GROG BLOG- A DAILY REVIEW OF POKER HANDS AND OTHER THOUGHTS

Relaunch Time

2010-01-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

Time to face facts.... winning and losing months notwithstanding, I'm slightly down now in the last 110k hands of 400nl I've played. Monthwise, I did $23k in September, but this disguises the fact that at one point that month I was up $35k. I then dropped $10k in November, before recovering and winning $17k in December. January, I've had multiple resets/ new targets/ change of site/ strategy/ outlook etc, all for a current deficit of $10k.

Blog when I'm losing, I only blog when I'm looooosing.

I don't intend on losing, or breaking even, any more.

I'm going to be redefining my outlook and strategy in this blog, and so I'm going to make this blog private. Anyone who wants to read, just comment in this post and ask and I'll probably let you... I just don't want to be in some kind of levelling war with the super aggro UB regs given that I'm going to go into quite a bit of detail re my strategy and goals.

So, last public post for now... now for the main thing....

http://grogheadflowanalysis.blogspot.com/ is the address, but yeah if anyone wants to read just say so, so I can 'vet' u :)

Session 15

2009-12-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hands: 2452
Winnings: $1808

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 6
River Spots: 9
Timing: 6
Slow but Steady: 7
Overall: 7/10

I don't think I've ever played this long a session before. What initially was going to be just a short but sweet 45 minute one turned into over 6 hours. The reason it went on so long is because I felt myself playing so well, and yet was losing so much.... graph.

It's pretty mental how my swings at 2-4 at the moment are. Being $3.5k down at one point to finish $1.8k up was nice, but not something I want to repeat. Handwise I played well for the most part, a couple of PF spots that I need to improve on. I was enjoying it anyway and playing super creatively...

Lol-est, and most butchered, hand of the day.

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	PAPAGENIUS	$1,622.95
UTG+1	DUCKSLAYER2K	$810.05
CO	HAMAZRIYA3	$759.50
BTN	Hero	$819.45
SB	CALPICO	$796
BB	RUNET666777	$1,813.25

Pre-Flop ($12, 6 players)Hero is BTN

3 folds, Hero raises to $12, CALPICO calls $10, RUNET666777 raises to $54, Hero calls $42, CALPICO calls $42

Flop ($168, 3 players)

CALPICO bets $88, RUNET666777 folds, Hero calls $88

Turn ($344, 2 players)

CALPICO checks, Hero bets $155, CALPICO raises to $386, Hero calls $231

River ($1,116, 2 players)

CALPICO checks, Hero bets $290.45, CALPICO folds

Final Pot: $1,406.45

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,402.95 (net +$583.50)
CALPICO lost $529
RUNET666777 lost $55

Session 16 coming up....

dan

Session 14

2009-12-20T17:02:00.000-08:00

Hands: 482
Winnings: -$592

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 6
River Spots: 9
Timing: 6
Slow but Steady: 7
Overall: 6/10

Meh, I need to go back to the drawing board before I (for the 4th time this month) hit $7k then go right back down to 0.

A few things... firstly, I've hit on why I feel so damn uncomfortable on full tilt. It's because I don't have any reeeeeads on anybody. Like, AP as been my home for about 3 years. Without before really realising it, I know which regs can fold, which regs can bluff, which regs are incapable of thin value. Which regs don't ever fold to cbets, which regs always peel then fold. Etc. This info is just massive.

I'm sure now this is the reason I feel so onipotent (good word imo) on UB/AP, and so lost on full tilt. How to address it? Well firstly, I'm going to put some sessions in on UB to regain confidence (and $!), then I'm going to do some serious analysing of villain's play on ftp. I certainly seem to be up against the same group of 10-12 regs on full tilt so this exercise is crucial.

Secondly, a blog I read of Samoleus's recently interested me. He's had like 3 losing months in a row, and it comes at a time of financial uncertainty for him what with going through a divorce etc. Essentially, he realised that during this time he's been playing poker 'for the money' rather than what he initially got into it for, the love of it. This is something I need to remember, in particular how I used to get a kick from crushing and dicking with anyone and everybody. This is going to be my mantra going into session 15, and beyond.....

dan

Session 13

2009-12-19T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hands: 1052
Winnings: -$3370

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 6
River Spots: 9
Timing: 6
Slow but Steady: 7
Overall: 6/10

Such a weird session, after 1000 hands I'd lost a ton of flips, and there's a neat row of -$400 losses in my hem, and absolutely no winning hands of over $100. I don't really have to be worried from this. However, I do need to tighten up to 3bets PF, that is what I'll be concenctrating on in this session. In addition, given my 100% button raising, I need to cbet less.... I'm getting exactly zero respect.

45 minute session 14 coming up, no spew and solidiy PF is the goal.

dan

Session 12

2009-12-19T03:22:00.000-08:00

Hands: 552
Winnings: $1342

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 9
River Spots: 9
Timing: 8
Slow but Steady: 7
Overall: 9/10

Best session yet probably, felt super in control at all times.

River, too thin? I really didn't think so, but meh:

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	IMRAZIN	$707
UTG+1	urbandb888	$1,573.40
CO	Hellsen	$800
BTN	Hero	$1,705.10
SB	Salavas	$191.80
BB	uberpwnage314	$1,206.90

Pre-Flop ($10.50, 6 players)Hero is BTN

2 folds, Hellsen raises to $12, Hero calls $12, 1 fold, uberpwnage314 raises to $52, Hellsen calls $40, Hero calls $40

Flop ($162.50, 3 players)

uberpwnage314 checks, Hellsen bets $125, Hero calls $125, uberpwnage314 folds

Turn ($412.50, 2 players)

Hellsen checks, Hero checks

River ($412.50, 2 players)

Hellsen bets $280, Hero goes all-in $1,527.35, Hellsen calls $342.25

Final Pot: $2,562.10

Hellsen shows

Hero shows

Hellsen wins $1,654 (net +$854)
Hero collects $905.10 (net -$800.00)
uberpwnage314 lost $52.75

Was just about to play, but only had 3 hours of sleep. Going to nap for another hour first then do some FTP 6 tabling.....

dan

Session 11

2009-12-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hands: 1015
Net Winnings: $714

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 9
River Spots: 9
Timing: 8
Slow but Steady: 7
Overall: 8/10

A gooood session, I had 3 draws/ megadraw hands on turn spots where I jammed all 3. I posted them in Bobbos bible forum, so won't go over them here.

A few other spots.

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 4 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

CO	jdftkd	$875
BTN	Hero	$879.50
SB	Hellsen	$805
BB	digeri	$574.40

Pre-Flop ($9, 4 players)Hero is BTN

1 fold, Hero raises to $12, 1 fold, digeri calls $8

Flop ($29, 2 players)

digeri checks, Hero bets $22, digeri raises to $68, Hero raises to $199, digeri goes all-in $561.65, Hero calls $362.65

Turn ($1,152.30, 2 players, 1 all-in)

River ($1,152.30, 2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $1,152.30

Hero shows

digeri shows

digeri wins $1,150.30 (net +$575.90)
Hero lost $574.40

Probably a little deep, but sometimes you have to fight the FTP fire with fire. I'm rarely completely smoked is my reasoning, though calling flop to see a blank turn is something I do a fair bit and probably could have done here.

Next hand, oh but for a river jam. Don't think it's possible though....

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	GL2U	$790.25
UTG+1	vtpp123	$1,184.25
CO	Sjing Sjong	$1,729.70
BTN	FreddyBleep	$861.25
SB	Hero	$1,643.90
BB	Hellsen	$900.65

Pre-Flop ($10.50, 6 players)Hero is SB

1 fold, vtpp123 raises to $12, 2 folds, Hero calls $10, Hellsen calls $8

Flop ($40.50, 3 players)

Hero bets $19, Hellsen folds, vtpp123 calls $19

Turn ($78.50, 2 players)

Hero bets $55, vtpp123 calls $55

River ($188.50, 2 players)

Hero bets $160, vtpp123 raises to $448, Hero calls $288

Final Pot: $1,084.50

Hero shows

vtpp123 shows

Hero wins $1,081.50 (net +$546.75)
Hellsen lost $12.75
vtpp123 lost $534.75

2 hour long session with no major mistakes was pleasing.... UB's looking dead again, so session 12 will be another FTP-athon. Just need to keep an eye on PF (I'm keeeping it simple for now to avoid big mistakes) and timing on big decisions.

dan

Session 10

2009-12-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

Hands: 513
Net Winnings: -$702

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 9
River Spots: 9
Timing: 7
Slow but Steady: 7
Overall: 8/10

Weird sort of session, just didn't have any spots in which I can make money, whilst I think losing the minimum in hands that went against me. I didn't have any *shame* hands at least, though I could have found a fold here or at least called turn called river.... risk reward wise shoving turn is really awful...

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	MRMAHONE	$364.30
UTG+1	Hero	$422
CO	ADUBERT1	$400
BTN	TRYAN60	$403.60
SB	WHITELOTUS80	$396
BB	RE_MOGUL	$414

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG+1

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, ADUBERT1 calls $14, 3 folds

Flop ($34, 2 players)

Hero bets $19, ADUBERT1 calls $19

Turn ($72, 2 players)

Hero bets $48, ADUBERT1 raises to $145, Hero goes all-in $389, ADUBERT1 calls $222

River ($828, 2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $828

Hero shows

ADUBERT1 shows

ADUBERT1 wins $802.50 (net +$402.50)
Hero collects $22 (net -$400)

Still really focussing on keeping the mental side of my game intact for session 11. Just scanned the UB lobby and games aren't looking great, so I'm going to square up to FTP some more. ~45 minute session no serious spew is the goal, and the rest should follow.

dan

Session 9 - I win on FTP!

2009-12-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hands: 674
Net Winnings: $1333

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 9
River Spots: 9
Timing: 4
Slow but Steady: 2
Overall: 6/10

Session was decent, combined rungood with plenty of control. Until, the very last hand which I'm furious about:

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 4 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

CO	Yongsuk Chang	$460.05
BTN	onz3145	$1,169.25
SB	Hero	$912.85
BB	13Bucks	$400

Pre-Flop ($9, 4 players)Hero is SB

Yongsuk Chang raises to $12, onz3145 calls $12, Hero raises to $55, 1 fold, Yongsuk Chang folds, onz3145 calls $43

Flop ($129, 2 players)

Hero bets $59, onz3145 calls $59

Turn ($247, 2 players)

Hero bets $178, onz3145 calls $178

River ($603, 2 players)

Hero bets $620.10, onz3145 calls $620.10

Final Pot: $1,843.20

onz3145 shows

Hero shows

onz3145 wins $1,841.20 (net +$928.35)
Hero lost $912.85
Yongsuk Chang lost $12.75

A decent call to be sure, but I shouldn't be giving him the chance to make that call. I don't mind the turn barrel, but on this board the turn FE = the river FE.

So, the FTP monkey is temporarily off my back..... not going to give it chance to reappear today. Session 10 will be 6 tables of UB. Mentally Im probably 6.8/10 so really important to concentrate, and focus on playing a ~ 45 minute session with no major mistakes. (and especially no outright spew).

dan

Session 8

2009-12-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hands: 703
Net Winnings: $2069

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 9
River Spots: 9
Timing: 4
Slow but Steady: 8
Overall: 8/10

MUST REMEMBER TO TIME SOMETIMES

Played decently well again, no major spews but a few minor/ close technical mistakes I got wrong.

This one, fold or call?

$3/$6 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	FROLLY1122	$297.75
UTG+1	BRYANMAC222	$865
CO	SECRETIVE	$264
BTN	Hero	$1,441.95
SB	INAMAZON	$1,558.15
BB	TRAVIGLIONE	$389

Pre-Flop ($9, 6 players)Hero is BTN

1 fold, BRYANMAC222 raises to $12, 1 fold, Hero calls $12, INAMAZON raises to $60, 1 fold, BRYANMAC222 folds, Hero calls $48

Flop ($138, 2 players)

INAMAZON bets $80, Hero calls $80

Turn ($298, 2 players)

INAMAZON bets $200, Hero calls $200

River ($698, 2 players)

INAMAZON bets $500, Hero calls $500

Final Pot: $1,698

There's obviously a lot of factors pushing it either way. Firstly, the board ran out good to barrel on. Whether he then fires the river with bluffs I'm not sure about, but I gave it ~50%. I think he would value bet worse, specifically AK, but maybe not to this betsize. Then again, he should percieve me to have something like KQ a lot so maybe should be betting less to eke out more value vs my perceived weak range. I think on balance it's a call.... I'm behind 9 combos of hands essentially not counting flushes....

This hand was *I swear* a misclick pre. As in, I meant to call, but only the original $20, obv not the 3bet. Worked out though. Important in these spots to resist the temptation to raise the turn, vs an overpair there's like 2 7s and 2 xx overpair to kill me, and it can hurt when you call turn and get spiked then don't even get to claim the 'EV' like you do when you shove turn.

