August 1, 2006

Ok, despite only winning 85 bucks during my last 163 sngs...I feel fortunate. I won about a grand over July...sucks cuz i was up 1900 at one point...then just watched my bankroll dwindle...but I am encouraged because my play has come around, but the results just arent there. But, that is part of my challenge...its to overcome the results oriented thinking and focus on playing a solid game and logging tables. So, I have a lot of things riding on August...first off, Party has a promo that if you earn 100 party points every day in august, you win 300. Missing a day happens, but i am going to try to get that bonus, which means 9 sngs a night...which is significant, but that will ensure that i make my goal for sngs played...i am going to 2 table my first set and start to scale back a bit so i can concentrate a bit more, rediscover my game, and then add more tables...lets see how tonight goes!

Firing up set 1.

Set 1 went well, finished with a first and a second. Played very well...very happy with the way things went...my bubble play and itm play on the one i won left something to be desired...i was far too passive. the irony is that before i was playing well and losing, now we spent 20 mins with 3 people and no one can eliminate someone...blinds were 600/1200 lol

i did lay a nasty bad beat on the shortstack...we went at it preflop, he had KK i had QQ both of us had a club...the board ended up with X89 10 J of clubs, so i pulled the straight flush lol

Finished up my last set of 6 with 2 firsts...so I'm up tonight...woohoo...so, here is the problem...should i keep playing? i think i will take a short break and play some more. Playing stone sober tonight...a clear mind make a difference? Just a snifter of cognac while i played and i feel mellow!

July 31, 2006

Well, I am officially getting beat down. Just taking unreal beats...i gotta tell one...

I have 99 on the button and two in front of me are raising preflop. I call and the flop comes JJ9. check, bets of 325, I call, it is raised to 650, original raiser folds. I call, turn come rag, he pushes, i call, he had KJ for trip Jacks and I have him dominated with my 9s full Jacks. He hits a Jack on the river to take it down...thats unreal. time to play a few more.

July 30, 2006

Happy Birthday to Jill...today is her birthday.

I am firing up my first set...hoping I can turn around from a losing night. Bad play and horrible beats were the theme of last night...i have a newfound sense of discipline, lets see if i can make it translate to the tables.

First hand i play, i get 2 pair by the turn and lose to the rivered flush...but, i only lost a few hundred chips...

I the bad beats started to slow down, a few hands held up, and I actually laid down a pretty nasty bad beat on someone. won like 30 on my first set. I feel like I am not playing as fast as i was before...i dont know what it was, but i just felt like something was pushing me. I got that under control, so now i need to learn to prevent it from happening.

My last set...i lost a flush to a full house on the river...and my JJ lost to 99 when he flopped quads on the bubble...just fuckin unreal. I need to keep working through this. the hard part is that i am playing well, losing when I am a 4:1 favorite and still bubbling...so its hard to find any upside until my luck starts to turn. I have been losing every coin flip and losing every time i am dominating...so i have to assume its just variance because i am continually in ahead and losing...frustrating.

Just lost AK to Kq when he caught a 4 to the flush...and KK to QQ in a 3 way all in pot..man, this is fuckin bullshit!

Finished my last set with a first and a second...Im up in 55 sngs, but lost 2 77s....so overall, down a few bucks...i fired up 4 more and a $22 MTT.

I have been watching people take horrible beats all night, but for some reason I am still playing. Had a solid set...starting to pick up my winning ways. Had a first and a third in my last set...so I am up over 250 playing $55s, down 154 in 77s...and I am in a $22 MTT, just doubled up, so sitting at just over 6500 in chips...updates to follow.

Posted a winning night...man, i gotta quit my bitching...but that just shows how close tonight was from being a huge night...starting to feel better about my play, and the streak of nasty ones was pretty epic. I am still in the MTT:

$22 MTT
First Break: 6378

July 29, 2006

Ok, I didnt play much last night, just 4 sngs and lost 70. I met up with my students and i learned a little about what they do...quite intriguing. I might give it a try at some point in the near future...the similarities to poker is astounding!

Last night, i played pretty well. took a 2nd and bubbled in one. I also took a few bad beats on one table...lost AK to A8 when he rivered a gutshot. Then I built my stack back and lost KK to 66 on a rivered gutshot again. that was tough...but i showed them a proper game.

My first 2 sets were ok...lost vig. got pretty unlucky too, i feel i am playing well, but the results arent showing it because of a few bad beats...yeah, i know, deal with it.

I am about to fire up my first set of the day...I have some work to do!

I am just getting horrible luck. Ive lost to 3 gut shot rivered straights when I was a strong favorite. Still taking brutal beats...i think it started out as bad play, but now i have it back in line, but my hands never hold up...so im still playing. Hopefully it will turn around.

just crazy...had my A10 lose to K9 when he called my push and i caught an ace but he rivered 2 pair...holy hell the river is killing me tonight.

I stopped the bleeding. I got a few firsts and brought my losses back down to a manageable level. Frustrating doesnt begin to explain it. Just epic bad beats, but i digress...i cant wait until this turns around!

July 28,2006

I met with the day traders today. Sounds very interesting...maybe something i could parlay my poker earnings into.

I played one set for them and got a 2nd...took a few bad beats too. I think I showed them a solid game, so i am really hoping for their success...thats why i am heading back on monday. plus, that day trading stuff is fascinating.

I might try to get another set in, but i am looking to log hours tomorrow! I dropped 70 bucks...just not up to playing right now. gonna get some rest and play at least 4 sets tomorrow.

July 27, 2006

There are some problems with the blogger website, so i couldnt update last night. had a horrible night and got smoked. Started out that my hands werent holding up...then I ended up playing pretty poorly...so it was a bad night overall...my roi for the month is still respectable 15%...so these are more just corrections than anything, but it surely sucks when you are going through them...plus it was a bigger correction than necessary cuz i donked my money away! on a positive note, i believe i played more than 20 sngs last night...

Tonight, I start my challenge to play 300 sngs this month. If I get a new monitor and set up to 6 and 8 table, then my goal will be higher. However, this goal is more than 2 hours of play per day, so it is pretty aggressive for me considering i work my full time job. My birthday is coming up next month on the 28th, so thats why i am starting my challenge today. I will either be celebrating that I met an ambitious goal and am well on my way to building my bankroll and one step closer to hitting my $10k bankroll goal. I am hoping to be up $3,000 if I meet my 300 sng goal...time to start playing.

So far, 9 sngs played and up $155. i got disconnected heads up after i took the chip lead...took a good 2 minutes to get reconnected and still had the lead...ended up taking him down. solid first 2 sets, gonna play another and if i win, i am gonna fire up a few monster sngs and try to start qualifying.

The first two sets were saved by first place finishes. I ended up having a last set of 5 because i busted early in one. So ended up netting about 125 on the last set. So, that means tomorrow i can play a few monster sngs. I am gonna hit the sack. There are much stronger players playing late, so the key is to get your sets in early, then quit late...unless you are on fire, but i would pull back the number of tables.

Results Day 1:

Played 14 sngs. +280 (3/2/0/9)

July 26, 2006

I am messing around tonight...playing some monster qualifiers on Party. Just looking to get a few wins so i can play in the first couple freerolls...should be fun...I have a long time to go until they start...mid august. I might just 4 table a few 6s and see what happens.

So far tonight...6 sngs (played a few 11 monster qualifiers, but those done really count), and am up a net of 30 bucks...so up for the night. I am going to play another set and hope to win something and call it a night.

July 25, 2006

there is a reason i am making my 25th post on the 26th. first off, i was playing at the end of my night. after work i met up with 3 guys and am going to start teaching them poker. the great thing is, they are day traders and one of them is the owner of the small office. They have 6 work stations with 2 monitors...something I have been dying to get my hands on. So, they invited me to meet with them, maybe learn a little about what they do, and I can play 6-8 tables on their network to cut my teeth before buying my own set up.

I have been doing a lot of thinking and have decided to set up a pretty ambitious goal for myself. There is a lot of significance to this goal and I will break it down. for the rest of July, about 5 days, I hope to be able to average over 12 sngs a day. That is 3 sets a day. However, come august, depending on how many days a week I meet with the guys and play up there and when I get my multi monitor set up, my ambitious goal will be to play 500 sngs. After my correction last night of -335, most of which was preventable because i played poorly, my monthly return is sitting at 25% and overall 2 month return is about 18%. I would like to keep my ROI in the upper teens, or >17.5% while on the $55s. I believe I can keep it over 18%. For planning purposes, I chose to assume a 15% return. If i can hit my volume and return goals, that will equate to 4775 profit. WOW! that will be my biggest month by far, but this will require more mental stamina than I have ever previously given. I have played 300 sngs in a month before...and I believe it will take me LESS time to do my 500 if I 4 table at a minimum. I just cant wait to add 2 more tables...6 tabling is my goal for August...getting proficient at it. So, there are my ambitious goals...gonna acclimate to 6 tables, hopefully 8 very soon, and playing 500 sngs...I will not even care all that much if my ROI drops to 12%...The real object of this goal is two fold.

First, it really is to see how i respond to pushing myself with a higher volume of play and more tables. Mentally, it can be taxing. The swings can be brutal. I want to see how I hold up and if i can do it long term...

Second, it is to really boost my bankroll. A month like I am planning for august will be an average month for me if i can acheive my goals...if i get there, i plan on making that my goal every month. but you have to start somewhere. If i can accomplish this, it will double my bankroll and get me to a point where i can start taking $$ out...it will put me near the 10k mark and allow me to take out 2000+ at the end of september if i can do this 2 months in a row...the money might finally start to flow for me...I am excited, nervous, and cant wait to see what happens.

July 24, 2006

I am inspired today! I am just fully internalizing what making the jump from 4 to 8 tables is. It really is a big moment because you go from merely making a great return to making a hell of a lot of money! Being able to 8+table is the real test of being able to do this as a profession. You can make plenty averaging less than 2 hours a night...I finally feel like i have all this stuff internalized, and i am ready to crank out sngs like they never have been before. I truly believe I am a winning poker player at sngs and believe I have an excellent ROI. I believe and have proven to be able to do this while 4-tabling...so I am going to try to 8-table them. I will start by 6 tabling and getting a feel for that...then 8-tabling...this should get interesting.

About to start up a set of 4, i will be 4-tabling until i get a new monitor.

First set finished up...not bad, +$80, but i had 3 3rds and a 4th...so close to a huge set...yet, so fricken far! Played well, these guys just bet right into you...there is no reason to show strength any time, just let them do it themselves. They just bet into the nuts...raise when your hand feels vulnerable to you, otherwise just call.

