A New Experience

My first foray into poker in months ended up being a completely new experience.  In Dallas for a work trip, I accepted an invitation from a co-worker to head out for drinks and a game.  In Texas, freeroll tournaments with cash prizes are legal, thus we ended up at a bar playing in a Hold Em tournament at 9:00 on a Wednesday night.

The structure of the tournament was at the least unannounced and at worst disorganized.  I did figure out eventually that late entries were permitted up to the first break; whether rebuys were permitted I'm not sure and couldn't really tell.  I should hope not - what else would stop people from shoving on every single hand up until that first break?  I had hoped to track the number of entrants to see where I ended up, but between the late entries and action at my table, it proved impossible.

I ended up lasting for about three hours, only about 15 minutes less than my co-worker, which worked out well in terms of getting back to the hotel at a decent hour, and not having to sit around and wait.  Overall, I feel I played pretty well.  Two hands stand out (not including the deal I screwed up on my first button - way to make a good impression, Mike).

The first saw my hold A/K hearts, raise and get called all the way down, and miss the nut flush on the river (I had the draw after the flop).  It took a good chunk of chips, but not too bad.  But, it was enough where if I won, I would have been sitting pretty thanks to the total pot.

The other was my last hand.  Short stacked and on the button, I got 2/4 spades and of course had to shove.  I was called with K/K and J/J, and though a 2 came on the flop, the kings held.  How great would that have been, to win with the Cuffe Hand?

However, more than the cards itself, it was the environment and culture I will remember.  Needless to say, there was a decent amount of apprehension going in.  Pretty much everything I got to experience that night was new, save for the cards themselves.  Which, as I mentioned to my co-worker on the way back, is one of the things I love about poker - it can bring people together.  Here we were, a white New Yorker and a Mexican Colorado native, playing poker in Texas with a racially and culturally diverse group of Texans and having a hell of a time doing it.

Everyone was welcoming, and not even in the "be nice to them and take their money" kind of way I have seen in cash games.  It couldn't be that way - no one's money was up for grabs.  We hadn't been at the table ten minutes when people were asking where we were from, how we liked Texas, what else we had planned, making suggestions for things to do, and the like.

After I got knocked out, I walked around a bit.  The room with the card tables was in the back of the bar, and to get to the bar itself and the restrooms you had to walk to the front, and opposite side, of the space.  The dichotomy between the "poker culture" and "bar culture" is striking.  The latter still gives me the willies - slutty girls doing what they do, nasty "bros" and old men trying to be the objects of their "affection", at least for one night.  After I used the restroom, I was tempted to play some of the video games to pass time, but no - I had to get back to the relative normalcy of the poker area.

On the ride back to the hotel, I thought about what a good experience it was, and I was happy I got out of my normal comfort zone.  I also thought about the reminder I just got, of the good poker can do for people.

Tournament hours: 3
Total tournament hours: 7.5
Overall hours: 275

My Worst 45 Minutes of Poker

I made a very brief stop in the 1/2 NL game at Turning Stone on Monday night. Much briefer than I would have hoped, because I played like garbage.  To be expected I suppose, but a series of bad decisions that shouldn't have been made regardless of the amount of "rust" on my game are what had (and still have) me upset.

Tina and I both bought in for $200, and while she ended up breaking even after a long session, my chips were gone practically before my seat was warm.  I folded a bunch of times after calling an initial small raise ahead of me (stupid; love your cards or hate them, don't be lukewarm), and I lost a big chunk trying to push a guy out of a pot holding 4/4 when the flop came 5/6/8 and he re-raised my initial raise of 40.  I folded that, which was probably good, but my issue is I never should have been in the hand to begin with.

The final hand of the night saw me shove my last 60 holding A/Q after a 10/rag/10 flop, get called, and see the woman have a ten in her hand.  What irked me a bit was that she said "I'm sure you have me" as she called, and then flip A/10.  In what world does she think she's beat holding trips and an ace kicker? Dumbass statement.

I got out of there after that (gracefully as possible, even saying "nice hand"), walked around for a while, and eventually went back to the room.  I was DONE at that point.  Only now, over 24 hours later, am I even entertaining the idea of playing poker again, in any form, ever.

It's too bad my night went so poorly on the felt, because the game around me was pretty entertaining up to that point.  There were a ton of huge pots, most featuring the two older guys on to the right of the dealer.  One of them lost a pot for over 300, had to re-buy for another 200, and lost all of that a few hands later.  Didn't stop him from re-buying once again.

My only saving grace in my poor play was that Tina and I didn't make it known we were together when we sat down, and therefore she wasn't embarrassed in front of the rest of the table by my actions.  Small victory, but an important one.

Race to 10K: 0.75 cash game hours, 18.25 total cash game hours, 272 total hours

(Note: I'm continuing to keep track of this because it will be interesting to see where it ends up by the time I die.  I don't even have a prediction, and honestly even if I got to 10,000 hours I still don't feel like I'd be anything close to an expert.)

