Sweet, best of luck to you as well DJA!!! Yeah, the APT should be sweet, although I took a deeper luck at the structure yesterday, and the ME is a rake pitfall :

http://www.theasianpokertour.com/apt...ries-cebu-2015

They are 3 day 1, you can reenter on each of them (it does say how many times, so might be unlimited...), rake is 8.7% each time (46 000p buy-in, 4000p in rake), you can make it to Day 2 on several of your tries, but the shorter Day2 stacks automatically get cancelled . Pretty annoying how lots of major tournaments are switching to this format (see WPT and WSOPC).

Anyhow, the cash games should be juicy (I will be looking to play 100-200) and they are a couple of other tournaments I will be looking into playing (there is a HU, a 10k rebuy and a 6 handed that could be appealing, depending on the structures...). Another option would be to win a few satellites to the ME... But I will skip the main event itself.

Norton said there's a "real possibility" for Rounders 2 this week on Letterman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GRQvujEQXY#t=158

Yeah, saw that. Thx for the link Really wonder how they will introduce Worm again...

The Calm before the Storm

We are on level C alert over here, in Bohol, like in many areas of the Philippines that are expecting to be hit by winds of up to 270 km/h :

http://weather.com.ph/announcements/...ate-number-004




So outside of buying some can foods, loading up in non-perishable supplies, nothing more to do than sit here, dig within oneself and reminiscent...




Here are a couple of memorable live hands played that I wanted to share :


Hand 1

This hand happened maybe 6 years ago, at the Edgewater Casino in Downtown Vancouver. It is a 1-2 game, villain seems like competent TAG on the nitty side, while hero is a semi-competent LAG (spewy at times).

Villain opens for 8$ UTG, hero looks down at KK in MP and 3bets to 25$. Villain makes the call. I put him on 1010-QQ and AK.

Flop (45$)
973

Great flop for us, as not only did we dodge the dreaded A, but we can easily get 2 streets from an overpair here... But I decide to check behind The past me was probably going for 2 streets of value on turn and river, and wanted to therefore to through deception his way (and I did not fear many cards on the turn). But I think that betting here is more deceptive then checking ... Anyhow, we decided to check.

Turn (45$)
973 5

Villain bets a smallish 15$ and I take little time to pop it up to 45$. He calls fairly quickly.

River (90$)
973 5 A

Villain checks pretty quickly and deliberately stares me down as I tank for 1-2 min... I don't think villain has an Ace here and I can easily use it as a perceived bluff range... Yet, something about villain's intense gaze freezes me... I mean, he could inexplicably have an Ace here... So finally, instead of going for the river thin value, I nonchalantly flip over my cards in the air, as the KK lands face up. Villain smirks, condescendingly grins at me and says "nice fold." ; he pushes his 2 cards towards me and with the same arrogance and says "pick one.". I am dumbfounded. I still don't know what he means by nice fold, but I decide to indulge him, get the free info as I flip over the 10... He takes his cards back and throws them in the muck.

1010 definitely makes sense I tell myself as the pot is pushed my way... but villain suddenly erupts "hey, I had an A!!!". Dealer explains the ruling to our loser, but to no avail : the floor is called.

The A definitely explains his cocky attitude... Haha, sucka Lucky flip for me, as I choose the right card Now no way in hell this little cocky sucka is going to see a penny of this pot Sometimes, you gotta luv the poker gods and the karma they instill

Hand 2

Summer of 2011, Dawson City. 85$ buy-in tournament, 25$R. The rebuy period is over, I am sitting on about 25bbs. I open some sort of suited-connecter from LP (apologies, the details are pretty blurry...) and get called in the BB by a nitty-passif old man. Villain was a very likeable fellow (he has since moved on... RIP Bob), who enjoyed more the camaraderie of the game then the competition. This said, he would play his hands face-up and I don't recall him ever bluffing, until this hand happened.

I cbet the flop (again, all apologies, but this hand is not about strategy or ranges, but live poker tells), check the turn with about 0% equity when the river brings an Ace and our friend fires almost pot... I am about to fold, think about the hand and realize he rarely has an Ace here (having called the flop) and would not merge his range and value bet with worst... Have you guys seen the video by Phil Galfond about when a scare card is not a scare card :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SNMXVGBx3I

Short video (only 8:40 and worth every second) that clearly illustrates scare cards that some weak players will attack (when in fact all it does is define accurately their range). And our villain fell into this category - even if he was usually bluff-reluctant.

So I try to instigate a discussion with our friend, trying to get some anything out of him... He doesn't look comfortable. So I continue for a bit, observing him, to the dismay of some of the table, which has become increasingly impatient (they are used to fast-play and no ****ing around). Fair enough, I am going out of my way to get some tells... Then I say "Bob, I have an Ace here. I don't know if I will just call or shove all in...". Of course, my hand holds no showdown equity, so I hadve to be sure before I put my tournament life on the line...

Poor Bob is shaking. He is making my life easy : I shove, he snap-folds what I think is a missed flush draw. Oh la la, still not proud of myself for angle-shooting our poor friend, but it remains a memorable hand




Hand(s) of the Weak :

Both of these next hands were played at 100 NLHE and are marginal spots. Call them tilt-fueled or trying to push a thin edge : nevertheless, they definitely make up for interesting lines!!!


