Reno Grinder

Where Am I Now

2011-07-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

The internet is down and I got a job. The interesting part is that I moved to Las Vegas. Yes there are real jobs here and I have one.

I am playing more and more which is good and bad. I told myself I was going to get a life but I am not making enogh money at my job to pay all my bills and still have fun. So back to the tables for some extra cash.

It has been working so far but I haven't been keeping track to know exactly how much or little I am making. A friend keeps bugging me so I am breaking down and doing starting it today.

The games are obviously good and when I loose it is more my fault then bad cards. I get bored or anxious at the table and just give some or all my chips away. I regret it in the morning but it is to late. I am my own worst enemy.

My plan to control myself is my ipod and limiting my sessions. If I am totaly card dead I can get the internet on my ipod to read and keep me awake. I may miss some stuff but not as much as you would think since Live play is so much slower.

I will also limit my sessions to between 2 and 4 hrs. When I play after work 2 to 2.5 hrs is plenty before I start to fall apart. Just because I have been up since 6:30am and I am getting tired by 9:30pm. I should be awake at work anyway. On the weekends I will have to be honest with myself and take walks or change casinos. If I am card dead a change is what I need anyway.

I will see how this goes. I like to plan but I know it never works in poker. I read my old posts and chuckle at myself. I just can't help it. It is what I do.

Its Working

2010-06-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am making progress. I have always worked better under pressure. I have been getting 3k - 5k hands in per day on the internet, and yes, some hands at the casino.

My new casino strategy is almost a hit and run mentality. I figured the slow pace of play dictates you are either catching cards or not. I have tried waiting it out but it takes to much time for the cards to turn. (12hrs + ) So I go for 3hrs, or 90 hands, and walk.

Most days I make 50 - 100 and then like yesterday I get paid off and make 400. I realized I should be happy with the small days. I have learned poker is not get rich quick but a slow and steady accumulation of small wins supplemented by big ones.

Besides, a run to the casino in the middle of the day is a great excuse to take a break and ride my motorcycle. And immediate cash in my hands is nice too.

Putting all My Eggs in the Internet

2010-06-14T23:42:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I will play 99% on the internet. Live play has become to slow and time consuming. Travel time to and from the casino, along with the 30 hands per hr that you see, has lost its appeal. Even at micro stakes, I can make just as much without leaving home.

Besides, I am tired of watching the most clueless playes win massive pots with J4o.

Last Try

2010-05-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have 6 weeks of unemployment left, so I have 6 weeks of trying left. After that, poker will be down graded to a hobby.

I have learned alot in the last couple of months to sharpen my game. The most important one being, I learned to lose or give up. My opponents aren't all idiots, and even if they are, they mostly re raise or check raise when they have a monster hand. Although this is not true Live. I folded twice and the idiots were true idiots and I folded the best hand.

I cured myself of my chronic fatigue by watching House MD and confirming it with Web MD. One of his patients had chronic fatigue and they said it was from low potassium due to drinking excessive water. My doctor put me on diuretics which caused me to drink large amounts of water, flushing out potassium. More commonly known as an electrolyte. I started taking more vitamins with great results. I also lost a little confidence in my Doctor.

Lastly, I am doing a new hit and run strategy for live games. 2 hrs and I am off to a different casino. Once I hit $200 up of down, I am done for the day. More then that I get bored and start making mistakes. I blame this on multi tabling. I know this is weak but I have to build my bank roll. So bank roll management takes precedence over maximizing profits for now.

Can't Give it Up

2010-03-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

I am still playing and still treading water. My live play is making me just enough to get by and my internet play is sinking.

I feel that I reached a new understanding and comfort level of the game but the results don't show it. I have a superiority complex along with greed and a desire to win every pot I enter. I am finding my self trying to run over games with marginal hands and going all in when my gut is telling me I am beat.

I am going to slow it down and look at it from a different point of view. I am going to respect my opponents play and think of the hand as a puzzle. I will think before I push the button and trust my instinct. If I fold the best hand, so be it. I know I can play better and I am determined to prove it with results.

I am starting from the bottom so up is the only way I can go.

Amazing Night

2009-12-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

My December results were saved last night in 4 hours. That is how long it took me to bust the big stack at the table and a lady that knew very little about poker but kept rebuying.

Most of the fun and money came from the lady. She would call any preflop raise and call to the river to see who won. She called two all ins preflop and won with a pair of sevens when AK struck out. I would then swoop in and bust her in a hand or two.

The big stack was just frustrated. He was running good catching cards and building a big stack. His rush was over by the time I sat down. He tried to bluff me in a big pot and chased many small pots throughout the session. The final hand was just tilt. I made the Ace high straight on the river and bet 8 into a small pot. It was raised to 20 by the guy to my left and the big stack called. I bumped it to 60 and the guy to my left folded. The big stack announces he is behind and pushes all-in. I figured we had the same hand and called. He never showed and I took down, the now, big pot.

My rush started to slow down after 4 hours. My flush lost to a rivered full house and I started to get really garbage hands. Then a very good and aggressive player sat down and I started to fear for my stack. I tightened up but was also getting tired. I learned the hard way that playing scared and tired is the way to go bust, so I racked up a once in a six month session.

Day Off for Evaluation

2009-12-15T00:49:00.000-08:00

It has been bad in every way. I played bad, ran bad, felt bad, and almost lost it all. I needed a day off.

I should have taken a day off sooner and saved alot of money, but until you hit bottom there is no reason. I hit bottom today and came to the conclusion I need a job. I will wait until next year but I will start looking with more vigor. I will continue playing since I won't get a job right away. I just don't think I am able to make a go of it. I still need time to develop my game without the pressure of going broke and homeless if I don't. I don't have the money or skill behind me to make it work.

I will keep up the drive until I get a job and continue blogging when I do. I won't get a job right away, so there is still a small chance it will work. I just feel the pressure is off now that I made the decision to get a job.

In the end I found myself taking risks because I needed to win. I learned the hard way that you can't control the cards. You have to except you can't win this hand and move on to the next one.

Coming to an End

2009-12-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

My game has improved by leaps and bounds but it still may not be enough. My time is running out and I am starting to think more about getting a jjjjob. That was hard to say.

I still have two months left so I plan to make the most of them. I plan on ten tabling all day and then going to the casino all night. I don't want to play until the sun comes up because it takes to long to recover afterwards. I think it is more profitable to get sleep and play rested.

My last big leak is paying off sets with big pairs. I feel like I am playing weak if I don't commit but I lose more often then not. So money is winning over ego. This is reversed live. I folded a few time live only to find out that I would have doubled up. It is very player dependant and I have to size them up faster and more accurate. All I can do in the mean time is to compensate the swings with more hands.

I should have better results this month as I put everything I learned together. Already I made the list of top winners for the day at Poker Table Ratings.com. Granted it was at 2am but I was in the top half.

Best Made Goals

2009-11-18T19:00:00.000-08:00

Running bad, playing bad, miss all goals. Need I say more.

I was humming along winning steady and then nothing seemed to work anymore. I was getting beat and loosing money. I slowed it down but I am still scratching my head at what went wrong.

Some leaks are easy to find but hard to plug. I counted 6 really bad plays one day that cost me alot of money. I told myself to never to that again but I watched myself do it 3 times the next day. I guess it is an improvement but what am I thinking. I am embarrassed to describe the plays they are that bad. If it wasn't for rakeback I would be down twice as much. Fulltilt threw in a bonus to boot.

On the positive side, I bought a new computer for my birthday and Christmas present. I must have been good because the computer is great. I was using a laptop with an external monitor and it couldn't keep up all the time. The new one doesn't break a sweat.

I am able to use my bigger monitors and 10 table, my graphics card is better and doesn't crash, and with dual processors things pop up instantly. 10 tables really improve the hands per hour, rakeback and points. To early to tell if it helps my win rate.(right now, no)

I am stubborn, so I am still plugging away. This downswing is normal and I am still getting use to my new set up. I hope.

Last Half of Oct. and Monthly Summary

2009-11-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

Do to travel and self pity doing my taxes, I only played 8 days in the last two weeks of Oct. My online play is coming together mustering up $333.53 with rake back. Live I made $1,214. This includes a a bad session in the last days of the month.

Looking back over the month the money I made on the Internet was very promising. Not only the amount, but the fact that I am making money. My hard work is starting to pay off.

Live, I think I just ran into a run of bad cards. I made some moves that didn't work and not recognizing the differences from online play. I would feel great after a winning session on the Internet and play the same way live. I would get killed not adjusting to the change in players. You have to show down the best hand live. They won't fold if they have a 1% chance of winning.

My goals for November: Reach bankroll goal and start taking shots at .5/1. Make list of top winners at .25/.5 on Poker Table Ratings.com. This may be only up to half the month because I expect to start taking shots at .5/1 by the 16th. Lastly, play more hands. I should be able to get 2k to 4k hands per day depending on which days I play live.

My casino goals are just to play disciplined show down poker. Value betting my made hands and folding long shot draws. Doing these things well and the money will come.

The end of the week brings in a WSOP circuit event to Tahoe. There should be lots of action that I may miss out on due to my bankroll or lack of. I have 5 days to build it up but action will be hard to find.

Doing all of these things this month will mean I only play poker. I have nothing else to do so I just need to not wast time.

Traveling

2009-10-28T08:25:00.000-07:00

Got one of those dreaded phone calls that a family member may not make it. So on a moments notice I was on a plane heading to Pennsylvania. My grandmother was not doing well and as my last living grandparent I wanted to see her. She contracted an infection and at 89.5 it caused confusion.

To a point it was funny listening to her mix up dates, events, and people, but at the same time it showed she was not doing well. She lives with my aunt, her daughter, and she did not know her. She was the woman that operated the nursing home, prison, or communist state, depending on how confused my grandmother was at the time.

She recognized me when I went in her bedroom but didn't know how long they would let me stay. Visiting hours and all. Later she wouldn't realize who my father was or when he died. He is her son and he was watching TV on the couch. She later commented that we all looked alike. I guess family does look alike. The antibiotics where working and she was getting better.

After visiting grammy I went to AC and the Borgata. I arrived around 7pm Thursday and jumped into a 2/5 NL game. As usually the locals tried to push the tourist around so I folded many of my hands. They were very aggressive betting large amounts with air or at best a draw.

I picked up a few small pots until I got 88 in the SB. I called 5 limpers and the BB checked. The flop was 998. I flopped a fullhouse and not wanting it to check around I bet 20 into a 35 pot. The BB called and everyone else folded. The turn was a 6 and I bet 40. The BB raised to 140 and I pushed for 300 more, all of his chips.

I could have played this a little slower but I didn't want 93o to beat me without paying so my plan was to get the money in. The BB tanked, called my hand, and asked if I would show. "I don't show sir." He called with a straight and I won another 250 or so. +400

Another player said he had 66 and would have pushed his fullhouse if I didn't bet the flop. This is an argument for slow playing but would I have gotten both to push all in. With a paired board and 3 players the straight would have dropped out and I would have won about the same amount. By betting I think I reduce those bad beats that are worse because you think you slowplaying allow him to stay in.

I won with AA also but I don't like the way I played it. I was getting tired and bored from the drive and jet lag. I was the BB and the button raised to 20. The sb completed and I only raised to 50. Both called and we saw a flop of KQJ 2 spades. I didn't have the A of spades and bet out 60. The btn raised to 120 and the sb folded. I was now in a bad spot and he had 350 left.

He was not a donk but could min raise anything. AK, AQ, KQ, of 2 spades were real possibilities. So I declared I screwed up and pushed 500. He folded what he said was AK. +650

I went card dead after this and donked off 150 before calling it a night. The next day I played in 4hr stretches and won during all 3. I made 650 in the morning, 50 in the afternoon and then 130 in the evening. I don't remember any more hands just being card dead. My morning win was flopping a set over set and a few standard hands then later I was just card dead.

The night session was a little exciting. My first hand I am sat next to the big stack of 2500 and dealt JJ. I raised to 25 and got 3 callers including the big stack. I bet 35 on a board of 895 two hearts and got raised to 135 by the big stack. It was folded around to me and I pushed my 400 starting stack into the middle. The big stack called with an open ended str8 flush draw and got a flush on the river.

I changed seats to get away from the big stack and rebought 300. With QTs I called a 10 straddle along with 6 other players and the bb raised it to 50. Everyone called so I did too. The flop came Q high so I bet out 50 as a blocking bet. The BB and big stack called. The turn was another spade so I bet my last 200 on the Q with str8 and flush draws and the bb called. The BB showed AQ and I said I got outs. The river was a spade and I announced that was one of them.

Almost even now I was feeling better. The BB was still taking about the hand and pointed out that I had a straight flush. I didn't know. I just knew I had a flush and was good. I won a few more small pots to finish up for the session and went to bed.

I had to be at a family gathering Sat. at noon so I had to leave as soon as I woke up. Over all the short side trip cost me 300 and I won 1300. It was worth the trip but I think one more day would have paid for the whole trip back east. One tip. If you don't stay at the Borgata, which is expensive, keep your parking receipts. They charge $5 to park and you can use the receipt if you leave to take a nap and come back. I learned this late and paid for it.

My results aren't there due to the traveling but on line I lost -35, including rakeback, and live I won 1,657. Taking time off is expensive. There are a few days left in the month that I plan to make the best of.

Down and Out

2009-10-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

I put off my income tax return until the last minute because I knew I owed them money. I made a big payment awhile back but I still owed more. This really stressed me out. I played like crap trying to win money and I just felt like a lump of coal. I ended up taking 5 days off doing nothing.

Knowing I had to get it done I jumped in and cleaned my apartment. Love to procrastinate. With a clean place to work I sat down and did my taxes. I owed more then I thought but I bit the bullet and wrote the check. As always, I felt better once it was done and am now working on getting my money back.

I figured out how to grind on-line. I made up all the losses for the month and all the previous months since I started my new data base. On my way to get all my poker losses back since I started playing. With rakeback I am up 605.91 for the week. Live I dropped the ball and lost -590.00.

I know just reading results is boring for the reader but it keeps me focused. I will make more interesting posts starting in November.

First Week in October

2009-10-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

Nothing new just the same old story. I am in a rut going round in a circle. I have good days and bad, but not enough of either to define a direction.

Even if I just lost, I would know to give it up and go in a new direction and get on with my life. The trouble is, that I win enough to keep the dream alive. If I can only get over a few bad habits I could make this work.

Well, I still have time to figure it out so I keep plugging away at it. Basically a break even week with dreams of winning next week.

September Results

2009-10-01T10:19:00.001-07:00

The month is over and the totals are in. I didn't reach any of my goals. What a great way to start.

The totals are +1,495 live and 99.14 on-line for a combined total of 1,594.14. I actually lost -210.28 with regular play but the rake back of 309.42 put me over the top.

Not the best month financially but I made huge strides in my game. The last week pulled my numbers up to where they are. I am excited about October and think it will be a huge step forward toward reaching my goals. My situation has been extended for 2 months so I am going to ride this train to the end.

I worked hard on my game in September and I continue to do so. Some key pieces fell into place the last week and that is what I think will make the difference going forward.

Week 4 Results

2009-09-29T11:04:00.000-07:00

On-line I won $138.92 + rakeback of 59.68= 198.60 and live I won $345.

I had downswings in both formats, more so Live. There was a rich business man in town from San Fransisco so I played a couple of days of 3/5 NL. Of course I was card dead for most of those sessions and that created bigger losses. I even played 10 hrs one day to even out the bad luck but it wasn't enough.

The part that I am up beat about is how I turned it around. A few more things clicked in my head and I had 3 days of great results because of it. Its not new information but a new way for me to think about it.

I tried to win every hand that I entered. This could be devastating if the villain got lucky on me. I started to think about the bigger picture. Doyle Brunson has described poker as war, so I started to think of the hands as battles and the session as the war. This allowed me to give up on more hands.

I knew all the poker reasons to give up on a hand but I never truly accepted them as say "morally" correct. Its like leaving a wounded man behind in real war. You know you shouldn't risk the whole platoon to save 1 man, but you really want to. Your training tells you to pull back, re-group, and counter attack. You take on the enemy on your terms, not theirs.

Poker can be the same way. By leaving behind a few chips in a pot, you can wait for a better hand to stack them with. You keep yourself in the game by waiting until you are more confident about your hand.

I have also found that by folding those hands, it lulled my enemy into thinking I was weak tight. This would get me the extra action I needed to not only make up the previous loss but also make a profit.

My results are still preliminary do to the sample size so this next week will be a better test. If my result continue I will be confident I am on my way to poker riches. Just kidding. Any profit will be nice.

Tilt

2009-09-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is not a story of me going on tilt but another player.

I was running good on Saturday and no matter what I played I seemed to win. They were small pots but people started to stay away from me. Then this hand happened.

It was folded to me in late position so I raised it to $6. This is a tiny raise in a live game but I only had A5o. The big blind was the only caller. The flop was 678 rainbow. Checked to me I bet $10, he called. The turn was a 10. I bet $15, he called. The river was the 9.

Both of us were talking during the whole hand and I didn't even realize there was a straight on the board. Thinking there was just four to the straight I didn't bet the river. I just disappointingly flipped over my hand and announce "I got the bottom end of the straight".

The other player winced and threw his hand on the table. Only one card turned face up and he reached out and turned it face down and mucked it. Just at that moment the guy to my left yells out "what are you doing" "Sorry" and turns away. As the dealer was pushing me the pot, I asked him what was going on. He points out that there was a straight on the board and the rest of the table and dealer confirm this.

I start laughing and assuring the other guy that I didn't realize and was just declaring my hand. He turned beat red and laughed a little too, but was very embarrassed.

The very next round we are heads up again, the same way as before, but this time I have 97o. The board is 59T rainbow. The betting is the same, check, bet, call. The turn is a J. He checks I bet and he acts real disgusted and fold his hand face up as he stands up, takes his chips, and mumbles something about being on tilt.

The table is stunned and we all look at him while he walks away. As the dealer is pushing me the pot, everyone is asking me if I could beat the two pair he flipped up. I said "no", laughing, "I guess he thought I made the straight".

Apparently the whole hand was DA Shae vie to him, and when the third straight card came out he just snapped. This is a new one for me. I had never seen tilt this bad before.

Week 3 Results

2009-09-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Week 3 was a heart breaker. I was humming along feeling confident so I jumped into a 3/5 game. I was card dead at the start so I just folded and picked up small pots to weather the blinds.

I finally got KK and raised to $25 in middle position. This wasn't enough because 4 people called. I c-bet on a 852 board and got called by one player. The turn was a 2 so I pushed with two pair. The river was an A and I was shown 55 for a boat. I should have known this player wouldn't have called the flop with less then a set but I fell in love with my KK. Two hands later I get top pair and am shown another boat. I pick up my last $26 and go home. This effectively wiped out my profit for the week. I played some more on Monday, and after loosing another $100 I went to Black Jack and lost another $60. So the week ended -107.00.