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	MOE52	$1,589.65
UTG+1	TRYOUTER	$796
CO	ODDPLAY	$341.40
BTN	Hero	$1,027.20
SB	BRITTANYWINS	$1,115.70
BB	MELLI69	$208

Pre-Flop ($12, 6 players)Hero is BTN

MOE52 raises to $20, TRYOUTER raises to $64, 1 fold, Hero calls $64, 2 folds, MOE52 folds

Flop ($160, 2 players)

TRYOUTER bets $116, Hero calls $116

Turn ($392, 2 players)

TRYOUTER bets $164, Hero calls $164

River ($720, 2 players)

TRYOUTER checks, Hero bets $682.20, TRYOUTER calls $451

Final Pot: $1,853.20

Hero shows

TRYOUTER shows

Hero wins $1,850.20 (net +$823)
MOE52 lost $21
TRYOUTER lost $796

Finally this one, he's supposed to have 67 I suppose....

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 3 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

BTN	MRMAHONE	$511.95
SB	Hero	$717
BB	TRYOUTER	$794

Pre-Flop ($6, 3 players)Hero is SB

MRMAHONE folds, Hero raises to $16, TRYOUTER calls $12

Flop ($32, 2 players)

Hero bets $24, TRYOUTER calls $24

Turn ($80, 2 players)

Hero bets $62, TRYOUTER raises to $160, Hero calls $98

River ($400, 2 players)

Hero checks, TRYOUTER bets $292, Hero calls $292

Final Pot: $984

Hero shows

TRYOUTER shows

Hero wins $982 (net +$490)
TRYOUTER lost $492

Session 9 coming up, though not feeling mentally so great weirdly. I might cheat though and go drink a strong coffee. Might play it on FTP for a change if there's not 6 2-4 games going on UB. FTP HATES me, but it's time to turn that around......

dan

Session 7

2009-12-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

Hands: 596
Net Winnings: $1151

Initial Mental State: 8
PF: 9
River Spots: 9
Timing: 4
Slow but Steady: 8
Overall: 8/10

6 tabled again, felt comfortable. There's definitely something to be said for the slight tightening up PF it gives me (I ran at 30/24 rather than 34/27).

I folded top set today. I know, unbelievable for me, but the guy is a really bad nitty nit and he's literally incapable of having less than a flush by the river. Turn is a "meh, i'm going to pair and stack him sometimes, other times he'll have a lower set and it goes check check" but I like my fold (exclusively VS that villain).

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	BUTITZSUITED	$2,036.90
UTG+1	Hero	$824
CO	DIRKY83	$955.20
BTN	WHITELOTUS80	$745.85
SB	QRTSCHAMP24	$400
BB	LJDEEZNUTS	$743.31

Pre-Flop ($12, 6 players)Hero is UTG+1

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, DIRKY83 calls $14, 2 folds, LJDEEZNUTS calls $10

Flop ($50, 3 players)

LJDEEZNUTS checks, Hero bets $31, DIRKY83 raises to $107, LJDEEZNUTS folds, Hero calls $76

Turn ($264, 2 players)

Hero checks, DIRKY83 bets $224, Hero calls $224

River ($712, 2 players)

Hero checks, DIRKY83 bets $609.20, Hero folds

Final Pot: $1,321.20

DIRKY83 wins $1,318.20 (net +$363)
LJDEEZNUTS lost $15
Hero lost $346

The tables were so fishy last night, like a couple of massive droolers on every table. I'm going to make sure I'm putting more nighttime hours in to see it's going to be a regular thing.

Session 8 coming up (just ate, drank, etc).

dan

Session 6

2009-12-16T16:45:00.000-08:00

Hands: 678
Net Winnings: $1891

Initial Mental State: 6
PF: 8
River Spots: NA
Timing: 4
Slow but Steady: 8
Overall: 7/10

I 6 tabled this session, seemed to go well.... means I tighten up very slightly PF which can't be a bad thing. My previous experiments with 6 tabling haven't ended well but I'm going to stick with it until I feel it's really impacting my play.

Was a good session all round, probably biggest bone of contention is this:

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	KAEMO	$525.85
CO	YELLOWDAWG	$579.75
BTN	BABAGMM	$146.59
SB	Hero	$1,312.25
BB	BIGPUTT1945	$514.50

Pre-Flop ($11, 5 players)Hero is SB

3 folds, Hero raises to $16, BIGPUTT1945 calls $12

Flop ($37, 2 players)

Hero bets $27, BIGPUTT1945 calls $27

Turn ($91, 2 players)

Hero bets $69, BIGPUTT1945 calls $69

River ($229, 2 players)

Hero bets $188, BIGPUTT1945 calls $188

Final Pot: $605

Hero shows

BIGPUTT1945 shows

BIGPUTT1945 wins $601.50 (net +$300.50)
Hero lost $301

I've started to triple barrel ace high boards with slightly higher frequency. I remember once calling 2 streets VS carrotsnake holding A6 on AQ9ss 54, he bet the river pretty big.... I was like this is never a bluff when you triple barrel an ace hi board, but on that occasion tilt called and he showed 78. So often on AQx in position you get called twice by Qx and weak Ax, then get a river fold. I'm obviously hypothesising, and it's not something I'm going to be doing every hand, but I do like it on occasion. In the above hand he tiiiiiiimed, but meh anyway.

Other interesting hands....

Just the right amount of risk reward here.... please who CR this turn for value?

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	MARCLAR3	$452.60
CO	Hero	$861.70
BTN	MRMAHONE	$344.95
SB	GANNIC	$296.30
BB	UPSKTHX	$408

Pre-Flop ($6, 5 players)Hero is CO

MARCLAR3 raises to $14, Hero calls $14, 3 folds

Flop ($34, 2 players)

MARCLAR3 bets $26, Hero calls $26

Turn ($86, 2 players)

MARCLAR3 checks, Hero bets $69, MARCLAR3 raises to $162, Hero goes all-in $821.70, MARCLAR3 folds

Final Pot: $1,069.70

Hero wins $1,066.70 (net +$205)
MARCLAR3 lost $202

Some slowplay PF, and then some rungood.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 4 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

CO	Hero	$1,065.10
BTN	MOE52	$641.10
SB	MRMAHONE	$722.05
BB	BIGPUTT1945	$400

Pre-Flop ($6, 4 players)Hero is CO

Hero raises to $14, 2 folds, BIGPUTT1945 raises to $48, Hero calls $34

Flop ($98, 2 players)

BIGPUTT1945 bets $68, Hero calls $68

Turn ($234, 2 players)

BIGPUTT1945 bets $284, Hero calls $284

River ($802, 2 players)

Final Pot: $802

BIGPUTT1945 shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $800 (net +$400)
BIGPUTT1945 lost $400

Session 7 coming up....

Session 5

2009-12-16T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hands: 348
Net Winnings: $850

Initial Mental State: 8
PF: 7- Meh I jammed KQ to a 3bet 90 BBs BvB. Going to get more folds blockerwise, but
still don't like it.
River Spots: 5- made a bad call (hand 1). Flop is worth a discussion.
Timing: 4
Slow but Steady: 8
Overall: 6/10

So, this hand, I think is a mandatory flop 3bet. Calling leaves my hand face up and allows him to play perfectly from then on. Moreover, given my hand is face up it's unlikely he's going to continue bluffing. I'm probably calling down to a set anyway, so VS a set I'm going broke regardless. So, big mistake in not just 3betting the flop and praying......

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	GUIGUI_88	$535
UTG+1	BIGPUTT1945	$915.80
CO	BOENNIE7419	$909.10
BTN	VEGASVILLA8	$1,004.34
SB	GJAKEY	$796
BB	Hero	$993.20

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is BB

1 fold, BIGPUTT1945 raises to $12, 1 fold, VEGASVILLA8 calls $12, 1 fold, Hero raises to $50, BIGPUTT1945 folds, VEGASVILLA8 calls $38

Flop ($114, 2 players)

Hero bets $57, VEGASVILLA8 raises to $172, Hero calls $115

Turn ($458, 2 players)

Hero checks, VEGASVILLA8 checks

River ($458, 2 players)

Hero checks, VEGASVILLA8 bets $254, Hero calls $254

Final Pot: $966

VEGASVILLA8 shows

Hero shows

VEGASVILLA8 wins $962.50 (net +$486.50)
Hero lost $476
BIGPUTT1945 lost $12

I've been awake 6 hours now, and in those hours been trying to get my concentration hat on. I can just feel it's not there- so weird. Like, everything is hazy. I've eaten, done exercise, drank plenty of water etc but nothing. So, I'm not going to play right now.... hopefully soon though. Maybe I'll have a shower or something. In fact, yep I'll do that now and try again.

Session 6 after shower.....

Session 4

2009-12-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

Hands: 258
Net Winnings: $639

Initial Mental State: 10
PF: 9
River Spots: 5 - see hand 1
Timing: 4
Slow but Steady: 8
Overall: 8/10

Good session, feeling happier with myself, but not complacent. I can't allow the attitude of session 3 to come back....

In terms of river spots, I played this hand badly:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 3 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

BTN	PHANTOMAS124	$337.50
SB	RON622	$392.85
BB	Hero	$400

Pre-Flop ($6, 3 players)Hero is BB

PHANTOMAS124 raises to $12, RON622 calls $10, Hero raises to $48, PHANTOMAS124 calls $36, RON622 calls $36

Flop ($144, 3 players)

RON622 checks, Hero bets $64, PHANTOMAS124 calls $64, RON622 calls $64

Turn ($336, 3 players)

RON622 checks, Hero checks, PHANTOMAS124 checks

River ($336, 3 players)

RON622 checks, Hero bets $288, PHANTOMAS124 folds, RON622 folds

Final Pot: $624

Hero wins $622 (net +$222)
PHANTOMAS124 lost $112
RON622 lost $112

PF's a bit meh as well, but Ron's a big fish and I was looking to isolate. River is one of those stupid meh spews..... c-call much better I think.

I only lost more than $100 in one hand, which was AK vs QQ CO vs BTN aipf, very standard. Winning big non-showdown pots, and never losing them, is of course central to my game; and the key to this all stems from PF. PF was good this session.

About to play session 5. Limiting myself to a set time worked out last session so I'm going to do that again. 60 minutes this time. I'm feeling vaguely light headed, putting my mental condition at probably 7/10. I've just eaten and drank, so should improve as the session goes on. If it gets worse, I need to have the will to stop immediately.

Session 5 coming up....

Session 3

2009-12-15T14:42:00.001-08:00

Hands: 591
Net Winnings: $-2282

Initial Mental State: 8
PF: 4 - 88 AIPF vs Monies, who I *think* stays out of my way for the most part
River Spots: 5
Timing: 2
Slow but Steady: 1
Overall: 0/10

Absolute horror show of a session. Absolutely everything went to pot, and everything was my own fault. I wasn't proud of a single hand in which I lost money, and indeed I played like a total fish.

Why?

Well my downswing means I'm obviously still in a short term frame of mind. This blog is designed to get me looking at the longer term, and thus be able to shake off a few early setbacks/ coolers etc safe in the knowledge that I played the hands well. Of COURSE I'm not going to win every session, so why the fuck do I lose my sanity when stuck a few BIs?

I also played longer than 90 minutes, refused to stop when $1200 down and in a horrible state of mind, and made some horrible horrible decisions based on needing a short term fix rather than looking at the decision from all angles and coming to the correct EV choice. I need to be just as HAPPY with some check-folds I make as I am winning pots.

This feeling of being a degenerate loser is not a nice one, and I don't intend to experience it again. Session 4, I'm determined will be the best yet in terms of technical decisions, but also in terms of non-technical decisions. 45 minutes, every hand perfectly justifiable, coming up. My mental state going into sesh 4 is ~7.5, which is acceptable. I do feel better today eating and drinking regularly, so I deff have to keep that up on future days.

I'll leave you with one hand today to give you an idea of just how bad things were.... hopefully by posting this it'll serve as a sort of masochism strategy and help me bury the ghost of session 3.....

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	MARCOPOLO63	$795
CO	Hero	$810.10
BTN	SMITN_KITTEN	$903.85
SB	SICKGAMBLER99	$758
BB	UNCLESLAAAPP	$328

Pre-Flop ($11, 5 players)Hero is CO

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, SMITN_KITTEN raises to $57, 2 folds, Hero calls $43

Flop ($125, 2 players)

Hero checks, SMITN_KITTEN bets $105, Hero raises to $232, SMITN_KITTEN raises to $819, Hero calls $520.10

Turn ($1,696.10, 2 players)

River ($1,696.10, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,696.10

SMITN_KITTEN shows

Hero shows

SMITN_KITTEN wins $1,693.10 (net +$816.10)
Hero lost $810.10

Session 2

2009-12-15T10:13:00.000-08:00

Hands: 439
Net Winnings: $1296

Initial Mental State: 9
PF: 10
River Spots: 9
Timing: 6
Slow but Steady: 9
Overall: 8

Very decent session, played well in a lot of spots. Hands to learn from:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	PRIMOPOKE	$672.55
UTG+1	FOSTER123	$729.60
CO	DUCKSLAYER2K	$412.40
BTN	SEVENTHSENSE	$306
SB	Hero	$1,357.95
BB	GTDROPOUT	$426.50

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is SB

1 fold, FOSTER123 calls $4, 1 fold, SEVENTHSENSE raises to $18, Hero calls $16, GTDROPOUT calls $14, FOSTER123 folds

Flop ($58, 3 players)

Hero bets $27, GTDROPOUT folds, SEVENTHSENSE goes all-in $288, Hero calls $261

Turn ($634, 2 players, 1 all-in)

River ($634, 2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $634

SEVENTHSENSE shows

Hero shows

SEVENTHSENSE wins $631 (net +$325)
Hero lost $306
GTDROPOUT lost $18
FOSTER123 lost $4

This is, like, wtf. I don't know much about villain, but given I've lead and potentially induced some spaz I guess it's a call. Or not, 'cos it's such an overbet. Meh...

