Wheee

So I re-activated my membership at CR after a short hiatus. Also I'm (nearly) done grinding 100nl to build my roll back up - note to self, do not withdraw 70% of BR in one go.... :(.

I have about 100BIs for 100nl now so will move to 200nl soon, but move down to 100nl if my account dips below 10k :P. I've turned into such a BR nit, but meh, I don't ever want to have to rebuild my roll again like I did over the last mth and a half, and seeing as how I don't have a car to pay off any more.. my poker roll stays where it is! :|

P.S. I have gotten much better at NLHE over the last couple of mths, but man, I still SUCK at poker/life.

Also - if you ever get the desire to go back to uni and pursue a Ph.D, it's much more fun to set yourself alight and jump into a pit full of scorpions.

I used to joke that I don't play well, I just run good. It's true, and you know, it was probably true partly.

March has just been brutal, I'm down like just under 5 BIs at 200NL, down 1.5 at 400NL - and pokerEV tells me that I'm running something like -$1400 in total AI equity. I guess that should bring me back up to even.. it's been a strange experience, I'd get it all in with top set against a bare flush draw and lose, get it in with OESFD and lose, or FD with a gutterball and an overcard.. you get the picture. I've also had people hit 4 outers on me on the river (like I'd have JJ on AKJ flop and some guy would have limp called AK and hit a K on the river to fill up for a 300BB pot).

This has however given me an opportunity to go back to 100NL for a few hands which will a) help me open up my game, and b) get my confidence back. I have 90+ BIs for 100NL so hopefully I won't go broke, fingers crossed :)... and I'll be a better player for it.

It's going to give me perspective too... I've learnt that I've been running above expectation, and really this isn't the biggest downswing i've had (but it's probably the most sustained and the worst I've run I think) I just need to get my head on right and try to be smart about it. After all.. it's still gambling right?

Oh I got to play with Stinger for a while and even though I played a couple of hands in a pretty dumb manner, I was happy for the experience and able to learn from playing with him.

I should realise how silly it is that I can even HAVE a 1.6k downswing in a week and a half and have a useful bankroll, considering I had 500 in the account 6 months ago. :|

I should realise there are more important things in life than playing NLHE recreationally for moneys.

Like learning PLO :)... j/k.

Yay.

So I read that Shannon Shorr (from Tuscaloosa, Alabama!) is dropping off from the life on the tourney trail back to finish his Civil Engineering degree. I think it's an absolutely excellent decision on his part, clearly 2007 didn't go that well for him (I heard he just broke even or lost a small amount), and he found it frustrating and saw a lot of value in finishing his degree.

I'm going to start my degree (Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering) in March... I don't know how I'm going to cope with it but hopefully the flexibility of the program will allow me to keep sane, play poker and do all the other good things that I want to do. It's kinda annoying that I'm 25 and feel like I don't really know what I want to do, I want to be successful at playing poker which will give me a lot of freedom, but I don't yet know what I want to be doing with that if and when I get that. Grr.

Still grinding it up at 200NL, have just hit 100k hands of 6max, and just over 60k hands at 200NL, 4.87ptBB/100 is pretty good, and I'm looking forward to moving upto 400NL sometime around April when I've paid off my car debt and can really afford to play higher. I'm enjoying the fact that 200NL is a very low variance game for me, and am somewhat worried about the kind of downswing I had the last time I took a shot at 400NL.

Feb. started really bad for me and I was down about 4-5 BIs over the first week but now I'm up about 12 BIs for the mth at just under 4ptBB/100... that's the biggest swing I've had at 200NL (5 BI downswing) and I can take that no problems.

I've been watching sbrugby's videos and they really are the best videos for me and to enhance my understanding of the game, NLHE or PLO. Can't wait to watch Daut's 20+ tabling madness and laugh at the ridiculousness of it all :).

Can't wait to not have any debt and about 30BIs for 400NL to move up. Should happen about April/May. Woot. Maybe I'll have my head sorted out then.

Take it easy.

