My birthday

I can't believe I forgot to post this. If my wife ever reads this blog, first she will kill me for not giving her my winnings and then she will kill me again for not mentioning my birthday gift.

I didn't mention my birthday at all this year. I wanted to see if my wife would forget. She never said anything. .. .never asked what I wanted. . . .nothing. I thought for sure she would just get me the obligatory card and treat me nicely for a day.

On my way home from work yesterday she called and asked me to pick up some stuff from the store. I did. When I walked in the door she and my boys were waiting for me with all sorts of decorations and stuff. They sprayed me with that damned spray string.

SO. . . .I open my gift. It was a picture of the 140 hour TiVo that is in the mail for me!! I have been wanting one of these for a while. If I had purchased it myself I definitely would not have bought the 140 hour because I am so cheap. So a pretty cool birthday gift from my cool wife.

I can't wait to get it. I am going to watch all of the West Wings, Fear Factors, Poker shows, Howard Sterns, Tilt (I only saw one episode), and yes, I will TiVo American Idol.

I am 33 :(

TT

Coming Back!!

Ok. . .remember that free money that I got from Pacific Poker? I got $10 free bucks. This normally would not be a big deal but since I have blown the case money (not really. . . .i can still buy food) it was cool to have some real dough. I wanted to see if I could turn that free $$ into something I could actually play with.

First of all, Pacific Poker really does suck. . .software, speed, etc. But the players are just as bad!! Anyways, I plunk down my $10 (the new case money) at a $10 PL table. My plan is to play very tight and try to make this $10 last and maybe parlay it into more. The first couple of sessions are up and down a couple of bucks. One night I go on a bit of a tear and turn the $10 into about $43. Not bad. Gives me a little room to play some now. . . .at least at the $10 PL table.

I already mentioned in the previous post that I decided to play in a $5 MTT. The structure on Pacific is really fast. Start with only 800 chips and blinds go up every 10 mins. I didn't like it at first but everyone plays like a wack-o early on. 3/4 of the field was eliminated at the end of the 1st hour. To make a long story short I hang around most of the tourney about average then catch a couple of hands and move into the top ten or so. I find myself at the final table. With about 5 players left I am the chip leader and really feel like I can win this. Two more drop out and I am really gaining momentum.

The pictured hand below was the one that crippled me. I raised the middle stack with AKo. He moves all in and I call. I make Kings full. . . .he flopped four of a kind!! I was left with some chips. But the blinds were high and I was knocked out 3rd a few hands later.

Well, after that payout of about $290 and some more ring games, I am up to about $450 in the Pacific account. All from that free $10. I am going to withdraw the money soon and head to a different site. The cash games are kind of juicy and it isn't that hard to beat the tourneys. I think I could play only top ten hands and make it to the money.

Also, I have been studying my online dealer course. It is pretty thorough. . . .I think. I have read the entire course and now I will start to practice some of the skills that it has laid out. I really want to try to be ready to apply for a job at the track before the season is over here because everyone leaves for the summer. Although, I do hear that the tournaments at the track are drawing about 200 players now. Not bad for a sick 20% juice!!!! I don't like to play in their tourneys because the juice is outrageous and the blind structure is almost as fast as a Pacific MTT. But when that is all the live tourney action you can get, what do you do??

Well, I am pretty happy with my Pacific Poker account so far. I think I can double this in the next couple of weeks.

Later,
TT

The Crippler 

Free Money

Okay. It isn't much but I got a letter from Pacific Poker. A place where I set up an account but never played and recently uninstalled from my computer. The letter I got in the mail said they dropped 10 bucks in my account for being such a valuable customer. HAHA. Well, I am not complaining especially since I have about $1.33 spread at three or four sites.

I started playing at a $10 PL table. I figured that I would try to run up the 10 bucks. Well, so far I have turned it in to 40 bucks. I am now playing in a $5 NL tourney. In the 1st twenty minutes 200 of the 800 players have eliminated themselves. On the first play of the table a player pushed all in with 7's and was called by AQo. 7's held up. Almost down to 500 players after 25 mins.

Who knows what I can do with this $40 bucks. Who knows if I will be able to withdraw if I want?

This site is painfully slow and has disconnected me from cash games a whole lot. I am going to get my dough if I hit $200 and never play there again.

I am still taking my "home" dealer course. Waiting for some chips to get mailed so I can practice more stuff.

Later,
TT

First Step to Dealing

Like I said, I have some interest in being a dealer. I went to www.dealer-training.com and reviewed the site. For a not so nominal fee they send you a pretty comprehensive e-book with a one year money back guarantee. I figured that it is cheaper than a land based course that I don't have the time to attend. I have skimmed over the 1st third of the course and I like it so far. I think that I will still need some live training to make sure that I am doing things correctly. I would like to deal at our local track a couple of days a week. I would really like to deal in some private games. There are some higher stakes games in the area that I found on www.homepokergames.com. The skill definitely takes practice and repetition.

I will keep you updated to my progress. I gotta go practice my riffle.

