Since my last post I have been grinding away at the wee small levels, but tbh I am really struggling. I have managed a small profit of $39 over the period, absolutely pathetic. Roll now stands at $781. I am busting to just take my roll to the $1/2NL tables, fire up 4 tables and try a do or die session in an effort to give the roll a much needed boost. However I know if I lose and blow the lot then its disaster, and its hardly good prudent brm ! So I am currently fighting, and just about keeping at bay, my poker demons calls to gamble the lot, but still find the prospects of grinding the micro levels depressing.
On reflection, if I can manage to keep the desire to go to the $1/2 tarbs at bay it will be a major achievement. In the past I have at times moved up to levels for which I was not rolled ($5/10-$10/20nl), after losing sessions, in an effort to recoup the losses. Sometime, in fact quite a lot of times this strategy worked and not only did I claw back those loses but turned in a tidy profit, but that was poor bank roll management and in the end my overall poor run of play and lack of discipline led to my downfall. So discipline and trying to exercise some sort of brm is the way back, no matter how hard it is to keep those demons at bay.
I have however found some solice in keeping track of some of the other regular bloggers. I know a significant amount of poker blogs can be somewhat depressing or negative, with people posting and moaning about their bad beats and other negative points to their game, but such is poker, and it reminds me I am not alone ! On the positive front, I just live atm for more posts from master poker bloggers like luckyjimm, amatay, ukgatsby and Poker4EverandEver, who's Rob is currently in Vegas battling the cash & tourney tables. Just finished reading luckyjimms new blog on the Gutshots site, fantastic first article, this guys writing and ability to combine his poker adventures with his observations on life is fantastic and congratulations on the Gutshot on taking him onboard. Amatay on the otherhand is just a laffff, his blog is so funny, or perhaps I just have a warped sense of humour, but it cheers me up no end !
Anyway back to reading more blogs and then consider a little poker................ later.
Tuesday 22 January 2008
Friday 18 January 2008
Back to Reality
Well after promising to sell my soul to the poker Gods in exchange for my hot streak on the tarbs to continue, I returned to the grind with my head firmly in the clouds. Well I think my promises have fallen on deaf ears as in 3 sessions I have taken nothing except ass kicking after ass kicking.
I lost $63 in my first session after going bust on 3 tables and walking away from the other, next session I bust on 2 tables and was losing on the other 2 when I decided not to chase my losses and settle for another loss, this time $52. Things aint got any better on my latest session when I took another beating losing another $67 for a combined loss of $182 since my big win day. Took a few bad beats but to be fair I just found myself getting slaughtered by bigger pairs/sets or better straighs and flushes, etc, etc, etc.
Looking back on my one day hot streak, I just think I got lucky and found a day when there were an inordinate amount of fish at the tables, but at least I did manage to sort of maximise my profit margine at their expense. Since then its back to the grind and back down to earth with a bump. Was seriously considering moving up to $1/2 with what was left of my roll, $742, just to get away from some of these 'call with anything' fish, but took a step back and realised that was the onset of tilt, so have to re-group my thoughts, concentrate, get back to solid ABC stuff and hopefully the rest will follow?
I lost $63 in my first session after going bust on 3 tables and walking away from the other, next session I bust on 2 tables and was losing on the other 2 when I decided not to chase my losses and settle for another loss, this time $52. Things aint got any better on my latest session when I took another beating losing another $67 for a combined loss of $182 since my big win day. Took a few bad beats but to be fair I just found myself getting slaughtered by bigger pairs/sets or better straighs and flushes, etc, etc, etc.
Looking back on my one day hot streak, I just think I got lucky and found a day when there were an inordinate amount of fish at the tables, but at least I did manage to sort of maximise my profit margine at their expense. Since then its back to the grind and back down to earth with a bump. Was seriously considering moving up to $1/2 with what was left of my roll, $742, just to get away from some of these 'call with anything' fish, but took a step back and realised that was the onset of tilt, so have to re-group my thoughts, concentrate, get back to solid ABC stuff and hopefully the rest will follow?
Tuesday 15 January 2008
All nighter
Played two unbelievable sessions yesterday, winning on both and as a result things are looking pretty good atm.
The first session was played yesterday afternoon while I sat watching the snooker. I know total concentration should be the order of the day with no distractions, but I find playing poker with any other sport on the TV in the background somehow helps me relax. Anyway I took my usual $80 off to 4 tables at the micro limits and almost immediately started to tear the tables apart. I mean I could do no wrong, I was getting some unbelievable hands pre flop which just turned into monsters on the flop and beyond. Pocket pair after pocket pair making the set on the flop, my flush draws all falling into place and my soooted connectors actually connecting and the little micro fishies caught hook line and sinker ! It was unbelievable, just about everything working out for one and at the end of that session I finished with $256 across the four tarbs for a profit of $176, almost 9 buy-ins up, awesome for the micro games.
