Before I write anything, just let me say congratulations to a good friend of mine Francis from Birmingham. He called me Saturday night and informed me he was chipleader with ten left in an MTT on Betfair. I downloaded Betfair and hopped on to wacth. Well 146 players, $10 buy-in, Frannie takes first place for $450. And just to prove it was no fluke, he came 2nd in a 2500 player freeroll the following day when his JJ lost to A9 heads up. Just to put this in perspective, he has only been playing for about a year, so he is getting better very quickly.
Now on to me.
Well this weekend the future inlaws came to Glasgow and I didnt get much poker played. I was tiling the bathroom and kitchen as well as going to dinners and concerts. They are really nice people and her dad was teaching me a lot about DIY (do it yourself) so it was ok.
I played a little cash the last few days, breaking about even. Here are some of the more interesting hands, let me know what you think.
Hand 1 - I have J9 diamonds in middle position and I call the $1. The button then makes it $4 and I call. The flop comes 997 with two hearts. I check, he bets $9, I min raise to $18, he calls. The turn is the K of hearts, and I bet the pot and he folds. In hindsight, I should have came out betting the flop I think. Thoughts?
Hand 2 - I have AQ hearts in middle position and I raise to $6. The cutoff calls (one before the button) and the small blind calls. The flop comes out TJK rainbow giving me the nuts. I bet $8 into a $20 pot to fake a continuation bet. The cut off calls, the small blind raises making it another $34 to play. Now I thought I was up against either a set and a set, a set and two pair, two pair and AK. I knew that pairing the board was disaster so I figured that if I was going to go broke, better to go broke in a pot getting 3-1 on my money rather than 2-1. I called the $34. The other guy took ages but folded. The turn was a 5. Now with $111 in the pot, I go all in for $50 or so. He calls. The river was a beautiful 2 and he flips KJ for two pair. The cutoff then said he had AK. That was a nice pot.
(You all may be thinking how could I break even with hands like those?...read on)
Hand 3 - I have 55 in the SB and after a few limpers I complete and see a flop of 573. I check, UTG bets out the pot, folded to me, I min raise he reraises, I call. Turn is a 3. I check, he bets the pot, I go all in, he calls. River is an ace. He flips over....77 for better full house. Nothing I could do, just unlucky, cannot get away from middle set.
I am going to play some 45 player turbos tonight I think. Have had some success with them recently and they ar filled with weak players.
Heres to hoping.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Last Night
Last night I played a bunch of multis following up on my performance in the deepstack. They are relatively cheap when you compare the buyin to the prizes and they are a lot of fun.
I signed up for two 180 man tournies, a $20 and a $10, the $3 rebuy, a 45 man $10 SnG and a $6.50 turbo to alleviate boredom in the early levels.
The turbo I got second losing a race with A9 to 88. Not bad, profit, I'll take it.
The three dollar rebuy I got to 6000 chips early but lost them on a coin flip late in the rebuy stage. Rather then buy back in I left the tourney after having spent $6.30.
The $20 180 man I overplayed QQ when a maniac called a massive raise and then checked an A high flop. I bet out and stupidly pot committed myself when he moved in. I called and he had A6. Dumb move by him, even worse move by me. Next time.
The 45 man I played solid and made the final table. I was below average until I got AKs in the BB. A shortstack raised all in and then the chipleader on the button raised all in to isolate. I am not folding AK in that spot in a million years. They showed 55 and 99. The ace on the river was not a bad card and I went from 8 of 9 to 2 of 9. Ended up getting heads up but never got the hand to finish him off. Played well but only got second. Good for an 85 profit. Great result, but again, first place was 135. Next time.
The 180 man $10 was a great tourney. I was tight early and slowly opened up. I went from 1500-3500 without too much trouble and then got KK all in against JJ. My cowboys held up and I was around 7000. Without about 45 players left I found QQ on the button and raised. The BB called. The flop came Q high and in the end we got it all in against his AQ. I was sailing, third or fourth in chips of the remaining players. Little while later I get KK in the and the UTG min raises. I want to know if he has aces, so I raise him another 1400. (which was a lot considering he went from 200 and raised to 400) If he pushed all in I would have folded. I know I would have, and if he has aces he would do that, no way does he slow play there after my big raise. He calls, I then think QQ or maybe JJ. The flop comes 68T and he checks, I put him all in and he instacalls with...AA you say? no....66. WTF. He called a 1400 raise with 66 when he only had 5400 left. Nice hand sir. I went back to playing tight. So tight in fact I didnt look at my cards. Why you ask? Well because my internet sucks of course and I disconnected. I immediately phoned Mike in Toronto, "Mike, you gotta play for me" "Can't bro, just signed up for four multis, shit, wait...." "No it's cool Mike, I'll phone my brother" I call Sydney Nova Scotia (eastern Canada) where my twenty year old little brother lives "Hi Mom, yeah great to hear from you to, listen is Steven there? Dont worry Mom, nothing is wrong" "Is this about poker, because if it is..." "No mom not about poker at all (she hates that we play)" "Hi Steven load up stars, you need to play for me" "ok one sec...aww this sucks, our internet is down for some reason"
I have deduced it was one of those internet problems that affects Glasgow and Sydney at the same time so I let the fiancee talk to my mom and I then paced the room while windows and the connection restarted. Just to reiterate, I am shortstacked, blinds are 600-1200, there are 25 players left, 18 make money, $540 to first. Yeah it sucked big time. When I finally got back on, I went from 12K to 8K but strangely we were in the money with 18 players left and I was 16th. Few hands later I pick up AK of diamonds in the BB. Chip leader raises, 2nd chipleader calls on the button. I go all in, original raiser folds, caller....calls with AJ. Flop gives me the nuts, all diamonds, and I am back in it. The final comes soon after and I am feeling good. That was until I had QJ all in vs a shortstack's QT and he pulls a straight with the ten, and with four left I re raise all in with AK against the shortie who flips over AQ. Q on the turn. Damnit. I push very shortstacked soon after with KJ and BB finds QQ, no K and I am gone in 4th.
Very frustrated as I was the better player I think, and this morning when I had tournament history sent to me, AQ boy won the damn thing. Cant have it all I suppose. But no queen and I am 2nd in chips...aww what could have been. Next time (hopefully tonight)
Who woulda thunk it, me an MTT player and no longer an SnG grinder. lol
I signed up for two 180 man tournies, a $20 and a $10, the $3 rebuy, a 45 man $10 SnG and a $6.50 turbo to alleviate boredom in the early levels.
The turbo I got second losing a race with A9 to 88. Not bad, profit, I'll take it.
The three dollar rebuy I got to 6000 chips early but lost them on a coin flip late in the rebuy stage. Rather then buy back in I left the tourney after having spent $6.30.
The $20 180 man I overplayed QQ when a maniac called a massive raise and then checked an A high flop. I bet out and stupidly pot committed myself when he moved in. I called and he had A6. Dumb move by him, even worse move by me. Next time.
The 45 man I played solid and made the final table. I was below average until I got AKs in the BB. A shortstack raised all in and then the chipleader on the button raised all in to isolate. I am not folding AK in that spot in a million years. They showed 55 and 99. The ace on the river was not a bad card and I went from 8 of 9 to 2 of 9. Ended up getting heads up but never got the hand to finish him off. Played well but only got second. Good for an 85 profit. Great result, but again, first place was 135. Next time.