Hand 1

Villain1 is in the SB and is the spot in this 4 handed game (VP43/PR20/3b5). Villain 2 (35/29/13) is a decent LAG, mainly in profiting vs rec players and I figure him to be a breakeven/small winner, yet his leaks are visible like broad daylight, especially when sitting to his left. Of all the regs, he is most likely the one I profited the most against, 3-4betting (F3b65/F4b64) him until the end of times with a wide range

Hero button (94$)
Villain 1 SB (384$)
Villain 2 BB (149$)

I am dealt 22 on the button and open to 3$. In hindsight, not a great hand to open with - but acceptable, I guess -, as SB is a station and BB an agro... Perhaps broadway hands or even Ace rags would be more suitable... SB makes the call, BB 3bets to 12$ and considering that he 3bets 13% of his hands and folds to 4bet 64% of the time (14 folds out of 22 opportunities), I decide to make it 27$.

Of course, I do not have any blockers, but any 2 would be justifiable here (as long as I still emunate my TAGish image)... He tank-shoves. Yikes I mean, I am getting 1.85 to 1 on my call, needing 35%... I mean, even if villain is loose, he is by no means a spewtard... I put his shoving range on 1010+ and AQo+ giving me 35.5% (I actually ran out through pokerstove in game). I make the call.



Thoughts? Spewy? Pushing a +EV situation too far?


Hand 2

3 handed game. Villain 1 is the spot the game is built around (50/13/6), Villain 2 is a solid TAG (22/15/5).

Hero, SB (92$)
Villain1, BB (80$)
Villain2, but (126$)

Button raises to 2$, I 3bet to 6$ with KK. Both of them make the call.

Flop (18$)
7710

Not a great flop (the 7 kinda of worries me), but no way in hell I am not betting here with the fish in the hand. I fire 12$ while both of them look me up FML

Turn (54$)
7710 8

It is pretty close here. Only 69 and J9 got there. I decide to barrel again (bet-fold), 26$ this time. BB folds while button makes the call.

River (106$)
7710 8 9

Hummm... tricky spot here. I have 47$. There is a possibility that villain has 107, 78 or J10 if that is the case, nice hand, nice hand, but I think there is more combos of 8x, 9x and 10x... the question here is, do we prefer a check-call or a shove? If we check, he might change his hand into a bluff, sure, but he never has air in his range, so I prefer to merge my range, shove and possibly get called by worst




Send good thoughts and good vibes all, to those Filipinos who will lose their homes/lives.

Peace all

Apologies guys on my previous post : I should of taken a bit more time in revising it before the official draft... god I wish we could edit our posts for more than 30 minutes...

Interlude

Breathe in, breathe out... Despite the general anxiety of the wait, the typhoon never set foot here, preferring a northern route (as if the people on Samar hadn't suffered enough with the previous passage of Haiyan...). We had some greyish skies, some embarrassing winds, minuscule raindrops, but nothing close to resembling to the anticipated storm.





The public warnings certainly didn't disuade the locals from enjoying their Sunday afternoon!!! This is just outside the boundaries of South Palm, Panglao, where a hundred or so Filipinos are happily gathered.





Notice the white floaters marking a boundary in between the local swimmers and...




South Palms Resort which was completely desolated, with not 1 sighting of an in-house guest in 3h



And in other news, we have adopted a wild cat here. She has been previously attacked, almost lost an ear + paw in the process, but still somehow managed to get away... Yup, she is a survivor! Unfortunately, this life experience of hers wasn't instilled without a certain trauma, as she remains averse to human touch... yet she still somehow takes the liberty of adopting our motorbike as resting grounds!!!



Haha, pretty funny little kitten Her little-hobo life experience also makes me very fond of her...


Had a Canadian buddy come visit for a few days and we decided on Cebu as meeting grounds. I will say this : yes I have put down the bottle, settled down somewhat - figuratively speaking -, yet a part of me still enjoys the thrills of excess So it came as no surprise to my gf when I snuck back to the hotel at 8 am+ a couple times, snoozed for 60-90 minutes before getting up and facing yet another day of heavy coffee drinking and card playing Cool to let loose, leave online pokerz behind for a few days and meet some interesting characters at the tables...


Live Hands of the Week

Ok, before I start these HHs, let me just say 1 thing : Live Pokerz tells All these lines taken by our friendly hero would of been played in diametrically opposite fashion online...


Hand 1

25-50-100

Villain is a fish with clear live tells, making him an open book. I open KJ to 400 from MP ; he calls from the button.

Effective stacks 15K (I have villain covered).

Flop (975)
852

I cbet flop to 450, villain calls. Important info here : villain did not look down at his cards (which he is usually in the habit of doing on a 2 tone flop).

Turn (1875)

852 7

I check. He picks up 950 and fires. I call.

River (3775)
852 7 Q

Great card for us to bluff-catch on, which we do, when he fires a weakish 1050 and mucks. We show the bluff, which brings us to the next hand, a day later and a bit more mileage shared together at the tables...


Hand 2


We open J9 from CO to 400, get SB, a tight-passif player, to call while our friend 3bets small to 800. I call as does SB. I don't love life (villain is not a 3bet-happy player) but do have position, deep stacks (about 150bbs effective with SB and 250 with villain2) and a nice, speculative hand.

Flop (2450)
1072

I am happy to see the flop get checked through, giving me a chance to realize my equity, while some possible future lines are bubbling in my brain...

Turn (2450)
1072 3

SB checks, villain fires 800, I call, SB folds.

