Vegas Baby, Vegas.
Just a quick update to let everyone know I am back from my trip. I had an AWESOME time, which of course was expected. Didn't get to play as much Poker as I would have liked, as most of the guys I was with didn't know how.
But a whole lot of BlackJack was played. Overall I managed to pay for my trip and end up with about $200 extra. Which is pretty damned nice if you ask me. I'm still trying to sort through the whole trip in my head so I can write a real report up.
Expect to see it probably later in the week. I now have to work at getting my bankroll back online so I can get back to playing again. See you all out there.
-Joe
Man it's been a doozey of a week. I've had more swings in the last couple weeks then I can remember in a while. I've been as high as $680 and as low as $550.
Currently, I'm sitting at $606. It's interesting, I was sitting at $650 or so and I decided to play a little $1/$2 limit poker to sort of practice for Vegas.
I figure while I am there, there probably won't be any No Limit tables that are going to be within my bankroll so I better get used to the Limit grind again.
That was my first mistake. I got trounced, 3 bad beats in 5 hands put me down $37, and it just spiraled from there.
I busted out on the first hand of a $10 Sit N Go. I busted out in 25th in a 3 table Sit n Go which cost me $33. And I finished 6th twice in a row at 2 $10 Sit n Gos.
I did, however, just now, manage to win a $10 Sit n Go which pushed me over $600. Go me.
It's been really odd, I think I am just running really well. Because out of 15 $10 Sit n Gos I've finished in the money 8 times. Won 3 times, came in second 4 times, and placed 3rd once.
50% ROI is impossible to maintain pretty much, so I know it won't last. But it's nice to have happen so close to my Vegas Vacation.
Yep, Vegas is 9 days away, I'm like a kid before Christmas. Very excited. Next week I'll be withdrawing my entire bankroll to take with me. I hope to push up over $700. I really have no idea how it's going to turn out.
My buddy Ron pretty much only plays BlackJack. Which, no matter how you slice it, is a losing game in the long run. So I'm sure that will eat into my funds. Lets hope not though.
Ideally, I'd like to be able to cover all my expenses while I am there and come back with $500. That's my goal. We'll see how it pans out.
This has been such a fun ride for me. Even as pissed of as I have gotten along the way, it's all been a great experience. I started with this $300 in order to make money for my Vegas trip. If I lose it all it won't bother me a bit as that's what it was intended for.
I think I'll leave you with a really cool hand from one of my recent first place finishes:
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t500 (3 handed) converter
What was hilarious about this was, I was outside talking to the Safelite guy about my cracked windshield. Basically I pushed all in and got up from my seat, and came back to a 1st place banner flashing in my face. I had to go back and check the history to see what happened.
Was pretty nice to return to. Make sure you visit the Forums for some good Poker conversation. We're thinking of putting together a WTFMan.com Sit N Go, post in the Forums if you're interested. Good luck out there, talk to you all soon.
-Joe
Button (t1250)
laceratedsky (t4370)
BB (t2380)
Preflop: laceratedsky is SB with Kd, Jd.
Button raises to t1250 (All-In), laceratedsky calls t1000, BB raises to t2380 (All-In), laceratedsky calls t1130.
Flop: (t6010) Js, 4s, 8h (3 players, 2 all-in)
Turn: (t6010) Jc (3 players, 2 all-in)
River: (t6010) Qd (3 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: t6010
Main Pot: t3750 (t3750), between Button, laceratedsky and BB. > Pot won by laceratedsky (t3750).
Pot 2: t2260 (t2260), between laceratedsky and BB. > Pot won by laceratedsky (t2260).
Results in white below:
Button shows Ah Tc (one pair, jacks).
laceratedsky shows Kd Jd (three of a kind, jacks).
BB shows As Ts (one pair, jacks).
Outcome: laceratedsky wins t6010.
Just wanted to drop everyone a quick line to say that I am still alive. I had my Gaming convention this past weekend so no poker or even computer time for the last 6 days or so.
They actually had a couple tournaments at the convention this year. I did okay, was a little too aggressive, but otherwise I played fine. I really feel like my tournament game has taken off.
While my NL Ring Game has really declined. I think playing hyper aggressive in a cash game is much more difficult. People can reload anytime and pick you off. In a tournament, they're gone.
Just a few stats, I've played 10 $10 Single Table Sit n Gos in the past couple weeks. I've placed in 8 of them with 2 first place finishes and 6 2nd place finishes! That's some pretty decent money.
Of course, I've managed to piss it all away at the NL Ring games. My bankroll sits at $663.57. I should have significantly more if I had been playing smart. But as you already know, that's not always what I do :)
Sorry about the short update, I will get a bigger post going later on this week. Just wanted to let all 3 of the people that read this site know that I was still here. Also wanted to mention, there is now a Poker Forum on the site. Feel free to discuss strategy, bad beats, good hands, or whatever there.
See you soon,
-Joe
Lets start this post off with some good news! I passed my CCNA yesterday. Also the progress in my tournament game in the last week has been astounding. I've played 7 tournaments, and finished in the money on 5 of them! Including, 20th place out of 200 in a MTT on Party.
I attribute all my recent success to Doyle Brunson and his book Super System. Basically, he convinced me that I am a big wuss when it comes to betting. Pot sized bets are what it's all about. I have stolen more pots, and won LARGER pots in the last week than I ever though possible.
The Typical Party Poker NL $25 player and the $5 or $10 Sit n Go players are all weak tight. Or they're loose preflop and tight post flop. So they call my 3x BB raise and I take the pot down with a Pot Sized bet on the flop. It's glorious! It's really been a lot of fun, I feel like my game has grown leaps and bounds.
Not to say that I haven't lost some, I dropped $75 in about an hour the other day playing $25 NL ring games. Managed to win back about $35 of it before quitting for the day. My tournament winnings however, have pushed me above $700 for the first time in a while.
Currently I am sitting at $701.68, and feeling good about my game.
I am just starting to skim through TJ Cloutier and Tom McEvoy's Chamionship Pot-Limit and No-Limit Hold 'Em. Hopefully this will expand on what I've already learned from reading Doyle's advice and take my game to a whole new level.
I did some Casino Whoring at Lucky Nugget last night, basically they offer an AWESOME bonus. Deposit $50, get $200 to play with. You have to wager $5,000 in order to actually consider cashing out that $200. But it's easy, just log into Vegas Strip Blackjack, set it to autoplay with $1 bets for 5,000 hands and go watch a couple movies.
When it was done, I had $290! That's a total profit of $240 for pretty much no work. That's going to be a big addition to my bankroll.
Just thought I'd do a real quick update to let everyone know how I am progressing. Hopefully I can keep running good all the way through my Vegas Trip! See you soon.
-Joe
Yikes, it's been bad beat o rama the last couple days. I actually managed to lose all of my $50 at Poker Stars playing NLHE Ring games. It was brutal to say the least. Here are some hands that contributed to my thusfar bad weekend:
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em Tourney, Big Blind is t15 (10 handed)
This was actually a multi-table tournament I decided to enter this morning AFTER all the crap I had taken. Didn't turn out well for me at all.
PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.10 BB (9 handed)
I actually feel pretty shitty about this hand. I had all kinds of alarm bells going off in my head after the Pre Flop re-raise, I just didn't pay attention to them. I put my opponent on AK, which in hindsight is a terrible read.
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (10 handed)
That one hurt quite a bit. I knew I had him beat when he re-raised me all in. It figures he would spike his 2 outer on the River to bust me out.
I am really frustrated today, I grinded my way up to $680(not including Pokerstars), and I am now back at $640.15. All that work gone in the span of about an hour worth of play. Very frustrating.
I actually feel like I played these hands well, except for the QQ one. That's what is so great and so terrible about poker. You can play your best game all day long, but sometimes the cards just aren't in your favor. I just wish it wasn't happening so much lately.
Hope to see you guys again soon, with some better news.
-Joe
UTG+2 (t1240)
MP1 (t570)
MP2 (t1615)
MP3 (t1375)
Hero (t975)
Button (t915)
SB (t905)
BB (t1520)
UTG (t225)
UTG+1 (t580)
Preflop: Hero is CO with Kd, Kc.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, Hero raises to t60, Button folds, SB calls t50, BB folds.
Flop: (t135) 2h, Th, Jc (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t135, SB calls t135.
Turn: (t405) 3d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets t250, SB calls t250.
River: (t905) Qc (2 players)
SB bets t460 (All-In), Hero calls t460.
Final Pot: t1825
Main Pot: t1825 (t1825), between Hero and SB. > Pot won by SB (t1825).
