So, today i've played 2574 hands and finished +$555. Always nice. Here's the breakdown:
Limit Hands Amount Won
$200nl 6-max 27 +$76.55
$100nl FR 265 +$214.75
$100nl 6-max 2,283 +$263.50
Although i'm not currently rolled for $200nl, i saw a juicy game and played for a couple of orbits, until half the fish left and it went well :). 10.03ptbb/100 today, hopefully that'll continue :)
My horrendously played spewy hand of the day:
http://www.pokerhand.org/?3594709
I don't think it's as bad as it looks. I decided he was 3-betting me light, so i 4-bet in his face. When he shoves i need like 36% equity to call, and i figured to have about 40% here, as timing tells/etc told me he didn't have AA/KK/AK, and it's definitely a good call against his exact holding here. But...there's absolutely no reason to do any of this. My bad.
Tuesday 16 December 2008
Sunday 14 December 2008
Merry Christmas
Well, nearly.
I haven't blogged for quite a while, not since getting back from APPT Seoul and LAPT San Jose. I busted early from both those tournaments sadly, with no particularly memorable hands. Seoul i played fairly nitty and lost every hand i did play. San Jose i decided to play a lot of hands early, won nearly every small pot i played and lost every medium one. My stack went from 10k to 3k and then i grinded from 3k to 6k then got knocked down 3 or 4 times.
The hand before my bustout went like this: at 75/150 i have about 3.4k and open raise the CO to 400 with TT, both blinds call. Flop K62 two clubs, BB donks for 600, i call, SB folds. Turn Ac, BB checks, i consider bluff shoving and check behind. River is a blank, he checks again, i consider betting incase he has a king he wants to fold, but check. He shows A6 for turned two pair. SIGH. There were at least half a dozen hands that went down in a similar fashion.
Both trips were awesome though, especially Seoul where i got to spend a lot of time with one of my best friends.
Since being home, i have not been able to grind nearly as much as i would've liked. This is due to some personal health issues that i've had to deal with. I've still managed to make about $1.5k, but meh.
From now until the new year, i'm going to aim for at least 2k hands a day, along with a blog update to force myself to analyse my own play, as this is something i have been lax on recently. I currently have $2.4k on stars, so from tomorrow i will be hitting $100nl hard. Watch out IanBarns/other regs.
I will drop down to $50nl if my bankroll drops to $1.5k, which hopefully won't happen! gl me.
I haven't blogged for quite a while, not since getting back from APPT Seoul and LAPT San Jose. I busted early from both those tournaments sadly, with no particularly memorable hands. Seoul i played fairly nitty and lost every hand i did play. San Jose i decided to play a lot of hands early, won nearly every small pot i played and lost every medium one. My stack went from 10k to 3k and then i grinded from 3k to 6k then got knocked down 3 or 4 times.
The hand before my bustout went like this: at 75/150 i have about 3.4k and open raise the CO to 400 with TT, both blinds call. Flop K62 two clubs, BB donks for 600, i call, SB folds. Turn Ac, BB checks, i consider bluff shoving and check behind. River is a blank, he checks again, i consider betting incase he has a king he wants to fold, but check. He shows A6 for turned two pair. SIGH. There were at least half a dozen hands that went down in a similar fashion.
Both trips were awesome though, especially Seoul where i got to spend a lot of time with one of my best friends.
Since being home, i have not been able to grind nearly as much as i would've liked. This is due to some personal health issues that i've had to deal with. I've still managed to make about $1.5k, but meh.
From now until the new year, i'm going to aim for at least 2k hands a day, along with a blog update to force myself to analyse my own play, as this is something i have been lax on recently. I currently have $2.4k on stars, so from tomorrow i will be hitting $100nl hard. Watch out IanBarns/other regs.
I will drop down to $50nl if my bankroll drops to $1.5k, which hopefully won't happen! gl me.
Friday 5 December 2008
Blogger Championship
I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!
This PokerStars tournament is a No Limit Texas Hold’em event exclusive to Bloggers.
Registration code: 261365
Saturday 20 September 2008
Easy game
So apparently Satellites love me at the moment. Getting really close in EPT/LAPT sats, winning APPT sat, and just now won another APPT Seoul satellite. Ship the $6k. Nearly makes up for the $10k flip
RT"%£(Y£%_(J^£%^(GU
Just got sicked in an EPT London satellite.
3 Handedlost a flip for 2/3 chips in playwhere fish 4betshoved 22 vsmy AK.
Pot had like $10k of equity in.
Gonna go cry now
3 Handedlost a flip for 2/3 chips in playwhere fish 4betshoved 22 vsmy AK.
Pot had like $10k of equity in.
Gonna go cry now
Thursday 18 September 2008
APPT Seoul
So, in less than a week i am heading to Seoul for APPT. Figure i'll take it down => easy game.Tuesday 12 August 2008
Ooops
So, had a slip in my old bankroll management nitaments. Played some $400 PLO. GAMBOOOOOOOOLLL. Obviously get my chips in as a 65% fave and lose and insta massive tilt.
Also, busted what little money i had on full tilt thanks to Sam Granger sucking out on me for stacks THREE times. SIGHduck.
Sunday 10 August 2008
f*** 2-7 Triple Draw
Just played some 2-7 Triple Draw, getting cocky with my mixed game success. $2/$4 and i fairly quickly managed to blow through my $80 buy in. I was either constantly getting coolered (making an 8-7 and running into 8-6 etc CONSTANTLY), or I need to do some serious study of the game. I do feel that 2-7 is probably the weakest of my games out of all the games offered on stars, but i'd still hope to be +EV in a $2/$4 game. Maybe that's optimistic at the moment. Rest assured i'll be beating high stakes in a year or two.
