Played a short session tonight, about 500 hands and it went pretty well, it seemed that other players were very keen to give me their entire stack - the below example is just fantastic. After my reraise his push is horrible against me as I am sooooo unlikely to ever fold it is untrue
***** Hand History for Game 6283454090 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Thursday, August 30, 16:52:41 ET 2007
Table Table 125404 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 5 is the button
Total number of players : 9
Seat 2: Agentjade ( $1,112.32 USD )
Seat 5: Gnidde_Palema ( $2,205.75 USD )
Seat 8: stevengerrard ( $1,272 USD )
Seat 9: XBarbie_19X ( $1,722.25 USD )
Seat 1: TiltyMonkey ( $1,057.50 USD )
Seat 4: Raoh_ ( $183.75 USD )
Seat 6: GL2UM8 ( $975 USD )
Seat 3: Gangsta136 ( $995 USD )
Seat 10: mukl333 ( $115 USD )
GL2UM8 posts small blind [$5 USD].
stevengerrard posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ 3d 3h ]
XBarbie_19X folds
mukl333 folds
TiltyMonkey calls [$10 USD]
Agentjade folds
Gangsta136 folds
Raoh_ raises [$40 USD]
Dbergk has joined the table.
Gnidde_Palema calls [$40 USD]
GL2UM8 folds
stevengerrard folds
TiltyMonkey calls [$30 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 5h, 3c, Td ]
TiltyMonkey checks
Raoh_ checks
Gnidde_Palema bets [$80 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$210 USD]
Gnidde_Palema is all-In [$2,085.75 USD]
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$807.50 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ts ]
** Dealing River ** [ 9d ]
TiltyMonkey shows [ 3d, 3h ]a full house, Threes full of Tens.
Gnidde_Palema shows [ Qd, Jd ]a pair of Tens.
Gnidde_Palema wins $1,148.25 USD from side pot #1 with a pair of Tens.
TiltyMonkey wins $2,167 USD from the main pot with a full house, Threes full of Tens.
>You have options at Table 128008 (No DP) Table!.
Nice huh! Anyway it takes me to almost having a reasonable month, not quite but still a vast improvement on where I was a few days ago
Steve
August Profit $5100
Thursday 30 August 2007
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Swingy Poker
My bankroll has fluctuated wildly over the past two days. Sunday I won two huge pots early and was up over 2k before a lack of cards and some suck-outs dragged me back down to +800 for the day, I was disappointed with this as I fell backwards but it was still a profitable day. Yesterday was disturbing as I dropped $1.3k in an early session through some poor play and then dropped a further 2k later on as everything I did went wrong, I was playing well and just managing to catch people with made hands. At this point I was back to being behind for the month and my confidence is a fragile beast to say the least and It hurt to be back at that stage. However again I perservered as I knew I was playing well and I would get some hands and some luck eventually.
My perseverence paid off as I raced back up by 3k - this is not typical for me, my game tends to see a fairly steady bankroll and 3k swings are not generally part of my plan (especially downwards). Anyway my recovery is very encouraging and at some point I may push on from one of these sessions and get a half decent bankroll again.
Some hands from the last two days....
This is the only time I have ever had thi shappen - quads over quads
***** Hand History for Game 6270996258 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, August 26, 15:56:20 ET 2007
Table Table 126894 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 7 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: mukl333 ( $272.75 USD )
Seat 2: Clemme_1982 ( $1,552.94 USD )
Seat 3: doombase ( $605.59 USD )
Seat 4: DB_69 ( $1,224.75 USD )
Seat 6: NUTSINURMOUTH ( $1,000 USD )
Seat 9: XBarbie_19X ( $1,220.25 USD )
Seat 10: Kyren06 ( $200 USD )
Seat 8: TiltyMonkey ( $933.50 USD )
Seat 7: Raoh_ ( $180 USD )
Seat 5: Up1million ( $985 USD )
TiltyMonkey posts small blind [$5 USD].
XBarbie_19X posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Jh Jd ]
Kyren06 folds
mukl333 folds
Clemme_1982 folds
doombase folds
DB_69 raises [$40 USD]
Up1million folds
NUTSINURMOUTH folds
Raoh_ folds
TiltyMonkey calls [$35 USD]
XBarbie_19X folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jc, Ks, Js ]
TiltyMonkey checks
DB_69 checks
** Dealing Turn ** [ 9d ]
TiltyMonkey checks
DB_69 bets [$40 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$80 USD]
DB_69 calls [$40 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 9s ]
>You have options at Table 126855 Table!.
TiltyMonkey bets [$210 USD]
DB_69 is all-In [$1,104.75 USD]
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$603.50 USD]
TiltyMonkey shows [ Jh, Jd ]four of a kind, Jacks.
DB_69 shows [ 9h, 9c ]four of a kind, Nines.
DB_69 wins $291.25 USD from side pot #1 with four of a kind, Nines.
TiltyMonkey wins $1,874 USD from the main pot with four of a kind, Jacks.
Below is a fine example of overplaying AA, I raised and was reraised big to $150, I decided that this player was very aggressive, unlikely to back down and so I thought that a push may look like JJ and get a call from hands like AK, KK, QQ. I pushed he called and I took down a fine pot.
***** Hand History for Game 6270988928 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, August 26, 15:54:22 ET 2007
Table Table 126366 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 7 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 6: TiltyMonkey ( $909.50 USD )
Seat 4: drounder2011 ( $1,668.45 USD )
Seat 1: Kyren06 ( $155 USD )
Seat 5: ingemars12 ( $995 USD )
Seat 10: Noodlebrains ( $1,012.50 USD )
Seat 9: CADEIRANTE ( $453 USD )
Seat 8: Raoh_ ( $200 USD )
Seat 3: zsutelek ( $1,000 USD )
Seat 7: NUTSINURMOUTH ( $984.50 USD )
Seat 2: dmmikkel86 ( $1,000 USD )
Raoh_ posts small blind [$5 USD].
