It's 2:18AM and I should be sound asleep
Okay. Foggy memories...
I played in Madison's $2-$4 Dealer's Choice game last Monday and lost. I played like a complete tool. I obv show up late and get shipped to the kiddie table for some rousing deuce to seven action. I managed to be up $25 when the table breaks and we head back to the main game. For a brief, shining moment, I consider cashing out and going home. Of course I was too stupid/stubborn/addicted to leave. I play horribly and give away most of my money before retreating with $30 or so left intact. Not fun, but I deserved it.
There was no game on Thursday because everyone was out eating turkeys. Food is delicious. Write that down.
I somehow talked Johnathan into running another session of his $20/rack mixed game on Saturday. I don't really know how I made it to that game alive. I ate at Outback for lunch and got very sick off of the dead shrimp I put into my body. It was seriously not good. Don't eat at Outback. I go to the mall and chill for a while as Evie is getting her nails done. The pungent smell of nail salons and a queasy stomach aren't friends.
I spend some time after that walking around and drinking Pepto Bismol straight from the bottle. Yum. We finish up our shopping/browsing at the mall and head back to Waycross to play poker...
And I obviously get pulled over for speeding in Stockton. The cops don't like it when you drive 72 in areas that are designated for maximum speeds of 55. Those guys are a bunch of nit-picking rules lawyers. Sigh.
I play awful poker at Johnathan's game. Then we switch to no limit dealer's choice to finish the night. I bust just about everyone in sight, including winning a few huge pots off of Evie. After the smoke cleared, I was up $15 after handing Evalon a rack or two. And I had a great time.
Sunday was a wonderful day. I'll leave it at that.
I played in Madison's $2-$4 game yesterday. (It's still Tuesday to me. I haven't gone to bed.) I got to the game at 6PM and played very tight for an hour and a half. I told myself going in that I wanted to avoid situations where I'd be forced to put a lot of money in without the nuts. I fluctuated between $140 and $150 for most of the session. I lost two medium-large pots to long-shot draws and cashed out just after 7:30. I'll take a $40 win every time, so long as I am able to be happy with my play for the whole session.
I went to Rex & Tara's tonight for a $1-$1 No Limit Hold Em game in honor of Rex's 35th birthday. Once again, my plan was to play very tight and try to book a small win. My strategy was given the thumbs up by both Mafia Mike and Charlie Mac in pre-game phone calls.
I didn't do anything to flashy. I bluffed at a couple of small pots when it was obvious that no one wanted to call. I slow-played a couple of big hands into Joey and/or Alan Taylor and let them bluff at me on multiple streets. I called Madison down with a medium Ace. I didn't do anything worthy of a column, I just played tight, solid poker. I'd even go so far as saying that I could have played my hands a little faster. I missed firing a huge raise or two because I wanted the opponent to call down and lose rather than run them off.
I tipped Tara $10 for dealing. I only got sucked out on in one pot. Chevy was bluffing into my overpair of Jacks with a 6-high flush draw and hit on the river. He moved all-in for TWO DOLLARS and I had to call him, seeing how we'd built a $60 pot at that point. I cashed out a profit of $85 and said goodnight.
It's strange how far my game has come. I started out playing short sessions at Madison's $1-$1-$2-$5 game, just looking for a small win. Once I built a bankroll, I lost my mind and started sitting in games for 6-8 hours. I never saw that I wasn't playing at my peak over 75% of the time. I had a month-long losing streak because I was checking and calling instead of folding or raising. Now I'm back to playing for me. I play poker because I love the mental competition. I love the friends I've made across the felt. I love the visceral joy of putting someone else's (read: Daniel's) $20 bill in my pocket at the end of the session. I play poker now because I want to. Because I'm good at it.
I hope this rambling, sleep-deprived missive finds you all doing well. I need to get some sleep. It's a quarter till three in the morning and I've got to be up and functioning at 7:30.
Expect another report from the trenches late Thursday night.
