Wednesday, August 29, 2007

World Poker Tour stops in Biloxi...

This thursday is the $300 buy in event and I expect that there will be over 250 people to play in this event, alas I will not be one of those people due to prior engagements. My fellow bloggers are on there way and should do well, in my opinion. We have talked off line about different situations and I believe that the mental prep is done, now they need to be physically ready.

I will be there this weekend playing in the side action. I believe that it will be juicy. There are those that travel to these events and sit at the ring games only, as vultures, waiting for those that just got busted out of the tournament of that day. Those folks that just got busted get into the cash games in hopes of recuping their loses, sometimes their frame of mind is not correct and they lose more than expected. I will be one of those vultures and I hope to come back this weekend with enough to play in several second chance tournaments and supers to get into the main event. Lets hope that the GCP crew can walk the walk, hell we sure can talk the talk!

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Book Review

Greetings and salutations!

I am going to give my take on a book that I have finished reading, Master the Mental Game Your Worst Poker Enemy by Alan N. Schoonmaker.

Very nice, smooth, and enjoyable read. This book will help you look at yourself, at the game and at how the game effects your play before, during and after you play.

In part two: evaluating ourselves and the opposition, Dr. Schoonmaker gets into denial about ourselves and our opponents. This was very interesting as how we cope with mistakes. "They give all sorts of rationalizations to justify their foolishness: I feel lucky, I'm on a rush, I'm due(LOL!) I'm advertising, improving my table image, I'm so good, I can win anyway." You ever say any of this to yourself when you play badly. This is a very small part of the book. It talks about Understanding Unconscious and emotional forces and handling stress plus many other topics.

I truly enjoyed this book and feel that for those who are on a scary losing streak this would be a nice addition to your library. I am ranking this an 8 on a scale of 1-10.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello!

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

So many lessons...this one was learned!

Harrah's the closest, cosmetically nicest poker room in New Orleans. Still hate the lighting and the time rake and the sups and the dealers could use more work. Anyways let me get to it...2-5 No limit on table seven right by the rail. We are eight handed, I am in seat three, got me a couple of lunchboxes on the other side, tall fella that gets overly aggressive at the wrong times, in seat eight, a fedora wearing fella who has moved up from the 1-2 NL game in seat seven and a sprinkle of average to better than average all around.

I have built my stack, from $300 to about $850, it is late, about 4 am. I am in the big blind, two limpers to the tall fella in seat 8 who makes it $50 to go, the small blind, who has been getting pummelled for about $1200, by the big fella makes an insta-call...I look down at two black aces...I think, I am going to take this down NOW! I make it $250, the big fella insta calls and small blind says this..."Did he call down there? Yes. Good, I call."

The flop is Jc2c9d, sb checks, I bet three hundred, big fella calls, sb pushes all in for another $50 on top...I of course call the extra $50 as does the lunchbox. At this point sb is yelling for a club! Turn card is the 3c, he jumps up and screams, showing the Ac4c (YES, because he had a thing for the big fella)...I say to the dealer..."I'm all in!" I have two hundred stacked one on top of each other like a tower, the fifty I push across the line to signify a bet. The LB goes what, due to the screaming, the dealer says to him three times he is all in for $250 do you call? He nods his head yes and flips over his black queens, sb has forgotten that I have the ace of clubs, but he is so ecstatic. The river is the 2d. Well at least I only lose $350 here...I can get it back.

The LB pushes in $50 and sits there, the dealer explains that I was all in for $250, he goes all that is across the line is $50...basically the big fella is kicked out, did not even pay the $50 because in all the confusion he tried to say that he did not hear my all in...my question was why did you turn your cards up? He said he did not see anymore money in front of me. LOL!

So, even though verbal is binding at most places, and it is a rule at Harrahs, it does not matter, they could not force the guy to cover my bet, he was 86 and has not been back since.

Lesson...make sure the dealer gets the pot right at all times even after verbally saying all in, make sure your money is in the pot and the lunchbox that called has the matching quantity in there so there is no doubt. I have heard that this has happened before, but did not think it would happen to me...well it did.

Oh, Harrah's...alrighty.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Same old Harrahs

Good day. I took a trip to Harrah's poker room this past Monday after a two month break. I hoped to find new...something...alas I did not. The same bad players, dealers and supervisors were there. The best thing this place has to offer is the decor, the lighting sucks, many of the dealers are below average and if they are reading this they know who I am talking about, and some of the supervisors just do not get it. I believe you will get the floor called to a table at least 10 times a down, or every thirty minutes and if you follow where certain dealers go, you will see a pattern as to where the floor goes. It is very funny.

My return was not appreciated. They took my money and smiled! Nah, i played bad and deserved it. If I had ever felt like a lunchbox, this day was it.

On one particular hand I had A7 diamonds in the hi-jack seat, one before the cut-off. This is a 1-2 game two new players joined from a broken game, one young man had $500 and another about $300. Four limpers into me, I make it $15 to go, two early limpers call, I have the button now. The flop is 10, 8, 2 one diamond. Checks around I bet out $35, young guy calls, turn is a J diamonds, check to me I bet $45, he raises to $90, now I only have $70 left. I have picked up a flush draw an inside straight draw and maybe my ace is good. I think he may have a 10, or he has hit the straight with Q9, maybe 97, or he has J10 and is very confident that I am on air. What should I do? I believe I either push or fold, you should not just call here, I mean if I call I only have $25 left right? I called...the river 3 clubs, I check he bets, I fold, could he have been on a KQ bluff? Do not know because I should have put the rest of it in there on the turn and I would not be speculating right now! That readers is what I mean by being a LUNCHBOX! I was so embarrassed that I got up and left.

The action in the 1-2 game is great, they really like to watch the WPT on wednesdays, there were so many references to the program. They spread a 2-5 no limit but there was only one table. There are many 3-6 limit games there and the 4-8 half hold-em and half omaha had a must move table. There you have it my return and a highlight of the room. Another added bonus is that at times you will see movie stars and athletes in there.

Stay nice as rice and mello as jello. Be nice to the lunchbox...he/she will pay you off!