Hey everyone, I thought I'd do a blog entry talking about the month of August and how the move in general has gone. Let me start by saying that I am sitting at the beach in Clearwater right now, so I can't complain about that. I am dictating this blog through Siri so forgive me if there are some typographical errors. All in all the move has gone pretty smoothly. It's nice to feel like we actually live here now. Mel is having a couple friends over tonight and I'm going to cook dinner so that should be fun. Also, I went with Jim yesterday to pick up his new A4. It's a sweet car and I'm pumped that I'll get to drive it from time to time. Aside from those highlights there hasn't been a whole lot going on socially. Obviously we do don't know too many people yet. It's nice to be spending time with Mel and Nala in a big house with some land though, so I can't complain too much about the occasional feeling of lonliness. Also, Jim has been around more than I thought he would be so it's been fun hanging out with him.
I wanted to take some time to recap my first month of poker. It definitely had its ups and downs but I think Learned a lot about how the games play and the mistakes I've been making. Also, I'm getting 1 on 1 coaching from a pro at bluefire poker.com and that should help a lot. We've already done a session and he's really helping me analyze spots in more sophisticated ways. He also talked with me some about the mental side of poker and how my main focus needs to be on improving everyday and not worrying about results. This is something I was certainly aware of but it's nice to have a pro reinforce it. We also talked about the downswing I went on of about $800. For the games I play that's a 16 buy I'm downswing. He basically said that will definitely happen to winning players but it's worth some serious analysis to figure out how much of it was due to bad luck and how much was due to poor play. During that stretch I ran about 8 buy ins below expected value. This means I was definitely running bad, but I know poor play had a good amount to do with it and I'm working on plugging leaks. I just started reading a book called "the art of learning." It's basically about a chess master who became a world class martial artist. He discusses how he mastered two seemingly diferent fields and the mental approach to accomplishing anything. It's very interesting thus far. Anyway, my numbers for the month are ok considering this downswing. Also, I only played about 1/2 as much as I would in a normal Month due to making the move and everything. Anyway, hear they are. Hope everyone's well.
Hours played-74.5
Total profit- $1051
Hands played- 35,659
Hourly rate-$14
Ps. Nick, I listen to Don Henley Radio when I play. It's a lot of Phil Collins, The Eagles, obviously Don Henley and such. It's great music and keeps me off tilt. We don't have a pool table yet and we are working on getting out ping pong table working correctly, so no real games yet. That will be something Kurt is in charge of when he finally gets down here.
Friday, August 31, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Gonna change it up a bit
The Run bad at this point is just kinda silly. Lost 4 stacks today: 2 AA vs KK all in pre where I have KK but just get coolered. One AA to QQ where I have AA. and One where board flops aa5 we get it in I have ak he has 55. Anway, lost a good chunk for the 3rd straight day so I'm gonna try a new approach. I'm not gonna look at my account, hold em manager, or write in this blog everyday. Probably more like once every two weeks. The reason being that I'm gonna have swings everyday and wether they're good or bad I can't harp on them. Right now I'm running awfully. But I'm still beating this game. I can 100% beat this game at a good clip. Keeping my head is gonna be the most important thing, though, and I'm gonna stop caring so much about day to day numbers.
Anyway, rant over. Going to Busch Gardens again tonight to ride some late night coasters. I'll update this blog again on the first of September to recap the month, unless I have some fun life stuff to chat about before then. Hope everyone's well.
Anyway, rant over. Going to Busch Gardens again tonight to ride some late night coasters. I'll update this blog again on the first of September to recap the month, unless I have some fun life stuff to chat about before then. Hope everyone's well.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Another Bad day/The mental side of poker
I am running absolutely terrible. That's all I want to say because there is no point in harping over how unlucky I've been and how many coolers I've endured in the last 5,000 hands. I'm on a 10 buy in downswing, which, from everything I have seen and read is perfectly normal for a winning player. That doesn't make it suck anymore though. I wanted to just talk a little about how I've been trying to deal with this the last few days.
Basically the thing that plagues me is self doubt. Obviously I've never done this for a living and it's difficult to not wonder, what if i can't do this. I've watched a few videos on downswings on bluefire poker and it seems, again, like this is a normal thing for all poker players. You start to wonder if you can still beat the game, blah blah blah. I'm thinking my plan of attack to deal with this swing is to take tomorrow off. I'm going out for a nice dinner with Mel tonight, then going to the gym and Busch Gardens with Jim and Mel tomorrow. That should be a good time and I think it's the perfect day to take off.
Last thing I want to say about the mental part is that I've made a conscious effort to take care of myself. I went for a run and to the gym this morning, ate a salad and really tried to prepare well for today's session. Unfortunately, it didn't go well and I was smart enough to leave when the bad luck caused me to play like shit. So that's that. Oh and the official number I lost today was $201, which makes my numbers look pretty shitty but hopefully I'll end the month well. I tend to compartmentalize my winnings into months because with the swings and such it's easy to have losing weeks but harder to have losing months.
Hours played- 48.5
Total profit- $805
hands played- 28,500
Hourly Rate- $16.5
Basically the thing that plagues me is self doubt. Obviously I've never done this for a living and it's difficult to not wonder, what if i can't do this. I've watched a few videos on downswings on bluefire poker and it seems, again, like this is a normal thing for all poker players. You start to wonder if you can still beat the game, blah blah blah. I'm thinking my plan of attack to deal with this swing is to take tomorrow off. I'm going out for a nice dinner with Mel tonight, then going to the gym and Busch Gardens with Jim and Mel tomorrow. That should be a good time and I think it's the perfect day to take off.
Last thing I want to say about the mental part is that I've made a conscious effort to take care of myself. I went for a run and to the gym this morning, ate a salad and really tried to prepare well for today's session. Unfortunately, it didn't go well and I was smart enough to leave when the bad luck caused me to play like shit. So that's that. Oh and the official number I lost today was $201, which makes my numbers look pretty shitty but hopefully I'll end the month well. I tend to compartmentalize my winnings into months because with the swings and such it's easy to have losing weeks but harder to have losing months.
Hours played- 48.5
Total profit- $805
hands played- 28,500
Hourly Rate- $16.5
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Gross
I played these pots in the first 30 minutes of my session.
Cut off raises (we're both $100 deep) I call with Q8 spades from the button. Flop Q83. Bet, raise, ship, blah blah. He shows up with 33. I don't see myself ever folding there.
I call a 3 bet b/v with 66...flop 1067...we get it in and he has aces, turn 10, river 10...a $105 pot. That kinda stung. I played pretty much even aside from those pots so I ended up -$224. Again, I cut the session short because I was running really shitty in a lot of little spots and it was tilting me. I definitely want to be playing more hours than I am right now but I think it's the right play to cut some of these sessions when I'm losing and don't have the right mind. I'm sure I'll get use to the swings a little more with time. As it is, it's not that it really upsets me, I just find it hard to concentrate and I become a little cally.
