I haven't had the chance to write for a while - everything is still good with me. I haven't been abducted by aliens. I haven't been kidnapped by any hillbillies. I've just been a little busier than normal.
Things that have happened since my last post...
* Went to Decatur for Jaycees GA last weekend - had a great time! Didn't get much sleep, but had a lot of fun!
* I broke my temporary teeth last Saturday and had to walk around for 5 days with a 2-tooth gap in my smile. But yesterday, I got it fixed again. In 3 weeks, I go get my permanant bridge, so hopefully my tooth problems will be over with!
* The last 3 series I've bowled have all been over 600. I'm on a roll (literally)!
* Yesterday I lost $100 online playing poker. I'm not on a roll.
* My 2 favorite tennis players, Roger Federer and Daniela Hantuchova, both made the semis of the Australian Open, but they both lost there. I'll still probably watch the finals, but I don't care who wins now.
I'll try not to take so long between posts next time.
Here's today's trivia question...
I've got a package of Ritz Bits cheesy sandwich crackers in my hand. What is the listed as the main ingredient?
Good luck!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Statistics
Well, I've had PokerTracker now for over a month, and since I bought it, my account has gone from $150 to $465 and back down to $420 where it currently is now. I've played 16,935 hands in the past month (sounds like a lot, and it is, but most of the time, I'm playing multiple tables at a time). Last night I was checking out the stats of my play and I've found some interesting things. Here are the ten hands that I've won the most money on...
1. 88 (+$261.35 - dealt 82 times)
I don't know why this is my most profitable hand. I know at the beginning I won a couple of monster pots with pocket 8's - once I flopped K88 and beat pocket kings for a huge pot. But I play eights like any small pair - limp and see the flop for as cheap as possible and if I don't flop a set or 3 unders, I fold. That way, I'll either win a nice pot, or lose a pot I only invested one bet into. Still, or some reason, I've hit more than my share of sets with pocket 8s. But hey, I'm not complaining!
2. AA (+$229.35 - dealt 88 times)
This is the hand you'd expect to see at the top, but not for me. It's slowly gaining on the pocket 8s, and I'm thinking before too long, it will be my most profitable hand, as it should be. I obviously raise and re-raise with this hand preflop, but I will say this - I have a hard time folding this hand when I know that I'm beat. If I raise preflop with Aces and bet the flop and then somebody raises, I tend to still think my Aces are good. And sometimes they are, but a lot of times, I pay off a lot of better hands with Aces. Therefore, I win some nice pots, but I also lose pots where I've invested quite a bit of money, unlike the middle pairs, where I only lose small amounts. I'll still take Aces every time though.
3. QQ (+$197.95 - dealt 66 times)
This hand is more profitable for me than KK, and it really makes a lot of sense to me. When I play Queens, I always raise and re-raise preflop, but I know they're vulnerable. If any overcard comes on the flop, I'm probably behind, so I can fold and feel good about my decision. It's an easy hand for me to get away from. When I lose big pots with Queens, it's usually to a set or a late-made straight or flush. But it's still a premium hand which will win me a great deal of pots when I flop a set or the board shows 5 unders.
4. KK (+$172.20 - dealt 69 times)
This hand, as far as premium hands go for me, is a trouble hand. I play it like all the other premium hands preflop - raise and re-raise as much as I can - but this hand has the worst qualities of Aces, as well as the worst qualities of Queens. Much like Queens, if an overcard comes on the flop (in this case, only an Ace), I assume I'm beat, but for some reason, just like Aces, I can't seem to fold these guys as easily. Lately, I've made a concerted effort to fold this hand whenever an Ace is flopped, and I think it's saved me some money lately. But I know earlier, I lost some heavily invested pots when my Kings would call to the river, just to get beat my Ace rag with an Ace on the board. If I can keep this up, I would expect KK to be more profitable than QQ in the near future.
5. 99 (+$167.20 - dealt 81 times)
This hand I play exactly like 88, but it's about $100 less profitable. This just goes to show that poker involves a lot of luck. If you hit the flop, you'll look like a genius as you rake in the chips. If you don't, you'll simply fold and watch somebody else take it down. 88 has simply hit more flops for me than 99. Period. That's the only difference between the two hands. But this is still my 5th most profitable hand, more so than some other hands you'd expect to see up here, so don't feel bad for the 9s, they're doing just fine for me, thank you very much!
