Monday, September 21, 2009
We're moving. Yes, all three of us.
"From 50 bucks to 50K" is being retooled. It will take a while, but the new site will be located at: askthefish.org — so please bookmark the new site and head there from now on.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Heads up in 45-player SNG
Heads-up in a 45-player, $11 SNG. First place is $171. Second is $112.50.
Stacks:
Hero with 38170
Villain with 29330
Blinds: 600-1,200
Dealt to SB:6♥ 6♣
Preflop: Hero calls [600]
Villain was aggressive, so my plan was to flat call and then re-raise or possibly even shove preflop. I was more than happy to get it in preflop with a pair. But I really thought he would raise then fold to a reraise.
BB checks
Potsize: 2,400
Surprise! Villain checked. Messed up my plan a bit, but whatever.
Flop: 3♠ 7♦ 3♣
BB checks
Hero bets [1,200]
BB raises to 2,400
Hero calls [1,200]
Potsize: 7,200
I thought my hand was probably good. I made a weak bet hoping for a raise. When he min-raised, I altered from my plan of re-re-raising and just flat-called.
Turn: A♦
BB checks
Hero bets [3,600]
BB calls [3,600]
Potsize: 14,400
I don't think the ace helped him. If he had an ace, we would have got it all-in preflop. But this guy keeps checking to me and then calling, which is showing some strength. I'm starting to wonder whether I'm behind.
River: 6♦
Well, maybe I was behind.
BB checks
Hero bets [8,400]
BB raises to 22,130, and is all in
Hero calls [13,730]
Results:
BB shows : 4♥ 3♦
Hero shows : 6♥ 6♣
Villain shows trip threes.
Hero wins the pot (58,660) with a full house, Sixes full of Threes
At this point, Villain and a friend of his, who were observing, started spewing, telling me how stupid I was, yappity, yappity yap. But this guy slowplayed his way to oblivion He check-called the turn when a second diamond hit, then re-raise shoved the river when the third one came.
I checked his numbers online, and he's rolled through about $1,200 online while I'm up to almost $1,900 now, so I guess the numbers tell the story.
Stacks:
Hero with 38170
Villain with 29330
Blinds: 600-1,200
Dealt to SB:6♥ 6♣
Preflop: Hero calls [600]
Villain was aggressive, so my plan was to flat call and then re-raise or possibly even shove preflop. I was more than happy to get it in preflop with a pair. But I really thought he would raise then fold to a reraise.
BB checks
Potsize: 2,400
Surprise! Villain checked. Messed up my plan a bit, but whatever.
Flop: 3♠ 7♦ 3♣
BB checks
Hero bets [1,200]
BB raises to 2,400
Hero calls [1,200]
Potsize: 7,200
I thought my hand was probably good. I made a weak bet hoping for a raise. When he min-raised, I altered from my plan of re-re-raising and just flat-called.
Turn: A♦
BB checks
Hero bets [3,600]
BB calls [3,600]
Potsize: 14,400
I don't think the ace helped him. If he had an ace, we would have got it all-in preflop. But this guy keeps checking to me and then calling, which is showing some strength. I'm starting to wonder whether I'm behind.
River: 6♦
Well, maybe I was behind.
BB checks
Hero bets [8,400]
BB raises to 22,130, and is all in
Hero calls [13,730]
Results:
BB shows : 4♥ 3♦
Hero shows : 6♥ 6♣
Villain shows trip threes.
Hero wins the pot (58,660) with a full house, Sixes full of Threes
At this point, Villain and a friend of his, who were observing, started spewing, telling me how stupid I was, yappity, yappity yap. But this guy slowplayed his way to oblivion He check-called the turn when a second diamond hit, then re-raise shoved the river when the third one came.
I checked his numbers online, and he's rolled through about $1,200 online while I'm up to almost $1,900 now, so I guess the numbers tell the story.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Aces cracked
Can I get away from this? Put the guy on AK for some reason, which seems odd since I had two aces.
Stacks:
UTG with $39.60
UTG+1 with $75.95
MP1 with $95.25
MP2 with $49.45
Villain with $50.00
BTN with $71.05
SB with $49.50
BB with $10.35
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to UTG+1:A♣ A♦
Preflop:
UTG calls [$0.50]
UTG+1 raises to $2
2 players fold.
Villain calls [$2]
4 players folded.
Total folds this street: 6
Potsize: $5.25
Flop: K♥ 5♦ J♣
UTG+1 bets [$3]
4 players fold.
Villain raises to $8
UTG+1 calls [$5]
Potsize: $21.25
Turn: 6♠
UTG+1 checks
Villain bets [$13]
UTG+1 raises to $40
Villain calls [$27] [ all-in ]
UTG+1 shows : A♣ A♦
Villain shows : 5♠ 5♣
Potsize: $101.25
River: 2♦
UTG+1 shows a pair of Aces
Villain shows three of a kind, Fives
Villain wins the pot ($98.25) with three of a kind, Fives
Stacks:
UTG with $39.60
UTG+1 with $75.95
MP1 with $95.25
MP2 with $49.45
Villain with $50.00
BTN with $71.05
SB with $49.50
BB with $10.35
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to UTG+1:A♣ A♦
Preflop:
UTG calls [$0.50]
UTG+1 raises to $2
2 players fold.
Villain calls [$2]
4 players folded.
Total folds this street: 6
Potsize: $5.25
Flop: K♥ 5♦ J♣
UTG+1 bets [$3]
4 players fold.
Villain raises to $8
UTG+1 calls [$5]
Potsize: $21.25
Turn: 6♠
UTG+1 checks
Villain bets [$13]
UTG+1 raises to $40
Villain calls [$27] [ all-in ]
UTG+1 shows : A♣ A♦
Villain shows : 5♠ 5♣
Potsize: $101.25
River: 2♦
UTG+1 shows a pair of Aces
Villain shows three of a kind, Fives
Villain wins the pot ($98.25) with three of a kind, Fives
Three blind bluffs
Thoughts, please.
Stacks:
exm0nstr with $42.85
BTN with $55.85
SB with $72.65
BB with $45.55
UTG with $10.00
UTG+1 with $60.00
MP1 with $70.50
MP2 with $50.35
MP3 with $7.10
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN:T♠ K♠
Preflop:
1 players fold.
MP1 raises to $2
MP2 calls [$2]
2 players fold.
Hero calls [$2]
2 players folded.
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: $6.75
Two calls. On button. Hand that can be totally dominated. Sure, I'll call.
Flop: 7♣ 5♦ 6♦
MP1 checks
MP2 checks
Two checks. In position. Sure, I'll take a shot at the pot.
Hero bets [$4]
MP1 calls [$4]
MP2 calls [$4]
Potsize: $18.75
Turn: Q♥
MP1 checks
MP2 checks
Two checks. In position. I can't fire again. Can I? Pot's pretty big. I'll take another shot.
Hero bets [$10]
MP1 calls [$10]
MP2 calls [$10]
Potsize: $48.75
River: 2♣
MP1 checks
MP2 checks
If one of these guys had a monster, they would have bet here, right? Two checks. I'll fire again. What other choice do I have?
Hero bets [$11]
2 players fold.
Uncalled bet of $11 returned to Hero Hero wins the pot ($46.35)
Uh. OK.
Stacks:
exm0nstr with $42.85
BTN with $55.85
SB with $72.65
BB with $45.55
UTG with $10.00
UTG+1 with $60.00
MP1 with $70.50
MP2 with $50.35
MP3 with $7.10
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN:T♠ K♠
Preflop:
1 players fold.
MP1 raises to $2
MP2 calls [$2]
2 players fold.
Hero calls [$2]
2 players folded.
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: $6.75
Two calls. On button. Hand that can be totally dominated. Sure, I'll call.
Flop: 7♣ 5♦ 6♦
MP1 checks
MP2 checks
Two checks. In position. Sure, I'll take a shot at the pot.
Hero bets [$4]
MP1 calls [$4]
MP2 calls [$4]
Potsize: $18.75
Turn: Q♥
MP1 checks
MP2 checks
Two checks. In position. I can't fire again. Can I? Pot's pretty big. I'll take another shot.
Hero bets [$10]
MP1 calls [$10]
MP2 calls [$10]
Potsize: $48.75
River: 2♣
MP1 checks
MP2 checks
If one of these guys had a monster, they would have bet here, right? Two checks. I'll fire again. What other choice do I have?
Hero bets [$11]
2 players fold.
Uncalled bet of $11 returned to Hero Hero wins the pot ($46.35)
Uh. OK.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Interesting hand from 10-25 cash game
I have been playing a little bit of cash online and thought this was an interesting hand.
I question whether I should call three big bets in this case since the SB could easily have a 7. But after the fact, it is clear he played it even worse than I did. I mean, I could have easily had a 7 in the BB, and he probably should have slowed down a bit after firing the first two bets.
Tell me what you think.
Stacks:
UTG with $29.26
UTG+1 with $26.63
MP1 with $23.70
MP2 with $24.50
MP3 with $99.73
CO with $39.22
BTN with $25.00
SB with $41.55
BB with $50.01
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BB:A♠ T♣
Preflop:
5 players fold.
CO raises to $0.75
BTN calls [$0.75]
SB calls [$0.65]
Hero calls [$0.50]
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: $3
I hate my hand here. ATo is easily crushed. But I can't see any other way to play this properly than to call.
Flop:
A♦ 7♠ 7♥
SB bets [$3]
Hero calls [$3]
2 players folded.
Total folds this street: 2
Potsize: $9
A pot-sized bet into this flop does not smell like a 7 at all, so I call, planning to fold if the SB shows a lot of strength on the turn.
Turn:
10♦
SB bets [$9]
2 players fold.
Hero calls [$9]
Potsize: $27
This is either the worst card or the best card in the deck for me. If he's playing AQ or AJ, it's great. If he's playing 87, the T just got me deeper into a hand I pondered dumping.
River:
5♣
SB bets [$27]
Hero calls [$27]
This $27 bet only makes sense if he played a hand like 87 preflop. But it just doesn't add up. Still thinking that a guy who flopped trips would not have fired on the flop, I call this and pray.
Results:
SB shows :
A♣ K♦
Hero shows :
A♠ 10♣ Hero wins the pot ($78) with two pair, Aces and Tens
I question whether I should call three big bets in this case since the SB could easily have a 7. But after the fact, it is clear he played it even worse than I did. I mean, I could have easily had a 7 in the BB, and he probably should have slowed down a bit after firing the first two bets.
Tell me what you think.
Stacks:
UTG with $29.26
UTG+1 with $26.63
MP1 with $23.70
MP2 with $24.50
MP3 with $99.73
CO with $39.22
BTN with $25.00
SB with $41.55
BB with $50.01
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BB:A♠ T♣
Preflop:
5 players fold.
CO raises to $0.75
BTN calls [$0.75]
SB calls [$0.65]
Hero calls [$0.50]
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: $3
I hate my hand here. ATo is easily crushed. But I can't see any other way to play this properly than to call.
Flop:
A♦ 7♠ 7♥
SB bets [$3]
Hero calls [$3]
2 players folded.
Total folds this street: 2
Potsize: $9
A pot-sized bet into this flop does not smell like a 7 at all, so I call, planning to fold if the SB shows a lot of strength on the turn.
Turn:
10♦
SB bets [$9]
2 players fold.
Hero calls [$9]
Potsize: $27
This is either the worst card or the best card in the deck for me. If he's playing AQ or AJ, it's great. If he's playing 87, the T just got me deeper into a hand I pondered dumping.
River:
5♣
SB bets [$27]
Hero calls [$27]
This $27 bet only makes sense if he played a hand like 87 preflop. But it just doesn't add up. Still thinking that a guy who flopped trips would not have fired on the flop, I call this and pray.
Results:
SB shows :
A♣ K♦
Hero shows :
A♠ 10♣ Hero wins the pot ($78) with two pair, Aces and Tens
KJs is brutal
Is two months too long to find out what hand costs me more money than any other? Mentioned it in June and then never revisited the issue.
