Ryan's Poker Blog

Havin some fun...

2009-06-30T23:52:00.003-07:00

Just playing 3 tables and a 6-max tourney. Getting coolered...QQ v AK v AA and then set over set..it is nice playing and not caring quite as much, but i obviously do care. however, the pressure to win is gone and now i just try to do my best and if i win, thats great...if not, oh well. really makes the game a lot more fun.

just lost top 2 pr vs flopped set...sigh...maybe this isnt so much fun :)

a few tourneys.

2009-06-16T22:41:00.002-07:00

played a few tourneys...donked off 150 in buy ins, but I wanted to have some fun because I dont know how much longer I will get to play poker. Right now, it looks like I will focus the next year of my life passing the CPA exam. Once that is over, I will turn my attention back to poker.

looking to have a solid night though...

up and down..

2009-06-14T14:44:00.003-07:00

not playing well and getting unlucky...i need a good sweat session with the ole coach.

ugh...

2009-06-11T22:24:00.003-07:00

Tonight was a test of my will to control myself and continue grinding. I was playing well and getting it in ahead, but tonight was cruel to me on the river...

I have to be happy with my results, down about 1.5 buy ins. I lost to 5 rivered and 1 turned flush, I had my AA cracked by the rivered straight, got in pair over pair and lost, got in pair under pair and lost. I was able to grind my way back, and hit two nice hands before I quit. I hit a flush and avoided the full house when I was up against a set and my AA held up against JJ. So, things are starting to turn around for me and I hope my hands start to hold up when I am able to start another session...

Anyway, rough night. Played well and surprisingly happy with my results even though down 1.5 buy ins..thats it...good night.

Tournaments

2009-06-09T23:05:00.006-07:00

I have always done pretty well in tournaments. I would say my biggest weakness would be the bubble as I often try to get ITM rather than make it deep. There have been plenty of instances where I allowed myself to get crippled just to make the money. Obviously, that is not a way to win tournaments.

Tonight, I bought into the $17k guaranteed on FTP. I won my buy in back plus some, so I thought I would give it a shot. Part of the reason I burned out previously is because I would just play sngs and I would not play a lot of tournaments. I think the variety will be good for me and will give me some excitement if I can make a few deep runs. It is not out of my capabilities to have a nice, deep cash.

I forgot how much patience you need playing these. It is funny, the WSOP is going on right now and I think about all these internet pros that 20-table and then they are forced to play 50 hands/hour as opposed to 1500 hands/hr. My first hour in this tourney I have been card dead, but at least was able to increase my stack size a little bit...lets hope for a heater!

I am really pleased how I am playing. I had 5k in chips and in 4 hands took it to 22k. I went to the break in the top 15. After break, i lost AQ v A2, AK v KQ, and QQ v AK. So, my stack was cut in half. However, still alive with a better than average stack, so I cant complain! Let's hope some of that variance comes back to me!

Lots of hands went against me tonight...had AK v J9s and that would have put me back in the game and i lost to the runner runner flush...oh well...still at it. So much for no bad beat entries...but its my first tourney in a while...man, these take forever!

I pushed 88 over QQ and didnt improve...went out 39/759...so not bad for my first tourney back. I still like my push, but i was expecting to be racing and hoping that the dude that busted me was not looking to race...

Maximizing my profit...

2009-06-08T15:03:00.002-07:00

I am saving my preflop and flop play for my coach, but this week I want to concentrate on maximizing the value of each hand. I think I am betting my monsters too strongly and need to pull back a bit. I guess I get afraid that I will either get drawn out on or will not build a big enough pot. Tonight, assuming I get to play, I will start pulling back slightly on my big hands and see if I start to get more money in the pot.

I think this is in large part due to the negative variance I was going through. When you feel your big hands are very vulnerable, you tend to bet them more aggressively or possibly more passively. In either case, you are either not maximizing the value of your hand, or not properly protecting it.

I have been able to change up my play a bit. I have been varying my betting/calling ranges and have made some interesting plays with absolutely nothing. I have had some solid success employing a few different moves and repping strong hands. I am excited to log some hands tonight.

Changing it up...

2009-06-07T13:21:00.004-07:00

Just finished up the freeroll. I had no hands at all and was able to build my stack through pushing and stealing blinds of people that were not playing. I finally picked up 99 on the button when we were down to 71, there was a standard raise of 1200 and i pushed my 6000 chips into AA...board showed 10 J Q K and my straight was second best. Hoping to log some hands tonight.

I need to change my blog up from daily bitch sessions to constructive posts. everyone goes through bad stretches and bad beats, but no one wants to read about them...i am going to post less frequently and with more substance.

I have been dealing with variance and the effects it has on my confidence and play. I just moved up to a new level and believe I am at least a break even player. However, I hit a stretch where I was getting good hands to open with, but missed every flop and every continuation bet I was either check-raised or someone lead out at me so I would have to call with my AK or let it go. I was always in a bad spot. To make matters worse, I lost 4 straight hands in which I flopped a set, and had a few river beats. Yes, I said I was going to stay away from bad beat posts, but that really isnt what this is about. Concerning yourself with those hands and the results is exactly what I shouldnt be doing. The fact I was able to get in good is proof enough that I am setting myself up for positive things. I need to continue to play my game. It is sorta ironic in that you can put yourself into good situations, lose, and then question your play. Confidence is what I need to maintain and always remind myself.

Now, humility is something else that I must keep very close to the surface. I have an urge to play a lot of hands and need to keep it in check. I feel like it is arrogance when I let myself play too many hands - my solution has been to open more tables. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but for me it work. I open up a few more tables and then I am very careful to keep myself from getting too active. Opening a few extra tables, as long as I can maintain discipline, has worked well for me in that it helps me log more hands and get the action I am looking for.

Tonight taught me a lesson in patience. I made one call that was questionable, but I saw the guy get it all in when he 4bet KQs. I got my 77 in on an 8 high flop and he had 99. Overall, my play seems solid and my confidence is growing. I still need to get a good sweat session with my coach to help me with situations where I get 3-bet preflop and also how to proceed postflop when I miss...I know I have a lot of work to do in those situations.

Fired up some tables...

2009-06-02T21:41:00.004-07:00

My parents have been in town and after such a horrible session the other night, I thought a few nights off would be nice. So, tonight I am playing and will be focusing on starting hand selection and reasonable play postflop.

just lost a 250 pot with top set to the flush draw...and rivered...

just getting ass raped by idiots...

hey another river 2 outter when i got it in 99 v 88...excellent!

again, i lose AQ v A8o on an A high board when he turns the 8.

I ended up with a nice little heater. After a horrible session and starting out so terribly by flopping top set and losing to the rivered flush, only to continue losing hands on the river like i did the last time I played was really hard on my confidence. I hit sets of Kings a few times and couldnt get any action going, so I really was not feeling comfortable. However, I hit a nice heater where I was hitting hands and they were holding up...it brought me back and I ended the night up. So, I shut down my tables because i have an early morning, but if I didnt have to work I think I would have been grinding for another 2 hours or so...

Anyway, good finish to the night...lets upload the hands!

920 hands of barely profitable poker...I'll take it!!

Thursday Night...

2009-05-28T22:09:00.006-07:00

My parents are coming into town for the week tomorrow, so I am not exactly sure how much time I will get to play. I am >10k hands for the month, so at least I was able to play a decent amount the final week and did very well. I should expect a downswing soon, but admittedly I have been lucky when I was unlucky. Many of my nasty beats have been against small stacks (.30-.70% of a buy in) so my bad beats did not cost me nearly what they could have. Plus, I had some nice hands where I was able to capitalize. I am hoping for some luck tonight...I have had excellent success, but even with the success I have taken my share of nastiness...if that starts to come back around, my results are going to be outrageous. I love poker today!! :) Let's see if I am saying that again in a few hours...

Doing poorly tonight...horrible play is the reason...mostly mine. Sure I had the standard suckouts, but I made things worse by making horrible river calls. I have myself to blame, but it is a good learning experience.

Still cannot hit a draw! Couple getting cold decked with horrible play and you are in trouble! Cannot hit a set or a draw! Streaky game though...lets hope for one soon...had QQ a million times tonight and never get any action.

ALL my small and mid pairs are missing and people are calling me light...so the board gets scary and i have to let them go..frustrating...

Finally flop a set and the board hits 5 clubs and i cant call a large river bet...shitty.

JJ v 99 lost on teh river...66 flop a set and lose set over set...ive lost the last 3 sets i have flopped!

I raise with AQs and dude comes along with 83o and hits quads...lose another on the river...time to shut down, lost a ton tonight.

Horrible night...I have had worse night playing sngs, but this was one of the worst. I called too much of my stack off, i ran bluffs far too many times....i was playing terribly and was only down about 1.5 buy ins, but i dropped about 6...horrible horrible luck, horrible play...lost a ton of hands on the river, lost 3 straight flopped sets, just QQ v 99, just tons of bad stuff...so bad luck was part of it, but i could have gotten away from some hands and need to be far more disciplined...gonna take some time off and come back later.!

Tonight has been humbling and frustrating. I opened so many pots because I was getting solid cards...pocket pairs, suited big and small aces, face cards, and nothing was hitting. when i did hit nothing was holding up...will get back at it...maybe drop down for some confidence...

Back at it...

2009-05-27T21:23:00.003-07:00

Looking forward to playing tonight. About to fire up some tables. Updates to follow. A solid night tonight would be awesome!!

Got stacked but playing well...still up!

funny, i folded a suited A one time and would have hit my flush...so sad :(

dude limped KK on my bb and i hit 2 pair on flop...bet out the whole way and he calls...the board paired on the river to counterfeit my hand...so sad.

Hit a huge hand and up over 3 buy ins tonight...will update later because after I hit it Joaquin woke up...

I was up and down about a buy in at various times tonight. I got involved in a big hand and avoided trouble on the turn and river to take down a big pot. I had A9s and raised it up, button called and BB came along as well. the flop comes 3 10 J all hears and I hit the nut flush. button checks, i fire about half a pot sized bet and the button calls, the BB reraises the pot, I min raise and the button pushes! the BB, who has us both covered, thinks and pushes and i instacall. I knew I was up against at least one set, but I was hoping it would be 2 sets to eliminate some of the outs. Turns out the button that K7h and was drawing dead, but the BB had 33 and I avoided the board pairing to take down a huge pot. a hand or two after that is when Joaquin woke up and I had to shut down my tables. just under 700 hands tonight.

I have about 10k hands so far this month...still well under my goal, but I am happy with the progress of my game and my bankroll. I am comfortable at the tables and looking forward to playing every night...a big departure from when I was playing sngs...i almost hated to play because I knew that every sng would come down to the bubble and if I would get any hands or unlucky...it was a feeling of doom and frustration. NL cash is more of an art form and I love it!

Tuesday...

2009-05-26T21:03:00.007-07:00

About to fire up some tables...I am looking for a solid session tonight. I am adjusting to the preflop aggression at the new level, but so far I have made solid progress and have over 33 buy ins for my current level. I am very happy about that. Let's see what tonight brings...

Playing well, but made 2 stupid calls...about even...

Coolered...QQ v KK for $146

Was on both sides of AK v QQ and lost both times :)

Went cold then heated up...i have noticed there are a lot more river bluffs...its crazy!

Lost Kings full to quad 8s...

What a crazy night...never was up or down too much, but I hit a few nice hands and lost a few nasty ones...did not suck out tonight and missed most of my small pairs mining for sets, flush and OESD...so I am looking forward to hitting some hands when the variance turns my way. I am also looking forward to when the rivers are not so nasty as to kill my hands or make the board so scary I cannot call...however, solid night.

Up over a buy in and played a lot of hands...let me upload and see where I stand.

WOW, 1,526 hands for me tonight...that's a ton for a dude with a full time job and 2 young sons under 2!

For the month, i knew i didnt play very much, but i have logged about 9500 hands. way, way too few. I know i will probably get to about 12k hands and hope to continue to play well. there was a stretch tonight where i regressed to playing way too loose...i think it probably cost me about 25 bucks, but I identified it quickly and put a stop to it...I was getting very playable hands on all 6 of my tables so I was doing a lot of raising and playing postflop...that seeped into my mind and I ended playing too many prospecting hands for about 5 mins. overall, solid night and won one more big hand than i lost...the odd thing is that I get it all in more at .50/1.00 than i did at .25/.50...

Players at this level are willing to bet quite large sums with marginal holdings...I need to learn to adjust and read the lines players are taking to help with the action on the turn and river...however, I am picking off more bluffs while not getting too overly crazy making hero calls...

