Unstuck!!!!

The day started out very slowly. I guess father's day killed the action. Eventually I sat at the $300-$500 game, which we all agreed to make a $500 game. This brought the blinds up to 5 and 10 from 5 and 5. It also made it a unrestricted game. I bought up to $1000. There were 2 or 3 donators, a few solid players, and one or two unknowns. I was not thrilled with the game, but it was there was the only thing that interested me at The Bike. I lost few hundered while waiting for a hand to get involved with,

When I finally found the hand I was looking for, it was a fun one. I picked up JJ in LP. There were two limpers to me. I made it $55 to go. It folded around to the button who made it $110 to go. The limpers went away and we took the flop heads-up. It camed JK4, all clubs. I was happy about making middle set, but a bit worried about him having a big club, or the made flush, or top set. I think I only had one move there. I pushed it all in. He insta-calls me and shows me AQc. I am spinning around like I am about to hit the canvas, when in a lasp gasp attempt, I say to the dealer "pair the board!" Smack! a Kh comes on the turn. So I have made my boat and the only thing that is going to save his ass is if he gets his one outer for the royal on the river. I know it is hard to believe, but my hand held.

The weaker players got replaced by tougher players. Guys that I don't want to play with. Guys that were licking their chops at my chips. So I got up and cashed out. As I counted my roll, It seemed to me to be about what I started with. Unstuck. OMFG I AM UNSTUCK. Praise FSM.

The bad news is that the Bike is now really dead, except the shark tank i just got out of. I decided to wonder over to Commerce and check out the action there. They had 3 $400 main tables running and they had just formed a must move game. I played very defensively, knowing that this is not a good investment. I am not going to give my chips to someone that will end up a different table than I will. And it was only marginally usefull sizing up the players and putting them on styles and experience levels, and so on. I got move fairly quickly.

My protected table was very good. No sharks, a few semi-solds, some ABCs, one donkish player, and (yes, it is the Holy Grail, not a grail shapped beacon!) the Ultra-Mega-Super-Donkey-With Roll. This is going to be good. He was throwing a party, if you know what I mean. He was betting with anything, calling, with anything, and raising with anything. He actually got some big pots because everyone was trying to bust him and he actually made a few hands. But he, of course, got felted several times. Each time he would reload. I lost count. One thing I didn't lose count of was how many times I got HU with him. That count stayed at zero for several hours.

I was getting ready to give up when I caught a hand. I picked up AJs in CO. UMSDWR is in MP. He he limps. it folds around to me. I make it 65. The button, BB, and SB, and UMSDWR all call. I am not so happy about this. A raggedy, rainbow J high flop comes. I am wondering whol might have flopped a set. I am also wondering if I can get HU with UMSDWR. There is only one way to find out. I bet out $175. The button (a solid player) thinks for a while and gives me respect. The small blind (also a solid player) does the same. The big blind (an okay player) folds quickly. That leaves me HU with UMSDWR. He re-raises me another175. I have 385 left at that moment. I am reasonable sure he has garbage. Really. I push in-for the rest of it, 210 more. He thinks for a long time before reluctantly calling. The turn is another J. The river is a blank. I show my trip jacks, ace kicker and he starts to muck. Another player at the table (not me, I would leave the donkey alone) asks to see his cards. The dealer shows his 63 s000ted. In my head, I am working it out.....okay I was unstuck.....now....this....magnificent beast....just paid for....my....entire...trip.

I decided that while it is wrong to leave money on the table, I am very, very tired, and I am afraid of getting felted by a good player that is also trying to get the rest of UMSDWR's money. I cash out and leave. I am a happy man.

I am going to try to do Live at The Bike again tonight (Monday night); It is my last night of poker; I fly home Tuesday morning.

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled eggs is what I had for breakfast at 3:00am. Scrambled like my brain. Here is a brief summary of recent developments:

1.) I ran into Russ Fox and played with him for several hours. He folded like the French army. For Russ that means that he played one hand every two hours rather one hand every hour, since he was card dead. But he did manage to get a seat next to mine and we talked for a while. He gave me a low down on some of the players I might run into if I sat for the 1000nl Live at The Bike. I gather you already know I ended playing that game (watch the replay on Sunday if you missed it on Friday!.)

2.) I held my own against a tough table in that game. It included two or three of the top cash game players around. It also include several very solid players not in the top tier. It also included an Ultra LAG maniac with more money than god. He was immediately on my left. Fuck! I picked my spots very great care. With all due respect to the commentators, they missed several key points about my play. First of all, there was hand where I flopped a 88 overpair. I knew I was probably ahead. However, I also knew that if I called the bet on the flop, I would be put to the test and I was not prepared to play for all my chips yet. Second of all, I made a great move on the ULAG. I dropped a $100 chip into the pot without saying 'raise' on purpose. I knew that it would be enforced as a call and I knew that ULAG would raise anyhow. I also knew that I would win after re-raising. I had big brass ones there. The official chip count at the end had me +1000. They fucked up. I was really only up $360. But that was against top players, with a bad seat, in a game that was two steps up from my normal game. Yay me!!! Yes, I was fucking crazy for doing it, but it was my kind of crazy.

