2 November 2007
I always say I'm not going to play poker on a day I travel ... but I always do it anyway. Arrived late (around 6 p.m.) and was staring at the green felt by 7:45. I had seriously thought about taking a nap first ... maybe one day I'll actually do it. Played 4-8 for almost 6 hours and won ... a dollar! Woohoo, movin' on up ... to a de-luxe apartment in the sky-high-high. Six hours for a dollar???? I'm not on top of my game. This is why I have the rule of not playing on a day that I travel. At least I've trained myself to stick to 4-8 on those days.
The people at the table were really nice ... except for the weird guy sitting next to me. He was strange. First he made reference to his wife and then about an hour later he made reference to his girlfriend. Did he forget which he told me the first time? I was wondering if he was just drunk or if he was really that out of it. The man was weird. He kept mumbling justifications for all the bad decisions he was making. The guy was weird. About two hours before I left, the table changed character when a local dealer and more regulars sat down to play. The table became extremely hyper ... I love people who cap the raises with Q3c. But everyone was nice. I love tables like that.
Moneymaker was playing at the table diagonal to me. I think I might actually be taller than him. Yes, I am taller than some people. Am, too. And if you ever see me in person & call me short (or, even worse, pat me on the top of my head), I'll deck you. Seriously. I will knock your ass out. I am not short. But anyway, Moneymaker is thinner than he looks on TV. If I ever make a final table that's televised, I'm going on a crash diet since I'm seeing all these people who look normal in person but look overweight on TV. It's just so wrong, what the camera does to you.
Well, at least they are actually giving out comps to players this go 'round. If I remember correctly, last time I was here I only got a comp coupon when I played in a tournament. But this evening, I got $10 off High Tides when I left the poker room. I decided to skip the meal and hit Infusion Coffee Bar instead (thinking I'd get something light to eat while I typed this up ... but, of course, I got a heavy meal there). I ordered what has to be the most disgusting meal on the planet. Well, disgusting to an outside observer, that is, but perfectly fine to a mouse ... I got the Muffaletta (so I could compare it to the Beau's), a brownie with mile-high chocolate frosting on it, and a café mocha. Olives & chocolate. It works for me.
On the agenda for tomorrow? Sleeping in. Man, do I need it.
3 November 2007
Taking a break for lunch. Well, technically it's dinner time, but you know how that goes. I'm using up yesterday's comp at High Tides. I've been playing 4-8 limit, hoping (though not optimistically) that they'd start up the 10-20. Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen.
So I'm playing at a table with two people who have raise-'n-itis. Not wholly unusual in a 4-8 game. One of the raisers said she was a dealer (not at the IP). But the guy ... man, one time he made it three bets with a 32s--and won, of course, when the turn gave him a third 3. As expected, I eventually watched him lose all his money. But,wow. The dealer chick was slightly more restrained ... but between the two of them they were capping the bets every other hand. I was actually sorry to get out of that game, but I was very hungry. Hmmm ... back to the tables.
OK, so I played some more 4-8 and the game was just average. So I asked the sit-n-go host to run a satellite for tomorrow's game. Hehe. Got lucky. My first hand that was good was when I was in the small blind. I was dealt Ah5c. Two limpers and I think the big blind is going to check so I'm really debating pumping it just to steal. I decide against it, though, and make a weak play by calling. Fortunately, that was my only mistake. Flop comes down 975 all hearts. I bet the size of the pot and the big blind hesitates. He says "that's a dangerous flop for my hand". So I'm thinking he has two pair, though I didn't rule out the possibility of a set or the straight. He raises almost all my chips. The lady behind him calls and the other player folds. OK so let's do the math on whether I made the right play:
There were 4 people in the pot with $50 each. I bet $200 on the flop and the big blind raised to $700. The lady calls the $700. So there is $1800 in the pot and I have $700 left. I know if I raise $200 more (to go all in) both will call. So I'm getting 22:7 on my money. I put about an 80% chance he had two pair and 20% chance of the set or the straight. I completely (probably wrongly) dismissed the lady because I'm prejudiced and think that ladies don't play poker well. I figured she had an overpair or something. So 80% of the time I'd have 13 outs (two 5s, three As, and 8 other flush cards) and 20% of the time I'd have 9 outs. So ... I'll have to finish this later :)
4 November 2007
Argh. I woke up this morning to the sounds of my neighbor's children screaming (why do people bring their kids to casinos???? I just don't get it!), found a sore from unknown origin on my abdomen (how did I cut myself yesterday that I don't remember?), got a shower, made my oatmeal, and opened the coffee to brew a pot. Only I guess I was a little too forceful because coffee grounds went everywhere ... all over the bathroom, me, and my makeup. Oh, yeah, and all in my oatmeal. Yeah, leaving a double-sized tip for housekeeping this morning since they have to clean up the mess I made in the bathroom. This has started out as a tremendously shitty day. I hope that means I'll do well in the tournament.
