La la la la la bamba
So yesterday I sit down at the Commerce casino to play their $10/20 NL game and there's a few tables to choose from, my buddy tells me to get in whatever game Lou is in... it took a minute to realize who he was talking about when I saw Lou Diamond Phillips sitting in one of the games. I sat down in the game and realized quickly he wasn't too experienced at poker, but I suppose he's learning, but he was a really nice guy. I was sitting on his right and he introduced himself and we were talking just like he was a normal guy.
Poker has been going so so, still stuck for the trip but now that I'm playing a little higher I hopefully can eradicate the losses and go back to having fun. Me and Chris were eating dinner today when he told me something I've been thinking about for the longest time, he goes, "man, I can't wait until we get home I don't like this playing every day shit"
He goes on to say, and basically echoes what I've been thinking for the whole last year, that it is tough when you are playing every day and focusing on nothing but playing because your mood becomes intertwined with your results. For example, there's a certain redlight on the way home from the casino that doesn't always register when you pull up to it, so you get stuck sitting at that light for sometimes 4-5 cycles of the light or until another car pulls up. If it is coming home from a winning night, the music will be blaring and I couldn't care less if that light changes now or in 30 minutes. On a losing night, I feel like I want to explode and run outside and break the fucking thing with a baseball bat.
This goes on to everything else in my personal life too, my mood is too directly associated with how I am doing playing. It is horrible. I think once I'd get more financially stable, this could potentially take care of itself but I'm looking for some kind of miracle cure right now. I've been in a really tough losing streak for a while now and my mood has certainly reflected that. I'm sure my girl Jessica hates how depressed I get at times but she puts up with it like a trooper, my friends the same way. They must get tired of me and my swingy mood as well, and just like Jessica, I wonder how sometimes how long they would put up with me until they are tired of it. Because I'm tired of myself at times, haha.
It's hard to just put it out of your mind though, everything becomes so much more stressful when you struggle with money. The financial swings of winning and losing tens of thousands within a span of one or two weeks really tears you down mentally too. There's this cheesy cliche saying about how poker is a tough way to make an easy living, I always laughed at how stupid that sounded, but I'm starting to realize that there's a point somewhere in there!
Anyway, still out here for another week or two at the minimum. I'm going to try to satellite into the $10,000 buy-in WPT Legends of Poker at the Bicycle which starts on Saturday, so Friday might be spent playing some satellites.
Now for the poker hands from the session
I can't remember in what chronological order these hands come in and I'm sure I've forgot a few interesting hands, I felt like I really was running a lot below expectancy but anyway.
I lose about 800 or 900 without picking up a pot, after buying in for $3000 and I have about 2100 in front. A good, tricky asian player in the 3 seat makes it 100 to go, one call, I call 80 more from the big blind with A5 clubs... flop is K83 with the 38 of clubs. I check, he bets 250, other guy calls, I checkraise to 700 he tanks for what seems like a million years and finally folds two queens. So I finally win my first pot of the game about an hour and a half into the session.
Then I pick up a few more pots when I actually get dealt hands and 3-bet peoples opening raises in late position to pick up a few hundred here and there. The two hands for my session was jacks and queens, I had them both at least 8 times each, queens probably more. I kept limping with them the majority of the time and just folding to overcard flops over and over. The game was great and there were several people giving a ton of action.
One hand a guy I played with from a 1500 max 5/10 game and he was horrible opens for 120 on the button. I call with A9 of diamonds in the big blind, limper calls. Flop 982 two spades. I check, next guy checks, button bets 250 and he has 750 total. I make it 600. Now the limper behind says "Time!" and starts going into this whole Hollywood agony thing, and I'm thinking I just stepped in it and when he calls I'm telling myself to proceed very carefully. The preflop raiser also calls. Turn offsuit ten. I check, limper who has another 2500 or so checks, the preflop raiser with only 150 left checks. River pairs the deuce, T9822 flush missed. I check, limper checks, preflop raiser sends in his 150, I reluctantly call but the pot is so big. Limper folds, whew. Preflop raiser mucks instantly and I don't have to show my hand.