Monday..

2009-05-25T14:10:00.002-07:00

Ran into some big hands today. Ran into AA twice, but luckily it was against smaller stacks, $35-$60 stacks. Was up and down today, but finally hit a decent hand blind v blind. I was sb and raised with A4o and was called by the BB. Flop came A47 and I led out, was raised, i reraised and he pushed...he showed AK and I avoided the board pairing and ended up about half a buy in for the day...gonna hit a bbq and then maybe log some more hands later.

Sunday

2009-05-24T22:49:00.001-07:00

I busted pretty quickly out of my freeroll today. I guess my heart was not really into it as I was itching to sit down at the 100NL tables. I have mixed emotions in that I know I can win at this level, but I would hate to go on a downswing and then have to drop down. I am well bankrolled, but some of the nuances of 50NL might be lost as I start to learn 100NL. Preflop, the aggression is noticeably more intense at 100NL. I think if I am able to hit a few hands that getting paid off will not be a problem. there is quite a bit more 2 and 3 betting preflop, so I am excited to see how I fare.

I did fire up 4 tables after my freeroll and played well. I was up about 40 when I got it all in with AA vs AKo. He was drawing dead by the river and I took $113 from him...was a nice welcome to the level. I am about to fire up another set...let's see how it goes.

Finally...

2009-05-24T13:02:00.004-07:00

I was finally able to log a session at my new level. The game plan was to just 2-table, but I of course put myself on about 6 waitlists and then was able to open 3 tables...so I played 3 until a good table opened and 4-tables for about 142 hands. I just wanted to start getting a feel for the new level. There is quite a bit more aggression preflop, which leads to bigger pots (relatively speaking because I was expecting bigger pots, but bigger as a %age of your stack). I was able to make some nice plays, play back a little and picked up AA v AK where they were drawing dead on the river...thats always nice. So, i played 142 hands and up about 1.45 buy ins at my new level...definitely a nice welcome and gave me some confidence...a few notes from my session:

Preflop, there is definitely a lot more reraising. I need to tighten up a bit and be prepared to get popped...maybe some marginal hands that I would normally open with at my previous stakes I can limp and then call the raise for some deception if I would like to play those hands...I can see small PPs and Axs being played this way...

Anyway, I think the variance is going to increase for me, but it is amazing how much faster the pots build and how quickly you can win $40-50. This is going to be fun!!

Played just under 300 more hands and took down about half a buy in...was fun. I really enjoy this level, but I can see how it would be very easy to lose composure and quickly lose a few hundred...right now, I am very cautiously playing and I really like how I am playing at the tables. My A game is in full effect and I am playing my monsters well and avoiding trouble. I think I am up 2 buy ins today...yipee!!

Moovin' on up....

2009-05-21T23:30:00.002-07:00

Had a really nice night. Just played within myself and I dont think my blood pressure ever went up at all. So happy with the way I played. Made a few nice calls, made some nice value bets, got away from a few hands where I just didnt quite know where I stood so i let them go...overall just a well played, very controlled session with excellent results. Let me upload the HHs to see where I stand for the session and overall. I know I am up over 3 buys ins... :)

Played 676 hands tonight...and now I am past my threshold to move up...100NL, here I come!!

Thursday

2009-05-21T21:42:00.002-07:00

I am about to get started...I really want to start playing at my new stakes, but I should just be patient and stick to the gameplan although I know that moving up at this point or waiting for another few days does not make a whole lot of difference. However, it really is about setting a goal and living up to that goal instead of adjusting it just to appease my urges. It is all part of the discipline. So, I will be playing my normal 50NL stakes until I win another 2 buys ins and then move up to 100NL...

For those of you that have visited my blog, that will be an important day because it will make the first step in me achieving my goal. I will have been profitable at my current stakes and made the first step up in stakes. It will be a test to see if my game will stand up to the new level and whether I can adapt my game. I am excited...about to fire up a set...

Recon

2009-05-20T00:34:00.002-07:00

So i opened up 4 - .50/1.00 tables to check out the action. I noticed a few differences. I saw, in a very short amount of time, a couple of people take marginal hands for their stack preflop...I thought they were a bit too aggressive. I saw someone bluff off $60 with a missed 6 high flush draw...I think if I can maintain a relatively loose image that I can get paid off a ton at this level. I think this will be a level where I can make a significant amount of money...I took a few notes on some players and will continue to check out the action. I will probably open a few tables as well over the weekend and see how I fare...

Off...and On

2009-05-19T15:52:00.003-07:00

it has been a rough couple of days and I dont think i will be playing tonight. however, i am going to try my hardest to log a few hours wednesday and thursday. just a few more winning sessions and i will be itching, and bankrolled, to move up. again, i am already bankrolled by most people's standards, but i like to be over-rolled...i think that is a big departure from what most aspiring poker players prefer...but i am looking for sustainability.

on a side note, i might have to put poker on the back burner for a little while. i am not doing this to become a pro, but i look at it as a way to supplement my income, start a college fund for my boys, or make money for a nice vacation, toys, or whatever. so, i might be studying for a few tests to further my career. i will know more later, but poker might be something I have time for on a very limited basis in the very near future...a bit unfortunate too because i was just gaining traction - or at least it feels that way. i will do my best to log time - and i will log at least one session a week to get entry into my freeroll...but i hope to pass all of my tests within a year...being able to play poker might just provide me the encouragement i need to study harder to complete the tests...again, it is up in the air and we shall see what happens...

After we got the kids to sleep, it was a little late for Penny and I to hang out so she went to bed. I was planning on skipping poker tonight to spend some time with her, but I decided to open up 6 tables after she went to sleep. I logged about 370 hands and won over a buy in. There was some pretty crazy play...had a dude essentially bluff off his stack to me when he held 84o and missed on everything. I took down a nice pot when i ACCIDENTALLY min-raised 56s in late position and the flop came 666. i actually got some pretty decent river action and won a nice pot. Overall, good night. I got away from some sticky situations and capitalized when people overplayed their hands...

Freeroll!

2009-05-17T13:30:00.010-07:00

I wasnt able to play this weekend as I was house/dog sitting. I am playing in the freeroll and doing well once again. Hit sets of Ks and As early and just took a stand nearing the bubble and tripled up when I hit a set of 5s and they held. I can fold into the money right now...but lets see what happens. about 48 left, pays top 45.

Really running well in this freeroll. There are 30 left and they pay jumps to $75 at 27. I did get someone all in A7o vs 910s. they hit the straight on the flop and probably a flush by the river...either way I was toast. that would have put me top 3 in chips, but I am sitting in the top 10...no complaints. at the 2nd break...

Chip leader with 10 to go...let's see how the finish goes.

Final table with a small chip lead...but almost twice the average. Looking for a strong finish.

Just took out a pretty big stack withQQ v 1010.

Just took out the small stack on the next hand...

Just had a player in AKs v AQo and the board hit broadway lol sucks!

Just busted the 2nd stack that sucked out AKvAQ...Took her down making a button move with A2 and i called with A10. hit a 10 on the flop and that was it... and im over 300k and no one else over 72k!

Down to 3 and i have about 80% of the chips.

I ended up taking 2nd...not bad...happy about it. I made a bad play heads up and let the dude play and he hit top pair on the flop.

I could have eliminated 2 more, but there were two pushes ahead of me and i was in the BB..I folded K8 and they both had weak aces and the flop came king high...could have eliminated 2 more.

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I have a few errands to run this afternoon and will try to log a few hundred hands later tonight. I am soo close to moving up. I am the kind of person that likes to be overbankrolled before he moves up, so this is a good thing. I think most people would have already moved up, but I am taking my time and making sure I am ready to move up when the time is right. Tonight's freeroll really helped boost my bankroll.

My performance in my weekly freeroll is awesome and unexpected. It is a weird format in that half the people dont show up. My hands have been holding up early and I have been able to get pretty deep. My races come through early as well...so i am able to get a decent stack before I end up taking my first real hit. I hope I can continue my success...

As far as cash, my cash game is going ok. I am profitable, but I think a session with the coach will be needed soon and I might get the new software to overlay my stats on each player. I am looking forward to taking my cash game to the next level!

Played about 45 mins of poker tonight. Had a few nice hands and quit. I am playing pretty solid, but my success is creeping into my psyche and I am playing a few too many hands. I need to pull back a little...but doing well. I should probably continue playing as it is not even 10 PM and I have a solid hour of time to play, but I am not going to fire up any tables and just relax...it is the start of a long week!

Wednesday

2009-05-13T16:39:00.010-07:00

I am going to try to log some hours tonight. I was not able to last night as Penny and I had a tough time getting the boys to sleep. I fell asleep and that was that. I hope to have a few hours to play tonight...

Meeting my May goal will be a challenge, but I hope to come close. If I could hit my goal it would put me close to moving up...which is my #1 priority poker-wise. Once I move up, I will start with lessons again...looking forward to it. Let's see if I can get some hands in tonight...updates will follow.

Hit Kings up on the turn to lose to a set of Kings, and missed my nut flush draw with 2 overs to the pocket pair. Down 2 buy ins quickly, but won one back! Staging a nice comeback!

Down about a buy in after my first session. Probably be back in a bit to start session number 2. I havent hit any sets tonight...and on the final orbit before i was shutting down, i had one aggressive player to my right and left. the one to my right opened and i had 44. I was missing all my PP on the flop and decided to just muck it thinking it was probably my one chance of hitting...well, the player to my left just called and the flop came like 247 with 2 diamonds. they both got it all in with KK vs flush draw and I would have tripled up...oh well.

Started up another set...everyone is drawing out on me...pretty sick. Not frustrated though, cuz i have plenty of bankroll, but I wish my hands would just hold up!

Finally getting hot and getting action...fighting the urge to shut down and will continue to play. Up on the night...and, just stacked 2 more people...great decision!!

What an amazing hour. Just after I posted that I was going to continue playing, i got hot! Here are a couple of hands...

I have 66 and raise it up in late position. BB calls and flop comes 56J, BB checks I fire about half pot and he calls. Turn comes 6, he checks, I fire about 3/4 pot and he calls. River blanks and BB checks, I bet about half my stack...he hollywoods and pushes, i instacall and he shows JJ. I was playing on another table with the same guy I hit quads on and he had been very aggressive...he was reraising me preflop all in quite a bit and I wanted to catch him...but he really slowplayed his monsters...so I wanted to catch him playing fast...

so, shortly after on the other table, he puts in the standard raise from the button and i call from the BB with QJo. flop comes JJ7 and I raise about 3/4 pot, he pushes and i call, he shows 88 and I take another stack from him...THE VERY NEXT HAND I am dealt 1010 and he open pushes a stack and I think he probably has a small pair and figure I am dominating him, so I call and he shows AA. I flop a 10 and am just laughing!!

Anyway, great night...up and down, but I played well and am excited about the results...very up and down session!! Let me upload the hands and see where I stand.

1400+ hands tonight...up over 3 buy ins...awesome!

Monday

2009-05-11T23:08:00.003-07:00

Lots of people drawing out on me and I am not able to get action on my big hands...overall its a little frustrating, but I am working through it...

Ended the night up a few bucks...i folded AA tonight on the river and I am not quite sure if it was a good fold. I think the player was a complete retard, but it was the night of the retard and the board was pretty coordinated and scary. I wont think about it again, it was a good fold...

I think I got a little spewy tonight and wasted a buy in or so, but overall not a bad night. Played well and had a lot of draw outs against me, though I did hit the 2 outter on a dude that had hit the 4 flush on me...so I feel NO guilt!

Ah, played 1000 hands of just about break even poker tonight...up and down all night, but ended up $2.10!! :) Another winning night!

Mother's Day Freeroll

2009-05-10T12:38:00.006-07:00

My freeroll just happened to be on Mother's Day, but I was able to play it.

I sat down about 150 chips down because I was out and about, but I doubled up on the first hand and now am in the top 7 players. I havent been able to play this weekend, but hopefully I can cash here and make a few $$...These freerolls have been very good to me so far...let's see if I can go deep once again!

The past few times I have played this, I won my hand early and put pressure on people and have been able to get into the top few players by break. I am running pretty card dead after the break, but still above the average. I hope to get into the money and will open it up pretty soon after that.

Lost a hand were the dude drew out on me and limped ITM...busted out shortly afterwards. I built up a nice stack, but went completely card dead from about 15 mins before the break until I busted. Good thing I ran really hot...I again lost a huge hand with QQ where I had 2 people covered, I flopped top set and dude hit a 4 flush on the river...I guess I am happy it happened in the freeroll rather than on a cash table, but i guess if we were deeper ITM I would have been pretty pissed...anyway, maybe I will find some time to play later tonight...otherwise, it is going to have to be monday night.

