Last night, the wife was working late so I stopped by the local charity card room on my way home. This time, I was the one felting players. I played pretty well, but went down to $40 on this call. I raise pre-flop and two guys call. I have 77 and the flop is AA6. Check, check, so I bet $15 and I get one caller, OOP. The turn is a second club and this time I bet $25 (into $50). He call, OOP with a naked 6. Really? The river is a 6c and he bets out $40. I sit there thinking, there is no way he would club draw from OOP with a pair on the board and one card to come. so I call to see his rivered sixes.
So armed with $150 I again take a flop via a limp call with 77. Flop is 722 and I check, two checks behind. Turn is an Ace, but to be honest, I already decided to bet $20 into the $30 pot regardless of the turn card. Bully for me, since the turn hit Mr. AK on my left and he ships in $100. Call.
So I am at about $250 when a regular players with whom I am familiar (cough* John *cough) raises to $10 and I min -raise from position with AQ. He calls and the flop ia AQJ. top two on a somewhat action board, but turns out he was cold-decked for the third time of the night when he calls my big turn bet with AJ.
so then the wife shows up from work and we have a nice dinner.
Interestingly (somewhat), was the nice little video I saw today on the power of simply thinking you are going to do well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRVCaA5o18&feature=player_embedded
Apparently, thinking your better than everyone does improve your play. So uncheck that ego!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Catching up
Two leagues have started this month, and its time to start thinking about poker again.
My first night was a bit frustrating. I watched a guy who seemed pretty readable, take an EP limp. I figure him for a small pp like 55. In the cutoff, I have 44 and limp to. The blinds come along and the flop misses everyone. On the river, I feel like I can turn my 44 into a bluff, but under bet (?) and he calls with 66. Perhaps he calls there no matter what. But I have about 8k in chips through the first 8 eliminations. Just before the table break, I button raise with A8 and short big blind shoves. I call and he shows A6. A 6 on the river and I am crippled. the table breaks.
I double up at the new table with TT getting me to $8k, but then I 3bet all-in with AK (because the blinds are 500/1000) and TT takes me out.
In the second league, a better result. I am frustrated and had to let go of a couple of hands after being out drawn (but good lay-downs!) And again, find myself with a starting stack size after 4 -5 levels. I end up getting my AQ all-in vs. Kings (in the blind?) and hitting the Ace. From that point on, when I was the smaller stack, I won the race. When I was the shorter stack, I would lose horribly like AJ vs. J8. But I cant complain as I woke up with JJ both times I needed a big hand, and both times JJ held. I finished second, despite not having a huge amount of strategic hands. I did bluff far more than usual after we were down to 4 handed, but in the end finally got caught heads up with 74s vs 88.
Interesting part of self awareness. My heads-up game is terrible. Which is funny, because my short handed game (6-3 players) is pretty darn good. I would practice this online, but alas I still dont have my freaking FT monies, nor do we have an online poker bill yet.
My first night was a bit frustrating. I watched a guy who seemed pretty readable, take an EP limp. I figure him for a small pp like 55. In the cutoff, I have 44 and limp to. The blinds come along and the flop misses everyone. On the river, I feel like I can turn my 44 into a bluff, but under bet (?) and he calls with 66. Perhaps he calls there no matter what. But I have about 8k in chips through the first 8 eliminations. Just before the table break, I button raise with A8 and short big blind shoves. I call and he shows A6. A 6 on the river and I am crippled. the table breaks.
I double up at the new table with TT getting me to $8k, but then I 3bet all-in with AK (because the blinds are 500/1000) and TT takes me out.
In the second league, a better result. I am frustrated and had to let go of a couple of hands after being out drawn (but good lay-downs!) And again, find myself with a starting stack size after 4 -5 levels. I end up getting my AQ all-in vs. Kings (in the blind?) and hitting the Ace. From that point on, when I was the smaller stack, I won the race. When I was the shorter stack, I would lose horribly like AJ vs. J8. But I cant complain as I woke up with JJ both times I needed a big hand, and both times JJ held. I finished second, despite not having a huge amount of strategic hands. I did bluff far more than usual after we were down to 4 handed, but in the end finally got caught heads up with 74s vs 88.