Also in one particular hand, a new player to the game in the 5 seat (i'm in the 6) had previously gotten stacked right off the bat and now rebought. I thought he was a bit steamed, he makes it 120 from the small blind after a few limps, I have queens in the big blind just call the 100 more. Head up to the flop. 223 with two clubs flop, he bets around 200, I just call, turn 5 he bets like 600 I make it 1400 which covers him, he calls river 2. He shows two tens, I table queens and drag the pot.
I limp in later with 77 flop comes 973, two hearts, checked to me I bet 60, tricky asian calls, he was big blind for the hand. Turn 9. He checks, I bet 150, he makes it 400, I just call in position. I'm a hundred percent he has a 9 and I'm raising most rivers, unless the river is like an 8 or T or A and he comes out bombing the river for like a thousand I'd probably just call. Most rivers if he leads 400-600 I'd put in a smallish raise. River 3 for the lovely 99733 board and my lower full gets counterfeited he leads like 800, I fold in complete disgust.
Cory Carroll from WPT and online fame sits down at the table in the 1 seat and starts playing fast out the gate. He limps in, I limp in with sixes and its like 4 way on a $40 straddled pot. Flop is 532, checked to him he bets 160, I decide to call once and reevaluate. At this point I had added more money to the table and had 6k starting the hand, he had about 5k. Turn a 6 for 6532 two hearts. I check, he bets 280, I don't want to raise here so I just call... river 4 puts a straight on the board, I check he checks he has TT and we both play the board.
I also play a big pot with Lou who was next to me, I limp in UTG with AK of spades, he limps behind few more limpers. Flop JT2 one spade. I check, he bets 60 everyone folds, I call. He's about 4k deep I'm 6k. Turn a beautiful Q giving me the nuts. I check, he bets 200, I make it 800, he calls. River ugly K for a KQJT2 board and I bet a weird 300 on the river hoping he'll make a crying call, he puts like 2000 in the pot and I sigh and call. He has AA and we chop the pot. I make a big suckout on the flop, obviously, but he gets 60 dollars in ahead, 800 when behind and god knows how much I could've got from him if a river blanks off a 6. I think he might've called 1500.
I dodge a bullet in another hand when I open UTG with QQ to 80, get two callers. Flop 864, I bet 200, Lou and the big blind both calls. Turn 2 there were two spades on flop. Big blind checks, he was a tight player and his flop call really worried me, I thought there was a decent chance I was beat and I didn't know exactly how to proceed. I hate checking these drawy boards but I didn't like the spot. I check, Lou checks. River 5 for an ugly 86542, big blind checks, I check, Lou bets $350. I didn't believe him at all, he has in previous spots checked behind on these kind of boards when he had the big straight and I just honestly thought there was no way he'd valuebet any kind of two pair. I'm getting ready to call him when the big blind calls. Now I'm thinking the big blind has a set, or two pair himself but probably not the straight because he truly agonized before calling. I'm toying with the idea of what a sick spot it would be for me to make it 1050 or something right here, but I fold. My buddy is right behind me sweating me and he says I should've overcalled, Lou shows a pair of 8's and the big blind had two kings that he played very odd. Losing 280 in a 10/20 game with QQ against KK on an 8 high board I consider a victory.
I really think I could've won $10k for this session but I had several hands not go my way. I cash out 1900 winner and I feel somewhat sick about it. I go to play 5/10 1500 max afterwards and the legendary gambler Archie Karas is in the game. He apparently does not play Hold'em very well but he drew out on me pretty awesomely in several pots and I play for 2 1/2 hours, never win a pot literally, I never had to chop up a $5 chip to make change so I can tip the dealer cause I never got a chance to, and lose 2200.
One cute hand he was involved in I had 88 he makes it 60, guy calls, I call. AJ8 flop, he bets 125, dude minraises to 250, I just call, Archie calls. Turn Q. Check from Archie, guy bets what I think was 300? I call again, just figuring I want to let Archie make a mistake and I am confident I'm ahead by quite a bit. River a cute T for AQJT8 and I want to throw up. Archie leads 300, dude inbetween moves allin, I fold, Archie calls. AK for Archie, other guy was going crazy with KJ... kinda awesome when flop is AJ8 and I have 88 and finish third place to KJ and AK.