Good news is the my check came yesterday which was much faster than I had expected. Also, Jim gets back in town tomorrow and we're riding to Busch Gardens Friday, which should be a good time. I may play a little later one but I'll write it up tomorrow if I do.
Hours played-45.5
Total profit- $1006
Hands played- 26,500
Hourly Rate- $22
Cut off raises (we're both $100 deep) I call with Q8 spades from the button. Flop Q83. Bet, raise, ship, blah blah. He shows up with 33. I don't see myself ever folding there.
I call a 3 bet b/v with 66...flop 1067...we get it in and he has aces, turn 10, river 10...a $105 pot. That kinda stung. I played pretty much even aside from those pots so I ended up -$224. Again, I cut the session short because I was running really shitty in a lot of little spots and it was tilting me. I definitely want to be playing more hours than I am right now but I think it's the right play to cut some of these sessions when I'm losing and don't have the right mind. I'm sure I'll get use to the swings a little more with time. As it is, it's not that it really upsets me, I just find it hard to concentrate and I become a little cally.
Good news is the my check came yesterday which was much faster than I had expected. Also, Jim gets back in town tomorrow and we're riding to Busch Gardens Friday, which should be a good time. I may play a little later one but I'll write it up tomorrow if I do.
Hours played-45.5
Total profit- $1006
Hands played- 26,500
Hourly Rate- $22
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Beach day/ Passed 1K in profit
Mel and I went out to Tarpon Springs today which is about 45 West of us. We ate at this cool greek place on the water and the hummus was unbelievable. After that we headed to a beach that jutted out on a causeway into the Gulf. It was windy and a bit overcast but the water was warm and the beach was pretty quiet. Unfortunately after about an hour the storm clouds rolled in like they do every afternoon so we had to head back.
I dominated the tables today. I got it all in racing once, and sucked out once but other than that I played very aggressive and my reads were the best that they have been. I ended up +331 for the 2 hour session. I only played 2 hours because it was dinner time and I felt good about ending the session on a strong note. I may or may not write more about the specific hands tomorrow, as I look back through my Holdem Manager, but for now I am going to cook dinner.
P.S. I made a 45 min poker video last night (with audio), I am trying to figure out how to upload it and get it so you guys can watch it, but I think it is kind of interesting.
Quick update...just busted from a tourney I decided to play ($30) and a small field that paid a G to the winner. Had a nice stack and lost almost all my money when the bb shoved my raise b/b and I called with A10. He has 95 off and flops 3 9's. Smell myself. Anyway, good news is I was 4 tabling while playing the tournament and made $145. So a nice little hour session made me a total of +$446 for the day. Feeling really good about it, obv. Everyone, keep doing you.
Smell you tomorrow.
Hours Played- 43
Total Profit- $1,231
Hands Played- 25,500
Hourly rate- $28.5
I dominated the tables today. I got it all in racing once, and sucked out once but other than that I played very aggressive and my reads were the best that they have been. I ended up +331 for the 2 hour session. I only played 2 hours because it was dinner time and I felt good about ending the session on a strong note. I may or may not write more about the specific hands tomorrow, as I look back through my Holdem Manager, but for now I am going to cook dinner.
P.S. I made a 45 min poker video last night (with audio), I am trying to figure out how to upload it and get it so you guys can watch it, but I think it is kind of interesting.
Quick update...just busted from a tourney I decided to play ($30) and a small field that paid a G to the winner. Had a nice stack and lost almost all my money when the bb shoved my raise b/b and I called with A10. He has 95 off and flops 3 9's. Smell myself. Anyway, good news is I was 4 tabling while playing the tournament and made $145. So a nice little hour session made me a total of +$446 for the day. Feeling really good about it, obv. Everyone, keep doing you.
Smell you tomorrow.
Hours Played- 43
Total Profit- $1,231
Hands Played- 25,500
Hourly rate- $28.5
Monday, August 20, 2012
Recovered Loses/First 40 hour work week
I got up early, had breakfast with Mel, and went right to the gym. I thought it would be a positive thing to get some exercise before my next session because yesterday kind of took a tole on me. It shouldn't and I think that's what was bothering me. I'm gonna have swings and if I continue to improve and move up they are gonna be a lot more than $200 swings. I think it will just take some time before it's easier to deal with. I was watching this documentary called "A Kid's Game, The Story of Online Poker" the other day and the guys being interviewed all expressed that when you play long enough, you become immune to losing. Hac Dang, one of the most successful online players ever said that he thinks of losing money as a "toll to do your job." I thought that was a really interesting way to look at it.
Anyway, I ended today +$230, so I recovered all of yesterday's loses +$13. I was really focused today and think I played as close to my "A" game as I have yet. The session was about 4 hours so I have now had my first official 40 hour work week, although it definitely took me longer than a week. Now that we're settled in though, I expect to be playing 30-40 hours until I feel comfortable playing more. Mel and I are going to see "The Campaign" now, so I'm gonna peace out. Watching Breaking Bad later, AKA the best show in the history of shows. smell.
Hours played- 40
Total Profit- $785
Hands Played- 24,000
Hourly Rate- $19.75
Anyway, I ended today +$230, so I recovered all of yesterday's loses +$13. I was really focused today and think I played as close to my "A" game as I have yet. The session was about 4 hours so I have now had my first official 40 hour work week, although it definitely took me longer than a week. Now that we're settled in though, I expect to be playing 30-40 hours until I feel comfortable playing more. Mel and I are going to see "The Campaign" now, so I'm gonna peace out. Watching Breaking Bad later, AKA the best show in the history of shows. smell.
Hours played- 40
Total Profit- $785
Hands Played- 24,000
Hourly Rate- $19.75
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Got crushed today
Nothing went well in today's session. These are 2 hands I played in the first 10 minutes.
Button limps, sb raises to $2.5. I make it $8.50 w kk. button calls (limp call $8.50?) flop comes 293 two diamonds. I jam because the pot is about $20 and he has like $17...calls with 68 diamonds (no pair, no draw) rips a diamond.
Two minutes later I open 77 get flatted. Flop kj7. I bet he calls. turn queen. I bet he jams (for like $25). I call. He shows up with qj and rivers the queen for a better full house.
That should have been a sign right there. Anyway I started to play bad so I called the session quits after 3 hours.Total for the day -$217. Obviously pretty brutal but I'm trying to keep a level head. Sessions like this will happen and it's part of the game. Anyway, gonna go relax with Mel. Smell
Ps. On a more positive note had my first habachi experience last night with Mel and Jim and it was excellent. Also, the hunger games was a dope movie. That's all for now...words of encouragement would be appreciated as this is the first time I've been destroyed in a session.
Hours played- 36
Total profit- $554
Hands played- 22,000
Money cashed out- $417
Money paid to site- $50
Hourly Rate- %15.5
Button limps, sb raises to $2.5. I make it $8.50 w kk. button calls (limp call $8.50?) flop comes 293 two diamonds. I jam because the pot is about $20 and he has like $17...calls with 68 diamonds (no pair, no draw) rips a diamond.
