The Game of Poker and Life

Welcome Back!!!

2010-06-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been over one year and three months since I last wrote here on my poker blog. Why have I returned? Because my love and excitement for poker has been rekindled!

How? A friend loaned me Annie Duke's book, and I devoured it. She was honest and open in her book and I learned about Omaha Hi/Lo. So....new knowledge in hand, I went to my free Pokerstars.net account, played some free money hands....then registered for an Omaha Hi tournament. 638 players.....and top 99 get play chip prizes....when I broke 99, I was thrilled. When I broke 18, I was stunned! When I made final table, I was exuberant! And when I came in 6th, I was both exhausted and rejuvenated!!!

Here is a game that is going to improve my NL Hold'em game....and I must have some kind of natural affinity for Omaha too!!

I did go out and buy some new poker books so that I can get back into studying my craft...and improving my game and knowledge of the game.

keep posted!! Got some exciting poker happenings coming up!!!

My Update

2009-03-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still hosting tournaments, and I am still working in poker----but now I am the Director of Operations for the entire league, and well, I am enjoying the process of revamping the company, hiring new hosts and adding some new features.

Like if you play with TFPL on your birthday, you get 10K extra in starting chips for the session of your choice. We have had many players choose to celebrate their birthday with their poker playing buddies!

I have had the great fortune to hire some great new hosts---their energy is high, they are passionate about poker, and they are genuinely nice people! One of our newest "candidates" is also going to be one of our youngest hosts---but I can hardly resist his persistence and drive and enthusiasm. We'll see how it goes. I am going to give him his first trial run next Monday, while I play. Then we'll go from there. I've got high hopes for him, and I am impressed with his maturity and work ethic. Being around him is like a gust of fresh air! He jokes that he is going to take over my position......and I think that's great that he has that much self-confidence.

Won't happen.....but its good for people to have dreams. LOL!!!

New updates!

2009-03-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in so long....and i miss it. Of course because SXSW is here again, it makes me think about blogging, and all things online. Unfortunately I'm unable to attend this year.....because I am saving my bucks for my first week long poker cruise!

We are leaving from Galveston, and sailing to Cozumel, Grand Cayman (one of my favorite islands in the world) and Jamaica! And as long as the ship isn't in dock, there will be live poker!!!! Tournaments and cash games....around the clock.

The cruise is with Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher www.cardplayercruises.com

I will be updating as we go!

Local Austinite Places At WSOP!

2008-07-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

Charles Woods, from Lakeway, and a TFPL player entered the Seniors WSOP and surprised everyone by making the final table and coming in 6th! His efforts won him $84K+

Who says WSOP dreams can't come true???!!!!!

From a Joker to a King

2008-03-30T09:57:00.000-07:00

Talk about transformation. There is a guy in our league, that has always had a care less attitude about how he played. He was there to have a good time, and socialize. And he was great at it. Everyone loves him--even if the way he played threw people off of their game. He might make the points once in a great while--but his final table appearances were far and few between.

But something has changed....about a month ago, he went to Biloxi with his dad and played "real" poker. He had a great time, and learned that he actually could play, rather than just horse around at the table. Of course, it helped that he won money.

When he got back from his trip, he started playing the game more seriously, and because the people in the league are used to the fun loving, goofy guy--he gets called all the time. Needless to say, his standings have increased quite a bit...and his final table appearances have almost been 80-90% of the times that he plays.

Last Thursday night, he had his very first win! He was ecstactic even on Friday. In two years of playing the league, he has not every come in first place. I joked with him that he was a walk-in, and I wanted the real TI back, or I was gonna go to Biloxi and look for him.

Then Sunday, he played an earlier session at another bar...and he again won first place! And then he came to my bar....got down to $1700, turned it into $30,000, and ended up winning again! Three sessions within one weekend is kind of a rarity in our league--especially at three different bars. He won over $150 for his free poker playing.

This past week, he didn't do as well....and then Thursday night, he won yet again! 4 wins in one week.

I don't know what to make of it, and his winning so much is making me re-evaluate the way that I play (which is too tight)--but I am consistent. I just haven't won a tournament in a while. His wins are also making me question how much luck is really involved in poker. Is it luck that he has won 4 sessions, or has his poker game really improved so much? I guess time will tell.

I've been working and playing this league for over two years, and I don't believe that I know anyone that has won 4 times in one week.

I am very proud of him, and it is giving me great pleasure to watch his transformation, and confidence in his game grow.

Lol---maybe it was the trip to Biloxi, or maybe it was Phil Ivey's autograph, or maybe it's the corner seat, or maybe it's just his time to ride a wave of great cards, and good decision making.

We'll see!

Once In A Lifetime....and Being A Part of WPT History

2008-03-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine, DP had the wonderful opportunity to play in the WPT Celebrity Invititational at the Commerce Casino this past weekend. Here's the link to the tournament.

There were 430 plus people in the tournament, and my friend made it to the second day. She was happy to have made it that far. The second day began with 13 tables, and their were more poker pros than celebrities left playing. Hoyt, Phil Laak, The Dragon, The Master, Linda Johnson, Jan Fischer, Kenna James, Jennifer Tilly and other players whose faces I recognize but can't recall their names at this moment, were also there on the second day.

The action was fast and furious enough, that by the time I left for dinner, they were down to 6 tables. And DP had been on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Just prior to my leaving, she had almost quadrupled her stack. I hated leaving, but I had already made dinner plans with Amanda. I asked DP to text me if she got out.

Unfortunately during dinner, the flu hit me head on, and I could barely hold my head up by the end of dinner. So after much internal dialogue on how terrible a friend I am, I went to bed....and woke up to a text that she had gone out at 7th.

I was thrilled for her....but I also knew that she was going to be upset, because the final table always films with 6! That means she was the bubble!
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I call her on Monday, the day of the taping to see how she is doing. And the whole story is that she actually went out at the same time as another woman, Beverly.....therefore the final table was going to be starting with 5. She was still going to go to the taping, since they wanted to interview her.

She wasn't doing too well emotionally, and there was nothing that I could say that would help her feel better.
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As they start the taping, Mike Sexton and Vince Van Patten announce that "for the first time in WPT history, the final table is beginning with 5 players." I had no idea that this had never happened before, and neither did DP.

In her interview, the girl asked her how did it feel to make WPT history....and I was proud of DP's answer---nothing could have prepared me to answer that one if it had been me---especially with the wound so fresh.
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I've had almost a week to think about the opportunity DP had to play, and how well she did, and the result, and the questions that she is going to be asking herself for a very long time. I feel for her in many ways. I'm so happy and proud of her for doing so well........and I'm sad for her that she is going to be questioning her decisions and being on the cusp of sitting at the final table.

I know she'll make another final table....she is too good a player....and now she should know that she can hold her own in a field of professionals.
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And of course, a woman won the tourmanent....for the first time!!!!!!!!

The Bicycle Home Game

2008-03-02T01:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday really sucked! I lost more money in one day than I have in all three years of poker playing combined. I'm not even gonna tell you how much it was. Needless to say...when I finally crawled into bed at 4am...I was pissed and exhausted...and well, feeling like a BIG loooooooooser!
The table we had last night was great! There were four guys there that play a home game, so we all joked that this table was their home game. Luis, Oscar, Carlos and Willie.....I'll describe each of them individually later.

Jerry Buss and some pro that I can never remember were playing a high stakes game in the back corner.

LOL! I am finally back online....after a miserable poker holiday, and coming down with the flu. I am totally blaming the homegame guys! And too funny...two of you commented before I could provide everyone with your details. I'll just let you know that I will be back for my cash!

I really didn't want to go back and play, but my friend, Amanda really wanted to play poker. So I said that I would go back for ONE more $40 round...and that was going to be it! She assured me that my run of earlier bad luck would change, and that it was an anomaly (which I also I believed).

So I don't like getting seated at a table that has already been playing when there is big money on the table, especially when I can only buy-in for $40. We were lucky enough to get seated at a brand new table. I chose to sit across from the dealer. Luis (I didn't know his name at that point) sat in seat one, and with his sunglasses, and very cool poker chip trick looked intimidating, and my first impression was that he was going to be a bully and pusher at the table. A friend of his, Oscar sat in seat three, Amanda was in 4, I was in 5, and two guys that didn't know how to play sat in seat 6 and 7. And random people came and went in seat 8 & 9. Luis kept getting phonecalls, and telling his friends to come sit with us. Pretty soon, there were 4 of them, and well, the thought did cross both Amanda's and my mind that we were getting set up.

What broke the ice at the table was that I got pocket aces and went all-in, up to that point, I hadn't won a single hand, so it's understandable that Carlos, Willie and Luis would call. However, I also hadn't raised unless I had something, and well....I only had about $12.00, so it should have been a great quadruple up. I was confident that I was gonna win the hand....and by the river, there was just Willie and I. Willie shows 6-2 offsuit, and he won!!!!!!!! On the river, he got two pairs, and I was out of the game! I sat there stunned for about 15 minutes, and Willie kept apologizing. Then Carlos was talking to Luis and called him a tightass...and I turned to him and said,"I can't believe that you are calling me a tightass." He looked at me in shock, then Luis said no, he was talking about me....and then I started laughing and the ice was broken.

They kept wanting me to buy back in...and I really didn't want to lose anymore money that day. Luis bought me a cranberry and Jager---which I liked.

I think our potential jackpot was spoiled by Carlos raising pre-flop, and I had pocket fours. Carlos had bet way too much for me to call. Too bad, on the flop, I would have had quads, and he would have had two pair....and our dealer Pam, had dealt two jackpots the week before. I kept reminding Carlos, that he was responsible for our not getting the jackpot.

I think this is what makes our trips enjoyable....is meeting the very fun and friendly local poker players. Because of my memory for faces, I saw many people that we played with a year ago, and playing at the Bike felt like I was home again.

Amanda and I thoroughly enjoyed their company, and Luis---next time we are in town, be sure to send us the email, so we can be invited to your home game!

I hate this game!

2008-02-29T20:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes!

I played at the Bike today. And it didn't matter what I played, or what I bet....someone called me and I lost. My AA, KK and JJ, and straights, and flushes were all counterfeited by some other winning hands. I took it as a sign that I really shouldn't play anymore poker. It's too easy w/$40 buy-ins to keep buying back in. So I am down $200 for the day right now.

The good news is that I played a $40 tournament, and there were 138 players total, and I went out at 40th. I was happy about that. I am supposed to play in a $100 women's tournament this Sunday. I hope I do well!

I did get quads during the tournament....and a guy at my table got a Royal Flush in the tournament.

I know that my cards are going to improve.

I do not know what is better: being card dead and patient, or getting great cards and losing with them, time and time again.

LA Poker Classic--Final Table

2008-02-29T20:18:00.000-08:00

Phil Hellmuth, Woody Moore, Quinn Do, Nam Le, Phil Ivey and Steven x. What do these people have in common? They were all seated at the final table at the Commerce Casino last night. When I found out that I was going to be able to watch Phil and Phil and Nam play poker, I was beside myself with excitement!

