Tuesday, August 30, 2005

The 'Treble' is completed .

So how did my weekend go on the poker front .... not so great really.

Firstly I withdrew from Neteller some money from on-line winnings to give a few live tourneys a crack. I truly believe in good bankroll manegement and don't dip in to other funds.

Starting with Wednesday night, at a local pub game that was paying about €900 for first prize, was down to the last 12 and a healthy stack cruise onto last table if I want to, dealt KK.
UTG, about same size stack as me, raised 5BB, folded around to me, and I put him all-in, I was quite sure he would fold, as any time my cards were shown all night, I had the goods. But nope he called with 99, which I thought was a terrible call, but of course he made a 9 high straight (wtf!). If it was in a casino I would have won the hand as when the first card on the flop came as a King, he threw his cards into the middle face down, only when he saw the other two helping cards, did he pick them up again, if it happened in a casino a dealer would have mopped up the cards. I didn't make a big deal of it, and accepted the beat, but looking back I was a fool, and should have got a ruling, especially as I was well in the hunt for the dosh. Played very well, and got yet another terrible beat, surely I can't keep getting these hammer blows?

Next up to Drogheda on the Thursday night to Shortstack tourney which was a disaster for me. I went up with the buy in and 3 re-buys and I used them all :(
Was behind once when I stuck my chips in with TPTK against a set of 9's, which was my first move of the night, but after that was out drawn on each occassion.
It's a good tourney but you must acculumulate chips quickly as you start with 1000, and blinds are 25/50 to start with, so the pressure is on if you get involved in any pot you don't win initially. Eventually out when I had 88 on button, shortstacked, and moved against UTG raiser who i hoped would fold, as after giving him a good studying, I knew he didn't want a caller. Anyways he called me with A 10, which again is a very dubious raising hand UTG, and he hit a 10 on the turn so that was that. Disappointed with myself, but simply no cards. Next Time !

Friday night there was a €40 freezeout in The Anglers Rest which was a great tourney, well structured, nice crowd and a good standard. Again absolutley terrible cards, and lasted alot longer than I should have considering, and from the 56 starters made it to the last 15. Top 10 was paid, all be it top 5 was where the real money was, so I was not going to get anywhere with my poor stack unless I made some rapid progress, so with a raiser and 2 callers, I went all in with 89 suited, thinking alot of overcards were in play, and this was a chance to at least treble up.... I nearly pulled it of, as 89 fell on the flop, but the preflop raiser with QQ caught a Q on the river. Joe O'Neill won it. Happy with play, just no cards again. Sigh

Saturday went on the beer with a buddy of mine in the city and watched the Tyrone/Dublin game, back out to Clonsilla to the local and spent the night there trying to talk sense which was getting difficult at that stage. Met a nice Czech fellah that night who was out for a few pints, so hope to see him again around the place, even though Myself and Michael didn't make much sense at that stage to each other, never mind the language barrier we had with yerman.

Sunday, I had €60 credit at the Merrion from a freeroll win, so used it in a €15 tourney, was sitting at same table as a RTE broadcaster who was a very nice bloke. Man this was a loose game of cards, and again, I'm low stacked to medium stacked all night, and I'm thinking to myself I need to re-access my live play. How come I make very regular money on-line, but not off-line?
Main answer is I suppose, I'm only starting off-line and need to get more experience, and a decent run of cards to see if things even themselves out. Again I go out with about 18 left from 60 starters or so, with QK, and made a similar value move in an attempt to win a big pot. No good, no help so home again James!

So still nothing doing, I think about it on the way home, I think about it the next day, and I think I'm just playing too tight. I can play tighter on line because you get alot more hands in for the blind levels. In live play you might only get one orbit per blind level, and if I'm not prepared to mix it, then I'll get blinded out.

So, decided to go to the Mayfair freeroll. Mayfair is very nice, great dealers, and the highest standard of freeroll players I've seen. 37 starters. Had decided I was going to play alot more hands straight from the off, and played more like a cash game player and sure enough the chips starting coming my way with some aggressive play. Anyways long story short, got some luck with 1/3 of my chips on the way when I hit a 10 high straight against KK, but made the final table as one of 4 big stacks against 4 very short stacks.

4 tickets on offer, you would think the 4 big stacks would play together against the short stacks ....not on your nelly.

