You must remain professional, if you want to be a professional poker player

Last night I had one of the most mentally draining sessions of poker in a long time.  Since I made the transition to playing poker full time for a living last week I have been playing eight hour sessions.  In No Limit Hold em a lot can happen in eight hours.  Especially in my club where the average stacks are much bigger than most $1-2 games and the action is crazier than 90% of poker rooms I have ever played in.  You have to be ready for big swings, even when you play a conservative, low variance style like I do.

Last night I was in for $300 and had about $270 in front of me a few hours into the game.  A fairly loose and aggressive player made it $6 to go and several people including me saw a flop.  I had 44.  The flop was 4 5 7.  I checked and the pre flop raiser bet $20 and he got a caller and a late position player made it $65 to go.  The raiser is someone that I have played with many times and he would have a wide open range at this point.  He would very easily make this raise as light as A7.  I felt confident that I had the best hand.  Including his $65 there was already over $120 in the middle.  There were two diamonds on the straightening board and although I felt confident I had the best hand I wanted to get it in at that point.  So I went all in for about $260.  The preflop raiser thought it over for a few seconds and shoved his $300 into the middle.  The player who made it $65 also put his whole stack in the middle.  They both had me covered.  The preflop raiser turned over A6 of diamonds for the nut flush draw and open end straight draw.  The other player turned over 75 for top two pair.  At this point I had the best hand but was fairly vulnerable.  The A6 was 41% to win, I was 38% to win, and the two pair was about 20% to win.  I was getting over 2 to 1 on my money so from a pure numbers standpoint I was in a good spot.  But alas the queen of diamonds hit the turn leaving me with very few outs to win (only the remaining 4 or two remaining queens).  The flush held and I was down $300.  Normally I am very cool and calm about beats like this but this particular hand really frustrated me.  I went outside and went for a walk around the block to cool down.  Ten minutes later I returned and bought in $200 more.

Within a couple hours after rebuying I had built my stack up to $400.  I was only down $100 and feeling good again with the tough beat behind me.  I picked up A6 in the small blind and called $1 in an unraised pot.  The flop came A62 with two spades.  I bet $4 as first to act (there was only $6 in the pot as it was just three handed).  A player behind me raised it to $20.  This player is a fairly aggressive player.  Behind him, yet another aggressive player, almost to the point of maniacal, raised it to $75.  Both players had about $300 in front of them and I found my self with another big decision to face.  I decided to ship it all in and raised to $400 over the top.  Both players called fairly quickly and I cringed.  The board ran out a 4 and a Queen with no spades.  The $20 raiser on the flop turned over 24 of spades for a busted flush and two pair.  I tabled my better two pair and the other player turned over 22 for a set.  I had lost another giant pot on a three way all in. This one I second guessed myself on for quite a while but the more I thought about it the player who bet $75 is a player that I have seen make moves like that before with really thin holdings.  So after some thought I don't dislike my play.  I just was unfortunate to get coolered.  But it did not stop the extreme frustration that comes with these kind of beats.  That was twice now that I had been in a big all in pot with a very good hand and came out with nothing.  Now I was down $400 on the night.

This was the most important moment of the session for me.  I could either go on tilt and lose hundreds more or I could remain calm, think of the long term and stay focused.  Self management has always been my strongest trait and I remained calm and cool.  I didn't rebuy but I built my $100 up to $220 over the next hour and then shortly after I flopped a set of deuces myself and for the third time in one night got all in against two players.  One had a pair and flush draw and the other had a straight and flush draw and my deuces filled up on the river and after everything I had been through--seven hours into the session--I was up over $100.  After eight hours I ended up cashing out up $86.  When you add the prop money I made on the night it ended up being a decent, profitable night.

I believe that sessions like this are the exact reason that so many people fail at poker.  It is incredibly hard to keep your cool when you take a beating like I did.  It is very difficult to not tilt and call a raise the next hand with J8 when you just lost $300.  But this is a job and you have to protect your mind and your bankroll.  These hands are a part of the game and if you can't deal with them professionally, you certainly cannot be a professional.

Disciplined Degenerate

Professional poker

As of November 1^st I will be unemployed.  My company is closing and I will be laid off.  In recent months I have been considering and planning on leaving the company, so I guess it was just meant to be.

Things have a way of working themselves out though as I have landed a job as a prop player at the poker club I normally frequent.  This means that I will be paid an hourly rate to play poker 40-50 hours a week.  I am really happy about this.  This is a great room to prop in because 90% of the time the only games going are No Limit Hold Em, which is my bread and butter.  So I will not be exposed to the hazards that many casino prop players are exposed to such as being moved from game to game and into games that they don’t like or play well.  Occasionally they will have a limit Omaha or limit hold em game going but I have experience and winning track records in those games as well and I should be fine with the hourly rate they are paying me.  When you include the money I win playing poker (I have not had a losing month this year) I should be able to actually make more money than I did at my day job. 

I am very excited about this new life that I am beginning on November 1^st.  I am excited to be putting away the alarm clock!  I will be working nights, around 5pm to 1am at the card room.  So I can sleep in mornings and have my days free.  This is really exciting to me.  I have never been a morning person and I think this new poker life will be good for me. 

I have a nice bankroll and living expenses saved in the bank so barring an eight month downswing that cripples me I should be able to stay in the game.  And if I have an eight month downswing on the tables I probably won’t want to play poker any more anyway.

So beginning November 1^st I will technically be a professional poker player.  All of my income will consist of prop money and the money I win at the tables.  I should start blogging more as well.  Since I will only be putting in 40-50 hours a week of poker instead of 45 hours a week at my job and 25 hours a week in poker I will have more free time.  Only two days left until my new life begins!

Disciplined Degenerate

I didn't die and I am back to the swings of poker

I have not posted a blog in a while because I got very sick.  I was down with the flu for several days and then had an acid reflux flare up that was very bad for over a week.  And then, just when that was getting better I got food poisoning.  Talk about running bad!

But I am over the flu and the food poisoning and the acid reflux is better with some medicine that I have been taking.  I am about 85% to full good health.  I just had no desire to do anything that was not necessary for a while so that is the reason for no blog.

I have still been playing poker.  I took some time off for my sickness but I have still been playing most days.  This week has been a tale of two kinds of poker.  The kind of session that ends with you miserable and the kind of session that ends with you just wanting to do nothing but play poker 24/7.

On Monday I lost $250, largely because I was coolered by the dreaded set over set situation.  I had 22 and the board was J 6 2 5 A.  No flush possible and I bet it strong all the way only to be called down by 66.  Those hands can literally make you hate the game but they are a part of business and unavoidable. 

Fast forward to Tuesday night and I pick up KK and raise to $10 preflop under the gun.  The flop comes K Q 8 after I was called by two people.  I bet just $10 and was called by both players.  The turn was a 3 and I bet $25.  One player folded and another player (one who is pretty tight and knows that I am tight as well) made it $60.  I knew he had to have at least two pair and this was a good spot to get it all in and I shipped it all--about $250 more than his raise.  He tanked for a while but it was clear he had a big hand.  After a good two minutes he called with 88.  Pretty amazing that he considered folding but with no flush and no straight on board it is hard to fold that hand to anyone.  Thankfully the river bricked and I won a pot of around $700.  Now those are the hands that make you love the game! 

Monday and Tuesday night are just two sessions that show the volatility of No Limit Poker and teach us that you need to be ready for  emotional and financial variance all the time.  For the two sessions I came out ahead $350 (lost $250 Monday and won $600 Tuesday) over 12 hours.  So despite that emotional variance I managed to book a nice $30 an hour win over the two days.

Tonight I will be back at the poker room to see what the roller coaster has in store for me.

Disciplined Degenerate

Welcoming October with winning sessions

Even though it was one of worst months of the year, the month of September was a winning month at the poker tables.  The good news is that I am already up $1000 for October!  I have been putting in a lot of hours and even though I won in September the amount was a little diaspointing.  It was nice to get off to a good start in October.  I have won $142, $709, and $246 in my three October sessions.  I also won the last day of September so I have a nice little four session winning streak going.

This weekend I will be taking a little time off from poker.  But don't worry, the Disciplined Degenerate will still be gambling.  I am off to Reno for the weekend.  I will be attending the Reno Wolfpack football game on Saturday and sampling Italian cuisine as this is the weekend of the Italian Festival in the biggest little city in the world.  I am also looking forward to watching my Oakland A's play in the playoffs for the first time since 2006.  No matter what happens from here on out I am proud of those kids and their dream season so far.  I was at the final game of the season on Wednesday when they finished off a sweep of the Texas Rangers to capture their 15th AL West crown.  I was one happy A's fan.  The crowd was as loud as I have ever heard it.  It is a game I will never forget.

