Ice-cold Poker

2011-09-26T19:31:00.001+01:00

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have -Thomas Jefferson

Well it's been a few days, but I'm still kicking. Since the now infamous event known as Black Friday, online gaming as a vocation has been a tough proposition. Still, for those with the know how, there are still ways to get by. Other players may turn up their noses, but roulette, keno and slot machine games, especially if they come with a bonus. This is why I can recommend the site Free Online Slots with Bonus Rounds!, which caters for all your high-adrenaline focussed-returns gaming needs!

In other news, I've been doing some work for a Tier 1 bank to supplement my tidy gaming income, and have been gaining valuable experience working on their Commodities Trading desk. Just today I had a job interview for a role with another T1 bank, this time for their Power&Gas scheduling/trading team. Don't know that I have the best of chances given my limited banking experience, but if my poker skills truly turn out to be transferable - or better yet desirable - then maybe I can prove whether I have what it takes to perform in a seemingly highly compatible field.

Anyway, for all my old fans who are reading this and for those still in the hole after the DoJ got busy... chin up. I'm still down $32k, but you just have to write it off as a bad beat, then move on to the next hand. GL.

2010-04-06T22:11:00.004+01:00

"Never offend people with style when you can offend them with substance" -Sam Brown, Washington Post, 1977

A good friend of mine wrote to me the other day saying that he had read my previous blog entry. After I got over my initial surprise, I digested the very valid point that he raised: I was negative and somewhat critical of office work.

By nature, I don't believe I am a negative person. However, after enduring a fair degree of bullying and teasing during my formative years, I learnt how to be cutting and derogatory to great effect when provoked. This tone can sometimes make an unintentional appearance in my day-to-day life, and this seems to be the case here.

When I speak of my experiences and attitude towards the 9 to 5 office life, it is only meant to reflect my feelings as it relates to me, and in no way is it meant as my opinions of other people who live that lifestyle. Some people may feel the same as I do, and obviously I relate with them. For those that don't, hey, I can relate with those people as well.

For many years I found working in an office enjoyable, and there are many aspects that agreeable. I may even find myself returning to it one day, because as a person I'm still changing, and that includes my opinions and values. It's just that at the moment I'm glad I'm doing my own thing, and though it hasn't been going too well for me this year, I'm still fiercely proud of the alternative life I'm leading.

All of this said, I'm really glad my friend got in touch with. Firstly, he's an old friend, and you can never have enough of them in your life. Secondly, he let me know that I could inadvertently be causing offence to some people, and that is never on my agenda. Life is too short to stir things up, projecting negative views on other people or the way they choose to live. I'm a pacificist after all.

So for the record, please let me state my feelings plainly. If you work hard to provide for yourself or your loved ones, then you have my respect. Whether you care for the elderly, clean windows, or sell cars, as long as you try to do a good job and work with people rather than against them, then you provide a valuable service. I'm not sure the same can ever be said of what I do, but I will try and do my best with it....

2010-03-29T18:14:00.002+01:00

"Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish." -Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Well it's now the end of month 2 of my new year, and I'm comfortable admitting I still haven't made any money this year. When I say 'comfortable', it's not because I've lost my tenuous grip on reality or that I've recently discovered the delights of valium. Rather it's because my game has improved over the last month, and my results are improving accordingly. I predict that by the end of this week I will have made it back into profit after my disastrous performance in February, and this means that I can get back to being the HAPPY-go-lucky guy who plays poker successfully for a living.

Interestingly, I actually haven't been too worried about being in the red for an entire month. I think that is down to 2 reasons:
1) I have been playing well overall and my results have been improving
2) I have more than enough money easily available to get by in the short term
If I got really worried about it, it would probably have a negative impact on many things, including my game, girlfriend, family, friends, and lifestyle, and I like all of those things exactly as they are. So I resolved not to change any of them with unnecessary worry or stress.

I've never been one of those people who worries incessantly about things (life is far too short) and I don't intend to change that now. I believe in acting on problems, not worrying about them. When I started playing poker for a living, I made sure I had lots of money set aside and in my bankroll, so that if things didn't go to plan for a month or 2 I wouldn't need to do even think about money. Also, when I noticed things weren't going well (*see February), I took steps to identify and fix them, which seems to be working.

I also believe in being as lazy as possible, and am willing to work very hard (on occasion) so that can remain unchanged for years to come. I like being able to play poker for 5 or 6 hours a day, with plenty of time for breaks, exercise and errands or jobs around the flat. If it means that some days I end up feeling like I've played 10 hours straight, or that some weeks I've had to sweat blood and tears over a game just to break even, so be it. Far better I endure that than be stuck in an office; forced into exchanging daily banalities with a bunch of people you would never speak to outside of the office building....

2010-03-11T19:26:00.009Z

“Having Money’s Not Everything / Not Having It Is” -Kanye West, The Good Life

Well, this month has so far been every bit as trying as February was for me poker wise. I haven't got myself in a -7k hole just yet, but it's been a tough ride. Poker is a mental game, but I don't mean just that you have to think about how best to play. I mean there's a lot of psychological and emotional strength and discipline required, and never more so than when things aren't going very well.

I'll level with you here: when things are going really badly, you've lost hundreds and hundreds of dollars in a short space of time and you seem to be getting coolered or sucked out on every time the money goes in, it suddenly becomes very tempting to 5-bet allin with pocket 7s against an aggressive regular, or call off your deep-stack with TT against an UTG donkey. You want to start 3-betting J9s oop against 2 good players. You convince yourself a call followed by a turn raise will make your opponent fold what he has advertised is a big hand. You, you, yours, and you. The focus that you have as a player has shrunk from the game, along with all the other players in it, to just yourself.

If I find myself thinking only about what has been happening to me(i.e. how unlucky I have been, how unfair it is that I was never dealt AA or KK against the big fish, etc.) then I have to admit I'm on tilt. A subtle form of tilt, but one that definitely impacts my play and can be a precursor to the more obvious red-mist-descending, allin-with-a-gutshot, how-the-hell-has-he-got-another-set kind of tilt. The kind of tilt that can destroy your bankroll in a day if you let it.

So, when I recognise I'm tilting, I need to stop playing. It's very simple, but very very hard. It is a brutal conundrum that for human beings the worse things seem to be going, the more stubborn some (maybe most?) of us become and we say it'll get better. It has to improve. Things will turn around soon. We do it in relationships. We do it at work. Being able to dig in in the face of opposition is an asset, but it must be used with discretion. I can't help thinking of the film Enemy at the Gates which showed how thousands of Russians at the Battle of Stalingrad who were ordered to run into the fire of German machine-gun nests, with one rifle between 2 soldiers. You have to pick your battles.

Bringing it back to poker though, I found myself having one of the worst days imaginable. It started with my AA losing to 7To after getting allin on a 3379 board. Then on a deep table AA lost again to AKo allin on a 4JK4 board. Then KK lost to QQ allin preflop for $1600. I was shrugging them all off mentally, but then came the straw that broke the camel's back. And by 'straw', I mean 'giant flaming log with spikes sticking out of it'....

I was playing a guy who was 40/12, and very aggressive on later streets. He would often pot bet the river if he was checked to with second pair, busted draws, Ace high, you get the idea. Sometimes he'd have a decent hand, but more often than not your top pair with top kicker was gold. So, I decided to call his UTG raise with a speculative hand and hope for a decent flop. It came perfect:

Absolute/UB Cereus No-Limit Hold'em, $2/4 Deep (6 handed) - Absolute/UB Cereus Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Button ($458.90)
SB ($904.50)
Hero (BB) ($894)
UTG ($1692.75)
MP ($328.45)
CO ($1385.20)
Preflop: Hero is BB with A, 7
UTG bets $14, 4 folds, Hero calls $10
Flop: ($30) 2, 7, 7 (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG bets $12, Hero calls $12
Turn: ($54) 6 (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG checks
River: ($54) A (2 players)
Hero bets $48, UTG raises to $1666.75 (All-In), Hero calls $820 (All-In)
Results:
Hero mucked A, 7 (full house, sevens over Aces).
UTG had A, A (full house, Aces over sevens).
Outcome: UTG won $3573

I couldn't believe it. There was literally only one hand he could have had that beat me, and it would require that all four Aces came into play. Shellshocked, I knew I couldn't play rationally after such a hand. So I shut down every table I had, and I took a long break.

When I came back, within 3 hands my 77 couldn't fade QQ allin on a 7J4 flop, and I had to really detach my emotions to keep playing well. I managed to win a big pot later on and I finished the day down only about $1100. Not bad, considering how I was running.

So I'm pleased. I showed discipline in the face of adversity. I recognised I was tilting and took action. Results will have to come in their own time. I'll just keep playing as best I can, and try to make good decisions. Sometimes not to play will be one of them. Best of luck to all.

EDIT - Added Tommy Angelo's blog to my list on the right, check it out for some good poker philosophy and interesting content!

2010-03-03T18:36:00.000Z

“Long is the way And hard, that out of Hell leads up to light” -John Milton, Paradise Lost

Well, the reason it's been a few weeks is simple. After my brief resurrection I had my worst week ever as a pro, and it was more than enough to give me my worst month's result ever too. I finished Feb down by about $7k, and I felt like I was playing terribly day after losing day. I've gotta say it's a pretty awful place to be mentally, and a tough reminder of how easy it is to lose rather than earn wages in this profession. If this was how I started my online career, I don't think I'd have lasted more than 2 months before looking for regular work. As it is though, I've got 2 years of ups and downs under my belt, and I'm determined not to be phased by such a bad start to my year.

So, I got back on the horse after a weekend off, and I lost $40 on Monday. And then $2240 on Tuesday. But today... today I managed a win. It wasn't big, and it certainly doesn't put me in profit for the month, never mind the year. But I played much better, and some of my confidence is returning. So with luck, this is the start of my comeback. It's not going to be easy. But no one said it would be. You have to take the rough with the smooth. It's what being a pro is all about.

2010-02-19T12:38:00.001Z

Stolen from Goat, had to share:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7qx1FGRt54&feature=player_embedded
Needs sound, a non-office environment and an ability not to explode with laughter.

2010-02-18T16:52:00.004Z

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration" -Paul Atreides (taken from Frank Herbert's Dune - Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear)

Here is a hand I had earlier where I hated getting my money in. I knew I was ahead on the flop of course, but the subsequent action had me fearing the worst. I don't mind admitting I was bricking it all the way to the river...

Absolute Poker, $2/4 No Limit Hold'em Cash Games, 6 Players

Hand Converter by the Pokerhand.org community

Board:

M12VMA (UTG): $1,414.20

THEFLOW (UTG+1): $766.20

HERO (CO): $1,213

MICKEYZEE (Button): $1,223.05

GAMBELLS777 (SB): $802

GEVS8888 (BB): $628.05

Dealt to: HERO

Pre-flop:

(1 folds), THEFLOW raises to $14, HERO calls $14, (2 folds), GEVS8888 calls $10,

Flop:($44) (3 Players)

GEVS8888 checks, THEFLOW bets $28, HERO raises to $68, GEVS8888 calls $68, THEFLOW calls $40,
After both the BB and MP called my raise, I knew one of them had a 7. I also knew that the most likely holding for anyone who raised or called a raise with a 7 most likely had a 6, 8, or Ace kicker. So imagine my horror on the turn when....

Turn: ($248) (3 Players)

GEVS8888 checks, THEFLOW checks, HERO bets $228, GEVS8888 calls $228, THEFLOW raises to $684.20 and is all-in, HERO raises to $1,131 and is all-in, (1 folds), HERO returns $446.80,
I have no idea what the BB folded, it likely wasn't a 7 but instead a terribly played overpair or flush draw. I was still horribly scared I'd already been sucked out on...

River: ($1,844.40) (2 Players)

Results:

THEFLOW Showed

HERO Showed

HERO wins $1,840.90

2010-02-17T22:58:00.003Z

Pics, Stats and... Videotape?

"The nice part about being a pessimist is that you are constantly being either proven right or pleasantly surprised" -George F. Will

Well frack me sideways, but this month has been tough. As you can see from the graph of this months hands so far, I've been running far from good. It can still be dispiriting to perform in the face of such adversity, but as we all know, if it was easy to be a pro then everyone would be one. Looking closer, you can see that there is a strong finish to bring me back to breakeven, and that 'finish' took place in just one day.

So what happened to affect such a good turnaround? You can see it wasn't a change in my allin luck (my EV stays well above my actual earnings), so it must be either running hot all of a sudden or some other change. In this particular case, I firmly believe it is the latter.

Stats from Feb 1st to Feb 15th: VPIP 22.8 PFR 14.9 3-bet 3.5
Stats from Feb 16th: VPIP 26.2 PFR 19.1 3-bet 8.3

Quite a pronounced shift between the two. While I only put in 2k hands on the final day, I think the results speak for themselves in terms of the impact of a much more aggressive style. So what happened to cause this increase in aggression? Well, I'd like to say it came naturally but in fact all I did was watch a training video on Monday detailing the best places to reraise and squeeze, then applied the advice to my game on Tuesday. I was 3-betting nearly 3 times as much as previously, and it made my life so much easier, and I daresay also helped pick up a lot of dead money. I also was focussing more on my opponents range, and trying to optimise my play into getting weak hands to bluff and extracting value from second best hands.

In retrospect I can't believe how weak-tight I have been playing over the last fortnight. I guess that was me shifting into defensive mode as a result of getting bent over nearly every time I played. The lesson I'm taking is frack them. They can suck out and run hot all they want, but I'm still going to push and fight back as often as possible, and claw back my money from their cold fishy hands. Balls to lying there and just taking it, enough is enough. Will keep you posted of course, but hopefully by judicious use of aggression and very occasional reversion to a weak tight style I can confuse and thereby crush my opponents. Who knows, I might even get good enough to move back up to 5/10!

Right, as promised here are some snowboaring pics taken from our holiday in Alpe D'Huez. I have to say first though that I'm not very good, and we didn't get many action shots. The views however were amazing, and you should get a small taste of what snowboarding while staying in a catered chalet was like....

The gang all ready to go

The view from the summit midweek

Booting up

Slowing down....

Stopped.

Smiles all round with blue skies and snowy slopes ahead....

Me and my lady:

Enjoying a well-earned jacuzzi before a well-earned 4 course meal

Enjoying a well-earned high-altitude drink(ing session)....

Yours truly demonstrates the ultimate slope safety position.

That's all folks! ;-)
Publish Post

2010-02-12T10:34:00.004Z

“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend” -Abraham Lincoln

Just think about that for a second. Think how beautifully relevant to poker it is. I admit I enjoyed a long slow smile when first I read it. After all, for those of us who play poker seriously observe how many people who suck out on us in awful way (read Enemies) will then become people we strive to become better acquainted with (read Friends) via the 'Buddy' system. For those of us who are good enough, we will of course destroy them if they stick around long enough.

I admit that I have a new enemy I have strong intentions of befriending, and then breaking. Here are 2 hands I've suffered against him in the last 2 days which have caused him to be on my personal Buddy list. Rest assured I will be going out of my way in future to attempt some retributive destruction...

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (5 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
Villain (Button) ($783)
SB ($106.75)
BB ($206.10)
Hero (UTG) ($460.90)
MP ($178.50)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with K, K
Hero bets $7, MP calls $7, Villain raises to $31, 2 folds, Hero raises to $98, 1 fold, Villain calls $67

Flop: ($206) J, 4, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $159, Villain raises to $685 (All-In), Hero calls $203.90 (All-In)

Turn: ($931.80) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

River: ($931.80) 6 (2 players, 2 all-in)

Total pot: $931.80 | Rake: $3

Results:

Villain had Q, Q (full house, Queens over fours).
Hero had K, K (two pair, Kings and fours).

The very next day:

Full Tilt No-Limit Hold'em, $2.00 BB (5 handed) - Full-Tilt Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com
MP ($217.95)
Button ($200)
Hero (SB) ($229)
BB ($228.70)
Villain (UTG) ($948.85)

Preflop: Hero is SB with 2, 2
Villain bets $7, 1 fold, Button calls $7, Hero calls $6, 1 fold

Flop: ($23) 5, 5, 2 (3 players)
Hero checks, Villain bets $13.50, Button calls $13.50, Hero raises to $48, Villain calls $34.50, 1 fold

Turn: ($132.50) K (2 players)
Hero bets $174 (All-In), Villain calls $174

River: ($480.50) 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $480.50 | Rake: $3

Results:
Hero had 2, 2 (full house, twos over fives).
Villain had K, K (full house, Kings over fives).

OK, so the second hand isn't that bad considering he had KK, but the first hand was abysmal. He 3bet and got 4bet by an UTG raiser. I'm not a crazy player, and I'm certainly not a crazy player when deep.

So when he sees me put in 50BB preflop, he's got to give me some credit. AK is certainly possible, but JJ-AA is much more likely. Given that there is only 1 other QQ possible, lets say I have 25% of having either JJ, KK, AA, and AK. He must be thinking at least something resembling this, even in his semi-developed cerebellum.

So the flop comes out J, 4, 4. I lead for 80BB. He raises allin. What is he beating from my range? just the old AK unimproved, and if it's suited in Spades I'm not folding that am I? So I of course call and then get bent over for the inevitable turn shafting. Some days I hate the grind.

Anyway, rant over. I'm down 1k for the month, but there are still 2 full weeks left to make some decent dollars. This is obviously going to be one of those months where you really have to dig deep to come up with the goods. Luckily, I've been doing this over 2 years and I can take comfort from the fact that I know for sure I am a winning player, and that all I need to prove it is time. Feel free to wish me luck though, anything that might make my life a little easier is always appreciated.....

2010-02-08T19:13:00.005Z

"Like I always say, there's no 'I' in "team". There is a 'me', though, if you jumble it up" -David Shore, House M.D.

So the first week of my poker year (I quit my job at the end of Jan) went by without a hitch, but without a profit appearing either unfortunately. Did make a few great calls on the tables, but also made a few horrible ones, so not quite ready to jump into the $100/200 game. Just need to get back into the swing of things and start getting in some 30 hour minimum weeks and soon I figure I'll be back to holding my own and doing some damage once again on the tables. It's always tough getting back to work after a holiday, but I daresay it's far tougher if you don't have a boss or even colleagues to watch you take up the slack.

Apart from poker, this year I also hope to drastically improve my abilities in Wing Chun kungfu, which I started again last summer and plan to practice hard and often over the coming months. This practice hasn't started yet, but I'm still waiting for my shoulder strain to stop niggling me. Soon as I am fully recovered, I'm going to try and hit it pretty hard. Given that the key to getting good at something really is as simple as practicing more than the competition, I don't see why I shouldn't be at the head of the class by the end of the year. After all, everyone aside from my coach has a real job, so I should be able to put in far more time than they can!

Anyway, gotta go now, my lesson starts at 8. Holiday pics coming soon, stay tuned....

2010-02-04T13:52:00.007Z

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" -Alexander Pope

Had a mediocre session this morning where I bluffed a bit too much and failed to make some key laydowns. Below is a hand that I messed up pretty badly, and feel I should have been able to at least minimise my losses if not let it go completely:

$2/4 Deep NLHE, 6 players

Hand Converter by the Pokerhand.org community

Board:

2SHORTY (SB): $782.30

NERWIN (BB): $212.40

HERO (UTG): $1,021.60

IM THE PUSHER (UTG+1): $806.50

HAMAZRIYA3 (CO): $794

MADHAND333 (Button): $1,846.50

Dealt to: HERO

Pre-flop:

HERO raises to $14, (1 folds), HAMAZRIYA3 calls $14, (3 folds),

Flop:($34) (2 Players)

HERO bets $24, HAMAZRIYA3 calls $24,

On the flop, after I get called in position my opponent (who is pretty ABC when deep) has either a set, pair and backdoor straight draw (like 56), OESD (78), Qx or a pair 66-JJ. He could be floating with AK but it's unlikely given the flat call preflop.

Turn: ($82) (2 Players)

HERO bets $48, HAMAZRIYA3 raises to $160, HERO calls $112,

When the turn arrives, I make a big mistake leading out. For pot control reasons alone, I should check call. But with the 6 that arrives making his 56 into 2 pair, hits a set for his 66, and makes his v unlikely 23 and 87 into the nuts. When he raises me at this point I think it's a fold, or a call with a check-fold on the river unless the board pairs the Q or the 4. His raise indicates that he has me beaten, and if I can't respond correctly when he does raise, then I should not be leading in this spot.

River: ($402) (2 Players)

HERO checks, HAMAZRIYA3 bets $325, HERO calls $325,

On the river nothing has really changed, I'm still losing to all the 2pair and set combinations, and the unlikely straights, and yet I still call off the big river bet. Not a good move, and will have to be much more sensible in similar spots in future.

Results:

HAMAZRIYA3 Showed

HAMAZRIYA3 wins $1,048.50

Thats all for now folks...

2010-02-03T17:51:00.004Z

"As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it."
-Dick Cavett

I just awoke from the nicest nap. What made it really special was it was had after going to China Boulevard for lunch and stuffing my face with some of the nicest dimsum you can find in South London. My girlfriend is British Chinese which means she has an ability to order lots of great food but an inability to eat very much of it (she is appropriately petite), so everytime we eat out I get to have TONNES of great food. It's a tough situation obviously, but I get by as best I can manage! ;-)

I really like the above quote, and it's inherent truth is visible nearly everywhere you see people handing over money. I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that far more than 50% of products and services are sub-par, but the surprising thing is that more often than not, people pay for them time and again. Like corner shops where it costs £2 or more for a loaf of bread, but people make a habit of shopping there simply because it's 5 minutes closer than a supermarket. Had no idea who Dick Cavett was, but just read a bit about him on wikipedia here. Sounds like a smart cookie to me.

Not done much poker today as Faye has this week off and wanted to spend today just chilling with me, so won't get into it right now, played a few hands this morning and probably due to good fortune haven't had a bad day this year (3 in a row- woot!). Still planning a refurb of the blog, and seem to recall intentions of writing some kind of guide for aspiring pros, so will get on with both over the coming days/weeks. In the meantime here's a funny clip for people who enjoy hardcore Christians being mocked by dubbing drum and bass over their otherwise 'normal' behaviour. I fracking love it! Hope life is good, again sorry it's been so long. Take it easy...

