Spreading My Wings

Thought I would start to expand my horizon a little and start playing Omaha H/L. Have a friend that is going to help coach me and decided pot limit would be my choice. So last night I get an IM from my “coach” and it say’s come play this Omaha H/L SnG with me we need a player. Forgive me if I am wrong but the pupil doesn’t challenge the teacher till the end of the movie right?

So I played. I wasn’t completely in the dark, had played a little before. I found this website that proposes a counting method of deciding if you should call, raise or fold pre-flop. Couldn’t use it! Can’t think that fast yet! So I did the next best thing. I used beginners luck and finished second. (To his fourth) Two major events stand out. He was chip leader and got sucked out bad…Twice. I was fourth with four to go and sucked out bad on chip leader to lock in a money finish. Other than that I am not sure what happened. I have a long way to go in the learning curve but it was fun. This was on JetSet and they have $1 PL08 tournament almost every night so I am going to play a few to get my feet wet.

Getting a little tired of AP so I cashed out most and now going to play at Ultimate Bet for a while. Will also allow me to deposit into Poker Stars for the blogger WSOP tournament. I left enough in AP to keep chipping away but will play at UB mostly now. I didn’t know how bad I missed the Game Time + and auto import of hand histories.

I’ll be gone most of Friday and all of Saturday. My dad and I use to race remote control cars and he is coming close (2 hour drive) this weekend and I am going out to race with him. Going to be fun. I’ll try to get pictures.

Till Next Time!

Random Stuff

I would like to preface this first by saying I am not a Yankees fan, I am probably on the verge of being anti-Yankee. I am not a Red Sox fan, though I did pull for them hard last year to break "the curse".

Gary Sheffield should not be suspended for his actions the other day. I don't think he should even be fined or punished in any way. The fan got his tickets revoked which is a good start. How about criminal charges? If he walked into my place of business and took a swipe at me, he would be in jail right now. At least one or both of us would be!

I know the fan pays all the money but we have to draw the line somewhere. Its getting bad. Peter Gammons reported that during Yankee batting practice a man with his TWO SMALL CHILDREN was yelling obscenities at evey player in the cage. Great job setting the example dad!! ROOT ROOT ROOT for the home team but have some dignity.

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I was having one of those sessions and inspired by Al I will share this suck out I laid on this guy. Had AQo and raised preflop. Called in two spots, one guy calling every hand and getting lucky as hell. Flop comes Q high with three clubs. I bet out and "Lucky" raises. I call and the turn bring an A and the 4th club. I check and he bets. I have no club and about 99.9% sure he has at least one so I call. Why? Not sure, I folded what seemed like a zillion hands before this and I convinced myself he could be bluffing. River brought an ace, we capped and I sucked out the nut flush. To be perfectly honest, it felt good!

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About 40 signed up for the WSOP blogger event at Poker Stars. I will try to make it, right now I think it is 60/40 I will get in at the last minute. Should be a lot of fun and some intense competition.

Blogging has taken another step into main stream. Websters latest dictionary has added the word blog to its new words for this year. Yahoo, maybe I will stop misspelling it now.

Ultimate bet has another reload. Check out 4Flush's front page for more details.


Till Next Time!

Weekend Review

As far as poker is concerned I finished the week up......75 cents! I played $1/$2 up to $3/$6 (Where ever tables were available) and was pretty much dead even at all levels. I reviewed my hands this weekend and I honestly think I got more than my fair share of junk so maybe this week it will even out for me a little. I'm still having trouble letting go of high PP's but getting better, will count the improvement as a positive and keep working on it. I chased more draws than usual also which, to me, is an indication I was pushing a little to hard to make things happen towards the end of the week. First time I have noticed that happening so will have to see if I can curb that trend. Playing at AP and someone commented on how they liked the blog. This was a first for me and it felt good to know someone is reading this. Of course my avatar on AP says "4lush.com" so I guess it isn't too hard to put two and two together but I still made my wife come over and read the chat!

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Only poker last night was the 72os Freeroll Tour at Noble Poker. My KK got sucked out by A4 and crippled me. I made it to the break and then my AQ was bested by A8 with 8 on river and I was gone. This is a free league to sign up for and if you are new to the game or want to play pretty good competition for free, check this out. I really enjoy it.

