6 Handed Is Nice and Canada

Played 2 sessions when I got home from work today. One session of two tables and the other three tables. Profit of $64! Not too shabby. The play is horrific at times with people open pushing with AJ etc. I am playing small ball and doing well. It would have been a better profit but I got sucked out on heads up. QT v Q6 all in on Q98 board. 6 on turn.

You can see from the pic that it isnt too scrunched and the cards are easy to see. Hopefully 4 tabling is just around the corner.

Some of you have mentioned I should post some pics of my trip back home to Canada. I will. What I am most excited about is that my little bro Stuart (he's 16) emailed me today to say that the pond at the bottom of our street is still frozen and I should be able to skate on it this week if it stays cold. Let me say, I have played ice hockey since I could stand up, maybe even before that, and I have missed hockey so much being in the UK. The pond has never stayed frozen for this long in the past 10 years or so. And if I got to skate just once, it would be fantastic. These are pics from two years ago of my cousins and brothers playing. That pond is probably one of my most favorite places on earth (other than a WSOP or WPT final table...I mean, lets be honest) Fingers crossed.

Insert Cool Title Here <------

Been playing very little poker recently. Not been feeling great and very tired for some reason. Dunno why. Today is my last day at work for two weeks due to the Easter holidays, and I cannot wait. I am flying with the fiancee to my home in Canada on Sunday. I have not been home for a year and it will be so nice to be there. That being said, I hope to get in as much poker as possible seeing as I am on vacation. BurnleyMik, thanks for the info on the UK blogger game, I wont play it for a little while as I am in Canada but when I get back, sounds good. What site is it on though? Stars? And thanks to slb159 for info on North American blogger games. They are on at night in North America, so late late late in UK, but you never know, thanks for the info.

The poker that I have been playing has been on Full Tilt. I tried 6 tabling and one word that sums it up nicely...madness. I could do it if my monitor had no overlap, but it does and it was very bothersome. So I tried 4 tabling and it was obviously easy but I didnt enjoy it that much. I made a nice profit on the 4 games, but after playing cash and tournies the last while, it felt like anit-poker. So two days ago I fired up two $10 six handed SnG's and I like them a lot. I played another two yesterday and they could be very profitable. I am going to continue playing these for a little while and see how I get on. I hope that in a few weeks after playing them for awhile and getting a good feel for them I can jump to three tables and finally four. It is much tougher to multi normals as opposed to turbos because the turbos become a push game while the normals require small raises and playing flops. But I think if I space them, ie. start two and then twenty minutes later start another two, I will do fine.

Heres to hoping

Finally!!!

This morning Full Tilt put a new update allowing resizeable tables. About time! I just took this picture this morning of six tables (Im not playing on them...just fired up 6 random tables) on my screen and with a little overlap.....I can do it. I will be trying this as soon as I get home today. Not cash games though...SnG's. I am thinking however, that I may load up three and play for a little while, then load up another three so I am not playing three and four handed on too many tables at once. Looking forward to it. I do have a little confession to make. I did well On FT Friday night, but in true donk style, I lost it all and then some Saturday morning before I went to the wedding. I played some HU cash and a guy held over me like no other. He had massive hands that I was trying to attack. Bad form by me and no more cash on FT, only SnG's.

Been doing ok on Will Hill cash lately. Was up a little and down a little again but holding steady now at $533. Considering I was at $400 a little while ago, I am pleased. However, I donked off $33 last night when I was tired, on tilt from getting eliminated from a tourney on the final table bubble (11th) and trying to watch a show on tv. Silly, needless money down the drain.

On another note, very curious to see how much rakeback I will have accrued this month, dont even want to take a guess as I really have no idea.

Heres to hoping

This Weekend

Well I am currently in Ireland, totally forgot I was coming here this weekend until late last night after I had already posted my update. The fiancee's best friends sister (obviously very close to me) is getting married and I have been dragged along to spend money on drink (I dont enjoy it) on flights (I hate being in transit) and on a gift (for a person I never met). Yes...a very special weekend I will cherish forever. Anywho.

Played a little before I left Glasgow, made a few dollars...maybe $5, whatever, but when we arrived here, the fiancee and sisters/friends are doing dress hair stuff....yawn....so I hop on the family computer and download Full Tilt. I was gonna do Will Hill but a change of country, a change of site, so FT it is. I was sitting on $346 and now I am on $416. A tidy $70 profit in about 1/2 an hour. Not too shabby. Mainly 25-50 cash and some heads up 50-1. I was hopping from table to table looking for some soft plaayers, found a few and did well....although there were a few bumps. I actually got stacked for $20 with T8 of diamonds.

I raised the button to $1.50, BB calls. Flop comes QT4, one diamond. He checks, I bet out $2, he calls. Turn is a 2 diamonds, he checks, I bet $5 he calls again...hmmm. River is a 6 diamonds. I bet 10, he goes all in and has me covered, I call, he shows AJ diamonds for the nuts. Flat called me with AJsuited, called my flop bet with a gutshot, turned a flush draw, and hit. I figured the diamonds came and I would have him...strange hand.

But even with that setback, I turned a nice profit, so very happy about that. May play some tomorrow morning before the wedding, dunno yet, but will be occupied all day after that.

Maybe Sunday I can get some time in.

Heres to hoping.

March 22

Starting - $448

End - $507

Profit - $59

nothing says success like a smiling dog (Yorkshire, I tried to find a dancing bear but couldnt find a good one....next time)

Poker Is Fun

Game #3561234203: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/22 - 19:51:38 (UK)
Table "Nekkar" Seat 5 is the button.
Seat 1: ($63.85 in chips)
Seat 2: me ($40.70 in chips)
Seat 3: ($50 in chips)
Seat 4: ($48.17 in chips)
Seat 5: him ($26.45 in chips)
Seat 6: ($50.50 in chips)
: posts small blind $0.25
: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to me [Td Tc]
me : raises to $1.50
: folds
: folds
him : raises to $4
: folds
: folds
me : calls $2.50
----- FLOP ----- [Th Kh 6d]
me: checks
him: bets $22.45 and is all-in
me: calls $22.45
----- TURN ----- [Th Kh 6d][Jh]
----- RIVER ----- [Th Kh 6d Jh][5h]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
him: shows [Ac As] (A Pair of Aces, King high)
me: shows [Td Tc] (Three of a kind, Tens, King high)
me: collected $51 from Main pot

March 21st and Other Stuff

Start - $459

End - $448

Profit -$11

The picture sums up quite well yesterday's play. I went bust after hitting top pair and villain hit bottom two. I went broke in a hand I shouldnt have. Stupid.