Roll now up to $552
Later last night, well much later, I was burning the midnight oil, watching the 888.com tourney on Sky. I decided to get my laptop out and play a few hands whilst watching the tourney. With my confidence high from my afternoon win I proceeded to destroy the little micro fish with a session that finished at 6.15 am this morning with me totally shattered. Again I was catching some massive hands and getting maximum value out of them for some very decent pots for the micro levels. Once the TV poker finished I found myself up just over $130 and with my confidence sky high I decided to move up a level to $0.25/0.50. Things continued much the same and I soon settled into a nice rythm, dominating the tables with an aggressive image and picking up pot after pot, hooking fish after fish. It was like a conveyor belt of little fish queueing up, as one fish went busto another soon took his place and so on. One hand that stands out, it was an example of how well I was running and also showing that I had more than my fair share of luck thrown in for good measure. In middle position I was dealt 72 sooooted and decided to raise ! Shit play I know, but I really felt invincible, got three callers and the flop came a beautiful Boeing 727, how lucky was that, bust two payers with that and took a serious amount of verbals ! I ended up the session totally shattered but with a healthy profit of $372, making my profit for the day a very nice $548. This has totally transformed my roll from a paultry $376 to a much healthier looking $924 in one day.
I dont know what happened yesterday but across the two sessions I really could do no wrong. The only explaination I can put forward is that the poker Gods had a quick read over my blog and felt a little guilty at the shit they had dealt me of late...................lol. I really was running unbelievably hot. I know of many poker players who hit rich veins of form which can last several days, weeks or even months, can this be my turn? I dont know, I sincerely hope so, but I am now watching the afternoon snooker again, just chillin and once its over I am going to take myself off to a darkened room for a little meditation and deep prayer to the poker Gods, offering them my soul in exchange for this hot poker streak to continue..........
Think I will try to take in another late night session tonight, but return back to my $0.10/0.20 tables and continue to grind.
Onwards and upwards.
The first session was played yesterday afternoon while I sat watching the snooker. I know total concentration should be the order of the day with no distractions, but I find playing poker with any other sport on the TV in the background somehow helps me relax. Anyway I took my usual $80 off to 4 tables at the micro limits and almost immediately started to tear the tables apart. I mean I could do no wrong, I was getting some unbelievable hands pre flop which just turned into monsters on the flop and beyond. Pocket pair after pocket pair making the set on the flop, my flush draws all falling into place and my soooted connectors actually connecting and the little micro fishies caught hook line and sinker ! It was unbelievable, just about everything working out for one and at the end of that session I finished with $256 across the four tarbs for a profit of $176, almost 9 buy-ins up, awesome for the micro games.
Roll now up to $552
Later last night, well much later, I was burning the midnight oil, watching the 888.com tourney on Sky. I decided to get my laptop out and play a few hands whilst watching the tourney. With my confidence high from my afternoon win I proceeded to destroy the little micro fish with a session that finished at 6.15 am this morning with me totally shattered. Again I was catching some massive hands and getting maximum value out of them for some very decent pots for the micro levels. Once the TV poker finished I found myself up just over $130 and with my confidence sky high I decided to move up a level to $0.25/0.50. Things continued much the same and I soon settled into a nice rythm, dominating the tables with an aggressive image and picking up pot after pot, hooking fish after fish. It was like a conveyor belt of little fish queueing up, as one fish went busto another soon took his place and so on. One hand that stands out, it was an example of how well I was running and also showing that I had more than my fair share of luck thrown in for good measure. In middle position I was dealt 72 sooooted and decided to raise ! Shit play I know, but I really felt invincible, got three callers and the flop came a beautiful Boeing 727, how lucky was that, bust two payers with that and took a serious amount of verbals ! I ended up the session totally shattered but with a healthy profit of $372, making my profit for the day a very nice $548. This has totally transformed my roll from a paultry $376 to a much healthier looking $924 in one day.
I dont know what happened yesterday but across the two sessions I really could do no wrong. The only explaination I can put forward is that the poker Gods had a quick read over my blog and felt a little guilty at the shit they had dealt me of late...................lol. I really was running unbelievably hot. I know of many poker players who hit rich veins of form which can last several days, weeks or even months, can this be my turn? I dont know, I sincerely hope so, but I am now watching the afternoon snooker again, just chillin and once its over I am going to take myself off to a darkened room for a little meditation and deep prayer to the poker Gods, offering them my soul in exchange for this hot poker streak to continue..........
