I have got to do better with this Blog...

I have really been slipping on the up-keep of my Blog. I know. I'm justbeing lazy when it comes to it. You would think I would have reported something in the last week. Well, I've been slipping. So, let me bring you up to speed.

Last week, I finished in 4th Place at my Tuesday night game. Its been a long time, it seems, since I've cashed on a Tuesday. That felt good and restored my confidence a bit.

Also, this past weekend, I went to A.C. for the Mayweather-Gatti fight and the Maxim Magazine All-Access Weekend at The Borgata. I played in their Invitational Poker Tournament on Saturday and didnt do much of anything. It was a pretty much a speed tournament with blinds going up every 12 minutes. $200 Buy-In for 100 players and it only payed the top 3 ($7500, $5000, $2500). I played just for the novelty of it all. Took a crippling blow when I called a guys' all-in with AK suited versus his AJ which his catches a straight. That was pretty much the beginning of the end. It was fun though. Got to play with Erin from Maxim and also Turtle from the HBO series Enterauge as well as the lead actor from the same show. It was pretty cool. There were a few other celebrities in the tournament. However, I'm not good with names.

So, here we are. A new week. It's Tuesday and that means its time for Big Syd's Poker Night. I'll report back later tonight with the results. I will make it to the money this week.

-Big Syd

I think I give up on the WSOP this year...

Many of you know I planned to make an attempt to play The Main Event at The WSOP. The plan was to win a seat via Full Tilt Poker's 30 Seat Guarantee Tournament today at 3:30.

Actually, the plan was to satellite into today's tournament on Friday night but I thought the satellite started at 11:30 but it started at 10:30.

Next plan was to play the satellite on SAturday night at 10:30. However, I had too many margaritas and pig sammiches at a Jimmy Buffett/Pig Roast Party and got in too late.

So, the last plan is to get up on Sunday morning and play some single table satellites and win my way in. That didnt work either. My Internet kept going down (as it has done for a few weeks now and they hadn't found the problem) in the middle of my play and I busted out of 2 games as a result.

Well, Comcast finally discovers the problem but cant get anybody out to me til Tuesday. On top of that, FTP has stopped the satellites today since its close to starting time.

So, I think I'm going to just chuck the idea of playing the main event this year and wait for the Eastr Coast swing of poker tournaments to hit starting in September. This will include The Borgata Poker Open, The U.S. Poker Championship at The The Taj and then the big one at Foxwoods.

Anyway, here are 3 hands I am studying from my play today in the last single table satellite. The first is a hand where I started to chase a straight draw but fell back and waited. The second is a hand that was crucial to my stack and sent me from sitting pretty to dig-in short-stack mode. The last hand was my all-in to either get back in or bow out gracefully.

I dont usually show my hand histories for fear of someone getting reads on me and using it against me in future play. But I'll tease ya with these:

Dealer: Hand #135876158
Dealer: Lakini posts the small blind of 25
Dealer: KappaMan posts the big blind of 50
Dealer: You have been dealt [Qs Kh]
Dealer: LordFarquad raises to 100
Dealer: Mad Crab folds
Dealer: jpotts folds
Dealer: cjpilam folds
Dealer: carpediem251 folds
Dealer: hugo13 folds
Dealer: CSHPLYZ calls 100
Dealer: Lakini folds
Dealer: KappaMan calls 50
Dealer: The flop is [Js Tc 3h]
Dealer: KappaMan checks
Dealer: LordFarquad bets 280
Dealer: CSHPLYZ raises to 800
Dealer: KappaMan has 15 seconds left to act
Dealer: KappaMan folds
Dealer: LordFarquad has 15 seconds left to act
Dealer: LordFarquad folds
Dealer: Uncalled bet of 520 returned to CSHPLYZ
Dealer: CSHPLYZ mucks
Dealer: CSHPLYZ wins the pot (885)


