Circuit Event "Blues"

I am really having a hard time not being able to play in the circuit event this time around. I have to work, and since I work in a sales environment, the end of the month is the most crucial. I plan on trying to play in a few this weekend, and then hitting Coushatta next week. I may try to play in the Mega tonight also. I would love to satellite into this Main Event as well...we will see.

I have been playing a lot of online low limit MTT's on Stars and FTP. I am like Reid where
I am really getting a lot out of it. When you play in a Low limit MTT with 180 people...it is really competitive. I am seeing improvements in my game day in and day out. For those of you who don't know, Stars run 180 people MTT 24/7 every time 180 people sign up...all day long. They get 180 people...they fire one off.

Last night I played a single table SNG, and of course we all start with 1500 in chips. In the third round I was at about 1950 when a strange thing happened. The chip leader (5650) in chips goes in the tank...and in the tank...and in the tank...and gets disconnected. Well, we wind up 3 handed an hour later and the player just gets blinded out. SWEET!!!. I have seen this happen in MTT's but it is the first time it has happened to me where I am the beneficiary of the disco.

I was listening to poker road radio the other day, and heard Barry G say that the PPA is thinking that the ban could be lifted by 3Q '08. He said they got lots of good feedback from the hill, and basically no resistance. Doyle's Room is back, and I think he mentioned Party is not going to be far behind.

We are really excited about the new changes you will be seeing to the site. We have lots of good things happening, and we are really pumped. I also think that all of us as players are right where we need to be. Bill, Virge, Lusky, Eddie, Tex, Ray, Austin Martin, JoeB, Merle, Reid...look out for these guys. Good things are coming...

"They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones, just like you. Invincible, just like you feel. The world is their oyster. They believe they're destined for great things, just like many of you, their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even one iota of what they were capable? Because, you see gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy to you. Go on, lean in. Listen, you hear it? - - Carpe - - hear it? - - Carpe, carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary" Robin Williams as John Keating in "Dead Poets Society"

Booked a small win at Shorty's

I was able to grind out a small win at Shorty's, and I had to leave right when the game got a little juicy. I lost a quarter of my stack in the third hand. The third hand in I look down at Pocket 9's from the BB. The 1 seat, that has about $140.00, raises to $30.00, and a friend of mine, Clayton V, called the raise from the 6 seat. I make a big raise to put the 1 seat all in and Clayton folds.

The 1 seat calls and tables AdQd and I table my pocket 9's. Flop comes out Jd8s5c...sweet for me right?...negative. Seat 1 goes runner-runner for a diamond flush with 10d on the turn and 2d on the river.

I plan on heading back there tomorrow to see what the action is like. There was some really cool guys there tonight. There were the regulars like Jack S and Allen, and I met a couple of other good players. One guy named Jared was on my left, and come to find out we are both in the same industry in our day jobs. Really cool guy and a good player also.

The circuit event event starts today, but I will be tied up with work for this week. I work in Sales and the end of the month is the crucial time for us. Hopefully, I can get down there to play some satellites this week. I played on Stars all week and booked some small cashes in some low limit MTT with 180 people in it. Nothing to talk about but it does keep my online bankroll alive and kicking.

Anyone coming this way for the circuit event, drop Bill and I line so we can get together and chat. We would love to meet some of you guys.

"There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!" Ben Kingsley's Character Cosmo in "Sneakers"

Heading to Shorty's...Pokerroad radio

Well...its Black Friday and the malls are pumping with sales, the retail world is being turned upside down, and I am sitting on my couch playing low limit MTT's on Stars and watching King Kong. There is no other place I would rather be right now. I just got off the phone with Wild Bill, and he is knee deep in Black Friday at the Mall in Pensacola with his Mom and Grandma.

I will be heading to Shorty's layer today...or maybe the Amelia Belle if they get a game to look at some hands live. My bankroll is not as healthy as I would like it at this time, so I am trying to work my bankroll back up to where I am comfortable firing several bullets at the circuit event with no worries. Of course that is the basis of this blog and our site. Everyday "Joe's" grinding it out on a daily basis in low-level NL games and online trying to hit it big in a tournament.