My Reno trips allow me to get in my blackjack fix as well.  Because I can't beat the game of blackjack like I can at poker I usually bet small.  I usually make $5 and $10 bets.  But when you bet that small you can buy in for $200 and sit there for hours and hours and get free drinks and have a good time.  And on my last trip I actually came home ahead at blackjack (about $100).  You know that gambling is a big part of your life when you play poker all the time and when you take time off you go to Reno for the weekend to play blackjack and watch football games you bet on.

And speaking of football, I went 4-4 last weekend.  It was my second straight week of .500 results.  Unfortunately in the world of sports betting that still means a small loss with the vig.  But I enjoy the action and I bet small, just like I do at blackjack.  So here are my bets for this weekend so far:


2012 Football  23-30-1 -9.3 units

UCLA -2½
Georgia +2½
LSU -2  (two units)
Nevada -16½
West Virgina +7
Fresno State -17
Mississippi +13
Giants -9.5

Disciplined Degenerate

Good weekend and boring week at the tables paying bills

After my last post I was going into the weekend a little bit on a bad streak.  Well the poker gods rewarded me for my patience and embracing my inner Minnesota Fats because I won big over the weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday).  On Saturday it was one of those days where everything falls into your lap.  I had a guy call all in with his AJ when I had AQ on an Ace high flop.  I had a player shove all in preflop against me with his 10 10 when I held KK.  And I had a player call all in against me when I had AK on a AK6 flop.  It was one of those days where I did nothing special really. All I did was play good cards and had other players paid me off.  As I have said before, the real skill in poker shows up when you are losing.  Minimizing losses, avoiding tilt, and staying the course and playing a solid game is hard to do when you haven't won a pot in a few hours or have had three straight losing sessions.  But if you can do that--if you can minimize your losses, manage your bankroll and stay in the game--those hands where people pay you off will come and more than make up for the losses.  Thankfully it came last weekend and I had great results.

This week has been a break even week.  I have had some tough beats and some dry spells.  I am pretty happy to have just had a so so week considering the cards I have been dealt.  Again, I am utilizing my skill this week to keep my losses small and make sure I am in the game and focused when the deck hits me again. I didn't play on Monday but here are my results for the week so far:

Tuesday:  -$32 (5 hours)
Wednesday: -$44 (3 hours)
Thursday: +$187 (5 hours)
Friday: -$122  (5 hours)

So as you can see it has been uneventful.  I call weeks like this "paying bills."  When you own or operate a business the point and goal is obviously to make money.  But you can't make money without costs.  You have to pay bills.  You have to pay taxes, you have to pay your employees, you have to pay rent, you have to pay for insurance etc. It is not all profits all the time and nothing but fun.  The same is true in poker.  Even if you are a winning player you have to pay the bills from time to time.  "The bills" are losing and break even sessons.  They are 18 hour periods at the table where you make no money.  I know how it works and I am use to it.  I paid some bills this week and I am ready to head to the tables for a seven to eight hour session today.

Seven to eight hour sessions are always more fun when there are football games to watch.  And today there are.  Last week I went 5-5 and here are my updated records for 2012 so far.

2012 Football:  19-26-1  - 8.8 units

I am still trying to get something positive going.  I hope this week is the week.  Last year it was around this time where my picks started to improve and I hit about 54% for the final 12-13 weeks or so.

Arizona -3
Virgina Tech -6.5
Western Kentucky +1
Oklahoma State +1.5
Kentucky +20
Georgia Tennessee 2nd half over 31 (half unit)
Bengals -1.5
Redskins +3

I also put a $20 bet down on the Ryder Cup the other day.  Go Red White and Blue!

Disciplined Degenerate

Back from Vegas and embracing my inner Minnesota Fats

My brother and I had a great time in Las Vegas.  I watched a lot of football and was happy to see my Eagles pull out a tough win against the Ravens.  I also ate at the Heart Attack Grill in downtown Vegas.  They are famous for their bypass burges and I can see why.  It was very good (and very filling).

I visited the new Venetian Poker room and was impressed.  They expanded it to fit many more tables without crowding them closer together which too many cardrooms do.  I played some live poker there and won almost $200 in a few hours of play Sunday night.  I also played in their daily, $150 tournament at noon on Monday.  Sorry to report that the breaks didn't fall my way and I lost a big race.  When you lose the races in tournaments you usually don't cash and neither did I.  I went out 34th out of 66 players when my JJ lost to AK all in preflop.

I ended up playing a few hours of limit poker with my bro who doesn't usually play no limit and I managed to grind out another $100 in profit there.  And after throwing in about $60 profit in blackjack (The Gold Spike dealers were beautiful and delightful as always) for the weekend I had a small profit gambling.  The only other casino game I played was roulette and after a couple of hours I cashed out even.  For a while I was running real well as I hit the number 25 three out of five spins.  But a long dry spell erased the profits and I was content to cash out even.

The month of September has not been real good at the poker table.  I have had a lot of small wins, several break even sessions, and a couple of big losses.  Last night was rough.  I bought in for $200 and lost that.  I bought another $200 and lost that.  The game was only four handed at that point so I bought another $100.  Sure enough, I lost that!  I was $500 stuck and very frustrated.  But the game was good and I thought I had an edge over the players.  So, I went outside and sat in my car for 10 minutes.  I let the air conditioning blow on my face and I sat back and listened to music and tried to relax.

I tried to remain calm and be professional.  I thought of a scene in the film The Hustler.  In the opening scene Fast Eddie Felson is destroying Minnesota Fats, game after game in straight pool.  But Fats does not quit.  His manager even advises Fats to stick with the kid, as he was a loser.  Fats did  not tilt.  He did not storm out.  He kept playing because he thought he had a long term edge.  He went to the bathroom after more than 24 hours of losing and washed his face, washed his hands, cleaned himself up and came back out with a smile on his face and said to Felson, "Fast Eddie, lets play some pool."  Fats kept himself in the game, kept his cool and focus and eventually outlasted the younger and more arrogant Fast Eddie Felson and took everything he had.  I sat in the car and visualized that scene in my head and went back into the card room.  I went to the bathroom and washed my face and hands and went back to the table.  I put my ear buds in, listened to music and focused.  I pretended it was a new day.  Over the next two hours I proceed to win $189 of the $500 that I lost.  Had I not had a set of Aces cracked by a flush it could have been even much better.  But considering where I was at when I went outside I was happy to take the $311 loss.

When you gamble long term you are going to have nights and weeks and maybe even months where not much goes right for you.  THAT IS THE TIME YOU EARN YOUR MONEY.  Anyone can win when they make the nuts all night.  But not everyone can limit their losses and stay in the game mentally and cut their losses.  The real skill in poker is tested when things go bad.  Last night and this month are not going great.  But I look at it as a challenge to stay focused and earn my keep as an advantage gambler.  I will be back at the cardroom tonight.  Hopefully things go better than they have this month so far.  I feel I am ready to handle the bumps in the road if they are there.

Last weekend was not great in football as I posted a 5-6-1 record.  Still looking to gain some forward momentum.

2012 Football:  14-21-1  - 8.3 units

Western Kentucky -4
Oklahoma -14
Michigan +6
LSU -21
Falcons +3.5
Steelers -4
49ers -7
Bills -2.5
Patriots +3
Teaser: Packers +2.5 and Under 51.5


Disciplined Degenerate

Vegas, Football, Swimming Pools, and Sexy Blackjack

I am off to Las Vegas for the weekend.  Actually, for a bit more than the weekend.  I will be leaving for Vegas on Friday morning and coming home on Tuesday.  It is my annual trip that my brother and I take every year for his birthday.  I usually make it to Vegas two or three times a year but we always go for his birthday.  Another fun thing about this time of the year when we go its that it is always football season.  You have to take the douchebags with the fun but sometimes there is nothing more fun than watching NFL and College Football games that you have action on in a Vegas sportsbook.

And speaking of action, I have plenty already booked for this weekend.  Last week was a disaster, and after a less than stellar week one I am already down more than six units.  Last year I was down more than ten units at one point in the season and still managed to break even (actually won a couple bucks) but this is not a fun habit to get into.  Hopefully I can turn it around this week.  Here is what I am on for the weekend:

Overall: 9-15 -6.7 units

College Week 3 NFL Week 2

Michigan -46
Ohio State -17
USC -8.5
UCF -17
Michigan St -5.5
OK State -22
Tennessee -3
Saints -2.5
Bengals -7
Texans -7.5
Falcons -3
(In Vegas adding 2nd half under in UNLV game - under 30)

It makes me nervous to see that I have all favorites, but it is also largely a myth that dogs cover more than favorites (at least the last couple of years) so I will roll with my picks and hope for the best.  I am sure that when I am in Vegas I will also make a random degen parlay or teaser in the sportsbook.

I don't know if we will get there in time but we might take in the UNLV game Friday night.  It is a nationally televised ESPN game and I think it will be a blast!

