I am Iron Man!

I did see Ozzy play live back when I was a teenager, but that is not the Iron Man I am referring to...


The Full Tilt Iron Man Challenge promotion has got to be the biggest pain in the ass VIP program of any site. If it were not for the fact that I just got back from Iraq and have not returned to a normal person's daily grind yet, I doubt that I would have the time or energy to qualify.



Last month I had a late start, I did not sign up for Full Tilt until the 5th of June or so, and really did not get going until the latter half of the month. I did qualify for Silver, and cashed in the freeroll. If the Iron freeroll plays anything like the Silver, it should be another easy cash.

Foxwoods has been good to me, variance on Full Tilt has been rough, but I am still ahead for the month. I have begun to spread out my play to other sites; Absolute (yuck) and Ultimate Bet - where I have a rake back account through PSO.

I would like to say thanks for the Kudos to Hoyazo. I think that bullying the short stack with A7s from the CO is an ok play if you can afford to do it and you think the shorty will fold to your raise. Defending your big blind heads up with J9s and 5 big blinds remaining might be an ok play as well.

Friday at Full Tilt

Friday night I played in 3 tournaments on Full Tilt, the two Daily Doubles, and the Katitude Donkament.

There is not to much to say about the donkament, with only 10 players, it took about 30 minutes to break down to the final table. I finished in 3rd place for the massive payout of $12.60, netting me a $7.60 profit after a couple re-buys and the add-on.

In the Daily Double A, I donked out soon after the first break, AQ vs 44, TPTK vs a flopped set. Oh well.

In the Daily Double B, I managed to survive until 13th. My final hand was 88 vs 33, of course he flopped a set.


FullTiltPoker Game #3011174813: Daily Double - B (22427345), Table 35 - 4000/8000 Ante 1000 - No Limit Hold'em - 1:44:46 ET - 2007/07/21
Seat 1: shadywestie (134,828)
Seat 3: ejbadger (318,634)
Seat 5: Rorschach (127,490)
Seat 6: j2the6th (331,588)
Seat 7: Rake Feeder (167,168)
Seat 9: apology7 (312,944)
shadywestie antes 1,000
ejbadger antes 1,000
Rorschach antes 1,000
j2the6th antes 1,000
Rake Feeder antes 1,000
apology7 antes 1,000
Rorschach posts the small blind of 4,000
j2the6th posts the big blind of 8,000
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Rake Feeder [8d 8c]
Rake Feeder raises to 30,000
apology7 folds
shadywestie folds
ejbadger folds
Rorschach folds
j2the6th raises to 330,588, and is all in
Rake Feeder calls 136,168, and is all in
j2the6th shows [3s 3c]
Rake Feeder shows [8d 8c]
Uncalled bet of 164,420 returned to j2the6th
*** FLOP *** [2h 2d 3d]
*** TURN *** [2h 2d 3d] [Jc]
*** RIVER *** [2h 2d 3d Jc] [7c]
j2the6th shows a full house, Threes full of Twos
Rake Feeder shows two pair, Eights and Twos
ejbadger: wow
j2the6th wins the pot (342,336) with a full house, Threes full of Twos
ejbadger: gg
Rake Feeder: gg
apology7: yow
Rake Feeder stands up
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 342,336 | Rake 0
Board: [2h 2d 3d Jc 7c]
Seat 1: shadywestie folded before the Flop
Seat 3: ejbadger folded before the Flop
Seat 5: Rorschach (small blind) folded before the Flop
Seat 6: j2the6th (big blind) showed [3s 3c] and won (342,336) with a full house, Threes full of Twos
Seat 7: Rake Feeder showed [8d 8c] and lost with two pair, Eights and Twos
Seat 9: apology7 folded before the Flop

Nothing new here

Wow, I have not posted for over a week. Not that it matters, nobody reads this blog anyway. I have played 1-2 NL on Full Tilt every day this month, with no forward progress. My account balance is in constant flux, up $500, down $600, down $1000, and back up to even. Variance is an ugly whore, and she keeps hitting me in the jimmies. I suppose that I really should not complain, most of the big pots I drag are sets vs over pairs, and the big pots I lose are over pairs vs sets and drawn out flushes. Like many players, I find it damn difficult to throw away my premium hands on what appears to be a safe board. Someone teach me the secret to not going broke with AA please.

Yesterday I went to Foxwoods with wwonka and his brother who was home from California. He plays quite a bit of 3-6 Omaha HL in the LA card rooms. We arrived in the early afternoon, and put our names in for the 4-8 Omaha HL with half kill game. I was planning on spending some time with my friends until the 6pm tourney started. Well the list filled up and we sat at what was supposed to be "must move" new feeder table. Unfortunately half the list did not show up, and the table broke before it got going. I decided to just play 1-2 NL since there were more than 20 1-2 NL tables with open seating. I manage to sit near the Omaha table to keep an eye on my friends, just in case I want to switch.

The 1-2 NL game at Foxwoods has changed since I went to Iraq. It used to be $100 max buy in with a $5 time every 30 minutes. How can you beat this game losing 10% of your stack every hour? The new game has a much more appropriate $300 max buy in, and plays much looser than the online games I am used to at Full Tilt. A standard 3-4 times the blind preflop raise entices a family pot instead of raking the blinds. Unless someone opens for $20, half the table is going to come along. Even a $15 pre flop raise would often have 5 players see the flop.