On line was much the same. -$25.60 Both were small losses. I have been working with my poker buddy plugging up my leaks so week 4 will be good. My latest leak is what killed me. Folding big pocket pairs.

Just like the live game, I get excited to see big pocket pairs and even though the board is uncoordinated, I push all in. I am shown a set most of the time. On line the villain usually gives me a clue by raising but I still do it. So this week I vow to fold. I figure if I can master this I will save $800 a week.

So back to the grind.

2nd Week Results

2009-09-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

Results are 70% favorable.

I had a few good live sessions and was able to win $950, just short of my goal. I was at my goal but being tired late in a session proved costly.

On-line I fell apart. I was trying to apply some new concepts I learned and I didn't quite get them right. I lost a few large pots and was down -$339.25 before I knew it. This was softened by my rake back of $110.35 so the actual damage was only -$228.90.

The new concepts did help my live game and I have since re-read, thought, and listened to the concepts again. I believe I filled in some key gaps so I am optimistic about this week.

Overall my live game is the most important thing for obvious reasons so I am not devastated by my on-line results. In fact, I am that much more determined to figure it out.

1st Week Results

2009-09-10T11:05:00.001-07:00

The first week was disappointing. On the internet I managed to make $75 and live I lost $94.

So I took a a day to figure out what I was doing wrong. After some research and help from a new poker buddy, I narrowed it down to passive play when I should have been aggressive and aggressive when I should have been passive.

The last post I did is an example of passive when I should have been aggressive. By not raising and betting I let a player get runner runner on me. Even if the same result happens, I know raising is correct and the villain is making that much bigger of a mistake. When he does miss, I will make back my money quicker.

I have been playing one pair hands to aggressively out of position. I always seem to be out of position in these hands. Last night I raised 99 in the SB to $15. I got 1 caller on a 8 high rainbow flop. The villain checked out of turn and then called my $20 bet on the flop. The turn was a 10. The villain just sat down so I gave him a generic range of Ax or a gut shot, which was possible. Now with $70 in the pot I bet $45. He confidently said raise, and put in a min raise of $90. I still thought Ax was possible and I was ahead but I thought about what the guy before was showing down in that seat and added JJ and QQ to his range. Villain did limp and then call my raise so a ragged two pair was also possible.

I ended up folding and even though he didn't show his cards, another player mentioned a small set, which I didn't even think of in my excitement of top pair. I folded because of the villains confidence. He checked out of turn, called a flop bet and min raised a turn bet, committing half his stack. It is rare in a casino at low limits for a player to do this without being confident about his hand. So it was with experience and slow realization that I had only one pair that I made the right decision.

My frustration with this hand is that I got to deep into it with only 99. I should have only bet $15 on the flop and $25 on the turn. Theses sizes would have saved me $15. That's not alot by its self but over just 6 hands that is $100. My poker buddy pointed out to me that I have to think about what they are calling with. If I have them beat they will just call or fold to the smaller bets and any value lost on those hands will be made up by keeping me out of situations like above or worse.

I got into another hand like this with AJs in a pot I raised to $15. I flopped an A but no flush draw. The flop was A, 10, 8 rainbow. The turn was a 7 and the river blanked out. I bet into 2 callers on the flop ($35) and turn ($50) which I don't think was to bad but I bet the river even though I didn't improve. Ak, Aq dominate me and AT, A8, and A7 have two pair. I bet the same amount ($50) on the river as the turn, planning to fold to a raise.

At the time I thought this was an aggressive river bet but maybe it is correct. I control the size of the bet, eliminate the possible over bet bluff, and get to see the show down in a $300 pot or more if I am called. Well I lost. One guy did have the str8 draw and folded but the other one had AT for two pair.

There is a happy ending for the night. I re bought $100 and won a decent size pot to get me back to $275+ of my $300 investment when I get QQ in the SB. To make a short story of it, the villain who beat me in the last pot calls and I flop a set and turn quads. I bet small so he will raise and he does on the turn. I push all in over the top and he calls doubling me up. For quads I get a $100 bonus and it is the high hand for this 4 hour cycle. I left at 1am, an hour before the end of the cycle, but I am sure I will get another $100 today. So the house is increasing the pot by 2/3 for a $500 net. This one hand made my night and I only gave back $20 before leaving.

So, barring a bad beat, I made $478 in 5 hrs. Great start to the week.

Part 2 Hands

2009-09-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

It is a 1/2 NL game at the Eldorado in Reno. It is Friday night, so there is a mix of players from total fish to players that know they have a good hand and are aware of what beats them. It is hard to describe them. Their goal is to see as many flops as cheaply as they can with any two cards. They can hit nothing to a monster and play so you would never know what they have. This means raising all in with 6 high to checking a full house because they think you might have quads the way you were calling.

The first hand is against a player that is aware of the cards, people, and betting. He is by no means good just one of the better players at the table. We have 200 effective stacks and I am UTG with 67s in spades.

I get a little fancy and raise to 12. 3 people call so there are 4 of us to the flop of Qs, Js, 5s. I flop a 7 high flush and bet out 20 into the $48 pot. The next player min raises to 40 and I call. The turn is the 2s I check, he bets 80, and I fold.

I raised preflop to thin the field, get money in the pot, and disguise my hand. I expected this many callers and alot of times a simple C-bet will take it down on the flop. The flop was good and bad for my hand. I only bet 20 because anyone with a spade will call correctly, so I wanted to thin the field more and build the pot for an all-in push on the turn with any non spade card.

The min raise from the player to my immediate left surprised me. Everybody else folded and it was back to me. I put him on any decent spade, straight draw, set, or two pair. I thought about pushing but decided was just to scared of a higher flush. I was trying hard to reduce variance. Thinking he put me on a just a C-bet or a flush draw, I called, planning to check raise the turn were I would be a huge favorite.

I have more hands like this that all come down to being scared to loose the money. It took me 3 times before I realized what I was doing. There is some credit to my thinking and some of my folds were/will be correct but I still think I am playing scared.

Last night I flopped a straight with a 10 high flush draw. It was obvious the better had the A but I just called because the highly volatile big stack was also in the hand. He loved to check raise you all in and was catching everything. The board paired on the river and the big stack check raised big. I knew he had trips but did he have the boat. I decided to call and yes he had it.

It is hard to know if he would have folded but I should have raised the flop and turn. I was a huge favorite but he got runner, runner. I am more frustrated with myself for playing scared then loosing the hand. I didn't give myself every chance to win the pot that I should have.

The company I worked for went out of business so while collecting unemployment I am following my dreams. I have some money saved up but not nearly what I should have to play poker. This is why I am playing the way I do. I know it will take longer but even with tight scared folds I should be able to beat the games more then I am. It isn't much, but if I had folded to the check raise last night I would have been a small winner instead of a small looser.

Goals and Problems Live

2009-09-04T08:48:00.000-07:00

This turned into a long entry so broke it into two parts. Background in part 1 and hands in part 2.

I have a reader, Tilt. I checked out your blog and noticed you have been following me for a little while. Not sure how long but I wasn't the last one listed on your site. I think I added you to my list but don't know if it took.

I noticed the other blogs you follow haven't been kept up so I will try to keep mine current so you have something to read. So you can keep my ramblings in perspective, I play 50nl on the internet and 1/2, 2/3, and 3/5 NL live, mostly In Reno, NV and sometimes at Lake Tahoe. My goals are to beat these games regularly to build a bankroll and move up. I use the money I make live to pay some bills so it takes a lot longer to build a roll. Online, I have been mostly a small loosing player, kept alive by rakeback, moving to break even the last couple of months, and this month making money. How much remains to be seen. My end goal online is shooting for the nosebleeds but in the mean time I have short term goals.

I see online as the real money maker and "live" as a social gathering. My first step is to build my bankroll, then be able to cash out enough for some bills, increase my live bankroll, and finnally buy or do things l want to do. I belive I can do the fist two at 50nl. Doing both at the same time will be slow at the start but neccesary do to financial constraints. Once I move up to 100nl I should be able to move to goal 3 and 4 every now and then. A trip to Vegas would be nice and hopefully profitable. I don't know how long this will take because I want to be overly bankrolled before I take the next step. This will give me security from going broke, because even at low limits, multi-tabling takes up alot of money.

Another night another loss at the live tables. I could blame it on bad luck, and there was, but I over reacted and lost more than I should have. I think this is due to the difference between the styles of "Live" vs "Online". I play very tight online but I am a LAG at the Casinos.

I belive this comes from the slow pace, percieved skill of the players, and the macho ego of winning big pots and having a big chip stack. Obviously you see far less hands playing 1 table instead of 8 and then it is 3 times slower. Although last night I lost with premium hands, AKs, AQo, QQ, and 67s. Ok, the 67s is not a premium hand and the AQo is pushing the definition.

The slow pace makes marginal hands look good after an hour but I think the other two play a bigger role. Honestly the players suck. 7-9 players limp in every hand and if there is a raise they all call because they have money out there already. My favorite is they are getting the odds to call. This may be true for player 9, but does 72o ever get enough odds to play? So thinking I can out play them post flop, I limp or call with a very wide range.

Now my ego comes into play. I flop a hand and want to narrow the field while building a pot. I bet and half call. On the turn there is a draw so I give them 2-1 odds and they call. Now the draw gets there on the river and they bet into me or check raise me. I know this sounds like crying but are these big swings the nature of live play? The fact that they call makes it a big variance game and because of my small bankroll I have trouble taking the hits? This my be true, but what can I do to reduce the variance?

I came up with two solutions. Play passively and just check and call until I have the nuts, or play overly aggressively. Bet the crap out of the hands and don't worry about over betting because they will still call. I am leaning towards the aggressive play although it can also increase variance. I just don't want to play one way on the internet and then another live. Besides, I would loose out on alot of profits because I didn't bet.

I tried to apply my new strategy last night but I don't think I let go of the passive, low variance idea totally. In short, I bet to little preflop and on the flop so when I did bet big on the turn and river it was to late. This brings me to hand 1. Continued in part 2

Off to a Rocky Start

2009-09-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

As usual when ever you try to do your best you don't. Put some bad luck on that and you have a down swing. I am not making this up. Poker Tracker has the stats to prove it. It doesn't account for everything but I am running below expectations by 5 buy ins at least.

Any way, I put in a monster session today and am now winning. It also helped work out some leaks in my game which is always a plus. This will also carry over to my live game which is also in a downswing. To the point, I get bored, feel entitled to win, and force action, of which I am on the loosing end.

I forced myself to take my own advice and waited for the cards to come. I concentrated on playing my hands well and extracting value. I am sure I folded alot of "Best" hands but my win rate was still 3.36 BB/hour. This includes bad play at the beginning. I got the value of quantity. I play 8 tables, so if you wait the good hands will come.

I will put in some hands next time for some feedback. I don't know if anyone reads this but if they leave a comment I would appreciate it.

Pro for a Month

2009-09-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

I have rid myself of all my distractions so I decided to dive into poker this month as a hard core Pro. I will eat, breath, and sleep poker.

Starting on the 9/1 I will try to stop all of my bad habits and play the best poker I can all the time. This is easier said then done as I started of wrong on the first day. I lost big on the Internet and then "live" before I buckled down and grinded it back to a small win.

The only excuse I can muster is that I took 2 days off and was not in the poker mindset yet. That being said I need to get it all back today.

My plan is to start playing at noon until 7pm with minimal breaks. This is open to how I feel and am running but I want to average 3,000 hands per day or close to it. After 7pm I will clean up and head to the casinos until 1am. This should give me 4+hours at the tables. It is my experience that if you don't catch cards in this time frame you won't. Besides, I start to get tired by then and I need to set up a routine.

My goals per week are 1k live and 500 on the Internet. They are small to start out, but with discipline I believe I should be able to beat them.

Intensity, Drive, and Killer Instinct

2009-08-26T10:05:00.000-07:00

I now consider myself a winning poker player on-line. I waited to duplicate the results and they are in. Along with my rake back I have seen a mark increase in my bankroll.

Which brings me to my first issue, intensity. Now that I have my style down I have to put in the hands. I'm not slacking off completely but I have to get into a routine that includes hours of play per day.

Drive. Now that I have seen results this is a little easier. Seeing your bankroll increase is fun and infinitely more interesting then watching it go down. This includes the physical conditioning to play all of this poker. It does put a strain on you sitting there for hours. Anyway I got my but off the couch and raise my heart rate. I don't know if I would call it a workout, but I did break a sweat. You have to start somewhere.

Killer instinct. This comes in when I am playing. I have noticed that my bets or raises are lacking. I may be playing a little scared or just trying to hard to extract value, but I have noticed that my bet sizing has left money on the table or worse, let them draw out on me. I end up putting the money in anyway so I don't know what I am afraid of.

So those are my goals to improve my game and cash flow. I started working on them already so I should see results quickly. After all, knowing your problem in the first step in fixing it.

Lost Focus

2009-08-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

I lost focus and my game showed it. Throw in some bad luck and you have a huge downswing.

I let an issue with a friend bug me and simmer until I exploded on him. The result might have still been the same but I should have just come out and told him what was bugging me. Right or wrong, our friendship might be over and I plan on avoiding it by playing an insane amount of poker. If I don't take the time to think about it I won't have to deal with it. How mature.

So I will let you know how it goes.

Focus

2009-07-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

I am happy with my game at this point. I just have to control my emotions and discipline.

I have been playing more on line and it is ruining me at the casinos. How, you ask. I play 8 tables online so the action is constant. At the casino it is like watching paint dry. 30 hands an hour with dumb drunk idiots making it even slower.

I have decided that I can't cut either one out yet. Even though the casinos are slow they are profitable, give comps, and it is nice to see people even if they are idiots. So I am going to must through with discipline.

I have to be in the right frame of mind for each. When online I have to control my emotions and make robot like decisions that I know are correct for hours at a time. At the casino I need to be patient and accept that I am going to be there and loosing money by playing junk is the direct opposite of what I am trying to do.

It is a new month, soon, so I am getting a head start and starting today.

Back on the Blog

2009-07-20T12:29:00.001-07:00

I have had some ups and downs since I last Blogged. I was down on myself and didn't blog. Since then I have gotten my game back and am doing well.

I have been keeping a steady pace at the tables and am getting into a grove as to when to leave. I don't always get it right but I have been getting better at leaving.

Still loosing online. I have slowed the bleeding but am not going in the right direction yet. I am trying new things all the time so I haven't given up yet. I keep telling myself if other people can win then so can I.

Hitting the books again. A friend gave me what looks like a very good book from 1994. It covers odds a draws in a way that I have not see before. It is well written and explains the concepts simply. I will let you know more when I am done with it.

Anyway, I have recovered from 2 months of bad play and am looking forward to big profits. The Grand Sierra is having their tournaments starting this Thursday and Lake Tahoe is filled with tourists giving away money. I have been practicing my tournaments and will be going to the lake trying to cash in. I will try to tell you all about it.

Down Swing

2009-03-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

I have had a down swing already. I then proceeded to make it worse by playing badly. I was on the verge of having a loosing month until I pulled out of it last night, or atleast won last night.

I will give you 2 examples of sessions that make me belive it was a down swing. I realized I was making it worse by playing badly so I told myself I would only play hands that I know I should play in the correct position. On night one I played 3.5 hrs and didn't win one pot.

I played 2 pots of significance. Pot one I got top pair on the flop and when the flush draw came in on the turn I bluffed at it. I got called so I bluffed bigger on the river. The guy with the nut flush didn't buy it.

Pot 2 was a free ride from the big blind. I flopped 2 pair on a 345 rainbow board so I went all in. I got called by the 5 high and 6 high straights. End of the night.

The next night I told myself no bluffing. So I waited 4hrs before I got a straight on the turn. I got all of the money in against a set of nines. The board paired on the river. I was 78% to win. He took all of my money but when he saw he sucked out he gave me $5.

I ran that up in two hands to $40. I was feeling great thinking I could come back when I got AK. I moved in and got called by one other player with AK. Easy chop right? No. There was a 2% chance that he could make a flush, so of course that is what happened. I couldn't even tie.

Thinking back to other nights I know that I lost more then I should have or won less then I should have with bad play. I learned that that is the key over the long run. Controlling your emotions will help you lessen loses and increase small wins in just one or two key hands.

I hate downswings but they make you look at you game, improve it, and come out of them stronger.

Doing Well

2009-02-21T10:00:00.001-08:00

I am finally healthy again and doing well. I am refining my game with good results. I still have to balance aggression with tight play but I am narrowing it down.

My live play is carrying me as expected. I am on track to make more this month then at my last job. I have had good luck taking money from the tourists up at Tahoe. Very few of the Reno regulars drive the hour + to play there so the competition is low.

I have resisted jumping into the 3/5 NL game for now. This is a big game with most players buying in for the 1k max. I want to build my bank roll more and I have to admit there are a few very good players in the game. These guys have no respect for the stakes and if they get lucky you could loose your whole stack quickly. In fact, last night a $800 winner at the 2/3 NL game went to the 3/5 game and lost all of it in his first hand at the table. He flopped top 2 with AK and one of the good players bet 200 on a gut shot draw. The weak player slow played and only called. The good player got there on the turn and thats all she wrote.

The Internet is were I am lacking. I have been using it and its low stakes to try out different strategies, styles of play and just to blow off steam. The result is that I have only been breaking even. Now that I see this I plan on taking it more seriously. I figure modest wins on line will add up and put me over the top for my monthly totals. It will also be a back stop if I have a down swing in my live play. In other words, plan B. It was always my goal to build my online play so that my live play was plan B. I guess I better get a move on.

January Recap

2009-02-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Not a stellar start but not a disaster either. I was sick for the whole month, especially the first 2 weeks. I had to take alot of time off and only got to play 13 days. Even when I played I was not 100%. In fact, I am still suffering with a sore throat and cough. I am going to drug up this afternoon and tonight and if that doesn't work I will have to go to the doctor.

Even with the set backs I managed to win a small amount. More importantly I learned alot about what it takes to win and have had some progress the last couple of times. Nothing to write about, but at least I go home with more then I went with. It is my theory that I will have many days with small wins and every once in a while I will get a big win. As long as I manage my losses, these big wins will put me over the top.

I am still mellow as I battle the last of the worst cold I have ever had.

Off to a Good Start

2009-01-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

I am off to a good start for a shortened week. I came down with a cold that I probably got at the tables. I did manage to win 3 out of the 4 days I did play. The totals are within reason but I would have liked them to be a little higher.

I have already identified the leaks and plugged it up. As soon as I get rid of this cold I should be back on track.

I know this is short but my head is killing me.

The Time has Come

2008-12-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Starting Jan 1, 2009 I will be a Pro. Not entirely by choice but do to the economy. I will give myself a month to see if I can do it. If I win then I will go longer. If I loose I will start looking for a job. I have money saved and unemployment to collect so I an not up the creek without a paddle.

I will track everything starting on the first and will post more often.

Good Luck me.