I probably actually won't play a ton of poker this weekend.  I am looking forward to checking out the new Venetian Poker Room and will definitely play a tournament there (I love their daily 12PM tourney) and maybe some live games, but this weekend is more about football and relaxing.  I plan on having some drinks by the pool and heading downtown to play some Sexy Blackjack at the Gold Spike.  It is an old school downtown joint that has been remodeled and they still have the old school Vegas feel and they treat me pretty well.  And, well, the blackjack dealers are sexy!

Here is an example of the quality of dealer at the Gold Spike.

I will report back on the trip when I get back--hopefully with lots of laughs and some winning sessions to share.

Disciplined Degenerate

Sometimes there simply is no play

I recently decided to re-watch season 2 of Boardwalk Empire in anticipation of the new season coming out soon.  One of my favorite characters in the show is Arnold Rothstein.  Rothstein was a gangster and gambler most famous for fixing the 1919 World Series known as the Black Sox Scandal.

I just watched an episode last night where he makes the following speech to Nucky Thompson about how to handle his troubles, using a beautiful gambling analogy.

Whenever I am at the poker table and things are going poorly--for example I am missing every flop, getting dealt rags all night, and just flat out not winning--I can watch this scene and be energized knowing that if I am indeed patient the situation will come along where I can bet it all (my stack) and have the best of it.  So, like Arnold Rothstein advises...I wait. Patience and Discipline are my number one priorities in poker and they serve me well.  Last night I was losing for almost the entire session, hardly picking up any playable hands, and then I won one big pot with a big pair and ended up cashing out up $160.  I hardly won a pot all night and still managed to book a decent win. I hope the gambler in Rothstein would be proud.

Boardwalk Empire is not really about gambling, but if you like gangster movies and TV shows like the Sopranos, I highly recommend you check it out.

Disciplined Degenerate 

Football bets and "getting even"

Week 1 in football is in the books.  It did not go great for me but it did not go terrible either.  I took a small loss in week 1.  Overall I went 7-9 and lost 2.1 units.  The new week starts tonight with the first NFL game with the Cowboys visiting the Giants.  Nothing like having a little action on the first NFL game of the year.  I am on the Giants -4.  I think they can win this game by a touchdown on their home field.  Here are my other bets for College Week 2 NFL Week 1:

Utah -7 against Utah State
Nebraska -5 against UCLA
Western Kentucky +40 against Alabama
Oklahoma State -11 against Arizona
Penn state Virginia under 46.5
Packers -5 against the 49ers
Saints -7 against the Skins
Steelers +8.5 under 52 against Broncos (teaser)


There may be more to come.  If there are I will add them to the blog later.

One thing that amazes me that I have seen a lot lately at the poker table and in casinos is the average gambler's obsession with getting even.  Someone could be an everyday gambler and they know they will be gambling again and again but they have this weird obsession with getting even for the day.  I was playing poker with someone recently who was losing in the game.  He was stuck about $400 and he won a monster pot to get even when he stacked another player.  Before he could even finish stacking his chips he said he was going home since he is even.  But almost before he finished that sentence he was dealt QQ and ended up losing $200 to a player who had 99 on a 9 high board.  Right after the hand the player who was no longer even said, "Well, I can't leave now."  I can only imagine how many millions of dollars have been lost by gamblers all over the world, trying to get even for the day.

In order to be a good gambler I believe you have to look at all of your results as one life long session.  There are no sessions, just breaks.  When I cash out of a poker game the session continues the next day, I am just on a break.

The same rule should apply for when you are ahead big and lose some back.  Many players are willing to gamble more or take bigger risks when they are winning.  Again, to me there is no logic in this thinking.  A play is plus EV or it is not plus EV.  It should have nothing to do with how much you are ahead or behind on the session (I am not referring to tournaments here, but cash gambling).  If I am ahead $300 or stuck $300 I am just as happy or unhappy about losing $50 at all times no matter my session results so far. 

Unless you are playing a game that you are an underdog in--a poker table with better players or a casino game with a house edge--you should actually play longer when you are winning if anything.  Most players do the opposite.  To be safe and make sure you are not making poor decisions it is always safe to play hours, not results.  If you decide you want to play poker for three hours, then play for three hours.  Don't play until you are even or quit when you get just a few bucks ahead.  In both cases you are very likely only losing more money with your decision making.

Disciplined Degenerate

Poker is a part of me and always will be

I love the game of poker.  I always have enjoyed playing and I probably haven't gone ten days without playing in a poker game in the past 9 years.  I probably haven't gone a few days more than a handful of times.  It doesn't hurt that I have always made money playing the game either.  In the past year or so and even more so since the spring, I have tested my skill and my love of the game by playing more hours than I ever have before.  The result has been far from burnout, but a better understanding, love, and knowledge of the game.  And some money has come with it which is always nice.

I have already played 700 hours of live poker in 2012. In the past three months alone I have played about 300 hours.  This is while still working a Monday thru Friday job that takes up about 43 hours of my week on average. Lately I have been taking one or two days a week off from poker.  It is nice to rest at home and watch a movie or go for a walk in the park on a day off but after just one day off I find myself itching to play again.  After playing so much over the past 9 years and so much lately I think I can finally conclude that I will not burn out on this game.  And how could I burn out on such an awesome game?

At the poker table you experience and see so much of real world reality.  You see life and human beings at their best and worst and everything in between.  I have made some great friends in the poker room and I have made a couple of enemies too.  I have met beautiful women, grumpy old men, people just out of prison, people about to go to prison, lawyers, drug dealers, doctors, athletes, unemployed losers, hard working laborers, students, actors and actresses (I played with Ricki Lake), former world champions of poker (I played with Tom McEvoy), poker authors (I played with Mason Malmuth) and even played with a man who seemed to have wise guy connections at the Venetian in Las Vegas a couple of years ago.  I use to prefer online poker--and sometimes I really do miss it--but I love the social aspect of the game when playing live poker.  As I said, you see the best and the worst in people that you can't see when sitting behind a flickering computer monitor.  Poker is a metaphor for life in many ways.  Poker is as American as it gets.  You are matched up in a battle of wits, discipline, logic, money management, and self control just like so many men at women are at negotiating tables in corporations all over the world.  The CEO of Mirage Resorts, Bobby Baldwin once said, "The only difference between a boardroom table and a poker table is the shape."

In poker you need to be able to read situations, read opponents, recognize patterns, sense deceit, avoid traps, calculate equity, estimate return on investment, analyze situations with imperfect information, know when to buy, know when to sell, and all the while keep complete control of your emotions and ego.  This is business 101.  The skills that you need in the poker room will serve you well in the business world.  And that is what is so beautiful about poker--it is a business and it is a game.  I play for money and making money is my number one priority but I love the challenge and the competition as well as the social camaraderie.  I will never stop playing poker.  In fact, in the coming months and years I will only play more. 

I have long considered playing poker full time.  I have heard the stories about when it becomes your job it becomes less fun.  I think that could happen to me if the only thing I cared about was the money.  Yes the money is most important, but I also love the competition and the challenge to get better and improve my game every day.  So for me, it will never get old.  Whether it becomes my career or remains my paying hobby, poker and I are attached at the hip.  It is a part of me and always will be.

Disciplined Degenerate

It is one of my favorite times of the year - FOOTBALL SEASON!

This blog is mostly about poker because the poker table is where I do most of my gambling.  But I LOVE FOOTBALL and I love to bet on football and it is time for the season to begin.  College football starts in 48 hours and I am fired up.  Overall I like the NFL's product more than I like college football's product by just a hair, but the gambling opportunities in college--with 4 times as many games each week--pulls college up to be even with or even more exciting to bet on than the pros.

I have been betting on football for a few years.  I have been keeping records of my wins and losses for the past two seasons.  I am not a big bettor.  My bets are usually in the $10-20 range and I will make anywhere from 5-15 bets a weekend.  My gambling and life bankroll are bigger than ever this year but it won't make me go crazy.  I will still bet small.  I bet on football for fun and I play poker for money.  So you won't see me risking hundreds of dollars on a football game like you will see me risking hundreds on a hand of poker.  Remember, I am the DISCIPLINED DEGENERATE.  I understand that to beat sports for a profit consistently you have to put in more time and research than I am able or willing to right now.  And even then because of the small edge that even an expert has--5 to 10%--you have to bet very big to make any significant money in the long run.  Poker is about making money.  Football betting is therapeutic, relaxing and fun (most of the time!).