Two minutes later I open 77 get flatted. Flop kj7. I bet he calls. turn queen. I bet he jams (for like $25). I call. He shows up with qj and rivers the queen for a better full house.
That should have been a sign right there. Anyway I started to play bad so I called the session quits after 3 hours.Total for the day -$217. Obviously pretty brutal but I'm trying to keep a level head. Sessions like this will happen and it's part of the game. Anyway, gonna go relax with Mel. Smell
Ps. On a more positive note had my first habachi experience last night with Mel and Jim and it was excellent. Also, the hunger games was a dope movie. That's all for now...words of encouragement would be appreciated as this is the first time I've been destroyed in a session.
Hours played- 36
Total profit- $554
Hands played- 22,000
Money cashed out- $417
Money paid to site- $50
Hourly Rate- %15.5
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Good times last night/5 hour session today
Went to this place called Prime Bar last night. Some of the illest calamari I ever did eat. They also have this salmon dish that's incredible. We went with Mel's new friend Alexis, who turned out to be a great girl. Hopefully we'll all get to chill more in the future. Tonight we're getting our habachi on and watching the hunger games.
Played a 5 hour session today that was kinda blah. Lost a few races, lost 2 big pots where I was 4:1 getting it in. Stuff like that. I managed to wether the storm though and came out +33 for the day. I also got an email that the check I asked for has been sent and they deducted it from my account. How much money I have online is not gonna be indicative of how I've been doing so from now on I'm going to have different categories at the end of every post. This will help me organize myself and get a feel for how things are going. Anyway, going to eat so here they are:
hours played- 33
hands played- 20,000
Total profit- $774
Money Cashed out- $417
Money paid to site- $50
Hourly rate- $23.5
Played a 5 hour session today that was kinda blah. Lost a few races, lost 2 big pots where I was 4:1 getting it in. Stuff like that. I managed to wether the storm though and came out +33 for the day. I also got an email that the check I asked for has been sent and they deducted it from my account. How much money I have online is not gonna be indicative of how I've been doing so from now on I'm going to have different categories at the end of every post. This will help me organize myself and get a feel for how things are going. Anyway, going to eat so here they are:
hours played- 33
hands played- 20,000
Total profit- $774
Money Cashed out- $417
Money paid to site- $50
Hourly rate- $23.5
Friday, August 17, 2012
Quick session today
Just a quick note I only played a 2.5 hours session today because Jim's here and I just wasn't really feeling it. The session started out incredible. I had more fish at the tables than ever and was able to be on the right side of some coolers. I got up as much as like $250 very quickly. Then I started losing focus and made some suspect plays. Anyway I ended the session up $115, which is still a pretty good day. Not a lot to talk about as the hands were fairly standard. I made the first 5 bet bluff shove I've made. I had J7 and really thought this guy was light. Turns out he was but he snapped with 88. He must have thought he had some read on me because that's as light as I've seen anyone 4 bet get it in.
I talked with someone from the site today and I guess my rakeback is paid in $10 increments which kinda sucks but at least I'm getting it. Also, she said the payouts take 4 days to process and another 5 business days to arrive so I won't get my money for about two weeks after I ask for it. That's exactly what I wanted to know for future withdrawls. One more thing, I bought Hold em manager 2 and am starting the process of learning how to use it effectively. If, one the off chance someone reads this who knows anything about it...Help!
Anyway, gonna hit the gym now and go out with Jim, Mel and Mel's new friend tonight. If anyone hasn't read Mel's blog, I reccomend you do so. Highly entertaining. Later
Hours played- 28
Money online- $1710
Hourly rate- $25.5
I talked with someone from the site today and I guess my rakeback is paid in $10 increments which kinda sucks but at least I'm getting it. Also, she said the payouts take 4 days to process and another 5 business days to arrive so I won't get my money for about two weeks after I ask for it. That's exactly what I wanted to know for future withdrawls. One more thing, I bought Hold em manager 2 and am starting the process of learning how to use it effectively. If, one the off chance someone reads this who knows anything about it...Help!
Anyway, gonna hit the gym now and go out with Jim, Mel and Mel's new friend tonight. If anyone hasn't read Mel's blog, I reccomend you do so. Highly entertaining. Later
Hours played- 28
Money online- $1710
Hourly rate- $25.5
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Back on the winning grind
Woke up, ate some rice protein and a banana. Watched some tv. Went out for Sushi with Mel. Came back and played a 4 hour session. Tonight I'll be drinking some beers watching breaking bad and newsroom. Point is this is a dope day. It was made even doper by the fact that I battled through a $200 downdwing during today's session and ended up +$110. I want to talk first about the hands that caused me to lose money and secondly about some spots that I'm unclear about how to play optimally. If you're not interested in poker I'm happy, doing well, stop reading.
I raised QQ utg +1. Got 3 bet from the button, 4 bet, he jams I call. He has KK. Cooler, although I'm interested in someone telling me they can find a fold there. Lost 1010 all in to JJ with a guy who had been getting out of line and I really thought his sizing was indicative of ak, aq. Turns out it was extra big because JJ isn't the nuts either. But it is better than 1010. I need to be folding there 100% of the time. Another hand I lost my entire stack on was not so standard, but I still think it's ok.
I flat 910 spades from the button. Pot is three ways. Flop j73 with a spade giving me a gutter and backdoor flush draw. Guy bets, another guy calls making this a pretty clear call for me (it was like $4) because I have huge implied odds. Turn is a 4 of spades. Guy bets $13 into what I believe was like $17, other guys folds. So here's my situation: We are sitting with about $40 behind (if I call) I'm getting 3:1 on a call and again I have huge implied odds and position. I elect to call. River is an offsuit 5, making a four straight on the board. He checks. Now I think I stand by this decision, someone weigh in please. I jam. He tanks and shows up with KJ. I think this is pretty boarderline for him and that play works a good amount of the time but maybe he's a better hand reader than I am giving him credit for because it was hard for me to have a 6 in my hand. So those are the big hands I wanted to talk about where I lost my entire stack.
Two concepts I want to hash out...Playing 1010 and JJ when facing a four bet and calling middle pocket pairs to a three bet. Obviously player tendencies are important and I already have a ton of notes on my opponents but when I am put in difficult situations with people I know nothing about I can't decide what's more proftable. Basically I'm asking with what frequency I should set mine in position and out of position and with what fequency should I be 5 bet jamming 1010 and JJ? If anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate it. Anyway, that's it for me, Tv time. For all you hardworking bro's it's almost Friday!
Hours played- 25.5
money online- $1595
Hourly Rate- $23.5
I raised QQ utg +1. Got 3 bet from the button, 4 bet, he jams I call. He has KK. Cooler, although I'm interested in someone telling me they can find a fold there. Lost 1010 all in to JJ with a guy who had been getting out of line and I really thought his sizing was indicative of ak, aq. Turns out it was extra big because JJ isn't the nuts either. But it is better than 1010. I need to be folding there 100% of the time. Another hand I lost my entire stack on was not so standard, but I still think it's ok.