Thursday

2009-05-07T23:10:00.002-07:00

I played 4-6 tables tonight. I think tonight was one of my better performances. I didn't overextend myself and I do not know if I ever got it all in. I slowly chipped up, hit a few snags, kept my composure and got away from sticky situations. I am really happy with my play, however if I was to look solely at my results it would be a mixed bag. I am up about half a buy in, which is fine, but honestly I am very encouraged with my play. Let's upload the HHs.

Just under 600 hands tonight...not too bad! I am happy with the amount I am getting to play considering we just had a new addition to the family. Plus, I believe I am finally getting in enough play with regularity that I am feel the nuances of my game again. Encouraging, but I still need to pick up the volume of play. I really should have logged another hour!

Wednesday

2009-05-06T21:54:00.006-07:00

I do not think I have been continuation betting enough...I have opened it up a bit and have been taking down a lot of small pots.

Playing OK...still making a few flop calls too many. I am not hitting any draws and I had an OESD and FD on the flop and ended up hitting my J high flush only to be coolered by the A high flush...still up and looking for a strong finish before hitting the sack.

One thing I do notice is that when I play a hand that goes to the river, the river card always brings the flush draws or pairs the board drastically reducing my ability to maximize the value for the hands I win, but many times it completes the draws and I lose the hand.

I am still really enjoying poker. Last month had some ups and downs, but I believe it was really more due to bad play. I did have some nastiness in terms of river suckouts, but that is all part of poker. I believe that because I was playing poorly and because I was going through a cold stretch that I was pulling back my aggression too much. Tonight's session I opened it up a little bit more and the results were pretty good. I was able to take down smaller pots, but also it helped with my image and when I do hit hands it will help disguise the strength. Not only was I doing quite a bit more continuation betting, but I was often firing a second barrel on the turn and that took down a few pots. It just really sucks when you fire that 2nd barrel OOP and get called - makes for a rough river decision.

May Goals

2009-05-05T23:55:00.004-07:00

From my last post, it is obvious that the arrival of my second son has made my April a bit crazy. I know I was playing poorly and I pretty much had a break even month. I am looking to improve in May and believe I have a solid start. I hope to play between 18k-25k hands this month with a 4PTBB/100 winrate. Let's see how it goes.

Currently I am tracking to play about 14k hands again, but at least my winrate is approx 4.5 PTBB/100. Hopefully I can sustain this and pick up the volume a bit. I have experienced some pretty nasty variance, so hopefully I can have a stellar month. I am close to moving up, so this would be a great month to make a nice profit and use it to give myself a raise!

To those of you that are following my progress...I am hoping to make my first jump in levels by month end. So far, the experiment has been a success.

Very short session - Quick April Summary

2009-05-05T23:40:00.004-07:00

Took it easy tonight and opened up 4 tables. Had a rough start losing about 5 on each table as I continually opened and missed flops. I did get to double up and decided to call it a night 112 hands into my session. Up just under a buy in...

I just realized I never checked my April stats. I played just over 14k hands, which isnt bad considering. I had some really bad play mixed in there, so a good part of my sample is me playing unfocused poker. I am starting to turn it around in May, but I need to return to my game instead of trying to be a player I am not. I had much better success playing within my own comfort zone.

I just under a buy-in in 14k hands in April!! :) Thank god for rakeback!

Ugh...

2009-05-04T22:37:00.003-07:00

I seem to lose to a lot of draws. I am doing ok right now, down a little, but definitely need some positive variance here pretty soon...

Picked off a huge flop overbet when i flopped nut flush draw and finally got there!

Ended up on the night...not much but a little bit. Had a lot of river beats so I cannot complain. I had one situation where I flopped 2nd set, but the board was all spades, 4th spade on the turn and we checked it all the way down...he had the nuts on the flop and I was lucky to only lose a few bucks in a set over set situation...so I did get lucky at times as well...Played a little better, more disciplined and picked off a few river bluffs. Overall, solid night.

Freeroll!

2009-05-03T14:44:00.001-07:00

Played in my rakeback freeroll and took 3rd for a cool $350. Sweet!

Playing OK

2009-05-02T22:38:00.005-07:00

I am not listening to my gut. that is something I used to do, but this coaching and tweaking my game has me second guessing myself and trying to make plays. I am going back to my style and playing my game.

Lets see, flop K high flush and lose, finally flop a set and hit middle set and lose to the flush...coolered with QQ v AA. Grinding away...

Somehow up for the night...happy with those results.

Trying to find time...

2009-05-02T00:44:00.001-07:00

Not a lot of time for playing poker as we adjust to our new addition to our family. I hope to log some hands this weekend. stay tuned.

Back in the saddle

2009-04-29T23:12:00.002-07:00

I was 5-tabling and not catching any hands. I think the best hand I had was KK and it was folded to me. I ended up catching a few hands late to end up in the positive for the night. Couple that with the solid session from earlier and i won back about 3 buy ins tonight from my melt down last night. I still played a little loose today, but I was on some really bad tables and wanted to see action. I justified in that way, but I could not justify it the other night.

Had a great hand to finish up my set. Folded to me on the button and i raise with A2o. I get reraised and decide to play. He has about 35 and I have him well covered. Flop comes A26 with 2 spades and he pushes...I call and he shows 88...how funny.

First session after my son's arrival...

2009-04-28T21:47:00.003-07:00

really getting coolered. Hit a set on the river only to lose to the dude that hit the higher set on the turn. I hit runner runner full house only to lose to the flopped FH.

Playing well though.

Playing like crap and running into some coolers...lots of sets being hit on me and i miss all my pocket pairs. I need to slow down and play tighter...

Ok, I SUCK!!

I need to play more disciplined or not play at all. I am getting too arrogant and letting it go to my game. I am forcing things post flop and getting out of my game. I need to concentrate and start letting more hands go...play the game I am comfortable playing because that is the one I was profitable with.

Saturday

2009-04-25T15:41:00.003-07:00

No baby yet, so i thought i would log some table time. PLAYING HORRIBLY. I think I am tyring to play a game that I am just not used to...I am going to start playing my game!

Taking some nasty beats to finish up my set...Penny's water just broke...time to roll!!!

Interesting start...

2009-04-23T22:46:00.002-07:00

Very interesting start to my session...people are hitting big hands against me, but I had AA a few times and was able to double once with it...got it cracked for $20 once too. Luckily against a shorty...

Crazy night so far...lots of tough hands and I am missing a lot of flops which forces me to make more continuation bets and bluff...starting to get some traction, but a rough start.
Was up until i stacked off AQs v A5o...so sick!

I need to be very disciplined when I start my sets. I find that I am not being disciplined and play far too loosely. I need to play tight and slowly loosen up my game as I feel out the tables. With these crazy players making insane bets and pushes, I need to play in position and watch my continuation bets and bluffs.

My next session I want to start evaluating my stats and what that means. How to configure poker tracker to understand my game better, what I should be doing and how others view me. what is the proper 3bet %age and with what range is calling a 3-bet appropriate?

Going to upload my hands...

1430 hands tonight...up a little.

FT went down!!

2009-04-23T00:13:00.002-07:00

I had a session going and started off a bit rocky. Mostly some aggressive higher variance plays not going my way and I was working my way back as the site went down. Ended up getting in 331 hands. I need to upload them to see how i ended up.

I guess I am up a little bit...awesome! I thought I was down for sure. The unfortunate part of FT going down is that I was just starting to get into my comfort zone. I knew which players to look out for, which ones I wanted to get involved with, and my decisions were starting to get to where I like them to be. Often I will play too loosely when I first sit down and I start to dial it back a bit. I still havent had a situation where I play loosely at the start of the session and hit a nice upswing, so I look forward to that. However, the key for me is to find that sweet spot as quickly as possible. Usually, I lose about 20% of a buy in at one or two tables before i make the proper adjustment. I was there when FT went down, but luckily I was able to log enough hands to pull myself out of the red and make a small profit for the day.

Back in the winning way...

2009-04-21T23:37:00.002-07:00

5-tabled for a short time tonight. Logged about 415 hands. Up almost a buy in. I think I know what I was doing wrong in my last session. I was not raising preflop like I should have, as often as I should have and I was getting too involved post flop and putting myself in tough situations. Tonight, I think I raised a bit more often preflop and laid down some hands that I might have called the other night.

I got a late start tonight, but I hope to log some more hands tomorrow and this weekend...feeling a little better about my game now!

Saturday...

2009-04-18T20:11:00.002-07:00

I made a bad call and got stacked early...going to try to dig out of it.

Weekends are high variance and I am taking a hefty dose. I need to relax and just continue to play. I am getting a little spewy, so i might just quit and call it a night soon.

getting frustrated with all the river beats...

I was down a lot more than I thought...Hit a few hands and got a little lucky, i am looking to win back a little more before I call it a night. Been a crazy one.

Pretty bad night in terms of play and results. I had a few lucky hands and some very unlucky ones...overall i think my luck evened out so my results were more bad play than anything. I need to control myself a bit better than I did tonight. Lets upload the hands and see what the story is. It is my first losing night in probably a week...so it was bound to happen.

1527 hands tonight...too bad it was a losing session...seems like when I play marathon sessions for me they are losing. I think thats more because I quit when I am winning...I need to rethink that! :)

Weekend...

2009-04-17T20:38:00.003-07:00

Time to start my first session of the weekend. My goal has always been to log an extra session or two on the weekends to make up for missed sessions during the week, but it hasn't worked out that way in the past. I have some great results from my limited play during the week and am excited to really buckle down and try to log some hands. I am close, well another 4-6 weeks, away from moving up. If I can get an extra session in here or there it will help my cause. I also have to balance not pushing things too much or I tend to get a bit impatient. Hoping to log 500+ hands tonight...

Just finished up a quick set. A little up and down...but my AA hands are not holding up and I am playing them well. I am getting people to call raises preflop and even post flop dominated, but my hands arent holding up. Once they start to, I have a feeling I am going to have a huge session. Overall, super happy with my play and my PTBB/100 winrate continues to climb! I will try to log another session later, but will be happy if I just turn in and try to get in 1000 hands tomorrow.

Another Solid Session...

2009-04-16T23:22:00.002-07:00

Things at my current stakes look really promising. I had another solid session with good results. up almost 1.75 buy ins. I was sitting nicely early...stacked a dude when my QQ got in on the flop against A10 on a 10 high board. Later, it was folded around to a guy with about 35 in front of him...i am in the BB with AA and the SB limps, I pot it and he calls. Flop comes and we end up getting it all in on the river and he fills up with his 96o...sicko! Overcame that to have a great session...made some nice calls today with 2nd pair and the like. One was for a very nice sized pot, $72. The river bet was 24.50 and I snap called because I knew the longer I waited the more likely I would have been to fold.

Let's take a look at the session stats....

679 hands 12.62PTBB/100...yay!

Awesome, I am well over 5PTBB/100 now for my entire sample.

I am finally feeling confident enough to sit down and expect to win. I know I should...but I build my confidence through building a hand history and that just comes with time. I had a feeling after my first coaching session that I would be just fine and it is true. I just need to continue playing and building my bankroll. I am going to do my best during my week off when my son arrives to log hands provided it does no upset my wife. I am sure she will be tired - I just hope the internet at the hospital allows access to poker sites :)

Well on my way to moving up...stay tuned!

Off last night...

2009-04-14T08:53:00.005-07:00

I fell asleep last night and didn't play. And, I do not feel bad about it. Part of my issue is that after I finish up my session I am still a bit wired so I mess around online until my mind stops racing and I can relax. Often, I end up messing around until 1 in the morning. I need to stop doing that because I just start to get tired later in the week and it can cost me a session here and there.

I hope to log 500 hands tonight...

Playing great and was up a bunch, then got coolered 2 hands in a row. top set at the turn, but dude had A10 and hit his straight for 41 against me...then next hand i had 99 and lost about 25 when i had an overpair and dude had AA...got away cheap.

still ok...lets see how it shapes up...

Played some great poker and had some really good hands. Hit quad aces on the turn after there was a 3 way all in on the flop. I had a feeling I was behind, but I had AA on an AKQ board. I had it pegged correctly, up against 2 pr and a made straight. The straight was drawing to the royal flush though, but I was able to dodge the Q of spades and busted two people. So, odd session. It was a short one, 435 hands and was up almost 2 buy ins, then dropped them with a massive cooler on consecutive hands. But, another nice rush and I am up over 2 buy ins.

