My sixth week of live grinding is complete.
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 2 wins and 2 losses.
I played $1/$2 NLHE, and won $145.
Altogether, I worked a total of 27.5 hours. ($5.27/hr)
What I did right or wrong:
Nothing stands out this week. Either I was hitting or I wasn't.
I made 1 big mistake in a big pot. A little metagame info: A player I know well from the 3/6 limit games sat down at my NLHE table. She is a known chaser who will call all in with draws. Holding ATs I raised preflop, she called from the BB, and the flop came AKT. She check-called the flop and called my all in on the turn with AQ while I held 2 pair. The river K counterfeited me and she won a 220BB pot.
A few orbits later, I raise pf with T8ss, she again called from the blinds. The flop came JT7ss. She donked and I raised; she called. The turn came a 9h. Again she donked, and I raised again. She called. The river came the 5s, completing my flush, but she moved all in. I didn't even think about it and snap-called. Big mistake. Not only did she have KQ for the nut straight, she was also suited in spades for the better flush. It's not so much that I raised the turn with the worse hand as much as I plowed forward on the basis of our history rather than the current action. Do I think she would have played a naked 8 the same way? Yes, except for the river shove. The only thing I'm beating on this river is the nut straight. I should have at least taken a moment to think about it. I still don't think I can fold vs this player, but I'm disappointed I didn't at least think it over.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Common sense poker: bluffing
Common sense poker: bluffing
I was at my bank last week and met with my account manager. During the course of our conversation she asked what I did for a living. When I told her that I was a writer but most of my income came from poker, she said, "Oh, that's something I could never do." I asked her why not? "Because I don't think I'd ever be able to bluff." The simple truth is, you don't have to bluff to be a profitable poker player...
Week 5 live grind results & wrapup
My fifth week of live grinding is complete.
I played 5 of 7 days, posted 2 wins, 1 break-even and 2 losses.
I played $1/$2 NLHE.
Playing NLHE, I won $919.
Altogether, I worked a total of 29.5 hours. ($31.15/hr)
What I did right:
I chose games with the fewest regulars, whenever I could.
Did not play scared.
Developed reads and trusted them.
Played more aggressively this week, but still fundamentally sound. I got a bit overaggressive with big draws and overcards when I was half-stacked, see next section for details.
Took more small stabs at orphan pots with modest success.
I floated successfully this week, something I hadn't been doing in previous weeks.
What I did wrong/need to work on:
I gambled a bit too much this week, peeling the flop with gutshots, 2nd pair, et al, sometimes correctly, sometimes not. I need to make sure I'm either getting the right odds or the stacks are very deep (and my draw is likely to get paid off).
I went all-in with 2nd pair + nut flush draw three times & combo draws 2 times, got called each time, and couldn't hit my outs. While I don't necessarily count this as a mistake, my bankroll isn't big enough to withstand these high-variance plays yet. Going to play these hands a bit more conservatively until my bankroll is of the proper size for my stakes.
I overplayed AK four times, trying to represent a big pair on a Q-hi or lower board. In each case, I was short-stacked (50BB) and was hoping for some modest fold equity. Instead, I got called all-in every time, even by opponents who typically would fold TPTK. I'm not sure if it's my play or my table image that's really to blame here, but it's something I need to work on one way or another. I need to pay more attention to my own play, and not just that of my opponents.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
I played 5 of 7 days, posted 2 wins, 1 break-even and 2 losses.
I played $1/$2 NLHE.
Playing NLHE, I won $919.
Altogether, I worked a total of 29.5 hours. ($31.15/hr)
What I did right:
I chose games with the fewest regulars, whenever I could.
Did not play scared.
Developed reads and trusted them.
Played more aggressively this week, but still fundamentally sound. I got a bit overaggressive with big draws and overcards when I was half-stacked, see next section for details.
Took more small stabs at orphan pots with modest success.
I floated successfully this week, something I hadn't been doing in previous weeks.
