Happy Birthday Sox!!!

Happy Birthday SoxLoxer!!

It must be good to be young. Hope you had a fabulous Birthday!

Please re-read the "Evil" post for a more accurate account. I tend to have selective memory and enjoy smack talk, but do not intend to blemish the reputation of my poker pals. Sorry Sox for any misrepresentation.

Smashed by the Trashed Donkey

I was wanting a Heads Up match tonight and my wish came true.

Donkey Puncher was around late in the evening. And he was toasted. I wasn't trying to take advantage..honest. Didn't find out he was smashed until after we agreed to play. Then I offered to postpone our match. But he was ready and willing. Our first attempt to get on a table failed. So he watched while I played. Got busted against AA. So I finally get on a table with Donkey Puncher. This was our first Heads Up match. And he pulled out a Royal Flush to beat the Poison. After that I was pretty crippled. Got a few hands and pushed. Kept taunting him to let me back in. But he wasn't going to go for it. Nice match Donkey! Congrats.

Its late..so I will update the chart etc...tomorrow.

Subtle Manifestation of Evil

"Subtle Manifestation of Evil"..kinda a nice ring to it. That is what Sox called me..along with another name that he knows I despise!

The Jordan's Donkey Tournament was a big hit! Lots of bloggers and readers. Dropping of hammers and the like. Lots of chatting on IM. And all around good time. I was cheering for Mr. Dreamy who finished 4th.

So after the Tournament, I hook up with the losers at a PLO game. Totally out of my league, I know. And yes it was the first time I ever played Omaha high only. EVER! So after rebuying for the 3rd time (total investment $55), I finally get on a rush. I busted Drizz, then later took out the Princess when I landed Quad Jacks. She had giving me quite a beating earlier in the game.

At one point, Sox offers to give me lessons. And Gary is sweet enough to keep making the donkey noise at his prompting whenever I make a bonehead move! So it was a totally taunt feast. My kind of night for sure. So finally, I say to Sox who is losing in spite of him having a much better understanding of this game than me (which is not saying much)** after he took a few bad beats "maybe I should give you lessons". Then he blurts out "subtle manifestation of Evil". Finally, I succeed in convincing someone that I am Evil..lol

**I had to come back and re-read this. Didn't intend to make you look bad Sox. Sorry. I just thought it was pretty cool that you called me evil. But I shouldn't be so mean to you after you lose a hand.

Final outcome I make a profit of about $35 on the PLO game.

Hasta Luego....

Time for Baking

I finally accepted the fact that I need to make some cookies for Weak. I talk alot of smack and give my competition a good game. But when it comes to paying a bounty I give 100%. So I'm sure he will be pleased with his reward. Please stop by and congratulate him. He had to beat me in 7 Heads Up matches for his reward.

Tonight I won one of the 4 person Heads Up Sit n Goes on Stars. That was cool!

Laters all...

Weak Sucks

Weak had to suckout on me to win our last match. I had 77 we raised each other preflop. Board came with no high cards and I pushed. He waited. Then called with AK only to land a K on the river. NICE SUCKOUT!!!! I did get to drop that hammer and show. I'm sure he will write all about it. No Waffles for Veneno. Am I bitter? A little. I WANTED MY WAFFLES.

Congratulations Weak. It was an excellent series of games. You are a great challenge. I will be making you a nice batch of chocolate chips. Take picture of the process. And ship them to ya.

Now I need a bath, some chocolate, and maybe even a drink.

Sox Hammers Me

The day started out early when I woke up early (7 a.m.) to continue my Heads Up challenge with Weak player. He is online as expected and I find him on IM to hook up. He is engaged in play and doing well, so I wait until he is ready to start.

I must say he has been doing a fine job of taunting me during our matches. Which I truly love. I am continually reminding him of how much I want my



and he was kind enough to provide me with a link to the nearest IHOP for substitute waffles.

Prior to this our score was 3 to 4. The first to 7 wins the prize! We played 4 matches and ended up at 5 to 6. I wish I had taken better notes for a recap...oops. Perhaps Weak can provide better details in a post. What I can tell you was that he was playing rather aggressive today. Not the usual Weak player that I am accustom to playing. I completely enjoyed the challenge. He really only has one major flaw to his play. Lack of faith in the hammer! Not only will he fold it for a single bet, but he is not even embarrassed to show that he did. Really Weak, if you wanna be a true blogger this must not continue..lol

Next on the Head Hunt list was Sox. He was ready to continue our challenge today. Having prepared by playing 5 Heads Up matches earlier. Prior to our match he was undefeated in HU for the day. But those others were just no comparison to Veneno right?

We play our first match and I win. At that point the score was 3 and 0. I mention at the beginning of our second match that I just have 2 more to go. Then he makes some smart remart about making this one easy for me and goes all in. Holy Moly!!! I look at my cards and have JJ. I'm willing to race. So I call. He show A 4 of hearts. Niiiiiiicccce. The flop comes with an A. Ouch! Then the turn is a J. I begin laughing as is customary when I take a challenger out. And more so if they are on IM chat with me. Oh Yeah!!!! Then just to overdo it a bit. The river is another A. First hand. Sox is out! Gotta love it. Score 4 and 0.

Okay..here is where Sox gets his revenge. For those brave enough to embrace the power of the hammer (Weak is not among this group), this is very effective against me. Such was the case with Sox. He played the hammer. Stayed with it. Caught his cards. And suckered me into his trap. Well done Sox. I was totally impressed! Score 4 and 1.

Last match, I get QQ and Sox has AK. We are all in. He catches his K on the river to take me out. Ouch!!!! Score 4 and 2.

One other note, Meek was online today and offered my a HU match. Too bad I was playing in a MTT or I would have definitely taken him up on this. Soon Meek Soon!

Check it out. I have a new Head Hunter chart on my sidebar.

Laters...

Christmas Comes Early

ElWappo (aka Mr. Veneno - hahahah that is funny) invited me to go play some cards at the Bike with him yesterday afternoon. I still had some shopping to do and he needed a haircut. So the plan was to hook up after we finished those things. So I get home from shopping and am ready to go. He is playing poker on Party. So I ask if I should go ahead and play some cards. He says yes, "just play a single Sit and Go". He didn't want me to get stuck in anything too long.

At this point, I only have $26 on Party. The money that I won on the freeroll yesterday. I play a $5 Sit n Go and am ready to leave. I ask if he is about ready. And he then tells me that he is playing in a MTT. MTT? He is playing a MTT. Very strange. He usually does not play MTTs online. So I ask how many are left. Over 400 players. Well that will take forever. Meanwhile, the 40k guaranteed starts in about 10 minutes. I been playing this MTT repeatedly trying to get my lucky break. So I ask if I can join the 40k since he is still playing the MTT. He says sure. Now I need to make a few bucks to get in.

I head for $25 NL tables online. Within a few hands, I catch the nut straight on the turn with someone betting into me. Sweet. I push. I get called. Up $18. Cool. Now I can play the 40k.

I register for the 40k. Meanwhile, SoxLover catches me online and we start up a chat. Turns out Sox is a good person to have sweating. I probably would have done better to listen to him more often. But alas, I must be a donkey sometimes. I mention that my husband is playing in an MTT. Sox is curious. And ask for the details so he can open his table also. Party Poker. $10 MTT. Over 1900 entrants. ElWappo does not care for chat, comments, or pretty much any engagement while he plays. A serious player. And hot tempered too. I have learned to stay clear when he is playing. In fact, he gets upset if I even open his table to see how he is doing. So it was cool Sox was giving me periodic updates on his progress. And I was peaking behind me periodically to see his table. At that time ElWappo was already in the money. But still had a ways to go.

My daughter comes around to see what is happening. Mom and Dad are next to each other on the computers playing online poker. Now she is in the mood to play poker. It's a poker family. I tell her that she needs to wait until I finish my MTT. She ask how long. I reply that it will be a while if I am doing good or it might be a few minutes if I bust. She starts chanting for me to bust. How sweet. She wishes daddy luck and give him a kiss. But wants mommy to bust. I get JJ. I push. I nearly bust. Her wish is coming true. I am left with about 500 in chips with only 5 more to bust until the money. I hang on. I make the money. I ended up finishing 204th in the 40k. So I made a few bucks. Party roll up to $45 from 0 woo hoo.

But my 7 year old is happy. Now mom can play some live poker with her. I force her to play Texas Holdem...lol. She prefers 5 card draw. But is cool with the plan.

While playing. I hear the good and bad reactions from ElWappo. Pretty soon I see him stand up in celebration. He turns to me and says "Chip Leader". I give him a high five and a hug. Next I hear "Final Table". Sweet. This is looking good. Then he says they want to make a deal. He is 5th in chips at this point. What? A deal? I didn't even know they do that online. A new feature I guess. Now when you are at the final table online players have the option of striking a deal. The offer is to split $1300 for all players. No deal. Chip leaders are holding out until they are down to 5 players. The play continues. Gets down to 4. Still no deal. What happens next is pretty unbelievable. Chip leader has about 800k, 2nd has about 400k, ElWappo has about 200k, and short stack has less than 60k. The chip leaders are fighting. Unbelievable. One of them busted. Down to 3. Short Stack bust. Down to 2. Time for a deal. ElWappo suggest $2500 - types "$2500 and it is all yours, no risk and merry xmas". No response. He types. "You there?". The chip leader types "I'm here". ElWappo types "Head to Head I am almost unbeatable". Chip leader says "Me too". Finally chip leader says take the standard payout and we are done (the standard payout for 2nd is just over 2k and the suggested payout based on chip count is about 2200). So ElWappo say "Let's play". Another offers comes back. How about $2400. My husband turns to me. I say "Yeah, take it!" Merry Christmas!!!!!

Congrats babe. Awesome job!!!

Upcoming posts ..removed based on Sox's influence..Weak you owe Sox.

Waffles like to take every chance to make fun of me. So check out his recent post. Stick up for me if you feel so inclined. See Chief's post to go along with it.

I hope all of you have a great Chirstmas too! God Bless! Hugs and kisses from the Veneno family.....