Just got set 2 started. Pretty solid set...I donked one off early, but finished strong in the other 3. Got a first and a second to net 180 for the set...yeehaawwww! The key is getting that third set in...is he gonna do it???

It was raining with lightning and thunder, so I didnt fire up my last set...an excuse, possibly, but i really did want to play more. Every day I get more encouraged.

Results:

Set 1: +$80 (0/0/3/1) and that OOTM finish was a bubble
Set 2: +$180 (1/1/0/2)

July 23, 2006

Only logged 5 sngs last night. I got a bit sidetracked this weekend...i still hope to get some good sessions in today. Weekends are different for me. Because I play during the week, I come home after a pretty consistent day. Wake up, work, come home, relax, and play. Weekends really bust up my routine and sometimes I dont feel mentally ready to play. However, starting this week, no more distractions and no more fuckin around. I will play my biweekly tourney every sunday and thats it...then i will be grinding the sgns...NO MORE EXCUSES!

Getting my first set going right now.

Just finished up my first set. Didnt play too well early, but started to get more aggressive and picked up some momentum. I won one and was heads up with only 2200 chips in the other...i decided to try to play for first and took the chip lead at one point...but I ended up with a 2nd. Overall, not bad. I needed to focus more early...play a little tighter. I loosened up a bit and it made me play a little faster on all 4...that isnt a good thing for me usually. Gonna eat and fire up another set.

Set 2 is done...busted out of one on a bad move...but otherwise, not too bad. Got 2 3rds to lose vig on the set.

Set 3 was solid. Played well from start to finish. Got very short stacked (<800 chips to a bad beat) and came back to win it. Starting to get in my groove...time to start hammering out tables.

Results:

Set 1: +$180 (1/1/0/2)
Set 2: -$20 (0/0/2/2)
Set 3: +$130 (1/0/1/2)

I am +$290 and feeling good, but there is lightning outside and we lose power pretty regularly when it storms out here...pretty annoying. So, i might just relax for a bit to see if it blows over. I would hate to be in the middle of a set and lose power.

Had to add a little note here. On my 3rd set, we were ITM and the 2nd and 3rd stacks went at it...the 2nd big stack hit a Royal Flush against the 3rd stack. He and I were chatting and celebrating his feat when I eliminated him and took it down. Just thought it was funny that before he could finish revelling in his feat, he was done and didnt even win the sng where he got his royal flush...I was happy to be the spoiler!

July 22, 2006

Well, trying to recover from last night. Not a great night for me...but i think sitting down already being at a 1:3 chip disadvantage really hurt me psychologically. I didnt sit down in pushbot mode, i sat down in deep stack mode and passed up on early coin flips when I should have taken them. I will not play in tourneys where they allow people extra chips...unless I can get the extra chips.

I just played a set of 5. I busted out early in level 2 and fired up a new one...nope, i didnt 5-table. I played pretty pooly...got bad cards and played my hands pretty weakly. The action is so loose and the raises so out of line that it makes it pretty hard to not risk all your chips at a relatively early stage...if you dont push, they certainly will...so I am protecting my hands pretty aggressively preflop, then turning to a calling station post flop. I do play some hands aggressively, but I havent had much to play and havent been able to get into my groove...hopefully I will get some cards in my next set. I am gonna take a shower and relax a bit first...I dont think I am fully awake yet.

Results:
Set 1: -$25 (1/0/0/4)

July 21, 2006

Well, tonight I am hitting the casino with a guy from work. He and I talk poker a little bit and his game sounds pretty solid. So, we are hitting a small rebuy tourney tonight at 7...hopefully i can cash...if i get a decent cash, i might use that money to start my live roll because i dont plan on building one of those for a few months. next weekend i have my bi-weekly tourney, so I am fortunate to be logging some live play and doing well at it.

I hope to play a lot this weekend. Drawing inspiration from Curtains poker blog, link to the left, I want to start to add tables in the next few months. I know most of the people play speed sngs...adn in the future i will have to dabble in those, but right now, i am cool with the hour long regulars...but i think my game is ready for the speeds. When they first started on Party, i tried a few and i think they are just as profitable as the regulars...moreso due to increased # of sngs per hour...which is the key, so i might have to jump to those pretty soon.

Anyway, wish me luck at the tourney...will update when i get home.

That tourney is pretty tough...solid players, but more importantly, it just isnt worth it if you dont log some hours at the tables before. This was not a rebuy, but there was one add on at the break. I sat down with 2000 chips and other sat down around me with 6000. there was a 3000 add on for 20 bucks at the break. I had about 1400 chips at the break and rebought for about 4400 to start on level 4. I just kept getting bullied and didnt have much of anything. I stole some blinds when i pushed Q9 UTG. I figured if anyone had the table image to pull it off, it was definitely me. I pushed Q8s and got 3 callers...ran into AA and went home. Blinds were 500/1000 with 50 ante. I didnt have much choice and coulda more than quadrupled up if I caught.

I am gonna take the rest of the night off and relax...log some big tables tomorrow!! gonna shoot for a big number...if i run well, maybe try some speeds...That is gonna be important in the long run to increase my earn.

No More Casinos to play blackjack...Im done with that game. It makes me want to gamble...and I dont want to do that...i cant play both blackjack and poker in the same day...i cant switch gears that fast.

July 20, 2006

I am excited to play today. Came home and relaxed for a bit...about to get started. I decided that I will start to play some online MTTs as soon as i can get my roll over $5k. Got about $1k to go, but rakeback is coming soon and that will be a few hundred. I also hope to start logging a lot of tables, so I will be pretty disappointed if I am not there within 2 weeks.

I might be playing in a tourney this weekend...a friend of mine told me that he was going to the casino tomorrow after work and play...its a rebuy, so i dont know whether i should go or not...I guess I would go with at least 3 rebuys in my pocket...one just in case, one before the break and the add on. anyway, hoping to open up my first set here in a few.

Played well in set 1. Was patient...struggled early to get anything going, but waited it out and ended up with 2 2nds and a bubble. I got one of my heads up opponents all in on the flop, but he sucked out on the turn and ended up beating me. Played well...lost on bubble pushing A5o on the button...would do it again.

Finished up set 2: I bubbled in one and cashed in 2...busted 5th on the other...they were all going short handed, the shit was beeping at me like crazy! Thank god I won the first one and was able to cash in another...of the one i bubble and the other one where I took 3rd, those were some tough bubbles...i was 3rd stack and the 2nd and 4th stack kept going all in and trading spots...i could catch a break until i eliminated one, but got dominated in the other when my A9 was up against AK. I might play the $55 MTT tonight...I said if I win 100 or more this set, I would play...so i might.

Final set is completed...finished one first and one bubble. made a move and got caught...needed to move though, was short stack with 5bbs. overall, a great night. no more MTTs because i just cant switch gears...

Results:

Set 1: +$80 (0/2/0/2)
Set 2: +$130 (1/0/1/2)
Set 3: +$30 (1/0/0/3)

+$240 is another solid night

I just opened up the $55 MTT...Gonna really make a go of it. I tend to crap out after the first break when blinds start to creep up...i gotta get my roll going...so i might be a little looser preflop...will have to see how the cards come.

I was getting pretty good starting cards and decent flops...but a scary river with a maniac betting made me fold away quite a few chips...i was down to like 1700, but got back to almost even when i caught a gut shot straight on an unraised flop with 6 people...so just like starting over...but I made some excellent laydowns so far and recovered from them...confidence growing.

I was getting too impatient in the MTT...couldnt catch anything, blinds creeping up and the break looming...i just wanted to double up or start some sngs...i pushed 77 over one small raiser and got 2 callers unfortunately. on to sngs.

July 19, 2006

So, after yesterday's correction, I am still running a little bit hot. On to the meat of my post...

So i was thinking a lot about how I need concrete goals and milestones to maintain focus...so i was brainstorming and came up with a gameplan.

My monthly goal is going to be 250 sngs. which is about 8 a day. i am currently 4-tabling, but will want to start to introduce more tables in the future...right now, i want to ensure i am steadily building my roll. I used to use SNG Tracker to track my stats, but when Party changed their tables, it never seemed to work right for me. So, i created my own spreadsheets to do it for me. I looked at the last 650 >$55 sngs that I played and my return was 16%. Funny thing is that my return on the $55s was 10% while my 77s was over 40%. Anyway, I am confident a 15% return is attainable for me and probably where my true ROI lies. To define a few other items, the average regular sng lasts 60 mins and my goal is to eventually 8-table.

Ok, with my goal and return defined...here are the vitals that I can expect over the typical month if i can hit my volume (250 sngs) and ROI (15%) goals.

Profit $2,062.50
Rakeback $325
Total profit $2,387.50

$$/Hr: $38.20

to accomplish this 4 tabling, i need to play about 62 sessions...or log about 62 hours a month...just about 2 hours a day...not too bad. My goal is to move up when I reach 100 buy ins for the next level...so I need about $7500 to move up to the $77s. I hope to accomplish this within 2 months.

I will be reinvesting my rakeback currently, but once I hit $10k online, i will be taking $$ out to start my live play bankroll...then i will use that cash to not only fund my live play, but to use to travel and play tourneys...the online play will continue to fund my live roll, but i will slowly pull from my online bankroll and grow my cash stash! ambitious goals...lets see if i can make it two months and hit my $7500 goal.

just wanted to point out that when i first got into playing poker seriously, i read how people would say that most of us wouldnt last for more than 6 months and this and that...well, IM HERE!! and im still fuckin winning!

Fired up the beginning of my second set...normally I would quit here, but I need to keep playing...stop the results oriented thinking and just keep playing. My 2nd set finished well, thankfully. I started out well on 3 of the 4 tables, and pretty solid on the 4th. I ran into a couple pretty big hands and took some lumps. However, I finished with a win to net $30 bucks, so another winning session. I think I was pushing it too early...i felt the need to push when it clearly wasnt warranted...I need to make sure I keep this under control.

Not sure if I am going to play another set. It is 10:40 and if I take a short break and come back, it will be midnight before I finish up. lets see how i feel in a bit...

