What's Up At UB?

Departure announcements from two big hitters at Ultimate Bet yesterday.

First, Annie Duke wrote on her Twitter account,

“Starting a new chapter in my life. Decided to leave UB, but the future’s exciting for me and the place I’ve called home for more than a decade.”

Later in the day, Phil Hellmuth also announced his leaving UB,

“Making a big move… leaving UB. Truly lots of great memories, but it’s time to move on… Mutual decision… Looking forward to a bright future!”

So, what's up at UB? My mantra is "follow the money."
 I'm guessing UB is unable to continue paying either one of them.

If you have a bankroll at UB, my advice would be to cash it in ASAP. It looks like the ship may be sinking.

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

Phil "Twinkletoes" Hellmuth

Did you see the recent tweet from the "Poker Brat" last week?

“OMG! Phil Hellmuth (me!) on ‘Dancing with the Stars!’ Outrageous! Might make a fool out of myself on worldwide television one more time.”

I'm not sure I want Hellmuth as my poker ambassador to the outside world. On the other hand, having a poker pro on a hit series like DWTS might bring some new players to the tables. What's the old line, "any publicity is good publicity."

Plus, it might be funny to see a Hellmuth blow up when he doesn't make the cut.

"Are you kidding me? That idiot from South Dakota can't even spell 'dance'. This is so sick! WAA! WAA! WAA!"

I've never watched DWTS, but I think I would watch this potential train wreck!

Go get'em Phil. All hail Caesar!

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

The Big Three-Oh!

Ms. Lucki Duck at Lake Tahoe

"So, what ya doing Friday night?"

"Umm... nothing."

"Would ya like to go out. Maybe to a movie, get sommin ta eat?"

"Sure."

And so it began.

I was a junior in college, she a freshman. I was working at a gameroom in the mall to help pay for my schooling and she had just started working at a kiosk that was located in front of the gameroom. She sold earrings and pierced ears to insert said earrings. Ouch!

A beauty with long auburn hair, I was instantly smitten. I had never dated a redhead before, so this could be interesting I thought!

Our first date included dinner at a restaurant/bar called the "Handlebar." I don't recall what either of us had to eat, but it's a good bet that a burger and fries were served at some point.

Health food.

After we ate, we went to see "The Muppet Movie."  Romantic, huh? But, as they say in the movies, "it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship!"

We dated for a little over a year and married on December 27, 1980. That makes today anniversary number 30.

The big three-oh!

And just as she was on that December day 30 years ago, she is still one hot redhead!

Happy Anniversary Ms. Lucki Duck!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Lucki Duck

Dominos!

 I've been invited to participate in a domino tournament this Saturday. The game of choice is "42".

The good news is that there's no money involved. The bad news is that I've never played 42 before.

I friend called last week and said that they needed a player. Was I interested? I explained that I have never played, but was willing to learn.

Yeah, I guess they were that desperate!

Another friend who has played 42 for several years came by to show me the mechanics of playing the game. I feel like a player that's new to Texas Hold'Em, I know the rules, but NOTHING about the strategy.

What's a good starting hand? I know in HE, but 42, not so much. How high to bid? Is there trapping?

No doubt I'll be the little fishy in a tank full of sharks.

Anyhoo, does anyone have some advice on how to not look like an idiot playing this game? I've heard it's similar to bridge, but I don't know anything about bridge either. However, I do know an expert bridge player that might be able to help!

Where are you MOJO?

Till next time, win the flips.

Happy trails.

Oops!

"Be right with you sir," the man behind the counter said as I entered. He was helping a young couple, who were renting a truck for a move to Ft. Hood, finish up their paperwork. After checking their truck for damage, they signed the contract in a couple places, initaled in a few more and then it was my turn.

"How can I help you?" asked Greg.

"I have to move some casino equipment for a party we're putting on for a client and I need to rent a truck."

"What size?"

"Sixteen footer," I replied.

"OK, I need your drivers license and a credit card."

And faster than a cat can lick his butt, I had produced both items.

"We have a problem," said Greg as he looked at my license. What he meant though was, "You have a problem."

"Your drivers license expired last October."

Oh crap!

Fortunately, Sonny Boy had driven me and I had him drive the rent-a-truck while I drove (illegally) in my pick-up back to my office to load some blackjack, poker, roulette, and craps tables.

Monday morning Ms. Lucki Duck drove me to the DMV. All the chairs were occupied and people were standing in the hallway, waiting to be helped.

"How long am I looking at here?" I asked the lady as she handed me my number.

"At least an hour" she said.

"That means at least an hour an a half ," I thought to myself.

Ms. Lucki Duck and I spent the next 45 minutes doing some Christmas shopping, then headed back to the DMV. "Fifty-five" flashed on the board at the front of the waiting room as we walked in. I looked down at the ticket in my hand.

Seventy-nine.

*Sigh*

Another 75 minutes pasted before my number was called. I felt like I had hit the lottery!

A quick eye test, one butt-ugly picture, and $25 later I was outta there and street legal again!

Watch out Texas, I'm behind the wheel again!

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

The Future Of Online Poker

I read an interesting post on crAAKKer's blog concerning a bill that Senator Harry Reid is trying to push through the current lame-duck session of congress. Here's some of his comments.

A few of the significant provisions of the current version of the proposed bill essentially will require current online poker sites (e.g., PokerStars and Full Tilt) to cease operations within 30 days of enactment of the law, and refund all deposits to customers. Then, there will be a 15 month blackout of all online poker in the U.S. while regulations are promulgated. Next, current U.S. land-based casinos will be able to request licensing from state gaming boards, most likely limited to only either Nevada or New Jersey. Finally, two years later, current non-U.S. and non-casino companies can request licensing.



The upshot of this bill is that current mega-sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt will need to go dark for a little over three years—a lifetime in the online poker industry. Further, eventual licensing would likely be considered by the Nevada or New Jersey gaming commissions, which at least appear beholden to the land-based industry heavyweights such as Harrahs/Caesars, MGM, Las Vegas Sands, and Wynn. So, licensing at a later time is no guarantee; all the gaming commissions would need to do is enact a regulation barring licensing to online gaming sites which violated any state or federal gaming laws in the past decade—not that they would ever act in a protectionistic manner.

So what will the future of online poker look like should this bill pass?

With a blackout period, there's also no guarantee that when online poker returns, it will be the same sort of game as it is currently, or as it was in its post-Moneymaker, pre-UIGEA, Party Poker heydays. Will many current casual players move on to new hobbies, never to return? Or will the easier—and legal—deposit structures, combined with regulatory controls over cheating and "name-brand" sites (e.g., WSOP, Venetian, etc.) bring in tons of new fish? Has the poker boom passed for good, and will the new sites wind up battling for the scraps of hardcore players?

Interesting insights. Go to crAAKKer's blog for the full article. He's a damn good writer and as a bonus, he's a Huskers fan!

Till next time, win the flips.

Happy trails.

Old Friend

Go Colonels!

We met in junior high, probably sixth grade, maybe seventh, neither of us could remember for sure. Charles was originally from Indiana and I from Kentucky, two transplants in southeast Texas.

Both of us were sports nuts, but we seldom rooted for the same teams. What's the fun in that? You can't trash-talk your best friend if you were always on the same side. Our biggest rivalry was our favorite ABA basketball teams.

Note: For you youngsters, the American Basketball Association was a rival to the NBA in the early 1970's. It featured a red, white, and blue basketball, and stars such as Julius "Dr.J" Irving, George "Iceman" Gervin and Artis Gilmore.

Charles' team was the Indiana Pacers and mine the Kentucky Colonels. The Pacers were picked up by the NBA when the ABA folded, but the Colonels were not so lucky and went the way of the dinosaur.

