Break Even Steven

Yea so I played 2/5 last night. I played terribly. I lost 250 made 300 lost 250 and made $315.00. Putting me up $15.00 for the night.
So laugh as you will 49985.00 to go....

Os club tonight.

Blue

My Best Bluff.

A couple of Sundays ago I venture over to the big daddy of them all, Borgata.
I have played here a couple of times, but am not well known at all like the Trop, Caesars etc.

I buy in for 200$ at 1/2 table, look around and realize everyone at the table is a pretty decent player. How the hell am I going to make money here? So I decide to try something different.

It is innate to my style to always tell people I am a fish. Tell them it's my first time, of course they never believe me. But this day I set out to make them believe I was a fish.

I started out by purposely missing my blinds each time until the dealer told me and staring dumbly at him. I through in a five on occassion and said I meant to bet 5, only to have the dealer tell me it was a string bet. I talked with the guy next to me about blackjack and how I had won this money on the tables and thought I would give poker a shot.

I raised all my suited connectors / pocket pairs to $4, and told them I had a good hand. They all assumed aces or better, becauseo on occassion I would show aces or kings etc, after raising to $4. I bitched how an Ace hit when someone had QQ and how I would have gotten lucky. AND THEN.........

I'm in the small blind, I look down and see 45o, I make it $12 to go which I have never done, and always bitched about someone raising to a "lot" of money. Everyone folds, to a super tight guy, he reraises to me $25.00. Great, my first bluff I'm up against aces. I call the $13 hoping I out flop him, but deciding I can out play him.

The flop comes down 249
I fire out 50 without hesitation.
He calls
The turn is a 8
I check he checks behind me.
The river is my miracle card, the hand he is putting me on, the magical King of Hearts
I look at the board, my hand starts shaking, and FIRE OUT $75.00.
He looks me dead in the eye, and says I KNOW YOU HAVE A SET OF KINGS and
folds aces face up.
I then turn over my 45o and say nice fold sir, Lets play some poker boys.

I did very well on the table, and everyone called me down to pay me off.

As I left, I said Blue has come to the Borgata.

Journey to the Top.

I have one clear goal. I will be the best poker player ever.

Does this sound childish? Yea, well this will too. Fuck you.
Since birth I have made it, through determination and hard work.

In the last week I have done some stupid things with my bankroll, but
I will do this, I will overcome and I will make it.

I will spend every last dime on poker, until the day I die until I meet
and exceed my goal. Some people may not understand that, but I just simply
don't give a fuck.

My new goal is $50,000.00 within 3 months time starting today. Each day I will
post how close I am to my goal.

I will play every major tournament in AC and start playing $2/5 religiously and $5/10
when my bankroll permits.

I recently made the best bluff of my life against a very solid player, and it was 45 mins of preperation to make it, I will write about this in another post.

"The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated." -- Mark Twain

09/21/2006 is my goal for $50,000.00

peace out.

Tens, Tens and more Tens

This is a collective entry about my trip to AC and a little about the Wednesday night game I went to last night.

I decide to go to AC for the weekend, but decide against going late Friday night or even early Friday, as I work the entire day and the drive is crazy. So I get up early on Saturday morning (6AM) and head to AC. I make it there in 3 hours.

I valet at Caesars and everyone greets me as I walk in. 1/2 is open, I sit down and buy in at the table for $200. The table is very fairly tight, and I decide to not play loose but just lay low and wait for a hand. I get AJs on the button and raise it 8x get 3 callers and decide the table is no longer tight. The flop comes down J55. I announce "No one respects my raise." then bet out $35.00 immediate raise to 70, SHIT, he's a tight player. He begs me to call and says he'll check it down, wtf it's only 35, he has 54, I lose.

Buy back in to make my stack $250.00 now having put $350 into the table. Some fat chick sits down and starts telling the table how to play poker, I'm like, I'm going to own her. After 20 hands or so she tells the table I am tight and will not call over $10 which I quickly agree with. I get pocket 10s on the button. UTG She raises to 20 I smooth call and Min (a supposed friend of mine) calls from the big blind. The flop comes down T65, bingo. She announces she is going to bet 20 because I can't call over 10$. I just call but to my dismay so does Min. The turn is an 8, and Min bets out $50. I have to find out whether he has a straight, but Min is a tricky player, he might have 79 or 65 or A high you never know. I make it 150 getting heads up with min. The river is an ace and he pushes all in. I think about it for a second and decide if he has 79 I'm going to pay him off, and he did, so I did.

