Call it what you want, I am a fish in the grand scheme of this poker game. My blog is aptly named. I'm not the worst player but I'm not the type that would ever be able to actually make a living at this game either. I am 100% good with that though because I've got a great wife at home, I have a job that pays the bills and I get to play poker when I have time, for fun, and always enjoy the game.
My last session ended with me being a fish after playing well for a few hours.
I built my stack up with a series of hands that started with a straight and ended up trips. I'm getting close to the end of my session and I look down and see AK suited and that's when everything fell apart.
I raised and got re-raised and this is where the first mistake happened. There were too many people in the pot for a re-raised pot by the time it got back to me and I realize that I don't have enough experience in these situations to actually play them well and yet I told myself that I will only continue post flop if the flop hits me hard so I called.
I wanted to put in another raise to narrow the field to just one or two players. I wanted to put in another raise or fold but instead I took the least desirable path and just called the 3 bet.
The flop comes out AK6 and the first person to act puts $75 into a pot of about $150. The A and K are both spades and the 6 is a diamond. I think about it for a minute before calling, wanting to Jam any non-spade turn. The next person to act makes it $300 and in my mind this SCREAMS 666.
I'm tired so the screaming is more of a faint whisper "that bitch has a set of 6's and you must fold."
The original bettor is thinking and thinking and thinking and during this thinking my mind got distracted and somehow I started putting the person who raised on a possible large ace or A6 that was suited, maybe even another AK just trying to chase away a flush draw. My mind started going over all the scenarios of things she could have had that were not 666 and by the time this other person finally folded I forgot all about my original screams of concern.
If I had to make a decision in 10 seconds after her bet I would have folded and thought nothing about it but this other person taking so long to debate and make a decision let my mind wonder and then I got attached to my hand and top two and sort of let the obvious fall to the wayside.
So, there I was putting my money into the middle hoping for another A or K to fall because true to my instincts the other player turns over her pocket pair of 6's.
This is my first losing session since becoming a married man and it wasn't just a simple cooler that did it to me, it was my own stupidity, my own fishiness. I know I should have folded and somehow I just couldn't make myself do it and my bankroll is several hundred dollars smaller because of it.
I guess the good news is that on my way to the poker room I won $5 at the craps table and on the way out I talked myself out of Tilt Playing Craps trying to make my poker money back at Dem Good Tables!!!
Don't Play Tired kids. Pretty sure if my mental state was better I would have made this fold.
But, that's what fish do. Fish get attached to their own hands and talk themselves into making calls because they are ahead. Fish play tired and not in the right mindset.
Fish go home broke (most of the time).
May my next session be better!
Bankroll still around $1200
Showing posts with label Bankroll Challenge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bankroll Challenge. Show all posts
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Building a Bankroll at Bally's
I'm still in the process of trying to think of a label to attach to all of my new, post marriage poker posts so that I can link them all to the side and people who just want to read about the local fish at the tables can just go to them immediately. Until it hits me I'll probably put something generic in there as a "just because."
You won't realize this but I came back to this spot after finishing the rest of the post and just decided that I was going to stick it under "Bankroll Challenge" which is already on the side from a previous time I started to try to build a roll but gave up due to ....uh.... I have no bloody idea why. So, Let the new Bankroll Challenge begin. Lets tear this mother up!
Before work yesterday I mentioned to my lovely wife that I'd like to go play poker in the evening since she worked early and I had to work late. The other factor is that she didn't have to work tomorrow so me coming home late and waking her up wouldn't be as big of a sin, especially if I happened to bring home bad news of blowing $850 in poker and the rest on a hooker who kisses on the lips. I let her know that I'd give her a call after I got out of work and if she didn't answer I would assume she was sleeping and go play poker for a few hours and underneath her sarcasm she was OK with it.
So after work I hoped into my car and made that phone call and much to my dismay after about 3 or 4 rings she answered the phone. I asked her if she wanted me to bring anything home and she said that she knew I wanted to play poker so I should just go out and play for a little bit. I headed home to drop off my lunch bag, get my Players Cards and kiss my wife goodnight. Before I left the door she told me to win her lots of money, then I drove to my old standby, Bally's.
I love playing at Bally's. Bally's has by far my favorite set of dealers who remember me even if I haven't been there in over a year. They recognize me, chat with me and last night one even looked at me and said "oh you finally got married, congratulations" and then we proceeded to talk about it for a bit while she didn't deal me any winners. Bally's has also been host to some of my bigger wins and even though they don't have games like they used to (I think Planet Hollywood stole those games) I still cannot help but make this the place that I head to 80% of the time when I go out.
Last night there were 4 All In games running when I got there and one limit game. I only waited around for maybe 3 minutes before being seated and while playing at my first table I got to experience the fun of the river. There was at least a series of 7 hands in a row that were all won on the river where the money was in the middle before that last dreaded card appeared and I was involved in 3 of them.
The first of three had me making a raise with KJ pre-flop and getting about 3 people to come along to the flop. The flop was KKx and I lead out getting one hesitant caller. The turn was a 2. I bet, got raised and pushed the rest of my money in. The "gentleman" turns over K2 and I turn up KJ just in time to watch a Jack hit the river so the pot could be pushed to the good guys.
A couple of hands later I had Pocket Tens and called a raise. The flop comes out 8 high and I lead out which gets a caller. The turn is a safe card and I get a short stack all in only to watch the river flush so his 93 of hearts takes all of those precious chips and puts them in front of the wrong guy.
Two hands later I get the dreaded pocket kings (which Rob Assures me I played wrong and should have folded pre-flop) ((I just made that last bit up)).
Anyway, Guy UTG raises to $12 and gets a caller, I re-raise to $40 with two ugly kings, folds to original raiser who pushes and then back to me with the obvious call.
He turns over AQ of spades after I turn up my Kings. The flop has 2 spades and I tell him that the river has been really kind lately and as he is getting ready to leave (already grabbed all his stuff and pushing his chair in) a 3rd spade hits the river and the dealer had to point out to him that he actually did win the hand.
