Boom and we are here again!

Long time no see!

I had all but given up on poker ... a couple of journeys into Leicester Grosvenor saw a little cash profit ... and internet poker is all but dead to me.

Anyway ... tonight .. probably 3 years after proper poker, a small pub game against a few players, who have also played in the glory years, sprung up and invited me along.

A quiet bar, a fold out felt, a new pack of cards and a set of chips (not with numbers on them .. you had to remember the values by the colour .. old school).

Game on ... £10 buy in ... 7 players .. £40, £20, £10.

Playing it tight ... sussing out the opposition .. 2 players take themselves out.

It all comes flooding back .. "use your image" a little voice says .. I make a couple of moves but get flushed out.

Back into my poker shell ... until there are 3 left with me a short stack.

A couple of pushes see me double up and then ... WHAM .. before I know it I am chip lead heads up.

I min raise @ 1200/2400 in the SB with QTc. he re raised all in with about 8,500 but I had him covered and called.

He turns over J9os and the board comes no help ... I win 40 Quid but no friends .. ha aha.

However the old buzz was still there.

The "I have played this game for years, of course they can't beat me" thoughts came out.

It is a game of skill no matter what anyone says.

Thank you Poker for the ups and downs and for tonight to renew my energy to the game.

Who knows .. perhaps I might bore you with more posts.

Until then

Keep it tight!

2015 Plans

Well here we are again ... another year ... another dollar?

Like most of my poker playing years last year seemed to be about building from a small start to see if I can get to the point where I can win big.

However as with most of my years I end up protecting my profit and never really staking enough to win big ... being content with small profits.

Anyway I ended up only £350 ish in profit but my highest buy in was $3 so what did I expect.

This year I am determined to put that £350 to use in live tournaments and still intend to go to a GUKPT or UKIPT event at some point.

So as for this year ...

Well I have predominantly decided to play at PokerStars. There are a couple of reasons for this:

Due to new UK regulations surrounding internet poker I am unable to play on PartyPoker.fr from the UK.

... and ...

I want to see what end of year bonus I can achieve believing that I could have added a sizable amount to last years profit given the amount of games I played.

However on starting the year it is apparent that it is harder to win profit on PokerStars than on PartyPoker.fr.

I think this is because the level of play is higher but also the choice of games available leads to higher variance. PokerStars have been very clever with their SnG selections I am sure with the intention of taking away some of the advantage from better players through poker game formats.

So I think January will be about identifying my most profitable games ... oh and actively learning to improve my own poker level to be able to compete.

Until next time

Keep it Tight

How difficult it is to make profit in Multi Tournaments!

This blog entry title is not a question, its a statement!

I decided early in the year that I was fed up with grinding the SnG's and so decided to predominantly only play multi tournaments.

So because I wanted a good range of regular, low buy in tournaments I ventured back onto the Pokerstars.com virtual felt.

My theory was to play small buy in tournaments with a view of hitting the odd biggish win and progressing up the buy ins until I win my millions ... well win more than last year anyhow.

Anyway after about 70 buy ins I thought I was doing well with cashing in around 30% of the tournaments and hitting a couple of 2nds to boot. The spread-sheet however told a different story!

I was about $50 down - not a lot I know but considering I don't believe I can achieve statistics better than that I couldn't see where my profits were going to come from.

Add to that the fact that these multi tournaments were taking so many hours out of my life I could have definitely been in profit playing SnG's for the same amount of time.

So what now?

Well I am back grinding the SnG's and trying to hit the PartyPoker.fr leaderboards ... again! ... for some extra cash.

I am using my points to play in the free-roll Multi Tournaments. (Currently converting 500 points into approx. $25 whereas cashing in the points for bonuses would only get me $5)

And trying to cheaply qualify for bigger tournaments where 30% cash rate will equate to far more than my initial buy ins.

So its back to the grind for me - nothing ever comes easy in this world.

Until next time

Keep it Tight!

2013 in numbers

A quick selection of figures from my 2013 poker campaign!

Total number of buy ins : 1744
Number of SnG buy ins : 1125
Number of cash game buy ins : 405
Number of multi tourney buy ins : 214

SNG ROI : 10.62%
Cash game ROI : 1.03%
Multi Tourney ROI : 8.91%

Freeroll Profit : $115
Bonuses : $95

Longest SnG cash streak : 10
Longest SnG losing streak : 8

Multi Tourney over 50 players best position : 4th
Total multi tourney cashes : 74
Multi tourney cash %age : 34.5%
Number of multi tourney wins : 0
Largest field cash : 992nd of 14775 starting players
Number of final tables : 23
Largest field final table : 7th of 206 starting players

A profitable year last year!

Lets hope for the same this year.

