Aaarrhhgg

If I believed in luck, I'd go jump off a bridge after today's poker sessions.

AA vs KJ
Board KQ56K

QhJh vs Ac8c
Board: Qc5d4sTc river was some other club.

AdKd vs A4
Board all rags with a 4.

AA vs KhTh
Board: 6s5c9h2hAh

KdQd vs AsTs
Board: QJ9KA

That's just a small sampling of my day. Yes I was the one with the hand that lost by the river in each scenario.  I have been racking my brain about the quality if my play. I wish someone was watching me play so we could analyze it. Did I play some hands poorly? Yes. But overall I think I played well. The combination of playing a minute number of hands poorly along with constantly being sucked out on leaves me broke for the day. Played a sit n go last night and it was the same. Here's the hand that killed me in that sit n go.

A5 vs Kd4d
Board: 5d2d5h turn a blank river a diamond. Oh and we were all in on the flop. That hand I played against Sam Bernhard. He was raising light, which I knew. Then I catch big on the flop and he open shoves. I instacall and lose like a big loser. That only set the stage for today. Oh and I had AA last night too. On the button. Right after losing to Lucky Sam. And not a soul called my raise. Shit, this is a hard way to make a living. Good thing this isn't how I make my living! Oh, and I call him Lucky Sam because I watched him get it in bad twice against sets and catch. In a sit n go! Usually sit n go's aren't that forgiving of bad play.

Today I played the noon for $355, a sit n go for $65, and the 6pm Mega for $185. And last night I played a sit n go for $125 plus a $20 last-longer. What a bankroll killer!

Ok. I am done whining. Maybe I can get my head straight and come back one day this week.

WSOP NOLA update

Did not win my seat yet. The T that I played last Monday didn't have enough players to give away a seat so it turned out to be little more than practice. Played a sit n go last night. While I played extremely well, luck got the best of me. Interesting thing happened though. Sam Bernhard was at my table and now that I have seen him play, I cannot figure why he has been so successful. He lucked up twice last night. Once he shoved light with QTo and got called by 88 who flopped a set. Sam went card card for a straight to double up. Later he raised a hand against me. I notice he raises preflop infrequently but with any two cards so I call with A5. He had K4 of diamonds. The flop was 5d 5h 2d. He shoved. I snap called and again he hit a diamond on the river to crack me down fro 4k in chips to 1,500. Then I pick up AA at the 100-200 level and raise om the button to 500. No callers. Then I get QJ of diamonds in the cutoff and shove. The BB wakes up with QQ and that was that.

Today I will register and play in the noon event for $355. I have to win today. I can do it. I make  good reads and even better decisions. I am the winner today!

Paying Attention

Why is it so important to pay attention? I cannot for the life of me understand the player who is reading a magazine while playing cards. Or playing a video game... or some other such nonsense. If you wanted to read a magazine, curl up on the couch at home and read a magazine? These people are losing so much information to be had from the table in front of them. And it doesn't matter that it's a poker magazine because that poker mag is not making you any money while you are playing cards.

I played $4-$8 limit hold-em last night at the Belle. Now, I know this is low stakes, but I like to pay attention. It's good practice for when it's not a low stakes game and any little bit I win in low stakes and furher my bankroll for a bigger stakes game! So one hand in particular, I held A7. The flop came KT9. I was in early position, and there were 4 of in the hand. Everyone checked. The turn brought another K. We all checked to an older man in last position who bet. Now, I decided that he wouldn't have checked top pair on the flop in last position. And he wouldn't have some other pair that he is now betting. So even though I read him as a tight player, I decided he did not have anything and called. Everyone else folded. The river brought another K. When he did not bet here, I knew I was right. He turned over A8 and we chopped the pot. If I had been reading magazine and playing only my cards and not the player I would have lost a half pot here.

Another example from the same session. In this case I had something goofy like A4. I really don't remember what was on the board. Maybe a possible straight, but I do remember that a 5 hit the river. We all checked all streets. Again a tight player leads out on the river with a bet. I decide that he could have a 5 here or he could have nothing at all. As he is holding his cards I see a T flash in his hand. So that means that he doesn't have a straight. Again, maybe a 5. But a tight player wouldn't bet just a pair of 5's here. So it's more likely that he has nothing and is just trying to steal the pot. I call. All else fold and he holds his cards close to him, looks at the dealer who confrims to him that someone called him, and he mucks his hand - no show. I win the pot with my Ace high by calling down a bluff with a bluff call and I don't even have to show my hand. Another pot I would have lost by reading a poker magazine or playing a video game.

I left $140 ahead on the night. Tomorrow I am going to take a shot at winning a seat into the NOLA WSOP Circuit main event. It costs $135 to win a $1600 seat. I can do.  My reads are good. My focus is strong. I have done it before. I expect to win!