No End In Sight

There is just no end in sight to this bad combo, or not perfect play and horrible run of cards. I went to Parkers on Monday night to play some 8/16. I went to play 12/24 but they did not have a game so I just sat down and played 8/16. I started off great, got some decent cards, played pretty well, and the hands held up when they were odds on favorites to do so. Even hit a draw or two at the beginning. I was up almost $500 in about an hour and 1/2, then the fateful hand that turned the night. I was in late position with pocket Kings, almost everyone had entered the pot and there was already a raise to me. I three bet it, and by the time if got back to me in had been capped. We took the flop off 7 handed for a cap, already $224 in the pot. The flop came K,10,8, rainbow. Perfect, top set. It was bet and I raised, we saw the turn 5 handed. Turn a 6 which brought a same suit. It was checked to me and I bet, two callers. River a Q, it was checked to me and I checked as A,J was possible, and of course someone did stay in with that had. Crap, a $400 pot gone, and that started the downward slide. I did not make a hand after that for over 4 hours. Every big hand missed the flop, or if I did hit I would get taken out by runner runner. Even the few draws I played never got there for me. It just turned into one of those very frustrating nights, which unfortunately have been happening with regular occurrence. I even flopped a full house with 77 when the flop came 7, J,J. A Jack stayed with me to the river, and of course it came running tens to make my 77 useless. What can you do. Those things happen.

This game was typical loose, gamble for the area, and many of the flops came with 4 or more players each. Very conducive to large swings because all hands are possible after a flop. You also can not protect a hand because the size of the pots make any draws most likely worth a call, and even if not, there were enough people gambling for any possible draws, even stupid two pair draws.

I ended up down -$377 for the night after giving up at 1:30am. I will lick my wounds and keep at it. Just one more loosing session to dig out of for the year. Lots of time to make it back. Good luck, SJ

Death Knell for Hideaway

The Hideaway closed last night. They just could not get the business back and the owner got tired of losing money for the last 4 months. Too bad, as that was a Seattle longtime establishment. It is where I learned to play the game and put in many a long session over the last few years, when I had more time to play. I am sad, but I guess that is the way of the world. I had already moved on to other spots so I guess I am not surprised that it closed as I guess everyone else moved on as well. They had one game last night and had to give away all the jackpot money before they closed. The lucky 10 that happened to be in the game when it started were sure not going to leave so I did not sick around to see if I could get a seat. They had to dump $23,000 by close so they were giving away $500 every 15 minutes to the high hand. $2,000 an hour, damn pretty good pickings. Every person there who stayed to close had an average chance to win $2,300. Wish I could have taken advantage of that bonus. O well, on to the next cardroom. I will miss the Hideaway, Sorry to see you go. SJ

Just Goofing Off

A friend called last night and said he was out playing 6/12 at the hideaway and wanted me to come out. I had not seen him in a few weeks so I figured I would go goof off with him. I got there and the game was 5 handed with two dealers in the game, meaning it was my friend and I and one other non employee player. I sat down and true to recent form I picked up pocket AA in the SB and nobody had called. I raise heads up and the BB 3 bets it. Now, I was just expecting to raise and win a whopping $6 but now we have a pot. I four bet it and he calls. The flop comes A,Q, 3 rainbow. I just bet right out as I 4 bet before the flop and if he had a hand he was coming anyway. He called, turn a 9, I bet he calls. River a 10. I check now thinking that made any stupid straight, and he bet. I reluctantly call and he shows me K,J for the straight. Figures. That has been my last 3 months. I start off stuck, but because this game was pretty weak and easy to read I win my money back and make an extra $20 bucks. I got to spend some time goofing off with a friend and watch him get wasted on Jager. Yuck.

One of these days, and I hope not to far in the future, my cards will turn. Until then I will just have to really play better poker. Which is a good thing anyway. Good Luck all....SJ

Start Out New Year on my Ear

Wow, I feel like I must be the worst Hold-em player in the state right now. I just can not book any consistent winning session. I went to the Muck on Tuesday night for my first real session of the year and got right into a $20/40 game at about 3:00pm. I won my first pot with a stupid posting hand and then almost did not win another from there. I still can not get any real cards to play on what fells like a below average amount of good cards and then when I do, they flop me cold. Not miss mind you, but cold decked where I flop what appears to be a good hand and someone else with a much inferior hand before the flop catches me on the flop and stays there. Example, about 1 1/2 hours in I pick up AK spades. There is a raise from early position and I three bet to isolate with AK. The flop comes A,4,5 one spade. Middle player bets, I raise, he three bets, I call. Turn, 2, He bets I raise, he just calls, river an 8. He checks I bet, he calls. He turns over 4,5 of spades for two pair and wins the pot. How cold decked it that?? First he raises with that hand which makes it tough to put him on such a holding. Then when I am in such a dominating position he flops two pair and I have to flop top pair best kicker. The night just continues from there.

I need to really look at my game right now. There must be something going on as there is no way the cards can be running that bad. I might lose some with these cards, but not $940 in 4 hours. I have got to really tighten up and focus on my next session. This is really starting to piss me off.

I figured I would take a break and play the no-limit tourn that night. The structure is not great as they only give you $1500 in chips and start the blinds out at 25/50. Then raise the limits every 20 mins. You better get lucky at the beginning or you are done. Which is exactly what happened to me. I picked up pocket Jacks UTG early and I raised and got cold called by two players and then the button moved all in. I was not ready to go home with JJ early so I laid it down and then never got another playable hand the rest of the tourn. Went out in the SB with K,6, clubs against the BB when no one raised I decided I would take a stand against the Big Blind hand with K high. Of course the Blind had A,10 off and I could not catch a pair and was out. Typical. Then, when I wanted to get back into a game they would not start the 20/40 game back up and there was only one 30/60 game and I was like 10th on the list, which was not moving. I figured that was a sign to just go home and lick my wounds and come back another day. So I just left. I am jonesing to play but do not have time this week to go back so I will wait to the weekend to crank it back up. Talk to you then. Total loss -$940 cash, -$210 tourn. buyin, total -$1,150. Start out the year in the hole and now must dig out. SJ

New Year Post

I am back from vacation, I went to Hawaii for 10 days and got in some good golf and some great weather. It is snowing in Seattle today, so I go from 83 degrees to 33 degrees and snow. I am freezing my ass off right now. It is the new year and I had a little time to play on Friday the 7th. My first session of the new year. I did not have time to drive south so I went up to the Hideaway to play some $10/20. Unfortunately is was short handed again. I love shorthanded play, but the rake structure right now at the Hideaway in a short handed 10/20 game is too big to fade. You just can't beat the game without luck. There are no bad players in the game right now, so you only win a few big bets and hour and that gets eaten up by the rake so you just have to get lucky in a few big pots. This may be the last time I go up there unless there is a full ring game. I watched my stack slowly bleed like everyone else's as we sat there and traded small pots. The only winner was the house. The game then filled up and I got back to even as the pots got bigger and skill and discipline came back into play. Then, around midninght it got short again and I lost a few pots paid my blinds and got raked to death. I finally quit as I just could not take it anymore, stuck a small -$229.

I will play for real on Tuesday, my first serious session of the year. I hope to find some good games and start off the new year on a good note. Talk to you next week and I hope everyone has a great 2005. This should be one hell of a year for poker. I can not wait to head out of town to the may tournaments this yet. First stop LA in Feb. Later SJ