Rampage

The Rampage Continues..........
 
Poker has been beddy beddy good to me.
 
Went to the poker room Friday night with Gail and had a great time. Sitting at the 1/3 table Gail and I found ourselves to both have around $700 in front of us. Not a bad night at the tables. Ends up I hit a straight on her and I get the Ester from Sanford and Son look, the “You fish eyed fool” look. Gail loses another hand and I decide it’s time to go. Which, she never wants to go but it was time. I cash out up $400 for the night and Gail cashes up $269. A nice nights pay.
 
Saturday morning I wake up and I’m feeling pretty spry. I tell Gail, “I’m going to win the Saturday tournament at Choctaw today.” She looks at me and says that’s nice go do it. At this point she knows I mean it as I’ve been chopping tournaments like a mad man possessed.
 
Welllllllllllllllllllll, yes it happens again. Had 112 runners on the 12pm $175 buy in tournament at Choctaw. A very good Deep Stack tournament with $15,000 in chips to start. I’m running along, playing well and accumulating chips as has become the standard lately. Just taking my time and we get closer and closer to 4 tables. Things look promising. There are a lot of WSOP circuit “pros” that have shown up from the Boosier City WSOP circuit events. I’m loving it as I like playing good players. We get down to two tables and bust the bubble where it pays 12. At this point I will lay low and wait on premium hands only. Never top ten hands but top 5 hands. I have enough chips to lay low for awhile and before you know it we have the final table of 9.
 
To win tournaments you have to dodge the bad beats and have some luck along the way. It’s just the way it is. I have chips and I get in a hand with a lady that I’ve seen quite a bit lately. I have AK and I raise, she re-raises all in and has me covered. I snap call her as she has been pushing all in on just about anything. She shows AQ. I have her, until the flop. She flops a Q and I almost crap on the carpet right there in the poker room. This conjures up memories of when I earned the poker nickname Buck Naked. That’s a story for another day. Needless to say I wasn’t happy until I turn a K. Helloooooooo, the doctor is IN!!!!! I pound the felt and say that is justice right there. Sometimes there is justice in poker. Not very often but at times there is. It’s not long before we get her out and it’s down to me, some classic car salesman Mexican dude from San Antonio, I’ll call him Roy, and two WSOP Circuit pro dudes. Roy wants to chop and one of the pro dudes says ok but he want $4,000 and you three get $2,750. Roy has been trying to chop since there is like 14 people left. I say “no” deal cards. I know that between me and the two pros we can get Roy out. Sure enough one of the pros gets him and Roy is back at the Hacienda in about 5 hours.
 
One of the pros says how about we chop for $3,000 and play for the last $1,300. I agree as both have me fat stacked. Next hand I have A2 and push all in. I get a call with A 10 and I’m out. Pro’s chop for the rest and cash $3,650.
 
This run started in June in Las Vegas. I cashed 3 out of 6 tournaments in Las Vegas with the last one being a 3 way chop. Since that 3 way chop I have chopped 7 tournaments with 10 cashes out of 20. It’s just crazy! So stay tuned and let’s see where this ride takes us.
 
 
 
 
 

Choctaw Donkasorous weekend

Running GOOD!

Running good or being in the zone is one of those unexplainable phenomenon’s in life that comes from nowhere. I’ve had it happen a few times in basketball, football and baseball, but never in poker. Not like this!

It started when I was probably around 7 or 8 years old. My dad would take me and my brother to the beer joints in South Texas and he would play dominoes and we would shoot pool and drink Big Red. Loved that stuff. I always enjoyed being with the big guys, hanging out and watching grandpa play dominoes. They even let dad play sometimes.

Over the years I learned how to play five card draw, seven card stud and shoot dice on the San Antonio river banks. I’ve always enjoyed gambling and there is just something about the “Action”. Whether it’s at the dice table or hitting a big hand in poker the adrenaline rush can be just like a big hit in baseball or a last second shot in basket ball. It fuels me. I’ve always gone for the dangerous sport whether it is the wild horse race in the rodeo or Whirly ball in Plano. And then, there is poker.

Poker can be the most confounding game in the world. I compare it to golf. There is a lot of skill and luck always plays a factor. Hit the great shot or draw the winning hand on the river and it keeps you coming back. But the thing that I have come to realize is that poker is mostly a mind game. If you don’t mind losing your money, I don’t mind taking it.

Back in July, Gail and I went to Vegas for a short jaunt and for her to get into a conference for CPE. We landed at McCarron and immediately headed for the Rio to play in the 6pm $185 Deep Stack. It was a long night and I finished about 3am, placing 7th and cashing $903. A good way to start the trip.

The next day I only had a couple of hours sleep and just couldn’t wait to play some more. I grabbed a taxi to the Venetian for their noon deep stack and got busted out really quick. Ok, now it’s time to go to Caesars. I can still get in the noon Deep Stack there. Again, busted out really fast. At this time I realized I was way too tired to play. I was making bad decisions. So I took it to the hotel and got a nap. I recouped and played the Rio 2pm Deep Stack for $235. Busted early and re-bought for another $235. Made a late run and got bad beat deep into the tournament. I flop a set of 10’s and another guy flops two pair AJ. We get all of our chips in the middle and he turns an A for the bigger set. UGH! Oh well, off to have fun with Gail.

Gail likes shooting craps at the Golden Nugget. We caught a cab to the nugget and did quite well at craps. I then sat down and played the 4pm tournament and finished 2nd. I turned around and played the 7pm and chopped it 3 ways. Total take was around $1,300.

Finished up in Vegas and came on home.

