The Professor, The Chosen One, and The Suicide Moves

Ever since I agreed to have my blog cross-posted at www.thepokerforum.com, I have almost exclusively discussed topics related to poker. That is going to change slighty today. I will discuss three topics: one poker-related, one kind-of-poker-related, and one not related to poker at all.

The Professor

In addition to writing my own blog, I read several different blogs. Perhaps the most interesting blog that I read is Paul Phillips' (extempore.livejournal.com), in part because Paul has an interesting perspective on the world and in part because Paul's blog usually includes a lively discussion of the topic at hand. Most of the participants are there to either criticize Paul or to worship him.

In a recent blog entry (dated February 24), Paul made a reference to another blog entry by Biggestron (biggestron.blogspot.com), who apparently felt like Paul snubbed him when they met in a Las Vegas casino. A substantial portion of Biggestron's blog entry is shameless self-promotion where he talks about his education and how smart he is. Apparently, Biggestron has managed to last about 35 years on Earth, get married, sire one child, get a Master's degree in Chemistry, and earn a Ph.D in biochemistry. He even works in a top lab at Stanford University! That is, he is currently an under-paid, over-worked, educated slave known as a post-doctoral research associate. He is clearly one step below God!

In the discussion of Paul Phillips' blog, Biggestron responds that the snub was "ego-crushing." One of my pet-peeves is the fragile egos of academics. Academic types live in the esoteric world of academia, complete with their own little "celebrities". I have said this before, I think professors are some if the most childish, immature, fragile, useless, ego-maniacs in the world. The world might be a better place if we collected them all (except for me, of course) and pitched them into the ocean.

The Chosen One

I confess to reading and loving the Harry Potter books. Perhaps no one is interested, but it's my blog and I'll write what I want.

I have several predictions regarding the answers to some key questions:

1. Is Dumbledore actually dead? Is Snape actually a villain?

My answers: Yes, Dumbledore is dead. No, Snape is actually the hero.

My theory is that Dumbledore trusts Snape and that Snape killed Dumbledore because that was Dumbledore's plan. Dumbledore's commented in the fifth book that there are many things worse than death. Dumbledore also claims that the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is cursed. So why did Dumbledore hire Snape into this position? Dumbledore must have had a plan!

2. What was Dumbledore's reason for completing trusting Snape?

I can think of only one logical answer here: Snape must have helped "kill" Voldemort when Harry was a baby.

Snape knew that Voldemort was going to try to kill Harry and Harry's parents. He let Dumbledore know about Voldemort's plan, but even more... he must have helped forumulate the plan whereby Harry would have been protected from Voldemort.

The Suicide Moves

Finally, some discussion of poker... I played pretty well over the weekend, although I kept making stupid moves that totally wrecked my bankroll. I have made some really awful calls in my poker career, all of them resulting in a lost pot or a total suck-out. On Friday, I had a the unique experience of winning one of these hands.

I raised from the button with KQo and I got called by the maniac in the big blind. The flop was 2d 5c 8d. The big blind pushed all-in and I called. He had 3d 4d for a flush draw and a straight draw. He did not improve and I won.

Last night, I played really well at Full Tilt. I won about $30 playing $25 NL and then I took my winnings to the $50 NL room to play. I eventually pushed all-in with JJ after a flop of A 6 3 against a maniac who called with A5. Oops. I must admit to getting spooked by some of the conversations that were going on at the table. I am reasonably sure that at least two people were colluding; I should have just left.

Progress is my middle name

This is an obscure reference to "Back to the Future", the 1980's movie with Michael J. Fox. With respect to my poker, however, it also happens to be true.

When I first starting playing poker two years ago, I remember the $0.50/$1.00 limit hold'em games at Party Poker being incredibly juicy. I can recall routinely winning pots bigger than $10 and often winning pots bigger than $20. To win pots like this, you must have both bad players and a strong hand. Over the last year or so, I have played relatively little $0.50/$1.00 limit at Party, but when I did... I never seemed to have any hands like this. Until yesterday!

I was two-tabling, playing a tight-aggressive style. In my first five hands, I flopped three sets, losing two of them to a donkey who caught runner-runner for a straight and then for a flush. Luckily, the same donkey paid me off big time with the third hand and I finished this early flurry of activity about even money. After that, I won a few small pots and managed to be up 2-3 big bets.

