I'm starting to think yelling KAAAA and pushing might be the best way to play at Lucky Chances. Seems like any hand with a 4 in it might be the favorite.

Went to LC again for some more 1/1/2 NL200. Been at the table for about six hands. Notice the player OTB is a really big gambler, and also pretty horrendous...has pushed four times already, winning the last one, so his stack is at $173...other players at the table also seem to be drinking the crazy juice today...lots of pushing and action just in the rotation I've been there. On to the hand:

I'm in the BB(stack of $196). UTG and UTG+1 fold, MP brings it in for $4($87), MP+1 folds, Hijack($103) limps, CO($75) calls, and the button makes it $8 to go. SB($32) calls, and I look down at JJ. Not a hand I want to be in with against alot of people, so I decide to raise it up big. I make it $35 to go. MP (a big CS) calls my raise and Hijack pushes for $103 total. Co pushes for $75. Button now pushes for $173 total. SB pushes for $32 total...and before I have acted, MP is lining up his chips. I ask everyone their stack sizes and I figure if I just beat the guy on the button, I will get most of my money back, so I call.

Board comes out . You know I am hating life at this point...I show my pocket Jacks though. Button(first sidepot) looks at his hand and say he has nothing and mucks. Hijack then shows AQo and mucks. Then MP and CO both much their cards and I celebrate, not even caring at this point that SB hasn't shown yet. He flips over AA though, and so I lose the main pot, which was just a little bigger at $192. All the side pots that I won totalled about $461 I believe. I wasn't sure about the exact totals of MP or CO in this instance, but I know how much Hijack, button, and SB had because I asked them all and they answered.
Yeah, and I drive 4 hours to go to Tahoe to play poker??? What the hell is wrong with me?????
Oh yeah, I want to start an online information spot and blog about Tahoe and make money sitting on my ass at home...since I'm really good at doing that for nothing. AT least I have a reason.

BTW, this of course was on a Thursday...the weekends at LC are the crazy times IMO. Sadly I didn't catch any other hands, and had to watch people constantly going all in(in one case two guys pushed against each other about 15+ times in about 45 minutes) and not having cards that I could "gamble" with(aka, A BIG ASS PAIR). This was one of the wildest tables I've ever seen...it reminded me of those rebuy tournies I watch H2T and ED play, the $3 ones. It was just impressive. There was even a 2/3/5 player at my table...horrible to say the least, and always welcome wherever I sit down.

But, I pretty much just lost a little after this one hand, the rest of the night was just me watching and folding, and winning some blinds once in a while when it quieted down some. Since I am going to go to Tahoe tomorrow, I made it a short day. +$226 3 hrs.

Forgot to mention, going to invest in Monster I think because I saw Cramer target it for a takeover bid by either Gannett(newpaper company) or Google. Either way, seems like an interesting short term play. Then, I have to get off my ass and read my copy of 'The Only Three Words That Count' by Ken Fisher. My buddy works for him, and his writings started me investing ten years ago...and had me focused on price/sales ratios rather than PE ratios, which I still believe are a decent way to find a winner...along with other factors obviously.

Also, everyone read Freakonomics. I swear, that book really makes you reexamine what people are talking about when they talk about the war, crime, poverty, etc. It also makes you think the conventional wisdom people use to make their arguments is just hot air. It also tackles alot of different subjects...I really enjoyed it.

Reading a new book called "The Only Three Questions That Count" by Ken Fisher. He's a big time money manager and has been writing for Forbes for like 30 years I think. And in his book(which I have just begun) he basically calls everyone who invests idiots and says that they are doing it wrong. I'm going to try and finish this book within the week, but it's a hard read IMO. When you break into causal correlations and correlation coefficients ten pages in, you know you are in for it. Either way, I am going to finish the book and then hopefully make a bajillion dollars in the market in the next few years.

