2008 New Years Resolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Found my Ipod

I just looked at some old posts and notice I didn't tell you I found my ipod. Well I did. whew

A Respectable Win

It was a long and painful road but I finally got a $500 win. I got to the Peppermill at noon just as they were starting a 10/20 and sat right down. It started off as bad as the previous weeks and I kept folding. I would pick up a hand and get even or close to it but nothing to speak of.

I was thinking about the info I had read and most importantly the Ed Miller video that I watch a couple of times on reading hands. He was so dead on that it is scary. If you haven’t watched his video then I recommend you do. I saw parts on You Tube so you don’t even have to buy them. There are 3 points that are greatly improving my game. A raise means more then a bet, bet or raise second pair, bet top or second pair until your opponent raises or gives clues you are beat. In short, be more aggressive. I can expand on these concepts if you ask and it works on stakes up to 20/40. It might work on higher stakes but 20/40 is as high as I have played.

I was JUST playing my cards when I should have been taking into account my opponents cards as well. I started to read the board for my draws AND my opponents draw. It was so simple and in my face that I feel stupid that I had to rediscover these concepts. Thank god I built up my bankroll when I had the chance so I could handle the downswing.

There was this jerk, Lance, at the table and he is a total LAG and runs at the mouth non stop. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me because I went after him and paid him off 2 or 3 times. I would have a big pocket pair, say AA or QQ and just couldn’t lay it down. This leak was huge for me all day. I figure it cost me 1k that is how bad it is. Time and time again I would be re-raised and tell myself “hey that was on the video and you’re beat so just fold” only to hear raise come out of my mouth. Talk about stupid. I did it twice with Lance at 10/20 alone.

Then players started to leave the table and go over to the short handed 20/40 game. Our game finally broke and I went over too. At this point I was down some and I bought in enough to make 500. Lance moved to this game just before me and there were some good players there already but most importantly there was this LAAAAAG at the table. I don’t remember his name but he is a maniac. He will cap with 53o on all streets and then call the river with a pair of 3’s. He makes the games and if you play it right you can make big money off of him and the others chasing him. I don’t know where he gets his money but he sure does throw it in the middle.

Anyway I got in a big pot with him and two others with the nut flush draw. I was in the big blind and called one more bet with As9s. The flop brought two more spades and also paired the board. It was off to the races and it was capped 4 ways. The turn was a 3 and it was two more bets to see the river. The river was the flush but because of the turn action I checked. The girl to my left bet and the LAG raised. I called and the girl called. The LAG showed 53o for the turned boat and I was down to less then a hundred chips. I put another 500 in cash on the table and was now in for 1200.

This is when I went on monkey tilt. I three bet with QQ and the girl called 3 bets cold. I should have thought about what she had but I was to far gone from the previous hand. There was a J on the flop and we capped it. Now I realized I was beat but I called her down any way. Then I got another pocket pair and did the same thing. WTF was I thinking, well I wasn’t thinking that is the point.

I took a deep breath and got a beer to calm down and that is when I started to come back. I won a few big hands and won back 1k. I was only down 200. Talk about crazy swings. The maniac had to go home to the wife and the game started to break shortly after he left. We got short handed and I wanted to stop before I started to lose when this grumpy old man, Dirty Doug, started to wine to keep the game going. Another play did come to make it six handed so I stayed. Sure enough I lost 200 in like three hands and then Doug starts to rack up now that it is his big blind. I was pissed because he has done this before to me. He wines to keep the game going and then a couple of hands later when it is his big blind he racks up. This is just part of why he is called Dirty. He is an asshole and a total pervert to the cocktail waitresses.

So I am now down 400 and I go over to the 4/8 table to try to get it back. I had fun playing with some old friends and calmed down and started to re-thing my game. I managed to win 40 when they started to get another 20/40 going. I figured I couldn’t make the 400 back at 4/8 so I went for it.

I started to win right away. I was even in no time and then up. I made a few sets and STILL paid off with big pocket pairs but I was winning. I got my 400 back and another 1k by 2am. I thought about leaving but was playing good and there was a lot of money on the table. That is when I got AA in the big blind. I 3 bet and got 2 callers the flop came JJx and there was a lot of action, I don’t remember it exactly. On the turn I bet, the button raised the small blind 3 bet. I did slow down but I convinced myself he couldn’t have a J playing short handed. I called him down and sure enough he did. I played a couple of more hands when I noticed I dropped 500. I was tired so I called it a night. At least I am getting better at walking away.

So you can see that my inability to fold big pairs cost me at least 1k last night. I am going back shortly and this will be tops on my mind along with the fact I am tired and that is also a down fall for me. In fact I just lost 13, my total bankroll on Pokerstars, while I was writing this. I played strong at first then got weak tight as I was loosing. Of course I would have won those hands and now I am bust. I can’t redeposit easily so I will do it later. I will have to set up a prepaid Visa or something.