Here are my results the past two years:

2010:

78-62  55.7%  + 5.9 units

2011:

102-102  50.0% + 0.26 units

Past two years combined:

180-164  52.3%  + 6.16 units


So as you can see I have actually beat the game for a tiny bit the past two years. I feel that overall I am a break even bettor.  Last year the reason I won a few bucks is because I won my two biggest bets of the year.  I bet 4 units on Stanford to cover against Notre Dame and I bet 4.5 units on the under in the Superbowl.  Most of my bets throughout the year are 1 unit bets.  If you flat bet 1 unit bets all year at -110 you need to hit about 52.5% to break even and beat the Vig.  That is almost exactly where I am over my last 344 bets.  Fortunately I chose wisely and won my bigger bets to show a small profit.  Whether I am a little better than average or lucky I have had a decent two years for an amateur.  I hope it continues this fall.  I will be in Reno with a friend this Saturday sitting in a casino sportsbook watching every single football game I can and betting on as many as I feel good about.  I have already placed several bets.  I thought I would share them here:

Week 1 college:

Cal -11.5 against Nevada 
I think Cal will be good this year. Their QB had a good second half last year and may step up this year. Their running game is always good and it looks like the Pack lost some of their best defensive players. I think this is a 34-20 type of win for the Bears

South Carolina -7 against Vandy
Gamecocks will be good and starting a game in conference on national TV is a great way to start the season with a big win and maybe even run up the score which Spurrier will do sometimes. National TV weeknight dogs historically do well, but Vandy actually hasn't.

UNLV + 9 against Minnesota
Minnesota has more talent and likely wins but with the Runnin Rebels fired up starting the year at home i think they can keep it close with their running game.  It will be hot (even at 8pm) and a long way from Minn.

Ohio State -23 against Miami Ohio
I think Urban Meyer will have his boys ready to play and they will be motivated this year despite bowl ineligibility like USC was last year.  They will keep the foot on the gas and win by at least 4 touchdowns

Tennessee -3 against NC State
I think Tenn could be a very good team this year and I think they are more than a FG better than the wolfpack on a neural field

Oklahoma -31 against UTEP
I think the Sooners will be a juggernaut offensively and could put up 60 in this one.  Once again i threw a few bucks down on the Stoops Troops to win the National Title.  I hope they start my year by picking me up a unit here because they will probably cost me a unit on the national title future.

Georgia -38 against Buffalo
I like the dogs to jump all over Buffalo and score a lot and allow very little.  It is a lot of chalk but this one should be ugly.

Kentucky +14 against Louisville
I don't see Louisville blowing this one out. They win but I think the cats keep it close

West Virgina -25.5 against Marshall
Gino Smith is ready for a big year and the WVU offense should be even better than last year with the second year in the system.  I think they could put 40-50 up against the Thundering Herd easily.  Just hope the D keeps the margin over 25.  This one scares me a bit because in recent years the Mountaineers seem to screw me whether I bet on them or against them.

Arkansas State +37 against Oregon.
I think Arkansas State will score some points this year.  Oregon's defense will be strong but i think with the ASU wide open attack they can score 14-20 points which would make Oregon need 50-60 to cover.  They could do it but I am gonna take the points.

Washington State + 12 against BYU
I like Leach's chance to score some points and with the high flying blitz happy scheme being implemented by the cougars from Washington they may be able to force a turnover or two and keep this one close.

Iowa -10 against Northern Illinois
I think the Hawks are a step above NIU in most categories and NIU lost their potent QB and their defense was weak last year.  I like Iowa by double digits

Virgina Tech Georgia Tech Under 48.5
With decent defenses and G Tech's running game I think this will be a smash mouth conference game without a whole lot of offense

Degen teaser Navy + 23 against Notre Dame Penn State PK against Ohio
I have to bet against Notre Dame whenever possible and getting 23 with the triple threat offense,  I will take it. I think Penn State feels the whole world is against them and will band together and win this game at home. Ohio is solid but they are solid in the Mac and Penn State only lost one defensive player to the drama and their D is very good. I like PSU in the 17-14 neighborhood.

These are all one unit bets. 

I also made a bet with a poker player who happens to be a Michigan Homer.  He bet me $50 that Michigan would beat Alabama straight up.  The point spread is double digits but he actually said he doesn't need the points and will make the bet straight up.  If I went into a casino and wanted to bet $50 on Alabama straight up without laying any points, I would get $10 back for a win.  It is safe to say that I am getting the best of it in this bet.  Whenever you have the chance to bet against someone who is betting on their favorite team, there is always a great opportunity to get the best of the bet.  I talk about that a bit more in my past blog about Faith Based Sports Fans.

Disciplined Degenerate 

Mercy just ain't professional

Should you have mercy at a poker table?  Most people would probably agree that there are no friends at the poker table but you also may be surprised how many people at a poker table will get upset at you for trying to take every last penny they have.  And yes, I am that guy.  I want every dollar you have.  Every dollar that you put on the poker table that is.  If you sit down with me at a real money table where the stakes are anything bigger than $20 I am there to take you down.  If I am in a home game with family or friends that may be a little different because the idea is fun and socializing--but in a game where the money won or lost can fill up my car with gas, or more, I play to win.  I play to win every last cent I can get.

It may sound cutthroat and ruthless but I look at it as a business.  I don't play poker for a living (yet) but it does supplement my income--some months more than others--and that money that is on the table is leaving in somebody's pocket, and I think it may as well be mine.

One of my favorite characters in film is portrayed by Paul Newman in The Hustler and The Color of Money.  He plays Fast Eddie Felson, a pool hustler and gambler who makes his money investing and gambling on excellence.  In The Color of Money he says that his profession "isn't about pool, it isn't about love, and it isn't about sex.  It's about money.  The best is the guy with the most."  He later says in the movie when Tom Cruise is feeling pity on an old man he is about to beat out of a few bucks, "You never ease off on somebody like that...not when there's money involved.  That's the problem with mercy kid, it just ain't professional."  That is how I try to live my poker life.  It is about money.

Last Saturday I came across a fellow poker player who did not appreciate my no mercy policy.  There is a player--let's call him Kevin--at my poker club who is a classic, "undisciplined" degenerate.  This guy has a gambling problem and an attitude problem to go with it.  Everything that you shouldn't be in a poker player, he is.  He has major tilt issues, poor money management, plays long sessions when he is losing, and plays on his ego.  He goes after players and has specific people he wants to bust constantly.  He also has the amazingly stupid belief that he should always have the biggest stack on the table.  And this is in a game where he is usually the 4th or 5th best player at the table--AT BEST.  He will be in the poker room every day for two or three months until he has taken such a beating that he leaves for months at a time.  But he always comes back and he is always the same. He always has disputes and arguments with people at the table and frankly is a real ass when he is losing.  I am a pretty laid back guy and him and I have never had any real issues, though I have never been buddies with him.

On Saturday afternoon I was playing in the game and had a $300 stack and he raised it up to $7 with a $500 stack and I called with KQ.  The flop came KQ2 (two spades) in a 4 handed pot.  We all checked to Kevin and he bet $23.  It was folded to me and I made it $65.  He called instantly. He was putting his money in the pot before the dealer even confirmed the total.  This is something he likes to do to try to slow people down when he has a hand that he does not want to fold.  Kevin doesn't understand that this behavior costs him more money than it saves him when playing good players.  Now I know for sure has a strong hand (perhaps AK) and he is going to pay me off.  It could indicate a strong draw, but I know I am ahead and it is likely a made hand with the preflop action.  The turn was a 7 and I bet $120.  Again, he called almost immediately.  The river was a 9 which was not may favorite card on the chance he had J 10 but other than that I was certain I had every other holding of his beat.  I bet the rest of my chips on the river which was about $110 more and now he tanked.  He studied me and I just stared at the board, trying to give nothing away.  He then said to the player next to him, "How do you raise with Q2 and hit that flop and get in this spot?"  Now that I know he has Q2 I am very happy and was almost certain he would call.  He began to talk to me, asking questions like "Is my two pair no good?"  He went on talking to me for a good two minutes and I did nothing but stare at the board and tried to give nothing away.  I really thought he would call and did not want to say anything.  He then said to me, "Just tell me my Q2 is no good so I can fold please."  I said nothing.  Finally he folded and was very angry.  He actually was mad at me for not showing him or telling him that his Q2 was no good.  For the rest of the session, for hours he would refer to that hand and was angry at me all night.  He said something to me after the hand along the lines of "you didn't have enough of my money to where you could just give me a break?"  I didn't say "NO ASSHOLE" like I was thinking but I did say "what are we doing here if not to win money?  Why did you just reload to $1000 in chips if you aren't trying to win money?"  He said "To bust your ass."  Which I responded "that is exactly what you should do."

The rest of the night he said every time I was in the blind he was raising the pot no matter what (smart guy huh?) and was on tilt for quite some time. He offered the dealer a $100 tip if he busted me.  He must have loved it when I busted another player with a Nut flush over a lower flush and saw me win more money.  He thought I had enough.  But I didn't and I don't now.  I will try to win every dollar Kevin brings to the table now and in the future.  And with the target that he has placed on me now probably only increases my chances of winning in the long run.  He is playing on ego and will make a mistake at the wrong time and I will take his money.  I will not have mercy on him or anyone else.  As Fast Eddie says, "it just ain't professional."

