Paris $1-2 NL $300 cap
7 hours
- $260
If you play a lot of live action holdem you'll get set-over-setted once every month or two. I got set over setted twice this session.
Plus I lost to another sick two-outer. I continuation bet a KTx board with AQ and got called. From the way the guy called I put him on a weak pair or weak draw. An offsuit five on the turn looked good so I bet the rest of his chips, about $150, and he called with pocket fives. I know this isn't technically a bad beat since he was a slight favorite on the flop, but there's no way that particular player calls the rest of his chips off if he doesn't hit his set.
This month has pretty much been a mathematical aberration. I keep waiting for things to change but they're just not. After the second set over set, which hit on the river (they all came on the turn or river after most of the money had gone in) I just sat there with my mouth open while the table "Oohed" and "Aahed." I left after that hand. I didn't think I'd be able to play well anymore. I also would have started throwing cards and being rude to people, and I didn't want that either. So I just went home and I feel good about that decision.
I don't know if any of you have gone through stretches like this or how you've gotten through them. I have complete faith in my ability to win in the long run but I hope I don't go broke in the short run.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Worst Live Session Ever
Aladdin/Tropicana $1-2 NL (Thursday)
11 hours
+ $360
Ballys $1-2 NL (Wednesday/Thursday)
12 hours
+ $90
Paris $1-2 NL (Tues/Wednesday)
11 hours
+ $280
Aladdin $2-5 NL Holdem/$1-2 Pot Limit Omaha, Mixed Game (Tuesday)
9 hours
- $1,240
It's been a few days since my last post because I've been playing constantly to make back what I lost in one awful session. This month has seen me run worse than I have in a long time, and I haven't had a session like I had on Tuesday in over a year.
It started out as a $1-2 NL game, and I posted a comment attached to my last entry about how the guy insta-called me for his whole stack on a gutshot and nailed it on the turn. Later on the same guy only wanted to continue playing if we increased the stakes and included Omaha in the mix. Well, that was great as far as I was concerned, even if it was a bigger game than my bankroll liked.
Most of the big hands of the night came during the $1-2 PLO, not the $2-5 NL. A hand came up where I had QJ98 with Queen-high clubs in position. A player was all-in for $60 preflop and it went four ways to the flop. The flop came KT7 with two clubs. I ended up all-in against "Re-bet" Todd's top set. I made my straight but he made his boat and I lost $500 on the hand. Later I got reraised by gutshot man when I had suited aces so I just got $200 of his $250 stack all-in preflop but his J933 made the nut full house.
Since that night it's been slow going at the tables. I'm still running bad. I'm barely in the black for the month right now. Everyone who plays for a living goes through stretches like this, and I guess the trick is to survive them and not let them affect your morale or your game too much. It's hard to play your best game when it seems like the cards are laughing in your face.
I feel good today. It's 1 am here and I just woke up. Now I'm headed to the Strip. Wish me luck.
11 hours
+ $360
Ballys $1-2 NL (Wednesday/Thursday)
12 hours
+ $90
Paris $1-2 NL (Tues/Wednesday)
11 hours
+ $280
Aladdin $2-5 NL Holdem/$1-2 Pot Limit Omaha, Mixed Game (Tuesday)
9 hours
- $1,240
It's been a few days since my last post because I've been playing constantly to make back what I lost in one awful session. This month has seen me run worse than I have in a long time, and I haven't had a session like I had on Tuesday in over a year.
It started out as a $1-2 NL game, and I posted a comment attached to my last entry about how the guy insta-called me for his whole stack on a gutshot and nailed it on the turn. Later on the same guy only wanted to continue playing if we increased the stakes and included Omaha in the mix. Well, that was great as far as I was concerned, even if it was a bigger game than my bankroll liked.
