Internet Poker

I have not made the Mid-States Poker Tournament at our local Casino, a mere two miles from our home. I had hoped to participate as I mentioned on my last post. I have just been too preoccupied; I could say busy, but that doesn’t quite fit. The days are long, the garden is producing and the demands of life never cease.

The biggest factor among all others that kept me from getting to the tables was that my finances have been too tight. Yes, I have money set aside dedicated to my poker pursuits, in the hopes of growing such funds. But when the general funds are not expanding, when it looks like you’ll just be getting by (at least until we get past our quarterly tax payment) I just can’t bring myself to chance any funds.

The peaches are just about ready to be picked, hopefully before the branches are pulled from the trunk under their own weight. The sun, life and nature are all things that keep us centered. They are also things that a casino tries to eliminate to keep you playing. They want you to lose track of time.

We did stop by the casino to dine and to briefly take advantage of some slot offers we received. And we came out ahead. But the total investment and the time a tournament requires have been something I couldn’t set myself to.

“So what are you trying to say Phillip? Your title is Internet Poker.”

Exactly.

I receive e-mails from the Poker’s Players Alliance. They have been lobbying in congress for a bill that would legalize Internet poker. The cause has steadily advanced and seems to be making progress.

I have a problem with this. Yes, I played quite a bit of Internet poker over past Winters; not for real money. I also believe proper legislation could limit a persons financial risk; allowing only tournament play with limited but-ins for example. Of course anything can be worked around. Those who made a profit off of Internet poker played multiple games at a time, many large displays hanging before them, each covered with virtual tables. A person could also set up multiple accounts to get around any restrictions also.

So what’s the real problem? The real problem is the almost hypnotic effect the Internet has over the mind. Gamers have been known to lose their lives, figuratively, in the particular format they play within. The draw of the virtual world along with the allusion of potential profits could destroy people’s lives on a far greater scale than that attributed to those with a gambling addiction. The Internet can a an addiction.

And how do you track Internet addiction? (An addiction that drains one’s funds) A casino can, and they do to a certain degree, track their guests with a gambling problem. They encourage people to seek help if they believe they have a gambling problem.

I believe the environmental control the casinos practice does not come close to the trap the Internet can become. That’s just my personal observation. The Internet is in your home. It sits there in front of you, or just out of the corner of your eye, every moment you are there. And if your unemployed…

Personally I have enough problems with Facebook. I have so many varying Internet log in names and passwords that my head hurts. The effort to keep track of them all is a burden I increasingly long to be free from. Though I enjoyed Internet poker in the past, mostly on dark Winter nights, I have no interest in becoming involved in Internet poker again. I do not believe I am unique in my growing compulsion to be free from the Internet, even computers, all together.

When I write my books, transcribing my notebooks to the computer is the most dreaded part of the process of getting to a finished work. Though I find working on a computer sometimes tedious, it does increase my efficiency. I imagine it will also increase the efficiency with which Internet poker sites will be able to relieve people of their money.

Poker is a game of skill, but the skilled will be few and far between amidst Internet poker players.

Poker is a personable game. A social experience. Limiting it to sitting alone in a room, in front of a screen, demeans the game and in kind the person playing. You’ll be much more fulfilled playing at the casino with real live people to observe and interact with. Just don’t spend to much time thinking about the rake; except when the pot is small and a bet or raise would increase the rake with little benefit to the winner of the pot. The others at the table will share their disdain for such a bet. It is the best classroom in the world.

I guess I was worried about the wrong branch. Heard the dog barking and…

Across the Board and The Mid-States

That is betting on a horse to Win, Place and Show. If the odds are good and the horse wins you’re in a bit of money (when the odds are small enough you cannot bet to Show or even to Place). That is a strategy I use since I have no desire to risk much on a horse. Definitely if the horse has the odds, that I will cover the bet even if he just Shows, and some believe the horse can win I like to place that bet.

I have a certain knowledgeable celebrity’s picks to guide me on the major equestrian events, and the casino with its OTB is so very close. So two dollars across the board, six dollars total, is a risk I am willing to take if opportunity allows. I do not wager on horses often.

So I was busy on the day of the Preakness. I checked that certain man’s recommendations and quickly knew if I had had time I would have bet across the board on one particular horse. I turned on the TV and soon after saw that horse Place.

For the Belmont Stakes it was so busy that I saved a bit of money by not being able to make it to the counter (due to a line of people all taking forever to place a simple bet) for the first race on which I wished to wager. I had two winning tickets on other races. If I had made it to the OTB for the Preakness I would have broke even over the two events. As it stood I didn’t cover my investment.

Exacta boxes, picking the two lead horses in either order, can also be a productive wager if you have little money. When there is an overwhelming favorite in the race it is a poor bet. Many will make an exacta box with the favorite and every other horse in the race, vastly reducing the winnings potential for the winning ticket.