As kids, we talked and lived sports. ABA, NBA, NFL, MLB, NCAA, we followed them all and could pretty much name the starting line ups of most professional teams. When playing football, we were very resourceful. When a ball wasn't available, we used a pinecone, rolling it under our feet to soften the cone and knock off the painful sharp edges. No pinecones? No problem. We would use an empty soda can. Charles and I are two of the very few people who can throw a soda can with a perfect spiral! Think it's easy? Give it a try.

We were close friends through high school, but lost track of each other as we moved on with our lives. We would see each other on occasion, but I moved out of the area in 1980 and after that we pretty much lost touch with each other, although I had run into him in 1988 at a local mall.

Charles found me through Facebook a couple months ago and we rekindled our friendship through that venue. I was going to be in southeast Texas for Thanksgiving and was able to arrange lunch with my old friend yesterday. Charles was living in Kinder, Louisana, where he was the Director of Table Games for the Coushatta casino there, so we agreed to meet in Lake Charles, about half way for us both.

I was excited and just a little apprehensive driving to our lunch meeting. I mean, what do you say to someone who was, at one time, your best friend, but you haven't seen in 22 years? Would I even be able to recognize him?

As I walked in the restaurant, actually a sports bar (what else would you expect?), I saw the back of his head, watching a football game. I guess he heard me talking to the hostess, because he turned to face me, wearing an Indiana Basketball sweatshirt! What the hell!

When meeting an old friend after a 22 year abscence, you'd like to think of something profound to say, something that might convey how much our friendship has meant over the years and how often I re-lived the memories of our school days. My first face to face words to Charles after 22 years?

"You didn't pay full price for that piece- of- CRAP sweatshirt did you!"

"I feel the love!" he said.

And it was just like old times as all those years melted away. Charles said his kids are in their thirties, one married with a kid, one single. He's engaged and will marry for the third time this spring. Between him and his fiancee, they have five grandkids. Damn he's old!

He said he had been in the casino industry for 16 years, beginning with the Isle of Capri and moving on to Harrah's and now the Coushatta casino. I also learned that we both love poker and had both recently played in the WSOP. He cashed, I didn't. I guess I'll have to get back there again, I don't want to be one-upped by some Indiana hoser!

And you can bet we'll be meeting regularly on the virtual felt, talkin' smack and laughing loud!

It'll be like old times.

Till next time, win the flips.

Happy trails.

You Can't Hide Your Lying Eyes (From Full Tilt)

Lucki Duck's Opponents

You can't hide your lying eyes
And your smile's a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realize
There ain't no way to hide your lying eyes

I feel like Tiger Wood's ex-wife Elin. Except I only got ten bucks in my settlement. I guess she had a better lawyer!

This is the second one of these that I have received in the last few months. It makes you wonder how much cheating is going on that Full Tilt doesn't catch.

I would be interested to know how many of you that play on Full Tilt have received one of these. Let me know.

Dear Lucki Duck,

The Full Tilt Poker Security department has recently concluded an extensive investigation and we have determined that some of your opponents were in violation of our site terms.

We have permanently closed all of the offending accounts. In cases of proven cheating, 100% of the confiscated funds are returned to the players who were victimized. The reimbursement calculation is based on the number of tournaments or hands played against the offending players, and the amount won or lost against them.

We have determined that you are entitled to a refund of $10.80 which will be placed in your account in the next 72 hours.

For a number of reasons, we are unable to provide any other additional information regarding this case, including the players involved and the game type where it occurred. We thank you for your understanding in this regard. The vigilance of our players in reporting suspicious behavior is an important addition to our ongoing diligence against unethical conduct, and we carefully investigate every concern of suspicious activity.

If you believe you have witnessed unfair play at our tables, please don't hesitate to contact us at security@fulltiltpoker.com. If there is any other way we can be of assistance, please let us know.

Full Tilt Poker Security

Geez, I have enough trouble beating a square game!

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all my poker buds a very Happy Thanksgiving filled with hands that actually hold up and are immune to bad beats.

Spend time with your family this weekend and let them know how much they mean to you. No one likes to be taken for granted, so don't.

As for Lucki Duck, I'm driving 5 hours to the southeast with my wife and kids to spend the holiday with my in-laws. I'll make a side trip on Friday to see my sister and her family.

Food, fun, and family. A tough combination to beat!

Till next time, win the flips.

Happy trails.

Even Steven

A fun time at Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney. We had 11 runners sit down at two tables to pitch a few cards.

Players were falling left and right early, most becoming victims of horrendous suck-outs. Play settled down for a while and an hour and a half into the tourney, we were down to four.

I was able to steal a couple pots, c-betting missed flops in position, but as we hit the bubble, both Sonny Boy and I were short-stacked, with Music Man and Lil' Annie Okie both sitting on large stacks.

Down to 3BB at $25/50 blinds, I open shoved K-T sOOOted and was called by Sonny Boy's A-J offsuit. Neither of us paired the board and Sonny Boy had me covered, so that ended my tournament play for the night.

Being Bubble Boy sucks.

Sonny Boy didn't last much longer, but cashed in third, with Music Man and Lil' Annie Okie chopping the first prize money.

In the $2 buy-in cash game, play was once again wild and wooley! I played TAG poker, but kept missing flops and had to re-buy a couple of times. As the time got late, most of the players left and we played four handed for the last hour. I opened up my ranges and had more success as a lagtard.

The most interesting hand of the night involved Sonny Boy and myself. Sonny Boy open limped from the SB and I popped it to 50 cents from the BB with the hammer. The flop hits me HARD, 7-2-K for bottom two. Sonny Boy bets 50 cents and I push. He only had a little over $2 in his stack and I had him covered. He insta-called and I apologized before tabling my two pair. I was certain he had called with top pair and was in trouble.

Tin Man asked, "You raised with that crap?" Umm... yes.

The turn was a blank, but the river paired Sonny's jack kicker, giving him the hand and the table went crazy!

"You deserved that one!" said the Philly Phanatic. Maybe. I can't believe the hammer failed me!

We called it a might soon after and I cashed out for a $5 profit, exactly my buy-in for the tournament.

Even steven!

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

Headed To Cowboys Stadium

Sonny Boy and I are driving up to Arlington this evening to see his old high school team play. Texas high school football is BIG in Texas and this is the second round of playoffs for the teams. I expect to see 20-25,000 show up for the game and its not even the top division.

I don't care a whole lot about who wins, I just want a look at "Jerry World!" Two tickets and parking for a Cowboy game run about $450. Tonight I'll pay $8 a ticket and $10 to park. Definitly +EV!

It's a two hour drive to the stadium, so it'll be a late night for the Duck. Should be fun though.

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

Tourney At Tin Man's

We had 13 runners show for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tournament last night. Unfortunately, your friendly blogger did not last long in this one.

We were at the third level of blinds ($3-6) and I had built my $100 starting stack to $120 when I was dealt A-K sOOOted in middle position. There was one limper in front of me, so I popped it to $16. It folded around to the small blind, Lil' Debbie, who called. The BB and limper both folded, so Deb and I were heads up.

The flop was Q-J-7 rainbow and Lil' Debbie checked. I c-bet $24 with my gut shot straight draw and two overs. Debbie called.

The turn was a 4. Debbie hesitated, then checked. I checked behind.

The river was an offsuit 8 and Debbie checked again. When she hesitated on the turn,I was afraid she might have a set, but when she checked the river, I knew she was weak and bet out $36.

"I'm too deep to fold now" she said. "I call."

Then she tables 4-2 sOOOted, pairing her 4 and crippling me.