What I did wrong/need to work on:
I gambled a bit too much this week, peeling the flop with gutshots, 2nd pair, et al, sometimes correctly, sometimes not. I need to make sure I'm either getting the right odds or the stacks are very deep (and my draw is likely to get paid off).
I went all-in with 2nd pair + nut flush draw three times & combo draws 2 times, got called each time, and couldn't hit my outs. While I don't necessarily count this as a mistake, my bankroll isn't big enough to withstand these high-variance plays yet. Going to play these hands a bit more conservatively until my bankroll is of the proper size for my stakes.
I overplayed AK four times, trying to represent a big pair on a Q-hi or lower board. In each case, I was short-stacked (50BB) and was hoping for some modest fold equity. Instead, I got called all-in every time, even by opponents who typically would fold TPTK. I'm not sure if it's my play or my table image that's really to blame here, but it's something I need to work on one way or another. I need to pay more attention to my own play, and not just that of my opponents.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Unbelievable hand, $1300 pot at $1/$2 NLHE live, snap-call with Jack-high
Here's the situation: I'm at my local casino playing $1/$2 NLHE. I bought in for $300 and had an up and down night, and have $250 in front of me after 4 hours of play. By now it's around 1am. We are seven-handed as the poker room started emptying out around midnight.
A player I'd never seen before sits down in seat 5. I'm in seat 2. He buys in for $300. He is well dressed, but obviously drunk. He has the option to wait until the button passes but he opts to play his first hand UTG. He limps. I'm on the button with AQo. Limps around to me and I make it $12 to go. Small blind calls (he's a certified calling station), and Mr. Drunk reraises to $35. Folds back to me and I move all in for $250. Both players fold.
Next hand I pick up JdTd. A player in MP raised to $8, and I call on the button hoping Mr. Drunk comes along. Mr. Drunk makes it $25 to go. MP folds, I call, and Mr. Station calls on the button. Flop KJTr. Mr. Drunk bets $40. I call. Station calls. Turn Q. Mr. Drunk bets $60. I call. Station folds. River 4. Mr. Drunk bets $60. I call. Mr. Drunk shows 88.
Mr. Drunk goes broke and rebuys for $200.
Next orbit I pick up AsKs on the button. It's limped to me and I make it $15 to go. Station calls. Mr. Drunk calls. Everyone else folds. Flop is 569 with 2 spades. Mr. Drunk bets $50. I shove for $500. Station folds. Mr. Drunk calls. Turn 9. Riv 7. Mr. Drunk turns over Q2, and I scoop.
Mr. Drunk rebuys for $300 more.
I get AA and KK cracked and drop to $640 or so. Meanwhile, Mr. Drunk sucked out on someone while I was away from the table, and doubles up to around the same amount, $640.
Next orbit I'm dealt Qs6s on the button. Mr. Drunk is in, so I'm in. The pot is $12 and we're off to the flop which comes 2QQ. The blinds check and Mr. Drunk bets $20. It folds to me and I call. Both blinds fold. The turn is a 3. Mr. Drunk bets $95. I pause for just 2 seconds and call. The river is another 3. Mr. Drunk looks at me and shrugs (actually shrugs!) and pushes out two stacks of red, $200. I put my head down, shuffle my chips, announce "all in". Mr. Drunk snap-calls, and turns over J2o. The pot came to $1302 total, and with that one pot, I'm even for my last five sessions.
Mr. Drunk decides $800 is enough of a loss and quits. Those of us who were left pushed the blinds around for half an hour before packing it in, during which time I was the target of their envy--and I don't blame them one bit. Snap-call with Jack-high. It's a message from the poker gods, that's what it is. "Sorry about all those bad beats last week, son. Here's a little gift for you to make up for it."
Thank you, poker gods. Thank you very much.
M
A player I'd never seen before sits down in seat 5. I'm in seat 2. He buys in for $300. He is well dressed, but obviously drunk. He has the option to wait until the button passes but he opts to play his first hand UTG. He limps. I'm on the button with AQo. Limps around to me and I make it $12 to go. Small blind calls (he's a certified calling station), and Mr. Drunk reraises to $35. Folds back to me and I move all in for $250. Both players fold.
