We now have Week 8, 9 and 10 in the books.
I've been somewhat consistent. In the double week (8) Steve went out in 5th place. It was nice to know that I was going to end the night as the sole points leader. Host went out in 3rd and Drunky and I played heads up again. Once again, he had a bit of a chip lead against me. I battled back and managed to take him out when I limped with an Ace. Missed the flop (check/check), but turned the Ace. I thought hard about betting, but in the end decided to see if he'd bluff. He obliged and pushed. I snap called, even though my kicker was crap. He had 2 unders (not just of the aces, but of the entire board). He doesn't hit runner runner and I take the win and take over 1st place by 8 points. Steve is still in 2nd.
Week 9 continues, this time Steve busts early. Host busts in 3rd. I get heads up with last seasons New Kid. He hasn't done much this season, so I'm not too worried about him winning because he's so far back and ultimately only gaining 1 point on me. Three handed New Kid admitted to getting hit with the deck. I made a lot of bad calls with bottom pair, or ace high, figuring he couldn't keep having hands. He did. I busted 2nd. But another positive showing for me.
Week 10, I continued to play bad. So bad. I busted crippled one guy early, than bust him and Drunky a hand later when my 66 holds up against Drunky's AK and crippled dudes Q2. Another early exit for Steve after that, and I'm pretty sure he's not going to be able to recover. He hasn't shown the necessary aggression. People start calling me pretty lightly, realizing I'm bluffing a lot.
It comes down to 3 handed again, Me, Host and New kid. I'm taking too many stabs and being called light by many people. New kid is getting hit with the deck, and I stupidly keeping calling him. I'm short, he's big stack. Host is right in the middle. I have 89. Flop comes JdTd4d. It goes check-check. Turn is a nice 7s. This time he bets out, and I push. He thinks for a while and then calls. He has an Ad7x. I double up. New kids loses a smallish pot to Host, then they get into two big hands, and host ends up on top and knocks out New Kid. I sneak into 2nd place. I start to mount a comeback, when host limps with Queens and I push with A9s. I don't hit the Ace or Diamonds and I'm out in 2nd.
So that gives me, 2 firsts and 2 second in the last four games. An additional 1st in the last 6 games.
So currently I believe I'm up on host now by 10 points. It's a good place to be. If I go out first the next 2 weeks, I'm guaranteed to at worst, be tied for 1st.
-My name is Unimpressed, and I'm an donkaholic.
Some Recaps
Great Kid! Don't Get Cocky!
I think that is something I have to be careful of.
Week 7 is in the books. One guy quit... Surprising not Tilty, the one that missed like 4 weeks in a row. No, this was a new guy, who had only missed one week, but hadn't had a good showing yet. Though apparently the reason he quit is because he got his old job and it's Sunday nights. So now we're down to 7. And I don't see these people quitting the rest of the season. Most of us are regulars.
The tournament started out slow. I won a few small pots, but ended up losing a lot of chips on bluffs. Drunky got a run of good hands and ended up with a monster stack. The overall points does play a big part of it. Drunky was using his chip advantage to push those of us fighting for points around. If you have a bigger chipstack than the points leader, you end up folding a lot of hands you'd play because you want others to go out. I was pretty short, but had both Host (3rd place) and the points leader (We'll call him Steve) covered. Host got down to less than a big blind and was busted right before his BB. That left 4 people, including Steve. I had Steve covered, but knew I needed chips to make any kind of run. Drunky was increasing his chipstack. In my defense, I really did get a lot of crappy cards. So it's not like I could do much. I finally got it all in with KQ vs Drunky. He had been raising a lot. I was actually behind when he showed 88. I flopped a Q and was happy to get a healthy chip stack again. Meanwhile, a few hands later, Steve had 1 chip more than a big blind and put it all in. I called and so did drunky. I just wanted to bust him. Drunky ended up making a bet and I folded my nothing. Drunky won and I was glad to know that I was going to at least gain a point on him.
This left us 3 handed. I still played the points and made some tight folds 3 handed. I wanted Tilty to bust. Even if I didn't win, a second place puts me 1 point behind Steve. Drunky busts Tilty and we're heads up. We played heads up in week 3 and Drunky outplayed me every step of the way. This time I promised myself I'd play better. Despite the chip disadvantage, I showed some aggression. I managed to double up, getting all in with a King high, when I pushed all-in after he raised my BB. He called with a jx and my hand held up.
We continued to battle and I slowly gained chips. The big hand came when I had K9 and raised it to 25 with (blind 5/10). He called. The flop was 8 high. It went check-check. The turn was a 9 and I bet 50. He pushed and I called. He had an 8 and I took a big chip lead after that and he was never able to gain any ground back.
I took down the my second tournament of the season and the best part was that I tied Steve for 1st place in overall points. Plus, between the winnings this week at Slappy's game, plus this week's win, I have enough winnings to see me through the rest of the league. Anything more will be profit.
