Kind Of A Long Post

I tried my hand at another TOC seat last night in the Mookie. My demise was courtesy of the second best starting hand I had all night: ATo.

I raise the standard from the CO. Lucko calls on the button. Actyper shoves for about 1700 more.

Normally, I’m not the type to reshove ATo for all my chips, but I thought there was a strong possibility that he was squeezing light. Folding left me with 20BB; obviously workable but I was tired of folding. So I went with my read and reshoved.

Actyper shows T4. Woohoo, I made a stellar read!

Oh yeah, Lucko anticipated the squeeze and called too with JJ and it held. Bleh.

Oh well, I suppose I can’t complain too much. At least I already have a seat. SUCKAS!

(note: in case actyper reads this, my comment in the chat box of “stupid squeeze play” wasn’t personal. It was more in the vein of a Homer Simpson comment, like “stupid sexy Flanders ”. But, yes, my call with ATo was pretty great, eh?)

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Intermission: for a vomit-inducing hand, see Jamy’s latest post from a 5-table Super Turbo we both ended up in. It’s not every day you get KK and be absolutely drawing dead on the flop. Stupid super turbos (again, think Homer Simpson).

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Back to TOC talk and, consequently, WSOP talk.

It’s crazy to think that I’m one tournament victory away from being able to play in the WSOP. It’s crazier to think that I’ve even got a chance to win given the competition in the TOC, but I’m in so I’m saying there’s a chance. Nevertheless, I’m realistic of my chance and I’m not anticipating a trip to the WSOP this year. Next year though, that’s a different story.

When I first started this blog, I did it with the primary intent of somehow wedging my way into the group of poker bloggers that I was reading on a regular basis. This was almost three years ago. Back then, I was a bigger donkey than I am now; it might be hard for some to imagine that I’ve actually improved as a player, but I certainly see it when I read my older posts.

I didn’t have very many goals back then. I wanted to improve but didn’t really know where to start. I wasn’t looking to “go pro” or even start playing higher stakes, but I at least wanted to be more competitive at the levels I was playing. But I did establish one goal back then, a goal that I still think about regularly, a goal that’s stated in my blog’s tagline:

“The WSOP...in 2010.”

It’s kind of a funny goal if you really dissect it. My goal has nothing to do with winning or making money, usually a common denominator for a poker-oriented goal. My goal is just to play. In simpler terms, my goal is really about being able to spend a large amount of money on a poker tournament. Thinking about it that way, it makes a lot of sense.

I doubt I’ll ever take poker very seriously. Sure, I want to be good at it and play competitively, but the time & dedication needed to accomplish that is something that I can’t accommodate. Even if any other competing priorities were eliminated, I don’t know if I have the desire to make that investment. I’m interested in improving but I also accept that there’s a certain ceiling that I’ll hit if I’m not willing to make certain sacrifices elsewhere in my life. Additionally, I’ve set certain financial goals in my life, and those goals have demanded at times that A) I set aside a limited amount of money for poker and\or B) that I dip into my bankroll to help achieve these goals.

So although my one main goal can be simplified as a goal of just spending money, for me, it’s still an achievement. Truthfully, I’m much closer these days to being able drop down that cash than ever before. I’m employed again, in a position that is both as stable as one could ask for these days & paying me enough to make some of those financial goals happen sooner. Additionally, although it’s waned a bit since I started this blog, my passion & enthusiasm for poker is still very strong and the allure of the WSOP is still exciting to me.

Each year, hundreds of poker head into Vegas this time of year hoping to be the next Chris Moneymaker; the next rags-to-riches donkey with a bracelet on one arm and loads of cash under the other. I’m hoping to be the next Moneymaker as well, but my sights are set on being the version that starts the tournament: an unknown, casual poker player in his first WSOP, just happy to be there. For me, that’s an accomplishment, and anything else beyond that is really just gravy.

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About that gravy.

Yeah, sure, it’ll be wonderful to play the WSOP, and I know that when I do, I’ll be dead money in the eyes of many there. With that said, the goal is to play in the WSOP, not just sit there and consciously hand my chips over and bounce out in the first level. Just like with the TOC, I’m not crazy enough to think I’m a favorite to finish first, but I don’t think it’s unrealistic to think I can be somewhat competitive.

This year, the TOC is part of that gravy. If I happen to get one of the WSOP prizes, it’s very unlikely that I’ll end up making the trek. It’ll be nearly impossible to take the time off from my new job, not to mention that I’ve already got two vacations during this year’s season that are solidly booked. One of the smaller packages is a bit more likely, but if I end up with a ME seat, the odds of me actually playing are just as slim as they are of me winning it.

That doesn’t mean that the prize would be a waste. There’s other steps I want to take over the course of the next year to be better prepared for my first WSOP, and having a nice chuck of change online would be a benefit, even if it’s $10k in T$ or whatever happens if you don’t take the seat. I’m still mapping out everything I need to do, but over the course of the next several months, expect this blog to be a lot more active than it has recently. Most of it will be some form of bland drivel, maybe a few bad beat stories, hopefully many more hand histories to discuss. I’m still figuring out just how much dedication I can put into this, but I have the intent to at least step it up between now and this time next year.

‘Cause I’ve got a goal to accomplish.

Good luck to all those playing the WSOP this year (hopefully it doesn’t happen via knocking me out on the bubble during the TOC); I’ll definitely be seeing you there next year.