The Let Down

Well, after that great weekend I tanked the next 3 days or so. I managed to give all but the $366 I made on Sunday back by Friday.

Normally on PokerJoe I am able to steal a lot of pots on the flop. Nobody ever plays back at me. Well they did this week. Whenever I come in raising I invariably bet 1/2 to full pot sized bet on the flop regardless of whether I hit anything on the flop. . . maybe I need to make some adjustments to my play here. I really want to work on my play after the flop.

I ran into Craziness again this week. He set me off after I was already giving some of my winnings back. He is not afraid to play back at me with nothing. . . .I am really a pretty predictable player if you pay attention. . . .which most online players don't. I really have to play solidly against this guy.

I have started my Sit and Go Challenge. I am SnG's into the challenge (I am going to play 20 5-man shootouts with buy-ins from $5-20 bucks) and have done some experimenting. I have managed the following:

2 First Place Finishes
1 Third Place Finish
1 Fifth Place Finish

So, far for the challenge I am +$21 . . . .too bad that the shootouts that I won were only $5 buy-ins. The shootouts at PokerJoe are pretty cool 100% to the winner (I guess that is why they call it a shootout).

Stats for this week:
17 Hours Played
$31 Winnings
$1.82/hour

Boy, that stinks.

I thought about taking a big chunk of the bankroll and trying to cash in on some bonuses at other sites. I am going to have to research and find out which are the best bonuses. I am considering Empire, Pacific, or maybe Caribbean Sun (downloaded the other day. . . .looks okay. . .decent traffic and tourneys).

I want to make enough money playing poker in the next 4 months to buy myself a cool toy. . . .like a new PC or a big ole TV.

Like I don't have enough to do in my personal life (work, father of twin boys, poker-a-holic, etc), I am preparing for my fantasy football draft coming up. Draft is on Sunday. I have played with these guys for about 4 years and have one the big one once. I do it mostly for fun. . . .winner gets $350.

I played some golf today at the course I work at. Didn't do too bad. Damn it's hot in Florida in August.

I am still waiting for my wife to read my blog and start asking me how much $$ I have in my poker account. Bevin, if you are reading this. . . . .just trust me and let me make millions. Okay?? Don't ask how much I have. It makes me feel guilty :(

Lastly, one of my favorite poker books. . .Zen and the Art of Poker by Larry W. Phillips is a great read. I recommend it to anyone who plays for $$. I need to read it again after this week. A little excerpt:

Poker Rule #48
Become aggressive in the Openings That Appear

In this section Phillips quotes Mao Tse-tung

The enemy advances, we retreat; the enemy camps, we harass; the enemy tires, we
attack; the enemy retreats, we pursue.

This was the only page that I dog-eared. . . .

Later Poker Freaks!!!

TT

Big Weekend

Thanks to those who have come by and read. I hope you keep coming back.

This weekend was a pretty good for me at the tables. I was playing mostly .50/1.00 Pot Limit Hold em at PokerJoe . I had been having a so-so weekend but on Sunday the cards were hitting me square in the forehead. Most of my pairs were hitting trips on the flop and would fill up if I need them. . . .even logged a couple of quads. My bluffs were timely and reads were good as well. One pot in particular was the largest that I believe that I have taken down since I started playing online. I was dealt pocket jacks in middle position. I made a pot sized raise that scared off only two players. Flop was 8-4-2 rainbow. I raised a $5 bet to $13. One calls and the original bettor re-raises to about $20. At this point I believe that I am beat. I put the guy on a set of 4's or 8's or maybe a 9's or 10's. I call the raise knowing that I am not getting the odds but wanted to see the if the turn improved my hand. Then the money card hits. . . . Jack of hearts. No flush possibility. 1st position bets out $30. I smooth call and last player folds. Right now I have the best possible hand and if I read the player right he is not any kind of draw and has only one out. Last card is a nine. Player bets $61. I go all in for $79 and he calls. I take down $307 pot!!

I took down a couple of other nice pots that day.

On the site I play at they have 5 man shoot outs. I played in one for the 1st time Monday but only managed 2nd. I think that these can be pretty profitable if played properly. $11 investment can net a $39 profit.