If you have been reading my blog recently, you will know that I was a big fan of poker wire radio, and I have alot of respect for Joe Sebok and Gavin Smith. I have played against Joe several World Series ago, and he is a cool guy. We both have that "traveling spirit". Well, with the collapse of poker wire radio comes the birth of Poker Road Radio. They have been working on the site, and it debuted several months back. I am trying to catch up on some episodes, but the one with Eugene Todd "Bro" is hilarious. I really like this guy. He is from "New YOOORK" and he is funny as hell. My wife listened while we where in the car, and she even likes the guy...and she has never heard of him. Gavin, Joe and Barry G give great analysis on hands and poker theory in general. I just finished listening to the episode with Johnathan Little...good stuff. I highly recommend it...well...over an out...back to the "Grind".

"I believe in a long prolonged derangement of the senses to attain the unknown... Although I live in the subconscious, our pale reason hides the infinite from us" Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in "The Doors"

Win at Shortys...tough night at Harrah's ...and Love's Beef Jerky

I got to play back at Shorty's last Friday night and picked up a small win. The game was not as lively as it usually is, but I was able to book a winner none the less. There changed things a little there which I thought was a little strange, and several of the other players agreed. They claimed they had a "New No-Limit Game". With the action that comes from around Lafayette and New Iberia, I thought for sure it would be a 5-10 or 10-20 game or some variation of a higher stakes game. The normal blinds in the NL game there is $5 sb and $5 bb. This new game had the same exact blinds, but you could buy into the game with as much as you want. Hmmm...lets see. Usually when I play there you usually have about 6 or 7 of the players with several grand in front of them, the table was full of regulars and the juicier players are the rich ones with the most money and want to buy in for more, the blinds are the same...Yea...where do I sign up? Sorry about the sarcasm Ken and team it's just that it is basically...the same game ;-).

I had a tough night at Harrah's last night in the 1-2nl game. Bill had a nice score though. I went $600.00 deep at one time, and was able to fight back at 4:30am to cash out at $370 for a net loss of $230. It was a brutal night and I had to struggle for hours to get that back. What is really discouraging is the time rake at Harrah's. I don't want to get started on it, but I played from 7:00pm til 4:30am for a total of 9 1/2 hours...at $12.00 an hour I donated over $100.00 to the rake...Damn that hurts when I think about it. The one hand I want to talk about happened with one of our friends and fellow player from Houma who is a great guy. His name is Chris Summerral and his nickname is "Shrek". I have been playing with Chris for years going back to when there was a nice Bar tournaments in Houma every night of the week, and I have had several conversations about flopped sets. Chris had said to me numerous times, "I flop a set and you have a better hand...you are going to get all my money". Well...I had about $300.00 and I think Chris had about $160.00 when the following hand came up. I make it $30.00 with pocket Queens to go pre-flop and Chris is the only one that calls. The flop comes out 8c7d2s. Sweet flop for me. I now go in the tank and start to think. I don't want to get in a big hand with Chris because I like him and I don't want his money. We can stay in Houma if we want to take each others money. Well...I decide to check and he fires $40.00 at me. Damn...again...I don;t want to play a big hand with him so i decide to "Ship It" to let him know I have a big hand...What do you know...he insta-calls and tables pocket 7's for a flopped set of sevens. I double him up. It was a good hand and I am glad it was to a friend. That was a little taste of how my night went though. I also ran ...a King high flush into the Ace high nuts, AcQs into AhKh with an Ace hitting on the turn, and Pocket Jacks into a set of 10's where he hit his third 10 on the river after calling solid bets on all streets to get there...again...I feel like I posted a win...well how about a "Good Loss". How you like that for a Oxymoron..."Good...Loss"

I was getting out of the elevator at Harrah's and I had a weird experience. This is not meant to promote any products or anything, but Beef Jerky is a main staple for most poker players I know. I think the best beef jerky you can buy is made from Robertson's in Oklahoma and you can buy it at all Love's Truck stops. If any of you like beef jerky then pull over at a Love's Truck Stop next time you are on the road, and you will see that it rules. Well, during the WPT event in Biloxi at the Beau, Bill and I got in an elevator and I was eating a piece and the dude says, "Wow man...that's Love's Beef Jerky isn't it?" , "That shit rules. Well Bill and I got a kick out of it as I did not think that someone would recognize a piece of dried beef hanging out of my mouth...what do you know...the same thing happened last night in the elevator in the Harrah's parking garage...surreal. If your intrested...www.beefjerkynow.com.

