I use that word waaaay too much in my life. Partly because it's a fun word, but mostly because it's applicable. I start things and stop them. Make both internal and external vows and break them. And while I think it's somewhat natural, the problem is beatable. In the days ahead I'm hopefully gonna give it my best shot. And blogging will be one of them.
Happy Thanksgiving
AJ
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
James Madison
He was the 4th president of the United States. But I'm only interested in his last name right now. That's where I am. Madison, WI. Jesse and I were just side by side on our laptops until he headed to bed a minute ago. It's 2 AM and the fact that he (and Ryan until 45 minutes ago) pulled late nights with us in town, having to get up in 5 hours to work, is coming up big when it matters. Much appreciated. As was the stern talking to Ryan gave me about qualifying for the main event, because plane tickets are where they need to be, and dammit he wants somewhere to go July 4th weekend. Well alright then. Consider my ass kicked...
Saturday we will be at one of my Meccas... Wrigley Field... Chicago, IL. If you argued that it was the greatest place in the world, I would not fight you. So many things have happened and been felt there, but I think my mom scattering my grandpa's ashes onto the field after a game in the left field corner is the coolest of them all. The team has frustrated me so far this season, but there's nothing like a trip to the Friendly Confines to get my blood pumping furiously again...
And happy birthday Brent. Three months from today you will be getting married. It will be the first time I've officiated anything since reffing WAYSA soccer when I was 15. There will be no whistle blowing this time. The only whistles will be those of adoration. I'm so thrilled to be a part of it...
During our softball game Tuesday night, I ripped a ball to right center that rolled past everyone. As I was rounded the bases and was nearing 3rd base, the girl playing there said, "Nice hit."
I responded, "Thank you."
And then I farted.
Saturday we will be at one of my Meccas... Wrigley Field... Chicago, IL. If you argued that it was the greatest place in the world, I would not fight you. So many things have happened and been felt there, but I think my mom scattering my grandpa's ashes onto the field after a game in the left field corner is the coolest of them all. The team has frustrated me so far this season, but there's nothing like a trip to the Friendly Confines to get my blood pumping furiously again...
And happy birthday Brent. Three months from today you will be getting married. It will be the first time I've officiated anything since reffing WAYSA soccer when I was 15. There will be no whistle blowing this time. The only whistles will be those of adoration. I'm so thrilled to be a part of it...
During our softball game Tuesday night, I ripped a ball to right center that rolled past everyone. As I was rounded the bases and was nearing 3rd base, the girl playing there said, "Nice hit."
I responded, "Thank you."
And then I farted.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Angels and Demons
So I just got back to the pad in Minneapolis a little bit ago after a very enjoyable airport pickup. The events of yesterday have been rushing in and out of my head all day, hard to believe it wasn't even 24 hours ago that I was still playing. I'm in a far better place now, was able to get some distance and perspective... but it wouldn't be right if I didn't dish out the blow by blow account of the action. Ding. Ding.
Starting time high noon, an absolute sea of humanity descending on the Rio. As I had mentioned to Kelly earlier, if there's an economic crisis going on, you would never know it from the masses of people who swarmed to the Series. I had a giant thing of fruit and a croissant beforehand...waaay too much fruit to eat in one sitting, but I think I did ok. Table 19, seat 5. That was me.
We started with 3000 in chips with the blinds at 25/25 and increasing every 60 minutes. So while not as great a structure as the main event, it was really pretty good. And I would certainly need it to be. The first level was really about what almost was.... One guy raised to 75, one caller, I called with 55, the big blind called also. The flop came out 532, it got checked to me, I bet 125 and everyone folded. That's no fun. Not too long after that, dude from the East coast with a "Vince" shirt on raised to 125 and I called in the big blind with 33. J 9 3 on the flop, I check-raised his 250 bet to 550, hoping it looked like I was stealing, but he folded. Shoot! So I was up to around 3600 when I raised with A10 to 75 and got three callers, including a nice gentleman to my left from South America. The flop came A Q J with two hearts, didn't love it but had to bet, I went with 150 and only my SA friend called. The turn was an offsuit 2, I bet 250 and he went all-in for 800 total. Ugh. I was getting 3 to 1 on my money but was clearly behind... it was a really close line but figured I had outs... which I did when I called and he showed A2 for two pair on the turn. A king or ten would win it, a queen or jack would split it, but the river was a 3 and I was down to 2500. Shortly after at the 25/50 level, I raised with AJ and two people called, including my SA buddy again. The flop was AQ3 with two clubs, I bet 250, he made it 600, and I thought for quite a while before folding, and he was nice and showed 33. So minimal damage...but damage nonetheless.
A couple of side notes, the dude who came in a couple hours in to fill the 9 seat at my table was apparently good buddies with Shawn Sheikhan, who kept coming over to check on his status. Sheikhan is the guy who had the verbal wars with Mike Matusow late in the main event four years back, for those who have followed on ESPN.
A guy came by and was taking pictures of our table at one point, and even though I wasn't involved the hand, I decided to put on my "I'm thinking really hard right now in a deep and mysterious way" look just for the hell of it. And yes, I have problems.
Really for the first six levels of the tourney, there were very few hands of consequence. I was up to 4500 at one point after making two pair from the big blind, then I would drop back down around 3k, up to 4400, down to 3100. During this time, Sheiky's friend, who was the chipleader, raised and a guy who was short stacked moved all in. I looked at my K8 and folded. Sheiky's friend called and showed KK... and the other guy had 88. Funny. I didn't mention this to the table.....until the board came X X X X.....8. The old one outer to stay alive. Crazy...
The 100/200 and 100/200 25 ante levels were some of the most boring and annoying I've ever experienced playing poker. I think I went 10 straight hands holding either a 2 or a 3. I picked a semi-playable hand in Q10, raised, got re-raised, and folded. My stack was slowly, slowly, tipping the opposite direction. It's hard to get bored playing at the World Series of Poker, but I was pretty fricking close to bored somewhere in there. It was a funny little joke that I wasn't in on. With each passing hand, the voice of "Really?? Really????" got a little bit louder in my head. With 10 minutes to go before dinner break, I had 1800 in chips and was silently begging for something playable to try and double up. A loose kid raised to 700 and I found KQ in late position and knew I had to go with it so I shoved in my last 1675. He gave the whole, "Well you caught me stealing but I have to call" spiel and called with 6 10 offsuit. There was no way 610 (the address of the house I grew up in) would knock me out, right? Hell no, the flop came KK3, and I had some breathing room going into dinner.
Fish, pizza, spaghetti, veggies, ribs, baked beans, mountain dew, cake... the buffet at the Rio. It's faaaaantastic.
I was told to kick Vegas' arse over dinner break via text.... and that's exactly what happened shortly after I sat back down at the table.
1. New girl raises up front to 900 with a ton of chips, I look down at AK of hearts from the button and ship it in for 3700. She calls and shows AQ. My hand is good the whole way and I river a king for good measure. 8K in chips.
2. A few orbits later, I feast my eyes on two black aces in the cutoff and raise it to 1200 (blinds were 200/400 now) and both the small blind and the big blind call with big stacks. Buckle up. The flop hits 10 9 7 rainbow, not exactly the prettiest of flops for aces. I expect it to get checked to me and am already mentally contemplating how much to bet.. but wait.... the small blind leads out for 2000... and the girl in the big blind calls!! Wow... well I really didn't have much of a choice here. I clearly wasn't just calling... and I clearly wasn't folding.... so I went with door 3 after about 30 seconds and shoved my chips in for 6900 total. The small blind folded quickly, but the girl asked for a chip count and starting doing some mental computations. She was pretty clearly drawing, and while I wouldn't have minded a fold, I would take my chances with a call too... although of course that was more dangerous. She finally pushed out a call, I turned up my aces and she showed KJ for a bellybuster straight draw. I needed to dodge a queen or an eight..... turn 7 (too close!!), river 5... and we're home. I let myself emit the tiniest of "Yes!" sounds as my heart rate slowly dropped back to normal. 20k in chips.
3. Not long after, I raise with 88 in early position and the deep stack two to my left is the only caller. I see an 8 in the window and love it... I see the 9 10 that follow it and don't. My hand figured to be good, but I decided to play it slow and checked. Dude bet 2500 and I called. The turn was a beautiful 10... and it went check check. The river was a queen, which I absolutely loved since it potentially made him a straight. 4500 was the amount I chose to bet, and he commented "I've got bad feeling about this" before calling with AJ. 29k in chips.