Wrong, try again. I should've realized that was an omen that I'd do crappy in the tournament. Argh. OK, I get there, take my seat, and then they announce at which table Moneymaker is going to be seated ... you guessed it, I won. So I'm actually thinking this is not a bad deal for me, because I basically know how one of the people at my table plays. Of course, I didn't get to use that information because I didn't get into a hand with him before I got knocked out.
But so anyway, so Chris comes over & he's wearing what looks like tan pajama bottoms with a white shirt that has a ninja star and some Chinese writing on it in the upper right hand corner. Now, I wasn't uncomfortably cold ... but apparently Chris was. Know how I know? You guessed it ... they're popping right out of the shirt. Um, didn't the guy win a couple million dollars? Can't he afford undershirts? I mean, if it's a problem, I'll donate to the cause. But, yeah, the whole time I was there, all I saw was ... Moneymaker nipples.
Overall, he's trying to be a nice guy, I think. He's gregarious, which is more than I could say I would be in his position. But yeah, so this one hand I'm in the small blind while the blinds are 25-25, there are three limpers, then the button makes it a hundred to go. I don't remember what I had, but figuring everyone would call so I was getting pretty good odds. I called as did the big blind and all limpers. Flop comes 10 7 2 rainbow. I look up and see ... Moneymaker nipples! Everyone checks to the button, who also checks. Jack comes on the turn to accompany the Moneymaker nipples. I check, the big blind bets about $400 and everyone folds to the button, who calls. River is another Jack. The big blind bets $475 and the button hesitates. He starts shaking his head and says "Oh, I played this so badly". Finally he calls. The big blind turns over AJ and the button mucks, again repeating "I played that so badly". So then Moneymaker nipples starts saying "I wonder what you could've had" and the guy admits it was aces and says again how badly he played. Nipples shakes his head and says "Yes, yes, you did. But that's OK. We all make mistakes".
Now, I think it was nice of him to have added in the last part. Some people are downright mean. I played one lady, who I won't mention by name (because I have nothing nice to say about her ... I may be teasing Chris about his nipples, but it's teasing in fun. I didn't mind the guy. When I played a tournament with this famous lady, I didn't even mention it in these reports because I could think of nothing nice to say about her), who was a total bitch. Seriously, I don't know why anyone would want her to endorse anything because she is a horrible, vile person. I tried to be nice to her and she was rude to me, as well as the other players. At least Moneymaker is not like that. And that's a good thing.
So anyway, what happened that I got kicked out of the tournament? I was a victim of my own stupidity. I started out well, picking up a couple of small pots with aggression. Then, perhaps I got distracted by Moneymaker nipples. First bad hand, the guy to my right raises to 100 under the gun (now, this is Mr. "I play aces so badly" but it was prior to that event) and I look down to see pocket 7s. So I called, as did one other player. Probably I should have raised or folded but calling was OK if I had folded after the flop (which I didn't). I look up to see the flop (10 6 2 unsuited) and ... Moneymaker nipples. The guy on my right bet $300. I probably should've reasoned that a pot-sized bet was an indication of defending something, rather than a continuation bet. But I felt the need to see if he was betting unpaired high cards so I min raised him (we only started with $2500 in chips). The other player folds. I look around the table, past Moneymaker nipples, and back to the guy on my right. He moves all in. I fold. That was a waste of $700 chips.
But I still have $1800 until ... Moneymaker nipples! ... the next bad hand that comes when I'm small blind. Under the gun limps, next guy raises to $100, three more callers, and I look down to see 96d. I call. Flop comes 10 7 2 with two diamonds. I bet the pot, big blind folds, under the gun folds, raiser folds, next guy calls, last guy folds. To call a pot bet, I figure the guy's paired up. Now here's where I make my big mistake: next card is a blank and rather than moving all in, I just bet $500 (same as I had bet before, giving the guy 4:1 on his money). The turn is another blank. I've only $600 left so, still thinking the guy is paired up, I check. He checks. He missed his open-ended straight. But, he gets the pot because the kicker with his 9 is an 8. Holy freakin' Moneymaker nipples! That was just so horribly bad. Bad Mouse, bad!
What else did I do? I put my whole $600 chips in early with a pair of 5s and got called by a pair of Jacks. Mouse has left the building.
Moneymaker nipples to hell!