Tournaments day....

Today began by me driving up to Viejas Casino for a $200 buy-in tournament. The tournament was scheduled to begin at noon and I heard it does sell out, so I arrived about 10 a.m. It was already sold out. I became alternate number 87. Meaning, that when people get knocked, out an alternate may come in, up to about the first hour of the tournament. I got in with about 3 minutes to spare. There were 440 people in the tournament and I played well until I was knocked out in about 78th place. I spent a lot of time analyzing my play afterwards and felt pretty good about. For quite awhile I wondered if my last hand was played the best I could have.
Here is the hand and the reasoning.....

The blinds were about to go up to 4 & 8 k. I needed to make something happen soon to gain some chips or I was going to be in danger of being "blinded out".

The blinds had gone to 2 & 4,000. I was three in front of the big blind. The first two checked and I went all-in 12k with a pair of fours and was called by a player 2 to my left with AK diamonds.

The flop came Jd, 7s, 5h, I was ahead, but I didn't want an Ace or King to come. The turn came Qd & the river 8d. He had made a runner-runner flush! After I thought about it, I realized he had made a good call. I actually had a little more then him so I ended up with 1500 in chips and got to play two more hands. One I won and the next I lost. I had to play all in on my big blind because I actually had less then the amount of the big blind. I didn't have to play my small blind but everyone checked to me and I had a pair of 6's. So I bet the 6k I had won on my Big Blind pot. However, the Big Blind who called me had a pair of 8's.

Nothing that came improved either hand so I was out. I am wondering if it would have been better for me to only call or slightly raise the 4's. Then when the flop didn't look good for AK I could have pushed all-in and he might have folded. But, I don't think, I would have, if I was him. He had a number of "outs".

Regarding my all-in bet it is usually much wiser to not put in two or three smaller bets when you are planning on going all in by the river. The big all-in bet has much more power in most circumstances.

The total payout for the tournament was over 80K and 1st would have paid 20,000. I would have liked a piece of that. I am looking forward to my first "big" tournament win. So far 2,500 & 1,000 have been my largest tournament cashouts.

Then I drove down to Sycuan and played 2 hours of No Limit until the evening tournament started. The buy-in was $65 and I just won a little more then that the two hours before the tournament began at 1/2 N/L

I played almost three hours in this tournament and from a field of about 200 made it to number 37.

I played well until I made a "big mistake". I had lost a couple of hands and my stack had seriously been chopped down to 7,000 The blinds were 1 & 2,000

I was the Big Blind. Everyone checked to the small blind who raised it to 7K.

Here is where I made my mistake. I have played many times with the small blind, and knew he would try to steal. He is a very loose player. He and I had tangled over a couple of hands already. I had "bluffed" him out of a pot where I had to show my cards because an "all-in" player was in the hand. So I knew he was "gunning" for me for a number of reasons. I looked down and saw K8 off-suited. I didn't think he had anything. He raised my blind to 7,000 (the amount I had left). So I called putting my whole tournament at risk, on a "not so good" hand and with out any evidence to support my belief that he was on a bluff.

He showed a pair of 6's when we turned over the cards. I was encouraged when the flop came an 8, then a Jack, then I saw his third 6 flop. I was almost as "good as dead" when the river brought him a 4th six!

Well, that was memorable and as I drove home I thought over and over about how I played that hand. I played it very badly because I could have waited for the blind and small blind for better cards. Even if no good cards came I would have 4,000 left and I would have up to 9 more hands to choose from before I had to bet. Secondly, I acted on a "belief" that I had no data to support. and thirdly I didn't have to quickly slam in my last 5,000. I could have taken my time and thought all this though.

But, I didn't.

Now today there is a theme here for me to learn from. In both hands I went all in out of fear I would be "blinded out". And I have been in the past. But I wasn't fully in the "moment today. Both times today I could have waited two to four more hands for something better. I needed more patience or better hands to play them when I did.

I know a few weeks ago I "corrected" some really tight play in tournaments and resolved to become slighty more aggressive. However, I think I "over corrected" and loosened up in the wrong place". So I will adjust again, based on both of those things that I have learned about my tournament play.