First set 4-tabling down:

Set 1: +380 (2/0/1/1)
Set 2: +$30 (1/0/0/3)

July 18, 2006

I am starting to get more confidence and trying to fully internalize that I need to keep playing poker...every day...two sets, thats it! Just 2 sets a day....if I can do that, pretty amazing things can happen. Just 2 hours...just 2!!! I will hopefully be getting a new poker playing set up pretty soon with two monitors...so I am going to gradually add tables right now...staying at the $55s and taking advantage of all the time I have spent here learning the nuances of the $55s. Sure, I could play the $77s, but I dont want to move up until I have a huge, huge bankroll...I can win plenty at the $55s. I think people want to move up too quickly...but maybe that risk aversion is why I am still grinding $55s...but who knows, i prefer it this way.

So, the goal is to get back to 4-tabling, then gradually add a 5th, 6th, 7th, and finally an 8th table. I am interested to find out how much my ROI will drop, but how much my $$/hr will go up...

Anyway, on to 3-tabling...(i know, ive 4-tabled very successfully, but I am in no rush!)

first set down...just one money finish...a 3rd. I was patient and played pretty solid. never picked up much to play, but still made it to 5th in one and busted like 6th or 7th in the other...hopefully I will catch a few starting hands...i dont think I ever hit over 4000 in chips on any of my 3 sngs...another set, coming up!

Tough night...card dead and when i do get it all in, im usually ahead, but my hands arent holding up. Gonna be ugly unless I can cash here. I am gonna fire up another set.

July 17, 2006

Just getting started...fired up 2 $55s.

Bubbled after losing my Ak to A9...i was still alive, but crippled...should have cashed deep cuz i had a lot of chips...but chip leader on the bubble on the other right now.

well, another 2nd and 4th.

I have to say the cards are holding up...well, kinda, i took some bad ones tonight, but my hands held up early so it didnt bust me. I have so much confidence right now...my last 2 sets i got a 2nd and a 4th...ive gotten a 2nd in my last 6 sets of 2...netting 40, so i gotta get that second one to cash to make some real money...should have this time, but poker happens...gotta parlay the good play into more sessions...here i go!

Ok, change of plans. I have been focusing well, and playing both online and live with a tremendous amount of discipline...and I am not very easy to impress when it comes to judging myself and my discipline. I thought I would reward myself with an MTT. $55 buy in, 340 in it...pays top 40. I am looking to cash first, then go deep...so I would rather limp into the money and try to work my way up than to take chances on the bubble and not cash...I know, not a good strategy, but I might change my mind when i can smell the blood!

Some reward, my QQ ran into KK and i am down to 125 in chips lol Ran into AA to finish me off...ah well, i guess when you run into KK and AA in the first 10 mins of a tourney, it just wasnt meant to be. I'm cool with that...no more MTTs until I'm over $4,250.

looks like its back to the sngs tonight :)

Gonna fire up 3 sngs...just finished 2, 2, and 3...up 275 tonight...just fuckin smokin!

July 16, 2006

Played a set today so far...but my sets are 2 tabling now. Decided i needed to focus more and the results have been good. I have 1 second in my last 5 sets...bubble on a few too, so getting deep in the sngs and setting myself up for great cashing opportunities. I will have to open it up a bit more and start 4-tabling here in the next few weeks. my goal has been to get to $4000 after I totally decimated my bankroll by pulling from it...I have pulled over 3000 out of it for various reasons over the past few months...but my new goal is to try to pull as infrequently as possible to build it up to $10k ASAP! I am approaching $4k, so lets see how long it takes.

Today, i had a 2nd and a 4th for a net of +$40. same thing i have made the past 5 sets lol.

I played in a live tourney on saturday. 100 buy in, about 50 players. I had about the average after the dinner break....was card dead, then just went on a crazy rush and went from 4500 to about 19000 in chips. then went card dead into teh break...went to dinner with about 17,500 in chips. after dinner, i woke up with 99 in middle position, i raise the 500/1000 blinds to 3000 and a dude with 6600 pushes all in. I call and i have him dominated 99 vs 88. flop comes 877 and i am fucked! i got 99 about 3 hands later, i had about 7000 chips, and raised 3000, and SB called, jack hi flop, i push and she calls with KJ....mother fucker! i played great and should have been in the money. I busted 14th and it paid the top 8...had my 99 held on, i would have been sitting nicely to at least limp into the money...tough break. My live game comfidence is growing!

July 13, 2006

Party seems really loose...i mean, really fuckin loose!! i think its the hype of the WSOP getting people all geeked up, but there is just some craziness going on. I adjusted and had a great night.

8 sgns

4 - 2nds
2 - 4ths
and 2 out of the money

netted +160, but it was just the pure dominance of these tables...i mean, i think i am taking my game to another level by concentrating on the game, 2 tabling, and being disciplined. I am feeling great heading into the live tourney this saturday and maybe even sunday at poker stars!

July 12, 2006

Found out about a main event satellite at Poker Stars. I am starting up some sngs right now to win the $370 buy in. It is giving away a guaranteed 150 seats to the main event, plus hotel, and airfare. crazy man!! I gotta give it a try. Gonna start with 2 tables...

Well, i played 2, took 1st in one and 2nd in another...had him all in on the one i took 2nd on twice with the better ace and had to chop...then i got unlucky and lost a coin flip...+290 so far...almost to 370 for my buy in...SWEET!

July 9, 2006

I just finished up my first and only set today...1 second and 1 third place finish...netted me 30 bucks. It was weird, my 2nd to last session over a week ago killed my confidence for some reason..I just felt out of sorts. I considered moving down, but need to keep plugging away at the 55s...they arent any better than I am, I just need to play and get my confidence up.

If my back doesnt feel better soon, I will have plenty of time to play. Looks like I wont be ready for the gym tomorrow...so I hope to log a few sets.

July 8, 2006

I've been so bad about playing. I havent logged any yet this month, but i have 3 fired up and will open a 4th as soon as the tables show up...hoping to get a few sets in today...starting at $55s, might move down...

Lost the first 4 but finished by winning 2 straight to be up $170. Going to try to log more sngs on Sunday...hopefully a good 3 sets worth, or 12+ sngs.

July 4th, 2006

I am about to get started...gonna fire up a set and see how it feels. its been a while and i dont know if i was card dead and jumpy or what, but i felt like a fish out of water the last time. it was a combination of pretty much catching fire on all my tables at once...i had big pairs often 2 tables at a time, or a big pair and caught sets on like 3 str8 small pairs...so i got loose and ended up running into big hands...lets see if i got my senses back. I seem to always play a pretty consistent game live...so i am making plans to develop my live game...even if it is limit...might even try spread limit. On to the sngs...

July 2, 2006

Well, let me recap June and update July.

June finished rough...had a bad downswing after running hot, so the correction was expected, just not appreciated. I ended up winning over $840 on 112 sngs for an overall return of 11.4%. It was actually worse because these were just my sng results, but I lost a few hundred playing tourneys. I have since quit doing that.

So, June was a nice month and got me back into playing.

So, July is upon us. I played live today, so I didnt play any online. I played my bi-weekly $50 buy in tourney, 19 players and I won it today. Been close a few times, but I really played well today. The first hour I played 1 hand and folded the rest...went to the first break just over even. when we went to the final table, I didnt have many chips. I was never all in or making crazy moves and played a very controlled game. I did push and stole some blinds, but the 2nd time I pushed was in the money and I doubled up through the big stack shortly before I ended up winning. Overall, a nice night and won $380.

June 29, 2006

Man, I cant believe its already the end of June...just plain craziness.

Anyway, time to focus. I've had a great run the past two weeks and last night I had my first losing session in a while...well, losing over $100, dropped $110 in sgns and $22 in an MTT, so I will just consider it $110 because thats how much i lost in sngs...the MTT was a stupid move on my part. I knew it too when i fired it up...thats ok though.

On to the sngs...

Just finished 0/4 on myt last set...unreal tonight. crazy, I ran into AA so many times when it was getting late and I had a pocket pair...really hurts. But, i played pretty solid...got a bit jumpy again...need to chill out.

This set is starting at 10...let see if 10 is nicer...had 2 tough ones right away...so fired up 2 more and cashed 2 2nds and bubbled on the last one...i played pretty well on the bubble...there is definitely more talent playing the $55s than before...but I will adjust. Gonna fire up another set.

Tough night...ended up down about 392...played a bunch again, and lost again...hmmmm. i am going to review hand histories for a bit and hit the sack.

June 28, 2006

Had a losing session tonight. funny thing too because on my way home from work I was talking to my friend Al and I was telling him how when I am winning, i usually cut my play short...often playing just one profitable session. Last night, I played 3, but one was profitable. I even played a $22 MTT and did well until i pushed my 88 into QQ and lost. I was the victim of a few suckouts...a few horrible bluffs by guys that had no outs, until the runner runner hit...but thats poker.

I think part of the reason I didnt do so well was two fold. first, i felt out of sorts...i had so much confidence lately that i didnt feel comfortable playing. I ended up being too aggressive too early and addressed it in my second session, but not my third. I usually go to the gym after work, relax and fire up some sngs...i didnt do that tonight. Second, I think I need to mentally prepare more prior to playing...it just makes sense. any time I enter into something competitive, I like to mentally prepare myself and i need to start doing that in poker...have a more set routine and maybe do something like play a game online to help me get focused because i just wasnt there tonight. I think I will play an online game to help me gauge my level of focus and mental fatigue before i start to play...live and learn...now its time to see if i have the discipline.

12 sngs played, -110
1 $22 MTT, -22

-$132 for the night...so not horrible, but not great. No firsts, three 2nds, and a third in 12 sngs...12 is a great number though!

June 27, 2006

Played a set tonight...was excited and really lookin to go! After I got home from the gym, I was messing around playing other games online while I cooled off before my shower and i was kickin ass...I could tell I was focused properly, so I jumped in the shower and got to playing. I fired up 4 $55s and noticed a lot of the same people in all of my sngs...so i knew i was in for a fight. as usual, it was down to 5 and there were 2 or 3 of them on each table. I busted out on two of them and ended up winning one and taking second in the other...overall +180 for the night so far. I might watch a movie, but if not, fire up another set.

The funny thing is that I got some bad luck and both of the ones I cashed on, i sucked out to stay alive on the bubble :)

June 26, 2006

Tonight I went to the gym, came home and had dinner, cleaned up, played a set and took a 2nd and a 3rd and won $30 on the night. Just continuing to grind away with a set here and there and trying not to pull from my roll...i fronted a friend some money and transfered some more to another friend, so i ended up pulling over $250 from my roll after I pulled $750 for my car. I need to pull some more when its ready...but I still have 3425 in my roll and RB on its way at the end of the week...lookin sweet. Need to keep up the nice run and start 6 tabling.

