Poker and Golf

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Location: Lansing, Michigan, United States

I play my poker at Full Tilt, Poker Stars and Absolute Poker as LZFSB3. I golf at Prairie Creek Golf Course and carry an 11 handicap.

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

My SitNGos are now SitN-Gones

My SitNGos have got up and left
I am almost an 0-fer in my last dozen SitNGos. I have an In-the-Money rate of 2 out of the last 12 for less than 20%. What really worries me is I am not sure what is wrong with my game or if this is just variance rearing its ugly head again. My daughter says I need to step away and not play for a while and that may very well be the best advice I can get. I did finish 3rd out of 27 players in a WSOP Qualifier Tournament so I must be doing something right in my play. I have noticed that I am not getting the breaks to go my way like when I put my Ace/King up against another player's King/Jack and he got his Jack on the turn. If the Jack doesn't come up then I am in the money. I realize I am a pretty good favorite in that hand but it was not to be today. I feel that I am playing tighter than ever and even suggested to my daughter that I am playing too tight as I am finishing in 4th and 5th places (out of the money) and usually because I am short stacked and the blinds are starting to put me into jeopardy and I have to go all in with less than the best hands. Maybe I need to be more aggressive and try to build my chipstack up early and then tighten up. I think I am going to step away from the game for the next couple of days and when I do come back try to not just call but raise any hand I play (except possibly for the Big Blind) and reraise any calls I get and see if I can shake some things up. I am rereading Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book of Poker so I think I will take the time I would normally be playing poker and use it for reading. Then I can get back into the game this week-end where I will probably play some MTTs on Saturday and Sunday night as well as a few SitNGos. I’ll let you know how things go with my plan.

Even God has to practice his putting. ~Golf Saying
My golf game is coming around really nicely as my poker game heads south. Maybe there is a correlation. The biggest improvement in my game is my putting, thus the above quote. I changed my entire style of putting and am practicing it more than I have ever done in the past and it is paying. I used to dread 3 and 4 footers and now I am knocking them in center cut with little worry about a miss. I started putting the ball way up front in my stance and put all of my weight on my left foot when I putt. On the short putts I am not looking at the ball rolling at all but am holding my head rock still and looking at the ground where the ball was and listening for it dropping into the cup. Almost every time I hear that beautiful sound the ball makes as it drops into the cup. I have had a couple of misses but nothing like I used to just a scant two weeks ago. And I know that as my confidence grows the misses will become less and less. I still study Dave Pelz putting techniques and putting tips and feel they are very, very valuable.

My driver is booming and my irons are long and fairly accurate. I just have to work on my chips using my Sand Wedge and a new 60 degree Lob Wedge. The course I am a member at, Briar Ridge Golf Course has two nice practice chipping greens that I can take advantage of this week-end and get the feel down with the new lob wedge. I think my scores will reflect the new equipment plus extra practice on chips and putts. I am hoping to move from the mid-80’s for 18 holes down to around 80 for 18 holes. That would be an achievement of about 5 strokes per round which is a major improvement if I am able to do it.

Monday, May 29, 2006

Jennifer Tilly shows off her Assetts



Jennifer Tilly was playing in the Poker Superstars on Fox Sports Detroit on Sunday and I swear she was wearing this top. Her assetts were up front and center and I'm not sure how the other players at the table could keep their mind on the their cards. Great concentration. Of course the cameras played it up all they could but, alas, she was to go out early.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Keep winning with the Hammer

Keep winning with the Hammer

Friday, May 26, 2006

10 Fun Things About Me

Ten fun things about me (with credit to surflexus)

Ten Fun Things about me (with credit to SurFlexus)
1. I am a Cancer
2. I have been happily married for 24 years
3. I have 3 children, all grown up young ladies (Sarah, Rachel, Allison)
4. I have two Grandchildren, Brett (age 5) and Tanner (age 4)
5. I have one officially broken bone, my left arm. May have broken my fingers or toes at times but never was official via x-ray.
6. I have 3 brothers (I am 3rd of 4 boys)
7. We have two cats, Harry Potter and Crookshanks (aka Lizzy)
8. I have attended 4 colleges, Lake Superior State University, Alma College, Central Michigan University, and University of Michigan – Flint.
9. I graduated from Lake Superior State with Bachelors in Biology and minor in Chemistry.
10. I was suppose to be a High School Science teacher but never went back for the Student Teaching. Kick myself every summer.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Poker Stars World Blogger Championship and Golf Musings

PokerStars World Blogger Championship
As you can see by the advertisement below my banner, I have replaced the Absolute Poker Blogger Tournament sponsored by Poker Source Online with the Poker Stars World Blogger Championship I know I will have as much fun and as much success here as I did Saturday night. It is going to be a blast. No poker today. Hope to get in several sessions tomorrow. It is suppose to rain here in Michigan and that means a few hours of poker.