I have successfully built my bankroll to where I can start dabbling in 100NL. This is exciting because I have proven to myself that I can win at my current level. I do need to start moving up if I want to continue playing because I need to make more per hour. I have a few bankroll management rules that I set for myself. They are quite a bit more conservative than most and I believe it may hold back my progress, but I also believe it will allow me to move up and never move back down. I like to have 30 buy ins before I move up. That way I can drop a few and still stick around instead of dropping back down to win it back at half the rate I lost it. I never understood that. I believe I could take some shots at 100NL as I used to dabble in some 200NL, but right now I am content with racking up solid sessions and building a bankroll.

These sorts of decisions are what makes me love poker in a romanticized way. I could move up, essentially giving myself a raise. But, have I earned it? I look at my 9-5, more like 8-6, job and often ask myself the same question. At work, I would almost always say yes, but with poker I say no. By moving up, you are essentially giving yourself a raise. If you can remain profitable, you can earn at twice the rate you were previously. How awesome is that? If you 4-table, add 2 more and give yourself a raise. I would like to start 6-tabling, but my playing set up is not cutting it. My goal is to make my jump to 100NL and win $1,000 for myself to properly set up a workstation. Then, I will add 2-4 tables and really start to log some serious hands...

Anyway, I just wanted to add some thoughts regarding my bankroll management and my short term goals. If I can double my bankroll over the next few months, I should be due a pretty substantial raise! Track my progress and see if I can make it happen!

New goals...

2009-04-13T16:09:00.003-07:00

As the month approaches the halfway point, I wanted to reassess my goals. While I think they are attainable, I think I am going to pull back on how many hands I play per month and focus more on quality of play and shoot for acceptable minimums. I think 15k hands per month is doable for sure and should shoot for playing at least 15k hands, not 25-30k as I had originally set as my goal. I am doing this for a few reasons.

First off, I have a full time job and playing an average of 1k hands per day means at least 2 hours a night. If I miss, that means making that up. I found that was just too much time for me because I have a family and a new arrival on the way. I just was not able to get the quality time I needed with the family and the quality time on the tables. I would not let poker distract me from my family, so there were times I would sit down at 10 and try to play. It just wore me down too much and after a few weeks I felt like my wife was a stranger. So, I do not want to do that and would like to set more reasonable goals. I can log 500 hands per day in just over an hour and I can make up some time on weekends, so I am very happy with that.

Also, when I had such aggressive goals, I would sit down and try to make things happen. If the goal is more attainable, there is no feeling of urgency when I sit down. I sit down in a zen-like state which is definitely +EV!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T23:08:00.002-07:00

Played a solid session tonight. The results-oriented side of me didn't like it, but I like the way I played. Only a few hands to note. I got it all in with 2 pr, Qs and 10s, flush draw against a dude with A4. He hit is 4 on the flop and with a board of 4QK10 he pushed A4 and hit the river A. That would have been a nice $60 pot there, but I was lucky he was short. I took advantage of a dude on tilt when he pushed 80 into a dude with 60 with AK on an 8 high board, he gets called by AA. Next hand I get 1010 against him and the flop comes all unders, he bets and I push, he calls with K5, my hand holds and he leaves :)

I am going to upload the hands and see where I stand.

WOW, that was a solid 560 hand session. up about 12 bucks :)

The reason I liked my play tonight is because I think I avoided those meltdown situations. I got away from KK on the turn, folded QQ on the flop once, and even got away from 1010 preflop only to see JJ and AQ get tabled and a Q high flop. I picked my spots well, got in good and played very controlled. I feel awesome about my game right now and hope I can continue to log hands and play well.

Second Coaching Session In The Books

2009-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

I finished up my second coaching session and am happy with some of the concepts I have learned. I will have to wait a bit to apply them as today will be spent cleaning the house and getting settled. I should be able to log a session later tonight.

I have just under 16k hands since my first session and I am happy to report I can confidently say I am now a winning player. I know I need more hands to more accurately determine my winrate, but I believe if I continue to grind and make the necessary adjustments that seem to come natural for me, I should be a long term winner. And, that does wonders for my confidence. As I was logging hands and trying to determine how competent I was, I found that to be incredibly stressful in some respects. You obsess too much over a bad beat or some negative variance because it has a significant effect on your winrate. You almost feel as though those bad beats could cause you to be a losing player, and that just is not the case. I can move forward with more confidence that I am going to be a winning player and I just need to determine at what rate. That realization is a load off of my mind and puts me in a more relaxed mindset going forward.

Friday...

2009-04-10T16:13:00.002-07:00

I am heading out for happy hour and a quick business discussion with a coworker. Should be fun and enlightening.

Tomorrow morning I have my second session with my coach. for starters, I felt my first session was an excellent one and knew pretty much immediately that it had transformed me enough that I would be a winning player. what I hope to get out of my second session is how to maximize the value of each hand and also how to pick off bluffs a little better. I know I am leaving value on the table and I want to learn how to get out of the way at the right time and how to put pressure on in marginal situations.

I am SUPER happy with my progress to date. I have been playing more than ever and not feeling the smallest amount of burn out. I believe I can continue to grind and move up and enjoy playing. So far, this has been a great month and I hope to continue to build my bankroll. I believe my next session will be when I make the leap to the next level....100NL! :)

Time to play

2009-04-09T21:09:00.003-07:00

My meeting got postponed and I am going to try to log a few hundred hands tonight. I really liked the way I played last night and am looking for a repeat performance. I was not trying to make things happen and just took what was given to me...going to be disciplined preflop and put myself in good situations.

Played a quick session. Felt so in control. I do my best to get into a relaxed mindset and try not to feel rushed. I think part of my issue over the weekend was I was too focused on my goals of playing a lot of hands and pushed things too hard. Tonight, I made a few nice calls and had one big hand where i flopped 2 pr, Ks and Qs. I got a dude all in when he called top pair all the way down with K2. :)

355 hands and up over a buy in...nice night!

#################################

I am taking tomorrow night off, at least I am planning on it and that leaves little time for me to get in another session before my next lesson. I wanted to provide a brief synopsis of where I stand. I started dabbling not even a month ago. I had a few hundred in my account and my goal was to grind the 50NL 6max games. I have done so successfully and am improving my game. I never felt this confident playing sngs. I am enjoying playing NL and my roll has gone up almost $1k in the past month. I havent played as many hands as I would have liked, but I also believe setting too ambitious goals leads to trying to push the action and playing too aggressively. I need to look at my poker experience as one long session. If I do not log enough hands this week, month, or even year, if I continue to plug away and remain profitable I will reach my goal eventually. I am very, very happy with my progress and I am going to cut a deal with my coach to hold off on any more sessions until I jump to the next buy in. The session are valuable, but I believe I will not need a lot of mentoring anymore until I reach at least 200NL. However, my next session I hope to learn how to maximize the value of each hand and maybe how to read marginal situations better. I also know that I need to be a bit more aggressive postflop and am beginning to feel when it is appropriate.

A Few Days Off...

2009-04-08T08:22:00.004-07:00

I had a few unplanned days off. i just took off Monday because I was a bit tired, but Tuesday we had our place painted and were away from home. So, I didn't play at all. That's fine. My April goals are something I knew would be completely a shot in the dark. I may still make them, but once Penny goes into labor, I do not know when I will get a chance to play. The end of March and first few days of April went very well though...

I logged a few hands tonight, 155 to be exact, because I did not play Monday or Tuesday and will not be able to play Thursday night. I wanted to at least play a little to keep the rust off and go through the motions.

Won almost half a buy in...looking forward to increasing my play this weekend.

Sunday Session

2009-04-05T13:30:00.003-07:00

I played a quick 1 hour session and had some nice success. I finally hit a flush and avoided a few as well when I flopped 2 pr. Overall, a nice session of 410 hands and +1.4 buy ins.

More to come later I hope.

Started out with a few coolers on my second set...KK v AA and AK v QQ.

I am looking to make a little comeback and starting to play well again...lets see if i can dig out of the hole!

Had a nice lucky hand...AJ v A5 and he hit aces up on the flop, but the river paired the board and I outkicked him! :)

digging out of my hole...got it in with AK on a flop with 2 aces against A3 and we ended up chopping...river paired the board :(

Tonight, I made 3 calls I regretted. There is my profit. I need to be more disciplined and stop trying to make the miracle call...i broke about even on the night, but overall I just played kinda donkish...had some good luck and bad...but overall just a few moments of weakness!

Logged another 1727 hands, but not with the results I wanted.

Weekend

2009-04-04T16:40:00.003-07:00

I know weekends are high variance times. I had a little bit of that. I remember some nastiness on the tables today, but overall I feel good. I was a little out of sync playing with some of the completely aggro players on the weekends...pushing their stacks preflop when there is not even a raise ahead of them. Lots of overplaying hands and I was up against quite a few of these people. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to double up against them as they twice beat me on the river...runner runner is lots of fun :) I just keep reminding myself that without these players the game wouldnt be worth playing!

I had a stretch today where I had pocket pairs a TON! Mostly smallish pairs that i was able to play for set value and I hit a few. One of the hands I got in against a donk that hit top pair, a 9, and played it like the nuts. I hit a set of 3s and he hit a 9 on the turn and the board paired on the river...bad news for me. I had AA on one of the 4 tables about 3 times in 10 mins and never got any action. I did get a few sets and even flopped quads, but couldnt get much value out of many of my hands.

So far today, down a little about $15-20...I hope to get another session in later.

Played 600 hands so far today...hope to get in another 600-1000 tonight.

Taking tonight off...

2009-04-02T21:49:00.002-07:00

I am taking tonight off to get a good night's sleep and be ready for work tomorrow. I am pretty tired and two long sessions this week kinda did me in. I plan on playing quite a bit tomorrow and also logging some hands on Saturday. My second lesson is saturday afternoon and I would like to put in some time before, after, and on sunday.

April goals...

2009-04-01T16:10:00.005-07:00

Well, I just realized a new month is upon me. I think it would be appropriate to lay out some goals for myself. The following are my goals for the month:

25,000 hands - yes this is modest for many players, but this is a lot of time for me as I 4-table and have a full time job.

$1,500 profit, including rakeback. If I can accomplish this, I should be ready to move up to .50/1.00, so this is also a very important goal for me. I need to move up to continue improving my $$/hr. My time is very valuable and I need to make the most of it. I really hope to be close to being rolled for moving up at the end of the month...that is my focus.

April could be tough as my wife and I are expecting our second son. So, I will have a week off of work and will be taking some additional time off from work as I am able. I am sure I will be busy, but hopefully I can find some time to log an extra session or two. Then again, I might not be able to log any time. So, my goals for April are very fluid at this point.

Reading hands...

2009-04-01T16:05:00.006-07:00

I am pretty decent about getting away from hands when I have 1010-QQ and the board gets a little scary. I am ok with that. Where I get a little lost and believe I am giving up significant value is when I have a good hand on a drawy board and the river is scary. For instance, say I have QQ and the board is 456J with 2 to the flush. There are straight and flush draws all over. The river brings an A completing the flush draw. If I am OOP, how do you proceed? I have been playing it weak and checking which usually leads to someone making a big bet at me. I fold and often end up dropping half a buy in as I try to bet them off the pot on the flop and turn. I guess by them calling they are either telling me they hit a set or are drawing and their river bet should tell me they got there...maybe that will be a good line for me if playing OOP. If i hit a big hand bet, bet, check because it almost always seems to induce a large river bet...

I am expecting to play some more tonight...Need to focus on playing only good starting hands in the right position and be patient...

Getting started...going to 3-table while I focus on hand selection and discipline.

Had AA cracked by a very short stack, so in a way got lucky. I am up over a buyin by getting a nice rush of cards and never getting it all in...Just steady with a few big hands here and there...the way it's supposed to be! :)

I was shutting down tables and was almost done and ran KK into a gutshot draw and he hit of course...gonna play a little more. I should have let it go...

just had KK cracked again in like 5 hands by QJ. time to win it back.

what an up and down ride tonight. I ended up right about where I was when I was going to quit the first time, it just took me about 2 hours longer. :)

Poker is such a rollercoaster, but I am 4-tabling profitably so far and had a much more disciplined approach tonight. Up over a buy in.

1218 hands tonight.

Took Monday Off...

2009-03-31T09:49:00.009-07:00

I was not planning on taking Monday night off, but I fell asleep and figured I should just get some rest. I do not want to kill myself playing this week as I have my next session on Saturday with my coach. I will be playing tonight...stay tuned for updates.