I flat 910 spades from the button. Pot is three ways. Flop j73 with a spade giving me a gutter and backdoor flush draw. Guy bets, another guy calls making this a pretty clear call for me (it was like $4) because I have huge implied odds. Turn is a 4 of spades. Guy bets $13 into what I believe was like $17, other guys folds. So here's my situation: We are sitting with about $40 behind (if I call) I'm getting 3:1 on a call and again I have huge implied odds and position. I elect to call. River is an offsuit 5, making a four straight on the board. He checks. Now I think I stand by this decision, someone weigh in please. I jam. He tanks and shows up with KJ. I think this is pretty boarderline for him and that play works a good amount of the time but maybe he's a better hand reader than I am giving him credit for because it was hard for me to have a 6 in my hand. So those are the big hands I wanted to talk about where I lost my entire stack.
Two concepts I want to hash out...Playing 1010 and JJ when facing a four bet and calling middle pocket pairs to a three bet. Obviously player tendencies are important and I already have a ton of notes on my opponents but when I am put in difficult situations with people I know nothing about I can't decide what's more proftable. Basically I'm asking with what frequency I should set mine in position and out of position and with what fequency should I be 5 bet jamming 1010 and JJ? If anyone has any thoughts I'd appreciate it. Anyway, that's it for me, Tv time. For all you hardworking bro's it's almost Friday!
Hours played- 25.5
money online- $1595
Hourly Rate- $23.5
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Good News and Bad News
The good news is this picture. I got a dope new 27' monitor that I can play 6 large tables on. Combine that with the two on the computer and I can play 8 tables without feeling like the size of them is putting me on life tilt. The bad news is I had my first losing session coming in at -$59 for the 5 hour session. I played over 2k hands today so I'm going to talk about the session in more relative terms, mentioning hands quickly without great detail. I've already done some self analysis about today so I don't really want to do it in detail again.
On one non poker note, Mel had a "friend date" with a girl from school today. This girl is apparently cool and, judging from her facebook, kind of a smoke. That's good news for Jim and Kurt as they are strapping young bachelors. I think Jim, Mel and I are going out with her on Friday night.
Ok, so to the session. I played like shit for the most part. Before I get into all the mistakes I made let me mention a couple things I did well and whine very briefly about running kinda shitty. I got 3 streets of value in a couple spots where my image got me paid, and I had my opponents range so nailed that I was able to play for stacks. One example is I raise in cutoff with AA, get called by button. Flop Q78, I bet $3 into $4 he calls. Turn 2 I bet $10, setting up river jam, he calls. At this point I have him squarely on kq, qj. I decide he's never folding due to our aggressive dynamic. Overbet Jam river and get looked up by KQ. I won about $15 extra bucks by jamming instead of value betting. There were a few instances where I was hand reading well and got good value from my opponents.
As fas as running bad I lost about $125 today with KK. This came from 4 different pots all in against shorter stacks where they had Ax. Obviously that's pretty gross but lets not forget what I said before...I played like shit today.
Ed miller says in his book 'Professional No Limit Hold em" that poker is about "winning the battle of mistakes." Bascially that means no one plays perfectly but you need to minimize your mistakes and, more importantly, make sure your mistakes are small ones. I did neither of that today. I made too many mistakes and in 2 or 3 cases they cost me my stack. Basically I need to try to get way out of line for stacks less often. I have taken a lot of different lines and am definitely experimenting with some things but it's simply not necessary to get way out of line for stacks. I need to leave that for the fish.
Example....this is a case of leveling and is not quite as bad as it looks but is still really bad. I make it $2.5 with KQ suited from the button after 2 limpers. A good player makes is $7 from the sb. Now here comes the leveling...I had myself convinced I looked very obvious raising the button with limpers and that he was light. Long story short I call the 3 bet (would almost never do that) and call three streets on a q high, dry board....lose my entire stack. he shows up with KK (duh.) I've been triple barreled 2 or 3 times in about 10,000 hands so I just need to be folding this by the river, if not before. Please feedback on how bad this is???
Anyway I was down about $150 in the first hour or 2 and just spent the rest of the time grinding it back. I'm not feeling particularly discouraged as I think I can make some changes in my game and obviously I'm going to have losing sessions. I'm getting $97 in rakeback tomorrow or Friday, which is nice. And from now on my rakeback will be more like $200-$250 a week. Anyway, gonna watch some poker videos tonight after Mel goes to bed and clean it up. Hope everyone's doing great....sorry for the boring detailed poker stuff. I'll write more about life when I actually do something. Late
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
3.5 hour session today.
Mel met with the other graduate assistants and went out to lunch with them. It seems like she really likes a couple of them and hopefully they'll develop a friendship so we can start getting to know people around here. While she was doing that I played a 3.5 hour session that was pretty swingy.
I played really well for most of the session and ran really well/really crappy, kinda up and down. Then I started to play very poorly so I called it quits. I ended up +87 for the day so I past $500 in profit in 16.5 hours of play. I'm pretty satisfied with that and hope to keep running ok. I also cashed out $400 just to make sure the checks come and come quickly. After that I will likely only be cashing out when I have $3,000 to withdraw because it is $50 a check. Once that is figured out I'll start totaling $ cashed out and how much I've paid the site for checks. I'll try to write more tomorrow but I'm not really trying to rack and brain and think about every hand in today's session. Stay up.
Hours played- 16.5
money online- $1544
Hourly rate- $33
I played really well for most of the session and ran really well/really crappy, kinda up and down. Then I started to play very poorly so I called it quits. I ended up +87 for the day so I past $500 in profit in 16.5 hours of play. I'm pretty satisfied with that and hope to keep running ok. I also cashed out $400 just to make sure the checks come and come quickly. After that I will likely only be cashing out when I have $3,000 to withdraw because it is $50 a check. Once that is figured out I'll start totaling $ cashed out and how much I've paid the site for checks. I'll try to write more tomorrow but I'm not really trying to rack and brain and think about every hand in today's session. Stay up.
Hours played- 16.5
money online- $1544
Hourly rate- $33
Monday, August 13, 2012
Approaching $500 in profit...
I played a little shorter session today than I had intended (4 hours) but I ran well and ended up +$151. Mel still hasn't fully started school and I wanted to spend time with her and Nala, which is why I didn't play longer. Also, I'm trying to ease into this playing everyday thing and not burn myself out. Having said that, I feel very focused and motivated. I think I'm playing at a higher level than I would have anticipated this early into 50NL. So far after about 5k hands I've made $457. That's about 18 bb/100 which is ridiculous. If I can sustain anything close to that I'll be moving to 100NL within a month or two. Also, I will get my rakeback later this week which is around $100, and will obviously help my roll.
