Time for a cashout

I just finished asking both Party and Titan to mail me a check for the full amount of my bankroll. I'm curious to see which one arrives first. Being a blind optimist, I'm assuming each transaction will be processed without problems. I'll wait for you to stop laughing before continuing.

Oh, and I still don't have a Neteller account, and see no reason to get one. I had stupidly hoped that the fact I've never used Neteller or any other intermediary would allow me to fly under the radar of the UIGEA. My ignorance needs to be corrected. I just now noticed skimmed a few docs on the PPA's website, and physical checks are also verboten. I still have playable rolls at Full Tilt, Stars, and UB.

The sum total of the Party/Titan exodus will a bit over $700. I started on Party with a hand from my Mystery Backer, and Poker Source Online threw me a free $50 to start up on Titan.

I love you, MB and PSO. I hate you, Bill Frist.

My plan for those seven Benjamins is a self-contained casino bankroll, with an eye towards a $1500 NL event at next year's WSOP. Gas to the casino, food/tips while there, and actual poker play will be contained. And I won't take anything out of the roll.

State of Affairs

So much here and there, but no actual posting from me. This post will be an ugly Frankenstein-like mash-up of what I've been up to. Hide your eyes, children.

So without further ado..

It's a good thing that my first $30 sng on Party locked in profit for my Mystery Backer. In sng #2, I ran into a strong hand while six-handed and busted. In my third attempt, I saw the CO raise, the button call, and I held JJ in the small blind. I tripled the CO's bet. The cutoff folded like a good boy, but the button jammed. Huh? You really have a hand that beats jacks, and you smoothcalled on the button rather than reraise to isolate when you had the chance? I call. Oh, aces. Well played, sir. Eighth place for me.

In between my win and my second attempt, I had a fun time with Party's lobby. Specifically, I learned to hate it. Seriously, you couldn't find a sophomore comp-sci major to design a better, more easily navigable lobby? You can't take a hint from how useful Full Tilt's lobby is?

I suppose my rant is misguided. I was attempting to enter another $30 sng on Party, and got my wish. On the second hand, I flopped trip tens on a scary board, and wanted to bet the pot, only to figure out that I had actually signed up for a $30 LIMIT sng. Good job, Drifter. As I was playing, I gave my Mystery Backer a heads-up. After I won, we talked. He was sympathetic... then I told him that I actually won it. Benevolence beyond belief, he insisted that profit was mine, as I had agreed to play three NL sng's for him. His reasons for staking me included his desire to see me start up a playable bankroll on Party, and that win went a long way to giving me some breathing room. The end result looks like a $26 profit for my Backer, and a $140 starting 'roll on Party for me. Good times.

We've also agreed that I'll play in a $22 MTT, 50/50 on the entry fee, and 50/50 on the profit, if any. I'll be playing in a $40K guarantee as soon as I have the time. As a warmup, I beat half the field in a $2 MTT, to get a feel for the blind structure.

~~

Live play's been a mixed bag. Besides that win at Tony's three weeks ago, I've had a tough time getting near the money in our Wednesday and Sunday night tourneys. The last two Sundays have seen me exit with my overpair no good against a set.

Small loss. Medium win. Small loss. Medium win. That's the way cashgames have felt for me lately. I feel like I'm playing better than my results would indicate. But it's been fun.

~~

The past two Fridays, I've headed to Hawaiian Gardens with my roommate, who used to practically live there. My first attempt was sitting with him at a $20 max, $1/1 blinds, NL table. The rake is huge compared to the stakes, but the players are so bad and so loose-passive preflop as to at least partially make up for it. I ended that session down $32, but it was worth it, watching my roommate dominate the table with his loose-aggressive style.

A gambly-fish on my left had built up his stack to about $125, mostly on the disturbing multi-way hand where he rivered his gutshot straight on the river, calling bets the whole way. Two all-ins before the river, and two people betting top pair... everybody paid him. And glared at him. Nice wheel, sir.

My roommate Jeff had built up his stack to about $150 by getting all his medium-strength hands paid. His reads were pretty good, and it was plain that he was the aggressor and table captain.

Then, like a page out of High Stakes Poker, a raising war ensued preflop between the only two guys with 100+ BB's in front of them. A small opening raise from Gambly-Fish, and a 3-4x reraise from Jeff. Gambly-Fish made it $35, and Jeff went all-in. With little thought, Gambly-Fish called, and tabled his kings. Sure enough, Jeff had aces. Unlike Farha and Greenstein, the kings didn't win. Jeff ended up cashing out for something sick, +$250 or so.

I had my revenge on HG the next week. I decided to sit at the wild 'n crazy $3/6 Omaha8 game. I had heard that it was a wild game, but if you draw to strong hand and don't tilt, you can do well.

Nobody told me was that it was a full kill game. And that the kill pot was activated every time one person scooped a $50+ pot. I sat down, folded my first hand, then watched 5 consecutive kill pots. I thought I was buying into a $3/6 game, and wasn't mentally prepared for the $6/12 kill pots. I bought in for $200, with another Benjamin in reserve, but I was still concerned the game was a little over my means. Until I scooped my first kill pot. Put me up $40. I took a deep breathe, posted my $6, and folded my trash on the next flop.

I quickly noticed that there were smart players at my table, and idiots. Luckily, they had segregated themselves so as to be easily recognizeable. The three guys on my left were two rocks who drew *only* to the nuts, and another decent player. Everybody on my right was showing down 7-high flush draws and 5-2's for low. They were decidely fishy, playing poor draws too far. I had a few hands were I had a good draw, but not to the nuts (queen high flush draw, A3/A4 for low). My yardstick was who was in the pot with me. If I had two of the guys on my left in, I folded my non-nut draw. If they were out, I drew. It worked very well.

I was up about $60-70 when The Hand happened. It was a kill pot, with me in EP with A346, suited in diamonds to the 6. Six callers around to the SB, who raised. Somebody on my left (who called originally) made it three bets on what looked like a spite-reraise. Sure enough, it ended up capped with six people to the flop. $140+ in the pot, K-T-6 rainbow, one diamond. It was checked around, and the button bet. One pair, backdoor draws at a price of 15-1? I'm buying. The turn was a 4. I got a distinct impression from the checking on the flop that nobody had flopped a set, or even top two. Two bets on the turn, and five people to the river card, with the tight guys on my left all folded. The river was another 6. Konichi Wa!!!

They check, I bet, one caller, and the two people that are already all-in see my boat. And are forced to hear my exclamation, "I'm the luckiest player ever!" when I table my hand. What can I say, I'm a retard when I win a huge multi-way pot. SCOOP!

I heard a whisper of "only a six on the flop?". And I got an "Aiyaaah!" from the dealer.

Shortly after that, an insanely abrasive woman sat down next to me, so I left. The thought of her still pisses me off, and I don't want to write about it. I've never had someone annoy me so thoroughly in such a short time. My roommate was about done with his adventures in micro-NL, so we left. I was up $147 at the Rollercoaster Omaha game.

I'm very aware that next time, this volatile game might hand me my lunch, but I'll be back!

~~

One of the kids at my game, Skip, has talked me into playing a $3 Stars Limit Omaha8 MTT on three seperate occasions. I've tallied a 90th, a 17th, and a 7th. Two money finishes in three tries, against even bad players, feels nice. And a final table against 200+ is always satisfying, even I get my shit handed to me holding A26x on a 443 flop. Capping everywhere, everybody had A2xx, and the guy with the 4 scooped. Good game.

It was a shame I didn't take Skip up on his last-longer bet.