Thank goodness, I arrived at the first tape change, and was able to go get to my seat before Phil Helmuth went all-in. He was the first to go. He was jovial, and very pleasant with the audience and the other players--I didn't expect him to be so good-natured--given there was 1.9 million dollars on the line!

Several other pros were in attendance---I recognize their faces, but not their names. I'll have to look them up later.

I didn't know that Phil Ivey has made a WPT table 8 times, and had never won a WPT title before. He has placed 8 - 2, but never first. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to do it. He was unstoppable! He took Nam Le out with trip 3's, and Nam had gone all-in pre-flop with pocket aces. Ivey called with his pocket 3's. wowowow!

To say that the room went crazy when Phil won is an understatement. He was so focused and serious during the game. And even though he was the chip leader, he played very conservatively and didn't play many hands. He was definitely a great example of patience. Quin had interesting body postures when he was calling, raising and folding. I wonder if he realizes that he changes his body postures when he is playing?

My camera ran out of battery (damn it!) so I won't be posting many pictures of this event. But I will try to post what I can when I get home.

All In For Obama

2008-02-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

One of the players in my poker league heard about a poker fundraiser for Obama. They didn't have a place or experience with hosting a tournament, so I volunteered to run it for them. It was great fun! In one week, we were able to get enough prizes donated to ensure that everyone that played got a prize. We had 37 players and raised $1200. I'll post a picture of the T-shirt that I had made up for the event.

I haven't really followed any of the political activity going on this election year---but I knew that I wanted to do my little part in getting people educated about one of the candidates, and what he stands for.

I used to live in Virginia, and remember going to the Clinton/Gore inauguaral parade in D.C., and I remember the excitement and the energy of that weekend. The tournament had a similar buzz---just alot less people, of course!

off to Vegas!

2007-12-09T23:50:00.000-08:00

one last time for 2007. I just have to decide if I really want to go! Of course I want to go....am I going to go is the question!!!

I am supposed to go hangout during the Bellagio 5 Diamond Classic....should be interesting. Oh...I gotta find my camera too!

We'll see!

wowow! Another two months!

2007-12-09T23:47:00.000-08:00

I went to a cash game tonight.....and did not win a single hand or play a single hand in 3 hours. It was a $1/$2 game....and well, I lost $65 in blinds....nothing I folded even hit! I don't think I have ever had a poker game like this.....but patience is a virtue!

I was playing with all new people...except one....so at least they will remember me as an ultra-rock!

haha!

My First Royal Flush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-10-31T04:54:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I had my first Royal Flush ever.....and oh, how I wish I had been in a casino! Rather in a freeroll tournament!

I got KQ of Diamonds, and called for 800. The flop came A10Diamonds, and A of Spades. Two people minimum bet, 1 player went all in for something like 20K, and my chip stack was down to 4700. Well, I was bored and tired of the guys at the table that were going all-in on every other hand, and since I was 4 to a flush and 4 to a straight, I called. The other two players folded.

We flip our cards. The all-in player had flopped a boat--he had pocket 10's. The turn was a 10--he now had quads! Before they even put the river down, he was starting to take the money and of course everyone assumed he was going to be the winner.....and the river was, a Jack of Diamonds! So I yell, "I have a Royal Flush! and started clapping for myself. It was kind of cool, because a little bit of pandemonium broke out at Merkaba with people running over to see it---especially when they found out that quads had just lost!

It was the most fun that I had had in quite awhile, and I could only imagine all the money that I would have won if I had been in Vegas or at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles. I know that lightning will strike again, and I just hope that it happens at the right casino!

Card Dead in Vegas!

2007-09-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

First of all, the trip to Vegas was a wonderful 24 hour adventure. I left at 8am on Saturday morning, and came home on a 8am flight. How cool to know that it is possible to go for one day and have a blast!

Except that for about a week, I have been card dead, and I thought surely when I play a tournament in Vegas, my luck will change! Ha!

I was hopeful because earlier in the day, at the Bellagio, I put a $5.00 bill into a penny machine, and it turned into $125! I took it as a sign that the tide had turned, and that the poker gods were gonna smile on me! Ha!

So I buy into the $65 Luxor tournament, along with 4 other people I know. And I get seated right next to the person that I dont particularly care for. She is talking to me, asking me questions, and well, I'm giving one word answers because well, I'm trying to play a tournament! It's not a social hour!

To make matters worse, she is hitting every flop, and taking down practically every hand. Me--I am getting nothing but shit. Literally, every hand was a 6-2, 6-3, or 8-3. I got pocket 4's once and pre-flop raised, and someone raised my raise 4 times. Naturally I folded. So, slowly but surely, I was blinded out. 15 minute blinds, and we only started with $1200 in chips. I'm miserable.

The very last hand I played was when I was the BB, and I had 88---woohoo...I said the heck with it, I'm all in (which was only $600 more). Well, the woman I don't like calls me....and everyone else folds. Wouldn't you know it--she has AA! Sad to say, there was no suckout on the river for me!

I was pissed that it was her that took me out, but I was even more pissed that I didn't even get to play a single hand in the tournament--besides the one that knocked me out!

So, taking my cue from the Universe, I said no! to playing cash games.

Another slow month.....of posting that is

2007-09-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

I cant believe that yet another month has come and gone. My laptop has gotten permanently infected with some kind of virus, and despite galliant efforts of the geeks around me--I haven't been able to access the internet or use the laptop for anything else. So this weekend...I'm dumping the whole thing, and starting it over brand new...Like I had never taken it out of the box.

What does this have to do with poker? Nothing really, except that as a result of my laptop not booting up poker academy, I was gifted another poker clock...and I and the players like it significantly better than the previous one.

Poker Overload

2007-08-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

Is it possible?? I don't think so...not yet....despite the fact that I haven't written since July 15...I have been either working or playing poker every night of the week. I'm doing quite well some places...and not so good at other places.

I did play in my first cash game last night for the first time in almost 6 months....a home game that is....I am itching to go to LA again. I was going to go to Vegas for Labor Day, but decided against that. I feel like I need to spend my money on some other things like my pool before I go play poker.

I am going to go to Vegas in December....I already got my ticket....so that will give me something to look forward to.

So there is a friend of mine who has been making poker tables, unbeknownst to me, and they look awesome! He is making one for Third Base right now...so that we can use it for final tables....that is going to be so cool to have a "real" table for final tables. The name of his company is Suicidekingz. Check out his tables!

An Unprecedented First

2007-07-15T01:27:00.000-07:00

For the first time since I've been playing the 4 Aces, TFPL league....I got out before the blinds were raised to 200/400. Yup....that means that I actually went out in the first 12 minutes of the game. Wowzers! I still can't believe it! Nor could anyone else that has played with me.

I can guarantee....that ain't ever happening again!

2007-07-06T18:46:00.000-07:00

Can't title this for some reason! Blllllllllllleck!

Well, tonight I was going to go play poker...but the comfort of my couch and the boob tube was a little too alluring. Even though I only have Friday and Saturday night to play--I'm choosing to stay in. I actually made dinner for myself...something that doesn't happen too often anymore. Cooking for one just ain't as fun as cooking for two.

I'm back to running tournaments four days a week--and on Tuesday night, I had 90 people at the second session. Fortunately, all the players that show up seem to be pretty up on the specific league rules, and are good natured---so I don't usually have to make any Tournament Director rulings.

Last night though, some idiots decided that it was okay for them to drink from other people's pitchers of beer---so I had to make an announcement that that was absolutely rude behaviour and would not be tolerated.

Tonight, I read April's "This Is Not A Poker Blog", and she gave me some food for thought. She had named her blog appropriately and she didn't want her blog to be all about poker--but about herself. And that made me reflect upon my original inspirations for starting this blog. I had originally wanted this blog to be about my experiences at the poker tables, and the similarities to the game, and my life. Somewhere along the way, I started censoring what I wanted to write, and when things in my life started going downhill, I chose to go silent, and quit doing the one thing that seems to bring me joy anymore.

Don't get me wrong...I've got great friends, a good job and a home that I love---but I'm not fulfilled--except when I am around poker--whether I am playing or running a tournament. I'm just not sure where my passion for poker is going to take me. I wonder if I should start a serious blog about poker (inspired by Tao of Poker) 'cause maybe my readership and popularity would increase. Or maybe just by being myself, and being honest about my life, and the poker games is enough. I think it would be fantastic to blog live events, and travel the poker tournament circuit, and I know that I would definitely have to change my writing style.

So right now, I have a choice...leave the comfort of my home or go out at 10pm to play in a freeroll. I guess it's a easy choice...if I stay in tonight, then tomorrow I can play in 4 tournaments in one day--that will be good for building mental stamina. Maybe I'll play online instead.

Third Base and Poker

2007-06-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

I love this bar! And now, we are playing there three nights a week. The owners are fantastic, the food is incredible, and the atmosphere is awesome! We actually had close to 70 people play on both Tuesday and Thursday night---which is alot of people to have in a tournament. I'm hoping that there will be 100 this Tuesday night!

And the guys that are coming out to play.....HOT! One guy could be Ben Affleck's twin--and every time I see him, my heart drops to my stomach. There is a hispanic guy that is smoldering--he has long hair that he ties back, and he's tall....and his voice/accent is sexxxxxxxxxxxxxy. Yup, some of the other guys are kinda young....but, hot is hot....

I would have to say that I am pretty damn lucky to be able to work this tournament, and be able to see so many cute guys on a regular basis, and be able to get to know them under very safe circumstances.

One Chip Wonder

2007-06-30T12:01:00.001-07:00

So about three weeks ago, I started the final table with 10 players. I had one chip to my name. And as luck would have it, the dealer button went to the player on my left---which meant that I had 9 hands before I would have to play my one chip.

Unfortunately....since it was three weeks ago, I can't really remember how it all went down...or what happened....but needless to say, I did end up winning the tournament! I am still amazed at how the intersection of luck and good decision making can turn a whole game around.

It definitely is true---all you need is a chip and a chair!

Time Has Flown By!

2007-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize that I hadn't written since May 27! Wow! I've been sick for the past 2 weeks, so last night is the first night that I actually played poker---and I did quite well. I came in 8th in the first session, and I won the second session. I would have to say that I didn't really get stellar cards at the final table, but I did make good decisions on which hands to get involved in---and once it was heads-up, I felt my familiar nervousness that I always get, especially when I am playing against a player that has a reputation for being aggressive.

Since I am in general a passive person, and easily intimidated--in my daily life, I try to avoid contact with pushy, aggressive people. So, it is always a growth opportunity for me to play against someone that is pushy, loud and aggressive at the table.

For example, the league that I play in has a rule that says if someone acts out of turn, then the person that acted out of turn can only do what the person before them does. So last night, a guy that is a big bullshitter, acted out of turn and went all in. I told him he was out of turn, and bound by what the correct player chose to do. He was PISSED and started spouting off about the owner not knowing the rules, and making up his own...and I just sat there and let him vent. Of course, no one likes to hear people getting upset....there were still 9 of us at the table. So he got so riled up that he went all in blind on the next hand....and lost...and of course left the table mumbling under his breath.

So I felt kinda bad that because I had pointed out that rule to him, that he went kinda goofy--but I knew that if I let that get a hold of me, that I would start making bad decisions.