My plan was to pull from my roll at $4k, but i already did for over $1k and need another $500 in the near future...so after this latest round of stealing from my roll...its clear sailing all the way to $5k and a second monitor!

June 25, 2006

Played a set tonight...finished with 2 firsts and up 280. I am having a nice run here, up over 1100 over the past 10 days. Too bad all my extra money went to fix my car, otherwise i would be sitting pretty nicely.

My sng stats so far this month:

77 $55 sngs
25.1% ROI
+$1065

Lost in the one $77 sng I played.

Overall with RB for the month, I am up almost $1100. This is why I need to quit playing tourneys...it drained a good 350 from my bankroll this month...I am in building mode, not gambling.

I am making a push to get my roll over $10k. I am a long way from there, but believe it shouldnt take me too long to do it. then, I should be able to play some bigger tourneys and make some runs at some big cash. maybe even a WSOP tourney or two.

June 24, 2006

Just started a few...my pocket pairs are running into slightly higher pocket pairs tonight...but one third so far in 3 sngs...2 more fired up...we shall see.

Ended up with 2 3rds in 5 sngs. Down 75 for the night. calling it quits.

June 22, 2006

I took my time when I got home tonight and ended up getting home from the gym a little later than i thought i would. I just finished my protein shake and am gonna hit the shower, but its already 8...sucks starting so late, but i really need to keep working out, probably more than i need to play poker. Im down 16 pounds and really have been undisciplined in my head, so I am encouraged! i might start waking up a little early and run outside before work...i think it would be a great idea, but i just hate mornings so much...plus, im not that big on running outside on the concrete and where the crazy drivers are. You never know...you are running with some head phones on and you dont hear or see someone driving at you...makes me a little nervous.

June 21, 2006

Just played a set of 4. I guess i should be happy, but i took 3 3rd places. so, I cant complain, but i will!

so far, up 80.

Rehashing the play, I made some moves and i would make them again...was a good showing...gonna take a well deserved rest and fire up another set.

June 20, 2006

Watched the NBA finals tonight...man, what a game. I am glad the Heat won, i was pulling for Dwayne the whole time, but I have a feeling that this finals might have created a few Dwayne haters. He was getting some calls, shot 25 free throws in game 5 and then 21 in game 6...pretty amazing. But he drives all the time and is going to pick up calls...ah! Nice job Dwayne!

I am freaking tired right now...its about 9:30. I ran on the treadmill...had a few days off so i felt great. Now, I am tired. Going to fire up a set though...I need to log hours. I think once i get my roll over $5k I will get another monitor and start to 6-table. That will eventually lead to 8-tabling, which is necessary for me to be able to log any significant amount of tables. Ambitious goal and I hope i dont end up regretting it, but thats where I am heading. On to the poker...

Played my one set for tonight. Took a first and a third and up 130.

Very happy to have another winning session. Tonight was kinda weird...for some reason i turned the chat on...and people were just dickheads. I am not putting chat on. people were criticizing for making some proper plays...i made a few that i shouldnt have...and was pushing too many edges, but i think its because all 4 sngs were looking good and the first one that got to teh bubble I lost....so i think that put me on edge too. But, I recovered strong and had another winning night. I am sure glad I dont know how to play this game...or at least thats what the people said as they busted out HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.

June 19, 2006

I am ready to get going...looking to log about 2 hours a night from here on out...need to step things up and think 2 hours most nights will take care of business...if I can log anywhere near 200 sngs a month, that will be right where I want to be. A good month of running hot can make me well over $2k...

Going to play 2 sets of 4 tonight for sure...updates to follow.

Set 1: 4 $55s 1 - Second place -70
Set 2: 4 $55s 1 - First and 2- Seconds +330
Played 3 on the bubble at the same time with no real problems.

Total: +260 for the night

June 18, 2006

Played live again today. Just a great group of guys...i wish they had this tourney every weekend. Then again, I probably wouldnt go every weekend...they run a great show.

I am very happy with the way I played today...took a bad beat, AJ to J10...i got him all in on the turn and he rivered the gutshot straight. Left me with 390 in chips...i quadrupled up when I got pocket Queens. flop and turn were all under cards, but 3 were spades, the river was a queen and i took it down. I won a few more chips, but when we consolidated down to the final table, i was busted out 10th. first hand after the break i get AKo and push...called by Q8s and he turns a queen...thats all she wrote...both hands i lost i was ahead in pretty solid position. Cards just didnt cooperate. I really like the blind structure and believe these slow blinds are perfect for my play. Very encouraging because WSOP blinds are similar. anyway, hoping to log some tables tonight and get my roll over $3k again. I just keep sucking $$ from it, i need to quit doing that...but with a 1900 payment for my car this week, i didnt have much choice.

I thought I would ease into the day. I am playing the $20k Guaranteed on party. $11 buy in. I know I said i wasnt gonna play them anymore cuz they are just sucking my bankroll, but $11 isnt bad. I figured I would focus on it for a bit and try to win $100 in it...then I dont need to log anymore tables tonight. Lets see how it goes...limped in on a few, just about 20 mins in and im at 2820...nothing exciting to report yet.

Got impatient and busted out of tourney...truly poor play on my part. fired up 4 sngs...lets see if i fare any better.

well, busted out of one quickly and fired up another...busted out of 2 more pretty quickly and took 2nd in my final 2...ended up winning 25 in sngs and lost 11 in MTTs...

June 17, 2006

Took tonight off. I watched some of the hockey game and the taylor vs winky wright fight...good fight. i dont like winky wrights style, but he is effective. taylor is such a hard puncher...i think winky was afraid of him at the end...

anyway, tomorrow i have a busy day planned...gonna get up early, about 7 and hit the treadmill. at 9 i am heading to brunch and at 11 i have a poker tourney. this tourney is fun, but i busted out 7th last week and it took 3 hours, so hopefully if i last long i hope to cash. never really had any cards last week, so hopefully i will have better luck. after that, i plan on playing some sngs while i watch the basketball game...so a great weekend for sports, outside of the US tying Italy...we needed the win.

June 16, 2006

had a solid session last night...looking to follow up on it. had a few beers after work and feeling pretty good...just fired up 4 sngs...finished up the night +180. had a 1st and a 2nd...thought I played pretty well. Was nice to put back to back winning sessions together again. I needed it for my confidence after hitting a 10 buy in downswing a few nights ago.

June 15, 2006

Ended up getting my ass handed to me last night...pretty much just bad play. It was a quick crash course in how not to play for me...so hopefully i will be back on track tonight.

I had a nice comeback...played 3 sngs and cashed in 2, with a first and a second...so thats up 235 and made back half of what i lost in an hour tonight...solid session...my reward is an early bed time.

June 14, 2006

So far, 0 for 3. just busted when my Aces were cracked by 4s...funny thing is that i had pocket pairs about 5 hands out of 12...my stack slowly dwindled as i tried to catch a set...then lost aces to a flopped set of 4s. The irony!

I have been playing a little looser...time to tighten up.

Well, still not playing well. I had an epic suckout and ended up taking the big stack at that point and coasting to the end...so in 6 sngs, 1 first and 5 ootm. time to get back to work...need to tighten up...i am playing a bit too loose and am uncomfortable post flop...

I played a $22 MTT tonight...got it all in with 2 pair to his overpair and catches the set on the river...my luck in those MTTs has been terrible...I told myself i wouldnt play anymore and what do i do...what an idiot!

June 13, 2006

Ok, I'm kinda pumped. I just manually ran my stats and created a new spreadsheet to track them, however I got my old software up and running and can upload my hand histories and keep better stats, which is really key for me...so that could give me the new boost I need.

I have an awesome idea that I ran by a friend of mine and its something that could materialize pretty quickly. I will see where it goes in a few weeks, but will most likely just fizzle away. I dont have the time or energy to focus on anything else...still working out about 5 days a week. Definitely getting results...Ok, enough bullshit, on to poker...

June 10, 2006

Just getting started...fired up 2 sngs and a $44 MTT...updated on the MTT to follow. Hoping to get in a few sngs tonight.

connection problems are wreaking havoc on me. folded QQ on me...then the next hand i got 77 and it folded those too. very frustrating.

I have gotten my ass handed to me playing nut flush draws...had I hit, would have tripled up in one and doubled up early in a tourney on the other...I've never been a big fan of the flush draw...starting to hate it even more. So that knocked me out of the tourney...on to more sngs.

Busted out of my 2nd sng. lost 2 coinflips...but chip leader on the bubble on my other...i busted just about everyone lol..and 2nd stack doubled up through me when his 88 beat my jj...i had a few suck outs against the short stacks...hopefully i can pull off a win to hav a profitable session.

I am getting screwed...had 11k in chips with 4 to go and i am now the shortstack...very frustrating. just had short stack up against me i had A8 and he called with A3 and we split lol

Sucks. took 3rd.

June 8, 2006

I fired up 3 sngs and a MTT. I took 2nd in one sng and am now about 50 mins into the tourney...about 150 are out, with just under 200 to go...pays top 40 and I dont have too many chips...2100 something...need a few big hands and to be patient, but blinds are 100/200, so i cant wait forever.

at the first break, i made a few pushes and picked up a couple chips...but blinds are moving up and I only have 2250 chips...750 less than I started...so I have decent position after the break starts..so i will have to try to pick up some blihds early and hopefully pick up a hand.

I pushed a few times and got to 3300 without showing down a hand. but blinds were creeping and i pushed AQo and was called by 55. they held up and I lost...so i think it was a good spot to make my move because it was getting late...thats how it goes. down like 70 for tonight...im gonna cash out like 750 and redeposit 500 for the bonus...

June 7, 2006

Played a few sngs today. I was pumped because I started by playing in an MTT $55 buy in with a lot of people...I caught QQ in middle position within the first 5 mins. I raise to 4xBB because there was one limper, next to act pushes, I call and he has KJ. Flopped the K and I was crippled.

Fired up a total of 5 sngs, and did the same thing as monday. I lost the first 3 and finished first and third...so i didnt win the final two, but at least got me to even. I did well in my first 2 sngs, but got a bit antsy with about 5 left and made a move on the button with Q8s and got called by the big blind with 99. Need to play a bit more patiently approaching the bubble...thats when the fish come out and play. I have to admit i had a few late suckouts tonight...so got a little reward.

Glad I was able to log another 6 tables tonight...with a positive result.

666

Today was the big day...666. yeah, so anyway...I went to the gym and decided to watch Star Wars 3. I never saw it because I was so disappointed by the 2nd one...but I liked it...it was pretty dark though, much more than I thought. But still a good movie.