Can't Push Me Around

Mr. TanO who claims to have an Ornate Push didn't get a chance to use it against the Poison. We played our first Heads Up match today. He soon discovered why I am called Poker Poison when I beat him in our duel. Our plan was to play best 2 out of 3. There is a bounty of course. A deck of cards.

In our first attempt to hook up on UB, TanO could not get in. UB is usually the best site to coordinate matches because you can challenge a specific player. But it was not working today. So, I ended up playing someone else. Lost. Yuck. Then we tried to hook up on Stars, he ended up matched against someone else for his second match. I made the mistake of giving him some advise with his play. Now he has more insight into my style and will be better prepared for our next match (What was I thinking?..lol). It was good to finally take him on HU. We been talking about this meeting for a while. Thanks for a fun match TanO.

As for other HU news, I woke up early today just to continue my challenge with Weak. Fortunately, I won 2 of the 3 matches today. So now I am 3 wins and 4 losses. I WANT MY WAFFLES!!!! So, I need to beat him to 7 wins. mmmm...can't wait!!!

I have decide to add a section on the sideline of my HU challenges in progress. Especially those with bounties involved.

Also thinking of a bounty of the week. I will provide some kind of bounty. And the first blogger to beat me in a challenge will win the bounty. I will have to have a reward too. But those terms can be negociated on a individual basis. Sound good?

Okay..now I need to update the stats.

Still having fun!!!

Laters....

This Sucks - I wanted my seat

Dear yosoyveneno,
Due to unforeseen circumstances we were forced to cancel tournament "$500K Qualifier Freeroll 500 points".

At the time of cancellation, players were awarded prize money corresponding to the rank to be awarded to the next eliminated player. Following this 50% of the remaining prize pool has been divided equally and 50% has been divided based on the chip count of each remaining player.

$26.06 have been added into your account as per the following statement:

Tournament id: 545920 Name: $500K Qualifier Freeroll 500 points
Buy-In/Entry Fee: $500K Qualifier Freeroll 500 points $0.00 / $0.00 Total Players to start: 753
Players at the time of cancellation: 69 Level at the time of cancellation: 8
Limit: 300.00 / 600.00 Total Chips in play: 753000

Total Buy-in collected = $0.00
Initial Added money = $1,505.00
Prize Money already given = $0.00
Total prize pool = $0.00 + $1,505.00 - $0.00 = $1,505.00
Minimum prize pool award = $0.00 * 69 = $0.00


Prize pool to be divided equally = ($1,505.00 - $0.00) / 2 = $752.50
Prize pool to be divided based on chip count = ($1,505.00 - $0.00) / 2 = $752.50
Entry Fee to be refunded = $0.00


When the tournament was called off, you were seated at 'Table 1086051' and you had 15160 tournament chips.

Your share of the minimum prize pool award = $0.00
Your share in money equally divided = $752.50/69 = $10.91
Your share based on your chip count = $752.50 * (15160/753000) = $15.15
Your entry fee refunded = $0.00
Total money refunded = $26.06


We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused you. Thank you for playing.



Sincerely Yours,

PartyPoker.com Team

Time for a Change

Some people really understand the value of making the list. Take this slick player for example, he feels like he has finally made the "big time"! See chat below:

allimcbeal: hey, i made yoyo's top ten blogs - woohooo - ive made the bigtime now!
geekandproud: so many to add, a few to remove
trumpjosh calls [$2].
geekandproud calls [$2].
allimcbeal folds.
ScottMcM_Tx folds.
Xennor folds.
Dohpee folds.
yosoyveneno: lol
geekandproud: I didn't even make the list

I took my last $50 on party to hang out with the coolest bloggers in town..Slick, Geek, Dreamy and the Trumpet player. I lost it all. But had a fun time.

Now for the change. One of the newest bloggers on the block has been kicking butt at the tables, kicking my butt at Head's Up, and doing a fine job of blogging as well. So the butt kicker has been moved up into the top 10. He beat me in two Heads Up matches today which is not a good thing. I WANT MY WAFFLES..sigh..sigh....Well..I better get ready for the next matches. Current score is 1 win and 3 losses.

On the up side..been getting what I want. Lots of Heads Up matches. Played an additional 6 with strangers and went 3 and 3. Okay..not so great. But I am still playing...

Laters all..

I want more Heads

I decided to play a non-blogger this morning. A vacation day for Veneno. First match on Royal Vegas against a player named Guti1507. Veneno wins!

Yesterday I made progress on party just playing one $10 sit n go. I took 1st thank you very much.

Then, decided to play with Mr. Dreamy. He was playing NL on Stars so I joined him. I had about $42 on Stars and bought in for $25. Lost that very quickly in donkey like fashion. So being a good pal, Mr. Dreamy, reminds me what I should be playing on a 6 handed NL table. I move to another table with the last of my $17. Davee joins at some point. At another table Davee got some sweet cards quad As and then quad 7s. By the time I was ready for bed, I built my $17 up to over $60. Thanks Scott for keeping me out of trouble and for not busting me.

Not bad for a night of low limit play.

Laters...

Go See Felicia

Must read Felicia's current post if you haven't been there already.

Leaving Him Dissatisfied Again

After beating me in the first Heads Up match tonight Fluxer still wanted more.

Ever try to connect in a HU match on Poker Stars? A bit of a pain.

On our first attempt, Fluxer accidently got into a Heads Up match with another player. He was so anxious to play me, he kept going all in trying to lose. It was funny. He was trying to lose and was having a hard time doing it. At one point he even typed on the chat "I can't lose". I thought I was on a limited schedule and he didn't want to miss the opportunity to play me. Am I that fun to play Heads Up?...lol..

Then he had to wait again when I accidently ended up with someone else. I lost..boo hoo.

So we finally play. I think he thought he could take me down twice in one night. "Thought" being the key word here. We went for about 50 hands. I was having fun. It is pretty cool to be on voice chat with the person you are playing HU. Adds a whole new element of excitement! Flux was not getting cards in this match. On a few hands, he was trying to make a move with a bet and I would reraise (a few times with nothing). I would make a point of telling him I was bluffing. Cause that is just sooo fun. So when I flopped a Full House and he landed a straight, I was able to trap him quite nicely. I got extra amusement out of gloating when the match was finished. He is a good sport about my taunting or I might not.

So when we were wrapping up the chat, I asked him why he wanted to play Heads Up with me tonight. He said that losing the first match with AA left him dissatisfied. And now again he was dissatisfied with a score of 1 win and 2 loses vs Veneno.

So there it is...I left Fluxer dissatisfied...sorry pal..but thats what happens when you mess with the Poison! Till next time Flux...

Oh, can you tell I am having fun with poker again....how can I leave this behind?

Hasta luego...

Bluffing the Bluffer

He is sneaky. He has balls. He beat me HU today. Fluxer. I don't remember all the details. What I do know is that he had K x. Didn't have any kinda decent draw. Didn't even have a pair. I smelled the bluff. But after I reraised on the flop and turn and he still called....I folded. Excellent play Flux. You got me!

Royal Vegas Welcomes Veneno

I was chatting with Jordan and Gary on Yahoo while they were playing in a MTT on Royal Vegas. Jordan was doing pretty well and once Gary left asked if I wanted to railbird. Since I didn't have an account. I was gonna try to sign up with one of the online poker affiliate sites they have been pimping. So I did. I joined VPP from Jordan's link. In the meantime, Fluxer had join the conference and was railbirding Jordan. I had mucho interruptions and had to leave before I could watch the MTT or play. Jordan made the money..not sure details. Congrats! Okay..so back to me. Later on, I finish depositing money on Royal Vegas and get ready to start earning my bonus....

Here is where it gets sweet! I bought in for $50 on a 6 max .50/1 no limit cash table. I was playing tight waiting for good hands. Got a few nice hands like hitting quad 4s with in a blind hand with only one 4 in my hand. So little by little I was building. Then it happened..I beat a royal donkey! I mean not just the average donkey. But the sweetest of donkeys. I had A3 and limped in for $1 preflop in late position. The flop comes 3 3 5 rainbow. Pretty nice. I got trips with the best kicker. A player in early position bets $4. I raise to $8. Mr. Royal Donkey (Gauguin) calls. And the other player calls. Super Sweet! Turn comes 5. Yuck. Oh no!!! What if one of these guys has the 5? Well, I still gotta play. The EP player checks. I bet $5. Mr. Royal Donkey raises! I am thinking..oh this can't be good...but he may be on a high pair or have a 3 with a lower kicker. Just hope he doesn't have the 5. The other player folds. I call. River is a duece. I continue with the betting for $5. He goes all in for $26.50. Crap!!! What to do? I don't put him on a straight draw...which would be great. I am afraid of the 5. I must call. So with my last $21.30, I make the call. I WIN!!! Awesome!!! A $99.10 pot. Mr. Royal Donkey shows Two Pair, Sixes over Fives. HaHa. I am non stop laughing. What a total DONKEY. A ROYAL DONKEY. So I leave a profit of $75.80 on my first play at Royal Vegas. Thanks Jordan!!!

Other news..I got a new Heads Up challenge going with Sox. First player to win 5 games gets to create a new banner for the other. So far, I am 2 and 0. I think he is in deep trouble..lol..Course, the only thing you may hear from him is how I sucked out on him the first match to win. So..lol..suckouts count right?

Lastly, the master scored some points yesterday by taking me to the Harrah's (Indian Casino near San Diego). I ended up losing about $60 for the trip but had fun. I put about $10 into a few dollar machines. Then head for the Paigow table. I won the first two hands (a $15 table). Then a spot opened at the Paigow Jackpot table (offers a side bet where you can win some nice $$ for top hands). Anyway, this was a $25 table, plus I usually bet the $5 jackpot bet to take advantage of the "envy bonus" (if someone else at the table hits the jackpot, you will still get a piece). In no time I was down $60. Time for a change. So I make my way to the poker room. Not much of a room. And not an actual room. This is not the place to play poker in So. California. The options are pretty much $3/6 cash or $100 no limit. A little more than I wanted to play. But okay. I put my name on the board for both. Now there will be a wait. So I go to the Video poker machines. And shortly after starting, I hit 4 wild dueces. Woo hoo. That is 1000 coins (i.e. $250 bucks). Sweet. The night is covered. Good timing to because my name is next up in the poker room. So I cash out. So minus the $70 I lost earlier, I am still up $180. I get called to the $3/6 table.