Interesting part of self awareness. My heads-up game is terrible. Which is funny, because my short handed game (6-3 players) is pretty darn good. I would practice this online, but alas I still dont have my freaking FT monies, nor do we have an online poker bill yet.
Monday, August 01, 2011
What I learned in the absence of online porker
This might surprise you, but my game has improved since online poker has gone away. A strange thing was happening to my game based on the quantity of hands I could play in an hour. I did not value each hand.
It's a big hard to describe, but it became clear while watching the live WSOP coverage (which, by the way is boring as hell due to the Jamie Gold rule). Hands are won and lost through pattern recognition. If I can identify what your action means, then I should know the correct counteraction. This can be as simple or complex as you like, but there are so many more hands online that you can err on the side of caution, make mistakes, and still have opportunities. Live though, I cant afford to throw away an OPPORTUNITY to win a hand and wait for the next window. When an opponent check-calls the flop, and he check calls the turn, and a 4th spade falls on the river, Ben Lamb is betting out that river with air. More often than not, those check-calls are WEAK and a signal to pressure. But in online action, often we'll not fire that barrel because there is another better spot coming up based on quantity of hands. This is not CORRECT thinking, but a trap I was falling into. I would even justify things by "keeping the pot small" or some other line of reasoning. But in the end, NLHE is a game of position and manipulating opponents into making bad decisions. And if you make those decisions easy, then your opponents errors mean less.
It's a big hard to describe, but it became clear while watching the live WSOP coverage (which, by the way is boring as hell due to the Jamie Gold rule). Hands are won and lost through pattern recognition. If I can identify what your action means, then I should know the correct counteraction. This can be as simple or complex as you like, but there are so many more hands online that you can err on the side of caution, make mistakes, and still have opportunities. Live though, I cant afford to throw away an OPPORTUNITY to win a hand and wait for the next window. When an opponent check-calls the flop, and he check calls the turn, and a 4th spade falls on the river, Ben Lamb is betting out that river with air. More often than not, those check-calls are WEAK and a signal to pressure. But in online action, often we'll not fire that barrel because there is another better spot coming up based on quantity of hands. This is not CORRECT thinking, but a trap I was falling into. I would even justify things by "keeping the pot small" or some other line of reasoning. But in the end, NLHE is a game of position and manipulating opponents into making bad decisions. And if you make those decisions easy, then your opponents errors mean less.
Friday, July 15, 2011
STOOPID
More NLHE, more of the same. After running my $200 up to $400, I purposely changed tables to the harder competition. Then, over the course of two hours, made not one but THREE huge mistakes that robbed me of the entire stack.
Mistake 1: Allowed a player to bet flop and turn and when he "gave up" on the river, I did not bet when I had no chance to win the showdown with my broken draw. He won with Ace high.
Mistake 2: More of the same, but I FAILED to fire a third bullet from position and her missed draw beat my missed draw. SO BAD.
Mistake 3: See previous post. Flopped Top against flopped 6-8 straight. Standard for 1-2 poker and the fault is clearly on the RUST from NOT PLAYING.
In other OLD news:
Despite conversations that Full Tilt was selling off (7/7/2011) in about a week, a week has passed and I have not heard anything.
Mistake 1: Allowed a player to bet flop and turn and when he "gave up" on the river, I did not bet when I had no chance to win the showdown with my broken draw. He won with Ace high.
Mistake 2: More of the same, but I FAILED to fire a third bullet from position and her missed draw beat my missed draw. SO BAD.
Mistake 3: See previous post. Flopped Top against flopped 6-8 straight. Standard for 1-2 poker and the fault is clearly on the RUST from NOT PLAYING.
In other OLD news:
Despite conversations that Full Tilt was selling off (7/7/2011) in about a week, a week has passed and I have not heard anything.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Omaha explosion
One day after posting that I found a leak in my low-limit NLHE game, I went to the charity poker room to play some 1-2. I ran my $200 up to $300 and the floor person came over and said, "did you want the omaha seat that just opened up?"
DO I!!!
