A True Hiatus

There's only one quasi-word that can describe my poker play over the last three months...


nonexistent.



Well, almost. A couple of minutes before one of my editing classes I think I sat behind the computer and played play money poker, promptly doubling up my play money chips and then "cashing out".

But, that's been it. Three months, basically nothing. No online. No live (okay, a little NBA Live). I've been virtually poker free for three full months.

Why?

Obviously, I have the whole family obligation thing, that and the fact that my girlfriend isn't too crazy about poker. I've been working full-time and going to school for the first time in my life, and while the class (yes, class singular) that I took didn't have a large workload, I definitely wanted to start my comeback off on a good foot. Also, while I haven't been starving, money has been a little tighter than usual since our department started losing our nice cushy $500 monthly bonuses due to a floundering economy and not so great customer service skills (not me, our department as a whole). These are all legitimate reasons why I haven't played too much poker lately.

But, the funny thing is that stuff like that never stopped me before. There was a time in my life, hell even a few months ago, where I would scrounge up any money I had for a buy-in online or live. Some nights I would win, some nights I would lose, but for me it wasn't really about the money. The challenge of beating the game or beating my opponents was what really goosed me up.

And, I can't really explain why, but right now I just feel my heart isn't into poker right now.

I still love the game. I watched the final table and I thought it was one of the coolest things I've seen: a sold out capacity crowd filled a theatre to watch nine guys play poker. It shows just how far poker has come. I still have dreams of playing in that tournament. Even if I'm the first guy knocked out, just to say that I played in it is something I can always tell my children.

But, for right now, hundreds of dollars later, I'm taking a break, especially from online poker. People who say the online game is shady may be right in some respects, but the fact of the matter is for the average player the quantity of hands played far outweighs and affects the quality of hands played. Your mistakes in live poker become magnified in online poker, and that's pretty much what happened to me.

Even though I'm breaking, I definitely wouldn't mind an occasional live cash game or live tournament, or hell, eventually I might even venture back into online tournaments or sit n gos. I'm looking for better quality, not neccesarily quantity.

Fear not, my friends. Tripset30 will return eventually. Everybody needs a vacation.

Brilliant or Not so Brilliant?

Early in the $23,000 guarantee...



Full Tilt Poker Game #8064980773: $23,000 KO Guarantee (60595668), Table 35 - 30/60 - No Limit Hold'em - 0:37:42 ET - 2008/09/14
Seat 1: socrates555 (988)
Seat 2: Diahouse (3,475)
Seat 3: Revoke36 (2,150)
Seat 4: saleen707 (2,074)
Seat 5: boodeewee99 (6,760)
Seat 6: bigtonyk123 (1,611)
Seat 7: indabiz (3,290)
Seat 8: Tripset30 (3,940)
Seat 9: FR8DOGNV (5,712)
Diahouse posts the small blind of 30
Revoke36 posts the big blind of 60
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Tripset30 [Ks Kc]
saleen707 calls 60
boodeewee99 raises to 270
bigtonyk123 folds
indabiz has 15 seconds left to act
indabiz folds
Tripset30 has 15 seconds left to act
Tripset30 raises to 645
FR8DOGNV folds
socrates555 folds
Diahouse folds
Revoke36 folds
saleen707 folds
boodeewee99 raises to 6,760, and is all in
Tripset30: wow
Tripset30 has 15 seconds left to act
Tripset30 has requested TIME
Tripset30: wow
Tripset30: I fold kings\
Tripset30 folds
Uncalled bet of 6,115 returned to boodeewee99
Revoke36: he's already had AA
boodeewee99 mucks
boodeewee99 wins the pot (1,440)
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 1,440 Rake 0
Seat 1: socrates555 (button) didn't bet (folded)
Seat 2: Diahouse (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 3: Revoke36 (big blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 4: saleen707 folded before the Flop
Seat 5: boodeewee99 collected (1,440), mucked
Seat 6: bigtonyk123 didn't bet (folded)
Seat 7: indabiz didn't bet (folded)
Seat 8: Tripset30 folded before the Flop
Seat 9: FR8DOGNV didn't bet (folded)


Against the chip leader, who plays pretty tight... for all my chips... early in the tournament... good or bad fold?

Getting Ready

I've never really tried blogging before a tourney but I guess I'll give it a shot. Whatever works, right?

Tip-off for the $69+$6 $23,000 guarantee is in less than ten minutes. My tourney resume has been fairly decent lately (two out of five cashes) and I'm looking to get another one tonight. So, what's the game plan?

Get my money in good, don't be over-aggressive, have patience, avoid bad luck and big stacks.

Sounds easy. I should be a pro by now.