2010-02-01T17:23:00.004Z

“From small beginnings come great things” -Ancient proverb

So, today is the first day of the new year for Ice Cold Poker. It's been about 6 weeks since my last entry, and plenty has been happening. I'm going to be changing the course of this blog somewhat so that I have a chance of regular posts, and by including more diverse material such as interesting thoughts and non-poker content, I hope to have more to say that will appeal to more people.

Quick run down of 2009....

Hands played: 500k

Money made: £51k

avg BB/100: 4.55

VPIP: 22.3

PRF:14.9

Will put down more of thoughts on the latter stats at a later date also, suffice for the moment to say I think I need to get much more aggressive and maybe loosen up just a little.

In other news, I just got back from a snowboarding holiday and it was amazing, will update more later but will leave you with this nice little pic of Alpe D'Huez....

2009-12-10T17:22:00.004Z

Well, it's been a while. Poker has been awful lately, and even after I spotted several problems with my game my results have continued to be at best mediocre. Just finished my 3rd session for the day (am currently on track with doing 3 roughly 2-hour sessions each working day) and am still livid after suffering the following hand. Read on for details:

Absolute/UB Cereus No-Limit Hold'em, $6.00 BB (4 handed)
Button ($880.65)
SB ($451.60)
BB ($630.20)
Hero (UTG) ($1327.35)

Preflop: Hero is UTG with A, A
Hero bets $21, Button raises to $66,
2 folds, Hero raises to $171, -even 4 handed, I'm repping QQ+ here
Button calls $105 -decides to call and see a flop, hmmmm.

Flop: ($351) 7, K, 4 (2 players)
Hero bets $258, Button raises to $709.65 (All-In), -brilliant, he has a K and I have him crushed
Hero calls $451.65 -send me the pot please

Turn: ($1770.30) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: ($1770.30) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: $1770.30 Rake: $2

Results below:

Button had K, Q (two pair, Kings and Queens). Of course he does.

Hero had A, A (one pair, Aces).

Outcome: Button won $1770.30

What really grinds my gears is that the guy is usually a good player, possibly even another pro, but he played the hand about as badly as possible and still took most of my stack. So I'm still struggling with the occasional EV issue, but other than that all is good.

Going to try and maintain ICON status with UB, as they will give me 5% interest on my account if I do. Will be tough given that it's xmas, but gonna pound the tables over the coming weeks and hopefully get enough points. May even write another post or two. Then again...

2009-10-16T17:14:00.004+01:00

Nice change

If you want to make enemies, try to change something -Woodrow Wilson

Well, my good run has lasted far longer than I expected, and in fact it's still going strong! In the last 3 weeks I've suffered only 2 losing sessions for less than $400 summed. For the month I'm averaging a 13.5BB/100 winrate and a lovely $2k over EV. So I really cannot complain at all at the moment, and am enjoying being able to put lots into my savings account for a potential future mortgage.

I realise it's again been a while since I last posted anything, but I have been quite busy of late. Not only does my kungfu continue apace, but I've also started learning parkour or free-running with these guys, and have been doing a little organisation of a stag weekend. That, along with an incredibly entertaining and addictive show known as The Wire have kept me pretty well occupied. And let's not forget the demanding hours that being a professional poker player entails. ;)

Anyway, I was thinking of doing a series of posts under the theme of Becoming/Being a Professional Online Poker Player. I know there are like a million how-to guides out there from really well known players, but as always this is as much for my benefit as anyone else, and hopefully hearing it from someone who wasn't playing from when they were 6 or who went from micro to nosebleed stakes in 2 years might be of use to lots of people. I was planning to break it down into the following categories:

Understanding the game
Enjoying the game
Learning patience
Being adaptable
Limiting financial risk

Are there any other categories that would be useful to anyone? Drop me a comment and I can certainly accommodate.

Anyway, hope all is well in life and at the tables, and I sincerely hope that you have a good run of luck too. After all, it makes a helluva nice change.

2009-09-17T16:05:00.002+01:00

Swing when you're winning....

What you risk reveals what you value. -Jeanette Winterson

So yesterday was quite an extreme day for me work wise. It started with my rivered full house losing to rivered quads, and proceeded to proffer several coolers, bad beats and I'm sure a few instances of bad play on my part. However, about 2 hours in when I saw I had lost nearly 2k I asked myself: am I in any good games, and am I playing well? I decided that the answer to both was a firm yes, and I continued to play. It turned out to be a good decision:

I managed to hit a few hands against the fish at the bigger tables I was playing on and not only did I erase the 2k debt but managed to make about $800 profit for the day.

I ran well again today, with loads of donks playing terribly against me and me staying lucky enough to not get unlucky when the money went in. In fact, this month I think I'm on a bit of a heater, running at about 12BB on average at my $1/2 and $2/4 games, and life once again seems easy. Of course it won't last, but I like the periods where I can pretend that winning will always be this simple and it won't be long before I'm driving my dream car....

To help my savings along I decided to withdraw some of my hard-earned cash from UB earlier today. After using their payouts software and being told I could not withdraw money because I hadn't made a deposit in the last 6 months, I mailed the support staff with my request. See below for my mail, their response, and my incredulous reply....

Please can you accept this email as a request for another payout of $XXXXX (in the equivalent £ sterling) to my home address via "Cheque by Mail." I tried to make a withdrawal this morning but as usual I was denied being cited 'no deposit'.

As you can see from my account history I have made several withdrawals in the past and once again require to do so. Please initiate the withdrawal immediately.

If you have any queries please contact me.

Regards, Damian

Dear Mr. Kowalski,

Thank you very much for your response.

We will gladly assist you by submitting a manual request for you in the amount of $XXXXX USD. Unfortunately, we are not able to request a different currency as our customers can when they request the payout on the site. <--- what?!? you can't manually do what the software does? ?

If you would prefer to have the funds sent to you in GBP, you can make a deposit to your poker account for as little as $10.00, and once the 48 hour time frame has past since your deposit you can go ahead and request your payout through the site by going to:
Cashier > Payouts > Request payout method > Drop down menu for currencies. <--- and why exactly would I put money into my account when I want to take money out???

If you would prefer to proceed with the manual request for $XXXXX USD please let us know and we will submit that for you.
We apologize for any inconvenience they may have caused. We are looking forward to your response.

Best regards, Diana
Payments Department @ UtlimateBet.com <--- yes, she did in fact mispell 'Ultimate'. Nice one.

Hello Diana.

Are you telling me that you will not provide a certain service to a customer because as customer I can request that same service via the site's software? A yes or no answer will suffice.

If the answer is 'yes', please forward this mail along with my request for the equivalent of $XXXXX in pounds sterling on to your manager while you go and look up the definition of "customer service".

If the answer is 'no', then kindly send me my money as requested. As a long standing customer of UB I do not expect to have to take further action simply to make a withdrawal like I have done countless times in the past. Get this sorted now.

Regards,Damian

I'm glad to say they have since got back to me with an actual helpful reply, but I'm still stunned by the lack of thought and service offered to me from a site I've been using heavily for about 4 years now. Still, at least they offer a good selection of fish.

2009-09-05T12:43:00.002+01:00

Selective aggression

A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it. -Albert Einstein

As a professional poker player, you rapidly become acquainted with your individual strengths and weaknesses. Because I have a highly competitive nature, I want to try and win as many pot I enter as possible. Sometimes though I end up trying to win every pot I enter, and the law of averages (not to mention common-sense) dictates that this cannot be.

Trying to 'buy' pots, whether through constantly leading with weak hands or bluffs or by check-raising with semi-bluffs (especially on the turn), is bad for many reasons. Not only will you lose lots of chips on each hand to calling stations and solid regs, for the rest of the session you also lose one of your best weapons: fear. With a correctly balanced strategy of calls bets and raises, your opponents be unable to read the strength of your hand. In keeping with human nature they will be afraid of the unknown. If you are seen to always bet however, they know you cannot always have a hand and so are much more likely to call you down with medium strength hands.

That means that while you are in hyper-aggressive mode, you will only be able to win a big pot by showing down the best hand, and never by getting your opponent to fold. Strikes me as similar to trying to eat a steak with a knife but no fork. Bluffing and semi-bluffing are tools that I regularly use, and though I probably succeed about as often as I fail for a net profit of zero, I firmly believe that I get paid off a lot more with my good hands because I employ both quite often.

So, as all good players know you need to pick your spots to be aggressive as a simple blanket approach is decisively destructive to your game. A variety of factors must be in effect for an aggressive play to succeed. Calling a big 3bet with 22 preflop against someone who has 300BBs is a terrible idea if they will check call every street without the nuts. Representing a straight on a 346 7 board after you 4-bet preflop could prove costly. You need to know not only your opponents stack size but also their tendencies both before and after the flop, and what your image is and whether your range in a given hand would connect with the flop.

If you are against a tight player, and there is a scary flop, and there is a reasonable chance you hold a hand that now has them crushed, you can represent it. If you suspect your passive opponent had a draw on both the flop and turn and the river bricked out, you may go ahead and bet with your air if you know they are unlikely to call. If you suspect someone of squeeze 3-betting light, you can call and try and take it away later in the hand if they play straight-forwardly after the flop.

With all of these scenarios though, sometimes you just have to pass - do NOT call every raise or 3bet preflop just to try and outplay your opponent on later streets. Sometimes it's ok to fold a suited connector on the button. Simply dumping 66 to a 3-bettor can be a sensible move. Occasionally folding to a small bet on an XXY flop will save you money in the long run. Good players will notice if you always raise or float on certain board types and exploit you the next time. I know I do. So, be careful and balance your plays and you can deny them that opportunity.

Will leave you with some hands where I used some selective aggression and it paid off nicely - but again I have to stress these are not moves I'd often make....

#1 NLHE $2/4 Deep 5-players
Seat 5 - Villain ($922.50 in chips)
Seat 6 - XXXX ($373.75 in chips)
Seat 1 - Hero ($942 in chips)
Seat 2 - XXXX ($1,285.70 in chips)
Seat 3 - XXXX ($1,260.10 in chips)
Villain - Posts small blind $2
XXXX - Posts big blind $4
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [9c 10c]
Hero - Raises $14 to $14
XXXX - Folds
XXXX - Calls $14
Villain - Raises $54 to $56
XXXX - Folds
Hero - Calls $42
XXXX - Folds
*** FLOP *** [9h 4c 3s]
Villain - Bets $77
Hero - Calls $77

Here I float the rainbow flop with TP and a backdoor flush draw.

*** TURN *** [9h 4c 3s] [Kh]
Villain - Bets $110

On the turn he bet so weakly that I decided to raise, representing a set or turned TPTK because the K is such a good card: it kills QQ-TT, and though he may have had AA or even AK, he has to be scared of my smooth call on the flop followed by a raise when a K falls.

Hero - Raises $240 to $240
Villain - Folds
Hero - returned ($130) : not called

There was also a chance he was squeezing light, and I may in fact have had the best hand.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero - Does not show
Hero Collects $500.50 from main pot

#2 NLHE $2/4, $1 ante 6 players
Seat 4 - Villain ($801 in chips)
Seat 5 - XXXX ($754 in chips)
Seat 6 - Hero ($1,075.50 in chips)
Seat 1 - XXXX ($729.70 in chips)
Seat 2 – XXXX ($510.20 in chips)
Seat 3 - XXXX ($1,577.30 in chips)
XXXX - Posts small blind $2
Hero - Posts big blind $4
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [9h 9d]
XXXX - Calls $4
XXXX- Folds
XXXX - Folds
Villain - Raises $20 to $20
XXXX - Folds
Hero - Calls $16
XXXX - Calls $16
*** FLOP *** [6s 6c 3h]

Here the villain was 18/11, so very tight basically and deep stacked too. I knew I could take him off all but his strongest hand with an appropriate display of strength on this flop. So I decide to lead into the 2 other players.

Hero - Bets $52
XXXX - Folds
Villain - Raises $156 to $156
Hero - Raises $268 to $320

By firing into 2 players on an XXY flop and then putting in a big 3bet when he raised I told a consistent story of great strength, and he basically has to fold everything except the nuts and maybe AA. Given that I’d been playing well though my image was strong and he may even have laid that down.

Villain - Folds
Hero - returned ($164) : not called

Or he may just have been bluffing with QJs and I had him crushed! :-x

*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero - Does not show
Hero Collects $376.50 from main pot

2009-08-26T17:59:00.003+01:00

Foreign Opportunity

Travel makes a wise man better but a fool worse -Thomas Fuller

WARNING: Non-poker content.

I was training kungfu the other night and my instructor asked the class who would be interested in travelling to Hong Kong in 2010 for the third Wing Chun world conference. Upon learning it would take place in Novermber, my thoughts immediate turned to my girlfriend Faye who has her birthday that month. As my instructor was unable to tell me exactly what dates we'd be away, I decided not to commit as I didn't want to spoil her celebrations. Now, although this seems considerate (or maybe well-trained!), in retrospect I think I had the wrong mindset.

When you are offered an opportunity - such as travelling to a foreign country to pursue a hobby or any other kind - your mind should be thinking 'Great that would be a terrific experience how can I make it happen?'. If you find yourself thinking 'Wow that's a long way away and might be expensive and I wonder if anything else might happen then...' then you have a decidedly negative thought process. After all, how many times do you need to be reminded that you only live once? When presented with a choice you should always choose the option that takes you down the road less travelled.

Some people spend their whole lives in one town with the same people doing the same things. Some of them are even happy doing it. For those of us with intellectual, physical and geographical horizons to expand however we should always seek new places, activities, cultures, you name it. I'm nearly 30 years old, but I hope that as a person I'm far from fully developed yet. I want to learn and grow, and aim to keep doing that until I die. To learn and grow however requires new input or being challenged, and that doesn't happen by repeating old experiences. So, after some time to think (not to mention a nice little ramble here) I'm going to commit to the trip to China. And I'm going to take my girlfriend. Sorted.

2009-08-19T13:42:00.004+01:00

No Complaints

Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of suffering -Helen Keller

I don't know what caused it, but I've been running like a higher form of life these last few weeks. I have been studying again, and although that must be helping I'm sure it doesn't account for an insane 47BB/100 winrate at 2/4 over nearly 4k hands. As you can see from the below graph, my results are quite a way over my allin EV, and you know what? That's variance, the sweet side for a change, and I'll take it gladly.

I still have trouble in some spots, namely my decisions on when to raise with strong draws. I'd appreciate any input on the following hand which I think I played pretty badly....

NLHE $2/4 Deep 3 players
Seat 1 - AggFish ($751.22 in chips) at 34/21
Seat 3 - TAG($562 in chips) at 20/13
Seat 4 - Hero ($828.15 in chips)
TAG- Posts small blind $2
Hero - Posts big blind $4
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Jh 10h]
AggFish - Raises $12 to $12
TAG - Calls $10
Hero - Calls $8 --> decided to call here as JTs is an ideal multiway drawing hand
*** FLOP *** [Qh 4s Kh]
TAG - Checks
Hero - Checks --> hugely great flop for me to cr and hopefully get it in: chk to AggFish but...
AggFish - Checks
*** TURN *** [Qh 4s Kh] [2d]
TAG - Bets $28
Hero - Raises $88 to $88 --> here is where I make my mistake, raising when I have lost half my equity
AggFish - Folds
TAG - Raises $252 to $280 --> TAG puts in big raise (I'm thinking set of 2s or 4s at least)....
Hero - Folds --> ....and I can't call.
TAG - returned ($192) : not called
*** SHOW DOWN ***
TAG - Does not show
TAG Collects $210 from main pot

I really think I should have smooth called the turn and tried to entice AggFish along, but instead I put more money in too late and then got moved off a very strong draw. Thoughts?

2009-08-13T16:20:00.009+01:00

Slow Progress

Progress is not created by contented people -Frank Tyger

Well, I think today I made it back into the black for the month, or in other terms, I'm no longer paying for the privilege of turning up to work each day. Had a few good sessions this week, and thankfully few bad beats for the huge pots I've been in, and goodness me I'm grateful.

Have even been playing some low stakes PLO just to stretch my mind a bit, and I was playing pretty well I think. I even folded AAQ5, which surely shows that I'm progressing (doubters: it was utg and rainbow). I even think I've been playing well during my holdem games by making some good folds... but then who can ever tell when you don't get to showdown?

I have just borrowed Dan Harrington's Cash Game books from a friend and plan on powering through them asap, since it's been far too long since I seriously studied recent pro poker strategie for improving my game. I have also been trying to catch up with my reading in several poker forums, as you can of course never read too much, and have also been looking at different poker websites like pokerworld24.org to see if I'm missing out on any key information or deals. This site even caters for various european nationalities, and includes the rules for NLHE (or for the German speakers "Texas Hold em regeln").

In non-poker news, I'm just getting back into kugfu once again after meeting a teacher while exercising at my local park. I went along to a few of his classes and being suitably impressed I am now a member of his organisation and hope to be grading very soon. I'm really enjoying being very active once again, and I'm sure it's helping my game to be in good shape. Am even hoping to start parkour or free-running later this year, but might just find myself pressed for time on that one!

Anyway, hope the tables are treating you well, will leave you with a hand that showed me a new way to play A3o...

NLHE $2/4 Deep, $1 ante
Seat #6 is the dealer
Seat 6 - HERO ($800 in chips)
Seat 1 - XXXX ($397 in chips)
Seat 2 - NittyFish ($959.50 in chips)
Seat 3 - XXXX ($298.37 in chips)
Seat 4 - SPAZFISH ($569.95 in chips)
Seat 5 - XXXX ($162.50 in chips)
XXXX - Posts small blind $2
NittyFish - Posts big blind $4
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to HERO [Ks Kh]
XXXX - Calls $4
SPAZFISH - Raises $24 to $24
XXXX - Folds
HERO - Raises $88 to $88
XXXX - Folds
NittyFish - Calls $84 <-- cold calls a big 3bet, gotta be set mining here XXXX - Folds
SPAZFISH - Calls $64 <-- snap overcalls, no idea what he has doubt he has a big hand
*** FLOP *** [5s Js 4d]
NittyFish - Checks
SPAZFISH - Bets $276 <-- bets pot multiway, know I'm good against 1 opponent.... HERO - Raises $552 to $552
NittyFish - Folds <-- ...and now I know I'm not facing a set SPAZFISH - All-In $204.95
HERO - returned ($71.05) : not called
*** TURN *** [5s Js 4d] [7s]
*** RIVER *** [5s Js 4d 7s] [Qh]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
SPAZFISH - Shows [3c As] (ace high) <-- can someone talk me through his thought process? :-o
HERO - Shows [Ks Kh] (One pair, kings)
HERO Collects $1,234.90 from main pot

2009-08-07T12:47:00.005+01:00

Anxious Times

Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained -Arthur Roche

Been a long time eh? Don't worry, I'm still here and still playing that cruel game known as poker to keep me living in the manner to which I've become accustomed: specifically few working hours with no commuting but also no pension!

Work has been pretty steady up until a week ago, and I'm doing my best to save for a mortgage. Alas, my first week of this latest month saw me over 5k in the red, and I'm still nowhere close to being in profit for the month.

I can't tell you how tough it is to face the game when you have such a large obstacle to overcome, but luckily for me I've had plenty of practice playing the day after losing several thousand, so I'm back at the tables and slowly making headway.

I did go on a mini heater this morning and scraped back a little, winning what must be the most BBs in a single hand that I've played for a long long while. Nothing fancy here, just got lucky that the third guy in the hand added over 100bb before he dropped out...

Holdem No Limit $2/4 Deep - 6 players
Seat #4 is the dealer
Seat 4 - HERO ($1,212.25 in chips)
Seat 6 - VILLAIN1 ($2,039.70 in chips)
Seat 3 - VILLAIN2 ($941.50 in chips)
XXXX - Posts small blind $2
VILLAIN1 - Posts big blind $4
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to HERO [9c 9s]
XXXX - Folds
XXXX - Folds
VILLAIN2 - Raises $14 to $14
HERO - Calls $14
XXXX - Folds
VILLAIN1 - Calls $10
*** FLOP *** [4h 6d 9h]
VILLAIN1 - Checks
VILLAIN2 - Bets $36
HERO - Calls $36
VILLAIN1 - Raises $196 to $196
VILLAIN2 - Raises $475 to $511
HERO - All-In(Raise) $1,162.25 to $1,198.25
VILLAIN1 - Calls $1,002.25
VILLAIN2 - Folds
*** TURN *** [4h 6d 9h] [Ac]
*** RIVER *** [4h 6d 9h Ac] [Kd]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
HERO - Shows [9c 9s] (Three of a kind, nines)
VILLAIN1 - Shows [6h 6c] (Three of a kind, sixes)
HERO Collects $2,948 from main pot

Yup, there were 737BB's in that bad boy pot. Why can't I win pots like that every day??? :-/

2009-05-19T12:59:00.011+01:00

The Risks Inherent

Living at risk is jumping off the cliff and building your wings on the way down - Ray Bradbury

So this month was going really well, and then all of sudden it wasn't. Sure there were some hands that I could have played a lot better, but I had some pretty damn awful luck. I doubt that I've ever had such a bad hit of variance. But don't just take my word for it, after all my picture is worth a thousand of them....

It should go without saying that I'm not best pleased, but with 2 weeks to go I of course aim to swing things back in my favour. Who knows, I might even re-discover how to dodge 2-outers and flush draws....

2009-04-29T15:45:00.002+01:00

Open options

To know what everybody else knows is to know nothing -Remy De Gourmont

A friend of mine has recently been enjoying some impressive successes in large field tournaments. Naturally, I'm jealous. I figure that if he can do so well, I of course can do better. Whether or not this is true is a secondary concern to finding good tournaments for me to get involved in.

Between my current sites Full Tilt and UB, I think the only place to go in terms of tournaments is Full Tilt. There simply aren't enough players on UB in the day for decent tourney action, and seeing as I am currently only a tournament rookie, I would prefer that the tables be filled with fish rather than purely populated by pros. That said however, from all the reading that I've done in other players' blogs I think it might finally be time to join a new site: specifically Titan Poker, with whom I can get a pretty good signup poker bonus.

Bonuses aside, TP hosts a diverse and tempting range of tournaments, catering for the poorer players who prefer satellites or $30 MTTs, to the high rollers who want a shot at winning events like an 250k guaranteed. The full breakdown of their schedule can be seen on TP's poker tournaments page. Personally, I think I'll follow the tried and tested approach of starting small and building up the stakes in keeping with my bankroll.

