Riddle me this, Riddle me that (Part 4)

Not too difficult:

You whiz around the corner in your rented moped when suddenly you're forced to come to a sudden stop.

It seems a funeral procession has stopped for a quick breather. Empathy overwhelms you and you offer your condolences to the whimpering man nearby. "Were you close?" you ask, wishing you hadn't.

After a moment, the man replies, "Brothers and sisters I have none, that man's father is my father's son."

That sounds sarcastic, you think to yourself. Maybe the guy doesn't want to tell you, which is fine, but there's no reason to be a smartass about it.

Or, perhaps the clever among can see this is the real answer.

Again, so close

Screenshot:










21st was good for $115. Not bad for an $8.80 investment.

Overall I played really well, got maximum value from some really junk cards. I don't have a screenshot because the table broke once I went out, but I only saw 9% of flop. Flame me if you'd like, but uber-tight is right in these bigger events. I'm on the verge of taking one down. This is 2 deep runs in the past week.

Here's the hand that took me out. If I win this I'm 5th in chips and sitting pretty.


Full Tilt Poker Game #6168616853: $23,000 KO Guarantee (46267253), Table 31 - 1000/2000 Ante 250 - No Limit Hold'em - 4:06:17 ET - 2008/04/25
Seat 1: scoops0 (53,062)
Seat 2: mistyrain97 (76,420), is sitting out
Seat 4: pitdonkey30 (43,746)
Seat 5: MEMPHIS00 (35,462)
Seat 7: rndztrk (87,126)
Seat 8: Grandma_Pinto (78,316)
Seat 9: The Mystical1 (39,572)
scoops0 antes 250
mistyrain97 antes 250
pitdonkey30 antes 250
MEMPHIS00 antes 250
rndztrk antes 250
Grandma_Pinto antes 250
The Mystical1 antes 250
Grandma_Pinto posts the small blind of 1,000
The Mystical1 posts the big blind of 2,000
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [Ac As]
scoops0 has 15 seconds left to act
scoops0 raises to 5,200
mistyrain97 folds
pitdonkey30 folds
MEMPHIS00 has 15 seconds left to act
MEMPHIS00 raises to 15,000
rndztrk folds
Grandma_Pinto raises to 78,066, and is all in
The Mystical1 folds
mistyrain97 has reconnected
mistyrain97 has returned
scoops0 has 15 seconds left to act
scoops0 folds
MEMPHIS00 calls 20,212, and is all in
Grandma_Pinto shows [Kc Kh]
MEMPHIS00 shows [Ac As]
Uncalled bet of 42,854 returned to Grandma_Pinto
*** FLOP *** [2s 4h Ks]
*** TURN *** [2s 4h Ks] [3c]
*** RIVER *** [2s 4h Ks 3c] [7d]
Grandma_Pinto shows three of a kind, Kings
rndztrk has been disconnected
MEMPHIS00 shows a pair of Aces
Grandma_Pinto wins the pot (79,374) with three of a kind, Kings
MEMPHIS00 stands up


Nothing I can do. And it's a little frustrating.

Weird thing about my deep run in a KO tournament was that I collected no bounties. Zero, zilch, nada.

Gotta love Daniel Negraneu

Check this out

17K -- so close

Could've had it. Nay, should've had it. I was 13th in chips with roughly 28 to go. Then I made the ensuing mistake that cost me the tournament:




Full Tilt Poker Game #6144023574: $17,000 Guarantee (46083386), Table 77 - 2000/4000 Ante 500 - No Limit Hold'em - 4:53:22 ET - 2008/04/23
Seat 1: Back4More08 (28,348)
Seat 2: MattXWitz (155,300)
Seat 3: worldspan (228,096)
Seat 4: tralitrala (48,231)
Seat 5: WelcomeToTheZOO (21,040)
Seat 6: MEMPHIS00 (65,165)
Seat 8: BartWynn (117,899)
Back4More08 antes 500
MattXWitz antes 500
worldspan antes 500
tralitrala antes 500
WelcomeToTheZOO antes 500
MEMPHIS00 antes 500
BartWynn antes 500
Back4More08 posts the small blind of 2,000
MattXWitz posts the big blind of 4,000
The button is in seat #9
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [Tc Ks]
worldspan folds
tralitrala folds
WelcomeToTheZOO folds
MEMPHIS00 raises to 11,000
BartWynn folds
Back4More08 raises to 27,848, and is all in
MattXWitz folds
MEMPHIS00 calls 16,848
Back4More08 shows [Kh Jc]
MEMPHIS00 shows [Tc Ks]
*** FLOP *** [Jh Kc Ah]
*** TURN *** [Jh Kc Ah] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [Jh Kc Ah 4d] [6h]
Back4More08 shows two pair, Kings and Jacks
MEMPHIS00 shows a pair of Kings
Back4More08 wins the pot (63,196) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 63,196 | Rake 0
Board: [Jh Kc Ah 4d 6h]
Seat 1: Back4More08 (small blind) showed [Kh Jc] and won (63,196) with two pair, Kings and Jacks
Seat 2: MattXWitz (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: worldspan folded before the Flop
Seat 4: tralitrala folded before the Flop
Seat 5: WelcomeToTheZOO folded before the Flop
Seat 6: MEMPHIS00 showed [Tc Ks] and lost with a pair of Kings
Seat 8: BartWynn folded before the Flop


I think the blind-steal with K10 is justifiable, but to call an all-in for 16K more is horrendous. I HAVE to play better to win one of these. After I went out with A9o vs AQ, I wasn't happy with my play for the entire tournament. Even now, 25 minutes and a cigarette later, I'm still fuming with my call.

