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Saturday, August 27, 2011

300

This is my 300th blog post.

I realized that #300 was approaching a few weeks ago. I've been trying to decide what to do for this milestone, but I haven't come up with much. So here are a few different things.

- According Blogger's Stats section, the most popular post is the Mountaineer Review, and it's in the lead by a 4-1 margin. Others in the Top 10 include my Greektown Review, and other Google-friendly posts like Double Or Nothing, MTT Grinder, and Cash Me Out.

However, the #3 post in the list is a mystery to me. Me & Mrs B is a Running Log from a Saturday night tournament back in July '10. There are no buzz words, or other things that would make it Google-friendly. The only thing unusual about it was that I won the tournament. It's hard to win a tournament, and it's rare that I happen to be doing a Running Log when I end up taking one down.

- So has doing a blog made me a better player? Well, the short answer is No.

I went back to read some old posts, hoping to see some hands that I could point out as a mistake. But every hand that I screwed up back then, I acknowledged in the original post. I really think I have reached a plateau as a poker player. I haven't been improving in the last few years. I don't know if it's because I'm just a recreational player who plays when I have some free time, or because this is good as I am capable of becoming.

Certainly, a small part of me would love to go Pro. And if I ever lost my job, then I think I could survive on Poker for a while. But I don't have any control over my hectic work schedule right now, and that's not gonna change for a long time. Also, my last paycheck was $2500 after taxes and stuff were taken out. I'm on pace to make $80k - $85k this year, and there's no way I could voluntarily leave that.

- What would a milestone post be without a Best Of? Here are two hands from way back when that may have been missed by newer readers.

Hand #1 - $.50/$1 Four Winds (Dec '08)
Lady UTG raises to $6. Five players call. I'm the SB with two red Kings, and makes it $25. Lady shoves All-In for about $120. Everyone folds to me. It is vividly clear that she's got AA, so I fold my KK face up.

Laying down KK vs AA is not why I posted this hand. I've done it two other time in the last 18 months, and they were all this easy.

The reason for this hand is the $283,000 Bad Beat Jackpot, Aces Full of Kings beaten by Quads. When I showed the KK, about half of the players at the table were pissed off at me. "How can you lay that down? Don't you know about the BBJ?" "I had a suited connector. I could have seen the Flop." "This is .50/1. I didn't know we were playing real poker."

This is one of many reasons that I HATE any Bad Beat Jackpot. Yes, if any of the five cards on the board ended up being A K K, then I'm a very happy person today. But the pot odds of hitting a 1/million board just don't add up to chase a two outer when I know I'm beat.

"I didn't know we were playing real poker." Geez.

Hand #2 - Borgata $1/$2 (Oct '09)
A solid player in Mid position raises to $15. I'm the BB with JTd, and about $250 in my stack. I call, and four players see a Flop of Jc Ts 5s. Yahtzee! I check, and so does another player. Raiser counts out some Reds and bets $60. We've been playing at the table for a few hours, and he's a fairly no-nonsense player who been on a good run of cards. I'm fairly sure that this bet means an overpair, and not just a c-bet. The fourth player folds, and I check-raise to $150. The player between us thinks for about a minute. I'm assuming that he's deciding whether to gamble on a draw or not. He eventually chooses NOT, and folds. The Raiser insta-calls me. As the Dealer grabs all the chips into the pot, I move the rest of my stack forward (around $100-ish). The Raiser pushes another stack of Reds in as the Dealer flips over the Turn card, 2h. And then, of course, the River card: [Jc Ts 5s 2h] 5d.

"NO!" I say in disgust, as I assume that my Two Pair just got counterfeited. I show my JT. The Raiser shakes his head, and says, "No, you got it." (wtf?) He looks at the board for another moment, mucks his hand towards the Dealer, and says, "You got it." The Dealer puts his two cards in to the Muck, and starts counting the stacks.

Since this is the biggest pot of the night, everyone at the table starts talking. A couple of them were wondering why I reacted to the River card. I just sat there, dead quiet, waiting for the Dealer to gather up the Board, and ship me the pot. I'm not saying a word, because at this point, I'm still 97.3% sure that he's got an Overpair, and I got fucked on the River.

And then, all of a sudden, the Raiser's eyes get very wide. He points to the Muck, and says to the Dealer, "I need my cards. Can I get my hand back?" The Dealer says, "No. The hand was mucked." He ships me the pot of $548, and I tip the Dealer a Red $5 chip.

