Bleh

Played in 2 12 person $13 sngs and lost both on horrible sucktastic beats with 5 players left.

Played 3 sessions of .05/.10 NL and tilted off $50ish. Pretty amazing one can play that bad at those limits really.

Won $20 in heads up sngs. One 4 person and one 2 person.

Played in the live tourney last night and lasted 4 hands. Raised to 70 with KQo with 4 callers. Q 7 2 flop check, check, donkey bets 200 so I reraise all-in. He thinks for 2 seconds and calls.... with Q4o. LOL nice. I knew the turn before it hit with the way things have been going. 4. GG me.

$153ish. Vacation starts Sunday and I'm looking forward to some fun in the sun. Hopefully I can come back and stop playing like a smuck.

I play good

Too bad it wasn't for money.

http://www.thevalleypokertour.com/

Start with 1100 chips and 10/20 blinds against 80 dooooonkeys and if you're lucky enough you make it to heads up 3 hours later with blinds at 4000/8000. Fun fun. Got a trophy so that's nice.

I went in thinking I'd play a lot more aggressively than I usually do early on. In the 1st level I got Q10 of clubs so I limped. 5 limpers until the crazy agressive SB makes it 120 to go. I call. In the past I would've trashed the hand immediately but these guys have a rather large tendency to play almost any two cards and to get very passive postflop if they don't hit. One guy calls besides me and flop comes 2 4 8 and it's check check check. Turn is a 7 and I bet out 250. Fold and SB thinks about it and folds A 10 face up. I told him I had 3 5 but he was sure I had hit something.

Big hand a couple of orbits later. Same SB had just over bet the 75 chip pot by 500 with QQ. Everybody folded and I laughed my butt off. That's the level of play here. I guess he doesn't like queens. Next hand I get KK. 4 limpers of 50 each and I raise it to 200. 1st limper calls. Next pushes for 850 (A2 sooooted). Crazy SB guy pushes for 1400 ( a little more than me) (QJo), I push and other guy calls all in for his last 1100 (JJ). Board bricks out and suddenly I have a huge stack - over 4500.

I picked up QQ a few orbits later and won a decent sized pot after the flop. Raised with AQo UTG 3X the blinds and bet out when an ace came and took down a nice pot. Huge hand was 77 raised 3X the blinds UTG (didn't really like my play here) but flop came KK10 and I bet the pot and 1st dude pushes for 500 more. There was at least 3000 in the pot already but then the big stack to my right called as well. I thought he might have a 10 but I called. checked the turn and felt much better about my hand so I bet 1000 on the river and he called with AJ. Other guy had QJ so I had over 10,000 chips. My high was 12,300 before the final table.

Down to 10 players and the final table bubble we're playing 5 handed. Q9 in the BB and I have 11,000 in chips. UTG +1 limps for 2000, SB folds. BTW play really tightens up in these things when you get under 25 left. Flop 8, 3, 2 and I push my last 11k. If I lose this I'm down to 1 chip on the SB all in next hand. This girl looks like she's gonna fold but can't make up her mind. She agonizes for a good 2 or 3 minutes while the table - except for me obviously - tries to talk her into calling. What a horrible feeling. Here I was with an average chip stack if I just fold to the final table and I'm about to be taken out if she calls (assuming I miss a queen or nine). She eventually calls and I flip over my cards and the table says 'see we told you'. She has K8 for top pair. Apparently she was concerned because there were 2 clubs and she just knew another one would come and I was on the flush draw. Whatever.

9 on the turn and I hit the final table with 21k in chips. A set of 8s took 2 players out and pumped my stack up over 40k with blinds at 2/4. There's about 90k chips in play in total and there's 5 or 6 left. I pushed a couple of times to take down the blinds and then we're suddenly down to 3 handed. I'm still the chip leader when this hand comes up.

I push on the button with KJo. SB calls with QJ and BB insta-calls with 88. AQ8 on the flop and I'm way behind but the SB will be going out. I start chanting 10! 10! 10! and it comes on the turn. The table goes crazy and I start chanting 'don't pair the board' but another ace comes on the river. Almost.

So I was down to 27kish. At that point I had lost 3 allins at the final table to the guy I'm heads up with. I got the chip lead back by going all-in with 103o on a Jxx10 board after the BB put chips in the pot on the turn. He quickly mucked. The final hand I had A2 and called his allin. He had KJ. An ace on the turn sealed the deal.

I play bad

when on tilt. 6 hour session two nights ago. Ugh. Got down $26 1st 30 minutes and took a break. Came back and got down $40. Bad beats galore (felt a lot like limit) no tilt yet. Worked it back up to only down $2 as the tables got a little crazy towards 10:30pm central time. People start pushing their shortish stacks preflop with crapola. It's kinda strange but then again short stacks at .05/.10 are only $3 or $4.