About to fire up some tables...

Wow, what a long session. I played 4 tables and found myself being undisciplined preflop again. I think I start to get impatient when I do not get action on my good hands. I tread water for a while tonight, getting a little too fancy and burned at least 1-1.5 buy ins being stupid and running 3 barrel bluffs that didnt work out. I need to be more disciplined. I am up on the night thanks to cracking KK with my set of 66s. A few hands later on the same table I had AA up against KK and it held up. So, lets see the numbers for tonight...

I logged 1766 hands tonight...a new record for me! :)

A few thoughts on my first month...

2009-03-30T00:11:00.002-07:00

I had my first session with my coach on Saturday, March 7, 2009. The following Monday I went out of town and did not start playing until March 16, 2009. During this two week period, I have logged about 9700 hands with a winrate of approx 5.31PTBB/100. Pretty solid I think for just getting started. Sure, not even close to having enough hands for my numbers to be significant, I understand that. However, I like how everything is going. I feel comfortable at the tables, I am able to select pretty solid tables, and I am starting to learn to get a feel for how hands play out and how to avoid spewing a stack here and there. As I wrap up my first 2 weeks and as March comes to a close, I wanted to document a few things.

I need to focus on hand selection and do not allow myself to start getting too loose
A good laydown is better than a hero call...
HANDS, HANDS, HANDS!! Log as many as you can!!
Learn to maximize the value of each hand. I am getting lazy and hitting pot or not getting in a final value bet...I need to determine the best way to extract value.

Those are my observations of my play thus far. It has only been two weeks, but I feel like I have a lot of experience at the tables. I think my stats up to this point will be sustainable for me, which means I need to log tens of thousands of hands and grind away. I want to get slightly over-rolled for .50/1.00 before I move up because I never want to come back down. Once I am a winning player at .50/1.00 I will try to start adding tables until I am at least 8-tabling. Once I start 8-tabling I will weigh the options of rakeback at FT or VIP club at Pokerstars. If I can make some solid points at Stars, that might be the way to go, but rakeback is optimal when in bankroll building mode!

It's been a fun start and my next session with my coach is Saturday. I am looking to log another 3-5k hands or so before we get together. Wish me luck!

Nice Weekend...

2009-03-29T16:40:00.003-07:00

I played a solid session on Saturday, logging about 1200 hands and ending up a few bucks. I could tell I was pushing things a bit too much and started to take chances and gamble. I didn't get lucky and spewed quite a bit of cash. I could have had a nice day but donked off my profit.

Today, my big hands caught a lot of action. I had AA a few times and got action each time, the first time I opened and was reraised. I didnt know if I should reraise again, but i just called and flopped 4 aces. SHOULD HAVE RERAISED! :) I think I should be reraising AA preflop rather than just calling when I get popped. I got it all in with KK when UTG+1 opened and I reraised to $7, player to my left called and UTG+1 raises to $21, I instapush (a little worried about running into AA), player to my left folds and UTG+1 calls with QQ. He only had $25 behind, but I would have folded that if I were in his position. Player to my left folded AK and was a little ticked when the flop came with 2 aces.

So, my hands held up and my short session was a good one. I only played 3 tables and it seems like I do very, very well with a few tables open. I also made a VERY CONSCIOUS effort to only play solid hands. I didnt limp a lot from the SB and raised just about every time I entered the pot. I need to play more disciplined. Today, my hands finally got action and held up...beautiful when it works that way. Another thing I focused on today was avoiding the big meltdown and spewing off a stack. i had QQ early and had to let it go on the river after investing about $20 into the pot. I like the laydown a lot, but was a little ticked at the time. The river brought an A that also completed the flush draw...easy fold, but still dont like it. So, solid day all around...Let me upload my hands and see where I stand.

Only played 231 hands today.

5.31PPTBB/100

Listen to your gut!!

2009-03-28T13:08:00.002-07:00

I am still not listening to my gut and probably donked off a buy in because of making calls I knew I shouldnt have. I have been able to find strong hands against the bad players, but they seem to hit miracle flops and draws. Ok thought...up a tiny bit today. about 1200 hands so far. Hoping to get some more hands in later...gonna take a break.

Gettng too cocky...

2009-03-26T23:28:00.002-07:00

I have been 5 and 6 tabling, but I think I should start by 2-tabling and then open it up to 4. I am not quite where I need to be to 5- and 6-table yet. I am close. I am identifying the very weak players and playing a little looser to get involved in pots with them. Tonight, i just got unluck y that they had hands when we got involved...

I need to slow down a bit, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I still won a little for the night, but definitely had some bad play.

took last night off...

2009-03-25T16:47:00.004-07:00

I was tired last night and fell asleep while trying to help get my son to sleep. So, I didnt play. I feel kinda guilty for not playing because I am so focused and excited to get my bankroll to where I want it to be. I do realize taking these breaks is good for you though. Definitely can help with burnout, obviously.

I think I am also going to start stepping up the amount I play on the weekends. I realize it is probably higher variance overall, but I also believe it is a more profitable time to play over the long run. I think an attainable, yet ambitious, goal for myself will be around 30,000 hands per month. I would eventually like to add a 5th and 6th tables and maybe even more, but most of the people that I see 24-tabling are playing full ring. I should take a look at how many hands they are getting in per hour, but i bet it has to be a third less, so if I get up to 8-tabling that would be a very solid feat for me. I have been checking out other blogs and a lot of people have some pretty cool hot-keys set up for playing large amounts of tables. I might start looking into that.

I am excited to play tonight...Updates to follow.

################

Getting coolered a bit...hot and cold...AA vKK holds up, but QQ v AA is not something you want to run into :)

Dude sucked out AQ v A9 and trash talked me...was funny. So, playing well just need to have hands hold up and not run into monsters.

had JJ and had set over set v 99 and lost to the 9 on the river...it was kinda surreal to get it in on the turn and have the case 9 show up on the river...

up and down night...fighting my way back!

ran into a cooler heads up...flopped a flush, but so did he...got stacked. If i get back to even i am going to call it a night.

2 of my tables went down to two players and it really threw my game off...need to get off of tables that break down. i also got a bit too focused on getting involved in pots with one dude that it threw my game off...just play my game and i am fine!

Learned a lot tonight. I had a nice, long session and made a few mistakes. My biggest mistake was messing around heads up when I was playing 5 other tables. The amount of hands you need to play heads up is just too crazy and that craziness started to affect my other tables. I will not play tables with less than 4 people...thats my new rule.

So, i had to have logged near 1000 hands tonight at break even...so not too bad. I have been running hot and tonight definitely put a stop to that. I made some bad call and had some bad luck, but also had a little good luck tonight. Still need to work on my game, but I was 6-tabling for a while...lets see where we stand.

1750 hands of breakeven poker tonight. Not too bad and considering some of my play and two nasty beats I took I am pretty happy. I admit I need to maintain my discipline. There are hands where my gut is screaming to fold, but my head says call and it is a bad move...I need to start listening to my instincts and just accept that solid folds, even if you are ahead, are better than trying to make hero calls all the time.

4.94PTBB/100

Encouraging...

2009-03-23T21:45:00.003-07:00

I had a good night. It is hard to start a set of 4 when you are trying to be somewhat selective about your tables. I have my "system" for selecting them and I must say I dominate 3 of the 6 tables I played. I also avoided getting hammered early. I did get mixed up and lost about 30 on a KK v JJ hand, but I was able to maintain my composure and had another excellent day.

I only played about an hour and a half. I know I need to play more. I would love to be able to play at least 2 90 min sessions. I think I get tired of playing and need a short break after 90 mins. However, I am very happy so far with my results 4 tabling. Way too early in my challenge to determine anything, but if comfort-level means anything I am feeling great at the tables.

I had a chat session with my coach today...I caught him on IM and thought I would give him a shout. I look forward to our next session in 2 weeks...in the meantime, I will continue grinding!

Overall +6.6PTBB/100

Sunday

2009-03-22T13:35:00.004-07:00

I am excited to log some hands. I have a friend playing in a freeroll for me and he is doing well...i just called him and he is in first with 64 left. Once he finishes up I will open some tables...

I am excited today because I am starting to fully understand what I need to do and am starting to gain confidence that I can do it. There were some bitter players that would talk trash after I stacked them and it kinda hurts my confidence because I know I am working on my game and I am not the best player. However, I am right around break even or better and improving. So, I hope to see that dude again...he pushed KQ over the top of me on an A high board and he completely whiffed...so i guess I shouldnt let someone that plays like that get to me.

Poker is such a solitary game. I have no friends that are interested in playing so I have no one to talk about it with. People think you are crazy, a problem gambler, and just do not understand that poker is such a powerful money making tool. That is why I am so excited to log more hands because it gets me closer to having a more reliable winrate...I just need to keep it in the green!! going to get going here in an hour or so...

Props to my boy Devin for smokin the freeroll tourney for me and taking 2nd and netting us a nice 450...i was going to split it with him and he only asked for 100, so i sent him 150. nice job dev!!

Not too sure how much I have played tonight. Joaquin hasnt been feeling well and it was tough to put him to bed tonight. I have 2 tables going while I write this. I need to tighten up, but I am getting playable hands and I start to get too loose. I flopped a few sets tonight..which is sweet.

I think this is turning out to be a solid set. I did get stacked early, but came on strong. Table selection is key. When the table fills up with some names I have seen and had some troubles with, I try to find a new one...i need to work on the start of my sessions because that is when i get hurt the most. One thing I have been doing is really playing passively if I open the pot and get called by someone that has position on me. I mix it up with continuation bets, but I get into trouble when I go after and build pots OOP. So, I try to avoid those situations. I have about 2 more hands to go and will quit and upload my HHs for session stats...

514 hands 21.25PTBB/100

Overall 5.5PTBB/100

SUPER SMALL sample size, so I wont even bother posting it.

About to get started...

2009-03-21T12:30:00.007-07:00

I am going to fire up a few tables in a few minutes. gonna do my best to remain in control early instead of digging a hole and digging out.

2-tabled for a bit and felt good...so I opened up 4. I accidentally opened a few Pot Limit tables and shut them down and opened up the NL tables. I had a nice little rush taking down a few hands. I got stacked with 99 v 66 but i doubled up when I hit the flush when I had JJ on a board that had 4 spades, including the A and Q. My jack was good. I also had a nice hand with AQ vs KQ where the dude thought i was putting a move on the button and pushed at me when the board was 668A4 or something. So, a nice quick 275 hand session.

2.39PTBB/100

I do find it hard to play hands OOP. Also, I have a hard time when I open the pot and get callers and then I either fire and get raised or someone puts the pressure on me. What do i do there?

I have also had a lot of hands where my PPs 99-QQ get to the flop, miss and at there are 2 overcards or a very coordinated board. I usually fold them, but realize I am probably giving up a lot of value...how do i approach these hands?

Just finished up another session. 3-tabled and had an amazing heater. I had KK probably 4-5 times, AA about 3 times. I kept my cool and only lost one pot where I invested over $20 when I hit the straight on the river and he hit a flush. Great session and finally tasted a bit of positive variance. I never came from behind and sucked out, but my hands held up...

today's sessions stats: 399 hands 32.11 PTBB/100 :)

I still have only a few thousand hands, but I am beginning to feel like I am staying out of trouble and have a better feel for the tables. I think weekends are a good time to play...I know they are higher variance, but man I saw some craziness and thankfully was the recipient of some frustrated shortstack play. I really took it to a few players. I did get involved with a player I knew was pretty weak and he ended up catching some cards on the turn and river to make it quite a scary board and I had to let the hand go, but I am happy that I followed my gut and let the hand go rather than flush a buy in trying to make things happen. That is the theme of some of my previous posts and I am glad it is finally starting to sink in...when you dont dig yourself a hole you can have great results like I did tonight. Had I made a couple of extra stupid call, like I was tempted to do, I would have had an average session...

My game is improving, but I still have a long way to go.

A few thoughts...

2009-03-20T15:19:00.002-07:00

I think I have been pushing things a bit because I know how much time poker takes up. I have a full time job and a family and it makes it tough to take time away from them when I am not making any real money. Not that money would ever replace family.

A few reminders for myself the next time I sit down

read my starting hand guidelines that I set up for myself
center yourself and relax
be disciplined
listen to your gut
do not try to make things happen
be disciplined
BE DISCIPLINED!

Grinding...