River (3050)
1072 3 3

He tentatively fires 1000, I raise fairly quickly to 2600, he tanks for 10 seconds before mucking

Run good all

Insomnia

3am... Languages possess some very unique and personal expressions... in fact, some of them are quite peculiar, making it futile to translate them literally... Like counting sheep, for instance... Who the fucck counts sheep anyways!?! I mean, how will counting 1001 of those fucckers help me sleep!!!

4am... Why is the shape of my bed boring as hell... I mean, why a rectangle shape? Why not a funky triangle, a circle, or an asymetrical octogone, for Christ's sake, anything, really, to accommodate my twisting and turning

5am... I should of folded those QQs... an early position open, my 3bet on the button and a cold 4bet from the BB at 100 NLHE smells of AA all day long... The thing about playing 3k+ hands/day, is that a few misplayed ones come back to inconveniently haunt us at 5:12 in the morning, when our mind should be focusing upon more productive ideas, like how to squeeze out the most possible juice out of a mango, for instance...

6am... What keeps you awake at night/morning? Inner struggles? The omniscient suffering in the world? How to extract the most monies from villain? Me, it is those God damn sheeps!!! Can't grasp the reason behind their census... Stupid mammals...

7am... Downswings succk balls... Even if I keep trying to rationalize this game called poker, it is as comprehensible as repeatedly smashing my head against the wall

8am... The world is finally fading... all is comfort : the bed, the blankets, the muttering of the fan... I feel safe, segregated within the security of these 4 walls, tucked underneath a world of cozy blanket warmth...

Sssssnnnnooooozzzzzeeeeesssss...



8:31... Hummmmm, a straight night of sleeping seems out of the question, apparently... probably all those flips I lost in the past month... yeah, I definitely need to revisit my flipping skills... maybe I should talk to the sheep about it...

9:37... I mean, it is a great game and all, but it comes with such an incommensurable level of stress...

10:23... It finally strikes me : there is honor in losing. They are merits in taking a beating if one can gain wisdom in the process... we all take hits at the tables... Constant life beats are thrown at us, forcing us to thus handle the variance with equanimity, even if it means accepting the act of ageing and hence slowly fading away... indeed, little by little we get sucked into ether...

1pm... The hell with it, I am staying in bed today


Hand of the week :

Survival of the fittest, so said Darwin, the latter obviously a poker player... In order to stay in the game, we must constantly adapt, keep up with the latest tendencies, trends and shake hands with natural selection.

That is what yours truly is doing since the latest changes online and the extinction of fish on most sites...

So I simply cancelled the majority of my tournament schedule, as it had become unfeasible to maintain my standard 40% ROI. Hence, the introduction of Zoom poker, ladies and gents!!!

A few notes on Zoom :

- I initially tried about 100 hands of regular 6 handed 50 NLH, but soon find out that the vast majority of my profits would ultimately come from table selection... so even though I don't particularly like the fast pace of Zoom, it remains the natural next step on my online evolutionary path.

- The majority of the profit found in this speed-fest is based on the ability to steal, so your late positions open-raises as well as 3bets become crucial. I went a little wild 3betting at first, but have since toned down a notch or two.

- At these stakes, your exploitatively get-it-in range should be quite tight. Until further notice, I am sticking with KK-AA and maybe 6 combos of AK (for balancing purposes). I still need to tweak my ranges somewhat, but am pretty happy with my open-raise ranges from each position.

- This game is boring. Even if my focus has slowly moved away from MTTs, I still prefer the different stages that tournaments have to offer : the ICM bubble implications, the 3-4-5bet bluffing, the final tables etc.

- It is tougher than a live 2-5 game. I am surprised by the level of aggression found (yet it is still somewhat easy to profitability adapt to...).

- You have the option of going south on the Zoom tables. One would be foolish to keep a 150bbs+ stack, as most big stacks are regs, not recreational players. So if you master the science of playing a 80-120bbs stack, this game becomes highly profitable.

I watched my first Zoom video yesterday and will continue studying the game for the upcoming month, at least. According to this video, 3bbs/100 should be a decent objective before subsequently moving up in stakes. I am presently at 9.44bbs/100 hands (over 18k hands, running 120bbs under EV) and plan on moving up within 2 weeks to 100 NLH and take it from there. So my present grind consists of 2 tabling Zoom, the CCG on Party and a few MTTs from Stars and 888 (no more 8 tabling, now that Zoom is in the picture ). Anyhow, lets move on to the hand of the week.

This hand was played on my first or second day of Zoom, when I was 3betting about 12% of my hands (in the 6-8% range now) and was testing the limits of my steal-happy approact, thus resulting in a few high variance situations (for the record, I have since adjusted my % of open-raises (yet still open 50% from buttons and SB)).

Villain is a solid TAG (23/20/4) that probably has noticed my wide 3bet range from the blinds vs LP steals. In the previous hand, he had opened from the button to 1.50$, I 3betted to 5.50$ (effective stacks 50$, villain has me covered) with KJo, he 4betted to 11$, putting me in an awkward spot stack-wise... I didn't like a 5bet-fold (and would of probably convinced myself that I had enough odds to call the 6bet shove...) and a shove of 50$ seemed too spewy... so I reluctantly folded, before we got entangled again in this delicate spot.

effective stacks 50$ (I reloaded).

