Archive for March, 2008
Commerce last Saturday
So, I finally went to Commerce again. It’s sad, that I only get to go once a month. Before my daughter was born, you could find my in a card club about 3 times a week. Well, I didn’t work much then either… Anyway, I had decided, I was going to go and there was going to be no stopping me. I thought, I could meet up with PokerKat also, but unfortunately, she had to cancel last minute.
Poker Week In A Picture
There wasn’t much I did right this week came it came to the SNG’s. My playing time has decreased but that makes it more important from a psychological standpoint that I put some wins together. With fewer days played the ups and downs can seem to last longer than they really are.
On Tuesday I played 8 games and finished fourth a total of five times. Then throw in two sevenths and a sixth for a disastrous evening.
The rest of the week didn’t go much better as I collected one first, one second, and one third out of the sixteen played. A glorious -48.1% ROI.
In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb
Actually March came in like a lion, grazed around a bit like a wayward calf, swung back and forth like an orangutan, laid down for a while and hibernated like a black bear, got spooked like a horse after a car backfires, then went out like a screaming cheetah. Hard to fit all that in a subject line, though.
Such are the fluctuations one can endure when engrossed in an online poker bonus chase. Today I sit with a little over 1,400 VPPs, meaning I need to pull down less than a hundred today and tomorrow to claim that Silver Star on PokerStars.
Finally.. A Success Story
It’s official I just don’t like online poker and that’s ok. I don’t have to. I can play online for fun.. I enjoy playing in the AIPS events (which I will be rushing home for tonight). However, when it comes to what I enjoy about poker and why I started playing.. that’s the live play. I enjoy reading people whether it’s at the poker table or not. I get inside people’s heads and over analyze what makes them make certain decisions. Last night I visited Commerce for a NLHE 1/2 game and came out successful.
Funny Business
A couple of funnies to pass along. Some of you may have seen this stuff — if not, you’re in for a treat.
One, I have to share with you the absurdist wit of Julius Goat.
He has several hilarious series in progress over on his blog, “The Goat Speaks.” One involves sharing excerpts from his ongoing Stupid/System, a work destined to change the way poker is played and discussed for ages to come.
Here are links to the first five ground-breaking entries:
001: Key Terms
002: Basic Considerations
003: Counting Outs
004: Post-Flop Play
005: Managing Pot Odds
What hand have I had the entire time?
I have discovered what I believe to be a leak in my game. It’s a leak that most players probably have but they just don’t know it. As my game has progressed, I have done a better job of playing off of my image and being able to represent certain things at certain times. I suppose this is just another step in this progression.
Hello Cake!
So I finally downloaded and installed Cake and got their rakeback and am ready to pluck away at their 500$ bonus. Of course, it all started with a -45BB losing session. Oh well, unfortunately I had to take it out on my husband a bit, which I didn’t intend. Lots of profuse apologizing later. Anyway, I can’t complain, because I’ve had a phenomenal March in terms of poker, so I don’t get why I get so frustrated with one stupid night.
Moving Up
I have been able to beat $25 NL for about 8-10 PTBB’s/100 which is really good. I started wondering about how much value I was giving up by not making the move to $50 NL. The problem has been I don’t play the same way at the higher stakes. I start slinking back into my weak-tight shell and start folding way too much. I was afraid of losing the money. Then I got to thinking, I just lost a bundle on a game I am not even sure I am any good at, why should I be scared in a game I know I can play just because the stakes are doubled? Forget it, put me in the game.
A Story About Working on Easter
Last night at a casino outside of Chicago, I was talking to this mild mannered playground salesman that I know pretty well. He is a regular in the $2/$5 no limit game. I knew this gentleman was Catholic, so I wasn’t surprised when asked me how my Easter was. “It was great,” I told him, “I went the the park, made a nice meal for myself, and then went to the casino to play some cards.”
Then he asked me where my husband was that day, and I told him that he was working. My husband is an attorney. He was starting a month long trial on Monday, so he had a lot to get done on Easter.
Frustrations
Ok, I’m frustrated. I feel like I can’t win right now. I’ve been playing a lot online. I spend about 20-30hrs online in a week. That’s an insane amount of time in front of a screen since I work 40hr weeks on a computer.. which is probably fueling my craziness right now. Despite my last post about focusing on my success in micro stakes NLHE cash games online.. I went against that and went back to MTT and SnGs online. What can I say, I was bored? There’s no big finale in cash games.. I like tournaments.
