Orleans Friday Night No Limit Tournament

I started playing poker semi-seriously in 2001 when I moved to Vegas. I was still in the Air Force and at the time I was making more money playing than in the Air Force, so poker became more than recreation...I started treating it as a profession. So from 2001-2004, as I was still in the Air Force, I was also a semi professional poker player.

Before the poker boom which sprung up poker rooms all over Vegas, The Orleans Friday Night No Limit tournament and The Mirage Tuesday Night No Limit were the signature events in the city. It wasn't unusual to see the same people play every week. Some of them have gone to play bigger tournaments and even win WSOP bracelets (Scott Fischman, being a prime example)

As for me, I played those tournaments nearly every week, and did very well...I've won the Orleans Friday night 3 times and the Mirage twice, with my biggest score being over 5K at the Mirage. I've also had numerous cashes.

I gained a lot of respect from the local poker pros and even had some of them want to stake me, but at the time I turned all request down. At the time, I didn't believe in staking. I figured if I can't make it on my own, I shouldn't be playing poker. Plus, I didn't want to share the prize pool if I did make a cash. Basically, I was working for me and only me!!

Fast forward 6 years later, after getting into a relationship and having a daughter, my poker playing diminished. I would occasionally play tournaments but not at the volume I did earlier in my career. But now, I'm started to get back into it, cause I've come to realize...this is why you got out of the Air Force...

So I feel I'm slowly back and last night, I went to play the Orleans Friday Night Tournament and got back into the groove. My strength in tournament poker is I know how to accumulate chips, my aggression, and I know how to play position. I was able to steal and take a lot of pots by simply betting in position. My biggest weakness in tournament is my aggression sometimes gets me in to trouble, because I sometimes use my aggression at the wrong times -- called meltdowns! LAst night, I had one of those meltdown when I made a bad call for all my chips in a situation where I knew better.

Even with my bad call in the end, I felt it was the only mistake i made...I think if I start playing that tournament more often, I will get the results I had six years ago...I need too....

Vacation done!

After a great vacation, it's back to the grind. During my time in San Diego, I did alot of thinking and I need to take the bulls by the horns and take chances...not just in poker, but life in general. It's time to step up my game in all facets of my life..

This journal will be the roadmap to my journey....

Pursuit to $10,000 (6 Jun 2010)

Played 4 sessions of 1-2 NL and it was one of those weeks where I know I played well, but I was cold decked so badly that ended up being a losing week. In two keys hands I lost my entire buy in.

Hand 1: Aliante Station..

I only played at Aliante because my wife was playing the bounty tournament, and I was bored sitting in the sports book, so I bought in their 1-2 game. Unlike their sister properties that offer 1-2 NL (Santa Fe, Red Rock, and Green Valley) that I’ve played in which are normally pretty tough, the Aliante NL is actually pretty good game probably cause the game gets a lot of the bounty tournament players chasing their buy ins. The game I was in was typical passive preflop and post flop. The players won’t call big bets unless they have the nuts, but are willing to chase their draws all the way to the river. Because of the passiveness, you can easily manipulate the pot by betting small on your draws. If they have a hand, they’ll tell you right away, but at the same time, they fold if they hit nothing…even a small bet like 5 or 10 bucks.

So I raise in first position with Pocket 10 to 7 bucks. I have no problem making baby raises out of position…I get called in 4 sports. One with 200 who just rebought and another with over 300. I had 225...Big blind called as well. Flop comes 10 K 4 with two spades. I bet 15...called by two players…Big blind folds..river is 7 hearts, which also puts two hearts on the board….I bet 30...Thi s is the only mistake I think I made…I probably should have bet more, but I never afraid of people out drawing me. I’m willing to bet enough to call trying to maximize the pot….The first races all in…the second players calls….Of course I move all in….second guy calls….River is a 9 looks innocent enough. First guy turns over K7 for two pair..second guy had 86 spades and rivers a STRAIGH’T!!!! BUSTO!!!! Thinking it over later, I think I was destined to lose my entire stack cause I don’t think the 86 spades” player would fold to any bet . NICE HAND, and I head back to the sports book!

HAND 2: Planet Hollywood.