Next hand I pick up JdTd. A player in MP raised to $8, and I call on the button hoping Mr. Drunk comes along. Mr. Drunk makes it $25 to go. MP folds, I call, and Mr. Station calls on the button. Flop KJTr. Mr. Drunk bets $40. I call. Station calls. Turn Q. Mr. Drunk bets $60. I call. Station folds. River 4. Mr. Drunk bets $60. I call. Mr. Drunk shows 88.
Mr. Drunk goes broke and rebuys for $200.
Next orbit I pick up AsKs on the button. It's limped to me and I make it $15 to go. Station calls. Mr. Drunk calls. Everyone else folds. Flop is 569 with 2 spades. Mr. Drunk bets $50. I shove for $500. Station folds. Mr. Drunk calls. Turn 9. Riv 7. Mr. Drunk turns over Q2, and I scoop.
Mr. Drunk rebuys for $300 more.
I get AA and KK cracked and drop to $640 or so. Meanwhile, Mr. Drunk sucked out on someone while I was away from the table, and doubles up to around the same amount, $640.
Next orbit I'm dealt Qs6s on the button. Mr. Drunk is in, so I'm in. The pot is $12 and we're off to the flop which comes 2QQ. The blinds check and Mr. Drunk bets $20. It folds to me and I call. Both blinds fold. The turn is a 3. Mr. Drunk bets $95. I pause for just 2 seconds and call. The river is another 3. Mr. Drunk looks at me and shrugs (actually shrugs!) and pushes out two stacks of red, $200. I put my head down, shuffle my chips, announce "all in". Mr. Drunk snap-calls, and turns over J2o. The pot came to $1302 total, and with that one pot, I'm even for my last five sessions.
Mr. Drunk decides $800 is enough of a loss and quits. Those of us who were left pushed the blinds around for half an hour before packing it in, during which time I was the target of their envy--and I don't blame them one bit. Snap-call with Jack-high. It's a message from the poker gods, that's what it is. "Sorry about all those bad beats last week, son. Here's a little gift for you to make up for it."
Thank you, poker gods. Thank you very much.
M
Don't play distracted, play focused!
Food for thought.
Common sense poker: eliminate distractions
Common sense poker: eliminate distractions
Nothing beats common sense at the poker table. If you have KK, the board reads 4578, and your opponent check-raises you, common sense tells you the villain has a 6 for the straight, and you'd better have a very good reason to think he's bluffing if you're going to continue in the hand. Of course, if both you and the villain have a lot of money on the table, it doesn't matter if he has it or not, you're never going to be sure enough he's bluffing to justify a call in that spot. There are all kinds of common sense decisions when it comes to playing hands, but some of the most profitable common sense applies to how you approach a session before you even sit down at the tables...
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Week 4 live grind wrap-up
My fourth week of live grinding is complete.
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 1 win and 3 losses.
I played $1/$2 NLHE.
Playing NLHE, I lost $817.
I worked a total of 15.25 hours and lost $817.
I also spent 4 hours in the WSOP Main Event satellite freeroll.
What I did right or wrong:
Forgive my language, but I ran like total dogshit this week and have to say my play suffered as the week (and my bad run) rolled on. I played hands I know better than to play in situations where my opponent showed a ton of strength. Hands like AJs, KTs, QJs, which I would normally pitch to a 3-bet (unless there is a 3rd player coming along), I not only took a flop, I also peeled too lightly on the flop to strong--and expected--continuation bets. A couple times I compounded the error by raising and trying to take the pot away, knowing they're going to call with their overpair. Bad. Just fugly.
That being said, I also played fantastic in a number of spots where I got all the money in as a big favorite (2 pair vs 1 pair, set vs 1 pair, etc), only to lose to 4-outers or runner runner. In all, I was all in with the best hand in pots of over $400 a total of 5 times and only won 1 of them.