So last night, I also learned that playing better poker is also about better mind control, and not letting whatever external events are going on at the table interfere with my game, and my own intuitive compass.

Sometimes, You Just Gotta Walk Away

2007-05-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to a friends house for a BBQ and cash game. I sat there for over 2 hours and didn't get any cards worth playing, and only paid the blinds. Another game of no-limit fold'em for me. So I lost about 5 bucks just in blinds,(.25/.50). Then I got a flush right as I was about to leave...and ended up cashing out $7 up. What a loooooooooooong time to wait for one hand!

Then I went to Dallas Nite Club to play. The first session was okay--I ended up at the final table again, and went out at 6th again, I believe.

The second session was a total farce. The table I was seated at had a bunch of idiots at it. They were calling everything--regardless of how large a bet it was, and they were playing shit cards. I was getting more and more pissed. Especially because I was playing good cards, and getting sucked out on. Including when I had pocket Queens and raised pre-flop 7 times the BB. When I paired an Ace on the board--one of the idiots kept calling my raises...and got an 8 on the river for trips. Clearly he had no idea how to play....and I was so friggin pissed that I wanted to go punch the asshole and turn the table over. So I left the table and walked away....and then I didn't feel like talking to anyone after that---but I didn't want to leave the bar yet.

Now, I'm not really the kind of person that gets that angry...but I think it was probably the stress of the week (my dog passing away) and the run of bad cards that made me so frustrated and angry. Not to mention that the alcohol that I was drinking wasn't giving me that nice fuzzy feeling---maybe I was just programmed for anger last night.

Another friend of mine got sucked out on, also....and he was pissed too. So pissed that he walked away too. Maybe last night was the night for asses.

Finally! A Straight Flush!

2007-05-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

and like my friend, Lee...it was against quads, on Friday night.

I was the big blind and had 34 diamonds. The flop came 25diamonds and another 2. The guy on my left bet 1500, two other callers...plus me. The turn was another 2. I checked, and he bet 1500 again, we all called. The river was Ace of diamonds! The guy bet 1500 again, and the one other person called. I debated on how much to raise--cause I definitely wanted those two people to call me. I raised to 3000, and they both called right away. I delayed showing my hand, as the guy proudly announces, "I've got quad 2's." And I had the pleasure of annoucing,"I've got a straight flush!" I was sooooo happy! I did ask them later if I had gone all in, if they would have called....and they said they would have. That would have been awesome!

Needless to say, I came in 6th in that tournament....and in the second session, I came in 2nd!

I definitely enjoyed playing vs. running the tournament!

More Excitement Than A WPT Final Table!

2007-05-22T10:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday night, one of the players, Lee started the final table with literally one chip once I chipped up for the 10K/20K blind level. I told him, you can do it...you've come back from this before! He didn't seem to sure. There were still 8 of at the table. Well, I went out at 6th with pocket Aces--taken out by a new player that got two pair. That is when the fun began, and Lee began winning pots.

It got down to three players, Larry--big stack, David-next biggest stack, and Lee. Lee is a somewhat conservative player, and he chooses his hands carefully. David pushed Lee all-in, and after some deliberation, he decided to go call and go all-in. Lee flips over 67 diamonds, and David flips over pocket 3's. The flop comes 33diamonds 5diamonds. Wowow! Quads! Everyone assumes its over. Turn card--Ace. We all know it's over...and someone says something about a diamond...and Lee says well, only if it is a 4diamonds. River---4 diamonds for a straight flush!!!!! Incredible! Incredible! Incredible! It is soooo much fun when you can see quads beaten! We were all a little incredulous.....and of course, everyone was thrilled to see a really exciting hand played out. Larry did end up first, and Lee was second.

I've never had a straight flush, so I can only imagine what it feels like! Especially over quads! It was fun to see Lee reliving the hand last night, and telling people about it. I hope I get a straight flush soon.

Speaking of quads though, I've seen quads every night since last Tuesday...and there were 4 sets on Saturday night. What is up with that?????

Quads! Quads! Quads!

2007-05-20T01:33:00.000-07:00

I have never seen so many quads in one week! I didn't have them...other people did.

Tuesday night---2 sets in the same session. Aces and threes.
Thursday night-- 2 sets of quatds in the same session. And a straight flush.
Friday night-- 2 sets of quads.
Saturday-- 3 sets of quads.

That seems pretty incredible to me, to see so many quads! One person got them twice in the same night. That is crazy!

Axe! Maybe The Commercials Are True!

2007-05-19T10:26:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been noticing that many men smell the same----and that they all smell pretty damn good! So I started asking, "what are you wearing?" And turns out, most of them are using Axe---and well, I'm not ready to attack anyone that's wearing it(like in the commercials) but, I gotta say---I think the Axe people have figured the pheromone thing out.

That's all I'm gonna say about that!

So FYI, if you are a man and you aren't using Axe---as a woman, I am making a suggestion to you to give their products a try--you might be surprised at the result.

New Bars, New Players

2007-05-19T10:18:00.000-07:00

One of the bars that I am most excited about right now is Third Base on 6th and Mopac. Why?
Because the owners and managers have created a very high energy, customer service oriented bar--and we have our own separate area for poker.

And since Fado quit their Monday night poker, there really hasn't been a good substitute. Yes there are other bars downtown that have poker--but the bar and the game wasn't quite the same as it was at Fado's or Mother Egan's. I did call some of my friends to come out, in the hopes that they would find the poker as fun at Third Base, too.

Everyone that goes to Third Base loves it! And last night, a guy came to Dallas Night Club that I hadn't seen since Mother Egan's stopped having poker---and he was excited to know that he could play there also.

And as always, with the addition of new bar locations, there are always new players that join the league....and most of them are great!

Alright...I just looked at the time....and I'm going to go try to win $100!

Why Did I Take 5 Months Off?

2007-05-19T09:59:00.000-07:00

So I guess by now, most people know that I took about 5 months off of poker (as evidenced by my lack of writing), and from hosting poker tournaments also. Last night someone asked me why I would take 5 months off. And I said I just needed a break. Well, while the tournament was going on, I did have an opportunity to think about it. And I still don't have the full answer, but I'm sure it will come to me in time.

Up til December, I had been playing/working poker almost every night for about 8 months. And believe me, that could have continued because I ABSOFUCKINGLUTELY love NL poker! I love the game, I love to watch my skills improve, I enjoy the comraderie, and that every night was like a party night.

Then some stuff came up in my personal life that needed to be taken care of, and I didn't have the energy to play at night...and I also started to re-assess how I was spending my free time. Yes, it's important to have a hobby or a passion----but when it is all a person does---doesn't it take become more of an addiction? And the hours I was keeping weren't helping me to wake up at 6am for my day job either.

So I went cold turkey....and found that I wasn't really missing being out every night. I missed the people...but other than that, I was okay not playing. Eventually though, I started playing online, and from there, I went to LA for the WPT filming adventure....and had my 19 hour NL marathon (which I never did fully write about)---and well...I had such a blast, that I was ready to play again. When I got home, I started with the cash games again, and in April started to host again.

I'm back to hosting 4 nights a week, for now, and playing the other 3 nights. I'm not sure how I am feeling about being out 7 nights a week, 'cause I am never home--but I am beginning to enjoy being around people again (I also went into hibernation/seclusion for those 5 months), and as long as I don't go into overwhelm with the noise, and rude players, then I will continue to have fun this way.

Poker, Poker and more Poker

2007-05-13T12:40:00.000-07:00

I went from absolutely no poker to being around poker almost every night now! I started running tournaments again, and when I'm not running the tournaments, I am playing....I'm back up to 6 nights a week. It's crazy!

The most exciting thing to me, is the new bar, Third Base on 6th/Mopac. I think it is going to be a great replacement for Fado. I hope everyone that used to play at Fado will find out about the game....and show up! That will be really awesome! The bar is bright, clean....and has great energy....

I'll be posting more.....and I gotta find a real tournament to go play in soon.....or go back to LA!

Another Long Month of Pokering!

2007-04-17T22:00:00.000-07:00

and I have lost! lost! lost!

mostly at cash games though. And its always on the river.

I'll be back with more updates on my poker escapades....and we'll see what happens! I think I am back on the poker circuit!

Cash Game

2007-03-24T12:01:00.000-07:00

I finally played a cash game again last night. It was a nice, relaxing, friendly .25/.50 game--with the exception of one of the guys that claims to be a strictly by the book kinda guy (he can throw around odds and outs like Rainman), and he gets upset when other people are in the hand and they don't play his way. He kept making comments about one of the women playing, who is relatively new to the game, but whose boyfriend has been playing with us for years. I felt bad for the boyfriend--but I guess he could have defended his girlfriend. I just try to block all his ranting out.

I did pretty good, I only played about 4 hands, and won $20. Until...the very last hand. One of the guys went all in blind, and everyone folded. I looked at my cards and had AQclubs. I thought about it for a second, and decided to gamble, so I went all in also! He still hadn't looked at his cards, so we didn't flip our cards over til the river was dealt. Son of a gun! He flips his cards over and on the river, he paired his 4--therefore, he took my $40!

I'm still not sure if that was a wise gamble or not. We were playing .50 blinds, so to win $20 is pretty good....but with the cards that I had, I was thinking I had a good shot at winning.

Oh, well.....that is why it's called gambling!

A Woman Makes Poker History!

2007-03-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

Congralutation to JJ Liu for becoming the first woman to ever reach 2nd place at a World Poker Tour buy-in event!

I can't wait to see this episode! She was heads-up with Ted Forrest. The complete hand replay can be found at the World Poker Tour site.

Having been fortunate enough to see her play live last August in Los Angeles, and to have dinner afterwards, I am very excited for her! This photo is taken after she wins the Ladies of The Night WPT event. She is an excellent poker who plays with grace, humor and a sense of calm determination. How can anyone not love watching her play???

Woooooohooooo! If It's True!

2007-03-18T14:22:00.000-07:00

It looks like the politicians in Texas may not be as crazy as in some other parts of the USA. This bill to legalize poker in Texan bars is gaining support in the lone star state.State Rep. Jose Menendez from San Antonio has introduced a bill that would regulate poker and allow up to four poker tables in certain bars or establishments.“This legislation could raise over a billion dollars over the next biennium for state coffers while bringing the game out of legal limbo and into the light,” said Mike Lavigne, treasurer of the Texas Poker PAC.“Texas would finally be able to benefit from rise of Texas Hold’em”

Charity poker tournaments would also be legal. Supporters say it would raise moneys for state programs.

“Charitable poker means more Texans win,” said Lavigne. “Texas charities are losing out on millions of dollars due to the antiquated laws governing the game.”Despite recent federal attempts to eliminate online poker, the game continues to grow in popularity worldwide. As poker related television programming continues to spread in popularity, so do the many new tournaments that attract tourists and visitors. States like California and Connecticut have long been reaping the benefits of the poker boom.