At long last, I had some chips. I'm not saying those were exceptionally played hands, the first two completely played themselves.... it's just that it had been so long since I'd made some hands and gotten actions, I was way past due. I had weathered the storm, been tossed into the ocean and treaded water for long enough. It was my time. As I was stacking the latest pot, my end of the table was marveling at the run I'd been on, going from 1700 before the break to 29k now. I told them it was like when a pitcher was throwing a no-hitter... I'd rather not talk about it. Outwardly I was playing it cool but inwardly I was beaming. I had arrived.
The last break hit and I was on cloud nine. Gone were the breaks of "Man, I've gotta figure out a way to get some chips!!", replaced by "Hell yes, I've finally got some chips!!" The final table of the $40k was going on, there was a tournament of main event champions going on, with Doyle, Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen and others playing... I ran into a really nice guy who plays at Canterbury and chatted with him for a while... it was a cautious contentedness. I was really happy with where I was. But there was a long way to go.
I won a couple of pots with pre-flop raises to climb over the 30k mark with the blinds at 300/600 75 before I found JJ and made it 1800 from late position. The girl, who had doubled me up twice now, called from the small blind and we went the flop heads up. It came 664 with two diamonds. She check called my bet of 2500. Which I didn't mind. The turn was an offuit 2. She check called my bet of 4000, which I minded some. The river was the 3 of diamonds, and she went all-in, which I really didn't like one bit. I didn't think too long, just said, "If you bluffed me, nice play" and tossed my hand into the muck. She told me later that she had 44 and flopped a full house, so the river might have saved me money.
So I still had 22k in chips, quite alright. I laid low for a bit before finding 10 10 under the gun and raising to 1800. One guy called, and the guy on my right called, a new guy at the table from New York who was very friendly and we had been chatting for the last hour or so. He had mulled the call for a bit, it seemed like he had some semblance of a hand. The flop was great for my hand... 7 5 3 with two spades. Aaaaand my buddy shoved his 7100 in chips in from the big blind. Whoa. I was definitely not expecting that... he had been playing awfully tight at the table, and the shove caught me off guard. Plus I still had the guy behind me to worry about. I started ruling out hands, and knew he would have moved in before the flop with pocket pairs jacks or better. It seemed like he would check a set too... just to ensure he got some action. It just seemed like he had a flush draw or a small pair, like 44 or 66. Obviously 88 and 99 would be the best for my hand.... the signs pointed to a call, so I closed my eyes and pushed the chips out, hoping the other guy didn't flop a monster.
He folded, so he didn't, and my buddy turned over the loveliest of sights.... 99. He was drawing at two cards in the deck. Fist pump. Yes!! I tabled my 10 10 in restrained jubilation. It was a big call, and I was thrilled I had been right. There was 21k in the pot... just had to dodge an.... Ace on the turn.... and a ...........no.......that's not....... 9 on the river.
OMFG. Sighs and gasps all around... before I realized it I had laid my arm on the table and my head was resting on it. Mumbles of "I'm sorry" from my buddy turned enemy. "It really is a sick game" came in a hushed tone from the guy on my left. It was all background noise. Static. My brain shut off for a few seconds. Not here... not now!! Everyone takes bad beats.... it just especially sucks when it happens in the $1k event at the World Series. Sigh.
I had to regroup though, still had 12k or so, and after winning a pot with AQ, I was just shy of 15k in chips with an hour to go for the night. It felt like I had righted the ship... I had lost those chips but it was time to go after some new ones.
Second hand of the new level.... blinds 400/800, girl limps in under the gun, friend turned enemy limps in, I am on with button with Q 10 of hearts and am just fine with limping in. We go to the flop 5-handed. And it hits J95 with two hearts. Oh doctor. The girl leads out for 2000, folded to me and the question begins... call or raise? Call or raise? Arguments could be made for either one, as I wouldn't be opposed to getting all my chips in the middle with that flop. I had position though, and decided to call and see what happened on the turn. It was an offsuit 3, total whiff for me... and the girl didn't slow down, making a big bet of 4500. Well then. She clearly had a hand... I didn't see any sense in moving in for 8k more as she had proven that all night that she would make big calls. Calling the 4500 was weaker, but smarter, and I stand by that play on the turn. The flop might be up for debate. All that is certain is that the river was another jack, she bet 8k and I flung my hand face up in disgust. 15 outs twice but no go..... that was a rough one.
So back down to short stack territory officially with only 10 big blinds. The next hand I played I raised with 77 to 2400. I'm not sure why I didn't just shove the whole 8k in, as the blinds and antes were 2200 now, and inviting people into a pot when I hold a medium pair is highly questionable. That sentence was weird but I'm leaving it. Anyway, guy two to my left calls, flop comes J 10 10, and I closed my eyes and pushed in my last 5600, hoping beyond hope that he couldn't call. Well he didn't... however he did fold 88 faceup on the table. Whew.....major bullet dodged there. Unfortunately the last one was all that mattered, and it struck me solid....
I had just over 11k in chips, when it was folded around to the guy on the button who open limped for 800. He had done that occasionally, and in the one hand I saw he had 66, so he probably had a medium strength hand, my friend turned enemy folded, and I looked down at KQ offsuit in the big blind. Check or raise? Check or raise? I remember my mindset exactly, it was to try to make a hand and double. So I checked.
And the flop came K J 9 with two diamonds. I enjoyed the sight, and checked. The limper bet 2500, almost the full pot, a very strong bet. I didn't see any point in getting fancy here. I had top pair, second best kicker, and straight draw. I was going with it. All in for 8100 more.
When he didn't call immediately, I was happy. When his pondering went past a minute, I felt great. At that point I had him on a hand kinda like QJ or J10, a pair and a straight draw. probably trying to figure out if I had a king. He only had about 11k left, so it was for most of his chips. I wanted him to call, and when he finally reluctantly pushed them in, I tabled my KQ confidently.
And he turned over K9. I was behind. And it surprised the hell out of me. Personally I would have called pretty quickly with that... I was mentally prepared for needing my hand to hold up... and I was the one trailing and needing help. Any Q, J or 10 would be the help I needed. 10 outs. Can I be the one to hit a lucky card please?
Nothing. Nothing. Done. I lose. Over. No more chips. Knocked out. Gone.
I wanted to tell a few of the guys good luck, how much I had enjoyed playing with them, etc. but I just wasn't in that frame of mind. There were mumbles, there were nods, there was me rising from my chair, walking painfully away, trying not to look as devastated outwardly as I was inwardly, and no doubt failing at that. Somehow getting outside the Amazon Room, rounding a corner, and half sitting, half collapsing onto a cushioned bench. There was nothing that could be done. It was over. The heavenly feeling of two hours prior was just a memory, and barely one at that. I was crushed. I wanted to turn it into a choose your own adventure book, where I turned to a new page and the 9 didn't hit on the river, then all the cards would have been different, and I would come back to play today, and still be playing right now....
But no. And I do know that getting knocked out of a poker tourney in a certain fashion is by no means life or death. There are countless things more important in life that completely dwarf the ramifications of a turn of the card. There is pain being felt by people all over the world that I'll never come close to knowing. But when you have a passion, something you love, that becomes a part of your being, and when you truly believe you have some sort of calling there.... it hurts when you come up short. That's all. I had it in the palm of my hand, and somehow it slipped out. There's nothing left to do.... except use both hands next time.
Starting time high noon, an absolute sea of humanity descending on the Rio. As I had mentioned to Kelly earlier, if there's an economic crisis going on, you would never know it from the masses of people who swarmed to the Series. I had a giant thing of fruit and a croissant beforehand...waaay too much fruit to eat in one sitting, but I think I did ok. Table 19, seat 5. That was me.
We started with 3000 in chips with the blinds at 25/25 and increasing every 60 minutes. So while not as great a structure as the main event, it was really pretty good. And I would certainly need it to be. The first level was really about what almost was.... One guy raised to 75, one caller, I called with 55, the big blind called also. The flop came out 532, it got checked to me, I bet 125 and everyone folded. That's no fun. Not too long after that, dude from the East coast with a "Vince" shirt on raised to 125 and I called in the big blind with 33. J 9 3 on the flop, I check-raised his 250 bet to 550, hoping it looked like I was stealing, but he folded. Shoot! So I was up to around 3600 when I raised with A10 to 75 and got three callers, including a nice gentleman to my left from South America. The flop came A Q J with two hearts, didn't love it but had to bet, I went with 150 and only my SA friend called. The turn was an offsuit 2, I bet 250 and he went all-in for 800 total. Ugh. I was getting 3 to 1 on my money but was clearly behind... it was a really close line but figured I had outs... which I did when I called and he showed A2 for two pair on the turn. A king or ten would win it, a queen or jack would split it, but the river was a 3 and I was down to 2500. Shortly after at the 25/50 level, I raised with AJ and two people called, including my SA buddy again. The flop was AQ3 with two clubs, I bet 250, he made it 600, and I thought for quite a while before folding, and he was nice and showed 33. So minimal damage...but damage nonetheless.