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	BABYCAT77111	$367.90
UTG+1	Hero	$801.20
CO	DIRKY83	$1,033.70
BTN	DUCKSLAYER2K	$856.50
SB	MRBRAGWA	$294.90
BB	FLYNREDHORSE	$1,850.70

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG+1

BABYCAT77111 raises to $14, Hero raises to $42, 4 folds, BABYCAT77111 calls $28

Flop ($90, 2 players)

BABYCAT77111 checks, Hero bets $46, BABYCAT77111 calls $46

Turn ($182, 2 players)

BABYCAT77111 checks, Hero bets $79, BABYCAT77111 calls $79

River ($340, 2 players)

BABYCAT77111 bets $108, Hero calls $108

Final Pot: $556

BABYCAT77111 shows

Hero shows

BABYCAT77111 wins $553 (net +$278)
Hero lost $275

This hand was sick- I've made some K hi calls in the past, but they don't work when he's bluffing ace hi! The hand was pure timing tells, snap PF, snap on the flop and turn etc. I definitely don't hate it.

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 4 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

CO	CRATERING	$461.30
BTN	Hero	$716.25
SB	GTDROPOUT	$368.55
BB	FORCE OF WILL	$1,032.25

Pre-Flop ($10, 4 players)Hero is BTN

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, GTDROPOUT calls $12, 1 fold

Flop ($36, 2 players)

GTDROPOUT checks, Hero bets $17, GTDROPOUT calls $17

Turn ($70, 2 players)

GTDROPOUT checks, Hero bets $48, GTDROPOUT raises to $125, Hero calls $77

River ($320, 2 players)

GTDROPOUT bets $211.55, Hero calls $211.55

Final Pot: $743.10

GTDROPOUT shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $741.10 (net +$372.55)
GTDROPOUT lost $368.55

This hand is interesting.... villain is trying to perfectly rep trip jacks of course, and to be honest I don't completely hate it vs an unknown who you know can fold, and you know doesn't cbet 2nd pair on this flop. Against me though, who can't fold, and who does like to cbet 2nd pair for balance (and barrel it incidentally), I like it a lot less.

A key part of doing a regular hand review blog for me is that it helps me not to have any hands I'm ashamed of..... you know the type where you know you're beat but you're happy to increase variance 'cos you're stuck. So that's 2 sessions, and no such shame hands. Onto session 3 now (just eaten, drank etc).... same key points, and no hands that I'm not utterly proud of how I played them.

dan

ps

I'll leave you with this from today also:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	FORCE OF WILL	$635.70
UTG+1	FLYNREDHORSE	$2,081.80
CO	BABYCAT77111	$949.20
BTN	Hero	$1,293.30
SB	STAINLESS9	$796
BB	DUCKSLAYER2K	$800

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is BTN

3 folds, Hero raises to $12, 1 fold, DUCKSLAYER2K calls $8

Flop ($26, 2 players)

DUCKSLAYER2K checks, Hero bets $18, DUCKSLAYER2K calls $18

Turn ($62, 2 players)

DUCKSLAYER2K checks, Hero bets $49, DUCKSLAYER2K calls $49

River ($160, 2 players)

DUCKSLAYER2K checks, Hero bets $117, DUCKSLAYER2K folds

Final Pot: $277

Hero shows

Hero wins $274 (net +$78)
DUCKSLAYER2K lost $79

Session 1

2009-12-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

Hands: 601
Net Winnings: $255

Initial Mental State: 7
PF: 8
River Spots: NA- had none really come up
Timing: 5
Slow but Steady: 9
Overall: 7

Hands:

This was a big loser, but I think I played it fine. I was desperate to keep in the limper who was a huge fish and calling down with any pair. I guess once you don't 3bet AA you can't be too sad at getting sucked out on, so I can only be happy I was 66% to triple up.... bleh

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	HSKB	$344.90
UTG+1	NOITORA	$896.48
CO	BIGPUTT1945	$407.60
BTN	AABYE625	$269.80
SB	Hero	$756.70
BB	AJFENIX	$485.30

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is SB

HSKB calls $4, 1 fold, BIGPUTT1945 raises to $18, 1 fold, Hero calls $16, 1 fold, HSKB calls $14

Flop ($58, 3 players)

Hero bets $42, HSKB calls $42, BIGPUTT1945 raises to $128, Hero goes all-in $738.70, HSKB calls $284.90, BIGPUTT1945 calls $261.60

Turn ($1,513.20, 3 players, 1 all-in)

River ($1,513.20, 3 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $1,513.20

Hero shows

HSKB shows

BIGPUTT1945 shows

BIGPUTT1945 wins $1,160.60 (net +$753.00)
Hero collects $349.10 (net -$407.60)
HSKB lost $344.90

I'm not happy with this one, but not entirely sure why. I try and get funky on the flop with the minraise, which I don't mind given the dry board and the chance of him spazzing out. I think the main reason I hate it is that at the time I had no read on villain, and he turned out to be a passive fish. Vs an unknown, I think fold PF or c-call flop and turn and allow him to potentially miss value on turn and river with KK+ etc is a much better line. You live, you learn.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	UKFAN1687	$640.65
UTG+1	DUCKSLAYER2K	$446.70
CO	BIGPUTT1945	$400.50
BTN	Hero	$466.50
SB	AABYE625	$402.50
BB	INF4UNOW	$489.10

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is BTN

1 fold, DUCKSLAYER2K raises to $12, 1 fold, Hero calls $12, 1 fold, INF4UNOW raises to $36, DUCKSLAYER2K calls $24, Hero calls $24

Flop ($110, 3 players)

INF4UNOW bets $44, DUCKSLAYER2K folds, Hero raises to $88, INF4UNOW raises to $255, Hero calls $167

Turn ($620, 2 players)

INF4UNOW bets $198.10, Hero calls $175.50

River ($993.60, 2 players)

Final Pot: $993.60

Hero shows

INF4UNOW shows

INF4UNOW wins $990.10 (net +$501)
Hero lost $466.50
DUCKSLAYER2K lost $36

Here the guy actually folded and showed a set of 33! I was desparately trying to rep the bare Ad, which I would play exactly the same in terms of manipulting the hand so I can get the right of last initiative etc. I think it's a crazy fold, especially vs me, but fair play to him.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	HAMOUDABOOD	$589.10
UTG+1	THX1111	$484
CO	Hero	$927.50
BTN	FLOATACHECK	$866.80
SB	TRYAN60	$202
BB	HARDCORY3011	$483.50

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is CO

2 folds, Hero raises to $14, FLOATACHECK calls $14, 1 fold, HARDCORY3011 calls $10

Flop ($44, 3 players)

HARDCORY3011 bets $34, Hero calls $34, FLOATACHECK folds

Turn ($112, 2 players)

HARDCORY3011 bets $89, Hero raises to $875.50, HARDCORY3011 folds

Final Pot: $1,076.50

Hero wins $1,073 (net +$149.50)
FLOATACHECK lost $14
HARDCORY3011 lost $137

This guys is like a nitty reg, who can't value bet thin. Thus, he either has a flush or nothing.... it's one of those I was pretty sick but if he has it he has it. Betsizing on turn key to this I think....

$2/$4 Ante $1 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	JOURBONEY	$366.55
UTG+1	Hero	$952.15
CO	XAJA1	$884.05
BTN	GUIGUI_88	$444.10
SB	ALEX1212111	$816
BB	BIGPUTT1945	$331

Pre-Flop ($12, 6 players)Hero is UTG+1

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, 2 folds, ALEX1212111 calls $12, 1 fold

Flop ($38, 2 players)

ALEX1212111 checks, Hero bets $18, ALEX1212111 calls $18

Turn ($74, 2 players)

ALEX1212111 checks, Hero bets $39, ALEX1212111 raises to $166, Hero calls $127

River ($406, 2 players)

ALEX1212111 bets $310, Hero calls $310

Final Pot: $1,026

ALEX1212111 shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,023 (net +$514)
ALEX1212111 lost $509

Overall my sharpness and will to win was there and I'm happy enough. This morning I've gotten up, walked the dog, eaten breakfast cereal and a pint of orange juice, and feel pretty good going into session 2..... points of practice remain the same as session 1 until such time I identify more leaks.

dan

Oh No December

2009-12-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

So, my December fell of a cliff today. There's absolutely no point in dwelling on the small piece of sample size of today where I went from $5.5k for the month down to $33, so instead I'm going to look at the month as a whole, what's went right, what's went wrong, where do I go from here.

Firstly, I'm definitely back in the full scale 'default' of winning. At virtually any 2-4 table I know I'm the best player and the favourite in every hand..... knowing this (or at least believing it) has always been half the battle with me.

Secondly, I've ran absolutely horrendously in all in spots, but I've still been making some horrific mistakes. These span game prep things like eating and drinking properly, to huge technical mistakes, to non-technical poker things like timing on hands.

So, in a metaphorical sense, but also in a very literal sense given I've made no money, my December starts here. I think my attitude is spot on, but needs reinforcing via the medium of blog words....

I need to be eating breakfast in the morning, it's simply not good enough that my default eating habits lead me to have probably only a 2 hour window per day when mentally I'm on top of my game. Hydration is important, so I have to stop going through 3 litres of Coca fucking Cola every day. Even now, just 3 hours after eating, I'm light headed again and probably only 5/10 in terms of my mental state. Shreddies, and bananas, are my friends....

I need to rediscover the balance in playing poker.... it's not all about playing; preparation, blogging and reviewing are the ingredients to success.

Technically when playing, I've definitely allowed some leaks to creep in. The UB tables are 90% 100bb tables now, but I need to get some respect for 100bbs in terms of the hands I'm jamming in PF. No more squashing with 66, or 3bet calling AQos in the BB. My river play OOP is also awfully suspect at the moment. A typical example would be barreling AQ on A67ss, the river bringing the flush in, and a river PSR of 1.5. I need to really analyse these spots as and when they come up, and not take the easy option of 'meh' overjamming. I also need to remember to make the occasional fold, especially on the flop and turn when the relative strength of my hand has taken a savage beating. Example, hold 43s flop comes T56ss, 3bet pot call flop pot bet, turn is a T, 1.5psr left on the turn villain pots it again. For some reason I can't let go

Over the next 7 days I'm going to play 4 sessions of less than 90 minutes every day. This should come to around 10k hands, and accordingly, I plan to make around $8k. The initial scorecard for the sessions looks like this:

Initial Mental State: x/10
PF: x/10
River Spots: x/10
Timing: x/10
Slow but Steady: x/10
Overall: x/10

Session 1, with hand analysis of big losers etc coming up....

Getting It Back Sesh 1

2009-11-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hands: 311
Winnings: $639

RE: Good
Don't reward the nit: Good
3betting control/ snapping points concentration: Good
Winners Tilt: Bad

Winners tilt is a bit lol considering how much I've lost the last 3 weeks. Everything else good, I just got a bit careless when up $900. Session 2 coming up, please to be building some momentum!

dan

Getting It Back?

2009-11-21T01:39:00.000-08:00

I haven't won in so long it's painful. However, for the first time in the last few days I feel like I'm getting my old instincts back, ie not overanalysing things etc. I feel like I've got the form back where my 'default' for a session is to win... by that I mean all the small pots go to me and it's only the big coolers that can swing the session either way.

Points of note:

RE
Don't reward the nit
3betting control/ snapping points concentration

dan

Session 1 of the XXVI New Beginning

2009-11-16T18:27:00.001-08:00

Hands: 347
Winnings: $217

I could've run a little better in this sesh, my EV winnings were way higher than my actual. I felt on form, albeit playing like an absolute pyschopath. Some hands I'm probably not happy with, but on the whole nobody can accuse me of sitting and waiting for hands in this session.