Results in white below:
SB shows Ks As (straight, ace high).
Hero shows Kd Kc (one pair, kings).
Outcome: SB wins t1825.
SB ($$4.15)
BB ($$25)
UTG ($$5)
UTG+1 ($$11.45)
Hero ($$24.75)
MP2 ($$38)
MP3 ($$18.95)
CO ($$9.25)
Button ($$1.50)
Preflop: Hero is MP1 with Qc, Qs.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, Hero raises to $1.5, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB raises to $2.75, Hero calls $1.25.
Flop: ($5.75) Jd, 8d, Th (2 players)
BB bets $5, Hero calls $5.
Turn: ($15.75) Jh (2 players)
BB bets $5, Hero calls $5.
River: ($25.75) Jc (2 players)
BB bets $12, Hero calls $12 (All-In).
Final Pot: $49.75
Main Pot: $49.75, between BB and Hero. > Pot won by BB ($49.75).
Results in white below:
BB shows Ks Kd (full house, jacks full of kings).
Hero shows Qc Qs (full house, jacks full of queens).
Outcome: BB wins $49.75.
MP3 ($26.45)
CO ($11.90)
Button ($37.35)
SB ($22)
BB ($34.15)
UTG ($7.20)
UTG+1 ($7.65)
Hero ($24.50)
MP1 ($3.44)
MP2 ($24.70)
Preflop: Hero is UTG+2 with Jd, Js.
UTG calls $0.50, UTG+1 calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $3, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, UTG folds, UTG+1 folds.
Flop: ($7.75) 6c, 4d, 8c (2 players)
Hero bets $7, MP2 raises to $21.7 (All-In), Hero calls $14.50 (All-In).
Turn: ($50.95) Tc (2 players, 2 all-in)
River: ($50.95) 7s (2 players, 2 all-in)
Final Pot: $50.95
Main Pot: $50.75, between Hero and MP2. > Pot won by MP2 ($50.75).
Pot 2: $0.20, returned to MP2.
Results in white below:
Hero shows Jd Js (one pair, jacks).
MP2 shows 7d 7c (three of a kind, sevens).
Outcome: MP2 wins $50.95.
God, it's been a crazy last few days. I've been studying nonstop for my CCNA, I take the test again tomorrow. Hopefully I'll do much better this time, perhaps I'll even pass!
In poker news, I've really been in sort of a funk the last few weeks, as you can tell from my previous posts. I've been rotating between games, Omaha 8, Stud 8, and some No Limit Ring games on Party.
When you're losing, you'll try just about anything to get yourself confident again, even if it's just losing a bunch of money to people while playing a new type of Poker. I'm really in sort of a daze, the next 6 weeks are going to be extremely busy for me.
I got Origins coming up the last weekend in June. And, of course, there is the Vegas trip starting July 11th. Right now I am in "I really don't wanna lose half my damn bankroll before I step foot in a casino" mode.
So I've mostly been goofing around.
I deposited $50 into PokerStars the other day to take advantage of their deposit bonus and to play in their micro limit Stud and Omaha tables. As well as the occasional 2 Table Sit N Go. In case you were wondering, I still suck at tournaments. Although I did finish 5th one time!
God I am not smart. To remedy this problem, I've ordered Doyle Brunson's Super System and T.J. Cloutier's Pot Limit and No Limit hold 'em books. I'll be doing some extensive studying over the next few weeks, as I am starting to think that the No Limit ring games may be a better profit for me.
No Limit style betting caters MUCH more to my sometimes loose, aggressive ways. The variance is much larger and more dramatic, but with proper study I believe I can make a killing at the Party $25 and $50 buy in tables. We'll see how it goes.
I've been reflecting a lot on my game recently, mostly trying to figure out in my head what the hell I'm doing wrong. I've come to the conclusion that it's definitely not one thing. I am STILL overplaying my Overcards on the flop. I am still rationalizing weak cold calls preflop. Just stupid stuff. I will fix it, but serious work at it will likely have to wait until this weekend after I've passed my test(hopefully).
It's interesting when you go through Poker Tracker and use the hand replay, and see the utterly STUPID things you do. I was looking at some of my $1/$2 hands the other day and sitting there saying "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!". It's blatantly obvious sometimes when I am beat, I just refuse to acknowledge that fact. I will fix this. I'll never get anywhere if I don't. I still plan to play $.50/$1 tables until I hit $800.
However, I think I am going to play a $25 buy in No Limit table in addition during my sessions and see how it goes. As always I will keep you, my loyal readers(all 3 of you), updated with my pitiful progress. Let me leave you with a couple hands I played yesterday before going into work, I laughed and I cried, but it was still fun.
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (8 handed)
Well, that was lovely. Now on to the next hand, which was 2 hands later.
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (8 handed)
Well shit, remember all that money I won 2 hands ago? It just went to that guy! Ah well, I should have probably pushed all in on the flop and scared his Axo playing ass out of the pot, but alas, I did not. Such is the life of a terrible card player :)
As always, criticism and comments are welcome, just email me.
Hope to see you all soon,
-Joe
CO ($10.25)
Button ($30.40)
SB ($18.85)
BB ($23.40)
UTG ($50.20)
UTG+1 ($9.70)
MP1 ($23.50)
Hero ($24.50)
Preflop: Hero is MP2 with Ah, Ad.
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, MP1 calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB folds, MP1 calls $2.50.
Flop: ($6.75) Kd, 9h, As (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $2, MP1 calls $2.
Turn: ($10.75) 8s (2 players)
MP1 bets $4, Hero raises to $10, MP1 calls $6.
River: ($30.75) Jd (2 players)
MP1 checks, Hero bets $9.5 (All-In), MP1 calls $8.50 (All-In).
Final Pot: $48.75
Main Pot: $47.75, between MP1 and Hero. > Pot won by Hero ($47.75).
Pot 2: $1, returned to Hero.
Results in white below:
MP1 shows 9d Ks (two pair, kings and nines).
Hero shows Ah Ad (three of a kind, aces).
Outcome: Hero wins $48.75.
UTG+1 ($7.25)
MP1 ($24.50)
MP2 ($29.90)
CO ($23)
Button ($22.65)
SB ($9.20)
BB ($10)
Hero ($46.40)
Preflop: Hero is UTG with Ac, Qc.
Hero calls $0.50, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 calls $0.50, CO folds, Button folds, SB folds, BB checks.
Flop: ($1.75) Ad, Kc, 7c (3 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $3, MP2 raises to $6, BB folds, Hero calls $3.
Turn: ($13.75) 6d (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $10, Hero calls $10.
River: ($33.75) 4s (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 checks.
Final Pot: $33.75
Main Pot: $33.75, between MP2 and Hero. > Pot won by MP2 ($33.75).
Results in white below:
Hero shows Ac Qc (one pair, aces).
MP2 shows 6c As (two pair, aces and sixes).
Outcome: MP2 wins $33.75.
Yesterday was a bad day. I stayed up later than normal in order to take my CCNA exam. I failed, it sucked, and it affected me much more than I'd like to admit.
Bottom line? I didn't study enough.
So after my test, I decide to play a little poker. John Vorhaus in Killer Poker Online says basically: you should always be in a good frame of mind before you sit down and begin playing.
I think it's safe to say that was not the case today, and after a few bad beats, it was all over. I got my bankroll down to $600 exactly, and went to sleep. After waking up, I made a decision.
I think it's time to move back down to $.50/$1. For whatever reason, I am not a winning player at $1/$2. I feel like I am playing like I should. It's likely I am not. I do not know. Pokertracker and I are going to be spending some quality time together this weekend.
I need to study more, just like my CCNA. I got really cocky after killing the $.50/$1 games for 3 weeks straight and figured I could just carry it all over into a tighter, more aggressive game. I was wrong. So, I am going to try and get to $800 by playing $.50/$1 games before moving back up again.
Spend some serious time analyzing my game, and even more time studying. It's pretty damned obvious that I am not going to hit my goal of $1800 by July 11th. I will just take whatever I have and play in the $3/$6 game anyway, as from what I have heard, $3/$6 in a Casino plays like $.50/$1 online.
I am prepared to lose my entire bankroll on my trip anyway, with Ron dragging me around to the BlackJack tables I figure it's inevitable. If that happens, I'll start over when I get back, perhaps this time with just $50 and do the $.05.$.10 games and grind my way up.
I actually feel good about what I've accomplished thus far. I have won money, I am still ahead of my initial buy in, hell I've doubled it. I can't beat myself up too much. I just need to work hard to bring my game to the next level. No one ever said it would be easy, just like the CCNA.