To take the next step, to make the leap from almost-there to the next level, you need to take these lumps. You need to have these mess-ups so you learn from it and don't repeat the same mistake again.

Honestly, I should have made it further in this tournament. And one brain-fart later I'm forced into the position of "what could have been" and it frustrates the hell out of me.

Anyways, shoutouts to pushmonkey72 and JDSchellnutt for railing. Schellnutt actually made a quick appearance at my table in the mid-way point of the tourney before -aggro to my right got all his chips in the middle with J10 vs JD's AK. J10 is a monster, in case you didn't already know. Here's some screenshots of the tournament that could-have-been.

























See you in the Mook tonight. Repeat?


edit: I went back and looked over my HH for the entire tournament. The call didn't cost me the tournament, I still had 30K in chips. I lost my composure after making a bad call, and THAT is what cost me the tourney. Better luck next time.

FLYERS WIN, FLYERS WIN

Bring on the Canadiens!!! 3-2 overtime win in game 7 against the capitals. Booooooom.

a fun screenshot

Why I hate playing MTT

Full Tilt Poker Game #6126693022: $32,000 Guarantee (45958000), Table 54 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 20:49:19 ET - 2008/04/21
Seat 1: 57steve (5,950)
Seat 2: bizaaar (5,825)
Seat 3: shotmaker61 (3,073)
Seat 4: smitdog15 (8,460)
Seat 5: 2GreenAces (9,890)
Seat 6: JOKER WIN (6,830)
Seat 7: malva22 (2,680)
Seat 8: MEMPHIS00 (4,075)
Seat 9: eat da fish (3,360)
malva22 posts the small blind of 40
MEMPHIS00 posts the big blind of 80
The button is in seat #6
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [Qd Qs]
eat da fish folds
57steve folds
bizaaar raises to 160
shotmaker61 folds
smitdog15 folds
2GreenAces folds
JOKER WIN calls 160
malva22 calls 120
MEMPHIS00 raises to 660
bizaaar folds
JOKER WIN calls 500
malva22 folds
*** FLOP *** [3s Jd 7h]
MEMPHIS00 bets 1,000
JOKER WIN calls 1,000
*** TURN *** [3s Jd 7h] [8d]
MEMPHIS00 checks
JOKER WIN bets 3,640
MEMPHIS00: set?
MEMPHIS00 has 15 seconds left to act
MEMPHIS00 has requested TIME
MEMPHIS00 calls 2,415, and is all in
JOKER WIN shows [Td 9d]
MEMPHIS00 shows [Qd Qs]
Uncalled bet of 1,225 returned to JOKER WIN
*** RIVER *** [3s Jd 7h 8d] [3c]
JOKER WIN shows a straight, Jack high
MEMPHIS00 shows two pair, Queens and Threes
JOKER WIN wins the pot (8,470) with a straight, Jack high


I probably shouldn't have made this call, with pocket 7s a real possibility. But I thought he had AJ, so I went with my gut. But 10-9? I mean, seriously? He called off 20% of his stack with an gutterball and backdoor flush draw.

HH -- Do you make this call?

I'm in a 3+.30 DS 6-handed tourney as I type this. I'm 20th in chips with 160 left. I've been fairly tight, but every time I bet I get 3-5 callers. This hand just happened, I want your take on it.


Full Tilt Poker Game #6088700749: $3 + $0.30 Tournament (46252646), Table 33 - 40/80 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:09:31 ET - 2008/04/18
Seat 1: 1slash66 (5,151)
Seat 2: semloh2 (3,141)
Seat 3: MEMPHIS00 (9,545)
Seat 4: phane_23 (670)
Seat 5: eliek (3,509)
Seat 6: JPBRUGGER (8,514)
eliek posts the small blind of 40
JPBRUGGER posts the big blind of 80
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [9d 9c]
1slash66 calls 80
semloh2 folds
MEMPHIS00 raises to 280
phane_23 calls 280
eliek calls 240
JPBRUGGER calls 200
1slash66 folds
*** FLOP *** [3h 2s 5s]
eliek checks
JPBRUGGER has 15 seconds left to act
JPBRUGGER checks
MEMPHIS00 bets 800
phane_23 calls 390, and is all in
eliek raises to 3,229, and is all in
JPBRUGGER has 15 seconds left to act
JPBRUGGER has requested TIME
JPBRUGGER folds
MEMPHIS00 has 15 seconds left to act
MEMPHIS00 has requested TIME

What kind of hand do you put him on? I put him on his exact hand, but had the chips to pay and see...

Baseball, Poker, Video Games, and Egg-salad

The name says it all. This is what the Friday night of a Jewish college student is like the day before Passover. So far today I've eaten all the bread-products I've been able to get my hands on. Potato chips. Sandwiches. Pita & hummus. The list goes on.

I was planning on making some egg salad tonight for dinner, but my dad called me to tell me that on his way home from work he would pick some up from StupidFresh. Honestly, I prefer homemade. Maybe its mixing it myself, or just the satisfaction of making something other than spaghetti or ramen noodles, but I prefer the egg salad that I make. Not this crappy store-bought type.