So, 3 hands played and 3 rivers being the deciding factor. I got to watch my stack double up and then go back to short again.
A bit later the table broke and I kept playing for a little while.
I'm in late position and raise pocket Jacks to $12 and get 2 callers. Flop comes out Axx with 2 to a flush on it and the first guy to act bets $10 into me. I'd seen him do this several times but never saw a hand so I'm not sure at this point if he didn't have much, was trying to get me to raise, was trying to chase his flush cheap or if he just didn't know anything about bet sizing.
I think about it and call so that I can "one time" him due to his poor bet sizing choice. We are the only two to the turn.
The Turn is a Jack giving me a set and keeping the flush away. He leads out for 20 and I make 70, he calls.
River is a blank and he bets, I push and he calls with AK. As he turned his cards over he said "Ok, send me home for the night" and I replied (as I was flipping) "Your wish is my command sir."
The two guys to my left started complaining that I just sent the biggest calling station home for the night, but we had a good time talking despite my rudeness.
Shortly later I packed up for the evening with a profit of $100 bringing my total bankroll to somewhere over $1400 (if I remove my seed money, if not I'm around $1900 instead).
And - Finally a head Scratcher.
At my first table I wasn't paying attention too much during this hand due to trying to get me a Blue Moon.
There was no raise pre-flop and by the time the river showed up the pot was only maybe $30 bucks or so.
The Board was KAKxx with the KAK on the flop (obviously).
First guy to act checked, second guy bets $10, First guy check raises to $20, Second guy CALLS!
Second guy is the first to show and he flips over AK for the flopped boat and inside my head I'm screaming "HOW THE HELL DID YOU NOT RAISE OR PUSH OR SOMETHING - WHERE IS YOUR POT?"
The first guy flips over AA for the flopped TOP BOAT and my head explodes.
My nose starts to run and my ears start bleeding.
Three fingernails fell off and hit the felt. I picked them up and munched on them like they were potato chips as small particles of my melting brain settled into the bottom of my skull like a bowl of cold soup.
I stared at the bored and their cards trying to find any rational explanation as to how there was no real money in the pot when they both flopped boats, STRONG boats and both were 2+ buy-ins deep and neither felt like actually putting money in the pot.
Guy number one remarks "Man, I thought you had Pocket Kings that whole time and didn't want to invest too much" and that's when my heart exploded and I pissed myself.
You won't realize this but I came back to this spot after finishing the rest of the post and just decided that I was going to stick it under "Bankroll Challenge" which is already on the side from a previous time I started to try to build a roll but gave up due to ....uh.... I have no bloody idea why. So, Let the new Bankroll Challenge begin. Lets tear this mother up!
Before work yesterday I mentioned to my lovely wife that I'd like to go play poker in the evening since she worked early and I had to work late. The other factor is that she didn't have to work tomorrow so me coming home late and waking her up wouldn't be as big of a sin, especially if I happened to bring home bad news of blowing $850 in poker and the rest on a hooker who kisses on the lips. I let her know that I'd give her a call after I got out of work and if she didn't answer I would assume she was sleeping and go play poker for a few hours and underneath her sarcasm she was OK with it.
So after work I hoped into my car and made that phone call and much to my dismay after about 3 or 4 rings she answered the phone. I asked her if she wanted me to bring anything home and she said that she knew I wanted to play poker so I should just go out and play for a little bit. I headed home to drop off my lunch bag, get my Players Cards and kiss my wife goodnight. Before I left the door she told me to win her lots of money, then I drove to my old standby, Bally's.
I love playing at Bally's. Bally's has by far my favorite set of dealers who remember me even if I haven't been there in over a year. They recognize me, chat with me and last night one even looked at me and said "oh you finally got married, congratulations" and then we proceeded to talk about it for a bit while she didn't deal me any winners. Bally's has also been host to some of my bigger wins and even though they don't have games like they used to (I think Planet Hollywood stole those games) I still cannot help but make this the place that I head to 80% of the time when I go out.
Last night there were 4 All In games running when I got there and one limit game. I only waited around for maybe 3 minutes before being seated and while playing at my first table I got to experience the fun of the river. There was at least a series of 7 hands in a row that were all won on the river where the money was in the middle before that last dreaded card appeared and I was involved in 3 of them.
The first of three had me making a raise with KJ pre-flop and getting about 3 people to come along to the flop. The flop was KKx and I lead out getting one hesitant caller. The turn was a 2. I bet, got raised and pushed the rest of my money in. The "gentleman" turns over K2 and I turn up KJ just in time to watch a Jack hit the river so the pot could be pushed to the good guys.
A couple of hands later I had Pocket Tens and called a raise. The flop comes out 8 high and I lead out which gets a caller. The turn is a safe card and I get a short stack all in only to watch the river flush so his 93 of hearts takes all of those precious chips and puts them in front of the wrong guy.
Two hands later I get the dreaded pocket kings (which Rob Assures me I played wrong and should have folded pre-flop) ((I just made that last bit up)).
Anyway, Guy UTG raises to $12 and gets a caller, I re-raise to $40 with two ugly kings, folds to original raiser who pushes and then back to me with the obvious call.
He turns over AQ of spades after I turn up my Kings. The flop has 2 spades and I tell him that the river has been really kind lately and as he is getting ready to leave (already grabbed all his stuff and pushing his chair in) a 3rd spade hits the river and the dealer had to point out to him that he actually did win the hand.
So, 3 hands played and 3 rivers being the deciding factor. I got to watch my stack double up and then go back to short again.
A bit later the table broke and I kept playing for a little while.
I'm in late position and raise pocket Jacks to $12 and get 2 callers. Flop comes out Axx with 2 to a flush on it and the first guy to act bets $10 into me. I'd seen him do this several times but never saw a hand so I'm not sure at this point if he didn't have much, was trying to get me to raise, was trying to chase his flush cheap or if he just didn't know anything about bet sizing.
I think about it and call so that I can "one time" him due to his poor bet sizing choice. We are the only two to the turn.
