride home, I read this from Zen and the Art of Poker - "Would you rather have good cards when other players have good cards, or when they are weak and vulnerable? This is a Zen question with regard to poker. The latter is usually better. This is the time you will gain the most by having a confrontation. It is better to use your strength at this time, rather than during the times of their strength. There is a famous cautionary Zen quote that says: 'When two tigers fight, one will be killed and the other will be seriously wounded.'"
I really really liked that...read that a few times over, especially that quote. For someone who has been getting a little too attached to her pocket pairs lately, and completely ignoring those signs from other players (or roars from tigers as it were) - it really hit home.
Found out I am a Bloggie panelist, so I'm voting for finalists. Unfortunately not voting for the "Best Topical Weblog" category, which is the one we fit into best, so I can't put myself out there for bribes from any of y'all. Damn! (Feel free to make random deposits in my Party Poker account anyway though...just cause. :)) And now I have tons more blogs to go through...like I need to find more ways to waste my time??? Jeez!! So expect to see more links in the coming days... It's very cool though. Finally a reason to like something about SXSW.
Excellent post by BadBlood, btw. Who wants to teach me about hand selection, etc. in 7 Card Stud? That was the very first game I ever learned how to play, and while I have a very basic grasp on it, I have no advanced knowledge. Point me towards a book? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
I think that's it...ooohh...confidential to Shelly - quoting The Crow to the Penguin?? That was awesome. I like you girl! ;)
Oh, also, I have a position open for a mentor. If anyone is interested. *shrug*
And regarding the AA vs. AK decision...well...here's hoping third time is a charm. :) Really gonna try. (Did ya get that Jennifer? How were your classes today? :D)
OK seriously, I'm going now. This has become Iggy-like. Well...just because of the hand histories. But really, I mean it. I'm going.
Posted by April at 04:46 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 16, 2005
Squeak...
Oh, those crazy Japanese...and Americans. (You know...just in case y'all don't check out any of the sites on the top left other than Wil & Pauly's...ya miss out on some interesting stuff...)
Oh, but the "squeak" thing isn't in refrence to the Japanese story. It's in refrence to this. Was I the only one who hadn't seen this? If so, why were you all keeping it from me? :) If not, you should go check it out, it's a great guide, and some great NL-specific Auto-Rate rules. However, didn't make a damn bit of difference to me. Changed things for 300 players in my database, but not me...still a mouse. Less fish now too. Oh well. Anyway, I know I for one am guilty of not using PT to its full capacity, and therefore found this whole guide to be really helpful (it's 4 parts thus far, the links are on the left).
Played a bit tonight, finished up about 5BB. Would have been more, but took a big loss first hand out. I had Jacks, it's raised all-in PF for $1.25, I call, along with two others. Flop comes 5 3 7, with two diamonds. I check, one guy goes all-in for $6.65, other guy folds, and I call...because lately I have been completely unable to lay down a hand. As on the turn, 9d on the river. Actually, pair of Queens wins it, guy who went all-in after the flop had them. All-in pre-flop guy had JTo. So I lost $8 on that hand, and immediately took it for the lesson it was. I never used to have a problem laying down a hand...in fact, I considered myself to be somewhat of a wuss for being all too willing to lay down a hand. But there is a fine line between being a wimp and being just stupid. Or maybe it's not so fine. Ay, there's the rub.
Posted by April at 02:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 15, 2005
Insert Title Here
So I finally make the big time, and I have nothing notable to write about. I'm such a disappointment. (Again, need that "hangs head in shame" smiley)
I will have something soon though. I have the house to myself this weekend, and in addition to doing some serious thinking (do I want to remain American Airlines or go back to being Big Slick? [Prior to being married, my initials were AK]) I plan on playing some serious poker. I haven't played in a College Poker Championship tournament in months (they start at 3pm on Sundays - horrible timing for someone who is obsessed with NFL football) so I plan on taking advantage of those this weekend. Plus I have my bankroll to nurse back to health. I just need to keep my head straight and actually think before I do things. Or, as John suggested on many occasions, actually talk it out before taking action in the hand.