The worst hand: KJ suited. And it's not even close.
According to Poker Copilot, KJ suited costs me twice as much per time it's dealt to me than the second-worst hand, which is ... I have no idea. I'm having some computer issues, and Poker Copilot might be one of the issues. I'll look into it and try to report back at some point.
Still, a quick view at the stats has helped me plug a leak. I look at KJs a lot differently than I used to. It goes in the muck a lot more than it used to, even though I don't remember playing it very often in the past. I just think that, when I did play it and did hit it, it ended up costing me a lot of money.
It doesn't mean I've tightened up even more. It just means I've replaced hands like KJs with more suited connectors, suited one-gappers, etc. It's probably way past time for me to open it up a bit anyway.
The worst hand: KJ suited. And it's not even close.
According to Poker Copilot, KJ suited costs me twice as much per time it's dealt to me than the second-worst hand, which is ... I have no idea. I'm having some computer issues, and Poker Copilot might be one of the issues. I'll look into it and try to report back at some point.
Still, a quick view at the stats has helped me plug a leak. I look at KJs a lot differently than I used to. It goes in the muck a lot more than it used to, even though I don't remember playing it very often in the past. I just think that, when I did play it and did hit it, it ended up costing me a lot of money.
It doesn't mean I've tightened up even more. It just means I've replaced hands like KJs with more suited connectors, suited one-gappers, etc. It's probably way past time for me to open it up a bit anyway.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Some good results
The poker gods are screwing with me again.
Just when I was ready to log off for an extended period, a few good things happened:
— I cashed for $100 in $10 tournaments twice in three days.
— Sharkscope upgraded me to "shark" status for the first time.
— Full Tilt sent me $100. (Apparently a player I referred went on a poker binge and earned me $100.)
I crossed the $1,600 mark for the first time. (Thanks in part, of course, to the extra $100.)
Just when I was ready to log off for an extended period, a few good things happened:
— I cashed for $100 in $10 tournaments twice in three days.
— Sharkscope upgraded me to "shark" status for the first time.
— Full Tilt sent me $100. (Apparently a player I referred went on a poker binge and earned me $100.)
I crossed the $1,600 mark for the first time. (Thanks in part, of course, to the extra $100.)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Cool features on Poker Copilot
When I finally got the full-fledged version of Poker Copilot, I thought it would start tracking my results from that point. Little did I know, it would analyze every hand I've ever played since the hand histories are still tucked neatly somewhere on my hard drive. Cool.
One cool feature is that you can sort your starting hands in order from best to worst results. It ranks every possible hand based on average number of big blinds won when you are dealt that starting hand. My top 10 best hands make sense for the most part:
1. AA
2. AKs
3. KK
4. QQ
5. AKo
6. JJ
7. TT
8. ATs
9. 55
10. AJo
Makes almost complete sense until No. 8. Any guesses for the worst hand? The one that I have, on average, lost the most with when it has been dealt to me? Take a guess and then I'll post my worst 10 later. (And if you don't take a stab soon, you'll have to wait. Probably won't blog for a week or so over the Fourth.)
One cool feature is that you can sort your starting hands in order from best to worst results. It ranks every possible hand based on average number of big blinds won when you are dealt that starting hand. My top 10 best hands make sense for the most part:
1. AA
2. AKs
3. KK
4. QQ
5. AKo
6. JJ
7. TT
8. ATs
9. 55
10. AJo
Makes almost complete sense until No. 8. Any guesses for the worst hand? The one that I have, on average, lost the most with when it has been dealt to me? Take a guess and then I'll post my worst 10 later. (And if you don't take a stab soon, you'll have to wait. Probably won't blog for a week or so over the Fourth.)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Cash in. Lots of cash out.
Took a break from the SNG world and played a cash game. I usually play stupid-low stakes, but I decided to buy in for $50 in the loosest 25-50 cent game I could find.
Turned $50 into $195 in about an hour. Played 60 hands and had aces two times, kings, jacks, tens and nines.
Check out this hand. No idea what the guy was thinking here:
Dealt to Hero:K♣ K♠
Preflop:
3 players fold.
Hero raises to $1.50
1 players fold.
Somedude calls [$1.50]
Villain raises to $97.65, and is all in
Now, I don't know where you're from, but raising from $1.50 to $97.65 is not something I'm used to seeing. And anyone who knows me KNOWS I don't want to risk almost $90 on any one hand. But I have freakin' kings. So ...
1 players fold.
Hero calls [$83.40] [ all-in ]
Villain shows : Q♥ Q♣
Hero shows : K♣ K♠
Flop: 2♦ A♣ J♥
Turn: 8♥
River: 5♦ Villain shows a pair of Queens
Hero shows a pair of Kings
Hero wins the pot ($168.80) with a pair of Kings
Turned $50 into $195 in about an hour. Played 60 hands and had aces two times, kings, jacks, tens and nines.
Check out this hand. No idea what the guy was thinking here:
Dealt to Hero:K♣ K♠
Preflop:
3 players fold.
Hero raises to $1.50
1 players fold.
Somedude calls [$1.50]
Villain raises to $97.65, and is all in
Now, I don't know where you're from, but raising from $1.50 to $97.65 is not something I'm used to seeing. And anyone who knows me KNOWS I don't want to risk almost $90 on any one hand. But I have freakin' kings. So ...
1 players fold.
Hero calls [$83.40] [ all-in ]
Villain shows : Q♥ Q♣
Hero shows : K♣ K♠
Flop: 2♦ A♣ J♥
Turn: 8♥
River: 5♦ Villain shows a pair of Queens
Hero shows a pair of Kings
Hero wins the pot ($168.80) with a pair of Kings
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Bad Beat Week
The week of bad beats continues:
Tonight: 45-player SNG, $11, pays six. With eight left, I raise under the gun with kings. Big blind calls. Flop comes queen high. BB bets, I shove, he calls and rolls over Q9. Turn is 9. I'm out two spots short of the money (and would have been third in chips).
Last night: 45-player SNG, $11, pays six. Went out shortstacked shoving from button with A4 (BB had AQ). But lost a huge pot when I got all in with QQ vs. AQ. Rivered with an ace.
A few nights earlier: Put $10 into a mini-stakes cash game. Got it all in on the flop with KK vs. 74 (yes, 74 ... and I didn't slow play) after the guy flopped a four. Turn is harmless. River is a 4. Pot was $31.
There have been more, but I can't find all the hand histories. It all started in that tournament where I finished fifth of 313 after getting it in on the turn against the chip leader as an 87-13 favorite and then getting rivered.
The poker gods hate me. But they always seem to change their minds eventually.
Tonight: 45-player SNG, $11, pays six. With eight left, I raise under the gun with kings. Big blind calls. Flop comes queen high. BB bets, I shove, he calls and rolls over Q9. Turn is 9. I'm out two spots short of the money (and would have been third in chips).
Last night: 45-player SNG, $11, pays six. Went out shortstacked shoving from button with A4 (BB had AQ). But lost a huge pot when I got all in with QQ vs. AQ. Rivered with an ace.
A few nights earlier: Put $10 into a mini-stakes cash game. Got it all in on the flop with KK vs. 74 (yes, 74 ... and I didn't slow play) after the guy flopped a four. Turn is harmless. River is a 4. Pot was $31.
There have been more, but I can't find all the hand histories. It all started in that tournament where I finished fifth of 313 after getting it in on the turn against the chip leader as an 87-13 favorite and then getting rivered.
The poker gods hate me. But they always seem to change their minds eventually.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Sweet poker tracker for Mac
For those of you Mac owners looking to crunch your opponents' numbers while playing online, check out Poker Copilot.
The program can be downloaded at www.pokercopilot.com for $50 — and it's well worth the investment. I used it on a 30-day trial period and plan to get myself a copy in the very near future.
Of course, the program won't win money for you on its own, but it's helpful when you face decisions. It can back up some impressions you have of other players with solid numbers, which can make your decisions easier to make.
If you play for any kind of stakes at all, you'll more than make your $50 back in a short time.
There seems to be a ton of these types of programs for PCs, but this is the only one I've stumbled across for Mac users. Check it out.
The program can be downloaded at www.pokercopilot.com for $50 — and it's well worth the investment. I used it on a 30-day trial period and plan to get myself a copy in the very near future.
Of course, the program won't win money for you on its own, but it's helpful when you face decisions. It can back up some impressions you have of other players with solid numbers, which can make your decisions easier to make.
If you play for any kind of stakes at all, you'll more than make your $50 back in a short time.
There seems to be a ton of these types of programs for PCs, but this is the only one I've stumbled across for Mac users. Check it out.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Miss me?
If anyone is still bothering to log in, I apologize for my recent absence. Not only have I been frustrated with my online poker performance, I've been swamped.
But I jumped back in Saturday night with a $26 and an $11 with huge fields. In the $11, which featured about 320 players, I finished fifth for $219, my biggest online tournament cash.
But it could have been better. This hand would have basically put me in a three-way tie for first with first place paying $800. Made a great call on the turn, and the guy hit a six-outer (87-13 underdog) to knock me out.
Here it is:
Stacks:
BB with 99898
UTG with 113715
MP with 56489
BTN with 48402
SB with 150996
Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with ante (250 each I think)
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN:9♥ T♣
Preflop:
2 players fold.
Hero raises to 10,000
SB calls [8,000]
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 3
Potsize: 18006
Just trying to steal. Had played extra tight for a while, so I thought I'd get away with it. Looking at his hand, the SB should have either shoved or folded. Don't like the flat call at all.
Flop: 6♠ 3♣ 3♦
SB checks Hero bets [10,000]
1 players fold.
SB calls [10,000]
Potsize: 28016
Now I'm in deep, and I start to fear he has a hand. Again, in hindsight, he made the worst move possible. If he bets, I likely fold. If he's going to call, he should just shove since my bet looks like what it was, a continuation bet.
Turn: 9♠
SB bets [130,496, and is all in] Hero calls [27,902] [ all-in ]
I hate calling with top pair, crappy kicker, but I'm in deep. And his bet looked like a massive bluff. It's all the same if he bets 130,000 instead of 28,000, but the fact that he put all of his chips in, and the fact that he snap-shoved as soon as it was his turn to act, smelled weak. And it was. I made a great call, I think.
SB shows : J♠ K♣ Hero shows : 9♥ 10♣
Uncalled bet of 102,594 returned to SB
Potsize: 102,304
He has six outs, three jacks and three kings. And:
River: J♥
But I jumped back in Saturday night with a $26 and an $11 with huge fields. In the $11, which featured about 320 players, I finished fifth for $219, my biggest online tournament cash.
But it could have been better. This hand would have basically put me in a three-way tie for first with first place paying $800. Made a great call on the turn, and the guy hit a six-outer (87-13 underdog) to knock me out.
Here it is:
Stacks:
BB with 99898
UTG with 113715
MP with 56489
BTN with 48402
SB with 150996
Blinds: 2,000-4,000 with ante (250 each I think)
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN:9♥ T♣
Preflop:
2 players fold.
Hero raises to 10,000
SB calls [8,000]
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 3
Potsize: 18006
Just trying to steal. Had played extra tight for a while, so I thought I'd get away with it. Looking at his hand, the SB should have either shoved or folded. Don't like the flat call at all.
Flop: 6♠ 3♣ 3♦
SB checks Hero bets [10,000]
1 players fold.
SB calls [10,000]
Potsize: 28016
Now I'm in deep, and I start to fear he has a hand. Again, in hindsight, he made the worst move possible. If he bets, I likely fold. If he's going to call, he should just shove since my bet looks like what it was, a continuation bet.
Turn: 9♠
SB bets [130,496, and is all in] Hero calls [27,902] [ all-in ]
I hate calling with top pair, crappy kicker, but I'm in deep. And his bet looked like a massive bluff. It's all the same if he bets 130,000 instead of 28,000, but the fact that he put all of his chips in, and the fact that he snap-shoved as soon as it was his turn to act, smelled weak. And it was. I made a great call, I think.
