Sleep With the Fishes, Dine on the Whales

Anatomy of a Hand: I called with Ten High In a World Series of Poker that was devoid of highlights except for a depressing cavalcade of bad beats and coolers, I left 2012 with one memorable hand:  I called with Ten High.  For the series I had been three for three with hero calls so my radar was tuned in.    Also, I really didn't make any bad or loose calls, so it's not like I'm some call station who got lucky three times and whiffed 20 others.   I'm pretty good at ferreting out when a story doesn't make sense, when a bet size is off, or a physical read just reinforces that my opponent doesn't have what he's representing.  When all three go together I'm willing to make a hero call when I'm really light.  One of my best skills in poker is winning money in these spots and sometimes it makes me feel like I'm playing the game backwards.  Everybody else wins with aggression while sometimes it's their aggression and not mine that g...

WSOP:  A Bad End Ugh... The World Series of Poker did not end the way I would have liked.  It also didn't begin or "middle" the way I would have liked either.  It was a bit like I'd imagine it would be encountering a three-boobed woman from Total Recall.  At first I'd be like "Hmmm... two are nice... three must be better" so there was all that awesome anticipation of the WSOP and the National Championship.  Then I'd get there and start to think besides the convenience of one being in the middle what's all the fuss about--it's the world's softest poker tournament series and there are still bad beats.  Then, you'd recognize, it's just one more boob, and besides the extra curve boobs are really for babies.  The World Series is in itself a trap.  Hundreds of good players run bad there every year.  Some bad ones run good.  Then finally, I'd be looking at the three boobs, thinking it's actually kind of gross... get me out of...

Took yesterday off to take my mind off of poker.  I'm going to go in reverse chronological order for no good reason. Today: Went to Starbucks.  Spent some time in the shower visualizing myself winning the National Championship.  Cards in the air today at noon.  Field is loaded.  Excited about it.  Looking forward to mixing it up and challenging myself.  I have that good feeling. Yesterday: Took the day off from WSOP tournament poker to relax before today.  Gene and I went to a few different casinos and I booked a small winner at an old Vegas casino in a tiny donkfest.  Had my Phil Ivey on and just decimated a table betting two or three times an orbit.  Might have a slightly different strategy today. When I sat down I immediately discovered the cards were marked.  I think the process is called daubing.  Ace's had a mark right in the middle of the card, kings just below it and queens just below that.  T...

You know what they say about Karma... yeah. I'm not a big believer in luck or superstition or Karma for that matter, but I do believe in doing the right thing.  When I don't it hangs over my head and maybe even clouds my judgment.  I've seen some weird coincidents in my short life. Recently, I played a tournament series at Coushatta in backwoods Louisiana and on walking into the door on my first day a random black cat walked across my path.  How is a random black cat in a casino parking lot?   I whiffed the three day tournament for the most part.  Coincidence, surely. Anyway, two nights ago, Mike and played some Pai Gow at Bill's, again for some free beers and a little bit of unwinding.  I don't really gamble so we played the cheapest game possible.  On our first hand Mike didn't play the sucker bet and hit 9 high Pai Gow ($250 to 1 and would have paid $1250 on the five dollars he had hit the wager).  I said Mike these things run in streak...

I'm switching hotels this morning from Ballys to the Rio where I'll be at the remainder of the stay.  With check-in and check out I don't think I'll be able to blog this morning.  Coming soon:  plenty of hands to discuss about the 1500.  In some ways I got incredibly unlucky.  My bust-out hand generally is a no-brainer but in retrospect it might have been one I could have gotten away from "situationally."  The 1k is today starting at noon, so I'm trying to get settled over there.  Hopefully, I'll have plenty of time tomorrow morning to blog as there is a 2:00 restart, I believe, for day two.  Thanks for all the positive support from everybody, especially Adam, Mike and Gene.