Vegas Bound

Heading to Vegas in a few hours. Just checked in with Aaron, he is still alive in the first real event. Wow just huge 2200 people with 550 alternates. 1st place is going to be over $1,000,000. Nice way to start the WSOP. I will be in tomorrow's event. Talk to you soon..SJ

WSOP Update #1

I know it is right before the WSOP so this can't count as an official WSOP update, but Aaron is already down there. He said there is not really anyone there yet, but there will be soon. He got off to a great start booking a nice win last night. Played $25/50 NL and $600/1200 mixed games. He said he played with David Williams and Eskimo. Sounds like fun to me except a little over my head on the limits. Talk to you soon from Vegas..SJ

Quickie Post

I don't have time to write up a big post of last night. Don't know if I want to. Summary of night. Miss every hand on flop, miss every OESD, miss every flush draw, get sucked out on river when I actually flop a hand. Played in $150/300 because $50/100 game was not going. Lost money. Sorry, I may describe this one in more detail next week, but most likely just want to wipe this one out of my memory. Talk to you next week from the WSOP. SJ

Nothing to See here Move Along

I played no cards over the weekend. I can also neither confirm nor deny the comment on my last post that I may be SJ_Tilt as Online poker is now a felony in this state. I do not play for real money(money that matters) online.

It is almost WSOP time, I hope everyone is getting ready and as excited as I am to head down. I will be there starting on Tuesday next week. I will only be there through the weekend so if any of you are going to be there drop me an e-mail and let me know. I would love to meet you. I will be at the Bellagio, and most likely in the $80/160 game when not in a tournament. I plan on playing the PL on Weds, the limit on Thurs and the short handed NL on Friday depending on how deep I run in one of the other tournaments. I hope I only play in two as that means I ran deep in one of the first two. I will be down there with Aaron and my buddy Joe. Joe has been tearing it up UB online lately. He lives in LA so he can still play legally. Joe is a musician and I had to put up a shot of him at his show over the weekend. You suck dude, you get paid to do that??



I hope all of us do well next week. Aaron of course will be there for two or three months. Hope you are all winning and I will talk to you soon as I will be heading down to the Muck tonight. SJ

Subdued Session

So I took my usual trip to the Muck last night to get in a little poker action. The big game in Seattle $150/300 was going again. This is becoming a regular gig in Seattle to my surprise, but was full when I got there(again?). I got a late start yesterday because of work so I had to work my way up the fish ladder to get into the game. I almost did not go yesterday as I was tired, but I went anyway.

I was actually having fun playing in the lower limit games as I was walking up to the big game. I started in $10/20 and was just goofing around in the game. It is amazing, now that I have been playing almost exclusively above $100/200 for the last two months both in LA and Seattle, how easy that game seems to be. Super easy to read, and really soft action games. I really had fun in that game. I then moved to the $20/40 game and played with a few friends that I have not had the opportunity to play with in a while. Two friends from LA who are in town for a bit were in that game. That game was fun too. I made a few more dollars and went to the $50/100 game. That game was good. Some good players mixed in with a bunch of weak ones. Most of the sharks have all moved to the $150/300 game so that left this game with most of the weaker players that want to play big, but not that big. I had control of the table, was able to bluff and make moves and was feeling really good about my game. I actually thought about staying in that game, but I wanted to see if I could make some real money and took my seat in the $150/300 game when it opened up. The game was only full for about 30 minutes after I got there. We busted two people and one quit and soon we were 5 handed.

I went just absolutely card dead in that game. Up to that point I was feeling good, but when I got in that game I was feeling really passive and subdued. The mood was exacerbated by the fact that I was getting nothing to play and there was one player who was just raising every pot and playing 75% of his hands. The problem was he was hitting them as well. Every time I picked a spot to play he would either suck out on the flop and I would dump or he would river me and I would lose a big pot. I tried a number of things to change my luck, took walks, changed seats to the direct left of the aggressive player to get position and isolate, but nothing worked. I could just not get any hands to play. I gave back what money I had made in the fish ladder, $1,000, and then some more. Right at the end of my night a complete fish player sat in the game and short bought in for $1500. He proceed to lose that in one pot. Then he short bought in again for only $500 and lost that in a pot with 9 high. Of course not to me, as I was not in either of those pots. I then picked up JJ in MP and he had raised in EP, I three bet and he called. Flop came 10 high, he checked I bet, turn a middle card like a 7 or 9 and he checked, I bet, river an A. He checked and I bet again. He showed me A,8, for the three outer. He may have picked up a gutshot draw on the turn, but I am not positive. Either way, that was the last straw. It was not going to be my day so I packed it in early.

