My December results were saved last night in 4 hours. That is how long it took me to bust the big stack at the table and a lady that knew very little about poker but kept rebuying.
Most of the fun and money came from the lady. She would call any preflop raise and call to the river to see who won. She called two all ins preflop and won with a pair of sevens when AK struck out. I would then swoop in and bust her in a hand or two.
The big stack was just frustrated. He was running good catching cards and building a big stack. His rush was over by the time I sat down. He tried to bluff me in a big pot and chased many small pots throughout the session. The final hand was just tilt. I made the Ace high straight on the river and bet 8 into a small pot. It was raised to 20 by the guy to my left and the big stack called. I bumped it to 60 and the guy to my left folded. The big stack announces he is behind and pushes all-in. I figured we had the same hand and called. He never showed and I took down, the now, big pot.
My rush started to slow down after 4 hours. My flush lost to a rivered full house and I started to get really garbage hands. Then a very good and aggressive player sat down and I started to fear for my stack. I tightened up but was also getting tired. I learned the hard way that playing scared and tired is the way to go bust, so I racked up a once in a six month session.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Day Off for Evaluation
It has been bad in every way. I played bad, ran bad, felt bad, and almost lost it all. I needed a day off.
I should have taken a day off sooner and saved alot of money, but until you hit bottom there is no reason. I hit bottom today and came to the conclusion I need a job. I will wait until next year but I will start looking with more vigor. I will continue playing since I won't get a job right away. I just don't think I am able to make a go of it. I still need time to develop my game without the pressure of going broke and homeless if I don't. I don't have the money or skill behind me to make it work.
I will keep up the drive until I get a job and continue blogging when I do. I won't get a job right away, so there is still a small chance it will work. I just feel the pressure is off now that I made the decision to get a job.
In the end I found myself taking risks because I needed to win. I learned the hard way that you can't control the cards. You have to except you can't win this hand and move on to the next one.
I should have taken a day off sooner and saved alot of money, but until you hit bottom there is no reason. I hit bottom today and came to the conclusion I need a job. I will wait until next year but I will start looking with more vigor. I will continue playing since I won't get a job right away. I just don't think I am able to make a go of it. I still need time to develop my game without the pressure of going broke and homeless if I don't. I don't have the money or skill behind me to make it work.
I will keep up the drive until I get a job and continue blogging when I do. I won't get a job right away, so there is still a small chance it will work. I just feel the pressure is off now that I made the decision to get a job.
In the end I found myself taking risks because I needed to win. I learned the hard way that you can't control the cards. You have to except you can't win this hand and move on to the next one.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Coming to an End
My game has improved by leaps and bounds but it still may not be enough. My time is running out and I am starting to think more about getting a jjjjob. That was hard to say.
I still have two months left so I plan to make the most of them. I plan on ten tabling all day and then going to the casino all night. I don't want to play until the sun comes up because it takes to long to recover afterwards. I think it is more profitable to get sleep and play rested.
My last big leak is paying off sets with big pairs. I feel like I am playing weak if I don't commit but I lose more often then not. So money is winning over ego. This is reversed live. I folded a few time live only to find out that I would have doubled up. It is very player dependant and I have to size them up faster and more accurate. All I can do in the mean time is to compensate the swings with more hands.
I should have better results this month as I put everything I learned together. Already I made the list of top winners for the day at Poker Table Ratings.com. Granted it was at 2am but I was in the top half.
I still have two months left so I plan to make the most of them. I plan on ten tabling all day and then going to the casino all night. I don't want to play until the sun comes up because it takes to long to recover afterwards. I think it is more profitable to get sleep and play rested.
My last big leak is paying off sets with big pairs. I feel like I am playing weak if I don't commit but I lose more often then not. So money is winning over ego. This is reversed live. I folded a few time live only to find out that I would have doubled up. It is very player dependant and I have to size them up faster and more accurate. All I can do in the mean time is to compensate the swings with more hands.
I should have better results this month as I put everything I learned together. Already I made the list of top winners for the day at Poker Table Ratings.com. Granted it was at 2am but I was in the top half.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Best Made Goals
Running bad, playing bad, miss all goals. Need I say more.
I was humming along winning steady and then nothing seemed to work anymore. I was getting beat and loosing money. I slowed it down but I am still scratching my head at what went wrong.
Some leaks are easy to find but hard to plug. I counted 6 really bad plays one day that cost me alot of money. I told myself to never to that again but I watched myself do it 3 times the next day. I guess it is an improvement but what am I thinking. I am embarrassed to describe the plays they are that bad. If it wasn't for rakeback I would be down twice as much. Fulltilt threw in a bonus to boot.
On the positive side, I bought a new computer for my birthday and Christmas present. I must have been good because the computer is great. I was using a laptop with an external monitor and it couldn't keep up all the time. The new one doesn't break a sweat.
I am able to use my bigger monitors and 10 table, my graphics card is better and doesn't crash, and with dual processors things pop up instantly. 10 tables really improve the hands per hour, rakeback and points. To early to tell if it helps my win rate.(right now, no)
I am stubborn, so I am still plugging away. This downswing is normal and I am still getting use to my new set up. I hope.
I was humming along winning steady and then nothing seemed to work anymore. I was getting beat and loosing money. I slowed it down but I am still scratching my head at what went wrong.
Some leaks are easy to find but hard to plug. I counted 6 really bad plays one day that cost me alot of money. I told myself to never to that again but I watched myself do it 3 times the next day. I guess it is an improvement but what am I thinking. I am embarrassed to describe the plays they are that bad. If it wasn't for rakeback I would be down twice as much. Fulltilt threw in a bonus to boot.
On the positive side, I bought a new computer for my birthday and Christmas present. I must have been good because the computer is great. I was using a laptop with an external monitor and it couldn't keep up all the time. The new one doesn't break a sweat.
I am able to use my bigger monitors and 10 table, my graphics card is better and doesn't crash, and with dual processors things pop up instantly. 10 tables really improve the hands per hour, rakeback and points. To early to tell if it helps my win rate.(right now, no)
I am stubborn, so I am still plugging away. This downswing is normal and I am still getting use to my new set up. I hope.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Last Half of Oct. and Monthly Summary
Do to travel and self pity doing my taxes, I only played 8 days in the last two weeks of Oct. My online play is coming together mustering up $333.53 with rake back. Live I made $1,214. This includes a a bad session in the last days of the month.
Looking back over the month the money I made on the Internet was very promising. Not only the amount, but the fact that I am making money. My hard work is starting to pay off.
Live, I think I just ran into a run of bad cards. I made some moves that didn't work and not recognizing the differences from online play. I would feel great after a winning session on the Internet and play the same way live. I would get killed not adjusting to the change in players. You have to show down the best hand live. They won't fold if they have a 1% chance of winning.
My goals for November: Reach bankroll goal and start taking shots at .5/1. Make list of top winners at .25/.5 on Poker Table Ratings.com. This may be only up to half the month because I expect to start taking shots at .5/1 by the 16th. Lastly, play more hands. I should be able to get 2k to 4k hands per day depending on which days I play live.
My casino goals are just to play disciplined show down poker. Value betting my made hands and folding long shot draws. Doing these things well and the money will come.
The end of the week brings in a WSOP circuit event to Tahoe. There should be lots of action that I may miss out on due to my bankroll or lack of. I have 5 days to build it up but action will be hard to find.
Doing all of these things this month will mean I only play poker. I have nothing else to do so I just need to not wast time.
Looking back over the month the money I made on the Internet was very promising. Not only the amount, but the fact that I am making money. My hard work is starting to pay off.
