WPBT 2011 Winter Trip Report

In lieu of not actually being in Vegas this weekend with the rest of the poker blogging community, I decided to make a game-day decision and hit the 11am poker tourney at Tulalip on my way up to the parents' cabin to chop some wood.

I've been waiting a long time for a hot streak at a casino, mostly due to me never playing at casinos anymore... but it seems like every time I go, I'm always the one with the hard decisions and mediocre hands. The first few hours of today's tourney I got my hot streak--man do those feel good! It wasn't all luck, but that rare combination of good play, good cards, AND a little bit of luck. I wouldn't say I was a card rack, but I did get KK,QQ,TT, AKx2 and AQx2 in the first two hours and won every hand, most seeing at least a flop (so not just picking up the blinds). I knocked out five or six people before I busted, which is a record for me in a live tournament, and the most I've knocked out in any tournament in probably five years.

This morning, when the tournament started, I think I did a good job of assessing who I was up against, where the soft spots at the table were, and who to look out for. At some point in the second orbit, a lady in her 50s or 60s and a guy in his late 20s or early 30s were in a hand. The board had run out all hearts, and the guy had position and had been betting each street. It gets to the river and the lady looks like she doesn't like the river card, but leads out for the first time, which surprised me a bit, and the guy pops it 3x her bet. She re-raises all-in. Warning bells?

At this point I am fairly certain that she has hit her inside straight-flush draw on the river, and that he has the Ace of hearts. He deliberates for a minute or two before calling and being shown the 4h for the rivered straight flush. He slams his ace on the table.

He was aware of the warning bells, but not able to lay it down--not sure I would have either. Probably not. But with that read, and seeing the hands, I decided my poker sense (spider sense) was keen enough to start opening up my game and trusting my reads.

I ran over the table. It was amazing. I started growing my stack by applying as much pressure as I could to the weaker players, which worked perfectly. It gave me a chip advantage over the other good players, which had them steering clear of me. Every race I got into except one in the first two hours I was ahead, and I was pretty certain I was ahead going into the race (also, I was the one raising 80% of the time). The only time I gave someone a bad beat was AJ v. AK aipf, but by that time my stack was at 25k and his was at about 3k, and he had been the BB coming over the top of my initial raise, so I wasn't folding.

We started with 5k, I was at 30k after an hour of play and 50k during our second break, which would be my high point. Just before going to break, the dealer said, "well, you're a shoe-in for the final table." Mother fucker. Jinxed me good.

I get back from break and we're down to 3 10-person tables from 90 starters. I get in a blind vs. blind battle with the fairly amateur poker player to my right. I'm BB and he raises 3x, I call with A9c. Flop comes AAT, he checks, I bet about 1/3 pot, he calls. Diamond flush fills on the turn and he winces, checks his cards, and jams on me. It is about 11k more, which is about the size of the pot before his bet, and I call. He shows the flush and I don't fill up on the river, which cuts my stack in half to 25k. In hindsight, my biggest and really only mistake of the tournament. Both of the hands I've described have been the "oh shoot, that pesky card!" and then the person jamming. Actions speak louder than words!

Lost two more flips, one where I had 88 vs. AK and A6 aipf, would have knocked them both out and been up to 50k again, if not for the Ace on the river. And then my bust out hand a few hands after we consolidate down to the final two tables is 99 v. AK, Ace in the door and no more help.

Felt like I played really well except for the one hand, although I did get into a lot of flip situations and got lucky early, unlucky late. Wondering how optimal my play was... I know you need to race in the quick blind tournies, but not sure how much racing is necessary. Time will tell!

Headed up to the cabin afterwards, got the chainsaw going and continued adding to the wood pile for the rest of winter. Hoping to get as much wood sawed from fallen trees and chopped to dry before the rain really hits. This week was unusually dry, which made today a great day to get up to the cabin. Looking forward to more poker and wood chopping days in the near future!

Photo Week 41: Cabin Adventure

Spent Saturday night up at parents' cabin, got in a nice waterfall hike on the way back to Seattle today!

Cabin Trip with the Chakos

Zeem also joined in for a great way to spend one of the last 75 degree days of summer. Seven of us headed up to my parents' cabin near Darrington. I headed out early because I wanted to check out the Oso Loop road and do a quick check on the mileage from the river to the cabin. The Oso Loop Rd. is a really nice two-mile offshoot from Hwy 530 with windy turns and two overpasses that cross the Stillaguamish. Ever since riding the motorcycle up to the cabin for the first time last year, I wanted to check out the road through Oso, and it did not disappoint.