The Turn is a Jack giving me a set and keeping the flush away. He leads out for 20 and I make 70, he calls.
River is a blank and he bets, I push and he calls with AK. As he turned his cards over he said "Ok, send me home for the night" and I replied (as I was flipping) "Your wish is my command sir."
The two guys to my left started complaining that I just sent the biggest calling station home for the night, but we had a good time talking despite my rudeness.
Shortly later I packed up for the evening with a profit of $100 bringing my total bankroll to somewhere over $1400 (if I remove my seed money, if not I'm around $1900 instead).
And - Finally a head Scratcher.
At my first table I wasn't paying attention too much during this hand due to trying to get me a Blue Moon.
There was no raise pre-flop and by the time the river showed up the pot was only maybe $30 bucks or so.
The Board was KAKxx with the KAK on the flop (obviously).
First guy to act checked, second guy bets $10, First guy check raises to $20, Second guy CALLS!
Second guy is the first to show and he flips over AK for the flopped boat and inside my head I'm screaming "HOW THE HELL DID YOU NOT RAISE OR PUSH OR SOMETHING - WHERE IS YOUR POT?"
The first guy flips over AA for the flopped TOP BOAT and my head explodes.
My nose starts to run and my ears start bleeding.
Three fingernails fell off and hit the felt. I picked them up and munched on them like they were potato chips as small particles of my melting brain settled into the bottom of my skull like a bowl of cold soup.
I stared at the bored and their cards trying to find any rational explanation as to how there was no real money in the pot when they both flopped boats, STRONG boats and both were 2+ buy-ins deep and neither felt like actually putting money in the pot.
Guy number one remarks "Man, I thought you had Pocket Kings that whole time and didn't want to invest too much" and that's when my heart exploded and I pissed myself.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
A Night at the Flamingo
Since Nick Gale (cokeboy99 on twitter) is visiting I got the chance to go out and meet him in person instead of just through twitter interactions.
Now, I knew that he was going to end up being my arch nemesis at the tables from the moment he told me that he works for Coke (hey, he could just be an addict with a taste for overindulgence) being that I bleed Mountain Dew and all.
Overall it was a good meeting, we had some brief discussions on random crap and as always it was good too meet someone whom I would never have gotten the chance to meet if it wasn't for this little blog of mine.
That being said, he did have the unfortunate timing of being the guy who doubled me up so that I could actually leave with some profit.
Now, before I continue (notice I'm using extra spaces to make up for Coach's lack of spacing) I want to point out that I absolutely detest playing at The Flamingo. I hate it. I loathe it. If I were to make a list of places that I want to play, The Flamingo would not even be considered. If I had to make a list of places that I wish got destroyed instead of O'Shaes, The Flamingo would be numero uno on that list.
The Flamingo is an evil cursed place where I have tried to play on a bunch of different occasions for different reasons and every single time, EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TIME I have failed to show a profit. In fact, I have gotten stacked there in quite a few unique ways thanks to the randomly bad play by whoever was sitting at the table with me.
I made a post on twitter about this and got a reply from Poker Dealer (@pkrdlr) that he has NEVER registered a winning session there in over 8 years or something now. So, this is proof that the place is cursed.
The session started without much fan fair as we both got seated at different tables. I put in for a table change and played the waiting game. After I was down about $6 a seat opened and I moved over.
I got involved in a few pots, had a few big draws and missed most everything and at one point was down about $90 on the session. However I kept grinding and kept getting back up to being down only $50. Nick and I kept tangling because every time I raised he had hands worth calling and every time he raised I had hands worth calling.
As (bad) luck would have it I got the best of him in the last 3 hands that we tangled in starting with calling a raise with JJ and winning a few bucks off of him. A few hands later he raised and I had QQ and decided to just call as I was to his immediate left and almost nobody at the table was playing to raises at that point.
One other guy came along and the flop came out Q high to give me BINGO.
He bet and I called and I believe we strung a 3rd guy along. The turn was nothing scary and he bet again, I debated between mini raising or pushing and decided that my best bet was a push. A mini raise would result in him either putting me all in or us getting our money in on the river. A push gave him the best chance to get away from his hand with me showing strength. However, he decided that calling my push was his best option and I got to double through as he was drawing dead at that point.
This hand put me up a bit over half a buy in and right around here is where I ordered my 3rd and final beer. I knew the session was coming to an end soon so I set my limit on how low my stack could get for an immediate pick up. However, the last orbit that I played I managed to add another $40 to my stack (give or take) and left up $148 on the evening.
My first EVER winning session at The Flamingo. Will I go back there and play again? Probably, but only if someone who is visiting wants to meet up and play there (Rob, you listening - this is your chance to set up where we should play because this casino puts me at my most stackable!!!) So, Happy to leave with a profit but kind of annoyed that it had to come at the expense of the very person I set out to meet that evening.
So Nick, it was great to meet you and hopefully next time you happen into town we can do it again.
I do feel, however, that pretty soon I am due to start spewing money to people who I am meeting up with. Nick is #3 on my list of people who happened to be sitting in the wrong seat at the wrong time against me. Lucki Duck was 1st and Rob was 2nd. Who will be #4? Will it be me?
So, this $148 victory gives me a HUGE boost to my live poker bankroll and puts me up to $360 currently. While I won't be playing with my entire roll again (1/2 NL is still a way off from being my regular game) I'm happy that I don't have to wait a while to save up and go again. Then again, that's the power of having a job and only playing for fun. I don't have to worry about going broke and ending up homeless. I've got another paycheck just around the corner.
I also got my rakeback set up on BlackChipPoker after numerous emails back and forth and received my first Dollar!!! Oh I can feel the profits rolling in now.
Now, I knew that he was going to end up being my arch nemesis at the tables from the moment he told me that he works for Coke (hey, he could just be an addict with a taste for overindulgence) being that I bleed Mountain Dew and all.
Overall it was a good meeting, we had some brief discussions on random crap and as always it was good too meet someone whom I would never have gotten the chance to meet if it wasn't for this little blog of mine.
