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.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, September 3, 2007
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.
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.
Friday, August 31, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, August 27, 2007
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.
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.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
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.
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.
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