Soooo, following Herr's most impressive "bricks and mortar" victory on Sunday (and my most dismal weak play in said tourney), my blog-mate kindly offered to help me putty up the leaks in my game.
We sat down, pre-pub quiz and played 2 one-table SNGs. It didn't take Herr too long to see that I had acquired 2 leaks of sufficient gauge to down the QE2:
1. I was playing far too many hands. Low suited-connectors in any position? Sure thing! K-2 in late position? Why the hell not! He smacked me smart, and good.
2. When I was involved in a hand, I was not following thru post-flop: I was getting all weak-kneed if I didn't hit top pair. Well, Herr smartened me up: "gotta keep attacking when you were the pre-flop aggressor". Not always, of course (position and number of opponents are key), but, in general he is dead-on.
Having performed on-the-fly triage, we ended up finishing 4th on the first SNG (sadly, right on the bubble)...and 1st in our second one! There we were, high-fiving and shrieking in victory at my iBook in the staid English pub. Did I just imagine the Brits seated around us gritting their teeth, rolling their eyes and saying "Bloody Yanks!"
Anyhoooo, prior to Herr's tutelage, I had been in a deep Badger funk: over the previous 10 days or so, my stack had dwindled from neigh $160 to sub-$100. I was in the red and many, many miles from my Feb 1 target of $200.
Well, I sat down last nite (from about 11 pm 'til 6 am!) and played according to the new mantra: highly selective in the early stages, and then attack, attack, attack post-flop. And attack, attack, attack as the blinds climb and the opponents wither.
In that seven hour stretch I managed to dispatch a lovely white Rhone...and, in 11 games, place 7 times "in the money"--with 3 first-place finishes.
I ain't counting my chickens yet, but the Badger is back on the farm, sniffing around the hen house.
I look forward to another practice session with Herr, and hopefully with Douchebag as well, upon his return from Vietnam.
Ending balance: $145.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
V: Tiltshark, guppyhawk and other Natalie Portmanteaus (pace Mr. McIntosh)
Starting balance: $222.75
When Herr V. is not letting life's precious fluid seep away through the open vein that is on-line poker, he is in bars with BB and Douchebag on that dizzying tour of all phenomenon both natural and human that is the pub quiz. And it was at just such a pub quiz some two weeks ago where we learned that, until the 19th century, a giraffe was known by the portmanteau name of "cameleopard" (a term which for some unfathomable though welcome reason yielded this picture when run through Google Images).
And so too I deserve my own almagamated monicker. Because, while deep inside me, is a competent poker player, he is unfortunately encased in a thick and most unpliant layer of self-destructive asshole. So I am in search of a name that captures my very yinny yin and my very yangy yang, my constant vacillation between him and him.
Appearences to the contrary notwithstanding, I can make a reasonable claim on the whole inner competency thing. On Sunday night, I took first place in a 13-seated, NLHE bricks-and-mortar game with a 2500 baht (US$70) buy-in, taking home the tidy sum of 15,000 baht (I leave the FX conversion to you).
Again, was luck a factor? Again, for sure, but so what? I busted out AT with A8, but he had survived an all-in with AQ against my AK two hands earlier when the board straightened us both out, so, well, that's poker. More shamefully, I got caught setting a shortstacked QJ all-in pre-flop with my 54, and busted him out with a pair of 5's; later on, heads up, I went all in truly blind into what turned out to be a 62 vs. A6 showdown that ended with only my 2 pairing. But overall I was patient and strategic, played both board and man, pushed hard when I could and retreated when I had to, and didn't devolve into this until it was properly time.
Capitalizing on this good fortune, I turned my attention to on-line, where I have recently been suffering a series of staggeringly humiliating losses, though fortunately virtually all at micro-stakes so that the overall blow, while considerable, did not force me into a second re-buy. And lo, my good fortune carried over: yesterday, in a string of eight one-table SNG's, I managed to take first place an unprecedented five times, and second place once. And some mighty come-from-behind wins in there too, as Khun Douche can attest to: in one particularly memorable NLHE game, I was shortstacked with five players and so went on a successful blind-stealing spree that got me back in contention, finally going into HU as a 5:1 underdog after my opponent knocked out the remaining players (thank you, masked man!). Much to both his and mine mounting sense of incredulity, I survived a series of coin flips (e.g., 33 vs AQ) that, combined with one well-timed, pimphand of a reraise on an attempted blind-steal, had me taking home both glory and first place cash.
Now, I am sorry, but there is just no way that seven of nine tourney wins (counting the B&M game) can be attributed to pure luck. Nor is this my first good run, as evidenced by my prior run on UB to get back into this competition.
So where does it all go horribly wrong? Because it does. Immediately after taking a break from cards to have dinner with my lovely, I was back in, and remain in, the crapper. I've gone from "hot" to "tilt" (or worse") on sharkscope, and rightly so! Douche had a bad run, but that featured such time-space fabric rips as his JJJ running into very stealthy 4444. I, on the other hand, went on kind of reverse-tilt, and so fueled a series of AJ v. AK, 88 vs. 99, four-flush/straight chasing misadventures that managed virtually to erode any gains that I made. "Don't leave a rush," D. had rightly advised before I went off for my bowl of marital noodles. Still, attending to one's wife is its own, rich reward (I keed, I keed).
Anyway, work demands will staunch the outward flow for now. In the meantime, just call me Gallabuddha.
Ending balance: $231.80
When Herr V. is not letting life's precious fluid seep away through the open vein that is on-line poker, he is in bars with BB and Douchebag on that dizzying tour of all phenomenon both natural and human that is the pub quiz. And it was at just such a pub quiz some two weeks ago where we learned that, until the 19th century, a giraffe was known by the portmanteau name of "cameleopard" (a term which for some unfathomable though welcome reason yielded this picture when run through Google Images).
And so too I deserve my own almagamated monicker. Because, while deep inside me, is a competent poker player, he is unfortunately encased in a thick and most unpliant layer of self-destructive asshole. So I am in search of a name that captures my very yinny yin and my very yangy yang, my constant vacillation between him and him.
Appearences to the contrary notwithstanding, I can make a reasonable claim on the whole inner competency thing. On Sunday night, I took first place in a 13-seated, NLHE bricks-and-mortar game with a 2500 baht (US$70) buy-in, taking home the tidy sum of 15,000 baht (I leave the FX conversion to you).
Again, was luck a factor? Again, for sure, but so what? I busted out AT with A8, but he had survived an all-in with AQ against my AK two hands earlier when the board straightened us both out, so, well, that's poker. More shamefully, I got caught setting a shortstacked QJ all-in pre-flop with my 54, and busted him out with a pair of 5's; later on, heads up, I went all in truly blind into what turned out to be a 62 vs. A6 showdown that ended with only my 2 pairing. But overall I was patient and strategic, played both board and man, pushed hard when I could and retreated when I had to, and didn't devolve into this until it was properly time.
Capitalizing on this good fortune, I turned my attention to on-line, where I have recently been suffering a series of staggeringly humiliating losses, though fortunately virtually all at micro-stakes so that the overall blow, while considerable, did not force me into a second re-buy. And lo, my good fortune carried over: yesterday, in a string of eight one-table SNG's, I managed to take first place an unprecedented five times, and second place once. And some mighty come-from-behind wins in there too, as Khun Douche can attest to: in one particularly memorable NLHE game, I was shortstacked with five players and so went on a successful blind-stealing spree that got me back in contention, finally going into HU as a 5:1 underdog after my opponent knocked out the remaining players (thank you, masked man!). Much to both his and mine mounting sense of incredulity, I survived a series of coin flips (e.g., 33 vs AQ) that, combined with one well-timed, pimphand of a reraise on an attempted blind-steal, had me taking home both glory and first place cash.
Now, I am sorry, but there is just no way that seven of nine tourney wins (counting the B&M game) can be attributed to pure luck. Nor is this my first good run, as evidenced by my prior run on UB to get back into this competition.
So where does it all go horribly wrong? Because it does. Immediately after taking a break from cards to have dinner with my lovely, I was back in, and remain in, the crapper. I've gone from "hot" to "tilt" (or worse") on sharkscope, and rightly so! Douche had a bad run, but that featured such time-space fabric rips as his JJJ running into very stealthy 4444. I, on the other hand, went on kind of reverse-tilt, and so fueled a series of AJ v. AK, 88 vs. 99, four-flush/straight chasing misadventures that managed virtually to erode any gains that I made. "Don't leave a rush," D. had rightly advised before I went off for my bowl of marital noodles. Still, attending to one's wife is its own, rich reward (I keed, I keed).
Anyway, work demands will staunch the outward flow for now. In the meantime, just call me Gallabuddha.
Ending balance: $231.80
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Boomswitched
The last few days, apart from still sucking at headsup so so bad, have been very positive. I am now way ahead of where I could ever have planned to be. I have used sharkscope a lot and found several interesting trends especially on my own performance. Perhaps more on that later when my sample size is bigger and there is less noise on the stats.
Day 18: More of the same
Starting balance: $525.93
More $20 SNGs, more sucking at headsup, more grinding out a profit. 15 $20 SNGs in total with 2 wins, 4 2nds and a 3rd. A couple of smaller MTTs ended in pathetic results, but overall I finished the day on $613.63
Day 19: A long day with a flavour of monkey tilt
Starting balance: $613.63
On this day I saw some wild swings. Over 28 $20 SNGs I saw my balance increase to $637 and drop to $467 before settling on $589.83 at the end of the day. I went on some bad runs during the day and while I cashed enough overall to not do a lot of damage, losing headsup again cost me any real chance to show a profit. I cashed 11 times which is a very acceptable rate, but a breakdown of 2 wins, 6 2nds and 3 3rds is not. Including a few more failed MTTs I finished the day on $589.83.
A combined headsup record for two days of 2-10 is obviously embarrassing.
Day 20: Boomswitched
Starting balance: $589.83
Today I ran as hot as I think I ever have in SNGs. I started off with some fairly modest results before I went out and got hammered. Fuelled by Jack Daniels I went on sick run of 3rd-3rd-2nd-win-2nd-win-3rd-2nd-3rd-2nd-9th(!)-win-2nd-3rd in my 9-seater $20 SNGs. An incredible run and despite still not converting enough headsup chances that of course resulted in a very healthy profit. It was like my boomswitch had been pressed; I wasn't sucking out on people at all, but I was winning an extraordinary amount of coinflips. AK v 99? I would get my king. TT v AQ? Board would be all bricks. It was excellent. On this glorious day I played 22 SNGs and had 16 cashes. That included 5 wins, 5 2nds and 6 3rds. At the end of the day the balance read $1,041.83.
With more than $1,000 I can now buy into a lot of games, but for now I will stick to $20 SNGs. I can't rely on having the boomswitch consistantly pressed, so I will grind it out on this level a little longer. This balance opens the door to a lot more MTT though, something I have not played enough and underperformed in when I have. Might give it a more focused go in the near future.
Douchebag
Day 18: More of the same
Starting balance: $525.93
More $20 SNGs, more sucking at headsup, more grinding out a profit. 15 $20 SNGs in total with 2 wins, 4 2nds and a 3rd. A couple of smaller MTTs ended in pathetic results, but overall I finished the day on $613.63
Day 19: A long day with a flavour of monkey tilt
Starting balance: $613.63
On this day I saw some wild swings. Over 28 $20 SNGs I saw my balance increase to $637 and drop to $467 before settling on $589.83 at the end of the day. I went on some bad runs during the day and while I cashed enough overall to not do a lot of damage, losing headsup again cost me any real chance to show a profit. I cashed 11 times which is a very acceptable rate, but a breakdown of 2 wins, 6 2nds and 3 3rds is not. Including a few more failed MTTs I finished the day on $589.83.
A combined headsup record for two days of 2-10 is obviously embarrassing.
