Hey guys,

even tho I made some posts in the past, i think this is now already over a year ago. So I consider this as kind of a new beginning.

Things have changed in the course of the last year and i made the switch from 6max to HU cash games. I am currently grinding out the midstakes HU games on pretty much every site :).

I took a semester off from university in order to really focus on improving my game and finally move up to the higher stakes HU games ( which is really tough btw. and I failed many times ).

I want to use this blog as an illustration of someone trying to move up from the mid to the high stake NL HU games aswell as posting some generel thoughts about poker.

I really hope I will post on a regular basis and let u guys know how I am doing.

I would really appreciate any comments/feedback from you guys and maybe find some others players who are on the same journey as I am.

Greets, dani

So today I put in a nice little session before heading to University.

I was in some BvB spots against a really nitty opponent. I was really kinda confused when he showed 99 in the first hand. But oh well, this just emphasizes that people really go nuts in BvB battles...

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: Themaster07 ($490.50)
Seat 2: biglor ($249.80)
Seat 3: Actions ($667)
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD ($664) -
Seat 5: dani2803 ($400) -
Seat 6: pottsee ($444.70) -


PRE-FLOP:

dani2803 posts small blind $2
pottsee posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: dani2803


FOLD Themaster07
FOLD biglor
FOLD Actions
FOLD UNCLE RUNKARD
RAISE dani2803 ($14)
RAISE pottsee ($42)
RAISE dani2803 ($108)
RAISE pottsee ($324)
RAISE dani2803 ($400)
CALL pottsee ($76)


FLOP:

Pot: $800




TURN:

Pot: $800




RIVER:

Pot: $800




SHOWDOWN:
dani2803:

pottsee:


dani2803 collected $797 from main pot with two pair, Queens and Fours

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $800 Rake: $3

Final Board:


Seat 1: Themaster07 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: biglor didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 3: Actions didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD button didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: dani2803 small blind showed [Qd Qh] and won 797 with two pair, Queens and Fours - Net Gain/Loss: ($383)
Seat 6: pottsee big blind showed [9h 9s] and lost with two pair, Nines and Fours - Net Gain/Loss: ($-404)



Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

When you run good, things like this happen... Same villain as before

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: Themaster07 ($411.95)
Seat 2: Callide ($414)
Seat 3: PandaKin ($156.15)
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD ($592.50) -
Seat 5: dani2803 ($780) -
Seat 6: pottsee ($443) -


PRE-FLOP:

dani2803 posts small blind $2
pottsee posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: dani2803


FOLD Themaster07
FOLD Callide
FOLD PandaKin
FOLD UNCLE RUNKARD
RAISE dani2803 ($14)
RAISE pottsee ($42)
RAISE dani2803 ($780)
CALL pottsee ($401)
UNCALLED dani2803 ($337)


FLOP:

Pot: $886




TURN:

Pot: $886




RIVER:

Pot: $886




SHOWDOWN:
dani2803:

pottsee:


dani2803 collected $883 from main pot with two pair, Kings and Tens

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $886 Rake: $3

Final Board:


Seat 1: Themaster07 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: Callide didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 3: PandaKin didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD button didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: dani2803 small blind showed [Ks Kd] and won 883 with two pair, Kings and Tens - Net Gain/Loss: ($438)
Seat 6: pottsee big blind showed [Qs Qd] and lost with two pair, Queens and Tens - Net Gain/Loss: ($-443)



Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Standard hand against aggrodonk:

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: Themaster07 ($423)
Seat 2: Callide ($412)
Seat 3: PandaKin ($295.30) -
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD ($687.10) -
Seat 5: dani2803 ($1,233.10) -
Seat 6: pottsee ($394)


PRE-FLOP:

UNCLE RUNKARD posts small blind $2
dani2803 posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: dani2803


FOLD pottsee
RAISE Themaster07 ($14)
FOLD Callide
FOLD PandaKin
FOLD UNCLE RUNKARD
RAISE dani2803 ($50)
CALL Themaster07 ($36)


FLOP:

Pot: $102


BET dani2803 ($69)
RAISE Themaster07 ($236)
RAISE dani2803 ($1183.10)
CALL Themaster07 ($137)
UNCALLED dani2803 ($810.10)


TURN:

Pot: $848




RIVER:

Pot: $848




SHOWDOWN:
dani2803:

Themaster07:


dani2803 collected $845 from main pot with two pair, Aces and Sixes

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $848 Rake: $3

Final Board:


Seat 1: Themaster07 showed [Jh Jd] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Sixes - Net Gain/Loss: ($-423)

Seat 2: Callide didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 3: PandaKin button didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD small blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-2)
Seat 5: dani2803 big blind showed [As Ah] and won 845 with two pair, Aces and Sixes - Net Gain/Loss: ($422)
Seat 6: pottsee didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)


Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Then I had a hand where villain made a really bad river call. I wasnt really active at the this table and he was running like 15/11 over the last 100 hands we played. I dont see me ever bluffing this river after his hand is so well defined as a one pair hand...

