BOOOOOOOOOM

Finally I get in cheap, well probably not too cheap but it beats paying the total buy-in..........

Last night I believe there was 12 bloggers in the $75.00 token frenzy, the last man standing was no other than our star player Fuel55, he was in the dank position twice, and came back from the dead taking down a token... Congrats Fuel on a very well played game.

Looking forward to "THE BIG GAME" tonight, I hope to see you all there!!!!!

Doubt, Hate, Anger, frustration, calm, understanding, terms, agreement, happiness, GO!!!

What a roller coaster ride I have been on.

I don't know what to expect really, but I've been having some internal dialouge with myself and doubting my game. I really hate poker.

I have run so bad that last three events, and not being able to know how to combat it makes me really doubt myself. I feel like I have hit rock bottom, and just want to quit. The last couple of months have been phenomenal to me in poker. Not just results, but in my own reognition of learning more about how to play, and an understanding of how and what to do in situations I never realized before.

I have met some of you fine people, have had a great time conversing on line, and have really gotten alot from learning from several of you on how to better myself. Then this week happened and I feel like emptying (whats left) of the account and taking up bowling. I dont know how you guys do it. Handle the ups and downs that is. And I am really starting to think why I even played in the first place. Just SOOOOOOO card dead, its ridiculous

It was never like this before. I went into any game, not caring, just playing my cards and having a ball. But now that I feel I am armed with some knowledge, I am getting upset with the fact that I can't even play, let alone compete.

Then last night after I went out of the RC, I girly chatted Riggs, and told him of my disgust and fury. At first he didnt understand what I was saying, replying "what are you talking about?", and "are you serious?"

This kind of made me mad, because I felt he wasn't giving my concerns enough consideration. He was still in the RC, and not really paying too much attention to me, and then all of a sudden, he wrote a bunch to me.

I felt a little like I was being scolded and didn't take it to well at first, but I think after I reread it, I started to understand a little. and started to feel a little better. I guess.

In a nutshell, he wrote:

Dude, if you can't play through three days of running horribly, you might as well quit. Don't expect to catch cards every single time you play. And if you can't handle that, you'll compound the issue by making stupid decisions.

At this point I didnt think he understood what my issue was... I mean, I really felt horrible about how I was playing. then he pointed out that I wasn't playing. I was catching horrid cards and shouldnt have been playing either.

finally, what struck was one of his final comments that went something like this... "you are just learning more about the complexities of this game. you have done everything right in the sense that you are trying to put them into practice., Over the last month, maybe hitting some hands have covered up some of those mistakes. Believe me, you have made mistakes that you haven't even noticed, and you probably have done somethings right that you might view as a mistake, but if you are going to let three days of running bad turn yourself around, and forsake everything you have learned, you will be doing a diservice to those who have gone out of their way to help you. You need to understand that this should be used as a learning experience as well, and taken that way. Not as an exuse to fold up tent and go home. Quit your goddamn belly aching."

I felt like he was disappointed in me. and I felt like how the hell do I use this as a learning experience? The biggest point I guess is that it really only is 3 days of a bad run. And to his point, what is three days in the span of my experiene. He asked me how I would feel when I experience it over the course of 3 months or so. Is that possible? Does that really happen? how do you cope?

I feel I have improved my game a great deal. and I have some things I have learned that I haven't put into practice yet. I'm happier now, and actually look forward to trying again, but I am realizing that I need to see things long term, and not just in the now.

Do you have any suggestions? Is it ridiulous that I am reacting this way? And where do I go from here?

CARD DEAD!!!!!!

After a particularly frustrating run of bad cards during the Mookie, I told CK, "I really hate poker."(Please note that I do not really hate poker, but anyone who plays frequently will tell you that they utter this phrase at least once a week, whether they're on the winning or losing side of it.)

"I don't hate poker, "I hate being card dead." And in the last two weeks or so, I've run into a problem in my game, as well as a phenomenon that I thought merited some discussion.I hate being card dead so much, that I occasionally slip into "hand expansion" where bullshit trash hands like QTo start to look like open-raising hands just because I've been getting a seemingly endless string of crap hands. This is a big problem that can only be fixed by discipline and patience.

But what about using that tight image I've tried to built up by being patient and disciplined? That's something I worked on over the last several months , and a frequent topic of conversation between me and the really good players I respect. I know that I have that down, but after reviewing my hand history with Riggs, it's understanding my post flop play and I believe that is one of my biggest leaks in my game.

When I'm not playing hands -- especially online -- I am watching the other players at tables, making notes on as many of them as I can, and looking for the players you can put a move on: the tight player, the aggressive player, or the moron.