One other aspect to this game is that it is not all that much fun. I was having fun at the lower limits but at the $150/300 limit there is too much pressure. There is too much money on the line and I don't like swinging $5000 a night on a normal variance. Hell if you have a standard large variance night of down 30BB you lose $9,000. Not fun, not really what I am looking for on a weekly basis. I may not even play in that game next week. I may just stay in the $50/100 game as that is big enough and I can have fun at that level, like I was last night until I moved games. So final tally another bad night of -$5,947 which puts me back into the red for the year. Crap now I have to start digging myself out again. Hope you are all winning. Talk to you soon, I can smell the WSOP from here....SJ

Thank You

Hey, the guys over at Wickedchopspoker www.wickedchopspoker.com actually put up a small interview they did with me regarding the new law in Washington state making online poker a felony. Thanks for the press guys. They actually made me sound like a real poker player.

Also, for all two of you that don't have a rakeback deal make sure you use the link to Rakerebate.net on the left of my blog to sign up. Don't leave your money on the table.

I did not play this weekend, most likely will be out and about tomorrow. Hope you are all winning..SJ

Clarity and Manners

First off I want to clarify a few things from the last post. Yes, I was whining about losing. I don't do it in the game, so I get to do it here. Its my blog I can whine here if I want. Selfish, yes. Second, I did not say anyone played poorly. In fact when we got down to four handed I was the dog in that game. All three of those players are better than I am and I knew it. I should have quit. I know that. I also did not say Aaron played poorly, in fact he played brilliant. His hyper aggressive style works very well short handed, and with his reading ability he will kill a short game. He did. He is a favorite short handed in every game he sits in.

Aaron also has the disadvantage of being a friend that I have known for a long time, so I have seen him play many many times. Most of the time I am not in the game with him as I just watch the bigger games he plays, but his personality comes out when he plays, and frankly there are parts of his game that I do not like. I am not saying it is bad to talk, and whine in a game, in fact it works to his advantage most of the time because it puts people on tilt, and they want to beat him more and gun for him. That works to his advantage, as he plays a killer game. He killed me. If you combine that with losing that night which I did, and you do that over a number of sessions you can see how that would impact what happens away from the table. I can not separate the two, maybe that is wrong, but it is the truth. His table talk bugs me, and not just this one night of it, this has been a pet peeve of mine for years about his game, mostly when I just sweat his game. My opinion will not change on that so I just need to not play that much with him. I don't have to like most of the people that I play with, in fact most of the players I only see at the casino, so I do not have to have a relationship with them. Heck, most of them probably don't like me, that's fine. I do have a relationship with Aaron, he is a good friend and I don't want a game to harm that, so I will adjust. Nuff said, so off to table manners.....

It is interesting to note that the higher the game played or witnessed, the worse manners the players have. I have witnessed some really poor behavior in some of the biggest games played in Vegas and LA. I think it has to do with the more money you have, or success you have in poker, the more arrogant you get that the world revolves around you. So here is my list of table do's and don'ts.

#1) Respect the dealer. The dealer has no impact on the cards, why get pissed at the dealer if you get sucked out on, they can't help you. Why beat them up? Also, ask if rabbit hunting is allowed at the casino. If it is, every once in a while you can ask the dealer to show you the river or the flop. Don't do this a lot as it slows the game down. Never just grab the cards without asking. That is their space, and they will take offense if you just grab the cards.

#2) Pay attention in the game. If you are in the game, please pay attention when it is your turn to act. I see a lot of players that are playing really long sessions and get super tired and start to sleep at the table. You have to keep reminding them that it is their turn to act. If you are tired take a break, or quit. There will be another game. Also, don't read or play with your cell phone as this also distracts you from paying attention. I sometimes break this rule with my phone but try not to do it much. It just slows the game down.

#3) Respect the other players. You don't have to like the other players, and you can even use table talk to put them on tilt. Never make it personal, call people names, or use derogatory or racist language. Poker is a game which has brought all nationalities together. In fact a lot of the time when I am in a game, a white guy will be the minority at the table. Making ignorant or hurtful comments just hurts the mood at the table and the game. Don't do it.

