Friday, August 22, 2008
August 22, 2008
Back to hating poker. it is streaks like these that just get me so frustrated. I played a set and didnt have great results, but played well and in all 4 i lost to a pretty nasty beat. I thought since I was playing well that i would fire up another set because i was in a good frame of mind. more amazing beats after another. I cant tell you how many times I lost to runner runner or the spiked ace on the river. It was really uncanny. So, I am going to play in the freeroll this week and next, but if i dont make any cash from the freerolls i am cashing out and saying FU to poker for a while.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
August 21, 2008
Rough start...played one set and had my KK cracked by QQ on the river and just lost my set of Queens to the rivered 4 outter...i guess that isnt bad but it sure sucked.
broke about even in 11 sngs. kinda nasty, but played ok.
played another set...2 $12s and 2 $24s. Just nasty runner runner beats tonight..playing well so need to not obsess, but its getting frustrating.
amazing, just lost a bubble race where i got the better ace in and he pulls runner runner straight...its so bad!
broke about even in 11 sngs. kinda nasty, but played ok.
played another set...2 $12s and 2 $24s. Just nasty runner runner beats tonight..playing well so need to not obsess, but its getting frustrating.
amazing, just lost a bubble race where i got the better ace in and he pulls runner runner straight...its so bad!
Friday, August 15, 2008
August 15, 2008
I took last night off and watched a movie with Penny...had a nice and relaxing night.
Tonight, I fired up a set of 6 on Full tilt and took 1, 2, 2, 5, 5, 6. Not bad at all and starting to feel more comfortable and in control at the tables. Again, with solid results it is easy to feel that way, so i want to continue to play consistently and not worry about results. The real test will be when variance turns against me and I need to keep my cool and just grind!
Being away from FT for a while and playing on stars, my rakeback account went negative somehow. I am almost out of the hole and will start making some money as well as become eligible for the freerolls. That will definitely help boost my bankroll. I am getting excited at the thought of making some decent cash again playing poker.
On a side note, my boy turned 10 months today. Thought I would throw a pic of my family in here.
Tonight, I fired up a set of 6 on Full tilt and took 1, 2, 2, 5, 5, 6. Not bad at all and starting to feel more comfortable and in control at the tables. Again, with solid results it is easy to feel that way, so i want to continue to play consistently and not worry about results. The real test will be when variance turns against me and I need to keep my cool and just grind!
Being away from FT for a while and playing on stars, my rakeback account went negative somehow. I am almost out of the hole and will start making some money as well as become eligible for the freerolls. That will definitely help boost my bankroll. I am getting excited at the thought of making some decent cash again playing poker.
On a side note, my boy turned 10 months today. Thought I would throw a pic of my family in here.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
August 13, 2008
Played a quick set of 4 and finished 5, 6, 3, 3. Did not get a lot of cards, but was patient and managed to money in 2. No suck outs and no bad beats tonight...just standard stuff.
Just finished up a 2nd set of 4 and had finishes of 3, 4, 3, 3. So I had 5 money finishes in 8 sngs...ALL 3rd!! Terrible finish distribution, but i guess I will take 5 of 8 3rds every single day.
I will need to rethink my ITM play as I know I am just running poorly once i get there, but I also think I could tighten up a bit. I was really pushing my weak aces and just getting drawn out on. Overall, I feel like I am back into the swing of STT play and need to work on my finishes!
Just finished up a 2nd set of 4 and had finishes of 3, 4, 3, 3. So I had 5 money finishes in 8 sngs...ALL 3rd!! Terrible finish distribution, but i guess I will take 5 of 8 3rds every single day.
I will need to rethink my ITM play as I know I am just running poorly once i get there, but I also think I could tighten up a bit. I was really pushing my weak aces and just getting drawn out on. Overall, I feel like I am back into the swing of STT play and need to work on my finishes!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
August 12, 2008
Fired up 4 sngs. let's see how I fare. I was doing a little reading on 2+2 and plan on doing some more in the coming weeks.
So far I have a 2, 3, 6 and still in another. Played well so far and sitting in a very competitive final sng. hoping to cash to make it a very profitable sng. This last sng had very solid players...too much limping from them early on and no one reraising to make them pay, but we had all 9 until blinds hit 100/200.
Finished my set 2, 3, 6, 2. Not too bad, but had a chance to win the last one. Played very well and found myself wanting sooo badly to play more aggressively. i found that once I was able to control that urge I found the hands I needed when I still had a good enough stack a double up was meaningful. Gotta resist that urge to limp small pairs and even AJs UTG. When I find myself doing that, I lose a BB or two here and there and end up having to get aggressive and take chances earlier than I want to with marginal hands. Finally starting to get the feel back for these sngs...of course, 3 cashes in 4 will make you feel like you know what you are doing...I still need to look at it as though I should be disappointed I didnt take at least one first. Anyway, solid start...feels good to be back!