I have to give a lot of credit (and thanks) to the Raiser. He handed this very professionally. He mumbled something about QQ, and simply walked away. When he came back 15 minutes later, he grabbed his remaining stack of $40-ish, and left without saying a word. 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Bringing My C+ Game To The Table

1:40 - Sunday afternoon, I walk into the Eldorado Poker Room. They have a $1/$2 table and a $1-$5 Stud table running. I put my name on the $1/$2 List, and I'm the 5th name. Maybe they will be opening a new table soon.

2:00 - They are opening up a $3/$6 game. I would sit in the game while waiting, but I'm now first on the $1/$2 List.

2:30 - After starting to get impatient, two different players leave the $1/$2 table. I get my $300 in chips, and sit down on the left of the biggest stack at the table (about $400). I'm the youngest player at the table, which isn't unusual for a Sunday afternoon.

3:00 $250 - I definitely sat next to the right guy, as he seems to be the Action Guy of the table. First orbit, he's UTG+1 and raised to $18. I'm next with QJd and call. Four players saw a Flop of Ah Jh 6c. Action Guy (AG) bet $20. That seems small to me, so I called, and am the only one. Turn [Ah Jh 6c] 4d. He bet $30, and I called. River [Ah Jh 6c 4d] 8c. He bet $40. Hard to see someone not having an Ace after betting all three streets, so I fold. He doesn't show, but says he had AK. Maybe he's just a small bettor.

An orbit later, he limps in the same position. I have Jh Jd, and raise to $8. Only SB and AG called. Flop 6c 5d 4c. Yuck! SB checked. AG bet $12. I think about just calling for Pot Control, but I see the SB already has $12 in hand. So I raised to $30 in order to isolate. It worked as the SB folded, and AG called. Turn [6c 5d 4c] 9h. AG checked, and I decided to bet $30 again. He thought for a moment, and called. River [6c 5d 4c 9h] Jc. Interesting card. He checked. I think for a moment, and bet $30 again. Before I put chips in pot, he mucks and says he has T7o for an Open-Ender.

3:30 $206 - Bad news as AG left the table, and started his three hour drive home. I didn't get to play anymore hands with him. I did play a few small pots, but most of them didn't go well. The best was chopping a pot with a one-card Straight.

4:00 $286 - I am playing terrible poker right now. I checked my option in the BB with AQh. Six players saw a Flop of Ad 6s 4s. I lead out for $11. Only Mid called, and he's a Dealer in the room who's here in case they need an extra Dealer. Turn [Ad 6s 4s] 9s. I checked, he bet $20, and I decided to call. River [Ad 6s 4s 9s] 5d. I checked. He counted out some chips, put some back, counted out some more, and bet $56. After watching his little chip show, I think for a bit. I'm pretty sure he has As, but does he have another one to go with it?  I called, and of course he has A3s. I reload for $200, and hopefully I can take my head out of my ass.

4:30 $230 - Things are going rather crappy. I don't know if it's from playing bad, or just running bad by constantly missing the Flop. I'm also in a grumpy mood right now, which isn't helping. For example, I raised to $7 on Button with J9o. The BB & CO called. Flop was Q22. They checked. I bet $15. SB folded, but the Cutoff checked-raised to $35. He an Old Guy who is wearing headphones, so I quickly fold.

5:00 $270 - I finally won a decent pot. I bluffed $50 on the River when the other guy showed weakness. My cards have been lousy, and I've been airballing all Flops. I haven't seen a Pocket Pair since the JJ in the first half hour.

5:30 $526 - I finally got a pocket pair. UTG+1 raised to $6. A couple of callers. I'm the Cutoff with Jh Jd (again), and 3-Bet to $15. A couple of callers. The Hyjack, who bought in for the minimum, went All-In for $24. It's $9 more to me, which is what I raised it. That allowed me to raise it up to $70, and try to isolate with all that dead money. Only the Button called the extra $55, and has around $80 left. Before the Flop was dealt, I grabbed a Red stack to put the Button All-In, and he called. I show my JJ. The Board ran out 882 2 J. Button had AK, and I don't know what the Hyjack had.

This hand flipped the Boom Switch for me, as I won a few more smaller pot. My mood has gotten a little better, but I now have a small headache.

