Absolutely Devastated

After dinner I did not pick up a decent hand for two straight hours. I won two pots, both on bluffs, to stay at around 50k. I was getting so confident with my reads of preflop weakness. When I smelled weakness in a raise, I shoved it in. When I smelled strength, I folded. I was never wrong. With about an hour left in the day, with the blinds at 1200-2400-300, Kyle O'Donnell made a standard raise to 8k in middle position. It folded to me in the small blind and I looked down at the first pocket aces I had seen in sixteen hours of play at the Borgata Winter Poker Open.

I knew O'Donnell had a hand because he was raising Oppenheim's big blind. He was a habitual late position thief and would raise with any two cards in certain situations but I knew this was not one of them. I had moved in over the top of him a couple times with shit in those situations, and it led me to believe he was ready to make a big call if I moved in again. After thinking for about fifteen seconds, I shoved my 50k in.

He went into the staredown tank. I knew what he was looking for so I did everything I could to look weak. I clenched my jaw. I stared into space trying to imagine I had jack-four offsuit. I blinked rapidly. I swallowed. I was starting to think I was overacting so then I put my face down and stared at the felt. Right about then he called, and I found myself up against ace-jack offsuit. I was a 92% favorite to double up to over 100k.

The flop came KQQ. They dealt it out so slowly for some reason. The turn was a 6. Oppenheim asked if I was nervous. Everything was moving in slow-motion. The river was a ten.

I was out of there so fast. I might never be back. The Borgata runs some of the best poker tournaments in one of the best facilities but getting to AC is a bitch and I can't keep taking these 10k hits to the bankroll.

Losing a 100k pot when the average stack at the money will be 300k is not that big a deal. I wasn't contending for the final table or anything. The 1.6 mil was still eons away.

But gosh. To play that hard, that patiently, for that long with those horrible table draws and even worse cards, and then to bust out with aces vs ace-jack - I think seeing that ten hit the river was the single worst moment of my poker career.

Day Two Dinner Break

It's been a vintage Moon short stack scrap - very few openings of pots, some timely all-in squeezes, absolute shit for cards. Meanwhile big stacks are blowing up all around me. I have a horrible seat with David Oppenheim's monster stack directly to my left. There were two other large stacks to his left, but they just went to war and one (probably the better player) was eliminated. So now there's Oppenheim with over 200k, some average dude with near 300k, and Kyle O'Donnell (a Strasser disciple) with some absurd amount over 300k to my left. The guys to my right are calmer, tighter players, which actually kind of sucks because it's hard for me to jam over the top of their raises (since they have hands). I can't open pots because of the big stacks to my left. I can't call raises cause I don't have the chips. I can't reraise cause no one in my vicinity is raising with crap. It's an ugly situation and I'm stuck waiting for cards, and I haven't had enough today. I was up to around 62k and as low as 23k in the last level, but won a key pot with QQ to bust a very short stack's AKs and then made two squeezes with KJ and JT to get to 50k.

I just keep telling myself good things will happen if I'm patient. The rush will eventually arrive if I hang around long enough.

Day One Complete

I played on big pot the whole day, and it was another misclick debacle. On the last hand of the 200-400-25 level, the UTG player limped and I decided to limp in 2nd position with Ah3h. I hadn't been playing this sort of hand all day but my chips were up around 50k and no one at the table was doing any preflop bludgeoning. Daneshgar limped, the crappy player on the button limped, Fischman completed from the SB, and the BB rapped.

The flop came Ac4d3d and Fischman led out for 1100, his typical moderate bet. The amateur old guy on the button immediately said "raise" and the pickle began. The BB folded and it was up to me. The floor was called over and we carefully asked questions about what was going to happen. It was ruled the button would have to raise at least the minimum, even if others called. If one of us raised, then he could do whatever he wanted. I felt I probably had the best hand and was in a quandary as to how to play it. I decided raising at this point made no sense, so I called to let the button raise and then decide what to do.

Daneshgar then made a speech about how this was an unfair situation, as I would be able to raise when it got back to me. He was alluding to the squeezability of the situation. I decided if he put another chip in the pot I was done with the hand, as I thought he might be making that speech to get me to raise after he put his chips in. He reluctantly folded after a minute or so, and then the old guy quietly minraised. I didn't really think he had me beat. Fischman quietly called, and it was back on me.