I sit down. Order a Margarita. And get ready to chill and wait. People are playing very loose. Face with anything unsooted. Crap hands. But I wait. Finally, I get my hand. Pocket Ladies. On a kill hand (when someone wins 2 hands in a row they must put in $6 and the betting changes to 6/12). So I raise to $12. And get 2 callers. The flop comes with a 7 Q x. WONDERFUL!!! Early player bets $6 and I raise to $12. Both players call. Turn is 7. Perfect! I have my boat. Looking good. Now the player checks to me. I bet $12. And get raised! My thoughts at the time "Can this get any better?". The other play folds. I call. I bet on the river. And the other player calls and is all in. We show. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. He had quad 7s. I lose! Ouch! I did rebuy and actually made back all that I lost and then some. But over time managed to lose about $80.

So I cash out. Still up $100. My husband is ready to leave. Can I leave a winner? Of course not!!! I drop $60 at backjack in 3 hands for $20 each the first hand dealer had blackjack. Then head for the blazing 7s. Don't ask me what it is about me and Blazing 7 machines, but they are my weakness. I feed them $100. Finally, I have had enough. What a dork!!!!

At least I was feeling good from the Margaritas..lol

Now back to the tables....

Hasta luego y bueno suerte para ustedes!!!!

I'm Back

Talked with the family today. I made a deal. I will limit my poker play time to the weekends starting with Friday nights. The question is how much time for the whole weekend?

So..what do you think? My idea of reasonable may be bais, so I am seeking feedback. Of course, I am selecting a poker crowd for feedback purposely..lol

And another question. Just to measure how absorbed I was into poker. How much time do you spend on average per a week playing poker?

It has been a hard week. But I think the sacrifice may have been worth it. Now my family knows that they are more important to me than poker. And I would give it up if I had to do so.

Now I just need to keep a good balance.

Thanks all for your support. I did respond to everyone's comments. So check the comment section if you haven't already.

Laters...

That felt goooooooooooooood

I didn't make the money...finished 65th out of 600 plus players in the freeroll..but I was on top of my game. It paid down 30 places. I still have some points left. So if I get the urge again...I may have to sneak in another. Anyway, I really enjoyed playing after 7 days of no poker. I made good reads. Most of my reads helped me a few did not. I had QQ with about 8000 in chips. I raised to 300 which was 3x bb and another play who had about half as much chips compared to me reraised to 500 and the short stack pushed to 1k. At this point I was in a really good chip position within the tournament. I was figuring the reraiser for AA or KK based on his tight play. Did I really want to risk that much? Once I bet, I would be forced to continue with the pot value. So I folded. The flop comes with a Q and turn is another. Crap!!! I would have had quads. And the other play did in fact have AA. So right move...wrong time. Oh well. On another hand I had JJ. I called a raise in early position. The flop was all unders. The play bet I raised. He pushed. I put him on AK. It was a tough call. But I made it. And soo sweet I won. He did in fact have AK and did not suckout on me. Free game..lots of fun!!!

Laters....

Sneaky It is.....

After not playing since last friday, I finally couldn't stand it. I woke up this morning at 4:45 a.m. on a Saturday and am playing in the 1250k freeroll on Party. If you are on early, come hang out on Yahoo.

Life after Poker

It has been 4 days of no poker for Veneno. The banished posting was removed only because I didn't know how to change the date of the What I like about you #3 posting so that it would show up last.

Anyway, a few of you have asked about my poker status.

Basically, my husband was not happy with the amount of time that I was spending on poker and blogging. On Saturday, we had another serious talk about the subject. I am not really the best at sharing my personal dramas on a blog, but I will give it up for all of you. I appreciate those who have been sympathetic with my situation. It really has been quite difficult.

Content of discussion:

- Even though I was playing primarily after everyone was in bed (giving up sleep) it was still not acceptable.

- I need to devote more time to my family than on poker.

- His parents think I play too much. (They live with us which is another story. That makes 3 to 1 now).

- The kids think I play too much. (ummm, I sometimes forget..Kids rule in our house...so they actually get a vote... That makes 5 to 1)

- My mother will drop by sometimes and notice me playing. She thinks I should not be playing at all. (6 to 1)

- So basically, the whole family is in agreement. I play too much poker.

Now it was up to me to decide what to do. Was there really a choice? It was bad enough trying to play with guidelines and restrictions. But now the kids were involved. Thinking I am a bad mom because I play poker. So I surrendered. Why fight? Why try to set acceptable boundaries? Is there really a point. I mean, I might not follow them exactly. And poker is not really a game to play on a restricted schedule. So I am giving it up.

I have been playing daily for almost a year. It has been a fun ride!!

Especially adding the blogging element and meeting so many interesting people. Kinda disappointing that just when I am getting more readers, I will be winding down. I want to continue my "What I Like About You Series", and I may make some more "Life after poker" postings. But this was a poker blog and without poker in my life the blog seems pointless. I can't see destroying it. Lots of good times and memories. But it is over...I am getting teary-eyed just typing that..so bye for now.

Best wishes all...

Banished from Poker

Well not exactly in those words. But the Master sat me down for a talk today. Don't know when/if I will be playing much. This time he included blogging in the activities that I have been spending too much time on. Really, really, upset right now. Write more later..thinking of a you decide format.

What I Like About You #3

Where do I begin? I think for Sirfwalgman (Waffles) and his blog, I must start at the beginning...

We meet...

It was early summer 2005, and I was playing online Poker at Party. At my table was a player named Jester. Now knowing that being entertained is a big part of why I play poker, I could not resist engaging in coversation with a Jester. And he delivered entertainment as his name implied. We played a few games together and exchanged IMs. Jester is good friends with ChiefBigToke, a fan and regular reader of Waffles blog. So one day, Jester ask me if I want to join a converence with a "blogger". I had no idea what he was talking about at the time. Never read a blog. I ended up in the conference with Waffles, Chief, and Jester. And this is where it all began.

First Impressions...

Waffles was typing incessantly. Play by play. Every hand. Every detail. Chief seemed to keep up. But my head was spinning. I tried to participate in the conversation, but it was hard to get noticed within the endless stream of Waffles chat.

On the side, I started a separate chat with Jester. I asked, "How can you keep up with all this? And how can you play poker while you read all of this? I can't concentrate with all of this chat. Are you laughing? That is what I thought at the time. Now I can't get enough of the endless commentary.

Jester and Chief convinced me that I needed to check out the "blog". This would be my first exposure to blogging. They were kind enough to point me to some of the "juicy" postings. I was hooked. I went back through all the archives. I read them all. And still wanted more. I had officially become a blogger fan.

What did I find? Let's take a look:

In the words of Waffles himself..here is an introduction - "So... Hello, my name is Sir and I have decided to write a Poker blog. It will probably lead to me getting a swelled head and let everyone out there have a good laugh, but what the hell, it sounds like fun anyways. I will keep you posted with every tiny detail until you are so nauseated you can not stop coming back. Wish me luck!"

* The Bad Beat stories - "Man am I bummed. Basically in the span of 3 minutes I had AA cracked by QQ and a set of 6’s cracked by runner-runner hearts. “That’s Poker”.. Monkey Boy Poker! I guess since it was a rebuy.. people say what the fuck.. oh well.. Frustrating so far.. but let us see if the Poker God grant me some revenge."

* The Best personal dramas
"God. Does my wife have to be so screwed up. I mean if she is paying a therapist I want my money back."

* The most original metaphors
"I LOVE poker and I hate poker. Right now it is on my good side. It is like a relationship where one day your woman is smacking you with a frying pan and the next day she is giving you the best oral of your life with one of her cute girlfriends helping out."

* Attitude - "Know what I miss about poker. That superior feeling. Like nah nah, I am better than you! I mean fuck that felt good. Sneering down at all the losers. Lol."

* The Good - "Anyway, I want to thank Dr. Pauly for hosting what has to be one of the MOST fun events I have played in for a long time. It has been a long and interesting path. It has been some of the most fun I have had in months too. I somehow managed to play well in all of the events except one. I have been bubble boy and victorious. I ended up 7th out of all bloggerdome in the series. Wow! Usually I am a solid middle of the pack type of guy. I got to bust the Blogfather, and cripple Pauly. I even made time in between events to meet the illustrious Doctor and had a FANTASTIC time doing it. PLEASE!! PLEASE!! have another event sometime."

* The Bad - "I know you guys enjoy my pain and suffering and who am I to disappoint you? I am not going into detail cause it still smarts a little. However I will say a few words. Bankroll. Bad. Titan. New. Game. Blackjack. Very Bad! At least it was not poker this time.."

* The Ugly - "So luckily I get a banging on my door. It turns out to be the cops. Apparently my good buddy decided to call them and get me taken in to the hospital for evaluation. I can not tell you how much fun it was getting led out of my hotel by four police men and taken to the hospital. I think I only swore at them a few time. Now I could have refused to go but some talk about pink slips and handcuffs seemed annoying so I decided to cooperate. So anyway I get to share my story with a cunt of a social worker and and nice psychiatrist. I think the cunt wanted to commit me on principal, but the shrink listened and let me go. I decided to walk home. Felt good. Of course it was 2AM in the morning. Oh well."

* Interesting Poker strategy - In reference to MTTs - "In playing a few of these I think that I have found there to be a minimal pace you need to keep up to. If you do not you will be constantly worrying about the blinds. So when I initially start a game I play very loose (even for me) and weak. I basically am looking for my KJ to connect and make something nice without getting killed by KQ. All I am trying to do here is get ahead. As far ahead as I can while the blinds are small. If I hit the second break and have less than 2K I am in trouble. I will have to push at some point with cards I would normally not want to push with. I will not be able to see flops with moderate cards. Once I get over 2K in the first break I can slow down a little. I still want to see some flops, but I can stick to better starting cards. So keeping pace is important. This is where some of the luck comes in. You have to get some cards and have some flops hit early to survive."