Highlights of the bill:

4 live and/or electronic, raked tables allowed in each establishment that meets requirements
Lottery Commission decides how many tables are allowed in each racetrack
Charitable poker enabled
Mandatory dealer training and licensing (inexpensive)
Licensing for distributors of commercial poker equipment
Money raised will be dedicated to necessary state services
Criminal penalties for dishonest operators
Raises over a billion dollars for state services

Los Angeles Cast of Characters

2007-03-18T14:10:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...I'm running behind....so...in case James, Anthony and Mike read this, I just want to let you know that I haven't forgotten...and I certainly plan on writing little blurbs about you, and our table experience.

Oh, I miss playing poker whenever I want! How I would have loved to have driven to a casino today!

A Metaphor For My Life

2007-03-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

is that I spend much of my time sleeping opportunities away!

For example, how many people do you know that have the opportunity to watch the entire WPT Celebrity Invitational, get up close to the celebrities, plan an entire trip around that one event---and then sleep through the whole damn thing?

Yes, I needed to sleep...but...I could have slept later. What an idiot I am!

But I did realize that this is a pattern of mine...sleeping through opportunities....or not being awake/present enough to see them when they are in front of me.

Now I have to wait a whole year for this to come around again. Tonight is the filming, and well, there are only 2 celebrities left...and I don't know either of them!

Oh, why couldn't Don Cheadle or Vince Vaughn be at the final table tonight????!!!!!!!!!!!

For the complete list of 420 entrants (and the celebrities I missed!), you can visit http://worldpokertour.com/tournaments

I'll update this a bit more later. Tonight is the taping of the final table. I'll let you know how it goes!

LA Poker Classic--WPT Event

2007-03-02T22:20:00.000-08:00

The final table taping for the LA Poker Classic was last night. And it had to be one of the most boooooooooring games (initially) that I have ever seen--the 6 person final table went on for 5+ hours. And when it got to heads up--it was over in one hand!

The cool thing is that I was working the overhead camera, and through the headset, I could hear all the commentary from the director, and the camera people. It was a hoot.

My "job" became even more important once everyone started going all-in, and I got chastised a couple of times by the producer because I wasn't fast enough zooming in for the flop. (I actually dozed off a few times). And well, Mike and Vince need to be able to see the cards so that they can keep their commentary going--it wasn't until almost the end of the tournament that I realized that Mike and Vince were looking at a monitor similar to mine.

Here are some photos from the event tonight.

The winner of the LA Poker Classic was a first time tournament player from South Africa. He was very nice and humble about his win....and he had a group of friends with him cheering him on!

Poker In Los Angeles

2007-03-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

Well, the good news is that the weather is nice. And I did play in a $40 tournament today at the Bike. There were 239 players and I lasted til place 33. My friend, Amanda got out at 32. The sad thing is that the money started at 27...and I knew that I was that close. I got pocket 9's, was medium stacked (had 4 times big blind + ante money) and on the flop, I got a 9. Someone went all in before me, and I quickly called. You can guess the rest.....on the river, he got his flush. And I was flushed out of the tournament.

I was quite pleased at making it to the top 14%, however...I was pissed that I didn't just fold the damn 9's, when I was so close to the money. Especially when the big stacks were pushing each other around---I could have made it to 27th easily.

Then...I wasn't in the mood to play anymore...but I did...and was card dead for three friggin' hours. In three hours, I lost $80 and had two pocket pairs (both were folded), and I did win with a flush.

So....that wraps up the day....now the thing is to decide if I am going to play more...or wait til tomorrow.

There is a LIPS tournament on Sunday, and I'd love to play it...if I can win the buy-in.

At dinner, Amanda and I were talking about the guys at our table that seemed to be winning almost every hand---by betting strategy or showdown. It made us question if we were any good at this damn game. Especially when we don't know the people. I know betting strategy is one of my weaknesses....

We'll see.

Been Gone Sooooo Long...

2007-02-21T18:58:00.000-08:00

Probably don't have any readers left! I'll have to start all over. I'm inspired again to start writing about my poker exploits...few and far between though they might be...

But there is some exciting stuff that is coming up...and I have been to Vegas twice since my last post...so there is definitely some good material floating around in this brain of mine!

I'll try to have it up by Monday....that is a verbal agreement with myself! Don't hold me accountable to anything! LOL!

Ciao!

Wow! Over a Month!

2006-10-13T11:26:00.000-07:00

I am going to update this shortly....within the next couple of days. I had a most exhilirating poker experience in August/September, and have been debating about how much of it I was going to be willing to share. I should have that resolved soon.

I have been playing almost every night, and can definitely see how the run of cards affects how high I will place in tournaments.

Be back soon!

I've Been Neglecting Blog

2006-08-30T00:43:00.000-07:00

First, I have to say that I am very disappointed that Fado Irish Pub has decided to discontinue Monday night poker. For the last 6 months, MANY of us have made a commitment to being at Fado from 7pm - past midnight, to socialize, play poker and drink. It is quite sad that all of the regulars are now without a home on Monday nights--and without any warning, whatsoever.

I spent the weekend in Los Angeles, at the Commerce Casino, The Bicycle Casino and Hollywood Park Casino. I will comment on all three next week when I get home from Labor Day Weekend. Suffice it to say----each casino has it's own personality, and definitely a different crowd at each one.

How nice to be able to go to 3 different casinos in one weekend to play poker, poker, and more poker.

I will make a plug here for PPA.org , check it out. $20 to join and protect your rights to play poker!

I've got so much more to write...but I need to get some other things done....'cuz I am going back to Los Angeles and Las Vegas for Labor Day Weekend.

Be Safe!

Winning Money!

2006-08-20T14:18:00.000-07:00

It has been so long since I actually won! Last night, I won $70---and most of it was in one pot. It was nice to cash out with some money.

Friday night, I played in a tournament, and with 13 people still in it, I was down to a measley $1.50 in chips---and started tripling up....enough so that I ended up 6th! I can't remember ever having come back from so little. I must have started a trend though, cause the guy that ended up winning came back from $3.00 to win the whole tournament!

A great group of people...and a very fun setup!

Alot of Quad's this week

2006-08-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I got quad 8's. I had pocket 8's, and two 8's came out on the flop. That was awesome! Thursday night, I got quad K's.

A friend of mine got quad Q's, and I saw someone get quad A's on Wednesday night.

Another friend got a straight flush on Sunday.

I really hope my cards will continue to come!

On Monday night, at the finals for Fado, I came in 7th out of 85 people. I was quite pleased. I also got pocket A's twice with 10 minutes.

Last night, I played in a cash tournament, and there were 13 people left, and I got down to $1.50----and then the tide turned....and I kept tripling up. I ended up at the final table....and came in 6th. Everyone was teasing me---that they hadn't seen anyone come back from the dead, quite like that!

I realized that I really do enjoy playing tournament style vs. just playing for cash.

Some books were recommended to me this week---same book, 3 different people. I guess that is the sign about what book I am supposed to be reading, right now!

It's Not Personal

2006-08-12T09:21:00.000-07:00

Last night at DNC, I was playing poker, and was in the big blind for $1000. The person seated two to my left raised to $3000, and three other people called. When it got back to me, I looked at my cards and saw AA. So I re-raised to $6000. The person two to my left got pissed off, looked at me, then said all in for $39K. Everyone else folded....and I looked at them, and said I call. They turned over pocket 10's, and were shocked when they saw the Aces.

They did get a third 10, however, I ended up with an Ace high straight.

Watching this play out reminded me, that while I do have to be aware of the other players and their personalities, I can't allow myself to get on tilt because someone that I don't "like" raises my bet.

This person has played against me several times, and had they been more aware, they would know that I rarely re-raise, so it would have been safer to just call, than to get pissed off that the bet had been raised.

No Voice Necessary!

2006-08-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

How hilarious! Tonight, I ran a tournament at Angel's Ice House (an AWESOME BAR AND RESTAURANT!),and all I can do is whisper....Just goes to show, talking really isn't necessary to play poker!

I got so much sh.....t (good natured, of course)----and I got to play with some people that I hadn't seen in awhile.

It's interesting the people that you meet playing poker....that you might not have otherwise met. And I am always impressed at how friendly people are.

And, well, there should be a new reader to this blog---as a result of tonight---and as promised, I will not describe you enough to be recognized.....as always, I did enjoy playing poker with you....and once I get my voice back---well, I'll be better competition for you. ;)

Tonight was the worst that the cards have been....even went all in with pocket K's and lost to trip 5's. Oh well!

As long as the tide turns again by the end of August----I don't mind!

An Incredible Run of Cards

2006-08-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Ok....maybe someone will have an answer to this. From Saturday, July 29 through Saturday night, August 5---I had an amazing run of cards! And made it to the final table every single session that I played.

Saturday--- pocket aces and 5 flushes (in both sessions)

Sunday--- pockets aces, 3 flushes, and quad aces (in one session) {aces in both sessions}

Monday --- pocket aces (both sessions)

Tuesday --- pocket aces (twice within 3 hands) (aces in both sessions)

Wednesday -- pocket aces, pocket Q's 4 times (in one session)

Thursday --- pocket aces (twice in one session) won 1st place at Dallas.
pocket aces at Spotlight

Friday --- pocket aces, pocket K's 3 times (in one session)

Saturday --- pocket aces (in both sessions)

Of course I had other pocket pairs, as well....but since the odds are supposedly 1 in about 232 --- what are the odds of getting pocket aces every single time I played poker? for a straight week? And all of it was in person -- not internet poker?

And of course the fact that I made the final table every single session was a nice bonus also!

It's Been A Very Long Time!

2006-07-15T18:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been playing poker....but it seems as though the last two months have been a blur of other life activities including moving to a new home, traveling to Spain and England, and well....embarking on a new life path!

My poker playing has consisted of Monday nights at Fado, and freerolls with 4acesevents.com Currently, the first place prize in their finals is for a cruise for two to Cozumel, from Galveston. I'm going on the cruise, regardless if I win....but it would be nice to win!

On Sunday night, I watched Pokerdome on Fox for the first time, and found it to be quite interesting! So today, I went to and joined their site. I played in my first tournament, and came in 8th out of 363.

I really like their site. It's simple---but there were absolutely no problems or timeouts during the tournament, and the players were playing regular poker----there weren't alot of bullies there at all.

I did get to go visit the Bay 101 casino in San Jose, and because they play some different form of NL Hold-em, I didn't play. I just picked up some chips for my evergrowing chip collection, and decided I'd play in LA, at the Commerce Casino.

I like the Commerce Casino. The staff are helpful, the casino is large and spread out, and there are many options for meals, etc. Besides that, there is a Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza right on the premises. I did stay there two years ago, and was present when Ben Affleck won the California State Poker Championship.

I know that I'm kinda writing all over the place right now....there just seems to be so much to write about...and of course, that is no one's fault but my own, for not keeping up with the writing!

I did also make my foray to a strip club for the first time in my life! There are several clubs around Austin that give away a trip to Vegas--to the first place winner--on the very same night. One of my friends has become a strip club poker player--and he is getting frustrated because he can't win...yet, one of my other female friends, won her first night there!

Granted, we were all a little nervous about going to a strip club---not knowing what to expect. Thankfully, the poker is played in a private room, and you don't need to face the the stage. However, going to the restroom, was a different story! Not only do you have to go by the stage, but everyone in the place can see you! Talk about being self-conscious! The food was actually pretty good...and....pints were only $2.00! You certainly can't beat that!