Disciplined Degenerate

Is tight right in no limit hold em poker?

There is a theory that "Tight is Right" in poker.  This theory simply says that you should play few hands--good cards only--and when you do play hands play them strong and aggressively.  What you want to do in poker to be a winning player is not quite so simple but following the tight is right theory would make many poker players more successful than they are now.  In most poker games I do believe that it is possible to be a "nit," even an extreme, nit and win.

I would probably fall under the category of what most would consider a nit.  It doesn't bother me to fold 20 hands in a row.  It never has and never will.  I look at poker as a long run game and I don't care if I win tonight or tomorrow night or even this week.  I care about how I do over the year.  And so far--knock on wood--I have never had a losing year (since I began playing in 2003).  While it is true that I mostly play good cards, that is not my only goal.  My goal is to be in profitable situations.  The cards can sometimes be a lot less relevant than other factors in deciding whether a hand is profitable.  And that is what matters....Is the situation profitable?

There is a player at my local club that I would consider to be the best player of all of the regulars.  He is on a short list of players in our poker room that I try to avoid playing pots with unless I am loaded with the nuts or close to it.  If he raises the pot in early position and I look down at A 10 on the button I will fold to him.  Not because I am never holding the best hand there, but because I am holding a marginally good hand and will be forced to play with a player who reads players better than anyone else in my town and can likely outplay me even when my hand hits the flop or is better.  Maybe I am a nit for folding to him but I would rather wait for a better spot or a worse player to play a pot with.  I don't need to play that hand.  There will be another hand dealt in just a minute and there are weak players at the table.  I also am able to do something at the poker table that almost nobody can do these days...control the ego.  I play poker to make money.  Not to beat the best or outplay the best or dominate my competition.  If you make $399 winning 25 pots in three hours and made great bluffs and great calls good for you.  But If I made $400 winning one pot in the same three hours--by my rules of success--I played better than you.  It is all about money for me.

Last night, tight was right for me.  I played poker for 6 hours and won three pots of significance all night and I turned my $200 buy in to a $750 cash out.  I did it by winning three hands!  What I mean by hands of significance are pots that really lowered or elevated my stack that you would notice.  I did win several other hands throughout the night, but they were all small pots.  And I don't think I lost more than $20 or $30 on any other hand in the 6 hours.

On one hand I flopped a pair and a flush draw with 85 of spades.  I bet $15 on the flop and a player (one of the weakest players at the table) raised $15 more on a flop of Q 9 5.  I called the additional $15 and a 4 of spades hit the turn.  I checked and he bet $40.  I bet all in for about $130 total and he called with a QJ and was drawing dead.

A short while later the same player who I beat with the flush raised to $12 and two other players called and I looked down at AA.  I made it $50 to go and the original raiser called and the others folded.  The flop came Q 3 5 with two clubs.  He checked and I bet $100.  He called and a King hit the turn and he checked.  Based on my read of him at the time and my past experience I felt 90% sure I still had the best hand and shipped my last $151.  He took a few minutes but decided to call with the 10 3 of clubs.  I was a little more than a 2-1 favorite as the dealer put the Jack of spades on the river and I collected the $600 plus pot.

A little bit later I had QQ and put the very same player all in preflop when he three bet my preflop raise.  He had King high and my Queens finally busted him from the game.

In less than one hour I played three pots, all against the same player and almost quadrupled my stack.  Not only did I only need to play good cards to win, I only needed to play with him.  You can be a table with 5 sharks but if there is at least one fish or two it is still possible for the game to be profitable.  I played in profitable situations last night.  I had good cards against a bad player.  Those are the situations to look for.  When you are playing low stakes you can win by "nitting it up" that way.

Sometimes profitable situations present themselves in other ways and it doesn't mean that you have to have good cards.  Last night a fairly loose player opened for $7 and I had 10 7 of clubs on the button and called.  I called because the player was not a real good player, I have a good read on how he plays, If I cooler him in the slightest he will stack off for his whole buy in, and I had position.  All of those things combined, despite not having a real strong hand made the situation profitable.  He ended up missing the flop and I bet the turn when he checked on a 5 8 Q Q board and I won the pot with 10 high.  My cards were not strong but the situation was profitable in my opinion due to many factors. You can follow the Tight is Right theory and still play 10 7 if all other conditions are favorable.

Tight is Right to me means playing selectively with your situations, not just the hand value of your cards.  You can fold an A7 and call with a 10 7 and still be correctly playing as a nit.  Let them call you a nit.  Let them call you a tight ass or a rock.  Let them call you whatever they want as you stack chips and profits.  And don't care if the profits came from them or anyone else.  Money is money and that is why I play.

Disciplined Degenerate

No time for anything but poker

I have not been blogging as much lately.  But the reason for that is good, from a perspective of a gambling degenerate (who is disciplined!) determined to gamble everyday of his life.  I have been too busy gambling!  I have not totaled the hours yet but I am pretty sure that I played more hours of live poker in July than I ever have before in any month.  I probably put in about 140-150 hours at the table.  And don't forget, I have a full time job that takes up about 43 hours of my life each week.  So you can see why when I have an hour or two of downtime on this evening or that, the last thing I feel like doing is blogging.  But I want to try to keep this blog going and there is no reason I can't blog at least once a week.  I will try to do better at that.

In case your were wondering July was a good month at the tables.  I did show a profit and that is the goal at the end of every month and every year.

I had a really unique hand come up a week or two ago that I feel is worth mentioning.  I don't think I have ever seen what happened in this hand at a poker table before.  I was on the button and somebody straddled to $6.  One person called and then I called on the button with 97 suited.  The straddle checked his option and we saw a flop three handed.  The flop came 5 8 2.  The straddle checked as did the other player and I took the free card.  They both checked again when a King hit the turn.  I decided to take a stab at the pot in position and bet $10.  Both players called.  The turn was a 6 giving me the absolute nuts.  The person who was the straddle bet $20 and the other player called.  I raised it to $57 with the nuts and then the original bettor came over the top all in and the other player called as well.  It is always nice to get two people going all in against you with the nuts but I figured I was chopping with at least one of them.  The straddle turned over 34 for a straight, the other player turned over 74 for a bigger straight and my 97 beat them all and I took the whole pot.  Needless to say this hand was talked about for sometime that night in the poker room.  I am pretty sure it is the first time I have ever seen three different straights completed with both players using both of their whole cards on one river card.  I have seen three straights many times but to see three completely different straights made on one card, with all players using both of their whole cards was pretty amazing.  The mighty 6 of hearts was an extremely powerful card on that board! 

It just goes to show you that when you are playing No Limit Hold em, even the smallest and most boring pots can explode with excitement when the right card hits.

Disciplined Degenerate

Bad beats never end in poker

The minute that you learn that bad beats will never end in poker is the minute you are one step closer to having the mindset you need to be a long term, successful poker.  Not only do I understand that bad beats will happen, I do sick, masochistic things to myself like calculate that I will have AA cracked between 500 and 1000 times more the rest of my life.

I simply estimated the number of hours and hands I will play the rest of my life, figured out how many times I will be dealt AA based on the average, and then took 15-20% of that number to estimate how often I will lose with them.  Depending on some variance and how many hands I actually play I could actually lose 1000 times, I could lose as little as 500 times.  But I will lose with AA hundreds and hundreds of more times.  Same with KK and QQ.  It is simply going to happen.  What we as poker players need to learn is how to cope with those losses.  Being prepared never hurts in life.  I am not meaning to come across as pessimistic,  just realistic.  The next time I lose with AA to 67 I will, hopefully, remain calm and understand it is a part of the game.  It is a neccessary part of the game.  I will look forward to the thousands of times that I will win with the hand and keep my focus on the fact that poker is a long term propositon.  I don't care if I make money tonight.  I don't even care if I make money this week.  What I care about is making money over the year. 

So, when my AA lost to 10 5 on Sunday when the guy thought he had lost and did not realize he had two pair, I just took a breath, and moved on to the next hand.  I have a lot more to play. 

Disciplined Degenerate

My set was no good...or was it?

If you play enough poker you get to a point where you think you have seen it all.  Between 2003 and 2007 I played hundreds of thousands of hands if not a million hands online.  Since 2009 I have played more days in card rooms than days I didn't play.  In nine years I have played a whole lot of poker and yet I saw something the other day I have never seen.  That is one of the things that makes the game still fun and exciting after all of these years.  On any given day anything can happen at the poker table.

