WBCOOP Main Event -- out in 81st place out of 2062 runners. I lost a big hand prior to this when I called a shortie with A-Q. Couldn't suck out on his A-K. Then this. Ouch.

Youngest daughter (after hearing me yell): "Dad, why do you play poker?"

Me: "Because it's fun."

What I was thinking: "Because I am a freaking moron."

WBCOOP Event #2 Update

My final hand in WBCOOP Event #2. Had a feeling he might have 8-8. Nothing like two flopped boats with all the money in right after the flop. At least I had outs.

Still at work and have had no dinner. Seven hours plus. More tomorrow.

Thanks to all the guys who railed me. Gotta get some dinner and get home!

Update

I was all ready to go with PokerStars WBCOOP Event #2 -- Omaha. just me and 1633 fellow bloggers. The starting time was 4:00pm Central Time -- way early for those of us in the midwestern United States. It could have been worse -- say Pacific Time? I was busy closing down some things at work and wasn't able to get home for the start. Actually, it seems I do better isolated at my desk at work with no distractions. My plan was to get home by 6:00pm for dinner unless I was having a little luck with the tournament.

After having to fold a big hand early (as least my donkey powers told me that I was probably beat), I tightened up and looked to double up, then selectively play hands. This strategy kept me in the game and got me enough chips so that I could play a solid game and watch the other players bust. The next thing I knew, it was way past dinner time. No food -- just a two liter bottle of diet soda to keep me company.

Around the time we got to the first bubble, I was seated at a table with IlliniFan97 and bastinptc -- two Illinois guys. It was almost like playing in a home game. I got pissed off when I decided not to play my 10-10-rag-rag and saw a flop of 10-10-rag. Grrrr. Shortly thereafter, both the other guys hit quads and were about to leave me in the dust. I doubled up, however, and then watched the other guys get coolered. Great game, gentlemen. It was fun talking with you and playing with you!

The whole tournament, I had been keeping an eye on BrainMc, who was in the top ten most of the tournament. He took a nasty runner-runner beat and ended up falling behind me, finishing in 25th place -- a fate he certainly did not deserve. Thanks for sticking around to sweat me, bro.

As we approached the final table top nine bubble ($215 SCOOP entry vs a $33 SCOOP entry), I had a decent sized stack. Two shorties seemed to hang on forever until I busted one in 10th place. Pretty funny -- he hung around to try to hex me for the next, oh, 90 minutes or so. I think he was my good luck charm. C'mon bro -- I'm waiting for you to post here!

My good hands had been holding up and I only sucked out a few times in over seven hours of play. However, the final hand (screenshot above) was a killer. You'd think that if you flopped a boat four-handed you would be ahead. The only hand that was ahead of me would be if my opponent had the remaining two 8's. I had a feeling he did, but no way was I folding. We were both all in. And he showed two 8's. It looked like I was down to one out, but then I hit a King on the turn. Two more outs, but ... bah! At least I didn't lose on a suckout. Since second through ninth places won the same ticket, at least I didn't have to feel bad about not finishing a place or two higher. Guess I'll settle for fourth.

It was interesting to read the chat comments, live blogging posts, and tweets from bloggers on the rail, most who I do not know. To them, I was the unknown guy who somehow flew in under the radar. I was described by one as a luckbox. I was called a bot. Good times! Meanwhile, I kept thinking about how some of my blogger buddies railing me probably figured out what I had and what I did on several hands. Being the unknown quantity really helped.

Thanks to some of my blogger buddies who sweated me and/or kept tabs on my progress -- BrainMc, IlliniFan97, bastinptc, Memphis MOJO, NumbBono, smokkee, Bam-Bam, and probably others who were not able to get their chat comments in.

Best of luck to my regular blogger crowd in the remaining events. Let's see if one of us can take one down!

Catching Up

Sometimes my wife just does not understand how fatigued I get at this time of year -- our busiest at work.

Wife: "You fell asleep in your chair and didn't wake up for a few hours."
Me: "You know that this is the worst time of the year at work for me. I am run down."

Wife: "Why don't you invite your friends over to play on your new poker table?"
Me: "I am exhausted. I'll set up a game when the busy period at work is over."

Wife: "Wow -- you haven't posted in your blog for a few weeks."
Me: "Uh, dear, ..."

And so it went. The torture at work goes on for 2 1/2 months. We are now at the beginning of the end. Life is good. I can become a real person again.

A Little Live Poker

I was able to play poker at the Par-A-Dice casino in East Peoria a couple of weeks ago on a Sunday. I decided against playing in the morning tournament and instead just went for the cash games in the afternoon. The table dynamics and the cards both played a part in my success or lack of it. When I began, there were several good players at the table. My cards were drap, so I folded, folded, folded. A little later, someof the better players left and were replaced by weaker players. I then got cards. Win, win, win. Sometimes poker is easy! I left up 1 1/2 buy ins, so it was a nice Sunday afternoon at the table.

Freaking Online Poker ...

Online, I have been coping with a run of horrific beats. My short stack tournament play led to my laying on some nasty suckouts, so I shouldn't complain too much. Although I probably still spend too much time playing online, it is just mostly goofing around in private tournaments, sit and goes, or low limit tables. It almost seems like I have had a tough time recovering after the last Battle of the Blogger Tournaments games last spring. I just am not enjoying online play like I used to a few years ago.

A Major Change is Almost Here

However, a drastic change in my life is now less than two weeks away. I have been granted a sabbatical for the spring 2010 semester. Instead of starting it at the beginning of the semester, however, I decided to work through the end of this month so as not to leave my work colleagues in a pinch. My last day of work wil be January 29. I will then be on my own to refresh and upgrade my clinical skills through reading and workshops. I will not have to be back in the office until mid-July.

It is hard for me to even imagine what this freedom will be like. I have been in my current job for 15+ years, in my occupation for 27+. Since I worked in high school and was heavily involved in sports and worked 60-80 hours/week when on break from college, my time was always scheduled with something. The last time that I had an extended period in my life with most of the planning up to me? Try the summer after 8th grade. This will certainly be different.

I do plan on using some of this freedom to travel, maybe even play some distant poker tournaments. I might try a WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica, MS, maybe a few others. I hope to take at least one trip to Las Vegas for a seminar and hope to take a rare trip away with my wife. We are considering Hawaii, but will probably try to visit Europe again. Italy looks inviting, as does Germany. The kids are getting older, which makes getting away a lot easier.

I have registered to play in the WBCOOP PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker! You too can Play Poker Online at PokerStars.com and take part in the WBCOOP which is open to all Bloggers by registering on WBCOOP to play.

Registration code: 006671