WTF Was I Thinking?

Quick hitter before the Mookie.

Was playing the Buy In League game at PA last night. Make the final table as short stack but somehow get to be chip leader at one point. Finally get to 3 way play and all about even. Play goes back and forth and the guy who was fighting me earlier in the tourney for chip lead, and took it after I got donkish, gains a decent lead on us. Finally I figure I'm tired and when he makes a play from the button I decide to defend my blind with a weak K. Having played with him a bit I know he is very good at playing big stack poker and isn't above bullying when he can. K hits, I bet and he shoves and I call. Of course A-K and I'm gone. Good game. As I'm signing out to hit the hay the screen pops up saying I won $25 for third. Whaaaaat? Somehow my mind was blanked, I never even thought of the frikkin payout. How the hell do you play a damned poker tournament, especially a buy in, and forget all about the money? Was I that tired? Have I degenerated that far? I play a frikkin tourney and forget about the prize money. Maybe I have ascended to a higher level where the beauty of the game is the thing. I check the lobby and find out that first was $60+. Not bad for a $3 buy in, games must be getting bigger. WTF was I thinking? This shit has got to stop.

See you at the Mookie. Thanks for the listen.

And a Wacky Wednesday it was

OK Josie, a few words about the Mookie. Now maybe you are doing the Dank/Buddy thing just to make nice to Waffles but think of this for a minute. You have started, and pushed, your own tourney, The Very Josie. All well and good. Enjoyed playing the last one. However allow your mind to wander into the future. You can do that can’t you; you seem to have a good imagination concerning other things. Anyway think of the time you either grow tired ad bored of the whole blogger and/or poker thing or, heaven forefend, you can no longer manage to handle such things. Someone decides that since you are leaving the game they are going to take over the running of your game as homage to you. Have no doubts, it will happen because there is always someone out there with more testosterone than brains. So now, your tourney is out there, with your name on it, being continued as a tradition by some peckerwood without any sense. Do you want someone pushing for the tourneys name to be changed to that peckerwood’s just because he is running it? (Buddy, this is not to imply you are a peckerwood, just a general swipe at some future, possible Josie admirer. Course if you take over running the Very Josie at some point in the future I reserve the right to alter my judgment) Back to the tirade. So Josie, do you want tradition to go hang and have someone pushing to name YOUR tourney after some futuristic Mojo type just because he hasn’t the brains god gave bastard geese in Ireland? Just think about it the next time you start to write Dank/Buddy in your blog in place of the Mookie. Is sucking up to Waffles worth all that? Just think, the Very Josie is pushed to become the Very Mojo Whatever?


Man it was Wacky Wed. at least as far as the Tokers game went. A tight table at lower levels started getting 4-5 limpers at about the 5th. Usually people tighten up as the blinds get higher unless they are shoving. I figured I was going to end this one early given the structure and the fact I had a few other games coming up. Little did I know even when I took a big hit just before break time. I figured the structure would make this one a quickie but when it started I found out it was a triple stack, or almost. Actually it was some weird number close to a triple in keeping with the Wacky Wed theme I guess. Even wackier was that when I took a peek at the lobby to see the players I noticed that third place is listed as top prize. WTF. I mention this in the chat box and someone else mentions that no, they see it as 4th so I look again and sure as hell 4th place is now on top and third is low man on the totem pole. I recognize a couple of the players from the GFN Forum Wars I’ve been playing and the Poker Analysis league games but on the whole it’s mostly a new bunch so have no idea what to expect here. Well I go along, grinding out a decent stack, lots of limping and checking by the table with a well timed bet able to take pots. They aren’t big but keeping me in business until I take a big hit just before the break and drop down below starting stack. After the break both the PA league game and the Very Josie start up and things really became wacky. Who needs a toke when it’s all a blur anyway? I have no idea how things went after break as all 3 games were being played at a decent speed and Josie was yapping away like a Pekinese and I’m on a fast track to who knows where. All I know is that in this game I’m playing a lot of pots and winning with a lot of air. Eventually I notice I’m second stack. Next thing you know we're down to the bubble and my stack is just average. No, I didn’t lose any; it’s just that while I’m grinding along here the rest of my opponents are doubling up and getting knockouts. My way was effective but theirs seemed a lot easier. I keep muddling along and we’re down to 6 and I’m second stack again and I think do I really want to do this? 4th place is the top prize after all but no one seems to be making an effort to dump chips so I keep on relying on good old air. It got me this far. Finally it becomes 4 handed and I even have a way figured to go out in 4th as long as I have the proper position but no one seems to be trying to hit that spot so I think maybe the payout figures are a joke and keep on playing. We play 4 handed for awhile so now I’m sure someone is just fucking around and I have become chip leader by a small amount. I take out the former chip leader and now have a massive chip lead on the other two. I also KO the short stack and I think the second place finisher just decided to give it up as a few hands later they shove with nothing and I actually had a hand. I won. Or did I? It seems that it was no joke, 4th place actually got the bigger money. Something I need to file away for the future. Even better is that as strange as this game was it was played against the background of both the Very Josie and eventually the Mookie. Head was definitely spinning.

