Playing No More

Since the time I've started working outside of Manila, I no longer found myself in Poker tournaments. When I first came to Cali I've been looking for a place to burn some cash and skill up my poker knowledge. Still, I didn't feel like discovering new places to play without Jon around. He just makes going to strange places and knowing new people a breeze. I have had the chance to play with some Pinoy folks here during house parties and celebrations but found that I've lost that certain confidence. It has been awhile and my cool facade does not seem so natural anymore. Somehow I found myself in situations I would never have been when I regularly played. The short explanation is that I've forgotten how to play the game. So could it be the time to move on to another? Well, we certainly have started playing something new this game called, WoW. It helps us stay in touch. It's been cool but it is starting to get a bit boring.

Nothing beats the excitement in a poker tournament!

Passion in Poker

It amazes me how people can be so passionate with what they're doing... making me wonder if I have ever felt the same way. This has been a thought I've been wanting to write for the longest time but didn't seem to have the passion to do so...:P I think it came up when I watched a concert of Damien Rice with not so much a big crowd, but you'll feel the intensity that they have for the songs of such an ordinary guy who became this special and unique person because of his love for music and for pouring everything he has in his songs... I felt it... there was passion hard at work from the way he sang every song. I imagined all the disappointments and rejects he must have encountered to be where he is now... just like any other person who has found their calling.

I remember the words of Lance Armstrong in one ad, it goes something like...

"Christmas day...where are you? You're training...
2 weeks before the competition... are you overweight? No, you're two pounds below the cutoff."

Those weren't his exact words but the message can really get you going, right? My bf and I joke about this whenever we hear it saying something like...

"Christmas day... where are you? You're playing poker...
2 weeks before the tournament... are you out of condition? No, you're reading Phil Gordon's Little Green Book..."

Hehehe... I'm way behind now however, he is truly passionate in this and it is evident by how much he wants to be good at it and gain the skills he needs for a higher level game. This is smart poker, the one that really makes you analyze... not the kind you should be gambling with... it's not just pure luck... you need to be ready for the next move and go beyond the present play. So along with this passion comes all the disappointments and rejects but you go on because you know you can do it and because you can't help but love it.

I've not been updating because I haven't been playing much... been out... but I've been playing some small games here and there with friends... won some big stake ones. Miss playing the tournaments with people who share that certain sentiment with me, though... some strangers even... yes, a table full of strangers and your only allies are your position, your hand, your skill, and your luck.

The Secret's in the Telling

Haven't played much recently... last tournament was a small one, just in the garage of a friend... I placed first! Yey!:)

Dashboard has a song 'The Secrets in the Telling', its my poker song for the last tournament 'cos I definitely had to use tells to get the goods.

I was able to spot several guys bluffing their way and one particular guy was so erratic with his plays that it was so difficult to analyze his style. In some plays, it took me quite some time to know what the right move was.

What helped me the most was observing and spotting tells. I observed each player even when they were not playing. I was able to make use of table talk and spot signals from the opponent to know whether he or she was bluffing or not. When I was in the chip lead, I would make use of betting 2-3x the minimum to spot whether a player has a good hand or was just waiting. Learning the secret in telling is such a great power! If only I could easily remember this in big tournaments. Hehe! I still get nervous sometimes. :P

"...we are compelled to do what we have to... we are compelled to do what we have been forbidden..."

Luck Comes Armed with a Full House AK

Sit 'n Go with officemates and three players to go.

I was on BB and short stack (forced all in), my hand... A-A!!! What luck!!! The 2 other players called.

Flop K-K-X.

Chip lead raises, other guy folded.

Show cards... she had K-X... trips!!!

Turn comes... A... giving me a full house A-K!!!

When luck comes your way, it comes armed with a full house AK... dont you think!?! Hehe!

Defining a Bad Beat

My hand was AdQd and went all in because I was short stack. One guy called he had A8 unsuited.

Flop Xd-A-Xd... still leading with a higher kicker and nut flush draw!

Turn 8d... i got my flushes!! 2 pair for the other guy!

River 8... all hopes crushed... lucky guy! a full house on the river!!!

I laughed it off... it was a good hand until the river came ---&!@#&!@#@!@&!!!

The Q got me ITM!

Last friday, I was a bit tired to play MTT but my poker friends wanted to and am I likely to be the one who would miss out on the fun?! I don't think so! The game started out the way it usually does... fold and fold until a good hand comes. I was not leading nor was I ahead. My stack was most of the time ten times the blinds (until I got blinded out in the final table). There were some bad calls and I got bad beats but my emotions were intact. I was just staying cool all throughout... even when I won hands and became the chip lead at some point.

Here are some of the hands that are still rooted in my memory...

After a bad call, I had 77 and raised 6x the blinds... and u know what lucky bluffer (the guy in the Killer 8-8s post) reraised and forced me to go all in. I called. He had AQ and nothing came on the board. I doubled up!

Before the first table collapsed, I had AA and raised 4x the blinds. BB called and all the others folded. Flop comes and nothing came that would threaten my pocket rockets. I raised 3x the pot. The guy called again. Turn comes and I went all in and still he called. So, I doubled up again! I cannot even remember what he had... but he had been scrutinizing some of my plays beforehand so he was probably underestimating me.

