Black Bullets Drag Monster

I was playing at my usual 2-5 spread limit game at Bay 101 and frankly getting beat up by a couple loose aggressive players. I was a little intimidated and slightly on tilt after my AA-99 lost a big pot to trip fives. I bought in again and settled in waiting for a hand to play against one of the very good players.

When I looked down at the black bullets in my hand, I knew it might be my time. Someone ahead of me made it $25 to go and I promptly put it up another $100 hoping at least one but no more than two people would call. Everyone folded except the guy earlier who took $200 from me with the trip fives. He called. The flop came out K97, all clubs. I unfortunately or fortunately had to act first. I knew he might have a made flush but with the Ace of clubs in my hand, I felt like I had to put the pressure on him.

I made it $200 to go and he immediately called. I only had about $55 left so I am not sure why he didn't put me all in. Now, I was convinced he had a flush and that my aces had been cracked. The turn came out with a five of diamonds. I tossed my last chips in and told him I had the flush. He called anyway. The river was a beautiful 2 of clubs giving me the nuts. I flipped it up and he showed his buddy and then mucked. Later I found out he had QQ with the Q of clubs. The pot was juicy and my biggest ever.

I am not sure if I learned anything on this hand but it obviously made my day......

AM SurgicalPoker.com

Bay 101 Super Satellite for the WPT Shooting Star

Sucks outs beat skill. On President's Day, I played in the Bay 101 Super Satellite. The top 6 players received a seat to the $10,000 WPT Shooting Star. My initial table was 3-4 loose aggressive players mixed in with a maniac and 3 rocks. I was simply trying to survive in the middle of the tourney when the button came around to me. At that point, I was a short stack but not THE short stack. I looked down at 2-4 of diamonds. Everyone quickly folded to me. That left the maniac small blind and the super tight big blind. I had a pretty tight image so I went for it and pushed all in simply to steal the blinds. The small folded but the big blind thought FOREVER and then called with pocket eights.

I said "you got me". The flop comes out Q-5-3, no diamonds. Okay, now I am praying for an Ace to make a wheel. The turn is an eight, making my rock friend trips. I start to get up from the table as a six floats on the river giving me my straight and life. The Rock didn't like what I was cooking on that hand. More later on he got back at me....

Surgical Poker.com

World Series of Poker 2007 Schedule

The WSOP just released its WSOP 2007 schedule. Click here to view.

There are a total of 55 events with number 55 being the $10,000 No Limit Championship. Cards for this year's WSOP will be in the air June 1 to July 17th.

Anyone interested in going or participating??

Surgical Poker.com

In a Coma

Played my usual game today but twice mucked my cards when I could have split or won the pot. I was in a daze most of the time and was lucky to come out even for the session. One board was 10-10-K-J-J and I mucked 8-9 when a guy showed his Q. The board would have played and I lost half of the pot. The second was when I had QQ and two guys folded to my raise. Being in position one and being in a coma caused me to miss that one guy had already called the blinds. I mucked my cards and reached for the pot when he said he would call. Thus, the pot was his no matter what he had. A total f- up on my part. He offered to split the pot with me and I took him up on that one.

Keep your head in the game or GET OUT!

AM

I was playing my typical 3-5 Spread Limit game at Bay 101 when I looked down at pocket sevens in late position. Several people had limped in and I joined the almost family pot. The flop came out J-4-4. The first three players checked. I made it 25 bucks to go thinking I could just take it down right there with my sevens. The button guy quickly called and everyone else folded. The turn is another 7. What a country! (Insert Borat Accent here).

That gives me a full house so I ponder for a hollywood moment and then check it. The button checks it as well. The river is a queen. So, I tried to look pathetic and bet out 25 bucks into a hundred dollar pot hoping he will call me just to keep me honest.

He thinks for just a second and then raises me all-in for his last $75. Now, I am thinking. Was he slow playing pocket Jacks and has a bigger boat? Did he make the boat on the river queen? Is he bluffing??? My read was he was strong.

I couldn't let go of my boat for $75 so I called and he flipped up 7-4 offsuit for a 44477 boat. Fortunately, my 77744 boat beat his! He had me nailed until the turn.

Should he have bet his trips or checked on the flop?

AM SurgicalPoker

World Series of Poker 2007

Does anyone know the schedule for the 2007 World Series of Poker??

I am thinking about entering one of the $1500 events. Can't seem to find a schedule online anywhere.

AM

Poker Donkey Whale Bozo ATM Machine

Donkey Whale. That's me. Poor cards but also TERRIBLE tight weak play today against good players. Trips suck with straight and flushes on the board. You think I should know that?? Second pair got killed by trip queens. What the "f" was I thinking?? I was the idiot at the table and need to reevaluate my play. If I do not have a plan and discipline at the table I WILL lose a lot of money. Hopefully this was a good lesson that I will remember. I should know better and still played poorly. That must mean that there are many others out there like me who have read a lot, can play well but don't have patience when the cards aren't flowing. Next time, if the cards suck, learn how to lose less bozo. That at times is still playing winning poker.

Congrats to the good players who took my money. I will be back and hope not be your ATM machine next time.

