New Year.......

Well the new year in poker has started out well for me.... or at least continued rolling in the same direction as I ended last year.

Online I am finding that I continue to be fairly successful. I think I have made 11 final tables since Nov when the tournaments had more than 100 players in them. Some tourneys as many as 2202. Got 2nd in that one. Mainly NL MTTs but a few HORSE and RAZZ tournaments. Just got a 4th place last night in HORSE on UB. Just hoping to continue progressing my bankroll online. Currently is over $500. Has been a long time since I have over $500 online. Struggled all through 2008 with under $200 on all 3 sites I play. Not counting Walker Poker as I have maybe $23 on there... just mess around once in awhile there.

Live ring games have continued to be good .... well up until this week that is. LOL Have lost about 70% of my live bankroll in just 3 sessions. Course that is because I have no true bankroll to speak of. Took a pretty hard beat for all of my money on Monday night (Tuesday morning 6AM!). Got upset but didn't say anything to the player that called $260 ai on the flop into a $108.00 pot (!) but then another player at the table justified the caller's 30% hand call with the statement "He's stuck that's why he called". I kinda snapped off at that statement that that is the way to get unstuck.... call 50% of your stack on a 30% hand when you are getting 1.4 on your money. The more I think about it the more I need to leave it alone. I know I want the player making that call (for a Q high flush draw) 70% of the time ( I even had the K high flush redraw after he hit on the turn). Hell his hand might not even have been a 30% hand due to my redraw. I didn't give the player any crap about it... but the other lucksack chiming in pissed me off. Fortunately the club was closing and I just left.

One positive note in my play is I am not devastated like I used to be when I lose a buy in or two in an evening. This used to majorly depress me and make me pretty hostile for a week or two. Getting better at taking the beats. I just need to work on making more money when I am winning so that when I lose it won't take two or even three sessions to get that money back. That is one of the big holes in my game. I risk $200-$300 to win $100-$200 and am happy. Problem is when I lose I tend to lose the full buy in. I am getting there... just have to keep working on it.

Live tournaments have not been good to me so far this year. Some of it has been horrible play on my part and much of it just card dead. No cashes yet or bubbles.... close but no bubbles. Just need a good cash in Feb to get the tournaments rolling.

Not Tilting........ but still tilt......

Well been a month again since I posted.... but at least I am hitting it once a month minimum.

Still not playing too much but I did manage to stop by Wheeling for two different sessions.
Managed to prove to myself that I did learn my lesson from the previous trip there. Got there on a Tuesday night about 11:30pm and played till noon the next day. Was a card dead night, no suckouts. But I didn't let it tilt me this time. No pushing of hands I didn't need to push. Lost but only a small amount this time instead of the previous lengthy sessions where I pushed too hard the last hour or so of each session and lost much more than I should have.
Went back the Sunday after Thanksgiving and had a better but shorter session. The badbeat jackpot but up to $58k. Wanted to play more but was up a decent amount and decided not to risk it. Had I been up less I would have played more than the 4 hours I did play as I had planned on making it at least a 12 hour session.

Been doing ok playing small sessions of 1/2NL. Did have a bad session just the other night though. Took what I felt was a bad beat.... well not so much a bad beat as a surprising one based on the player and their knowledge of me. AK beat by Q5os on the river. With the Q5os raising on my flop bet...K106... all spades. And no I didn't have a spade in my hand. The other player knows me well and I had a good read on them they they did not have a hand yet. That they were on a draw. Unfortunately I was not deep stacked enough to make a play that I thought could push them off their draw. I bet-called the flop (was a min raise) and check-called the turn (6c). Checked the river (6s) as did the other player. Only to have their hand turned over to see the 5s that they were betting all the way. Started to tilt..... just kept saying "Wow" outloud but not loudly. I stewed for a little while but managed not to tilt aggressively in any hands after that. Didn't spew chips. I was happy with myself for not tilting... or so I thought.