6:00 $497 - Well so much for the Boom Switch. I played a few hands. Some were good, and some were annoying, but none were newsworthy. There is an Older Gentleman who recently bought in for $100. He is horrible, and has already rebought twice. He plays every hand, bets or raises at odd times, and doesn't understand relative hand values. He lost his first buy-in by shoving on a J-high Flop with JTo, and ran into AA. Fortunately, I have position on him, as he is on my Right+1.

6:30 $397 - A few limpers. I raised $10 with KQc from the Hyjack. Most of the table called, as six players see a Flop of Jd Td 4c. It checked to me, and I bet $40 with an Open-Ender, two Overs, and a Backdoor Club draw. Two players called, but the Old Goofball check-raised to $140. I insta-called. He probably had a Two Pair or Better hand, but it's hard to say with him. With all the money in the pot, I'm hoping my snap-call will scare them off. I was wrong, as a Lady who just sat down went All-In for less. I assume she has a Flush Draw. Turn [Jd Td 4c] 3s. Goofball went All-In for his last $20, and I called. Rvr 3c, and he won a big pot with JTs. Oh, well. At least he has a pile of money to lose now.

I did get some money back later by hitting a BBS by flopping Top Two Pair (T8o).

7:00 $545 - A few limpers as I had Kh Kc in the BB, and raised $10 on top. Fortunately, only the Button and SB called. Flop Qs Tc 9s. SB checked, and I bet $25. The Button folded, and SB called. Turn [Qs Tc 9s] Ks. Interesting card as many draws just hit, including my Set Draw. SB bet $20. I called knowing I was behind. River [Qs Tc 9s Ks] Kd. So much for being behind. SB bet $40. I grabbed a Red stack and raise to $100. The SB can't fold fast enough. I showed my cards to collect the pot along with a $50 Quads bonus.

I had a some other good hands, including a well executed Float on the Button with 85o. Bad news as the Goofball left the table with profit from our big pot. Good news as an Action Junkie Crazy Asian kid (or Crasian) just sat down. He already straddled, raised to $35, and showed J7o without looking at his cards. He will definitely juice up this table. However, my headache isn't getting any better, and I'm getting hungry. I decide to cash out with a small $45 profit.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Rants & Raves: Who's The Best Player?

It's common to ask the question, "Who's the best poker player?" People love to talk about it, and ask other players their opinions. Pros generally say that Phil Ivey is the best poker player. It's certainly hard to argue with that answer, given is results for tournaments and cash games over the last few years.

Others have given their opinions. ESPN has a feature called "The Nuts". Every month or two, they ask various members of the poker media who they feel are the best players, and then tallies the results into a Top 10. This is usually a list of whomever is doing the best in recent tournaments, and the current #1 player is Jason Mercier.

The newly formed Epic Poker League has created the Global Poker Index, which uses some NASA-size mathematical formulas to determine who's the best player. Right now, it's Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier.

Poker magazines like Bluff and Card Player have various Player Of The Year rankings. Each POY ranking has a different player as #1, depending on what criteria they use.

This question isn't just for the Pros. My former Home Game group has the question "Who's the best player in the group?" pop up occasionally, and there was never a consensus as to who it was. Naturally, I was never in the discussion. (Oh, no. I'm not bitter.)

Personally, I find this whole conversation pointless. I think it's a stupid question for two reasons.

The first reason is one I've already written about. The term "Poker" covers many different games. Can anyone be the best player at every possible version of Poker? Can anyone be the very best player at Heads-Up Limit Hold'em, 6-max PLO, and tournament 7-Card Stud-8?

Of course not.

Certainly, a player can be very good at many different versions of Poker. Hell, I'm actually decent at many poker games, but I'm better at some of them simply because I play them more often. Well, it's the same thing with the Pros. No matter how good they are at all the games, they will run into trouble when they play against a specialists at a particular game. Larger cash games are usually a mix of many different games, so that a specialist can't have an advantage when playing his game.

The other reason that "Who's the Best Player?" is a stupid question is Variance. As many players know, Luck is Short-Term and Skill is Long-Term. Naturally, the obvious question is, how long is the Long-Term? Is it measured in months, years, or number of hands? Truthfully, nobody really knows because it's all a mathematical concept.

But what we do know is that Poker is a streaky game. I've been in Reno for ten months, and I've already had a few Hot Streaks and Cold Spells. It's a normal part of the game, especially if you're a tournament player. It's not uncommon for those streaks to last weeks, months, or even years.