I think I will start a challenge for myself. I am going to play in 20 shootouts from $5 to $20 buy-ins and see at the end how profitable they are. The only problem is that it is hard to get a shoot out going. Most people play the $2.5 SNG's and shootouts.

I am going to sit in a $1/2 PL game now. This is a level higher than I usually play. Premium hands only early. Let's see how it goes.

I will keep you updated. Thanks for reading.

p.s. I started listening to a band called Los Lonely Boys. . . .Check them out they have a good sound. . . .a Texas sound, Stevie Ray Vaughn with Latino overtones.

My First Real Post

Well, I got my blog set up. I started doing this blog because I have been reading a few different blogs pretty regularly and thought it was time to start my own journal of poker playing. At the very least, I will have a record of my rise to fame!!

I am a 32 year old father of three. My wife and I (mostly my wife ) had twin boys 6 months ago. They are a handful to say the least. Aaron is helping me write this blog entry right now while Mama sleeps with Sammy. We live in Southwest Florida after spending all of our adult lives in San Antonio, TX.

I have been playing poker for about 4 years now. I play almost exclusively online but get out to the local dog track now and then to play some no fold 'em. I started playing on UB and built a $35 prize from a freeroll into enough money to play for a year and a half at $4/8. I used the money I made to buy some new furniture for the family. The remaining bankroll dwindled away as I tried to start making more money at the NL tables there. I wasn't ready for that yet. Since I had nothing to play with I took a long (much needed) break from poker.

My break from poker ended about four months ago when I got an email from an individual explaining that some investors were looking for internet players to back. I figured it was worth a try and called the man up. I was VERY skeptical. He explained a deal to me that sounded legit (but what scam doesn't). Investors start you off with a $1000. They absorb the losses and split the profits with you 50/50. To start you had to "try out". I deposited $400 into a website called PokerJoe . More on that later. I was to play 2000 hands at whatever limit I felt comfortable at and would the be evaluated. I played my 2000 hands and had lost about $200 in the process. I thought that I had played okay but I hadn't really played in about 7 months and I was very rusty. Well, the guy that was coordinating the tryouts obviously did not take me on but he said if I wanted to he would reevaluate my play down the road. The guy is very pleasant, likes to talk, and seems to know quite a bit about the game. I am still trying to "make the cut" and have done quite well for myself along the way. I am sure that some of you are going to read this and say, "what a sap this guy is for trying out for backing from a guy he has never seen." I say what the heck do I have to lose.

Now, I was required to play my hands at a site called PokerJoe . At first, I didn't like the site. There wasn't much traffic, the limit ring games were limited and usually very small stakes ($1/2 and smaller). But let me tell you. . . .this site has grown on me. I have been playing pot limit almost exclusively with blinds at .25/.50 or .50/1.00. The play is sooooo soft there it is like taking free money sometimes. Of course there are some players there who know how to play the game that you have to look out for. One player by the name of Craziness is a very aggressive and very wiley player. He likes to get you to the river and then put you to a decision for A LOT of chips. The first time I played him he took me for about $150. He was getting me to lay down the winners and call the losers. I would lay down a big pair and he would turn over garbage. I would call with a very strong hand he would turn over the nuts. It was like he could see my cards. Well, since then I believe that I have got the best of him. I don't tangle with him unless I have a great hand or a good read on him. All of the same people play at the same tables. You get a really good feel for all of the players because if you play a lot you are playing against the same players a lot.

I recommend that you try the site out. There is almost always a $50 or $100 buyin Pot Limit game with pretty soft play. Also, you can immediately start using your bonus as soon as you deposit.

Anyhoo, enough for now. . . . .next post will be about my big weekend at the tables.

Later and thanks for reading. Please leave a comment and say hi!!

TT

The Case Money

This is my first post. . . .Hopefully of many. To follow are my chronicles of my progression in my poker hobby. One day I hope it could be a career but that is many, many moons away, if ever.

Please say hello if you read. If you don't I will think my blog is like a tree falling with nobody around.

I am too tired from playing poker to write a blog now. I am already sick of blogging :)

I shall return.