A couple of side notes, the dude who came in a couple hours in to fill the 9 seat at my table was apparently good buddies with Shawn Sheikhan, who kept coming over to check on his status. Sheikhan is the guy who had the verbal wars with Mike Matusow late in the main event four years back, for those who have followed on ESPN.
A guy came by and was taking pictures of our table at one point, and even though I wasn't involved the hand, I decided to put on my "I'm thinking really hard right now in a deep and mysterious way" look just for the hell of it. And yes, I have problems.
Really for the first six levels of the tourney, there were very few hands of consequence. I was up to 4500 at one point after making two pair from the big blind, then I would drop back down around 3k, up to 4400, down to 3100. During this time, Sheiky's friend, who was the chipleader, raised and a guy who was short stacked moved all in. I looked at my K8 and folded. Sheiky's friend called and showed KK... and the other guy had 88. Funny. I didn't mention this to the table.....until the board came X X X X.....8. The old one outer to stay alive. Crazy...
The 100/200 and 100/200 25 ante levels were some of the most boring and annoying I've ever experienced playing poker. I think I went 10 straight hands holding either a 2 or a 3. I picked a semi-playable hand in Q10, raised, got re-raised, and folded. My stack was slowly, slowly, tipping the opposite direction. It's hard to get bored playing at the World Series of Poker, but I was pretty fricking close to bored somewhere in there. It was a funny little joke that I wasn't in on. With each passing hand, the voice of "Really?? Really????" got a little bit louder in my head. With 10 minutes to go before dinner break, I had 1800 in chips and was silently begging for something playable to try and double up. A loose kid raised to 700 and I found KQ in late position and knew I had to go with it so I shoved in my last 1675. He gave the whole, "Well you caught me stealing but I have to call" spiel and called with 6 10 offsuit. There was no way 610 (the address of the house I grew up in) would knock me out, right? Hell no, the flop came KK3, and I had some breathing room going into dinner.
Fish, pizza, spaghetti, veggies, ribs, baked beans, mountain dew, cake... the buffet at the Rio. It's faaaaantastic.
I was told to kick Vegas' arse over dinner break via text.... and that's exactly what happened shortly after I sat back down at the table.
1. New girl raises up front to 900 with a ton of chips, I look down at AK of hearts from the button and ship it in for 3700. She calls and shows AQ. My hand is good the whole way and I river a king for good measure. 8K in chips.
2. A few orbits later, I feast my eyes on two black aces in the cutoff and raise it to 1200 (blinds were 200/400 now) and both the small blind and the big blind call with big stacks. Buckle up. The flop hits 10 9 7 rainbow, not exactly the prettiest of flops for aces. I expect it to get checked to me and am already mentally contemplating how much to bet.. but wait.... the small blind leads out for 2000... and the girl in the big blind calls!! Wow... well I really didn't have much of a choice here. I clearly wasn't just calling... and I clearly wasn't folding.... so I went with door 3 after about 30 seconds and shoved my chips in for 6900 total. The small blind folded quickly, but the girl asked for a chip count and starting doing some mental computations. She was pretty clearly drawing, and while I wouldn't have minded a fold, I would take my chances with a call too... although of course that was more dangerous. She finally pushed out a call, I turned up my aces and she showed KJ for a bellybuster straight draw. I needed to dodge a queen or an eight..... turn 7 (too close!!), river 5... and we're home. I let myself emit the tiniest of "Yes!" sounds as my heart rate slowly dropped back to normal. 20k in chips.
3. Not long after, I raise with 88 in early position and the deep stack two to my left is the only caller. I see an 8 in the window and love it... I see the 9 10 that follow it and don't. My hand figured to be good, but I decided to play it slow and checked. Dude bet 2500 and I called. The turn was a beautiful 10... and it went check check. The river was a queen, which I absolutely loved since it potentially made him a straight. 4500 was the amount I chose to bet, and he commented "I've got bad feeling about this" before calling with AJ. 29k in chips.
At long last, I had some chips. I'm not saying those were exceptionally played hands, the first two completely played themselves.... it's just that it had been so long since I'd made some hands and gotten actions, I was way past due. I had weathered the storm, been tossed into the ocean and treaded water for long enough. It was my time. As I was stacking the latest pot, my end of the table was marveling at the run I'd been on, going from 1700 before the break to 29k now. I told them it was like when a pitcher was throwing a no-hitter... I'd rather not talk about it. Outwardly I was playing it cool but inwardly I was beaming. I had arrived.
The last break hit and I was on cloud nine. Gone were the breaks of "Man, I've gotta figure out a way to get some chips!!", replaced by "Hell yes, I've finally got some chips!!" The final table of the $40k was going on, there was a tournament of main event champions going on, with Doyle, Hellmuth, Scotty Nguyen and others playing... I ran into a really nice guy who plays at Canterbury and chatted with him for a while... it was a cautious contentedness. I was really happy with where I was. But there was a long way to go.
I won a couple of pots with pre-flop raises to climb over the 30k mark with the blinds at 300/600 75 before I found JJ and made it 1800 from late position. The girl, who had doubled me up twice now, called from the small blind and we went the flop heads up. It came 664 with two diamonds. She check called my bet of 2500. Which I didn't mind. The turn was an offuit 2. She check called my bet of 4000, which I minded some. The river was the 3 of diamonds, and she went all-in, which I really didn't like one bit. I didn't think too long, just said, "If you bluffed me, nice play" and tossed my hand into the muck. She told me later that she had 44 and flopped a full house, so the river might have saved me money.
So I still had 22k in chips, quite alright. I laid low for a bit before finding 10 10 under the gun and raising to 1800. One guy called, and the guy on my right called, a new guy at the table from New York who was very friendly and we had been chatting for the last hour or so. He had mulled the call for a bit, it seemed like he had some semblance of a hand. The flop was great for my hand... 7 5 3 with two spades. Aaaaand my buddy shoved his 7100 in chips in from the big blind. Whoa. I was definitely not expecting that... he had been playing awfully tight at the table, and the shove caught me off guard. Plus I still had the guy behind me to worry about. I started ruling out hands, and knew he would have moved in before the flop with pocket pairs jacks or better. It seemed like he would check a set too... just to ensure he got some action. It just seemed like he had a flush draw or a small pair, like 44 or 66. Obviously 88 and 99 would be the best for my hand.... the signs pointed to a call, so I closed my eyes and pushed the chips out, hoping the other guy didn't flop a monster.
He folded, so he didn't, and my buddy turned over the loveliest of sights.... 99. He was drawing at two cards in the deck. Fist pump. Yes!! I tabled my 10 10 in restrained jubilation. It was a big call, and I was thrilled I had been right. There was 21k in the pot... just had to dodge an.... Ace on the turn.... and a ...........no.......that's not....... 9 on the river.
OMFG. Sighs and gasps all around... before I realized it I had laid my arm on the table and my head was resting on it. Mumbles of "I'm sorry" from my buddy turned enemy. "It really is a sick game" came in a hushed tone from the guy on my left. It was all background noise. Static. My brain shut off for a few seconds. Not here... not now!! Everyone takes bad beats.... it just especially sucks when it happens in the $1k event at the World Series. Sigh.
I had to regroup though, still had 12k or so, and after winning a pot with AQ, I was just shy of 15k in chips with an hour to go for the night. It felt like I had righted the ship... I had lost those chips but it was time to go after some new ones.
Second hand of the new level.... blinds 400/800, girl limps in under the gun, friend turned enemy limps in, I am on with button with Q 10 of hearts and am just fine with limping in. We go to the flop 5-handed. And it hits J95 with two hearts. Oh doctor. The girl leads out for 2000, folded to me and the question begins... call or raise? Call or raise? Arguments could be made for either one, as I wouldn't be opposed to getting all my chips in the middle with that flop. I had position though, and decided to call and see what happened on the turn. It was an offsuit 3, total whiff for me... and the girl didn't slow down, making a big bet of 4500. Well then. She clearly had a hand... I didn't see any sense in moving in for 8k more as she had proven that all night that she would make big calls. Calling the 4500 was weaker, but smarter, and I stand by that play on the turn. The flop might be up for debate. All that is certain is that the river was another jack, she bet 8k and I flung my hand face up in disgust. 15 outs twice but no go..... that was a rough one.