While I did well in the game I figured to basically be a blow off game the rest of the night wasn’t so hot, at least on the poker side. Overall I cam out about even money wise give or take but of course I lost money on Tilt while adding more on Cake. I can’t do anything right. The PA league game and the VJ started up the same tie and I was already in the Toker game. The PA game didn’t last long so Josie I never actually got to those 4 games at once. I maxed at 3 last night. Don’t remember much about the PA game. Was heavily involved on both the Toker and VJ tables while Josie was still making like a yappy dog and I was getting taken to task by Gary for busting her chops. Oh boy, another tripper . Actually Gary ain’t a bad guy who was at the end of a loooong day and we got things on an even keel. No problems Gary, I’m used to those reactions from men where Josie is concerned. She has some kind of strange effect on them. Anyway, back to the league game. Went out early on a hand where the flop was T-5-5. Flopped TP2K and bet the flop and got a caller. Turn was low so bet again and again was called. Figured no 5 there since no raise so I shoved the river and guess I was called as next thing I know I was out. Don’t even know what beat me as I was tied up elsewhere. More than likely some peckerwood called me down with an ace and spiked it on the river. Oh yea, don’t even know the river card, I basically shoved without even paying attention.

Do have to say that the V-Josie was fun. (No that ain’t a nice comment about you) even if the cards stayed away. Took an early hand off Gary with a T-T. When the flop hit with 2 overs he bet and I said what the hell and threw out a raise. He thought about it then called. Turn was a blank and he checked and I bet and again he thought and again he called. Aw shit I’m thinking, I can’t get rid of him, he’s got a higher pair. River brought me a T but also put a possible straight and maybe flush out there. He checks and I’m debating, bet or check. Was he drawing and did he hit and now trapping? Check is probably the proper move as I’m probably beat if he calls or raises. He might however be holding top pair with a weak kicker so the right bet might net me a bit more. I bet, hoping he don’t shove over me. He thinks for awhile and then folds calling himself chicken. I’m just as glad he didn’t make that call. After that it was all down hill. I couldn’t catch a dose in a $2 house of ill repute let alone a decent hand. Coop still whining about having his aces cracked by Cricket’s jacks and Mojo talking about having them about 5 times. Hell, the only time I see aces any more is in the other guy’s hand when I have kings or queens. Anyhow with Josie in the game I couldn’t even try to make a play as everyone knows she’ll call you down with any A-rag. : It was still interesting and fun, the chat alone worth it even if Josie dominates it. Give it a try come the first Wed in June. You’ll like it, Mikey does. Somewhere in the chat dept I found I had a reader in Lucki Duck. Thanks Lucki, you represent a higher class of reader, I hope, judging by the lowlifes I usually find in my comments section . BTW, speaking of the chat Jordan plays a mean game in the trash talk department.

The Mookie was not memorable. The cold cards traveled over from the table at the Josie and it seemed every player at my table knew it. Every time I tried to manufacture a bit of luck I wound up getting check raised. Talk about bleeding chips; I was hemorrhaging like my carotid was cut. Somehow I scratched felt to the break but decided I wasn’t going anywhere so popped a sleeping pill figuring it and my demise in the game would t6ake effect about the same time. Actually the demise came a bit sooner when I made a stand with K-Js against an A-K. So I watched the end of the Very Josie and saw Jordan climb out of a big hole to take out Josie but come up short when Mojo hit Broadway to his flopped trips. Good game Jordan and nice win Mojo. There was one bright spot to the Mookie. Seems Josie has a thing going for Riggs and so was railing him at the final table and saw him go down with A-rag. She commented on it in her blog and when Riggs commented explaining his play Josie decided to give him a poker lesson on the play of A-rag. Priceless!!! Hell, I’ll pay a dollar to see the elephant pull a football out of a monkey’s ass any day.