CADEIRANTE posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Ac As ]
Noodlebrains folds
Kyren06 folds
drounder2011 folds
ingemars12 folds
TiltyMonkey raises [$40 USD]
NUTSINURMOUTH raises [$150 USD]
Raoh_ folds
CADEIRANTE folds
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$869.50 USD]
NUTSINURMOUTH calls [$759.50 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 4d, 7d, 6s ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jh ]
** Dealing River ** [ Qd ]
NUTSINURMOUTH shows [ Ks, Ad ]high card Ace.
TiltyMonkey shows [ Ac, As ]a pair of Aces.
TiltyMonkey wins $1,831 USD from the main pot with a pair of Aces.
>You have options at Table 126894 (No DP) Tab
Steve
My perseverence paid off as I raced back up by 3k - this is not typical for me, my game tends to see a fairly steady bankroll and 3k swings are not generally part of my plan (especially downwards). Anyway my recovery is very encouraging and at some point I may push on from one of these sessions and get a half decent bankroll again.
Some hands from the last two days....
This is the only time I have ever had thi shappen - quads over quads
***** Hand History for Game 6270996258 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, August 26, 15:56:20 ET 2007
Table Table 126894 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 7 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 1: mukl333 ( $272.75 USD )
Seat 2: Clemme_1982 ( $1,552.94 USD )
Seat 3: doombase ( $605.59 USD )
Seat 4: DB_69 ( $1,224.75 USD )
Seat 6: NUTSINURMOUTH ( $1,000 USD )
Seat 9: XBarbie_19X ( $1,220.25 USD )
Seat 10: Kyren06 ( $200 USD )
Seat 8: TiltyMonkey ( $933.50 USD )
Seat 7: Raoh_ ( $180 USD )
Seat 5: Up1million ( $985 USD )
TiltyMonkey posts small blind [$5 USD].
XBarbie_19X posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Jh Jd ]
Kyren06 folds
mukl333 folds
Clemme_1982 folds
doombase folds
DB_69 raises [$40 USD]
Up1million folds
NUTSINURMOUTH folds
Raoh_ folds
TiltyMonkey calls [$35 USD]
XBarbie_19X folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jc, Ks, Js ]
TiltyMonkey checks
DB_69 checks
** Dealing Turn ** [ 9d ]
TiltyMonkey checks
DB_69 bets [$40 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$80 USD]
DB_69 calls [$40 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 9s ]
>You have options at Table 126855 Table!.
TiltyMonkey bets [$210 USD]
DB_69 is all-In [$1,104.75 USD]
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$603.50 USD]
TiltyMonkey shows [ Jh, Jd ]four of a kind, Jacks.
DB_69 shows [ 9h, 9c ]four of a kind, Nines.
DB_69 wins $291.25 USD from side pot #1 with four of a kind, Nines.
TiltyMonkey wins $1,874 USD from the main pot with four of a kind, Jacks.
Below is a fine example of overplaying AA, I raised and was reraised big to $150, I decided that this player was very aggressive, unlikely to back down and so I thought that a push may look like JJ and get a call from hands like AK, KK, QQ. I pushed he called and I took down a fine pot.
***** Hand History for Game 6270988928 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, August 26, 15:54:22 ET 2007
Table Table 126366 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 7 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 6: TiltyMonkey ( $909.50 USD )
Seat 4: drounder2011 ( $1,668.45 USD )
Seat 1: Kyren06 ( $155 USD )
Seat 5: ingemars12 ( $995 USD )
Seat 10: Noodlebrains ( $1,012.50 USD )
Seat 9: CADEIRANTE ( $453 USD )
Seat 8: Raoh_ ( $200 USD )
Seat 3: zsutelek ( $1,000 USD )
Seat 7: NUTSINURMOUTH ( $984.50 USD )
Seat 2: dmmikkel86 ( $1,000 USD )
Raoh_ posts small blind [$5 USD].
CADEIRANTE posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Ac As ]
Noodlebrains folds
Kyren06 folds
drounder2011 folds
ingemars12 folds
TiltyMonkey raises [$40 USD]
NUTSINURMOUTH raises [$150 USD]
Raoh_ folds
CADEIRANTE folds
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$869.50 USD]
NUTSINURMOUTH calls [$759.50 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 4d, 7d, 6s ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Jh ]
** Dealing River ** [ Qd ]
NUTSINURMOUTH shows [ Ks, Ad ]high card Ace.
TiltyMonkey shows [ Ac, As ]a pair of Aces.
TiltyMonkey wins $1,831 USD from the main pot with a pair of Aces.
>You have options at Table 126894 (No DP) Tab
Steve
Saturday 25 August 2007
Thank god for winning
I have been strongly questionning my sanity over the past few days as I slipped back into minus figures for the month - I've been far too depressed by it to post but basically after my glorious night's play which resulted in a loss of $400 I played less well shall we say the following day and managed to throw away a fair amount over the past two days. Anyway I have been very close to having to drop stakes and I can't describe how much I don't want to have to do that - I will if neccessary but seriously it would hurt so much to be forced into that position.
However I have had a reasonable winning session this evening - have played from 12pm through to 7am which is not something I customarily do but it has been important for me not to lose during this session. I was about 1k down till around 5.30am and starting to pull it back around and then got involved in a couple of major pots, I've also had two huge suckouts against me this evening but I won the bigger ones so I feel ok about it. The play at this time is interesting to say the least. I got called down having reraised pre flop by a guy with AQ on a A high flop where I bet strong every street - took down a 2.1k pot. Then I won another big one and this felt good. It was my last hand on a table, short handed and I had AQ, flat called pre flop hoping to hit and be wel disguised. Well it couldn't have been much better K,J,10 giving me the straight. He bets and I raise big hoping to look like a flush draw. got called and when the turn came a blank I decided to massively overplay my hand and push all in - could easily be a flush/straight draw and may get called by some really weak hands. Anyway he thought long and hard about it before calling at which point I was praying for no pair and no flush to hit - board paired which I really didn't like and he flipped K6 for a weak top pair - I can only imagine the time played a factor in this decision. So I end the session nicely ahead and am back to about 1.5k up for the month.