2009-03-19T22:55:00.002-07:00

up and down night...frustrating that i keep making the wrong decisions. when i decide to take a chance i get a good hand to lose a lot on the river but when i get lucky on the river i bust a short stack...when i take a chance preflop, i whiff...when i dont, i woulda doubled up.

i am getting decent PPs too, but overcards and coordinated flops come and i have to let them go...tough. sigh, just not my night. ive had 1010 a LOT tonight and every time two overcards and flush or straight draws...same for my QQs. My AA hasnt gotten any action other than to be cracked by 4.

I have been playing well...picking my spots and had my JJ cracked by 77. so, I am down about a buy in after a lot of hands...I would say I have to have logged at least 1000 tonight. For me, thats a lot.

I need to consult my starting hand notes before playing. I get a bit loose...when I sit down I need to play slowly and let the game come to me.

It is weird though...you really can get a feel for players and how they play hands. I can call sets more often these days, but now it is just trusting that instinct and not blowing my stack.

Table selection is also important. If I am not playing well or running the table, I am going to move. Overall tonight, not a bad session. I did lose, but I should have shut down a while ago and would have been right about even...lets see if PT is done uploading.

WOW, i played 1700 hands tonight.

.72PTBB/100 overall now...need to work on it.

Took a night off...

2009-03-19T08:18:00.000-07:00

I took Wednesday night off. Usually I start to play after my son goes to bed, but I fell asleep with him and decided not to wake up.

Will be back at it again tonight.

Overcoming Gambler's Mentality

2009-03-17T13:15:00.016-07:00

I have been slightly consumed by poker thinking since I woke up. In the past when I was playing sngs, very profitably I might add, but I still had the issue of getting in enough table time to really start making some cash. In college, I would have bought a 12-pack, sat down, logged on, and played for days. Now, I just cannot do that and even if I had the time I dont know if I could. I am encouraged that I am finding the game much easier now and feel completely in control at the table. I think that will help encourage me to play more because I do not feel such a sense of, well, doubt. I know it is so important to log hands and generate a large sample in which to base any conclusions regarding profitability. It took me a long time to do that with sngs and I believe I just never turned the corner and had the confidence in myself to say, yes you are a winning player so continue to grind because the more tables you play, the more money you make.

I wrote about this previously, but I call this the gambler's mentality. I enjoy games of chance, mainly blackjack. However, I understand the house has an edge and over time I will loose all my money. So, when I run hot in poker, I get the urge to leave and take my money. While in poker, that urge to leave is counterproductive. If you are on a heater, you should stick it out. Either your play is very good, your luck is turning, or whatever it is stick with it! This is my next obstacle that I plan on addressing.

Recap:

I am a winning player
I need to log hands to generate enough hands to determine an approximate winrate
I need to log hands to build my bankroll and move up
I start by 2-tabling and add a third as I learn about my first two tables
I am developing a solid TAG style. I feel the aggressiveness of my style now more than ever. I am putting the other players in the positions that I hated when I was playing previously. I put in the raises against the OOP players and find how powerful it is making others make the tough decisions.
I need to learn to extract the maximum value on hands. I think that will be the subject of my next lesson - Extracting maximum value.

The next several months I will be logging as many hands as possible to determine my winrate. Keep on checking in. This is the start of my journey and I would like to share it with as many as possible. I started out with a lot of jumbled ideas that I needed help organizing. In one session I feel I went from a slightly losing player to a winning player. The fundamentals/foundation is the most important part of your game and I believe I am showing that with every post. Follow along and leave comments...I will be playing tonight, so stay tuned for updates.

##############################

Update.

Just fired up 2 tables and getting situated.

I stacked myself...pushed too hard trying to make things happen...need to slow down.

What I am struggling with is how to balance aggression with maximizing the value of each hand. Seems when I bait them to play, they hit. However, when I bet my made hands they fold. So, it makes me want to bet more so they dont draw on me, but then I feel like I am not getting the most out of every hand. How frequent would you say stacking someone is?

I can see how poker is completely a game of playing the rushes. I was hitting nicely last night and tonight i felt like not enough action was coming my way...so I was trying to force things, but you have to fight that urge because the cards do come, you just have to wait and not dig too deep a hole while you do!

There was a 5 mins stretch where I was getting at least one playable hand on one of my tables, my small PPs were hitting sets, I was getting solid prospective hands folded to me in late position...it all comes together for a few mins and you must capitalize and recognize when it slows back down.

##############

I started 2-tabling tonight and tried to get a feel for my first 2 tables. I never got into the groove really as other things are weighing heavily on my mind lately. I used some pretty bad logic and figured I was trying to push things too hard and decided to fire up another table. That lead to quickly firing up 1 more. So, I was 4-tabling about half of my set tonight. I believe I started at 7:40ish and will be finished up here just around 10. I am anxious to see how many hands I logged tonight as well as my return. I think my heater came at just the right time and I was cooling off as I closed down my tables. Was fun to go from down about a buy in and a half to two buy ins to being positive on the night I believe. I am really regretting that decision I made to get involved with TPTK. I knew it was screaming fold, but I pushed too hard. It is taking me far too long to get someone to commit their stack when I have a monster...I need to make sure that when I do get a chance to stack someone that I am not just digging out of a hole I created for myself with a stupid play earlier!

I almost proved I didn't have what it takes to be a constant winner by playing to recklessly. I recognized it and settled into a comfort zone. For me, it will be a key to start my sessions in a more centered mindset as I do not have the ability to sit down and play my A game immediately. I also folded a speculative early in the SB and would have stacked 2 players had I called...That might have frustrated me a bit.

Regardless, here are the stats for tonight:

580 hands in about 2 hours, so 4-tabling was a nice way to boost my number of hands considerably. I won a little, but not much. My PTBB/100 dropped a little to 3.63BB/100, but I would have a much better return had I just listened to my gut.

Back at it!

2009-03-16T10:46:00.004-07:00

I am back at work and will be focusing on poker for the next 3 weeks. I have put off my next lesson because I did not log any time while I was in New Orleans for the conference. Penny, Joaquin and I made it a short vacation and had a really nice time. It was fun to get away. Now, I am going to turn my focus to logging hands and learning where I stand. I am excited because Penny and I have had some discussions about how to free up the time that I need. It is very important to get her on board with this because we are going to be sacrificing some quality time to see if I can develop my poker game. Plus, I will have some extra time on my hands here in about a month as we have a new child...yes, I realize I will have less time, but I will not be working for a good week or two and we will have help from both of our mothers.

Stay tuned for an update tonight. I might review a few hand histories and my notes before getting started. It has been a while!

###################################

The night started off very nicely with a quick double up and some solid upward trending. After my double up, every big hand went against me on the river...so this is encouraging because if any of those hands go my way I am up a very solid amount. Overall, I am still up but gave back a lot of what I had won earlier. I am still playing and trying to continue playing solid poker. I had about 4 nasty suckouts against me...but I believe I am keeping my composure.

I was anywhere from 2 to 4 tabling tonight...I honestly believe 3 tabling will be optimal for me at this time. Ok, going to wind down my set and run the numbers in the next few orbits.

I finished up my set with a few good hands. I feel really good because the part of the game where I struggled the most, trending upwards between big hands, is now looking like my strength. I can feel how my game has taken on a much more aggressive feel. That is what I was after but was never comfortable executing it. Now, I feel like it is my comfort zone to be aggressive and I have to pull myself back at times. There were a few hands where I wasn't quite sure where I stood...I documented them and will review with my coach. Overall, I am really happy with tonight's session. I need to stack a few more people, but my big hands went the wrong way...very, very encouraging!!

Pokertracker Stats:
I was up over a buy in tonight over just under 600 hands...
4.25BB/100

March 8, 2009

2009-03-09T01:20:00.004-07:00

I am heading out of town for a conference and did not have a lot of time for poker today. Actually, I did have time, but I wasted some of it and ended up playing less than 60 hands. I won about 20BBs in those 60 hands, so I had nice results, but I need to log more hours at the tables.

I guess I used to sit down at the tables knowing I was a long term losing player and was hesitant to even play. I knew if I worked on my game I would be a winning player, but I just didnt know if I was heading in the right direction, if i was focusing on the right information, interpreting it correctly, and making the right plays. Now that I have a better understanding, I need to separate those feelings of hesitancy and start sitting down like I have the edge. I believe 100% that the leaks I have plugged have transformed my game to a profitable one, so I need to sit down and start to grind!

I will start posting my winrate after I log some more hands. I realize these winrates will be completely meaningless for months, but it will be fun to track my progress. Just for fun, I will start to post them.

Pokertracker Stats:
1.94BB/100

March 7, 2009

2009-03-07T15:18:00.005-07:00

My first session was today. Really, really good stuff. I have a lot of information on poker in my head, but i needed someone to hold my hand and spoonfeed it to me to start putting it all together. I got that today and the light started to go on. During my session, my coach sweated me for just over an hour. I ended up about .6 buy ins, which was awesome, but I learned so much about what i should be doing and how I was ignoring some of the very basic rules of 6-max play. when you start to obey some of these rules, the game become much more straightforward. I see it like blackjack - but no, poker isnt gambling like blackjack! What I mean is if you have ever played and understand blackjack, there really isnt too much thought into it other than how much you are g0ing to bet. when the cards are dealt the decisions are fixed based on basic strategy. then, you find the guys that think about every situation without considering what the statistics say. the game is quite a bit more difficult when you approach each situation without considering the odds. the same holds true for poker. I was breaking a few rules and not considering all the information at my disposal.

Before my first session, I was a slight losing player at the low stakes NL tables. Let's see if I can turn that around and start churning a profit and move up!

I will be posting more this week as I log some hands. Stay tuned.

#################################

Quick update. I played 2 tables for a while tonight...logged about 172 hands and won about a buck! :) I did get in against a short stack with KQ on a K high board but he rivered the flush. If that hand holds up I am up 53 bucks. however, i am not going to be that concerned with results because that isnt what is important. I knew I could play poker profitably, but i was always second guessing myself and just not developing a game I could tweak because i was being too undisciplined. tonight, i never felt more comfortable at the tables. I used to not want to play because it was too stressful, but right now i feel like I am the puppet master. Yes, I am playing the very low stakes games, but you have to start somewhere. I hope to log a few thousand hands and reassess, but as we speak I feel like I plugged enough gigantic leaks to truly wonder if I am break even or even profitable at this point. Very excited.

Pokertracker Stats:
.84BB/100

March 5, 2009

2009-03-05T00:08:00.001-07:00

Tonight was a good learning opportunity for me. I logged quite a few hands and lost about $60. I am going to take a look at my play the rest of the week because i will be busy and will wait to log more hours until I chat with the ole coach.

March 2, 2009

2009-03-02T22:55:00.002-07:00

I have been logging some time, not much, but I have been playing the low stakes cash tables. I am just trying to find a comfort zone before my first session with my coach. I am looking forward to it because I think some solid advice can quickly push me up the learning curve.

Tonight, I played decent, but I think I am being too passive post flop and maybe a bit too loose preflop. Loose passive is not the type of player to be...so I need to tighten up preflop and work on my aggression. What I have been shooting for is to slowly trend upwards in between big hands. from my limited experience, you try to win a little money here and there, but the hands that you get all your chips in are the ones you really need to win, so you do not want to get it all in with marginal holdings. There have been a few hands where I was a bit frustrated with myself because in retrospect I was trying to make things happen. It is a bit frustrating when you lose your focus and find yourself pushing the action trying to double up. In doing so, you end up losing your stack and regretting the decision - even though as you were playing the hand you knew you were pushing the edges a bit too hard. There are very few instances where I get my money in and am surprised that i am behind. Usually, I just lose discipline and flush my stack.

I think that will be the lesson that I need to learn first...play smart and just be patient. tonight was a good example. I was fortunate that I had AA twice. The first instance I was down about half my stack already and ended up losing to J6s when he rivered the straight AND the flush...either way you look at it I was toast. The second time AA came around I was on the button and had been a little more aggressive on my button raises. I put in the 3.5xbb raise and was reraised by the BB. I paused for a minute and called. the flop was 269 rainbow and the BB lead out for just over half the pot, I potted it with my AA and he pushed. I called and he showed JJ. No J on turn or river and my AA held up :)

It is fun learning to play poker again and learning the same lessons over and over. I just need to stick with it and keep plugging away. I am looking forward to Saturday and getting my education underway!

The Journey is about to begin...