School starts on Tuesday...at 9:30 in the morning. Yep, another 9:30 class for me. Cause the one I had last semester went so well! (That was sarcasm...) This one is a little different, it's not Astronomy which I sucked at, this one is Government, my major. It's The Politics of Hollywood, and it's supposed to be a great class. It better be, cause it's my only class that day, soo...I have a tendency to say screw it and blow things off. However it helps when it's your major, and you're in upper-division classes now, so the field is starting to thin, and people are going to actually remember your face and name and all that, so really...ya gotta make a good showing. I ordered my books yesterday and nearly died when I discovered that my other Government class, Presidental Electoral Politics, has FIVE books for it. FIVE. *Gulp* But I'm good enough, and smart enough, and...
I still haven't made it through Iggy's latest post. 3rd time will be the charm! And man, my blog roll is growing by the day...soon it's going to take over this site and have little blog rolls of its own or something. I check every site every day...and then I wonder where the hours have gone. So many excellent writers out there. And I never even checked my own stats until I read BG's latest post...it kinda got me wondering. And damn...I gots me some visitors! So thanks y'all who stop by, and thanks y'all who comment. I don't get anyone from the CIA...but I did get someone from the USPS...and various other foreign countries I've never even heard of. Which leads me to the announcment that soon I'm going to have to turn on the little doo hickey where you have to type in a number if you want to comment here...like Bill does on his site. I'm getting comment spam daily, and this appears to be the best way to combat it. I hate to do it, but...if you love me, you'll key in 6 digits to leave a comment. :D
Speaking of new blogs, shout-out to another poker-playing, Wil Wheaton-loving April (is that freaky or what?? I totally want to meet her!!) at Feeding The Addiction. Also, Shelly at Hella Hold'em (love that name)...I won't be jealous that she apparently gets on the right hand list in record time...*sniff, sniff* ;) And last but certainly not least, Swimming with the Sharks - just love his writing style. Anywho...of course Iggy has the full list of all the new ones, these are just the ones that I felt like spotlighting (that does seem to be the rage these days). And of course everything on the roll is poker goodness.
I think that's it for now. I will be back later with real poker content and let's hope it's profitable. :)
Posted by April at 02:14 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack
January 13, 2005
Take my laptop, please
Yep...the destruction continues -
TexansBaby is at seat 0 with $52. [Look - I was up! $2 whole dollars! Whoo hoo!]
spfesq is at seat 1 with $52.65.
NAGASAKI is at seat 2 with $13.80.
fairball26 is at seat 3 with $24.50.
smlong is at seat 4 with $16.10.
rwle34 is at seat 5 with $50.75.
g21cowboys is at seat 6 with $52.45.
thegame27 is at seat 7 with $9.65.
Gaston is at seat 8 with $14.20.
gatorsam is at seat 9 with $16.85.
The button is at seat 0. [Oh, and look at me, with position...]
spfesq posts the small blind of $.25.
NAGASAKI posts the big blind of $.50.
TexansBaby: 9d 9c
Pre-flop:
fairball26 folds. smlong calls. rwle34 folds.
g21cowboys raises to $2.25. thegame27 folds. Gaston
folds. gatorsam folds. TexansBaby calls. spfesq
folds. NAGASAKI folds. smlong calls.
Flop (board: 8c 3c Qh):
smlong checks. g21cowboys bets $15. TexansBaby
raises to $30. smlong goes all-in for $13.85.
g21cowboys goes all-in for $50.20. TexansBaby goes
all-in for $49.75. g21cowboys is returned $.45
(uncalled).
[Now...let me try and explain this train wreck here. That $15 was a pot sized bet. To me, that was a scare bet. So I put him on pockets...Jacks at the most. I read him as trying to drive off the clubs, and as being afraid that someone had paired the Queen. So I raised. Now...when he came over the top to go all-in...well...that was my own stupidity.]
Turn (board: 8c 3c Qh Jd):
(no action in this round)
River (board: 8c 3c Qh Jd 6d):
(no action in this round)
Showdown:
g21cowboys shows Kh Ks.
g21cowboys has Kh Ks 8c Qh Jd: a pair of kings.
TexansBaby shows 9d 9c.
TexansBaby has 9d 9c 8c Qh Jd: a pair of nines.
smlong shows 5c Ac.
smlong has Ac 8c Qh Jd 6d: ace high.
Hand #3912384-1928 Summary:
$2 is raked from a total pot of $120.85.
$2 is raked from the main pot of $49.05.
