Blogger Poker

I played another Mookie last night, despite my announcement on the table of the skills game that I would never play another Blogger tourney again.

My frustration stems, not from the horrid run of luck, nor the retarded amount of 2-3 outers that come about every third hand. These are to be expected, and happen in almost every MTT, SNG, and ring game that we play in.

What has become frustrating is the conversation that ensues. The ridiculous hypocrisy that takes place on these tables.

For instance, when player A sucks out, you can be sure that you'll hear terms like, well, I thought you were making a move, or, I had outs, or, I was making a move. But the reverse never gets considered when it happens to them. Instead you get countless questions on who that player is, and "why he's so horrible", and "how does that donkey even get to sit", and "wow, no one knows how to fold."

Usually there are condescending terms when they suck out like "you wouldn't understand", and "Oh please, like I put you on a hand every time"

I was in the BB on one occasion. It was checked to me in the BB while I was holding some horseshit hand. I flop top two pair, and bet every street. Eventually stacking the small blind who decided to limp from the small with AK. He calls all the way down and goes out. Then makes the comment, "Note to self: Riggs over defends his BB".

All I did, was take a check, flop perfect, and bet the whole way. He made one raise, and that was a shove on the turn where the only possile hand that could have had me was a set. Sorry, but I don't give credit to pocket pairs in the sb when the LIMP. Maybe it's a leak. The point is, at no time did I call anything, other than the shove which was less than my initial bet.

Last night I got off to a pretty good start. I raised preflop with 66. Someone out of position called with J6o. Flop came J 6 x turn x river x. I bet the whole way with him calling down, and earned a little more than half his stack.

I get into it with him the next hand where I raise up pre with AK. He flats again. The flop comes A Q X two hearts. I bet the flop and he shoves. Its another 1700 for me to call, and I thought I was behind. My thoughts were that it's entirely possible he has AQ, and in the least he has a flush draw. So I fold. And he shows AQ.

I move along the tournament cold decking when I get into it with a short stack, this time, I have AQ. I raise pre, and he flats. Flop comes an A and I bet, he shoves and I call. HE shows AK.

I exit the mookie in the bb with AQ when numbono (in the sb) raises to all folders. I reraise, he shoves, I call as what was left in my stack determined. He holds AK. IGH. I don't mind that. It happens.

I lost the skills game when my stack was effectively taken when I had AA vs KQ I raise, he calls. flop comes 8 8 x. I raise he calls. Turn comes a Q I raise he calls, river comes a Q I raise, he repops, I call (one more bet), He has KQ. Last weeks mookie was a UTG shove with AQ with me sitting in the bb with AA. Turn and river come Q Q. It's these spots where I seem to never get any traction. So be it. I understand. But the conversations afterwards are retarded, and it's getting to me. Which is a rare case for me, if you know me.

Do something bad and get rewarded, I have excuses. Have something done unto you and lose, A million reasons, and hate why the other person shouldn't even be on the table.

Its getting old. Last night I played the Dookie. Someone asked who Shipfaced was. Apparently he won the Mookie. He doesn't play many blogger tournies, but he won a seat into the TOC last BBT as well, by winning the HOY.

Shipfaced is a Riverchasers player. That is to say, I met him from playing on my tour. If you were at the last BASH, you met him. But Shipfaced is also an accomplished PLO player and has won $100k's playing PLO on FT against the likes of Benjyamin, Matasow, and Antonius.

I didn't see the hand in the Mookie, but the person at the Dookie who asked about it started denegrating this guy based on his OPR ranking in Hold'em and whatever play he just made in the mookie. It makes me laugh. For the person questioning this guys skill probably couldn't hold his jock in any area of poker success.

The egos are getting too much. Play online poker for 2-5 years and apparently your an expert. And qualified to question everyone else play but your own. I understand the trash talking, and I understand the ribbing. That's fun. And frustration is OK as well. But the calling out of other players has to stop. The hypocrisy has got to stop. It's sucking the fun out of everything.

I would think for most of us, based on my own experience, that online poker is nothing more than entertainment. It's for fun, nothing more. I don't play enough on line to be serious. I don't focus when I'm playing, I don't take it as beneficial other than just having the ability to see massive amounts of hands. Playing for 2-3 hours at a time, while IM'ing friends and watching a show or working, i.e. a million other distraction, is not conducive to success at anything.

From the mouth of Julius Goat... Be excellent to each other. Cause it's getting pretty friggin' boring.