I find that at times I am getting into pissing contests with people at certain tables (including my exit hand with top pair) And when I do, I go broke. But if I just sit down, play well, stay aggressive with good hands, fold the rest, I run up $25-$30 with ease. I know it may not seem like a lot, but 50-60 BB is quite a profit in thirty to forty minutes. I need to leave emotion out of the game and not want to felt some guy by calling raises out of position with bad hands. Simple as that.

However, the -$11 would have been more had I not dusted myself off and won some back at the end of the night and that I am proud off. I did play well afterwards. Although there was one hand in paticular that I have been upset about. I get AA in the cutoff and the player to my right raises to $1.50. I make it $3.50 to play, and the blinds fold. He then re re-raises it to $10. Now obviously I am ahead (unless we both have AA which is unlikely) and I know that I want all the money in the pot as soon as possible. He has about $35 behind after his $10 raise, and me being the donkey that I am (see above picture for incredibly accurate likeness) move all in for $60 something thinking QQ or KK. He folds and says 'JJ'. Damnit, he got away. Now I agree that $10 is great especially as it is riskfree because he folded pre, but the fact I played it wrong upsets me.

I SHOULD have done a few things differently. If my play is to move in, I shouldn't have moved all MY chips in. I should have made it $35. Simply putting one extra chip in the middle (a $25 chip) rather than my stack which was $60 something and included pennies. When I moved in my stack looked enormous and the pennies actually filled up the entire screen. The mere sight of the stack looks imposing. I have read numerous times in books and articles and a few videos off poker X with Bax and Sheets, that it is a good play to put a minimum amount of chips in the middle to make it look less threatening. A $100 chips looks less threatening than nine $10 and ten $1 chips. The same value, but less chips. Silly I know, but as soon as he folded, I kicked myself as I could have given myself a better chance of him calling.

Moving in though, I dont think was the best play. He only has $35 left behind. If I make it another $10 or $14 to go, he will probably call as it is only a min raise, or close to it. On the flop, I move in and he can call for the rest ($20-$25) into a pot of $70-$75, or fold, something I dont think he could do given the amount he has put in (I am not saying he is priced in, but merely many players at that level cannot fold after putting so much money in, especially if the flop is rags and he has an overpair) .

Next time...

Knightsridge....The Super Rock?

Just dont know if it was the right play to make.

Game #3547276673: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/21 - 16:56:01 (UK)
Table Seat 3 is the button.
Seat 1: me ($63.76 in chips)
Seat 3: ($20.90 in chips)
Seat 4: ($28 in chips)
Seat 5: him ($42.23 in chips)
Seat 6: ($48.70 in chips)
NoLuck: posts small blind $0.25
Nille20: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Emmap0611 [Qc Qd]
: calls $0.50
Emmap0611: raises to $2.50
: folds
: folds
him: raises to $6.50
: folds
me: calls $4
----- FLOP ----- [Jc 9s 2h]
Nille20: bets $14.50
Emmap0611: folds

In hindsight, he bet so much that it didnt feel like AA or KK. However, he had never showed any real aggression or got out of line in the time I played with him. It was THE only time he led out like that after a preflop raise, and he never, never, had reraised anyone that I saw. Wish I could have seen what he had.

March 20th

Start - $400

End - $459

+ $59

Nothing says success like a cheerleading cat

Hands of Interest

Here are three hands that I think playing heads up cash has helped me win. In heads up I was seeing the betting patterns of players who were showing weakness because I was playing every hand.

I talk a little about each hand afterwards. Do not think I am trying to educate readers because I am such a great player. Most of you reading are probably better than me. Honestly, I am doing it more for myself. By thinking through hands like this, it helps me.

Game #3530791163: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/20 - 19:25:10 (UK)
Table "Stickleback" Seat 1 is the button.
Seat 1: Emmap0611 ($50 in chips)
Seat 2: ($20 in chips)
Emmap0611: posts small blind $0.25
xxxxx: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Emmap0611 [8s As]
Emmap0611: raises to $1.50
xxxxx: calls $1
----- FLOP ----- [2h Jc Ts]
xxxxx: checks
Emmap0611: bets $2
xxxxx: raises to $4
Emmap0611: raises to $6
xxxxx: calls $2
----- TURN ----- [2h Jc Ts][Qd]
xxxxx: checks
Emmap0611: checks
----- RIVER ----- [2h Jc Ts Qd][4s]
xxxxx: checks
Emmap0611: bets $13
xxxxx: folds

When I min raise the turn and he doesnt come back I think I can move him. When he checks the river and I am acting last I know he wont call a big bet.

Game #3538351053: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/20 - 19:56:07 (UK)
Table "Stickleback" Seat 6 is the button.
Seat 1: ($62.45 in chips)
Seat 2: ($36.80 in chips)
Seat 3: ($56.65 in chips)
Seat 4: ($24.50 in chips)
Seat 5: ($22.35 in chips)
Seat 6: ($33.60 in chips)
Emmap0611: posts small blind $0.25
: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Emmap0611 [Qs Ah]
: folds
xxxxx: raises to $1.50
: folds
: folds
Emmap0611: calls $1.25
: folds
----- FLOP ----- [6s 6h 8s]
Emmap0611: checks
xxxxx: bets $2.50
Emmap0611: calls $2.50
----- TURN ----- [6s 6h 8s][Td]
Emmap0611: checks
xxxxx: bets $2.50
Emmap0611: raises to $9
xxxxx: folds

I am out of position so I check call the flop seeing what he will do on the turn. If he bets 3/4 pot or pot I am gone. But he bets the same amount. The ten didnt help him because if it did he would want to protect it against overcards and bet bigger. I take a stab over the top and check raise. If he calls, depending on the river, I am probably done with the hand.