I dont know WHY I practically leaped at it. Perhaps it was the novelty of playing live omaha? Perhaps I figured on a bigger edge. Perhaps both.
I played for 2 hours... My win rate? $700/hr. at 1-2 PLO. really.
I am at the table for a few hands, when I take a flop with QQJx (dangler). Flop is QT3 rainbow. Since the pre-flop action was $10*4 players, I bet $40 with TOP SET against what can only be straight draws. Fold, Fold... but then the player in the 9 seat makes it $100. If he has straight draw, which is almost a given, my odds depend on if its a WRAP or not. But, even if it IS a wrap, I cant be worse than 50/50. If he has anything else but that nice KJ9 I am probably closer to 4-1.
I commit my stack of $165 over the top of his $100 and his calls. I always table my hand right away in Omaha (unlike hold 'em) and he says he needs and Ace. The turn is an Ace. "Really?" I say. "No, just screwing with you he says" and mucks his cards on the river blank card. (Set of tens?)
so now I have $600 and play for another hour or so laughing it up and having a good time when I get dealt an AAxx hand. I am almost always going to see a flop at least with this hand and this time I raise from early position to $10 and get 3 callers. (Remember I open raised this hand...)
I am somewhat excited to see a flop AsKs5c (2 spades). Top set against a ton of plausible draws. If someone holds the Ks here with another broad-way card (especially a spade), I could be in big trouble here. I am first to act and decide to put out a blocking bet of like $15 bucks. I get TWO callers. Ok, what card do I want on the turn?
BAM! 5s.
So its the 3rd spade, a possible quads for bottom set and I have the second nuts locked up. I have this great blank look on my face (another player says this after the hand, so that is not my comment) and I check.
the next player, thinking I hated the 5s, bets out $125! The player to his left goes all-in!
Now, you could argue that I should think this through, but I dont. I shove my chips in there like Hellmuth playing a cash game on TV. And the original raiser now calls.
Someone (same guy who will comment on my face after the hand) says "who has quds?". I confidently reply, "No One". and I am right.
I table my second nuts and both players fold. The second player had third nuts (Kings) and we are left to speculate what the original raiser had, but I suspect he made an uncharacteristic mistake and made his flush and missed the paired board somehow in his excitement. Its all I can think of.
I rake a pot of like $1k (in a $1-2 PLO game).
How am I so sure there was not 55 hand? I raise it pre-flop to $10. What hand with 55 calls? Some, but not all probably. And these guys seem to understand Omaha. But when you flop bottom set, its the worst feeling on all of Omaha. It FEELS like a strong hand, but more often than not, its a NOOSE. I bet the blocking bet now. On this board with AK and 2 spades, how could a set of fives just call? What, he is hoping to improve on his 1 out? There are just ZERO good card coming for the set of fives. If he has that hand and does not raise, then he in effect "gives up" and should not call the $15. He could raise pot and then fold to a re-raise, which may also be negative EV. (As I write this, I could have bet more on the flop but I dont think it changes much if I do.) But you NEVER try to call down an Omaha pot with TWO streets to come, with bottom set and no redraws. Its just a losing play.
When the turn pairs the five, if I DO have the immortal nuts and the pot is getting large, why do I risk betting a huge $125 pot bet or even RAISING that bet as the second player did, in a 3 way pot?! The other 2 players would BOTH be dead money and you want BOTH their stacks, not just one. As the holder of nuts-central, you are NOT doing anything to lose either of those players yet. I CHECK that turn. When the first guy bets $125, if he has quads he is hoping my action as the third plays is just stupid. He has to expect me to fold and that would be insane here. The second player re-pots to $300, and again if he had quads, he would NOT want to lose me yet when he can simply call and watch me put in another $100 and hope one of us remains stubborn on the river. Heck, he might lose BOTH of us here.
Perhaps I am over analyzing an action based game, but I am not hesitating with second nuts the way this played out. My money is going in. and it did.
-Fun with Omaha
DO I!!!
I dont know WHY I practically leaped at it. Perhaps it was the novelty of playing live omaha? Perhaps I figured on a bigger edge. Perhaps both.
I played for 2 hours... My win rate? $700/hr. at 1-2 PLO. really.
