Chasing Chris Ferguson

I’ve played off and on and just haven’t had the time to post about it. The games are always good. I stick with PokerStars because that’s where I registered with a -0- bankroll for my venture into wealth and fame as a poker granny. I still have a bankroll but it’s nothing to write home about…err…ahhh…maybe it is since I started with -0-.

I do find the game - all of the games - to be totally frustrating at times but I know that’s part of poker and I refuse to fall into the hole of thinking that I can’t win or that I’m ‘always’ beat. That’s the biggest downfall of a lot of players. They take a bad run, add bad play to the mix, and then convince their reasoning side (can they be accused of having a reasoning side?) that they can’t win. Of course I want to play against that type of player but I certainly don’t want to become one of them.

My live play has mainly been in 7 card stud 8 or better, 4c-8c with a 1c ante. I did venture into a 5c-10c limit at one point, but after losing about $2.00 decided to drop back down. I’ve placed in some tournaments, but nothing more than getting my money back plus a few pennies or a dollar, not complaining, just explaining. I like tournaments more so than live play right now but they are extremely hard to do anything in. Especially when you are fading a huge field and most of the players are on self destruct. I hate hands like this:

I understand why the Q-Q was in the hand. That doesn’t bother me, but I do get tired of the way the board runs out at times. It doesn’t seem to happen in my favor that way…maybe it does but I honestly can’t remember the last time it did. I have them right where I want them and then BOOM, they get away. Let’s split the pot. *puke*

And then there are the ones that are just too funny. Reading the chat in this one is a total must. Frogg89765 beat the shit out of me three hands in a row because he had the low DRAW and ended up making a high. In one hand I had A-K suited-A-Jack Suited, and raised it pre-flop, the blinds were $1K-2K and he called me - heads up - with 2-4 hearts, 3-5 Spades. The Flop was A-J-8 or 9 with 2 hearts. He made a flush on the river and won the pot. After he beat me three hands, almost back to back, he apologized in the chat, telling me that he was going for the low draw. Kee-rist! I had to chew my fingers off to keep from typing back “yeah, that drawing for half of the pot is really paying off for you…”

There were two NLH tournaments that I had plenty of chips and could have possibly done something in them but I gave my chips away. One in particular was when I had been playing well and holding well. It was a $1+10c tourney, the ante was 150, blinds were at 800-1600 and I was the SB. The BB had just been moved to our table and I had no idea how they played (that should have given me a second thought there but I still went bonk-a-looney with the hand).

I had 4s-4h dealt to me. Everyone folded to me, I called 800 more. BB raised it 6400 more to a total of 8000. I really did think about it”¦my ”˜time’ started and was ticking out. I felt I had to pitch or go all-in and see if I could pick up all the money in the pot – yes, the BB had me covered. I almost threw it away. Then I decided to go all-in; I raised it 18,172 more…to a total of 26,172. The BB called so fast it was scary. CRAP! The BB had J-J. The board ran out badly for me and the BB scooped a pot with over 53K in it. I wanted to shoot myself in the knee. This tournament started with 2991 players – I finished in 148th place and won $3.59 for my efforts, a clean win of $2.49. I had plenty of time. I didn’t have to go broke in that hand. I don’t fault him for his play, I fault me for mine.

I had a stellar day yesterday. I played two tournaments and finished in the money in both of them, taking 10th place in Omaha (clean win of 2.05) and 47th place in a LH tourney (clean win of 2.00) and beating two short sessions of 7 card stud 8 or better, one for 41c and one for 67c. Wow! Big bucks.

My bankroll is at $30.55. I’m not sure if I’m going to change much of my approach to playing or try to do anything any different. I like tournaments; I’ve played all of them, including one HORSE that I didn’t last long in. I thought I was registering in a LH tournament once, and after my seat was open, I found out it was 5 card draw. WOO HOO! I made it to first break before getting bounced out of that. I don’t care for it and I’m not comfortable with it. I was dealt trips twice and lost both times.

My favorites are LH, NLH, and 7 card stud 8 or better.

Glenda has done quite well with her -0- start. I’m so happy one of us is moving upward. I may end up having to start over in freerolls to get $$ - I’ve already considered that possibility – but the fact of the matter is that I AM NOT GIVING UP.

One hand that I have to share – the Card Fairy thought I was someone else for a moment – in the LH tournament I placed in mentioned above, I hadn’t had a huge run of cards and when I picked up a playable hand, I got it beat by an inferior hand. I had just picked up A-KH, blinds were at $50-100, I raised a raiser in front of me who was trying to get all-in, it worked. We ended up heads-up, he had Q-10H and he flopped two pair and won the pot. Yummy! The very next hand I picked up A-Ko and I was chip wounded. And slightly irritated. I raised, got reraised by another person going all-in, they won the pot with some piece of cheese.

I threw away the next three or four hands. I had 210 left. I was UTG and looked at 7h-8c. I raised – I had $10 left at the point. The bet was raised behind me with two callers”¦perfect spot for my nothing, if I make a hand, I at least have action. I called off my last $10. The flop was 10c-Qh-10s. Sheee-it! I went to the bathroom. I come out to hear beep-beeeee-beeeeep.

I won the main pot???? How possible. I asked for hand history obviously. The board played out with two running 7’s, giving me a full house. I won a main pot with $990 in it and that’s how I ended up in the $$ crawling back from nothing.

Crazy, som-bitching game, ain’t it?

This entry was posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 3:56 am and is filed under Uncategorized.