. . . from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee.
Herman Melville-Moby Dick
I had a last hurrah at Party Poker this evening. I stood at the edge of the cliff and dared the fates to knock me off.
It actually started over the weekend. To my way of thinking, there was no point in chipping away at pots only to see a small gain any more. Over the long run, sure. But as far as online poker goes, the long run is over. I decided to make a dash for the finish line or go bust trying - and I nearly did.
I absolutely, without a doubt, did not have the bankroll to attempt what I did. And I absolutely, without a doubt, do NOT recommend anyone attempt to do what I did.
Over the weekend, I blew a decent gain at 5/10. But, thanks to Congress, time was running out and I was determined to cash out at better than even. So. I sucked it up and sat down at a 10/20 table. I managed to repair most of the damage I'd done at 5/10 by the time I wearied and needed to quit. I was down less than $100 for the session.
Today, in the wake of democracy at work over the weekend and with all the fury about Party Poker in motion to ban U.S. accounts, I got fuming mad. That's when I decided it was all or nothing. I resolved that when I got home today, I was going to have a party at Party, one last run for the gold.
Not a real smart thing to do. That said though, I ended up having THE most profitable session ever. At 10/20. And I was nearly to the felt before I dug in and turned it around. I played cards. Hardcore, ass-busting cards. Something clicked and I found a groove. It's never been that good, and I expect it never will be again. I stopped just short of a $1K gain when the table broke up.
I dumped 96 cents to a player at a no-limit table - better a player get the change then it remain in the Party coffers - then cashed out.
Toward the end of the session I joined the weekly Hoy tourney and managed to get to the final table in that one. I ended at seventh - two out of the money. It was thoroughly enjoyable and the company stellar. I cashed all but $11 out of Poker Stars - leaving me enough for one last Wheatie tomorrow. That leaves me with a few dollars at Full Tilt and $3.15 at Empire I will never be able to get out (unless I risk depositing $50 to cash out $53).
I'm holding out some hope that this infingement on my freedoms will get repealed sooner than later. But, friends, I'm not holding my breath. Fortunately, there's live poker in Oklahoma - something which was unimaginable only a couple of short years ago. Oklahoma is experiencing a casino boom - we are close to having as many as there are in Las Vegas. There's a casino 10 minutes from my doorstep and with my online bankroll safely back in my bank account, I reckon I'll be spending a lot more time there.
So much for my retirement... der.