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Average Joe9	$1,035.50
UTG+1	RandomFish666	$910
CO	Hero	$1,436.95
BTN	alexg113	$1,424.15
SB	SilentAssassin3	$2,597.40
BB	globaldominate	$433.10

Pre-Flop ($10.50, 6 players)Hero is CO

2 folds, Hero raises to $14, 1 fold, SilentAssassin3 raises to $50.50, 1 fold, Hero raises to $124, SilentAssassin3 calls $73.50

Flop ($256.50, 2 players)

SilentAssassin3 checks, Hero bets $131, SilentAssassin3 calls $131

Turn ($518.50, 2 players)

SilentAssassin3 checks, Hero bets $252, SilentAssassin3 calls $252

River ($1,022.50, 2 players)

SilentAssassin3 checks, Hero bets $929.20, SilentAssassin3 folds

Final Pot: $1,951.70

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,948.70 (net +$511.75)
SilentAssassin3 lost $507.75

I'll go get me some lucozade, then look at playing another 2-4 session. Concentration concentration concentration...

Groundhog Day

2009-11-16T16:57:00.000-08:00

Month stands at 18k hands played, net losses of $4221. I believe that I'm coming out of it, but it's time to re-assess where I've been in terms of adjusting my play.

My usual cycle when on a DS is to tighten up thinking that I need to abuse my image etc.... I think now that this is false. Sitting waiting for sets is no way to win at poker, unrelenting aggression and having your medium strength hands paid off is. Thus, I've played 3 sessions now back to my original style..... the first two went well, the 3rd gave me a stark reminder of something.....

That something, namely, is concentration. I simply can't be 3betting 18%, playing a 38/32 style on autopilot. Every decision has to be correct, there simply isn't room for silly mistakes either PF or postflop.

So, here I am back where I started. Multiple small sessions per day, grading myself initially just on concentration but also on more technical aspects when my recent leaks become apparent. Gameplan is to 3bet mercilessly, take regs out of the comfort zone, take control of the table, and be ready for snappage. Above all, concentration....

30-45 minute session + review coming up....

dan

Another Bad Session

2009-11-10T09:52:00.001-08:00

It's adjustment time.... my image is just so bad at the minute I'm getting snapped with anything, floated with anything, etc. Time for a rapid shift of gear from 5 down to 1.... concentratin is fine, I just need to make these techical changes. Also I've let RE creep in calling 66 to a CR on 478ss etc.

30-45 minute session coming up, I plan to have good hands when the money goes in.

dan

Baaaad Session

2009-11-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

Hands: 1865
Losses: $5566

I finished the day on an epic trainwreck of a session. After 800 hands at 2-4 I was $4k (four thousand US dollars at 2-4) below EV, I literally never ran so bad in all my life. After that, I didn't handle it at all well and clearly should have quit.

I don't see what else there is to do but try again today. 4 sessions at least today, concentration in each of them, starting with this short (30 - 45 mins) session coming up now....

dan

Session 8

2009-11-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

Hands: 309
Winnings: $1349

Timing: 7
Slight Tightening Up PF: 9
Avoiding RE: 8
Put regs in difficult spots OOP: 9
Concentration: 9

Concentration not quite 9, but good enough. All hands were kind of standard coolerish ones, nothing too interesting reciprocally either way. About to play my 4th session of the day, really important to keep up this concentration and momentum....

Dan

Session 7

2009-11-09T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hands: 364
Winnings: $593

Timing: 7
Slight Tightening Up PF: 9
Avoiding RE: 8
Put regs in difficult spots OOP: 9
Concentration: 5

Did OK, but one hand in particular was so awful.... lost $650 in it. Just a momentary loss of concentration that I'm furious about. Session 8 my concentration score is going to be 10, anything else is a bonus...

dan

Session 6

2009-11-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

Hands: 325
Winnings: $413

Timing: 10
Slight Tightening Up PF: 7
Avoiding RE: 8
Put regs in difficult spots OOP: 9
Concentration: 9

Despite the modest winnings a really good sessions with really decent hands, would've been up a lot more but for a coolerish 200bbs spot....

Hands:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Hero	$800
UTG+1	Champagne Chaos	$498
CO	LK_Revolt	$412
BTN	globaldominate	$800
SB	doncorleone45	$705.20
BB	FocusANDwin	$882.20

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, 2 folds, globaldominate calls $14, 2 folds

Flop ($34, 2 players)

Hero bets $25, globaldominate calls $25

Turn ($84, 2 players)

Hero bets $65, globaldominate raises to $182, Hero raises to $322, globaldominate calls $140

River ($728, 2 players)

Hero checks, globaldominate bets $439, Hero calls $439

Final Pot: $1,606

globaldominate shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,603 (net +$803)
globaldominate lost $800

I liked the above hand, had decent notes on him twice previously bluff raising the turn IP deep. He has 9T here then so be it...

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Faborizer	$853.40
UTG+1	Pilot172172	$580.90
CO	ItsmeNEMO	$720.60
BTN	Champagne Chaos	$471
SB	Hero	$800
BB	P-MAN1234	$400

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is SB

2 folds, ItsmeNEMO raises to $12, 1 fold, Hero raises to $38, 1 fold, ItsmeNEMO calls $26

Flop ($80, 2 players)

Hero bets $39, ItsmeNEMO calls $39

Turn ($158, 2 players)

Hero bets $106, ItsmeNEMO calls $106

River ($370, 2 players)

Hero bets $267, ItsmeNEMO calls $267

Final Pot: $904

ItsmeNEMO shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $901 (net +$451)
ItsmeNEMO lost $450

A ton of history over my short session with the above. It's great that I got to show this down, because he can't call me down that light again knowing I'm betting thin for value like this.

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 2 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

SB	ItsmeNEMO	$400
BB	Hero	$800

Pre-Flop ($7.50, 2 players)Hero is BB

ItsmeNEMO raises to $11, Hero raises to $33, ItsmeNEMO calls $22

Flop ($67.50, 2 players)

Hero bets $39, ItsmeNEMO calls $39

Turn ($145.50, 2 players)

Hero checks, ItsmeNEMO checks

River ($145.50, 2 players)

Hero checks, ItsmeNEMO bets $100, Hero calls $100

Final Pot: $345.50

ItsmeNEMO shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $345 (net +$172.25)
ItsmeNEMO lost $172.75

Incongruentness combined with timing tells, I'm back on timing tells in a big way lately actually. Properly interpreted they say so much about hand strength on different boards....

Session 7 coming up. dan

Session 5, oops

2009-11-09T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hands: 444
Losses: -$3256

The reason for the above is simple, playing after my big FTOPS disappointment. I've only myself to blame.... frame of mind etc was terrible yet I played anyway. I can only pick myself up and try to get in 4/5 decent short sessions today with maximum concentration. Month starts here....

dan

Session 3 + 4

2009-11-08T18:04:00.000-08:00

Hands: 350 + 204
Winnings: $1361 + $977

Timing: 6
Slight Tightening Up PF: 7
Avoiding RE: 8
Put regs in difficult spots OOP: 7
Concentration: 9

Played well both sessions, good concentration etc. Just been deep in an FTOPs, cashed for $1600 but was near chip lead with 70 left from 5000 and decided to call down with KQ hi over 3 streets. Just freaked out and screwed up basically.... musn't dwell though, I'm going to use this disappointment positively and play a top session now.

One piece of analysis from my cash game session is that I need to stop doing this:

$2/$4 Ante $0.75 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	ChkRazed	$400
CO	pschni	$224.05
BTN	Hero	$1,330.05
SB	WhoIsThisGuy	$400
BB	martina65	$380.25

Pre-Flop ($9.75, 5 players)Hero is BTN

2 folds, Hero raises to $12, 1 fold, martina65 calls $8

Flop ($29.75, 2 players)

martina65 checks, Hero bets $22, martina65 raises to $52, Hero calls $30

Turn ($133.75, 2 players)

martina65 bets $52, Hero raises to $130, martina65 calls $78

River ($393.75, 2 players)

martina65 bets $185.50, Hero calls $185.50

Final Pot: $764.75

Hero shows

martina65 shows

martina65 wins $761.75 (net +$381.50)
Hero lost $380.25

What am I doing in the above? I'm raise folding the turn, 'cos some players are just never shoving draws and so I get value from draws whilst losing the same vs value hands as I would calling turn and river. However, stacks have to be MUCH deeper for this, I basically keep forcing myself into a river call through poor planning.

Session 5 coming up.... just a short 45 minutes or so, just want to go to bed happy with myself instead of dwelling on ftops....

dan

Session 2

2009-11-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hands: 303
Winnings: $230

Timing: 6
Slight Tightening Up PF: 8
Avoiding RE: 6
Put regs in difficult spots OOP: 7
Concentration: 6

Was doing OK until the end, wasn't the best time for me to be playing 5.30am when getting up at 9. With a little more concentration in a couple of spots I'd have been well up.

Going to play an hours session now, strictly 1 hour or less, then some analysis. Grading myself on the same criteria...

Dan

Dan

Session 1

2009-11-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

Hands: 507
Winnings: $955

Timing: 8
Slight Tightening Up PF: 8
Avoiding RE:7 (hand 1)
Put regs in difficult spots OOP: 7
Concentration: 8

Hand 1:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Hero	$800
UTG+1	hotgirlinca	$429.15
CO	Lepakkopes	$948.30
BTN	Maverik760	$2,321.10
SB	gotigers2008	$400
BB	cheettt	$800

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, 3 folds, gotigers2008 raises to $48, 1 fold, Hero calls $34

Flop ($100, 2 players)

gotigers2008 bets $62, Hero calls $62

Turn ($224, 2 players)

gotigers2008 bets $148, Hero folds

Final Pot: $372

gotigers2008 wins $369 (net +$111)
Hero lost $110

Hand 2: Pot control turn?

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	baszie	$435
CO	LK_Revolt	$592.55
BTN	Hero	$800
SB	HITTHEPANDA	$1,125
BB	stacking off	$435

Pre-Flop ($6, 5 players)Hero is BTN

baszie raises to $12, 1 fold, Hero raises to $36, 2 folds, baszie calls $24

Flop ($78, 2 players)

baszie checks, Hero bets $46, baszie calls $46

Turn ($170, 2 players)

baszie checks, Hero bets $137, baszie goes all-in $353, Hero calls $216

River ($876, 2 players, 1 all-in)

Final Pot: $876

Hero shows

baszie shows

baszie wins $873 (net +$438)
Hero lost $435

Decent session anyway, I had a few turn semi bluffs with ~30% equity not come off... don't like relying on big pots to win money for myself though (had 3 200bb coolerish spots).

Just need to keep the concentration up for session 2....

dan

November Fresh Start

2009-11-06T14:39:00.001-08:00

Last month ended up being a train wreck, as has this month so far. I've been up $8k this month, total now stands -$397. How? Well simply put I've allowed a few too many leaks to creep into my game... I'm also not starting every session with a coherent gameplan like I used to. Back in the day, I could feel good about every decision I made, no matter if it was overshoving rivers and getting called or folding in big pots after a double barrel gone wrong. Currently, I'm second guessing myself in every hand.

I'm a big believer in extreme specialisation.... and by that I mean a specific form of poker, at a specific site, at a specific limit. As such, I've cashed out my AP roll and don't envisage myself going back there any time soon. If only Party had deep tables then I'd straight on there, but as it is I'm waiting on FTP to give me a rakeback deal and I'm going to play soley on there at least till the end of the month.

So deep 400NL, FTP 6max it is.... I need to get back to recognising the fundamentals of my game. I'm simply making far too many mistakes as it is, and dare I say it I even need to fold a little bit more in spots where some villains are incapable of bluffing.

Profiling different regs obviously comes into it. My previous categorizations of reg were quite useful, I perhaps need to come up with some more for FTP.

The focusses of my early sessions are going to timing on every decision. This is something I do naturally when relaxed and playing well, and thus when I do consciously do it I suddenly feel relaxed and play well.

So... I'm going to play a session now, but then I need to spend an inordinate amount of time of analysis and re-analysis. I actually enjoy doing this, so I'm not really sure why I don't do more of it.

Session 1 analyis I'll be grading myself out of 10 for the following:

Timing
Slight Tightening Up PF
Avoiding RE (not profitable spots remember dan)
Put regs in difficult spots OOP
Concentration

dan

Session 1

2009-10-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Session 1: Hands: 710 Winnings: $210
Session 2: Hands: Winnings:
Session 3: Hands: Winnings:
Session 4: Hands: Winnings:
Session 5: Hands: Winnings:
Session 6: Hands: Winnings:
Session 7: Hands: Winnings:
Session 8: Hands: Winnings:
Session 9: Hands: Winnings:
Session 10: Hands: Winnings:

I played ok on the whole in this session. My non-sd winnings were up which is always a sign I'm doing the right things. I gave away money in some spots though, calling a fish's overshove on 3456sss with 99 ===== baaaad.

My adjustments have helped a ton too. Onto session 2......

Operation Record Month, The Sequel.

2009-10-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

Operation Record Month (don't laugh) has been reset. Why? Because my attitude was bad, I didn't reset the graph, I lost concentration, and then dumped $2k playing HU stupidly. OK?

I'm on more or less exactly $30k for the month, but forget that. All that matters is from now until midnight Saturday.