Mixed Gamez
So, so far in August i've been trying my hand at a load of mixed games. This weekend my results are:
All NLHE: 2,200 hands +$1,550
$100 PLO: 1,200 hands +$430
$2/$4 O8: 200 hands +$65
$5/$10 O8: 150 hands -$150
$3/$6 Razz: 200 hands -$4
$3/$6 Stud: 150 hands +$160
$3/$6 Stud hi/lo: 25 hands +$15
$3/$6 Limit Hold 'Em (6-max + FR): 1,500 hands +$680
Poss one of my best weekends ever, making roughly $2.75k.
Also played this fun limit hold 'em hand where we actually capped the betting on every street. And i won cos i run good http://www.pokerhand.org/?3022662
Very happy if i can easily clear $1k a day if i'm to go pro next year. Obviously i'm running quite good overall atm, but I don't feel i'm far away from making +$1k days the norm. So bring on a +$300k year imo :D
All NLHE: 2,200 hands +$1,550
$100 PLO: 1,200 hands +$430
$2/$4 O8: 200 hands +$65
$5/$10 O8: 150 hands -$150
$3/$6 Razz: 200 hands -$4
$3/$6 Stud: 150 hands +$160
$3/$6 Stud hi/lo: 25 hands +$15
$3/$6 Limit Hold 'Em (6-max + FR): 1,500 hands +$680
Poss one of my best weekends ever, making roughly $2.75k.
Also played this fun limit hold 'em hand where we actually capped the betting on every street. And i won cos i run good http://www.pokerhand.org/?3022662
Very happy if i can easily clear $1k a day if i'm to go pro next year. Obviously i'm running quite good overall atm, but I don't feel i'm far away from making +$1k days the norm. So bring on a +$300k year imo :D
Sunday 27 July 2008
kings are rogged
2.5k hands today, +$530. Lost 6.5 buyins with pocket kings though, so it could be a lot better, lol.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954463 - good thing i didn't run kings into aces when nearly 200BBs deep.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954467 - my 4-bet size is lol bad here, probably meant to make it $35. Still get stacked here though.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954474 - KK < AK all in pre
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954478 - expert setmining from villain. sigh.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954481 - KK into AA AGAIN.
gg KK, gg.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954463 - good thing i didn't run kings into aces when nearly 200BBs deep.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954467 - my 4-bet size is lol bad here, probably meant to make it $35. Still get stacked here though.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954474 - KK < AK all in pre
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954478 - expert setmining from villain. sigh.
http://www.pokerhand.org/?2954481 - KK into AA AGAIN.
gg KK, gg.
Saturday 19 July 2008
maybe next year
So, WSOP satellites pretty much sucked. In the last one, i came ~70th out of ~900, with 50 packages available. Goddamnit. I picked up a big stack and I think i was the chip leader a couple of hours in, but from there I largely sat back, where i think i should've pushed a bit to pick up as many chips as i could.
Just finished a heads up session against a massive fish. Only 50nl, but took $330 off him in <200 hands. Pretty sweet. Still got a while to rebuild though after the WSOP fiasco.
Current aim is to have a 5 figure roll in time for september, when i'm doing the "going pro" thing.
From there, i will play cash during the week, take saturdays off, and grind donkaments on the sunday. In the next year, i also aim to play in PCA and WSOP main event minimum. Also want to play APPT Seoul and at least one EPT.
I also aim to write a book detailing the following year, so hopefully that'll get published and i'll get snapped up by stars or something cool. :)
You can also now access this blog from www.mixmastered.co.uk. Yes i was sad enough to buy my own domain name. Will prob get some web designer to make me a cool website at some point :)
Just finished a heads up session against a massive fish. Only 50nl, but took $330 off him in <200 hands. Pretty sweet. Still got a while to rebuild though after the WSOP fiasco.
Current aim is to have a 5 figure roll in time for september, when i'm doing the "going pro" thing.
From there, i will play cash during the week, take saturdays off, and grind donkaments on the sunday. In the next year, i also aim to play in PCA and WSOP main event minimum. Also want to play APPT Seoul and at least one EPT.
I also aim to write a book detailing the following year, so hopefully that'll get published and i'll get snapped up by stars or something cool. :)
You can also now access this blog from www.mixmastered.co.uk. Yes i was sad enough to buy my own domain name. Will prob get some web designer to make me a cool website at some point :)
Sunday 8 June 2008
Satellites suck
Just busted 131st out of 772 in the $650 on stars. 37 packages. From 200 people down, i just never had any hands, and eventually shoved 10BBs from the button with K9o, only for the small blind to wake up with QQs. Sigh. gg life. I knew it wouldn't be my tourny when i had AA, and some guy flatted with KK. Flop came A high, so i don't get my easy double up. grrr. Running out of chances now.
Friday 6 June 2008
The Cost of Ambition
Went to Leamington yesterday to purchase a wii. While onthe bus, i started thinking about how much i've spent on WSOP satellites, and it was not fun. Here's the tally so far:
Played:
2 x Double Shootout = $430
3 x 30+R ~= $350
~4/5x 11+R Turbo ~= $250
1 x $650 = $650
2 x Step 4 entry = $430
To Play:
$550 150 seat guarantee on Full Tilt
$650 MTT on stars
$370 200 seat guarantee on Stars
$215 Team Moneymaker satellite.
Total ~= $4k.
Obviously the actual total i've spent is a lot less than this due to winning sub satellites etc (which i've grinded hard last couple of weeks and had a lot of success), but $4k is still a big proportion of my roll, and bankroll nits would throw their arms up in response to my behaviour. But damn, I want to play in WSOP. And if i don't win in any of the 4 remaining satellites, i'll just have to console myself with the fact that i was still a long way from matching jambon's effort last year (he spent >$12k to try to win a $12k package to no success). Maybe i'll be a sicko and win a seat in all 4 satellites. That'd be nice.