That being said, he did have the unfortunate timing of being the guy who doubled me up so that I could actually leave with some profit.
Now, before I continue (notice I'm using extra spaces to make up for Coach's lack of spacing) I want to point out that I absolutely detest playing at The Flamingo. I hate it. I loathe it. If I were to make a list of places that I want to play, The Flamingo would not even be considered. If I had to make a list of places that I wish got destroyed instead of O'Shaes, The Flamingo would be numero uno on that list.
The Flamingo is an evil cursed place where I have tried to play on a bunch of different occasions for different reasons and every single time, EVERY SINGLE FUCKING TIME I have failed to show a profit. In fact, I have gotten stacked there in quite a few unique ways thanks to the randomly bad play by whoever was sitting at the table with me.
I made a post on twitter about this and got a reply from Poker Dealer (@pkrdlr) that he has NEVER registered a winning session there in over 8 years or something now. So, this is proof that the place is cursed.
 |
| I do not know these 3 chicks and the one dood, but they were not waiting for me at The Flamingo |
The session started without much fan fair as we both got seated at different tables. I put in for a table change and played the waiting game. After I was down about $6 a seat opened and I moved over.
I got involved in a few pots, had a few big draws and missed most everything and at one point was down about $90 on the session. However I kept grinding and kept getting back up to being down only $50. Nick and I kept tangling because every time I raised he had hands worth calling and every time he raised I had hands worth calling.
As (bad) luck would have it I got the best of him in the last 3 hands that we tangled in starting with calling a raise with JJ and winning a few bucks off of him. A few hands later he raised and I had QQ and decided to just call as I was to his immediate left and almost nobody at the table was playing to raises at that point.
One other guy came along and the flop came out Q high to give me BINGO.
He bet and I called and I believe we strung a 3rd guy along. The turn was nothing scary and he bet again, I debated between mini raising or pushing and decided that my best bet was a push. A mini raise would result in him either putting me all in or us getting our money in on the river. A push gave him the best chance to get away from his hand with me showing strength. However, he decided that calling my push was his best option and I got to double through as he was drawing dead at that point.
This hand put me up a bit over half a buy in and right around here is where I ordered my 3rd and final beer. I knew the session was coming to an end soon so I set my limit on how low my stack could get for an immediate pick up. However, the last orbit that I played I managed to add another $40 to my stack (give or take) and left up $148 on the evening.
My first EVER winning session at The Flamingo. Will I go back there and play again? Probably, but only if someone who is visiting wants to meet up and play there (Rob, you listening - this is your chance to set up where we should play because this casino puts me at my most stackable!!!) So, Happy to leave with a profit but kind of annoyed that it had to come at the expense of the very person I set out to meet that evening.
So Nick, it was great to meet you and hopefully next time you happen into town we can do it again.
I do feel, however, that pretty soon I am due to start spewing money to people who I am meeting up with. Nick is #3 on my list of people who happened to be sitting in the wrong seat at the wrong time against me. Lucki Duck was 1st and Rob was 2nd. Who will be #4? Will it be me?
So, this $148 victory gives me a HUGE boost to my live poker bankroll and puts me up to $360 currently. While I won't be playing with my entire roll again (1/2 NL is still a way off from being my regular game) I'm happy that I don't have to wait a while to save up and go again. Then again, that's the power of having a job and only playing for fun. I don't have to worry about going broke and ending up homeless. I've got another paycheck just around the corner.
I also got my rakeback set up on BlackChipPoker after numerous emails back and forth and received my first Dollar!!! Oh I can feel the profits rolling in now.
Monday, November 05, 2012
Triumphant Return to the Tables
New Years Revolution #1 for um, the rest of the year.... Play More Poker.
Remember back in the day where everyone talked about poker and everything was right with the world? And now almost all of the "poker" blogs that I've followed pretty much never talk about poker any more and instead we have morphed into this group therapy mentality where we bitch and moan about the chick at Wal-Mart who called us fat even though her chins are larger than our thighs but at the end of the day we all feel a little bit better about it because that's just how fucking therapy works right?
Where was I going with this? Oh yeah - Poker Poker Poker.
Gimmie 3 steps, gimmie 3 steps mister.
I want to play more. I desire to play more. This year has been pretty shit in the poker department. I mean, I just recently found out that I lost my Platinum status at Harrah's/Caesars/Whatever because I haven't put in any frigging hours this year. This is the 1st time in probably a 3-4 year span where I've lost that status. How in the hell am I supposed to eat at their buffets now? Stand in line? I don't fucking think so.
If you'd like to go back - here were my thoughts as of a couple of months ago. Actually that just links to everything with the label of "bankroll challenge" which is what I'll be using with all of my subsequent posts on the subject.
I'm not actually following those guidelines currently but I do wish to work my way up to them. Fact of the matter is that I really just want to play poker at this point because over the last couple of years I have not put in a whole lot of time or effort. I want to get my feet wet again and just start to enjoy the game again. Thus I have decided to play some really low stakes poker and just have fun.
I'm playing in the lowest game in the whole frigging city (with it still being No Limit) and I'm going to enjoy myself. If I find myself not having fun I'm just going to leave. My hobbies should bring enjoyment to my life right?
Last night I decided to grab a few bucks and head down to Bills Gambling Hall and Swap Meet and just play for an hour or so until something else came up.
I bought in for $20 and was off to the races.
Yes, I just said that I bought in for $20. You will probably be hearing this a lot in the future until I steamroll the game and work up to real poker. Whatever.
3rd hand of the evening I have KJ on a K high flop and no one bets. Turn is another K and I put in over half of my stack and one caller. River puts another pair on the board and I push, guy calls. I split with K7. Whatever.
A few hands later I get involved in a pot where come close to doubling up with something I don't remember. What I do remember is that Atlanta had just scored a touchdown and the next hand was going to be a splash pot and I was going to be on the button.
I straddle the button and the cards are dealt.
An extra $50 is added into the middle of the table for everyone to fight over - that's 2.5 buy-ins! I have to compete for it dammit.