I am pretty tired, from almost 7 hours of tournaments, counting the on-line, one table tournament I just lost $20 at while, writing this blog.

Oh yeah, I also played 4 hours of cash games no-limit. Guess it was a very full day of poker.

I still really enjoyed it and look forward to continuing to think through today's. I am resolving to play better tomorrow.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. I can be emailed at dave.dillman@yahoo.com

Thanks for sharing this with me......

Midnight thoughts.....

Riding the bus actually works out quite nicely. I read the paper on the way. I slept on the way home. It leaves my neighborhood at 4:15 p.m. and I arrive with enough time to play an hour of poker before the evening tournament starts. Depending on what time I get "knocked out" of the tournament I have about 4 hours to play more poker before the bus loads for the return trip. I think the tournament finishes right before the bus leaves so even if I win it, I should be ok. If not, I do have a backup plan. Every hour the casino provides a shuttle to the San Diego Trolley. I can take the Trolley to about 1/2 mile away from where I leave my car to catch the bus.

The bus is free and I am saving gas money, and not even having to drive the 60 miles round trip by using this method.

Tonight I played at the 5/10 No Limit table and the first hand caught pocket kings. An A/Q called my $75 raise, I was on the button and I think he thought I was trying to steal the $35 raise he made. By the river my entire $200 buy-in was all in, on the very first hand! My kings stood up and I doubled up. Then for the next 3 hours I didn't have a hand to play. Twice I had little pocket pairs and called a small raise because 3 or 4 players called in front of me. But, the flop never tripled me, so I threw them in both times. One complete hand played and two flops seen in almost 4 hours. "Whoever said it "takes a lot of patience" to play hold-em well, was sure accurate. The three hours of blinds knocked a hundred off my win, but I still left up a $100

As I drove home, about a mile from the bus stop, a glance at my watch reveals it is a little after midnight. My neighbors and wife are all asleep and I am just getting home. It brought back memories of working full-time and going to college at night. Then working full-time and driving 150 miles twice a week in order to earn my graduate degree in psychology. They call what I am doing now "playing" and it is what I want to do, but sometimes it seems very lonely and is hard work. The well-known quote, I think attributed to Johnny Moss is "it is a hard way to make an easy living...."

Then why do I do it? Because I love it, and love the challenge and the freedom of doing this.

I am persuing my passion.... will it work out for me? Keep reading and I will keep writing and we will both discover it together.......

Is this really a zero sum game?

I am balancing my family life and poker life as well as I know how. There are a few challenges and I wonder about all the others who do it.

I heard a horrible joke yesterday at the poker table.

Question... What do you say do a professional poker player? answer..."17th & Main please..."
(It will take a while to get it... but I think it means most professional players end up driving a cab in Vegas.) What a dismal thought. My dad never supported our family and the "best" job he ever held, when he held a job, was driving a cab.....

But back to the family and poker. Annie Duke's husband is very supportive and she works hard at being a good mom. She has reported she is tired from the challenges of both. When you hear her talk about it you hear some of the regret for what she has missed in her kid's lives.

My situation is very different. Both my children are grown and on their own. They get about as much of me as they want. (grin)

My wife is very supportive and is working hard at her career and making sacrificies to support my "dream". We have been married 34 years and have a great relationship. However, she works a traditional job and I am still in bed 4-6 hours after she get's up in the morning. Also the best times to play Poker are Friday nights weekends when she would like to be with me.

Sometimes, she comes with me in the RV to the Casino, but it can be pretty boring in a Casino Parking lot, even with a bed, TV, Kitchen and reading. Sometimes she will play some machines, but doesn't enjoy it when it is real crowded. Of course that is Friday night and weekends.

I try to be more attentitive and do more around the house so her experience of coming home is more pleasant but we are experiencing a strain and a challenge. It is difficult making some of these accomodations for both of us.

Caren is excellent at communicating and is sharing some of her mixed feelings of being both happy for me, and resenting me for this choice.

I am getting ready to catch a bus that actually comes to my neighborhood and picks up people at 4:00 p.m and returns them at about 11:30 p.m. I am planning on riding the bus tonight to "save the driving & gas expense".

Well, I gotta run and catch a bus.... more about this later......

Time Gaps.....