6. ATo (+$136.15 - dealt 173 times)
I'm a little surprised to see this hand here. I'm sure variance plays a little part - winning a few big pots will skew the expected results of a certain hand. But upon closer look, this makes some sense to me. I don't play ATo any certain way all the time. I play this way differently depending on certain factors - If I'm in early position at a loose table, I'll fold with it. If I'm in late position and nobody's entered the pot, I'll raise with it. That's what makes it so profitable for me. I don't have any preconceived expectations with this hand. If I think I'm ahead, I'll play it strong and if I think I'm behind, I'll fold. Optimally, every hand would be played this way, but sometimes, it's hard to lay down a monster hand when it's been cracked. This one is easy to lay down, which optimizes its profit.
7. AKo (+$130.60 - dealt 165 times)
This is another example of one of those monster-type hands that I stay in with too long. I play it like Aces preflop, raising and re-raising as much as I can. But when the flop comes and it's 3 unders, I tend to call a bet, and even sometimes a raise, with nothing but a draw. If I can turn a King or Ace, I'm good most of the time. But if I don't, I find myself invested for 3 or 4 bets in a pot where I have nothing. Again, I'll take this hand every time, but just getting dealt AKo doesn't promise anything - it is what it is - a drawing hand. A very strong drawing hand, but still a drawing hand.
8. JJ (+$126.00 - dealt 76 times)
JJ is a hand that I play strong pre-flop, just like all the bigger pairs. But after the flop, I play it just like a middle pair. If I flop a set or 3 undercards, I'll bet it strong. But if there's an overcard and somebody comes out and bets, I'll quickly fold. This hand sees flops with 3 unders much more than pocket 8's or pocket 9's, so I'm playing in more of those pots with this hand. That's a scary hand to play, as the overcard on the turn or river can (and usually does) beat me. I'm thinking that's why this hand isn't as profitable as those other middle pairs. But I can't fold JJ on a 3-6-T flop, can I?
9. AKs (+$94.00 - dealt 52 times)
This hand would be a lot higher on the list if I had been dealt it more. Of all the top ten hands, this one I have been dealt the least. But only the top 4 have a bigger per-hand profit margin than AKs. And that's obvious - this hand can make the nut straight, the nut flush, and TPTK, all of which win nice sized pots. And like AKo, it'll beat A-rag when an A comes on the flop, which on Poker Stars is huge, because it seems like everybody plays any Ace on that site. Of course it sucks when their A6 sees a 3-6-A flop - I can't and won't get away from that hand. But although it happens sometimes, the odds of it happening aren't very good, which makes AKs a great hand to have.
10. JTs (+$81.90 - dealt 61 times)
I like playing JT. Any time it makes a straight, it's the nut straight. Add to that the fact that it's suited, and you've got a really fun hand to play. Again, it's one of those hands that I play cautiously. I've folded this preflop, I've raised with it preflop - it's dependent on those same factors. However, this is a hand that seems to catch at least something on the flop. If the flop is all high cards, you've got a straight draw. If it's all low, you've got two overs. If it's in the middle, you've got either a pair or a straight draw. And the added benefit of being suited increases it's chances. It's a hand that if I see a flop, I usually see a turn and a river too, unless somebody's betting tells me I'm beat.
I'll post my top ten losing hands tomorrow - hope this is interesting reading. I know it isn't for some, but oh well - just live with it! :)
Today's trivia question...
If you added the number of major league baseball teams in California, Maria Sharapova's seed at the Austrailian open, and the number that Drew Brees wears on his Saints jersey, what number would you come up with?
Good luck!!
1. 88 (+$261.35 - dealt 82 times)
I don't know why this is my most profitable hand. I know at the beginning I won a couple of monster pots with pocket 8's - once I flopped K88 and beat pocket kings for a huge pot. But I play eights like any small pair - limp and see the flop for as cheap as possible and if I don't flop a set or 3 unders, I fold. That way, I'll either win a nice pot, or lose a pot I only invested one bet into. Still, or some reason, I've hit more than my share of sets with pocket 8s. But hey, I'm not complaining!