* Amusement - "In this whole world there was one person who OWNED me, until tonight. Even though she still holds a slight lead Veneno is no more. I have defeated her in two HU matches in a row and I fear her no longer. I can not wait for my prize for beating her!"

* Tilts - "Last night was no fun at all.. I know my tilt well at least. It has become VERY specific. I do not get mad when I lose a hand, or when I lose a buyin. It really is a set of things that have to happen. I do not tilt in game and start playing poorly. My tilt is induced by winning and then taking a sharp downturn....So I lose another buyin.. and that drives me over the edge of no return. I will not stop until I win MY money back. So there you have it. A look into a very bad form of tilt. My personal pet monkey."

* Frustration - "I have had it with poker. Cya. I do not think I have the mentality for poker. Also I am starting to beleive if you put enough monkeys at a poker table you will get rivered every single time. It gets to the point where it is pure luck to win a hand, because 8 other people are seeing the river. I know, this is supposed to be a good thing. Bah! I have had it. I am taking a break. Next post will be sometime in June. I guess I at least owe you guys the secret mystery of my name.. however it probably is not worth waiting for."

It's the roller coaster of blogs. The one for which we will wait in line. He leads us into the dark side of poker. Never sure what will happen next. Will it be a thrill, a disaster, or something else? It's the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. When he takes a dive we feel the tingle in the pit of our stomachs. But one thing is certain. He is fearless in sharing his thoughts and experiences.

Thanks...

Outside of the enjoyment I get from reading Waffles blog, I must thank him on a few other accounts.

I am a much better poker player today because of Waffles. He has often been willing to share and help me with my game. He is an awesome sweat partner. I especially value his advise for playing in MTTs. And finally, thanks for inspiring me to become a blogger.

So Waffles, thanks for the many good times, coaching, and inspiration. Poker would just not have been as fun without you!

Break from the What I Like About You Series

Since the Waffleman is on a Poker/Blogging Vacation, what purpose would it serve to offer praise and adoration? When he is officially back, I will post about blog #3 on my top 10 list. In the meantime, I may skip to the next on the list.

Now to other news..

First, in case you had not noticed, there are 2 new players on my Heads Up stats listing. Fluxer finally got his wish and played a Heads Up match against me and discovered the Power of my Poison..lol..check his blog for full details..We were playing a 4 person HU on Stars with Doubleas. TrumpJosh was supposed to be our 4th, but he was too sloooooooowww and didn't make it...lol..So Doubleas had to play a non-blogger in round one. Then it was Doubleas vs Veneno. I really enjoyed the game and opportunity to play a HU with him. We went for over 80 hands, so I don't think I embarrassed myself by any means. By the way, stop by his blog and offer him congrats for winning another trip to the Caribbean...I'm soooooo jealous...

On another front...

Mr. Dreamy continues to kick butt!!! He won over 2k this week playing the 7500 GP MTT tournament. Congrats! Thanks for showing us all that its true..some people actually make money at this thing.

Lastly...

I had a chance to give the $20 40k MTT on Party a shot tonight. Kipper was sweating me in the beginning and bringing me the good luck! Then he had to sleep of all things! It was good to see him. He has a great sense of humor and is good at putting a smile on my face. Jordan and Davee popped in for a while too. Finished 147th for a nice $38 and change. At least I made money. One day.....

Davee was playing a $10 Ohaha limit Sit n Go and had to leave when there were about 5 people left on the table. Isn't funny, when you are trying to lose you can't. He kept pushing to bust out and pretty soon he was winning. Ended up taking it all! Hopefully it was worth it (the price we pay for poker eh).

Also played a Sit n Go for $20..3rd place..been taking a lot of 3rds in last few days..but before that lost 4 in a row at $30 and $20 level..ouch..still hanging...

Hasta luego y bueno suerte!!

What I Like About You #2

Time to move on to the next fabulous blog on my list. The one and only High on Poker by Jordan.

There are many many awesome things about Jordan and his blog. I almost don't want to praise him tooo much because he is already such a egomaniac (self-proclaimed so it is acceptable). He loooooves attention and he knows how to get it!

Jordan has got to be the blogger who puts the most effort into his blog and it really shows. He almost always has something fresh and entertaining. Often posting more than once on the same day. He deserves the recognition received on having a top notch blog.

His blog is full of energy and charisma. You really feel like he is welcoming us into his world. I mean there is poker content, bad beat stories, analysis of his play and strategy, self-evaluations, stories of poker experiences with other players and us bloggers of course, life events, appreciation of his wife (which I think is sooo cool), and ummm details of his self pleasure (perhaps he could be spared us here).

Plus the following cool things:

* Heads Up Challenges
* You Decides
* Pictures

And the bragging..Let's not forget that! Despite all his self praise, he does not come across as arrogant. In fact, he is one of the first to admit his short comings.

He definitely acknowledges and appreciates his readers. If you leave a comment, he will almost always reply..assuming his comment function is WORKING.

On the other hand, he is not one to sugar coat things. You will hear exactly what he thinks (a trait I find appealing).

But more than all this, he is the really super person. Being with him in a IM chat room is always fun. He is one of my favorite people to taunt and tease. And you know how I love to tease! He is a good sport and can handle the smack talk. In fact, he is excellent at retaliating with some smack of his own!

I am looking forward to more good times with one of my favorite bloggers..especially Heads Up Matches.

I must admit..if I were judging on overall qualities of a blog..Jordan would be #1.

Here's to you Jordan. Thanks for making my poker experience more enjoyable.

What I Like About You #1

Part of the reason that I decided to rate the blogs that I read daily is because some of them are just soo exceptional. You can really tell the bloggers that make an effort to post quality content and give of themselves. And these blogs deserve special recongition and appreciation.

So I have decided to explain, why I think they are special. I will start at the top and work my way down through at least the top 10...unless I get lazy..we shall see..so tonight I will start with #1 - Low Limit Grinder (Gary).

What I like about you....

First let me say that Gary is one of the friendliest bloggers that I have met. He is a gentleman and a man of class. So I have a lot of respect for him as an individual and as a poker player. His fine character comes accross in his blogging. While we all use our blogs as a forum for bragging and boasting (myself included), Gary takes time to give others recognition too. His recaps of events are loaded with plays and details about others, not just himself. Such a great story teller too.

Remember, my poker experience is a great deal about the social aspect. He seems to enjoy people. He is great company in the chat room. And brings good vibes with him. When I read his blog, I get a feeling of someone who is enjoying the experience.

That is why he got top rating on the Veneno list.

Hope you enjoy it too.

Laters....

Let's Make a Deal

Here it is the next bounty deal has been made with Weak Player:

ghengis_socrates: you said you don't cook. why would I want your cookies?
ghengis_socrates: can't make cookies without cook.
yosoyveneno: lol
ghengis_socrates: I want photos of you making them. hands only would be okay.
yosoyveneno: okay
yosoyveneno: deal
ghengis_socrates: and packing them and shipping them. posted on the web somewhere I can link to.
ghengis_socrates: you can have the same with the waffles, if you want.
ghengis_socrates: still a deal?
ghengis_socrates: and I want race to 7 on the matches. 2/3 not good enough.
yosoyveneno: okay
yosoyveneno: deal
ghengis_socrates: cool

Someone needs to help Weak negotiate..he wants a picture of my hands..lol..I can't stop laughing..

So game on!!!!!

USA Finally Takes One

Congrats to Sirfwalgman for taking the USA team to victory! I busted out 2nd of the bloggers, but in true blogger fashion I trusted in the hammer. Then TripJax had to point out that it was not truly the hammer at all...because it was soooooted....duh!!!! I didn't even do that right. Dang. At least, Jordan got my chips. He finally lasted longer than most. There is a new Jordan in town and he is looking kinda shark like..lol..Acorn did a fine job again. He was 2nd place for the bloggers. What is really really sad is that not one blogger cashed. Yikes!

New Sit and Go Challenge stats:

$20 games
2nd - 2
Lost - 1

$10 games
Lost - 1

Profit/Loss: + 42

Hasta luego y bueno suete!

Next...

I have sooo been in the mood for Heads Up lately...That should be a sign that I am doomed to lose..when I really wanna play something..that is the very thing I should avoid. But..noooo....I want more..more..more..so whoever is ready..just catch me on yahoo IM as yosoyveneno.

Lately my Heads Up matches have been very cold. That was my only hot game and poker pleasure for the longest time. Today, I lost 3 matches. Two versus SoxLover and another to Jordan. With Sox, I screwed it up. Greedy, impulsive, impatient, and undiciplined play on my part. I had such an advantage in the one game with Sox down to 500 in chips and then I call his all in bet with a 67 off..donkey move!!! So he got back in the game..then I get hooked on my set of Kings and fail to drop them to the flush on the board..not such a bad move..he had to have the flush to beat me..which he did.

I can't remember if I was a donkey with Jordan..I was just enjoying our chat..and hoping to win so that he would stay on the USA team for our blogger event today. We had aggreed that if I beat him in a HU match, he would stay on the USA team. The good news was that after I lost, he said he would stick with the USA afterall. Nice!!! Veneno is happy!!!

Thank goodness no bounties today!!!

I do have a plan for my next bounty with WeakPlayer. He mentioned making waffles the other day when we were playing. So I am on a mission to land some homemade Weak Waffles...lol..That is the plan anyway. So next session of HU that I win against him will provide me with a sweet treat..mmmmmmmmm....can't wait!!!! I excel when properly motivated.

Oh and then WeakPlayer(ghengis on IM) offers the following suggestion in relation to
SoxLover's blog...which currently shows the Veneno shark:

ghengis_socrates: just looking at the picture. the chum should say "SoxLover" That should be your next bounty.
ghengis_socrates: you know, the dead fish, hanging from a rope, waiting to be eaten by the shark.
yosoyveneno: lol
yosoyveneno: i love it
ghengis_socrates: you need to ask him when he is drunk.
yosoyveneno: perfect

The other good thing is that while my HU game has been suffering. I finally made a decent cash in a MTT and I am making money at my Sit and Go games. Today I came in 2nd on a $20 game. Sweet!! This is the first of my new Sit and Go challenge.

