I Hate it When...

I make the right call and get the wrong result!

Playing the 8K guaranteed NLHE tourney at Absolute Poker this evening and it's only the 4th hand of the tournament ... I'm in the BB with JJ. It's folded to a mid position player, who raises to 900. Mind you the blinds are 10/20 at this point. It is folded to me, and I think for about 3 seconds and decide he has trash.

Anyone with a big hand like AA or KK he wouldn't want to scare his customers ... QQ is a remote possibility, but unlikely as well. I decide that realistically, worst case scenario, I'm looking at AQ, and best case, I am way ... way ahead.

I push all my chips in, and he calls, flipping 44. I must say that this is the worst play I may have ever seen at a money tournament. Anyway, since I'm writing about this, you know the idiot hit a 4 and I was bounced. A 4 flush even missed me ...

I could imagine if that is how I were bounced at a really big tournament (this tournament is only a $10 tourney which probably explains the awful play).

The worst part is that I was really looking forward to a deep tourney run, I was in a great mood and had carved out a block of time to play. The $10 I could care less about.

Well, at least I made good use of the added time by making a healthy profit at some ring games. I pushed my bankroll to an all time high. I dropped down to 1/2 at Interpoker since there weren't really any good higher limit games rolling and cleared the rest of their $3o weekend bonus. I caught some good cards and really hammered the bonus chasers. Playing 3 tables and I was able to run amok on two that were filled with tight bonus chasers, and be patient and wait for a big hand on the third looser table.

Midway through, I questioned why I was chasing $30, when I have been playing 10/20 lately, but I decided that a little bonus whoring is never a bad thing, even if I lose money at the tables, that $30 is free money.

I'm getting excited though, my forays into 10/20 have been successful and my bankroll is very healthy. I have some credit card debt ... I could withdraw all my poker money and eliminate my credit card debt ... all of it ... and still have some money to rebuild. But I am going to save that for later, I don't like withdrawing money from my poker accounts, although I think I'm gonna treat myself to a digital camera soon.

So far, even despite a very rough patch that I am hoping won't repeat itself any time soon; I am above the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the year. I still don't have that big tournament win, but my ring game has been outstanding. Honestly, I don't play enough tourneys to really have the expectation of a big win at this point. I am playing maybe 2 a week if I am lucky. I am hoping I can make some time to up that number soon.

Climbing the Limits

It's been a while since I've posted anything and both of you who are reading my blog might be getting worried :o)

I've been playing at Caribbean Sun Poker (it's part of the Crypto Network with Will Hill and Inter) and have been doing quite nicely at the 5/10 Limit HE tables. If it weren't for a little bad spot playing some shorthanded, I would have doubled my initial investment. It's a great place to play because the rake rebate through www.poker-strategy.org is 25% which is an unbelievable deal.

At the end of the month, I will get in the neighborhood of $225 back from my rake generated ... it's like free money. That's not to mention the $60 or so I will get back from AP (where I am also playing some still).

I have also gotten the cajones up to play a little bit of 10/20 at AP when I feel like the table conditions are good, and so far that has gone very well, but I'm only 2 sessions in.

I almost feel like I could earn a living playing poker if I had to. Thankfully, I don't have to and don't intend to. It's a nice side income (okay, it's been a VERY nice side income), but it's not worth it to give up a good job for what still is a huge risk ... not to mention concerns about health insurance, retirement plans, etc. I hear about people who play poker for a living on the net, and I know a few from chat rooms and forums; but it seems like such a boring existence. I still have fun when I play poker, I don't want it to become a job.

I haven't had huge blocks of time to play many tournaments, but I'm gonna try to make some time this weekend and play a few.

All is well, in the RPM poker world for now; although I'm envious of those who get to play in the WSOP big time tournaments. I've built quite a bankroll out of practically nothing and as I've moved up in limits, it has grown faster and faster (with the exception of a bad run that set me back temporarily) ... so maybe one day ...

Ring game looking up

I have drastically slowed down my poker play, but my ring game is looking good. Perhaps I'm a bit fresher when I'm playing.

I did do some hardcore bonus whoring at Star's over the weekend, clearing $240 in bonus over the holiday weekend and making a nice profit at the tables to boot.

I also managed a 6th place finish in Absolute Poker's 3K guaranteed 10+1 tourney. A nice result. It's rare for me to do well in tournament play and ring games during the same time period; but I feel like my tourney game is near where it should be.