Next week we're finishing the 1st half of the season with our double week. Again, points will playce a big role, as Steve and I battle for 1st place. Host and Drunky aren't too far behind (about 5 points). So a poor week for Steve or I and a good week for them, can boost them into 1st place.
So that brings up the title. The point is 2 fold. One, there is still a lot of poker to be played and I won't want to assume I'm going to win them all. I continue to have my hands hold up. I need that to keep happening. Two, I don't want the game to dry up. If I were to win, that would be the Threepete. I think I would have take a season off if that were to happen. People aren't going to want to play if they don't think they have a shot at winning. I think they need to change the payouts of just the weekly tournaments. Second place should get a few more bucks. Currently 1st place gets 75% of the pool. 2nd place barely makes their money back. A little more money to 2nd place would help keep people funded. A 65%/35% would allow 2nd place to double the buy-in, paying for that week's tournament, plus the next.
For now, I'm happy with the money disbursement, as I plan on winning a few more.
Off to bed
.
-My name is Unimpressed, and I'm an donkaholic.
Nobody at this game would call with ...
I actually went to my buddy's home game. Normally, if I go, I go after 8, after they've already played a few tournaments. Tonight I was there from the start. I was asked to start coming after 8 again.
Just a quick refresher. Starting Stack: 4000. Blinds start at 25/50 and double every 15 minutes. They are small buy-in tournaments with a $5.00 bounty on everyone's head. I finished 2nd in the first two tournaments, winning enough bounties to break even. The money for second was a small bonus each time.
The third tournament started off slow. I won a few hands. The blinds had already gone up to 50/100. I believe there was 1 limper. I limp in middle position. Another limper. The Small Blind raises it to 500, the Big Blind calls, it folds to me. I call. The other limper folds. 3 handed. Flop comes 2-3-4, 2 diamonds. SB bets (but I don't remember how much, 1000?). BB goes all-in. I reshove (though we were close in chips). The Button tanks big time. I figure him for Aces. He's tries to put both of us on hands; Flush draw... set of 4s. He comments that he doesn't think he's good enough to fold. I tell him that out of everyone, he's probably the only one who could fold here. Someone (not in the hand) sarcastically adds that no one in this home game would call a raise with 56. In the end, he couldn't fold and shows AA. SB shows KK. I sheepishly show the 56 for the nut straight and bust two players. I feel bad because the Button ends up leaving after the beat. I don't think he wanted to sit around for an hour or more for the next tournament. As he left, he shook everyone's hand... but flipped me off (all in good fun). Oh well. I spent the rest of the evening trying to "re-build" my tight image. Didn't work. I really went on a roll in this tournament, hitting big hands and having them hold up and I took down the tournament. Again with a nice supply of bounties.
A fourth tournament, but I didn't make anything happen and busted in the middle of the pack.
Week 7 in the league is tomorrow, so there may be another post shortly.
-My name is Unimpressed, and I'm an donkaholic.
Uneventful Poker and a Post about Recent Events
Week 6 was uneventful, poker-wise. New wise... obviously different.
I finished in 4th. Host finished in 5th. Current points leader finished 3rd. I drop one point behind the leader (3 points behind), put an additional point between myself and Host. Still a lot of poker to be played.
The news of the evening (found out on my way home from poker) was that Osama Bin Laden was killed in a US raid. It really didn't do much for me last night. I actually thought it was news that occured earlier, so I didn't rush home and turn on the news or anything. I just figured I'd find out everything on Monday.
Monday I was reading all I could. It really hit me emotionally a few times. I knew no one who died on September 11th. I was worried for most of the day because my brother would go to the Towers a few times a week for work. Later on in the day, I heard from my parents that he wasn't there. I knew people who knew people, but no one I knew directly.
The emotion that hit me was mixed. Sad for all the senseless violence in the world... but also a feeling of pride for my country. I was listening to Mike & Mike and they were replaying the clips from the Mets vs Phillies game when people were finding out. The "USA" chant that went through the crowd. It's sad that it takes something of this magnitued to unite our Nation.
I used to follow politics. But the stupid crap that Clinton pulled at the end of his presidency, followed by 8 years* of Bush, and our country has become so insanely polarized. It's scary. If your political party didn't do it, it can't be good.
Listening to people bitch about how Obama is trying to take all the credit, how dare he get an Islamic burial, why are we rejoicing when it took almost 10 years, how now we're less safe because of it. Its petty politics. People are not happy it didn't happen under a republican's watch. Hell, I saw a post on Facebook that read, "It's the best thing he could do as president. Especially considering Clinton couldn't do that all those years ago." No mention that he eluded capture during Bush's administration, and just points out the fact that Clinton didn't authorize a predator drone to take him before 9/11 happened. And I'm not putting this on the Republicans only. Unfortunately, I feel the response would be the same if happened under a Republican presidency (shudder!).
Our country is so divided right now. I don't know if it will ever heal.
-My name is Unimpressed, and that is all.