Online is where it is at

2008-10-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

I have been playing online almost exclusively. I signed up at Full Tilt for the $600 bonus plus rake back and have been clearing that. Along the way I realized that it is much more enjoyable to play online. It is more comfortable in your home, you can get your own drink without tipping, and you can play more then one game at a time. The only down side is that you become a hermit.

Playing more then one game at a time has become a big factor for me. You have to play even tighter at NL and can get very bored at the casino waiting for hands. The last time I played live I timed 17 min between playable hands.

I have been winning online and loosing live. The losses live come from the slow boring game but also from a huge leak I zeroed in on last night. I try to win every pot I enter and will call big bets even when I am very sure I am beat. This will be the focus as I continue to play. I added up at least $100 that I gave away last night because of this.

I will probably clear my bonus this week and hopefully increase my win rate.

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together

2008-09-12T21:17:00.001-07:00

I know it could have been just a lucky night, but I am going to enjoy it anyway.

I put together all the dribble I have been saying and had a great night. I left work at noon and met some friends for lunch in Reno. Decent streak and salad to protein up before play. I arrived at the Eldorado and after having fun at the 1-5 stud game I was sat at the 1/2 NL table at 3pm. I was excited at first and splashed around to loose 50 bucks. I calmed down and started to play like I do on the Internet.

I waited and got JJ in early position. I raised and got two callers. It was a 9 high, rainbow flop and I slow played with 170 behind. The first caller bet 20 and was called by the third player. I raised it to 80 and the first caller folded. The second caller thought awhile and just called. My read on her was that she had a pair but not a strong one. I bet the 80 knowing I was going to go all in on the turn. The turn was a K but I still pushed right away. The longer she thought the more confident I became. She called and mucked TT to my JJ. More then doubled up.

The next hand of note was a luck hand. I was in MP with Ah5h when everyone started to limp. I limped too and the button raised 10. Again everyone called so I did too. The flop was a paired board with two hearts. The guy on my left bet 20 and only the button called to me. I had the nut flush and an ace so I raised it to 100, representing the set. I expect to pick up the pot but the original raiser went all in for 70 more. I hated to call but I did and got the flush on the river. He said a set was good so he must have been on a flush draw too.

Now that I had the biggest stack at the table a good natured drinker was trying to see if he could get more chips then me. We stayed out of each others way for awhile building our stacks even more. He kept saying that we were going to get all our money in with AA against KK and who would suck out and so forth. It was just for table talk and fun.

Then we started to tangle with each other. Twice I got a good hand UTG when he was on the button and after building a big pot he would raise big on the turn and I would have to fold. He kept showing the bluff so I was putting his betting patterns together. We got into another pot in the same positions and I felt I had the best hand but I only had third pair, 55. I called to the river and he put in a big bet. It was out of his pattern so I folded and again I had him. I just couldn't put in all my chips with such a weak hand.

Now he had a few chips more then me and I was getting tired. It was 7:30 so I decided to leave at 8pm with my winnings, just not as much. I went to the bathroom at 7:40 and on the way back I was debating to leave now. I decided to stay until 8pm as planned and would just stay out of this guys way unless I had the nuts. Not two hand after I got back I was dealt AA UTG. I did a normal raise to 20 and it was folded to the other guy. He was getting drunk by this time and starting to make wild bets. I am sure my folds were giving him confidence so thinking I would fold again he said all in. I called instantly. Even before it was my turn.

He turned over KK asking do you have AA. I said yup and he was stunned. An A fell on the flop and he didn't improve. The table was stunned that his prediction came true with the two big stacks at the table. I took a few steps away from the table as the dealer counted out our stacks. He had $12 left.

It was just so ironic with his predictions, my folds and the timing. A half hour earlier he asked the table if he could give $100 from his stack so his friend could play and I objected. Then his friend told him to rack up but he said he still wanted to play. Everything just fell into place. I gave the dealer a $25 tip I was so happy.

I played a few more hands and at 8:04 I racked up. Big win!! Going back tomorrow so I will see if it was just luck.

New Direction

2008-09-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

Things have finally calmed down in my life. Work is back on an even keel for now and I took the last couple of weeks to clear my head. I did play alittle while in Colorado and when I got back but ended up loosing overall. I could see the beginnings of my new plan working, but not enough. So I took some time and looked at the big picture.

In Reno and the surrounding areas there is very little middle stakes holdem. Even the 4/8 games have started to dry up and playing any lower is not worth the time. So looking at which games run consistently all I could see was No Limit. Most of the 4/8 players are now playing NL. They have taken their bad play and are now playing a game that they can loose everything in one hand. Granted it is 1/2 NL, but you can still make a few hundred a day. Supplement this with some online play and low expenses and it is a living.

So my plan is to switch to NL. I'm going to approach it the way I should have with holdem, study. I have the materials I need lined up and already started to study the basics. There is alot more thought to this game and since my opponents don't put in the study time, I should have a large edge at 1/2NL. I will also practice my bankroll management skills and stay at the low levels until I have a large bankroll for even the next level. I won't go broke this time.

I am still working so my new play schedule is Friday and Saturday at the casinos and the rest of the time studying or playing online. The casinos host tournaments from time to time so I will put in extra hours at those times.

It's a start.

Busy at Work

2008-08-28T09:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted for awhile because I was busy rapping up work. We were shutting down the Nevada operations and reorganizing the Colorado operations. I knew my mind would not be focused so I didn't play much. When I did I lost. Go figure.

Lately I have been looking at my play and realized how much I was playing for entertainment. To truely make money you have to be there for that reason alone. I have tightened up and stopped gambling considerably.

My short term results have shown improvement, no big wins yet, but I have minimized my losses. I will try to track my play again starting in Sept. I should have more time to play and blog about it. I have some trips in mind to keep it interesting.

For those in the Reno area, the Peppermill seems to be getting a 20/40 limit game almost every day. I am refraining from jumping in for now, but my wade in with the right lineup. Currently it is quite tough with big swings.

Reaching a Balance

2008-06-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

As I get closer to becoming a professional poker player I am putting my ramblings to the test. I listened to myself on Friday, and when I got tired after 3 hrs I left the table. This may not seem like a long time but don't forget I did work all day so it was like the 11th hr of work.

The Peppermill has been able to get a 20/40 table going on Friday nights so I naturally got in the game. I won a big hand early on with a flopped set to be up 400 in 10 min. Then I went card dead. I played a few hands and even force one or two, slowly giving back the 400. When I had 20 of it left, I got up from the table. I knew I was tired and forced the last hand so it was time to go. I moved to a 1/2 NL game for an hour an won 30 more before calling it a night.

This is not a big monetary win but it is a big win. I finally listened to how I felt and acted accordingly. I could sleep in on Sat. and come back refreshed. Also starting at +50 is a lot better then starting at -500.

Sat. started out slow with 10/20 limit with a half kill and overs buttons. I was up 300, down 20 for 3 hrs. We raised the stakes to 15/30 with 30/60 overs just in time for my rush. I got paid off on a few check raises at 30/60 to be up 800. I busted him out on the last hand. Cooled off after that and quit when I still had 600. I wanted to play in a soft NL game in Carson City. I fooled around in this game until it broke 3hrs later. I only could win enough to fool around at the BJ table and they got what little profit I made.

Sunday I fired up the .25/.5 NL on-line. I was doing pretty well 6 tabling with my new monitor. If I continue the trend, I will have to buy another one. I only made one really bad play when I folded to a check raise on the river. I was gun shy from previous sessions and was primed to make the big lay down. It was only 1.35 more to call and I folded. He claims he was bluffing but I will never know. I still managed to win $75 so I will get over it.

Sunday, headed up to Tahoe at noon and sat in a new 3/5 NL game. I played very badly in this game last week so I wanted to redeem myself. I was card dead most of the time or got no action for the 4hrs I played. At my high I was up 400 then got rivered when I was trapping him and missed a few draws after that. I left with an extra 100, but when I found my friend at the BJ table it didn't last long.

So I ended the weekend with +600. Not bad for a part time job. I believe this is around 50 and hr. I am happy, not just because I won but because I finally did what I have known I have to do. I left when I was tired, played pretty well and got some personal things done as well. Still to early to tell buy I like the looks of this road.

What Was I Thinking

2008-05-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

I still haven't been able to answer this question. I played and lost like a fish last night. Down 3.5 buy-ins in one of the softest 1/2 NL games I know of.

I got a couple of great hands at the start and tried to run over the table like I have been doing on-line all week. This worked for the first 2 hands. Then I would get myself pot committed and call off my chips. I gave 400 alone to a huge fish when she flopped a set. The only hint of redemption is that I had AA both times and paid off 33 and 88.

At first this may not seem to bad but the bets were so obvious that I should have been able to fold. The first time I was still trying to run over the table and the last one I was on simmering tilt. Either way I lost way more then I should have. I even took a break and won 200 back at BJ, just to go back to the Poker room and give it back.

I haven't decided what I am going to do tonight, but if I am even a hint of tired or restless I won't play and risk a repeat performance.

Been Awhile

2008-05-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since I last blogged. It is to much to go into detail so I will give the short version.

The company I work for took a major step to closing down. I had to fire the salesman and he blabbed to the others before I could tell them so they knew it was comming. It made it alittle easier to fire them but nobody likes to be fired so I got some flak. I will be loosing my job too as soon as I wrap up the paper work so I am so close to becomming a Pro. Can't wait. I have savings to live off of but not nearly the BR. I still have a month or two to build it up but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Which brings me to the exciting part. Went to Las Vegas two weekends in a row. I have two friends that are big gamblers at Harrahs so then both offered free hotels and food if I could get there. So yeah, I got there.

The first weekend we stayed at the Rio. Very small poker room and very strange players. I never caught up on my sleep so I was lucky to break even. We went to the Bellagio Sat. night and I sat in the 5/10 NL game. Biggest NL game I have been in so far. I started with 600 and ran it up and down to 1k. This turned out to be a must move table and when I got moved to the main game I ran my fullhouse into quads to go broke. I was nervous, tired, and out of my league so it would have happened sooner or later. Was smart enough not to rebuy and went back to the Rio.

Of course my Sun. flight was late in the evening so all there was to do was gamble. I managed to run bad at cards and loose at craps and BJ to drop a grand before I could leave. Didn't play during the week when my other friend called. I told him I was almost broke from the previous weekend so he said he would give me a grand to gamble with.

I booked my flight and was back in Vegas. He had a limo waiting for me at the airport. It was my first time having a driver waiting for me with my name on a sign. Very cool. Limo dropped me off at Ceasar's Palace. This is a beautifull casino. I am not picky about rooms but it was very nice. You entered into a hall and could go left into my room or right into my friends room. His was bigger of course.

I liked their poker room. Roomy, clean, but only small stakes. I was playing 2/3 NL most of the time and manage to win 200. I found my friend at the BJ table and was heading up to the room when he stopped at the Texas Hold'em table game. I watched him play every hand and win, so I took my meager profits and joined in. I expect to loose right aways but I won. I kept winning all morning from 1:30am to 10am. I was up so much that I was able to play a grand a hand and win.

I was drinking long island ice teas, being loud and obnoxious, and winning lots of money. It was just like the movies or TV. I couldn't loose. I was betting 600 with 56 and winning with 6 high. Or I would go in with 42o and get two pair. There was no skill only luck. It didn't matter what I was dealt, I got the cards I needed to win. I turned 150 into 9,300. This makes up for all my losses and gives me a decent roll to start over with.

I watched a few more Stox Poker videos and have been winning on-line. At first I took his ideas to far and was up and down, but now I think I understand the concepts. I still have a long way to go but I'm doing well at the .25/.5 NL tables. You can make good money in relation to the stakes so I hope I can grow my BR pretty quickly.

Live, I am up and down. On-line people know how to fold. Live, they will call with anything. Even on the rive, so bluffing is not a good idea. Sun. I couldn't catch a draw to save my life. I was down 2.5 buy-ins when I was going on monkey tilt. To slow down I decided to play the night 115 tournament. I had a rough start but finnaly started to catch some cards. I was in the top 15 when I tried to steal the blinds with QJs. They both went all in so I was getting 3-1 to call. It was getting late so I called. Horrible logic but it worked. I missed the flop but got runner runner Q to take down the pot.

I was chip leader just like that. I coasted to the final table when the blinds and antes made me start to play again. I busted some more players but started to cool off. It degraded to a push fest so when we got 4 handed we chopped it. This got me even for the weekend to I was thrilled. Patients had paid off and the cards turned just in time.

Holiday weekend comming up so I am hoping to put my knew knowledge of NL to good use. I will ease in Thursday night and go full bore all weekend. Until then.

Feeling Good

2008-04-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

I have been doing pretty well lately. Which is good considering I am going to Vegas on Friday. Last week I was down on NL and going to play Limit, and now this week I am reversed.

Friday I went up to the Peppermill to play in a 20/40 game that took two weeks to schedule. It was suppose to start at 6pm so I could get up there after work. I left early and got there at 5:15pm to find the game going strong and I was 9th on the list. So the game went from waiting for me because they thought it would be short, to a list that kept getting longer.

So I jump into a 10/20 game to wait and can't get a hand or have a hand hold up on the river. Mean while I am looking at the 20/40 game and see Soloman just killing it. He is up $6,000.00. I jokingly asked him for a piece of his action when I couldn't get into the game and he said he would think about it. That was when he was up $500.00 I remind him at $6,000.00 and he says he is still thinking about it. O well.

Back at my game I am leaking chips. We get short handed and I win a few hands to be up 100. Then I drop like a rock in two hands. I go back to leaking chips and then loose to 9 2 off suit on the river to loose it all. I take the walk of shame to the atm but at the last moment only take out $200. I actually think about bankroll mgmt, now that I don't have one, and want to try the same style I use on-line. TAG instead of LAG

I know this sounds like crap but I loosen up live when there are 8 people to the flop. Obviously to much and then some donk raises. Granted the pot odds are huge but if you aren't catching cards then you have some big swings. So I decided to forego pot odds and just play TAG no matter what. So far this is working quite well in NL. I almost made up my losses for Fri. on Sat. and then went over the top Sun. night. So now my BR is back and bigger then before just in time for Vegas baby.

I was thinking about this when on Fri. night the guy next to me told me a tid bit that struck home. "You have to play the same way no matter the stakes or what is going on." I may have gotten the wrong idea about this guy. At first I thought he was an over the top, I am god's gift to poker type, but then he comes out with this.

To seal the deal, in the Sat. night game there was an unknown high stakes pro that sat down in the 2/3 5 to go NL game. (He grew up around here and came back for some family business.) I
watched him play tighter then anyone else at the table. He also watched each hand closer then anyone else at the table. I know 8 of the 10 so I didn't have to watch everything. He was playing as if it was his normal game, which I am sure has alot more money on the line. I figured $300 would be nothing to him and he would LAG it up, but no. He played the same way as he always would. So I stuck to this play Sun. and came out smelling like a rose.

On-line I am up to another $100 already. I have been doing well in the .25/.5 NL games. I had another $100 day and love the results. I laugh at myself thinking about how long (3+ yrs) it has taken me to figure out what some of these kids get from day 3. Better late then never I guess.

Hodge Podge

2008-04-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

Good and bad since my last post. I took some time off to clear my head and get some stuff taken care of. Work and taxes. I do a few friends tax returns for some extra money and still feel the stress from the CPA firm days.

Live, I am down, up, even. I am still learning the nuances of NL and it is causing big swings. I was down at Tahoe NL, up at Peppermill Limit, and then down at the NL tables to break even. I played Wed. night tired but wanting a stress relief from work and tax day and lost 400 at 1/2 NL. Bad luck but also bad play. I caught a 2 outer on the turn to loose to a 1 outer on the river. AK ran into AA and AQ into AK. Bad luck, but I think I could have lost less with almost all of the hands. But as I got tired I started to push to get even. Never works.

On-line has been about the same until today. I won 40+ dollars at .25/.5 NL and then 11 at .25/.5 lhe to break the $200 mark. Looking back at my post that is $100 in just under a month. I am quitting my day job tomorrow, NOT. I did double my bankroll with this feat. It may not sound like alot now but if I keep this pace up it will be more impressive each month.

I booked a flight to Vegas for may 2. A friend plays down at the Rio and gets free rooms, so I am taking him up on the extra bed. He plays 10/20 NL but I think I will be at the limit game while he does that. It is clear that I am stronger at limit, so I will be limiting my NL play and to low stakes until I build up a BR and experience. I will have to hit some of the local low limit games in the area next week to build up my BR faster for the trip.

Another NL Weekend

2008-04-09T09:31:00.000-07:00

I was up at Lake Tahoe most of the weekend with some friends. He plays slots and BJ so I headed over to Harvey's.

Friday night I didn't play until after a great dinner at Harrahs Chinese restaurant. It is pricey but my friend gets it all comped. They do all the fancy presentations at the table and the decor is very nice. I'm not the best writer, so if you want a detailed review go to their web site.

I have been watching the coaching videos at stox poker to get a better foundation for my NL game. The videos by Ed Miller, Poker Made Simple, is giving me a great foundation. I have been applying the concepts he lays out and they work like a charm. They are by far the smartest thing I have done to improve my game. In fact, I am watching them over and over until I have all the concepts down.

After watching the videos once, I felt better prepared to play in Tahoe. Friday night I sat down and in 1 hour I was up 300. Then I ran into AA with my KK. The hand went down like this.

The previous hand the SB had AA and doubled up to 300. This left the UTG+1 player short stacked with say 125. Now, in the very next hand the UTG+1 player is now first to act and the SB is the button. So the UTG player opens for 20. In MP1 I raise to 40 with KK. The button cold calls the 40. UTG pushes for 105 more. I would rather have this heads up so I go all in for 500 to push out the button but he calls right away. We all show our cards (friendly game) and it is QQ, KK, and AA. The button guy got dealt AA twice in a row. This idea flashed in my head when he insta called but I couldn't believe he would have it twice in a row. So AA held up and I was back to my 200 starting stack.

This hand took the wind out of my sails and after missing a few flops I was short stacked and went all in with suited connectors and got called by JJ. Broke and tired I went to bed.

Sat morning I was catching cards and won back my 300 loss from the night before. Went to lunch and lost 100 back. This did take along time so it was just a case of being card dead. Sunday, I left my friends in Tahoe and headed to Reno and the Peppermill. I had 4 hours and it was home. I sat in a 1/2 NL game for 40mins and lost 100. Great start. Then the 10/20 limit game got going.

I was a little worried about switching between the games but my limit game didn't skip a beat. I was up and down when the players to my right started to straddle. They bugged me to do it and with a win from the previous hand I did. It was 3-bet with 6 callers by the time it came back to me and my KJo. I called to flop a gut shot. I get my gutshot on the turn and win a huge pot. I get lucky a few more times called with 23s and flopping K33. With hands like these I was up to 1300 from my 300 buy-in. I Tried to get lucky a few more time before I left and finally racked up 1k.

