I'm Published

We try not to live like we are poor so will occasionally go to the movies or drop a little money for a tavern tourney. But we have been having a rough time for some years now as I have not been able to find full time employment and we have had to deal with various medical bills.

We would truly appreciate your support if you would like to purchase my book. A small work of fiction that I am sure you will enjoy. It is available now on my Create Space e-sales page and should be available on Amazon within five business days. Tomorrow I will have to see if I can make it available for the Kindle.

Click here to buy it now.

I haven't been to any tournaments recently. I am currently thinking of going to a Pit Bull Poker tournament and then writing about the three most prominent bar centered tournament organizations in the area.

Hats

Many famous poker players wear a hat or some headgear particular to them. I cannot say if they think it brings them luck, conceals their features, or what. Have I done better wearing a hat? Not having worn one in a while I would have to say yes. The problem is, which hat? I have a lot of bad, ill-fitting, uncomfortable hats. A good hat, one that will bring you luck, is hard to find. State Fair had lots of hats for sale.

I like hats, especially when I am working outside. I don't have a lot of hats that fit well or that I like. I have a Washington DC hat, not that I am a fan of Washington DC, that is comfortable and of some level of quality. But it is usually dirty since I wear it often. I try to look clean when at the poker table.

I noticed I do better dressed casually but feel better when dressed in good clothes. So this last Sunday night I wore jeans and a t-shirt with some nice socks, my Allen-Edmonds and matching belt and was looking forward to see how I did. They didn't have enough people to play.

I have an extremely nice USS Reagan hat I received for donating to the Reagan Library. I wore it once and a while when I was out of hats, but had to keep telling people who didn't know me that I wasn't in the navy and where I got the hat. Though if anyone would stop to think a moment they should realize people who have served have mission buttons and other accessories pinned to their hats. I don't wear that hat any more.

I have a Civil War Preservation Trust hat. I like it and it is very comfortable. I wore it once to a poker game and it seemed to stir the ire of some there. Not sure how it would fly at the casino if I could ever afford to go again.

The last time I played a bar tournament, one more accomplished than myself pointed out that the slow pace and blind structure of most bar tournaments makes luck a bigger factor than skill. I would like to try a tournament at the casino if I ever have the money. With the quick play at the casino, seeing many more hands at each level, skill gains advantage.

Then I have the Gun Owners Task Force hat that fits nice and comfortable like. I'm just not comfortable with the acronym. I wore it on a job once and we had to go to Home Depot to buy some supplies. It got me looks from the ladies. Can't wear that hat.

Right now I have been extremely consumed with getting my book published and have necessary home repairs looming as Winter approaches. My poker goals are simple. One, stay on track for Tavern Tourney's six month tournament, which shouldn't be a problem even going just a few times a month. The other, just outright win a tournament. That will get me into bigger tournaments in and of itself. No chasing monthly points as I am too busy right now and the money is tight. Even saving on gas and a soda, the minimal cost for a night of poker, can make a difference so I don't plan to be going much. I'll have to get back to free Internet play, but I don't know if that isn't counterproductive as people with play money play differently.

Tight

Summer has been hard on the poker tournament organizations/leagues as people tend to do other things with their evenings, the sun being out well past 8:00 pm. Some are waiting for the autumn to renew their expansionists policies. So, as someone who often plays for free, out of necessity, I find it curious that policies have been changed to put the free players at an even greater disadvantage stack wise. Providing vastly greater chip earning promotions so that even with a minimal buy-in you may find yourself seriously short stacked from the get go. It would seem contrary to promoting growth. I find it hard to understand...or not.

So it has caused me to become more and more tight as a player. And be assured that when I do go in on a hand I will be raised pre-flop and heavily challenged after. So it was the other night. Somewhere in mid position, after folding almost everything but the blinds most of the night, I went in with 7, 8 suited, hoping for a big trap. I was raised, the raiser looking directly to me, and I called. Several called. The flop came A, 4, 5 with two hearts, my suit. I made double the minimal bet, believing everyone would put me on an A. I was reraised to over 2/3rds of my stack by one as the others folded. I thought awhile with my gut shot straight and flush draw, knowing clearly he had the A. I thought he would have a good kicker. As my stack was comparatively small, even before the hand, I went all-in which he didn't like but having a mountain of chips, my reraise being a fraction of his stack and the total pot, he called.

Reraising me, playing tight, on my bet with an A, 8? Most would consider I had an A, 10 or better, or possibly believe I hit two pair, or at least paired the A with a wheel draw. I'm not sure if most others would consider mine a good all-in, but most were surely surprised, if not impressed, when I turned over the 7, 8 of hearts. I didn't hit my straight or flush and was out, but picked up a point for the session tournament which I have qualified for.

And have I been 'punked' by Ultimate Bet? Working for my $1 million play money goal, with near $700,000 I lost it all in a matter of days, never having come out ahead in a single sitting. And this with me playing the smaller stake games as my play money assets dropped. All happening after a software update some time back. Haven't played there since. I had stopped counting the times I hit two pair on the flop and lost to someone who hit their second higher pair on the river. But it is all play money? People play differently.

Actually have lost interest in the online poker after playing real games for prizes and tournament qualification. At first I didn't think I could hold my own but did well sticking to what I had learned from online play and TV. And am learning more and more every time I play; growing in feel and read and betting strategy.

So at my next tournament I will still be at a disadvantage, as the highest point getter's still receive some bonus chips. But should have better odds. And I certainly have plenty of experiences playing tight...

