Finally got the party poker bonus done with some more PLO $25. I believe I played VERY well but I also got some very good cards that actually hit. I only lost one big pot which was top boat vs quads on a KJxQJ board. He didn't have a full stack so I just let it go. I ended the session up almost $50 after 2 hours and then plus another $200 for the bonus.

After starting the week down almost $500 in a few days, I've now pulled myself to down $70 and change thanks to the party and stars bonus. I'm actually negative overall is ALL games this month except PLO on party and home games with friends. I'm down in PLO on GC, and all limit HE levels. Seeing all those figures makes me feel good that I can come out of it still almost even.

I got many things to do as my life has turned into a stressful mess all of a sudden so I plan on just taking it easy to clear my head.

Haven't updated this in a few days as I haven't played much poker. The last time I played was on Monday night. It was just a home game $.25/$.50 blinds of dealers choice between NLHE and NL Omaha Hi with $20 buy ins. It was only 6 handed as well since it seems more and more difficult to get a good game going.

I ended the night up $44 as I lost a few bucks when we decided to play dime ante, $1 max bet dealers choice wild card games and such. I really enjoy doing these games every once in a while because I don't care about $5-$20 that I use ($5 in short term, $20 if its gonna be a all night event) and its pretty stress free and fun. Normally I end up ahead too but that is not what I'm playing for. I was down $3 this particular night.

A couple quick hands. We were playing High Chicago (7 card stud with high spade in the hole getting half the pot - not a wild card game but we don't fit it into our normal rotation) right after we played a game of Low Chicago. A friend who had never played this version, had just won the low game on 3rd street when he bet the max ($1) because he had a 4 of spades down. I told him you need to try to get as much money in the pot when you think you are gonna win at least half. He took this as to bet hard but just won the antes. I explained how he should just called and then pop them later when they are committed.

Anyway, back to the High Chicago hand. I only had about $2 and change in front of me as I hit a bad run of these games so far when I get dealt the Ace of spades down for the nut half of the pot. I check and there is a 40 cent bet. I call and my friend from above calls and one goes all in for his 40 cents. 4th is a blank and my friend bets 50 cents when it comes back to him and I'm the only caller. 5th is a Ac to give me AA and nut half. He bets max and I call all in and we flip. He has KK with Ks and I have him outpaired and spaded. 6th gives him 2 pair but me a flush draw. River gives me AA22 for the scoop of the side pot but the all in player has AAQQ to take half of the small main pot. All in all, I was up about $1.50 or so and I think I played the hand beautifully. I only wish I had more money but no matter, this is really just for fun.

It feels weird talking about this stuff as its a $3-4 pot while I play for much more than that on a regular basis. Back in college when we had pretty much a weekly Wild Card game, $20 seemed like a lot. Now I win or lose that without much of a thought.

If you want a really strange game, last summer, my housemate would bring his friends from work (he worked at a bar/restuarant) to play cards about 3-4 times a week for a couple months. Their games of choice? NL wild card games with 50 cent antes and $20 max buy ins. This seems like a recipe for disaster or at least huge swings. However, I would play this and I can only remember losing one full buy in to begin a night. I was almost always the big winner including being up over $100 several times. Looking back with what I know now, I'm surprised I didn't take bigger swings but just by playing tight and just moving in with the nuts or really strong hands, I got paid off every time even though they KNEW that was how I was playing. There was one guy that financed everyone for a month. He would call almost any bet on the river in omaha (or any game for that matter) on a JJ87A board with 55xx because he had two pair and had to call. Nickname was Johnny Calls-a-lot.

There were also a couple weird rules. A royal flush beat 5 of a kind but a King high straight flush lost to 5 of a kind. Also, whatever you called your hand to be, that was what it was. If you don't realize you can make a straight flush with your wilds and call out 4 jacks instead, you have 4 jacks, not a straight flush.

I don't think I would like to play those games anymore because I feel I can find safer ways to make the same money, especially with some of the aggressive people I play with now. I do really enjoy the micro limit games because its the only time I can play without feeling stressed.

Games of choice (you might not of heard of most): 3-5-7, Guts, Screw your neighbor, high and low chicago, Good and Bad, Scat, follow the queen, baseball, King little, iffen, and 7-card no peek (optional follow the queen too).