I am playing weak tight but at least I know it and know what to fix. I have a thick head so it may take some time to fix but I am on the right track.

PS. I did play 3/6 in Carson City on fri. I was tired and wanted to stay local to try to get a good night sleep. Ended up losing a hundred in 4 hours, but I got dinner comped.

Running Bad

This is not a bunch of bad beat stories, just enough to get my point accross.



I was continueing the aggressive strategy last night playing 3/6 and it is working but I am just running bad. I was catching cards and taking pots with nothing just like you are supposed to, when I hit a brick wall.



We were short handed and I flopped a fullhouse. I slow played it and it was check around. The turn brought a flush card and a K. It was bet, I raised, and it was called. The river was another K. It was bet and I thought or hoped he made the flush or lower fullhouse so I raised and he reraised. I was so disgusted that I exposed my hand and still called. He had the K. Looking back the raise was not to bad but the call was. The fact that I was over 90% to win the hand again, proves to me at least that I am running bad. A few beats like that fine, but 3 weeks of them and there is a problem. Later I would bet with top pair and get called down by raggedy two pairs. These plays came one after another and I was bust. It was getting late so I went home. Thank god it was only 3/6 so a $130 doesn't hurt my bankroll as much as my ego.



I could have played the hands more passively when I got called but there is just no way of knowing the guy calls with 73o and gets two pair. With no raises you can't put them on a hand and all you can do is lose. I did think about checking it down when called on the turn unimproved and for the low limits this might be the way to go. I just don't want to play like this in the higher limits.

Memorial Day Weekend

I went down to San Jose as planned. Overall it was a good trip but not profitable.

I took a different route this time going over 88 instead of up to I-80 and down. There was not much traffic but it was a two lane mountain road so the pace was slower. According to map quest it is 30 min shorter but I am not convinced. Maybe it seemed longer because I could not gage my progress. There were many small towns along the way but they weren't big enough to make the map and there weren't any signs that said x miles to such and such town. I really looked at my compass and figured as long as I was heading west or south west I was going in the right direction. I got great directions from a gas station just before I was going to go in the wrong direction. I don't know what made me ask but I am glad I did. There were two other times I got lost and had to ask directions but didn't loose much time.

I check into the Fairfield in by Marriot for $79+tax a night and it was worth every penny. It was clean and quite and a short drive to the bay. I signed up for the rewards and plan on staying there when ever I go down. If you need a room in the area I fully recommend you stay there.

Now for poker. I played a few hours fri. night and went up and down a few hundred dollars before getting frustrated and playing bad a dropping a rack. Sat. I went down a rack in the morning and went back to the room for a nap. I am trying hard to get sleep and I know I am getting better but the new bed did not help. I felt better in the evening and won back my two racks and another to cover expenses. I was very happy as I went to bed thinking the next two days would be profit and any amount would be good.

Well that didn't happen. First thing in the moring I couldn't sleep, and I did lay there for 3 hours trying, so I went down tired. I got into a very loose aggressive game and dropped 3 racks. I got up and walked away but the damage was done. I got in a nap and went back down to the same kind of game. I was up two racks for like 10 min and then started to loose it back. I was down a rack and 4/5ths of another when I changed tables. I only had enough for one more rack and I was busto. I came to terms with it and decided to play on.

Now before this weekend I figured out that my post flop play needed help and I started to look for my videos. I couldn't find them before I went down and in fact just found them this morning. As I was loosing I was watching the guys that were winning and tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. I did manage to figure out a few things that I will build on and it started to show.

I bought in for my last rack and finnally started to win. But more importantly I was keeping my winnings instead of giving them back. I managed to get back almost 3 racks before I had to leave. I could see results so I know I am on the right track.

With expenses the trip cost me two racks. I will continue to work on my game and stay local for a few weeks to rebuild my bankroll. If I run well or learn fast I could be back in one weekend but I am not going to force it.

Up and Down Weekend

I ended up staying in on Fri night to try to get more sleep and don’t know I it helped. I know I was still tired Sat. when I went to the Grand Sierra in Reno to check out their Pot of Gold Tournaments.

They didn’t have any limit poker going higher then 4/8 so I sat in a 3/5 NL game. The smallest stack had 500 and the largest looked like 2,000, so I sat down with 300. I posted a few blinds and saw one flop when this hand came up. I had 242 in front of me with pocket 7s in the cut off. 6 people limped in when a MP3 raised it to twenty. I called and so did everyone else. The flop came with a 7 and there was a raise to 200 in early position. There where 3 callers when it came to me and I went all in for my last 22. Everyone called and my set holds up. I went from 242 to 900 in one hand. I stole a couple of small pots for a 100 when it is folded around to me in the cutoff position with A8o. I raised to 25 and am called by the big blind. I miss the flop but when it is checked to me I bet another 25. The turn is the A and we both check. The river is an 8 and the big blind bets 50, I raise to 150 and he calls. My two pair is good and I am up to 1200.

