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.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Time has Come
Starting Jan 1, 2009 I will be a Pro. Not entirely by choice but do to the economy. I will give myself a month to see if I can do it. If I win then I will go longer. If I loose I will start looking for a job. I have money saved and unemployment to collect so I an not up the creek without a paddle.
I will track everything starting on the first and will post more often.
Good Luck me.
I will track everything starting on the first and will post more often.
Good Luck me.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Online is where it is at
I have been playing online almost exclusively. I signed up at Full Tilt for the $600 bonus plus rake back and have been clearing that. Along the way I realized that it is much more enjoyable to play online. It is more comfortable in your home, you can get your own drink without tipping, and you can play more then one game at a time. The only down side is that you become a hermit.
Playing more then one game at a time has become a big factor for me. You have to play even tighter at NL and can get very bored at the casino waiting for hands. The last time I played live I timed 17 min between playable hands.
I have been winning online and loosing live. The losses live come from the slow boring game but also from a huge leak I zeroed in on last night. I try to win every pot I enter and will call big bets even when I am very sure I am beat. This will be the focus as I continue to play. I added up at least $100 that I gave away last night because of this.
I will probably clear my bonus this week and hopefully increase my win rate.
Playing more then one game at a time has become a big factor for me. You have to play even tighter at NL and can get very bored at the casino waiting for hands. The last time I played live I timed 17 min between playable hands.
I have been winning online and loosing live. The losses live come from the slow boring game but also from a huge leak I zeroed in on last night. I try to win every pot I enter and will call big bets even when I am very sure I am beat. This will be the focus as I continue to play. I added up at least $100 that I gave away last night because of this.
I will probably clear my bonus this week and hopefully increase my win rate.
Friday, September 12, 2008
I Love it When a Plan Comes Together
I know it could have been just a lucky night, but I am going to enjoy it anyway.
I put together all the dribble I have been saying and had a great night. I left work at noon and met some friends for lunch in Reno. Decent streak and salad to protein up before play. I arrived at the Eldorado and after having fun at the 1-5 stud game I was sat at the 1/2 NL table at 3pm. I was excited at first and splashed around to loose 50 bucks. I calmed down and started to play like I do on the Internet.
I waited and got JJ in early position. I raised and got two callers. It was a 9 high, rainbow flop and I slow played with 170 behind. The first caller bet 20 and was called by the third player. I raised it to 80 and the first caller folded. The second caller thought awhile and just called. My read on her was that she had a pair but not a strong one. I bet the 80 knowing I was going to go all in on the turn. The turn was a K but I still pushed right away. The longer she thought the more confident I became. She called and mucked TT to my JJ. More then doubled up.
The next hand of note was a luck hand. I was in MP with Ah5h when everyone started to limp. I limped too and the button raised 10. Again everyone called so I did too. The flop was a paired board with two hearts. The guy on my left bet 20 and only the button called to me. I had the nut flush and an ace so I raised it to 100, representing the set. I expect to pick up the pot but the original raiser went all in for 70 more. I hated to call but I did and got the flush on the river. He said a set was good so he must have been on a flush draw too.
Now that I had the biggest stack at the table a good natured drinker was trying to see if he could get more chips then me. We stayed out of each others way for awhile building our stacks even more. He kept saying that we were going to get all our money in with AA against KK and who would suck out and so forth. It was just for table talk and fun.
Then we started to tangle with each other. Twice I got a good hand UTG when he was on the button and after building a big pot he would raise big on the turn and I would have to fold. He kept showing the bluff so I was putting his betting patterns together. We got into another pot in the same positions and I felt I had the best hand but I only had third pair, 55. I called to the river and he put in a big bet. It was out of his pattern so I folded and again I had him. I just couldn't put in all my chips with such a weak hand.