Played:
2 x Double Shootout = $430
3 x 30+R ~= $350
~4/5x 11+R Turbo ~= $250
1 x $650 = $650
2 x Step 4 entry = $430
To Play:
$550 150 seat guarantee on Full Tilt
$650 MTT on stars
$370 200 seat guarantee on Stars
$215 Team Moneymaker satellite.
Total ~= $4k.
Obviously the actual total i've spent is a lot less than this due to winning sub satellites etc (which i've grinded hard last couple of weeks and had a lot of success), but $4k is still a big proportion of my roll, and bankroll nits would throw their arms up in response to my behaviour. But damn, I want to play in WSOP. And if i don't win in any of the 4 remaining satellites, i'll just have to console myself with the fact that i was still a long way from matching jambon's effort last year (he spent >$12k to try to win a $12k package to no success). Maybe i'll be a sicko and win a seat in all 4 satellites. That'd be nice.
Saturday 31 May 2008
WSOP Satellites
Last couple of days i've grinded satellites hard. Got heads up in two $30+R WSOP satellites, obviously neither tournament had enough rebuys to award a package, so i only got $650 for those. That pretty much sucked. Then I made the final table of a $11+R 2xTurbo Satellite, and came 6th after making a dumb mistake with two tables left. Last night I came 8th in a $30+R Satellite which actually did have a package to win. I made a pretty marginal shove to bust, one which if i'd been more awake/playing better I wouldn't've made. So that pretty much sucked. Pretty tempted to play in the $650 satellite tomorrow, we'll see if i win entry into it today. :)
Apart from the occasional blip, i'm very happy with my game at the moment, so i'm hoping it's just a matter of time before i win one. I am registered for the 150 seat guarantee on full tilt/200 seat on stars and the team moneymaker tourny thing. So maybe i'll just win all of those.
Apart from the occasional blip, i'm very happy with my game at the moment, so i'm hoping it's just a matter of time before i win one. I am registered for the 150 seat guarantee on full tilt/200 seat on stars and the team moneymaker tourny thing. So maybe i'll just win all of those.
Saturday 24 May 2008
Won A Donkament
So ya, I won a donkament. $24+$2 on full tilt, 1,280 runners, ~$7k for winning. Ship ship. About time, i've had a long dry spell in donkaments, exacerbated by the fact i hardly play them anymore. I've requested the hand history from full tilt, and will prob post some interesting hands here once i get it. Woop woop.
Besides my $12k PCA package win, this is my biggest online win, and i feel it's deserved. My game has come on an incredible amount in the past few months, but i hadn't felt it was showing in my results.
Besides my $12k PCA package win, this is my biggest online win, and i feel it's deserved. My game has come on an incredible amount in the past few months, but i hadn't felt it was showing in my results.
Wednesday 21 May 2008
SnGs suck
so ya, I just remembered that SnGs suck. 
small sample size etc etc yadda yadda yadda. But DAMN. This is pretty much all $22 btw. Been a while since I played many STTs, and i'll prob get bored/frustrated soon. If not though, the plan is to look at my ROI after 1000, and if it's solid, move up to $33s and repeat. I might not wait as long as 1000, cos i'm deffos a lifetime winner at $55s on party, and I think $77s/$109s too :S. With party's capped rake thing, I want to give myself the option of playing high stakes STTs once the STT volume on party picks up, because the capped rake potentially means up to $500 extra profit per tournament for the highest stakes available. And that's huge.
small sample size etc etc yadda yadda yadda. But DAMN. This is pretty much all $22 btw. Been a while since I played many STTs, and i'll prob get bored/frustrated soon. If not though, the plan is to look at my ROI after 1000, and if it's solid, move up to $33s and repeat. I might not wait as long as 1000, cos i'm deffos a lifetime winner at $55s on party, and I think $77s/$109s too :S. With party's capped rake thing, I want to give myself the option of playing high stakes STTs once the STT volume on party picks up, because the capped rake potentially means up to $500 extra profit per tournament for the highest stakes available. And that's huge.Tuesday 20 May 2008
zOMG an update!
so, it's been a while since i actually updated this thing. I have still been playing teh poka. Until the start of May, cash was going steady, and had a couple of decent sessions back at $200nl. Then withdrew a bunch for bills etc, and must've suffered a cashout curse. Until, well, today, I have not been able to win a hand in May, and am suffering the most prolonged bad run I can recall. It included I think, 3 10+ buy in downswings at $100nl (with me nearly recovering after each one). It's knocked my confidence pretty low.
I have withdrawn all my online moneys to my poker bank account, except for $1k on party. Where cash is concerned, I am going to stay at $50nl for a while to rebuild bankroll a bit, and more importantly confidence. So far I have put in ~2.5k hands, and because it's may, went 6 buy ins down before pulling back to +1 buyin.
Fortunately, as a break from cash I have played some STTs, and am running super hot in them and have made $500 in the last couple of days. Also played 2 MTTs, but they were a bust.
My PTY roll is currently on $1505.80. I'd be quite happy if every week i can continue to grow this by 50%.
Sadly, a corollary of having such a bad month is that it looks unlikely now that i will be able to go to vegas this summer. I had planned on killing May and having a couple of k in online cash to blow on satellites. Oh well, there'll be EPTs and PCA etc.
My immediate aims right now are to get to crushing $200nl/$400nl and get a $20k roll so i can actually buy straight into the sunday donkaments each week, instead of looking for a stake.
I have withdrawn all my online moneys to my poker bank account, except for $1k on party. Where cash is concerned, I am going to stay at $50nl for a while to rebuild bankroll a bit, and more importantly confidence. So far I have put in ~2.5k hands, and because it's may, went 6 buy ins down before pulling back to +1 buyin.