Game #3538077373: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/20 - 19:52:26 (UK)
Table "Stickleback" Seat 1 is the button.
Seat 1: Emmap0611 ($58.40 in chips)
Seat 2: ($40.55 in chips)
Seat 3: ($57.65 in chips)
Seat 5: ($20.95 in chips)
Seat 6: ($34.35 in chips)
lil_Mag: posts small blind $0.25
eledu01: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Emmap0611 [9d 9c]
: folds
: folds
Emmap0611: raises to $1.50
xxxxx: calls $1.25
: folds
----- FLOP ----- [Qs Jc Js]
xxxxx: bets $1.50
Emmap0611: calls $1.50
----- TURN ----- [Qs Jc Js][Ad]
xxxxx: bets $1.50
Emmap0611: raises to $7
xxxxx: folds

I raise with 99 and he calls. He then bets the flop. He probably has no J as he led into me and no one at 25-50 bets out headsup with trips. I flat call. He bets out again with 1.50 (which could mean a J) but I raise the A turn which would make sense since I raised pre and he lets it go. I like the way I played this hand

Student Poker and &%*#$! Mice!

Student tourney on Friday was a good time, but quite possibly the worst poker ever played. Yes...it was that bad. Calling with 9 high on the river, checking the nuts when last to act on the river, betting 30 chips into a 300 chip pot and getting folds...the list goes on. Fair enough, the kids are not familiar with the game and it was for a good cause, so I am not complaining, merely reporting the manner in which a beautiful game was butchered. (I raised with AA getting 2 callers, the flop came KQ6, I pushed all in and one of the kids instacalled...INSTACALLED...with 56. Yes, he was looking for runner runner to the straight, and no, he was not pot committed lol. The blinds caught up with me and I pushed with Q4 into another teacher's 77...c'est la vie. One of the kids won it, which was good, after his 82 held up in a 3 way all in with him calling after the other two were all in....yes, a deserved victory.

So anyways, recently I have been playing a lot of heads up cash and doing OK. For sure I have learned the importance of being aggressive with the button. Amazing how important it is. I have taken a few lumps (see Vent post below) but I have been more than holding my own. Unfortunately I took a major hit to the roll this morning. Outdraw? Bad Connection? Cold Deck? No....none of those. It was a misclick. I called a 74 pound bet with J6 on a K84 all hearts board. Yes, I know. He had QQ with the Q of hearts and he took it down. I meant to click fold and instead the mouse hit something on the pad or it just jumped or something. But it was not good. Instantly I felt sick. I saw my chips move in and the cards flip over and I saw what was going on. I had the J of hearts and I would have had outs but he had the Q of hearts and I needed runner runner J6 JJ or 66. What really sucked is I had been playing well using good bankroll management but I wanted to take a shot higher then usual. My plan was to play a little and get out if any damage was being done. Never got the chance. So with my tail firmly between my legs I trudged back to the depths of 25-50 cent poker. And there I will lurk for the time being.

So. I now have $400 on William Hill (I know I had so much more...I think I was at 720 a few days back, but I got stacked in a 50-1 game and then this morning so 430 it is. Workable and manageable.

I have also been reading some blogs recently that talk about the amount of professionalism they apply to the game (this includes the guys who live near some friends who track their money meticulously) and if I ever want to play professionally, (which is definitely my goal) I should to. Therefore, I plan on keeping my stats on this blog. So each day will be a new post saying how that day went, and if I can, the best and worst played hands by myself.

PS I know that 400 is not enough for a 25-50 cent game but I am buying in for $25 so I have 16 buyins rather than 8.

Heres to hoping.

Sick Call

Game #3531933063: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/20 - 10:21:01 (UK)
Table "Lexicon" Seat 3 is the button.
Seat 1: Emmap0611 ($37.35 in chips)
Seat 2: Jimpan ($54 in chips)
Seat 3: anoyer ($47 in chips)
Seat 4: Raf1907 ($39.75 in chips)
Seat 5: Elcador ($16.40 in chips)
Seat 6: ralfonzte ($48.75 in chips)
Raf1907: posts small blind $0.25
Elcador: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Emmap0611 [3d 3s]
ralfonzte: folds
Emmap0611: raises to $1.50
Jimpan: folds
anoyer: folds
Raf1907: raises to $2.50
Elcador: folds
Emmap0611: calls $1
----- FLOP ----- [Jh 2s 5d]
Raf1907: bets $2.50
Emmap0611: calls $2.50
----- TURN ----- [Jh 2s 5d][Jc]
Raf1907: bets $34.75 and is all-in
*****after a very long think*****
Emmap0611: is all-in $32.35
----- RIVER ----- [Jh 2s 5d Jc][8c]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Raf1907: shows [Qd As] (A Pair of Jacks, Ace high)
Emmap0611: shows [3d 3s] (Two Pairs, Jacks and Threes, Eight high)
Emmap0611 collected $72.20 from Main pot

ship it

Vent

I will write about the student tourney yesterday st some point, but I need to write about a hand first. I have been playing a lot of heads up cash and doing well. I had been playing against this guy for a little while and he had done a big reraise preflop a lot. Just take a look at this hand:

I am EmmaP by the way...the fiancees name...I am trying to change it.

