Mentally Challenged
Thursday, August 25, 2005
As the Commissioner of the Heads Up Challenge, it is with a heavy heart that I must state that this challenge sucks! I’m already out of the running for round 2, after DNasty made a comeback and a stunning suckout defeat. I can’t blame him for the suckout, as I made two suckouts earlier in the 100+ hand matchup. The final hand saw me pushing pre-flop after his raise. I held Ah2h. He held Ks9c. The flop came down with three spades and an Ace. The turn was an Ace, giving me three of a kind. The river was a spade, and I go home crying.
The Challenge has been especially challenging to me because of some horrible play in my first four matches. Some was due to suckouts, but the truth of the matter is, I played those first four matches one after another while on namesake. I like namesake, no doubt, but it doesn’t help my poker game, and it wrecks my heads-up game. I mean totally wrecks it. I promised myself before the challenge that I would only play when I’m in top condition, without distractions or intoxicants. No such luck there, as I missed the first couple of days while in A.C. Consequently, when I was on namesake and itching to go, I didn’t think twice about playing those first four matches. If I could do anything over again, it would be to avoid that scenario.
Que sera, right? I still have one match against SteelerJosh. He and I are on a smack-talk buildup, so it should be an interesting match. One of the great things about the HUC is that even when you essentially out of the tournament, you still have impetus to play future matches. Being the steaming soar loser that I am (in poker only, interestingly), I would be prone to say, Screw it, and let Steel take a win. However, since there necessarily will be $5 on the line, I see it as an opportunity to win $5 and humiliate Josh with my expert play. See? Much better.
In other poker news, I’ve earned my first $10 bonus (of 6 coming) from Noble. I played for about 10 minutes of $1/2 last night and won about $10 thanks to an AQ which hit and A on the flop. It was a 10-person table, and I was in EP/MP, but I bet, even though I was scared that one of the 4-5 limpers had AK or Ax with two pair. The turn was a blank and I bet out again. I had about 2 callers. Finally the river came, and it was no help. I thought I was screwed so I checked. Monsters under the bed, folks. One guy had 77 and the other had J7, for an inside straight draw on the flop! I quickly typed in the players’ notes, “Loose” (77) and “Retarded” (J7). Those accurate descriptions will hopefully pay dividends in the future. My Noble bankroll is at $350, so I’m inching toward that $400 goal (hopefully by the end of August).
On the computer front, my desktop won’t recognize it’s Ethernet card anymore, and my wireless router won’t work either. I put in an order at J&R Music and Computer World, and expect a new Ethernet card and wireless router in a matter of days, all for less than $50. Not too shabby. Here’s crossing my fingers.
I have to get back to the grind. I’ll see you all later.
Poker, anyone?
posted by Jordan @ 9:47 AM,
2 Comments:
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At 12:23 PM,
GaryC said...
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I don't think it's so much "mentally challenged." It's more like "herbally challenged" don't you think?
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At 10:09 AM,
Jordan said...
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New, new new...You must realize, that I didn't even write "Loose (77)" in the notes. I wrote "Loose" alone. The (77) was just to indicate to readers who I wrote loose for.
The way I see it, notes only get you so far. If I see a particular play, like a re-raise preflop with JT, I might type "Re-R PF w JTs". This gives me an indication of the player's abilities. A common one is "Beware re-R". But if I generally see loose play, a simple "Loose" or the occassional "LOOSE!!" will do. I don't expect to base too much of my decisions on my notes. I'm just happy to have a brief reference for the next time. After all, I might be playing a player on tilt, and next time he might be screwed down. OR I might be playing someone, but next time it's their girlfriend or brother on their account.