Golf Musings
My golf game went south on me today. It was one of those days when all the breaks went against me. It stared on the first hole when I hit a great drive and pushed the second shot right of the green and had to settle for a bogey when I was unable to get it up and down. Then, the very next hole I hit a beautiful 10 foot putt and it does a 360 degree turn around the hole and another bogey. That ball was half way down the cup and it spun around and out. From there I was on the next hole, a par five, in regulation, and 3 putted from 12 feet. It went down hill from there. I just couldn’t get it turned around. On the next nine I had four double bogeys and five pars. An eight over 44 when it should have been closer to 40. Oh well, I play again Friday and I know I can’t have as bad of luck as I had today.

The last couple of times I have played I have played really well, both rounds in the mid 80’s. That is what makes today that much harder to take as I was playing well. I blew a few wedges today and that really upset me as my wedges are the best part of my game and are really necessary for posting a good score. Blown wedges and slippery putts led to a round in the mid 90’s, a full 10 strokes worse than I have been playing. The weather is really getting beautiful now so I expect to play some good golf from here on out. My putting is coming along really nicely. I have only hit a couple of bad putts since I changed my style and am coming really close to dropping some nice putts for birdies. Pars are the norm now and I rarely 3 putt anymore. At least that was the case until today.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Bankroll Increase

Bankroll Increase
I have increased my bankroll at Absolute by 1/3 in the last 4 days and have it up over $200 dollars now. The Poker Source Online Blogger Free Roll contributed the majority of the increase and a really nice run of finishing in the money on low limit SitNGos added the rest. Now I can start to play the higher priced SitNGos and should be able to see a steady increase in the Bank Roll. I am a tight/aggressive player and feel that I will do as well or better at the higher limit games as the only thing holding me back was the size of my bankroll as pertains to variance with this game. Right now I am on a roll and the variance is +EV.

I have hit a stretch where everything seems to go my way. If I need a card on the river to win, I am getting it. If my opponent needs that certain card to make his flush, he is not getting it. What a wonderful feeling!! Finally the card Gods are smiling down on me and making my life easier. I hope it never ends and I hope to milk it for a long time.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Absolute Blogger Free Roll a Huge Success

I Finish 17th in Free Roll



The Blogger Tourney at Absolute Poker, Sponsored by Poker Source Online, was an unqualified success. Bruin4Life won the first place price of $540 in a long and exciting heads up with HighonPoker. There were 118 Bloggers which made for a nice payout to the top 27 players.

I was happy with my play for the most part to finish 17th. I was aggressive, sometimes too aggressive as I made some bad moves with suited drawing hands. I donked a lot of chips on a flush draw and on an all in where I had top pair but was beat by Pocket Rockets. I wasn’t particularly proud of my play in those hands. I liked my aggressiveness as I was able to steal some blinds and defend my own and generally hit a lot of flops when I played which made for a nice accumulation of chips overall.

I was done for when Katitudeschooled me with her pocket 8’s and an when an 8 came on the flop to make her a set, I was toast. I never had a chance with my Ace/King unsuited. She checked the flop and, like a donkey, I went all in thinking she had Ace/? and instead she hits me with the set of 8’s and I am out in 17th place. Not one of my smarter moves. A fold there would have left me with enough to get down the road a while longer but, alas, it was not to be. My $45 dollar win is my biggest yet online.

I played the hammer twice and won both times with it but I screwed up the printscreens so I have none to post. I guess I didn’t paste them fast enough or something but they weren’t on my clipboard when I went to paste them. I also craced aces with my own set of 8s.

I had a great time and hope to play many more in the future.

Friday, May 19, 2006

7th Place in MTT

7th Place in MTT - top 10%

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Poker Questions compliments TripJax (Poker In Arrears)

The following Survey was obtained from Tripjax. Feel free to fill it out in comment section or go to Tripjax's Blog and complete survey.