On the topic of trying new sites, I am tempted to return once more to Mansion Poker. I get a nice rakeback rate of 36% on that site, and the reason I originally left wasn't because of poor software but poor player numbers. Either they have picked up lots of customers recently, or they have always been popular in EU daylight hours. Whatever the reason, the tables have been plentiful and pleasingly populated (I saw a minbet and a min-raise in a 21BB NLHE pot) over the last few weeks, and so I just might fire it up and make a deposit on there again. Providing I can find a nice deposit bonus of course. And who knows, they may even run a few decent tournaments themselves.....

2009-04-24T10:44:00.005+01:00

Winning Advice?

A word to the wise ain't necessary, it is the stupid ones that need all the advice -Bill Cosby

Below is some advice which I recently read, and thought it would serve as a good review of some high level NLHE concepts. I find that it is very useful to occasionally take a step back from the fine details of a problem or project and check that the fundamental 'bigger picture' details are in place and working properly. This is especially important when the problem is something of great complexity... or if it's success means the difference between making a salary or not!

Winning Tips for Texas Holdem players

Texas Holdem is a popular casino game. Though simple to learn, it is difficult to master. Here are some winning tips for holdem players.

1. Texas Holdem game is basically a high card game. Whoever holds the two good high cards has the best chance for the best hand or a draw to the best hand after the flop.

2. It is important to play strong hands, as only strong hands are able to withstand a raise(s), from early betting positions.

3. At later positions, it is better to play medium strength hands, especially, if you have a good chance of seeing the flop at a decent price.

4. While it is advisable to play strong hands throughout Texas Holdem, it is also important to play aggressively.

5. Take all the raises you can get, as if you don’t rid yourself of competition, your chances of winning will reduce considerably.

6. Moreover, your aggression before the flop adds significant weight to any strong play you might want to use on the next round, especially if there is a bad flop and you want to attempt a steal.

7. In Texas Holdem always ensure that you are ready to fold your high pair if you get a lot of action with a hostile flop.

There are several points from above that I'd like to expand upon. As always my advice is geared towards 6-max NLHE, but still holds for full ring games.

#2. While this is true in lower limit games where there are only 100bb stacks, this advice needs to be relaxed when the stacks get deeper and the games become more tricky. If you can exploit an opponent by playing a hand like 53s that they would easily go broke against in the right situation, you should play that hand (providing you can do so cheaply).

#3. This should read "play medium strength hands as well as premium strength hands [in later positions]". When the price of playing is mentioned, don't forget to take into account any raises that can come from players still to act behind you. If you are going to be forced to fold if someone raises, and such a raise is more likely than not, it is best to fold now and save yourself the money of call-folding.

#5. This is linked to the previous point advising aggressive play. While I agree that aggression is important, sometimes it is a lot safer and economic to call rather than raise if doing so doesn't cost you any advantage. For example, say you are last to act in a hand with 2 opponents where the board of Ks 9h 4h Ad contains a flush draw and nothing else and you hold top 2 pair with Ac Kc. If player 1 (a tight aggressive opponent) bets out and player 2 (loose passive) calls, and you are sure player 2 has a flush draw and will not fold to a raise, it might be a good idea to simply call in this spot with your 2 pair. While you want player 2 to put as much money in the pot as possible with their flush draw, the fact that player 1 might easily have a set and re-raise allin means you should err on the side of caution here and wait for the river before committing more money to the hand.

#6. This is true, but only if your preflop aggression is occasional. Someone who raises and re-raises every other hand will not be given respect for a strong hand by the other players, and many of them will start to call down your bets on later streets with more marginal hands. So by all means be aggressive, but be aggressive only in specific spots.

Hopefully this advice is helpful, but as with all advice consider it carefully before you use it, and if any of it doesn't work for you then feel free to discard it. All the best.

2009-04-22T09:03:00.003+01:00

Just wet myself watching this amazing clip, for anyone who ever feels unlucky at the tables the empathy is almost painful! Do yourself a favour and watch it, though be warned the language is somewhat colourful! Thanks to Amatay for providing the link, I think a good sense of humour is essential to those who do what we do.

2009-04-21T18:49:00.009+01:00

Deeper thoughts

An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all - Oscar Wilde

Following my recent reversal of fortune at FTP (specifically me playing and winning with something approaching consistency) I have been getting involved in more $2/4 and $3/6 games, including the deep tables for both. I played the following hand yesterday, and couldn't help thinking I would have won it if my thinking had been a little clearer.

Full Tilt Poker Table Dunk (deep 6) - $3/$6 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: Villain ($618)
Seat 2: ***** ($845.35)
Seat 3: ***** ($618)
Seat 4: ***** ($1,314)
Seat 5: ***** ($723.45)
Seat 6: Hero ($1,200)
vvm94 posts the small blind of $3
wuleq posts the big blind of $6
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Kh Ah]
zero2lose folds
hammer_6161 folds
Hero raises to $21
Villain calls $21
vvm94 folds
wuleq folds

The villain of the hand was a tight regular, running at around 22/19. When he called on the button I assigned him a non-premium hand, most likely a small pair or suited connector. He was not the type to play suited garbage. There was $51 in the pot when we took the flop heads up.

*** FLOP *** [Tc 2s 9h]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $42
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain calls $42

With a nice rainbow flop, I bet out quite strongly hoping to take it down there. After a long pause, the villain decides to call. At this point I can see him having a TP hand like JT, an OESD like QJs or 87s, or a possible set which he is slowplaying. I decided I'm not done with the hand, and would see what the turn brought.

*** TURN *** [Tc 2s 9h] [4h]
Hero checks
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain bets $80
Hero raises to $210
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain has requested TIME
Villain calls $130

After my check, the villain again tanked before putting out a bet. I thought to myself: he's not protecting a hand, he has a draw and is trying to scare me off. So as you can see I actually liked the turned flush draw enough to put in a decent check-raise. Again, the villain tanked for a long time before calling and I now completely ruled out a set which would surely push in this spot. I now put the villain on exactly QJs or 87s, and was confident I was way ahead.

*** RIVER *** [Tc 2s 9h 4h] [8d]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero has requested TIME
Hero checks

OK, having narrowed my opponents holding to 2 hands, one of them just made the nuts, and the other just became nothing more than a bluff catcher. A bet into the former would prompt an allin raise, and a bet into the latter (given the strength I'd shown) would prompt a rapid fold. My thinking at the time however was that my opponent would not have called a turn check-raise with an OESD and no overcards, so I decided he was far more likely to have QJs then 87s, and thus have the nuts. So thinking I opted to check, knowing that I had now lost the hand.

Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain has requested TIME
Villain checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hero shows [Kh Ah] Ace King high
Villain shows [7s 8s] a pair of Eights
Villain wins the pot ($552) with a pair of Eights

Alas my opponent wasn't as sensible as I had given him credit for, and I lost to a measly pair of 8s. A pair that would surely have folded to one last bet on the river: I realised too late that a bluff would have been profitable. I had invested $270 in the hand, and on the river we both had $350 behind. As the pot was $550, and my opponent only had $350 left, if I was to bluff it would have to be suitably small - without being so tiny it would get looked up by 3P7K.

[EDIT] Had to correct this, my first set of figures were miles off! [EDIT] Lets ignore my thinking that he was more likely to have an OESD and overcards, and say he was 50-50 to have either QJs or 87s. If I had bet 175 to win the 550, and he folds 50% of the time, then (discounting what I have already invested) I win $550 half the time, and lose $175 the other half. That's a $187 +EV spot if my thinking is correct.

As you can see from the above illustration, even if he has a 75% chance of having the nuts, it works out as winning $550 x 0.25 = $137 and losing 175 x 0.75 = $131 which is still +EV. So, even though I knew I was beaten, a bluff lead was still profitable and should have been attempted. My only consolation was that my read was bang on. If anyone agrees or thinks otherwise please drop me your thoughts!

The other hand I was thinking about (is it weird that I think of poker hands in the shower??) was the following one I played just this afternoon.

Full Tilt Poker Table Kilt (deep 6) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 2: Hero ($800)
Seat 3: ***** ($461.40)
Seat 4: ***** ($563.45)
Seat 5: Villain ($798)
Seat 6: ***** ($867)
***** posts the small blind of $2
Hero posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [4h 4d]
***** folds
***** calls $4
Villain raises to $18
***** folds
Hero calls $14
***** folds
*** FLOP *** [4c 3h 8d]
Hero bets $32
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain has requested TIME
Villain calls $32

Pretty standard flop lead out with a set on a ragged dry flop. If he has an overpair he'll usually raise, or a with a big A or piece of the board he'll probably call. I obviously hope for the former, but am happy he calls.

*** TURN *** [4c 3h 8d] [Ad]

The Ace is an interesting turn card. Either it helps my opponent, or crushes him if he has 99-KK, which given the flop action is unlikely. At this point I'm thinking he is more likely to have a big A, and so I opt for the check-raise option, so that he can value bet an Ace or bluff an excellent scare card.

Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero checks
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain bets $77
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero raises to $256
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain has requested TIME
Villain folds
Hero wins the pot ($257)

Now, unfortunately my opponent folded after betting the turn, but then I raised strongly enough to force him to fold any flush draw or pair. The question is, should I have bet a whole lot less? With such deep stacks, I can't just push in that spot and try and represent a weak hand that picked up say a flush draw and a gutter.

What would a min-raise do? Look really fishy I think is the answer. It might even elicit a 3-bet from a TP type hand. Providing I can find a fold if the river completes the flush (nothing else really scares me) and I'm facing lots of pressure, I think a min-raise in that spot might be the best shot at getting his whole stack.

Without check-raising though, I think continuing to bet when the A comes shows too much strength. Even if I bet small when it comes, again he folds all overpairs and is probably very hesitant about doing anything other than calling if he has an Ace, no matter his kicker strength.

Maybe I'm missing value here though, does anyone else have a different line here? If so, again I'd like to hear what it is. Thanks.

2009-04-10T18:19:00.002+01:00

Strategy Success

Took a while, but have finally gone through all my posts and added the 'Strategy' label to the appropriate entries. So, if you want an insight into my thoughts on shorthanded NLHE, now you can just click the strategy link on the right hand side of the blog and see a list of all strategy posts written by yours truly. Hope they help.

2009-04-07T18:22:00.003+01:00

Breakthrough

Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health - Carl Jung

Well, somehow I managed to break the 30k barrier on FTP, and for the first time ever I think I am now a winning player on that site according to tableratings.com! Don't really know why the sudden change in fortune, but I'm not complaining by any means. Thinking about it, I haven't been playing as aggressively as I have in the past, and I think after playing so much deep-stack NLHE on UB my game is now much more conservative. Consequently my range when putting money in after the flop is now much more skewed towards monster than marginal hands, and I think this may be why the money is coming in.

On UB though my results haven't been quite so good, and I still occasionally find myself misplaying hands for 200BB+ which is really frustrating for this so-called pro. It's always against the super laggy or donkey players as well, as I fail to adjust correctly to their particular style and betting patterns. Post-game analysis continues though, and I believe my game is improving as the year goes on.

I've been dabbling in the UB Steps SnG tables, with some good initial results running a step 2 seat into a step 6 seat, which unfortunately I couldn't hold on to when I finished 7th. I plan to continue playing in them however, as aside from the chance to win a WSOP main event package they also keep my brain ticking over as it learns this new type of game. It certainly makes a change having to fold hands I'd usually happily go all the way with in a cash game. The players in general are pretty bad, especially at the lower levels, so that needs to be accounted for also. Will let you know if I get any further than Step 6.

In non-poker news, I went on my second snowboarding holiday in Italy's Claviere 2 weeks ago, and it was incredible! We spent a whole week there and managed to get in about 6-7 hours of boarding each day, and I was really pleased with my progress not to mention how much fun I had speeding down the slopes! My girlfriend, her 2 sisters, and their other (better?) halves were all their too, and we all had a great time exploring the slopes en masse or in twos and threes and all of us are keen to go again. I'm planning on investigating another trip this time in a chalet next season, and will be extending the offer to some of my other snow-inclined friends to join in.

That's for after what will hopefully be a long hot summer, and I'll need to put in plenty of hours to comfortably afford it - with the pound being so weak at the moment the food cost us a small fortune! Anyway, all the best at the tables and in the real world, will leave you with a very special player....

Full Tilt Poker - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em

Seat 1: BMoney76 ($203)
Seat 2: Subzero_666 ($330.60)
Seat 4: jangggo ($194)
Seat 5: cwalk2k3 ($221.35)
Seat 6: Flashish ($200)
jangggo posts the small blind of $1
cwalk2k3 posts the big blind of $2
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Subzero_666 [Kc Ac]
Flashish folds
BMoney76 raises to $4
Subzero_666 raises to $15
jangggo folds
cwalk2k3 folds
BMoney76 calls $11
*** FLOP *** [6c 3c Qh]
BMoney76 bets $188, and is all in
Subzero_666 calls $188 - never called so fast in my life!
BMoney76 shows [Ts 7h] - errrr.....?
Subzero_666 shows [Kc Ac]
*** TURN *** [6c 3c Qh] [Qs]
*** RIVER *** [6c 3c Qh Qs] [Ad]
BMoney76 shows a pair of Queens
Subzero_666 shows two pair, Aces and Queens
Subzero_666 wins the pot ($406) with two pair, Aces and Queens
BMoney76 is sitting out
*** SUMMARY ***
Seat 1: BMoney76 showed [Ts 7h] and lost with a pair of Queens - lol!

Champion Characteristics: 1)Min raising T7o 2)Calling a 3 bet with T7o out of position 3) Pushing allin with no hand no draw. Bravo.

2009-03-31T15:36:00.005+01:00

Back to Business ( II )

Another thing that should not be overlooked is ways in which you can maximize profit from your invested capital. In poker, this can be done by looking out for several things: bonuses, rakeback and advertising.

Bonuses are available from any good poker site (like the Poker Stars bonus) and provide a means of getting additional money when depositing funds to that site. Usually a poker site will credit your account with bonus dollars as a specified percentage of your deposit, and these bonus dollars are then released (either incrementally or in total) after some target amount of play has been reached. There are even helpful sites which will give you a list of all poker sites and available bonuses so you can get the maximum reward from every deposit you make.

Rakeback is the term given to the money that is reimbursed to a player from the total amount of rake that the player generates on a given site. This money comes not from the site, but from a 'rakeback affiliate', any one of which usually cater for a broad range of poker sites with different rakeback percentages. Rakeback is an essential financial aid for a pro, and there is no reason not to be receiving it.

Advertising as a means of generating revenue is only available to those people who have a webpage, or are fortunate enough to be so amazingly famous that companies will pay them to wear their merchandise/logos when they attend live tournaments/games. If (like me) you only belong to the former group, if your page has enough traffic certain sites may ask you to include a link to their site in exchange for some nominal compensation. This may not ever generate huge financial reward, but every little helps.

So if you see poker as a business, hopefully you are now a little better prepared to make the most of your chosen profession. As a poker player though, I'm sure you are already used to exploiting every possible opportunity. So may your edge be big as possible, and may the poker force be with you.....

2009-03-30T17:16:00.007+01:00

Back to Business

The successful man is the one who finds out what is the matter with his business before his competitors do -Roy L Smith

I've been playing poker for a living over a year now, and when it's your sole source of income you quickly find you have to treat it like a business. As you probably know, a business is not a simple thing. You need not only to offer a valuable service or product, but you also need to know: your customers; how best to package/present your product/service; when and how to advertise; what other similar businesses are doing.... In short, there are lots of factors to consider. This is certainly the case for poker.

You have to know your customers. I'm sure you've all played against a certain player who you have mentally earmarked as the best person in the world to sit down at a poker table with. If you don't have a means for finding this person whenever they are playing you are sacrificing a huge financial edge. This is why having 'buddylists' and player tracking software is so important. Any money spent on sites/software which tell you the location of the best tables to play is money that could not be better spent. It is also equally wise to make a note of players who are very good so they can be avoided whenever possible.

You need to know your business. If you haven't studied, analysed, discussed and dissected the most common situations to your particular poker game, then you are merely gambling and not running a business. The only substitute for a sound theoretical understanding of the game is substantial experience - long enough that the effects of variance play no more than a marginal role in your results. Ideally, for the best results the two should be combined.

Indeed, it is often not enough to have acquired only a basic grasp of the game in the past - you should be taking regular revision sessions and learning the latest ideas and strategies. Poker is a constantly changing industry, and failing to change with it will leave your business behind. Fortunately there are now great applications for reviewing your play, and scores of sites which provide either useful poker discussion, poker training, or both.

Along with all the above, the most important thing to remember is that you also have to work hard! You can have the best business in the world, but if your employees only work part time or half-heartedly you cannot help but struggle. You need to make sure targets are met (i.e. hours per week), enough effort is given (i.e. playing without taking phonecalls etc.) and there is no counter-productive behaviour in the office (i.e. drinking at the desk, smoking weed in the toilets etc.). I truly believe that hard work can make up for almost all other shortcomings.

I guess I could say that I know running a business is hard, but I'm pretty sure that the online business of playing poker doesn't come close to the difficulties of doing business in the real world and I don't like to be presumptuous. Suffice to say that whatever business you're involved in, it is sensible to consider as much as possible in order to give your business the best chance to succeed. May your own go from strength to strength -unless of course you're one of my direct competitors! ;-)

2009-03-23T14:04:00.020Z

Critical thinking in poker

The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes or fears or wishes rather than their minds - William Durant

Damn if this post hasn't taken far longer than I wanted! Sorry for being so slow with this, but I wanted to have several good examples and tried to make a post that will genuinely help players improve their game. I fear there will be no groundbreaking concepts in this strategy post, but hopefully it will be helpful to someone aside from myself, and with the luck the examples included will nicely illustrate what remains an important lesson: the necessity of critical thinking in big bet poker.

Critical thinking for me is about observing a certain situation or behaviour, and then deducing the cause or reasoning behind it. Sometimes this thinking can even allow you to predict with some degree of confidence what will happen in the future. Obviously in poker this ability is very useful in hand reading, but it is also highly applicable to the psychological aspect. Critical thinking can be used to help understand what your opponent is thinking... and if you can accurately do that, the battle is basically over.

Lets go with the first example and look at critical thinking for hand reading:

$2/$4 NLHE - 6 players
Seat 1: CrazyIvan24 ($400)
Seat 2: tRybek ($758.60)
Seat 3: Villain ($538.10) at 24/8
Seat 4: Hero ($421)
Seat 5: ChildBride ($400)
Seat 6: tonybas ($638.30)
tRybek posts the small blind of $2
Villain posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #1
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Kd Ah]
Hero raises to $14
ChildBride folds
tonybas folds
CrazyIvan24 has 15 seconds left to act
CrazyIvan24 calls $14
tRybek calls $12
Villain calls $10

Ok, standard open UTG with AKo. I get two folds, and then a call from the button who has been trying to outplay me in position several times. Both the blinds also call. So I can assume the following here: no one is likely to have a hand like JJ+ or another AK, as the button would re-raise with this to force out the blinds, and the blinds would normally squeeze given this is a 2/4 table. I won't rule them out, but my opponents ranges (remember 2 are in the blinds) are more likely to be high cards, low pairs, connectors, and suited garbage. The button's range is more likely to also include a suited connector given the likelihood of a multiway pot.

*** FLOP *** [Kc 9c 4c]
tRybek checks
Villain checks
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $48
CrazyIvan24 folds
tRybek folds
Villain raises to $122
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero calls $74

I hit top pair, but obviously I'm not thrilled at the monotone flop. There is almost $60 in the pot, and after two checks from the blinds, I fire with my TPTK. The button folds as he must with anything than a set or a flush, and the SB follows suit (no pun intended). Then the BB comes out with an 1.5x checkraise. Now normally I'd give this a lot of respect, but lets consider the factors.

The BB called just $10 pf with 3 players already in the pot and was closing the action, so his range is pretty darn wide. The flop is very scary, and my bet into 3 players looks like I want to take down the pot while it is small. The flop couldn't be more spread in terms of rank, so 2 pair is very unlikely. The pot is now heads up, which is always the best time to check-raise bluff. The size of the raise is interesting also: it is not very big and would not put off a flush draw or a set. It is possible he's raising with a baby flush, but the nut flush (aside from being unlikely for the BB to have) is more likely to call than raise against a single opponent. Lastly, and most importantly, I'm in position so I can safely call and re-evaluate after seeing my opponents turn action. It is mainly this final factor that convinces me to call.

*** TURN *** [Kc 9c 4c] [6h]
Villain checks

The villain checks - so much information here. I can now rule out a baby flush - my call indicates either the nuts, a draw to the nuts or a strong made hand (set, TPTK, overpair) and out of position he would bet again to protect his flush on this safe turn card. A set, already unlikely is now ruled out as he would again try to protect this oop. Two pair is still just as unlikely. My best guess at this point is that he was trying a pure bluff with air, has a badly played QQ-TT, possibly with a Club, or something like Ks Qc. So, since I am miles ahead of his most likely range, I happily shove my TPTK on this seemingly dangerous board and get the result I expect.

Hero bets $285, and is all in
Villain folds
Uncalled bet of $285 returned to Hero
Hero wins the pot ($297)

This second example gets a bit more into the psychological aspect along with hand reading...

$1/$2 NLHE - 4 players
Seat 2: IDent ($103)
Seat 4: Hero ($200)
Seat 5: royamsterdam ($200)
Seat 6: Villain ($416.15) at 17/13
royamsterdam posts the small blind of $1
Villain posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #4
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Jh Kc]
IDent raises to $9
Hero calls $9
royamsterdam adds $1
royamsterdam folds
Villain raises to $32
IDent folds
Hero calls $23

I call here because I have position on the fish IDent who has been opening nearly every hand, and also I have the button so will have position on every other player. KJo is easily ahead of the fishes range, and I am happy to play it in this situation. Now, the Villain re-raises from the BB. He is a tight, thinking player and he knows as well as I that the fish is often opening light. After the fish folds, I have my first real decision. I am most likely facing a premium PP, or maybe a squeeze from AJs+, both of which obviously crush me. Given how tight he is though I realise that I can more easily push him off lots of non-nut hands, and with the right boards I can represent plenty of hands and do exactly that, so I decide to call with my probably dominated hand.

*** FLOP *** [3c 5h 9d]
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain bets $31
Hero calls $31

What a perfect flop for me. My range definitely includes all PPs which just made a set here, and in addition the rainbow board means that if I smooth call here a set looks even more likely. This is a perfect board for representing against a tight player. Also, the lack of a broadway card means that any big A (suited or not) is feeling pretty awful now that it remains completely unimproved. He bets, as he would with his entire range, and after a brief pause I smooth call.

