The tide is NOT turning

well, I wanted to post a Happy New Year to all. Hope everything is well with everyone. The tables have still been brutal to me. I am working on building my bankroll back up to where it is super healthy before Tunica. I am running out of time. I won a sng last night on Pokerstars with a $10 entry and 27 players. Picked up $100.00, but I also lost $100.00 in my home game tournament. We had 10 people all put up $100.00 and we paid 4 places. I was the first one out when my nut flush ran into Dingers boat...oh well. Dinger was hosting the gala so I am glad to lose my chips to him than anyone else.

I have been doing a lot of reading lately trying to find something I could be doing wrong. It is scary that I have read that some pros can go over a year with the cards running bad. I think my biggest problem right now is basic "Guts". Playing with scared money. Playing "Not to lose" and not playing my game. Staying in lots of hands hoping to hit, and calling trying to get my cards instead of playing my game. Play aggressive, and go after the pots like they are mine.

On other notes, my buddy Bill is doing good as is Big RayB. I would like to give both of them some serious kudos as they both have had the nuts to venture out into the world of professional poker. Yes, that's right people, they do not have jobs and play for a living. That puts them 2 with Tex, Joe Bush, K.W. and Brian as my poker buddies that are pros. Seems that I may be the only semi-pro in our group now.

I have been sick lately and not getting to play as much as I would like. I have been watching the poker marathon on ESPN-C for the past 2 days. I just watched the one with Demetrie Nobles. I don't want to criticize other people, but this guy made some "Bad" moves. He was in a spot to easily move up in the pay structure. Oh well...at least he was there ;-)

Everyone always ask me who is the "Coolest" pro that you have every played with? I would have to say Joe Sebok. I was in the 9 seat and he was in the 7 seat for several hours in the 42nd event at his years WSOP. Great guy and really down to earth. He is Barry Greenstein's step son, and if you want to check him out, look here www.joesebok.com. The sound track is cool, and if you are looking for some good ideas for some tunes for your Ipod, he is really into music.

Lets see...is there anything else of interest. Oh yea...I wanted to say something about spouses.
I have several buddies that their wives give them a hard time about playing poker. When they win, everything is the greatest, but when they lose they come down hard on them. I can tell you that without my wife believing in me, and encouraging me when I run bad, I could not bounce back as fast as I do. My wife is wonderful. She was there when I came out 47th in the 42nd event at the '06 WSOP, and I think she was more upset when I got knocked out then I was.
She is my world. She is everything to me. I know that with her behind me there will be no stopping me once I "Cross the threshold".

"It is only when we have lost everything that we can really do anything"

Ed Norton's Character in "Fight Club"

Hopefully the tide is turning

I have been playing on FCP and was able to pick-up a cool $250.00 last night in the 10-20 limithold-em game. Got lucky and picked up Aces twice and Kings once. I played at Harrahs 2 nights ago and picked up anpther $175.00. Not alot, but a win none the less. I am heading to Shorty's tonight as the jackpot is now at $225,000 dollars. I have put in lots of time in that room , so I want to be present if it hits tonight. Hopefully, it will be on my table.

I got sponsored also recently by a company called pokerpayday.com. If anyone has any info on them, please e-mail at gene@houma.com. I spoke to the guy on the phone, but I am a little unsure whether they are for real or not.

I am going to try to attach a pic of me at the WSOP last year. I hope it post

Wow...it worked

"We poker players are in this for one reason and one reason only...EQUITY"
Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari

Keeping it simple...Stupid

I have decided to sit out a couple of days and re-read Harrington's blue book and do some soul searching. I have been discussing my play with my wife and she has given me some great advice. It is all about "My Emotions". I need to be able to control my emotions better at the table. I have gotten past the, what by buddy Ray calls "the God Compex", of criticizing the play of people around me. No, thats not it as I mastered that several years ago. Now I am dealing with the emotion of taking my losses and learning from them. Knowing that no matter how good I play, that no matter how good the read I have on a guy is, you can still lose. Thats tough.