My last two sessions I played way too passive and allowed my opponents to make hands that beat me a good dozen times. I failed to raise with the best hand and allowed the turn to be checked through too often. In most of these situations I had a top-pair hand with a draw or a pair on board. I'd value bet the river and paid off min-raises pretty much every time, only to learn my opponent hit their gutshot or 3-outer on the riv.
Goals for next week:
Tighten up, especially from early position.
Raise first-in every time. No open-limping, except with a limp-reraise plan.
Be more aggressive on the turn when I expect to have the best hand.
Fold more often to aggression when I have a medium-strength hand, especially on the river.
Play 30 hours of NLHE.
M
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 1 win and 3 losses.
I played $1/$2 NLHE.
Playing NLHE, I lost $817.
I worked a total of 15.25 hours and lost $817.
I also spent 4 hours in the WSOP Main Event satellite freeroll.
What I did right or wrong:
Forgive my language, but I ran like total dogshit this week and have to say my play suffered as the week (and my bad run) rolled on. I played hands I know better than to play in situations where my opponent showed a ton of strength. Hands like AJs, KTs, QJs, which I would normally pitch to a 3-bet (unless there is a 3rd player coming along), I not only took a flop, I also peeled too lightly on the flop to strong--and expected--continuation bets. A couple times I compounded the error by raising and trying to take the pot away, knowing they're going to call with their overpair. Bad. Just fugly.
That being said, I also played fantastic in a number of spots where I got all the money in as a big favorite (2 pair vs 1 pair, set vs 1 pair, etc), only to lose to 4-outers or runner runner. In all, I was all in with the best hand in pots of over $400 a total of 5 times and only won 1 of them.
My last two sessions I played way too passive and allowed my opponents to make hands that beat me a good dozen times. I failed to raise with the best hand and allowed the turn to be checked through too often. In most of these situations I had a top-pair hand with a draw or a pair on board. I'd value bet the river and paid off min-raises pretty much every time, only to learn my opponent hit their gutshot or 3-outer on the riv.
Goals for next week:
Tighten up, especially from early position.
Raise first-in every time. No open-limping, except with a limp-reraise plan.
Be more aggressive on the turn when I expect to have the best hand.
Fold more often to aggression when I have a medium-strength hand, especially on the river.
Play 30 hours of NLHE.
M
Saturday, May 14, 2011
WSOP satellite tourney results
This morning my favorite local casino, River Spirit, conducted its WSOP Main Event satellite freeroll. Approximately 90 players showed up to compete. It's been about, well, I guess about 16 months since I last played a live NLHE tournament. Back when I played tournaments on a daily basis, I did manage to cash most of the time, but felt like my game was pretty rusty going into this one today.
The first two levels were rough. Starting stack: 10,000 chips
Level 1: 25/50; Level 2: 50/100
Raise pre with JJ, 2 callers. Flop K45. C-bet flop. Check-fold turn.
4 players limp, I overlimp Qs3s on the button. Flop a flush draw. Called flop. Called turn getting 6-1 odds. Miss and fold river.
Raise pre with QQ, 1 caller. Flop KJ6cc. C-bet flop. Check-fold turn. Villain shows KJss.
Raise pre with AdKd, 2 callers. Flop 689cc. Check flop. Fold turn.
4 players limp, I overlimp with 5d6d. Flop Kd6h7d. Checks to me, I bet the flop smallish ~40% pot, 2 callers. Turn 7s. Check-check and I check. River 3c. I fold to a smallish river bet.
Raise pre with TT, 3 callers. Flop J75. Checks to me, I check, player behind me bets. Folds to me and I call. Turn 8. Check-check. River 7. Check-check. Villain bets small and I call. He shows KJo.
By now my chip stack has dipped to 5,000. Level 3: 100/200 thru Level 9: 800/1600/200
I limp in MP w/9hTh. 3 more limpers behind me and both blinds come along. Flop Jh8h7s. SB bets 1K, BB calls, I raise to 3K, everyone folds.