The other day I was playing in a pretty loose $1/2 No Limit game with big chip stacks.  There was one man in the game who only had about $150 (the shortest stack in the game other than him was probably $450) in front of him.  He had not won a pot in a long time and couldn't seem to get anything going.  Somebody raised it preflop to $10 and this player, we will call Alan, called as did I.  I had 33 and the flop came 3 5 7 rainbow (suits are not relevant in this hand).  Pretty darn good board for my hand. The original raiser checked, Alan checked, and I made a bet of $25.  The original raiser folded and Alan called.  The turn was an 8.  Alan checked and I bet $40.  After long deliberation he called.  The rivers was a King and he checked.  He had about $80-90 left and I really didn't think he would call an all in bet and I wanted to get paid off so I bet $40 again.  Alan folded his cards face up without even thinking about it.  He showed KK.  Yes, pocket Kings for top set.  Alan called $40 on the turn with KK on a 3 5 7 8 board and then folded on the river for $40 on a 3 5 7 8 K board!  And he showed his hand, folding face up like he was proud of his laydown!  He didn't speak about the hand even though  the table was in shock and discussing the bizzare play.  He is an old fella, and hardly ever speaks at the table.  He is a war veteran and pretty well liked so nobody really probed him on it.  I still have no idea what he was thinking.  Maybe he thought that I had a straight and the fact that I just bet once more on the river confirmed his suspicions?  That seems pretty wacky but I have no idea what else it could be.  I don't think he misread his hand either.  I truly, truly don't know what happened in that hand.  I don't think I have ever seen someone call a bet on the turn with a strong hand and then fold his hand when it received maximum improvement without any other danger on the board such as a flush card on the river.  And the bet on the river was very small compared to the pot.  And he was losing in the game and had not won a pot in hours!  I have never seen anything like it but I was happy to take the money and the pot.  It is my greatest bluff to this date! :)

Disciplined Degenerate

Poker, poker, and more poker

That was my weekend.  Poker, poker, and more poker.  On Thursday night I played until almost 2:00 in the morning despite the fact that I had to be at work at 8:00 am.  On Friday night I played until 2:00 am again and I played from 1:00 pm until about 8:00 pm on both Saturday and Sunday.  I have been in true grind mode lately and it certainly doesn't hurt that I have been winning.  I won all four of these weekend sessions and have won six out of seven sessions overall.

My best night was Friday night in that I played mistake free for over six hours.  That is not something that is easy to do and not something I claim often--to not make any mistakes over a six hour session.  But it was one of the best sessions that I played in a long time.  I did lose two big pots--one to start the night and one to finish--but even those hands I played perfectly and just got unlucky.

One of the first hands of the night I had 10 10 and called a raise from a pretty bad player.  The flop came 10 K Q.  He bet $30 and I made it $100 on the flop.  After some deliberation he called.  The turn came a 4 and he checked.  I bet the rest of my stack which was about $100 and he thought even longer but decided to call and when the 9 hit the river his JJ beat my set.

Towards the end of the night there was a pretty aggressive and impatient player who was losing who made it $135 to go (all in) preflop after a $5 straddle and a couple of calls.  I looked down at two black nines.  I studied for a while and came to the conclusion that I was probably 90% or better to have the best hand.  Having played with him many times I was almost 100% certain that if he had 10 10 or better he would not try blow everybody out like this.  He would definitely raise but he would want more action.  It was also late in the evening, he was ready to go and wanted to double up or lose his money.  I was certain that I had him and made the call.  Everyone folded and sure enough he turned over 67 and my read was "dead on balls accurate."  Unfortunately there is a lot of luck in poker and when 4 hearts hit the board his 6 of hearts made a flush and beat my pair of nines.

So in that session I had two hands that I played perfect, got it in as a big favorite and happened to lose both.  However the good news is that I was getting the best of it when I got in the middle.  Throughout the rest of the night I played flawlessly and did not get really unlucky other than those two hands.  Despite those two brutal beats I managed to win a couple hundred dollars on the night. 

When you can have two bad beats for decent size pots and still win hundreds of dollars it is very satisfying.  I will be taking a break tonight after playing 25 hours of poker over four days and will be back at it on Tuesday night.  Hopefully I will play just as well as I did over the weekend and fade the bad beats!

Disciplined Degenerate

The things that gamblers say PART 2

From time to time I make notes in my phone about funny and stupid things I hear and see at the poker table and in casinos.  I blogged about some of these once before here:

Things that gamblers say

Since these funny and crazy things never stop happening I thought I would make this a series of blogs.  All of the following happened in the past month or so:

A poker player next to me had 88 and called a raise and the flop came A K 5.  Everyone checked the flop and the turn was a 9.  This time the raiser bet and there was a call, the man showed me 88 before folding and said "what do you want to bet an 8 comes out on the river?"  I told him that I would bet him $5 that one does not and that I would lay him 2-1 odds!  He said "give me 3-1."  I said yes and put three $5 chips off to the side to his one $5 chip and when an 8 didn't hit the river I won his $5.  The odds were over 20-1 against an 8 hitting.

I was playing blackjack at the Silver Legacy casino in Reno NV and saw a player to my right get dealt two threes against a dealers Jack.  He split the threes.  He drew a King on the first three and hit again and busted.  On the next three he got dealt an Ace and stayed on his soft 14.  The dealer had an 8 underneath and the player lost.  It would be hard to play that hand any worse.  Blackjack players are typically very clueless on how to play proper basic strategy but this was one of the worst plays I have ever seen.

Also while playing at the Silver Legacy in Reno a female player was sitting at third base when a man walked up to the table to her left and wanted to sit down.  There was not much room (because obviously there was a player at third base) but he seemed determined to fit in.  The dealer politely told the man that the spot was not open but the one on the other side of her was open and he was welcome to play there.  The player looked the dealer in the eyes and said "Can't she just move over?"  The dealer said no and that she can stay in the spot if she likes.  The man walked away and did not sit in the open seat.  Too bad for him the dealer did not make the lady move because he really wanted third base.

I was playing in a limit hold em game at the Bay 101 casino in San Jose CA.  I raised it up with AQ and was called  by Q3 and his pair of 3's on the flop beat my Ace high.  The very next hand the same player folded when it was limped to him.  The flop came 8 high and he complained to his neighbor that he had folded Q8 and he would have top pair.  He called my raise with Q3 (I had been playing fairly tight) and refused to limp in the next hand with Q8.

I was playing in a No Limit Hold Em game and two players went all in on a Jack high board.  The person who bet all in said "Do you have a jack?"  The player who called nodded his head yes.  The bettor said "so do I."  The board ran out and neither player had a Jack.  One had an underpair and one had a flush draw.  This got a pretty good chuckle from all of the players.  Even when all in they felt they had to lie!

I was playing in a No Limit Hold Em game and a player called a raise preflop.  He then called a bet on the flop, turn and river.  The board was A 10 6 6 8.  He called all the way to the river which was a $30 bet.  He had 22 and lost to the aggressor who had an Ace.  The player with the 22 said that he made the call because he was "winning for the session."

More to come in future blogs.  These guys never stop giving me material!

Disciplined Degenerate

One of the best plays I have ever made at a poker table

The other day I played one of the best hands I have ever played in a $1-2 No Limit game.  Those who read my blog know that I am a pretty straightforward player.  I play solid cards and don't get out of line or crazy often.  That said I do bluff at times and will make a move if I feel it is the right play.  Recently I played a hand that shocked many at the table, and even myself.

The hand started with effective stacks of about $360.  I raised to $15 with JJ after several people limped in and I was in the big blind.  The button called me and we saw a flop heads up.  The player on the button is a player I have played with many times.  He is a tough player in that he is very creative and is hard to put on a range sometimes.  He mixes his play well.

The flop came A K 3 with two spades.  I led out for $30.  The button made it $100 to go after thinking for a few seconds.  This is a hand that nine and a half times out of ten I fold.  But I really felt like he was making a move on me.  In addition to the "feel" that I had I also had some thoughts running through my head that told me his bet did not make sense.  This player is fairly aggressive and not on the passive side.  I doubted that he would limp in preflop on the button with most hands containing an Ace.  He might limp with A3 but I felt he would even raise with 33.  I thought their was a small chance he had K3 but like I said I just felt that he was making a move.  He does mix up his game from time to time so his range is not confined to just a few hands.  I had to go with my gut.  I called the $70 and re-raised $120 more.  He thought for about 10 seconds and then went all in for about $90 more.  I stuck with my read (although I was beginning to wonder if I was wrong) and called.  I was hoping to see a flush draw only or maybe a gutshot.  My original read was more "dead on balls accurate" (tribute to the movie My Cousin Vinny) than I thought.  He had 98 high with no spade.  He was drawing dead to runner runner.  I collected the large pot and felt about as good as I have at a poker table.  He was shocked and could not believe the play I made.  But he was also very complimentary and said he was impressed.  I told him the same about his play.  We both knew the other was not real strong and both made courageous plays.  The difference was my starting hand was better.  If we had another $250 each and he could have raised more than the $90 maybe it would have worked for him.  This hand was the difference for me on the day and I booked a nice win after I was in an early hole in the session.  That is a hand I won't soon forget.

