Expanding on Rush Poker

This game really has evolved so much. Since I started playing Rush Poker, normal tournaments just seem to move at a snails pace. While playing one $10 MTT last night, I managed to also play 10-12 135 man SnG's in the time that it took to just reach the money in my normal tournament.

The action is just so much more intense and keeps me focused. While the style of play is different, successful play still hinges on playing good cards and playing position in rush. I've found that I need to work on my bubble play in these SNG's. In the $12 ones, I usually have a healthy stack entering the final table and finish in the top 3-4 fairly easy. My problem seems to lie with the $26 level ones.

You would think the skill difference between the 12 and 26 rush tournies would be minimal. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Stepping up to the 26 dollar level requires a greater deal of aggression, especially when it gets short handed. The past 5 tournies at that level have seen me finish in the 20-35th place with 15 cashing. Somewhere along the way, my game seems to tighten up and I don't have enough chips to weather the coin flip scenarios that are dooming me at these critical levels.

However, I feel I'm still playing a strong game and my wins in the $12 levels far outweigh any losses I've incurred overall. In fact, I just barely missed the final table of a large $5 rush tourney with ~500 people and would have easily finished top 5 if not for a brutal 2 outter. Next time we'll be on the other end so I'll just have to keep plugging away.

Til next time see u on the flip side.

Rush poker

Wow it really has been awhile since my last post. Sorry for such a long delay. Work and personal life can eat up a lot of time and before you know it, 3 months have past.

Anyways, since my last post I've discovered this amazing new online game on Full Tilt Poker called Rush Poker. If you don't know what it is go check it out. No waiting between hands! This could be a game changer. I started out playing the cash games cuz that's all the offered at first but now that they have tournies, I haven't looked back. Not having rakeback is a real killer to my incentive to play ring games on FTP.

My very first rush tourney resulted in a 4th place finish for $1200. Not a bad start to a brand new game. Since then I've concetrated on their 135 man SNG's. While they only pay 15, the games are so soft right now that my cash % is somewhere near 40%. While I wish I had more followers, I'm glad there aren't many of you yet so you don't start eating into my winnings and playing these games.

I also got the chance to play the FTOPS main event a couple weeks back. Chipped up early on but made an bad 3 st bluff against a made hand after the flop. I was short stacked for the next couple hours before gettin the chips in with 44 and 8BB left. Oh well, maybe next time.

Til then, see you on the flip side.


-- Post From My iPhone

Casino play vs online

Have you ever sat at a table and just felt that everyone around you and stood no chance of beating you on that given day? I was fortunate enough to have that going Friday night at a local casino. I'd just wrapped up spending the evening with the wife at some banquet and decided while I was there to enjoy some live 1/2 action. Sat down with 150 and off we go.

On the other end of the table were 3 action nuts all bunched together. On my end I was sandwhiched between two tight nits and someone I played with previously two to my left. Perfect scenario for me.

Didn't play much the first hour or so just cuz I wasn't getting many cards or hitting any flops. But I had chipped up to 180. Then the first big hand of the night came up. I joined a few limpers with J8h and the flop came KT9 two hearts. I bet 1/2 the pot and got a couple calls. Turn comes an unassuming 4d. I check to one of the aggs on the other end who quickly bets 50. I go all in for about 100-110 more. He tanks for a few minutes and even says I have a set. Even tho he thinks this, he still makes the call and to my surprise he turns over K4? Note taken. I hit the river and scoop the pot. Nice to hit with a bazzillion outs once in awhile.

After that I slowed down and played only premium hands. The other end was giving plenty of action, so much so that the entire table was straddling at one point. I lost a bit with QQ to A8 to some fish and to the LAG on the other end who got more aggressive as the night wore on.

After losing with QQ, I would get AQ the next hand and miss the flop with 4 callers. The very next hand I get AKh. Standard live raise to 12 got a couple callers. Q56 two hearts. I check and let someone bet 20. I promptly raise to 55 to take it down right there. He tanks but decides to call. (note- this guy thought he was gods gift to the poker world criticizing everyone play and I was ready to show him up). With 160 in the pot and only 180 behind, I was shoving the turn no matter what came. It was a blank but of course I went all in. He tanked for a good 7-10 minutes but made a big call with QJ. Can't see how he calls so light but with two overs and the flush draw I felt I was good. Sure enough I hit the flush and he just sits there wondering what he got himself into. After that i played about 3 more orbits and left with about 560. Not a bad night at all.

Now last night I changed it up and played only online 45 man SNGs. Now I know tourney and cash are two different animals but even in a $10 tourney online, the competition is so
much more competent. I grinder out a nice $60 profit after getting 112 for 2nd in one and busting in the other 3. Not much to say except my big hands held in that one tourney and not at all in the others. Obv my time would be better spent at live play but online is so much more convenient. Til next time, see u on the flip side.

-- Post From My iPhone

Online Luckfest and Saints Hysteria

Been a rough past week on the virtual felt but it's hard to bring a Saints fan down during this past week of utter joy.




For the Super Bowl, my wife and I decided to go down to New Orleans to watch the game.

Going into the Super Bowl, I was just happy for to see my beloved New Orleans Saints in the big game. We had a customer appreciation day at work, black and gold became national colors and who dat nation was partying like the world was ending. Being in the French Quarter to watch it all was a moment I won't soon forget. 15 minutes after the game ended, Bourbon St had more people than I've ever seen, Mardi Gras included.