So, I'm back...and will be a little more diligent in working on my blog....I have missed writing...and definitely have missed reading blogs!

Poker on!

Finally, A Money night!

2006-05-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Woooooooooooooohooooooooooooooo! It's been awhile since I wrote....and it's been even longer since I won any money! Finally, I also got my pocket Aces....which have been alluding me for almost a month.

Now I know the odds of getting pocket Aces is 1 in 232 (or something like that)....but up until a month ago....I do get them just about everytime I play---and usually multiple times. My record is 4 times in one night---and at one game, one of my friend's got them 5 times....once back to back. So when I saw them on Friday night, I felt like I was seeing a long lost friend. So maybe the Poker Gods are going to smile upon me again!

Tommorrow night is the finals at Fado for a trip to Vegas....so I am planning on not drinking.....but....I also can't play as tight as I usually do....

My poker group is hoping that all of us will make it to the final table.....and that one of us will come in 2nd and one in 3rd...that will be a party for up to 150 people. That would be awesome!

The Night Was A Blur!

2006-04-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

I successfully did not win one hand during the first session at Fado....that is such a strange feeling....

A group of us started out at happy hour at 219 West...and I started with a Harp, then we got a pitcher of Dos Equis (courtesy of the smart bartender!), and of course we shared some appetizers.

So we go to Fado, and get split up---the guys go to one table, and much to my dismay, the only place that I could be seated was at the outside smoking table. So I HAD to have another Harp.....and my cards were terrible. I had one pocket pair....and maybe I had another Harp....I remember going in to check on S. and R.---who both made it to the final table. And I remember that I switched to water because I wanted to be ready to play during the second session.

I definitely remember that A. and I were talking about poker, guys, etc....and did I really lift S.'s shirt up to see how hairy his chest is??? Yes, I know I did.....

So everyone decided to stay...and again because I was dilly-dallying, I ended up at the smoking table....and I did notice that the smokers play a little bit more agressive than the non-smokers. And when R. busted out, he came to say good-bye, and I told him that I think drinking messes up my luck with cards--and I promptly ordered another Harp.

My lucky card protector wasn't even helping me! I think my card protector liked L. better--he kept winning big pots....finally....I got pocket 10's--and someone bet alot of money, and in my frustrated, drunken state decided to call. And I actually won! My first hand of the night! I was very excited! And L. said it pays to be patient...and I told him, I am queen of patience. And then, I got pocket Q's...and a guy across from me---same guy as last week that made the smart comment, went all in....and I thought about it for a little while---long enough for people to start with the Jeopardy clock song---and then they gave me some hell when they saw that I had pocket Q's. Needless to say, I won!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, by winning two hands, I ended up at final table....and L. and I were the only ones from my table. I of course had stopped drinking at that point....One guy ended up taking both myself and L. out---but because I had more chips--I ended up in third place and won a whopping $10 gift certificate. Wooooooooohoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

And in my glee, did I really give my phone number to someone???? (he did thank me for sharing my mojo) Yes, yes ...I did....I sure hope I wasn't an annoying drunk all night! I don't think so, 'cause I'm pretty sure that people were laughing with me and not at me!

It was definitely a fun night....I was goofy...and I don't usually drink that much...I don't know what came over me...I can't even remember how many beers I had....

I actually don't even remember coming home and going to sleep!

I HATE LOSING!

2006-04-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

especially when I thought I was being bluffed......the last hand of the night...I have pocket Q's, the flop is 3, Jack, Jack. Cool! I have two pair....I bet $4.00 and one person calls. The next card is a 10. He bets 3....I call. River is a 3. He goes all in. Now I really should have folded....but I'm thinking that maybe he had a 10...not a 3. And I didn't want to get bluffed out of the hand---cause he knows me well enough to know that if he pushes, I will fold.

I called....and sure enough....he had a 6-3. And I ended up losing $23 in one hand. Thank god it was the last hand.

Note to self: Just FOLD next time! If it's the last hand...take your money and RUN!!!!!!!!

Johnny Finn's Was Fun, Fun, Fun!

2006-04-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

I hadn't been to Johnny Finn's in quite awhile....and it was quite fun!

The full moon was magnificent....the people were very relaxing and enjoyable...

And I came in 2nd and 8th---so that is always good.

Poker will be played on Wednesday and Thursday's at 6pm and 9pm.

The prize for the 12 week league is a Royal Caribbean Cruise for 2.

Can't beat that!

Poker at Johnny Finn's

2006-04-13T00:51:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday and Thursday's......

Who can ask for more? Sunset, poker, Lake Travis????

C'mon out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Final Ladies Tournament

2006-04-13T00:44:00.000-07:00

What an exciting night as 24 women played for a trip to Las Vegas for the LIPS Poker tournament in May!

There were great prizes, donated by moi, and everyone at the final table received a trophy.

Everyone had a great time...and there were no rude or disrespectful players!

I was actually shocked when the women presented me with a framed certificate of appreciation and a $100 gift card to the mall. That was so kind and considerate of the women to bless me like that! It really was a fantastic surprise!

Congratulations to all the women who played! Especially the winner.....K.....

The return of Friday Night Poker

2006-04-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ok Ok.....it was more like the return of me....I actually showed up at the game on Friday night....and was completely demoralized and miserable. I was getting absolutely shit cards....and felt like all I was doing all night was putting money into the pot for other people.

Everything I folded ---hit, and everything I tried to play, missed. It got so bad that at one point, I thought I would have to start drinking (I'm currently off alcohol)just to have fun.

Then when I lost my first $20, I REALLY wanted to leave, but peer pressure got to me, and I bought back in. After about one more hour of misery, I got a pair of Jacks, and there was only one other person in the hand with me....and he raised $9.75 on the river.....I thought about it...and after a minute or two....said, "I'm sick of this shit tonight..." as I watched in "horror" at myself calling! When there were two queens on the board also! And I ended up winning about $33.00 with that hand.

What was the most interesting about that was....that I had lost so many hands throughout the night, that at that point, I really didn't give a shit anymore...and if I had lost...it would have been nothing new. But I did have to risk more than half of my stack to win....and the other guy in the hand knew that I am the quickest one to assume that someone has the best possible hand...and I have no doubt that he expected me to fold.

Which led me to realize that I fold way too much....because there are certain people that trigger a fear/anxiety response in me. Something in their personality or the way they bet touches a nerve, and I go into fight or flight---which with poker usually results in my folding.

Of course, assuming the "best" of people gets me into trouble too. I know people bluff...but I assumed that this guy probably did have a third queen...or even a fullhouse...and that is why I would have folded....except that I was on tilt...and called. And this particular guy, I'm sure, has bluffed me out of many winning hands.

So I gotta work on not letting my fear response get triggered so easily. It definitely happens almost equally with men as with women...so at least I'm balanced there! It is a different fear response with men and women though.

A Nice Quiet Game at Fado

2006-04-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

And I qualified last night! There is just something nice about playing at Fado. The crowd is a little more mature, and everyone is there to have a good time. No one plays like it is a 'life or death' game.

Of course it helps that Fado give away a round of drinks for certain hands...and three weeks in a row, the table that I have been playing at has won the round. Last night, the prize was for a Jack-9 straight.

While I know that playing recreational tournaments doesn't even close to simulating an actual tournament--it does give me some practice in learning to read people and gives me practice in betting. Playing online has taught me patience, and how to fold against bullies.

Taking time off from poker is probably a good idea at this time...I hadn't realized that I had been playing almost every night since December. That's alot of playing...and alot of miles on my car! And I probably have missed many other exciting things going on in Austin.

We'll see....I could change my mind tomorrow....

Trading Poker for Blogging???

2006-03-31T19:32:00.000-08:00

Another Friday night, and tonight I actually made the choice to stay in....work on my blogs.

What's up with that????

Maybe a little break is in order---given the drama and excitement of the past couple of weeks.

I didn't even remember the women's freeroll last night.

I did play a new video poker game on POGO.com. It is sooooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

austin poker

A Night from Hell

2006-03-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

A poker night full of arguments, bullying and drunks....it was CRAZY! At one point, I considered leaving, and said no, I will use this as an exercise in mental focus. Ha Ha! I guessed I passed since I made it to 2nd place in the first session and 8th in the second session.

There were two Royal Flushes, a straight flush, and several four of a kinds. That is surely indicative of a very strange night!

Another night like this and I don't think I'll be going back there.....we'll see how it goes.

Free Round of Drinks

2006-03-27T22:36:00.000-08:00

The whole FINAL table got a free round of drinks from my bad beat......

I had a flush, queen high....and the guy that called my all-in pre-flop ended up with a straight flush. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

but so AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

definitely a very fun night of poker!

So Nice to Play

2006-03-26T22:17:00.000-08:00

There were so many new people playing tonight. First session I played the women's tournament...and the second tournament, I played mixed. I don't even know what place I came in with the women's tournament. I did come in 6th in the mixed...and I only won 2 pots in 2.5 hours.

It was crazy, and a bit dull. I had gone to the Oasis prior to going to play. And had 3 margarita's--2 melon, and one mango. A lady let me try her tequila sunrise....and yuck! It was grooooooooooooooooooooosssssssssssssssss.

Tomorrow night is Fado! I can't wait---that is my favorite place to play, right now.

Hurry Up, 6pm!

2006-03-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't played poker since Thursday night---which was online.....and I managed to lose $10 bucks playing a cash game....and won $2.00 in a STT. No big deal.

Last night, I really wanted to play...but there was no poker to be found....so I went and played BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's only $6.00 for 5 chances of winning up to $750! And the adrenaline rush when I am down to one/two numbers is oh so much fun!

So tonight will start another session of points....I'm going to a friend's party at the Oasis at 4pm, then going to play poker at 6pm. I might be good and sloshed at that point!

We'll see how it goes.....

Can you say "addicted" to gambling??????

Final Tournament @ RC Fowlers

2006-03-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night, the 22nd was the final tournament...they finally announced the prize...first and second place were gonna win a cruise. I'm up for that. So I decided ice tea was definitely gonna be the way to go.

My table was fun, there were no bullies....72 people in all were playing. I got quad 4's! Yipppppeeeeeee!

My eyes keep roaming though....a guy that hasn't been around in awhile is there....and well, he is just sooooooo damn cute....FOCUS...FOCUS....FOCUS....there is a cruise on the line. And he is in my direct line of vision! Sadly, he gets knocked out. His straight lost to a full house (on the river)

Nothing very exciting is happening, I'm just playing my game. During the break, I go get my cell phone and get cute boy's phone number. And then I decide to bring my Ipod in because they are playing some horrible music that evening. I put my Ipod on, and unbelievably, it actually made things worse....so I turned it off.

I actually wasn't having any luck until Craig's List Guy came and sat behind me and started talking to me. Usually, I don't really talk while I play---but, I wasn't getting any cards...so I didn't need to concentrate oh so much. But.....since CLG was talking to me....I started getting great cards....and winning some hands!!!!!!!!!!!! I told him he couldn't leave until I lost---he was my good luck charm.