Fortunately, as a break from cash I have played some STTs, and am running super hot in them and have made $500 in the last couple of days. Also played 2 MTTs, but they were a bust.
My PTY roll is currently on $1505.80. I'd be quite happy if every week i can continue to grow this by 50%.
Sadly, a corollary of having such a bad month is that it looks unlikely now that i will be able to go to vegas this summer. I had planned on killing May and having a couple of k in online cash to blow on satellites. Oh well, there'll be EPTs and PCA etc.
My immediate aims right now are to get to crushing $200nl/$400nl and get a $20k roll so i can actually buy straight into the sunday donkaments each week, instead of looking for a stake.
Wednesday 13 February 2008
I <3 Stars $12 180 man turbos.
I love these things. 3 wins now life. 1 2nd and another final table. Seriously doubt i've played >200 either. :)Sunday 27 January 2008
weeeeeeeeeeeeeee
I run good imo. only had 350 chips at the 75/150 level as well. Running good is a lot of fun.Monday 14 January 2008
Week 2 2008
Cash games this week:
Stars: +$778.55
FTP: +$24.50
Party: +$31.05
Cake: -$6.06
MTTs: +$102
Weekly Total: +$930.04
Entered a $24+$2 90 person SnG w/ bounties on full tilt, and took 5th and 3 bounties for $160 total. Not bad, but i'm not satisfied unless I win!
At least stars loves me obv.
Stars graph this week:
Doesn't look as good as last weeks, but oh well.
Poker soc this week I was pretty much the first person out. In the first level a kinda donkish player who clearly took himself/the game seriously (shades etc) raised UTG to 200. We had 5k stacks and I felt confident that nobody behind me was going to raise, and prob not even call, so I felt comfortable calling in position with KcJc. Flop came Qc9cXx and he checks. I think about taking a card off, but decide I should try and win this pot now if I can. So i bet 350, and he makes it 700. Hmmm. He really didn't look comfortable/happy with his hand, and there's nearly 1.5k in the pot, so I instashove the rest in with my big draw. He thinks for ages and then finds a call with QTo. Sigh. Off to the races and I don't flip good this time. Out about 3 hands later when I 3bet shove AJ into AQ.
So I decide to sit in the 5p/10p cash game. I buy in for £20. The starting line up included 3 asian guys who clearly loved to burn money. It was unbelievable! A couple of times they open shoved for £20 in a 5p/10p game! I had a massive hand against them, I limped Ah2h, asian guy to my left limped, asian guy on button makes it 50p, SB asian called, me and asian guy on my left both call. Flop Ac2cJs. SB checked, I checked, Asian guy on my left bets £2, asian on button makes it £4, and then SB shoved for £18 total! WTF?! I thought for a while, and i was pretty sure SB had clubs, guy on my left was bluffing (as per usual), and button had a big ace. As i couldn't put him exactly on AJ, I called. Guy on my left folded (he was bluffing) and button called. SB has clubs and button had AK. Somehow I hold up (and river a 2 for FH) and win a ~£50 pot.
Highlight while these guys were playing though, The guy on my left bet on the turn, and the guy who was small blind in that hand earlier shoved. The board was something like 8J6A with 2 spades. The guy on my left SNAP called for ~£15 and said "what's your high card? I have a ten?" WHAT? He had T7 for a gutshot. Other guy had Qs4s, and Queen high held up. Then the classic line "I KNEW you had nothing."
Eventually they left after dumping close to £100 to the table all told and the game settled down a bit. Couple of interesting hands I can remember. Jack straddled UTG to 20p, I double straddled to 40p. Folds to SB who makes it 80p total. BB and UTG fold, and I have 86o. Easy call getting 46258 to 1. Flop Q75r. He goes to his chip stack and then (somewhat nervously) checks. I want to take a stab here, but it doesn't seem right, so I check. Turn a 4 completing the rainbow and giving me the nuts. Sweet. He checks again and I bet £1. He calls. River an Ace and now he comes out betting £2.50. I hollywood for about 20 seconds like a right knob (to encourage a call from AJ/AT type hand, which could find a fold if he thinks i'm strong), then shove and get snap called. Like an ass I turn over my hand and exclaim "NUTS!", while villain sheepishly throws AQ into the muck. Clearly I may well have been facing a check raise on the flop if i'd bet, so that made me happy.
Biggest hand I lost, there were a couple of limpers, Jack raised to 50p in CO, I decide he's weak, and abuse my button by 3-betting to £1.75 with 96o. Both blinds call, limpers fold, Jack calls. Flop T96r. Checks to me and I fire £5. Blinds fold, Jack calls. Turn is a 5, putting a second heart (or diamond :S) out there. Jack checks. I decide he isn't that strong, and check behind, hoping to snap off a bet from 1 pair/worse 2 pair hands on the river. I think he puts me on AQ/AK type hand too, so with a check I can continue to represent that type of hand. The river however is a disgusting 8. It goes check check, he lets out a grown and shows 97 for a rivered straight. That'll teach me for 3-betting crap on the button. Don't know why he thought I'd bet there with a worse hand though.
Once the game had settled down, the players seemed to generally be split into two groups. Those playing a strange mixture of loose passive and loose aggressive (The same player checked behind the river with broadway, basically the nuts, yet fired every street with 8 high), or weak tag, or what i affectionately refer to as "nits." There was perhaps one (or two) persons who seemed to have "fundamentals" to their game (both nits) but they didn't mix it up enough to be any danger, and i generally just stayed out their way.
For the most part, once the game calmed down, I played a looser more passive preflop game than I might normally, as there wasn't much raising/reraising preflop, and we pretty much all had deep(ish) stacks (cheers for the money asian guys), so I think this was a better way to play than a strict TAG style. Surprisingly had very few really big pots once the asians had left, considering most flops were about 4 way.