So ended up losing on the night and it was a very, very bitter loss. I really felt like I should've came home with 10-15k
Poker has been going so so, still stuck for the trip but now that I'm playing a little higher I hopefully can eradicate the losses and go back to having fun. Me and Chris were eating dinner today when he told me something I've been thinking about for the longest time, he goes, "man, I can't wait until we get home I don't like this playing every day shit"
He goes on to say, and basically echoes what I've been thinking for the whole last year, that it is tough when you are playing every day and focusing on nothing but playing because your mood becomes intertwined with your results. For example, there's a certain redlight on the way home from the casino that doesn't always register when you pull up to it, so you get stuck sitting at that light for sometimes 4-5 cycles of the light or until another car pulls up. If it is coming home from a winning night, the music will be blaring and I couldn't care less if that light changes now or in 30 minutes. On a losing night, I feel like I want to explode and run outside and break the fucking thing with a baseball bat.
This goes on to everything else in my personal life too, my mood is too directly associated with how I am doing playing. It is horrible. I think once I'd get more financially stable, this could potentially take care of itself but I'm looking for some kind of miracle cure right now. I've been in a really tough losing streak for a while now and my mood has certainly reflected that. I'm sure my girl Jessica hates how depressed I get at times but she puts up with it like a trooper, my friends the same way. They must get tired of me and my swingy mood as well, and just like Jessica, I wonder how sometimes how long they would put up with me until they are tired of it. Because I'm tired of myself at times, haha.
It's hard to just put it out of your mind though, everything becomes so much more stressful when you struggle with money. The financial swings of winning and losing tens of thousands within a span of one or two weeks really tears you down mentally too. There's this cheesy cliche saying about how poker is a tough way to make an easy living, I always laughed at how stupid that sounded, but I'm starting to realize that there's a point somewhere in there!
Anyway, still out here for another week or two at the minimum. I'm going to try to satellite into the $10,000 buy-in WPT Legends of Poker at the Bicycle which starts on Saturday, so Friday might be spent playing some satellites.
Now for the poker hands from the session
I can't remember in what chronological order these hands come in and I'm sure I've forgot a few interesting hands, I felt like I really was running a lot below expectancy but anyway.
I lose about 800 or 900 without picking up a pot, after buying in for $3000 and I have about 2100 in front. A good, tricky asian player in the 3 seat makes it 100 to go, one call, I call 80 more from the big blind with A5 clubs... flop is K83 with the 38 of clubs. I check, he bets 250, other guy calls, I checkraise to 700 he tanks for what seems like a million years and finally folds two queens. So I finally win my first pot of the game about an hour and a half into the session.
Then I pick up a few more pots when I actually get dealt hands and 3-bet peoples opening raises in late position to pick up a few hundred here and there. The two hands for my session was jacks and queens, I had them both at least 8 times each, queens probably more. I kept limping with them the majority of the time and just folding to overcard flops over and over. The game was great and there were several people giving a ton of action.
One hand a guy I played with from a 1500 max 5/10 game and he was horrible opens for 120 on the button. I call with A9 of diamonds in the big blind, limper calls. Flop 982 two spades. I check, next guy checks, button bets 250 and he has 750 total. I make it 600. Now the limper behind says "Time!" and starts going into this whole Hollywood agony thing, and I'm thinking I just stepped in it and when he calls I'm telling myself to proceed very carefully. The preflop raiser also calls. Turn offsuit ten. I check, limper who has another 2500 or so checks, the preflop raiser with only 150 left checks. River pairs the deuce, T9822 flush missed. I check, limper checks, preflop raiser sends in his 150, I reluctantly call but the pot is so big. Limper folds, whew. Preflop raiser mucks instantly and I don't have to show my hand.
Also in one particular hand, a new player to the game in the 5 seat (i'm in the 6) had previously gotten stacked right off the bat and now rebought. I thought he was a bit steamed, he makes it 120 from the small blind after a few limps, I have queens in the big blind just call the 100 more. Head up to the flop. 223 with two clubs flop, he bets around 200, I just call, turn 5 he bets like 600 I make it 1400 which covers him, he calls river 2. He shows two tens, I table queens and drag the pot.
