Dreaming of WPBT

It's always interesting when I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of something poker related. Tonight I was dreaming of the upcoming WPBT in Vegas.

Perhaps it was because the Roshambo Lord finally told me tonight that he had booked his reservation.

Or maybe it was because I can't wait to drink SoCo with this hippie, who made me smile tonight with plans for the upcoming event.

Or could it be because the infamous karaoke blogger has promised to bring me a long overdue CD.

Then again, maybe I just can't wait to get my hands on the best blogger ass around.

Of course, it could be that I'm just looking forward to rubbing the tiltmeister's head.

Perhaps it is the fact that I will finally get to deliver cookies to this friend and his lovely wife.

Or maybe I just can't wait to have fun with best blogger girlfriend.

It certainly could be thinking of the opportunity to win some money off of the Cranberry man.

How could I miss a chance to be in the presence of Mr. Dreamy?

Perhaps I'm just craving another Dave sandwich.

Maybe this trip I will get to join the Vegas tour guide.

Will I get to win another wager with this awesome bowler?

Will the this lovely lady bring her kitty?

I am looking forward to getting a big hug from this finger flipper and his better half?

Perhaps I'm overdue for a visit with the doctor.

All I know is that this wiz better not hit another royal flush to knock me out 2nd to last in the tournament.

I owe a big thanks to this wonderful person for making my dreams come true.

But whatever the reason...I'm dreaming good dreams...and excited about being here:

What: WPBT Holiday Classic III
When: Saturday Dec. 9th at 1:30pm
Where: Caesars Palace
Format: NL with one rebuy
Buy-in: $80 + $50 rebuy

Hmmmmm....back to dreaming now....good night!

Luckbox helps a Friend

After a night from hell...(2 hours spent with EM)...I needed something to lift my spirits....A HU game with the luckbox was just the ticket!

It was a fabulous game. One of the better matches that I have played. I was in the lead first. Then the luckbox was able to pull a suckout on me and counter my 2 pair when a pair came on the board. Now CJ got the lead. I was able to recover and then get the lead again when he missed his draw. Proof that luckbox isn't always lucky. Finally, I was able to trap him when I hit the nut straight.

Thanks CJ for helping a friend who needed a little HU to lift my spirits.

Trash Talk Gone to Waste

This morning I was awaked to the sweet sound from my cell phone indicating an IM message was received. Who would be messaging me at 6:00 a.m.? It was Mr. AlCantHang.

So I open his message hoping to find a nice warm morning greeting, but instead get a reminder of my not so fabulous effort in the HUC4. Al's message said, "You choked against NewinNov?". My response, "Yes".

I could sense the disappointment in his next comment, "Tsk tsk and all that trash talking gone to waste"...so true my friend.

I'm sure many of you would like to know how this could have happened....(okay maybe only a few care). The first thing I remember New saying to me was that he hadn't played HU other than final stages of tourneys. Hmmmm...that sounded good...lol

As New wrote in his post, things were off to a good start. I was playing my usual aggressive style that can often catch a first time opponent off guard. When facing a new player, I will typically raise pre-flop by 2-3x the blind to see if they will drop their cards enough to give me a reason to keep doing it. New was definitely giving me a reason.

At some point players finally realize that I can't possible have that many good cards. By the time this happens, I usually already have a huge chip advantage. Such was the case with the first match.

In the second match, New was adjusting his play a bit and I changed up to more of a post-flop game. I still kept my aggressive style going but could backdown when necessary. I did chuckle a few times when he raised 1/3 of his stack a couple of times pre-flop. I'm not a big fan risking too many chips pre-flop unless I have a premium pair to fight back with. The turning point in this match was my hitting top pair with a OESD, I moved all in on the flop only to find that New had flopped the nut straight.

The second and third matches are a bit of a blur. I know the last match went over 50 hands. I was losing my focus and patience. Finally, I choked big time when I failed to fold my KK with an A on the board. New was kind to say, "What could you do?" I had KK afterall right....FOLD FOLD FOLD...that is what I could do. Really simple. I bet the flop to test his strength...and then failed to listen to the reply (a re-raise).

So yes, I choked.