I previously mainly thought of tilt as angry chip spewing or trying to be too aggressive. I found my other form of tilt that night....... being too scared. Playing hands too passively or totally incorrectly because I fear getting snapped. And of coure this caused me to misplay one hand horribly wrong and get felted. I limped with QQ noting a raise was coming to my left. Planned on just smooth calling to make sure no A (or K) came on the flop. It was raised to $18 with 5 callers before me and I was the last to call the raise. I knew if anyone else that was involved in the hand would have had a better hand or even AK they would have raised. The raiser was a very aggressive player who can raise almost any two and then play fairly well after the flop. I felt their hand wasn't that strong based on the reaction to all of the callers. I should have ended the hand right there and shoved aipf which most likely would have worked. Instead I sheepishly smoothed called. Flop was J43... I think the 43 were clubs. Checked to me with only the original raiser behind me and he looked like he was gonna bet. But I didn't want anyone else in the hand besides myself and the original raiser so I decided to shove my last $120. The pot was already just over $100 I believe. Everyone folded but one player.... the one with 44! He easily would have laid down preflop to a $120 reraise...... but I was tilting.........another lesson learned.

Also played in my monthly big tourney. Big for me is $100. Managed to get a respectable 5th finish out of it. Paid top 8. Ran QQ utg into KK in bb. Not much I could do there as I was in 4th in chips anyways. with blinds being 3/6k+500 ante. My stack was 33k. Made some good laydowns to get to that point. Had a couple of players move aipf in front of me. Woke up with AK, 99, 88 and 55. I think the only hand that would have held up was the 99 but didn't want to flip for half of my stack. Rather keep the shortstacks that way until I felt had them dominated. Ak would have lost to AQ or AJ. The flop was rabbitted and both Q and J was on flop. Might have caught the lucky 10 but we will never know.

So now I have had one tournament cash in each of the past 3 months for $300 or more and I have only played maybe a total of 10 tourneys. I am going to start playing tournaments again like I was doing in the first half of 2007 which was pretty frequent. Had a decent amount of success that year in tournaments but then things cooled off and I cut back my tournament play drastically.

Hopefully 2009 proves to be a good year for me cardwise. Trying to approach it much the way I have in 2008 but with a more consistent schedule of play.

The Weekend that wasn't.....

Well originally was supposed to go to the WV casinos.... but alas.... plans fell through. I was disappointed but probably was for the best considering my previous visit and tilt sessions there. LOL

Ended up just continuing my latest run at the ring live games. I am still doing well. Keeping the sessions to under 2 hours. Hit and run I suppose but not hitting for big money... just consistent money. I am determined to build a bankroll through slow but steady acquisitions. And so far it is working. I did have one session this past weekend where I played a ring game (after playing in a tournament for 2 hours after going card dead and not cashing) for 7.5 hours! LOL I ended up winning only $47 after tips and fee. But had a good time. I actually enjoyed playing till 4:30 in the morning. Had been a very long time since I had done that. Was easy to enjoy I guess as I didn't play many hands and was never stuck too much and never up much either.

I have been having some success online... nothing great... just different. I have been playing non holdem tournaments and doing ok. Bubbled a Stud8 tournament (50/380+ paid top 48), final tabled a Razz tourney and cashed in a PLO8 tourney. They were all small buyins but was a nice change from the NLH jamfest I tend to get in. I also bubbled a final table in one of the Stars $5 buyins. Was happy but took a so so beat with under 15 left to cripple me. (AK vs Q10o he jammed I called). I think there were over 800 players in that tourney so I faired well. Haven't been doing very good in STT SNGs lately but I think I have gotten away from my usual game in them and have been gambling too often.