Bill and I have a huge meeting about the site next week in New Orleans. You will see some big things coming up soon from http://www.gulfcoastpoker.net/. We have the deal with the apparel almost done as we are waiting on the gear, and we have so much traffic, the hosting company has upgraded our monthly fees as the downloads are tripling his other clients. Come back and see us ...we are pumped!!!

Peace

"From women's eyes this doctrine I derive, they sparkle still the right promethean fire. They are the books, the arts, the academies that show, contain and nourish all the world" Gabriel Macht's Character Frank James in "American Outlaw"

IP Poker Classic finish

I apologize for the late post as my tournament ended Saturday night, but we had a death in my wife's family and things have been hectic. As most of you probably know I busted out of the main event in the mid to late 30's. There were 4-5 tables left, but we were 7 handed at the time. I was a little flustered when I got bounced, and I didn't stop to count on my way out.

I have had some mixed emotions about the hand I busted out on. Let me try to set the stage first. We were at 50/200/400, and I was on a small rush after being card dead for hours and hours. I had A-J when I took down the antes and blinds to bring my stack up to $4400.00. A couple of hands later I get Pocket Queens and double up. That puts me right at $8800.00. The tournament chip leader was in the 3 seat with well over 40-50 large, and I was only one person from being the short stack at the table. The guy to my left had less than me, and everyone else was in the 18-26 thousand range.

I look down at Big Slick off on the button. everyone folds around to the 2 seat who raises it to $3800.00...around to me. I go in the tank for a second and then I say, "I have to play my rush here...I'm all in". Everyone folds around to the 2 seat. He now goes in the tank for a few minutes.

My thought process was around "Fold Equity"...I felt that I had fold equity in that situation. I was hoping he calls with A-J or A-Q...I am loving it. I figured we were in a race if he had a pocket pair, but if his PP was Jacks or less...I still had my fold equity. He had to wonder if I had a bigger pair. The more I thought about it...he did not want to see me with A-K unless he has Kings or Aces. If I double up here I am right in line with most of the players at the table with around $20,000.00 in chips. I liked my play...

...Well...He calls and tables Pocket Queens. Oh well...its the same race even if he has pocket 2's. I know he did not want to see me with Big Slick, I could see it in his mannerisms. He wanted me to have a lower pp like 10's or Jacks. The board bricks out for me...and thats a wrap.

Having talked the hand over with DirteAA, I think I should have maybe layed that one down.
I was sitting well with the chips I had, and there was more poker to be played. Did I have fold equity? The guys has queens and more chips than me. I should have put him on "The top 3" hands with the huge bet he made. I didn't have to race for my tournament life, and the 2 seat would not have been crippled if he lost...I would...and was. Oh well...

There were lots of positives that came out of this experience. I went this weekend with a goal to satellite into the main event and then win. I didn't win, but I did put myself in a position to win as I won the satellite. There were 4 of us who won. I won the seat with two older gentlemen and a young Internet pro from Ole Miss that is ranked #1 in the state of Mississippi on poketfives.com.Martin Zetner...His screen name is mmzetner.

It is kind of amazing, but I want to give a congratulations to Tim "TK" Miles from Tallahassee, Fl. TK snapped off the main event. He was at my table for the first 3 hours and we talked about the site fro awhile. Great player...great guy (Don't tell him I said that though...he prides himself on being a hardass HaHaHaHaha) ...No seriously...Congrats brother!!!! YOU ARE THE MAN!!!