Good luck at the tables for 2014 all!

Until next time

Keep it Tight!

Ditching the Heads Up Display

It all started with a little game on PKR! They got me in with a tantalising reload bonus and the free cash was just too much to resist!

So sitting there on the virtual 3D felt without my comfort blanket of a HUD and without 10 other tables fighting for my attention I set about to playing some poker.

As an aside ... It probably is the next best thing to playing live poker. In fact that is the real reason I am able to write this blog entry because I did start playing real poker.

I was able to identify the person who was playing weak tight. I was able to identify the player who was drunk. I was able to enter into chat to get a feel for a player. Most importantly I didn't rely on 3000 hands of history on a player to which had no relevance to that players current situation.

Let's just take a player of whom I have 3000 hands of history. I should have a pretty good idea of how they play ... right? Well yes as long as they play consistently the way their stats show they do.

What if I play a player who normally plays sober for 5 days a week and then plays loose drunk every Friday and Saturday night ... their stats won't show this on the HUD. In fact it will lead you to play less optimally on either side of their range because you will be playing to their average range.

Think about the fact that an average 6 man STT might last 30 - 100 hands (depending on format). Then think about the fact a player might play against his tracker stats for that SnG.
His tracker stats aren't going to reflect their change of style in play against 3000 hands of history.

What if a player is playing tilted? What if  he let his girlfriend have a go on his account? What if he has recently watched a training video?

With online poker as competitive as it is today identifying just one persons current situation of play, at that point in time, might mean the difference of a break even day to a losing one ... never mind a winning day.

Then let's go one stage further ...

If you have stats on a person it will probably lead you to play the same way against them. This then makes you play predictably and anyone picking up on that will exploit you.

So ... after successfully clearing my PKR bonus, I have moved back to PartyPoker.fr, ditched the tracker and HUD and gone back to good old "read the situation" poker. What's more ... its paying off.

I am now ...

Playing less predictably
Picking up on people's weaknesses
Picking up on people's strengths
Making assessments of new players quicker
Picking up on players mood and current style of play
and
Making notes

but

I am playing less tables!

Then again ...

it is far more enjoyable, less systematic and more profitable.

So if you run a tracker and you think the stats have a handle on me. Think again because the next game it's all going to be different.

Until next time

Keep it Tight!

Shocked by the impact of rake!

 

Perhaps I am a little slow on the uptake but I have only just seen pictorial evidence of the impact of rake for my Party Poker account.

 

I have to say I thought I was struggling to make a profit and perhaps that I was even becoming a losing player ... but this is obviously not so!



 

 

 

Am I the only one that finds this astounding. It makes me feel like I am being exploited for my time I spend playing.

Not only that I feel sorry for those guys who are winning players but the rake takes them into negative ROI.

The poker sites need to understand that this is not a sustainable model for income or maintaining a player market.

If they want to maintain their customer base they need to rethink their methods of generating profit from the games.

Perhaps for example they could rake less from losing players and more from those that win on an increasing scale, for example as a tax at the end of the month based on a players winnings.

Its worth checking your own graphs just to see what impact rake has on your profits ... even if you can't yet do anything about it.

Until next time ...

Keep it Tight!

Advantages of being allowed to play junk?

I spend most of my time trying to play poker properly, which normally means ditching the poorest of hands.

However I have recently been playing at a level that is allowing me to get in cheaply to multi way limped pots with absolute trash. Whats more this is not currently a losing proposition and is giving me one major advantage .... psychological well being!

How?

Well normally when I play I am raising/re raising with a strong hand and then adjusting through the streets as to how I see the hand playing out. When I win I feel great and justified as the best hand wins ... but when I lose it is generally followed by feelings of ...

"How can you call a pre flop raise with that?"
"How do you stay in the hand with that trash?"
"Typical hit the 2 outer river to win the pot?"
"Mmmm tough fold or tough call?"

... all negative feelings.

However by playing trash I get feelings of ...

"Well didn't expect to hit much there anyway!"
"I didn't expect that to hold up by the river!"
"Thats an easy fold!"
"Oooh set up on the flop of 22A with my 2"
"Whoah ... straight to my 7 on the river!"

All positive feelings.

So why isn't this a losing proposition as it should be ...

Well I must have an edge on my opponents at this level and the players I have been playing tend to:

Not fold top A
Chase flushes and straights
Fold to weak bets if holding nothing

Anyway this isn't going to break the bank if I lose and it isn't going to make me rich if I win. But it has brought back some sense of perspective to my game ... as well as some happiness and fun.

For now I can reserve my tight game (and grumpiness!) for the tourneys I play.

Until Next Time

Keep it tight!

Playing through a downswing - my take!