*** TURN *** [3c 5h 9d] [4s]
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain checks

With the pot at nearly $135, out of position against a fairly solid opponent who smooth called a c-bet on a very ragged flop, my tight opponent is in a fix. There is no way the 4s helped him. With any unimproved Ax, he can't call any but the smallest bet. Even with a big PP, he can only hope to check call with what will more often than not turn out to be the worst hand. And so he thinks for a while before having to check.

Hero bets $72

Since I have played this hand like a set, I follow that line and decide to bet half the pot. This is a good amount for 2 reasons: 1) it looks like I want a call, and 2) it leaves me with roughly the same amount behind, so it looks like I am pot committed and hence less likely to be bluffing. Once again, my thinking has been good and I am fortunate enough to get a deserving result.

Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain folds
Uncalled bet of $72 returned to Hero
Hero mucks
Hero wins the pot ($134)

The next example shows an acute lack of critical thinking on my part, and my opponent reaps the rewards from my gross mistakes....

$3/$6 Deep NLHE - 5 players
Seat #1 is the dealer
Seat 1 - TRADEBYDAY ($591 in chips)
Seat 2 - Hero ($1420.50 in chips)
Seat 4 - Villain ($794.40 in chips) at 27/24
Seat 5 - ROCKCHALK73 ($485.70 in chips)
Seat 6 - SPOOOOOKY ($1763 in chips)
Hero - Posts small blind $3
Villain - Posts big blind $6
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [As 10s]
ROCKCHALK73 - Folds
SPOOOOOKY - Folds
TRADEBYDAY - Folds
Hero - Raises $15 to $18
Villain - Calls $12

At $3/$6, ATs is a very good hand for a blind vs blind confrontation. My raise and his call in position is nothing out of the ordinary and not too much information is available from it.

*** FLOP *** [Kc Ks 7s]
Hero - Bets $18
Villain - Raises $62 to $62
Hero - Raises $136 to $154
Villain - Calls $92

With two spades on the flop I decide I very much like this flop, and make my first mistake. Since my opponent having flopped trips is so unlikely(not to mention a fullhouse), I decide that I like my hand so much I will be going to the river with it. A word to the wise: never decide such a thing. Especially don't decide it on such a dangerous board. A poker hand is dynamic, and hand decisions must be equally so.

I decide to bet small to try and elicit a bluff raise on this scary board, and my 27/24 opponent happily obliges while in position. Now I re-raise nearly $100 on top - representing a strong King - expecting all flush draws, 2 pairs and bluffs to fold pretty fast. However, I get called but instead of hearing warning bells I put my opponent on either a flush draw or 2 pair on a paired board and simply assume he's being stubborn. The pot is now around $340 and I have a nothing but a flush draw and an overcard.

*** TURN *** [Kc Ks 7s ] [Ah]
Hero - Checks
Villain - Bets $130
Hero - Calls $130

I just made top pair Ten kicker, so now I'm beating his flush draw and his 2 pairs. So I check and let him decide to bluff both of these hands. He does bet, but it is only about 1/3 of the pot. Calling here is my second mistake of the hand.

Why would he bluff such a small amount on such a scary card? There's no way he could have called the flop action with something like AQ, and I also know he doesn't have the nut flush draw, so the A does not help him. But he's still betting it, and curiously he's betting small. I should see that I'm facing at least trip Kings at this point, because he's not afraid of the Ace and he called my big re-raise on the flop after I showed huge strength. I can now see that his turn bet isn't aimed at scaring off a draw, it's aimed at getting a call from any hand or any draw. At the time though I decided however that I was 'priced in' and call with my top pair and nut flush draw.

*** RIVER *** [Kc Ks 7s Ah] [9h]
Hero - Checks
Villain - All-In $492.40
Hero - Calls $492.40

Here is my biggest monetary mistake. I check, knowing he will check behind with any Ace or hand with decent showdown value, and bluff his missed draws. There is only one real draw though - the flush - and I have the nut draw for that, taking away 2 of his outs and thus dramatically lowering the likelihood he has the same draw. He bets allin, and I ignore the fact that not only is him having a flush draw unlikely, I also discount his call on the flop where I showed such strength. I make the rookie mistake of putting him on the one possible hand I beat. So I call, and so I lose 200BB.

*** SHOW DOWN ***
Villain - Shows [7c 7d] (Full house, sevens full of kings)
Hero - Mucks
Villain Collects $1585.30 from main pot

I was surprised he raised the flop with the nuts, but this was deep $3/$6, and he saw an easy way to try and get the money in early, and then I went and finished the job for him by re-raising on the flop and then calling his allin on the river. An expensive lesson for me, but a valuable one. You must re-evaluate after every new piece of information, and more importantly you always have to look at the whole picture.

This final hand is very interesting, and again shows the use of critical thinking for gaining psychological insight and improved hand reading.

$3/$6 Deep NLHE - 5 players
Seat #6 is the dealer
Seat 6 - STATIC_NINE ($681 in chips)
Seat 1 - NEO094 ($794 in chips)
Seat 2 - ADAMDALE77 ($1131.45 in chips)
Seat 3 - Hero ($1209 in chips)
Seat 4 - Villain ($1502.30 in chips) at 25.5/20.5
NEO094 - Posts small blind $3
ADAMDALE77 - Posts big blind $6
*** POCKET CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [10h 10d]
Hero - Raises $21 to $21
Villain - Calls $21
STATIC_NINE - Folds
NEO094 - Folds
ADAMDALE77 - Calls $15

With 5 players at the table I get a flat call from the villain (UTG+1) and a call from the BB in response to my UTG raise. My range for opening UTG is usually most PPs and ATs+, and my opponents are mostly fairly decent thinking players, typical of the $3/$6 level.

*** FLOP *** [5c Qh Jh]
ADAMDALE77 - Checks
Hero - Bets $48
Villain - Calls $48
ADAMDALE77 - Folds

This is a nice flop for me, as it hits half of my Ax range, and also my 3 of the PPs I would raise with UTG. I decide to put pressure on the villain by betting into him here and sandwiching him between me as the preflop raiser and an opponent who could have anything. I do this as it often lends a greater degree of 'purity' to his actions, and subsequently makes my future decisions easier. Also, it gives me the best chance of getting position for the rest of the hand if he folds. From the flop onwards I'm not really playing my hand but my opponents.

I decide to bet 3/4 pot, which I would do with a number of hands on this drawy flop including 2PTK, TPTK, a set, and occasionally an OESD. The villain flat calls, which makes me think he caught a small piece of the flop, or has a strong draw (nut flush or maybe an OESD). Since he doesn't raise, I guess that he does not yet want to commit to the pot, and likely does not have a monster as he is happy to let the BB also call. If he gets checkraised by the BB he can re-evaluate in position. The BB chooses to fold however, and we see the turn HU.

*** TURN *** [5c Qh Jh] [Ad]

The Ace is a great card for me here. Sure it gives the nuts to my opponent if they were calling with KT, but this hand is unlikely since I hold 2 Tens . It doesn't help hands like TP or 2P unless they also have top kicker, or the unlikely OESDs, and only really aids the nut flush draw. If they were in fact calling with AhXh then they just improved dramatically, but will still be wary of 2 pair or a set. As I recognise that the nuts is unlikely here, I decide to try and check-raise and put pressure on my opponent who could easily be floating with a weak hand or draw.

A slow-played monster will likely push here when check-raised, as will the (unlikely) nuts, along with AhKh. I expect that a check-raise will be called with hands like AK, QJ orAhXh and will cause all weaker hands to fold. Also, since I will essentially be bluff check-raising here I make sure I have at least some outs to make the nuts on the river.

Hero - Checks
Villain - Bets $120
Hero - Raises $282 to $282

So I check, and my opponent bets nearly 3/4 pot. He knows the Ace is a scare card, and my check after having a c-bet smooth called will often mean I am giving up on the pot. However, I check raise 1.5x and now he must consider my range. He can probably discount KTs from my range as it is a little weak for me to open UTG. A set of Qs, Js and 5s are all possible, and would all be feasibly played this way. Just as likely is AQ for top 2 pair, which would neatly fit with the action so far.

Villain - Calls $162

My opponent thinks and calls, so I can now narrow his range to AK, QJ and AhXh with a fair degree of confidence, and rule out all sets, the nuts, and AhKh. Since I have already thought about what a call will indicate, I am much more confident about the hand going to the river.

*** RIVER *** [5c Qh Jh Ad] [Qd]

Well, the river doesn't give me the nuts, and I'm completely crushed by practically all of my opponents range. Luckily, I don't look like I'm on a gutshot, and my opponent has no idea I was betting and raising with an underpair. The Q pairing the board not only lessens the chance of my opponent having a Q, but (since I was representing either a set or top 2 pair) turns what my opponent thinks is my most likely range into a full house. Knowing this and also that anyone with a full house would normally bet for value on the river, I do exactly that - being careful of course not to bet too much and risk appearing like a bully. A 2/3 pot bet seems appropriate, and also if I have completely messed up my read I'm not throwing away too much money. The result is most satisfying:

Hero - Bets $480
Villain - Folds
Hero - returned ($480) : not called

Of course, I could have gotten very lucky to win the 3 hands that I did by catching my opponents on pure bluffs. I like to think however that it was more due to focussing on the action and logically reasoning about my opponents hand and also about what they thought my hand was. Either way, if you concentrate hard during a hand, try to put your opponent on a hand and also consider what they think you may have, you cannot help but become a better player.

All the best at the tables, apologies again for going dark for so long. The next post is coming soon....

2009-02-10T18:04:00.003Z

The agony and the ex ...asperation?

It is a waste of energy to be angry with a man who behaves badly; just as it is to be angry with a car that won't go. -Bertram Russell

Table Escada (6 max) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: Hero ($331.85)
Seat 2: LiFe Is CrAp ($322.35)
Seat 3: iplaynething16 ($136.65)
Seat 4: charles1981 ($63)
Seat 5: Jordan Morgan ($211.50)
Seat 6: WICKEDSTL ($69.15)
WICKEDSTL posts the small blind of $1
Hero posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #5
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Ah Ad]
LiFe Is CrAp folds
iplaynething16 folds
charles1981 folds
Jordan Morgan raises to $7
WICKEDSTL calls $6 <--- perfect 'squeeze' opportunity with AA as looks very suspicious
Hero raises to $30
Jordan Morgan folds
WICKEDSTL calls $23
*** FLOP *** [Qh 8s 2s]
WICKEDSTL checks
Hero bets $67
WICKEDSTL calls $39.15, and is all in <--- snap call, and I foolishly assume 88 or a flush draw Hero shows [Ah Ad]
WICKEDSTL shows [Tc Jh] <--- ye olde gutshot and 2 unders - how can it fail?!? Uncalled bet of $27.85 returned to Hero
*** TURN *** [Qh 8s 2s] [Ks]
*** RIVER *** [Qh 8s 2s Ks] [Ac]
Hero shows three of a kind, Aces
WICKEDSTL shows a straight, Ace high
WICKEDSTL wins the pot ($142.30) with a straight, Ace high
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $145.30 Rake $3
Board: [Qh 8s 2s Ks Ac]
Seat 1: Hero (big blind) showed [Ah Ad] and lost with three of a kind, Aces (but when are trip Aces ever good?)
Seat 6: WICKEDSTL (small blind) showed [Tc Jh] and won ($142.30) with a straight, Ace high

2009-02-04T14:18:00.002Z

Annual Results

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. -Winston Churchill

Well, it's been 12 months. Some were long, some short; some easy, others hard; many profitable, and several less so. Unfortunately, the last month was one of the latter. Including rakeback, last month I made about $400. And there I was hoping to finish on a high. However, as I've recently told a struggling friend and fellow pro: it's all about the long term results. So, without further ado....

Half-year profit: $20.2k over 250 hours

Yearly profit: $64.8k over 780 hours

Equivalent salary in UK sterling: £54k

It could have been better, but it was an ok start to the pro life. And by and large, I enjoyed my years work, which I haven't been able to say before. So, here's to the new year, and all it may bring....

2009-01-28T17:36:00.005Z

Pity. Moving on....

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived. -Thomas Merton

Following what I predict will be my worst month of cash game results (don't ask - I'm too fragile!), I am giving serious thought to how else I will be spending my time over the next 12 months. I do still want to play poker, but I'm very tempted to devote a more serious chunk of time to PLO, and also start looking at tournament play, as from all I've heard the player fields are (in the majority) extremely weak. I realise I will have to curtail my expectations as far as winning sessions go, but I expect that the very occasional payoffs will prove a handsome consolation.

The quest for a suitable site to play a regular poker tournament may prompt me to expand my site repertoire away from UB and FTP.I've heard about lots of different sites through blogs, mail, and adverts, so I may end up at PokerStars which seems a favourite among bloggers, or try a brand new site (such as Pokervibez) as they usually have lots of offers going on, and tend to draw crowds of weak players who fall prey to the mass advertising typical of a startup site.

I've also been reminded about Pacific Poker which is another well-established site boasting some very juicy games and an overall rating of 7.8 on Pokerlistings. Aside from that, the offer of a 125% first deposit bonus is pretty hard to ignore! Either way, I don't
think I'll be short of good places where I can play online poker, whether I desire tournaments, NLHE or PLO.I've heard a change is as good as a rest, and though I'm far from tired of playing NL Hold'Em I think by starting to add variety to my games now I'll hopefully prolong the inevitable, and of course learn a new skill set or two. Can't do me any harm..... can it?

Naturally, before I enter the new working year in earnest I will be doing a lot of revision of my NLHE play: the value I'm getting from hands and how effective I am with good cards and bad cards in and out of position, with and without aggression, and on each street. I haven't had a proper think about strategy since I last listened to a CashPlays podcast, and now that Bart has been at DeucesCracked for over 4 months I'm very much due for a sit down. There is plenty of material still unseen on CardRunners, and I have a number of months still to wait before sunlight and fresh air will tempt me from my desk.

So, with a cash deficit to address, new strategy and new games to learn, not to mention a probably new site to master, I think from now on my motto should be 'Bring it on'. Another bad beat? Bring it on. Tricky table? Bring it on. Tough decision for an ultra-deep stack? Bring. It. On!

2009-01-20T18:10:00.003Z

Revenge of the suited connectors

To refrain from imitation is the best revenge - Marcus Aurelius

I got crushed last week. Absolutely crushed. Set under set, set under quads, set to runner runner flush, you name it, I bent over and took it. Even the small pots against ratholers I'd lose when they called my preflop reraise with half their stack to hit either a set or a sure-thing flush draw. On one day I lost $3.8k and the kicker was I wasn't even playing badly. It's days that like that sometimes convince me I'm doomed to lose, and that maybe I should switch to a new poker site where nobody knows me and the games aren't rigged against me.

Then I remember that I'm not superstitious, and that I'm a pro. So getting pounded financially and being mentally battered on a regular basis is par for the course. So I suck it up, and I fight back. So far this week I haven't had much luck in getting revenge, as I'm still being outflopped far too often and in spite of never offering correct odds to my opponents. According to HEM I'm nearly $1.6k under EV profit for the month. Actually, 'profits' isn't really applicable as this month I'm about -$1k in total earnings!

Anyway, please check the following HH from earlier today, and then send me my due sympathy by email or post - I'll take all I can get! Best of luck.

Table ARLINGTON DR ($2/4 Real Money Deep 6 players)
Seat 2 is the button
Seat 2: GOGATORS86 ( $1225.15 USD )
Seat 3: IM THE PUSHER ( $796.00 USD )
Seat 4: 2THE916K ( $1429.30 USD )
Seat 5: Hero ( $1151.40 USD )
Seat 6: JEDIGAMMON ( $810.70 USD )
Seat 1: Donkey ( $851.94 USD )
IM THE PUSHER posts small blind [$2.00 USD].
2THE916K posts big blind [$4.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [ Ac As ]
Hero raises [$14.00 USD]
JEDIGAMMON folds
Donkey raises [$55.00 USD]
GOGATORS86 folds
IM THE PUSHER folds
2THE916K folds
Hero raises [$157.00 USD]
Donkey calls [$116.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Qd, 6h, 2d ]
Hero bets [$220.00 USD]
Donkey raises [$680.94 USD]
Hero calls [$460.94 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Tc ]
** Dealing River ** [ 7s ]
Donkey shows [6d, 7d ]
Hero shows [Ac, As ]
Donkey wins $1706.38 USD from main pot

(NB: He was 50% on the flop, so his push was fine. But $170 on 76s? That's 20% of his stack... )

2009-01-14T21:21:00.003Z

Fools rush in

The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes. -Winston Churchill

After re-raising me, then calling my 4 bet out of position, I was convinced my opponent was on KK, QQ, or JJ. How much I still have to learn about this game....

NLHE $2/4 deep 6-max
Seat 1 is the button
Seat 1: Player1 ( $557.10 USD )
Seat 2: Villain ( $724.80 USD )
Seat 3: Player2 ( $276.14 USD )
Seat 4: Player3 ( $497.54 USD )
Seat 5: Player4 ( $452.50 USD )
Seat 6: Hero ( $1052.25 USD )
Villain posts small blind [$2.00 USD].
Player2 posts big blind [$4.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [ Ac Ah ]
Player3 folds
Player4 folds
Hero raises [$14.00 USD]
Player1 folds
Villain raises [$44.00 USD]
Player2 folds
Hero raises [$114.00 USD]
Villain calls [$82.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ 4d, 4c, 2h ]
Villain checks
Hero bets [$160.00 USD]
Villain calls [$160.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 3h ]
Villain checks
Hero bets [$580.00 USD]
Villain calls [$436.80 USD]
Hero wins $143.20 USD from main pot
** Dealing River ** [ Jc ]
Villain shows [5s, 4s ]
Hero shows [Ac, Ah ]
Villain wins $1450.10 USD from main pot

2009-01-13T23:24:00.009Z

The real fight

Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't. -Erica Jong

Sometimes in poker the hardest thing to do is actually to stop playing. I recall several sessions that stick out in my mind as occasions where I definitely should have left the tables on account of playing so badly. I'm sure I've said this before, but it's good for me to be reminded. Sometimes a few bad beats or coolers in quick succession can cause me to start playing far too aggressively, or worse become infected with disbelief and turn into a calling station. These are the sessions where a $400 or $800 downswing turn into a $2.6k downswing. In other words, these are the sessions that do the most damage to my bottom line.

It's only after such a bad day that I look over the many hands where I lost money, asking myself did I get really unlucky, or was I just spewing? Unfortunately, the answer is usually already known to me, and unfortunately it's usually the latter. I know when I'm playing badly, but all too often I don't walk away. I really think that one of the best things I can do is learn to get up when I recognise that I'm playing my D game. And in this case, D definitely stands for Dumb-ass.

I don't really know how to achieve this goal, because it's solely down to my willpower. I must learn to accept that there will be days I'm destined to lose, and be able to act when I recognise I'm having one. That may seem to have nothing to with sound poker strategy, but in the bigger picture I think it's essential. Good luck at the tables....

2009-01-08T10:30:00.003Z

Good will (hopefully come) to all men.....

To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three people, two of whom are absent. -Robert Copeland

The lead up to, and the actual dates of Christmas and New Years Eve are now firmly in the past, along with the worrying amounts of eating drinking and general indulgence that they usually entail. I enjoyed both, though gladly not to excess, and after a welcome 5 day break after NYE am now back at work. Over Christmas I got a great book of quotes called Advanced Banter from my mum, and thought I would include open each post with a choice excerpt from this day forth. The one above is not only witty, but rings very true for poker players who obviously tend to rely on only themselves to achieve.

January is the final month of my first year as a professional poker player. Early February I will publish my results for the year for those who are interested, and thereafter I think I will keep my results to myself. Unless of course I suckout to win a 10k pot, in which case you can expect a brag post with the results big and bold!

Last month (which was only 3 weeks long work-wise) I did pretty well, making just over $10k in 50 hours(obviously a great improvement on the previous months paltry $500! ) and securing my end of year bonus of $450 at FTP. I now need to earn 9000 points at that site to release it, so there's still work to do but it's better than nothing, which is what UB offered as their end of year bonus. Unless I have an insane run over the next 3 weeks, I fear I will not reach my yearly goal of $100k by a wide margin, but we'll wait and see. Either way, I feel I've come a long way this year, and am pretty pleased with my results overall.

The other thing I've been pleased with is the respectable sum of cash I've been offered over the year to post links on my blog, and hopefully this will prompt me to post more regularly in the hopes of expanding this source of income. I still enjoy writing, and hope to do more blogging with the creation of a timetable for my working week which should see me not only put in more hours at the tables but also more sessions of learning French and watching poker videos. I know it seems a bit like being back at school with lesson timetables, but as a good friend of mine once said: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

So, with 3 more weeks, I'm setting a few short term goals:

Try not to have any losing weeks!
Get enough points to get my full bonus from FTP
Continue to play without making it personal (i.e. chasing donkeys - let them come to me)

Other than that, it will be business as normal.
Finally, if you have time I'd really appreciate some feedback on a few hands:

Hand #1
Table HILLRIDGE DR ($2/4 Real Money Deep)
Seat 1 is the button
Seat 1: Villain ( $1573.42 USD )
Seat 3: Player1( $520.90 USD )
Seat 4: Player2 ( $738.00 USD )
Seat 5: Player3 ( $1131.90 USD )
Seat 6: Hero ( $841.50 USD )
Player1 posts small blind [$2.00 USD].
Player2 posts big blind [$4.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [ As Kc ]
Player3 folds
Hero raises [$14.00 USD]
Villain calls [$14.00 USD]
Player1 folds
Player2 folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Qs, Qc, Js ]
Hero checks
Villain bets [$22.00 USD]
Hero raises [$52.00 USD]
Villain calls [$30.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Th ]
Hero bets [$96.00 USD]
Villain raises [$320.00 USD]
Hero calls [$224.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ Qd ]
Hero checks
Villain bets [$778.00 USD]
Hero folds
Villain wins $778.00 USD from main pot

Can't work out if I completely butchered this on the turn or if I got really unlucky on the river when the 3rd Q fell. Reckon the former is more likely, but keen to hear your thoughts.