So, since I am going to be playing more poker and documenting my progress, I thought I would quickly recap the start of the month.

I lost 37 my first session and won 225 in my second. We will soon find out what my 3rd session brings, but we will find that out tomorrow. I have to hit the gym and log some hours...just means no TV.

June 5, 2006

Decided not to go to the gym today...couldnt sleep last night and just felt drained...my neck is stiff and just pissy overall. So, with that mindset I decided to play some poker. I am a numbers guy, so I use the power of numbers, mainly $$, to motivate me. I know how a few hours a week can add up to $1000's in very short time. I think maybe I am putting too much pressure on myself to be "on" because i sit down and just cant get up the focus to play. I guess the good part is that I dont play when I dont feel up to it, but thats the bad part too. Today, I felt like crap, lost my first 3 hands that i was all in with a better ace and lost all 3. It got pretty creative...but i kept my head on and opened up a few more and ended up $225. Had aces cracked and came back to win it...strong finish. I was patient and was rewarded with good cards that held up...but i definitely showed some patience and I need to remember to play tight...there is a lot of BS going on, but they will bluff into your monster...and if it happens, you can usually take that momentum and get to the bubble. Anyway, I am back, played 5 sngs and won 2...hopefully I can have a good session tomorrow after I hit the gym.

June 4, 2006

I've been trying to get my live game going...havent been doing much online. I hope to start playing some more, but just havent found the time.

May 29, 2006

I am making nice plays, just losing coin flips...lost 3 of them in a row on the bubble...so putting myself in position to win, just need some hands to hold up. Today, played 2 $55s and a $77. Busted on the $77 when i lost a coin flip...and playing well in the $55s...chip leader on the bubble right now. Lets see if i can finish this one off.

Ok took a 2nd...man, dude sucked out on me heads up with 96 to my A3...when these coin flips even out,this will be fun...so im about even for the night. going to take a break and play some more.

May 28, 2006

I went to Harrah's to play in their $60 tourney. Blinds are crazy in these tourneys, but I wanted to get some live play in if I ever plan to play any of these bigger buy in tourneys...I would rather take some lumps at $60 a buy in than $1000 and up.

I have always felt like I was close to making the final table in the previous 3 times I have played. I would usually find the blinds growing at a scary rate and me going card dead...Occasionally I would catch a hand and lose a race or even get sucked out against.

My hands held up today...I did lose KK to AQ, but it didnt cripple me...and I won a big pot on the next hand with JJ. I ended up getting blinded away and finishing 7th. We all wanted to chop it up for $400 each, but the big stack didnt wanna do it..I dont blame him. But it did hurt my payout...i ended up cashing out $192.

Hoping to play some after the Suns game.

So I played about 9 sngs and finished all 3 out of the money...so got killed tonight. sucks...had success live, not online today. Man, I was close to cashing out too...gotta start the comeback!

May 23,2006

Well, I didnt play last night because I was watching game 7. Tonight, I didnt get home from work until 7, watched tv while I ate dinner, and now I am dead tired. I am gonna hit the sack because I think I am going into work a little early tomorrow...this is going to be another bitch of a week...and so will next week. So, showing discipline by going to the gym and getting my tables in will be key. I think playing on the weekend will be important...and this is a long weekend too. Hitting the sack.

May 22, 2006

Ok, I figured if I wanted to play more poker, I needed a plan...something to gauge my progress because I need that sort of thing. So, I decided that I would set goals and work towards them. I thought a few simple rules would do the trick...and here they are:

1) For every $1000 I win, I will take out $1000.
2) I will redeposit half to get party point bonuses. I might cash out $1500 and redeposit $1000 to get more bonuses. I figure if I am going to cash money out, I might as well make some party points for utilizing my cash.

So, for every $1000 I win, I get to keep $500 bucks and I get 2000 party points. Pretty sweet.

so, I am $321 away from my first cash. I won $520 the past 5 days, so I am just shooting for the next $500 increment in my bankroll...so I am a few days out from cashing hopefully. Now that the rules are set...time to get to work.

May 21, 2006

I had intended on playing a lot this weekend and found myself halfway through Sunday and not having logged a single sng. So, around 5 I decided I needed to play and thought I could get a few sngs in before the Sopranos. I fired up 2 and busted out of one about 30 mins in. I was doing pretty well in the other and decided to fire up one more. I ended up winning both and winning $335 in just over an hour.

I have noticed that since I have been away from the game more, I have much more respect for it. I play every sng like it matters. Seems like when I start to play a higher volume, I just churn then out and care a little less about the outcome. Start to get into the law of large numbers thinking...that this individual game doesnt matter so I play more aggressively. Maybe it is also I am starting to have more respect for money...

May 18, 2006

I had to play today. There really was no option...

So, after working out and watching the Suns game, I was thinking of bailing out on my commitment to play. But, I knew I couldnt let Al down because he took the time to try to motivate me...and I appreciate that.

So, feeling tired, I decided to fire up 2 $55 sngs...about 2 mins into each, i decided i needed to play 1 more. So I 3-tabled tonight. Busted out in one at about level 3...got a bit overaggressive, but made a good move, he just had better cards. I made it into the money on the other 2, getting there as the shortstack both times. I ended up busted in third in one and winning the other. So, a very nice night...no suck outs for me...and none against me. was a nice change of pace.

up $185...feels good. Now I know why I kept telling myself to play!

May 15, 2006

Well, I am at it! Fired up 2 $55s and not too long into it, i get AKo on one and KK on the other...i won a small pot with my AK and got busted when i ran into AA. WELCOME BACK!

Down 2 buy ins and have 2 more fired up. playing well so far...getting in with good hands and being patient...just need my hands to hold up and ill be in business. I feel like playing again :)

ugh, bad start...playing solid, hands arent holding up...protecting them too. tables seem really tight preflop. we dont see many limpers and its amazng what we see being shown down...really quite confusing. bubbled on my last one...still got one going, gonna take a break and fire up some more.

ok, well took a 2nd...so did some damage control...down about 2 buy ins, plus vig...so not too bad on my first sets.

got Kings again...and got a dude to push into me with KQs, and he caught the flush lol i was chip leader, and it didnt cripple me thank god. still going in both...

got a 3rd...im playing well...very happy with my play. get chip lead, take bad beat, get lead again, bad beat...its a solid day. how fitting i got a 3rd when my AK lost to AK...but he was suited and caught the flush...but overall, i thought the games seemed tigher than usual, but most of the guys loosen up later and start to gamble.

I feel I played well...very well i think and ended up cashing my last 2...took a 2nd and a 3rd. nasty beats in both...i woulda had chip lead heads up after my 99 ran into his AA and crippled me, i came back to get 7500 chips and get him all in with K10o to K9o when he pulled flush...sometimes every coin flip goes against you...that was today for me and ended up +$15 bucks after 7 $55 sngs. a good confidence booster. shit, i couda just won a $22 heads up and won more :) but almost $10 in rakeback is always sweet.

overall, im done complaining...and happy to be back at the tables!

May 14. 2006

I have decided that not playing poker is just a bad move on my part. For playing 1 hour a day, I can expect to net anywhere from 1200-2000 a month...even better if i run hot. That is just too much money to pass on. I think I might struggle trying to manage 3 time-consuming activities in my life...work, working out, and poker. i know i would get burned out quickly...but even if I could last a few more months playing poker, it could get me ahead financially...regardless...i want to get back at the tables.

The last time I played any 10-man sngs, i played 3 $55 sngs and took a first...but i have been messing around in the heads up sngs...so i win 18 bucks in 10 mins and usually quit. i find them to be more of a distraction and a novelty...something where i can win a quick few bucks and call it a day. they are a big reason I am not playing 10 man sngs. I will not allow myself to play anymore heads up sngs...until i get focused on the full 10-man ones. lets see what kind of progress I make this week.

April 29, 2006

Played a few sngs today. I played 1 heads up $22 sng and lost, so i fired up 2 $55 10=man sngs on party. Had AA on both within the first 15 mins...one netted me about 450 chips and the other cost me 90% of my chips...had a dude call me with AQs and hit a flush. so, i fired up another sng and ended up winning one. So, im up 63 bucks...gonna try to play more and more...hopefully play about 4-6 sngs a night.

April 24, 2006

Well, I have been dabbling in the heads up sngs with mixed results. I started out messing around and got killed. then, my friend told me he found them easy, which I interpreted as a challenge because I had not experienced the same thing...so I decided to start to play with more purpose.

I have been up and down, but doing solid. Had a funny $22 heads up sng today. we played over 20 mins and i had him all in and behind in every level, but he sucked out every time. I just got incredibly unlucky...and the final hand, he had just over 2000 chips, so i had just under...blinds were 200/400 and i pushed K10s. He calls with AA, of course. so I fired up a $33 because i want to win some $$ if I win, so I have Q6 and min raise. He min raises back to me and the flop comes 2 6 7. I bet out, he pushes...at this point, i just say fuck it and call. He has 52 and my 6s are looking better! turn comes....5! mother F#&!er!! River hits, 7! JUSTICE!

I am heading to the gym, up 5 bucks. i just dont think these heads up sngs are worth it...they are tough to play a few at a time...i gotta get back to the regular sngs.

April 19,2006

My first night back wasnt pretty. I messed around with heads up sngs and ran into some tough luck and bad play on my part. i really felt like a fish...never got into that comfort level, but i will keep on playing and hopefully get back into the groove. Ended up dropping a few hundred last night...hoping for a better night tonight. im gonna play a heads up sng and hit the gym.

So far, won a heads up 22 sng in 3 hands, went and ran 2.75 miles, and then won another 22 sng on the first hand...up 36 bucks, woohooo a winning night.

Ok, actually this first part of the entry was for april 18th. anyway, just starting. lost a few...finally got into a groove, was patient, 6 left, i had JJ raised and had 1 caller, 5 hi flop, he checks i bet pot, he pushes, i call. he shows 99, 9 on turn...not the reward i was looking for. hopefully will turn around...im gonna play for a few hours tonight.

on the bubble...im the 2nd big stack and get AJ on the button...shortstack, has just under half of my stack pushes and i call...he has A9 and catches a flush! my fuckin luck is horrible! still alive though...hoping to cash my first 10 man sng since i started playing again lol how sad

Ok im heads up with a 1:3 chip disadvantage...lets see if those heads up sngs are helping lol

TOOK HIS ASS DOWN!!

April 16, 2006

So I changed up my date format...but no one will notice :)

I thought I would take this opportunity to say Happy Easter to everyone.