Down 350, I walk to the Trop. Immediately buy into a 1/2 table with $200.00, play pretty solid for about 30 hands or so, building up 100 or so, when along comes (you guessed it!) TT. I raise in mid call from the button and two other callers and naturally the flop comes T76. I am quite aware that 89 is the nuts, and I begin to think I am trapped in some nightmare. It gets checked to me I bet half the pot, button calls, one other caller. The turn is a 6, YAHTZEE. I check button bets 50$ I smooth call, other guy folds. The river is a 6, what a sweet card, T or a 7 has a boat. I check, button bets 50 I make it 100 he makes it 150, FUCK, one card beats me, and I will pay that off, he flips over 68, I puke.

Down 600 of my $1000.00 I continue to play solid poker and double up in the next two hands, and proceed to cash out of AC with 1500 up in the next few days.

But, not before I see TT again in a tournament at Hilton. This time they hold up when I flop a set against aces and queens.

I honestly thought tens were done with me but then... I get this bright idea to go play at Trav and Nelly's. Buy in for 200. Play 4 handed for a while and the game heats up. I'm hungry so I leave UTG to get some speghetti and call blind, Nelly looks at my hand and says good call. Of course my blind call is TT.

Flop is 9 high I overbet the pot, Anne calls with both a straight and a 3 to flush on board. The turn completes the straight. My TT is dead, I make one last bet and can't fire on the river losing again with TT.

Surely this is the end of my tens stories. Hell no. As sure as E lost his bankroll twice to the worst hand I lost mine to the best.

I get TT UTG with a live straddle in play, I limp, tight player in mid makes it 14 to go, call, call, I make it 62, tight player calls, hm must have QQ or JJ not AK, well at least now I know. T95 all diamonds on flop. I'm all in. He calls with the QQ and a diamond. Runner runner straight. Cash me out at $260.00 after 10 or so more hands, I'll go home down 140.


So you might think he'll fold TT everytime. Hell no I got these ppl in the pot when I wanted them to be there. I will play TT until the day I die and be buried with TT in my hand next to K5 on my chest.

I am Blue, not sad. So fuck off.

I'm human, fuck.

So my plans yesterday were to stay late at work and then go to the Os nest. Well I left work 15 minutes after 5 (not exactly late) and went straight home. Got home and decided to take a "nap". I guess the fact that I stayed up 24+ hours on Fri/Sat and only had 10 hours of sleep after and not much on Monday caught up with me, because I woke up at 3am, but not without playing poker apparently. My gf says that in the middle of the night she tried to wake me and I loudly announced "I check" and tapped my hand in a checking fashion. Wow, too much poker.

I watched High Stakes and laughed my ass off at Matasow. Watched an episode of Penn and Teller's Bullshit and then heard my gf say "Are you coming straight home or going to straight to poker?" She knew the answer. "It's not even poker, you go there for dinner" she remarked. ("Truth be told Nelly can cook and as I have said numerous times, I would pay to eat her food, and I do") "And you never win at that place" she follows up with. Um,,,,, I didn't actually hear her comment just the words "You can't win there". I take that as a challenge, no matter what Nelly cooks, I'm going to kick ass tonight.

In fact I have won there many times, but it's a challenge so watch out E and everyone else.

Blue

Weekend at Foxwoods

So a couple of months ago my best friend dies in a motorcycle accident, and we hadn't exactly been close so I decide to rekindle old friendships, and call up my buddy Matt and hang out with in Pittsburg. While I'm in Pittsburg I get to thinking his cousin Mike and me used to be close it would be fun to hang out, so Matt dials him up and I find out he's in Boston, right near Foxwoods (er 2 hours away but who cares??) So I see a perfect oppurtunity to "play poker" er see Mike :)

So after 10 minutes on the phone with him we agree to meet in Foxwoods in 2 weeks. I get my tickets on Southwest and rent a car and decide that 350$/night for a hotel is ridiculous, I'll just stay up.

My flight is at 7:05PM on a Friday, so I hurry over to BWI and get there early to find out my flight is delayed til 8:45 and the lady must like me because she puts me on the 5:50 with a wink and a nod. Well we sit on the runway for 45 mins, so I get to Hartford,CT about the same time (was this a blessing or a curse??) :)

Now I'm 6'9 and I hate Southwest's boarding policy of A B and C lanes, but I manage to get a front row seat with plenty of leg room boarding next to last in line. I sit next to an interesting woman who writes books about breeding dogs, and I talk her ear off for most of the flight, mostly about poker and directness (ahem)

I land say my goodbyes and hop on the shuttle to Thrifty, 10 minutes later I'm crusiing down 91 all ready to play poker, and of course I GET LOST!!!!!