Hand #2

Table Bryant ($2/4 Real Money Deep 6max)
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: Feeling83 ( $871.70 USD )
Seat 2: Subzero_666 ( $1333.20 USD )
Seat 3: malumprohibitum ( $521.10 USD )
Seat 4: Xenomystus ( $432.00 USD )
Seat 5: brutalbet ( $496.60 USD )
Seat 6: ParaDogs ( $424.40 USD )
Feeling83 posts small blind [$2.00 USD].
Subzero_666 posts big blind [$4.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Subzero_666 [ Ac Jc ]
malumprohibitum raises [$14.00 USD]
Xenomystus folds
brutalbet calls [$14.00 USD]
ParaDogs folds
Feeling83 folds
Subzero_666 calls [$10.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Qs, Kd, Th ]
Subzero_666 bets [$28.00 USD]
malumprohibitum calls [$28.00 USD]
brutalbet calls [$28.00 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Qh ]
Subzero_666 checks
malumprohibitum bets [$85.00 USD]
brutalbet folds
Subzero_666 calls [$85.00 USD]
** Dealing River ** [ 8d ]
Subzero_666 checks
malumprohibitum bets [$235.00 USD]
Subzero_666 folds
malumprohibitum wins $295.00 USD from main pot

Again, think I butchered this one on the turn. His flop call in between 2 players strongly suggested set, but I wasn't able to let go until the river. The only other hands I thought possible were JJ or a KJ QJ JT hand, but figured he wouldn't bet so big on the river if he didn't have it. Thoughts?

My day's profits seem to have been ruined by an extra Queen showing up uninvited. Bitch.

2008-12-22T11:33:00.003Z

Back to school

I was struggling to sleep the other night, so I was running through the days hands in my head, you know to try and work out optimal lines and identify mistakes. Then I started thinking about the nature of the game, because my girlfriends mum was telling me her husband should take the game up to earn some extra cash now that he is retired. At the time I simply told her that I had already offered to help him learn if he so desired, but if he doesn't want to play the game then it would never happen. Obviously there is a bit more to it than this, as even if a person does want to play poker that doesn't necessarily mean they should.

I think learning poker is a lot like being at school. To me, the people who attended school could be broadly grouped into the following categories...

1. The people who are naturally academic and clever, and as such breeze through school getting excellent results without seeming to exert any effort.

2. The people who find school a challenge (but are clever/industrious): studying hard and wrestling with the more difficult concepts as they learn with different people experience different degrees of success. Some learn better from their mistakes and successes than others and go on to become academically successful, but all manage to pass comfortably and generally do well post-school.

3. The people who find school a challenge (but are dim/lazy): wrestling ineffectually with or ignoring the more difficult concepts as they attempt to learn the basic lessons being taught with little success. Some manage to pass, but most get frustrated and leave school as soon as they are able.

4. The problem people. These are the people who struggle to turn up for lessons, or cannot focus for more than 5 minutes before disrupting the class or completely zoning out of what is being taught. They are unable, or are completely unwilling, to learn. These people can sometimes even turn destructive: damaging school property, getting into fights etc.

In the poker learning world, these distinct groups can be re-classified as follows:

1. The natural born pros, who fly through the limits and quickly rise to the top with the minimal amount of study.

2. The winning amateurs: some who play for fun; some for money, but all whom win more often than not. These people tend to study and practice often and diligently, and some of these eventually try going pro after putting in enough effort.

3. The losing amateurs: some who play for fun; some for money, but all whom lose more often than not. Some of these people try to study and improve, but very rarely can they change to become regular winners at the game.

4. You know who these people are in the poker community. They are the ones with severe problems: gambling, discipline, delusional, financial, even emotional. These are the people who play poker when they shouldn't. Maybe they think they are better than they are. Maybe they think poker is rigged. Maybe they think they are owed a big win after losing for so long. Or maybe they don't think at all. They lose big, and they lose fast. More often than not, they also lose time and again, with no ability to stop. Very occasionally such a person is aware they are a huge loser but can either afford it or play only at stakes that have negligible financial impact for them.

I've heard that about 85% of poker players are long term losers, so correspondingly the majority of people would fall into categories 3 and 4. As such, I'd think long and hard before recommending someone attempt to learn poker with the hope of becoming a financially successful player. I'd recommend learning it for fun in a heartbeat, because I still regard it as a challenging, absorbing and enjoyable game, but unless you know that a person belongs in the top 2 categories just tell them where the kiddy game is if they ask.

As for me, I believe I'm in category 2, and even there it's by no means a bed of roses. Just like when I was back at school, I have to work pretty damn hard to do well. I wish it came easier, but I'm glad I can put in the extra effort and (usually) get rewarded for doing so.

Anyway, just thought I'd share my thoughts, hope they get you thinking. Here's a hand from the other day that I'm still laughing about...

Table MAYFAIR DR ($1/2 Real Money)
Seat 1 is the button
Seat 1: RatholinShrtStk ( $42.80 USD )
Seat 2: P1 ( $453.23 USD )
Seat 3: P2 ( $400.00 USD )
Seat 4: Hero ( $408.65 USD )
Seat 5: P3 ( $111.96 USD )
Seat 6: P4 ( $259.16 USD )
P1 posts small blind [$1.00 USD].
P2 posts big blind [$2.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [ 6c 6d ]
Hero raises [$7.00 USD]
P3 folds
P4 folds
RatholinShrtStk calls [$7.00 USD]
P1 folds
P2 folds
** Dealing Flop ** [ Th, 6h, Qs ]
Hero checks
RatholinShrtStk bets [$8.00 USD]
Hero raises [$20.00 USD]
RatholinShrtStk raises [$27.80 USD]
Hero calls [$15.80 USD]
** Dealing Turn ** [ Ad ]
** Dealing River ** [ Kc ]
RatholinShrtStk shows [Jd, Qh ]
Hero shows [6c, 6d ]
RatholinShrtStk wins $85.10 with straight, Ace to Ten

2008-12-18T14:52:00.002Z

New or Improved?

Well it must be that time of the week again, and as usual I am wary of how infrequently I manage to post. It's not that I'm not playing, or don't have lots to say but for one reason or another I just never get round to posting half as often as I intend. I think a lot of it is to do with the fact that either poker is going well and I can't be bothered when things are working out just fine, or that poker is going badly and I'm too frustrated to write about the subject that is currently vexing me. That said, I've just gotten myself a brand new headset and with the wondrous advent of voice recognition software I can now (in theory at least) compose a post without typing a word! Personally, I think it won't make that much difference, because I still have to sit down, think and then correct whatever I manage to get down on the screen. We'll see though, and hope as ever springs eternal...

For those of you looking to get hooked up with the latest in poker software tools (not sites), I've just been alerted to www.pokersoftware.com. This is actually a pretty useful site, providing a pretty complete listing of all the mainstream and otherwise useful programs available to improve your game; whether that be through having a better designed HUD, improved odds calculation, intelligent data mining or a raft of other poker-oriented facilities. I was impresssed to see that Holdem Manager (as used by yours truly) features as the most popular data analysis program on the Tracking/Analysis page. This assures me that the site is both up to date and is in touch with poker players who know what they're about. I'll have to comment a bit about HEM in a later post. Anyway check the site out, you might just discover something that could seriously improve your current winrate.

As for my game, this week has been rather slow, and I've only just made profit after a poor start on Monday. I don't know why, but I've been getting crushed by shortstacks lately, especially on FTP. I wouldn't mind (they are only shortstacks after all) but I always seem to have them crushed before the flop: JJ vs AJo, A9 vs 98s, AJs vs QJo etcetera etcetera ad nauseum. Combine that with losing more than a fair share of coinflips and I am still in my break even rut on that site. I did go on a mini heater and nearly made it to 17k last week, but once again I find myself back under 16k. No further comment.

Anyway, gonna get back into the fight now, wish me luck, and in return I'll send a prayer to the goddess Tyche on your behalf. Take care out there.

2008-12-11T22:09:00.002Z

Hangovers are good

So I went out last night to have dinner with an old friend and enjoy a few drinks. I ended up completely hammered. I did manage to be home just after midnight, so it doesn't seem like a big session, but given that is started at 6pm and that I am a complete lightweight, I'd say I did fairly well. Was chatting with the person in question just tonight, and we worked out that we each drank half a bottle of red wine and 1.75 litres of sangria. Not bad for a Wednesday.

The interesting thing is that I think the hangover helped me at the tables. I was feeling too rough to contest pots, get angry or try and make any clever plays, and consequently I played a good solid game all day. My reads were pretty good, and the only big pots I lost were in tough spots: JJ on the button vs KK in the BB, and AQ in the BB vs KK on the button in a reraised pot (on a Q high flop).

Anyway, hopefully I'll continue to play more solid poker tomorrow, really could do with a nice solid week to start off December and get me back on track. Hope the tables are kind for you....

2008-12-10T16:24:00.002Z

Back in the Black

Well, after bending the calendar month of November slightly, I managed to make nearly 1k for the (3-week) month. This just overcame the -700 figure which was my profit for the preceding month, putting me gratefully back in the black.
So this week has been the first for my December earnings, and although it started off badly, I'm in profit for the month and feel pretty good about my game once again. I've taken some horrid beats recently, and have been in sore need of a small good run both to restore my confidence and stop me from tilting. Luckily I've been granted my wish and had a 2 pay period of good play and corresponding results, so hopefully I can make December a month to remember. I'll keep you posted....

2008-11-24T14:34:00.003Z

Just Another Week

Well, thanks to a small amount of luck and possibly some good decision making, last week went pretty well for me workwise. I didn't lose a single session, and as always in that situation life can start to look pretty rosy. I was brought back to earth today however losing nearly 4 buy-ins at $2/4, so I have a challenging week ahead if I want to report decent profits for this month.

That said, I don't really want to talk about poker right now. Not because I'm fed up with it, or don't want to learn or share any more about the game, but because there's more to life. I know this is a poker blog, but even as a professional poker player there is much more to my life, and I'd like to reflect on those more enjoyable elements for a change.

I just spent a great weekend with my girlfriend: we watched TV, cooked meals for each other, chatted, shared some reading time and simply took pleasure in each other's company. The weather was freezing so we didn't really get outside or do anything exciting, but we've never needed that to have a great time. This week I'm going to be seeing several of my friends from uni, one of whom has just got engaged, and we will be having a celebratory meal tomorrow night with him and his new fiancee. I'm also going to be seeing my auntie who is down in London for a day, and since we always get along famously I'm quite looking forward to seeing her.

Important people aside there is lots more to life that I enjoy, but sometimes I simply forget. It's important to take a step back and count all your blessings. Remember how lucky we are to have free time to pursue a hobby. How lucky we are to have money to spend on ourselves. To have a job, a house, and food to eat. That we are able to read and write. Basic stuff I know, but that is what makes it so easy to forget. I believe I'm very fortunate, and one of my failings is that I take it for granted far too often.

It is quite easy for me to maintain a solitary lifestyle with my current occupation, but it's really not healthy mentally, or even financially. Poker can be very addictive and often becomes all encompassing when not kept in check. A bad day at the tables can leave you seriously doubting yourself and wishing to be left firmly alone, while a good day can leave you feeling ready to take on the world. But a good day isn't half so sweet if you have no-one to share it with.

So, just for today, maybe take a pass on that tournament or the juicy cash game and spend some time with friends or family. After all, poker is accessible 24/7 online, but the people in your life sadly won't always be available. Make sure you make the most of them while you can.

All the best, D.

2008-11-18T17:32:00.003Z

Paycut due to illness

In the now near-immortal words of Timbaland: It's been a long time - I shouldn't have left you....

So, some of my readers will wonder why I dropped off the face of the blogworld for over a month. I apologise for my absence, it was largely due to serious illness. Not mine I hasten to add - I haven't been ill since I stopped commuting to work! - but that of my closest work colleague. That's right, my PC: it caught a virus.

I still have no idea what happened, but a virus/trojan got onto my PC (I had been downloading hacked games again...) and was not detected by my AV software. Suddenly I was getting BSODs every time I tried to load windows. By booting in Safe Mode, I was able to get limited functionality but couldn't perform basic HDD scans, or even download new AV software or similar helper programs. So, with my unaffected laptop (with CD-RW drive) I spent the best part of nearly 10 days trying to fix the problem to no avail. I know, it's a very long period but I'm a stubborn guy. I think you need to be in the poker world. By the end of my efforts to fix it my PC wouldn't boot at all.

That is why I now have a new Dell desktop with Vista and a now useless one-and-a-half foot black box lurking in my living room. I have managed to import all my music, photos and most importantly hand histories from my old HDD, but am only recently fully back up to speed in terms of work functionality. Let's say all of that agony accounts for roughly half a month. Why didn't I get back on the horse there and then and try and make up the lost time? I must admit I had a far better offer.... so I left the country instead.

I was lucky enough to spend a 2 week holiday in Mauritius enjoying some very hot weather, fantastic beaches and incredible food. I went with my girlfriend and her family and as her father grew up out there, we had almost constant engagements with her relatives, all of which involved eating hefty amounts of great Chinese and Mauritian cuisine. We ate so much in fact that one person managed to put on 3 kilos while we were out there! So, I was able to walk, read, swim and sunbake (it was too hot for mere sunbathing) for a whole fortnight, with no computer in sight. It was lovely, and I managed to come back late on Saturday relaxed, tanned and ready for work.

While I was out there I did a little study, including reading my first PLO book so that I am ready to try that game in earnest before xmas. I also read Phil Gordons second book (the Little Blue one), and in accompaniment to some time spent thinking about my recent play I have made a few mental adjustments to my game that I hope will notably improve my results. I'd be really pleased if this happens, because my last month's results were far from good.

I'm not sure if it's partly due to stress from my PC dying, or from playing without stats or even playing with a smaller display, but I had quite a few sessions during October where I was playing like an utter donkey. I suspect it's more down to another period of me getting over-aggressive and tricky to try and compensate for a bad run. What's worse is that most of those sessions involved me playing at a $5/10 table. It got a little ugly in places, and I freely admit anyone watching would not have seen any evidence of me being able to play for a living. And so, I hereby announce my first negative month: for 55 hours work I managed to lose $720. The less said about this the better, I'm told it happens occasionally but I know it didn't need to happen this time around.

This month has started much better. Despite losing my 8 consecutive months FTP Iron Man status (which really sucks btw) I have put in some good hours this week, playing pretty well overall and getting lucky once or twice to combat the inevitable bad beats. I'll do a strategy post soon, but for now sorry again for the absence and thanks again for being a loyal reader. I'll leave you with a nice little suckout against a solid guy who'd just been rivered in the previous hand, and a guy who was a sandwich and an apple short of a lunchbox (I'll let you guys figure out who was whom).

All the best, D

Table Broadford (Real Money) - 4 players
Seat 6 is the button
Seat 1: xxx( $855.60 USD )
Seat 2: Hero ( $962.10 USD )
Seat 4: Villain1 ( $402.00 USD )
Seat 5: xxx( $424.40 USD )
Seat 6: Villain2 ( $595.50 USD )
xxx posts small blind [$2.00 USD].
Hero posts big blind [$4.00 USD].
** Dealing down cards **
Dealt to Hero [ Ks Kd ]
Villain1 raises [$14.00 USD]
Villain2 raises [$48.00 USD]
xxx folds
Hero raises [$156.00 USD]
Villain1 raises [$258.00 USD]
Villain2 raises [$547.50 USD]
Hero raises [$802.10 USD]
Villain1 calls [$130.00 USD]
** Dealing Flop ** [ Ts, Jd, Td ]
** Dealing Turn ** [ 5d ]
** Dealing River ** [ 8d ]
Hero shows [Ks, Kd ]
Villain1 shows [As, Ah ]
Villain2 shows [Kh, Qh ]
Hero wins $1205.62 USD from main pot
Hero wins $386.88 USD from main pot

2008-10-06T17:55:00.004+01:00

Prelim findings

As you can see, my preliminary investigations (which are actually of my last 6 months of play) into the differences in my playing style on 2 different sites reveals.... not very much at all. It looks as though the only significant difference is my flop aggression factor, where on the UB site it is double that which I display on FTP.
Really though, there is nothing that explains why one site provides over 80% of my income. I do play at higher limits on UB, but I don't think that alone explains my far better results with that site. I'm seeing my good friend and fellow pro later this week, and will try and get his input on the subject to see if any further light may be shed.
Enjoyed a solid week just gone, despite the odds seeming to be stacked against me over several sessions, and of course hoping to have another good one this week. Wish me luck, hope you are still enjoying the game and winning all your 60 percenters!

2008-10-02T10:10:00.003+01:00

Breaking even

If you happen to look at my stats on tableratings.com, you might be a little surprised to learn that I'm not a profitable player. According to that site, I (on average) lose money by playing, and am only kept afloat by rake. So have I been lying all this time, pretending that I make decent salary by playing this game for a living? Of course not, but that doesn't change the fact that on FTP I just don't win very often. I don't know why. I try hard. I focus. I think I play well. But, still, I don't really turn a profit. I resolve to change this fact.

Up until now my 'cash cow' for poker profitability has been Ultimate Bet. Always has been. But my cousin, friend and fellow pro has been crushing the games from 1/2 to 3/6 on FTP for the last year and I can't let him be the only one. So, I'm going to start picking my FTP game apart on PokerTracker, studying and using all available tools to turn my results around on that site. There must be something fundamentally wrong with my game to have such different results, and I need to find out what it is.

Aside from PT, I plan on getting more familiar with PokerEV to evaluate my play and see whether I'm getting my money in good or bad. I also plan on using the latest tool for calculating poker hand odds kindly provided by the folks at PokerListings. With these 2 applications I should be much better able to evaluate my play, and clearly see where my problems are. There is of course an outside chance that it's all down to variance, but I think after more than 6 months of play I can file that idea into the 'Highly Unlikely' folder.

Think that's it for today, after a long, brutal and ultimately unprofitable session yesterday (including losing a 2k pot on a 75% AIPF) I plan on playing just a few short sessions today and getting back on track. Luckily I've already won several hundred on FTP, maybe things are turning round already.....

2008-09-30T09:52:00.003+01:00

Lowering my standards

When I was first getting into poker I would watch the world-class players in the WSOP and be stunned at the monstrous final table pots they would win with comparatively terrible hands! I simply couldn't understand how they could raise their opponent on the river with a measly top pair 6 kicker, or call an allin with 2nd pair and a gutshot. Today, I still find the level of play just as awesome, but I understand it a little more. The pros play against their opponents range of hands, and that more often than not means they have to lower their calling and raising standards.

I have been playing more $5/10 games over the last month, and been finding that in order to be a winning player at this limit I have to be willing to get all my money in a lot lighter than I'd like: often with no more than a simple pair. There is a much greater focus on your opponent's playing range, which is calculated from observing their image, position and any other pertinent tendencies.

I have included two examples of me doing just this, and in them my reads are luckily correct. I put a fair amount of stock in the timing tell of my opponent in the first hand, especially on the turn. In the second hand I was playing mainly against my opponents position and current playing style, and the likelihood of hands these factors dictated.

Winston Salem ($5/10 No Limit Hold'em) 3-handed

Villain1 is at seat 0 with $485.
Hero is at seat 2 with $2508.
joazou is at seat 3 with $0 (sitting out).
Villain2 is at seat 5 with $1208.
The button is at seat 0.

Hero posts the small blind of $5.
Villain2 posts the big blind of $10.

Hero: 9c Kc

Pre-flop:
Villain1 raises to $35. Hero calls. Villain2
folds.

Flop (board: 6c 2d Kd):
Hero bets $60. Villain1 raises to $120.
Hero calls.

Turn (board: 6c 2d Kd 3d):
Hero checks. Villain1 bets $320. Hero
raises to $640. Villain1 goes all-in for $330.
Hero is returned $310 (uncalled).

River (board: 6c 2d Kd 3d 5h):
(no action in this round)

Showdown:
Hero shows 9c Kc.
Hero has 9c Kc 6c Kd 5h: a pair of kings.
Villain1 shows 7s 7h.
Villain1 has 7s 7h 6c Kd 5h: a pair of sevens.

Hand Summary:
Hero wins $979 with a pair of kings.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Hand at Yonkers ($5/10 No Limit Hold'em) 5-handed

cprease is at seat 0 with $1237.
Villain2 is at seat 1 with $1338.
Hero is at seat 2 with $1104.
IanMacLeod is at seat 3 with $1088.
IwillBUSTu is at seat 4 with $1687.50 (sitting out).
fishenvelope is at seat 5 with $774.70.
The button is at seat 1.

Hero posts the small blind of $5.
IanMacLeod posts the big blind of $10.

Hero: 9h 8h

Pre-flop:
fishenvelope folds. cprease folds. Villain2 raises
to $35. Hero re-raises to $115. IanMacLeod
folds. Villain2 calls.

Flop (board: 7d 5h 9d):
Hero checks. Villain2 bets $160. Hero
raises to $450. Villain2 goes all-in for $1223.
Hero goes all-in for $989. Villain2 is returned
$234 (uncalled).

Turn (board: 7d 5h 9d Ad):
(no action in this round)

River (board: 7d 5h 9d Ad Kd):
(no action in this round)

Showdown:
Villain2 shows 8s 8d.
Villain2 has 8d 7d 9d Ad Kd: flush, ace high.
Hero shows 9h 8h.
Hero has 9h 8h 9d Ad Kd: a pair of nines.

Hand Summary:
Villain2 wins $2216 with flush, ace high.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Obviously I got unlucky in the second hand, but my read could just as easily have been wrong and I could have been behind to an overpair. Even so, I still would have been happy with my play and still would have outs for the times I was behind and got called.

EDIT: I know I've posted like 1 post this month, but I've been getting despondent about my game and this has been spilling over into my blogging. I'm sorting things out though and getting back into a routine, which will hopefully be incorporating regular blogging very soon. Good luck all, especially those who've also been having a hard time recently. Believe me, I truly sympathise when the going gets tough...

2008-09-02T18:07:00.003+01:00

Still alive

Just so you know I'm still here, had a busy month though and haven't been feeling my game these last few weeks, hence the nil posts. Had a funeral, 2 weddings and a week in Hereford so August really was all over the place for me, and the month's earnings of 4.5k I think accurately reflect that.
Anyway, will update again soon, quite a few things have been on my mind so hopefully I'll get round to addressing them here in the coming weeks. Peace all....