$0 is raked from side pot #1 of $71.80.
g21cowboys wins the main pot $47.05 with a pair of kings.
g21cowboys wins the side pot $71.80 with a pair of kings.
Needless to say, he was happy!
I'm reminded of a story Annie Duke told at UB's Aruba WPT tourney (relayed to us little people via a good, but not Otis-level tournament blog that John Vorhaus did) - apparently Mike Matusow once threw his laptop into the pool from the balcony from his hotel room after suffering an online losing streak. She wondered how he could throw away such an expensive laptop, but his response was, "If I hadn't done it - if I had kept on playing - I'd have lost ten grand easy."
Now...I'm not that bad folks. But last night, I totally understood that feeling. Cause after that bust out, I really did feel sick. For the past couple of days I've just been playing like a complete moron. I know better than this, but I do it anyway... I immediately went over that hand, and of course that $15 bet was a scare bet...because you had callers, so you're afraid someone might have AA or QQ and now you're up against a set, plus you've got that flush draw out there. (Although, given that, my raise should have made you fold dammit, but I guess you can't lay down a hand any more than I can...least yours was paint.) But the thing that upset me was, during the hand, why didn't I even think of QQ? I mean duh! I saw it for a scare bet, but for totally the wrong reasons.
I'm just completely off my game...not focused at all. This seems to come in cycles, and I'm not sure why. The last time I hit this wall, valley, whatever you want to call it, I then came out of it and had my tourney win and got my roll built up enough to move up a level...so yes, these are learning lessons...but damn. With that hit, I'm now back down to .10/.25. And there, I find the Sisters waiting for me. They're beaten off the flop by two pair, but find another lady on the turn to make a set, and I nearly double up on that one hand alone. But I end up losing it when an incredibly agressive player sits down (not raising him out of any pots!)...and thankfully I come to my senses enough to get out while I'm still $3.45 ahead.
In some ways, .10/.25 feels much more like home. Games are certainly looser. I never really got into my groove at .25/.50. That stats section makes me ill. I know, I know...we look at the long run...we play the hands we're dealt...we take lessons from each session, etc. I comfort myself with the fact that it's looked like that before. (Well...never the "Change from last post", but the rest). I'll get it back.
*****************
Don't play much other than Hold'Em. I occasionally find my way to a 7 Card Stud table, but that's about it. I know a lot of you are into Omaha 8 these days, so I wanted to point out what appears to be an excellent write up by Mourn on the subject.
******************
The Hammer mocked me continuously last night. I have never gotten it so many times - 3 times in an hour! Was it trying to tell me something? I raised with it once, got a caller, ace comes on the flop, minimum bet is made, but I know he's paired that ace...I fold. (I know! Holy crap, she does something smart when it's only 50 cents! $30 bucks and she's totally off the map! ;)) The other times, it was raised to me, and well...I just sense danger there. I wuss out and fold. (I need a "hangs head in shame" smiley)
As for that "other" Hammer issue...well. There's a reason certain links have never been on the left. And those Up for Poker boys are damn smart. CJ took the words out of my mouth today.
******************
Oh, and damn you PartyPoker! I was given $20 to come back and play. Apparently I had until Jan 6 to use it. So last night when I finally find an open spot at the blogger table...poof...the $12 of it that I had left is gone. :P on them! I would have much rather it had gone to one of you! Teach me to read the fine print. Oh well. Guess my blogger playing will be limited to encounters with Maudie, Daddy, and G-Rob at UB...(but you know you all really want to come to UB...come on...)
OK, I'm off to read...or play with play chips...maybe do a freeroll...I don't know...whatever it takes to feed the poker jones but minimize the damage I'm doing to myself at the moment.
Posted by April at 02:34 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 11, 2005
Never doubt the power of The Hammer
Like I have to tell you people that...
I've been working on clearing a bonus at PokerWorld, a new site. Well, not really working on it really. Since the site is new, games are hard to come by. So when I do play there, it's got to be way above my bankroll, at the .50/$1 level. But I've got the clear that damn bonus, and I hate having money just sitting there. So today, I play. And the only NL table open is a $1/$2. Sooo...gulp. I go.
I do OK. Buyin with all I've got, $60, and have it up to $83 fast. Then I get The Hammer in the SB. No sense raising here, this site is a fish fest folks. Flop comes 7 A 10. OK. I have a pair...but I know someone has an Ace. I call the bet...even though I know I shouldn't. I get smart and stop myself on the turn and fold. But I say "watch a 2 come on the river". And sure enough... Pair of Aces takes a damn nice pot that should have been mine dammit!!!