Game #3509288183: Hold'em NL ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/03/18 - 09:21:26 (UK)
Table "Agri" Seat 2 is the button.
Seat 1: cossieboy ($59.05 in chips)
Seat 2: Emmap0611 ($73.76 in chips)
Emmap0611: posts small blind $0.25
cossieboy: posts big blind $0.50
----- HOLE CARDS -----
dealt to Emmap0611 [Qh Kd]
Emmap0611: raises to $1.50
cossieboy: raises to $6
Emmap0611: calls $4.50
----- FLOP ----- [5d Qs Jd]
cossieboy: bets $6
Emmap0611: raises to $13.50
cossieboy: calls $7.50
----- TURN ----- [5d Qs Jd][2s]
cossieboy: checks
Emmap0611: bets $54.26 and is all-in
cossieboy: is all-in $39.55
Returned uncalled bets $14.71 to Emmap0611
----- RIVER ----- [5d Qs Jd 2s][Jh]
----- SHOW DOWN -----
Emmap0611: shows [Qh Kd] (Two Pairs, Queens and Jacks, King high)
cossieboy: shows [Js As] (Three of a kind, Jacks, Ace high)
cossieboy collected $117.10 from Main pot


What a terrible play.

Will Hill Cash and Other News

Well this past weekend was not exactly the money earner I had hoped it would be. SnGs though fun, are difficult to make a lot of money from. This is especially true when essentially it was coming down to a coinflip everytime. So the last few days I have been playing cash games, but not 15-25, rather 25-50. Not a massive jump, but I thought the games were a little softer and this would let me deal with the jump in stakes. I have made about $200 since Monday, which is not bad at all. I am playing good poker and really enjoying it. I am going to give the SnG's a miss for a little while

Last night the stuff I ordered from Stars arrived, albeit 13 weeks after I ordered it. An aboslute nightmare getting the stuff (the first order was lost so Stars had to send another one). They were great however in shipping me a second order, and a woman named Linda from the FPP store did a top notch job with customer service I would rate 10/10. So last night I was excited to get the stuff. A duffel bag, grey hoodie, basketball jersey, soccer jersey, and coffee mug. I know I know, why do I need this stuff? Well the bag because I travel a fair bit (I am Canadian, the fiancee is Irish, we live in Scotland, and we work in New York in the summers) The hoodie because, well I dont play poker (live or online) without one, the mug because I can now take tea on the train into work each morning, and the jerseys....well.....no reason other than I had a bunch of points and thought what the hell. I will post some pics of them later.

After I got the package I thought I would play a Stars sat for the Sunday Million using yet more FPP points. I bought into the 1800 FPP turbo sat with 30 players giving away 4 seats. I came 9th. I had a stack of 3000 and was in the small blind. It was folded to me and I pushed with 94. With 900 in blinds and I think 500 in antes, it was the right move until....the BB instacalled with TJ. TJ!!!! What was he beating. I know he knows I am bluffing, but you cant call a bluff without a hand yourself. He would have been crippled as well if he lost that pot. I went back a little later to see if he won a seat and he did....damnit, he did. I may try a WSOP sat with the points I have left tonight, we'll see.

Mike, a friend from college, also sent me some money on Stars that I am gonna try and build up a small roll for sats and tournies. (after the fiancee's little bro killed my roll accidentally on a 2-4 table) No more cash on Stars when I have rakeback on Will Hill, but deepstack tournies, and sats for EPT are great on their, and an EPT seat is what I really want for next year. I am gonna be gunning for it!

I have also been toying with the idea of having certain games on each site. Full Tilt for SnG's, Will Hill for cash, and Stars for sats and special tournies like Deepstacks. Any other tournies, I can have a look around and see what I like. It would allow me to totally adapt to each site and the players on there as well as the structures. However, this is not going to happen until resizeable tables on Full Tilt are available. I have tried numerous times to get them, but for some reason, each time I open the Beta version, it wont let me. I may email Full Tilt and ask whats up.

Thats about it for now, student tourney tomorrow which should be fun, and possibly some live poker this weekend (I have not played live in over 3 months.....wow) It's just that every time I mean to play live, I just think about how easy it is to stay home and play online and the idea of live goes out the window.

We'll see.

Red Nose Day

For you UK readers I am sure you are aware of what Red Nose Day is. For any non-UK readers, Red Nose Day is a day of fundraising throughout the UK to help people in different parts of Africa. I do not think you have to go to Africa to find people in need, as plenty of people in the UK need help, but I have no problem supporting it. Anyways, the school I teach at is having activities Friday afternoon. I was going to set up some type of quiz for the kids using movies and music, that was before another teacher approached me asking if I would like to help him run a poker tournament? Hmmmmmm, tough sell....ummmmmm, hell yes.

So this Friday afternoon, three teachers and 27 students (all 5th and 6th years, so most are 17 a few are 18) are paying £5 towards Red Nose Day and are playing a freezeout with the winner receiving a chip set. No money is being won, so there is no gambling, simply people playing cards for a good cause.

I set up a tourney structure that I felt would be good. And because it has to be over in 2 hours it is quite a crapshoot at the end, but I did my best.

Starting stacks of 50 chips, twelve levels of 10 minutes each (2 hours, 1:30-3:30)
1-1
1-2
1-2 (yes there are two levels of 1-2...just to give more play)
2-4
3-6
4-8
6-12
8-16
10-20
15-30
20-40
25-50

By the time the last level ends, it will be 3:30, which is when the bell rings. If people are still remaining, the levels jump to 5 minutes long and double themselves (50-100, 100-200) just to finish the thing close to the right time. I am looking quite forward to it as it definitely beats teaching!

Last Friday one of the kids told me to 'watch myself' as he was quite the player. He 'finished 2nd in a tournament his friends ran and won £10'. I said I would be on the lookout for a shark in the water lol.

Sunday

Slept in a little this morning, but I am ready to go.

Gonna sneak one or two before breakfast.

11:10 - Game 20 dollar 6pac
Music - Joshua Radin - These Photographs

a guy just pushed in over the top of another all in stack with TJs???
no cards
5th of 5 right now
AK took down blinds
next hand AA in big blind...take a guy out (i was in 4th of 5)
2nd of 4
99 v AT no good (I raise big with 99 and he goes all in...??? I have shown AA and nothing else)
4th of 4
treading...stealing once an orbit
pushed with 52...2 callers. Flop is J52..turn A...river J guy has A6...damnit

-11 pound

11:41 - Game 20 dollar 6pac
Music - The Fray - How To Save a Life

AK took a guy out
chip daddy
A9 no good v 88
2nd of 4
blinds are getting big
3rd of 4
need a hand
KT no good v A6

damnit....should never have called that A9 hand....stupid
two straight games where if I won a coin flip I take it down.