All said and done I was up 400 for the weekend. I am watching the videos again and playing NL online to good results at .25/.5. I was up 4 buyins before I made a bad push with AA to loose a buy-in and then switched tables to loose another. Still up, so I am happy. The videos made all the difference to my game.

Warming Up to NL

2008-03-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

A friend came into town this weekend and wanted to play some cards. We went to the Peppermill and it was hopping. I have never seen the boards so full. The 15/30 Limit was back and they had 3 1/2 NL tables and 1 3/5 NL going. Nothing higher but the stacks where 1K deep so it was running big. My friend is not the best player and always complains about the suckouts at 4/8. I didn’t want to play higher so we went to the ½ NL table.

I was pumped up for some reason and splashed around for a few hours breaking even when I finally started to settle down. I went card dead at the same time so it was easy to do. I managed to get up 100 when we started to talk about going to dinner and decided to play one more round. Of course we both got into a few hands and he was down 15 and I was only up 28 when we racked up.

After dinner I stayed focused from the start. I caught some bluffs and played well and left with +336 for the night. My friend was +250 or so. The game was very soft and I was able to put the few things I learned to practice.

Thinking back I feel that you get more bang for your buck at NL. The blinds are so small that you don’t get blinded off and if you do limp in, it is only 2 to see a flop. Its like playing 2/4 preflop and 20/40 post flop.

I still felt weak when I had JJ on a 9 high board and I was raised on the flop. I gave him way to much credit for 2 pair and lost value. I did call him down and win the pot. Earlier, in another hand, I folded to aggression only to find out I was ahead. I guess this comes with experience so I will just have to play more NL to get over it.

I haven’t lost my love for limit but I think NL may be the way to build a BR fast with minimal risk. I may be playing weak tight but it is still better then 4/8. My live play time is minimal right now but I did manage to more then triple my BR in the last two weeks. I don’t know if next weekend will be much better but after that it should be wide open.

On-line I am up slightly. I started to mix in some .5/1 tables and I think it is a little to soon. So I will stay at the .25/.5 table until I build my BR more.

No Easy Street for Me

2008-03-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Was cruising along last night on-line. Was up 3 buy-ins and would double my BR in record time. (It is micro) Went to bed to lock in the win but couldn't sleep. Turned the computer back on to continue were I left off and it was going great for 10 min. Then I went card dead. No problem just wait for hands. Blinded off then got a hand. 88% to win on the turn then 0% on the river. Repeat 3 times and big win turns into small win. Thank God tonight is Friday and the games should be softer over the weekend. Just so frustrating with so much money out there and I couldn't get any.

Live is still going as planed. I have been sticking to the 4/8 w/ full kill and doubled my BR. Will play this weekend and hope to continue building. Of course what happened on-line could happen live too.

Either way I feel very confident about my play and know it is just a matter of time to rebuild my BR back to what it was and beyond. I have a much clearer frame of mind, outlook, and focus to my game now, more then I have ever before. I have a busy couple of weeks ahead of me and then I plan on playing and studying poker like a mad man.

Made My First Goal

2008-03-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

I ran up $1.78 to $100. Less then a month ago I decided not to deposit more money on-line and lay in the bed I made. Practicing BR management and of course dropping down to .02/.04 I started to grind it out. As you know my BR mgmt is very lacking so this was good for me. Now that I see it works on-line maybe I can do it live.

I did hit a bump in the road last week loosing 37% of my BR just as I was reaching the $100 mark. I took some time off which helped but I think most of it came from my studies of NL. I carried over the concepts of position, added some aggression and I went on a streak. Now the questions is, do I go back to studying limit or keep going on NL? I may just do both.

Now that I made my goal I will start adding .5/1 tables to my play. The BR is still short but I will add them slowly. At $500 I will add 1/2 tables and so on. I will move up fast to 1/2 but then slow down until I have the proper BR.

Having a Rough Stretch

2008-03-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

Was cruising along nicely on-line and then hit a down swing. Mix of bad luck and bad play. I took a couple of days off before trying again and booked a win. The next day down again.

Pretty much the same live. Live, I am also playing above my bankroll. This does and is adding to my woes so I ahve to re-think my plan of attack. I tried to avoid it but I think I will have to grind it out at the 4/8 and 1/2 NL tables. My theory is that 1/2 NL plays as big as 10/20 Limit and 3/5 NL up to 20/40 limit. 3/5 NL killed me last night. I just couldn't hit a flop. By itself it was a normal loss on a bad night, but since my BR is so small it was devastating.

I started to study No Limit. I have been having trouble finding live limit games above 4/8 so I decided to add NL. I am watching and studing Ed Miller's videos on Stoxpoker and then reading the corresponding chapters in his book NL Theory and Practice. I then try it and can see exactly what he means and why.

So back to the grind building a BR. Slow and steady. I guess I will have to warm up to long hours and lots of hands.

Commerce

2008-03-13T09:26:00.000-07:00

Made it to the Commerce last Tues. night. Pulled in around midnight and went to bed. The rooms were clean and quite. The room rate was $189 but if you talk to the floor they lower it to $139 without an issue. This is the same rate as the Doubletree which is down the road.

Overall it was a let down. Not because of the card room but because I built it up so much in my mind and it was just like my local card room but bigger. The games were just as loose and the players behaved the same. The jackpots were bigger but I didn't hit it. I did see Barry G playing mixed games and Chinese poker but nothing spectacular. Once I got over the excitement and fear that I wasn't as good as these players I settled down into my game. I found I was able to hold my own and I started to grind out some hands.

I played as much as I could and slept as little as I could, so it took until the last day to appreciate the benefits of the large room. I was playing mostly 9/18 and then 20/40. There were multiple games of the 9/18 with a seemingly endless list and mostly the same for the 20/40. If there wasn't a second game the list moved pretty fast and they kept the game full.

There were calling stations in both games but no maniacs throwing money away. I feel like I need to go back to give it a better review. I was so blinded by my expectations and excitement that I didn't get much out of it. The same can be said for when I go to Bay 101. I guess I need to get out more. Anyway, I have now been there and done that so the next time will be better.

As for LA, I didn't see much. My friend lived there so I thought he would play tour guide. Didn't happen. He kept saying that everything would take a whole day and he thought I wanted to play poker all day. I guess with more sleep I would have but he snores. We did make it out to eat twice. Once to Captain Jacks for crab and Chris n Pitts for bar-b-que. I had steamed crab at Captain Jacks and it was huge. Everything on the menu was huge. So if you go there be hungry. The same can be said for the bar-b-que. And they both had great food and I would go again.

I suck at reviews so I will now end my misery and your pain.

Long Road Ahead

2008-03-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Didn't make it to the Commerce yet. Still planning to go, my friend just keeps getting delayed. The new plan is Tues. night heading down there. Gives me some extra time to iron out the kinks.

I had a rough weekend at the Peppermill Sping tournaments. I was down in the cash games and then Sat. I played the noon tournament. Brought home how weak my NL game is. Planning on working on that as soon as I get back from the Commerce.

Anyway, I was actually doing good in the tournament at the first break. I was double the average chip stack but I had been getting lucky. I had a terrible nights sleep Fri. so I was chugging coffee. By the end of the break I was dragging. My table broke and I got moved to a new table. A few hands in I flop a straight on a drawing board. The big stack bets the pot, 1k, and I raise to 5k. He calls. I tell myself to move in on a non-flush, non-straight card. The board pairs and when it is checked to me I move in. He insta-calls and I know I am done. He had 2 pair and filled up. This is why I hate NL. One hand and it is over.

Back to cash games. Tired and tilty from the loss and loose 500 in a 15/30 game. Time to go. Sun. I have more sleep and jump into a 15/30 game. Play ABC poker and start to build a stack. From the start my plan is to play until 5pm. That is 5 hours and I will go home. At 4 I am up 1200, at 4:50 I am up 400. Next time I will play 4 hrs and take atleast an hour break.

The signs where there to leave but I wanted to stick to my plan. I didn't tilt, I got sucked out on. Two big pots, one was my last hand, and I was done. Crap. Nothing I could do but leave. Overall I played well. I was very patient, didn't know exactly how much I was up, let hands go, and was alittle more aggressive. I was alittle tired because I missed a few bets and pots that I should have won.

I am still getting my new form down so I am happy with any win. Was pleased that my tight play got me the chips. The game is so loose but I just waited and took my shots when I had the best of it. It payed off and am optimistic that this is the right way to beat these games. Playing like this on-line too and I am on a nice win streak. Just going to grind it out and play within my bankroll.

Mind Control

2008-02-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

I have been spending alot of time trying to get my mind under control. I guess it is because of all of the stress in my life right now that I finally realized how important it is. Bordem or frustration can lead to tilt and ruin very fast if you aren't on guard.

I also spent most of my bankroll outside of poker so I am in rebuilding mode. I have been playing lower stakes and 1/2 NL. 1/2 NL can play bigger then 4/8 but I have been playing tight to compensate.

In fact, last Saturday I played 10hrs of 1/2 NL to win 500. It was so boring to fold, call/fold, raise/fold, and raise/bet/fold. Most of my winnings came in 2 hands. I flopped a straight and got paid off and then I got all in pre-flop with QQ against AJ. I won some smaller pots in between but how boring. I kept getting big/little so even if I flopped a pair I couldn't bet it or would have to fold to another bet.

I knew I was running bad so I downloaded a book onto my Ipod to listen to while I folded. It paid for itself. I know this is not the best idea but I think it was the right thing for me this weekend. I wasn't bored so I was able to fold everything I was suppose to and turned it off if I got in a hand.

Suppose to go to the Commerce casino for the first time next week. We almost went this week but it turns out that the LA Poker classic is going on and that would have been too much for my first time. I will let you know how that goes and how my rebuilding goes. I would rather stay local to rebuild my bankroll but I can't turn down a chance to go to the Commerce.

BJ Took All My Money

2008-02-11T15:31:00.001-08:00

First poker. Dialed up the aggression this weekend with mixed results. It worked and I was up 2 racks Friday night. Called a friend to go get some beers and lock in the win but he didn't answer so I played more. Didn't dial it back and with some suckouts I gave most of it back.

A friend that likes to play BJ came in late friday night so I was up early Sat. We got some breakfast and I talked him into some poker. Again I was up quickly with my new aggression, but soon gave it back. This time I did dial it back, but I was getting suckout on or missing the flop and having to fold. Still was up for the weekend so not the end of the world. I can see I need to tweek the new style of play but it has great promise.

Then we went to the Grand Sierra for dinner. They were booked so we at at the bar and got a expensive bottle of wine for the two of us. The food was ok but the bar setting wasn't right for the meal. So after downing the bottle of wine we headed to the BJ tables. I took my entire weekend winnings and lost it playing 100 plus a hand.

So I headed to the poker room to win it back in a 1/2 NL game. It was working out like I had planned until I hit a brick wall. I was up 100 when I flopped top two pair. So I bet, got raised, and then I went all in. I turned a fullhouse and at show down I am shown a bigger fullhouse. Rebuy, and on the very next hand I flop a straight. I go all in and the same guy calls to show me a bigger straight. WTF! I had to settle down after this and grind it out. Couldn't get much going and left after only getting 100 back.

I did feel a little better when my buddy came over and told me that he lost everything he had won when we were playing togeather and then hit his credit card for another 1k. Ouch. Why do we feel better when someone is hurting more then us? lol.

Anyway, I know what I was doing was a set back but I have a plan in place to make up for it. I am going to grind out the 4/8 tables 2 times during the week and hit the 10/20 all next weekend. 30 hours of live poker plus work and internet poker should be enough to compensate.

Why Do You Play Poker?

2008-02-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

At first glance this is an easy question with an easy answer. To make money. That is the answer when you are fully rested, excited to got play, and ready for battle. The problem is that you are not always ready to play or what about after you have been playing for awhile.

I am not being honest with myself when I think about this question. Friday night I stayed home and played on the internet so I could go to bed early and be ready to play Saturday for a marathon session. I ended up staying up till midnight and then at 2 am my upstairs neighbor came home and woke me up. So after a lousy nights sleep I woke up at my normal time tired. I drank coffee and played on the internet to kill the morning and then headed up to play.

Before I got there I was tired. Then I noticed I played a hand badly early in the session just before I went card dead. I battled back to within 100 of even before slipping back down. Then I did it again before slipping into the abyss of being card dead, taking bad beats, and playing badly before I left 12+ hours later and 3 buyins lighter.

If I had been honest with myself before I left I would have said that I am going to play poker because this is what I was planning to do on one of the few days a week that I can play. Then after playing for a while I would have said that I am stuck and I have to get it back because this is one of the only days of the week I can play. Then when I bought my third rack I would have said that I haven't hit bottom yet and if I loose one my rack I can feel truly defeated and go home completly and underly depressed.

And that is what happened. I only asked myself this question once when I was ready to play instead of before I left and through out the night. And on top of it I was not honest with myself. I should have told myself that I can take a nap and go later. I don't need to play 12+ hour a day anyway. Then when I was card dead and almost even I should have said that the cards aren't with me tonight so I quit. And the third time, well, it was to late by then.

I say I play to make money but my actions say that I play because I have nothing else to do. If I want to make serious money at poker I have to start being honest with myself. I can take steps to be rested before I leave but what about during the session? I have to ask myself this question many times during the night and be honest with each answer.

I figure that if I was honest I would have lost 300 dollars over the last two weekends instead of many times that amount. I will correct this NOW.

Crappy Weekend

2008-01-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

I never got back on track after being sick last week and it showed at the poker table. Friday night I was tired from lack of sleep and extra work on the job. Never got going at the table and lost 277. Not the worst I have done but not helping my win rate either.

Then there was Saturday. I got to the Peppermill at 2pm and the 15/30 was already full. I was put on the list and jumped into a 2/4 game to pass the time. I played almost every hand and wasn't catching cards so I lost 70. Then I went to a 1/2 NL game. Here I was catching cards and was back to even when I got moved to the 3/5 NL game in 20mins. There was alot of money on the table and many soft spots but I couldn't hit a flop to save my life. I missed my call to the 15/30 so I decided to suck it up.

I played aggressively trying to pick up some small pots but I ended up getting killed. I flopped top pair with a flush draw and a gutshot but I didn't get there. Down 500. I played tighter after this and went on a small rush to get back to even. This didn't last long as I missed more draws and then I started hitting brink walls. My flush ran into quad aces, my set ran into a flush and my big suited aces could beat 77. I gave back the 500 and another 400 before I called it quits.

Looking back I was very tired and lost my aggression after the beats. I should have gone to the 15/30 but I wanted to break into NL. Until I build up my bankroll I an going to stay away from anything above 1/2 NL.

Sunday I played on the internet. I was 4 tabling .5/1 and was up 50. Then I took at shot at 1/2 and lost 20. Took a break for a few hours and went back to 6 tabling .5/1. Then I switched a table to 1/2. Ended up loosing back the 50 and another 50 on top of it. The 1/2 games were playing differently from the .5/1 and I was a little off for awhile, but I just couldn't get cards and when I did I ran into bad luck. Of course 1/2 is over my bankroll so it hurt.

Determined to regroup and go back to the .5/1 grind. Will do the same at the casinos and just sit and wait for my limit seat to open up. Got to get a bankroll behind me first.

No More Left Overs part 2

2008-01-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

Now where was I. So I got into the room and crawled into bed and past out. Woke up about 9 am, not the most sleep but enough. Needless to say I was hung over and felt like shit. I was haveing dry heaves and hung out in the bathroom for a minute. Didn't get sick just relaxed and drank some water.

Tried to sleep some more but not much luck. I just watched tv and tried to drink more water. At about 11am I start to get hungry so I called up room service. The eggs were listed at 11.00 but when I signed the ticket it was up to 28 with tip, coffee, etc. As I was eating I realized that I didn't have my car keys or cell phone with my buddies number in it. I am getting worried that I could be stuck in Reno until my buddy realizes he has my stuff and comes to get me. I make it to my car and with the door code I get in to see that my buddy was there and left my stuff in the counsel for me. I call to thank him and chat about the night. He agrees it was a good time and I go to play more cards until I have to be home to meet another friend at 5pm.

I get into a 10/20 game at 1pm and can only play for 3 hrs so I can drive home by 5pm. I start to win right away. I was playing loose and hitting hands. I would push my draws and get there. And my favorite, flop my hand and get paid off. I remember one hand where I had T3o in the BB, with a raise and 7 callers in front of me. I make a speech that my hand sucks but how can I fold with so much money in the pot. Of course the flop comes A33 rainbow. I check call the flop and everyone notices and asks me if I like my hand now. I c/r the turn and get only one caller that pays me off on the river. With this luck I am up 591 in my 3 hrs. Almost got back all of my drinking money.

Sunday my buddy and I head back to Reno to play cards and get into the 10/20 game. Don't remember any hands but I did grind it up 200 before we went to eat dinner. This is where I got the shrimp. After dinner there is only one seat at the 10/20 game so I jump into a 4/8 game. I notice there are a ton of chips at this game. The guy to my right has 700 in front of him and other players have a few hundred. I am starting to think that they have been here all day as I watch the action. It is raised and re-raised with 4 callers on almost every street. Now it makes sense. I proceed to catch cards and am just as aggressive. I get AA, QQ, and AK almost in a row and win big pots with them all. Then I get lucky with Q5s in the BB to make a fullhouse and pick off a very aggressive bluff when I catch the river card. In 20 min I am up 300 in a 4/8 game.

Then I am called to the 10/20 game and drop 500 in the first few hands. Monster draws that don't come in. Then I go card dead and fold for the next couple of hours. I leave +77 at the end of the night.

Monday we stay local and go to Fandangos. I start playing BJ and win my entry fee into a small re-buy tornament. It was 30 with two 20 re-buys. I don't re-buy at all and get to the final table. I was playing aggressive but I also got lucky when I go all in with 75s and get called. I made trip 5 to double up. After that I settle down and try to win. I am 2nd in chips when we chop 3 ways for 200 each.

No More Left Overs

2008-01-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

A buddy came in 2 weekends ago and we went out to eat every night until he left. Each night I got a to go box and put it in the fridge. So on the fifth night when he left, I mixed up the left overs and sat in front of the TV to relax. 5am the next morning I wake up running to the bath room. Yup the shrimp had gone bad.

I had the heat cranked and the covers on all day Thursday and was still cold. I started to feel a little better that night but not much. I had stuff to do at work on Friday so I took a bottle of tylenol and sucked it up. I wanted to play friday night, but my body said no way. Saturday I felt even better but not quite right, so I scrapped the idea of making it out and concentrated on getting better. So after this, NO MORE LEFT OVERS. I felt like dirt and who knows what it cost me in lost poker winnings. From now on if I don't eat it the next day I am throwing it out. Now back to poker.

The second weekend of January I got to the Peppermill pretty early for me and got into the 10/20. I lost a hand or two but was only down $10 at 6pm. The game was stuck in the mud and a few players were leaving to play the tournament. I was in the mood for a change of pace so I went too. $125 buy in with no re-buys. 41 players

I decided I would play super aggressive like Dario Minieri to see what would happen. The table was so tight and I was able to steal many pots. Then I would make a hand and get paid off. I had a bump or two in the road but I was getting chips. I cooled off for awhile with a nice stack and decided to let the others knock each other out. I cruised to the final two tables but had to start playing again with the blinds going up.