Next hand, I get pocket 8s and continue calling, hell, I even raise on the turn despite there being oooohhhh...4 overcards on the board. Bust out. I KNOW BETTER THAN THIS. Even as I did it...I knew better. Internally, I was thinking "Why am I doing this?" I mean...yes, I'd prefer to play at UB, but still...damn woman, you have to have money to get your bonus dollars out of this site. Jeez.
So, in the past few days, I've bascially thrown away $100 bucks. Now I know to some of you that ain't much, but to an unemployed college student who is leaving her husband...well...that's a big deal. Stupid stupid stupid April.
Posted by April at 06:19 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack
Like A Virgin
I have a confession to make. I've been a bad bad poker blogger.
Oh, I've done it in tournaments. But it took a while to get the nerve. And I never showed. It was just my little secret. My little, "ha ha, if you only knew what I got away with there..."
But I never did it in ring games. I mean hell! That was MONEY. And the simple fact was, no matter what the raise, it was likely that someone was gonna CALL. And then what? I'm not a great bluffer...
Recently though, I guess either from increased confidence, or increased bankroll (or the increased confidence that comes from increased bankroll), I made my first raise with The Hammer in a ring game. And won. But I didn't show. I was going to at the last minute, but didn't get to the button in time. I could feel your collective disappointment...
But then Sunday night...my first time.
Pre-flop:
Rafe calls. tooltyme calls. Lotsa Luck folds.
TexansBaby raises to $2.75. B Stabone folds.
BartmanCurse folds. yecul folds. rhbromme folds.
Sabrenut folds. scarymonsters folds. Rafe folds.
tooltyme folds. TexansBaby is returned $2.25
(uncalled).
TexansBaby opts to show 2d 7h.
Hand #3912383-3746 Summary:
No rake is taken for this hand.
TexansBaby wins $2.25.
In the chat afterwards, someone said to me, "That works some of the time." My response was "I'm required to do that." He replied, "I thought you were doing that to get action later on." I said "No, not really." ;)
However, the Poker Gods were being fickle that evening as I proceeded to be up not only at my usual .25/.50 table, but also at the .01/.02 table (was playing with my Rookie buddy...John and I gave him $6 at UB for Christmas) and then proceeded to lose my buyins at both tables. That's right...I managed to bust out at a penny table!! I mean...ouch. What makes it even worse is that I had just been reading in Zen and the Art of Poker about how to know when it's just not going to be your night...and how to just walk away. So when I had lost half my buyin...I should have stopped right there. And the thought occured to me. But I didn't...knew I was playing a solid game, knew I was good enough, etc...but again, as the book says...sometimes that's not enough. You can't control the cards, you can't control the game - just your reaction to it. You have to be able to recognize when things just aren't going to go your way. I think I need to beat myself over the head with that concept. But, I've always been a little hard-headed. OK, maybe more than a little.
Posted by April at 12:59 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
January 09, 2005
It Ain't Easy...
But seriously, if you haven't already, get your butt on over to the Bloggies page and nominate your favorite poker bloggers in whatever category you see fit. Voting ends Monday, so don't be like I was, thinking, "oh what a great idea, I'll have to do that", and then looking at the site, and seeing the deadline, and thinking "Holy crap, that's soon!"
Might I suggest, other than the suggestions I made in my first post about this - that you don't forget Henry's article about The Viral Phenomenon of Poker Blogs for the category of Best Article or Essay about Weblogs.
But you're on your own as for filling in the rest of the blanks. But the main thing is - GO! Go now!! Dammit I want one of you to win one of these things! I want the 2005 SXSW to be an offical WPBT event...might make me loathe those four letters a little less. :)
Posted by April at 02:29 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Big Slick'd it Friday night (well...I drove) to see the parents. I really wish I could blog with my mind...am I the only one who feels that way? You know, you have hours to yourself, you're doing nothing but thinking (okay...occasionally singing along to the radio) and it would be great to just be able to have your stream of consciousness directly pour out onto the web. Although I guess maintaining the internet connection the entire time would be difficult... I did know a girl in my math class last semester who, like me, had a class where the lectures were videotaped and put online, so, like me, she rarely went to class (really - what was our motavation???). She would catch up on them as she drove to Texarkana, so I guess she found a way to keep the internet connection going...hopping from wireless network to network I suppose. Anywho...point of all this is, I had awesome stuff to say last night - poof - gone now. My memory sucks. (And what an excellent trait for a poker player that is, huh?)
