The trouble with Yahoo cash games is that they get your hopes high, only to knock them down. It happened again late today....
BLINDS: $1/$2 (pretend dollars)
IN THE POCKET: 10-9
Connected? OK. We'll bet. Several do.
ON THE FLOP: Ks-Qd-Jc
A straight on the flop! A rainbow straight, at that!! The odds of someone having A-10 to top us seem very slim, so we're betting this. A few players at the full table join in, all the way to the $12 maximum.
ON THE TURN: 3c.
Nice and harmless. We keep betting, as do others -- and we actually stop at 12 (limit now 20) so we don't rub it in.
ON THE RIVER: 7c.
Uh-oh. Now others are raising before we do. That's not a good sign, but we're pot-committed. We call and go the distance -- and sure enough, a player to our right hit a club flush on the river. (The only person who did.)
"Aaarggggggggggggh," we write. If only Yahoo had an all-in button, to scare people away from "river fishing."
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Finally First
We went to our Thursday night live tournament with a bit of momentum -- or at least we'd like to think so. After five consecutive second-place finishes at five-player NBC Sports Poker Room tables, we broke through today and finished first!
The victory came when we modestly played pocket Aces, to make sure our opponent would keep calling and stay in. The board brought a 3 on the flop, then running 3's to give us a full house.
First place in that event earned us 875 points toward a Sunday night "leaderboard" tournament with an $800 top prize. But we're finding playing only a couple of times per day puts us far down the ladder. The real poker addicts seem to have much more at the top. Thankfully we're not addicted, and have a life outside poker.
Which invites the question -- which one are you?
The victory came when we modestly played pocket Aces, to make sure our opponent would keep calling and stay in. The board brought a 3 on the flop, then running 3's to give us a full house.
First place in that event earned us 875 points toward a Sunday night "leaderboard" tournament with an $800 top prize. But we're finding playing only a couple of times per day puts us far down the ladder. The real poker addicts seem to have much more at the top. Thankfully we're not addicted, and have a life outside poker.
Which invites the question -- which one are you?
Poker Night #68: The 2-2 Train
Did you ever have a night at the poker table when the same cards seemed to keep coming up? That happened to several people in our tournament tonight at Lil Kim's Cove -- including us.
Trouble is, we saw 10-6 several times. Not that good. Yet we fought through that, endured to the end (Mt. 24:13), and wound up with another final table appearance. We finished 6th for the second week in a row (this time without a tie).
A player to our immediate right had K-K in the pocket at least three times in the early going. But he didn't last. A woman across the table from us kept getting dealt 2-2 -- yet she was able to make lemonade with it several times. She told me about getting three 2's, then full houses. So when we clashed at the final table, the result was really no surprise....
BLINDS: 2,000/4,000
Well, hold it. We're the big blind, and down to only 2,500. After waiting several hands for something, anything, to push all-in, we're down to a forced play.
IN THE POCKET: Q-2 offsuit.
If we had a choice, we would have surrendered that as well. But we've run out of choices. The woman across the table calls, while no one else does.
"Remember what I told you about getting deuces?" the woman says.
"Again?!?!!?!?" we ask, expecting to see.... "AGAIN!!!!!" Yup, she has 2-2.
"She's dead," a man next to me whispers. He shows me the last available 2, which he folded. Yet we still need help.
ON THE FLOP: A-10-6.
"I need a queen," we say to state the obvious.
ON THE TURN: 8.
"I still need a queen."
ON THE RIVER: A. The board pairs, and her second pair of 2's hold up.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Since today is the U.S. National Day of Prayer, our card protector this week was an "I prayed" sticker we saved from last year's event. (A rainout kept us away from the event this year.)
It simply sat there at the table without comment. But when a man named JoJo joined the table, we spoke up. "A happy National Day of Prayer to you," we said to JoJo.
"I've done that," JoJo told us. "Twice." Assuming he'd prayed twice already during the day -- good for him.
Moments later, JoJo told someone else he was "blessed." We suggest you pray with thanksgiving to God for the blessings He's given you -- such as poker winnings.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 28 final tables in 68 nights (41.2%) - 7 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $12,010 -- down $269.
NBC POKER ROOM TOTAL/UPDATED FRIDAY A.M.: 13,975 points. Check a separate post for big news about that.
Trouble is, we saw 10-6 several times. Not that good. Yet we fought through that, endured to the end (Mt. 24:13), and wound up with another final table appearance. We finished 6th for the second week in a row (this time without a tie).