See you all soon,
-Joe
Sooo, I flopped 4 Queens tonight on Party. I was so shocked I almost forgot to bet out when it was checked around to me. I took down a monster pot of $9.
Yep, 9 whole dollars. What a fucking tragedy, oh well.
It has certainly become apparent that some $1/$2 tables are just plain Rock Gardens. People are extra tight, which is just so strange to see after all the hands I played at $.50/$1.
Someone on the 2+2 forums brought up a good point. It's likely people at $1/$2 are tighter and more aggressive because the majority of them worked themselves up from $.50/$1 by being winning players and know what works.
This makes sense, as most people when they just start playing either start out at $.50/$1 or $3/$6. Therefore it stands to reason that the games at $1/$2 and $2/$4 will be tougher to beat. But not, by any means, unbeatable.
Here's to hoping I survive through those limits by adjusting properly.
I am getting a bit burned out from playing a bunch this weekend, so I decided to hop over to Pacific Poker with my free $10 they gave me and try my hand at some $.5/$.10 Omaha Hi/Lo. I actually did fairly well, and thought, hey lets try this on Party, this game is easy! Well, Felicia Lee I am not.
I took down some pots in the beginning and was up a few dollars and started chasing low draws left and right, and missing of course. I got down to $11.75 of my original $25 buy in when this hand came along:
Party Poker 0.50/1 Omaha/8 (9 handed) converter
Preflop: Hero is SB with 4h, Kc, Kd, Th.
Results in white below:
Did I mention that I am an idiot?
I actually posted this hand on the 2+2 forums, to see if I played it properly. The answer is no. Wtf am I doing 3 betting on the River with no low draw against one opponent with no low hand? Ah well, live and learn, losing with my set of Kings to a set of Aces did suck though.
Wanted to take this opportunity to thank Iggy for linking my little corner of the internet again. I made the banners smaller just for you buddy! Iggy is from Cincinatti, which is a scant 90 miles down Interstate 71 from yours truly.
I see a joint road trip to Indy or some such other Casino in a nearby state brewing. I could even take Ron, and watch him drunkenly win shitloads of money by doing all the wrong things. Could be fun.
Well, after getting cute with my little Omaha excursion this evening the bakroll is sitting at $650.62. Sigh, I am not even a little smart sometimes. I once read that boredom is the Poker Player's worst enemy. This certainly holds true for me.
Hope to see you all soon,
-Joe
UTG raises, UTG+1 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 calls, CO folds, Button folds, Hero calls, BB calls.
Flop: (8 SB) 8d, Ks, 5s (4 players)
Hero checks, BB checks, UTG bets, MP3 calls, Hero raises, BB folds, UTG 3-bets, MP3 folds, Hero calls.
Turn: (7.50 BB) Ah (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG raises, Hero calls.
River: (11.50 BB) 7d (2 players)
Hero bets, UTG raises, Hero 3-bets, UTG calls.
Final Pot: 17.50 BB
Main Pot: 17.50 BB, between Hero and UTG. > Scooped by UTG (17.50 BB).
UTG shows 9c As Ad 2d (Low: 8, 7, 5, 2, A | High: three of a kind, aces).
Hero shows 4h Kc Kd Th (Low: 8, 7, 5, 4, A | High: three of a kind, kings).
Outcome: UTG wins 17.50 BB.
Have I mentioned lately that I love Pocket 10s? I mean seriously that hand has been extremely good to me this weekend.
First of all we have this hand:
Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (9 handed)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Td, Ts.
Results in white below:
After playing mostly break even poker for 2 hours, that hand was a nice way to end my session.
Last night, as I said, I was going over to Ron's house for some Poker. We ended up not playing a tournament and just let everyone buy in whenever and played a No Limit Ring Game.
The blinds were $.10/.20. I've finally gotten those guys to agree that this is a FAR superior structure to the Ante games we'd been playing. Anyhow, Ron, over the last few weeks has managed to suck about $30 from me with his amazingly bad play and even more amazing suckouts on the river.
I decided that it was time to get revenge. I started limping with things like Axo and managed to win 4 pots when I spiked an Ace on the flop. Ron didn't fare so well, there was a new guy from out of town that was playing and getting very good cards. He was very loose pre-flop but tightened up considerably after the flop so it was pretty easy to read him.
He managed to take most of Ron's money when he spiked a set of 8s on the flop and got Ron to call all in with Top pair.
And then there was the Vinny hand:
I raised in late position to $1 with A9o and I got 4 callers.
Flop Comes A K 7
I figure I am good now, but Vinny who is UTG decided to push all in. He had a hefty stack, and was playing pretty solid poker. I thought for a long time as it was quite possible Vinny was bluffing me. Eventually, I folded. That bastard turned over 6 10 of diamonds for the world class bluff. I vowed to get even.
I did just that a few hands later:
I was in the BB with 74o, everyone calls around to me and 7 see the flop.
Flop Comes 5 8 J
I check, and Vinny bets out a measley $.20, everyone calls so I call too with my pitiful inside straight draw.
The Turn comes 6
HA! What luck, even better was that Vinny pushed all in here and he actually got someone to call him in MP so I pushed too.
River is a blank and I take down a huge pot and knock Vinny out of his $18. Was very satisfying, if a little fishy.
The final hand was me in late position with pocket 10s. Everyone calls the $.20 blind around to me and I raise it to $1. I got 3 callers.
Flop comes K K 8
It's checked around to me and I bet out $1 trying to take it down right there by representing the King. New guy to my right calls me, but I am pretty sure he only has an 8. Which is fine.
Turn comes 8
Now that 8 isn't looking so hot, the guy to my right opens up with a $.50 bet. I call just to see if he actually has it, as it's been quite some time since anyone has shown a hand down with this guy.
River is the most beautiful card in the deck a 10 of diamonds.
Guy to my right checks! I push all in with my monsterous stack and he calls. He has 85o for the 8s full of Kings, and my 10s full is good for an enormous pot and a very nice win overall for the night.
Obviously, this was not the greatest poker playing in the world. But it sure did feel nice to be the one taking down undeserved pots for once. I put all the winnings into my Vegas fund, aka the Jug with all my leftover change.
Hopefully Ron will be up for more poker in the near future. I'm clawing my way back up in bankroll size and am now at $675.62 after that big pot I took down at PP tonight. Things are looking better, I think when I get up over $700 I may switch back to two tables, but we'll see how I feel about it then.
See you all soon,
-Joe
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 calls, CO calls, Button folds, SB folds, Hero raises, UTG+1 calls, MP3 3-bets, CO calls, Hero calls, UTG+1 calls.
Flop: (12.50 SB) 2s, 8c, 8d (4 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 bets, MP3 raises, CO folds, Hero calls, UTG+1 calls.
Turn: (9.25 BB) Tc (3 players)
Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, MP3 calls, Hero 3-bets, UTG+1 caps, MP3 calls, Hero calls.
River: (21.25 BB) 9d (3 players)
Hero bets, UTG+1 raises, MP3 folds, Hero 3-bets, UTG+1 caps, Hero calls.
Final Pot: 29.25 BB
Main Pot: 29.25 BB, between Hero and UTG+1. > Pot won by Hero (29.25 BB).
Hero shows Td Ts (full house, tens full of eights).
UTG+1 shows 8s 9c (full house, eights full of nines).
Outcome: Hero wins 29.25 BB.
Today, I feel a little better, not much, but a little. Check out this hand:
Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Ts, Tc.
Results in white below:
Not half bad if I do say so myself. It's still been up and down for me, but I have recovered slightly. I am currently at $649.87 and trying to claw my way back up to the $700 range.
Played in a home game last night with Ronald McDonald, not a huge deal, it was no limit with $.25 antes every hand. I did terrible as I took many bad beats because no one there plays poker a lot and was just calling down with crap.
The worst hand by far thought was against my poor wife. We were playing 7 handed, everyone antes and my wife gets dealt A9d on the button. Someone bet out $.10 and it gets called by everyone to her and she raises to a dollar. I was the only one that folded.
Flop comes A 9 7
Pretty nice huh? Someone bets out and it gets called around to my wife who raises again to a dollar(I later told her she should have pushed all in here). Everyone Calls!
Turn is a 7
A little scary as these people could have anything, my wife bets out a dollar again and we lose a couple and I believe we were 4 handed at this point. 4 to the River.
River is a 5
My wife pushes all in for $2 on the river and gets called by 2 people. One of them had an Ace and the other, get this, pocket 5s for the Rivered Full House. Man was she pissed. She said she was going to stop taking my advice about betting aggressively, I tried to explain to her that these things happen.
She wasn't hearing it.