The Tight Player: This guy will fold a wide range of hands -- including small pocket pairs and aces weaker than AQ when you open-raise into him. If he calls, he will fold if he misses the flop. You can probably make a continuation bet and take it down. If he comes over the top, I'm folding.

The Aggressive Player: This guy will usually call, figuring that he can outmaneuver you on the flop. You're most likely up against connecting cards or soooooted cards. If he raises, you can probably re-steal, depending on your image. You can probably checkraise a lot of flops and win without a showdown, because most aggressive players won't play back when a tight player shows any real strength.

The Moron: This is the guy who makes being card dead such a nightmare. There are no two cards he won't play, and he will catch on you over and over again, so it's usually not a good idea to get into a pot with him unless you have some kind of hand. Luckily for you, though, his range is so wide, your weak king or medium ace is probably good, and if you catch a well-disguised hand like a one or two-gap straight, you're probably going to stack him.

When I'm card dead and I'm up against a table filled with morons, there just isn't that much I can do but hope to get a big hand and get paid off, but if I'm up against a mix of players, I try identify their type, and I try not to be afraid to put a move on the guys who will fold, but I always back down, and I know this is just lack of experience.

So here are my stats from last night, tell me how card dead I was!!!Statistics for 115 Hands

Street Saw Saw/Total
Flop 11 10%
Turn 7 6%
River 6 5%
Showdown 5 4%
Street Won Won/Saw Won/Total
Pre-flop 8 7% 7%
Flop 0 0% 0%
Turn 0 0% 0%
River 0 0% 0%
Showdown 0 0% 0%


If anyone has any other suggestions, please help......

Thanks to BDR, great show as usual...

See everyone tonight for the Riverchasers tourney, hopefully the poker gods are still not pissed off at me.

Poker Room Donk Glossary

Everyone of us who chat have heard/used phrases such as donkfest, donkaments.. I thought I'd enlighten you all on those that are not used as often

Derbydonk: person who performs rarest of feats: 1st at derby rebuy, 4th at main event

Donkeyiagra: medication given to any hot blooded male who has never uttered the phrase "I wanna be Chad Brown for a night" or "I wanna be the dealer at WSOP Ladies Night Main Event".

Donkette: female poker player who never uttered the phrase "Antonius is doable".

Donkdinaire: person who donks ady-fadey multiple times in one day.

Donkmania: name given to high stakes one table invitational sponsored by channel 5 featuring Freddie Dweeb, Phil Lock, Ess Manconi , Carlos Donkensen, Devilfeesh EEjiot and Annie Donk.

Donkdriver: person who drives a million dollar race car 100 meters into the only inanimate object within 100 city blocks ; google 11 time WSOP Champ

Donkrant: rant directed at Poker Room Support by a player for their inability to resolve their specific play money issues

Duhnk: Dirty Harry's most quoted poker phrase: "Do you feel lucky, duhnk? Did I fire 2 bullets at that pot, or 3?

"Donkeylicious: getting donked HU final table of of the math, aka still sweet

Donkila: Support J5's favorite lobby drink

Donkilla: Support J5's favorite lobby shooter

Donkzilla: huge donkey aka (insert favorite Games Rep name here)

We all need a laugh at or away from tables, hope this will help.

Feel free to add those i missed.

PATIENCE!!!!

Congratulations Corron10 on winning the Math, taking down his 2nd seat for the BBT3. As for me I went out in 44th place, I just can't seem to be able to get anything really going in any of the BBT3 events which brings me to my topic "PATIENCE".

pa·tience (noun)

1.the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2.an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with a slow learner.
3.quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

One of the reasons that I love poker is that it's such a personal and mental skill game. It is a microcosm of our world in so many ways. In poker, you have to have discipline, be patient, take the right opportunities, be aggressive but not reckless, know when to take a chance, know when to bluff, and know when you're beat. These are not only good poker skills, but good life skills as well.

If I don't consistently have discipline and patience at the poker table, I'm not going to be a winning poker player in the long run. Even if I somehow manage to squeak out some profits, I'm not winning as much as I could. My goal in my poker game is to crush my competition and make the most money that I can. I've learned to do that by trying my best to master the psychological aspect of poker. I'm not talking about getting inside my opponents' heads in this instance, but rather my own head. I can memorize every poker strategy trick in the book, but it won't help me if I don't take control of my own mental habits.