As far as poker goes, I'm not going to go much into it cuz there's not a whole lot to say. My big pairs are not holding up in key all in spots and I can't win a pot when it's needed most. Yesterday, I flopped top set 3 times only to lose all three to people chasing flush draws after the money is all in It will all even out over time but sometimes the short term can be a real bitch. That's all for now.

See you on the flip side.

UBOC Championship

Recently got to play in a few UBOC events while their series was going on. Thankfully I was able to satellite into the ones I played and didn't have to dig into the bankroll much at all to play.

The sweetest satellite was a VIP tourney where they were giving away 10 seats to the 1k championship event with a $109 buy in. Only 24 runners showed up so a couple double up was all tha lt was needed to be in contention. Played fairly well, got rivered by a one outter, and tripled up A4 short stacked to limp my way to qualifying. Hey, it's not where u finish, just whether u qualify or not, right?

First few events were largely uneventful with me not catching much and needing to race to stay alive. Didn't work out tho. After playing the championship event, I have realized that I have some major leaks in my game that need to be fixed in order to compete at the higher levels.

I doubled up fairly early with JJ when my opponent when turn river for a full house only to give my a higher one. After losing some small pots here and there, I got into a hand in the BB that crippled me. UTG limped, button raised and I hold AQ in the BB. Given my situation I should reraised there to isolate but I call and so does UTG. Flop comes all kids and checked around. Turn is an ace. I bet, utg raises and button folds. This is where I probably shoulda folded. Instead I call. River is a Q furthered complicating the hand. With 2P out of position I check. Villian over bets the pot to look scared and force my out, or so I thought. Calling this cost me
3/4 my stack and I just couldn't get away. He shows a flopped set and I never recovered.

The biggest problem I seek to have is to put my opponent on a range and commit to believing that he has the hand I am pitting him on rather than calling to find out. Once I come to conclusion, I need to be able to get away more often, especially when my hand is so mediocre as mine was in the example.

Fortunately I have found rush poker and oh what a gold mine this could be. Stay tuned for an update on this as I plan to dedicate some time to this new game.

Flipassassin

-- Post From My iPhone

Weekend Warriors

Seriously, why does it seem like the online players on the weekend and drunk or stoned? Probably cuz there are. Poker turns into roulette since these guys/girls will play anything to the river to try and make just a pair.

Thankfully these fish are a major source of my profits but also give me more stress than anyone should have to experience.

Bankroll update: Took some funds out to prepare for the GCPC at the Beau next month. Made about 40% of it back when UB's 600k jackpot hit and I was playin 8 tables at the same level ( nothing like free money).

My son's 1st b-day in tommorow and party is this weekend so my poker playing will be drastically reduced this week. Hopefully I'll have a tourney win to brag about next time. See you on the flip side.

-- Post From My iPhone

1st Post

Hey everyone. This blog is all about the journeys of a part time hobby poker player. I've been playing for about 8 years with mixed success for the first 5-6, but now I've finally become a successful mid level tourney player and decent NL cash player as well. I was even fortunate enough to play in the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Probably was WAY about my bankroll and level but its been one of my dreams so I said "what the hell" and went with it. I'll go more into that story in my next post but for now I'll get to the past couple of weeks of online play.

Most of my play is centered around UB. I used to play FT and Stars but have just not been a big fan of playing tournies with 1-2 thousand people and the players suckout more than they should. I've had more success on UB and have just been loyal since I do better on their site.

Big tourney nights online are on Sunday, of course, but Wednesday has good turn outs as well. The past two Weds, I've came in 2nd in the $15K guaranteed rebuy for $3k and $3.5K respectively. While those are great, I feel I should have won both tournies which left about $4k in earnings on the table. In the 1st HU match, and stack relatively close, I went all in with AJ vs. K8s. I went on to flop an ace to only lose to runner runner flush and eliminated. In the 2nd one, I was a 6-1 chipleader when the other guy goes on a sick run of cards. Everytime I go in on him, he has AA, AQ, JJ, etc.... We were back to even after two double ups and I lost with QT to Q8 when he spiked 2 pair to my high pair. Even still, Im starting to come into my own and this tourney has been good to me as a result.

While I dont want this blog to be my personal venting ground, I do have to get this hand off of my chest. In the same $15K this past Thursday with 15 left, I'm sitting 11th in chips and need to make a move to comfortably FT. My opportunity comes when I'm dealt QQ on the button. It fold to me and I make a steal looking raise. To my surprise, I get an all in and call from the blinds. The BB has me covered and I feel his calling range is wide open. THe SB was short so his range was also pretty wide. After almost talking myself out of it, I call. They flip over TT and JJ. BEST Scenario possible. Gets better (or so I thought) when the flop come Q85. PERFECT!! Then, the poker gods decide to bring me back to earth when it runs 9 and T to give the big stack the entire pot and ship me out in 14th. I really thought I had a chance to repeat this tourney if I win that pot. I watched our chipleader donk off those chips at the FT for a 6th place when he should have finished 4th or better easily.

I'm feeling this blog getting long for my 1st post, so I'll quit here. Hopefully they'll be plenty more success stories and less talk of Bad Beat stories in the future. See you on the Flip Side.