Playing alittle tighter I got to the final table 4th in chips. The final table was tight so I had to wait for hands and watch the others. I took a few hits as the table thined out and was the small stack with 4 left. 2 guys were good and would play but the other guy was pushing or folding. It was working for him so I started to do the same. Of course it doesn't work the last time. I crippled him with AK against AQ and he was out shortly after that. Down to 3.

His chips helped but I was card dead and the blinds where eating me up. I had just over the BB when I started to push with anything decent. This is when my second rush came. I doubled up twice and stole some blinds to be chip leader. I got heads up with a 3rd more in chips when we decided to chop. He gave me alittle more since I was ahead and I walked with a 1000 profit even with the buy in. Not bad.

I was feeling good with my first Tournament win at the Peppermill so I called a buddy and we hit the strip clubs with my money. We were talking about doing this for awhile and I had cash to burn. I don't remember club names but we went to 3. The first was ok, the 2nd bad, but the 3rd on Virginia street was a hit. I had the cutest thing in my lap the whole time I was there and we ended up getting drunk. I dropped 500 between the 3 bars and was back at the Peppermill by 3am. Played some drunk 4/8 before I got a room and then dropped $100 in a slot machine waiting for the front desk. Ended up dropping 800 but what a night.

This is getting long so I will bring it up to date in the next post.

Just Thinking

2008-01-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

Still thinking of my not leaving Saturday with all of my hard earned money. Then I thought about why I didn't leave and then about my playing online Sunday night. I am not crying about it, just trying to figure out why I chose not to do what I know I should have done.

I am convinced it is still my mind set. I am looking at poker as a time killer that I can also make money at and an escape from going home alone. After all I have a job to pay the bills. I didn't leave Sat. because I had nothing else to do. Sunday I was playing online while watching TV and surfing the Internet.

I am just coasting and I have to stop. I looked up my rake after playing Sunday and it was almost half of my win. Granted I am playing very low stakes to build a bankroll instead of depositing money, but I know I could have made more if I was only playing poker. I then looked back at all my play and saw that I payed over 1800 in rake. That is a huge number considering the stakes I play online.

I am wasting so much money it makes me sick. I need to wake up and concentrate on one thing at a time. If I am so bored that I am watching TV then I should stop playing and watch TV. As for live play, if home is some place I don't want to be then I need to change that.

One more thing. Saturday over buttons where put into play late in the evening. I now regret taking one. IMO it changes the game more then I thought. First, I'm playing based on the smaller stakes so I have to adjust my game quickly to not wipe out my stack. 2nd, with the other players in the game preflop all the odds change mid stream. A call with the bigger bets may now be wrong. Finally, I don't want to or can't change late in a session quickly enough to compensate for the new odds. From now on I won't take an over button. If they want to raise the stakes that may be fine, (10/20 to 15/30) but not in the middle of a hand.

Still Not a Quitter

2008-01-06T09:17:00.000-08:00

Went back to the Peppermill and sat in the 15/30 game. There were some tough players in the game but I was determined not to let that intimidate me this time. I started out slow folding many hands and then caught 3 in a row to be up a rack. This was followed by a draught of cards and a few suckouts to take back the rack and some of my starting chips.

This is when I went on my run. I got into a couple of big pots with an aggressive player and I kept raising. I was playing aggressively but also making my hands to build my stack. My best hand was a set over set and then we filled up on the river. With another player helping to pump the pot I feel that I got the maximum amount I could. Then with a few more small pots I ran 400 up to 2000.

After all of that I still didn't quit. I took a break to eat a rest but I didn't leave. I talked about it, thought about it, but my greed got the best of me. I won another 300 when I went back but this was my plateau.

The main reason I didn't leave was a huge fish at the table. He kept rebuying between beer and would call anything down. He took pride in bluffing and was aggressive to boot. I thought this would continue until he was broke, then I would leave.

After he took down a big pot with a bluff, another player asked for over buttons. This doubles the stakes to 30/60 if the only players left in the hand have a button. All but 2 player got one. This is when the fish got runner runner to beat me. My KK ran into AA and someone got a gutshot on the river to beat me. With the stakes doubled and me taking several beats in a row I dropped 1300 before I knew it.

So after 8.5 hrs of play I dropped half in the last half hr. I know this was just a swing but I was to tired to stay and play through it so I left. This turned an awesome win of 1900 into a very good win of 985. Still over 100 an hour but crap. I can and will be a quitter soon. I obviously need to keep working at it though.

Got Lucky

2008-01-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

There was a tough lineup at the game when I got there but I was confident in my new play. Then I got my first hand and I was like a deer in headlights. I knew what they had but I called anyway. Then I got sucked out on half a dozen times and I started to play passive. I didn't win a pot for 4 hours and I got stuck 1,060. I did the walk of shame to the ATM and re bought for 200.

By now the toughest players left and some fish sat down. I started to win a few pots when we got 6 handed and the table turned hyper aggressive. I picked up a few hands and was able to build huge post to mount a comeback. After a few of these pots I was only down 60. I tried to keep it going to book a win but my cards dried up and I was very tired at this point. The pots were huge and were being won by 2nd pair but I saw big swings coming so I took my now small loss and left.

I didn't think I would have to practice table selection live but I guess I do. My bankroll is still small and the swing did affect my play. In the future I will pay more attention to the line up and play lower if I have to.

Tid Bits

2008-01-03T14:21:00.000-08:00

Been doing some poker reading but not about strategy. I have been reading articles, cardplayer, and the poker news. I found a few tid bits in these items that got me thinking and now I am reading The Poker Mind Set and ordered Elements of Poker.

It started with an article by Tommy Angelo called folding. It was an easy read but rammed home the point that you don't have to win every pot you play. Then when reading stories about Chip Reese and his points for playing poker made me think. They were to accumulate wealth, improve your life style, and provide for your family.

I wasn't doing any of these things. I would win and give it back a day later. The only thing I was doing was killing time. Looking back at my posts I was touching on all the concepts but just can't seem to put them together. Hopefully the new books and ideas I have will fix this.

I finnally caught up on my sleep last night just in time for friday night. This will be the next test in my new qwest. I have to leave at 11pm to stick to the plan. This is still late when you figure I have been up since 6am, work all day, and then drive 40min home. I will be lucky to be asleep by midnight and I know I will be up by 7am even without an alarm clock. If I get tired before 11pm I need to go.

My point with all this blabbering is that there is more to poker then how to play a hand. If your schedule or life is a mess it will bring you down just as fast. If you haven't thought about these things then you should. They are half of the game and won't let you ignore them if you want to be a winning player.

Taking It Seriously

2008-01-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

I decided to take poker seriously for 2008. Not just say it but do it. There were days that I would blow off steam and money on a bad day to feel better. Play higher limits and games that I wasn't ready for and so on. All of this cost me alot of money.

For 2008 I am putting all the things I know about poker together, including bankroll management, emotions, and non poker related events. Currently I am under bankrolled for the 10/20 game I was playing last night but I can and did beat it for $600. I won't play anything higher until I have my bankroll back. This includes NL games. I am a limit player so the best and fastest way for me to rebuild is to stick to my game. If that means playing 4/8 or lower so be it.

I have poker tracker for my online play and set up an excel spread sheet for my live game results. I will also track poker related expenses and offset them against my winnings to treat this as if I was playing for a living. My job will cover my living expenses but gas to the casino, food at the casino, and poker related items will come out of my play.

On day one I lost -8.45 online and won 600 live. I don't want to deposit more money online if I don't have to, so I will be starting at micro stakes and working up as my bankroll allows.

2008 New Years Resolution

2007-12-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

The new year brings absolution for the sins of the previous year or so we like to believe. IMO people need something to change so they can change. Just like we put the old year behind us we try to put our bad habits behind us too. I have jumped on this band wagon since as long as I can remember so why stop now. Besides, jumping on is easy, not falling off is the hard part.

Self Discipline. Two words, four syllables, but the hardest thing to do. This is what all resolutions boil down to. If you want to lose weight, go to the gym, or church, you need the self discipline to put the potato chips down and get off the couch. Self discipline, or lack of, is the root cause of our failure. We know what to do and how to do it, we just choose not to.

I know what I have to do to win at Poker, I just choose not to. My new year resolution is to do all the things I know I have to do to reach my goal of making money. The money will be there if I don't play when I am tired, on tilt, or getting bad cards. I can and do beat the games I play in but I am not reaching my poker goals because of my lack of self discipline. Of course there will be set backs but knowing the problem should help.

Good luck reaching your goals in the new year.

Playing Better and Learning to Fold

2007-12-19T09:56:00.000-08:00

The two are going hand in hand. Because of folding I am playing better. Folding has really improved my post flop game. I still make mistakes but I am giving it credit for not letting me drop of the deep end.

I ran even Friday night but lost Saturday. Sunday I was only going to play a short session but ended up playing longer. I was down because of a bad river and then went on tilt for 50 more in a 1/2NL game. No 10/20 limit game going so I mixed it up. Anyway I was card dead for 6hrs until I got lucky.

I don't remember the preflop action but I got HU on a flop of KK3 with KJ in the hole. I bet 20 and got raised to 60 by the tightest player at the table. He didn't raise preflop so I put him on a K with a worse kicker so I went all in thinking he would fold. He insta called 150 more and showed 33 for the flopped fullhouse. The turn was a J and he left in disgust.

After this hand the cards kept coming and I made some good decisions post flop. Before I knew it I was back even for the day and then for Sat. too. I think I could have made more but 2 things happened. I was betting to strong and scared people off that would have called slightly less and I stopped getting action. I was on a run and out playing the table so they avoided me. I got action on one last hand that I lost for 200. I went card dead again and with no action I called it a night.

I credit the folding for this win. I folded for 6 hrs before I started to get cards. Had I not folded so much I would have lost and left before the cards turned in my favor. It was boring as hell but entertainment is secondary to making money.

+100 for the week $4 per hr (yuk)
Great lesson learned, Priceless

Mind Control

2007-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:00

Went back to the Peppermill last night for some 10/20 limit. It was the first time back since my melt down and I was welcomed back. Nobody seemed to have hard feelings so it is now water under the bridge.

I got there about 6:30 and played till 10:30. I booked a nice little win for $343 or just over $85hr. I played pretty well and kept myself in check when I wasn't getting cards and when I built, then lost, the 2 biggest pots of the night. Brian managed to win both with a rivered set over set and a turned gutshot straight beat another set. A good $800 between the two pots.

I did falter alittle when it was time to go. At first I was going to go at 10 but I told myself if the game was good I would stay an extra 30min. The game filled up so I stayed. The ironic part is that I lost $15 in the extra time. I am starting to see a pattern here.

Still a good night and I am happy and satisfied with the win. I am starting to win the battle with myself and my expectations. A win is better then loosing.

New Attitude

2007-12-11T06:47:00.000-08:00

I have always said that I am playing poker to make money but I keep making decisions that go against that statement. I keep playing longer then I said I would, when I am tired, or just when my mind is not on the game. All these things effect my win rate either that night or the next day.

Friday I played all night. I was up 1300 in a 3/5 nl game thanks to 4 big hands. Other then those hands I wasn't catching cards but I still played on. I came up with several reasons to stay but I knew I should have left. I did finally leave with 1000 which isn't bad but I went home and could only sleep 4hrs. I went back and lost 800.

Playing both days was always my plan but by playing so long friday I ruined my game for Saturday. I have no balance and therefore my reasons for playing poker at any given time keep changing. I am trying to have the disipline to follow my plan. It is a flexable plan that can adjust to the conditions but I bend and then break it too often.

My game has improved lately but my lack of disipline threatens to undue all my work.

It was a Wash

2007-11-27T10:25:00.000-08:00

I didn't make it out Fri. night. I was tired and went to bed early only to wake up at 1am. I was still tired but not able to go to sleep so I played on Pstars. My mind wasn't in it and I ended up loosing 2 buy ins.

I did make it out Sat. and was up $226 when I left. I was trying to get to 300 and was at 298 at one point. So I stayed and the results tell the story. Sun. I made a plan to play until 5:30pm and eat sushi for dinner. So I got to the Grand Sierra at 1pm and got on a table pretty quickly. I started out ok bt then went card dead. I did push a few hands and lost what I was up. Then I would get a playable hand and my draw wouldn't come in. Thinking back I should have played tighter. I was in hands leaking chips when I shouldn't have been. Other then that I only made one mistake. I had TT in the MP3 with 5 callers. The board paired and 3 to the flush came on the river and when it was checked to me I bet. The button, who was catching all of his draws and raising when he made his hands, raised. Everyone folded to me and after some thought I folded too. The bet was a mistake but I know now that the folding was even worse. It was very likely that he had trips or the flush but I still should have paid him off.

Down 122 I went for sushi at the El Dorado. I waited all day for this so I ate more then my fill. I paid 35 with tip and took 50 to the BJ table. I got on a run early and almost doubled my money. I waited to long to bet more so when I did I lost and was broke in short order. Down 200 for the day I went home. Still 700 for the week so still happy.

In life my job blows. I know where all the money goes and I don't agree with were it is going. I have stressed out over this before and that is partly to blame for my mental melt down and lose of bankroll. This time I am telling myself not to care and just do my job and go home. If things don't change I will have plenty of time off for the holidays and be forced to play poker for a living.

I know I can't pay the bills or want to for longer then a month or two. Some time off will be nice but I don't have any illusions of being a poker pro for long. I have some savings but not enough so I will have to get a job pretty soon. It will be nice to have the luxury of waiting for the right job and if I win a poker I will be able to wait all that much longer.

Profitable Holiday

2007-11-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

I put my new attitude to the test and it held up. I was clear headed, patient, and not expecting a fortune.

I went up the the El Dorado in Reno Wednesday night to get sushi and play some low limit holdem. The sushi bar was closed on Wednesday so I went straight to poker. The 3/6 table was full so I sat in a 1/2 NL game. I had watched Ed Millers new video on Stox Poker so I sat with his advice in mind.

I wasn't catching cards and then a very aggressive and good player sat down. He started to run over the table from the start so I called with a good hand but missed the flop and had to fold. My name was called for the 3/6 and since this game was loosing players and lost its passive feel I said to lock it up. I played until my blind and manage to win a hand that put me up $20 before I left.

My sandwich came as I moved to the 3/6 so I was eating instead of paying attention at the beginning. After I was done I did win a few pots but wasn't catching cards and slowly leaking chips. In the mean time they started a new 1/2 NL and it looked to good to pass up so I asked for a seat and was moved right away.

The new table was as passive as I had thought. Everyone would limp and then fold if they missed the flop or pay off the most obvious hands. I was splashing around loosing chips when I was dealt AQs in the small blind. Several limpers and the I raised in the SB. Everyone folded to the button, who called, and we where heads up to the flop.

The button was a Chinese girl that just reloaded after calling progressively larger bets, including the river, with AA on a 3 flush board. She had the nut flush draw but you don't CALL all in on the river when you miss. This gave me a fishy read so I thought I could push her around, hoping she would be gun shy after the last hand.

The flop came 10 high with only one of my suit. I have to admit I was frustrated at not catching cards to this point, along with my read, so I pushed for my remaining $70. She thought for a short time and called showing QQ. I thought I was going home but I got runner runner to a straight and doubled up. This was total luck on my part but it was the confidence boost I needed. After this hand I went on a big run.

Like I said before, this was a passive game so I started to raise and bet. I would raise $10 preflop and 6 people would fold. I know this isn't a big pot but it was free money. If they did call they would fold to a C-bet on the flop. The gravy was when I would hit the flop and they would pay me off. I was up $250 before 2aggressive guys came to the table and I had to back off. I was getting ready to leave when this hand came up.

I don't remember exactly how it went down but I was heads up in a raised pot with top two on a draw heavy board. On the flop I was facing a big bet and a tough decision. There was a flush draw and a possible straight on the board and I had watched this guy play a straight this way earlier in the night. After his bet he only had $120 left and this would have put me back to even. I figured all the money was going in and I still had outs if he had the straight. If he was on a flush draw there was fold equity on top. He is a dealer so I figured the money meant alot to him and he would protect it. I pushed and he called quickly. I asked if he had the straight but he didn't say anything which was the same as saying no. It was two blanks and I was up $500.

I stayed with my new confidence when I got into a pot with the Chinese girl again. I limped in from the button with 34o. The flop was 524. There was a small bet that I called and we were heads up to the turn. The turn was an A to give me the wheel. I put her on A rag so when she bet $20 I raised it to $60. She pushed quickly so I called figuring I was pot committed and would split the pot. She turned up the 63 for the nuts and I was sick.

I took the hint this time and played tightly to my blind and racked up my $300 profit. Not bad but avoidable. I should have just called her down and probably would have saved alot. I never ruled out 63 but I let my rush go to my head.

Turkey day was even more profitable. I met two friends at the Grand Sierra for the Turkey buffet. I had the normal turkey and fixins and enjoyed the company. With no clean up we sat a talked, ate a leisurely desert, and drank coffee. Very enjoyable. We were stuffed so we walked around down stairs by the shops for some exercise. None of us had walked the entire area so I forced us to do it and found some new shops we didn't know where there. After wards they were going to a friends house so I went up to the poker room.

There was only a 4/8 game going but it was full with lots of chips and action. I waited alittle for a seat but not long. My plan was to play ABC poker and get paid off. It was a slow start, folding for like the first 40 mins. I was amazed at what was winning and how the guy next to me was sucking out hard for big pots. The players started complaining that this game was all luck and I just chuckled while licking my lips.

I limped on the button with Q7s, my favorite hand, and flopped a flush draw. I bet the flush draw and 5 called. The board paired aces and it was checked around. The river was the flush and someone bet. I only called fearing a ragged fullhouse but I won. This gave me a tight table image and the vocal Chinese lady I just beat let everyone know it. This helped me out when I flopped top pair with a OESD and raised. She muttered that the last time I raised I had it so she and 3 others folded. Q on the turn but I bet and only got one caller. The river was another Q and since I didn't get raised on the turn I bet again and he folded. With those two hands I was up $100.

Then I got lucky again in a 1/2 Kill pot. I called with 22 from the SB and flopped quads. It was checked around but I bet the turn and everyone folded. I was hoping for one call but O'well. They give bonuses for everything so I flipped it over and asked if there was a bonus. Turns out they are progressive bonuses and since it wasn't hit for awhile I got $198. Up $300 just like that.

I was just thinking that I didn't get many pocket pairs when I was dealt AA. There was an early raise and re-raise so I 3-bet to get out the others. They would call 2 bets but not 3. I was giving up my hand but I said I was going to play ABC poker and you don't slow play. The raisers called me all the way down and I took a nice pot. I won another small pot and racked up $426 profit in a 3 hr session. Even without the bonus it was a good session. $226 in 3 hrs at 4/8 is dam good.