Pic of Operation Record Month graph:

I have some serious technical adjustments I need to be making in the FTP 2-4 games... essentially my image is about as bad as it's ever been in any game ever (at least on AP every reg prolly had about 50k hands in their HUD of me being a nit). I need to tighten up PF (slightly), stop bluffing flops turns and rivers with air, value bet thinner, and cbet less. That there, people, is called a gameplan.

I'm copying an pasting this into every blog post from now on

Session 1: Hands: Winnings:

Session 2: Hands: Winnings:

Session 3: Hands: Winnings:

Session 4: Hands: Winnings:

Session 5: Hands: Winnings:

Session 6: Hands: Winnings:

Session 7: Hands: Winnings:

Session 8: Hands: Winnings:

Session 9: Hands: Winnings:

Session 10: Hands: Winnings:

That's 10 sessions, averaging slightly over $1k in each one. First one coming up....

dan

Session 1

2009-10-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hands: 409
Winnings: $451

Played decently overall, probably cost myself $400 chatting on AIM though when in hindisght I prolly would've jammed turn but I flatted and he won with AJ hi. Blah. Food break now then session 2 coming up......

Operation 'Record Month'

2009-10-28T08:16:00.001-07:00

The last week or so has been a complete waste of my time poker wise. I've hovered around $35k for the month, up to $38k at one point now back down to $34k. I just need to make that push over $41k to have a record month and set the bar higher for future months...

Logging on and clicking buttons just doesn't work for me, never has. Nevertheless, that's all I've really been attempting to do the last week or so. Complacency is a killer.

So, I have 4 days in which to make $10k.

I have time for the following:

Wednesday: 4 Sessions
Thursday: 4 Sessions
Friday: 4 Sessions
Saturday: 2 Sessions

That's 14 sessions left in October. Every one is going to be played and reviewed here... every one is going to have super concentration.

First session coming up, key points are; concentration, keeping pots small unless I plan to call or shove (which ties into RE), tilt control when losing a few buyins (reinforce concentation, not the other way round).

Dan

Update since last post....

2009-10-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

The 3 days since my 'restart' of October, I lost $4k the first day. Oh noes I thought, the FTP games are too strong for me. But I hit back the second day, winning $4.9k, then had another $4.9k the day after to leave me $5.6k up for the period... graph

I *think* this puts me around $30k for the month. I don't want to reset the filter and have it jinx me though, so I'll plough on now for the next 7 days and see if I can't smash the $41k I originally set myself...

tis all... dan

Session 2

2009-10-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hands: 387
Net Loss: $611

Avoiding RE: 8
Concentration: 8

I should reclassify 'avoiding RE' as spots where I call multiple streets and then fold before the river. So long as I'm calling down, then it's fine. I had one of these in this session. Other than that, I had a couple of OESD+FD jams in turn deep 3bet pots, one worked, one didn't.

This session was overall though an improvement on session 1, here's to a winning session 3 coming up...

dan

Session 1:

2009-10-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Hands: 395
Net Loss: $1277

Not a great start, didn't play all that well and in a few spots was really disappointed with my play. I need more pride in my FTP game, and at present I'm at a bit of a loss with regard reads on there. I do at least have the advantage of knowing that every reg I've so far played with on there can only see me as a huge monkey given my brief history.

I need to start adjusting to this.

I can always tell whenever I'm just playing inherently bad, as my non-SD winnings just plumment. I need to remember the red line isn't simply a function of overwhelming aggression, but also avoiding RE spots early like the plague and being aware of the 10% effective stacks commitment threshold.

Avoiding RE:
Concentration:

I'll be grading the upcoming session 2 on both the above. Both are the basic building blocks of my game. Once I've got both of those right, the rest will follow...

dan

Ocotber Reset Button

2009-10-20T06:26:00.001-07:00

I'm up a decent amount for October, but I can feel the familiar winners tilt setting in; somewhat happy with my month and not feeling the urgent need to play or add to the total.

The total though is still a way short of the $42k I planned to make at the start of the month. There's 12 days left of the month including this one, and as long as I stay super sharp I think I can make an additional $20k in this period. (Aim for the sky maybe hit the ceiling etc).

It's not just going to happen though, I have to return to my basics of concentration and taking pride in every hand.... there's been some pretty serious spew lately (and I'm not talking the hands where I 3bet jam a GS on the turn or something).

So, I've reset the month filter on my HEM. Those October results so far are in the past, all that matters is what I acheive between now and 31.10.09.

So, 3-4 sessions a day, every day, coming up. I'm going to play 2-4 ftp during the day probably see how that goes....

Session 1 + review coming up...

More October Consolidation & Adjustments

2009-10-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

There's no doubt at all I've allowed a certain amount of complacency kick in. I need to remember a rule about myself, which is that concentration+preparation = A game, anything less = Z game. I don't have an inbetween.

Most annoyingly for me is the prep and rules stuff that I've let slip. Example , cashing in a session when I feel momentum turn against me, not playing more than 90 minutes etc. Instead of many small sessions I've been trying to grind fewer larger sessions... for whatever reason this doesn't work with me and never will.

I need to make some technical adjustments too... nothing major, just that I need to have less pure bluffs against guys that know me well, and value bet thinner on multiple streets instead.

Most important though right now is attitude and concentration.... thus this will be a small session plus maybe a review if needed. The I'll watch a Wire episode, then play again, then more Wire, then another.

Off to play now.... dan

October Consolidation, Complacency

2009-10-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

October has gone well by anyone's standards... until last night I had had 14 winning sessions and no losing sessions, netting me $10k in 6k hands of 2-4.

As much as I try to shake it off, I couldn't help but let a bit of complacency set in and last night I played absolutely terrible and lost $2.5k. I took an early beat, tilted, and tried to spew my way to victory with casual shoves and 5bet manical moves.... put simply my attitude was terrible.

Thus, I haven't played yet today while I reflected. Looking at the hands, I know the problem. Not keeping to my 'golden rule' (maybe to be revealed at some point) and simply not concentrating. I'm going to need to really redouble my efforts to hit $40k for the month, and any more complacency fueled spew sessions aren't going to help.

Graph for fun:

Session 3, Session 4, Session 5

2009-10-02T13:24:00.000-07:00

Session 3:
Hands:440
Net Win: $711

Session 4:
Hands:290
Net Win: $1919

Session 5:
Hands: 195
Net Win: $401

Well, I guess I haven't stuck to my strict reviewing of hands after every session. The thing is, everything's coming together, I'm playing well and struggling to learn anything from each session (in terms of mistakes).

I'm still doing tons of leading, to which no1 has yet adapted well. Playing Bobbo HU a while back... he led like 75% of flops, calling raises with any kind of equity, and it just drove me crazy... what I particularly like about it is that it really widens your calling range on the river... given how much people spaz out and don't know how to react:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 2 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

SB	JAMESMASSIE	$776
BB	Hero	$847.70

Pre-Flop ($8, 2 players)Hero is BB

JAMESMASSIE raises to $12, Hero calls $8

Flop ($28, 2 players)

Hero bets $17, JAMESMASSIE raises to $45, Hero calls $28

Turn ($118, 2 players)

Hero checks, JAMESMASSIE checks

River ($118, 2 players)

Hero checks, JAMESMASSIE bets $115, Hero calls $115

Final Pot: $348

JAMESMASSIE shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $345.25 ( won +$173.25 )
JAMESMASSIE lost -$172

I'm playing an FTP $100 6max rebuy tonight along with 3 cash tables, I really REALLY want to take it seriously and not blow my life in a few hours after a suckout and a sulk like I usually do...

Dan

Session 2

2009-10-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

Hands: 452
Net Win: $336

I lost about $1000 in failed bluffs, but I like them all the same. Example:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	ANNETTELOL	$457.20
UTG+1	MR_BOBSTUPAK	$411.90
CO	BELLAVITA00	$501.50
BTN	PENGUINS25	$826.90
SB	Hero	$800
BB	KATE1960	$624.50

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is SB

1 fold, MR_BOBSTUPAK raises to $14, BELLAVITA00 calls $14, 1 fold, Hero raises to $61, 1 fold, MR_BOBSTUPAK folds, BELLAVITA00 calls $47

Flop ($140, 2 players)

Hero bets $87, BELLAVITA00 calls $87

Turn ($314, 2 players)

Hero bets $652, BELLAVITA00 calls $353.50

River ($1,319.50, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,319.50

Hero shows

BELLAVITA00 shows

Hero wins $298.50 ( lost -$501.50 )
BELLAVITA00 wins $1,017.50 ( won +$516 )
MR_BOBSTUPAK lost -$14

I also won some money in successful bluffs:

$3/$6 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	INAMAZON	$1,613.55
UTG+1	MR_BOBSTUPAK	$1,278.85
CO	EK1970	$292.95
BTN	UHADMEONFLOP	$1,992.10
SB	KILLINGINTHE	$816
BB	Hero	$1,200

Pre-Flop ($9, 6 players)Hero is BB

2 folds, EK1970 calls $6, UHADMEONFLOP raises to $27, 1 fold, Hero raises to $90, EK1970 folds, UHADMEONFLOP calls $63

Flop ($189, 2 players)

Hero bets $92, UHADMEONFLOP raises to $245, Hero calls $153

Turn ($679, 2 players)

Hero checks, UHADMEONFLOP checks

River ($679, 2 players)

Hero bets $865, UHADMEONFLOP folds

Final Pot: $1,544

Hero wins $1,541 ( won +$341 )
UHADMEONFLOP lost -$335
EK1970 lost -$6

So all in all, a very bluffy day. Once I start making some hands I'll do OK I think.

Still happy with my play, no major problems (yet). Session 3 coming up...

Session 1

2009-10-01T08:29:00.001-07:00

Hands: 452
Net Win: $535

I give myself 6.5/10 for this session. Although maybe I'm being results oriented. I bluffed off $1200 in quite a silly spot when I just thought his kind of level would be 'can't put 300BBs in with just one pair'. How wrong I can be:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	KNUMSIKUS	$1,208.20
UTG+1	DUSHELOV	$419.90
CO	IGOO	$335
BTN	OXENOX	$164.70
SB	Hero	$1,300.80
BB	PRENUPBUTTER	$1,214.40

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is SB

1 fold, DUSHELOV raises to $14, 2 folds, Hero calls $12, PRENUPBUTTER raises to $60, DUSHELOV folds, Hero calls $46

Flop ($134, 2 players)

Hero bets $89, PRENUPBUTTER calls $89

Turn ($312, 2 players)

Hero bets $250, PRENUPBUTTER calls $250

River ($812, 2 players)

Hero bets $901.80, PRENUPBUTTER calls $815.40

Final Pot: $2,529.20

Hero shows

PRENUPBUTTER shows

Hero wins $86.40 ( lost -$1,214.40 )
PRENUPBUTTER wins $2,439.30 ( won +$1,224.90 )
DUSHELOV lost -$14

By the way, I lead something like 65% of flops at the moment and it's going fantastically. People just aren't used to it, and simply don't know how to react. This hand was fairly interesting, incorprating cold calling of 3bet and leading 2nd pair 4way:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	IMAYJUSTWIN	$360.35
UTG+1	PRIMOPOKE	$844.10
CO	SSUP	$762
BTN	SKOOP2	$1,034.40
SB	DUSHELOV	$444
BB	Hero	$806

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is BB

1 fold, PRIMOPOKE raises to $12, 1 fold, SKOOP2 calls $12, DUSHELOV raises to $52, Hero calls $48, PRIMOPOKE calls $40, SKOOP2 calls $40

Flop ($208, 4 players)

DUSHELOV checks, Hero bets $78, 1 fold, SKOOP2 calls $78, DUSHELOV folds

Turn ($364, 2 players)

Hero checks, SKOOP2 bets $280, Hero calls $280

River ($924, 2 players)

Hero checks, SKOOP2 checks

Final Pot: $924

SKOOP2 shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $921 ( won +$511 )
SKOOP2 lost -$410
DUSHELOV lost -$52
PRIMOPOKE lost -$52

Shame he didn't shove, I was calling...

Session 2 coming up now.........

September Over

2009-10-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

I ended up having a good winning session, cancelled out by a bad losing session to end the month. I'm very happy with the month considering the number of hands I played...

*I always feel though I should qualify 'very happy' by saying that I am also 'not satisfied'. That downswing halfway through the month was simply ludicrous in how it came about (withdrawing most of my roll, freaking out at having only $8k in account), and I can definitely get at least 2X as many hands in this month.

I'm going for my biggest month in October, which means surpassing $41k. In theory there are no obstacles to stop me doing this, my roll is good, my real life money is good, I have no holidays/ events/ house moves to think about....

So it's going to be 3/4 sessions per day, no more than 90 minutes, with a strict reviewing of each session prior to the next so I can immediately learn the lessons of any bad sessions, whether it be concentration or technical aspects I need to address.

Session 1 of October coming up... dan

Session 17

2009-09-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Hands: 515
Net Win: $1917

I played well in this session, but got rather lucky sucking out with AA twice in big pots. They would've been coolers anyway so whatever way you look at it they're just zero expected reciprocal value situations...