I love you all.
Our Hero
I played in Madison's $2-$4 Dealer's Choice game last Monday and lost. I played like a complete tool. I obv show up late and get shipped to the kiddie table for some rousing deuce to seven action. I managed to be up $25 when the table breaks and we head back to the main game. For a brief, shining moment, I consider cashing out and going home. Of course I was too stupid/stubborn/addicted to leave. I play horribly and give away most of my money before retreating with $30 or so left intact. Not fun, but I deserved it.
There was no game on Thursday because everyone was out eating turkeys. Food is delicious. Write that down.
I somehow talked Johnathan into running another session of his $20/rack mixed game on Saturday. I don't really know how I made it to that game alive. I ate at Outback for lunch and got very sick off of the dead shrimp I put into my body. It was seriously not good. Don't eat at Outback. I go to the mall and chill for a while as Evie is getting her nails done. The pungent smell of nail salons and a queasy stomach aren't friends.
I spend some time after that walking around and drinking Pepto Bismol straight from the bottle. Yum. We finish up our shopping/browsing at the mall and head back to Waycross to play poker...
And I obviously get pulled over for speeding in Stockton. The cops don't like it when you drive 72 in areas that are designated for maximum speeds of 55. Those guys are a bunch of nit-picking rules lawyers. Sigh.
I play awful poker at Johnathan's game. Then we switch to no limit dealer's choice to finish the night. I bust just about everyone in sight, including winning a few huge pots off of Evie. After the smoke cleared, I was up $15 after handing Evalon a rack or two. And I had a great time.
Sunday was a wonderful day. I'll leave it at that.
I played in Madison's $2-$4 game yesterday. (It's still Tuesday to me. I haven't gone to bed.) I got to the game at 6PM and played very tight for an hour and a half. I told myself going in that I wanted to avoid situations where I'd be forced to put a lot of money in without the nuts. I fluctuated between $140 and $150 for most of the session. I lost two medium-large pots to long-shot draws and cashed out just after 7:30. I'll take a $40 win every time, so long as I am able to be happy with my play for the whole session.
I went to Rex & Tara's tonight for a $1-$1 No Limit Hold Em game in honor of Rex's 35th birthday. Once again, my plan was to play very tight and try to book a small win. My strategy was given the thumbs up by both Mafia Mike and Charlie Mac in pre-game phone calls.
I didn't do anything to flashy. I bluffed at a couple of small pots when it was obvious that no one wanted to call. I slow-played a couple of big hands into Joey and/or Alan Taylor and let them bluff at me on multiple streets. I called Madison down with a medium Ace. I didn't do anything worthy of a column, I just played tight, solid poker. I'd even go so far as saying that I could have played my hands a little faster. I missed firing a huge raise or two because I wanted the opponent to call down and lose rather than run them off.
I tipped Tara $10 for dealing. I only got sucked out on in one pot. Chevy was bluffing into my overpair of Jacks with a 6-high flush draw and hit on the river. He moved all-in for TWO DOLLARS and I had to call him, seeing how we'd built a $60 pot at that point. I cashed out a profit of $85 and said goodnight.
It's strange how far my game has come. I started out playing short sessions at Madison's $1-$1-$2-$5 game, just looking for a small win. Once I built a bankroll, I lost my mind and started sitting in games for 6-8 hours. I never saw that I wasn't playing at my peak over 75% of the time. I had a month-long losing streak because I was checking and calling instead of folding or raising. Now I'm back to playing for me. I play poker because I love the mental competition. I love the friends I've made across the felt. I love the visceral joy of putting someone else's (read: Daniel's) $20 bill in my pocket at the end of the session. I play poker now because I want to. Because I'm good at it.
I hope this rambling, sleep-deprived missive finds you all doing well. I need to get some sleep. It's a quarter till three in the morning and I've got to be up and functioning at 7:30.
Expect another report from the trenches late Thursday night.
I love you all.
Our Hero