And on that note it’s farewell for now. Thanks for the listen.

Wacky Wednesday

Been playing on ring games Power Poker lately even though I really don’t care for the site, at least tourney wise. This is because I have winnings sitting there and don’t feel like just letting them sit there so I’ll either play until I lose them or I have enough to cash out. Had about $200+ but dropped about half that on a day the poker gods were particularly pissed. Usually play the limit games there and do well but lately there have been no tables in my range so I’ve been playing the .10/.20 NL or the .05/.10 if nothing open in the higher table open. Only reason I decided to bring this up is because of two facts. One is that these are the tightest tables I have ever seen at these levels. They’re aggressive when they play but they don’t play much. Have never won so many hands on the flop but then it’s usually just me and one other player in, not the 4 or more common on other sites. So far I’m doing OK but it’s not a site to play unless I really feel like grinding. The second reason is there seems to be a lot of quick hitters among these players. A lot seem to disappear right after they hit the occasional big pot that does get played. Don’t expect to get your money back if you get sucked out on, at least not from that player. Have no idea why I mention this as I figure I don’t have much of a readership and I’ll lay a prop bet out there that of those who do 75% play either Stars or Tilt or maybe both but that’s about it. Yes they are the premier sites and I would probably be playing them too but for the fact of my membership in the Poker Analysis leagues. They range over a bunch of lesser sites, usually newer ones needing to build a base and so willing to pony up some bucks for freerolls or addeds to attract players. FT and PS really don’t need to do this so games there aren’t as common. Add in the fact I can’t build a roll at FT and you find me at the other sites more often. I also prefer AP for low level tourneys as they cut you more slack in blind levels. Used to play $5 SnGs , one on Tilt, one on AP at the same time and I would be hitting level 7 on Tilt while still on 4 on AP. I appreciate the fact they aren’t in such a hurry to clear the table.

Speaking of tourneys it looks like I’m going to screw myself royally tonight and go for 4. The Poker Tokers buy-in is on Cake is at 8. Wasn’t going to play it but they seem like a decent bunch so I figure I’ll donate some of my ill gotten gains on that site. It’s only a small buy in but the added will double the prize pool. Since it’s the mother site for the network of the same name, of which the above mentioned Power is a skin it’s a given that I’m not a fan of the tourney structure but one plays the hand one is dealt. Also their software is not conducive to multi tabling, the seating isn’t bad but the controls suck big time. You can’t set the slider for increments at all so you have to be careful on how you click. Last time I played the site I wanted a 3 times raise and wound up betting half my stack because I was in a hurry, 5 tables running that time, and wasn’t careful. They also don’t give you a whole lot of time to react compared to other sites. Given the structure however I should either be out or have it almost won by the time the Mookie starts.

At 9 I add 2 more tables, the PA freeroll league game, also on Cake and the Very Josie. Not really expecting to do well in the PA game, see above and it’s also a bigger donkfests than the Mookie. At one time the games were better than your standard freeroll. It used to be most of the entrants were at least trying to improve their game, in fact that is what it was started for but change of ownership at the site has loosened up the rules needed to qualify for the games and recently more freeroll chasers have come to set their butts in the seats. Fields have doubled in size; though not as big as they were when I first joined, but a lot of the new faces are just there to donk not improve. The Josie is going to be interesting though if I can concentrate enough on it.

Yes, I’m playing both the Josie and the Mookie and I’m even giving her a blog link. Don’t think I’m being nice either; it’s just that if I’m playing her tourney it’s only proper she get the respect for setting it up. Would link to the Mookie if he were still in action these days also. Just keeping the air clear about motives here. Still don’t know why people seem to have to decide between playing the Very Josie and the Mookie. Some folks make it sound like a big decision. I’m not talking about those on the West Coast where time is a factor but the other ones. The ones that make it sound like a big decision. Hello, can you say multi table? It ain’t like either one is that expensive either. Hell, the PTFR is more expensive than both together. Waffles is an exception since, as I understand it his budget is limited and some times he has to wait on it but that’s no excuse for anyone else.

The Poker Tokers game has started and I noticed the biggest prize is for third. Wait a minute it now it’s listed as 4th. WTF? Well what can you expect from a game called Wacky Wednesday sponsored by a site called Tokers. Gonna be interesting, BTW, while the levels still suck this tourney has a triple stack to it so might last a bit longer than I thought. Damn, A-K pre with a number of callers to the raise and an A-K on the board but don’t think it’s going to happen with 4 spades on the board also. My frikkin luck.