The 180 man $10 was a great tourney. I was tight early and slowly opened up. I went from 1500-3500 without too much trouble and then got KK all in against JJ. My cowboys held up and I was around 7000. Without about 45 players left I found QQ on the button and raised. The BB called. The flop came Q high and in the end we got it all in against his AQ. I was sailing, third or fourth in chips of the remaining players. Little while later I get KK in the and the UTG min raises. I want to know if he has aces, so I raise him another 1400. (which was a lot considering he went from 200 and raised to 400) If he pushed all in I would have folded. I know I would have, and if he has aces he would do that, no way does he slow play there after my big raise. He calls, I then think QQ or maybe JJ. The flop comes 68T and he checks, I put him all in and he instacalls with...AA you say? no....66. WTF. He called a 1400 raise with 66 when he only had 5400 left. Nice hand sir. I went back to playing tight. So tight in fact I didnt look at my cards. Why you ask? Well because my internet sucks of course and I disconnected. I immediately phoned Mike in Toronto, "Mike, you gotta play for me" "Can't bro, just signed up for four multis, shit, wait...." "No it's cool Mike, I'll phone my brother" I call Sydney Nova Scotia (eastern Canada) where my twenty year old little brother lives "Hi Mom, yeah great to hear from you to, listen is Steven there? Dont worry Mom, nothing is wrong" "Is this about poker, because if it is..." "No mom not about poker at all (she hates that we play)" "Hi Steven load up stars, you need to play for me" "ok one sec...aww this sucks, our internet is down for some reason"
I have deduced it was one of those internet problems that affects Glasgow and Sydney at the same time so I let the fiancee talk to my mom and I then paced the room while windows and the connection restarted. Just to reiterate, I am shortstacked, blinds are 600-1200, there are 25 players left, 18 make money, $540 to first. Yeah it sucked big time. When I finally got back on, I went from 12K to 8K but strangely we were in the money with 18 players left and I was 16th. Few hands later I pick up AK of diamonds in the BB. Chip leader raises, 2nd chipleader calls on the button. I go all in, original raiser folds, caller....calls with AJ. Flop gives me the nuts, all diamonds, and I am back in it. The final comes soon after and I am feeling good. That was until I had QJ all in vs a shortstack's QT and he pulls a straight with the ten, and with four left I re raise all in with AK against the shortie who flips over AQ. Q on the turn. Damnit. I push very shortstacked soon after with KJ and BB finds QQ, no K and I am gone in 4th.
Very frustrated as I was the better player I think, and this morning when I had tournament history sent to me, AQ boy won the damn thing. Cant have it all I suppose. But no queen and I am 2nd in chips...aww what could have been. Next time (hopefully tonight)
Who woulda thunk it, me an MTT player and no longer an SnG grinder. lol
Deepstack Report
Ok, I didnt put up a report from the Saturday night tourney so here it is.
Saturday night I was really looking forward to because it is one of the only nights I can play some MTT's and not worry about getting to bed at a reasonable time. So I signed up for a bunch. A $22 freezeout, a $3 freezeout and the $10 deepstack. I also played a turbo so I wouldnt get bored early. The SnG I got third (hey, profit is profit), the $22 I ran AK into AA in a blind on blind confrontation (not a good idea by the way) and the $3 I went out in the money maing $8 dollars or something. Nothing big. The deepstack however was another story.
Early on I did nothing. A stack of 5000 and half hour levels make for an absolute ton of play and no rush was needed. I played tight and caught a few hands and was around 9000 when the first big hand arrived. I had K9o on the button and I raised. The small blind (6500 stack) called me. The flop came J84 with two spades I have the king of spades. He checked, I bet 1/2 the pot, he called. The turn was a ten of spades, giving me an open ended straight draw and the second nut flush draw. By this time the pot is around 2400, and after he checks I bet the pot. I know I have outs if he calls, and after leading preflop, and on the flop, I dont want to slow down especially with so many outs. He then goes all in for another 2800 or so. Damn. If I call and lose I am down to 2500 in chips. Not terrible as the blinds are only 50-100 but obviously not a good place to be. I couted my outs as all the spades (9) the sevens (3) and the queens (3) giving me 15 outs. I had to call 2800 to win 10,000. Almost 4-1. Out of 46 unseen cards, 15 will win me the pot. 3-1. I called. The river was the 7 of spades, giving me both the straight and the flush. Phew. I was up to 1600 or so.
I then got moved to a CRAZY table where two players in paticular bet every street with nothing or the nuts. They were dangerous players and they called down with third or fourth pair. It was interesting to say the least. I hit a set and a straight and went up to 21000 when the next big hand occured. The blinds were getting a bit high, 200-400 and with the antes, you needed to pick up the odd hand. I was on the button (I used position very well all tourney and was very proud of that fact) with Q3 of hearts. It was folded around and I raised to 1200. Both blinds called including one of the crazy players who had me well covered. The flop came Q34. They both checked, I bet 3/4 of the pot. The crazy called, the BB folded. The turn was a 6. By this time the pot was 12,000 and I had only about 15,000 left. I was content to take the pot down and because he could have anything, I went all in. He thought and thought and thought and then called...with A5. He had an open ended straight draw. The river gave me a full house and I was up to 45000. Damn straight.
I then got moved again. This table I did very well at. I stole like there was no tomorrow and I played a lot of pots with position. Any weakness and I bet. My stack grew to 65,000 without really showing a hand. By this time the blinds were 600-1200 and I was playing well. Then came THE hand of the tourney for me. I was three off the button and it was folded to me. I raised to 3600 with the AQ of diamonds. The button the raised me another 3600. I didnt like it, but I obviously had odds (but not the position) so I called. The flop came 246 with two diamonds. I checked to see what he would do and he instantly went all in for 35,000 into a 16,000 pot. WTF. He had been a bit reckless but nothing totally out of whack in the time I had played with him. He either had a mid pair or a high pair. I obviously had nine outs with the diamonds, and possibly more if he had 99,TT, or JJ, even with QQ KK I still had another three outs. If I won the hand, I would be top ten in chips, if I lost I was down to 24,000 but still alive. I called. He flipped over AA. The river was the 3 of diamonds. I played the hand badly but got rewarded. I should have folded, but I went with my read. It was the wrong move at the right time. That being said, he shouldnt have gone all in. I would have bet the pot in his position and move in on the turn, it is quite possible however, that I put him on that flop so who knows. It was unlucky for him, but thats poker.
I was up to 112,000 and feeling good. I ducked and dodged, hit a few hands including top set and getting paid, came over the top of a few raises with JJ and KK and soon found myself with 40 left and sitting on 180K. By this time the blinds were worth stealing and the shorter stacks were just pushing so I stayed away from playing many hands. I then found AQ clubs and I raised to 3600. The BB called me. The flop came down 79A with one club. He checked and I bet the pot. He called. The turn was a low club and after he checked I put him all in. He instacalled with A7 and I didnt hit. I was back down again.