I am amazed that my last post was on the 5th and today is the 17th.

I had a very discouraging week and had about 9 days of losing poker. I am doing my best at continuing to play as well as I know how, but I have been "fighting" with self-doubt that I will ever make it as a "winning professional". It is amazing the amount of "demons" I find in myself that come out when I have a number of losses in a row. (My demons, are critical "inner voices & depression, and negative thoughts about the future) However, I am still doing my best to play my best "outer game" and attempt to win the "inner game" too.

I took the RV to Sycuan Casino on Martin Luther King eve and played an evening tournament and the holiday tournament. Didn't place well in either one of them. Though, on this trip, I had three different playing scenarios that encouraged me and I can look at as "evidence" that I can make it.

Sunday night within a few hours of starting my two days of poker, I lost $500 of the $600 (by two "bad beats" & a "bad call by me") that I took with me as my "bankroll" for this trip.

Because I only have a "total bankroll" of $10,000 I try to risk no more then 6-10% of it each trip. Because I have access to many places to play near my home. I also set a "stop loss amount" (the amount, I take with me to the casino) and I avoid using the ATM to add to my cash when I am at the casino. That is part of the disipline I impose on my poker playing along with not playing any house games like Blackjack, craps, or slot machines.
So I went to bed in the RV in the parking lot, about midnight, and set the alarm to wake up in time for the 10 A.M. tournament.

Now, I had planned on being there all day Monday, MLK day until late into the evening and the buy-in for the 10 a.m. tournament was $35. That will leave me $65 to play on all day after the tournament. It might become a very short day of poker. But, I do have a novel with me, along with two poker books to study, and since I am only 35 miles from home I do have a few options if I lose my $65.

However, I am committed to playing as much as I can, and playing the "best poker" I know how to. So after getting knocked out of the morning tournament (with pocket kings of course) I go back to the RV for an hour long nap.

After walking back to the casino I sit down at a N/L table where the minimum buy-in is $50 and for the next 8 hours "grind" my $65 buy-in up to $500 (So, my 1st "evidence" I can utilizeto support my belief, (that I can be successful) is the steady "grind-up" on a no-limit table.)

At about 10 p.m. I decide to begin driving home still $100 down.

I "catch my second wind" on my drive home and decide to stop at the "Village Club" card room (about 4 miles from my home) to play "a $200 rack of chips" on the 8/16 limit hold-em table.

The 8/16 game there is usually a tough game with good players, and my plan is to either "double up" my buy-in or leave after a rack loss.

However, the 8/16 game always has a "waiting list", so I am directed to a "short-handed" 3/6 limit hold'em game until my 8/16 seat comes available. At this table there are three regulars, three I don't recognize, and a "drunk" with a "huge stack" in front of him. It was all won at this table by playing almost every single hand and raising almost every hand, (between ordering beers.)

I buy-in for $80 and on my very first hand, my cards are 10c & Qc.

I am behind the button and by the time it comes to me there are 5 callers. So I call, and the drunk raises, someone else raises, and it is capped for $12 with over $80 already in the pot. The flop comes Ac,Kc,10h.

I now have a pair of 10's, and one club needed for the best possible flush. By the time the pot comes to me it has been raised, so I re-raise and the "drunk" caps it again. The turn comes Qd.

Now, beside the best flush possiblity, I have two pair and with one of 15 possible cards could end up with , a straight, a full-house or a royal flush. The betting continues and my entire buy-in, is now in a pot, that is over $400 at a 3/6 table! The river card is a 7s.
(As you can probably guess the drunk had Js, & 2h winning that pot as he had many others with very bad starting cards.)

I re-buy $60 more and prepare to take him on again. I watch player after player self-destruct by playing many-many not-so-good hands against the "drunk's" really bad hands. He continues to beat them with worse cards including beating me, with a loose 9/10 starting hand I played him with.

It is almost like people are thinking "I can play "weak hands" and get my money back, because he is playing such horrible hands. "

Finally, with a calm detached focus I realize that I can get my money back from him, by playing my best game, and only really good hands. An hour later, he has no money, and myself and the others who took that approach had our money back from his stack. I realized in this illustration that I do "know how to beat the game" and it is all about playing good poker against others who play less then good poker and you will win eventually. That became illustration number 2 for me this day.