I am at the table for a few hands, when I take a flop with QQJx (dangler). Flop is QT3 rainbow. Since the pre-flop action was $10*4 players, I bet $40 with TOP SET against what can only be straight draws. Fold, Fold... but then the player in the 9 seat makes it $100. If he has straight draw, which is almost a given, my odds depend on if its a WRAP or not. But, even if it IS a wrap, I cant be worse than 50/50. If he has anything else but that nice KJ9 I am probably closer to 4-1.
I commit my stack of $165 over the top of his $100 and his calls. I always table my hand right away in Omaha (unlike hold 'em) and he says he needs and Ace. The turn is an Ace. "Really?" I say. "No, just screwing with you he says" and mucks his cards on the river blank card. (Set of tens?)
so now I have $600 and play for another hour or so laughing it up and having a good time when I get dealt an AAxx hand. I am almost always going to see a flop at least with this hand and this time I raise from early position to $10 and get 3 callers. (Remember I open raised this hand...)
I am somewhat excited to see a flop AsKs5c (2 spades). Top set against a ton of plausible draws. If someone holds the Ks here with another broad-way card (especially a spade), I could be in big trouble here. I am first to act and decide to put out a blocking bet of like $15 bucks. I get TWO callers. Ok, what card do I want on the turn?
BAM! 5s.
So its the 3rd spade, a possible quads for bottom set and I have the second nuts locked up. I have this great blank look on my face (another player says this after the hand, so that is not my comment) and I check.
the next player, thinking I hated the 5s, bets out $125! The player to his left goes all-in!
Now, you could argue that I should think this through, but I dont. I shove my chips in there like Hellmuth playing a cash game on TV. And the original raiser now calls.
Someone (same guy who will comment on my face after the hand) says "who has quds?". I confidently reply, "No One". and I am right.
I table my second nuts and both players fold. The second player had third nuts (Kings) and we are left to speculate what the original raiser had, but I suspect he made an uncharacteristic mistake and made his flush and missed the paired board somehow in his excitement. Its all I can think of.
I rake a pot of like $1k (in a $1-2 PLO game).
How am I so sure there was not 55 hand? I raise it pre-flop to $10. What hand with 55 calls? Some, but not all probably. And these guys seem to understand Omaha. But when you flop bottom set, its the worst feeling on all of Omaha. It FEELS like a strong hand, but more often than not, its a NOOSE. I bet the blocking bet now. On this board with AK and 2 spades, how could a set of fives just call? What, he is hoping to improve on his 1 out? There are just ZERO good card coming for the set of fives. If he has that hand and does not raise, then he in effect "gives up" and should not call the $15. He could raise pot and then fold to a re-raise, which may also be negative EV. (As I write this, I could have bet more on the flop but I dont think it changes much if I do.) But you NEVER try to call down an Omaha pot with TWO streets to come, with bottom set and no redraws. Its just a losing play.
When the turn pairs the five, if I DO have the immortal nuts and the pot is getting large, why do I risk betting a huge $125 pot bet or even RAISING that bet as the second player did, in a 3 way pot?! The other 2 players would BOTH be dead money and you want BOTH their stacks, not just one. As the holder of nuts-central, you are NOT doing anything to lose either of those players yet. I CHECK that turn. When the first guy bets $125, if he has quads he is hoping my action as the third plays is just stupid. He has to expect me to fold and that would be insane here. The second player re-pots to $300, and again if he had quads, he would NOT want to lose me yet when he can simply call and watch me put in another $100 and hope one of us remains stubborn on the river. Heck, he might lose BOTH of us here.
Perhaps I am over analyzing an action based game, but I am not hesitating with second nuts the way this played out. My money is going in. and it did.
-Fun with Omaha
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Double Trouble
I mentally inventoried my low-stakes play and found a HUGE cash-game leak. I am always paying off a flopped straight if I flop a strong hand. Terrible! In a tournament or higher stakes game the issue is more complex, but in a 1-2 or 2-5 game, its just not solid.
Friday, July 08, 2011
WSOP
Day 1a had under 1000 players! The impact on poker by the DOJ is brutal. Now, what comes next? Is this the poster child for NO online poker
or is it a call to arms?
