I was all pumped up to go to R’s house for an all-nighter Halloween cash game. I called to verify and R said he couldn’t get any interest, so no game. He and his girlfriend were going to a party at a bar. Priorities, people!
There was always Stars, where the doors are always open.
I warmed up with the $1.10 SnG Double or Nothing Turbos. Six wins and two losses, both of which I basically blinded out, card dead. Turned a straight flush once but couldn’t get any value from it. These games are so fucking easy, a sure-thing mini-grind, yet not everyone seems to get that. There was a sitter who was slowly blinding/anteing out, and with the next blinds due to hit him, he would be gone, leaving everyone in the money. Tell me why someone would go big or go home at that moment. For the glory? So short-sighted. When I get a semblance of a bankroll again, I will move up a level and see if the play is just as bad.
Since these SnGs are turbos, I can only handle so many in a row two-tabling. I have a delicate constitution and apparently some undiagnosed cognitive disorder that combine together to make me a little shell-shocked in short order. I move to cash.
I find a couple 10NL tables, double up on one in short order, but since everyone is playing short anyway, I close it out and concentrate on another with full buy-ins, a couple bigger stacks and a fair amount of action. Within an orbit or two, I have figured out who to mark and who to avoid and I’m up a couple bucks. A seat opens up on my left and my friend Stan, from Poker Academy, sits down.
Stan is the second highest ranked player on that site. He’s a solid, knowledgeable and wily player. I’m happy to see him yet not so happy he is on my left. And although we are friends, he will take immense joy in stacking me if he gets the chance. I immediately take a break to get a cocktail.
Shortly after my return, another PAer, Gus (aka Scott), comes into the room and sits two to the left of Stan. The table does not know what it is in for. To make a long story short, all three of us play a patient game (I’m playing an insanely low 6%), Gus has a hard time getting anything going, and Stan and I double up. I’m on my second scotch and, after adding 30% to my meager roll, know it’s time to call it a night.
Stan lives in Australia, so he’s not ready to stop, and he suggests we go play some HORSE. I’m not quite there yet, having never played Razz and only mildly proficient at Omaha and Stud. The smallest game is .10/.20, and in light of my limited skills, this puts it out of my bankroll range. Then Stan suggests we go play some Badugi on the Play Money side of Stars.
Stan has been telling me about this game for months. I have yet to play, but I’m game. After all, it’s play money (Not to be confused with PAX at Poker Academy, a virtual cash, of sorts, with no real value per se. Yet, I hold it dear because time does equal money.), so my roll is safe.
In short, Badugi is triple-draw, played with four cards down. The goal is to get the best low hand with no pairs and with all four suits. Pairs and suited cards cancel each other out. The nuts is A234 with four suits. I have heard people talk about how frustrating Razz can be. Badugi takes the cake, hands down. If I had Ac5d3h5s and discarded a 5, I’d draw the 5h or Kd. I was up and down, bitching and moaning the whole way. Gus wasn’t having much luck either, yet Stan the Man was cleaning up. No surprise there. Eventually, however, I started to get the hang of the game, hit a run of hands, doubled up and bid adieu. It was late.
I imagine I will play Badugi again. But more importantly, as more and more of my PA friends move to Omaha, Razz, Stud and HORSE, I will make it my goal to work on these games for a while, and then, when my skill level and bankroll are ready, enter those arenas.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Full of Myself
Yeah, I know I’m not supposed to do this, yet it’s Halloween and it’s Poker Academy, so what the hell.
I’m playing 20NL with one of my appropriately rolled nicks. The table has a couple regular higher buy-in nicks playing (slow night, not many rooms open) and some newbies of varying styles. There’s a chap two to my left who likes to open up for 10 x BB with anything so I limp early with KK. True to form, he bets $2, gets a caller, and I type “Raisy daisy!” and make it $13.60 to go. Wild guy raises and goes all-in with his last $12.65, his caller kicks in his last $14.50 and I call. 9s7d7s4hJc. The wild one has 3hKh and the lemming has J 10o. I’m sitting pretty.
Nine hands later I get slipped Aces in the hole. One player limps from early, the lemming follows, as does another player, so I raise it to $1.60. Lemming calls. 7h9h4s and I bet $4.20. The lemming calls. 3h. I should have jammed the flop as my Aces are black, but I go ahead and bet $6.30. Lemming calls. 6c on river and I put Lemming all-in. He shows pocket fives, hitting a runner-runner gut shot. Granted, he shouldn’t have seen the turn, and granted, I could have played 4th and 5th better but I go ahead and type:
“In the words of our dear MAJOR, keep playing that way.”
“LOL meaning that I will lose it all eventually?”
“Let me put it this way: You don’t want me to make you my special project.”
“Enemy or mentor?”
“Your choice.”
“Mentor”
To be continued.
I’m playing 20NL with one of my appropriately rolled nicks. The table has a couple regular higher buy-in nicks playing (slow night, not many rooms open) and some newbies of varying styles. There’s a chap two to my left who likes to open up for 10 x BB with anything so I limp early with KK. True to form, he bets $2, gets a caller, and I type “Raisy daisy!” and make it $13.60 to go. Wild guy raises and goes all-in with his last $12.65, his caller kicks in his last $14.50 and I call. 9s7d7s4hJc. The wild one has 3hKh and the lemming has J 10o. I’m sitting pretty.
Nine hands later I get slipped Aces in the hole. One player limps from early, the lemming follows, as does another player, so I raise it to $1.60. Lemming calls. 7h9h4s and I bet $4.20. The lemming calls. 3h. I should have jammed the flop as my Aces are black, but I go ahead and bet $6.30. Lemming calls. 6c on river and I put Lemming all-in. He shows pocket fives, hitting a runner-runner gut shot. Granted, he shouldn’t have seen the turn, and granted, I could have played 4th and 5th better but I go ahead and type:
“In the words of our dear MAJOR, keep playing that way.”
“LOL meaning that I will lose it all eventually?”
“Let me put it this way: You don’t want me to make you my special project.”
“Enemy or mentor?”
“Your choice.”
“Mentor”
To be continued.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A special day
Okay, I’ll get this out of the way immediately: today is my birthday. I’m 54 years old, born in 1954. Maybe that means something. Maybe it’s just numbers. Numbers align just like stars, and cancel each other out.