The 3rd illustration occurred when I got in my 8/16 and played against 7 really good players, and 2 others that played fairly well. In a couple of hours of small flucurations by playing "really tight" I was up a $100 and decided to go home completly even for this trip.

I didn't make any money, but I feel like I learned and re-learned some really very valuable lessons on this poker trip.

I had about a day to enjoy the feelings and thoughts of the above when I began playing on-line tonight. My on-line poker stories are another matter and ones I will talk about at another time.

Except for this one......
Tonight on-line on Party-Poker.....

I played a $30 one-table tournament and placed 3rd for $50

Then I bought into a $10 multi-table tournament and lost the 2nd hand of the tournament with KJ against a KQ.

Then this third tournament for $20 began where I began playing with a feeling that I was going to do very well in it. After the first three hands then I folded, I came up on my first big blind and the following hand occurred.

I had 10d Ac. The blinds are 15. I am the big blind and come in with no raise with two other callers. The flop comes Kd, 3d, Qc. Giving me a "gutshot" straight draw. The small blind bets $60 the size of the pot. I call the $60 intending to leave if there is a raise and the button just calls. The turn card comes Jc giving me a "straight to the Ace." The small blind goes all-in for 860 the amount I have left. There is no pair and no flush possiblity on the table so I call all-in, and another Jh comes on the river giving his QJ a full house of jacks overs queens. I have had about 6 or 7 beats just like that in the last week. That is when it is hard not to think "there is a design in the universe that is out to keep me from winning at poker".

Well, look like I am back to "dealing with the inner demons"...

Life is a Road Trip

Many people take a poker or gambling trip. Las Vegas counts on the average person spending about two thousand dollars, not counting transportation, to do one to Las Vegas.

I am fortunate to have done a poker road trip at least 2-3 times a month this last year, including some to Las Vegas, and it never costs me anything for food or lodging. Poker playing allows me to do that. And it is not because of “comps” for poker players. In fact, there are little or no comps for poker players. (Remember, the casino is only “renting the table and dealer” to the players, by taking 1-4 dollars out of each pot and putting it down the slot in the table.) The players are playing each other for the money. The casino’s make very little if anything on their poker rooms.

I am fortunate to have 7 places to play poker within 30 miles of my home in San Diego.
Add another 20 if I am willing to drive 90 miles to L.A. and of course take the total count of places for me to play, to over eighty, if I am willing to go up to 280 miles from my home to Las Vegas. (I know I can stay home and play anytime, even in my underwear on-line, but it is just not the same. In fact, I usually lose on-line.)

I don’t want to drive even 30 miles and then feel like I have to stay if cards are running bad or it doesn’t seem like a good table to me. I would rather take a couple of minute stroll to the poker room from my home and when I ready for a nap or just to take a break stroll back home and come back a little later.

So how do I get “free poker road trips whether I win or lose?

I have found the perfect way to do that. I just take my RV for overnight poker trips, even if it is here in San Diego where I live. Before or after commuter’s rush hour, (one of the perks of poker playing as a business is “rush hour” has nothing to do with being stuck in traffic) I drive to the casino, park in the RV section, shut the curtains, and go into the poker room. It doesn’t make any difference if I play the next hour, next 6 or all night. Whenever, I want, I walk back to my RV, sleep in my own bed, work on the computer, read, make dinner or sleep. I never drink when playing cards, but if I did it would also take away the risk of paying for a drinking & driving violation. (No need to tip the cocktail waitress, valet or luggage attendant either when I visit poker rooms in my RV.)

While I am there I have a private security force watching over my “RV and making sure I stay safe on my “walk home”. Not, only rich people have private security services and 24/7 surveillance of their homes. I do and I don’t pay for it. Talk about “emergency response time”, one time I called the casino when I thought I saw some suspicious activity near my RV and armed police were there in 45 seconds. I pay nothing for my private security force to protect my RV home, no land taxes, and no space rent. A few of the Casino’s have RV parks. But, in my thinking why would I pay for an RV space when they give me free parking and I have my own, water, power & sewage? (grin)
By the way that “suspicious activity” turned out to only be someone who had locked their keys in their vehicle.