Basketball is over and it is time to refocus my sports betting on baseball.  Like basketball, this is my first year betting baseball on a serious note.

So far on the baseball season I am 16-18 and down 1.8 units.  I would love it if I can just hang around .500 for the summer and have a shot at grinding out some profit until football season begins.  Because once football begins it will get my "dead on balls" full attention!

Disciplined Degenerate

Grinding and betting on anything

It has been a while since I blogged.  Over the course of time I will try to blog anywhere from 2-5 times a week.  Lately however I have become busy with many personal issues, and in addition nothing spectacular or interesting has happened at the tables or in any of my other gambling. 

I have taken a few days off from poker but still managed to play 7 of the last 11 days.  And I have been betting on basketball (and losing).  But as I said nothing too interesting has happened and I had to take my cat to the Vet a couple of times this week and have been distracted and busy with caring for him.  Without going into all the details he is going to be just fine.  I am happy with that and ready to return to focusing my efforts on the daily grind.

Since there have not been any great stories lately I thought in this blog I would give you just a glimpse of all of the random things that I do bet on other than poker.  All of the following are bets that I have made in the past week or two:

- Tennessee Georgia women's softball game. I won
- The drinking game Caps (like beer pong).  We bet shots and cash.  I lost and got drunk.
- Wheel of Fortune. Me and another poker player each picked a player for a must win bet.  My contestant won!
- Me and another poker player each picked a player in a poker tournament that we were not playing in to last longer.  I lost.
- World Series of Poker Fantasy League. My team is doing well one third of the way through the WSOP.
- Dot racing at the Oakland A's game. Pushed on two games.
- Fantasy Baseball at the Oakland A's game.  Me and a buddy each picked 4 players from the game and won money for various stats.  I lost a few bucks.
- I bet 50 cents to win $12,000 on a baseball parlay.  I didn't win.  Can you believe it!?
- At a Reno Mcdonald's I bet on the over under on how long it would take a cop to remove a passed out drunk with a friend.  I lost.
- In Reno at a street fair I bet a friend in 3 blocks of the street fair that I would find a picture of Michael Jordan in  one of the vendors booths.  I did and won.

So as you can see I like to gamble on a lot of meaningless, arbitrary things.  I rarely bet for big money on these types of things.  It makes life fun and I suggest you try it.

It looks like I will not finish ahead for the season in basketball.  I am very frustrated considering I was down 15 units back in the fall and came all the way back to get ahead about 4 units at one point flat betting.  To now fall into the red with just weeks left in the season hurts.  But, I am only down 6 units and when you consider how I started and the fact that I have bet about 220 games that is not too bad.  This was my first year handicapping basketball and I definitely improved throughout the season.  I also wonder if some of the bets I made in the playoffs were not the best opportunities and I was betting them due to lack of other options.  Either way I enjoyed the challenge and I look forward to next season.  I am also extremely excited that footabll preseason is only months away!

Disciplined Degenerate 

Tilt claims another victim

I mentioned in a previous blog or two that I thought my winning streak would come to a vicious or brutal end.  I thought it would end with some brutal bad beats or several terrible sessions in a row.  It seems like in the past that is the way some of my winning streaks ended, but there is no real science behind my prediction.  On Memorial Day I had the day off from work and took that chance to play some poker and managed to lose a $400+ pot getting it all in as a 96%-4% favorite.  I managed to lose two buys ins ($400) and had my biggest losing session in six weeks.  I took the day off on Tuesday after seeing a movie and then ended up taking Wednesday off as well.  It was unsual for me to not play two days in a row, but I didn't mind the break and was ready to go on Thursday night.  What would happen? Would the winning streak really be over or would I get back on the winning track?

Early on in the session I had 10 4 of clubs in the big blind and flopped a flush.  Of course I was up against the nut flush and the guy played it well and I lost a big pot.  Later I was in the big blind and had 9 6 and the flop came 9 9 2 and I was up against pocket deuces.  Other than those two hands--that I never would have played was I not in the blind--I missed almost every flop and draw I had for hours.  I ended up losing $450 and over two sessions I was down $850.  The hot streak had officically ended.  It ended with a bang.  I lost $850 in two sessions and hardly won a pot. 

I went home on Thursday night kind of depressed but not worried.  It was only a matter of time before I had some rough patches and I have had far worse.  That is why you need to have a proper bankroll and be able to put up with some lulls and bad beats.  The worst downswing in $1-2 No Limit that I ever had was over $2000 so I could easily bounce back from a $850 downswing.

So I took Friday night off and went back to the table on Saturday.  There was one particular player who was at the table Saturday who was on crazy tilt.  He accidently exposed his hand before action was completed on the river and ended up getting bluffed off the pot.  After that he was on tilt for hours and could not get control of himself.  This player normally plays a tight, solid game and more often than not is a winner in the game.  But he has the worst tilt in him that can cause him to lose months of winnings in a single day or weekend. He was also drinking.  I was waiting to get involved in a pot with him.  He has been gunning for me lately as well.  Combined with the tilt I knew that if I put any money in the pot he would be going after me.  One hand I had AQ and raised it up and sure enough he called and we saw a flop heads up.  I made top two pair and won about $200 off of him and his 67 when he made one pair.  A little bit later I saw a flop in an unraised pot with the same player and a few other players with A5 of clubs.  The flop came AK5.  The tilting player bet $12 and it got folded to me and I made it $32.  He proceeded to push all in for about $400.  He was on mad tilt at this point and I knew he wanted to get in a big pot with me.  There were two diamonds on board so he could have a flush draw.  He could have just an Ace and he could have 22 for all I knew.  I knew I was probably going to call but I still took some time to think things over.  Because it was a limped pot I could be pretty darn sure that he did not have AK.  He might have 55 but that was very unlikely with the 5 in my hand.  I decided that his most likely hand was K5 and just did not figure out a way that I could fold.  I won't lie and say I was not thinking about how I had been running lately.  I was up over $200 in the session and if I lost this pot I would be down nearly $200.  But I just could not fold in this spot.  I called and he turned over K3 of diamonds.  He needed a King or a diamond.  Somehow my hand--only a 60-40 favorite--held up.  It was quite a relief after the river bricked. Just like that I was up over $600.

I played one more hand later on with the same player and my 66 beat his 10 5 for $100 in profit.  I played four hands against the guy all night and won them all for over $700 in winnings.

I ended up going home even though he was still on tilt like crazy.  I was tired and I was happy to book a win of over $700 after losing $850 in my prevous two sessions.  At the time I left he was down $2500 in the game.  A friend of mine texted me and said he was down $5000 at 6:30 AM the next morning and still playing.  By noon he was down $7000. It is truly amazing what tilt can do, even to a good player when it gets a hold of him.  He could play well for the next 6 months and not make back what he lost in just one night.  Lack of self management has destroyed anything that his talent has got him in poker.

In the meantime I am very happy to lose $150 in this past week.  I am confident and ready to get back on another winning streak! 

Meanwhile in other gambling I am on a bit of a slump in basketball.  I am down 2.5 units for the year at this point.  I have the rest of the conference finals and the NBA finals to get ahead.  If I can finish ahead even just one unit for the year I will be very happy with my results in my first year of handicapping basketball.

Disciplined Degenerate

Poker is gambling

You often here self righteous poker players say that poker is not gambling because it is a skill game.  They are wrong.  Gambling is anything where you are wagering money on something in which the outcome is not certain.  The best poker players in the world, even when playing a table full of fish are gambling.  I gambled with a fish on Memorial Day and I lost big time.

There is a player that I have been playing with for a while at my local poker club who is a below average player.  I wouldn't call him a terrible player.  When the deck hits him he maximizes his wins pretty well.  But what helps him when he is winning is what crushes him when he loses.  He just can't take his foot off the gas pedal.  He can't fold when he has anything.

In the past few weeks he has been holding over me and I have been patiently waiting for him to step into the trap I like to call The Nuts.  Yesterday he was winning and had a big stack.  I had about $210 in front of me when he raised it to $12.  I was on the button and peeked down at KK.  I made it $60 to go.  This is a pretty large raise, but I was playing the man.  He was not folding a lot of his hands here so I wanted to create a big pot with him when I had him crushed, as I assumed that I did now.  Sure enough he called and we saw a flop.  The door card was a King to reveal a K 5 10 flop.  He decided to lead out for $50.  I had $160 remaining.  I decided to just call and try to get the money in on the turn.  I really didn't want to blow him off the hand if he had something like a A 10 or J 10.  By calling the pot would probably be big enough for him that he couldn't justify a fold to himself on the turn or river if he put one more dollar in the pot.  And don't say "You should protect your hand here."  You don't protect your hand in cash games.  That is a ridiculous fallacy.  You either bluff or you bet for value.  The only point where I want to protect a strong hand by blowing everyone out is  in a tournament setting.  In cash games, when you can rebuy and you are playing one long game that lasts years, you always want action when you have a strong hand (there are very few exceptions which are more related to bankroll management and meta game but they are the extreme exception).  If you don't want action when you have the nuts you don't have the stomach for cash game poker.  Anyone who tells you differently is wrong.  I called and an Ace peeled off giving a K 10 5 A board.  He checked and I put my last $110 in the pot.  He called and showed AK.  Wow, what a cooler.  Maybe I used up all my bad cooler repellant the past 30 sessions or so because an Ace hit the river.  That one stung.  Especially against this guy who I had been waiting to get heads up and trap him when he overplayed a hand.  As frustrating as it was I did not scream out or sulk or get too upset.  I was more in shock than angry.  But there was nothing I could do.  Like I said, I never want him out of the hand anyway (after he hit the Ace on the turn I was still 96% to win the pot!!!) and the hands pretty much played themselves.  If the hands were reversed, we get it all in also.