A great example of this concept is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. In 2005, he had an insane tournament year, winning two WPT events and the WPT Player of The Year. And then he vanished. Well, not really vanished. He continued to play tournaments, but didn't have any news-worthy results. And then in 2010, he made four Final Tables in the WSOP, including 5th in the Main Event and 1st in the $50k Players' Championship.

Did he become a bad player, and then got better? Of course not; it's just the nature of Poker. Granted, it's more noticeable in tournament, but it still happens to all of us in cash games.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hand Of The Day #82

Peppermill ~ $1/$2 NLHE ~ 08.09.11

This hand happens almost two hours after the previous hand.

This hand is a limp-o-rama, including me in the BB with K7h. Six or seven players see a Flop of Kc Qc 5h. SB checks, and I check my Top Pair. I could bet, but my hand isn't that strong in a 6-way pot, and I would have to fold to a 3-Bet or even a big raise. Since I'm out of position, I would rather just see what develops.

UTG bets $10. He's the Drunk from the previous hand. He finished his half-filled bottle of Corona, but he hasn't had anything else to drink. He has sobered up a little bit, but not much. His play has calmed down a little bit, but not much. He's also lost a chunk of chips, but none of them went to me. A few players called the $10. I just call, hoping to hit hit a 7 or pick-up a Flush Draw on the Turn.

Turn [Kc Qc 5h] 5d. Ok, that was not what I had in mind. I check. UTG (Drunk) bets $25. Mid player thinks for a bit, and calls. SB calls. I grab five Red chips, along with a $100 bill, and raise to $125.

Why would I raise in this spot? Do I think I have the best hand? Well, my hand is currently KK55Q, which means my kicker (7) doesn't even play. So, no, I don't think I have the best hand, as it's likely that one or both of the remaining Kings are in the other three hands. The reason I raised is because nobody else has a better hand.

Because of the Q on that board, there aren't a lot of hands that could be better. AK, AA, KQ, Q5, K5, QQ, KK, 55. Since everyone limped preflop, that takes away half of those hands. I'm assuming that anyone with KQ, Q5, K5, or 55 would have raised on the Flop or Turn. There is a tiny chance that the Drunk (UTG) has Quad 5, but I think that he would have checked the Turn in order to trap, given his skill level.

Since I've been at this table for over two hours, I've gotten a feel for the players. We've already talked about the Drunk. The Mid player is the definition of TAG. If he had a better hand, he certainly would have raised the Flop with such a big draw out there. The SB was the 42h guy from the previous hand, and has moved seats a few times. He plays a lot of pots, and likes to call. But we saw him check-raise in the previous hand, and I've seen him do it in a couple of other hands. So if he had a random 5 in the SB, then he would have raised right before I did.

Plus, the way I played my hand screams of a 5. So, as the Internet Kids say, did I take a hand with showdown value and turn it into a bluff? Well, since I don't want anyone to call, then I guess I did.

But it's not that simple. This is more of a Split Pot strategy. Since I'm likely chopping this pot, then I've got half the pot locked up (unless a terrible River card comes like Tc). As any decent Omaha-8 player knows, when you're freerolling for half the pot, then raise and try to win the whole thing. Well, that's what I'm doing here.

Anyways, back to the action. UTG starts thinking for a bit, as usual, but finally folds. Mid player thinks for much longer, close to a minute. I'm not sure if he has a hand like KTd, or a sweet draw like AXc or T9c. But any decent player knows that a Combo Draw is not as tempting on the Turn as it was on the Flop, especially when the board is paired. He finally folds, and the SB quickly ejects. I push my cards towards the Dealer face down with a $1 chip on top, and win a rather nice pot with a rather mediocre hand.

Maybe I actually do know how to play this game.

Eventually, I finished the session up $89 in three hours. Certainly, it's nothing sexy, but $30/hr is solid for a weeknight session. But I'm sure you loyal readers have noticed that I've been dumping money lately. So hopefully I can stop the bleeding by putting together a few wins.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Hand Of The Day #81

Peppermill ~ $1/$2 NLHE ~ 08.09.11

UTG raises to $12. He a 30's guy who has $800+ in front of him along with a half bottle of Corona. It's very obvious that's not his first one, as he's slurring a bit, and having trouble following the action. He's also playing 80% of hands, hitting some, and bluffing others. Mid and Cutoff call the $12. The Button 3-Bets to $30. He a loud regular in this room, and he's not good. He always overbets with just a Pair, and he's not a fan of folding. I'm the BB with 62s. I was gonna call the $12, and try to hit a BBS against the drunk and other callers, but I can't call $30. UTG thinks for a bit (not unusual), and calls. Both the Mid and Cutoff call.