JP

So I've been too caught up in being away, having been back (what a downer..) since the 17th of January.. I bought myself a big (for me) screen LCD TV for my room (32'), an XBOX 360, and therefore some more debt for my credit card! But I also have these babies...:

OMG and also I can download old arcade games (for a fee.. damn you Microsoft).. big screen GoldenAxe & StreetFighter 2 FTW.

So while I have been away I saw a lot of the great USA - went to Chicago, Green Bay (Go Pack Go!), San Francisco, Las Vegas, Detroit (Ann Arbor) and Los Angeles. In that order.

I had quite a swing while I was gone, I ran my BR upto about 8k, took a shot at 400NL and ran good to get up about 8 BIs, playing a little bit like a nit to be honest, not scared money postflop, but definitely with a little bit more caution than I normally would play at 200NL. Variance hit me and I also tilted at flopping undersets after undersets (literally) to lose about 6 BIs in about 2.5 days. So I moved back down and have been grinding it back up at 200NL since.

However I'm happy to report that I won about 25 BIs in total in January in 200NL (at about 5.7ptBB/100 - 22k hands) and about 1.2BIs in 400NL (at a pitiful 0.8ptBB/100 - 11k hands), and really am starting to get confidence back in my again.

I've had one PT database since late September '07 so I thought I'd post it here.. just to give myself perspective and to see the variance. It's pretty nuts thinking about how far I've come in the last 4 months..

http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ftb0ydpexdv&thumb=4">

I feel like I'm nearly ready to take a shot at 400NL again, but I don't think I'll be taking a shot at it anytime soon because of my financial responsibilities (ie. debt!) which I want to clear up to a large extent before I start playing in games that I may experience large swings in.

From my short experience 2/4 should be definitely beatable for me, but there are far more regular players to make the games tougher on average, and I can't just coast through these games like I sometimes do with fishy 1/2 games when I'm tired. I also understand that I may be running good (I haven't run bad for the last 2 weeks so I must be playing good) also.. so I want to make sure that I be mentally ready to play 2/4 when I take a shot.

I'm also somewhat getting interested in live tournaments again. There is a weekly tournament with a $200 BI that I think I would have a good edge in over the field, and has a pretty decent structure wherein you start with 200BB with 1/2 hour levels. I'm pretty confident in my hand reading skills and technical pre/postflop game, although I think that my 9handed game is perhaps not as good... I'm going to try to get better at live games in people reading - I think it can only give me an extra edge in narrowing down my opponents' hand ranges/figuring out where I am in a hand. I might make a regular trip down there for the next few weeks.

Take it easy guys!

Oh, check out PokerRoad.com if you like some quality poker-tainment :)

Hi All.

Hope you're having a good end of the year break - me I'm in Chicago enjoying my holiday, even though it's a bit cold (like I was saying to my friend it's the WIND CHILL that gets you...)

I visited the Wrigley field, saw the chrome bean/donut thing (whatever it's called), millenium park, saw the main city and had a wander around on my first day here.

I didn't feel much like going out yesterday so had a rather long session on FTP and instantly started to regret it, starting with being a POW with top pair when I was sure I couldn't beat anything (but I also thought he had nothing, so you know). Losing 2/3 of a BI on one hand check calling like a donkey. Anyway before I knew it I was down 3 BIs (this is 200NL) and soon starting to curse at inanimate objects and my below average room service food. DAMNIT.

Anyway, it all turned around and I picked up some hands which rolled out well for me.

Here are some interesting hands..

This is probably the most interesting hand of the night... I can't 4bet reraise the flop because of our stack sizes, and because I can't beat anything.. I try to keep the pot small (and fail) and have to call the turn & river because he might be going nuts with a straight (which he was). Phew.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867614

A dirty spot if I don't roll 2 pair and even if I roll 2 pair. I had to call since this guy didn't believe in limiting pot sizes.. (same guy as in the pot above, but this hand came earlier)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867621

I don't know what the other guy is thinking playing his hand like this. He's out of his mind.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867599

I'd been beating up on him all night and I sat down to a new table next to him and this happened. I think it was the last straw for the poor man.. he left after this.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867604

This kind of craziness is why I can't always respect flop minraises by randoms...

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867610

And now for hands that didn't roll out so good for me...