I was just browsing the other blogs I follow and came across a blog post by James Atkin (link at the bottom of this post). This is a great post and I totally agree with (and understand first hand) the difficulties a poker player has in dealing with a downswing.

However one thing that wasn't mentioned was that a downswing will affect you proportionately to what the losing means.

So what do I mean by that?

OK, well lets look at 3 different examples of types of poker player.

Firstly lets take the regular professional - they rely on a monthly income from their poker. Their expectation as a winning player is that they will make a profit every month. This, realistically, isn't sustainable due to the variance inherent within their game. Losing streaks are a huge hit because they put stress on the day to day running of their lives and are probably doubly debilitating due to the fact that they come as "Unexpected".

Secondly lets look at a serious recreational player. They have a non poker related job and fund their poker playing from other earnings. They have read all the books and want to achieve something in poker but it really doesn't matter if they win or lose because their livelihood is secured.

Lastly is the, what I call, "Made it Pro". You got a a couple of books out, a few TV appearances and a sponsorship deal for many of the tournaments you enter. What you lose in an evening has probably been earned in royalties and investments in the same day.

So a downswing affects you more if you put more value on the losses incurred from the downswing.

Too simplistic?

I am sure yes because its not poker that's complicated, its the people that play it who are!

Now to the whole point I keep this blog! ... I use it to listen to others and think through my own game!

So where do I sit in the scale of downswing turmoil?

Well I am very close to my second example with the winning mentality of the first ....

except ....

I REALLY want to achieve a big win at poker but every single small loss, that can't even be explained as a downswing, is like I have lost every thing ....

even though I have been a winning player for near on 10 years short term losses stop me from continuing to push the boundaries with what I am willing to risk ....

I put all value on the winning and not the amount I have won ... which makes losing any amount more painful ...

and at the first hint of a downswing I am back down the limits faster than you can say "losing player"

****

So tonight (with James Atkins' post as help http://www.poker.co.uk/playing-through-a-downswing) my blog has taught me another lesson ....

.... I need to recognise that my short term losses are not that important and I need to learn to deal with downswings so that I can push myself harder ... and who knows? ... one day ... I might be able to hit that big win I dream of!

Until next time

Keep it Tight!

Is poker getting harder?

 

"Is poker getting harder?"

This is an interesting question that was posed on this months Poker Player magazine letters page. However I do not think this simple question has a simple answer. In fact I think the question in itself is a little misleading because it somehow suggests that the skill levels involved in the modern game are higher which is making it harder.

I think to answer this question you first need to identify by what measures you will use to assess the skill levels of the players involved.

Well the obvious measure that comes to mind is the ability to consistently make a profit!

This in itself though is not a true measure of a players skill because we know that some players can make consistent profits at the low buy in levels but not at the higher ones. And then there are the players that are not comfortable playing the higher levels despite having the bank roll and skill. Furthermore what levels of profit do we accept as the benchmark? Which game and format are we comparing? Well suddenly the waters have become very muddy.

So in thinking this through a bit further perhaps a fairer question would be:

"Is it getting harder to make a consistent profit at poker within the game type and level you play at?".

Now when you put the question like this I think the answer is definitely yes! It certainly is for me which is showing up as a reduction in profits. However I don't believe this is because the skill levels have gotten higher or the game has gotten harder!

Let me explain ....

The online game has changed massively since I started over 10 years ago. A 3bet generally meant an opponent would fold and a 4bet meant you had forgotten where the All In button was. These moves are now common place in the SnG's I play as pre flop actions and there is still some expectation of post flop play.

But does this mean the game is more skillful?

Well I don't believe it does!

Lets take a very basic look at these plays in an online SnG.

Firstly I normally see these moves when the blinds are small; traditionally a part of the game that you were supposed to only be able to lose the SnG but not win it. Later in the game the blinds are so big a 3rd bet generally means all in.

Secondly I don't believe anyone has a true idea where they stand in a hand on the flop after they have had their 4 bet called! Whats more the flop play from here is sometimes astonishing, usually down to the fact that the players have invested so many chips already!

Thirdly after this kind of action, if the 4bet is all in, it is likely to be called by a lesser hand because the pot is so large in comparison to the players remaining chips.

So I am seeing many more light calls against my AA, KK, QQ and AK that would traditionally have been folded pre or post flop. So what is more skillful? Folding in a 20% win spot having invested a little or getting it All In light in the hope you will hit your few outs when you have made a bad read?

I know these moves are meant to get people to fold - but they generally don't anymore.

I therefore put my reduction in profit down to the times I lose with my premium hands being called pre and post flop by hands that normally would have resulted in a pre or post flop fold.

Is poker getting harder?

No, in my opinion it is getting more gambly!

Until next time.

Keep it tight!