Despite these positive things I'm fully aware that I've only played 13 hours and 5,000 hands of poker, which is a very small sample size. So I'll just keep studying and trying to play my best. I'm confident my swings won't be more than 4-6 buy ins at 50NL provided I don't tilt, which gives me some calm. Anyway, not talking hands because I'm baking vegan cupcakes wiith Mel (withhold judgement please.) Holla.
Hours played- 13
Money online- $1457
Hourly Rate- $35
Despite these positive things I'm fully aware that I've only played 13 hours and 5,000 hands of poker, which is a very small sample size. So I'll just keep studying and trying to play my best. I'm confident my swings won't be more than 4-6 buy ins at 50NL provided I don't tilt, which gives me some calm. Anyway, not talking hands because I'm baking vegan cupcakes wiith Mel (withhold judgement please.) Holla.
Hours played- 13
Money online- $1457
Hourly Rate- $35
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Another short session
Hit the gym for the first time in like 3 weeks today. That was ugly. Then I sat down with the intention of playing a longer session but was put on tilt by a couple hands and elected to end it after about 2 hours. Starting tomorrow I will definitley be playing longer hours. I'm also gonna be recording some videos of me playing with commentary and hopefully getting them on the blog within the next week. Anyway, not in the mood to talk too much but I'll break it down.
I joined Bluefire poker.com and have been spending 3ish hours a night watching videos of pros playing at the stakes I'm playing at. It has already helped. I ran over the tables for about an hour and a half and was up in the vicinity of $175. I've taken to targeting fish and playing about 90% of pots with them and it has worked very well. Basically some of these guys turn their hand face up and it is easy to take small pots away from them. Another techinque I have been using is overbetting rivers. This seems to work even against some of the regular guys and, while it may be a high variance play, it's really worked out...Here's an example.
I raise Aq and get a caller out of the bb. He check calls a board of j105...turn comes an 8 giving me a double gutter. We were both about 100 bb's deep to start the hand so when this turn comes im trying to manipulate the pot for a river jam wether I hit or not. If he calls 2 streets It is difficult for him to have a monster...I bet 8 into 10 leaving the pot somewhere about $23 and we have about $38 left. River is a blank, he checks, and I jam a bet which is basically double pot. He thinks for a long time and folds. guessing he laid down kj, j9, something like that.
I want to talk about this idea because I did something similar on 3 or 4 boards with air and was only looked up once. I think it's extremely proiftable to bet rivers big when you are fairly sure your opponent can't have a massive hand. People at these stakes think about the money and when you bet $50 suddenly tptk doesn't look as good. Having the initiative in the hand is also very important as I did in the hand I described.
Anyway, I lost a $150 pot where we got it in on 378q with 2 hearts (I have AA, he has J10 hearts) He rips a heart which stung because I had a heart and he called my reshove on a draw with one card to come. That hand put me on tilt as it came after a couple other small loses where I feel I played well and was getting unlucky. So I decided to end the session up $71. Could have been much better but I'll take it for now. Let me know if anyway has thoughts about overbets. Hope Lifes good for all.
Hours played- 9
money online- $1306
hourly rate- $34
I joined Bluefire poker.com and have been spending 3ish hours a night watching videos of pros playing at the stakes I'm playing at. It has already helped. I ran over the tables for about an hour and a half and was up in the vicinity of $175. I've taken to targeting fish and playing about 90% of pots with them and it has worked very well. Basically some of these guys turn their hand face up and it is easy to take small pots away from them. Another techinque I have been using is overbetting rivers. This seems to work even against some of the regular guys and, while it may be a high variance play, it's really worked out...Here's an example.
I raise Aq and get a caller out of the bb. He check calls a board of j105...turn comes an 8 giving me a double gutter. We were both about 100 bb's deep to start the hand so when this turn comes im trying to manipulate the pot for a river jam wether I hit or not. If he calls 2 streets It is difficult for him to have a monster...I bet 8 into 10 leaving the pot somewhere about $23 and we have about $38 left. River is a blank, he checks, and I jam a bet which is basically double pot. He thinks for a long time and folds. guessing he laid down kj, j9, something like that.
I want to talk about this idea because I did something similar on 3 or 4 boards with air and was only looked up once. I think it's extremely proiftable to bet rivers big when you are fairly sure your opponent can't have a massive hand. People at these stakes think about the money and when you bet $50 suddenly tptk doesn't look as good. Having the initiative in the hand is also very important as I did in the hand I described.
Anyway, I lost a $150 pot where we got it in on 378q with 2 hearts (I have AA, he has J10 hearts) He rips a heart which stung because I had a heart and he called my reshove on a draw with one card to come. That hand put me on tilt as it came after a couple other small loses where I feel I played well and was getting unlucky. So I decided to end the session up $71. Could have been much better but I'll take it for now. Let me know if anyway has thoughts about overbets. Hope Lifes good for all.
Hours played- 9
money online- $1306
hourly rate- $34
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Finally a Beach Day/Crazy swingy session
Mel and I finally got a day where we didn't have a million things to get for the house, so we went to the beach with Jim. Indian Rocks Beach between Clearwater and St. Pete...it was beautiful. Looks a lot like the caribbean. We spent the afternoon there and had some good food at a beach type bar on the water. We came back fairly early because Jim wanted to paint his room and I was planning on playing a longer session. So I guess I'll just get to that, as it was a crazy session.
Started off down over $200 in less than an hour. Obviously this stung a lot but the thing I was most proud of is a didn't tilt. I actually tightned up in a lot of spots because I was fully aware that I could be tilting a little. Anyway, before I talk about the rest of the session (its was 3 hours) I'm gonna go over the hands that caused this slide. Before I begin let me say anyone who knows poker knows you can run bad during a session in small ways. Isolating/bricking flops you literally can't continue on...Refusing to hit a pair with your broadway hands for 10 straight flops...you get the idea. Basically this was the case during the first hour, maybe 2 hours of this session. That combined with the hands I'll mention caused the slide. Basically all of these spots are coolers but I definitley didn't lose the minimum in all spots so input would be greatly appreciated.
First hand was probably the most troubling of the session. Still not sure about it.
SB raises to $1.50, I 3 bet to $4 from the BB with JJ, he 4 bets to $8.50. I know nothing about this player but this 4 bet is, in my experience, only AA or some type of attempt at a resteal and wanting to do it cheap. Anway, the price is good enough to set mine so I call. flop, 9,10,Q. Gross. Anway he basically Jams pot and I shove for 90 bb. Here's my reasoning...
AK is in his range and I have that pretty well dominated. There is a tiny chance he is getting completeley out of line (fold equity) and lastly if he has aces, I'm only a 2.5/1 dog. Turns out he has aces and I brick. Thoughts?!?!?
Next hand equally frustrating. I raise AA utg and get called in 2 spots. flop A105 two diamonds. I bet $3 into $5 (which might be a litte small with two opponents?) get called in one spot. Turn is a red J. I bet $11 into $13ish....get min raised to $22. Puke. hes basically telling me he has KQ but I have a redraw and he obviously doesn't have to have the ONE hand that beats me. river blank. I check/call his last $20...the turn is clear imo, but can I fold the river?
