Daniel - Poker Journal
8 for 8 on Day One’s
07 Apr 2010
PCA main event I bubbled finishing around 235th and it paid about 225 players. The $25k high roller at PCA I ended day one in good shape, only to have a disaster start to day two and busting pretty quickly. WPT Biloxi me saw me make another deep run just missing the money. NAPT Venetian I was cruising for a while, but yet again ran out of gas before we hit the money. I was able to cash at the WPT event at the LAPC, but was disappointed in my finish because I had a good stack at one point and could have played it better. WPT Bay 101 saw me get to day two, but once again, I busted early. Same thing for EPT Snowfest in Austria.
That brings us up to date. 7 events and 7 day two’s, but only one petty cash. It looked like I was going to end that streak with about 30 minutes to go at the NAPT Mohegan Sun. A player makes it 2000, it’s raised to 6000 and I have AK on the button with just 14,900 left. I stuck it in, and was called by JJ. Two guys folded AQ so it didn’t look good. The 9-8-3 flop didn’t help. The 5 on the turn did help give me more outs as there were now three hearts on board and I had the King. Speaking of Kings, that’s what hit the river to double me up and helped me end the day with a little more than my starting stack, up to 33,600. Blinds tomorrow will be 500-1000 with a 100 ante.
As soon as the hand ended I realized that I’d made a pretty big mistake getting it all in with AK and got lucky. I know the guy who made it 6000 and he’d never do that without a hand, so I was either up against a pair or AK so it was kind of a bad spot to gamble, but I did. I guess mentally I was fed up with the idea of being on the short stack. Not the worst play in the world, but going all in there was definitely wrong. I should have folded for sure, and if I had more chips I would have.
I’ve played pretty good in tournaments all year, but I’ve definitely made a few mistakes. They usually cost me, but this time I got lucky and I’m not ashamed to say it. The average is somewhere around 46,000, but with 33,000 I still have plenty of time to play without feeling the pressure of getting it in bad.
On a separate note, Mohegan Sun kicks Foxwoods ass! Not even close for me. The casino is way nicer and I much prefer the vibe and the layout. There is one annoying rule, that I guess is a Connecticut thing, and it relates to the dreaded use of electronic devices. It’s ok to stand and text, but you can’t sit at the table and text. This rule is stupid and archaic. If a player is out of a hand he shouldn’t have to look out for floor men on the prowl, and the truth is, it’s silly to ask the floor people to act as pre-school teachers telling us we are being naughty by using our cell phones. The rule should simply be what it is at the WSOP and most other places, “The use of cell phones or electronic devices while in a hand is prohibited.” Not a huge deal, but I actually feel bad for the floor men. I can’t imagine they signed up to be patrolmen for people texting. Besides, how are they going to prove it? I wasn’t texting, I was massaging a cyst on my leg. Texting? Who me? No, not at all. I was stretching my fingers to keep them loose, the phone just happened to be nearby, but I wasn’t texting at all!
What else… I finished reading the Biggest Game In Town by Al Alvarez and I really enjoyed the book. It really reminded me of what poker used to be like at the WSOP and it was a lot more romantic to me. The stories, the characters, just such a completely different era, but one I definitely feel a deep connection to.
I watched a couple movies. Up in the Air with George Clooney. He was awesome in that movie and I LOVED the scenes where he was packing his bags and getting through the airport. I totally saw myself in those scenes. I also just watched Capitalism: A Love Story and not surprisingly, I enjoyed that film also. Not always a fan of Michael Moore’s tactics, but I’ve always been really puzzled by the fact that so many people who would greatly benefit from socialism are so adamantly against the idea. The idea that government is designed to help the middle and lower class doesn’t exactly seem like a recipe for disaster if you ask me.
Anyway, don’t really want to get into a political discussion, I just watched the movie so I thought I’d share. I really don’t care to debate it, and I really don’t care if you disagree with me. Everyone has a right to their opinion, and as a Canadian living in the US, I’m happy to see a move towards helping those who need it most, even if it may seem a little unfair to the champagne drinking and caviar eating society. I’m not too concerned with their bottom line, they aren’t starving, and they won’t be any time soon.