Up $700 in two nights is a great start. I am going to try to add to it this weekend but I don't expect to make as much. You can't hit bonuses every time. For now I am keeping with the same strategy, ABC poker at low stakes with short sessions. If it goes well I will have a nice little bankroll when the Winter tournaments come around Dec. 7. I plan on taking a buy in and jumping up to my old stakes. I will be under bankrolled but not over matched.

New Outlook

2007-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

I have come to the conclusion that my game went into the toilet because of everything. That includes less luck, playing badly, expectations, and not being ready to play, both mentally and physically. So everything.

As I have been saying in my other posts I have been analyzing my play. Reading more, listening, and thinking about my play. Well it started to come together. I picked up little things here and there and watched what was happening at the table and adjusted as I went. I mentioned each part but it took me awhile to get it straight and beleive that it would work.

I went to San Jose over the weekend and recognized some things I was doing wrong. I expected to win, I didn't get enough sleep, I played to long, I made bad decisions, and I got unlucky. I raided my savings to go play and it hurt to loose it knowing that I could do better. The prospect of having to quit because of money made me play like I new I should and I started to see it work.

I thought I was not getting my fair share of good hands so I started to put a chip behind my stack every time I folded and counted how many hands I folded before I saw a flop. To my surprise it was around 10 with dry spells as high as 22. When I played a hand that I new I shouldn't I would loose and then win when I would wait. I watched other players that I thought were good and saw that they went through long dry spells too and just folded.

The little trick about counting my hands gave me the mental strength not to play hands I knew I shouldn't. Winning more hands gave me confidence and I started to make better post flop decisions and win more. It also opened my mind to see that I was getting my fair share of hands and I was not unlucky or in a huge downswing I couldn't do anything about. I was running hot for a long time and now I am running average.

I see now that I got mentally weak with all that is going on in my life and was bringing it to the table. I may have taken more then my fair share of bad beats, but I let them get to me more then they should have. I am now looking at each hand separately. Not thinking about the session, week, or month but what to do at each decision.

I plan to play much shorter sessions until I build back my confidence and bankroll. Others might think I am doing hit and runs but I don't care. I am only going to play until I feel I am making bad decisions and that is it.

Inital Results are In

2007-11-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

and they indicate I suck at poker. That is a little harsh, not much, but a little.

After being turned down by the only poker coach that answered my cry for help (forum post)(he only coaches NL not limit) I went back to the Stoxpoker videos. Again I half paid attention to what he was saying and watched what he was doing on the other tables (he was 4 tabling) This seems to be working well for me. I have to watch them a few times because there is too much info to take in at once.

After making changes I belive it is all of the above. I am playing loose and weak tight at the wrong times, I am over aggressive at the wrong times, and I am running bad.

1. Loose, I was being stubborn and not giving up good hands when warranted. Why call two bets cold preflop on the button with ATs with an UTG raiser. I am probably 50/50 but why risk it when I'm running bad. Another is when I have top pair and someone caps the flop with me, I am probably beat and should just move on to the next hand. These situations spew chips that are hard to get back when running bad.

Tight, I need to limp with marginal hands when there are 4+ limpers. This will allow me the chance to get lucky and win a big pot for a small investment. I just have to give it up and not chase if I miss.

2. Over Aggressive with top pair or the like as explained above, but also with just bets. I am betting top pair and draws when the pot is small and am likely to be out drawn or my semi-bluff has little chance of working.

3. Running bad. This excuse is down to 33% of the problem, so I realize I have room for improvement. I keep it there though because even with the extra limping I am doing I am playing less then 15% of my hands (20% is normal) and I am winning less then my fair share of those hands. The exact percentage eludes me right now but I did check this last night with my poker tracker stats. I did beat the .25/.5 game last night for 2bb per hr but I believe this should be double if I was running normal and triple if I was running good. I was hoping to confirm this with my coach so if you have an opinion please enlighten me.

I'm working hard on the above before my trip. I am leaning toward leaving Fri. morning instead of Thurs. night. This will give me more practice and study time along with another good night sleep in my own bed. I just want to give myself the best chance to beat the San Jose games.

The Little Details

2007-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

My last post ended abruptly because I was still playing when I was writing and I almost lost it as I took another bad beat.

I took a break for an hour and then watched a Stoxpoker video. I was only half paying attention to what he was saying and just watched what he was doing. I got just as much out of looking for the things I wanted as listening to what he was saying. I started to pick up on some of my over aggression. I can see that I over C-bet and raise for information when it is the same price to call down. I know there is a time and place for these things but I'm getting it wrong too much and it is costly. I played for exactly 30 mins after the video and doubled my buy-in.

I didn't "get it" that quickly as much as I was running good. Flopping 3 of a kind out of the BB with Q4o is luck not skill. I did use some of my other ideas and saw them work. Thinking about them now, they are easy concepts that I know but putting them together while playing is were I need practice. I even took steps to find a coach. Besides pointing out what I am doing wrong I want to know if I am running bad or playing bad.

Unless I have a huge hole in my game that I don't see, I still think 75% of my problems are from running bad. I had dozens of hands this weekend were I was an 85% favorite and still lost. Either way I am determined to figure it out. If I suck at poker I can get better and if I am running bad, just knowing will help me get through it.

85 Hours and $160 Later

2007-11-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

I am settling in on a new playing style. I have used these marathon sessions in the past to see the patterns of my losses. By seeing what doesn't work over again and again in a short period of time it starts to sink in. I even posted a hand or two on 2+2 while I was playing to help out on my weak tight problem. I still have work to do but I am pushing hard to prepare for my trip next weekend.

My problems are in my post flop game. No surprise there since 90% or more of the poker community lacks in this area. I was and still do spew chips. I have tightened up to an almost fit or fold play style. It is working for me right now because I still am running bad. I have taken so many suck outs this weekend it is hard to take. I don't know if this is normal but I hope not.

Ready to Play and Expectations

2007-11-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the 2+2 web site and came across the October graphs. These guys are winning anywhere between 2k and 200k in a month. The fact that this is possible is the reason I keep trying and wine when I can't at least break even.

So after some soul searching I have come to a few conclusions that I am working on. I am trying to be ready to play poker. And by that I mean physically and mentally. Not playing if I am tired or just bored. Don't make dinner or talk on the phone when you are trying to play. You have to want to play and care about what you are doing. The mental part is where I think killed my bank roll. If you just got some bad news, are worried about something in life, or mad at something, poker is not what you do to take your mind off of things unless you drop way down on limits. Tilt will come quickly and easily and destroy your bank roll.

The second part is expectations. You have to ask yourself what you want out of poker. I was looking for the quick buck and it was there for a time. I still want to make money but now I am content with what comes. I have been playing micro stakes so I had to find enjoyment and satisfaction from winning because there wasn't much money. I think I now get the one big bet an hour and building your bankroll until you can move up. If you have a job and can build you bankroll faster fine, but you have to be careful that you are not fooling yourself by doing this.

I am doing these things on-line and will be taking a shot at live poker again next weekend down at the Bay 101. I am going to raid the savings account and play all weekend at 20/40 and lower if I am still loosing. I hope to make just enough to cover expenses but not loosing everything I take is ok too.

Hanging Tough

2007-10-30T12:51:00.000-07:00

It is not easy getting out of this slump. I am trying to keep an open mind to all the little things contributing to it.

I read a good article on variance today and it goes hand in hand with tilt. In brief, if you are in a slump you will try to push situations that you know are bad and contribute to an already bad situation. Well put. I think I mentioned this before but it is good to see my logic backed up.

I have been trying to be patient but I get bored and eat. Then get tired and not pay attention and loose even more money.

I am trying to play poker when I go to play poker and nothing else. I almost have my area set up at home away from the tv but not yet. The key for me is going to be setting a time limit. I will play live for 4 hrs and leave. Not just a break but leave. I still have alot of drama in my life so if I can just put it aside for 4 hours a week I should be ok

Doing Better

2007-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

I joined Stoxpoker and started to watch a few videos. I picked up a few things that I forgot about or didn't know. I say forgot about, because I use to do some of them and stopped when I tried to play what I thought was better poker. I have to admit that I was doing them without realizing why. I chose Stoxpoker over Cardrunner because I think there is more beginner videos and articles then Cardrunner. Since I am starting over and filling in my gaps this meant more to me.

Nothing to exciting lately. Got schooled at PL holdem and then got it back at limit. I think I will stick to limit for now. I have alot to learn and I should do that before I take on more.

I am enjoying playing at the low limits and seeing what works and why. There was doubt in the back of my mind that it was all about the money, but I am still having fun without much at stake except my pride. So I guess I don't need to go to GA yet.

I did set one goal that I am making progress at. I was looking at my poker tracker data base and there were some red numbers (losses)at the low levels. I use to drop down to .02/.04 and blow off steam and a buy in by just raising and calling. Now that I am starting over I have been playing those levels just to turn the numbers green. Some by very little but they are still green.

Still Running Bad

2007-10-09T14:17:00.000-07:00

Took another shot at the live games over the weekend. This was the last weekend for the Pot of Gold so I figured why not. Well I can give you 500 reasons why not because that is how much I managed to loose.

I just can't get on a roll. I win one hand to make a few bucks and then build a nice pot in the next couple of hands only to be drawn out on and end up right back where I started. Then the game kept breaking up to boot. They couldn't keep it going so I switched to NL. Same result here but with being able to bet more and go all in I was soon all out of money.

Decided to join a poker site where they have videos of pros playing and concentrate on my game while playing on the Internet. I just signed up, but I think I found two places to tighten my game up already. Before, if I bled a few chips it didn't matter, now that I win so few pots every chip matters. I have been noticing that those few chips that I have wasted could have added up to an extra $100 a session, making the trip worth while.

I am now dedicated to playing a very regimented and straight forward game in the low limits while I rebuild my bankroll. It is hard to play mistake free, but that is where the money is.

Back On-Line

2007-10-05T16:52:00.000-07:00

My deposit finnaly hit and I am playing again. I started at the .25/.5. I only have 192 bb but I think that should be plenty.

I was off to a great start up 12 dollars so I opened another table. On this table I proceeded to play bad, get suckout on, and miss all my draws. I lost the $10 buy in in an hour. Then it started to happen on the first table. I quit after an hour down 8.6 between the two table.

As of this morning at 4:30am I got it all back plus an additional $2. whew

Tonight it is back to the Grand Sierra in Reno. I was thinking about taking a shot at my old game to rebuild my bankroll quickly but haven't decided yet. I will have to see what the line up is like and go from there. I will let you know what happens.

Goals for the Month

2007-10-03T13:23:00.000-07:00

I have been reading some other blogs and they are setting goals for the month so I thought why not.

I am trying to set a schedule starting this month and three days in, I am off track. I was suppose to workout and read Monday night and that didn’t happen. I ended up doing the dishes, laundry, and general cleaning instead. I did go play live last night but stayed an extra hour and lost $100. Not in the last hour but over the whole session. Card dead.

Tonight it was suppose to be more working out and reading but instead I am going to do bookkeeping and taxes. I can make more money then playing poker but its not as fun. I only have 4 returns left to do so I was planning on just getting them done instead of waiting till the last minute. Lol

In general my goals for the month are these. Mon., Wed., and Sat. work out. Mon. and Wed study poker. Tues and Thur play on the internet. Two tables, low stakes, to build up a bankroll. Fri, Sat, and Sun. play live. It is still up in the air where and what. I am mostly a limit player but the NL games in Tahoe are so soft. So I will probable mix it up.

I am going to start with $85 and play the .1/.2 limit games. I could play higher but I want to work on my aggression and discipline of building a bankroll. If I loose then why play? I would rather figure out I am a loosing player at .1/.2 then 10/20.

I hope I am a winning player but by the end of the month I should know for sure.

Pot of Gold

2007-09-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

I was still hyped up from my huge wins this week that I had to play again last night. Now thats funny.

No, I didn't have anything else to do so I called Kevin to go play some cards. He wanted to go to the Peppermill but I am trying to avoid that place for awhile, so I suggested the Grand Sierra. Told you I liked the place. I left alittle late and Kevin called me to inform me the Pot of Gold tournaments just started. I had forgotten about this so it was a pleasnt supprise to see an extra 600 people playing poker.

The Pot of Gold is your normal 10 days of small tournaments, sit n goes, cash games, and then the "Main Event" at the end. I don't do many tournaments but the cash games are great. People come in from the Bay area, northern CA, Washington State, Oregon and northern Nevada, so there is alot of players, games and of course action.

I started off with 4/8 chatting it up with Kevin. Nothing exciting. I kept getting snapped off by a guy that was just catching cards. No skill all luck. Kevin left after an hour to play 1/2 NL. The line up looked tough with alot of locals so I passed. I battled up and down as we got short handed to end up stuck $10. Kevin came over to tell me that the locals moved to the bigger game and it was now very passive game, so I moved.

I was up a little most of the time but nothing special. My big $100 profit came from three hands. Not much detail but the jist was that I made Aces up on AQ for a nice pot, then lost with a set of fours to a set of Kings, and then beat JJ with AA. So I took my $100 and headed home before I gave it back.

An interesting thing happened on the way out. I stopped to talk to Joe, to see how his new job was going. He was a dealer that quit to play poker. He told me that he has been going up to Tahoe 4 nights a week and sitting in the 2/3 NL game. He has been cashing out everytime for $500 to $1000 a night. He is up $13,000 so far this month. I guess I underestimated him. With what he was telling me he is doing it right. Playing tight and letting them bet into him, leaving when the cards go cold, and general bankroll management.

Thinking back, I didn't do the last two. I would stay to long and spew chips. With this information I will have to go to Tahoe more often, once the tournaments are over.

Nice Little Win

2007-09-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

I went up to Lake Tahoe last night and sat in a 2/3 NL game for three hours. I was going to play 3/6 but the NL table was just starting, the 3/6 had a list, and I knew I could only play 3 hours. Started off very slow, folded a lot or every now and then limping in and then folding. I got a tight table image that helped me all night.

The first of the two notable hands I limped in with 9c7c in MP along with everyone else. A few people came from another table to limp in, that is how passive this game was. Everyone would limp and then hammer the flop.

The flop was K93 with 2 clubs. I am fuzzy on the betting but there was a bet and two calls before it got back to me. I didn’t give much credit to any of these guys because they were calling bets like this all night only to fold later on. The chances were good that someone had a K but with second pair and a flush draw I thought I could out draw them. Then I thought about my tight image. I figured if I checked raised then they would give me a lot of credit for a big hand. I was frustrated as usual so I went for it and went all in for another $70, $150 total. The original better called his remaining chips and after some thought and staring at me the other two players folded. The turn and rivers where no help and I showed my 97 and beat the 95o for a nice pot. Of course one of the folders said he had the K. Yes, he called all his chips with 95o and no draw. Got to love Lake Tahoe poker.

I splashed around some with my new chips and lost $45 semi-bluffing at a pot when the biggest hand of the night for me came up. With $200 in front of me I looked down at AdQd in early position and raised to $25. The button and UTG called. The flop came J 9 5 with 2 diamonds. I bet out $25 as a CB/stopper bet and the button raised to $75. UTG looked at his cards and called. I thought about my table image again and how these guys would bet and call this way with a draw and that my A is probably best right now. I also figured if I pushed the button would give me credit for a pocket pair and fold. He was tight compared to the UTG. It worked out just like I planned. The button folded and the UTG called. He made his K high flush on the turn but I made the A high flush, and just like that I was up over $300. I splashed around some more and walked with $275.

I went over to the BJ tables to meet my friend and he was still playing. With the $75 in my pocket I sat down with him. We were in the high limit area playing a shoe for $25 min a hand, so I could play 3 hands. I won the next 4 in a row and was up $250 before loosing a couple of double downs. With $120 in profit I was done. This put me up $395 for the night but as I said before I only track $100 dollar bills so I have been using the $95 for gas, valet, lunch, and so forth.

Plus $300 for the night: Bankroll $800. My bankroll is coming along nicely. I won’t be playing as much live during the weeks to come, but I will be getting more time in on the weekends. My goal was originally $500 a month, but I may have to raise it a bit.

On another note, I got some help searching for poker blogs and found some that were talking about what I was going through. No cards, can’t win a pot for 5 hours, etc. Misery loves company and I can see now that what I am going through is normal. The big wins I got use to for 10 months were not sustainable and I am back on the right track.

Lost but Won

2007-09-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

I felt like I lost last night but I left with more then I started with.

A buddy of mine is in Reno staying at Harrahs. They gave him the presidential suite on the 24th floor. Very nice room with two bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, tv area, dinning table, cocktail bar, and a balcony. Great views of Reno.

So I was up doing some paper work with him and we pigged out on room service. It was 10pm but I was so full that I knew going to bed would not work, so I headed to the poker room. They had 2 1/2 NL tables going. One was a must move, but still a good game.

The cards have not turned so I was getting crap. If I did get a hand I would miss the flop or no action and win the blinds. We were short handed most of the time and even if I was ahead pre-flop I was last on the flop. I have been learning patients so I was folding left and right. I would pick up a very small pot every 40 hands or so to keep going. I did get stubborn on one hand where I flopped trips and someone turned a flush. I was raised on the turn but called. This was OK but my call on the river unimproved was giving money away.

Then I got dealt JJ in the BB. I raised and only got one caller. Flopped a set and got four of a kind on the river. I checked the turn but got paid off on the river. So I won $50 in that pot and then got $240 as a bonus for the four of a kind. This put me up to $375 after a tip to the dealer. I wanted to get to $400, double my buy in, so I stayed.

The two tables merged at 11:30 so I was at a full table for the first time all night. I played two hands in the next 45min and lost $60. Most in one pot when I raised AT in MP3 to $15 and got 5 callers. Flop was KQ5 and it was checked around. The turn was a 2 and was check around. I almost bet the turn but everyone was slow playing all night that I got gun shy. I bet $30 on the river and everyone folded until the button called. I lost to 66.

So even after loosing $122 in regular play, with the $240 bonus I was up $115 when I left. As far as I am concerned I lost $122.

Dumb luck a side, I added $100 to my bankroll to get to a whooping $500 with my win this weekend. I won more but I only track $100 bills. The rest is petty cash and gets spent. Breaking it down I made $28.57 per hr since Sat. playing poker. I keeping telling myself this is a great part-time job but its almost painfull. You sit there and watch these donks rake in huge pots with junk and there is nothing you can do. I am learing the meaning of the saying, "Poker is a hard way to make an easy living."

Need Help

2007-09-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

How do you search for Blogs on this site?

A few people have found my blog, but HOW? I can't find a search function and when I click on "next blog" I can only scroll through 5 before the options disappears.

Can someone please help me out?

Went Nowhere

2007-09-24T11:41:00.001-07:00

Was going to play poker at the Grand Sierra on Sunday but changed things around. Stayed home and cleaned my pad, organized my itunes, and played .05/.1 poker. I was going to do other things but didn't get out of the house.