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Don't miss the blogger only WSOP qualifier at Poker Stars on April 24th. You can email Iggy for the password. Good Luck to every one! Pauly has a review up on Harrington's new book. I have finished it once and it is a great book. Check out the review! Also, Ship It Poker has some Party bonuses listed as well as some good posts this week. Check them out as well. I finally added a few more blogs to the roll this weekend so read them when you get a chance. Some are brand new so lend your support.

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Lastly, I took a little break Sunday afternoon and shot some golf. First time out this year and though it wasn't an Augusta like course I did manage a 84! At one point I had a par on 4 straight holes! I love the first time out every year. Probably be my best score! For some strange reason, on the golf course with friends, I can forget about everything else and I just concentrate on hitting that ball. 3-4 hours devoid of poker was perfect.


Till Next Time!

Nothing Special Poker

First off I wish Felicia a speedy recovery back to full health.

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Spent the last couple sessions back at $3/$6. Nothing has changed much. Same bad play as before, just the suck outs cost more. I think the play at this level is worst than some of the lower limits. Makes sense though, this is about the normal level for most casinos so I assume this is the level most go to that play at casinos. Still clearing Absolute Poker so I do see some of the guys from the $2/$4 that I used to play with that have moved up. Thats cool because I have notes on them.

Not much to post about, been in a holding pattern this week. A little above even with no spectacular wins or loses to report. Been kinda of boring.


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I have noticed poker is at a frenzied pace right now. In Virginia, the lottery now has a Texas Holdem game, my wifes new favorite show, Desperate Housewifes, playing poker this week. Commercials? They are everywhere now on cable. Saw a new one for 888.com last night. I saw the $9.99 chip sets at Auto Zone over the weekend! NBC has a pilot for a show based on Annie Duke even. Everywhere you look now people are trying to cash in.

At the tables you can see it also. I think sometimes if people would just transfer money to other players it would be easier. I know people play poker for all kinds of reasons but come on. Maybe I am just noticing more lately. What I understand even less is that people are calling the river bet with missed draws! Chasing a gut shot to the river, chasing your hand that if it hits will be second best, chasing your A high, chasing runner runner, ect. With the quality of players out there, this happens, BUT to call a river bet from a player that has bet you every round and you have missed! Makes no sense.

I'm not complaining though, I make a living off these players. Sure when they suck out it hurts but that is temporary. I'm not the best poker player out there by no means but I am in the top 3 at my table. If I'm not, I move. So I am confident I will come out in the long run.

Not bad ramblings from a guy who is break even for the week!

Till Next Time!

Folding to a Win

I guess it easy to remember some hands, the AA that got cracked or maybe the folded QT that hit a straight on the flop to a guy that was bluffing.

How about the ones that save you huge money? I had two yesterday that were very big. I have not been feeling well and have played sparingly the last couple days. I played for 3 one hour sessions and only one table at a time. I made $60. Neither one of these hands were earth shattering decisions, both were folded pre flop but they stuck out in my mind because of how there would be no way I could get away from them if I stayed.

The first one I had 84s in SB. I like seeing cheap flops with any two suited in the SB(after reading SSH). It was raised in late MP and called by button. I let it go without much hesitation.

Hand 1 – KK
Hand 2 – AA

Flop – 884
Turn – K
River – 7

There is no way I don’t lose a bundle on this hand. Pot got big between these two.


The second one I had QJo in early MP. It’s folded to me and I think about raising first end. I end up folding and 4 people see a flop.

Flop is T9K rainbow

Turn – 6
River – T

Winner had 99 for full house. I would have been first to act and for sure he would have called me down. Some one had a ten and this pot also got big.

I figured that was 12 – 15 bb’s saved at 2/4. That was my whole winning day. I guess this was just one of those times when you realize, again, that poker is a whole bunch of decisions rolled up together to make a session. Making money has a lot to do with what you play as well as what you don’t play.

Till Next Time!

Passion other than Poker

The Tiger Growl is BACK!

What a finish!

Well, the bonus chase at Poker Room has come to an interesting end. What a wild ride it was. As you have read it started with me getting torn up at the limit tables and at one point I was $210 down (Only $180 bonus).