Raise pre in LP with Ad9d. Button calls, BB calls. Flop KT7dd. C-bet flop, button calls. Turn is the 5c. Check-check. River 5h. I check-fold.
I'm UTG+2 and look down at 77. I shove, hoping to pick up 900 chips uncontested. Button calls, everyone else folds. Button has 99. A 7 falls on the turn and I double up.
I successfully steal the blinds 3 more times this level, with KQs, JTs, and ATs.
I basically fold every hand for an hour. I've been moved to a new, more aggressive table, with zero limping allowed. Being dealt lots of 52o, 93o, 73s type hands.
Antes start. I blind down to around 10k, then steal and get back to the 12-13k range.
UTG+1, pick up AA and raise to 4k. Button, another short-stack who nevertheless has me covered, shoves. I call (obv). He has 88. AA holds and I jump to 29k in chips.
I raise a few more times and either get no callers or no flop resistance and chip up to around 35k.
I pick up TT UTG+2. Blinds at this point are 800/1600/200. I raise to 4000. Button reraises to 15000. Shove or fold time. Button has easily 50k chips in front of him. If I fold, I'll have 29k or so to play with, and looking at the clock, blinds go up to 1000/2000/200 in 5 minutes. I decide to risk it and shove. Snap-call from button with AA. Oops. No miracles come and I'm out.
Finished 24th.
The first two levels were rough. Starting stack: 10,000 chips
Level 1: 25/50; Level 2: 50/100
Raise pre with JJ, 2 callers. Flop K45. C-bet flop. Check-fold turn.
4 players limp, I overlimp Qs3s on the button. Flop a flush draw. Called flop. Called turn getting 6-1 odds. Miss and fold river.
Raise pre with QQ, 1 caller. Flop KJ6cc. C-bet flop. Check-fold turn. Villain shows KJss.
Raise pre with AdKd, 2 callers. Flop 689cc. Check flop. Fold turn.
4 players limp, I overlimp with 5d6d. Flop Kd6h7d. Checks to me, I bet the flop smallish ~40% pot, 2 callers. Turn 7s. Check-check and I check. River 3c. I fold to a smallish river bet.
Raise pre with TT, 3 callers. Flop J75. Checks to me, I check, player behind me bets. Folds to me and I call. Turn 8. Check-check. River 7. Check-check. Villain bets small and I call. He shows KJo.
By now my chip stack has dipped to 5,000. Level 3: 100/200 thru Level 9: 800/1600/200
I limp in MP w/9hTh. 3 more limpers behind me and both blinds come along. Flop Jh8h7s. SB bets 1K, BB calls, I raise to 3K, everyone folds.
Raise pre in LP with Ad9d. Button calls, BB calls. Flop KT7dd. C-bet flop, button calls. Turn is the 5c. Check-check. River 5h. I check-fold.
I'm UTG+2 and look down at 77. I shove, hoping to pick up 900 chips uncontested. Button calls, everyone else folds. Button has 99. A 7 falls on the turn and I double up.
I successfully steal the blinds 3 more times this level, with KQs, JTs, and ATs.
I basically fold every hand for an hour. I've been moved to a new, more aggressive table, with zero limping allowed. Being dealt lots of 52o, 93o, 73s type hands.
Antes start. I blind down to around 10k, then steal and get back to the 12-13k range.
UTG+1, pick up AA and raise to 4k. Button, another short-stack who nevertheless has me covered, shoves. I call (obv). He has 88. AA holds and I jump to 29k in chips.
I raise a few more times and either get no callers or no flop resistance and chip up to around 35k.
I pick up TT UTG+2. Blinds at this point are 800/1600/200. I raise to 4000. Button reraises to 15000. Shove or fold time. Button has easily 50k chips in front of him. If I fold, I'll have 29k or so to play with, and looking at the clock, blinds go up to 1000/2000/200 in 5 minutes. I decide to risk it and shove. Snap-call from button with AA. Oops. No miracles come and I'm out.
Finished 24th.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Week 3 of live grinding...results & wrap up
My third week of live grinding is complete.