-22 pound

Only bad thing about the 6pacs as opposed to the Thunder 6pacs is that they fill up a lot less quickly. I just signed up for a 5 pound tourney as well as a 10 pound 6pac. Get resizeable tables William Hill!

12:15 - Games 5 pound tourney and a 10 pound 6pac
Music - Eels - Fresh Feeling

AK no good in 6pac..down a little
small pot in tourney with QJ in small blind.
playing badly in the 6pac.....need to be more patient
paid a guy off in the tourney...silly...back to 1500
top pair no good in 6pac...stupid....very badly played on my part

-33 pound

tourney going well, just hit a set and tripled up, 5th of 28
although should have been more as I let A3 hit against my AK and I checked the flop, should have been more aggressive.
AK no good v QQ......shortie now
24 of 25
20th of 21
need a hand
AQ in BB takes down a 3Xbb raise from mid position.
19th of 20....down to 2 tables so more time for a hand
one per orbit is all I need
**also just started a sat on stars for monthly VIP 100K tourney**
16 of 18
stole with TJ....need a hand
15th of 16
had AJ in BB but UTG raised and SB called, I folded...g fold 77 and AQ
stole with A5...13th of 14
13th place...pushed with 52s ran into A6 flop gave me a pair and a flush draw but no dice

-39 pound

common theme today...calling is not good. Have to stop...no fold equity

Just signed up for a 20 pound tourney...120 pound overlay with 600 pound for first.
83 left. pays top 10
yet to play a flop
been playing 38 mins....not won a hand yet
44 of 49
52 of 82 in stars sat after AJ beats AK and 88 takes down blinds and 2 limpers
yesssssssssssssssss. JJ steals blinds...first pot
38 of 39 in willhill
47 of 62 on stars
QK no match for 88 out of Will Hill
39 of 48 on stars....22 seats and a points prize for 23rd
big stack to me right who steals me and big stack now on my left who will end up calling me......grrrrrrr
36 of 39
AJ no good v AK...35th place

-61 pound

2:47 Game - 20 pound 6pac
Music - Augustana - Boston

I am winning this
coasting...nothing big
3 of 5
3 of 4
close game...blinds starting to take hold
55 takes down AK...chip daddy
heads up
even in chips
A8 v Q4 is good

+7 pound

3:19 - Game - 10 pound 6pac
Music - Augustana - Boston (it worked in the last one...)

just down a nice little pot with QJ
2nd of 5.... couple of shorties and a nice bully to get rid of them next to me
KK takes out shortie
2 of 4
3 left...2nd place
shortie doubles through...3rd place now
quite a good game..both solid players
KK beats A9...chip daddy
A7 no good v AJ
2nd place of 3
heads up
push with 65...no good v 33...so many outs as well on a QJ9Q board

+11 pound

3:55 - Game - 10 pound 6pac
Music - Augustana - Bullets

guy I played heads up last game is playing this one as well
88 hits a set, take some off aggressive boy, but not too much as board had 3 to straight and 2 flush draws
AA raise, reraised all in. call obviously. KK he has. KT5 flop, J turn, river.......Q! chip daddy
1st of 5...2 big stacks, the others 700-800
AA again! only takes blinds though
4 handed...chip leader
2800 and they are all around 1000
shortie is to my left and I dont want to raise as if he comes over i have to call
4 way and blinds are 200-400
heads up
QT finishes off K8
SHIP IT!

+45 pound

4:26 - Game - 20 dollar 6pac
Music - Augustana - Boston

KQ spades takes a small pot down
got disconnected in the middle of a hand. damn
back now, still 6 handed sitting 3rd or 4th but all within 100 or so
5th of 6 now...shortie next to me keeps pushing first...damnit
last now
trying to stay afloat...just stole with 53
nothing I could do...the cards totally deserted me

+34 pound

4:54 - Game - 20 pound 6pac
Music - Josh Joplin - Camera One

lose one on 2nd hand
looooooooose guy goes all in on 277 board...called by JJ he has 25....2 on river...in a word....sick
4 left
QQ takes some of maniacs chips.....he had 53 had called down
ka-razzzzzzeeee table.....3 of 4 but the two big guys are going at each other...strange strange hands
raise with AT....maniac goes all in. I call, he has K8...obviously a pushing hand...8 on river, would have put me chip leader. damn

+23 pound

*********clean flat for a little while so fiancee still wants to marry me when she gets home tonight*******

5:25 - Game - 10 pound 6pac
Music - Snow Patrol - You're All I Have

as I am playing the 6pac, there is a 1500 pound guaranteed tourney starting with quite a bit of overlay, so I am playing that as well.
down to 4 in the 6pac...still on starting stack or so
2 big guys went at each other...now one big guy and 3 of us little ones
tourney is not bad...up to 1800 from 1500 after a nice bluff
ran into KK trying to steal, damnit, 3rd place

+12 pound

OK, by far the strangest hand I have ever won just happened in the tourney
I have QJ on the button and raise the 15-30 blinds to 120 after two limpers. Both limpers called. The flop came 4 A 5 with two diamonds. First limper checks, second bets 150. I make it 430, first limper folds, other calls. Turn is a 2 of hearts. He checks, I go all in. He instacalls. River is another 5. His hand? Q8 of diamonds of course. I double up with QJ, no pair no draw. crazy.
3rd of 57
the guy who called my all in with a flush draw just CALLED for all his chips AFTER THE RIVER with A high with straight, flush, and full house possibilities on board
9 of 47...nothing happening
soooo many limpers each hand!
AK UTG, raise 3X bb. button makes it another 600......I pass. pretty sure he had aces.
12 of 39
raise with AQ, small blind pushes...I call. he shows 22, I hit an ace. 2nd of 38. didnt feel right that he raised as much as he did. Either coin flip or I had him dominated.
just laid down AJ and TT preflop. AJ was up against KK so good fold, and the other AK and 88. Turn brought an 8 but if I had pushed preflop I think he would have folded.
break time in tourney. 6th of 31.
also reading blonde poker updates of Dortmond EPT event. Down to final table there..only 670K euros to the winner.
TT takes down some blinds
5 of 24
tried a steal with K7 and got re-raised....damn
8 of 21...got moved tables right into the BB...grrrr
10 of 20...two tables left
AK all in v QQ...A on flop....Q on turn
16 of 18...i win that pot...Im 6th
push with Q9...BB calls with AJ....no help, 18th place....absolutely gutted.