A smaller pot...I call a raise w 44 b/b vs a guy who only has $15and is horrible. flop 7710...He open jams...I snap because this guy has been insane and sure enough he shows 95 (no pair, no draw)...now I know I'm only about 70% to win here but the board ran out gross...turn 7 (full house!) river 9...sad face. Anway, lost about 30 bb there in a gross fashion.
Anway, there were some other pretty bad spots that I don't even really want to talk about at the moment. You get the idea.
The good news is, like I said I didn't tilt. I kept playing well and ran a little better the last hour. For the 3 hour session I ended up +96...which I was estatic about because of the horrible start. anyway, I think I'm done with hand anaylsis. Gonna go help Jim make a bed, drink some beers. Stay up everyone.
Hours played- 7
money online- $1235
hourly rate- 33.25
Started off down over $200 in less than an hour. Obviously this stung a lot but the thing I was most proud of is a didn't tilt. I actually tightned up in a lot of spots because I was fully aware that I could be tilting a little. Anyway, before I talk about the rest of the session (its was 3 hours) I'm gonna go over the hands that caused this slide. Before I begin let me say anyone who knows poker knows you can run bad during a session in small ways. Isolating/bricking flops you literally can't continue on...Refusing to hit a pair with your broadway hands for 10 straight flops...you get the idea. Basically this was the case during the first hour, maybe 2 hours of this session. That combined with the hands I'll mention caused the slide. Basically all of these spots are coolers but I definitley didn't lose the minimum in all spots so input would be greatly appreciated.
First hand was probably the most troubling of the session. Still not sure about it.
SB raises to $1.50, I 3 bet to $4 from the BB with JJ, he 4 bets to $8.50. I know nothing about this player but this 4 bet is, in my experience, only AA or some type of attempt at a resteal and wanting to do it cheap. Anway, the price is good enough to set mine so I call. flop, 9,10,Q. Gross. Anway he basically Jams pot and I shove for 90 bb. Here's my reasoning...
AK is in his range and I have that pretty well dominated. There is a tiny chance he is getting completeley out of line (fold equity) and lastly if he has aces, I'm only a 2.5/1 dog. Turns out he has aces and I brick. Thoughts?!?!?
Next hand equally frustrating. I raise AA utg and get called in 2 spots. flop A105 two diamonds. I bet $3 into $5 (which might be a litte small with two opponents?) get called in one spot. Turn is a red J. I bet $11 into $13ish....get min raised to $22. Puke. hes basically telling me he has KQ but I have a redraw and he obviously doesn't have to have the ONE hand that beats me. river blank. I check/call his last $20...the turn is clear imo, but can I fold the river?
A smaller pot...I call a raise w 44 b/b vs a guy who only has $15and is horrible. flop 7710...He open jams...I snap because this guy has been insane and sure enough he shows 95 (no pair, no draw)...now I know I'm only about 70% to win here but the board ran out gross...turn 7 (full house!) river 9...sad face. Anway, lost about 30 bb there in a gross fashion.
Anway, there were some other pretty bad spots that I don't even really want to talk about at the moment. You get the idea.
The good news is, like I said I didn't tilt. I kept playing well and ran a little better the last hour. For the 3 hour session I ended up +96...which I was estatic about because of the horrible start. anyway, I think I'm done with hand anaylsis. Gonna go help Jim make a bed, drink some beers. Stay up everyone.
Hours played- 7
money online- $1235
hourly rate- 33.25
Friday, August 10, 2012
no poker today
Just a brief update of house stuff. Mel and I rented a truck and spent yet another day going crazy driving around getting stuff for the house. We got a ping pong table today as well as a couch for our bedroom. The couch was an unbelievable deal. It's a chase lounge from Ikea that usually goes for around $700 and we got it basically new from a girl for $175. Now our room is complete so we're pumped.
After returning the truck we picked up the coffee table for the living room and hustled back to meet a guy who is tinting the windows on the Camry. No, I have not become Florida hood already...everyone's windows are tinted down here because it goes a long way to cool the car when it's sitting in the sun. Now we are waiting on Jim who should be here any minute and we'll spend the night drinking and relaxing.
Due to the chaos I didn't play a hand of poker today. I did see $10 more dollars of my bonus was released though, so that's always nice. I plan on getting into a groove and playing a lot more starting next week. This week has just been too crazy and we're probably going to spend tomorrow at the beach with Jim. Anyway, I'll update again when I have poker to talk about. Smell
After returning the truck we picked up the coffee table for the living room and hustled back to meet a guy who is tinting the windows on the Camry. No, I have not become Florida hood already...everyone's windows are tinted down here because it goes a long way to cool the car when it's sitting in the sun. Now we are waiting on Jim who should be here any minute and we'll spend the night drinking and relaxing.
Due to the chaos I didn't play a hand of poker today. I did see $10 more dollars of my bonus was released though, so that's always nice. I plan on getting into a groove and playing a lot more starting next week. This week has just been too crazy and we're probably going to spend tomorrow at the beach with Jim. Anyway, I'll update again when I have poker to talk about. Smell
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Up to date poker numbers...sorry forgot to post
Hours played - 4
Money online $1129
Hourly rate- $32.25
Money online $1129
Hourly rate- $32.25
Almost done with house stuff/played another two hour session today
Hey everyone. Just wanted to do a quick update on house stuff and talk poker a little bit. The few friends I have who know poker I would appreciate any thoughts you have on hands I mention. Pat, I'll take the 910 thing to heart, don't know what I was thinking playing that shit without you in the room.
Mel got her placement for school today. It's in Tampa about 30 minutes away at a place called The Centre. They deal with people (women mostly) with substance abuse issues among other things. Basically they are life coaches. She'll be spending 8 hours a week there starting in October and seems to be pretty happy about it. We also got a washer/dryer and patio furniture today. This pretty much completes the house with the exception of the game room stuff (pool table, ping pong table, video games, etc.) If you haven't noticed we're doing everything we can to trick this place out and make it more desirable for friends to come visit. So instead of dropping $100 on consecutive nights that you won't remember at the Jtree (Mark, Pat, Nick) buy a round trip ticket down here and stay in the guest room that is conveniently set up for guests. Due to all the running around I only played a small session again today - 2 hours.
Let me start talking poker by saying I got great news today. The site I play on emailed me and said they are going to give me a bonus matching my $1000 deposit. Basically this means they will give me $1000 over some time. I ran some numbers and they are basically paying me $3 an hour to play if I 6 table. Combine this with about $4 an hour in rakeback and we're talking $7 an hour before my winrate. Great news. Anyway, to the hands...
I had a good session tonight. Ran pretty well, tightened up oop and made some well timed 3 and 4 bets pre flop. I ended up +111 on the session, which I was happy with. Here are some interesting hands.