Phillies vs. Mets on right now. Who's pitching, you ask? Cole Hamels and Johan Santana. This is what baseball is all about. 2 dominant pitchers, in division-rivalry game, pitching well against good lineups. And I gotta say, as much as I love Cole Hamels, Santana is nasty! 9 strikeouts and 1 hit through 5 2/3.

I know you bloggers love your poker, but if you do happen to have an Xbox360, grab Call of Duty4. Good stuff.

Not good stuff is David Wright being 3-3 with a single, double, and triple with 2 RBI. Or the web gem Angel Pagan just had. We're headed to the top of the 7th, 2-0 Mets.

Update: Phils lose 6-4. BOOOOOOM! Oh wait, thats what every Mets fan that made the drive said.

Update: After some investigation I have figured out why I don't like store-bought egg salad (and by investigation I mean I read the label.) They put onions in it. And I HATE onions.

Win a Blogger Tournament -- Check!

At the beginning of the new year, I made some personal poker goals for myself. Play better, build bankroll, win a MTT with 500+ entrants, and win a blogger tournament. Well, boys and girls, memphis rolled into the mook last night and took it down. Biggest hand of the tournament was the first hand after we got in the money. I changed tables and saw that fuel was sitting 2 seats behind me. Now I know he's not a big tournament player, but he is easily one of the more experienced bloggers and sits down at tables with more money than I have in my bankroll ( last night he wwas playing a $25/50). So, heres the hand.

Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [9s 9h]
UnTiltable15 folds
GScottW folds
heffmike folds
MEMPHIS00 raises to 1,500
rmbj494 folds
kevin_with_AK calls 1,420, and is all in
Fuel55 raises to 6,590, and is all in
dnasty13 folds
NewinNov folds
MEMPHIS00 calls 4,974, and is all in
Fuel55 shows [Qc Ah]
MEMPHIS00 shows [9s 9h]
kevin_with_AK shows [Qh Kh]
Uncalled bet of 116 returned to Fuel55
*** FLOP *** [Ks Ad 9d]
dnasty13: im trying to fold to 15th then
*** TURN *** [Ks Ad 9d] [Jc]
*** RIVER *** [Ks Ad 9d Jc] [Qs]
Fuel55 shows two pair, Aces and Queens
MEMPHIS00 shows three of a kind, Nines
MEMPHIS00 wins the side pot (10,108) with three of a kind, Nines
kevin_with_AK shows two pair, Kings and Queens
MEMPHIS00 wins the main pot (5,460) with three of a kind, Nines
kevin_with_AK stands up

Is this a good call? Fuel and I were practically even in chips. In fact, he had me covered by a few hundred chips. So, should I fold here with 99, an all-in and a jam to isolate? I felt it was the kind of situation where I was probably going to be a coinflip. Win the hand and I'm 2nd in chips. Lose, go home, but $10.20 richer. Or $0.80 more broke. However you want to look at it.

Thanks again to Mookie for hosting, BDR for constant entertainment, Surflexus for being there every step of the way, and also PokerEnthusiast and InstantTragedy. I told you 3 the pick would not be in vain!


So here's to the TOC and hopefully the WSOP. [If you spell them out it sounds like a cool rap. Add in a gangsta-lean and you're almost at my level.] God I hope this image doesn't do anything funky when I add it in. This is my longest post to date.

Long time no post

Jeez, it's been almost a month since I sat down and posted on here. Not too much new going on: still in school and still playing poker. I never really write too much in these, so here's a fun screen shot for everyone who frequents this blog. Lets just say the folks over at Brickinthenutz would be so proud.

Another night, another cash

Cashed again in a MTT, this time in the Midnight Madness. I was patient the entire tournament. I couldn't hit a flop to save my life, and my continuation bets were being met by check-raises. One I got in the money, however, I made 2 bad stabs at the blinds/antes. First was in the CO with A2o, the second was short stacked (i think my M was 4) when I jammed K2s on the button and got called by the infamous Jackace. I find that I do real well in the beginning/middle stages of the tournament and I feel that I get maximum value from my big hands and get away from my hands that don't improve. But once I'm in the money, something spurs in me that I play more hands than I should. I got into the money about 90th in chips and went out in 184th. Something has to change. Tips? Anything would be appreciated.

For now, here are some screenshots.

Cashing in a MTT

Some screen shots:
























The biggest cooler hand came right before the bubble. I'm in the BB with QQ, button raises approx. 4x the BB. I thought he was real strong, like AK, AA, JJ. And because we were so close to the money and the 2 of us were about even in chips, I just smooth call. Flop comes K-x-x. I check, he checks. Turn was a blank, I check, he bets 3000 and I call. River was a J and I check and he checks as well. Now, I know i played this hand like the weak-tight player I am, but in the end it saved me chips when he flipped up AK.




