Woah, just realised how lazy I've been, haven't blogged in 2 weeks.

Well exams are over for now, they went ok I spose, will jsut have to wait and see, back to working 5 say weeks now which is a bummer, less time for poker. Only managed 5k hands this month so far, I took a short break from holdem cos I wasn't happy with my game and didn't want the stress of not playing well while I was only managing to play the odd session. I did play a bit of PLO8b which is much less stressful. Exams finished on monday and have been pretty busy this week, watched Liverpool's awesome victory over Arsenal in the champions league on tuesday, played 5 a side on wednesday and played poker with guys from work on thursday (lol donkaments). The played football yesterday, we won 3-1 but had already been relegated, I did get a goal though.

Anyway good news is the 5k hands have netted me about $2k, been running very well at holdem, won my biggest pot ever yesterday:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2430128

Nice turn for me, but what was he even doing in the hand?

And just had my biggest winning day ever (online, ooh and including live cash as well probably) at +$750, was playing pretty badly at one point and made a shocking move to lose a buyin, but decided to stay cos I had position on 2 massive fish, they then gace me 4 buyins between them in under 100 hands.

Had been planning to shoot for the 10k points needed for platinum status this month but looks like I'm way too far behind, will keep grinding out the 200nl though and hope I can have an even better month than last month. Nearly halfway to my target bankroll for $400NL now. Also trying to weigh up whether to use my FPPs for the sunday mill/warm up or save them for an amazon voucher and buy something cool, any suggestions?

Well, just finished a short session as my connection was very up and down, so thought I'd do a review of by far my best month ever.

Here're the scores on the doors:

And my intro to all things Omaha:

EV Graph:

Obviously I'm delighted with these results, I'm a little disappointed that I've not been playing too well at 200NL, as you can see by my Sklansky at the end, but I've had some tough spots and got my money in behind with odds (or set v straight etc) and won. It makes up for how bad I ran when I started 200NL anyway. What I'm really pleased about is when you compare the EV graph above to my pre March graph:

Obviously I ran better in March but I also took advantage way more in those pots that were there for the taking as you can see by my green line being higher than the red one.

Plans for April are more of the same hopefully, I want to make real headway in 200NL as I'm now feeling more comfortable with the amounts involved and hopefully I'll be able to keep the results coming and make my way towards 400NL.

So after writing that last blog entry I started yesterday off with a -$400 session at 200NL, was doing well then had 3 bad hands in a row, (2 where I was 65% and one where I turn a set and villain hits a gutshot).

Played Omaha for the rest of the day, ran a bit bad and then played some Hi/Lo which I', convinced is the easiest money around on stars, so many players will call pot size bets with just a low draw when it's clear you have the high half locked up. Managed to lose a 95%er at straight PLO though.

Then played some more 200NL today and recovered yesterday's losses, plus won a bi at 100PLOHL. Total results for the bank holiday weekend is up just over $1k which is pretty sweet and bankroll's at an all time high. Here's a few hands:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322595

200NL players are no better than 100NL ones.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322601

Again, wtf is he doing? I had been raising alot on this table, guess it sent people a bit crazy.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322610

Urgh, had seen him raise a cont before so I pushed. Wrong move.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322615

Hand I mentioned above, only 2 cards in the deck I stack off behind to on the turn.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322619

Urgh again, he'd been very aggressive, I have 40% here though.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322626

Noone knows how to play HL.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2322638

His turn call is abysmal, drawing to half the pot (and might even be quartered if I have 24 too.

Well, just played my first session of 200NL, here's the result with the rest of the day as well:

Unfortuantely lost $70 playing 50PLO (my 70/30 lucks not as good there, lost 2), but still I believe this is my biggest winning day ever.

Here's some key hands:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2312949

Nice that the poker gods decided to deal me one of these in my first 200NL session

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2312956

Standard, after seeing his hand afterwards and the flop, I'm glad stars waits till after to show cards.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2312964

SmartBuddy's worth it's weight in gold, it led me to this guy again

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2312980

Urgh, maybe I should have just checkraised the flop, I put him on AA/KK though, so I lead weak hoping I could bet/3b. When he calls I figure it's AA, was wrong, but no getting away from it.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2312986

Can I fold? Don't think I can, plenty of draws he may be pushing. Hmmm, maybe I can, dunno.

So far I found the play at 200NL to be no better than 100, it's worse if anything. Hopefully I can keep thisgood run going while I settle in, got a bit of a cushion before my move down boundary now, so hopefully I'll be at 200NL to stay. Fingers crossed.

Did a sweating seesion with my mate Ben (also a CR member) last night. He played some 30NL deep on FT to start off with and didn't run well, think I pointed out a couple of issues in his game though which he needs to work on and he said he found the session usefu which is good obviously. He then watched me play 100NL on stars, here are some hands:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300050

Thought this guy was solid before the hand, I was weighing up between a small balue bet and a bluffy looking push on thr river, bluffy push looked good.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300053

One of those that's a good push with fold equity and then you miss, and he mucks. Always nice.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300054

My reading was very good last night, but I read this one and then talked myself into the odds on the river. I knew he was blocking the turn, thought it may be as he didn't like his kicker so I went for a cheap showdown as I didn't like mine. River bet told me he didn't like second pair on the turn but I couldn't fild a fold. Meh.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300058

Very odd hand, I was discussing whether I had odds to call the flop bet with a gutshot when I had a hand on another table and accidentally raised on this one, guess I need to be better at playing and talking if I want people to sweat me. Then I get minreraised and have to call again. Hit my set on the turn and fold (as on the flop call I put villain on exactly 44). Comsidering his bet I would have got alot of money in ahead if a 5 had come so pleased I played it well after my misclick.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300064

