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

The August Tournament

The "new normal" seems to be to my liking. 

For the second straight tournament, I took down the win, this one slightly more impressive as the field was bigger by two players.  I played well for the most part, not taking too many stupid chances and pushing the action when I had the right cards, position, and chips.  That and a little bit of luck gave me the win, besting Tom in heads-up play.

I hate to say this in a way, but a little bit of alcohol helped once again as well.  It was four beers this time instead of six, but still, I'm not going to make a habit out of drinking every time I play.  Not good, for obvious reasons.  Although, having a few beers once every other month probably isn't going to hurt anything.

Even before  the beers, however, I found myself much more relaxed than I had been in the past; feeling and thus exhibiting more of a "go with the flow" attitude.   In the past, starting an hour and a half past the scheduled time, or seeing some of the kids (led by my own) making a mud hole in the back yard might have gotten on my nerves.  But it didn't, and I'm glad.  In fact, a couple days after the tournament, I was thinking how I am proud of myself that my reaction to the Mud Hole Incident was literally a shrug and "eh, let them have some fun".  The yard can be fixed, if needed.  Clothes can be washed or replaced.  But you can't go back and make memories.

Marathon to 10k: 4 home game hours, 151.75 total home game hours, 263.25 total hours

Interlude to Equilibrium

My complete and total layoff from poker lasted just over 3 months.

We had an SFPT "event" last weekend, and though some things hadn't changed (namely, the kids being, as a group, wild and a distraction), some had.  Namely, I found that I was able to relax and enjoy myself, despite my belief going in that I wouldn't be able to do so.  Or more accurately, didn't want to.  I gave serious thought to only dealing for the game, and only decided to play a few hours before when it became apparent the field would be a small one.

I should have realized long ago that completely giving up on poker was not something I really wanted to do.  I acted and talked like it was, in the name of being selfless - still my primary goal in life.  But playing poker brings me a certain level of enjoyment, and more importantly, it's something I do with my friends.  The making of memories is something I never want to neglect, and giving up on the SFPT home games would be doing just that.

I'm glad we played a couple days ago, for those reasons, but also because I played well.  And won.  Winning helps, I'm not going to lie.  It's not about the money at all, it's about the confidence.  It also goes a long way toward making the whole experience more enjoyable, which probably goes without saying.

It was a seven player field, and the heads-up came down to Corrye and I.  Corrye made a great play going all-in after the river on what Tina agreed was a "scary board" full of straight and flush draws; I laid down pocket jacks and it turns out I would have beaten Corrye's eights under.  I thought I was screwed after that, but a couple shoves and folds got me a slight lead going into the final hand.  Slightly intoxicated and therefore not over-thinking the situation as I am wont to do, I moved all-in with A/5 spades and was called by Corrye's K/10 off-suit.

The board ran out blanks and I took home the win and $35 in prize money, not counting the $10 I had won on a bounty earlier in the night.  After my $5 Add-On, I was up $30 on the night, which went directly to Jules' bank account.

I think I have found a happy medium now - while I don't need to take poker as seriously as I was not too long ago, I also know I don't want to give it up either.  It IS fun, and despite the frustrations that sometimes come with having the get-togethers at our house, it is worth it.

Marathon to 10K: 3 home game hours, 147.75 total home game hours, 259.25 total hours

The New SFPT and the New Reality

Safe to say, the thrill is done.  I just don't care anymore.  The flame has been extinguished.  Whatever love I had for poker, especially as for the idea of it being something I want to focus a good deal of my time and energy on, has disappeared.

It's hard to say exactly why I feel this way, but the first thought that comes to mind is that there's no one that wants to go on the journey with me.  If I wanted it bad enough, I could do it alone, and the fact that I'm not willing to go it alone tells me I don't want it bad enough.  That realization is enlightening, and oddly gives me a sense of relief.  From the beginning, it felt forced, but I chalked that up to the fact that it was something almost completely new to me.  In hindsight, I should have known better.  I'm just glad I came to that realization before too much more time had passed.

I do want to keep playing casually, which is one of the reasons this blog, my tracking spreadsheets, and the SFPT in general will not completely go away.  (For the SFPT specifically, hanging out with my friends and Add-Ons for Ally are the main reasons). Poker is still fun on a certain level, but I could tell when I was playing in the most recent SFPT that it's not as fun as it once was.  I was donking off chips with almost every pot, and not focusing as I am wont to do.  But this time, when I realized my lack of focus, my reaction was NOT to regain it.  It was literally, a shrug and "oh well".

Perhaps my desire to play will be bolstered by playing less frequently.  That idea makes me glad I changed the SFPT get-togethers to every other month (the stated reasons on the Facebook page being, of course, the primary ones). 

I have also made a few non-SFPT related changes, beginning with clearing out my Twitter feed and Facebook Likes of almost all poker-related content.  The only ones I kept were ones that were also following me, or people who are interesting on levels other than poker. 

It's good, I think, that I have made these decisions.  Spending so much time on poker, not so much the playing but watching, reading, and thinking, was taking too much of my time on a selfish pursuit.

10K update: 2.25 home game hours, 144.75 total home game, 256.25 total