Big Players in a Small Table

After a long poker break (not counting the Filipino Poker Tour Freeroll Satellites in PokerStars) I came back to The Metro to play. One of my “rules” limit me from playing while under the influence of alcohol but because I was under the influence, my reasoning was askew.

So I played in the 10/20 table where there were 2 big stacks who were dominating the rest of the players. This was another “rule” I was trying to implement (not to play in cash tables where a few players dominate the stacks or the action). Nonetheless, I sat and played. I guess poker is like riding a bicycle and I was soon able to vie for chip leader after a few orbits through a combination of out-playing, bluffing and donkeying.

Then came Bitoy. Bitoy has been part of the Philippine Poker Community since the early days and as I’m comparably a small table player, I rarely get the chance to sit in the same table with him. He was waiting for something and he decided to sit at my table. It’s always good to have someone who knows what they’re doing on the same table. They dictate the action and it’s easier to follow than the more aggressive plays the less experienced players tend to dictate. I consider myself to be a decent player but I’ve never dominated the flow of the action.

Rini and I were about to leave but since he sat down, we played a few more orbits than what was pre-arranged. We were talking with Bitoy about the days in 41o to which I commented that Bitoy was a benefactor of my poker tuition. Shortly after that he cracked my pocket aces with a runner-runner straight. At first Bitoy couldn’t remember me but then he remembered that I was Ronnel’s friend. He mentioned that Ronnel had moved on to the big table and I was still at the small table. Then I won with a runner-runner straight against his top pair. Then he joked that it’s probably why Ronnel moved up and I was still playing 10/20. Of course the main reason was that I didn’t have the bankroll for the higher stakes but that was beside the point.

Then Edward sat down. You can see how the action on the table changed after he did. Bitoy and Edward were in every other hand and it was pretty clear that the cards didn’t matter. They were simply out-playing the rest of the players. 2 big table players in the same small table, the newer players didn’t have a chance. The table eventually collapsed after Edward busted 3 players.

The session ended with me having a decent profit.

No more poker table...

This morning, my friend Mogs took my poker table. He’s going to sell it for me. My condo unit looks empty without the poker table there. I guess it’s a sign that I have to move on and play online.

Poker Chips For Sale

When I was starting to learn poker, I just had to have a set of poker chips. Only a few people had poker chips then so I bought a set. After a while, poker chips were not enough and I had a poker table made. After a few poker nights, having complete poker set (table and all) lost its allure. I've stopped inviting people over to play poker because frankly, I got tired of cleaning up after them. I seldom bring my poker chips to friends' houses when there are get-togethers because I've been playing so much and rarely see my friends that I'd rather not play.

Which was why I sold my poker table. And which is why I'm selling my poker chips. It's the same set that I bought except I can't throw in the cards. The cards that came with the set are worn and I wouldn't want to part with my other decks of cards. I'll consider throwing in the Modiano big font style cards but it depends on the offer. So what's included is the 300 piece poker chips, dealer button, small blind button, big blind button, 5 dice, a case. I haven't decided on how much to sell it for because I can't remember how much I bought it for, but you can leave a comment with your offer and then we'll talk.

Oh, and I can only sell it within Metro Manila, Philippines.

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A Poker Experiment

You watch Survivor and during those parts when the castaways talk to the camera, their names appear below the screen and right below it and their occupation. As if being a bartender has anything to do with what they're actually doing in that remote place but it still gives the audience a background about the castaway. What we do actually does, to a certain extent, define how we think and what we do outside of work.

I've always had this scenario in mind, a poker tournament where players are from different backgrounds. Some possible players would be a theater actor, a lawyer, a psychologist, a mathematician, a professional gambler, a detective, a movie critic, a hypnotist, a beauty queen, an accountant, an economist, an entrepreneur, a manager, a radio disk jockey, etc. And since this is theoretical, Nemo and Shrek's friend Donkey. It is assumed that those who are included can be considered top in their field and that they have never played poker before.

The actor probably can bluff and slowplay his way to being the winner but the movie critic can spot the slightest bit of bad acting and the detective is trained to spot certain tells. The mathematician can compute the odds but the economist will know how to manage his stack but the psychologist probably doesn't need to look at his cards. The hypnotist can make you do anything but the beauty queen is just so beautiful no one can pay attention to the game. The tournament can go any which way but moving it another notch, it can be a series of tournaments and they have the chance of improving their game. Who would be the consistent winner? Some of the top professional poker players have a deep understanding of math but who's to say that only a mathematician can be successful in poker?

Poker Tuition

I first learned to play poker with friends and they taught me the basics of the game. Then there was the APL and Verde Poker where I got to play poker with people I didn't know. During that time, the buy-in was cheap but I really just wanted to experience playing poker with other people and not just my friends. I also tried the satellites for one of the first few tournaments in ACF. I also tried to crash uninvited in a game in Burgundy. I lived in the same condo so I was hoping they'd let me play. Good thing they didn't trust me enough. I learned later on that they bought in for Php 1k - 2k which was way above what I was used to at that time. Then once I played in a JG tournament. It was the same night I got quads versus Karel's flush, I think. I forgot the cards but not the scene as it's not often a pretty girl stares at me that intently. Of course there was Sky, 41o and ACF. I mostly lost in those days.

Which brings me to the topic of this post. Since starting to play, I've relied on my experience to teach me what I needed to know. This costed me money hence the coined term, tuition. Each poker player would've lost a certain amount before they started winning. The tuition varies from player to player. Unfortunately, some people never get their money's worth and never learn. They never graduate and they keep paying the tuition until they decide to stop playing.

One of the biggest mistakes I've made was that I've only started to track my wins and losses a year and a half ago. Before that, I've no record of anything. I don't even know if I'm up or down. I would imagine I payed my fair share of the tuition. Now it's just a matter of making sure they pay it to me.

0 to 1,000,000

I actually started this even before I knew what I was aiming for. I knew I didn’t want to deposit any amount to an online poker room and my options were limited to playing freerolls. I’ve earned some money in Pacific Poker but the field has multiplied since and I’m no longer able to get in the money now. I’ve been playing freerolls on PokerStars but I’ve never been in the money there.

But now I already have a feasible plan to get my first deposit free. It’s through the commission I get from the ads on my blogs. I would’ve been blogging with or without me earning from it so the amount I get from ads would really be unallocated and it’s going to be my poker bankroll.

My goal is to get from Php 0 to Php 1,000,000 ($23,386). If I reach my goal through poker or if I reach it through ads, I don’t much care. But I’d prefer it if I reached $23,386 in online poker and another $23,386 through the ads. J

My rules for this challenge are simple. When I reach a certain amount from the ads, I’ll transfer them to PokerStars. I’ll try to build it to get to my goal. I’ll still continue to save the earnings from the ads in case I lose the whole bankroll and I have to reload. I won’t withdraw my PokerStars money until it reaches the goal or it’s a matter of life or death and I really need the money.

My real goal is financial independence (poker-wise), the state of always having money to play with. I want to experience the feeling of being able to play any tournament regardless of the buy-in or ring game regardless of the stakes. I want to be able to provide for a family and still be able to play and not have to compromise any of them.

So the race is on.

Timeline

Target date of first deposit to PokerStars: Sep 1, 2008

Target date to reach half-way mark: Feb 15, 2009

Target end date of whole project: May 26, 2009