F - AT&T...I finally did it

Yes, I finally did it. I cancelled my home phone line. F-AT&T.

I never thought I'd miss SBC.

About 8-9 months ago, I noticed my bill was a paltry $2.50 more than usual. I always paid the bill online, and never made a long distance call. My phone was only used for emergency calls, maintenance appointments, or solicitors. I was really unhappy with it and only kept it in case I needed to move to DSL.

One month, I actually opened the bill. AT&T was now charging me $2 plus surcharges for long distance services THAT I NEVER USE. They could track that I've never made a call from there. I called to inquire, and they stated that they sent me notification of the change. Maybe they did, with all the revised service agreements, soliciations, etc? Bullcrap.

So I cancel the long distance service. No problem they say. I get confirmation by email.

Today, I found out that they charged my $9.33 to cancel it? To cancel something never used. Good for them. I called them back, they stood by their claim, and I cancelled my phone service altogether....immediately.

So for $2 per month for 8 months, and a once time score of $9.33, they lost $27 per month indefinetely.

Good for them. No wait, F- them.

The World Series Has Begun!

Yes, it was delayed a bit this year, as Harrah's improved upon their 1st foray as tournament host for the WSOP. Now the "main event" isn't for nearly a month, but the preliminary events have started. Just yesterday, Mike Sexton, host of PartyPoker and commentator from the WPT, won the Tournament of Champions event of 27 player who were part of an invitation-only freeroll.

Sexton outlasted Daniel Negreanu and Mike the Mouth in the final three to win a cool one million dollars.

Updates from the WSOP are best seen on CardPlayer.com. The official world series schedule is located here. Today marks a $1,500 buy-in NLHE event, so these are no small tourneys, by any means. Keep looking to CardPlayer for updates.

Interesting future events are the short-handed NLHE event this weekend (Brunson won it last year) and the $5k NLHE event on July 4th. They've also brought back the HORSE event where they play mixed games and is said to be the truest test of poker skill. HORSE is set for July 12th and will have a $50,000 buy-in!

The Main Event (WSOPME) begins on Fri Jul 28 and runs to Thu Aug 10. There's a lot of poker between now and then.

ESPN's coverage was announced here.

Question to wrap up: how many players do you think will be registered for the WSOPME? Use the comments section. Records have been broken year after year, but there will be a maximum number they can accomodate. Will it go down? How many? 5,000? 6,000? 8,000? Place your guess in the comments.

Marathon online session and Impromptu live game

There was a lot of poker played this weekend. On Friday afternoon, I decided to play a bit online instead of heading straight to Happy Hour. This decision turned into a marathon session until 2am.

I started with tournaments and my bad luck has continued. I played 4-$33 SnGs, two at a time. I only placed in one, 3rd, after being in last place with 6 remaining. I suppose it was a good finish, but it paled in regard to the 4th, 4th, and 6th place finishes in the other events.

Down a small bit, I decide to move to cash games, where I can get out if Andrea and I need to leave the house. I play 3 to 4 $100NL tables, and I quickly double up on one table when I go all in with top set on the turn and I rivered a boat with my opponent on counterfeited two pair. I was up about $250-$300 at one time, when Andrea and I started getting "feisty". I didn't want to eat, or really go out. We had had a few glasses of wine, so I really wasn't going anywhere.

Sometime, late, we fought over some music, combined with bad luck, and I she left me to be alone with my poker machine. I then continued to make a few bad calls (people value bet very well after a bottle of wine) and I was slightly down (maybe $100) at one point.

Seeking even more frustration, I awoke the devil, PartyPoker Blackjack. Now, I have a history of PPBJ, it is incredibly fun to play heads-up, but it is a doomed game. Basic strategy just doesn't seem to apply in heads-up, as if you play a waiting game (standing when he has breaking cards), they will often draw out on you and if you are dealt pat hands, the dealer likely has a pat hand as well, since the cards are not separated by 5-7 players. I meandered for a while, but actually quit up about $450....after being up a bit more a few hands before!

So, I ended up ok, on the night, but with an upset girlfriend.

On Sat, we had an impromptu live game that night with about 7-8 players. David H. killed the table that night, cashing out for well over $200 in a $1/3 game! He had a great night. I ended up a small amount, so at least wasn't a loss. I don't remember if there were any other winners since David hit the deck so well that night.

Maybe there will be some cards in my future for the 4th of July weekend. Good luck to you.

Results from 16 June and the weekend

We had a great group on Friday. Me, Andrea, Dale, Derek, David H, Tonja, Scott, Patrick, and Diane saw many hours of pokah action. David couldn't stay long, but we were 8-handed most of the night. With the addition of Diane, there was ball-busting galore. This night was one example where the poker may have taken second place to the smack talk.