Now he had a few chips more then me and I was getting tired. It was 7:30 so I decided to leave at 8pm with my winnings, just not as much. I went to the bathroom at 7:40 and on the way back I was debating to leave now. I decided to stay until 8pm as planned and would just stay out of this guys way unless I had the nuts. Not two hand after I got back I was dealt AA UTG. I did a normal raise to 20 and it was folded to the other guy. He was getting drunk by this time and starting to make wild bets. I am sure my folds were giving him confidence so thinking I would fold again he said all in. I called instantly. Even before it was my turn.
He turned over KK asking do you have AA. I said yup and he was stunned. An A fell on the flop and he didn't improve. The table was stunned that his prediction came true with the two big stacks at the table. I took a few steps away from the table as the dealer counted out our stacks. He had $12 left.
It was just so ironic with his predictions, my folds and the timing. A half hour earlier he asked the table if he could give $100 from his stack so his friend could play and I objected. Then his friend told him to rack up but he said he still wanted to play. Everything just fell into place. I gave the dealer a $25 tip I was so happy.
I played a few more hands and at 8:04 I racked up. Big win!! Going back tomorrow so I will see if it was just luck.
I put together all the dribble I have been saying and had a great night. I left work at noon and met some friends for lunch in Reno. Decent streak and salad to protein up before play. I arrived at the Eldorado and after having fun at the 1-5 stud game I was sat at the 1/2 NL table at 3pm. I was excited at first and splashed around to loose 50 bucks. I calmed down and started to play like I do on the Internet.
I waited and got JJ in early position. I raised and got two callers. It was a 9 high, rainbow flop and I slow played with 170 behind. The first caller bet 20 and was called by the third player. I raised it to 80 and the first caller folded. The second caller thought awhile and just called. My read on her was that she had a pair but not a strong one. I bet the 80 knowing I was going to go all in on the turn. The turn was a K but I still pushed right away. The longer she thought the more confident I became. She called and mucked TT to my JJ. More then doubled up.
The next hand of note was a luck hand. I was in MP with Ah5h when everyone started to limp. I limped too and the button raised 10. Again everyone called so I did too. The flop was a paired board with two hearts. The guy on my left bet 20 and only the button called to me. I had the nut flush and an ace so I raised it to 100, representing the set. I expect to pick up the pot but the original raiser went all in for 70 more. I hated to call but I did and got the flush on the river. He said a set was good so he must have been on a flush draw too.
Now that I had the biggest stack at the table a good natured drinker was trying to see if he could get more chips then me. We stayed out of each others way for awhile building our stacks even more. He kept saying that we were going to get all our money in with AA against KK and who would suck out and so forth. It was just for table talk and fun.
Then we started to tangle with each other. Twice I got a good hand UTG when he was on the button and after building a big pot he would raise big on the turn and I would have to fold. He kept showing the bluff so I was putting his betting patterns together. We got into another pot in the same positions and I felt I had the best hand but I only had third pair, 55. I called to the river and he put in a big bet. It was out of his pattern so I folded and again I had him. I just couldn't put in all my chips with such a weak hand.
Now he had a few chips more then me and I was getting tired. It was 7:30 so I decided to leave at 8pm with my winnings, just not as much. I went to the bathroom at 7:40 and on the way back I was debating to leave now. I decided to stay until 8pm as planned and would just stay out of this guys way unless I had the nuts. Not two hand after I got back I was dealt AA UTG. I did a normal raise to 20 and it was folded to the other guy. He was getting drunk by this time and starting to make wild bets. I am sure my folds were giving him confidence so thinking I would fold again he said all in. I called instantly. Even before it was my turn.
He turned over KK asking do you have AA. I said yup and he was stunned. An A fell on the flop and he didn't improve. The table was stunned that his prediction came true with the two big stacks at the table. I took a few steps away from the table as the dealer counted out our stacks. He had $12 left.
It was just so ironic with his predictions, my folds and the timing. A half hour earlier he asked the table if he could give $100 from his stack so his friend could play and I objected. Then his friend told him to rack up but he said he still wanted to play. Everything just fell into place. I gave the dealer a $25 tip I was so happy.