In general it was a ridiculously enjoyable game, and everyone seemed to be having fun. Even when Phil tried to ruin the ambience by throwing a completely random "your mum" comment at me.
I finished the evening £60 to the good from the cash game. And got a pretty balla £50 note for my troubles. Oooh yeah. Same again next week please.
Stars: +$778.55
FTP: +$24.50
Party: +$31.05
Cake: -$6.06
MTTs: +$102
Weekly Total: +$930.04
Entered a $24+$2 90 person SnG w/ bounties on full tilt, and took 5th and 3 bounties for $160 total. Not bad, but i'm not satisfied unless I win!
At least stars loves me obv.
Stars graph this week:
Doesn't look as good as last weeks, but oh well.Poker soc this week I was pretty much the first person out. In the first level a kinda donkish player who clearly took himself/the game seriously (shades etc) raised UTG to 200. We had 5k stacks and I felt confident that nobody behind me was going to raise, and prob not even call, so I felt comfortable calling in position with KcJc. Flop came Qc9cXx and he checks. I think about taking a card off, but decide I should try and win this pot now if I can. So i bet 350, and he makes it 700. Hmmm. He really didn't look comfortable/happy with his hand, and there's nearly 1.5k in the pot, so I instashove the rest in with my big draw. He thinks for ages and then finds a call with QTo. Sigh. Off to the races and I don't flip good this time. Out about 3 hands later when I 3bet shove AJ into AQ.
So I decide to sit in the 5p/10p cash game. I buy in for £20. The starting line up included 3 asian guys who clearly loved to burn money. It was unbelievable! A couple of times they open shoved for £20 in a 5p/10p game! I had a massive hand against them, I limped Ah2h, asian guy to my left limped, asian guy on button makes it 50p, SB asian called, me and asian guy on my left both call. Flop Ac2cJs. SB checked, I checked, Asian guy on my left bets £2, asian on button makes it £4, and then SB shoved for £18 total! WTF?! I thought for a while, and i was pretty sure SB had clubs, guy on my left was bluffing (as per usual), and button had a big ace. As i couldn't put him exactly on AJ, I called. Guy on my left folded (he was bluffing) and button called. SB has clubs and button had AK. Somehow I hold up (and river a 2 for FH) and win a ~£50 pot.
Highlight while these guys were playing though, The guy on my left bet on the turn, and the guy who was small blind in that hand earlier shoved. The board was something like 8J6A with 2 spades. The guy on my left SNAP called for ~£15 and said "what's your high card? I have a ten?" WHAT? He had T7 for a gutshot. Other guy had Qs4s, and Queen high held up. Then the classic line "I KNEW you had nothing."
Eventually they left after dumping close to £100 to the table all told and the game settled down a bit. Couple of interesting hands I can remember. Jack straddled UTG to 20p, I double straddled to 40p. Folds to SB who makes it 80p total. BB and UTG fold, and I have 86o. Easy call getting 46258 to 1. Flop Q75r. He goes to his chip stack and then (somewhat nervously) checks. I want to take a stab here, but it doesn't seem right, so I check. Turn a 4 completing the rainbow and giving me the nuts. Sweet. He checks again and I bet £1. He calls. River an Ace and now he comes out betting £2.50. I hollywood for about 20 seconds like a right knob (to encourage a call from AJ/AT type hand, which could find a fold if he thinks i'm strong), then shove and get snap called. Like an ass I turn over my hand and exclaim "NUTS!", while villain sheepishly throws AQ into the muck. Clearly I may well have been facing a check raise on the flop if i'd bet, so that made me happy.
Biggest hand I lost, there were a couple of limpers, Jack raised to 50p in CO, I decide he's weak, and abuse my button by 3-betting to £1.75 with 96o. Both blinds call, limpers fold, Jack calls. Flop T96r. Checks to me and I fire £5. Blinds fold, Jack calls. Turn is a 5, putting a second heart (or diamond :S) out there. Jack checks. I decide he isn't that strong, and check behind, hoping to snap off a bet from 1 pair/worse 2 pair hands on the river. I think he puts me on AQ/AK type hand too, so with a check I can continue to represent that type of hand. The river however is a disgusting 8. It goes check check, he lets out a grown and shows 97 for a rivered straight. That'll teach me for 3-betting crap on the button. Don't know why he thought I'd bet there with a worse hand though.
Once the game had settled down, the players seemed to generally be split into two groups. Those playing a strange mixture of loose passive and loose aggressive (The same player checked behind the river with broadway, basically the nuts, yet fired every street with 8 high), or weak tag, or what i affectionately refer to as "nits." There was perhaps one (or two) persons who seemed to have "fundamentals" to their game (both nits) but they didn't mix it up enough to be any danger, and i generally just stayed out their way.
For the most part, once the game calmed down, I played a looser more passive preflop game than I might normally, as there wasn't much raising/reraising preflop, and we pretty much all had deep(ish) stacks (cheers for the money asian guys), so I think this was a better way to play than a strict TAG style. Surprisingly had very few really big pots once the asians had left, considering most flops were about 4 way.
In general it was a ridiculously enjoyable game, and everyone seemed to be having fun. Even when Phil tried to ruin the ambience by throwing a completely random "your mum" comment at me.
I finished the evening £60 to the good from the cash game. And got a pretty balla £50 note for my troubles. Oooh yeah. Same again next week please.
Monday 7 January 2008
Week 1 2008
One week into the new year, and i've managed to put in nearly 10k hands in cash games, and played well. This week:
+$1,230.80 playing hold 'em on stars
+$28.68 playing hold 'em on party
-$46.45 PLO on stars
-$477.50 MTTs/SnGs/staking
$276 of that last number is me buying 3% of Rupert's action at PCA. Sadly he bustoed late in the first day. Boooo. Also, STT/MTT variance is real sick, I'm going to stop myself playing so many of them in future. I rarely play my A game in them too, and they're time consuming etc etc etc.