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 1 wins and 3 losses.
I played both $1/$2 NLHE and $3/$6 LHE.
Playing LHE, I won $12.
Playing NLHE, I lost $303.
Altogether, I worked a total of 18.75 hours and lost $291.
What I did right or wrong:
I don't have anything to say either way this week about what I did well or need to work on. I game-selected well, and played well.
Why I lost this week:
This week's loss came down to coolers and losing flips. Around $50 of the loss was from bad calls or bad gambles, depending on how you want to look at it. For the most part, I won the small pots and lost the big ones. I ran KK into AA twice, QQ into KK once, and lost a 130BB pot with KQ on a board of QK229. In that last hand, I raised pre, bet pot on the flop, and my opponent c/r all in on the turn. At that point, I was pot-committed, with 2/3 of my chips already in the pot. Villain showed up with 32o for trip 2's.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 1 wins and 3 losses.
I played both $1/$2 NLHE and $3/$6 LHE.
Playing LHE, I won $12.
Playing NLHE, I lost $303.
Altogether, I worked a total of 18.75 hours and lost $291.
What I did right or wrong:
I don't have anything to say either way this week about what I did well or need to work on. I game-selected well, and played well.
Why I lost this week:
This week's loss came down to coolers and losing flips. Around $50 of the loss was from bad calls or bad gambles, depending on how you want to look at it. For the most part, I won the small pots and lost the big ones. I ran KK into AA twice, QQ into KK once, and lost a 130BB pot with KQ on a board of QK229. In that last hand, I raised pre, bet pot on the flop, and my opponent c/r all in on the turn. At that point, I was pot-committed, with 2/3 of my chips already in the pot. Villain showed up with 32o for trip 2's.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
Saturday, May 7, 2011
This week has been a bust, pun intended
With poker site offices being raided in Costa Rica, the news does not look good. Props to QuadJacks for their coverage. Special thanks to DrPauly, Chuck Kidd, et al.
Live poker this week has been rough. I'll do the official results tomorrow, but it's not looking good. I've been coolered and drawn out on constantly (constantly in this case means 6 coolers over 19 hours and 4 suckouts in pots of 100BB or more). Feel okay with my play for the most part, with just two exceptions--neither of which was for a lot of money.
All that being said, I'm down just 145.5BB for the week, which in the scheme of things is not all that bad. Shit happens, it's just my turn to have it happen to me. Time to take some soap and a stiff-bristled brush and scrub the shit off, that's all.
I didn't get as much time on the felt as I'd planned, either. I had to re-plumb my bathroom. My house was built in the 1950's, and everything is lead and steel. Thankfully the plumbing is accessible from a crawlspace, and not encased in cement. But it still kicked my ass trying to cut out the old trap and replace all the pipes with new PVC. On the plus side, I should only have to do it once.
/end whine
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't FTP announce last week that they would have an official announcement this week about cashouts? I've looked but I can't find anything. Did I miss it?
M
Live poker this week has been rough. I'll do the official results tomorrow, but it's not looking good. I've been coolered and drawn out on constantly (constantly in this case means 6 coolers over 19 hours and 4 suckouts in pots of 100BB or more). Feel okay with my play for the most part, with just two exceptions--neither of which was for a lot of money.
All that being said, I'm down just 145.5BB for the week, which in the scheme of things is not all that bad. Shit happens, it's just my turn to have it happen to me. Time to take some soap and a stiff-bristled brush and scrub the shit off, that's all.
I didn't get as much time on the felt as I'd planned, either. I had to re-plumb my bathroom. My house was built in the 1950's, and everything is lead and steel. Thankfully the plumbing is accessible from a crawlspace, and not encased in cement. But it still kicked my ass trying to cut out the old trap and replace all the pipes with new PVC. On the plus side, I should only have to do it once.
/end whine
Correct me if I'm mistaken, but didn't FTP announce last week that they would have an official announcement this week about cashouts? I've looked but I can't find anything. Did I miss it?
M
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Who is Madeira Fjord?