I played a few more hands and at 8:04 I racked up. Big win!! Going back tomorrow so I will see if it was just luck.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
New Direction
Things have finally calmed down in my life. Work is back on an even keel for now and I took the last couple of weeks to clear my head. I did play alittle while in Colorado and when I got back but ended up loosing overall. I could see the beginnings of my new plan working, but not enough. So I took some time and looked at the big picture.
In Reno and the surrounding areas there is very little middle stakes holdem. Even the 4/8 games have started to dry up and playing any lower is not worth the time. So looking at which games run consistently all I could see was No Limit. Most of the 4/8 players are now playing NL. They have taken their bad play and are now playing a game that they can loose everything in one hand. Granted it is 1/2 NL, but you can still make a few hundred a day. Supplement this with some online play and low expenses and it is a living.
So my plan is to switch to NL. I'm going to approach it the way I should have with holdem, study. I have the materials I need lined up and already started to study the basics. There is alot more thought to this game and since my opponents don't put in the study time, I should have a large edge at 1/2NL. I will also practice my bankroll management skills and stay at the low levels until I have a large bankroll for even the next level. I won't go broke this time.
I am still working so my new play schedule is Friday and Saturday at the casinos and the rest of the time studying or playing online. The casinos host tournaments from time to time so I will put in extra hours at those times.
It's a start.
In Reno and the surrounding areas there is very little middle stakes holdem. Even the 4/8 games have started to dry up and playing any lower is not worth the time. So looking at which games run consistently all I could see was No Limit. Most of the 4/8 players are now playing NL. They have taken their bad play and are now playing a game that they can loose everything in one hand. Granted it is 1/2 NL, but you can still make a few hundred a day. Supplement this with some online play and low expenses and it is a living.
So my plan is to switch to NL. I'm going to approach it the way I should have with holdem, study. I have the materials I need lined up and already started to study the basics. There is alot more thought to this game and since my opponents don't put in the study time, I should have a large edge at 1/2NL. I will also practice my bankroll management skills and stay at the low levels until I have a large bankroll for even the next level. I won't go broke this time.
I am still working so my new play schedule is Friday and Saturday at the casinos and the rest of the time studying or playing online. The casinos host tournaments from time to time so I will put in extra hours at those times.
It's a start.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Busy at Work
I haven't posted for awhile because I was busy rapping up work. We were shutting down the Nevada operations and reorganizing the Colorado operations. I knew my mind would not be focused so I didn't play much. When I did I lost. Go figure.
Lately I have been looking at my play and realized how much I was playing for entertainment. To truely make money you have to be there for that reason alone. I have tightened up and stopped gambling considerably.
My short term results have shown improvement, no big wins yet, but I have minimized my losses. I will try to track my play again starting in Sept. I should have more time to play and blog about it. I have some trips in mind to keep it interesting.
For those in the Reno area, the Peppermill seems to be getting a 20/40 limit game almost every day. I am refraining from jumping in for now, but my wade in with the right lineup. Currently it is quite tough with big swings.
Lately I have been looking at my play and realized how much I was playing for entertainment. To truely make money you have to be there for that reason alone. I have tightened up and stopped gambling considerably.
My short term results have shown improvement, no big wins yet, but I have minimized my losses. I will try to track my play again starting in Sept. I should have more time to play and blog about it. I have some trips in mind to keep it interesting.
For those in the Reno area, the Peppermill seems to be getting a 20/40 limit game almost every day. I am refraining from jumping in for now, but my wade in with the right lineup. Currently it is quite tough with big swings.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Reaching a Balance
As I get closer to becoming a professional poker player I am putting my ramblings to the test. I listened to myself on Friday, and when I got tired after 3 hrs I left the table. This may not seem like a long time but don't forget I did work all day so it was like the 11th hr of work.
