Last night was the latest edition of the Blogger Skill Series, and this time the games was Pot-limit Holdem. This is a game I know not much about, other than Cloutier's advice (I think) that you have to build the pot in PL, while the pot takes care of itself in NL. But, whatever - it's fun, because people chat, there's an internet radio station that is sometimes broadcasting during the tournaments, and the stakes are not so high that you have to worry about it if you don't make the money. I made it further than I should have, because of a hand that CK described here. I played the hand like crap, as one of the commenters said. Here's what was going through my head at the time: when it was raised, and then called to me in the BB (with J6 s000ted) I hesitated, then called the extra 250 in an 850 pot. Maybe I'll hit something, and double or triple up (I had a short stack due to general weak play.) On the flop, I'm thinking, "Aha! I have a pair. Neither one of my opponents has hit the flop. I'll lead out, and they will fold." This was wishful thinking, as CK held an overpair with QQ -- a jack would not help me. OK, so I should not have bet, unless I hit two sixes, right? Let's check it out:
Pre-flop:
Me: 23.9% Jd6d
Hoy: 31.7% A2+,22+,JT+,72
CK: 44.5% 22+,QJ+,78s+
OK, so not a terrible call preflop.
Flop:
Board: 3h 3c 6c
Me: 24.4% Jd6d
Hoy: 25.3% A2+,22+,JT+,72
CK: 50.3% 22+,QJ+,78s+
OK, so I'm basically throwing my chips away 75% of the time (and those are generous ranges, I know). Not a good bet. Now, let's run the numbers with my "hope neither one of them has a pair" strategy:
Flop:
Board: 3h 3c 6c <--- Aha! Because I hit, I will ignore overpairs!
Me: 60% Jd6d <--- Lookin' good!
Hoy: 23.2% A2+,55-22,JT+,72
CK: 16.7% 55-22,QJ+,78s+
This is how I get in trouble. It's also how software projects get in trouble -- I cringe whenever I hear the H-word in meetings, or even worse, find myself thinking or saying it. I'm going to try to apply the same cringe to my poker decisions, and take the extra few seconds to apply some thought rather than just hoping that they other player has a hand that I dominate. The operative word there is try, so don't be surprised to see me do the same thing today, tomorrow, next week!
:wq
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Omaha Hi/Lol
Last night (now two nights ago), I made the money in another blogger tournament - the Limit Omaha Hi/Lo version of the Blogger Skills Series. I made it there by folding most of my hands for the first hour or two, picking up some chips here and there, and getting lucky when I had to. I had a couple of good players say "wtf?" on a couple of hands, and, while I will defer to their superior poker abilities, I will explain where I came up with my plays.
Let me take the second hand first. There was an all-in player after the flop. I was SB and Hoy was BB. The flop was 8 8 A, and the turn was an 8, and I had the fourth 8 in my hand. There was a $2 bounty for knocking out the all-in player. So I had the nut high, no card could come that would make a better high. I had T84A in my hand, so I could not make a low, and I did not want Hoy to share the bounty or the pot by hitting a low on the river. So I bet. Hoy called and hit a low on the river, so we split the bounty. I guess the "wtf" is that there was no possibility of a made low hand when I bet, so I was possibly driving out the winning low hand that would knock out the all-in player, if the all-in had a weak low draw. That's a subtlety that goes beyond my limit Omaha Hi/Lo with a knockout bounty tournament experience, so at the time, I didn't see it as a dry pot bluff - I was concentrating on the bounty. Now I know that it was a bluff, and will probably never run into that situation again.
Now the first hand second. It was the tournament host, cracknaces, and I, blind vs. blind, and I was in the big blind. I had KQJ2h, so no low possibility, and limited draws. I called a flop bet when I hit top pair, and then a turn bet when an ace hit. So I had second pair for high, there was already a possibility for a made low on the board, and I had 4 outs to a straight, and 2 jack outs, which would make me trip jacks. The bet was 400, making the pot 1200, and I could only win half (unless he did not have a low), so I called 400 to win 600. That's a very bad call with only 6outs (assuming he has an ace in his hand, which he did.) I guess I thought cracknaces would not hesitate to push me around, so I hung onto the fantasy that he might be bluffing. Yeah, pretty lame. So, I hit a 10 on the river, filling the gutshot draw, and raised his river bet, again, hoping he only had a worse high hand, and no low. So I deserved that "wtf?"