A company declares bankruptcy, is it the parent of UB.com and Absolute Poker?
UB/AP parent company (?) files for bankruptcy
UB/AP parent company (?) files for bankruptcy
US players with funds on deposit with poker sites UB.com and Absolute Poker (the Cereus network) are facing bad news today as Madeira Fjord declares bankruptcy. If you're wondering who Madeira Fjord is, you are not alone. Last fall, the Cereus network was sold by Tokwiro Enterprises to Blanca Gaming. What is the relationship between Madeira Fjord and Blanca Gaming? Good question.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Mid-South Poker Classic begins May 5th at Hard Rock Catoosa
Click the link for the full schedule and buy-ins.
Mid-South Poker Classic begins May 5th
Mid-South Poker Classic begins May 5th
The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is hosting the Mid-South Poker Classic, one of the region's premier poker tournaments. The event takes place May 5th through May 15th. A total of 25 tournaments are scheduled, with an additional 2 satellite tournaments to the championship event. Buy-ins range from $125 to $1060. Last year's MSPC Championship event was a two-day contest, attracted 77 players and awarded $24,648 to first-place.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Live grind session turns into a trainwreck
WARNING: If you don't want to hear me whine like a little girl, stop reading. Don't like bad beat stories? Move along...nothing to read here.
Went to my closest casino, River Spirit. They have 4 tables of $1/$2 NL running, none of them are full. They put me at a table that has 2 open seats. I sit down, and immediately 2 players leave, so we're 5-handed.
NOTE: I bought in short for $100.
In my first hand, I'm UTG w/A9hh, and raise to $8. MP and CO call, everyone else folds. Flop A94ss. I lead for $16. MP folds, CO min-raises to $35. I shove for $74 , CO calls. CO has AJo. Turn 3h. River Jc. FML
I rebuy for $100, and run my stack up to $165 when this next hand comes up.
Table has filled up, and after a bunch of limpers, I'm on the button with KJo and raise to $12. BB calls, MP calls. Flop QT5hh. Checks to me, I bet $15 (pricing in my draw). BB min-raises to $30, MP folds, I call. Turn 9c. BB bets $30. I raise to $75. BB thinks for about 4 seconds and announces he's all in. I insta-call. BB has 9To. River Td. FML
I rebuy for $100, and run my stack up to $265 when this next hand comes up.
A reg UTG+1 raises to $10 pre, I'm on the button with 77 and call. I look at his stack...looked like he had a stack of $175 to 180. He should have at least $200 to make this call, but it's close enough. Flop J74r, bingo. UTG+1 bets $15. I pause briefly and raise to $35. He calls. Turn Ks. He checks. I bet $55. He shoves, I call. He has KK. FML.
Turns out I had him covered by $56 (meaning he had $209 to start the hand after all--he must have been holding some chips in his hand I didn't see) and I immediately cashed out and went home.
The first two were no big deal, shrugged it off, kept playing my A game. Can't decide if I should have gotten away from my set on the third one. I tend to think not. He could easily have AK/AA. Not going to worry about it too much.
My decision to quit was to prevent tilt should a 4th bad beat occur. It will be much easier to return to the game tomorrow, fresh and confident, than if I were to take another beat for a bunch of money. My stop loss is 3 BI's, and while I didn't lose that much, if I bought back in and lost again, I'd be over the limit, so I quit. The game will still be there tomorrow. And so will I.
Went to my closest casino, River Spirit. They have 4 tables of $1/$2 NL running, none of them are full. They put me at a table that has 2 open seats. I sit down, and immediately 2 players leave, so we're 5-handed.
NOTE: I bought in short for $100.
In my first hand, I'm UTG w/A9hh, and raise to $8. MP and CO call, everyone else folds. Flop A94ss. I lead for $16. MP folds, CO min-raises to $35. I shove for $74 , CO calls. CO has AJo. Turn 3h. River Jc. FML
I rebuy for $100, and run my stack up to $165 when this next hand comes up.