Finally at 10 it’s going to be the Mookie. Yes, the Mookie damn it, not some other name. BTW Josie, have a few words to share with you on this subject in a later post. By this time I’ll either be ready to concentrate on this game or will be busier than a one armed paper hanger with a case of the crabs. Obviously there ain’t gonna be any live blogging tonight and probably not a lot of hands relayed either in later posts. As I said it will be interesting. See you on the felt.

Thanks for the listen.

On a roll

Made a quick recovery it seems. League buy-in game Monday night after a long weekend of poker and wasn’t quite up to playing but as I won the first match of the month I didn’t want to handicap myself by missing the game. Have my sights set on winning the league this month and no sense trying to do it with one hand behind my back. Too many good players to give them a handicap. This game was at UB, an interface I don’t feel I’m fighting all the time so down I sat.

Grabbed a few chips early on and was doing fairly well when I made a stupid mistake. Somehow I hit the call button instead of the fold when preflop raise was made and I was holding 6-7. Kind of ironic considering my previous statement about the interface although I think this was more due to my touchpad than that. Anyway the flop came Q-x-6 and the raiser checked so I threw out a tester of about 1/3 the pot and was called. Turn brought a 7 and another check and another bet, a bit stronger this time and a check raise. Should have known better and dumped the hand, especially as this guy had my number the previous night, but kind of hard to turn loose of two pair so I called. Either I was slightly ahead to an A-Q or way behind to a set and the bet wasn’t big enough to cause me to turn loose. The river a blank and he bets and I call and he was sitting on a set of queens. So I make a dumb mistake that is compounded by actually getting a hand and still get smoked for not quite half my chips. It’s still early however and I still have more than the starting stack. After that though I went in to a stall, card wise. Deadly as the table turned aggressive and I was getting a run of 8-2 or 9-4s. Blinds started to hurt as I couldn’t even risk defending. Fold followed fold. Every so often I’d throw out a raise and steal some chips but that wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Went on like that until it folds to me in the SB and I’m sitting with K-4 suited so I figure against the BB it’s time to raise. I do, he calls. UH-oh, not good, need a flop. It don’t help, A-x-5, rainbow. I throw out a c-bet anyway and he raises. Guy has had my number for two days now. About ready to fold and then I figure what the hell. Those bets have hurt my dwindling stack even more and maybe this guy is thinking c-bet and trying to push me off. WTF, all in. Now he is chip leader with about twice my stack but a call can hurt him as the two others are on his heels and there aren’t a lot of chips in play due to a small field. He thinks for a bit and mucks showing Aces up. Aces up? He folded aces up? I didn’t think any one folded aces up at this level. Have to keep my eye on this guy in future games. Anyway I breathed a sigh of relief and it was like the damn had broken. I started to finally catch some cards. This allowed me to win a few pots showing good cards which, in addition to rising blinds, allowed a bit more stealing until we got down to 3 and I was decent position chip wise. A good read on catching someone with his hand in the cookie jar doubled me up and gave me a massive lead. All downhill after that and I score back to back wins in the buy in league. Was just trying to get some points to keep my lead but I can’t complain about winning. Gives me some more cash on UB and a pretty good sized BL lead. It’s early yet however and still a number of games to go so I can’t rest on my laurels yet. I might however be able to skip the games on those sites where I have no funds, think there are 2 of them. Of course I can try and cash a freeroll league game on those sites to give me something to play with. Or I can go for the threefor since the next game is on AP tonight. If I can grab some points there I’ll be in pretty good shape. If I win the war is over, call in the boats and piss on the admiral. I’m gunning for the win.


Despite my big poker weekend I am slightly depressed. Been reading all the blog posts about Mastodon weekend and sounds like another great time has passed me by. One of these days I’m going to be able to get to these things. Glad you folks had a great time.

Thanks for the listen.