Went on another massive downswing to minus $50. Worked it back up to $1 down. Should have quit then at around 1am. Seriously. Quit at 2:30am after donking/tilting off a good $20. So stupid.

I played well overall. Very well. Just had some bad, bad luck (2 outers on the river were the theme of the night) and then went tiltish in my exhausted state at the end. I should never play for more than 4 hours straight. I know that. Oh well.

I really thought I was down over $50 when I went to bed but checked it the next day and was pleasantly surprised that the damage was only $36. It made me feel good and then bad that I could've snuck out with only a $15 hit if I had kept my head at the end.

Took Wednesday off like a good micro limit soldier and then played some heads up sngs this morning. I played a bunch of them last year. I just went back and looked at my stats. I was 45-19 over a 2 month stretch. I went 0-4 last week and swore them off and then this morning I went 0-2 and was cussing myself. Played in a $10 one to catch up and then opened up a $5 one at the same time since the $10 was playing very, very slowly and disconnecting.

I really think the players have gotten better. Of the 8 I've played in the last 2 weeks I'd say only 2 of them were horrible. Last year 7 of 8 would have been truly horrible. I know I'm not playing very well also. Too agressive still. Anyway, I won the last 2 (winning the last one after being down to 350 chips vs 2650) and ended up $3.75 to turn the tide. Even a tiny profit means a lot when you're running/playing badly.

So the account is at $246.28 or down $32.10 since the last update. It's not looking like I'll be hitting my goal of $150 up in July afterall. Maybe I'll get lucky in a $4.40 or kill the cash games a couple of times next week. We'll see.

Vacation starts July 30th. Can't wait.

3 1/2 hours

on 3 .05/.10 tables. Got stacked early on with a set of jacks to an ace hi flush that confused me when he pushed on the river after getting there on the turn and checking. Doesn't take much to confuse me I guess. Had it up to $15. Oh well.


Played in a $4.40 and got the stack up to 4600 and then donked if off on another set of jacks. Couldn't put the dude on K10 o since I had raised in 5x the blinds and he got the staight on the turn. Then went out with top 2 versus the flush on the turn. gg me. Not really but that's the way it goes. Wanted to play another one but didn't.

Made $34.60 on the 3 $.05/.10 cash tables for $30.20 net. A good night at the micro levels - especially after getting stacked for $15.

$278.38.

heads up sngs

whoops. Guess I shouldn't have done that. Played in 3 $5 heads up sngs. Historically I win about 65% of those but this morning I was 0-3. To show you what tilt I was on the last one I sat down in against a guy named I KNOCK U OUT or something like that with Mike Tyson as his avatar. Sure enough 1st hand I get AKo raise to 60 he reraises to 160 so I push. He thinks and calls with QJo. J on flop and gg me. Then played in a $10 heads up and lost again. Couldn't win a 60/40 this morning at all. One 9 person sng added to that had me down $31.75 and on tilt for the day.

Luckily I had to work and only just played again for about an hour and made $8.90 back on 3 .05/.10 NL cash tables. I got freaking stacked twice on the same table by the same guy. First time was a bad move against 2 pair when I had a gutshot and nut flush draw on flop. 2nd time I had top two pair against his set.

So, it could've been much better. Back to $248.18. I guess I learned I shouldn't be playing heads up sngs. I've made a good amount off of the $5 and $10 level but right now I should stick to my .05/.10 $4.40 180 grind it out plan.

4 1/2 hours tonight

Didn't plan on it but sometimes poker just happens. Even micro limits.

Played an hour of .02/.05 because I play those limits when I only plan on playing 10 or 15 minutes. Got stuck $25. Awesome. Played too loose and just made terrible decisions. Didn't fold nearly enough.

Moved up to 3 .05/.10 NL tables and started a 180 person $4.40. Got my chipstack up to top 7 with about 80 people left and kept it there and in the top 4 until taking a sick beat with 16 left or so. A10 on a J103 board I pushed had the one caller covered and he called with A10 of clubs. Club on the turn and club on the river gave him the flush and left me with 2300 in chips. I fought back to 10k but went out with 6k on the button with 73 sooted. Pushed and was called by QQ and KJ or something. KJ hand took us both out so if I had folded there I have a very good shot at making the final table. Never know though as I was well into push mode. Oh well. Sick beats happen. Out in 11th for another $8.69 or whatever it is. I played well and accumulated lots of chips on blind steals in late position. Those $4.40s are still a lot of fun for me and my short bankroll.

Anyway, played well and learned some more both in the tourney and cash games. I lost a $53 pot (yes this was .05/.10) with QQ versus KK. I really, really should've folded preflop as the raising and reraising screamed that he had KK or AA. I called because he had earlier played A9o the same way and doubled me up. I now know I can fold QQ preflop. I think. :)

Lost a $23 pot on some bullcrap. Wow, I forgot what it was now. I guess it was the AA versus QQ hand. Got it all in preflop and she hit her queen on the flop. Sigh.