Live, I think I just ran into a run of bad cards. I made some moves that didn't work and not recognizing the differences from online play. I would feel great after a winning session on the Internet and play the same way live. I would get killed not adjusting to the change in players. You have to show down the best hand live. They won't fold if they have a 1% chance of winning.
My goals for November: Reach bankroll goal and start taking shots at .5/1. Make list of top winners at .25/.5 on Poker Table Ratings.com. This may be only up to half the month because I expect to start taking shots at .5/1 by the 16th. Lastly, play more hands. I should be able to get 2k to 4k hands per day depending on which days I play live.
My casino goals are just to play disciplined show down poker. Value betting my made hands and folding long shot draws. Doing these things well and the money will come.
The end of the week brings in a WSOP circuit event to Tahoe. There should be lots of action that I may miss out on due to my bankroll or lack of. I have 5 days to build it up but action will be hard to find.
Doing all of these things this month will mean I only play poker. I have nothing else to do so I just need to not wast time.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Traveling
Got one of those dreaded phone calls that a family member may not make it. So on a moments notice I was on a plane heading to Pennsylvania. My grandmother was not doing well and as my last living grandparent I wanted to see her. She contracted an infection and at 89.5 it caused confusion.
To a point it was funny listening to her mix up dates, events, and people, but at the same time it showed she was not doing well. She lives with my aunt, her daughter, and she did not know her. She was the woman that operated the nursing home, prison, or communist state, depending on how confused my grandmother was at the time.
She recognized me when I went in her bedroom but didn't know how long they would let me stay. Visiting hours and all. Later she wouldn't realize who my father was or when he died. He is her son and he was watching TV on the couch. She later commented that we all looked alike. I guess family does look alike. The antibiotics where working and she was getting better.
After visiting grammy I went to AC and the Borgata. I arrived around 7pm Thursday and jumped into a 2/5 NL game. As usually the locals tried to push the tourist around so I folded many of my hands. They were very aggressive betting large amounts with air or at best a draw.
I picked up a few small pots until I got 88 in the SB. I called 5 limpers and the BB checked. The flop was 998. I flopped a fullhouse and not wanting it to check around I bet 20 into a 35 pot. The BB called and everyone else folded. The turn was a 6 and I bet 40. The BB raised to 140 and I pushed for 300 more, all of his chips.
I could have played this a little slower but I didn't want 93o to beat me without paying so my plan was to get the money in. The BB tanked, called my hand, and asked if I would show. "I don't show sir." He called with a straight and I won another 250 or so. +400
Another player said he had 66 and would have pushed his fullhouse if I didn't bet the flop. This is an argument for slow playing but would I have gotten both to push all in. With a paired board and 3 players the straight would have dropped out and I would have won about the same amount. By betting I think I reduce those bad beats that are worse because you think you slowplaying allow him to stay in.
I won with AA also but I don't like the way I played it. I was getting tired and bored from the drive and jet lag. I was the BB and the button raised to 20. The sb completed and I only raised to 50. Both called and we saw a flop of KQJ 2 spades. I didn't have the A of spades and bet out 60. The btn raised to 120 and the sb folded. I was now in a bad spot and he had 350 left.
He was not a donk but could min raise anything. AK, AQ, KQ, of 2 spades were real possibilities. So I declared I screwed up and pushed 500. He folded what he said was AK. +650
I went card dead after this and donked off 150 before calling it a night. The next day I played in 4hr stretches and won during all 3. I made 650 in the morning, 50 in the afternoon and then 130 in the evening. I don't remember any more hands just being card dead. My morning win was flopping a set over set and a few standard hands then later I was just card dead.
The night session was a little exciting. My first hand I am sat next to the big stack of 2500 and dealt JJ. I raised to 25 and got 3 callers including the big stack. I bet 35 on a board of 895 two hearts and got raised to 135 by the big stack. It was folded around to me and I pushed my 400 starting stack into the middle. The big stack called with an open ended str8 flush draw and got a flush on the river.
I changed seats to get away from the big stack and rebought 300. With QTs I called a 10 straddle along with 6 other players and the bb raised it to 50. Everyone called so I did too. The flop came Q high so I bet out 50 as a blocking bet. The BB and big stack called. The turn was another spade so I bet my last 200 on the Q with str8 and flush draws and the bb called. The BB showed AQ and I said I got outs. The river was a spade and I announced that was one of them.
Almost even now I was feeling better. The BB was still taking about the hand and pointed out that I had a straight flush. I didn't know. I just knew I had a flush and was good. I won a few more small pots to finish up for the session and went to bed.
I had to be at a family gathering Sat. at noon so I had to leave as soon as I woke up. Over all the short side trip cost me 300 and I won 1300. It was worth the trip but I think one more day would have paid for the whole trip back east. One tip. If you don't stay at the Borgata, which is expensive, keep your parking receipts. They charge $5 to park and you can use the receipt if you leave to take a nap and come back. I learned this late and paid for it.
My results aren't there due to the traveling but on line I lost -35, including rakeback, and live I won 1,657. Taking time off is expensive. There are a few days left in the month that I plan to make the best of.
To a point it was funny listening to her mix up dates, events, and people, but at the same time it showed she was not doing well. She lives with my aunt, her daughter, and she did not know her. She was the woman that operated the nursing home, prison, or communist state, depending on how confused my grandmother was at the time.
She recognized me when I went in her bedroom but didn't know how long they would let me stay. Visiting hours and all. Later she wouldn't realize who my father was or when he died. He is her son and he was watching TV on the couch. She later commented that we all looked alike. I guess family does look alike. The antibiotics where working and she was getting better.
After visiting grammy I went to AC and the Borgata. I arrived around 7pm Thursday and jumped into a 2/5 NL game. As usually the locals tried to push the tourist around so I folded many of my hands. They were very aggressive betting large amounts with air or at best a draw.
I picked up a few small pots until I got 88 in the SB. I called 5 limpers and the BB checked. The flop was 998. I flopped a fullhouse and not wanting it to check around I bet 20 into a 35 pot. The BB called and everyone else folded. The turn was a 6 and I bet 40. The BB raised to 140 and I pushed for 300 more, all of his chips.
I could have played this a little slower but I didn't want 93o to beat me without paying so my plan was to get the money in. The BB tanked, called my hand, and asked if I would show. "I don't show sir." He called with a straight and I won another 250 or so. +400
Another player said he had 66 and would have pushed his fullhouse if I didn't bet the flop. This is an argument for slow playing but would I have gotten both to push all in. With a paired board and 3 players the straight would have dropped out and I would have won about the same amount. By betting I think I reduce those bad beats that are worse because you think you slowplaying allow him to stay in.
I won with AA also but I don't like the way I played it. I was getting tired and bored from the drive and jet lag. I was the BB and the button raised to 20. The sb completed and I only raised to 50. Both called and we saw a flop of KQJ 2 spades. I didn't have the A of spades and bet out 60. The btn raised to 120 and the sb folded. I was now in a bad spot and he had 350 left.
He was not a donk but could min raise anything. AK, AQ, KQ, of 2 spades were real possibilities. So I declared I screwed up and pushed 500. He folded what he said was AK. +650
I went card dead after this and donked off 150 before calling it a night. The next day I played in 4hr stretches and won during all 3. I made 650 in the morning, 50 in the afternoon and then 130 in the evening. I don't remember any more hands just being card dead. My morning win was flopping a set over set and a few standard hands then later I was just card dead.
The night session was a little exciting. My first hand I am sat next to the big stack of 2500 and dealt JJ. I raised to 25 and got 3 callers including the big stack. I bet 35 on a board of 895 two hearts and got raised to 135 by the big stack. It was folded around to me and I pushed my 400 starting stack into the middle. The big stack called with an open ended str8 flush draw and got a flush on the river.
