My First MATH

I played very little poker over the weekend. I had an enjoyable Friday off and since our systems were down on Saturday I didnt work any Saturday AM Over-time (which is always +EV). Instead, I went down to Macys for my little mini spa session and makeup application at the ORIGINS counter. I am an advocate of Dr Weil's Plantidote Mega Mushroom Face Serum and Cleanser and eye Serum as well as a whole host of other Origins products. The makeup application was fun because I tried out some new eye shadows and had fun with my male make-up artist Travis. As much as I would love to be able to pull of the bold vibrant colors of the MAC line, its just not me. Im more of a bohemian free spirit, all natural kind of gal then a cosmopolitan, haute couture one. Hell I just managed being able to walk in some kind of heel without falling off them.

I got home and opened up yahoo messenger and Waffles jingled me. He was deep into his rebuy tourney on FTP so I railed him for a bit while playing the Poker Analysis league game. Congrats on a nice win there Sir Waffles. I final tabled and picked up a few bucks on Absolute Poker (it was a freeroll and free money is always good) for my finish.

I then went out shopping/browzing and headed over to Michaels Arts and Crafts. Silk and plastic flowers send me just about over the edge. A) They collect nothing but dust. B) I dont care how much you spend on them they are still fake and after a period of time look really cheesy C). Nothing compares to fresh cut flowers. There are so many easy flowers to do and grow why would anyone want to make a fake arrangement?.

Feeling inspired,I then headed outside to plant my bulbs. It was kind of windy and I got one container done and still a lot more work to do. I also tended to the amaryllis bulb. I soaked it in warm water, repotted it and will now let it grow until the fall at which time you cut it back and then it has to go into the cold for 6-8 weeks before you can replant it to flower for the holidays. That means into the refrigerator the bulb must go. But, it cant be mixed with apples or it will kill the bulb. If my bulbs prosper I may have to get one of those little refrigerators to keep them away from things that can harm them. Not only apples but onions can destroy your bulbs.

I decide to pass on several buy-ins on Saturday. Instead, I decided to watch TV and since the Richmond Nascar race was rain delayed, I caught a movie I have had for ages and never watched (it was on TV). I watch Meet the Fawkers with two of my favorite actors of all time Robert Deniro and Dustin Hoffman. Im kind of old school when it comes to actors. Very few young actors can/could fill the shoes of Hoffman, Deniro, Pacino, Eastwood, Hackman etc. I laughed my butt off an went to bed kind of early catching up on some much needed sleep.

Sunday was more of the same. Lazy day spent reading, spring cleaning and one sng on full tilt.

Sundays SNG was a resounding success.. $5.50 buyin normal blind structure. I got short stacked when my AK got beat by A8. With a WTF attitude I pushed in with about 300 left with 36os and hit the str8 to triple up then I doubled up and took the lead with some solid play. I then went all in against the second stack and got sucked out on. Battled back and made it to heads up with about $2500 chips to his $12500 or so.

As tight as I can be early on in a tourney when full-handed, I play a completely different game heads-up and I hate giving up position with the button. I have found that the raise or fold strategy advocated by Phil Gordon didnt work for me. So, I have my own style which you'll have to play me to figure out!! I wound up taking the lead and had him on the ropes. He pushed all when down to about $1500 chips with AT I believe it was. I had 35os and made the call since I was getting good odds and hit my 5 to take the tourney. Now in my last 3 or 4 STTs, when heads-up I have taken the win and thats good!! I used to lose way to many of them with bridesmaid finishes. My only heads up loss recently was to Waffles the other nite in an MTT. As someone said (maybe InGoal) a perfect tourney except for losing to Waffles!!

So, Monday I ventured into the land of the MATH. I had never played the tourney on Pokerstars basically because of its time and secondly because I didnt think I was ready to have my arse handed to me and then have to read about what a donkey I am. And since I think that Hoyazo's blog is my favorite strategy blog and respect the hell out of his play and his way with the written word I didnt want to sully the reputation of the MATH. I had acquired a FTP token and since I had two final tables in blogger tourneys (the bracelet race and the Friday donkament), plus I had cracked the BBT leaderboard in Riverchasers, I was feeling good about my play and my ability to hold my own.