Having been in the money for two poker tournaments in a row at a venue I enjoy I wondered if I could make it three; across the board in a sense. So when the opportunity arose I was out the door and off.

My stack dwindled to less than half without a single winning hand well past the first break. I rebounded. I built up to an average stack, based on number of players remaining, several times. I just couldn’t break the average stack barrier. I never had a dominant stack to take advantage of. I made a bad push against a superior stack. I called a large raise with a good hand that became junk after the flop. Overall though I played a good tight game.

Down to nine I made a play that seldom works out for me and I keep telling myself not to do it again. Nine players remained; four to be paid. I was under the gun, one hand from the blinds, small stacked. I had been telling myself to wait for the blinds for the entire round, but needing to win an all-in to remain in the running it is in this very position that weakness strikes. An Ace, Face-Card or near anything suited (hardly the best hand to go all-in with but I have a weakness for flush draws) convinces my brain that “these may be the best cards you’ll see before your stack runs out.” With nine players it is a bad all-in call under the gun but at this point everyone is playing very tight.

My King Deuce of diamonds didn’t work out. I had one caller and he had pocket tens. His hand makes me wonder why it took him so long to call. I shouldn’t be so trusting. I may be out of line but I’m going to tell people to take their hands off their cards, especially when they’re sliding them back and forth on the table very fast. Also if they show they’re cards to someone else I’m calling them on it. No more Mr. Nice Guy. No one else, tournament director or otherwise, is going to call anyone on anything on my behalf; a topic I’ve covered on previous posts but no one else shouldn’t expect it either.

Two out of three aint bad and the idea came to me that a third try at the casino may pay off, bringing me to 500 and still well in the black overall. But I am not one to run off on a whim when an idea pops into my head. When I have the time and have mentally prepared the opportunity will arise. A trellis for my raspberries is a higher priority than rushing out to a Saturday Omaha hi-lo game.

I am averaging about one poker outing a month. It is sufficient to revive and keep my knowledge, abilities, read and understanding of the game at a competitive level.

The Mid-Sates Poker Tour is underway at the Potawatomi Casino. Another opportunity to climb the ladder beginning with a small buy-in satellite. How can I not try at least once. I have plenty of time.

Yes, I am still writing. Check out my author’s page on amazon. I recommend this e-book if you like 19th century tales of adventure and survival.

Mid-States Poker Tour

The Mid-States Poker Tour held a main event in Milwaukee almost three weeks ago. I didn’t see any coverage of the event on the local news casts, but you can watch the full final table video here.

I entered a $65 satellite to try to win my way into the tournament’s main event. It was only a few days before the main event was to begin, so everything was staked on a continuous series of wins, finishing in the top 20% in two tournaments, that would result in my playing all night, and on the final day all day, in the main event. I would be playing more nights than not, over the following five days.

So there I was at a table of very serious players, though a few turned extremely insecure after a big loss. I didn’t start out too well. I recovered some but then became extremely tired. My lack of play over the last year or two showed. I was not on my game, relearning lessons previously learned as I made mistakes. I was calling bets too large for my stack in relation to my hand strength.

Realizing I was rusty and had never played for more than one evening or afternoon in the course of a week, or even a month, the daunting task of several days of serious play during a time of week when our business is most active sent a wave of weariness over me. I was already tired. I often do not sleep much, though I average nearly six and a half hours of sleep a night (recorded to the minute by my CPAP machine and documented by my sleep apnea specialist).

On top of that my mental focus just wasn’t there. I have never had much luck or results at the casino. I find the spirit distracting and heavy. My concentration and motivations become mottled. If I had any type of success at the casino in the past, when I was playing much more, I may well have never let my play lapse and may have pursued the game much more veraciously.

Missing Church wasn’t something that inspired me either. The final day of the main event began early Sunday. Looking over the rules of previous tournaments, one’s stack would be reduced through the rotational blinds until one showed up. That is, you could arrive late. I had even tried to calculate how many hands could be played in an hour, the level of blinds and how much one would lose over the first hour and a half. I tried to time how long the auto shuffle took in case the table would fold all around, trying to blind out an unsupported stack. Looking over the rules of this last tournament I had the impression you had to be there at the start time, though no consequences were listed for not being there.

It appeared to me that the auto shuffle continues until the dealer presses the button to retrieve a fresh deck.

As far as the media coverage there must be a story there. Poker programming had been advertised in the past on national broadcast television, but then was never broadcast locally. Was that simply the early manifestation of poker losing its spectator base? How many markets replaced the poker programming with insignificant local programming? That was a couple years back.