At the final table, it was pretty wild, with stacks oscillating up and down, except for the chip leader, who continually accumulated chips. It's amazing how in a limit tournament, you have to stay so disciplined for so long, and then, over the course of a couple of levels, everyone is on the brink of being eliminated. I hit some hands, squeaked into the money, and then really squeaked into fourth place, when the blinds hit lifesagrind one hand before they were about to hit me. I lasted a few more hands, and went out in fourth. I was generally happy with the way I played, not including the two hands mentioned at the beginning of this post. There was a lot of speculation with bad hands at the beginning, so tight play was called for. Middle cards ruled the day -- I've never seen so many middle card straights and full houses. I found the advice at http://www.playwinningpoker.com/omaha/ to be good back when I was playing Omaha Hi/Lo on Party Poker. The most critical piece of advice is to fold garbage hands, because the good hands are great hands in Omaha. Where I used to lose my way was short-handed, where you have to loosen up and play more hands, or you are just feeding blinds into the other players' stacks.
Let me take the second hand first. There was an all-in player after the flop. I was SB and Hoy was BB. The flop was 8 8 A, and the turn was an 8, and I had the fourth 8 in my hand. There was a $2 bounty for knocking out the all-in player. So I had the nut high, no card could come that would make a better high. I had T84A in my hand, so I could not make a low, and I did not want Hoy to share the bounty or the pot by hitting a low on the river. So I bet. Hoy called and hit a low on the river, so we split the bounty. I guess the "wtf" is that there was no possibility of a made low hand when I bet, so I was possibly driving out the winning low hand that would knock out the all-in player, if the all-in had a weak low draw. That's a subtlety that goes beyond my limit Omaha Hi/Lo with a knockout bounty tournament experience, so at the time, I didn't see it as a dry pot bluff - I was concentrating on the bounty. Now I know that it was a bluff, and will probably never run into that situation again.
Now the first hand second. It was the tournament host, cracknaces, and I, blind vs. blind, and I was in the big blind. I had KQJ2h, so no low possibility, and limited draws. I called a flop bet when I hit top pair, and then a turn bet when an ace hit. So I had second pair for high, there was already a possibility for a made low on the board, and I had 4 outs to a straight, and 2 jack outs, which would make me trip jacks. The bet was 400, making the pot 1200, and I could only win half (unless he did not have a low), so I called 400 to win 600. That's a very bad call with only 6outs (assuming he has an ace in his hand, which he did.) I guess I thought cracknaces would not hesitate to push me around, so I hung onto the fantasy that he might be bluffing. Yeah, pretty lame. So, I hit a 10 on the river, filling the gutshot draw, and raised his river bet, again, hoping he only had a worse high hand, and no low. So I deserved that "wtf?"
At the final table, it was pretty wild, with stacks oscillating up and down, except for the chip leader, who continually accumulated chips. It's amazing how in a limit tournament, you have to stay so disciplined for so long, and then, over the course of a couple of levels, everyone is on the brink of being eliminated. I hit some hands, squeaked into the money, and then really squeaked into fourth place, when the blinds hit lifesagrind one hand before they were about to hit me. I lasted a few more hands, and went out in fourth. I was generally happy with the way I played, not including the two hands mentioned at the beginning of this post. There was a lot of speculation with bad hands at the beginning, so tight play was called for. Middle cards ruled the day -- I've never seen so many middle card straights and full houses. I found the advice at http://www.playwinningpoker.com/omaha/ to be good back when I was playing Omaha Hi/Lo on Party Poker. The most critical piece of advice is to fold garbage hands, because the good hands are great hands in Omaha. Where I used to lose my way was short-handed, where you have to loosen up and play more hands, or you are just feeding blinds into the other players' stacks.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Chicks, Tits, and Cards
Here are some safe for work photos of chicks, tits, and cards.