SB shows : J♠ K♣ Hero shows : 9♥ 10♣
Uncalled bet of 102,594 returned to SB
Potsize: 102,304
He has six outs, three jacks and three kings. And:
River: J♥
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
A waste of time or time for a change?
Clearly my original plan is not working. Doubling my bankroll and then doubling my buy-ins worked well when I made the jump from $2 SNGs to $5 SNGs, and it worked even better when I made a quick leap from $5s to $10s and beyond. But I've pretty much flat-lined, and I think I might be wasting my time.
Should I quit? Or just change?
An analysis of the numbers shows something interesting. When I play massive tournaments, I last a long time. The slower structure and the deeper chip stacks play to my strengths and reduce the luck factor. In 18 tournaments of 181-plus players — with an average field size thus far of 851 — I've cashed seven times.
To go a step further, I'm finishing in the top 30 percent of those tournaments 67 percent of the time and the top 10 percent an astounding 39 percent of the time.
So instead of grinding out a bunch of SNGs on a nightly basis, maybe I just need to reduce the number of nights I play and just play longer tournaments with better structures. My bankroll would probably not increase that much more on a weekly basis, but if I can finish in the top 10 percent 39 percent of the time, that means I'm going to score big at some point. Many of those tournaments pay thousands for first place.
Thoughts?
Should I quit? Or just change?
An analysis of the numbers shows something interesting. When I play massive tournaments, I last a long time. The slower structure and the deeper chip stacks play to my strengths and reduce the luck factor. In 18 tournaments of 181-plus players — with an average field size thus far of 851 — I've cashed seven times.
To go a step further, I'm finishing in the top 30 percent of those tournaments 67 percent of the time and the top 10 percent an astounding 39 percent of the time.
So instead of grinding out a bunch of SNGs on a nightly basis, maybe I just need to reduce the number of nights I play and just play longer tournaments with better structures. My bankroll would probably not increase that much more on a weekly basis, but if I can finish in the top 10 percent 39 percent of the time, that means I'm going to score big at some point. Many of those tournaments pay thousands for first place.
Thoughts?
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
What's that?
First hand of a SNG, and I get dealt AK suited in the big blind.
Under the gun raises to 90. Dude in middle position shoves all-in for 1,500.
I have no idea what to make of this. The dude has the little mark next to his icon that indicates he plays a ton of poker. But that doesn't mean he's any good.
Besides, from my experience, people who know anything about poker don't shove all their chips in in response to a standard raise.
So I call. What the heck else am I supposed to do?
UTG folds, and the shove monkey rolls over AQ offsuit. Before the cards hit the board, some guy types in the chatbox.
"Retards"
Another guy types:
"Some people just can't play postflop"
Not sure, but calling a shove with AK suited might not be an awful play. And the shove didn't leave me much choice but to NOT play postflop.
The great thing is I checked both players on OPR. Both of them are losing money faster than a 5-year-old with a hole in his pocket.
Retards.
Under the gun raises to 90. Dude in middle position shoves all-in for 1,500.
I have no idea what to make of this. The dude has the little mark next to his icon that indicates he plays a ton of poker. But that doesn't mean he's any good.
Besides, from my experience, people who know anything about poker don't shove all their chips in in response to a standard raise.
So I call. What the heck else am I supposed to do?
UTG folds, and the shove monkey rolls over AQ offsuit. Before the cards hit the board, some guy types in the chatbox.
"Retards"
Another guy types:
"Some people just can't play postflop"
Not sure, but calling a shove with AK suited might not be an awful play. And the shove didn't leave me much choice but to NOT play postflop.
The great thing is I checked both players on OPR. Both of them are losing money faster than a 5-year-old with a hole in his pocket.
Retards.
Should have gone broke; ended up winning
This is what probably should have been the last hand in the tournament where I came back from 190 chips to win all 67,500. Let me know what you think of how I played this.
Blinds: 30-60
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to Hero:8♠ 5♠
1 player folds.
herejohnny calls [60]
lucky60 calls [60]
1 player folds.
killemall808 calls [60]
1 player folds.
There is now 270 in the pot (including 30 of mine) and I have 160 behind. I could wait for a few hands and try to get my last 160 in heads-up, but I think this is a great opportunity to shove.
No one has shown strength. The BB has a random hand and will likely fold. What I'm really hoping for is one caller, which would make the pot 560. That means I would be betting 160 to try to win a pot of 400 — which means I'm getting great odds unless someone has an overpair. And I'm not buying an overpair with three limps.
Hero raises to 190, and is all in
1 player folds.
herejohnny raises to 740, and is all in
2 players fold.
herejohnny shows: A♠ K♥
Hero shows: 8♠ 5♠
Got my wish. I am a 3-2 underdog, but I was getting 2 1/2 to 1 on my bet.
Flop: 8♥ J♠ 4♠
Uh. Wow. Not a bad flop for my trash hand, eh?
Turn: 6♠
River: 9♦ herejohnny shows Ace King high
Hero shows a flush, Jack high
Hero wins the pot (560) with a flush, Jack high
Of course, I still had a ton of work to do from here, but if I lose this hand I never see my first royal flush … or any money.
Current bankroll: $1,524 (first time over $1,500)
OPR ranking: 98.13
Blinds: 30-60
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to Hero:8♠ 5♠
1 player folds.
herejohnny calls [60]
lucky60 calls [60]
1 player folds.
killemall808 calls [60]
1 player folds.
There is now 270 in the pot (including 30 of mine) and I have 160 behind. I could wait for a few hands and try to get my last 160 in heads-up, but I think this is a great opportunity to shove.
No one has shown strength. The BB has a random hand and will likely fold. What I'm really hoping for is one caller, which would make the pot 560. That means I would be betting 160 to try to win a pot of 400 — which means I'm getting great odds unless someone has an overpair. And I'm not buying an overpair with three limps.
Hero raises to 190, and is all in
1 player folds.
herejohnny raises to 740, and is all in
2 players fold.
herejohnny shows: A♠ K♥
Hero shows: 8♠ 5♠
Got my wish. I am a 3-2 underdog, but I was getting 2 1/2 to 1 on my bet.
Flop: 8♥ J♠ 4♠
Uh. Wow. Not a bad flop for my trash hand, eh?
Turn: 6♠
River: 9♦ herejohnny shows Ace King high
Hero shows a flush, Jack high
Hero wins the pot (560) with a flush, Jack high
Of course, I still had a ton of work to do from here, but if I lose this hand I never see my first royal flush … or any money.
Current bankroll: $1,524 (first time over $1,500)
OPR ranking: 98.13
Monday, May 4, 2009
Best. Comeback. Ever
Twenty minutes into a 45-person, $11 SNG on Sunday night, I had 190 chips.
An hour later, I had 67,500.
Quite a comeback. First place was $171. That pushed my bankroll to a new record. In fact, if I hadn't transferred $10 to a friend to get him started online, my bankroll would be above $1,500 for the first time.
I will post the hand that started my comeback from the dead as soon as I can pull it out of the archives, but check out the best hand I've ever had — first one of these ever — right here:
Stacks:
UTG with 4048
UTG+1 with 905
MP1 with 2205
MP2 with 8631
CO with 1815
BTN with 3328
SB with 4615
BB with 3838
Blinds: 100-200
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to MP2:Q♠ K♠
Preflop:
3 players fold.
Hero raises to 400
3 players fold.
BB calls [200]
Potsize: 900
Can't remember why I min-raised. That's really strange of me. I never do that. There was a guy who would play any two cards and was really aggressive post-flop. If he was the big blind, I might have been trying to get heads up with him without building too big of a pot preflop. But I really can't remember.
Flop:
8♦ 10♠ J♠
BB checks
Hero bets [400]
BB calls [400]
Potsize: 1700
I think an open-ended flush draw with one out to the royal flush is probably a hand I should push hard. But it gets even better …
Turn:
A♠
BB checks
Hero checks
Potsize: 1700
No sense in betting. Although checking is probably suspicious.
River:
K♦
BB checks
Hero bets [600]
1 players fold.
Probably should have bet the turn. The king on the river might have killed my action, even if villain had two pair or a set.
Don't know. Maybe I could have played this better. Never had a royal flush before. I'll try to do better next time.
Current bankroll: $1,494
OPR ranking: 98.08
An hour later, I had 67,500.
Quite a comeback. First place was $171. That pushed my bankroll to a new record. In fact, if I hadn't transferred $10 to a friend to get him started online, my bankroll would be above $1,500 for the first time.
I will post the hand that started my comeback from the dead as soon as I can pull it out of the archives, but check out the best hand I've ever had — first one of these ever — right here:
Stacks:
UTG with 4048
UTG+1 with 905
MP1 with 2205
MP2 with 8631
CO with 1815
BTN with 3328
SB with 4615
BB with 3838
Blinds: 100-200
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to MP2:Q♠ K♠
Preflop:
3 players fold.
Hero raises to 400
3 players fold.
BB calls [200]
Potsize: 900
Can't remember why I min-raised. That's really strange of me. I never do that. There was a guy who would play any two cards and was really aggressive post-flop. If he was the big blind, I might have been trying to get heads up with him without building too big of a pot preflop. But I really can't remember.
Flop:
8♦ 10♠ J♠
BB checks
Hero bets [400]
BB calls [400]
Potsize: 1700
I think an open-ended flush draw with one out to the royal flush is probably a hand I should push hard. But it gets even better …
Turn:
A♠
BB checks
Hero checks
Potsize: 1700
No sense in betting. Although checking is probably suspicious.
River:
K♦
BB checks
Hero bets [600]
1 players fold.
Probably should have bet the turn. The king on the river might have killed my action, even if villain had two pair or a set.
Don't know. Maybe I could have played this better. Never had a royal flush before. I'll try to do better next time.
Current bankroll: $1,494
OPR ranking: 98.08
Friday, May 1, 2009
Feedback is nice
Wow. "From 50 bucks to 50K" is now the most popular blog at this Web address. Sweet.
A couple people are actually posting comments, which is really cool. I'll do my best to respond to some of them soon. Some back-and-forth would certainly make this more interesting.
While we're here, my past week or so summarized:
Lost $90 in a rare live cash game, then won $116 in the same game seven days later.
Had my first cash in a $26 SNG, which also is my biggest cash online by a dollar or so. Third place brought in $172.80, if I remember right. Actually had a monster stack four-handed before my trip sevens ran into a straight for about two-thirds of my stack.
Still struggled online. Can't seem to get on a roll at all.
Current bankroll: $1,348
OPR ranking: 97.76
A couple people are actually posting comments, which is really cool. I'll do my best to respond to some of them soon. Some back-and-forth would certainly make this more interesting.
While we're here, my past week or so summarized:
Lost $90 in a rare live cash game, then won $116 in the same game seven days later.
Had my first cash in a $26 SNG, which also is my biggest cash online by a dollar or so. Third place brought in $172.80, if I remember right. Actually had a monster stack four-handed before my trip sevens ran into a straight for about two-thirds of my stack.
Still struggled online. Can't seem to get on a roll at all.
Current bankroll: $1,348
OPR ranking: 97.76
Monday, April 27, 2009
Going broke … and OK with it
Sometimes you make the right decision and just get the wrong outcome.
In this hand, I had T♥ K♥ in the big blind and checked to see a flop four ways. Blinds were 60-120, so there was 480 in the pot and I had about 1,500.
Flop:
7♥ 2♥ 3♣
SB checks
Hero bets [120]
I bet 120 as a blocking bet, hoping players would call and not raise. If I don't bet here, someone might make a bigger bet, which would deny me odds to chase the flush. But ...
MP1 raises to 360
CO raises to 3,415, and is all in
1 players fold.
Insta-fold, right? I mean, do I want to put my tournament life at stake with this piece of trash.
The answer is yes, mainly because I'm certain that this will be a three-way pot.
These two are nuts. I put them on one crappy pair and figure I have 15 outs — nine hearts, three kings and three tens — to win. Against one player, this would be a bit of a loose — though probably mathematically correct — call.
But if I'm a favorite and I can basically triple up if I win, well, ship 'em.