More poker

Sitting here waiting for the OFC at Tilt to start wishing I had gone to G-Vegas. Would love to meet a number of people who I’ve enjoyed knowing through their posts and their support of mine. Would also love to find a shuflleboard table and renew my honor, and get my money back from the Black Widow since she was going to be there. Course it could be I might contribute to her bankroll. She’s good. Since a small medical matter and a prior commitment on Sunday made it impractical to make the trip I decided what better way to spend the weekend than playing poker.
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Started last night with the game for the buy in league at Poker Analysis. Was only a $3 buy in, most of the league games are either $3 or $5 but we got about 50 runners plus the added to put the first place payout around $55. I like these games. You get a good mix of very good players, good players who think they are better than they are because they are extremely lucky and donks. Basically the same mix you get at your live buy ins in AC so it’s good practice. In fact the leagues, actually the board itself, was originally designed as a place to not only chat about poker but to help improve your game. Their freeroll games, unlike a lot of sites, required a time period between joining the board and playing the games plus a decent contribution to the boards themselves. You also had to remain somewhat active on the boards to continue to play. Needless to say a number of people have, and are still trying to improve their game while others just roll along in blissful ignorance. To make a long story short, I won. Actually I steamrollered through most of the game. Both the cards and my game were on. That’s a tough combo to beat. The early game was a grind, mainly collecting blinds and the occasional limper. In fact that’s how most of the game went except for the times I caught a hand and someone in front decided to go all in. The boards were kind and I wish it had been a sniper game with the number of takeouts I had. I was big chip leader by the time the final table hit and I had double the chips of the other three when we got down to the final four. Heads up was a real bitch because it was against one of the better league players and he had a nose for the trap. I had gone from aggressive to trapping mode trying to sucker him in as he can get aggressive at times but he seemed to smell every one but the last when he actually made a hand also. Well played David, especially as I had you out chipped by a wide margin. So I match my win from last month but this time I get to sit atop the leader board. Won the first game lat month but forgot to register my table name for the sight so while I got the money I received no league points. Silly me.

So I started off with a bang. Now it’s time for the OFC freeroll at Tilt. For some strange reason I registered under RPT instead of PA as I usually do for these things. Let’s see how I do. If I do well I’ll probably hear about it on the boards, especially as the staff voted me on the team for this months Forum Wars. Oh well, I registered for the OFC before they gave me that honor. Don’t even know why I used the RPT listing as I haven’t played one of their games in months. Not being able to shuffle does put a kink in games where I need to deal but I’m probably the only one registered under them and I always did like to be the odd ball.

After the OFC it’s off to a live game at palatial Snakster Manor. It’s a fun game though not now what it once was. I met Snakster, Ron, through playing RPT games and heard about the games he held at his house. At that time they were fairly filled and people wrangled for an invite. Somehow I got myself one. It’s a fun game; people are good and fairly serious players. Ron himself is a very good player and also a very good judge of bourbon. Another reason the game is so good is that you get some excellent bourbon or rye if that’s your tipple. Ron also has a chip fetish. The cards and chips for the game are top of the line or damned close to it but Ron will get himself a nice set of chips and grow bored with them after a while and go looking for something new. He will talk all night about chips if you get him started. A good man to consult though if you are looking to get a good set of chips. One problem with the game is it is erratic. He used to hold it around once a month, maybe 6 weeks. Now you never know when he might text, game on. Don’t think his wife is sympathetic to us poker players even though her father sits in for a couple hours at the start of the game. “Pops” is a great guy though when he’s in a hand one never knows whether he has bottom pair or the stone cold nuts. Unpredictable he is. The other problem is you never know who is going to show up anymore. Since seating is limited only so many invites go out and lately a number of people say yes and then never show and by that time it’s hard to get someone to fill the seat. By then most off the fish you might call to donate have found another pond to swim in. Ah well, he’s called a game for tonight and that satisfies an urge that has been building since I haven’t been able to get to AC. Gonna go play some cards, drink some bourbon and hopefully have a good enough night to cover the chiropractor’s visit and dinner from yesterday.

Interlude here. Not enough guts to fire a third bullet costs me. Flop open ended with a flush draw in the OFC. Fire on flop and turn but give up on river. Character was chasing a gutter ball and his crap was higher than mine.

Ok, back to the story. As if this isn’t enough poker Sunday is also filled with it. In the afternoon I’m in for the buy-in part of the OFC followed by the GFN’s Forum Wars game in the evening. Was voted on to the team by the staff of PA so hope to make a good showing. First game is a freeroll so don’t know what to expect. Will they play decently as they are representing something or will it be the old hell it’s a freeroll mentality? Guess we’ll find out.

Well, as I finish this, and my plate of Singapore noodles, it seems I also finish in the OFC a very lackluster 2500 and something, or thereabouts. My short stack shove with 9-9 met a pair of tens and the board did no help. Hopefully my luck is better tonight. Will bore you with those details later. Thanks for the ear.