A few weeks ago I came out of the closet at work. I was walking to the kitchen for my 3rd cup of coffee when M, a co-worker who I've chatted with a few times, walked beside me and said I looked tired, and I blurted out "I was up late playing poker". It was out of my mouth before I realized it. She said "Oh, you play too?" and then we spent 20 minutes standing in the kitchen talking about the game.
I told her that I haven't told anyone at work that I play, and she seemed surprised. And her surprise made me wonder why I hadn't. I'm not ashamed to play - I talk about it with friends and family all the time. But something about revealing this side of me to co-workers made me uncomfortable. But, the cat was out of the bag....so soon M was setting up a lunchtime game for "pride". It's an oppotunity to play with different people and I've been getting too used to the regulars in the league. Today was our first lunch time game, and it was fun!
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
online breather
So I officially need a breather from online play.
I can play a $50 live SNG, lose and not blink an eye (ok, maybe a few blinks), but then I'm up, helping the TD chip-up the other players, dealing final table (if Mr. Tart is still in it), and can leave happy....knowing that I've played well and had a fun night out. But I'll play a $10 SNG online and lose and I get angry, and frustrated, and want to chase my loss right then and there. It's a feeling I don't like....and I can definitely feel an addictive "pull" when I play online.
I think it's because when I play live, it's so much more than just cards and money. It's social interaction, it's playing with the chips, it's looking for tells (and trying not to give any). When I play online, all I can think about is my account balance. Not good.
I have a customer service related tourney ticket to use Jan 2nd....but other than that, I'm not going to play online for (at least) the month of January.
Luckily I have a bunch of live games on the books for Jan, and hopefully Mr.Tart and I can get to the casino at least once a month....so I won't be wanting for action!
I can play a $50 live SNG, lose and not blink an eye (ok, maybe a few blinks), but then I'm up, helping the TD chip-up the other players, dealing final table (if Mr. Tart is still in it), and can leave happy....knowing that I've played well and had a fun night out. But I'll play a $10 SNG online and lose and I get angry, and frustrated, and want to chase my loss right then and there. It's a feeling I don't like....and I can definitely feel an addictive "pull" when I play online.
I think it's because when I play live, it's so much more than just cards and money. It's social interaction, it's playing with the chips, it's looking for tells (and trying not to give any). When I play online, all I can think about is my account balance. Not good.
I have a customer service related tourney ticket to use Jan 2nd....but other than that, I'm not going to play online for (at least) the month of January.
Luckily I have a bunch of live games on the books for Jan, and hopefully Mr.Tart and I can get to the casino at least once a month....so I won't be wanting for action!
Monday, December 11, 2006
any 2?
The tourney on the weekend was fun, even though I only made it through about half the field.
Mr.Tart and I were well prepared this time around....the last three tourney's we've played at this place we've been starving before the middle of it, and it's out in booneville with nowhere nearby to grab a bite, so we made sandwiches, brought drinks....we were in for the long haul.
To bad I couldn't catch a single card. Ok, that's a lie. I caught 4 hands the entire time. I got pocket Jacks second hand in, raised and took down the pot. Later I got pocket 4s and was bet out of the pot, and then I got AQ and lost a race to an all-in shortstack who had 2s.
I played a few pots from the blinds, which I won uncontested, and stole a couple times. But despite having a great table image I didn't get any cards I felt comfortable raising with. I kept looking down and seeing 84o, 92o, K3o. It was very frustrating. I was finally so short stacked that I decided to push with any face....and it took me two full orbits to find one (J10s) I push, get called by the BB who has 97o, and the board pairs twice with an ace....so we both play the board and chop. A few hands later I push with Q2s and get called with AKo. His hand holds up, and IGHN.
I misplayed one hand against a local pro. He limped preflop and I was in the BB with A9o. I check and the flop brings A, 3, 5. I bet out for 600 (3x the BB), and he reraises me to 2400. I had over 7500 back, but I knew I couldn't just call. I either had to come over the top or fold. After thinking for awhile, I put him on an ace better kicker and folded. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure he would have raised pre-flop with an A10, AJ, AK, AQ...I'm thinking he had a lower pocket and was "testing" me by raising my bet. Lesson learned.
I then donked off a bunch of chips in the super loose cash game. Mistake #4567893
Yesterday I played my biggest online MTT to date - $100 buyin on UB. The same thing happened - no cards. This time Mr.Tart was next to me (playing Xbox) and was seeing the crap I was getting. So frustrating. I only outlasted 27 out of 123 players. Yuck.
I once asked a friend (whose play I respect) what to do when you aren't getting cards, and his response was "be patient". I think I was patient in both tourney's this weekend, but I still didn't come out on top (or even close to the middle). Hopefully this run of crappy holdings means that there are a bunch of high pockets and lovely suited connectors coming my way.