I was there such a short time and I am having a great day. 10 hands later I get AA in late position. There is a 50 bet in front of me with one caller and I raise it to 150. The initial raiser says I have AA but he wants to gamble and makes the call. The other play calls and it is 3 to the flop of KQ5 rainbow. The initial raiser goes all in for 700 and it is folded to me. I did think of KQ but I thought AK was more likely so I called with say five outs. 2 aces, and 1.5 for runner runner flush or straight draw. He has QQ and I am behind. No improvement and I drop down to 500 profit. I am pretty disgusted with my call and decide to play the 6pm tournament for 225 to slow down.

I go to table 4 of the tournament and there is Jerry Buss, the owner of the LA Lakers. Nobody was talking to him at first because IMO they didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. I was quite for awhile too but decided the heck with it and asked him a question about HSP on GSN. He assured me the players used their own money and the rest of the table opened up and started to talk to him. He was very pleasant and a nice guy.

He was pay very close attention to the table and was raising and stealing blinds and people limping in. So I decided to play back at him with A7s. There were 5 limpers when Jerry raised it in late position to 400. It was folded to me and I raised it 1k more. I was surprised when he called because I thought he was on a steal. The flop was ragged so I bet 500 into the 2500 pot and he folded. Whew. Gave me some chips too which I gave back when he re-raised me in late position, all in. I had him covered so I called. My 88 lost to his rivered queens full. I lost another big pot when I failed to re-raise a blind steal with QQ. I went all in on the flop but the button had an opened straight flush draw which and called. He got the straight on the river and I was short stacked. At this point I am just looking for all in opportunities and manage to steal a few blinds to stay alive. I miss two double up calls and finally loose to JJ with my A10o.

I left there and went to the Peppermill around 9pm. I don’t have any hands to really talk about. I was struggling in the beginning then I started to run ok. I was not running great but I was making what I consider my fair share of hands. The bonus of the night was Moe. He was drunk and just pumping money into the game. There was a stack over 2k and I managed to get there too.

Then the broken recorded started. I thought about leaving then wanted one more hundred to fill the rack and I never got it. I was so tired and a player went on a hot streak. Playing short handed and they were hitting their junk hands and killing me. I dropped 700 before I came to my senses and left with 800 in profit. Still made 1,200 for the day, but if I could have left at my high points, I would have been up 2,700.

Sunday I was supposed to have brunch with a friend so I drug myself out of bed at got ready by 10:15. Called to set up the meet and they never answered the phone. So I waited until 11:00 called again and started to pick at snacks. By 11:30 still no word and I left for the Peppermill. Now I was tired when I could have slept in more and pissed that I got stood up. I should have stayed home and did think about it, but you know I went.

Started at 4/8 and couldn’t hit a flop to save my life. I dropped 100 and bought another. I got a magazine and broke out the ipod determined to wait for a hand. Then the 10/20 was called so I moved over and it never happened. The floor tried but only half the list showed up so I went to 1/2nl and bought in for 200. I played a few small pots and was up a little when I flopped 2nd pair with a 10 high flush draw. There was a bet of 20 and I raised to 50 to try and take it right there. He called and we went heads up to the turn. The turn was a blank and he checked to me. I put him on a flush draw too so I bet 50 on my pair. He goes all in over the top and has me covered. Now I don’t think he has the flush draw so I call my last 100. My flush would have been good, but he filled up on the river and I re-bought. I got some chowmein and slowed my play down after that. As I was finishing I noticed the 10/20 got going so I moved there.

I have to admit I was playing loose based on the previous day. I ran better then I had in awhile and thought my slump was over. I still had 1k profit and I was heading to my game. The lineup was a few regulars with some juicy fish. There was 6+ to most flops and they were calling to the river with weak hands. I thought I was set, but I couldn’t get my hands to hold up. I would miss the flop or they would out draw me. Even when I tightened way up I could get action on my big hands or got out drawn. To spare you the gory details, I dropped 900 of my remaining 1,000. I left with only 100 to show for a weekend worth of play.

I am in a cycle that I must break. I am making huge money but I can’t keep it. My card play is not the immediate problem, playing tired and not leaving is. I have renewed my efforts to get sleep this week and not play until Wed. and then take Thur off to make sure I am rested for the weekend. I will go back to Bay 101 for the holiday but if I loose or don’t even cover my expenses I won’t be going back for awhile.

Long and a lot of detail but that is why I am doing this. It is helpful to me to spell it out so I can review every detail. Any comments welcome if anyone runs across this.