#4) Don't throw cards or chips. Subset of number one. It slows the game down. If you throw your chips around or splash them into the pot, the dealer has to take time to collect the chips, make sure the right amount has been bet, or even in extreme cases count the whole pot down. It just slows the game down, and in my case just irritates me. It also can open the game up to stealing. When there is a sloppy pot someone can rake chips back out.

Also, don't throw the cards or muck them hard across the table. If the cards hit the floor they have to ask for a new setup, if they hit the dealer it pisses them off, and if they hit another players hand it could kill their hand. It just slows the game down, and once again just irritates me. It shows your character and lack of self control.

#5) Don't slow roll, or fail to act in turn. If the hand is over and you are first to act, either muck your hand or turn it over. Don't try and wait to see if you are beat to show. If you are embarrassed to show your hand why the hell did you play it in the first place. Don't call out "you got it", and then when the other player shows you realize you have the winner. This really gets under my skin. Also, in a lot of the bigger games if you are fist to act you just call out your hand and the other player will just turn over if they have you beat. Now this is not a rule but it is just good game manners. Don't force the other player to turn over his hand. If you win, table your hand and take the pot. Who cares what two cards they had, if you are good you should be able to figure it out anyway. Some people will just want to see the cards anyway, I think it is rude and it happens a lot in lower limit games. Lastly, if you are not involved in the hand don't ask to see the cards. I see this also happen a lot in lower limit games. The only time you should ever do this is if you suspect collusion among players. If not, you don't need to see it. Who cares if you finished 2nd.

I am sure I have missed a few things. If you have one that I missed feel free to leave it in the comments section. Hope you are all winning and I will not play this weekend. Talk to you next week..SJ

Good Night Gone Ugly

.....To depressing. What a fucking ugly night last night. I don't even really want to write about it but I will. There was a leftover big game from Monday that got kicked up to $150/300 early morning Tuesday that stuck into the day. I got called at lunch to tell me the game was going but could not get down there right away. When I did finally get there the game was FULL??? What?? This was $150/300, that is a huge game for Seattle. That is a huge game period for straight hold-em. I had to wait a bit and played $50/100 and of course got stuck $2,000 right out of the gate. I had pocket KK's cracked by a J,2 off to start my day and set the mood.

I then finally got a seat in the $150/300 game. Now that is up there with the biggest limit game I have played, and I really did not have enough money on me to feel comfortable, but I played anyway. I managed to get even and then up in the game over a period of a few hours. This game had both Aaron, and Tommy. Both high limit pros from the area, both hyper aggressive, both with WSOP and WPT final tables among them, and Aaron has a WSOP bracelet. While the game was full you could pick your spots to get involved, and I managed to have some hands hold up, and even hit a few from behind. As the night wore on however, the game got short. It eventually got down to Myself, Barry, Aaron, and Tommy. Now fasten you seatbelts.

I was still up just slightly at that time, and even thought about quitting. I should have as it turns out. Aaron had gone back to the old Aaron I know. Hyper aggressive, playing just about every hand for a raise or three bet, and talking and bitching, and being just generally annoying. He actually cycled up $13,000, then stuck $22,000 and all the way back out to up over $6,000 when I left. When you play that style you better catch cards and he did. Add Tommy to the mix who plays a very similar style and you have a game that turns into a card catching contest. All pots once entered are played to the river, and all draws and hands are possible from either one of them. I really don't like to play that style of poker, but I can and I will, but you have to have at least a few hands hold up. I did not. In fact I went on a super negative rush in about and hour and 1/2 that I just gave up and left. I lost KK's to Aaron's 3 bet A,5 off when I capped it on the button and a A spiked right on the flop. I then lost AA to Tommy's 3 bet with 8,5 clubs when he turned a straight on me. I lost 99 to a J,6 3 bet by Aaron, you get the picture, even Barry started to spike on me, demoralizing.