Small Blind Pushes all in. Small Blind is drunk and loves to re-buy. Small blind also has pocket Tens and I determine that I'll probably call if one or two others come along no matter what my holdings are.
There is a caller out there in middle position and then it comes to me.
I have AQ of spades and there is no way I can fold now. So, my money goes in the pot as well.
I have a side pot with pocket tens guy.
Flop has a pretty ace and is rainbow.
Turn brings a 2nd heart to the game.
River brings a 3rd heart to the game.
Guy in middle position finally shows his hand. J9 of hearts. Says he only called because some other guy talked him into it. Scoops a $100ish pot including the $50 already in there.
I scoop a $24ish side pot and am back to starting stacks.
The night went on and I lost another to a rivered flush but I kept taking chips from the drunk guy next to me (I moved seats to have position on him a few hands later though). I noticed his betting patterns when no one else wanted to bet but he had at least bottom pair and thought he might be good.
One time I called him down on a board with 3 overs to my pocket 5's and he only had bottom pair.
Another time I called him with a pair of 9's on a 259JQ board and he had paired the 5's.
And even though he just re-bought for $80 I had received my phone call that alternative evening plans had arrived and left with my huge profit of $12.
Yes - that's over half a buy-in somewhere in the range of 1 hour played.
I don't care, I'll take it.
Current Sockroll: $212 -
I'm not going to tell you guys which sock I keep it in so don't think about fucking mugging me when you see me walking the cold, dark streets between Bills and Bally's on my way to or from my car.
I'm hoping to play once a week for a few hours and maybe get a post or two out of it for your entertainment.
I do have one more story to tell from this evening but it deserves it's own post.
Remember back in the day where everyone talked about poker and everything was right with the world? And now almost all of the "poker" blogs that I've followed pretty much never talk about poker any more and instead we have morphed into this group therapy mentality where we bitch and moan about the chick at Wal-Mart who called us fat even though her chins are larger than our thighs but at the end of the day we all feel a little bit better about it because that's just how fucking therapy works right?
Where was I going with this? Oh yeah - Poker Poker Poker.
Gimmie 3 steps, gimmie 3 steps mister.
I want to play more. I desire to play more. This year has been pretty shit in the poker department. I mean, I just recently found out that I lost my Platinum status at Harrah's/Caesars/Whatever because I haven't put in any frigging hours this year. This is the 1st time in probably a 3-4 year span where I've lost that status. How in the hell am I supposed to eat at their buffets now? Stand in line? I don't fucking think so.
If you'd like to go back - here were my thoughts as of a couple of months ago. Actually that just links to everything with the label of "bankroll challenge" which is what I'll be using with all of my subsequent posts on the subject.
I'm not actually following those guidelines currently but I do wish to work my way up to them. Fact of the matter is that I really just want to play poker at this point because over the last couple of years I have not put in a whole lot of time or effort. I want to get my feet wet again and just start to enjoy the game again. Thus I have decided to play some really low stakes poker and just have fun.
I'm playing in the lowest game in the whole frigging city (with it still being No Limit) and I'm going to enjoy myself. If I find myself not having fun I'm just going to leave. My hobbies should bring enjoyment to my life right?
Last night I decided to grab a few bucks and head down to Bills Gambling Hall and Swap Meet and just play for an hour or so until something else came up.
I bought in for $20 and was off to the races.
Yes, I just said that I bought in for $20. You will probably be hearing this a lot in the future until I steamroll the game and work up to real poker. Whatever.
3rd hand of the evening I have KJ on a K high flop and no one bets. Turn is another K and I put in over half of my stack and one caller. River puts another pair on the board and I push, guy calls. I split with K7. Whatever.
A few hands later I get involved in a pot where come close to doubling up with something I don't remember. What I do remember is that Atlanta had just scored a touchdown and the next hand was going to be a splash pot and I was going to be on the button.
I straddle the button and the cards are dealt.
An extra $50 is added into the middle of the table for everyone to fight over - that's 2.5 buy-ins! I have to compete for it dammit.
Small Blind Pushes all in. Small Blind is drunk and loves to re-buy. Small blind also has pocket Tens and I determine that I'll probably call if one or two others come along no matter what my holdings are.
There is a caller out there in middle position and then it comes to me.
I have AQ of spades and there is no way I can fold now. So, my money goes in the pot as well.
I have a side pot with pocket tens guy.
Flop has a pretty ace and is rainbow.
Turn brings a 2nd heart to the game.
River brings a 3rd heart to the game.
Guy in middle position finally shows his hand. J9 of hearts. Says he only called because some other guy talked him into it. Scoops a $100ish pot including the $50 already in there.
I scoop a $24ish side pot and am back to starting stacks.
The night went on and I lost another to a rivered flush but I kept taking chips from the drunk guy next to me (I moved seats to have position on him a few hands later though). I noticed his betting patterns when no one else wanted to bet but he had at least bottom pair and thought he might be good.
One time I called him down on a board with 3 overs to my pocket 5's and he only had bottom pair.
Another time I called him with a pair of 9's on a 259JQ board and he had paired the 5's.
And even though he just re-bought for $80 I had received my phone call that alternative evening plans had arrived and left with my huge profit of $12.
Yes - that's over half a buy-in somewhere in the range of 1 hour played.
I don't care, I'll take it.
Current Sockroll: $212 -
I'm not going to tell you guys which sock I keep it in so don't think about fucking mugging me when you see me walking the cold, dark streets between Bills and Bally's on my way to or from my car.
I'm hoping to play once a week for a few hours and maybe get a post or two out of it for your entertainment.
I do have one more story to tell from this evening but it deserves it's own post.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Bankroll Challenge - Shut Up Already
Yeah, 3 posts in one day - whatever. It's my last day off of work before having to go back and I'm bored.
Since I have to be there by 6 am I won't be doing a 2-3am poker session again today and since I have played a good deal over the past few days I've now got it in my veins again and that's pretty much all I can think about. Thus, you all get too many posts from the fish.