-10 pound

7:07 - Game 10 pound 6pac
Music - Josh Radin - These Photographs

Winning this.
still 6 handed...few pocket pairs but no sets
4th of 6
5 handed...no cards at all....have not won a pot in 17 hands.
AK all in v TJ.....no good

-21 pound

9:08 - Game - 30 dollar 6pac

2nd hand I get AA, raise to 100. 1 caller. flop is 2TQ, I bet 300 he calls. Turn is 5, he checks, I go all in, he calls with 22 for a set. cant get away from that. damnit.

-36 pound

9:11 - Game - 20 pound 6pac

lots of raises preflop. one guy is going all in atleast once an orbit.
3 of 6
AK UTG, raise to 150...button goes all in....then BB goes all in as well.??? I call. Button has JJ, BB has K8???? Flop brings me a K, but also brings two 5's. river is a third 5...split pot for two full houses...damnit. K8? honestly.
2nd of 4
3 handed....in 2nd place barely
this maniac all in guy....hope he gets caught soon

I played so bad 3 handed. sooo bad

-58 pound

9:43 - Game - 20 pound 6pac

this is my last game for the day. A win would make me a little better than even for the day...I really want that!
2nd of 5
having some connection issues...which are never fun
lose a little with A8s
4 handed...in 4th place, but all within a few hundred of each other.
tight game all between 1000 and 2000
23 in BB hits 2 pair and beats 66...chip daddy
heads up
could not close it...had a big chip lead but he always had a hand to come back with
so sick................................damnit!!!!!!!!!!!

-50 pound

Well, the fiancee is home, so that is the end of poker for the weekend. Very disappointed with today as I really wanted to build on yesterday. That being said, especially in the tourneys, a few cards here and there and I make a big cash....sigh...next time.

Saturday

I read Killer Online Poker 2 by John Vorhaus recently. A very good book, and it had a cool section near the end, where he played 24 straight hours of online poker and documented it. Though I am not playing for 24 hours, I am going to play most of the day and as I play I will record the hands, my mood, or any other tidbits.

Woke up. Showered. Cleaned up the flat a bit. Now...poker

9:30am - Game : 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music : Joshua Radin - Closer

Got too attached to 77 against aggro player down a bit
TT I raise, 1 caller, flop is 963, all in, called by 99, turn is Ten!
AQ v 33 I hit an ace now 3 handed Im in first
And Im out. Bully with QJ and called by JJ then guy hero calls with Q6 v my 44

-11 pound

9:48 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Jurassic 5 w Dave Matthews - Work it Out

No cards...5 handed still in there...there is a massive cl
QQ, take down some min raisers and limpers
AQ all in...called by A2....2 hits

-22 pound

10:04 - Game - 20 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Dave Matthews - Say Goodbye

no cards...5 handed

J4 hearts - 3h 6h Js all in..called by JT...no help

this is unreal

-44 pound

10:15 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Coldplay - Fix you

AQ I raise...get min raised, I call flop is QQ3. I check, he bets I call. Turn is a T, I go all in he calls with AA, no miracle.
5 handed...small chipleader
4 handed 2nd place
AK all in called by A3 it holds...3 handed
heads up
KJ v his A4 no help...2nd place

-40 pound

10:31 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6Pac
Music - Dispatch - The General

77 all in called by AA limper who was slow playing....7 on river....boys and girls....DO NOT SLOWPLAY
88 v AJ, holds
3 handed 1st place barely....all 3 are close
I WANT THIS ONE!
tight game
QQ played to perfection...heads up...I am cl
KQ beats AJ...first place...finally

-6 pound

10:50 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Paolo Nutini - Last Request

5 handed..picked up one pot in the BB from blind on blind
4 handed 3rd place...but low blinds
TT loses to KJ...A on board had to check as out of position and J on river
AQ loses to KJ...flop is KK4

-17 pound

11:01 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Dave Matthews Band - #41

1st hand I get AK..raiser to 60 I go all in..he calls with A9 it holds
4 handed...chipleader
2rd place of 4...no cards
3 handed 2nd place
I push with A8 and chipleader calls with 22!!!! At best he is a coinflip...incredibly bad play. He would have been crippled if he lost as well.

-28 pound

11:18 - Game - 20 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Snow Patrol f Martha Wainwright - Set Fire To The Third Bar

playing well ....bit of a rush of cards
AK stands up to A5
AQ stands up to A7
3 handed...chip leader
guy hits a flush when i hit a straight
close game 3 handed...all within 200
JJ holds v KQ
heads up with cl
ok listen to this hand....I have J6 and he calls my BB. I check. The flop comes T65. he bets 300 and I call. The turn is a 4. He bets 300 again. I go all in. He calls with 35 and hits a 3 for two pair. Unreal.
Oh....but I ended up winning. A8 v K4 held

+40 pound

11:42 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Counting Crows - Mr. Jones (live on VH1)

AQs takes down small pot early
AK no good v AJ...down a little
Just hit a straight and got paid for it
2nd of 5
4 handed 2nd place
make that 3 handed 2nd place
shortie becomes chipleader...weird game this is
heads up
2nd place - pushed with A2s he called with A3 and we each hit...wasted chance. damnit.