I hope ESPN joins the lobby to get a poker bill passed. I am ON the regulation bandwagon (always was), and UB proved there is a benefit.
It would also be nice to avoid another FT like meltdown in the future.
I saw the final table of the $50k on espn.com and I really enjoyed that. More raw footage please!
or is it a call to arms?
I hope ESPN joins the lobby to get a poker bill passed. I am ON the regulation bandwagon (always was), and UB proved there is a benefit.
It would also be nice to avoid another FT like meltdown in the future.
I saw the final table of the $50k on espn.com and I really enjoyed that. More raw footage please!
Full Tilt SOLD Rumor
Interesting. If its true, they would be paying out the balances and we would get our money. I hope its true. Saw that over the holiday weekend out of the LA area.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Full Tilt is DEAD?!
Full tilt is being shut down for being insolvent! So, there goes my bankroll. http://www.gamblingcontrol.org/userfiles/file/Media%20Statement%20-%20FTP%20suspension%20290611.pdf
Look, if I EVER hear one more bad word about Dutch Boyd, I am going to punch someone in the face. Talk about being vindicated. Here was a guy at a young age who took a shot and got arguably screwed by his bankers, and took over a decade of abuse for it. Now, the "experts" show everyone how it's done, right? Lessons learned and all that? Bull. Just lip service. These guys actually KNEW they were not covering bank. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HOW DO YOU NOT MAKE MONEY AS A SOFTWARE SERVICE? ALL YOU DO IS COLLECT RAKE AND PASS ON FEES? HOW THE HELL DO YOU LOSE MONEY DOING THAT? I mean, what are you costs? Servers? You dont even use up that much bandwidth.
This is a TRAVESTY on so many levels. You know what this is reminiscent of? Adelphia. And Enron to some extent.
Now, what comes next? Is this the poster child for NO online poker or is it a call to arms for regulation of online sites operating as a bank?
Want me to venture a guess as to what happened? Full Tilt "executives" decided they did not have to act like Poker tars did (professionally and ethically)and told the US that they would pay back the money when they were "darn good and ready". So the US called UK and said, "Hey, these guys are making a mockery of International Banking, shut it down". The arrogance that they were above US law eventually did them in. Poker Stars was very smart. We got away with it for a while. When the hammer comes down, we take the profits, refund the money and live to rake another day. THAT, readers, is the way its done.
Shameful. And what of Ivey and his suit? Well now, what better way to DISTANCE yourself from the others who may FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES? And poor Clonie Gowen, who was seemingly on to something, will never get a dime AND will have to get dragged into courts as a witness for the prosecution. I would not be feeling very good if I were say, Howard Lederer. I would be selling off assets and HIDING MY MONEY. Which is what I presume is happening and thus the elongated posturing and delays and avoidance of the press.
So dont talk to ME about Poker Spot and Dutch Boyd. Absolved fully as far as I am concerned (and probably long overdue).
Look, if I EVER hear one more bad word about Dutch Boyd, I am going to punch someone in the face. Talk about being vindicated. Here was a guy at a young age who took a shot and got arguably screwed by his bankers, and took over a decade of abuse for it. Now, the "experts" show everyone how it's done, right? Lessons learned and all that? Bull. Just lip service. These guys actually KNEW they were not covering bank. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? HOW DO YOU NOT MAKE MONEY AS A SOFTWARE SERVICE? ALL YOU DO IS COLLECT RAKE AND PASS ON FEES? HOW THE HELL DO YOU LOSE MONEY DOING THAT? I mean, what are you costs? Servers? You dont even use up that much bandwidth.
This is a TRAVESTY on so many levels. You know what this is reminiscent of? Adelphia. And Enron to some extent.
Now, what comes next? Is this the poster child for NO online poker or is it a call to arms for regulation of online sites operating as a bank?