I so badly need a good run for confidence as much as anything, here's hoping I can have a plus 2k day tomorrow and really get something going
Steve
August profit +1.5k
***** Hand History for Game 6269278533 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, August 26, 01:44:24 ET 2007
Table Table 128008 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 1: sofakelol ( $1,016 USD )
Seat 3: TiltyMonkey ( $2,641.29 USD )
Seat 4: sweetdjam ( $1,773 USD )
Seat 9: betandhope ( $1,075 USD )
Seat 5: Abraxas_ ( $1,000 USD )
Seat 6: m_zeal ( $1,000 USD )
TiltyMonkey posts small blind [$5 USD].
sweetdjam is sitting out
Abraxas_ is sitting out
sweetdjam has left the table.
m_zeal posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Ah Qh ]
sofakelol raises [$30 USD]
TiltyMonkey calls [$25 USD]
m_zeal folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jc, Th, Kc ]
TiltyMonkey checks
sofakelol bets [$60 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$170 USD]
sofakelol calls [$110 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2s ]
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$2,441.29 USD]
sofakelol is all-In [$816 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 2c ]
TiltyMonkey shows [ Ah, Qh ]a straight Ten to Ace.
sofakelol doesn't show [ Ks, 6s ]two pairs, Kings and Twos.
TiltyMonkey wins $1,625.29 USD from side pot #1 with a straight, Ten to Ace.
TiltyMonkey wins $2,041 USD from the main pot with a straight, Ten to Ace.
Abraxas_ has left the table.
However I have had a reasonable winning session this evening - have played from 12pm through to 7am which is not something I customarily do but it has been important for me not to lose during this session. I was about 1k down till around 5.30am and starting to pull it back around and then got involved in a couple of major pots, I've also had two huge suckouts against me this evening but I won the bigger ones so I feel ok about it. The play at this time is interesting to say the least. I got called down having reraised pre flop by a guy with AQ on a A high flop where I bet strong every street - took down a 2.1k pot. Then I won another big one and this felt good. It was my last hand on a table, short handed and I had AQ, flat called pre flop hoping to hit and be wel disguised. Well it couldn't have been much better K,J,10 giving me the straight. He bets and I raise big hoping to look like a flush draw. got called and when the turn came a blank I decided to massively overplay my hand and push all in - could easily be a flush/straight draw and may get called by some really weak hands. Anyway he thought long and hard about it before calling at which point I was praying for no pair and no flush to hit - board paired which I really didn't like and he flipped K6 for a weak top pair - I can only imagine the time played a factor in this decision. So I end the session nicely ahead and am back to about 1.5k up for the month.
I so badly need a good run for confidence as much as anything, here's hoping I can have a plus 2k day tomorrow and really get something going
Steve
August profit +1.5k
***** Hand History for Game 6269278533 *****
$1,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Sunday, August 26, 01:44:24 ET 2007
Table Table 128008 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Total number of players : 6
Seat 1: sofakelol ( $1,016 USD )
Seat 3: TiltyMonkey ( $2,641.29 USD )
Seat 4: sweetdjam ( $1,773 USD )
Seat 9: betandhope ( $1,075 USD )
Seat 5: Abraxas_ ( $1,000 USD )
Seat 6: m_zeal ( $1,000 USD )
TiltyMonkey posts small blind [$5 USD].
sweetdjam is sitting out
Abraxas_ is sitting out
sweetdjam has left the table.
m_zeal posts big blind [$10 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Ah Qh ]
sofakelol raises [$30 USD]
TiltyMonkey calls [$25 USD]
m_zeal folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Jc, Th, Kc ]
TiltyMonkey checks
sofakelol bets [$60 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$170 USD]
sofakelol calls [$110 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 2s ]
TiltyMonkey is all-In [$2,441.29 USD]
sofakelol is all-In [$816 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 2c ]
TiltyMonkey shows [ Ah, Qh ]a straight Ten to Ace.
sofakelol doesn't show [ Ks, 6s ]two pairs, Kings and Twos.
TiltyMonkey wins $1,625.29 USD from side pot #1 with a straight, Ten to Ace.
TiltyMonkey wins $2,041 USD from the main pot with a straight, Ten to Ace.
Abraxas_ has left the table.
Thursday 23 August 2007
Aces cracked
Sometimes this game really sucks, played a brilliant 2 and a half hour session, cruising along at about 1k up and I pick up AA with a raise and reraise in front of me. I raise, imbecile goes all in with his KK for $1100 and gues what hits on the flop! So instead of having a 2k+ session I have lost $400. Really irritating and it was the first big pot I'd been in all night. Ah well, I played well don't have a single hand I'd disagree with my play on and that at least is satisfying - my run of failing to win much continues unabated though and it is frustrating.
Steve
Steve
Wednesday 22 August 2007
Deliberate overplay of AA
This has been quite successful for me recently as I've put in frankly ridiculous raises pre flop to see if anyone wants to gamble and assume I have a far far weaker hand. It still amazes me how often this is true. There was a mass limp in for $10 from 6 people so I raised to $230 with AA for fun and got flat called by someone with a $1000 stak who folded to my bet on the flop when a 10 high board was showing - can anyone explain what he was doing to me, if so I would be delighted to hear about why someone would play a hand that way. If he'd reraised or bet the flop I'd understand but this truly defies explanation to me!