This is hand was just a “COOLER”!!. There’s a straddle…it’s folded to me in the small blind, I have 160 in front and complete with 10 9 offsuit. Big blind completes…We take the flop 3-handed…flop comes Q J 8 with two spades!! BINGO!! FLOPPED THE NUTS! I decided to bet the flop…I bet 10...In coordinated boards like that I bet the flop 85 percent of the time. The only way I check is if the players are extremely aggressive. In this case, neither player were aggressive…..The straddler is the only caller….River is a 6 hearts. I bet 20...Staddler raises to 60. With only 130 behind, I was sure he had two pair and was 100 percent sure he would call an all in…so I go all in…he instant calls…I show my straight…Straddler has Pocket 8’s for a flopped set!!..I play for the board not to pairs….6 on the river..board pairs…BUSTO AGAIN!! CHIPS!!!!!


In those two hands I lost 400 bucks, and although I had a great session at Rio (doubling my buy in) and Planet Hollywood (Pre Cooler hand)…I ended up a net loss..Overall I was happy with my play, but sometimes the deck goes extremely cold, but when you get knocked down, you have to dust yourself fall and go at it again. I’m looking to play cash games at least twice this week. Hopefully. I won’t be cold decked…I have to play my game and the money will come


PURSUIT TO $10,000: +$99

Renewing my Pursuit to $10,000

At the beginning of the year, I decided on an ambitious journey to make $10,000 playing poker in one year. Now, you may be saying that $10,000 isn’t much especially since I live in Las Vegas and the abundance of poker games are at my disposal 24 hrs/7days a week. But you have to take into account that I have a job and family I’m responsible for…These obligations take up a lot of my free time, so finding time to play poker is tough…
The first two months, I was trying to play poker..mainly online with the occasional trip to the casino and I was doing well, but I began to lag again. The last part of Feburary I didn’t play any poker….just couldn’t find the time either to play live or online.

Then in March, I started the P90x program (Home Fitness Program), which I became consumed with…Working out 6 times a week, I became obsessed with fitness, nutrition, losing weight, and all that good stuff associated with health that poker too a bad seat…Didn’t read a poker book, Didn’t read the poker forums, didn’t do anything poker.

Then a funny thing happened, my wife played a Ceasars Palace Ladies Event and finished 6th!!! She over a $1,000, and it made me think…I can play this game. I needed to get the passion of poker that my wife had.

There’s another reason why I’ve decided to renew this journey to $10,000! I’ve been boggled in my life..doing the same thing over and over, day after day..I needed something to pursue….something to accomplish…I needed a goal!! I don’t think its about winning $10,000, it’s about the journey. I want to see if I can do it! I want to see if I can see something through…I’ve done it with P90x, now it’s time to do with my passion….poker!


So in the coming weeks, you’ll be my passenger to my journey. I’ll tell you the highs and lows, the wins and the losts, and emotions of it all!!


So here we go….I started this journey playing cash games the past two weeks and I’m up $343! Hopefully…I’ll get to $10,000 sooner than later.

My Pursuit to $10,000 (Days 21-31 --Nothing but Sit and Gos and donking off at Aliante

Days 21-31 (Sit and Gos, then Donking off to the Locals)



Had a remarkable run in the Sit and Gos…cashing in 10 of the 14 I played, which included 5 consecutive cashes. I’m playing very well. On the other side of the ledger, I lost 130 dollars playing 2-4 Limit at Aliante Station. It’s so funny. I actually went to watch a basketball game, I peeked at the poker room and saw an open seat…and unfortunately I took. I played so fucking bad…I was playing too many hands and playing them badly. I guess when you get your aces cracked twice, you tend to play worst..Oh well..

Didn’t play any poker from last Wednesday till Sunday as I attended my mother’s retirement party. So this week, I’ll be trying to catch up. Hopefully, my good fortune will continue.

After One month, I’m up about $100 during this pursuit. I’m not discouraged or lost confidence…I’ve been playing very low stakes…I see this as a marathon, not a sprint. If I just cut off donking money off, I’ll get on track. I’m still extremely confident I’ll hit my $10,000 goal.



