The sky is starting to clear...

It appears the truth is about to surface.

Sunday Re-cap

I didn't play any of the majors, but I played in the Main Event Two Seat Giveaway on Full Tilt. It only had 167 participants, but I was unable to reach the first break. I had one particular hand of interest. The button opened the pot for a raise and I called with KT from the SB. The flop came T9x. I check-raised the minimum and was called. After an insignificant turn card, I checked with the intention of check-raising AI. Instead, the player went AI, I quickly called and was unable to hold against 98. It was still a very profitable week, as I earned 3,300 in cash games.

Grandpa's memorial service was on Friday. It was a pleasant service. Afterwards, we had a small gathering of family and close friends at grandma's. I hadn't seen several of the attendees in nearly ten years. Afterward, I went out with a group of friends to Hollywood. It was a belated birthday of sorts for Tara. Actually, it was quite belated - April 28th. We might as well celebrated my birthday as well. The following afternoon, I was invited to the Dodgers v. Cubs along with Jim, Tara and Newman. The sun was scorching, beach balls were everywhere and the Dodger Dog was delicious, but the Dodgers were unable to stage a late comeback. The last of the weekends festivities was spent at Paul's. We barbecued hamburgers, brats and carne asada, tossed back a few beverages and watched UFC. It was my first full UFC experience. Although it was a little violent for my tastes, it was rather entertaining.

Ramblings

I may have a different destiny. Apparently, I had to take an math placement test before registration. Oops! I will be taking it tomorrow. Odds?

Matt & I played in a golf tournament with a couple friends from high school, Russell & Dwayne. Matt won the putting contest. I wouldn't have believed it if I weren't there, because his putting is atrocious. I did not play as well as I did in Hawaii, but I was able to participate a bit. We finished -9. It was a solid effort, but we finished 11 shots off the lead. It didn't matter; we still had a great time.

Jonathan 'Jcardshark' Little is fourth in chips going into the final table of WPT Mirage. He will be competing against Phil Ivey, Gigabet, UGOTPZD and Amnon Filippi. It should be a great final table. Good luck!

R.I.P.

Grandpa passed away peacefully at 4:30 Monday morning at the age of 77. He was a husband, father, grandfather and teacher. It will be especially difficult next month during the World Series of Poker, as it was grandpa whom I was taught Hold'em. He was always proud and saw the best in each of us (the grandchildren). I love you grandpa...

Sunday Re-cap

I bit the dust in the Stars Sunday Million, a 109 Sat. on Full Tilt and the FTOPS Main Event. I especially enjoyed the big blind calling an additional 1700K at 140/280 w/ QJo and drawing out in the FTOPS ME. Granted, I was shoving with any two cards, but he risked nearly 40% of his stack.

Either way, it is of little importance. Grandpa has fallen into a comma and grandma has signed the papers for all forms of living assistance to be removed. He has been been given morphine, so he will not experience any pain. He will pass in the next few days. It will be a tremendous loss.

Solemn Saturday

It has been a very difficult couple of days. Shortly after returning from Hawaii, grandpa suffered a stroke late Thursday night. It was very sudden.

Grandpa and Marla picked up my brother, mom, dad and myself from the airport and arrived at grandma and grandpa's at 10:30. We picked-up Del Taco for dinner. Mom and dad spoke with grandma and grandpa in the family room, while Matt and I relaxed in another room, watching television and browsing the Internet. Grandpa joined Matt and I after my parents left. While we were watching Married with Children, grandpa went into his bedroom without any notice and laid down to rest. A few minutes later grandma came in and said she thought grandpa was having a stroke. Emergency services arrived quickly and over the next day and a half grandpa only got worse.

After being taken to the hospital late Thursday night, grandpa was unable to speak. He was soon paralyzed on the right half of his body and could not open his eyes. Early Saturday morning, the doctors issued the worst of news. With blood spreading throughout his brain having doubled from Friday to Saturday, he was given no chance of a full recovery and only a 10 - 30% chance of living longer than thirty days with the assistance of a feeding tube, etc.

After talking to the doctor and amongst one another, it was decided in the best interest of grandpa all forms of living assistance be removed within the next few days. I spoke to him after the decision was made. I talked about the weekends we spent playing cards when he and grandma came over on weekends in which my parents were out of town. It was grandpa who taught me Hold'em and Omaha. At the time, he didn't think much of Hold'em. He thought it was boring, but he showed an interest in Omaha. While I spoke to him, he frequently squeezed my hand, but he could not see, nor respond verbally.

He will be greatly missed and never forgotten. It would be too difficult to put into words; he is just that special.