I want to get back into playing and hopefully this week will be my week. Working out is a priority and so is my project...hopefully my friends will pick up the slack on my project and i will be disciplined with my working out. What I am asking from myself in terms of playing poker is truly minimal...1 hour a night. I guess I am just feeling rusty and am not mentally ready for a losing session. I need to power through this and just fuckin play!

April 12, 2006

Played 2 $11s to get started...didnt wanna jump into the 77s. now im in 2 22s...didnt play the first 2 very well...

not dong well in the small buy ins...weird play and im just not used to it...after i get these done, i dont know if im gonna jump to the 77s or not. i am getting up, but just making bonehead moves and calls...very rusty....i dont wanna let myself get like this again. when you have a good thing going, dont take it for granted!

I finally settled down and played my game...built up some chips and lost a coin toss with JJ to AK...so i rebuilt and lost A6 to K5. frustrating...but a good sign that i am getting back in the groove.

well, despite some rough luck, i played well and lost 3 hands where i was all in and ahead. hands arent holding up...still feel out of sync, but am getting closer to playing good poker....still trying to press a bit too much, but i think i reigned that in and am ready to log a few more...still down under 70 bucks, so cant really complain.

Playing well with no results...about to crap out on my empire account...so that was a worthwhile free 25 bucks from empire....cashed out over 300 and lost the rest getting back in the game...then again, i am chip leader on a 33 right now and if i win i will be up for the night lol

lost KQs to K9o...i love this game...

now im shortstacked...sucks, not a nice welcome back. fucked again, A3s loses to 68. lost more 3 to 2 and 3 to 1 hands today...so happy i played the lower stakes tables...but maybe i took those losses because i was at a lower stakes table. regardless, i feel better about my game and am ready to move up tomorrow.

Saturday 4/1/2006

Wow, I havent posted in a week. I am almost as bad as Ric.

I guess my new job has been taking up a lot of my time...and i have been going to the gym and stepping up my work on my project...testing will start soon and i will have a good idea about the future of my project here in a month. Poker has taken a back seat this month, but i have a feeling it will return this month. i am shooting for 120 sngs and a 15% ROI. That is my goal for April and it is very attainable! I have always been able to play 120 sngs...the only way I will allow myself to drop below that threshhold is if my project is making me money...lets see if i log any tonight...

Saturday 3/25/2006

Just finished up 3 sngs. Decided to 2 table on the laptop while I watched the UCLA/Memphis game. I ended up busting out on my first sng making a move on the button and lost. I fired up another to have 2 tables running and ended up taking 2nd in the 2nd sng that I started. So I was down juice and shortstacked on my 3rd sng. i fought back and doubled up when there were 5 left. i had A10s on button and pushed my 2900 chips. blinds were 200/400 and the big stack, in the sb, called me. he had 99, i caught a 10 on the turn and the river and took the chip lead. back and forth i made it to heads up a 1:3 chip disadvantage. I played tight and made it hard on this guy...I ended up outplaying him pretty bad heads up...making quite a few moves with absolutely nothing....wrestled the chip lead and took him down. up $329 in just over an hour...gonna go out and watch the Phoenix Suns game. Amare is back and looks awesome!

Friday 3/24/2006

I am in the Party $40k Guaranteed...just doubled up in first 10 mins with KK vs QQ :)

I am also in a $22 3 table sng. Thought I would experiment a bit. I havent played in so long, I'm starting to lose my street cred'! hahahahaahha

Updates to follow!

Busted out of the 3 table sng...never had a hand. Jusst fired up a $77 and about to get into another...almost to first break in the $40k...

First break and I am at 7076. Average is 6300...gotta kick it in gear right after the break...in 2 sngs...no cards, just lost 99 to jj for half my stack...

Lost a hand where i made a move with position...and to a suck out when a dude played a weak ace and caught against my queens. just wasnt feeling the sngs...gonna finish the tourney and see how i feel...play some sngs later.

An hour and a half in and i am at the average...just about 10k.

I have truly gone card dead tonight...but i am still at 10k coming up on 2nd break...i stole a few pots...made a few good moves and picked up some pots to keep me treading water...

went card dead and pushed my A10...Ak called and busted 404th. Not the way i would have wanted to go out, but I didnt get one hand....I got KK early and doubled up, but the only other hand i had stronger than AQo was AA UTG and I raised 3xBB and I took down the shitty blinds. just wasnt my night...i did damn well though with what i had...so a positive effort, but result...i should have folded, but i just got so sick of looking at shit.

I ended up down $142 today. Not a big fan of how I played. If I continue to play like this, I should just cash out and save my money. I need to tighten it up and play more conservative preflop and open it up post flop...actually, may have gotten a bit too aggressive at some points today.

Thursday 3/23/2006

I still havent played poker since last tuesday. Not that I havent wanted to, but working has taken up a lot of time. The college bball tourney has taken up tonight...and I am too tired to play anyway. I hope to log a few sets this weekend and get back into the swing of things...i dont have to work my other job tomorrow, so i will definitely log some tables after hitting the gym!

Monday 3/20/2006

Today i started my new job and had to go to my second job as well...so not sure if i will get around to poker tonight.

Job was great...liked it, the people and everything else...cant wait until the honeymoon is over so i can get down to business!!

If i get a set in, i will update! Otherwise, see ya tomorrow!

Sunday 3/19/2006

I havent played poker in a while...been a nice, mentally stressfree time. There is a definitely balance in terms of how much poker I will be able to play. I am going to try to get my sleep schedule straightened out. I went to bed at 4:00 AM this morning, but have to be at work tomorrow at 8:30 AM....so there is definitely going to be a very tired Ryan the next few days/weeks.

Ok, tomorrow I start my new job, so gotta put on the happy face...god i hate having to put on the happy face...but i am excited to start working. I think once my schedule returns to normal I will start to play more poker...i never had a problem logging 125 sngs a month...and i think that is a good goal for me every month...that will bring in plenty of fun money!

Shit, its not even midnight and i am thinking about hitting the sack. this is definitely going to take some adjusting!

Thursday 3/16/2006

UWM WINS AGAIN!! the Panthers are doing themselves proud again!! They are quite the tourney team, taking down Oklahoma of the Big 12!

I am heading to the gym right now...so trying to get my fat ass in shape. Lots going on, me starting a new job, working out, working on a project, poker, and a second job...something is going to have to give. I will be shedding my second job soon and poker has definitely been pulled back a bit. My project is progressing...we should be finding out soon whether we can make a huge leap forward in the next week or so...anyway, exciting times!

Tennessee just squeaked by Winthrop...Bruce Pearl working his magic in Tennessee! That would have been an epic loss, thank god he pulled it off! Good start to the tourney...Al, Nevada is getting handled with about 6 minutes to go...if the badgers take out U of A, the tourney will be all over for ya :)

EMBRACE THE CHEESE!! UWM, Marquette, and the Badgers will move on to the round of 32!!!

Ok, Marquette came out on fire and closed the 14 point half time deficit to 1, but let it get back to double digits...come on Novak, lets hit some 3s!!!

Marquette closed it to 3 with about 1:40 left!

Down to 1 point with 53 seconds left...Novak hit 2 threes in about a 10 second span...according to espn gamecast...close it out!!! Good effort by Marquette...they only played the 2nd half...cant play half a game in the tourney!

Wednesday 3/15/2006

Going to head out and get something to eat...come back, relax and fire some up. I might play a few sets tonight...depending on how I feel. I think I could definitely play a few more sngs every night...maybe 1-2 sets...but I have only been 3 tabling. I am doing this because I think I can cash a bit more if I spend more time on each table....it is amazing how much information you miss when you are scrambling from table to table.

I sat down at the tables and didnt feel comfortable, so i didnt play any today. There is a $100k freeroll on party on April 2nd, so I am trying to get enough party points to get into this freeroll as soon as possible. I probably wont get there in time, but I plan on getting in one soon! The payout structure is nice...and the winner gets $22k!

im out until tomorrow.

Tuesday 3/14/2006

Psyched to play some more today...just got confirmation that I start my job on Monday...so this week is to just have some fun! I am going to play a set tonight...maybe two, depending on how the first one goes. I am just in very slow, bankroll building mode....no rush!

Firing up a set of 3 and a $55 MTT. the 3rd of the set is just getting underway and nothing significant has happened yet in the other two....updates to follow. QQ in first hand UTG...oh boy! Won a small pot...woohoo!

Took a 3rd and a 1st in my set of 3. I busted out of the MTT before the first break. I caught a flush draw in the big blind and hit it on the river....too bad a dude had the nut flush draw and I got smoked. oh well...overall up $204 tonight...very happy with that...gonna call it a night!

Just got done reviewing my hand history for the one i won...i was down to 657 chips when my set of 4s lost to a set of 9s...but battled back and won it...i got pretty lucky too :)

Monday 3/13/2006

This week I plan on getting back to playing. I am shooting for a minimum of 1 set a day and go from there. Not looking to push it, just to log about 125 sngs a month...

The college basketball tourney bracket has been set and that is my new priority. The Badgers play Arizona on Friday, so that is an ironic twist. I would love to see the Badgers beat up on the Wildcats!!

If I can average 6 $77 sngs a day, I can make about $700 a week playing poker...so that will be my ambitious goal...I am still shooting for 4 sngs which should net about $500 a week. Either one, i would be very happy with. those are both nice enough numbers to substantially supplement my income. And who knows, if the itch returns, I will be logging more tables. Or, maybe if I wanted to save up for vacation or a car, I could log a few extra tables and put the extra money towards whatever I happen to be playing for...I think the next toy is a TV!

So I fired up 3 sngs...updates to follow.

Had one epic suckout flush, but had AA lose to 22, JJ to 66...a couple brutal beats...but none have knocked me out yet!

just busted out 3rd in one...i couldnt suck out like the rest of those fuckers!

Had a good set...played 3, got a 2nd and a 3rd. Played well...I was really ready to play. I was going crazy with boredom and needed something to occupy my mind. I guess i missed how much poker did that for me and then i would push it and concentrate to exhaustion. Maybe this was a lesson I needed to learn...one of those lessons you have to go through youself before you can truly understand it. I think I just need to find the right level of play...and when i reach that, in order to make more, just add tables, NOT SETS!

Ended the night after an hour...up $119. Satisfied with that!

Thursday 3/9/2006

Going to chill tonight. I am going to be playing in the $40k Guaranteed tonight and might play a few sngs...Definitely going to fire one up as i play the first part of the $40k...to keep myself entertained and fulfill my need for action.