I was soo excited with my new HTML table for HU..now I want one to track my poker play. I of course am not a HTML developer..so..whoever may already have a cool one..here is what I want:

1. HTML table
2. Easy to update
3. Cool colors
4. If it calculated the total profit/loss automatically with grand totals..would be way cool
5. Track site, game type, rate, for sng 1st, 2nd, 3rd, bust, and profit/loss

Otherwise, if anyone knows of a cool site to track play, which can be linked to my blog, let me know.

Laters...

Veneno Finally Gets Paid

Finally, a decent cash. I placed 17th tonight on a $20/2 MTT on Party with 1577 entrants for a nice payout of $236.55. Below is the final hand...still disappointing..I wanted FINAL table!!! Okay I should be satisfied right?

A special thanks to Fluxer and Scott for sweating and to SirFwalgman for good luck wishes.

NL Texas Hold'em Trny:17963135 Level:17 Blinds (3000/6000) - Sunday, December 04, Table Multi-Table(529168) Table #1 (Real Money)
Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 8
Seat 4: yosoyveneno ( $21660 )
Seat 1: vortex ( $197098 )
Seat 7: mattm840 ( $37728 )
Seat 5: buzzeroo1 ( $220633 )
Seat 2: MadTider ( $249313 )
Seat 10: markman212 ( $65560 )
Seat 6: BexBlonde29 ( $65352 )
Seat 9: rage675 ( $149339 )
Trny:17963135 Level:17
Blinds (3000/6000)
Dealt to yosoyveneno [ Kd Ad ]
buzzeroo1 folds.
BexBlonde29 folds.
mattm840 folds.
rage675 raises [22000].
markman212 folds.
vortex folds.
MadTider raises [44000].
yosoyveneno is all-In [15660]
rage675 calls [22000].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 7h, 9s, 4s ]
rage675 checks.
MadTider bets [50000].
rage675 folds.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3c ]
** Dealing River ** [ 5c ]
MadTider shows [ Kh, Ks ] a pair of kings.
yosoyveneno shows [ Kd, Ad ] high card ace.
MadTider wins 94680 chips from side pot #1 with a pair of kings.
MadTider wins 64980 chips from the main pot with a pair of kings.
Player yosoyveneno finished in 17 place and received $236.55

As for my Sit and Go challenge, I ended up $40 ahead. Not bad. Not great, but I will take it. I am gonna start again. Maybe try a few $20 to begin. See what happens. Nice to have something I can acually call a bankroll $313.

Hasta luego y bueno suerte!!

Blogger's are soo Cool

Today I was chatting with Weak Player and he was messing with his blog trying to create a html table. So it got me to thinking that I would like to have a html table too. Much easier to maintain my HU stats if it were a html table right here on the blog.

So I start working on the thing. I don't know much at all about coding in html mind you. I was thinking I could do it in MSWord and SaveAs html, but that didn't work out. In the meantime, I am chatting with Sirfwalgman, Fluxer, and Weak who all helpful with some suggestions, links, etc. Then just when I throw in the towel, both Fluxer and Weak tell me they have he code for my new html HU table. I didn't even ask. Awesome!!!! Of course, I needed to add some touches of my own, so with Fluxer's help I try to change the colors and make it more beautiful. In the end, he just took over. Very, very sweet. I was extremely grateful for all the help from these guys. That is what is soo super about the Blogger Community. Eveyone is so helpful and supportive. Thanks again guys!!!!

Then another really really cool thing happened this week. The "Blog Father" - Iggy, was gracious enough to provide a link to my blog on a recent posting with newbies. I was very honored. I read his blog of course, but I didn't even realize he had ever read my blog. I have noticed a nice increase in traffic recently that I know is due to his support. Thanks Iggy!!!

Lastly, I have given a special ranking to my top 10 favorite blogs on my reading list. Check it out!

Hasta luego...

USA vs ROW

Round 4 of the Blogger USA vs ROW (Rest of the World) tournaments is on this Sunday. If you wanna join leave a comment on Gary or Acorn's blog. Okay guys we have got to win!!

I played a live no limit tournament for $100/25 and busted with KK which really really sucked. So then I went to the $40 nl cash table...played a couple of hours..was up over $100..but do I leave..nooooooooooo...of course not..ended up $30 ahead.

Okay..here are Veneno's poker goals:

V = Variety..must have a mix of games to play..Limit, No Limit, SnG, HU, Omaha...
E = Entertaiment..I must chat, have fun while I play, and hang out with my cool pals.
N = No rules..I like freedom to choose what, when, and where based on mood, etc.
E = Easy..Play games that are easy to understand..don't wanna focus too much!
N = New bounties..Gotta come up with some new ideas for bounties..just love it
O = Opportunity to hit it big. I would love to make some real money in a MTT.

You feedback is welcome...

Hasta luego and bueno suerte!!!

Goals?

Check this out - Weak's Poker Blog. Weak has defined some goals for poker and got me thinking of my own goals.

Veneno's Poker goals - Have fun!

Okay I might have a few more than just this one. Perhaps I will chew it over and let you know in a later post.

By the way, concert was fabulous!!!!! Worth a night off from poker..lol..can you believe it?..It's true. I had that much fun.

Laters....

Another Concert..What a life..lol

Tonight I get to see Paul McCartney in concert at the Staples Center, box seats, and all the Magaritas I want. Gonna be sweet!

For my poker play, I am continuing with the Sit and Go Challenge played another 2 $10 games last night and finished 2nd in one (Davee took first) and lost another. So up $8 for the night...any progress is pleasing at this point. So in total, I am up a whole $2 i think after over a dozen games.

Hasta luego y mucho suerte para ustedes!!

Get it on Boys

Okay enough with the stalling TraumaPoker and Drizz. It is time to get the final Heads Up match on. It is only fair for all of us who played. There must be a winner. Otherwise, what was the freakin point? If you wanna split the dough, you can work that out later. Just set a date and time.

Check out Trauma's blog. He finally got his prize.

Yesterday BigChiefToke got me in another HU match..thank goodness there were no bounties involved!

As for my Sit n Go challenge, I finally took another 1st yesterday and one loss..still it is a positive..so I was happy.

Veneno is a Shark

You must visit.Sox Lover's blog and tell him how great his new banner looks..lol..Thanks Sox..looks terrific!!! Please tease him endlessly on my account! Thanks..

I beat him in a 2 out of 3 Head's Up match today. In fairness to Sox, I was getting wonderful cards in my first match against him. He had me down to less than 500 in chips and I had to really work it to recover. Then the sweetness began. I get QQ. On the flop I make my set. I slow play and check. In the meantime, Sox has made a straight and bets into me. Pure loveliness. Then the golden card hits. Another Q, oh WOW. I am dilerious. And to my surprise, he is still betting into me. I can't stop laughing. When he finally sees what he got himself into it was too late. Now I have the advantage big time. I end up with a flush to take him out.

This was my first match in a 4 person HU battle. In the meantime, BigChief beat WeakPlayer. So now I get to battle BigChief for the first time. He wins. All Hail the Chief..lol..Congrats Chief on your victory!

I also play WeakPlayer a Heads Up match and finally finally win. I was 0 for 5 with him and feeling totally owned. Just not acceptable!!!!

Then I play Jordan finally, who beats me too. And now has a tie record with me. I think it was fate. My own fault of course. We had been discussing bounties for future HU matches and I knew that Jordan wanted a dealer button. So last week when I went to buy a bounty for TramaPoker, I picked up a dealer button, just in case. So last night when Jordan came on, I tell him that I have a dealer button for him if he wins....doh..I don't remember how I busted, I just remember that I had the lead and blew it. Congrats Jordan! Now we are even which is not satisfactory for you I am sure, so we will be meeting again.

So much for my Heads Up lead against bloggers. I am now officially a loooooooooosssser. Ah well. Still great fun. Stats are now up-to-date for your reference. Don't tease me too much.

As for my Sit n Go challenge on Party..losing..losing...I placed in the money 3 time out of 8 games so far but only 3rd place..and bubble a couple of time. I better hit soon or I will wipeout my bank again!!!

The guys had also been playing some MTTs on Stars. Sirfwalgman, Chief, Sox, and WeakPlayer entered a $10 MTT and aggreed to split a percentage if any of them hit. They actually won $4 bucks thanks to Sox who finished 28th out of 1308. Excellent playing Sox.

And the evening ended on another good note when WeakPlayer finished 4th in a the $20 - 180 player MTT on Stars to make a nice $288. Very sweet Weak!!

Wish me good luck guys cause I sure need it and thanks for visiting.

Hasta Luego y Bueno Suerte para usted!

Love Comes and Love Goes

Well the FIRST LOVE welcome Veneno back to Party is over. I have been on up and down swings over the last couple of days, but no more 1st place victories in the $20 SnGs. I have been playing a few more had a couple of 2nd places, a couple of bubbles, and many losses.

I had a great run on Thanksgiving at the bad beat tables. My bankroll was at $160 and what do I do? I played $2/4 limit..and WON!!! A $100 dollars...woo hoo...of course, I think that I have tequilla to thank...hmmm...perhaps I should add this more often..who knows..all I can say is...I was tight..aggressive..and fearless..a very Poisonous combination..lol.

Since then, I have managed to lose most of that and my roll is down to just over $100.

On Poker Stars, I made an attempt to strike by playing in the 180 for $20/2. But as fate would have it, some donkey managed to suckout on me. I was 7th in chips when I got pocket jacks. I raised preflop about 3x, the board was all unders so I bet, then hit my set on the turn. I made a strong raise. Ended up all in with a player who went all in on a flush chase..and he hit..Veneno finishes 27th..grrrrrrrrrr! Only cool thing was meeting Tomfather7, who made the final table..Congrats Tom!

After that, I tried a couple of 4 person Heads Up Sit n Goes...again suckouts..one I had pocket Kings..and the player calls with A rag..not suited..for all in?