1. What is the biggest mistake people make at a NL table?
Overplaying Ace/King

2. What is the biggest mistake people make at a Limit table?
Overplaying low pocket pairs

3. Why do you play poker?
I play poker in hopes of making a part time living out of it. Hope to make enough money to pay for golf and, possibly, vacations.

4. If you weren't playing poker, what would you be doing?
Golfing, reading books and magazines

5. What is your favorite poker book and why?
Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book of Poker because it is short and concise and more geared to experienced players and not beginners.

6. Who is your favorite poker player and why?
Phil Gordon. I think he is a class act.

7. Which poker player do you dislike the most and why?
Phil Helmuth. He is an ass.

8. Do your coworkers know about your blog?
No

9. What is the most you have won in a cash game or MTT (both live and online)?
$30

10. What is the most you have lost in a cash game or in one day total (both live and online)?
$45

11. Who was your first poker blog read?
Tao of Poker by the good doctor.

12. What satisfies you more, your aces holding up for a big pot or a bluff working for a big pot?
Aces holding up.

13. Why do you blog?
I would like to be one of the “blogger community” that includes your self, Dr. Pauly, Dugglebogey, Otis, Izzy, Grubby, Maudie, Alcan’thang, et al.

14. Do you read blogs from an RSS reader like bloglines or do you visit each blog?
Visit each blog

15. Would you rather play poker for a living than do what you currently do for a living?
Play poker.

16. Do you wear a tin foil hat on occasion?
No

17. If you had to pin it down to one specific trait, what does a great poker player have (or do) that separates them from an average player?
Excellent math skills and analytical mind.

18. Is Drizz the coolest person on the planet for naming his baby Vegas?
Of course

19. What is your primary poker goal and are you close to accomplishing it?
See number 3, maybe get into WSOP

20. What is your primary online site and why?
Absolute Poker. I like the layout.

21. What site do you dislike and why?
Party Poker. I cannot win there. I get my ass kicked all the time at party.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Online Poker Blogger Freeroll

Bloggers Championship I am registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Freeroll
Win your share of $25,000 and a set
of Nevada Jacks poker chips.
Hosted By: Absolute Poker
Sponsored By: Poker Source Online
Registration Code: 50069434

Blogger Freeroll on Absolute this Saturday presented by Pokersource

Blogger Freeroll on Absolute this Saturday presented by Pokersource
Don't forget to sign up for the blogger freeroll on Absolute Poker this Saturday. (See add in my header). The more bloggers we get the higher the payout will be. It looks like we will have upwards to 500 bloggers playing. I can't wait. Should be a good time for Dial-A-Shots and the Hammer.

Win your share of $25,000 and a set of Nevada Jacks poker chips.
Hosted By: Absolute Poker
Sponsored By: Poker Source Online
Registration Code: 50069434

Go to Pokersource for more info and to sign up. The minimum prize pool right now is $5000, but if we get enough bloggers (dead money) involved, it could go up to $25K. There's also $1000 added in gift certificates for Nevada Jacks Poker Chips.

There is no cost to play in this, you just have to be a legitimate blogger and have an account at Absolute Poker so you can play. It doesn't get any easier than that.
(thanks to Dugglebogey for the excellent wording of the above)