I’m still ill. I thought I was getting better yesterday, did some work until I couldn’t, took a nap, went back to work until well after midnight, and at the end of it all decided to play some poker before bed. Just a few hands, which in poker parlance can be any number between 25 and 150.
After sustaining multiple hits, I have dropped down to the 10NL games in an effort to rebuild with my meager eight buy-ins. I have determined that the style of play with which I am most comfortable, ironically enough, is a loose game. Ironic because my big pocket pairs kill me. I loaded up two tables that looked pretty good and set to work.
Table One had a particularly crafty player who managed to slowplay both pocket Aces and Kings and keep me drawing to no avail. He kept the pots small, so no serious damage was done. Eventually someone did the same to him and wiped him out when he paired an Aces and the other hit his set of Kings. Action died for most every other player on the table was Poker Listed as a Mouse. (I’d never seen s many at one table.)
When I sat down at Table Two, I could tell it had some history to it as there was a couple players who had some sizable stacks. And those players were using them to push the table around and also to see a lot of flops. I’m playing about 20%.
PokerStars Game #21611561573: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:09:09 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($10.20 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($7.25 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($5.70 in chips)
Seat 5: butcher822 ($18.75 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($26.50 in chips)
butcher822: posts small blind $0.05
MimoPeto: posts big blind $0.10
France81: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [4c 4s]
mad_ horse28: calls $0.10
bastinptc: calls $0.10
thebigfalex: raises $0.40 to $0.50
VictoryYG: folds
innocents1 joins the table at seat #6
lostboarder: folds
butcher822: folds
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
bastinptc: calls $0.40
*** FLOP *** [Kc Ah 4d]
mad_ horse28: checks
bastinptc: bets $1.90
thebigfalex: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $1.90
*** TURN *** [Kc Ah 4d] [6s]
mad_ horse28: checks
MimoPeto is sitting out
bastinptc: bets $7.80 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: calls $7.80
*** RIVER *** [Kc Ah 4d 6s] [3h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mad_ horse28: shows [7c As] (a pair of Aces)
bastinptc: shows [4c 4s] (three of a kind, Fours)
bastinptc collected $20.05 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $21.05 | Rake $1
Board [Kc Ah 4d 6s 3h]
Seat 1: bastinptc showed [4c 4s] and won ($20.05) with three of a kind, Fours
Seat 2: thebigfalex folded on the Flop
Seat 3: VictoryYG folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: lostboarder (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: butcher822 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: MimoPeto (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 showed [7c As] and lost with a pair of Aces
I was surprised at Mad_Horse’s call. How he could think a crappy Ace was any good is beyond me. And to call off two-fifths of his stack with it…go figure.
PokerStars Game #21611637304: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:17:48 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($19.80 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($9.70 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10.50 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($7.30 in chips)
Seat 5: butcher822 ($16.15 in chips)
Seat 6: innocents1 ($1.95 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($15.75 in chips)
Seat 9: France81 ($1.75 in chips)
MimoPeto: posts small blind $0.05
mad_ horse28: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [Kc As]
France81: folds
bastinptc: raises $0.40 to $0.50
thebigfalex: folds
VictoryYG: folds
lostboarder: folds
butcher822: folds
innocents1: folds
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
*** FLOP *** [Qd 5h 7d]
mad_ horse28: bets $0.60
bastinptc: folds
Uncalled bet ($0.60) returned to mad_ horse28
mad_ horse28 collected $1 from pot
I could not rule out AQ or KQ for MH’s hand. This hand came up shortly after the set of 4s, but also figuring this guy might be out for revenge, I wasn’t going to push my luck. I could wait.
But MH couldn’t. I watched him as he remained aggressive, eventually adding to his stack. He must have been playing about 50% and pushing the Mice around.
PokerStars Game #21611733273: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:28:58 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($18.85 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($16 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10.35 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($4.80 in chips)
Seat 6: innocents1 ($6.60 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8.15 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($17.90 in chips)
Seat 9: France81 ($1.50 in chips)
France81: posts small blind $0.05
bastinptc: posts big blind $0.10
JuliaAtLove: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [7h 8h]
thebigfalex: calls $0.10
VictoryYG: folds
lostboarder: calls $0.10
innocents1: raises $0.30 to $0.40
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
France81: folds
bastinptc: calls $0.30
thebigfalex: folds
lostboarder: calls $0.30
I knew I was playing it a bit loose here, for me anyway, because these types of hands just don’t pan out enough, yet there were already two players in, and twenty cents more was not such a big deal, especially if one other limper came in, and lostboarder obliged.
*** FLOP *** [3h 2h 5h]
bastinptc: checks
lostboarder: checks
innocents1: bets $0.80
mad_ horse28: calls $0.80
bastinptc: raises $2.20 to $3
lostboarder: folds
innocents1: calls $2.20
mad_ horse28: calls $2.20
I was happy to see the flop, yet with two cards to come, the opening bet and the call told me that I wasn’t out of the woods and thought it might be better to take it down right there, I wasn’t surprised so much to get called by innocents1 as I was certain he had a big pair and now, more than likely, one was a heart. Yet, I guess I should be surprised by MH’s call either, now getting “odds” with Innocents1”s call. I was going to have to keep the heat on.
*** TURN *** [3h 2h 5h] [6c]
I was quite pleased with the turn. If someone had been playing a straight draw, or if MH already had the wheel, I was getting paid. Still, I was sure there was at least one bigger heart out there.
bastinptc: bets $8.10
innocents1: calls $3.20 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: calls $8.10
*** RIVER *** [3h 2h 5h 6c] [5c]
OK, now I’m a little worried. I think: Perfect, just my luck someone will have a set. I was dodging bullets through this hand and now I’m dead. What the heck, I’m all-in.
bastinptc: bets $7.35 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: folds
Ha! Revenge denied.
Uncalled bet ($7.35) returned to bastinptc
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bastinptc: shows [7h 8h] (a flush, Eight high)
bastinptc collected $9.30 from side pot
innocents1: mucks hand
bastinptc collected $19.40 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $30.15 Main pot $19.40. Side pot $9.30. | Rake $1.45
Board [3h 2h 5h 6c 5c]
Seat 1: bastinptc (big blind) showed [7h 8h] and won ($28.70) with a flush, Eight high
Seat 2: thebigfalex folded before Flop
Seat 3: VictoryYG folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: lostboarder folded on the Flop
Seat 6: innocents1 mucked [Kh Kd]
Seat 7: MimoPeto folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 (button) folded on the River
Seat 9: France81 (small blind) folded before Flop
It’s been ages since I’ve tripled up at a table. Happy Birthday to me!