In sum, I was up $62. Dre had another loss, but I don't think there was serious damage done by anyone. Dale has now embraced poker as he ended even after paying in for the pizza. Not bad for his 1st foray into hold-em.

Saturday, the weather stunk around here. We went to Quail Valley and ended up playing cards (Hi-Lo-Jack), which is a game I learned in Rhode Island and I've never seen anywhere but Arkansas? Click the Hi-Low-Jack link for the rules.

Since it was pouring, we went back to town after playing cards, and saw the US pull a draw against Italy at KCs on TC Jester. After that, it was the fateful trip to Cyclone Anayas (where we saw Katie, Ted, and Teddy) and then Karaoke at PJs.

Not a bad weekend, even w/o the golf....

Speaking of golf, maybe you saw the US Open, played at Winged Foot (West Course). I had the priveledge of playing the West course about 8 years ago with my parents and it was terribly tough back then...I found some pics on Sat (non-digital, of course).

Possible home game: w/e of 16 June

OK, here's our chance to use the forum.

My friend Dale is coming in from Rhode Island for the weekend and he's prime and ready for you to take his money (or donate to his new baby fund).

My plan for the weekend is to host a game one night and hit Cyclone Anaya's the other night. I really don't have a preference which night we play cards, but Dale arrives around 6:30pm on Friday, so the earliest we could play is around 8pm on Friday.

So...please use the comments field for this post to say if you are interested in playing cards this weekend and what night you prefer to play (Fri or Sat night). Please identify yourself in your post.

I've been on the wagon for the last 10 days, so I may be another fish in the game....

Hope to hear from you.

Hand history from post below

This is more painful revisited this morning. It seems I was only on my second orbit, I was in MP with the KK on hand fourteen or so. I had folded the blinds once so the comments on tight play still apply.

I looked at the final results, and soon after that player laid that beat on me, this person was chip leader (6k of 20k in play) with 6 remaining and had the same 6k with 4 remaining and HE NEVER MADE THE MONEY. He played timid at 4-handed and blinded himself down to a hand where he survived once when behind K-high to A-high and hit his king, then got behind an overpair that sealed his demise.

I'm so glad "he" didn't cash.

I say he as in anyone....he or she.

***** Hand History for Game 4471987750
*****MTURPOKETS finished in tenth place.
40/80 Tourney Texas Hold'em Game Table (NL) (Tournament 24652020) - Thu Jun 08

Seat 1: Blacktens (1940)
slopokrdgz posts small blind (20)
RoyalCrap posts big blind (40)

** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Blacktens [ Kd, Kc ]
jnc2552 raises (125) to 125
drcushty folds.
woody1203 calls (125)
hewlett711 folds.
Blacktens calls (125)
pegebe folds.
Boy_64692 folds.
slopokrdgz folds.
RoyalCrap folds.

** Dealing Flop ** : [ Js, 4d, Tc ]

jnc2552 bets (227)
woody1203 folds.
Blacktens raises (800) to 800
jnc2552 raises (1503) to 1730
jnc2552 is all-In.
Blacktens calls (930)

** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7d ]
** Dealing River ** : [ 5d ]

** Summary **Main Pot: 3895 Board: [ Js 4d Tc 7d 5d ]
Blacktens balance 85, lost 1855 [ Kd Kc ] [ a pair of kings -- Kd,Kc,Js,Tc,7d ]
jnc2552 balance 3895, bet 1855, collected 3895, net +2040 [ Ad Jd ] [ a flush, ace high -- Ad,Jd,7d,5d,4d ]

Confirmed that he raised all in with only top pair top kicker and a back door flush draw and only three to a straight (AJT).

When I'm a NL agressor on a pair and a good draw (say middle pair and 4 flushed), I can't hit a flush with 2 cards to come when all in and I get runner runnered here. GFM!

I should have had a drink.

There's no reason to do this sober.

So, I fire up one SnG tonight (Party upgraded their software, and you can't even get on a table tonight - foreshadow warning, I shouldn't have got on).

I've taken a short sabbatical from drinking...looking to do two weeks...I need to be at work at 6:45am tomorrow anyway (in a tie no less), so whatever.

I get one open and I get crappy cards. I fold the first three orbits and the table is playing way tight. First raise is stealing anything. It's brutally obvious...there's no use limping, even with QTo, or K9s, or JTo...Someone will pot it PF and no one will play.