2. AA (+$229.35 - dealt 88 times)
This is the hand you'd expect to see at the top, but not for me. It's slowly gaining on the pocket 8s, and I'm thinking before too long, it will be my most profitable hand, as it should be. I obviously raise and re-raise with this hand preflop, but I will say this - I have a hard time folding this hand when I know that I'm beat. If I raise preflop with Aces and bet the flop and then somebody raises, I tend to still think my Aces are good. And sometimes they are, but a lot of times, I pay off a lot of better hands with Aces. Therefore, I win some nice pots, but I also lose pots where I've invested quite a bit of money, unlike the middle pairs, where I only lose small amounts. I'll still take Aces every time though.
3. QQ (+$197.95 - dealt 66 times)
This hand is more profitable for me than KK, and it really makes a lot of sense to me. When I play Queens, I always raise and re-raise preflop, but I know they're vulnerable. If any overcard comes on the flop, I'm probably behind, so I can fold and feel good about my decision. It's an easy hand for me to get away from. When I lose big pots with Queens, it's usually to a set or a late-made straight or flush. But it's still a premium hand which will win me a great deal of pots when I flop a set or the board shows 5 unders.
4. KK (+$172.20 - dealt 69 times)
This hand, as far as premium hands go for me, is a trouble hand. I play it like all the other premium hands preflop - raise and re-raise as much as I can - but this hand has the worst qualities of Aces, as well as the worst qualities of Queens. Much like Queens, if an overcard comes on the flop (in this case, only an Ace), I assume I'm beat, but for some reason, just like Aces, I can't seem to fold these guys as easily. Lately, I've made a concerted effort to fold this hand whenever an Ace is flopped, and I think it's saved me some money lately. But I know earlier, I lost some heavily invested pots when my Kings would call to the river, just to get beat my Ace rag with an Ace on the board. If I can keep this up, I would expect KK to be more profitable than QQ in the near future.
5. 99 (+$167.20 - dealt 81 times)
This hand I play exactly like 88, but it's about $100 less profitable. This just goes to show that poker involves a lot of luck. If you hit the flop, you'll look like a genius as you rake in the chips. If you don't, you'll simply fold and watch somebody else take it down. 88 has simply hit more flops for me than 99. Period. That's the only difference between the two hands. But this is still my 5th most profitable hand, more so than some other hands you'd expect to see up here, so don't feel bad for the 9s, they're doing just fine for me, thank you very much!
6. ATo (+$136.15 - dealt 173 times)
I'm a little surprised to see this hand here. I'm sure variance plays a little part - winning a few big pots will skew the expected results of a certain hand. But upon closer look, this makes some sense to me. I don't play ATo any certain way all the time. I play this way differently depending on certain factors - If I'm in early position at a loose table, I'll fold with it. If I'm in late position and nobody's entered the pot, I'll raise with it. That's what makes it so profitable for me. I don't have any preconceived expectations with this hand. If I think I'm ahead, I'll play it strong and if I think I'm behind, I'll fold. Optimally, every hand would be played this way, but sometimes, it's hard to lay down a monster hand when it's been cracked. This one is easy to lay down, which optimizes its profit.
7. AKo (+$130.60 - dealt 165 times)
This is another example of one of those monster-type hands that I stay in with too long. I play it like Aces preflop, raising and re-raising as much as I can. But when the flop comes and it's 3 unders, I tend to call a bet, and even sometimes a raise, with nothing but a draw. If I can turn a King or Ace, I'm good most of the time. But if I don't, I find myself invested for 3 or 4 bets in a pot where I have nothing. Again, I'll take this hand every time, but just getting dealt AKo doesn't promise anything - it is what it is - a drawing hand. A very strong drawing hand, but still a drawing hand.