A major leak in my poker game is my starting hand requirements. I get antsy to play, so I like take chances and play hands that I know I shouldn't. This shows a lack of self-control and patience. I'm not going to pretend that any of us can completely eliminate the urge to play trash hands from the wrong position. Sometimes, we all do it. But I know I have been trying to minimize how often it happens because in the long-run, it's costing me money. Most players have hand guidelines for a reason: certain types of hands are profitable from certain positions, and other types of hands are unprofitable from any position. Of course, you're occasionally going to hit that two pair on the flop with your 7-4 offsuit, but don't forget all those times that you missed completely or the times when you sort of hit the flop and made a questionable call to stay in, costing yourself even more money. This is where discipline enters the equation.

If I'm in that pot with your 7-4 and I'm not on the big blind, I probably threw patience to the wind. However, since I can't take that back, I'm going to have to show discipline throughout the rest of the hand. A huge reason why you don't play trash hands is that you're often going to be stuck in a tough situation on the flop. It's easy when you don't pair up or make any sort of draw on the flop, and you throw your hand away. However, what do you do when the flop comes out 7-J-2? If you have good poker discipline, you throw this hand away if your opponent bets unless you have a perfect read on him and know that he's bluffing. Most of the time, it's just not worth the risk. You made a mistake by being in this hand at all, so try to resist throwing more good money into this pot. If you call that bet on the flop with middle pair, you usually won't improve on the turn. You can't call another bet, so you've just chased part of your stack away. Sure, it might seem insignificant at the time, but these lacks of discipline and patience will add up.

I hope to see everyone in the Skills (Razz) game tonight.

ON THE ROAD TO BECOMING A BETTER POKER PLAYER

I have compiled a list of tips I have received from some of the bloggers that I respect immensely, I would list you all my name but it would take up a half a page, so to all who have helped me in the past couple of months I say "Thank You

* Don't Play Every Hand / Do Fold More

Probably the number one mistake I made is that I play far too many hands. When I was just starting out playing poker, I wanted to play poker, and that means staying in hands that aren't very good just to be part of the action. But playing more doesn't mean winning more, it usually means losing more. If you find you're staying in half or more the hands you're dealt, you need to upgrade your starting hand requirements.

* Don't Bluff Just For Bluffing's Sake

A lot of us beginner's understand that bluffing is a part of poker, but not exactly how. There's is NO rule that one must bluff a certain amount or at all during a poker game, but many players don't feel like they've won unless they've tried a poker bluff. Bluffs only work in certain situations & against certain people, and if you know a player always calls to the showdown, it is literally impossible to bluff that player. It's better never to bluff than to bluff "just to bluff

* Don't Stay in a Hand Just Because You're Already In It

Another common mistake I make is to think that "Well, I've already put that much in the pot, I have to stay in now." Nope. You can't win a pot just by throwing money at it. There may be cases when pot odds warrant a call, but if you're sure you're beaten, and there's no way your hand can improve to be the best hand, you should fold right away. The money you've already put in the pot isn't yours anymore, and you can't get it back just by playing a hand all the way to the end

* Don't Call at the End of a Hand to "Keep Someone Honest"

This one follows the last tip. I use to look at another player's final bet, look at the hand, & say "I know you've got me, but I have to keep you honest," as I throw in a final call. It may be worth it to see if a player really has the hand if you're not sure & you're gaining information that will help you later on, but if you really feel a player has the hand he's representing & you're beat, why give him another pile of your money? Those bets will add up over an evening.

* Don't Play When Mad, Sad, or in a Generally Bad Mood

I have learned that when you play poker, you shouldn't do it to escape from being depressed or having a really bad day. You start out on tilt -- playing emotionally, not rationally -- and you won't play your best. Likewise, if during a poker game, you lose a big hand or get sucked out on and feel yourself going on tilt, stand up & take a break until you feel calm later on. Fellow players will sense your mood & take advantage of it.

* Do Pay Attention to the Cards on the Table

When I first start playing, it was just enough to remember how to play and pay attention to my own hand. But once I got that down, it's incredibly important to look at what's going on at the table. Something I never did it the beginning.

* Do Pay Attention to the Other Players

As you play, one of the single best things you can do is observe your opponents, even when you're not in a hand. If you know if one player always raises in a certain position, & another has a poker tell when he bluffs, & a 3rd folds to every re-raise, you can use that information to help you decide how to play against them. Once you know that player 3 always folds to a re-raise on a river, that's when you can bluff & steal a pot.

* Don't Play at too High Limits

There are many reasons people move up to a higher limit game than they usually play. Good reasons like they've been winning consistently at a lower lever & are ready to move up, & bad reasons like the line is shorter for higher limits or you want to impress someone. Don't play at stakes that make you think about the actual money in terms of day-to-day life or with money you can't lose. Even if you had one super-good night at $2/4, resist the urge to play $5/10.