However, since you all are suffering through with the madness I'm at least going to provide some visuals this time. I really love you all and I'm quite happy with the comments and feedback that I have been getting and all that banter back and forth is the whole reason that I feel like typing some more instead of just responding to comments.
So, even though I have responded to some of them I will probably address a few of them here as well.
First, I would like to point out that I am now running through the first Matt Smith season of Doctor Who while waiting for the new season to begin. Between Doctor Who, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead this television viewing season is going to be quite the pantie wetter for me.
Number 1 - Bankroll concerns. In my last post (yes, my last post, not my last blog) I mentioned that one of my key plans while having such a tiny (penis) bankroll is to double up and change casinos. A number of you came out of the woodwork (like termites) to tell me that you thought this was not the greatest idea especially if I'm sitting at a good table. "Why leave if the game is good and you are playing well?" is paraphrased but straight to the point.
grrouch view: Living in Las Vegas gives me more choices of where to play poker than probably anywhere else in the world. I could see if I was living in BFE with maybe only one or two poker rooms in an area then this rule might be out the window. However, living in Las Vegas I am just a 5-10 minute walk away from another room with multiple more good games. I think that the big divide is coming from the fact that people are not taking into consideration that I only have $500 to work with here and I am not willing (or able) to reload for multiple months. I've been playing off the same money for the entire year and when I have extra I've been spending in on things that make me happy, thus my roll has not really grown over the course of the year.
So lets say that I have a bad couple of sessions and the $500 disappears, no longer do I have the ability to play with any of you when you are visiting or during a meet-up. This is what I am trying to avoid and as such I am trying to be protective of my roll by imposing limitations. While I am just a casual player I am not in a position to reload any portion of my roll until October at the earliest, and that would downright blow.
Number 2 - Brought up by MoJo is that $500 is very limited and maybe I should consider buying in shorter than the standard $200 that I am accustomed to.
grrouch view: This is 100% in my thought process and I am trying to figure out the best way to approach it currently. My main game is probably going to be at Bill's Gambling Hall and Swap Meet with the 50c/$1 buy in and going for 100 big blinds at $100. In this scenario I have 5 buy-ins to play with. When playing a standard 1/2nl game I can also buy in for (at min) half stack and still have 5 buy-ins. As I win some I can increase the amount of my buy-ins until I am again playing normal stacks of $200. Also, I am thinking about doing a very tight short stack strategy at a place like Harrah's where they offer a weekly freeroll where everyone who final tables gets $500. I'd only need 15 hours which should not be too hard as long as I get to have a day like Saturday to put in a good deal of the hours.
Number 3 - Waffles just pointed out that short-stacking also has drawbacks of not being able to push people off hands, etc.
grrouch view: This is correct, but also with live poker the good news is that with short stacking people will call you with some really horrendous hands just because it's "only $40 more" (as you state). Case in point, I have $60 on the table last night and get into a big multi way pot with two suited cards. Flop comes out and gives me a flush, Jack high and I push. I get called by KJ with no flush re-draw possibility because it was "only $50 to call." While this really doesn't work well with the online game any more, live players are so much bloody worse.
Number 4 - Another thing brought up by Waffles (he almost seems like he has a head on his shoulders sometimes doesn't he) is that I could designate a percentage of my wins to set aside for hookers and blow, or strippers and coke, or titties and beer, or AMPs and Hand Jobs.
grrouch view: Another great point that I was already considering. You see, there is something that I got from my mom that I've been doing for years and just recently (read: last year) expanded upon which is saving my change. Other than very minor and insignificant amounts over the past 6 years I have rarely spent any change that has come my way, instead I keep it in a jar over the course of a year and then by years end I cash it in and use it for fun money or Xmas gifts or whatever. Starting last year I began doing that same thing with almost every single $1 bill that I have gotten. I have a piggy bank that is full of ones and will also be cashed in at the end of the year. Poker helps me to build this up even quicker as if I have a cash-out of $122 the extra $2 goes right into this forced savings. Sometimes if I have an odd number like $7 I ask for that to be in all ones to speed the process up as well. The $100's and $20's automatically get added to the bankroll, the $10's also currently get added in but $1's and sometimes $5's go elsewhere for different causes. As my bankroll becomes larger I will start taking a higher percentage and putting it towards different funds.
My ultimate hope is that in about two years I can actually fund my way into a WSOP tourney or two for the experience. I'd also like to set aside small portions of my wins to start playing some tournaments around town to practice and get better at them.
This whole post took me the length of one episode (no commercials) and now that the credits are rolling it's time for me to roll my own credits and hit the publish button. Lets hope there are no more today!!!
Since I have to be there by 6 am I won't be doing a 2-3am poker session again today and since I have played a good deal over the past few days I've now got it in my veins again and that's pretty much all I can think about. Thus, you all get too many posts from the fish.
So, even though I have responded to some of them I will probably address a few of them here as well.
First, I would like to point out that I am now running through the first Matt Smith season of Doctor Who while waiting for the new season to begin. Between Doctor Who, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead this television viewing season is going to be quite the pantie wetter for me.
Number 1 - Bankroll concerns. In my last post (yes, my last post, not my last blog) I mentioned that one of my key plans while having such a tiny (penis) bankroll is to double up and change casinos. A number of you came out of the woodwork (like termites) to tell me that you thought this was not the greatest idea especially if I'm sitting at a good table. "Why leave if the game is good and you are playing well?" is paraphrased but straight to the point.
grrouch view: Living in Las Vegas gives me more choices of where to play poker than probably anywhere else in the world. I could see if I was living in BFE with maybe only one or two poker rooms in an area then this rule might be out the window. However, living in Las Vegas I am just a 5-10 minute walk away from another room with multiple more good games. I think that the big divide is coming from the fact that people are not taking into consideration that I only have $500 to work with here and I am not willing (or able) to reload for multiple months. I've been playing off the same money for the entire year and when I have extra I've been spending in on things that make me happy, thus my roll has not really grown over the course of the year.
