HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: Sitting And Going On This Special Day

Six months. Six months of love, hate, highs and lows and we're still going strong. She brings out the best in me and the worst and I love her for it. "She" is online poker (Wow, this all sounds kinda pathetic, but whatever, I'm sticking with the analogy).

It's been 6 months to the day that I've started playing online poker. I've really learned a lot in this 6 months, although the money earned has been modest. The bank roll is up to $22.70 and steadily climbing by playing $1.25 Sit & Go tournaments on Full Tilt Poker

I came across an article on Drunk Blonde Poker about how poker is a metaphor for life. It is so true. The metaphor really rang through during one particular Sit & Go I played in last week. I was getting bad cards and unlucky breaks throughout the early stages of the tournament. But instead of getting frustrated, going on tilt and putting it all on the line, I patiently waited for a good opportunity, convincing myself that things would turn around. That's when I started a comeback, got a couple lucky breaks late to make it to the final two and needed about 20 mins to put away a solid opponent head to head. Oh, was it ever satisfying!

And on that note, here's to another 6 months and beyond of solid wins and big money finishes!

WHAT THE, WHO THE... WHERE AM I????: We're Not In Texas Anymore. We're In Omaha!

So I'm fresh off winning my first single table sit & go tournament (1.20 buy-in, won 4.50! Yay!), then I come in 3rd place in a slightly higher buy-in sit & go (3.40 buy-in, won 5.40), and I feel I'm ready to take on the 5.50 sit & go. But the tables fill up super fast, you have to be quick on the mouse click to get in on them. A couple people beat me to it as I try to get in, but the next one comes up and I'm in there just in time!

I'm relaxed, ready to take down the $13.50 first prize... And suddenly, they start dealing out FOUR cards. Apparently, in my haste to get into a Texas Hold'em tourney, I entered an Omaha Hi-Lo tourney by mistake! Baaahhhhh!!!! I was choked.

After whining like a school girl for a bit (just a split second though, tops), I suck it up and try to pick up the game as quickly as possible. I take out my copy of Poker For Dummies and read the Omaha chapter as quickly as possible, and beginner's luck must have kicked in or something, because I took down about 5 out of the first 15 hands, doubling up a couple times in the process!

So things are looking good, I'm in first place, way out in front. That's when my Dad asks me to help him move some furniture. Since I'm up big, I figure missing a couple hands won't hurt. We end up re-arranging the whole living room, then eat lunch and only afterward do I realize I totally forgot about the tournament! When I got to my laptop, I had already finished in 5th place out of 9. Blast! Lost opportunity.

After that, I was intrigued by the hi-low aspect of Omaha. I decide to try it out at a regular table. I get this one hand, can't remember what it was, but it was a decent high hand and a KICKASS low hand. I decide to get a good chunk of my stack into the pot. The two other players and I showdown our cards... And I come away empty! I'm thinking, "What the hell? How'd they beat my low hand?" It turns out I was in a regular Omaha game where you're trying to win with the high hand, not a high low game. So yeah, now I'm thinking of dying my hair blonde, just for shits and giggles...