I changed seats to get away from the big stack and rebought 300. With QTs I called a 10 straddle along with 6 other players and the bb raised it to 50. Everyone called so I did too. The flop came Q high so I bet out 50 as a blocking bet. The BB and big stack called. The turn was another spade so I bet my last 200 on the Q with str8 and flush draws and the bb called. The BB showed AQ and I said I got outs. The river was a spade and I announced that was one of them.
Almost even now I was feeling better. The BB was still taking about the hand and pointed out that I had a straight flush. I didn't know. I just knew I had a flush and was good. I won a few more small pots to finish up for the session and went to bed.
I had to be at a family gathering Sat. at noon so I had to leave as soon as I woke up. Over all the short side trip cost me 300 and I won 1300. It was worth the trip but I think one more day would have paid for the whole trip back east. One tip. If you don't stay at the Borgata, which is expensive, keep your parking receipts. They charge $5 to park and you can use the receipt if you leave to take a nap and come back. I learned this late and paid for it.
My results aren't there due to the traveling but on line I lost -35, including rakeback, and live I won 1,657. Taking time off is expensive. There are a few days left in the month that I plan to make the best of.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Down and Out
I put off my income tax return until the last minute because I knew I owed them money. I made a big payment awhile back but I still owed more. This really stressed me out. I played like crap trying to win money and I just felt like a lump of coal. I ended up taking 5 days off doing nothing.
Knowing I had to get it done I jumped in and cleaned my apartment. Love to procrastinate. With a clean place to work I sat down and did my taxes. I owed more then I thought but I bit the bullet and wrote the check. As always, I felt better once it was done and am now working on getting my money back.
I figured out how to grind on-line. I made up all the losses for the month and all the previous months since I started my new data base. On my way to get all my poker losses back since I started playing. With rakeback I am up 605.91 for the week. Live I dropped the ball and lost -590.00.
I know just reading results is boring for the reader but it keeps me focused. I will make more interesting posts starting in November.
Knowing I had to get it done I jumped in and cleaned my apartment. Love to procrastinate. With a clean place to work I sat down and did my taxes. I owed more then I thought but I bit the bullet and wrote the check. As always, I felt better once it was done and am now working on getting my money back.
I figured out how to grind on-line. I made up all the losses for the month and all the previous months since I started my new data base. On my way to get all my poker losses back since I started playing. With rakeback I am up 605.91 for the week. Live I dropped the ball and lost -590.00.
I know just reading results is boring for the reader but it keeps me focused. I will make more interesting posts starting in November.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
First Week in October
Nothing new just the same old story. I am in a rut going round in a circle. I have good days and bad, but not enough of either to define a direction.
Even if I just lost, I would know to give it up and go in a new direction and get on with my life. The trouble is, that I win enough to keep the dream alive. If I can only get over a few bad habits I could make this work.
Well, I still have time to figure it out so I keep plugging away at it. Basically a break even week with dreams of winning next week.
Even if I just lost, I would know to give it up and go in a new direction and get on with my life. The trouble is, that I win enough to keep the dream alive. If I can only get over a few bad habits I could make this work.
Well, I still have time to figure it out so I keep plugging away at it. Basically a break even week with dreams of winning next week.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
September Results
The month is over and the totals are in. I didn't reach any of my goals. What a great way to start.
The totals are +1,495 live and 99.14 on-line for a combined total of 1,594.14. I actually lost -210.28 with regular play but the rake back of 309.42 put me over the top.
Not the best month financially but I made huge strides in my game. The last week pulled my numbers up to where they are. I am excited about October and think it will be a huge step forward toward reaching my goals. My situation has been extended for 2 months so I am going to ride this train to the end.
I worked hard on my game in September and I continue to do so. Some key pieces fell into place the last week and that is what I think will make the difference going forward.
The totals are +1,495 live and 99.14 on-line for a combined total of 1,594.14. I actually lost -210.28 with regular play but the rake back of 309.42 put me over the top.
Not the best month financially but I made huge strides in my game. The last week pulled my numbers up to where they are. I am excited about October and think it will be a huge step forward toward reaching my goals. My situation has been extended for 2 months so I am going to ride this train to the end.
I worked hard on my game in September and I continue to do so. Some key pieces fell into place the last week and that is what I think will make the difference going forward.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Week 4 Results
On-line I won $138.92 + rakeback of 59.68= 198.60 and live I won $345.
I had downswings in both formats, more so Live. There was a rich business man in town from San Fransisco so I played a couple of days of 3/5 NL. Of course I was card dead for most of those sessions and that created bigger losses. I even played 10 hrs one day to even out the bad luck but it wasn't enough.
The part that I am up beat about is how I turned it around. A few more things clicked in my head and I had 3 days of great results because of it. Its not new information but a new way for me to think about it.
I tried to win every hand that I entered. This could be devastating if the villain got lucky on me. I started to think about the bigger picture. Doyle Brunson has described poker as war, so I started to think of the hands as battles and the session as the war. This allowed me to give up on more hands.
I knew all the poker reasons to give up on a hand but I never truly accepted them as say "morally" correct. Its like leaving a wounded man behind in real war. You know you shouldn't risk the whole platoon to save 1 man, but you really want to. Your training tells you to pull back, re-group, and counter attack. You take on the enemy on your terms, not theirs.
Poker can be the same way. By leaving behind a few chips in a pot, you can wait for a better hand to stack them with. You keep yourself in the game by waiting until you are more confident about your hand.
I have also found that by folding those hands, it lulled my enemy into thinking I was weak tight. This would get me the extra action I needed to not only make up the previous loss but also make a profit.
My results are still preliminary do to the sample size so this next week will be a better test. If my result continue I will be confident I am on my way to poker riches. Just kidding. Any profit will be nice.
I had downswings in both formats, more so Live. There was a rich business man in town from San Fransisco so I played a couple of days of 3/5 NL. Of course I was card dead for most of those sessions and that created bigger losses. I even played 10 hrs one day to even out the bad luck but it wasn't enough.
The part that I am up beat about is how I turned it around. A few more things clicked in my head and I had 3 days of great results because of it. Its not new information but a new way for me to think about it.
I tried to win every hand that I entered. This could be devastating if the villain got lucky on me. I started to think about the bigger picture. Doyle Brunson has described poker as war, so I started to think of the hands as battles and the session as the war. This allowed me to give up on more hands.
I knew all the poker reasons to give up on a hand but I never truly accepted them as say "morally" correct. Its like leaving a wounded man behind in real war. You know you shouldn't risk the whole platoon to save 1 man, but you really want to. Your training tells you to pull back, re-group, and counter attack. You take on the enemy on your terms, not theirs.
Poker can be the same way. By leaving behind a few chips in a pot, you can wait for a better hand to stack them with. You keep yourself in the game by waiting until you are more confident about your hand.
I have also found that by folding those hands, it lulled my enemy into thinking I was weak tight. This would get me the extra action I needed to not only make up the previous loss but also make a profit.
My results are still preliminary do to the sample size so this next week will be a better test. If my result continue I will be confident I am on my way to poker riches. Just kidding. Any profit will be nice.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tilt
This is not a story of me going on tilt but another player.
I was running good on Saturday and no matter what I played I seemed to win. They were small pots but people started to stay away from me. Then this hand happened.
It was folded to me in late position so I raised it to $6. This is a tiny raise in a live game but I only had A5o. The big blind was the only caller. The flop was 678 rainbow. Checked to me I bet $10, he called. The turn was a 10. I bet $15, he called. The river was the 9.
Both of us were talking during the whole hand and I didn't even realize there was a straight on the board. Thinking there was just four to the straight I didn't bet the river. I just disappointingly flipped over my hand and announce "I got the bottom end of the straight".