ARRRGGG! Women. LOL!

I busted shortly after that in eighth place. Random Order and Bluffing Bev chopped first place.

I was able to make back my $5 entry fee, plus another $4 in the cash game. There weren't any real big pots, just a slow building of chips. I did manage to bluff Tin Man, Jaime, and Bondo Chris off of an orphan pot with 9 high. It was kinda fun showing that one!

Till next time, win the flips!

Happy trails.

Home Game

I played J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza earlier this week. Farmer Harry brought pizza and after a few slices the cards were in the air.

Early in the evening I called an unraised pot from the button with Q-T sOOOted in a game of Omaha high. The flop was Q-Q-Q.

BINGO!

The hand was checked around and I bet out 50 cents in this limit game and got called by Larry the Mailman, Woody, and Ray-Ray. The turn and river were checked around and I bet out both streets, getting called by Larry and Ray-Ray, both who had full houses. SAH-WEET!

It's always nice to win a big pot early and get off to a good start.

My $20 buy-in had grown to $38 by the time we called it a night. Farmer Harry was the big winner, pocketing a $21 profit, with Carl taking it on the chin, cashing out for $1... I guess it could have been worse.

Till next time, win the flips.

Happy trails.

WSOP Main Event Down To Heads Up Play

Don't read any further if you don't want to know who's left standing (or sitting). Heads up play begins tomorrow.

Congratulations to the nine who made the FT! Eight of the nine are millionaires, that should help heal the wounds left from coming so close to history.



Jonathan Duhamel, trying to become Canada's first Main Event Champion, leads American John Racener 189 million chips to 31 million. With a 6-1 chip advantage, he's gonna be hard to beat.

The Grinder? Fifth for $2.3 million.

Not too bad. Not too bad at all.

Win the flips.

Happy trails.

Two J's, J-Dawg and Josie

After three weeks I was finally able to join my peeps at J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza Tuesday evening. Three weeks ago J-Dawg had a softball game, so poker night was cancelled. Two weeks ago he was in Vegas, and last week poker night was on my birthday, so I missed it to be with my family.

Needless to say, it was good to see everyone again!

Farmer Harry brought pizza and J-Dawg had some left-over halloween cupcakes which were messy, but tasty. We had 12 runners pitchin' cards and talkin' smack, each had invested $20 for a seat at this dealer's choice limit game.

I started slow, getting the silver metal in several early hands. As you know, second doesn't pay well in poker and I was down $8 before getting my chair warm. Things turned around nicely and when I got up from the table I had booked a $22 profit. SAH-WEET!

Farmer Harry won the High Hand Jackpot with quad queens while playing Omaha. He hit his quads on the fourth hand of the night and it held up for the next three hours. Nice one Harry!

David the Cable Guy and Larry the Accountant were the biggest losers on the night, with Cable Guy getting rivered time and time again. It was ugly.

It was great seeing the J-Dawg crew again and winning a little coin made it even better!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Very Josie excepted, I had a nice night on Full Tilt last night. I shipped two $6-18 man tourneys, and also picked up a fourth in another and a seventh in a $6-90 man.

It's tough busting early on a 90 man final table. First place pays $144, seventh $13.50. As you can see, it's a huge difference, but I still netted around $45 for my efforts last night.

I played tight early in Josie's tourney, picking up a few blinds along the way, but not really getting any traction. My first showdown hand was against heffmike. Mike had been raising wide from the cutoff and button, trying to steal blinds. I finally got a hand (A-5 off) that I thought was good enough to play back at him.

I missed a J high flop but c-bet and was called by heffmike. The turn was an eight and we both checked. The river was another blank, but I felt Mike was weak, either holding a busted straight draw of perhaps second or third pair. I thought I could push him off his hand and bet a little over 1/2 pot on the river. Unfortunately, Mike called and tabled top pair, relieving me of about a third of my stack.

I looked up heffmike's stats after the hand and noted that he is a top player, boasting an impressive 21% ROI at an average $20 buy-in. Wish I had looked that up before tangling with him in that pot!

Note to self: stay away from heffmike in the future!

I was able to build my stack up a little over the $3000T starting stack when we hit the final table. Sitting to my left was fmarra17, another top player. Kee-rap!

Blinds were getting high when Josie open raised from the button. I was sitting on A-J offsuit in the SB, not a hand you want to play out of position. Josie's play is similar to Gary's and heffmike's in that she will open raise light from late position in order to swipe the blinds. I thought that might be what was going on here and decided to shove in order to isolate, figuring I probably had the best hand and might pick up a nice uncontested pot.

That's when Frankie (fmarra17) re-shoved from the BB.

Ruh-Roh.

Josie folded (she claims A-Q) and Frankie showed A-K, dominating my A-J. I didn't hit my three outer and although I had Frankie covered, I was crippled and busted a couple hands later.

So, once again I came up a little short in the Very Josie, but what a fun time with a bunch of blogging degens!

Win the flips!

Happy trails.

Multi Tasking

I had a good night at Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tournament last Friday.

Fifteen runners showed up to pitch some cards. I was seated at table 2, with Bondo Chris seated to my immediate left, followed by the Music Man, Philly Phanatic, Random Order, Bluffing Bev, and Lil' Okie Annie.

I started fast, winning a couple decent sized pots off of the Music Man, out kicking him twice when we both paired our aces. It only took about 30 minutes to get to a final table, which is unusually quick for this particular tourney.

Mama Chas had a HUGE stack when final table play began. She plays a very laggy style. I mentioned how many chips she had collected and Tin Man observed that she had drawn out on several people to build her stack.

I was card dead for the first hour at the FT, but managed to double thru Mama Chas. I checked a limped pot in the BB with the hammer, and hit bottom two pair on an A-7-2 rainbow flop. I checked, knowing Mama would C-bet as sure as the sun rises in the east. She didn't disappoint, throwing out a pot sized bet, which I smooth called. I check- called the turn and pushed the river, getting the call I was hoping for. Mama tabled top pair, but it was only good for second place.

Double R busted Random Order on the bubble when his J-5 outdrew Random's K-8. I busted Mama Chas in third place a few hands later and Double R and I agreed to chop the first and second place money. I walked away with a $25 profit in the tourney.

Nice.

My first hand in the $2 cash game was interesting. I was in middle position when I looked down at Q-9 offsuit. I limped, but Philly Phanatic raised to .50 cents and I called. The flop was 9-4-4, giving me top pair. I bet out for .60 cents, with Philly my only caller. The turn was another 9, giving me the boat! SAH-WEET! I shoved and was insta-called by Philly, who quickly flipped over his flopped quad fours!

Busto on my first hand. Geez!

I had to rebuy three more times before finally hitting a few flops and finished with a small $1 loss.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Online poker today has been interesting. My phone rang at 4:30 this morning, requiring me to get out of bed and stay by the phone as a family situation unfolded.

I had a 9:00 meeting at church, giving me a couple hours of down time before I had to start getting ready. I figured I might as well get a few tourneys in while I waited by the phone and fired up two $6-18 man, one $6-90 man, and two $3-90 man tourneys, thinking that two hours would be plenty of time to finish them all.

Wrong!

I bricked one of the 18 man tourneys, finishing in 11th, but won the second one, assuring a profit of at least $17 for the session. I also busted in the $6-90 man shortly after the first break when my A-Q ran into A-K, felting me in 46th place. Nothing better than getting it all in when you're dominated! Yeah, I'm that good.

The $3 tournaments went much better. I final tabled both of them, but my problem was time; I was running out of it. I needed to start getting ready for my meeting, but the tourneys were running longer than I expected.

What to do, what to do?