Here's my Stars graph for this week:
Tonight was pokersoc, and I was kicking ass in the tourny, but as usual the blinds started crapshooting and my play soon degenerated (in proportion to the tourny :P). Couple of interesting hands came up. First, blinds 25/50, Mitesh raised to 175 from MP, I'm in small blind with A8 and call. Normally this is a hand i'd advocated dumping when out of position postflop, especially against a decent player like Mitesh, but I figured I was ahead of his range, and was feeling so sick good/overly confident about my own play at that point in the night, that i could own anyone postflop when 100BB deep.
Flop came A66 and i checked. Mitesh bet about 250 i'd guess, I called. I can't see any value in check raising here, and donking would be horrible. Turn came a 5, Again I check called, this time I think it was about 375. Against some opponents I'd fold here, but against Mitesh, my hand is underrepped, he prob doesn't put me on an ace, and he's definitely capable of following through with another bet on the turn with most of his range as a bluff. Again, i don't see any value in raising.
River came a delightful K. I bet about 500. This bet was designed to freeze him out of raising if he has an ace. Apart from AK/A6, he can't profitably raise this river bet for value with any ace, because i'm folding anything worse and he'd be chopping with any ace. This seemed better for me than checking and facing a bet of about 1k. Also, he still doesn't necessarily put me on an ace, so i think i might be able to get value from hands like 77-QQ/KJ/KQ/KT, hands that would almost certainly check behind if i check.
However, what happened was that he raised 1.2k more! Right, now what? I can't put him on 55 or KK or A6 or some funky 6x hand, as knowing minty, he'd probably get tricky somewhere, or with KK play for pot control, so i'd expect him to check the turn. Also, I don't think he can raise here without AK/KK/55/A6/6x, so IMO he's representing exactly AK. I decide that because there's only really one legitimate hand that beats me, and my hand looks a lot like 77-99, that his range here is heavily weighted towards bluffs so I call, and he mucks. I assume he had air. It definitely helped that I was chopping any other ace in case he had gone crazy.
Second interesting hand, blinds now 75/150, and i've developed a bit of a reputation, playing a lot of hands and talking a LOT. Phil raises UTG+1 to 450, I call on the HJ with 97s. Not something i'd necessarily do usually with ~40BB stacks, but again I was feeling cocky and invincible. Flop comes a delightful 775. Phil checks. I think this probably means he has Ax/Kx and has whiffed completely, but I think he's prob capable of checking AA/KK type hands here too. I bet 600 and try to make it look as stabby as possible, I don't want him folding those AK type hands! He calls. Turn is a 9, Phil checks, and now I have the deck crushed. I check behind to make it look like i've given up on the bluff. I think the river was a 5, putting two pair on the board. Sweet! I might even get a call from ace high now! Phil checks, and i quickly bet 2k, making it look as bluffy as possible, and get called by ace high. Awesome.
After this i go card dead/myplay deteriorates for a while. Next hand i remember, blinds 300/600. Folds to me on the button, Ian is in the big blind with about 6k I think, and i have about 13k at this point. I have 44. I think if i raise here on the button, Ian will shove on me quite wide, forcing me to call half my stack with 44 and If he doesn't, Dave Lu in the small blind will prob own me. So i limp on the button, as this is something i v.v.v. rarely do, and so I hope Dave Lu will pick up on it and think it could easily be a tarp, which i hoped would freeze him out the pot and leave me heads up with Ian. Dave folds, Ian checks. Pot is 1.5k at this point. Flop comes out 6x3d2d and Ian bets nearly 2.5k. Hmmmmmmm. Sick life. I like my hand a lot here, but he's just bet half his remaining stack, so although I'd love to shove, I can't see me having much fold equity. Also, i haven't played much with Ian, but i've never seen him get out of line. I figure him having a scared 6T type of hand, sigh, and fold.
Moved tables and blinds went to 500/1000. I decide to get a bit more aggressive to try and get chips for final table. I have like 13.5k, and open UTG to 2.5k with 98 SOOOTED. SB calls. Flop comes J42, SB checks, I c-bet 3.5k, SB crai. I read his soul and say "hmm, guess you trap called preflop with aces or something." I fold, claiming pocket tens, while SB looks a bit shocked and sheepishly shows me the aces. I might've lost half my stack, but at least i soul read good.
Few hands later shove AQ, no good vs AT. Good game.
Feeling a bit frustrated, but fairly level headed (much more so than usual when i get knocked out of a tourny) I decided to sit 3 handed with mitesh and some other guy in a cash game with 25p/50p blinds. I buy in for £50. finished -£40, having never been able to get anything going, and making a big mistake in one hand.
The hand in question, I made the mistake of misreading what level mitesh would be thinking at. With about £45 eff. stacks, Mitesh raised button to £2, I reraised to £7 with AcKc. Mitesh called. I'd 3-bet a couple of times so far, but in general been pretty solid, so i don't think mitesh thinks i'm just making a move.
Flop comes J62r. Perfect, I'm out of position against a good, thinking player in a 3-bet pot and have whiffed completely.
IMO, here are the levels of thinking:
level 1: I have AK, but have missed the flop completely, I check/fold
level 2: I have AK, but was the preflop aggressor,this is an excellent flop to c-bet and will make villain fold 77-TT a lot.
level 3: 3-handed, Mitesh knows I could be reraising quite wide, and this flop is unlikely to have helped me, so if i c-bet it's a good spot for mitesh to make a move at me, so i'll just check, hope for a free card, and maybe call one bet
level 4: I have only reraise mitesh once or twice so far, so he has to give me credit for some kind of hand. I haven't played any big pots or got out of line, and he knows that I know this would be an excellent flop for him to make a play at, so in order to c-bet it, i HAVE to have a big hand. So i c-bet, expecting a fold, and thinking that would be my best chance to win the pot.