Then I finally get the opportunity to play in the Heads Up Tournament with a few hundred players..busted out on the first match.

So with my last $3 and change I play .02/.04 Omaha limit hi/lo figuring that if I can get it up to $5.50, I would play one last 4 person HU Sit n Go. On this table, I was hot..figures..I am hot at the penny tables..haha..anyway..Trauma shows up and ask what I am playing. He wants to know if I wanna play any HU. So I tell him my plan and say, yeah as soon as I hit $5.50 I will join you on a 4 ppl HU game. Rather than wait for that to happen, he transfers me $1.10..lol..woo hoo..Ready for one more round, so we are off to play. I didn't get matched up with him for round one. So second hand, my opponent pushes preflop, I look at my hand, AKo,hmmm, I figure its a race, I am thinking he has low pair or something, I ask my pals on IM, what they think, Trauma answers, he would do it cause he likes to gamble, so I make the call. He in fact does have small pair, 33 to be exact, thats it, the end, all money gone on Stars.

Now for the most humiliating of my poker adventures this weekend. I meet a new person on IM in one of my chats with blogger pals. Weak Player. He is interested in playing HU with me. So over the last few days, we play 5 matches. I lost ALL of these matches. Every single freaking one. Okay, I feel soooo owned. At least he is pretty cool about it. He keeps telling me that it is not enough games to make an evaluation...haha..I think he just wants more of me..lol..In any case, he played all games very well..only one bad beat game. He has just started a new blog. So the least I can do is pimp his blog. You should check it out. I think he will be one to watch. I predict awesome things from this guy. Both in poker and in blogging. Seems to take it all quite seriously. Congrats Weak!

Had lots of fun chatting with the usual cool and entertain bloggers Kipper, Sirfwalgman, GaryC, Davee, ChiefBigToke, TraumaPoker, Fluxer, TrumpJosh, Drizz and newest IM pal Collin.

And in a category of his own, I got to chat with the infamous Doubleas. I enjoyed this very much. While we chatted, I watched him in his $100 Sit n Go on Party. He finished 1st. Made it look quite easy. So he asked if I had taken the Sit n Go challenge. I didn't know what it was so he explained that you play 20 $5 Sit n Goes and see how you end up. I mentioned that I seem to attract suckouts in the $5 games and do better in the higher games. So we modified this plan to be $10 games. So far I bubbled on game #1. But I like this plan for my remaining roll on Party.

I had an excellent Thanksgiving with family. And I appreciate all of the warm wishes and comments from you guys!!! Feeling the love for sure.

Links to blogs are on my blog list. Also..I know, I know..need to update the HU stats..bear with me..sooon Trump..just wait!

Hasta Luego y Bueno Suerte para todos!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have met a lot of very interesting and wonderful people this year while playing poker online. Often my time online with you has been the highlight of my day. So I would like to express a special Thanksgiving wish to the following:

ChiefBigToke
Davee
Dracir
Fluxer
Gary
Iggy from Florida
Jester
Jordan
Kipper
LeAmbassador
LittleAcorn
Meek
ScottMcMilla
Sirfwalgman
Sloppier
TripJax
TrumpJosh
TraumaPoker

May you be blessed with your families and friends and have a wonderful day!

Hasta Luego y Mucho Suerte para todos!!!

Party Loves Me Too

I am sooo happy to be back on Party. Not only do I love the environment, but I am winning again. Which feels really really goooooooooooood! It has been a long dry spell for me. With minor hits here and there but no real progress...and wipeouts of $$ on 3 poker sites.

Inspired by TripJax plan to create your own freeroll into the 40k. I decided to play Sit N Goes on Party again to sponser my MTT play. The only difference being that I started with a $20 SnG yesterday and came in 1st. SWEET!!! $100 payout for a nice $78 dollar profit...so I tried another..and 1st again..woo hoo..that is just what I needed. I did play the 40k, but took a hit early and busted out before the first break. So all in all, I ended with a $136 for the night.

Since that worked out so well, I decided to try it again tonight. I came in 5th on the first try..but the next $20 SnG..1st again..excellent. So another $56 up for today.

Good luck all...

Acorn takes the victory - representing the ROW team

In the 3rd USA vs ROW (Rest of the World) Blogger Event held today, it was Little Acorn who took the victory. This time we played a regular Multi Table Sit N Go, so there were non-bloggers in the mix. Below are the final results of bloggers only:

#2 - Zagga (ROW - LittleAcorn from United Kingdom)
#3 - Yosoyveneno (USA - Veneno from Los Angeles )
#5 - GCox25 (USA - Gary from Oklahoma)
#7 - Davee3283 (ROW - Dave from Australia)
#8 - TripJax (USA - Jason from North Carolina)
#10- Grupper (USA - mystery blogger)
#11- PokerDwarf (USA - Chipper from Colorado)
#12- DeadMeek (USA)

Acorn deserved this victory with his excellent play. Below is the move where he outplayed me and took a big chunk of my chips.

PokerStars Game #3111338397: Tournament #15383811, Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200) - 2005/11/20 - 17:05:17 (ET)
Seat 1: yosoyveneno (6280 in chips)
Seat 3: tk_7 (2115 in chips)
Seat 4: zagga (5845 in chips)
Seat 5: davee3283 (2035 in chips)
Seat 6: billiz (2255 in chips)
Seat 7: TripJax (1075 in chips)
Seat 8: GCox25 (1405 in chips)
Seat 9: JONTHEMUTE (5990 in chips)
PokerStars Game #3111338397: Tournament #15383811, Hold'em No Limit - Level VII (100/200) - 2005/11/20 - 17:05:17 (ET)
Table '15383811 2' Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: yosoyveneno (6280 in chips)
Seat 3: tk_7 (2115 in chips)
Seat 4: zagga (5845 in chips)
Seat 5: davee3283 (2035 in chips)
Seat 6: billiz (2255 in chips)
Seat 7: TripJax (1075 in chips)
Seat 8: GCox25 (1405 in chips)
Seat 9: JONTHEMUTE (5990 in chips)
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to yosoyveneno [As Qh]
zagga: raises 400 to 600
yosoyveneno: calls 400
*** FLOP *** [Qd 3s 5d]
yosoyveneno: bets 1500
zagga: calls 1500
*** TURN *** [Qd 3s 5d] [3d]
yosoyveneno: bets 1500
zagga: calls 1500
*** RIVER *** [Qd 3s 5d 3d] [4s]
yosoyveneno: checks
zagga: bets 2220 and is all-in
yosoyveneno: folds
zagga collected 7500 from pot
zagga: shows [Ac Qs] (two pair, Queens and Threes)

Not sure I would have done anything different here. Was hard to call with the flush and paired board. If I bet more on the flop the result would most like have been the same. Acorn made an excellent move by pushing and I laid down the hand that could have split the pot. Dang!! Nice play Acorn.

Then later he took me out in a race with my AK sooted vs his QQ. See shot below:



This is really sad guys...we are 0 for 3 now!!!! This undefeated status cannot continue.

Craps Here I Come

Lots to write..but no time..

I am off to Las Vegas to play on of my favorite games..CRAPS! I will most likely play some cards too, but that I can do in California.

Online poker update..losing, losing, losing..oh yeah..I been just awful..even my HU play is no good..busted out of Titan, UB, and Stars..so I decided to go back to my true love..PARTY!

Had great fun last night playing with Jordan, GaryC, and Davee. But the best was a SNG with GaryC and Davee on Party. GaryC finished 1st, me 2nd, and Davee 3rd. We sang a little Desperado duet which was very nice.

Lost another HU match a couple of days ago to Davee, and TrumpJosh, went 1 and 1 with Sirf to maintain my lead.

Anyway...Good luck all..laters

Rewards are Sweet

I am just loving my rewards for winning Heads Up Matches against bloggers.

Yesterday when I got home a nice package from TripJax was waiting for me. My girls were excited too helping me open it. I love suprises and while I knew that a reward was coming, I didn't know what was going to be inside. It was perfect. A glass card shaped coaster/card protector with the Queen of Hearts! I love it. And to make it even better, Trip sent a thoughful hand written note. Thanks Trip..you made my day!

I have been checking daily for a Veneno Tribute from Twitch that was due. This morning, I was delighted to see a poem written in my honor on his blog. Be sure to check it out. I really enjoyed it! Thanks Twitch..well worth the victory.

Soon to come..CD from Gary and poker gift from Jordan. Loving it!!!

Good luck all...

New Love

As you may know, I have a real fondness for Heads Up games. My newest love is a variation on this game. Poker Stars has a Sit n Go Heads Up format for 4 players. It is available anytime. You play one player if you win then you play another. Beat these 2 and you win. I have been playing the $5.25 which pays $20. Yesterday, I won 3 of these and lost 2, which resulted in a $ profit.

So check this out. If you play 4, below is your profit/loss opportunity:

Win 0/4 = $ -21.00
Win 1/4 = $ -1.00
Win 2/4 = $ 19.00
Win 3/4 = $ 39.00
Win 4/4 = $ 59.00

I think this is a much better value than playing Heads Up straight matches. Playing 4 HU matches straight up for $5.25 would only give you a $19.00 profit compared to the $59.00 profit with this format. And given my track record for HU matches at winning slightly over 50% of the time. This seems like an excellent opportunity for yours truly.

So check it out and let me know how it turns out.

Now for the bad news, I took a blow from TraumaPoker (aka 100-2-Infinity) yesterday. He beat me in two Heads Up matches yesterday. Both excellent games. I am not great on details when I am the losing party..lol..unless it is a suckout or lucky sucker..which is not the case with Trauma. He play solid in both games. I also need to reward him with a poker bounty. Congrats Trauma! Good luck in the last round of the HUC2.

I have added my Heads Up stats to date on the sidebar for your reference.

Good luck all...

I am not even worth a buck?

My blog is worth $0.00.
How much is your blog worth?

Next...