When we hit the second break, now two hours into the tournament, I decided my only chance of completing the games and making the meeting on time, was to multi-task.

So now, for the first time in my poker career, I'm playing two final tables while brushing my teeth! I bust quickly in one, finishing ninth for a minor cash. Now down to one tournament, I play a hand, shave, rinse the razor, and play another hand.

WOOT! Double up! Oops, spilled a little Afta on the keyboard. That won't hurt anything will it? It goes nicely with the Colgate stain.

I busted over half the players at the FT, building a 2-1 chip lead when I finally got to heads-up play. I limped the final hand with an 8-6 offsuit, hitting bottom two pair on an A-8-6 flop, with two spades. The villain min-bet for $8,000 and I smooth called, hoping he was putting me on a flush draw.

The turn was an offsuit J, and the villain pushed for his last $70,000, tabling A-5 for top pair. I called and shipped the tournament when the villain didn't improve on the river.

WHEEEE!

No time to celebrate, I was now running late. I jumped in the shower barely long enough to get wet, dressed and was out the door in record time! Fortunately, I hit most of the lights green and arrived two minutes early. Gotta love that!

As I turned into the parking lot, I received a phone call from Sonny Boy, alerting me that the family situation had been handled and all was well. Whew.

I netted a little over $95 in my session, all before 9AM. Not a bad start to my day.

Happy trails.

I'm Baaaack!

"Hello boys... I'm BAAAACK!" (Russell Casse, Independence Day)

After a $250 downswing in my Full Tilt bankroll, I finally made it all back, plus a little!

After placing third in a $3- 90 man tourney Saturday, I decided to play a $6- 90 man Sunday and finished a respectable fifth, going out when my pocket sixs lost a race to K-Q offsuit. Fifth paid about $50. Since I was running good in the 90 mans, I decided to try it again yesterday.

Bad decision.

I came in 88th.

I lost when my top two pair were outdrawn by an OESD that hit on the river. I don't think gambling your stack on a draw that early in a tourney is +EV, but with the knockout bounty considered, I could be wrong. It certainly worked out for the villain in this instance!

I also played a total of nine $6- 18 man tournaments, winning one and placing second in three for a net win of over $75 for the evening, putting my FT bankroll at a record high. SAH-WEET!


Hopefully, the hot streak I've been waiting on has arrived!

Happy trails.

Poker And Baseball

I played my first live poker in almost two weeks last night at Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tournament. I have to admit, I was going through withdrawal!

We had 11 runners for the tourney and I got off to a good start, winning quite a few small pots early and was able to coast until we got down to four players. Sonny Boy was short-stacked and open-pushed from the small blind for 2 BB. I peeked at my cards and called with my A-7 offsuit. Sonny Boy tabled 8-4 offsuit and caught some flack from the other players, but I was okay with the move. He needed the blinds to stay alive, and unless I had a good hand, I couldn't call. The flop paired his four and I didn't improve, giving him the double-up and putting me on the morphine drip.

James called Sonny Boy's open shove a couple hands later, tabling his Q-T versus Sonny Boy's baby ace. James paired up and knocked Sonny Boy out on the bubble.

I open shoved for 3 BB two hands later with A-2 and was called by Jamie's K-9. The flop brought a 9 and I cashed in third place for $10. James and Jaime chopped the remaining tournament money.

As has been the case at Tin Man's the last few weeks, I was absolutely
card dead in the cash game. The only hand I won was an open raise for 3 1/2 X the BB with pocket queens and it was folded around. That NEVER happens and I only won the blinds. I did split one pot with Bluffing Bev with the nut straight, but ended up dropping $6 before heading home with a $1 net loss.

None of us were focusing on poker as we should, because the ALCS was on in the background. The Rangers are my second favorite team (behind the Astros), and I was excited that they had a chance to go to the World Series for the first time.

Ever.

Add to that the fact they were playing the Yankees (AKA, The Evil Empire) just made it that much sweeter when A-Rod took strike three for the final out. If you combine A-Rod's and Sabbathia's salary, it's more than the entire Rangers roster. And they got their asses handed to them. Gotta love it!

My online game is going okay. I decided to play a $3-90 man KO tourney. I usually don't play these, mainly because I don't like part of the equity going towards knockouts, but it was a deep stack tournament, so I invested my $3.30.

I was able to double up my starting $3000 stack quickly and chipped up through the first hour, sitting in the top 15 for most of the time. My first hand after the break was A-K and I open raised 3X the BB. The button, who was slightly shorter, shoved and tabled A-3 SOOOTED. Of course I called, but he rivered a flush, knocking me down to less than 1 BB.

I got decent hands the next three times, shoving all three. I doubled up twice and tripled up once and was suddenly almost back to where I was before my bad beat. I was able to chip up and then knock a couple of players out and made it to the final table with an average stack.

Scanning the final table to see if there were any players I recognized, I saw none other than Very Josie sitting across from me! She was one of the shorter stacks, but soon doubled up when her soooted ace completed a flush on the river. Her villian had called with a bigger ace and went totally friggin bat crazy nuts when he lost the hand. It was pretty funny and VJ handled it well by just ignoring him.

We got down to three players, with Josie and I filling two of the chairs. I had the lead when we got three handed and was excited to see A-J and open shoved for 8BB. Josie folded, but the villian called. I felt like I would probably be ahead of a lot of his range, but he tabled pocket kings.

YUK!

I didn't improve and now I was the shorty. The very next hand I open shoved from the SB, trying to steal Josie's blind. She was in second and I knew she would need a big hand to call. Unfortunately, she had such a hand, flipping over Q-Q. My 6-4 soooted was no match, and just like that, I went from chip leader to out of the tourney in two hands. But when you're three handed and run into pocket kings and pocket queens in consecutive hands, it's not your night!

Josie finished second and was disappointed, but a second and a third in a 90 man tourney represents a good showing for us poker bloggers!

Good luck to everyone in the Sunday tournaments!

Happy trails.

Crawling Out Of A Hole

No live poker last week as the host at both of the home games I play had other obligations. Where are their priorities?

In my last post I mentioned that I was down about $250 from my bankroll's high water mark on Full Tilt. It was time to do some homework and plug some leaks in my game.

I found my main problem was playing too tight once the blinds got above $50-100. I hate, hate, hate, playing out of position and that was causing me to fold some playable hands from early and middle position. Another issue was my lack of re-raising a late position or button raise. I still won't with a junk hand, but let's just say that my 3 bet range has widened somewhat.

So far the results have been encouraging. I've made back half of the $250 and more importantly, I'm feeling better about my game. Hopefully, the winning will continue!

Happy trails.

Plugging Leaks

Live poker last week was uneventful.

We had chicken fajitas at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza Thursday night. Larry the Mailman grilled 'em and they were mighty tasty!

We only had eight players and I was lucky enough to draw a seat where I could watch my Nebraska Huskers whup up on K-State while we played.

Ollie the Accountant was the big winner, cashing for $47, better than doubling the $20 buy-in. Bobby Dee won the high-hand jackpot with quad aces. Ollie had a grip on it with quad tens, but it didn't hold for him.

I finished with a $1.25 loss for the evening. I'm pretty sure my bankroll can take the hit :)

We had 13 show for Tin Man's $5 NLHE Tourney on Friday. I was extrememly short stacked with four left (the tourney pays three places), and figured I was going to be the "Bubble Boy'" but Bluffing Bev and Jamie played a big pot, with Bev busting on the hand. Jaime raised my BB on the next hand and I was all in when I called for two more BB with K-3 offsuit. Jamie tabled A-5 and paired his ace on the river. Third paid $10, so I doubled my money in the tourney.