My dear wife has made a dark chocolate cake with German chocolate frosting. She also gave me a new fishing rod. Today, life is good.
I’m still ill. I thought I was getting better yesterday, did some work until I couldn’t, took a nap, went back to work until well after midnight, and at the end of it all decided to play some poker before bed. Just a few hands, which in poker parlance can be any number between 25 and 150.
After sustaining multiple hits, I have dropped down to the 10NL games in an effort to rebuild with my meager eight buy-ins. I have determined that the style of play with which I am most comfortable, ironically enough, is a loose game. Ironic because my big pocket pairs kill me. I loaded up two tables that looked pretty good and set to work.
Table One had a particularly crafty player who managed to slowplay both pocket Aces and Kings and keep me drawing to no avail. He kept the pots small, so no serious damage was done. Eventually someone did the same to him and wiped him out when he paired an Aces and the other hit his set of Kings. Action died for most every other player on the table was Poker Listed as a Mouse. (I’d never seen s many at one table.)
When I sat down at Table Two, I could tell it had some history to it as there was a couple players who had some sizable stacks. And those players were using them to push the table around and also to see a lot of flops. I’m playing about 20%.
PokerStars Game #21611561573: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:09:09 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($10.20 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($7.25 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($5.70 in chips)
Seat 5: butcher822 ($18.75 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($26.50 in chips)
butcher822: posts small blind $0.05
MimoPeto: posts big blind $0.10
France81: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [4c 4s]
mad_ horse28: calls $0.10
bastinptc: calls $0.10
thebigfalex: raises $0.40 to $0.50
VictoryYG: folds
innocents1 joins the table at seat #6
lostboarder: folds
butcher822: folds
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
bastinptc: calls $0.40
*** FLOP *** [Kc Ah 4d]
mad_ horse28: checks
bastinptc: bets $1.90
thebigfalex: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $1.90
*** TURN *** [Kc Ah 4d] [6s]
mad_ horse28: checks
MimoPeto is sitting out
bastinptc: bets $7.80 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: calls $7.80
*** RIVER *** [Kc Ah 4d 6s] [3h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
mad_ horse28: shows [7c As] (a pair of Aces)
bastinptc: shows [4c 4s] (three of a kind, Fours)
bastinptc collected $20.05 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $21.05 | Rake $1
Board [Kc Ah 4d 6s 3h]
Seat 1: bastinptc showed [4c 4s] and won ($20.05) with three of a kind, Fours
Seat 2: thebigfalex folded on the Flop
Seat 3: VictoryYG folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: lostboarder (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: butcher822 (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: MimoPeto (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 showed [7c As] and lost with a pair of Aces
I was surprised at Mad_Horse’s call. How he could think a crappy Ace was any good is beyond me. And to call off two-fifths of his stack with it…go figure.
PokerStars Game #21611637304: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:17:48 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($19.80 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($9.70 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10.50 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($7.30 in chips)
Seat 5: butcher822 ($16.15 in chips)
Seat 6: innocents1 ($1.95 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($15.75 in chips)
Seat 9: France81 ($1.75 in chips)
MimoPeto: posts small blind $0.05
mad_ horse28: posts big blind $0.10
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [Kc As]
France81: folds
bastinptc: raises $0.40 to $0.50
thebigfalex: folds
VictoryYG: folds
lostboarder: folds
butcher822: folds
innocents1: folds
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
*** FLOP *** [Qd 5h 7d]
mad_ horse28: bets $0.60
bastinptc: folds
Uncalled bet ($0.60) returned to mad_ horse28
mad_ horse28 collected $1 from pot
I could not rule out AQ or KQ for MH’s hand. This hand came up shortly after the set of 4s, but also figuring this guy might be out for revenge, I wasn’t going to push my luck. I could wait.
But MH couldn’t. I watched him as he remained aggressive, eventually adding to his stack. He must have been playing about 50% and pushing the Mice around.
PokerStars Game #21611733273: Hold'em No Limit ($0.05/$0.10) - 2008/10/30 3:28:58 ET
Table 'Una' 9-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: bastinptc ($18.85 in chips)
Seat 2: thebigfalex ($16 in chips)
Seat 3: VictoryYG ($10.35 in chips)
Seat 4: lostboarder ($4.80 in chips)
Seat 6: innocents1 ($6.60 in chips)
Seat 7: MimoPeto ($8.15 in chips)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 ($17.90 in chips)
Seat 9: France81 ($1.50 in chips)
France81: posts small blind $0.05
bastinptc: posts big blind $0.10
JuliaAtLove: sits out
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [7h 8h]
thebigfalex: calls $0.10
VictoryYG: folds
lostboarder: calls $0.10
innocents1: raises $0.30 to $0.40
MimoPeto: folds
mad_ horse28: calls $0.40
France81: folds
bastinptc: calls $0.30
thebigfalex: folds
lostboarder: calls $0.30
I knew I was playing it a bit loose here, for me anyway, because these types of hands just don’t pan out enough, yet there were already two players in, and twenty cents more was not such a big deal, especially if one other limper came in, and lostboarder obliged.
*** FLOP *** [3h 2h 5h]
bastinptc: checks
lostboarder: checks
innocents1: bets $0.80
mad_ horse28: calls $0.80
bastinptc: raises $2.20 to $3
lostboarder: folds
innocents1: calls $2.20
mad_ horse28: calls $2.20
I was happy to see the flop, yet with two cards to come, the opening bet and the call told me that I wasn’t out of the woods and thought it might be better to take it down right there, I wasn’t surprised so much to get called by innocents1 as I was certain he had a big pair and now, more than likely, one was a heart. Yet, I guess I should be surprised by MH’s call either, now getting “odds” with Innocents1”s call. I was going to have to keep the heat on.
*** TURN *** [3h 2h 5h] [6c]
I was quite pleased with the turn. If someone had been playing a straight draw, or if MH already had the wheel, I was getting paid. Still, I was sure there was at least one bigger heart out there.
bastinptc: bets $8.10
innocents1: calls $3.20 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: calls $8.10
*** RIVER *** [3h 2h 5h 6c] [5c]
OK, now I’m a little worried. I think: Perfect, just my luck someone will have a set. I was dodging bullets through this hand and now I’m dead. What the heck, I’m all-in.
bastinptc: bets $7.35 and is all-in
mad_ horse28: folds
Ha! Revenge denied.