So on my third orbit, I'm dealt KK in late position (LP from now on). We have an UTG raise to 145 (about 3x BB + SB) and a cold caller. I ask myself, why 145? Why not 120 (3X BB) or 140 (3X BB + SB). Why the extra? So, I think they are hacks.

Since there was an early raiser and a cold caller, I smooth call with my KK.

Some of you may ask why smooth call with the KK. This tourney had been tight. A reraise after a UTG PF raise and cold call screams AA, KK, or AKs. Since this was the very first hand I was playing in the tourney (I had to fold all my previous blinds), I did not want to define my hand so much.

The flop comes J-7-2 rainbow. This is a perfect flop for my hand. I am not likely up against 2 pr, and the worst I have against me is JJ, 77, or 22 for trips (AA is unlikely from the MP cold caller and the PF raiser shouldn't have raised an obscure amount from UTG).

The pot has 490 in it, and the UTG bettor bets 240. MP folds, and I pop him back to 800 to go. Leaving me about 900 behind. UTG thinks for a second and pushes all in.

I don't put him on trips since he would have slow played a set UTG with two players to act behind (you want to make sure you don't get 2 folds behind if you bet). I put him on a middle pair or a Jack.

He flips over AJd for TPTK and a backdoor flush draw.

Using the poker calculator at CardPlayer.com, (after the fact, obviously), I am a 75-25 favorite, or 3-1. Keep in mind that a overpair situation (like AA vs KK) is a 4-1 favorite, so I'm in a great situation here for all my chips. He has a few outs, 3 Aces (some are likely spent), 2 Jacks, or running diamonds (very roughly 16-1 against).

He hit the running diamonds. Good for me.

IGHN (I go home now). Actually I didn't, I had him covered by 35 chips. Laughing at my demise, I was dealt KK AGAIN. Woo-hoo, I doubled up to 70 and I was out with my next blind.

I try for 30 minutes to get on another table, and Party can't refresh enough to show me open tables. It's a good thing, because I'm pissed....and sober.....hide your children.

Home Game Information

I am going to use this blog to solicit interest in our home game. If we decide to play, we can use the comments area so that we can collectively see who is in our out. If the blog takes off at all, we can use a private area for comments.

This will eliminate the need for huge amounts of email about the game. If you can't make it, one post will say it all.

Maybe 2 weeks from now. Looks like Shannon wants to host one this weekend, and since Andrea is moving on Friday, that looks tough for me.

Thanks.

June 02 - a actual Pro in the Home Game??

Our latest home game was on Friday June 2nd. We had a bit of a struggle assembling players, as there was a Houston Heights Fun Run on Saturday among other things. With some last minute additions, our lineup included me, Andrea, Tonja, David H, David C, Samantha (Jason B's wife), and two friends of Sam's, Candice and Jim. Jim was visiting Houston for the weekend.

We have confirmed that Jim is a professional poker player and tournament director in Las Vegas. He was once the tournament director for the World Series of Poker. He is involved in a company called Party Fortune. Click on his bio for details (I'm not posting a picture here).

We started shorthanded with just Tonja, David H, Andrea and me. We warmed up with 1/3 until David C showed, then we went straight to 2/4 by player request. Once the remaining three came in, I'm sure it was the lowest limit Jim had played in some time.

It was a good aggressive game. As far as the Pro, he open raised about 80% of his hands for the first hour or more, trying to survey the passive/aggressive tendencies. Later on, his hand rate dropped significantly and he became more tight-aggressive, but I did note that the pots he won were very large ones.

Speaking of which, I had a great night, up $145. Tonja also won a good amount on the night.

Thanks to all that attended (including the dealer support from Tonja!) and I hope to see some of the regulars next time.

Great googly moogly

And then I lose 5 in a row......SNAP!

Did I say 9 in a row?

After the abysmal May 25th last Thursday when I went 0-9 before winning a $30+3 SnG, I had resumed play this Thursday conservatively playing 3-$33s to assess my state of mind.

Well, after a bust out in 8th place where my AKc lost to a min reraise on AA, I placed 1st in the other two tourneys! Those two wins ($117 ea) reversed the 0-9 (OK, you have to add the other win there) negated the previous week!

I did play very well shorthanded and extremely well heads up. I know if I can get heads up, I have a fighting chance no matter the chip stacks.

Another way of looking at lying with statistics, I've WON the last 3 out of 4 $33s that I've played! OK, enough back slapping, I need to get back to the grind.

I've since busted out 8th and 6th in the lead both times. The suck outs do happen. In those last 2 tourneys, I had crap cards, but I was happy to be all-in with the best hand both times....dominant in one too...but them's the breaks, or as some people say....

That's pokah!