So, am I a gambling addict or what?

I was just looking at the post from 29th September where I say that, "I don't think online play is for me." ... :D Whoops!

Omaha Hi-Lo on Sportsbook = crazy.

So, Omaha Hi-Lo = crazy. Three way split for the nut low with some dude also having the nut hi straight of 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 insane... :( Lost a bunch on this hand. However, made it back on the next hand with unbelievable luck (and interest) by catching both the hi and the low. :D

Mohegan Sun Poker Room Review.

I'll be honest here. I really prefer the Foxwoods Poker Room to the Mohegan Sun Poker Room, a lot. Mohegan Sun tends to be fancier and have nicer decoration. They're really going for a more upscale atmosphere. But, I'm not sure that that is the way to go for a poker room. Here's why:

1. Their poker room is too small.

There are simply too few tables to get a good crowd going and it functions as a sort of small "something else to do" stand.

2. It's not removed enough from the rest of the casino.

As I commented to Rich last night, there's too much chatter in the Mohegan Sun Poker Room because it's basically next to the rest of the casino. There isn't much of a division between the poker room and the slot machines right next to it. This leads to it being unnecessarily noisy and smoky. It doesn't really help to have a "no-smoking" poker room if people can smoke literally at the gate to the poker room (which is wide open). All of the smoke from the slot area drifts in there and it sucks. Also, you really want to hear the sound of chips clicking together and people thinking. This is actually a big difference. At Foxwoods, the poker room is generally quieter and all you hear is chip shuffling and people screaming when they win.

3. The dealers have no idea what they're doing.

This is kind of a petty criticism since it's a new poker room, but it gets really annoying when the dealer can't call who has won a hand or misdeals a lot or doesn't ensure that people post blinds or makes sure that betting happens in turn.

In any case, I think my biggest complaint is #2, followed by #1, and then #3.

Foxwoods Adventure.

Went to Foxwoods last night with Rich and played in two $60 SnGs. Placed 4th in the first one and ended up splitting the prize pool with this Vietnamese guy in the second tournament. I feel like I'm good enough to play in those tournaments. Although, I really should do some reading and do have a lot to learn. More and more it just seems like you really need to catch an early break in order to win or place in tournaments. For instance, I did catch an early break in the first tournament when I caught a nice double up or so by going all-in on a flush draw and hitting on the turn after two people had called with top pair. But, I got caught twice making not so hot moves. I tried to bluff a pot with an overbet after SB checked with me on BB. SB check-raised me all-in after he caught top two pair. Luckily, I folded, but it would've been nice to have those 1000 chips back. I also ran into pocket Js with K - 10 and got my legs cut out. The blinds were so high at that point that I pretty much went out. In the second tournament, I raised to 1000 with Ac-Qc in a pot of about 500 and the big stack called with 6 - 6. Flop came down 5 - 3 - 2 and I only had 775 chips left and the dude put me all in. I called and caught an ace on the river. I also got bailed out in a horse race K - 5 vs J - 10 when I caught two pair by the river. There was also this crazy Vietnamese guy who just basically knocked everybody out. I had a reasonable stack (6500 or so out of 20k total chips). As such, I just sat back and watched as the guy took most people out. I had an awesome time and got to see the MGM Grand, which was really nice. To be honest, the people in the MGM Grand Casino vs Foxwoods were just unbelievably good-looking. Everyone (even the waitresses) was young, well-dressed, and physically fit. It was truly absurd.

Dual suck-outs.

Now, this really sucked, but, it basically means that I'm playing at the right table because people are willing to throw money into the fire for no reason whatsoever. :D

The River sucks.

Status of my poker play.

It's been a long time since I last posted. I've discovered some things about myself over the past year and about how / why I play poker. As a result, I've made a few decisions. I don't think playing poker online is for me. Even if I play tournaments, I'm too quick to make decisions and it's too easy to turn poker into some kind of a job (instead of a leisure activity). Decisions are often made too quickly and without thinking and I've got no read on people. From now on, I'd like to just play live since I enjoy it a lot more. I'm also feeling like I'm just getting too frustrated with playing limit poker (except with friends). It just feels way too much like grinding to me and I tend to get impatient with it. I enjoy playing no limit hold 'em more, but don't really have the bankroll right now to play it properly. I think I'm going to try playing in some live poker tournaments at the casinos. I did pretty well in Atlantic City a few months ago (June? July?) when I placed 7th out of 65ish players and just made it past bubble boy (I stupidly called an all-in with pocket 6s and got caught by aces). But, I doubled up and had a good time so, who cares right? :)