I was thinking at level 4. Sadly, I should've been playing minty at level 3, as I bet £11 into £14, and he shoved on me. I tanked for ages, KNOWING he was making a move on me, and deciding he had to have 77/88/99 as opposed to Ax type hands enough here to make a call on my part unprofitable. Later he claimed 77, and i tried to save face by claiming a pair. Sigh. I much prefer a call on this flop with mitesh's entire range. Esp. with 77. If he has me beat, I have 6 outs, If not, he has two and he's definitely getting called. Is he really shoving two pair/sets here? He'd have to to balance his range out a bit, but I can't see him ever shoving JJ on a J62r flop, for example. He seemed surprised when I said i'd call there as light as 99. I dunno.
Another hand that bothered me a bit, 4 handed now I raise CO with 99, Mitesh reraises. I'm certainly not folding a hand that strong 4 handed, so I call. Flop comes JTx. Bad flop for me, I check, Mitesh checks. Turn a 7. This is worse! 77 now beats me, and any hand I beat (AK/AQ/88/KQ) will almost certainly semi-bluff if i try to bet! So i check again, mitesh checks. River K. Check fold. Mitesh claimed AQ later for the nuts. My line feels pretty passive but i don't know any other way to play it here.
Other biggest pot I lost, can't remember exact details, but after a button limp, i called in SB and check called flop and turn with top pair weak kicker on a very drawy board. Turn put 3 spades on the board, and villain checked his cards. This tells me a) He doesn't have a flush already, and b) he doesn't have the ace of spades. So when the river comes a 4th spade, I think it's pretty mandatory for me to turn my hand into a bluff, especially when he doesn't have the nuts. So I bet near pot, and get called by the 9s. He claimed he would've called a shove too. Sigh. Lost like £15 there.
Only other hands of note, I 4bet mitesh pre with AQo. And in Omaha, i raise button with 4 cards (as i am liable to do in omaha). blinds call. Flop 332. check check. I bet, continuing to represent aces, and mitesh min check raises. This sucks, but i think he had to have it, because this would be a horrible spot to bluff.
Shame i finished -£40, as i felt i was +EV in that game. From what i'd heard/what I knew about mitesh, i expected him to have good hand analysis, but fairly weak fundamentals, as he openly admits to making all his money live, and being a loser online. However, although he definitely did make one or two mistakes, he impressed me more than i expected, and was actually fundamentally sound for the most part, and I'm sure given discipline (I suspect this may be his problem) he could be a winner online.
Wow, long blog entry. Must be avoiding bed like the plague. Please comment guys, let me know SOMEONE'S reading this.
+$1,230.80 playing hold 'em on stars
+$28.68 playing hold 'em on party
-$46.45 PLO on stars
-$477.50 MTTs/SnGs/staking
$276 of that last number is me buying 3% of Rupert's action at PCA. Sadly he bustoed late in the first day. Boooo. Also, STT/MTT variance is real sick, I'm going to stop myself playing so many of them in future. I rarely play my A game in them too, and they're time consuming etc etc etc.
Here's my Stars graph for this week:
Tonight was pokersoc, and I was kicking ass in the tourny, but as usual the blinds started crapshooting and my play soon degenerated (in proportion to the tourny :P). Couple of interesting hands came up. First, blinds 25/50, Mitesh raised to 175 from MP, I'm in small blind with A8 and call. Normally this is a hand i'd advocated dumping when out of position postflop, especially against a decent player like Mitesh, but I figured I was ahead of his range, and was feeling so sick good/overly confident about my own play at that point in the night, that i could own anyone postflop when 100BB deep.
Flop came A66 and i checked. Mitesh bet about 250 i'd guess, I called. I can't see any value in check raising here, and donking would be horrible. Turn came a 5, Again I check called, this time I think it was about 375. Against some opponents I'd fold here, but against Mitesh, my hand is underrepped, he prob doesn't put me on an ace, and he's definitely capable of following through with another bet on the turn with most of his range as a bluff. Again, i don't see any value in raising.
River came a delightful K. I bet about 500. This bet was designed to freeze him out of raising if he has an ace. Apart from AK/A6, he can't profitably raise this river bet for value with any ace, because i'm folding anything worse and he'd be chopping with any ace. This seemed better for me than checking and facing a bet of about 1k. Also, he still doesn't necessarily put me on an ace, so i think i might be able to get value from hands like 77-QQ/KJ/KQ/KT, hands that would almost certainly check behind if i check.
However, what happened was that he raised 1.2k more! Right, now what? I can't put him on 55 or KK or A6 or some funky 6x hand, as knowing minty, he'd probably get tricky somewhere, or with KK play for pot control, so i'd expect him to check the turn. Also, I don't think he can raise here without AK/KK/55/A6/6x, so IMO he's representing exactly AK. I decide that because there's only really one legitimate hand that beats me, and my hand looks a lot like 77-99, that his range here is heavily weighted towards bluffs so I call, and he mucks. I assume he had air. It definitely helped that I was chopping any other ace in case he had gone crazy.
Second interesting hand, blinds now 75/150, and i've developed a bit of a reputation, playing a lot of hands and talking a LOT. Phil raises UTG+1 to 450, I call on the HJ with 97s. Not something i'd necessarily do usually with ~40BB stacks, but again I was feeling cocky and invincible. Flop comes a delightful 775. Phil checks. I think this probably means he has Ax/Kx and has whiffed completely, but I think he's prob capable of checking AA/KK type hands here too. I bet 600 and try to make it look as stabby as possible, I don't want him folding those AK type hands! He calls. Turn is a 9, Phil checks, and now I have the deck crushed. I check behind to make it look like i've given up on the bluff. I think the river was a 5, putting two pair on the board. Sweet! I might even get a call from ace high now! Phil checks, and i quickly bet 2k, making it look as bluffy as possible, and get called by ace high. Awesome.