Chicks:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dino_burger/2207915622/
Tits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dino_burger/2207929520/
Cards:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dino_burger/2207138987/
Hehe, those are some nice pix, eh? Because there's a sheet of glass between them and me, there is a lot of reflection from inside. So I will try to minimize that in future pictures. We just set up the buffet recently, and these were among our first customers.
Chicks:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dino_burger/2207915622/
Tits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dino_burger/2207929520/
Cards:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dino_burger/2207138987/
Hehe, those are some nice pix, eh? Because there's a sheet of glass between them and me, there is a lot of reflection from inside. So I will try to minimize that in future pictures. We just set up the buffet recently, and these were among our first customers.
Ugly Americans
I attended the Bruins game at Madison Square Garden North yesterday with the dino nuggets, with the Bruins facing off against the New York Rangers. The Rangers fans were out in force, as Bruins tickets are easier to score than just about anything around here. They were very helpful in directing Bruins fans who seemed lost or dioriented by dint of never having seen the inside of the new Garden.
They also corrected long-time Garden singer René Rancourt, who forgot the lyrics to the national anthem, chiming in with, "Let's go Rangers (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)." They helped Bruins fans survive the oh-so-boring and meaningless celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bruin Willie O'Ree breaking the NHL color barrier, serenading us with more entertaining Rangers chants. Unfortunately, some of the fans were overcome by excitement, and had to be assisted out of the arena.
We had seats in the very last row of the house, requiring the occasional use of oxygen tanks to supplement the thin air. I think that the thin air went to the Rangers fans' heads, as they disputed the dominance of Boston sports teams. One guy told a young Boston fan that he was "only a sperm" the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup (1972). Another brought up "1986." Oh, that's a good one -- let's see, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl for the first time, the Celtics won the NBA championship for the 16th time, and the Red Sox were in the World Series. Yes, I guess that was a really crappy year. Another one brought up the Mets -- yes, the same Mets whose collapse at the end of the most recent season rivaled that of the 1978 Red Sox.
What is it about the hockey jersey that causes the wearer to believe that he is actually the person whose name is sewn onto the back, that he himself is in competition with the opposing team, that the hits and fights on the ice represent a call to him to intimidate, put down, hit and fight? I guess it must be the requisite alcohol that is downed upon donning the sacred garment. Or the nasty nature of tribalism -- if not for the abundance of resources and wealth in this country, would New Yorkers, Bostonians, and Philadelphians be slaughtering each other like Hutu, Tutsis, Serbs or Croats? This sub-species of human, the hockey fan (or is it just the overly trimmed young male?), ridicules his "opponent" at the faintest sign of softness, always projecting a tough, edgy, cynical image. I pity their girlfriends, doomed to breakup/divorce if they're lucky, or to a life of wondering why the fuck they don't leave this asshole. Seemingly self-confident, these guys prove the old adage that certitude does not equal certainty. Ugly Americans indeed.
The game itself was entertaining, ending up in a shootout with the Bruins winning (Update: the Bruins won the rematch today at MSG South). I think I'd rather stick to baseball from now on, and just watch the Bruins on TV. The fans at Fenway are no Sunday school teachers, but compared to a hockey game, it is better for the kids.
They also corrected long-time Garden singer René Rancourt, who forgot the lyrics to the national anthem, chiming in with, "Let's go Rangers (clap, clap, clap-clap-clap)." They helped Bruins fans survive the oh-so-boring and meaningless celebration of the 50th anniversary of Bruin Willie O'Ree breaking the NHL color barrier, serenading us with more entertaining Rangers chants. Unfortunately, some of the fans were overcome by excitement, and had to be assisted out of the arena.