SFPT: April 2016

I'm happy to report my fears were unfounded.  We had a big crowd of ten people, including two new players, and it could have been two more if not for CJ (alternate plans) and Ray (had to work at the last minute) not making it.

Everyone seemed like they had a good time, and the new guys (Amanda's boyfriend and his friend) seamlessly integrated themselves into the proceedings, laughing and joking along with everyone.  Always good to see. 

And get this - I pretty much nailed the predictions!  First time for everything.  I had predicted a fourth place finished and actually finished fifth, pretty close there.  Add-Ons was exactly $20, and not only was there a scratch-off winner, there were several, for a total of $60, an SFPT record.  Furthermore, three of my season-long predictions made in the recap file already came to fruition: Amanda returned, her boyfriend and friend constituted the "new players", and to no one's surprise, Vinnie sent me a text a couple hours before the tournament saying he wouldn't be coming.  Based on his previous comment of this being his "last chance", there's a good chance he's played his last SFPT tournament ever.

As for my play:  I explained to Amanda after correctly reading a hand I played with Tina my theory that I know when I've played poorly because I can physically feel the anger (and conversely, the absence of same even when I lose, telling me I did the right thing).  The lack of anger surfaced three times during this tournament. 

The first was a heads-up hand with Tina, and play saw us alternately raise and call through the river, with the board showing jh/4h/8s/10s/ks.  I knew there were a ton of ways she could have me beat, and thus checked back when she checked after the river.  I was right - she missed the flush draws I had feared, but the king paired one in her hand and beat my queens under.

The details of the second are lost to time, but I do remember I folded a decent hand feeling I was beat by more than one person remaining in the hand, and I was correct.

The third example was my last hand of the night.  In a rare smart move, I did a chip count and calculated my remaining big blinds.  With only four, it was just about a no-brainer to shove UTG with K/J off suit.  Corrye caught a straight on the flop but I still had a chance going to the river when a ten would have given me a higher straight, but I bricked and that was it.

Upon reflection, I realize there was one other factor aiding my lack of anger - prior to my knockout, I was all-in and at risk three times and stayed alive.  Having won some, it's not fair to consider myself a loser.

So to recap, I played okay, though not great, but had a good time - recipe for success.


Race to 10k: 3 home game hours, 159.75 total home game hours, 271.25 total hours

Previewing, With Honesty

Coming this Saturday: the first and so far only poker tournament of 2016.  We have six confirmed participants so far, probably seven as I'm pretty sure Matt is coming but he never responds to the Facebook invite.  We even have a new player, Amanda's boyfriend Michael.  What remains to be seen is if both Kim and Vinnie will show – not only for babysitting reasons, but for strife ones.  Vinnie is due to move out by the end of the month (if he hasn’t already), completing their divorce that everyone agrees has been both a long time coming and inevitable.

In chatting with Corrye via text regarding the upcoming game, I found myself not only not really looking forward to it, but not really wanting to do another and even regretting scheduling this one.  It was odd – before, all of my hesitation and regret had stemmed from the trouble and stress caused by the mass of children.  Now, with the adults-only tournaments in full effect, why was I still feeling that way?  Some thought led me to that very strife between Kim and Vinnie, and to a slightly lesser extent, CJ and Vinnie.  Simply put, it's not fun when they are constantly making comments to one another that are clearly not in fun, but intended to hurt.  It makes the situation very tense for everyone, and I don't think that's fair to the rest of the group.

The easy solution here would be to not invite one of the two any longer, but I'm not going to do that.  No matter if they are divorced, I will still consider them both friends.  I can only pray the situation works itself out somehow, ideally through improved relations between the parties. 

That bit of drama aside, what can be expected of the game itself?  None of us have played since last November, though I have been watching some TV coverage of late and I noticed Tina doing the same the other day.  I have a feeling that simple, passive act will give us both a leg up come game time.  We will have to work around possibly being blinded off a couple times, when one of us goes to take Jules to a birthday party she's attending, and picks her up when it's over.  There's the possibility we won’t be started until after the former, and one (or both) of us might be eliminated before the latter, so that will be good. 

Generally, I'm expecting (as usual) some rust from most everyone re: the mechanics of the game, a few misread hands, a few misread community cards, and things of that ilk.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  Of course I'm also expecting quite a few laughs as we jab at each other and make comments fully intended to garner laughs and nothing more.  At least, most of the comments will fall under that umbrella (see above). 

For my own play: I have a feeling I'll once again finish in the middle of the pack (let's say fourth; that number just jumps to mind) thanks to not taking chances when I should.  Maybe if I keep it in the forefront of my mind all night, I can avoid the problem altogether. 

Finally, I predict no less than $20 in Add-On's For Ally, and at least one scratch-off winner (as always, a hope more than a prediction). 