Think I will try to take in another late night session tonight, but return back to my $0.10/0.20 tables and continue to grind.
Onwards and upwards.
Sunday 13 January 2008
Up, Down, Up ,Down !
Hi Folks,
Have played seven sessions since my last post and have finished up winning on three of those sessions and losing on four, very frustrating week of play on the micro levels.
One session that stands out to me was my first losing session. I played my usual 4 tables at £0.10/0.20 with $20 buy in at each table. After 70 minutes play I was up on 3 tables and slightly down on the fourth, for total profit of around $63, give or take a few cents. Then on table one I found myself on the BB with Ad Kd. I had $39 at this table having almost doubled up with some solid ABC poker and thought I would play this aggressively if checked to me, but the other big stack at the table in mid position made a large pre flop raise. Unusually all folded round to me and I just flat called. The flop came J73 all diamonds, I had flopped the nuts ! I thought for a while and the made a pot size bet. Villian the came over the top and went all-in, he had me covered so any call would have me all-in too. WTF, I was in the lead, a nice double through, what could he have? two diamonds? didnt matter I had the nuts, nah most likely flopped a set. I had to call, a no brainer really, so all-in I went. Cards on their backs and show my flopped nut flush and as thought the villian show pocket 7's for the set. OK I thought, I'm in the lead but in a race, ok poker Gods let me hold on here. Turn brought a fairly benign 4 of clubs. Nice now dont pair the board on the river please. River comes a 4 of hearts making his boat .......................WTF, runner runner to take me out, the poker Gods are at it again ! $39 down, time to sit out on this table for a few hands and re-group.
Then on table two, two hands later, I play this, 67 hearts in mid position. With $42 at this table I decided (possibly through a bit of tilt) to play it aggressively, so make a large pre flop raise. I get called by the SB & BB. Flop comes 5h, 8d Qh, giving me a flush draw and up & down str8 draw. Time for an aggressive continuation bet, so I make a pot size bet. SB folds and BB calls. Turn card, 3 of spades. Now that can be no help to anybody I think, so decide to continue to be the aggressor and fire out another pot size bet on my semi bluff. Villian thinks and then calls. Hmmmm has he the Queen? This player was another big stack but had won several hands on dubious calls, calling with mid pair etc. I had 15 outs on the river so still in with a chance of taking this down and even if I miss well there is still the bluff option, I had after all been the one betting right through the hand, so representing strength. River brings a 2 of clubs. Dam I had missed the lot, so time for a bluff. I decide to go all-in, after all the board wasnt that bad. Villian almost runs the clock down and calls turning over the Ace & 2 of hearts ...............OMG................. he called with a pair of 2's, how could he call that? OK he had a nut flush draw and gut shot str8 draw going to the river but wtf, he missed and caught bottom pair??????? The muppet then goaded me to reload saying he had a read on me. Bollocks, I had only seen 14% of flops prior to this hand and had only played premium hands and won all my show downs except one where my AQ lost to AK on an Ace high board, so solid play, so no way had he any sort of read on me. I sit out on this table and think about what had just happened at the two tables. I had lost most of my profit and two buy-ins at two tables in a few hands. Time to quit. In the other two tables I was treading water on one, totally card dead, down to $17 for a $3 loss and on my final table I was up to $45 and a $25 profit. So all i all I was down $18 after being up $73 !
Studying this session I came up with 3 points. Firstly the one good point, I had sat out in the two tables where I had just been busted, reassessed my game and decide to call it a day rather than chase my losses, in days gone by I would have chassed those losses and usually gone bust. Secondly and the first of the two bad points, I played the second hand, 67 suited, possibly with a bit of tilt setting in, following the previous table bad beat, and that hand leads me onto the third point, my semi-bluff. One thing I have noticed playing on the micro levels is that people just dont put hands down, they cannot be bluffed. They have an Ace therefore they must win the hand, they have a pair, no matter how many over cards on the board, so they must call ! Before losing my roll late last year, I played mostly at $2/4 and $3/6 multi-tabling on ipoker. At those levels such a bluff with my 67 suited would have worked. I know I have won with such a play on numerous occasions. No player at that level would risk his stack with bottom pair after missing his draws, not when faced by a player who had shown aggression all through the hand and had now placed an all-in on the river, with the pot now at several hundred dollars. But at micro levels the combination of inexperience and the low amounts mean the fish continue to call. I suppose it works both ways, when you play your premium hands you know you will get paid off by some fish calling with his low pair. Well lesson learnt on that session.