My first big hand occurred when I was dealt A6s in the big blind. There were three limpers plus the small blind, so I just checked. The flop was A 7 6 (rainbow), and I decided to check-raise to hopefully reduce the size of the field. My plan was thwarted when the opponent to my immediate left bet out and everyone called before it came back to me. I raised anyway, and luckily, the original better 3-bet it. Everyone else folded, and I capped it. The turn was a blank and I bet-called. The river was another blank and I check-called again, and my opponent flipped over 87o!

My second big hand occurred almost immediately on my other table. I was dealt J7 (sooted) in the small blind. There were 5 limpers, so I called, hoping to catch a big flop. The flop was K 7 5, giving me middle pair and a back-door flush draw. I checked, the big blind bet out and everyone called. I figured that I was behind here, but that the pot was big enough to merit calling a small bet. The turn was another seven, giving me trips. I checked; the big blind bet out; a couple people called; and then I raised. The orginal better re-raised and everyone folded to me; I capped. The river was a blank and I bet out and called after I was raised. The donkey flipped over a hand like K3o, for top pair, bad kicker.

My third big hand was after I had decided to finish the session and I was merely playing out the orbit. I was dealt JJ in mid-position. There were two limpers in front, but I raised anyway. The button, the big blind, and both limpers called. The flop was J X 5 (two hearts). The first limper bet out and I raised; both the button and the original better called. The turn was a blank and I bet out. The button raised and the original better called. I re-raised; the button capped and the donkey called. The river was another blank and I bet out and got called all the way around. The button flipped over 55; the donkey flipped over middle pair; and I raked in a $23 pot with my top set.

I also played a little $50 NL yesterday, winning a decent amount. By the end of the day, my Party Poker account had increased from $125 to $200! A good day for sure!

I also played a little bit at Full Tilt yesterday. I was monkeying around with $50 NL (on a $60 bankroll) and lost about $10, most of it on one hand where I bluffed and got raised.

Last night, though, I decided to play a HORSE SNG at Full Tilt. I played almost perfect poker throughout the entire SNG. I was very tight-aggressive and I won almost every hand that I played. I played very few, though, so I was about even after the first hour of play. This was the slowest HORSE SNG I've ever played. In my experience, about half of the HORSE SNGs are finished by the break, the others have been short-handed. This one, however, was still 7-handed! About three hands after the break, I was dealt JJ (Hold'em) and I took down a big pot against the former chip leader who held 88 (unimproved). With my new-found chip-lead, I started bullying the table, knocking out a few people. I took a bad beat when I lost a hand with AQ vs K2 on a flop of A 8 2, but I still managed to keep my chip lead. When the game switched to Omaha Hi/Lo, I scooped a couple of big pots and eventually got it heads up with a 10:1 chip lead. I won it all when it switched over to Razz and my opponent let me bully him down to the felt.

This morning I had a really "fun" session of NL at Party. I bought into two rooms, one of which was tough and the other was quite juicy. I lost my buy-in in the tough table after losing a few hands and then going all-in preflop with AK vs. KK (oops). I was doing better in the soft table but then I lost my stack when a donkey with a HUGE stack (5x the buy-in) called my all-in on the flop and caught a runner-runner flush. I bought right back in at the easy table and slowly starting rebuilding.

The first big pot involved me calling a raise with 66, flopping a set, and calling an all-in from a guy who held AA. The second big pot occurred a few hands later when I bluffed the same guy. The third big pot was when I held TT against a call station who could not fold his flush draw. The third spade never came and I finished the session up $3, which was absolutely fantastic considering that I was stuck $50 at one point.

I have to admit it's getting better

... it really couldn't get much worse.

Well, yes, it could get a lot worse, but I love the Beatles, so I thought write that anyway.

A couple of weeks ago, I withdrew most of my money from online poker and gave it to my wife. Since then, my goal has been to enjoy playing poker again and to rebuild my bankroll. I have done a pretty good job with the first goal, perhaps not as good with the second goal. Part of my problem with the second goal... was the quality of my play. I suppose that I can beat the $25 NL game at Party, but very little else.

I used to be a very good limit hold'em player, so I have decided to work on that game by playing $0.50/$1.00 limit at Party. My problem right now is that I am too aggressive. I am raising with all sorts of hands and playing really aggressive post-flop; this is getting me killed. I realized yesterday that I need to have a reason for my bet, call, check, or fold. Duh!