$40k goes off in about 15 mins...I sure hope some of my hands hold up early...All I ask is that my first 2 confrontations, if ahead, they hold up. And, if i am behind, I hope to suck out....is that really too much to ask?

Updates to come...

Had to update...started the $40k at a table with 6 people...got dealt 55 in the BB. 2 limpers and the SB completed. I checked. Flopped comes 2 4 5. I opened for a 40 chip min raise, one fold and i was reraised to 225. one fold and i called. turn came a 7, i checked and he pushed, i called and he showed AA...river was a 10 and I doubled up in the first hand...

7 mins later, busted another dude with my AKs vs A9s...i caught top pair and he pushed with flush draw on turn...sucka!

Just lost to a str8 on the river...but still sitting with well over 7500 in chips and well over the average...i had over 10k though...im gonna rock this bitch! Im gonna play in a sng satelitte for entry into a $250 buy in $35k guaranteed here at Gila River Casino...winner is guaranteed $10k. $30 buy in winner take all...gets entry and $50 cash.

Ok, first break...I made it :)

I did play a hand too weakly and it ended up costing me...I deserved to lose it, but if I would have played it better, i would have been in amazing position...live and learn.

at the first break, i have 8195 and sitting pretty nicely. tourney started with 2224 and there are only 1064 left, average stack is 6271...so i am going to have to make some moves after the break...lets see what happens.

Well, i busted, but im cool with it. i took a hit early when i raised the 100/200 blinds to 1500 cuz there were 5 limpers and got 1 caller. I had QQ and this buy called with K10...he caught a king...laughable. I just knew i dont have the focus for poker right now...it just doesnt have my interest and i guess thats part of the reason why i realized i need to play less and find a better job. Kinda sucks coming to that realization, BUT it is good that i found a great job and now i can play poker part time for fun money..if i devote an hour a night every month i should be able to win 1500-2000 on the average month, which is a nice chunk of change in its own right, so i think I am going to pull back a bit...playing poker for a living just isnt for me...not that i am not skilled enough because i have proven to myself that i can grind these sngs with success.

I feel a lot of weight off my shoulders...and i think i am going to take a break from party poker for a while and just chill. time to start concentrating on my new job...

Wednesday 3/8/2006

So I received my formal job offer letter. It is contingent on my clean background check, but that shouldnt be a problem...never had a problem before, so I will be starting on the 16th of March...gives me just over a week to enjoy myself...VEGAS THIS WEEKEND BABY!!!

I plan to play quite a bit of poker in the next week...

I need to play at least some today...no excuses.

Fired up my first set of 4 $77s.

Busted out of one so far...had KK cracked by J 10. but, i did take down AKo with my AQs :)

so i got sucked out two times, but hav ebeen playing well and it didnt bust me on either. Lost JJ to A9s and AJs to A2o to make the money...that was fuckin BS.

Just lost a coinflip to bust...88 vs AKs...tough one. Losing pretty much everything

still in 2, on bubble in both...and not the shortstack in either...

just keeps sucking out...i have AJs and he calls with Q3s and catches 2 3s lol

on the bubble...keep getting sucked out by the same crapy player...hes terrible...so 1 third in this set...down a little...gonna play some more

I am going to play 2 $77s and open up the $2k Added, $109 tourney...

Busted out of tourney...played ok, got sucked out on and got shortstacked and had to gamble

Just bubbled out of a $77 and fired up another...i have another going...have a solid stack with 7 to go...if i dont cash at least 210 from these 2, im done for tonight...cards arent falling and my hands when Im ahead are losing and i havent sucked out too much....just once. when this happens early, it usually means a long night, so I will listen to the warning signs and quit if it continues during these 2...

just lost another coinflip to make the money...was raised 3xBB by SB, so i pushed my 77 and he had AQs...he got quad As lol

bubbled again...mother fucker. my pocket 8s ran into KK...sigh.

lost again...not my night. Played very well the first set and just got ass raped, but the 2nd set was all me...i thought a second set would be ok because I was playing well, but maybe the suckouts i suffered should be read as a sign that even good play tonight will not be rewarded.

I am in a $55 regular tourney...once this is over, im done for the night.

if i can make it to break, ill update.

Well, I fought back to even in the tourney and get AA. I raise the 100/200 blinds to 650 and get called by big blind...flop comes king hi, 3 clubs...i dont like it, but didnt expect to see a flush...well, he had 82 of clubs and i lost...FUCK THAT SHIT!

Im gonna take a break...i cashed out 2000, gonna redeposit 500 in 3 separate transactions to get some party points...im gonna then move up to silver status by the end of the month I hope...and will shoot for gold in the 3 months after this month. Im sick of poker for a while...gonna chill.

Tuesday 3/7/2006

Ok, so I got a new job today. I interviewed, hammered it, and they liked me...First job I have ever been excited about the prospect of working there...so this is a good thing.

I know this is a departure from what I have been saying about what I want to do with my time...but I have realized there is just so much time in the day to waste that I needed to be productive. I have been struggling with my discipline right now...not that I am not getting things done, but I just know I can do everything I want/need to do, but I can also do that with a full time job...I can play poker after work and I can work on my project after work and on weekends...If it ever materializes into what I envision...Then I really don't need to worry about anything, so accepting this job was just a smart move on my part...very fortunate to have it!

So, I am going out to dinner in a little while and will fire up a set or two in a few hours...

Ok, so I pussed out and didnt play tonight...the real reason is that I just didnt feel like playing...enjoying my new job!

BUT, I thought I would change up my blog a little. I see a lot of shit that pisses me off and I dont have a place to document and air my grievances and to add a little commentary into my life and my interests...today, SPORTS!!

Poker has taken a bit of the steam from my passion for sports, but I think that will quickly change. I find what is going on in baseball to be so funny that it makes me sad that the sportswriters have to act like politicians when it comes to things like STERIODS. I used to work in a baseball shop in the late 80s. Back then, i had clemens, bonds, mcgwire, griffey rookie cards coming out of my ears. Not to mention my favorite player, whom I named my goldfish after, KIRBY PUCKETT (RIP)!! What i find so funny and bullshit about whats going on is when i used to follow these guys religiously, mcgwire could hit homers, shit 49 as a rookie, but he wasnt the monstrosity he was at the end of his career...look at Sosa and Bonds...I was bigger than those dudes, but they became these enormous, pill popping, steriod injecting GAZILLIONAIRES. To make these players out to be the bad guys, thats messed up. i agree it is bullshit, but there were no repercussions...oh, wait, there was one... A HUGE FUCKIN CONTRACT! look at guys like cecil fielder...big and fat when he got into the league, big a fat when he retired. lets put him in the hall cuz we know his ass is natural. this isnt a commentary on how to reform anything, but it is my one place where i can put blame where it belongs...BUD SELIG, you hurt the game of baseball by turning a blind eye to this problem and now there are a lot of heros being villified due to your own incompetence...why the fuck would baseball let the owner of one of the teams that struggles the most run the whole fuckin league? Politicians and people in power in MLB must just live on a different planet. look at a picture of barry bonds when he was a rookie...look at his face. now, look at the pictures you see on TV...if you think hard work in the weight room makes your face look that much different, those fat motherfuckers never stepped foot in a gym. Man, i must be some sort of clarvoyant...i knew this before some stupid ass book told me so. and i also dont expect a grand jury to bring out the truth...what a waste of tax payer $$. this country is so fucked up...

anyway, this was pretty fun. gonna try to add more of these little personal tidbits in with poker stuff as well...this is me, strong opinions on everything, but i dont give a shit about anything!

Monday 3/6/2006

Today, I fired up 4 sngs and finished all of them ITM!

the first one to finish up, I ended up taking 2nd...so that was a good start...i finished the next one 3rd and that paid for my set right there. I then finished up 2nd (frustrating. i dominated the winner and he sucked out about 3 times on me during bubble and itm and i couldnt get a hand to hold up.) But, I did suck out on bubble in the one I won...I had JJ and a J came on flop and I took down QQ. I had Jacks a lot tonight and caught a few sets with them...overall, a solid night...up over $600.

Sunday 3/5/2006

I know I have to play, but I decided to play some lower stakes games on Empire. I still have $110 bucks in there and fired up a $22 and an $11...

Up $15 on Empire...fired up 4 on party.

just lost KK to JJ...just busted out of 1...still doing well in the other 3 though...and woulda been close to chip leader had my kings held up...still grinding.

Ended up winning about $300 tonight...so overall, a solid start to my comeback.

Saturday 3/4/2006

I am in the process of firing up some $77s and $109s. Going to try a set of 4 and see how I feel. I think I finally shook off that horrible feeling from teh other night...lets hope I can start the comeback!!

Bubbled out of 1 $109 and busted 6th in the other...on bubble on a 77 and still alive in the other 77...maybe i stick around here for a while before concentrating on the $109s.

Ok, took down a $77 and broke about even for the set...made 1 bad move on a $109 and it cost me. The other $77 I was on I got a bit unlucky and bubbled...but overall things have returned to normal...

My gameplan for the month is to win at least $2k. I WILL NOT BE PLAYING ANY $109s THIS MONTH. The only stipluation is that if I can make my $2k, then I will be able to play a few $109s to start learning the differences. The only major difference is that there are less donks and play is a bit tighter...once you are in a hand, there are more moves being made...a much better game than the $55s, but still very beatable...more patience is necessary. Learning to fold a hand is an essential skill on the $109s...most people on the $77s lack that skill!

Wednesday 3/1/2006

Well, I cannot let last night get me down..My goals are as follows:

450 $77+ sngs
15% ROI

Let's get em done!

After getting killed last night...I just wanted to play a few relaxing games. Well, my KK got cracked by the flush...I lost another bubble on a $109, and am on the bubble right now, shortstacked on a $77...need to cash here!

Tuesday 2/28/2006

REVIEW:

Well, another month has come and gone. Great month for me. These first few months were so key! I knew it was so important for me to do well because I needed to build a bankroll quickly enough where I can draw from it if necessary, yet let it build fast enough to get me to that point. My goal had been to grind out the $55s while trying to get to about $8000 so I could start to learn the $109s. Then, I was going to add tables until I was 8-tabling them.

Currently, I am 4-tabling the $77s (Thanks for adding this intermediate step to the $109s Party!) I plan on staying here for a few months because I am doing pretty well at them...I would like to build my bankroll to over $12k before I move up full time to the $109s. I did play a $109...during one of my losing days. This is one of the perks that being very conservative with my bankroll affords me. When I was down about $1000, I played a $109 and took it down...a nice $500 bump to the bankroll and help me jumpstart my comeback.