2008-08-04T22:02:00.002+01:00

Mixing it up and getting nowhere

Fairfield ($3/6 No Limit Hold'em)

O Reary is at seat 0 with $671.50.
-vault- is at seat 1 with $1166.40.
Care2Tango is at seat 2 with $722.50.
lior4you is at seat 3 with $133.
Incrediboy is at seat 4 with $597.
Daf13fy is at seat 5 with $1262.15.
The button is at seat 0.

-vault- posts the small blind of $3.
Care2Tango posts the big blind of $6.

Incrediboy: Ac As

Pre-flop:
lior4you calls. Incrediboy calls.

Given the highly aggressive nature of this table, I limp call with high confidence that I will be raised, and possibly re-raised, before the action reaches the original limper.

Daf13fy raises to $21. O Reary re-raises to $84.

Right on cue, I get both my wishes. I decide to lay the boot now, happy to take the $100 by turning my hand faceup.

-vault- folds. Care2Tango folds.
lior4you folds. Incrediboy re-raises to $288.
Daf13fy re-raises to $492.

Great, this guy can't fold QQ/KK, let's get it in and cross my fingers.

O Reary folds. Incrediboy goes all-in for $597.
Daf13fy calls.

Flop (board: 3h 7c 5h):
(no action in this round)

Turn (board: 3h 7c 5h 3d):
(no action in this round)

River (board: 3h 7c 5h 3d 2s):
(no action in this round)

Showdown:
Incrediboy shows Ac As.
Incrediboy has Ac As 3h 7c 3d: two pair, aces and threes.
Daf13fy shows Ah Ad.
Daf13fy has Ah Ad 3h 7c 3d: two pair, aces and threes.

Hand #55256802-9956 Summary:
Incrediboy wins $644.75 of a $1289.50 pot with two pair, aces and threes.
Daf13fy wins $644.75 of a $1289.50 pot with two pair, aces and threes.
----------------------------------------------------------

What are the odds, eh?

This was part of another terrible day at the tables, just as I was about to get into profit for the month. Luckily a good friend was there to help me stop playing when it started to affect me, so it could have been a lot worse. If you're reading this, thanks bud, I owe you one.

Best of luck.

2008-08-01T08:35:00.003+01:00

Reasoning

Hello everyone. I've had several comments that I should be posting more often, so for those of you who wanted more: I'm now trying to give you more! Not sure they will all be very interesting but who knows....

Had a very remarkable hand this morning with a result that surprised me quite a lot. I was sat at a $3/6 table with several weak players, no 3-betting before the flop and lots of calling going on afterwards. There were also lots of checkraises being made, mostly courtesy of the villain in this hand. I had made a few bad calls to lose some pretty big pots: one with TP weak kicker to lose to a better kicker, and one with TP decent kicker to lose to flopped trips. My image was therefore not great, but I didn't think it was terrible.

Hand #55256802-7320 at Fairfield (No Limit Hold'em)
Started at 01/Aug/08 03:32:22

Hero is at seat 1 with $634.20.
Villain is at seat 2 with $2018.35.
The button is at seat 0.

Hero posts the small blind of $3.
Villain posts the big blind of $6.

Hero: 4h As

Pre-flop:
Player2 folds. Flamez13 folds. Player4 folds.
Player1 folds. Hero raises to $18. Villain
calls.

Pretty standard move with an Ace in the SB when it gets folded round. Normally I'd pass if it's not suited, but given the game play I wasn't too concerned about being 3-bet and could see a flop without paying more if I got called.

Flop (board: 3s 5s 4s):

Now I obviously liked this flop. With middle pair top kicker, the nut flush draw (I have the As) and a gutshot sucker draw, I figured I had very good equity against my opponents calling range.

Hero checks. Villain bets $36. Hero
raises to $84. Villain calls.

I decide to check raise to get maximum value from bluffs and unimproved high cards. The call suggests my opponent is also on a draw, though he may have caught a piece of the flop, an overpair or have an unlikely made flush.

Turn (board: 3s 5s 4s 5h):
Hero bets $135. Villain calls.

With about $200 in the pot, I bet under 3/4 pot to look like the 5 helped me, and I'm trying to entice my opponent into calling. He does so quickly, and I become convinced he is weak and that he does not have a made flush or a big overpair since he would usually raise now a full house is possible. I'm starting to think 6s6x or 7s7x are also very plausible holdings.

River (board: 3s 5s 4s 5h 3d):

I hate this river. If my opponent was sticking around with A3, 23, 36 etc. they all now destroy my hand. I was always behind the unlikely overpair, and now without a flush or straight I am losing to that also. That said, I checkraised the flop, and weak bet the board pairing. Now with the second 3 coming in, I figure my opponent is unlikely to have either a 5 or a 3, and so I can represent a fullhouse myself, and get 66-77 to fold, because if I check to them the pot is gone. The other reason I want to lead here is because a check looks far too scared, and any bet my opponent makes cannot be called with a lowly pair of 4s. If I get raised I'm gone, but I think it's worth the potential cost to retain the initiative. So, trying to maintain the 'call me' bet sizing I established on the turn, I bet $250 into the $450 pot.

Hero bets $249. Villain calls.

He called quickly, and I thought he'd made the under full house on the river. I knew he didn't have the flush or an overpair as there would definitely have been some agonising before any call was made.

Showdown:
Hero shows 4h As.
Hero has 4h As 5s 4s 5h: two pair, fives and fours.
Villain mucks cards.
(Villain has 6d Ac.)

I was stunned when the pot came my way and I read what he had called with. How on earth he thought his hand was good on the river I do not know. That said, I'm obviously glad he called, and was obliging enough to also pay off my flop checkraise and turn bet with nothing but an OESD on a monotone flop.

Hand Summary:
Hero wins $968.50 with two pair, fives and fours.
----------------------------------------------------------

I know this doesn't happen very often (we'd all be rich) but it's interesting to see what aggression and initiative can lead to. My opponent was drawing to roughly 10 outs (only 1 for the Ace because of counterfeiting) all the way, and with my mediocre hand I was able to extract huge value. I don't think I got particularly lucky here either, and I think I played the optimum line given my read. If I had lost the pot, at least I would have done so for good reason.

Comments and criticism below please!

2008-07-31T15:19:00.002+01:00

A$$

Well yesterday wasn't the greatest start to the new half. In fact, you could say it 'sucked ass', an American phrase I believe which neatly captures my sentiments. It started off badly on FTP, with me losing 3 allins with overpairs to JJ, KK, and KJ, with the latter being allin after the flop of QTx. Then a few coinflips didn't go my way, my play got worse, and before I knew it I had been playing over 5 hours straight and was down 3k.

It's still really annoying suffering such bad days, even though I'm much more comfortable knowing I can make it back. I think it's worse though in some ways, because I should be able to recognise bad play/tilt sooner and stop playing before I lose a chunk of the bankroll.

Anyway, back on track now and taking things slowly, am going to try and stick with short controlled sessions, because I just don't play that well otherwise. Wish me luck....

2008-07-28T18:47:00.005+01:00

Half year

This month end completes my first 6 months of going pro, that is becoming entirely self-employed as a full time professional poker player. Here are my results for July:

During this period (excluding a few sessions not imported to PokerTracker) I ran at roughly VP$IP 22 and PFR 16.50, with an average BB/100 score of 6.5 . As you can see from my results, I didn't play loads of hours this month for various reasons, but I did manage to beat my earn-rate target of $100 per hour quite handsomely. What's even more impressive is that I managed it while still having a negative week during week 3! I think this was really only possible thanks to running super-hot in week 2, allowing me to boast my best ever earning week. Good cards and good play can be very nice in combination as I'm sure you well know!

Here are my financial results for the half:

And here are my PT stats:

I'm pleased with my financial results of course, but I know I can do much better. My recent downturn in hours needs addressing; I think a lot of it is due to summer and the activities that summer weather encourages (blading, seeing friends and family) and complacency about my ability to make a decent living working from home.

I am pleased about how much I'm studying: watching plenty of CR vids, doing lots of reading and thinking about the game - but need to make sure that whenever I play I am disciplined enough to always bring my A-game as the times I don't end up far more expensive than not playing at all.

Thinking back over the last 6 months it's incredible to consider how much more I know. My game isn't dramatically different to what it was - and I don't see that changing in the future - but what has really changed is my understanding of the game. It certainly seems that my hand reading is coming on a lot, and I am far more confident about making decisions and generally adjusting to different types of opponents in different situations. I still encounter the odd player who leaves me wondering whether they know what game they are playing, but that is just life.

Thinking long term for a second, I do find myself wondering if I will be bored of watching cards flick several hours a day. I've decided that providing I am still learning the game and elevating my play, it will be very difficult to get bored. Situations that you have seen hundreds of times previously become weighted with new factors and possibilities to consider with every new facet learnt about the game. I still subscribe to the adage 'No limit hold'em takes a day to learn, and a lifetime to master'. Best of luck all.

Cranwood (6 max) - $2/$4 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 1: Player1 ($420)
Seat 2: Villain ($799)
Seat 3: Hero ($516)
Seat 4: Player2 ($1,665.20)
Seat 5: Player3($492)
Seat 6: Player4 ($400)
Player2 posts the small blind of $2
Player3posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [Jh As]
Player4 folds
Player1 folds
Villain raises to $14
Hero raises to $48
Player2 folds
Player3folds
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain calls $34
*** FLOP *** [Qs 9h 2d]
Villain checks
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $68
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain calls $68
*** TURN *** [Qs 9h 2d] [7d]
Villain checks
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $140
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain has requested TIME
Villain folds
Uncalled bet of $140 returned to Hero
Hero mucks
Hero wins the pot ($235)

2008-07-25T10:01:00.003+01:00

The Learning Curve

Was listening to a Cash Plays interview with Daniel Negreanu yesterday that really struck a chord. Bart Hanson was asking his thoughts on various issues, including bankroll sizing and moving up levels. Negreanu said that people who followed advice of having an excessively large (ie 'safe') bankroll before moving up a level were limiting their growth as players, for the simple fact that when you play in a bigger game you are challenged far more often and as a consequence learn the game at a faster rate.

In the example cited, 2 players of equal skill start playing at a $5/10 game. The first player only plays this level, and the second player continually takes shots at bigger games. Initially, the first player will make more money and the second player struggles to adapt to a tougher game. However, over time the second player will learn to beat the bigger game, and should make more money playing at that level and above. Even if they do not continue to play at the higher level, upon returning to the $5/10 game the second player will find it far easier to beat, and should now expect to have a higher winrate than the first player (who has never played at a higher level).

Makes perfect sense, but this was not obvious to me until Daniel spelled it out. So, I think I will start pushing myself more to move up levels sooner rather than later. There are loads of reasons in favour of this, and I can't think of any reasons to abstain. I'll study more CR videos of higher level tables. I'll continue listening to Cash Plays hoping to receive more sound advice on overall playing strategy. I'll read more posts on the forums, and go to places where I can get advice from pros or learn from a simple poker tip of the day.

After all, I am a student of the game, and without diligent study and application I know my game would rapidly regress. And without the constant challenge of both learning and pressure, my enjoyment of playing would quickly wane at a time when it should be at it's peak.....

2008-07-24T22:02:00.002+01:00

DQB!!!

This is a momentous event. In nearly 4 years playing poker, this has only ever happened to me once before. It was even more delicious this time, as I was ahead on the flop when the money went in.

As you can imagine, the pot was 4-bet preflop, and when the flop came out, the rest of the money went in no problem....

I almost managed not to scream when the turn came, so you can imagine what happened when the river landed! Suck, and re-suck, it's a beautiful thing, but it doesn't seem to happen often enough when I start out in the lead!

Anyway, it's been another good week, despite a lack of hours, and in a few days the half year results will be posted. Am keeping everything crossed that they will be impressive and worthwhile, but of course only time will tell. Best of luck all.

2008-07-23T09:37:00.002+01:00

Mediocre

After a blinding second week, my poker seemed to regress towards the mediocre as soon as I fired up the tables last monday. I was playing ok I felt, but was roughly only breaking even until wednesday came around. Then I woke up very early for the Blogger Cash Game, and got basically owned, not just in that game, but the 2 other cash games I was playing alongside. There was one hand in the BCG where I made a read, and then got put to the test, and couldn't follow it. The reason for that was that in that particular hand I was either just barely ahead (with K high), or absolutely crushed (the flop was AcAd3c). I wasn't playing my A-game, and certainly didn't want to (deep)stack off with a mere high card against a perceived flush draw...

So that night I was down about $400, but the following days I continued to haemorrhage my hard-earned, losing over 2k in the usual combination of bad beats and bad plays. During this period I found myself making many more thin but still correct calls, but then getting sucked out on, which as you know is one of my biggest bugbears.

Anyway, managed to scrape a little back over the weekend, and this week has been markedly better, will be posting half-yearly results after the end of this week, so I can start to take stock of the longer term as a poker professional. Hope all is well at the tables, and in the world.

2008-07-13T18:44:00.002+01:00

Fire with fire

Had an interesting hand at the end of last week where I put myself in a tough spot with a very marginal holding against an aggressive unpredictable opponent. In this particular game, the villain was raising from the blinds every time the action came round to him, and then leading with a full pot every time he got called. This at least was my observation, and I surmised that he must then be doing it light most of the time. So, I decided to limp in position with a very average hand knowing he would raise, and see what developed from there....

Carey ($3/6 No Limit Hold'em)
5 handed

Hero is at seat 0 with $840.20.
Villain is at seat 2 with $558.45. <-- stats of 53/11 and radically ascending Agg Factor
The button is at seat 0.

Villain posts the small blind of $3.
Player1 posts the big blind of $6.

Hero: 9d 8h

Pre-flop: Player2 calls. Player3 folds.
Hero calls. Villain raises to $36.
Player1 folds. Player2 folds. Hero calls.

Flop (board: 7h 3d 9c):

Okay, so I've got TP8K on the flop. At this point, I figure I'm ahead of villains range. I know I'm going to face a pot bet, and I plan to raise immediately to discourage unimproved high cards from continuing. There are no draws to speak of, so I figure if I get played with it will most likely be with some kind of made hand, or air.

Villain bets $84. Hero raises to $180.

Villain goes all-in for $522.45.

The bet came as expected, and so I raised as planned, expecting a slowdown from the villain (no one had yet raised his flop c-bets). Instead, he insta-shoved over my raise, making it $340 more to call.

Now, if he had a monster, I didn't think he would play it so fast, plus given his observed tendencies it just wasn't likely. People who have a strong hand just don't seem to insta-shove in my experience. The only obvious draw was the OESD with T8 or 68, which given my kicker was again pretty unlikely.

Thus, I reasoned he was either moving in with something weak like 22, 44-66, an overpair like TT-AA (quite unlikely given the insta-shove), or overcards/air. I was obviously a dog to his overpairs, but thought they were so unlikely I was getting sufficient odds to call his shove. So, given his stats, my initial read and analysis, I gritted my teeth and made the call.

Hero calls.

Turn (board: 7h 3d 9c Td): <--- pretty safe turn, giving me extra outs if behind

River (board: 7h 3d 9c Td Ah): <--- did not like the river at all, as it completes all Ax hands

Showdown:
Villain shows 6c 6d.
Villain has 6c 6d 9c Td Ah: a pair of sixes.
Hero shows 9d 8h.
Hero has 9d 8h 9c Td Ah: a pair of nines.

Hand Summary:
Hero wins $1126.40 with a pair of nines.

Now against a lot of players, this would be spewy poker. But I'm glad that I made the right read, and had the stones to act on it. Too often I see bad players sit down, give their stack to another player, then leave. To take advantage of these players, you have to get involved in pots with them, and more often than not you will have to do it with pretty weak hands. As long as they are ahead of your opponents range however, this stands to be a profitable move over the long term.

Hope you're weekend was good, look forward to reading your own exploits over the coming week. Best of luck at the tables.

2008-07-10T12:33:00.003+01:00

Panning for gold

So this morning I played for 3 hours on 4 tables: I had 2 set under sets, and lost a big pot with 88 on an 7h 8h Ts flop to Kc9c. I was playing really well though, so at the end of the session I was exactly break even. Pat on the back, but alas no cigar.

Session number 2 saw me sat on 3 tables, lasted only 30 minutes, but I lucked my way into making over 1k... in just 1 hand! Sometimes you just need to be in the right spot at the right time, and things will just go your way. Here's the proof:

Bruneau ($3/6 No Limit Hold'em)
4 players

Villain is at seat 0 with $1020.70. <--- runs at 41/18 : a.k.a. 'Anti-Origami'
Hero is at seat 2 with $1146.90. <--- got him covered
Player2 is at seat 3 with $1525.90.
Player1 is at seat 5 with $704.
The button is at seat 3.

Player1 posts the small blind of $3.
Villain posts the big blind of $6.

Hero: 9h 7h

Pre-flop:
Hero raises to $21. Player2 folds.
Player1 calls. Villain calls.

Flop (board: 3d 9s Td):
Player1 checks. Villain checks. Hero bets
$42. Player1 folds. Villain calls.

Turn (board: 3d 9s Td 9c):
Villain bets $147. Hero raises to $399. <--- wasn't too worried about the flush, so this was more of a massage.... Villain calls.

River (board: 3d 9s Td 9c 7s): <--- boom!
Villain goes all-in for $558.70. Hero calls. <--- love it when they push into a lock hand...
Showdown:
Villain shows Qc Js.
Villain has Qc Js 9s Td 9c: a pair of nines.
Hero shows 9h 7h.
Hero has 9h 7h 9s 9c 7s: full house, nines full of sevens.

Hand Summary:
Hero wins $2059.90 with full house, nines full of sevens.
--------------------------------------------------------

It's often this way in poker; you can play well for ages but sometimes you need a little to help to get paid. Big thanks to whoever/whatever gave it to me today.....

2008-07-01T10:25:00.002+01:00

Month of the End

Ok, so it's now the end of month #4, and unfortunately I haven't been able to achieve my $ph goal this time. I was alas well on track to break it, but then I had a super bad day in my final week and managed to drop my winrate and that weeks profits in one fell swoop. But I'll shrug it off and try extra hard over the coming month...

It's interesting to note that that one bad day was the only negative session I had after my terrible first week. I was managing to average almost 1k a day from that point, and I am aiming to continue that this month (inshallah!). I know that might be a really ambitious aim, but then maybe "aim for the stars and you might just hit the moon..." as the saying goes.

So in summary, this month has been much better than the last, but not as good as the one before. My play is still a work in progress, and I'll let you know when I feel it's stable. Still just need to avoid those bad days/weeks and I'll be flying along....

2008-06-25T09:05:00.006+01:00

Tilt Them

This is my strategy advice for the week. If you want the best chance that people will give you their stacks, it helps to frustrate them. When they get frustrated, by-and-large they tilt. Sometimes they will tilt by turning uber-tight, which at first sounds bad but actually allows you to bluff them to death. Most of the the times though they'll get obstinate or aggressive (the natural human reaction to frustration) and they will start playing back at you with weaker hands, or refuse to believe they are beaten.

As a player, you have several avenues available to achieve this tilt state in your opponents. You can show off your successful bluffs. You can pick off their bluffs. You can constantly raise their limps. You can constantly re-raise their raises. You can bad beat them (involuntary). You can outplay them (voluntary). You can even just needle them through trash-talk, although this is not good etiquette.

Personally, I think it's easiest to tilt someone by raising, re-raising, and outplaying them, but I'd pretty much use any means necessary. After all, this is poker - and if you're not going to go hard, you may as well go home. I managed to tilt someone this morning through a combination of raising, good play and luck (catching a few key cards in tricky spots). Because I was raising and re-raising so often, he decided to make a stand at one point....

GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH ($955.60) <-- Tilty McTilterson Subzero_666 ($633.40)

Button raised to $14. Tilty re-raised to $50. I come over the top with AKo to $136. Tilty thinks for a while, then calls....

*** FLOP *** [2h 6c Ah]
GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH checks
Subzero_666 has 15 seconds left to act <-- pause for effect
Subzero_666 bets $200
GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH has 15 seconds left to act
GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH calls $200 <-- calling and praying I'm bluffing/stupid

*** TURN *** [2h 6c Ah] [9s]
GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH checks
Subzero_666 bets $297.40, and is all in <-- easy push now the pot is so big

GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH calls $297.40 <-- can't let go of his hand
Subzero_666 shows [Kc As]
GeT_BeTTeR_FiSH shows [Qd Ac] <-- not even suited!!!

*** RIVER *** [2h 6c Ah 9s] [Kd] <-- seals the deal

Subzero_666 wins the pot ($1,278.80) with two pair, Aces and Kings

What a way to blow 160BB with TPQK. This was a donkey play from a 29/25 winning player - which means he must have been tilting to play like this. So my advice is: make your life easier, tilt someone today! :- )

Lovely non-suckout screenshot:

2008-06-23T16:35:00.003+01:00

Tough break (or Flopped Straights Never Win)

In an ironic twist of fate, I found myself today with an OESFD vs a set (and allin on the flop), a direct reversal of my last post where I lost a $1700 pot. This time however, I also had the nut straight. Here's how it played out...

Tinsley ($1/2 5-handed No Limit Hold'em)

Hero is at seat 0 with $197.
Villain is at seat 4 with $195.80.
The button is at seat 0.

XXXX posts the small blind of $1.
XXXX posts the big blind of $2.

Hero: 4c 5c

Pre-flop:
XXXX folds. Villain raises to $7. Hero
calls. XXXX folds. XXXX calls.

Flop (board: 6s 3c 2c): <-- boom!
XXXX checks. Villain bets $22.
Hero raises to $55. <-- raise with the nuts and OESFD
XXXX folds. Villain goes all-in for $188.80. <-- Villain can't let it go
Hero calls. <-- easy call, I'm at worst 70% favourite

Turn (board: 6s 3c 2c 2d): <-- not a good card (no action in this round)

River (board: 6s 3c 2c 2d Jh):
(no action in this round)

Showdown:
Villain shows 3d 3s.
Villain has 3d 3s 3c 2c 2d: full house, threes full of deuces.
Hero mucks cards.
(Hero has 4c 5c.) <-- was only 70% favourite. No biggy.

So the lesson is: don't get your money in against an OESFD, and don't get your money in with an OESFD. They are cursed I tell you, cursed!!!! Muah ha ha hahhhh..........
:- )

2008-06-20T12:00:00.003+01:00

Sigh

If only we weren't deep stacked....

Bench ($2/4 6-max No Limit Hold'em)

Villain2 is at seat 1 with $388.10.
Villain is at seat 3 with $872.17.
Hero is at seat 4 with $845.88.
The button is at seat 4.

