The ups and downs of love

Ok, so I’m having this love affair (with poker, doh, if you haven’t read my first post), and every day I realize that it’s very much like the real thing. Just like a lover in real life, this one is playing games – one day he’ll do everything for me, and the next day ignores me and pours out buckets of attention - not only to other pretty ladies, but even grumpy old men. He doesn’t buy them drinks or take them out to dinner – he gives them runner-runner flushes and straights to beat my two pair and sets.

Weekend poker started out pretty good. By putting in hours and hours (not kidding, ask my better half) of online poker, I’m trying to find my niche in poker. So far I’ve realized that I don’t have the killer instinct for NL ring games, but I’m definitely the one waking up the killer instinct, so – stay away from those for now.

I’m pretty decent at Limit Hold’em games, playing on instinct and feelings, no mathematics involved – which results in pretty interesting explanations and discussions when I try to justify some of my plays to Richard.

So, with that information on hand, I decided to play the limit tournament at Orleans on Saturday. In the hour waiting for the tourney to start, I did pretty well at the 4/8 game, it helped that I flopped a set on my first hand, and nobody thought I was serious when I kept on raising and betting.

Tournament started with 61 players and my first thought that it was senior’s day somewhere. Average age = Doyle Brunson. **note to self – play at Orleans on days I feel old. They all seem to know each other too, I’m pretty sure they’re getting bussed in from some old age home somewhere.

Apart from youngish arrogant player to my right (he was the only other person in the room under 60, I think), players were pretty solid and everyone seemed to have a good time too. Almost felt like playing a home game.

I wasn’t getting any cards, missed all draws and was getting pretty short-stacked when we got down to 3 tables. Got lucky once or twice and when the final table started, I was in pretty decent shape and very excited.
First hand at final table I flopped a straight, but couldn’t manage to shake off the nut-flush-draw Asian guy with the sunglasses (honestly, do you really need those at a limit game??), he got his flush and I got 10th place. Not too shabby, although I hate being first in the money, just getting double your entry fee back almost feels like a consolation prize.

Rest of the weekend my lover let me down – same night at Venetian I managed to lose my first buy-in within an hour or so, but managed to stay off tilt, playing disciplined like I should, and I got it all back plus another 20. Sunday was another story. The summary of the day is that my AQ clubs on a top pair, flush draw board, lost to bottom pair who hit his second pair on the river. What can I say, lost all my winnings of the previous day and some.

Tonight I’m going to test my lover’s commitment at the ladies tournament at Caesars. (For which I have to borrow the entry fee from Richard, who did much better over the weekend than I did)