I didn't really know what to do. It was a really dicey situation. There was no reason Fischman couldn't have the nuts. If he had the nuts, he would probably play it just like that. 52 was not in the old guy's range on the button, but he could have a set. I sorta doubted either had a set because it was such a risky flop to slowplay, even with the knowledge that I was probably raising when it got back on me. They both had less than 20k left. I eventually decided to just move all in. The old guy folded quickly, but Fischman was unable to fold his 5d2d and I had to ship about 22k his way.

I put together a bit of a rally in the last level, and finished the day with 38,975. I'm thrilled with my effort today. The one big hand was an absolute disaster, but my strong play before and after gives me a chance going into day two.

Dinner Break

I'm at 39,900. No one at our table has gone broke, and no one has been all-in and called. I'm very happy with my play. It's been the Joe Hachem approach and it's been effective and risk-free. I don't have any extravagant plans for the last two levels. I will probably keep playing real tight and waiting for those rare opportunities where I think I can take a pot down or I have a good hand.

Hand of the day:

150-300 blinds, 25 ante. Daneshgar makes it 750 in middle position, the 1 seat calls in the small blind, Fischman calls in the big blind. The flop comes Js7s4. The blinds check and Daneshgar bets 1050 (less than half the pot). SB folds and Fischman calls. Turn is the Ts. Fischman leads for a tiny 700. Daneshgar makes it 1650. Fischman raises 2500 more after a bit of thought. Daneshgar thinks then makes it 5000 more. Fischman quickly moves in for 11k on top of that, and finally Daneshgar folds. Fischman shows the Qd. Daneshgar said he folded "one pair no spade" and Fischman later claimed he had Q7 of diamonds.

Okay guys. You keep doing that, and I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

Break Three

The table is playing tight, small pot poker. No one seems interested in playing any big pots, and there's still another level to go before the antes hit. I have a tight image, preflop and postflop, and will play tight again in the next level. I'm at 31,600 right now.

I may have underestimated the guy to my right. A few minutes ago UTG limped for 150 and he made it 550 in 2nd position. David Daneshgar made it 1650 a few slots behind and when it got back to him he folded KK faceup after about ten seconds. Daneshgar showed two aces. The next hand he made a big (correct) call with little hesitation against Scott Fischman with third pair on the river.

The one seat checked A9 on a board of TTJTT, last to act. He's the target.

Break Two

The last level was very good for my confidence. I feel a lot better about things now than I did 90 minutes ago. I'm at 30k and change.

The most interesting hand of the last level was when many people limped as did I with 4h3h on the button. The flop came Jh8h3 and everyone checked to me. I bet 500 and the small blind (the internet guy) immediately made it 1500. I was thinking about what to do when suddenly Steve Sung coldcalled the bet. Two players tanked before folding, and I tanked and then decided to fold figuring I might be drawing dead. The turn was an offsuit queen and the SB bet 2500. Sung made it 7500 and the SB folded after a long hesitation. Sung showed Ah9h. He's the guy that scares me the most at the table.

I've been playing tight and might play even tighter this next level. It's important that my raises get respect from the good players to my left later when the antes hit.

Break One

We started with 30k. I'm at 29k after level one. My table consists of a horrible player in seat one, Scott Fischman in seat two, two seemingly mediocre players to my right, me in seat 5 (my most hated seat), an internet-looking dude in seat 6, a horrible player in seat 7, and then David Daneshgar, Michael Binger, and Steve Sung, who appears to be playing with great confidence and skill.

Overall the field looks very soft, with over 550 players.

Thirsty

There was so little reason for me to go to Atlantic City to play the Borgata Winter WPT. I had to take two flights across the country immediately after my Melbourne-LA flight. I don't care for Atlantic City, or this area in general. The Borgata is overrated and expensive. It's the middle of winter and travelling sucks. I'm doing well in the online cash games and could use some more time grinding at home before the big California push in February. I haven't been home since the beginning of the month so it would be nice to get back.

But I just kept thinking about how awesome the structure is for this event (arguably better than the 25k WPT Championship), and how playing big buy-in deepstack tournament poker is pretty much the most enjoyable thing in the world, even if the results say I suck at it.