Anyway, I played two hands yesterday that have me thinking about what is the correct or incorrect way to play.

Hand#1: I am to next to the cutoff seat. Four people limp before me and I raise with As 6s. I raised it, thinking that I would get all four limpers (plus maybe one of the blinds to call), which would be good pot odds. I admit to forgetting about the possibility of someone behind me 3-betting, but in hindsight... I think it was worth the risk. After my raise, the button called, the big blind called, and everyone else called too. The flop was good for my hand, jack-high with two spades. One of the limpers bet and I called with my flush draw -- I wanted to keep as many people in the pot as possible. The turn was a king (diamonds) and I called a $1 bet for a chance to win a pot that was already $10 (now heads-up). The river completed my flush and the action went bet-raise-call and I collected a pot worth 13 big bets.

I don't know if I like how I played this hand. Should I have raised pre-flop with A6s in this spot? I definitely think that it's worth a call... and thus, the raise makes sense because I was getting such good odds on my raise, right? I don't really know. I would appreciate some comments in either the forums or by private message.

Hand#2: I am dealt 87o in the small blind. There are two limpers, so I complete the bet and see the flop (4-way). The flop is Q 8 3 and it gets checked around. The turn in another 3 and it gets checked to the person in last position who bets. Now, I start thinking: does he have anything here? I bet he would fold to my check-raise! So, I raise it up, hoping to take down the pot but realizing that I likely have some outs. Curiously, the original better folded, but the big blind cold-called two bets. The river brought a nine. I bet out (mistake) and my opponent raised me and I called (another mistake, but at least it allows me to tell the story). My opponent flips over JTo, for the nut straight.

Here again, did I muck this hand up? I think the call of a half-bet preflop was fine with 87o. What about the check-raise on the turn? I think it was good in that I seriously doubted that the three could have helped anyone except the big blind. I think the mistake was that I did this with two other hands still live. Sure, cold-calling two big bets with merely an inside-straight draw is an awful play, so I got a little unlucky, but still... why not merely fold and give this hand up? Was it worth the risk? I think not, but I am not sure.

(It's not even worth discussing my bad play on the river)

Trying to get better

I realized this weekend that I am not nearly as good of a poker player as I used to be. I used to be patient, grind away, and pick my spots. There were games that I could beat regularly and reliably. On occasion, I would take shots at a bigger game without fear because I knew that I could always drop stakes and recover. Not so anymore.

What caused this decline in my abilities? In part, it was the short-handed games and the no limit games and especially the short-handed no limit games. These games require aggression bordering on maniacal. Essentially, I have forgotten the fundamentals of poker. Play tight. Play good hands aggressively. I have gotten too loose and I am playing virtually every hand aggressively.

My current plan is to start playing full-ring $0.50/$1.00 limit hold'em at Party. I played a bit last night and I won $2 in 100 hands. That seems like a good start, but it was actually a horrible session. I played trouble hands out of position and got burned. I would miss a flop and bet/call/raise to the river without improving. In the end, I caught a couple of big hands, which covered for my mistakes, but I essentially got lucky.

Am I cursed?

For whatever reason, I haven't felt much like blogging lately. I have been playing a bit of poker here and there, but it has just felt so insignificant compared to everything else that has been going on in my life.

Anyway... on with the poker update...

Right now, I just feel cursed with my poker. I went completely bust at Poker Stars on Thursday night, reloading with a little of my dwindling bankroll reserve. I have since lost most of it on horrendous bad beats and horrendous bad plays. I don't know why, but I really feel like I am especially cursed at Poker Stars. I either play bad or I get hit with bad beats. I've won at about 10 different sites on the net, but I am break-even (or losing) at Poker Stars.

Speaking of being cursed, I took a bad beat yesterday at Full Tilt. I was playing way above my bankroll in a no limit game. I was in the big blind and I called a mini-raise with J9s. I flopped trip-jacks, and check-raised the original raiser who called (I put him on a flush draw). The turn was a blank, so I overbet the pot, hoping to take it down. Nope! He called, caught his flush, and took my stack. It was a bad play on his part and if I had a big bankroll, I'd just shrug it off. Instead, I am grinding it out at the micro stakes again. Oh well, that's probably for the best anyway.