Finally we got down to two tables.....and I decided to switch to beer. And well, I had only eaten one piece of salmon all day....so the one beer gave me a nice buzz. Only 4 more people had to be knocked out for the final table....so I was counting on that happening. CLG followed me but then he got on his cell phone...and well, my luck dried up....at one point, I turned around and asked him...."are you focusing on me winning???" He didn't answer...he was on the phone.

Blinds went up to 40K/80K, and I only had 40K left. I was going to be big blind next, and I had pocket 5's. I decided to go all in....and lost. So since I had finished my second beer at that point, I was a little goofy......and as a joke, I went and picked up the first place trophy....went to the front door, and announced that it was fun, but I was leaving....and waved with the trophy. Everyone started laughing....and the owner of the poker company thought it was pretty funny...but he was kinda looped too.

So I sat with my friend, and CLG, and he bought us Jager Bombs. I have never had that before...and the shots were HUGE! My friend scrunched up her face like it was horrible...so I didn't drink mine. She had to go finish working....so that left CLG and me to talk....and me to "procrastinate" drinking my Jager bomb. We are going to introduce CLG to sake bombs.

Is it any wonder that I can be bullied out of a hand????? I was nervous and afraid of a Jager bomb!!!!!!!!!!! Eventually, I did drink it...and I liked it! So, I just had to have another!!!!!!!

Needless to say....I didn't win a cruise....but I did try yet another alcoholic drink.....and I got to spend some time with some neat people, that I wouldn't have met otherwise. And, for me, until I can turn this poker playing thing into a real money making thing.....poker will only continue to widen my social circle.

Hmmm....now that I am writing this...I am feeling "thirsty" and....like I want to play poker. I just realized....my cash game people didn't call me tonight....that's odd.

I could make it to Dallas Night Club by 10:3o though for poker.....Hmmmmmmmmm.

The Dreaded Reno Update

2006-03-24T18:25:00.000-08:00

Well, clearly I didn't win in Reno, or I would have busted my butt trying to get something written here. So, it's been over a week since I've written...and I've just finished reading April's blog---and well, sounds like they had much more fun than I did. I should have stayed home.

Well, actually, besides the tournament--the trip was good.

The Reno Hilton is actually quite nice. I got my Hilton Honors upgrade--so the room was quite large. The tournament had a rate of $44 per night, and I was sharing with another woman from Austin--you can't do much better than that, unless one is fully comped!

I am a nickel slot player. I looooooooooooooove those silly video slots with the silly elusive bonuses. But it seems like penny slots have taken over the casino. No problem. I have allotted $200 for my slot playing....once it's gone...it's gone! And well, after about 4 hours of bebopping around, I was down to about $40. So I took myself back to the Star Wars penny slot machine and began hitting the "bet" buttons at random (9 lines--20 bet is max). And I start winning! Woohooo! Then I got the elusive bonus---all the way through---and won $100! I am very happy, and end up cashing out at $200.

I go looking for my friends, and find another favorite machine, "Tailgate Party." It seems like whereever I find this machine---I win! This was no exception....and I got my money up to $400.

I cashed out, and played at a new game, "Bingo," (I am a sucker for anything BINGO) and proceeded to lose the money down to about $120. So I started playing the variable bets...and I started winning....My biggest win was 15000 pennies. Cooooooool! A strange man comes and sits next to me and begins telling me his life story....and I feel a little uncomfortable with so much money in the machine, and on my person. So when it was at $275, I cash out and go to my room. And I keep looking over my shoulders to make sure he doesn't follow me.

I had no idea that it was 3:30am....I had planned to be in bed by 11pm. Afterall, there is a two hour time difference. And more importantly, I wanted to be fully rested for the tournament.
Thank goodness it wasn't starting until 2pm.

So we go register at 12pm, and I am assigned table 7, seat 1. I think to myself that that is a great sign........I go to the steam room for some relaxation and meditation time.

I'm too nervous to eat.....so I skip lunch...and get to my table about 5 minutes early. We are only starting with $1000 in chips, and the blinds are going to be 25/25 for the first half hour.

We get started....very first hand, I have JJ. I'm happy that I am in the blind, and I have JJ. The woman in seat 6 raises to $300, pre-flop. "FUUUUUUUUUUU....K!" I yell. Inside my head of course. One woman has already called her, and since it is the first hand, I'm thinking AA or KK. I fold. After the flop, there was an Ace on the board, she raises another $300....and the other woman folds. No problem....I only lost $25. And again, I figured she must have had the highest possible pairs, since in the first hand, she was willing to put 60% of her money in the pot.

I fold the second hand. The same woman raises to $200. There are 3 callers this time. Doesn't go to the river. She wins by betting everyone out again. I am wondering if the other tables are going like this.

Third hand, I get pocket 7's. Cool....I have my fingers crossed (figuratively, of course) that people are going to play reasonably. When it gets to me, it is still $75, so I call. Big blind raises to $400 (pre-flop). I fold...and I am pissed. I am ready to ask the women at the table if we are playing poker or buy the pot. She gets one caller. After the flop, they both check. On the turn, the raiser bets $500. The other woman folds.

Three hands, and we haven't seen what anyone was playing. We actually went through 9 hands without seeing anyone's cards. The first cards we got to see were because a woman went all in and another woman called her. The all-in had KJ, and the caller had AK---and neither one of them had anything by the river. Me---I would have had a full house...and an extra $2000+ in chips.

Several more hands go by, and I get pocket 7's again. I raise to $150. I get one caller---who actually raises me another $100. The caller is the woman who had the AK above. So since I am down to only $325 left....I decide to go all in. I am frustrated and pissed off at all of the bullies at the table. Remember the blinds are $25/$25.

My 7's held up until the river---when the lady got a Jack. So I had the honor of being the 2nd woman off of our table. At least I wasn't the first one out of the tournament!

Shit! I think it took longer for me to recount the experience than it did for me to get knocked out! I was out of the tournament in less than 14 minutes. I went and told two of the other women from Austin, and told myself that I needed to go to the room and watch a movie---rather than lose any more money.

But......being the adrenaline, slot addicted person that I am....I took myself to the slot area and thanks to Craig's List Guy, I felt like maybe I had some inside help on how to play the video poker machines. They have never made sense to me...yet it seems like everyone I know wins THOUSANDS on them. I decide I better play pennies until I get the hang of it. And I do pretty well.....I only put $5.00 in the machine, and I get it up to $25. I then see another one with more bells and whistles....it's kind of like tic-tac-toe....20 possible lines to win. So I take my $25 over to that machine. And it is more fun!!!!!!!!!! I get a 4 of a kind on the center line....which means that I have 3 lines of four of a kind----3000 pennies! Wooooohoooo! I also get a Royal Flush--but because I am playing pennies....and I didn't have the max bet...alas, I did not win thousands. That win gets me to $125, and I donate $50 back to the casino. At that point, I am starting to get bored....and I feel the BINGO machine calling me. No one has been playing it...and I feel it trying to tell me to come play.

I take my $75 (made from $5, remember) and put my ticket in the BINGO machine....again with the skillful random betting, I start hitting big and small....my largest jackpot was 22000 pennies. The highest I had the machine up to was $400, and I cashed out at $339. So.....thanks to the penny machines....I got my buy-in back for the tournament....and I was completely even with my money.

I go to the players' club booth and find out I have $51 in comps available also. I take $30 and go have sushi ($19.99 eat all you can eat!!!!!!! and it was AWESOME!!!!!!!), and then go to the room and watch a movie.

What I learned from this poker tournament is that from now on, before I decide to go play somewhere, I am going to find out how much I get in starting chips. And....unless I've got pocket Aces, I am not going to play any hands until I get a feel for the players at the table.

My friends said that they didn't have bullies like that at their tables....I must have had them all. And the farthest that anyone got was 19, and the money started at 18. Darn.

So that is the Reno update in all its glory. The Hilton doesn't even have a poker room....it was right in the middle of the casino, roped off section and smoke all around. Yuck!

BTW, this tournament was part of the World Poker Open.

Off to See The Wizard

2006-03-17T05:43:00.000-08:00

Not really! But I am off to Reno. Found out that there will only be 3 women from Austin playing in the tournament tomorrow. I did look up the Reno Hilton---and it is a large property! Best of all, there is a steam room and a heated swimming pool! Perfect for a cold, snowy day.

I may play some poker tonight...as a warm up. We'll see. Or perhaps today will be slot machine day!

I asked the hotel if they had wireless, and the front desk person wasn't entirely sure...so the update may not be as immediate as I would like.

I wonder if any pros will be there hanging out for the finals this week??? Maybe I can get more pictures and autographs!

Winning Isn't Everything......

2006-03-16T00:41:00.000-08:00

For the first time in over a month, I didn't make it into the points either session...or to the final table. And it sucks 'cause tonight was my last practice night before the trip to Reno....well, I guess I can play some on Friday night. I think I played much too tightly, and it seems like everyone was raising extraordinarily high tonight. I have got to get better at bluffing and betting.

I did bluff one hand...and I guess I shouldn't be surprised that no one called...since I do play so tight. Hmmm...I just had a thought...if people start reading my blog that play with me...they are going to know when I try new things!

So tonight ended up being about fun---which there was alot of---many people at the bar got more than a little intoxicated, and because I got out so early, I was able to talk with people that I haven't really gotten to know.

Congratulations to the first time, first place winner.....I'm very happy for you!

Craig list guy---I enjoyed talking with you about math, and the dilemma your hair stylist posed for you! I'll be ready for you next Wednesday! (like your nickname???) : )

So this Saturday in Reno, there will be 5 women that I know of playing in a women's tournament at the Reno Hilton. Again, like with Oklahoma, I haven't decided if I will play or not. Maybe it's the fear of buying into a tournament...and not having any clue how I will actually fare. Or maybe now that Dottie won in Oklahoma, I feel pressured to do just as well....or that I will never do just as well. Or maybe I am afraid that I am going to be the first woman out of the tournament from Austin? I guess if I could think of these questions, it must be a little bit of all of them!

Since the buy-in is only $125, it's not about the money. And it would be worth it to see if I can do better than what I did in September during the WSOP Lips Tournament.

Arrrrrrrrrgh! It sucks being so damn competitive with myself.....I just reminded myself that I made it to the top 25% in September...so now I added more pressure to myself to perform. Shut up, would ya?????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just play and have fun......relax and enjoy......you can't control the cards!

I guess that is quite enough for now....I don't want to get myself all worked up at 3am, and spend the night tossing and turning...and looking for excuses to back out of going to Reno.

Good night poker world!

Definitely Not About Poker, I am celebrating my inner geek!

2006-03-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

What an incredibly amazing weekend! My head is swimming in information! I spent the weekend at the SXSW Interactive Festival—something I would never have dreamed of going to---and I didn't play poker, since Friday--not even online!

I have always had a secret longing for all things computer, but I thought it was too late for me to get on the technology bandwagon and learn new skills and languages.

So there I was standing in line with about 300-400 people, wondering what in the hell I was doing there. I didn’t know anyone, didn’t plan on meeting anyone, and certainly wasn’t planning on talking to anyone.

I have NEVER seen so many laptops in my life. I felt like a fish out of water, a stranger in a strange land—an alien. And I was very nervous. Don’t ask me why.