So back down to short stack territory officially with only 10 big blinds. The next hand I played I raised with 77 to 2400. I'm not sure why I didn't just shove the whole 8k in, as the blinds and antes were 2200 now, and inviting people into a pot when I hold a medium pair is highly questionable. That sentence was weird but I'm leaving it. Anyway, guy two to my left calls, flop comes J 10 10, and I closed my eyes and pushed in my last 5600, hoping beyond hope that he couldn't call. Well he didn't... however he did fold 88 faceup on the table. Whew.....major bullet dodged there. Unfortunately the last one was all that mattered, and it struck me solid....
I had just over 11k in chips, when it was folded around to the guy on the button who open limped for 800. He had done that occasionally, and in the one hand I saw he had 66, so he probably had a medium strength hand, my friend turned enemy folded, and I looked down at KQ offsuit in the big blind. Check or raise? Check or raise? I remember my mindset exactly, it was to try to make a hand and double. So I checked.
And the flop came K J 9 with two diamonds. I enjoyed the sight, and checked. The limper bet 2500, almost the full pot, a very strong bet. I didn't see any point in getting fancy here. I had top pair, second best kicker, and straight draw. I was going with it. All in for 8100 more.
When he didn't call immediately, I was happy. When his pondering went past a minute, I felt great. At that point I had him on a hand kinda like QJ or J10, a pair and a straight draw. probably trying to figure out if I had a king. He only had about 11k left, so it was for most of his chips. I wanted him to call, and when he finally reluctantly pushed them in, I tabled my KQ confidently.
And he turned over K9. I was behind. And it surprised the hell out of me. Personally I would have called pretty quickly with that... I was mentally prepared for needing my hand to hold up... and I was the one trailing and needing help. Any Q, J or 10 would be the help I needed. 10 outs. Can I be the one to hit a lucky card please?
Nothing. Nothing. Done. I lose. Over. No more chips. Knocked out. Gone.
I wanted to tell a few of the guys good luck, how much I had enjoyed playing with them, etc. but I just wasn't in that frame of mind. There were mumbles, there were nods, there was me rising from my chair, walking painfully away, trying not to look as devastated outwardly as I was inwardly, and no doubt failing at that. Somehow getting outside the Amazon Room, rounding a corner, and half sitting, half collapsing onto a cushioned bench. There was nothing that could be done. It was over. The heavenly feeling of two hours prior was just a memory, and barely one at that. I was crushed. I wanted to turn it into a choose your own adventure book, where I turned to a new page and the 9 didn't hit on the river, then all the cards would have been different, and I would come back to play today, and still be playing right now....
But no. And I do know that getting knocked out of a poker tourney in a certain fashion is by no means life or death. There are countless things more important in life that completely dwarf the ramifications of a turn of the card. There is pain being felt by people all over the world that I'll never come close to knowing. But when you have a passion, something you love, that becomes a part of your being, and when you truly believe you have some sort of calling there.... it hurts when you come up short. That's all. I had it in the palm of my hand, and somehow it slipped out. There's nothing left to do.... except use both hands next time.
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I've just been shaking my head over and over again for the last ten minutes. I just got back to my room from the Rio....after a long 12 hours. It was exciting, frustrating, exhilirating, maddening, heart pounding.... and very, very unfortunate. I was down to 1700 hundred in chips right before the dinner break and in the two hours after break I had run it up to 28k. FINALLY I had some chips in a big tourney... and 90 minutes later I was out. I could rehash the details but I'm not big on sticking daggers all over my body. I can't.... at least not right now. I really don't know... I don't know about this game...is it right to love something so much one minute and despise it the next? When I walked out of the Amazon Room after the final blow tonight, I honestly almost cried... it would have been the first time in quite a while, but I was just SO emotionally invested in the day, in the trip, in the whole experience. I really felt that this one was it, I was finally going to make a deep run in a huge tourney. It's just so dispiriting that it didn't happen. I still can't believe that I'm here in my room and not finishing up my day with all of those chips, then packing them up for tomorrow. They'll probably finish with about 700 people total, with 620 or something getting paid. God dammit.... it really is a sick, sick game. I love that it's so imperfect, but I hate it too. I hate it that sometimes great play gets punished. I hate it that it toys with your emotions like a yo yo. I hate it that people won't understand how well I played today... because all I can really say is that I lost. And I hate it that I'm here by myself. I'm not upset about it at all, and have enjoyed myself for the most part.... it's just that all through the day, and especially right now, I could use a friend. A shoulder. A laugh. Because I'm hurting...
Saturday, May 30, 2009
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.... and then the Good
Flying into McCarran Airport in Vegas, I got that feeling shooting through me that one gets when they return to fondness. There's a certain level of comfort I feel here that I can't really explain. It's not the safest, happiest or most welcoming place... but for some reason all the chaos and mayhem suit me just fine. I've experienced the city in a number of ways: the strip vs. downtown, solo vs. in a group, being utterly broke vs. becoming (for me) fairly wealthy, and found different kinds of happiness through all of it. I was here in October and didn't play a single hand of poker. This time, in 28 hours I haven't had a single drop of alcohol. Which is even more impressive considering some of the poker I experienced today...
I wanted to play in a tourney before "the" tourney, and I knew about a tournament series at the Venetian where you start with deep stacks. So I headed over there in the morning to check it out. It was my first time in the Venetian, and it's pretty sick. Giant pillars when you walk in, images on the walls and in the ceiling, it's got a kind of classic, beautiful feel. I have no idea what that means, but it seems to apply here. There were two long lines right by the tournament area, I waited in the left one which led to the tournament booth. When I got there, I was informed that I needed to go to the other line to get a player's card. Dammit. 30 minutes later, I was seated at the table. It was my own stupidity, I should have asked somebody. It was a different kind of stupidity that crippled me in the tournament though. We started with 12,000 in chips, and I had about 9000 when the hand in question came up. A couple of people limped in with the blinds at 100/200 and I did as well from the small blind with Q 10 of spades. The flop came down K 10 3 with two spades... a big flop for me. It was checked to this dude in a Badgers (not WI) t-shirt, who had been aggressive, but solid for the most part. He bet 550, and I decided to just call. The turn was an offsuit 5, I checked, he bet 1200, and I decided to get weird and make a small raise to 2800. I can't exactly say why I did it...later I was scratching my head struggling to figured out what I was trying to accomplish. It was a weird spot because I thought calling was too weak, but raising was too strong. He ended up calling, the river was an offsuit 7, so I missed the flush and was sitting on a pair of 10s. I checked, he bet 4000 very quickly.. and I thought for a long time before reluctantly calling and he showed 33 for a set. There was like a 5% chance he was bluffing there, and I called anyway. It was stupidly dumb. I was out shortly thereafter. So much for a tuneup...
I ate a chicken salad sandwich, potato salad and peanut butter chip gelato. Better. I was going to head to the Rio at some point to register for the tourney, but first I jumped into a 2/5 cash game. I usually only play 2/5 in Vegas, it's a bit high for me but not enough where I'm out of my comfort zone. I bought in for $500 and had about $430 when this hand came up. I raised it to 20 with AQ offsuit, two people called... and the flop was AA6. It was checked to me, I bet $30 to look weak, and a dude on my left called. The turn brough a 4, and I checked. He bet $50, and I had a decision. I could play a big pot now or wait until the river. It was going to be obvious to him that I had an Ace if I check-raised him on the turn. I decided to put him to the test and raised to $150. He deliberated for about a minute before pushing the rest of his chips in, having me covered. The move surprised the hell out of me....so much so that I didn't think too long before calling for the rest of my stack. He had 66 for a flopped full house, and when a King hit on the river, all my chips were being pushed his way. It was a total cooler... but I still think I could have gotten away from it had I thought for a while. The problem was I didn't know if this was the kind of guy who would move in with any ace.... and my kicker was the second best possible. Sigh. I rebought for another $500... and built my stack up to $850 over the next five hours..... and then.....
I was getting ready to go to the Rio to register... the table had become fairly tight with no one really giving away chips. The two drink dudes had long since left, one of them apologizing to me after beating me in a pot, telling me I "seemed like a really good guy." Haha. He was nearly falling asleep at the table by the end his run, ultimately he called a guy's $300 bet on a board of QQ974 with three hearts..... with A5 of clubs. Oh boy. He ended up leaving as he didn't have enough on him to rebuy, so he GAVE me and the guy next to me $20 each before he left. It was quite a little scene.... but the mood turned serious shortly after....