* Do Pick the Right Game for Your Skill Level & Bankroll

One of the reasons you shouldn't jump into a $5/10 game after winning a huge bunch of money at $2/4 is because as the stakes rise, so does the average skill level of the players sitting there. You want to be one of the best at the table, not the fish who sits down with sharks. If you're making stacks of money at a lower level game, why move? You're winning stacks of money. The swings up & down at higher limits are much bigger, and one big night's win won't last long at a high-stakes game

I have used all of these suggestions from time to time and when I use them I seem to do very well, so thank you again to ALL the bloggers who have helped me in my journey.

ASKING FOR ADVICE

I would love for some input as to how this hand should have been played. Should I have folded my hand pre-flop?

Full Tilt Poker Game #5739246898: Table Wisconsin (6 max) - $0.05/$0.10 - Pot Limit Omaha Hi - 15:41:36 ET - 2008/03/22
Seat 1: bayne_s ($9.40)
Seat 2: Buy Me Dinner ($10)
Seat 3: rottie99 ($10.65)
Seat 4: Donkette ($17.60)
Seat 5: dreezle ($37.20)
Seat 6: SirFWALGMan ($9.35)
SirFWALGMan posts the small blind of $0.05
bayne_s posts the big blind of $0.10
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Donkette [Kd 5c Kh 4d]
rottie99 folds
Donkette raises to $0.35
dreezle has 15 seconds left to act
dreezle raises to $0.70
SirFWALGMan raises to $2.55
bayne_s folds
Donkette calls $2.20
dreezle calls $1.85
*** FLOP *** [Ks 2s 2h]
SirFWALGMan bets $6.80, and is all in
Donkette raises to $15.05, and is all in
dreezle folds
Donkette shows [Kd 5c Kh 4d]
SirFWALGMan shows [Ah 6d Ac Js]
Uncalled bet of $8.25 returned to Donkette
*** TURN *** [Ks 2s 2h] [8s]***
RIVER *** [Ks 2s 2h 8s] [9s]
Donkette shows a full house, Kings full of Twos
SirFWALGMan shows two pair, Aces and Twos
Donkette wins the pot ($20.35) with a full house, Kings full of Twos
SirFWALGMan is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***Total pot $21.35
Rake $1Board: [Ks 2s 2h 8s 9s]
Seat 1: bayne_s (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 2: Buy Me Dinner is sitting out
Seat 3: rottie99 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 4: Donkette showed [Kd 5c Kh 4d] and won ($20.35) with a full house, Kings full of Twos
Seat 5: dreezle (button) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: SirFWALGMan (small blind) showed [Ah 6d Ac Js] and lost with two pair, Aces and Twos

BOOM+BOOM+BOOM = GREAT WEEKEND!

The weekend started out with CK arriving first, when we arrived back at my house, she showed me pictures of all the bloggers, and much to my surprise the only one I had pegged right was Hoy.

Kat arrived shortly after that and then it was off to the races. We met up with Riggs, Al, Evy, Perry, Perticelli, Millerd33 and his lovely girlfriend Robyn.

What happens in Pennsylvania stays in Pennsylvania is what the deal was, so I won't be sharing all that much of what transpired Friday night....... All I'm at liberty to say, is Al's shots are not normal, Ck, Kat and Evy swapped some spit, and Riggs can shake his booty..... and with that being said, I'll end Friday night so I don't get into trouble.

Saturday I had a special treat when F-Train decided to join us.... Dinner seemed like a great success and then we couldn't clear the table off fast enough to get to the cash game. The cash game was Aniguy, Riggs, Perticelli, Millerd, Kat, Ck, F-Train, Donkette and my friend from Riverchasers Carlos with MiniDonk watching Riggs. It was suppose to be .25/.50 however somewhere in the 2ND hand or so to see a flop cost no less than $3.00. I'm proud of myself I'm the only one that did not have to re-buy walking away with 5 times of what I started with. BOOM. The highlight of Saturday night was CK almost going over the table after a player who pissed her off for throwing something at her, she is a feisty little chick who can kick some ass....

Sunday morning brought sadness since everyone was leaving.

It was a great weekend and an honor and privilege to spend the weekend with such great company....