The blinds were 3K-6K with antes. The chipleader was on my table and UTG he limped for 6K. He was limping a lot and one off the button I found TT. It was folded around and I didnt want to see a flop, nor did I want to face a re-raise, so I went all in. In hindsight, this was not a great play, but I did. I blame being tired but whatever. The SB then thought about it and re raised all in. Oh no. The BB and the limper folded. He had KK. Good night Knighstridge. With a king on the flop I was done...but wait. Three diamonds on the flop...I have the ten of diamonds.... and The turn is a beautiful Ace of diamonds! By this time I was screaming "dont pair the board, don't pair the board." A harmless four of spades on the river, and I am up to 315K.
After that hand I was doing well, but still had to avoid the shortstacks pushing. About a half hour after the TT v KK hand, the KK guy moved in on my BB. With 15 players left, I called with AK. He flipped over AJ and I was one step away from being chip leader. But a jack on the river gave him some justice and I had to go towards the back of the pack. Soon after I reraised the chipleader all in with AT when I thought he was stealing. He folded, this would be important later when I found JJ and he needlessly pushed. I called, he showed 77, and I hit a straight on the turn. That took me to the final where I sat 3rd of 9.
That was when I lost connection for the second time and I had to call my college roommate Mike in Toronto to play for me. Three o'clock in the morning in Scotland and I am talking to Toronto Canada telling him to fold call or raise (he is a great player and could have done just as good a job, but the thought of playing for ten hours and then letting someone play for me didnt really sound good). I had lost connection earlier in the tourney and Mike had played for me for a few rounds, but at the final table, it is so much more important. I ended up getting connection back and I didnt lose too many hands in the changeover so it was alright. The final table was a weird table, people pushing and calling with hands that were a 50-50 at best. It seemed that 77 was a hand that was used an awful lot, showing up many many times in coinflips. I went card dead when the final began and with people raising so often I couldnt find a spot. That was until I found KK in the small blind. I raised and a limper called. The flop came Q high, I bet the pot, he called. The turn was a blank, I went all in. He thought and thought and called....with 77. Dunno what he thought I had, but no 7 on the river and I was back. I had AK a few times and raised and took a few pots down. But other then that, not much. The players slowly faded away and pretty soon there were three of us left. I was the shortstack but managed to pull within striking distance of second and was a double up away from being joint chipleader. That was when it happened.
I had AJ in the BB and raised after they both limped. They both called. The flop came nothing and I checked fearing the button would re-raise, Mistake number 1. The turn gave me my Ace and I bet out half the pot, Mistake number 2. The river was a blank (or so I thought) and I went all in, Mistake number 3. The chipleader called immediately with the nuts, the K9 of hearts. The turn and river were runner runner hearts. I should have bet the pot on the flop, and even if I didn't, I should have pushed the ace turn. I am pretty sure the button called with 88 or 99 and could not have called.
I was disappointed with my finish but not my play. I was calm and focused and was really happy for my biggest online cash ever. I wish I could have taken it down, but I know one will arrive soon.
Saturday night I was really looking forward to because it is one of the only nights I can play some MTT's and not worry about getting to bed at a reasonable time. So I signed up for a bunch. A $22 freezeout, a $3 freezeout and the $10 deepstack. I also played a turbo so I wouldnt get bored early. The SnG I got third (hey, profit is profit), the $22 I ran AK into AA in a blind on blind confrontation (not a good idea by the way) and the $3 I went out in the money maing $8 dollars or something. Nothing big. The deepstack however was another story.
Early on I did nothing. A stack of 5000 and half hour levels make for an absolute ton of play and no rush was needed. I played tight and caught a few hands and was around 9000 when the first big hand arrived. I had K9o on the button and I raised. The small blind (6500 stack) called me. The flop came J84 with two spades I have the king of spades. He checked, I bet 1/2 the pot, he called. The turn was a ten of spades, giving me an open ended straight draw and the second nut flush draw. By this time the pot is around 2400, and after he checks I bet the pot. I know I have outs if he calls, and after leading preflop, and on the flop, I dont want to slow down especially with so many outs. He then goes all in for another 2800 or so. Damn. If I call and lose I am down to 2500 in chips. Not terrible as the blinds are only 50-100 but obviously not a good place to be. I couted my outs as all the spades (9) the sevens (3) and the queens (3) giving me 15 outs. I had to call 2800 to win 10,000. Almost 4-1. Out of 46 unseen cards, 15 will win me the pot. 3-1. I called. The river was the 7 of spades, giving me both the straight and the flush. Phew. I was up to 1600 or so.
I then got moved to a CRAZY table where two players in paticular bet every street with nothing or the nuts. They were dangerous players and they called down with third or fourth pair. It was interesting to say the least. I hit a set and a straight and went up to 21000 when the next big hand occured. The blinds were getting a bit high, 200-400 and with the antes, you needed to pick up the odd hand. I was on the button (I used position very well all tourney and was very proud of that fact) with Q3 of hearts. It was folded around and I raised to 1200. Both blinds called including one of the crazy players who had me well covered. The flop came Q34. They both checked, I bet 3/4 of the pot. The crazy called, the BB folded. The turn was a 6. By this time the pot was 12,000 and I had only about 15,000 left. I was content to take the pot down and because he could have anything, I went all in. He thought and thought and thought and then called...with A5. He had an open ended straight draw. The river gave me a full house and I was up to 45000. Damn straight.
I then got moved again. This table I did very well at. I stole like there was no tomorrow and I played a lot of pots with position. Any weakness and I bet. My stack grew to 65,000 without really showing a hand. By this time the blinds were 600-1200 and I was playing well. Then came THE hand of the tourney for me. I was three off the button and it was folded to me. I raised to 3600 with the AQ of diamonds. The button the raised me another 3600. I didnt like it, but I obviously had odds (but not the position) so I called. The flop came 246 with two diamonds. I checked to see what he would do and he instantly went all in for 35,000 into a 16,000 pot. WTF. He had been a bit reckless but nothing totally out of whack in the time I had played with him. He either had a mid pair or a high pair. I obviously had nine outs with the diamonds, and possibly more if he had 99,TT, or JJ, even with QQ KK I still had another three outs. If I won the hand, I would be top ten in chips, if I lost I was down to 24,000 but still alive. I called. He flipped over AA. The river was the 3 of diamonds. I played the hand badly but got rewarded. I should have folded, but I went with my read. It was the wrong move at the right time. That being said, he shouldnt have gone all in. I would have bet the pot in his position and move in on the turn, it is quite possible however, that I put him on that flop so who knows. It was unlucky for him, but thats poker.
I was up to 112,000 and feeling good. I ducked and dodged, hit a few hands including top set and getting paid, came over the top of a few raises with JJ and KK and soon found myself with 40 left and sitting on 180K. By this time the blinds were worth stealing and the shorter stacks were just pushing so I stayed away from playing many hands. I then found AQ clubs and I raised to 3600. The BB called me. The flop came down 79A with one club. He checked and I bet the pot. He called. The turn was a low club and after he checked I put him all in. He instacalled with A7 and I didnt hit. I was back down again.