The other player winced and threw his hand on the table. Only one card turned face up and he reached out and turned it face down and mucked it. Just at that moment the guy to my left yells out "what are you doing" "Sorry" and turns away. As the dealer was pushing me the pot, I asked him what was going on. He points out that there was a straight on the board and the rest of the table and dealer confirm this.
I start laughing and assuring the other guy that I didn't realize and was just declaring my hand. He turned beat red and laughed a little too, but was very embarrassed.
The very next round we are heads up again, the same way as before, but this time I have 97o. The board is 59T rainbow. The betting is the same, check, bet, call. The turn is a J. He checks I bet and he acts real disgusted and fold his hand face up as he stands up, takes his chips, and mumbles something about being on tilt.
The table is stunned and we all look at him while he walks away. As the dealer is pushing me the pot, everyone is asking me if I could beat the two pair he flipped up. I said "no", laughing, "I guess he thought I made the straight".
Apparently the whole hand was DA Shae vie to him, and when the third straight card came out he just snapped. This is a new one for me. I had never seen tilt this bad before.
I was running good on Saturday and no matter what I played I seemed to win. They were small pots but people started to stay away from me. Then this hand happened.
It was folded to me in late position so I raised it to $6. This is a tiny raise in a live game but I only had A5o. The big blind was the only caller. The flop was 678 rainbow. Checked to me I bet $10, he called. The turn was a 10. I bet $15, he called. The river was the 9.
Both of us were talking during the whole hand and I didn't even realize there was a straight on the board. Thinking there was just four to the straight I didn't bet the river. I just disappointingly flipped over my hand and announce "I got the bottom end of the straight".
The other player winced and threw his hand on the table. Only one card turned face up and he reached out and turned it face down and mucked it. Just at that moment the guy to my left yells out "what are you doing" "Sorry" and turns away. As the dealer was pushing me the pot, I asked him what was going on. He points out that there was a straight on the board and the rest of the table and dealer confirm this.
I start laughing and assuring the other guy that I didn't realize and was just declaring my hand. He turned beat red and laughed a little too, but was very embarrassed.
The very next round we are heads up again, the same way as before, but this time I have 97o. The board is 59T rainbow. The betting is the same, check, bet, call. The turn is a J. He checks I bet and he acts real disgusted and fold his hand face up as he stands up, takes his chips, and mumbles something about being on tilt.
The table is stunned and we all look at him while he walks away. As the dealer is pushing me the pot, everyone is asking me if I could beat the two pair he flipped up. I said "no", laughing, "I guess he thought I made the straight".
Apparently the whole hand was DA Shae vie to him, and when the third straight card came out he just snapped. This is a new one for me. I had never seen tilt this bad before.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Week 3 Results
Week 3 was a heart breaker. I was humming along feeling confident so I jumped into a 3/5 game. I was card dead at the start so I just folded and picked up small pots to weather the blinds.
I finally got KK and raised to $25 in middle position. This wasn't enough because 4 people called. I c-bet on a 852 board and got called by one player. The turn was a 2 so I pushed with two pair. The river was an A and I was shown 55 for a boat. I should have known this player wouldn't have called the flop with less then a set but I fell in love with my KK. Two hands later I get top pair and am shown another boat. I pick up my last $26 and go home. This effectively wiped out my profit for the week. I played some more on Monday, and after loosing another $100 I went to Black Jack and lost another $60. So the week ended -107.00.
On line was much the same. -$25.60 Both were small losses. I have been working with my poker buddy plugging up my leaks so week 4 will be good. My latest leak is what killed me. Folding big pocket pairs.
Just like the live game, I get excited to see big pocket pairs and even though the board is uncoordinated, I push all in. I am shown a set most of the time. On line the villain usually gives me a clue by raising but I still do it. So this week I vow to fold. I figure if I can master this I will save $800 a week.
So back to the grind.
I finally got KK and raised to $25 in middle position. This wasn't enough because 4 people called. I c-bet on a 852 board and got called by one player. The turn was a 2 so I pushed with two pair. The river was an A and I was shown 55 for a boat. I should have known this player wouldn't have called the flop with less then a set but I fell in love with my KK. Two hands later I get top pair and am shown another boat. I pick up my last $26 and go home. This effectively wiped out my profit for the week. I played some more on Monday, and after loosing another $100 I went to Black Jack and lost another $60. So the week ended -107.00.
On line was much the same. -$25.60 Both were small losses. I have been working with my poker buddy plugging up my leaks so week 4 will be good. My latest leak is what killed me. Folding big pocket pairs.
Just like the live game, I get excited to see big pocket pairs and even though the board is uncoordinated, I push all in. I am shown a set most of the time. On line the villain usually gives me a clue by raising but I still do it. So this week I vow to fold. I figure if I can master this I will save $800 a week.
So back to the grind.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
2nd Week Results
Results are 70% favorable.
I had a few good live sessions and was able to win $950, just short of my goal. I was at my goal but being tired late in a session proved costly.
On-line I fell apart. I was trying to apply some new concepts I learned and I didn't quite get them right. I lost a few large pots and was down -$339.25 before I knew it. This was softened by my rake back of $110.35 so the actual damage was only -$228.90.
The new concepts did help my live game and I have since re-read, thought, and listened to the concepts again. I believe I filled in some key gaps so I am optimistic about this week.
Overall my live game is the most important thing for obvious reasons so I am not devastated by my on-line results. In fact, I am that much more determined to figure it out.
I had a few good live sessions and was able to win $950, just short of my goal. I was at my goal but being tired late in a session proved costly.
On-line I fell apart. I was trying to apply some new concepts I learned and I didn't quite get them right. I lost a few large pots and was down -$339.25 before I knew it. This was softened by my rake back of $110.35 so the actual damage was only -$228.90.
The new concepts did help my live game and I have since re-read, thought, and listened to the concepts again. I believe I filled in some key gaps so I am optimistic about this week.
Overall my live game is the most important thing for obvious reasons so I am not devastated by my on-line results. In fact, I am that much more determined to figure it out.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
1st Week Results
The first week was disappointing. On the internet I managed to make $75 and live I lost $94.
So I took a a day to figure out what I was doing wrong. After some research and help from a new poker buddy, I narrowed it down to passive play when I should have been aggressive and aggressive when I should have been passive.
The last post I did is an example of passive when I should have been aggressive. By not raising and betting I let a player get runner runner on me. Even if the same result happens, I know raising is correct and the villain is making that much bigger of a mistake. When he does miss, I will make back my money quicker.
I have been playing one pair hands to aggressively out of position. I always seem to be out of position in these hands. Last night I raised 99 in the SB to $15. I got 1 caller on a 8 high rainbow flop. The villain checked out of turn and then called my $20 bet on the flop. The turn was a 10. The villain just sat down so I gave him a generic range of Ax or a gut shot, which was possible. Now with $70 in the pot I bet $45. He confidently said raise, and put in a min raise of $90. I still thought Ax was possible and I was ahead but I thought about what the guy before was showing down in that seat and added JJ and QQ to his range. Villain did limp and then call my raise so a ragged two pair was also possible.
I ended up folding and even though he didn't show his cards, another player mentioned a small set, which I didn't even think of in my excitement of top pair. I folded because of the villains confidence. He checked out of turn, called a flop bet and min raised a turn bet, committing half his stack. It is rare in a casino at low limits for a player to do this without being confident about his hand. So it was with experience and slow realization that I had only one pair that I made the right decision.
My frustration with this hand is that I got to deep into it with only 99. I should have only bet $15 on the flop and $25 on the turn. Theses sizes would have saved me $15. That's not alot by its self but over just 6 hands that is $100. My poker buddy pointed out to me that I have to think about what they are calling with. If I have them beat they will just call or fold to the smaller bets and any value lost on those hands will be made up by keeping me out of situations like above or worse.