Was a fun time though where much beer was consumed, hope to repeat it later today actually when I break out my poker chips and attempt to run a tournament at his house tonight.
See you all soon, with hopefully a larger bankroll!
-Joe
UTG folds, UTG+1 raises, UTG+2 calls, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO calls, Button folds, SB calls, Hero calls.
Flop: (10 SB) Th, 5d, Td (5 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 calls, UTG+2 folds, CO folds, SB calls.
Turn: (6.50 BB) 7d (3 players)
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG+1 raises, SB 3-bets, Hero caps, UTG+1 calls, SB calls.
River: (18.50 BB) 3h (3 players)
SB checks, Hero bets, UTG+1 calls, SB calls.
Final Pot: 21.50 BB
Main Pot: 21.50 BB, between SB, Hero and UTG+1. > Pot won by Hero (21.50 BB).
SB shows Qd 9d (flush, queen high).
Hero shows Ts Tc (four of a kind, tens).
UTG+1 shows Ad Jd (flush, ace high).
Outcome: Hero wins 21.50 BB.
Well, what can I say, since I last posted I have lost a total of $187 over about 8 hours of play. So here I sit at $605 wondering what the hell went wrong.
It's just hand after hand like this:
Party Poker 1/2 Hold'em (10 handed) converter
Preflop: Hero is Button with Qs, Ks. MP3 posts a blind of $1.
Results in white below:
Yes ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this hand called with Q6h when the betting was capped preflop.
This is a reoccurring theme lately, my good hands get plastered over and over again until I am beaten into submission. I have tried to adjust my game, I noticed that I was being to aggressive with overcards after the flop, so I slowed down with them.
Still nothing. I have been following the advice of Lee Jones and Sklansky, nothing seems to be getting me out of this funk. It's very frustrating that this is happening now with the Vegas trip only 6 weeks away. I think I am going to cut back to one table and see if that helps. I will keep you all updated on my progress at usual.
Sorry for the lack of posts, I've been too busy trying to dig myself out what seems like a bottomless pit.
See you all soon,
-Joe
UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 raises, MP3 (poster) folds, CO calls, Hero calls, SB 3-bets, BB calls, MP2 calls, CO caps, Hero calls, SB calls, BB calls, MP2 calls.
Flop: (21 SB) Js, 2s, Qd (5 players)
SB bets, BB raises, MP2 folds, CO folds, Hero calls, SB calls.
Turn: (13.50 BB) 6d (3 players)
SB bets, BB raises, Hero calls, SB calls.
River: (19.50 BB) 4h (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets, Hero calls, SB folds.
Final Pot: 21.50 BB
Main Pot: 21.50 BB, between Hero and BB. > Pot won by BB (21.50 BB).
BB shows Qh 6h (two pair, queens and sixes).
Hero shows Qs Ks (one pair, queens).
Outcome: BB wins 21.50 BB.
Before I really even get started, I'd like to point out this post on the 2 + 2 forums.
Dynasty is a well respected and longtime poster over there, and quite possibly took one of the ballsiest moves I've heard of and just decided to move to Vegas one day and go Pro. Amazing.
Well, as you all know, I suck at No Limit. I suck so bad, that everytime I enter a Sit n Go I just count it as a loss after the first hand is dealt. I play for fun. Tournaments are exciting. I've pretty much decided to stop playing Sit n Gos for profit alltogether.
So, as a result, I am now playing 3 $1/$2 tables with a total bankroll of $789.17. I feel good about my game at these limits. I've got a long way to go to get to $2/$4, but I'm confident I can get there.
A couple days ago, on a total whim, and with about 30 minutes to kill before going out, I decided to sit down at a $25 NL Table. Didn't really feel like firing up Poker Tracker and getting all my tables set up etc etc,
So I just sat down, and I did okay, posting about a $10 win. Thinking to myself, perhaps, it would behoove me to try out more of these ring games. Well tonight, I did just that. Not too long after I sit down, I get this hand:
Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (10 handed) converter
UTG+1 ($20.30)
Results in white below:
Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. It's funny, today I sat down for about 2 hours with 3 $1/$2 tables and posted a win of $9 at the end of the session. Later on, right before dinner, with about 30 minutes of play on 2 tables, I posted a win of $35.
Then I sit down for 24 minutes at the NL table and win $42. I think perhaps, this may point to something I've really not come to grips with. Playing 3 tables is just too hard, you can't really concentrate on the players you're playing against. I find my win rate going up with less tables that I play.
I still think I am fine with 2 tables, so I am going to stick with that, otherwise I'd never make it to my goal of $1800 by Vegas time. It's all about concentration baby.
I did get offered that job I was applying for within my company, however the offer they gave me equated to a $4,000 pay cut. I don't think so. They wouldn't even meet me halfway and give me a lateral move to come work for them. I am really frustrated and disappointed that I waited 6 weeks from the time I started interviewing to hear about this position, and this is what they come back with.
I won't, however, be pulling a Dynasty anytime soon and flying out to Vegas with my $700 to try and make a living at Poker. Maybe someday though, maybe someday.
See you all soon,
-Joe
UTG+2 ($40.73)
MP1 ($26.30)
MP2 ($47.15)
MP3 ($92.55)
CO ($36.90)
Button ($17.10)
SB ($48.98)
Hero ($32.55)
UTG ($15.28)
Preflop: Hero is BB with Kc, Kh.
UTG folds, UTG+1 calls $0.50, UTG+2 folds, MP1 folds, MP2 folds, MP3 folds, CO folds, Button folds, SB completes, Hero raises to $3, UTG+1 calls $2.50, SB calls $2.50.
Flop: ($9) 9d, Js, 6h (3 players)
SB bets $4, Hero calls $4, UTG+1 calls $4.
Turn: ($21) Qh (3 players)
SB bets $4, Hero calls $4, UTG+1 calls $4.
River: ($33) 4s (3 players)
SB bets $4, Hero raises to $8, UTG+1 folds, SB calls $4.
Final Pot: $49
Main Pot: $49, between SB and Hero. > Pot won by Hero ($49).
SB shows Jd Ad (one pair, jacks).
Hero shows Kc Kh (one pair, kings).
Outcome: Hero wins $49.
You know that feeling you get, that feeling of utter dread when you look at your digital cards and see any big pocket pair that isn't Aces and think to yourself, shit, here we go again. I had this feeling most of the weekend, getting my big pairs cracked by Ax is becoming a painful exorcise in frustration. My bankroll is currently sitting at $650.02. Not great, but not terrible after about 10 hours of play. I dropped some winnings in Sit N Gos as per normal, plus my swings have been fairly erratic since moving up limits. Definitely have not gotten to play as much as I would have liked this weekend, my life is very hectic right now, I am up for a new job, and they are taking their damn sweet time about making a decision. I had my 4th interview on Friday, I don't necessarily think it went all that well, but I still have hope. Got to play live today! I found this site http://www.ohiochairtygaming.com, apparently gambling is legal in Ohio as long as the Rake goes to charity. They had a $20 NL tournament that I played in, they have an option for one rebuy. The structure was very odd, and I pretty much decided that I hated it, especially after the rebuy period. I will probably continue to play in it, but not exorcise my option to rebuy. There were about 70 people or so in the tourney today. Here are some interesting hands I remember: I am UTG with AJs, I make it 20 to go, the blinds at this point were 3/6, EMP raises all in, I call. He has pocket queens, but luckily for me, an Ace flops and I take down a nice pot. I felt really bad, and even apologized, as I know from plenty of experience how much that sucks. Once again UTG, this time with Pocket Kings, I raise to 20, guy sitting right next to me pushes all in for about 37, at this point I don't have enough to cover, but I push in as well. I think I had 32 at the time. He flips over Pocket Sevens, and I am way ahead. That is, I WAS, way ahead, until a 7 spiked on the River eliminating me from the tournament. I felt like I had been kicked square in the stomach. That pot would have put me in 3rd or 4th chip position, and in very good shape. Ah well, at least the guy who eliminated me finished second. After the tournament, they started up some limit games. The lowest limit they had was $3/$6. I had come to the place with $120 in my pocket, and spent $40 on the tournament. So I decided to buy in with my measley $80. First orbit, I get AKo, I raise in LMP behind 2 limpers, EP limper re-raises behind me, and everyone folds to me, and I call. Flop comes a beautiful A 3 J, I bet, he calls. Turn comes a 9. I bet, he calls. River is a 3. I bet out, he calls. He turns over 43s. Yes that's right, 43s, he limp re-raised me Preflop with 43s, and THEN stuck around until the river to catch his miracle 2 outer on the River. I was actually happy about this turn of events, with this guy around I could stand to make a hefty, hefty profit. I played pretty tight for about an hour, and then the cards started coming. I picked up AKo and raised behind 1 limper, everyone folded to me. I picked up J8o in the BB, flop comes 9 9 8. It's checked around. Turn is a lovely 8. I bet out and get 2 callers. River is a blank, and my set is good for a decent pot. Last hand before I stood up to leave. I get A9s on the button. 3 callers to me and I raise. All call, flop is K 4 J. I bet out, trying to appear strong, and all fold except Mr. 43s. Turn is a 2. I bet out again, he calls. River is a 10. I got nada, but I bet out again sensing that he is on a draw and weak, and he folded to my River bet. That felt nice, very nice. I ended up losing $1 playing $3/$6, which for playing live for the first time, I consider pretty damn good. That game is most assuredly beatable, and I look forward to when I have a suitable bankroll to play in it on a regular basis. I have been playing quite a bit of $.05/$.10 7 card Stud at Pacific Poker. I am hovering at mostly around even for my free $10 that they gave me. I am still trying to figure out good starting hands and such. But it is a nice break, when I am feeling burnt out on Hold 'Em. Also the potential to make money is definitely there, Stud has lots of betting rounds, plus Antes. So if I get good at this game, I'd say it has a higher earning potential than Hold 'Em. The big thing would be less players, so less fish. But we shall see. Hope to talk to you all soon when I hit another Bankroll milestone. -Joe
$600 goal reached!