A new guy got to the table with about $800 chips and he raised the pot to $25. One guy called, and I looked down at AK of hearts in the small blind and re-raised to $80. The raiser called and we went to the flop. It came down Q of spades, J of diamonds, 10 of clubs. Yahtzee. I had flopped the nuts, now it was time for extraction. I bet $110, and the guy called after a short deliberation. I knew he had some semblance of a hand, I was just hoping not to lose him later on. The turn was the 5 of clubs and I thought a bit before betting $180. He called fairly quickly. The river was the 7 of clubs, putting three clubs on the board. I had about $500 left and decided to bet half of it, $250, half expecting him to fold and half expecting him to call. "I'm all-in" was not expected. Neither was the AQ of clubs he showed me after I called. He had gone runner runner clubs to make a backdoor flush and steal the $1700 pot. I felt like I had been gutted. Chipswise, I had, I only had $50 or so left. Oddly, no one at the table really spoke for like five minutes... it was almost like they were afraid to talk after what had just happened. It was by far the biggest pot in a live game I had ever lost... and the way it went down made it all the more painful. I was kind of separated from my body for a while...and I felt drunk without being so. Oh, this game. As I wrote in a text shortly after, it's not for the faint of heart.
So I was out $1300 playing on the day... and after cabbing it to the Rio and dropping the $1000 for the tourney, I have $2300 less on me than when my plane landed. And to boot, day 1A of the tourney Saturday is sold out, so I'm playing Sunday instead. It wasn't part of the plan, but neither was losing one ugly and one disgustingly hideous hand on the day.
Suffice it to say, I was bummed on the cab ride to the Rio. As I stepped out of the cab, a few people were milling around and it was a little dark. A guy asked me to take a picture with his cell phone. I obliged and he took a step back and put his arm around the guy next to him. It was as I was taking the picture that I realized the other guy was Daniel Negreanu, one of the poker greats and an all-around good dude. The kid shook Negreanu's hand profusely and thanked him, and then he was gone. And with that, my mood shifted. The killer hand from an hour ago was gone. Fricking Negreanu. Kid Poker. Sometimes 15 seconds is all it takes. I walked into the Rio with the hop back in my step. Waiting in another line for 45 minutes to register? No problem whatsoever. Life was good again.
Then I entered the tournament area and stood on the rail for the big tourney going on, the $40k NL tourney. 201 people started, and they were down to 29. There were a lot of big names still left, Greg Raymer, David Pham, Ted Forrest, JC Tran, Vanessa Rousso, online studs Justin Bonomo, Sorel Mizzi, Dany Stern and Alec Torelli to name a few. The scene at the World Series is like a specialized convention, like the ones for comic book or Star Trek fans. Thousands of people descending upon one place, all with a common passion and desire. With poker, it's flocking to the rail to witness those who do it the best, hoping one day you might do it as well as them. And the great thing about poker is that on a certain day, in a certain hand, you can. Dennis Phillips finished 3rd at the Main Event last year, but I had his number when we were at the same table throughout the day, outplaying him in three significant pots. I love going to baseball games, but I know that my dream of playing with the best players in the world died a long time ago. But when it comes to poker, I've barely fallen asleep.
Sitting in my room now at 3:13 PST, I'm pretty content with my life. Both the life I'm leading here and the life I'll ultimately return to. Looking out my window, the bright lights of the city are flashing deep into the night. It can't match the view of something like great sunsets or majestic mountains. But I'm loving it something fierce right now.
So it goes...
I wanted to play in a tourney before "the" tourney, and I knew about a tournament series at the Venetian where you start with deep stacks. So I headed over there in the morning to check it out. It was my first time in the Venetian, and it's pretty sick. Giant pillars when you walk in, images on the walls and in the ceiling, it's got a kind of classic, beautiful feel. I have no idea what that means, but it seems to apply here. There were two long lines right by the tournament area, I waited in the left one which led to the tournament booth. When I got there, I was informed that I needed to go to the other line to get a player's card. Dammit. 30 minutes later, I was seated at the table. It was my own stupidity, I should have asked somebody. It was a different kind of stupidity that crippled me in the tournament though. We started with 12,000 in chips, and I had about 9000 when the hand in question came up. A couple of people limped in with the blinds at 100/200 and I did as well from the small blind with Q 10 of spades. The flop came down K 10 3 with two spades... a big flop for me. It was checked to this dude in a Badgers (not WI) t-shirt, who had been aggressive, but solid for the most part. He bet 550, and I decided to just call. The turn was an offsuit 5, I checked, he bet 1200, and I decided to get weird and make a small raise to 2800. I can't exactly say why I did it...later I was scratching my head struggling to figured out what I was trying to accomplish. It was a weird spot because I thought calling was too weak, but raising was too strong. He ended up calling, the river was an offsuit 7, so I missed the flush and was sitting on a pair of 10s. I checked, he bet 4000 very quickly.. and I thought for a long time before reluctantly calling and he showed 33 for a set. There was like a 5% chance he was bluffing there, and I called anyway. It was stupidly dumb. I was out shortly thereafter. So much for a tuneup...
I ate a chicken salad sandwich, potato salad and peanut butter chip gelato. Better. I was going to head to the Rio at some point to register for the tourney, but first I jumped into a 2/5 cash game. I usually only play 2/5 in Vegas, it's a bit high for me but not enough where I'm out of my comfort zone. I bought in for $500 and had about $430 when this hand came up. I raised it to 20 with AQ offsuit, two people called... and the flop was AA6. It was checked to me, I bet $30 to look weak, and a dude on my left called. The turn brough a 4, and I checked. He bet $50, and I had a decision. I could play a big pot now or wait until the river. It was going to be obvious to him that I had an Ace if I check-raised him on the turn. I decided to put him to the test and raised to $150. He deliberated for about a minute before pushing the rest of his chips in, having me covered. The move surprised the hell out of me....so much so that I didn't think too long before calling for the rest of my stack. He had 66 for a flopped full house, and when a King hit on the river, all my chips were being pushed his way. It was a total cooler... but I still think I could have gotten away from it had I thought for a while. The problem was I didn't know if this was the kind of guy who would move in with any ace.... and my kicker was the second best possible. Sigh. I rebought for another $500... and built my stack up to $850 over the next five hours..... and then.....
I was getting ready to go to the Rio to register... the table had become fairly tight with no one really giving away chips. The two drink dudes had long since left, one of them apologizing to me after beating me in a pot, telling me I "seemed like a really good guy." Haha. He was nearly falling asleep at the table by the end his run, ultimately he called a guy's $300 bet on a board of QQ974 with three hearts..... with A5 of clubs. Oh boy. He ended up leaving as he didn't have enough on him to rebuy, so he GAVE me and the guy next to me $20 each before he left. It was quite a little scene.... but the mood turned serious shortly after....
A new guy got to the table with about $800 chips and he raised the pot to $25. One guy called, and I looked down at AK of hearts in the small blind and re-raised to $80. The raiser called and we went to the flop. It came down Q of spades, J of diamonds, 10 of clubs. Yahtzee. I had flopped the nuts, now it was time for extraction. I bet $110, and the guy called after a short deliberation. I knew he had some semblance of a hand, I was just hoping not to lose him later on. The turn was the 5 of clubs and I thought a bit before betting $180. He called fairly quickly. The river was the 7 of clubs, putting three clubs on the board. I had about $500 left and decided to bet half of it, $250, half expecting him to fold and half expecting him to call. "I'm all-in" was not expected. Neither was the AQ of clubs he showed me after I called. He had gone runner runner clubs to make a backdoor flush and steal the $1700 pot. I felt like I had been gutted. Chipswise, I had, I only had $50 or so left. Oddly, no one at the table really spoke for like five minutes... it was almost like they were afraid to talk after what had just happened. It was by far the biggest pot in a live game I had ever lost... and the way it went down made it all the more painful. I was kind of separated from my body for a while...and I felt drunk without being so. Oh, this game. As I wrote in a text shortly after, it's not for the faint of heart.
So I was out $1300 playing on the day... and after cabbing it to the Rio and dropping the $1000 for the tourney, I have $2300 less on me than when my plane landed. And to boot, day 1A of the tourney Saturday is sold out, so I'm playing Sunday instead. It wasn't part of the plan, but neither was losing one ugly and one disgustingly hideous hand on the day.
Suffice it to say, I was bummed on the cab ride to the Rio. As I stepped out of the cab, a few people were milling around and it was a little dark. A guy asked me to take a picture with his cell phone. I obliged and he took a step back and put his arm around the guy next to him. It was as I was taking the picture that I realized the other guy was Daniel Negreanu, one of the poker greats and an all-around good dude. The kid shook Negreanu's hand profusely and thanked him, and then he was gone. And with that, my mood shifted. The killer hand from an hour ago was gone. Fricking Negreanu. Kid Poker. Sometimes 15 seconds is all it takes. I walked into the Rio with the hop back in my step. Waiting in another line for 45 minutes to register? No problem whatsoever. Life was good again.