So as the week worked out I finished up with an overall loss of $63, not great for a weeks grind but I now know that it is gonna take me a lot longer than anticipated to get out of these micro games. I still cannot financially afford to deposit any amount to my account for several weeks yet and dont know who would give a loan to a compulsive gambler/poker player. Oh poker Gods please get me back to the higher levels asap so I can regain my sanity.
So my roll is now down to $376, still an overall profit of $226 for year so far, so really must not complain too much. Roll on the big times.....lol.
Good luck at the tables.
Have played seven sessions since my last post and have finished up winning on three of those sessions and losing on four, very frustrating week of play on the micro levels.
One session that stands out to me was my first losing session. I played my usual 4 tables at £0.10/0.20 with $20 buy in at each table. After 70 minutes play I was up on 3 tables and slightly down on the fourth, for total profit of around $63, give or take a few cents. Then on table one I found myself on the BB with Ad Kd. I had $39 at this table having almost doubled up with some solid ABC poker and thought I would play this aggressively if checked to me, but the other big stack at the table in mid position made a large pre flop raise. Unusually all folded round to me and I just flat called. The flop came J73 all diamonds, I had flopped the nuts ! I thought for a while and the made a pot size bet. Villian the came over the top and went all-in, he had me covered so any call would have me all-in too. WTF, I was in the lead, a nice double through, what could he have? two diamonds? didnt matter I had the nuts, nah most likely flopped a set. I had to call, a no brainer really, so all-in I went. Cards on their backs and show my flopped nut flush and as thought the villian show pocket 7's for the set. OK I thought, I'm in the lead but in a race, ok poker Gods let me hold on here. Turn brought a fairly benign 4 of clubs. Nice now dont pair the board on the river please. River comes a 4 of hearts making his boat .......................WTF, runner runner to take me out, the poker Gods are at it again ! $39 down, time to sit out on this table for a few hands and re-group.
Then on table two, two hands later, I play this, 67 hearts in mid position. With $42 at this table I decided (possibly through a bit of tilt) to play it aggressively, so make a large pre flop raise. I get called by the SB & BB. Flop comes 5h, 8d Qh, giving me a flush draw and up & down str8 draw. Time for an aggressive continuation bet, so I make a pot size bet. SB folds and BB calls. Turn card, 3 of spades. Now that can be no help to anybody I think, so decide to continue to be the aggressor and fire out another pot size bet on my semi bluff. Villian thinks and then calls. Hmmmm has he the Queen? This player was another big stack but had won several hands on dubious calls, calling with mid pair etc. I had 15 outs on the river so still in with a chance of taking this down and even if I miss well there is still the bluff option, I had after all been the one betting right through the hand, so representing strength. River brings a 2 of clubs. Dam I had missed the lot, so time for a bluff. I decide to go all-in, after all the board wasnt that bad. Villian almost runs the clock down and calls turning over the Ace & 2 of hearts ...............OMG................. he called with a pair of 2's, how could he call that? OK he had a nut flush draw and gut shot str8 draw going to the river but wtf, he missed and caught bottom pair??????? The muppet then goaded me to reload saying he had a read on me. Bollocks, I had only seen 14% of flops prior to this hand and had only played premium hands and won all my show downs except one where my AQ lost to AK on an Ace high board, so solid play, so no way had he any sort of read on me. I sit out on this table and think about what had just happened at the two tables. I had lost most of my profit and two buy-ins at two tables in a few hands. Time to quit. In the other two tables I was treading water on one, totally card dead, down to $17 for a $3 loss and on my final table I was up to $45 and a $25 profit. So all i all I was down $18 after being up $73 !
Studying this session I came up with 3 points. Firstly the one good point, I had sat out in the two tables where I had just been busted, reassessed my game and decide to call it a day rather than chase my losses, in days gone by I would have chassed those losses and usually gone bust. Secondly and the first of the two bad points, I played the second hand, 67 suited, possibly with a bit of tilt setting in, following the previous table bad beat, and that hand leads me onto the third point, my semi-bluff. One thing I have noticed playing on the micro levels is that people just dont put hands down, they cannot be bluffed. They have an Ace therefore they must win the hand, they have a pair, no matter how many over cards on the board, so they must call ! Before losing my roll late last year, I played mostly at $2/4 and $3/6 multi-tabling on ipoker. At those levels such a bluff with my 67 suited would have worked. I know I have won with such a play on numerous occasions. No player at that level would risk his stack with bottom pair after missing his draws, not when faced by a player who had shown aggression all through the hand and had now placed an all-in on the river, with the pot now at several hundred dollars. But at micro levels the combination of inexperience and the low amounts mean the fish continue to call. I suppose it works both ways, when you play your premium hands you know you will get paid off by some fish calling with his low pair. Well lesson learnt on that session.