Want me to venture a guess as to what happened? Full Tilt "executives" decided they did not have to act like Poker tars did (professionally and ethically)and told the US that they would pay back the money when they were "darn good and ready". So the US called UK and said, "Hey, these guys are making a mockery of International Banking, shut it down". The arrogance that they were above US law eventually did them in. Poker Stars was very smart. We got away with it for a while. When the hammer comes down, we take the profits, refund the money and live to rake another day. THAT, readers, is the way its done.
Shameful. And what of Ivey and his suit? Well now, what better way to DISTANCE yourself from the others who may FACE CRIMINAL CHARGES? And poor Clonie Gowen, who was seemingly on to something, will never get a dime AND will have to get dragged into courts as a witness for the prosecution. I would not be feeling very good if I were say, Howard Lederer. I would be selling off assets and HIDING MY MONEY. Which is what I presume is happening and thus the elongated posturing and delays and avoidance of the press.
So dont talk to ME about Poker Spot and Dutch Boyd. Absolved fully as far as I am concerned (and probably long overdue).
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Playing poker outside the US
So as FullTilt continues to hold bankrolls hostage, has anyone taken them up on playing (i.e. moving) to outside the US? Could I get a Mexican drivers license, using a friends flat, and open a local bank acct to play out of?
On the other side of the coin, can I play Canadian and pull something similar? I mean, Ontario is less than an hour from me. This seems like an idea whose time has come: an international address instead of just a local address.
Perhaps 50 of us can rent an apartment in Ontario? Only 1 person has to physically sleep there and pick up the mail...
On the other side of the coin, can I play Canadian and pull something similar? I mean, Ontario is less than an hour from me. This seems like an idea whose time has come: an international address instead of just a local address.
Perhaps 50 of us can rent an apartment in Ontario? Only 1 person has to physically sleep there and pick up the mail...
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Rise Poker
If you ever want to witness the greatest weakness of the internet, google up Rise Poker looking for reviews. Every single one is a post ASKING for feedback and then 2 or 3 posts with wide ranging opinions on everything BUT Rise poker.
What drives people to post responses that are based on ready 1 sentence of a post and then addressing whatever is the free-range thought that pops up? Stoopid.
Let me step up here. I loaded up Rise poker last night. I played a "free" SnG.
Here is my initial feedback
1. I KNOW its real poker software because I got sucked out on AND lost a race in a single SnG.
2. The FREE version with the Ads is so painful, that either you pay or you don't bother. Really, the fee play is there for the people who will never join. The ads themselves were crippling my laptop.
3. The engine is sub par, in that I cant change seats, re-size, etc. All the things we loved in the mature engines.
Ok. That being said, I cant really tell you how the subscription play is or how the tournaments are... YET. I intend to SOAP UP for the $240/yr (which I put down in a single tournament online, so how can I complain?!). I will report back shortly.
It helped immensely that heard of the site through Dr. Pauly and F-Train, otherwise I would still never even had Rise poker on my radar.
Oh, yeah. WHERE THE HELL IS MY FULL TILT MONIES?
What drives people to post responses that are based on ready 1 sentence of a post and then addressing whatever is the free-range thought that pops up? Stoopid.
Let me step up here. I loaded up Rise poker last night. I played a "free" SnG.
Here is my initial feedback
1. I KNOW its real poker software because I got sucked out on AND lost a race in a single SnG.
2. The FREE version with the Ads is so painful, that either you pay or you don't bother. Really, the fee play is there for the people who will never join. The ads themselves were crippling my laptop.
3. The engine is sub par, in that I cant change seats, re-size, etc. All the things we loved in the mature engines.
Ok. That being said, I cant really tell you how the subscription play is or how the tournaments are... YET. I intend to SOAP UP for the $240/yr (which I put down in a single tournament online, so how can I complain?!). I will report back shortly.
It helped immensely that heard of the site through Dr. Pauly and F-Train, otherwise I would still never even had Rise poker on my radar.
Oh, yeah. WHERE THE HELL IS MY FULL TILT MONIES?
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
League it up
I missed online poker this spring. I had stored a bankroll to make a WSOP run and now that $$$ is caught in limbo. So I added a second league to my games next year and hope its enough poker to keep me going. I need my bankroll back Full Tilt!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Woe is poker, but more to the point...