Despite my loss, it was nice to meet another blogger. As I commented on New's post, if nothing else, I hope his HU game is improved as a result of facing the Poison.

Aside from this event, I had a pretty sweet weekend. Saturday night I had my first Party at the new place. The evening included food, drinks, and a single table NL tournament.

My guests included:

Old time friends - Debbie, Valerie, Kenny, Craig, and Tina

New friends - HighPlains and his girl Michelle

Brother - Richard

Dad

My friend Deb won the event, my Dad took 2nd, and my brother came in third. My family loves to play poker, so I wasn't too surprised with the result. That is where my passion for the game started. I grew up playing cards. The one thing you can count on at my Dad's house during the holidays is a family game of poker.

Since I am not much of a cook, I made pre-cooked Teriaki Chicken that you buy from Costco and simply warm up in the oven. White rice which I made in my new rice cooker. I had read the instructions for about 15 minutes (don't laugh!) and finally got help from my brother who is a fantastic cook. Eggrolls. Meatballs. And sauteed zuccini. Everyone enjoyed the meal.

For drinks, there was a choice of Magaritas, Eggnog (I know it's early..but it tasted yummy), Wine, and beer.

HighPlains was kind enough to run the event. He is great at setting up the structure and managing the blind changes and such. Plus this allowed me to keep up with my hostess duties.

I was able to break in my new poker table and copag cards that I bought just for this event.

It was a great evening. Somehow, I even managed to stay sober..despite my slow sipping of the Eggnog and Margaritas. Hmmm...has my alcohol tolerance improved? Perhaps I am getting better prepared for the next blogger event that I will be attending in December.

Last night, I went to HighPlains tourney as I love to do. This time the Eggnog worked much better...We played HORSE and I went out early. Then I played one of the guys that I enjoy teasing a game of HU for $40 and lost.

Finally, still not quite ready to drive...I used High's computer to play a $20 single table SNG on Full Tilt. I came in first which paid $90.

It is Monday morning...uggghhhh...and I am up and all I want to do is get back in bed..and sleep for a few hours...I really don't like mornings..and especially don't like Mondays!

Hasta luego all...

Querida - "Wanted"

I have finally succeeded in causing some trouble. After hanging out with Waffles for a couple of years now...Is it any wonder?...lol

This is the annonymous comment I received on my "Fuel for the Fire" posting:

"Querida, I am Fuel's wife and I am very interested in knowing more about the invitation he has made to you to party together in Vegas... Can you elaborate?"

Okay..here is my elaboration -

First I can understand your concern when one definition of "Party" via Websters.com is: "To enjoy oneself thoroughly and without restraint; indulge in pleasure".

My intention was to chat and drink with fellow bloggers and see the inside of a Penthouse suite for the first time. While I am a big flirt and tease, I have no interest in "indulging" with your hubby. Besides I don't even know what he looks like. I don't know him that well at all. We played 2 HU matches. That's it!

Besides, I'm into dorks, retards, pyschotics, introverts, and hippies. So if he doesn't fit into one of those categories, he won't even be appealing to me.

For futher clarification, your husband mentioned that he and Iakaris were going to have a Penthouse in Vegas. I then asked if I could "Party" with them in the Penthouse. He said yes. So technically, I invited myself.

Most of what you read on blogs is an exaggeration. Try not to take it too serious. None of us blogger do.

My apologies for any misunderstandings that this may have created. It was all done with the intention of good respectable fun.

Hasta luego...

Read It on Card Player

I found this on Smokee's blog. This is really cool!

Thanks everyone for the congrats and feedback. For me this was big and it was really sweet to get the comments.

There are a couple of people that I would like to especially thank. A victory like this is only really enjoyable when you can celebrate it with someone else. HighPlains, Slb159, and Shawn were really super about getting updates during the breaks and supporting my progress during the tournament. Thanks so much guys!

The brackets have been set for HeadsUpchallenge #4 (HUC4). Looks like NewinNov will be the my lucky "first victim". Looking forward to it. We are in the process of coordinating a date and time for our first match. So stay tuned for an event you will not want to miss.

Speaking of staying tuned....What is Iggy up to? Anyone have any ideas on what kinda announcement we are waiting for?....I am not a patient gal...