SFPT 2015: A Good Night

The tournament went off as planned, and personally, I think it went great.  The atmosphere was relaxed, everyone remembered how to play (even in a few split-pot situations), and we had fun.  There was interest in doing it again before the night was even over, and that will happen, likely sometime in January at the earliest.

My play: pretty good, actually.  I won the first pot of the year/night, folded quite a bit after that before taking down a couple more, and eventually got short-stacked (though not by much) with five remaining.  In the small blind, a great hand - A/A - which was a no-brainer shove when action came back to me.  Only Matt and Tina were still in the hand; the former folded despite "really wanting to call because I know you have ace-something".  (As an aside: NO ONE, not even Tina, can read me like Matt can.  He's not always right, but more often than not, he is.  It's uncanny, and unsettling.)

Tina called, and we flipped.  I was ahead, but not by much, over her pocket tens.  Despite the long-standing belief that "aces never win", I was confident.  After all, the math was on my side, right? Yeah, not so much - the flop contained a 10, the turn and river were duds, and that was it for me in fifth place out of 9.

So, a middle of the road finish, which isn't great, but we all had a good time which is even more important.  Matt ended up winning the whole thing, outlasting CJ whose second place finish was easily the best of his life.  The biggest surprise of the night, though? Not a single winner on the nine $5 lotto tickets.  The big win is still elusive, and we will keep chasing.


10k progress: 2.5 home game hours, 156.75 total home game hours, 268.25 total hours

2015, Once

In the last post, I said it may be "many months" until the next time I play poker.  "Many" turned out to be "12" - a year-long gap that was, I believe, easily the longest since the SFPT began. 

What will, I'm 99% sure, be the only tournament of 2015 is coming up this weekend.  So far, we have six players confirmed, with the likelihood of at least two more. It will be a first in SFPT history as well: the first time we've attempted an "adults-only" evening.  It was no secret to anyone that the older the kids got, the crazier they got having to be cooped up in the house, and the more uncomfortable it was for everyone whether they were playing or simply hanging out.  I'm hoping that with no kids, people will be more relaxed and everyone can have a good time, including some adult conversation.

As for my play: at this point, I have no expectations.  I've joked with a couple people that it's been so long I've forgotten how to play.  This may not be technically true (we'll see), but to say I'm rusty is an understatement.  We all are, because no one I've talked to has played at all since last November, either.  Tina, Matt, and I had a chance at Turning Stone over the summer, but declined - ironically, because it had been so long and we feared being rusty.  Better to shake off that rust in a home game, it goes without saying.

Watch this space for an update come early next week. Should be interesting.

SFPT November and The Future

In what may very well turn out to be the last SFPT tournament for many months, a small field of six showed up to play last weekend.  I played decent, and finished third.  I had some good hands that didn’t get good results, but overall played pretty well and got my chips in at the end with a good hand. 

My best hand of the night was one I didn’t win, but made a good read – with A/K and a king on the board, I bet the flop and turn, and was snap-called both times by Kim.  After the second one, I checked the river and folded to her mid-range bet, putting her on an ace.  I was right – not only did she have one ace, but rockets.

In the end, Tom won his second ever SFPT tournament after outlasting Kim heads-up.

The big question for me now is, what role does poker play in my life from here on out?  My initial thought is, “not enough to justify a blog”.  But I’m going to keep this blog going, because that may change, and because it’s a fun record of a small portion of my life.

We may not play poker as much, SFPT wise, until the kids are older.  At least that’s my prediction.  The every-other-month events will probably pick back up at some point, maybe after our new baby is a few months old and we are comfortable that everything is going well.  I also wonder what impact the (potential) new casino will have on my poker career (and for that matter, Tina’s as well).  Will the closer location mean more frequent, if less lengthy, poker sessions?  Or will having two kids mean we aren’t able to play any more than we do now, and perhaps less?

At this point, it’s all speculation, because Lago hasn’t been awarded a license and said license isn’t a guarantee.  I will admit, I did get excited when I saw a couple of tweets from Seneca Niagara that referred to the “Seneca Fall Poker Classic” and my brain put an “s” after “Fall” for a split second, like a mental auto-correct.  If Lago gets their license, maybe there would be such a tournament.  Based on my initial reaction, I would play.  That right there tells me I’m not done with poker, and that I may pick back up with my frequency of play in the future.  In other words, it’s still fun.

One thing is certain – my previous internal debate of fun versus money is no longer a debate.  Money itself has become so menial in my life, in terms of its importance, that it follows that I can’t and won’t care about money when I am playing poker.  Rather than being a bad thing, I believe it will be good.  It is well-documented that I play far too tight in many situations; truly not caring about profit will allow me to loosen up even further and take good chances.

All of this remains to be seen.  With everything going on in my life now, poker has taken a back seat, which is fine. 

Marathon to 10k: 2.5 home game hours, 154.25 total home game hours, 265.75 total hours