Played some poker with the parents tonight. My father got a TV Hold 'Em game for Christmas and wanted to try it out. My mother had little to no idea how to play, but was up for it. She's actually pretty good, if she didn't hit the flop, she knew enough to get out. My father on the other hand is a major bluffer, raising with crap like 10-5 and then betting it all the way to the river. We played three tournaments, and he busted out early on in the first 2, and then won the last one, although that was with my mother's chips...
The TV Poker game wasn't so bad, but it was weird, because it claimed to be NL, but really, it was more like limit, because you couldn't control how much you were betting or raising, etc. The only NL-like aspect was, of course, the all-in feature.
At one point my mother won a hand with The Hammer. The conversation then went something like this...
Me: "That's the worst hand in poker Mom."
Mom: "Really?"
Me: "Unless of course you're a poker blogger. Then it's the best."
Mom: "A what?"
Me: "A poker blogger. For instance, I would have gone all-in with that..."
Mom: "Jesus April, I worry about you..."
Yes Mom, yes...
Last night was fairly profitable, I doubled my buyin within about 45 minutes, then the table got shorthanded and all the fish left (can't handle it, can they??). This left me and one guy to play heads-up. Since I loooovvveee heads-up play, this was no problem. The chips were going my way for the most part, but then a third guy showed up, and I was getting tired, so I decided to take a little break and move upstairs to my room. At this point, the laptop decides to die. Just up and freakin die. It's been doing this a lot lately, I've been assuming it's due to overheating, but there was no reason for such behavior last night!! Bad laptop, bad! Surely it understands the importance of being at the tables when they're like that?!?!? Yea...apparently not. It's behaved itself thus far today though. It will still go to the "shop"...and I can just imagine the comments from the techs - "Play poker much?". "Yea...just a little".
Oh, and, mentor found. :)
Posted by April at 12:45 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
January 07, 2005
I say
We take over the Bloggies. That "Best Topical Weblog" category is all ours, baby. And when everyone comes to SXSW to see whoever wins [cough *iggy* cough] you're welcome to stay with me. It may be a little cozy...but oh well. Chris has a movie apparently going to be at SXSW this year, I already told him he was welcome. See, think of the good times we'd all have. Let's get on it people! Otis has already made 2005 the Year of the Poker Blogger! (Speaking of which - Best Group Weblog - Up for Poker)
Sigh...I continue to find the weirdest stuff in my "Where in the world is John?" searches...
Posted by April at 03:36 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 06, 2005
I question...
...the intelligence of any poker player or friend/loved one of a poker player who bitches/whines/complains about needing chip counts for a tournament that has just begun and hasn't finished/broken for the night. If your plan was to rely on a freakin blog for an update...well...again - intelligence questioned. Surely you realize that the moment pen was put to paper so to speak, the counts would have been changed, standings would be different, someone would have busted out, it would all be for naught. This is a game where it all changes hand by hand. Anyone who is a real player, loves a real player, etc. would know this. If your loved one hasn't called you to tell you about their bad beat, you think that it's a good bet they're still in the tourney?? Let the day's play end, and then you'll get your counts and standings, OK?
So shut the fuck up and let the man do his damn job.
That is all.
Posted by April at 10:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Clearly my poker universe is out of whack...
Cause it seems like lately, everything has been going like this -
Hand #3882888-657 at Aina (No Limit Hold'em)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 05/Jan/05 22:49:27
HIM posts the small blind of $.25.
TexansBaby: Kc Kh
Pre-flop:
TexansBaby raises to $1.75. [And she gets 2 callers]
Flop (board: 4h 3d Kd):
SB checks. TexansBaby bets $2.50. [She gets a folder] SB calls.
Turn (board: 4h 3d Kd 9c):
SB checks. TexansBaby bets $4.
SB calls.
River (board: 4h 3d Kd 9c Js):
SB checks. TexansBaby bets $10.
SB goes all-in for $12.65. TexansBaby
calls.
Showdown:
SB shows Qd Td.