As the day wore on, I realized that my mind was abuzz with inspiration and energy that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I’ve lived in Austin since 1994 and have never attended SXSW. I guess it was time.

So I learned two very important things about myself this weekend. One---I am a closet geek. Two---I no longer have to feel guilty about being an information junkie!

And...that there might be something equally as enjoyable to poker for me!

Silence is golden

2006-03-07T11:14:00.000-08:00

Wow, time flies when one is playing poker! I hadn't realized that it's been so long since I wrote anything. One of the games that I am happiest about is that Fado has added poker back to their Monday night schedule! It was great to see people that I hadn't seen in 7 months or so...and it was wonderful to have a reason to go back to Fado!

Got an invitation to the WBPT to be held during SXSW....more information is on April's blog, http://www.thisisnotapokerblog.com/

I think that would be so cool--to be able to meet the people that I read! Too bad I won't be able to play....more on why, later!

I went to my first cash game in over a month---and it seems that I have been playing so many league tournaments--that my game sucked! I felt like a fish out of water---and I actually felt like I was a beginner again. Yet again proof that there is some level of skill involved with playing poker (I KNOW that....but if I had a dollar for everytime someone told me that it is all luck---well, I think I would have enough money for the WPT Bellagio buy-in!)

Last night, someone asked me how many nights a week I am playing poker...and I sheepishly admitted that I was playing 6-7 nights a week. Doesn't seem like alot when I am doing it---but saying that I am playing poker every night...well...that is another story.

I guess it is like any other sport though---gotta play to improve!

The other excitement I guess is that the poker journal is getting great feedback! I've been donating it as a prize at some of the tournaments that I have been playing...and several people have committed to buying one.....wooooohoooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kind of strange having people ask me to sign their book!

Poker Stars?????????

2006-02-18T20:19:00.000-08:00

well, I went back to the site that I found to make sure I didn't read the year wrong!

and sure enough, it says October 2006...but registration is already closed??? in mid February?

something may be amiss here! maybe someone out there knows more???

Poker Stars Blog tournament link:

http://www.pokerstars.com/blog_tournament/

Austin Poker Bloggers

2006-02-18T17:08:00.000-08:00

I decided to stay in. It's just too cold and besides, I am having too much fun searching the internet for Austin Poker Bloggers! I had no idea that there were so many people in Austin blogging about poker--I'm so new to blogging, I don't even realize how many people are blogging period!

And thanks to the neat features that some people have on their blogs, I've added a few myself!

I'm so glad to have discovered blogging! I'm actually having to learn a little bit about HTML codes! Good brain exercises, I think.

How cool that Pokerstars is gonna have an online tournament just for bloggers!

My life just may end up being about poker and blogging!

Poker or My Life

2006-02-18T12:57:00.000-08:00

So, I've been feeling a little guilty lately, playing poker almost every night of the week. I shouldn't feel guilty. It's not like I have anything else valuable that I would be doing with my time. If I wasn't playing poker, well, I'd be sitting at home watching TV.

I've been doing well lately, when I play. Although this week has been kinda rough. On Monday, my 17 year old cat passed on, the last of a family of 7 cats. So while I didn't particularly feel in the mood to play poker, I did make myself go out and play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night.

Tuesday night was Valentine's Day, so of course there weren't near as many people there to play poker. We had a LIPS table, and I came in 2nd. Then I remembered that Boston Legal was on, so I decided to skip the second session. Yes.....I have a VCR, but I had forgotten to set it up to record. And besides, there are just some shows that are worth seeing at airtime (am I the only one that feels like this?)

Wednesday night, I recorded Lost and Invasion, so I got to play both sessions. I made 3rd and 4th. And I had been drinking since 4 in the afternoon! I had kinda stopped drinking when I play poker, 'cause I thought it was making me play better! Then I ended up doing just as well. So, who knows?

I can say that it is hard to play poker when you don't feel like being around people. I had considered taking my IPOD in, so that people would know to leave me alone--but then I figured people would think I was trying to be "pro". Hell, it shouldn't matter what people think---at all!

I'm hurting enough that I don't want to be sociable---but I'm smart enough to know that I can't allow myself to just sit home and mourn. Especially since I work from home--if I get too down, I might not leave my house for a couple of weeks.

Thursday night was easy. No Will & Grace, Four Kings, My Name is Earl or ER. Just the Olympics----so off to poker I went. I got there late and got shorted 5,000 in chips--but on my second hand, I got a flush, and more than doubled up--I was off to a good start! Besides, it was over 80 degrees, and the bar that I play at on Thursday nights is absolutely beautiful! A perfect Hill Country setting. I ended up 5th, so I was pleased.

The second game, I didn't do so hot, but then again I was seated at a table with some people that I am not too comfortable around. So my focus was off and I played very loosely. I'm not sure, but I think one of the guys took my picture with his camera phone....and that kinda freaked me out. And I felt like some of the guys have the impression that their "book knowledge" of poker is superior to other's at the table and they were taking advantage of a relatively new player--who just doesn't quite have the hang of it yet.

Mr. Book got moved to our table early on, and there were 3 new players at the table. The blinds were 500/1000 and one of the new players bet 16,000 preflop (in the big blind). Well, everyone then chose to fold, and I had pocket Jacks. Mr. Book seated to my left would be next to call. He began a discourse on how betting 16,000 is not a correct bet, spouting off about pot odds, and I am trying to decide whether or not to call. He continues to babble on about value betting, and since I had no clue what he was talking about, I tuned him out. And I decided to call. Well, after I called, Mr. Book decided that he would fold--something about he wanted to call, but if I was calling, the odds were all messed up. Well, after the flop, the new guy went all in, and I called--I had trip Jacks---how could I not?? Well he had pocket Kings and of course I won.

Now, I'm not saying that I shouldn't know this stuff that Mr. Book was talking about--but if you only play hands based on what other people bet, how can you ever play your cards. Especially in a freeroll situation, where you have new people that may not even know what some of these terms are? I'm sure that if we had been playing a final table in the World Series of Poker, the things that Mr. Book was talking outloud about would have been a consideration for all the players at the table. So the good thing that came out of it, is that I learned that there is still much I don't know about the mechanics of No-limit and the math side of the game. I know, I know.....read Sklansky. People have been telling me that for over a year.

Hmmmm....maybe I am too comfortable. I'll have to think about that.

I ended up not going to my cash game on Friday night, choosing instead to watch Stargate and play POGO. I just wasn't up to driving, drinking and socializing. And I guess I was feeling brain dead.

So, here it is, almost time for me to decide if I am going to play tonight....which is what got me to thinking about feeling guilty about playing poker so much. Am I wasting too much of my time? What hated chores am I putting off? Is there something in my emotional life that I am avoiding looking at? Or is Poker something that I love, and an important part of my life?

I guess time will tell. I do know that I have procrastinated for several years working on some projects.....and go figure, I managed to make my first poker product within one month of being inspired to create the poker journal. And how exciting that when I checked the site yesterday, three people had already looked at the journal! How cool is that???????????? I of course ordered 5 myself so that I could give it out as prizes and to also see my finished product!

So maybe, its not about poker or my life. Maybe poker is becoming my life---afterall, I did name this blog "passionate about poker!"

Oklahoma State Poker Championship

2006-02-13T19:48:00.000-08:00

yeah baby! Everyone who plays poker knows who says that! How exciting when the casino brought him to the women's brunch as a special guest! He actually went to each and every table to shake hands with each woman....sign a few autographs and have his picture taken. As soon as I get the film developed...and if I like the photo---I'll post it! Of course, just in case you don't know who it is----Scotty Nguyen! (seen in the photo with Dottie, the winner of the tournament)

So the women from Austin rocked! I ended up not playing in the tournament---thanks to the disorganization of a brand new hotel that had just opened up. There was one mess after another, so I took it as a sign that I wasn't supposed to play. That's okay. I ended up hanging out at Susie Isaacs booth and with Hermie (won a seat to Aruba in an online tournament and had the honor of taking Phil Ivey out in Aruba), and cheering for my gang.

There were a total of 136 women--including Kathy Liebert and Susie Isaacs in the tournament. One Austinite got out around 100, the fourth got out around 30, and the third got out at 12th---which means that two women made it to the final table! The next woman came to the table shortstacked, so we were certain that she was going to end up in 10th place. Lo and behold, she managed to hang in there til 5th place ($2500 win!) It came down to the final three, and the last woman standing from Austin took out one of the women to become the new chip leader. A break was called, and the two women decided to chop the pot ($19,000), and play for the championship, and the prizes.

Within 4 hands, the game was over with a fullhouse, and Oklahoma got its First Ever Oklahoma State Ladies Poker Champion! And she's from Austin, and it was her first tournament ever (outside of local league tournaments) The prizes include a seat in the LIPS tour Grand Championship and a seat in the US Ladies Poker Championship tournaments, a leather jacket from the Cherokee Casino, and a leather jacket from Pokerhost, and a beautiful one of a kind piece of Cherokee pottery.

The women played from 2pm til 12:30am---and it was extremely exciting!

Aside from the poker, the highlight of my weekend was meeting one of my top 10 heroes (well, more accurately, a she-ro). Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I would meet her---and she was a special guest of the casino. The woman is Wilma Mankiller, the only woman to ever be president of a tribal nation (Cherokee). Especially after Coretta Scott King's service on Tuesday, I found it especially poignant that I was able to meet Ms. Mankiller.

Just goes to show, poker can bring more people together peacefully from different worlds, than a peace summit! Well, okay, maybe that's going to far---but it is interesting to see how the game of poker is bringing us all closer together!

There were some neat vendors there....with cool poker jewelry and cardholders. I'll be adding links in the future.

This weekend also saw the debut of my first poker product...and I sold 5! I'm not gonna talk about it yet, cause not everyone that is in my innercircle knows what it is! Soon though!

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend....and even with the glitches at the hotel(not the Casino hotel), I can say that I will plan to play more tournaments at the Cherokee Casino in Tulsa.

Oklahoma, Oklahoma!

2006-02-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

It's exciting to know that 6 women have committed to go to Oklahoma for the Ladies Championship tournament on Saturday. Everyone going is a strong, solid player---so it's going to be interesting to see if any of us make the final table!

Last night I came in 3rd again out of 45...and I realized, there is a barrier for me to go above 3rd. I am always 3rd! I was sharing this with a friend today, and he said--maybe you are afraid of heads-up? And after some thought, I told him, "it's been so long since I played heads-up that I know that I am weak in this area."

Well, tonight, I actually made it to second! And even while I was playing---I felt like I didn't know how to play at all! What cards do I play? What do I fold? How much do I bet when my chipstack is small?

I am thrilled that I burst the 3rd place bubble! I guess now isn't the time to be trying to figure it out, when the tournament is two days away!

Yikes! I got lots to do!

Coretta Scott King

2006-02-07T20:47:00.000-08:00

ok...so maybe this isn't directly linked to poker. But today was a major day in US history. I was fortunate enough to see most of the service on several of the news channels (MSN, CNN, etc.)

After watching the service for Mrs. King, I really wasn't so inspired to play poker after that! Rather I wanted to focus more on my goals and how to be a better citizen...blah...blah...blah.

