Need a game plan!!!!!!

As I was leaving my office on Friday, I told a few of my co-workers that I was going to turn $7.50 into an entry into the NAPT Main Event in April. It was a bit bold, but one of those "you can't lose" statements. So what if I had been wrong. Well, what do you know......I wasn't!!!!! I started at a $7.50 PokerStars Step 1 sit 'n go and after top 2 finishes in Steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, I'm in. The final of those 6 came a few hours ago and my hands are still shaking. Victory earned me the $5k buy-in, hotel for the week and $1,006 (not sure why the $6) in spending money. Now what?

I need a plan. I pulled out my two volume Harrington on Hold 'em books. Seems like a decent starting place. It seems like the best players have a diet and exercise plan. I'm open to suggestions. Tonight, I'm going to just put my head on the pillow and think pleasant thoughts. But tomorrow, I get serious!!!!!!!!

What poker career?????

I love playing poker but I just can't seem to find my direction. Where should I turn? I listen to one podcast and feel like I've figured it out and then I listen to the next one and change my mind. I love tourneys but can't seem to balance the time they take with a full-time job. Should I play cash games?

Great conversation with my friend Carlo today. He plays a weekly game with 20 odd guys. Low stakes. They put $50 in the pot each week. $25 goes to the weekly game and $25 goes to a pool that the ultimate winner must play in a live tourney. Any winnings from that live tourney get split 50/50 with the player getting 50% and the "equity" stakeholders splitting the other 50%. What sounded especially appealling was the fact that they not only play weekly, but they also discuss a lot of poker. Not much booze, no drugs, just poker and poker talk. I guess I'm a bit of a geek, but that sounds PERFECT to me.

Beware my friends, I may try to recruit you.....especially if you have a big basement!!!!!!

The dream just ended......

What a fun day it was.

I started slow....by choice. Played tight and very few hands, but as the evening got going, the hands I did play, I won. At the four hour dinner break, out of 833 entrants only 684 were still playing and the average chip stack was 3650. I had 655o. Not bad!!!!!!!

Levels 5 & 6 were not so kind. The hands I won were split pots (usually on the river.) and I took a couple of tough beats. But I got to the end of level 6 still with 2400 chips and we were down to 400 players. The blinds were 200/400 and both of my blinds got raised with lousy cards. So on the 2nd time around I was down to 1800. the guy too my right busted out and they moved Men "The Master" to that seat. I treaded water for the next 30 minutes. On my next big blind I got all my chips in (even though Gabe told me to never go all-in.....guess I should have listened!!!!!) with pocket aces. I was head up against 1 player. Flop came K,J,7 giving him a pair of kings against my aces. The turn was a harmless 9 and the river was a 3 which seemed harmless enough until I realized that it paired a 3 in his hand giving him two pairs which knocked out my Aces. Oh well.

Not sure if I could be any more tired. Lights out!!!!!!

Here we go.......

I'll be headed to the Rio in the next couple of hours. I spent the day there yesterday and got a good feel for my way around. Saw a bunch of my favorite players including, Doyle and Pam Brunson, Men "the Master," Chris Ferguson, Andy Bloch, David Singer, Clonie Gowen, Jen Tilley (sure, see counts!!!,) Billy Gazes, and many others.

My event begins at 5 PM today (local time) and could run for more than 10 hours. I've done my best over the last couple of days trying to get off of east coast time. I finally called it a day at 4 AM this morning.

I'll leave my cell on for the next few hours. After that, I'll post as soon as my day is over. Hopefully that will be very early tomorrow morning. If I survire Day 1, Day 2 will kick off at 3 pm on Wednesday. Here's hoping!!!!!!

Here we go........

I've decided that I like playing poker much more than I like writing about playing poker. Alas, the blog has not exactly been a big focus.

That being said, I think this will make for a good way for me to communicate my progress at the World Series. I fly out on Sunday night. I'll be playing in Event #6 (Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split - 8 or Better) of the WSOP. It's a 3 day event kicking off at 5 PM (Vegas time) on Tuesday June 3rd. Day one will end around 2 AM. Day 2 will start at 3 PM on Wednesday the 4th. Hopefully I'll still be playing. Day 2 will conclude when the Final Table is reached. The Final Table is scheduled for 3 PM on Thursday the 5th.

I'm ready. Not sure that I'm the favorite to win the bracelet, but I've got BIG dreams.

Wish me luck and if you happen to be in Las Vegas next week, buzz me on my cell at 617-869-8176.

I'll post updates.............

Here goes!!!!!!!!

I like most fairly new poker players watched ROUNDERS, Moneymaker, and the WPT. In that world everyone is a No-limit Hold 'em player and not neccesarily a "poker player."

I recently had the opportunity to attend the WSOP Academy H.O.R.S.E. session in Las Vegas. On the last night of poker school, there was a tournament where the final 3 players won a seat at a WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event. Low and behold I was one of them!!!!! When I returned home to Boston, I realized that it was time to learn poker.

There are poker podcasts, books, and even poker blogs. But really they are No-limit Hold 'em podcasts, books, and blogs. Let's fix that!!!!!

I have a confession. I LOVE OMAHA. No not the Counting Crows song (although I do really like that song!!!) I've fallen for Limit Omaha 8 or better. Not alot of books. Not alot of podcasts. Not alot of blogs. So here goes.......