Onto the next round, I had 5h,8h on BB. 4 people called and no one raised, I just checked. Flop comes 5-8-X. I had two pairs. I raised about 4x the pot size and the guy on short stack went all in. He had A,8. Turn and river came but no help for him.

On BB, I had K,4 and again no one raised, so I checked. 3 of us were in this round. Flop comes K-K-Q. I checked thinking of slow playing. Second guy raised about 2x the pot size. Third guy called but didn't seem to have the K. I checked my hand again and just called thinking that the second guy is not known to be a bluffer so, if he did have a K his kicker would probably be higher than mine. Turn comes, and no one raised. River comes Q... which gave me a full house so the kicker did not count at all. I raised 4x the pot size, Second guy got surprised but called. Third guy took his time to think... he had a Q but he folded. Turns out the second guy had a K, too and with a higher kicker... good thing the Q came to make us split the pot.

Now here is my favorite win, I had QQ and raised 6x the blinds. Chip lead went all in and all the other folded, I had a feeling he had AA but I called anyway. Flop comes the Q! Turn and river did not give him an Ace. So, I doubled up! Thanks again to the Q! This win made me the chip lead.

Onto the TV table as they call it, my first time and I was the chip lead... now, that's fun! Just a few good hands came along, though... and I think I only won 2x when there were just 6 of us. I got blinded out at this point... the best hand I had when there were 4 of us left was probably K9 and called an all in from the short stack since I was BB and only needed to add another BB size. The guy who went all in won.

The final hand I had was Ah6h and went all in, new chip lead called (lucky bluffer) and the guy who doubled me up with AA awhile back. Flop comes 10-X-6. Chip lead just had K high and I thought I had a chance since I had a pair but the other guy had a 10. Oh well it was a good game... got ITM! For the TV interview, when I was asked what my secret was I said perseverance. Haha! I should have said, perseverance and a LOT of patience!

Recalling the Killer 8-8s

Had a dream last night about poker... haha even in my dreams! The hand was 10-2 on BB, SB raises and still no folds for 10-2, the flop comes X-2-2! Trips! SB raises again and I remember thinking he must have a really big hand... and then I wake up to greet another day of poker coming along the way.

My bf and I were planning on playing at makati again and I recalled the last sit&go play I had there. Luck was on my side in the early part of the game. Had hands A-Ks, A-Qs, A-J, K-K, 8-8 so it wasn't surprising I was the chip lead right away.

On one hand, I had 8-8 and raised since I was in position. 3 of us were in this hand. Flop comes 4-8-X. I got the trips! First guy checked, second guy checked, I raised less than the pot size. Both guys called. Turn came, they both checked and I raised a bit more. First guy called but was somewhat questioning me. Second guy still called but was a bit hesitant. Ace came on the river, both guys checked again and I raised pot size both still called. Turns out the first guy had pocket 4s and tripped with the 4 on the flop. Second guy had high cards and paired with the Ace. I won a big pot on this hand!

Eventually, it came down to 4 players and 2 of us probably were leading in chips. On one hand, I had 8-8 again! This time I just called, two guys went along with their hands and flop came no 8s, and there were some high cards, I checked and someone raised the minimum bet, I called and I think the other guy called, too. Turn comes the 8! I re-raised at this point and 8 trips won me the pot again.

Another hand, I had suited connectors BB and called a raise from a guy who keeps bluffing with bad starting hands and keeps winning on the river! Flop comes giving me a straight draw and highest pair, I checked but lucky bluffer raises so I call. Turn gave me a straight and just called another raise from him. Flop comes giving me a straight and he raised again, I went all in. He called, sure enough he had a bad hand but was going for the lower end of the straight. The guy had only a few chips left so he could have easily become the bubble but he was really lucky!

Battle between big stacks came, I had Q-9 spades suited SB. Flop comes 5spades-7-Xspades which gave me a flush draw. I raised I think 3 times the blinds, guy calls all in. Hard decision... his chips had mine covered. He said 'fold na..' I knew he wasn't bluffing and told him I had a nice hand, too and showed him my Q-9 spades. He told me he'll show me his hand but I didn't really care what he had at that point because I know that if a spade comes on the turn or river I'd still get the pot. I did fold and until now I keep wondering if a spade would have turned up. Haha! He did show me his cards and he had 5-7 two pair. Well he could probably have gotten a full house but still I wonder... haha.

Next, came the death of my big stack ( I was second chip lead at this point)... I got A-Q suited and just called. Next two players called and big blind went all in. I covered his chips and had just a few chips to spare if I lost so I did call. His hand was my killer pockets 8-8!!! No Aces, Queens or eights came on the board. He doubled up and then suddenly I became the short stack!

Last hand, I had A-9 and went all in. Lucky bluffer and chip lead called. Lucky bluffer had a K-5. Flop came A-X-K, river K and the turn was no help for any of us. Lucky bluffer got my chips!!

Too bad... almost was ITM... My killer 8-8s turned on me!