Day 20: Boomswitched
Starting balance: $589.83
Today I ran as hot as I think I ever have in SNGs. I started off with some fairly modest results before I went out and got hammered. Fuelled by Jack Daniels I went on sick run of 3rd-3rd-2nd-win-2nd-win-3rd-2nd-3rd-2nd-9th(!)-win-2nd-3rd in my 9-seater $20 SNGs. An incredible run and despite still not converting enough headsup chances that of course resulted in a very healthy profit. It was like my boomswitch had been pressed; I wasn't sucking out on people at all, but I was winning an extraordinary amount of coinflips. AK v 99? I would get my king. TT v AQ? Board would be all bricks. It was excellent. On this glorious day I played 22 SNGs and had 16 cashes. That included 5 wins, 5 2nds and 6 3rds. At the end of the day the balance read $1,041.83.
With more than $1,000 I can now buy into a lot of games, but for now I will stick to $20 SNGs. I can't rely on having the boomswitch consistantly pressed, so I will grind it out on this level a little longer. This balance opens the door to a lot more MTT though, something I have not played enough and underperformed in when I have. Might give it a more focused go in the near future.
Douchebag
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Badger's Blues
Well, there's just not 2 ways about it: this weak has sucked for me.
I had been playing cash games and, even though I am aware of my "leak" at the small stakes tables (calling the big bets on the river...though I'm sure I have many, many leaks!), I still drip-drip-dripped away dineros this week. My stack had dwindled from about $160 to $115 in recent days.
Tonite I switched gears and played a number of SNGs. My sense is that overall I am doing reasonably well--I almost always get to the final third of the tourney, but generally seem to crap out somewhere between there and the final table. Which means I ain't making any $!
Despite placing high in the $ in one SNG, my stack has dwindled to $105. My confidence is lagging--might need to cry on Herr and Douchebag's shoulders. (And, if this keeps up, borrow some $!)
Anyway, I am pretty bummed, but am trying to be philosophical about it: if I am doing this poorly, it means I can (and had better!) make a quantum improvement soon!
Herr and DB, I am all ears if you have some advice on play...or just some words of consolation!
I had been playing cash games and, even though I am aware of my "leak" at the small stakes tables (calling the big bets on the river...though I'm sure I have many, many leaks!), I still drip-drip-dripped away dineros this week. My stack had dwindled from about $160 to $115 in recent days.
Tonite I switched gears and played a number of SNGs. My sense is that overall I am doing reasonably well--I almost always get to the final third of the tourney, but generally seem to crap out somewhere between there and the final table. Which means I ain't making any $!
Despite placing high in the $ in one SNG, my stack has dwindled to $105. My confidence is lagging--might need to cry on Herr and Douchebag's shoulders. (And, if this keeps up, borrow some $!)
Anyway, I am pretty bummed, but am trying to be philosophical about it: if I am doing this poorly, it means I can (and had better!) make a quantum improvement soon!
Herr and DB, I am all ears if you have some advice on play...or just some words of consolation!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Breaking records
A quick update on an incredibly long day.
Day 17: I suck at headsup
Starting balance: $400.61
Today was a day where my endgame really über-sucked. I played a massive 26 SNGs, almost all of the $10 variety, and I cashed in 11 of them - a very fair strikerate for a 9-seated SNG. The breakdown was 3 wins, 5 2nds and 3 3rds, a really poor conversion rate of headsup - especially considering I was well ahead going in to several of them. I also had a few attempts at MTT with some very decent results. In 5 MTTs I cashed twice including a 3rd place that paid out a handy $85.68.
At the end of the day the balance reads $525.93
Day 17: I suck at headsup
Starting balance: $400.61
Today was a day where my endgame really über-sucked. I played a massive 26 SNGs, almost all of the $10 variety, and I cashed in 11 of them - a very fair strikerate for a 9-seated SNG. The breakdown was 3 wins, 5 2nds and 3 3rds, a really poor conversion rate of headsup - especially considering I was well ahead going in to several of them. I also had a few attempts at MTT with some very decent results. In 5 MTTs I cashed twice including a 3rd place that paid out a handy $85.68.
At the end of the day the balance reads $525.93
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Another milestone reached
The last few days have been crazy. I have been doing an awful lot of partying and overall I have had about as many bottles of Jack Daniels as I have played SNGs. When I have sat down and played however, results have been positive.
Day 14: Accounting error
Starting balance: $305.76 -> $292.36
The day got off to a rough start with the discovery of an error in my spreadsheet. My true starting balance was only $292.36. I didn't play much, a total of 9 $10 SNGs and one stab at the $4 MTT tournament, but results were very good. I only placed three times in the SNGs, but they were all wins for $45 a pop. I also managed a final table in the MTT for another $25. In the end I finished the day on $349.16
Day 15: Very little action
Starting balance: $349.16
Possibly the most inactive day of the challenge so far. I only managed six $10 SNGs and a single $4 MTT, but cashed in half the SNGs with a breakdown of a win, a 2nd and a 3rd. The MTT ended in more carnage as I crashed out more or less as soon as I had clicked the register button. Embarrassing. I finished the day on a healthy $368.76.
Day 16: Reaching a milestone
Starting balance: $368.76
Clubbing once again kept me from playing all that much, but I did squeeze in 11 $10 SNGs and another $4 MTT stab (and yet another record-breaking quick exit). In the 11 starts I won twice, took 2nd once and had a couple of 3rds to boot. The bottom line was a nice profit once again and a finishing balance of $400.61. Reaching $400 so soon in the challenge is very pleasing and makes me wonder where this can take me. I think it is time to come up with a business plan. My fellow blogger Badger has more or less spent his projected 2009 winnings already and yet I am stuck here aimlessly winning. My 2009 business plan will follow.
Douchebag
Day 14: Accounting error
Starting balance: $305.76 -> $292.36
The day got off to a rough start with the discovery of an error in my spreadsheet. My true starting balance was only $292.36. I didn't play much, a total of 9 $10 SNGs and one stab at the $4 MTT tournament, but results were very good. I only placed three times in the SNGs, but they were all wins for $45 a pop. I also managed a final table in the MTT for another $25. In the end I finished the day on $349.16
Day 15: Very little action
Starting balance: $349.16
Possibly the most inactive day of the challenge so far. I only managed six $10 SNGs and a single $4 MTT, but cashed in half the SNGs with a breakdown of a win, a 2nd and a 3rd. The MTT ended in more carnage as I crashed out more or less as soon as I had clicked the register button. Embarrassing. I finished the day on a healthy $368.76.
Day 16: Reaching a milestone
Starting balance: $368.76
Clubbing once again kept me from playing all that much, but I did squeeze in 11 $10 SNGs and another $4 MTT stab (and yet another record-breaking quick exit). In the 11 starts I won twice, took 2nd once and had a couple of 3rds to boot. The bottom line was a nice profit once again and a finishing balance of $400.61. Reaching $400 so soon in the challenge is very pleasing and makes me wonder where this can take me. I think it is time to come up with a business plan. My fellow blogger Badger has more or less spent his projected 2009 winnings already and yet I am stuck here aimlessly winning. My 2009 business plan will follow.
Douchebag
Sunday, January 18, 2009
V: A Bridge Too Far
Starting balance: $239.25
Well, my little rush came crashing to an end. Tried two more SNGs last night, neither of which went well.
First, a $5 NLHE, 9 seated. I raise 4xBB with KQos and get reraised by the shortstack. The guy is loose and I am figuring him for a steal, so I call. He shows JJ, which is not great but not horrible, except the flop makes it a set of J's and I am left with a shade under 400 chips. Oops. I am busted out shortly thereafter when my TT get cracked by AK.
Rather than heeding the cues that Fate was giving me, I sign up for a $10 NLHE SNG, also nine seated. One lesson learned is that, despite my earlier claims, perhaps 5xBB is an overraise; I got AA one off UTG, raised 5XBB (only to 100, as blinds were still at 10/20) and they all folded to a man. I couldn't figure out that game how to get paid with good cards, which I was getting for a change. Finally, I get busted out calling an all-in with KQc on a 2-club flop (again, with a hefty pre-flop raise); his play earlier made me pretty sure that I had the better hand, and indeed he shows 52c. No club comes, however, but a 2 does, and that's me on the rail.
Time to breathe deep, regroup, and work the low-stakes SNG while I still have a bankroll to work with.
Ending balance: $222.75
Well, my little rush came crashing to an end. Tried two more SNGs last night, neither of which went well.
First, a $5 NLHE, 9 seated. I raise 4xBB with KQos and get reraised by the shortstack. The guy is loose and I am figuring him for a steal, so I call. He shows JJ, which is not great but not horrible, except the flop makes it a set of J's and I am left with a shade under 400 chips. Oops. I am busted out shortly thereafter when my TT get cracked by AK.
Rather than heeding the cues that Fate was giving me, I sign up for a $10 NLHE SNG, also nine seated. One lesson learned is that, despite my earlier claims, perhaps 5xBB is an overraise; I got AA one off UTG, raised 5XBB (only to 100, as blinds were still at 10/20) and they all folded to a man. I couldn't figure out that game how to get paid with good cards, which I was getting for a change. Finally, I get busted out calling an all-in with KQc on a 2-club flop (again, with a hefty pre-flop raise); his play earlier made me pretty sure that I had the better hand, and indeed he shows 52c. No club comes, however, but a 2 does, and that's me on the rail.
Time to breathe deep, regroup, and work the low-stakes SNG while I still have a bankroll to work with.
Ending balance: $222.75
The Badger Claws His Way Back Up
My first session after getting to Asia was quite dismal: I played cash games and slowly saw my balance erode from $155 to ~$120.
Dismayed, I switched to an SNG and was doing better--I was running 1st in a 3-table event--until (and Douchebag witnessed this tragic performance) my pocket K's got cracked by lowly pocket-3's. Being the moody badger I am, I promptly tilted, my playing eroded, and I ended up 4th.
Last night I decided that it was time to regain some of that lost ground--not to mention pride! I signed up for some $.10/$25 cash games with the following rules:
1. Play 2 tables, with a paltry $5 buy-in at each.
2. Cash out of a particular table once balance is >$15.
The reason I do this is that I find that I am winning many (most?) small hands, but then losing the occasional all-in, when, say, my set gets beaten by a straight. So by keeping my stack small, I minimize the risk of a big loss which would wipe out scores of hands of tight play.
This approach makes sense for me right now, but *sigh* is probably the opposite of how a professional player would play (she would live for the opportunities to get all-in with her massive stack when the odds were in her favour). I am just not 100% confident in my judgment when it comes to cash games regarding when to go all-in vs. when to away (but I am much more confident when it comes to tourneys). This is a glaring, growling, snarling weakness that the badger needs to stare down!
So how did it go? After a disappointing start (full-house losing to a "fuller" house and the usual misery) I began slooooowly clawing my way up, careful to cash out/switch tables when I got to $15.
After about 5 hours of play, my $125 had grown to $174--my biggest balance thus far. So the badger is feelin' pretty good.
The bad news? It was a helluva lot of scratching, clawing and grinding...and I am still small-stack in comparison to Herr and Douchebag!
Dismayed, I switched to an SNG and was doing better--I was running 1st in a 3-table event--until (and Douchebag witnessed this tragic performance) my pocket K's got cracked by lowly pocket-3's. Being the moody badger I am, I promptly tilted, my playing eroded, and I ended up 4th.
Last night I decided that it was time to regain some of that lost ground--not to mention pride! I signed up for some $.10/$25 cash games with the following rules:
1. Play 2 tables, with a paltry $5 buy-in at each.
2. Cash out of a particular table once balance is >$15.
The reason I do this is that I find that I am winning many (most?) small hands, but then losing the occasional all-in, when, say, my set gets beaten by a straight. So by keeping my stack small, I minimize the risk of a big loss which would wipe out scores of hands of tight play.