So I switched to no limit in hopes of at least coming out with a little money ahead and just chalk this one up to variance. I have had some success at the $25 NL tables before so off I went. So today I cashed out -$24 not including bonus. In about 3 days I have made $175 in profit at the NL tables. Not bad considering all have not been winning sessions.

I can now add another chapter of knowledge to my NL education. I am still making some big mistakes looking back at poker tracker stats, like calling big bets and/or raises when I should be laying them down. Reading the flush draw is easy but that straight draw gives me problems sometimes. Just hard to believe with a 2468T rainbow board and you with 44 and you get re-raised that he was sitting on 53o but he was calling you down with something. Back to what I posted before, they call with a monster and re-raise with anything else. Lessoned learned and it only cost me $18. Got a little studing to do before I move to the $50 NL games. At least plug the big leaks!


I have about 6000 hands I can go study now. Biggest winner was AA which I got 34 times and won 91%! Biggest loser was 44(see above) which I got 20 times and won 5%. They were also my biggest winner/loser avg. per hand. Just because it is here…..The “Most Likely to Look Down and See in the Blind Award” goes to – 32o (23 times). Top 5 winning hands were pocket pairs, top 5 losing hands were pocket pairs and interestingly enough…about the same groupings of pairs. So time for a night off before I start the quest over at Absolute Poker and do the Empire reload. (Bonus Code: EPMANIA)

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Never a dull moment in blogger land!

Iggy says: Lets give a blogger a chance!

Congrats to Pauly for his new Vegas assignment covering the upcoming WSOP.


Maudie draws a line in the sand! (According to my wife, she found my first grey hair yesterday. Yea Right!)

Leave a joke for Felecia.

Till Next Time!

One Last Laugh

As you clear players points at Poker Room, you are offered a chance to get into a few freerolls. There is a turbo, a $3000 guaranteed and a $6000 guaranteed. Well, I signed up for the $3000 guaranteed freeroll last night. 2000 max entrants and top 100 pay out with $20 being the minimum paid.

If you have been reading you have noticed that I have abandoned the limit tables here and have made a very nice comeback into profitability at the NL tables. I would chalk it up to "flukiness" but this is actually the second time that I have gotten way down and came back at the NL tables at this site. Further research needed here but I know the truth is out there. (sorry couldn't resist)

So, I'm awaiting the 9:30pm start time and right before the start only 876 people are signed up. I'm feeling pretty good here. So I am finally sitting and we are off. I decided to open a NL ring game to keep me occupied at the beginning and not paying to much attention. About the 3rd or 4th hand I see AA on the button. I decide to minimum raise as it is folded around to me and the blinds fold, I win. My excitement is tempered because the box with my options in it didn't look right. About that time in the chat box I see "Thought this was NL Tournament?" My heart and draw drop as I regular types "it is but not on Wednesday, Wednesday is LIMIT".

When the shocked look finally wore off, I couldn't help but chuckle. May have even laughed out loud some. I will be clearing this bonus today, the last time I can play in the freeroll tournament and it is limit. Good one Poker Room and to you goes the last laugh. It was a good laugh too, built my stack up to a reasonable amount, card dead the last hour and finished 104th. I was calling out hands to a friend railing me and trust me there was nothing to work with.

Last hand in BB, I hand just under the SB amount so I knew I was going to get a player. The table actually folded to us to give me a chance and I appreciated that. I had the best hand I had seen in a while, 34o, at least IT was connected. As the board unfolded I lost to the SB's K. SB's hand - K high. Fitting end.

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Absolute Poker is at it again. 20% Bonus. Up to $200 for each day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All deposit methods. Use code APR20 in the cashier.

Till Next Time!

Can you Swim Upstream too?

That has to be the funniest thing I've heard in the chat box in a long time.

Guy goes all in for $9.75 UTG+1 with T7o. Gets called by AA and on the turn hits a gut shot straight draw and on the river....completes it.

4 hands later he was broke and left.

One of my new favorite lines "Luck doesn't give, it lends"

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Pet Peeves so far at NL:

1) The minimum raise - Even worst the BB minimum raise. Now if I thought that it was being done to increase pot odds to draw to their hand, OK. I don't think you can give most of these players that much credit.