I slept 15 hours last night here at the Borgata, a personal record. I dreamed I was incredibly thirsty, and made myself a gigantic glass of iced tea. I put ice cubes into a ridiculously oversized glass and then poured the tea in. Then I stirred in some sugar. Then I cut up a lemon and squeezed two slices into the glass. Just as I was putting it to my mouth, I woke up and was shocked to find it was 4:15 PM.

The last three main events I played were complete disasters, never making it past the fourth level. I've done some thinking about what I've been doing wrong and would like to think I've corrected a few major errors. In the fall I found the general Borgata playing style was extremely favorable for me. I'm excited to take another crack at it.

The Greatest City in the World?

There is a chance playing online poker may become impossible in the United States. Obviously, this would completely alter my way of life. I have considered many options for investigation were this doomsday to arrive. One possibility would be to move outside the United States and try to continue playing online for my income, assuming the online poker industry is still functional without American business. I think there are many different places I would enjoy living - at least temporarily - in each hemisphere. I have never been to many of these places, such as Vancouver, Britain, Costa Rica, and myriad tropical islands, and would likely do so before choosing a new home. But it's hard for me to imagine a more suitable location than Melbourne, Australia.

It has occurred to me that Melbourne might be the greatest city in the world. It is the finest big city I have ever visited. Certainly this could never be a factual statement. It is an opinion. But Melbourne satisfies every quality a person could possibly desire in a city. It really has it all, with no shortcomings (other than the flies - if you have a problem with flies, then you might have a problem with Melbourne). Consider the city's strengths -

• It's beautiful. I've never been to a prettier big city. The architecture is modern, colorful, creative, vibrant. It's a pleasure to walk around the city during the day or night.

• The ocean. Technically, Melbourne isn't really on the ocean (it's on a humongous bay with a narrow mouth opening to the Bass Straight and the Tasman Sea). But it feels like it's on the ocean. You get that ocean smell, the cool summer/warm winter ocean climate, you can go to the beach, go sailing, whatever.

• It's in Australia. This is a good thing. There's not much to dislike about Australia or Australians. And there's no tipping in Australia (don't come if you're in the service industry).

• The climate is superb - think San Diego.

• There is great ethnic and cultural diversity amongst both the residents and the visitors.
  
• There are great restaurants in great neighborhoods throughout the city. Any kind of food from anywhere in the world - you can get it in Melbourne. Fresh seafood, too.

• The surrounding area is rich with excellent leisure options like penguin watching, wine touring, and The Great Ocean Road.
  
• It's not super expensive. We calculated the cost of staying in a ridiculously nice condo in Melbourne, and it was less than MasterJ pays for his ridiculously nice condo in northern Indiana.
  
• The place is mad for sports. They absolutely fiend for sports. They host the Australian Open. Melbourne is the epicenter of Aussie Rules Football (a surprisingly entertaining game vastly superior to rugby). Something like half the Aussie Rules teams are from Melbourne. Aussie Rules is like the NFL of Australia - the people, especially from Melbourne, are wildly passionate about the game and its rivalries.
  
• The night life is quite spirited
  
• They host the Aussie Millions, which I consider one of the five greatest poker tournaments.
• The girls. My goodness. I could write a whole blog entry about this. Actually I could probably devote an entire, separate blog merely to the women of Melbourne.
  
• The public transportation is excellent. The traffic isn't that bad.
  
• New Zealand is just a short plane flight away. Tasmania too, or by ferry.
  
• It's light out until past 9 PM during the summer.
  

Now if they can just do something about the flies.

The Definition of Dominance

I watched Roger Federer deconstruct another chanceless Australian Open opponent tonight on tv. In the postmatch interview they asked him about his cheering box, how there were new people tonight that hadn't been there before. He said they were his parents and sister, in town to watch him play. They got to Australia a week ago. And went touring. They'd watch him the second week of the tournament.

Their flight out of Australia is booked for Monday morning, the day after the final.
___

I head back to the States tomorrow. At LAX I'm going to decide between an all-day journey to Atlantic City or a quick flight home.

Redemption

I hate the Indianapolis Colts. Always have, always will. They've never had any of the qualities I admire in sports. Overachieving. Scrappiness. Playing your best when it really matters. Coming together as a team in special situations.