 

A new blog direction

Well I know it has been a while since my last blog entry but I really haven't had a lot in my poker life to blog about.

So in an inspirational moment I decided it might be good to blog on the back of the things I read in the Poker Player magazine. I am a full subscriber and inevitably end up reading the articles whilst having an internal discussion with myself about the validity of the information based on my experience. This internal discussion is what I am going to use to prompt some posts!

I first want to make it clear however this is not an exercise of pulling apart the magazine and saying "I think I know better". It is a great publication that prompts discussions like this within me and that has to be a good thing! Nor is it meant to replace the articles, in fact if you haven't read them I suggest you get a copy and take the time to read them for yourselves. This (and future) blog posts are merely meant to give my slant on what I read, how it affects me, perhaps fill in a few of the gaps and who knows some of the helpful tips might actually sink into my brain.

The article for this post that got my creative juices flowing was entitled "6 Steps to Winning Big Money" in the November 12 issue where the article sets out to take the reader from $0 to $1,000 + in six ways. The part in particular getting my attention was taking a balance from $0 - $100.

I found this quite relevant because at the moment I have built a bankroll from $0 this year and it is currently sitting at approx $450.

Starting from a $0 bank roll is an interesting challenge and it should be remembered that it takes a lot of hard work, patience and dedication to achieve it (which are all valuable lessons to be learnt for a poker player). The level of play is easier at the lower stakes but remember that poker is poker. It can take months to grow from $0 to $100 never mind $1000+ (for me it took 4 months to break the $100 barrier and stay above it).

The article suggests sticking to the micro cash games (mainly to play a lot of hands) but my views differ. I think a balanced approach to building a bank roll is much better and would suggest the following tips:

1. Identify your winning game

There are many variations of poker that exist on-line - cash games, SnGs, Multi tournaments, speed, turbo, Omaha, holdem, knockout, timed tournaments, heads up, 6 player, 10player; in fact the list is almost becoming endless. All of the types of poker available have different skill sets required but most importantly have a varying level of win expectation inherent within the game. It is important to experiment with the different types of poker but initially I suggest choosing a game with a low variance level such as Double Up Sit and Gos - your profits will not rise quickly but they do allow you to protect a bank roll in the initial stages of bank roll building.

2. Identify the best site for you

Different sites offer different game selections but also have a different level of player. Sign up to a few sites and stick with the one that gives you a regular profit.

3. Keep detailed records

The above two points are very important but in identifying them you need to keep a detailed spreadsheet showing the following - buy in, game type, site, number of players, pay structure of selected game etc. You can then filter the data to identify your winning game selection.

4. Bonuses

If you are going to make a deposit to get yourself going choose a site that gives you a bonus; but be sensible with it. If $200 bonus is on offer but you are going to be playing $1 SnGs then you are not going to clear the whole amount - buy in for an achievable amount, say $5. Clear it, cash out then move to the next site offering a bonus.

5. Freerolls

Don't be afraid of stooping down to play freeroll tournaments (some sites even offer freeroll SnGs). The rewards are relatively small but when you win remember it is 100% ROI. Some sites will offer depositor freerolls that have a slightly higher prize fund and if you ensure you register your email address with particular sites you will get special tournaments with free tickets sent to you! Whats more if you follow poker sites on-line with social networks there are free tournaments with passwords posted there.


So there are a few brief tips that do not relate to game play but in my opinion are just as important to help make a winning player! I hope it might help someone build from $0.


Until next time

Keep it Tight!

Enjoyment of poker returning? ... Oh and a few stats!

Is the joy of online poker returning for me?

Well it is hard to tell but I have been playing online poker a little more recently and I have been enjoying it.

It is still only at small stakes and it could just be due to the circumstance of me being in France, revelling in the sunshine by day and then having time to get involved with a bit of poker by night.

It may also be to do with the fact that I have renewed my aquaintance with Titan Poker.

I finally feel I am getting value from an online poker room (although there rake is a little high on some of the low stakes SnGs). They offer cash back for points, bonus tokens and invite tourneys ... and they even respond to your tweets. All in all their package seems to have improved greatly from when I used to play there over 2 years ago.

Perhaps it also helps because I have been winning a little recently and my "bankroll from zero" has been growing (which is also due to the fact that I have been doing well in the freeroll tournaments offered).

The graph below shows my progress from the beginning of the year on my "bankroll from zero" challenge.

The peak at 645 buy ins is where I have accounted for a tournament qualifying token that was added to my records and then taken back out again when played with no return.