Before the cash in the 17K, however, I ran really bad. Now I know ya'll hate bad beat stories, but here a HH that will boggle your mind (I only expect this type of play in the Mook):




Full Tilt Poker Game #5165528948: $10 + $1 KO Sit & Go (39250877), Table 3 - 400/800 Ante 100 - No Limit Hold'em - 22:56:49 ET - 2008/02/07
Seat 2: MEMPHIS00 (2,659) <-----Me
Seat 3: Smyfedog (15,004)
Seat 4: opt0_o (20,196)
Seat 5: jfrost743 (1,690)
Seat 6: prissy40 (5,220)
Seat 7: sean247 (17,625)
Seat 8: 2foldornot2fold (2,979) <-----Villain (Notice the similarities in stack sizes)
MEMPHIS00 antes 100
Smyfedog antes 100
opt0_o antes 100
jfrost743 antes 100
prissy40 antes 100
sean247 antes 100
2foldornot2fold antes 100
2foldornot2fold posts the small blind of 400
MEMPHIS00 posts the big blind of 800
The button is in seat #7
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [Ah Ks] <-----Big hand for the Big Blind
mule2000 (Observer): go smyfe
opt0_o: lol no one ever die
Smyfedog folds
opt0_o folds
jfrost743 folds
prissy40 folds
sean247 folds
Smyfedog: what up mule
2foldornot2fold calls 400 <-----SB limps
MEMPHIS00 raises to 2,559, and is all in
2foldornot2fold calls 1,759
MEMPHIS00 shows [Ah Ks]
2foldornot2fold shows [Jh 6d] <-----okay....
*** FLOP *** [7h 5s 8c]
*** TURN *** [7h 5s 8c] [4c] <-----You have GOT to be kidding me
*** RIVER *** [7h 5s 8c 4c] [Ad]
MEMPHIS00 shows a pair of Aces
2foldornot2fold shows a straight, Eight high
2foldornot2fold wins the pot (5,818) with a straight, Eight high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 5,818 | Rake 0
Board: [7h 5s 8c 4c Ad]
Seat 2: MEMPHIS00 (big blind) showed [Ah Ks] and lost with a pair of Aces
Seat 3: Smyfedog folded before the Flop
Seat 4: opt0_o folded before the Flop
Seat 5: jfrost743 folded before the Flop
Seat 6: prissy40 folded before the Flop
Seat 7: sean247 (button) folded before the Flop
Seat 8: 2foldornot2fold (small blind) showed [Jh 6d] and won (5,818) with a straight, Eight high



Yeh, thats right. He calls off his stack with J6o. Thats worse than my play to Mook with K10. Has to be the most frustrating thing ever, and for this I am sorry Mookie. I guess that's FullTilt's way of saying "What goes around, comes around."

The Mook

So close.

And for those of you counting, thats 2 final tables in 2 appearances in the Mook. Better luck next time.

A Bankroll goal (revisited)

Revisited? I mean accomplished...

Some good old-fashioned Hand Histories

Here are 2 hands.


Full Tilt Poker Game #4924311778: Table Banburry Cross - $0.25/$0.50 Ante $0.05 - Limit Razz - 23:29:35 ET - 2008/01/19
Seat 1: francois8 ($4.10)
Seat 2: GoSub4 ($13)
Seat 3: sydney2703 ($7.65)
Seat 4: Shorthorn-HH ($13.90)
Seat 5: JedMack ($14.15)
Seat 6: MEMPHIS00 ($7.05)
Seat 7: mhoweller ($4.95)
Seat 8: Ronswitt ($9.85)
MEMPHIS00 antes $0.05
Ronswitt antes $0.05
francois8 antes $0.05
sydney2703 antes $0.05
GoSub4 antes $0.05
Shorthorn-HH antes $0.05
JedMack antes $0.05
mhoweller antes $0.05
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to francois8 [2c]
Dealt to GoSub4 [4c]
Dealt to sydney2703 [Qs]
Dealt to Shorthorn-HH [Ts]
Dealt to JedMack [5s]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [7c 5h] [2s] Good starting cards
Dealt to mhoweller [2d]
Dealt to Ronswitt [9c]
sydney2703 is high with [Qs]
sydney2703 brings in for $0.10
Shorthorn-HH folds
JedMack completes it to $0.25
MEMPHIS00 raises to $0.50 Let him know we mean business
mhoweller folds
Ronswitt folds
francois8 folds
GoSub4 folds
sydney2703 folds
JedMack calls $0.25
Shorthorn-HH stands up
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to JedMack [5s] [7s]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [7c 5h 2s] [Ac] I lead out hear with what is now the best hand for sure
MEMPHIS00 bets $0.25
JedMack calls $0.25
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to JedMack [5s 7s] [3c]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [7c 5h 2s Ac] [6h] I have a made 7 and I think he's paired one of his cards
MEMPHIS00 bets $0.50
DaFyDd poker sits down
JedMack raises to $1
DaFyDd poker adds $5
MEMPHIS00 raises to $1.50
JedMack raises to $2
MEMPHIS00 calls $0.50

Maybe capping here was a mistake?
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to JedMack [5s 7s 3c] [Qh]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [7c 5h 2s Ac 6h] [Kh] Bricks for both of us, I think I'm still ahead
JedMack bets $0.50
MEMPHIS00 raises to $1
JedMack calls $0.50 His call verifies that I am ahead...I think he would have raised it up again with his 7 being made
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [7c 5h 2s Ac 6h Kh] [6d]
JedMack bets $0.50
MEMPHIS00 calls $0.50 I only call here. If I raise and I've got a worse 7 I'm losing extra money when he reraises. If I call and I win, it's still a very healthy pot.
*** SHOW DOWN ***
JedMack shows [6s 2h 5s 7s 3c Qh Ad] 6,5,3,2,A Turns out I was wrong. He did make his 7 when we capped it, but I was ahead. I asked him later on if he made it on 7th street and he confirmed that his Ace came on 7th.
MEMPHIS00 mucks
JedMack wins the pot ($8.55) with 6,5,3,2,A
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $9 | Rake $0.45
Seat 1: francois8 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 2: GoSub4 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 3: sydney2703 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 4: Shorthorn-HH folded on 3rd St.
Seat 5: JedMack showed [6s 2h 5s 7s 3c Qh Ad] and won ($8.55) with 6,5,3,2,A
Seat 6: MEMPHIS00 mucked [7c 6d 2s Ac 6h Kh 5h] - 7,6,5,2,A
Seat 7: mhoweller folded on 3rd St.
Seat 8: Ronswitt folded on 3rd St.