Monday, May 15, 2006

Don't Rain on my (Poker) Parade

Rain, Rain Go Away! Come again another day.
We have had rain for the last five days. It has stopped enough to allow me to play some golf and mow the yard but has been pretty steady otherwise. We really needed the rain but enough is enough. The fields are filling up and the golf course was even pretty wet. It has been a mixed blessing, though. The more it rains, the more poker I can play as I won’t be out golfing. That is good and bad because Variance has reared its ugly head again and I am having a difficult time finishing in the money at my SitNGos. I have had numerous 4th place bubble finishes and throw in one last place (Pocket Jacks beat by a Flush. Raised preflop 5 times big blind and raised over ¾ of the Pot after the flop of all rags [no overcards] but two hearts. Turn was another rag and I went all in only to have one caller with Queen/Eight of hearts hang on and get the Flush). A bad beat? Maybe just a little as he did not have pot odds to keep calling but……..Jacks aren’t greatest all in hand, either. I have also had some fifth and sixth place finishes when I just couldn’t get the cards or when I did someone happened to have better cards that hand. All in all it means I have lost about 10 out of my last 15 SitNGos and the only ones I have finished in the money are the .60 cent games that I dropped down to just to give my ego a boost and to let me know it isn’t always my game or me but it’s the cards lots of times. My bankroll has taken a small hit of about $15 in the last week. You other players may laugh when I say that but I have a very small bankroll. I don’t have any “extra” money to throw at poker so my bankroll dropping $15 is a pretty good hit to me. I hope to build it back up in the next few days. I am going to step back and take a couple of days off and try to reevaluate my game to see where my leaks are. I am going to reread Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book of Poker and try to get some inspiration and some ideas for playing a better game. I am sure that I have slid backwards in my game as I am at the point where I am getting pretty cocky and thinking I am pretty good at this. Absolute is just humbling me so I will find out where my shortcomings are and, hopefully, grow from them.


Golf Ramblings

Rain let up enough today to play 18 holes of golf. I played match play with my friend Terry, and beat him 1 up. It was a good match for the first 14 holes then it went downhill a bit as we both screwed up the 14th hole and then we got back on track to finish out the round. I am working hard on my putting. Putting is my Achilles Heel of golf. I am a terrible putter and if I could putt worth a lick I would consistently beat Terry and score in the 80’s constantly. As it is I am putting a lot of work into my putting. I am reading and rereading articles on the internet and have changed my entire set up. The results are mixed at this time but I am feeling better and better about it. I just have to practice and play more to get it down. Right now I am not elated about my putting but I am optimistic as I have a direction and a goal to work towards. I feel if I work hard enough at it I can become a good putter. Probably never be a great putter but I should at least be a good putter. My goal is to have several rounds of 18 holes where I don’t have any 3 putts. If I can accomplish that I will be happy.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

The Hammer


Thursday, May 11, 2006

Poker Tattoo vs. Golf Tattoo





Poker Tattoo vs. Golf Tattoo



Tuesday, May 09, 2006

My Bad

My Bad
I thought the Absolute Blogger Freeroll Multi Table Tournament was on Saturday, May 7th but it is on Saturday, May 20th!!! Yippee!! I didn't miss it after all. Now I can make sure that Saturday, May 20th is free for me to play. I will be there.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Missed Blogger Freeroll on Absolute

Missed Blogger Freeroll on Absolute
I did not play the Absolute Bloggers Tournament on Saturday night due to family obligations. My youngest daughter, Allison, is getting ready to take seasonal job in Jackson, Wyoming and will be leaving early Tuesday morning. Her mother wanted us all to do something together on Saturday night and my vote for the Blogger Tournament was not well received. The Vote for the Tom Cruise movie, Mission: Impossible III was the winner and so we went to the movies. Actually, it was a very, very good movie with lots of action and blowing up stuff.

Once again my Poker career takes a backseat to family (as it should). How does my significant other expect me to win fantastic sums of money if I have to fulfill family obligations?? Such a dilemma. My wife thinks she is giving in a lot when I play 4 hours of poker or more and golf for 4 hours or more in a day. Does she not know that I wear the pants in this family and that I will play poker or golf whenever I feel like it?? At least after I check with her to see if it is all right and if there is nothing else going on with the family. And I make sure she is not online with her military friends at Any Soldier?? (by the way a very nice website dedicated to our military personnel and one I highly recommend everyone look at and see if they can help in any way)

All kidding aside, my family will always come first over poker and golf. However, I am able to balance a full family life with my other two favorite pursuits. My daughters (of which I have 3) are all grown and the two youngest are still home but basically totally independent of my wife and I. My wife is very much into watching quite a bit of television of which she has several favorite shows. While she is watching her favorite shows I am playing poker online as I only have two shows I watch religiously, The Amazing Race and Survivor. I did watch the Redwings but that ended abruptly. Any other time I could care less what is on and would rather be playing poker.