As I have promised for the last several weeks, er, months, here are some pics of my boys who just turned one year old last week. They were born two months early at 3 lb 2 oz each. They both spent about 6-8 weeks each in the hospital. Sammy came home on oxygen. Both were sent home with monitors.

We are very lucky that they are so healthy. They have hardly had a sniffle since they came home. Now they are holy terrors!! If they can reach it, it is coming down. If it fits in their mouth, they will eat it.











Talk to you soon,
TT

Moths Flying Out of My Pocket

I am going to stop saying that I am going to post more often. Between my job and homelife, I find it hard to post much less squeeze in some poker.

The well has dried up. My poker accounts are dry. I will get back in the game soon though. I don't think that I will play at Party though. I am using my points at UB to play some and will try to build those up for some buy-ins to MTT's. I used to play at UB ALL THE TIME but cashed out there and went to Party. I liked it at Party but want a change and maybe some bonus whoring. I hear some good things about Bodog. Mostly that there are lots of "gamblers" there who win some money in the book and come to the tables to blow off steam.

I am really trying to work on my NL game. I have never been real confident in my online NL abilities. I bought "Pot Limit and No Limit Poker" by Reuben and Ciaffone. I also got a book about satellite strategy. Since I haven't been playing much besides UltimatePoints games, I will be doing some reading.

I also want to say hi to Mr.Decker . I think he is one of the few return readers I have according to my super secret, free stattracker. He has a cool blog and is a winning low limit online poker player.

I am thinking of getting some training to become a dealer at our local dog track. I was chatting while playing at Party a month or so ago and was playing with a dealer at this track (small world) and he said that some of the dealers "train" others in their off time. So, I think I am going to get in touch with him and see what I can find out. Hell, how hard could it be. . . ."no racks on the table, please", "Check or bet one", "Show me a winner", "FLOOR!!". I think I have what it takes.

One thing I haven't been able to do since my boys were born is play online tourneys. It is a decent trade off though. Sam and Aaron turned one year old on Sunday!!! They are awesome.

I am not going to say that I promise to post more. . . .

Later,
TT

I Own a Poker Player!!

Gotta check this out if you haven't already seen this . AlCantHang is selling stake in his take at a WPBT Circuit Tourney at the Commerce on Ebay. Get it here if you want a piece of the pie make sure to check it out. Very funny. I should be a hundred-aire if it all works out.

Tables have been rough. Real rough. I have been playing mostly $25 & $50 PL HE with mixed results. I picked up two fat pots tonight and quadrupled the nearly depleted Case Money. Those two hands were the only highlights of the last two weeks. I am starting to think that I need one of those "breaks". I think I will catch up on some reading. I have been wanting to get some new poker books. Also will give me time to do some Ebaying. I have been accumulating bunches of junk that should net me a pretty penny. I spent $20 at GoodWill the other day. I netted a $300 profit from the sales!! Who needs poker when you have GoodWill.

Sometimes I wonder if I am actually getting worse at poker. I definitely think that I need to read more. I used to read a lot of poker books. When I say "a lot" that is a relative term. Not including gambling books or Vegas related books, I have probably read about 5 books cover to cover in my life. That includes Old Yeller and Savage Sam and Kavik the Wolf Dog.

Lastly, there was an article in our local paper talking about other states trying to change laws to outlaw poker games in bars, etc. This dumb ass from Minnesota's Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division had this to say:

It's the soup of the day. It's very popular. It's not gin
gummy. It's not 500. It's not hearts. Those are all games of
skill. This is a random game, and it's a gamble.

I can't believe this guy is the director of the gambling enforcement division!!

I have that taped to my monitor now.

Later. . . .Go buy a piece of Al. I hope I didn't get the toe nail or something.

TT

Christmas Blues

I can't believe that I haven't posted since Thanksgiving.

In the life of my young poker blog I have found that it is not very fun to post when you are losing. I need to try to get past that.

I have been traveling a lot with the family, working, etc. I haven't played much poker lately. Mostly due to lack of time but also because my losing streak has been so extensive. My bankroll has shrunk to pre-deposit lows!! That is so depressing. My fun money in the sportsbook is almost gone too.

One of my problems that I have recognized is that when my bankroll gets lower than I like I start to play NL. I guess I think that I will be able to build my bankroll with big pots. I usually just end up losing more $$ because I am not a very good NL player. So, I have started to stay away from the NL.

Though I have been dabling at the PL tables. I think the thought of not having to risk my whole stack is more comforting to me. I have been doing decent at the PL tables but I am still a bit depressed since my bankroll has taken such a big hit. My PL strategy is pretty formulaic. I rarely limp in. I almost always come in with a pot sized raise if I am going to bet. On the flop, if I hit the flop, I will bet 1/2 to a full sized pot bet. . . .depending on if I want to drive out any flush draws ect. It seems that I rarely have to go to showdown. Once I showdown 2-3 big hands, I can start playing a little looser.