So my balance of $180 dollars is made up from 855 individual buy ins on the following 3 different game formats:

Multi Table Tourneys

39 buy ins               $70.65
16 cashs (1FT)        $118.54
ROI                         67.9%   (thanks to 18 freerolls of which 11 were cashes with the final table)

Cash Games

Total Buy Ins         $412
Total Returns         $434.11
ROI                        5.37%

Sit and Goes

Total Buy Ins         $824.72
Total Returns         $865.67
ROI                        4.97%

"And this is where good record keeping and writing this blog instantly helps - I now know that I have been spending more time and buy ins on my least profitable format!"

So at a $180 bank roll going forwards I am able to now sit with a total buy in of $9 on any one game.

I will keep going with this because it is giving me the chance to at least enjoy some poker and enjoy the sensation of being a winning player, which is a small comfort.

So with the hope my new found love for the game continues and that my bankroll continues to grow I will sign off .... so ....

Until next time

Keep it Tight!

Uninspired & uninterested = unsuccessful

I haven't blogged for a while because I have nothing to blog about! I just can't get into my poker right now!

I am still playing on line regularly but not with any conviction. I have no challenge, no drive and no notable success.

Perhaps its just life! I am more interested at the moment on living rather than sitting in front of my pc screen to make a few (and I mean a few) quid.

I need to set some goals ... need a challenge ... and most of all I need to set aside some time.

Perhaps I will join the 2+2 forum and see if I can find some inspiration there.

With regards to my online poker results I am still holding my balance from nothing at $134 and slowly improving.

My live poker balance sits at £361 but I haven't played live in about 2 months.

So until next time ... when hopefully I will have re found my Mojo!

Keep it Tight!

Now I don't generally go with conspiracies ...

I am in a world of on line poker pain and confusion ....

-

I go through times of really wanting to play on line ... and then I sit down to play and all of the passion just leaves me!

-

It can take just one "On Line" hand for me to lose all confidence in it again.

-

Tonight it was holding TT against AJ pre flop ... and the board runs 45678 to split the pot ... ( I switch off) ... makes a change to the A on the river I suppose.

-

At the weekend it was running deep in a tourney until that guy hits his 2 outer to knock my short stack out for a min cash ... (I switch off) ... it happens oh so (too) regularly!

-

Now I don't generally go with conspiracies ...

-

In my (approx) 10 years of online poker I have played thousands of games, nay, hundreds of thousands on over 30 different poker sites. In that time I have seen massively varying results from my style of play on different sites, so much so that there is one particular network I will not play on because I cannot turn a profit ...! Is it coincidence that most of the brands using that network consistently offer the best bonuses?

-

How can my results on this network be SO consistently poor?

-

Can it really be that all of the tens of thousands of players across all of the different providers on that network have a different style of game that beats mine?

-

I often hear "its because you play so many hands that you only remember the bad results" or "its variance". Well I have played hundreds of Double up SnGs month after month in the past and the spots in which I get my chips in (or not) are very similar ... I know the expectation for my play.

-

So is this sour grapes from a bad run of form?

-

I don't think so ... In fact I don't think I have had a losing year besides my first year of playing.

-

My graph below shows the first two months results on my Zero to What? challenge brought on by my lack of confidence in on line poker.

-

So why this sudden change of heart?

-

Well to be honest I have always thought that on line play is a bit different to a real pack of shuffled cards, I have just tried to repeat the multitude of different mantras supporting it ...

-

... "What would the poker sites gain from fixing?"

-

... "You are just having a bad run"

-

... "Just because you are ahead it doesn't mean you will win the hand"

-

... and of course I wouldn't want to be subject to the bad press you receive from even suggesting that On Line Poker might not be right.

-

But would I really be out of line for suggesting that? Am I really out of order for thinking that the operators of poker sites could be so unscrupulous as to take a bit more juice from their customers? I think recent events in the On Line poker world have answered that!

-

But what has really got me going is that I am convinced that the graph above has not been achieved by good poker play ...

-

Now I am not on a crusade to try and put people off on line poker and it is not as a fight back to any particular site. I also know there are people out there who have played far more on line than I have and are happy with the results.

-

However whilst I am thinking like this I can't put in a stake of value on line, regardless of the prize ...

-

Am I talking rubbish? ... that is for you to decide!

-

Until Next Time

-

Keep it Tight!

Losing Love for the Game?

I don't know what it is recently but I can't seem to get myself up to play online poker:

=

Is it all the downs personal life dealt me last year that got me out of the habit of playing?

=

Am I just tired of players holding onto J5 on a J high flop until they hit their set on the river to beat my AA?

=

Have the bonuses dried up that used to turn me from a marginal winning player to a quite profitable player?

=

Whatever it is Online Poker is just not the same as it was to me over a year ago.

=

Is OnLine Poker in Trouble?

=

Daniel Negranaeu, in Poker Player Magazine, spoke about poker being in trouble because there are no real characters coming through the new game.