The blinds were 3K-6K with antes. The chipleader was on my table and UTG he limped for 6K. He was limping a lot and one off the button I found TT. It was folded around and I didnt want to see a flop, nor did I want to face a re-raise, so I went all in. In hindsight, this was not a great play, but I did. I blame being tired but whatever. The SB then thought about it and re raised all in. Oh no. The BB and the limper folded. He had KK. Good night Knighstridge. With a king on the flop I was done...but wait. Three diamonds on the flop...I have the ten of diamonds.... and The turn is a beautiful Ace of diamonds! By this time I was screaming "dont pair the board, don't pair the board." A harmless four of spades on the river, and I am up to 315K.
After that hand I was doing well, but still had to avoid the shortstacks pushing. About a half hour after the TT v KK hand, the KK guy moved in on my BB. With 15 players left, I called with AK. He flipped over AJ and I was one step away from being chip leader. But a jack on the river gave him some justice and I had to go towards the back of the pack. Soon after I reraised the chipleader all in with AT when I thought he was stealing. He folded, this would be important later when I found JJ and he needlessly pushed. I called, he showed 77, and I hit a straight on the turn. That took me to the final where I sat 3rd of 9.
That was when I lost connection for the second time and I had to call my college roommate Mike in Toronto to play for me. Three o'clock in the morning in Scotland and I am talking to Toronto Canada telling him to fold call or raise (he is a great player and could have done just as good a job, but the thought of playing for ten hours and then letting someone play for me didnt really sound good). I had lost connection earlier in the tourney and Mike had played for me for a few rounds, but at the final table, it is so much more important. I ended up getting connection back and I didnt lose too many hands in the changeover so it was alright. The final table was a weird table, people pushing and calling with hands that were a 50-50 at best. It seemed that 77 was a hand that was used an awful lot, showing up many many times in coinflips. I went card dead when the final began and with people raising so often I couldnt find a spot. That was until I found KK in the small blind. I raised and a limper called. The flop came Q high, I bet the pot, he called. The turn was a blank, I went all in. He thought and thought and called....with 77. Dunno what he thought I had, but no 7 on the river and I was back. I had AK a few times and raised and took a few pots down. But other then that, not much. The players slowly faded away and pretty soon there were three of us left. I was the shortstack but managed to pull within striking distance of second and was a double up away from being joint chipleader. That was when it happened.
I had AJ in the BB and raised after they both limped. They both called. The flop came nothing and I checked fearing the button would re-raise, Mistake number 1. The turn gave me my Ace and I bet out half the pot, Mistake number 2. The river was a blank (or so I thought) and I went all in, Mistake number 3. The chipleader called immediately with the nuts, the K9 of hearts. The turn and river were runner runner hearts. I should have bet the pot on the flop, and even if I didn't, I should have pushed the ace turn. I am pretty sure the button called with 88 or 99 and could not have called.
I was disappointed with my finish but not my play. I was calm and focused and was really happy for my biggest online cash ever. I wish I could have taken it down, but I know one will arrive soon.
Two More Good Results....But No Firsts, Damn!
PokerStars Tournament #41194034, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
45 players
Total Prize Pool: $450.00
Tournament started - 2007/01/22 - 13:14:27 (ET)
Dear Knightsridge,
You finished the tournament in 2nd place.
A $96.75 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 95.38 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/tlb_tournament_rankings.html
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
Dear Knightsridge,
PokerStars Tournament #41196373, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
180 players
Total Prize Pool: $1800.00
Tournament started - 2007/01/22 - 13:37:38 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 4th place.
A $144.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 134.88 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/tlb_tournament_rankings.html
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
45 players
Total Prize Pool: $450.00
Tournament started - 2007/01/22 - 13:14:27 (ET)
Dear Knightsridge,
You finished the tournament in 2nd place.
A $96.75 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 95.38 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/tlb_tournament_rankings.html
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
Dear Knightsridge,
PokerStars Tournament #41196373, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
180 players
Total Prize Pool: $1800.00
Tournament started - 2007/01/22 - 13:37:38 (ET)
You finished the tournament in 4th place.
A $144.00 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 134.88 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/tlb_tournament_rankings.html
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Exhausted But Happy
PokerStars Tournament #40452150, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
936 players
Total Prize Pool: $9360.00
Tournament started - 2007/01/20 - 12:00:00 (ET)
Dear Knightsridge,
You finished the tournament in 3rd place.
A $842.40 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 355.16 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/tlb_tournament_rankings.html
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
Report in the morning, but for now.....sleep. Took 11.5 hours to finish. Insane.
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Buy-In: $10.00/$1.00
936 players
Total Prize Pool: $9360.00
Tournament started - 2007/01/20 - 12:00:00 (ET)
Dear Knightsridge,
You finished the tournament in 3rd place.
A $842.40 award has been credited to your Real Money account.
You earned 355.16 tournament leader points in this tournament.
For information about our tournament leader board, see our web site at
http://www.pokerstars.com/tlb_tournament_rankings.html
Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.
Report in the morning, but for now.....sleep. Took 11.5 hours to finish. Insane.
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
High Stakes Poker Season 3!
Yes it is back and Jamie Gold came as well for episode 1.
Episode 1 of Season Three
Listen to the table when Gold raises Doyle to 20K after Doyle opened for 8K. Everyone cracks up at the table.
Episode 1 of Season Three
Listen to the table when Gold raises Doyle to 20K after Doyle opened for 8K. Everyone cracks up at the table.
New Game Plan
Well last night I was at a cross roads in my online poker existence. I sat at the computer and I didnt know what game to play. I really didnt. My first thought I had was to play a few turbos but as I went to register I had some anxiety about the thought of pushing and being called. Not a good frame of mind to be in.
I thought about where I had been having success and I realised that leading up to Christmas I was having quite a bit of success on the cash tables. The levels I was playing were over my head however and because I was only playing one table at a time I trying to make things happen out of nothing, not a good combination. I was also playing some six handed tables, something that takes away from what I believe to be one of my biggest assets, my patience. I therefore hopped on the Blonde Poker Forum (a fourm based type of message board site which is free to join and gives you access to tourney articles and updates, poker hand analysis, live and internet poker forums as well as sports and general discussion forums. My game has improved immensely since I joined the site, check it out blondepoker.com) and I looked up some past cash game threads. I read them and formulated a very basic strategy (something I did not have before). This new strategy of mine was based solely around position and not getting hung up on protecting my big blind. This was something that a few posts remarked was overrated and was silly to play a raised pot out of position.
I took this strategy of mine and plunked down at a $.25-$.50 cent table and bought in for $3o. This went on for a few rounds and I got very bored. Not due to the play of the table, but after playing four turbos, I was missing the other tables. So, I loaded up three more tables to see where it took me. I ended about an hour later up $90. My lowest table balance was $24 with the highest being $76. I was very pleased with this. I didnt know if this was a one off, so I played again today for two more sessions. The first I played for 45 minutes and ended up being up $62. The second session I just finished a few minutes ago and I was up another $71. Very happy.
I like the tables a lot as the players are not aggressive at all and I was just patient. I played tight for awhile and showed any big hands that people folded to my raises. After showing big hands, people labeled me a rock. Then I raised with suited connectors near the button played most of my buttons. Called a few raises in late position and reraised them on the flop. If they called I fired a second bullet on the turn and no one called. The tables I have played thus far have been weak and there is a noticeable difference between them and the next jump up to the $.50-$1 tables.