This approach makes sense for me right now, but *sigh* is probably the opposite of how a professional player would play (she would live for the opportunities to get all-in with her massive stack when the odds were in her favour). I am just not 100% confident in my judgment when it comes to cash games regarding when to go all-in vs. when to away (but I am much more confident when it comes to tourneys). This is a glaring, growling, snarling weakness that the badger needs to stare down!
So how did it go? After a disappointing start (full-house losing to a "fuller" house and the usual misery) I began slooooowly clawing my way up, careful to cash out/switch tables when I got to $15.
After about 5 hours of play, my $125 had grown to $174--my biggest balance thus far. So the badger is feelin' pretty good.
The bad news? It was a helluva lot of scratching, clawing and grinding...and I am still small-stack in comparison to Herr and Douchebag!
V: Today's Tom Sawyer
Starting balance: $178.84
Ok, I highly doubt I am a modern warrior with a mean, mean stride, but I have been riding my little rush here and so far so good.
But first, a word on luck:
I know, I. K.N.O.W., that luck is the supposed enemy of the poker player. All of our efforts are aimed at minimizing it, neutralizing it, wrassling it to the ground and hog-tying it in a manner that would do the LAPD mighty proud. I know we should follow a Von Neuman/RAND Corporation-approved minimax strategy so that we can suck the very marrow from our good handls while staying in the game when the other guy flops a stealthy set of 5's. And so when we discuss our wins, we measure the role that luck plays in our game by negative yardstick; a lucky win is somehow a tarnished win, stained with an asterisk. But the fact also remains that no one -- not Doyle Brunson, not Phil Helmuth, and most certainly not Chris Moneymaker -- ever won the WSOP (or any tourney for that matter) without some luck. And more to the point, can't those of us who feel congenitally unlucky actually take a moment to savor this reversal in our fortunes, this relenting of the cosmic Judge. We shouldn't make luck a cornerstone of our careers, but there should certainly be a place in our hearts for a wild rumpus when it's our turn as river-rats.
I bring this up because I won a $5 one-table SNG thanks to two very lucky hands: Going all in shorthanded with AJc against a Chronic Blind Stealer (CBS) who shows KK, only to river an A and knock him out. Down to three handed, so in the money, I have K5h and again reraise and go all-in against another CBS (seriously, raising five out of every six hands). However, I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue, and he shows AdQh. Um. However, he too goes home when the board gives me A-2-3-4 for a straight to my 5 (how that A must have burned!). That gave me enough of a crushing chip advantage that even I couldn't squander it, and I took first place.
(Oh -- this was also my first stab at multi-tabling. I had $10 at a .05/.10 NLHE game during the tournament, and managed to parlay it into $31 on a nice little run of cards before quitting).
Interestingly, though, the hand that got me into the game was not a lucky one but a purely positional bluff. It's just two of us in the hand, and I've made a 3xBB raise with AJos; he calls and the flop came 6 7 8 rainbow. I bet the pot amount, and he smooth calls. Daddy no like. Turn comes a 9. Bet pot again, representing the straight. He waits, thinks, sadly, sadly, folds. Daddy like. This put me in 2d place at the time.
Then another one-table SNG: $6, NLHE turbo, six seated. Six seated only seems to aggravate the gambling that is already inherent in turbo, and so this was a bit crazy. I started out strong, nearly knocking out one of the players on the third hand with AA; he called my 5x BB raise with KQos and called my all-in reraise when the board came KJx. A tasty and satisfying start.
Then, some 12-15 rag-hands later, and I have AQ down. UTG, I raise again 5xBB, to 300 chips. All fold except one caller. Flop comes 8h 9h 2s. I set him essentially all in, and he calls. Turn comes a 5, and he's made his straight and taken 1/2 my chips. Humbling, but also instructive: there is limitless donkeydom in these games, and esp. in turbo folks will call all-ins with with only draws. Again, I wish I had such faith that Jesus really really loves me.
Later on, down to 3 players and I am short stacked at about 1200 with the blinds at100/200. I get KJs down, raise to about 600, same guy calls me. Flop come 2s 5s 7h. I go all-in on a Mail Mary, he calls with his set of 7's. Turn comes a spade, no pairs on board, and I am sweetly doubled up. I know that I overvalue it, but I can't help it: I love catching when I am chasing the chasers, and I love poker irony of any kind. Without more details of interest to anyone, I eventually accumulated a nice chip advantage that I used to bully them around, and again took first.
I am mindful of Khun D's admonition that I have to pay closer attention to cash management, and actually did so, you might note, in today's second session. I have 45 minutes til dinner, and will see what the cash games might yield.
Ending balance: $235.97
Ok, I highly doubt I am a modern warrior with a mean, mean stride, but I have been riding my little rush here and so far so good.
But first, a word on luck:
I know, I. K.N.O.W., that luck is the supposed enemy of the poker player. All of our efforts are aimed at minimizing it, neutralizing it, wrassling it to the ground and hog-tying it in a manner that would do the LAPD mighty proud. I know we should follow a Von Neuman/RAND Corporation-approved minimax strategy so that we can suck the very marrow from our good handls while staying in the game when the other guy flops a stealthy set of 5's. And so when we discuss our wins, we measure the role that luck plays in our game by negative yardstick; a lucky win is somehow a tarnished win, stained with an asterisk. But the fact also remains that no one -- not Doyle Brunson, not Phil Helmuth, and most certainly not Chris Moneymaker -- ever won the WSOP (or any tourney for that matter) without some luck. And more to the point, can't those of us who feel congenitally unlucky actually take a moment to savor this reversal in our fortunes, this relenting of the cosmic Judge. We shouldn't make luck a cornerstone of our careers, but there should certainly be a place in our hearts for a wild rumpus when it's our turn as river-rats.
I bring this up because I won a $5 one-table SNG thanks to two very lucky hands: Going all in shorthanded with AJc against a Chronic Blind Stealer (CBS) who shows KK, only to river an A and knock him out. Down to three handed, so in the money, I have K5h and again reraise and go all-in against another CBS (seriously, raising five out of every six hands). However, I picked the wrong day to quit sniffing glue, and he shows AdQh. Um. However, he too goes home when the board gives me A-2-3-4 for a straight to my 5 (how that A must have burned!). That gave me enough of a crushing chip advantage that even I couldn't squander it, and I took first place.
(Oh -- this was also my first stab at multi-tabling. I had $10 at a .05/.10 NLHE game during the tournament, and managed to parlay it into $31 on a nice little run of cards before quitting).
Interestingly, though, the hand that got me into the game was not a lucky one but a purely positional bluff. It's just two of us in the hand, and I've made a 3xBB raise with AJos; he calls and the flop came 6 7 8 rainbow. I bet the pot amount, and he smooth calls. Daddy no like. Turn comes a 9. Bet pot again, representing the straight. He waits, thinks, sadly, sadly, folds. Daddy like. This put me in 2d place at the time.
Then another one-table SNG: $6, NLHE turbo, six seated. Six seated only seems to aggravate the gambling that is already inherent in turbo, and so this was a bit crazy. I started out strong, nearly knocking out one of the players on the third hand with AA; he called my 5x BB raise with KQos and called my all-in reraise when the board came KJx. A tasty and satisfying start.
Then, some 12-15 rag-hands later, and I have AQ down. UTG, I raise again 5xBB, to 300 chips. All fold except one caller. Flop comes 8h 9h 2s. I set him essentially all in, and he calls. Turn comes a 5, and he's made his straight and taken 1/2 my chips. Humbling, but also instructive: there is limitless donkeydom in these games, and esp. in turbo folks will call all-ins with with only draws. Again, I wish I had such faith that Jesus really really loves me.
Later on, down to 3 players and I am short stacked at about 1200 with the blinds at100/200. I get KJs down, raise to about 600, same guy calls me. Flop come 2s 5s 7h. I go all-in on a Mail Mary, he calls with his set of 7's. Turn comes a spade, no pairs on board, and I am sweetly doubled up. I know that I overvalue it, but I can't help it: I love catching when I am chasing the chasers, and I love poker irony of any kind. Without more details of interest to anyone, I eventually accumulated a nice chip advantage that I used to bully them around, and again took first.
I am mindful of Khun D's admonition that I have to pay closer attention to cash management, and actually did so, you might note, in today's second session. I have 45 minutes til dinner, and will see what the cash games might yield.
Ending balance: $235.97
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Babysteps
It seems like all through this challenge I have consistantly taken a step back before taking one-and-a-quarter step forward. The last couple of days have been no different. I guess it demonstrates the variance of poker quite well though.
Day 12: A mess
Starting balance: $284.02
I was all over the map on this day: 4 multi-table tournaments ($4, 180 seats) all endeing in tears, two Omaha PL $0.12/$0.25 sessions resulting in a $3 loss and 8 $10 SNGs resulting in a win and a 2nd. Not spectacular in any way and I finished the day on $256.12. Very messy indeed.
Day 13: Busiest day yet
Starting balance: $256.12
I managed a record-breaking 21 $10 SNGs and results were overall satisfying enough. Threw away some big headsup leads which meant profit was nowhere near as much as it should have been. I had 10 cashes which included 3 wins, 4 2nd and 3 3rds; a fairly pleasing strike rate. I also had three more goes at the $4 MTTs and made a final table in good shape but screwed that up royally. Navigating a final table is normally something I do quite well, but on this occasion it was terrible. I crashed out in 6th for a small profit. Winning one of these suckers would give a $216 boost to the balance, but so far this has eluded me. The finishing balance was however a solid $305.76.
Douchebag
Day 12: A mess
Starting balance: $284.02
I was all over the map on this day: 4 multi-table tournaments ($4, 180 seats) all endeing in tears, two Omaha PL $0.12/$0.25 sessions resulting in a $3 loss and 8 $10 SNGs resulting in a win and a 2nd. Not spectacular in any way and I finished the day on $256.12. Very messy indeed.
Day 13: Busiest day yet
Starting balance: $256.12
I managed a record-breaking 21 $10 SNGs and results were overall satisfying enough. Threw away some big headsup leads which meant profit was nowhere near as much as it should have been. I had 10 cashes which included 3 wins, 4 2nd and 3 3rds; a fairly pleasing strike rate. I also had three more goes at the $4 MTTs and made a final table in good shape but screwed that up royally. Navigating a final table is normally something I do quite well, but on this occasion it was terrible. I crashed out in 6th for a small profit. Winning one of these suckers would give a $216 boost to the balance, but so far this has eluded me. The finishing balance was however a solid $305.76.
Douchebag
V: Switching gears, switching sites
While still stinging from my recent disastrous showing at the tables, but with several poker-free days (and two pub quiz wins) under my belt, last night I stuck my toe back in the water with my Ultimate Bet account. Douchebag gives me grief for playing at UB, first because of a cheating scandal that they were slow to acknowledge, and then for some software problems that had pots shipped to losing hands. Fair enough, but the cheating never infected the paltry stakes for which I play and the shipping problems were not endemic and probably resulted from software problems when they recently merged with Absolute Poker. And the truth is, UB is where I played for years and I am just the most comfortable in its playing environment.
When I first sat down, I wasn't playing on continuing this adventure on UB, so I did not precisely mark my balance so it could serve as my rebuy amount. It was in the $60 to $70 range but, in the interests of fairness (because as per the rules I must take a double hit on the rebuy, I will say it was $80. Therefore:
Starting balance: $80.00
So last night, and so far this morning: very restorative to my confidence. I played four one-table SNG's: one for $20, and the other three for $10 (pace Chris Ferguson). I stayed calm, played conservatively, kept a clear eye not only on my cards (no falling in love with AK) and listened carefully to what the other players were telling me. True, too, I had some luck of the good variety (splitting the pot after reraising a blind stealer with my A7d and him calling with AKos) and little of the bad (my JJ all-in standing up against K8h) . The results: second place in the $20 tourney, and two back-to-back firsts in $10 games. In the last one, I felt my concentration slipping and bad habits creeping back in, so I called it quits after I busted out in 6th place.