Hasta luego all..

Veneno Does Commerce $330 Live Tourney

What a total and complete RUSH! Last night I played the No Limit Hold'em Turbo 6 Players event at the Commerce Casino in California. Before I get to the ending...let's rewind a bit.

All week long I've been wanting to get together with friends. I was gonna have a party saturday night, but it seemed that everyone I called was busy. So the party was postponed for next weekend. It was saturday, and I still had no social plans. A weekend without the kids, no commitments, no plans, I was free.

I knew about the Holiday Bonus Tournament running at the Commerce and had even called Speaker to see if he was planning to attend. My original plan was to play the NL Hold'em event with 15k added on Friday night (buy-in of $330 no rebuys) and also play the Ladies NL Hold'em event on Saturday (buy-in of $225 no rebuys). Speaker, Smokee, and Ryan ended up playing in the Friday night event.

So instead of playing the Friday event at Commerce, I agreed to take pre-paid $50 tickets from x for a charity poker event. Shawn, one of the guys from HighPlains regular games agreed to join me. We both busted out before the money. I finished at 38th of 200 in this event. After which, Shawn and I decided to head to Commerce and checkout how the guys were doing.

We got there about 11:00 pm which gave us just enough time to play one satelite game. Speaker joined me. But we had no luck. I busted out 4th when I pushed with AK against a player with live cards who hit. You start these single table games with $500 in chips. Speaker finished 3rd when all 3 remaining players pushed in.

I stayed around long enough to shake hands with Smokee when he busted 50th...but left with Ryan still in the event. Later, I found out that Ryan was out shortly after I left. It is pretty hard to get deep in these tournaments, so both of these guys played well to get that far.

Okay...now to the good stuff...lol.

Veneno plays $330 NL Hold'em tournament

This is only the 2nd time that I have bought into a tournament at this price range. The first time, a couple of years ago, I got AA on the first hand. Pushed. Busted. That really sucked! So I may have been a little put off to investing that much money again into one of these events.

Lately, I have been thinking it was time to try again. So this was my opportunity.

The event began with 266 entrants. The first person I noticed at my table was the georgeous blonde with chic shades, fitted black jacket, and a sweet smile. His name was Shawn. We started chatting it up right away. He mentioned that he had hit it big this summer at the WSOP when he place in the money for 10k in the $1500 NL event.

I was playing a tight aggressive game. My best call of the night came early in the tournament. One of the players, over bet the pot on the river with an A on the board. I had been smooth calling his bets. Then I had to decide whether to put my life on the line and call with A J off. I had a read on this guy and went with my gut. I called for time. Thought it over. And finally called. Fortunately, this guy was holding A 5 and my hand held up. That was the turning point for me. Now I was one of the bigger stacks at the table.

I took out a few of the short stack players. Built my chips up to about 10k by the first break. Most players were respecting my post-flop raises and I was able to take a few pots down uncontested. A couple of new players who messed with me, soon paid the price.

One new player, who appeared to be playing loose, I decided to call down with only a pair of 3s..cause the price was small, and I put him on Ax hand. I was right and after that hand he had it in for me. Later, I played this guy again. I was calling down his less than pot size bets and hit my nut flush. As predicted, he over bet the river and I immediately called out All-in. When he didn't react after a few seconds, I repeated, "All-in". He nastily remarked, "I heard you the first time". He wasn't happy. The board was paired with xx and a K. The flush came runner runner. He grudgingly folded. A few hands later I took him out.

The player that took his seat, noticed me take down a few uncontested pre-flop hands that I raised and post-flop hands in which I lead out the betting. He said, "I sure wish I could see some of your hands". A few hands later he was able to see one of my hands when I got caught bluffing. It wasn't a significant loss. And I said, "Now you have seen one." This set the stage for later when I took him out with a better hand.

The cute blonde was still at my table just before the 2nd break. He was looking at my chip saying he needed to get some from me. I told him, "You better not mess with me!" He smiled and agreed that it would be best to leave me alone.