+44 pound

12:00 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Eels - Fresh Feeling

nothing doing card dead
5 handed 4th place
now 5th place...nothing close to a hand
pushed with A6 called by chip leaders QQ

+33 pound

12:10 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Matchbox 20 - Kody

this card dead thing seems to be a trend
AQ v 88 no good

+22 pound


************BREAK TIME, GOING TO THE SHOP FOR MILK*********

special K with berries and skim milk. Breakfast/lunch of champions.

1:05 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Matt Nathanson - Laid

nothing big....all pretty even after 10 hands or so
AQ in BB UTG raises UTG+1 reraises, button calls. I fold, ends up all in JJ v 99, A on flop. damn
4 handed 3rd place
push w K7...chipleader calls with TJ??? I hold
3 handed...all close
heads up
all in w A7 called by 9T???, T on river.
Grrrrrrrrr

+26 pound

1:20 Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Jack Johnson - Seems to Me that Maybe

too aggressive with 44
too aggressive with flush and straight draw
enough said

+15 pound

1:28 - Game - 20 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Joshus Radin - These Photographs

66 hit a set...not paid off
54 on a 865 all spade flop. he bets min, I call. 5 on turn, He bets min, I call. 9 on river, he bets min again I call, he has 99. ???
I am shortstacked and in 3rd place of 6...weird
doubled up AK v AQ
2nd of 5
3rd of 4
3rd of 3
treading water
AQ hits v KK
heads up
damnit second. didnt hit anything. He called with Q8 v my J7 when I pushed. Left me shortstacked.

+23 pound

going to take a little break right now and watch some of the Ireland Scotland rugby game. I am costing myself so much money with all these 2nd places. I am missing that one hand heads up hand that puts me over the top. going to just stop for a little while and hopefully come back ready for firsts.

ok.....ready to play

2:27 - Game - 20 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Dave Matthews Band - Crash

5 handed after first hand
4 handed
pushed into AA no help, damn

+1 pound

2:42 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Poalo Nutini - Jenny Dont Be Hasty

I am winning this game.
5 handed in 2nd place
4 handed in 3rd place
AJ hits v 55 now a very small chipleader
AA v AJ holds chipleader (had to avoid a river 9...woulda been very upset!)
JJ no good v K7
3 handed and chipleader
heads up
Bam, first place. 86 hit v AQ

+35 pound

3:03 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Dispatch - The General

I want to win this....make it two in a row.
lose one first hand KK v QQ
have folded AJ twice in first 6 hands
big blind special hits top pair, takes a nice little pot down
2nd of 5 barely...close stacks
2nd of 4
K9 runs into A9 blind on blind im gone

+24 pound

3:16 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Josh Joplin - Camera One

going to do no posting this game...focus entirely on game
lost two coin flips. called a shortie's all in with ATs. shouldnt have. He had 66 and held. damnit

+13 pound

3:41 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Augustana - Bullets (appropriate isnt it?)

holding steady 3rd of 5...two big stacks
AK v JJ I hit two aces he hits one jack...thats me

+2 pound

I am currently unable to connect to William Hill....hmmmmmm, says there is a problem communicating between their server and my computer.

Because William Hill isnt happening I hopped on Stars and signed up for an EPT Monte Carlo Sat. 1000 FPP's with prizes for each 8000 points.

I get QQ and with blinds at 15-30 I raise to 300. One caller. The flop comes 469, I go all in, he calls with 44. Cannot believe he called with 44.

And now William Hill is back...weird.

5:30 - Game - 10 pound Thunder
Music - Snow Patrol - Hands Open

KK v QQ, all in Q on flop...enough said

-9 pound

5:35 - Game - 10 pound Thunder 6pac
Music - Coldplay - Fix You

nothing happening
some crazies on the table though..reraising with 3rd pair??? with only 1000 chips people are pot committed
3rd of 5
push A7 into JJ no help

-20 pound

OK, I am getting tired of the Thunders, so I am currently playing a normal 6pac, instead of 6 hands per level, there are 12. Heres to hoping.

5:53 - Game 20 pound 6pac
Music - Jurassic 5 and Dave Matthews - Work it Out

AK no match for TJ, down to 600 chips
AJ v 77...gives me 2 pair and back up to 1200
after playing Thunders for awhile....this is like a deepstack event.
3rd of 5...top 3 are within 150 chips of each other
2nd of 4
AQ v QQ no help

-42 pound

currently playing a heads up shootout and a thunder tourney, doing well in both.

Just won the first heads up round...currently 28th of 90 left in the tourney, 395 started
make that 6th of 85 left
just won my second match
7th of 36
just won my 3rd match...semis now
8th of 17 in tourney
just lost a pot with A5 v KJ, A62 flop...T turn, Q river...lol 6 pound profit for 12th place

-36 pound

finals of heads up tourney
SHIP IT! First Place for $72

-3 pound

Dinner time.

Chicken strips on one plate and on the other? why french fries with cheese and gravy. It is called poutine and it is a Canadian delicacy. Think Im crazy? Try it. Then you'll see....crazy like a fox.

9:12 - Game 10 pound 6pac
Music - Eels - Fresh Feeling

no cards at all
3rd of 5
totally card dead
3 of 4
43 hands played...not one pair pair and AJ was the best Ace
now 4 of 4
AQs reraise and took down a 3x BB raise. gives me some breathing space
3 of 4
A5 beats 55...chip leader
A5 beats A8....oops.....Im chipleader
AJ no good v 62
Q3 beats J7
heads up
ship it....KK beats A5

+31 pound

10:00 - Game - 10 pound 6pac
Music - Coldplay - Fix You

nothing happening...all 6 are left, no big hands by anyone
3rd of 4
aggressive guy to my left is pretty solid
4th of 4 but in ok shape
AQ v 33......diamonds baby...A of diamonds hits a flush
AT no good v shorties 57
99 stands to AJ..... now chipleader
heads up...even stacks
SHIP IT! AJ v Q4 stands to take 95% of chips...then J4 stands v 98 to finish him off

+65 pound

I think I have found my game. However I am glad I played the turbos for the past week or so as they totally prepared me for having absolutely no fear in pushing trash hands.