Been hungover today, and didn't play yesterday.... 23:00 UK time now just hoping I haven't got out of the habit of winning in the meantime...

Session 16

2009-09-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

Hands: 368
Net Win: $1820

Another win, woo. Mr Consistency as of late... had some interesting hands here, I gave away some money but had some well earned winning pots as well. Thus:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 2 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

SB	DUSHELOV	$440
BB	Hero	$798

Pre-Flop ($6, 2 players)Hero is BB

DUSHELOV raises to $12, Hero raises to $38, DUSHELOV calls $26

Flop ($76, 2 players)

Hero bets $37, DUSHELOV calls $37

Turn ($150, 2 players)

Hero checks, DUSHELOV bets $91, Hero calls $91

River ($332, 2 players)

Hero checks, DUSHELOV bets $274, Hero calls $274

Final Pot: $880

DUSHELOV shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $879.25 ( won +$439.25 )
DUSHELOV lost -$440

The above hand came down to whether he'd shove AQ, either that or he flopped a set in my book. I didn't think he'd shove AQ, and sets are hard to make.

The below hand I completely butchered and I can only be thankful that he played it even worse than I did so that i got his entire $800 stack...

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	JOHNNYPOKER3	$778
CO	Hero	$809
BTN	FOIL_SHIZZLE	$801
SB	PLASTICGSUS	$387
BB	WEAREND	$550

Pre-Flop ($11, 5 players)Hero is CO

JOHNNYPOKER3 calls $4, Hero raises to $18, FOIL_SHIZZLE raises to $69, 2 folds, JOHNNYPOKER3 folds, Hero calls $51

Flop ($158, 2 players)

Hero checks, FOIL_SHIZZLE checks

Turn ($158, 2 players)

Hero checks, FOIL_SHIZZLE bets $125, Hero calls $125

River ($408, 2 players)

Hero checks, FOIL_SHIZZLE bets $335, Hero raises to $614, FOIL_SHIZZLE calls $271

Final Pot: $1,628

FOIL_SHIZZLE shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,620 ( won +$812 )
FOIL_SHIZZLE lost -$800
JOHNNYPOKER3 lost -$4

This hand, there was just so much (potentially dead) money in the pot after he squeezed that I just couldn't resist squashing here... (to quote a DodgyKen phrase)

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	TRADEBYDAY	$649
CO	Hero	$887.70
BTN	MARCLAR3	$459.80
SB	SCOMBRIDAE	$498.50
BB	SSUP	$895.80

Pre-Flop ($6, 5 players)Hero is CO

TRADEBYDAY raises to $12, Hero calls $12, 1 fold, SCOMBRIDAE raises to $56, 1 fold, TRADEBYDAY calls $44, Hero raises to $887.70, SCOMBRIDAE calls $442.50, TRADEBYDAY folds

Flop ($1,446.20, 2 players)

Turn ($1,446.20, 2 players)

River ($1,446.20, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,446.20

SCOMBRIDAE shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,442.70 ( won +$555 )
SCOMBRIDAE lost -$498.50
TRADEBYDAY lost -$56

Session 17 coming up...

Session 15

2009-09-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hands: 380
Net Win: $1088

Pretty much mistake free again, lost a couple of coolers with with AK vs QQ and AQ on AKQxx (tho lost the minimum vs QQ)

So, still feeling super confident.... I feel like as long as I don't give any money away RE-wise then I'm just not going to lose without running into a load of coolers or bad beats.

Playing a few tournys tonight as well as probably 3 cash sessions.... a $69 6max and the $500 UB $100k guarantee. Plan is simply not to throw them away and hope for rungood.

dan

Session 14

2009-09-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

Hands: 537
Net Loss: $8.87 (as in the cost of a butty, not $8k or anything like that)

I think tiredness had kind of crept into this session. I was 'experimenting' a little too much towards the end, but meh some moves didn't come up and I didn't make any big hands so not much to worry about.

I elect to triple this, and he did tank call..... I still think I like it.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	FOIL_SHIZZLE	$1,191
UTG+1	Hero	$806.80
CO	GSTAN	$800
BTN	MEGABET	$1,333.50
SB	ALLINGIRL86	$870.40
BB	JOHNNYPOKER3	$704.40

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG+1

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, GSTAN calls $14, 3 folds

Flop ($34, 2 players)

Hero bets $23, GSTAN calls $23

Turn ($80, 2 players)

Hero bets $63, GSTAN calls $63

River ($206, 2 players)

Hero bets $165, GSTAN calls $165

Final Pot: $536

Hero shows

GSTAN shows

GSTAN wins $533 ( won +$268 )
Hero lost -$265

Session 15 coming up, then I think I'm gonna take another tourny stab later depending on how my daytime sessions go.

dan

Session 12

2009-09-26T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hands: 355
Net Winnings: $1736

Another good session, turning this into a $4.4k day which is nice.

Biggest hand I lost:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	VICTUMSEMPRA	$524.60
UTG+1	DPRCEO	$362.99
CO	7TEMPEHEAT7	$627.30
BTN	Hero	$882.40
SB	BENNYBLAZE	$167
BB	ILUCKYHATEME	$932.50

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is BTN

3 folds, Hero raises to $12, 1 fold, ILUCKYHATEME raises to $46, Hero calls $34

Flop ($94, 2 players)

ILUCKYHATEME bets $56, Hero calls $56

Turn ($206, 2 players)

ILUCKYHATEME checks, Hero bets $128, ILUCKYHATEME calls $128

River ($462, 2 players)

ILUCKYHATEME checks, Hero checks

Final Pot: $462

Hero shows

ILUCKYHATEME shows

ILUCKYHATEME wins $458.50 ( won +$228.50 )
Hero lost -$230

Lucky no diamond came is all, managed to restrain myself from bluffing the river too which is an important adjustment for me at the moment. Biggest winner was this:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	ALLINGIRL86	$731.50
UTG+1	XGM	$1,382
CO	JOHNNYPOKER3	$1,618.50
BTN	Hero	$1,264.35
SB	VICTUMSEMPRA	$378
BB	GSTAN	$788

Pre-Flop ($12, 6 players)Hero is BTN

ALLINGIRL86 raises to $20, 2 folds, Hero calls $20, 2 folds

Flop ($58, 2 players)

ALLINGIRL86 bets $40, Hero raises to $148, ALLINGIRL86 raises to $496, Hero raises to $1,243.35, ALLINGIRL86 calls $214.50

Turn ($2,011.85, 2 players)

River ($2,011.85, 2 players)

Final Pot: $2,011.85

Hero shows

ALLINGIRL86 shows

Hero wins $2,002.35 ( won +$739 )
ALLINGIRL86 lost -$730.50

It's half past midnight now, but I'm going to play at least another session... it is sunday night after all. Hopefully keep up my consistency and avoid ridiculous RE spots.

dan

Session 11

2009-09-26T13:45:00.000-07:00

Hands: 245
Net Win: $1360

Another good session of decentness, no huge mistakes while inducing plenty from opponents. Focus, concentration, RE etc all good.

I know I lead a lot, but I think his raise/ get in here is absolutely terrible. OMG 2 pair he thinks:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	ALLINGIRL86	$788
UTG+1	7TEMPEHEAT7	$412
CO	HUGGYBEAR69	$364
BTN	DGIZZLE	$131.20
SB	XGM	$1,064.65
BB	Hero	$925.15

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is BB

2 folds, HUGGYBEAR69 raises to $14, 2 folds, Hero calls $10

Flop ($30, 2 players)

Hero bets $18, HUGGYBEAR69 raises to $68, Hero raises to $146, HUGGYBEAR69 raises to $350, Hero calls $204

Turn ($730, 2 players)

River ($730, 2 players)

Final Pot: $730

Hero shows

HUGGYBEAR69 shows

Hero wins $726.50 ( won +$362.50 )
HUGGYBEAR69 lost -$364

I went out the 6max with 56 vs Q6 on Q65 (standard tourny stuff). Probably doing 2 more cash sessions tonight, playing in a $69 fullR tourny as well but I can't really get the motivation for it. Plan is to play like a nit and hopefully hit some hands....

Session 12 coming up, dan

Session 10

2009-09-26T12:07:00.000-07:00

Hands: 298
Net Win: 1612

Finally put in a near perfect session, won a bunch of $400 pots (though looking at them slightly coolerish) but I'm mostly pleased at not giving anything away and avoiding all RE spots. I'm going to play another 3 short sessions tonight at least..... playing the 6max $90k guarantee on FTP as well.

Session 11 coming up...

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Hero	$800
UTG+1	ANNETTELOL	$453.50
CO	JOHNNYPOKER3	$913.70
BTN	WAHOOZLE	$430.40
SB	RYANG2433	$935.70
BB	BIGKAPOW	$267.20

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, 1 fold, JOHNNYPOKER3 calls $14, 1 fold, RYANG2433 raises to $47, 1 fold, Hero calls $33, JOHNNYPOKER3 calls $33

Flop ($145, 3 players)

RYANG2433 checks, Hero bets $82, JOHNNYPOKER3 folds, RYANG2433 folds

Final Pot: $227

Hero wins $224 ( won +$95 )
RYANG2433 lost -$47
JOHNNYPOKER3 lost -$47

Session 9

2009-09-26T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hands: 204
Net Loss: $313

Reverse Equity: 0/10

Was winning, was doing well, then called down ridiculously for 200BBs. Hatred. Perfect session coming up (1/5 for the night).

Session 8

2009-09-26T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hands: 122
Net Loss: $1056

Same pattern of losing big pots, one of $800 and one of $400 while not winning a pot of over $200 myself. I get cute with a draw here, deciding to put it into my nut range and thus bet calling rather than engineering the last bet in my usual fashion, it backfired and had I just called flop/ shoved turn or called 2 streets and shoved river I would've got him off it.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 4 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

CO	RYANG2433	$1,242.50
BTN	TOVSAR0110	$526.30
SB	MEGABET	$903.80
BB	Hero	$800

Pre-Flop ($6, 4 players)Hero is BB

RYANG2433 raises to $14, 1 fold, MEGABET raises to $52, Hero calls $48, RYANG2433 folds

Flop ($118, 2 players)

MEGABET bets $76, Hero raises to $202, MEGABET raises to $851.80, Hero calls $546

Turn ($1,717.80, 2 players)

River ($1,717.80, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,717.80

MEGABET shows

Hero shows

MEGABET wins $1,715.80 ( won +$812 )
Hero lost -$800
RYANG2433 lost -$14

I'm still on the whole playing well, I just need to maybe take more care in the big pots coming my way. Going to play 45 minute session now before football, then probably 4-5 more sessions later on. Time to make money!

dan

Session 7

2009-09-26T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hands: 288
Net Loss: $593

I'm continuing my pattern of winning a ton of pots in the $100-$400 range, and losing all pots > $500. One was a combo draw cooler thing in a 3bet pot and the other was this: crazy HU dynamic established and when he checks the flop he has lower PPs than a J sometimes, AK type hands with a diamond often and sometimes a 4 somehow. Given this, a check shove on the turn narrows his range to a single high diamond and trips 4s (unlikely imo).... trips 4s it is then.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 2 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

SB	Hero	$905.75
BB	MRMAHONE	$570.50

Pre-Flop ($6, 2 players)Hero is SB

Hero raises to $12, MRMAHONE raises to $44, Hero calls $32

Flop ($88, 2 players)

MRMAHONE checks, Hero bets $48, MRMAHONE calls $48

Turn ($184, 2 players)

MRMAHONE checks, Hero bets $138, MRMAHONE raises to $478.50, Hero calls $340.50

River ($1,141, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,141

Hero shows

MRMAHONE shows

MRMAHONE wins $1,140.25 ( won +$569.75 )
Hero lost -$570.50

Session 6

2009-09-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hands: 193
Net Win: $1693

Reverse Equity Spots: 10
Don't lose big non-sd pots: 10
Timing on decisions: 7

Pretty flawless short session, a mon avi. Flawless except this, which i actually don't hate 3 handed early in the session without a crazy session dyanmic where he's obviously 4bet calling 88 and AQ....

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 3 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

BTN	MARCLAR3	$425
SB	Hero	$835.25
BB	_STINKYFLOP_	$808

Pre-Flop ($6, 3 players)Hero is SB

MARCLAR3 raises to $14, Hero raises to $42, _STINKYFLOP_ folds, MARCLAR3 raises to $102, Hero raises to $835.25, MARCLAR3 calls $323

Flop ($1,264.25, 2 players)

Turn ($1,264.25, 2 players)

River ($1,264.25, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,264.25

MARCLAR3 shows

Hero shows

MARCLAR3 wins $852 ( won +$427 )
Hero wins $410.25 ( lost -$425 )

I won a ton of pots in the $75-$250 range without showdown which is a sign of me playing well I think:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	GLAZERRULES	$603.60
CO	Hero	$914.80
BTN	_STINKYFLOP_	$796
SB	SMELLS_FUNNY	$438.90
BB	OURRR	$525.90

Pre-Flop ($6, 5 players)Hero is CO

GLAZERRULES raises to $12, Hero calls $12, 2 folds, OURRR raises to $43, GLAZERRULES calls $31, Hero calls $31

Flop ($131, 3 players)

OURRR checks, GLAZERRULES checks, Hero checks

Turn ($131, 3 players)

OURRR bets $65.50, GLAZERRULES calls $65.50, Hero raises to $225, OURRR folds, GLAZERRULES folds

Final Pot: $487

Hero wins $484 ( won +$216 )
OURRR lost -$108.50
GLAZERRULES lost -$108.50

Session 7 coming up........