Also got 2nd in a live tournament (only 20 players). Was actually very disappointed in 2nd but the woman I played headsup with just outplayed me I guess. Or at least played a style I could not counter. She jammed ai 10out of 25 hands. I never once had an Ace or even two face cards when she did it. I couldn't play against her unless I just wanted to gamble. She had 80-85% of my stack and I wasn't willing to gamble. She finally did it (went ai) after the flop on the last hand and I had made middle pair so I called her. But she of course had the top pair and I failed to improve. I ended up winning the next 3 hands all aipf. But I couldn't keep up the string and went down in defeat. I hope to get her headsup again sometime soon....... I will gamble next time.

Hello Again......

Well I am getting just as bad as every other blogger who never posts. I spend more time reading others' posts than worrying about my own.

Haven't really been doing much in the way of live poker. Play a few small buy in tournies with less than 50 players. Still not doing well. Go deep, but no cash. Still chugging along in the ring games when I do play them. Play $1/3 and $1/2 for usually 1-2 hours. Cash out $100-$150 and done. Hit and run. Wish it meant I was building up my bankroll but just can't seem to get there. Always something taking the extra cash.

Actually had a decent week last week online. We going deep and made 4 final tables in tournaments with at least 180 players. None of the big ones but was still very happy to make 4 final tables out of like 13 tournaments that size in 6 days.

But then after those nice cashes they "flipped the switch" on me online. LOL Not that I can't win races, I can't win the 80/20s (QQvsJJ) and the 70/30s (AKvsKQ).... much less the AA vs K10os aipf. Just running bad now. Have lost most of what I won from those 4 fts. I am sure there were some hands I pulled out of my $%^ but really been running bad in critical situations. Guess I need to step back to the $1 & $2 SNGs and give up the $5 SNGs and $4 bounty MTTs on UB.

Been awhile.....

Well not alot very interesting has been going on pokerwise (or otherwise) for me. I have been toiling at the low levels still. One day up, next day down. Pretty much staying even.
Been playing low level ring games but without steady success. Seems I will run into a maniac who just doesn't care and shoves and gets lucky when I have a made hand preflop. I normally fold but there are times you just know you will have to stand up to the jammer or you won't be able to play at the table at all.
Also made and excursion to the WV casinos finally. Moderate success but overshadowed by two sessions that ended in tilting off my remaining stacks. I have learned that 4 hours of being card dead is about where my judgement starts to fail me. I played for 6.5 and 9 hours @ 1/2 NL. I didn't take any badbeats ( and obviously didn't hand any out either) but I just couldn't get much going. And the tables were both so very very soft. Even my friend, whom the trip was actually for, said they were probably the softest he had ever seen in a casino. Within the last 45 minutes to an hour of each session I basically tilted off chips by try to make something happen. Whether that meant calling big bets when I knew I was behind trying to get way lucky or just playing too many hands in any position. And it didn't work. I lost 30 to 35% of my buyins in those waning minutes of each session. I would still have booked losers but they would have been much smaller overall. I was mad when I left but then realized I had no one to blame but myself.

Fishing with the wrong bait.....

...... well at least that is how I felt last night.
All around me the hooks were in the water and most of the fishermen were pulling in some very nice hauls. I only managed a few small minnows.

After spending the weekend in Cleveland I decided to partake in a little poker at a couple of the church festivals. Well the beer was flowing and plenty of chips were being splashed with the beer.

Way too many ESPN watchers play at the church festivals. Several times one player would make the call and then say "and I raise". Each time the dealer would try to explain that you couldn't do that. It was a string raise. And each time this would be followed by a declaration of "Beer guy!" The player was frustrated and stated how they have played for years that way. God I want invited to that home game.

The next player picked up alot of chirping chips from the "Beer guy, I raise" (BGIR)player. On several flops he would state "Oh yeah, that's what I was looking for. You can believe me or not, but that is what I wanted to see". He got the chips when BGIR player shoved ai on a gutshot draw on the flop and failed to hit. About a $145 all in into a $32 pot! Then the chirpy player proceeded to give back those and a few more chips to BGIR on an Ace high bluff when BGIR flopped a set.

