Travel Summary
I have had an incredible month thus far. My poker tournament winnings for the month of August have exceeded 5,000 and we are just now at the half way point of the month. Coming fresh off of the heels of a 97th place finish at the Harrahs Invitational, I take down a first place in one of the tournaments at The Gilpin Casino in Blackhawk, Colorado. This first place finish was one of my most brilliant comebacks thus far in my poker career. Down to the final 8, I was short stacked and was able to take down a few small pots without risking my tournament life. The blinds are at 2,500, 5000 with 500 antes and I'm dealt A,9 suited. Middle position raises all-in for 8500 and I insta-call. We are heads up and he has pocket sixes, the flop hits me with a 9 and I take down the pot and eliminate another player and a very aggressive one at that. He goes to the rail asking me "how could I make that call?". I in turn do not give a answer and continue to my next hand. I'm dealt K,K in late position and again make an all-in call of a player holding pocket Jacks, the board blanks and my stack increases to 26,000 in the process. This is a speed poker tournament and the format is that a player has 5 seconds to act when it is their turn. This type of tournament favors those that are in tune with their initial reads and instincts. I end up winning the tournament by a mere 1500 in chips and setting up the start of a great day.
After collecting my winnings, I debate on whether or not I should play in the next tournament which is a few hours away and decide to go hit the slots instead. My next stop is at Fitzgeralds and I end up getting my name called for their daily cash giveaway and also end up doubling my winnings in the process. See, it's a good thing that I decided to take the afternoon off and play slots instead. It's all about being in the right place at the right time. Had I have left my machine 5 minutes sooner, then my name would not have been chosen. One of the requirements for the daily cash giveaway at Fitzgeralds is that you must have your players card in a machine and playing when your name is chosen. The only reason I went to Fitz is that they were dong cash giveaways. Hour later , we head over to Ameristar and I am up a few hundred in a matter of 10 minutes on the $5 slots. I leave Black Hawk an hour later up nearly 2,700 for the day.
The past few weeks, I have played more poker and also have worked a lot. Besides playing/working poker for money, I manage to find time to play in my local free poker league (Nationwide Poker Tour) and have finished 18th, and (3) 3rd place finishes this month. Playing in various tournament formats in different tournament situations has enabled me to trial and experiment with different playing strategies. This experimentation allows me to elevate my game to a 3-d level. When you elevate your game to a 3-d level, you are able to play in almost any type of table. In tournaments, you have to be able to adjust and adapt at a second's notice. Sometimes, your only advantage against an opponent can evaporate without notice and thus costing you an enormous amount of chips.
Just when I think that my traveling schedule is slowing down, it is beginning to heat up. last week, the WSOP Circuit schedule was released and I have projected the following stops/cities to be on my projected 9 month tournament travel schedule:
Aug 31-Sept 3 Deadwood, SD
Sept 4- Sept11 WSOP Circuit / Tunica, MS
Sept 14-17 Harrahs 100K Invitational / Las Vegas
Mid October Heartland Poker Tourney / Blackhawk, CO
Mid Dec / Las Vegas, NV
Jan 3-22 WSOP Circuit / Tunica, MS
Feb 18-27 WSOP Circuit / Council Bluffs, IA
April 20-May 1 WSOP Circuit / Las Vegas, NV
At first glance, this is a very ambitious schedule but is very necessary in my preparation for the 2008 WSOP Campaign. One of my main objectives for the nine months is to expose myself to lots of tournament poker and to adapt to and practice the many different styles of poker. Check back for my next blog on "Optimal / Adaptive Play- Part 1".
Release the Cards!
Chewey.