Here at Sycuan Casino, the RV parking is up on a mesa surrounded by beautiful mountains and closer then where I usually park when I come in my car. I refer to it as the “penthouse suites”, when I tell people I am staying at the casino overnight.

The poker economy part of staying here is I can play 2 morning and 2 evening tournaments with just one overnight stay for a total buy-in for all four tournaments of less then $100. I have placed for the money in 4 of them here at Sycuan in the last year with my biggest win being $2500. All three of the other times I placed in the money only added up to about $900 total

Also, since poker rooms have promotions at non-peak times, I can come in for a promotion time and go back out to the RV when the promotion period ends. Speaking of promotions it is time to go buy-in for $50 at a N/L table and win $50 from the Casino if pocket aces get beat. Guess what hands I play during those two hours? I have found a sure-fire can’t lose poker proposition, now, if I can only plug the “rake” leak in my game for those two hours. (grin)

P.S. Let me also clarify that you can find some comps for poker players. In Oceanside when I play the $20-40 hold-em game you can order anything on the menu you want for free, and when I play in Pechanga I earn $1.50 per hour with my free casino club card. They have a number of nice places to eat there. I always eat very well, and for free at those two places. Other, casinos do have some free comps you can earn with your club card. However, the two I mentioned are my personal favorites.

Self-doubt and the art of losing….

How come when I win, I commend myself and when I lose I condemn myself? If I make a bad play, I can tell myself I can learn from it. It only takes me a minute to get over it emotionally.

When I am lucky and win, even with bad play I don’t feel bad. Yet, when I play very well and then lose I feel depressed and my “poker future” looks bleak to me.

Why is that? Self doubt and self value are only ethereal concepts, how come one is so easy for me to do and not the other?

It is a beautiful day in Southern California in the middle of winter. Sunny and 80 degrees with a blue sky and yet I feel like the peanut’s character who has a dark cloud over him wherever he goes, and my insides, feel as “cold” as a “Minnesota winter”.

It is not poker it is ME that is the problem with my game. I have heard that many who try to make it as a poker player can not deal with the up and downs of the game. I don’t think it is the “game” it is my reactions to the up and downs of the game. Poker could be seen as a illustration of life and our reactions.

Monday night I played well and won $900. Tuesday, I played well and lost $400, Wednesday I played well and lost $300.

Today I just got knocked out of a tournament after playing only three hands in 2 hours. I got all my money in with the best two starting cards dealt. The cards which came on the flop, turn or river, beat me all three hands. (In case you are wondering how I could go “all-in” and lose 3x in one no-limit tournament, it was a “re-buy” tournament for the first hour.) So, in some ways I could condemn myself for losing 3 tournaments in a space of two hours. (very, weak, sick, grin)

How come me and maybe you are “so hard” on ourselves? In actually, I am a winning poker player. This week I am up $180.

Since, I started my quest one year ago this month, I am up $12,000

However, the $12,000 does includes two “bad beat” jackpot’s of nine-thousand and three-thousand for getting beat with aces full and beating aces-full with 4 ten’s. So, does this mean I am really a “break even player” rather then a winning player? I actually think honestly it does reveal that. In this year my “luck” has “evened out”. So, how come I feel like I am “less lucky” then many other players? My poker wins/losses are a indicator of a combination of my luck and skill. By itself it doesn’t really indicate whether I am a good/lucky/bad/unlucky player. I need to remind myself at every full table I am a 9-1 underdog. Even when I break even over time, it reveals that I kept those other players from getting my money, and I won back as much as the casino took from the pot and dropped down the hole in the table. That is one “leak” in my game I will never be able to plug.

So what does tell me whether I am playing well or not? I guess it has to be faith in what I know. My poker knowledge is an accumulation of reading every poker book I can, and learning from every hand I play,. I have read about 30 poker books and played many hands this year. It is hard to see my growth & professional development over this year. I have a few “subjective indicators”. I can now see a lot more “mistakes” others make. I usually realize when I play a hand badly, whether I win or lose the pot. I know I need to keep more detailed records and find a few other “successful players” who can challenge me, and discuss strategy with me. I also need to “find and plug” more “leaks” in my game.