=

I think it is in trouble for different reason - a high percentage of players are now better!

=

Heres my theory:

=

When a player is far better than their opponents the skill difference is very apparent and the effect of this skills gulf is mostly measurable (probably solely) on their results. Luck does still play a part but overall the difference in skill will win out in the end.

=

When players' skill levels are more evenly matched the skill level plays less of a role in results and the winning player is more likely going to be the one who is luckiest. To me this doesn't matter if it is equal skill at a low level or at the highest level. At whatever level it becomes more difficult to measure your success because you can't (or don't want to) measure the amount of good or bad luck you have.

=

My second point here is where I think online poker is at now. At all levels players appear to have a good grasp of the basics of the game and in most cases are educated to the more advanced plays.

=

How it used to be:

=

Of course the player holding onto his J5 in my opening to this post is exactly what you want to have happen, but these players are fewer and far between (perhaps one to a table). When there used to be 4 or 5 of these to a table you were likely to get those chips back 3-4 times faster than is likely today.

=

Consequently you reward to time ratio is watered down and your overall ROI is reduced ... and thats just to the few players you are better than!

=

Add to this mix the fact that tracker software has levelled the playing field even further and it becomes very difficult to make a meaningful profit.

=

This is probably the real reason why I have lost the drive for online poker.

=

So what are my plans for online poker?

=

Well I think it is going to become mainly recreational whilst I continue to try and make something happen at the live game. I am not going to sit and grind for hours and hours, I am not going to attemp to hit the leaderboards, I am going to play when I feel like it.

=

So, unless something in my Psyche changes, I am going to try and play the bankroll build game until the end of the year.

=

I am starting at the lowest SnG, cash and multi tourney buy in levels ...

I am starting my records from $0 dollar ....

I will play freerolls and bonus tournaments ...

and I will see how much I have won or lost by christmas.

=

When my balance is at at appropriate levels I will be using the following rules for buy ins:

=

5% of bankroll for SnG

2% of bank roll for cash games

1 % of bank roll for Multi Tournaments

=

Any profit I have at the end of December will then be spent on live poker for 2013.

=

If I lose on the year it could well be spelling the end of my online poker exploits.

=

So until my next update

=

Keep it Tight!

Harder than it looks

A quick post by way of an update.

Well the idea was to build my live bankroll and climb up the qualtiy of tournaments to test out my poker skills and possibly hit a bigger win.

This is proving more difficult than I thought and I still haven't left the tables of my local casino yet.

So far I am only playing live once a week, so I haven't really got a decent sample of results to say whether I am going to fail or succeed.

Here are my results so far:

Multi Tourneys (40 players or more)

Played 7
Final Tabled 4
Cashed 2
Won 0

Buy Ins (incl. rake) £261

Profit / loss -£161

I feel that just one win or high position cash will set me off. It will certainly put me in profit. I like to think I am holding my own, and the fact that I can top up my live balance from other winnings will give me plenty of time.

Whats important is that I am really enjoying live play (albeit sometimes I wish I'd invested in a decent set of headphones to block out distractions).

So until next time

Keep it Tight!

When the odds were not in my cards or in the pot

Date : 26/9/11

Location : Gala Casino Leicester

Tournament : £10 NLH, 1 rebuy and 1 add on

Situation : Bubble - next prize pays £70

Players : 6

Blinds : 3000/6000 a400

Position : BB

Chips before the hand started : 10,600-

Setup:-

"I post the big blind, 2nd to act calls, Button calls, SB all in for about 20K more. I have 77 ....... after thinking for a while I fold!"-

Thoughts at the time:-

The first thing that happened after I folded was that one of the players who wasn't in the pot berates me for folding stating " you only have 4000 left, you have to call with any 2 cards, you have pot odds"-

That was my initial thought even before I was dealt my cards ... so what changed!-

My thoughts at the time of folding included:-

1. With 2 players to act after me and with my chips added to the pot they will be priced in to call (first to act had approx 50 - 70K in chips and the button had approx 150 - 200K in chips). 77 is not going to perform well in a 4 way pot.-

2. I have sat for over 5 hours and am trying to build a bank roll, there is no cash game to go to, that's it for the night ... any return is better than none.-

3. My chance to win the tournament is not greatly improved, even if I win this pot as I will still only have around 40K with a round of betting costing 11.5K and SB to be posted next.-

4. I think I have a better chance of cashing if one or both of the other players still to act calls the all in and knocks him out than I have playing my hand.-

Post Tournaments Analysis:-

Before I give the outcome of the hand, I have taken a look at my "all in" odds for 77 in this situation given the hands I thought I may be up against (using PokerStove).-

Caller 1 : small pockets and TJ-KQ (15%)-

Caller 2 : AT - A2 and suited/off suit connectors (17%)-

AI Raiser : JJ+ (50%)-

Me : 77 (16%)-

2% a hand tie.-

In fact I only really gave thought to the first two in the pot as to whether they would be likely to call or not, because my main concern was the ALL IN from a tight player in a position where he could let me take on 2 opponents to get him in the money.-

I thought that at least one of the players still to act behind me would call on the hand ranges I had given them at least 50% of the time, better odds than I was likely to be facing if I went all in.