Hero calls [1,260] [ all-in ]
MP1 calls [775] [ all-in ]
CO shows: 7♠ 6♠
Hero shows: 10♥ K♥
MP1 shows: 7♣ 8♥
Potsize: 6410
Turn: A♣
River: Q♣
I'm dead. Two morons are still alive. But that's OK. I made notes on both of them, and I plan on getting some chips back from them the next time we cross paths.
I ran the numbers on cardplayer.com, and I was exactly 50 percent after the flop. So I invested 1,260 more into a pot that had more than 4,000 in it. Calling off all of your chips with a draw is rarely a good idea. It was in this case.
In this hand, I had T♥ K♥ in the big blind and checked to see a flop four ways. Blinds were 60-120, so there was 480 in the pot and I had about 1,500.
Flop:
7♥ 2♥ 3♣
SB checks
Hero bets [120]
I bet 120 as a blocking bet, hoping players would call and not raise. If I don't bet here, someone might make a bigger bet, which would deny me odds to chase the flush. But ...
MP1 raises to 360
CO raises to 3,415, and is all in
1 players fold.
Insta-fold, right? I mean, do I want to put my tournament life at stake with this piece of trash.
The answer is yes, mainly because I'm certain that this will be a three-way pot.
These two are nuts. I put them on one crappy pair and figure I have 15 outs — nine hearts, three kings and three tens — to win. Against one player, this would be a bit of a loose — though probably mathematically correct — call.
But if I'm a favorite and I can basically triple up if I win, well, ship 'em.
Hero calls [1,260] [ all-in ]
MP1 calls [775] [ all-in ]
CO shows: 7♠ 6♠
Hero shows: 10♥ K♥
MP1 shows: 7♣ 8♥
Potsize: 6410
Turn: A♣
River: Q♣
I'm dead. Two morons are still alive. But that's OK. I made notes on both of them, and I plan on getting some chips back from them the next time we cross paths.
I ran the numbers on cardplayer.com, and I was exactly 50 percent after the flop. So I invested 1,260 more into a pot that had more than 4,000 in it. Calling off all of your chips with a draw is rarely a good idea. It was in this case.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
What are the odds?
It's been a long, bad week. Suckouts galore. But nothing more annoying than the following hand.
I was getting close to cashing in a 180-player, $8 tournament when the under-the gun player limped in. I've played with this guy plenty. Plays trash hands. Bets the pot or more when he misses, checks big hands. He is the most transparent player I've ever run into.
I see a flop with him with Q-7 offsuit, and the flop comes Q-Q-T. I check expecting him to make a pot-sized bet, which would basically put me all-in. He checks. Odd.
The turn is a 7, giving me a full house. I check again. He checks again. Really odd.
The river puts four clubs on the board. I shove all-in, assuming he'll either call me because it looks like a massive bluff or he'll call me if he has any — and I mean any — club. He insta-calls and rolls over Q-T for a bigger full house.
I think I need a week off.
I was getting close to cashing in a 180-player, $8 tournament when the under-the gun player limped in. I've played with this guy plenty. Plays trash hands. Bets the pot or more when he misses, checks big hands. He is the most transparent player I've ever run into.
I see a flop with him with Q-7 offsuit, and the flop comes Q-Q-T. I check expecting him to make a pot-sized bet, which would basically put me all-in. He checks. Odd.
The turn is a 7, giving me a full house. I check again. He checks again. Really odd.
The river puts four clubs on the board. I shove all-in, assuming he'll either call me because it looks like a massive bluff or he'll call me if he has any — and I mean any — club. He insta-calls and rolls over Q-T for a bigger full house.
I think I need a week off.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Yahoo No. 1
While playing online poker, I constantly try to monitor my opponents. I make notes on their play. I also regularly check their numbers on OPR, and it seems that every night I find something more surprising.
Sometimes it's someone who has played 300 tournaments and cashed three times. Sometimes it's someone who has played 15 tournaments in the last four hours. But one guy last night really set the bar high for craziness.
Yahoo No. 1 (not his real fake name) has cashed for $236,462. Almost a quarter million dollars in cashes.
Notice I didn't say in "earnings."
That's because while he has won $236,462, his profit is only $5,986.
I can think of a lot of ways to make $6,000, but probably the most time-consuming way is to play in more than 15,000 SNGs and tournaments.
That means he's making about 40 cents per SNG/tournament, which isn't a great rate.
Collecting cans in the park would be more lucrative.
Of course, if you multi-table, I guess … no, you still can't make any money this way. Although this guy takes multi-tabling to a new level. He played more than 2,200 SNGs and tournaments LAST MONTH.
I love poker, but Yahoo No. 1 needs to get a life.
Sometimes it's someone who has played 300 tournaments and cashed three times. Sometimes it's someone who has played 15 tournaments in the last four hours. But one guy last night really set the bar high for craziness.
Yahoo No. 1 (not his real fake name) has cashed for $236,462. Almost a quarter million dollars in cashes.
Notice I didn't say in "earnings."
That's because while he has won $236,462, his profit is only $5,986.
I can think of a lot of ways to make $6,000, but probably the most time-consuming way is to play in more than 15,000 SNGs and tournaments.
That means he's making about 40 cents per SNG/tournament, which isn't a great rate.
Collecting cans in the park would be more lucrative.
Of course, if you multi-table, I guess … no, you still can't make any money this way. Although this guy takes multi-tabling to a new level. He played more than 2,200 SNGs and tournaments LAST MONTH.
I love poker, but Yahoo No. 1 needs to get a life.
Um, please keep your mouth shut
Just realized I never posted this after my Vegas trip. Too busy to come up with something original today, so here you go:
The situation: Blinds are 1,000-2,000 in a small buy-in shove-fest at Planet Hollywood. Tournament pays four people and there are six left. I'm in the big blind with 6,000 or 7,000 in chips, which means about a third of my chips are already in the pot. (Still, I had one of the biggest stacks at the table at this point.)
The guy in first position has all his chips — 2,500 — in his hand. He's pondering his options, which are to shove knowing I'm going to call or to fold and play whatever two cards he gets dealt in the next hand for all his chips when he's in the big blind. Clearly, he should shove if he has anything — and I mean anything. Suited? Connected? One-gappers? Any one card 3 or higher? I mean freakin' anything.
But while he's pondering, the dealer chimes in.
"Just do it," she says.
After another 10 or 15 seconds, he does it, and instead of what might have been a walk and 3,000 more chips in my stack, I have to put 500 more chips in with 9-3 offsuit. He beats me with JT offsuit, and I am forced to scold a dealer for the first time in my life.
"You didn't have to encourage him," I said.
"He was going to do it anyway," she said.
"Yeah, I was," the other player said.
They were both right. But that was not the point.
"I know," I said. "But you didn't have to encourage him."
I didn't raise my voice. I was not overly upset. But dealers should keep their mouths shut in situations like these. I needed to make my point.
I did. She apologized a few minutes later.
The situation: Blinds are 1,000-2,000 in a small buy-in shove-fest at Planet Hollywood. Tournament pays four people and there are six left. I'm in the big blind with 6,000 or 7,000 in chips, which means about a third of my chips are already in the pot. (Still, I had one of the biggest stacks at the table at this point.)
The guy in first position has all his chips — 2,500 — in his hand. He's pondering his options, which are to shove knowing I'm going to call or to fold and play whatever two cards he gets dealt in the next hand for all his chips when he's in the big blind. Clearly, he should shove if he has anything — and I mean anything. Suited? Connected? One-gappers? Any one card 3 or higher? I mean freakin' anything.
But while he's pondering, the dealer chimes in.
"Just do it," she says.
After another 10 or 15 seconds, he does it, and instead of what might have been a walk and 3,000 more chips in my stack, I have to put 500 more chips in with 9-3 offsuit. He beats me with JT offsuit, and I am forced to scold a dealer for the first time in my life.
"You didn't have to encourage him," I said.
"He was going to do it anyway," she said.
"Yeah, I was," the other player said.
They were both right. But that was not the point.
"I know," I said. "But you didn't have to encourage him."
I didn't raise my voice. I was not overly upset. But dealers should keep their mouths shut in situations like these. I needed to make my point.
I did. She apologized a few minutes later.
Monday, April 20, 2009
What now?
There is a hole in the plan.
If I continue to increase the stakes that I play for as my bankroll continues to grow, my bankroll should grow exponentially. I should be able to double it every couple months, which should eventually get me to $50,000.
But I've run into a problem. Even though I am bankrolled to play games in the $25 to $30 range, I spend most of my time playing $11 SNGs.
Why? Because they fill up. The $11 SNGs for both 18 and 45 players tend to fill up and start every five or 10 minutes. Even the 27-player SNGs, which might be my favorite, fill up every 10 or 20 minutes.
But when I sign up for a $22 SNG, I am often the only one. After waiting for five or 10 minutes and still needing 17 or 44 people to play, I often move on.
There is one SNG at the $26 level, but it seems especially tough. There are fewer fish in that game, but I'm not sure if it's because of the buy-in or because it's the only game available at that buy-in. No matter what, I fear skipping over it into the $33 game for a few reasons:
— Those games don't seem to fill up very fast.
— I'm barely bankrolled for those games, so if I go two or three games without cashing I'm going to have to move back down.
— I've been getting killed in the $26. I am now 0-for-I'm-not-even-going-to-check-how-many, which makes me hesitant to move up to play $33 games.
Current bankroll: $1,399.
OPR ranking: 98.1.
If I continue to increase the stakes that I play for as my bankroll continues to grow, my bankroll should grow exponentially. I should be able to double it every couple months, which should eventually get me to $50,000.
But I've run into a problem. Even though I am bankrolled to play games in the $25 to $30 range, I spend most of my time playing $11 SNGs.
Why? Because they fill up. The $11 SNGs for both 18 and 45 players tend to fill up and start every five or 10 minutes. Even the 27-player SNGs, which might be my favorite, fill up every 10 or 20 minutes.
But when I sign up for a $22 SNG, I am often the only one. After waiting for five or 10 minutes and still needing 17 or 44 people to play, I often move on.
There is one SNG at the $26 level, but it seems especially tough. There are fewer fish in that game, but I'm not sure if it's because of the buy-in or because it's the only game available at that buy-in. No matter what, I fear skipping over it into the $33 game for a few reasons:
— Those games don't seem to fill up very fast.
— I'm barely bankrolled for those games, so if I go two or three games without cashing I'm going to have to move back down.
— I've been getting killed in the $26. I am now 0-for-I'm-not-even-going-to-check-how-many, which makes me hesitant to move up to play $33 games.
Current bankroll: $1,399.
OPR ranking: 98.1.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
A good week
I got heads up with a bluff monkey who was shoving every hand, which left me no choice but to get my chips in preflop with the best hand — and I knew I would.
I did, but he sucked out on the turn to win. Still, a second-place cash in a 27-player, $11 SNG paid me $68.
In the past five days since figuring out my major problem, I've put $117 in and taken $460 out. Not a bad week.
Current bankroll: $1,480.
OPR ranking: 98.28. (It has fallen from a high of 98.5-plus and won't be back there for a while after my long run of bad play and poor results.)
I did, but he sucked out on the turn to win. Still, a second-place cash in a 27-player, $11 SNG paid me $68.
In the past five days since figuring out my major problem, I've put $117 in and taken $460 out. Not a bad week.
Current bankroll: $1,480.
OPR ranking: 98.28. (It has fallen from a high of 98.5-plus and won't be back there for a while after my long run of bad play and poor results.)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
An interesting hand
The leaks might be plugged. Cashed for more than $100 for the second night in a row after starting the month — gulp — 0-for-14.
Would love to hear some opinions on how I played this hand:
Stacks:
MP1 with 1715
MP2 with 1255
CO with 2295
BTN with 1565
SB with 1500
BB with 1940
UTG with 3230
Blinds: 30-60
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BB:K♣ 9♣
Preflop:
5 players fold.