I got a few chapters read in Clifford Simak's "Way Station" before the Wife and Dr. Chako (and au pair and kids) arrived. We took a brief tour of the cabin and surrounding areas before Zeem arrived. Per usual trips to the cabin, we didn't spend much time at the cabin proper. From the cabin to the river wound up being 1.5 miles, and the seven of us made the trek while picking blackberries along the way.

The water was a bit on the chilly side, but we still spent a good three hours at the river. The rope swing is still intact, and there were plenty of skipping stones to occupy our time. Dr. Chako has got some skipping skills, and we each had throws that skipped clearly a few times, then started the trail of nearly impossible to count skips as the stone slows and eventually falls from the surface. Older son gathered up enough courage to try the rope swing, getting a nice rope burn in the process. Sandwiches, grapes and delicious chocolate chip cookies rounded out our riverside picnic. A fisher upstream caught a HUGE salmon, but nicely released it back into the river so it could lay some eggs, or at least pee on some eggs.

After three hours of fun in the sun, we hiked back up to the cabin and rode into Darrington for beer, onion rings and fries. An almost perfect end to a fun last days of summer trek. What would the perfect ending be? Ice cream!

The ride back to Seattle was kind of crazy. I was zooming on 530 and passed a few cars on a long straight stretch. The instant I got back into the right lane two motorcycles flashed past me going around 100mph. I thought, "crazy bastards" then realized with them ahead of me, there is no way a cop will pull me over. Maybe not the smartest approach, but it made for a fun and stress-free ride to Arlington.

I've Accomplished The Impossible

I've done it. I've accomplished something I never thought was possible. I've forgotten how to ride a bicycle. Hell, there is even a common saying about how people can't forget how to ride bicycles.

I hopped on my Dad's bicycle and attempted to ride over to Dahl field for some wind sprints in the grass, in preparation for Potlatch this weekend, and I almost... almost bit it on the first turn. I've been so used to leaning into turns on my motorcycle, that I tried to do the same on the bicycle and felt the bike wobble underneath me. It doesn't help that my Dad is 6'5" and I didn't adjust his seat, I could barely reach the pedals.

Luckily, the ride was short and relatively flat. Once there, I got in a few wind sprints, then noticed an organized ultimate team wrapping up practice. I walked over and was about to introduce myself when I noticed one of the guys from Susie's condo party two weeks back. We chatted and it turned out they were just moving to a nicer spot on the field, and invited me to join. We played some "mini" (basically just a smaller field with the same rules as ultimate), and I shamelessly hand-blocked the guy I was guarding five times in about 20 minutes. I really should have backed off a bit, but he kept getting open, so I reasoned that my length and adeptness at hand blocks evened out his speed and getting open ability. That, or it made me play lazy D because I knew I could get the hand block.

On my way home, I had a situation that I'll probably tell my grand kids one day.

There were two softball games and a little league baseball game going on at the fields this evening--and we played our ultimate on the 4th field. As I was biking across the outfield, I noticed one softball game's outfielders were playing pretty deep. I check out the batter and he seemed to be a pretty big dude. I run through a few scenarios in my head--on the off chance he hits it at me, I'll either stop or speed up.

He hits it deep. Over the left fielder's head. Directly at me. I begin pedaling faster, then realize it will hit my back tire and possibly knock me over, since I've forgotten how to ride the damn thing. I decide to slow down and turn towards the ball, lessening my chance to be hit. Good idea in theory, but the ball bounces twice and pegs me in the knee. The left fielder looks back at the umpire and points at me--what?! I just saved a home run, don't bitch at me, lady! I sped away.

I've lessened my WoW playing since the summer school schedule has started, sorry Wawfuls, my bear pet won't be able to save you from death any longer.

I had a pretty kick ass 26th birthday weekend last weekend. Spent the night up at my parent's cabin Friday and Saturday nights, it was 90 degrees and I got to swim in two rivers and a lake. Took the motorcycle for the ride up to the cabin and explored a few very fun roads, had some great friends come up to share the weekend with, and ended the weekend on a grueling 2 mile hike that turned into an 8.5 mile hike thanks to yours truly. I thought the really amazing waterfall was at the end of the hike, but it was really just one mile in. At least I bore the biggest burden, not bringing any water and wearing sandals the whole way. Ow.