8. JJ (+$126.00 - dealt 76 times)
JJ is a hand that I play strong pre-flop, just like all the bigger pairs. But after the flop, I play it just like a middle pair. If I flop a set or 3 undercards, I'll bet it strong. But if there's an overcard and somebody comes out and bets, I'll quickly fold. This hand sees flops with 3 unders much more than pocket 8's or pocket 9's, so I'm playing in more of those pots with this hand. That's a scary hand to play, as the overcard on the turn or river can (and usually does) beat me. I'm thinking that's why this hand isn't as profitable as those other middle pairs. But I can't fold JJ on a 3-6-T flop, can I?
9. AKs (+$94.00 - dealt 52 times)
This hand would be a lot higher on the list if I had been dealt it more. Of all the top ten hands, this one I have been dealt the least. But only the top 4 have a bigger per-hand profit margin than AKs. And that's obvious - this hand can make the nut straight, the nut flush, and TPTK, all of which win nice sized pots. And like AKo, it'll beat A-rag when an A comes on the flop, which on Poker Stars is huge, because it seems like everybody plays any Ace on that site. Of course it sucks when their A6 sees a 3-6-A flop - I can't and won't get away from that hand. But although it happens sometimes, the odds of it happening aren't very good, which makes AKs a great hand to have.
10. JTs (+$81.90 - dealt 61 times)
I like playing JT. Any time it makes a straight, it's the nut straight. Add to that the fact that it's suited, and you've got a really fun hand to play. Again, it's one of those hands that I play cautiously. I've folded this preflop, I've raised with it preflop - it's dependent on those same factors. However, this is a hand that seems to catch at least something on the flop. If the flop is all high cards, you've got a straight draw. If it's all low, you've got two overs. If it's in the middle, you've got either a pair or a straight draw. And the added benefit of being suited increases it's chances. It's a hand that if I see a flop, I usually see a turn and a river too, unless somebody's betting tells me I'm beat.
I'll post my top ten losing hands tomorrow - hope this is interesting reading. I know it isn't for some, but oh well - just live with it! :)
Today's trivia question...
If you added the number of major league baseball teams in California, Maria Sharapova's seed at the Austrailian open, and the number that Drew Brees wears on his Saints jersey, what number would you come up with?
Good luck!!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Weekend
Bingo Thursday was a great time - I wish I could tell you that I won a bunch of money, but I sadly cannot - in fact, I can't even tell you that I won any money at all. But J.O. got a bingo that paid over $100, and Keri got one that paid $100 exactly, so the Jaycees weren't shutout. Both girls won on the last bingo game of the night, so congrats to both of them!!
Saturday's home game was a huge success - we had 26 players!! I finally was able to put my pool table to use, I think it worked out OK as a poker table. I finished somewhere like 14th or so - I got my money in preflop with AQo against Gman's KJo and got outflopped. Congrats are in order for Gman, as he went on to win the whole thing. It makes me feel better that I lost to the eventual winner - he must have put my chips to good use! But don't feel bad for me, we played a cash game during/after the tourney and I ended up winning $65 dollars there, so I was up $50 for the night!! Win or lose, it was a great time, and I'm sure we'll do it again next month! Some interesting notes...
* The first two people knocked out of the tourney? Gordo and Ritter.
* J.O. got 5th place and finished in the money - pretty successful weekend for her between bingo and poker!
* Both Picken brothers got knocked out on the same hand!
Anyway, thanks to everybody who came over!
Today's trivia question...
As some of you may know, the Australian Open tennis tourney started last night. Who was the last player to defeat Roger Federer at the Aussie Open?
Saturday's home game was a huge success - we had 26 players!! I finally was able to put my pool table to use, I think it worked out OK as a poker table. I finished somewhere like 14th or so - I got my money in preflop with AQo against Gman's KJo and got outflopped. Congrats are in order for Gman, as he went on to win the whole thing. It makes me feel better that I lost to the eventual winner - he must have put my chips to good use! But don't feel bad for me, we played a cash game during/after the tourney and I ended up winning $65 dollars there, so I was up $50 for the night!! Win or lose, it was a great time, and I'm sure we'll do it again next month! Some interesting notes...
* The first two people knocked out of the tourney? Gordo and Ritter.
* J.O. got 5th place and finished in the money - pretty successful weekend for her between bingo and poker!
* Both Picken brothers got knocked out on the same hand!
Anyway, thanks to everybody who came over!