SB calls [30]
Hero checks
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 120
Flop:
10♦ Q♣ 4♣
SB bets [120]
Hero calls [120]
Potsize: 360
I'm not quite getting odds to chase the flush, but I thought I might have earned a free card on the turn. Also, the gut-shot straight draw gives me three extra outs, which makes me about a coin flip to win this hand if villain has something like K-Q or Q-9. I'm not even a huge underdog if villain has Q-T for two pair.
Turn:
8♠
SB bets [240]
Hero calls [240]
Potsize: 840
Same deal here. The three jacks make this an OK call, I think.
River:
2♣
SB bets [840]
Hero raises to 1,520, and is all in
No idea why the SB bet here. The third flush card hit, and he's only getting called if he's beat. He ended up folding and leaving himself 240 in chips, which means he knew he was beat. But he could have figured that out without risking so many chips. If he had checked, I probably would have bet about 500. He could have check-called the river and been ahead of where he ended up.
Would love to hear some opinions on how I played this hand:
Stacks:
MP1 with 1715
MP2 with 1255
CO with 2295
BTN with 1565
SB with 1500
BB with 1940
UTG with 3230
Blinds: 30-60
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BB:K♣ 9♣
Preflop:
5 players fold.
SB calls [30]
Hero checks
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 120
Flop:
10♦ Q♣ 4♣
SB bets [120]
Hero calls [120]
Potsize: 360
I'm not quite getting odds to chase the flush, but I thought I might have earned a free card on the turn. Also, the gut-shot straight draw gives me three extra outs, which makes me about a coin flip to win this hand if villain has something like K-Q or Q-9. I'm not even a huge underdog if villain has Q-T for two pair.
Turn:
8♠
SB bets [240]
Hero calls [240]
Potsize: 840
Same deal here. The three jacks make this an OK call, I think.
River:
2♣
SB bets [840]
Hero raises to 1,520, and is all in
No idea why the SB bet here. The third flush card hit, and he's only getting called if he's beat. He ended up folding and leaving himself 240 in chips, which means he knew he was beat. But he could have figured that out without risking so many chips. If he had checked, I probably would have bet about 500. He could have check-called the river and been ahead of where he ended up.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Another problem solved — I think
Another major hole has made its way into my online game.
In the past, I played tight-aggressive ABC poker online. It's a solid way to punish the numerous horrid players who populate low-stakes games. But sometime in the past month or so, I've changed.
I've started to speculate a lot more, playing suited connectors and one-gappers, as well as other hands I would have folded in the past.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that for the most part. To be honest, I think I've become a better poker player by expanding the hands I'll see a flop with. It's just that online, where the blinds move up fast and the starting stacks are small, that strategy doesn't work as well.
So I'm going back to being tight. So far, so good. After starting April on an unbelievably bad 0-for-14 streak, I finished second in an $11, 45-player SNG for more than $100.
In the past, I played tight-aggressive ABC poker online. It's a solid way to punish the numerous horrid players who populate low-stakes games. But sometime in the past month or so, I've changed.
I've started to speculate a lot more, playing suited connectors and one-gappers, as well as other hands I would have folded in the past.
Now, there's nothing wrong with that for the most part. To be honest, I think I've become a better poker player by expanding the hands I'll see a flop with. It's just that online, where the blinds move up fast and the starting stacks are small, that strategy doesn't work as well.
So I'm going back to being tight. So far, so good. After starting April on an unbelievably bad 0-for-14 streak, I finished second in an $11, 45-player SNG for more than $100.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Looking for answers
Stress makes for bad poker playing. No doubt about it.
I've learned that the hard way. After my bankroll grew consistently for three or four months, it has absolutely flat-lined over the past six weeks or so. Not surprisingly, I have been going through some life-changing stuff at work for the past six weeks or so. Clearly, my head is not clear.
But I think I have identified two major leaks in my game:
— I don't believe anyone.
When people start betting back at me, I have been looking for any reason possible to doubt them.
You made a big bet? You must be bluffing. Your icon is a clown, a boxer or a ninja dude? You're automatically loose-aggressive bordering on a maniac.
Last night was a good example. I was second in chips with 11 people remaining in an 18-person SNG. The big stack (a ninja, for the record) min-raised in early position. I called his raise with AT offsuit in position. Another guy tagged along for the flop.
Now, I don't remember exactly how it came down, but I ended up going broke after flopping second pair. The board came J-T-x, and I ended up all-in on the turn. Guy turned over T-T for a flopped set.
Two months ago, I wouldn't have lost a chip on this hand. And I was in great shape to cash. But for some reason, I lost my mind. And it's not the first time it's happened lately.
— I'm racing too often.
All too often, I've ended up all-in preflop with a hand like AT vs. a guy with KJ. Of course, people are morons for getting it in with KJ offsuit early in a tournament. But if you get all your chips in in a 55-45 or 60-40 advantage two or three times in a tournament — as I have been doing — you're going to flame out.
I need to mellow out preflop. Be more patient. Take a deep breath.
I will. And I will. And I will. And when I do, I expect that the bankroll will start climbing again.
Current bankroll: $1,260
OPR ranking: 98.09.
I've learned that the hard way. After my bankroll grew consistently for three or four months, it has absolutely flat-lined over the past six weeks or so. Not surprisingly, I have been going through some life-changing stuff at work for the past six weeks or so. Clearly, my head is not clear.
But I think I have identified two major leaks in my game:
— I don't believe anyone.
When people start betting back at me, I have been looking for any reason possible to doubt them.
You made a big bet? You must be bluffing. Your icon is a clown, a boxer or a ninja dude? You're automatically loose-aggressive bordering on a maniac.
Last night was a good example. I was second in chips with 11 people remaining in an 18-person SNG. The big stack (a ninja, for the record) min-raised in early position. I called his raise with AT offsuit in position. Another guy tagged along for the flop.
Now, I don't remember exactly how it came down, but I ended up going broke after flopping second pair. The board came J-T-x, and I ended up all-in on the turn. Guy turned over T-T for a flopped set.
Two months ago, I wouldn't have lost a chip on this hand. And I was in great shape to cash. But for some reason, I lost my mind. And it's not the first time it's happened lately.
— I'm racing too often.
All too often, I've ended up all-in preflop with a hand like AT vs. a guy with KJ. Of course, people are morons for getting it in with KJ offsuit early in a tournament. But if you get all your chips in in a 55-45 or 60-40 advantage two or three times in a tournament — as I have been doing — you're going to flame out.
I need to mellow out preflop. Be more patient. Take a deep breath.
I will. And I will. And I will. And when I do, I expect that the bankroll will start climbing again.
Current bankroll: $1,260
OPR ranking: 98.09.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Stupid call? Likely. Good result? Sure.
Still not sure whether I played this hand well, but I think I miscalculated the math at the time and counted all the chips villain shoved in and not just the chips I could win since he had me covered. Regardless, I don't generally shove all my chips in with a hand like this:
Stacks:
BB with 1570
UTG with 4650
UTG+1 with 1300
MP1 with 1955
MP2 with 2525
MP3 with 3345
CO with 1010
BTN with 2625
SB with 2235
Poker Forum
Blinds:
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BB: J♣ K♥
Sklansky group 5
Preflop:
2 players fold.
MP1 calls [100]
Hero checks
5 players folded.
Total folds this street: 7
Potsize: 250
Flop:
3♦ 9♠ 10♣
Hero bets [200]
5 players fold.
MP1 raises to 1,855, and is all in
So there's in essence about 1,850 in the pot (250 preflop, plus my 200 and his 200, plus the 1,200 I have left), so I I'm getting 3-to-2 odds. Am I better than 40 percent to win?
If he has one pair, which I decided he did, then I am close. (If he had two pair or a set, I don't think he shoves.) That likely gives me wins with a jack, a king or a queen for a straight. Odds calculators say I'm about 38.5 percent to win, which makes this a borderline call at best.
But I think I counted the extra 600 that he had pushed in when I did my calculations, which led me to call. Still, even if I had a shot at those extra chips, this was for my tournament life. Should have folded.
In the end, I hit a jack on the turn and a king on the river for two pair and a double up. Didn't matter. Slump continued with another middle-of-the-pack finish.
Current bankroll: $1,261
OPR ranking: 98.41
Stacks:
BB with 1570
UTG with 4650
UTG+1 with 1300
MP1 with 1955
MP2 with 2525
MP3 with 3345
CO with 1010
BTN with 2625
SB with 2235
Poker Forum
Blinds:
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BB: J♣ K♥
Sklansky group 5
Preflop:
2 players fold.
MP1 calls [100]
Hero checks
5 players folded.
Total folds this street: 7
Potsize: 250
Flop:
3♦ 9♠ 10♣
Hero bets [200]
5 players fold.
MP1 raises to 1,855, and is all in
So there's in essence about 1,850 in the pot (250 preflop, plus my 200 and his 200, plus the 1,200 I have left), so I I'm getting 3-to-2 odds. Am I better than 40 percent to win?
If he has one pair, which I decided he did, then I am close. (If he had two pair or a set, I don't think he shoves.) That likely gives me wins with a jack, a king or a queen for a straight. Odds calculators say I'm about 38.5 percent to win, which makes this a borderline call at best.
But I think I counted the extra 600 that he had pushed in when I did my calculations, which led me to call. Still, even if I had a shot at those extra chips, this was for my tournament life. Should have folded.
In the end, I hit a jack on the turn and a king on the river for two pair and a double up. Didn't matter. Slump continued with another middle-of-the-pack finish.
Current bankroll: $1,261
OPR ranking: 98.41
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Breaking even
Not much movement in the online balance for the past month, which is a change from the previous two months or so, when my bankroll skyrocketed. Lots of reasons:
— Took most of a week off while playing live poker and getting ready to go to Vegas.
— Took a week off while in Vegas.
— Played not so great on my return from Vegas.
— Spent one night taking the worst run of bad beats in my life. Lost the following hands, all of them all-in before the flop. (Didn't get run down trying to slowplay people.)
AQ vs. AT: Villain rivered a straight.
AK vs. JT: This was the very next hand from the one listed above. Villain rivered a straight.
KK vs. TT: Villain rivered a ten.
QQ vs. 56s: Villain raised and then called my shove because he was committed. Ran me down.
TT vs. AT: Villain turned a straight.
AK vs. AA: OK, so I had the worst of this one. But it's wonderful when you're shortstacked and an opponent wakes up with AA at a shorthanded table.
Oddly enough, I ended up ahead for this night. Finished fourth and first in the last two tournaments I played.
Current bankroll: $1,288.
OPR ranking: 98.45.
— Took most of a week off while playing live poker and getting ready to go to Vegas.
— Took a week off while in Vegas.
— Played not so great on my return from Vegas.
— Spent one night taking the worst run of bad beats in my life. Lost the following hands, all of them all-in before the flop. (Didn't get run down trying to slowplay people.)
AQ vs. AT: Villain rivered a straight.
AK vs. JT: This was the very next hand from the one listed above. Villain rivered a straight.
KK vs. TT: Villain rivered a ten.
QQ vs. 56s: Villain raised and then called my shove because he was committed. Ran me down.
TT vs. AT: Villain turned a straight.
AK vs. AA: OK, so I had the worst of this one. But it's wonderful when you're shortstacked and an opponent wakes up with AA at a shorthanded table.
Oddly enough, I ended up ahead for this night. Finished fourth and first in the last two tournaments I played.
Current bankroll: $1,288.
OPR ranking: 98.45.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Crunching the numbers
While playing in a 45-player, $26 SNG the other night, I took a moment to study my numbers on officialpokerrankings.com. After clicking a few buttons and sorting my stats several different ways, I realized I was 0-for-7 in $26 tournaments.
A few minutes later I was 0-for-8.
Since I was barely bankrolled for $26 tournaments, it seemed like a good indication that I should take a step back, so I dropped down to the $11 level and scored a good cash right away. (I would have preferred to drop to $22, but those don't seem to fill up very often.)
I'll do my best to kill the $11 SNGs for a while before moving up again.
A few minutes later I was 0-for-8.