I limp in later with 77 flop comes 973, two hearts, checked to me I bet 60, tricky asian calls, he was big blind for the hand. Turn 9. He checks, I bet 150, he makes it 400, I just call in position. I'm a hundred percent he has a 9 and I'm raising most rivers, unless the river is like an 8 or T or A and he comes out bombing the river for like a thousand I'd probably just call. Most rivers if he leads 400-600 I'd put in a smallish raise. River 3 for the lovely 99733 board and my lower full gets counterfeited he leads like 800, I fold in complete disgust.
Cory Carroll from WPT and online fame sits down at the table in the 1 seat and starts playing fast out the gate. He limps in, I limp in with sixes and its like 4 way on a $40 straddled pot. Flop is 532, checked to him he bets 160, I decide to call once and reevaluate. At this point I had added more money to the table and had 6k starting the hand, he had about 5k. Turn a 6 for 6532 two hearts. I check, he bets 280, I don't want to raise here so I just call... river 4 puts a straight on the board, I check he checks he has TT and we both play the board.
I also play a big pot with Lou who was next to me, I limp in UTG with AK of spades, he limps behind few more limpers. Flop JT2 one spade. I check, he bets 60 everyone folds, I call. He's about 4k deep I'm 6k. Turn a beautiful Q giving me the nuts. I check, he bets 200, I make it 800, he calls. River ugly K for a KQJT2 board and I bet a weird 300 on the river hoping he'll make a crying call, he puts like 2000 in the pot and I sigh and call. He has AA and we chop the pot. I make a big suckout on the flop, obviously, but he gets 60 dollars in ahead, 800 when behind and god knows how much I could've got from him if a river blanks off a 6. I think he might've called 1500.
I dodge a bullet in another hand when I open UTG with QQ to 80, get two callers. Flop 864, I bet 200, Lou and the big blind both calls. Turn 2 there were two spades on flop. Big blind checks, he was a tight player and his flop call really worried me, I thought there was a decent chance I was beat and I didn't know exactly how to proceed. I hate checking these drawy boards but I didn't like the spot. I check, Lou checks. River 5 for an ugly 86542, big blind checks, I check, Lou bets $350. I didn't believe him at all, he has in previous spots checked behind on these kind of boards when he had the big straight and I just honestly thought there was no way he'd valuebet any kind of two pair. I'm getting ready to call him when the big blind calls. Now I'm thinking the big blind has a set, or two pair himself but probably not the straight because he truly agonized before calling. I'm toying with the idea of what a sick spot it would be for me to make it 1050 or something right here, but I fold. My buddy is right behind me sweating me and he says I should've overcalled, Lou shows a pair of 8's and the big blind had two kings that he played very odd. Losing 280 in a 10/20 game with QQ against KK on an 8 high board I consider a victory.
I really think I could've won $10k for this session but I had several hands not go my way. I cash out 1900 winner and I feel somewhat sick about it. I go to play 5/10 1500 max afterwards and the legendary gambler Archie Karas is in the game. He apparently does not play Hold'em very well but he drew out on me pretty awesomely in several pots and I play for 2 1/2 hours, never win a pot literally, I never had to chop up a $5 chip to make change so I can tip the dealer cause I never got a chance to, and lose 2200.
One cute hand he was involved in I had 88 he makes it 60, guy calls, I call. AJ8 flop, he bets 125, dude minraises to 250, I just call, Archie calls. Turn Q. Check from Archie, guy bets what I think was 300? I call again, just figuring I want to let Archie make a mistake and I am confident I'm ahead by quite a bit. River a cute T for AQJT8 and I want to throw up. Archie leads 300, dude inbetween moves allin, I fold, Archie calls. AK for Archie, other guy was going crazy with KJ... kinda awesome when flop is AJ8 and I have 88 and finish third place to KJ and AK.
So ended up losing on the night and it was a very, very bitter loss. I really felt like I should've came home with 10-15k
posted by Swede at 3:21 PM
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