XXXX posts the small blind of $2.
XXXX posts the big blind of $4.

Hero: Kc Ks

Pre-flop:
Villain2 calls. XXXX folds. Villain calls.
Hero raises to $26. XXXX folds.
XXXX folds. Villain2 calls. Villain calls.

Flop (board: Kh 5d 4d): <-- boom!

Villain2 checks. Villain checks. Hero bets
$64. <-- protect my hand in a multiway pot
Villain2 folds. Villain raises to $188. <-- excellent, lets get it in
Hero re-raises to $648. Villain goes all-in for
$846.17.
Hero goes all-in for $819.88. Villain
is returned $26.29 (uncalled).

Turn (board: Kh 5d 4d 8d): <-- damn, flush just got there....

(no action in this round)

River (board: Kh 5d 4d 8d 5s): <-- boom, full house!!!

(no action in this round)

Showdown:
Villain shows 6d 7d.
Villain has 6d 7d 5d 4d 8d: straight flush, eight high. <-- naturally :-/

Hero shows Kc Ks.
Hero has Kc Ks Kh 5d 5s: full house, kings full of fives.

Hand Summary:
Villain wins $1720.26 with straight flush, eight high.
---------------------------------------------------------

For those of you who are wondering, I was a 58% favourite on the flop. That said, were the situation reversed, I would have played it the exact same way. We both took the optimal line in this hand, and in the end it was all down to luck.... or lack of it, in my case.

2008-06-19T12:41:00.002+01:00

ICrushBack

It's like someone has lifted up the opposite end of the table: all the chips seem to be sliding in my direction. I'm still playing at VP$IP 27 PFR 17, and it must be optimal because my winrate is 9.7BB/100 for the past 11 days.

And, for once I have no doubt that it's not all down to luck - I'm playing well, and I can feel it every time I sit down. When I fold my steals. When I make a perfect read. When the board tells me I'm beat. When I execute a great bluff. When I don't let myself get emotional or tilt. And it feels good. It makes me want to play more, and play better.

I'm watching lots of CR vids, and along with my new mindset they seem to be really helping. I'm picking off bluffs and weak plays regularly. I'm making things difficult for my opponents. I'm mixing up my play. I'm learning new tricks again....

Anyway, not much else to report, looking forward to the weekend already and hopefully for another good week to finish the month. Here's hoping....

2008-06-13T18:58:00.003+01:00

Back in the Black

Today I did it. I managed to get out of the massive hole I was in after last weeks' consecutive losing sessions. I know I shouldn't have had such a bad week, but on the plus side this week was my best earning week I've had since going pro -winning over $5k in under 20 hours. So next week I can start earning my wages for the month and am hopefully going to continue playing as well as I have over the last 5 days.

So what has changed? Well, put simply I'm trying to play better poker. I've dropped my flop aggression slightly, but been much more selective with my c-bets, and my (now occasional) double barrels. I'm focussing more on flop textures, and consequently my hand reading is improving allowing me to make better bluffs, value bets and raises. My stats are now at a solid 22 17, and this is what I will be attempting to maintain.

I've studied several CR vids. Each has been very interesting and I have gotten a lot out of seeing the game from each fresh perspective every different CR pro offers. Hopefully the more I watch the more ideas and tips I will absorb, and be able to effectively apply at the tables.

I've been playing shorter sessions. This week I haven't played a single session over 2 hours, and I've found it really helpful. Each time I've played I've felt fresh and focussed, and by doing exercise every day in between sessions, I really think I'm enjoying the benefits referred to in "healthy body healthy mind".

Not much else to report, but I'll leave you with an interesting hand with a guy I've tangled with a lot in the past (he runs at 23 18 and loves to squeeze and 3-bet from the blinds).

$2/4 6-handed (NLHE)

Villain is at seat 1 with $733.
Hero is at seat 4 with $392.
aDonk is at seat 0 with $656.80.
The button is at seat 5.

aDonk posts the small blind of $2.
Villain posts the big blind of $4.

Hero: 9s Kc

Pre-flop:
XXXX folds. XXXX folds. Hero
raises to $14. XXXX folds. aDonk calls.
Villain re-raises to $56. <-- standard squeeze, which he'd make with ATC

Hero re-raises to $164. <-- put it to him as I really believed he was making a move

aDonk folds. Villain calls. <-- think he would have pushed a real hand here

Flop (board: 8d 3c 9d):
Villain bets $342. <-- soon as the flop comes he pushes allin INSTANTLY, with no time to take it in
Hero goes all-in for $228. <-- have to stick with my read with TPKK

Turn (board: 8d 3c 9d 4c):
(no action in this round)

River (board: 8d 3c 9d 4c Tc):
(no action in this round)

Showdown:
Villain shows Qc 7s.
Villain has Qc 7s 8d 9d Tc: queen high.
Hero shows 9s Kc.
Hero has 9s Kc 8d 9d Tc: a pair of nines.

Hand Summary:
Hero wins $794.50 with a pair of nines.

Donk call, or Hero? I'm not sure in the long term, but I'm just glad my good read got rewarded this time...

2008-06-12T09:55:00.004+01:00

Unlucky? Not that much

($1/2 6-handed) So you have TT in the BB, and an early position has raised. You take it to $24 hoping for a fold, but the raiser (who has AJo) decides to call. Very loose call imo, but at least they aren't suited ;-)

The flop comes [J J 2]. Villain: 92.6% Hero: 7.4%

Bingo for him, bad news for me. I bet out, and he smooth calls. I'm done here...

The turn comes J J 2 [T]. Villain: 15.9% Hero: 84.1%

Bingo for me, bad news for him. I check, he bets out half-pot, and I push allin. He obviously insta-calls. I see his cards, and start chanting "no Ace, no Two, no Ace, no Two, no....."

River: J J 2 T [J]. Villain: 100% Hero: Bemused.

So that wasn't the greatest start to the day, but I've had a fairly good morning otherwise, and I'm still booking winning sessions this week. Gonna finish watching a CR vid now, and think about how to improve my game. Keep me posted....

2008-06-11T09:11:00.006+01:00

Pat on the back

So it's 8:30am and I'm trying my best to play my A-game. I'm raising lots in position, only calling re-raises with strong hands out of position and speculative hands in position. I'm paying attention to my opponents stats and trying to adjust accordingly.

So I find myself in a tough spot having raised AQo on the button, and getting reraised to $25 from the SB, who is a VPIP 27 PFR 24 player. I have been raising him a lot, because that's what I do in position. So I decide he is probably trying to push me off with KJs or a low PP, and I 4-bet to $75. He thinks for just a second, then quickly pushes for $150 more.

This player has been very active whenever given opportunity, and I know he's more than capable of making moves. On the other hand, I haven't got any allin experience with him, and don't know what he could shove with. I obviously have to concede he might have KK or possibly AA, but I just don't like the timing of it. This seems more of a blind defence issue. So, I decide he's pushing a suited connector, weak A or PP from JJ-88, and I make the call.....

What does he turn over? AJs, and I give myself a pat on the back for a great read. As ever though, when making a great read I don't get any credit for it:

I was angry for a few seconds, but I got over it. After all, making the money follows making the right decisions, not vice versa. So I'm pleased with myself, if not as rich as I should be!

This week is going much better, and every day thus far has been a winning one. I feel I'm controlling pots more, being selective with my aggression and best of all believing my opponents when they bet! Hopefully this will continue and I can resume growing my bankroll on FT, which got killed last week but is still in good enough shape for $1-2.

In other news, I am now officially a whore. Not that I get paid to have sex (though it's long been a dream of mine of course), but that I got an email saying I could get paid to have a news feed on the WSOP for Betfair on my blog. After talking up the price a little I agreed (check it out on the right --> ), and I can now afford to take my girlfriend out for a meal this month ;-)

Anyway, no strategy tips this time round, hope you're all faring well, amd if anyone has any interesting HH's please email them to me and I will post and discuss. GL all.

2008-06-09T15:26:00.006+01:00

F'dInTheA

That's basically how I felt on saturday of last week. I had played for 6 days and every single session was a losing one. I lost nearly 5k in a week! There were of course some horrible beats, and I was losing lots of my coinflips, but poor play was most definitely a strong factor.

Once again I've found myself being too aggressive, and consequently either getting called down very lightly by my opponents, or being check-raised to death. My flop aggression factor for last week was 5.4! That's a sure sign I'm overdoing it, and so am toning it down big time.

Anyway, I'm still watchin CR vids and critiquing my play, and soon as I stop believing everyone's trying to double-barrel me with air I'll be back on my A-game. I even managed a winning session today, so here's hoping things improve.

An example of a hand I was doomed to lose, however I played it (a.k.a. "I hate shortstacks"). The villain had a stack of $70, so I either re-raised and win $7, or call and then lose $70 when he can't fold his obvious flush draw:

Would you call an allin on the flop (for $140 more) with just an OESD on a 2-flush board if you had only invested $60? This guy would! Of course my OESD with flush draw (not to mention gutshot straightflush) didn't hit...

And to finish off, this is a hand from this morning which shows you what running bad is really all about. Amazingly, nothing ended up broken, crushed or snapped. Apart from my spirit, will-to-live and temper, respectively.... ;- )

2008-06-06T09:32:00.002+01:00

To bet, or not to bet

For the rare occasions that I find myself out of position on the river with the nuts, I'd really like to be much better at is knowing when to bet my hand for value, and when to check to induce your opponent to bet for you. I think this is all down to accurately reading your opponents hand, and knowing their tendencies. The latter is obviously made easy through datamining and having a HUD, but the former is a little more tricky.

When I'm at the river and I'm trying to put someone on a hand, I try to consider the following things:

if the villain raised preflop: how often they raise, and the amount they raised
if they called a raise (or a re-raise) preflop: how much did they call, and what position did they call in
what was their action after the flop (check/call/raise/checkraise)
what was their action after the turn (check/call/raise/checkraise)

If my opponent has been raising every street, then it seems sensible to bet into them on the river. However, if they were only raising because they had a strong draw which has now missed, this approach will obviously not work. In that scenario, a check-raise may be the best play so that you entice at least 1 bet from them with their busted draw. This is why you need to pay attention to how your opponent plays his draws, his decent made hands, and his monsters.

My example: Villain was VP$IP 21 and PFR 18, and for this hand was on the Button to my SB. His river Aggression Factor was 2.5, which is quite high.

Table Rhea (deep 6) - $1/$2 - No Limit Hold'em
Seat 3: Villain ($409.60)
Seat 4: Hero ($468)
Hero posts the small blind of $1
LEVIATHAN0329 posts the big blind of $2
The button is in seat #3

*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Hero [7h 9h]
mypkrtime has 15 seconds left to act
mypkrtime folds
alfred-FFM folds
mepaws folds
Villain raises to $8
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero raises to $26
LEVIATHAN0329 folds
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain calls $18

The Button raised, as he had been doing lots, and so I decided to defend with 97s, hoping for a fold but if called not likely to be dominated and a concealed hand if it hits the straight. The villain thinks for a while which seems like he was thinking about mucking before calling in position.

*** FLOP *** [4c 8d 2d]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $40
Villain calls $40

OK, given that I'd put in a defining re-raise, on this ragged flop with 2 Clubs I fired a strong $40 bet into the $50 pot. The villain smooth calls my bet. At this point he could be floating with overcards, have a flush draw, a weak pair, an overpair, or a pocket pair like 77 or 55. A set is possible, but unlikely.
The pot is now $130.

*** TURN *** [4c 8d 2d] [6c]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $88
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain calls $88

Having decided that my opponent most likely on a draw that did not hit on this occasion (overcards missed, overpairs did not improve, flush draw did not complete), and having picked up an OESD, I fired again. Again, the villain calls. Here, I can rule out a set because with a fat pot and the way the board is developing with 2 flush draws and several straights, he would certainly raise to protect. There's not way he has just overcards here, unless they are AKcc or AKdd. I'm starting to think a pair and a flush draw like Ac8c, or Ad4d are quite likely, along with some suited connectors like 8c7c or 5d4d. On top of that, overpairs 99-QQ are also possible, with TT being the most likely in my mind given the preflop and flop action (figure JJ/QQ would have raised somewhere).
The pot is now $306.

*** RIVER *** [4c 8d 2d 6c] [5s]
Hero has 15 seconds left to act
Hero bets $224
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain has requested TIME
Villain folds
Uncalled bet of $224 returned to Hero
Hero wins the pot ($307)

When the river came and I had the nuts, I thought the following:
If he has a weak overpair and I check, he'll most likely check it down given my solid aggression. If I bet, he'll fold it.
If he has an unlikely stong overpair, and I check, he may bet it, but will most likely check given any 3 or 7 makes a straight. If I bet, he will most probably fold.
If he has made an unlikely 2 pair he will bet/call.
If he has made an unlikely straight he will bet/raise allin.
If he has a busted flush draw and I check, he will probably bet up to $200.

Given that the only thing I thought he would likely bet/bluff with was a busted flush draw, and that I thought there was a greater chance he was himself holding a suited connector, I decided to bet out in spite of his high river AF. I lead for 2/3 pot with the nuts and hoped the 5 had helped him, or that he couldn't lay down his overpair. After thinking, he eventually folded, which made me question my play.

How would you have played this? Would you have bet less on the river? Would you have played it at all?

2008-06-05T15:39:00.004+01:00

Stupid is as stupid does

Ok, so my last post for those who read it was pretty downbeat. I had a bad month, was playing poorly for a lot of it and my results were barely profitable as a consequence ($500 for the month - wtf??). So what was I doing wrong then, given that my first few months seemed so promising?

Well, obviously I wasn't playing well. I was calling raises with weak suited aces, limp calling with suited connnectors, and basically playing passive poker. Secondly, I was playing too high stakes on occasion, sitting down at a $5-10 game on several occasions which although very juicy, I was still unprepared for.

The other problem I noticed was that I wasn't controlling the pot size. After putting in a 3-bet with AK in position, every time I would cbet the flop unimproved I was getting check-raised and forced to relinquish almost a third of my stack. And playing usually at $2-4, that's about $140 each time.
And with such a swollen pot, those times I would hit TPTK I'd (more often than seemed fair) stack off to someone who hit their set.

So how to remedy my situation? Well, given that I desperately want to get back to the way things should be (with me beating the games consistently and growing the bankroll along with my ability), I've taken a short break from the game, decided to drop down to exclusively $1-2 NLHE, and I've joined cardrunners to give me another insight into the game. Along with studying my results on pokertracker, listening to cash plays, and with luck reading some quality poker blogs again I'm fervently hoping that I'm going to get back on track, and fast.

Things for me to remember for the future:

some hands you are doomed to lose, no matter how you play it

some hands you have to just let go, no matter how pretty they were preflop

some hands are like those girls with inviting smiles who are always down the pub: you just shouldn't touch them

Will leave you with a sick beat I took the other day after tightening up beyond belief trying to turn my results around (which nicely demonstrates the first bullet point above). We were allin on the flop of course.

Good luck at the tables people.

2008-05-30T18:53:00.002+01:00

Bad day + Bad days = Bad week

More allin preflop misery for your enjoyment/empathy....

Friday hasn't been kind. Instead, it's been one long grind, but such is life sometimes. I can recall a thousand days in the office where time went slower, so at least when it happens at home I can swear or moan or whatever makes me feel better.

Just suffered another allin preflop spade beating with AJ vs KJs, I swear I can't win a pot today. Barring an insanely good saturday, this week is going to be another negative one. Next month I'm going to review my play and give an update on my mistakes and changes required.

Monthly earnings: less than $500. May sucked. Damn lucky I have money set aside...

2008-05-29T21:22:00.002+01:00

Bad beats => Bad play => Bad day

So today I had a losing session, over 2k dumped. Lots of it was my fault, and I think I was tilting towards the end, and I'm going to be really disappointed if it means this month I have 2 losing weeks, instead of the aimed-for none.

Playing fulltime is all about the mental stamina, and you have to take things like the following on the chin, and NOT let them affect your game. (I have no qualms on naming the following villain - his play deserves nothing less).

Demopolis ($2/4 No Limit Hold'em)

luna459 is at seat 0 with $542.50.
NEruffneck is at seat 1 with $412.30.
fdelpaso is at seat 2 with $124.65.
Incrediboy is at seat 3 with $390.
Kooox is at seat 4 with $779.90.
mrrussian is at seat 5 with $1096.55.
The button is at seat 4.

mrrussian posts the small blind of $2.
luna459 posts the big blind of $4.

Incrediboy: As Ad

Pre-flop:
NEruffneck raises to $14. fdelpaso re-raises to $24.
Incrediboy re-raises to $55. Kooox folds.
mrrussian folds. luna459 folds. NEruffneck calls.
fdelpaso goes all-in for $124.65. Incrediboy goes
all-in for $390. NEruffneck calls. <--- what the hell do you think you're up against????

Flop (board: Jc 6s 3c):

Turn (board: Jc 6s 3c Js):

River (board: Jc 6s 3c Js 2c):

Showdown:
Incrediboy shows As Ad.
Incrediboy has As Ad Jc 6s Js: two pair, aces and jacks.
NEruffneck shows Tc Kc.
NEruffneck has Tc Kc Jc 3c 2c: flush, king high.
fdelpaso shows Ks Kh.
fdelpaso has Ks Kh Jc 6s Js: two pair, kings and jacks.

Hand Summary:
NEruffneck wins the main pot $376.75 with flush, king high.
NEruffneck wins the side pot $530.40 with flush, king high.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Wish me luck for tomorrow and the weekend. Hope you're all faring better than I...

2008-05-26T19:56:00.006+01:00

Summary

Here is my bank holiday weekend poker results, neatly summarised in a single picture (got him allin on the turn):

Just before this, his AK duly mastered my KK (aipf). Not a good bank holiday. Still, beats sitting outside in the rain....

2008-05-19T17:31:00.002+01:00

This

One of my readers asked me a long time ago what I find to be the most frustrating experience at the poker tables. I think the following HH perfectly illustrates my reply....

$2/4 NLHE, 5 players
Hero is at seat 2 with $522.40.
Villain is at seat 4 with $1509.20.
The button is at seat 2.
LessonsRExtra posts the small blind of $2.
Villain posts the big blind of $4.
Hero: Ac Kh
pokusKAdabra: -- --
Pre-flop:
Patishh folds. rcsox1 folds. Hero raises to
$14. LessonsRExtra folds. Villain re-raises to
$44. Hero calls.
Flop (board: 8s Ks 5s):
Villain bets $65. Hero raises to $150.
Villain re-raises to $540. Hero goes
all-in for $478.40. Villain is returned $61.60
(uncalled).
Turn (board: 8s Ks 5s 3d):
(no action in this round)
River (board: 8s Ks 5s 3d Js):
(no action in this round)
Showdown:
Villain shows 8h Ts.
Villain has Ts 8s Ks 5s Js: flush, king high.
Hero shows Ac Kh.
Hero has Ac Kh 8s Ks Js: a pair of kings.
Hand #53361920-5299 Summary:
Villain wins $1044.30 with flush, king high.

I really believe there is nothing more vexing than making a great read, following it through and then being punished for it. But, this is the life I have chosen.... so I just roll with the punches.

2008-05-15T22:52:00.003+01:00

Allin: better to call or to shove?

Here are two separate situations, where I flop an OESD and a flush draw on the flop.

Situation #1, I'm up against an unknown player at a 5-handed $2/4 table, and have just sat down:

Seat 2: Subzero_666 ($400)
Seat 4: Villain ($400)
Seat 6 is sitting out
Villain posts the small blind of $2
XXXX posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #3
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Subzero_666 [8h 9h]
XXXX folds
Subzero_666 has 15 seconds left to act
Subzero_666 raises to $14
XXXX folds
Villain calls $12
BB folds
*** FLOP *** [7h Kc 6h]
Villain checks
Subzero_666 bets $24
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain raises to $59
Subzero_666 has 15 seconds left to act
Subzero_666 raises to $209
Villain has 15 seconds left to act
Villain raises to $386, and is all in
Subzero_666 has 15 seconds left to act
Subzero_666 calls $177, and is all in
Villain shows [7s 7c]
Subzero_666 shows [8h 9h]

I knew that he had to have at least 2 pair here, and was unsurprised to see the set. I don't see myself playing this any other way though.

Situation #2, a very aggressive 6-handed $2/4 table, where I have been playing for about an hour.

Seat 1: Villain2 ($324.15) <-- very aggressive but weak
Seat 2: Villain ($293.10) <-- solid, tricky, thinking player
Seat 6: Subzero_666 ($456.70)
XXXX posts the small blind of $2
XXXX posts the big blind of $4
The button is in seat #2
*** HOLE CARDS *** Dealt to Subzero_666 [Qs Js]
XXXX folds Subzero_666 raises to $14
Villain2 calls $14
Villain has 15 seconds left to act Villain calls $14
SB folds BB folds
*** FLOP *** [Ts 5s Kh]
Subzero_666 has 15 seconds left to act
Subzero_666 checks
Villain2 bets $48 Villain raises to $96
Subzero_666 raises to $442.70, and is all in
Villain2 folds
Villain calls $183.10, and is all in
Subzero_666 shows [Qs Js]
rootsrock shows [Ks Kd]
Uncalled bet of $163.60 returned to Subzero_666

This time, I check-shove to get maximum fold equity from draws and weak hands. The only time I will normally get called though is by 2 pair or better.

I've had some doubts over whether it is best to push allin when the only time you will be called is by a better hand, or call an allin when you are an underdog and need to hit. Does anyone else play the above hands using a different line? Does anyone fold the above hands???

Comments welcome.

2008-04-30T12:17:00.002+01:00

Poker Quiz

Q. When you are allin preflop with KK with 2 other players and find that you are up against ATo and AKo respectively (making you just over 72% favourite), do you:

A. 1) Expect to win nearly 8 out of 10 times
2) Cheer out loud because you are miles in front
3) Get up, take your shirt off and do the I'm-over-70-percent-to-win dance
4) Get a sinking feeling that the river will punish you

Read on for the correct answer.....

.......

.......

For those of you who guessed answer 4), well done, go to the head of the class. For me, at least I can console myself that the sidepot wasn't for over $100. Oh, sorry, that's right: yes it was. :- (

Other than that the week is going ok so far, my broadband provider failed to provide for most of yesterday, so I only ended up working a half-day, which was nice as I got to do some reading and just relax for a while.