I am going to keep playing the cash for another few days and I may decide after that to try some more SnGs. Not sure right now. Just going to enjoy the little profit maker I am currently riding.
I thought about where I had been having success and I realised that leading up to Christmas I was having quite a bit of success on the cash tables. The levels I was playing were over my head however and because I was only playing one table at a time I trying to make things happen out of nothing, not a good combination. I was also playing some six handed tables, something that takes away from what I believe to be one of my biggest assets, my patience. I therefore hopped on the Blonde Poker Forum (a fourm based type of message board site which is free to join and gives you access to tourney articles and updates, poker hand analysis, live and internet poker forums as well as sports and general discussion forums. My game has improved immensely since I joined the site, check it out blondepoker.com) and I looked up some past cash game threads. I read them and formulated a very basic strategy (something I did not have before). This new strategy of mine was based solely around position and not getting hung up on protecting my big blind. This was something that a few posts remarked was overrated and was silly to play a raised pot out of position.
I took this strategy of mine and plunked down at a $.25-$.50 cent table and bought in for $3o. This went on for a few rounds and I got very bored. Not due to the play of the table, but after playing four turbos, I was missing the other tables. So, I loaded up three more tables to see where it took me. I ended about an hour later up $90. My lowest table balance was $24 with the highest being $76. I was very pleased with this. I didnt know if this was a one off, so I played again today for two more sessions. The first I played for 45 minutes and ended up being up $62. The second session I just finished a few minutes ago and I was up another $71. Very happy.
I like the tables a lot as the players are not aggressive at all and I was just patient. I played tight for awhile and showed any big hands that people folded to my raises. After showing big hands, people labeled me a rock. Then I raised with suited connectors near the button played most of my buttons. Called a few raises in late position and reraised them on the flop. If they called I fired a second bullet on the turn and no one called. The tables I have played thus far have been weak and there is a noticeable difference between them and the next jump up to the $.50-$1 tables.
I am going to keep playing the cash for another few days and I may decide after that to try some more SnGs. Not sure right now. Just going to enjoy the little profit maker I am currently riding.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Update
OK.
Well I am taking a break from my goal of 500 turbos in a month. I cannot continue to play those games as I fear for my sanity. I truly do. Last night was the turning point.
I was the chipleader with four players left. With blinds at 300-600 I raise all in with A7. The shortest stack is in the BB and I wanetd to isolate him, and knew the others would fold to get in the money. But I was wrong. The 2nd in chips calls, no...instacalls, from the BUTTON! He didnt even have any chips in the pot. He flips over QJ suited. He called for all his chips on the bubble with QJ. He hit a jack and I was in the BB next hand with 500 behind. I did my best but the 2nd shortie woke up with aces and beat my A8s. I then asked why he called, and his response? 'I thought I was ahead'. He is behind any ace, any king, and any pair. He is not in the blinds and was in no way committed to the pot. I know that most times I will win that pot and coast through to first. But that isnt the point. My game is advancing but I am stuck playing the same players. I was not on tilt, but I was looking to prove to myself I could play at a higher level....Do you feel a bad bankroll management moment coming up? Me to.
I looked at the turbos page on stars (their new SnG filter which came last week is great) and I saw that a 55+5 turbo had eight players and was waiting for another player. Why, I'm another player! I quickly signed up before I could stop myself. One game to see how I stack up against players that normally play this level, and perhaps some that play it for their sole income. Well to make a long story short, I got second. The first hand of heads up I got it all in with A9 against his....A9. The board apparently got confused with this though, and wasn't sure how to do a split pot so it brought four hearts to make his Ace of hearts very important. Damnit. First place was $250 but my second place money of $150 was not too shabby at all.
Now does this mean I am going to start playing these tables? Hell no. I just wanted to have a one off where I took a stab at higher limits. Can I play with them, absolutely, would I go broke with my current roll, hell yes.
I was thinking about what levels to play and I may try some normals again. The turbos are good, but if I play anything higher than 6.50 I would feel uncomfortable playing more than one table. And if I am only playing one table, why play a turbo? I was looking at the two table SnG's and they look tempting. Big prize pool and you only have to double up once before the final table where it becomes a SnG. I like my chances. I may try one or two tonight and see how I get on. The fiancee may want some 'us' time tonight though and with CSI on tonight, who can blame her? Thus I may just play a few cash tables and see how I get on.
Until next time, good luck on the virtual felt.
Well I am taking a break from my goal of 500 turbos in a month. I cannot continue to play those games as I fear for my sanity. I truly do. Last night was the turning point.
I was the chipleader with four players left. With blinds at 300-600 I raise all in with A7. The shortest stack is in the BB and I wanetd to isolate him, and knew the others would fold to get in the money. But I was wrong. The 2nd in chips calls, no...instacalls, from the BUTTON! He didnt even have any chips in the pot. He flips over QJ suited. He called for all his chips on the bubble with QJ. He hit a jack and I was in the BB next hand with 500 behind. I did my best but the 2nd shortie woke up with aces and beat my A8s. I then asked why he called, and his response? 'I thought I was ahead'. He is behind any ace, any king, and any pair. He is not in the blinds and was in no way committed to the pot. I know that most times I will win that pot and coast through to first. But that isnt the point. My game is advancing but I am stuck playing the same players. I was not on tilt, but I was looking to prove to myself I could play at a higher level....Do you feel a bad bankroll management moment coming up? Me to.
I looked at the turbos page on stars (their new SnG filter which came last week is great) and I saw that a 55+5 turbo had eight players and was waiting for another player. Why, I'm another player! I quickly signed up before I could stop myself. One game to see how I stack up against players that normally play this level, and perhaps some that play it for their sole income. Well to make a long story short, I got second. The first hand of heads up I got it all in with A9 against his....A9. The board apparently got confused with this though, and wasn't sure how to do a split pot so it brought four hearts to make his Ace of hearts very important. Damnit. First place was $250 but my second place money of $150 was not too shabby at all.
Now does this mean I am going to start playing these tables? Hell no. I just wanted to have a one off where I took a stab at higher limits. Can I play with them, absolutely, would I go broke with my current roll, hell yes.
I was thinking about what levels to play and I may try some normals again. The turbos are good, but if I play anything higher than 6.50 I would feel uncomfortable playing more than one table. And if I am only playing one table, why play a turbo? I was looking at the two table SnG's and they look tempting. Big prize pool and you only have to double up once before the final table where it becomes a SnG. I like my chances. I may try one or two tonight and see how I get on. The fiancee may want some 'us' time tonight though and with CSI on tonight, who can blame her? Thus I may just play a few cash tables and see how I get on.
Until next time, good luck on the virtual felt.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Recent Play and Responses
Well I have stepped back from my game and gone over hand histories to see where I can change things for the better. One thing I noticed was that I was gambling too early towards too many players. Let me explain. For example I have AQs one off the button and there has been a min raise from early poistion. The blinds are 75-150. I was raising all in looking for a double up to early. I was risking my stack of say 2000, to win 575. A good idea yes, but risky. The button, SB BB or the early raiser could have a big hand or any pocket pair to which I am behind. I think it would be +ev to push A9+ 66+ KT+ QJ on the button when blinds are 200-400 four handed rather than early. I think I am a better player than atleast 90% of the players I play and I was giving them a 50-50 chance to beat me.