A more an more common habit seems to be people raising to $20 preflop in an attempt to increase the pot and take some sort of control - I hate this as I really don't know what to put them on and often reraise very aggressively. This happened again when I had AA guy utg raises to $20 so I pumped it up to $100 he flat called and then on a 10,2 5 board went all in for $600. I have to be honest, I didn't even think about it - it has to be a snap call as there is so little which is beating me - 3 hands at most all of them a set and tons which are not. He bet I called he turned over JQ for a total bluff. Again I cannot explain why someone would do this - I am not weak postflop and I am tight pre - he must know I have a minimum of JJ and almost certainly more. Can't explain it can only say cheers for the donation and move on to the next hand.
I strongly recommend trying these sorts of plays as they pay off far more often than I can explain, experiment and mix up your play - very hard for someone to put you on AA when you look like you want no further action.
I won back the $1500 I'd lost on saturday last night and am back to about $2500 up for the month - don't have exact figures as my pokertracker is smoking away inside the remains of my knackered old Dell. Long weekend as we get monday and tuesday off so I should have lots of time to play and may actually get something going - it'd be nice and about time!
Steve
A more an more common habit seems to be people raising to $20 preflop in an attempt to increase the pot and take some sort of control - I hate this as I really don't know what to put them on and often reraise very aggressively. This happened again when I had AA guy utg raises to $20 so I pumped it up to $100 he flat called and then on a 10,2 5 board went all in for $600. I have to be honest, I didn't even think about it - it has to be a snap call as there is so little which is beating me - 3 hands at most all of them a set and tons which are not. He bet I called he turned over JQ for a total bluff. Again I cannot explain why someone would do this - I am not weak postflop and I am tight pre - he must know I have a minimum of JJ and almost certainly more. Can't explain it can only say cheers for the donation and move on to the next hand.
I strongly recommend trying these sorts of plays as they pay off far more often than I can explain, experiment and mix up your play - very hard for someone to put you on AA when you look like you want no further action.
I won back the $1500 I'd lost on saturday last night and am back to about $2500 up for the month - don't have exact figures as my pokertracker is smoking away inside the remains of my knackered old Dell. Long weekend as we get monday and tuesday off so I should have lots of time to play and may actually get something going - it'd be nice and about time!
Steve
Sunday 19 August 2007
Death of a computer
It's not been a good weekend for a wide variety of reasons - all outside of poker. Worst thing is that my computer has decided to fry itself on Saturday morning, I turned it on and it started to smoke - apparently (and I've asked the experts) that is not a good sign. So I've been forced into purchasing a new laptop. Luckily I was planning on doing this anyway as mine was 2 years old and has too small a screen for my needs. So I've had a look round and got a dell xps m1710 which has a 17 inch screen and should be extremely fast and reliable. Not the cheapest thing I've ever bought but as it will be the main item I use for work I think the expense is more than justified - Should be here on Tuesday at which time I shall have to get things like my poker tracker account switched over to it.
I'm going to see if I can claim on my house insurance through accidental spillage although I'm not convinced about what caused it, dunno much about how it works but it was a £600 computer so worth pursuing if I can claim.
Haven't played poker as my little brother has been here for the weekend and I've been pre-occupied with destroying him at Wii sports and retaining my champion status at pool as I decimated him 10-6 despite going 4-1 down. May play a tourny this evening and hopefully do better than last time (knocked out all in pre flop - KK vs AA) a high finish would be nice and I'm due a good run in a big tournament soon.
Steve
I'm going to see if I can claim on my house insurance through accidental spillage although I'm not convinced about what caused it, dunno much about how it works but it was a £600 computer so worth pursuing if I can claim.
Haven't played poker as my little brother has been here for the weekend and I've been pre-occupied with destroying him at Wii sports and retaining my champion status at pool as I decimated him 10-6 despite going 4-1 down. May play a tourny this evening and hopefully do better than last time (knocked out all in pre flop - KK vs AA) a high finish would be nice and I'm due a good run in a big tournament soon.
Steve
Friday 17 August 2007
Busy Busy Busy - Still got time for poker though
It's currently the busiest time of the year at work - A-Level results are out so phones are hectic and lots of stuff to do all day. However I'm not one to let this effect the time I dedicate to my poker game and stayed up playing till 3am before the busiest day of the year! It's always good to see exactly where my priorities lie. Anyway on Wednesday I managed to get myself back to being level for the month - go me! But I'll take it, this gave me a base on which to work from.
Yesterday I'd decided I wasn't going to play as I needed an earlish night to recover and would be playing whilst slightly tired. However my usual willpower won through and I ended up playing whilst in front of the TV watching poor quality trash for the majority of the evening. I wasn't planning on playing but Nat and Caroline had returned and were both knackered and lounging about in a relatively inert state. It was therefore necessary for me to entertain myself and poker seemed like the answer.
It started badly as it so often does as I horribly misjudged a hand where I had a set on the flop and allowed someone to hit a flush against me - tired play bad sign. I was about to come off when I realised that I was feeling quite focussed and had nothing else I wanted to do, so continued. For once perserverence paid off as I got back level, then a small amount ahead and then won a monster with AA.
3 people in the pot - best player at my level raised pre to $40 so I flat called to disguise my strength and the other player also called. Flop 5,6,7 - dangerous but I felt like I was ahead of the range I had both opponents on based on how they play. Villain bets $100 I flat call as does the other player (this worried me). Turn a 5, not a danger card in my mind so was happy with where I was in the pot - Villain bets $200 I call as does the other player - I was now very unhappy with the third player as I had no idea what he'd flat called with. River 5 giving me a full house and most likely the best hand. Villain checked so I thought about it and then pushed for $700, other player folded, and villain thought for a long time before calling and showing 99. Huge pot for me as I won $1400 on it and then proceeded to go on a rush as for the next 20 minutes I seemed to win every hand I was involved in. Finished the night in great shape at my highest point for the month. Hopefully I'l be able to build on this over the weekend but we shall see.