Anyway, in other news I'm now part of the blogburst network for the remote possibility someone wants to publish something I've written, and I've also included a button link to Phuture Frequency Radio, which is a wicked site with loads of podcasts of awesome drum'n'bass sets from various DJs. Check 'em out if you like beats and breaks.

Thats all folks.

2008-04-26T11:41:00.004+01:00

Results

Ok, for those of you who've been keen to find out exactly how I've done in my third month of going pro, here you go:

I still continue to have a week each month where I perform badly, so fixing that will definitely be my goal for next month. At least I will get a bit of rakeback to soften the blow. I'm pleased to note that my monthly $/ph value is creeping towards 100, which has been my goal since I started. I reckon soon as I can scrap my negative week then I'll have no problem hitting that mark.

THe other thing that I'm keen to start is jumping up to $2/4 6-max games on FT. I'm just waiting til my bankroll there is up to $10k before I start dabbling in those waters. I hope that when I do I will have an upturn in profits to accompany the doubling of rakeback earnt. Will obviously keep you posted on that when it happens.

Don't have much more to say right now, wanna enjoy my weekend and forget about poker for a while. That said, I did visit the Victoria casino here in London last night for half an hour to check out the live action. I only got to play at the kiddy game (50p/100p) and found it was full of donkeys. The games I saw were all ridiculously loose passive, with 'lucky hands' being played left right and centre.
I saw a 3 way allin in one pot when a 3rd club fell on the turn. One guy pushed with what must have been a gut shot or TP (maybe as a bluff?), the other came over the top with 6c2c for the actual flush, and the guy who called down both had Qc4c for the higher flush! Enough said, I'll be going back soon.

Anyway, hope you enjoy your weekend, and good luck at the tables!

2008-04-24T20:25:00.004+01:00

Can it last?

Had a really good week so far with no losing sessions, and it looks like this month will be my best to date. I'm really pleased with my play, feel that my game is very strong at the moment and I'm making some good adjustments after reviewing my stats on PT. I'm getting a decent sample of hands after nearly 3 months now, and I can easily see what hands are long term losers so anything less than borderline I'm dropping from my arsenal.

Was just playing some $1/2 6-max NL at Full Tilt, and it is amazing how much the skill level drops after 3pm (Eastern Time). I was grinding all day after an unlucky morning, but I took a break and then in just under an hour I made back nearly $1k! I'm glad that I get lots of practice against the veteran crowd, because it makes playing against recreational players so easy in comparison. I'm on track to become an Iron-Man there for the first time (woot!), and will be enjoying plenty of rakeback come next month (I've been averaging about 1500 points of play 5 days a week).

So, no complaints from me at the moment. The sun is starting to shine, and I'm looking forward to summer. I'm enjoying my new job, and I even appear to be good at it! Life is good at the moment. Hope you are all doing just as well....

2008-04-23T16:30:00.003+01:00

Advice on Tilt Control from a Pro

Not me this time folks, this advice comes from Full Tilt pro Ben Roberts. I though it was interesting to relate tilt to a primal emotion given the profound effect it has on our behaviour.

Have a read, I think it's well worth it to get another perspective on that troublesome beast 'tilt'....

2008-04-20T18:37:00.003+01:00

Playing to feel good

Whether you're a good player or an aspiring bad player (like me during a bad day), try and remember that although you may want to win every time you play poker, it isn't always going to happen. Make your life easier and don't aim for that. Try instead to play in a way which makes you feel good.

Some people feel good when they execute a great bluff. Some prefer making an excellent read, and acting upon it confidently. Others feel best when they make a tough but correct laydown. I like all of these things, and I like them best in combination. When I'm playing well, I honestly don't care about the results. I just enjoy the act of playing itself, and for a pro who may otherwise face burnout I think that's pretty important.

Those times when I'm playing below my 'A-game' is when I start to focus on results, bad beats and other such irrelevant short-term factors. You've probably heard it before, but play well and you will be rewarded over time. Play badly and you will be punished. You can't change that, but I have had to learn that the hard way!

So another week as a pro has ended, and it wasn't too bad, considering. Over the last weekend, I played about 5 hours, and managed to lose almost 3k. Some of it was due to setup hands (flopping an OESFD with 5c6c against a big donkey, playing it very aggressively and finally hitting my baby flush on the river - only to lose the eventual $1600 pot to his Kc9c). Most of it though was I think playing poorly, and so my meagre profit for that week was erased and I had another annoying negative profit week. Over the subsequent week, aside from one day where I was spewing at $1/2, I feel I played very well, and pulled my results back into the black. When I do play well, I find it so easy to recognise what it means to play badly.

I was going to title this post "How to win at mid-limit poker #4 : Don't get tricky". I wanted to outline a few donkey plays I've noticed myself making when I'm playing poorly to remind myself that I too make dumb-ass plays, and that if I can stop making them I can plug one of my biggest leaks....

Whenever I'm playing below my A-game, I notice I start getting tricky. This is a sure sign of bad play, and maybe a form of tilt for me. Getting tricky for me has recently involved:

Representing a Q on a flop of Q Q 9 on several streets (and thereby ignoring the calls of my opponent who actually holds said Q)
After 3 betting preflop with TT, check-raising when a flop of A K 3 comes down
Calling a pot sized bet on a monotone flop with an underpair (not of that suit) just to 'see what my opponent does next'
Bluff check-raising my opponent on a draw-free flop, and then continuing to bet into them after they have called

I have noticed I still have a worrying propensity to make donkey calls purely on the basis that I know I'm up against a long-term losing player. I simply ignore the large size of the river bets, tell myself they are bluffing and make the call with my weak hand. It's another of my big leaks, and I recognise it fully. I'm working on fixing it in my head, which is I guess all I really can do.

Other than practive, blog reading and reviewing my play through PT, to improve my game I've also started listening to cash plays radio podcasts with Bart Hanson taken from Poker Road. There are some interesting bits of advice in there, some from guest players. I don't agree with some of the advice, but I'm thinking about it and any interaction with poker material must be of some benefit.

Anyway, just wanted to post something as it's been a while and I haven't been particularly forthcoming of late, so hope all is well with you and that you keep me posted with life and poker in your own blogs. Catch up soon amigos...

2008-04-10T17:16:00.002+01:00

Hunting big game

Just looking for a bit of advice on situations like the one detailed below...

Loose agressive 6-handed $3/6 NLHE table.
UTG+1 has $3000
Button has $500
You are in the Big Blind, with $1600 and TT

UTG folds. UTG+1 raises to $21.
Cutoff folds. Button raises to $85.
Small Blind folds.

You are now in what could be a raising war between the original raiser and the button. What should I do here?

Obviously there is a lot of value in going for the UTG+1 stack, but that is offset by the risk that he may easily 3-bet if you call, or if you 3-bet either he or the Button may push.

I folded in this spot (and of course the flop gave me top set). Is folding TT in this spot too weak for this level? Should I be 3-betting as I will be out of position if I call? Any advice welcome...

2008-04-05T16:02:00.003+01:00

NLHE Pro Strategy

I'm still a bit uncomfortable describing myself as a pro and I'm not sure I'll ever do so without being a little self-conscious, but I guess I have no choice since in this case the shoe certainly fits.

I've been meaning to do a strategy post for a while, and want to focus today on some of the major changes I've made to my game since I turned pro at the start of February. For those who are new to my blog, I'm a No Limit Holdem cash game player with about 3 years experience. As a pro I have been playing short-handed games at limits from $1/2 to $3/6, playing up to 6 tables at once. Since then I've made over $20k, and while I still make many mistakes and have bad days, I feel that my game is far stronger than that displayed when I was playing as a hobby.

This won't be a comprehensive strategy guide, just a few points I think are worth making that may give some ideas on how to play a bit more aggressively and a bit more deceptively preflop, with some of my thought processes. I can't say it will work for everyone, but it seems to work for me and it might help some of you. As always, I welcome criticism and advice so please feel free to leave me any you may have -I'm really just like you (hopefully) in that I want to be the best player I can.

Position

If you want to be a winning player the most important thing to have in a hand is not pocket Aces but position. Sometimes you will be forced to play a hand where you will be the first player to act on every street, but you should do everything possible to make sure that most of the time you are the one in last position. If you're not already on the button you can really only achieve this through raising.

Raising

If I'm going to play and I'm entering an unraised pot, I almost always raise. 6-handed, I'm raising UTG with ATs+ and any pocket pair(PP). From UTG+1, I'll include ATo and maybe a few no-gap suited connectors 87s+. From the cutoff, include TJs+ and no-gap/1-gap suited connectors 75s+. From the button, include K9o+ and any other likely suited connector no lower than 54s.

Getting Re-raised

Raising with such a broad range really keeps your opponents guessing, and disguises your premium hands AA-QQ/AQs-AK. Opponents however will adjust and start to re-raise you more frequently, and this is where it gets interesting.

If you are out of position (i.e. the re-raise has come from a player behind you), only call if you have a low PP and have the right odds to set mine. With a strong/premium pair or AK you should 3-bet. Let go of everything else, as it's not worth playing out of position with speculative holdings. Seriously. JTs may be your favourite hand in the whole world, but life will be easier if you fold it.

If you are in position (i.e. the reraise has come from a player in front of you), you have more options. You can now occasionally call with your premium pairs and AK (instead of 3-betting), and you can now also call with your suited connectors and see a flop. Your range will thus be very wide when you are in position, and should now potentially include every possible PP, AK and a broad range of suited connectors. You can also occasionally 3-bet with suited connectors and low PPs to mix things up...

What I have noticed is that when the re-raise comes from the blinds, particularly the big blind, more often than not it's being done light. The re-raise from the blinds is also very popular when someone has raised and had several callers, creating a squeeze play. In either case, you have options. Fold your weakest speculative hands and either call and outplay them with the advantage of position, or just go ahead and 3-bet expecting a fold. It doesn't really matter, long as you mix it up when 3-betting and include enough premium hands when you do so.

Playing 'Dominate-able' Hands

What I mean by this is hands that are strong but could be dominated if they hit top pair: AQ is dominated by AK on an Ah 6s 7d flop. With such dominate-able hands (AQo, KQs, AJs), I want to try and find out before the flop if I'm dominated or not. To do this I will always re-raise if I'm out of position to the raiser, and normally re-raise in position as well. This may seem expensive, but I'd rather find out preflop if I'm up against a dominating hand, and I prefer opponents announcing AA/KK early on, rather than after I make top pair top kicker on the flop.

The only time I won't re-raise in position is if I think it's likely I'll face a light re-raise from the blinds, or if the pot is multiway and my hand is a premium drawing hand like AQs that likes multiway pots.

Calling a Raise

Out of position, the only times I'll call a raise are:

If the raise is tiny (and my hand is reasonably robust)
If the pot is multiway (and my hand is reasonably robust)
If I have a low pocket pair

There are no other times I should be calling a raise out of position. It is NOT worth trying to overcome the positional disadvantage, so I normally either raise or fold.

In position, I'm calling only if I believe I will have position for the rest of the hand, and I think it unlikely I will face a re-raise from another player. As such, I will only be calling from the cutoff or the button, and I will usually only be doing it with drawing hands or low PPs. With premium or dominate-able hands, I will of course be re-raising myself. Very very occasionally I will smooth-call with AA/KK as a trap when I think a re-raise likely either from the button or the blinds.

General Thoughts

Try and play strong hands in position.
Raise preflop whenever you can with a wide range of hands and with the aim of gaining position
Don't play dominate-able hands without raising them.
Play speculative/drawing hands in position as cheaply as possible.
If someone seems weak, raise then and there.
Don't play strong hands out of position without raising.
From the blinds: re-raise button and cutoff raises with your better hands - they are usually raising with dominate-able trash.
Put the pressure on your opponents

That's all for now, realise most of this stuff is preflop strategy, but if you just carry the outlined aggression through to the later streets you basically know how I play. Basically this style should makes things a bit easier postflop as more pressure is put on your opponents from the start. Hope some of this is helpful. Good luck all...

2008-04-03T11:47:00.005+01:00

Stunned

Monona ($3/6 No Limit Hold'em)

Cadogan is at seat 0 with $441.
lvnoffsklskyb is at seat 1 with $735.20.
sugardaddy2 is at seat 2 with $353.50.
winner_16 is at seat 3 with $282.95.
Incrediboy is at seat 4 with $595.
Hata19 is at seat 5 with $812.45.
The button is at seat 5.

Cadogan posts the small blind of $3.
lvnoffsklskyb posts the big blind of $6.

lvnoffsklskyb: -- --
Cadogan: -- -- <--- rated by MPI at -1.09 (above average)
sugardaddy2: -- --
winner_16: -- -- <--- total fish I was after, rated -44.33
Incrediboy: Tc Jc
Hata19: -- --

Pre-flop:
sugardaddy2 folds. winner_16 raises to $12.
Incrediboy calls.
Was happy to call the min-raise of the fish, and any possible re-raise with a strong SC in position.

Hata19 folds. Cadogan re-raises
to $54. lvnoffsklskyb folds. winner_16 folds.
Incrediboy calls.
This struck me as a typical squeeze play, so not necessarily a sign of premium cards.

Flop (board: Ah 8s Qc):

Cadogan bets $84. Incrediboy raises to $189.
This 3/4 lead on the pot was really fast, so I immediately pegged it as a c-bet bluff. Liking my double gutshot, I though I would shut him down now with a raise of $100.

Cadogan goes all-in for $387.
I was nearly sick when he pushed. My read was obviously miles off, and this guy must have at least TPTK, or more likely 2 pair. The pot was $700 after my ill-advised raise, and it was $200 more to call. I noted my backdoor flush draw to go with my 8 outs, and decided I was just getting the odds to call against his probable range. I was kicking myself hard and praying for a miracle as I moved my mouse to the call button....

Incrediboy calls.

Turn (board: Ah 8s Qc 6c):
A Club! Come on! King Nine or Club, King Nine or Club, King.....

River (board: Ah 8s Qc 6c 2s):
Nothing. No help. I'd just wasted $450 of my hard won dollars on a stupid suited connector. I was so mad at myself, especially as I'd been playing well all morning at the $1/2 and $2/4 tables.

Showdown:
Cadogan shows 4s 7c.
Cadogan has 7c Ah 8s Qc 6c: ace high.
Incrediboy shows Tc Jc.
Incrediboy has Tc Jc Ah 8s Qc: ace/queen high.

Hand #51980883-5373 Summary:
Incrediboy wins $897 with ace high!!!!!!
-------------------------------------------
To say I nearly died of shock is to glibly summarise the numbing disbelief and total confusion I experienced when I saw the chips come my way. I thought my eyes had failed me, that I'd misread the board somehow. Then I saw that I'd won Ace-high, and I realised that my opponent too had been bluffing. It was just a supremely happy stroke of luck his bluff was inferior to mine! And just like that, I had a new favourite hand... ;- )

2008-04-02T08:42:00.003+01:00

Stats

Just a quick post of my stats since I started as a pro:

Total hands: 79k

Vol.Put$InPot: 21.17

PreFlopRaise: 15.91

Agg.Factor PreFlop: 2.6

Agg.Factor Flop: 5.3

Agg.Factor Turn: 4.5

Agg.Factor River: 2.4

BB/100 hands: 3.14

If anyone would like to suggest things I should change (other than increasing the BB/100 score!) I'd be very interested to hear from you. I'm thinking that my river aggression is a little lacking, but I'm not sure I want to become a bigger target for check-raises when the pot is really big and I am usually bluffing ;- )

As an interesting aside, I saw that I have paid over $1200 in bad beat contributions on UB, and been rewarded with exactly $0 in wins! Guess I'm just not very (un)lucky...

Still planning on a strategy post, it's on it's way I assure you. Gonna be a big one though I think, so in keeping with tradition I'm putting it off as long as possible! Hope all is well in the real world, was going to leave you with a reminder of what things can be like in mine but the HH has disappeared. Basically I had a great hand, got allin against a fish, lost to a runner-runner straight yada yada yada etc.

2008-03-30T11:31:00.009+01:00

Another month end

Two days ago a friend of mine asked me how I dealt with the stress of having to win consistently enough at poker to pay the bills. Stopping to think about it, I realised a strange thing: I don't feel any stress in that sense. I know I should, because winning (over the long term) is the most important thing about playing for a living, but I don't seem to deal with it in that way.

Instead I operate on a performance basis whereby I analyse how I played the day before, or how I've played so far this session. If I feel my performance in either has been lacking, I berate myself for playing poorly and attempt to 'screw down' and get back to my A-game. Other than that, I don't really think about the fact that I need to win consistently. It would just be a pointless worry and prove a big waste of time/energy.

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently went on my first snowboarding trip, and it was fantastic. Obviously, I had to beg my boss for ages before he'd let me have the time off work! ;- ) Me, my girlfriend, and a big group of people from the ski club of my old company flew out to Italy and enjoyed a winding bus ride up to the ski village of Folgarida. Here is a picture of the view from the nearby slopes:

We went there with barely 4 hours of boarding lessons under our belts, no equipment and no mountain experience whatsoever. Luckily, the package we were on included 6 days of lessons and all the snowboarding gear we required - the mountain experience we were to gain the hard way!

We started off recapping the basics: toe- and heel-edge slides and 'falling leaf' maneuvres. By the end of day one we were doing garland turns down a blue run, by day two we were doing linking turns, and by the end of the week we were agreeing that snowboarding and holidays that involve snowboarding are the best things ever!

Here is another shot, this time of myself and Faye basking in the sun after a strenuous morning lesson...

We had a blast out there, ate a ton (it's not optional when you're on the slopes 7 hours a day), and came home with more injuries than I've received in 2 years of kungfu! Really was good, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys exercise, speed and danger(!), and will most likely be going again next year, probably with the same people (Equity Ski).

Anyway, back to poker and the results some of you are keen to hear. This month, with a holiday and a hallway to paint, had less than 3 working weeks available to me, but I still managed to make the most of it.

My first week I only worked 4 days (see painting), but I managed a decent number of hours and days in the remaining weeks:

My monthly average is creeping slowly upwards, and my bankroll is still growing so I can't complain. Soon as I stop having days where I lose over 5 buyins because of bad play, I might even be satisfied!

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who reads and comments on my blog, your interest and advice is all useful, and I thank you for your time and support. Also to all you bloggers out there, sorry if I haven't been active myself in the reading and commenting, will get back on it this coming week! Best of luck all....

2008-03-27T22:04:00.002Z

All in a day's work

Played several 'interesting' hands today which again show the wide range of skills you can come against on Full Tilt...

The Good
Blind war on a $1/2 table. This player was strong on the flop, smooth calling my bet after raising preflop. He became a huge favourite on the turn, but luckily I checked behind in position when I picked up my flush draw. He then called a pot sized raise after leading with a 2/3 pot bet on the river.

The Bad
This player re-raised me out of position. He bet $40 into the $50 pot on the flop. I raised to $100 having hit my set. He pushed allin and I called gladly, only to see the inevitable runner-runner flush. VNH sir, well played. Some people just can't fold AKs...

The Unbelievable
We get to the river. With the nut fullhouse and $50 in the pot, I check to induce a bluff. My opponent obliges with his busted draw. I min raise to try and extract value. Imagine my surprise when my opponent pushes for his last $15! It wasn't like I was going to fold....

2008-03-26T21:05:00.002Z

Batteries not included

$2/4 No Limit Hold'em

Villain is at seat 0 with $934.90.
Hero is at seat 5 with $799.05.
The button is at seat 4.

Hero posts the small blind of $2.
Villainposts the big blind of $4.

Villain: -- --
Player1: -- --
Player2: -- --
Player3: -- --
Player4: -- --
Hero: 8s 8h

Pre-flop:
Player1 folds. Player2 folds. Player3
folds. Player4 folds. Hero raises to $15.
Villain re-raises to $48. Hero calls.

Flop (board: 4c 2c Ks):
Hero checks. Villain checks.

Turn (board: 4c 2c Ks 5h):
Hero bets $65. Villain calls.

River (board: 4c 2c Ks 5h 8c):
Hero folds.

Hand #51993964-1427 Summary:

Villain wins $222.50.
----------------------------------------------------------------

So what happened you ask? Did I have such certainty that my opponent had the nut flush even though I hit the 2nd highest set that I spared him the effort of betting? Or did I time out and get folded by UB's software?

But why would I have timed out on such hand? The pot was big. I had a very strong hand. I knew my opponent well. All it would take was a few mouse-clicks and I would have had a shot at a good chunk of his stack. Just a few tiny movements, and a few barely audible clicks on my wireless mouse. Wireless thanks only to the combination of infrared technology, and the humble battery. Which, alas, can deplete at any time at all, however inopportune.

*sigh*

Not going to post much more, just want to go read a book ('Panic' by Jeff Abbot) and get some sleep. I'm still alive though to everyone who's been wondering where I am, and poker is still paying the bills. Will update soon about my snowboarding holiday (summary: it was awesome) and do a strategy post I've been planning for a while.

Shout out to all my friends and readers, may the deck hit you in the face and may your batteries never expire ;- )

2008-03-01T11:20:00.004Z

Month End

So it's already been a whole month as a pro. Went by pretty damn quick. But I've been enjoying it.

I had to post a letter early in the morning yesterday, and as I was walking back from the post box to the flat I saw all the people in suits and such waiting for their bus into work. I smiled to myself, not because I think less of people who work in offices but because I am happy to be taking a break from that world.

I don't miss the commute. I don't miss the banal social pleasantries exchanged with so-called 'workmates'. I don't miss the massive overhead of administrative work and policy that comes with working for a large company. With poker, work equals reward. It's a vocation in it's purest form, and I love it for that very simplicity. You put in the time and the effort, and over time you get to reap the respectable bounty.

In other words, I aint got cold feet yet. I've started well and I mean to continue improving. Sure I've made lots of mistakes. But I've learned a tonne, and am feeling capable. Next month is like a blank canvas... or maybe a blank spreadsheet. I'm gonna paint it black.

2008-02-29T10:42:00.004Z

Can't beat the fish today

Picture it. A $1/2 NLHE table full of fish. You are in the BB with AKo. The first player raises to $46. Everyone behind folds, but the small blind insta calls! You jam, for $154 on top. The original raiser sensibly folds, while the small blind again insta-calls.

The cards get flipped....

Losing to people like these, along with FTPs recent server/upgrade issues, is really making me wanna switch sites! Just kidding, really would like to win a pot today though.....