I get dealt AK, I have two big stacks to my left, and the short stacks are at the other end, I raise 4BB and two of the shorties go all in, I take them both out, so just two more to go. Then all us big stacks get involved in the craic and really play agressively against each other including some all-in moves and the shorties are just praying we will take one of us out...it didn't happen in the end, so wrapped up a ticket for myself to their monthly big tournament.
The final table is a beatiful table at the Mayfair as well, some piece of furniture.

Really enjoyed the evening, and enjoyed playing more hands post flop, which I know I can do, so that is new approach for a while anyway and we'll see where it leads.

The Mayfair win completes the 'treble' on the Dublin Casino's freerolls in the last 2 months or so (first time there as well) ... time to start cashing out now !!

Sherwin arrived back this morning from New York so that'll put a halt to my live poker gallop for a while, but now with renewed optimism, I'm ready to play winning live poker now .... need to fill up Neteller first though !

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Young (ish), Free (ish) and Single (ish) for the weekend !

Chugger Golf Cart Roulette

So my lovely darling wife has gone to see her brother in New York, she did however remember to bring the Credit Card with her.

I wonder what I will do for the weekend ?

Poker

First stop is Shortstacks €25 Tourney in Drogheda anyway...... report to follow soon (ish)




Monday, August 22, 2005

I hate "Namby Pamby's"

After watching the Gladiators of Galway and Kilkenny sweat blood, sweat and tears in honour of their county jersey, and put on a sporting spectacle of immense proportions, by flicking the channel and seeing Chelsea V Arsenal on TV, it makes you realise just how lucky we are to have the GAA in this country.

As I am getting older, I'm getting more and more into the GAA, and less and less into Soccer.

Why?

Amongst many things (including Nottingham Forest playing in the never never league), I think the main reason is I hate Namby Pamby's. I hate Pires rolling around clutching his shoelaces after triping on a blade of grass. I hate Rio Ferdinand stalling over a £120,000 a week wage deal. I hate Lee Bowyer walking free away from court after nearly killing an Asian Kid. I hate Sven Boring Erikson, who hasn't a clue what he's at.

I love seeing players giving 100% for their supporters, in return these players get idolised, the sport is cherished and passed on to the next generation, people are happy to pay their money to watch them, and life for all of us is enhanced.

I haven't spoke much about Forest on my blog so far, despite being a fan all my life.
My brother is a season ticket holder, and been born in Nottingham, I still travel over 3 or 4 times a year for matches.

Nottingham Forest are a bunch of overpaid footballers who badly need a weeks training with Ger Loughnane or John Maughan. At the moment, Forest players make me sick.

In fact a trip to Croke Park in Dublin would be very beneficial.
Let those overpaid, self egotistical, soft Namby Pamby's see what it is like when 15 amateur sportsmen meet 15 amateur sportsmen with pride and passion, and play to 100% of their capabilities every single time they pull on their beloved jersey.
Let Nottingham Forest players see how 85,000 people are on the edge of their seats roaring on their team as if life itself depended on it. Let them see 2 fellahs collide at full force, eyes only for the ball, and then get back up again. Let them see there is no such thing as a magic sponge. If you are hurt, you are hurt.... If you not hurt, you get back up again and go.

Soccer is now rotten, it is plastic, it means nothing.
At least the Irish Lads make it bearable, we will not allow our Irish team to give anything other than 100%.

Yes Indeed, we are lucky to have the GAA in Ireland, at least I can look forward (please god) to another 40 years of this fantastic sport.

Yes Indeed, I hate Namby Pamby's.

Friday, August 19, 2005

Sums up the week.

So after drowning my sorrows all week, I decided to try and keep occupied until the weekend, where I think I will sleep as long as I can.

So, I went to the Merrion for a game of poker, with the determination to do well. Determined to try and harness some pent up energy and emotions and channel them poistively.....sounds so stupid I know, if I was a boxer it would make sense, but I'm not.
Played some great poker I thought, some good folds, and some very well timed agression, and we were down to the last 10 from a field os about 80 I'd say..... Only one more to go to get onto the final table.... I was looking good.

Of the 10 left in the room, I am 2nd in chips, marginally behind a young lad immediately on my right. I had been impressed by this guys reads of players throughout the evening, and had the opportunity to use this observation to my advantage.

Under the Gun (1st to act for non poker buffs) I get dealt the infamous AA. A call from me would look very unusual so I raised 3 times the blind, and it was folded around to the lad on the Big Blind on my right, who I had already sensed had also picked up a nice hand.