I got into another hand like this with AJs in a pot I raised to $15. I flopped an A but no flush draw. The flop was A, 10, 8 rainbow. The turn was a 7 and the river blanked out. I bet into 2 callers on the flop ($35) and turn ($50) which I don't think was to bad but I bet the river even though I didn't improve. Ak, Aq dominate me and AT, A8, and A7 have two pair. I bet the same amount ($50) on the river as the turn, planning to fold to a raise.
At the time I thought this was an aggressive river bet but maybe it is correct. I control the size of the bet, eliminate the possible over bet bluff, and get to see the show down in a $300 pot or more if I am called. Well I lost. One guy did have the str8 draw and folded but the other one had AT for two pair.
There is a happy ending for the night. I re bought $100 and won a decent size pot to get me back to $275+ of my $300 investment when I get QQ in the SB. To make a short story of it, the villain who beat me in the last pot calls and I flop a set and turn quads. I bet small so he will raise and he does on the turn. I push all in over the top and he calls doubling me up. For quads I get a $100 bonus and it is the high hand for this 4 hour cycle. I left at 1am, an hour before the end of the cycle, but I am sure I will get another $100 today. So the house is increasing the pot by 2/3 for a $500 net. This one hand made my night and I only gave back $20 before leaving.
So, barring a bad beat, I made $478 in 5 hrs. Great start to the week.
So I took a a day to figure out what I was doing wrong. After some research and help from a new poker buddy, I narrowed it down to passive play when I should have been aggressive and aggressive when I should have been passive.
The last post I did is an example of passive when I should have been aggressive. By not raising and betting I let a player get runner runner on me. Even if the same result happens, I know raising is correct and the villain is making that much bigger of a mistake. When he does miss, I will make back my money quicker.
I have been playing one pair hands to aggressively out of position. I always seem to be out of position in these hands. Last night I raised 99 in the SB to $15. I got 1 caller on a 8 high rainbow flop. The villain checked out of turn and then called my $20 bet on the flop. The turn was a 10. The villain just sat down so I gave him a generic range of Ax or a gut shot, which was possible. Now with $70 in the pot I bet $45. He confidently said raise, and put in a min raise of $90. I still thought Ax was possible and I was ahead but I thought about what the guy before was showing down in that seat and added JJ and QQ to his range. Villain did limp and then call my raise so a ragged two pair was also possible.
I ended up folding and even though he didn't show his cards, another player mentioned a small set, which I didn't even think of in my excitement of top pair. I folded because of the villains confidence. He checked out of turn, called a flop bet and min raised a turn bet, committing half his stack. It is rare in a casino at low limits for a player to do this without being confident about his hand. So it was with experience and slow realization that I had only one pair that I made the right decision.
My frustration with this hand is that I got to deep into it with only 99. I should have only bet $15 on the flop and $25 on the turn. Theses sizes would have saved me $15. That's not alot by its self but over just 6 hands that is $100. My poker buddy pointed out to me that I have to think about what they are calling with. If I have them beat they will just call or fold to the smaller bets and any value lost on those hands will be made up by keeping me out of situations like above or worse.
I got into another hand like this with AJs in a pot I raised to $15. I flopped an A but no flush draw. The flop was A, 10, 8 rainbow. The turn was a 7 and the river blanked out. I bet into 2 callers on the flop ($35) and turn ($50) which I don't think was to bad but I bet the river even though I didn't improve. Ak, Aq dominate me and AT, A8, and A7 have two pair. I bet the same amount ($50) on the river as the turn, planning to fold to a raise.
At the time I thought this was an aggressive river bet but maybe it is correct. I control the size of the bet, eliminate the possible over bet bluff, and get to see the show down in a $300 pot or more if I am called. Well I lost. One guy did have the str8 draw and folded but the other one had AT for two pair.
There is a happy ending for the night. I re bought $100 and won a decent size pot to get me back to $275+ of my $300 investment when I get QQ in the SB. To make a short story of it, the villain who beat me in the last pot calls and I flop a set and turn quads. I bet small so he will raise and he does on the turn. I push all in over the top and he calls doubling me up. For quads I get a $100 bonus and it is the high hand for this 4 hour cycle. I left at 1am, an hour before the end of the cycle, but I am sure I will get another $100 today. So the house is increasing the pot by 2/3 for a $500 net. This one hand made my night and I only gave back $20 before leaving.
So, barring a bad beat, I made $478 in 5 hrs. Great start to the week.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Part 2 Hands
It is a 1/2 NL game at the Eldorado in Reno. It is Friday night, so there is a mix of players from total fish to players that know they have a good hand and are aware of what beats them. It is hard to describe them. Their goal is to see as many flops as cheaply as they can with any two cards. They can hit nothing to a monster and play so you would never know what they have. This means raising all in with 6 high to checking a full house because they think you might have quads the way you were calling.
The first hand is against a player that is aware of the cards, people, and betting. He is by no means good just one of the better players at the table. We have 200 effective stacks and I am UTG with 67s in spades.
I get a little fancy and raise to 12. 3 people call so there are 4 of us to the flop of Qs, Js, 5s. I flop a 7 high flush and bet out 20 into the $48 pot. The next player min raises to 40 and I call. The turn is the 2s I check, he bets 80, and I fold.
I raised preflop to thin the field, get money in the pot, and disguise my hand. I expected this many callers and alot of times a simple C-bet will take it down on the flop. The flop was good and bad for my hand. I only bet 20 because anyone with a spade will call correctly, so I wanted to thin the field more and build the pot for an all-in push on the turn with any non spade card.
The min raise from the player to my immediate left surprised me. Everybody else folded and it was back to me. I put him on any decent spade, straight draw, set, or two pair. I thought about pushing but decided was just to scared of a higher flush. I was trying hard to reduce variance. Thinking he put me on a just a C-bet or a flush draw, I called, planning to check raise the turn were I would be a huge favorite.
I have more hands like this that all come down to being scared to loose the money. It took me 3 times before I realized what I was doing. There is some credit to my thinking and some of my folds were/will be correct but I still think I am playing scared.
Last night I flopped a straight with a 10 high flush draw. It was obvious the better had the A but I just called because the highly volatile big stack was also in the hand. He loved to check raise you all in and was catching everything. The board paired on the river and the big stack check raised big. I knew he had trips but did he have the boat. I decided to call and yes he had it.
It is hard to know if he would have folded but I should have raised the flop and turn. I was a huge favorite but he got runner, runner. I am more frustrated with myself for playing scared then loosing the hand. I didn't give myself every chance to win the pot that I should have.
The company I worked for went out of business so while collecting unemployment I am following my dreams. I have some money saved up but not nearly what I should have to play poker. This is why I am playing the way I do. I know it will take longer but even with tight scared folds I should be able to beat the games more then I am. It isn't much, but if I had folded to the check raise last night I would have been a small winner instead of a small looser.
The first hand is against a player that is aware of the cards, people, and betting. He is by no means good just one of the better players at the table. We have 200 effective stacks and I am UTG with 67s in spades.
I get a little fancy and raise to 12. 3 people call so there are 4 of us to the flop of Qs, Js, 5s. I flop a 7 high flush and bet out 20 into the $48 pot. The next player min raises to 40 and I call. The turn is the 2s I check, he bets 80, and I fold.
I raised preflop to thin the field, get money in the pot, and disguise my hand. I expected this many callers and alot of times a simple C-bet will take it down on the flop. The flop was good and bad for my hand. I only bet 20 because anyone with a spade will call correctly, so I wanted to thin the field more and build the pot for an all-in push on the turn with any non spade card.