Figuring I would try my luck again this morning, I have found myself at .05/.10 Om H-L game. Bought in for $10, had a nice Douchebaggian run of cards to bring myself up to $25.01.
Time for coffee and a fresh new look at the world. And sorry Douche, but viva Ultimate Bet (at least for the nonce).
Quick update: Just finished a $6 Om H-L Turbo one-table SNG. I hate turbo as a rule, because it encourages way too much gambling but I figured I'd ride my rush. Two very sweet A-high club flushes with no split pot: one got me in the game, the other kept me there. HU, with the blinds at 600/1200 was just crazy seesawing, and eventually I seed when I should have sawed, to take second.
Ending balance: $178.84
When I first sat down, I wasn't playing on continuing this adventure on UB, so I did not precisely mark my balance so it could serve as my rebuy amount. It was in the $60 to $70 range but, in the interests of fairness (because as per the rules I must take a double hit on the rebuy, I will say it was $80. Therefore:
Starting balance: $80.00
So last night, and so far this morning: very restorative to my confidence. I played four one-table SNG's: one for $20, and the other three for $10 (pace Chris Ferguson). I stayed calm, played conservatively, kept a clear eye not only on my cards (no falling in love with AK) and listened carefully to what the other players were telling me. True, too, I had some luck of the good variety (splitting the pot after reraising a blind stealer with my A7d and him calling with AKos) and little of the bad (my JJ all-in standing up against K8h) . The results: second place in the $20 tourney, and two back-to-back firsts in $10 games. In the last one, I felt my concentration slipping and bad habits creeping back in, so I called it quits after I busted out in 6th place.
Figuring I would try my luck again this morning, I have found myself at .05/.10 Om H-L game. Bought in for $10, had a nice Douchebaggian run of cards to bring myself up to $25.01.
Time for coffee and a fresh new look at the world. And sorry Douche, but viva Ultimate Bet (at least for the nonce).
Quick update: Just finished a $6 Om H-L Turbo one-table SNG. I hate turbo as a rule, because it encourages way too much gambling but I figured I'd ride my rush. Two very sweet A-high club flushes with no split pot: one got me in the game, the other kept me there. HU, with the blinds at 600/1200 was just crazy seesawing, and eventually I seed when I should have sawed, to take second.
Ending balance: $178.84
Gettin' Mauled by Seigfried & Roy
Not the most P.C. heading (on at least a couple fronts), but I do feel a need to vent!
Pocket QQ are proving to be the bane of my existence. Not only did I get bounced out of a tourney last fall at the Wynn by going all-in with QQ (twice, no less--losing to pocket KK and AA, respectively), but the royal dames are settin' me back on our Poker Challenge.
I was just playing the $.10/$.25 NL cash game, and had--almost back to back--pocket QQ in both the screens I was playing. Needless to say, being the aggressive donk I am, I ended up all-in in both cases. Actually, I think I was quite justified: in the window with my bigger stack, I raised about 4x the big blind, the biggest stack at the table re-raised me all-in, and I had to go; the other table I was the re-raiser. In the first, I lost to AA. In the second, he had AJ. His A paired. And then his J. Pure humiliation, like my head in the jaws of a freakin' white tiger.
Anyway, I have had so many nasty experiences with QQ that I am really getting gun-shy about playing the hand (ostensibly the 3rd best starting hand in poker!). A pre-flop raise is clearly a must (can't let A-low or K-low in for cheap), but I would love to hear any thoughts my fellow bloggers or readers have.
I had been slacking this week (actually, I had a valid reason: a 37-hour door-to-door trek from California to SE Asia), and hadn't been playing (or blogging). But these 2xQQ's have melted my stack from $155 to $125--not fun to be sliding backwards. Clearly, I need to make up some ground, and may shift gear to sit'n go's for the weekend in order to do so.
Aaaaargh!
Pocket QQ are proving to be the bane of my existence. Not only did I get bounced out of a tourney last fall at the Wynn by going all-in with QQ (twice, no less--losing to pocket KK and AA, respectively), but the royal dames are settin' me back on our Poker Challenge.
I was just playing the $.10/$.25 NL cash game, and had--almost back to back--pocket QQ in both the screens I was playing. Needless to say, being the aggressive donk I am, I ended up all-in in both cases. Actually, I think I was quite justified: in the window with my bigger stack, I raised about 4x the big blind, the biggest stack at the table re-raised me all-in, and I had to go; the other table I was the re-raiser. In the first, I lost to AA. In the second, he had AJ. His A paired. And then his J. Pure humiliation, like my head in the jaws of a freakin' white tiger.
Anyway, I have had so many nasty experiences with QQ that I am really getting gun-shy about playing the hand (ostensibly the 3rd best starting hand in poker!). A pre-flop raise is clearly a must (can't let A-low or K-low in for cheap), but I would love to hear any thoughts my fellow bloggers or readers have.
I had been slacking this week (actually, I had a valid reason: a 37-hour door-to-door trek from California to SE Asia), and hadn't been playing (or blogging). But these 2xQQ's have melted my stack from $155 to $125--not fun to be sliding backwards. Clearly, I need to make up some ground, and may shift gear to sit'n go's for the weekend in order to do so.
Aaaaargh!
Friday, January 16, 2009
Omaha revisited
Having been stuck at just under $200 for so long I decided to mix it up a little so I went back to that fickle little minx Omaha - with all the crazy swings that comes with it.
Day 10: More status quo
Starting balance: $191.82
Another day with more $5 SNGs. 13 in all, resulting in 2 wins, a 2nd and a 3rd. I also attempted four $3 3-table SNGs and finished 2nd in one. All those SNGs meant a tiny tiny profit of $4 and more frustration in not being able to crack that $200 barrier. I decided to fire up some Omaha, PL $0.12/$0.25 to be precise. In true Omaha style I went through 3 $9 buy-ins in no time. Being stubborn I persisted and the next two buy-ins both finished with me leaving the table under the "10% of your total balance"-rule and overall the Omaha ended in a modest profit of $5.65. That meant a finishing balance of $201.37
Day 11: Nothing but net! (At least until Jack D turned up)
Starting balance: $201.37
It wasn't a busy day, but it was a profitable one. Everything I touched turned to gold with a win in one of only two $5 SNGs, a third place in a $3 3-table SNG, and also cashing in three of my first four attempts at $10 SNGs. I also played 5 Omaha PL $0.12/$0.25 sessions showing a profit in 4 of them and twice falling for the 10%-rule. I had just reached the $300 mark before some late night 'heroics' following a live game and more than a bottle of Jack D resulted in a mild setback. That session included my first rendevouz with badgerblind at a $0.10/$0.25 NLHE table, getting told off in German for not knowing how to play a set and a finishing balance of $284.02. Playing poker when you are $10 and a bottle of Jack Daniels deep and mocking a Kraut is surely something there is room for in the challenge. Very satisfying indeed.
Day 12 is not off to the best of starts but will report back on that later.
Day 10: More status quo
Starting balance: $191.82
Another day with more $5 SNGs. 13 in all, resulting in 2 wins, a 2nd and a 3rd. I also attempted four $3 3-table SNGs and finished 2nd in one. All those SNGs meant a tiny tiny profit of $4 and more frustration in not being able to crack that $200 barrier. I decided to fire up some Omaha, PL $0.12/$0.25 to be precise. In true Omaha style I went through 3 $9 buy-ins in no time. Being stubborn I persisted and the next two buy-ins both finished with me leaving the table under the "10% of your total balance"-rule and overall the Omaha ended in a modest profit of $5.65. That meant a finishing balance of $201.37
Day 11: Nothing but net! (At least until Jack D turned up)
Starting balance: $201.37
It wasn't a busy day, but it was a profitable one. Everything I touched turned to gold with a win in one of only two $5 SNGs, a third place in a $3 3-table SNG, and also cashing in three of my first four attempts at $10 SNGs. I also played 5 Omaha PL $0.12/$0.25 sessions showing a profit in 4 of them and twice falling for the 10%-rule. I had just reached the $300 mark before some late night 'heroics' following a live game and more than a bottle of Jack D resulted in a mild setback. That session included my first rendevouz with badgerblind at a $0.10/$0.25 NLHE table, getting told off in German for not knowing how to play a set and a finishing balance of $284.02. Playing poker when you are $10 and a bottle of Jack Daniels deep and mocking a Kraut is surely something there is room for in the challenge. Very satisfying indeed.
Day 12 is not off to the best of starts but will report back on that later.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Running to stand still
The last few days have been quiet on the poker front, but when I have played it has been with very mixed results.
Day 7: Full Tilt poker
Starting balance: $185.87
Full Tilt poker. At least that is the network I should have played on as the dial had been firmly turned to monkey tilt. I managed all of 25 $5 SNGs and results were shockingly bad: 1 win, 4 2nds and a 3rd. Heavily fuelled by Jack Daniels I kept chasing my losses before ending an embarrassing session on $149.52. One lesson learned: Stop chasing when drunk.
Day 8: Sobering up
Starting balance: $149.52
Still licking my wounds I only played a handful of $5 SNGs with a 2nd and a 3rd as a result. I finished a quiet day with $144.52
Day 9: En fuego
Starting balance: $144.52
I played 14 $5 SNGs and managed a satisfying 3 wins, a 2nd and 2 3rds. My single attempt at a $3 27-seater SNG ended in a glorious win and my biggest single win of the challenge so far: $30. After a very good day's play I finished with a balance of $191.82
Overall I am raedy to take the next step up. I have been hovering around in the high $180s long enough and am looking forward to finally playing some $10 SNGs and also perhaps being able to play some good MTTs. That said I feel a lot of confidence coming back into my game and so I remain optimistic that I have not reached my ceiling yet. I am still playing today and will report back with results later, but am happy to report that I so far have managed a very modest profit.
Douchebag
Day 7: Full Tilt poker
Starting balance: $185.87
Full Tilt poker. At least that is the network I should have played on as the dial had been firmly turned to monkey tilt. I managed all of 25 $5 SNGs and results were shockingly bad: 1 win, 4 2nds and a 3rd. Heavily fuelled by Jack Daniels I kept chasing my losses before ending an embarrassing session on $149.52. One lesson learned: Stop chasing when drunk.
Day 8: Sobering up
Starting balance: $149.52
Still licking my wounds I only played a handful of $5 SNGs with a 2nd and a 3rd as a result. I finished a quiet day with $144.52
Day 9: En fuego
Starting balance: $144.52
I played 14 $5 SNGs and managed a satisfying 3 wins, a 2nd and 2 3rds. My single attempt at a $3 27-seater SNG ended in a glorious win and my biggest single win of the challenge so far: $30. After a very good day's play I finished with a balance of $191.82
Overall I am raedy to take the next step up. I have been hovering around in the high $180s long enough and am looking forward to finally playing some $10 SNGs and also perhaps being able to play some good MTTs. That said I feel a lot of confidence coming back into my game and so I remain optimistic that I have not reached my ceiling yet. I am still playing today and will report back with results later, but am happy to report that I so far have managed a very modest profit.
Douchebag
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
V: Session # 4: Me and Bobby Magee
I know that in my first post I promised all manner of public soul searching, the merciless shining of a klieg light in the dark corners of my poker soul.
I lied.
Suffice it to say, I busted out.
I am taking a week off to reflect, recuperate, and wear glass in my shoes, and then will return.
Ending balance: $0.00
I lied.
Suffice it to say, I busted out.
I am taking a week off to reflect, recuperate, and wear glass in my shoes, and then will return.
Ending balance: $0.00
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Badger's Business Plan: $100 into $10,000
Being the MBA of the group, I have been giving some thought to a quasi-business plan for fueling the growth of my $100 on January 1st ($97.56, actually, but who's counting?) into $10,000 by December 31st. Here is what I've sketched out for myself:
-January: grow my $100 into $200. A fairly modest task relative to the full goal, but I figure that my skill level should improve materially as the year progresses. A 100% improvement in funds over 1 month.