"Who has a safety deposit box full of... money and six passports and a gun? Who has a bank account number in their hip? I come in here, and the first thing I'm doing is I'm catching the sightlines and looking for an exit. I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs two hundred fifteen pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab of the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking. Now why would I know that? How can I know that and not know who I am?" Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in "The Bourne Identity"

IP Poker Classic Dinner Break...7:00pm

I am still in the main event here at the IP Poker Classic. I will have alot to talk about when I get home as Bill and i discussed lots of things for us to Blog about. I had TK from my previous blog at my table from the jump and we had an interesting conversation. We talked about the site, and Bill and I agree, the site needs to get more active...look for upcoming stuff on the blog.

We are at the Dinner break, and there were 100 people exactly in the tournament. We are down to 48. I have $7475.00 in chips and the blinds are 50A/200/400. I need to make some moves fast, but I still have some room to maneuver. Wish me luck...I will try to update the blog tonight...hopefully with the final table seating and chip counts.

Notables...TK, Captain Tom F, Johnathan Little and the kid that is the board leader on pocket 5's in Mississippi...nice guy. He won his seat in the same Mega that I did. We were at the finale table last night for hours...like I said...nice guy.

Wish me luck...

(Sorry...no movie quote...I am in a hurry)

Winner Winner...Chicken dinner

Well guys, I was able to snap off the 4:00pm mega. There were over 40 players and they gave away 4 spots in the $2000.00 Main Event in the IP Biloxi Poker Classic. I was one of the final 4 that were left after the dust cleared. I was a little bummed out as the guy that bubbled the event was Nick...a really nice guy and a very good player. He is in the crowd with TK, Mike McD and the rest of the guys on the coast. He has 2% of me as we cut a deal at the final table. At least he has a horse to sweat in the main event.

I am pretty pumped as I played well and I feel good. I think I played very well, and everyone else that watched is saying this also. Now all I need to do is snap off the Main Event to make it a full circle...wish me luck

"They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Maybe that's true; maybe it isn't. I only know this: it has to make you better. It has to" James Marsden's Character Tommy in "10th and Wolf"

IP Update

I played in the $120.00 super last night with re-buys to try to get into the Main Event. We got 29 players and with the re-buys and add-ons, they were giving away 3 seats with 4th place getting $1000.00 in chips and 5th getting about $500.00 in chips. I did and Add-on at the break and went into the later stages with $2500.00 in chips with 19 people left with the blinds at antes 25 and the blinds at 100-200 with a chance to get to the top 3 for the seat. I felt good about my chances. I busted out 13th.

I played some $110.00 SNG's, and could not get anything going, so I went to the 1-2 cash table and was able to get all my money back before Midnight. Feeling good going into the Mega's today. There are 2 mega's today with one at 4pm and one at 8pm. I am going to fire a bullet at each and see if I can get in tomorrow.... Wish me luck.

"Don't you guys go anywhere. I plan to put on a hitting display" Wesley Snipes as Willie Mays Hayes in "Major League"

Heading back to the coast

I am heading back to the IP for the final days of the Poker Classic. I plan on playing in as many tournaments as I can, and I will be focused on the megas and supers to try to get into the Main Event on Saturday. I will also be playing in cash games, and we have 2 business meetings about the site there also. Wish me luck...I will try to post from the hotel. I am going to try to get back into tournament mode and get back where I was during the WSOP.

I was amazed that Antonio E was able to come down to the coast and actually "snap one off". He won first place in the event last weekend. That guy is amazing. I hope he enjoyed himself also.

"We're gonna have to go old school on this. A day to shop, a day to prep" Robert Duvall's Character Otto in "Gone in Sixty Seconds"

Lafayette Adventure

Well, we made it back from Lafayette and what a great time we had. The tournament was very nice, but they did not get the turn-out that they were expecting. We are waiting for the winners to be sent to us so we can post it up on the site.

The Tournament was run fairly smooth by a company called "Small Town Poker Tour". The Executive Producer, Mark F, came chat with Bill and I for some time. He really liked the site, and I think we may get to do some things in the future together...Hopefully. They had some dealers that they brought in, the tables were very big and comfortable and the format was pretty cool. You started with $16,000 in chips and the blinds started at $100.00 and $200.00.