The min raise from the player to my immediate left surprised me. Everybody else folded and it was back to me. I put him on any decent spade, straight draw, set, or two pair. I thought about pushing but decided was just to scared of a higher flush. I was trying hard to reduce variance. Thinking he put me on a just a C-bet or a flush draw, I called, planning to check raise the turn were I would be a huge favorite.
I have more hands like this that all come down to being scared to loose the money. It took me 3 times before I realized what I was doing. There is some credit to my thinking and some of my folds were/will be correct but I still think I am playing scared.
Last night I flopped a straight with a 10 high flush draw. It was obvious the better had the A but I just called because the highly volatile big stack was also in the hand. He loved to check raise you all in and was catching everything. The board paired on the river and the big stack check raised big. I knew he had trips but did he have the boat. I decided to call and yes he had it.
It is hard to know if he would have folded but I should have raised the flop and turn. I was a huge favorite but he got runner, runner. I am more frustrated with myself for playing scared then loosing the hand. I didn't give myself every chance to win the pot that I should have.
The company I worked for went out of business so while collecting unemployment I am following my dreams. I have some money saved up but not nearly what I should have to play poker. This is why I am playing the way I do. I know it will take longer but even with tight scared folds I should be able to beat the games more then I am. It isn't much, but if I had folded to the check raise last night I would have been a small winner instead of a small looser.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Goals and Problems Live
This turned into a long entry so broke it into two parts. Background in part 1 and hands in part 2.
I have a reader, Tilt. I checked out your blog and noticed you have been following me for a little while. Not sure how long but I wasn't the last one listed on your site. I think I added you to my list but don't know if it took.
I noticed the other blogs you follow haven't been kept up so I will try to keep mine current so you have something to read. So you can keep my ramblings in perspective, I play 50nl on the internet and 1/2, 2/3, and 3/5 NL live, mostly In Reno, NV and sometimes at Lake Tahoe. My goals are to beat these games regularly to build a bankroll and move up. I use the money I make live to pay some bills so it takes a lot longer to build a roll. Online, I have been mostly a small loosing player, kept alive by rakeback, moving to break even the last couple of months, and this month making money. How much remains to be seen. My end goal online is shooting for the nosebleeds but in the mean time I have short term goals.
I see online as the real money maker and "live" as a social gathering. My first step is to build my bankroll, then be able to cash out enough for some bills, increase my live bankroll, and finnally buy or do things l want to do. I belive I can do the fist two at 50nl. Doing both at the same time will be slow at the start but neccesary do to financial constraints. Once I move up to 100nl I should be able to move to goal 3 and 4 every now and then. A trip to Vegas would be nice and hopefully profitable. I don't know how long this will take because I want to be overly bankrolled before I take the next step. This will give me security from going broke, because even at low limits, multi-tabling takes up alot of money.
Another night another loss at the live tables. I could blame it on bad luck, and there was, but I over reacted and lost more than I should have. I think this is due to the difference between the styles of "Live" vs "Online". I play very tight online but I am a LAG at the Casinos.
I belive this comes from the slow pace, percieved skill of the players, and the macho ego of winning big pots and having a big chip stack. Obviously you see far less hands playing 1 table instead of 8 and then it is 3 times slower. Although last night I lost with premium hands, AKs, AQo, QQ, and 67s. Ok, the 67s is not a premium hand and the AQo is pushing the definition.
The slow pace makes marginal hands look good after an hour but I think the other two play a bigger role. Honestly the players suck. 7-9 players limp in every hand and if there is a raise they all call because they have money out there already. My favorite is they are getting the odds to call. This may be true for player 9, but does 72o ever get enough odds to play? So thinking I can out play them post flop, I limp or call with a very wide range.
Now my ego comes into play. I flop a hand and want to narrow the field while building a pot. I bet and half call. On the turn there is a draw so I give them 2-1 odds and they call. Now the draw gets there on the river and they bet into me or check raise me. I know this sounds like crying but are these big swings the nature of live play? The fact that they call makes it a big variance game and because of my small bankroll I have trouble taking the hits? This my be true, but what can I do to reduce the variance?
I came up with two solutions. Play passively and just check and call until I have the nuts, or play overly aggressively. Bet the crap out of the hands and don't worry about over betting because they will still call. I am leaning towards the aggressive play although it can also increase variance. I just don't want to play one way on the internet and then another live. Besides, I would loose out on alot of profits because I didn't bet.
I tried to apply my new strategy last night but I don't think I let go of the passive, low variance idea totally. In short, I bet to little preflop and on the flop so when I did bet big on the turn and river it was to late. This brings me to hand 1. Continued in part 2
I have a reader, Tilt. I checked out your blog and noticed you have been following me for a little while. Not sure how long but I wasn't the last one listed on your site. I think I added you to my list but don't know if it took.
I noticed the other blogs you follow haven't been kept up so I will try to keep mine current so you have something to read. So you can keep my ramblings in perspective, I play 50nl on the internet and 1/2, 2/3, and 3/5 NL live, mostly In Reno, NV and sometimes at Lake Tahoe. My goals are to beat these games regularly to build a bankroll and move up. I use the money I make live to pay some bills so it takes a lot longer to build a roll. Online, I have been mostly a small loosing player, kept alive by rakeback, moving to break even the last couple of months, and this month making money. How much remains to be seen. My end goal online is shooting for the nosebleeds but in the mean time I have short term goals.
I see online as the real money maker and "live" as a social gathering. My first step is to build my bankroll, then be able to cash out enough for some bills, increase my live bankroll, and finnally buy or do things l want to do. I belive I can do the fist two at 50nl. Doing both at the same time will be slow at the start but neccesary do to financial constraints. Once I move up to 100nl I should be able to move to goal 3 and 4 every now and then. A trip to Vegas would be nice and hopefully profitable. I don't know how long this will take because I want to be overly bankrolled before I take the next step. This will give me security from going broke, because even at low limits, multi-tabling takes up alot of money.
Another night another loss at the live tables. I could blame it on bad luck, and there was, but I over reacted and lost more than I should have. I think this is due to the difference between the styles of "Live" vs "Online". I play very tight online but I am a LAG at the Casinos.
I belive this comes from the slow pace, percieved skill of the players, and the macho ego of winning big pots and having a big chip stack. Obviously you see far less hands playing 1 table instead of 8 and then it is 3 times slower. Although last night I lost with premium hands, AKs, AQo, QQ, and 67s. Ok, the 67s is not a premium hand and the AQo is pushing the definition.
The slow pace makes marginal hands look good after an hour but I think the other two play a bigger role. Honestly the players suck. 7-9 players limp in every hand and if there is a raise they all call because they have money out there already. My favorite is they are getting the odds to call. This may be true for player 9, but does 72o ever get enough odds to play? So thinking I can out play them post flop, I limp or call with a very wide range.
Now my ego comes into play. I flop a hand and want to narrow the field while building a pot. I bet and half call. On the turn there is a draw so I give them 2-1 odds and they call. Now the draw gets there on the river and they bet into me or check raise me. I know this sounds like crying but are these big swings the nature of live play? The fact that they call makes it a big variance game and because of my small bankroll I have trouble taking the hits? This my be true, but what can I do to reduce the variance?
I came up with two solutions. Play passively and just check and call until I have the nuts, or play overly aggressively. Bet the crap out of the hands and don't worry about over betting because they will still call. I am leaning towards the aggressive play although it can also increase variance. I just don't want to play one way on the internet and then another live. Besides, I would loose out on alot of profits because I didn't bet.
I tried to apply my new strategy last night but I don't think I let go of the passive, low variance idea totally. In short, I bet to little preflop and on the flop so when I did bet big on the turn and river it was to late. This brings me to hand 1. Continued in part 2
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Off to a Rocky Start
As usual when ever you try to do your best you don't. Put some bad luck on that and you have a down swing. I am not making this up. Poker Tracker has the stats to prove it. It doesn't account for everything but I am running below expectations by 5 buy ins at least.