OVERALL STATS

Live Tournaments -- $-175
Live Cash Games -- $137
Online Cash Games --$-14.55
Online Sit and Gos -- $157.50
Online Tournaments -- $-13.20

My Pursuit to $10,000 (Days 19-21 --Nothing but Sit and Gos and one tournament)

My Pursuit to $10,000 (Days 19-21 --Nothing but Sit and Gos and one tournament)


Days 19-21 (Sit and Go Madness)


In the past 3 days, I played 14 Sit and Gos and cashed in 7 of them (which includes 2 wins). I’ve also had 3 tournaments where I finished 4th, just out of the money….I’ve busted playing very aggressively, so I’m happy with my overall performance. During this time, I’ve grinded out a profit, but it should have been more, but I’ve ran into some bad luck which is expected in these type of tournaments. Two in particular stand out…with 4 players left, the chip leader and I played a huge pot where I had Queens and he had Aces, and busted. The other one I had JJ and got in preflop against a loose-aggressive (extremely player) who had 65 suited and hit runner runner 5’s on turn and river to bust me….geez!! Oh well….


I played one multi-table tournament..a $2.20 with one rebuy/one add on..this tournament attracts of loose play….you can pretty much figure out your opponents hand ranges at this level by their bet size…they don’t understand the bet size vs. stack size ratio. They’ll either bet too much or not enough and you can pretty narrow what they have by watching this. I was able to build my stack with over 50K, but some unnecessary risks and ill-timed bets/raises were my doomed, and I busted out 8 out of the money…Oh well..Despite coming close to cashing I don’t regret how I played that tournament…Some nights it’s like that.


I’m heading for Georgia next week to visit my mom, who’s having a retirement party. Until then, I’ll probably play mainly Sit and Gos..I may slip in a couple of cash games sessions (Omaha Hi Lo)



OVERALL STATS

Live Tournaments -- $-175
Live Cash Games -- $267
Online Cash Games --$-14.55
Online Sit and Gos -- $66.70
Online Tournaments -- $-13.20


TOTAL: $130.95

My Pursuit to $10,000 (Days 12-15)

Day 12 (Nothing But Sit and Gos -- SNGs)

Played 4 Sit and Gos and won 2 of them.

For those who don’t know, Sit and Gos (or SNG) are in the broadest terms are tournaments that starts when they get a certain amount of people who want to play..they can be 2 or 3 table tournaments…180 players….etc. But generally SNGs are 1 table tournaments. The general strategy is to play tight early and become more aggressive as the blinds and antes increase. If you read the bios of the online professional poker players, many of them got their start playing Sit and Gos…It’s a cheap and easy way to build your bankroll when you have a limited budget. If played right, these SNGs are very profitable. For me, I love SNGs…whenever my bankroll starts to deplete, I just play a SNGs and I’m able to build my bankroll.

Day 14 (Horrible Cash Game Session)

One the biggest Mistakes a poker player can do is to play when you are not mentally prepared. You should be able to sit at a poker table at the beginning of a session, and be sharp at all times, because one mistake could cost you a lot of money…and on this partically day…I didn’t play my best…wasn’t mentally prepared, and it cost me dearly.

Our work was conducting a training class…I got off at 6PM and my class started at 8PM…so how to kill time..play poker of course…and I broke one of my cardinal rules…DON’T PLAY RIGHT AFTER WORK!!! I’ve been dealing all day and I lost a lot of my patience…I was playing too many hands and calling off my money WAY TOO MUCH!! The mortal sin in No Limit Cash Games is CALLING OFF YOUR MONEY!!! I pride myself to always play at an optimal level every time I sit at a poker table, but that night..I was the biggest donkey! It was sad…By the time 8PM rolled around I had lost $173 without batting an eye…

Lesson Learned (Hopefully) -- going to get myself mentally prepared before I play poker..

Day 15 (SNGs and Multi-Table tournaments)

Played 2 Sit and Gos -- Won 1. I’m also playing a multi-table tournament..it’s a $2.20 (1 rebuy and 1 Addon)…Didn’t do to well in the multi-table tournament….Really couldn’t get anything going. Got my stack up to 18,000, but made a bonehead play and couldn’t recover…oh well..there’s always the next one.


OVERALL STATS

Live Tournaments -- $-175
Live Cash Games -- $267
Online Cash Games --$-23.65
Online Sit and Gos -- $37.70
Online Tournaments -- $-6.60


TOTAL: $99.45