I have been playing for about 12 hours or so off and on. I think I will call it a day.

But tomorrow is more of the same.

65 pound is not bad. $130 or so is nothing to complain about. Especially considering I love to play, and also, that I am getting 30% rakeback from William Hill, so it will actually come out to be more than 65. Damn straight.

Last Night and This Weekend

Last night I didnt get to play for very long. The fiancee is going away for the weekend so we had some 'us' time. Watched some tv as well as some episodes of various shows on my laptop which she loves that I downloaded for her.

Anyways, I did get to play a little; four 10 pound thunders and a 30 pound thunder. Here are my exit hands in the 10 pound thunders: 84 v 89 all in on a 842 flop (9 on river). 77 v Q6 all in preflop. Q on flop. AK v AA all in pre. A3 v K3 all in pre K on river. Very annoying. However, in everyone of them except for the 84 hand, my chips were in first. Just unlucky, and in the longrun I will do better. In the 30 pound thunder it got down to headsup and I had a massive lead. Then he doubled up with QJ v my A8 (I called his allin, and I dont think I should have) and then the worst hand when he doubled up to take the lead was when I moved in with 79 on a 78T flop, for bottom pair and an open ended straight draw. He called, he CALLED! with 56. He hit a 9 on the turn. He had 7 outs and hit one. He doesnt hit and I win. Next hand I pushed with 44 and he called with 69. 6 on the turn. He got lucky in each of those hands, but I still made a little profit. Although it is a bit weird on Will Hill as in the six seaters, the winner gets 4.5 x the entry, while the second place gets 1.5 x the entry, rather than 4x and 2x. Not a massive difference but makes first place so much better. When we were heads up we were both guarunteed 45 pound, with the winner receiving an additional 90 pound. (180 dollars) quite a big jump for a few hands.

Now as I said, this weekend the fiancee is going home to Ireland. Which means, I am playing poker ALL weekend. I am sooooo excited. I love my fiancee but a weekend of poker is a great way to spend a few days apart. I am playing football (soccer for any North American readers) after work today with some staff and students, and then I am home. I am going to clean the flat first though so I can concentrate better and then play some. Even though I want to play the entire weekend, I want to stop myself from playing too much at a time. I may impose a mandatory break every few hours to avoid tilting, bad play, indifference etc.

I may also do updates through the weekend as I am playing instead of one big update on Sunday.

Heres to hoping

"All Night With His Check Check Check Check...He Tripped Me!"

Watched Rounders last night for the first time in awhile. What a great movie. Yes it is cliche, but every time I watch it, I pick up something else I had not noticed before. It is an accurate portrayal of poker and it is refreshing to watch. Not AA v KK type of stuff.

Although I would love to know what Teddy KGB had the final hand v Matt Damon. On a 67T2A board with no flush and he bet out on every street. Two pair or possibly a set maybe? I dunno.

"He beat me straight up, pay that man, pay that man his money"

Fantastic

Wow

I arrived home yesterday and the fiancee was nowhere to be seen. She was at some thing at work and would not be home for awhile. So I obviously loaded up Will Hill and Full Tilt, and away we go.

Now. Full Tilt recently came out with a beta version which allows resizeable tables. Fantastic! However recently when I logged on, it required me to download a newer version. This was not an optional upgrade, so of course, I upgraded. This new version of their beta does not allow me to resize. Huh? I have deleted it and reinstalled it, but for whatever reason, no dice. So until I can resize, no SnG's. So instead I take a look at the cash tables and see if I notice anyone. Then, I see him. Sitting on a 50-1 table is a player who I had recently played and noticed was quite terrible. Is .50-1 out of my roll. Yes. Is it +EV to play him, hell yes. I left twenty minutes later up $60. He was getting low and was not reloading, and I hate pot committing myself with a preflop raise, so I left.

On to William Hill. So I hop on a cash table with $25 on a 15-25 table. I get K9 and raise on the button BB calls. Flop is K94. I bet he calls. Turn is a 7. Check, I bet 3/4 of the pot. Calls. River is another 4, he checks, I check. I lose to A4. I get 33 on a 3KA. I bet out, he calls. Turn is a Q, I bet he calls. River is a blank. He checks. I go all in, he calls with TJ. He called a pot bet on the flop with a gutshot and checked the nuts on the river. Genuis or idiot, not sure which. I leave the table with $5 and am not happy.

So I take a look at some SnG's. A six seated thunder tourney (levels go up every 6 hands) is about to start. Now I know I started this blog with William Hill SnG's, and how much I hated them. But last night, I loved them. I won the SnG in twenty minutes. I played a bunch last night and after being down to $410 after a terrible cash table performance, I ended the night on solely SnG's with $600. I am going to keep playing these Thunders for awhile because last night, I was golden. Fantastic.

Heres to hoping.

Discipline and Patience

I have shown neither.

I was plodding along well on Full Tilt playing SnG's until last night when I jumped on and starting playing cash. Silly mistake (my rakeback on William Hill is better so I really am costing myself money) but I just wanted a change of scenery to be honest. It didnt go well and I ended up losing a little. Bad play on my part including calling a large bet with JJ on a Q high flop. Silly mistake as I would also need to call a turn and river. I folded on the turn and logged off.

On William Hill I was experiencing some bad beats. I was stacked with AK v AQ all in pre for $30 and a little later with QQ v KK (which I sooooo should have layed down) for another $25 or so. So, I am posting this to force myself to become more patient and disciplined. Poker is a journey not a destination (deep eh?) and I am trying to make the road as short as possible. Not good.

So: I have $276 on Full Tilt. I am going to play eight SnG's a day on average, with fifty-six being my weekly goal. I can do that easily.

I have $450 or so on William Hill and I am going to be much more patient with my play. No more raising J7 suited just because I have the button. I am also going to play the dollar tables as for a little while, the pound tables were whispering my name. Not a good thing.

And finally, I am going to post more on this blog. I have a blog, may as well use it.

Heres to hoping