I have been working on my game recently and I am going to start focusing more on tournaments instead of cash games. I took 4th in the weekly tournament at the Boomtown in Biloxi on Moday night. It was a $65.00 freeze-out and I collected $315.00. It felt good to get back into the money. I really felt good about the way I played and I think I outplayed everybody when we got down to the final 2 tables. Nobody was watching the clock and I was the only one watching it. Just about every move I made had the clock in it as a variable. I was amazed that no-one was paying attention.

I also got 3rd in our yearly Dean Money satellite tourney. Iy was $110.00 to get in and I colllected $245.00. A small payday, but a win just the same.

"You can't bluff somebody thats not paying attention"

Joe Montenga's character Mike in "House of Games"

Coushatta update

I went to Coushatta in Kinder, La last weekend to play in the Seven Clans Poker Classic. I played in the early bird tournament on Friday night. I made it about 3 hours in. I don't think I played bad, but I was still not happy with my play. I was right where I needed to be and got spooked and did not pull the trigger on the third bullet, bet after the flop, that would have won me a huge pot and made me the chip leader. Instead, I got out kicked by A-8 when I held A-7. There is no doubt that she would have folded if I bet after the river.

From there, the poker gods were rough on me again in the cash game. twice I have had to lay down a nut flush draw after the turn after calling a nice size raise on the flop. I just could not get there on any of my draws. Then, I get Ad-Js on the button and make a standard 3 times raise to $25.00 and get 4 callers. Flop comes Ah-Jc-4h. I make a bet of $150, one and half times the pot to take it down right there. 2 fold and one guy is in the tank. I know he is on a flush draw if he calls. Well, he reluctantly calls saying,"I will pay you off this time". This is my nail in the coffin. Turn brings a heart and he bets.I lay it down face up and he smiles in a "Feel sorry for me kind of way" and flashes me the 2 hearts he had in the hole.

This was how my game has been going...

Tournament structure and overall opinion of Coushatta. It was terriable. I will write a blog a little later on this topic in itself. Dealers, tournament directors, security and the poker room in general...Terrible.

I will be doing a movie reveiw on the Susan Gerad documentary, No Limit...A search for the American dream on the poker tournament trail. It willbe reveiwed on www.gulfcoastpoker.net.

"To avoid tilt you need to look at poker as one long game spanning your whole playing career"

Annie Duke "Bluff Magazine article on tilting"

The decks have gone cold again

I have not been running to well at the brick and morter casinos, but I have been doing well on the net. I picked up a cool $250.00 the other night on FCP. It kind of sucks when you hit that spot where it just doesn't seem to be happening for you. Your out kicked every hand, your two pair are not bigger than the other guys two pair and what about this one...When you get a good read on the $35.00 pre-flop raiser and you know he is holding a big ace. Probably has A-K or A-J. You sitting with Pocket 7's. Flop comes 9s9h8d, and pre-flop raiser fires his continuation bet of $80.00. You smooth call him. Turn comes the 2c. Now you know that the deuce did not help him. You sit and wait while the raiser counts out more money and fires in $150.00. You call again and what comes on the river, another 8. Raiser fires out $150.00 and you lay it down. He flashes you the ace as he mucks and drags the pot thinking he out played you.

One of the things I have been dealing with is not taking notice of when I make a mistake in a hand. I could be in a session buying in for $400.00 and make a mistake in 2 hands that cost me $200.00. I will sit there a stew about for a couple of hands and then hit a nice pot that propels me back up to around $500.00. Now here is where the brakdown occurs. I immediately forget the mistakes I made on the previous hand. I am now pumped up and ready for action. I need to make mental notes and try to learn from my mistakes.

Well, I guess I have to suck it up and get backout there and give it my best shot. I am not going to let it get me down that the cards just have not been coming my way. It just sucks to take 3 steps forward and 1 back. Then 4 steps forward and 2 back Your getting traction, but the steps back hurt just the same.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."

Winston Churchhill