Dealer: Hand #135880737
Dealer: CSHPLYZ posts the small blind of 30
Dealer: Lakini posts the big blind of 60
Dealer: You have been dealt [Ac Kh]
Dealer: KappaMan raises to 240
Dealer: Mad Crab folds
Dealer: jpotts folds
Dealer: cjpilam folds
Dealer: carpediem251 folds
Dealer: hugo13 folds
Dealer: CSHPLYZ folds
Dealer: Lakini calls 180
Dealer: The flop is [Ad 3c Jc]
Dealer: Lakini checks
Dealer: KappaMan bets 510
Dealer: Lakini raises to 840, and is all in
Dealer: KappaMan calls 330
Dealer: Lakini shows [As Js]
Dealer: KappaMan shows [Ac Kh]
Dealer: The turn is [8s]
Dealer: The river is [Ah]
Dealer: Lakini shows a full house, Aces full of Jacks
Dealer: KappaMan shows three of a kind, Aces
Dealer: Lakini wins the pot (2,190) with a full house, Aces full of Jacks

Dealer: Hand #135886902
Dealer: Lakini posts the small blind of 50
Dealer: KappaMan posts the big blind of 100
Dealer: You have been dealt [Qh Kd]
Dealer: jpotts raises to 350
Dealer: cjpilam folds
Dealer: carpediem251 calls 350
Dealer: hugo13 folds
Dealer: CSHPLYZ folds
Dealer: Lakini folds
Dealer: KappaMan raises to 550, and is all in
Dealer: jpotts calls 200
Dealer: carpediem251 calls 200
Dealer: The flop is [8d 5s 2h]
Dealer: jpotts checks
Dealer: carpediem251 bets 905
Dealer: jpotts folds
Dealer: carpediem251 shows [7h 7d]
Dealer: KappaMan shows [Qh Kd]
Dealer: Uncalled bet of 905 returned to carpediem251
Dealer: The turn is [Jd]
Dealer: The river is [Ac]
Dealer: carpediem251 shows a pair of Sevens
Dealer: KappaMan shows Ace King high
Dealer: carpediem251 wins the pot (1,700) with a pair of
Sevens
Dealer: KappaMan stands up

Good Luck to all of you at The WOrld Series of Poker. Lord willing and the creek dont rise, I'll be there next year.

I'm leaving a nightmare and can't get away from AQ...

Tuesday night at my weekly game, I get to the final table and look down at AK. Blinds are 200-400 and I'm in late position. I raise to make it 2000 to go. Big blind reraises me all-in. You know what he has and if you've been reading my blog you know the outcome.

I go All-In. AK vs AQ. Q on the flop. GAME OVER

AQ has not been good to me…

Another week means more games of poker. I haven’t played online much this week. However, every Tuesday night is Big Syd’s Poker Night.

This week’s game was held in Greenbelt at Scotty’s Place. The game was capped at 20 players due to an A/C problem at his place. We wanted to try and maintain a “cool” number. Lol

Although I played some decent poker (not good poker), decent just didn’t cut it on this night. Critical hand of the night for me is the one that sent me to the rail. Blinds are 150-300 I believe and I’m UTG with A3. I decide to make a move and go all-in. It folds all the way around to my good friend Alex who ponders for a minute and then calls with AQ. I know its over now. Flop comes down and helps neither of us. But wait. The turn brings me a 3. Don’t go nowhere folk! We see the river. A Q. Yep, A Queen! To the rail I go. Womp-Womp! Didn’t even make the final table.

Well, I’m not one to fall and not get back on the horse. So, Wednesday, I find out Brian of MD-Poker.com is having a tournament at his place. I don’t usually play live on Wednesdays. However, I’m itching for a game. So, I shoot out to Laurel for this game and arrive to the smell of hamburgers cooking on the grill. I’m digging this! lol So, I grabbed one of those big ole Texas burgers that Brian cooked on the grill and prepared myself for a good night of poker.

We started with 18 players. No, make that 19 players. SuperDave showed up just in time to be put to the test on whether or not he should call my ALL-IN that I made pre-flop with…..Hold on…..Should I say what I had just in case he is reading this….Hmmmm…..OK……I think it was either JJ or QQ. I really cant remember this long after the game. Well, he said he had 1010 and if that was the case, I had him beat pre-flop. Good fold SuperDave.

