Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Crosswired?

It may not have been a night at the Playboy Mansion, but I went Skydiving with a few friends on Saturday morning. The experience was surreal, and strangely enough, I experienced no adrenal response to it whatsoever.

Later that evening, during a live tournament, I was forced all-in by the big blind with a Q9 diamond suited. UTG raised all-in, seat 6 called, and they each flipped up pocket jacks. When I made the flush on the turn, I was hit by that familiar monster rush of adrenaline, and later when I stopped long enough to think about it, realized just how fucked up that is.

I've been thinking about it frequently ever since, and I have decided that the lack of response to jumping out of the plane was probably due to shock. Thinking back on the situation, everything is sort of hazy and daydream like, to the point that I could probably be convinced that it didn't actually happen. Shock makes for a perfectly valid explanation.

As for poker, that moment is still crystal clear in my mind, but I can't rationalize the adrenal response.

I could almost understand it if the "fight or flight" had kicked in before I won the hand, but I've been in enough similar hands to know that it doesn't, and in fact, I only get the rush after I've won a very large or critical pot. Losing the hand brings only that momentary sickness of stomach.

So why the adrenaline? There is clearly no need for either "fight" or "flight" after winning a hand. I haven't figured it out yet, but I suspect it's important to understanding more about myself, and about my game.

-Tommy
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Blogger Tourneys are Rigged

This is Nate. Nate is one of two guys that owns Divebar, a Las Vegas drinking establishment that is as fine and upstanding as its name implies, and far too close to my apartment.

Moments before taking this photo, when Nate inquired, "Why are you writing on me?", I calmly told him, "Because I'm going to make you famous bro."

"Sweet, I love you man!", replied my understatedly drunken mark.

Taking this photo was one of my last few conscious actions on Saturday night, and probably a large part of why I finished so damned poorly in the WPBT tournament on Sunday night. I rarely get hangovers, but I was hurting like hell Sunday, and after adding that to the insane pollen levels we had over the weekend, I just wasn't on my game. It didn't help that I got sucked out on, either. I did at least enjoy PokerCats sympathetic farewell of, "meow! (that was totally mean!)", watching he who busted me get knocked out not too far after, and of course, PokerGnome and Gracie battling it out head to head.

This is two weeks in a row (I hate Omaha) that I have finished pathetically in one of these events. I have been madly stewing over my horrible finishes, and probably will continue to, until I manage to redeem myself. Though I haven't managed to show it in the blogger events, No Limit Hold'em tournaments are the only aspect of my game that is truly good. Unlike most profitable players, I can't come out on top of a cash game to save my life, but put me in a tournament and I'll make the final table like clockwork.

In fact, for the second week in a row I've made almost as much money from tournament profits as I have from my regular (well paying) job. I've even finally made it onto the leader's board out at Sam's Town for the (30 entry, 13 seats awarded) W.S.O.P. satellite, despite the fact that I only play out there two nights a week (unlike most of the others on the board who play near nightly), and have only been playing since mid-February, whereas most of the others started in early January.

This is from making the final table in 8 of the 16 tourneys I've played there, with my last two weekends finishing much higher in the money than previously, due mostly from learning the play styles of the regulars, and adapting accordingly.

But them bloggers kicked my ass.

-Tommy

P.S. Feel free to post the attached photo all over the internet. In fact, I beg it of you.
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Thursday, March 16, 2006

Intermission

The flop was 6 4 6, all red. I couldn't remember my hole cards for the life of me, but it didn't matter... I had gotten in free on the BB, and I knew I could outplay this guy. I bet about two thirds the pot, hoping he'd believe I'd lucked into the trips.

There was an alarm sounding somewhere. One of those really annoying alarms that you always hear in the casino when some idiot decides to duck out an emergency exit. I knew they'd be announcing that everything was Ok in a minute or two, but for right now it was really messing with my concentration, and suddenly the action was on me again, but I wasn't sure why... he must have raised. I figured I should probably check my hole cards now.

That's when I realized I'd made a huge mistake...