Villain opens to 1.25$ from hijack, I 3bet A6 to 4$ from CO. It is folded to our friend who takes advantage of the opportunity to 4bet to 11$, putting me to the test again. I decide to call, having position and all.

Flop (23.50$)
Q92

He bets 13$. I call. We don't have much equity, but if villain checks turn, we do plan on stealing most turns...

Turn (23.50$)
Q92 Q

Not a great card at first sight, but since this is a 4bet pot, we are seemingly repping a very narrow range (1010+) ; I fire 16$ with 10$ behind ; villain folds.

Sure it is a spewy spot and not one that I am looking to exploit often, but it is definitely more interesting than your standard Zoom spots repeated over and over again of hero opening and getting folds And curiously, this villain has been giving me a hard time, 4betting me quite often since, so I might have to tangle with him again (even if there is better spots to attack...).

Run good all

New Year's Horizon

"There is no tragedy, only the inevitable. Everything has its reason for being ; all you have to learn is how to distinguish what will pass and what will last."

Paulo Coelho


New Year's 2000, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. Like practically everyone on this new Millennium, my expectations are sky high... Call it a generalized feverish anticipation, but anything less then flaming skies or an effusion of divine light would be a major letdown... Maybe it is just the mushrooms talking, instilling me with otherworldly ideas...

10-9-8... the millennium countdown naturally unfolds, yet I feel confined within myself... 7-6-5... imprisoned, stuck within the boundaries of my own limitations... 4-3-2-1... and then it happens : at the horizon, the skies are suddenly illuminated... Alas!, it is not a divine message nor an act of God : it is Crazy Bob!!!

Spoiler:

He got this nickname from off-the-wall antics and an incapacity to adapt to the ski bum's cool-social standards...

The fellow spent the evening hiking up the mountain, lit up a torch at midnight, then skied down the slopes, illuminating the hillside in the process. Thx Bob, you did bring some much needed light


It has been a good year. One of the sweet things about growing up, me thinks, is being more grateful of what time we have left ; after all, it is a slippery slope from here on, with each fleeting moment slowly engulfing us. That said, like everyone on this day of reconciliation, I do want to improve certain areas of my life...

Pokerz

It has been a bit rough lately for yours truly on the virtual felt... and by lately, I mean since September. I am running about 10k under EV (but still made 10k), and have consequently been finding myself doing some tampering with cash games, thus cutting down quite significantly my MTT schedule. Not sure where and how it will all out pend out, but I will try to keep my most profitable MTTs (namely some 55$ FO on 888, a 12$R and a 33$ deepstack on Stars) while grinding the 100 CCG on Party and 50-100 Zoom on Stars (still assessing my profit on Zoom, as I am now sitting on 3bbs/100 over the course of 35k hands...). As it stands now, I am Paladium on Party and would like to reach Supernova on Stars. As far as 888 Rakeback goes, it is quite negligible).

Live Pokerz : I am 60/40 on going to the APT in Cebu (would be nice to grind some 100-200p and to play that HU tournament), will be in Dawson for 1 month during White Ram tournaments and might spend 1 month in Tampa grinding the 2-5 while taking shots at the 5-10.

One thing that I do need to focus upon, is dealing better with variance : this downswing has unfornately put me to the test. Alas!, too many times I find my mood affected by unsatisfactory results I need to feel more grateful to be playing this game for a living. To see poker as one long session.

I do enjoy the existential aspect of this game that daily challenges our emotions, but unfortunately, I find myself bitter more often than not, being overwhelmed with a certain feeling of entitlement... A very poor attitude, and one that I will make my priority to improve.


Travelling


2015 should see me make the familiar stops in Montreal, Dawson, Vancouver and Tampa for 2-3 months, but as far as September goes in Asia, I think we will most likely end up in Vietnam or China... Probably Vietnam, as the visa situation is more flexible and a small beach town like Hoi an sounds appealing... But only time will tell...


Personal Ventures

Lose weight. Nuff said. How? Rice, some more rice, tennis and will power. Simple.

Meditation. Continue on this path of self-improvement, meaning that I can - hopefully - become steadily a better person.

That's about it really.

Happy New Year's all

cliffs on the: "lived out of a backpack for 18 years"?

that sounds incredibly interesting

gl with 2015

Hey, thx, all the best to you as well (you are in Cambodia, if I am not mistaken...).

My next post will be a few hitchhiking stories, but outside of that, I spent 3+ months in the following places :

- Montreal (obviously)
- Merritt, B.C.
- Lake Louise, Alberta
- Nelson, B.C.
- Vancouver
- Jasper, Alberta
- Dawson City
- Mexico
- Australia
- Vancouver Island
- Tampa Bay
- Guatuemala
- India
- Cambodia
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- India

and went broke more often then I care to remember (I would usually travel until I was broke, find a job, rinse, repeat...).

Anyhow, thx for reading and Happy New Year's

Just wanted to say i really like the blog, had a great time reading it trough on the last few days, in london grinding the live (and juicy) cash games now before moving on and traveling around some.
All the best and keep us updated sir

Thx for reading/appreciating and gl in your travels!!! How is the rake in London?

I have been quite lazy on finishing my next post, but will do so this WE

Bought a motorbike this week



It is 125cc, like all the other scooters here, yet has bigger tires, sits taller on its wheels and has a more imposing nature!!! Got it for 500$, sweet!!!

