Thursday, January 27, 2011

Hero Call FTW!!!

Busted out of the $1 45-man, but the $2 9-man I played turned out pretty well. I was clinging on at the bubble in 4th place, and caught a big double up when my A9o flopped an ace against 77, then another player shoved into my pocket aces. I got heads up, and it didn't last very long. Here's the final hand:

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t150/t300 Blinds - 2 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1143836
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): t9750 32.50 BBs
BTN/SB: t3750 12.50 BBs

Pre Flop: (t450) Hero is BB with 3c 4d
BTN/SB calls t150, Hero checks

Flop: (t600) Kh 3s Ah (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN/SB checks

Turn: (t600) Qd (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN/SB checks

River: (t600) 8d (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN/SB bets t3450 all in, Hero calls t3450

Final Pot: t7500
Hero shows 3c 4d (a pair of Threes)
BTN/SB shows 4h 7d (Ace King high)
Hero wins t7500

I don't know what possessed me to call there. I just felt something... he wouldn't be shoving if he wanted value. He'd be betting smaller so I could call. He had nothing. I felt it. In the past, I would fold and move on because I didn't want to look stupid calling with a pair of threes, just in case he turns over two pair or something. But now that's I've stopped caring about looking stupid, I'm following my instincts.

And it's paying off!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Catharsis

After spending about half my dinner break playing Badugi and seeing more pairs and suited cards that I could ever remember seeing, I decided I needed a change of pace and moved to 2NL. Unfortunately, my luck followed me there:

UTG+1: $1.80
Hero (MP): $2.00
CO: $1.76
BTN: $1.37
SB: $1.48
BB: $0.30
UTG: $2.74

Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is MP with Ah Qc
2 folds, Hero raises to $0.07, 2 folds, SB calls $0.06, 1 fold

Flop: ($0.16) Qs 5d 4c (2 players)
SB bets $0.10, Hero calls $0.10

Turn: ($0.36) Kc (2 players)
SB bets $0.12, Hero calls $0.12

River: ($0.60) 7d (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Final Pot: $0.60
Hero shows Ah Qc (a pair of Queens)
SB shows Ac Qd (a pair of Queens)
SB wins $0.28
Hero wins $0.28
(Rake: $0.04)
___________________________________________________

CO: $0.92
Hero (BTN): $2.47
SB: $1.77
BB: $1.40
UTG: $1.50
UTG+1: $0.30
MP: $2.76

Pre Flop: ($0.03) Hero is BTN with Kd Kh
2 folds, MP calls $0.02, CO raises to $0.06, Hero raises to $0.25, 3 folds, CO calls $0.19

Flop: ($0.55) 6d 7d Qh (2 players)
CO bets $0.67 all in, Hero calls $0.67

Turn: ($1.89) 6s (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($1.89) Ah (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $1.89
CO shows Qs As (two pair, Aces and Queens)
Hero shows Kd Kh (two pair, Kings and Sixes)
CO wins $1.77
(Rake: $0.12)

Can you tell how pissed I was?

So, instead of continuing to play - insisting I'm not tilting, but silently fuming - I took a trip to Play Money Rush and simply shoved my entire 5k stack of play chips in every hand. I lost a few and I won a few, but most importantly I had a good time acting like a wacko. I'm still trying to remember it's all about the fun. It's hard to keep perspective when the only good hands you catch get sucked out on. Things like today's exercise help keep my mood light.

This weekend is my midnight shift weekend, so going by my rules I won't be playing any this weekend starting tomorrow night. But tonight is not off limits; I'm thinking of trying a few 9-man SNGs and possibly another 45-er. Wish me luck!

Monday, January 17, 2011

So, Um, Yeah....

I guess that worked.

Using my new "have fun" approach, I played in a couple of $1 45 man MTTs tonight. I played pretty well in both of them, busting out in one in 14th place. But the other one...

Full Tilt Poker $1 + $0.10 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t1200/t2400 Blinds - 2 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1124797
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BB): t48592 20.25 BBs
BTN/SB: t18908 7.88 BBs

Pre Flop: (t3600) Hero is BB with 8d Ks
BTN/SB raises to t18908 all in, Hero calls t16508

Flop: (t37816) 2d 9c As (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: (t37816) 2h (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t37816) Kd (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t37816
Hero shows 8d Ks (two pair, Kings and Twos)
BTN/SB shows 9d Qc (two pair, Nines and Twos)
Hero wins t37816

Took it down for $17.10!!!