I can take the beats like a champ...but MEMPHIS can also give them:




Full Tilt Poker Game #4924339126: Table Banburry Cross - $0.25/$0.50 Ante $0.05 - Limit Razz - 23:32:11 ET - 2008/01/19
Seat 1: francois8 ($5.35)
Seat 2: GoSub4 ($12.35)
Seat 3: sydney2703 ($9.05)
Seat 4: DaFyDd poker ($4.80)
Seat 5: JedMack ($18.30)
Seat 6: MEMPHIS00 ($2.55)
Seat 7: mhoweller ($4.05)
Seat 8: Ronswitt ($8.70)
MEMPHIS00 antes $0.05
Ronswitt antes $0.05
francois8 antes $0.05
GoSub4 antes $0.05
DaFyDd poker antes $0.05
JedMack antes $0.05
sydney2703 antes $0.05
5 seconds left to act
mhoweller antes $0.05
JedMack: i thought you had a pair
*** 3RD STREET ***
Dealt to francois8 [Ac]
Dealt to GoSub4 [3c]
Dealt to sydney2703 [Kd]
Dealt to DaFyDd poker [3h]
Dealt to JedMack [7d]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [5c 4c] [3s] 3 hands later, I'm dealt yet another good starting hand.
Dealt to mhoweller [4d]
Dealt to Ronswitt [Ks]
Ronswitt is high with [Ks]
Ronswitt brings in for $0.10
francois8 completes it to $0.25
GoSub4 folds
sydney2703 folds
MEMPHIS00: nope
GoSub4: didn't u have a made 7 before the river?
DaFyDd poker calls $0.25
JedMack folds
MEMPHIS00 raises to $0.50 Raise it up to let him know I am have a hand. I rarely mess around with cash on the table.
MEMPHIS00: yeh
mhoweller folds
Ronswitt folds
francois8 calls $0.25
MEMPHIS00: i paired on 7th
DaFyDd poker calls $0.25
*** 4TH STREET ***
Dealt to francois8 [Ac] [7s]
Dealt to DaFyDd poker [3h] [3d]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [5c 4c 3s] [6d] I know I'm ahead at this point, let's bet.
MEMPHIS00 bets $0.25
francois8 calls $0.25
DaFyDd poker folds
GoSub4: that still would have beaten his hand
*** 5TH STREET ***
Dealt to francois8 [Ac 7s] [Ah]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [5c 4c 3s 6d] [Qs] We both brick here. Instead of checking I want to keep the pressure on, maybe he'll get away from his hand.
MEMPHIS00 bets $0.50
francois8 calls $0.50
*** 6TH STREET ***
Dealt to francois8 [Ac 7s Ah] [6c]
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [5c 4c 3s 6d Qs] [8h] I hit my 8 here, but I think he hits his 7 by the raise. I'm already committed to the pot to see 7th st.
MEMPHIS00 bets $0.50
francois8 raises to $1
MEMPHIS00 calls $0.50
*** 7TH STREET ***
Dealt to MEMPHIS00 [5c 4c 3s 6d Qs 8h] [Ad] As many would say, GIN!
MEMPHIS00 bets $0.25, and is all in
francois8 calls $0.25
*** SHOW DOWN ***
MEMPHIS00 shows [5c 4c 3s 6d Qs 8h Ad] 6,5,4,3,A
francois8 shows [5s 5d Ac 7s Ah 6c 2h] 7,6,5,2,A FullTilt switches the cards around, so I have to think he didnt start with the pair underneath. I dont think he's going to call those bets with 2 pair. Just plain old luck.
MEMPHIS00 wins the pot ($5.70) with 6,5,4,3,A
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $6 | Rake $0.30
Seat 1: francois8 showed [5s 5d Ac 7s Ah 6c 2h] and lost with 7,6,5,2,A
Seat 2: GoSub4 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 3: sydney2703 folded on 3rd St.
Seat 4: DaFyDd poker folded on 4th St.
Seat 5: JedMack folded on 3rd St.
Seat 6: MEMPHIS00 showed [5c 4c 3s 6d Qs 8h Ad] and won ($5.70) with 6,5,4,3,A
Seat 7: mhoweller folded on 3rd St.
Seat 8: Ronswitt folded on 3rd St.


Comments? Could I have done anything else in the first hand to not lose as much? Should I have gotten away from the second hand when I thought he made his 7? Anything would be helpful, and also much appreciated.

A Bankroll goal

I've read different blogs on here where people set goals for themselves for their bankroll. For example, Bill Ivey set a goal for himself to reach 100K in 100 days. My goal is not that lofty, obviously. I recently transferred some money to my brothers account, and earlier today, I cashed out all but $50 of my funds. In hindsight, maybe I should have left some more in the account, but I can always reload if I go busto.