I am realizing I need to “exorcise the demons in my head” who mock me with thoughts like “had you put in that many hours at even a minimum wage job you would be thousands of dollars ahead…..etc, etc”. True, but what would have been the “real cost” of that for me? Suicide, drinking, self-delusion or other self-destructive compensations for participating in a life I don’t want to live

So, what is a honest, professional aspiring, poker player to do. I guess play my best poker every hand, stay “in the moment”, be thankful I am living a life that many only dream of and continue to pursue my own dream of becoming a successful, professional poker player. Oh yes, and continue to work on my “inner game”. I

Working the "night shift"....

One thing about playing Poker is you are often working the “night shift”.

I played last night at the “Village Club” in Chula Vista and left there about 3:30 A.M. when the 8/16 hold-em game was starting to look like it might “break”. It was a good game and I left “up” about $900.

It is nights like last night that encourage me I can make it as a “pro”. However, I didn’t get up until about 11:00 a.m. and after making breakfast, I forget I had an appointment at noon. Poker life for me is becoming very consuming. Daily I study, play live, or play on-line. I also have started this Blog and am getting involved over at Thunderkellers, hoping it can become a place where I can get advice and encouragement from some other aspiring professionals. I don’t know any here locally yet.

I also have an idea for forming a Christian Poker Association. One of the challenges for me as a former pastor and a Christian, is my faith, is still a very important part of me. My best two friends are a “Pastor and the other is a Bible College Instructor”. One of them really values what I am doing the other is struggling with even understanding how what I am doing is not anti-Christian. (There will be a lot more about that as I find others to dialog with who both play poker professionally and take their faith and commitment to Biblical values seriously.)

I mentioned in a previous blog, dropping out of Bible College and joining the U.S. Army. As far as poker went during my 4 years in the Army the few times I did play, I usually lost my monthly paycheck and survived the rest of the month on eating only Army food and staying on the military base. But, overall, poker was not really a part of my military life.

When I was discharged from the army I dutifully returned to Bible College. I earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies, met & married my wife Caren and became an “ordained” minister. Now I was ready to go off and “save” the world. Little did I know, the world didn’t want to be “saved”, nor was I the person to do it. But, that is another story, that I will tell in a future blog about my first Pastor "job" in Minnesota.

But, today, after I finish getting ready, I am taking my RV and heading out for two days of Poker at a couple of casino’s where I can play as long or little as I like. I will have my RV with me so I can spend the night at the Casino without spending any of my profits for room or board.
I will let you know how this trip went and some of my more memorable trips in future blogs.

Which holiday is on 1st?

I am confused, is today the first, or was it yesterday? The Rose Parade is today. Today is not the first, worst still, ......

It is raining on the Rose Parade!

This is going to be an unusual year. It “never” rains on the Rose Parade; The Rose Bowl game is never three days after the beginning of the year!

And I have never placed for money in the WSOP.

Maybe, this year I will!

The first day of the year and I played no poker!

My wife Caren and I stayed overnight New Year’s eve in our R.V. in Ocean Beach in front of our with my friends Gary, & Jane, & Terry & Gayle.

Didn’t even get drunk and fell asleep at 11:50 p.m. (Boring…….!!!!)

Back home today and just got blown out of a $30 buy-in tournament on Party Poker. Last night made it to within 10 seats of the money. I am about due.

I am also in another tournament as I write this. I didn’t notice it was a “limit” tournament. It was a $5 buy-in so I will probably be at this for 4 or 5 hours. Need to build up my on-line account a little bit.

It is a cold, raining, day in San Diego and I was planning on taking the R.V. up to L.A. to spend a couple days at the Bike and a couple of days at the Commerce Casino, but the rain and cold discouraged me from driving up there. I will probably play tournaments on-line for the rest of the day.

Last week was very exciting. My wife and son Jonathan went over to Vegas on Christmas day. We have two nephews who live there and we wanted to buy them Christmas dinner and just hang out with them for a couple of days.