The flop was 6 4 7, all red. I had seen it wrong the first time, and now I was trying desperately to get a read on my opponent, wondering if he had the straight or maybe a flush, but damn if that alarm wasn't screwing up my concentration. When the hell was somebody going to turn it off?

I glanced at the flop again. It was 6 4 8, all red.

I grudgingly sat up, turned off the alarm, and started getting ready for work. In the shower I was cursing myself for playing last night. Of course I posted big losses, I'd been overdoing it again, and should have realized it before the usual dreams started kicking in. The big wins this past weekend fueled my fire, and it was all I could do to stay under 90mph on the way home from work each night, to get online and play some more, generally until too late of an hour.

So that's it. No poker for awhile. I'm on intermission. I need to do some house cleaning, catch up on a few episodes of "Lost", wash some dishes, and get some good, deep sleep.

Seriously, 'cause I got my regular Friday morning tourney tomorrow.

-Tommy
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Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Fuck You, Tourist (Part II)

The real problem I have playing against you is that half the time, you don't even know that your hand sucks. You think your drawing hand is a monster, any pair is the nuts, and damned if you aren't going to bet it that way.

You see, I didn't actually think my 3s 5c were great cards, I was only in the pot because I was the big blind, and nobody had bothered to raise. Imagine my surprise when the flop came 6h 4h 2d, and you immediately yelled into my right ear, "All in!".

And yes, I did stop to think about what you had. My first thought being that you had two hearts, probably not even good ones, hell, I was even ready to give you credit for an over pair, and the slightest posibilty of a set. But in the end it didn't matter, I knew you'd have to draw it, whatever it may be, and nothing was going to stop me from calling.

Imagine my surprise again when your brother-in-law, (conveniently seated one spot to my left) followed up with, "I gotta go all-in too, I got a straight flush draw, and with the two of you already in, I stand to make a lot of money", with complete disregard for the fact that there were two people still to act behind him. Despite what you both think, I believed him, and so did the others, though that probably wasn't why they folded. And of course I called him too, with what was left of my chips.

I was, however, not surprised in the least when you turned up your set of deuces.

"I'm gonna git you boy!", without even seeing my hand.

Nor was I surprised that your brother's straight flush draw was a gutshot, with his 7h 3h...

nor when the 6c came on the turn for your boat...

nor when the Qh came on the turn for his flush...

and I wasn't remotely upset about the cards. I knew the risks, and was ready for the result.

"Told you I was gonna git you boy! You don't know who you're messing with!"

Fuck you, Tourist.

Please come again.

-Tommy
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Monday, March 13, 2006

$25,000 Bloggers Freeroll

Catching up on the PSO forums this morning, I caught this post about a freeroll for bloggers that I somehow missed before. There are only two days left to sign up, and the more people that do, the bigger the prize pool. I seriously doubt they'll get anywhere near the requirements for $5k, let alone $25k, but who cares as long as it's free?

And it's truly free, nothing to sign up for, no deposits, You just have to have a Blog that was created on or before March 1, 2006 and has at least 10 posts in it.

So go sign up.

Bloggers Championship I am registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Freeroll
Win your share of $25,000 and a set
of Nevada Jacks poker chips.
Hosted By: Absolute Poker
Sponsored By: Poker Source Online
Registration Code: 30235748


-Tommy
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Saturday, March 11, 2006

Thank God for Nascar

I won't bore you with details about the total donkey that sucked out on the river, leaving me with nothing to show after four and a half hours of grueling tournament play. I know it happened, you know it happened, and we both know it'll happen again. Instead, I'll tell you the good news.

Nascar is in town!

I didn't even realize it when I set out on my donkey-shoot practice earlier this weekend, but nothing could have prepared me better for the race fans. They're all out at Sam's Town, they're all wasted, and they're all the best poker players EVAH!

I took 1st in the 11pm tourney last night, and I'll tell more later, but there's another starting up at seven, and I need a quick shower before I head out.