The cash game was well under way when I joined in. "Horseshoe" Ron already had increased his $2 buy-in to around $15 and the game was once again, wild and wooly! I was able to get my stack up to almost $5 when I doubled up with pocket queens.

Ron was being a bully with his big stack. I was seated two to his left and was getting tired of watching him raise every hand. When called, he would usually turn over a crap hand, but draw out to win another big pot. He was up to $25 when I finally got a decent hand. Ron raised to $1.00 (5X BB) from the button, without looking at his cards. I looked down at A-J offsuit, not the best hand in the world,, but certainly ahead of a random hand. I pushed for my last $4.80 and Ron called with "Doyle," T-2 offsuit. And like Doyle, he flopped two pair. I paired my J on the river, but it was too little, too late. I called it a night after losing 3 buy-ins for a net $1 loss.

I also requested a pillow for Ron, stating that he was "probably uncomfortable sitting with a horseshoe up his ass!" Thus a nickname was born.

You're welcome Horseshoe.

Online poker has been rough. After a record August, September wasn't as profitable, but I did manage to win a little scratch for the month. October, however, has been awful. I'm down $250 from my record high bankroll on Full Tilt. At the $6.50 buy-in level, that's almost a 40 buy-in downswing.

Obviously, I've developed some leaks in my game. Time to look at some hand histories and figure out what I'm doing wrong. Boring stuff, but it's gotta be done.

I hope my next update is a little more "upbeat"! Until then...

Happy trails.

Out Early In The Very Josie

We only had nine runners at the Josie tonight and I managed to take eighth. I guess it could have been worse.

I had built my starting stack of 3K up to around 3,500 when I got pocket jacks. Three of us saw a 7 high flop, all clubs. That's a lotta popcorn!

Both villains checked, and I bet 3/4 pot (700T) with my overpair. One fold and a call from Josie. The turn was an offsuit queen, with Josie and I both checking. The river was another small club and Josie put out the perfect value bet. I tanked and finally made the call... and lost half my stack on the hand when Josie tabled her flopped nut flush. But, it was well played by VJ, so props to her.

Women!

My bust out hand was pocket tens. I limped from early position and saw a 5 high flop. I bet out, Heff raised, I pushed, and Heff called with middle pair and an open ended straight draw. I was playing five tables at the time, so I don't know if Heff hit two pair, trips, or a straight, but I do know that my screen told me I had finished eighth. Not good.

I can't be too upset though. I got it in as a slight favorite and was out drawn, which was the theme of my evening. I can't tell you how many three outers felted me tonight, but it was ugly!

As always, it was a good time playing with my fellow bloggers. Josie, G-Man, lightning, Wolfman, Bam-Bam, and the rest kept the banter rolling throughout the tourney. Hopefully, I'll redeem myself next month!

Poker is fun, poker is fun, poker is fun, poker is fun, poker is fun...

Happy trails.

Cheated

I received an interesting e-mail from Full Tilt this morning.

Dear Lucki Duck,

The Full Tilt Poker Security department has recently concluded an extensive investigation and we have determined that some of your opponents were in violation of our site terms.

We have permanently closed all of the offending accounts. In cases of proven cheating, 100% of the confiscated funds are returned to the players who were victimized. The reimbursement calculation is based on the number of tournaments or hands played against the offending players, and the amount won or lost against them.

We have determined that you are entitled to a refund of $7.13 which will be placed in your account in the next 72 hours.

For a number of reasons, we are unable to provide any other additional information regarding this case, including the players involved and the game type where it occurred. We thank you for your understanding in this regard. The vigilance of our players in reporting suspicious behavior is an important addition to our ongoing diligence against unethical conduct, and we carefully investigate every concern of suspicious activity.

If you believe you have witnessed unfair play at our tables, please don't hesitate to contact us at security@fulltiltpoker.com. If there is any other way we can be of assistance, please let us know.

Full Tilt Poker Security

It got me thinking about how easy it is to cheat on any poker site. Just get a friend (or two) at your table, get on the phone and let each other know what cards you have. What a huge advantage.

Or register multiple accounts and have access to several hands at the same table.

Assholes.

I never really worried too much about being cheated, mainly because it didn't make much sense to me to cheat at such low buy-in ($6) levels. Wouldn't it be wiser to do the same thing at a $50 buy-in? No more risk and 16 times the reward.

I guess I'll have to be a little more vigilant in the future.

Too bad.

Online Poker Going Good! Live, Not So Much

We had a big crowd Friday for Tin Man's $5 Buy-In NLHE Tournament with 14 runners showing up.

I was seated at table two, which in front of the TV and I was able to keep up with the TCU/SMU football game while we played. Bondo Chris was seated to my left, followed by Music Man James, Philly Phanatic, Random Order, Ron, and Big Daddy.

Big Daddy and Debbie had missed the last few weeks, as they were attending high school football games. And believe me, high school football is serious business in Texas! It was good to have them back as they are both a lot of fun.

I was card dead the first couple of rounds, but managed to steal a pot or two to keep my stack at a respectable level. The pots were big at both tables and it didn't take long to get to the final table, which wasn't in front of the TV. FAIL.

The new table didn't change my run of bad cards, and I was unable to enter any pots since almost all of them were raised pre-flop. My bust out hand was Q-J soooted. I open shoved from middle position for 6BB and was called by Josh. Josh plays pretty tight, so I figured I was in trouble. My fear was confirmed when he tabled A-Q. I didn't improve and busted in ninth place. At least Josh used my chips well and ended up chopping the first and second place money. I managed to play the entire tourney without winning a showdown.

I couldn't see the $2 cash game being any worse than the tourney, but I was wrong. I had two new players to my left, both were loose passive players and I couldn't wait to get in a pot with one of them as they were calling all the way to the river with hands as weak as 6 high. Unfortunately, I still could not get any hands worth playing.

Finally, I was dealt A-Q UTG and raised 3.5X to 70 cents. One of the fish called and we saw a heads up flop of Q-6-9. I bet my TPTK, as I knew the villain would call anything. I didn't improve on the turn or river, but kept betting my queens until I got all my money in. I tabled what I thought was a winning hand, but my fish got off the hook when he flipped over pocket sixes for a set. Bye bye chips.

Dammit.

I managed to go thru five buy-ins without winning a hand.

Not.One.Single.Hand.

I blame it on Bobby D. He went the whole night on Thursday at J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza without winning a hand and I was sitting next to him. Obviously, I was infected with his bad luck.

Hopefully, next Friday will be MUCH better!

******************************************************************************

I had a nice set last night on Full Tilt. I played nine $6- 18 man SNGs and had one fourth place cash and two firsts. In addition, I placed sixth in a $6-90 man KO tourney. Including rakeback and a Full Tilt bonus I received, I'm within $7 of my all time high bankroll. I hope to make a new high tonight!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy trails.

"Have You Ever Played Poker Before?"

Burgers and brownies were on the menu at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza last night. J fired up the ol' grill and turned out a mighty fine sammich! Grilled meat is hard to beat! Larry the Mailman brought some brownies for dessert.

Health food.

We had 11 runners, with "Riverboat J" making an appearance after missing the last two weeks. Riverboat is probably the most accomplished player in this game (other than me, of course!) and he was seated two to my left. Not the best position.

Bobby D was directly to my left and managed to play the entire night without winning a pot. "A new record" he exclaimed!

Congratulations Bobby.

I won two of the first three pots in this $20 buy-in mixed limit cash game. The first pot I won was a rivered full house (Q over J) in a game of hold 'em and the second was a nut flush in Omaha high.