The first table was filled with tourists who should have been playing 2-4 Limit. They like to buy in for the minimum $60, play every hand to the river and reload. There was one big stack bully, who was constantly asking the question "How much do you have left?", which was soon followed up by "I put you all in". He seemed to be playing quite a few pots with opportunistic drawing hands. Suited connectors, suited Ace-poop, and was getting paid by the tourists. I did manage to suck out one pot on him. I raised enough preflop to get him heads up with QQ. The flop was Ace-high, but I bet out anyway and he called. The turn was another Ace which was checked to the river. A beautiful Q came, and I nearly doubled up with my rivered boat. Needless to say he was unhappy to see his A2s trips losing a $200 pot.

The table broke, and I moved to the next table over with about $600. Tourist to my left complained that I was bringing too much money to the table, and asked why I did not have to post the blind or pay the time. He did not understand that I was coming from a broken table.

At the second table, I became a card rack. I think I had Aces full twice and got paid off by AK and trip 10s. I had KK hold up 2 times, and a few small sets good for stacking the minimum buy-in tourists. I did get AA cracked by a set of 4s, but that was only for $60. Two hands later my pocket sixes stacked the same player on a 446 board, he was holding A4s.

Eight hours of play at the tables cost me $80 in time paid to the casino. I cashed out $1300 for a smooth grand in profit. I am planning to head back to Foxwoods tomorrow with one of my buddies from Iraq. If I do well, you can read about it on Thursday or Friday; if not I will pretend it never happened and probably not post for another week.

Foxwoods Daily 10am Tourney

My friend Scott called me 2 days ago and said that I had committed to going to Foxwoods with him on the 5th of July. I don't recall committing to anything, but sure I was game and made the drive down. The daily $100 ($80+$20) tournaments get about 150 players, T5000 chips and 20 minute levels. Six and a half hours later I finish in 4th place for a $931 payout.

Miracle suck outs can and do occur live just like online. Short stacked on the final table bubble I go all in preflop for T27K with pockets 9s. The blinds are 3000-6000 with a 500 ante. Mega big stack at T150K calls with K9 clubs. The flop comes all clubs giving him a flopped flush. The turn pairs the board, and I call for the case 9 which of course comes on the river. I catch my runner runner boat and double up.

This was my best finish in a Foxwoods tourney. Historically when I go to Foxwoods, I donate my $100 buy in, and then move over to the 1-2 NL game and make my money back. I am quite pleased with a decent live finish.

Blogger Big Game

Sunday night I played in the blogger big game for the first time, and managed to survive enough races to eeek out 3rd place. I was not going to play, but my buddy Wwonka talked me into it. I had played in a satellite earlier in the day but fell short of a token, and ended up paying cash.

The hand where I accumulated enough chips to make the final table came after the first break when my KK ran into AA and QQ. All the money went in before the flop, but I spiked a King on the turn to knock out smizmiatch and crippled Zeem.

A while later I was one of the big stacks at the table I raise with TT and get called by Smokkee who limps UTG. The flop is 456 rainbow so I bet the pot and he calls. Bells go off for some reason. I am giving him credit for a good hand because he limped from UTG and smooth called my raise and flop bets. The turn is a Q and we both check. The river is another 4 and he bets out 3600, after some thought I muck what turned out to be the best hand, he showed A8h. I felt that at that point in the tournament it was not worth it to lose the chips.

I basically fold my way to the final table going from chip leader to average stack. I took some small pots, nothing of note though.

At the final table I get real short on the money bubble and begin pushing like a donkey in order to stay alive. The blinds were so high I had no choice if I wanted to remain in the game I needed to steal and get lucky. I keep on getting Ace-poop in the SB when it is folded to around and push on Smokkee's blind. I manage to do this 4 or 5 times when he says he will call with any two cards if I do it again. I wasn't trying to pick on him, I was desperate for chips and he was to my left. Well the next blind is folded to me, I push with A5o and he is a man of his word and calls me. He calls with 82 suited and I double up. A5o is gold!

Three-way it was me, Hoyazo and TripJax, what a brutal game. Each of us was short stacked, dead even, or 2-1 chip leader multiple times. My hat is off to Hoyazo and TripJax for a great match.

Royal Flush

Since poker blogs are a dime a dozen, it is fitting that I post my lame ass Royal Flush. I am playing 1-2 NL on Tilt, hovering a little below my $200 buy in. I have been playing tight, and pretty card dead. My preflop bets are generally getting called by 2-3 people. I open for $7 preflop and get one caller.

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2 BB (9 handed)

MP3 ($102)
CO ($251)
Button ($189)
SB ($224)
BB ($200)
UTG ($189.90)
Hero ($183)
MP1 ($85.70)
MP2 ($207.85)

Preflop: Hero is UTG+1 with Ks, Qs.
1 fold, Hero raises to $7, 1 fold, MP2 calls $7, 5 folds.

Flop: ($17) 7h, Js, Ts (2 players)
Hero bets $12, MP2 calls $12.

Turn: ($41) 6c (2 players)
Hero bets $15, MP2 calls $15.

River: ($71) As (2 players)
Hero bets $45, MP2 calls $45.

Final Pot: $161

Results below:
Hero has Ks Qs (straight flush, ace high).
MP2 has Ah Jh (two pair, aces and jacks).
Outcome: Hero wins $161.


I figured he had the jack, but I thought that I just might get paid off if I managed to hit my draw. I suppose him having top 2 was why he called, maybe I should have bet more on the river. Anyway it is nice to hit a Royal and get paid when there is no progressive.

For the record this is my 4th Royal Flush. My first was in a MTT on Party a couple years ago, then I had a couple playing Omaha (but they dont really count), and then this one.