I am doing this to prove to myself that I can build a bankroll through solid play at micro-stakes. I have been a consistent winner at these stakes, but I have inevitably made the tragic mistake of extending my bankroll too far, and when I have done this in the past, I have lost money. This has happened more than once, and every time it does, I kick myself for not learning from past mistakes.

So here is my goal: To reach $150 in my account by 3/1/2009. I am giving myself close to 45 days to make $100. I think this is a very achievable goal -- I only have to make $2.22 per day to reach this goal. Are you kidding me? If I do not do this, I may have to seriously consider what I am doing at a poker table in the first place.

So there it is. I will update regularly for those of you who care to check in on progress.

Good luck at the tables.

Riddle me this, Riddle me that (Part 3)

Alright fellow bloggers. Here is another in my little riddle series. The previous 2 have been answered within 24 hours of the post. Because of this, I have searched far and wide, consulted the great riddlers in my life, and come up with this one. Hopefully this time I can stump you for a little while longer. Here she is:

A pregnant lady has named her previous children Dominique, Regis, Michelle, Faris, Sonya, and Lara. What will she name her next child? Jessica, Katie, Abby, or Tilly?

MEMPHIS00 is back!

Let me start by apologizing for my hiatus -- I was helping my brother move into his new apartment. We drove from Philadelphia down to the great state of Texas. We made it to Dallas in just over 24 hours ( had it not been for us getting lost in Memphis trying to get breakfast we would have made the trip in less than one day!) He moved to Austin, which I have recently learned is Mookie's hometown. If you get the chance to make it to the city, let me recommend some places to eat: Plucker's (excellent wings and fried pickles), Guero's (great mexican dining), and Salt Lick (the BEST, let me reiterate, the BEST BBQ I have ever had). Austin is a very cool city, laid back, and the people are genuinely nice. I don't think I heard anyone honk they're horn in the week I was there. LOL.

Now some poker. I've mainly been posting on here about NL Holdem, but this is going to be a Razz post. More specifically, micro-stakes razz cash games and how they have helped out my bankroll.

Let me begin with the starting hands which I employ:

• Any 5 low card hands should be raised
• A play that I really like with these hands is the limp raise. It only works if you are 1 or 2 seats to the left of the bring-in, but it helps to build the pot when you are sure to be ahead.)
  
• Any 6 low card hands should be raised
• Any 7 low card hands should be raised (depending on your table position and other shown cards.)
• Any 8 low card hands should be called.

My first rule: Only go to 4th street with hands that are 3 low cards to an 8.

Second: NEVER play a pair to 4th street. Even if it comes AA2, I do not play this hand for the simple fact that in these low stakes, 60% of the players are going to 4th.

These games are very easy to beat if you practice discipline and patience (much like other games). More often than not these players are calling down their made 8-low hands to the end, so if you are patient, you will get paid of on your monster hands.

Third rule (for BK management in cash games): I always leave the table once I have doubled my buy-in. Some people might call this too conservative, and ya know what, maybe it is. I personally like to protect my money at all times, especially in low-limit ring games where there are too many players, playing too many hands, having too many chances to suck-out on my made hands and win my money. Also, it helps me to play conservatively, because with a big stack in these games, I tend to see to many hands to 4th street with J54 just because I have the money behind me.

This has turned into a rant, and that not what I wanted. I simply wanted to get different points of view on the starting hands in Razz. If you have a brain, know the basics of razz, and employ these starting hand limitations on yourself, you WILL be profitable playing the low-stakes Razz games that FullTilt offers.

There is a blog completely dedicated to Razz and you can check it out here

Riddle me this, riddle me that (Part 2)

Can you name three consecutive days of the week without saying the words Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday?

More live poker success

Same game, same story. I don't play much live poker, mostly just on-line in SNGs and the rare ring game. However, during my winter break from school I've been playing some long-handed tourneys with some friends of mine. Today was the second one I've played in, and the second one that I have won. That is it, that is all.

Another riddle to be posted soon.

Happy Holidays

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy holidays and a healthy new year. Hope all is well for you and your family.

Home game SNG

This past Sunday I played a 7 person tourney at a friends house, and after the SNGs I've been playing online I was confident with my chances to take the game down. Other than myself, my brother was the only person who didn't see close to every flop. With the crazy blind structures (we started with 1/2 blinds and had roughly 700 chips to start) I just sat back and waited for my cards. A few hands I remember:

I raised the pot preflop, bet the pot on the flop, the turn and the river with two over cards and pushed out the only person remaining with the river bet.


On a K-J-x board I flopped middle pair and bet the flop turn and river. The person called off their entire stack with Ace high.

After the rebuy period, I had an open ended straight draw/ flush draw and raised an EP raiser. He then folded and said "You don't play any hands so I'm sure you have it." The flop was K-2-4, I held 3-5s and flipped it over when he said that. Let's say he wasn't too pleased.

On the bubble I held rockets, raised it up on the CO and the BB (small stack) pushed his remaining chips in. His pocket 10s didn't improve and we were in the money and 2nd in chips!

When we got heads up, I was dominated in chips (about 7:1) and announced to my friend that "I never give up." First hand I was dealt J-8 in the BB and the bigstack just called. Flop came out JJx and I bet every street. When I filled up on the river, I went all-in and he didn't call.