I was up about $20 after the two wins and also had a grip on the High Hand Jackpot with my boat. Farmer Harry took that away from me when he flopped quad nines in Omaha high. But, Woody later took down the HHJ with quad jacks, also in Omaha and also hit it on the flop. I guess there's no need to wait till the last minute to make your hand.

My favorite hand of the night was in a round of hold 'em. I was in the cut-off and looked down at 3-2 sooooted. Of course, my only option was to raise with such a strong hand!

I had five callers and we saw a flop of 2-6-J. Checks all the way to me, and I fire out a bet with my awesome bottom pair. Three folds and we were down to three of us in the hand.

Turn is a king. Check, check, and I bet my powerful pair of ducks.

River?

A deuce of course!

Oh my.

Two checks in front of me and I bet my trips. Both villains fold, but I HAVE to show my hand. Right?

I table the 3-2 and the Pissing and Moaning Club meeting is called to order.

"You raised with that crap?"

"What the hell are you thinking?"

"Have you ever played poker before?"

LOL. Priceless, plus I'll get action on my big hands for the next couple of weeks.

I cashed out with $38, not quite a double up, but still a good evening. Riverboat J was the big winner, cashing for a little over $50.

Tin Man's $5 Buy-In Tourney is tonight. I don't know how I'll do, but I do know I won't let myself blind out again like I did last week.

Happy trails.

Baseball Promotion Goes Bad

I saw this story on The Onion website the other day and thought it was hilarious!

As you may have guessed, my sense of humor is a little twisted :o)



16,000 Diamondbacks Fans Killed On Complimentary Rattlesnake Night



PHOENIX—The Arizona Diamondbacks organization apologized to fans, their families, and the community at large Thursday after more than 16,000 people attending the previous night's game were killed by the poisonous Western diamondback rattlesnakes given out as part of Complimentary Rattlesnake Night.

"I feel terrible," Diamondbacks general manager Jerry Dipoto told reporters as emergency personnel working out of temporary triage stations around Chase Field injected antivenom into the estimated 23,000 victims who survived the initial wave of snakebites. "All we wanted to do was give people something that was symbolic of the Diamondbacks, something they could take home and keep to remember the team by."

"I don't think they'll be taking their rattlesnakes home after this, though," Dipoto said. "They probably won't want them now that all those people are dead."

The rattlesnakes, which average 4 feet in length, weigh about 10 pounds, and account for the second-highest number of snakebite fatalities in the United States, were given out to the first 20,000 ticket holders who entered the stadium. While some volunteers initially suffered bites that destroyed their muscle tissue and caused major paralysis, event organizers said the promotion seemed to go smoothly at first.

"Other than a few hundred fans who complained of swelling, dry mouth, and blurred vision, most seemed to really like their rattlesnakes," said promotions manager Dustin Payne, who doctors believe will make a full recovery after the loss of his left arm due to venom-induced cytotoxic tissue necrosis. "They were twirling them around by their tails, you know, sort of like a Terrible Towel thing, and we were all thinking we had maybe started a great stadium tradition."

Observers said that even prior to the initial deaths, a number of isolated incidents seemed to indicate that the night was headed for disaster. One particularly rowdy fan had to be escorted from the game after waving his rattlesnake in a female attendee's face, and later, outfielder Gerardo Parra was poisoned and had to be carried off the field after a fan asked the hard-hitting lefty to autograph his rattlesnake.

When Diamondbacks reliever Blaine Boyer was spotted in the bullpen wildly convulsing in a writhing knot of rattlesnakes, the stadium grew quiet, save for a steady undercurrent of rattling.

Videotape of the event later showed thousands of fans toppling over and clutching their chests as the snakes' neurotoxic venom caused massive respiratory malfunctions and heart failure. Though most of the Western diamondbacks ultimately sought refuge underneath the stadium seats, by the seventh inning half the people in the stands were dead.

"Everywhere you looked, snakes were lashing out and biting people. I saw a man get bit in his calf, reach down to grab his leg, get bit in his face by another snake, fall down, and then get bit several more times on the top of his head," said Graham Rossini, the Diamondbacks' director of Special Projects and Fan Experience. "It's weird because they were such beautiful snakes, too. I think the problem was that we gave out a lot of older rattlesnakes, and apparently they can deliver much more venom."

"We probably should have given out baby rattlesnakes," he added.
The Diamondbacks organization has announced that it will donate all unclaimed rattlesnakes to a local children's charity next week. Until then, ticket holders who did not receive their rattlesnake may do so by sending the team a self-addressed stamped envelope and $8 to cover shipping and handling.

I hate when that happens!

Hat tip to theonion.com.

Poker And Bowling

Poker has been kinda meh for me the last few days.

I dropped $11 last Friday at Tin Man's $5 Tourney and $2 cash game.

I committed the cardinal sin of blinding myself out in the tournament. I was pretty much card dead the whole time. We were down to six of the starting 11 players, when I looked down at K-8 from middle position. My $100 starting stack had dwindled to $55. With blinds at $25-50, I decided to open shove before I had to take the blinds again. One BB doesn't give one much fold equity (LOL), and I was called by Tin Man, who I had covered, Chasity, who was the chip leader, and Josh, who also had $55.

I can't remember who had what, but Chasity won the hand with a rivered flush, taking all three of us out. As a matter of fact, of the 11 players, Chasity felted nine of us and ended up splitting the first prize money with Lil' Annie Okie.

Gotta watch them womenz.

******************************************************************************

Internet poker has cooled for me. I'm back to losing to three outers on a consistent basis. I've dropped about $70 in the last week, but hopefully things will turn around soon.

I'm still five tabling the $6- 18 man tourneys on Full Tilt, occasionally slipping in an $11 buy-in. I've also six tabled a couple times, but dropped back to five until I hit my next hot streak.

******************************************************************************

In non-poker news, we finished our bowling league last night. It's been quite a while since I've broken 200 at the alleys, but finished strong, rolling a 208 and 217.

WHEEEE!

I hope all of you are off to a good start this week.

Until next time... happy trails.

Record Night

We had 11 runners show up for J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza last night. I should have expected it was going to be a special night when I won the dealer button when I was dealt the ace of spades to start the evening.

Farmer Harry won the initial pot in the $20 buy-in mixed limit game when I dealt him the wheel straight on the river in a game of Omaha High. I lost $1 on the hand and it was the only time I was down the whole night.

I won the next hand, also Omaha High, with a king high straight and never looked back! It seemed like anytime I had a draw, it hit. Flushes, boats, straights, and quads... twice.

I also won the High Hand Jackpot. We were playing Pineapple and I looked down to find K-K-3. After several limpers, I raised to $1. No one folded and six of us saw a flop of K-K-A.

CHA-CHING!!!

Farmer Harry bet out of position, so I didn't have to lead out with a bet. I smooth-called to disguise my hand strength and mucked my 3. Four of us saw an 8 on the turn. I checked, figuring Harry would bet. He didn't disappoint, but only Larry the Mailman called. The river was another ace. Harry checked and Larry bet what I was sure was a full house. One of the house rules is that you have to showdown your hand to be eligible for the HHJ, so I didn't re-raise, but just called. Harry folded and Larry tabled aces full of kings. I took down a nice pot with my flopped quads and the hand held up all night to add another $13 to my stack.

The most anyone has cashed out for in this game is $80, but I broke the record, cashing out for an amazing $88!

SAH-WEET!!!

Friday is Tin Man's $5 Buy-In NLHE Tourney. Tonight will be a tough act to follow.

Happy trails.

The Party's Over

Well boys and girls, it looks like Lucki Duck's hot streak on Full Tilt has come to an end.

But what a ride it was!