The Peppermill has been able to get a 20/40 table going on Friday nights so I naturally got in the game. I won a big hand early on with a flopped set to be up 400 in 10 min. Then I went card dead. I played a few hands and even force one or two, slowly giving back the 400. When I had 20 of it left, I got up from the table. I knew I was tired and forced the last hand so it was time to go. I moved to a 1/2 NL game for an hour an won 30 more before calling it a night.
This is not a big monetary win but it is a big win. I finally listened to how I felt and acted accordingly. I could sleep in on Sat. and come back refreshed. Also starting at +50 is a lot better then starting at -500.
Sat. started out slow with 10/20 limit with a half kill and overs buttons. I was up 300, down 20 for 3 hrs. We raised the stakes to 15/30 with 30/60 overs just in time for my rush. I got paid off on a few check raises at 30/60 to be up 800. I busted him out on the last hand. Cooled off after that and quit when I still had 600. I wanted to play in a soft NL game in Carson City. I fooled around in this game until it broke 3hrs later. I only could win enough to fool around at the BJ table and they got what little profit I made.
Sunday I fired up the .25/.5 NL on-line. I was doing pretty well 6 tabling with my new monitor. If I continue the trend, I will have to buy another one. I only made one really bad play when I folded to a check raise on the river. I was gun shy from previous sessions and was primed to make the big lay down. It was only 1.35 more to call and I folded. He claims he was bluffing but I will never know. I still managed to win $75 so I will get over it.
Sunday, headed up to Tahoe at noon and sat in a new 3/5 NL game. I played very badly in this game last week so I wanted to redeem myself. I was card dead most of the time or got no action for the 4hrs I played. At my high I was up 400 then got rivered when I was trapping him and missed a few draws after that. I left with an extra 100, but when I found my friend at the BJ table it didn't last long.
So I ended the weekend with +600. Not bad for a part time job. I believe this is around 50 and hr. I am happy, not just because I won but because I finally did what I have known I have to do. I left when I was tired, played pretty well and got some personal things done as well. Still to early to tell buy I like the looks of this road.
The Peppermill has been able to get a 20/40 table going on Friday nights so I naturally got in the game. I won a big hand early on with a flopped set to be up 400 in 10 min. Then I went card dead. I played a few hands and even force one or two, slowly giving back the 400. When I had 20 of it left, I got up from the table. I knew I was tired and forced the last hand so it was time to go. I moved to a 1/2 NL game for an hour an won 30 more before calling it a night.
This is not a big monetary win but it is a big win. I finally listened to how I felt and acted accordingly. I could sleep in on Sat. and come back refreshed. Also starting at +50 is a lot better then starting at -500.
Sat. started out slow with 10/20 limit with a half kill and overs buttons. I was up 300, down 20 for 3 hrs. We raised the stakes to 15/30 with 30/60 overs just in time for my rush. I got paid off on a few check raises at 30/60 to be up 800. I busted him out on the last hand. Cooled off after that and quit when I still had 600. I wanted to play in a soft NL game in Carson City. I fooled around in this game until it broke 3hrs later. I only could win enough to fool around at the BJ table and they got what little profit I made.
Sunday I fired up the .25/.5 NL on-line. I was doing pretty well 6 tabling with my new monitor. If I continue the trend, I will have to buy another one. I only made one really bad play when I folded to a check raise on the river. I was gun shy from previous sessions and was primed to make the big lay down. It was only 1.35 more to call and I folded. He claims he was bluffing but I will never know. I still managed to win $75 so I will get over it.
Sunday, headed up to Tahoe at noon and sat in a new 3/5 NL game. I played very badly in this game last week so I wanted to redeem myself. I was card dead most of the time or got no action for the 4hrs I played. At my high I was up 400 then got rivered when I was trapping him and missed a few draws after that. I left with an extra 100, but when I found my friend at the BJ table it didn't last long.
So I ended the weekend with +600. Not bad for a part time job. I believe this is around 50 and hr. I am happy, not just because I won but because I finally did what I have known I have to do. I left when I was tired, played pretty well and got some personal things done as well. Still to early to tell buy I like the looks of this road.
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