Anyway, I played well and now sit at $271.03. I guess I made $34 or so tonight. I'll take it. I am ready to get me a top 3 in one of these $4.40s. The players are soooo bad.

Ah the hand of the night was 45 off on the big blind. Raise and a call so I call. Flop OESD and get it on the turn but that also brought the 4th flush card and slowed down the action. I busted two AA holdings with that one. That's a first for me.

I probably won't play again for a couple of days. Time for a little break and I need to catch up on my sleep.

4 Hours Monday Night

Ugh.

Played 3 cash tables of .05/.10 NL. I was the hardest working man on the tables constantly stealing and restealing & staying off of tilt when the bad beats would strike.

Worked myself up almost $40. Doesn't sound like a lot but that's 4 freaking buy-ins. Worked it back down to $18 up getting in some unlucky situations and making some bad calls on the river. My flopped king hi flush getting beat on the river by a straight flush is one that comes to mind. :) Ah, my kings getting cracked by a set of queens on the turn was one I really, really should have been able to get away from since an ace flopped and I really didn't put this solid player on an ace from the post flop action. His betting screamed 'I have queens!' but I stubbornly called down. Stupid.

Last hand of the night it's raised .40 to me (one caller) and I have QQ. I reraise to $2 and the original raiser goes all-in for $11. I have him covered so I call. He has AK. Ace on river and I lose another $23 pot. Oh well.

So I made $7.10 instead of the $30 or so I was up most of the night. Sometimes poker sucks. I can't complain though. I probably cracked aces 2 or 3 times last night.

I feel like I'm learning some NL cash lessons very cheaply. So much of it is position, position, position and being able to fold after some money is in the pot when your opponent is doing something that tells you he has a big hand.

Hey - one oddity last night that I've never seen before was me having QQ on all three tables at the same time. Crazy. They all took down their pots too.

So the little bankroll is up to $237.04 instead of the $269 it was at one point (right after the QQ X 3 episode).

I also played in the 150 FPP rebuy event. They were giving away one $370 seat for every 23,000 in FPP points collected. I was all in preflop on the last hand before the rebuy period was over with AJh. 2 callers. Flop AcJcx. I am set to triple up. Not the 10k I like to have but 5k will do nicely. Turn is the 10 of clubs and the river the lovely king of clubs. Yes, QQ rivers a royal flush to take me out. Oh and then my brother played in the 700 FPP MTT that had 192 entrants. Top 5 got the $370 seat. He painfully bubbled after being 4th of the 6 left.

Forgot to play in a $4.40 180 person sng after the rebuy.

4 hours Saturday

$4.40 180 person tournies on Stars.

They're probably my best bet to make my $350 goal this month while protecting my fragile $230 bankroll. I've played 6 of these now and cashed in 2, blowing up in two late for 23rd & 22nd and getting taken out by an 8 outer early one and some non-descript hand in 90thish in the other.

Played 2 Saturday and went out in 90 something in the first one (don't remember how) and then 13th in the 2nd one. I had an unexplainable blowup in the 2nd one. My wife had called 15 minutes before saying it was time to come home so I guess that was it. How else to explain calling an all-in with 63 sooted (10k chips)? I dunno. I was SB and BB pushed with 1010. GG me. Or not. 2 1/2 hours of good play followed by the donkiest of donkey moves just outside of the "real" (stifles laugh) money. I guess my subconcious wanted me to stay out of trouble with the wifey. I dunno. Probably the dumbest play I've ever seen let alone been in control of. I wish I could say it was a misclick since that's what it looked like I'm sure. I could have let my brother take over and just gone home. That would've been the smarter choice. Oh well.

I made like 81 cents Saturday with 4 hours of 2 .05/.10 NL tables and 2 $4.40 tournies. Crazy. I got down $25 early and had to fight back. This time I wasn't on tilt at all and just patiently worked my way back up while recovering from several unlucky situations and the usual badbeats. When I finally got my stacks up to $24 and $27 on the 2 cash tables it was time to go. I find that I make a ton more money when I can double my buy-in. I haven't checked to see if the all-in bug still works. I know on Stars you used to be able to rebuy for the max while pushed all-in in the middle of a hand and have that amount added to your stack no matter the outcome of the hand.

Current Bankroll on Stars: $229.94

I should be able to play another 3 hours or so tonight.

Bombing out of an MTT

Or in this case a $4.40 180 person tourney. I hate that crap. You know the feeling - in the top 10 in chips the WHOLE tourney just to blow up short of the money by screwing up tangling with another big stack. Live and learn I guess.