After running hot for almost six weeks, I had two losing sessions last week and dropped a little over $50. Yesterday for instance, I got felted when my K-K ran into Q-Q. When things ars going your way, this hand holds up. You guessed it, queen on the flop.

I was sitting on 7BB when I called an EP raise with 6-6. The villian tables 3-3. Good call, right? Wrong. There's a three in the window and the Duck's goose was cooked. I must have bubbled half a dozen tourneys over the weekend.

One interesting (interesting = hilarious) hand I witnessed was at the second level of a $6- 18 man tourney. The player to my right was UTG and open shoved for 30BB (not the best move in the world, but it IS a $6 tournament), I fold, the player to my left calls, as does the player to his left.

The original raiser tables A-K, the first caller shows Q-Q, and the third caller,

the player that called a shove AND a call of that shove...

for 30BB, has...

wait for it...

...........

........

.....

..

4-3 offsuit!

I wonder what range he was putting his opponents on?

Flop? Why 3-4-4 of course!

BAM!

Gotta love this game.

************************************************************************

My live play is still going well. I won a little over $13 at J-Dawg's Poker Extravaganza last week. Farmer Harry won the High Hand Jackpot with a straight flush to the five. Nice one Harry!

I won Tin Man's $5 Buy In Tourney on Friday night, not because of great play, but great luck. We were late in the tourney when Tin Man shoved for 5BB from early position. Tin Man is a tight aggressive player, so I knew he had something decent, but because he was short- stacked, his range would be wider than usual. I looked down at A-T soooted and re-shoved to isolate. Tin Man tabled A-J and had me dominated.

Crap.

It looked bad until a ten fell on the river, sending the Tin Man off looking for an oil can.

One pivotal hand occured on the bubble. Sonny Boy open raised 3X BB from UTG. Random Order folded and I called with pocket jacks. Ron also called.

I had decided that I would live or die with this hand if their were no overcards on the flop, which came 5-6-7. Sonny Boy checked, I bet 3/4 pot, committing me, and Ron called as did Sonny Boy. The turn was an ugly 8, but it was too late to turn back now. Sonny Boy checked and I shoved.

Ron tanked before folding his sucker straight (so he said). Sonny Boy also tanked before saying, "That nine is the worst card in the deck," and folding his set of sevens face up.

WHEW!

I wasn't going to show, but Random Order rabbit hunted the river, which was another jack, so I turned up my hand to let Sonny Boy know he had avoided disaster.

I won the tournament when I shoved A-5 and was called by Random Order's K-J. The ace fell on the flop and that was that.

Including the $2 cash game, I walked out with a $30 profit. Fun times!

Happy trails.

Update On Hurricane Mikey

Linda Lou has some good news to share on Mikey.

Click here to go to Linda's blog.

The Dad Life

For all you Dads out there ...

Tin Man Tourney

We had a good turnout for the $5 NLHE Tournament at Tin Man's house, with 13 runners.

I was seated at table 2, which is good, because it's in front of the TV. Pastor Henry was seated to my immediate left, followed by Bondo Chris, Sonny Boy, Philly Phanatic, and a new player, Chastity. Chastity hasn't played much poker and was making the typical rookie mistakes, such as overvaluing her hands and calling down three barrell bets with second and third pair.

Bondo Chris got into several hands with her and profited the most. I was card dead at the beginning before finally being dealt pocket jacks UTG. I raised 3X the BB and was called by Pastor Henry and Chastity. There were three undercards on the flop, so I led out with a T15 bet into the T21 pot. Pastor Henry mucked and Chastity made the call. The turn was another low card, so I tossed T30 into the pot and was called again. The river was an ugly ace, so I checked, hoping to show it down. Chastity quickly shoved her remaining stack.

UGH.

I tanked for a couple of minutes, wondering if she truly had an ace or was she overvaluing a mediocre hand again. There was over T100 in the pot, but I would only have about T20 left if I lost the hand. I finally decided it was +EV to make the call and Chastity tabled a king high. Yea me!

We moved to the final table shortly thereafter. Bondo Chris bubbled in fourth and I finished third when I shoved from the SB for 9BB with J-8 soooted. A new player, Ron called with A-T. The flop gave him top two pair, but also hit me with an open-ended straight flush draw. Unfortunately, I didn't improve and that was that. Sonny Boy finished second, cashing for $20, with Ron shipping the $35 first prize.

The $2 buy-in cash game was wild and wooly! By the end of the night there was almost $80 in chips on the table. That's a lotta re-buys!

I was involved in the hand of the night. I limped with pocket eights from middle position. Philly Phanatic called, James raised, and Bluffing Bev shoved for $3.50. I called, figuring if I hit the set, I could take down a nice sized pot. Philly Phanatic and James also called, building a nice $14 pot.

The flop was K-7-7, with two spades and was checked around. The turn was an offsuit ace and was checked around again. The river was the beautiful eight of spades, giving me the full house and possibly completing a flush for one of my opponents. I shoved my remaining four dollars, but both Philly and James weren't on flush draws and mucked their hands. Oh well, a $14 pot ain't too bad!

I tabled my boat and Bluffing Bev commented that it was a good hand. I could tell by the excitement in her voice that I was in trouble. "But not good enough!" she exclaimed as she flipped over her pocket sevens, for flopped quads and started stacking chips.

UGH...women! LOL.

I lost $8 in the cash game, but won $5 in the tourney, netting a $3 loss. Pretty cheap for four hours of fun with friends!

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy trails.

"Riverboat J"

We had a new player last week, Jeremy, a friend of J-Dawg's. Jeremy seemed to be a good player, catching on quickly to some of the "unique" types of poker we play. He enjoyed it enough to show up again this week and brave the shark-infested waters known as "J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza."

We had 10 runners when we started, but added one more when David the Cable Guy arrived about an hour into the $20 buy-in limit game.

The festivities began with Bobby Dee's awesome brisket. The man is an artist with a smoker... big ups for Bobby! Some chips on the side and a couple brownies for dessert, and we were pitching cards.

My first two starting hands were good. The first was A-Q offsuit from early position playing hold 'em. I raised hoping to thin the field. It kinda worked as I ended up with three callers. I flopped top pair and a Q on the turn gave me top two. I lead out both times and was down to heads-up with Jeremy. A king on the river didn't scare me, so I threw in a $1. Jeremy raised, I called, and he tabled K-Q for the rivered full boat.

Dammit!

The second hand was Omaha, and I started with A-A-K-Q with two clubs. The flop brought me the nut flush draw and an inside straight draw. Needless to say I bet out. After raising the first two hands, not everyone was interested in folding this time. Even after raising pre-flop and post-flop, I still had four hanging around for the turn. I didn't improve on the turn, but bet on the come, thinning the field to just Jeremy and myself. The river was the club that I needed, but also paired the board. As in the first hand, I bet, Jeremy raised, I called, and he tabled another rivered full boat.

What the hell?

After my bad start, I stormed back, cashing out for $55, a $35 profit. Jeremy won the high hand jackpot when he rivered quad sevens in Omaha. He also rivered full boats on two other hands, that luckily, I wasn't involved in, which earned him the nickname "Riverboat J."

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy trails.

Hotter Than A Pepper Sprout!

Life on Full Tilt is still good!

Sunday was busy, so I was only able to get in two sets (10 games). I played nine $6-18 man tourneys and decided to try one of the $3 "Step 1" tourneys. I had never played one, so I don't really know the proper strategy, but "what the heck, let's give it a shot," I thought.

I won two of the $6 tourneys, and finished second in two others. I also cashed in one or two more, finishing the day with a $123 profit.

Nice.

The "Step 1" tourney wasn't a turbo, so it took longer than the rest. It was also an 18 man, with the top 10 winning another "Step 1" ticket, and the top four finishers winning a "Step 2" ticket.