Well, that took much longer than expected. This past weekend, I got up as high as $598, and then went on a losing streak, a big losing streak. So I was sitting there on Saturday with $540 wondering what the hell happened, when the cards started to come, and my hands started holding up.
I didn't skyrocket up, getting here was a real grind, but I made it and I am happy. Current bankroll is at $609.51. I've got about 8 weeks to hit my goal of $1800 so I can play $3/$6 regularly while in Vegas and not feel short stacked.
One of the major things that has been working out for me is bluffing believe it or not. I believe I project a fairly tight/aggressive table image, and my raises get respect because of this. Here is an example:
***** Hand History for Game 588633425 *****
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - MON MAY 10 13:14:43 EDT 2004
Table Heart break Hotel (Real Money) -- Seat 8 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: Sunnybay ( $21.63)
Seat 2: KTownBuck ( $19.75)
Seat 3: bnong ( $13.75)
Seat 5: rebark ( $31.25)
Seat 6: lilo45 ( $31.38)
Seat 7: laceratedsky ( $31.12)
Seat 8: clancyace ( $33)
Seat 9: bkowal23 ( $9.50)
Seat 10: andreas1971 ( $24.50)
bkowal23 posts small blind (0.25)
andreas1971 posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ Td, Ks ]
Sunnybay calls (0.50)
KTownBuck folds.
bnong folds.
rebark calls (0.50)
lilo45 folds.
laceratedsky raises (1) to 1
clancyace calls (1)
bkowal23 folds.
andreas1971 calls (0.50)
Sunnybay calls (0.50)
rebark calls (0.50)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 2h, 8s, 6d ]
andreas1971 checks.
Sunnybay checks.
rebark checks.
laceratedsky bets (0.50)
clancyace calls (0.50)
andreas1971 folds.
Sunnybay calls (0.50)
rebark folds.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ As ]
Sunnybay checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
clancyace folds.
Sunnybay folds.
** Summary **
Main Pot: $7.25 | Rake: $0.50
Board: [ 2h 8s 6d As ]
Sunnybay balance $20.13, lost $1.50 (folded)
KTownBuck balance $19.75, didn't bet (folded)
bnong balance $13.75, didn't bet (folded)
rebark balance $30.25, lost $1 (folded)
lilo45 balance $31.38, didn't bet (folded)
laceratedsky balance $35.87, bet $2.50, collected $7.25, net +$4.75
clancyace balance $31.50, lost $1.50 (folded)
bkowal23 balance $9.25, lost $0.25 (folded)
andreas1971 balance $23.50, lost $1 (folded)
Not a huge pot by any stretch of the imagination, but a win with absolutely nothing nevertheless. This is great that this is happeneing at the lower limits, because projecting this type of image at the higher levels will be absolutely imparitive.
I've been spending time reading a lot of other blogs recently, one in particular, is very entertaining, and informative, you can visit him at http://guinnessandpoker.blogspot.com.
One link in particular I thoroughly enjoyed was to Alan Bostik's blog, which is at http://www.spicejar.org/asiplease/archives/cat_poker.html. He is mostly a Stud player, but his accounts of this year's WSOP events were fascinating, and well written. I really wish I could be in Sin City right now just to be immersed in all the Poker craziness that's going on there.
Not a whole lot to say today, I'm excited about moving uyp in limits finally, hopefully I can stay ahead and continue with my success. I did finish third in 2 Sit N Gos over the weekend, the only 2 I played as a matter of fact, perhaps there is light at the end of this No-Limit tunnel. Even though I am moving up limits, I will not be moving up in the Sit n Gos, as I feel I am just plain not good enough yet.
See you soon,
-Joe
Sometimes the deck hits you in the face(which btw, is good), and sometimes it kicks the crap out of you and leaves you for dead(which, is bad). Shortly after making my post the other night, I went on a 35bb downswing. I've got to learn to trust my gut when I know I'm beat. Or things like this happen: ***** Hand History for Game 576482705 ***** Who the hell knew he had 3s? Christ. ***** Hand History for Game 576481609 ***** I fail to understand why anyone would call a raise pre-flop here with 45s. But perhaps I'm missing something? I should have been raising every single street, and possibly re-raised pre-flop. Alas, rivered again. ***** Hand History for Game 576456275 ***** When I DO pick up a hand, it gets crushed, and of course only in monster pots. The big thing about poker, is recovering from sessions/days/weeks like this. I was insanely pissed after all was said and done with this day's sessions, I took some horrendeous beats, but even when I knew I was beat, I just couldn't accept that my good hand was cracked and kept calling like a fool. Must...fix...this...immediately. I cannot stress this enough. I've only played one Sit N Go since my last post, I finished fourth when I called all in with A9o vs AQo on the flop. I've got to learn to tell when people are bluffing. I thought for sure the guy in this hand was bluffing as he had a sizeable stack and had been stealing for some time, I was just waiting for my opportunity, and when the flop came Axx, I figured that was the time. Well Mr. AQo didn't think so. In other news, I signed up for Pacific Poker, I hadn't deposited any money into my account as I was just mostly checking out the software, but they were nice enough to deposit $10 into my account and I've been playing the $.05/$.10 games there to see how far I get with it. The software isn't half bad, and from what I've heard from others, the games are prety soft. It's damn hard to top Party Poker though, so we'll just have to see. I have recovered from my downswing, not by much, but a recovery none the less. I am sitting at $569, my goal is to be playing $1/$2 games with a $600 bankroll by the end of the weekend. Wish me luck! See you soon, -Joe
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - WED MAY 05 06:19:39 EDT 2004
Table Table 12800 (Real Money) -- Seat 9 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Twajjer ( $97.25)
Seat 2: BaByShOrTy47 ( $18)
Seat 3: Juggdish ( $16.25)
Seat 4: grnidldy1 ( $34.25)
Seat 5: PJ_no9 ( $5.50)
Seat 6: laceratedsky ( $5.50)
Seat 7: outlawimm1 ( $27)
Seat 8: do1982ez ( $16.25)
Seat 9: Rush_A_GoGo ( $33.50)
Seat 10: Keller88 ( $32.50)
Keller88 posts small blind (0.25)
Twajjer posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ 5s, 5d ]
BaByShOrTy47 calls (0.50)
Juggdish folds.
grnidldy1 calls (0.50)
PJ_no9 folds.
laceratedsky calls (0.50)
outlawimm1 calls (0.50)
do1982ez folds.
Rush_A_GoGo calls (0.50)
Keller88 calls (0.25)
Twajjer checks.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 2h, 2c, 2d ]
Keller88 checks.
Twajjer checks.
BaByShOrTy47 checks.
grnidldy1 checks.
laceratedsky bets (0.50)
outlawimm1 calls (0.50)
Rush_A_GoGo folds.
Keller88 folds.
Twajjer folds.
BaByShOrTy47 calls (0.50)
grnidldy1 calls (0.50)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 3h ]
BaByShOrTy47 checks.
grnidldy1 checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
outlawimm1 folds.