2009-02-24T14:13:00.004-07:00

To those of you that are new to my blog, I have been playing poker for 15 years. The majority of that was during my younger days and we would play a ton! I dabbled the past 3 years playing online with pretty solid success. I was a sit n go player and made some decent cash and had decent results in MTTs as well. My transition to cash has been up and down, but I haven't logged enough hands to really make any conclusions. I do beleive I am a slight loser in cash. Currently, I have a young son and another due in 2 months. If I want to play poker, I need to make the time I devote count because my time is very valuable to me and my family. My first lesson is set for March 7th. I am excited to get grinding...

Poker-wise, here is where I stand:

I have dabbled in cash, mainly $1/2 NL and sit n go tourneys up to the $77 sngs on Party Poker before they stopped allowing US-based players on their tables. I made decent money playing sngs, but I want to transition to cash. My goal is to move along the learning curve as quickly as possible with the help of my coach and start becoming a winning player. I am not looking to become rich or get myself on TV, but I am looking for a solid supplement to my income.

So, please come and visit and read my blog. This is going to be a fun journey and I have a lot of confidence that I can make the jump from being a casual, slightly losing player to a solid winning player. I think a little direction and a good coach will get me over the hump. I am really excited about it.

If my description of myself sounds at all like you, stay tuned and check in on my progress. See if I can make it happen!

February 18, 2009

2009-02-18T18:04:00.003-07:00

I played a quick 30-40 minute session and emailed off my hand history to my new coach. I am looking forward to working with him and starting to work on my game. I think I just need a few preflop pointers and little more confidence. I need some help with my postflop thought process and want to make sure I am considering everything that I need to...I know I am very raw, but with some very focused direction I believe it will not take long for me to be a winning player.

While I wait for the response from my coach, I will not log any time at the tables. I have been away from poker for a while, so I want to get back into it with the proper guidance. Stay tuned, but the ball is rolling.

STAY TUNED!

2009-02-15T20:19:00.005-07:00

Today is an exciting day for me. If you look at my last post, it was last year in late October. I was getting back into sngs and was just not progressing the way I wanted to. I didn't want to "gamble" and start playing over my bankroll to make decent money, but I was not getting the results I wanted. I was getting frustrated and impatient and was not giving the game the respect it deserves. That will be changing.

I have been following a prominent poker pro's blog for a few years now. Back in December of 2006 I asked him if he was accepting students. At the time he wasn't. Apparently, now he is looking to take on a few. Since my original request, I have focused on my career and had 2 kids. Well, one kid with another due in 2 months. I am lucky to have some money socked away and I forwarded him my email from 2006 asking if he would be my coach. I was excited when he offered me a slot as one of his students!!

I will be starting my NL cash career shortly...and we shall see where it goes. This blog has been a lot of fun for me and has been an excellent way for me to follow the ups and downs i have experienced in poker. I do not know if I have what it takes, but now i have someone that can help me along the learning curve. I am a very quick learner and believe if I have someone like this in my corner offering me advice and critiquing my game it will take me to a new level. This is what I have been searching for and I am excited that I have an opportunity to make my poker dreams come true.

My goal is not to become the next poker pro, but that would be awesome. I am a grounded guy that loved to play poker. I believe the structure a 9-5 provides me is something that I need. but, I would love to make an additional $2,500 per month. I have modest poker goals and ultimately I would like to travel a few times per year and play in some of these tournaments. If poker could provide me some college fund money for my two sons, vacation cash, and occasionally pay the mortgage, life would be grand!

I will be updating periodically and will let you know what the game plan is. This is the start of me trying to go from a slighlty losing cash game player to a winner. Now would be a great time to follow my experience from nobody to, well, still a nobody but with more cash in his poker account. :o)

Please, follow my blog and my progress and leave comments. This will be an interesting ride for me and it would be fun to share it.

ugh

2008-10-25T17:37:00.002-07:00

so i am playing a little and lost 2 hands with the better ace...lost 1010 to J9o...so just more of the same...i guess it never ends!

full tilt...just seems so rigged...i would never honestly believe it is because it is too big of a site and to care enough about the outcome of low level sngs is so silly, but statistically speaking, i just dont understand how much longer the variance can continue...

i know if you are a poker player, or even an enthusiast, you might be saying, quit complaining...and I agree. however, this is my sounding board for frustration...plus, i understand variance and statistics, but living it out in real life is another thing...one of the many challenges poker players face. As you can see, some deal with it better than others! :)

Thursday, THE END

2008-10-23T22:07:00.005-07:00

For the time being, i am going to quit playing poker. Hit a nasty downswing...i know some is bad play, but just a horrible dose of variance. Poker is an impossible game if you cannot win a race and those are typically 50/50 propositions, but I lose 60/40 "races" lately about 75/25...As i type this, i lost a race for 85% of my stack, then got finished off AQs vs KJs...i didnt even look, just saw i was eliminated...so there are two more in a row...

Just to give a quick update on the final set of sngs i am playing...i have called 2 pushes and got in with the better ace, AK v A3 and A8 v A7 and split both times!! just lost A6 v 55, yet another race. I did just have A10 v A8 hold on the bubble to get ITM...but little consolation. I just lost 66 v AK, yet another race...so far, the only hand that has held up while blogging tonight is a 3:1 favorite...not gonna win much with that sort of luck!!

Poker is no fun when this happens...sure, thats an obvious statement. however, to be properly bankrolled, I need about 400-750 ...so I can deposit that in the future and start playing because it isnt a huge amount of money...but until then, i will take what is left of my bankroll and take my beautful fiance out for dinner...I will be out the money, but it will be well worth it! At least I wont feel like I flushed it down the toilet! We are going to have our second child at the end of April...So, Until I play again, which may be quite a while...peace out!

October 18, 2008

2008-10-18T18:15:00.008-07:00

So far played 2 hands...got a dude all in on the turn with a 7 high flop and 8 on the turn...he had 79o and I had QQ. He rivered the 9. I also got a dude in when I hit broadway on the turn, but the river Ace counterfeited my broadway and we split. not a great start...lookin to log about 20 tonight!

not doing well...playing well and making nice moves, but just cant get hands to hold up. these games are super beatable and my cards arent cooperating!

just lost AK v AQ...been like that all night!!

this is getting soo sick...keep losing on the river...fucking BS!

every race on the bubble i lose...just sickening. total, complete BS!

Lee Watkinson just was playing a 36 and busted me on the rivered straight...so sick

just lost on the bubble with AK v j3o...hit the gut shot on the turn...

it has been suck a crappy night...i am definitely hanging it up for poker. i havent flushed my bankroll, but i just dont feel like i want to play anymore. when that happens, whats the point.

for the time being...peace out!

October 15, 2008 My Boy's Birthday

2008-10-15T11:16:00.006-07:00

I haven't been playing much this week because my parents are in town and it is my son's birthday! Here is a pic of him at his party!

Found some time to play tonight. Just getting screwed. This taste of variance is lasting far longer than I would like. I have been getting really nasty beats nearing and on the bubble. then, when i do get in behind, usually a 40/60 spot, I cant get lucky. I am considering calling it a career unless I go on a heater before the night is over.

running a little better...have some nice streaks of cashing, but my hands arent holding up once ITM, so lots of 2nds and 3rds.

Well...ended the night on the same note i started it...just nastiness all around. Busted on bubble on a race, which i lost and then would have had the chip lead with blinds creeping up when my AJ lost to KQ. I have lost a ton of those 60/40 hands tonight in critical situations...if i dont go on a heater my next session...i am gonna wrap up poker for a while and cash out. It just isnt worth my frustration, but more importantly, I am not mentally ready and it isnt worth my time...

October 12, 2008

2008-10-13T00:02:00.002-07:00

Totally card dead tonight...played ok, but just couldnt put anything together. Not sure how its gonna end up, but I did the best I could with the hands I was dealt...I am definitely gonna take a break until my parents leave...wasnt a lot of fun tonight.

October 8, 2008

2008-10-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I have decided to take the day off. i have been spending so much time playing poker that I need to spend a little quality time with the family. My mom and dad are coming to town for my son's 1st birthday, so i wont be playing too much this week.

My plan now is to put my rakeback into my account and step up. I have experienced a nice little correction, so I think the variance is going to be turning back in my favor. So, I will be making the leap to the next buy in when I get started again. I should have just over 30 buy ins...so by most people's standards I will not be underbankrolled...I am excited because I am definitely a bang for the buck kinda guy, so stepping up and hopefully increasing my earn by 50% is attractive to me!

Stay tuned for updates...just not many this week. Taking tonight off and tomorrow I teach...then Friday my parents are in town.

October 7, 2008

2008-10-07T21:47:00.001-07:00

I am far too loose playing Omaha H/L. I donked off more thank I want to admit...maybe 75 bucks or so...no more of that for a while, but remember that my tendencies are far too loose!

On to sngs...

October 6, 2008

2008-10-06T19:14:00.006-07:00

Just about to get started here...wish me luck :)

Playing well, just card dead..

Playing well, just getting completely hosed on the bubble and ITM. runner runner style...if this continues i will quit...get in ahead and lose...either side of the race...stronger ace in and lose to runner runner...just tough luck tonight.

tough night...trying to stay positive...

getting hosed tonight...but only down a little...less than 200.

its weird...i had tons of big pairs starting after my first set...and cant seem to hold on...ironic...i almost pushed A6 on the button...sb pushed and bb called, i would have had the worst of it and won...just cant get it right tonight...get itm and get AJ only to run into AK...yet another cooler...but grinding away. my last sng is open...and ran into 1010 on the bubble.

So, amazingly crazy night...horrible luck and only down a few buy ins considering I couldnt win one to save my bankroll or get lucky. I won very few races...encouraging! I feel like tonight was horrible, but I had quite a few 2nds and 3rds...

October 5, 2008

2008-10-05T14:36:00.005-07:00

Just finished up my first session of the weekend. I have quite a bit of work to do for the two classes I am teaching. I played for a solid 2 hours. Not quite sure how I did yet, but I had some nasty beats to bubble on 3 of the last 6 sngs I played...so it could have been a great session...but I am sure I am still up for it...I will upload my HHs and get the stats up shortly.

This is the kind of session I like...a few bad beats...a few suck outs...nothing too streaky, just steady progress. If poker was always like this, I would never quit playing!!

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Today's stats for far:

20 sngs
15.5% ROI
35% ITM (4 1sts, 2 2nds, 1 3rd. Another great distribution)

Getting late tonight and played some more. Kept about even...had some nasty beats on the bubble and ITM. If one hand would have held up that was sucked out on the session would have been a winning one for sure. I do not mind the break even sessions...they help bring the ROI back down to a more realistic range without the big downswing. I am thinking about firing up some more, the play is just so bad right now. I am noticing the other people multitabling the same buy ins are quite a bit looser than me. I get in good against them 75% of the time. I should fear no sng player at the buy ins I am playing. I think I should run over the next level as well.

I played 13 more sngs...so 33 on the day. I am optimistic about the number of sngs I am playing. Volume has always been my biggest challenge and I seem to have overcome that for the time being. I even took a nasty downswing when I started and kept powering through. Very encouraging.

My parents come to town on Friday afternoon, so I do not think I will be playing much for the week they are here. Maybe an hour or two here and there, but it would be rude to play while they are in town. So, I am shooting for Gold on Full Tilt and will go for Ironman next month.

As an aside...I have a dual monitor set up I need to get hooked up. I am very profitably 6-tabling, so I think I deserve a raise. I am going to start 8-tabling as soon as I can get a decent workstation set up. That means 33% more tables in the same amount of time...it's all about volume!!

October 3, 2008

2008-10-03T21:35:00.008-07:00

So far playing great...the only 2 i busted out of was pair over pair and lost to runner runner straight. I was ahead on the flop on the other and lost again to runner runner straight. playing well...i feel good tonight.

just took down 2 straight and have 6 open.

Playing well...up about 4 buy ins and still going strong.

Very happy with my play thus far...lost 2 heads up matches where i was in ahead, but didnt hold on...looking good tonight!!

The key for me tonight is that i am not forcing things...i am not getting too antsy nearing the bubble...i am not pushing unless i am very, very short. Seems to be working and my patience is being paid of.

Let me clarify what very, very short is. Typically, I get antsy around 10 BB...but I am waiting if the blinds are 120/240. I am holding off until they reach 150/300 and waiting until i have about 4 BBs..

I hold off, tempted to push...get AA the next hand as a reward and get it cracked...playing very well...need to remember the patience...i think i often push too quickly...need to stay patient.

just lost a big one on the bubble with AQ v KJ to the rivered king...still alive though...

I am making big calls on the bubble with middle pairs, 77 & 88. Gone both ways...I guess its a better idea because when i win it, i am in a great position to win the sng...but if i lose and try limpin into the money you are pretty much playing for 3rd.

great night...up about 7 buy ins...