Since I was barely bankrolled for $26 tournaments, it seemed like a good indication that I should take a step back, so I dropped down to the $11 level and scored a good cash right away. (I would have preferred to drop to $22, but those don't seem to fill up very often.)
I'll do my best to kill the $11 SNGs for a while before moving up again.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Not posting … or cashing
Where the heck have I been? Busy. And in Vegas, where I received a fine poker education at the cost of $550. More on that later.
The cast of characters in Vegas was bizarre, as usual. There was the guy from Milan (Italy, not Michigan) who kept pulling chips off the table during a cash game and giving them to his handler.
The guy in the same game who had so little clue about how to play poker that he kept asking the dealer if he could check after others had bet. (Interesting strategy.)
The guy in the same game (what kind of a game did we walk into) who pushed me out of a hand by betting into a dry sidepot (the previous guy, who a fellow poker rate has since dubbed "Check-oslavakia was already all-in) with 4-3 suited (he was playing the board).
The guy in the same game who asked where we were from and responded with an excited "Really?!" only to tell us he was from Utah. When I said, "I've never seen anyone so excited to hear we were from Michigan who had no connection to Michigan," he just sat there and smiled, oblivious to anything I was saying.
Then there was the "Gentleman Assassin," who deserves his own blog post.
The poker didn't go so well. After cashing in an $80 shovefest at Planet Hollywood, I went 0-for-4 the rest of the week. Three of the games had great structures, and I flamed out of all of them stupidly. I also managed to roll through $100 or so online in the first couple nights back.
The cast of characters in Vegas was bizarre, as usual. There was the guy from Milan (Italy, not Michigan) who kept pulling chips off the table during a cash game and giving them to his handler.
The guy in the same game who had so little clue about how to play poker that he kept asking the dealer if he could check after others had bet. (Interesting strategy.)
The guy in the same game (what kind of a game did we walk into) who pushed me out of a hand by betting into a dry sidepot (the previous guy, who a fellow poker rate has since dubbed "Check-oslavakia was already all-in) with 4-3 suited (he was playing the board).
The guy in the same game who asked where we were from and responded with an excited "Really?!" only to tell us he was from Utah. When I said, "I've never seen anyone so excited to hear we were from Michigan who had no connection to Michigan," he just sat there and smiled, oblivious to anything I was saying.
Then there was the "Gentleman Assassin," who deserves his own blog post.
The poker didn't go so well. After cashing in an $80 shovefest at Planet Hollywood, I went 0-for-4 the rest of the week. Three of the games had great structures, and I flamed out of all of them stupidly. I also managed to roll through $100 or so online in the first couple nights back.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Runner. Runner. Done. (Errr.)
Pretty standard preflop with short stacks. After that, there was nothing standard about it.
Stacks:
UTG with 13115
MP with 3550
BTN with 3320
SB with 2065
BB with 4950
Blinds: 150-300
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN:J♦ A♦
Preflop:
1 players fold.
MP raises to 3,550, and is all in
Hero calls [3,320] [ all-in ]
SB calls [1,915] [ all-in ]
MP shows: 7♦ 7♠
Hero shows: J♦ A♦
SB shows: Q♠ Q♣
1 players fold.
Uncalled bet of 230 returned to MP
Total folds this street: 2
Potsize: 9235
Flop: 10♦ 8♦ 2♦
Potsize: 9235
So I flop the nuts and am about a 95 percent favorite. And then:
Turn: 7♣
Potsize: 9235
River: 7♥
MP shows four of a kind, Sevens
Hero shows a flush, Ace high
MP wins the side pot (2,510) with four of a kind, Sevens
SB shows two pair, Queens and Sevens
MP wins the main pot (6,495) with four of a kind, Sevens
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum
Stacks:
UTG with 13115
MP with 3550
BTN with 3320
SB with 2065
BB with 4950
Blinds: 150-300
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN:J♦ A♦
Preflop:
1 players fold.
MP raises to 3,550, and is all in
Hero calls [3,320] [ all-in ]
SB calls [1,915] [ all-in ]
MP shows: 7♦ 7♠
Hero shows: J♦ A♦
SB shows: Q♠ Q♣
1 players fold.
Uncalled bet of 230 returned to MP
Total folds this street: 2
Potsize: 9235
Flop: 10♦ 8♦ 2♦
Potsize: 9235
So I flop the nuts and am about a 95 percent favorite. And then:
Turn: 7♣
Potsize: 9235
River: 7♥
MP shows four of a kind, Sevens
Hero shows a flush, Ace high
MP wins the side pot (2,510) with four of a kind, Sevens
SB shows two pair, Queens and Sevens
MP wins the main pot (6,495) with four of a kind, Sevens
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Surrounded by donkeys
Played an 45-person, $11 tournament last night and found myself surrounded by some of the worst poker players in history.
One guy had played 25 tournaments and cashed once. Another guy had played enough to "win" $20,000 yet has never, ever had a winning month online. (Clearly, he has spent much, much more than $20,000 in entry fees.) Then there was the guy who thought A-6 suited was plenty good enough to reraise all-in early in the tournament (then mocked me for folding a hand later in the night) and the guy who called him with a worse hand. There was another guy who late in the tournament reraised post-flop and then called an all-in push with 8-4 suited. There was no eight, no four and only one of his suit when he called. I guess he was counting on runner-runner for a crappy flush.
For a while, I was mad at myself for not being able to take these guys — and the other suspect players — to the cleaners. Really, at one point while playing nine-handed there was really only one player, directly to my left, who I thought knew how to play.
In the end, I did end up cleaning up. First place in that one helped cover for an 0-for-3 effort Monday night and earlier Tuesday. The climb continues.
Current bankroll: $1,290.
OPR ranking: 98.41. (All-time high.)
One guy had played 25 tournaments and cashed once. Another guy had played enough to "win" $20,000 yet has never, ever had a winning month online. (Clearly, he has spent much, much more than $20,000 in entry fees.) Then there was the guy who thought A-6 suited was plenty good enough to reraise all-in early in the tournament (then mocked me for folding a hand later in the night) and the guy who called him with a worse hand. There was another guy who late in the tournament reraised post-flop and then called an all-in push with 8-4 suited. There was no eight, no four and only one of his suit when he called. I guess he was counting on runner-runner for a crappy flush.
For a while, I was mad at myself for not being able to take these guys — and the other suspect players — to the cleaners. Really, at one point while playing nine-handed there was really only one player, directly to my left, who I thought knew how to play.
In the end, I did end up cleaning up. First place in that one helped cover for an 0-for-3 effort Monday night and earlier Tuesday. The climb continues.
Current bankroll: $1,290.
OPR ranking: 98.41. (All-time high.)
Monday, February 9, 2009
Well, not so good. But ...
Ended up 487th and 128th in the Daily Double. Cashed in the second one and almost broke even. Oh, well. The big thing about the Daily Double is if you can break even for a while, sooner or later a big score will come that could make a major difference in the bankroll.
Played an $11, 45-player SNG and a $22, 18-player SNG simultaneously to try to bounce back. Finished ninth in the 18-player after someone sucked out on me, but managed to come back from a short, short stack to win the 18-player, my first cash in a tournament above $11.
This is why a good bankroll is important. Before that cash, I was down almost $70 for the weekend. But since I'm playing within my bankroll, it didn't faze me. And the 18-player SNG paid $144 for first, so now I'm back at an all-time high.
Current bankroll: $1,182.
OPR ranking: No sense in checking until tomorrow after all those games tonight.
Played an $11, 45-player SNG and a $22, 18-player SNG simultaneously to try to bounce back. Finished ninth in the 18-player after someone sucked out on me, but managed to come back from a short, short stack to win the 18-player, my first cash in a tournament above $11.
This is why a good bankroll is important. Before that cash, I was down almost $70 for the weekend. But since I'm playing within my bankroll, it didn't faze me. And the 18-player SNG paid $144 for first, so now I'm back at an all-time high.
Current bankroll: $1,182.
OPR ranking: No sense in checking until tomorrow after all those games tonight.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
So far, so good
Playing the Full Tilt "Daily Double" for the second time in my life. Two simultaneous $12 tournaments with 1,200-plus people in each one.
At the break after one hour, I was 18th in one and 22nd in the other, with about 700 remaining in each one. We'll see how it turns out.
At the break after one hour, I was 18th in one and 22nd in the other, with about 700 remaining in each one. We'll see how it turns out.
A rough night
Sometimes you play horribly and still win. And sometimes you play well and you don't.
Played three tournaments Saturday night, including my first $26 tournament. Totaled $48 in and nothing out.
But here are the hands I went out on:
Tournament one: Ks8c vs. QsJd. I was short stacked but I still got my chips in as a 57-43 favorite. Villain ended up pairing his Q and his J. This would have been a forgettable way to end a tournament if not for the other two tournaments.
Tournament two: AdKc vs. KdQs. This wasn't the final hand, but it crippled me. If I win, I'm in the middle of the pack with three tables left (of five). Villain flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned a Q to win the hand. A bit of a loose raise early for him, I thought. A crazy call of my push, I believe.
Tournament three: AcQs vs. QhTs. Second straight tournament I went out after having someone dominated. Villain pushed from the small blind and I called from the big. He turned a T to knock me out. If I win the hand, I have an average stack nine-handed.
Some nights you want to kick yourself for playing poorly. Other nights, you simply shut the computer off and go to bed. No use losing sleep over taking bad beats as long as you played well.
Current bankroll: $1,080.
OPR ranking: 98.14.
Played three tournaments Saturday night, including my first $26 tournament. Totaled $48 in and nothing out.
But here are the hands I went out on:
Tournament one: Ks8c vs. QsJd. I was short stacked but I still got my chips in as a 57-43 favorite. Villain ended up pairing his Q and his J. This would have been a forgettable way to end a tournament if not for the other two tournaments.
Tournament two: AdKc vs. KdQs. This wasn't the final hand, but it crippled me. If I win, I'm in the middle of the pack with three tables left (of five). Villain flopped a gutshot straight draw and turned a Q to win the hand. A bit of a loose raise early for him, I thought. A crazy call of my push, I believe.
Tournament three: AcQs vs. QhTs. Second straight tournament I went out after having someone dominated. Villain pushed from the small blind and I called from the big. He turned a T to knock me out. If I win the hand, I have an average stack nine-handed.
Some nights you want to kick yourself for playing poorly. Other nights, you simply shut the computer off and go to bed. No use losing sleep over taking bad beats as long as you played well.
Current bankroll: $1,080.
OPR ranking: 98.14.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Breaking it down
A breakdown of profit by month so far:
— September PLUS $13
— October MINUS $9
— November PLUS $225
— December PLUS $234
— January PLUS $415
— February is off to a good start. Made $203 in the first week. We'll see how the rest of the month goes, but the goal is to make somewhere from $600 to $800 this month.
— September PLUS $13
— October MINUS $9
— November PLUS $225
— December PLUS $234
— January PLUS $415
— February is off to a good start. Made $203 in the first week. We'll see how the rest of the month goes, but the goal is to make somewhere from $600 to $800 this month.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Chasing … and catching
Chasing flush draws is no way to make a living … unless pot odds dictate that you do so.
Here's an example of a hand where I got in a little deep and then decided I needed to finish what I started.
Stacks:
UTG+1 with 1305
MP1 with 2363
MP2 with 2547
MP3 with 1765
CO with 1460
BTN with 1035
SB with 1400
BB with 1625
UTG with 1555
Blinds: 25-50
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to CO: 8♦ 7♦
Sklansky group 5
Preflop:
3 players fold.
MP2 calls [50]
1 players fold.
Hero calls [50]
BTN calls [50]
BB checks
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 225
There had been a lot of limping, so I felt that the chance I would be raised off this hand preflop was pretty slim.
Flop: 7♥ 2♦ K♦
BB checks
MP2 bets [225]
1 players fold.
Hero calls [225]
This could be considered a loose call since it was for about 15 percent of my chips, but I had middle pair to go with the flush draw. If I had had just the flush draw, I likely would have mucked right here.