Stone Cold Cooler

I never cease to amaze myself. Within the first fifteen minutes, I got AI w/ QQ vs. AA on a flop of Qxx and scoop a 1K pot (I called a cutsy RR PF to 48). Shortly after, I have top set on a flop of A74 and sarahbellum check-raised 20 to 60. He only check-raises with very strong hands, so I re-raised to 220, he RR AI for 1,000 and I quickly called. The stars aligned; I had him drawing to running sevens. I can't explain how great it felt. It took nearly a month, but I finally won a sizable pot against SB.

What took place thereafter was pretty remarkable. I played 1/2, 2/4 & 5/10 against pretty much the same players in each game. The results in each game shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Remember: I was playing against the same players in 1/2 as I was in 2/4 or 5/10. Naturally, I won a few buy-ins in 1/2. At the 2/4 game in which I was once up to over 2K , I ended up winning a measly $30. I lost nearly every sizable pot HU against booga1023 and spartacan. 2-outer with one card to come, pair over pair, couldn't hit a flop, etc. It was a real blast.

However, the real party was at 5/10. As the 2/4 games started to break, most of the remaining high limit players (relatively speaking) played 5/10. The session was so reminiscent of 10/20 NL on Party Poker it was scary. I'll be honest. It almost brought me to tears. I am going to rant for a little bit longer. I suggest closing the window, read on if you wish...

In less than an hour, I managed to lose nearly 4K. I have no idea what happened. It was like a perfect storm, as I was losing pots seemingly every way possible. It was quite unbearable, as I was called nearly every time in which I missed the flop or bluffed or semi-bluffed on the turn. I couldn't hit a draw, but I did manage a few walks with hands such as AA and KK and I got no action with the best hand on the river.

I especially like the following hands...

I RR PF w/ QQ and lost to T5 on a board of (TTJ9T). I only called on the river.

I flopped the nut straight with J9 on a flop of QT8. I was called on the flop and turn (J) and faced a large bet on the river (9) and folded.

I like going out with a bang, preferably losing a very large AI with the best hand. Thankfully, my wishes were very much obliged. I got AI against spartacan w/ TT vs. K7 on a flop of 876. The river was a K and I was pretty much left in awe. I figured a 5K downswing and a loss of $3,500 was enough excitement for one evening.

If I wasn't playing 1/2, it would be completely different, but I am still playing and winning in 1/2 against the same players I am losing against in 2/4, 3/6 & 5/10. I am running very well in 1/2 and 2/4 (6 & 10-handed) and poor in 2/4 + HU and 3-handed against the same players. I am also losing at a higher rate in 3/6 compared to 2/4 and 5/10 compared to 3/6. I have been taking elaborate notes, observing games in which I cannot sit and have been more selective in game selection. If I weren't running like manure, I think I'd be having very good results.

It is a spitting image of 10/20 NL on Party Poker. In the last two years, I have been able to maintain a positive level of thinking and a good mindset. Although I don't practice everything I teach, I have more the most part followed the advice I give regarding mind management. However, I don't feel the same way as I have in the past. I'm tired and can't handle such brutal swings anymore. With the last three weeks having been so miserable, it only makes going back to school even more appealing. I've even started to actually look forward to going back to school.

It is amazing how quickly the tide can change in the poker world...

Royal Flushy

I went golfing with my dad and brother on Monday and actually did quite well. If it wasn't for (2) triple bogeys & (2) double bogeys in the last five holes, I would have shot the best round in my life. Even still, I shot a 94 (Par 70, not 72). It isn't anything special, but it is one of best scores and I even counted every stroke. I won 10 skins out of a possible 16, as we had a push on the last hole and didn't play a tiebreaker, and lost a little in the putting prop. We haven't tallied up the overall results after two rounds, but I am probably about even. With my track record on the golf course, it is a win in my book. We are playing a third round tomorrow afternoon. It will also be our last day in Hawaii.

In poker, I won nearly $500 between .50/1.00 - 2/4 NL, 2/4 & 10/20 Limit and a 200 HU SNG. I also had a royal flush in 2/4 and received a $400 bonus.

Aloha!

Survivor

I hadn't watched an episode of Survivor since Roger Sexton, a family friend from Valencia, was on the show a few seasons back until watching the season finale of Survivor Fiji last night. I'm glad I did, because itt was quite interesting.

Dreamz put himself in quite the predicament. Should he keep his promise to Yau Man, risking being eliminated? Or, should he guarantee a spot into the final round? At tribal council, Dreamz was torn. He wanted to follow through and give Yau Man immunity, but he didn't want to be eliminated as a result. It is a valid dilemma, but Dreamz clearly made the wrong decision.

