Land of Enchantment

I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico staying with my friend Spencer. Tomorrow I am driving home, hopefully in time to catch the NCAA Selection Show. That will be the last leg of a voyage that took me from Boulder to Las Vegas to Los Angeles to Chicago to San Jose back to LA on to Tempe through Albuquerque and home to Boulder. I drove well over two thousand miles on the trip and took three flights. I played four poker tournaments, ten days of play. I final-tabled one, I bubbled another, I finished in the pack in one, and I busted one early. I held chip leads and I rocked short stacks. I slept in ten different beds. I listened to dozens of different radio stations. I finished one book and started another. I ate a lot of tacos. I drank a lot of different beers. I watched less than thirty minutes of college basketball.

Most nights I found myself in a social scenario that in the past may have made me uncomfortable. I never shied away from these situations. Instead I embraced them. Sometimes they turned out amazing, sometimes just okay, but I was never miserable. Usually I had a blast. I am no social butterfly, but I feel a lot more comfortable throwing myself into potentially awkward situations now than I did at the start of the year.

This was the greatest trip I have ever been on. It was filled with joy and excitement, and I return home wiser and happier than I left.

Bay 101 Day Two

I lost some small pots today before I was eliminated on one of those frustrating hands that can drive you nuts if things are not going well.

But things are going well. I am rather happy right now.

Bay 101 Day One

It was a near-perfect day.

I got quality food and exercise before the event. The sky was bright and clear, the air crisp. Jim Wasicka was observing and talking with me all day, which was wonderful.

I doubled up early in the day with 44 against AcKc on As7c4c.

Scotty Nguyen was the bounty. I played almost no hands against him.

Faraz Jaka, one of the most feared and aggressive players on the circuit, also doubled up early and went to work pounding the table. It's hard to say Scotty isn't the best player at the table considering his resume, but it's hard to say Jaka isn't either. Regardless, I was able to take a lot of chips from him. There was a maniac to his left, an older fellow I pegged as a local businessman, who raised almost every time Jaka folded. I took plenty of chips off him as well.

With 45 minutes left in the night I had one of the biggest stacks in the room. Shooting Stars offers a $10k prize to the player who ends the night with the biggest stack, and I had my eyes on the prize.

Then I took a beat against the maniac I had been trapping all day, then lost several more pots (mostly to the maniac) the last level and finished the day with an average stack.

After that I got involved in some amusing shenanigans and blew off all the steam I had worked up the last hour. I am again ready to play.

My day two draw appears favorable, though I've certainly thought that before and quickly felt differently.

My 100 Favorite Songs: #21

Al Stewart - Time Passages




Year of the Cat is classic too.

Chicago Poker Classic Day One

I got involved in a messy pot with two other players a few hours into the day. None of us knew where we were at and ultimately with the clock winding down I called all-in on the turn and was shown the hand I didn't want to see. It was probably "correct" for me to call considering the action and the pot odds but I also think it may have been better for me to fold and save my chips for later because of the good structure and weak field.

On The Road Again

I am headed to Chicago tomorrow for a $3k at Horseshoe Hammond, followed immediately by the Bay 101 Shooting Star WPT in San Jose, CA.

I have to give another shout out to Chris Moore. After winning the $10k Heads Up at the LAPC, he went deep into the money in the main event, leading the pack for much of the way. He would likely have made the final table if he had managed to win either of two key coinflips down the stretch.
This guy is an uncanny gambler. He crushes everything he touches - sportsbetting, online cash games, online tournaments, live tournaments, heads up, everything. I don't know of anyone, not ANYONE, that makes deep runs in big buy-in events as consistently as Toph.

I am lucky to have friends like Toph who I can talk to about poker. Talking with him and MasterJ and some other guys I have become acutely aware of my weaknesses as a tournament player. I am excited to have the opportunity to attack these weaknesses without too much pressure - excited to have the opportunity to play for fun and perfection rather than money. I am perpetually excited about the next tournament, the next stop on the circuit.

LAPC Day Three

I went out on the stone bubble of the LAPC, 73rd paying 72. I don't regret any decisions I made today including the final one.

I have really been through the full spectrum the last eight days, and it will be nice to have a day off tomorrow. I'm not sure what's next but I will certainly be playing a ton this spring.