I've been playing a bit more this month, not only here in Tucson, but also visiting the poker rooms at the Wild Horse Pass Casino and Casino Arizona. The Wild Horse is located just south of Phoenix off Interstate 10. Casino Arizona has two locations (I saw two anyway) and the one I played in was located on Indian Bend Road at Loop 101 in Scottsdale.

The poker room at the Casino Arizona is huge. I played on a Saturday night and they had over 50 tables going, spreading every game imaginable at various stakes. It's a non-smoking room, a plus, and very roomy. The Wild Horse is a smoke-fest, however. I signed a petition to turn the room smoke-free, so I imagine it will become a non-smoking room soon. I played on a Friday night and coughed my way through a haze of smoke to make some nice money (the players at my particular table were horrible).

I was going over my recent play and trying to figure out the leaks I have in my game. What I came up with was this:

1. I try to buy too many pots, hoping my opponents will fold. I've got to remember that at the lower limits most players are either a.) too poor a player to know they are supposed to fold, or b.) don't mind spending a small amount of money chasing after a miracle. I've been too aggressive trying to buy pots from bad players. Therefore, to correct the leak, I will check or fold on the river when I'm beaten rather than try to aggressively buy the pot.

2. This is related to number one above: I've got to know when I'm beaten and be willing to fold. I don't "chase" after miracle cards. I use pot odds, implied odds, and pot equity help determine when to seek a river card. However, I sometimes try to push my luck and think my hand is stronger than it really is. I need to do a reality check on the turn and river and ask myself, "Is this hand really that strong?"

3. I need to count the number of bets in a hand more consistently. Sometimes I get lazy and generally know how much money is in the pot, but I need to accurately count the number of bets and pay more attention to pot size. Counting bets (instead of figuring dollar amounts) is the best approach because this skill can easily be transferred to higher limit games without any trouble. I count the number of small bets preflop and on the flop. Then convert them (divide by two) into the number of big bets for the turn and river. When I'm not in a hand, I practice accurately counting the bets and congratulate myself by telling the winner, "Hey, nice pot...you just won $74!"

4. This leak is probably my worst: I have a big mouth. I've got to watch my attitude and mouth, especially when I lose to a bad player who has just sucked out to crack my Aces. I must control my emotions and my tongue. No one likes a sore loser or sour attitude. I don't want to be a Phil Hellmuth disciple and have people despise me. Most people don't mind losing to someone they like. I want to be liked so bad players will continue to give me money and not feel bad about it.

5. In general, I need to be more aggressive with raises preflop. The value you receive by raising rather than calling makes aggresive play more profitable. Most limpers will call a raise, so you can easily double the preflop pot size by just raising one bet. The one problem to avoid, however, is to build such a huge pot that you price players in who have straight and flush draws. There's a balance to be found there, somewhere. For example, if I've got suited cards and want to justify chasing a flush, a preflop raise may be a good idea. Raising for one bet with six limpers automatically guarantees that you have seven big bets in the pot preflop. On the other hand, if I have KK or AA, I may want to just call rather than raise. Playing "small" preflop with monsters will delay the pot odds for anyone looking to hit a straight or flush with their connectors and suited cards. With position postflop, maybe you can force players with draws out of the hand with a two bet reraise.

Marathon Session and My First Milestone

mile·stone, –noun
1. a stone functioning as a milepost.
2. a significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation, etc.: Her getting the job of supervisor was a milestone in her career. (from dictionary.com)

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I played an 11-hour session yesterday and surpassed my first real milestone in this game: I have now played more than 1,000 hours of poker in live in a casino setting, primarily small stakes limit hold'em.

I once heard a professional player say that a person needs at least 3,000 hours of live play before considering themselves a serious player. So, I guess I'm one-third of a serious player...working my way to that 3,000 hours milestone.

When I sat down at the table yesterday at the Casino del Sol in Tucson, I had played 994 hours since I began tracking my sessions on a spreadsheet back in July, 2006. I needed six hours to surpass the 1,000-hour mark. The clock said it was 12:10 p.m. when I began...therefore, at 6:10 p.m. last night, January 4, 2008, I hit the 1,000-hour mark.

As I look at my spreadsheet, I see I have played 1,005 hours. This does not include the hours I've played online, though I no longer play online because it's too boring. Online poker gave me a way to learn the game, and I tracked over 12,000 hands online dating back to 2005. But I have no desire to sit alone in a room and play online poker ever again. I love sitting in a room full of players, the noise of chips riffling in the air, dealers joking around. Poker in its most vital, symbolic and purist form is played in a social context. A poker room with all of it's atmosphere and characters and silliness is what real poker is all about.

After 1,005 hours of play, I've logged the following stats:
*99 winning sessions, 118 losing sessions: a total of 217 sessions with a 45.6% winning rate.

My goal is to hit the 2,000-hour milestone this year. To play 1,000 hours I'll have to average 19-20 hours a week. By this time next year, I hope to see improvement in my hourly win rate. After all, the idea is to become a better player. Experience is the best teacher.

Concerning my 11-hour session last night, here's an exerpt from my session notes:

I played well for the most part. Just had no cards at all. I was tired late and got grumpy…began to complain a bit when beat…must keep a check on my emotions and not berate or complain or gripe…even when I get tired. If I start to bitch and gripe, it's a sign to think about quitting. I bought in for a total of $250, and actually was back up to about $235 late...very up and down. I could not gain any momentum. Missed flops, lousy starting hands, and others sucking out to beat me. Just one of those days.

Wanted: Working Title for New Novel

Now that I've decided on a novel project, I need a working title. I suppose I could call it Southwest Novel Number 1. That seems appropriate and descriptive. For computer files and such I need to call it something.

I've yet to construct a suitable outline, though I do know the setting, time, and an idea of the main characters. The novel will concern the lives of three brothers living in New Mexico and Arizona during the 1860s, with the Civil War, Indian uprisings, the Overland Trail, and Catholic missions in the mix. I'm currently involved in the research phase, so the novel is a fuzzy image with few details.

I'll be tracking my progress here, so keep in touch. I'll post updates and be seeking suggestions along the way.

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I can't think of a better time of year to start a writing project. The winter months lend themselves to indoor activities, although here in Tucson that's not the case. The winter months in Tucson are for the outdoors, with milder temperatures and little or no rain.

I'll be staying in the Tucson area for quite a while. I've much to do, researching the history of this area during the Civil War era. I've got the University of Arizona's library at my disposal.