SB has Qd Td Kd 9c Js: straight, king high.
TexansBaby mucks cards.
(TexansBaby has Kc Kh.)
Hand #3882888-657 Summary:
$2 is raked from a pot of $44.05.
SB wins $42.05 with straight, king high.
Clearly I suck at poker. Because yes, I saw the two diamonds. But I never really dreamed someone had called a 3.5BB raise pre-flop with suited connectors. Damn you SuperSystem...
Oh well. Did I call it or what? I said I was gonna be self-destructive. But I needed a break from all this internet sleuthing I've been doing. Which has gotten me nowhere. Although I have found some interesting things. Like this. And you know, I was there, so I decided to Google myself, and apparently, if you're interested, you can get an escort by the name of April Anderson (and I don't mean the car...). Should I give the link? The page had pictures...nah...do the work yourself! ;) And then, as far as poker blogs go, this one shows up on page 12. You'll have to excuse my rambling, I'm really not right. People call me, and when I answer, I'm pissy with them, because they're not the person I wanted them to be. I'm trying to remain "Zen"...guess it's a good thing I have a book on that. But did you know January is National Mentor Month? :cry:
Anywho, since the cards at UB were apparently no good to me, I went to PokerStars to be with the gang (and yea, buddy...you think I'm worried - huh...there's only so much information I can withhold for so long...and then they really will call the state police) and finished up about 20K in play chips. Woo hoo! And that was at the 10/20 tables.
I picked up my stepson from [private Catholic] school today, and he gets in the car chewing gum. He informs me he got said gum by winning it in a game of Blackjack. He tells me they would have played poker instead, but there wasn't enough time. Somehow I have a feeling I'm going to be blamed for all of this...
Posted by April at 08:18 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 04, 2005
Just call me Mrs. Mousey...
Or Miss. Hell, I don't know, I'm working that out now.
Remember how I said I was addicted to Tracker's Auto-Rate? I literally use it after every session. I just love seeing all the little icons get assigned to the players in the database. Anywho...when I first rated myself, I was a freakin' phone. I was so offended. And the only other person I frequently play with, my mentor John was rating as a question mark. I took out our shorthanded play, I stay as a phone, and he's a mouse. Which I thought was funny as hell. Just because here's someone I look up to as a player, has taught me so much, and he's getting the mouse icon. I was expecting the eagle or something. I still snicker...
So I think a week or so later, I get rated as a question mark. Well! So now what? I'm reckless? Unpredictable? You have no idea what I'm going to do next? I kinda like that...but I don't like that "L". Cause that's not right. I'm not sure where that's coming from. Trust me, I squeak like the little mousey I am now rating as.
Yes, that's right, after today's playing, I am now a mouse. Woo hoo! (I am making forward progress, right?) Have had nothing but losing sessions lately, but at least I have a cute little pink face to show now...with big mousey ears.
Speaking of my losing sessions...I've lost my mentor too. No idea where he is. So, I do have this here blog thing for a reason...
Go ahead, tell me how bad I played this. Cause as soon as it was over, I knew I screwed up.
Hand #3780008-7441 at Farmington (No Limit Hold'em)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 04/Jan/05 15:49:31
TexansBaby: Jd Qc
Pre-flop:
Driverdown folds. Jeff5150 calls. Lildud folds.
TexansBaby calls. Just Texas folds. latinogolf
folds. joneill81nyc raises to $1. quaddskater
folds. duce0511 folds. Poobar folds. Jeff5150
calls. TexansBaby calls.
Flop (board: Jh 4h Qh):
Jeff5150 checks. TexansBaby bets $4. joneill81nyc
calls. Jeff5150 folds.
Turn (board: Jh 4h Qh 7d):
TexansBaby checks. joneill81nyc bets $11.75.
TexansBaby folds. joneill81nyc is returned $11.75
(uncalled).
Hand #3780008-7441 Summary:
$.50 is raked from a pot of $11.75.
joneill81nyc wins $11.25.