As I said before, I had been impressed by his read of people, and he was giving me quite a studying, deciding whether to fold or re-raise me all in I guess. So, I actually fed him a bit of a 'false tell' which he fell for, and he came over the top all-in. I was delighted as I really felt I had induced a mistake out of him.

He has AQ, so I'll leave the poker mathematicians to work it out, but I must be at least a 6/1 favourite, with him being dominated. However it wouldn't be the first time AA was cracked, so I braced myself for the flop.

Over it game, a beautiful rainbow 9 3 9 .... any flush or straight possibilities are gone ... I'm looking being massive chip leader on the final table, only runner runner 2 Queens can help this guy now ..... again I'll leave the mathematicians to work it out.
The guy to my left said he folded a queen then, so this guy needs the only 2 queens left in the pack to come out now on the turn and river............and they did.

Unbelievable, all I can do is shrug, and leave my chair. Unbelievable. It just sums up my week, kicked in the balls again.

However, by the time I had left the room, I was over it......... After what has happened this week, it's not important, not one little bit, and you know what, I think that this realisation will help my poker game......not that that is very important either, but you only live once, and I enjoy it.


Come on Forest, let's try and turn the corner.

Thursday, August 18, 2005

It puts it all in persepective.

Last Saturday night, one of my very best buddies was killed in a car crash. I miss him badly.
Rest in peace Bernard, my pal.

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Rant

OK, one last rant, while I'm waiting for my fucking website to be finished.

This has been on my mind a little over the last 3 months or so ........

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED TO NOTTINGHAM FOREST ?

Rant over :-)

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

The Wall?

Trying to keep an up to date blog going is hard work !

Mayo were useless again at the weekend against Cavan, hopefully not too long until Maughan is gone, and O'Mahony is in.

I post quite a bit on boards.ie, and find it a good place to keep up to date with what's happening around the Poker and GAA scene, it's a great place to spend your lunchtime munching a sandwich, or just browsing at night, whilst folding bad hands at poker.

One thing that is really pissing me off though, is the way fellahs that only took up the game a few months ago feel that somehow they are the 'chosen few' or something, that new players are somehow invading their space. They tend to be pretty short on 'newbie' questions that get asked on discussion forums, questions like "Did I play this right?" when their Aces get cracked by 67 off suits.
Sure some of the questions have been asked before, guaranteed they were asked by the fellahs slagging people off at the moment, but somehow after 18 months of playing poker, they now have gained enough stripes to become the poker police, and refuse to answer certain questions that don't meet up to their new found elite standards within the game.
These guys are assholes.

I then look at lads like HectorJelly, Nicky O'D and BigDragon ... none of them are actually the soft cuddly type, but they give their time and knowledge to others, and they get their point of view across in a (cough :)) straightforward manner.

I'm about 10 months playing now, and doing well, but I've hit a bit of a wall at the moment, not losing money, but not earning either. Bit like the golfer changing his swing, the more knowledge I am gaining, the more it is making my game feel to me more technical.

I guess I need to play through it. The concenus seems to be it is normal to go through such a phase.

Going to hit into The Fitz on Thursday, time to start producing a few results now, so first on the agenda is to win a ticket into the €270 game this month.

Reading Slanksky theory on poker at the moment, and then Harrington's 2nd book.

Work is going OK, though still waiting for the web designer to finish the bloody website www.magazines365.com. Anyone would think he was creating a nuclear missile the amount of time he is taking over it, it's getting embarrassing having to keep telling people it will be ready 'next week' (again).
Still, we have alot of the major UK and Irish publishers on board so things do look promising. Biggest hurdle to the success of the buisness is the postage costs involved for the subscriptions, but hopefully the digital magazines and newspapers will enable us to overcome that, and An Post should be getting some competition soon, and things should improve then...and who knows whats around the corner then.

Sherwin is gearing up for her trip to the USA at the end of the month, and shopping will be a plenty, so time for me to try and make a few quid this month.

Brothers Neil and Chris & Family was home for the bank holiday weekend from the UK, so it was nice to catch up over a few pints. With Forest playing in the never never league, it will be hard to pick a couple of 'must see' matches next season, but I guess I will go over for a couple of games ...depressing thought really.

Getting involved in a little business on the side ...more about that next time hopefully.