Played a session at Planet Hollywood today and made $500. Netted about $2K in the past five days, which makes my February mediocre, but mediocre is an improvement over how my month looked last week.
I was too caught up in the variance, in my bad run of cards, to be much of a writer this month. A couple things I'll mention now.
Played with the most prolific slowroller ever. He was Gutshot Man from my -$1,240 PLO/$2-5 NL session. A better name for him is Captain Slowroll. He loved to make the second nuts, get called, and then shake his head sadly, tap his cards against the felt, say something like, "Damn. You got me. Your 8-high straight is good." Then the other guy, a supernit who raised to $30 preflop and couldn't possibly have an 8-high straight, would flip over something like pocket Aces, and Captain Slowroll would show the 7-high straight and say, "I thought if you called me there you had to have me beat! Wow!"
He bluffed so often, betting almost every hand to the river, that about 75% of the time he said, "Ya got me," the other guy really had caught him bluffing. But 25% of the time Captain Slowroll had made a straight or two pair somewhere along the way.
----
Playing at the Tropicana I witnessed the most unprofessional hour-and-a-half of poker dealing I've ever seen at a casino. One dealer told us, "I don't want to be here," and looked at a player like he was an idiot when he explained why he'd pushed all-in. Another dealer failed to see a flush and pushed a big all-in pot to the wrong player. I saw it and wanted the donkey with the backdoor flush to win, but he didn't see his flush either, and I believe in the saying, "One man to a hand," and that it's unethical to point these things out during a hand, so I didn't say anything until after it was over. Of course it was too late by then.
The best, though, was the hand where a player was all-in preflop for about $20 and two other players called. The flop action was bet-and-fold. The dealer, an Asian woman who spoke little English, forgot about the all-in player and placed the flop cards in the muck and pushed the flop bettor the pot. The all-in player complained and showed AT while the flop bettor showed 99, which was the best hand on the pre-existing flop. The dealer, realizing her error, grabbed five apparently random cards out of the muck and turned them faceup. No burning, no turning. Re-bet says he believes she found the correct three cards for the flop, but I thought one of the boardcards was one of my mucked holecards. "Pocket nine good," she said, announcing the winning hand after the five "boardcards" were out. The guy with AT seemed kind of at a loss and walked away. To this day all I have to do is say, "Pocket nine good," and Re-bet just loses it.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Upswing
Today I played a couple sessions at Planet Hollywood and won $725.
Things may be turning around. Gotta keep going.
Things may be turning around. Gotta keep going.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Huge Overdog
Planet Hollywood. One table going. Mike Manchester and the Gamblin Duke sitting. They look up at me shaking their heads about how good the game is and how bad they're running.
Manchester is a dealer who takes down a lot of tournaments when he's not in the box. His cash game play is kinda rough IMO but in this game he's still, as Bill Fillmaff would say, a "huge overdog." A rich girl vaguely associated with the fashion industry has distributed over a G around the table, betting crazy and calling $100 river bets with the nut low--I'm completely for real.
The Duke gets flushed out for his last buy-in and I get his seat. Fashion girl loses her last chips, doesn't rebuy, and I'm like, "Fuck."
I flop Kings Full, and after checking the flop a stack pushes against me, and I'm like, "Sweet."
A decent little session of which I need a couple more before month's end since for the moment I can't get at the $1,500 or so I have on Intertops.
Check out "Re-bet" Todd's poker blog.
Manchester is a dealer who takes down a lot of tournaments when he's not in the box. His cash game play is kinda rough IMO but in this game he's still, as Bill Fillmaff would say, a "huge overdog." A rich girl vaguely associated with the fashion industry has distributed over a G around the table, betting crazy and calling $100 river bets with the nut low--I'm completely for real.
The Duke gets flushed out for his last buy-in and I get his seat. Fashion girl loses her last chips, doesn't rebuy, and I'm like, "Fuck."
I flop Kings Full, and after checking the flop a stack pushes against me, and I'm like, "Sweet."
A decent little session of which I need a couple more before month's end since for the moment I can't get at the $1,500 or so I have on Intertops.
Check out "Re-bet" Todd's poker blog.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Stranded Cyberdollar
Intertops
1 hour
+ $306
Aladdin $1-2 NL
3 hours
+ $50
I got on the phone with Trucard customer service to find out why I hadn't received a debit card. They told me the merchant (Intertops poker) is no longer using their service. I shot an email to Intertops and they confirmed this. I won't be getting a debit card, and I won't be able to use Interpay to get my money in or out.
I can probably get them to send a check, but I have a couple problems with that option right now. So my money is stranded in cyberspace, I kept thinking, and I logged on to Intertops and sat at like four $200 cap PLO tables and just played uber-aggressive. I mean, what difference does it make? I have no immediate prospects of getting my money offline, anyway.
Let me take a shot at building a huge fortress of meaningless cyberchips that I can stack in meaningless cybertowers.
1 hour
+ $306
Aladdin $1-2 NL
3 hours
+ $50
I got on the phone with Trucard customer service to find out why I hadn't received a debit card. They told me the merchant (Intertops poker) is no longer using their service. I shot an email to Intertops and they confirmed this. I won't be getting a debit card, and I won't be able to use Interpay to get my money in or out.
I can probably get them to send a check, but I have a couple problems with that option right now. So my money is stranded in cyberspace, I kept thinking, and I logged on to Intertops and sat at like four $200 cap PLO tables and just played uber-aggressive. I mean, what difference does it make? I have no immediate prospects of getting my money offline, anyway.
Let me take a shot at building a huge fortress of meaningless cyberchips that I can stack in meaningless cybertowers.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Set Over Set, Rinse and Repeat
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.
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.
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.
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