This hand shows one important thing.  Poker is gambling.  Even though I was a 98% favorite on the flop and a 96% favorite on the turn, it was a gamble.  I was at risk and I lost. He was forced to put his money in as a 98-2 dog and he didn't even play the hand poorly.  You can argue that he should have folded preflop--and maybe he should have against a tight player out of position--but you also can't say that he played this hand bad.  This hand came down to the luck of the cards.  We gambled for $420.

I ended up losing two buy ins ($400) for my biggest loss in six weeks and went home and called it a night.  I don't feel bad about the way I played, it was just time to pay some bills.  In any business there is expenses and overhead.  For a professional poker player or an advantage gambler that is what bad beats and bad luck are.  They are the cost of doing business.  Without them you could never profit in the long run.  Tonight after a movie I will be back in business at my poker room. Hopefully no more bills come due this week!

Disciplined Degenerate

$500 pot in poker versus a $10 sports bet

So what is more frustrating to you--losing a $500 pot in poker on a bad beat or losing a $10 sports bet in the last second of a game due to bad luck?  Believe it or not, losing the sports bet is more emotionally troubling to me.  I care more about $500 than $10 but when I lose a sports bet in terrible, unlucky fashion I sometimes feel like I might not ever get that money back.  In poker, I know I will get the money back.  I have been playing for almost 9 years and I have always been a winner at poker.  I know it is a long term game that I have an edge at.  Despite some recent success in sports betting I am not necessarily a "winning sports bettor."  It is too early to determine if I am that or not.  When I make a pick that has the appearances of a good pick and lose in the last second due to bad luck or a fluke play, it is extremely aggravating.

Last night I had a bet on the under in the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.  The game, for almost the entire first three quarters was on pace to go under.  Going into the fourth quarter they needed to score 51 points combined to go over the number.  The most points scored in any of the the first three quarters was 46.  This was by no means wrapped up or a lock going into the fourth quarter but it was looking good.  Basically my pick was solid.  The scoring and pace was one that was indicating that it would go under.  I figure I was about 65-70% to win the bet going into the fourth.  So what happened in the fourth quarter?  An offensive explosion!  Sixty five points!  And in a game that was pretty much over (the game was a blowout) as well.  I thought I had that working for me!  Now I have had sports bets with much, much worse luck and beats than this, but I can't explain the frustration level that I had last night over this measly $10 loss!  There is something so satisfying about correctly handicapping a game and profiting from it.  You are using your mind and your wits to try to beat your opponent (The Sportsbook) in a game where they charge juice right off the top.  So if you do beat them, there is an enormous sense of satisfaction.  You feel smart.  You feel sharp.  When you lose, you feel like an idiot.  And when you lose even though you made a good, smart bet and all indicators say that you are about to win, you feel pissed off!  At least I do.  I would actually rather be an idiot and handicap a game wrong and lose by a lot than pick the game right and get screwed by a bad bounce or unlucky break.  Interestingly enough in poker it is the exact opposite.  When I lose because I made a mistake, that hurts more than anything.  When I lose from bad luck or a bad beat I don't mind.  I played it correctly and if I keep playing that way I will win in the long run.  Maybe what is bothering me is that I just might not be betting these games correctly?  I have beaten football over two years and I am up a little bit over this entire basketball season so I would like to think I am.  But only time will tell, like poker already has, if I am truly a sharp bettor or just another square lining the bookie's pockets.

Disciplined Degenerate

Seven weeks of gambling in the books

Six weeks ago I set out to gamble for 365 days straight.  I have gambled for 42 days straight days and here are some interesting facts and notes regarding the first six weeks.

-I have played poker 29 of the 42 days

-Of the 13 days I did not play poker I had a sports bet 12 of those days

-The one day that I did not have a sports bet or play poker I played online blackjack and won $7

-Of the 29 days of poker 24 of them have been winning days (one of the better streaks I have had in a while)

- I have made 29 basketball bets with a record of 16-12-1.

- I have made 27 baseball bets with a record of 12-15

-I have played in two home poker games and only one cardroom outside my normal room

I feel very good after six weeks and don't really feel like I have had to "get a bet in" or "make sure I gamble" before bed.  It is kind of just part of my life.  If I had not been doing this 365 day challenge I probably would have still made a bet about 37 or 38 of the 42 days.  It certainly doesn't hurt that I have been winning.  As mentioned I have won 24 out of 29 days at poker.  That is very likely one of my best runs I have ever had at live poker.  I have had periods of time where I won more money, but have not had many times in my life with so few losing sessions over six weeks.  And of those five losing sessions, three of them were very small losses.  It is has been a nice run.

Whenever I go on a hot streak in poker I always kind of expect it to end with a bang like a really bad beat or big loss.  Last night appeared to be headed in that direction.  I was playing in a very loose, aggressive, profitable game at my local club.  The only problem was I just could not hit a flop or a draw to save my life.  I was into the game for $600 in buy ins and down to my last $160 about five hours into the session.  So I was down $440.  Usually I don't let myself get stuck more than two buy ins ($400) in this game.  I will just up and leave.  However, this game was so juicy and profitable that I had to stay in the game.  There was just too much opportunity.  And like usual I was not on tilt.  I was remaining patient and my confidence in poker is probably as high as it has ever been right now.  I made the executive decision to stay in the game.

I had about $160 when the following hand came along.  A very aggressive and loose player raised to $25 after their was a live $5 bet made.  An even looser and more aggressive player (one of the craziest regulars at the club) made the call.  I called with 88 and two more players behind me called. I was in a five handed pot with four loose, aggressive players who all had my $160 stack covered.  As the dealer was preparing to turn the flop I was actually thinking in my head that I deserved to flop a big hand after how patient I had been in this session.  Sure enough the poker gods blessed me with an 8 4 2 flop (rainbow).  I had flopped the nuts!  No matter what, even if I just took the pot now I would win over $100 on the hand which would be nice.  But with these characters in the pot I was hoping for a big pot.  I got my wish.  The original raiser went all in and the crazy player after him called.  The all in had set me all in.  I pretended to think it over for 10 seconds and then called.  Then the player behind me called!  I am loving this spot!  Yes I could lose and nothing is a sure thing but this is a big edge I have and this is what you dream of in No Limit Hold Em.  Then the last player considered calling before actually folding 10 10.  The turn was 3 and the crazy player said "I have a straight."  It made me nervous a little bit but he was smiling wickedly and holding his cards like he was ready to muck and I was pretty sure he was messing with us.  I just didn't want to see a big card on the river as I was pretty sure I was fading overpairs.  An Ace hit the river which really scared me.  It is hard to put someone on a 5 in this hand but with these guys nothing would surprise me.  And of course AA from the original raiser was a possibility.  But much to my delight the original raiser turned over JJ and the crazy player on my right mucked and the other player showed an 8 and I scooped a pot around $700. 

So after hours of suffering with bad cards and missed draws my patience paid off and I was able to book a winning session.  This session illustrates that in the long run if you play a solid game and do not tilt off your money patience is rewarded in poker.  It also illustrates the importance of having a bankroll sufficient for the game you are playing in.  Poker is a long run game and if you can stay in the game financially (bankroll)  and emotionally (don't tilt)  you can and will win. No matter how talented you are if you can't manage your bankroll and your emotions it is damn tough to win in the long run.  This is why I believe that self management is as just as important if not more important than talent and poker fundamentals.

So my winning streak did not end with a bang.  It continues.  I have heard of people who have said they ran well for six months.  I have heard and read stories of professional poker players who have had 40 straight winning sessions.  So there is no reason it has to come to an end now.  I am hoping I can keep it going for as long as possible.  The gambling gods are indeed a fickle bunch.  I will enjoy it while it lasts.  And when it ends, I will try to play my A game.  Because that is when true skill is required in poker--when you run bad.  Anyone can flop sets and straights and win.  But most are not capable of resisting tilt and losing the minimum when the cards treat them poorly.  That has always been my specialty.  When that time comes I will be ready to go to work.

Disciplined Degenerate