In good news, I played a 20 minute hit-n-run at a 5/10 LHE table on UB this morning and made back over the $100. Phew!
Mr.Tart and I were well prepared this time around....the last three tourney's we've played at this place we've been starving before the middle of it, and it's out in booneville with nowhere nearby to grab a bite, so we made sandwiches, brought drinks....we were in for the long haul.
To bad I couldn't catch a single card. Ok, that's a lie. I caught 4 hands the entire time. I got pocket Jacks second hand in, raised and took down the pot. Later I got pocket 4s and was bet out of the pot, and then I got AQ and lost a race to an all-in shortstack who had 2s.
I played a few pots from the blinds, which I won uncontested, and stole a couple times. But despite having a great table image I didn't get any cards I felt comfortable raising with. I kept looking down and seeing 84o, 92o, K3o. It was very frustrating. I was finally so short stacked that I decided to push with any face....and it took me two full orbits to find one (J10s) I push, get called by the BB who has 97o, and the board pairs twice with an ace....so we both play the board and chop. A few hands later I push with Q2s and get called with AKo. His hand holds up, and IGHN.
I misplayed one hand against a local pro. He limped preflop and I was in the BB with A9o. I check and the flop brings A, 3, 5. I bet out for 600 (3x the BB), and he reraises me to 2400. I had over 7500 back, but I knew I couldn't just call. I either had to come over the top or fold. After thinking for awhile, I put him on an ace better kicker and folded. In retrospect, I'm pretty sure he would have raised pre-flop with an A10, AJ, AK, AQ...I'm thinking he had a lower pocket and was "testing" me by raising my bet. Lesson learned.
I then donked off a bunch of chips in the super loose cash game. Mistake #4567893
Yesterday I played my biggest online MTT to date - $100 buyin on UB. The same thing happened - no cards. This time Mr.Tart was next to me (playing Xbox) and was seeing the crap I was getting. So frustrating. I only outlasted 27 out of 123 players. Yuck.
I once asked a friend (whose play I respect) what to do when you aren't getting cards, and his response was "be patient". I think I was patient in both tourney's this weekend, but I still didn't come out on top (or even close to the middle). Hopefully this run of crappy holdings means that there are a bunch of high pockets and lovely suited connectors coming my way.
In good news, I played a 20 minute hit-n-run at a 5/10 LHE table on UB this morning and made back over the $100. Phew!
Friday, November 03, 2006
my nemesis
I have acquired a nemesis in our weekly game, and I'm not quite sure why.
In our third "season" a new guy joined...and in the first two games he attended, I won. Since then, he has made it his mission to bust me. He told me last night that when he busted me out of the first game of season 4, it "made his season" and he didn't care if he won a game. Weird, right?
I think I've been nothing but nice. But maybe that's my problem as a woman....I care if he "likes" me. So lame.
Last night my nemesis got the best of me. I get AQo in under the gun and raise to 30 (3xBB). Folded around to nemesis in SB who raises to 100. BB folds, I flat call (should have reraised I think). Then the flop comes A, K, 5, w/2 hearts (can't remember which were the hearts....but I have no heart). Nemesis pushes All-in. I have him covered, but calling and losing will leave me with little more than 200 chips left.
I hemmed and hawwed and then totally fucked my game up by folding. I was going through hands in my head....does he have AA, KK, AK, A5? I convinced myself he had one of those hands and was pushing all in so that I would call and he would bust me. I played scared. So stupid! I should have realized that if he had such a strong hand and wanted to bust me, he wouldn't play the hand so fast.
Calling and winning would have set me up nicely to play my normal, aggressive game. Instead, I played weakly, didn't have any chips to play with when the blinds got higher, and eventually lost a race to leave the tourney 10th out of 19th. Wah Wah.
Hopefully that'll teach me not to see so many freaking monsters under the bed.
I also realized that I've been playing a lot more "fun" and "jokey" at the table. And I've been losing a lot more. A connection? Maybe. I'm going to go back to being SeriousTart at my next game to see if it makes a difference...
In our third "season" a new guy joined...and in the first two games he attended, I won. Since then, he has made it his mission to bust me. He told me last night that when he busted me out of the first game of season 4, it "made his season" and he didn't care if he won a game. Weird, right?
I think I've been nothing but nice. But maybe that's my problem as a woman....I care if he "likes" me. So lame.
Last night my nemesis got the best of me. I get AQo in under the gun and raise to 30 (3xBB). Folded around to nemesis in SB who raises to 100. BB folds, I flat call (should have reraised I think). Then the flop comes A, K, 5, w/2 hearts (can't remember which were the hearts....but I have no heart). Nemesis pushes All-in. I have him covered, but calling and losing will leave me with little more than 200 chips left.