BaByShOrTy47 folds.
grnidldy1 calls (1)
** Dealing River ** : [ Js ]
grnidldy1 checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
grnidldy1 calls (1)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $9 | Rake: $0.50
Board: [ 2h 2c 2d 3h Js ]
Twajjer balance $96.75, lost $0.50 (folded)
BaByShOrTy47 balance $17, lost $1 (folded)
Juggdish balance $16.25, didn't bet (folded)
grnidldy1 balance $40.25, bet $3, collected $9, net +$6 [ 3c 3d ] [ a full house, Threes full of twos -- 3c,3d,3h,2h,2c,2d ]
PJ_no9 balance $5.50, didn't bet (folded)
laceratedsky balance $2.50, lost $3 [ 5s 5d ] [ a full house, Twos full of fives -- 5s,5d,2h,2c,2d ]
outlawimm1 balance $26, lost $1 (folded)
do1982ez balance $16.25, didn't bet (folded)
Rush_A_GoGo balance $33, lost $0.50 (folded)
Keller88 balance $32, lost $0.50 (folded)
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - WED MAY 05 06:17:53 EDT 2004
Table Table 12800 (Real Money) -- Seat 7 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Twajjer ( $97.25)
Seat 2: BaByShOrTy47 ( $18)
Seat 3: Juggdish ( $16.25)
Seat 4: grnidldy1 ( $25)
Seat 5: PJ_no9 ( $5.50)
Seat 6: laceratedsky ( $9.50)
Seat 7: outlawimm1 ( $27)
Seat 8: do1982ez ( $17)
Seat 9: Rush_A_GoGo ( $34.50)
Seat 10: Keller88 ( $37)
do1982ez posts small blind (0.25)
Rush_A_GoGo posts big blind (0.50)
grnidldy1 posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ Jh, Jd ]
Keller88 raises (1) to 1
Twajjer folds.
BaByShOrTy47 folds.
Juggdish folds.
grnidldy1 calls (0.50)
PJ_no9 folds.
laceratedsky calls (1)
outlawimm1 folds.
do1982ez folds.
Rush_A_GoGo folds.
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 9s, 3s, 6d ]
Keller88 bets (0.50)
grnidldy1 calls (0.50)
laceratedsky raises (1) to 1
Keller88 calls (0.50)
grnidldy1 calls (0.50)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 7s ]
Keller88 checks.
grnidldy1 checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
Keller88 folds.
grnidldy1 calls (1)
** Dealing River ** : [ 3d ]
grnidldy1 checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
grnidldy1 calls (1)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $10.25 | Rake: $0.50
Board: [ 9s 3s 6d 7s 3d ]
Twajjer balance $97.25, didn't bet (folded)
BaByShOrTy47 balance $18, didn't bet (folded)
Juggdish balance $16.25, didn't bet (folded)
grnidldy1 balance $31.25, bet $4, collected $10.25, net +$6.25 [ 5h 4h ] [ a straight, three to seven -- 7s,6d,5h,4h,3s ]
PJ_no9 balance $5.50, didn't bet (folded)
laceratedsky balance $5.50, lost $4 [ Jh Jd ] [ two pairs, jacks and threes -- Jh,Jd,9s,3s,3d ]
outlawimm1 balance $27, didn't bet (folded)
do1982ez balance $16.75, lost $0.25 (folded)
Rush_A_GoGo balance $34, lost $0.50 (folded)
Keller88 balance $35, lost $2 (folded)
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - WED MAY 05 05:40:38 EDT 2004
Table Table 12800 (Real Money) -- Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 1: Twajjer ( $79.50)
Seat 2: abcstore ( $20.75)
Seat 3: Juggdish ( $29.25)
Seat 4: SNAPNP0P ( $30)
Seat 6: laceratedsky ( $18.75)
Seat 7: outlawimm1 ( $17.25)
Seat 8: NUDropout ( $26.25)
Seat 9: Rush_A_GoGo ( $40)
Seat 10: HotHandJake ( $70)
outlawimm1 posts small blind (0.25)
NUDropout posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ Ah, As ]
Rush_A_GoGo folds.
HotHandJake folds.
Twajjer calls (0.50)
abcstore calls (0.50)
Juggdish folds.
SNAPNP0P calls (0.50)
laceratedsky raises (1) to 1
outlawimm1 folds.
NUDropout calls (0.50)
Twajjer calls (0.50)
abcstore calls (0.50)
SNAPNP0P calls (0.50)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 6c, 8s, Kd ]
NUDropout checks.
Twajjer checks.
abcstore checks.
SNAPNP0P checks.
laceratedsky bets (0.50)
NUDropout folds.
Twajjer calls (0.50)
abcstore calls (0.50)
SNAPNP0P raises (1) to 1
laceratedsky calls (0.50)
Twajjer calls (0.50)
abcstore calls (0.50)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 3c ]
Twajjer bets (1)
abcstore calls (1)
SNAPNP0P raises (2) to 2
laceratedsky calls (2)
Twajjer calls (1)
abcstore calls (1)
** Dealing River ** : [ Kc ]
Twajjer bets (1)
abcstore calls (1)
SNAPNP0P raises (2) to 2
laceratedsky calls (2)
Twajjer raises (2) to 3
abcstore calls (2)
SNAPNP0P raises (2) to 4
laceratedsky folds.
Twajjer calls (1)
abcstore calls (1)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $30.25 | Rake: $1
Board: [ 6c 8s Kd 3c Kc ]
Twajjer balance $101.75, bet $8, collected $30.25, net +$22.25 [ 8c Ks ] [ a full house, Kings full of eights -- Ks,Kd,Kc,8c,8s ]
abcstore balance $12.75, lost $8 [ Jc Kh ] [ three of a kind, kings -- Kh,Kd,Kc,Jc,8s ]
Juggdish balance $29.25, didn't bet (folded)
SNAPNP0P balance $22, lost $8 [ 6d 6s ] [ a full house, Sixes full of kings -- Kd,Kc,6d,6s,6c ]
laceratedsky balance $12.75, lost $6 (folded)
outlawimm1 balance $17, lost $0.25 (folded)
NUDropout balance $25.25, lost $1 (folded)
Rush_A_GoGo balance $40, didn't bet (folded)
HotHandJake balance $70, didn't bet (folded)
$500 goal reached! Actually $566 but who's counting? Well shortly after hitting my $500 goal my $60 Party Poker reload bonus came thorough! All is good at the moment. I am running very well. This week I have training during the day, so I am able to come home at a normal hour and play some Poker. Normally I work 7pm-7am Monday through Wednesday, so it's quite rare that I get any playing done on those days normally. For the first time since I started this little project I lost my $25 buyin at a table tonight. I got a couple bad beats and just went completely on tilt on that table, trying desperately to win any pot so I can make up for the hole I was in. As I've said before, this is very bad. At the end of my session I was up to about $36 on one table and down to $0 on the other. I decided to keep playing to see if I could make up for my losses, after calming down of course. Things just got worse, I actually ended up down to about $27 on the one table I was up on, and down to about $19 on the new table where I had to rebuy. I managed to make it back up to around $32 on the one table where I had been ahead, and decided to quit. I closed that table and just waited for me to finish my orbit on the down table. That's when the best 8 hand rush for me ever came on. The first hand looked like this: ***** Hand History for Game 573152195 ***** Hell of a way to start a comeback huh? Then I got this hand: ***** Hand History for Game 573169426 ***** I was behind on the flop here and didn't even know it, thank goodness for that Ace on the turn and the huge pot that followed. The last hand for these sessions went something like this: ***** Hand History for Game 573174476 ***** I have no idea what anyone else had here, but I sure was fearing a 3. Glad it held up. This ended my short, but very profitable rush at the end of my session. I made up for all of the $25 I had lost and came out about $15 ahead! Very nice indeed. My No-Limit play has continued to get better, but I just can't seem to win. I played in 2 large multi-table tournaments over the weekend. One on Friday that was $5+$1 that had over 1000 entries. I finished in 114th place, and the top 110 paid out money. Basically I got KK cracked by A9o when an Ace flopped, this seems to be normal for me in No-Limit, getting big hands cracked that is. My very next hand I got A10o and pushed all in with about 1200 chips left, I got called by AJo and a Jack came on the flop to knock me out. Just like that, from around 4500 chips and pretty much guaranteed to be in the money, to jack shit and no money. Next tournament I played in was the following morning, a $10+$1 multi-table with about 600 entries. I was doing quite well and had about 4K chips after the second break. There were about 75 people left and the top 60 paid out money. I promptly losty 2800 chips when my unimproved AK did not hold up. Then a few hands later I was dealt JJ UTG so I pushed in with my 1200 chips. The Big Blind decides to call me with 9 10s. Sure enough the flop was 9 10 x, and I go out again, just out of the money, in 72nd place. A lot of people have said over the past year, that you're either a good Tournament player, or a good Limit player. I'm beginning to think this might be true. I want so badly to be better at No-Limit as it's the most fun for me, but for whatever reason I can't seem to wrap my head around winning. My stats so far in Limit play are: 3,224 hands played, $290.15 won, I've played about 35 hours or so, I found out Poker Tracker was adding up my total minutes based on playing two tables at once, so my actual time from last week is roughly halved. Actually says I've played around 54 hours, but 35 seems about right. I am winning an even $9 per 100 hands. this is outstanding, and I hope it continues. My stats in Tourney play are: 21 Sit n Gos played for a total of $126, I've won $85 which puts me at a total loss of $41. Party poker does not send me hand histories for the multi table tournaments I've played, but I have played a $20+$2, a $10+1, and a $5+$1. For an additional $39 in losses. Hopefully this week I will hit the $600 mark and I can begin playing $1/$2 Limit games. And also I hope to improve my Tourney play as much as possible. See you soon(hopefully), -Joe
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - MON MAY 03 22:15:08 EDT 2004
Table Table 12863 (Real Money) -- Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: Sensei23 ( $12.50)
Seat 2: tee_rob ( $25)
Seat 3: selmon79 ( $14.50)
Seat 4: embezzler04 ( $26.63)
Seat 5: hockdawg ( $17)
Seat 6: LaxDude ( $51.89)
Seat 7: dynamo888 ( $5.75)
Seat 8: laceratedsky ( $18.25)
Seat 9: NUDropout ( $23.25)
Seat 10: Darsaces ( $41.50)
LaxDude posts small blind (0.25)
dynamo888 is sitting out.
