luckily, it continues...

Continuing with our run boys...Wanted to try to take the cheap route to some serious money, so I signed up for the $5 + . 50 Rebuys on Stars last night. Immediately bought again for 3000 chips and went broke once on a suckout. Rebought for another $3000 and that was it. Took my add on and went into the first break with around T-12000. Scratched and clawed my way from an average stack at the first break to 6th overall out of 1396, 6 hours and 1 minute later for a $1099.71 cash. That is actually one of my biggest cashes in a tourney, I think. Still small potatoes for some of you high rollers, but the important thing is that I'm continuing to build on my rediscovered tournament game.

What changed, you ask?

Discipline and confidence (maybe even cockiness?) I'd been running a little unlucky for the last couple weeks. But I didn't have to be getting unlucky. Unlucky has been my 99 losing races to AJ. or, my AT losing to KJ...stuff like that. The problem was that I had picked up soooo much extra cash a few weeks ago, that I was willing to race around a lot in tourneys with the donks that are willing to put all their chips in on a race. They do it because that's just how they play...but we're better than that! The last few days, I'm not looking at tourney entries as "it's just $20." I'm looking at the $1080 I might be passing up. I'm laying down my 99 to a reraise all in when it's half my stack. We're too damn good to get our money in in this spot.

I'm also being much more attentive to the style of play of my opponents. I'm actually trying to watch to see who's raising every other hand, who's folding their blinds to a raise, who's laying down hands to a re-raise (novel idea huh? Actually paying attention to your game? :-) ) Yeah, well....you get a little spoiled when you can sometimes still win when you're barely watching. But, obviously, you're going to do better when you're paying attention.

Who woulda thunk it? Attention to detail is what it's all about.

On the Melissa front...the lasik surgery went very well. She said she felt very little discomfort and there were no complications. After a four hour nap post-op last night, she was able to see without her glasses. Still a little hazy, but her eyes are definitely fixed. The checkup appointment this morning confirmed that her vision is now 20/20 and may even improve a little bit. Fingers are crossed for the healing process. it's actually quite a pain in the ass...two kinds of drops every two hours or so for two weeks. It'll all be worth it though. No more contacts or glasses...

Happy days kids. Have a happy and healthy Memorial Day Weekend.

love it when a plan comes together...

It doesn't get any better than that. It took all of 24 hours for me to put and keep my new gameplan in play. I played in another $20 180 person SNG on Stars last night and took down the whole damn thing. Once again, nothing spectacular, but I played like I meant it. No more awful calls or ill timed bluffs because, "Who cares? It's only $20."

I weaved my way through the field with the help of an early double up with QQ on a J97 board after a pretty hefty preflop raise. BB bet the flop with JTo, i put him in with my overpair and it held up. After that it was really just ABC poker. Really paid attention to find the players I could target. Kept my ear out to find the guy that wouldn't fight back when I wanted to steal his blinds. Just generally played super smart poker. As a total for the tourney, I flopped one set, no full houses, I can't remember any big flushes...hit one straight to take someone out, but the hand started as a coinflip anyway (AK v. JJ).

Final table was tough. One calling station, one maniac and a couple solid players made the final table tricky. I certainly wasn't able to run it over, but I was able to make some good laydowns and flopped one big hand that definitely sealed it for me.

We're three handed and UTG folds, SB limps and I'm looking at 23o (great! third nut low :-) ) What's the prettiest flop I can ask for? Flop comes Ac 4h 5h. Bingo. Please let him have an ace. He bet out less than half the pot, I smooth called trying to sell the flush chase and praying the flush doesn't hit. Turn is a Tc and he bets quite a bit bigger. This time about 3/4 of the pot...great! He either can't let his bluff go, or he's flopped a big ace, two pair or maybe he has his own heart draw? River is an offsuit 6 and he fires another 1/2 - 2/3 pot bet...I just min raised him back which was actually about a $26k raise and he called with the quickness....Yahtzee!

I was the chip leader and never looked back. Stole blinds 2-3 hands in a row and then pick up TT in the BB, raised it up...one caller with Ac4c...flop is 2c3c8d. I put him in and he calls. Lots of outs for him, but I avoided the Stars curse, caught a set on the Turn and the river blanked him out of the tourney. Heads up lasted all of two hands. I put him in first hand with KTo and he folded...next hand I picked up the lovely AKo and put him in again. he called with AQs instantly and didn't get lucky...game over!

Winning is always nice, but it's 10x's more satisfying when you make a conscious effort to really play better...and it shows in the end! I also monied in the Limit 8/b tourney I was playing. Small cash, but I got unlucky two hands in a row or I would've been contending for a top finish.

More importantly, today is Melissa's Lasik surgery. I'm leaving work at noon to pick her up and take her. She's nervous, so I wanted to be there for her when she comes out of it. I don't know how you guys do it with the contacts and the glasses every day of your lives. I'd take the lazy way out and have the surgery as soon as possible...if that wasn't possible, I'd just wear the damn glasses. Wish us luck...

thanks guys...

Refocusing my energies...

Took 3rd in a $20 180 SNG last night on Stars. only $428 cash...but the significance is that I told myself I would put effort into a tourney for a change. I had some huge wins (for me) about a month ago and I've been playing like an idiot ever since and of course given some of that money back.

Sometimes, I'm good enough to beat the games I play without putting any effort in at all. I'm watching a DVD on my other monitor, browsing and posting on +1, stupid shit like that...basically, everything but watching the game I'm playing. I've been making stupid plays, calling all ins with small pocket pairs, pushing with flush draws - basically playing like an idiot. And the best and the worst part of it is that i've been super unlucky lately. I've missed gobs and gobs of 24 out hands in 8/b to go along with some really ugly flops for great preflop hands.

The good thing is that I'm recognizing that now and I'm rededicating myself to playing good poker. I expect some good things in the near future as a result of the change in my mindset.

To further that goal, I'll be expecting a lot of advice from you guys in the tourney sections...

keep up the good work.

Thanks.

My first blog...

so i probably won't do much with this...but I have one now, which is nice.