Greed kills

Last week's poker results. During the week I had a good run at Pokerblue. I had had a hiatus a few months ago, then made a deposit (nibbling at the $2000 "travel money" I got in connection with winning my seat at the WSOP Main Event 2006) from the cashout I had made to Neteller and started playing again, then cashed out the deposit amount again when I had built up a bankroll, for example with winning a $5 Limit tournament and grinding at low ($0.25/$0.50 and $0.50/$1) tables. Now, during the week I had a good run and made a good plus. Enough to cover the big Sunday tournament.

Pokerblue changes their "flagship" tournament once in a while. For a while it was "Play four hours and you get a seat in the Sunday $12000 freeroll with a WPT/WSOP seat at stake", then "Play four hours, WPT/WSOP seat and added prize money to the top 20" (been there, done that, won it), then "Play four hours and you get a seat in the Sunday freeroll with $6000 prize money to the top 20" (got a 17th place in one of those). Now it's no "Play four hours" anymore, it's a $50 tournament (usually they only have $5-$20 hourly tournaments) with $2000 added. I got a promotional email saying that last time there were only 31 participants, so it's a good overlay.

So I entered. It starts with 39 participants, top 5 paid ($1500 to the winner).

The headline for this post is "Greed kills". I got into a situation with a guy with a shorter stack than me (two thirds?) where I flopped a gutshot straight draw (lacked the king) and a flush draw (lacked a club), but I don't have a hand yet. Bet 300, half his stack, to push him out but he goes all-in on me. I ponder, and I call. But, no, no king or club on turn or river and now I'm shortstacked. But ya gotta dare to win.

How would've been better? Just a low bet to test the waters and if nothing comes up there's always the next deal, and the next. Or putting him all-in on the flop? It's a case of "If I had hit the straight or flush", then it would have been a good play, "I had at least twelve outs".

Next hand, KA off suit. All-in with the 150 I have left but no hit and I'm out at 28th.

But at least I played. Who dares wins.

In other news: Dicked around at Full Tilt. I entered a multitable tournament and did well in the first blinds level. Then I was surprised when I got four hole cards and looked closer at the Tournament Info. Oops. I entered a HORSE tournament. That's where you play Texas Hold'em, then Omaha Hi/Lo, then Razz, then Seven Card Stud, then Omaha Eight or Better. Then start over again. Oops indeed. Haven't played much Omaha, and definitely not the other three "for real". I once entered an Omaha Sit'n'Go by mistake, quickly browsed around for rules and tips and played so carefully I finished third and in the money. So, I did well in Hold'em, survived Omaha Hi/Lo (actually picked up one Lo pot) and then I was out in Stud.

Played a tournament at Full Tilt with 440 participants, 45 paid. After three hours, I was at the final table! Finished 7th, of 440. Good! Too bad it was a... wait for it... $1 tournament. Won $14.30. A good return on investment. But not good hourly wages. Had it been a $100 tournament I could've gotten $1430 (or 1st place and $10000) and that would've been gooood.

But I'm not in it for the money...

Eh, well, only kidding. I'm not in it only because you can win money. I don't want to gamble hundreds of dollars even if I could because you can lose it and then what do you do? Never play with money you can't afford to lose. And if I liquidated my assets and plopped down in a seat at the $50/$100 tables or thereabouts I would be playing with scared money. However, if I won or placed well in a huge multitable tournament and got a few hundred or thousand, then I'd go up a level. What I'm saying is that I also find it rewarding when you win at low levels, the moment of triumph when you rake in a big pot in a cash game because you did everything right and read your opponent(s) correctly or place in a tournament because your overall strategy and tactics worked. The important thing is that you should enjoy playing poker. Not much fun to just sit there and click click click if you'd rather be doing something else. Consider it a hobby.

So it's a good thing I haven't paid $10,000 (lets give that amount the respect it deserves and spell it out: TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS) of my own money to be in the WSOP because then I would just sit there frozen and not dare to play anything other than a flopped Aces over Kings or four of a kind. In an unraised big blind. "I don't wanna lose my money! Mommyyy!".

It is drawing closer, day by day. "Wow, did you figure that out all by yourself, professor?" Shuttup shuttup. Anyway, when I won my seat, WSOP was about nine months away. Now it's only five months before I board a westbound flight in Copenhagen and cross the Atlantic Ocean. Quite a few biweekly homegames and also some local poker club tournaments available in the meantime to get practice in. I've transferred the travel money to my bank account and soon, maybe even this week, I'll make the reservations. Hotel and flight. I've done some scouting with Google Earth. Message to the guy with the red car who parked at the southwest upper parking deck at the Rio when the aerial photo was taken: Leave your car there, so I'll know where to cross the road.

Will be staying at The Gold Coast. A small hotel, just 700+ rooms. The local hotel here, "one of Sweden's larger conference hotels", which I can see from work, only has 200+ rooms. Gold Coast also has 70 bowling lanes. We only have 10 (or less) here

I'm ready. Bring it on! I've got plenty of sunglasses!