A player to our immediate right had K-K in the pocket at least three times in the early going. But he didn't last. A woman across the table from us kept getting dealt 2-2 -- yet she was able to make lemonade with it several times. She told me about getting three 2's, then full houses. So when we clashed at the final table, the result was really no surprise....
BLINDS: 2,000/4,000
Well, hold it. We're the big blind, and down to only 2,500. After waiting several hands for something, anything, to push all-in, we're down to a forced play.
IN THE POCKET: Q-2 offsuit.
If we had a choice, we would have surrendered that as well. But we've run out of choices. The woman across the table calls, while no one else does.
"Remember what I told you about getting deuces?" the woman says.
"Again?!?!!?!?" we ask, expecting to see.... "AGAIN!!!!!" Yup, she has 2-2.
"She's dead," a man next to me whispers. He shows me the last available 2, which he folded. Yet we still need help.
ON THE FLOP: A-10-6.
"I need a queen," we say to state the obvious.
ON THE TURN: 8.
"I still need a queen."
ON THE RIVER: A. The board pairs, and her second pair of 2's hold up.
MINISTRY MOMENT: Since today is the U.S. National Day of Prayer, our card protector this week was an "I prayed" sticker we saved from last year's event. (A rainout kept us away from the event this year.)
It simply sat there at the table without comment. But when a man named JoJo joined the table, we spoke up. "A happy National Day of Prayer to you," we said to JoJo.
"I've done that," JoJo told us. "Twice." Assuming he'd prayed twice already during the day -- good for him.
Moments later, JoJo told someone else he was "blessed." We suggest you pray with thanksgiving to God for the blessings He's given you -- such as poker winnings.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 28 final tables in 68 nights (41.2%) - 7 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $12,010 -- down $269.
NBC POKER ROOM TOTAL/UPDATED FRIDAY A.M.: 13,975 points. Check a separate post for big news about that.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Call Me Buffalo?
So in the last two days we've played in four five-person tournaments at the NBC Sports poker room. And our record is four-for-four -- as in four second-place finishes.
We're gaining points with every #2 finish. So what do we have to do to close the deal, and finish on top?
We're gaining points with every #2 finish. So what do we have to do to close the deal, and finish on top?
Monday, May 4, 2009
Trying a new table
We just played our first mini-tourney at the NBCSports.com "Heads-Up Poker" room. We had to download some software to our computer, and took a seat in a five-player tourney.
There was no limit in the tourney we played, and we started with $1,000. What a start-- as we won the first two pots! But then we lost a bundle in one hand, admittedly not realizing an opponent had raised substantially beyond the minimum.
We wound up second out of five -- but two of the players walked away from the table early, and were DQ'd for inactivity. As a result, the game was over in about 30 minutes. Once we get used to this look and format, we may well do better. But for now....
NBC SPORTS POINTS TOTAL: 7,125.
P.S. Who decided to make all the players in the room look like comedian Chris Elliott?
There was no limit in the tourney we played, and we started with $1,000. What a start-- as we won the first two pots! But then we lost a bundle in one hand, admittedly not realizing an opponent had raised substantially beyond the minimum.
We wound up second out of five -- but two of the players walked away from the table early, and were DQ'd for inactivity. As a result, the game was over in about 30 minutes. Once we get used to this look and format, we may well do better. But for now....
NBC SPORTS POINTS TOTAL: 7,125.
P.S. Who decided to make all the players in the room look like comedian Chris Elliott?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Heads-Up Week 4: Humbler Hellmuth
Did Phil Hellmuth go to church with Daniel Negranu or something?
After he beat Tom Dwan in a heads-up TV rematch today, Hellmuth declared Dwan the "best player in the world under 30" -- and even introduced Dwan to his father!
Quite a change from last year, when Hellmuth had that A-A vs. 10-10 bad beat and openly asked if Dwan would be around in five years.
Time can heal wounds -- even at the poker table. And even help you gain respect for someone who did in your best-laid plans.
James 3:13 says our deeds should be "done in the humility that comes from wisdom." Hellmuth seems to have thought things over in the last year, and showed a humble approach in today's rematch. May your success at the table (and in life) show wise humility as well.
After he beat Tom Dwan in a heads-up TV rematch today, Hellmuth declared Dwan the "best player in the world under 30" -- and even introduced Dwan to his father!