Well, Fast Forward to the ending. I make it to the final table. I’m sitting healthy with a nice stack. I play some good final table poker and make it down to 5 (Tourney is paying the top 4 finishers). Can anyone tell where I’m about to go with this? Lol Anyway. I get the hand of AQo and I’m about to send the price of poker up a bit when Scotty decided he wants to take the lead and raised to about 3200 from early position (blinds are 500-1000 at this point. Now, I have been playing with Scotty for a while I’m thinking he has some paing but not as good as my paint. And I didn’t even want to put him on a middle pair. So, I ponder and decide its time to make a stand and go for the gusto. 4th Place only payed double the buy-in and I really wanted the 1st Place prize. So, I gamble with my AQ and went over the top of him for all my chips. About another 4600 on top of the 3200. He Calls and shows KJ. I knew it. Just as I thought. A little paint. Of course, I feel the suckout coming. I mean, I actually felt it in my bones. Flop comes down K-x-x. Yep, I’m doomed unless an A falls. The turn is a K. Cancel Christmas because it really sucks to be me. River, of course, is no help and home I go. Good Hand, Scotty!!!! Just be glad I didn’t know what you were driving last night or you might have been changing a flat. Oh well. That’s poker. AQ is a monster in so many ways. And I’m scared of that Beeyah-Beeyah!!!

-Big Syg

Why Does Big Syd have a Poker Blog?

After reading one of the comments left on my blog, I started thinking, “Maybe it would be a good idea to make a post on why I maintain a blog”. That way folk will know and understand where I am coming from when it comes to poker.

First, let me say that I am not a Professional Poker Player nor do I think I am one. Yes, enjoy reading the Journals and blogs of those that are pros. However, I do not think I am in their ranks just yet when it comes to poker.

Please don’t get me wrong. I don’t claim to be a great poker player. However, I do know that I am not bad. I feel like I can hang right in there with the best of them. Just so you know, I have only been playing poker for a little over a year now. I think I made my first deposit to Party Poker around February, 2004 and I ordered my first poker books (Poker for Dummies and Winning Low-Limit Hold’em) from Amazon about the same time. I started out playing low limit No Limit Hold’em and then found Sit-n-Gos and then Tournaments and that’s where I am today.

I have yet to play in a $10,000 Buy-In Event but I do believe my time is just about near. I have played in plenty of events and made a nice piece of change to add to my bank account from poker.

I say all of this just to say that my reason for this blog is to chart my progress. Keep track of my progression from amateur poker player to perhaps one day being a professional poker player. I know there are many that have the dream of doing the same and I know its not easy. However, with some practice and consistent playing time, I believe one day I wll get there. To be honest, the only reason I started my Tuesday Night game back around September 2004, was so I would have a place to play on a regular basis when not able to get to Atlantic City or Las Vegas.

Anyway, this is where I am. Now you know why I maintain this Blog. I hope one day I will give you the pleasure of saying, “I remember way back when he use to keep a poker blog and was an amateur”. We shall see.

-Big Syd

Just not my night...

Played a little online poker on Full Tilt last night.

First tourney, was a $20 + $2 NL Holdem Tourney. I busted kinda early. I'm dealt KK and I'm forced to go all-in (well, not forced) for all of my checks. There is only one hand I'm scared of at this point. I'll let you guess what he had.

Second game was the $14 + $1 Qualifier/Satellite for the Pieces of The Pros on this coming Saturday. Once again, I'm dealt JJ. I make a 5x BB raise. Other guy raises to put me all-in. Its late, I'm tired, I call. He shows AK. Flop comes A-K-junk. Womp-Womp! To bed I go.

Gonna try it again. Not sure if I'm gonna play live or online. We shall see.

-Big Syd

Big Syd's Poker Night (5/31)

As usual, Tuesday is Poker Night. Game was held at Scott's place. I finished in 6th Place when I called a bet made by Scotty A.(go2goal) that put me all-in with A10 versus his KK. I got no help on the flop. Paired my Ace on the Turn but he caught the flush King high flush on the River. Oh well. I still felt good. I win that hand and I'm sitting pretty.

Congrats to this week's winners. We had a below average turnout of about 13-14 players. So, we onlpy payed 3 places this week. Congrats to Scotty for finishing in 3rd Place. Congrats to JoeMoney and Adam who ended up splitting 1st Place.

See yall next week at Scotty's Place.

Big Ups to Scott for grilling before the game started. Nothing like some cookout food and poker.