Sunday night I watched MiniDonk take 175Th place out of 3009 players in the Animal Tourney, the lessons from Riggs must have paid off since she was the last man standing out of all the bloggers who played. Congrats Minidonk

Sunday Poker, Monday Poker

I've been wrapped up the last few days getting some "me" stuff done and haven't had time to post. Plus I've been trying to figure out how to post what was my first shot at a big MTT on Saturday. I did well, and was excited and bummed all at the same time.

These things are so friggin boring, but the big hands and the journey make it all worth while. Although I think getting into these things are a big investment in time, and really, anything less than a first will leave this huge angry hole inside of you, I think they are worth it maybe every once in a while.

So I played the 16k guarantee on Saturday. Here are some notes I took as I went along:

$24+$2 buy-in - I used a token
1,048 players
21st place
(won $90.81)

Not a lot going on in the early stages, I tried to see some flops, but didn't connect too well. Down to 1,500 chips at one point.

Had to make a move, so pushed with K-Q suited and was called by A-K. Rivered a Q. Then chipped up when KK held up against QQ (all-in preflop).

Hit a royal flush, but only made money from the guy who called my raise preflop. Flopped nut flush, rivered royal flush.

Took a hit close to the bubble when a shortie jammed with 7-9 suited (hearts). I called with A-T suited (diamonds). He flopped a Q-high flush.

At that point, it was just about surviving the bubble. I almost pushed in late position with A-Q suited (hearts), but there were two players who were really short and if they busted, I was in the money so I folded. Was this a bad fold? (I would have won the hand when an Ace hit the flop)
After the bubble burst, started picking up steam again. Got a fair number of premium hands (A-A, K-K, Q-Q, J-J, A-K and A-Q) during this time and I chipped up moderately.

Then the big hand that put me into the top 10 in chip counts. Blinds at 2,000/4,000. I raised in middle position with A-A to 16,000. The guy behind me (about the same amount in chips) pushed all-in. He had K-Q. That put me around 87k.

Tried to steal and resteal for a while and then went totally card dead. Finally pushed with K-Q and was called by the chip leader with 3-3. Picked up an open ended straight draw on the turn, but couldn't hit any of my outs.

Thanks to everyone who was railing: Riggstad, ScottMc, PokerEnthusiast, Katitude, Bayne. Ck was in girly chat for support :-)

It was definately fun towards the end there with all of my supporters. It is really amazing how your spirits lift when you have all of the observers cheering you on. One observer, unkown to me, even started cheering me on just because everyone else was. What an advantage really.


Here are my statistics for the entire tourney:


Last night I played the Tuckfard, and the Tuckfard II. I won the II and came in 3rd in the first one. They are a lot of fun, and I got some good cards, made some good reads, and just stole when I thought I could.

The MATH treated me like a tramp last night and I never really got anything going. I look forward to tonight and the skillzzzz series!

See you all there!

POOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH FEST!

Thanks everyone for all the comments yesterday. We are doing well and its great to know that you are all out there thinking of us.

Last night was the riverchasers PLO event. I didn't go in with any great expectations. I asked Riggs for some advice in girly chat about an hour before hand. He gave me some snippets, but basically told me that whoever won was going to be very lucky. He qualifed that by saying that didn't mean that whoever won wasn't a good player, just someone who got lucky or at least didn't get unlucky all the way through.

Well, I was one of the unlucky ones and went out pretty quick. Sean and Riggs were on the Radio last night talking about some shark scope graphs he put up and Riggs' foray into canadian strip clubs.

Later in the evening Ck came on as well as Zeem, and all three just had a blast. Sean announced the Push Fest towards the end, and Cayne won the first. Joshcarlsen won the second, and then came a surprise third one.

I entered and shoved everyhand, and just kept sucking out. It was beautiful. I broke the previous record by Shoving to the final table and eventually busting out in 8th.

Everyone was railing and it was sooo much fun. I couldn't stop laughing and smiling, and finally recognizing that the pain of losing a friend, although still there, stung just a little less.

Thanks everyone! It's all I can say. Thank You.

Dealing with Grief

I'm sitting here wondering if this is the place to really share what I'm feeling today. You see Aniguy and Mini Donk are on a field trip, and I really don't feel much like talking on the phone with other friends, so for me the best thing I can do is write what I'm feeling. Some of you know that I'm in recovery and for those of you who don't know, I've been in recovery for 14 1/2 hrs and on May 31st I'll be celebrating 15 years. Not to bad for someone who never thought they could have 1 day without the use of drugs. I received a call from a friend to tell me that another friend has passed away due to a drug overdose. My friend Nick was a very instrumental part of my early recovery, when I thought I couldn't get through another day without the use of drugs he would sit and talk with me for hours and hours and when he got home he would call me and stay on the phone until he knew I was asleep. At the time he had 6 years clean so his knowledge of how to stay clean and sober was very helpful for me. Through the course of the last 8 years he had been struggling, he lost his girlfriend and a good friend to this disease and found it very difficult to deal with. You see this disease is so powerful and it loves to catch you with the element of surprise and it pretends to be your best friend, it makes you feel so numb that you can neither hurt nor cry, you feel nothing at all and in the end the result is usually death.