Very interesting article about Cepheus, an unbeatable poker machine made in Alberta, Canada.

http://www.highstakesdb.com/5415-per...cientists.aspx

I guess it does bring up the question : is limit poker solved? More than likely, or at least to a satisfactory degree...

I notice you don't have Thailand on your list of countries you have lived, considering you have traveled a decent amount in SE Asia I wonder why you haven't spent much time there ?

Am moving over there myself within a month so would be curious to know why you have chosen other places over Thailand ?

Looking forward to the hitch hiking stories btw my list of countries would be Australia 2 years, New Zealand 2 years, Canada 1 1/2 years and Ireland 1 year so I reckon its about time to try living in some non western places for a change.

Nothing too specific, more coincidental and situational then anything else... The visa situation probably didn't help though... I have been to Thailand 4 times, have spent about 5 weeks in total.

+EV : It is a very interesting culture, the people are awesome, the food idem.

-EV : It is highly, highly touristy, some foreigners have tarnished our image and the "Farang" is thus not well perceived by the locals.

GL on your trip! Will you be playing online over there? Any plans on making a thread, a TR?

Rake where i play in London is 5% capped at 10 pounds (plus 1£ for the bad beat jackpot). Its definitely beatable considering the games are pretty soft

Thanks man I have heard that the locals in other SE Asian countries are more friendly compared to the Thais but I haven't visited any of them myself yet so will make a point to change that this year.

Don't think I will make a thread as I could see myself being pretty bad at updating it but I may post the occasional TR in the Thailand thread or something if I feel the urge.

Now where are these hitch hiking stories ????

As far as the SE Asia's friendliest people, I think the general consensus is Myanmar, followed closely by Cambodia. I have always been interested by Burma for its unbeaten paths and its significant presence of vipassana meditation (the form I practice). Tourism is starting to spread slightly more since Canada, the US and other countries have opened embassies on Burmese ground (which was not the case when Nobel peace prize winner Aung San Suu was still under house arrest... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aung_San_Suu_Kyi).

As far as the Khmer, they are so peaceful and have unique polite manners, making hard to imagine - at times - how such a pacific nation committed civil genocide... I am sure the Thai are great people and there are a ton a magical little town to discovers, but the overwhelming tourism always dissuaded me from doing so...

I have been nailed to bed with the flu for the past couple of days, so hitchhiking post coming up in next couple of days Spudhead

Thumbs Up

On the road in a near/distant past, somewhere along the Trans-Canada highway...

I always get a sense of liberation from hitchhiking... Not knowing if my next ride will be fun, dangerous, get me a roof to crash under, a nice spot by the side of the road to pitch my tent or even a 24h+ ride, enhances that exhilarating feeling.

Part of this lifestyle is a stance against the overwhelming consumer society, yet, in this moment, nothing matters... I simply am. The wind... The fleeting cars... The fading daylight... all these elements that help me caress life in this graceful elapsing moment...

Even now, at the ripe age of 37 years old, my backpack sits a few steps away in my cabinet, a couple of zips from being ready to hit the road again. Over the years, I have left a few boxes in Montreal (abandoned at my sister's about 10 years ago) and several in Dawson City, but usually most of my overload finds its way into other people's lives once I change addresses... I guess that I always viewed life as a simple transition, thus never feeling the urge to seek the illusion of permanence through the accumulation of material goods or a stable home. That said, I want to share some of my most notable hitchhiking experiences throughout my 20s, back when my thumb managed to get me across 50 000+ kms.


Byron Bay, Australia, 2000


It has been made illegal to hitchhike in Australia since the west coast "hitchhiking murders" occurred : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backpacker_murders

Nevertheless, that has not prevented me from hitching up the east coast, from Sydney to Cairns, and back.

It is Friday in the wee hours and I am wasssttteeedddd!!! In fact, all 4 of us are plastered... 3 guys and 1 girl wwoofing together at a nearby farm, hitting town with a good dose of enthusiasm this evening

Not finding motivation for the 1h walk back home, we decide to stick out our thumbs. To our surprise, the first truck pulls over I am not exactly sure how we manage to all squeeze into the front seat, but we hit the road with no worries and no tomorrows in sight

About 2 minutes into the ride, I notice a cop car following us and immediately notify our driver ;

-"I know", he answers with a smile.

- "He has been following me for about 2 km before I stopped over for you guys" says the driver, completely oblivious to the situation. He acts with this same nonchalance when the cops turns on their lights and pull us over.

- "Are you drunk" I ask the driver, unable to assess the situation... He smiles, impervious, rolls his eyes and says "Hells yes!!!".

We are all left dumbfounded when our new friend steps outside, candidly tells the cops that he is hammered and is immediately cuffed and put into the cop car! Easy game!

Still somewhat incredulous, I walk up to one of the cops and ask him

- "what's going to happen to him?" more out of necessity to say something then by curiosity...

- "He is coming with us" answers the officer.

- "What about us?" I ask, still confused...

- "You guys will have to walk home".

The 3 others end up taking this proposition as I stay behind and hitch another ride. Haha, what an eventful night


Train Hopping


Even though I tried to instigate the occasion in the past, I never ended up hopping a train. It remains somewhat more of a common occurrence in the US then in Canada, yet quite a few hippies and punks indulge in this practice on the north side of the border.