Uncalled bet ($7.35) returned to bastinptc
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bastinptc: shows [7h 8h] (a flush, Eight high)
bastinptc collected $9.30 from side pot
innocents1: mucks hand
bastinptc collected $19.40 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $30.15 Main pot $19.40. Side pot $9.30. | Rake $1.45
Board [3h 2h 5h 6c 5c]
Seat 1: bastinptc (big blind) showed [7h 8h] and won ($28.70) with a flush, Eight high
Seat 2: thebigfalex folded before Flop
Seat 3: VictoryYG folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: lostboarder folded on the Flop
Seat 6: innocents1 mucked [Kh Kd]
Seat 7: MimoPeto folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: mad_ horse28 (button) folded on the River
Seat 9: France81 (small blind) folded before Flop
It’s been ages since I’ve tripled up at a table. Happy Birthday to me!
My dear wife has made a dark chocolate cake with German chocolate frosting. She also gave me a new fishing rod. Today, life is good.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
There’s Something in the Water
I’m ill. There’s more fuzz where my brain should be. Maybe it’s an extended hangover from the mescal, yet more than likely it’s a contagion from the woman who woke up coughing after the mescal debauch. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m not the only one sacked out on the couch for a couple days. Can’t really blame her though. I had this coming.
Not long after I arrived back home from the buzz-fest, I went to bed. I was exhausted and had two pressing engagements on my mind: I was supposed to go fishing the next morning, bright and early to the money hole to catch on more Summer Steelie before the end of the season; and I had a shitload of research and writing to do for my client, due in two days. The plan was to go fishing, come home and work until the wee hours, get some sleep and put in another full day Tuesday, today.
I think I was in bed by 7 o’clock, always a dangerous thing to do, for no matter how tired I was, there is no guarantee that I will sleep through the night. I was wide awake at 11:30 PM. There was no way I was falling back asleep at that point so I went down to my dungeon to write the blog and a new boiler plate for my client and accomplished both. I readied my fishing gear and had an hour to go before I was supposed to “officially” wake to my alarm, so I laid down. No avail. Breakfast, reheat some coffee, kiss my dear wife goodbye and head over to Steve’s. I was tired again but thought I’d be okay as Steve was supposed to be driving today. I could catch a nap in the car. Nope, Steve’s car was blocked in and I was driving.
Steve may be my best friend out here. Why? Because I spend more time with him than anyone else, we connect in a lot of ways, and several other reasons that are not meant to diminish the friendships that I have with others, nor the qualities of the their characters. As we’re packing the truck, he says, “Oh, Dude, here. Happy birthday.” My birthday is a couple days away and he has gotten me a new reel. It’s beautiful. And it is already loaded with his favorite ten-pound test line, perfect for steelheading. “Rig it up and use it today.” I comply.
Adult Male Steelhead. Adult Female Steelhead.
I put on my float, weights and hook and try to reel in the slack. As I do, more line comes off of the reel. I initially attribute this to the fact that the guy who loaded the reel at the sports shop had put too much line on it. I de-rig, pull off a bunch of line and re-rig, with the same results. It takes a minute to sink in: the guy had spooled for a lefty. “No problem.” Steve says, “We can stop in Hebo and get the other spool loaded correctly.
So off we go, loaded with coffee and hopes, to the money hole.
Steve has only brought his fly rod. The October Caddis Flies are out in force and he is convinced that the Sea-Run Cut Throats and Steelies will be hitting them like candy. Steve is an avid fly guy, and as such, sometimes his rhetoric gets a little lofty. “Yeah, I decided that I was getting to be too much of a bait fisherman. I want to bring a little bit of skill back to my fishing.” Stuff like that. Never mind that I am using bait. And when I use spinners and spoons, I hear the same. Never mind that he borrows my spinners sometimes. But I understand because I’m an understanding kinda guy. He’s excited to be out fishing. Sometimes rhetorical sensitivity gets lost in enthusiasm.
Caddis Fly
By the time we get to our hole, the sun is up high enough that we can see through the water. Steve has decided that he will put on his waders and walk up the river from where we have to park, fishing along the way. I will head straight to the hole. “Dude, I forgot the net. How’d I forget the net?”
I say, “That’s OK. Any Cutthroats have to be put back, and if we hook into a Steelie, we’re taking it home anyway. We can just tire it out and drag it up to shore.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
So, off we go. The walk to the money hole is cold. The wind is blowing pretty hard and the road is still in shade. The hole itself is down a steep embankment, so it is mercifully less windy. I bait my hook, adjust the depth on my float and start methodically hitting every aspect of the hole. About my fourth cast my float disappears in the exact manner it should when a steelie takes the bait, and I set the hook. It is a monster!
Except the fish dives low into the deeper water, not the action of a Steelhead. A steelie comes out of the water and tries to shake the hook. Huge fish diving deeper equals a salmon. Sure enough, I catch a glimpse of the fish, and it is a salmon, and I judge it to be about a thirty-five-pounder. I am shaking with excitement. With all of the fishing I have done in my life, I have never caught a fish this big before. And here I am with 10-pound test on a 9-foot medium-light action rod. I set my drag accordingly and settle in for a long fight.
The hole isn’t all that big: maybe seventy-five feet long and twenty-five feet wide. As the clocks ticks on, I get several opportunities to examine the fish. I can tell by the markings that it is a Chinook. It still has some color to it, so it might be a fall fish. The salmon that came up in the spring would be darker. It didn’t have a beak on it like the spring male salmon would have, not was it beat up, so it is either a female spring or either sex in the fall run. But a spring run salmon wouldn't have taken my bait, would it?
Adult male Chinook
Adult female Chinook
After about fifty minutes I have the fish tired to the point that I am able to bring it up close to the bank. I sit down to get ready to grab it, and as I do, my shoe touches my line and it breaks. I make a quick grab for the fish’s tail and haul it on shore. It weighs a ton!
I decide to put it on my stringer instead of dressing it right then and there. I wanted Steve to see it. Plus, in that this was my first mature salmon, I had lingering doubts about it being a spring or fall fish. I took a quick picture of the fish and then tethered my stringer to a tree over the water. The fish was able to be completely submerged.
