Lay them down!!!

2-5NL game within the last week.  10 solid players at the table.  I’m in late position and pick up AA and ‘only’ make it $25.  I should have made it closer to $30-35 with two limpers in front of me.  “Only 5 callers” and a seemingly safe flop of 2,3,7.  Tight/solid player (attorney type) checks, check, check, to me and I make it $65 into a $150 pot.  Folded to SB who simply says, “All-In, Rick”.  I quickly state to him that there are two others in front of me….’why didn’t he mention their names’.  Folded to me and it’s about $125 to  call.  I deduce he’s got top or middle set and donk-ily call they extra amount should he be on a flush draw (I have the Ace of the correct suit), but his set of 3′s double him up.

It’s funny at times when you know beyond really a shadow of a doubt what someone has, yet you still wind up calling off your chips.

Tough to get up….

Playing a quick session where I know I only have two hours to play due to prior commitments.  Playing 2-5 versus the host and one other player my  $30 raise with AK is 3-way to the flop.  K high board, I bet out $55, called by both players.  Hm.  Turn a rag, and I bet $110, called by host.  River’s a blank and I pre-check the river as a courtesy (only had $125 behind him of which I’d have called obviously) and take down a nice pot (assuming he had KQ).  Crap, I have to stay at least one more orbit.

UTG, my last hand, I pick up A,10 diamonds and raise to $20, getting 6 callers!  Flop 10, 9, 6 with two diamonds.  I bet out $50, one caller, another house guy shoves his $250 rack in…where am I going, and I follow as the guy behind me also calls.  I table my hand and watch as a Q diamonds comes on the turn and no pairing the board on the river.  Set of 9′s and 9,10 (top two) go down and I drag a nice $1K pot.  Crap I have to stay one more orbit….

Poker Post – Wednesday December 15th’s Game – betting correctly

Doubled up relatively early on in my session electing to call $20 with 5,6 diamonds and the board coming 4,3,A. Button elects to bet just $25 into an $80 pot. I call. 2 on river (of course now I pray he has 5,5). I check, he bets now $75 into $130 pot, I push for $225 on top. He says he ‘has’ to call and flips over 3,2 for two-pair. Really? Blank on river and I’m sitting nicely on nearly $700 stack.

The Main Hand of The Night:

I’m in early position and raise to just $8 with 5,7 diamonds. I get six callers (which is what I want there), and a phenomenal flop of 4,7,Q with two diamonds. There’s a check and I bet out $25 into the nearly $50 pot with middle pair and the diamond draw. One caller and the early checker, goes all in for another $35 more, so I elect to thin the field and raise $50 on top of that to isolate putting early guy on diamonds or just a pair.at best (maybe straight draw). Other caller actually raises $100 on top. Hm. Doesn’t make much sense, could it be a set? Even if so, I think I’m getting odds to call, either regularly or implied. I make the call.

Turn is a black 8. Not a horrible card as I pick up a gutter ball draw now too in addition to my pair and flush draws. I check and opponent bets another $100. Before he gets his chips out, dealer puts out 2 of diamonds on the river…noooooooo. Card will get dealt back in. I have to decide….let’s see $10 into about a $470 pot. I nearly almost have to call here even with just one card coming…

Shuffled card back in and 2 of diamonds on the river. I’d pre-checked here (as I’m the host of this game), but ordinarily I’d have bet $150 here as a value bet. He groans and turns over Q,4 for two pair and early position player mucks.

Analysis: I’d have likely have folded for $200 bet on the turn but not for $100. With his two pair (and granted I don’t know exactly what he has – best I could put him on was a set and likely set of 4′s) in which case I have seven diamonds (taking out diamonds that pair the board) and three more non-diamond 6′s, leaving me with 10 outs, so I could be as much as a 4:1 dog going to the river. However $100 into a $470 pot allows me to call easily, especially if I hit an put a value bet on the river.

Why no posts?

I used to really enjoy blogging.  It was mostly about the odd and end things that went on in Southern Californa, beautiful Atlanta, family life, or the happenings of one poker guy.  I lost that somehow.  I’m wondering about whether to start a new blog, one dedicated more towards just poker and keep this one, well, more social. 

It’s December 2010, I’d not posted in 7 months.  I do miss it but seems as if life’s keeping me busier and no real time for this.  But I do miss it so.  I’ll have to ponder this one…

A good day. A day we’ve been looking forward to for a long time…

It was about 3 years ago.  Los Angeles.  A day that will sit with me forever, but also a day that will wane in memory a little based on news of today.  A little over 3 years ago, our pediatrician diagnosed our oldest son Shane with autism.  A devastating bit of news for any parent to shoulder.  Thoughts race through your mind; feelings of failure, disgust, hopelessness, sorrow, etc.  Our pediatrician was wrong. 

To this day, I am thankful she made the diagnosis as incorrect as it was as it made his mother and I start reaching out for services immediately.  We went to UCLA medical center to gain a 2nd opinion, a private neurologist for a 3rd opinion, the LAUSD (LA School district) for a 4th opinion, and all said this was not Autism, but rather simply a speech delay.  A collective sigh, but it still meant there was work to be done.  Hundreds of hours of services, appointments, changing of diet, a private tutor, and dozens of meetings with school districts/powers that be, those with the purse strings in control of what services your child gets.

Upon moving from LA back to Georgia for six months, we had all but lost services all together.  It’s a shame.  We knew we were only staying a few short months and could use our California IEP to get services in New York.  Had we stayed in Atlanta however, we’d likely have not gotten anything.  Sad.  But upon getting into NY, we immediately were given services for Shane and he really took well to both pre-school and eventually kindergarten.