1998, Okanagan Valley, B.C. As a French Canadian, it is fairly common to hitch across the country in your late teens/early 20s while only knowing a word in English and ultimately ending up in the Okanagan Valley picking fruit for pennies. Call it a modern day Crusade, a rite of passage or a young man's adventure, but all roads lead to the Okanagan Valley when you are French Canadian

I find a decent spot by the side of the road to settle down my backpack when I notice another hitcher that has beat me to it... Alas! Oh well, I go ahead and greet him. This dude ends up being a Grateful Dead follower and tells me - as we end up stranded and having to trespass on a private farmland for the evening - about numerous train rides he did while following the band on a tour. In fact, he would often cross the border unnoticed and back

Unfortunately, train hopping can lead to less desired incidents... Not just getting beat up or getting arrested, but the more inexorable ones that if not fatal, remain life changing. Like it was the case with one of my punky friends.

Her name is Ashton. She grew upon the English side of the country - in Ontario, to be precise - and her skin is black, a distinction that has been reminded to her on numerous occasions over the years through racial slurs. Perhaps it was those multiple reminders that instigated an unsuppressed anger towards pre-organized institutions and society as a whole... perhaps it is a simple reflection of our modern era, where a good % of teenagers and twenty-somethings fail to find an appropriate place in our trying and empty times... Anyhow, she found a way to escape this existential crisis with the bottle and other substances and rode trains to get around, escape or simply roam.

She had hit the bottle pretty hard the night that it all happened... the night where she lost her sense of coordination, missed a step and lost a leg in the process : the train did not spare her. I guess the train had a set destination and a mind of its own, while Ashton was left in disarray, legless and barely holding on to her life (and unsure if she wanted to let go or not...).

Nowadays, when Ashton tells the story, one cannot help but smile at the way she bluntly expresses the whole ordeal Thx Ashton for sharing and remaining strong.


Defining rides


2001, Higuera Blanca, Mexico. After spending 1 day by the Puerto Vallartan beach, my gf and I have had enough of the touristy resort city, jump on a bus and make our way to the outskirts of the ciudad. It doesn't take too long before catching a ride with a Yankee-Vietnam veteran, one of those expats that has open scars and holds grudges towards the U S of A...

We do not entirely trust our new friend, yet still do not decline his proposal to crash on his land for the night (which ends up being a highly +EV decision...).

Speak of a Lost Paradise!!! His land overlooks a virgin beach with the nearest neighbors being almost 1km away. Outside of his 3 dogs, his cat and some neighboring free roaming cows, no human presence can be found for acres on end!!!

In fact, no one was legally entitled to build by the beach, but our friend curiously gave himself the right... Let me explain. About 5 years prior to our meeting, he was skydiving and randomly landed on his future property. Probably thinking that it was a sign from the Heavens or the likes, our Yankee friend sought out the owner of the land the very next day. 40k was promptly agreed upon and the cash was transferred from one hand to the other, like the good ole days. Little did he know that he was being angled , as these property claims were void of any legal rights : not only had he been hoaxed, but the supposed owner disappeared without a trace.

He ended up having to coax the mayor of Higuera Blanca with about the same amount of $$$ (shortly before we showed up) who took him under his wing
Anyhow, all this being said, our friend finds himself short on cash and is heading back shortly to California for a couple of months to make some monies , hence needing a couple of people to housesit his place. Gin We accept in a heartbeat .

Life in Higuera Blanca is pretty sweet. Our day consists of the stress free activities of swimming, walking the dogs, reading a ton of books, writing, playing some games, cooking some food and smoking a bit of ganja. The easy life, basically, uninterrupted and peaceful. Until 1 day, a jeep full of army dudes show up.

We literally just sparked off a joint when we hear an engine on the beach close by. We don't think too much of it, until we notice the dark green navy suits... holy ****, it is the army and we just lit an illicit substance FML. I hush to Pascale

- "Hey, put out that joint, NOW!!!". She executes and notices the presence our new visitors ; but curiously, she seems unfazed by the whole situation... The walk up to meet us as I do my best to maintain my cool underneath the 34c Mexican Sun...

- "Hola, que tal?" I say to greet them. Having been living like Adam and Eve for the past 2 months, my Spanish is not where it ought to be, but I know that Pascale will fill in if need be...

- "Hola", simply answers who I assume to be the highest ranked soldier... Even with his imposing authoritative stance, he still does not seem overly unfriendly...

- "Donde esta senor David?", he enquires.

- "El regressa in Estados Unidos", I simply answer. And then it all comes back to me : the trimming for the Hells, the fact that he grows Peyote and Cannabis on his land, the 2 other fellows that came for cash... ****.

The army dude looks around for a bit, seems convinced by our story - but nevertheless unsatisfied -, gives us a semblance of a smile before instructing the others to follow him back to the beach. They spend the rest of the afternoon sitting in the jeep. Waiting. Under the deadly Mexican Sun. Waiting for a payday. As for me, the paranoia stays with me throughout the afternoon and the next day, when they spend again the entirety of the afternoon waiting, while not bothering themselves with our presence this time around.

When David finally comes back from California, we hitch our way back to Canada, spending 1 month on the road with stops in Tijuana, San Fran and Vancouver, before ultimately ending up in Dawson City.

All things considered, I have dodged quite a few bullets over the years. Sure, I got robbed uncountable times, have been arrested a few times, got into some odd fights, ran out of money regularly, yet always managed to find a way to make it unharmed... Yup, I run good in life.

Peace all.