Went to Lucky Chances on Friday and won $159. Was a decent win, but I think I gave too much money away. One hand is listed as a topic in the NL forum because I folded the hand...mainly because I was pretty sure the guy had a 4 on a 474A board and I had 64, so the best I could do there is chop unless I hit my 6 on the river. He showed 42, so I would have chopped, but I'm not so sure I made the wrong decision, even though everyone said call so far to my question. Against a raiser on his first hand, I called with 55 and flopped a set on an all heart board 653, but I put him in after his flop bet, turned the FH, and he flipped his black Kings into the muck. Hit trips two times, and even hit quads once. I limped in with ATs in the hijack spot. Flop came TT6 rainbow. MP player bet out $15 into the pot of $25. I took about 15 seconds, then called, all the other limpers folded. MP had only $40 left behind, and I wanted all his money. Turn was the last ten, he checked, and after about five seconds, I checked. River was an 8, and he bet $20. I took another ten seconds and put him all in which he eventually called with a 6. I was happy about that obviously because my image was tight as usual. Also had a hand where I raised in MP AKo to $25,pot was straddled to $8. Folded around to the straddler who called. She was a decently tight player, but I didn't feel she had anything very good in this spot. Flop came 882 rainbow. She checked, I bet $30, and she took about ten seconds and called. WTF? I think I'm probably done with this hand, although I almost felt she was going to make a play and raise there. Anyway, the turn was an ace, and she checked, and I checked behind...I wasn't willing to make this a huge pot at the time. River was another ace, and obviously MHIG. She then leads out $25??? I take about 15 seconds thinking about it and make it $100 straight. She eventually folds her hand, and said to the other side of the table she had an eight. Wow, did she play that badly and I lucksacked my way to victory. Last hand: had UTG...last two times I have raised I have received alot of respect either preflop or on the flop. This time, of course, fours calls...wheeeee. Flop comes . I decided to bet $20 and see what would happen...big, stupid mistake. Guy to my left makes it $80 to go, the rest fold. He has about another $60 behind, so he isn't folding. I decided to lay it down here, but.....I was getting 2-1, and I should have probably pushed...I just knew from his play that he had a pretty good hand, and I didn't feel like gambling there. He showed me AK. AFter the Giants came back to win, I decided to call it a night after about 5.5 hours. Thinking of going back tonight...

OMG, I played again on Sunday at Lucky Chances...although I'm starting to see which days will be lucrative (Thursday, Friday nights) and which days won't be. OTOH, it's nice to get in some time with the regulars and figure out exactly how they will lose money to you today. I have such a tight image at these tables that it's sickening...and I can get the thinking player to lay down hands once in a while, but it's hard to find that player in the heap of calling stations and lagtards that surround these tables. I won $9 tonight...I was completely card dead and didn't even get a hand to raise better than AQo...which was depressing, but at the same time I do like that I booked a tiny win. I checkraised one guy on a OESD and FD on the turn and he mucked, also checkraised another guy(TAGish) with KJ on a Jxx flop and took that down...but there was one hand.

Had AA UTG+1...hands have been raised a good amount of the time, so I went for the limp reraise. Of course, five people behind me call only, so off to the flop of KJ3 two diamonds. Checks to me and I bet $15, seeing if I can win this pot anyway. Guy to my left, a huge CS calls, folds to the SB who calls, a girl I played yesterday...and I don't think she likes me too much because I took pots off of her alot on Friday. My read on her was this: overbets her draws and weaker hands, slowplays her monster hands. Turn comes a Q of clubs, and she pushes for about $90 into the $65 pot. The CS behind me has about $30 left, and is getting ready to call. I decided to fold here because I actually thought I was beat...oops, that was dumb. Girls shows her for her flush draw and spiked pair, and CS has a set of 3's which hold up when the river blanks. I didn't take enough time in this hand to consider what I knew about her playing style and what type of hands she plays like this, but the overpush was a big sign that she was behind me here. All the same, this is not the best board in the world, and it would be understandable if she was protecting her two pair in this spot. I guess I'm just unhappy that I didn't win the pot, but meh...I'll get over it. The other hand was I tried to steal a pot with 44 in position on a QJ6 flop and Q turn(I bet both times and was called by the same guy both times) and on the ace river when we both checked I said "Fours" and he gaffed and folded his ass ugly draw(probably T9 or hearts possibly). Not many hand other than those...pretty basic folding and waiting type deal.

At Lucky Chances again tonight, and was winning some at a pretty tight table for a live table...Limped with AA again UTG+2 after the rest folded on a group that raised about 45% of the time and of course, they all limp behind me! Seven to the flop and it comes . BB who has a big stack and covers me(I'm at $200) bets $15. I waited for about ten seconds and called. I had him on TP, so I wasn't really worried about him. Everyone folds behind me except the button, a woman who plays in the bigger game usually and is decently reckless, she has about $73 left going to the turn. Turn is , BB checks, I bet $35 and button pushes for the rest. BB folds, and I call and button missed her straight draw, so gutshot w/ and 8. I win a couple more pots and play pretty tight for a while when this hand hits:

forum/viewtopic.php?p=233558#233558

After that, I won a tiny bit back, but ended up down for the night $206. Even with the tight method I play, I still have two stack swings pretty much every session which is quite different than the people around me who have 5-10 stack swings regularly it seems. I'm also noticing that there are certain people you just want to get involved with and some that you don't...hopefully I can do that more often and play as tight as I want, but it's difficult.