So lets say that I have a bad couple of sessions and the $500 disappears, no longer do I have the ability to play with any of you when you are visiting or during a meet-up. This is what I am trying to avoid and as such I am trying to be protective of my roll by imposing limitations. While I am just a casual player I am not in a position to reload any portion of my roll until October at the earliest, and that would downright blow.
grrouch view: This is 100% in my thought process and I am trying to figure out the best way to approach it currently. My main game is probably going to be at Bill's Gambling Hall and Swap Meet with the 50c/$1 buy in and going for 100 big blinds at $100. In this scenario I have 5 buy-ins to play with. When playing a standard 1/2nl game I can also buy in for (at min) half stack and still have 5 buy-ins. As I win some I can increase the amount of my buy-ins until I am again playing normal stacks of $200. Also, I am thinking about doing a very tight short stack strategy at a place like Harrah's where they offer a weekly freeroll where everyone who final tables gets $500. I'd only need 15 hours which should not be too hard as long as I get to have a day like Saturday to put in a good deal of the hours.
Number 3 - Waffles just pointed out that short-stacking also has drawbacks of not being able to push people off hands, etc.
grrouch view: This is correct, but also with live poker the good news is that with short stacking people will call you with some really horrendous hands just because it's "only $40 more" (as you state). Case in point, I have $60 on the table last night and get into a big multi way pot with two suited cards. Flop comes out and gives me a flush, Jack high and I push. I get called by KJ with no flush re-draw possibility because it was "only $50 to call." While this really doesn't work well with the online game any more, live players are so much bloody worse.
Number 4 - Another thing brought up by Waffles (he almost seems like he has a head on his shoulders sometimes doesn't he) is that I could designate a percentage of my wins to set aside for hookers and blow, or strippers and coke, or titties and beer, or AMPs and Hand Jobs.
grrouch view: Another great point that I was already considering. You see, there is something that I got from my mom that I've been doing for years and just recently (read: last year) expanded upon which is saving my change. Other than very minor and insignificant amounts over the past 6 years I have rarely spent any change that has come my way, instead I keep it in a jar over the course of a year and then by years end I cash it in and use it for fun money or Xmas gifts or whatever. Starting last year I began doing that same thing with almost every single $1 bill that I have gotten. I have a piggy bank that is full of ones and will also be cashed in at the end of the year. Poker helps me to build this up even quicker as if I have a cash-out of $122 the extra $2 goes right into this forced savings. Sometimes if I have an odd number like $7 I ask for that to be in all ones to speed the process up as well. The $100's and $20's automatically get added to the bankroll, the $10's also currently get added in but $1's and sometimes $5's go elsewhere for different causes. As my bankroll becomes larger I will start taking a higher percentage and putting it towards different funds.
My ultimate hope is that in about two years I can actually fund my way into a WSOP tourney or two for the experience. I'd also like to set aside small portions of my wins to start playing some tournaments around town to practice and get better at them.
This whole post took me the length of one episode (no commercials) and now that the credits are rolling it's time for me to roll my own credits and hit the publish button. Lets hope there are no more today!!!
Bankroll Challenge - Road to $500 and Rules of the Roost
Following up my previous post where I just felt like typing at 2 am instead of sleeping I do want to delve into some rules that I am hoping to hold myself accountable for so that it's less likely I'll blow the whole $500 in one night during a bad session flipping hundo's with homeless Howie who hates button straddles and hookers who are not so affectionate in and around the lip area.
But first, to clear up a misconception. Stump and I are not bromancing the bone - that's just a porno I like to quote at the tables for laughs (woah). So, all of those out there who like to twist words - a big raspberry in your general direction. We will, however, make at least 2 jokes about the fact that we are dating or screwing or banging or whatever to make the rest of the table laugh or just feel really uncomfortable.
It's nice to be able to sit at a table with someone whom you can actually bounce jokes off of consistently and who is not going to get offended - and I think this helps to loosen the table up a bit.
Rule Numero Uno - You do NOT talk about fight club
Rule Number two - There are no First rules
#1 - Double up and leave. No questions asked, there are a million and 1 places to play and generally within walking distance of where I park my ass for the evening. I don't care if it's 1 hand or 8 hours - As soon as I double I cash out after that hand and walk my fat ass to another game at an adjoining casino.
#2 - Don't Suck - this one is a tribute to Carmel as when I would be heading out to a session those were the last words she would say as the door hit my ass.
#3 - Play tight, at first. The goal is to grow my bankroll and tight is right (Poker, much like women). I do not want to have to replenish this money and as such I need to make sure that I'm getting the best odds to win consistently until I've afforded myself a few buy-ins to play my normal game which is slightly looser.
#4 - Try to make time to play at least once per week. Consistency is what is needed.
#5 - Do not play tired, hungry, horny, blah blah blah.
Ok, that's really enough - Most everyone reading this has some sort of grasp into the poker Do's and Don'ts so I don't need to go off on a long list of redundancy.
Last night I went out and put in a session at Bally's. My goal was to win a quick $50 - $100 and then head elsewhere for an hour or two and do the same thing. Just get some quick scores at multiple casino's and get my non stripper money up to $500 and properly kick this bitch off!
However, much like I have a horrible habit of doing, things went wrong early on.
My 4th hand at the table I wake up with Th3h in the big blind and call the $0 raise. The flop comes out Qh 2h Xh and I bet out a bit over the pot and get two callers. The turn comes another 2 and it checks around. The river brings something random and I check, next guy bets $40 and I call only to have him show me his awesome limp with Q2 offsuit in middle position. Heart Poker.
From here I proceeded to lose a few more hands in spectacular fashion and bust my first buy-in. However, there was enough bad play at this table to keep me there and I brought out the rest of my "roll" and continued to grind.
Over the course of the evening my money swung up and down not allowing me to ever gain any momentum. I hit a couple of good hands but the guys I was targeting managed to avoid paying me off every time.
I eventually grinded my way to a $22 profit in a little over 5 hours thus earning half of minimum wage but being happy just for the win!