Flop 6c 5s 3s. Crap! That was the kind of Flop I was hoping for. UTG checks. Mid checks. Cutoff goes All-In for $5. She tried to go All-In preflop, but the Dealer misunderstood her intention. Button raises to $50. UTG thinks for a while (again), and folds. Mid check-raises to $130. Button thinks for a moment and just calls. To me, that means the Button has an Overpair, but not AA.

Turn [6c 5s 3s] As. Mid goes All-In for $246. Button start doing his usual talking, and flashes his cards, Qs Qc. He mentions that he does have a Flush Draw, and finally calls.

River [6c 5s 3s As] 4s. Button happily slams his Qs Qc on the table as he hit the Flush. Mid shows 42h for the Flopped Straight. The Cutoff (remember her?) mucks her hand without showing.

If you remember, I had 62s, which I was gonna play. I would now have a 6-Card Straight Flush. Not only would all those Red Chips and $100 bills be mine, but I would have also won the Progressive Jackpot, which is $300 for the 6-high Straight Flush.

Once again, Right Fold...Wrong Time. Good to see things are going just as well in Cash Games as they are in Tournaments.

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Atlantis's Sunday Super Stack

"Shuffle Up & Deal" - The Atlantis has started running a monthly $230 tournament, and today is the first one. In order to promote this, they ended up giving away 10 seats. They were gonna run satellites during the week, but they didn't. So far they have three tables, but they're not full. Levels are 30 minutes long, and we start with 20k chips. My table has 7 out of 10 seats filled. I recognize one tourney regular, and one floorperson from this room.

End of Lv1 (25/50) - Even though they had three tables set up, only two of them have players. We are now eight handed. One player already busted (QQ v KK), and he re-entered. Personally, it's been a quiet level. I only raised one hand (AJs) to 125. Four callers Td 3s 2c. We all ck. Turn [Td 3s 2c]5s. I bet 325 with the Flush and Straight Draw. Two players call, and the River [Td 3s 2c 5s] 4d. The BB (an old guy) bet 700. I think for a bit. I doubt he's betting anything less than an Ace. I would just be calling to win half the pot, and there is someone else still to act. I fold, and the last guy raised to 2500. BB calls, and the last guy shows 65o, and BB mucks. I have 18525 chips.

Lv2 (50/100) - Still not much for me. I did win a few small pots, but I lost others. There is one guy at the table who is having a very good day. He playing half the hands, hitting most of them, and getting paid off. Nut Flushes, Broadways, Sets, etc. Oh, and he's sitting on my direct Left. I have 18125chips.

Lv 3 (100/200) - I'm UTG+2 with AA, and raise to 525. One caller is the guy who re-entered. He's on the loose side. The SB 3-Bet to 2650. He an Old Guy who's playing very basic. He's had a couple of big hands, and raised big with them. No reason to slowplay in this spot, and let the 3rd player in with pot odds. I 4-Bet to 5000. Loose guy mumbles and folds. SB just calls, and Flop is 543. He checks, I bet 6000, and he calls. Turn [543] J. I'm not thrilled with that card, as I put him squarely on QQ or JJ. He checks, I go All-In for 6600, and he calls with QQ.

In a different pot, there was a very wet Flop in a limped pot. Someone bet 400, and there was one caller. I raised to 1400, and they both called. The Turn put out more draws. I bet 2500, and one called. The River missed everything. I bet 2500 again, and she mucked.  I have 39100 chips.

Lv4 (150/300/25) - Only one hand of interest. I limped on the Button with J2s. Five player see a Flop 5s 4d 3s. The SB bet 300. A couple of callers, including me. Turn [5s 4d 3s] As. Perfect card for me. It checks around to me, and I tossed out a Yellow 1000 chip. Only the SB called. River [5s 4d 3s As] Kd. He checked, and I bet 1500. He thinks for a bit, and starts talking aloud about me flopping the Nuts. He finally folds, and I show the Js.  I have 37300 chips.

BREAK - 18 players total, and 14 are left. I'm in the Top 3 or 4 of chip stacks, but there's a long way to go. Our table has three big stacks, and the other has just one. They are paying three spots: $1800, $1080, $720.