I hope to get a few sets in tonight...and I need to come up with some goals for April...I need to take a good look at where I stand make some forecasts on how many sngs I believe I will be able to play. Looking back on this month, this has been my best month playing so far. I will post some stats later.

So far today, I lost 2 sngs...lost KK to 10 10 to a river 10...and another, I flopped nut str8, only to lose to a river full house...so far, just bad luck...playing well.

Bubbled on a bad move by me...I was shortstack with 4 to go, doubled up and was 2x the shortstack when i hit my queen high flop with AQ, and called a push...dude held KK and i lost. I would have to play it the same...have to play for first, but just sucked to get close and not cash...

Just playing well...have so much confidence...I need to play more right now because I am playing very well...results havent shown it today yet...but they will.

Another nasty suck out...my QQ lost to A9o lol. These people will call anything. a straight, 9-K hit the board..so I got a set and lost. These people where I play are just idiots and I love them for it...it just hurts sometimes when their stupidity starts to hit...but, without them, the good times wouldnt be nearly as juicy...taking a break...back at it in a few.

I am starting up my 3rd set of the night...first 2 and I am down about 250. So, not too bad. It will often take me 20 mins to get 4 tables open. I am thinking as soon as I hit $8000, I will start opening a $109 in there as well...hoping to play 2 of each pretty soon...so far, I have been waiting 3 minutes and there are only 2 people on the table...this is torture! Ive noticed there are a ton of people at the old denominations, $55s and $109s, but about half as many on the $77s. I thought there would be more people using the $77s as an intermediate step between teh $55s and the $109s. I just hope I can run hot for another week so I can roll myself for a $109 table. I am gonna grind tonight until I am up or about even...so I might be in for the long haul! Stay tuned and I will post stats after I get there :)

Just fired up a set...2 $77s and 2 $109s...lets roll!

Tough tonight...really going card dead when it counts...struggling, but still going at it!

TIGHTEN UP DUDE, TIGHTEN UP!!!

Getting my ass handed to me...just a string of epic beats...i raise preflop to over 3xbb and dude calls with j9o and catches 2 pair...what a joke...and that was on a $109. I guess I need to just push that shit...but i really dont think so.

Just the worst night of beat ever...dont even want to post the last one...down a ton...I need to get crackin tomorrow zfternoon...shakes this shit out of my head.

my final bad beat of the night...on the bubble...in 2nd short stack and call teh shorty's push...i have A5 he has K5 and he gets a full house...lol, unfuckingreal

I think i dropped about 20 buy ins. Just horrible play by everyone...but I was making great calls and plays, but just got outdrawn every time...I just dont understand why it doesnt change at all? I mean...damn. I gotta get some sleep and I will be at it early tomorrow.!

Monday 2/27/2006

Just finished up my first set tonight. I think listening to my instincts when it is time to play is key. I just wasnt up to playing earlier...and sat down a few times with the intention of playing, but I just knew that I couldnt concentrate for 1 hour straight.

A few hours later, my roomates when to the movies and I figured I would have some time to myself and just play poker...not that they ever bother me, but I would be alone with nothing to do. They left, I fired up 4, and finished 1, 3, 1, 5 to net me over 600! And, last night I played 4 and won $332, so my last 8 sngs, I made $934!! God I love poker.

I am having a lot of success...I decided I would stop talking about where I play, unless it is a tourney...It is just better business that way. I have accounts on a few sites and play them all...but it is better to just document my progress and leave the finer details out of it.

So, the past few days I have pulled back on the number I have played, but have won a lot playing sngs...when the rough times hit, the volume of play really helps because rakeback becomes substantial...but I am shooting to hit 7500-8000 ASAP to get my 100 buy ins for the $77s. It will also allow me to play a few $109s to learn to adjust my game. I did play one and won it, but one is obviously not enough to hang my hat on. I know my game can adjust to play on the $109s, but I am in no hurry to move up. It is time to really start to pad my bankroll...I would love to take a few grand out a month and let my roll build 1-2k a month until I was rolled for the $215s. That is where I think I might never venture into...at least not for a while. I can make plenty without really challenging myself at the $77s, muchless the $109s...If i can 4-8 table the $109s, life would be sweet!

Still building...still grinding...and THANK GOD, still winning!

Sunday 2/26/2006

Man, got a really late start today. About 4 and havent done a damn thing :)

It's ok though...did some good work last night. For such a marginal night, it really did boost my confidence because when I lost, I was rarely outplayed last night. I usually got it in with the best and had a string of epic beats...After reading my posts from last night, it was pretty bad. Plus, when I got into the money, I took too many 3rds, a few 2nds and a 1st. But, my bubble play was good and I did a lot of limping into the money. I know, I usually do play for first, but I just needed consistent cashes...so I went for the money on the bubble if I was one of the shorter stacks...My game seems very profitable at the $77s...and staying away from the speed just allows me to play my game the whole way through...Patient, peddle nuts.

Going to get started sometime soon...just wanted to get today's entry rollin.

First set in the books. I went 3, 1, 3, 5. The 5th was crappy...lost my AK to AQ when he flopped a Q. All in all, great set.

Got distractted tonight after my solid session. Working on my project with my friends, so didnt log any sngs after the first 4. It's ok though...this is a new week!!

I am really pleased with my progress so far...some of the first challenges and decisions I have made recently are really paying off.

First, I am logging the number of sngs, or at least getting closer to logging them, that would allow me to make significant rakeback. enough where I wouldnt have to pull from my bankroll. So, my first challenge I used this blog to overcome has increased my chances of success just due to the increased amount of rakeback I am receiving. I just up to the $77s which is a 40% increase in rake, and therefore, my rakeback. I should be able to log well over 300 sngs this month...still need to get that number up. I am still shooting for 450 sngs a month...need to keep increasing the number I play.

My decision to use a 100 buy in threshold before I move up is also paying dividends...maybe not necessarily when it comes to my bankroll, but definitely in terms of keeping me mentally focused and keeping my risk of burnout low.

I have also set a 5 week goal for myself. Party poker has different players club member levels. My goal by the end of march is to get into their silver level, then in 3 more get to gold...not sure what this will do, but it will give me a nice goal to work towards. And, because the level of play needs to be at least 300 sngs a month to achieve this, it helps me stay on track to meet my volume requirements...

Playing the regulars is a good move for myself as well as

Saturday 2/25/2006

Played 1 speed and 1 regular sng this afternoon and took 3rd and 2nd. Played really patiently...even when I was shortstack early. I am noticing when I give into that desire to speed up my play, I find I end up losing so much more. I think it is really important to take a little more time between sets than I have, sometimes not taking any time at all. I think if you are too eager to get at the tables, then you might want to cool off a bit before sitting down. I want to sit down calm and mentally refreshed. Time to get going...I still need $250 more to get back to even from last night's fiasco.

Fired up a speed and a regular, entered the 250 max $44 buy in on Party. Starts in 45 mins. thought I would go have some fun.

Lost 2 already...ran into AA when I had KK and JJ....no suckout. Ran into KK with AK...man, not a good night...gonna finish up these two and take a break and play the tourney.

10 10 just ran into JJ...tough, tough.

My JJ ran into 10 10 in the tourney...good right? NOPE.

flopped 2 pair, got a sucker to call me, he catches his kicker on river to beat me...man, just not meant to be

KK just lost to J9...and these are all consecutive losses...im not losing close hands outside of these.

had a great call of a bluff on the flop on the bubble...but once again, 4 to the flush hits the board and takes me out...really bad run today...still powering thru.

OK, i have decided i wont be playing any more speed tourneys...

I think the Party tables are down...I finished up 3rd in my last one...ran into KK with my A10s...just not meant to be tonight...maybe try empire.

Man, such and up and down night...the swings here are just incredible...but i am learning to deal with them. as you can see, my night has been pretty crazy. I need to keep these kinds of night in the forefront of my mind. It will help me realize that these sorts of swings are common and that if I want to do this long term, i need to power through them and keep playing.

I started up two sngs, a speed and a regular...busted out of the speed and took 3rd in the regular. then i started up 3 regular tourneys and ended up 3, 1, 3. When I got to heads up in the one I won, the guy was disconnected for about 2 minutes. I didnt raise too quickly, but i ended up sucking a few 1000 in chips and crippled him before he got back on...he fought back, but I won :)

Overall, logged a ton of sngs...and am up a few hundred on the day.

Friday 2/24/2006

Ok, Gonna get going in a few...cut the chit chat and play some poker fool!

i guess technically its Saturday, but I am getting my ass kicked all the same. I started out ok, but then after a few bad beats, I just started to run bad. I played well and lost a bunch of nasty ones on the river...3 of them, I had the better pair, but lost to the board catching 4 to a flush. just plain nastiness.

But, I decided to play a $109. Played it very well...concentrated and took it down. So that was a nice boost when I was getting my ass handed to me....But, here is part of my conservative bankroll strategy. I was able to move up and play a level above where i normally do. What i do it chill out, relax and try to play it as well as I can...I made a crazy bluff and accidentally showed my hand lol...But, it was only a marginal bluff...Pretty much I raised with AQo in CO+2. BB called and I missed the king hi flop, raised strong, got called, raised strong again and he folded...I think it got me more respect at the table actually.

I joined a $22 tourney, $10k Guaranteed. Just tripled up when my 10 10 push held up against AKo and A5s. 1k above the average...not quite at the first break. If i can make a solid comeback tonight...I am pretty sure at one point when I had about 3 tables open, i was down over $1100...I sure hope to end the night close to even, but i am logging a shit load of sngs and rakeback! Now, i just got to get back to even...I had been running hot, so this was inevitable.

First break, 5610 in chips, average is 6130. I lost quite a few early because i was concentrating on the $109 sng I was playing...then tripled up, then did nothing....I usually go great after 1st break when I do well in a tourney...lets see how it goes.

Second break...at least I am still around. Havent done much, but 22 away from the money. I am at 9926, about half the average...gonna need to double up soon. holy shit, blinds are 600/1200..got KQ first hand in late position, gonna push it. that got me up to over 13k, stole the blinds and one limper...sweet

Busted out 55th and netted like 20 bucks. I made a move and got reraised and had to fold...then lost my push a few hands later.

tonight, I logged a bunch, but ended up losing about $450, but was down much, much more, so not a bad finish. And, won my first $109, so maybe will move up and just 2 table them.