Most people know something about the life cycle of salmon. They make the long trek from the ocean back to where they were born solely to breed and die. Fish late in this process have expended themselves to the point where they are nearly inedible. Their flesh turns from a bright red-pink to white. If this fish had been in this stream since May, it would not be a good catch. If I could keep it alive until Steve made his way up to the hole, then we could figure it out together.
Steve was excited to see the fish, yet he was little help. Therefore we decided to err on the side of caution and put the fish back. Steve went down to removed the stringer, and as he did so, blood started to flow from the fish’s gills. “Dude, she’s gonna die anyway now, so you might as well keep her. She might be a fall run. You won’t know until you dress her.” I went ahead and slit her gills more so she would bleed out more quickly.
Steve went to the head of the hole with his fly rod and I baited up again. Steve was having a gas catching the little cuts and I was drowning bait. We would be leaving soon as the salmon would have to be put on ice soon and we had none with us.
When the time came, I pulled the salmon back up onto the bank. She was not quite dead, so I hit her on the head with a knife club I have just for such an occasion. Steve was already up the bank by the truck as I slit her gut. “It’s a female.”
“Lots of eggs?” Steve asked.
“Yeah, mature eggs.” I felt horrible. “Now what?”
“What color is the flesh?”
“White.”
“Well, you could take her home and use her for compost.”
“Nah, I’m going to leave her here to feed the river.” I put her in the deepest part of the hole. Although I couldn’t see the fish proper, I could still see her bright red roe through the tannin-stained water.
We got into the truck and drove up the road. Steve wanted to check out a couple other holes. I just wanted to go home. And after a couple stops along the way, Steve could see that I had lost all interest in fishing anymore that day.
“Dude, the same thing happened to me when I caught my first big Springer. You just don’t want to let go of a big fish, but you have to. Now you know.”
“I just feel so rotten about it.”
“Yeah, you will for a couple days.”
The lack of sleep was catching up with me so I had Steve drive home. As we headed back over the mountain, the splattered Caddis flies began to accumulate on the windshield. I drifted off.
I woke up just outside of Salem. My first thoughts were of the fish. I dropped off Steve and I couldn’t get out of there quick enough. I wanted the day behind me…all of it.
It has been twenty-four hours since I got home. I have been asleep for twenty of those hours, alternating from hot to shivering, no blankets, not enough blankets. I have a headache that won’t go away.
As I am writing this, my dear wife calls me. “I have a title for your next blog: The Curse of the Female Salmon.”
“Yeah, I’m already writing it. I have a title, but that’s certainly what I’m writing about.”
Is it a curse? To answer that, I’d have to back up a bit. As I was fighting the fish, a thought crossed my mind: If I indeed was able to land this fish, a price would have to be paid. I would get wet when I didn’t want to, I would fall and twist an ankle, something would go amiss. I had seen it happen before, and it was the price I would have to accept.
While I was away this last weekend I called my dear wife to tell her that I had finally figured out what I wanted to do for my birthday. I wanted to take a drive with her to show her the money hole and share the natural beauty that surrounds it. We were to make the drive today after I put the finishing touches on my client letters. Well, obviously I’m too sick for any of that to happen. Besides that, the money hole will never be the same. That is the price.
Not long after I arrived back home from the buzz-fest, I went to bed. I was exhausted and had two pressing engagements on my mind: I was supposed to go fishing the next morning, bright and early to the money hole to catch on more Summer Steelie before the end of the season; and I had a shitload of research and writing to do for my client, due in two days. The plan was to go fishing, come home and work until the wee hours, get some sleep and put in another full day Tuesday, today.
I think I was in bed by 7 o’clock, always a dangerous thing to do, for no matter how tired I was, there is no guarantee that I will sleep through the night. I was wide awake at 11:30 PM. There was no way I was falling back asleep at that point so I went down to my dungeon to write the blog and a new boiler plate for my client and accomplished both. I readied my fishing gear and had an hour to go before I was supposed to “officially” wake to my alarm, so I laid down. No avail. Breakfast, reheat some coffee, kiss my dear wife goodbye and head over to Steve’s. I was tired again but thought I’d be okay as Steve was supposed to be driving today. I could catch a nap in the car. Nope, Steve’s car was blocked in and I was driving.
Steve may be my best friend out here. Why? Because I spend more time with him than anyone else, we connect in a lot of ways, and several other reasons that are not meant to diminish the friendships that I have with others, nor the qualities of the their characters. As we’re packing the truck, he says, “Oh, Dude, here. Happy birthday.” My birthday is a couple days away and he has gotten me a new reel. It’s beautiful. And it is already loaded with his favorite ten-pound test line, perfect for steelheading. “Rig it up and use it today.” I comply.
Adult Male Steelhead. Adult Female Steelhead.
I put on my float, weights and hook and try to reel in the slack. As I do, more line comes off of the reel. I initially attribute this to the fact that the guy who loaded the reel at the sports shop had put too much line on it. I de-rig, pull off a bunch of line and re-rig, with the same results. It takes a minute to sink in: the guy had spooled for a lefty. “No problem.” Steve says, “We can stop in Hebo and get the other spool loaded correctly.
So off we go, loaded with coffee and hopes, to the money hole.
Steve has only brought his fly rod. The October Caddis Flies are out in force and he is convinced that the Sea-Run Cut Throats and Steelies will be hitting them like candy. Steve is an avid fly guy, and as such, sometimes his rhetoric gets a little lofty. “Yeah, I decided that I was getting to be too much of a bait fisherman. I want to bring a little bit of skill back to my fishing.” Stuff like that. Never mind that I am using bait. And when I use spinners and spoons, I hear the same. Never mind that he borrows my spinners sometimes. But I understand because I’m an understanding kinda guy. He’s excited to be out fishing. Sometimes rhetorical sensitivity gets lost in enthusiasm.
Caddis Fly
By the time we get to our hole, the sun is up high enough that we can see through the water. Steve has decided that he will put on his waders and walk up the river from where we have to park, fishing along the way. I will head straight to the hole. “Dude, I forgot the net. How’d I forget the net?”
I say, “That’s OK. Any Cutthroats have to be put back, and if we hook into a Steelie, we’re taking it home anyway. We can just tire it out and drag it up to shore.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
So, off we go. The walk to the money hole is cold. The wind is blowing pretty hard and the road is still in shade. The hole itself is down a steep embankment, so it is mercifully less windy. I bait my hook, adjust the depth on my float and start methodically hitting every aspect of the hole. About my fourth cast my float disappears in the exact manner it should when a steelie takes the bait, and I set the hook. It is a monster!