Then I entered the tournament area and stood on the rail for the big tourney going on, the $40k NL tourney. 201 people started, and they were down to 29. There were a lot of big names still left, Greg Raymer, David Pham, Ted Forrest, JC Tran, Vanessa Rousso, online studs Justin Bonomo, Sorel Mizzi, Dany Stern and Alec Torelli to name a few. The scene at the World Series is like a specialized convention, like the ones for comic book or Star Trek fans. Thousands of people descending upon one place, all with a common passion and desire. With poker, it's flocking to the rail to witness those who do it the best, hoping one day you might do it as well as them. And the great thing about poker is that on a certain day, in a certain hand, you can. Dennis Phillips finished 3rd at the Main Event last year, but I had his number when we were at the same table throughout the day, outplaying him in three significant pots. I love going to baseball games, but I know that my dream of playing with the best players in the world died a long time ago. But when it comes to poker, I've barely fallen asleep.
Sitting in my room now at 3:13 PST, I'm pretty content with my life. Both the life I'm leading here and the life I'll ultimately return to. Looking out my window, the bright lights of the city are flashing deep into the night. It can't match the view of something like great sunsets or majestic mountains. But I'm loving it something fierce right now.
So it goes...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The City that REALLY Never Sleeps
I'm headed back to Vegas tomorrow night, staying at the Excalibur, the same place Will and I stayed during his AAU tournament nine summers ago. That was my first trip to Vegas, and on the last night I pulled an all nighter and ended up with $150. I was so excited I ran back to the room where Will was just waking up to play his final game. When I saw him I yelled, "I've got this!" (and showed him the $50 bill) "AANNNNDDD THIS!!" (and showed him the $100 bill). We still get a kick out of it today... how huge that was back then. Now I'm about to put up $1k of my own money in a tourney with about a 75% chance that I won't get any of it back. And I'm fucking excited.....
The end of Ocean's Eleven is on right now. I really like this movie, and the scene outside by the Bellagio watching the fountains makes me smile every time. So many memories by that fountain, in that hotel, in that city. Here's hoping the best one is ahead of me.
Next update from the Excalibur.
Goodbye to You.....
The end of Ocean's Eleven is on right now. I really like this movie, and the scene outside by the Bellagio watching the fountains makes me smile every time. So many memories by that fountain, in that hotel, in that city. Here's hoping the best one is ahead of me.
Next update from the Excalibur.
Goodbye to You.....
Monday, May 25, 2009
Bad bad bad bad bad. Bad......
The good news: I'm playing in the $1k NL tourney this Saturday in Vegas
The bad news: My online bankroll just went from $700 to $20 over the last six hours.
Not exactly the way you want to roll in. A shitty end to a fun ass weekend.
And the Cubs have lost 8 in a row. Something just doesn't feel right with them. I know it's only May, but I'm definitely worried.
Need to get a shout out to the younger Jefferson for taking down a live tourney in Wisconsin Saturday for $1370. Atta kid.....
I have other things to say but I don't want to write them.
The bad news: My online bankroll just went from $700 to $20 over the last six hours.
Not exactly the way you want to roll in. A shitty end to a fun ass weekend.
And the Cubs have lost 8 in a row. Something just doesn't feel right with them. I know it's only May, but I'm definitely worried.
Need to get a shout out to the younger Jefferson for taking down a live tourney in Wisconsin Saturday for $1370. Atta kid.....
I have other things to say but I don't want to write them.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Grind
Living with regret sucks. Since the perfect life is a made up idea, everyone has things they wish they would have done differently. Sometimes it's early enough where a change is possible, but sometimes it's too late. For the longest time, I told people that my biggest regret in life was not catching a flyball in deep left center during the state semifinal baseball game the summer after my senior year of high school. I took a bad route at the ball, had to dive awkwardly, and it hit off my glove. It was the 8th inning, the bases were loaded at the time.. and all three runs scored to tie the game 11-11. We lost in extra innings, then lost the next day too and the greatest team I had ever played on was no more. I have much to be happy about for what I was able to do on the diamond over the course of my life, but still it's the one play that August night in Beloit that I see over all others when I close my eyes. The whole game of "what if?" that I'll never be able to completely answer or fully shake...
Now, of course, that seems like a pretty silly regret compared to how most people might answer the question. You might say I've been pretty lucky if that's the top one on my list. But say I make that catch, we win that game and ultimately win the state championship. We go to Indianapolis for the regionals and I keep hitting the ball like I had been (won't get into details, but it was silly), and some scout or coach sees me, gets the ball rolling and things happen from there. I'm not saying that would have happened... not even saying that was at all likely... just that because I wasn't there, I'll never know. I get bummed out sometimes that I never got to a point in baseball where I knew I had gone as far as I could go. And I'll always wonder because of that. And always wonder what that one play may have cost me...
So I've basically decided that I'm not going to let that happen when it comes to poker. I'm going to take my shots. I finally decided to roll up my sleeves last year and try to qualify for the World Series. Now that my foot has been in the front door, I want to check out the entire mansion. One reason I've never really considered playing poker for a living is that I suck at the grind. I have trouble playing many, many hours at low stakes trying to turn a small profit. I get antsy and start to play bad. I'm never going to be in a situation where I get myself in trouble financially, but my poker bankroll has certainly seen some crazy swings over the last few years. My biggest flaw is that sometimes the big picture evades me. I fail to grasp that one night is merely the tiniest percentage of a lifetime playing. The game is a marathon and not a sprint. But it's hard to shake a nickname like Wheels sometimes...
The main event of the World Series of Poker starts July 3rd in Vegas. I very might could play and go out earlier than last year. But I'm gonna take my shot. That's one thing I won't regret...
Now, of course, that seems like a pretty silly regret compared to how most people might answer the question. You might say I've been pretty lucky if that's the top one on my list. But say I make that catch, we win that game and ultimately win the state championship. We go to Indianapolis for the regionals and I keep hitting the ball like I had been (won't get into details, but it was silly), and some scout or coach sees me, gets the ball rolling and things happen from there. I'm not saying that would have happened... not even saying that was at all likely... just that because I wasn't there, I'll never know. I get bummed out sometimes that I never got to a point in baseball where I knew I had gone as far as I could go. And I'll always wonder because of that. And always wonder what that one play may have cost me...
So I've basically decided that I'm not going to let that happen when it comes to poker. I'm going to take my shots. I finally decided to roll up my sleeves last year and try to qualify for the World Series. Now that my foot has been in the front door, I want to check out the entire mansion. One reason I've never really considered playing poker for a living is that I suck at the grind. I have trouble playing many, many hours at low stakes trying to turn a small profit. I get antsy and start to play bad. I'm never going to be in a situation where I get myself in trouble financially, but my poker bankroll has certainly seen some crazy swings over the last few years. My biggest flaw is that sometimes the big picture evades me. I fail to grasp that one night is merely the tiniest percentage of a lifetime playing. The game is a marathon and not a sprint. But it's hard to shake a nickname like Wheels sometimes...
The main event of the World Series of Poker starts July 3rd in Vegas. I very might could play and go out earlier than last year. But I'm gonna take my shot. That's one thing I won't regret...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Weekend Ramblings
I can't say I've ever had any good friends act in plays, never had any bad friends act in plays either, but a guy from Allianz who I like a pretty decent amount does some acting here and there, and Friday night I went to see him in action. I tried to get others to go but between tending to dogs, nursing injuries and going out of town, potential accompaniers fell through the cracks. So I anted up and went solo... and was very glad I did. It's one thing to act in movies or TV where you can shoot a scene until you get it right. It's completely another to act live on a stage without do overs as an option. There's something pure and intimate about it, and I particularly enjoyed seeing Mr. Ben Tallen in action. I had seen enough just around the office to know he possessed dramatic flair, and he proved to have the stage presence to go with it. The kid has game, and in our brief conversation afterwards, he said he's going to be writing and acting in a Shakespearean version of Pulp Fiction this August. Count me in...
I went on a run down by Calhoun Saturday morning....errr.... afternoon after I got up. The eliptical and treadmill at work can start to wear on you. But when you spot someone running up ahead of you who doesn't appear to be running very fast... and you look up again three minutes later and he's widened his lead on you.... that can wear on you too. Dad, thank for you still calling me Wheels, that's nice of you. Unfotunately it's no longer accurate...
Bar crawl down Lyndale with the Allianz crew on Saturday. Herkimer, Moto-I, Bulldog, CC Club. Those were the four establishments I entered. It's pretty cool how many great people I've managed to surround myself with at work. The group is just oozing with quality. Not gonna name names, you know damn well who you are. Two outsiders showed up too, and yeah I kinda really like them a lot too. There's the love fest for all you sentimentalies....
