Hey.

I'm starting this journal to keep an accurate record of my games and the people I meet at them. Hopefully, this will improve my memory of the players I have played or at least give an accurate account of them. I'll try to be as honest as I can, and have no mercy on my own play either. Hope this will be enjoyable to some; and helpful to me and my game. Mostly I will write about my adventures in the world of low limit hold'em 3/6, but sometimes I play some NL games. I will try and write up every poker experience I have, and man, I hope I learn from them.[/quote]

Went to Tahoe with alot of people I hadn't seen for a while...worked out that I didn't get to sit at the tables much, and when I did...ugly play by me all around. Lost $58 in an hour at poker plus another 115 at craps and blackjack(and I tell myself every time that I have to avoid those damn house games). Did get to ski on Sunday though, and the snow up there is amazing. It has rained about 24 days in a row here which in turn means tons of good snow in the mountains. First time up this year though...mostly because I stay up too late nights playing the limit games when I go here.

Completely out of shaped, I had to quit skiing early. The friend I was skiing with kept going and I just couldn't keep up...guess tomorrow I will go and get on the bike and get my lazy ass into shape. Hopefully, this will improve my poker game too, as I won't get tired playing these live games that I have been at.

Played Sunday and lost $129, Monday I won $100, and Tuesday I also made back $214, so I am pretty much even from that bad weekend.

Having a problem playing on the right tables. I did move Tuesday from a table, but only after it had rocked up to a point where no one was limping and pots were very tiny. It's hard to believe that happens sometimes at these low limits, but it does. My least favorite is when you have to start a new table with a bunch of players because there is a time in the beginning where everyone is feeling each other out, and pots are not joined in by alot of calling stations. So, when I moved tables, I got to one where there were a plentiful amount of CS's and aggressive PFR's who made those pots very big. Was down over $120 but bounced back to win $214, so I can't complain at all...and I think my image at that tables must have been crazy wild too, even though I folded more hands than anybody.


Two hands before this, I was in a hand with a straight and flush draw on the turn and I Checkraised it in the BB but missed and everyone checked down after me. I showed and was critizied by a pretty bad player on my play, and while he went into detail I told him to send me a copy of his book and I'd pay for the shipping. I like to bet my draws to the nuts and this one seemed very good because no one was really feeling strong. Anyway, OTB two hands later with TT, raised and 3-bet to me, I decided to cap it(4-bet). I was probably a little tilty at the moment, but a) I actually liked my hand against everyone except the guy to my right who was pretty tight, and b) if I didn't hit my hand, I could fold without a fight(guy next to me 3-bet and I was pretty positive he had QQ, KK, or AA in this spot, but everyone was coming in). We went to the flop eight handed and the flop came out a perfect T55 rainbow. The betting to me was raised, so I three bet the flop, and someone capped it. Turn was a 3, putting two clubs out there, and the guy to my right bet into me, and I raised, and was called by him and two other spots. River was a Jack, and I bet the hand after all checked and I still got called in three spots. Took down a monster pot...one guy just couldn't believe I didn't have Aces after the cap I made preflop(this guy was the worst out of all the calling stations at the table).

I hit another FH with pocket 4's against that same guy who criticized me, and the flop came AK4 2 diamonds...he had AK and I made him go broke that hand, all while getting two other callers on that board that paired up 33 turn and river. It always feels good busting the guy who is telling you how to play your hands. In all, the night ended pretty well, and I think I am getting to the point where I am learning how all the regulars play...now all I have to do is to remember to take advantage of that when I can...and engage those who pay me off more.

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Saw my nephew Monday...this kid is pretty huge for 7 months. Cute kid too. He's pretty much great to hang around, and I got to do that alot Monday. Spits up like a hose though...I have to remember to stop bouncing him after eating; my clothes always pay the price.

Hey, I was playing NL in south lake tahoe saturday night for a few hours. Hit the slopes on sunday as well. Snow was great. Have you played anywhere else in the bay area? I'm curious about bay101. My work is just a few miles away from it.