My only inkling of success lately has been playing Heads Up. I played Jordan again..and guess who is in the lead at 5 to 4 with him. I have a great time playing with Jordan. I did get lucky with one hand as you can read on his post..but later..the sweetest..was when I made a stone bluff reraise and got him to fold...then showed my hand..lol..I may still be like a kid..but I really enjoy pulling that stuff off.

When I get a chance I can share the whole Veneno vs blogger HU stats. I also beat Twitch 2 out of 3 which was very necessary. That 2 / 0 loss in the HUC has been haunting me for a while. Be watching his blog for a Veneno Tribute. Previously, he was the only blogger who had me OWNED. So it felt gooooood.

But the absolute best part of playing bloggers has been the extra bounty rewards. Gary has finished the CD...I can't wait..and by the way..everyone can send thanks to me because some of you are gonna get this one too...How did that happen? I have to beat him HU for a CD..and you guys just get it for nothing..lol..Jordan has a Card Protector for me..way cool..that will be awesome. TripJax has something..a surprise..but I hear that I am sure to like it. So this has worked out quite nicely.

Tonight I had a new discovery. Sirfwalfman told me that he found a tournament meant just for the Veneno. A $20 HU Tournament on Poker Stars...I missed the events tonight..but..wow..that does sound like a perfect match.

Then Jordan mentioned he was playing a 4 person HU tournament. Interesting I thought. So I tried it out. Didn't quite work out..but I really loved it.

For $5.25 you play your first match..if you win..you play another player..if you win..you get $20. Pretty cool. The first one I played..I beat the first player..piece of cake..the second beat me after 110 hands..(I pushed with the best hand by the way..and lost).

The second match, I won.

The third, I decided to move up to $10 range. I lost...bummer...

So I tried one more in the $10 range, beat player 1, then lost my patience with the second player and busted after 135 hands...ouch!!!!

Still enjoying my matches with bloggers..So if you are looking for a good battle..just look me up!

Lastly, I had a great chat with LittleAcorn the other day and got to see pictures of him, the Mrs, and little Acorn. Too sweet! Thanks again.

All the links for bloggers mentioned are on my list..I am just too lazy tonight to do the nice hyperlink....

Good luck all...

TrumpJosh has the Antedote

One of the bloggers that I enjoy taunting is TrumpJosh. I like to give him a hard time and he handles this well. He has the habit of lecturing me on my play. And I like to ignore everything he says..well..sometimes I take his advise. But I rather enjoy ignoring him on purpose because he loves to be right.

I was enjoying the chat on IM with him and Gary, who was playing a Shootout on Party. Gary was having a good run for a while and made it into round 3 opening with pocket AA. He ended up with some profit for his efforts.

While chatting, I started laying the ground work to entice him into a HU match. I made a point of letting Josh know that neither of his 2 HU victories were included in my stats. And specifically that he was the only person whose games didn't count based on Veneno rules. Because his games were limit and a regular cash game..lol..I knew this was gonna make him want to play me HU. And of course that was exactly my intention.

So after a while, Josh asked if I wanted to play Heads Up on UB. I chuckled to myself because this all worked out according to my plan.

Unfortunetly, the plan completely backfired. I lost 3 of the 4 matches. Ouch!!!! Thank goodness no bounties were involved.

It seems that my hot streak for Heads Up is dwindling...

Good luck all...

Sirfwalgman is the Greatest

Sirfwalgman is the Greatest
in the Virtual Poker nest
Not based on bankroll or trophies
but in his drive to be the Best

His Cowboy style may drive ya wild
playin by his own rules
with a manner that is anythin but mild
and his uncanny instinctive moves

Some think of him as predictable
and this may be at times
but if he's out to get ya
plan for your demise

He loves to taunt his opponents
and can type lightning fast
oh there's never a dull moment
cause he's relentless and steadfast

His mind is sharp
and he sticks to his guns
And if ya hap to hear him sing
I suggest you start to run

He's a MTT master
and definitely one of a kind
Suckouts drive him crazy
and he's protective of his blinds

The emotion is continuous
it's an amazing and exciting ride
A love and hate relationship
and there's not much he will hide

He has the natural talent
and proven abilities
If he could just stop the tilting
there's unlimited possibilities!

Veneno Gets Spanked

I really didn't need a spanking. It was a blissful period while I was the punisher not the punishee. So yesterday, Sirfwalgman was ready to take me on in a Heads Up battle. Keep in mind that prior to yesterday he had sustained the worse stats in play against me Heads Up at 1 win and 4 losses. But last night he got me goood. On his blog he stated, "In this whole world there was one person who OWNED me, until tonight". It was sure sweet being the owner. Crap! How could I let this happen? And worse..I lost another bounty..so stay posted for a tribute to Mighty Sir Waffle. Visit his blog for details. I am still licking my wounds.

On the upside, Davee gave me a rematch...when I was able to win. Thank godness..cause I was gonna be really sad to lose every HU match for the day!

Lastly, on Sunday night I had 2 additional HU matches with "Dreamy" Scott. In the first, he managed to get lucky on our 14th hand. I had AT and he had A6 with a flop of KAA..we ended up all in..and he caught a 6 on the river to take me out. In the second match he was boasting that he would take me out in less than 14 hands, then it changed to less than 25 hands, some predictions of his do not come true. I was the winner after more than 25 hands.

Good luck all...

Praises to Aussie Davee

All Hail Aussie Davee
as the upcoming Poker Lad
He's on fire at the tables
and for that he is glad

This college student from Sydney
has a new place to hide
Now it's Hold'em Poker
that has his mind occupied

He found a few Bloggers
to help with his start
But don't underestimate him
cause this young man is smart

You may be deceived
by his mild mannered ways
Just when you think you've played him
He'll come out with a blaze

He's aggressive and calculating
Yes, he knows a thing or two
So be careful when you play him
or you may pay your dues

He took out the Veneno
in a Heads Up Match one day
And now for his honor
She will give him praise

So visit the Embuscade blog
and you may become a fan
Of this sweet, handsome, and
talented Australian man

I Found my Thrill

It is not blueberry hill..but boy am I enjoying it. Heads Up Baby!!! That is my thrill. Today I played 8 matches and won 7. The first was a $20 game against a stranger. I especially enjoy the matches with bloggers - Davee, Jordan, and Gary. All of them challenging and entertaining.

The match with Gary was a challenge as expected because he plays very few hands. The highlight however, was special bonus prize. Gary will record 4 songs on a CD for yours truly...I have been begging to hear him sing..and had just a little sample the other day..this boy can SING!

One of my most favorite bloggers to play is Jordan. He is always unpredicable and very entertaining with his commentary during the match. I find myself laughing on a regular basis during our play. Today, I finally evened the score to 4 wins and 4 losses. And again, I will receive an extra reward. Jordan will send me a poker related gift. I was very honored by his kind words in his blog post the other day. See below:

I played two heads-up matches against Veneno. I could probably play HU v. Veneno every day for 2 months and not get bored of it. I won only the first game, but it was for $10. The 2nd game was for $5, based on V's request. Her rule of thumb: if you lose one game, drop to a lower a buy-in. It's a faulty rule because it'll make it harder to climb out of the hole, but it's also pure genius, because often one loss begets another. My record against V is 4-3, which isn't too shabby, seeing as she is a blogger v. blogger Heads-Up specialist (although you wouldn't know from the HUC2).

Later today, Jordan had a sweet victory in the $10 freezeout on PokerStars. He placed 4th in the MTT tournament. It was great to witness this victory. He was very disciplined and selective in his starting hands..yes..I am talking about Jordan..Awesome job!!!

Davee and I played our first match this morning, which I won. It was 3 a.m. for him and he asked if I would like to have a HU match. He didn't have to ask me twice. He has been improving lately, so I was not surprised that he beat me on our second match. After 118 hands, I had a open ended straight and made a move. Unfortunately, he had a hand, and I was not able to bluff my way out. It was his lucky day. He also won Acorn's Private Blogger Tournament. Congrats on both scores! I will be creating a special post in his honor in the near future.

On the other hand, yesterday, the "Dreamy" Scott had the first crack in breaking my record of wins against blogger whenever an extra reward was involved. I will be rewarding him with a special poker item.

One more worthy mention is my match against poker pal Sloppier. He sent me a message tonight asking to play a HU match. I did try to warn him that I doing well in HU today. And then he remarked that he was unlucky today. The perfect combiniation for my success. It was definitely another good match. This was our first engagement and I didn't really know what to expect. This always makes it a little interesting. The cards were fortunately working in my favor for this match helping me take the victory.

Aside from my HU excitement, I was able to play in Acorn's Blogger Tournament. It seemed as though Jacks were the death hand of the day for everyone except Davee. Acorn, Gary and myself all busted on Pocket Jack's. TripJax was doing okay when he had Jacks, but when he faced Davee with Pocket Jacks, it turned into Quad Jacks! The event was great fun, but the IM chat in the background was even better. We all got to hear the voice of the Little Acorn. And despite his warning, we could understand him without a translator. Unfortunately, the USA side has not been victorious yet! We must be do better.

Last but not least, BigChief finally started a blog. This guy has great poker insight. He is a very good player. Definitely visit his site.

Veneno gets a Surprise!

It seems that whenever there is some kinda of extra incentive for my Heads Up matches, I win. Every single time. Something to think about. So yestday, I got a chance to play a match with TripJax again. Another good match. He ended up losing with two pair to my straight. But the best part is that he owes me a surprise! I love suprises. The only criteria is that it will be something poker related. So I will keep you posted. Somehow I seem to have made a good first impression with Trip. He thinks I know how to play..lol..Anyway, he said some very complimentary things on his blog about me that made me smile. So check it out sometime.

The night before, Jordan and I played another couple of matches. We went 1 and 1. The first match, I had the nut straight on the flop A - T. I pushed. He called. And he caught a flush....Ouch..Not much I could do to change that. The pot was big enough at the flop to take it down. And on the off chance he did call, I should be good...or so I thought anyway. He has the record for beating me. Of course, he has played me more than anyone. Right now it stands at 3 wins and 4 losses versus Jordan. He is always extremely fun to play..and highly unpredictable.