Not much else to say other than is was a sick night, I am really pissed at the result, and myself for not quitting. I only get to play one night a week mostly, so I want to play, not go home early. I guess I need to adjust my thinking. When I feel the game is no longer a good spot and I am up I need to quit no matter what time it is. Maybe I will learn this lesson, maybe not. At lest I don't think I will have to play with Aaron any more for a few months, as we will not be in the same games down at the WSOP, and he is most likely done in Seattle in the short term. If I did one of us would have to quit to preserve our friendship because I could not stand to put up with him in my game for an extended period of time. Between the talking, the constant pressure, and the inconsiderate way he bets and handles his cards I would go nuts. I will write up a post about table manners later this week or early next, not today, still steaming. So result, I fucking lost -$4,809, can you tell I am still pissed about it the next day? That is not even a big loss in that game, a whopping 16BB, just the way it happened just pissed me off. Hope you all are winning and had a better night than I did....SJ

Nice Comeback

Sometimes a nice comeback from the depths can feel as good as a win. This was my lot on Friday. I did decide to go up to Tulaliup on Friday night as they had the $100/200 game up there that day. I arrived a little late, 9:30pm, and they had been playing since 10:00am that morning. The game had been well defined by then. The winners were up pretty big and the losers were trying to get some back, but were pretty short stacked. There was one seat, so I jumped in. The game was going to change shortly however, and I could sense it. A few of the winners cashed out, and we busted one of the short stacks, so we were going to get short. I sat down and there were three players I had never played with before so I watched a bit. I did get involved early with one of the new players and had to look him up with 2nd pair when he showed no aggression in the pot when I bet out on the flop. He had top pair and very weak kicker so I had the info that I needed. He was a terrible player and would call down with any pair no matter how weak. I then managed to get a few big hands cracked right away and got stuck $5,000 before I even won a pot. Then the worst case scenario happened.

Aaron showed up to play, and one of the players I did not know quit, then some of the other players quit, soon we were down to 4 handed and I felt the game might break after I got stuck, CRAP. Well we busted the 4th player who was a weak player, and it was down to me, Aaron and Barry. This was not a good game, but I was stuck already and was going to stop loss at $7,000 so I kept playing hoping they would not quit me until I was even or broke. I got down to my last $800 and then won a few small pots to put me back up to $2,000 and then this hand happened to start the run at 2:00am.

I had the button w/ 22 and Aaron had just limped on the last hand with AA and won the pot. I figured I would play the hand the same way, and see what developed. I wanted to see a cheap flop and dump if I missed, or if a good bluff board showed
try to steal the pot. Well I did not miss. Flop came 2,2,5 with two diamonds. Wow, I had not flopped quads in a live game in two years, I had no idea if I would even get any action, but Aaron checked and Barry bet in to me. I just called hoping to trap Aaron in there but he mucked and it was just heads up with me and Barry. The turn brought the 3rd diamond a 6. This now could make straights and a flush, Barry bet in to me again. I raised this time, and Barry to my surprise 3 bet me. Perfect he had a hand. I called the three bet hoping for more action on the river. River was a black K. Barry bet again, I raised, he three bet, and I capped. He called the cap bet and I showed quads, and he had the nut flush with a straight flush draw that thankfully missed. The hand played out perfect. He was rightfully not going to put me on 55, 66, as I would have raised preflop. If I just had a big pair he had me unless I hit the two outer on the river with KK's. He was not going to put me on quads, does anyone ever put anyone on quads? So he thought he was good. I would have done the same thing. Just a bad match up three handed. Nice $3200 pot.

I continued to run well against both players for the next 30 minutes and by 2:30am I was up a few bucks. I said I quit, and booked my $347 profit, but in my mind I won $6,000 as I was mentally prepared to go home stuck that amount. Sweet, nice comeback. Aaron of course pulled another good chunk out of the game and went home happy.

I don't know if I feel great about him becoming a regular. I know he will be gone soon to the WSOP so I guess I can put up with him in the game for the next few weeks. Just don't take it from me sir. I wish I could talk some of my bad player friends into playing rather than one that I am a dog to, but at least I get to test my skills against someone I feel is in the top 10 hold-em players in the world today. Maybe I can learn a few tricks. Hope you are all winning. I will be down and the Muck tomorrow so update on Wednesday. SJ

Rake Back Deals

I know that some of you that read this blog play online. I hope that most of you already have a rakeback deal of some sort. If there is actually anyone left that does not have a rakeback deal yet I wanted to point out that I use rakerebate.net. You can find the link to the site on the left of this blog. I have been using it for about a year now and they are as good as anyone else out there. Good site, good updates and they pay when they say they will. I now have an affiliate agreement with them. This does not impact in any way what you get back as a percentage. Just go sign up with them to get your money back, but use the link on the left. I also think you can tell them Seattle sent you. http://www.rakerebate.net/?ref=seattle

If you already have an account and want to get rakeback it is a little more complicated but still can be done. Let me know if you want me to explain how to try and do this.

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail me and I will help you out. Hope you are all winning...SJ