Steve
August profit - $2400 (better than the minus last time I blogged)
Yesterday I'd decided I wasn't going to play as I needed an earlish night to recover and would be playing whilst slightly tired. However my usual willpower won through and I ended up playing whilst in front of the TV watching poor quality trash for the majority of the evening. I wasn't planning on playing but Nat and Caroline had returned and were both knackered and lounging about in a relatively inert state. It was therefore necessary for me to entertain myself and poker seemed like the answer.
It started badly as it so often does as I horribly misjudged a hand where I had a set on the flop and allowed someone to hit a flush against me - tired play bad sign. I was about to come off when I realised that I was feeling quite focussed and had nothing else I wanted to do, so continued. For once perserverence paid off as I got back level, then a small amount ahead and then won a monster with AA.
3 people in the pot - best player at my level raised pre to $40 so I flat called to disguise my strength and the other player also called. Flop 5,6,7 - dangerous but I felt like I was ahead of the range I had both opponents on based on how they play. Villain bets $100 I flat call as does the other player (this worried me). Turn a 5, not a danger card in my mind so was happy with where I was in the pot - Villain bets $200 I call as does the other player - I was now very unhappy with the third player as I had no idea what he'd flat called with. River 5 giving me a full house and most likely the best hand. Villain checked so I thought about it and then pushed for $700, other player folded, and villain thought for a long time before calling and showing 99. Huge pot for me as I won $1400 on it and then proceeded to go on a rush as for the next 20 minutes I seemed to win every hand I was involved in. Finished the night in great shape at my highest point for the month. Hopefully I'l be able to build on this over the weekend but we shall see.
Steve
August profit - $2400 (better than the minus last time I blogged)
Wednesday 15 August 2007
Back to Negative
After a crap couple of days with some indifferent play I'm now $400 down for the month - not disasterous but not exactly good! Need to sort this indifferent run out and start winning properly again. Not entirely certain how that's going to happen but it undoubtably will at some point - just need to play when alert and making good decisions rather than at times where I'm likely to end on the wrong side of a big pot or two. Damn frustrating it is not winning - I may not b ebale to pay myself this week as my online funds have depleted to a minimal level - serios work is needed
Steve
Steve
Saturday 11 August 2007
Largest ever pot!!!!
Well I am in a cheerful mood right now having won my largest ever pot. I saw a weak game of $10-$20 going so decided to join despite my recent lack of much progress. Was sat with the max buyin and had 2 huge hands against the same player. The first was bad and the second fantastic. Still not convinced by my play in the first one and would appreciate any comments.
***** Hand History for Game 6228525897 *****
$2,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Saturday, August 11, 12:10:40 ET 2007
Table Table 127918 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: chuc_may_man ( $3,770.26 USD )
Seat 4: ISplashFunds ( $1,980 USD )
Seat 5: fkfesk ( $2,212.76 USD )
Seat 7: Arzzt ( $1,935 USD )
Seat 9: SnakeEyes178 ( $504 USD )
Seat 3: TiltyMonkey ( $1,867 USD )
Seat 1: berg5528 ( $2,060 USD )
Seat 8: haftarun ( $1,500.50 USD )
Seat 6: Kyren06 ( $400 USD )
Seat 10: casinocasin0 ( $2,000 USD )
ISplashFunds posts small blind [$10 USD].
fkfesk posts big blind [$20 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Kh Kd ]
Kyren06 folds.
Arzzt raises [$70 USD]
haftarun folds.
SnakeEyes178 folds.
berg5528 raises [$240 USD]
chuc_may_man folds.
TiltyMonkey calls [$240 USD]
ISplashFunds folds.
fkfesk folds.
Arzzt folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Js, 4s, 4c ]
berg5528 bets [$350 USD]
TiltyMonkey calls [$350 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6h ]
berg5528 checks.
TiltyMonkey checks.
** Dealing River ** [ Td ]
berg5528 bets [$800 USD]
TiltyMonkey calls [$800 USD]
berg5528 shows [ Jh, Jc ]a full house, Jacks full of Fours.
TiltyMonkey doesn't show [ Kh, Kd ]two pairs, Kings and Fours.
berg5528 wins $2,877 USD from the main pot with a full house, Jacks full of Fours.
I decided to flat call the $240 reraise pre-flop as the table was reasonably aggressive and I was sadly a bit scared of AA as a possibility. Not crazy about my pre-flop call as I should probably re-raise all in or fold depending on what I think about the hand. My thought process and my hand leave me in limbo as if an A comes I get away from it and if not I'm scared of AA. Sad but true - I have been struggling with KK lately and I think that has something to do with my thinking. Anyway flop comes J high so I call the bet to see where I am on the turn. He checks the turn but I was suspicious so instead of pushing checked behind. I then called the $800 on the river - not convinced by this but not a disasterous play. I beat AK, QQ and an outright bluff and lose to JJ, AA so I think it's ok based on how the hand was played. Turned out he had JJJ so I did ok not to get stacked but other than that it wasn't one of my finer moments.
However despite this putting me back down for the month I decided to reload and continue, partly cos I'm stubborn but also cos I felt quite comfortable at the table and it's the first time I've seen a 10 handed 10-20 game on party. Anyway I won a few pots and was sat with somewhere north of 2k when I got dealt AA...
***** Hand History for Game 6228578978 *****
$2,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Saturday, August 11, 12:32:08 ET 2007
Table Table 127918 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: chuc_may_man ( $3,634.76 USD )
Seat 5: fkfesk ( $1,773.26 USD )
Seat 7: Arzzt ( $2,204 USD )
Seat 3: TiltyMonkey ( $2,198 USD )
Seat 1: berg5528 ( $3,357 USD )
Seat 8: haftarun ( $969.50 USD )
Seat 10: casinocasin0 ( $2,274 USD )
Seat 9: Zlatkoo ( $1,167.50 USD )
Seat 4: Grimmstar ( $310 USD )
Seat 6: Lets_Dance ( $1,950 USD )
Arzzt posts small blind [$10 USD].
haftarun posts big blind [$20 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Ac Ad ]
Zlatkoo folds.
casinocasin0 folds.
berg5528 calls [$20 USD]
chuc_may_man folds.