I know.... it's one tourney, and to think this is going to happen all the time because of my new approach is extremely results oriented, but here's the thing: I'm having fun. I had fun during the tournament, I played very well in my opinion, and I had a great time to show for it... along with a profit of just over $16.

AND MY FIRST REAL MONEY MTT WIN EVER!!!

Ok, now it's time for bed!!!

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Introspection

(WARNING: possible tl;dr ahead... sorry, but I have a lot to say!)

If you've been following my last few posts over the past few weeks, you know that my BR has taken some hits lately. It's been hard to avoid getting frustrated and keep a level head. I'm tired of staring these losses in the face, wondering when I'll be able to climb out of this hole. Then I realized...

I'm tilted.

It's not so bad that I'm losing money just because I don't care. But I'm playing differently, trying to avoid losing instead of trying to win. I gotta get my head back on straight. So, I've laid out a "Re-establish" plan:

Step 1: Re-establish a BR. This may sound like cheating, but once I get all of my funds back from the BAPs I've invested in, I'm going to scrap my current results and start over. I know, it sounds like cheating - why keep records if you don't count your losses? But trust me, I was focusing on too much negativity earlier. Now, I've revamped my spreadsheet to focus more on my BR than profits. I've worked hard to get my BR where it is, and that's worth something. My profits may be negative, but as long as my BR is above zero, I have something to show for my efforts.

Step 2: Re-establish a proper mindset. This involves me making a major change to my game. I am very strong in various poker aspects (math, strategy, reads, etc.), but I have come to realize a major weakness - I fear looking stupid. Lately, I've found myself shying away from taking risks that have a good chance of working out because I don't want my opponents to think I'm a terrible player. Who cares what they think? I'm a good player and I know it. I need to have more confidence in my talent and not be afraid of taking risks that may expose myself to criticism. In that vein of thought, I will now be posting my current BR and my stats spreadsheet on this blog (in the theme of full disclosure).

Step 3: Re-establish the fun. It is real money I'm playing with, but the truth is this - it ws never really mine to begin with! I can't dread playing because I don't want to lose; I need to love playing because it's exciting and fun! (and cool to win, as well!) With this in mind, I have made the following decision: if I cannot enjoy myself while keeping records, I'm just going to stop and play at my own discretion. I know, I know - any serious poker player needs to keep records. But let's be honest... what are the odds that I will become a serious professional poker player? Very slim. So, I'd rather enjoy myself while playing instead of forcing myself to be "serious."

Believe it or not, I'm actually excited about my new outlook and my new plan! Even if I end up not being all that great of a poker player - or even profitable, at least - I'm going to make sure I have fun. This is a hobby, after all!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Still Roughing It...

Now it's on to Badugi, where I've been having some success over the past month-ish or so at the 5c/10c level. My BR rules allow me to play at the 10c/20c games, and today there happened to be a game running. After watching the players for a little while - and finding almost no difference in skill level - I jumped in and started to play.

As is the custom lately, I got very little to play (now is the time I get dealt all of the QQKK and AKAQ sets). I did get involved in a hand with this one guy who really had NO IDEA how to play Badugi. In a previous hand, he called a bet after standing pat on the final draw, and showed four spades. So, this happens:

Full Tilt Poker $0.10/$0.20 Limit Badugi - 6 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1118259
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Pre Draw: (1.5 SB) Hero is BB with Qd Jd 4c 3h
UTG calls, MP folds, CO folds, BTN calls, SB calls, Hero checks

First Draw: (4 SB) (4 players)
SB stands pat, Hero draws 2, UTG draws 1, BTN draws 3
Hand: Ad Ks 4c 3h
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG calls, BTN calls

Second Draw: (4 BB) (4 players)
SB stands pat, Hero stands pat, UTG draws 1, BTN draws 2
Hand: Ad Ks 4c 3h
SB checks, Hero checks, UTG checks, BTN checks

Third Draw: (4 BB) (4 players)
SB draws 2, Hero stands pat, UTG draws 1, BTN draws 1
Hand: Ad Ks 4c 3h
SB bets, Hero calls, UTG folds, BTN folds

Final Pot: 6 BB
SB shows As 9c 8h 5d (a Badugi: 9, 8, 5, A)
Hero mucks Ad Ks 4c 3h
SB wins 5.7 BB
(Rake: $0.06)

Yup, that's him betting into me after I've made Badugi (a weak one, yes, that's why I didn't raise). He then needs to draw TWO cards on the final draw to hit his Badugi, and nails it. When you play against me, you really don't have to be all that good because the luck takes over, I guess.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Give Me a Break

Back on the SNG horse today. More of the same crap...