It's all gearing up for phase III in the evolution of poker (the next NASCAR). ESPN is going to go with "live" hole card play in the WSOP, the government plays hardball with the rouges to set up the sanctioned. And all of us in the meanwhile, await mystical Full Tilt payouts, complicated by rumors, impatience, and speculation.
That being said, it cant be good for Full Tilt... I wonder if Dutch Boyd is smirking?
That being said, it cant be good for Full Tilt... I wonder if Dutch Boyd is smirking?
Monday, May 16, 2011
Full Tilt impending doom?
I don't know how else to take the fact that PokerStars returned my US money and Full Tilt continues to "work on it". I fear that working on it is actually a euphemism for 'trying to decide what if anything they are going to return'.
I am sure the situation is complex and multifaceted that it seems on the surface, but there is no downside to timely return of funds. Expect for the fact that you would no longer have them! And so what happens with Full Tilt reneges?
I am sure the situation is complex and multifaceted that it seems on the surface, but there is no downside to timely return of funds. Expect for the fact that you would no longer have them! And so what happens with Full Tilt reneges?
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Flush over Flush
I went into league night with a strong aggro desire. This worked well early and I pushed action pretty well and put chips to work. But when you take a flop with 74s and flop a flush, your going to get cracked by a bigger flopped flush (much like set over set). So be it. Was not deep enough to warrant different play, and believe me I took the time to work that out.
In then end I went from FIRST overall last year to unqualified this year. UGH.
In then end I went from FIRST overall last year to unqualified this year. UGH.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Changing Landsacpe
The beginning of the next era is coming soon. This year, the WSOP will be telecast tape delay 2 hours with hole cards on ESPN2. (the more events the better.) Expect regulation and a play by Harrah's to roll out the first domestic online sites.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
What's to write about?
I would like... (I would like? I would like a trip to Europe.) I would like to play in WSOP satellites online. I even stored up a bankroll to do it. Now that bankroll ($>1K, <$10k) is in limbo until the US Department of Justice can determine how to order that money returned (or so we assume at this point).
What's the use of debating or pointing out the issues here? Like with so many other political events of the decade, we are a nation divided. And no one speaks of what we have lost as a result. By being polarized by politics (right vs. left, religion vs. religion, etc) we have lost our sense of nationalism. You can ask any nut-job about what he loves and get the stoic reply of "God and country", but is it really the truth? If we love our country so much, then why do we fight so hard to defend what is WAS instead of what it IS?
The 1940s are not coming back (thank goodness). And everyone remembers the good parts of the 1950s but not the fact that it lead to the turmoil of the 60s (don't get me started on this dissertation on repressive society). And those golden financials of the 1980s? That came from the dawn of the Age of Information, not from superior monetary policy. But I digress...
The US is an amalgamation of conflicting agendas, conflicting religions, conflicting politics and conflicting people (see incarceration rates). Bad? who is to say? Chaos brings change, change avoids stagnation. But our common ground has eroded through "philosophical wars", widening income gaps, and the dawn of "opinionated news" (Edward R. Murrow is now John Stewart?). Instead of the UNITED states of America, we have been somewhat reduced to the Bickering States of America.
Let me detour to Wisconsin for a second and please put aside your polarized thoughts for a minute if you have them. There we some very important issues in Wisconsin, but to me there was a good set of ideas on both sides. Yet what we SAW was slanted public relations and rhetoric. Absolutely no attempts were ever made to sell the plan outside of the "inner circles". And you could even claim that it was purposefully avoided as to not be seen as "collaborating with the enemy".
The NFL labor dispute went the opposite way, with both sides quickly trying to sell their agenda to each other and to the general public. In listening to the radio, many people have listened to the arguments and formed opinions. But to me it is clear that without being able to operate as a league instead of 32 competing businesses, the NFL is doomed to be 6 teams. In their case, they already had a working model and tore it down.
Whatever happened to debating a decision until it was made, but once it was made, getting on board and making it work? Don't we all do that everyday of our professional lives? Then why is it so damn hard to support a president (any elected president) for a lousy 4 years? (NOTE: I am a REPUBLICAN and I am saying this!) So you cant get $5 Gagillion (sic) cut from the budget. Take the compromise and move forward. (We live in an age where they brought back the Tea Party. Really? Are you kidding me? Is there a monarchy I don't know about?) Instead we reach some middle ground and fight tooth and nail to NOT be there. WTF?