3.) I don't remember much of the rest of the day. I am really drawing a blank. I think it is understandable under the circumstances.

4.) Today, I played the $100nl donkey push-fest while waiting for a real game. I avoided getting involved without a big pair or AK, as it always goes all-in. Blissfully, I got to sit at a real poker game quickly. I was going for the $300-$500nl game which plays about the same as $400nl at Commerce. But the $500nl unrestricted opened up and I sat with $500. It played a little bigger than I normally play, but not nearly as big as the 1000nl the night before. I was reasonably comfortable. After several hours of patient, careful play, I took down a $1200 pot. I opened in early position for $55 with AQ. I got raised to $110 by MP and overcalled by LP. Flop comes A74 rainbow. A pot sized bet would be about $345. I had just a bit more than that, so that was my spot. I pushed, MP calls quickly, LP folds. River and turn are blanks. I show my hand, MP mucks and the dealer pushes the pot to me. This gets me unstuck for the trip.

5.) Sadly this does not last long. I get up from that game and sit in the $300-$500NL game and get busted twice in one orbit. The first time I had KK and got all-in pre-flop against the biggest donkey at the table. Before the flop is dealt, I ask him if he wants to flip the cards up. He agrees. I show my kings. He starts acting like he is deaf. He doesn't show. The flop is dealt, all blanks. The turn is a Q. The river is a blank. He shows QQ, points at me and laughs. I showed great restraint in not shoving my chip rack up his ass. I don't mind losing. It happens. I got my chips in with the best of it. I do mind people acting like jerks after winning when they should lose. Fuck him. I started tipping each player at the table as they took pots off of him. He didn't even get the joke. I think he looked puzzled when he didn't get a tip when he won his next pot.

The second bust of the orbit came when my set gets cracked by a flush. I am stuck again.

6.) I played even for most of the rest of the day. I gained a little ground late in the session. The best hand I played went as follows: I open for $40 in early position with AQ. Solid player in MP smooth calls. Donkey in late position overcalls. (deja vu!!!) The flop comes AAQ. I am stone cold serious. No expression change. None. I was sure. I look a little perturbed, I check. Solid player checks. Donkey bets out for $50. I think for five or six seconds and smooth call. Solid player makes it $150. Donkey folds. I look disgusted. I think for a long time. I smooth call. The turn is a blank. I check instantly. Solid player checks. The river is a blank. I check, solid player bets $200. I look positively sick. I think for a while....the expresion I was going for was "well, I am fucked....might as well go home" I push in my last $300. Solid player calls the $100 and turns over AK. He asks "do you have QQ?" Me: "no" I turn it over. SEND IT!!!!!

7.) I think I am stuck about $500 as of this moment. This includes several dreadful beats and one or two of mistakes I made. I feel good about how I am playing. Really good. Now, I just need to make some money.

8.) Yes, I am playing at the Bike all week. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday I will be there if you want to wonder by. I will be wearing the green WPBT cap and my Tilt Jersy. It is hard to miss me. If you think you have just spotted Andy Bloch, it's me. I tend to start around 1:00pm or so.

Seat Change!

I am really worn, so I will keep it short.....

1.) I was on Live at The Bike last night. It was really fucking cool. It is like High Stakes Poker. It is webcast live, and the replays run continously today, until tonight's live webcast. Check it out: http://www.liveatthebike.com/webcast/

2.) I won money before the Live at The Bike Game.

3.) I won money in the Live at the Bike Game.

4.) I cashed out for $500 before changing back to one of the other $300-$500NL tables

5.) I went bust at that table with this hand:

me: 9d Td
donkey1: Js 7c
donkey2: Kc 5h

It was a live straddle, I was in late position, I call. The flop comes [Kd 9s Ts]. All of the money goes in on the flop. How did I lose? bigger 2-pair? No. Straight? No. I got 4-flushed. If I my hand had held, I would have been up $1000 for the day. Instead, I am up $100. That is better than yesterday. And I was on Live at The Bike. Really fucking cool!


Did I mention how fucking cool that was?

The game tomorrow is much bigger, $1000min, 10 and 20 blinds. If I get crazy, I might play. If you get a text from me that says "I am on Live at The Bike" watch the webcast, hmmmmkay?