Except the fish dives low into the deeper water, not the action of a Steelhead. A steelie comes out of the water and tries to shake the hook. Huge fish diving deeper equals a salmon. Sure enough, I catch a glimpse of the fish, and it is a salmon, and I judge it to be about a thirty-five-pounder. I am shaking with excitement. With all of the fishing I have done in my life, I have never caught a fish this big before. And here I am with 10-pound test on a 9-foot medium-light action rod. I set my drag accordingly and settle in for a long fight.
The hole isn’t all that big: maybe seventy-five feet long and twenty-five feet wide. As the clocks ticks on, I get several opportunities to examine the fish. I can tell by the markings that it is a Chinook. It still has some color to it, so it might be a fall fish. The salmon that came up in the spring would be darker. It didn’t have a beak on it like the spring male salmon would have, not was it beat up, so it is either a female spring or either sex in the fall run. But a spring run salmon wouldn't have taken my bait, would it?
Adult female Chinook
After about fifty minutes I have the fish tired to the point that I am able to bring it up close to the bank. I sit down to get ready to grab it, and as I do, my shoe touches my line and it breaks. I make a quick grab for the fish’s tail and haul it on shore. It weighs a ton!
I decide to put it on my stringer instead of dressing it right then and there. I wanted Steve to see it. Plus, in that this was my first mature salmon, I had lingering doubts about it being a spring or fall fish. I took a quick picture of the fish and then tethered my stringer to a tree over the water. The fish was able to be completely submerged.
Most people know something about the life cycle of salmon. They make the long trek from the ocean back to where they were born solely to breed and die. Fish late in this process have expended themselves to the point where they are nearly inedible. Their flesh turns from a bright red-pink to white. If this fish had been in this stream since May, it would not be a good catch. If I could keep it alive until Steve made his way up to the hole, then we could figure it out together.
Steve was excited to see the fish, yet he was little help. Therefore we decided to err on the side of caution and put the fish back. Steve went down to removed the stringer, and as he did so, blood started to flow from the fish’s gills. “Dude, she’s gonna die anyway now, so you might as well keep her. She might be a fall run. You won’t know until you dress her.” I went ahead and slit her gills more so she would bleed out more quickly.
Steve went to the head of the hole with his fly rod and I baited up again. Steve was having a gas catching the little cuts and I was drowning bait. We would be leaving soon as the salmon would have to be put on ice soon and we had none with us.
When the time came, I pulled the salmon back up onto the bank. She was not quite dead, so I hit her on the head with a knife club I have just for such an occasion. Steve was already up the bank by the truck as I slit her gut. “It’s a female.”
“Lots of eggs?” Steve asked.
“Yeah, mature eggs.” I felt horrible. “Now what?”
“What color is the flesh?”
“White.”
“Well, you could take her home and use her for compost.”
“Nah, I’m going to leave her here to feed the river.” I put her in the deepest part of the hole. Although I couldn’t see the fish proper, I could still see her bright red roe through the tannin-stained water.
We got into the truck and drove up the road. Steve wanted to check out a couple other holes. I just wanted to go home. And after a couple stops along the way, Steve could see that I had lost all interest in fishing anymore that day.
“Dude, the same thing happened to me when I caught my first big Springer. You just don’t want to let go of a big fish, but you have to. Now you know.”
“I just feel so rotten about it.”
“Yeah, you will for a couple days.”
The lack of sleep was catching up with me so I had Steve drive home. As we headed back over the mountain, the splattered Caddis flies began to accumulate on the windshield. I drifted off.
I woke up just outside of Salem. My first thoughts were of the fish. I dropped off Steve and I couldn’t get out of there quick enough. I wanted the day behind me…all of it.
It has been twenty-four hours since I got home. I have been asleep for twenty of those hours, alternating from hot to shivering, no blankets, not enough blankets. I have a headache that won’t go away.
As I am writing this, my dear wife calls me. “I have a title for your next blog: The Curse of the Female Salmon.”
“Yeah, I’m already writing it. I have a title, but that’s certainly what I’m writing about.”
Is it a curse? To answer that, I’d have to back up a bit. As I was fighting the fish, a thought crossed my mind: If I indeed was able to land this fish, a price would have to be paid. I would get wet when I didn’t want to, I would fall and twist an ankle, something would go amiss. I had seen it happen before, and it was the price I would have to accept.
While I was away this last weekend I called my dear wife to tell her that I had finally figured out what I wanted to do for my birthday. I wanted to take a drive with her to show her the money hole and share the natural beauty that surrounds it. We were to make the drive today after I put the finishing touches on my client letters. Well, obviously I’m too sick for any of that to happen. Besides that, the money hole will never be the same. That is the price.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Wuzzy Fuzzy? Yes.
It was a square bottle. I should have made note of the brand, but I could barely bring myself to look at the damn thing this morning, that bottle of mescal with 1/2-inch of golden liquid left in the bottom.
No, I wasn’t the only one drinking it. I believe there were four of us. And I really didn’t think I had drunk a lot. I was pacing myself. So, I was surprised when I poured my last bit, using the campfire for illumination, and saw just how much was left. I remarked as much, and a few of my words had a hard time getting past my palate.
Then it hit me hard. I sat my glass down. Holy shit, I was hammered. I guess I wasn’t the only one, either, because soon thereafter I was the sole keeper of the flame.
There was still a pretty good fire, so got up from the log I was sitting on, headed for a lawn chair, one of those folding numbers with the attached foot rest, grabbed a blanket someone had left, steadied the chair and fell to the ground. (That may be how the back of my hand got scratched. I really don’t know.) I hadn’t been this drunk in ten years, and I didn’t like it.
I eventually navigated the chair, and just as I got comfortable, ML called from the house, “We’re going to bed.”
“I’m not.”
“Lock the door when you come in then, OK?”
“If I make it that far.”
The mescal buzz is different, my head crammed with people instead of cotton like other liquors. That’s all I remember, besides thinking that I had a blog entry in the making.
I woke up cold. It was still dark, and the fire was embers. I made my way into the house (locked the door), unrolled my sleeping back and fell back asleep in front of a cold wood stove. If I had been more sober, I perhaps would have had a worse night’s sleep.