laceratedsky posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ Qh, As ]
NUDropout folds.
Darsaces calls (0.50)
Sensei23 calls (0.50)
selmon79 folds.
embezzler04 calls (0.50)
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.25)
laceratedsky raises (0.50) to 1
Darsaces calls (0.50)
Sensei23 calls (0.50)
embezzler04 calls (0.50)
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Ac, 4h, Qs ]
LaxDude checks.
laceratedsky bets (0.50)
Darsaces folds.
Sensei23 folds.
embezzler04 folds.
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude folds.
** Dealing Turn ** : [ Qd ]
laceratedsky bets (1)
hockdawg raises (2) to 2
laceratedsky calls (1)
** Dealing River ** : [ 2c ]
laceratedsky bets (1)
hockdawg raises (2) to 2
laceratedsky raises (2) to 3
hockdawg raises (2) to 4
laceratedsky calls (1)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $18.25 | Rake: $0.75
Board: [ Ac 4h Qs Qd 2c ]
Sensei23 balance $11.50, lost $1 (folded)
tee_rob balance $25, sits out
selmon79 balance $14.50, didn't bet (folded)
embezzler04 balance $25.63, lost $1 (folded)
hockdawg balance $9.50, lost $7.50 [ Ts Qc ] [ three of a kind, queens -- Ac,Qc,Qs,Qd,Ts ]
LaxDude balance $50.89, lost $1 (folded)
laceratedsky balance $29, bet $7.50, collected $18.25, net +$10.75 [ Qh As ] [ a full house, Queens full of aces -- As,Ac,Qh,Qs,Qd ]
NUDropout balance $23.25, didn't bet (folded)
Darsaces balance $40.50, lost $1 (folded)
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - MON MAY 03 22:20:44 EDT 2004
Table Table 12863 (Real Money) -- Seat 2 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: fastgreen ( $25)
Seat 2: tee_rob ( $24.25)
Seat 3: selmon79 ( $11.50)
Seat 4: embezzler04 ( $18.13)
Seat 5: hockdawg ( $9.50)
Seat 6: LaxDude ( $60.89)
Seat 7: LukyLars ( $24)
Seat 8: laceratedsky ( $28.75)
Seat 9: NUDropout ( $22.50)
Seat 10: Darsaces ( $42.25)
selmon79 posts small blind (0.25)
embezzler04 posts big blind (0.50)
fastgreen posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ Qs, As ]
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
LukyLars calls (0.50)
laceratedsky raises (1) to 1
NUDropout folds.
Darsaces folds.
fastgreen calls (0.50)
tee_rob folds.
selmon79 calls (0.75)
embezzler04 calls (0.50)
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
LukyLars calls (0.50)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ Kd, 6s, Qd ]
selmon79 checks.
embezzler04 checks.
hockdawg bets (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
LukyLars calls (0.50)
laceratedsky calls (0.50)
fastgreen calls (0.50)
selmon79 raises (1) to 1
embezzler04 folds.
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
LukyLars calls (0.50)
laceratedsky calls (0.50)
fastgreen calls (0.50)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ Ad ]
selmon79 bets (1)
hockdawg folds.
LaxDude folds.
LukyLars folds.
laceratedsky calls (1)
fastgreen folds.
** Dealing River ** : [ 4h ]
selmon79 bets (1)
laceratedsky calls (1)
** Summary **
Main Pot: $16.25 | Rake: $0.75
Board: [ Kd 6s Qd Ad 4h ]
fastgreen balance $23, lost $2 (folded)
tee_rob balance $24.25, didn't bet (folded)
selmon79 balance $7.50, lost $4 [ 6d Ks ] [ two pairs, kings and sixes -- Ad,Ks,Kd,6d,6s ]
embezzler04 balance $17.13, lost $1 (folded)
hockdawg balance $7.50, lost $2 (folded)
LaxDude balance $58.89, lost $2 (folded)
LukyLars balance $22, lost $2 (folded)
laceratedsky balance $41, bet $4, collected $16.25, net +$12.25 [ Qs As ] [ two pairs, aces and queens -- As,Ad,Kd,Qs,Qd ]
NUDropout balance $22.50, didn't bet (folded)
Darsaces balance $42.25, didn't bet (folded)
0.50/1 TEXASHTGAMETABLE (LIMIT) - MON MAY 03 22:22:23 EDT 2004
Table Table 12863 (Real Money) -- Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: fastgreen ( $23)
Seat 2: tee_rob ( $24.25)
Seat 3: selmon79 ( $7.50)
Seat 4: embezzler04 ( $17.13)
Seat 5: hockdawg ( $7.50)
Seat 6: LaxDude ( $58.89)
Seat 7: LukyLars ( $22)
Seat 8: laceratedsky ( $41)
Seat 9: NUDropout ( $22.50)
Seat 10: Darsaces ( $42.25)
embezzler04 posts small blind (0.25)
hockdawg posts big blind (0.50)
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to laceratedsky [ Ts, Kh ]
LaxDude calls (0.50)
LukyLars folds.
laceratedsky raises (1) to 1
NUDropout folds.
Darsaces calls (1)
fastgreen folds.
tee_rob folds.
selmon79 calls (1)
embezzler04 calls (0.75)
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
** Dealing Flop ** : [ 4c, 5c, Th ]
embezzler04 checks.
hockdawg checks.
LaxDude checks.
laceratedsky bets (0.50)
Darsaces calls (0.50)
selmon79 folds.
embezzler04 calls (0.50)
hockdawg calls (0.50)
LaxDude calls (0.50)
** Dealing Turn ** : [ 2h ]
embezzler04 checks.
hockdawg checks.
LaxDude checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
Darsaces calls (1)
embezzler04 calls (1)
hockdawg folds.
LaxDude folds.
** Dealing River ** : [ 6h ]
embezzler04 checks.
laceratedsky bets (1)
Darsaces folds.
embezzler04 folds.