2) The Over Bet - Betting 3+ times the pot size (Post Flop). This is usually a no win bet no matter what. A bluff - risk/reward is terrible, A semi bluff - if called your usually beat, A nut hand - why you trying to get everyone to fold?

3) The Hit and Run Artists - Play every hand. Hit there miracle hand and poof! Gone!

4) Shortstacks - Not all of them. Just the ones that sit down with $5 or less. I have had a few lately sit with $2.50! Just waiting for the right hand to go all in with and then like above...leave!

5)Talkers - seems to be more in NL than in Limit. What kind a person talks crap at an internet table? Thank goodness for the mute button.


Will be done with Poker Room tomorrow for sure and then on to finish Absolute Poker. Got Empire Poker's email for their April 6th reload today. (Bonus Code:EPMANIA) so I will hit that before they start getting unreal with their requirements too.


Till Next Time!

Stats Glitch?

I think I have found a statistical glitch:

Poker Room:
$2/$4 - +.49bb
$1/$2 - +.23bb
$25NL - +13.44bb

LOL....I'm a grinder. I'm not suppose to be a NL player. Everything about this session at Poker Room has been upside down.

The betting is soooo predictable. No one at $25NL will bet their own hand.

So you raise preflop with a premium hand, bet pot on the flop and get called...if you missed, check the turn because when they call you they have a monster and will let you see the river cheap most of the time trying to check/raise you. I saw someone flop the nuts and check it to the river then bet $3 into a $1 pot and try to get paid off.

If, in the same scenerio, you get reraised, go all in they are bluffing. OK, maybe not all the time but most of the time. Never seen so much over betting.

Obviously these rules aren't concrete but they will get you through more often than not. Why? As alluded to before, everyone slowplays and trys to get paid big on everyhand. So when they just call your bet, watch out! One more example. I am in BB with 82os. Flop is 22Tr. I bet 50 cents and get 5 callers. Turn is a 5 completing the rainbow. I bet $1 and get 2 callers. River is a K. I bet $2 and one player goes ALL IN! The second player folds and I call. He slowplayed AA. I laughed out load at that one.

If I can figure this stuff out, any one can. The only draw back is that I am not clearing the bonus to fast at this level. Got it under 300 points so may stick it out.

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Whats the deal with these bonuses now. Seems like the sites are figuring out ways to make them harder to do. I know they are making money off the reloads so why are the srewing around with them.

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Jsaw has set up a Q&A with Josh Arieh and if you have a question, get it over to him. Should be an interesting article.

I know, lacking in the quality post department. Playing more to clear this bonus is getting into my creative side. (hehe)

Till Next Time!

Not going to Vegas...but not bad

To win a tournament. You have to get lucky. You have to win draws, catch rivers and swim like a shark

- Matt Dean - Ship It Poker

Last night I could do none of those. Finished 92 out of 766. All because of two VERY dry run of cards.

First hour I was at a table of gamblers. I waited and waited. How much did I wait. I played ONE hand. KK and doubled up +. It was easy. Raised 5x pre flop, two callers. All in when no ace fell. One caller who had an ace and a straight draw (If he got runner runner.)

First half of second hour I was stealing a little and stayed above avg. chip stack. Then the cards just went dead. I was moved to a table with a loose big stack two to my left which curtailed my blind stealing and didn't see anything worth playing for about an hour.

Well into third hour with antes and blinds going up I pushed with ATo into a rag flop and took it down to keep my head above water. Then I went dead again. Wanted to make a move before I got low enough not to be respected and push with T2000 in the BB with AJo. 2 callers and the board 2 paired so I though I would at least split. The river was a K and I was out to KJo.

When I got chips the cards went dead. I got low and got QQ and AA to get me back some and then went dead again. Never sustained a run long enought to be able to do anything. 92nd for a guy who's only MTT credits this year are two TPTK Oamha H/L events and the Full Tilt WBPT HORSE event, not to bad.

So long March! I for one will miss you. It would have been nice to tack on a trip to Vegas but it was still a great month. I hope the last few days at Poker Room aren't an omen of things to come in April.


Till Next Time!

Different Tune

So I had this post and I was trying to publish it and blogger was messing up. It was all about how not only was I deleting Poker Room from my computer... I was using Norton and wiping it off my computer.