I played a bit last night, mostly at Full Tilt Poker. I played two HORSE SNGs; I won the first and busted first in the second. In the first, I almost busted early against a serious donkey with a big stack who kept calling with crap hands and winning. For example, playing Stud Hi/Lo, I was obviously chasing a low hand (in a multi-way pot), plus I had a pair of fours showing. By sixth street, I had a six-high low hand and I was betting VERY aggressively. This donkey kept calling and won half the pot when he called on the end with a missed low hand plus a pair of fours (ace, king kicker)! Eventually, though, his luck ran out and he busted third.

In the second HORSE SNG, I played two pair (aces up) aggressively in two consecutive hands of 7stud and I lost them both to the same guy who had trip queens (both times!). I don't regret that play much. I had a strong hand both times and I forced him to chase a two-outer. And besides, eighth place pays the same as fourth place.

An All-Time Bad Beat and a New Game

I haven't played much for the last day or so. I have basically been playing about 50 hands at Party (6-max, $25 NL) and maybe a few heads up SNGs at Poker Stars. I have had a bad run with the heads up SNGs, which started with one of the worst bad beats that I have ever had. It wasn't costly, but it was still pretty bad.

I was dealt T6o on the button. I raised and got called. The flop was T 8 6 (rainbow); my opponent pushed all-in and I called. He flipped over J2o. The turn was an 8; the river was a jack. Doh! It wasn't very costly and it didn't even make me angry, but it was definitely a bad beat.

In other news, one of the poker blogs that I read suggested that the play for Omaha Hi/Lo was very weak at most sites. I have virtually no experience playing the game, although I have noticed that I play it better than most of my opponents during my recent HORSE tournaments. So, I bought into a $0.02/$0.04 limit game at Titan Poker. I won about $0.60 in 15 hands or so, which is a ridiculous win rate. My strategy is really simple: play hands where I have a chance to scoop the pot. During those 15 hands, I scooped at least 3 pots, maybe 4. One hand was ridiculously lucky... I had a draw to the nut low and a back door flush draw on the flop... and I caught runner runner for a wheel to scoop.

A Busy Weekend with a Little Poker Mixed In

We had a big family function this weekend, so our relatives were visiting. There's nothing like 10-12 visitors to cut down on your poker time.

Even so, I managed to play a bit. I played some heads up poker at UltimateBet on Friday night. I lost $25 playing limit and then I lost another $25 playing no limit. Perhaps I am not ready to play legitimate opponents in heads up matches.

On Saturday afternoon, I played and won a heads up SNG match at Full Tilt. I used the money from that to buy into a HORSE SNG, which I won. It was my second ever attempt at a HORSE SNG, last time I bubbled.

Even though I have never played Razz or Stud Hi/Lo, I felt like I had a huge advantage over my opponents in those games. Perhaps they have spent all of their time playing hold em. At least I have read a bit about how to play some of the other games.

After that, I played in a 6-max NLHE SNG, and I bubbled when I pushed a short-stack (33) against the other short stack preflop (he held A8). I flopped a set but my opponent caught runner-runner for a straight.

I then bubbled in another HORSE SNG when my opponent and I pushed all-in on sixth street (Stud high). I had three sevens; he had three pairs (aces up). The winner of the hand would be the new chip leader while the loser was going to be crippled or out. Unfortunately, he caught on the end and filled up. Oh well.

I played another HORSE SNG late yesterday, and I took second. I played pretty well, although I made a big mistake in a Razz hand where I definitely had my opponent beat but I merely called (instead of raised) on the end. By the time it reached heads up, I was down 5:1 in chips and there was little that I could do.

So far I am enjoying playing low stakes without really caring if I am winning or not. I have rebuilt a semi-decent bankroll at Party these days, certainly enough to play $25 NL as long as I am not reckless. I am also excited about playing HORSE SNGs at Full Tilt, although I won't have many opportunities to play them because I rarely have 90 consecutive minutes to play cards.

Trapping yourself

I have been slowly rebuilding my bankroll over the last couple of days. I am not playing a huge quantity of poker, but I am enjoying myself. The one thing that I have learned is that a $15 win looks huge when your account only has $50 in it. In contrast, a $15 win seems tiny when your account has over $1000 in it.