Last year Nate and I were headed to his place to watch the Antonio Margarito/Shane Moseley fight that he had recorded since we were at a concert earlier in the night. Well of course on my way to his place, I get a text from my brother that said, "Down goes Margarito." Outcome known, plan foiled. Same scenario Saturday night, on my way to a different friend's to watch Manny Pacquiao/Ricky Hatton. I know I'm gonna be a few minutes late but should only miss the first two rounds or so. And of course, three minutes away I get a text from Brent that said, "That didn't take long." I showed up five minutes later to watch the replay of Manny's destruction, but it wasn't nearly the same. It wasn't quite Wolff's beloved "Ultimate Fail," but it's getting close...
Golf in New Richmond with my brother the doctor, who is not really a doctor but I now call him that all the time and if you know what that is from then I like you a teeny bit more than I did previously. I finally figured out how to hit my irons solidly and occasionally majestically, which rules. I still suck balls off the tee, hitting low screamers to the left every single time. If there was ever a gallery watching me, they would have to start calling me The Lopper. My kid bro can really stroke it though, it's pretty cool to be around. He didn't have what he would consider a great round today, but it won't be long before he's putting it all together every time out. Hopefully he lets me caddie for him when he's on the tour. I could dive in lakes after balls for him and give him putting advice while wearing one shoe....
I enjoyed the movie State of Play at the theater tonight (Ben Affleck surprisingly old but suprisingly good), I enjoyed the company I was with (she didn't request the buffer seat like Nate does, lucky me) and I enjoyed the fact that Southdale has officially gone to the dark side with the price of movie tickets. Not. The $10 barrier has been broken. There's no telling what might happen next.
And to the five, maybe six people who read this and will know what this means:
Happy No Substance Day. May 3, 1998. A day that will live and live...
I went on a run down by Calhoun Saturday morning....errr.... afternoon after I got up. The eliptical and treadmill at work can start to wear on you. But when you spot someone running up ahead of you who doesn't appear to be running very fast... and you look up again three minutes later and he's widened his lead on you.... that can wear on you too. Dad, thank for you still calling me Wheels, that's nice of you. Unfotunately it's no longer accurate...
Bar crawl down Lyndale with the Allianz crew on Saturday. Herkimer, Moto-I, Bulldog, CC Club. Those were the four establishments I entered. It's pretty cool how many great people I've managed to surround myself with at work. The group is just oozing with quality. Not gonna name names, you know damn well who you are. Two outsiders showed up too, and yeah I kinda really like them a lot too. There's the love fest for all you sentimentalies....
Last year Nate and I were headed to his place to watch the Antonio Margarito/Shane Moseley fight that he had recorded since we were at a concert earlier in the night. Well of course on my way to his place, I get a text from my brother that said, "Down goes Margarito." Outcome known, plan foiled. Same scenario Saturday night, on my way to a different friend's to watch Manny Pacquiao/Ricky Hatton. I know I'm gonna be a few minutes late but should only miss the first two rounds or so. And of course, three minutes away I get a text from Brent that said, "That didn't take long." I showed up five minutes later to watch the replay of Manny's destruction, but it wasn't nearly the same. It wasn't quite Wolff's beloved "Ultimate Fail," but it's getting close...
Golf in New Richmond with my brother the doctor, who is not really a doctor but I now call him that all the time and if you know what that is from then I like you a teeny bit more than I did previously. I finally figured out how to hit my irons solidly and occasionally majestically, which rules. I still suck balls off the tee, hitting low screamers to the left every single time. If there was ever a gallery watching me, they would have to start calling me The Lopper. My kid bro can really stroke it though, it's pretty cool to be around. He didn't have what he would consider a great round today, but it won't be long before he's putting it all together every time out. Hopefully he lets me caddie for him when he's on the tour. I could dive in lakes after balls for him and give him putting advice while wearing one shoe....
I enjoyed the movie State of Play at the theater tonight (Ben Affleck surprisingly old but suprisingly good), I enjoyed the company I was with (she didn't request the buffer seat like Nate does, lucky me) and I enjoyed the fact that Southdale has officially gone to the dark side with the price of movie tickets. Not. The $10 barrier has been broken. There's no telling what might happen next.
And to the five, maybe six people who read this and will know what this means:
Happy No Substance Day. May 3, 1998. A day that will live and live...
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Give me some Sugar baby
What can you say about a guy named Nate? He loves sexual accomplishments, most notably solo. He loves making ridiculous comments. He loves the friendly penis tap. He also loves going all out when it comes to athletics. He claims to have pinched testes numerous times during high school football. He sets screens that lead to bodies flying out of bounds in the Gus Macker, leading to near ejections. And he sacrifices his body diving for balls playing first base in softball. Which can lead to game saving theatrics...along with bodily harm. Tuesday night saw the kid make an incredible diving catch, and a slick, quick snap throw to double off someone at second for a double play. And then a failed attempt to stand. Followed by a barely successful laying down experience. Hat laying over here, glove laying over there. The euphoria of the amazing play had been replaced by the agony of a body in pain. The whimpering quad had become the screaming quad. Hobbling back to the bench, the adulation of the squad was in stark contrast to the jolting ache of his leg.
Was it worth it?
Sugar 12, Voodoo Misfits 8. For a gamer like him, of course it was....
Next week, when the yelps of "Duuuuude, my quad!" begin, it'll be questionable. But the guy is someone you want on your team, by your side, in your corner, in every alleyway of life. Of that, there is no doubt...
Was it worth it?
Sugar 12, Voodoo Misfits 8. For a gamer like him, of course it was....
Next week, when the yelps of "Duuuuude, my quad!" begin, it'll be questionable. But the guy is someone you want on your team, by your side, in your corner, in every alleyway of life. Of that, there is no doubt...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Beautiful Struggle
First hand, $1500 Minnesota State Poker Championships at Canterbury. 15,000 in starting chips, blinds are 50/100. One guy limps in, solid woman raises to 350. And I look down at KK. Bang. I make it 1050. Limper folds, woman hems and haws about it being too early to go crazy and ends up calling.
The flop comes down 9 7 4 with two hearts. Seems pretty safe. She checks, I bet 1200, she makes it 3200. I reluctantly call. Turn is an offsuit 8. She bets 5000 and I'm sick. The first fricking hand and I'm in a mess already. I thought for quite a while... it was just way to unlikely for her to be getting aggressive with something like JJ or 1010. I ended up folding and she was nice and showed me 99. I did a mental back pat and took a breath. The bullet whizzed by my ear, but I dodged it. I still had almost 11,000 in chips. Time to buckle down...
I got my stack back to 15,000 over the next hour or so, bit by bit. The Uh Oh moment of the first hand was behind me and things were starting to click. I had most of the table figured out, unfortunately our table broke and I got moved to a new one. 138 people started, first place was $65k.
In the first level at the new table, I witnessed three pre-flop clashes and each time the underdog came from behind to win. JJ beat KK, 79 beat QQ and AJ beat JJ. It seemed like it was going to be one of those tables.... and maybe that's what motivated me to do something that I very rarely do....
It was the 3rd level, blinds were 100/200, 25 ante. I had won a few small pots, but nothing noteworthy. It got folded to me in the cutoff (one in front of the button) and I made it 600 with K6 offuit, looking to pick up the blinds. The small blind called, and the big blind raised it 1000 more, a total of 1600. It was an oddly sized raise, but still it seems like an easy fold. Something didn't smell right though, and I had one of those "fuck it" moments, and decided to raise 2500 more to 4100. I expected him to call, which he did, now it was just a matter of him missing the flop. It came down 10 9 2 with two diamonds. If he had something like AJ or AQ, which I was guessing, there was just no way he could call a bet. He checked, I fired 4000 and had that feeling coarsing through me that you get in poker when you have a lot of your chips in the middle holding absolutely nothing. Things are beating and racing faster than you are used to, and you're calling on all your sense to play it cool. Fortunatley I didn't have to act too long as he folded fairly quickly. I can count the number of times on one hand that I have 4-bet before the flop as a bluff in my life. I'm very happy that I was able to do it in the second biggest tourney I've ever played is a sign. There are so many times when that play FEELS right, but I just don't have what it takes to pull the trigger. I did that time, and it paid off. I had about 21k in chips at that point and was feeling good.
It didn't last too long though. I got a little too frisky out of the small blind with AJ, check raising a pre flop raiser on a flop of Q55 with two diamonds, shutting down after getting called and having to fold to a bet on the river. I had lost momentum a bit when, with the blinds 200/400/50, the dude I had bluffed with the K6 limped in from early position, everyone folded to me in the small blind and I called with 78. The big blind checked and I got the flop I was looking for when it came 10 8 7. I checked, dude bet 1600, I made it 4000, he moved in and I called for 7000 or so. He had limped in with QQ and trapped himself. The turn and river came K 9 and I was back in business.