-Feb-Mar: grow the $200 into $500, the end of the first fiscal quarter (Mr. MBA speakith again!), a 150% return over 2 months.
-Apr-Jun: grow the $500 into $1,000 over the 2nd quarter. A 100% return over 3 months, which doesn't sound all that audacious; however, I will probably be traveling quite a bit over that period, and as the $ amounts increase, I will probably have to play at higher stakes, which will make it challenging to show a profit (on a %age basis).
-Jul-Sept: grow the $1,000 into $4,000 over the 3rd quarter. A 400% return--at higher and higher stakes--is indeed aggressive. But I figure that the July - Sept timeframe should find me with a fair amount of time to devote to the Poker Challenge. I should regularly be playing small tourneys at a local casino in British Columbia, and have an eye to competing in a very large tourney in August (especially if I can win a seat via satellite). I will be spending a lot of time on-line at SNGs honing my skills for the tourney, which I believe is in August.
-Oct-Dec: grow my $4,000 into $10,000 by the end of the final quarter, a 150% return. The fourth quarter is always hectic, and at that stage I will have to be playing higher stakes tables/SNGs to move the needle at all; the offset is that I will hopefully be a stronger player than I am today!
When I get into the $4,000 to $5,000 range, I see myself occasionally doing large, high-buy-in tourneys that, should I place, will materially move the needle. That is the plan, anyway...and as Mike Tyson said, we all have a plan 'til the first punch lands.
More on specific cash games and SNG levels and strategies soon. To mix things up, I haven't played any SNGs in about a week--I have been focusing on cash games, as I was quite unhappy with my performance on that front, and am happy to report that I am now at $157.25--it would seem (knock on wood) that my $200 goal for January is within reach! At least until the next bad beat...
-January: grow my $100 into $200. A fairly modest task relative to the full goal, but I figure that my skill level should improve materially as the year progresses. A 100% improvement in funds over 1 month.
-Feb-Mar: grow the $200 into $500, the end of the first fiscal quarter (Mr. MBA speakith again!), a 150% return over 2 months.
-Apr-Jun: grow the $500 into $1,000 over the 2nd quarter. A 100% return over 3 months, which doesn't sound all that audacious; however, I will probably be traveling quite a bit over that period, and as the $ amounts increase, I will probably have to play at higher stakes, which will make it challenging to show a profit (on a %age basis).
-Jul-Sept: grow the $1,000 into $4,000 over the 3rd quarter. A 400% return--at higher and higher stakes--is indeed aggressive. But I figure that the July - Sept timeframe should find me with a fair amount of time to devote to the Poker Challenge. I should regularly be playing small tourneys at a local casino in British Columbia, and have an eye to competing in a very large tourney in August (especially if I can win a seat via satellite). I will be spending a lot of time on-line at SNGs honing my skills for the tourney, which I believe is in August.
-Oct-Dec: grow my $4,000 into $10,000 by the end of the final quarter, a 150% return. The fourth quarter is always hectic, and at that stage I will have to be playing higher stakes tables/SNGs to move the needle at all; the offset is that I will hopefully be a stronger player than I am today!
When I get into the $4,000 to $5,000 range, I see myself occasionally doing large, high-buy-in tourneys that, should I place, will materially move the needle. That is the plan, anyway...and as Mike Tyson said, we all have a plan 'til the first punch lands.
More on specific cash games and SNG levels and strategies soon. To mix things up, I haven't played any SNGs in about a week--I have been focusing on cash games, as I was quite unhappy with my performance on that front, and am happy to report that I am now at $157.25--it would seem (knock on wood) that my $200 goal for January is within reach! At least until the next bad beat...
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Playing AK and AQ
Playing AK and especially AQ has always caused me a problems and many exits from tournaments. AJ I have already learned to discard as playable, good enough to call a 3xbb raise - but nothing more than that. Unfortunately I am under the illusion that AQ is way better. What can you call after the 2nd raise with AQ? Fact is you are probably beating nothing at this point and at best you are flipping - or you could be horribly behind. Say a pot is raised and someone moves all in on top of that. What is the range of hands that would make that move? I would say (all depending on the stage of the tournament of course) that it is TT, JJ, which you are flipping against, and QQ, KK, AA and AK all of which you are in terrible trouble against. The only hands you are really dominating are KQ and AJ and both of these hands are highly unlikely to be reraising/going all in. A lot of the same applies to AK except you can move QQ to the flip column, AQ to the dominating column and obviously make KK less likely as you are holding one of them. Overall a significant improvement, but it is still deceptive.
Realising the dangers of AK I still can't seem to get it right though - as in an example from a SNG yesterday: Very first hand I get dealt AK. Pot gets raised under the gun and I reraise. This is a move I often make with AK. It serves a couple of purposes:
1) I should unearth any AA or KK as these people would normally shove over the top of my reraise. That saves me a lot of chips later in the hand if a flop comes with either an A or a K and they have made trips / have an overpair and I get stuck in a hand I can't get away from.
2) Enables me to take down quite a few pots there and then that I would have been flipping with. The reraise often makes 55-TT fold.
Back to the SNG. First hand of any SNG is always a minefield as all the nutters are still in it. Bless them, they make poker value, but they also make it extremely tricky in the beginning. My reraise was met with another reraise, now to about 27bb or more than a 3rd of our starting stack by the guy to my right. It comes back to the guy with the initial raise and he goes all in. Action is on me. What now? At this stage I know I am probably facing two all ins and thus getting paid 2:1. But what are the chances of neither of them having the dreaded AA or KK? Slim I decide and I fold. Last player calls and they turn over their cards: AQ and AT. Dreadful play by both of them - especially the AT. Board is five bricks and AQ claims the pot. Doh! AK is generally a good hand to take the lead with but not to follow - AQ is a good hand to mess you up and crash out of tournaments - at least for me.
Day 5: Carnage
Starting balance: $151.87
Let it be said right away: this was not a good day. Had it been a golf it would have been a case of wild drive missing the fairway, poor iron to miss the green yet with some short game magic I manage to get it up and down for a scrambling par. I played 15 $5 SNGs and only managed to cash 4 times - 2 wins, 1 2nd and a 3rd. I played a couple of $2 MTTs as well (90 seaters), one of them being my final tournament of the night. In that last one I managed a 4th place finish after completely messing up my endgame. I was tired, it was late (well, early morning really) and I pushed to hard to finish them all off. Instead they finished me off. The day as a whole was ugly and badly played by me, but thanks to that last effort I did relatively little damage to my balance and finished with $145.07
Day 6: Vintage
Starting balance: $145.07
I didn't play all that much as I was also playing live with some mates. However the 11 SNGs I did manage ended with 4 wins and a 2nd for a very solid profit. Especially my headsup play was good as I for once took the time to finish off my opponents instead of adopting the shove-and-hope strategy. In a couple of these headsup I went in a firm chip-underdog but took my time to outplay them headsup and win it chip for chip. One headsup took about 30 mins, longer than it took us to get rid of the first 7 players, but in the end I was victorious. The villain must have left a little deflated as he arrived at HU 3:1 up and left with 2nd place and all grinded out. It is was very pleasing as I have never really enjoyed nor been good at HU. It has cost me many tournament wins in the past as I have been outplayed in this stage of the game. At the end of the day the balance read $185.87 and $210 no longer seems so far off.
Douchebag
Realising the dangers of AK I still can't seem to get it right though - as in an example from a SNG yesterday: Very first hand I get dealt AK. Pot gets raised under the gun and I reraise. This is a move I often make with AK. It serves a couple of purposes:
1) I should unearth any AA or KK as these people would normally shove over the top of my reraise. That saves me a lot of chips later in the hand if a flop comes with either an A or a K and they have made trips / have an overpair and I get stuck in a hand I can't get away from.
2) Enables me to take down quite a few pots there and then that I would have been flipping with. The reraise often makes 55-TT fold.
Back to the SNG. First hand of any SNG is always a minefield as all the nutters are still in it. Bless them, they make poker value, but they also make it extremely tricky in the beginning. My reraise was met with another reraise, now to about 27bb or more than a 3rd of our starting stack by the guy to my right. It comes back to the guy with the initial raise and he goes all in. Action is on me. What now? At this stage I know I am probably facing two all ins and thus getting paid 2:1. But what are the chances of neither of them having the dreaded AA or KK? Slim I decide and I fold. Last player calls and they turn over their cards: AQ and AT. Dreadful play by both of them - especially the AT. Board is five bricks and AQ claims the pot. Doh! AK is generally a good hand to take the lead with but not to follow - AQ is a good hand to mess you up and crash out of tournaments - at least for me.
Day 5: Carnage
Starting balance: $151.87
Let it be said right away: this was not a good day. Had it been a golf it would have been a case of wild drive missing the fairway, poor iron to miss the green yet with some short game magic I manage to get it up and down for a scrambling par. I played 15 $5 SNGs and only managed to cash 4 times - 2 wins, 1 2nd and a 3rd. I played a couple of $2 MTTs as well (90 seaters), one of them being my final tournament of the night. In that last one I managed a 4th place finish after completely messing up my endgame. I was tired, it was late (well, early morning really) and I pushed to hard to finish them all off. Instead they finished me off. The day as a whole was ugly and badly played by me, but thanks to that last effort I did relatively little damage to my balance and finished with $145.07
Day 6: Vintage
Starting balance: $145.07
I didn't play all that much as I was also playing live with some mates. However the 11 SNGs I did manage ended with 4 wins and a 2nd for a very solid profit. Especially my headsup play was good as I for once took the time to finish off my opponents instead of adopting the shove-and-hope strategy. In a couple of these headsup I went in a firm chip-underdog but took my time to outplay them headsup and win it chip for chip. One headsup took about 30 mins, longer than it took us to get rid of the first 7 players, but in the end I was victorious. The villain must have left a little deflated as he arrived at HU 3:1 up and left with 2nd place and all grinded out. It is was very pleasing as I have never really enjoyed nor been good at HU. It has cost me many tournament wins in the past as I have been outplayed in this stage of the game. At the end of the day the balance read $185.87 and $210 no longer seems so far off.
Douchebag
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
V: Session #3: Working for a living
Starting balance: $49.40
In a day of far-too-many-to-count $1 SNGs, I managed a positive day, in large measure because I focused. Of all the tourneys I lost, the single biggest error is my simple unwillingness to listen to what the cards and my fellow players are telling me. Time and again, I know I am beat and yet, like some lemming cursed with self-awareness so that he knows that yet again he is hurtling himself off a cliff, I call, or worse yet, raise powerfully with second best. David Mamet, an accomplished poker player himself, seats this tendency in a deep seated need to have a cruel father relent; less Oedipally, I just want some proof that Jesus (not Ferguson) loves me.
I get neither, but I stay focused, and marvel at the sea of crap that is played, esp. the large number of players who call an all-in bet on the river with nothing more than middle pair when the board is 4-flushed against them. God bless them, though, as they may be the key to my salvation.
Unfortunately, as the only one in this trio that actually has a job, I haven't time to post in more detail. Suffice it to say for now that I am obviously not where I want to be, and worry about the exponential difference that may begin to loom between me and my competitors, but at least the trend is in the right direction (oh, as Poker Stars was restarting their server and so the SNGs disappeared at around 5:30 pm, I dipped into a .02/.05 ring game for a bit, which accounts for my strange ending amount):
Ending balance: $62.72
In a day of far-too-many-to-count $1 SNGs, I managed a positive day, in large measure because I focused. Of all the tourneys I lost, the single biggest error is my simple unwillingness to listen to what the cards and my fellow players are telling me. Time and again, I know I am beat and yet, like some lemming cursed with self-awareness so that he knows that yet again he is hurtling himself off a cliff, I call, or worse yet, raise powerfully with second best. David Mamet, an accomplished poker player himself, seats this tendency in a deep seated need to have a cruel father relent; less Oedipally, I just want some proof that Jesus (not Ferguson) loves me.