My head is going in a 1000 different directions not really knowing what I'm thinking or feeling, at times I'm sad and crying, and then I get angry because I wish that we knew he was in so much pain where maybe we could have helped in someway and feeling so powerless that the end result was death, and wondering how I'm going to tell the hubby that our friend has died. The hubby and Nick were roommates before we got married so I know this will be a very low blow for him.

Saying goodbye to a friend is not the easiest thing to do, but I will take the good times and laughs that we shared and remember them for a lifetime.

I'm sorry this had nothing to do with poker today..... I just needed to share my feelings today.

Pa (Riverchasers) Boys take 1st and 3rd in the SKILLS

Congrats to Corron10 for taking down the Stud Hi game last night in the Skills, he played tough with no holes barred from beginning until end, WELL DONE SIR. Also congrats to Mr. Donk (Aniguy) for taking 3rd place. Uhmmmmm more money for me!!!! As for me I went out in 27th place, boooooooo.

As for tonight in the Mookie I will follow:

"THE DONKEY TEN COMMANDMENTS"

1. Play every hand. You never know when the poker gods will bless you with an incredible suck out. Consider all money you lost a sacrifice for your big score.
2. Play any suited cards. They are a gift from the poker gods and should never be squandered.
3. Call any all in when you hold any of face card. Even with a kicker of 2. Again these are a gift from the poker gods. They shouldn't be squandered.
4. Always call from the blinds. The poker gods will look kindly on you and give you a good flop.
5. Never let some bluff you out of the pot if you hold any of the following hands. An A with a kicker suited or not. You could catch an A on the river and squash them. That goes for Kx QX and Jx too. Any three to a flush or three to a straight. You never know. They could have nothing and you could catch runner runner.
6. When you catch the only card on the river that would beat the trip aces, or any other hand that had you preflop and all the way to the turn make sure and comment about how good a player you are and how stupid they were for ignoring your mastery at the poker table.
7. Kick and scream when you don't get your 2 outer on the river. Call the player the Anti-Poker God and say he is in league with the forces of evil and should be burnt at the stake.
8. Always check your good hands and bet at the river. If the other players made it that far they will always call you on the river. You will have the best hand as reward for your patience.
9. Any two cards can win. Always remember that. They are words to live by.
10. Never read any poker books or articles. They will only ruin you as a player. Remember. POKER IS ALL LUCK. !!!!

I know you will all say that I play like that to begin with, but I will ENFORCE it tonight....

Thanks to Buddy Dank Radio for the show last night, and I'll sure to be listening tonight.

THE BIG GAME

Well I need help and lots of it, due to the lack of experience in not playing in big money games, I have a count of folding at least 10 winning hands. My problem last night was a lack of confidence in myself and what I was playing. When I had a good hand and I pre-flopped raise and someone would re-pop me I would fold, and when someone called and I didn't hit anything I would check and if they bet I would fold. I didn't know until late last night that I could keep a hand history so I can't post my hands, but what I could post is my stats:

Statistics for 172 Hands
Street Saw Saw/Total
Flop 14 8%
Turn 9 5%
River 6 3%
Showdown 6 3%
Street Won Won/Saw Won/Total
Pre-flop 8 5% 5%
Flop 4 29% 2%
Turn 0 0% 0%
River 0 0% 0%
Showdown 3 50% 2%

I would appreciate any help that anyone has to offer........ I'm not sure if you can tell how I played with just the stats without seeing hand history's but someone please tell me what the hell I'm doing wrong.

Congrats to Cmitch for the 2nd place finish, Hoy for the 3rd place finish, and Kat for 4th place.

Good Luck to all in the Hoy tonight.

Donkette, Riggstad, CK, Aniguy and Poker On High Go BOOOOOOOOOOOOM in Atlantic City

First let me begin by saying that it was an honor and privilege to meet CK and High on Poker, it was nice to now be able to put a face to the name.

Our journey began by meeting up with Riggstad and Ck at the Borgata, once we met we all had dinner including my daughter Mini Donk, dinner couldn't go fast enough since we all had the itch to play, play, play........

