Where did the week go?
Lately I haven't had that much to post about or as much inclination to post as I usually do. I was reading Iggy's blog, and I think I know the reason. Make sure to check out this pamphlet to see if you're also suffering from the same disorder.
I think I actually know the cure for this condition, and it's coming up shortly! It's called Bash at the Boathouse 6, and it will be occurring September 24th at the Boathouse in Malvern, PA. It's a charity event to benefit Michael's Miracle, a charity devoted to helping families cope with Cystic Fibrosis and supporting research to find a cure. Don't think that it won't be any fun though... there will be tons of drinking, partying, and debauchery that you won't find anywhere else. It just gives your conscience less to feel guilty about if it benefits charity. Just think, all the partying you've come to expect with 50% less guilt... and you'll have plenty to blog about when you're done (as long as your significant other doesn't read your blog), right Al?
Post a comment or email me if you want more info...
********
This past weekend seemed to simultaneously last years and minutes at the same time. My sister Deanna is living with Al and I while she looks for a job, and she moved in this past weekend. Dee and I used to share a room when we were growing up, and I was always the pack rat of the room. She used to be the one to throw things away while I always saved things until I had to throw them away. When I made the offer to have her share our townhouse while she looks for a job, I thought that it would be an easy move - throw the furniture that isn't being used in the basement, a few boxes here and there, and we'd be done. I'd forgotten that it had been about 14 years since we'd shared a room, and that she'd had her own apartments for the last 10 years. Damn, things have changed...
My house looks like a garage sale waiting to happen. We were able to put quite a few things in the basement, but it's packed! There were a few pieces (including her entertainment center) that were too heavy to put into the basement for the short time which they'll be there, so they're sitting in my dining room. She also lived with her boyfriend, so there's his stuff too. Everywhere I go in my house, there's boxes, bags or other containers of "stuff".
Since my sister and her boyfriend are here, I invited them down to the Boathouse freeroll last night. I called at 4:45 to see if they wanted to come down and have dinner before the tourney started. (I also asked if they wanted to play, but they don't think they know the game well enough. From my past posts, you all know that you don't have to know the game to play at the Boathouse...) They said that they'd get ready and come down soon. When I called at 6:30 to see where they were, they said that they were leaving the house shortly. How long does it take for two people to get ready? I asked if I'd interruped "anything", but it seems that her boyfriend just takes forever to get ready. They also tried to use the excuse that they were unpacking and rearranging things, but I couldn't verify it when I got home.
Before the tourney started, both Danielle and I decided to sit at the same table as Al, Lewey, BigMike, JDub and the rest of our friends. We'd feel guilty for leaving Dee and Deron alone while we was playing, so we decided to play fast and lose in the tourney - either get lots of chips or lose quickly. If we lost our chips, they'd go to friends who would hopefully take them all the way to the final table. It wasn't chip dumping, but we'd know who would get them.
Dee and Deron get to the Boathouse just as the tournament starts. I get them each a drink and tell the bartender Bobby to put their stuff on our tab. They sit out on the back deck with their drinks, and I go back in to play. In the second hand, I get pocket 10s. I raise to 3x BB, and get 4 callers. I hit gold when a 10 comes out on the flop, but there was a queen and two clubs on the board. In an attempt to take the pot, I go all-in. To my surprise, Danielle (who's sitting to my left) calls me! Everyone else immediately folds. I flip up my 10s, and Danielle turns over pocket As. She doesn't get any help and I double up. Danielle goes out and sits with Dee and Deron.
A few hands later, I get AKo, raise it, and have to fold after an all spades flop causes a raising war (and here I am, without a spade). I don't play again until I'm in the big blind with K5d. Al raises to 4x BB and I call - fast and loose! Two diamonds come out, and Al goes all-in. It folds around to me, and I'm the only one left. If I was playing my normal conservative game, I would've folded. I have him by over 70 chips, so even if I lose I'm still in. The fast and lose takes over, and I call. No help, and Al doubles up to a commanding chip lead.
At this point, I'm still not the short stack. After the blinds go to 2/4, I find myself with AJ in the big blind. A few people limped, and I raise all-in. Everyone folds except the small blind, Lewey's friend Rob. He has AQ, so I figure I'm done. Flop comes out KJT and Rob has the straight. A rivered Q gives me a split pot, and I'm happy.
I don't remember the hand I eventually went out on, but it was Al and I again. I think I had top pair and he had a flush draw - and he caught his. I'm out, but at least I know where all my chips went. I tell him to use them wisely and head out to the back deck.
After dinner and some chatting with Dee, Deron and Danielle, my sister and her boyfriend head home. Danielle and I go inside to see how the guys are doing. They're down to 7 on the final table, and Al's the chip lead. They battle it out, and it goes heads up between Al and JDub. One hand, and Al takes him out. Al wins his first Boathouse freeroll! Now I'm jealous.... both Al and BigMike have won, and Landow has come in second twice. I have some catching up to do.
I learned quite a bit from my play last night. I'm usually very conservative and tight when I play in tourneys. I don't take too many chances since I hate busting out early. This always leaves me as one of the shorter stacks, and unless I hit a run of great cards, I very rarely make it to a final table. Thinking back to the past tourneys that I've done well in (both single and multi-table), I realized that I was playing more agressively. I think that the recent bad luck that I've had both live and online has conditioned me to shy away from raising pre-flop with good hands. I was losing quite a bit of money with my pre-flop raises, so I'd started just calling before flop so I could see where I stood before I committed any more money. This has allowed more people to stay in and take hands that I might have been able to take otherwise. It's something I'll be working on over the next few weeks.