Session 5

2009-09-25T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hands: 551
Net Loss: $887

Reverse Equity Spots: 7/10 - one big pot in particular flatting a cold 4bet with 99 and calling a bet on KJx

Don't lose big non-sd pots: 6/10 - closely related to the above
Timing on decisions: 10/10

I had a BvB JJ vs AA 200bb cooler (maybe not a cooler vs that villain, not sure, probably bad so something to learn from) and this hand where I got slowrolled (timed right down) on the river.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Hero	$1,021.40
UTG+1	PCRAZED	$489.20
CO	VICTUMSEMPRA	$394
BTN	GUIGUI_88	$514.10
SB	CFTW	$840
BB	DKP66	$199.30

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, 1 fold, VICTUMSEMPRA calls $14, 3 folds

Flop ($34, 2 players)

Hero checks, VICTUMSEMPRA checks

Turn ($34, 2 players)

Hero checks, VICTUMSEMPRA bets $24, Hero raises to $81, VICTUMSEMPRA calls $57

River ($196, 2 players)

Hero bets $926.40, VICTUMSEMPRA calls $299

Final Pot: $1,421.40

Hero shows

VICTUMSEMPRA shows

Hero wins $627.40 ( lost -$394 )
VICTUMSEMPRA wins $790.50 ( won +$396.50 )

I don't get mad at these, but I will eventually get even :-)

Session 6 coming up, I actually think I'm playing rather well and due an upswing..... dan

Session 4

2009-09-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hands: 158
Net Win: $954

Reverse Equity Spots: 10/10
Don't lose big non-sd pots: 10/10
Timing on decisions: 10/10

Really good small session of lots of small and medium pots. I didn't win or lose for than $150 in any one pot, and won by virtue of being constantly on the front foot and getting out early when on the back foot. Nothing really to learn from this session other than to keep it up going into session 5....

Session 3

2009-09-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

Hands: 485
Net Win: $449

Reverse Equity Spots: 6/10 - one in particular.......
Don't lose big non-sd pots: 7/10
Timing on decisions: 10/10

Played OK, but can play much better. I owe $650 of the above to a misclick where a reg bet $665 into $48 and I had top 2 and shoved, so room for improvement. I got killed in a few 4 bet pots but that might be short term variance as I don't think I could've played them any differently.

Hand:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	MEGABET	$1,039.90
UTG+1	CAKEFARTS	$972.20
CO	Hero	$861.20
BTN	MBORCH	$180.20
SB	KATE1960	$764
BB	PETEJOHNSTON	$923.80

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)Hero is CO

2 folds, Hero raises to $14, 1 fold, KATE1960 raises to $54, 1 fold, Hero calls $40

Flop ($112, 2 players)

KATE1960 bets $72, Hero calls $72

Turn ($256, 2 players)

KATE1960 bets $172, Hero calls $172

River ($600, 2 players)

KATE1960 bets $466, Hero calls $466

Final Pot: $1,532

KATE1960 shows

Hero shows

Hero wins $1,528.50 ( won +$764.50 )
KATE1960 lost -$764

I'm pretty sure that if stacks are a little shallower I should shove the turn for protection > calling turn calling river, especially as he won't always bluff the river. Calling turn and seeing a spade roll off would've really hit as me as weak play, but the risk/reward is such that at these stack sizes I didn't have much choice.

Session 4 coming up.........

Session 2

2009-09-24T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hands: 296
Net Loss: $201

Reverse Equity Spots: 10/10
Don't lose big non-sd pots: 10/10
Timing on decisions: 10/10

I actually played well this session I think, and by that I mean all the small and medium sized pots that make up my bread and butter. That said, some big pots went against me, one of which was a stone bluff that I don't really mind, the other a rather marginal $1600 pot with TPTK, thus:

http://www.leggopoker.com/forums/bobbos-bible/tptk-3betpot-oop-7830.html

I also had this hand:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 2 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

SB	Hero	$784
BB	FLAIR76	$380

Pre-Flop ($6, 2 players)Hero is SB

Hero raises to $12, FLAIR76 calls $8

Flop ($24, 2 players)

FLAIR76 bets $36, Hero calls $36

Turn ($96, 2 players)

FLAIR76 bets $24, Hero raises to $82, FLAIR76 calls $58

River ($260, 2 players)

FLAIR76 checks, Hero bets $654, FLAIR76 calls $250

Final Pot: $1,164

Hero shows

FLAIR76 shows

Hero wins $404 ( lost -$380 )
FLAIR76 wins $759.25 ( won +$379.25 )

So, I basically gave myself a -$1200 head start this session which I then turned around by winning a ton of ~$100 pots. This one I like, it's basically a game of chicken as I think he bets all pairs on the turn, leaving better air than mine:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 5 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	Hero	$1,256.70
CO	FLOATACHECK	$800
BTN	VICTUMSEMPRA	$406
SB	LOTZIE	$453.20
BB	HAMAZRIYA3	$1,673.25

Pre-Flop ($6, 5 players)Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, FLOATACHECK calls $14, 1 fold, LOTZIE calls $12, 1 fold

Flop ($46, 3 players)

LOTZIE checks, Hero bets $28, FLOATACHECK calls $28, LOTZIE folds

Turn ($102, 2 players)

Hero checks, FLOATACHECK checks

River ($102, 2 players)

Hero checks, FLOATACHECK bets $51, Hero raises to $138, FLOATACHECK folds

Final Pot: $291

Hero wins $287.50 ( won +$107.50 )
LOTZIE lost -$14
FLOATACHECK lost -$93

So, a 15 minute break now then another session coming up...........

dan

Wake me up, when September ends... session 1

2009-09-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

This has been a weird sort of month in general, I'll start with my graph and results to date:

So first things first, not many hands played. This came mostly from moving house, but also 'cos when I hit my monthly peak I had to make a big withdrawl to cover all sorts of life expenses that had caught up with me. So, on the one hand HEM was telling me I was $16k up for the month, while my bankroll after my withdrawl sat at $9k- putting me on a quite severe form of tilt that promptly slid me into an $8k downswing.

So, to fix it I've pumped some money back online. It's all a ridiculous fallacy as I don't intend on losing any more, but if I'd kept my roll so small my strange brand of tilt would probably've continued and busted me. With a small roll, I felt like I was playing awful and making decisions for the wrong reasons. I'm feeling pretty confident today though, especially when i look at my results and despite the DS I'm still at 11 BB/100 for the month.

So, all life bills taken care of, I need to aim to make around $10k before the month's out to give me the best springboard going into November. So, four 90 minute sessions for the next 8 days (just 2 or 3 today) are in order, and I'm going back to my strict reviewing of all said sessions here.

(Chris, once I feel I'm definitely killing it again, I'll do you that video).

So, expect 30 session reviews before the month's out. I either kill it and all's good again, or I don't. But if I don't, it won't be through lack of concentration, preparation, and attitude.

Session 1 coming up below:

*plays session*

Hands : 780
Net Loss: $1129

"But if I don't, it won't be through lack of concentration, preparation, and attitude."

After writing the above line, I went and broke all my rules to record a horrible loss. I felt light headed and didn't stop, I broke my 90 minutes rule, and I got myself into some horrendous RE situations. It could've been worse, but some spew somehow worked out:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem • 6 Players

Generated by weaktight.com.

UTG	FLOATACHECK	$1,299.90
UTG+1	PENGUINS25	$1,068.70
CO	JABOIJEROME	$406
BTN	Hero	$1,339.70
SB	MONKEYBIZ111	$314.20
BB	GJAKEY	$420.30

Pre-Flop ($6, 6 players)
Hero is BTN

2 folds, JABOIJEROME raises to $14, Hero raises to $42, 2 folds, JABOIJEROME raises to $110, Hero calls $68

Flop ($226, 2 players)

JABOIJEROME bets $135, Hero raises to $1,229.70, JABOIJEROME folds

Final Pot: $1,590.70

Hero wins $1,587.20 ( won +$247.50 )
JABOIJEROME lost -$245

What mostly went wrong in this session though is my non-showdown spots. Essentially, my philosophy is to try to win most big pots. What makes it impossible to win big pots though is to bluff raise and allow villain right of last initative. I'm normally pretty good at keeping pots small unless I either know I'm calling down or I have a PSR plan to get the last bet in somewhere along the line.

When I'm on top of the above, my red line is basically never ever negative after a session. I must have had something like 50 straight green non-sd sessions, with my showdown winnings bouncing around the break even mark. This is what I consider good consistent poker.

So, technical aspects to improve going into session 2 are the following:

Reverse Equity Spots: (recognise them, fold early)
Don't lose big non-sd pots:
Timing on decisions: (when I'm on fire, I have a little voice in my head talking the hand over, eg 'I raise 77 UTG, one caller in the SB, T1 flop' etc)

I'm planning on playing three 1 hr sessions tonight with a decent break and review in between each. Session 2 coming up now....

dan

Update

2009-09-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

Since my last blog I've played around 10 sessions and done really well in all of them. My month stands at $12.8k from 8000 hands of 400NL, with stats of 34/29/4.5 and a 3bet of 16%.

My last session however I lost $899 in 550 hands, so just wanted to re-iterate here why i think that was so i can fix it. Essentially I need to not get carried away by a dozen winning sessions in a row and remember the basics of concentration, allied to being super aggro and pushing regs out of their comfort zone.

Going to play a session now, then review it hand for hand.

Dan

Sessions 5/6/7

2009-09-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

Total of the 3 sessions:

Hands : 1476
Winngins: $3480

After last session's debacle, I did a strict 90 minutes limit on each of the above. I've super loosened up this month, playing 33/28, 3bet of 17%. In terms of grading myself in each area, I've been 10 in virtually everything like preparation, concentration etc as well as the technical aspects of avoiding RE and applying tons of good pressure.

Had some decent hands along the way I think:

Playing super aggro is real nice, cos you can raise call things like TP3K 150bbs deep no problem:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
5 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	TKT4877	($769.50)
CO	Hero	($1171.40)
BTN	CYN0SURE	($337.00)
SB	G0N3INW1ND	($593.22)
BB	SICKGAMBLER99	($399.00)

Pre-flop: ($6, 5 players) Hero is CO

TKT4877 calls $4, Hero raises to $16, 1 fold, G0N3INW1ND raises to $65, 1 fold, TKT4877 folds, Hero calls $49

Flop: ($138, 2 players)
G0N3INW1ND bets $85, Hero raises to $215, G0N3INW1ND raises to $528.22, Hero calls $313.22

Turn: ($1,194.44, 2 players)

River: ($1,194.44, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,194.44
G0N3INW1ND shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $1,191.44 ( won +$598.22 )
G0N3INW1ND lost -$593.22
TKT4877 lost -$4

This may be bad, but what's that word? BINK

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	Hero	($1071.00)
UTG+1	SCOMBRIDAE	($685.45)
CO	NINE10ALLIN	($200.00)
BTN	FIISHFOOD	($499.15)
SB	HOUSEHOLD	($345.00)
BB	MACIN616	($150.00)

[NINE10ALLIN posted $4]
Pre-flop: ($16, 6 players) Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, 1 fold, NINE10ALLIN calls $10, FIISHFOOD raises to $64, 2 folds, Hero calls $50, NINE10ALLIN folds

Flop: ($160, 2 players)
Hero checks, FIISHFOOD bets $125, Hero raises to $1,006, FIISHFOOD calls $309.15

Turn: ($1,600.15, 2 players)

River: ($1,600.15, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,600.15
FIISHFOOD shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $1,590.65 ( won +$520.65 )
FIISHFOOD lost -$498.15
NINE10ALLIN lost -$14

I'm going to do another 90 mins session now... playing the WCOOP 2nd chance at the moment as well but I'll do 90 minutes then review the session.

dan

Session 3/4

2009-09-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Session 3:

Hands: 781
Net Win: $67

The above was a frustrating session, albeit with some lessons to take away. I won't talk about it much, but basically I was $2k up until the last half hour or so and I resolved to always do 90 minute sessions now before having breaks.

