Poker Table Update and PLO Cash Table

Eventually I’ll start a rhythm with this and show hand histories, etc. Problem being is that I’m writing on my work computer and only play at home. I’ll need to remember to send hand histories to work to review and post.

Didn’t get to play a tourney on FTP last night, but I did get in 50 odd hands on the $50 PLO table. Made a mistake in a raised pot by calling the raise from the SB after a BB raise. Granted, I was getting huge odds, but I still should have folded J5XX. Flop comes 5-5-2. I check with the intent of check-raising the BB (my favorite move), but he checks as well. Button pots it and I check-raise the button. BB folds after some thought and it’s back to the button who repots. This is where I should have gotten away from the hand. He either had a better 5 or 2-2. I repot all in and he happily calls with A-Q-5-X and rivers a Q for a boat.

Shortly after that, I run up my stack by hitting top set against a monkey who couldn’t get away from his overpair. I will happily fold overpairs postflop if I have nothing working on the flop and it amazes me that other people can’t. When you are check-raised, why would you think your K-K-Q-7 is still good on a 10 high flop? Anyway, that hand gets me ½ my buy-in back. I get the rest back on a few other hands and finish the night out up 20% of a buy-in.

On the poker table, I worked on it for about 2 hours last night and finished up the bottom of the base. Tonight I need to sand it and install the gussets which will mount the playing surface to the base. I will probably also at least draw out on the plywood the playing surface oval and as well as the rails.

Home alone tonight as the wife and kids are staying at the in-laws. If I get what I need done quickly, then I’ll probably be back playing PLO cash tonight. I’m somewhat out of my downswing and back to trending upward so we shall see how I do.

My Entry into the Blogosphere…

I had taken out this account several months ago, but had never actually written an entry. Have always been meaning to, but just never have. I’ve been following a lot of different bloggers over the past 2 years. I got wrapped into Dr. Pauly’s coverage during the 2005 WSOP. Dr. Pauly’s page got me connected with a few other pages and now my mornings at work are dedicated for about the first hour to reading the updated blogs. I’m sure my employer enjoys the decreased time of workplace productivity from my location.

I’m an intensely private person and putting myself out in front of the “public” eye is a different approach for me.

I do so mainly from the standpoint that I need to take my game to the next step as I’ve gotten rather stagnant. I’m not sure in what direction I’m going poker-wise and I need to get myself involved in a community of like minded individuals.

Funnily enough, my early entry won’t be about poker, but about the construction of my first poker table.

I had purchased the materials for it a long time ago, but through the normal course of life, my garage had been inundated with an awful lot of excess shtuff. The garage is now, almost, finally to a point where projects can be done inside it and I started this weekend on my traveling poker table, though I’m not sure how much traveling it will be doing. It’s not going to be as light as I thought.

Started on Sunday around lunch time after fixing multiple sprinkler heads that have been damaged and hadn’t noticed (as they automatically go off while I’m at work) and worked for a good 5 hours total on the base. I have decided to do a traditional Texas Hold ‘em oval table, but with a box base rather than legs. I went with the box base because I felt it would be easier to breakdown and I wanted something more than the standard folding table legs. I got the inspiration for the square box approach from this site and this gentleman’s webpage.

Now that my table saw is back in operation, I made short work of a ¾” piece of Birch Plywood and formed the 4 main pieces for the sides.

Below is the board layout

Below is what it will turn into.

As I'm a bit new to blogger, I'm not sure how to get the files to open and expand, but I'm sure I'll learn that eventually.

As of last night, the four sides were glued together using a dowel butt joint which should be strong enough for what this table goes through. Tonight, the bottom straps will be put on to ensure that the box will be level enough for the top table.

As soon as I this thing done, I’ll take some pictures of the finished product.

Again, this was supposed to be my traveling table (ie, taking it to a friend’s house), but the base alone is heavy enough to discourage that, but we’ll see how it goes.

I do intent to make more of a champion’s final table which will definitely not be moved to go anywhere.

My other issue will be determining storage for these beasts. I’ve got a couple of locations defined, but would need to rig something custom to hold them in place.

Oh, and the wife isn’t happy. Supposedly I have other projects around the house that I should get to before an unimportant topic like this. Um…. OK I’ll check into those. Really…………..

As the wife and kids are at D-land, I should be able to log some hands in on the PLO tables and maybe even jump into a Full Tilt tourney. We shall see.