Quick note...I started out on FT with no $$ but only FTP points. I have turned that into about $576. I am sitting with approximately 48 buy ins. I am very tight with my bankroll, so I will move up to the 22+2s when I have about 45 buy ins.
So far I have a 2, 3, 6 and still in another. Played well so far and sitting in a very competitive final sng. hoping to cash to make it a very profitable sng. This last sng had very solid players...too much limping from them early on and no one reraising to make them pay, but we had all 9 until blinds hit 100/200.
Finished my set 2, 3, 6, 2. Not too bad, but had a chance to win the last one. Played very well and found myself wanting sooo badly to play more aggressively. i found that once I was able to control that urge I found the hands I needed when I still had a good enough stack a double up was meaningful. Gotta resist that urge to limp small pairs and even AJs UTG. When I find myself doing that, I lose a BB or two here and there and end up having to get aggressive and take chances earlier than I want to with marginal hands. Finally starting to get the feel back for these sngs...of course, 3 cashes in 4 will make you feel like you know what you are doing...I still need to look at it as though I should be disappointed I didnt take at least one first. Anyway, solid start...feels good to be back!
Quick note...I started out on FT with no $$ but only FTP points. I have turned that into about $576. I am sitting with approximately 48 buy ins. I am very tight with my bankroll, so I will move up to the 22+2s when I have about 45 buy ins.
Monday, August 11, 2008
August 11, 2008
I am surprised by the number of people that have visited my site. I started this to just track my own performance and to make myself accountable. It has been fun, but I have had significant breaks in my play. Poker is fun, but it can really be a grind. I know in the past as I have tried to increase my play it has caused me to burn out relatively quickly. I have never taken a break to flushing my bankroll, however. I have always found a way to be profitable and now i am going to try to find a way to balance poker, a full time job, and a family.
I didn't play any cash games this weekend, but played in the midnight madness tourney on full tilt. I cashed, made about $3. Long day for such a small payout, but I played relatively well. Did not get many hands to play and the ones that I did held up. The more I think about it, the more I think I will not have time to play poker...especially if 2.25 hours of poker nets $3! However, if I can continue to build my bankroll I think positive cash flows will force me to create time. I might have to go back to grinding sngs...I just dont know yet. i think some study time and a few trips to 2+2 will help out with my transition.
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Played cash for about an hour today. I decided to jump into a $24+2 7-card stud hi limit tourney. I havent played stud since I accidentally joined a tourney when I first started playing online poker a few years ago, but I final tabled that tourney. I played a bit poorly early on this tourney donking off half my chips, but just after the first break i was in the top 15. Started with about 120 people and we have about 59 left right now. So, no where near the money. I need to stay disciplined and just play my solid hands. It is fun playing 7-card stud and i am sure there is a lot more equity in these tourneys...anyway, for now its a fun change of pace. Let's see how i fare...
In the second level I played about 2 hands. I got the nut flush draw after 4 cards which hurt my stack a little, but i hit aces up and almost doubled an orbit later...right now, we are 20 mins before the break and i am in about 20th place out of 45. I know I am not the best 7-card stud player...i need to learn a little bit more about starting hands...i am a bit tight, but it seems to serve me well as my natural tendencies seem to do well at stud.
15 mins prior to break, i get dealt 99 10. I call the bring in and 4 of us get another card. I catch a 9 and repop the raise. in hindsight, i should have just called to reraise when the bets increased, but thats just me and my inexperience. I got called down to the river and didnt quite double, but it put me in the top 8 stacks...looking solid going into the 2nd break. 10 mins before the break, the chipleader who has twice the 2nd stack got moved immediately to my right. I lost a big hand on the last hand before break...my 2pr lost to a better 2 pr...need to do some work as I now sit 15th out of 26. If i would have hit my straight, i would have been sitting nicely in 3rd place...had a nice hand, 2pr and an OESD.
Played well, but busted 22nd...all i needed was to hit a 2nd pair...had queens and couldnt improve. lost to aces...solid effort, was fun.
I played a few sngs tonight as well. They are super juicy. I might have to start playing these again...
I didn't play any cash games this weekend, but played in the midnight madness tourney on full tilt. I cashed, made about $3. Long day for such a small payout, but I played relatively well. Did not get many hands to play and the ones that I did held up. The more I think about it, the more I think I will not have time to play poker...especially if 2.25 hours of poker nets $3! However, if I can continue to build my bankroll I think positive cash flows will force me to create time. I might have to go back to grinding sngs...I just dont know yet. i think some study time and a few trips to 2+2 will help out with my transition.
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Played cash for about an hour today. I decided to jump into a $24+2 7-card stud hi limit tourney. I havent played stud since I accidentally joined a tourney when I first started playing online poker a few years ago, but I final tabled that tourney. I played a bit poorly early on this tourney donking off half my chips, but just after the first break i was in the top 15. Started with about 120 people and we have about 59 left right now. So, no where near the money. I need to stay disciplined and just play my solid hands. It is fun playing 7-card stud and i am sure there is a lot more equity in these tourneys...anyway, for now its a fun change of pace. Let's see how i fare...