Clearing out the cobwebs of this journal...been doing things lately not related to poker at all, except the occassional going to the casino to check out a game or two. Last night though, I went to Lucky Chances and played for about 10 hours. I was there from about 8pm to 6:30 am and played for most of it except for a couple hour break when I decided I was a little tired...that soon passed though at 11pm so I jumped on another table and played until I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I played pretty tight for the first couple of hours, but since I was on a table that had no action at all, I got up and left for a little while and joined in at another table at 11pm. AT this table, there was a older Asian man in Seat 1 who was a huge calling station. This is one of those types who will call down with anything and sometimes nothing, as witnessed by me with his win of a $350 pot with 82 sooted on a board of J65 4 3. He called $45 on the flop by the preflop raiser with no flush draw, nothing, after two other people called that bet. The turn got checked, and on the river, he called another bet from a younger player who decided betting TT out of the SB on the river for $47 into a pot of $237 in three opponents was a really good idea. WHY THE HELL CAN'T I CATCH A HAND WHEN THESE IDIOTS HAVE SOMETHING?????

Anyway, I lost a very large pot to one guy who called my push on the flop with a draw that had my draw completely dominated and so I bought in again and just started playing hands for cheap and trying to outplay people postflop. I won a couple of small pots and then completed in the SB with ...only because I've noticed that everyone pays you off at this table if you have the goods. Flop came . I checked and the BB(a pretty bad player who can easily bet bottom pair on scary boards) bet out $20 into a $16 pot. Everyone folded around to me, and I decided to make a call where I think I probably should have made a big raise, but there is a $500 jackpot I win if I hit a Royal flush, so that did persuade me to make a call. Turn was . I checked, and he checked behind. And the river was the oh so beautiful . I decided to check here as well, because this guy could have been on a straight draw or heart draw too because he checked the turn. He bet $20 again, and I only minraised him, although I doubt I could have gotten much more on that board. I showed my hand and then the floor got me my $500 which I had to sign something for which means the government probably knows about it...I have to go find out the details obviously. That's how I became a winner in my first live game in a month...which really depressed me...I'm planning on going back Monday and playing again, so I can actually catch a set or a pair bigger than the QQ I got when the calling station had KK. I did have a pretty good time though, so there was that...the people around me actually talked a little.

Played at Lucky Chances again. Made $68. Most folded, had really no interesting hands during my time there, and only one crazy guy at my table who bought in five times and who I couldn't get any money from because I couldn't hit in those 50 hands he played. Otherwise played alot of weak tighties and TAG's. I'm trying to use some of the things I read in TUP's book, but honestly, it's so hard to play a session where there are people who fold at this level that pushing people around with big bets feels like burning money. Plus, my only big pair was TT, I didn't sniff a set(although tonight I had a load of 88 hands), and my ONE preflop raise OTB to $20(with ) after two limpers was reraised by the BB to $60 which I promptly folded. I'm going to try and go back tomorrow.

Played at Lucky Chances last night and had a rollercoaster session. Was trying Angel Largay's playing style he suggested in his book which means preflop there is very little raising. The first pot I won I limped with 55 and flop came . I was 3rd out of 6th to act, and figured with the idiots behind me, I could CR the flop, but it checked around. Turn was and the SB bet out(young player, not good postflop). I decided to call, everyone else folded. River was , and he bet $15 and I raised to $45 which he called after a few moments. After that, I got up for a phone call, then came back...about five hands back I got JJ in MP and limped again. Six of us saw a flop of 966 rainbow. Checked to me and I bet it. Only the SB called(a decent player). This guy wouldn't be calling my bet without a six, so I was going to pretty much give up on this pot. Turn was a Jack. BINGO! He checked again, and I bet $20 to look weak, and he checkraised right on schedule. I had no doubt he had a six, so I hemmed and hawed for about 20 seconds and called his CR. River was a King and he bet about $100 and I pushed for $91 more which he pretty much had to call with his A6. I got very lucky, but I'm sure I would have never lost that much to a player who played as tight as me in this spot.