I have also tried to improve the way I play AQ and pocket pairs like 88, 99, TT. Instead of going all in preflop with AQ, I am trying to raise enough preflop that players are almost pot committed but not quite. Then if the flop looks harmless ie no K or J, push all in. I want to give him a reason to fold. This way I can win three ways. 1) he folds 2) he calls but I hit an ace or queen on the turn or river 3) he calls with AJ or AT. It is true that I am giving him a reason to fold, but he may well have hit his card on the turn or river if we were all in preflop. It is also true I am giving him a chance to draw out on me but I still have outs if he calls, and he may also put me on an overpair and fold.
As for pairs, I have done a lot of thinking and came up with something interesting. A pair is ahead of two overcards atleast 52-48% of the time. That is if the money goes all in preflop. However, take away the turn and river and the odds are much better. Lets say I have 99 and I raise enough not to make him pot committed but enough to make a push on the flop make sense. If the flop is a good one ie no AKQ, I push all in. I give him a reason to fold. I take away his turn and river outs. I know this is not perfect and I am still toying with it, but last night I played a set of four and had one wion and two thirds. Nothing outrageous but better than past results.
I dont have the numbers for yesterday in front of me, (I am at work during an off period) but I will post those tonight. I am hoping to play some tonight, so I may just add them together and post just before I go to bed.
Now for some overdue responses. Sorry for taking so long.
Thanks to cell1919 for reading my blog and dropping a comment. It is nice to know my poker ramblings are read by others.
Yorkshire Pudding, the reslolution is 1280 x 800 resolution and can easily, very easily, hold 4 tables of stars. However, I do not believe a Mac supports Poker Tracker or Poker Ace Hud as of yet, although with all the articles I have read recently about Macs and poker, I can see them being Mac-friendly in the future.
Dale, thanks for the links about ICM and flopturnriver.com. I know my swing will change. just cant wait till it does.
I have also tried to improve the way I play AQ and pocket pairs like 88, 99, TT. Instead of going all in preflop with AQ, I am trying to raise enough preflop that players are almost pot committed but not quite. Then if the flop looks harmless ie no K or J, push all in. I want to give him a reason to fold. This way I can win three ways. 1) he folds 2) he calls but I hit an ace or queen on the turn or river 3) he calls with AJ or AT. It is true that I am giving him a reason to fold, but he may well have hit his card on the turn or river if we were all in preflop. It is also true I am giving him a chance to draw out on me but I still have outs if he calls, and he may also put me on an overpair and fold.
As for pairs, I have done a lot of thinking and came up with something interesting. A pair is ahead of two overcards atleast 52-48% of the time. That is if the money goes all in preflop. However, take away the turn and river and the odds are much better. Lets say I have 99 and I raise enough not to make him pot committed but enough to make a push on the flop make sense. If the flop is a good one ie no AKQ, I push all in. I give him a reason to fold. I take away his turn and river outs. I know this is not perfect and I am still toying with it, but last night I played a set of four and had one wion and two thirds. Nothing outrageous but better than past results.
I dont have the numbers for yesterday in front of me, (I am at work during an off period) but I will post those tonight. I am hoping to play some tonight, so I may just add them together and post just before I go to bed.
Now for some overdue responses. Sorry for taking so long.
Thanks to cell1919 for reading my blog and dropping a comment. It is nice to know my poker ramblings are read by others.
Yorkshire Pudding, the reslolution is 1280 x 800 resolution and can easily, very easily, hold 4 tables of stars. However, I do not believe a Mac supports Poker Tracker or Poker Ace Hud as of yet, although with all the articles I have read recently about Macs and poker, I can see them being Mac-friendly in the future.
Dale, thanks for the links about ICM and flopturnriver.com. I know my swing will change. just cant wait till it does.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
What is Going on?
Last night I played a bunch of SnG's; 19 to be precise. I basically broke even.
Today I have played some more; 25 to be precise. I basically broke even.
I dont know what is going on. The games I was destroying are suddenly very difficult for me to win. I dont understand it. I know that I am getting more bad beats then usual, but it is more than that. I cannot count the number of bubbles the last two days.
Unreal.
Whatever, enough talking, on to the numbers. Oh, and I am combining the two days as I tallied them together rather than separate.
SnG's played 44 (134 to date)
1sts - 7 (31 total)
2nd - 3 (9 total)
3rd - 5 (14 total)
Out of Money - 29 (80 total)
Profit Today - $5.60 ($264.60 to date)
Yes...all that playing for $5.60. Unbelievable.
Today I have played some more; 25 to be precise. I basically broke even.
I dont know what is going on. The games I was destroying are suddenly very difficult for me to win. I dont understand it. I know that I am getting more bad beats then usual, but it is more than that. I cannot count the number of bubbles the last two days.
Unreal.
Whatever, enough talking, on to the numbers. Oh, and I am combining the two days as I tallied them together rather than separate.
SnG's played 44 (134 to date)
1sts - 7 (31 total)
2nd - 3 (9 total)
3rd - 5 (14 total)
Out of Money - 29 (80 total)
Profit Today - $5.60 ($264.60 to date)
Yes...all that playing for $5.60. Unbelievable.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
I Had to Open My Big Mouth
Yes, it is official. I am an ass. I opended my big mouth and talked of how well I was playing and that I expected to win each time I sit down blah blah blah.....ass.
Yesterday I sat down and played a set of four which went well. One first place and after blowing a 12,000-1,500 chip lead heads up a second place. I should have stopped there. The heads up match that I lost was the last of the set and it was an omen. The guy outdrew me six times to win. Six times! The last one being my A7 v his QT on a A52 board. He went all in and runner runner T T he wins. I should have got up and walked away. But no, of course I didn't. I played another thirteen 6.50 turbos and had a whopping one second place to show for it. Yes, thirteen games played, one cash. At one point during my third set I was all in with AA v 88, KK v AK and AK v K8 within twenty seconds of each other. I lost each one. 88 hit quads, the AK hit a straight, and K8 hit four to a flush. Unreal.
I have decided that tonight will be pokerless. I am going to go for a run after work, something I have not done in awhile, and something that when I did was great for clearing my head. After that, I am going to sit down with the fiancee and watch a dvd, oblivious to anything in the poker world. No poker sites, no poker forums, and no poker books. Pokerless.
PS That being said, I am going to make up for a pokerless evening tomorrow night when the fiancee is going to dinner with friends. I am aiming for 20-24 SnG's so I could use the break tonight.