I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this hand.. I think my line is OK, but his turn shove is pretty gross... Do I fold to his shove? Maybe I have to give him like TcXc or 2 pair/set. That's the worst case scenario here and even then I'm not in too bad a shape with all the money that's already in there.. dodgy spot.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867630

And this is probably the most interesting of my losing hands. I put him on some sort of a pocket pair (44-TT) when he calls my raise, and I think that the A on the river is a good card for me to rep, especially if he's betting out so small (another reason why I put him on 44-TT). WRONG. I don't see how the hell he can call my flop raise with his hand... it just makes no sense.

He timebanks and makes the river call. I don't even see what AQ beats if I'm betting like I am. Whatever, nice hand. :P

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867636

Token donkey hand of the night. "I thought he was on a total bluff... oh yeah or that too.. D'OH!"

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867646

I may have overestimated my fold equity. Whatever, with that turn card and his stack size the money goes in on the turn anyway.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1867655

Well that's it for now. Happy holidays!!

So sick I just bubbled badly in 2 tourneys despite playing pretty well. I was playing well and running pretty good in my first Stud H/L tourney on FTP ($24 buyin), which was full of donkeys who clearly had NFI how to play limit H/L tourneys, let alone stud.

I got sucked out on the 2nd last hand by an idiot who had no low hand a dodgy high hand by missing my low on the last 3 streets, and had a disaster suckout on the last hand by a guy who CC 2 bets with KQT no suits, rolled a king and I had A356 by the 4th street and didn't improve to whiff out.

I finished 56th in the $70 buyin knockout tournament (pays 54) with AK by shoving over the top on the button with 18BBs against an UTG raise who called (after some thought) with QQ. Lost the race, that was that. Made about 3 BIs in side games though so that was good but GOD this is why I don't play tournaments. Maybe I should've folded my AK there but I wanted to put some pressure on the guy, he didn't have that many more chips than me. GRRRRRR. I guess I probably didn't have much fold equity there and I should've folded. God I play so bad sometimes.. Meh.

Merry xmas

Hi Guys

Just gonna be a quick blog to say Merry Xmas to anyone who reads this - I'm getting ready for my big trip to the US, I'm SOO psyched to go and see my beloved Packers at Lambeau on the 30th!! Should be a good game although home field advantage has been clinched by Dallas and GB has a lock on the 2nd spot in the NFC.

On a poker related news, I'm going to be taking a shot at 400NL soon, I've played nearly 20k hands at 200NL and after running really hot at the start of my 200NL adventure and then running really bad for about a week I have settled at about 4.5BB/100 for those 18k hands or so. I'll post some hands soon but nothing too interesting at 200NL really. I sucked out for a big pot with JJ on a 10 high board against a flopped set and a slowplayed QQ by turning that beautiful J on the turn (I had to go with the hand I was getting something like 4-5 to 1 and I thought my hand was definitely good more than 20% of the time with added 10% equity of rolling my 2 outer (it was also draw heavy).

I have been down to play some 1-2NL at StarCity recently, and I think I'm making better reads, although I find that I'm giving too much credit to the random donks that come to play the 1-2NL live games (I laid down the second nuts once and my friends just looked at me like I'd lost my mind... the way the action went I thought I was beat like 50% of the time and ahead to 2pair/set the other 35% and some weird 1pair+draw hand the other 15%).

Anyway gonna go have a good holiday, recharge and try and make a serious run at this 400NL business when I get back. I've also been running into a few CR members on FT the last few weeks, had a good chat to SilentAssassin3 who was railing his friend, ran into Duhglas at the FTP IronMan Gold freeroll (he took it DOWN for 3.2k), and a few others - I even ran into a 2p2er at StarCity playing 1-2 with me lol. It's not something you see every day - I instantly noticed that he must be an online player due to this play he made.

At Star City the buy in for the 1-2 game is $80 (yeah I know it sucks). There was an UTG player who brough it in for $10, I called from MP with JcTc, hoping to encourage more callers behind me and the UTG was a random donk I didn't mind calling with hands like that. There were 3 more callers and this young (25ish) guy just shoved in for about $90 from the button. It just smelled like a squeeze, but I couldn't make a hero call with my JcTc hoping for a flip even with the dead money...