Quite a change from last year, when Hellmuth had that A-A vs. 10-10 bad beat and openly asked if Dwan would be around in five years.
Time can heal wounds -- even at the poker table. And even help you gain respect for someone who did in your best-laid plans.
James 3:13 says our deeds should be "done in the humility that comes from wisdom." Hellmuth seems to have thought things over in the last year, and showed a humble approach in today's rematch. May your success at the table (and in life) show wise humility as well.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Poker Night #67: Long Live the King
Either things were going to be really good at Lil Kim's Cove Thursday night -- or really bad. That's because in only two Yahoo online hands earlier in the day, we made QUAD 10's (on the turn!) and three J's to win a $200-plus pot. (Then we folded a poor hand before the flop, and went back to work.)
The answer: we did well, all in all. We gained several pots, and held on to tie for sixth. In one hand, our high hopes became reality....
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: Q-J offsuit
We're early in line to bet, and the cards seem high enough to call. Several players join in.
ON THE FLOP: 10-9-3 (rainbow; our memory admittedly is fuzzy about the 3)
It's an open-ended straight draw. A man ahead of us bets 600, which seems reasonable. A third player who's the runaway chip leader calls as well.
ON THE TURN: 4 (fuzzy again)
"Six," the man ahead of us says again. We decide to show some courage after a miss, so we call another 600. So does the third man.
ON THE RIVER: K
The straight is made! The first man bets 600 again -- and from where we're sitting, he appears to be all-in. So we turn to the big stack, and raise 2,000 directly toward him. He folds. But the first man actually is NOT all-in. He thinks it over, calls -- and his two pair get burned.
A player sitting between the two of us sees a teachable moment here. "That's why you bet big early," he tells the loser. "You don't let him hang around to have a chance at the pot."
As we so often seem to do, we walked a tightrope at the final table. We doubled up twice in a row, once when K-K held up against other short-stack players. But our escape routes ran out when a player made three 10's to top our J-9.
MINISTRY MOMENT: It didn't happen until the final table, when we were almost eliminated. We went to poker night directly from work, and didn't take a "prop" with us. But then a woman to our left rallied from one gold 5,000 chip to about ten.
"Amen," she said. "Thank you, God. I know you don't like this, but thank you, anyway."
"I don't think God doesn't like it," we answer. "There are some Christian poker players, you know." We bring up Daniel Negranu, and repeat our note atop this blog that playing free games isn't gambling.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 27 final tables in 67 nights (40.3%) -- 7 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $12,279 -- up $199, only $13 below our record high.
The answer: we did well, all in all. We gained several pots, and held on to tie for sixth. In one hand, our high hopes became reality....
BLINDS: 200/400
IN THE POCKET: Q-J offsuit
We're early in line to bet, and the cards seem high enough to call. Several players join in.
ON THE FLOP: 10-9-3 (rainbow; our memory admittedly is fuzzy about the 3)
It's an open-ended straight draw. A man ahead of us bets 600, which seems reasonable. A third player who's the runaway chip leader calls as well.
ON THE TURN: 4 (fuzzy again)
"Six," the man ahead of us says again. We decide to show some courage after a miss, so we call another 600. So does the third man.
ON THE RIVER: K
The straight is made! The first man bets 600 again -- and from where we're sitting, he appears to be all-in. So we turn to the big stack, and raise 2,000 directly toward him. He folds. But the first man actually is NOT all-in. He thinks it over, calls -- and his two pair get burned.
A player sitting between the two of us sees a teachable moment here. "That's why you bet big early," he tells the loser. "You don't let him hang around to have a chance at the pot."
As we so often seem to do, we walked a tightrope at the final table. We doubled up twice in a row, once when K-K held up against other short-stack players. But our escape routes ran out when a player made three 10's to top our J-9.
MINISTRY MOMENT: It didn't happen until the final table, when we were almost eliminated. We went to poker night directly from work, and didn't take a "prop" with us. But then a woman to our left rallied from one gold 5,000 chip to about ten.
"Amen," she said. "Thank you, God. I know you don't like this, but thank you, anyway."
"I don't think God doesn't like it," we answer. "There are some Christian poker players, you know." We bring up Daniel Negranu, and repeat our note atop this blog that playing free games isn't gambling.
UPDATED POKER SCOREBOARD: 27 final tables in 67 nights (40.3%) -- 7 cashes.
YAHOO POKER TOTAL: $12,279 -- up $199, only $13 below our record high.
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