I played a bit today at $25 NL. I generally played tight-aggressive, but I bluffed at a few pots in spots where I’d either win the hand or I’d be forced to give it up. In the following hand, my bluff got called on the flop, but the turn gave me a good draw, so I tried again. My draw hit on the river, giving me a runner-runner straight. This hand is illustrative as to why you should rarely slow play, and if you do… that you should spring your trap on the turn at the latest.

$25 NL Texas Hold'em - Thursday, February 09, 13:01:54 EDT 2006
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 1: skywlker19 ( $40.55 )
Seat 2: atdae ( $32.80 )
Seat 3: pseudonym065 ( $31.45 )
Seat 4: DONKEY ( $14.58 )
Seat 6: Tenfiftyfour ( $29.75 )
Seat 5: frazwood ( $11.37 )
skywlker19 posts small blind [$0.10].
atdae posts big blind [$0.25].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to frazwood [ 8h 7h ]
pseudonym065 calls [$0.25].
DONKEY calls [$0.25].
frazwood calls [$0.25].
Tenfiftyfour folds.
skywlker19 folds.
atdae checks.
** Dealing Flop ** [ 4h, 9d, Ac ]
atdae checks.
DONKEY bets [$0.85].
atdae folds.
pseudonym065 folds.
DONKEY calls [$0.85].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Td ]
DONKEY checks.
frazwood bets [$2].
chs6868 calls [$2].
** Dealing River ** [ Jh ]
DONKEY checks.
frazwood is all-In [$8.27]
DONKEY calls [$8.27].
DONKEY shows [ 4d, Ad ] two pairs, aces and fours.
frazwood shows [ 8h, 7h ] a straight, seven to jack.

Rebuilding at the Airport

I have spent the last couple of days rebuilding my bankroll. I have been primarily playing $25 PL Hold'em at Party and heads up SNGs at Poker Stars. I have won a little at both places, but nothing really significant. I was 'this close' to have a decent bankroll at Party, but I took a bad beat when my opponent caught a nine on the river so that his 99 beat my AA. Oh well, things like that happen; it's poker.

Perhaps the most exciting news is that I have discovered internet poker at the airport. Somehow I have managed to hijack wireless internet access, allowing me to kill 90 minutes playing poker. Unfortunately, I put the mouse with my checked luggage, but this still pretty cool. Right now I am playing 6-max limit hold 'em at Stars. I only have $34 in my account, so I am way short on funds for $0.50/$1.00.

Starting Over

I have decided that I am going to start over with poker. I used to enjoy playing and that is now my lone goal: to enjoy playing poker. What do I enjoy about poker? I enjoy the challenge, thinking hands through, and winning. I don't really care about winning large sums of money, which has been my problem lately.

I have decided not to redeposit any of my money back into my poker accounts (well, sort of). I have withdrawn about 90% of my bankroll and I am giving it to my wife, ensuring that I'll never see it again. Although this might sound strange, I feel really good doing this. It's nice to see a payoff from all of my time spent playing poker, rather than merely accumulating bankroll so that I can play higher stakes. My bankroll these days is still high enough to play low limits (maybe as high as $1/$2 limit), but that's about it.

The other decision that I've made is to have a single bankroll, rather than separate bankrolls at each site. This was a weird quirk of mine, but I am giving it up. This separate bankroll thing just made me unhappy. I could have a great day, winning $200 at Party but be annoyed because I lost $25 at Ultimatebet and $25 at Full Tilt. No more.

I played a little at Party last night, winning about $5. Not very exciting, but I enjoyed myself. I also played a few sit-n-goes at Full Tilt, including one of their HORSE tournaments. I had never played Razz or Stud Eight or Better, so it was a challenge. I eventually finished fourth. I then played another SNG, and again finished fourth. So I bubbled twice, who cares? I had a good time.

I played a little more today, winning a heads up SNG at Stars. That was a fun one. I had $5.50 in my account and I bought in for $5.25. Now that's a short bankroll! I made a bad call at one point and I was down 2850 vs 150, with the blinds at 15-30. I doubled up twice to get to around 600, and then I outplayed my opponent after that to win.