Ended up getting killed at the .05/.1 and had to move back down. I was playing with my itunes at the same time and wasn't paying attention. Still have more itunes cleaning to do. I just loaded all my cds and now I am going back and deleting the songs I don't like.

I am trying to make a playing area so I can minimize distractions and work on my game. I moved my laptop to a desk instead of in front of the TV. I may need a more comfortable chair but now I will be able to take notes and do this right.

I am putting just under $100 onto my stars account. I have to wire it here and there and it takes 10 days to post. I don't want to deposit much, I want to win it. I still have to finish reading before I jump back into it with both feet. this will be enough to play .1/.2 and I will build up from there.

I am coming to realize that I was really running hot for the last 10 months and grinding it out is what it is all about. I am still learning to grind at these micro levels but when I run good again I will be a better player. Patients is a virtue, right?

Back on the Horse

2007-09-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have been playing more poker but trying to limit the duration of each session. I started out Sat. on the internet with a little .02/.04 and won about .80 or so. Brought my bankroll over $2. Then in the afternoon I took my live bankroll of $260 to the el dorado in reno.

I ran into a poker buddy that I played 20/40 with and when he saw me sign up for the 3/6 he knew something was up. I could have lied and said I wanted something different but I don't need to. So I went broke, if you haven't then you will. I did buy things with my bankroll so I will always be up but you know what I mean. Anyway, he use to play for a living and now he is a dealer. I know I will get back to the 20/40 game in time and I will be a better player when I do.

So I sat in the 3/6 and won a few small pot when I got QQ. It ended up getting capped 5 ways, raised on the flop and turn, and I got a raise in on the river when I filled up. Very nice pot. I was up $180 in an hour. I gave back $20 before I got a call from a friend to go out to eat.

We went for sushi at Sushi 7 on Keikski and Moanna. Not the best. I still love the eldorado for sushi. After dinner we went to the Grand Sierra for a $3 movie, Transformers. Not the best movie but worth the $3 for the entertainment and hanging out with good friends.

Afterwords we went up stairs to the casino that I havent seen in awhile. They are almost done remodeling so I wanted to see it. My friends left so I checked out the up graded poker room. They had a 4/8 going with a 2/2 blind structure. Very soft. 7 to 8 limpers every hand. You could limp in with almost anything and not get raised. I was up and down on some bad play. I tried to bully a few pots and got called down. I calmed down and came back until my KK ran into AA for a big pot. A third guy came along so that softened the blow but it still hurt. I went card dead and managed to battle back to within $3 of even so I called it a night.

Overall I was pleased with the Grand Sierra. It is a very clean room, well lit, with some of the most comfortable chairs in the area. I have seen better but no bad. They are slow during the week but may be the best place to rebuild my bankroll on the weekends. I plan on going back today so I will see if I am correct.

Learning to Grind

2007-09-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Slowing down and limiting my poker time has been helping. I am getting things organized in my life and it is helping at the tables. Having your life organized helps you to think more clearly or think about less at one time. I hate thinking about what I should be doing or should have gotten done before or instead of playing poker. The guilt factor.

I am reading Matt Matros book "The making of a poker player" not for strategy as much as entertainment but you can't help but get some pointers. The main point I am getting is to slow down and think about what I am doing. I have been in super sonic speed for so long in poker and my life that I'm not paying attention to the things around me. I am trying to get balance back in my life. I would play poker every minute that I was not at work and would have to put off other things and then worry about them. Doing a little of everything gives me the satisfation of geting everything down even if it takes a little longer.

This slowing down is the main thing I need to finally learn how to truely grind it out. I would want to win every pot I entered and would spew chips. I would then get pissed that I was down and go on tilt. I keep reminding myself of the one big bet an hour benchmark. It just seems like so little and take so long to get that I start to force it. I am trying to train myself to wait for the cards and the bets will come.

Right now I have $1.76 in my stars account and am playing .02/.04 and loving it. It is a little looser then the higher limits but not by much. It is a great place for me to work things out with no care about the money. I am not trying to do a Chris Furgeson but it would be great for my confidence to come back this way. I am doing what I think I need to do. Start over with poker and from the bottom.

BUSTO!!!

2007-09-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

I have hit rock bottom. I am beyond busto. I had to hit up the atm and when that was maxed I went to the cash advance place at the casino. Even my stars account is busto.

It was a complete disaster that kept getting worse. I almost got kicked out of the casino but they didn't want to pay for the cab ride. I guess the six glasses of wine on an empty stomach wasn't such a good idea after all. I still say I didn't do anything wrong. Just because I am 6'5" and towered over the floor didn't mean I was getting in his face. I was pissed that they gave away my seat in the ten minutes it took me to get a cash advance.

I have not given up on poker yet, but I do realize I need to re-group. Running bad can't account for everything, so I need to start over. I have a few things outside of poker to get organized and then I am going to go back to square one. I have already dug out my most basic books and I plan on studying them again. Not just a refresher course but a indepth read to fill in holes that I obviously have.

This will take a week or two but I don't know what else to do. A break from and a different approach to poker can't be any worse then what I have now.

Suggestions welcomed.

Grinding it Out

2007-09-08T07:26:00.000-07:00

I am slowly rebuilding my bankroll at the low levels. I did have one good night where I won 250 in a 2-8 spread limit game. I will brag a little and say that I was playing well. I was right on with my reads and got in my value bets. It was a nice change of pace to have my draws come in and to have the flop be the same suit as my cards. I also have been winning on the net. Not that I am way up but I am not bust either.

Last night I went to Reno and played some 4/8 at the Peppermill. I left with an extra 100 but it was because I got a 200 bonus for a straight flush. I tried and played well when I could. I was getting dealt trash and then when I got a playable hand I had to fold because of the action. Later I was getting pocket pairs only to go up against bigger pocket pairs. I will spare the wining but it is safe to say I was card dead, flop dead, and just about bankroll dead.

I still feel that I am in my downswing, but with better play I am making my few wins count and limiting my loses. I also am practicing better control. I am folding good hands when I know I am beat, staying off tilt. and walking from the table when I know it is time to leave. This can be when I start getting tired or see the cards have turned without regard to wether I am up or down. I hope this not what grinding it out is because it sucks donkey balls.

Got My Game Back

2007-09-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

I think I got my game back. I put in some time studying the books and videos and I think I found what I lost.

I was playing way to passively and was not protecting my hands. I must have been bluffed out of so many pots it is sickening just thinking about it. I have only played online so far, so I still have to test it out live. The double edge sword of playing live is that they call you down with anything. This is great for the action but blows when they keep getting the miracle river card.

Time will tell.

A Couple Small Wins

2007-08-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

A friend came into town and got me out to the local casino in Carson City for some 2-8 spread limit. I decided to play it as if it was a 4/8 game, raising to 4 every time I played a hand and then 8 on the later streets. The small initial raise didn't scare anyone out so the pots got big from the start and to my surprise my hands started to hold up. I was playing pretty good but for the most part there was just a ton of action and my hands held up. I was up 250 in 2 hours and gave back 50 before leaving with 200. This doubled my bankroll.

Then last night we went to Reno. I played 4/8 again and got off to a rocky start before coming back. I only won 40 but a win is a win. As I was playing I could tell I was getting my confidence back. I was making some good plays and even getting lucky which hasn't happened in a long time. I also realized after folding a winning hand on the river for one bet that I was playing weak tight. This explains some of my loses but not all.

I am reading and watching my poker videos trying to snape out of my fog. I hope these two small wins are the start to a full recovery.

Peppermill August 26

2007-08-27T14:27:00.000-07:00

Went to Reno yesterday and took my whole bankroll. How pathetic. I intended to play the 4/8 and grind it out to rebuild my bankroll but it wasn’t meant to be. The 4/8 was full and there was an open seat in the 20/40 that was going all night. Sammy was in town and he plays 85% of his hands and always rebuys. So all I had to do was play tight and stack chips.

Well that didn’t happen. I played tight and waited for KK just to loose to A5o when he got runner runner Ace for 4 of a kind. I flopped a set. And then there was AA when I lost to KQo. He turned trip K to take it down. And who can forget AcKc. I flopped top two to an all spade board to loose to a fourth spade on the river. I could go on but it is painful to me too to relive these glorious moments. The end result is my bankroll is now $200.00. I am even thinking of playing 3/6 so I can afford to play 4/8. Thank god I have a day job.

I did win a few small pots between my losses but not enough to overcome the big pots. I am blaming the luck of the cards for most but also thinking about my game. If anything I am playing to tight. There were a few pots that I would have won if I didn’t fold preflop, but they were coin flips to start with. I folded 77 to a re-raise preflop in late position and would have hit the set. The same with 33 in late position to a raise. The rest that I can remember were just luck hands. T8o or Q7o is just weak if you are running bad. I will read SSHE again and I ordered stoxpoker new book to boot, so we will see.

On-line I am doing a little better but not much. I won a MTT to double my bankroll and then jumped up to 5/10 to triple it before I started to loose. I don’t pay attention as much as I need to, play bad, or log on for 30 mins here and there instead of playing poker and only poker. I still have money left and am fixing my bad habits so I still have time to turn it around. All I can do is get into rebuild mode.

I Did it Too

2007-08-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

I did what I hate most about bloggers. They stop posting for no reason and the reader is left hanging.

Well I am back. I don’t know if anyone missed me or cares for that matter but I am back none the less. So what have I been doing?

I moved about a month ago now and was going through all my old crap and throwing out what I don’t use or need and putting the rest in a very organized and neat place. I still have not finished this process, which I am very disappointed in myself about, but I have a good excuse. I was playing poker. I am getting free high speed internet access for 6 months so I am playing on the internet at home for the first time. Before this I had to hang out at the office and use the company computers. I work for a small company so I can get away with it.

Very shortly after I moved into my new place my parents made it to town on the last leg of a month long vacation slash celebration of their retirement. No more work so lots of free time. We were supposed to go to San Francisco but my father changed his mind and said he wanted to go to Las Vegas instead. Being from the east coast none of us have been there. We drove from Carson City down Hwy 95. This was an adventure. There is very very little in the middle of Nevada. I drove on the way back at 90 mph and it felt like I was getting nowhere.

We arrived Thursday night at Ballys and was taken aback by the room rates. I guess I should have done more research but it was short notice. My dad complained about the room rates and because of my downswing I was running short so we stayed off the strip about 3 blocks to save a couple hundred bucks on the room. Looking back I wish I sprang for the money. My dad wouldn’t let me take a cab home at night so they spent a night in the hotel room and the other nights I hung out with them until late, dropped them at the hotel and then went out to play poker.

I played poker at many casinos, mostly for short times while my parents walked around, and then got me on the way out. When I went out by myself I went to the Bellagio and played 30/60. I lost to get to the point. I didn’t lose much considering the stakes, but with the horrible play at my tables I couldn’t win either. My highest point was up 500.

I know this is very light on the detail but I just wanted to post it and get back on schedule. The bottom line is that my game fell apart and I went busto. I am not happy about this and have been playing online to get my game back. I am trying new things and think I am on the road back. I am going to take it slow and not try to go for the big score. I played 4/8 last week for a couple of hours and booked a decent win. I plan on doing it again today and start re-building my bank roll.

Playing on the Internet

2007-07-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Just been playing on the internet the last couple of weeks. Been up and down nothing exciting to report.

Anyway, I have been moving across town and and cleaning both places and buy new things and just haven't had time to go to Reno or Tahoe. I am not in a hurry either I guess. My bankroll is quite small now and I want to make sure I am prepared to play when I do go.

My parents are going to be in town this weekend so I don't think I will get a chance to play. I may get a short session in up a Tahoe but it depends on the old folks plans.

Still Card Dead

2007-07-14T11:43:00.001-07:00

Went to Lake Tahoe for a change last night. Been hearing the action is great and the games are soft for some time now so I thought I would check it out.

Simply put, they are. I got in a 3/5 game and half the table were fish and some of the rest were over aggressive and easy to trap. But as the title says I am still card dead so I was the one being trapped. I got KK 3 times in about 10 hands and lost everyone when 1 or even 2 Aces came on the flop. The rest of the time I got trash or called a small raise to take a stab at making a set on the flop. I started with 500, got up to 650, and left with 200. The 300 loss is not that big compared to the action and the money on the table, but it is a larger part of my now small bankroll.

Saw Don Chittle from Oceans 13 playing 2/3 across the room and heard Micheal Jordan was playing 5k a hand BJ. That was the most exciting part of my night. Down 300 in 5.5 hrs. BLAH

Getting Critical

2007-07-09T16:16:00.000-07:00

Still can't get a hand. Very little of my losses are due to bad play. Sure, I am making a few mistakes but nothing like what I am loosing.

I will give you and example. I was in the 1/2 NL with a gutshot straight draw and a flush draw. The board paired on the turn so I put my opponent on trips but for the price I was getting I called. He got quads on the river. I would have rather lost to a full house. I did manage to be up for like 1/2 hr before this hand.

Online I am doing better. I got back half my loss at 2/4 and made $120 at 3/6. This is why I am blaming my downswing on the cards. I am playing the same way live but winning.

Stopped the Bleeding

2007-07-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

Got some live play in over the weekend and holiday. Lost $200 on Saturday and got it back on July 4.

I started with the normal 15/30 but it broke very quickly. I was break even and decided to play the tournament. I was eating when I flopped top two, AK. I was reraised on a AKJ board and I pushed. I knew he had the straight but with eating and being pissed the 15/30 game went down, I didn't care. First one out. Talked to the 5th place winner 2 hrs later and it turns out I won just as much as him, $0. That is why I don't play many tournaments, long hours and no money.

I finished eating and went to the 1/2 NL game. What a boring game. Everyone limps in and you can tell on the flop who made the big hand so you fold. Of course the players take their time to call $5 or fold when they have nothing. I managed to get even, the tournament buy-in, when this hand came up. I limped UTG with 22 and six peopled called. The flop came Q72 with two clubs. I bet $20 half expecting to with the $12 in the pot when the button raises to $240 to put me all in. He is a good player and doesn't put money into the pot with nothing so I didn't like to call but I couldn't lay down a set. I was ahead to his two pair but he filled up on the river for the higher full house. I only lost $200 but the river suck out always hurts. More bad luck.

On the 4th I also ended up playing the 1/2 NL after the 10/20 went down early. I was stuck 60 and so I sat with 240. I was break even for the most part when I called a $199 flop bet with AK. I had the nut flush draw and figured all my over cards were good. He showed a pair but I got a K on the river for the win. I was up $300+ when I put a guy all in for 100. I had top pair and was representing the flush and he called a $75 bet for most of his chips. The 4th flush card didn't get there so I put him all in on the river. He called and out kicked me. So I took my $200 profit and went home. Even for the week.

Online I was doing good at 3/6 but I can't stand the loss in 2/4 so I went back down to fix it. I have never been sucked out on so many time in a row. Instead of wiping out the loss I doubled it. I go way down before coming back most of the time. My big pairs run into bigger pairs or runner runner suck out. And of course none of my draws come in. I had AA 5 times and I was still stuck $30. They call all the way to the river and spike that miracle A.

I am managing to stay even but can't make any head way. All these suck outs have taught me to be more "selectively" aggressive. Check calling is better then bet fold. I have stopped being overly aggressive which I see now was a leak. Loosing always has a way to make you fix your play or go broke. I am grinding away until the cards come back my way. It is just hard to watch horrid play and not being able to get cards to capitalize on it.

Getting My focus Back

2007-07-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

Been playing on-line quite a bit and I believe it is helping. I am playing low limits and have been up and down. I have taken some bad beats but am up.

Live I am way down. I have been card dead for two weeks now and with some bad play thrown in, I am a big looser. I have gone through almost 2/3 of my bank roll so I have to turn it around or stay away for a bit. July 4 I will play my normal level but if I loose right away I will have to drop down in stake to rebuild.

I believe most of my troubles are in my head. My ex-friend bothered me more then I thought and the loosing didn't help. The longer I play seriously the more I see that you have to be ready to play, mentally, emotionally, and physically. If you aren't ready you will have big down swings.

I am also working on taking my time. I am still chasing the big hand, day, week, and so forth but I am coming around. I lost with a few big pairs to small sets and even set over set and can see folding one hand, even if it is wrong, is the way to go. I lost all my profit in one hand and then more in the others.

I have a job to cover my living expenses so as little as $100 a day is good money to me. Of course I will take more but it adds up quickly. I will keep working at putting it all together and will keep you up to date.

Happy 4th of July

You Can't Rush It

2007-06-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

and I have tried so many times that it is a big part of why I am not a huge winner. Playing on the Internet over the week end brought this out.

I took my winnings and moved up in stakes and of course lost pretty much all of it. As I am starting over I realize that my biggest mistake and leak, is that I am rushing it. I have a goal in mind and looking back, my rush to obtain my goal is making me gamble more and loose.

I have been fighting myself over when to leave a game. I stay to long and loose it back, but why? I play tired. I over play hands or chase. I play hands in bad position or for a raise when I know I shouldn't. I call when I know I am beat. All of this can be traced back to being in a hurry. A hurry to win or play what I think I should, not except what it is. Trying hard and not giving up are good traits to have, but you also have to know when you are beat.

I am putting all the pieces together in my head. Separately I knew them but it just dawned on me how they fit together. Playing for a set time is key. You can be flexible with this but don't totaly ignore it. Poker can be extremly frustrating and tiring, so knowing when it will be over will keep you focused. For me, it is easier to take all the bad beats, bad hands, and missed flops if I know when it will end.

Staying focused and controling your emotions will keep you from loosing those extra bets and turn loosing sessions into break even or small winning sessions. I beat myself up all the time after I waste a few bets and then the very next hand I win. If only I waited alittle longer I would have more chips instead of just making up for the previous hand.

All of my mistakes boil down to being in a hurry. A hurry to get un-bored, win a certain amount of money, play so many hands, or even beat that guy I don't like. Doing what you know you should will make all of your goals happen, just not necessarily as quickly as you want.

Back on Line and More

2007-06-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

Finally got my deposit to show up on PS. It took two weeks to set it up, verify it, and then have the account funded. All for $200. So I have been grinding it for a few days at .5/1. I am up $42 so I moved up to 1/2 already. I am way under bankrolled at 242 so I am playing tight. I just couldn't stand making $1 per hour. I am playing now and the 1/2 is softer then the .5/1, although it is Sat. night.

As part of my new drive to work on my game and take my winnings home I got set up better this time around. I went out and bought my own laptop and bought Poker Tracker so I don't skew my results. I guess I should get some kind of HUD but I haven't taken the time to learn what all the numbers mean. The only one I know now is the VPIP and what range I should be in.

Used properly the Internet can be a huge help, because not only do you see more hands, can track your play better, and so forth, but the players are more aggressive and to a large extent, just all around better players then at the Peppermill. They are 10x better then the people at the Bay 101. As I type this I am up $19.75 in 30 min. That would be great if I can keep it up, but not likely.