I have not drunk mescal for 25 years. The last time was at my brother’s bachelor party. We were lighting the shots, blowing them out and throwing them down. After a few of these, I thought it might be interesting to try and drink one while still aflame. I still remember my brother laughing as he patted out the fire on my face with those two big mitts he had for hands.
We slept in my mother’s front yard that night. It seemed like the right thing to do. The next day I would be the Best Man with half of a moustache.
No, I wasn’t the only one drinking it. I believe there were four of us. And I really didn’t think I had drunk a lot. I was pacing myself. So, I was surprised when I poured my last bit, using the campfire for illumination, and saw just how much was left. I remarked as much, and a few of my words had a hard time getting past my palate.
Then it hit me hard. I sat my glass down. Holy shit, I was hammered. I guess I wasn’t the only one, either, because soon thereafter I was the sole keeper of the flame.
There was still a pretty good fire, so got up from the log I was sitting on, headed for a lawn chair, one of those folding numbers with the attached foot rest, grabbed a blanket someone had left, steadied the chair and fell to the ground. (That may be how the back of my hand got scratched. I really don’t know.) I hadn’t been this drunk in ten years, and I didn’t like it.
I eventually navigated the chair, and just as I got comfortable, ML called from the house, “We’re going to bed.”
“I’m not.”
“Lock the door when you come in then, OK?”
“If I make it that far.”
The mescal buzz is different, my head crammed with people instead of cotton like other liquors. That’s all I remember, besides thinking that I had a blog entry in the making.
I woke up cold. It was still dark, and the fire was embers. I made my way into the house (locked the door), unrolled my sleeping back and fell back asleep in front of a cold wood stove. If I had been more sober, I perhaps would have had a worse night’s sleep.
I have not drunk mescal for 25 years. The last time was at my brother’s bachelor party. We were lighting the shots, blowing them out and throwing them down. After a few of these, I thought it might be interesting to try and drink one while still aflame. I still remember my brother laughing as he patted out the fire on my face with those two big mitts he had for hands.
We slept in my mother’s front yard that night. It seemed like the right thing to do. The next day I would be the Best Man with half of a moustache.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Autumn
The starlings are late this year. Yesterday they were doing their synchronized flying routines. Today they are sitting in the Douglas Firs, chattering away. There are lots of over-ripe apples still on the trees ready for the pecking.
The slate colored juncos have returned in great numbers, feeding on the crumbs of old duck food outside of the coop, flashing the outer white feathers of their tails as they fly away at my approach.
The flickers have made their winter nests under the eaves of the barns.
Song sparrows are having a field day in the rye grass.
Goldfinches have lost their summer yellow and are perched on the dead sunflowers.
For some reason the bluebirds are still hanging around. There were four in the spring. Now there are eight.
The Steller’s jays are harvesting the last of our filberts. One sits in the myrtle and gives me grief.
We are fogged in today and the dew is thick. Our ducks remember that slugs are good-eating.
Soon the towhees will come out of the woods across the street and forage under the dead leaves in our yard.
And we will not see the sun for three months.
The slate colored juncos have returned in great numbers, feeding on the crumbs of old duck food outside of the coop, flashing the outer white feathers of their tails as they fly away at my approach.
The flickers have made their winter nests under the eaves of the barns.
Song sparrows are having a field day in the rye grass.
Goldfinches have lost their summer yellow and are perched on the dead sunflowers.
For some reason the bluebirds are still hanging around. There were four in the spring. Now there are eight.
The Steller’s jays are harvesting the last of our filberts. One sits in the myrtle and gives me grief.
We are fogged in today and the dew is thick. Our ducks remember that slugs are good-eating.
Soon the towhees will come out of the woods across the street and forage under the dead leaves in our yard.
And we will not see the sun for three months.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Exhibit A
The three last hands.
PokerStars Game #21445710000: Tournament #116072608, $1.00+$0.10 Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2008/10/24 0:25:23 ET
Table '116072608 1' 10-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN (2990 in chips)
Seat 2: grtidea (700 in chips)
Seat 3: dazza25 (1375 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (2785 in chips)
Seat 6: LeechIII (3010 in chips)
Seat 7: bastinptc (1565 in chips)
Seat 9: dboat1019 (1525 in chips)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t (1050 in chips)
23 J TRAIN: posts the ante 15
grtidea: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts the ante 15
bastinptc: posts the ante 15
dboat1019: posts the ante 15
34t 5h1t: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts small blind 75
Allah_In2: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [3h 3d]
LeechIII: folds
bastinptc: calls 150
dboat1019: folds
34t 5h1t: folds
23 J TRAIN: folds
grtidea: calls 150
dazza25: folds
Allah_In2: checks
*** FLOP *** [Kh Th 3c]
Allah_In2: checks
bastinptc: checks
grtidea: bets 535 and is all-in
Allah_In2: folds
bastinptc: calls 535
*** TURN *** [Kh Th 3c] [Qc]
*** RIVER *** [Kh Th 3c Qc] [7c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bastinptc: shows [3h 3d] (three of a kind, Threes)
grtidea: shows [Kc 2c] (a flush, King high)
grtidea collected 1715 from pot
PokerStars Game #21445722183: Tournament #116072608, $1.00+$0.10 Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2008/10/24 0:26:08 ET
Table '116072608 1' 10-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN (2975 in chips)
Seat 2: grtidea (1715 in chips)
Seat 3: dazza25 (1285 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (2620 in chips)
Seat 6: LeechIII (2995 in chips)
Seat 7: bastinptc (865 in chips)
Seat 9: dboat1019 (1510 in chips)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t (1035 in chips)
23 J TRAIN: posts the ante 15
grtidea: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts the ante 15
bastinptc: posts the ante 15
dboat1019: posts the ante 15
34t 5h1t: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts small blind 75
LeechIII: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [Ac Qh]
bastinptc: calls 150
dboat1019: folds
LeechIII said, "wow"
34t 5h1t: folds
23 J TRAIN: folds
grtidea: folds
dazza25: folds
Allah_In2: calls 75
bastinptc said, "pretty funny"
LeechIII: checks
*** FLOP *** [Ks Ah 8h]
Allah_In2: checks
LeechIII: checks
bastinptc: bets 700 and is all-in
Allah_In2: folds
LeechIII: folds
Uncalled bet (700) returned to bastinptc
bastinptc collected 570 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 570 | Rake 0
Board [Ks Ah 8h]
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: grtidea folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: dazza25 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: LeechIII (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: bastinptc collected (570)
Seat 9: dboat1019 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t folded before Flop (didn't bet)
PokerStars Game #21445731994: Tournament #116072608, $1.00+$0.10 Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2008/10/24 0:26:45 ET
Table '116072608 1' 10-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN (2960 in chips)
Seat 2: grtidea (1700 in chips)
Seat 3: dazza25 (1270 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (2455 in chips)
Seat 6: LeechIII (2830 in chips)
Seat 7: bastinptc (1270 in chips)
Seat 9: dboat1019 (1495 in chips)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t (1020 in chips)
23 J TRAIN: posts the ante 15
grtidea: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts the ante 15
bastinptc: posts the ante 15
dboat1019: posts the ante 15
34t 5h1t: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts small blind 75
bastinptc: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [9h Jc]
dboat1019: folds
34t 5h1t: folds
23 J TRAIN: folds
grtidea: folds
dazza25: folds
Allah_In2: folds
LeechIII: raises 150 to 300
bastinptc: calls 150
*** FLOP *** [9c Th 7s]
LeechIII: checks
bastinptc: bets 600
LeechIII: calls 600
*** TURN *** [9c Th 7s] [Jd]
LeechIII: bets 1915 and is all-in
bastinptc: calls 355 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (1560) returned to LeechIII
*** RIVER *** [9c Th 7s Jd] [3d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
LeechIII: shows [4d 8s] (a straight, Seven to Jack)
bastinptc: shows [9h Jc] (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
LeechIII collected 2630 from pot
Of course, then I won the next three tourneys.