Session 4:

Hands: 449
Net Win: $1589

Concentration: 9-
Preplay Prep: 10 - food check, exercise check, slept check, happy check, room tidy check
Avoiding RE: 10
Cbetting strategy: 10
Don't Reward The Nit: 10
Regular Timing: 1 - Didn't do it
Applying Pressure: 10

So, I applied huge amounts of pressure in both sessions, especially in session 4 where I basically resolved to be a complete animal right from the off, hence:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
4 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

CO	CRATERING	($388.00)
BTN	RETIREDAT30	($427.40)
SB	NICKWEBZILLA	($1122.29)
BB	Hero	($1261.10)

Pre-flop: ($6, 4 players) Hero is BB

2 folds, NICKWEBZILLA raises to $16, Hero calls $12

Flop: ($32, 2 players)
NICKWEBZILLA bets $20, Hero calls $20

Turn: ($72, 2 players)
NICKWEBZILLA bets $52, Hero raises to $161, NICKWEBZILLA raises to $378, Hero raises to $1,225.10, NICKWEBZILLA folds

Final Pot: $1,675.10

Hero wins $1,672.60 ( won +$411.50 )
NICKWEBZILLA lost -$414

The above happened after just a bit of history after it was established between the 2 of us that we both looking to dominate the table.

Also...

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
5 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	FLOPPIE_NUTS	($661.20)
CO	GINGERKID89	($729.90)
BTN	Hero	($956.00)
SB	RETIREDAT30	($416.40)
BB	GUYTOU1308	($222.50)

Pre-flop: ($6, 5 players) Hero is BTN

FLOPPIE_NUTS raises to $12, GINGERKID89 raises to $40, Hero calls $40, 2 folds, FLOPPIE_NUTS folds

Flop: ($98, 2 players)
GINGERKID89 bets $54, Hero calls $54

Turn: ($206, 2 players)
GINGERKID89 checks, Hero bets $137, GINGERKID89 calls $137

River: ($480, 2 players)
GINGERKID89 checks, Hero bets $725, GINGERKID89 folds

Final Pot: $1,205

Hero wins $1,201.50 ( won +$245.50 )
FLOPPIE_NUTS lost -$12
GINGERKID89 lost -$231

Been a fan of the cold call of 3bets for a while now, it's just an instance where you get enormous respect for having 1010-QQ postflop.

Session 5 coming up, I need to be aware of all the usual stuff, but also exactly when each reg hits their tipping point to all the aggression I'm piling onto them. The problem with the first of the above two sessions was that I got a bit confused with how different regs had started to react, and I should have read the early warning signs and readjusted much better. I'll be hoping to nail that part of my new approach further today....

Dan

Session 3

2009-09-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

Hands: 260
Net Loss: $1254

Concentration: 6-
Preplay Prep: 3 - no food = light headedness and paid for it
Avoiding RE: 10
Cbetting strategy: 10
Don't Reward The Nit: 10
Regular Timing: 5 - Didn't do it
Applying Pressure: 9

This session was not very good, in the sense I lost a decent amount of money. It is though extremely useful in reminding me why eating and preparing properly are so important.

I got 1 outed early in the session for $800 pot, hand:

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
5 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	Hero	($788.00)
CO	PENGUINS25	($856.05)
BTN	SMITN_KITTEN	($2057.35)
SB	BADBERT18	($432.15)
BB	WEAREND	($1659.70)

Pre-flop: ($6, 5 players) Hero is UTG

Hero raises to $14, 2 folds, BADBERT18 calls $12, WEAREND calls $10

Flop: ($42, 3 players)
BADBERT18 checks, WEAREND checks, Hero bets $30, BADBERT18 raises to $99, WEAREND folds, Hero calls $69

Turn: ($240, 2 players)
BADBERT18 bets $319.15, Hero calls $319.15

River: ($878.30, 2 players)

Final Pot: $878.30
BADBERT18 shows:
Hero shows:

BADBERT18 wins $874.80 ( won +$442.65 )
WEAREND lost -$14
Hero lost -$432.15

I find it too difficult to get worked up by these though, as reciprocally in his shoes I would have played the hand exactly the same way, and he in my shoes. Set over set, it's not like I would have folded the 66 and he got lucky by bad play, it's just a perfect example of a reciprocal zero EV value situation. Light headed as I was though with no food, it did tilt me a little at the time which I'm angry about.

Same player then coolered me (in my book):

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
4 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

CO	BADBERT18	($1070.10)
BTN	WEAREND	($1666.20)
SB	Hero	($816.00)
BB	PENGUINS25	($832.05)

Pre-flop: ($6, 4 players) Hero is SB

BADBERT18 raises to $12, 1 fold, Hero raises to $40, 1 fold, BADBERT18 calls $28

Flop: ($84, 2 players)
Hero bets $47, BADBERT18 calls $47

Turn: ($178, 2 players)
Hero bets $125, BADBERT18 calls $125

River: ($428, 2 players)
Hero bets $604, BADBERT18 calls $604

Final Pot: $1,636
Hero shows:
BADBERT18 shows:

BADBERT18 wins $1,633.50 ( won +$817.50 )
Hero lost -$816

I overbet on the presumption that I'm never bet folding, and he's just as likely to call an overbet than a pot size bet. Meh.

Light headedness then led to this hand where I forgot or didn't care that fish who SNAP call 3 streets aren't about to fold the river.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	WEAREND	($1037.00)
UTG+1	BADBERT18	($400.00)
CO	DARINGDARREN	($244.00)
BTN	SMITN_KITTEN	($768.00)
SB	NELLSBOYFREND	($468.50)
BB	Hero	($1011.00)

Pre-flop: ($6, 6 players) Hero is BB

4 folds, NELLSBOYFREND raises to $12, Hero raises to $38, NELLSBOYFREND calls $26

Flop: ($76, 2 players)
NELLSBOYFREND checks, Hero bets $40, NELLSBOYFREND calls $40

Turn: ($156, 2 players)
NELLSBOYFREND checks, Hero bets $95, NELLSBOYFREND calls $95

River: ($346, 2 players)
NELLSBOYFREND checks, Hero bets $838, NELLSBOYFREND calls $295.50

Final Pot: $1,479.50
NELLSBOYFREND shows:
Hero shows:

NELLSBOYFREND wins $933.50 ( won +$465 )
Hero wins $542.50 ( lost -$468.50 )

I did pull off this one bluff where he folded and showed AA which got me chuckling.

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	COOKEMAN23	($849.00)
UTG+1	SKOOP2	($2269.00)
CO	PENGUINS25	($1489.80)
BTN	Hero	($854.00)
SB	YEAWHATEVER	($674.40)
BB	BADBERT18	($368.60)

Pre-flop: ($6, 6 players) Hero is BTN

COOKEMAN23 raises to $14, 2 folds, Hero raises to $42, 2 folds, COOKEMAN23 raises to $100, Hero calls $58

Flop: ($206, 2 players)
COOKEMAN23 checks, Hero bets $125, COOKEMAN23 calls $125

Turn: ($456, 2 players)
COOKEMAN23 checks, Hero checks

River: ($456, 2 players)
COOKEMAN23 checks, Hero bets $629, COOKEMAN23 folds

Final Pot: $1,085

Hero wins $1,082 ( won +$228 )
COOKEMAN23 lost -$225

Both the 3bet and call of the small 4bet are meh, but I'm in position deep and was trying to set the tone of the session whereby I cannot be messed with. One he checks flop he has air, QQ, AK or AA (this villain). Bet on the flop to move him off air, fail, so AK/AA/QQ left. Range doesn't change on the turn, but on the river I felt sure he wouldn't be looking to check back QQ or a J. My range flatting the 4bet can be QQ or JJ very often, and it's just whether he folds AA/AK. My twopence worth is that when you turn your hand into a bluff catcher like this, you need to be calling, but his scared play up to the river means he's not likely in the mood to call a 200BB river overshove. Just lol at his fold and show really....

Was just about to play again, but still haven't eaten apart from some skittles... so going to cook pasta then hopefully have a concentrated, REless of winning dollars.

dan

Session 2

2009-09-10T08:32:00.000-07:00

Hands: 827
Net Win: $1478

Concentration: 6- I'm back on reading 2p2 whilst I play, big no no
Preplay Prep: 7 - tired but in good state
Avoiding RE: 10
Cbetting strategy: 10
Don't Reward The Nit: 10
Regular Timing: 6 - Just forgetting right now
Applying Pressure: 9

Really decent session all round, played 33/27 with a 3bet of 16% and won control of 3/4 of my tables*.

*By control, I mean winning the battle whereby everyone is reacting to what I am doing and not the other way round. Once control is won, regs meekly surrender and sit there waiting for the AA that never comes.

So, control won of 3/4 tables, but I'm having real trouble with one reg. May as well mention his name as doubt he reads this... Illusionss seems to have a similar attitude to running people over, and I donated a fair bit to him. I've not really come across him before, but my newfound life without HEM stats has forced me to study actual play at the tables more closely and he was very difficult to move off hands in a lot of spots. I'll see if he plays again today, because if I'm going to be battling him often then I need to study him and come up with a plan.

Going to play 45 mins now and focus on the usual, then later after football maybe load up some tournys on my new second monitor....

Dan

Session 1*

2009-09-09T18:32:00.000-07:00

* Sessions getting reset this month to reflect new house/ computer/ hem.

Hands: 891
Net Win: $1881

This session was a bit of a revelation. The revelation, essentially, was that I remembered how I used to so beat up on the samey same regs so successfully. This session I played 31/27 with a 3bet of 15%.... and managed to fuse the monkeyness of my old winning ways with the concentration and attitude of my recent blogging efforts.

I had forgotten just how rewarding it can be to apply unrelenting pressure preflop in the form of 3bets and squeezes.... rewarding because some regs never adjust, and the ones that do are immediately taken out of their comfort zone. The beauty is that they are the ones adjusting to me, and as such I'm the one in control able to take my foot off the gas when needed, and the one who will always be one step ahead in the adjustment game.

After my session found this in the Ub regs thread, lol.

What the above all comes down to is the virtuous circle (not my term), whereby the unrelenting nature of the aggression means I win a million small pots, and also get paid in the big ones that matter. Thus the circle is: win small pots, lose some medium ones, win the big pots.
So, as well as everything else I'm going to be concentrating on applying pressure. This doesn't mean 3bet every hand and triple barrel everything with numbers on it.... it means in a controlled sense, and being aware of the reg's tipping point whereby I have to re-adjust and stay one step ahead.

Some winning hands from today, after I'd established my image... not amazing hands or anything, just designed to show that in each of these spots I make no money if I'm perceived as a nit or even 'standard'.

Hand 1

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	VICTUMSEMPRA	($478.70)
UTG+1	Hero	($929.50)
CO	MR_BOBSTUPAK	($1129.00)
BTN	AXISBAL	($555.60)
SB	THEFLOW	($474.70)
BB	TRADEBYDAY	($879.20)

Pre-flop: ($6, 6 players) Hero is UTG+1

1 fold, Hero raises to $14, 1 fold, AXISBAL raises to $48, 2 folds, Hero calls $34

Flop: ($102, 2 players)
Hero bets $38, AXISBAL calls $38

Turn: ($178, 2 players)
Hero bets $110, AXISBAL raises to $469.60, Hero calls $359.60

River: ($1,117.20, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,117.20
AXISBAL shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $1,114.20 ( won +$558.60 )
AXISBAL lost -$555.60

Hand 2

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
6 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

UTG	BASEBALLEARL	($480.80)
UTG+1	THEFLOW	($545.80)
CO	MR_BOBSTUPAK	($425.40)
BTN	BRIGUY1413	($500.00)
SB	IMAYJUSTWIN	($966.60)
BB	Hero	($1128.10)

Pre-flop: ($6, 6 players) Hero is BB

2 folds, MR_BOBSTUPAK raises to $14, 2 folds, Hero raises to $42, MR_BOBSTUPAK calls $28

Flop: ($86, 2 players)
Hero bets $40, MR_BOBSTUPAK calls $40

Turn: ($166, 2 players)
Hero checks, MR_BOBSTUPAK bets $112, Hero raises to $1,046.10, MR_BOBSTUPAK calls $231.40

River: ($1,555.50, 2 players)

Final Pot: $1,555.50
Hero shows:
MR_BOBSTUPAK shows:

Hero wins $1,552 ( won +$423.90 )
MR_BOBSTUPAK lost -$425.40

Hand 3

$2/$4 No Limit Holdem
4 players
Converted at weaktight.com

Stacks:

CO	TODOPAMI	($350.70)
BTN	SCOMBRIDAE	($381.61)
SB	Hero	($915.90)
BB	WINSTON222	($188.00)

Pre-flop: ($6, 4 players) Hero is SB

TODOPAMI raises to $12, SCOMBRIDAE calls $12, Hero raises to $52, 1 fold, TODOPAMI folds, SCOMBRIDAE raises to $381.61, Hero calls $329.61

Flop: ($779.22, 2 players)

Turn: ($779.22, 2 players)

River: ($779.22, 2 players)

Final Pot: $779.22
SCOMBRIDAE shows:
Hero shows:

Hero wins $777.22 ( won +$395.61 )
SCOMBRIDAE lost -$381.61
TODOPAMI lost -$12

Going to play another session now; concentration, timing and applying controlled pressure on my homework list....

Dan