I don't care for Peyton Manning. The guy doesn't have a likable personality, on or off the field. A big, stodgy jock born and bred for football. Not much else to report. Like his team, never raising his game with the raised stakes.

I'm not a big Tony Dungy fan. Think he's overrated. Think he's always been loaded with talent and choked it away in the playoffs.

I'll never like the Colts. I'll be rooting (and betting) against them in two weeks. But today, watching them overcome their nemesis New England Patriots in the AFC Championship, with a Super Bowl berth at stake, after being down 21-3, I smiled just a little bit. Most of it was a disgusted smile. But a little of it was the real thing. It's great to see redemption like that, so clear. Working hard year after year to do your best. Not giving up when things are going badly. Redoubling your effort when the situation calls for it. Coming through in the clutch. It's what sports are all about.

A Winter of Discontent Turns to Summer: Bahamas Trip Report

I was in a rather foul mood the night I busted out of the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure. I had not played my best, my cards had been poor, and I was upset at myself for ultimately losing patience and sticking in my chips in a bad situation. Furthermore, I wasn't too excited about spending the next week in an overcrowded house on tourist-packed Paradise Island. (By the way, it should be noted that the overcrowding was entirely my fault, and it was never an issue except for sleeping).

Paradise Island remained the same - swarming with tourists, chain retail outfits, and generic, overpriced restaurants. The Atlantis resort was particularly troubling for me - sprawling, extravagant, and flawless, but severely lacking in those things that make me happy, like charm and flavor. I felt special distaste towards the throngs of 17-24 year old boys who seemingly have not seen the light of the sun this milennium. Certainly, I was likely viewed as one of their kind, and I'm sure many of these young fellows have a lot to offer even away from the poker table. But en masse, they (we) make up a dreary horde of nerds particularly laughable while viewed in a sheeny vacation spot like Paradise Island.

I hate being a tourist. I hate the idea of coming down from America to a less developed country to be serviced by the natives. I hate lounging around on their land eating the best of their food, relaxing in their best spots while they work.

The night after I busted out, I went to the beach and listened to music while staring at the waves. I make this activity a priority any time I visit the ocean. It's one of my favorite things to do. That night, the most memorable song I listened to was "Nada" by the Refreshments:

I hear the thunder
From the storm down in Mexico
I leave the border far behind
I feel the dust coat my teeth
And turn my face to mud
I tip the bottle and bite the lime

There is no moral to this story at all
Everything I tell you
Very well could be a lie
Been away from the livin
Don't need to be forgivin
I'm just waiting for that cold black soul of mine
To come alive
___

It turned around after that first day. I've written before about the power sunshine has on my body and mind. I can never underestimate it. It's almost like there's a magical chemical in sunlight that I need to feel my best (Vitamin D?) Life is never bad in the sunshine.

I got over my tourist issues as well. We got off Paradise Island and spent some time on New Providence Island. We took a very exciting motorized scooter tour of the island, which was half the coolest thing I've done and half a chilling reminder to get health insurance. We went to Nassau. We went "under the bridge" to Potter's Kay, ate fresh conch salad and talked for an hour with an old-school crawfisherman. We snuck into the most lavish** place I've ever been, an 18-star seaside resort with a $850-$6000 room price.

And at each location, we talked to Bahamians. Bahamanians don't feel subjugated by tourists. They are grateful for the business. They are intelligent and polite and don't hold themselves away from the tourists. By the time we left, I didn't feel like a dick anymore.

Our crew was great. Four girls, four guys. Less than half professional poker players. A nice difference** from the Horde at Atlantis. If I go back to the Bahamas for this tournament in the future, I will try to avoid Atlantis.