TiltyMonkey raises [$80 USD]
Grimmstar folds.
fkfesk folds.
Lets_Dance folds.
Arzzt folds.
haftarun folds.
berg5528 calls [$60 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 7c, Ah, 3s ]
berg5528 checks.
TiltyMonkey checks.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 8c ]
berg5528 bets [$150 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$420 USD]
berg5528 calls [$270 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 4d ]
berg5528 checks.
TiltyMonkey bets [$760 USD]
berg5528 is all-In.
TiltyMonkey is all-In.
TiltyMonkey shows [ Ac, Ad ]three of a kind, Aces.
berg5528 shows [ 3d, 3c ]three of a kind, Threes.
berg5528 wins $1,159 USD from side pot #1 with three of a kind, Threes.
TiltyMonkey wins $4,423 USD from the main pot with three of a kind, Aces.
One caller - the guy who burnt me before so I was hoping for a monster flop and got it as it came down A,7,3 rainbow he checked to me and I decided to play it like I had KK and checked too. Also there was no card I ws scared of so giving a free card here is not really dangerous. Turn came an 8 clubs giving straight and flush draws a chance and he bet $150, I raised it up to $420 not really expecting action and got called. At this stage I had him on either AK, a set or a flush/straight draw which he couldn't let go of. River was the 4 diamonds so realistically the only hand he could possibly be winning with was 5,6 clubs as anything else would have been pushed out by now. However I was pretty certain he didn't have that and if I'mm wrong I suck it up and lose a monster pot. He checked to me and I decided to value bet it in case he had AK. In retrospect I should have pushed and tried to make it look more like a bluff. Luckily he reraised all in and I quickly called.
Set over set on the flop - both all-in on the river and I take down a $4,423 pot - my highest ever. I won $2,225 on the hand and am feeling decidedly smug right now. Get in, Get in Get in!!!
I think I played this reasonably and the result is fantastic. About $700 more than I've ever won on a hand before and it feels good. Back to being in profit for the month but more importantly I have a very positive feeling about things again (doesn't take much) and can't wait to play again later.
Steve
August Profit $1200
***** Hand History for Game 6228525897 *****
$2,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Saturday, August 11, 12:10:40 ET 2007
Table Table 127918 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 3 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: chuc_may_man ( $3,770.26 USD )
Seat 4: ISplashFunds ( $1,980 USD )
Seat 5: fkfesk ( $2,212.76 USD )
Seat 7: Arzzt ( $1,935 USD )
Seat 9: SnakeEyes178 ( $504 USD )
Seat 3: TiltyMonkey ( $1,867 USD )
Seat 1: berg5528 ( $2,060 USD )
Seat 8: haftarun ( $1,500.50 USD )
Seat 6: Kyren06 ( $400 USD )
Seat 10: casinocasin0 ( $2,000 USD )
ISplashFunds posts small blind [$10 USD].
fkfesk posts big blind [$20 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Kh Kd ]
Kyren06 folds.
Arzzt raises [$70 USD]
haftarun folds.
SnakeEyes178 folds.
berg5528 raises [$240 USD]
chuc_may_man folds.
TiltyMonkey calls [$240 USD]
ISplashFunds folds.
fkfesk folds.
Arzzt folds.
** Dealing Flop ** [ Js, 4s, 4c ]
berg5528 bets [$350 USD]
TiltyMonkey calls [$350 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 6h ]
berg5528 checks.
TiltyMonkey checks.
** Dealing River ** [ Td ]
berg5528 bets [$800 USD]
TiltyMonkey calls [$800 USD]
berg5528 shows [ Jh, Jc ]a full house, Jacks full of Fours.
TiltyMonkey doesn't show [ Kh, Kd ]two pairs, Kings and Fours.
berg5528 wins $2,877 USD from the main pot with a full house, Jacks full of Fours.
I decided to flat call the $240 reraise pre-flop as the table was reasonably aggressive and I was sadly a bit scared of AA as a possibility. Not crazy about my pre-flop call as I should probably re-raise all in or fold depending on what I think about the hand. My thought process and my hand leave me in limbo as if an A comes I get away from it and if not I'm scared of AA. Sad but true - I have been struggling with KK lately and I think that has something to do with my thinking. Anyway flop comes J high so I call the bet to see where I am on the turn. He checks the turn but I was suspicious so instead of pushing checked behind. I then called the $800 on the river - not convinced by this but not a disasterous play. I beat AK, QQ and an outright bluff and lose to JJ, AA so I think it's ok based on how the hand was played. Turned out he had JJJ so I did ok not to get stacked but other than that it wasn't one of my finer moments.
However despite this putting me back down for the month I decided to reload and continue, partly cos I'm stubborn but also cos I felt quite comfortable at the table and it's the first time I've seen a 10 handed 10-20 game on party. Anyway I won a few pots and was sat with somewhere north of 2k when I got dealt AA...
***** Hand History for Game 6228578978 *****
$2,000 USD NL Texas Hold'em - Saturday, August 11, 12:32:08 ET 2007
Table Table 127918 (No DP) (Real Money)
Seat 6 is the button
Total number of players : 10
Seat 2: chuc_may_man ( $3,634.76 USD )
Seat 5: fkfesk ( $1,773.26 USD )
Seat 7: Arzzt ( $2,204 USD )
Seat 3: TiltyMonkey ( $2,198 USD )
Seat 1: berg5528 ( $3,357 USD )
Seat 8: haftarun ( $969.50 USD )
Seat 10: casinocasin0 ( $2,274 USD )
Seat 9: Zlatkoo ( $1,167.50 USD )
Seat 4: Grimmstar ( $310 USD )
Seat 6: Lets_Dance ( $1,950 USD )
Arzzt posts small blind [$10 USD].
haftarun posts big blind [$20 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to TiltyMonkey [ Ac Ad ]
Zlatkoo folds.
casinocasin0 folds.
berg5528 calls [$20 USD]
chuc_may_man folds.