BTN raises to 985, and is all in
2 players fold.
Hero calls [760]
Now I think I'm committed. If he has a pair, I have nine flush cards plus two sevens and three eights that will give me the pot. There was more than 1,600 in the pot, so I was getting better than 2-to-1 on my call. And if I had 14 outs, that meant I was almost even money to win the pot.
BTN shows: K♣ 10♦
Hero shows: 8♦ 7♦
Potsize: 2420
Turn: 6♥
River: 8♣
BTN shows a pair of Kings
Hero shows two pair, Eights and Sevens Hero wins the pot (2,420) with two pair, Eights and Sevens
I win. A happy ending for all. Well, all except the button, I suppose.
Current bankroll: $1,128.
OPR ranking: 98.19.
Here's an example of a hand where I got in a little deep and then decided I needed to finish what I started.
Stacks:
UTG+1 with 1305
MP1 with 2363
MP2 with 2547
MP3 with 1765
CO with 1460
BTN with 1035
SB with 1400
BB with 1625
UTG with 1555
Blinds: 25-50
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to CO: 8♦ 7♦
Sklansky group 5
Preflop:
3 players fold.
MP2 calls [50]
1 players fold.
Hero calls [50]
BTN calls [50]
BB checks
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 5
Potsize: 225
There had been a lot of limping, so I felt that the chance I would be raised off this hand preflop was pretty slim.
Flop: 7♥ 2♦ K♦
BB checks
MP2 bets [225]
1 players fold.
Hero calls [225]
This could be considered a loose call since it was for about 15 percent of my chips, but I had middle pair to go with the flush draw. If I had had just the flush draw, I likely would have mucked right here.
BTN raises to 985, and is all in
2 players fold.
Hero calls [760]
Now I think I'm committed. If he has a pair, I have nine flush cards plus two sevens and three eights that will give me the pot. There was more than 1,600 in the pot, so I was getting better than 2-to-1 on my call. And if I had 14 outs, that meant I was almost even money to win the pot.
BTN shows: K♣ 10♦
Hero shows: 8♦ 7♦
Potsize: 2420
Turn: 6♥
River: 8♣
BTN shows a pair of Kings
Hero shows two pair, Eights and Sevens Hero wins the pot (2,420) with two pair, Eights and Sevens
I win. A happy ending for all. Well, all except the button, I suppose.
Current bankroll: $1,128.
OPR ranking: 98.19.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Another small goal met
The "OPR" that I consistently refer to is actually "Officialpokerrankings.com" — a Web site that puts the Big Brother in poker.
The site monitors every single poker tournament played on several sites and compiles all sorts of helpful numbers about each player's game. It's pretty insane.
Anyway, the OPR ranking that I consistently mention comes from some formula the site uses to rank all the poker players online. So a poker ranking of 98.17 — my current ranking — means that I'm ranked ahead of 98.17 percent of the players the site is monitoring … whatever that means.
Normally, my goal is to move into the next percentage point. But once I hit the 98 mark, I decided to keep an eye on overall ranking. I was getting close to being in the top 10,000, and I wanted to get there.
Well, I'm there. Into the top 10,000 for the first time ever after the two cashes last night.
Top 10,000 doesn't seem like a whole lot to get excited about, but the site ranks everyone who has played a cash tournament on one of several sites over the past 120 days. More than 533,000 players are ranked in order, so being in the top 10,000 is pretty cool.
The site monitors every single poker tournament played on several sites and compiles all sorts of helpful numbers about each player's game. It's pretty insane.
Anyway, the OPR ranking that I consistently mention comes from some formula the site uses to rank all the poker players online. So a poker ranking of 98.17 — my current ranking — means that I'm ranked ahead of 98.17 percent of the players the site is monitoring … whatever that means.
Normally, my goal is to move into the next percentage point. But once I hit the 98 mark, I decided to keep an eye on overall ranking. I was getting close to being in the top 10,000, and I wanted to get there.
Well, I'm there. Into the top 10,000 for the first time ever after the two cashes last night.
Top 10,000 doesn't seem like a whole lot to get excited about, but the site ranks everyone who has played a cash tournament on one of several sites over the past 120 days. More than 533,000 players are ranked in order, so being in the top 10,000 is pretty cool.
One good night, one bad hand
The first time I played since reaching the $1,000 mark, I went over the $1,100 mark by finishing first in an 18-player, $11 SNG while also finishing sixth in a 45-player, $11 SNG. I would like to punch myself in the face for how I played the final hand in the bigger tournament though. Here it is:
Stacks:
SB with 9186
BB with 6170
UTG with 33386
MP with 8026
CO with 4632
HERO with 6100
Blinds:
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN: 7♥ 7♠
With the blinds as high as they were — 500-1,000 — this seems like a great hand to push with. But there was one problem ...
Preflop:
UTG calls [1,000]
MP raises to 2,000
1 players fold.
Hero raises to 6,100, and is all in
As soon as I put my chips in, I realized the guy who min-raised with a short stack and a caller already in the pot could only have one hand: aces. It seems crazy to consider folding 7s in this spot, but I would have if I had spent five seconds thinking about it.
3 players fold.
MP calls [4,100] Hero shows : 7♥ 7♠
MP shows : A♠ A♥
Total folds this street: 4
Potsize: 13701
Flop: 10♠ Q♦ 6♠
Turn: 9♠
River: 5♣
Hero shows a pair of Sevens
MP shows a pair of Aces
MP wins the pot (14,700) with a pair of Aces
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum
That was the end, but cashes worth $72 and $22.50 gave me a profit of $72.50 for the night.
Current balance: $1,105.
OPR ranking: Still 98.05, but it will go up. They update once a day.
Stacks:
SB with 9186
BB with 6170
UTG with 33386
MP with 8026
CO with 4632
HERO with 6100
Blinds:
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to BTN: 7♥ 7♠
With the blinds as high as they were — 500-1,000 — this seems like a great hand to push with. But there was one problem ...
Preflop:
UTG calls [1,000]
MP raises to 2,000
1 players fold.
Hero raises to 6,100, and is all in
As soon as I put my chips in, I realized the guy who min-raised with a short stack and a caller already in the pot could only have one hand: aces. It seems crazy to consider folding 7s in this spot, but I would have if I had spent five seconds thinking about it.
3 players fold.
MP calls [4,100] Hero shows : 7♥ 7♠
MP shows : A♠ A♥
Total folds this street: 4
Potsize: 13701
Flop: 10♠ Q♦ 6♠
Turn: 9♠
River: 5♣
Hero shows a pair of Sevens
MP shows a pair of Aces
MP wins the pot (14,700) with a pair of Aces
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum
That was the end, but cashes worth $72 and $22.50 gave me a profit of $72.50 for the night.
Current balance: $1,105.
OPR ranking: Still 98.05, but it will go up. They update once a day.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The system
To repeat the theory about making money playing online poker that I mentioned in an earlier blog, I believe there are just two things necessary:
1. You must be a winning poker player.
2. You must be extremely disciplined when it comes to bankroll management.
Here the rules I laid out for myself before asking a friend to transfer $50 into my Full Tilt account:
1. I swore I would put money online only once in my life. This prevented me from taking a shot at a tournament I had no business playing and ending up with a zero balance. Too many people put $100 online and then play a few $5 tournaments before getting bored and buying into a couple $50 games. I told myself that this was not an option.
2. I put only 2.5 percent of my bankroll up for any tournament or sit-and-go buy-in. This allows me to ride out the inevitable swings of bad cards, bad luck and bad decisions that every poker player occasionally goes through.
3. I broke rule No. 2 early. I put $50 into an online account, but I started playing $2 tournaments and sit-and-gos immediately and told myself that I was never going to move down from there. Playing anything cheaper than that is utterly ridiculous. Besides, if you go through a fifty $2 at a time, you're not a winning poker player. If you go broke at that pace, you should log off forever.
It took forever to build up from $50 to $200, which is when I allowed myself to move up to $5 tournaments. (Again, the 2.5 percent rule.) It took some time to get used to the Internet game and the crazy people who play low-stakes tournaments and sit-and-gos. And it took a while to figure out which size game worked best for me. But once I got rolling, I got rolling.
The move from $5 to $10 tournaments didn't take long at all. The move from $10 to $20, where I should start playing right now (that's less than 2 percent of my $1,000-plus bankroll) took almost no time at all.
Managing money is key, but it's still not the most important thing. No matter how well you manage your bankroll, you still have to be a winning player. Only 1 out of 3 players win money online. If you're in the 2-out-of-3 group, you're going to lose all your money eventually no matter how much you deposit or how smart you are about managing it.
So why all the discussion about bankroll management when being a winning player is more important? Because I can explain bankroll management. When it comes to figuring out how to be a winning player, well, you're kind of on your own.
Current bankroll: $1,033.
OPR ranking: 98.05 (first time ever over 98).
1. You must be a winning poker player.
2. You must be extremely disciplined when it comes to bankroll management.
Here the rules I laid out for myself before asking a friend to transfer $50 into my Full Tilt account:
1. I swore I would put money online only once in my life. This prevented me from taking a shot at a tournament I had no business playing and ending up with a zero balance. Too many people put $100 online and then play a few $5 tournaments before getting bored and buying into a couple $50 games. I told myself that this was not an option.
2. I put only 2.5 percent of my bankroll up for any tournament or sit-and-go buy-in. This allows me to ride out the inevitable swings of bad cards, bad luck and bad decisions that every poker player occasionally goes through.
3. I broke rule No. 2 early. I put $50 into an online account, but I started playing $2 tournaments and sit-and-gos immediately and told myself that I was never going to move down from there. Playing anything cheaper than that is utterly ridiculous. Besides, if you go through a fifty $2 at a time, you're not a winning poker player. If you go broke at that pace, you should log off forever.
It took forever to build up from $50 to $200, which is when I allowed myself to move up to $5 tournaments. (Again, the 2.5 percent rule.) It took some time to get used to the Internet game and the crazy people who play low-stakes tournaments and sit-and-gos. And it took a while to figure out which size game worked best for me. But once I got rolling, I got rolling.
The move from $5 to $10 tournaments didn't take long at all. The move from $10 to $20, where I should start playing right now (that's less than 2 percent of my $1,000-plus bankroll) took almost no time at all.
Managing money is key, but it's still not the most important thing. No matter how well you manage your bankroll, you still have to be a winning player. Only 1 out of 3 players win money online. If you're in the 2-out-of-3 group, you're going to lose all your money eventually no matter how much you deposit or how smart you are about managing it.
So why all the discussion about bankroll management when being a winning player is more important? Because I can explain bankroll management. When it comes to figuring out how to be a winning player, well, you're kind of on your own.
Current bankroll: $1,033.
OPR ranking: 98.05 (first time ever over 98).
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Nice hand, nice flop
An interesting hand from my first place in the wee hours of this morning. I'm normally a proponent of shoving with aces so I only have to play one opponent with them, but since I already had one guy all-in, I decided to flat call and see if anyone tagged along for the flop.
Of course, I figured if anyone had a big enough hand to call that they would probably shove. And if they didn't, I planned to shove the flop no matter what cards fell.
I never thought someone would flat call and do the shoving on the flop for me.
Here's the hand:
$10 + $1 Sit & Go, Table 3 - 30/60 - No Limit Hold'em - 2009/02/03
Stacks:
UTG+1 with 2525
MP1 with 2560
MP2 with 712
HERO with 2573
CO with 1040
BTN with 3570
SB with 2055
BB with 1910
UTG with 1045
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to hero: A♣ A♠
Preflop:
3 players fold.
MP2 raises to 712, and is all in
Hero calls [712]
2 players fold.
SB calls [682]
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 6
Potsize: 2196
Flop: 3♥ A♥ 5♣
SB bets [1,343, and is all in]
Hero calls [1,343]
SB shows: Q♣ A♦
MP2 shows: 10♦ J♦
Hero shows: A♣ A♠
Potsize: 3540
Turn: 4♣
River: 9♦
SB shows a pair of Aces
Hero shows three of a kind, Aces Hero wins the side pot (2,686) with three of a kind, Aces
MP2 shows Ace Jack high Hero wins the main pot (2,196) with three of a kind, Aces
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum
Of course, I figured if anyone had a big enough hand to call that they would probably shove. And if they didn't, I planned to shove the flop no matter what cards fell.