Life is good when you're drinking a pina colada on the beach in the sun. It's just that simple, I'd like to think. The most memorable song from the trip was "Sunsets" by Powderfinger:

Sunrise building a reprise, in my heart
Regret tight around my chest, plays its part
Until it's gone
Until it's gone
But to shower you with pity will do you no good at all, no good at all

Now we're watching the sunset, sunset, sunset, sunset
Over the beaches, beaches, beaches, beaches
Watching the sunset, sunset, sunset, sunset
Over the beaches, beaches, beaches, beaches
Watching the sunset, sunset, sunset, sunset
Over the beaches, beaches, beaches, beaches
Watching the sunset, sunset, sunset, sunset
Over the beaches, beaches, beaches, beaches

Teamwork

MasterJ and I played together in the $1100 Aus teams NLHE event yesterday. Partners switched off every level (I think they were half hour levels) and then every orbit at the final table. I've never played an event like this. It was a lot of fun, although it required a lot of trust. TheMaster was testing my patience at certain points as I kept building our short stack and then he siphoned it off. TheMaster approaches tournament poker differently than I do, and sometimes it costs him chips. But the wildness that leads to chip spewing also leads to some huge rushes when players refuse to believe he has a hand.

We hung in there for so long clawing away with a short stack. We had no hands for so long. I kept telling the Master that the cards would come eventually if we just found a way to survive. He made a bad play but sucked out vs JJ Liu to double us up and then I hit a huge rush of starting hands and suddenly we were way above average. Master then siphoned us back down in his round but my rush continued and I built us back up. Master took over and I went to watch Paul for a bit. When I came back to check on us he was sitting behind stacks and stacks of chips. He had finally hit some hands and no one at his table felt like folding to him. We were now the clear chip leader with 18 left. We didn't accumulate anything before the final table, but still hit the final ten with a moderate lead.

We got hosed at the final table. We lost AK vs TT to get things going, then Master made a great call with A8 against KJ but lost and then we folded for a couple rounds except for one raise that got reraised. With 7 left Master got it all in with 76 vs A4 on a J63 flop for the biggest pot of the tournament and a sickening ace hit the turn. First place was 46k Aus chopped between partners along with two very badass trophies. We got 2900 Aus each.

Wasn't meant to be this time. But I learned a lot playing with MasterJ, and I think I rediscovered the great short-stack patience that hallmarked my WSOP and Bellagio multi-cash runs.
___

Paul is playing the best poker of his life and fought off a punchless run of cards and unfortunate beats on day three (including losing A9o to Hachem's A9o) with some timely bluffs. He heads into day four (14 players left playing down to 7) a bit low on the pole but has plenty of time with this great structure. His play yesterday reminded me of Jeff Madsen in the shorthanded WSOP event. In that tournament I kept looking over and Madsen always had some sort of horrifying Lindgren/Hollingol chip-laden combination to his left. I never saw him in a hand, but every time I looked he had the same chips or more.
___

A special note of consolation to Shaniac, who was right on the doorstep before it was all snatched away so cruelly by the Gobboboy.

Jealous Again

Paul is making a huge run in the Aussie Millions. He's 8th in chips with around 70 left going into day 3. I can tell he's playing extremely well and I expect him to final table this one.

Meanwhile I'm sitting in a lobby playing on Kazakhpoker. I'm really happy for Paul of course, but damn I wish it was me.

Another player still in the Aussie Millions is Joe Hachem (two to Paul's left starting today). I can't say enough about his play. I always like to think I play a lot like him, as I'm sure a lot of players do. Hachem was down to 4k in this tournament (we started with 20) and is now at 275k.

I don't think there's a big difference between me and Paul or Hachem at this point. But that's obviously not the case if you look at results. There's a huge difference. It might only come down to a few decisions a day. But a few decisions is the difference between grinding on Kazakhpoker and playing for a million bucks. I'm just getting sick of repeating this mantra.

Borgata?

I'd like to play in the WPT main event at the Borgata on January 26th. I even booked a flight out there. But I don't see anything approaching acceptable for lodging at that time and I'm not going to book anything alone. If you read this blog and you'd like to (or just be willing to) room with me in Atlantic City, please leave a comment or contact me.

Debacle Down Under

Today was the worst major tournament I've ever had. The structure was fantastic and I had a great table. There was a lot of excitement down at the Crown and I felt like everything was set up for me to make a huge run but my cards were laughably bad all day. Just brutal. I made one stupid bluff of 6k when I couldn't afford it and then lost the rest with J9 vs A7 all-in on a 986 flop. MasterJ was quickly ousted as well. Paul is on to day two with above average chips. I'm extremely frustrated right now but at least it's the middle of summer in perhaps the greatest city on earth. I'll get over it soon enough.