By the 2nd break, I had about 14k in chips. I just needed to play smart. We came back from the break and moved tables. It was now down to 4 tables. Only 6 to the money. Getting to the money was no easy task. The blinds were getting costly starting at 400 - 800 and moving up to 1200 with antes before the last 19th player went out. My plan was simple. Push or fold. Don't do anything stupid!

When I changed tables, one of the bigger stacks was on my right. He was a sharply dressed Hawain gentleman in his mid 50's I would guess. I immediately told him, "You are the sharpest looking guy in this place." He smiled and thanked me for the compliment. I was friendly with a few of the guys at the table. I do believe that this was the last little edge that helped me get to the money.

I went all-in 4 times when it was down to less than 4 to the money. Once with ATs, 66s, TT (in the sb), and A 7 sooted (in the sb). Not once was I called. The last time when I had the A 7 sooted, I was followed by a big stack in the bb. He laid down his hand and said he should call me.

Once we made the money I was super short with only about 3x the big blind. I just kept folding while ppl were dropping out. Finally, with less than 2x the bb, I was in the big blind with 98 off and moved all-in when a big stack raised on the button. I had live cards but didn't hit. I finished the tournament in 13th place with a prize of $1084 for a $600 profit.

That was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuel for the Fire

It is always a good night when I receive an invitation like the one that Fuel55 sent me tonight via email, "wanna play some headsup?"....ummm...doh..."Absolutely" was my response! Did it matter that I was already playing in a 20 table SNG for $11 on Stars?...Of course not!

So Fuel finally got to play a little one on one with the Poison. We opened up Full Tilt which is a good place to play HU. The trick to getting on a table is that you must both watch until the current table fills then plan to jump on the next table immediately. If you do it as I just described, you will almost always get on with the intended opponent.

Our first match went 24 hands. In the busting hand, I caught a set on the flop with my pocket 3s. Unfortunately, Fuel hit his straight on the flop. I knew it was there. But there was too much invested and I would be left with very few chips. So I pushed on the turn and that was it.

For our next round, it was a nicely paced battle with Fuel on top until the end. Finally I meantioned that I preferred to be on top...and that was the turning point. I took him out on our 53rd hand.

In addition to enjoying our first match, I got invited to party with Fuel in Vegas. Apparently, he gets to enjoy Vegas styling in a Penthouse...hmmm...sounds sweet!

On another fine note, I made it to the final table in my SNG. Finishing 9th out of 180. Only made about $20 bucks, but had a good time.

Signed up for Full Tilt using Promotion code: VENENO99

A special thanks to FATBOYACAB for signing up under my account.

Hasta luego all...

The Frisky Gal gets Paid!

I got home tonight about 7:30 pm....got my salad for dinner (yeah..trying to lose some unwanted poundage)..fired up the computer and said hi to a few friends in the chat including Jordan, Slb159, Waffles, JJOK, CJ and HighPlains. I wanted to play poker. But I told my pals there would be no playing for me until the mile high pile of laundry was done. So after a few minutes of chat, I did my duty and washed 9 loads of laundry...uuuughhh! You must understand that I have a total distain for doing laundry...so this is torture! Especially now that I must drag all the clothes into the next building on the second floor.

Once the monster task was completed, I checked to see if Waffles was available for the HU match he promised. Unfortunately, he was actually doing well in a Midnight Madness tournment and just hitting the bubble stage in the MTT. So I would have to wait for our game...

Slb159 was busy too. He was doing well in a freeroll and ended up placing 8th out of 150.

So what was a frisky girl to do?...I was in the mood for some action. It was 11:30 p.m. so I couldn't stay up too late..hmmmm....How about 2/4 NL 6 max ring game?...Oh yeah..that sounds sweet...

So I took my entire roll of $99 and sat down at a table where the other players had stacks ranging from $400 to $700. I was deterimed to play tight and double or triple my stack and then leave. After about 15 minutes and playing only 3 hands, I got my wish...cashed out with $294...thanked the players at the table....and did a little yippie yelp! That was fun!!!!!!