But I went....and traffic was horrendous....183 was like a parking lot...even an ambulance couldn't get by (i'm not sure why the shoulder wasn't wide enough). So I am now running late, and upon arrival at Fowlers, discover that we are one woman short to make our LIPS table. Several people came in late, and we did end up having a woman's table.

The energy was off ----many people were not their usual selves. People were grumpy, irritable and obnoxious---and playing tonight was very fragmented. It seemed like everyone wanted to be someplace else, doing anything but playing poker.

There is probably some quantum physics explanation that could tie the services for Ms. King to the shift of energy in the Universe today. I don't know.

I know that the second crowd that was coming in was comprised of many first timers to Fowlers, and several of us kept complaining that we were too tired, or just didn't feel right there tonight. Once I realized that I still had time to make it home and watch Boston Legal--well, my choice was simple! Home, James!

That is pretty bad, when I choose a TV show over playing poker! So I enjoyed Boston Legal, and have no regrets that I didn't play the second session. I'll go out again tomorrow and see what happens!

The only reason I went tonight was that I want to have as much practice playing tournament style as possible. Maybe I should have thrown in a night at TFPL for real practice. The tournament in Tulsa only gives us $2000 in chips...and antes quick in after the first hour of play. I think it's gonna get agressive pretty quick.

So, we'll see. If I get lucky on the slot machines Friday night, or earn my buy-in in the poker room---the experience alone will be worth the $300.

Tulsa, here we come!

2006-02-04T22:06:00.000-08:00

Next weekend is the Oklahoma State Ladies Championship--and there are several women from Austin making the trek. Tonight only two of us played in an online freeroll satellite--and I made it to 19th out of 67. It was good practice, especially since many of the women that played online are planning to be at the tournament! Got a sneak peek at their playing style!

I personally am looking forward to hearing Scotty Nguyen say "yeah, baby!" live and in person--since he is supposed to be hosting!

early alzheimers

2006-02-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

or too many capecods? I was telling some people about this blog....and two minutes later, I had absolutely no clue as to what the name or address of the blog was! Trying to play poker while attempting to access my memory banks is quite distracting!

Yikes!!!!!!!!! It never did come back to me! So I had to log in just to refresh my memory!

Whew!

Imaginary Violence

2006-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

I have never wanted to actually punch someone while playing poker. And well, I never felt like I wanted to throw the table over either. Hell, I didn't even know that poker could bring up that kind of anger in me!

So the energy at the table was light and fun at first. We were all joking with one another...then the clock started, and our table was transformed into the table from hell. Blinds are $100, $200--we start with close to $40,000 in chips---so there really is no reason to overbet---unless you are an ass.

Well, there was a first timer at our table. Meaning it was his first time to play poker at this location. From the first hand, he started betting $5000, $10000 and $15000. Naturally everyone folded practically everyhand. He was getting dirty looks from pretty much everyone. You could just feel everyone getting pissed off. Did he think he was at the final table?

I decided that I wasn't going to put any money in the pot unless I was big blind and it hadn't been raised by Mr. Ass. Well, finally, I had the opportunity. And I guess the Universe was looking out for me....cause it was just us two in the hand, and I flopped a full house. So knowing that Mr. Ass was going to try to bet me out....I raised very minimally and of course, he raised by $5000 which I happily called. On the turn, I decided I was going to push him...and so I bet $10,000. Now people that know me know that I never bet like that---especially if the blinds are in the hundreds. He mumbled some possible hands that I might have...and folded saying well even if you are bluffing its a good bluff. So I happily showed my cards, which caused him to mumble a bit more.

Finally, we got broken up and sent to other tables. I think I had played two hands total at the first table. Thankfully, I got placed at a very fun, light table. And slowly but surely my stack started to grow. Fast forward to the final table. Three of us from the original table are at the final table. Wooooohoooo!

I would have never imagined that I would make it to the final table since the game had started out so shitty! What was the best though....is that at one point, Mr. Ass got up and came over to the final table to see who was playing. He literally raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw that the other two and me (two women and a man) had made it and he didn't! I ended up 4th.

The second game, I got lucky and sat at a fun table. Not so lucky was M. who is a wonderful kind woman in her 60's. She got seated with Mr. Ass again. Needless to say, at the break, she decided to surrender her chips and go home. She had had enough---she said she wanted to punch him too!

So, again, I had to reframe my thinking and just focus on my cards and be patient...and let the bullies battle it out. I ended up third at the second game, so overall I was pleased with how I played.

Afterall, poker attracts all kinds of people and in order to succeed, I am going to have to be in control of my emotional state---regardless of how many Mr. or Ms. Asses show up at the table.

Newbies

2006-01-22T22:53:00.000-08:00

I know that I once was a newbie...at least I had played online for 7 months before I played a live game. Tonight, three women played in the women's tournament, and only one had ever played poker before. I did enjoy explaining the game as we played...it did take us half an hour to deal around once, though. And for some of us regulars, it was excruciatingly slow.

Unbelievably, one of the women that had never played before ended up coming in second! Talk about beginner's luck!

Again, tonight, I was able to see how different distractions can interfere with how I am able to focus on my cards, and the other players around me. It also was an exaggeration of how the skill level of the people at the table can influence the play at the table. Valid points nevertheless.

Bullies at the table....

2006-01-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

I played a cash game tonight. It's been two weeks since I played for cash and it feels like it has been forever. I am trying to be conscious of how I play and to play consistently. Last night, a woman mentioned that she has been playing poker at a casino quite a bit, and her style of play is all mixed up. I'm pretty sure that I am playing the same. I noticed that this week, the bullies at the table were really beginning to piss me off. I'm on a pretty short fuse right now anyway, so of course, I am aware that that wasn't helping my mood any.

What I realized is that the men that were being bullies at the table would eventually do themselves in. They think that they can continuously push, push, push and keep stealing the pot. And then they don't seem to be able to stop themselves---when someone calls them. Don't they know that no one is going to call them unless they "really" have something? It seems like women are able to fold much easier than men.

Last Monday, a very rude, arrogant male kept pushing the table every hand....and at one point, he was definitely the big stack at the table. After the break, the cards changed for everyone except him---and we all started calling him...and winning. In no time, he was out of the tournament.

Another guy displayed terrible sportsmanship at the final table during heads up with another gentleman. Do these guys think that by displaying arrogance and attitude that it makes them a better poker player?

Tonight, I almost folded pocket Queens because someone went all in pre-flop with 16.00, and one other person called. Naturally, I thought one of them had pocket kings or pocket aces--something told me to call (thereby putting myself all in, also). I did, and how exciting! I had my first Quad Queens! One of the guys had absolutely nothing....and I'm not sure why he called the all in except that he didn't expect me to call. Especially since this group can count on one hand the number of times that I have gone all in.

Again, I think the lesson of this week for me, is that I need to accept the fact that there are always going to be bullies at the table and that I just need to play the cards that I have and listen to my own internal guiding system that says to play or fold. If I let my emotions get tangled up with wanting to "get" the bully--I will end up playing sloppy or more loosely. Sometimes it might pay off. I know that I get bluffed out of many pots.

I gotta work on bluffing a little bit more. That will certainly help me win some more pots! I have got to keep my emotions in check though when playing poker. I can't let other people get to me, or throw me off my game.

Taking A Break

2006-01-17T22:30:00.000-08:00

I played in 3 tournaments last week. Made it to the final table in 1. We had the final tournament for our 12 week women's league...that was alot of fun....and I am so happy to have been the catalyst behind it getting going.

Last night, I did go play regular poker...and ended up coming in first by default because the person working couldn't come in first! Wooohooo! And up until the blinds went up to 5,000/10,000---I hadn't won any hands! And then the cards seemed to change!

I did notice that I get VERY irritated with people that raise WAY beyond a normal raise....and then they either get mad cuz they got called....or they have absolutely nothing. Good thing I have pretty good impulse control, though....there were a couple of people that definitely were PUSHING my buttons big time!

So while I planned to play poker tonight....I decided that I would stay in and not play....instead I worked on building this blog site! It's almost as addictive and fun as playing poker!!!!!!!!! haha....just kidding! I don't know that there is anything more enjoyable to me right now than playing poker!

Playing Under The Influence....

2006-01-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

of country songs that trigger sad memories is definitely not the way to make it to a final table!

For some reason, last night, the DJ must have played every sad country song he could find! And when I asked him about playing a song that I had recently heard on the radio---he didn't know it!

So although the reason I went to play last night was to get some more points for the final tournament tomorrow, I ended up going all in during the first session just to get out of the game. And in the second session, I earned a whopping 50 points! And to think, I gave up a cash game for this!

I can certainly understand why the pros where their earphones...at least they can be somewhat in control of their external environment, thereby controlling some of the variables that determine attitude and mood.

After so many depressing songs, all I wanted to do was go to sleep! nevermind having enough mental agility and focus to play at a final table!

Final Table!

2006-01-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

Wow! Last night, I came in 3rd out of 72 people in a final tournament. I wasn't even going to go play---cause I wasn't feeling up to playing. I was tired, I was grumpy---and as I've learned---when my energy is low--my cards will be low as well. But a friend of mine convinced me to come out and play.

Now, I've been playing with some of these people since October--and admittedly, there are some people that I find intimidating or just downright annoying! Heck--I'm sure the same can and will be said of me over time! And I did indeed get seated at the table with some of the people that had the highest points over the 12 week tournament. Lucky me. I just knew that I wouldn't last past the first hour.

I never saw so many low cards in my life....in particular...3/5 of hearts and 7/5 of hearts. Over and over and over. Maybe the Universe was trying to send me a message about my overall emotional well-being. Anyway, I didn't play any hands until I was in the Big Blind and said okay, I'll play the 7/5......and SURPRISE!!!!! The flop came 5 5 10....I did slowplay and ended up winning! I didn't play another hand for almost another hour. As a matter of fact, in one hour, I lost over 20,000 chips just to blinds and calls that I had to fold.

I got down to 2 chips--15000, and that is when everything turned around! I starting collecting chips, people were going all-in and I kept doubling up! Which naturally led me to the final table. And what a group it was! 4 of the 9 were women! WOOOOOHOOOOOOOO! One by one, people started going all in....and I held out and only played when I felt "led" to play. The blinds were freakin' high! 40/80K, 50/100K---I'd never had so many chips---EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, when it was down to 5, I noticed that I was starting to marvel at the fact that I had made it so far....wondering if I would get to first or second....and my heart was starting to beat fast, my left hand was beginning to shake---the ANXIETY was beginning to get to me...and as the other two got taken out--the anxiety continued. Now I know, this game wasn't nearly as important as a final table at the WSOP or WPT, but for me, any game that I play is part of my learning process, and I am definitely going to have to work on my mind and stress control!

So, I went all in with AJ of Diamonds, and my caller had AK of spades. We ended up with 2 pair and the King kicker played....so I went out in 3rd!

Congratulations to the winners! Considering I had planned to lose and go home early---I am very pleased with my play! And proud that I was able to put my thoughts aside and focus on playing poker.

Which only goes to show that we can indeed put aside thoughts that are not in our highest good---and focus on the task at hand!