So, now that I have hit the Magical $500 number I am starting up a new database on my phones poker tracking software in order to see where I have the most success, what rooms are better for me, what day of the week, etc. This is going to be a LONG (I will not bust I will not bust I will not bust I will not bust) and fun trip and I'm looking forward to seeing how things pan out over the next few months.
But first, to clear up a misconception. Stump and I are not bromancing the bone - that's just a porno I like to quote at the tables for laughs (woah). So, all of those out there who like to twist words - a big raspberry in your general direction. We will, however, make at least 2 jokes about the fact that we are dating or screwing or banging or whatever to make the rest of the table laugh or just feel really uncomfortable.
It's nice to be able to sit at a table with someone whom you can actually bounce jokes off of consistently and who is not going to get offended - and I think this helps to loosen the table up a bit.
Rule Number two - There are no First rules
#1 - Double up and leave. No questions asked, there are a million and 1 places to play and generally within walking distance of where I park my ass for the evening. I don't care if it's 1 hand or 8 hours - As soon as I double I cash out after that hand and walk my fat ass to another game at an adjoining casino.
#2 - Don't Suck - this one is a tribute to Carmel as when I would be heading out to a session those were the last words she would say as the door hit my ass.
#3 - Play tight, at first. The goal is to grow my bankroll and tight is right (Poker, much like women). I do not want to have to replenish this money and as such I need to make sure that I'm getting the best odds to win consistently until I've afforded myself a few buy-ins to play my normal game which is slightly looser.
#4 - Try to make time to play at least once per week. Consistency is what is needed.
#5 - Do not play tired, hungry, horny, blah blah blah.
Ok, that's really enough - Most everyone reading this has some sort of grasp into the poker Do's and Don'ts so I don't need to go off on a long list of redundancy.
Last night I went out and put in a session at Bally's. My goal was to win a quick $50 - $100 and then head elsewhere for an hour or two and do the same thing. Just get some quick scores at multiple casino's and get my non stripper money up to $500 and properly kick this bitch off!
However, much like I have a horrible habit of doing, things went wrong early on.
My 4th hand at the table I wake up with Th3h in the big blind and call the $0 raise. The flop comes out Qh 2h Xh and I bet out a bit over the pot and get two callers. The turn comes another 2 and it checks around. The river brings something random and I check, next guy bets $40 and I call only to have him show me his awesome limp with Q2 offsuit in middle position. Heart Poker.
From here I proceeded to lose a few more hands in spectacular fashion and bust my first buy-in. However, there was enough bad play at this table to keep me there and I brought out the rest of my "roll" and continued to grind.
Over the course of the evening my money swung up and down not allowing me to ever gain any momentum. I hit a couple of good hands but the guys I was targeting managed to avoid paying me off every time.
I eventually grinded my way to a $22 profit in a little over 5 hours thus earning half of minimum wage but being happy just for the win!
So, now that I have hit the Magical $500 number I am starting up a new database on my phones poker tracking software in order to see where I have the most success, what rooms are better for me, what day of the week, etc. This is going to be a LONG (I will not bust I will not bust I will not bust I will not bust) and fun trip and I'm looking forward to seeing how things pan out over the next few months.
Bankroll Challenge - Introduction
I have tried this in the past with fairly good results and I figure that I might as well try it again now.
Somewhere, and I currently do not care to look up the source at 2 am with a possible migraine brewing, I read an article about the $500 bankroll challenge. Now that I think about it, it was in Poker Player Newspaper and written by a chubby bald guy.
I happened to go over to the Planet Hollywood to play some poker with a buddy one evening and got on the 1/2 wait list. While waiting I noticed a magazine and decided to thumb through it and came across the article I referenced above and being that my entire poker lively hood has been built around a similar principal multiple times over the course of my stay in Vegas I decided to adopt it.
The "challenge" is very simple. You start with $500 ($500 is a very arbitrary number, you could start with $60 and a fake dog turd if you wanted) and play poker to see how high you can build your roll. Depending on the game you choose to play $500 might be very little or a reasonable amount. Playing 1/2 NL $500 really ends up being a paltry sum. However, you just have to catch a good run of cards and get ahead of the game and in theory you are set for life.
So why is all this coming up currently you may ask yourself? Well, I'm glad you said it out loud so I could overhear you. The answer is two fold.
1 - This was originally intended to be a poker blog of sorts but turned into a life blog. Yes, I know that there are some who like to read more about poker and those who like to read less about poker. However, I rarely write about poker at this point. Doing this challenge, much like with my weight loss, will force me to write about my sessions after they occur (or maybe sum up a weeks worth at a time or whatever) and keep better track of my money and how I am doing. Normally I set aside poker money and once I get so much I just kind of dump it into some debt or some bills or whatever and then have to start over. This is not ideal for a guy who would like to play more often.
2 - Now that I've developed a #bromance (per Alaskagal1 on twitter) with Stump and actually have someone in town with whom I can actually hook up with and play some poker consistently my want and desire to play the game has increased a lot. My feeling is that by constantly playing with someone and having someone to talk over hands with my game can improve and develop and I'll be less of a Local Fish and more of a consistent player.
So, The other day when I headed out to the casino I had $500 in disposable income that I have been using to play poker with for the last few months (and buy shit for myself when I win, go out to eat, attend concerts, get a rub and tug - the usual) I decided it was high time I tried to actually grow my bankroll into a real, functional bankroll instead of just playing and blowing money and then stopping for a few months when I run out. Now, I do have $500 but some of that money I'm hoping stays untouchable. You see, I have my collection of "stripper money" that I try to avoid ever dipping into if necessary. However, for this purpose I will use it if the need arises. I currently have $400 in my wallet (I hope none of my readers see this information and try to mug me on my way to a poker room or when I'm leaving to go home) and my reserve is at least $100 - thus $500 total. The one caveat is that once I reach $500 in my sock fund I will no longer count the stripper money and will not dip into it. That is supposed to be Xmas money for the children and I'd hate to tell them that Christmas is cancelled because daddy's a degenerate!
This was just the introduction, after I sleep on everything I'm hoping to type up the rules that I plan on following (but probably won't) in order to help me succeed.
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