One More Saturday Night!!

Matrixrunner: dang IG,,, quit it-

Taken from AP chat Poker Analysis Freeroll League Bonus Game 9/30/2006

I wound up working about 4 hours of overtime yesterday. When I stepped outside it was sunny and a beautiful fall day. The smell of fall flowers and a little bit of a nip in the air. The perfect day for a long training run if I was still running. I felt like soup and so I went to Bountiful Bread and got some Potato Leek Soup and a Tuna Wrap. Then on to Starbucks for my Java fix. On my way back up the Northway I headed straight into the traffic jam of the century. I took Evasive manuevers fitting of a long-time Nascar fan. I peeled off the Northway doubled back around and took the back road near my office to get thru the Jam.

Still sulking about last nite I edited and re-edited my blog post. Mikey got the results up late last afternoon Eric "E-dawg" wound up winning again and Lex finished number #2. The same positions for those two as last week. Eric becomes the first back-to-back winner of the league. Lex was certainly playing well when at my table and its no surprise he finished as well as he did either. Nice job guys. The good news is I am in the top ten in 10th. Zoe is only a point or two ahead of me and actually its pretty tight between 3rd and 10th. My goal is to ultimately make it into the top 5. If I play the way I know I am capable of its doable. Im a veteran of about 8 seasons of the 72os league. Made the league final every season I played and am in the Hall of Fame there. A few mediocre weeks wont get me down.

I decided to take it easy yesterday afternoon and not play any cards. Instead I would play AcesCracked and the PA bonus game for the freeroll league. I got an email from Lady Freerollerz about a game on Kiwi (a playtech site) paying top three only and said what the hell. I normally do well against the woman there.

So onto Kiwi poker at 7PM. I started out tight and then let loose. I was one of the early leaders and then ran TT with a str8 draw to boot into a set of 99's. Down to 300 chips I started my comeback. I got outplayed on that one hand but didnt let me it ruffle my feathers. I proceeded to come back to finish third and cash when I should have been a non factor.

AcesCracked started at 8 PM. I went out pretty early in 5th (top three spots paid) but played okay. It was there that Shamanalinx chastised me. He had just read the blog and said tough nite HuH IGGY-BABEE? I reiterated how bad I sucked and then Bruce made a statement that I actually took to heart. He said... "IG you never once mentioned how great you played Thursday nite on Full Tilt". Maybe because I only finished #2.

And then I realized I am my own worst critic. But, I need to be brutally honest with myself because my goal is to continue to improve. I learn from making the mistakes and its fitting that I put those mistakes in print for all to see including myself. Sure I called a raise that I really only intended to call the BB with, because I wasnt listening and didnt hear the RAISE. But Doug also did the same thing a few rounds later. Makes me wonder how anyone can wear an IPOD at the table.

Anyway onto the PA freeroll league at AP a site I love to hate but which is very good to PA. I figure I can just finish top 18 and pick up a few bucks. I get shellacked by a loosy goosy member that I actually was willing to pay off. No harm. I then start my stuff. 8T dealt to me. Im beginning to love this hand. Im beginning to play it very well. I decide to raise with it. Matrixrunner (the table chip leader) calls along with one other person. I flop a boat. I value betted it perfectly the whole giving the flush chasers the correct odds to chase. I take a huge pot off the table chip leader and decimate another dude. The other dude pushes from EP all in next hand. With QQ in the hole next to act I too push in. Out goes the unlucky fellow. Next hand JJ. I raise again and Matrix runner types his chat message to me. I raise with KQ suited. SamJacks moves all in on the flop with AJ I believe it was. I have the correct odds to call and I take the hand down with a flush doubling up again. Im playing well and aggressively and it feels natural. I wind up with an 11th place finish and a few bucks after getting caught with my hands in the cookie jar and then getting flushed. If you never get caught bluffing you arent bluffing enough.

Today finished in the money in 4/4 tourneys. One I actually lost money on because the winnings didnt cover the buy-in even though I final tabled. I was in the $15,000 freeroll on Dream that I was eligible for. I finished 226th of 3281 with 300 cashing. The tourney froze when Prima went down and I got booted. I came back to find I still had 13000 chips but the blinds were reset to 10/20. Rather then sit out and wait a bit I decide to push with AKh to try for a quick double up. Called by the big stacks AJs.. I get flushed on the river. Cie le Vie.

Just found a few bucks (about $7 or so) on Captain Cooks poker. I enter a ALMOST FREEROLL $1.10 buyin. Only 83 players with a $500 prize pool and top twenty playing. Very nice overlay. Also a $50 bounty for knocking out the Poker Room manager Dave. Will have to remember this one. I was doing great till I went card dead and then aimlessly chased a 4flush donking off a third of my stack. Why did I just do that? Out 40th when my QQ gets cracked by AT flopping an A and then rivering one for overkill.

And thank you to the Blogfather of Poker himself the great IGGY of Guiness and Poker who not only mentioned my blog in a recent post of his about blogs to check out, but who stopped by to wish me a happy poker anniversary. It doesnt get much better then that.