I currently sit at 37 buy ins for the next level. I prefer to have at least 50...so I am inching my way towards moving up!!

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Session stats

20 sngs (5 1sts, 2 2nds, 1 3rd - AWESOME distribution)
36.1% ROI
40% ITM

My ITM %age wasnt super high. I didnt feel like I was winning more than usual, but I knew I was taking 1st a good portion of the time. Very happy with the results!

SEPTEMBER IN REVIEW

2008-10-01T23:43:00.002-07:00

I decided to make a conscious effort to play more in the mid part of september. I started to 6-table more and try to log more hours. I am teaching 1 night a week and trying to spend more time with my family, so its tough to make playing a priority unless it starts to pay the bills. So, while I build my roll I need to stay disciplined and really grind away to move up.

September broke down as follows:

239 sngs
8.1%ROI
36.8% ITM

I finished the month on a down note, but still finished respectable. I built a great base for my bankroll and have grown it substantially. As of today, I have more than doubled it since the early part of september.

OCTOBER GOALS

2008-10-01T23:34:00.003-07:00

Goals for October:

400 sngs
10% ROI
39% ITM

If I can attain the # of sngs and the ROI, I should be very generously bankrolled to move up in buy ins next month. I should have about 70 buy ins for the next level, which is more than double what many people recommend.

October 1, 2008

2008-10-01T21:11:00.008-07:00

So far I have gone to showdown twice. Once with QQ and lost to the rivered flush. the 2nd hand i lost to the rivered straight. time for some hands to hold up!

Now, when i get hands i am getting coolered, but 3 3rds in a row...running into big hands itm. It is all going to come together for a nice run tonight...i can feel it!

Ive played about 10 sngs and havent sucked out once...maybe i am wrong about being a good night :)

Or i could be wrong...2 wins in a row...even with my AA getting cracked...Ive been breaking about even tonight...cashin and donkin off some...im gonna finish this set and call it a night.

Got QQ and ran into KK itm...once again coolered, but at least waited utnil i was itm.

lol, ran 99 into 1010 to take 3rd again. Playing great and getting to the bubble on all of my sngs in my last set...need to finish up in 1st in at least one!!

finished the set 2 and 3...strong finish. Wow, did better than i thought and won about 200...

#######################
Great start to October. Here are the session stats:

23 sngs
8 - 3rdx (horrible finish distribution, but ran into some strong hands with my own PPs ITM!)
4 - 2nds
2 - 1sts

14 cashes in 23 sngs, pretty darn good. I just wish my finish distribution had more 1sts.

Overall, my October stats are:

36sngs
26% ROI
52.8% ITM

Obviously not sustainable, but I like to start on the positive and trend down to where I belong.

September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T08:20:00.009-07:00

I didnt play much poker yesterday. I played in a freeroll and won $75. I was getting tilted and pushed hoping for a coinflip, but ended up getting in with an underpair and busted. That's ok though...

My roll is steadily growing. i need to log some hours in october...it would be nice to start to acheive some of the bonuses the sites offer and i just miss making any of them due to not playing quite enough. If i could just play an extra 2-3 hours per week I think I could get there. Most of my play is logged in 2-3 hour increments at night. I play very little during the weekend. I think if I could log at least one session per night, then at least 3 on weekends that I would be just fine.

anyway, not sure if i will get any in tonight...

started up 6-tabling. not much going my way tonight...i hope it changes. playing pretty well. not too much in terms of cards. i hope my luck turns.

Struggling to get any hadn to hold up...getting in better aces and losing...just tough. Fired up a $33+3 by accident...hope to take it down...maybe play a few more tonight.

Truly horrible run of cards...its gotta turn at some point...i just need to keep my head. I am continuing to play well and am in the money on one...still alive in my 36 and gonna take a break and fire up some more.

keep losing the big ones...lost KK to AK when he hit the ace on the turn...playing well with no reward..dropping buy ins!!

well, down about 200...horrible night for suckouts...i cant count the number i lost on the river in critical situations. I was running over tables and getting runner runnered regularly. lost to 3 outters twice heads up...lost to 2 outters twice on teh bubble...infuriating especially when you are working on building the roll...but, i played well and kept my head...One thing that really confuses me is how many people just do not understand bubble play. in the hand where i lost to a 2 outter, i had about 5k in chips, BB had 4500, and the other two were very short. blinds were 200/400 and i was on the button. I potted it for 1400, sb folds and bb calls. I have A2o and the flop comes AK8. He pushes...i called and he shows K9o. I turn the 2 and he rivers the king. stupidity is really paying off tonight.

These sorts of night must be expected. it just doesnt seem right, but they happen...and too often for my liking...but its part of the game and you have to learn to deal with the downs as well as the ups...that is the hardest part about poker. I need to keep it in perspective. i watched some guys drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on one hand and they keep at it...its part of the game from the beginner to the most experienced players and if you want to play poker well, you need to learn to deal with variance. today was a big dose of it and I handled it....well, just ok. my play was solid, but i did get frustrated.

September 27, 2008

2008-09-27T22:12:00.004-07:00

Playing great...ok results...about break even. getting roughed up heads up...lost KK to A8 on the river ace, then lost QQ to 96 when he turned the straight...been getting in good, so i am happy. once the cards turn back my way i should have a nice upswing...just being patient and trying to play my A game.

As I was writing this, I lost to runner, runner flush...so it continues. I am going to finish my set, relax and grab a beer, and fire up 4 more. I finished the last sng of the set and took it down. amazingly I am up for the night about 3 buy ins. I am very pleased with my play and the results. including rakeback, my roll is up to over 42 buy ins. Quite a run I am on considering I had my whole bankroll on the table at the beginning of the month.

September 24, 2008

2008-09-24T22:46:00.002-07:00

The night started rough...hands werent holding up. however, i kept playing and my luck turned. My hands were holding up and i was sucking out like a champ. In one sng i got it all in with 88 up against JJ and i flopped quads...he hit the jack on the river...so I needed every bit of it. Later in that sng, on the bubble i got it in with 55 v 99 and spiked the 5 on the river. I ended up taking a nasty beat ITM, but that was owed to me...but I took it down. I ended up on a great streak...but need to turn in or I would continue playing. I need to keep playing when I am on a hot streak and shut it down when i run cold...i know it really doesnt matter over the long term, but i guess you are making better decisions when you are winning (most likely).

Anyway, out for the night...teaching tomorrow so no poker...will be a nice day off!

September 23, 2008

2008-09-23T23:31:00.002-07:00

Played quite a few tonight and won a little. I am playing well...but my big hands are not holding up lately...once they start to I think I will make a nice run. Been playing well, but my ROI has dropped to a more reasonable level..10%. I need to get my volume up.

September 22, 2008

2008-09-22T23:26:00.004-07:00

Playing well but definitely coolered tonight...running into decent hands at critical times and not getting lucky. Lots of bad players getting lucky tonight...still doing ok. had a nasty bubble and am playing pretty well...just need the cards to fall.

Well, rough night. i thought i played relatively well. Races didnt ever go my way and ended losing quite a few hands where i was dominating. Couple that with my big hands getting cracked and there isnt much you can do.

September 21, 2008

2008-09-21T21:40:00.002-07:00

I played quite a bit over the weekend. Had a good session on Saturday night, though I lost about $175. I did play a lot of sngs and then had a nice 5 sng session tonight and won back most of what I lost. Bubbled and came in 3rd on sngs that I should have done better in, but still managed to make a little money.

Things sure have been busy lately with work and teaching. I am not sure how many sngs I will be able to play, but I am going to do my best. We are trying to put together a decent workstation at home, but time and space is at a premium. Hopefully in a few weeks things will start to fall into place.

Other than that, nothing too exciting to report...still playing.

September 16, 2008

2008-09-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

I havent had a chance to play very much lately. Last night I was not in the mood to play for anything significant, but I burned some FPPs on Poker Stars and qualified for their Million Dollar freeroll at the end of the month. That should be fun. Plus, I almost won another seat, but found out that you lose it if you already have one, so I busted out of the tourney 1 place before the seat was given away and got 1000FPPs, so i pretty much qualified for free.

I hope to log some hours tonight, but I need to head out and run when I get home. I also start teaching on Thursday, so I will be pretty busy this week preparing as I also have a directed study student under my watch...might not get a chance to play much this month.

September 13, 2008

2008-09-13T15:24:00.003-07:00

I fired up a set today and had it going early. I got to the bubble in 3 of the 4 sngs i played, but I ran into some tough beats with good hands. I took 1 3rd which was very disappointing, but i knew i was playing well and fired up another set. I played well again and this time the variance was coming my way...a few hands of note...

Blinds were creeping and the 2nd stack was on my left. I was 3rd and i limped A9s from the SB hoping he would make a move, i would push and get 900 chips from him...it happened just as I expected, but he tabled AK and i was nervous. I spiked the 9 on the turn and flushed it on the river. shortly after this hand, on another table I was in A2 v AK and I hit a deuce to take that hand down as well. So, in my last set i took 1, 9, 1, 1. I like that!!

September 12, 2008

2008-09-12T10:26:00.005-07:00

I didnt play last night, but I did on the 10th. Played 11 sngs and won just over 4 buy ins...

I am feeling very confident about my starting hand selection early, on the bubble, and ITM. My finish distribution has been excellent with a lot of 1sts. I take 1st more than any other place, which is great. I am coming around and now need to start to log a significant number of sngs. I am easily able to play 12 sngs on any session, so my goal is to reach 300 in a month. that is pretty ambitious considering the load I have on my shoulders and the obligations I have for my time, but I think it is doable. We are looking to set up a home office, which will allow me to add a second monitor and therefore play 6-8 tables more easily. that will make my goal of 300 very attainable and then I can shoot for 400.

My bankroll started at $600 and I lost half of it. Then, I was slowly losing down to about $250. At one point, I had my entire bankroll in play. Now, I am back up to over $600 and looking to make a push for $1000. That will give me over 40 buy ins and the confidence I need to not worry about my risk of ruin. Once over $1200 I feel like I will never have to even consider stepping back down to the $12.

I think the major difference between my game now and the one I was playing a month ago is that I am being more aggressive nearing and on the bubble. I will reraise/push to late position raisers. That is a huge move because it will often add a very substantial amount of chips and you never go to showdown. The second adjustment I made is that I am being more aggressive as the blinds creep up in proportion to my stack. I had gotten lucky a few times pushing marginal hands when I have say, $1000 chips and blinds are 60/120. I will push now in middle to late position and when I get lucky it provides me enough chips to play out the rest of the sng without the urgency and need to push and double again. Both of these adjustments have turned september into a very nice month for me and I look to continue my success and log more tables.

#################################################

Played a set of 4 tonight making it to the bubble in each. I took 2, 2, 3, 4. I played awesome. A little loose early and pulled it in. Picked up big hands, many didnt hold up, but played very patient and should have moneyed in all 4. I called a lot of pushes on the bubble and was in ahead every single time. The bubbles were brutal tonight with the shortstack doubling though the big stack several times on a few tables, which means there is a new shortstack, but nothing so short it is only a matter of time before they bust. I got very unlucky on both sides of the race many times to bust people...but feel fortunate to be up a solid amount. I am almost at the 30 buy in threshold which many people use to say that is the number of buy ins necessary to reduce your risk of ruin...I like to be closer to 50 because i do not like to drop down buy ins to win money half as fast as you lost it.

I am excited because i am starting to put together many consecutive winning days like i used to...

anyway, my roll is growing and so is my confidence...not sure if i will fire up another set tonight...but looking to log a lot of tables this weekend. the play on full tilt is just sickeningly bad and i need to play more. i thought/heard the earn on sngs is tough these days, but i am finding them amazingly loose and crazy. hope it continues...

September 9, 2008

2008-09-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

As it has always been with me and poker, things are progressing slowly. I am struggling to find the time to play and the short sessions have been very up and down. I am looking to start to make a push for some clarity about the poker situation. I know I am profitable at sngs. My goal is to grind the $22+2s on FT and I have a few hundred in right now. I am going to either flush my entire roll or start building...Let's see where my roll goes!

August 22, 2008

2008-08-22T21:14:00.001-07:00

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.

August 21, 2008

2008-08-21T20:12:00.005-07:00

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!

August 15, 2008

2008-08-15T22:10:00.003-07:00

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.

August 13, 2008

2008-08-13T21:22:00.001-07:00

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!

August 12, 2008

2008-08-12T22:42:00.003-07:00

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.