They Aren't Who We Think They Are: Myths of the 2006-2007 Chicago Bears

First off, we've safely made it to Melbourne, Australia. Paul, Amber, Truman, MasterJ, and I are staying in a condo in a section of the city called NewQuay on the harbour. It's ridiculously awesome, as is everything about this city (more on this in another blog in a few days). Paul plays today in flight 1 and Master and I play tomorrow (Monday here, 18 hrs behind MST). I'll be writing more about the Bahamas and Melbourne later this week, unless I make a huge run in the tournament and don't have enough time for blogging.

Now on to some business. I made an agreement with my friend Dave to write contrasting blog regarding our opinions on the Chicago Bears. I'm going to half-ass mine rather badly since I'm tired and the internet I'm using is shoddy. I wanted to get it up there before they demolish the Seahawks. I'm sure Dave's account is much more eloquent; I'll just try to jot down a few key facts and numbers resting on the keystone that the Bears compiled a record of 13-3, second best in the NFL. They were 13-2 before a completely meaningless finale against the Packers.

Bears Myth 1: They have a bad offense.
The Bears finished the season 15th out of 32 NFL teams in total offense (their defense was 5th in yardage allowed). One team they had more yards than was the Baltimore Ravens.

Bears Myth 2: They have a bad passing game.
The Bears finished 14th in passing yardage, ahead of the San Diego Chargers.

Bears Myth 3: They don't score enough points to win.
The Bears finished the season tied with Indianapolis for second in the NFL in points scored. Only San Diego scored more points. The Bears also led the NFL in return TDs and field goals.

Bears Myth 4: Turnovers are a problem.
The Bears tied for 4th in the NFL in turnover differential. They led the NFL in takeaways by a wide margin. They were first in forced fumbles and second in interceptions.

Bears Myth 5: They can't compete with top teams.
The four toughest opponents the Bears faced this season and the final scores of those games:
40-7 vs Buffalo
38-20 @ New York Giants
10-0 @ New York Jets
13-17 @ New England

Bears Myth 6: They have faded down the stretch.
The Bears won four straight games before the meaningless finale against Green Bay. They won 6 of 7 games before playing the Packers, with the only loss a close one at the Patriots.

Bears Myth 7: You can't win a Super Bowl without a premium quarterback
Trent Dilfer. Brad Johnson. Both have rings.

The Bears play Seattle (quite possibly the worst team to ever win a playoff game) at home before getting a late-January visit from a Dome Team. That's all it takes to get to the Super Bowl. After that they'll be playing either
a) the Colts (lol)
b) a Marty Schottenheimer led Chargers team
c) the Patriots, who they already outplayed on the road this season

Could be the easiest route to the championship in NFL history. By the way the Bears went 13-2 in games that mattered this season, and most of those wins were blowouts. 13-2.

Busto in Bahamas

I played three big hands. One I had pocket queens and a maniacal image and ended up throwing them away on the river on a ten-high board. One I made a big bluff hoping the guy had top pair and would throw it away and he moved on me with a likely set. The last hand I raised with pocket sixes and the big blind called. I got checkraised all in on a 884 flop with two diamonds and I wound up calling only to be shown Q8. I was pretty stunned to be up against that hand. I got completely blindsided there and it was a long walk back to the house the eight of us are sharing.

I don't know what to think really. I shouldn't have any complaints about here or life in general but I feel deeply unsatisfied. Small nuisances are getting under my skin. I'm getting annoyed, jealous, and frustrated by stupid things. I think that I am sick of losing these damn poker tournaments and watching others have success just pisses me off. I also think I am lacking competitive outlets and that is creating pent-up rage inside me. Later this year I'll be playing insane amounts of poker but right now I need to play more or find another consistent source of competition.

December Top 15

15. Magnetic Fields - Epitath For My Heart
14. Gillian Welch - Elvis Presley Blues
13. Arcade Fire - Intervention
12. New Pornographers - Bones of an Idol
11. The Killers - When You Were Young

10. The Stills - The House We Live In
9. Maritime - Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts
8. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
7. Scissor Sisters - Lights
6. Rose Hill Drive - Brain Novocaine

5. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Sometimes Always
4. The Call - Let the Day Begin
3. The Stills - In the Beginning
2. Gillian Welch - I Dream a Highway

Song of the Month: The Subways - No Goodbyes