I was dealt 10-4 in the BB. Flop came 10-2-2. I bet, he calls. Turn was a K, I bet he called. River was another 2. I bet, he raised me all-in, I called. He only had Ace high.
(at this point I was now ahead in chips roughly 4:1 and it was only 4 or 5 hands into heads up)

Very next hand I was dealt J-8 again and I called the BB. He pushed all-in pre flop with K-10. Flop came J-K-J. He didnt improve and I took it down!

Felt good to win, but what was better was that both Stein brothers placed in the money (I won my side-bet with my brother that I would do better than him)


Good stuff all around. Hopefully I'll make an appearance in the Mookie tonight. My brother is in town for this week and my sister is making the family dinner. I don't think we're sitting down until around 8pm EST so it might be a squeeze for time. I'll try to make it though.

Donktastic efforts in SNG's

I am really frustrated with SNG's recently. Today, in a 5 dollar SNG, I was in the BB with KQ, button limps and so does SB. I love seeing free flops so I check and the flop comes K-J-x. SB checks and I bet out for the pot to take away all drawing hands, the button calls SB folds. Turn brings another rag so I again lead out for the pot (at this point around 500), and again he calls. The river brings a Q giving me top 2, and, not thinking he'd call all the way to the river, for 2/3 of his stack on a straight draw, I jam. He insta-calls and shows A-10. Ace muthafucking Ten. He then talked trash.

Fuck that.

Just now, as I'm typing this, I just bubbled out playing a tier-1 tourney so I can play a tier-2 tourney to get my token for the big blogger game on Sunday. I've been harassing the big stacks blinds all game, but this time I actually had a hand. KK from the SB and raise it up and he comes over the top and put me all in with 66. Of course, the 6 comes on the flop. And I don't catch my King.

I hate this shit.

Please pardon my language, but I'm mightily frustrated.

Riddle me this, riddle me that (Part 1)

What do you think of this, fellow bloggers?


I begin eternity, but I end time. I'm not in a day but I'm twice in a week. I come once a year but twice a decade. I start the end, but I am in the beginning. What am I?

Answer in 1 week.

Mitchell Report Redux

You can check out a list of the players named in the report here.

The Mookie: Greedy Pirate

Let me start by saying this: WOW! The Mook, along with Buddy Dank Radio, was a whole lot of fun and I'm just glad I could be a part of it.

A few memorable hands:

Early in the tourney I double up with my Aces preflop vs. JJ.

Middle part of the tourney: I flop a flush with a gutshot straight-flush draw and catch it on the turn!

Hand for hand: I'm chip leader. I raise on the Button with 77. SB, my nemesis (explained later), re-raises for another 10K and I reluctantly lay it down. He shows 9-4o.

Final table (in my first mook ever!): I'm still chip leader. Small stack goes all-in preflop with JJ and hits the set on the flop to suckout on my pocket queens.

Final table [2]: The hand that finished me... I raise from MP with 8-10 and the button (nemesis) comes over the top. I call and the flop comes 9-J-Q for the flopped straight! 2 clubs on the board, I check and he pushes all in with his flush draw. I call and he catches the club on the river. DOH.


Overall, I felt like I played really well. I got cards at opportune times and took advantage of them. I plan on playing in the Mook again, and next time, hopefully making more of an impact at the final table!

Mitchell Report

So the Mitchell report is coming out tomorrow. What good is this report going to do? All it will do is tell us something we already know: Baseball players are on performance enhancing drugs. I won't limit it to steriods because HGH (human growth hormone) is also, evidently, widely used.

From what I understand there will be 60-100 current players named in the report. What names will bother you? Aside from my hometown heroes (Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers), I would genuinely be upset if, say, Roger Clemens was named. Larry (Chipper) Jones. Mariano Rivera. Jim Thome. Ken Griffey Jr (although I think there is NO way Junior took steroids, his swing is too sweet, his problem with injuries, etc.).

Is there anyone, if named, that would bother you?

Gone fishin'

Gotta love the fish at uber-micro stakes

.05/.10 I raised BB when it was folded around to me in the SB with A9s. He raises all-in to 4.85--I reluctantly muck and he shows 10/7o. One orbit later I got his stack.

Me- UTG and dealt KK. I raise to .30 and he instantly pushes all-in. Folded back to me and I'm thinking AK. I call, and turns out it was AK. K comes on the flop and he doesnt catch his runner runner 3-outer. Good stuff.

Daily Double running blog

First Hour

Hand 1- Dealt KK in LP, 4 limpers in front, I raise to 120 to thin the field. Button re-raises to 570. I discount AA because he would have jammed, so something along the lines of AK, AQ, AJ, QQ, JJ, 10s. I decide to use the old stop and go routine if no A comes on flop. Flop is 4-7-7 and I push my remaining 1380 into pot and pick it up uncontested. Thank you sir.
Note: I probably could have won more chips playing it out--but why risk an A coming later in the hand to have him catch up?

My table is really loose, the loosest being the guy to my right. Card dead except for the hand above.

Hand 2- In BB with 6-9o. I see flop for free and flop comes Ks-6c-Jc. Memphis check-folds.