Dreamz did not consider the probability of winning if he were to go against the agreement he had made with Yau Man in an earlier episode. Jeff Probst asked Earl at the final tribal council what he would do in Dreamz's situation. Earl's response was simple: "I wouldn't be in this situation." However, Dreamz put himself into this situation and his decision directly influenced the outcome of the game.

If he were to have met with his side of the bargain, Earl & Cassandra would have likely voted for Dreamz and Deamz and Yau Man for Cassandra/Earl. If Dreamz beat Cassandra in the tie breaker, he probably would earned a few sympathy votes and had a chance at winning. However, he did not think of his implied odds and was more concerned in being in the final three, than an actual chance of winning. Who did he think would vote for him? GG, Dreamz!

Instead, Earl "Kansas City, Kansas" Cole back-doored a million dollars and Dreamz is left wondering how he is going to afford the taxes on a new truck.

Sunday Re-cap

I got outplayed in the last level before the 2nd break in the Sunday Million. I shoved with 99 on a board of T766 after my opponent checked on the turn. He showed AT and I was sent packing.

I also played a very lengthy session on Poker.com. Unfortunately, it did not go very well. I got destroyed playing heads-up and 3-handed (-6K). However, I won 4K playing 1/2 and 2/4 (mostly 6-handed). After rakeback, I had a net loss of 1,400. It was a very frustrating day. If only Poker.com was compatible for PokerTracker, as I would like to see how the numbers broke down. I could not win a hand against Chico or NiceHandKid, but I gave nickelo and most of the short stacks a beating. Although I hung around with Jaghut, I made a few too many errors and lost at least 1K against him. Besides going on tilt against NHK in 5/10 (fortunately I was able to draw out!), I played relatively well. Variance in HU and 3-handed is extremely volatile!

If I am unable to catch a nice run of cards soon playing HU and 3-handed, I think I am going to pull my hair out. Even still, it could have been worse. It ended up being a bad week (-4,700). Oh well, there's always next week...

Aloha!

Summer

I went golfing with my dad and brother at a golf course on the shoreline. It had a few scenic holes parallel with the ocean and had scattered lava hazards throughout the course. It wasn't a challenging course. However, I lack the ability to play a solid round of golf, so I had a few difficulties throughout the day. Surprisingly, I was able to at least get the ball of the ground from the tee box, as I was able to take somewhat easy, fluid swing throughout the majority of the round. Nevertheless, I struggled around the greens, duffing nearly a dozen short approach shots and made only a couple sizable putts. We played $5 3-way skins and a putting proposition bet. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise; I lost in both wagers, but it was far less than usual. For the round, I shot a '103'. It is a horrible score, even to my low standards, but I showed promise and am looking forward to going out again on Monday or Tuesday.

I have made it nearly half-way through my book, but I have only gotten burnt the few times I have laid out. 'Telling Lies' is quite an interesting read. It describes scientifically proven methods of identifying whether or not someone is being truthful and insight into the process in which how the human body responds to certain situations.

Besides the session against SB, poker has gone relatively well. I have also worked a lot with Matt. He is showing much improvement and should continue to improve drastically in the next few months. The horses have been playing well and I am planning on bringing a few more players aboard. By the end of the summer, I am planning on hiring as many as (6) additional players. It will start to get over-crowded on Poker.com, so I am going to start staking player on BattleField Poker as well.

I am looking forward to the many events I have planned in the upcoming months: Mono Hot Springs, golf tournament @ Valencia Country Club, Ryan's Wedding in San Diego, Vegas, Baby! and four more nights in Hawaii. Summer has officially kicked off!

Kaboom!

It was quite a site.

Only minutes into the session, I re-raised with KK, sarahbellum called with 65 and the flop came J65. It was not the start I was intending.

I was caught on a couple big bluffs. Then, this happened...

I check-raised with J7 on a flop of 775. SB called with 46 and caught a 3 on the turn.

I made a couple poor calls...

... missed every flop in which the pot was re-raised...

A walk here and a walk there...

Finally, I have an overpair or top pair in a re-raised pot... no action

Then, I actually got some action...

I re-raised to 100 w/ 99. Bet 200 on a flop of 986, called AI and lost to 87.

After this hand, I decided it was time to quit.

I lost 8.5 buy-ins against SB in (2) tables of 5/10 HU (-7K total for the session).

It is hard to describe the entirety of it all. Basically, I was out-flopped throughout the entire session. I was paid off in a couple spots and made a couple poor costly decisions, but I did not have near as many profitable match-ups. In a couple instances, I made a healthy bet on the river with what I thought to be the best hand only to have to fold after facing a raise.