I flopped 5 sets today and lost everyone. I had QQ with a QXX(r) flop and lost to KJ when a TA came runner runer and I'm capping every street between 3 people!


So I decided to 4 table $25 NL and just see if I could stop the bleeding. I doubled up twice and got all the money back I lost plus 75 cents by the time I quit. I guess that means a little longer on the bonus. Got 400 points to go but will stick with $25 NL from here out. Points come slower but the limit tables are killing me.

Hoping I can play longer if needed and still get 100 points a day at least.

Currently plaing in the AP WSOP Challenge Main Event. It just started and best I have seen so far is A5o. Will give you all the details when I finish (Hopefully Late)

Till Next Time!

If you can't beat'em......

Live vicariously through them!

Congrats to: DoubleAs on getting to Aruba. Great place! I really enjoyed it there. Oh yea, there is a poker tournament also.

AND 50 Outs going to WSOP!

I would love for them to do a piece on the new champion and it be a blogger!

Get the next hottest book coming! Funny also! Bill's Blog (With Felicia's endorsement)

Help Maudie with her poker retirement fund. Great designs and well worth the high mark up. (hehe)

Me? I had a victory of sorts yesterday! 100 points cleared at $1/$2 tables at Poker Room and I didn't lose!!!! I didn't win either but hey, baby steps(hehe)

Decided today we are moving back home. I'm somewhat excited. Guess in all honesty, I like it here BUT like to get back home to. Hadn't spent a lot of time with family the last four years except at Holidays and it will be nice to get back into the "rotation" of family visiting.

Its central Virginia, so good news is I will be only 6 hours from AC!!! I am currently 8 1/2 hours from Tunica so I am getting closer to the live games!!

Kids are back in school today so life is "back to normal". Almost, wife is off today so we are going out. Will get back to poker eventually. A great month of poker and quality time with family....Life is good. Even if the poker gods are trying to taint it with my current run!

Been busy but not with Poker

Took some days "off" from poker for a few reasons. Mostly due to spring break and my kids have been home from school. Been nice being able to spend time with them.

I also used the time to redesign 4Flush

Lastly, Poker Room has been driving me crazy! Will get back to the grind tonight.

Rented the Stu Unger movie so I am going to watch that! Wonder if I could get my kids to watch it with me...........yea right! Just dreaming!

Having fun yet?

Still clearing Poker Room bonus. Slow going and not doing to well. At the $1/$2 tables I have reviewed about 2000 hands and have come to the conclusion that NO ONE will fold at Poker Room. If they have over cards, any draw, or worst....BOTH! They are staying to the end. This weekend, the river has been bailing them out. I'm still ahead of the bonus but just barely. I have 700 more points to get. Will get it knocked out this week for sure, just hope I have money left when it is done.

I haven't seriously hit the Absolute Bonus yet so that will get my full attention next. That will leave Pokerstars, Ultimate Bet and then a coordinated effort to clear Full Tilt. Still have a lot of hands ahead of me.

That doesn't bother me. Iggy has an uber-post and some of it addresses the playing poker for a living debate again. In it he says he may consider a "real" world job again. He, of course, is right. It isn't "all that" but, so far, it is for me. It is not a get rich quick option, nor is it glamorous and at times not even fun. You have to put in the hours just like a real job and it takes some commitment and self control. Sometimes being the only chief AND the only Indian can really cause some problems.

I spent most of my life so far in sales. Commission structure, so if you don't sale, you don't get paid and in essence you could lose money you were used to getting if you had a bad stretch in sales. Same with poker don't play and you don't get paid. Play and you could lose money.

Just like any "real" job, I love/hate playing poker for a living. The best part: My boss is real cool and lets me do anything I want. The worst part: My boss is real cool and lets me do anything I want. So if asked if I would recommend this type of work? I'd have to give the standard answer, "It depends". Just like any move in employment, it takes planning and a back up plan if it doesn't work.

Speaking of a plan, time to get back to mine.

Till Next Time!