While doing playing that heads up SNG, I had a $25 PL game going at Party. I bought in for $10 and finished the session with almost $20. I originally grinded my way up to $15, but lost about $5 when I played a hand poorly. Then I doubled up when I raised from the button with Ad Td. The flop gave me a double-belly buster (8 J Q) and a back door flush draw. It was checked to me and I bet, but then I got check-raised (I called). The turn was another diamond. I called with my draws when my opponent forced me all-in. Luckily, another diamond hit and I took it down.

Although this is all for really minor amounts of money, I am feeling really good about poker now. I need to remember that I am a recreational player, albeit a rather good one, and that I play for fun, not money. The money I win is simply not worth it if I am not having fun. Life is too short!

Extraordinarily Frustrated

Last night's poker session really got me frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that I have withdrawn most of the money that I have in my poker accounts. I am not quitting poker -- at least for now -- but I definitely need to change something. I am a recreational player and so poker should be fun for me, but right now it is not.

Why am I so frustrated? It is not the bad beats, although I suffered plenty of them last night. It's that the quality of my play is so bad. I am losing money because I am playing like a donkey, not the bad beats. It is particularly frustrating that I cannot win when the play at my tables is so bad.

For example,
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 1: DONKEY ( $11.25 )
Seat 2: Becareful111 ( $6.75 )
Seat 3: gonzales17 ( $45 )
Seat 4: DustyGood ( $2 )
Seat 5: juanito7777 ( $48.88 )
Seat 6: frazwood ( $19.25 )
frazwood posts small blind [$0.25].
DONKEY posts big blind [$0.50].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to frazwood [ 5c 4c ]
Becareful111 folds.
gonzales17 folds.
DustyGood calls [$0.50].
juanito7777 folds.
frazwood calls [$0.25].
DONKEY raises [$0.50].
DustyGood calls [$0.50].
frazwood calls [$0.50].
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5d, 5h, Kd ]
frazwood checks.
continue2 bets [$0.50].
DustyGood is all-In [$1]
frazwood calls [$1].
DONKEY raises [$1].
frazwood calls [$0.50].
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jc ]
frazwood checks.
DONKEY bets [$1].
frazwood raises [$2].
DONKEY raises [$2].
frazwood raises [$2].
DONKEY calls [$1].
** Dealing River ** [ 2h ]
frazwood bets [$1].
DONKEY calls [$1].
frazwood shows [ 5c, 4c ] three of a kind, fives.
DONKEY shows [ Ks, Kc ] a full house, Kings full of fives.
DustyGood doesn't show [ 2d, As ] two pairs, fives and twos.

How can the donkey merely CALL on the river here? And how bad am I that can't beat a table full of these donkeys?

Anyway, I am now playing very short stacked. I hope that I can rebuild but maybe I can't. If I don't, then I might take a substantial break from the game to get my head on straight. I am definitely going to stay away from no limit, where my mistakes are just too expensive.

Giving up my game plan

It only took me a couple of days, but I have essentially given up on my game plan. It was a really good game plan (play $2/$4 full ring limit and heads-up SNGs), but it had two big problems also. First, full ring limit poker requires that you play a lot of hands, and my life is sufficiently complicated these days that I rarely can sit down and play for an hour or two. I play in short spurts, twenty minutes here, thirty minutes there. Second, those heads-up SNGs get boring VERY quickly.

With that in mind, I gave up heads-up SNGs today (at least for awhile). I was losing a bunch of them because I had lost the patience to grind out wins against my opponents.

My stack at Poker Stars had dwindled to about $22. Nevertheless, I bought into a $0.25/$0.50 (blinds) short-handed no limit game. I lost my buy-in ($12) on the first hand when I bluffed at a dangerous board and I got called by a call-station holding JJ (seriously, the only hand he could have beat was a stone cold bluff, which sadly was what I held). I re-bought into the game with the rest of my stack and I doubled up a few hands later when I flopped a flush with 9d 2d from the big blind and pushed all-in and got called. A few hands after that, I pushed all-in preflop with QQ, got called in two spots, and I won again. So, my stack went from $20 to $10 to somewhere in excess of $50 in about 10 minutes.

I don't recall anyone ever mentioning the variance associated with playing no limit (just kidding).

The other interesting news in my poker life is that Titan Poker gave me a free $10. Just for giggles, I bought into a low stakes no limit room for $5 and I built it up to around $10. How exciting! Who knows, maybe someday I'll have thousands of dollars at Titan Poker?!!!?