I also figured that if one or both did call then there was at least a 30% that they could win the hand, better than the odds I had heads up.-

Anyway I delayed and tried to get a read as to whether there would be a caller behind and my gut told me there would be so I folded.-

Caller 1 folded and caller 2 debated, asked the ALL IN if he wanted a call ... the answer was yes ... and he called.-

AI shows 99 and Caller 2 Shows ATos.-

An ace and a ten on the flop seal the hand for him and for me to cash in 5th place at the expense of someone else's misfortune.-

I know it is debatable as to whether I should have folded because if the AI hand had held up then I would have been all in next hand anyway. However I was clear before I folded why I was doing it; I was resigned that the tournament was over for me and I wanted to give myself the best chance at cashing. -

I would appreciate any thoughts!-

If this was a 10K buy in event that I had qualified for online and this had happened ... I would be ecstatic with the outcome.-

Anyway my live poker bank roll now sits at £340'ish pounds and stays strong for a few more buy ins to try and hit a bigger cash.-

Until next time-

Keep it Tight!

I really can't believe it!

I have just finished at the Truro, Victoria Inn Pub Poker League ... and have won again!

I have played 4 times here .. Now won 3 times and 4th in the other, I think thats good stats against anyone holding 2 cards.

I also find out tonight that they have a league yearly winner where the champion gets a nice trophy and the top 6 get to play off for a tournament in France ... unfortunately me playing one week a month cannot ever win that.

Tonight it was a £5 buy in, there were only 17 players and it paid top 3 - £50, £25 and £10

Anyway, as always I was pretty quiet in the early rounds and kept just above average. There was a maniac player with chips who was taking on every raise of mine which made me cautious.

When there were about 10 left I got back to back Aces at blinds of 300 / 600 and only managed to extract about 3K from those hands, mainly because I was playing very fast to deter the maniac from playing any 2 cards and out drawing me.

Anyway the maniac went out on the bubble and I was left the small stack. The player to my left was quite passive but did seem to change gears by raising more, just with the wrong hands at the wrong time. I made most of my comeback chips from him!

My heads up opponent ended up taking him out.

Heads up lasted quite a few hands and we agreed to take £30 each and play for the last £15. With the blinds at 5K/10K -about 107K in chips on the table. The final hand came when I limped in the SB, he raised all in for about 35K total . I could call and still leave about 40K behind with 79spades. I called and he showed Q8os. A Q on the flop gave us both the obvious emotions, but the other two cards got me a straight redraw ... and I filled my straight on the river.

So a few more winnings again to add to a very small cash table win at the Gala last week (£3) my live bank roll sits at £193.

Just a quick note on my live bank roll ... I will be adding a small amount from other gambling funds every month ... so I expect to still be able to play live poker if my current bank roll falls back to zero.

So onwards and upwards with my bid to play some bigger buy in tournaments ... but for now I remain a Poker Wannabe.

Until Next Time

Keep It Tight!

Live Poker Interesting Exit Hand

I eventually got to start my "serious" live poker playing at the Gala in Leicester ..

The tournament was a £10 NLH, two rebuy or one rebuy and one add on or 2 add on at the break; basically you can buy in 3 times by the break if needed.

I played quite well starting on table one, had a good handle on all of the players and was just starting to get going before the break. Mainly this was thanks to winning a big pot from the person who I thought was the most threat to the table when his KK ran into my AA, all but knocking him out of the tourney. Also another key hand I made a good call with an A on the board holding JJ when an opponent had a pair of tens and had represented the A.

I hadn't had a rebuy by the break so took my 2 add ons to keep my chip count above average.

Shortly after the break I was moved to another table which seemed to have most of the chips, and most of the best players. I got cut off quickly by one particular regular who I read a few times as being very strong (given the body language). The biggest lay down being my flopped 2 pair against his all in shove following my flop lead out. I read him for a set and after he told me he had a set .. but then he would wouldn't he?

I will be watching him next time to see if it is just me he is having a go at and may just call light once to see what he's up to in the future.

So it then took ages to reach the final table from about 16 left (54 started and paying 6), in that time I lost about 11K of my 50K stack. Then just before the final table assembled I had a go at the player on my right who had limped in the SB first to act. Admittedly I had AJ but a big raise did not see him off and my all in on the flop saw him call with an open ended straight draw on a low board holding 78. My A high held and I went to the final table with about 89,000 chips.