I have taken notes from two sessions between SB and Baseball and each of the sessions I have played against SB, but I have been unsuccessful in changing the tide. I don't believe in blaming poor results on bad luck, but I have been quite unfortunate. It was difficult losing with bottom set vs. top two pair twice against Baseball for 2K & 3K on Sunday. It is part of poker, but I cannot afford to run so miserably against SB. He is much stronger than I had thought, but the deck keep smacking him in the face. I learned a little bit more about his betting patterns, but I should considering I lost nearly 9K in the process. I am going to take a few days off from playing against SB. In the meantime, I will look over my notes and devise a new plan of action. Hopefully, I will be more successful next time around...

Eh, I guess this qualifies as a rant of sorts. I'll try to keep these to a minimum in the future.

Must be Paradise...

In Cabo San Lucas, I wasn't able to scratch much of a profit (last summer), but I am off to a great start in Hawaii. In two sessions, I have earned 3K most which came from 'Smokedaerb' or some variation of. Other than foolishly over-playing trips, I played very effectively.

I am reading 'Telling Lies' (found in the Psychology section of a bookstore) and working on a tan. Both of which are long shots to come through, but I am wagering on completing the book before losing the farmer's tan.

Kona

My mother, Matt, Marla and myself have arrived in Hawaii at 11:15 local time. [My dad will be arriving on Wednesday.] We made a quick stop at Cosco for bulk essentials. I purchased a Samsung 20' wide screen monitor. It was $230, and I decided it would make multi-tabling much easier for the next 10 days. We are staying at a condo overlooking the ocean. I set up office on the balcony. It is quite the view. It resembles the set-up in Cabo San Lucas last summer minus Party Poker and the sandy beach. Cheers!

Verge of Destruction

After winning nearly 4K on Saturday, I was very confident and multi-tabled 5/10 & 10/20 NL against Baseball2K7 & bullitpete on Sunday. The session against Baseball was simply a disaster. I lost with bottom set vs. top two pair TWICE. On the first occasion, I called a check-raise on the flop and called AI after check-raised again on the turn. On the second occasion, I check-raised the flop, called a re-raise and check-called AI on the turn. The pots were 2K and 3K respectively. However, I only lost 400 on the day, as BP was in quite the charitable mood. In a very peculiar hand, BP called AI with 22 after I check-raised 400 to 1600ish with KK on a board of 9754. If a 2 came on the river, it could have been R.I.P. for my newly acquired laptop.

Laptop

I received a laptop for my birthday. Hopefully, it will last longer than the last...

I am in the SFV at a friend's house for the Kentucky Derby and De la Hoya v. Mayweather. We shall have many beverages and lots of drunken fun!

Dumb Luck

I couldn't resist trying to win back some of my losses from earlier.

Strike 1!

Furthermore, I played an opponent heads-up in 5/10 I promised myself I would not play.

Strike 2!

Although I deserved misfortune, I ended up winning 2k in 5/10 HU and another 1K in 2/4 & 3/6. Ooops!

-----

Justin 'Looshle' Pechie finished 2nd in the WSOP Circuit M.E. in Las Vegas (Caesars) for 260K. Congratulations!

Vomit

I played 'sarahbellum' HU 5/10 on two tables. In the past several weeks, I have had impressive results, but it was not the case today. In a nutshell, SB raises nearly every hand, re-raises to 110 often and only bets the pot on the river with the best hand. However, the cards did not fall in my favor and I also made a few costly errors. Even still, I was unable to connect with AK & AQ in raised or re-raised pots, missed every flop (one exception) in which I called a re-raise pre-flop and mostly won pre-flop with big pairs.


Slap in the Face

I re-raised to 110 w/ JJ, saw a flop of J76 and was only able to extract 175 v. 66. SB checked behind on the flop, called on the turn (8), and checked behind on the river (T). The river brought a gutshot and 3-flush.

Tilt

I took 98 against 66 on a flop of 996. If I wasn't rattled, I would have been able to get away from this hand. SB only makes aggressive moves at the pot with big hands and bets the pot with the best of it. I was fortunate not to have been up against trips with a higher kicker. This hand was clearly over-played and should have been easily avoided.


The Exception

I flopped a monster in a re-raised pot with K9s. After a flop of K9x, SB bet the pot (220), I raised AI, he quickly called with AK and caught an A on the river. It was a nice way to cap off a -4,800 session.


Although it was expensive, I learned a lot about SB's betting patterns and style of play. I should fare well in fare will in future battles as long as I can avoid costly lapses of judgment.

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edit:

I raised with KK (w/ club) and saw a flop of xxx (all clubs). SB checked, I bet 60 and SB called. The turn brought a fourth club. SB checked and I check behind. The river was irrelevant. SB checked, I bet 150, SB check-raised to 500 and I called. I'll remember to fold next time. Well played.

Still Rollin'

As I tell my students, "Find a groove and go with the flow." It's nice to be able to follow your own advice from time-to-time.