Bonus Withdrawals

I can beat the hell-o out of the $25 NL tables at Poker Room and can’t get hardly a point towards bonus, go to the $1/$2 tables and get the hell-o beat out of me and get triple the points. Go figure. They don’t rake the $2/$4 tables till it is a $20 pot, so that is worthless for clearing bonus. Good if I played there all the time though. So it is going to be 4 tables at $1/$2 tomorrow for as long as I can stand it. Need to get on with the “bigger” picture but can’t leave all this bonus money just hanging out there.

As I posted before, I am going to scale back the bonus chasing. Now it is just going to be reloads and only at a few sites. I’m working on a “home” site; a place where I will play the most. I have narrowed it down to a few: Ultimate Bet, Party, and Absolute Poker.

I know there are a few people reading this and saying “Party! Go to Party Poker!” For my first attempt at “serious” $3/$6, I’m not sure I am ready for the variance at Party yet. That’s why I am leaning towards Ultimate Bet. The play there is weak/tight and there are enough tables to go around during the day.

Absolute Poker is good for the reloads. They have them all the time. The play there is like most anywhere else and with 10k in players a night, tables can be found. I’m not in love with the software but the reloads make up for that. It will make a good second site.

To me, if you are going to play poker seriously, use Poker Tracker and Game Time +, then you need to build a solid data base somewhere. Maybe my thinking is all wrong and I will find out later on that it really doesn’t matter but until then, I will go with this. I know that the more information you have about an opponent the better off you are, so why not carry that over to a particular site as well.

I have never had to move back down limits after moving up. At least not due to poker, I have had to cash out and been forced to start at lower limits again. This is mainly due to the fact that I have been cautious in my moves and made sure I was more than adequately bankrolled.

I think it just came to me why this is a bigger deal than it should be. I have been playing below my bankroll for a while now while chasing bonuses. I have, for the last few months, always had a bonus as a “safety net” and now that I have decided to cut that back, I realize that an off night will directly affect the bottom line. I’m having “Bonus Withdrawals”.

I had a goal. Playing correct poker has always been important but to be honest, winning poker as taken a back seat to clearing bonus and building bankroll to get back to $3/$6. I have been fortunate enough to win mostly AND clear bonus but the emphasis has been more on the bonus than the poker. Well, I made my goal. Now I guess I have to see if I am strong enough to handle the “bonus withdrawals” or will I have to throw in a crypto here and there and gradually ease away.


Till Next Time!

Love, Poker and To Do List

Love


I love my wife.

We have been married 12 years. She is a great supporter almost to a fault. I usually get her true feelings, if she disagrees or has a difference of opinion, eventually. (Usually late at night when I’m trying to sleep but I digress)

Saturday I get this: “You know I was very skeptical about this “poker thing” when you first mentioned it. (Playing full time) It’s turning out quite well.”

WOW! I was holding my breath after the first part.

I love my wife.

Poker

At the end of November when I turned down the transfer and effectively quit my job, I was bankrolled for $2/$4 comfortably and real close to my 300bb rule for $3/$6. After Christmas and deciding that we should pay off all our monthly debt to make things easier, my roll took a big hit and I turned into a full time bonus chaser to make it up. I only need to pay half the incoming bills so I was doing my share and building slowly. An unexpected expense in February put me behind the eight ball again but man what a March.

If I break even the rest of the month I will be very comfortably bankrolled for $3/$6 again and still have over $1000 in bonus to clear and five sites I will not get to till April. Poker has been “bery bery” good to me this month. I have made a big effort to tweak my game and looking for all the small edges I can get. I understood what all the books have said, the advice in posts from just about everyone. Now I believe it. Making good decisions is all that it’s about. The wins will follow. This month hasn’t been all about the wins either. I finished Interpoker and Paradise Poker bonuses on the positive only because of the bonus. That’s OK though, if I was there for the long haul, I would have made it back. (Especially Paradise OMG!) Now all I have to do is finish up.

To Do List

As soon as Paradise and Interpoker money clear, it’s off to Poker Room. I have about 45 days to clear it and most of my Absolute Poker so I will play one during the day and one at night.

Then Poker Stars and Ultimate Bet. No expiration but next to be done.

Last, Full Tilt. I will not get to reload there so I hope they carry it over like they do everything else. I have till July to finish the 1st time bonus. (If I'm going back I might as well do one more bonus!)

Then I will have to find a home, somewhere to play everyday because if all goes as planned the bonus chasing will stop. (Except for the good ones!) I’ll give you my opinions on that next time.