After a couple of rounds on the final table we were down to 7 and the blinds and antes were so high that every ones stack had seemed to even out except for 2 smaller stacks who would soon be in by the blinds.

I suggested we did a bubble saver for 7th place, and it was agreed that the bubble would get their £30 buy in back.

So it was when it folded to me in the SB that I completed with my 9Jos and the BB checked.
The flop came 89Thh. I bet about 16K into a 11,600K pot and got re raised all in (by a different player to before). I still had about 30K behind but chose to call with my open ender bottom pair, he had 89 for two pair. The turn came a 9 and I was out to a full house.

I have replayed this hand a few times in my mind and will probably post the hand on a forum to get some differing views mainly to answer the following questions:

1. Should I limp in the SB? ... the blinds were 2,000 / 4,000 with 800 Ante 7 players. The pot was reasonably big for my 2,000. I didn't want to commit my stack with a raise holding J9. I felt any re raise would be a real hand and I could drop it there and then just limping ....

2. Should I lead with mid pair on the flop? .. I think so given my redraw chances and the size of the blinds.

3. Should my lead have been so big? I wanted to win it there and then scaring away any hearts. I had already committed myself to winning this pot given the action so far, so I think the size of my bet reflected that I was going all in before my bet, it just happened that he'd hit 2 pair.

4. Should I have folded after his re shove? Looking back I had about 30K left and about a 45% chance, certainly getting pot odds. However I was through the blinds so I could have folded, if only to get a couple more places up the prize money. On the other hand by outdrawing in this position I would have had a very good chance of winning the tourney.

5. Given the turn card any play after the flop was to go all in with my set .. the only possible ways out would have been to fold pre flop, raise pre flop (if he would have folded) or fold on the flop following his shove.

I am still not sure what lesson I have learnt yet other than setting up a bubble saver was worth while ... it could just be one of those hands although I did make my actions under definite reasoning at the time.

Any way I was only 6 hours out of time as I got my buy in back and loved every minute of the game.

So now waiting for the next time to build my live bank roll.

Until Next Time

Keep it Tight!

My Ladder of Hope

I have been thinking about how I can motivate myself to go forwards in pursuit of live game success.

I understand that my personality and the value I place on my bankroll can hold me back when I should be pushing on. I need to devise a method of tracking my progress as well as giving myself targets to achieve so that I don't become stagnant and satisfied with lower levels of success.

So I am formulating, what I call, my Ladder of Hope.

I will be starting on the first rung of the ladder as a Poker Wannabe and I will outline clear goals that allow me to reach a certain rung of the ladder.

So far I have the levels as follows, with some of my initialy thought out targets.

WANNABE - Where I am now!

CANDIDATE
Bronze - Live Bankroll = £1,000
Silver - Finish in top 50% in local tournament (e.g. Dusk Till Dawn)
Gold -
APPRENTICE
Bronze - Live Bankroll = £2,500
Silver -
Gold - Cash in a local tournament
RISING PLAYER
Bronze - Live Bank Roll = £5,000
Silver -
Gold - Cash in a National Side Event (e.g. GUKPT side event)
PLAYER
Bronze -
Silver - Final Table Local Tournament
Gold- Cash in a National Event (e.g. GUKPT)
RISING PRO
Silver -
Gold - Final Table National Side Event
PRO
Gold -
RISING STAR
Gold - Win National Event, Cash in an International Event
STAR
Gold - Final Table International Event
SUPERSTAR - Win an International Event

This is still pretty much work in progress in thinking out what goals I want where, and I will probably add more goals as I think of them ... but you get the idea.

More when I have this sorted out a little better.

Until next Time

Keep it Tight!

Making it in the Live Arena

As a Poker Wannabe I have wanted to break onto the live poker scene for a long time. I have always wanted to be able to rub shoulders with the big names in the game and to pit my wits against a multitude of lesser known good players. -

I want to be challenged rather than grind out 400 SnG's a month for a small profit.-

I want to be drawn to the big prizes and exposure that the live arena has to offer a recognised poker player.-

I have decided that the time to start along this path is NOW!-

I understand that I will probably lose more than I will win - unless I really can make it. That is a price that I will have to pay to find out.-

I know I am not starting from the bottom. I have won local casino tournaments and have won in Vegas in the hotel daily buy ins. I also think I have a better than average grasp of the game ... but this is how I see me ... am I good enough to do it in the real world?-

So starting at the end of August I will be trying to build a live bank roll in which I intend to find out ... -

Rise ...-

or -

Fall ...-

It will be posted here.-

Until Next Time-

Keep it Tight!