Most of the big hands of the night came during the $1-2 PLO, not the $2-5 NL. A hand came up where I had QJ98 with Queen-high clubs in position. A player was all-in for $60 preflop and it went four ways to the flop. The flop came KT7 with two clubs. I ended up all-in against "Re-bet" Todd's top set. I made my straight but he made his boat and I lost $500 on the hand. Later I got reraised by gutshot man when I had suited aces so I just got $200 of his $250 stack all-in preflop but his J933 made the nut full house.
Since that night it's been slow going at the tables. I'm still running bad. I'm barely in the black for the month right now. Everyone who plays for a living goes through stretches like this, and I guess the trick is to survive them and not let them affect your morale or your game too much. It's hard to play your best game when it seems like the cards are laughing in your face.
I feel good today. It's 1 am here and I just woke up. Now I'm headed to the Strip. Wish me luck.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Getting to Know Pokertracker
If I'm gonna play online I should do it right, so I bought a registration for Pokertracker.
Silly I never did this before, during my previous online poker incarnation. Here's data from the first few sessions on Intertops. I won $300 here, not including bonuses. Won another $50 or so in PLO but didn't get Pokertracker for Omaha.
VP$IP (voluntarily putting $ in pot): 21%
PF (preflop) Raise: 11%
Folded BB to steal: 80%
Most profitable hand: AA
Least profitable hand: AJ (Of course)
Most profitable garbage hand: 46 ("For the Queen!")
The Gamblin Duke has a VP$IP of 90% when UTG in live games due to habitual straddling, with a 72% PF Raise percentage ($35 "to go") in that position.
NC John has a 45% VP$IP with a 2% PF Raise. He can correct me since he uses Pokertracker but I think those numbers are spot-on.
Driving to the Aladdin later today to crush all Arizona-residing cardplayers and take their entire bankrolls. That'll be my business for the rest of February.
Silly I never did this before, during my previous online poker incarnation. Here's data from the first few sessions on Intertops. I won $300 here, not including bonuses. Won another $50 or so in PLO but didn't get Pokertracker for Omaha.
VP$IP (voluntarily putting $ in pot): 21%
PF (preflop) Raise: 11%
Folded BB to steal: 80%
Most profitable hand: AA
Least profitable hand: AJ (Of course)
Most profitable garbage hand: 46 ("For the Queen!")
The Gamblin Duke has a VP$IP of 90% when UTG in live games due to habitual straddling, with a 72% PF Raise percentage ($35 "to go") in that position.
NC John has a 45% VP$IP with a 2% PF Raise. He can correct me since he uses Pokertracker but I think those numbers are spot-on.
Driving to the Aladdin later today to crush all Arizona-residing cardplayers and take their entire bankrolls. That'll be my business for the rest of February.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Phantom Filipino Sisters
Aladdin $1-2 NL Holdem
6 hours
+ $70
I got it all-in on the turn with trip nines with an Ace kicker vs. trip nines with a King kicker for a $600 pot, but the board double-paired on the river to bail out the evildoer, the maniac LA-residing Lou Diamond Phillips look-a-like poker "insurgent."
This month the river card turns for the Forces of Darkness.
What I'll really remember from this session is the Filipino guy trying to get me to go out with his sister. His phantom sister, I suspect. The dude was drunk off Coors and claiming to be Chinese until a Chinese guy at the table called bullshit on that statement. He proudly told the table, "She is 22 years old. She is hot! She live in Summerlin! She drive BMW325i? I think 325i." If she really existed I probably would go out with her.
6 hours
+ $70
I got it all-in on the turn with trip nines with an Ace kicker vs. trip nines with a King kicker for a $600 pot, but the board double-paired on the river to bail out the evildoer, the maniac LA-residing Lou Diamond Phillips look-a-like poker "insurgent."
This month the river card turns for the Forces of Darkness.