Ok fine...urggggh
Here are the (disgusting) stats
SnG's played today - 17 (90 to date)
1sts - 1 (24 total)
2nd - 2 (6 total)
3rd - 0 (9 total)
Out of Money - 14 (51 total)
Profit Today - -$49.90 ($259 to date)
Yesterday I sat down and played a set of four which went well. One first place and after blowing a 12,000-1,500 chip lead heads up a second place. I should have stopped there. The heads up match that I lost was the last of the set and it was an omen. The guy outdrew me six times to win. Six times! The last one being my A7 v his QT on a A52 board. He went all in and runner runner T T he wins. I should have got up and walked away. But no, of course I didn't. I played another thirteen 6.50 turbos and had a whopping one second place to show for it. Yes, thirteen games played, one cash. At one point during my third set I was all in with AA v 88, KK v AK and AK v K8 within twenty seconds of each other. I lost each one. 88 hit quads, the AK hit a straight, and K8 hit four to a flush. Unreal.
I have decided that tonight will be pokerless. I am going to go for a run after work, something I have not done in awhile, and something that when I did was great for clearing my head. After that, I am going to sit down with the fiancee and watch a dvd, oblivious to anything in the poker world. No poker sites, no poker forums, and no poker books. Pokerless.
PS That being said, I am going to make up for a pokerless evening tomorrow night when the fiancee is going to dinner with friends. I am aiming for 20-24 SnG's so I could use the break tonight.
Ok fine...urggggh
Here are the (disgusting) stats
SnG's played today - 17 (90 to date)
1sts - 1 (24 total)
2nd - 2 (6 total)
3rd - 0 (9 total)
Out of Money - 14 (51 total)
Profit Today - -$49.90 ($259 to date)
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Big News From Pokerstars!
I emailed stars last night with a question I expected to be rebuffed with. It went something like this.
Hi,
I recently bought a Mac due to being sick of viruses spyware etc with windows. I was hoping that pokerstars would release a mac user friendly stars program so I dont have to load windows on the machine. I currently play on my fiancee's laptop, but my Mac has better resolution so I would much rather play there.
Thanks
Knighstridge
Well under twenty minutes later I received an email saying that pokerstars is currently testing new software which can be run on a Mac and if I was interested, would I like to help with the testing by playing play money tables on my Mac and report my findings, problems, etc.
How good is that? I replied of course saying I was very interested and the guy forwarded my email to the software department. I didnt get a reply last night, but I am hoping for one today.
If stars came out with Mac friendly software it would be incredible. No need to install Windows on my machine and with my resolution being better than my fiancee's I could have the tables larger than I do currently. Fantastic!
Hi,
I recently bought a Mac due to being sick of viruses spyware etc with windows. I was hoping that pokerstars would release a mac user friendly stars program so I dont have to load windows on the machine. I currently play on my fiancee's laptop, but my Mac has better resolution so I would much rather play there.
Thanks
Knighstridge
Well under twenty minutes later I received an email saying that pokerstars is currently testing new software which can be run on a Mac and if I was interested, would I like to help with the testing by playing play money tables on my Mac and report my findings, problems, etc.
How good is that? I replied of course saying I was very interested and the guy forwarded my email to the software department. I didnt get a reply last night, but I am hoping for one today.
If stars came out with Mac friendly software it would be incredible. No need to install Windows on my machine and with my resolution being better than my fiancee's I could have the tables larger than I do currently. Fantastic!
I'll Take It
Played last night and I thought I did pretty well. My idea of playing five tables though did not come to be. As I was on my way home from work I realised something very important. When I four table, one first place of those four games makes me a very small profit. That fact is very important, and one I forgot yesterday when I posted. If I lose three games of a set, I buckle down for the fourth and concentrate fully on 'not going into the red'. If I five table, I need a win and then some. I dont want to ruin what I have going for the sake of one extra game.
I played two sets of four, and that took over an hour and a half. If I am to play 500 SnG's in one month I need to do better than that. Either I play much more, or my goal will be stretched to one and a half months. That being said, I do not want to play foolishly (when I am tired, on a bad streak, more than four tables in one set) to achieve my goal of 500 in one month, but lose money in the process. Money is the main goal and I am not going to lose sight of that.
SnG's played today - 8 (73 to date)
1sts - 3 (23 total)
2nd - 0 (4 total)
3rd - 2 (9 total)
Out of Money - 3 (37 total)
Profit Today - $51.00 ($308.90 to date)
I am currently running very well with an ROI (return on investment) of just over 65%. ( ROI can be figured out by my profit divided by my buy in amount or 308.90(profit) divided by 474.50 (my buyins, which is 6.50 x 73))
I asked a few players who track their stats religiously and they have all assured me that this ROI will be impossible to sustain over a larger number of games and that at some point variance will rear its ugly head. (They say that an ROI around 15-20% is very good) I realise that at some point a losing day is going to happen, but I feel extremely confident when I sit down at the computer and I really do expect to win. I am curious to see how long I can go for at my current pace. Hopefully, a long time.
I played two sets of four, and that took over an hour and a half. If I am to play 500 SnG's in one month I need to do better than that. Either I play much more, or my goal will be stretched to one and a half months. That being said, I do not want to play foolishly (when I am tired, on a bad streak, more than four tables in one set) to achieve my goal of 500 in one month, but lose money in the process. Money is the main goal and I am not going to lose sight of that.
SnG's played today - 8 (73 to date)
1sts - 3 (23 total)
2nd - 0 (4 total)
3rd - 2 (9 total)
Out of Money - 3 (37 total)
Profit Today - $51.00 ($308.90 to date)
I am currently running very well with an ROI (return on investment) of just over 65%. ( ROI can be figured out by my profit divided by my buy in amount or 308.90(profit) divided by 474.50 (my buyins, which is 6.50 x 73))
I asked a few players who track their stats religiously and they have all assured me that this ROI will be impossible to sustain over a larger number of games and that at some point variance will rear its ugly head. (They say that an ROI around 15-20% is very good) I realise that at some point a losing day is going to happen, but I feel extremely confident when I sit down at the computer and I really do expect to win. I am curious to see how long I can go for at my current pace. Hopefully, a long time.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Interuption
Last night the fiancee went on a cleaning spree and fearing for my life I joined in. After that, I was tired, and for fear of death of messing up the computer table again, I called it a night. It was made all the better however, by The Usual Suspects being on tv. Best movie ever made. I own the dvd, but there is something about watching the movie on tv, I dunno.
I am hoping to get twelve SnG's played tonight, but getting back to work has been tougher than I thought it would be, and my sleeping patterns are paying the price.
I may try and five table tonight rather than four, with one table being directly in the middle of the screen with some overlap across the other four. I will see how it goes for a set and take it from there.
Heres to hoping
I am hoping to get twelve SnG's played tonight, but getting back to work has been tougher than I thought it would be, and my sleeping patterns are paying the price.
I may try and five table tonight rather than four, with one table being directly in the middle of the screen with some overlap across the other four. I will see how it goes for a set and take it from there.
Heres to hoping
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Damn
It had to happen. I knew that. Doesn't mean I have to like it though. After three consecutive days of $80 profits, I was flung back to reality with a grind of three sets for a profit of $3. Now I totally agree, profit is profit, and I would never complain about making money. But when compared to previous efforts, it far from holds up. To make matters worse, out of three heads up, I won only one. I was disappointed with one second place in particular, this guy had AA, QQ, JJ, and AK in four consecutive hands at 300-600. I couldnt do anything. I was a better player as well and I had him down big time. But those hands saved him. Would have been nice, but I suppose after 500 games, it will all even out.