Here is how it happened:

PokerStars Game #6926426087: Hold'em No Limit ($2/$4) - 2006/11/07 - 02:46:41 (ET)
Table 'Unukalhai II' 6-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: Lukieplaya ($396.30 in chips)
Seat 2: Scrotelo ($398 in chips)
Seat 3: aejones ($635.50 in chips)
Seat 4: blinnd ($400 in chips)
Seat 5: skytteskog ($1084.45 in chips)
Seat 6: yosoyveneno ($74.95 in chips)
skytteskog: posts small blind $2
yosoyveneno: posts big blind $4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to yosoyveneno [Ac Kh]
Lukieplaya: raises $12 to $16
Scrotelo: folds
aejones: calls $16
blinnd: folds
skytteskog: folds
yosoyveneno: calls $12
*** FLOP *** [Qh 6h 4h]
yosoyveneno: bets $58.95 and is all-in
Lukieplaya: folds
aejones: calls $58.95
*** TURN *** [Qh 6h 4h] [Ad]
*** RIVER *** [Qh 6h 4h Ad] [4s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
yosoyveneno: shows [Ac Kh] (two pair, Aces and Fours)
aejones: mucks hand
yosoyveneno collected $164.90 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $167.90 | Rake $3
Board [Qh 6h 4h Ad 4s]
Seat 1: Lukieplaya folded on the Flop
Seat 2: Scrotelo folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: aejones mucked [5c 5h]
Seat 4: blinnd (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: skytteskog (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 6: yosoyveneno (big blind) showed [Ac Kh] and won ($164.90) with two pair, Aces and Fours

PokerStars Game #6926431057: Hold'em No Limit ($2/$4) - 2006/11/07 - 02:47:35 (ET)
Table 'Unukalhai II' 6-max Seat #5 is the button
Seat 1: Lukieplaya ($380.30 in chips)
Seat 2: Scrotelo ($398 in chips)
Seat 3: aejones ($560.55 in chips)
Seat 4: blinnd ($400 in chips)
Seat 5: skytteskog ($1082.45 in chips)
Seat 6: yosoyveneno ($164.90 in chips)
aejones said, "god damn"
yosoyveneno: posts small blind $2
Lukieplaya: posts big blind $4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to yosoyveneno [Ad Qd]
Scrotelo: folds
aejones: folds
blinnd: folds
skytteskog: raises $12 to $16
yosoyveneno: calls $14
Lukieplaya: calls $12
*** FLOP *** [Js Ts 7h]
yosoyveneno: bets $25
Lukieplaya: folds
skytteskog: calls $25
*** TURN *** [Js Ts 7h] [Ks]
yosoyveneno: bets $25
skytteskog: calls $25
*** RIVER *** [Js Ts 7h Ks] [2h]
yosoyveneno: bets $50
skytteskog said, "believe i should fold AK"
skytteskog: calls $50
*** SHOW DOWN ***
yosoyveneno: shows [Ad Qd] (a straight, Ten to Ace)
skytteskog: mucks hand
yosoyveneno collected $245 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $248 | Rake $3
Board [Js Ts 7h Ks 2h]
Seat 1: Lukieplaya (big blind) folded on the Flop
Seat 2: Scrotelo folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: aejones folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: blinnd folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: skytteskog (button) mucked [Ah Kd]
Seat 6: yosoyveneno (small blind) showed [Ad Qd] and won ($245) with a straight, Ten to Ace




Hope some of you are having fun too...

I'm Craving a little HU

If you haven't heard already, Jordan just annouced that it is time for HUC4. Just thinking about it gives me a tingling feeling..yeah..I love to play HU what can I say?

So if you haven't tried this, maybe it's time to see if you can handle a little one on one action. I'm an action junkie, so HU is sure to always be my favorite. Plus there is nothing better then sucking out on one of you bloggers. And if I can't do that, I can always smack talk it up with the mighty High on Poker. Or try to tilt the infamous Waffles.

We must add more bounties. I love bounties...which reminds me...I think I still have to do something in the kitchen for Weakplayer...lol

If you need a little practice...or just need to remember what it is like to have fun playing poker (Doubleas or Slb)...then hit me up for a match.

I'm even willing to take a spanking or two from the likes of Trauma or Mr.Dreamy.

Perhaps....the long lost Fluxer would be willing to give it another try...I sure liked whipping that boy...yum yum....that was fun!

Oh...I think I'm dizzy...weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...a HU life for me!