I plan on playing on line during the week. I tried to leave work at 5 ish and go to the Peppermill, but it takes 40 mins from door to door plus gas. So even if I get seated right away it is after 6pm. Then I eat at the table and in at most, 4 hours, I am driving back to Carson City. Wind down, get to bed, and it is late for work in the morning. Loosing that 1/2 of sleep a night adds up so by Friday I am almost to tired to go again. By playing on line I can get in a solid 2 hours which is like 4 hrs live and get home in time to read a few pages of a poker book or watch a video before getting to sleep at a reasonable time.

Speaking of live, I did make it to the Peppermill last night, Fri. Got into the 15/30 game right away with pretty much the normal line up. There were a couple of new faces to keep it interest though. How did I do, it was a massacre. I couldn't get cards to save my life and if I got a playable hand I missed the flop by a country mile. It was just opposite from what I had all night.

I can remember 3 hands that pretty much sum it up. I had Qs7s in the big blind and with no raises. Two spades fall, all under cards. I bet and 4 call. The turn is a Q so I bet again, 3 call. The river is the Ad. It is checked around and I think I might have a chance, until Greg turns over KK. The best hand I got all night was TT. I raised UTG and everyone folded to the button who 3 bet. I just knew I was up against a bigger pair since that is the only thing people 3 bet pre-flop with. It is almost a given. The flop was low so I lead out and he raised, so now there was no doubt. I did call to see if I could get lucky but it was a J. Check, bet, fold. He told me later he had JJ. At this point I am down a rack so I bought 200 more to see if the cards would turn. I get KJ in the BB and check to see the flop with 6 others. It is a Ten high rainbow and it is check around to the CO who bets. I have the odds so I call and everyone else folds. The turn is a K and I get in a CR. I have $10 left at this point when another Ten hits the river. I check he bets and I have to call. He tables AT. Obviously not my night so I pack up and leave at 10pm.

I was happy with my play for the most part. There was only one bad call down I did and the rest was just bad luck. The second best hands are just expensive. I also left before my predetermined time. Loosing is a great motivation to leave but I was also tired and just feeling off. In fact, I feel like crap right now which is the main reason I am not at the Peppermill tonight winning my money back.

On the lighter side, I don't think anyone knows who I am yet. I did find out that I don't know Zak or the new one, Freeze, or something. I did hear a rumor about Zak. I hear he is a good player and was looking for a coach to get better at tournaments. A guy named Tuna was brought up but you didn't think he would be a good fit. Might even be another Zak. Anyway, other then trying to find out who I am I don't have any comment to respond to.

BTW How did you find my blog? I tried to google for it but nothing. Is there some kind of search function within blogger? If so, where is it?

Same Old With a Twist

2007-06-19T18:45:00.000-07:00

Based on a few comments I am beginning to think that more people have found my blog then I thought would, quicker then I thought and so on. I may have to start being a little more vague because my identity seems to be utmost in their minds. Other then who am I, what do you think about the content? Do I ramble? Is it the same old stuff? Should I put in more hands?
I tend to repeat myself so let me know if I do it here.

Ok, so it was the same old crap as every other weekend. I made a lot of money, stayed to long, gave it all back. Not much in details that I want to go into because I don't want to relive the horror and be reminded about the thousands of dollars that I just GAVE AWAY because I am such a nice guy. Blah.

The twist part is bringing personal stuff to the table. I had a person, whom I thought was a friend, do something so colossally stupid, in an attempt to get back at mostly another friend and partly me that I have been mentally sick since last Wed. He is being so immature, self centered, and petty that he doesn't see, or care about the fallout which will ultimately cost him many, many thousands of dollars and my friendship. I was so sick I couldn't see straight. So Thur I thought I would go play poker and try to forget about it. Well I thought about it the whole time and ended up getting stuck. I told myself I am not really stuck until I leave so I stayed. At 4:30 am I was within $100 of being even.

Now stop and think about this. I woke up at 6am Thur, worked all day, played poker all night, and now its Fri and I have to be at work in 3 hours. So to say I was tired is putting it lightly. So thinking very clearly I decided that the sun comes up at 5:30 am and it would be better to ride home in the daylight. I did and ended up loosing $200 in the hour. O Well, not that bad for an all nighter -300. So I got home at 6:40 decided to get a 30 min nap in and cleanup and went to work. I did as little as possible Fri and even got in some shut eye to boot. Since I got some sleep I did think about going back but by quitting time all I wanted to do was sleep so I slept all Fri night.

Got up Sat 90% rested with the plan to play only 8hrs and leave no mater what. The best laid plans. I got to the Peppermill at I don't know what time and got into a 1/2 NL. Lost 200 and rebought 300 when alot of people were leaving to start up a 2/3 5 to go NL game. The action player, Sammy, was in my game so when he went to the bigger game I thought why not. It worked out great. Sammy was giving as much action as you could handle, catching cards, and putting people on tilt. I managed to catch a few hands myself and just rode the wave. Before I knew it I got my money back plus $500.

By now people were coming in and a 5/10 NL list came up and half my table left to start it. Sammy again went to the bigger game and me with him. This is the biggest game I have played in to date. It was a min 500 buy in and most were buying in for 2k or more. I put my 500 profit on the table and let it ride. I was focused and playing well and built my 500 up to 1800+. Not bad for the cards and action I was getting. Then it happened as usual. I missed a few draws, realized I was tired, but kept playing. Slowly my stack dwindled from bad beats and bad play until it was gone. Did I leave then, no, I had the money I brought.

By now Danny came to the table. I just think it is coincidence at this point but he benefited greatly once again from my now meager condition. He bet, I raised, and he put me all in with a flush draw that didn't come. I played bad some more and Sammy got my last 100. I lost @%@%@ more. lol You get the point.

So, if you were paying attention I was supposed to leave after 8 hrs. (At which point I had alot of money). But since I didn't pay attention to what time I came in, I am not completely sure when it was up. But no matter what, it was now 11pm and I was still there. Way past 8 hrs. So I have a few brain cells left and go to the 1/2 NL. Can't catch a break and loose my 100 in an hour. I finnally leave at midnight, broke and labeled a fish. Not quite broke, I still have a good size bank roll for me and my day job.

Overall, I still think I am a winning player, just not driven at this point. I can and do win but since it is not my living I give most of it back. The stupid personal shit in my life right now has given me this "I don't care attitude". So I came up with a new plan to help me focus and stop giving it back. It is very low tech but I tried it out Sun. at a local cardroom for small stakes and it seemed to work. I will have to do some more field test but I am optimistic.

Great Weekend

2007-06-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

Made up for the last 2 months of losses over the weekend. I could have made more but still made the same old mistake.

Sat. I was there by 1pm and fooled around in ½ NL before the 20/40 started. I made back what I lost in the NL, I don’t know how much but I know I lost some. I was up a rack in profit when the game started to break about 6:30. Turns out a lot of players were in the 7pm tournament so I joined also.

It was a $225 buy in with about 85 players. We started with 3,000 chips and blinds went up every 20min. On the first hand I ran into KK and lost 700 before I folded. Then I limped in a few pots and lost another 300. At this rate I figure I will be out and why nurse a short stack for hours when I can make more in the cash games. So I got really aggressive and started moving all in first and over the top of raises and they folded. Before I knew it I was up. Then I started catching cards. And by that I mean I flopped quads and got a guy to go all in with me. But for the most part I was just being really aggressive and they folded. I guess when I showed a few big hands they got scared of me.

Before I knew it I was one of the chip leaders and I started to think I may have a chance. I continued to get cards. UTG raised, 2nd largest stack at the table nest to mine, and it was folded to me in the BB. I had TT and called. I did think about it so I looked weak. The flop was 4T4. I was excited to see the T then the rest of the flop registered in my brain and I check. He pushed and I insta-called. He knew I had him and showed JJ. My hand held up and I was flying high.

After that I twice had to call all-in bets from short stacks with weak cards. I knew it was my job but I didn’t have to like it. I lost both hands by the way. I hit a bad run of cards and had to fold a few rounds. The blinds and now antes were starting to put a dent in my stack and a few other players were able to double up so I was a medium stack again. I stole the blinds and antes a few times to keep going. As the tables were combined and new big stacks came over I could only go all-in or fold. I remember one hand where a big stack called the BB and I pushed with 88. He had done this before with a medium A so I figured he might fold, and he did. He thought about it and tried the fake fold move but I was so tired I didn’t budge and he let it go.

We where down to 10 players and 9 places paid. I was 5 in chips when someone came up with the idea of taking 200 of the 1st place money and 100 off the 2nd place money to move the action and it worked. A player went all in and was down to 200 the next hand. He posted the antes and was out. I made the final table.

The blinds and antes where big now so I still had to play. I called a small raise from the BB and check it down with another player to knock out the all in, just to loose on the river. I caught an A on the river but it gave him a flush, but it was the right play and we had one less player at the table. I was in the same position a few hands later but was able to improve on the turn so I bet and the third player folded and I knock out the all-in and got the money. I called one all-in by myself to take out my third player.

We were 5 handed and I was 4th in chips when I went out. The small stack pushed with J7 for less then the BB and I got QQ in the small blind. I went all in and to my horror the BB called with AA. I should have played it safe and just called so I could fold and still be in but I thought I had a lock on the hand. Even if the small stack won I would win the antes because he had so little chips. O well I still had the small stack beat and I would get 4th place money. NOT, he rivered a gutshot straight and I was out in 5th place for 1,100. Crap. I tipped the dealers 100 so I walked with 800 (1k – buy in).

It was now 2:30 and even though I was tired I was hyped up on coffee so I sat in a short handed 20/40 to calm down. I stated loosing right away and I was kicking myself for playing tired again and loosing when I won big pot and was up. Still didn’t leave, when a young woman with a McDonalds uniform sat down with 300. She was on fire hitting every flop and catching every draw. I tried to avoid her but I was getting good hands that turned out to be second best. I tried to raise her out preflop but she would call with junk and catch two pair. Yes she got all of my chips and I went home.

Sun. I tried to call some friends to avoid playing since I was still tired and lost 1k because of it, but nobody called me back so I went up. I did pick up another rack in profit but I stayed 2 hands to long again. I figure I left 3 racks on the table because of not leaving. I have to get this through my head.

Overall I had a great weekend and made up all my lost ground and then some. I think I played well post flop and will keep reading and watching the videos. As for playing tired, I will try again this weekend and see if I can control my self.

Peppermill Summer Tournaments Day 1

2007-06-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

The summer tournament Fri night and I went up to take advantage of the action. I was able to leave work a little early due to some errands and got to Reno about 5pm. The 20/40 was full so I got in a ½ NL. I started to hit some flops and got some action on a big open raise with AA. There was a very chatty idiot to my left and I turned up my ipod to drown him out but it wouldn’t go loud enough. It cost me a couple hundred on a big hand. I checked in the big blind with 10/6o and flopped two pair. There was a flush draw out so I bet 30 to narrow the field. MP3 raised to 60 and the CO and I called. The turn made a straight possible and I check to MP3 who made it 100 all-in. CO called and I tanked. This is when the chatty idiot to my left started to talk about the possible hands and being new to the game I didn’t know the players so I let his comment convince me MP3 had the straight and the CO was on a flush draw so I folded. Of course the river was a blank and I would have won 500 with two pair vs KK and top pair. Damn. I managed to win 200 when I was moved to the 20/40.

I started with 200 from 1/2NL and with the 200 I won I started the 20/40 with 400 and never looked back. I won right away. I was playing aggressively and trying to apply the things I read and the concepts on the videos and it was working. I had a set back when Dirty Doug caught a boat on the river that made my flush but fought back. I called Solomon “Sulli” down with 55 and was good to his AK and kept betting with AQs after raising preflop from the small blind in a big pot to have everyone fold on the river without showing. I even got really lucky when I made trips on the river to beat top pair. The guy is a luck box so it was satisfying to river him that way. My best pot was when I called a raised in the small blind with Jh10h and flopped a flush and opened straight draw. It was capped 3 ways on the flop and I was able to 3 bet on the turn when I made my flush. I got paid off by both players for a big pot. I turned 200 into 2100 in 5 hours.

I had a strong urge to leave just after 10pm but fought it. I went card dead and didn’t play a pot for two rounds. I would raise with AK and have to fold on the flop. I got top pair with Q9o and turned trips only to loose to Dirty Doug’s J kicker that he slow rolled. I blinded of a few more bets and finally left about 11:30 after giving back 500. I racked up 1400 in profit so I am not to upset. I just need to listen to my gut more. Now I am tired and won’t be as sharp tonight.

On the way out I saw some friends playing 4/8 so I bought a rack to sit and talk with them a little. I played well and was up a bit when I was dealt AA. I raised and got like 5 callers. All 5 called down and I got a raise on the turn for a 180 main pot and 20 side pot. A drunk luck box “Tom” got two pair, 75o, on the turn for the main pot and I got the side pot. I lost another pot a little while later and was stuck $1 so I racked it up. I wasn’t meant to win anymore that night.

It is 12:30 so time to start heading back up. Till Sunday.

Working Things Out

2007-06-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

I went to the Peppermill last night with the plan of playing until 9:30, about 3hrs, and going home and getting a good night’s sleep for work the next day. Yeah right! I got out of there down $200 at 2:30am. I was within $10 of even and of course I chased it.

There was a juicy 15/30 going when I got there at 6:30 and I was only third on the list, so I jumped into a 2/3 5 to go NL game to pass the time. I won a few tiny pots to $235 when this hand came up. I had J9 of hearts in MP1. I limp in along with 7 others to see a 5h6d7h flop. The small blind bets $15 I call and the CO calls. The button moves all in for his last $75. Small blind folds and I tank for a minute thinking about the action after me and how the button pushed his small stack in with J4o a few hands ago. I call and the CO moves all in with more chips then me. There is enough in the pot to triple me up so I call my last 150 or so. I get runner runner two pair but no flush and the button gets lucky on his gut shot to win the main pot. The CO flopped the straight and took the rest of my chips. So in the end I called with 9 outs (two 9 seven hearts). I believe I was right to call the CO based on the odds but it still hurts. Any thoughts on this hand?

The main 15/30 hasn’t moved but they opened up a feeder game and I get a seat. There is amazing action in this game. I win a big pot with AA to make up for my NL loss and have a few bucks extra. One of the reasons this pot was so big was the total maniac in seat 10, I am in seat 8. I flopped a set and he bets into me on the river with a pair of nines. I only called because there was a possible straight. I get mixed up with him in two more pots, one was a bluff on my part on a KK77x board with QQ. He called and re-raised me on the river and I folded. It might have been weak to fold for one more bet but I was pissed I didn’t check the river down. He didn’t show but when he folded he held up his cards and I saw paint that I took for a K but I will never know for sure. Then I limped in on the button with KTo and he raised in the small blind and all 7 of us called. I only limped because there were so many in the pot already. The flop came K high with two clubs. He bet and it was folded to me and I raised, he 3 bet and I 4 bet, he just called. The turn was a blank and we got another 4 bets in. The river was a third club and he hesitated then bet. I just called and he showed the A5 of clubs for the nut flush. I was sick and stuck again.

Two hands later a new player sits in between us and I raise with QQ. New guy 3 bets and maniac 4 bets, I call. I bet a low flop and new guy raises and we both call. Turn goes check, bet, call, call. The river is the K and it goes check, check, bet, call, call. Of course new guy wins with AA and maniac had nothing and folds before any hands are shown. Yes I knew he had AA and I played it like a donkey but I got two things out of this hand. My biggest mistake was that I should have raised the river bet from the maniac and put the new guy to the test. He should have easily put me on KK and could have laid it down. He said that is why he checked and based on his later play I think he was good enough to lay it down. The second thing was that I figured out how I should have played the hand. I am fine with the pre-flop bets and without knowing the new guy the flop bet isn’t even that bad, but I should have check folded to the turn bet. Now that I know the new guys play I would even check, call the flop then check, fold the turn. I banged my head once again but it finally sunk in.

I bought another rack and was now in 1200. I went cards dead and got moved to the main game shortly after. I was in the 8 seat again and got QQ on the button there were 7 limpers, I raised and they all called. The flop cam Kxx and I checked and it got checked around to the maniac from the first table who is now at the main game also. I called and 2 others called. The turn was a 10 and it was checked to the maniac again and I raised, maniac and one other caller with me to the 9 on the river. I held my breath and bet into the straight. LP folded and maniac raised, I call and am good. He got a nine on the river. The big pot brought me back and it felt good to get my money back from the maniac.

I am happy with this hand, not because I won a big pot, but because how I played it. I didn’t charge in and let myself get raised out, I let the action unfold until I was sure I had the best hand and then got aggressive. The rest of the night I thought about my hand, how it faired with the board, and what action was happening. Then I followed my reads and folded many good hands correctly. I slowly came back and would have gotten even if I had more time. I was finally getting it. I did pay off a few times and I limped in with hands I shouldn’t have but I am not perfect yet.

As I play through this awful down swing I begin to realize that I could even make a few dollars by playing this way. I have renewed confidence in my game and am intrigued by the challenge of the game and longing for the day when the cards turn back my way. I will break my cycle of winning and giving it back now that I am plugging up the leaks in my game. The last month or two has been painful but it forced me to think about my game and improve. The last time this happened I went broke, but not this time.

Back on Track

2007-06-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Got to the Peppermill at about noon again. BTW the Peppermill is where I play the most because it has the biggest limit game in town 10/20 and sometimes 20/40. I go to Bay 101 just to change it up and play with new faces. Whenever the Grand Sierra (Reno Hilton) has the WPT or other tournaments I go there. I have been meaning to get up to Lake Tahoe to play ½ NL but I find one reason or another not to go. I guess I am afraid of loosing my hard in winnings at NL in one hand.

So the only game open is a 4/8 and I am on the list for the NL. I eat lunch and manage to break even at the 4/8 table. I am moved after about an hour to the NL game which turns out to be 2/3 5 to go. I splash around and win a little before loosing about 80 overall. I couldn’t get physically comfortable at the table. It was a small table and I had to sit back and lean forward and didn’t get into the game. The last hand the guy next to me went all in for like 120 and I had some money in the pot but I didn’t like my pair of Aces with only an 8 kicker when the board was A,10,9,3. I folded and he showed A7, oh well off to 10/20.

I played straight forward poker and was even in no time. Another 10/20 opened that quickly turned into a 20/40 but after looking at the line up I decided to stay where I was. It is not that they are great players but they aren’t bad and my table had bad players at it. Besides I was tired and still a little gun shy about the down swing I was just coming out of. I won a big pot with QQ for 365 that put me up over 600 and I thought my swing was over. I played the hand well, not missing a bet or raise, until the river. I was on the button and it was check to me but I was scared to bet.

Then I ran into some bad luck. I got snapped off by kickers, raggedy two pairs, and flopped straights. When it was all said and done I made 248 in 5hrs or 45 per hr. 750+ for the weekend. It could have been better but it still comes out to 40hr and a major confidence booster.