Bay 101 is a nice place as well as Garden City. They both have some good food, and the games are pretty live, tons of action. Lucky Chances is a little busier usually, and slightly harder to find if you don't know the area; it's located in Colma which is right south of Daly City and SF.

Bay 101 has 7 card stud, Omaha hi/lo and limit hold'em. There are more games of 6/12 at Bay 101 now than there are 3/6 games, and Bay 101 has 9/18, 20/40, 40/80, and even 100/200 games sometimes, althought I think it depends on the night. Bay 101 seems to have the better players than Garden City, but the difference is minimal, mainly because both places are frequented by the same players alot. If you are going to play, I would try to get there before 6pm because at Bay 101 the wait list can grow large right after that time.

BTW, Garden City has a Spread Limit 3-100 game they are running there right now. It's their version of NL. $100 max buyin, and the max bet any round is $100. It just started a month ago, but usually they have a few tables going. If NL is your thing, I suggest that game...most of the players will push with TPTK or even worse. The Spread limit game is there because NL is illegal in San Jose.

Sucks that Bay 101 doesnt have NL.

Damn I was gonna go to Bay 101 tonight but not if they don't have any NL.

Tightened up my game a little bit today because yesterday hit another spot where I just could not get a good hand to hold up. It's not bad losing a hand, but if you want to upset someone like me and tilt me a little, I learned how. After limping in UTG with J2 offsuit, and raising me on a flop of J 8 3 rainbow, and calling two more bets on the flop because the betting is capped(by me), then hitting a 2 on the river to take the pot from my QQ where I have no fear of that 2 on the river, all you need to say is, "I was putting you on a set on the flop, the way you bet that hand."



This is why I like playing 3/6 and hate playing 3/6, but it's a good game overall. Problem is lately I think I am limping in with way too many Ax flush cards and connectors in the wrong spots on the wrong tables. And I tried to correct that today, but still ended up losing $35 to the man who's wife was showing him her cards. Althought, on the plus side, this guy chases everything if he has a shot, doesn't matter if he's head's up. At least I know now that when this particular mizor CR's, I can just throw TP away in any situation except with nut redraw. Sadly, he hit most of his chases today, will have to look for him tommorrow.

Lost $184 Saturday and $35 Sunday, making this my first losing week...well, at least I am learning some things. Such as, there are actually some people out there where if they bet, they are not bluffing as Harrington implies, but then again, it's been a long while since he played low limit hold'em I'm sure. Conversely, there are some that whenever they bet, they aren't holding everything. I try hard to remember everything about them!

Going to watcht the NCAA game tonight at Garden City; I think I am actually rooting for UCLA for some reason...maybe it's the way they play such a team game although if they run the game, it will be a boring boring game to be sure.

Finally played in a game where I hit some cards and other ones held up. My results for pots that I usually don't go for increases dramatically when I am ahead rather than behind. Either I garner some respect for winning some pots or my attitude becomes more confident but when I win a couple of hands I feel like I am ready to try and win some pots that I have a pretty marginal hand. This worked out well tonight because all my CR's were for some reason mostly respected and there was ample opportunity to get some big pots off of some really bad players who liked to push their hands too hard.

Won $268 tonight at 3/6...finally back into the swing of things. My most memorable hand of the night was when I was in the BB and flopped a broadway straight while someone else flopped a set and kept raising me on every street...with two other callers coming along. And I even decided to CR him on the river because his whole attitude screamed "I am going to bet this river no matter what!", and he did, and both callers called hi bet, and I CR'ed and he called and the other two guy folded so I got alot of value out of it. Needless to say, he wasn't happy, but that's poker.

Really identified the one person I wanted to take pots off of today as well, and I did at any opportunity...weak aggressive type who thought laying down every hand was the answer to the game even when he had a solid hand with alot of money in the pot. I tilted him into giving me a good sized pot when I CR'ed him on a board of 843 rainbow with 85, and he then raised me on the turn when a Jack hit, but I was positive he had either a 4 or 3, so I called that raised and check/called the river which was a nine. He had Q4 and I won a nice pot...and he made a comment about my play of the hand which I pretty much laughed at. I wish there were more people easy enough to read as this guy.