Well, today, they dropped his eligibility.  This is a good thing.  It’s bitter-sweet because we know he could still benefit from future help, but I suppose there had to come a day.  We were quite simply not thinking it would come this early.  We’re proud of him and his progress.  It’s been a nice ending and new beginning and now he’ll enter 1st grade in the fall on the same level playing field as his peers. 

Work begins on Evan still as at age 22 months no words have developed.  We’ve started speech for him and have started to hear his voice for the first time.  It’s literally music to a parent’s ears…

How would you play this hand…

2-5NL game, moderately conservative game.  I button straddle for $10.  SB folds, BB calls the extra $5.  Three other callers, then I look down at 9,9.  I raise $50 on top.  BB instantly makes it $150.  All fold to me.  Button straddle has been rarely straddling.  Range of hands here, but I put him in the 10′s-Q’s, AQ, AK range.  I opt to call.

Flop – J, 10, 4 rainbow.

He checks, I check.  My thought.  He could have flopped set of 10′s, J’s, or gut shot with his AQ/AK.  He could be worried about my having an overpair like Q’s, K’s and hopefully he’d like to see a free card with AK?  Turn, an 8 giving me a pair and open ended.  He goes all in for $180 more.  There’s already $350 in the pot.  I don’t think very long and call….

Thoughts?

Taj Mahal, the downfall of a poker room

I’d only played there twice before, once last fall, and this past week.  This historic poker room, the one where parts of Rounders was filmed, and the US Poker Championships are played, well, is – in this one person’s opinion – on a spiral downward. 

I was coaxed (not that hard) to go down this past week to play in a NL500 event.  I’d not heard of this new year’s event, but my friend had stated he’d gotten marketing materials regarding.  Sure, let’s go.  Got down there right at 11:15am for the 11:15am start.  The tournament had just kicked off.  When we asked the number of entrants, we were shocked when we learned there was only TWO tables.  Yes, TWO!  All in all, they ended up with 25 entrants total – for a TWO-DAY event.  Ridiculous.  We elected not to play.

Played some 10-20 limit for a few hours and after watching paint dry, moved to my more comfortable 2-5NL.  Was up a bunch, then dropped a huge, huge, huge pot where I personally lost 900 (ugh…poor read on my part).  Wound up being down 700 before coming all the way back and leaving up 1200 on the day.  So couldn’t complain much there.  The Nemo’s in the crowd made it worth my while. However….

The lack of dealer knowledge, the inconsistent rules, the floor person not having a clue nor really caring much about players, the room, etc., the random ‘professional’ kids cursing up a storm, and floor people’s apathy regarding, made it a less than stellar and enjoyable time.  I can honestly say, I don’t forsee myself really ever going back there.  Why play there in a room where no one cares?

2009 – Top 10 highlights of the year

My top ten highlights of my personal year, 2009.

1) Shane entering kindergarten – something we’ve been anticipating and actually looking forward to; he’s doing phenomenally!

2) Selling our Atlanta home – something we’d anticipated and looking forward to probably more than number one if for no other reason the pure chest pains it caused.  Dumped it after it being on the market for 9 months.  What a deal the owner got.

3) Evan walking!  Yeah, this was going to happen anyway, but his mobility means I don’t have to carry the pudgeball around everywhere (at 17 months, he’s 27lbs!!)

4) Disney trip – always fun.  How’d we only go once this year?

5) Poker again – finally started hosting games occassionally again and have met some really nice folks.

6) Syracuse basketball – been lucky enough to attend three of the best Syracuse games in the last few years in ’09 – the SIX OT game as part of the Big East Tournament last March, then the Cuse manhandling Cal and UNC at the same Garden this past fall!

7) Holiday parties – we had our return of our annual post holiday holiday party in January followed by an egg hunt in April and Shane and Evan’s birthday parties.

’8) Cooperstown/NY State Fair

9) Lawsuit over.

10)…..the Yankees win….the Yaaaaaannnnnkkkkkeeeeesssss WIN their 27th World Series Championship!

Catching up; Syracuse Triumphs at MSG

Ok, it’s been a few weeks since my last post.  Lots of material just no time to write.  I’ll catch up as much as I can over the next week or so. 

Am going to start off with the first thing wrambling in my mind which is Syracuse thumping California and UNC pretty good to take down the Coaches vs. Cancer, Y2K Classic at Madison Square Garden last Thursday and Friday.  I was fortunate enough to buy tickets last spring for this fall’s event and more fortunate to meet up with my good friends the Drabick’s down there - she of the powder blue and he of the Orange pursuasion.  The right color won out.

We’d met up Thursday at Stout at 133 W. 33rd St. and had a good time in spite of the shoddy service.  Although I’d normally chalk it up to business and right before game time, well, there were other tables getting their food before us.  Oh well.  Fortunately Scott and I, we’d opted to split the check 50/50, both had the same mentality,…we tip based on the level of service.  Enough said.

We came in ranked #24 in the Coaches Poll and non-ranked in the AP.  Beating Cal was a pleasant surprise after losing 3 starters from last year’s team, but then walloping UNC, the defending national champs, quite another.  It’ll now be fun watching the 10th/9th ranked Orange play the year out at a minimum being able to watch the highlights on ESPN since they’re ranked.

XXVII

I was 30, 30 years old the last time the New York Yankees, the most prolific team in sports history, won their last World Championship.  I’d only been hitched for 3 years, kidless, still living in Atlanta, heck, I used to wear suits and ties in those days (yuck). 

Nine years.  Nine years is a long time!  And what a year.  This team was a blast to watch.  They were a true team.  Sure money helps but you still have to play and win as a team.  The chemistry on this team this year was amazing.

Congratulations New York Yankees for winning number 27!!!

Yankees Win!!!