TiltyMonkey raises [$80 USD]
Grimmstar folds.
fkfesk folds.
Lets_Dance folds.
Arzzt folds.
haftarun folds.
berg5528 calls [$60 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 7c, Ah, 3s ]
berg5528 checks.
TiltyMonkey checks.
** Dealing Turn ** [ 8c ]
berg5528 bets [$150 USD]
TiltyMonkey raises [$420 USD]
berg5528 calls [$270 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 4d ]
berg5528 checks.
TiltyMonkey bets [$760 USD]
berg5528 is all-In.
TiltyMonkey is all-In.
TiltyMonkey shows [ Ac, Ad ]three of a kind, Aces.
berg5528 shows [ 3d, 3c ]three of a kind, Threes.
berg5528 wins $1,159 USD from side pot #1 with three of a kind, Threes.
TiltyMonkey wins $4,423 USD from the main pot with three of a kind, Aces.
One caller - the guy who burnt me before so I was hoping for a monster flop and got it as it came down A,7,3 rainbow he checked to me and I decided to play it like I had KK and checked too. Also there was no card I ws scared of so giving a free card here is not really dangerous. Turn came an 8 clubs giving straight and flush draws a chance and he bet $150, I raised it up to $420 not really expecting action and got called. At this stage I had him on either AK, a set or a flush/straight draw which he couldn't let go of. River was the 4 diamonds so realistically the only hand he could possibly be winning with was 5,6 clubs as anything else would have been pushed out by now. However I was pretty certain he didn't have that and if I'mm wrong I suck it up and lose a monster pot. He checked to me and I decided to value bet it in case he had AK. In retrospect I should have pushed and tried to make it look more like a bluff. Luckily he reraised all in and I quickly called.
Set over set on the flop - both all-in on the river and I take down a $4,423 pot - my highest ever. I won $2,225 on the hand and am feeling decidedly smug right now. Get in, Get in Get in!!!
I think I played this reasonably and the result is fantastic. About $700 more than I've ever won on a hand before and it feels good. Back to being in profit for the month but more importantly I have a very positive feeling about things again (doesn't take much) and can't wait to play again later.
Steve
August Profit $1200
Friday 10 August 2007
Discipline is lacking
Maintaining discipline in my game seems to be eluding me at the moment, I don't feel that I'm playing particularly well since I came back and am letting some silly errors creep in to my game. I'm slightly down for the month after a bad evening yesterday, nothing critical but enough to be annoying.
For some reason I have huge amounts of self-doubt about my ability at the moment and I can't quite figure out why this is the case. I am a very consistent winning player, I have holes in my game and know in the main what I need to do to fix them (stop playing when tired) and yet becasue it's not going great I struggle to see where the next pot is coming from. It's only going to be a short term thing and I have bad runs on semi-regular occaisions as all players do but it's bothering me as I don't like not winning and I especially dislike playing bad. Because I'm leaving my job runs where I don't win much bother me much more as I seem to be trying to prove to myself that this should be relatively easy and that's simply never going to be the case. I know what I can win in a day/week/month and just need to focus on my play rather than short term results.
Unfortunately that is much easier said than done. Still I shall have a rest when I get home and then put in a big evening and hopefully make myself focus and win
Steve
August Profits -$600
For some reason I have huge amounts of self-doubt about my ability at the moment and I can't quite figure out why this is the case. I am a very consistent winning player, I have holes in my game and know in the main what I need to do to fix them (stop playing when tired) and yet becasue it's not going great I struggle to see where the next pot is coming from. It's only going to be a short term thing and I have bad runs on semi-regular occaisions as all players do but it's bothering me as I don't like not winning and I especially dislike playing bad. Because I'm leaving my job runs where I don't win much bother me much more as I seem to be trying to prove to myself that this should be relatively easy and that's simply never going to be the case. I know what I can win in a day/week/month and just need to focus on my play rather than short term results.
Unfortunately that is much easier said than done. Still I shall have a rest when I get home and then put in a big evening and hopefully make myself focus and win
Steve
August Profits -$600
Wednesday 8 August 2007
general waffle
I bought Singstar 90's yesterday, a fine new addition in our attempts to alienate the neighbours through noise pollution disguised as singing! Sadly one of our microphones has broken so we now need to buy a new one before the duets and battles can commence. Even though I can't sing I really like the game and it's a great way for me and Nat to spend an evening.
I think I may use my PS2 and Wii a lot more when I've left work as I do enjoy games and will actually have the time to play them when I'm not out of the house for 8-9 hours a day.
Anyway enough of that, I also played some poker last night despite being too tired to do myself any justice and true to form I dropped $500 through some truly horrible play before coming off. When Nat had gone to bed I decided to play for an hour and actually forced myself to concentrate - played ok and recouped my losses and made a bit more as I had AA against KK and made $850 on the hand.
I played it quite nicely, there was a raise from KK under the gun to $30 I repopped to $90 hoping he had something big as a raise in that position often shows. He then reraised to $150. Obviously I knew I was ahead and though that he probably had KK, QQ so instead of reraising I thought about it and flat called so as not to give my strength away. Flop came 8, 2,2 which was fantastic. He checked to me which I thought was probably going to mean he'd move in over the top so I put in a weak bet of $150, sure enough his $680 went promptly into the middle and I insta-called. No suck-out and I take down a big pot.
If I'd raised again pre-flop he should have been able to get away from the hand as I'd have indicated huge strength but my flat call left him with the feeling he was ahead which led to a nice pot.