I've rambled a bit but it would be interesting to see how many people have had a regular or semi-regular game like this. It goes well in college since its a lot of fun for not that much money.

Baseball is still my favorite non-standard game. This even though I had the following happen.

(For those who don't know (or for those who play with different rules than I used), here's a breakdown: 3s and 9s are all wild. If you receive a 3 up, you must match the pot or fold immediately. Also, 4s that are received up allow you to buy a card up (for $.50) or down (for $1). Otherwise, plays like 7-stud). 25 cent antes, 50 cent minimum bet, $2 maximum.

So I started with a king door card, a king down and a nine. Around the board, only one person was showing a wild card (a nine). It checked to me, so I bet and the wild guy raised. He got 2 callers, I called and 4th street came (the pot was around $15 at this point). The player on my right hits a three and pays the pot. My card is also a 3 (meaning I have to call $30 or fold right now). Given that I've got 4 of a kind - I call. My wildcard earns a low card and the other player gets something that doesn't match his hand.

The player on my right bets the max, I raise the max, the wild card on my left calls, the 4th player folds and the player on my right reraises. I cap - and everyone calls. The pot is now around $84. The player on my right hits a low card, and I hit another 3. Now with the 2nd best hand possible (5 kings), I call this without a problem. Then my wildcard hits another 9.

The player on my right checks, I bet and both players call. 6th gives me nothing special, same with the guy on my right - but the guy on my left hits another 9. Mr wildcard leads out the max, the player between us folds, I raise - he reraises, I cap - he calls. The same goes for the river. He turns over his cards - 5 aces. and I lose.

This particularly hurt because it was a $20 buyin game (with cash in your pocket and people spotting players all the time).

Oh yeah, and the hand happened about 6 years ago now... I don't think I'll ever forget it...

and yet - I still like baseball best...

You have to match the pot every time you get a wild card up? Wouldn't those pots get huge? I'd rather play acey-duecey.

Our betting isn't fixed and its much lower limits. 10 cent ante's and bets up to $1 or $1 raise. I.E. you can bet anywhere between 10 cents and $1 but if someone bets 40 cents, you can make it $1.40 total.

We have 2 main ways of playing with a couple rules that can be added or subtracted.

#1: 3's, 5's and 7's are wild.

#2 3's and 9's are wild.

Optional rules.

#1: a 4 up allows you to buy an extra down card for a certain amount, normally about 20 cents. You can also modify the rule such that for 20 cents, you get the card up, for 40 cents, you get it down.

#2: If the queen of spades comes up, its a rainout and everyone ante's and a new hand is started. Anyone that had folded is out of the follow hand(s).


One game addition is "2 out of 3". This is a game of stud with both high and low chicago rules. This means that for the game to end and the pot to be won, someone has to have 2 out of 3 of the following : the high hand, low spade down, high spade down (1 spade can't count as both). If no one has it, you ante and start a new hand til its done. If you fold, you are out of later rounds which means some people just call to hope a new hand is dealt. We've had people with straight flushes and 4 of a kind lose because they have no spades. This game has had pots close to $30 playing 10 cent antes and going 6+ rounds.

Actually, surprisingly enough, there were very few times that the pot got truly large enough to make people balk at it. Hell, I wasn't even concerned on this one - that is until I saw the other guy's cards. And you only match the pot or fold on a 3 - not on 9s.

I've never seen the variations you play with - but I guess that's pretty common. People play the same name and you can have 20+ versions of it...

/d

Final Monthly figures:

Down approximately $30 in 55.75 hours of live and online play. My month was saved by the party and stars reload and one referral signup on party by a friend of mine. I consider this a late victory after the first 2 weeks of the month.

Hey Bri,

Apparently COMPBONUS on Party only works with NETeller. Sorry this information is late, only just found out. Hope you can still get it.

Rich

Its been a while since I updated this journal for good reason......I haven't been playing any poker really. I decided to start up at Empire since I've be so fucking lazy with actually starting it. I had a 2 hour session of $25 PLO and finished a little more than half the 500 hands needed for the $100 deposit bonus. I hope to finish it tonight so I can try to work my money around in order to withdraw and do the reload bonus too.

Anyway, as for the poker, I believe I played very well overall and my sets were actually holding up for some nice pots. I was up almost $50 at one point but finished up about $32. Another session like that and I will be very happy and with an extra $100 bonus in my account.