I consider any session that you learn something from to be a good session. For me, last night was a great session and I hope this means that I'm starting on an upward section of the poker learning curve again.
I think I actually know the cure for this condition, and it's coming up shortly! It's called Bash at the Boathouse 6, and it will be occurring September 24th at the Boathouse in Malvern, PA. It's a charity event to benefit Michael's Miracle, a charity devoted to helping families cope with Cystic Fibrosis and supporting research to find a cure. Don't think that it won't be any fun though... there will be tons of drinking, partying, and debauchery that you won't find anywhere else. It just gives your conscience less to feel guilty about if it benefits charity. Just think, all the partying you've come to expect with 50% less guilt... and you'll have plenty to blog about when you're done (as long as your significant other doesn't read your blog), right Al?
Post a comment or email me if you want more info...
********
This past weekend seemed to simultaneously last years and minutes at the same time. My sister Deanna is living with Al and I while she looks for a job, and she moved in this past weekend. Dee and I used to share a room when we were growing up, and I was always the pack rat of the room. She used to be the one to throw things away while I always saved things until I had to throw them away. When I made the offer to have her share our townhouse while she looks for a job, I thought that it would be an easy move - throw the furniture that isn't being used in the basement, a few boxes here and there, and we'd be done. I'd forgotten that it had been about 14 years since we'd shared a room, and that she'd had her own apartments for the last 10 years. Damn, things have changed...
My house looks like a garage sale waiting to happen. We were able to put quite a few things in the basement, but it's packed! There were a few pieces (including her entertainment center) that were too heavy to put into the basement for the short time which they'll be there, so they're sitting in my dining room. She also lived with her boyfriend, so there's his stuff too. Everywhere I go in my house, there's boxes, bags or other containers of "stuff".
Since my sister and her boyfriend are here, I invited them down to the Boathouse freeroll last night. I called at 4:45 to see if they wanted to come down and have dinner before the tourney started. (I also asked if they wanted to play, but they don't think they know the game well enough. From my past posts, you all know that you don't have to know the game to play at the Boathouse...) They said that they'd get ready and come down soon. When I called at 6:30 to see where they were, they said that they were leaving the house shortly. How long does it take for two people to get ready? I asked if I'd interruped "anything", but it seems that her boyfriend just takes forever to get ready. They also tried to use the excuse that they were unpacking and rearranging things, but I couldn't verify it when I got home.
Before the tourney started, both Danielle and I decided to sit at the same table as Al, Lewey, BigMike, JDub and the rest of our friends. We'd feel guilty for leaving Dee and Deron alone while we was playing, so we decided to play fast and lose in the tourney - either get lots of chips or lose quickly. If we lost our chips, they'd go to friends who would hopefully take them all the way to the final table. It wasn't chip dumping, but we'd know who would get them.
Dee and Deron get to the Boathouse just as the tournament starts. I get them each a drink and tell the bartender Bobby to put their stuff on our tab. They sit out on the back deck with their drinks, and I go back in to play. In the second hand, I get pocket 10s. I raise to 3x BB, and get 4 callers. I hit gold when a 10 comes out on the flop, but there was a queen and two clubs on the board. In an attempt to take the pot, I go all-in. To my surprise, Danielle (who's sitting to my left) calls me! Everyone else immediately folds. I flip up my 10s, and Danielle turns over pocket As. She doesn't get any help and I double up. Danielle goes out and sits with Dee and Deron.
A few hands later, I get AKo, raise it, and have to fold after an all spades flop causes a raising war (and here I am, without a spade). I don't play again until I'm in the big blind with K5d. Al raises to 4x BB and I call - fast and loose! Two diamonds come out, and Al goes all-in. It folds around to me, and I'm the only one left. If I was playing my normal conservative game, I would've folded. I have him by over 70 chips, so even if I lose I'm still in. The fast and lose takes over, and I call. No help, and Al doubles up to a commanding chip lead.
At this point, I'm still not the short stack. After the blinds go to 2/4, I find myself with AJ in the big blind. A few people limped, and I raise all-in. Everyone folds except the small blind, Lewey's friend Rob. He has AQ, so I figure I'm done. Flop comes out KJT and Rob has the straight. A rivered Q gives me a split pot, and I'm happy.
I don't remember the hand I eventually went out on, but it was Al and I again. I think I had top pair and he had a flush draw - and he caught his. I'm out, but at least I know where all my chips went. I tell him to use them wisely and head out to the back deck.
After dinner and some chatting with Dee, Deron and Danielle, my sister and her boyfriend head home. Danielle and I go inside to see how the guys are doing. They're down to 7 on the final table, and Al's the chip lead. They battle it out, and it goes heads up between Al and JDub. One hand, and Al takes him out. Al wins his first Boathouse freeroll! Now I'm jealous.... both Al and BigMike have won, and Landow has come in second twice. I have some catching up to do.
I learned quite a bit from my play last night. I'm usually very conservative and tight when I play in tourneys. I don't take too many chances since I hate busting out early. This always leaves me as one of the shorter stacks, and unless I hit a run of great cards, I very rarely make it to a final table. Thinking back to the past tourneys that I've done well in (both single and multi-table), I realized that I was playing more agressively. I think that the recent bad luck that I've had both live and online has conditioned me to shy away from raising pre-flop with good hands. I was losing quite a bit of money with my pre-flop raises, so I'd started just calling before flop so I could see where I stood before I committed any more money. This has allowed more people to stay in and take hands that I might have been able to take otherwise. It's something I'll be working on over the next few weeks.
I consider any session that you learn something from to be a good session. For me, last night was a great session and I hope this means that I'm starting on an upward section of the poker learning curve again.
posted by EvieMarie at 10:12 AM
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