** Summary **
Main Pot: $12 | Rake: $0.50
Board: [ 4c 5c Th 2h 6h ]
fastgreen balance $23, didn't bet (folded)
tee_rob balance $24.25, didn't bet (folded)
selmon79 balance $6.50, lost $1 (folded)
embezzler04 balance $14.63, lost $2.50 (folded)
hockdawg balance $6, lost $1.50 (folded)
LaxDude balance $57.39, lost $1.50 (folded)
LukyLars balance $22, didn't bet (folded)
laceratedsky balance $49.50, bet $3.50, collected $12, net +$8.50
NUDropout balance $22.50, didn't bet (folded)
Darsaces balance $39.75, lost $2.50 (folded)
For detailed handhistory, click here
$400 goal reached! God it seems like it's taken me forever just to win $100, but I've done it! Currently sitting at $406 total bankroll. I have had some pretty dramatic swings in the last few days, getting back down as low as $350 or so. Also my Sit N Go winnings have plummeted. I actually made it to $400 last Saturday, but almost immediately after hitting it, I registered in a $20 + $2 Multi Table Tourney which I got destroyed at. So I was at $378 pretty quickly. Like I was saying, my Sit N Go winnings have completely gone down the drain, I was playing fairly good at No Limit, but my cards are just getting hammered on when it counts. I had AA cracked by 99 which became a set on the River. There have been other pretty horrific beats, twice I've had KK and gone all in on the short stack only to be beat by some 'tard who calls me with A4o. It's very very frustrating. One thing I can take comfort in, is that I feel as though I've actually been playing well, and that this setback is only temporary. Poker Tracker says I've entered 16 $5+$1 Sit N Gos with a total loss of $21. I've finished first twice, second one time, and third one time. This loss does not include the $20+$2 multi-table I entered. So my total losses for tournaments are $43. As far as my $.50/$1 Limit play goes, I feel I am doing well. Poker Tracker says I've won $152.40. With my best hand still being KQo which I've had 21 times and won 47% of the time for a total win of $44.75. Closely behind in pocket 8s with $32.50 total winnings. I am currently winning 6.76BB per 100 hands, which is exceptional. I've played a total of 2,291 minutes at $.50/$1, which is a little over 38 hours. Wow, I didn't realize I'd been playing so much. Hopefully, my bankroll will continue to grow from here on out, and once the move is made up to $1/$2 the money wil come faster. Big things I've changed lately is I've started playing more suited connectors. I've always played J10 and above, but now in late position I've been calling with things as low as 67s. I really feel like this is helping me win more. I've caught many straights and more flushes and a lot more frequent 2 pairs than normal. The beauty of these is that people, especially at these limits, don't expect you to play those. It's always nice to turn over 2 pair on the River after you've just checkraised them out of another bet because they couldn't fathom you might be holding 67s. The focus this weekend, is for me to improve my No Limit play. I've got to improve here to get my winnings back up to par. Also, to be honest, tournaments are when I have the most fun. No Limit is like no other game, and it's very exciting. If I can improve here and start placing high in multi-table tourneys, this will be a HUGE boost to my bankroll. It would also be nice to be confident sitting at the $25 buy in NL tables, as you can win a lot of money there. Next week I have 2 concerts. One on Friday and one on Sunday(Mother's Day). Hopefully by then I will have increased my bankroll to another milestone so I can make another post! Until then, good luck out there, and see ya soon. -Joe
Man, it's been crazy since I posted on Tuesday. Immediately following my post that day I decided to embark on my quest to make some money. I fired up 2 $.50/$1 tables and went to work, I quickly got down about $12 in about 40 minutes of play. Since it was like 8:00am I decided to call it quits for the day. Later on that afternoon I decided to play again. I managed to win myself up to $338 total. Which isn't half bad for a couple hours work. That put me at winning $50 total that session, as I was $12 down when I started. Then Wednesday came, I decided to play that afternoon before work. It was pretty terrible, but I managed to stay ahead at $304 total after that session. I had taken some pretty bad beats during this session and was pretty upset at my horrible play afterwords. I know I have a problem with going on Tilt, I am working hard to try and correct it. Thursday night was fun, I went to Cincinatti to see Morbid Angel and Suffocation. The show was GREAT, especially Suffocation who have just gotten back together as a band after a 5 year hiatus. I figured I would just never get to see them live, it was my pleasure to finally see them. After the show, I cam home and decided to play some more. I started about 2:00am(Friday Technically). The losing streak continued. And I mean continued with a vengeance. I fired up 2 $.50/$1 tables, and after a few minutes I fired up a $5 +$1 Sit n Go tournament. My plan was to play all 3 tables until I got on the bubble in the tournament and then sit out of my ring games and concentrate on the tournament. I was losing fairly badly at the limit tables but doing okay at the tournament. I ended up sitting out of the limit tables as it got down to just 4 of us. I ended up getting AKo when the blinds were up to 100/200. I raised all in with my 500 or so chips and a guy with 99 called me. I hit a K on the Flop and thought I was good until a 9 came out on the turn and put me out of the tournament JUST out of the money. I was not happy. A different terrible hand took place in another Sit n Go tournament. I got AK of hearts and raised the bet to 200. Got 3 callers wow! Flop comes Ac Kc Jd. good god, this can't be much better. I bet out 400 chips. Get one caller. The turn is a blank. I bet out again and he calls. At this point I think he has AK as well and we are going to split the pot. The river comes 5d. I push all-in. He calls me, and turns over a pair of 5s for the Trips and knocks me out. I couldn't believe it. He called me all the way to the River with such a mediocre hand and sucked out on me. At this point I got up from my table and went and watched the World Poker Tour episode we had recorded on my TiVo. I was definitely on Tilt here and needed to relax. 2 tournaments lost on bad beats, plus I was down about $20 in the $.50/$1 tables. After about an hour or so I finished my show and came back for more. I promptly lost 2 more Sit n Gos for a net loss of $24. When I looked at my bankroll total at this point I was down to $261. Not going well at all considering I was up to $338 not too awful long ago. I decided to not play any more Sit N Gos for the rest of the night, and just stuck with my 2 $.50/$1 tables. After about an hour or so, getting down to as low as $2 on one table(I sit down with $25 at each), the cards started coming. My big pairs started holding up, and my small pairs became Trips on the Flop or the Turn. I had some great miracle cards, and played some hands very well and caught quite a few bluffs. I am very happy with my play after I calmed down. I ended up with $333.01 after I was done around 7:15am. According to Poker Tracker, I have played a total of 775 minutes(about 13 hours). I have won $6.90 every 100 hands, which is about every 35-40 minutes playing 2 tables. So about $10 an hour. Not too shabby at these limits. I have won $56.88 playing the $.50/$1 tables, and lost $24 playing the $5+$1 Sit N Go tournaments. The cards I have won the most money with so far is KQo with $22.50, I have had this combination 5 times and won 4 of them. Not too shabby. Obviously I have a long way to go. Hopefully, I can stay ahead of the game and move up limits sooner rather than later. It'd certainly be nice to keep the same win rate up through $1/$2 tables as well. I can handle $20 an hour anytime :) See ya next time, -Joe
So I just finished losing in a $5+$1 Sit n Go at Party Poker which puts me at $300.13 for my entire bankroll. I plan on turning this money into a whole hell of a lot more as soon as humanly possible. Mainly for my Vegas Trip, but there are also second income possibilities here, and extra money is sorely needed right now. On March 22nd I deposited $300 into Party Poker with the intention of making this money last a long time, and possibly make money at the same time. I have actually won around $200 but have spent most of those winnings on trying to get better at the Tournament game. I have spent the last month playing at varying limits, I spent a couple days at $.50/$1 Hold 'Em tables. This is by far the most frustrating limit in poker as people play with absolute crap and seem to beat my good hands on a fairly regular basis. So after dropping $50 or so at $.50/$1 tables I decided to move up to $1/$2 tables where the players are a little bit more sane. I did okay here, well enough to get up about $100, and that's with playing the occasionaly tournament. The suckouts were still happening however, and I just couldn't believe what people would take you to the river with. So I made the big jump to $3/$6 tables. I have been playing $3/$6 for about 2 weeks now. Poker Tracker shows me as winning $176 at this limit after 1000 hands. Which is fairly good considering I only play one table at that limit. I feel like I am ready to make a serious run at this dream of becoming a professional poker player. So with my $300 in hand I plan on moving back down to the $.50/$1 tables. Most anyone you ask says that you need at least 300 times the big bet to have a proper bankroll at any limit. So with $300 I am stuck at $.50/$1. I plan to play 2 tables at once, and perhaps suppliment my play with a 3rd table at a $5 + $1 Sit N Go tournament. Hopefully my tournament play will continue to improve, and will pay off big in the long run. So today it begins, my quest to make a living at this thing we call poker. I hope to update this site as often as possible, post some good hands and information as well. And hopefully soon I'll be up to the $600 mark so I can move up to $1/$2. I think I have everything I need, I purchased Poker Tracker this week, which is an invaluable piece of software for those of us who play online and take it seriously. I also have many books: Theory of Poker by David Sklansky, Winning Low Limit Hold 'Em by Lee Jones(GREAT Book for beginners), Hold 'em Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky and Mason Malmuth, Tournament Poker for Advanced Players by David Sklansky, Internet Texas Hold 'Em by Matthew Hilger, and Killer Poker Online by John Vorhaus. I also have the extremely valuable forums at www.twoplustwo.com. All of these things will help me in my quest. So hopefully this time next year I will be on my way to the World Series of Poker to compete with the best! See you soon, -Joe