From the Borgata we went to the Tropicana to check into the hotel and meet High On Poker, our plan was to play in a tourney, however the only one that got in was High On Poker because the tourney was filled to the max. So we then decided we would just play cash games. We started out all on different tables.

At the table I was seated at, there was an older gentleman to my right, who was the nastiest of nasty. so it was somewhat uncomfortable for me especially hearing, BOOOOOM, BOOOOOM, BOOOOOOM coming from all the tables around me.

There really wasn't a hand history but one, my favorite hand is 74 and it doesn't matter what the bet is, I stay to see the flop, I was at a 1-2 table, everyone pretty much limps in until one guy rasies, he makes the bet 12, everyone folds except me and another guy who seemed to play every hand. The flop comes Q44, I'm first to act, I bet 20, my two opponets' call, the turn comes 8, I again bet out 20 they both call, the river comes an ace, so at this point I'm thinking what could they have, so I thought let me check and see where everyone was at.

One guy bets 20, ( he wasn't the one I was worried about because like I said he had played every hand since I sat down at the table) the other guy raises it to 120, so now it's my turn to act, and I sat there looking at the guy who bet 120 and I'm trying to figure out what the hell he could have, I had trips so there's no way he could have quads, there wasn't a flush draw on the board, and even though my kicker was only a 7, there was an Ace and Queen, so I thought well he could have a fullhouse A4 or Q4 but who else would pay the preflop raise with those holdings other than me??

So after about 5 minutes, I lay down my hand, the other guy goes all in, so the guy who made the 120 bet calls, he turns over QQ the other one turns over AK...... GREAT FOLD for me......being the donkey I can be, I was proud of myself. I don't necessarily like these hands but in cash games, Riggs has told me to open up my holdings. Raise with lesser and make calls to weak bets when there are many in the hand. he didn't like the 74 but I get his point. That is premium hands such as AA and KK, especially in low limit games will tend to win very small pots, unless you run someone holding second nuts, or you will lose very big pots. I like his thinking and he has shown me that those "other hands" can be very profitable if played correctly and you actually hit.

I saw that there was a seat available at CK's table, so I asked if I could move over there, since my table was so uncomfortable with the old nasty man.

"CK and Donkette take down a wannbe JC Tran".


A few hands stick in my mind, the first one being, CK is the big blind, I had J3 sooted, so I had just limped in, the flop comes 2J4, as first to act, I check it goes around the table to CK and she bets out 10, I call since I had top pair with a shitty kicker, but I thought I would gamble, everyone folds and it's me and CK, I can't quite remember what the turn was but I do know it wasn't anything of significance, CK bets out another 10, I call, the river comes another 2. I check again and CK comes out with both guns loaded, not sure just what the bet was but I called, I thought at best we would chop, and then there was a BOOOOOOOOM, CK turns over 42 for a fullhouse and takes the pot down. Bitch!! Riggsad told me I just got hit with a 2x4. Pric!

Now for our story of the wannbe JC Tran: I'm in the BB having AJ (ASIAN JEW!!), everyone was limping in so when it was my turn to act I rasie to 16, Mr Wannbe was my only taker, the flop comes JAA, I bet 25 he comes over the top of me for 100, so I shove all in, I had only had 40 more after calling his 100, so he calls, and after he calls, before we expose our hands he said to me, you might have me beat now, but I could catch up so I thought he must have AK, he turns over A2 and when I turn my AJ over to the sounds of BOOOOOOOOM he turned pale, he was pretty much drawing dead, and I take a huge pot down which left him with 25.00. He rebought for another 200, and I guess I pissed him off because he came back firing at almost every pot, I looked and CK and said "one of us needs to take his chips"

It really is amazing to me his move with A2 here. It actually makes me feel good, well, about myself. :) It really is something to be able to come into these rooms with a little more knowledge and self confidence and be able to feel secure in the fact that I know there will be players making moves like that... So EV.

Now it was CK's turn, I saw her fold hand after hand for at least over an hour, and Mr. Wannabe kept firing out, she's sitting in position with AQ, and needless to say it was her turn to tangle with the Mr Wannabe. I'm not sure just how the betting went, but I do know however that by the river there was over 800.00 in the pot, I'm also not sure what the flop was, (wish I had a print screen on my camera phone) nor the turn, I do however know that the river was an Ace giving CK a pair, with Mr. Wannabe holding KK...... BOOOOOOOOOOOM, BOOOOOOOOOOM, BOOOOOOOOOOOM, BOOOOOOOOOOOM, the hand desereved 4 Booms. Mr. Wannabe was shell struck, and of course he whinned about it and carried on as CK sat there not saying a word stacking all her chips... Way To Go CK.......