On the homefront. . .my wife recently started a part time job (since poker isn't paying the bills yet) as a driver for a transportation company. She drives a limo or van to transport people to/from airport. My wife has the gift of gab. She made an acquaintance on her last day of work who is looking for help in my field. He runs restaurants/golf clubs/catering businesses. The GM's he wants to hire will be paid a minimum of $90k per year. This would be a substantial increase from my paltry $54k. I do like my job. I have worked for my company for 10 years. But, ninety large sure sounds nice. I think I am going to give the fella my resume. The job is in the Detroit area. I don't know much about Detroit except that they make cars there, it is cold, Mo-Town, and it is 10 hours from Atlantic City.

Back to poker. I started using GameTime+ in conjunction with PokerTracker. The progam basically overlays all of your opponents stats on to your internet poker table window. So far I think it is pretty handy. I recommend.

I promise I will start to post more.

Oh, yeah. Rent: Anchorman--The Legend of Ron Burgandy. Will Ferrell. Very Funny!!

When in Rome. . . .

TT

The kid is hot tonight!!

Well, I have been bouncing back a bit lately. Nothing to write home about though. Better than October though!!

Tonight has been one of the hottest rushes in a long time. In one hour of playing two $2/4 tables and one $3/6 table I am up over $300 bucks. I am hitting flops like no other!! My very first hand tonight was pocket aces that held up for a nice pot. After that I have hit tons of flops. Made more sets than not, flopped straights.

Of course as I type this my set of kings just got beat by a set of aces that we both flopped. Maybe the holiday night is bringing out some more players because not only am I getting great hands but people are paying me to see them.

It looks like I may have activated the dreaded jinx as I have actually lost a couple of hands!! How dare they??

I am getting so many playable hands it is almost funny. I just won $111 with big slick.

It will be interesting to see my PokerTracker stats for tonight.

This has definitely offset the shitty six weeks I have had.

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Tony

Where have all the good cards gone??

It has been too long since my last post and even longer since I could string together a few winning sessions.

Here is how October panned out:

88 Sessions
76.12 Hours Played

Total Won ($318.50)
Net per hour ($4.18)

Yes. . . .those are parenthesis which indicates a loss. It has been a long time since I posted a loss for a month. There wasn't just one bad day. The whole month stunk. . . bad. I have had to step down limits. I don't know what to do to be able to build my stack back. I am in a crappy predicament. My bankroll is getting to small for the limits that I like to play. By the same token I hate to play anything smaller than $2/4. I have been playing a little bit of $25 buy-in No Limit. I pretty much break even playing NL. I will post a nice win or two but wash them with a couple of big losses.

I am hoping that this is just a run of bad cards. Let's just hope that this run doesn't outlast my bankroll. Because once that bankroll is gone. . . .my poker playing will be done. . .for a while.

I guess that is why this blog is called The Case Money. Hehehe.

On a bright note. My little sports wagering account has held its own. I actually went on a streak of 11-2-1. I had blown 2/3 of my initial sports wagering bankroll in the stupid online casino. I need to get to Vegas to blow off gambling steam, I guess. Well, the bankroll dwindled to about $54. I am happy to say that the bankroll has grown to $373. I have been listening to the sports gurus at work and then using my own limited knowledge to place my bets. Overall, I think I am winning about 60% of my wagers. That is not an official number. . . .just a guess.

In The Poker Bookie the author noted that at Bodog (an online sports book/casino) that there is a lot of bad play on there. Seems to be more "gamblers" than poker players. People that take there $500 in sports winnings and hit the tables to blow off some steam. I think I am going to take some of my gambling winnings and open an account there. I received an unsolicited email pointing me to freechipoffer.com. I am going to sign up for Bodog using this link. If the offer is legit, I will receive a 300 piece poker chip set. Not bad for a minimum deposit of $50 and no minimum play requirements.

One of the reasons I haven't posted in a while besides the fact I have been too busy losing money playing cards is that I had a flare up of pancreatits. I suffer from chronic pancreatitis. I wouldn't wish this ailment on my worst enemy. . . .well maybe that dude that cracked my aces the other day with some junk hand. Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) are unable to consume alcohol or indulge in too much fatty foods. The doctor told me that this ailment was brought on by years of drinking. He is probably right. . . .I spent the better part of my twenties partying like a rock star. Now I am paying the price. I haven't had a drink in two years. . . .at first it was a real lifestyle change. But, to be quite honest, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. The party lifestyle, while it did help me bag a few babes, mostly just got me into trouble. Now that I am a father of twins, I can say that I am setting an example that was not set for me by my alcoholic father that I haven't spoken to in several years. Unfortunately, he will probably die before he speaks to me or sees or speaks to his two grandsons that are the last to carry on his name. I digress.

Here are the bankroll balances as of this writing:

Party Poker: $646
Sportsbook: $374

That Party balance worries me. Any time the Party balance falls below $800 I feel like I am playing with scared money. I am just going to try to play smart and wait for my luck to change.

Say, Hi if you stop by.

Thanks for reading.

Tony