Not sure about how I played this one....Raise to 1.75 with a10s, one caller...flop aj7 two spades. flop top pair and the nut flush draw. I lead out for $4, he makes it $12. At this point he has about $36 behind and I have him covered. Basically, I'm never folding here with top pair and the nut flush draw...but I'm wondering in hindsight if I should have called and evaluated the turn. Anyway, I jam and he shows up with 77 for a set. Still 32% equity combined with the fold equity makes this pretty close. anyway, the good news is that was the only hand I lost my entire stack in tonight. Here are a couple hands I came out on top for 200bb.
I have KK and 3 bet from the small blind...button calls. flop kj8 and we get it in....he shows up with aces. Big time cooler yay me.
I have 1010 and raise from the cutoff, bb calls. flop 9105...he checks I bet $4 into $5 feeling like its pretty wet and some smaller broadway cards will call with straight draws/overs...he calls. turn 10. 4 of a kind, easy game. he leads into me for $6. I flat because what am I worried about. River comes queen. He leads into me for $10 and at this point I'm feeling like he just hit a semi bluff (kq, kj, qj) Because I think hes strong I elect to get it all in (about $30 more) and he snaps with kj. Kind of a cooler but definitely not a snap call for him.
Couple final thoughts on things I've been doing well/things I need to improve upon. Let's start with the bad stuff. I payed off too many short stacks with marginal hands tonight. I raise called all in for $12 with 66 (borderline) raise called all in with 44 for $14 (bad) and raise called all in with aj for about $20 (again, I think pretty bad). These shorts guys rarely jam without premiums and I need to recognize this.
The thing I did well tonight was time 3 and 4 bets preflop. I attacked some competent players in spots where it was very clear they were isolating with nothing. An example...2 limpers, good player makes it $2 from the button, sb calls, I make it $7 from the bb with 84...A guy who is most likely isolating and a weak call behind will rarely stand up to something that looks so strong like raising out of the bb. Thins like this added up and I think I had a good feel for the game flow.
Final thing...I am fully aware that very few people care about the poker stuff. I'm writing it down largely for my own reasons. It helps me to think about the sessions and how I've been playing. It's also kind of therapeutic and I think it will go along way to help my mental state as I endure some inevitable swings that will occur. Having said that, any input is appreciated. Thanks and keep your pants up.
Mel got her placement for school today. It's in Tampa about 30 minutes away at a place called The Centre. They deal with people (women mostly) with substance abuse issues among other things. Basically they are life coaches. She'll be spending 8 hours a week there starting in October and seems to be pretty happy about it. We also got a washer/dryer and patio furniture today. This pretty much completes the house with the exception of the game room stuff (pool table, ping pong table, video games, etc.) If you haven't noticed we're doing everything we can to trick this place out and make it more desirable for friends to come visit. So instead of dropping $100 on consecutive nights that you won't remember at the Jtree (Mark, Pat, Nick) buy a round trip ticket down here and stay in the guest room that is conveniently set up for guests. Due to all the running around I only played a small session again today - 2 hours.
Let me start talking poker by saying I got great news today. The site I play on emailed me and said they are going to give me a bonus matching my $1000 deposit. Basically this means they will give me $1000 over some time. I ran some numbers and they are basically paying me $3 an hour to play if I 6 table. Combine this with about $4 an hour in rakeback and we're talking $7 an hour before my winrate. Great news. Anyway, to the hands...
I had a good session tonight. Ran pretty well, tightened up oop and made some well timed 3 and 4 bets pre flop. I ended up +111 on the session, which I was happy with. Here are some interesting hands.
Not sure about how I played this one....Raise to 1.75 with a10s, one caller...flop aj7 two spades. flop top pair and the nut flush draw. I lead out for $4, he makes it $12. At this point he has about $36 behind and I have him covered. Basically, I'm never folding here with top pair and the nut flush draw...but I'm wondering in hindsight if I should have called and evaluated the turn. Anyway, I jam and he shows up with 77 for a set. Still 32% equity combined with the fold equity makes this pretty close. anyway, the good news is that was the only hand I lost my entire stack in tonight. Here are a couple hands I came out on top for 200bb.
I have KK and 3 bet from the small blind...button calls. flop kj8 and we get it in....he shows up with aces. Big time cooler yay me.
I have 1010 and raise from the cutoff, bb calls. flop 9105...he checks I bet $4 into $5 feeling like its pretty wet and some smaller broadway cards will call with straight draws/overs...he calls. turn 10. 4 of a kind, easy game. he leads into me for $6. I flat because what am I worried about. River comes queen. He leads into me for $10 and at this point I'm feeling like he just hit a semi bluff (kq, kj, qj) Because I think hes strong I elect to get it all in (about $30 more) and he snaps with kj. Kind of a cooler but definitely not a snap call for him.
Couple final thoughts on things I've been doing well/things I need to improve upon. Let's start with the bad stuff. I payed off too many short stacks with marginal hands tonight. I raise called all in for $12 with 66 (borderline) raise called all in with 44 for $14 (bad) and raise called all in with aj for about $20 (again, I think pretty bad). These shorts guys rarely jam without premiums and I need to recognize this.
The thing I did well tonight was time 3 and 4 bets preflop. I attacked some competent players in spots where it was very clear they were isolating with nothing. An example...2 limpers, good player makes it $2 from the button, sb calls, I make it $7 from the bb with 84...A guy who is most likely isolating and a weak call behind will rarely stand up to something that looks so strong like raising out of the bb. Thins like this added up and I think I had a good feel for the game flow.
Final thing...I am fully aware that very few people care about the poker stuff. I'm writing it down largely for my own reasons. It helps me to think about the sessions and how I've been playing. It's also kind of therapeutic and I think it will go along way to help my mental state as I endure some inevitable swings that will occur. Having said that, any input is appreciated. Thanks and keep your pants up.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
We are finally moved in! / First session
So this is my first ever attempt at doing a blog. It's also, coincidentally, the first time I've written more than a paragraph since college, so bare with me. We got here in 36 hours. That includes one 12 hour stop at a hotel in SC. So basically, we got down here in a hurry. Nala was great and slept the entire time (we walked her for 10-15 minutes once every 3-4 hours.) When we arrived Jim was already here so we got to chill with him on Sunday. Aside from that it has been Mel and I basically going crazy buying things to fill the house with. We've spent, undoubtedly, more money in the last three days than we did in the prior 3 months, but it's been worth it. We've bought/assembled the following since Sunday:
-King size bed (framed, matress, sheets and comforter)
-2 TV stands
-a leather couch and loveseat (which we got an incredible deal on)
-a leather fouton for the game room
-two desks and a desk chair
-a book case for the office
-a coffee table for the living room
- a queen sized bed for the guest room (come hang out)
-bathroom and kitchens supplies
Anyway, you get the idea. it's been insane but we are happy with the outcome and are really starting to feel at home. Even Nala has gotten to the point that she doesn't follow us every time we leave a room. One thing I have not done in the midst of all this chaos is play poker. Tonight, however, I put in my first baby session to get back into the swing of things.