AM
SurgicalPoker.com

Turkey Day Shootout at Bay 101

Mid-way through the second round of a 100-person, $100 buy-in no-limit tournament, a "regular" taunted me yelling, "His hands are shaking. Look at his shaking hands. Ohhhhh...." It was true. My hands were cold and shaky, revealing equally shaky nerves. I was playing in my first live tournament on Thanksgiving morning at famed Bay 101 in San Jose. My brother, who brought me here, was playing at another table. Beforehand, he'd warned me that this particular card room is home to very aggressive and solid players. Until now, I'd played almost exclusively online, where it is easy to remain anonymous and hide insecurities. Pulsating veins, yells of pain and joy, grimaces and grins, and shaky hands were not liabilities when playing in front of a computer screen. But at a real table with real humans, all these things and more tell your story.

So here I was, hands shaking, looking at pocket ladies on the button. My stack was better than average. I'd been playing air-lock tight, waiting for top hands. And they'd been coming to me about once every half hour. The guy next to me had been moved to our table just a few hands earlier. He was in about 7th place at our table of nine, but he still held a decent number of chips. He raised nearly all of his chips, and I put him on a strong ace. For protection, I raised all in. Small blind folded, big blind stared me up and down and called for time. I put my hands in my lap and waited. He folded AJ (or so he told me later), and the guy who's bet I had raised called, making it heads up.

He turned over A 10 s and never connected. That shaky bet padded my mattress and I continued to play tight over the next two rounds. I made it to the final table and finished 9th, but the highlight from the experience was sitting at the 2nd-to-last table with my brother. Thanksgiving after all is a family affair. The whip cream on the pumpkin pie: the obnoxious taunter wasn't sitting in any of the final 18 seats.

So my online playing proved to me that I've developed at least some modicum of skill. But lots more to learn, including steeling my nerves.

Bad Beat at the Motor City Casino

Game: 5-10 No Limit Location: Motor City Casino in Detroit.

It was a live game with some decent players but also some democrats, I mean donkeys. The hand goes down like this---I am in the small blind with 2-2. The button makes it 45 bucks to go after everyone else folds. I’d like to see a flop so I choose to call. The big blind also calls. With almost $150 in the pot, we all stare at a 9-3-9 flop. I don’t like it but consider betting for an instant before checking. The big blind checks. The button then goes fires deep with a $600 bet. I fold my cards like they are radioactive. With barely a blink, the big blind calls with the rest of his chips. Before they flip up their cards, I think they must both have sets. Is it possible they both have 9s with one having a better kicker? The big blind flips up 10-9 for a decent set. The button guy turns over 3-3 for a full house. The pot is about $1200 because the BB didn’t have all of the $600. The turn is a five. Then the bloody river is a five of hearts. The double paired board gives the BB a better full house and he sucks the marrow out of the button for a very nasty beat. BB smirks. The button yells out: “nice catch….asshole (under his breath)”.

For more stories and pix, go to Surgical Poker.com

Pac Club Tourney

My table broke up and about half of the participants were out. I had been playing super tight so when I looked down at K9 of clubs in late position with a couple of limpers, I joined the pot. The flop came out 9-7-3 with one club. There were four of us in the pot. The small blind quickly goes all in. The big blind and other guy fold over to me. What to do? I made several mistakes on this hand. I did try to read him and honestly put him on A-K or A-Q. He had me covered. I hadn't played any hands with him. It was the middle of the tourney and I had about an average stack. I called for time. If he flopped trips wouldn't he try to trap me or at least put out a feeler bet? Was he the bully at the table? I truly thought he was trying to steal the pot and even asked him if he wanted me to call. He didn't answer. When I finally put all my chips in the middle, he quietly said, "you aren't going to like it" as he flipped over two nines. I had one foot in the grave and another on a banana peel. Of course, I lost but realized that you shouldn't play top pair for a big pot and should always wait a while when you get to a new table. You simply have no information on your opponents.

Better Lucky than Good at Lucky Chances

I played at Lucky Chances just south of SF for the first time yesterday. LC has seasoned aggressive players and a wild 2-3-5 $200 spread limit game. In that game, I was above my level of play but tried to "hang around". After losing for the better part of two hours, I woke up with KK in the big blind. Five people had called before it got back around to me. I made it fifty to go. This was a game with a lot of chasers and I wanted to be heads up if possible. Two of the five limpers called me. The flop comes out 10-5-7 with two hearts. It is a semi rainbow for me. Again, I don't want any flush drawers, so I push with $200. One guy raises me all in for my last $150. The other guy folds. I violate all my owe rules and immediately call him. Neither of us flips up our cards. I put him on A-10 or perhaps a straight draw. The turn comes up another five and the river a two. I flip up my KK and he groans as he turns over 10-7. He had me beat until the five came up on the turn. I should have read him better after the flop but I had to act first. Also, how does he call a fifty dollar raise with only 10-7 offsuit preflop? Perhaps I should have put him on a set when he raised me after the flop. Clearly, I need to get better at reading players because in this had I was lucky not good. The over $800 pot still put a smile on my face as I walked out to my car fifteen minutes later. :)