Ujogo Poker

I have been playing in the 10:00pm (Eastern Standard Time) tournament on Ujogo. Ujogo is a free poker site that plays it's bills by placing advertising below and to the right of the poker interface. There is usually between 50 and 70 players in the tournament. As you can see I happened to win 2 nights in a row March 26Th & 27Th 2008. I did make the final table on March 29Th but ended up coming in 6Th.

I enjoy playing in this tournament on Ujogo and feel that the prizes they offer are excellent for a free poker site especially since number of people they get in their tournaments is relatively low. I just hope the site doesn't get too popular and I have to fight through a field of hundreds to win. I probably shouldn't even be posting about it but what the heck.

OOOHHH WWWEEE look at them Aces

I came in 5^th out of 79 this week in the live tournament I play on every Tuesday night. I learned my lesson from the night before and played a tight aggressive game as opposed to the tight weak game which played online the night before at Pokerstars.

This a free tournament held weekly in the function hall of a local restaurant. You can’t play poker “legally” for money in Massachusetts, so the prizes are $100 American Express Gift Card for 1^stwhile 2^nd and 3^rd get $50 / $30 gift certificates to the restaurant. I usually think of this tournament as a giant freeroll. There is no assigned seating, so I usually sit with the same group of guys who are all solid players and who won’t suck out on you with a foolish call but will certainly make a move if the moment seems right.

I decided to find another table this week because the guys at my table know my style and I know theirs. I was on the hunt for a soft table when I came upon a guy sitting at a table with a Miami Dolphins hat and jacket which is a very rare site in New England. People where calling him Miami’s last fan which I thought was pretty funny. This guy played every hand dealt to him and usually raised when someone told him it was his turn to bet. He was quite comical and really was enjoying himself. He would look at his cards hold them 2 inches from his glasses while leaning back in his chair and he did this after the flop and every street. When I took a seat I made sure this guy was on my right so I could take advantage of him. He would also show his cards after every hand (whether he had to or not) and laugh loudly if he won with while holding nothing. One time 2 Aces flopped and he yelled out ooohhh wwweeee look at them Aces!! I ended up doubling through him (he lasted about 40 minuets).

I then went on a rush that carried me to the final table. I ended up pretty card dead at the final table I got it all in with the chip leader with A K and he also turned over A K. We ended up chopping the pot. I got 27 points for 5^th place which should easily give me enough points to make the quarter finals as I am sitting in 16^th overall out of 138.

I Would Have Got Booed

I played in an 18 person $1 + .20 Sit & Go on Pokerstars last night. I ended up coming in 5^th just out of the money with the top 4 positions getting paid.

I am really upset with myself for playing such a Tight/Weak/Passive game. I came into the final table as one of the short stacks and was just sitting back and waiting for a hand. We had a couple aggressive players at the table who where pushing all their chips in on every other hand. I knew if I played a hand there would be a good chance that I would have to go all the way with it. I also thought that these maniacs would knock each other out and I could cruise into the money. Boy was I wrong they just kept exchanging chips back and forth. I let them push me off As 10s which was the best hand I had in a while and I could have played it for about 30 percent of my chips and of course an A and a 10 come out on the flop. I also had my big blind raised and stolen time and again without fighting back. I was a real punching bag and I just sat there and took the abuse waiting for a monster hand that never came. I ended up basically being blinded out.

I haven’t played this weak in a long time maybe it was a case of playing for money with such a tiny bankroll ($8.00) and feeling I had to cash. I was defiantly playing “not to lose” as opposed to playing to win. It’s like in baseball where the batter will get called out on strikes without taking a swing. If there was a crowd watching me and could see my hole cards I would have got booed. One more thing “I Really Sucked”!

Note to Self: Don’t play this way again.

I Just Started Playing Online for Money

I have been playing online Poker at Fulltilt and Pokerstars for about a 1 ½ years now. I have only been playing for “play money” except for the $5.00 I won in a freeroll on Fulltilt of which I have $.25 left. I have accumulated approximately 400,000 in play money on Fulltilt and about 50,000 on Pokerstars.

I was talking poker with my friend Paul from Florida who is a winning online player and has been playing online for about 3-4 years. He asked what my screen name on Pokerstars was so I told him it’s “Docvelvet” he said he was going to transfer $6.00 to my account and that I should play the Micro No limit Hold’em $1 + .20 tournaments. I have always wanted to play for real money but it seemed difficult to fund and I didn’t have the confidence in my game that I have gained over the last 3 months.

It’s been a week and I have turned his $6.00 into a whopping $8.00. I won an 18 person $1 + .20 NLH tournament for $7.20 as well as coming in 6^th in a 45 person $1 + .20 NLH tournament for $3.00. I have come in 12^th a couple times in the 45 person tournament. In one game a player beat my trips twice with straights and put a hurting on me. One hand he was playing 5c 8c in middle position and I never put him on a hand like that. I guess that is the power in playing non-traditional starting hands. Anyway I put a note on him and will be aware for him in the future.

I am really enjoying playing with real money on Pokerstars it gives me that extra level of excitement because I have something at risk. Even though I’m only playing at the micro limit tables I feel as though the time has come for me to move away from the “play money” and take the next step. Plus I have to admit I’m hooked and I don’t think I could ever go back to play money except to learn a new game. I will try to pull a Chris Ferguson and build up my bank roll from a small amount. If I bust out I will fund my account with $100 which should last me quite some time since I usually only find time to play 3-4 times a week and play only one MTT at a time.

My Snowmen Got Melted

I was extremely card dead this Tuesday night not having won a hand in the first hour of the tournament. Early on I hit bottom pair with 2 jacks on the board and made a semi-bluff when I got re-raised I threw my hand away. I ended up wining a couple hands after the break to hulk up to $200 chips (you start with 100 chips and blinds of $1-$2 which go up every 20 minuets). They had just moved a girl to our table with a big chip stack and she had played all three hands she was at the table for so far and was on a rush having won the 3 hands she played (usually coming from behind to win).

I was in the big blind for $40 which leaves me with $160 behind. Everyone folds around to the button who is short stacked and goes all in for $65 the girl from above in the small blind also calls. I look down at a pair of eights (or a pair of snowman as Mike Sexton would say). I call the $25 thinking if I hit trips or a favorable flop then I will push, but if there are over cards on the board I will proceed with caution. The flop comes 2-7-4 rainbow, so I push all in for my remaining $135. Lucky girl sitting with about $700 thinks for about 2 seconds and calls. When we turn the cards over the button has A-8 the girl in the small blind has A-9. On the turn comes a 9 and out the door I go. Excluding runner runner for a straight she only had 5 outs (two A’s & three 9’s) and I was an 8 to 1 favorite to win the hand after the flop. Oh well maybe next week.

Reflecting back on the hand I think I made the right play. I always try to make my all in move on a made hand. I put the big blind on a hand such as A-K that is why I waited to push. I don’t like the feeling of busting out of a tournament chasing. I like going out with a made hand and with the odds in my favor.

Tuesday Night Poker

I play poker every Tuesday night in the function room of a local restaurant. I also play online mostly in the Micro-Limit ($1 + .20) 45 player tournaments on Poker Stars.

I am starting this blog to put in writing some strategy and hand analyses in hoping that it will help me to get to be a better poker player by writing about it.