My other big hand was I was in the BB with K4 clubs, the little blind limps in after everyone folding the flop comes 3c Ac Kd, well now I'm on a flush draw, with me having second top pair on the flop, he bets out 25, I call, the turn comes QH, he bets 50, I call the river turns over the 2c, with my opponent holding 45 in his hand giving him the straight, he bets out 70, and I go all in, he looks at me and said you caught your flush, I turned to him and said yes I did, he thought about it for about 5 minutes, with me saying to him or maybe I caught 2 pair, or even just a pair,and low and behold, he shoves the rest of his money in, he shows me the straight and I show him the flush...... Lol he stood up didn't say a word and walked away.

Next on our journey was CK and I went to find a Let It Ride table, couldn't find a table with the 3 card bonus on it so we just decided to just play 3 card, we both held our own for sometime hitting nothing of significance just hitting pairs, straights, flushes, which is okay it keeps you playing but not hitting anything that doubled are money. It was now around 2:30am, and CK was alittle tired, so I walked her to our room, she went to bed, and of course I went back down to the poker room to play again since Aniguy was still playing.

I bought in for 200.00 going to a 1-2 table, my very first hand I'm dealt 88, I just limp, the flop comes AK8 giving me a set, didn't want to be a bully on the first hand so I just min bet, someone raises to 25, and of course I call the turn comes a 7 I check he bets out 50, I call, the river turns over another 8, and by this time my heart was pounding so hard I thought it was going to come right out of my chest. I check, the other guy bets 125, I then go all in, he insta calls, showing AK which gave him 2 pair, I show one 8 and then slowly turn over the other 8, BOOOOOOOOM. So I doubled up on the first hand. I don't think there was anyone over the age of 25 at my table and all of them were as drunk as can be, so I thought I would use that to my advantage. One little guy all decked out in his Eagles geer was a spitfire at the table, raising every hand, so it was somewhat hard to put him on any good hand, I folded a lot of winning hands due to my lack of expierence, however I kept hearing Riggs voice telling me, don't back down, so with that I ran. My best fold of the night was my JJ, my little Eagles friend raised pre-flop, the flop comes K84, he bets over 100 there was 3 of us in the hand, the other calls his bet, I thought for awhile and I laid down my JJ, I asked the dealer to keep my cards to the side, I wanted to show them to my eagles friend, the turn brings a 3 and the river turned a J, so I was pissed at myself for folding but at that point it would have cost me half of my stack to chase, so I believe I did the right thing. My eagles friend couldn't believe after the dealer showed him what I folded, I looked at him and I said to him my favorite hand is 74 and when I take all your money it's going to be with that hand. LOL. I played for at least 45 minutes without seeing a flop, then finally I get my 74 c and suited no less, so I just limp in and of course when the bet came to my Eagles friend he raises to 55, everyone folds and I thought hears my chance to spank this little boy, and what to my sudden eyes do appear, the flop comes 3,5,6 clubs, being the first to act, I check he bets out 50, and I look at him and said, you caught that flush didn't you, and he has this shit ass grin on his face from ear to ear, I said no I don't believe you so I call, the turn comes AH, I check again he pops the pot with another 50, the river comes 9d, I check again, and my little Eagles friend goes all in for another 170 and I insta call, he turns over a set of aces, I turn over my 74 for the straight flush and the look on his face was worth a million and one pictures, I crushed him, but what he was more upset about is I told him that when I took his money it was going to be with my favorite hand. BOOOOOOOOOOM....... I sat for another 1 hour or so and couldn't catch anything and by this time it was 5:30am, so I decided to go cash in, I made a 496.oo profit for the day..... Not to bad for me. I'm them off to find Aniguy and watched him play for another hour and by this time I just couldn't hang anymore, so we gather our child, and say goodbye to CK and headed home (had to come home to my puppy).

Although it was a very profitable day for me, the highlight of the day was getting to meet CK and High On Poker (didn't get a chance to spend to much time with him, he was in a tourney and when he was finished he headed home) but I'm sure there will be a next time. Meeting CK felt like we have known each other forever, she's a real sweetheart and very enjoyable to hang with.

A big credit goes out to Riggstad for being such a great teacher, his knowledge of the game is just so unreal to me, he pretty much knows how each scenario is gonna play out, so Thank You Riggs for helping me in my learning process......

I would also like to thank Fuel for all the great links he sent me, if everyone keeps sending me learning links, there will come a time when I will be pretty hard to beat.......

In closing I have to say that this was one of the best trips I had to Atlantic City!