I'm going to explain the entirety of my poker plans this one time so the things I say makes sense. I hope to not bore anyone but this post is going to be much longer than the ones that will follow due to the craziness of the move. Again, bare with me and if you don't have any interest in reading about hand histories, stop reading.
I decided to play exclusively online for now. The benefits of this include, but are not limited to:
-Easier to manage bankroll, miminize risk of ruin
-I have much more experience online having played at least a million hands.
-Saves on gas money
-Rakeback (roughly $200 a month just for playing.)
-Spend more time with Nala and the roommates
Again, you get the idea. My bankroll is starting at $4,000. I expected it to be a little more but moving was way more expensive than I had anticipated and I need to keep my life roll at a decent place. Today I put $1,000 on Intertops, which is a reliable site that I played casually on for a year or so and received 3 or 4 checks, so I know that they pay and pay quickly. I'm starting at .25/50 so $1000 is 20 buy ins. Honestly, I don't expect to have to redeposit unless I run super shitty so the 3k I have behind is basically just insurance/more money toward my life roll. My plan is to 4 table for 5-8 hours a day until I'm back in the swing of things when I will 6-8 table. I'll move up when my roll hits $10,000, maybe take shots a little earlier. Anyway, here's some analysis of the 2 hour session I played tonight.
Let me start by saying I played pretty shitty in a few spots, pretty well in a couple others, and basically sub par for the session. Here are some interesting hands.
Played this one well. Guy opens from middle position to $2. I re raise to 5.50 with KK from the sb. Flop comes K78 rainbow. a dream flop. I lead out for 4 (the board is wet enough that I'm confident he'll continue with a descent percent of his range,) He calls. the turn is a 5. completes 46 and 69 but basically inconsequential. I bet $8. He calls. at this point I'm fairly sure he has the case king. The river is the jack. He has about $35 behind and there is about $30 in the pot. I decide to lead out and appear weak. I bet 9 into 30, he jams and shows kj. Ship it. Anyway, kind of a cooler but I think I induced some spazziness on the river with a weak bet.
Standard? thoughts are appreciated. Raise to $2 with AK on the button. bb raises to $7. Descent player so far and my thought is that he is capable of making a move with a moderate, weak hand because raising from the button is so standard. I make it $20. He jams. Can't fold at that point and he shows aces. Coooooooooler. anyway, don't think I can play that any differently.
I 3 bet/folded to a 4 bet and cold call from the small blind with JJ. They show AK and QQ so I felt good about that one.
Spazzed with 910d after calling a three bet pre and dropped a buy in. Too horrible to even talk about.
Not a whole lot more to talk about as it was a short session. I definitely need to tighten up out of position and realize that very few people are bluffing at these stakes. Anyway, I ended up +$18 for the two hours. Not concerned about the money or my win-rate until I've played at least 100 hours but I'll put the number of hours/ how much money I have online (started with $1000) at the end of every post. I plan on paying myself 80% of my winnings for the month on the first of each month. Alright TV/bed time...tomorrow we're getting a washer/dryer and I'll probably put in my first real session. Feel free to comment, hope everyone is well.
2 hours played
money online $1018
-King size bed (framed, matress, sheets and comforter)
-2 TV stands
-a leather couch and loveseat (which we got an incredible deal on)
-a leather fouton for the game room
-two desks and a desk chair
-a book case for the office
-a coffee table for the living room
- a queen sized bed for the guest room (come hang out)
-bathroom and kitchens supplies
Anyway, you get the idea. it's been insane but we are happy with the outcome and are really starting to feel at home. Even Nala has gotten to the point that she doesn't follow us every time we leave a room. One thing I have not done in the midst of all this chaos is play poker. Tonight, however, I put in my first baby session to get back into the swing of things.
I'm going to explain the entirety of my poker plans this one time so the things I say makes sense. I hope to not bore anyone but this post is going to be much longer than the ones that will follow due to the craziness of the move. Again, bare with me and if you don't have any interest in reading about hand histories, stop reading.
I decided to play exclusively online for now. The benefits of this include, but are not limited to:
-Easier to manage bankroll, miminize risk of ruin
-I have much more experience online having played at least a million hands.
-Saves on gas money
-Rakeback (roughly $200 a month just for playing.)
-Spend more time with Nala and the roommates
Again, you get the idea. My bankroll is starting at $4,000. I expected it to be a little more but moving was way more expensive than I had anticipated and I need to keep my life roll at a decent place. Today I put $1,000 on Intertops, which is a reliable site that I played casually on for a year or so and received 3 or 4 checks, so I know that they pay and pay quickly. I'm starting at .25/50 so $1000 is 20 buy ins. Honestly, I don't expect to have to redeposit unless I run super shitty so the 3k I have behind is basically just insurance/more money toward my life roll. My plan is to 4 table for 5-8 hours a day until I'm back in the swing of things when I will 6-8 table. I'll move up when my roll hits $10,000, maybe take shots a little earlier. Anyway, here's some analysis of the 2 hour session I played tonight.
Let me start by saying I played pretty shitty in a few spots, pretty well in a couple others, and basically sub par for the session. Here are some interesting hands.
Played this one well. Guy opens from middle position to $2. I re raise to 5.50 with KK from the sb. Flop comes K78 rainbow. a dream flop. I lead out for 4 (the board is wet enough that I'm confident he'll continue with a descent percent of his range,) He calls. the turn is a 5. completes 46 and 69 but basically inconsequential. I bet $8. He calls. at this point I'm fairly sure he has the case king. The river is the jack. He has about $35 behind and there is about $30 in the pot. I decide to lead out and appear weak. I bet 9 into 30, he jams and shows kj. Ship it. Anyway, kind of a cooler but I think I induced some spazziness on the river with a weak bet.
Standard? thoughts are appreciated. Raise to $2 with AK on the button. bb raises to $7. Descent player so far and my thought is that he is capable of making a move with a moderate, weak hand because raising from the button is so standard. I make it $20. He jams. Can't fold at that point and he shows aces. Coooooooooler. anyway, don't think I can play that any differently.
I 3 bet/folded to a 4 bet and cold call from the small blind with JJ. They show AK and QQ so I felt good about that one.
Spazzed with 910d after calling a three bet pre and dropped a buy in. Too horrible to even talk about.
Not a whole lot more to talk about as it was a short session. I definitely need to tighten up out of position and realize that very few people are bluffing at these stakes. Anyway, I ended up +$18 for the two hours. Not concerned about the money or my win-rate until I've played at least 100 hours but I'll put the number of hours/ how much money I have online (started with $1000) at the end of every post. I plan on paying myself 80% of my winnings for the month on the first of each month. Alright TV/bed time...tomorrow we're getting a washer/dryer and I'll probably put in my first real session. Feel free to comment, hope everyone is well.
2 hours played
money online $1018
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