Shot an 83 today

My golf game is like a roller coaster ride lately. Today I shot an 83 but yesterday it was more like 103. Most of it is due to lake of concentration and starting off on the right foot. If I can start out with a couple of good pars then my mind seems to be into the game and I play pretty good from there. If I start out badly it seems like I am rarely able to turn my round around and get back into playing well. I am in the process of working on that and trying to let a bad shot or bad hole go and not fall apart. For me, that is easy to say but difficult to do. However, I think I can turn this around as my game is rounding into nice shape and one bad hole should not throw me off kilter. Now I have to work on my putting. I have put away my Two Ball putter for the White Hot putter. I thought it worked pretty good today. Have to work on keeping my head still and judging distance better.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

The Hammer

The Hammer
Won a hand today with the hammer and forgot to make a printscreen. Dealt 2/7 offsuit in the BB and checked two limpers, including the SB. The flop was a beautiful 2 7 rag and I bet $100 and everyone folded. Next time I will make sure I get a printscreen for bragging rights.

Will Wheaton does a good review at Card Squad on Phil Gordon’s Little Green Book of Poker. I got that book at Christmas and have read it twice and will probably reread it many more times. It is excellent for the mid-level player and has really helped me to work on being more aggressive when playing. I highly recommend it to any mid-level or higher player. It is a little advanced for the beginner.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

No Poker Today

No Poker Today
I didn't play any poker today and my hands are shaking. Seriously, I don't really miss it but, on the other hand, I do. I like to play. I like the rush you get when you win whether it is the entire SitNGo or just a hand that you are worried about. I hope I never lose that feeling.

Everyone likes Phil
opinmindBloggers like:
Phil Mickelson
78%(+)
opinmind.com

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Poker Bloggers and Life in General

The Poker Blogger Community
I read a lot of poker blogs. (I intend to extend the number of poker blog links to better reflect the blogs I read religiously) I have come across what I think is an interesting thing about the poker bloggers I read. They emulate life. That is there are bloggers that are losing their jobs or starting new jobs, Dugglebogey and Pot Committed. There are blogges that are starting new families, PokerSharks Cardroom and bloggers that are facing difficult choices in their marriages, A Chick and a Chair.
These people are letting us into their lives. Their triumphs and failures. Their victories and defeats. It is quite spectacular that they are willing to share the most intimate details of their lives with complete strangers. I think I am able to put down the intimate details of my life except for if something were to happen with my marriage between my wife and I (heaven forbid, nothing is on the horizon). That would be hard as I would see it as a failure on my part and I would have difficulty writing about that. I can write about my triumphs and my children’s victories but I feel I would have to ask their permission (which they would not give to me) if I were to write about any perceived failures in their life. I could write about death to my loved ones as that would be therapeutic. I guess the only thing that I would not write about is anything bad with my relationship with my wife of 24 years. Now that I have said that, watch me write something totally contrary to that in the next month or so.

Anyway, I want to commend my fellow bloggers for their willingness to share their lives with us. Not so we can live vicariously through them but to create that bond, that friendship from afar like the good friend you don’t see very often but would go out of your way to help them if called upon. That is how I see our Poker Community.

O.K., wipe the tears away now.

Monday, May 01, 2006

On the Bubble

On the Bubble
I am finishing quite a few SitNGos in 4th place, just one out of the money. Many times I am short chipstack and am going on Ace/anything to try to double up and get beat by better or marginal hands. At that point the large chipstacks can call with anything and often times it is a toss up as to who will win. Other times I am in second or third position as to chipstack and go up against someone that rivers a flush or straight or just has a better hand and I am out in 4th. Should I have not gone against them and hoped someone else would go out before me so I would be in the money? Or should I try to become the largest chipstack in hopes of taking the first position? I think you have to go for it. Keep your fate in your hands, instead of rolling over and hoping someone else goes out first. Bet, bet, and bet again if you have good hands. Only play good, tight, aggressive poker. You may finish 4th but if you do get into the money you will be in a better position for 1st or 2nd place.

I may change and start playing some ring games. I have to gage where I am at in my Poker Skills and I think you get a better read by playing ring games than you do by playing SitNGos. Just a thought.........

Club Change
No....not poker still, my change in golf clubs. Going back to my older clubs has had mixed results. I am about a club shorter with these irons but I do hit it straighter. Now I have to ask myself, which is better, longer and offline or shorter and at the target. I think shorter is winning out right now. In a couple of days I will go back to my other set and see how they work. See if I have worked out swing problem and have straightened out my pull/hook. If I have then new clubs will play better as they are longer, too. I'll keep you posted.

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