Even though the tourney was 10PM EST and I had worked a long 9 hour day all on the phones (I didnt read my email which told me I could come off to process claims from 5-7PM (@#$%S) and the covering Team Lead didnt IM me), I was well rested from the weekend. I plunked down my token and waded into the Monday nite madness of the MATH.

Now I like this tourney immediately because a deep stack tourney favors my style of play. However, I said if I do well I'm gonna be here all nite. I had a pretty good table with an interesting mix: Cash game specialists Blinders and Miami Don (on my left). I also had Veneno (on my right) and AlCantHang at my table and a whole host of other blogger guyz. My first BB is a walk from Veneno with me having AA in the BB. I think I lasted three orbits with no hands played but one or two, two walks on my BB and I stood at 3000 chips.

My first notable hand I open raised with was with KJos. I got a call from MiamiDon on my left. The flop hit me with a K and two smallish cards. I bet about 3/4 of the pot if memory serves me (MD can correct me) and MD called. Turn an Ace which I dont like and I check. MD throws out a $620 bet. So I think and I think and I think. Im pretty sure he doesnt have an Ace and rule out AK, wouldnt he have re-raised me pre-flop? Then again he considers himself more a cash gamer then an MTTer so maybe thats not a natural move for him there.. Did he have me outkicked with KQ doubtful? Im pretty sure he had hit the King just like me and didnt have second or third set. Im about 95% sure I have the best hand. So I call. The river is something like a 5. I check (I got an IM from a live league mate at about the same time) and Don checks and I drag the pot.

My next notable hand is with JJ. I raise a little more then the normal 3x BB to about $480 or $560 I think it was. Veneno who is short stacked calls. the flop comes all babys to my overpair. Veneno pushes all in having hit top pair holding a 9x and my hooks hold and I knock her out and now have a really nice stack.

I then go thru a spell of being card dead and not paying attention like I should be. I wound up re-raising a raise and reraise allin with pocket aces. Losing one of the peeps and sending someone out (KK) which gave me a really really nice stack and then I just went brain dead and its my own friggin fault I went out in tenth.

I really dont know what happened. I stopped thinking and playing. I dont think it was really the hour. I wasnt pre-occupied with any life issue in fact Im feeling really perky and positive an annoyingly cheerful. Snake5970 once told me he thinks its a gift that someone with my short experience can peg a person and put them on a hand and make some of the reads and laydowns I do. The fact that I have a near photographic memory and cant remember who I stacked with the KK (buddydank maybe) shows I was having a complete brain fart. I remember my early conversation with Waffles, I remember Kat giving me a cheer after she got knocked out. I remember chatting with MiamiDon and Trent my live league mate and then I went blank. About the only thing I remember late in the tourney was sucking out on someone with Ax to AK (I tell you AK sucks and I think Fuel55 who was observing stating oh gee that figures..yes fuel55 hee haw)to keep me alive and then Bayne I believe, raised and I pushed in with 77. I knew he had AK and he did and I was ready to coinflip. I went out in tenth just missing the final table and the glorious cash positions of 1-6 (thats some nice prize money). MiamiDon sent me a shame on IG for playing an AceRag which got me into trouble. I feigned that it was because I was desperate and called it a nite.

So I failed to take the MATH by storm. And even though my finishing place was a respectable tenth I should have done a whole lot better based on my early play. I let the whole tourney get away from me and I'm kind of annoyed at myself but not really completely pissed off which pisses me off because well I should care!! I have to get into the mindset that when playing these tourneys I have to be hungry and want the win and treat it like its my only sort of income (and God knows I am competitive). And although I love most of you, and respect most of you and consider you to be friends I havent met yet, I still want to kick your arses on the felt :)


So today Tuesday is a no poker day for IG. Instead Im writing and reading. Till the next time Monster Pots and Good Cardma.