As for my offline life, I've been hanging out with my housemate more as we've been going out and drinking and searching and such. Its been a damn good time as we listened to some people make idiots out of themselves at this karaoke contest at this bar. We drank, smoked a cigar, drank some more, played some darts, drank more which ended with an irish car bomb and then went to a diner where my friend proceed to make a mess of the bathroom with the mozzarella sticks he just ate. Needless to say, we made a quick exit and I drove home instead of him.

That was Weds and now I got some drinking planned at my house tonight so I can get as trashed as I want because its my house and I can pass out on the stairs or under the kitchen table if I so please. I'm a grown-ass man!

Quick update. I finished the Empire first deposit bonus and I've withdrawn my money so that I can try to get to use it for the reload bonus. I had some nice consistent PLO play that added another $60 during the whoring period so I made $160 in about 4 hours of work. Not too shabby.

I decided to take a night off from the bars and hanging out with friends to actually relax with some poker. I'm currently still on my PLO fix so I was using that to work off the Empire reload bonus that I have until Sunday to complete. On Weds, I put in a long 1.5 hour session of about 250 hands 4 tabling and down $4. I pissed away a stack early on my now trademarked "stupid play" when I raised for information but decided to ignore it and push in anyway when reraised. I would be up $20 if I didn't do that.

On to Thursday. I played two different sessions as I got interuppted during the first. A total of 2.25 hours played for a nice $105 profit over about 400 hands. Once again, I pissed away another stack on a blank flop with AAxx when I thought I could get everyone to fold. However, one guy wanted to call with his open ended straight draw and second pair to hit it on the turn. I then stupidly put in the last of my stack drawing dead. I made up for that a bit later and then I was unstoppable during my night session. It was just one of the times I had a feel for the game and cards were hitting and holding.

Overall, I have a nice $100 profit and I only have 300 more hands to got until I get a $125 bonus so that will be sweet. I will probably finished that using a couple sessions tonight and tomorrow.

Quick update as I haven't played too much.

I finished the empire reload bonus while making $150 in the process playing $25 PLO tables so that's 275 up overall in about 8 hours of work. Pretty damn good. I guess I should move up to the $50 PLO tables.

I was able to squeeze into the money in the BTP monthly tourney finishing 5th for a profict of $13.80. I believe I played well and only got really lucky once against excession when my KT spiked a K on the river against his A4 blind steal (that he should have folded to my all in ) I did get lucky once in the money but that didn't improve my position so it doesn't really count.

I came in 5th in the BTP Horse tourney and I blame the Internet connection. I got timed out on many key hands that could have really helped but I got autofolded instead. I'm not saying I would have definately made the money, but I would have be much more competitive as it was really frustrating. I have an email into full tilt support if that does any good as this is the only site that I experience problems with.

Getting knocked out was not so bad as my friend was waiting for me to go out to a bar and relax.

Anyway, possibly some cards later but I do have a few things around the house to do and a trip to the gym in a couple hours. I've been working out more lately but playing less cards. I wonder if there's a relation.

I know this is probly a stupid question-- But how do you get the empire reload bonus? I hear everyone talking about it. I used to think i was above bonus whoring, until i came here and im hearing that you can earn upto like, 500/month doing it. I even d/l'ed empire again (have an old acct on there i havent played in like, a yr almost)) so youd think that id be a perfect candidate for a reload bonus, right? But i havent been able to figure it out. Am i stupid, or is there a trick im unaware of, or both?

Reload bonuses come up from time to time and expire - so if there aren't any running currently (which as far as I know there isn't) - you can't take advantage.

The usual one is 25% up to $150 in bonus dollars (for a $600 deposit) and comes around about 1/month or so. Pay attention to the Online Poker Site section - if I see one I usually make a post there for everyone's benefit (and hope that if someone else sees one that they will post accordingly...).

Played a little home game last night. Only 6 people with 25c/50c blinds. Dealer's choice between NL Omaha High and NLHE. I lost $25 but I'm not too mad. I don't think I ever made a really poor decision and I got away from many hands that could have cost me much more like a KQ that I raised preflop and was reraised by KK. The raise wasn't that big but I knew I was in trouble so I just folded and a K came on the flop so I would be hurting.

It was just the coldest run of cards I had seen in quite a long time and I'm just happy I didn't do anything stupid to cost me more. Oh well, there is always another day.