Make that 4.
OK, make it 6 out of 8.
I would like to than God, my mother and Yakshi....
PokerStars Game #21445710000: Tournament #116072608, $1.00+$0.10 Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2008/10/24 0:25:23 ET
Table '116072608 1' 10-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN (2990 in chips)
Seat 2: grtidea (700 in chips)
Seat 3: dazza25 (1375 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (2785 in chips)
Seat 6: LeechIII (3010 in chips)
Seat 7: bastinptc (1565 in chips)
Seat 9: dboat1019 (1525 in chips)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t (1050 in chips)
23 J TRAIN: posts the ante 15
grtidea: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts the ante 15
bastinptc: posts the ante 15
dboat1019: posts the ante 15
34t 5h1t: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts small blind 75
Allah_In2: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [3h 3d]
LeechIII: folds
bastinptc: calls 150
dboat1019: folds
34t 5h1t: folds
23 J TRAIN: folds
grtidea: calls 150
dazza25: folds
Allah_In2: checks
*** FLOP *** [Kh Th 3c]
Allah_In2: checks
bastinptc: checks
grtidea: bets 535 and is all-in
Allah_In2: folds
bastinptc: calls 535
*** TURN *** [Kh Th 3c] [Qc]
*** RIVER *** [Kh Th 3c Qc] [7c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bastinptc: shows [3h 3d] (three of a kind, Threes)
grtidea: shows [Kc 2c] (a flush, King high)
grtidea collected 1715 from pot
PokerStars Game #21445722183: Tournament #116072608, $1.00+$0.10 Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2008/10/24 0:26:08 ET
Table '116072608 1' 10-max Seat #3 is the button
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN (2975 in chips)
Seat 2: grtidea (1715 in chips)
Seat 3: dazza25 (1285 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (2620 in chips)
Seat 6: LeechIII (2995 in chips)
Seat 7: bastinptc (865 in chips)
Seat 9: dboat1019 (1510 in chips)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t (1035 in chips)
23 J TRAIN: posts the ante 15
grtidea: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts the ante 15
bastinptc: posts the ante 15
dboat1019: posts the ante 15
34t 5h1t: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts small blind 75
LeechIII: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [Ac Qh]
bastinptc: calls 150
dboat1019: folds
LeechIII said, "wow"
34t 5h1t: folds
23 J TRAIN: folds
grtidea: folds
dazza25: folds
Allah_In2: calls 75
bastinptc said, "pretty funny"
LeechIII: checks
*** FLOP *** [Ks Ah 8h]
Allah_In2: checks
LeechIII: checks
bastinptc: bets 700 and is all-in
Allah_In2: folds
LeechIII: folds
Uncalled bet (700) returned to bastinptc
bastinptc collected 570 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 570 | Rake 0
Board [Ks Ah 8h]
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: grtidea folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: dazza25 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (small blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 6: LeechIII (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 7: bastinptc collected (570)
Seat 9: dboat1019 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t folded before Flop (didn't bet)
PokerStars Game #21445731994: Tournament #116072608, $1.00+$0.10 Hold'em No Limit -
Level V (75/150) - 2008/10/24 0:26:45 ET
Table '116072608 1' 10-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: 23 J TRAIN (2960 in chips)
Seat 2: grtidea (1700 in chips)
Seat 3: dazza25 (1270 in chips) is sitting out
Seat 5: Allah_In2 (2455 in chips)
Seat 6: LeechIII (2830 in chips)
Seat 7: bastinptc (1270 in chips)
Seat 9: dboat1019 (1495 in chips)
Seat 10: 34t 5h1t (1020 in chips)
23 J TRAIN: posts the ante 15
grtidea: posts the ante 15
dazza25: posts the ante 15
Allah_In2: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts the ante 15
bastinptc: posts the ante 15
dboat1019: posts the ante 15
34t 5h1t: posts the ante 15
LeechIII: posts small blind 75
bastinptc: posts big blind 150
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to bastinptc [9h Jc]
dboat1019: folds
34t 5h1t: folds
23 J TRAIN: folds
grtidea: folds
dazza25: folds
Allah_In2: folds
LeechIII: raises 150 to 300
bastinptc: calls 150
*** FLOP *** [9c Th 7s]
LeechIII: checks
bastinptc: bets 600
LeechIII: calls 600
*** TURN *** [9c Th 7s] [Jd]
LeechIII: bets 1915 and is all-in
bastinptc: calls 355 and is all-in
Uncalled bet (1560) returned to LeechIII
*** RIVER *** [9c Th 7s Jd] [3d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
LeechIII: shows [4d 8s] (a straight, Seven to Jack)
bastinptc: shows [9h Jc] (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
LeechIII collected 2630 from pot
Of course, then I won the next three tourneys.
Make that 4.
OK, make it 6 out of 8.
I would like to than God, my mother and Yakshi....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