So as the week worked out I finished up with an overall loss of $63, not great for a weeks grind but I now know that it is gonna take me a lot longer than anticipated to get out of these micro games. I still cannot financially afford to deposit any amount to my account for several weeks yet and dont know who would give a loan to a compulsive gambler/poker player. Oh poker Gods please get me back to the higher levels asap so I can regain my sanity.
So my roll is now down to $376, still an overall profit of $226 for year so far, so really must not complain too much. Roll on the big times.....lol.
Good luck at the tables.
Saturday 5 January 2008
The Grind
Well folks, first of all Happy New Year to you fish. Hope all goes well on the tables this year.
Following my disasterous end to 2007, the only way for me is up, but it will be a slow process. I dont have the money at the minute to make a decent deposit to my accounts, unless anyone knows where a poker player can get a loan? So in an effort to feed my compulsive addiction to poker I decided to cash in some of my VIP action points on one of my ipoker accounts, giving me $150. With this I have decided to go down to the micro limits and just grind in an effort to get back to some form of a roll, until I can afford to make a substantial deposit to my account.
So my grinding efforts commenced a few days ago on the $0.10/0.20 levels !!!!!!!! Started with a bit of a gamble by playing 4 tables with the max $20 buy-in. I bust out on one table reloaded and grinded away, finishing after 4 hours and walking away from the 4 tables with $243, for an overall profit of $143 and the roll up to $293, a winning day for the first time in a long while.
Day two and more of the same, 4 tables and grinded up to $188 for a profit of $88 over another 4 hours, nothing great but its still the right direction. Since then I have managed another small profit, despite the usual bad beats and the poker Gods still favouring the fish who call my hands, (had AA beat again this time by 62?) I now have my roll, if u can call it that, up to $439, after some 13 hours play over 3 days, profit of $289. This level really is a serious grind but I must learn to come to terms with it. I hope to move up to $0.25/0.50 if I can get up to $1k or so. Almost half way to that next level, but I am in no rush. I am finding this a real challenge and do struggle at times as you can imagine the fish at this level really are fish in the truest sense of the word and call, chase and bluff, playing almost any two cards.
So can I do it? Well I am still almost $17K down on last years end and am determined to recoup those losses and return a profit. Its true back to basics stuff and in many ways a humbling experience but at least I am back at the tables for my poker fix.
Anyway its a start and like I said before........the only way is up!
Following my disasterous end to 2007, the only way for me is up, but it will be a slow process. I dont have the money at the minute to make a decent deposit to my accounts, unless anyone knows where a poker player can get a loan? So in an effort to feed my compulsive addiction to poker I decided to cash in some of my VIP action points on one of my ipoker accounts, giving me $150. With this I have decided to go down to the micro limits and just grind in an effort to get back to some form of a roll, until I can afford to make a substantial deposit to my account.
So my grinding efforts commenced a few days ago on the $0.10/0.20 levels !!!!!!!! Started with a bit of a gamble by playing 4 tables with the max $20 buy-in. I bust out on one table reloaded and grinded away, finishing after 4 hours and walking away from the 4 tables with $243, for an overall profit of $143 and the roll up to $293, a winning day for the first time in a long while.
Day two and more of the same, 4 tables and grinded up to $188 for a profit of $88 over another 4 hours, nothing great but its still the right direction. Since then I have managed another small profit, despite the usual bad beats and the poker Gods still favouring the fish who call my hands, (had AA beat again this time by 62?) I now have my roll, if u can call it that, up to $439, after some 13 hours play over 3 days, profit of $289. This level really is a serious grind but I must learn to come to terms with it. I hope to move up to $0.25/0.50 if I can get up to $1k or so. Almost half way to that next level, but I am in no rush. I am finding this a real challenge and do struggle at times as you can imagine the fish at this level really are fish in the truest sense of the word and call, chase and bluff, playing almost any two cards.
So can I do it? Well I am still almost $17K down on last years end and am determined to recoup those losses and return a profit. Its true back to basics stuff and in many ways a humbling experience but at least I am back at the tables for my poker fix.
Anyway its a start and like I said before........the only way is up!
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