Any way, I put in a monster session today and am now winning. It also helped work out some leaks in my game which is always a plus. This will also carry over to my live game which is also in a downswing. To the point, I get bored, feel entitled to win, and force action, of which I am on the loosing end.
I forced myself to take my own advice and waited for the cards to come. I concentrated on playing my hands well and extracting value. I am sure I folded alot of "Best" hands but my win rate was still 3.36 BB/hour. This includes bad play at the beginning. I got the value of quantity. I play 8 tables, so if you wait the good hands will come.
I will put in some hands next time for some feedback. I don't know if anyone reads this but if they leave a comment I would appreciate it.
Any way, I put in a monster session today and am now winning. It also helped work out some leaks in my game which is always a plus. This will also carry over to my live game which is also in a downswing. To the point, I get bored, feel entitled to win, and force action, of which I am on the loosing end.
I forced myself to take my own advice and waited for the cards to come. I concentrated on playing my hands well and extracting value. I am sure I folded alot of "Best" hands but my win rate was still 3.36 BB/hour. This includes bad play at the beginning. I got the value of quantity. I play 8 tables, so if you wait the good hands will come.
I will put in some hands next time for some feedback. I don't know if anyone reads this but if they leave a comment I would appreciate it.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Pro for a Month
I have rid myself of all my distractions so I decided to dive into poker this month as a hard core Pro. I will eat, breath, and sleep poker.
Starting on the 9/1 I will try to stop all of my bad habits and play the best poker I can all the time. This is easier said then done as I started of wrong on the first day. I lost big on the Internet and then "live" before I buckled down and grinded it back to a small win.
The only excuse I can muster is that I took 2 days off and was not in the poker mindset yet. That being said I need to get it all back today.
My plan is to start playing at noon until 7pm with minimal breaks. This is open to how I feel and am running but I want to average 3,000 hands per day or close to it. After 7pm I will clean up and head to the casinos until 1am. This should give me 4+hours at the tables. It is my experience that if you don't catch cards in this time frame you won't. Besides, I start to get tired by then and I need to set up a routine.
My goals per week are 1k live and 500 on the Internet. They are small to start out, but with discipline I believe I should be able to beat them.
Starting on the 9/1 I will try to stop all of my bad habits and play the best poker I can all the time. This is easier said then done as I started of wrong on the first day. I lost big on the Internet and then "live" before I buckled down and grinded it back to a small win.
The only excuse I can muster is that I took 2 days off and was not in the poker mindset yet. That being said I need to get it all back today.
My plan is to start playing at noon until 7pm with minimal breaks. This is open to how I feel and am running but I want to average 3,000 hands per day or close to it. After 7pm I will clean up and head to the casinos until 1am. This should give me 4+hours at the tables. It is my experience that if you don't catch cards in this time frame you won't. Besides, I start to get tired by then and I need to set up a routine.
My goals per week are 1k live and 500 on the Internet. They are small to start out, but with discipline I believe I should be able to beat them.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Intensity, Drive, and Killer Instinct
I now consider myself a winning poker player on-line. I waited to duplicate the results and they are in. Along with my rake back I have seen a mark increase in my bankroll.
Which brings me to my first issue, intensity. Now that I have my style down I have to put in the hands. I'm not slacking off completely but I have to get into a routine that includes hours of play per day.
Drive. Now that I have seen results this is a little easier. Seeing your bankroll increase is fun and infinitely more interesting then watching it go down. This includes the physical conditioning to play all of this poker. It does put a strain on you sitting there for hours. Anyway I got my but off the couch and raise my heart rate. I don't know if I would call it a workout, but I did break a sweat. You have to start somewhere.
Killer instinct. This comes in when I am playing. I have noticed that my bets or raises are lacking. I may be playing a little scared or just trying to hard to extract value, but I have noticed that my bet sizing has left money on the table or worse, let them draw out on me. I end up putting the money in anyway so I don't know what I am afraid of.
So those are my goals to improve my game and cash flow. I started working on them already so I should see results quickly. After all, knowing your problem in the first step in fixing it.
Which brings me to my first issue, intensity. Now that I have my style down I have to put in the hands. I'm not slacking off completely but I have to get into a routine that includes hours of play per day.
Drive. Now that I have seen results this is a little easier. Seeing your bankroll increase is fun and infinitely more interesting then watching it go down. This includes the physical conditioning to play all of this poker. It does put a strain on you sitting there for hours. Anyway I got my but off the couch and raise my heart rate. I don't know if I would call it a workout, but I did break a sweat. You have to start somewhere.
Killer instinct. This comes in when I am playing. I have noticed that my bets or raises are lacking. I may be playing a little scared or just trying to hard to extract value, but I have noticed that my bet sizing has left money on the table or worse, let them draw out on me. I end up putting the money in anyway so I don't know what I am afraid of.
So those are my goals to improve my game and cash flow. I started working on them already so I should see results quickly. After all, knowing your problem in the first step in fixing it.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Lost Focus
I lost focus and my game showed it. Throw in some bad luck and you have a huge downswing.
I let an issue with a friend bug me and simmer until I exploded on him. The result might have still been the same but I should have just come out and told him what was bugging me. Right or wrong, our friendship might be over and I plan on avoiding it by playing an insane amount of poker. If I don't take the time to think about it I won't have to deal with it. How mature.
So I will let you know how it goes.
I let an issue with a friend bug me and simmer until I exploded on him. The result might have still been the same but I should have just come out and told him what was bugging me. Right or wrong, our friendship might be over and I plan on avoiding it by playing an insane amount of poker. If I don't take the time to think about it I won't have to deal with it. How mature.
So I will let you know how it goes.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Focus
I am happy with my game at this point. I just have to control my emotions and discipline.
I have been playing more on line and it is ruining me at the casinos. How, you ask. I play 8 tables online so the action is constant. At the casino it is like watching paint dry. 30 hands an hour with dumb drunk idiots making it even slower.
I have decided that I can't cut either one out yet. Even though the casinos are slow they are profitable, give comps, and it is nice to see people even if they are idiots. So I am going to must through with discipline.
I have to be in the right frame of mind for each. When online I have to control my emotions and make robot like decisions that I know are correct for hours at a time. At the casino I need to be patient and accept that I am going to be there and loosing money by playing junk is the direct opposite of what I am trying to do.
It is a new month, soon, so I am getting a head start and starting today.
I have been playing more on line and it is ruining me at the casinos. How, you ask. I play 8 tables online so the action is constant. At the casino it is like watching paint dry. 30 hands an hour with dumb drunk idiots making it even slower.
I have decided that I can't cut either one out yet. Even though the casinos are slow they are profitable, give comps, and it is nice to see people even if they are idiots. So I am going to must through with discipline.
I have to be in the right frame of mind for each. When online I have to control my emotions and make robot like decisions that I know are correct for hours at a time. At the casino I need to be patient and accept that I am going to be there and loosing money by playing junk is the direct opposite of what I am trying to do.
It is a new month, soon, so I am getting a head start and starting today.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Back on the Blog
I have had some ups and downs since I last Blogged. I was down on myself and didn't blog. Since then I have gotten my game back and am doing well.
I have been keeping a steady pace at the tables and am getting into a grove as to when to leave. I don't always get it right but I have been getting better at leaving.
Still loosing online. I have slowed the bleeding but am not going in the right direction yet. I am trying new things all the time so I haven't given up yet. I keep telling myself if other people can win then so can I.
