Monday, November 20, 2006

The tilted fish

I had a good run at the poker tables this weekend, following a crash&burn during the week where I squandered my winnings from the weekend before but now I'm back on track. Bankroll increase: 30%.

My strategy is to play either Sit´n´Gos (two or three at the same time) or three to four cash games but not mix them up (too much). Sometimes you hit a good streak and just pocket away the winnings (if my stack has increased by 25% or so at NL, leave the table to "secure" the profit and pick a new one).

I´m halfway to a Ferrari! Explanation: My goal is to win enough to buy an Acer Ferrari high performance laptop computer.

This weekend I poured and drank a Guinness Canned Draught for the poker blog of poker blogs, which is going into hiatus. No, I did NOT pour out some on the ground (or floor) for our dead homie. This is Guinness, my good man, I´ll have you know, and It Is Simply Not Done.

As I wrote in an earlier post from my stay in Las Vegas, one fine thing about playing there against "real people" was when you got praise, respect or a nod of approval. When someone said "nice hand" or "well played" and you were 85-95% certain they were sincere. It´s different from "nh wp KTHXBYE" online.

Another thing happened yesterday (online) along those lines but completely different. I played a cash game (one of four) where I spiked a (gutshot, I prefer open-ended) straight on... Was it the turn or the river? Don´t remember. However, the turn was a third Heart and that was what I was fearing, a flush. Nope, my remaining opponent had flopped a set. Of fours. I scoop the pot, not huge but not minimal either.

He went ballistic and simian feces (that´s a finer word for apeshit) in the chat window, bellyaching for a few hands about fishiness, OF COURSE IN ALL CAPS. And here´s the good part: He wrote "I already had five notes on him as someone who chases straights."

That fills me with such pride and joy. Firstly; I have been noticed! Someone deemed me important enough to take notes about me earlier. Maybe even fear me? Secondly; Now I know that he knows. If I´m ever at the same table as him and hopefully in the same pot I can bully and goad him. Hey, buddy, I won the pot at the showdown, you only had the best hand for a while. What should I do, give you a percentage?

I´m someone who can fold even if I´ve put money in the pot if things look suspicious, when the cards fall as such that you can be outdrawn. It´s not only the cards you have, it´s what the opponents have or might have. "If he has a Jack, he has a straight but he didn´t bet much and now the river came eight of hearts which gives me the flush but ooops, it paired and if that guy over there has 99 pocket he has a full house but he checked and doesn´t seem like the slowplaying type." The constant inner monologue.