I hemmed and hawwed and then totally fucked my game up by folding. I was going through hands in my head....does he have AA, KK, AK, A5? I convinced myself he had one of those hands and was pushing all in so that I would call and he would bust me. I played scared. So stupid! I should have realized that if he had such a strong hand and wanted to bust me, he wouldn't play the hand so fast.
Calling and winning would have set me up nicely to play my normal, aggressive game. Instead, I played weakly, didn't have any chips to play with when the blinds got higher, and eventually lost a race to leave the tourney 10th out of 19th. Wah Wah.
Hopefully that'll teach me not to see so many freaking monsters under the bed.
I also realized that I've been playing a lot more "fun" and "jokey" at the table. And I've been losing a lot more. A connection? Maybe. I'm going to go back to being SeriousTart at my next game to see if it makes a difference...
Thursday, November 02, 2006
humble pie, poker style
What an audacious start, one post and then a 3 month gap.
They say that it takes 21 days to make a habit stick – maybe 21 days of posting will (finally) get me into the habit of writing. I feel like it would beneficial to write more about my game, but my procrastination laziness prevents me from actually doing it. To be honest, that sentence could apply to just about every aspect of my life. But I digress.
Back to my poker game.
So much has happened since I last wrote.
Mr.Tart and I arrived in Vegas while the WSOP main event was underway, so we decided to venture out to the RIO for a looksee. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t blown away. I was a total fan-girl – getting pictures with poker celebs and soaking in the atmosphere. I’ve read enough poker blogs by now to feel the undercurrent of jaded bitterness of those who’ve been to plenty of these events, but this was my first time….I giggled like a school girl for most of the afternoon.
My results in Vegas were mediocre. I was up a couple hundred, but didn’t feel spectacular about my game. Mr.Tart did much better – tripling his buy-in at almost every game we played. Fucker.
Returning back home was another story….I went on a run at our weekly league and won 5 out of 12 games in the season. This, indeed, is the set-up for my recent fall.
And my recent fall…..I’m now in the hole for the year. Not by a lot (less than $100), but dammit…I feel like all my work so far this year has been for naught, and now I have to slowly rebuild.
It’s all my own fault, too. I stepped up too quickly and got too cocky. I’ve been gambling too much, hoping to catch lucky cards to take down monster pots. Then when I lose, I chase my losses in an attempt to get back to where I was. So, so bad.
Now it’s back to low limits, back to playing for the love of the game, and back to realizing that I’m no poker pro – I’m just a girl who loves to play poker.
They say that it takes 21 days to make a habit stick – maybe 21 days of posting will (finally) get me into the habit of writing. I feel like it would beneficial to write more about my game, but my procrastination laziness prevents me from actually doing it. To be honest, that sentence could apply to just about every aspect of my life. But I digress.
Back to my poker game.
So much has happened since I last wrote.
Mr.Tart and I arrived in Vegas while the WSOP main event was underway, so we decided to venture out to the RIO for a looksee. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t blown away. I was a total fan-girl – getting pictures with poker celebs and soaking in the atmosphere. I’ve read enough poker blogs by now to feel the undercurrent of jaded bitterness of those who’ve been to plenty of these events, but this was my first time….I giggled like a school girl for most of the afternoon.
My results in Vegas were mediocre. I was up a couple hundred, but didn’t feel spectacular about my game. Mr.Tart did much better – tripling his buy-in at almost every game we played. Fucker.
Returning back home was another story….I went on a run at our weekly league and won 5 out of 12 games in the season. This, indeed, is the set-up for my recent fall.
And my recent fall…..I’m now in the hole for the year. Not by a lot (less than $100), but dammit…I feel like all my work so far this year has been for naught, and now I have to slowly rebuild.
It’s all my own fault, too. I stepped up too quickly and got too cocky. I’ve been gambling too much, hoping to catch lucky cards to take down monster pots. Then when I lose, I chase my losses in an attempt to get back to where I was. So, so bad.
Now it’s back to low limits, back to playing for the love of the game, and back to realizing that I’m no poker pro – I’m just a girl who loves to play poker.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Unoriginal, but it's my first time.
In anticipation of my upcoming Vegas trip, I've been soaking in as much vegas-poker-WSOP vibe as I can and discovered the world of poker blogs. And what a world it is.
I feel like I've discovered kindred spirits - dry, witty, poker-obsessed people sharing their thoughts with the world. Can I join the party?
I tried to blog my poker exploits before - but couldn't get in the groove. Here's attempt #2.
In anticipation of my upcoming Vegas trip, I've been soaking in as much vegas-poker-WSOP vibe as I can and discovered the world of poker blogs. And what a world it is.
I feel like I've discovered kindred spirits - dry, witty, poker-obsessed people sharing their thoughts with the world. Can I join the party?
I tried to blog my poker exploits before - but couldn't get in the groove. Here's attempt #2.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