Here's my thinking (after the fact, of course, so hell of a lot of good it did) - that PF raise meant pockets - maybe AKs - maybe. I bet the pot on the flop for the obvious reason - now - here's the question. Why did I get called? It's the betting the pot on the turn that makes me wonder...if you really had the flush...would you do that? Or was that just the classic drive-off that we all use? I didn't play with this player much, but what I did see wasn't impressive. Oh, why did I check on the turn? Because I was called on the flop for a pot-sized bet by someone who had raised PF with a flop like that one. (Although, I suppose, 2 things - 1. When the flop comes like that, it don't matter who raised PF, cause your pocket is pretty much worthless at this point? and 2. Same thing, if the flop had been rainbow, given that I had hit top two pair...I tend to forget that...give way too much respect to raises sometimes). I'm trying really hard to not do the betting for them, because it gets me into a lot of trouble. But maybe I should have? And it did cross my mind to raise there.
I don't know...I left that hand thinking, "that was either the best laydown I've made or I missed out on a huge pot". The more I thought about it...the more I thought the latter. :(
Posted by April at 05:37 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack
January 03, 2005
Heard at the tables tonight -
File this under Thank You Captain Obvious -
Board was all clubs - showdown is ace high vs. king high
Guy not in hand says "Another king high flush losing to an ace"
The guy with the ace high winner says "Its not the best hand it can be beat"
It took everything I had to not ask how.
Yes, I'm in one of my moods... ;)
Posted by April at 08:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Ewwww....
Posted by April at 05:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
First Hand Back -
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 02/Jan/05 14:11:26
sammyroo is at seat 0 with $24.85.
midas one is at seat 1 with $8.90.
TexansBaby is at seat 2 with $50.
e_luckly is at seat 3 with $24.50.
Spruce56 is at seat 4 with $24.50.
maunni is at seat 5 with $39.05.
kbglfkid is at seat 6 with $15.95.
fish boy is at seat 7 with $25.60.
MrLips66 is at seat 8 with $70.80.
paul10003 is at seat 9 with $38.50.
The button is at seat 0.
midas one posts the small blind of $.25.
TexansBaby posts the big blind of $.50.
sammyroo: -- --
midas one: -- --
TexansBaby: 8h Ah
e_luckly: -- --
Spruce56: -- --
maunni: -- --
kbglfkid: -- --
fish boy: -- --
MrLips66: -- --
paul10003: -- --
Pre-flop:
e_luckly calls. Spruce56 folds. maunni folds.
kbglfkid folds. fish boy calls. MrLips66 folds.
paul10003 calls. sammyroo folds. midas one folds.
TexansBaby checks.
Flop (board: 4h 7h Qh):
TexansBaby checks. e_luckly checks. fish boy
checks. paul10003 bets $2.25. TexansBaby raises to
$4.50. e_luckly folds. fish boy folds. paul10003
calls.
Turn (board: 4h 7h Qh 8c):
TexansBaby bets $.50. paul10003 raises to $12.75.
TexansBaby re-raises to $25. paul10003 calls.
River (board: 4h 7h Qh 8c Jc):
TexansBaby goes all-in for $20. paul10003 goes all-in
for $8.50. TexansBaby is returned $11.50 (uncalled).
Showdown:
TexansBaby shows 8h Ah.
TexansBaby has 8h Ah 4h 7h Qh: flush, ace high.
paul10003 shows 2h 5h.
paul10003 has 2h 5h 4h 7h Qh: flush, queen high.
Hand #3779434-6834 Summary:
$2 is raked from a pot of $78.25.
TexansBaby wins $76.25 with flush, ace high.
What a nice welcome home, huh? Then later Maudie dropped by and we had fun with MrLips when the table got short handed - Maudie and I were heads up and she had raised pre-flop (and given the player, I had a pretty good feeling what I was up against ;)) to $2. I had Th9d, and called. (Short handed, remember!) Flop comes Qs Jd 2d. We all check. Turn comes 8s. I bet .50, MrLips calls, Maudie raises to $2. At this point MrLips starts guessing her hand - Kings? Trip Queens? I say nothing on my end...knowing he's gonna flip when he finds out all she's done is paired that two. And sure enough, I re-raise to $3.50, she folds and shows The Hammer. :) MrLips had a nice laugh over that one, pointed out that I never called Maudie's hand while we were playing (am I supposed to? Was I supposed to point out that you raise with any Ace too Mr?) and I told him that I knew was it was exactly - either 7/2 or Aces. He certainly liked that one. After that point the table began to fill up with yummy fish and that session doubled me up. BTW Maudie, after that one game with you, you're a Taz in my Tracker. Of course kids, let this be a lesson on what limited data gets you. By the way, have I mentioned "My name is April and I'm addicted to the Auto-Rate feature"?