Today's trivia question...
As some of you may know, the Australian Open tennis tourney started last night. Who was the last player to defeat Roger Federer at the Aussie Open?
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Bingo!
* I played in one $5 SNG last night - finished 8th out of 9 when my set of queens went all in against a 4-flush that came on the river. But then I played some .50/1.00 and won $30, so it was another good night of poker for me! I wish I could say as much for my bowling - I bowled awful last night - I think my high game was about a 170 - pretty sad when I'm averaging 195. At least I'm off next week, so the break seems to be coming at the perfect time - I could use a week off.
* Tonight is Bingo night with the Jaycees - hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow about all my winnings! If you're in the neighborhood and want to join us, come on out! It's 6:30 at the Bingo Community Center in Peoria.
Here's today's trivia question...
What is the only city in the world located on two continents?
Good luck!!
* Tonight is Bingo night with the Jaycees - hopefully I'll be able to post tomorrow about all my winnings! If you're in the neighborhood and want to join us, come on out! It's 6:30 at the Bingo Community Center in Peoria.
Here's today's trivia question...
What is the only city in the world located on two continents?
Good luck!!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Ouch!
$2,657.06
That's how much out of pocket I'll have to pay to fix my chipped bridge. Plus, my entire allotment of 2008 dental benefit will be used up. I figured it would be expensive to fix, but I never dreamed it would be that much. What do you do though? I can't walk around with a big hole in my teeth - although I will be for a couple of weeks until they can get me in and start working on it. I'm going to have to make up a good story - chipping it on a chicken wing just isn't dramatic enough!
Watched a couple of movies last night while playing poker - first was 'Next'. I didn't care for it all that much - like I said, I was playing poker while the movie was going on, so I might have liked it better if I had paid closer attention, but it just seemed too far fetched for me. Then I watched '3:10 to Yuma' which was great! I'm usually not much for Westerns, but this one was really good. If you haven't seen it yet, it's well worth the rental fee.
Played two poker tourneys last night - both single table 9 player SNGs (pays top 3) - took 1st in the first one and 4th in the latter (my AKs couldn't beat pocket tens and I ended up just out of the money - played well though!) . Things have been going my way lately online - hopefully it continues! I've been on bad streaks just as often though, so I know it will come to a screeching halt eventually - but until then, I'm going to ride it out and see how high I can get my bankroll - it's as high as I've ever had it and it keeps growing!
Today's trivia question (might be more than one answer - first right answer wins)
Which word contains each vowel (A,E,I,O,U) only once, and in the order they appear in the alphabet?
Good luck!!
That's how much out of pocket I'll have to pay to fix my chipped bridge. Plus, my entire allotment of 2008 dental benefit will be used up. I figured it would be expensive to fix, but I never dreamed it would be that much. What do you do though? I can't walk around with a big hole in my teeth - although I will be for a couple of weeks until they can get me in and start working on it. I'm going to have to make up a good story - chipping it on a chicken wing just isn't dramatic enough!
Watched a couple of movies last night while playing poker - first was 'Next'. I didn't care for it all that much - like I said, I was playing poker while the movie was going on, so I might have liked it better if I had paid closer attention, but it just seemed too far fetched for me. Then I watched '3:10 to Yuma' which was great! I'm usually not much for Westerns, but this one was really good. If you haven't seen it yet, it's well worth the rental fee.
Played two poker tourneys last night - both single table 9 player SNGs (pays top 3) - took 1st in the first one and 4th in the latter (my AKs couldn't beat pocket tens and I ended up just out of the money - played well though!) . Things have been going my way lately online - hopefully it continues! I've been on bad streaks just as often though, so I know it will come to a screeching halt eventually - but until then, I'm going to ride it out and see how high I can get my bankroll - it's as high as I've ever had it and it keeps growing!
Today's trivia question (might be more than one answer - first right answer wins)
Which word contains each vowel (A,E,I,O,U) only once, and in the order they appear in the alphabet?
Good luck!!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Snaggletooth
* Went to Double A's for some dinner and to watch the NCAA Championship game last night - had a great time, but I lost $85 on the game (I took the under) and I chipped my front tooth eating some chicken wings. It doesn't hurt, but there's a pretty noticeable gap in my teeth right now. I've got a dentist appointment after work tonight - hopefully they can fix it up pretty quickly.