3 hours later I arrive at Foxwoods, and I'm ready to play. Of course I am not going to play 1/2 with 100$ max buyin, so I settle in with $500.00 at a loose $2/5 game with a huge tuna and wait for the kill. I double up a couple times as does the tuna. The tuna has around 2500 infront of him and I have around 1300. And here it is the bad beat of the night....

I have aces in position and have shown down numerous bluffs so I'm positive I'm going to get action, I raise to 60 preflop
Tuna calls me and flop comes down A46. YAHTZEE, I weak bet $30 into this pot and he just calls, the turn is a 5. He bets out $30, I make it $130.00 and he thinks about it and calls, the river is a 7, he checks I fire 150 and he calls showing K8 hitting his gutshot straight on the river. I let it roll off my back and get my stack back within 10 minutes, just pounding every pot aggressively.

I cash out $700 up and tuna cashes out $600.00 total 12 hours later.

I'm supposed to meet Mike today, he says he's going to leave at 7am, but I am so tired, maybe I'll play around with $1/2.
I buyin for the max $100, Some fish has over $1500 on the table, and everyone else is under $100, interesting table, I figure my strategy will be to gamble until I double up pushing on every pair or half decent flop I hit and then play poker when I have 200-300 infront of me, and take this fish's money.
My plan works well and I push all in with 44's vs AJ and flop a set an double up. I work my stack up to $650, listening the whole time as the fish tries to teach the rock next to him how to play poker. A couple of times I had to leave the table it was too funny.

My friend finally shows up around 12:00 and I'm flying high, he sits down, I haven't played 100 hands or so, so I decide to bluff on my 27 in the small blind, I raise to $20 and get 5 callers, YAHTZEE 5 to 1 on my 27. One of the callers only has 50$ left total, odd that he would just call, but oh well. The flop comes down 279, BINGO, I bet $100.00 to take down this monster pot or heads up with the guy who obviously has a pair and only called preflop. He calls with his TT, and is PIST. The turn is an A and of course the river is an A. He racks up his chips and leaves with his $250.00, Hm cost me $50.00 to win $220.00 with the best hand. Guy to my right says you deserve to lose raising 27. Oh well Foxwoods will remember me.

My friend is not impressed, I am saddened, even though I know I made a good play.

Next up 7Td in position, It's raised 15$ preflop 3 callers ahead, mine as well.
Flop comes 8d9dTh, no way you are getting me off this hand. Fish bets $50, I push to 150, Good Player calls with his nuts JQc and I lose to no flush card. Good Player admits he would have pushed with my hand as well.

I cash out $75 up and curse my friend :)

My friend is bored of poker and has no clue what just happened so I suggest Pai GOW, I always break even or win shouldn't he too???

I pull a crisp $100.00 bill out and buyin, my friend says it's too expensive $25.00 bets, I say you can't lose, it's a break even game. He opts to watch. I make my $100 into $150 and trick my friend into thinking it's a break even game, he buys in for 50. I make another 50 and he wins his first hand, he excitedly says to me I have never won in a casino before. Sadly to say he didn't break that track record, and promptly lsot $100 while I picked up another 50.

BTW I won with J high on top and K high on bottom.... SWEET. Mike lost to a chop *OUCH* He claims it's his family curse.

I promise Mike I didn't invite him to drive 2 hours to lose money at a casino, We have lunch and I promise him I will make his money back for him in the next 20 minutes.

I signup for a $1/$2 and decide to play drunk Blue, I buy in and ask how much is the best and slur my speech and my friend who I announce is my body guard sits next to me and watches. I pick up 77 on my 3rd hand and calls $2 to see a beautiful flop of AT7. Fish bets out 15 with his A9o and accidently slur / spill 35 into the pot, he asked me how much I have left and I say I'm too drunk to tell but I think it's 59, He says I put you all in...CALL in clear english. I just have a set SIR, It's good......
10 hands later I raise in mid with 86 suited and tight guy calls the flop comes queen high, I slurringly say is that a queen.. he says yes, I say I bet 50, he folds, I say I'm sure you had 8 high beat. I give Mike his 100 and we leave me up 10$.

