Trip Report...one day at a time

Okay, so now that everyone has seen my dismal results, I guess I'll type up a small trip report, based on what I can remember, for each day I played at Commerce.

On Wednesday, the day we arrived, we got to Commerce about 7pm.

I played in a couple of one table sats for the $500 Stud event on Thursday. I was unsuccessful in both, always starting with the best hand, but being drawn out on. That is something that has tormented me in all of my satellite play and/or speedy structure tournament game from the start of my big buy-in tournament poker journey (almost one year ago).

Since I started out as a Stud cash game player, my first instinct is "tight is right." Tight always won for me before, so why fix it if it "ain't" broken? Duh, because it IS broken! In a fast tourney with no chips, just playing tight is far from right.

California has super fast structures. It is almost a crapshoot in these small STT's and even the bigger buy-in events. One doesn't have time to wait for cards or for good opportunities. We have to just get right into the fray or be blinded off. There is no middle ground.

You would think that would make the tourneys unplayable. This is not true, and if you check Commerce's results, you will see the same group of players making the money consistently in the tourneys there. Even if 200 players buy in to a Stud event, you will see the same people cashing. Is it just luck? No, if it were, then the same names wouldn't keep cropping up.

There is a way to play fast structured events, but I just haven't adjusted my strategy well enough yet.

Glenn, however, won money in both satellites he played, so I had my entry for Thursday's Stud tourney.

I met up with Max Pescatori, Charlie Shoten and Carl Frommer. I met up with many of the other circuit players and felt right at home. These guys really know how to make a warm community out of virtually nothing, and I have been consistently pleasantly surprised at the quality of friendship among the circuit players. For once in my life, I really attempt to be liked, instead of doing my usual "burning bridges" routine, lol. Sure, I'm still candid to a fault, but I truly like this large group of people I've come into contact with, and so I attempt to be friendly, while still being myself ;)

Max was relatively short stacked in Wednesday's NLHE event when I came upon him. Right as I stepped behind his chair, he was dealt pocket aces and had an all-in before him. Sweet! As a bonus, they held up and he doubled through.

Felicia :)