Online Donk

Hi all. Not that anyone is waiting on the edge of his or her seat to read my next blog, but I promise to start blogging more often. I have been playing live a fair bit lately, and some online. I have ran pretty good live.. And terribly online.

Sadly, the title of this post refers to myself. I play tournaments/SNG's ok online.. But I must be the biggest fish in the cash games. I just get involved in too many hands. It's ridiculous. I play pretty solid for a while, then go ape-shit. I can't explain it. I played a 6-max 2/4 game the other night. I played ok for a while.. Got down $100 or so.. then up $100 or so.. and then I blow it. I call a raise with Qd8d. Something I'll do occasionally in live games, but something I do way more often online. The flop comes down Q-9-10. Preflop raiser bets, I call. The turn is a Q. He bets I call. The river is garbage, he shoves... I start saying out loud, "This is ridiculous", "I can't win", "This has to be 9s full or tens full". I'm repeating all of these things aloud. And still click call. Just for him to show 9-9 and I'm bust. I mean WTF? I would almost never call here live. My opponent was solid.... you know what, I won't even go into it. I know I shouldn't call.. I know I'm destroyed. And I still ship him my money.

I was sickened by it. I only lost $350 on the session but I was more disgusted that night, than on nights where I lost 5x's that. It's because I knew I played bad and continue to do it. I sent a text to some of my friends saying, "If you ever see me playing cash online, stop me." And I mean it. It's not like I've lost a big amount or that I can't control myself. I just know if I sit down and play, I'm dead money. I play way too erratic and never give people credit for a hand. I came close to telling Bill to post something on GCP stating... "If anyone catches Matt playing cash online, contact Matt and he'll give you $500." That's how mad I was at myself.

Only because I know I'm better than that. It's like a decent pitcher going out and throwing nothing but hanging curveballs. He knows better, but throws bad anyway.

Bottom line, I'm going to limit myself to online tourneys and SNG's. I have been doing ok live.. Booking mostly small winners. I won $300 at Shorty's the other night. I took $200 from Joe Bueche on one hand (AA-KK). It was nice to finally have a hand hold up against him. I gave all that money to Ms. Lorna soon after when I flopped open-ended and turn a flush draw.. I paid to see the f***ing blank on the river and she won, showing KK. GGEEEEZZ! One time!! I nail the flush or straight and check change.. her stack. Talk about implied-odds. But I doubled up through her later when I flopped two pair, 5s and 4s against her AA and my hand held up.

I played a $340 Hold em' event at the Beau Rivage during the Spring Break Poker Classic. No good. I did last pretty long, but that's just a waste of time. It was the same tourney Bill exited early and Reid ran KK into AA. I did happen to outlast them, Davey, and Joe Beuche. But at least they all spent their day doing something else. Instead of placing somewhere in the 30-40 player spot, for a grand total of $0. I lost a sick hand early in the tourney that would have set me up nicely. I raised preflop with 66 and got 2 callers behind me. Flop 8-6-3. Nice. I decide to check. The guy behind me bets. Other player folds. And I elect to just call. The turn pairs the board 8's. Sweet. I check again. And he fires again. I almost got aggressive here(which I think would have cost me even more money), but I called again. I was planning to bet out on the river. That is until the insane 3rd 8 hit the board. How gross. I now have 66 on an 8-6-3-8-8 board. Yuck. I check and he checks. He shows 10-10.. drag your pot genius. I had this guy on the hook. He needs a 10 or running 8's. He got there. The dealer outplayed me.

I stole a pot or two and was doing ok. Then I got lucky. The worse player at our table was short and shoving every once in a while with not-so-great hands. Well he shoves short again UTG or UTG +1. It folds around to me and I call with A-10. His shove was not too large and my A-10 was well ahead of some of his earlier shoves. Then like clockwork, the player behind me shoves in. SOB! It folds back to me. Now I just called like 1500 or so from the original shove, now it cost me like 1700 or so to call this. I'm severely crippled if I lose this one. God I hate putting in this much with A-10 but I can't fold at this point(not in my opinion). And I have both players covered. I say "Oh well, time to get lucky" and call. The UTG player shows A-K.. yikes.. But the other player shows 55. Ok.. not too bad. At least if I spike an A or 10 I can win the side pot and actually make a little money. Well the flop comes A-x-K. Yes.. I flop an ace and I'm ahead for the sidepot. I'm just thinking.. no 5 no 5. And the board runs out.. queen.... Jack.... Giving me broadway to scoop the whole pot! NICE!

I don't have much to talk about after that.. I steal a couple here and there. Then I got involved in a hand with the chipleader. Bad move.. I got low on that hand. Then I shoved all-in preflop with A-K and got called by A-7 suited.. 7 on the turn and I'm outta there. If I win that "race", I'm average with the high blinds and antes in there. O Well.

I had a eventful night at the $2-$5 game later that night. I don't remember too many hands but I ended up losing $300 on the night. It was a roller coaster ride to say the least. I missed a gut-shot straight flush draw early to go down some. Then I rivered a flush with a gut-shot and flush draw a little later to get back up. Then I lost the following hand...

The 1 seat was the biggest fish at the table. I call the $10 straddle with 9c7c. The 1 seat who religiously pops his straddle 99% of the time, does so to $50. I'm not sure how many calls to me. I decide to call from the button. The flop comes down Q-10-6.. two clubs.. here we go again with these gutterball & flush draw hands. The 1 seat bets $75. Which I thought was small and weak. Folds to me and it's just me and him. I played the other monster draws conservatively. But I had other thoughts on this one. I ask how much he has behind. I can't remember the exact amount but I think it was $260 or so. I say, "I'm all-in." And he snap calls. Oops! bad read.. or so I thought.. The boards comes brick, brick and I'm left with 9 high. He tables A-J for ace high. This f***ker snap calls $260 with ace high. I guess he was tired of getting outplayed by everyone and decided to try and get lucky. Kudos to him.

I ended up running KK into AA.. Then won a lot back when I raised with KK preflop and check called the whole way down against a maniac and won. But then in a raised pot, I flopped 2 pair with 9-7 suited on a 9-7-6 board. I bet the flop hard.. call... call...... I bet the turn... call, call... the river is a 5..... I lose to 9-8.. I don't think there's an amount I could have bet to win that hand.. should have just folded top two earlier.. or played it like a chump and hope it holds... It was definitely a fun session. But a loser overall.

I will start blogging more often so I can recall these hands in more detail. Until then.. good luck!!

"If there wasn't luck in this game, I'd be a millionaire"
-Jerry Bergeron.. Local 3-6-12 player