I get neither, but I stay focused, and marvel at the sea of crap that is played, esp. the large number of players who call an all-in bet on the river with nothing more than middle pair when the board is 4-flushed against them. God bless them, though, as they may be the key to my salvation.
Unfortunately, as the only one in this trio that actually has a job, I haven't time to post in more detail. Suffice it to say for now that I am obviously not where I want to be, and worry about the exponential difference that may begin to loom between me and my competitors, but at least the trend is in the right direction (oh, as Poker Stars was restarting their server and so the SNGs disappeared at around 5:30 pm, I dipped into a .02/.05 ring game for a bit, which accounts for my strange ending amount):
Ending balance: $62.72
The long and winding road
This challenge is definitely not for someone who doesn't enjoy grinding. Multitabling for small stakes like this does not provide the highs or lows that putting the entire bankroll on the line does. Nor does it give you the chance to dream of that big win - the moment where you are in the top10 of the Sunday million with only 6000 people left. However it is extremely satisfying to prove that you can actually 'beat the game' by following the strict rules and grind out a profit. It is not because you threw a hail Mary at a tournament, because you lucked out in a massive Omaha pot or because you pulled off a ballsy bluff; it is you beating the players around you because you are BETTER - and that builds confidence.
Day 3: Slow and steady
Starting balance: $113.10
As I was 'eligible' for $5 SNGs (just) I threw a few of those in the mix but played mainly $3 SNGs as my balance went up and under the magic $110 line all session. I managed 15 SNGs which resulted in 4 wins and 2 2nds - including a remarkable win where I fought back from 200 chips. A couple of $2 (90 seater) MTTs ended in fiasco, but, as I am sure it was Jesus' plan, taking these shots for 2% of your bankroll does not hurt you much. At the end of the session I finished with a balance of $127.60 and a fairly optimistic outlook.
Day 4: Exponential growth and getting the treatment from the doomswitch
Starting balance: $127.60
Safely in the $5 zone I stuck to those all session - managing 12 SNGs which resulted in 2 wins and 2 2nds and 1 3rd place. Three attempts at the $2 MTT ended with two cashes for modest amounts. Especially in one I was crusing towards the win just when the final table started. On top of that I get dealt aces on the button. BB is another big stack so I make my standard 3xbb raise. BB just flat calls. Flop comes A K x and I now have the stone-cold nuts. My continuation-bet is met by a massive all in re-raise - and I can't call quick enough: winning this pot would give me about 80% of the chips on the table and most likely a good boost to the balance. But then someone flicked the doomswitch : Turn brings another K to give me Aces full and villain kings full. Not a problem - at least not until the river throws out the case king and the villain collects a massive pot and I am completely crippled. A couple of hands later I am felted and reporting to the rail. Only good thing about that is that it happened in a $2 MTT and not in the Sunday Million!
But overall a very good day and the balance now reads $151.87. Next big target is $220 and the $10 SNGs.
Douchebag
Day 3: Slow and steady
Starting balance: $113.10
As I was 'eligible' for $5 SNGs (just) I threw a few of those in the mix but played mainly $3 SNGs as my balance went up and under the magic $110 line all session. I managed 15 SNGs which resulted in 4 wins and 2 2nds - including a remarkable win where I fought back from 200 chips. A couple of $2 (90 seater) MTTs ended in fiasco, but, as I am sure it was Jesus' plan, taking these shots for 2% of your bankroll does not hurt you much. At the end of the session I finished with a balance of $127.60 and a fairly optimistic outlook.
Day 4: Exponential growth and getting the treatment from the doomswitch
Starting balance: $127.60
Safely in the $5 zone I stuck to those all session - managing 12 SNGs which resulted in 2 wins and 2 2nds and 1 3rd place. Three attempts at the $2 MTT ended with two cashes for modest amounts. Especially in one I was crusing towards the win just when the final table started. On top of that I get dealt aces on the button. BB is another big stack so I make my standard 3xbb raise. BB just flat calls. Flop comes A K x and I now have the stone-cold nuts. My continuation-bet is met by a massive all in re-raise - and I can't call quick enough: winning this pot would give me about 80% of the chips on the table and most likely a good boost to the balance. But then someone flicked the doomswitch : Turn brings another K to give me Aces full and villain kings full. Not a problem - at least not until the river throws out the case king and the villain collects a massive pot and I am completely crippled. A couple of hands later I am felted and reporting to the rail. Only good thing about that is that it happened in a $2 MTT and not in the Sunday Million!
But overall a very good day and the balance now reads $151.87. Next big target is $220 and the $10 SNGs.
Douchebag
"That's Why I HATE This Game!" (Pot-Limit, that is)
I took a break from our online poker challenge today to play live at the local casino. I played a 3-table live tourney and finished (just barely) in the money. Decent, but hardly heroic.
I then joined a $3/$6 Limit game--there were no No-limit tables in play. I'd only played a Limit game once before; initially I'd been intimidated by the numbers (it sounds more expensive than $1/$3 NL, but it's actually a lot less risky/volatile). I had found limit a little boring, but in a way more relaxing than NL, where you need to be "on" all the time. More like cross-country skiing vs. grand slalom; coffee with an old buddy vs. a first date...you get the picture.
Anyway, into my very first session on Limit, it didn't take me too long to realize that it is actually a totally different beast: it is all about chasing; great starting hands more often than not amount to a hill o' beans.
Accordingly, I did a fair amount of chasing (calling max bets all the way to the river with A-5 suited, chasing--and hitting--the flush draw). After about an hour, I had built my mighty bankroll from $100 to about $150. I was rich--and determined to get richer!
At that point, the player 2 to my left had just won two hands in a row, and thus the "kill" came into play--all blinds/bets were doubled. In the hope that this may prove at all therapeutic, let me share my story:
1. I was dealt KK. A dream of a hand in NL, but I knew better here. But the "kill" could help--maybe I could actually push some "drawers" out of the pot.
2. The bet was $6 (doubled from the standard $3); three folks called around to me. I roundly (max-) raised to $12. The button called (he had to put in $6 more since he was the "kill") and Seat 4 Called. Everyone else folded.
3. The flop came: 2 (hearts), 3 (hearts), 8 (diamonds). A terrific flop for me: no Ace (which could pose a problem for my K's), no possible flush or straights. Trips unlikely (who would have called with a pair of 2's or 3's; 8's, perhaps).
4. Seat #4 checked to me. I surely had the best hand, but was wary of letting my opponents draw out to a flush or straight. I max-bet $12. The button and #4 called me. I thought they were nuts. The pot was now about $100.
5. The turn: K of spades. I made trips--and no flush or straight was possible! I max-bet and my two donk-pals called me. Seat #4 is now all-in. I know they're drawing, but that I am heavily favored. And even if they were to hit their straight of flush, if the board were to pair, I've got the full house. I am feelin' bulletproof and invisible. What are these guys doin'?
6. The river comes: 4 of hearts. The heart gives me a heart-attack, and Seat #4 gives out a little whimper-yelp like some hairless Mexican dog. I check to the button. He bets $12. I feel sick to my stomach, but there's no way I'm laying down my set of K's. I clutch my throat and call.
7. The big blind shows the case King (hearts) and a ten of hearts. He made the flush on the river, and takes the side pot. He called all along in the hope of making the flush, and the K on fourth street simply provided a dose of insurance (he may have figured I had QQ or JJ or such).
8. Adding insult to injury, Seat 4 shows A-5...both of hearts. Yup, the ol' straight flush! Bet he was kickin' himself that he didn't have some more chips to be a part of (and raise) on the river!
And that, my friends, is how this Limit game can just crush your spirit. Clearly, in No-limit, I would have made a large bet after the flop (and, if necessary, the turn) to deny pot-odds to the drawers. But in this messed up Limit world, you just can't price the drawers out. And I am about $150 poorer for it!
Needless to say, I needed to vent. And also explain why there has been no change in my 2009 Challenge balance (still about $130). But I will be back at it tomorrow. And--I promise you this--back at it far, far away from any Limit action!
BTW, if I remember, I will try to post a bit tomorrow on my strategy for turning that $100 into $10,000 by 12/31/09. A long-shot, I know. But then so is drawing out to a straight-flush vs. trip-Kings!!
I then joined a $3/$6 Limit game--there were no No-limit tables in play. I'd only played a Limit game once before; initially I'd been intimidated by the numbers (it sounds more expensive than $1/$3 NL, but it's actually a lot less risky/volatile). I had found limit a little boring, but in a way more relaxing than NL, where you need to be "on" all the time. More like cross-country skiing vs. grand slalom; coffee with an old buddy vs. a first date...you get the picture.
Anyway, into my very first session on Limit, it didn't take me too long to realize that it is actually a totally different beast: it is all about chasing; great starting hands more often than not amount to a hill o' beans.
Accordingly, I did a fair amount of chasing (calling max bets all the way to the river with A-5 suited, chasing--and hitting--the flush draw). After about an hour, I had built my mighty bankroll from $100 to about $150. I was rich--and determined to get richer!
At that point, the player 2 to my left had just won two hands in a row, and thus the "kill" came into play--all blinds/bets were doubled. In the hope that this may prove at all therapeutic, let me share my story:
1. I was dealt KK. A dream of a hand in NL, but I knew better here. But the "kill" could help--maybe I could actually push some "drawers" out of the pot.
2. The bet was $6 (doubled from the standard $3); three folks called around to me. I roundly (max-) raised to $12. The button called (he had to put in $6 more since he was the "kill") and Seat 4 Called. Everyone else folded.
3. The flop came: 2 (hearts), 3 (hearts), 8 (diamonds). A terrific flop for me: no Ace (which could pose a problem for my K's), no possible flush or straights. Trips unlikely (who would have called with a pair of 2's or 3's; 8's, perhaps).
4. Seat #4 checked to me. I surely had the best hand, but was wary of letting my opponents draw out to a flush or straight. I max-bet $12. The button and #4 called me. I thought they were nuts. The pot was now about $100.
5. The turn: K of spades. I made trips--and no flush or straight was possible! I max-bet and my two donk-pals called me. Seat #4 is now all-in. I know they're drawing, but that I am heavily favored. And even if they were to hit their straight of flush, if the board were to pair, I've got the full house. I am feelin' bulletproof and invisible. What are these guys doin'?
6. The river comes: 4 of hearts. The heart gives me a heart-attack, and Seat #4 gives out a little whimper-yelp like some hairless Mexican dog. I check to the button. He bets $12. I feel sick to my stomach, but there's no way I'm laying down my set of K's. I clutch my throat and call.
7. The big blind shows the case King (hearts) and a ten of hearts. He made the flush on the river, and takes the side pot. He called all along in the hope of making the flush, and the K on fourth street simply provided a dose of insurance (he may have figured I had QQ or JJ or such).
8. Adding insult to injury, Seat 4 shows A-5...both of hearts. Yup, the ol' straight flush! Bet he was kickin' himself that he didn't have some more chips to be a part of (and raise) on the river!
And that, my friends, is how this Limit game can just crush your spirit. Clearly, in No-limit, I would have made a large bet after the flop (and, if necessary, the turn) to deny pot-odds to the drawers. But in this messed up Limit world, you just can't price the drawers out. And I am about $150 poorer for it!
Needless to say, I needed to vent. And also explain why there has been no change in my 2009 Challenge balance (still about $130). But I will be back at it tomorrow. And--I promise you this--back at it far, far away from any Limit action!