-Tommy
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Thursday, March 09, 2006

Freeroll Fever

After getting kicked in the teeth repeatedly in my regular live tournament games this past friday and saturday night by tourists with insanely high luck-to-skill ratios, I decided I needed to really work on my play against loose-aggressive idiots, and immediately set out to find some.

Enter the PartyPoker WSOP Freerolls!

At the time I decided to play some Party Poker Freerolls for the donkey-shoot warmups, I didn't realize PartyPoker had started this extravaganza, but I'm sure glad they did.

My first attempt in the 9:57pm qualifier on Sunday night yielded a finish of 101st of 3500. Encouraged (and still wanting the practice / ego boost) I continued in the same event the next two evenings for (not as high, but equally enjoyed) finishes of 178th and 180th, leading up to last night's finish at 3480th of 3500 after my AKo raise in the first hand was called by a 64o and a healthy rainbow flop of A64. I got just what I asked for.

I retired to the couch to spend the rest of the evening reading Sklansky, but couldn't get my mind off what I'd just done, and after awhile decided to give it another shot.

As soon as the top 50 was reached, I (SlitheyTove on PP... don't tell anyone) walked away irritated by the all-in fest that ensued, because I would have liked to play it out. Amazingly, I had blinds covered far enough into the short-lived end of the tourney that I discovered I had finished in 3rd place overall when I woke up this morning.

Some complaints... I hate PartyPoker's software as it is, and often wonder what's wrong with the people who designed the way that table moves are handled, but why this particular tournament didn't just end at 50 (like the earlier levels of a shootout) is beyond me. Even more annoying, it continued in hand-to-hand mode, and everytime an "away" player moved tables, the "away" flag was reset. I feel bad for the few players that stuck around to clean up, despite the fact that there was no small bonus or the like for first place to make it worth the effort, or encourage good play.

Wish me luck on Saturday, I'll certainly need it, but if I don't win I think it'll still be fun as an exercise to repeat the attempt next week. I just hope I don't muck up my regular play with all the slumming.

-Tommy
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Monday, March 06, 2006

Fuck You, Tourist

I have to get this out, though I'll never say it to your face.

It doesn't bother me that you somehow lucked your way to a final table, or that you had the nerve to call me with Qc Ts when I put you all-in with my Kc Ks preflop. It didn't even bother me when you sucked out on me. At other times, it's these idiot traits you harbor that make my love of the game what it is.

But I could seriously slap that look that says you actually think you out-played me right the fuck off of your face.

For fucks sake, when the flop hit 8h 8d Tc, it was obvious from the gleam of hope in your eye that you didn't even realize that your fucking odds had just gotten worse.

And when the river brought you that Td, I smiled and shook your hand, but your parting wisdom of, "Don't put your chips in if you're not ready to lose them!" was really just too much.

Fuck you, Tourist.

Please come again.

-Tommy
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Thursday, March 02, 2006

Don't Call it a Comeback

Ok, technically it's a comeback. But only so far as this journal is concerned, not poker.

The poker has been going really well. I just got busy with other things in life and stopped writing about it, and everyday that went by it got a little easier to blow off untill eventually I just didn't know how to start again and every day that went by made it a little harder to get back to. But this morning I decided, "Fuck it... nobody's actually reading anyhow".

So what happened? Same thing that always puts my life on tilt. I met a girl.

Well, I didn't actually meet a girl so much as ran into one that I've known for a few years who wasn't as married as she had been previously. It happened the day after the last post, which should pretty much sum everything up. That went well for awhile, until it didn't.

I also got a job. This has done more for my game than anything else I've ever done. No more sleepless nights after a bad day, or playing scared because I need to pay rent and buy food. It's a good job too, I work 10 hours a day Monday through Thursday, play online every night for 3 to 4 hours, get 3 entire (tourist laden) days in a row to go binge on live games, and don't need to worry about rent anymore.

Which brings me to the next important change. I finally started playing live poker 6 weeks ago, and it has been incredible. I've only been playing in tournaments, but I've made final table in about half of them (avg fields of ~60 players) and made money on most of those, leaving me up overall.

So that's that. Break time is over, so let's just put it behind us and act like it never happened.

-Tommy
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