We had seats in the very last row of the house, requiring the occasional use of oxygen tanks to supplement the thin air. I think that the thin air went to the Rangers fans' heads, as they disputed the dominance of Boston sports teams. One guy told a young Boston fan that he was "only a sperm" the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup (1972). Another brought up "1986." Oh, that's a good one -- let's see, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl for the first time, the Celtics won the NBA championship for the 16th time, and the Red Sox were in the World Series. Yes, I guess that was a really crappy year. Another one brought up the Mets -- yes, the same Mets whose collapse at the end of the most recent season rivaled that of the 1978 Red Sox.
What is it about the hockey jersey that causes the wearer to believe that he is actually the person whose name is sewn onto the back, that he himself is in competition with the opposing team, that the hits and fights on the ice represent a call to him to intimidate, put down, hit and fight? I guess it must be the requisite alcohol that is downed upon donning the sacred garment. Or the nasty nature of tribalism -- if not for the abundance of resources and wealth in this country, would New Yorkers, Bostonians, and Philadelphians be slaughtering each other like Hutu, Tutsis, Serbs or Croats? This sub-species of human, the hockey fan (or is it just the overly trimmed young male?), ridicules his "opponent" at the faintest sign of softness, always projecting a tough, edgy, cynical image. I pity their girlfriends, doomed to breakup/divorce if they're lucky, or to a life of wondering why the fuck they don't leave this asshole. Seemingly self-confident, these guys prove the old adage that certitude does not equal certainty. Ugly Americans indeed.
The game itself was entertaining, ending up in a shootout with the Bruins winning (Update: the Bruins won the rematch today at MSG South). I think I'd rather stick to baseball from now on, and just watch the Bruins on TV. The fans at Fenway are no Sunday school teachers, but compared to a hockey game, it is better for the kids.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Poker update
It has been a while since I posted, but that's OK, because I have very few readers clamoring for content. I've been playing in the Blogger Skill Series and other poker blogger tournaments lately, and kind of avoiding the cash games, partly out of necessity, and partly because my Full Tilt bonus expired in December. I put a small deposit in Poker Stars, so I have a bonus that I'm working on there. I thought it never expired, but apparently it does, so I will have to get back to the cash games on Stars. Which are very good for me so far this year. In just 3 hours of play, I'm up 278 BB -- them's cheatin' stats!
In the tourneys, I've won one - the Blogger Donkament on Friday nights, and tonight came in second in the Riverchasers Online Poker Tour. Tonight, I busted out BamBamCan, among others, turning the nut flush, and avoiding the board pairing on the river to suck out on his flopped set. His wife is Pebbles, of course, and I'm the Bad Puppy. Babykins is a good baby when he's sleeping (or on the rail). In the Skill Series, I haven't done as well, busting out early in the PLO tourney last week, and surviving into the top half in Razz this week. Well, like I said before, I could only improve from where I started. The two cashes leave me in positive territory on tournaments for the year, which is not easy to sustain.
I'm heading out to California in a couple of weeks, and I may try to get in one session at the Bay 101. If not, I will be out in Vegas at the end of March/beginning of April.
I've had to work the last two nights, interrupted only by sleep, and today, a company party. It was at the MIT Museum, which was pretty cool. It was open bar, so of course I drank only water because the wife and dino nuggets were skiing at the time of the party. At least that left me sober enough to work and play poker at the same time. I also won a $50 gift check door prize, so I'm on a roll -- that's going straight to the bankroll.
In the tourneys, I've won one - the Blogger Donkament on Friday nights, and tonight came in second in the Riverchasers Online Poker Tour. Tonight, I busted out BamBamCan, among others, turning the nut flush, and avoiding the board pairing on the river to suck out on his flopped set. His wife is Pebbles, of course, and I'm the Bad Puppy. Babykins is a good baby when he's sleeping (or on the rail). In the Skill Series, I haven't done as well, busting out early in the PLO tourney last week, and surviving into the top half in Razz this week. Well, like I said before, I could only improve from where I started. The two cashes leave me in positive territory on tournaments for the year, which is not easy to sustain.
I'm heading out to California in a couple of weeks, and I may try to get in one session at the Bay 101. If not, I will be out in Vegas at the end of March/beginning of April.