Business was good for a while, I won a lot of small pots to get up near 30,000 in chips, which was above the average stack. With the blinds 400/800/100, a cute Asian girl made a big raise to 3800 from early position and it was folded down to me in the big blind with 99. A little history here, the girl was on my left at the first table, and on the first level, with the blinds at 50/100, she had raised to 2300 on one hand, which is beyond questionable any way you slice it. She ended up showing down 99 that hand and beating someone else's AK. So put her on a big hand, but not a huge hand and decided to call 3000 more. The flop came down J32. I checked, she checked behind, and I knew my hand was good. The turn was a 7, I bet 4000 and she deliberated for a while before calling. In my mind, I had my fingers crossed for no A, K or Q on the river. Well, the dealer put the old A of spades out there, I puked and checked, and checked behind and showed down AQ to win the pot. Ugh. She put 7800 in chips in when she had the worst hand and 0 when she had the best hand. Calling on the turn with just Ace high is just really passive poker, but it worked out for her.... ah well.
Sadly for me, I didn't handle that river as well as I should have. The very next hand it was folded around to me in the small blind with 69 offsuit. Instead of just folding and moving on, I called and saw a flop with the big blind of J65 with two diamonds. I bet 1100 and he called. This guy had played maybe one hand since moving to the table a half hour ago. Which gives me no excuse for what happened next. The turn was a 5. I checked, he bet 2000. Ignoring the voices in my head that said fold, I called. The river was a 3rd 5 for a final board of J6555. I checked, he pretty quickly bet 5000, and even though the voices were screaming at me by now to fold, begging and pleading with me, I talked myself into him missing his draw and saw a 5000 chip go into the pot. He turned over 8 5 for quads and I just shook my head disgustedly and mucked my hand. Somehow I managed to lose 8500 in chips with 6 9 offsuit, after losing 7800 in chips the hand before. Yuck.
I was bumming pretty hardcore at the next break soon after, having seen my chip stack go from 29,000 to less than 13,000 in the span of two hands. That's the tough part about the game. You get in a rhythm and build your stack slowly but surely, and it only takes one bad card and one poorly played hand and suddenly you're underwater. The blinds were moving to 600/1200/200 and I had to get busy. I moved in three times, with KQ offsuit, QJ of clubs and AJ offsuit over the level and picked up the pot each time. I couldn't win any pots out of the blinds though and was still toiling around 12,000 when the next level I shipped it in with A9 offsuit and ran into AK. Goodbye.
So I ended up like 55th, which is lame, but I get to tack on another experience in a big tourney, opened up my game a bit and only played two hands really poorly. All in all I can't be too disappointed. I got away from the kings the first hand, going out that way would be a complete disaster. It's been a great year for me playing live so far, I still don't think I'm far away from a big score. Almost time to start playing the WSOP qualifiers for hopefully the 2nd go at it in Vegas this summer. Can't wait for the next one....
Next entry : Sugar softball.
The flop comes down 9 7 4 with two hearts. Seems pretty safe. She checks, I bet 1200, she makes it 3200. I reluctantly call. Turn is an offsuit 8. She bets 5000 and I'm sick. The first fricking hand and I'm in a mess already. I thought for quite a while... it was just way to unlikely for her to be getting aggressive with something like JJ or 1010. I ended up folding and she was nice and showed me 99. I did a mental back pat and took a breath. The bullet whizzed by my ear, but I dodged it. I still had almost 11,000 in chips. Time to buckle down...
I got my stack back to 15,000 over the next hour or so, bit by bit. The Uh Oh moment of the first hand was behind me and things were starting to click. I had most of the table figured out, unfortunately our table broke and I got moved to a new one. 138 people started, first place was $65k.
In the first level at the new table, I witnessed three pre-flop clashes and each time the underdog came from behind to win. JJ beat KK, 79 beat QQ and AJ beat JJ. It seemed like it was going to be one of those tables.... and maybe that's what motivated me to do something that I very rarely do....
It was the 3rd level, blinds were 100/200, 25 ante. I had won a few small pots, but nothing noteworthy. It got folded to me in the cutoff (one in front of the button) and I made it 600 with K6 offuit, looking to pick up the blinds. The small blind called, and the big blind raised it 1000 more, a total of 1600. It was an oddly sized raise, but still it seems like an easy fold. Something didn't smell right though, and I had one of those "fuck it" moments, and decided to raise 2500 more to 4100. I expected him to call, which he did, now it was just a matter of him missing the flop. It came down 10 9 2 with two diamonds. If he had something like AJ or AQ, which I was guessing, there was just no way he could call a bet. He checked, I fired 4000 and had that feeling coarsing through me that you get in poker when you have a lot of your chips in the middle holding absolutely nothing. Things are beating and racing faster than you are used to, and you're calling on all your sense to play it cool. Fortunatley I didn't have to act too long as he folded fairly quickly. I can count the number of times on one hand that I have 4-bet before the flop as a bluff in my life. I'm very happy that I was able to do it in the second biggest tourney I've ever played is a sign. There are so many times when that play FEELS right, but I just don't have what it takes to pull the trigger. I did that time, and it paid off. I had about 21k in chips at that point and was feeling good.
It didn't last too long though. I got a little too frisky out of the small blind with AJ, check raising a pre flop raiser on a flop of Q55 with two diamonds, shutting down after getting called and having to fold to a bet on the river. I had lost momentum a bit when, with the blinds 200/400/50, the dude I had bluffed with the K6 limped in from early position, everyone folded to me in the small blind and I called with 78. The big blind checked and I got the flop I was looking for when it came 10 8 7. I checked, dude bet 1600, I made it 4000, he moved in and I called for 7000 or so. He had limped in with QQ and trapped himself. The turn and river came K 9 and I was back in business.
Business was good for a while, I won a lot of small pots to get up near 30,000 in chips, which was above the average stack. With the blinds 400/800/100, a cute Asian girl made a big raise to 3800 from early position and it was folded down to me in the big blind with 99. A little history here, the girl was on my left at the first table, and on the first level, with the blinds at 50/100, she had raised to 2300 on one hand, which is beyond questionable any way you slice it. She ended up showing down 99 that hand and beating someone else's AK. So put her on a big hand, but not a huge hand and decided to call 3000 more. The flop came down J32. I checked, she checked behind, and I knew my hand was good. The turn was a 7, I bet 4000 and she deliberated for a while before calling. In my mind, I had my fingers crossed for no A, K or Q on the river. Well, the dealer put the old A of spades out there, I puked and checked, and checked behind and showed down AQ to win the pot. Ugh. She put 7800 in chips in when she had the worst hand and 0 when she had the best hand. Calling on the turn with just Ace high is just really passive poker, but it worked out for her.... ah well.
Sadly for me, I didn't handle that river as well as I should have. The very next hand it was folded around to me in the small blind with 69 offsuit. Instead of just folding and moving on, I called and saw a flop with the big blind of J65 with two diamonds. I bet 1100 and he called. This guy had played maybe one hand since moving to the table a half hour ago. Which gives me no excuse for what happened next. The turn was a 5. I checked, he bet 2000. Ignoring the voices in my head that said fold, I called. The river was a 3rd 5 for a final board of J6555. I checked, he pretty quickly bet 5000, and even though the voices were screaming at me by now to fold, begging and pleading with me, I talked myself into him missing his draw and saw a 5000 chip go into the pot. He turned over 8 5 for quads and I just shook my head disgustedly and mucked my hand. Somehow I managed to lose 8500 in chips with 6 9 offsuit, after losing 7800 in chips the hand before. Yuck.
I was bumming pretty hardcore at the next break soon after, having seen my chip stack go from 29,000 to less than 13,000 in the span of two hands. That's the tough part about the game. You get in a rhythm and build your stack slowly but surely, and it only takes one bad card and one poorly played hand and suddenly you're underwater. The blinds were moving to 600/1200/200 and I had to get busy. I moved in three times, with KQ offsuit, QJ of clubs and AJ offsuit over the level and picked up the pot each time. I couldn't win any pots out of the blinds though and was still toiling around 12,000 when the next level I shipped it in with A9 offsuit and ran into AK. Goodbye.
So I ended up like 55th, which is lame, but I get to tack on another experience in a big tourney, opened up my game a bit and only played two hands really poorly. All in all I can't be too disappointed. I got away from the kings the first hand, going out that way would be a complete disaster. It's been a great year for me playing live so far, I still don't think I'm far away from a big score. Almost time to start playing the WSOP qualifiers for hopefully the 2nd go at it in Vegas this summer. Can't wait for the next one....
Next entry : Sugar softball.
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