Hitting the books again. A friend gave me what looks like a very good book from 1994. It covers odds a draws in a way that I have not see before. It is well written and explains the concepts simply. I will let you know more when I am done with it.
Anyway, I have recovered from 2 months of bad play and am looking forward to big profits. The Grand Sierra is having their tournaments starting this Thursday and Lake Tahoe is filled with tourists giving away money. I have been practicing my tournaments and will be going to the lake trying to cash in. I will try to tell you all about it.
I have been keeping a steady pace at the tables and am getting into a grove as to when to leave. I don't always get it right but I have been getting better at leaving.
Still loosing online. I have slowed the bleeding but am not going in the right direction yet. I am trying new things all the time so I haven't given up yet. I keep telling myself if other people can win then so can I.
Hitting the books again. A friend gave me what looks like a very good book from 1994. It covers odds a draws in a way that I have not see before. It is well written and explains the concepts simply. I will let you know more when I am done with it.
Anyway, I have recovered from 2 months of bad play and am looking forward to big profits. The Grand Sierra is having their tournaments starting this Thursday and Lake Tahoe is filled with tourists giving away money. I have been practicing my tournaments and will be going to the lake trying to cash in. I will try to tell you all about it.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Down Swing
I have had a down swing already. I then proceeded to make it worse by playing badly. I was on the verge of having a loosing month until I pulled out of it last night, or atleast won last night.
I will give you 2 examples of sessions that make me belive it was a down swing. I realized I was making it worse by playing badly so I told myself I would only play hands that I know I should play in the correct position. On night one I played 3.5 hrs and didn't win one pot.
I played 2 pots of significance. Pot one I got top pair on the flop and when the flush draw came in on the turn I bluffed at it. I got called so I bluffed bigger on the river. The guy with the nut flush didn't buy it.
Pot 2 was a free ride from the big blind. I flopped 2 pair on a 345 rainbow board so I went all in. I got called by the 5 high and 6 high straights. End of the night.
The next night I told myself no bluffing. So I waited 4hrs before I got a straight on the turn. I got all of the money in against a set of nines. The board paired on the river. I was 78% to win. He took all of my money but when he saw he sucked out he gave me $5.
I ran that up in two hands to $40. I was feeling great thinking I could come back when I got AK. I moved in and got called by one other player with AK. Easy chop right? No. There was a 2% chance that he could make a flush, so of course that is what happened. I couldn't even tie.
Thinking back to other nights I know that I lost more then I should have or won less then I should have with bad play. I learned that that is the key over the long run. Controlling your emotions will help you lessen loses and increase small wins in just one or two key hands.
I hate downswings but they make you look at you game, improve it, and come out of them stronger.
I will give you 2 examples of sessions that make me belive it was a down swing. I realized I was making it worse by playing badly so I told myself I would only play hands that I know I should play in the correct position. On night one I played 3.5 hrs and didn't win one pot.
I played 2 pots of significance. Pot one I got top pair on the flop and when the flush draw came in on the turn I bluffed at it. I got called so I bluffed bigger on the river. The guy with the nut flush didn't buy it.
Pot 2 was a free ride from the big blind. I flopped 2 pair on a 345 rainbow board so I went all in. I got called by the 5 high and 6 high straights. End of the night.
The next night I told myself no bluffing. So I waited 4hrs before I got a straight on the turn. I got all of the money in against a set of nines. The board paired on the river. I was 78% to win. He took all of my money but when he saw he sucked out he gave me $5.
I ran that up in two hands to $40. I was feeling great thinking I could come back when I got AK. I moved in and got called by one other player with AK. Easy chop right? No. There was a 2% chance that he could make a flush, so of course that is what happened. I couldn't even tie.
Thinking back to other nights I know that I lost more then I should have or won less then I should have with bad play. I learned that that is the key over the long run. Controlling your emotions will help you lessen loses and increase small wins in just one or two key hands.
I hate downswings but they make you look at you game, improve it, and come out of them stronger.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Doing Well
I am finally healthy again and doing well. I am refining my game with good results. I still have to balance aggression with tight play but I am narrowing it down.
My live play is carrying me as expected. I am on track to make more this month then at my last job. I have had good luck taking money from the tourists up at Tahoe. Very few of the Reno regulars drive the hour + to play there so the competition is low.
I have resisted jumping into the 3/5 NL game for now. This is a big game with most players buying in for the 1k max. I want to build my bank roll more and I have to admit there are a few very good players in the game. These guys have no respect for the stakes and if they get lucky you could loose your whole stack quickly. In fact, last night a $800 winner at the 2/3 NL game went to the 3/5 game and lost all of it in his first hand at the table. He flopped top 2 with AK and one of the good players bet 200 on a gut shot draw. The weak player slow played and only called. The good player got there on the turn and thats all she wrote.
The Internet is were I am lacking. I have been using it and its low stakes to try out different strategies, styles of play and just to blow off steam. The result is that I have only been breaking even. Now that I see this I plan on taking it more seriously. I figure modest wins on line will add up and put me over the top for my monthly totals. It will also be a back stop if I have a down swing in my live play. In other words, plan B. It was always my goal to build my online play so that my live play was plan B. I guess I better get a move on.
My live play is carrying me as expected. I am on track to make more this month then at my last job. I have had good luck taking money from the tourists up at Tahoe. Very few of the Reno regulars drive the hour + to play there so the competition is low.
I have resisted jumping into the 3/5 NL game for now. This is a big game with most players buying in for the 1k max. I want to build my bank roll more and I have to admit there are a few very good players in the game. These guys have no respect for the stakes and if they get lucky you could loose your whole stack quickly. In fact, last night a $800 winner at the 2/3 NL game went to the 3/5 game and lost all of it in his first hand at the table. He flopped top 2 with AK and one of the good players bet 200 on a gut shot draw. The weak player slow played and only called. The good player got there on the turn and thats all she wrote.
The Internet is were I am lacking. I have been using it and its low stakes to try out different strategies, styles of play and just to blow off steam. The result is that I have only been breaking even. Now that I see this I plan on taking it more seriously. I figure modest wins on line will add up and put me over the top for my monthly totals. It will also be a back stop if I have a down swing in my live play. In other words, plan B. It was always my goal to build my online play so that my live play was plan B. I guess I better get a move on.
Monday, February 2, 2009
January Recap
Not a stellar start but not a disaster either. I was sick for the whole month, especially the first 2 weeks. I had to take alot of time off and only got to play 13 days. Even when I played I was not 100%. In fact, I am still suffering with a sore throat and cough. I am going to drug up this afternoon and tonight and if that doesn't work I will have to go to the doctor.
Even with the set backs I managed to win a small amount. More importantly I learned alot about what it takes to win and have had some progress the last couple of times. Nothing to write about, but at least I go home with more then I went with. It is my theory that I will have many days with small wins and every once in a while I will get a big win. As long as I manage my losses, these big wins will put me over the top.
I am still mellow as I battle the last of the worst cold I have ever had.
Even with the set backs I managed to win a small amount. More importantly I learned alot about what it takes to win and have had some progress the last couple of times. Nothing to write about, but at least I go home with more then I went with. It is my theory that I will have many days with small wins and every once in a while I will get a big win. As long as I manage my losses, these big wins will put me over the top.
I am still mellow as I battle the last of the worst cold I have ever had.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Off to a Good Start
I am off to a good start for a shortened week. I came down with a cold that I probably got at the tables. I did manage to win 3 out of the 4 days I did play. The totals are within reason but I would have liked them to be a little higher.
I have already identified the leaks and plugged it up. As soon as I get rid of this cold I should be back on track.
I know this is short but my head is killing me.
I have already identified the leaks and plugged it up. As soon as I get rid of this cold I should be back on track.
I know this is short but my head is killing me.
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