Round One: Donkeys

It was an interesting day yesterday. When I finally arrive at my motel, I notice that there are 5 people waiting and no one at the desk. I call the hotel number and ask about it, and then the attendant appears. I wait for my turn. Thirty minutes later I am in my room. It is clean and reasonably modern. It has free WIFI. The channel line-up is limited but includes free hardcore porn. At the moment, there is not much else on except the news. The problem with this porn channel is they seem unusually obsessed with anal which not my thing is. But I would marginally prefer watching a hot model taking it up the ass than watching the American public take it up the ass, so I change the channel. The voice-overs are really bad. I am really digressing aren’t I? Perhaps not that much, since I really took it up the ass last night.

First stop was Commerce. I sit at 200NL while waiting for my usual 400NL game. I take a few small pots uncontested. I get called for 400NL, up about 50. I had one good hand there before things went sour. I had AKc on the button. 3 people limp. I raise to 35 and get two callers. The flop comes 666. It checks around to me. I fire 100 into the pot and take it down.

The next interesting hand was more amusing than painful. Again, I am on the button. There are 7 limps to me. I make it 110 to go with KQ (I know, not a good hand.) It folds around to late position who puts me all-in. It really perplexes me that he limp-re-raises all-in in late position. He could have TT or JJ in which case I should call. Or he could have AK or AQ in which case I should fold. I think for a while. While I am thinking, he shows the rest of the table what he has. I call the floor over. The rest of the table grumbles at me. “What are you hoping? The he will have to show you his hand now?” Obviously not; I want it to be very clear that he is showing me his hand if I fold. The floor agrees. I fold. He shows TT. The dealer spreads the deck, and I pull the flop, turn, and river out. There would have been a K on the river. Oh well.

The next big hand was extremely painful. I had 500 behind. I had bet and then layed-down several times in the last several orbits. One or two of those times were steal attempts. Three or four of those were cases where I thought I had the best hand until I got re-raised. This is important as I gave my opponent credit for noticing this. He had already picked me off once. He is in late position, I am in early position. I pick up AKh. I raise 35. It folds around to him. He makes it 135. Okay, it is push or fold with him; he is going to bet the flop, I am sure, and I don’t want to have to make any more decisions, so I push. He calls with KK. The flop came king high. This is bad in that I am now dead to running aces. On the other hand, it was good in that the money would have gone in any other way I had played it. Oh well.

Somewhere along the way, I decide to start taking notes so I can write a better blog after the fact. The Commerce gift shop has one in the kids section, so I am taking notes in a Mickey Mouse notebook. Here is a list of things I forgot to pack:

• Redbull
• Note pad
• Hand Sanitizer
• Water & Snacks (for hotel room)

I lost several more small pots. At one point I get involved in a situation with one of the weaker players at the table. He has asked me about my notes several times. Each time he asks what my notes say, I reply “It says I ran into KK with AK and lost 500 or so.” He makes a weak raise and I am sure his hand is weak. I make a big re-raise with 33. He asks me what my notes say. I calmly insist that there is nothing interesting in there besides the AA vs. AK hand. I toss the notebook over to him. He reads my notes and folds.

Between the two large pots I lost and a few smallish pots, I am stuck about 650. I decided to call it a night. I cash out, get my car, and head back to my motel. Except I get lost, drive around in circles, and finally end up at the Bike. I sit at 200NL and promptly loose my buy-in, not realizing any and all bets will be called if not raised. I lose another buy-in when I raise 75 pre-flop with KK. I get 2 calls. No ace on the flop, I go all-in. I get called by a set of sixes. I call it a night.

I have had my coffee now, and am ready for a shower and some donkey-slaying.

Misty Mountain Hop

Well I haven taken a week and some change at home to decompress and get a few things done at home. I also played a lot of poker. I was running really well on party. Then Party kicked me in the junk…..repeatedly. I am fairly sure from reading back the histories that I am playing well and just got bitch-slapped by the long tentacle of variance. Oh well; so it goes. I also have been playing razz, O/8 and such. I am trying to diversify, chill, and prepare for mixed games at the MGM.

I am choosing this moment to start posting again for a good reason. I am on my way to Commerce for a week. I traveled on business to LA several times in the six months or so leading up to my quitting my job. I kicked butt on most of those trips. So I am somewhere between very hopeful and confident that I will do well.

However, the game is a little different; I am doing this to make money and reloading from my bankroll using my paycheck is no longer possible. So I am playing the same game I know and love (400nl at Commerce.) But the stakes seem strangely higher.

On the other hand, my primary goal is not really to be a pro. So, I could take a loss without feeling totally crushed. But I am expecting to crush this game. Just as I have in three of the last four sessions.

I also plan to have some fun. Veneno and I are planning to play a MTT at the Bike. That should be a blast.

It is unclear how much internet access I will have, so I will be attempting to text updates to Garthmeister. He will probably post them on his blog. Got to catch my plane; later.