Small Update

Hello all. I have been trying to provide a weekly entry in this blog, yet do not want it to be mechanical... I do put in effort to be creative in my posts and try different angles almost weekly ; that said, one cannot be creative when he has been constipated for 1 full week...

Have been reading this great degen thread by pimpxxxdaddy : it is a delight, to say the least... Think Irvine Welsh meets William Burroughs... Poker, drugs and a ton of sex

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/54...-aler-1124887/

Quote taken from the thread in question :

"Can you imagine masturbating for 50 hours straight only to pop off twice? Now imagine instead of masturbation being pleasurable it's actually painful and stressful and you have to do it in front of a bunch of random older men. THAT'S POKER FOLKS."


Misplayed hand of the week :

Moved up to 100 Zoom a couple of weeks ago. A few reactions :

- Curiously, 100 seems to be more tagish than 50. My sample size is still obviously too small, but there seems to be less of 3betting going on, especially in blinds vs steals situations...

- I feel that more post-flop play will come into play at 100 then at 50 (where set mining lost some value because, surprisingly, people would not commit light post-flop ).

- Regs are not afraid to triple barrel bluff, thus polarizing their range. It puts me in delicate spots as I am not used to villains being balanced in this spot...

Effective stacks of 100$ (I cannot find the HH, so will approximate the following hand...).

Villain seems to be a tagish reg.

Villain opens to 3$ UTG, I 3bet to 10$ from BB with KK. He calls.

Flop (20$)
QJ5

I check, villain bets 14$. FML. The thing about an UTG open (especially in a 3bet pot), is that the range is easily defined. What does villain call a 3bet with? 1010+, AQs+, me thinks (that would be my calling range, anyhow). Problem with this bet, is I believe that he would take a free card most of the time with AQ, AK and 1010... Really, in this spot, I don't beat too much and actually ponder to fold, but think it is too nitty and that he might slow down on the turn...

Turn (48$)
QJ5 10

I check, villain bets 28$. I call. The OE definitely adds to my equity, yet my implied odds are practically nil...

River (104$)
QJ5 10 A

Gin card I shove for about 50$



Run good all

From MTTs to Cash games : The Journey

June, 2009, Dawson City. I am wasted. Obliviated. Comatose. In the ideal state of mind to make a big donation to the online poker world All the degen in me can think about, is rolled up Aces vs Kings... tilting my opponent to death... insulting villain's mom in the chat box... Even better : insulting villain's mother-mama-mommy's motherhood!!! Or hiitting on the raise button until our fingers ache!!! Bombaclat!!! Degens will degen on the degenerate's path

Of course, for the 5000 PLO regs, it is Christmas all over again : a myriad of gifts from a French Canadian's hard earned live poker income are being tossed their way I 3bet an unhealthy amount of hands and GII with the worst of it, time after time... why do we play this game again Why do repeat the same mistakes, over and over again... Sometimes we just want to hit rock bottom, tumble down the downward spiral under the weight of gravity... Oftentimes we want to test the limits of pain, just to know we are still alive, bleeding inside...


I quit playing online cash games 4 years ago when I went pro : something had to give. Not only was I ending up taking the worst of it online, but I would stumble back home and dump a good chunk of my live profits into the online world... sigh So a decision was made to only play MTTs, forcing me to sit down, grind a full session, hence making it almost impossible for me to be drunk in front of my computer.

To switch from a live cash tendencies to online MTTs was bumpy at first ; I had always been a small winner in online tournaments, yet it still took me a few months of studying before gaining a respectable 40% ROI return while multi-siting ; until the games dried up a few months ago, leaving me once again in search of a new avenue...

I find cash games to be tedious and repetitive at times (very often focused upon playing optimally 100bbs stacks), yet they remain quite profitable, me thinks. Unfortunately, I am forced to climb the online ladder, even though my bankroll does not dictate it... sigh

Zoom 50 is going amazing and I find myself comfortably in the driver's seat with a graph steadily reaching for the skies. As far as Zoom 100, I felt it was better to drop back down. FML Pretty frustrating knowing that I am rolled up to play Zoom 500, yet am still stuck in the low stakes...



Here is an example of where I falter :


Zoom 100 on Stars

effective stacks of 100$ (didn't copy the HH, so the following is approximated...)

CO opens to 3$, I defend the SB with KJ (I will flat here if villain fold to 3bet is under 50% and 4bet % significantly high) ; BB 3bets to 10$, CO makes the call as do I. Not in love with my call OOP and I think folding here is best, but anyhow...

Flop (30$)
9107

Pretty great flop for us and one that I am willing to commit stacks. I decide to go for a X/R here instead of a lead/3bet, yet, somewhat to my surprise, it gets checked through.

Turn (30$)
9107 10

I check once again, as does the BB ; CO fires a tentative 8$. Now here is where I take the lower EV route : I elect to simply call, preferring to realize my equity (still a small profit) instead of a riskier X/R. This is why my Money Won at Showdown graph is skyrocket (I have some solid opening/3-4betting/GII ranges) while my Money Won without Showdown steadily plunges into the world's depths...



Now because this is Zoom and I am multi-tabling with CCG and MTTs, I promptly click the call button, quickly realize that a X/R would of been better, yet find myself having to check a blank river and watching my opponent scoop the pot with KK (when a turn X/R and river shove would of quite naturally repped 10x or 99 while having a blocker to the nut straight).

on the + side : I am slowly breaking those passive habits engrained in me.

on the - side : I decided to drop down to 50 Zoom shortly after this hand, where I can comfortably practice being more aggressive in post-flop situations.