In the second level I played about 2 hands. I got the nut flush draw after 4 cards which hurt my stack a little, but i hit aces up and almost doubled an orbit later...right now, we are 20 mins before the break and i am in about 20th place out of 45. I know I am not the best 7-card stud player...i need to learn a little bit more about starting hands...i am a bit tight, but it seems to serve me well as my natural tendencies seem to do well at stud.
15 mins prior to break, i get dealt 99 10. I call the bring in and 4 of us get another card. I catch a 9 and repop the raise. in hindsight, i should have just called to reraise when the bets increased, but thats just me and my inexperience. I got called down to the river and didnt quite double, but it put me in the top 8 stacks...looking solid going into the 2nd break. 10 mins before the break, the chipleader who has twice the 2nd stack got moved immediately to my right. I lost a big hand on the last hand before break...my 2pr lost to a better 2 pr...need to do some work as I now sit 15th out of 26. If i would have hit my straight, i would have been sitting nicely in 3rd place...had a nice hand, 2pr and an OESD.
Played well, but busted 22nd...all i needed was to hit a 2nd pair...had queens and couldnt improve. lost to aces...solid effort, was fun.
I played a few sngs tonight as well. They are super juicy. I might have to start playing these again...
Friday, August 08, 2008
August 8, 2008
I played a little bit more last night. I believe I made a few bucks...about $15 over the past two nights. I need to get with the poker software to see what my win rate is in terms of BB/100. I realize with the amount of patience I have I will never be satisfied with a reasonable win rate, but as my stakes climb I will be able to pull back on my aggressiveness.
These low stakes are great for learning to feel what the game is like when you are very well bankrolled. You really dont care about losing 25 bucks, but losing a buy in makes me frustrated. the money isnt what makes me frustrated, but it is losing the unit. You do not play scared poker and end up learnign a lot about your game. i was a bit too timid when I was playing before. I think I hit a major heater and built my bankroll, but when I started to come back down to earth I couldnt stomach it.
My bankroll is over $600, but $40 is tied up in tourney $$s, so i will be trying to play a few MTTs here in the next few weeks. Updates to follow as i get more stats and sessions in.
These low stakes are great for learning to feel what the game is like when you are very well bankrolled. You really dont care about losing 25 bucks, but losing a buy in makes me frustrated. the money isnt what makes me frustrated, but it is losing the unit. You do not play scared poker and end up learnign a lot about your game. i was a bit too timid when I was playing before. I think I hit a major heater and built my bankroll, but when I started to come back down to earth I couldnt stomach it.
My bankroll is over $600, but $40 is tied up in tourney $$s, so i will be trying to play a few MTTs here in the next few weeks. Updates to follow as i get more stats and sessions in.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
August 7, 2008
I saw my last post and remember making it. I used my Full tilt points and my FPPs at poker stars and generated a good 1400 in cash. I never realized how valuable those points could be.
I have about $600 in my full tilt account and i am going to start playing .10/.25 to see if I can build a bankroll. I want to slowly build and if I find some success I want to start to subscribe to some decent websites for help. I am considering poker x-factor once I am properly bankrolled for .50/1, which will be about $3000...however, if my learning curve at the lower stakes accelerates, then i think i might hold off...At this point, it is all just a guess, but I am hoping to get back to where I can make $1-2k a month. That would allow me to go back to school and get my PhD, which is my 2 year goal...to be accepted into a program.
I played a little last night and was up 2 buy ins at one point but ended up about $5 or a quarter of a buy in. It was fun.
Right now, there is not a lot of time to devote to poker because I am teaching, have my son, my job, and penelope...all needing attention. I am going to have to balance everything. However, i really do hope i can make poker a high enough priority to start building a solid bankroll. Let's see if I can continue this poker ride that started a few years ago and still has my interest enough to be posting here today.
I have about $600 in my full tilt account and i am going to start playing .10/.25 to see if I can build a bankroll. I want to slowly build and if I find some success I want to start to subscribe to some decent websites for help. I am considering poker x-factor once I am properly bankrolled for .50/1, which will be about $3000...however, if my learning curve at the lower stakes accelerates, then i think i might hold off...At this point, it is all just a guess, but I am hoping to get back to where I can make $1-2k a month. That would allow me to go back to school and get my PhD, which is my 2 year goal...to be accepted into a program.
I played a little last night and was up 2 buy ins at one point but ended up about $5 or a quarter of a buy in. It was fun.
Right now, there is not a lot of time to devote to poker because I am teaching, have my son, my job, and penelope...all needing attention. I am going to have to balance everything. However, i really do hope i can make poker a high enough priority to start building a solid bankroll. Let's see if I can continue this poker ride that started a few years ago and still has my interest enough to be posting here today.
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