I only played twelve games today as I didnt feel like it was my day. Better to quit while I was ahead and wait for tomorrow. Hopefully there awaits another big day.
PS Tomorrow I am back to work after two weeks off. I am dreading it both because I dont want to, and it makes poker very hard to play. We'll see how it goes.
SnG's played today - 12 (65 to date)
1sts - 1 (20 total)
2nd - 2 (4 total)
3rd - 2 (7 total)
Out of Money - 7 (34 total)
Profit Today - $3.00 ($257.90 to date)
I only played twelve games today as I didnt feel like it was my day. Better to quit while I was ahead and wait for tomorrow. Hopefully there awaits another big day.
PS Tomorrow I am back to work after two weeks off. I am dreading it both because I dont want to, and it makes poker very hard to play. We'll see how it goes.
SnG's played today - 12 (65 to date)
1sts - 1 (20 total)
2nd - 2 (4 total)
3rd - 2 (7 total)
Out of Money - 7 (34 total)
Profit Today - $3.00 ($257.90 to date)
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Steady As She Goes
Played five sets of four today, but hoping for more tonight. Played solidly and was pleased with the outcome. My heads up is still going well with no seconds to speak of today. (I know I had two yesterday but in each case I was down to a BB or less and was actually fortunate to squeak out of third place)
It didnt start out well though, going cashless in my first set off four. I took a breather, got a shower, and went back focused. I ended up winning three and a fourth place in the next set. My best set of four ever. I am hoping this trend will continue, as I could get used to it.
SnG's played today - 20 (53 to date)
1sts - 7 (19 total)
2nd - 0 (2 total)
3rd - 2 (5 total)
Out of Money - 11 (27 total)
Profit Today - $80.00 ($254.90 to date)
It didnt start out well though, going cashless in my first set off four. I took a breather, got a shower, and went back focused. I ended up winning three and a fourth place in the next set. My best set of four ever. I am hoping this trend will continue, as I could get used to it.
SnG's played today - 20 (53 to date)
1sts - 7 (19 total)
2nd - 0 (2 total)
3rd - 2 (5 total)
Out of Money - 11 (27 total)
Profit Today - $80.00 ($254.90 to date)
Friday, January 05, 2007
$6.50 Turbo's - Feeding Ground...(for now)
Yes I am loving online poker these days. (Notice how I said for now in the title, yes things can change that quickly and I know that) but when the cards are falling your way, I say enjoy it.
I played another four sets of four this afternoon and I am doing well. Best of all though, I am confident. I am feeling the flow of the games very well and attacking at the right spots. The last game I played was a five handed affair with the blinds a massive 300-600. I played a fantastically smart game and I ended up taking it down. It felt very good.
The stats
SnG's played today - 16 (33 to date)
1sts - 5 (12 total)
2nd - 2 (2 total)
3rd - 2 (3 total)
Out of Money - 7 (16 total)
Profit Today - $85.00 ($174.90 to date)
I played another four sets of four this afternoon and I am doing well. Best of all though, I am confident. I am feeling the flow of the games very well and attacking at the right spots. The last game I played was a five handed affair with the blinds a massive 300-600. I played a fantastically smart game and I ended up taking it down. It felt very good.
The stats
SnG's played today - 16 (33 to date)
1sts - 5 (12 total)
2nd - 2 (2 total)
3rd - 2 (3 total)
Out of Money - 7 (16 total)
Profit Today - $85.00 ($174.90 to date)
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Solid Start
Off to a solid start with goal number two. I played four sets of four as well as a single game. By the third set I was playing good poker. The first four games were a bit all over the place, but I expected that in getting back to nine handed tables and playing tight early. The final two sets I won two in each as well as wining the final single game. (albeit sucking out bigtime with AJ v AK v AK...four to a flush, but these things happen I suppose :)
However, take one look at my numbers and one thing is obvious. I am one sick player heads up. Im not sure if it is my skill, their lack of skill, or a mixture, but for now, I would like to believe I am one step away from the NBC heads up showdown.
Here are the stats thus far:
SnG's played today - 17 (17 to date)
1st - 7 (7 total)
2nd - 0 (0 total)
3rd - 1 (1 total)
Out of Money - 9 (9 total)
Today's Profit - $89.30 ($89.30 to date)
Hell Yeah
However, take one look at my numbers and one thing is obvious. I am one sick player heads up. Im not sure if it is my skill, their lack of skill, or a mixture, but for now, I would like to believe I am one step away from the NBC heads up showdown.
Here are the stats thus far:
SnG's played today - 17 (17 to date)
1st - 7 (7 total)
2nd - 0 (0 total)
3rd - 1 (1 total)
Out of Money - 9 (9 total)
Today's Profit - $89.30 ($89.30 to date)
Hell Yeah
Ok Lets Go
Back to Glasgow and its wondrous facilities that Ireland has not picked up on. For example, BROADBAND INTERNET!!!!!! Oh good god, dial up? seriously?!? dial up?!?!? And then to my fiancees brother's house where he has broadband. Thank you god. I sign up for a SnG, and the phone rings. He picks up, the connection dies. Broadband...but with one phone line. Have you ever heard of such a thing. I was dumbstruck. But it is over now, they treated my incredibly well, I gained about 8 pounds and I paid for very little. Apart from the internet (or lack thereof) they are fantastic people and I like them a lot.
Ok, so when I left you last I was at $371 and defeated. OK, well I am now at $274.97 and confident. Weird eh? I played some SnGs upon returning last night and lost a few. Then played a $25 six seater and lost. But I went to bed last night, and I came up with a good idea.
A player on the Blonde Poker Forum, Tank, is a SnG grinder and has recently taken up a quest of 4000 SnG's in four months. Impossible you say? No, he has already done it once before. So I was thinking about him, and I got to thinking, why not me?
I am not as ambitious as Tank however, so I am aiming for 500 SnG's in a month give or take a few days. I want to get back to the beginning of my blog where SnG's were my bread and butter. I want to increase my roll with the thought of what game to play never entering into the equation.
So, to restate, 500 $6.50 turbos in one month. I realize that my roll is not open to massive swings, but I think I can do alright.
Heres to hoping.
PS I will be mainly four tabling as long as the total buy in amount is less than 10% of my total roll. If it is more, I will three table, two table etc
Ok, so when I left you last I was at $371 and defeated. OK, well I am now at $274.97 and confident. Weird eh? I played some SnGs upon returning last night and lost a few. Then played a $25 six seater and lost. But I went to bed last night, and I came up with a good idea.
A player on the Blonde Poker Forum, Tank, is a SnG grinder and has recently taken up a quest of 4000 SnG's in four months. Impossible you say? No, he has already done it once before. So I was thinking about him, and I got to thinking, why not me?
I am not as ambitious as Tank however, so I am aiming for 500 SnG's in a month give or take a few days. I want to get back to the beginning of my blog where SnG's were my bread and butter. I want to increase my roll with the thought of what game to play never entering into the equation.
So, to restate, 500 $6.50 turbos in one month. I realize that my roll is not open to massive swings, but I think I can do alright.
Heres to hoping.
PS I will be mainly four tabling as long as the total buy in amount is less than 10% of my total roll. If it is more, I will three table, two table etc
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