I said to him "nice bet" after everyone folded and he showed 99, and I said "ah yes it felt like a squeeze... couldn't call with JT suited :)". He instantly realised that I was an internet player too and we were soon talking, he was a regular 2-4 6max and HU player on FTP... nice guy. It's good to meet people like that in real life, makes me feel more at home as I have more to talk about I guess...

I'd say that playing live is such a different game and also a great experience. It allows you to make more hero calls if you pick up a solid tell on an opponent, which makes you feel good even though it's still a high variance play. I called a cbet with mid pair in one hand (something I couldn't do online, I don't ever.. well almost never... call a raise OOP with that hand (A5s) online) which was good until I got outdrawn on the turn (but went check check to river). It's just such a different game in some ways, although the basics are really the same and at most levels solid online play will let you easily beat the live games too, so long as you don't act like a massive tellbox like I used to.

Anyways, I digress... merry xmas guys....! and a happy new year, gl to you all next year!

P.S. I'm happy to report that for my first year playing poker I met my playing goals!! yay! Still haven't won a tourney though that's bigger than a $10 buyin (with a bunch of 2nd to 3rd places with SICK suckouts at the end)... maybe next year, except I hardly play tourneys anymore. Oh well. :)

Wow. Ok, I'm all OK with myself for the month and my play. I had an awesome day playing poker this morning (Aust. time) where I won a couple of BIs at 100NL and had a final table finish at the Iron Man Gold Freeroll for November!

I started out fairly slow (got up about 15 minutes too late), but after a couple of good hands was always in the comfortable 20-30 BB range stack, and went in to the final table as the short stack (I think 7th in chips) with a very good tight table image. I had the two chip leaders to my right (one of whom was Duhglas - fellow CR member I believe!) and I was able to use my tight image to steal a few pots (I played very few) and was lucky to have picked up enough hands at key spots which, to be fair, didn't have to go to showdown but certainly helped me along.

I was pretty sick to have busted 3rd as with 3 players left I was 2nd in chips with about 110k, and Duhglas had about 250k and the DocJGer had 102k. He was on the button with the blinds at 4k/8k, and he open shoves, I wake up with JJ and instacall reading him for weakness... he flips over QTs and I see the dirty dirty whore queen roll up on the turn... bye bye 1st place. I really felt that this was a table that I could manage and I saw Duhglas as my main threat there. To make it worse I woke up with KK the next hand for less than 1BB!!!!! HOW SICK IS THAT. I busted the hand right after just shoving for 1.5BB with 97 and in retrospect I could've folded that as it's probably worse than an average hand that I could pick up. Note to self for next time.

I mean open shoving there for 13 BBs on the button with QTs is such a zero play and you're ALWAYS gonna get called by a better hands and I think you're much better off opening for a standard raise even if you fold to a shove. Maybe he was scared that I might reraise shove in on him again which I had done a few times (but only when I had a hand or he couldn't hurt my stack and I knew he was weak).

I just checked back and sure enough Duhglas had closed it out for a win and a shot at the 4 person SnG and the freeroll heads up games against the FTP pros. If you read this Duhglas, a big shoutout to you... GL with the freeroll.

Hopefully I'll play a few more hands at the 100NL level to get my confidence back up and I'll be back playing 200NL next weekend. I don't want to rush things just because I have the money to play 200NL again (about 25 BIs) and I'll have another shot at it next weekend.

The big trip out to the USA is only a couple of weeks away and I'm really excited for it. I get to go & see Favre in what may well be his last regular season NFL game, although the way he is playing... I just don't see him retiring at this stage, I dunno maybe he'll decide that he's achieved enough and proved enough. But he looks like he's having too much fun to quit :)

GL to you all, I'm happy that I can post a happy blog for once after a few days of head-scratching occurances beats and bad plays!

Take it easy,

JP

Just a short blog...

OMG! I had my first decent session in DAYS. I'm up 2 BIs at 100NL and I feel like I am playing better than I have been for the last couple of days. I watched a couple of Taylor's & Andrew's videos yesterday and tried to play as best as I can today without tilting and trying to pay as much attention as I can.