Table has filled up, and after a bunch of limpers, I'm on the button with KJo and raise to $12. BB calls, MP calls. Flop QT5hh. Checks to me, I bet $15 (pricing in my draw). BB min-raises to $30, MP folds, I call. Turn 9c. BB bets $30. I raise to $75. BB thinks for about 4 seconds and announces he's all in. I insta-call. BB has 9To. River Td. FML
I rebuy for $100, and run my stack up to $265 when this next hand comes up.
A reg UTG+1 raises to $10 pre, I'm on the button with 77 and call. I look at his stack...looked like he had a stack of $175 to 180. He should have at least $200 to make this call, but it's close enough. Flop J74r, bingo. UTG+1 bets $15. I pause briefly and raise to $35. He calls. Turn Ks. He checks. I bet $55. He shoves, I call. He has KK. FML.
Turns out I had him covered by $56 (meaning he had $209 to start the hand after all--he must have been holding some chips in his hand I didn't see) and I immediately cashed out and went home.
The first two were no big deal, shrugged it off, kept playing my A game. Can't decide if I should have gotten away from my set on the third one. I tend to think not. He could easily have AK/AA. Not going to worry about it too much.
My decision to quit was to prevent tilt should a 4th bad beat occur. It will be much easier to return to the game tomorrow, fresh and confident, than if I were to take another beat for a bunch of money. My stop loss is 3 BI's, and while I didn't lose that much, if I bought back in and lost again, I'd be over the limit, so I quit. The game will still be there tomorrow. And so will I.
River Spirit announces $15K freeroll tournaments
River Spirit gives you an added incentive to accumulate hours in their poker room.
River Spirit announces $15K freeroll tournaments
River Spirit announces $15K freeroll tournaments
Tulsa poker players have an added incentive to choose the River Spirit casino as their venue for the months of May, June, and July. The River Spirit poker room is rewarding its players with a monthly $15K freeroll. To qualify, players must log 40 hours of live play during each qualification period. The top 15 players in tournament points during each qualification period also qualify. Each freeroll tournament is scheduled for the second Saturday following the end of each qualfication period.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Week 2 of live grinding...results and wrapup
My second week of live grinding is complete.
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 2 wins, 1 break-even and 1 loss.
I played both $1/$2 NLHE and $3/$6 LHE.
Playing LHE, I lost $363.
Playing NLHE, I won $1521.
Altogether, I worked a total of 30 hours and won $1158. ($38.60/hr)
What I did right:
I chose games with the fewest regulars, whenever I could.
I was all in with the best hand every time but once in heads-up pots.
Did not play scared.
Developed reads and went with them (was wrong only once--that I know of).
Didn't encounter any maniacs this week, just value bet my made hands and picked off some bluffs.
Played a fundamentally sound game and didn't get fancy.
Successfully value-bet the river with 1-pair hands more often.
What I did wrong/need to work on:
Spent too much time playing LHE. The LHE game cost me $20/hr just to play this week. Compare that to being paid $169/hr to play NLHE, and my decision is clear: give up LHE and play NLHE exclusively.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
I played 4 of 7 days, posted 2 wins, 1 break-even and 1 loss.
I played both $1/$2 NLHE and $3/$6 LHE.
Playing LHE, I lost $363.
Playing NLHE, I won $1521.
Altogether, I worked a total of 30 hours and won $1158. ($38.60/hr)
What I did right:
I chose games with the fewest regulars, whenever I could.
I was all in with the best hand every time but once in heads-up pots.
Did not play scared.
Developed reads and went with them (was wrong only once--that I know of).
Didn't encounter any maniacs this week, just value bet my made hands and picked off some bluffs.
Played a fundamentally sound game and didn't get fancy.
Successfully value-bet the river with 1-pair hands more often.
What I did wrong/need to work on:
Spent too much time playing LHE. The LHE game cost me $20/hr just to play this week. Compare that to being paid $169/hr to play NLHE, and my decision is clear: give up LHE and play NLHE exclusively.
My goal for next week is to log 30 hours of NLHE.
M
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