Still being sickly, I took a nap after that game, disgusted, DISGUSTED with the season finale of the Texans. Did I mention I was disgusted? I want a new coach. (And I've been saying that since the start of the season, so don't accuse me of any fair-weatherness or anything like that). The fans were booing. Booing. I haven't heard such since...well...since we had that other team. We just don't do that in Houston normally. We have more class than that. But we have our breaking point. It has been reached. The coming months will be interesting...oh what the hell am I saying, they won't change a damn thing, AS ALWAYS. SIGH.
Hit the table again later in the evening, for a losing session. Just didn't have the focus ("So why were you playing April?" Uhhh....) and made a call that I can't really call "bad" because it was one of those where you just have to see. (Yes...I know...) But like I said, I hadn't been focused enough, and I was fairly certain that the guy was an idiot who was just getting lucky, but I hadn't actually seen any of his hands go to showdown. I had middle pair top kicker, and had been betting it hard, but he was steadily calling, and I couldn't put him on a hand, other than possibly a better pair, but he had never raised. So at the river, I thought...ok...I'm not going to bet this for you at least. I checked. He bets $8. And I think. And I decide, given the amount of money I've already got in this pot, yep, it's worth $8 to see just what the hell he's got. That river card could have made him a straight, but with me betting like I had every round...only an idiot would have kept calling on a miracle draw.
Need I tell you what he had?
So that took a nice ding out of my stack, but was really my only major loss of the night. He was oh so polite and thanked me for my call. I was a good girl and remained silent. One of the things I love about having UltimateHistory running is that the hand histories are constantly popping up and therefore I get real-time confirmation that yes, my opponent is an absolute moron. When playing, the cards are shown and the new hand is dealt so fast you often don't have time to process it all. Your mind says "No way he called that all the way with noth-"
OK, I think I'm rambling here...sorry. Still not 100% myself ya know. I think I'll check into those healing powers of poker I've heard about...
Posted by April at 03:53 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 02, 2005
Hehe...
I know someone who will be very happy with a certain word on this list...
Posted by April at 08:21 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 01, 2005
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Left Hawaii at 5:55 pm 12/30 and arrived at 5:00 something am central time 12/31. An 8 hour flight that wouldn't be so bad if you're one of those people that can sleep on the plane. I apparently am one of those that cannot. If I had taken some drugs, oh sure, no problem, but I was determined to make the whole flight on my own (and I did - both of them - without even so much as a white-knuckled grip on the seat or another person). I'm not sure what brought on my fear of flying, but I think it was once I met my husband and realized I kinda had a life I wanted to see played out. (And don't bother with facts and figures about more likely to die in car wrecks, etc. - this is an irrational fear, I am fully aware of it. Besides, I'm getting better.) It got worst on the last family trip with the in-laws, to DisneyWorld, way back in 97. (Didn't help with my stepson sitting next to me, looking through the little booket of all the different plane types, and asking about the model we were on "Are these the ones that blow up?" Love those kids.) At one point the turbulence was so bad the plane dropped a considerable amount of feet, and I litteraly thought "I'm going to die". Since then I have flown ONCE, to Denver for a business trip a few years ago. My father, looking after his little girl as he does, sent me off with his gold card and my husband. One of these I know he regrets to this day... The purpose of my husband going along was to make sure I actually got on the plane and didn't just chicken out and book it to Denver in my car at the last minute, which is totally like me, since I consider Colorado to be within driving distince. But I did ok that flight, just those "snuggle" moments at take-offs and landings. See? Baby-steps. I'm getting better. I bet I could fly all by myself now. (Although by no means am I wanting anyone to present me with an opportunity to prove this just yet).
Had a great time in Hawaii, have lots of photos etc. Managed to get sick again the last few days there, so right now I'm feeling kinda crummy so I'll give you the full trip report later. Yes, I was the sick person on the plane for the return flight home. There was a woman in the row of seats in front of us that every time I coughed she would turn around and glare. Glare. WTF? Like I was happy about it anymore than she was? I was so close to beating over the head with my box of Kleenex.
Please excuse any rambling and gross spelling errors. Remember I'm not alltogether with it. I'll think I'll go see what everyone else was up to while I was gone.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Posted by April at 01:17 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack