Good luck with the poker

I bought into this satellite for a total of $9: $3 buy-in, $3 re-buy (as soon as I sat down) and a $3 add-on at the first break. Turned that into a $215 seat into the $350,000 guaranteed tournament next Sunday night.

PokerStars Tournament #8870331, No Limit Hold’em Super Satellite
Buy-In: $3.00
585 players
Total Prize Pool: $5796.00
Target Tournament #8620895 Buy-In: $215.00
26 tickets to the target tournament
Tournament started – 2005/06/12 – 17:30:00 (ET)
Dear Josh,
You finished the tournament in 1st place.
You qualified to play in Tournament #8620895 and are automatically registered for it.
See Tournament #8620895 Lobby for further details.

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My first ‘celebrity sighting’

Really, it wasn’t a celebrity sighting at all, but it makes me feel special to say it that way. I went to Starbucks to read some of a new book I bought (more on that below) and the guy behind the counter says, “This may seem a little strange to ask, but are you into acting at all? Have you done any work in student projects?” I told him I had and he said he recognized me from a short student film he saw this weekend. I said, “Oh, well cool. I hope you liked it.” He said he did like it, he thought it was funny and that he was there to support his cousin, who directed one of the other shorts. Anyway, it was strange to be recognized as an actor. Strange, but nice. Hopefully, I’ll get to experience more of that in the future. I don’t feel I have a big need for validation… but it’s still nice sometimes.

Good run at poker

I’ve been playing well and/or getting lucky for a couple weeks now. My bankroll was hurtin’ for a while there, but then I went back to my bread n’ butter: Sit N’ Gos. I’ve more than tripled my bankroll in the past couple weeks and I’ve used some of the cash to help finance my trip to Europe (I transferred some money to a co-worker’s account in exchange for a ride to and from the airport). I also bought another poker book today. I’d already read most of it in Barnes & Noble, but I wanted to buy it so I can re-read it when I’m done. This was the first book that I bought directly with money from my poker account and it felt good. I’m sure it’ll pay for itself quickly.

Only 7 hours at work tomorrow and I’m out for two weeks!

I don’t feel I need to elaborate on that too much, so I won’t.

Kendra will win The Apprentice

Same story here.

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Not much happenin’

I haven’t written much lately because I haven’t had much to write about. The trip to Europe is still on and it’ll be from May 15 through May 30. I’ve already got my plane ticket and my rail ticket has been purchased. I’m letting the experienced members of our group pick hotels, hostels and such, so I don’t know much about where we’re staying. I went to get my passport on Monday and I should have it by next Friday. I bought a book about Europe and I’ve been reading up on the places we’ll go so I’m prepared… or at least as prepared as I can be.

Roommate possibility

A good friend and former roommate of mine has been offered a job at Raytheon here in Dallas, so there’s a good chance we’ll be roomies again. I’m looking forward to it. Of course, that’ll mean I have to move and I’m not looking forward to that. But it looks like the new place would be on the first floor and just across the way from my current place, so that’s not too bad. I generally like new stuff, so maybe I’ll be able to convince myself that I’m just “moving somewhere new” and I’ll forget about what a hassle moving is.

Poker and takin’ it easy

I’ve been playing very little poker lately because I realized that I wasn’t focusing very well when I was playing. I think I was playing too many tournaments and it was watering down my ability to concentrate and my boredom level was drastically increasing. I’ve been trying to play less so I focus more and the results so far have been pretty good. Unfortunately, my bankroll took a bit of a hit before I had this revelation, so I’m slowly building it back up. I’m still up overall, just not as much as I was a couple months ago.

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Poker tourney cancelled

I found out on Friday afternoon that Saturday’s poker tournament was cancelled. I was pretty disappointed because I’m confident I could’ve won it. I’ve also been doing reasonably well online lately, although my bankroll hasn’t been growing. I’ve been using cash games and SNGs to fund tournaments. I’ve moneyed in a few recently (some with fields over 1300), but haven’t made the big bucks yet. It seems like the necessary strategy is to play correctly and make the money and then hope luck carries me to the final table. Usually, I bust out on a coin flip, a risk I wouldn’t normally take but, by that time in the tournament, being blinded off is a big threat.

I played some low-stakes No Limit this weekend and did pretty well. I just lost $25 bucks and I’m still up over $30 for the weekend. The $25 went to two bad beats: KQ lost to KJ (I flopped an open-ended straight draw and made top pair on the river; he had two pair) and AA lost to AKs (that last one was all-in before the flop and he made a straight with a AQJTx board). But that’s poker.

Interviewing visit redux

About seven or eight weeks ago, a friend from Florida came out to interview with my company. He’s coming back out this weekend for another go-round. I’m looking forward to having some company and I hope things work out well for him.

Clean?

I cleaned my apartment tonight for the first time in, ummm, too long. I’d been piece-mealing it for months, but hadn’t done a real thorough job until tonight. I just couldn’t take it anymore. The biggest pain? The new towels I bought several weeks ago apparently leave piles of lint every-freakin’-where. I probably could’ve made a new towel with all the lint I cleaned up.

Tylenol PM is kickin’ and that means I’m gonna’ start gettin’ loopy pretty soon. I’m going to get in bed before that happens so I don’t wake up in the grass downstairs tomorrow.

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Same ol’, Same ol’

Not much going on. I’ll give a quick summary:

First, I finally bought a new car. I had been driving a 98 Pontiac Grand Am for almost 5 years. It had 115,000 miles on it and I hated it with a furious passion. It was formerly a Mary Kay car. I bought a new (2005) Infiniti G35 and I couldn’t be happier with it. I described the difference to a friend as follows: “It’s not even like I upgraded. It’s like I moved to a different planet!”

Second, I’ve been playing a lot of poker lately. Essentially, I’ve been breaking even for a couple weeks. Before that, I had a pretty nasty losing streak at $2/$4 Hold ‘Em, so I backed off for a while. That streak came after a big fat winning streak at the same stakes. I’ve been playing tons of smaller stakes tournaments lately (max $10 buy-in) and doing ok. I’ve moneyed a couple times and played some good poker. The highlight was the other night when I played a $3 + re-buys satellite to a WSOP qualifier. The prize was a $650 seat and the top 4 got paid. I finished 6th… but only because my internet connection went out for 20 minutes. I’m convinced I would’ve made the money about 90% of the time… I lost about half my stack while disconnected (blinds were pretty high) and I was dealt KK once while gone.

I’ve also been reading Harington on Hold ‘em, by Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie. It’s definitely the best book on NL Hold ‘Em that I’ve read and it could be tied for best tournament poker book I’ve read. I’m trying to let the info sink in because…

I am playing in a $45 buy-in tournament with 37 other players next weekend. First place pays over $700 and the top 5 places get paid. Last time I played with this group, it was an 17-person $50 buy-in tournament and I finished second and made about $200 bucks. I hadn’t played at all in six months before that tournament and I’m much better now. I just hope luck is on my side. If it is, I’m confident I can win it.

Time for sleep!

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Vegas: Day 3 report

There’s bad and good to report from today. I’ll get right to it. I played two sessions of $2/$4 Limit Hold ‘Em at Aladdin. I lost 73 bucks in about 4 hours or -4.5 BB/hour. I just seemed to get crap cards and any time I got a good hand, someone drew out on me. Good example: I had AKs, raise before the flop and get 2 callers. Flop comes AKx, giving me top two pair. I bet and one player calls. Next card is a J. I bet, get raised, call. Next card is a blank. I check, he checks. He turns over JJ for a set of Jacks to beat my two pair. Normally, I wouldn’t mind “the best hand winning” if he’d ever shown it was the best hand. More importantly, I was better than 10-to-1 to win the hand after the flop. That was the worst one, but that stuff happened a few times and I got terrible cards (I literally won 5 pots in 4 hours. And I’m not talking big pots with showdown. I’m talking any pot at all.)

Now the good: I played another session of $2/$4 tonight and made $50 bucks in 2.25 hours or +5.55 BB/hour. It’s not a very long session, but I played very well and seemed to be making good decision. My table image was key as they saw me as very tight/very aggressive. Ironically, the hand I remember most was one where I folded. I had AA in early position and raised with 2 callers. The flop is 885. I bet, get raised, then re-raised and I fold. Obviously, I was beat, but I knew I had to be beat by some crappy cards. I was glad my ego didn’t take over and get me married to the hand. I laid it down and eventually saw both other players turn over an 8 (89 and 8J). I was 75% to win the hand before the flop.

So, I lost 73 this morning, won 50 tonight for a 23 dollar loss today. Overall, that puts me at 194 down, overall.

I doubt I’ll gamble any more tomorrow, but if I do, it’ll be something like throwing a 25 dollar chip on the BlackJack table and letting it ride till I either lose it or break even for my trip. That sounds like a fun way to end things.

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Vegas: Day 2 report

Not too much to tell so far. I lost 28 bucks in a Hold ‘Em tournament and made 55 dollars at the 5-dollar blackjack tables.

The only notable hand in the tournament (again, the structure was almost silly) was when I was dealt KQ in the big blind. 3 or 4 callers and the flop came K45. I bet, three calls. Turn is a rag. I bet, get 2 calls. River is a rag. I bet, get one call. I lost to a set of fours. Now, why the lady never raised when she flopped a set and the turn and river didn’t fill any draws, I’ll never know. Anyway, that hand took most of my stack and I just kinda’ wasted away after that.

Played blackjack at Bellagio and lost 40 bucks in about 15 minutes. Basically, the dealer just kept busting everyone up. I had a blackjack… and it was a push. She got 20’s and 21’s like they were going out of style.

Played in the $1-$2 NL Hold ‘Em game at Aladdin. I thought games like that only existed in fairytales. Turns out they’re real as can be. Problem was that luck was frowning on me. I bought in for 60 bucks. About the second hand, I got TT, but the lady to my right raised it to $20 (yes, this is a $1-$2 blind game with a max buy-in of $100) and since I hadn’t seen her play yet, I figured I better fold. Couple hands later, I get 55 and she does the same thing. Again, I fold. A few hands later, I get KK UTG. I make my standard raise to $6. I get two or three callers. Flop comes ten-high rainbow. I bet $10, guy goes all-in (for about $35 more), everyone folds to me and I quickly call. Turn is an A, river is a blank. He turns over ATo for Aces-up to beat my KK. I’m down to 15 or 20 bucks.

I fold for a while till I get AJo. Lady to my right makes it $10 and I call. Flop is K-high, she puts me all-in, I fold. I buy another $40 in chips. Several hands later, I get AKo. I make my standard raise, get re-raised to about $20 and then there’s a caller. I move in and both call. Flop is 835 rainbow. The original re-raiser checks, the cold-caller moves in quickly and the other player folds. Turn is a K, river is a blank. Cold-caller turns over 33 for a set of threes to beat my Kings with an Ace kicker. $100 gone.

So, why was I saying this was such a great game? Because it was. I only wish I had about $1000 sitting around for me to play in that game. I think I could turn it into $2000 in about 6 hours, assuming luck didn’t continue to frown on me. Having a guy hit a 5-outter on me on the turn stinks. Having AK, getting called by a 33 that holds is frustrating, but at least I was the dog to begin with. Whether he should’ve been calling 10x the BB with 33 is another story altogether.

I guess I should mention that all of these people were very loose and sometimes aggressive. I rarely saw a premium hand shown down, even when there was a lot of action. Also, I think at least two of the people at the table were off-duty dealers for the casino. I’m not sure how that works.

So, the bright side to everything: These people were so easy to read it was scary. When 33 hit his set, and moved in, I was certain he had a set. Earlier in the evening, when a guy made the nut flush on the river, I knew it immediately. When the guy to my left had a big fat pair, I knew it before he even bet. I did get my money in as about an 80% favorite and if I’d won that hand, I would have doubled-up my buy-in. So, about 80% of the time I turn my $60 into $120 in about 15 minutes. From there, I’m pretty sure I would’ve just run over the table.

I’m actually considering trying again tomorrow, but I need to take time to cool off first and evaluate it. After all, I did lose $100 tonight, regardless of all that odds talk and gibberish.

Trip summary: Lost $58 yesterday, lost $113, down $171 overall.

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Vegas: Day 1 report

As far as gambling goes, there isn’t too much to report. I played a $55 NL Hold ‘Em tournament at the Luxor and busted out 8th of 33. Here are the highlights:

• Short stack moves in immediately to my right, I have QQ and move in for about 3 times what he has. Everyone folds, he turns over AJo and catches JJ (flop and river) to double up.
• I have AJo in middle position, minimum raise by UTG, I move in, he calls with K7s. Sure enough, he makes a flush on the flop.
• I move in with K7o and am called by K2o. 2-pair hits the board and we split.
• I move in with ATo and it holds up against Ax and Q6o.
• I play the waiting game and finally have to move in with KTo. Next player to act moves in for about triple my stack with KK.

All in all, I feel I played nearly perfectly. I was shocked how obvious some physical tells are when playing live. I’ve been playing online exclusively for several months, so I’ve had to learn more about the mathematics, betting pattern tells and other nuances. I was able to steal with absolutely nothing several times after the flop and that kept me in the game.

The tournament structure was a complete crapshoot. We started with 250 in chips, were allowed a 50-chip add-on immediately for 3 dollars (initial buy-in was 55), so we had 300 chips. Blinds started at 10/15 and moved up every 15 minutes (15/25, 25/50…). Also, we started with 11 people per table, so we didn’t even get around once before the first level of blinds was done.

Anyway, I lost, but I played well so I’m ok with it.

Then I played some 5-dollar blackjack. Ultimately, I broke even. I was up to about double my buy-in of 40 bucks, then dropped to 10 bucks, then doubled-up twice and left even. So I’m down 58 bucks for the day.

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First Money

I know I generally don’t post on consecutive days, but this is a special occasion. I played in a $5.50 Re-buy tournament (unlimited re-buys for the first hour and an add-on at the first break) and turned $20.50 into $72.50. I placed 27th of 680 entrants. Once I made the money (which was just barely), I got lucky and caught some cards to stay in (the top 63 got paid) till 27. This was a big win for me because I actually went on tilt very early on when my KK was cracked by Q3. That took half my chips and I blew the other half on an inside-straight draw (I rarely go on tilt, so I was pretty concerned). Anyway, I re-bought a couple times and took the add-on at the first break and, after another 3.5 hours, I ended up in the money.

I busted out with 77 vs. TT, which is fine since I was actually a big underdog before the flop. Also, if I had to go bust that close to the finish, 27th was the spot. I would’ve had to beat 9 more people to make the next tier of money at 18th. I learned a lot from the experience and I’m hoping I can get another money soon. Of course, my goal is to win a big tourney, but that’ll come in time. For now, I’ll settle for steady progress. It has also occurred to me that I should consider other games besides No Limit Hold ‘Em. Maybe Limit HE, Omaha, or Omaha/8. I figure maybe this weekend I’ll play a smaller tournament in addition to my NLHE tournaments.

I need sleep.

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Not much happening

I need to start posting more. Anyway, I finally started working out again and, although I’m taking it pretty easy so far, I feel a lot better than I did most of the time I was traveling over Christmas.

I’ll probably be going to L.A. in a couple weeks for some more training for work. In the meantime, I’ll be sending out another round of mailers to agents here in Dallas. Apparently, I didn’t send them to the right group before. I guess this is good because I haven’t heard anything from anyone I sent to in the first round. That’s not entirely true… I got one mailer back because the place I sent it to doesn’t exist anymore.

Yeah, I’m still playing a lot of poker and it’s going really well. I’ve been upping the stakes for the Sit N Gos (SNGs) and playing some Multi-Table Tournaments (MTTs). The SNGs is where I’m makin’ all the cheddar, but I’m steadily improving in the MTTs. I would’ve made the money yesterday if I didn’t bust out to AT with AK (all-in before the flop). I might’ve made the money today if I hadn’t busted out to AT with JJ. Both of those were pretty late in the tournament (yesterday’s was 73/722 or 9 out of the money), so I pretty much had to go with those hands.

Anyway, as soon as I get one of those to hold up (it’s not like they’re big favorites or anything), I should start making the money in the MTTs. Eventually, I hope to win one of those things.

Other than that, I’ve just been watching movies and hangin’ out. I’m still co-writing a short film, but that’s slow goin’. I’m considering taking voice over lessons because I hear it can be pretty lucrative in Dallas. I guess that’s about it.

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