This is my conclusion from my latest adventures in pursuit of poker glory; I must start the satellite tournaments much earlier in the big tournament path. I need to win a spot at the main event more than a week before it begins. I will not even try for a final week rush through the several steps to the main event again. Of course I could always buy my way in, though it is not cheap. That is why they have satellites; to allow people a more economical way to get into a big tournament based on ability rather than money.

Call Me ‘Redbeard’

Am I fated to suffer the same fate as the characters I have created? Creations? Or perhaps an unconscious expression of my inner depths. Ask. Venture the poker halls, the back rooms. Inquire of the poker room managers, the tournament directors, the players that witnessed my fate and others; those to whom the tale has already spread. Then you’ll know that I write the truth, though an enthusiast of a game often characterized by deception.

It was Saturday, a return to the Omaha Hi-Lo table at the Potawatomi Casino. My stack was dwindling. Two 3’s came on the flop. The pot grew. I had a three in my hand, but more significant was the two Aces among my four cards. Certainly if I could hit an Ace on the river, a full house, Aces full of threes, with no potential for four of a kind, I had a three, I should be back in the game, back in the black.

(In Omaha you receive four cards but must make a hand from two of the four you hold and three of the five cards on the table. In Hi-Lo you need not use the same two cards for your high hand and low hand, any separate combination will do.)

An Ace did come on the river. I was confident I had the hand when raise after raise gave me a bit of pause. Yes, there was one hand that could beat me; a straight flush, but this player had already made a straight flush earlier that afternoon. Alas, the one hand that could beat me was there. Further, my cards for a low hand were all counterfeited; that is the three low cards on the board were also in my hand and I could not create a five card low hand (must be five different cards 8 or lower) Call me ‘Redbeard’. A character from one of my books.

They changed out the cards for new decks shortly afterward. I guess you’ll have to read my book to know what I’m writing about.

In the world of super secret, Major Chuck Hammer and his Invisible Squadron take on the forces of evil in service to the country they love. Fighting battles unknown to all but those involved, the future of the world as we know it hangs in the balance. Standing for the cause of freedom, with the most highly trained and talented men in the business, aircraft unmatched the whole world through, what could possibly go wrong?

I dropped out of several similar hands, where a fortuitous river card would have given me a killer hand. I was pleasantly surprised that when the card I needed came, that an even better hand would have taken me to the cleaners if I had stayed in. Just about anything and everything can go wrong.

I wasn’t playing good poker. I was in far too many hands but happily it paid off, until it didn’t. My mind wasn’t in the game. I looked more at the size of my stack than the size of the pot and it cost me.

Not to worry. The poker fund, all winnings set aside for the service and benefit of others, is still strong.

It was the 28th anniversary since my wife and I first met this last week. We were hoping to get to the casino for dinner, using our club points, but our schedules didn’t come together. We are often busy in the evenings.

The Potawatomi Casino has a new restaurant with their hotel; “Locavore”. The menu looks inviting; a bit of international fusion focusing on locally sourced quality food. There was a time, before I went to any casino, before casinos were as numerous as they are today, when the word was that food was very cheap at casinos; it was one of the draws. I wouldn’t say the food is cheap at the casino two miles from our home, or the few others we had stopped by in the past, but I would say the food is reasonably priced. Even if the photographs may make the portions appear somewhat larger than they are, considering the quality, the food at The Potawatomi Casino is very reasonably priced.

I, and my wife, stick to the top floor when we visit the casino. It is ‘no smoking’ and has the poker room, the gift shop, OTB and the Bingo Hall with a ‘no smoking’ room of slot machines alongside. The New Hotel opens into the Casino with a broad passageway that is flooded with natural light. On the top floor the torch room has been opened up, flooding that area with even more natural light. The flow of natural light into a casino is far from the norm. I like it. I believe it is a bold decision, even though only a small portion of the gambling areas are effected. The natural light enhances the atmosphere.

Associations

I just made it. Just made the top five of forty-nine and made it into the prizes.

My last outing I won with four of a kind. This time around I lost to four of a kind. Some similarities. I had an Ace-King suited, almost no choice but to call a heads up all-in. I faced again a King-10. Three tens came down, though it was a good call. The odds were in my favor.

I find every deck has its own attributes. Last night many three of a kind came up early, to the disgruntlement of many. Later, two pair became dominant. I was at a Omaha hi-lo game at the casino some time ago and four of a kind was prominent for some time.

I never read or heard anything about rhythms of a deck; the dynamics of a shuffle. Perhaps it is mere coincidence. But it is something I pay attention to, out of simple experience.

I lost big before winning big last night. I made some bad calls and very poor pushes. I was not feeling on my game but it worked out. You can find in previous posts examples of my winning big and then losing big on similar hands, often losing to a hand I had recently won with.