Sirfwalgman has made an amazing come back! Winning Pauly's Blogger event today for $294 and placing 4th on a Poker Stars MTT yesterday for $420. It only took a couple of days for him to replenish his bankroll. It was great fun to railroad and see him win. Congrats!!!

As for my play..still nothing exciting...hanging in with my low limit efforts winning small amount here and there..losing on MTTs..and enjoying my occational HU matches.

Good luck all...

Oops He Did it Again

In case you are completely oblivious, Sirf experienced a major crash again. Ouch. So sorry buddy. Personally, I try to keep all my major mistakes to myself, but Sirf is not afraid to take a bashing. Brave man. He must really love the attention. So definitely stop by his blog and express your opinion. He may as well enjoy your remarks. It is the only upside to this cycle.

On the other hand, we have the "dreamy" Scott who continues to whoop'em good. Now he even posts his game plans on his blog and exceeds even his own targets. Yesterday in addition to his winnings at the cash tables, he took 2nd in the 2k freezeout on Titan. Take a lesson..this boy can play! Congrats again Scott.

I continue to enjoy my Head's Up Matches. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of playing 100-2-Infinity. He was definitely a good player...patiently and gradually taking my chips. After 27 hands, I was in the disadvantaged position and had KK. The flop came with middle cards to a straight..we were both in for the turn..by the river..I bet, he pushed, I paused and typed "I know I am screwed..but gotta do it"..with my last 150 I called. He had the straight on the turn and a flush draw to boot. Good game and Congrats!

Even Aussie Dave is doing good. Now that his thesis is complete, he can focus on important stuff..POKER..lol..Anyway, he won an SnG yesterday..and reported profits from the night before of $600 or something. Very nice Dave! Yes, looks like you are doing something right indeed. Keep it up.

Lastly, everyone is getting their equipment which is sooooo cool. I got to hear the voices of Gary and TripJax yesterday which was a nice treat! Just waiting for Gary to booze it up enough so that I get to enjoy his singing.

Other than that..just continuing in the low limit grind..

Good luck all..

I Love Heads Up

I came home in a good mood. Singing and ready to play some poker. So when I noticed TripJax on Yahoo, I couldn't resist inviting him for a HU match. We had talked about playing on Sunday and I was looking forward to a challenge with the infamous TripJax. It was an excellent game. He was a solid player, just as I had expected. The game concluded after 97 hands. For the final play, I had to make a very tough call. I had 8 5 and landed two pair by the turn. The flop came with 9 high and a possible straight if TripJax had a 6. No flush possibility. He bet the flop and turn. So when he pushed on the river. I figured that he did not have the straight. I just thought if he had it, he would have pushed on the flop or turn and taken the pot down. It was certainly worth it by the turn and not worth risking my hitting a better hand. So I called. And I was right..whew..Great game!!!

On the sidelines, we had DonkeyPuncher, GaryC, and WillyWonka. I tried to talk GaryC into being my next challenge, but he wouldn't go for it. Apparently everyone has had the opportunity to beat him except me..lol..I feel soooo "deprived". While we were chatting someone asked about my HU stats, so I gave them a recap. The stats here on my blog include bloggers and other players. The guys pointed out to me that my results against bloggers have been more favorable..12 to 8 to be exact. Interesting...

DP - Good Luck in the next round of the HUC 2!!

I didn't get around to my gloating and victory dance because in the middle of my game, I got news that was highly disappointing. It made my $10 win seem meaningless in comparison.

Lastly, I missed one of the recent blogger victories on my post the other day of winners. Congrats to 100-2-infinity who cashed on the final table in a Omaha MTT on Party Poker! Sorry buddy. That was definitely worthy of a mention!

See..Good Players Can Win!!

Watching and hearing about the successes of my poker pals is always exciting. It shows that good players can be rewarded. Congrats to the following:

1. Sirfwalman continues to win in his MTT games on Titan. He placed 4th tonight in the 1250 for $100. He also made another successful hit and run on the 30/60 yesterday.

2. Aussie Dave finished 3rd in the 1800 guaranteed on UB for $300.

3. Kip was able to work himself to mini step 5 on Party and turn a $5 investment into $200.

4. Scott continues to impress with his ability to turn small sums of money into hundreds within days.


Just waiting for my next major success..

In the meantime, my roll is moving in the right direction. Had to take a break from the continuous and boring low limit grind. Playing lots of variety of games based on whatever I am in the mood for including my new passion for HU matches. I have been having fun with these.

I have decided to track my poker activitiy in terms of profit / loss by game and by site. This will help me to see where I am more successful. In general, I have an idea. But some of the games that I love to play are not as profitable, primarily the MTTs. But I keep thinking that I will hit it big at some point...

Good luck all...

The Poker Gods have choosen Twitch

Congratulations to Twitch who beat me quite easily in 2 HU matches. I wish I could say it was a good match..but I know I played poorly. Twitch played well in both matches. I had trouble reading him that is for sure. And I paid the price for my bad reads. Good luck to you in Round 3 Twitch!

Thanks Poker Gods..I really didn't realize you liked the stuffed animal sacrifices..but I am NOT gonna go there.

I am very disappointed..chocolate here I come...

Heads Up Baby!!!

Sometimes you are HOT and sometimes you are not! Veneno finally got HOT..not that I won any big bucks mind you..but it sure felt gooooooooooood.

I think I found my niche. No Limit Heads Up Baby. That is my new specialty. Since the next round of the HUC is coming, I decided to warm up with a few HU matches. First I played a few blogger buddies, 3 to be exact, and ended up winning 3 out of 4 matches. Since that went so well..I played a couple of strangers and won 2 out of 3 of them. One guys was a total maniac..when all in in 3 of the first 5 hands..I knew he was gonna pay me...just a matter of time. Not too shabby..overall 5 wins and 2 losses and had a great time.

Then I played a SnG on Party with Davee and came in 2nd place. Once I was in the money as the short stack, one of the players kept raising to steal my blinds. So I decided next bb I was all in on anything. I won with T4o. So he types "what"...lol...I reply, "Stop messing with my blinds"..the next hand..I have pocket rockets..min raise..he calls..AA on the flop..QUAD ROCKETS..WOO HOO...I check the flop..he bets..I call..I bet the turn..he raises..I push..unfortunately, he finally got wise and folded..but it took him a few minutes.

All in all..an excellent night of poker..roll moving up gradually..I will still be stuck playing the lower limits for a while..but at least I am heading in the right direction.

My HUC match will be tomorrow at 8 p.m. PST. Can't wait!!!

Lastly, Sirfwalgman has been providing some excellent poker content on his blog...I mean really good stuff..especially liked the following:

"Poker works in weird and mysterious ways. Sort of like women. One day it makes you so happy you can not stand it, and the next day it crushes you like an insect. You can go a week, a month, a year and win like crazy and then all of the sudden you go cold for a week or a month. It is in the nature of the margins Poker players grind out. The good players, the ones who survive and make a living at it, these guys understand that. They take the long term picture. They know that eventually the cosmos will align again and they will start winning."

We have our dry spells, myself included. And I agree that keeping the "long term picture" in mind can help you make it through those periods.

Good luck all....

Oh..add one more HU win against another blogger..to cap the evening off quite nicely..

Beware of the Poison Twitch...

All of the round one contestants for the HUC2 have finished their matches. So round 2 here I come...check out this link for the winners and round 2 players...HeadsUp2Bracket and for a full list of players and links..Heads Up Challenge 2 Blog

I will play Twitch next. He referred to me as the "mighty" Veneno lol. Here is a quote from his blog regarding the subject:

"Since I'm facing the mighty Veneno for the next match up, I'm going to need all the luck I can get. Maybe I'll sacrifice a stuffed animal or two to the poker gods for some additional good luck."

Twitch..please don't hurt the animals on my account..and just so you know..the poker gods don't really go for the stuffed animals. And yes you will definitely need some luck. My poison has been brewing just for you. You seem like a really cool guy and I have enjoyed meeting you and chatting with you..but for HU..it's NO MERCY..Oh and I find it interesting that you are having CMitch sweat you...Doesn't that defeat the purpose? I mean, this is your manhood and pride we are talking about do you really need another guy to help beat a girl?..lol..Either way, I am ready to do battle. Beware of the Poison!!!

He shared with me that he has been playing online for about 2 months and just last night won his very first place in an SnG. This could be bad for me..last thing I wanna do is underestimate him. Twitch you could have waited to tell me you were such a newbie..now you got me excited..lol..

When will my turn come?

I have always thought if I play enough MTTs, sooner or later I would hit it big. I can usually place in the money..but never really made the goooood money. So tonight, I got home at a decent time, had built my roll on Party to $70 and figured I would risk $20 to try to hit it big. Unfortunately, I busted out in 108th place out of 2477 for a prize of $49.50. Sirfwalgman was kind enough to sweat me on this one. He is great at the MTT games and definitely made a difference. In the end, I had less than 10x the blinds so was just gonna pick a hand...my luck was that the guy with AK limped in before me and dominated my A 7 off hand. Here is the final hand:

NL Texas Hold'em Trny:16906727 Level:13 Blinds (750/1500) - Thursday, October 27, Table $40,000 Guaranteed(497247) Table #11 (Real Money)
Seat 2: yosoyveneno ( $9788 )
Seat 10: niki13 ( $17520 )
Blinds (750/1500)
Dealt to yosoyveneno [ As 7c ]
niki13 calls [1500].
yosoyveneno is all-In [9788]
niki13 calls [8288].
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ts, 5d, 6s ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 9h ]
** Dealing River ** [ Jd ]
niki13 shows [ Kc, Ac ] high card ace.
yosoyveneno shows [ As, 7c ] high card ace.
niki13 wins 21826 chips from the main pot with high card ace with king kicker.
Player yosoyveneno finished in 108 place and received $49.54

Scott McMilla continues to impress and make mountains out of small starting rolls like turning $30 into over $500 in a couple of days. Last night he played in 2 low limit MTTs on Titan and placed 3rd on both. Of course, top 3 was a great disappointment for Scott. Only #1 is satisfying for him. I would be jazzed..2 third places..that is money right?