After this i go card dead/myplay deteriorates for a while. Next hand i remember, blinds 300/600. Folds to me on the button, Ian is in the big blind with about 6k I think, and i have about 13k at this point. I have 44. I think if i raise here on the button, Ian will shove on me quite wide, forcing me to call half my stack with 44 and If he doesn't, Dave Lu in the small blind will prob own me. So i limp on the button, as this is something i v.v.v. rarely do, and so I hope Dave Lu will pick up on it and think it could easily be a tarp, which i hoped would freeze him out the pot and leave me heads up with Ian. Dave folds, Ian checks. Pot is 1.5k at this point. Flop comes out 6x3d2d and Ian bets nearly 2.5k. Hmmmmmmm. Sick life. I like my hand a lot here, but he's just bet half his remaining stack, so although I'd love to shove, I can't see me having much fold equity. Also, i haven't played much with Ian, but i've never seen him get out of line. I figure him having a scared 6T type of hand, sigh, and fold.
Moved tables and blinds went to 500/1000. I decide to get a bit more aggressive to try and get chips for final table. I have like 13.5k, and open UTG to 2.5k with 98 SOOOTED. SB calls. Flop comes J42, SB checks, I c-bet 3.5k, SB crai. I read his soul and say "hmm, guess you trap called preflop with aces or something." I fold, claiming pocket tens, while SB looks a bit shocked and sheepishly shows me the aces. I might've lost half my stack, but at least i soul read good.
Few hands later shove AQ, no good vs AT. Good game.
Feeling a bit frustrated, but fairly level headed (much more so than usual when i get knocked out of a tourny) I decided to sit 3 handed with mitesh and some other guy in a cash game with 25p/50p blinds. I buy in for £50. finished -£40, having never been able to get anything going, and making a big mistake in one hand.
The hand in question, I made the mistake of misreading what level mitesh would be thinking at. With about £45 eff. stacks, Mitesh raised button to £2, I reraised to £7 with AcKc. Mitesh called. I'd 3-bet a couple of times so far, but in general been pretty solid, so i don't think mitesh thinks i'm just making a move.
Flop comes J62r. Perfect, I'm out of position against a good, thinking player in a 3-bet pot and have whiffed completely.
IMO, here are the levels of thinking:
level 1: I have AK, but have missed the flop completely, I check/fold
level 2: I have AK, but was the preflop aggressor,this is an excellent flop to c-bet and will make villain fold 77-TT a lot.
level 3: 3-handed, Mitesh knows I could be reraising quite wide, and this flop is unlikely to have helped me, so if i c-bet it's a good spot for mitesh to make a move at me, so i'll just check, hope for a free card, and maybe call one bet
level 4: I have only reraise mitesh once or twice so far, so he has to give me credit for some kind of hand. I haven't played any big pots or got out of line, and he knows that I know this would be an excellent flop for him to make a play at, so in order to c-bet it, i HAVE to have a big hand. So i c-bet, expecting a fold, and thinking that would be my best chance to win the pot.
I was thinking at level 4. Sadly, I should've been playing minty at level 3, as I bet £11 into £14, and he shoved on me. I tanked for ages, KNOWING he was making a move on me, and deciding he had to have 77/88/99 as opposed to Ax type hands enough here to make a call on my part unprofitable. Later he claimed 77, and i tried to save face by claiming a pair. Sigh. I much prefer a call on this flop with mitesh's entire range. Esp. with 77. If he has me beat, I have 6 outs, If not, he has two and he's definitely getting called. Is he really shoving two pair/sets here? He'd have to to balance his range out a bit, but I can't see him ever shoving JJ on a J62r flop, for example. He seemed surprised when I said i'd call there as light as 99. I dunno.
Another hand that bothered me a bit, 4 handed now I raise CO with 99, Mitesh reraises. I'm certainly not folding a hand that strong 4 handed, so I call. Flop comes JTx. Bad flop for me, I check, Mitesh checks. Turn a 7. This is worse! 77 now beats me, and any hand I beat (AK/AQ/88/KQ) will almost certainly semi-bluff if i try to bet! So i check again, mitesh checks. River K. Check fold. Mitesh claimed AQ later for the nuts. My line feels pretty passive but i don't know any other way to play it here.
Other biggest pot I lost, can't remember exact details, but after a button limp, i called in SB and check called flop and turn with top pair weak kicker on a very drawy board. Turn put 3 spades on the board, and villain checked his cards. This tells me a) He doesn't have a flush already, and b) he doesn't have the ace of spades. So when the river comes a 4th spade, I think it's pretty mandatory for me to turn my hand into a bluff, especially when he doesn't have the nuts. So I bet near pot, and get called by the 9s. He claimed he would've called a shove too. Sigh. Lost like £15 there.
Only other hands of note, I 4bet mitesh pre with AQo. And in Omaha, i raise button with 4 cards (as i am liable to do in omaha). blinds call. Flop 332. check check. I bet, continuing to represent aces, and mitesh min check raises. This sucks, but i think he had to have it, because this would be a horrible spot to bluff.
Shame i finished -£40, as i felt i was +EV in that game. From what i'd heard/what I knew about mitesh, i expected him to have good hand analysis, but fairly weak fundamentals, as he openly admits to making all his money live, and being a loser online. However, although he definitely did make one or two mistakes, he impressed me more than i expected, and was actually fundamentally sound for the most part, and I'm sure given discipline (I suspect this may be his problem) he could be a winner online.
Wow, long blog entry. Must be avoiding bed like the plague. Please comment guys, let me know SOMEONE'S reading this.
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