* Played some more online poker last night - I cracked Aces with my 56s and won a $40 pot, then susbsequently had my aces cracked when a river 9 gave some fish a set (J and K were on the board - how could he think his pair of 9s were good?) but oh well. Then played in a 180 player SNG - finished somewhere in the 120s when my pocket 5s saw a 5-8-9 flop - I got all my money in... against 6-7. Overall, I think I might have won a dollar or two, but nothing substantial.
Today's trivia question...
What 4-letter acronym best describes this?
* Played some more online poker last night - I cracked Aces with my 56s and won a $40 pot, then susbsequently had my aces cracked when a river 9 gave some fish a set (J and K were on the board - how could he think his pair of 9s were good?) but oh well. Then played in a 180 player SNG - finished somewhere in the 120s when my pocket 5s saw a 5-8-9 flop - I got all my money in... against 6-7. Overall, I think I might have won a dollar or two, but nothing substantial.
Today's trivia question...
What 4-letter acronym best describes this?
Monday, January 7, 2008
Recap
* Friday's murder mystery party was a blast - our team didn't win (cause we ain't smart like that!!! :) but we had a great time. I was the one who ended up being the murder victim (you'd have thought I'd be able to solve my own murder!) Matt King killed me because I was married to LT but years ago I had an affair with Becky and had a bastard love child Toby and Matt raised Toby as his own son and saw that I had willed all my fortune to Toby so Matt killed me so Toby would share his fortune with Matt (or something like that - like I said, our team didn't solve it - but that sounds pretty close).
* Saturday I played 3/6 at the Isle of Capri in Bettendorf - I can honestly say I've never played any game like it before. Every flop saw 6-8 players and nobody raised pre-flop but me the whole time I played (8 hours or so). In the first 2 hours, I was down $300 by some pretty brutal beats (AA cracked by 48o and 45o in a matter of minutes, AK beaten by 38o even with my preflop raise and hitting an Ace on the flop, and some others), but then I started winning some hands and by the time I quit, I had won back $200 of my original starting stack. Even though I lost $100 for the night, I felt pretty good about the recoup. Then I played online last night and won about $60 in a couple of hours - played some .50/1.00 limit, 1.00/2.00 limit and 1.00/2.00 limit 6-max and won at each table I played. Online poker is funny like that - some days the deck hits you all over the place, other days you can't hit a flop for the life of ya!! My cash account is up to $330, which is as high as it's been for a few weeks!!
* Illinois' basketball team sucks!! I just bought a sweet Illinois hockey Jersey on eBay, but I don't know when I'll ever be able to wear it - I'd like to wear it after a win, but that might be a while!
Today's trivia question (might be a hard one... good luck!)
Which rock band has a song beginning with the word 'Little' on each of their 6 CDs?
* Saturday I played 3/6 at the Isle of Capri in Bettendorf - I can honestly say I've never played any game like it before. Every flop saw 6-8 players and nobody raised pre-flop but me the whole time I played (8 hours or so). In the first 2 hours, I was down $300 by some pretty brutal beats (AA cracked by 48o and 45o in a matter of minutes, AK beaten by 38o even with my preflop raise and hitting an Ace on the flop, and some others), but then I started winning some hands and by the time I quit, I had won back $200 of my original starting stack. Even though I lost $100 for the night, I felt pretty good about the recoup. Then I played online last night and won about $60 in a couple of hours - played some .50/1.00 limit, 1.00/2.00 limit and 1.00/2.00 limit 6-max and won at each table I played. Online poker is funny like that - some days the deck hits you all over the place, other days you can't hit a flop for the life of ya!! My cash account is up to $330, which is as high as it's been for a few weeks!!
* Illinois' basketball team sucks!! I just bought a sweet Illinois hockey Jersey on eBay, but I don't know when I'll ever be able to wear it - I'd like to wear it after a win, but that might be a while!
Today's trivia question (might be a hard one... good luck!)
Which rock band has a song beginning with the word 'Little' on each of their 6 CDs?
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