I played a hand horribly, called a raise after limping with by a guy who was raising very liberally. Three to the flop which came . CS to my right and I checked and raiser bet out about $20. CS called and I called. Turn was . CS checked and I decided to make a move at the pot and bet $30. PFRer folded but CS called. River was another Jack and CS bet out $60 after a second of thought. I should have made this call obviously, but I folded like an idiot...it didn't make any sense, and I didn't think he had a Queen because he never led out. I tried that move where you move chips forward to see if opponent freezes, but I didn't notice anything. Later, he said he had an ace only and thought I had caught him when I was going to reraise his last $40. I just blew that hand so badly. Getting 3.5-1 I think it was a horrendous laydown. About 20 minutes later, I get OTB, and it folds to me and I raise to $12. SB calls(another CS player). Heads up, the flop is . SB checks and I bet $15 into $23 pot. SB calls. Turn is . SB checks, I bet $30, and SB CRAI for $75 more which I instantly call. He flips over KQ of course, and no spade on the river for me. So, at that point I now only up $1 in total far away from my high of $320. Variance, BAH.

I ended up about $28 after another 30 minutes, but this one felt like a loss. Getting coolered and playing so badly on that one hand....ridiculous.

OK, I went to Tahoe last weekend, but I pretty much won just a little playing poker and lost a little more playing BJ and craps which are rigged against anyone at my table. I've never seen a dealer win ten hands in a row live against me until this weekend...thankfully, I wasn't drunk yet.

As for poker...played some stupid LHE friday night which was actually pretty ghey, but my buddy Brian obviously wanted to pound as many beers as possible and lose $250 and puke(probably because he goes under the knife for the ACL rip in a few days), and I won $90 there, mainly by waiting for the nuts and being card dead. Then, Saturday, I started playing limit again while waiting for a NL seat, and proceeded to only lose $20 even though I was completely card dead with morons to my right to boot. So, sat at the NL table ($300 max, 2/3) and proceeded to be more card dead...in other words, I was the rock. Not that I didn't limp on virtually every hand I could because I did...I limped all day. I just could really bluff these people off a hand...a bunch of CS's. Finally, after calling about four raises with 22 and not hitting the flop once, I limp with after 4 limpers. Button makes it $20 to go(TAG who would CB a good deal of the time). I was going to fold, but then after the blinds folded, EVERY LIMPER CALLED. So, I called. Flop came and all the limpers checked. I checked, and the button then bet $100. Everyone folded to me, and I pushed for $91 more. He called, turn , river . I double up through his overpair probably...So, I pretty much won about $40 at this table. On Sunday, I gave about $56 back to the bad poker players of the world by making a horrible call on the river of a guy who made the "I'm unhappy about that turn card" tell, which means around here he pretty much just hit the nuts. I called a $50 bet on the river to him on a board with a naked ace. Pretty depressing.

On Tuesday, I played at LC and made $80 after calling off $12 another eight times with small pairs and not hitting a set...but I made it back by putting a guy in on an AQ97 rainbow board w/ AQ and him calling off his money with A8. Also, I made one good read and one good play. The good read consisted of me limping with 88, 2 other limping with me and the BB raising to $16. I've been pretty tight the whole time he's been at the table and I've seen him make a play on limpers once before(although I didn't get to see it) plus some other suspicious bets he's made. I also saw him make a play on the guy to his right and lost his first stack getting caught. So, other limpers fold and we were heads up to a flop of J73 rainbow. He bet out $24(his standardish bet), and after about ten seconds I pushed figuring I was either A) ahead and B) behind, but his hand was lower than the J and he would fold. It just felt his preflop raise was some kind of Ax hand, which he raised with quite a few times. After about 20 seconds he mucked and it felt pretty good to make that play. Later, it folded around to the button(this might happen twice in 4 hours at LC) and he limped for $4. I decided to play a little and completed with Q3. Flop was QT9 two clubs. I checked, and he bet $8, and I called. Turn was a 4. I checked, he bet $16, and I called. River was a J, no club. I bet $15 at him, and he made one of those slaps on the table and that bitter sound I make when the Giants don't get a run home from 3rd with less than two outs. He said, "Man, I got two pair!" and promptly mucked...I told him I had the king high Club draw on the flop...and he actually believed me for some reason.

I am just glad I am actually getting some use out of my tight image for once...sadly, this play would not work on most people, but he was a guy I figured it would work on based on previous hands I saw him play, and his view of me at the table.

Anyway, I've noticed at LC if I don't hit a set, I win a little, and if I do hit one, I win alot. I'm hoping this trend continues.