Sleep With the Fishes, Dine on the Whales

Showed up for the 1030 am satellite for the MSPT at the Belle of Baton Rouge.  I had previously won a $60 satty to qualify for a $250 with a seat in the Main Event on the line.  I played so much poker yesterday (all the way to 1:30 am today) that I can't remember much of that tournament early.  I know some good players were at my table and I was looking enviously at the other table, but I had position on a couple including Danny Doucet.  I busted him when he flopped top pair and I had Aces. When we got to the final table I arrived as the chipleader.  I got some good hands and saw my advantage disappear as we limped toward the four seats they were giving out.  Next thing I knew two or three stacks had swollen up.  One player had no idea he was in a satellite and played like he needed every chip.  Short stacks kept doubling and after hours of play I became a shorty.  Twice I got Aces to get critical double ups including once when on the stone...

HOW DO YOU MEASURE "JUICE": TO GCP: I just read your pitch for the low juice at the $1k tourney in Baton Rouge.  I’ll take your word on the 11% juice for this particular tournament and that sounds good on the surface.  However, I’m a bit confused as follows:   1.  You only mentioned the $1k tourney.  The series actually consists of quite a few other tourneys, none of which actually pay cash winnings, only entry to the next level of play.  What is the juice on them? 3.  The vast majority of the entrants into the $1k main event will probably have “won” their way into the tourney by way of the “qualifiers”. 4.  MidStates will be taking juice from the qualifying rounds too, right?  (11%??) 5.  A lot of the people in the “qualifiers” will probably have “won” their way into the “qualifier” tourney through satellites. 6.  MidStates will be taking juice from the satellite rounds too, right?  (11%??) 7.  As a r...

I went to the Belle for the first time to check out their poker room and play one of the satellites for the Mid States Poker Tour.  When I arrived they had one seat open.   45 players (including rebuys) meant there would be 9 seats (20% of the field). The play, ummm, was suspect at best.  People calling off with marginal hands and huge stacks.  Short stacks calling every raise to see flops.  I felt if I didn't get unlucky I'd be alright.  I took a couple of beats and got short right before the first break.  I decided I'd rebuy if necessary, so it was time to double up (or double up by rebuying) and called with J10 in late position. Flopped open ended in a multi-way pot (they were all multi-way pots) and made broadway on the turn with a Ace.  We got it in.  The very next hand one off the button I limped with suited connectors.  A call station raised from the button and then an older fellow in the big blind who called everything stewed a...

Keep meaning to blog and even started one or two, but never got the chance to finish on all sorts of topics, so rather than one long here are a series of short ones. Auburn-FSU (yeah it's been a while): Great game.  Hated the result though. Seemed like variance finally caught up to the Tigers.  I think if they hit that fg in the first half they win.  At the time, I knew it was critical, just as I knew FSU were likely to fake punt as they absolutely had to get something before the half.  Lots of reverse parallels to games Auburn played in recent history.  Take this year's Iron Bowl, all Bama had to do to win was hit one more field goal (probably) and they win.  The same is likely true for Auburn when they missed early in the National Championship.  Should have been one last nail to FSU's chances. The late first half touchdown reminded me of another late touchdown before the half (rewind to Auburn's national championship season with Cam Newton)...

Email I sent for those that bought a piece of me: Fired several bullets to win our way into the Main Event on my own dime through Megas.  Those did not go well.  Several times I was a couple of spots away from the seat.  I also tried to arrange to buy a seat from a cash player that had won it to save us a little money in the package.  He asked for 1k and I hoped to get him down by negotiating.  Unfortunately, we missed each other (he no showed the first meeting) and when we finally did meet up I had to leave in the middle of one of my megas and rush over to the cash room.   (One of the floor people had been trying to help me out with this and called me when the player got there).  I told him let's discuss the seat.  He said sorry.  Despite committing to the floor person who set things up for me now he had changed his mind.  Now, he had been able to get off work for Saturday and was going to play.  (**I saw him bust a...

MY Package Update email: Hi all, Package update.  Every time I use the word package one of you Beavis and Butthead fans shoots me a text  telling me how you enjoys me talking about my "package."  You probably giggled at the name of Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton Dix.   Well giggle some more because I'm talking about my package again. Some small good news for those that bought enough of the package to include the side action, but that comes last.   Now for the bad news. Anyway, the first three events went bad for different reasons, though a three on the turn was responsible for two of them.   1A 50k Guarantee:   Simply got coolered three times by fishy plays.   1.  Flop top two pair bet. Guy calls and hits his set on the turn. Think it was set of threes, I flopped K9.  Just call his river bet, lose minimum. 2.  In Big Blind with A4.  Multi way pot.  Flop comes 774.  I Bet one guy calls. ...

Why do they call little Snickers "Fun Sized."  There is nothing fun about them, unless fun means immediately have to look through the candy you are stealing from your Children's Halloween haul for another one to "partially" satisfy you.  I feel like I've heard "this" bit somewhere, my apologies if I'm stealing from somebody, but that's the train of thought I had this afternoon. Poker is going swell.  Continue to run good at cash and these weeklies.  Traveled up to Baton Rouge to play at LaBerg and see the new casino.  I was impressed.  The tournament was a little fast but enjoyable.  Finishing third made it sweeter.  That made three final tables in a row.  A lot happened in that tournament. I saw the local hotshot challenge me for hitting a flush on him, and ironically play a similar hand exactly the same way later.  I believe he muttered something about raising with the worst hand, then bluffing with it and then getting lucky. ...