Anyhow, I should be back at 100 shortly, and hopefully my climb to 200 will not be overly delayed (where I want to be at the end of the year)...

edit : My Win Without Showdown has steadily stopped its downward spiral and can now be seen as a straight line, as desired So I should soon get back to 100 soon enough, me thinks...

Run good all

Times Ahead

Been trying to put aside my well mastered laziness in order to have a daily picnic by the beach.



Our favorite picnic spot (we usually alternate in between 2-3 places). It is at the tail end of the island, where the roads are not yet paved and only a couple of hotels can be found. This is a public beach where locals gather, especially on Sunday. Notice the coconut wasteland!!!



Being a good Samaritan and all, I try to always carry candy in my backpack to distribute to the kids. Considering there was 7 kids on this particular day, we made a special trip to the store, bought a ****load of different kind of candies and made them celebrate Halloween all over again .


We have been thinking about going to India for 6-12 months next year. It would be great to set foot over there again. That country holds a special place in my heart, which is somewhat paradoxical, considering that the Indians are not the most charismatic people and can outright be a tough crowd... There is nevertheless something mystical about that country... Ineffable...

I have never witnessed as much pain and suffering as found in India... Like this woman in Kolkata for example (not too far away from where Mother Theresa did her aid thing), that words fail to describe her desperation as she crawled and bawled in the middle of the crowd, while thousands walked by, unfazed, barely acknowledging her presence let alone her agony ; I as well was a bystander, only carrying with me the memory of her incommensurable distress.

However immense the suffering of the people, an implicit beauty resides in India. Behind the persistent demands of the Rickshaw drivers, the rapacious behavior of the store owners or the numerous scammers out to get you, lies a subtle serenity; within the chaos of the massif crowd, a quiet, deliberate pace ; beyond the floating corpses in the Ganga river in Varanasi, the vivid sunset, reflected on the water's surface, peacefully caressing the ripples of death...

There are 3 specific items that we are seeking : a meditation centre at proximity, access to a beach and a juicy deepstack 2-5 game. Goa seems to possess all of these (I still need to get more info on the game...). And possibly Ho Ann in Vietnam... Needless to say, but not many places in the world combine these elements (perhaps Tampa Bay, but wouldn't see myself spending 2 months + in Florida...). Anyhow, only time will tell, but we are slowly anticipating where will be at the end of this year.

Hands of the Week

Like previously mentioned, I have been trying to show more aggression in situations that warrant it, but shied away from in the past. Here are a few examples :

Hand 1

Zoom 50

Villain opens from CO to 1.50$, I 3bet AJ to 4.50$ from the BB.

Flop (9.25$)
QJ8

I check as does villain.

Turn (9.25$)
QJ8 5

I check once again, villain bets 5$. I call.

River (19.25$)
QJ8 5 10

I Check, villain bets 9.50$, I shove 41.50$, villain tanks-folds. I don't think that my bluff-catcher was any good at this point and since I am holding the A blocker to the nuts, I effectively represent AK and get what I assume to be thin value to fold.


Hand 2


A lot of hands played in Zoom are interesting dynamics in between blind vs blind. A wide range is obviously being played, thus leading to some creative lines.

I wake up with JJ in SB and raise to 1.50$, villain makes the call.

Flop (3$)
A107

I check, he bets 2$. I make the call.

Turn (7$)
A107 K

I check, he bets 4$, I raise to 13$ holding 2 blockers to the nuts, he folds.


Hand 3


Now this next one is a little spewy, but still liked the way I played it...

A reg opens from MP to 1.50$, I defend from the BB with JJ (forgot my suites and they don't come into play).

Flop (3.25$)
845R

I check-call villain's 2$ cbet.

Turn (7.25$)
845 6

Turn goes check-check.

River (7.25$)
845 6 6

I check, villain bets 4$, I raise to 13$, villain tanks-calls. I figured I could adequately represent a slow-played set and put villain on an overpair to mine, yet

Run good all

The asian's master that squat from a very early age, it's pretty impressive. I've seen people in that position seemingly just hanging out, as if it's comfortable....Good thing you have a significant other, the thought of you carrying around candy to distribute to little children might be a little creepy other wise

Didn't notice the squat, but now that you mention it, their mobility is indeed pretty impressive. My gf also is quite the flexible type and manages to stretch her body in unimaginable positions while watching a movie, for instance.

I use to never give to children as a standard. India had forged this inflexible stance in me, as beggar-masters will deliberately cross ethical boundaries to attain their means : practices such as cutting off arms or blinding their beggar children (as seen in Slumdog Millionaire) are quite common. This said, my gf has since convinced me to give them something that they will keep for themselves as an alternative (instead of money that will ultimately end up in their keeper's pockets).

Meditation has gradually changed me and thankfully made me into a more compassionate/selfless person, hence the desire to give a little. I feel that I will reach a point in the next few years where poker might become more of a conflict... But for the time being, I possess quite enough selfishness to go steal me some candies at the tables Easy game

Hank, are you still planning on going down to Mexico? Was wondering about your whereabouts, as you have not updated your blog in a while... Hope all is good.

edit : just saw right now that you posted today after a 3 months hiatus...

Epic last post Hank ; for those of you who haven't checked out his thread :

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/92...5/index11.html