About 10 hands in I more than doubled up with KK on a Kx77x board when genius bluffs all-in on a busted flush draw (he bet 1400 into a 500 chip pot - nice). I remained in the top 10 (mostly top 4) from then on and had a great time. 25 people left and 3 of the 4 big chip stacks are on my table. It always seems to work like that for some reason. I get AK and call a minimum raise of 800 from one of the bigger stacks - blinds are 200/400 and I have around 16k and he has 14ish. Now I have a decision to reraise or not and I decided to play it conservatively and just see a flop. For some reason when the flop came an ugly 235 I called his pot sized bet. The lovely 4 gives me the wheel and I only call another bet on the turn. The river blanks off and he fires 7k into the 15k pot. Yuck. Does he really have 66? Yes he does and I am suddenly down to 2k in chips and 22nd out of 25 remaining.

I fight back up to almost 6k but lose about 10 hands later when 33 can't spike a 3 against AA. Out in 23rd. Wow. Glad it was only $4.40 but it still feels bad to blow chips late in a 180 person. I've played 3 of these now and cashed in 1, blowing up in one late and getting taken out by an 8 outer early in the other. I need to play them at least once a week if I have time. Play is super soft. Maybe next time I'll keep my head... and my chips.

In other news at about the same time I was busy losing a $41 pot on a .05/.10 table to a maniac who sucked out hard with a flush draw on the river. Down $30 and on tilt I jumped up to .25/.50 on 2 tables. Not recommended - easiest way for my little $200 bankroll to go buh bye - but in this case it worked. 30 minutes later I had won $20 on one table and $30 on the other and went back to 3 .05/.10. It's a great feeling when it works but it also feels great when you don't quite buy the farm in that near head-on collision. Kind of the same principal.

I won most of the money on two big hands. I have KK and raise it to $2 (4X blinds) and get one caller who has KQ. QJ10 flop and he calls me all the way down in a ~$50 pot. The other hand I had AK and hit my ace on the flop (AJ9) and get reraised all-in after my pot sized bet. Being on tilt I immediately call and am surprised as it's pushed to me after the river. Oh - he was bluffing with J10. Nice. 2 hands later I went back to .05/.10.

Up to $229 now on Stars. Made $19 earlier Thursday playing .05/.10 for 30 minutes. That's how it's supposed to work. Screw this tilt moving up crap.

Strange 5 hour night

This is a story of drunken tilt. Or not.

Friday night I came home from a party a little after midnight. Wife had already gotten home and put the kids to bed and gone to sleep herself. I decided to fire up PokerStars and 3 table a little .05/.10 NL. Within 30 minutes I had suffered TWO (2) set over set disasters. Ah, lucky for me buy-ins are only $10 but everything is relative and my rage matched the indignation thrust upon me. I vowed to not sleep until I at least got back to even. Playing my usual laggy 6 man style ( in between pee breaks off the back stoop) I eventually fought back from $35 down or so. No small feat at .05/.10.

So, to quote Seinfeld, ya-da ya-da ya-da I went to bed at 5:45am down $8. Niiiice. I got up at 8am to open up the office and went back to sleep for 30 minutes before helping my brother move for 3 hours. A lovely day.

Didn't play again until last night when I played a $1.75 45 person speed sng and a $5.50 45 person regular sng along with a 27 person $5.50. Busted in the 1st 2 (I forget particulars) and then got down to 500 chips in the 27 person early when my 54 diamonds (I raised in early position to 'mix it up' *rolls eyes*) flopped the flush against the nut flush. Niiice. Was called various names a little later when I played K2 sooted from early position and caught a 2 on the flop and king on the river to beat AQ (paired on turn). I then totally changed gears and tightened waaay up. Built chipstack nicely until I became chipleader with 7 or 8 left. Got heads with the lead and 3 hands in got 1010 and got all the chips in the middle versus 99. 9 on the turn and I was down to 4k versus 35k or so and couldn't recover. It really didn't bother me at all since I felt lucky to have survived for so long on a shortstack early. Oh yea, at one point I was down to 280 chips. I really played well and it felt good - even if it was only for a $36 prize.

Stars cash up to $200.77 now. Shooting for $350 at the end of July playing .05/.10 NL 6-max. Reached my June goal of $200 (from a low of $40 or so in May) a couple of days late.

Still playing a ton of par 3 golf since I'm all paid up through October. The local country club course is shutdown till then so I'll probably play full size courses only sparingly. Played 4 (FOUR!) rounds Sunday since conditions were ripe for a low score. I birdied 1 and then had 16 straight pars and it looked like I was finally gonna get below +1. Well I shanked my tee shot and then rolled my chip over the green and ended up with a 6 for a +2 score. Golf tilt is every bit as bad as poker tilt. I played one more round and got a +1 making a long par putt at the end to quit on a positive note.

Counting up now.... I've played over 40 times since May 1st. Wow.