Wild Bill, Tex and I made the journey. There were some other notable players there also. We will have some pics up as soon as we get the winners also. I got to joke around with Tim H. for a second as I said, "Damn man...your the big celebrity here tonight and your from Lafayette"...he laughed at that. Tim is from Lafayette and won a preliminary event in New Orleans earlier this year, and he made a nice run in the main event of the local WPT event held at the Beau recently. Really nice guy , and a hell of a player. I met and played with him numerous times years ago at Shorty's and in Baton Rouge.

We all busted out within 15 minutes of each other and we decided to hit the after party at the Jefferson Pub downtown on Jefferson st...Hmmmm...lets see...Me, Bill, Tex, Jefferson St Pub and alcohol...Strap in your seat belts!!! Armed with a handful of free drink vouchers each, we descended on downtown Lafayette. We started with Beers, moved to Grey Goose and Cranberry and finished the night with Shots. We went in Tex's truck as we knew we didn't want 3 cars out drinking. We got in the truck to go to the Hotel, and I immediately feel asleep, more like passed out, in the back seat of Tex's truck....

...I wake up in the back seat of his truck at 8:00am with the seatbelt connector in my back, my arm numb from me sleeping on it, a rot gut mouth and a trash-can head as big as a balloon...in the parking lot of the Isle of Capri in Lake Charles...WTF??? I felt like I was in a Hunter S Thompson novel wondering how I got to where I was.

Tex and Bill pulled an all nighter and were in the mist of a 8 hour session. I felt like shit, but Tex booked a solid high 4 digit win...so I guess it was worth it. I got to my car at the Cajun Dome at noon on Sat, and headed home. I couched it the rest of the day. It has been awhile since I slept in a car...I am TOO OLD FOR THIS S%$#!!!! ;-)

"Alright, I'll do it. But do me one last favor, will you. Can you give me two hours? That's all I ask man, just two hours to sleep before tomorrow. I suspect it's going to be a very difficult day" Johnny Depp's Character Raoul Duke in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"

Heading to Lafayette...Cooler at the IP

Bill and I are heading to Lafayette to play in the Acadiana Poker Classic. Hopefully we can do something in this one. If anyone is running late, I think they are letting people buy in all the way until 9:00pm.

We went to the start of the IP Poker Classic and played in several tournaments there. They had a slow start, but it looks like they are getting more and more people as the tournament moves on. The play is centered around the 3rd floor. They have pulled out all the slot machines and have opened up the room alot. They are not using that room over by the movies...shit...I don't even think they have the movies there anymore. I played in the 2nd chance tournament and made it halfway thru. From there we went to the Beau and I played some 2-5 while Bill played 1-2. I bought in for $400.00 and picked up about $160.00 in about 2 hours.

We went back to the IP and I again sat in the 2-5 game there. I was in for $400.00 and started to Bleed off chips right at first. I then made a solid bluff and a guy in the 10 seat with a board of Q-7-8-3-J. There was about $80.00 in the pot as we checked it down to me on the button. He called with pocket 10's. Oh well...good call.

It was actually a pretty cool game, and I want to give a "Shout" out to Joe who was sitting in the 9 seat at the table with the black IP hat on. He visits gulfcoastpoker.net regularly and reads our blogs. He recognized me, and told me he likes the site. This will bring me to the hand that felted me for the night. I have about $170.00 left and there are 6 of us left. The 8 seat raised to $20.00, and I smooth call with Ks8s and so does 2 others. The Flop comes down 10s5s4d. I check as does the other 2, and the 8 seat fires out $50.00. I call and the other 2 fold. The turn brings the As..."Gin". I knuckle...8 seats fires out $75.00...I raise and we get it all in. I announce, "I have the K high for the nuts"...and he announces "Yea...but I have a full house" as the 5d peels off on the river. He tables 5h4s....Brutal.

Well ...took a hit, but that's OK. I am feeling good about my game, I think I am being patient and I just need to stay focused.

"You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can't do something themselves, they wanna tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it. Period. " Will Smith as Chris Gardner in "The Pursuit of Happyness"