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t15/t30 Blinds - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1115594
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG: t1485 49.50 BBs
UTG+1: t1455 48.50 BBs
UTG+2: t1455 48.50 BBs
MP1: t2040 68 BBs
MP2: t795 26.50 BBs
CO: t1455 48.50 BBs
BTN: t1845 61.50 BBs
Hero (SB): t1470 49 BBs
BB: t1500 50 BBs

Pre Flop: (t45) Hero is SB with Kc Ac
UTG calls t30, UTG+1 calls t30, 2 folds, MP2 raises to t200, 2 folds, Hero raises to t1470 all in, 3 folds, MP2 calls t595 all in

Flop: (t1680) 4d 9h 2h (2 players - 2 are all in)

Turn: (t1680) 7s (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: (t1680) Qd (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: t1680
MP2 shows Qh Jh (a pair of Queens)
Hero shows Kc Ac (Ace King high)
MP2 wins t1680

Full Tilt Poker $2 + $0.25 No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t50/t100 Blinds - 7 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1115643
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: t1340 13.40 BBs
BB: t535 5.35 BBs
UTG: t2750 27.50 BBs
UTG+1: t1000 10 BBs
MP: t5575 55.75 BBs
Hero (CO): t720 7.20 BBs
BTN: t1580 15.80 BBs

Pre Flop: (t150) Hero is CO with 8s Ac
2 folds, MP calls t100, Hero raises to t720 all in, 3 folds, MP calls t620

Flop: (t1590) 6h 9c 5d (2 players - 1 is all in)

Turn: (t1590) 8d (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t1590) Td (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t1590
MP shows Tc 8c (two pair, Tens and Eights)
Hero shows 8s Ac (a pair of Eights)
MP wins t1590

Sunday, January 9, 2011

On a Positve Note

At least I'm in the green in something!!!

Over the past few days, I've managed to pull into the positive in fixed limit games by playing a few more sessions of 5c/10c Badugi. I knew I'd eventually make it over the hump; the games are SO freakin' soft, it's unbelievable. I'm playing beneath my roll at the moment at Badugi - there was a game going during my dinner break at the proper 25c/50c level, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that emotionally yet. I may watch the table play for a little to get a feel on the skill level at that buyin. If it's not much different, I'm going to jump in first chance I get.

Also, I chucked in a positive session playing 2nl - getting it in AA vs. AK was all I needed. So at least I'm making money somewhere. Still in the hole deep in SNGs, but I know that will turn around when I get some time to start playing them again.

It sounds like I'm obsessing over every session, but I'm mainly just joking around. I know that I do have some semblance of poker skill, and eventually that skill will show through and I will start winning overall. But, just like any other person, I enjoy winning more than losing. And it's nice to know that, even with the rough luck I've been having, I can still win from time to time.

I have off the next couple of days, and I'm looking to get some more tournament games in during that time. I sure hope that this rough patch will pass soon.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Of Course...

It would make sense that as soon as I begin keeping strict records of my poker playing, that would be the time to hit a tough losing streak. Since the start of the year, I've lost just under 10% of my BR by going through some pretty tough beats (it's not really THAT bad... I have some funds tied up in a BAP that I am not considering part of my BR right now). Either it's bubbling out in 4th losing a 60/40 after two other players stayed alive on 20% fav hands or less, or I'm getting sucked out on time after time. I can't seem to hit any flops, all of my cards look like shit, and I seem to be beat at every turn. It's frustrating.

As I've said before here, I hate to lose. And now it's worse with my results staring me in the face. But I know I'm playing as best as I can in the situations I'm encountering. I mean, When I'm getting it in AK vs A9 and a 9 hits the turn, I can't do anything about that. When I get it in JJ vs a loose big-stacked player and he turns over AT, and the ace hits the river, not my fault. When I get all in pre AA vs. 66. vs. 44 and a 6 is on the flop, what am I supposed to do?

As early as it is in the year, I think I'm going to take a tiny break. At least until tomorrow night, when I may play some Badugi during dinner. Those soft games always cheer me up.