this is where it will begin...
i dont know how long, but it will be somewhat of a journey when i look back at the progress and changes that i've come across with this game that has brought some of the biggest swings in the past few years.
i'll start with a little history about me and post a few hands from today...
the history:
i first played when i was with some of my friends at one of their houses. this online phenom had been taking the tv by storm when he won $2.5 mil and it was actually quite entertaining. i think the funniest thing about it is the fact that my friends were more into it than me. it began with just home games, i understood that having an Ace & King meant all in so i figured just do a lot of that and i would come out a champ. much to my dislike i figured out fast that soon enough you run into someone with AA or KK and all your dreams go *poof* down the hole. to be honest, i didn't know anything about the game. but as time went on, i began to play more and understand a frail amount of concepts. so bit by bit, i slung them into my head and continued on. i first went to play at a casino when i was 17, at morongo, this indian casino out in cabazon. At this point, i had read a few books like super system and phil gordon's little green book. i tried my best to emulate what i had read into my play, and i suppose it went alright. my first time i played 1/3 and the last hand won me back my stack. i had AA on the button, but i only min raised by accident because i didn't announce raise, i just pushed in the min amount and went back for more when the guy next to me said string raise. i didn't know that i couldn't use multiple motions for raising and so it was a min raise, he called and the big blind came along as well. the flop came 2 7 Q rainbow and the small blind led out for 8, i pushed all in and he insta called. he tabled 7 2 for bottom two. and i showed my aces. the turn came Q and the river bricked with a 9. my better two pair took down the pot and i saw the end of my first live brick and motar sesh. from there i played at a few other indian casino's and local cardrooms. then began online poker. i really saw the most ridiculous swings when i played, but anyways, it was interesting nonetheless and i even played some 5/10 and 10/20 at one point. it was most definitely a learning experience and a stupid run with my roll. eventually i went busto after winning and losing roughly 10k.
after making my shots and coming close to taking a few MTT tournies down, i'm coming to a more resolute understanding, but i still have so much to learn and i know that it will only come from persistence and hard work like anything else.
the trick is going to be able to balance all of my life's obligations and i guess that's the key to everything nowadays, balance.
some hands from today:
thin call for the stack. i put him on a hand like A5 or a flush draw...and wanted him to drop it on the turn. he had a little better with the straight flush draw to boot, but he bricked and i survived.
i decided to mix up my range a bit and raise UTG. i get two callers and the flop gives me a flush draw. deciding to rep 88, 99...i wanted to figure out where i was at, so i led out for half pot. it was a probe bet and also not to build too big of a pot if raised, but still showed some strength. i get raised to 15 and i make the call hoping to build outs or catch up. at this point i put him on JT or better kicker. possible set...the turn gave me a gutshot along with my flush draw. and i checked it over to either hit my flush cheaply and find out where he was at. he pushes all in for pot size. and then i think a set wouldn't do that, he would want me to peel one more for a bad price. and JT sounded like a hand that wanted to end the action there. i figured then any J Q K was good with my hearts. river is Ah and i take it down with a complainer echoing in the background...
i raise from UTG + 2 and i just wanted to thin the field. i get one caller and the flop comes out. i check it and he checks back. at this point i know i'm ahead unless he's slowplaying a set. the turn is the Ad and i thought about leading out, but instead i checked again to induce a bluff from him. he fires out 3/4 pot and i give it some time and decide to pop it up a little less than pot for about 3/4 pot. he folds. =D i probably would've fired if i had air as well...
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