Still sucking at the blogging

OK. Been about 2 weeks since my last post. I really suck at keeping up with this but I am not going to quit. I probably should quit as no one is reading this anyway (why would they as it sucks). I guess other bloggers could use this blog as an example of what not to do in your blog.. so maybe that is my new niche.. come to untiltable so you can see how NOT to run a blog.. worst on the Internet.

But enough negativity for today.. positive and full steam ahead. First off, I want to see if any of the other bloggers I have been playing with read this so that they can learn what not to do with a blog (waste readers time), so i will pay the buy in for the Mookie or Riverchaser, to the first blogger who posts a comment on the blog. Hoyazo, I love the blogger tourny you are running but $26 is too much to pay for someone else. I am cheap. So if you are the first to comment on the blog, leave your Full Tilt username and I will transfer the money to you.

Poker Part:
Tournaments:
Ran good last week and made the final table of the Mookie and finished second in the Dookie (turbo razz). Got knocked out in the Mookie when I raised w 99 UTG and got reraise by a tight player on the button. I should have folded but I donkey pushed with my 99 (I would only be ahead of 88 or lower, be racing with A10 or higher and be a huge dog to 10 10 or higher... very bad play on my part considering the read I had on him).. he turns over KK and I was gone. The same player had limped earlier with AA when I had KK.. then just called my raise. I pushed on the flop as there was not A (he has 2 of them so it was a long shot that an A would flop:-).... he turned over AA and doubled through me).

PLO:
Cash game PLO has been going well as I have gotten control of my tilt and am getting a good feel for the swings. I hit a good score a couple of week ago in a tourny and have moved from the $100 tables to the $200 tables (I am buying in short ($80) as the PLO book I am reading at moment suggests). A good example of why I have to keep control of my tilt was last night. I was hot early and up about $300 the first hour, over the course of the next 15 minutes I dropped about $500 and was stuck for about $200 and $250 over the next 3 hours. I stayed patient, didnt tilt and grinded my way back to $50 win... In the past, I would have been pissed that I dropped $500 and would have burned through another $200 or $300 before I got my tilt under control. Over the course of a month, my tilts were costing me somewhere between $500 and $1000.

Bankroll: After my score about 3 weeks ago, my bankroll is sitting at about $5800. I keep $3000 on FT, about $100 on bodog (to play the blogger tourny hosted by Smokkee) and about $2700 in the bank so I have money to go to the Borgata this spring and hopefully to Vegas for the WSOP this June and July (I would like to play in some of the smaller buy in events and maybe sat into the main event).
Still staying with the Furguson strategy of 2% for tournaments and 5% for cash game (I actually only put about 2% on the cash table but will go as high as 5% if the table is good). So far, it has paid off as I started with about $1000 or so and am now at $5800.. time will tell if this works or not but overall it has been interesting (gone broke about 5 times so we will see how it goes :-)

Life:
My wife has recently started her pre pharm courses and it looks like she will be done by this summer so the hunt is now on for a pharmacy school. We have fixed the house up and will be putting it on the market in January. So far, we have found about 5 schools that we like (but we will have to move to wherever she gets accepted as it is tough to get into pharm school). Univ of Hilo at Hawii is at the top of the list. We both would love to experience Hawaii for several years. and it would be nice to worry about the waves being too big instead of flat (which is about every other day here in Coastal NC.. plus, Its too cold to surf in the winter and that would not be an issue in Hawaii). I will need a job when we move there and the UH at Hilo has had several positions that I could apply for (instructor or technician). I would love to move there and slide into an instructor position teaching networking and security courses... they currently are looking for an instructor but it starts in January and I wont be ready to move until about May.
One of our concern about Hawaii is moving to an area that we never have visited. The best perception I can come up with about this issue is to treat is like an assignment. When I was in the Air Force, you did not have a choice about where they sent you. You took your orders, moved to the base and the learned about base and surrounding area. This is the perception I am going to use if we do go to Hawaii... My wife needs the Pharmacy training, I need a new job.. we will go, make the best of it and after 4 years (Phar school is 4 years), we can move back to NC if we want to.

Enough rambling on my crappy blog.. remember.. if you are the first person to comment about this post, I will pay your way to the Mookie or Riverchasers. Just leave your Full Tilt username in the comment.

Week in poker

It has been a little over a week since I last posted anything. When I started this my goal was to post at least 3 or 4 times a week. Alot harder to keep up with a blog then I originally thought (two jobs and two kids can keep you busy :-) but I am committed to creating a blog that will be useful.

Over the last 2 months, I havent had any results in NL Holdem tournaments. At first, I thought it was just the way the card were falling but after about 8 weeks of nothing, I knew it was time to look over my game. Another player ,JD Schellnutt (JD is for Jerkoff Donkey :-) and I looked over some of the tournaments I had played. Tournament after tournament, it became pretty obvious that I was playing way to loose to early (trying to accumulate chips) and getting myself in alot of marginal situations. So coming into this week, I went back to tight, aggressive (or tight, weak :-) style and it paid off (all small cashed but better than getting out early almost every tourny.. at least getting to a position where I can win one). I stayed tight early in the tournaments, passed on marginal situations and as the blinds increase, used the tight image to pound on the blinds. Finished sixth in the MATH on Monday, 9th in the Mookie (I sucked in the Dookie going out early on a low draw) and 30th in the Riverchasers (went card dead near the end and had several blind steal attempts picked off). I also picked up a couple of small cashed trying to qualify for some FTOPS tournys (havent made one yet though) and cashed in our weekly home game here on the island.

Speaking of on the island, TS/Hurricane Noel is off the coast, swell was headed in our direction to be here on Thursday and stay through Saturday.... I could take one day off to get wet... chose Friday and got hosed.. Thursday was waist to head high and glassy.. Friday was waist with 40+ mph winds so I removed tile in our bathroom instead. Looks like I need to work on my poker game and analyzing weather reports :-)