BTW, if I remember, I will try to post a bit tomorrow on my strategy for turning that $100 into $10,000 by 12/31/09. A long-shot, I know. But then so is drawing out to a straight-flush vs. trip-Kings!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Back to school
I am in no way new to the game of poker. I played poker before it became "cool", before the big TV boom. Back in my younger days when I was just out of school I was hanging out with a few people from the awful call centre I was working in. Everyone who has worked in one of those, or indeed any really boring office job, knows that the only fun you will have is the fun you create yourself - as portrayed well in the TV Series "The Office". We were all very competitive and very into sports and games, yet we were all really bad at both and knew it. One long Friday afternoon waiting for the calls to stop and the lines to close for the weekend we came up with something we called "The Manly Challenge" - to find out which one of us was most manly (and yes, it was definitely not the word that came/come to mind when describing us). It consisted of 4 legs: table tennis (my vote, I knew I would own that), bowling, pool and this new card game that would round the weekend off: one of my mates had recently been to the States and heard of a card game called Texas Hold'em. We agreed to give it a go as a good way to round off the manly weekend; it would include beer, banter and cards - and quite possibly settle who won the title as the manliest man in the call centre.
Table tennis went as expected as I thrashed them all. Bowling also went according to the script: I sucked to the max. Pool was a close affair and in the end it would all come down to the poker. I needed to win and the leader at the time come 3rd or worse. I was chosen to host as I was the only one not living at home - very ironic for a manly challenge really.
After a crash course on the rules from our friend who had been stateside we got it going. In hindsight we did many things wrong: we had no idea how to set up a tournament like this so everything from the order of people to act to the blind structure was very random. It meant a 5-man tournament took a good 12 hours before I could finally claim the win and the $200 prize pool. As the challenge leader going in made it to heads up I did not claim the trophy as the manliest man of a call centre in a tiny, windswept English town on the south coast. However my interest in poker had been born and as I was already very into betting and cards it did not take me long to join a poker site.
Fast forward 10 years and I can look back on many highs and lows. There have been big tournament wins, great evenings with live poker in casinos and with the friends as well as times where I have been running over the online cash tables and equally times where I have been running into bad beat after bad beat and made stupid plays. I have always been a streaky player and when I run hot I am really en fuego, but when I am struggling I crash and burn hard. My performance and therefore my results seems to be mainly related to confidence. Am currently in my worst slump ever and have no confidence in my game at all. On top of that I have absolutely zero bankroll management skills so when I run hot I step up a grade too quickly, and when I am in a crisis I am reluctant to step back down.
Badgerblind and V's project here seemed like a good idea to try and regain some confidence and hopely also learn a few bankroll management lessons. So here I am: "Hi, my name is Douchebag and I suck at poker... "
Unlike my fellow bloggers here I will stick to the Ferguson rules very strictly. There will be no buying into a $10+1 SNG when I only have $200 etc. I need to be taught a lesson so the more discipline the better. I have several leaks in my game that needs plugging and hopefully I can get that sorted at this cheap level.
Day 1: Arrogance gets punished and puts me on monkeytilt.
I started out with a quick game of $0.05/0.10 PL Omaha buying in for my max $5. Money was quickly gone when my trips didn't hold up against a straight/flush draw. I decided that omaha was not the way to go - at least for now. The variance is too big and the danger of running cold and going through a few buy-ins is too great. Also, reducing my bankroll any more would make it impossible to buy in to even the smallest sit-n-gos.
Instead I turned to single table sit-n-gos. where my limit is 5%. $3+0.40 was the maximum the rules would let me buy in to so I did. It all went to plan as I won my first tournament easily. I was back on the right side of $100 and it felt so easy. I have never been short of arrogance, but I felt I was invincible at this level. I signed up for a few more and most of them turbos. After all, despite turbos levelling the playing field I should still walk all over these people right? Not so much...
In total I played ten $3+0.40 SNGs not counting the initial success, and I only managed a couple of 3rd places. I finished day 1 with a balance of $88.30, with even less confidence and badly in need of a new game plan.
Day 2: Redemption
Starting balance: $88.30
I decided to stick to the $3+0.40 SNGs (9 handed) until I get to the $110 that is required to step up to the $5 SNGs and open the door for the odd $2 MTT. I won the first two before I had a brain freeze and dumped $4 on a cash table at $0.01/0.02 NL HE. Play was so freakily weird at that level I just tilted. All-ins of $5 into 0.04c pots looked the norm. Three more SNGs resulted in three 2nd places and the balance was up to $118.60. An early observation is that people don't play heads up as well at this level as at the higher levels. I suck at heads up at the best of times (If I arrive at heads up in a big tournament a 60-40 chip leader I would settle for a chop!), but here it is a different story. Aggression has won the day and the 2nd places were really the result of mainly being hopelessly outchipped going in combined with losing deciding hands like AA v QQ and AK v JT.
My first attempt at a $5 tournament was a failure as I crashed out 4th when my AK didn't hit against his QQ, but a closing balance of $113.10 is satisfying for now...
Douchebag
Table tennis went as expected as I thrashed them all. Bowling also went according to the script: I sucked to the max. Pool was a close affair and in the end it would all come down to the poker. I needed to win and the leader at the time come 3rd or worse. I was chosen to host as I was the only one not living at home - very ironic for a manly challenge really.
After a crash course on the rules from our friend who had been stateside we got it going. In hindsight we did many things wrong: we had no idea how to set up a tournament like this so everything from the order of people to act to the blind structure was very random. It meant a 5-man tournament took a good 12 hours before I could finally claim the win and the $200 prize pool. As the challenge leader going in made it to heads up I did not claim the trophy as the manliest man of a call centre in a tiny, windswept English town on the south coast. However my interest in poker had been born and as I was already very into betting and cards it did not take me long to join a poker site.
Fast forward 10 years and I can look back on many highs and lows. There have been big tournament wins, great evenings with live poker in casinos and with the friends as well as times where I have been running over the online cash tables and equally times where I have been running into bad beat after bad beat and made stupid plays. I have always been a streaky player and when I run hot I am really en fuego, but when I am struggling I crash and burn hard. My performance and therefore my results seems to be mainly related to confidence. Am currently in my worst slump ever and have no confidence in my game at all. On top of that I have absolutely zero bankroll management skills so when I run hot I step up a grade too quickly, and when I am in a crisis I am reluctant to step back down.
Badgerblind and V's project here seemed like a good idea to try and regain some confidence and hopely also learn a few bankroll management lessons. So here I am: "Hi, my name is Douchebag and I suck at poker... "
Unlike my fellow bloggers here I will stick to the Ferguson rules very strictly. There will be no buying into a $10+1 SNG when I only have $200 etc. I need to be taught a lesson so the more discipline the better. I have several leaks in my game that needs plugging and hopefully I can get that sorted at this cheap level.
Day 1: Arrogance gets punished and puts me on monkeytilt.
I started out with a quick game of $0.05/0.10 PL Omaha buying in for my max $5. Money was quickly gone when my trips didn't hold up against a straight/flush draw. I decided that omaha was not the way to go - at least for now. The variance is too big and the danger of running cold and going through a few buy-ins is too great. Also, reducing my bankroll any more would make it impossible to buy in to even the smallest sit-n-gos.
Instead I turned to single table sit-n-gos. where my limit is 5%. $3+0.40 was the maximum the rules would let me buy in to so I did. It all went to plan as I won my first tournament easily. I was back on the right side of $100 and it felt so easy. I have never been short of arrogance, but I felt I was invincible at this level. I signed up for a few more and most of them turbos. After all, despite turbos levelling the playing field I should still walk all over these people right? Not so much...
In total I played ten $3+0.40 SNGs not counting the initial success, and I only managed a couple of 3rd places. I finished day 1 with a balance of $88.30, with even less confidence and badly in need of a new game plan.
Day 2: Redemption
Starting balance: $88.30
I decided to stick to the $3+0.40 SNGs (9 handed) until I get to the $110 that is required to step up to the $5 SNGs and open the door for the odd $2 MTT. I won the first two before I had a brain freeze and dumped $4 on a cash table at $0.01/0.02 NL HE. Play was so freakily weird at that level I just tilted. All-ins of $5 into 0.04c pots looked the norm. Three more SNGs resulted in three 2nd places and the balance was up to $118.60. An early observation is that people don't play heads up as well at this level as at the higher levels. I suck at heads up at the best of times (If I arrive at heads up in a big tournament a 60-40 chip leader I would settle for a chop!), but here it is a different story. Aggression has won the day and the 2nd places were really the result of mainly being hopelessly outchipped going in combined with losing deciding hands like AA v QQ and AK v JT.
My first attempt at a $5 tournament was a failure as I crashed out 4th when my AK didn't hit against his QQ, but a closing balance of $113.10 is satisfying for now...
Douchebag
Sunday, January 4, 2009
PLAYING THE RUSH
Let me preface this posting by saying: the Badger has zero delusions de grandeur. But, since my last posting, I have played 4 SNGs (2x3 tables, 1x2table and 1x1table). I have placed 3rd, 2nd, 1st and 4th respectively--"in the money" 4 for 4.
Almost makes me think I am getting the hang of the tourney format--however, I fully anticipate to be roundly humbled once I move up the scale (the Badger is, gulp, still playing in the "micro" tabs).
The good news is, my bankroll has swollen to a whoppin' $136.81--many, many miles to go, but a respectable day's play nonetheless.
Now watch me give it all back tomorrow!
Almost makes me think I am getting the hang of the tourney format--however, I fully anticipate to be roundly humbled once I move up the scale (the Badger is, gulp, still playing in the "micro" tabs).
The good news is, my bankroll has swollen to a whoppin' $136.81--many, many miles to go, but a respectable day's play nonetheless.
Now watch me give it all back tomorrow!
V: Session # 2: Practice does not make perfect
Starting balance: $95.60
Or maybe it does, in which case it would seem I have practicing my errors into something approaching high art. 12 more hours at the tables, and, well, the results speak for themselves.
As noted in my last post, there is hmmm, there is feh, and all the rest is commentary. I will spare you much of the commentary. Suffice it to say that, if there is to be any hope of turning this Titanic around, I need to turn off AXN's "Video Zonkers," shut down my Go game, and close my mutliple porn browsers when it's time to play cards. Apparently I have nothing but unwarranted arrogance to support this multitasking approach.
Time to remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint (and certainly not a sprint backwards), take a few days away from the tables, and return, as Richard Nixon declared himself in 1968, tanned, rested and ready.
P.S. Stay away from Omaha Hi/Lo No Limit. I don't usually dig pot limit games because of the constricted betting, but since you can't price anyone out in Om H/L anway, the pot limit restriction keeps things from getting out of hand. There's a practiced bit of wisdom for you.
Ending balance: $49.40
Or maybe it does, in which case it would seem I have practicing my errors into something approaching high art. 12 more hours at the tables, and, well, the results speak for themselves.
As noted in my last post, there is hmmm, there is feh, and all the rest is commentary. I will spare you much of the commentary. Suffice it to say that, if there is to be any hope of turning this Titanic around, I need to turn off AXN's "Video Zonkers," shut down my Go game, and close my mutliple porn browsers when it's time to play cards. Apparently I have nothing but unwarranted arrogance to support this multitasking approach.
Time to remember that this is a marathon and not a sprint (and certainly not a sprint backwards), take a few days away from the tables, and return, as Richard Nixon declared himself in 1968, tanned, rested and ready.
P.S. Stay away from Omaha Hi/Lo No Limit. I don't usually dig pot limit games because of the constricted betting, but since you can't price anyone out in Om H/L anway, the pot limit restriction keeps things from getting out of hand. There's a practiced bit of wisdom for you.
Ending balance: $49.40
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Badgerblind: Kicking off the Year
Owing to family, visitors, etc., I have failed to log many hours at the tables as of yet. Alas, those hours that I have logged have proven far from inspired.
I began the year with $97.37--a titch shy of the agreed-upon $100--which I figured should be good for extra bragging rights should I attain that oh-so-distant $10,000 goal.