Lv5 (200/400/50) - UTG raised to 1200. I'm next with AQc. I think about 3-Betting, but decide to just call. She has over 10k, and I don't want to call if she ships it on me. Four player see a Flop of Tc 9c 8s. UTG checks. I love this Flop, and bet 2500. Mid player calls. The loose guy from before goes All-In for his last 1950. UTG folds. Turn [Tc 9c 8s] 2s. I still have good equity against whatever the loose guy has, so I bet 5k hoping the Mid player will go away. Instead, he quickly called. River [Tc 9c 8s 2s] Jd. I bet 10k with my Straight and he quickly folded. The Loose Guy had K7c. We are down to six players at our table, and I have 49225 chips.

Lv8 (600/1200/150) - The reason for a skip in the Log is my phone wouldn't turn on. I kept trying to reset it, but to no avail. But at the end of this level, the display flashed back on, and I have no clue why. Ain't technology grand.

Anyways, I won a few more nice pots against the guy on my Left, including a Set of 4 against his TT. When we got to the Final Table in the 400/800/100 level I had over 77k chips, and was one of two chip leaders.

Unfortunately, I blinded off for the next 45 minutes. I mean that literally. I didn't win a pot, or really play a hand. I was obscenely card dead, and my seat draw isn't very good for stealing.  On my Left is a Tight Old Guy (TOG), the other Chip Leader, and a Cash Game player who always plays in the biggest NL game in the room. I've learned from previous experience that Cash Game players like to see Flops, so they are more likely to call preflop. We are on Break now, and have nine players left.  I have 68800 chips.

Lv9 (800/1600/200) - I actually played a hand. One limper, and I raised to 4000 with QQ. Everyone folded. Very next hand, I raise with KQo and take down the blinds and antes. The only other hand I played was it folding around to me in the SB. I raised the TOG, and he folded.

The play at this table has been very patient. Nobody is under 20k, so everyone is just waiting. My seat still sucks for stealing. However, the good news is I am the clear chip leader. There has been some chip movement, and the next closest player is around 50k. I just need to stay patient, and use my experience.  I have 77800 chips.

Lv10 (1k/2k/300) - I raise to 5100 with 44 in Mid position. The TOG calls, as he had just gotten a hold of a bunch of chips. The BB goes All-In for over 30k. He's the Cash Game player, and this really looks like a Squeeze Play. It's tempting to call with just 44, but it's a good chunk of chips, and the TOG still needs to act. I reluctantly fold, and the TOG calls with AKo. The BB has AJh, and I would really like my pocket pair back. The Board runs out 822 7 7, and they chop up my 5100. If I would have called, then I would have knocked out two players, and had almost half of the chips in play. Oh, well. Right Fold... Wrong Time.

Two hands later, UTG raised to 6500. I'm next, and look down at AKo. I grab some Butterscotch 5k chips and raise to 25000. It folds around to the Button, who goes All-In. It's the Lady at the table, and she's the one who's second in chips with about 55k. UTG thinks for a while, and goes All-In for almost 20k. With the size of the pot, I gotta call the extra 30k. She has JJ, and UTG has TT. I'm very happy with this, as it looks like the situation that just happened. However, the J on the Flop give the monster pot to the Lady, and I loose 2/3rds of my chips. Once again, Right Call... Wrong Time.

I blind out for a little bit, but eventually it folds to me on the Button. I ship All-In for around 24k with Q9o. The BB calls with AJo. The Flop was JTX, but I miss my 11 outer. I finish in 6th place.

I really hate Tournament Poker these days.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

August News & Notes

Not much to report this month. I've been working a ton of hours, including a few days past 7pm, so I haven't been playing much poker. And if you've been paying attention to my last few posts, then you've noticed that things haven't been going smoothly.

When I have been playing, it's been mostly the daily donkaments with a little $4/$8 O-8 or $1/$2 PLO-8 mixed in. I haven't played NL cash since the July 4th weekend. No particular reason for it, and I haven't given up on NL. I'll probably go back to NL cash soon for one simple reason...

I'm getting pummeled in donkaments lately.

In July, I played in 14 of the daily tournaments, along with one freeroll and a larger tournament. I had a total of three small cashes ($260, $185, $140), along with a single Bounty cash of $20. That's a ROI of -58.8%

And it's not just the fact that I'm losing money. I'm also out early in most of these events, sometimes even before the first break. 35/36, 60/105, 7/8, 16/34, 25/37, 50/60, 20/25, 15/38, 23/33, 16/21, 75/80, & 19/34.

I understand variance, The Law Of Large Numbers, and all that shit, but this is really starting to get annoying.