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: Themaster07 ($451) -
Seat 2: Callide ($443) -
Seat 3: PandaKin ($308.20) -
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD ($309.10)
Seat 5: dani2803 ($1,652.10)
Seat 6: pottsee ($743)


PRE-FLOP:

Callide posts small blind $2
PandaKin posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: dani2803


FOLD UNCLE RUNKARD
RAISE dani2803 ($14)
FOLD pottsee
FOLD Themaster07
FOLD Callide
CALL PandaKin ($10)


FLOP:

Pot: $30


CHECK PandaKin
BET dani2803 ($25)
CALL PandaKin ($25)


TURN:

Pot: $80


CHECK PandaKin
BET dani2803 ($65)
CALL PandaKin ($65)


RIVER:

Pot: $210


CHECK PandaKin
BET dani2803 ($210)
CALL PandaKin ($204.20)
UNCALLED dani2803 ($5.80)


SHOWDOWN:
dani2803:

MUCK PandaKin

dani2803 collected $615.4 from main pot with three of a kind, Twos

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $618 Rake: $3

Final Board:


Seat 1: Themaster07 button didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 2: Callide small blind folded before the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-2)
Seat 3: PandaKin big blind mucked [Ts As] - a pair of Aces - Net Gain/Loss: ($-308.2)
Seat 4: UNCLE RUNKARD didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: dani2803 showed [2s 2c] and won 615.40 with three of a kind, Twos - Net Gain/Loss: ($307.2)
Seat 6: pottsee didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)


Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

At least, I have one hand for you guys, which I really thik I played very well. Some months ago, I dont think I would have gotten as much value out of this hand as I did today. I think many beginning players just overcall the flop, defining their hand either as a weak one pair hand ( which mine actually is ) or a weak draw. Good players will pick up on that and really pound on you on the turn and river. When villain just smooth calls my raise, his hand is so well defined as a draw. He never has a good Ace here, nor does he have any strong hand. He would raise those on the flop for sure. So my plan is to charge his draw on the turn and let him bluff for his whole stack on the river. I think what you can get from this hand is that there is much value in limped pots that people tend to miss due to a too passive style...

Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Seat 1: ubeenmunsoned ($175.80) -
Seat 2: AZ Rick ($166)
Seat 3: metmaster2 ($411.50)
Seat 4: Hans Vogl ($351.60)
Seat 5: maijeff ($537.85) -
Seat 6: dani2803 ($475.70) -


PRE-FLOP:

dani2803 posts small blind $2
ubeenmunsoned posts BIG blind $4
Dealt To: dani2803


CALL AZ Rick ($4)
FOLD metmaster2
FOLD Hans Vogl
FOLD maijeff
CALL dani2803 ($2)
CHECK ubeenmunsoned


FLOP:

Pot: $12


CHECK dani2803
BET ubeenmunsoned ($8)
CALL AZ Rick ($8)
RAISE dani2803 ($24)
FOLD ubeenmunsoned
CALL AZ Rick ($16)


TURN:

Pot: $68


BET dani2803 ($48)
CALL AZ Rick ($48)


RIVER:

Pot: $164


CHECK dani2803
BET AZ Rick ($90)
CALL dani2803 ($90)


SHOWDOWN:
AZ Rick:

dani2803:


dani2803 collected $341 from main pot with three of a kind, Aces

SUMMARY:
Total pot: $344 Rake: $3

Final Board:


Seat 1: ubeenmunsoned big blind folded on the Flop - Net Gain/Loss: ($-12)
Seat 2: AZ Rick showed [7d 8d] and lost with a pair of Aces - Net Gain/Loss: ($-166)

Seat 3: metmaster2 didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 4: Hans Vogl didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 5: maijeff button didnt bet folded - Net Gain/Loss: ($0)
Seat 6: dani2803 small blind showed [As 8s] and won 341 with three of a kind, Aces - Net Gain/Loss: ($175)


Free hand converter brought to you by CardRunners

Hope you all run as good as me today... See you guys around, Daniel

Hey guys,

as all the cool poker kids have their own blogs nowadays, I think I cant refuse to create my own anymore.

This being my first blogpost, I think I should start off by telling you guys something about me and my poker career.

As far as myself is concerned, my name is Daniel and I currently live in Munich, Germany. You might know this city from the Oktoberfest or perhaps you have a car which was built there :)

Right now, I am studying law at the University here, while trying to make some moneys at poker. In my spare time, I love to play golf and sharpen my skills at Guitar Hero!

Pokerwise, I started playing in the summer of 2006. I was traveling through Australia and literally everyone was playing No Limit Hold Em. Even though I did hear from that game in Germany before, I never seriously played it until then. I immediately fell in love with the game and even bought some books on my journey through Australia.

When I was back home from my trip, I immediately deposited some money on Party Poker. Having some background from my books and some 2+2 knowledge, I was doing pretty well in the low stakes games. I built up my roll to like ~2k when I was hitting my first downswing of my career. I couldnt get anything going and was playing brake even poker till summer of 07. September 07 was when everything changed. I joined CR and was taking poker very seriously, thinking through every hand and talking about friends with them. This immensly improved my game and in November 07, my BR was up to 10k.

Throughout this time, I ran really great at the Midstakes game and now regularly play anywhere from 1/2 to 3/6 NL, mostly on FTP.

I hope this will give you guys a first insight into my poker career and hopefully, I can post some interesting hands/analysis along my Midstakes NL journey.

See you guys around, Daniel