I also took a different approach than Herr when it came to building my bankroll: I told myself that I would play low-stakes cash games until I crossed $100, then start to "gamble" on tourneys. Sadly, my stack has shrunken in this cold California winter--I am currently down to $92. Not a tragedy, but certainly an inauspicious start.
My take-aways thus far:
1. At the low-stakes table, I NEED TO TAKE BETS AT FACE VALUE. This sounds obvious, but it's actually not. After patiently building up my stack--playing positional poker, bluffing when I had position post-flop and other generally proper poker, I had my whole profit (and then some) wiped out when the following happened:
-I raised about 4 times the BB with pocket Js.
-Everyone folded around to the BB, who has the audacity to triple my bet! Surely this man jests--we all know that the BB NEVER has anything approaching pocket J's!
-So, being the cynic I am, I re-raise him and which point he very happily puts me all in.
-The board then comes something like: A 10 5 3 K. He shows pocket aces, for trips. Needless to say, I muck. That A on the flop was nothing but the Poker Gods rubbing my nose in my hubris.
2. I suspect that sit-n-gos ("SNG") are a better value than cash games. Instead of being repeatedly raped by the rake, you belly-up for an entry fee, but overall players take about 90% of the overall investment. As such, I will try my hand at SNGs tonite, with a view to turning this thing around.
The only consolation I can take away (apart from lessons learned) is that Herr is faring as poorly as I.
-Badger
I began the year with $97.37--a titch shy of the agreed-upon $100--which I figured should be good for extra bragging rights should I attain that oh-so-distant $10,000 goal.
I also took a different approach than Herr when it came to building my bankroll: I told myself that I would play low-stakes cash games until I crossed $100, then start to "gamble" on tourneys. Sadly, my stack has shrunken in this cold California winter--I am currently down to $92. Not a tragedy, but certainly an inauspicious start.
My take-aways thus far:
1. At the low-stakes table, I NEED TO TAKE BETS AT FACE VALUE. This sounds obvious, but it's actually not. After patiently building up my stack--playing positional poker, bluffing when I had position post-flop and other generally proper poker, I had my whole profit (and then some) wiped out when the following happened:
-I raised about 4 times the BB with pocket Js.
-Everyone folded around to the BB, who has the audacity to triple my bet! Surely this man jests--we all know that the BB NEVER has anything approaching pocket J's!
-So, being the cynic I am, I re-raise him and which point he very happily puts me all in.
-The board then comes something like: A 10 5 3 K. He shows pocket aces, for trips. Needless to say, I muck. That A on the flop was nothing but the Poker Gods rubbing my nose in my hubris.
2. I suspect that sit-n-gos ("SNG") are a better value than cash games. Instead of being repeatedly raped by the rake, you belly-up for an entry fee, but overall players take about 90% of the overall investment. As such, I will try my hand at SNGs tonite, with a view to turning this thing around.
The only consolation I can take away (apart from lessons learned) is that Herr is faring as poorly as I.
-Badger
Friday, January 2, 2009
Session # 1: Yaaaaaawn
Starting balance: $100.00
All too many years ago, when a certain noted law firm was trying -- successfully, I should add -- to convert me into a machine that churned out billable hours in much the way that this extrudes sausages, I was taken to some elaborate party at Sotheby's. It was there, as I viewed $200 million worth of Klimts and Chagalls, and trampled all over my incipient career by downing wine as if I were tricked by the Giant King into quaffing the oceans and snarfing mini-quiches with a gusto that would have shamed Takeru Kobayashi, that I unexpectedly came to this enduring insight:
"There is art that makes you go 'hmmm,' and art that makes you go 'feh.'" I then added, by way of Rabbi Akivah, that "all the rest is commentary."
Why bring this up? Because I was very mindful of the Hmmm/Feh divide this holiday season as I inaugurated our little year-long poker challenge with upwards of 12 hours of the most spectacularly uninspired poker imaginable. I planted my landing on the Feh side of the line with a grace that even the Romanian judges would have approved of.
I did start off intelligently. I limited myself almost exclusively to micro-stake one-table SNG's -- I like the one table games because my patience begins to run on fumes after an hour. And I stuck to the micro-stakes (i.e., under $5) bcause (i) I had hopes -- hahaha -- of emulating Chris Ferguson's discipline at least a little bit, and (ii) the shame of rebuying on Day 1 was more than even I, whose shame center was apparently discarded with his foreskin some seven days into this world, could bear.
I split my games roughly between NLHE and Omaha Hi/Lo (a game for which I have an overweaning affection ever since some tilting Russian once bet $500 into my quad 8's). I started patiently, with the first NLHE game yielding more rags than that fateful day at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. As much as it killed me, I folded, folded, folded, before finally going all in short-stacked with JTh and getting fairly busted out by AJos.
Poker Lesson# 1: View rags like junk mail or spam. Throw out, delete, don't even consider, no matter how many you rag hands you get. As per the below, I find it very difficult to follow this.
Poker Lesson# 2: The universe owes you nothing. It is utterly indifferent to you and your fate. When I get crap cards after crap cards, my id sets up this incessant whine of "when the @&#*@ is it MY turn??," which only makes adhering to Poker Tip # 1 all the more difficult. I have to force myself to remember that God/Pangaea/the Great Hollow Void fundamentally does not give a rat's ass about either my chip stack or my perceived notions of fairness.
This was not the glorious up-up-and-away beginning that I hoped for, but it fairly captured much of what was to come. The next NLHE game I went from big dog to busted out on two nearly back-to-back bad beats against the same player: My KK getting cracked by KQh by a river straight, and my JJ getting cracked by KJos by a river K.
Poker Lesson# 3: Unless you are going to give back chips that you won by sucking out, shut the #$&* up when you get sucked out on. This is, in fact, one tiny bit of self-control I am able to exercise.
But other than that, it was the usual: I won with good cards and lost with bad ones, which betokens ill for my chances of making $10K by the end of the year. Other than chasing gutshots or 3-flushes, I committed almost every poker sin that I can think of: overplayed weak hands, failed to extract max value from monsters, failed to take advantage of my opponents when they telegraphed their weaknesses, called small bets down to the river on draws, etc., etc.
The two most immediate things to work on, though, are this: (1) I personalize my resentment against chronic raisers, chronic pot-buyers and other would-be table captains, and (2) I stay interested in pots that I am not involved in.
Poker Lesson# 4: Hating a fellow player is just bone stupid, although it is a bone-stupidity to which I am uncommonly prone. Chalk it up to an undersized childhood fleeing bullies, but I draw a crosshairs on every steamrolling monitor lizard, and it never serves me well. It takes me off my game by making me play theirs, and it makes me susceptible to playing crap just for the hoped-for romantic narrative: "I am going to raise with this 83os because when the flop comes 833 I am going to bust that mother#&$^# OUT!" Um, this never happens. Not rarely. Never.
Poker Lesson # 5: This feature that lets me keep viewing my cards after I've folded is NOT. MY. FRIEND. When I get priced out of a pot with 88 by 99 and the flop comes 8xx, I go into a frenzy. It's like a new species of tilt I've managed to invent. I find that I am all too tempted, when in a similar situation, to do the stupid thing and call because, obviously, the flop will come exacltly the same. Yes, it is exhausting being this moronic.
So, for next time my mantras are: Don't Be a Hata, and Be Here Now.
I am not holding out high hopes, but wish me luck. At least I did only minimal damage to my bankroll:
Ending balance: $95.60
Wishing you better discipline at the tables,
I remain,
Your Self-Honest Correspondent,
V.
All too many years ago, when a certain noted law firm was trying -- successfully, I should add -- to convert me into a machine that churned out billable hours in much the way that this extrudes sausages, I was taken to some elaborate party at Sotheby's. It was there, as I viewed $200 million worth of Klimts and Chagalls, and trampled all over my incipient career by downing wine as if I were tricked by the Giant King into quaffing the oceans and snarfing mini-quiches with a gusto that would have shamed Takeru Kobayashi, that I unexpectedly came to this enduring insight:
"There is art that makes you go 'hmmm,' and art that makes you go 'feh.'" I then added, by way of Rabbi Akivah, that "all the rest is commentary."
Why bring this up? Because I was very mindful of the Hmmm/Feh divide this holiday season as I inaugurated our little year-long poker challenge with upwards of 12 hours of the most spectacularly uninspired poker imaginable. I planted my landing on the Feh side of the line with a grace that even the Romanian judges would have approved of.
I did start off intelligently. I limited myself almost exclusively to micro-stake one-table SNG's -- I like the one table games because my patience begins to run on fumes after an hour. And I stuck to the micro-stakes (i.e., under $5) bcause (i) I had hopes -- hahaha -- of emulating Chris Ferguson's discipline at least a little bit, and (ii) the shame of rebuying on Day 1 was more than even I, whose shame center was apparently discarded with his foreskin some seven days into this world, could bear.
I split my games roughly between NLHE and Omaha Hi/Lo (a game for which I have an overweaning affection ever since some tilting Russian once bet $500 into my quad 8's). I started patiently, with the first NLHE game yielding more rags than that fateful day at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. As much as it killed me, I folded, folded, folded, before finally going all in short-stacked with JTh and getting fairly busted out by AJos.
Poker Lesson# 1: View rags like junk mail or spam. Throw out, delete, don't even consider, no matter how many you rag hands you get. As per the below, I find it very difficult to follow this.
Poker Lesson# 2: The universe owes you nothing. It is utterly indifferent to you and your fate. When I get crap cards after crap cards, my id sets up this incessant whine of "when the @&#*@ is it MY turn??," which only makes adhering to Poker Tip # 1 all the more difficult. I have to force myself to remember that God/Pangaea/the Great Hollow Void fundamentally does not give a rat's ass about either my chip stack or my perceived notions of fairness.
This was not the glorious up-up-and-away beginning that I hoped for, but it fairly captured much of what was to come. The next NLHE game I went from big dog to busted out on two nearly back-to-back bad beats against the same player: My KK getting cracked by KQh by a river straight, and my JJ getting cracked by KJos by a river K.
Poker Lesson# 3: Unless you are going to give back chips that you won by sucking out, shut the #$&* up when you get sucked out on. This is, in fact, one tiny bit of self-control I am able to exercise.
But other than that, it was the usual: I won with good cards and lost with bad ones, which betokens ill for my chances of making $10K by the end of the year. Other than chasing gutshots or 3-flushes, I committed almost every poker sin that I can think of: overplayed weak hands, failed to extract max value from monsters, failed to take advantage of my opponents when they telegraphed their weaknesses, called small bets down to the river on draws, etc., etc.
The two most immediate things to work on, though, are this: (1) I personalize my resentment against chronic raisers, chronic pot-buyers and other would-be table captains, and (2) I stay interested in pots that I am not involved in.
Poker Lesson# 4: Hating a fellow player is just bone stupid, although it is a bone-stupidity to which I am uncommonly prone. Chalk it up to an undersized childhood fleeing bullies, but I draw a crosshairs on every steamrolling monitor lizard, and it never serves me well. It takes me off my game by making me play theirs, and it makes me susceptible to playing crap just for the hoped-for romantic narrative: "I am going to raise with this 83os because when the flop comes 833 I am going to bust that mother#&$^# OUT!" Um, this never happens. Not rarely. Never.
Poker Lesson # 5: This feature that lets me keep viewing my cards after I've folded is NOT. MY. FRIEND. When I get priced out of a pot with 88 by 99 and the flop comes 8xx, I go into a frenzy. It's like a new species of tilt I've managed to invent. I find that I am all too tempted, when in a similar situation, to do the stupid thing and call because, obviously, the flop will come exacltly the same. Yes, it is exhausting being this moronic.
So, for next time my mantras are: Don't Be a Hata, and Be Here Now.
I am not holding out high hopes, but wish me luck. At least I did only minimal damage to my bankroll:
Ending balance: $95.60
Wishing you better discipline at the tables,
I remain,
Your Self-Honest Correspondent,
V.
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