It's probably a dumb idea but I even made a couple of calls for a small amount on the river just to confirm some things in my head that I've been unsure about recently.

Anyway I think I'm well on the way back to recovery in confidence and results, and hopefully will get back to beating 200NL rather than scratching my head at 200/100NL.

I'm also trying to be a more regular poster-reader on the forums to improve my game. I really think that I can be very good at this game and that I have a pretty good gut feel for the game and can be disciplined.

I have a b'day party for a very good friend tomorrow :)

Hooray.

JP

Mmm. What a brutal time.

PokerEV tells me that today I'm running 3BI below all-in EV, but I'm only half a BI down. GRRRR. Oh, and there was this hand that was just cruel. The way it got played, I don't think I can ever fold this hand on this board, and I was just shocked to see the hands get turned over.

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: ThUndErst0rm83 ($66.15)
Seat 2: flipmychip ($74.35) -
Seat 3: Jacksp___w ($88) -
Seat 4: evil knight ($97) -
Seat 5: GoldFishCracker ($117.05)
Seat 6: cassini_jp ($127.70)


PRE-FLOP:

Jacksp___w posts small blind $0.50
evil knight posts BIG blind $1
Dealt To: cassini_jp


RAISE GoldFishCracker ($3.50)
CALL cassini_jp ($3.50)
FOLD ThUndErst0rm83
CALL flipmychip ($3.50)
FOLD Jacksp___w
FOLD evil knight


FLOP:

Pot: $12


BET GoldFishCracker ($10)
CALL cassini_jp ($10)
FOLD flipmychip


TURN:

Pot: $32


BET GoldFishCracker ($25)
CALL cassini_jp ($25)


RIVER:

Pot: $82


BET GoldFishCracker ($78.55)
CALL cassini_jp ($78.55)


SHOWDOWN:
GoldFishCracker:

MUCK cassini_jp

GoldFishCracker collected $236.1 from main pot with four of a kind, Fours

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $239 Rake: $3

Final Board:


Seat 1: ThUndErst0rm83 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: flipmychip button folded on the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-3.5)
Seat 3: Jacksp___w small blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-0.5)
Seat 4: evil knight big blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-1)
Seat 5: GoldFishCracker showed [5d 4d] and won 236.10 with four of a kind, Fours - Net Gain/Loss: ($119.05)

Seat 6: cassini_jp mucked [Ac As] - a full house, Fours full of Aces - Net Gain/Loss: ($-117.05)


Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

I had a hand where I got all in with AK on a K high board on the flop against short stack's KJ to see a J roll out on the turn, which was nice, for about 60BB. I got all in with AK a super short stack's flop shove (for like 1/2 pot more) on 742 board to see him turn 56 over (woohoo), 2 on the turn, 8 on the river, still ok. I'm down 1 BI at this point with that AA hand and the two hands above but u know, it's not too bad.

Then this hand comes up. I have AA on the CO, I pot it (1 limper), button flatcalls, 3rd person calls from BB and flop is Q83. BB checks, I bet 13 into 15 and Button shoves for like 70BB more. I tank it and from what I've seen he won't be doing this with a set, and good on him if he has 83 or some other retarded 2pair hand but I think he has AQ/KQ a bunch of times here. I call, he shows KQ. Oh look it's a Q on the turn. sweet.

I spewed another half a BI on semitilt making moves. Mmm.

I guess I was due to start running pretty bad considering how good I ran for the month of November. I took some money out from my account about a week ago and also on account of being on SuperMegaOMGI'mRunningBadIHaveToPlayBadTooTILT, I moved back down to .5/1... I am very comfortable there with 29..no wait 28.. wait 27 at last check (GRRRRR), but wow. This is getting pretty darn frustrating

Oh well. Hopefully I won't tiltmonkey off too much (I have a bit) and hopefully things will turn around, I'm still trying to view this as a learning experience.

GL guys, and if you're on my tables... STOP HITTING 2 OUTERS ON ME AFTER ALL THE MONEY GOES IN! Lol.....

No really. Stop it. :(