I never thought someone would flat call and do the shoving on the flop for me.
Here's the hand:
$10 + $1 Sit & Go, Table 3 - 30/60 - No Limit Hold'em - 2009/02/03
Stacks:
UTG+1 with 2525
MP1 with 2560
MP2 with 712
HERO with 2573
CO with 1040
BTN with 3570
SB with 2055
BB with 1910
UTG with 1045
Site: Full Tilt Poker
Dealt to hero: A♣ A♠
Preflop:
3 players fold.
MP2 raises to 712, and is all in
Hero calls [712]
2 players fold.
SB calls [682]
1 players folded.
Total folds this street: 6
Potsize: 2196
Flop: 3♥ A♥ 5♣
SB bets [1,343, and is all in]
Hero calls [1,343]
SB shows: Q♣ A♦
MP2 shows: 10♦ J♦
Hero shows: A♣ A♠
Potsize: 3540
Turn: 4♣
River: 9♦
SB shows a pair of Aces
Hero shows three of a kind, Aces Hero wins the side pot (2,686) with three of a kind, Aces
MP2 shows Ace Jack high Hero wins the main pot (2,196) with three of a kind, Aces
Poker Hand Converter By Cardschat.com Poker Forum
A new milestone
Pulled it off. Won a 27-person tournament for $108. Crossed the $1,000 barrier.
Current bankroll: $1,028.
OPR ranking: 97.9 percentile. (Not counting tonight's results. Could cross 98 percent for the first time.)
Current bankroll: $1,028.
OPR ranking: 97.9 percentile. (Not counting tonight's results. Could cross 98 percent for the first time.)
Where have I been?
The whole point of a blog is to write regularly. So what have I been up to the past two weeks? A lot.
Just felt the need to post right now to get myself back in the groove. Currently the chip leader in an $11, 27-person sit-and-go. If I win — a big if — I'll break the $1,000 barrier. Stay tuned.
Just felt the need to post right now to get myself back in the groove. Currently the chip leader in an $11, 27-person sit-and-go. If I win — a big if — I'll break the $1,000 barrier. Stay tuned.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Surefire way to make money
There are only two things necessary to win money consistently online.
1. You need to be a winning player.
2. You need discipline.
The fact that you need to know how to play seems obvious since only one out of three online players makes money. If you are a losing player, your balance will eventually be $0 no matter how much you deposit or how disciplined you are.
But once you've established yourself as a winning player, point No. 2 takes on huge importance. Sometimes the cards hate you. Sometimes you play poorly. The only way you can ride out the inevitable bumps in the game is by being disciplined about how much of your bankroll you're willing to play for at any one time.
I'll explain my system in detail at another time.
Current bankroll: $870.
OPR ranking: 97.7-plus.
1. You need to be a winning player.
2. You need discipline.
The fact that you need to know how to play seems obvious since only one out of three online players makes money. If you are a losing player, your balance will eventually be $0 no matter how much you deposit or how disciplined you are.
But once you've established yourself as a winning player, point No. 2 takes on huge importance. Sometimes the cards hate you. Sometimes you play poorly. The only way you can ride out the inevitable bumps in the game is by being disciplined about how much of your bankroll you're willing to play for at any one time.
I'll explain my system in detail at another time.
Current bankroll: $870.
OPR ranking: 97.7-plus.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
A bad hand gone good
The table I went out early on Saturday saw my JJ lose to a guy with TT. The table I cashed in included the worst hand I've ever played. (Please read throughout for an explanation.)
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 150/300 Blinds, 25 Ante, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (BTN): 6,655
SB: 14,006
BB: 6,045
UTG: 3,887
UTG+1: 7,933
UTG+2: 2,343
MP1: 5,296
MP2: 5,545
CO: 8,813
Pre-Flop: (675) 3 A dealt to Hero (BTN)
6 folds, Hero raises to 900, SB folds, BB raises to 2,520, Hero calls 1,620
I thought he was all-in. Thought I was pot-committed having to call 1,620 in a pot of 3,800-ish. Shocked me when I saw a flop and our cards hadn't been turned over.
Flop: (5,415) 7 A Q (2 Players)
BB bets 3,500 and is All-In, Hero calls 3,500
Again, thought I might very well be beat, but I was pot-committed. Calling 3,500 into a pot of 8,900.
Turn: (12,415) 6 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: (12,415) 3 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Results: 12,415 Pot
Hero showed 3 A (two pair, Aces and Threes) and WON 12,415 (+6,370 NET)
BB showed Q K (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-6,045 NET)
The point: Pay attention.
Full Tilt Poker, NL Hold'em Tournament, 150/300 Blinds, 25 Ante, 9 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (BTN): 6,655
SB: 14,006
BB: 6,045
UTG: 3,887
UTG+1: 7,933
UTG+2: 2,343
MP1: 5,296
MP2: 5,545
CO: 8,813
Pre-Flop: (675) 3 A dealt to Hero (BTN)
6 folds, Hero raises to 900, SB folds, BB raises to 2,520, Hero calls 1,620
I thought he was all-in. Thought I was pot-committed having to call 1,620 in a pot of 3,800-ish. Shocked me when I saw a flop and our cards hadn't been turned over.
Flop: (5,415) 7 A Q (2 Players)
BB bets 3,500 and is All-In, Hero calls 3,500
Again, thought I might very well be beat, but I was pot-committed. Calling 3,500 into a pot of 8,900.
Turn: (12,415) 6 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
River: (12,415) 3 (2 Players - 1 is All-In)
Results: 12,415 Pot
Hero showed 3 A (two pair, Aces and Threes) and WON 12,415 (+6,370 NET)
BB showed Q K (a pair of Queens) and LOST (-6,045 NET)
The point: Pay attention.
Not a bad week
Capped off a good week by playing the biggest tournaments I've ever entered: The Daily Double on FullTilt, which is actually two $12 tournaments. They averaged 1,300 players, and I finished in the top 100 of one of them.
In: $24. Out: $23.90.
Three-and-a-half hours, lost 10 cents.
So what's the point? The point is, poker is fun AND I put myself in position to score big. First place in the tournament I cashed in paid $2800-plus.
All-in-all, not a bad week. Won back-to-back $11, 18-player SNGs for $72 each, then followed that up Friday night with a first in an $11, 45-player SNG for $171. Started the week under $500 and ended it at almost $750.
In: $24. Out: $23.90.
Three-and-a-half hours, lost 10 cents.
So what's the point? The point is, poker is fun AND I put myself in position to score big. First place in the tournament I cashed in paid $2800-plus.
All-in-all, not a bad week. Won back-to-back $11, 18-player SNGs for $72 each, then followed that up Friday night with a first in an $11, 45-player SNG for $171. Started the week under $500 and ended it at almost $750.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A good plan gone bad
Sometimes things just don't work out as planned. When that happens, the key is to not go broke.
The BB in this hand was a maniac. Raised a lot preflop, especially when there were limpers. He almost always made a pot-sized bet on the flop and often followed that up with an all-in on the turn. I waited a half-hour to get in a good situation to spring a trap. It finally happened.
Two aces in second position is normally an automatic raise, but I limped in, hoping a couple others would follow and that the BB would raise. I planned to reraise, forcing out the limpers in hopes that the maniac would call. Everything went wrong.
Strike one: Everyone folded to the BB.
Strike two: BB limped.
Strike three: Crappy flop.
As expected, the BB made a pot-sized bet of 150. (I had hoped he would raise, which would have made the pot bigger, which would have led to a pot-sized bet.) Had things gone as planned, I would have called the bet on the flop and let the BB bet the turn before I pushed all-in. But I couldn't see letting a maniac catch up with a couple of garbage diamonds or a king with garbage kicker. So I raised, he folded.
There have been times where I've been tempted to stick to the original plan. But sometimes winning a pot is more important than being tricky. Sometimes being tricky just means you go broke.
Here's the hand:
Full Tilt Poker, $10 + $1 NL Hold'em Sit n' Go, 30/60 Blinds, 7 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (UTG+1): 1,510
MP: 1,160
CO: 1,195
BTN: 4,795
SB: 1,175
BB: 2,985
UTG: 1,990
Pre-Flop: (90) A
A
dealt to Hero (UTG+1)
UTG folds, Hero calls 60, 4 folds, BB checks
Flop: (150) Q
J A (2 Players)
BB bets 150, Hero raises to 600, BB folds
Results: 450 Pot
Hero mucked A A and WON 450 (+240 NET)
The BB in this hand was a maniac. Raised a lot preflop, especially when there were limpers. He almost always made a pot-sized bet on the flop and often followed that up with an all-in on the turn. I waited a half-hour to get in a good situation to spring a trap. It finally happened.
Two aces in second position is normally an automatic raise, but I limped in, hoping a couple others would follow and that the BB would raise. I planned to reraise, forcing out the limpers in hopes that the maniac would call. Everything went wrong.
Strike one: Everyone folded to the BB.
Strike two: BB limped.
Strike three: Crappy flop.
As expected, the BB made a pot-sized bet of 150. (I had hoped he would raise, which would have made the pot bigger, which would have led to a pot-sized bet.) Had things gone as planned, I would have called the bet on the flop and let the BB bet the turn before I pushed all-in. But I couldn't see letting a maniac catch up with a couple of garbage diamonds or a king with garbage kicker. So I raised, he folded.
There have been times where I've been tempted to stick to the original plan. But sometimes winning a pot is more important than being tricky. Sometimes being tricky just means you go broke.
Here's the hand:
Full Tilt Poker, $10 + $1 NL Hold'em Sit n' Go, 30/60 Blinds, 7 Players
LeggoPoker.com - Hand History Converter
Hero (UTG+1): 1,510
MP: 1,160
CO: 1,195
BTN: 4,795
SB: 1,175
BB: 2,985
UTG: 1,990
Pre-Flop: (90) A
A dealt to Hero (UTG+1)UTG folds, Hero calls 60, 4 folds, BB checks
Flop: (150) Q
J A (2 Players)BB bets 150, Hero raises to 600, BB folds
Results: 450 Pot
Hero mucked A
A and WON 450 (+240 NET)
A second chance
Luckily for me, I took a horrible beating on the online felt during the last week. You see, I promised myself when I started my online poker account with $50 with the hopes of building a good-sized bankroll that I would start blogging about it once I reached the $500 mark.
A big score a couple weeks back — first place in a $11 buy-in 45-person event for $171 — put me well over $500. But I didn't have this blog set up yet. So I went out and lost more than $100 — $5 or $10 at a time in what was the worst run of cards, luck and boneheaded moves I've ever been through.
Well, I'm back. Back on the winning side and — thanks to a first in an $11 buy-in, 18-person sit-and-go that earned me $72 last night — back over $500. That gave me a second chance to do what I had planned to do all along: start a blog when I reached the $500 mark.
Where will this go? Where will it end? Can an amateur poker nut really use pretty good poker skills and a ridiculously strict bankroll management system to turn $50 into $50,000? I have no idea. But I hope one or two people will come along for the ride through this blog.
A big score a couple weeks back — first place in a $11 buy-in 45-person event for $171 — put me well over $500. But I didn't have this blog set up yet. So I went out and lost more than $100 — $5 or $10 at a time in what was the worst run of cards, luck and boneheaded moves I've ever been through.
Well, I'm back. Back on the winning side and — thanks to a first in an $11 buy-in, 18-person sit-and-go that earned me $72 last night — back over $500. That gave me a second chance to do what I had planned to do all along: start a blog when I reached the $500 mark.
Where will this go? Where will it end? Can an amateur poker nut really use pretty good poker skills and a ridiculously strict bankroll management system to turn $50 into $50,000? I have no idea. But I hope one or two people will come along for the ride through this blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)