I made the final table (which meant I was ITM and now free-rolling), with around 2,000 chips, 500 above my starting stack. The stack sizes were all in the 2,000- 3,000 range, except for one HUGE stack of 10,000 chips, which belonged to none other than Very Josie!

I was the small blind, and open shoved for 9BB with K-7 soooted. Unfortunately, the BB woke up with A-K. I wasn't able to hit my three outer and was down to 750 chips, or 3 1/2 BB.

Not good.

Josie gave me some good advice, "You need to double up!" Gee, thanks VJ! LOL.

I did double up, twice, which is what happens when you're running "hotter than a pepper sprout," and suddenly was back in it! The table was tight as we reached the bubble, and I was able to steal quite a few blinds from the player to my immediate left, keeping my stack at a workable level. Josie and her big stack was two seats to my left, so there wasn't gonna be any stealing from her.

After a third double-up, I was in decent shape and soon after, the bubble burst and both Josie and I were moving on to a "Step 2" tourney, which just goes to show... don't mess with poker bloggers!

And now, the "Man In Black."



Thanks for stopping by.

Happy trails.

Record Month!

The August multi-table experiment was a big success! I'm currently up to five tables without any downswing in my ROI.

As a matter of fact, my profit for August on Full Tilt (including rakeback) was $570. My previous high month was $400, so needless to say, I'm very pleased with the results!

Another benefit of multi-tabling is not having to witness the suckouts. I stack my tables, so once I make a decision, my TableNinjaFT program takes me to the next table that requires attention. So when the villian hits his two outer on the river, I never see it.

I think my blood pressure is down 10 points because of this feature!

******************************************************************************

As always, the Very Josie was a lot of fun. Just like last month, Josie had a good hand to shove with (J-J), but ran into my pocket aces.

Remarkably, the aces held.

Rakewell had the big hand of the night at the final table, hitting a spade royal flush, and getting paid off with it. Not to be outdone, MemphisMOJO hit quad aces a short time later.

My bust-out hand was pocket sevens. I shoved from early position with less than 10 effective BB and was called by Rakewell's J-J. Memphis came over the top of both of us with K-K and took down a huge pot, parlaying it into the win!

Congrats to Memphis for shipping the tourney, and also to Rakewell and Thorn In Side for the place and the show.

A lot of good players in this tourney. It's always a challenge and a very entertaining evening!

****************************************************************************

I played one set of five $6- 18 man tourneys after the Very Josie and was able to turn a $15 profit for the night, including the $11 I dropped at the VJ. A good start to September, which hopefully, will be another profitable month.

Happy trails.

Comeback Kid

I was playing an 18 man $6 tournament on Full Tilt last night. We were down to three players when I lost a flip, leaving me with T450 chips. The blinds were T800-1600.

Not good.

I managed to double up in each of the next three hands. All of the sudden, I'm back in it!

A few hands later, I'm sitting on all 27,000 chips with the virtual first place trophy in hand!

From T450 to T27,000.

Comeback Kid indeed!

Home Game Report

Another good week of live poker for Lucki Duck.

We had 11 runners at J-Dawgs Poker Extravaganza Thursday night. Farmer Harry brought pizza. Pepperoni, Canadian bacon, and hamburger were on the menu. Very tasty. The dough was thin and crispy, which is how I like it!

We played our usual .25/.50 limit game with a $20 buy-in. Omaha, Coconut, Pineapple, Stud, Double-Flop Hold 'em and regular Hold 'em were all dealt.

Like last week, I started fast and built my stack up to over $50 during the first hour and a half. Things went south after that, as I lost a couple big pots.

In one hand of hold 'em, I limped into an unraised pot in late position with 7-6 offsuit. The flop was K-7-6 with Woody betting out from UTG. I raised and everyone folded except Jeremy (a new player) and, of course, Woody. The turn was a blank and Woody checked, I bet, Jeremy folded, and Woody called. The river was my "bingo" card, another 6, giving me the full house. Woody checked, I bet, and Woody called. I tabled my full house, confident I had won the pot, but Woody flipped pocket kings for a bigger house!

I guess my house was in the wrong neighborhood!

"You didn't raise pre-flop with kings Woody?" I asked.

"No."

"And you didn't re-raise me on the river?"

"Nope."

Another interesting hand also involved hold 'em. I was dealt pocket aces and raised from UTG. I got two callers, Larry the Mailman and Ray-Ray. The flop was Q-9-4, rainbow. Not much to worry about there.

I bet, Larry folds, and Ray-Ray calls.

The turn is a K and I bet once again. Ray-Ray calls.

The river is a 3. No straight or flush possibilities, I must be good here!

I bet and Ray-Ray calls, tabling Q-3 for a rivered two pair.

UHGGGG!

"You called a raise with Q-3 Ray-Ray?"

"I always call when I have a queen. They're lucky!"

I guess he was right this time!

I won the high hand jackpot this week with aces full of sixes. I hit the hand early in the game and was surprised that it held up all night. Usually, it takes quads to win the HHJ, so I was happy to take down the $13 pot.

Sah-weet!

I left with a $23 profit for the night.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The $5 NLHE Tournament at Tin Man and Lil' Annie Okie's house Friday was a blast!

We had nine players, but two were knocked out early.

Big Daddy was felted on the second hand when he shoved two pair on the flop, only to be called by Lil' Annie Okie's nut flush draw, which she hit on the river.

Bondo Chris followed shortly when he also shoved two pair on the flop and was called by Bluffing Bev's flopped straight. Bondo didn't improve and we were down to seven and still at the first level of blinds.

My opening stack of T100 dwindled to T65, when I open raised from UTG with pocket nines. Bluffing Bev called and we were heads up. The flop brought only one over, a jack, so I C-bet, but was quickly raised by Bev. I folded and Bev showed her pocket kings.

Bev, Sonny Boy and I survived to make the money, with Bev pushing for 1BB twice, winning both times for the triple up when we were down to three players. We stayed at three for quite a while, considering none of us had more than 5BB at any time.

Bev finally knocked out Sonny Boy and we were heads up with Bev holding a 3.5 to 1 chip lead. I shoved K-8 the first hand and was called by Bev's Q-6. My hand held and I was back in it!

I also shoved A-T the next hand and was called by Bev's K-6. I hit my ten on the flop and was looking good, but the turn brought the king and Lucki Duck's goose was cooked. Congrats to Bev for the win!

The $2 buy-in NLHE cash game was wild! There was already a lot of chips on the table by the time I got there, with Philly Phanatic owning the largest stack.

I limped with Q-T soooted from early position, only to be raised and then re-raised, forcing me to play for all my chips if I wanted to be involved. There had been several callers in front of me, building the pot to over eight dollars. I only had another $1.40 in my stack and figured that it would be a +EV call with these pot odds and a hand that plays well against overpairs, which is what I thought I was up against.

After a lot of checking, the board was completed, showing a Q high. Would you believe my pair of queens took down this huge pot! WHEEEEEE!

Sonny Boy hit a queen high straight flush to win a nice pot. He also ended up stacking Big Daddy, winning two big pots off of him at the end of the night and cashed out with a $27 profit! Pretty good for a $2 buy-in.

That's my boy!

I cashed out with a $7 profit in the cash game, plus a $10 profit in the tournament, so it was another good night for the Duck!

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm up to five tabling on Full Tilt, with my winnings briefly going above $500 for the month, but I gave some of it back when I bricked my last set. So far I'm pleased with my results and plan to keep playing multiple tables.

Wishing everyone a good week and a profitable one at the tables.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy trails.