The rest of the day is a blur, I am dead tired and suddenly 350 is not such a bad idea for a hotel room. We see the movie Break Up (Which is hilarious, but has a terrible ending) and I manage to wolf down a bag of reeses and a bag of ice cream skittles, not a good idea for a guy who has had 40 french vanillas to stay up.

i go to the hotel and ask how much is the room, she writes on a peice of paper 199, im like sweet why did you write it, she says because that is YOUR special.... ok... no arguements here.

I overflow the toilet, after disposing of my coffee and candy, some guy cleans it up. Lock money in safe fall asleep. Plan to get up at 4 it's 8 but that doesn't work out. So I open my eyes at 10 feeling like a new man.

TIME TO PLAY

Arrive at Foxwoods to find it PACKED for a Sunday morning, jump on a 25 list and see one of the ppl that was at my 1/2 table when I Was "drunk". My table is ok, there is a guy who is obviously a dealer by the way he cuts chips, and I tell him this and he is shocked I know. He is also a fish as most dealers are. ACTUALLY A BIG FISH. He has 2000 and sadly I get none of it. I do however manage to stagger into a few pots flop the nuts and chop on the turn. So I request a table transfer after emptying out a smaller fish at the end of the table to end up breaking even.

I opt to not post my BB on my new table and wait for the BB because as I announce to the table I am cheap. My BB finally comes and low and behold I have AA. SWEET. Time to double up. There is a raise in mid position which of course makes me lick my chops. everyone else folds to me and infact there is only one other guy who has limped infront of the raise. SOOOOOOOOOOOO I decide to smooth call. Limper calls the 25 and we see a flop. Before the flop comes out I announce in haste that I "check in the dark" check check to the K53 flop, not what I wanted to see. I immediately fire 100 on the Q on the turn, not believing someone checked KQ. Limper folds thinking I am crazy and the other guy thinks about it and throws in his hundred. Sir how much do you have left, ok that's the bet in the dark. The river is a 5 which makes me happy because KQ is now dead. He of course calls and I announce "just have aces". In disgust he says they are good. The rock next to me points out it was a dangerous check in the dark with aces, I ignore him and request a seat change.

I proceed to dominate, and when I attempt a bluff after folding 25 hands or so with 56suited on the button, the flop comes down K75, great a pair and a runner runner straight draw. he checks, a smart tight player so I check behind him and LOW and behold a 5 on the turn I fire 50 he calls and I check behind him on a dangerous river and win the pot. All in all a great session turning around 800 or so.

Next weekend is AC and maybe Denver the weekend after, I have heard there is action at the Fortune.

Monday Night $2/5

So I get a promotion at work to CIO and decide to celebrate with some NL HE on Monday night. I arrive around 8PM, and the game isn't started yet. After chowing down on some chicken strips and hot sauce, we finally get enough players to start playing. We have 6 and I'm sitting in the 10th seat. I buy in for $500 while everyone else buys in for 200-300 and grind along to about $650.00.
I'm in mid position and get AKs raise to 30 preflop (which seems to be the raise to get one caller). The owner of the game calls me. Flop comes down A23 rainbow. I bet 50 he calls, the turn is a 7, I bet 75 he calls. The river is a 7 and I figure my two pair is good and bet $100.00, he calls and flips over 45s. I rethink this hand for most of the night.

I never quite make a comeback and cash out 120.00 at midnight.

There was only one loose passive player at the table, and some decent players, not a good game, shame on me for sticking around to lose my other 300.00.

I woke up this morning and decided there are a number of ways I could have played this hand out of position.

AK vs 45
30 PF raise
If I attempt to check raise the flop and he raises I fold losing 130$ max
If I attempt to check raise the flop and he checks I bet the turn 50 and fold to a raise I lose 80
If I attempt to check raise the flop and he checks I bet the turn he calls I only call up to 75 on the river, or bet 75 and fold to raise I lose 205

All of these are less than the 255 I lost and had no idea where I was.

Note to self find out where you are when you are out of position.

Of course I could have just called my AK preflop and got away on the turn.

So $380.00 lesson isn't bad, I'm going to play Os Nest tonight.

Welcome to Bluedom

Bluedom is a spot for both my boredom and my blueness. I am Blue and I have never seen a King Five I didn't like. This blog is mainly my ramblings on my journey in my poker career. I go into no specifics with names or details due to privacy issues.
Please enjoy my ramblings.

Blue