iHateJacks (dotcom)

I kind of feel dirty for betraying my cash game heritage, but I have been grinding tournaments like it’s going out of style. I have found cash games to be harder and harder as the fish pool get smaller and people become more skilled overall. Right now I think the softest games to play are mixed games, omaha variations, or tournaments. As such I have focused a lot less on my cash game grinding and have been trying to get better at tournaments.

With a $4k weekend in January I was off to a great start for the year and had a really renewed confidence in my tournament skills. This last weekend reaffirmed for me that I could beat tournaments consistently. I had 3 final tables with a 6th place finish, a 2nd place finish, and a win. The fields were about 250, 1850, and 95 players respectively for cashes of $270 + bounties, just shy of $6k, and $1,450 on buyins of $10+1, $24+2, and $50. With a few other small cashes this was by far my best weekend ever with profits of $7,500+.

I will cashing some out, and keeping up the grind. Maybe I’ll start to mix in some higher buyin tournaments and see if I can really blow up huge!

Yesterday was a great day! It started off great with a 2nd place finish in a $30 turbo on Full Tilt for just under $2k. I went into HU as chip leader and got it all in with Ax vs Kx but he flopped two kings and with the really high blinds I got it all in as a dog and couldn’t improve.

Unsatisfied with only 2nd place I went on to win the $8k $5+R on AP for just shy of $2,200. All that grinding finally paid off! One of my big poker goals has been to win a decent sized MTT, and I finally achieved that! With a $1,400 cash on Cake earlier this month, January has been a great start to 2009!

I also min cashed the $28k on FT, A7 < A5s of course, and went fairly deep in the $80k $10+R on Stars but couldn’t win TT vs AK. I feel like now that I have won a decent tourney I can get back to the cash game grind. Of course there is always the allure of the touranment crack rock for the andrenaline fix. What better way to blow up huge than a lol donkament?

I played in the PLO8 Poker Stars blogger tournament last night and qualified for the finals! I also got quad jacks!

I won the PokerSource.com league last night! It is a great $5 buyin per event league with lots of extra added value. It just started the weekend before last so you still have plenty of events left to play if you are looking for something fun to do.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3296837

Some people choose to play a hand no matter what just because it’s their “favorite” because they won some huge pot with it once upon a time ago. That’s the only way I can rationalize how this guy played these two hands:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3279682

http://www.pokerhand.org/?3279721

I’m just glad I benefited from one of those donations. I wish I had bet more though

Overall had a solid session today. 2,300 hands for a profit of $230. I’m back into cash games this month to see if I have a shot at a big rake race on AP.

and yet so far away. I can’t complain about the $ but it would have felt really good to take it down. Going in with a 1:2 chip deficit I was just never able to get a leg up on the guy. Ah well, such is life. I guess I’ll remain addicted to donkaments until I can ship one!

Congratulations,

Out of 306 players in Tournament 2869986, you came in 2nd and have won $2,488.86.

You’ve also been awarded 14 Cake Points for participating in the tournament.

Best wishes,
The CakePoker Team

After winning a tournament last week I have had tourney fever. I remember now why I hate them so much.

In 15 minutes, in 3 sick hands, I go from a healthy stack to out of the tournament.

AKo < KQo who played it terrible

AKo < 66 the hard way

2 outer resuck AGAIN

I guess it’s back to cash games…

Decided to check my Hotmail account today and what do I find?

Dear Chris:
Congratulations! As the official judging organization for the Xbox LIVE GTA IV Promotion, it is our pleasure to inform you that you have been selected as an Eighth Prize winner!
Your prize is a twelve (12) month Xbox LIVE Gold subscription!

Guess I run good at sweepstakes at least I’m also up $200 this month playing online. Only 1k hands but I’ll take it! First month this year finishing in the black (not counting rakeback and bonus) I think. Hopefully the 2nd half of the year will continue in this trend In hopes of harnessing the power of positive thinking I have added a category of “Running Good” to my blog!