So the day worked out OK as I won a few hundred but I know better than this. I'm tired, not over jet-lag, not at the peak of concentration and I let myself dribble away money during the first short session. I should and do know better but still keep making the same mistakes and costing myself cash. Still this should disappear to some extent when I can play when I wish rather than fitting it around work so hopefully that'll lead to far greater profitability.
Steve
August Profit - $1,300
I think I may use my PS2 and Wii a lot more when I've left work as I do enjoy games and will actually have the time to play them when I'm not out of the house for 8-9 hours a day.
Anyway enough of that, I also played some poker last night despite being too tired to do myself any justice and true to form I dropped $500 through some truly horrible play before coming off. When Nat had gone to bed I decided to play for an hour and actually forced myself to concentrate - played ok and recouped my losses and made a bit more as I had AA against KK and made $850 on the hand.
I played it quite nicely, there was a raise from KK under the gun to $30 I repopped to $90 hoping he had something big as a raise in that position often shows. He then reraised to $150. Obviously I knew I was ahead and though that he probably had KK, QQ so instead of reraising I thought about it and flat called so as not to give my strength away. Flop came 8, 2,2 which was fantastic. He checked to me which I thought was probably going to mean he'd move in over the top so I put in a weak bet of $150, sure enough his $680 went promptly into the middle and I insta-called. No suck-out and I take down a big pot.
If I'd raised again pre-flop he should have been able to get away from the hand as I'd have indicated huge strength but my flat call left him with the feeling he was ahead which led to a nice pot.
So the day worked out OK as I won a few hundred but I know better than this. I'm tired, not over jet-lag, not at the peak of concentration and I let myself dribble away money during the first short session. I should and do know better but still keep making the same mistakes and costing myself cash. Still this should disappear to some extent when I can play when I wish rather than fitting it around work so hopefully that'll lead to far greater profitability.
Steve
August Profit - $1,300
Monday 6 August 2007
Back to the grind
Well I have returned from Bangkok after the longest break from poker I have had for a couple of years and it feels good, I'm eager to play again and should hopefully be able to play at my best for a few weeks. Thailand was excellent as I did very little whilst we were there - played pool, drank beer, sat on beach etc and it was exactly what I needed, first real holiday I've had for ages (Vegas in February was work) and I feel relaxed and am happy to be home.
It's quite weird being away from the game for so long and I found that I really didn't miss it while I was away, although now I'm home I don't doubt that I'll be racking up the hours at the tables. I'm still tired having only got back in the country 36 hours ago and it took us over a day door to door to get home. However despite my best intentions I've managed to log a fair few hours playing already - it was always going to be too much to not play when I got back!
Things have started fairly promisingly and I'm just over 1k up, have played ok nothing special but it's a nice return to action. I always find that when I have been away from the tables I worry about how I'll perform when I return, will all the same instincts be there, can I still be successful - these are ridiculous thoughts as it's a pretty obvious answer but I think it's all part of a healthy worry which I carry with me at all times - it's similar to when I'm on downswings, although I know it'll improve and I am a winning player it still gets me over analysing my game and having a need to win just to set my mind at ease.
I'm not sure if this part of my brain is a help or a hinderence. On one hand it probably stops me from taking shots at higher stakes and makes sure I'm fairly cautious and sensible with my money which as I'm looking to do this long-term has to be a good thing. However these same thoughts prvented me from moving up earlier which I definitely could have done and they are likely to prevent me from ever playing too high as I don't know if I could handle the swings even if my bankroll is adequate.
This also affects my style because despite playing poker for a living I am risk adverse and don't like gambling anything I can't afford, this is why I play a tight aggressive style which will almost certainly never change within cash games - I'm just not capable of playing LAG as it is a more swingy way to play and I'm just not prepared to do this, I do mix my play up but it is veyr selectively loose when I want to take advantage of my image at an individual table. In tournaments it is totally different and I will play a very different way to how I do in cash games.
Anyway I'm rambling cos I'm tired so bed is calling before the delights of work tomorrow morning! On a related note I made it in before 9am for what must be the first time in about 6 months - very surprising not least to me, still that's what jetlag will do to you!
Steve
August Profit $1050
It's quite weird being away from the game for so long and I found that I really didn't miss it while I was away, although now I'm home I don't doubt that I'll be racking up the hours at the tables. I'm still tired having only got back in the country 36 hours ago and it took us over a day door to door to get home. However despite my best intentions I've managed to log a fair few hours playing already - it was always going to be too much to not play when I got back!
Things have started fairly promisingly and I'm just over 1k up, have played ok nothing special but it's a nice return to action. I always find that when I have been away from the tables I worry about how I'll perform when I return, will all the same instincts be there, can I still be successful - these are ridiculous thoughts as it's a pretty obvious answer but I think it's all part of a healthy worry which I carry with me at all times - it's similar to when I'm on downswings, although I know it'll improve and I am a winning player it still gets me over analysing my game and having a need to win just to set my mind at ease.
I'm not sure if this part of my brain is a help or a hinderence. On one hand it probably stops me from taking shots at higher stakes and makes sure I'm fairly cautious and sensible with my money which as I'm looking to do this long-term has to be a good thing. However these same thoughts prvented me from moving up earlier which I definitely could have done and they are likely to prevent me from ever playing too high as I don't know if I could handle the swings even if my bankroll is adequate.
This also affects my style because despite playing poker for a living I am risk adverse and don't like gambling anything I can't afford, this is why I play a tight aggressive style which will almost certainly never change within cash games - I'm just not capable of playing LAG as it is a more swingy way to play and I'm just not prepared to do this, I do mix my play up but it is veyr selectively loose when I want to take advantage of my image at an individual table. In tournaments it is totally different and I will play a very different way to how I do in cash games.
Anyway I'm rambling cos I'm tired so bed is calling before the delights of work tomorrow morning! On a related note I made it in before 9am for what must be the first time in about 6 months - very surprising not least to me, still that's what jetlag will do to you!
Steve
August Profit $1050
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