I've had to work the last two nights, interrupted only by sleep, and today, a company party. It was at the MIT Museum, which was pretty cool. It was open bar, so of course I drank only water because the wife and dino nuggets were skiing at the time of the party. At least that left me sober enough to work and play poker at the same time. I also won a $50 gift check door prize, so I'm on a roll -- that's going straight to the bankroll.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The last shall be first
Well, maybe not first, but I hope higher than last, which is where I am currently. I busted out first in the first Blogger Skill tournament of the year. I used to know how to play 7-card stud, but not any more. Well, maybe I never knew how. Anyway, if I retire now, I'm guaranteed to finish in last place for the year, so I have to play every week, at least until I draw, er ..., claw my way out of the cellar. Next week, the game is Pot-limit Omaha, about which I will make this prediction: watch this! When playing HORSE-like events and giving demo, never make a substantive prediction. I think there is supposed to be a leader board of some sort, but it wasn't working when I checked yesterday.
I returned from a sleep-, gift-, and relative-filled week of delicious time off to an 8:30 am dentist appointment. Apparently, I haven't been brushing or flossing well enough, because it hurt like it used to, and the dentist was scolding me more vigorously than his norm. Then it was in to work, where I made it through another "strategic planning" season without being riffed. I think I will make it through the next one as well, but the 2009 strategic plan may well call for my head (as did the 2005 one, by the way, but somehow I scrabbled around, and managed to cling like a burr to another project, buying myself a year and a half, until another project jammed its sweater onto me, ripping me from my carrier/savior.)
I checked my "PTO" balance and usage. I have 154 hours of PTO built up, and will receive another 200+ hours this year. In each of the last two years, I only used 120 hours. I also cashed out 120 hours' worth last year, to help out with our cash flow during moving, renovations, and (gulp) selling. Let's see, I've got the kids' school vacation weeks blocked out; that's 80 hours. I've got a couple of days in April for a Vegas Baby trip; that makes 96 hours. A few days next Christmas, which makes 120 hours. That leaves 254+ hours. That means I can leave 5 hours early every Friday all year! I'm making it my only resolution to end the year having used my 5 weeks worth of time off, and without taking the money this time. If I accomplish that, I will go into 2009 with about 4 weeks built up, and saving for a winter 2009-2010 sabbatical. Maybe I will take the last week of December 2009, all of January 2010, and the first three weeks of February off. We'll see if that works out. That could be some nice skiing, maybe some time in Vegas, maybe a trip to a warm place. All financed by my poker winnings, of course (hah!)
I returned from a sleep-, gift-, and relative-filled week of delicious time off to an 8:30 am dentist appointment. Apparently, I haven't been brushing or flossing well enough, because it hurt like it used to, and the dentist was scolding me more vigorously than his norm. Then it was in to work, where I made it through another "strategic planning" season without being riffed. I think I will make it through the next one as well, but the 2009 strategic plan may well call for my head (as did the 2005 one, by the way, but somehow I scrabbled around, and managed to cling like a burr to another project, buying myself a year and a half, until another project jammed its sweater onto me, ripping me from my carrier/savior.)
I checked my "PTO" balance and usage. I have 154 hours of PTO built up, and will receive another 200+ hours this year. In each of the last two years, I only used 120 hours. I also cashed out 120 hours' worth last year, to help out with our cash flow during moving, renovations, and (gulp) selling. Let's see, I've got the kids' school vacation weeks blocked out; that's 80 hours. I've got a couple of days in April for a Vegas Baby trip; that makes 96 hours. A few days next Christmas, which makes 120 hours. That leaves 254+ hours. That means I can leave 5 hours early every Friday all year! I'm making it my only resolution to end the year having used my 5 weeks worth of time off, and without taking the money this time. If I accomplish that, I will go into 2009 with about 4 weeks built up, and saving for a winter 2009-2010 sabbatical. Maybe I will take the last week of December 2009, all of January 2010, and the first three weeks of February off. We'll see if that works out. That could be some nice skiing, maybe some time in Vegas, maybe a trip to a warm place. All financed by my poker winnings, of course (hah!)
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