Now the fun begins. I now have 4 10 hour days that I work with Friday off. I can run to the Choctaw casino for their 7pm Deep Stack tournament. Including Vegas I have cashed 52% of my tournaments and 5 of 9 at Choctaw. The thing about Choctaw is that not only have I cashed 5 but I have chopped all 5 tournaments. This includes this past Saturdays $240 Deep Stack that was Poker Pro Robert Williamson’s tournament. Who by the way I felted in a previous tournament. Saturday I had my biggest cash yet. A 5 way chop for $3,414. Gail turns around and chops the next day for $1,650 followed by my chop for $662 in the 7pm Deep Stack. It’s just been crazy. The only way I have been beaten lately is by a set over set on the flop or a better 3 of a kind when they flop the first 3 cards. Except for the $140 Donkasorous that I was beaten so unkindly that in the 7pm I told all of those guys that they had pissed me off by their play and I was going to win this one. Welllllll, I did. Chopped it 7 ways with 137 people playing. It’s just crazy!

I do have a method to my madness. Play extremely tight early until the break. I come out gunning when the blinds reach $200/$400. Can’t play this way on Wednesday nights cause those poker pros call me to the river no matter what so I have to change that up too!

After establishing a tight image it works all the way through these tournaments. It’s one reason why I hate changing tables. I’ve rarely put my self in a vulnerable position to get put out. As Phil Gordon says, if you never have to go all in, your never out of the tournament. Ok, makes sense to me Phil.

I know this can’t last forever, that’s reserved for taxes and sheep being nervous around cowboys. My read has been so on it’s been nuts. Called bluffs on big pots, made some good lay downs. Another poker pro said the best money you’ll ever make is from folding. A lot of wisdom in that statement and I have folded some big hands lately. So, I’m not saying I have this thing, poker, figured out. But it sure is fun when a plan comes together.

Buck Naked out

Choctaw Donkasorous weekend

Choctaw Wednesday

Went 10th on the 2pm $60 dollar buy in. Didn't cash but hit the cash table afterwards. Got up $275 in 10 minutes and then cashed out $250 up and went to the wednesday night game. Choctaw is looking good.

"No give up" your never out

Last night was one of the wildest nights I've had in a while. The One Outers hit town with Shamrock, Merlot Girl, Cupcake, Counting Girl and myself. The usual Friday night $120 Bounty tournament. I've always liked this tournament but I'm usually tired when it starts at 7:30pm. Tonight was no exception, getting up at 4am can take its toll.
We start out and about 30 minutes in I get mixed up in a huge pot. I have As 4s in good position. There are some raises and calls before me and I limp in. The flop in Js 8s 4h, I'm on the nut flush draw. Of course there is a pot bet, call, call and I call. The guy to my left goes all in. Son of a..... Well, everybody thinks long and hard and they start folding, I'm wanting someone to call to make the pot odds a no brain er. But, they all fold. I have the dealer spread the pot and there is 3000 in the pot and I have 3450 to call that will leave me 325. I call. I don't hit it and now I am way short stacked. So I start looking for a hand to push. I get A5off and lay it down to a raise. I get As5s and push allin, get a call with JJ and I hit A5. Double up. I get As3s, I go all in, get a call and hit the A. Double up. Now I can at least play. The rest of the night I was scrambling until I hit a huge pot and triple up.
I went to TJ Cloutier's boot camp and he had said that if you get short stacked, that it is a good idea to push in early position to try and steal blinds. It was a very interesting concept. Everybody will put you on a good hand. Soooooooooooooooooooooo, thus, the newest grossest hand in Choctaw history. I have Q5off, I'm thinking this is a good opportunity to try it. I push all in for 1800 with the blinds at 200/400 and about to be 300/600. I get a call in the 4 position, then the 6 position pushes all in. Well hell, I'm in trouble. Gets around to the 3 position and she thinks for ever. She calls. 3 position turns over AJ off and the 6 turns over AQ off. Wellllllllllll, at least I have a live 5. Drum roll, 5 2 10 rainbow. Up jumped the devil and the grass is green, I'm alive. the board runs out and they don't hit. I'm back in the game baby!
Needless to say, I have another one of the grossest hands in Choctaw history. I'm once again short stacked and need to make a move. Guy to my left goes all in and I have 2h 3h and I move all in. Dude turns over KK and I figure I'm done. 4q 5q 6q on the flop. I have flopped the straight. Bears do shit in the woods!! It runs out and he is quite disgusted. So I get to the final table and inch my way into the money.
NOWWWWWWWWWWW, the hand that everybody is talking about. I have 7000, blinds are 3000/6000. I'm in the money for $213 and the next one pays $260. I'm in the big blind for 6000. Mid position raises to 12,000, guy next to me raises all in for 24,000 and I have 82off. I can't beat both of these guys with 82off as I know the other is going to call the all in. I FOLD, YES, I FOLDED!!!!!! It was the right move. Mid position calls his all in and the guy beside me is behind with KJoff and the other has A6off. Of course the guy to my right runs out the straight and survives. This leaves me with 1000 in the small blind and of course I have K6off and 83off beats me. I cash $213 in 9th place and it was a wild night.
Dori then showed me her favorite slot machine and I hit for $44 dollars in a matter of seconds. I thank her and Gail and I hit the IHop for supper/breakfast. Till next time,

Buck Naked

Better Poker

Whew! Today was better. Got a couple of hands and felted two guys. I didn't see many hands after lunch so I packed it up and came back to town. I have a part time gig tonight at Blackfins. Probably headed back sometime Saturday.

Some still in

The One Outers are making another good showing in the $220. Shamrock has a nice stack along with Counting Girl, Merlot Girl and Nawlins all look for the final table. 6 tables left and there still in it.

I'm still card dead, uhg, two days now. I played cash and won two hands bluffing. Was 2 good plays on my part but damn, I need to get at least a couple of playable hands. Gonna stick with it, guess we'll see.

Buck Naked