Next ones are similar, I read out the hand on the river but I think the info is too late to be useful at that time. Here I really thought about a bet on the turn but didn't as I didn't want to get checkraised off a sweet draw, thinking about it though it's very unlikely I get checkraised here, it would be a very odd line with AA/KK/AK. I know he has QQ/JJ when he checks the river but can he fold? I think I look very bluffy here and he makes a crying call alot.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300069

Another one where I read out 66 on the river but think I get a crying call alot as my line's so weak. Missed an opportunity to double barrel but the 8 isn't that scary.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2300072

Another one, I was talking during this one and should have bet the river but didn't think the whole thing through in my head, when the river comes I know he had a bare club so I check as I think my 8s have showdown value, it's pretty likely his bare club is part of a bigger pair than mine though (TT JJ) but I distracted myself and didn't get that far. I think I get a fold here on the river if I bet.

Overall feel a bit down on this session even though I won as I think I missed a few opportunities to make more, still managed not to lose over $50 in a pot which is always good.

Ok, I'm still running hotter than the sun in march up another 4 Bi's today and it's still like people are handing me cash at times:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2291378

I've really not put any poker content in for a while so gonna post some interesting ones from March:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2291613

Interesting one, when I hit the A on the turn I figure to look like I'm giving up, when he bets I can't put him on any reasonable hand that beats me and flat calls the flop (AK maybe?) but there's plenty more in his range that I beat.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2291630

Great hand, this guy was throwing chips around from the word go and I was just waiting for this moment.

Was about to put some bad ones in but I can't remember any of them well enough to comment. Oh well, this is the problem with lazy blogging, I'll get back into the swing of it and start doing it post session again. Actually I'll just post today's big losers;

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2291650

Not much else I can do here

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2291664

Read one of Verneer's (I think) posts on pot control generally losing you value so I bet the turn again here. HE tells me where I am pretty swiftly

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2291674

Ok this is complete spew, talked myself into him having a weak pair after his weak cont and then called hoping it was a flush draw, I left after this.

Actually one more winner, been arguing with people as I like this play, I felt he was weak and pounced, but a couple of people have told me they think it's spew and I was lucky he didn't have a K, comments welcome:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2285092

Getting very close to my 25 bi's for 200NL now so hopefully will be having a go at that next month, looking forward to exams being over so I can focus on the poekr more (well play poker without feeling guilty).

Things have been going very well today, at times it was like people were handing me chips. Up 4.5 bi at NL and played a few hands at 50PLO in front of Match of the Day and was up 1 bi. Am planning to watch a few more vids and play more Omaha. Went to Anfield for the Liverpool Reading match yesterday which was cool, also off to Brighton on thurs for the Premier League Darts.

Things arwe busy at the moment with exams in the nest few weeks, will do a proper update soon with some actual poker in it though soon! Getting closer and closer to my 5k target to move upto 200NL now so definately looking forward to that.

Just a quick entry, am much happier with how I'm playing now, plus I'm running much better than I was. Not been updateing much recently, been pretty busy, and will be for the next month or so with exams coming up so will be back to the poker and blogging in earnest in April. Went to a stag do on saturday and my whole body's still aching after Karting (am I really that unfit?). Was hoping to play at the casino in the evening but apparently the poker room at the Rendezvous in Brighton is used as the disco on a saturday. That'd never happen in the US.

Here's my PT graph for 20k hands:

Been pretty lazy recently bloggingwise, been playing a but but not been too happy with my play and been putting off blogging...

Just seem to have been on the wrong side of alot of situations recently, AK v KK etc, when I've 4bet pushed. On the plus side I joined Titan yesterday just to get a free copy of Smart Buddy (highly recommended as it's a multisite buddylist) and won 2 30%ers for stacks. The ran like shit there today but never mind. Just played my longest session ever (I think) 775 hands (don't laugh at me). Was down $140 and played bad at the start but recovered from -$350. Also ran pretty bad, got rivered with a straight v 2 players when a guy hit a flush for stacks and lost with Qs8c onv 9cTc on 7c8Kc.

Anyway bankroll is currently just over $3k so gonna be grinding it out at 100NL for a while longer, hopefully will get out of the swingy run soon and start winning a bit more. Sklansky owes me $600 still (sklanskybux v showdown winningswise), I'm hoping he'll put a cheque in the signed book I ordered from Stars but I'm not counting on it.

In a good way, I've not played there for a while, seem to have some problems with my set up and get very bad slowdown issues but it seemed like they were trying to tempt me back by hitting me in the face with the deck. I was only playing there while the stars forum was down too. Was up 2 Bi's total, almost all at FT. Here are the big ones:

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2178494

Now this is how you play J6. Villain was pretty tight and I thought i'd try and hit a good flop for $2. I thought about raising on both streets but as I put him on an overpair I thought my fold equity was minimal and as all my outs are pretty well hidden (apart from the flush ones) I took a chance to try and hit them. It's hard for him to put me on a J on the river so I shove and get paid off.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2178515

This was the second time I'd seen him make a minraise pre and a weak continuation bet and I suspected he had AK before (didn't see his hand but he woke up when a A turned). I nearly called the flop to get let the AK hit but raised instead and somehow still managed to get paid off. Unfortunately he left shortly after.

http://www.pokerhand.org/?2178528

Cooler.

Just watching Verneer's vid and thinking I may have a leak while playing 3-bet pots. Somthing I'll look into but not sure how to investigate it to be honest. Anyway off to bed now, too tired to write more.

Cheers,

JC