A long break from the blog is over...

...so a post or 3 is in order for this blog. Enjoyed my first full week off of work in almost 5 years right before Labor Day, and have gotten to play a lot of poker since then. Let's first recap the month of August for me here:

- Min-cashed in charity poker room tourney...went out 10th (9th & 10th got buy-in back in chop once final table reached) out of 83 players.

- Two wins, two seconds in last 3 weeks at World Tavern Poker at Hatchy's.

- Two top-4 finishes (29 & 26 player fields) over at WTP at Overtyme this week.

- Two top-15 finishes out of 50+ man fields at WTP at Bullfrog's this week.

- 2 home game cashes out of final 3 games in Dino's game - game permanently ended until a new home is found.

Relatively small stakes, but a very solid month, ROI-wise. September also turned out to be a solid month - 2 more wins, 3 more seconds in September for me, another home game win at my place (thanks to the Dinos crew for a hell of a fun night!)...just not as much play as I would have liked.

Strange hand from a game at Overtyme, and a lesson in why you never show your cards to anyone at the table if you're staying in the hand. We're on the 4th or 5th hand of the 2nd tournament, and UTG I look at AK...raise it up to 600 (100/200 blinds). Old guy next to me (who I played against the night before at Bullfrogs in Ortonville) pops it up to 1,200, and folded around to me. In way I am seated at the table, I see the old guy show the player to his left what he has, and in putting them back (slowly) on the table, I am able to see that he holds A-10...interesting.

There's a good argument to be made about making any play here (except for folding, of course), but I chose to 4-bet him to 2,400...believing that he won't fold for that cheap a reraise, and I want to get more of his chips in the center. After a few seconds of thought, I believe he puts me on a JJ or QQ hand, and 5-bets it back to 5K. Pause for a few seconds, then 6-bet shove my chips in the middle...which unbelievably gets a snap call from my opponent! Board runs out A-K-8-Q-Q, and I claim an early knockout of my opponent. Can't remember the last time I've been in a hand where a 5-bet was going on, much less a 6-bet...but, obviously, when you KNOW what your opponent actually has (as opposed to "what you put him on"), much easier to play him.

I could get used to that time off...but don't ever want to do it under the 99 Weeks of Obama-goodness plan (otherwise known as "unemployment").

Trying to figure out how to add a 2nd night to my schedule...and I pretty much have approval from the Mrs to do so. Thinking either Sunday night at Buckshots in Clarkston, or Tuesday nights at Overtyme in Waterford...but we'll see.

Anyways, have my Hatchey's Tavern Championship this week, then Hatchey's Tournament of Champions next week - looking to finish one of my most consistent seasons in any league out in style.