2006/03/08 - Number 3

Sunday 5 Mar 2006

Well I guess if someone is actually reading this other than me you must REALLY be an internet troller of the serious kind.

I said I was $50 down after last Saturday and have just thought it might be another idea to keep a running tally so from now on my posts will start with my pre post + or - looking like this.

-$50

I will sign off with my current + or - (and therefore every new post will start with the final figure from the prev one.... Clear as mud??? Good.

So, following on from my last post, I was keen to play again soon and it didn't take too long as Sunday night following I finally got the fam to play.

The players were Myself, Lil Sis(ls), Lil Sis Boyf(lsb) and Mum(m).

$10 buy in playing with chips worth 20c each. No limit set but being a cash game of sorts all in was only when short stacked like $2-$3 worth left.

After a rough start I played pretty well and got my fair share of cards. The most painful hand was when I had Q 9 suited flopped q and 9 then hit a 9 on the river.....turns out m had pocket queens and her boat sunk mine.

The order or damage was
Total pot $40
m rebought (from me)$10
me rebought $10
lsb/m rebought (from me)$10
m rebought $10 (from me)
ls out
lsb out

The most interesting part of the night was the last 2 hours we spent arguing about who owed who money and how much. I am sure I was stiffed (not on purpose) $10 and ended + $34 (by my calc I shoulda had $44).

I heartily recommend the money talks and bullshit walks method of keeping track of money - ie Friends or family or whoever, if they are buying chips they BUY CHIPS. MONEY UPFRONT and in the pot so no confusion. If allowing rebuys add chips or at least collect the money when they buy off you - because the sting of a loss often corrodes the short and long term memory...

Nevertheless, after Sunday night I was now only -$16

Wednesday 8 Mar 2006

As per my previous post, it seemed the Wednesday trek to my local curtain shop for a friendly $10 game of limit texas holdem was coming to an end.

I have been flirting with the idea of going to my towns only casino and this seemed to be the perfect excuse...

My wife and whole family are very scared of me getting/having a gambling problem, and think I am too obsessed with poker but the fact is I dont and have never really ever drank, have never "gone to the pub with the boys", don't smoke, dont buy magazines of either the car/motorbike or T&A variety so if I wanna play a little bit who should stop me!?

I have been playing a weekly $50 game for 10 months and have used it as practice.

I would be lying if I denied the fantasy of playing poker for a living (or at least earning supplemental funds) didn't make up a large part of my current goals in life, but I am realistic, and not likely to lose our cars or property by gambling.

There is nothing worse than constant whingeing about bad beats etc and I'm sure that EVERYONE thinks they have bad luck. Although this sounds like I am about to come up with a reason for my past losses it is not the case.

I truly believe that in the end the "luck" evens out and over a long period, correct play of odds will eventually pay off. Basically I have been due for 3 months!!!

So it was with great trepidation that I dropped off my girls to school and in 35 degree heat headed of to the Cas in shorts and runners.

There was only one table running at 10.30 am and it was a $5/$10 $10 $20 $20 limit table with 3 max raise per round. As it turns out, it was under the air vents and in 10 mins I was freezing! Seems the floor manager is a polar bear - or now that I think of it a penguin.

I had $215 in my wallet which was the $65 I had plus the $150 I withdrew to actually play with. I watched this table for a while and was very nervous about joining - they were all regulars and knew each other and I contemplated leaving. Finally the "sign-up guy" said we will open another table when we get 7 people.

I watched for about an hour and to my surprise people were playing pretty tight or at least nowhere as loose as I had been told or imagined. This gave me a little more confidence.

Nevertheless when I finally sat down I cashed the whole $215 because I reasoned they were more likely to bluff (even though it was limit) if I had a low stack PLUS I thought with the blinds at $5/$10 I could see two whole rounds for only $15 and still have $200 left to play with.

I will not give you a blow by blow but here are the basics:

• Got a fair amount of good cards inc AA twice KK twice QQ and AK and numerous Q 10 suited etc
• 9s were coming up LOTS and got paid twice with 9 4 off when hitting trip 9s
• was about $250 up when I had a run of 3 consecutive hands where someone rivered the straight and actually got down to about $90
• Fought back and was up when I had to leave to get my girls. I said "Last hand Kou" (the dealer) "make it good". I got Q9 spades and hit a 9 plus 2 spades on the flop. Turn K of spades gave me flush. River junk and I collected another $200 pot with everyone raising and left...

$460 up! YAY ME!!!

I don't expect to win all the time and don't want to make a habit of this but at the same time if I can stay up what is the harm?

My decision is now do I continue to play the Sat night no limit games for $50 or miss some of these (and therefore have a weekend life with the fam) and concentrate on the more lucrative and I believe easier Casino???

If ANYONE ever reads this I would be interested in your thoughts...

+$446