They don’t play poker so I played Blackjack with them. (I usually don’t play blackjack because of the house edge and I think I am the “world’s un-luckiest blackjack player.) Sure, enough by the second day I was about $500 down just playing $10 single-deck. They decided to go see a movie and I decided to go to Binion’s where we were staying and play a little No Limit Hold-em. I was in a really good game and had made about $200 when the table broke because the 8 p.m. tournament was starting.


I decided to go ahead join the $60 buy-in tournament. There were 66 players and it was only 1 rebuy allowed so I jumped in. When they stopped back after the movie there were about 40 of us still playing after the re-buy period. Off, they went to play some more blackjack while I kept grinding away and only playing premium hands. When they came back later I had just made the final table and the ten of us were on a 5 minute break before the final table play began.

In case you haven’t been at Binion’s lately, they have 4 tournaments a day and the final table in up on a special lighted platform and there are always “railbirds” watching the final table. I felt proud to be at that table at the Binion’s the “Mecca” of Poker Tournament’s.

After a couple of lucky wins where I caught my flush on the river it was just me and a young man heads-up. I had about a 2-1 chip lead and I considered just splitting the pot with him. 2nd place was $1100 and 1st place was $2000, so we each could have walked with about $1550, but I did have the chip lead. I went over to talk to my wife, son and nephews. The nephews had never seen a poker tournament before, and never thought they would be standing in Vegas watching their Uncle possibly win one of them, so they all encouraged me to “go for it”.

I noticed my opponent being “coached” by a friend who was discussing strategy with him during the break and then it was time to play just one on one.

I had about 30,000 in front of me and he had about $15,000 The blinds were $800 & $1600. The first hand I was dealt A,2 of Spades. He goes all-in and I fold, thowing, the Ace & two of spades faceup on the table, attempting to send a message that when I call him I have him beat so don't try to many fancy plays. Next, hand I have A,J hearts on the small blind and raise him all-in. He folds. Next hand his small blind, he goes all in, I fold 10-7. Next hand, I want to change this pattern so my big blind with K,10 I raise on the small blind to 4,000 to get some flop play. He answers with “all-in” and I call and he shows 10,8 off-suit and catches an 8 on the turn. I don’t improve.

Chips are about even now and I get A 9 spades, He raises all-in on the small blind and turns over A 4 off-suit. The flop comes, A,6,8 rainbow and the turn is a 4, for a pair of 4’s for him and the river is a jack and it is all over. I take 2nd place.

I am still puzzling over what I could have done different in that situation with an opponent who seemed to go “all-in” pre-flop every hand. I would welcome your suggestions or criticisms. I want to learn from this.

Overall, I am proud to take 2nd at Binion’s, I got it “all in” with the best hands and got outdrawn which I think is the best you can do. I was proud to have my son, wife and nephews see my play and the professional way I handled myself and the loss.

I remember in the mid 1980’s coming to a computer show in Vegas and wandering in to watch the final table of a “big event” with a million dollars on the table. I had just started playing poker and I said to my brother, I am going to play here someday. Where the someday did occur and now I had saying I am going to play in the W.S.O.P. big even someday. It could be this year or the next, but I intend on doing it and winning.

Keep reading and see if I make it.......

Happy New year and a +EV to all

Happy New Year,

I am glad to not be in Vegas tonight, in fact as I get older, I am glad to not be anywhere on New Years evening, where bullets can full on my head….. grin….

I keep realizing how important the mind-game is in getting serious about playing good poker all the time. Last night on Party Poker I played well in a $20 buy-in getting down to about 150 in a field of 1500, (hey, I didn’t win, but I beat 1350 players who think they are good enough to risk $20… grin)

So I went into Party Poker and played 5/10 in the bad/beat jackpot area and lost about $350…. I noticed as my buy-in of $250 got smaller I became more aggressive and played looser like in tournaments. That is a bad idea in cash-games, I think I just made my “running bad” just lose money faster. So I dropped down to 2/4 and caught jacks. The board came 4,4,7 so I bet and got raised, I re-raised and got re-raised back. Decided to look at one more card and a beautiful jack came on the turn. I bet, got raised, re-raised, and we raised to the limit on the turn and the river. He got angry thinking it was a bad beat when his 4,8 off didn’t hold up. So, I turned off the chat feature, played a little more, reducing my 5/10 loss by a hundred.

