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January 2009 - Posts

• Strip poker at Foxwoods

  By dtools22 - Jan 31 2009, 11:14 PM

  As I said in the first blog entry I want to try and keep these as entertaining as possible.  So I figure the best way for me to do that is to share some of my funny stories from my poker career so far, and I think I have just the story to get things started off on the right foot. I typically play live cash games at Foxwoods in CT.  Usually on those trips I sit at the 4/8 limit holdem tables, partly because I think I'm above average in limit and party because I don't want to drive 70mins to the casino and lose my one bullet in just a few hands at a NL table.  The game itself is very juicy, sitting with $200 and leaving with $350-400 is not uncommon.  This is typically the stakes at which the recreational players like to just fool around for a bit.  Mix that up with the regulars and the guys coming to the table having just busted out of a different game (and are already stuck a few hundred coming in) and you have potential to see some wild personalities. One night I was sitting in the game, up probably about $100 at this point after a few hours and just then a player sits down opposite me at the table (I was seat 3 he was seat 7).  I recognize him from previous sessions as a weak player and notice him buy in for $100.  Quick visual for you, this guy is probably 5'8"ish and if I had to set a line for an over/under I'd say he's about 340lbs.  He’s also wearing a pretty stained, grey T-shirt and some beat up jeans.  Not the personal-fitness/hygiene type.  Anyway as expected he starts playing very aggro and not particularly well.  Blows through his first $100 pretty fast, a good chunk of it to me, and reloads another $100. At this point I'm noticing something I hadn't before, something seems to be wrong with this guy.  I'm sure everyone has experiences with people who are just off a bit, not playing with a full deck so to speak.  These people don't talk much, and when they do finally speak up it's clear why they shouldn’t.  This guy clearly had never really learned how to socialize with people and it showed.  It seemed to me like he was on some kind of medication, not that there is anything wrong with that.  However, it was as if he was being medicated for ADD and was artificially mellowed out a bit. This was probably my best read of the night.  Sure enough after about 2 hours of play he hits the felt.  He then very politely taps the table, says nice hand and good luck to everyone, and then gets up.  The only problem is his jeans decided not to come with him.  There he was, standing in the poker room, jeans at his ankles, wearing a pair of stained and disgusting looking tighy-whiteys that were SCREAMING under the stress of this man’s waste.  It was as though this man had somehow been mechanically placed into these briefs and they were now permanently fastened to his skin.  The whole scene was like a bad car crash, it’s horrifying but you can’t stop staring at the carnage.  After what had to have been the longest 2-3 seconds of all our lives at that table (not to mention the guy in seat 8 who was eye level with what must have been some funky smelling junk) the man very casually put his pants back on as though nothing had happened and walked away holding them up. I was in such disbelief at this point I turned to the player on my left and asked, “Did that really just happen?”  Almost immediately after I asked that the guy in seat 8 gagged on the lingering smell.  I began laughing hysterically after that.  A profitable night and a good story, can’t ask for much more than that. 4 Comments on this post. Click here to post a comment.




• The beginning of a poker career

  By dtools22 - Jan 29 2009, 06:33 PM

  Hey everyone.  My name is Steven DiTullio, I am a junior in college at WPI, and I want to become a professional poker player...same old story right?  I've trolled the forums pleanty over the past few years and it always seems someone will post something relating to this.  "Should I drop-out of school?", "When do you know that you're good enough?", "What do you need to make a year to be a professional?" and dozens more titles just like these litter the forums and are constantly being recycled over and over.  Well, I'm not ashamed to admit these are not thoughts far from my own mind and since I've turned 21 it's been harder and harder to say no.  After some thinking I've decided to give this a shot, throw my hat and the ring, and become a professional poker player. Let me clear up two things right from the get go 1) I have no intention of dropping out of school. 2) This blog is not going to become a "how to become a pro" lesson. I want to do this blog simply because I know there are many others just like me that would love to take a shot and if they miss so what.  They can always go back to grinding away at life until the next opportunity comes, that's half the fun of being young right?  Well I feel like this is my time to gamble, sort of.  My online BR is at roughly $300, add in another $200 or so for live play and you have my "taking a shot" cash.  I play many games other than holdem (Razz being one of my favs) and I am no stranger to MTTs, SNGs, or cash games.  I want to take this journey into the realm of a professional and I want to take anyone else along for the ride with me.  I don't think I'm there yet, I certainly don't expect to be the next poker overnight hit, but I feel as though this is something I need to do for me. The past 2 years have been pretty shitty to say the least.  Early 2007 I was having trouble adjusting to the college life, was having relationship issues with my girlfriend, and then I got the news before class one morning that my grandmother had a stroke and had to be rushed to the hospital.  My world jumped from just being a little uncomfortable to completely turning on it's head.  She was in a coma right up until we pulled the plug on Sept 17th.  My grandfather was heartbroken.  You often see movies now where the grief of losing a spouse is so great that the person simply can't live without them and just let's there own life go.  My grandfather stayed around long enough to settle his estate, make sure his wife was buried properly, then he too let go on Dec 25th 2007. Three weeks or so before he died I remember him telling me to just live your life and let your abilities take you wherever they might.  He never really knew how seriously I took the game of poker, but just him saying that made me feel like he understood  That's what I feel I'm doing now.  I'm going to take poker more seriously and give this everything I have.  If I fail so be it, but life is just too short not to try. If you want to come on this journey with me you are more than welcome to.  I will try my best to get a few of these up every week.  Eventually I want to get a video blog going as well just to make this a bit more personal and to put a face to the name.  I also would like these to be somewhat entertaining and light-hearted so if you read it and think I'm dragging, let me know.  I want people to see who I am and I'd like to think it's someone who is funny rather than stoic.  In short, this is who I am, this is what I do, this is what I want to become, and that is what this blog is going to be about.  Good luck everyone, and I'll see you at the tables. 25 Comments on this post. Click here to post a comment.