Seriously though, the biggest thing is that I have to remain focused. I'm beginning to get scary good when I actually hone in and focus on the action around me. No music, no IMs, no Internet. Just poker, baby!

A cash in this tourney would sure be nice... I'll let you know how it turns out.

Great Poker... But Cashing Out????

$700 in two sessions. Not too shabby.

Finished 16th out of 500 in the $77 Knock-out on Full Tilt last night, and followed that up with a win in a $109 sit n go tonight. Cool and all; I'm happy about the results, having put in two very solid sessions. No doubt that reading Gus Hansen's book cover to cover three times has definitely helped my game.

Now, I'm facing a serious dilemna: the cash-out process.

I honestly haven't cashed out since Epassporte left the market unexpectedly in June. And, from my understanding, Full Tilt's check process right now is an utter mess, according to blogger Pokerfarce from the Big Edge Poker Blog team. At first I was like, "Come on, it can't be that bad."

But, I Googled it. Everybody is having problems with their checks. Maybe this is it... maybe the government is officially cracking down on online poker.

That being said, the consensus is that Pokerstars has a pretty good system in place in terms of turning checks around. I'm also trying to semi-launder my money through UB (not actually; I plan on doubling before I cash out).

I don't know though. Even before the demise of Epassporte I had my doubts. Hopefully the government (vote Obama) will come to their senses and realize that poker is nothing like the lottery and that poker is nothing more than playing the stock market with chips and people.

But, hey, at least I'm playing out of my mind, right?

Wow...

Weird couple of poker days. Cashed in the Midnight Madness tourney in 69th place out of 1300 (sounds much better than it was as I only profited $18) and then proceeded to run into every conceivable way you can suck out on a person, some in my favor (A-3 vs. A-K, J-8 vs. J-J was my fav. though) and some against (Q-10 vs. A-A, 4-4 vs. 8-8, K-K vs. 9-8 pissed me off slightly). Whatever, that's the nature of poker. Only one cash tonight, but overall I think it was a down $20 night. I'll take it with all those ridiculous beats.

The reason I'm writing tonight is to actually post something pretty funny. Check out this interview with Daniel Negreanu.

Some people think it's staged, I say it's believeable but I wouldn't be surprised if it was staged... I dunno. But, if I ever got into the world of journalism, I would try to keep myself out of the story... although Daniel did jab him by saying, "Since you're not a player..."

Lemme know...

Shoot Me in the Face

Just a bad poker night. Just horrific.

Heads-up $50+$5 I flop top pair, river two pair and lose to trips in a very well-played match otherwise.

Played awful in the $23,000 guarantee, finishing in the middle of the pack after some idiot calls my raise (makes it worse I was playing premium cards and up) with 9-5 off, spikes two more on the flop and my dumbass pays him off on the river because, well, I hit an ace and I guess I just couldn't put him on a five.

Then, I cash in a $100+$9 sit n'go, which is okay except my computer froze and I got blinded out with $3,000 in chips, one double-up away from being chip leader.

Then in this dumb fucking $50+$5 sit n' go I was the chip leader with six left, dude min. raises, two callers I say fuck it and call with 5-3 off in the BB. I flopped a two piece and led out, initial raiser calls. I check raise the queen all-in on the turn and he calls with J-10, so of course he catches his higher two piece on the river. Two hands later I get knocked out with 8s against A-6.

"Yeah, it's just ten times the blind, I'll call with a bad ace."

I swear to God, aside from the guarantee, I played really well, got my chips in good for the most part, but there's some lucky motherfuckers out there.

I will not let this dumb session deter me, however. I just had to let all that out because if I don't I'm just gonna think about it all night and there's nothing productive about that.

One more time, though: like, seriously, why the fuck would someone risk all their chips with a mediocre ten? Who calls a raise for half their chips pre-flop with A-6 off? Whether a tight player raised or not, who the fuck would call with 9-5 off OUT OF POSITION???? Like... ugh, it's pointless. I'm not saying I've never sucked out before, but come on. Those are three brutal suck-outs!

Makes me want to punch someone in the fucking kidney!













BULLSHIT!!!!

Phil Laak

Phil Laak and I have the same problem.

We're both "pay-off wizards".

On a positive note, I have cashed or won four out of five sit n gos for a total profit of $350. Me likey.

In my latest 3rd place finish I ran into aces in two out of three hands against two different opponents (the first time I flopped a two piece only to get counterfeited), dropping me from chip leader to outtie. Me no likey but anytime I cash is good I guess.

I'm aiming at building enough roll to play in the FTOPS Event #1, which has a $200K guarantee. Will I? Maybe, either that or I'll over-extend myself to play in it. I'd say odds of me playing are at 2-1.

More later.