What I'll really remember from this session is the Filipino guy trying to get me to go out with his sister. His phantom sister, I suspect. The dude was drunk off Coors and claiming to be Chinese until a Chinese guy at the table called bullshit on that statement. He proudly told the table, "She is 22 years old. She is hot! She live in Summerlin! She drive BMW325i? I think 325i." If she really existed I probably would go out with her.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Logging the Last Hours at Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo $1-2 NL Holdem
8 hours
+ $290
It's good times when you limp with KK on the button and the maniac straddler makes it $30 and you reraise to $100 and he pushes for $330 with 9-3 off.
8 hours
+ $290
It's good times when you limp with KK on the button and the maniac straddler makes it $30 and you reraise to $100 and he pushes for $330 with 9-3 off.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
That's Poker
Monte Carlo $1-2 NL Holdem
8 hours
- $430
I commenced this exciting session of no limit holdem by running pocket kings into pocket aces. After that I was lucky enough to make three flushes. The problem with that was that every time it was the second nut flush and someone else held the nut flush. I flopped two pair vs. a higher two pair. No sets. One straight but no action. My only pots were from steals, plus I made quad aces with AK, but that came against Todd heads-up and I didn't bet it hard.
The funny thing is I just got back from the casino and I really don't feel bad about it. Some days in the past that I lost I was yelling the whole drive home. I think I'm calm about it because I really feel like I lost the minimum on these cold-deck hands I was dealt. Most players would have gone off for about a grand tonight if they'd taken my seat. I really feel like I played well and stayed in control and aggressive. It just wasn't meant to be.
I'll go back tomorrow and finish up my hours for the freeroll. Things should turn around.
8 hours
- $430
I commenced this exciting session of no limit holdem by running pocket kings into pocket aces. After that I was lucky enough to make three flushes. The problem with that was that every time it was the second nut flush and someone else held the nut flush. I flopped two pair vs. a higher two pair. No sets. One straight but no action. My only pots were from steals, plus I made quad aces with AK, but that came against Todd heads-up and I didn't bet it hard.
The funny thing is I just got back from the casino and I really don't feel bad about it. Some days in the past that I lost I was yelling the whole drive home. I think I'm calm about it because I really feel like I lost the minimum on these cold-deck hands I was dealt. Most players would have gone off for about a grand tonight if they'd taken my seat. I really feel like I played well and stayed in control and aggressive. It just wasn't meant to be.
I'll go back tomorrow and finish up my hours for the freeroll. Things should turn around.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Donkey Kong
I've been playing some donkey cards lately. At the start of this month I did some poker reading and other training trying to add a level to my game. If one thing's for sure, it's that trying this stuff has screwed up my flow at the tables. I'm forcing things too much and getting away from what's made me a successful cash game player.Or I should say, this keeps happening at the start of my sessions. Then I reach a point, usually a couple buy-ins deep, where I say to myself, "Okay, screw this! Let me just play my game." And then I calm down and begin the long road back to a winning session.
So over the last 25 hours of live action poker, I'm up $100. I'm also up another $250 over about 9 hours playing on Intertops.
My last session at Monte Carlo went for 17 hours and netted a $10 blockbuster win. It started out a full-blown Hellmuth-meets-Hieronymus Bosch nightmare. Todd joked that there was a sign over my head that said, "Play back at me!" Pretty much every time I raised preflop and bet the flop, I got checkraised. I was quickly down $600. So I'm not running so good right now but at least I am winning.
And I think about Todd's session and how he played 20 hours and didn't quite get even and left straight from the poker room to drive 90 mph to Phoenix. And I think of the thin old man in the sailor hat who was sitting next to me at the Monte Carlo. He never spoke. Even when asked a direct quesiton by another player, he stonewalled him. He didn't even look up to acknowledge the other guy. After a while the Gamblin' Duke was openly asking people at the table what language they thought he spoke. The consensus was Finnish.
But the guy knew English. He was there, pretty obviously, to log hours for the freeroll tourney with the $50K first prize. Though with his supertight play embedded like code in his subconscious he has no chance in the tournament. He kept rebuying and I didn't really know what his deal was but it reminded me of something I read in "Shut Up and Deal" about casinos being places for lonely people.
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