On Tilt Part One

Life has been too busy for poker recently. I still wanted to try my luck at the Bay 101 Friday tourney which I thought started at 9.45 am. I got there right at that time and bought in for $120 bucks. I got called as the 2nd alternate and sat down about 9.55. It was kind of like Phil Hellmuth starting late. I counted my chips and was bummed to find only 2400 out of a starting amount of 3000. Worse yet, it was already the third round with blinds at 50/100 chips. I had not noticed that the tourney began at 9.15. Big Mistake number one of the day. After throwing away my hands for almost two orbits, it was now round four and the blinds were 100/200. I was down to 2100 in chips and in trouble. I was in mid position with A-9 of diamonds. I decided to try to steal the blinds. I made it $1000 to go. Everyone folded except the button who tanked for a while then called. Not what I was looking for. I was essentially pot committed. The flop came no face cards and only one diamond. I decided to represent a big pair and went all in. The idea was to again win the pot right then. The button again went into the tank for a long time. Unfortunately, he then called with JJ. The turn and river were blanks and I was out of the tourney in 47th place (70 started). It was only the beginning of several bad moves on my part that day. more later... AM

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Paradise Poker Player Post (Nar Pow Pow)

I was playing in a player's club tourney right now at Paradise Poker. (you enter by using points accrued from games played.) i just won a couple thousand chips using pot odds...i hope i did it correctly, or i just got very lucky.

K 7s--flop gave me a pair of 7s --bet of 300 came to me; pot now had 1700 chips--i had 5 outs to give me "best" hand (three Ks and> two 7s, right?); rule of 4 then says i have a 20% chance of getting a winning hand on the turn or river--so if i called, pot would be 2000, divide that by 300, equals about 7 to 1 --break even % then is 1/8 or about 13% my chance of winning (20%) was greater than my break even odds (13%), so I called. K came on the turn, i bet, he called, yada yada, i won pot with 2 pair. Of course, about 15 mins later i lost a couple thousand chips with cowboys. oh well. Surgical Poker Post by Nar Pow Pow......

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World Poker Tour David Williams

I played one hour at the 8-16 and ended up a small amount. I was on my way to the bathroom when David Williams (second place at WSOP 2004?) came out of the final table area. The guard asked if he wanted to get back in, clearly not knowing who he was. I said, I think he might want his seat back and David laughed. He was gracious and posed for several pixs with fans. He entered the final table with 668,000 in chips. I wished him good luck and shook his hand as he ducked back under the velvet rope and sat back down at the final table.

Nut Flush Draw Shooting Star WPT

Played the 8-16 at Bay 101 while watching the World Poker Tour Shooting Star final table on closed circuit TV. I tried to get into the filming but didn't have any connections....

The 8-16 was a super tight game where high pairs were taking down a lot of pots. I played my usual wait and see game but this time only had about an hour of time. After bleeding off a couple rounds of blinds, I woke up with A-Q of spades in the big blind. A middle position tight player raised it and two others called. The flop came out 7-8-K with only two spades. I had my flush draw. I checked and the tight player bet with the one of the guys calling. I called. The turn was a 2 of....clubs! I checked, the other two guys bet and I called. Should I have bet first?

The river comes out a 4 of.....SPADES!!. Yes, I have a made nut flush. I bet it. After tanking for a couple minutes both of the other guys called and I took down a nice pot. Any comments?

AM

A "straight" jacket eliminates the Magician

My buddy Antonio gets taken out by a straight on the river at the Bay 101 Shooting Star. A set of tens should be good to go but the Poker Gods gave his opponent a straight with via a Q and a then a 9 on the river (opponent had K-J). A good man goes out WAY too early. Better luck in the next one my friend.

AM

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$2000 Buy-in Result

Antonio finished 40th out of a field of over 200 in the $2000 event. He is now on to the $10,000 WPT gig. I am predicting a final table appearance. See ya on Friday at the Bay 101!

AM

Antonio Esfandiari The Magician

Antonio Esfandiari at Bay 101's Shooting Star $2000 buy in. This is from early in the tourney but the Magician had already flopped a set of fours and busted one guy with a flush on the turn. Did he have a four up his sleeve instead of an Ace? Antonio's not telling. Best of luck to him at the WPT $10,000 event. I'll be posting some stories as I hear about them. Send me any of yours (am@surgicalpoker.com)

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AM

8-16 1/2 Kill Poker

Movin' on up to the 8-16 game. Check out SurgicalPoker for more pixs and posts.

The game was super tight and a moderately predictable. I bought in for $300 and waited for the big blind to come around. No one raised my 7-2 offsuit and the flop was trash except for an Ace. Four people were in and checked it. The turn comes off with a two and I again check it as does everyone else. The river is a blank and this time I bet it. Everyone folds except on guy who calls and I take down a early small pot with the worst starting hand in poker.

A short time later I peek down and find A-A. Of course I raise before the flop and six people call me. The flop comes 9-7-9. I am in early position which I HATE. I bet it again and two people call. The turn comes up a J and again I bet. One guy folds and another one raises me. I ponder for a second and think does he have J-J and now a full boat? No, I think he has K-K and doesn't want to see a Ace on the river. So, I reraise him. He instantly calls me. The river comes out a blank and I again bet and he calls. My AA gets cracked by K-9--Trips. I tried to put him on a hand but didn't read him well. That premiere starting hand melted my stack of chips moderately.

The guy who beat me turned out to be halfdome-all rock. He only bet when he had perfect hands. He was a good player but never played anything but great hands. I stayed away from him for the rest of the night.

AM

6-12 Limit Hold'em

Played the 6-12 game at Bay 101 on President's day. Started with $300. The first hour was mainly up. American Airlines and the Speed Limit held up nicely and I was at about $420. A nice profit but I typically set a time limit. This time it was three hours. Hour two was painful. It was as dry as good Martini. Every time I looked down it was 7-5 offsuit or perhaps 8-6 suited. I took a couple pokes at pots without any lucky flops. Despite my mostly tight play, I was down to $340 at the end of 120 minutes. The first half of hour three was the same---Garbage. The dealer even scooped by big blind hand without me seeing it because the TV caught my eye. A very bad move on part. I was down to 30 minutes and about $300 when I woke up with J-10 suited in late position. This looked like Elle Macpherson to me after all my crappy cards. I called two bets and saw a flop of 8-5-9 all unsuited. Again, a early position player raised it and another made it 24 to go. Thanks to reading Phil Gordon' book, I knew the pot odds favored my calling with an open ended straight draw. A sexy queen on the river made my hand. The early position raiser again bet. The second guy folded and I RAISED!! Fortunately, the early raiser had two pair (Qs and 8s) so she called. I flipped over the J-10 and scooped up a nice pot. The next hand I again got AA that stood up to a flush draw. Patience had paid off. At the three hour mark, I left the table with $606, a nice $306 profit. Better lucky than good I guess. Any comments?

Sushi Apres Ski in Aspen

Matsuhisa is the best place for a sushi sake night out after skiing. The food is excellent and the bar environment is filled with good looking skiers and riders. Check it out if you are in Aspen and post your opinion. Next post, I promise will be about poker!!

Sky Bar in Aspen

We checked out the Sky Bar in Aspen yesterday. Very cool bar but the top shelf margaritas were 15 bucks--yikes! The scene included a view of the hot tub and pool right at the base of Aspen. So the views made up for the prices. Overall, a great place to hang after apres-ski.