Till Next Time!

Update Coming But First...

I would like to take this post and use it to send all my prayers, good karma, positive vibes and whatever else I can to Felicia. Get well.

Powerful Tool - Blind Play

I am about to reveal the most powerful tool in your poker arsenal. It is a play that, if used correctly and with proper timing, can make you a few bb’s a night that would have gone to someone else’s stack. Just like all tools, position is the most important rule to keep while using this tool and it particular works well in the blinds.

Got your pencil and paper ready? Here it is: Bet. I know obvious right? So many times, lately, I have seen someone limp and check down and some one hit an “x” card on river to win. Then you hear “That hand never wins for me”.

I have paid special attention to some details lately thanks to The Poker Tracker Guide (Get It!) and a comment from Harrington’s book that says pay attention to the perception of the table you are playing at AND the perception the table may have on you. Now, I use Poker Tracker and Gametime+ to help with my perception of the table but honestly have not given the tables perception of me much thought. I am a tight player, weak/tight at times and working on being more aggressive. So with this perception, hopefully, being projected, why not take advantage of it.

Yes, Harrington’s book is NL but I think this principle carry’s over to limit also. If you are playing at the 50+% seeing the flop tables and you couldn’t get someone to fold if you show them your cards, this will probably not work for you. As a matter of fact, betting works better against solid players capable of laying down a hand or a draw. I usually look for a solid player or two before I sit down, but table dynamics is another post all together.

As I alluded to earlier, position plays a big part in the success of a timely bet. I set out to improve my blind winning percentage by a few points or so. So I made a conscious decision to be more aggressive post flop from the blind. So during a session, if I played the blinds in a normal situation (I didn’t go out and try to play every blind) I bet out on the flop, no matter what. I was prepared to abandon this “experiment” if I was losing a lot of money and also folded to any resistant (raises) if I had missed all together. A few times when I bet out from BB and SB, it was folded around. That was the most suprising, to me, results of the experiment. The majority of the other times the bet put me heads up which made the betting on turn and river easier, if I went that far. Then a few times the fold was easy and no doubt I was beat. The blinds are –EV still but not nearly as bad as before.

I ended this experiment early because a couple players caught on to what I was doing, one even slyly commented in the chat one time. (I have played with him some before). I learned something though. I used to only semi-bluff out of the blinds, I either had a hand, a good draw or a piece of it and a good read on my opponent. Now I am going to use a trigger (if both cards are red for example) to decide when I bet out the blinds no matter what.

Like all things, over use can be bad. Even the slightly less astute players will figure out you can’t have a hand in the blind EVERYTIME. The blinds don’t have to be a huge money pit either. According to the Poker Tracker Guide my blind play was on the lower end of the “acceptable” levels, so this is one weak spot that has been reinforced. Now on to the others! (I tend to like AA and KK - A LOT!)

Till Next Time!

Almost Heaven

Did you read the title and think "West Virginia"? Any how:

I have a new set up. I had a computer I used for work hanging around and I formated it to use just for 4flush.com and poker! I spent $85 and got a HP 91 20 inch monitor and I most admit....I love it! 3 tabled Interpoker today and started to clear bonus. 3 tables, Poker Tracker and Gametime+ had everything undercontrol. Played for 2 hours and half way done with bonus already. Finished up $1.50! Tables were unusually tight this afternoon. It was wierd seeing all the tables and not having tables pop up eveywhere. Well, enough about my new found paradise!

*****

Scurveydog has set up a possible weekly Omaha 08 tournament. Better yet, it will be freerolls with a big event at the end.

What: Omaha 8 Limit Tournament
When: Friday, March 18 8:00 PM C.S.T
Where: Noble Poker
Cost: $0 ($50 freeroll provided by Noble Poker)
Who's Invited: You (bloggers, readers, whoever)
Tournament Name: TPTK.com Omaha
Tournament Password: hammer


Check out more details: HERE. He needs at least 15 people!

*****

I spent most of my available writing time getting blogger to open up so I will have to come back later and share the most powerful move in holdem. It will make you a ton of money if used properly and not abused. Until next time, go read all the good posts you can find listed at the left of this blog.


Till Next Time!