While I’ve been here, I’ve been playing the occasional Sit N’ Go, and I managed my very first tournament win!  Granted, it was a $3.40 buy-in multi-table, but hey, winning is winning.  I’ve found the Sit N’ Go to be my bread and butter while I’m away from the poker room, and while it’s not big money, it’s income, and as I increase my bankroll, I slowly increase the amount I go in on.

I’ve hit a couple of bad beats, and more than few strokes of great luck, but I’m out on top so far and working my way up the food chain.  Hopefully, the next time I write, I might be buying in for $15 and winning a couple hundred.  Now that’s  nothing to scoff at.

I didn’t head to Derby Lane, though, I decided instead to take on low stakes Poker Stars for a bit of fun.  Sometimes nothing beats lounging on the couch, watching some TV for background noise, eating Chinese (leftovers coming in handy now), and enjoying a quiet game of poker.  But, allow me to be over analytical.

Much like social networking, online poker takes something away from the game while giving it more accessibility to the masses.  It takes away the human presence.  Now, I can’t speak for all tables.  Perhaps there is more socialization, or even just slight human interaction, at the higher stakes, but from what I’ve experienced, online poker is very mechanical.

There are no chips to flip, no one to relate to.  No eyes to watch, or outbursts to laugh at.  It has no personality.  Some see this as a boon, but to me it’s the reason I don’t care to play via LCD.  I’m a people person, and I try to keep that from affecting my game, which it may, but I’m willing to sacrifice that for sitting down with a table of fellow human beings and enjoying our rounds of poker play.

I had played my game of no-limit hold ‘em in one casino near my home in Kentucky for my 21st birthday. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, and it didn’t help that I really had no idea what I was doing at the time. Walking into the poker room at Derby Lane, I was impressed. There were no clouds of smoke, no abrasive staff, and the folks there made it easy for me to acclimate to the brick & mortar scene. I took my $40 buy-in, sat down at the $1/$1 table, and knew that this was going to be my preferred place of business.

Jack 5 was dealt to me on my very first hand. I typically always play my first hand (at least on cash tables) just for the heck of it. The table observes its opponent, a trifecta of fishiness: young, dumb, and reckless. The table calls, the flop reveals, Jack 5 and something else I obviously didn’t remember out of sheer amazement at my luck. I bet a small amount. I am raised. I call hoping for the best, and in a couple of minutes, I’ve doubled my buy in and won more money at a $1/$1 table than I have in my entire career on PokerStars. The rest of the night went pretty well, and I met some great people along the way. I played a tournament earlier this week, and will be back again week.  Well done, Derby Lane. You have me hook, line, and sinker.

Here I’ll tell you my latest stories, of which I already have a few in the chamber, and give you the advice I learn for myself along the way. I’ll keep it light, comical, and concise as a long winded individual such as myself can.

With all that said, keep playing, keep learning, and keep your head on straight.