I do like playing where there is a bad-beat jackpot possibility… I won two different ones this year. Didn’t win one on-line but won the bad beat jackpot for $8900 with aces full of jacks beaten by 4A’s w/K, at Sycuan Casino in San Diego. In December I got the small end for $3,000 at Pechanga Casino in Temecula, by beating Aces, full of tens with 4 tens. (There is a long interesting story of how that hand finished 2 minutes after the time the jackpot doubled and what we had to go through to get the floor manager to pay the double jackpot rate. But, I will tell that story at another time.)

The bottom line is all my wins at the end of each month, are at live poker. I am down on-line the same amount I am up at live games. Yet, I don’t want to quit on-line I need to figure out my game and what kind of tables to play. Please feel free to email me any suggestions to pastorpoker at cardplayer.com

Again, Happy New year and may you all have a year full of +EV

Dave

Learning to be a Blogger....... It is not Rocket Science.. but not as easy as it looks.....

Ok,
This is my second Blog post and it took me about 15 minutes to figure it out. Sometimes, I make it too difficult for myself.

Ok, I have been using the Internet since Al Gore was in grade school and I have taught people to become Computer Network Engineers by becoming Microsoft Certified System Engineers but there is so much about the Internet I don't know how to do, like blogging, producing webcasts & podcasts, or creating a interesting website.

"Deep thought alert!" Internet & Computers are similar to Poker & Hold'em, it only takes a few hours to learn how to play them but a lifetime to really be good at them. And there are millions of people who think they really are good at them....... when they know so very little of what there is to know..... (LoL)

Here is another similarity from my personal experience..... When I first bought my own personal computer I really enjoyed using it, I tried to become really good at it...... I decided they were going to change my life signifigantly, and I wanted to become a computer professional.

I really enjoyed playing poker, I am trying to become really good at it, it is changing my life signifgantly, and now I want to become a poker professional. grin......

I grew up in a very religious family in Chicago that attended a little pentecostal church... in case you don't know what that is, watch the movie "The Apostle" and you will get a pretty good idea. Dancing, smoking, going to movies, reading the comics before Church on Sunday, drinking, and playing cards, especially poker was WRONG!, EVIL, BAD, SINFUL, etc, etc, etc..... In fact playing Cards were somehow, "of the devil" and thought to mock God, the Church, The Trinity, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and everything else we all held "near & dear". (There was an exception, we could play Rook, with Rook cards. Don't ask me to explain why.... grin)

I was a good little church boy and didn't do any of the above, except the comics & I liked doing magic tricks and strategy games with cards... like poker.


So what do good little boys from churches like that do for a living...? why they become church pastor's of course. So off to Bible College I went to become a ordained pastor.

Playing pool wasn't one of those things strictly forbidden, and since it wasn't, I didn't bother to tell anyone I played for money at the local pool room, but I was able to win enough to pay for my ticket to L.A. where the Bible College was located.

I found a job at the L.A. Times at a copy boy in the evening and when I would get off work at midnight I would hang around with my Bible College Roomate Bruce and we would play pool in the L.A. Times employee lounge until Sunrise, fully intending to dutifully attend classes on the Old Testament and Greek and Hebrew. But soon, the sounds of snores could be heard coming from the beds in our dorm room while our classmates learned their Hebrew and Greek in the classroom.

By the end of that first semester I was learning how to march and shoot guns for our Uncle Sam and a pround member of the United States Army......... Bible College would have to wait... But, I would be back...........

Going pro... My journey to become a successful professional poker player

In the third week of January I was playing poker at the Sycuan Casino in San Diego, California when I looked down and saw a pocket pair of jacks. Three aces fell on the flop, and only me, and a young man in seat 9 were still betting. Two more cards were placed on the table, a seven, then a three The young man turned over an Ace/King. As I showed my losing hand, everybody at the table started yelling. I had just won a "bad-beat" jackpot and my portion was $8,900.

That evening must have loosened something in my head, because from that evening of poker, came the idea that I could become a professional poker player.

This blog narrates some of my experiences in 2005 and the ones I will have in 2006 and beyond, on my way to "going pro".. the dream of many people... will I make it?

I invite you to join me on this adventure and see if I make it?