Here is where I choose to wrap this up. It's not that we cant find any middle ground on anything but rather that we are choosing to fight against being there. Against inevitability itself. Because if you crush down 48% of the people, you crush down 48% of America. And where is the "victory" in that?
-Joe Consumer
p.s. why do I get the feeling that after 40 years of verbal mocking, Canada is laughing at us instead of with us?
What's the use of debating or pointing out the issues here? Like with so many other political events of the decade, we are a nation divided. And no one speaks of what we have lost as a result. By being polarized by politics (right vs. left, religion vs. religion, etc) we have lost our sense of nationalism. You can ask any nut-job about what he loves and get the stoic reply of "God and country", but is it really the truth? If we love our country so much, then why do we fight so hard to defend what is WAS instead of what it IS?
The 1940s are not coming back (thank goodness). And everyone remembers the good parts of the 1950s but not the fact that it lead to the turmoil of the 60s (don't get me started on this dissertation on repressive society). And those golden financials of the 1980s? That came from the dawn of the Age of Information, not from superior monetary policy. But I digress...
The US is an amalgamation of conflicting agendas, conflicting religions, conflicting politics and conflicting people (see incarceration rates). Bad? who is to say? Chaos brings change, change avoids stagnation. But our common ground has eroded through "philosophical wars", widening income gaps, and the dawn of "opinionated news" (Edward R. Murrow is now John Stewart?). Instead of the UNITED states of America, we have been somewhat reduced to the Bickering States of America.
Let me detour to Wisconsin for a second and please put aside your polarized thoughts for a minute if you have them. There we some very important issues in Wisconsin, but to me there was a good set of ideas on both sides. Yet what we SAW was slanted public relations and rhetoric. Absolutely no attempts were ever made to sell the plan outside of the "inner circles". And you could even claim that it was purposefully avoided as to not be seen as "collaborating with the enemy".
The NFL labor dispute went the opposite way, with both sides quickly trying to sell their agenda to each other and to the general public. In listening to the radio, many people have listened to the arguments and formed opinions. But to me it is clear that without being able to operate as a league instead of 32 competing businesses, the NFL is doomed to be 6 teams. In their case, they already had a working model and tore it down.
Whatever happened to debating a decision until it was made, but once it was made, getting on board and making it work? Don't we all do that everyday of our professional lives? Then why is it so damn hard to support a president (any elected president) for a lousy 4 years? (NOTE: I am a REPUBLICAN and I am saying this!) So you cant get $5 Gagillion (sic) cut from the budget. Take the compromise and move forward. (We live in an age where they brought back the Tea Party. Really? Are you kidding me? Is there a monarchy I don't know about?) Instead we reach some middle ground and fight tooth and nail to NOT be there. WTF?
Here is where I choose to wrap this up. It's not that we cant find any middle ground on anything but rather that we are choosing to fight against being there. Against inevitability itself. Because if you crush down 48% of the people, you crush down 48% of America. And where is the "victory" in that?
-Joe Consumer
p.s. why do I get the feeling that after 40 years of verbal mocking, Canada is laughing at us instead of with us?
Monday, April 18, 2011
Time to recycle my last header
Ummm, WTF? No more online poker for 2011? Really? is that what its come to?
Thursday, April 14, 2011
WTF? What is going on?
I have really let this go, eh? I have not been playing enough to develop new thoughts on strategy... but I have been thinking quite a bit about it as of late.
I am playing in an invitational this weekend, and lets see what I'll be concentrating on.
1. AGGRESSION.
2. See #1
I have been readying quite a few war strategy books lately, and there is a common theme. There is no substitute for making you opponent have to adjust. To anything.
I am playing in an invitational this weekend, and lets see what I'll be concentrating on.
1. AGGRESSION.
2. See #1
I have been readying quite a few war strategy books lately, and there is a common theme. There is no substitute for making you opponent have to adjust. To anything.
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