This guy to my right is unbelievable--hes gone up to 10K, down to 1K, and is now back up to 6K in 30 minutes. I think he has folded 1 hand pre-flop

Hand 3- Blinds at 25/50. I'm in LP dealt KJs. MP raises to 175, I call. Flop comes 7-Q-4. MP bets out for the pot (425) which is 1/3 his stack, Memphis folds. ughhhh

Dealt A-10 off in UTG+1. what does UTG do? this loose as a goose player, who just bet 4700 into a 1200 pot (and showed he had nothing) leads out for 175. I fold. What's better is the flop comes A-10-x. He raised with 7-9o, from UTG. K-10, who went all-in on the button pre-flop, collects the pot. I should have made my stand there. It will have to come at some point.

Hand 4 (good lay down me!)- UTG goes all in preflop with 12BB, UTG+1 min-raises. I fold my AKo. UTG+1 had QQ and would have held up to my AK from the button. Good stuff folding pre-flop. Gotta love position.

Hand 5- Blinds now 30/60. In BB with one limper in LP and SB limping, I'm dealt K4o. K comes on the flop, i bet 125 into the 180 pot and take her down. I expected crazy guy to my right to bet, but nonetheless, happy with the result.
Note: Crazy-psycho-aggressive dude to my right has been eliminated on the next hand. Lost his 6K stack bluffing into a LP calling station (rightfully so, he flopped quads)

Hand 6- I'm SB with 79s. Folded around, I raise the BB and take it down.

YAYA--right before the break I am switched to another table. Thank you FT.

AT THE BREAK- I have 2185 chips for 429/626 remaining. Average stack is 3500. For the 60 hands dealt, I saw 7 flops (i guess I missed a few on here.) I need to do some work in hour 2. More importantly, I need to get some hands. Been pretty much card dead except for KK in the 9th hand of the tourney.

Second Hour
Blinds are now 50/100

First hand from break I am UTG and dealt the 2-7o. Awesome.

Hand 7- In SB dealt A10d. Big raise from MP and a push from shortstacked LP. I decide to pick another fight and fold. Good thing too. LP 99 held up to AJc when he flopped his set.

Hand 8- Steal the blinds in LP with A8. Back to 2185.

Hand 9- Dealt QQ. EP raises to 300. I raise to 800 from MP, he pushes for another 1300. I ran into AA and the 2-outer never came. But we still have life with 78 chips! And that's all you need, a chip and a chair. I'm thinking the call was a bad one. Any thoughts?

Hand 10- K5 I push for the remaining 78. Nothing. Out in 543 place. Ouch.

I'm pissed.

Satellites

I really like satellites. It makes entry into the actual tournament itself cheaper and the table that you have to beat to get there is fishy for the most part. I just won a satellite to tonight Daily Double-B on FT.

Heres a hand that stacked me earlier today(ultra-uber-microstakes $.05/$.10): I'm in the big blind and dealt KK. Action is folded around and the SB limps. I raise to .40 and he calls. Here I'm thing suited connectors, any pocket pair, or 2 face cards. Flop comes 10-J-4 and SB leads out for $.50 and I raise to $2.5. He requests time and ends up calling. Turn brings a "7" for a board that looks 10-J-4-7. He checks to me and I bet 3 dollars, he instantly raises another dollar all in and I'm pot commited so i call. He shows 8-9 for the nut straight, and your boy MEMPHIS is drawing dead.

Thoughts? Impressions? I tried over-betting the flop so he would leave the hand before the draw hit. AHHHH its so frustrating. I have to get better at getting rid of big pocket pairs postflop.

Anyways, check out the daily double tonight.

SNG magic

Another day, another 90 person SNG taken down. I had never finished 1st in a MTT before yesterday, and now I have done it twice. I must admit, victory feels good. Thanks to surflexus for coming by and wishing me luck.

Good lay down?

Heres the scenario: $.10/$.25 NLH. I'm in MP+1 and dealt QQ. Villain raises the pot to $.85 from UTG+1 (i don't know what it's called), i re-raise to 2.5, he re-re-raises to 5.5. I call and flop comes A-x-x rainbow. He bets $5 into me and I fold. As I'm debating whether or not I was good in the hand, he shows JJ. Needless to say, a lot of curse words came out of my mouth.

My question is this: was it a good lay down? Should I have even seen the flop? I knew he had a premium hand. My read on him was AA, KK, or AK. I'm still learning the game and would love comments.

Card rush

Sitting in a ring game right now, I just got a serious card rush. In 8 hands, I got AA once, AK twice, and KK once. I ended up winning $20 given the stakes are only .10/.25. Any advice on bkroll buildup? Other than patience in LH cash games and luck in MTT and sng's, is there much I can do? I love playing poker, and sometimes the grind is too much of a lag.

Early exit

I just got eliminated from the midnight madness in 1213th place...here's the hand that eliminated me.

I haven't seen a pot yet and I am on the cutoff and dealt AQspades. Blinds are 20/40. Middle position bets out for 120, I raise to 320, he calls. Flop comes Ad, 3s, 9s. Great flop for me, top pair with the nut-flush draw. Player checks, I bet 400 leaving me with about 500 chips. He check-raises me all-in. I call and he shows pocket 9s for a set of 9. Turn and river come blank and I am sent to the rail.

Was I right to call here? Should I have gotten away from my hand knowing it was beaten? Should I have not risked my tournament life so early with that draw?

First post

As per the title, this is my first post on here. I've read surflexus's post on here alot, and I must say, it is much harder to write than he makes it seem!! I did pretty well today on FT...I won a satellite to the midnight madness tourney and I also won a 90 person sng. Hopefully I can carry over my play into the Midnight Madness.