Each of these two player proceeded to pass their stacks or good portions of them off to two other players. Both times on bluffs. Alas, I was unable to pick up either of their stacks. Wasn't really hitting alot. Was up a little so I decided to head out to the next festival.

At this festival I sit down into what I was told was a $5/10 LHE game. Turned out to be a $1/2 NL. Gotta luv a competent floor.
Anyways, I sit down and notice one or two players I have seen before. A few young players that actually look fairly seasoned by the way they handled themselves and their chips and of course the church festival beer drinkers there for fun.
One of the fun drinkers was to my left. He picked up a pot when he hit the river and another player made a comment and the fun drinker stated they should give him some slack based on how much he had spent in the game already. I took that as a good sign.
As we are sitting there I am watching him win pots with 10 3os and J2o. Ok, I can see why he has spent so much money in the game. Then later he complains about some of the bad luck he has had with the monsters he has had snapped off. Kinda funny since he is willing to play just about any two cards preflop and can't get away from almost any draw or pair. I try to sit patiently with my line in the water and only get a few nibbles. The fun drinker to my left was there with a friend down at the other end of the table. That player felted another player and then decided it was time to go. We already had a couple of empty seats and with this player leaving, his fun drinking friend decided to go too. The only remaining players were a couple of grinders and the young seasoned kids. Not a great game so I decided to pack it in. Another reason for this was a 10% uncapped rake! If the pot was $213.00, they got $21.00!! It shouldn't have been called the rake but the rape of the pot. Makes it very hard to beat a game unless you win all the monster pots.

Anyways, I didn't lose any money but I never got to land one of the bigger fish in the ponds. Guess that is the way it goes somedays. At least I didn't get pulled in myself!

Rant post

Well it has been awhile since I openly criticized someone I was playing with live... but it happened again. Even though it was probably justified (who doesn't think they are in the right when they go off on someone. LOL) I really shouldn't have done it.
Another sad aspect of me going off on him was this was at the club I deal at. Bad move on my part.
Unfortunately this was a kid who I used to have more respect for his game. I always thought he was a little aggressive and lucky but still respected his game.
Leading up to my little blow up I had been losing..... mainly due to playing bad and calling ai when I knew I was behind, praying to get lucky (which I did but they had already gotten luckier. LOL).
Easy for me to laugh about things now but at the time it put me on serious tilt. Funny thing was I was playing better and a bit less passively after going on tilt. Made a few good reads and went with them and they were right.

The situation happened when a tight/aggressive player raised to $20 utg. I flat called with 99 feeling I was probably behind but looking for a good flop. Another smooth caller and then this kid min raises to $40!.
There is no point in min raising any situation where you don't feel you already have the best hand and you hope the original raiser comes back over the top. I have ranted for years that I hate the min raise in NL in almost every situation. You are either begging to get beat or just bleeding money to the eventual winner.
Anyways, it gets back the the original raiser and of course he reraises $100. The kid had a disgusted look on his face. I couldn't call this reraise knowing I was way behind for sure now. So I start in on the kid with "great min raise" " I see you are happy about it too, real good play." The other smooth caller calls (known to tend to be a calling station once he decides he wants to play) and the kid smooth calls. Flop comes J108, two clubs. The original raiser goes ai with about $185. They both just call. The kid only has maybe $34 behind. Gotta love the call but not willing to commit that last 10% of his hand beginning stack. 7d right on the turn and a blank 5s on the river. KK takes it does, mainly due to the min raise. Kid never showed his hand. Didn't even wait to see the utg hand before he mucked.
I was steaming for another 2 hours after that. The tight utg player was ai and after the hand had one and a half racks of $5 chips plus 10 $25 chips. I would have won about 80% of that. I know I should want him to make that play. Hell I even tried earlier limping with KK in ep hoping for a raise from one of the many raisers at the table, no luck of course. I just should have let it go. But I let my tilt get the better of me.

Hopefully I will do better in the future of not letting it get to me. Just have to not tilt myself.