Pickett Simpson

Some Sunday million hands

I played the Sundy million today and didn't do very well. I lost a few 50/50s but I also played very differently. In the beginning my aggression was not paying off, so I switched to a more loose-passive game. After this tourney I think I'll try to avoid this kind of play from now until forever. Here are just a few hands for your reading pleasure.


Seat 4: Trunkmonkee (9925 in chips)
Seat 8: Jdubtd10 (10000 in chips)
Seat 9: PunkyPickle (10000 in chips)
ragweed147: posts small blind 25
Jdubtd10: posts big blind 50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PunkyPickle [Ad Td]
PunkyPickle: calls 50
ForeverDean: folds
mick69b: folds
BonesMaster: folds
Trunkmonkee: calls 50
akia86: folds
Ezu1: folds
ragweed147: folds
Jdubtd10: checks
*** FLOP *** [7s Ah 2s]
Jdubtd10: checks
PunkyPickle: bets 125
Trunkmonkee: calls 125
Jdubtd10: calls 125
*** TURN *** [7s Ah 2s] [3c]
Jdubtd10: checks
PunkyPickle: bets 350
Trunkmonkee: calls 350
Jdubtd10: raises 350 to 700
PunkyPickle: calls 350
Trunkmonkee: calls 350
*** RIVER *** [7s Ah 2s 3c] [Kh]
Jdubtd10: bets 1200
PunkyPickle: folds
Trunkmonkee: folds
Jdubtd10 collected 2650 from pot

- AT is my least favorite hand. I think it may be my all-time money loser. I limped UTG because quite frankly I'm afraid of the hand. I didn't want to raise with it in case I got reraised, but limping here is pretty weak too. I should probably just start folding AT all the time and save myself a lot of grief.



Seat 5: akia86 (9750 in chips)
Seat 9: PunkyPickle (10625 in chips)
Trunkmonkee: posts small blind 50
akia86: posts big blind 100
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PunkyPickle [Jc Td]
Ezu1: folds
ragweed147: folds
Jdubtd10: folds
PunkyPickle: calls 100
ForeverDean: folds
mick69b: folds
BonesMaster: folds
Trunkmonkee: calls 50
akia86: raises 300 to 400
PunkyPickle: calls 300
Trunkmonkee: folds
*** FLOP *** [4c 9c 8c]
akia86: bets 600
PunkyPickle: calls 600
*** TURN *** [4c 9c 8c] [Jh]
akia86: bets 1300
PunkyPickle: raises 1300 to 2600
akia86: calls 1300
*** RIVER *** [4c 9c 8c Jh] [2s]
akia86: checks
PunkyPickle: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
akia86: shows [Ah Qc] (high card Ace)
PunkyPickle: shows [Jc Td] (a pair of Jacks)
PunkyPickle collected 7300 from pot

- Obviously limp-calling with JTo is pretty loose but I felt good about the hand. When Akia raised I put him on two overs and figured I could outplay him in position. I'm really pleased with how I played this hand although it's one of the strangest hands I've ever played.



Seat 5: dvash9 (11155 in chips)
Seat 9: PunkyPickle (15991 in chips)
Jdubtd10: posts small blind 300
PunkyPickle: posts big blind 600
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to PunkyPickle [Ah Ts]
ForeverDean: folds
magetzu: folds
UB_Bone: folds
Trunkmonkee: folds
dvash9: raises 1200 to 1800
TheDna: folds
mrsmontal: folds
Jdubtd10: folds
PunkyPickle: calls 1200
*** FLOP *** [Ac 7s 4h]
PunkyPickle: checks
dvash9: bets 600
PunkyPickle: raises 1200 to 1800
dvash9: raises 7555 to 9355 and is all-in
PunkyPickle: calls 7555
*** TURN *** [Ac 7s 4h] [8h]
*** RIVER *** [Ac 7s 4h 8h] [2c]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
PunkyPickle: shows [Ah Ts] (a pair of Aces)
dvash9: shows [4c Ad] (two pair, Aces and Fours)
dvash9 collected 22610 from pot

- The damn AT again! I HATE this hand! I called thinking he had something weak like KJ or KQ. When the flop came and he bet the min I reR to 1800 because I wanted him to push over the top all in on a bluff. When he did it though, I got a really bad feeling. Before I thought he was on a bluff but now I couldn't decide. I ended up calling and being in pretty bad shape. I think the best move was probably to either reR or fold preflop and avoid all the trouble.

I was down to 4700 after that and went out soon after with Q7s on the button. The SB happened to have 99 and it was goodnight Pickle.

Book Update

Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten.

- Natasha Bedingfield, "Unwritten"


I've finished writing the book and now I'm in the process of editing. I haven't even looked at the beginning of my story in so long that it feels like revisiting an old friend. Sometimes I've surprised myself at how much I enjoy what I've written. Other times I feel really sorry for myself because the writing is so terrible that I doubt I'll have a chance at getting this bad boy published. But one thing that I hold forefront in my mind is something another writer once told me: write every day, even if it's no good. Sometimes it's just vomit on a page, but at least it's out there. That's what I did. Now I have to clean up the vomit.

The plot's out there, everything is outlined. I'm fixing up the poor writing and trying to put the soul into the characters and into the book.

I imagine that I'll have a hard time finishing the book. There will always be room for improvements, I know, so I just have to make the decision to set it down and go with what I've got at some point. I've been working on this book since senior year of college, so it will be hard to put it out there if I'm not 100% happy with it. But I guess that's why people write sequels, right? ;)