Or maybe I just want my competition to think I'm playing tight.

Blah hahahahaha Blah hahahahaha!

Luck?

As I have said before I take seriously, no matter how trivial, everything I do. And I do well at everything I invest myself in. Yet last night some seemed intent on describing my prowess at the poker table as 'luck.' Well, let me tell you how it went down.

Already on the small stack, not buying in for the 'last man standing' prize for 5000 in extra chips, I played the first hand with a K, 10 suited, hearts. J, Q came on the flop, two diamonds. The betting was high. Another diamond came on the turn and I bet big, representing a flush I didn't hold, and was called by the two others in the hand. I made my straight on the river and checked. Check, check and I lost big to the nuts flush.

So now I am seriously small stacked right from the get go. And I hadn't eaten, had a headache and the music at this Badger Poker tournament was deafening. The guy next to me was obnoxious, but I didn't let it bother me and learned to enjoy it.

I don't remember all the hands exactly but won many all-ins. Three to get to the final table and took out more than one in their all-ins there, even collecting a bounty for taking out Al. My all-ins were well chosen after long waits, paying out many blinds that cut deep. Snowmen held early on the opening table.

On the final table I was again seriously small stacked with a J, Q off and I raised pre-flop, if I remember correctly, to make others think twice before making large bets that would push me off the hand. J on the flop with something like a 7, 5 rainbow. I went all-in. The pot was big. I had one caller. Pocket A's shown with a glee. Another J on the turn and a 5 on the river and it was I who was celebrating. Luck? Yes. A bad push or poor poker playing? No way.

Three left and again my stack growing small I had a Q, 7 on the BB. Three spades, including and A, on the flop and me with a 7 of spades. Heads up I went all-in. Called since my opponent had the large stack and could easily afford it. He had the 8 of spades with a 9 so I owned the hand with high card. J of spades on the turn ended it, his 8 beating my 7 for the flush, and I finished third out of 21.

Now I should be on the cusp if not already in Badger Poker's quarterly tournament by points. Coming in in the middle of the session I quickly got to the top 120. I have only missed one final table so far at Badger Poker.

Muck the Straight

Another night of free poker at Fanatics.

Again only one winning hand the first hour. First hour played high pair, Q's, and was beat by pocket K's. Then I called an all-in with Q, 10 with high pair, Q's, after the flop, against a Q, 8. Again, ...we call this domination. He hit the 8 on the turn and to make things worse a fourth diamond came on the river to give him a flush. Just before the break so I didn't have to wait long for more free chips to start the second hour.

My one win for the first hour? I went all-in with A's. One caller and I was still in the game. After the break one person had triple my stack and the others about double. Still far from out of the game. I went all-in with high pair. Showed my cards after the hand was over and the other gentleman mucked.

He mucked. Then he thought again and turned his cards over. He had a straight. But it was too late. He mucked.

Then I had an open ended straight draw after the flop and the betting was high. The small stack was all-in before the flop. I hit the straight on the river but not the nuts straight. Had to go all-in and another was nearly all-in. We both had the 10 making a straight, but another gentleman had the K, 10, making the nuts/higher straight. I thought that was going to happen. (I should have just mucked) So two more out and they were three away from final table after two hours.

I don't think anyone bought a round to get back in the game. The bonus chip promotion for continuous night play (if you play Sunday) is still on in Milwaukee. I may take my bike to Victor's tomorrow. Have to take any advantage, as I have a chance to get into the monthly if I can get to one more final table this month.

Comedy Cafe

Last night I was at the Comedy Cafe for the Wednesday night tavern tourney. Yes, it was pouring rain so there was no local mountain bike race.

The Comedy Cafe truly caters to their poker patrons. And for those who don't drink they have some really great bottled water to enjoy. And on my fourth outing at the Milwaukee tavern tourneys I made the final table for a second time.

The first hand I folded a Q, 2 off and would have won with two pair. The second hand of the night I folded a 7, 4 off and would have beat pocket A's with a straight. But what can you do? The betting was so strong I most likely wouldn't have chased the straight to the river anyway. I had gone in with a 3, 4 suited and folded what would have been another straight on the river, thinking someone must have the higher straight. The first hour I won only one hand. The last hand before the break.

I called an after the flop raise and took a pot with low pair as my opponent failed to raise again. Then I had a hot streak after the break making two flushes, both clubs, only having to show one.

I had only a few blinds left in my stack when our whole table hit a break. A couple had to leave. The gentleman, unable to shuffle or deal, sitting together with his girlfriend (also in the game) to shuffle and deal for him, were piling up the chips. Unfortunately she had to work early in the morning and they had to leave. Their chips were divided among our table as our table had considerably less chips as a whole than the other remaining table.

Still as the blinds rose and I was still one of the small stacks I had to start going all-in. My 5's held against an A, 9 against the gentleman who took me out the last time I played. Also had one caller when I went all-in (only ten players remaining) with A, 10 clubs and took that hand. So I made it to the final table.

I outlasted many others and there were only three of us remaining. I posted the BB and had only a SB left in my stack. A small fraction of my opponents stacks. Called a raise from the gentleman who took me out the last time (Mr. WSOP) with a 7, 8 off. Just no sense in throwing away 2/3rds of my chips with a hand that wasn't good but not bad. He had K's, but with an A, 2, 3, 4 on the board, a 5 on the river would have produced an wheel and a split pot. But it didn't happen and I finished third.

The topic of poker etiquette came up. I found several sites on the topic and will link to one in the sidebar under 'The Basics' after I find the best site.