Ok. I'm avoiding work again. This is going to become an issue soon but that is for another day. Today I want to let you all know that I just spent a fair bit of time catching up on Robert's recap of his participation in event 51 at the WSOP.
Some would be upset to come across such a well written piece so late - like missing the opening night for Transformers 3. Me, I'm glad I came to it late because, quite frankly, if I had come in at part two, I would likely have flown across the ocean, hired a PI to find him and then beat the remaining bits of the story out of Robert because I would have had to know.
I'm pretty sure that means it is well written. Or it could just mean that 14 hours on a plane followed by senseless criminal violence sounds better than another day in my job right now.
14 October 2009
12 October 2009
Bad Beats
So I stumbled across Cardgrrl's book of bad beats which, at this stage, appears to just involve her and the Grump exchanging stories. I confess that reading it reminds me of the Monty Python skit "Four Yorkshiremen" - you know the one - (in case you don't) and I want to respond to a tale of a flush catching up with a flopped set in a loud exclamation of "Luxury!".
See below for recent posts which are pretty bad. Although I confess that I'm not sure if a boxed card is a bad beat or a cooler or what the appropriate term is. I do know that flopping top set and getting called twice by six high only to lose to runner-runner straight is pretty bad. And I have lost way more than should be normal playing live when, in a set over set situation, bottom set hits its one-outer to make four of a kind. (Although, in the interest of full disclosure I have also put this particular beat on a friend of mine from my local room on one particular occasion).
But to qualify for a true bad beat it has to involve horrendous play, I think, and set over set just happens. Which brings me to my entry in this particular competition:
Background - my local cash game. $200 - $500 buy in NL Hold'em with $5/$5 blinds. Full ring. I'm in BB with $1,200. There are lots of limpers (six?) and I check with an off suit Ad10c. Flop comes 10h 10d 7s. SB checks and I lead for the pot (my game involves extracting value with made hands - no need to be tricky here as any number of hands call) two callers, including the button. Turn is the 7d. I figure at this stage the best I can hope for is a chop, but anyone with one seven is going to call me down so let's find out. I bet 2/3rds of the pot. One fold and button min raises me. Ok, I'm behind to 77, tied with the other 10 and miles in front of one 7 so let's find out - I push. He snap calls and when the 8 of diamonds comes on the river tables the 6d9d for a runner, runner straight flush.
So, I offer this as my personal bad beat as it involved two of the worst calls ever. He called the flop with a pair on the board larger than his hand and holding only a gutshot straight draw. I actually don't mind the min raise on the turn but then he calls off his entire stack with a turned non-nut flush draw while facing a double paired board. Anyway - Nice hand sir, well played.
See below for recent posts which are pretty bad. Although I confess that I'm not sure if a boxed card is a bad beat or a cooler or what the appropriate term is. I do know that flopping top set and getting called twice by six high only to lose to runner-runner straight is pretty bad. And I have lost way more than should be normal playing live when, in a set over set situation, bottom set hits its one-outer to make four of a kind. (Although, in the interest of full disclosure I have also put this particular beat on a friend of mine from my local room on one particular occasion).
But to qualify for a true bad beat it has to involve horrendous play, I think, and set over set just happens. Which brings me to my entry in this particular competition:
Background - my local cash game. $200 - $500 buy in NL Hold'em with $5/$5 blinds. Full ring. I'm in BB with $1,200. There are lots of limpers (six?) and I check with an off suit Ad10c. Flop comes 10h 10d 7s. SB checks and I lead for the pot (my game involves extracting value with made hands - no need to be tricky here as any number of hands call) two callers, including the button. Turn is the 7d. I figure at this stage the best I can hope for is a chop, but anyone with one seven is going to call me down so let's find out. I bet 2/3rds of the pot. One fold and button min raises me. Ok, I'm behind to 77, tied with the other 10 and miles in front of one 7 so let's find out - I push. He snap calls and when the 8 of diamonds comes on the river tables the 6d9d for a runner, runner straight flush.
So, I offer this as my personal bad beat as it involved two of the worst calls ever. He called the flop with a pair on the board larger than his hand and holding only a gutshot straight draw. I actually don't mind the min raise on the turn but then he calls off his entire stack with a turned non-nut flush draw while facing a double paired board. Anyway - Nice hand sir, well played.
11 October 2009
Another month...
Well I have made it almost a month without playing live poker. If I make it to next week this will be a record - and it is entirely likely I will since I am broke and don't get paid until next week.
While I haven't been playing live I have been forced to come to terms with that unavoidable question - What do people do with their spare time while not playing? Remove three to four eight hour sessions from my week and suddenly I'm sitting in my new apartment staring at the walls and realising how desperately they need to be painted. I begin to contemplate regular exercise. Even my career takes an uptick since I can focus. Talk about boring.
Speaking of career, I have recently been approached about an opportunity that has forced me to do some thinking about it. This would involve a pretty sharp change of focus and a relocation to somewhere in SE Asia (probably Kuala Lumpur, maybe Singapore, less likely Jakarta). Naturally, the first thing I did was check the flight schedules from each of these places to Macau (looks ok) and start to ask around if the new casino in Singapore will offer poker (unlikely as it is a Las Vegas Sands property and they don't spread poker in the Venetian or the Sands in Macau so unlikely they will in Singapore - generally the Asian casinos just spread 500 baccarat tables). Btw, if anyone knows the answer to the Singapore poker question please let me know.
Of course the career thing has me in the recognition of existing rut mode - this is why I hate potential life shifts. Even if they don't materialise they leave you aware of why it would have been good. Anyway, this is what comes from an extra 30 hours a week.
While I haven't been playing live I have been forced to come to terms with that unavoidable question - What do people do with their spare time while not playing? Remove three to four eight hour sessions from my week and suddenly I'm sitting in my new apartment staring at the walls and realising how desperately they need to be painted. I begin to contemplate regular exercise. Even my career takes an uptick since I can focus. Talk about boring.
Speaking of career, I have recently been approached about an opportunity that has forced me to do some thinking about it. This would involve a pretty sharp change of focus and a relocation to somewhere in SE Asia (probably Kuala Lumpur, maybe Singapore, less likely Jakarta). Naturally, the first thing I did was check the flight schedules from each of these places to Macau (looks ok) and start to ask around if the new casino in Singapore will offer poker (unlikely as it is a Las Vegas Sands property and they don't spread poker in the Venetian or the Sands in Macau so unlikely they will in Singapore - generally the Asian casinos just spread 500 baccarat tables). Btw, if anyone knows the answer to the Singapore poker question please let me know.
Of course the career thing has me in the recognition of existing rut mode - this is why I hate potential life shifts. Even if they don't materialise they leave you aware of why it would have been good. Anyway, this is what comes from an extra 30 hours a week.
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