Enjoy a good story where men play poker? I would be very appreciative if you would purchase my books, appropriately priced for Kindle. They are also available free with Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited. In “Chuck Hammer and the Invisible Squadron; A Vendetta’s Wage” there are four Aces, and they all play poker.

The New Guy, “Do You Know Me Now”

“Lookout for the new guy with the short hair.” I heard someone say in the background. It has been a while since I sat at a table, but with a new resolve and vision I was itching for an opportunity.

I fell slightly behind in the chips. I lost a big bluff, having to wait many a minute for a call. I worked a couple of good hands, pushing too hard at the end, and most likely losing some potential for gains. But it created an impression I could use to my advantage later.

I took out a young gentleman with a King-Duece suited; hearts. Why do people bet large on the turn expecting to throw off people looking to make a flush on the river? Then, when I make my own large bet with that flush achieved they don’t believe me. They go all-in and then are upset I didn’t fold on the turn. It’s like the guy whose dog, loose, not on a leash, threatens you. You tell the owner the law says you need to have your dog on a leash, and they claim, spewing their own anger, that it’s not the law.

Hit the final table. My stack was on the light side and it got lighter before only six remained; four to be awarded. Patiently I waited for appropriate hands. Got a competitive stack built up without drawing attention to myself. I went all-in without thinking, just feeling. One caller, an Ace-6 suited against my Ace-7. Another gentleman had folded pocket sixes. I caught a 7. No chop.

The others in the final four wanted to chop the prize money. Two of the final four debated which of them had the largest stack. I suggested we count up and see who had the largest stack. I had the largest stack. I said, “I don’t want to chop.”

I looked at my King-10 and felt really good about it. Thoughts of an all-in struck me. A much smaller stack went all-in before me and I called. One folded. then the last men went all-in himself with a much larger stack. The thought of folding crossed my mind without establishing a beachhead. I would still have a very relevant stack, even if I lost, so I called.

If I remember correctly it was an Ace-Jack of spades, and a 5-6 of spades against my off-suit King-10. I hit the King. Two spades on the flop didn’t pay off.

Heads up. With a dominant stack I folded, even big pots, on my opponents all-ins, which were every four or five hands. I was dealt a very favorable hand and made a large bet, near 3% of total chips; five times the blind. I was called. An Ace-10-and card of no significance came on the flop. I checked. My opponent went all-in. I called.

He showed me his King-10, having paired the 10. I showed him my pocket rockets, my two aces. Another Ace came on the river and I won the largest prize I’ve ever won with four Aces.

It wasn’t until the director was dealing our heads up match that anyone had even asked me my name. It seemed a light bulb turned on at the sound of my moniker. A bit of infamy, I attribute mostly to my religious affiliation heavily despised by a few, has made me known more broadly than most.

So what will I do with my winnings? Well, on this new year I made a new determination. Reading the autobiography of Reverend Moon, he wrote that when he was a child men used to gamble at the mill as part of the New Year’s celebration. He would watch them play, and when things appeared to be breaking up he would join in the game playing three hands, believing he could win one of three hands. He would take his winnings and buy treats for the children. So I made a similar determination and won.

Yes, I will tithe, and then give my poker winnings away. That would include possibly having a bar-B-Q, and using the money to buy very fine meats for my guests; anyone welcome. When we were better off I used to have large bar-B-Q’s for our congregation every year.

So I made the determination. I had a few opportunities before to make a tournament, and felt disappointed I had not followed through. I got to the first for this year and won big. And even though we are in need, I will not be using this money for our own benefit. And that’s that.

If you’d like to help my wife and I, to pursue our dreams in hard times, we would be very appreciative if you would purchase my books, appropriately priced for Kindle. They are also available free with Amazon Prime or Kindle Unlimited. In “Chuck Hammer and the Invisible Squadron; A Vendetta’s Wage” there are four Aces, and they all play poker.

Never apologize for wining.

Mid States Poker Tour

Times are hard. I have not been negligent in my poker pursuits, but simply not in a position to invest in the cause and remain financially responsible as an individual. Still we stopped by the casino for dinner this Labor Day and I was pleasantly intrigued that, for the first time, the Mid States Poker Tour is coming to Milwaukee, and the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino. Yes, the hotel is open; $4,000 a night for the Presidential suit.

Unfortunately, not having played this Summer, I have yet to develop a pool (1/2 of tournament winnings) for investing in more costly tournaments such as the one mentioned above, although the Mid Sates Poker Tour is actually very inexpensive compared to others of the same caliber.

This is what happens when you have children to raise. Knowing my brother to have enjoyed poker with his friends, I built him this table. He also has a very nice case set of chips. But with three children he has discovered that it makes a far better Lego table then a poker table. I have a list of renovation projects to complete before I get to building my next table.

This Winter, even now the days grow shorter and the shadows long, I will be in a much more advantageous position in my trek to achieve poker fame and great glory.