-Hands Played: 35456
-Winnings: 830
-Gold Star status achieved
-laptop bought with profit
Not too bad. I could have won more but I had a rough 15k breakeven period when I was 24 tabling. I cut down to 4-6 tables and results have been much better.
May Goals:
$1200 in winnings
Platinum Star status
build my roll and be ready to shot take 100nl
Managed to make it to NL50, and play has been much nittier. The good news is, this means I can raise with complete garbage and play the hand as a complete bluff from the start. My hand reading ability is getting pretty good. Not getting too carried away with myself yet, as most people play with their cards face up. Either way, slowly but surely building the foundation of good LAG play which should help as I move up.
I'm starting to mix in some 6max as well. So far it makes me look like a nit, and I'm pretty sure I'm one of the looser winning FR regs. Should be fun.
Only real negative to the month was losing 1 1/2 BI @ 200NL in vegas. KK and AA cracked. Blah. Made up for it in homegames, but still discouraging
Friday, May 1, 2009
Poker: April Review\May Goals
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday Poker Update
Well I made it through the first 7 days of March with poker updates. Gonna try to do better in April.
Had a rough month in poker. I started by winning ~$200 in cash games, then going on a roughly 200 dollar losing streak. I think I was roughly break even for SnG as well.
Either way, wasn't a good month, but I did hit over 10k hands and silverstar status.
I'm hoping to net $300 this month. I think this is a fairly realistic goal. I went on a huge cooler during February, but grinding out ~$600 at micros seems pretty unrealistic without playing a higher volume.
I'm mixing in more Sng (particularly $10 9man and $4.4 180man) this month. Here's aiming at 10% ROI and 6bb/100
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Few hands
Took a few days off from the grind, but back at it today. I've been coolered a few times, and I've been pushing the action a bit much against call stations. So all in all I've dug myself a deep hole every day and climb back to about break even.
Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 Pot Limit Hold'em - 8 players - View hand 58269
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
BTN: $27.75
SB: $24.15
Hero (BB): $24.65
UTG: $10.10
UTG+1: $15.45
MP1: $25.70
MP2: $24.50
CO: $24.65
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BB with 4
6 folds, SB calls $0.15, Hero checks
Flop: ($0.50) 7
SB checks, Hero bets $0.50, SB calls $0.50
Turn: ($1.50) J
SB checks, Hero bets $0.75, SB calls $0.75
River: ($3.00) 4
SB bets $2.90, Hero raises to $8, SB raises to $22.65 all in, Hero calls $14.65
Final Pot: $48.30
SB shows A
Hero mucks 4
SB wins $45.90
(Rake: $2.40)
I played this pretty bad. I had a good read that I was probably ahead with my pair. Once the jack hit and he calls, I'm ready to give up on the hand. I however hit my set and get way too overzealous to get money in there. I didn't put him on a gutshot draw and it hurt me.
Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 60024
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
MP2: $43.65
CO: $5.00
Hero (BTN): $33.60
SB: $5.30
BB: $28.20
UTG: $25.00
UTG+1: $35.60
UTG+2: $30.40
MP1: $24.30
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BTN with A
UTG raises to $1, 5 folds, Hero calls $1, 2 folds
Flop: ($2.35) Q
UTG bets $1.25, Hero raises to $6, UTG calls $4.75
Turn: ($14.35) 3
UTG checks, Hero bets $7, UTG calls $7
River: ($28.35) 4
UTG checks, Hero checks
Final Pot: $28.35
Hero mucks A
UTG shows K
UTG wins $27.00
(Rake: $1.35)
this was one of the silliest hands I've ever been involved in. I guess I should have fired on the river too? Was he really calling down with a gutshot and 2 overs?
Tried to reraise the flop and steal the pot, or hit a draw. I felt like he was weak since he didn't reraise my reraise, so I led out on the turn. I figured he had atleast a pair and wasn't gonna go away so checked the river. High card wins?
Blaaaaaah
Friday, March 6, 2009
Hand of the night 3/4
layers - View hand 58269
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
BTN: $27.75
SB: $24.15
Hero (BB): $24.65
UTG: $10.10
UTG+1: $15.45
MP1: $25.70
MP2: $24.50
CO: $24.65
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BB with 4
6 folds, SB calls $0.15, Hero checks
Flop: ($0.50) 7
SB checks, Hero bets $0.50, SB calls $0.50
Turn: ($1.50) J
SB checks, Hero bets $0.75, SB calls $0.75
River: ($3.00) 4
SB bets $2.90, Hero raises to $8, SB raises to $22.65 all in, Hero calls $14.65
Final Pot: $48.30
SB shows A
Hero mucks 4
SB wins $45.90
(Rake: $2.40)
We can elect to bet the flop here, but if we're reraised we're out of the hand. After a show of turn weakness, we might as well make a small bet to try to win the pot. On the rivers we wonder if he picked up 2 pair. It's possible he stuck around with a high ace (probably AQ\AK). So why do we raise? Honestly I just didn't read the board well enough. Do we think hes gonna call a large-ish turn bet with an ace? Possibly if he's really bad.
Our raise isn't terrible, but is he really gonna push a PSB with just a high ace? If we see him as good player, no. Best case scenario is he has a low set and was slow playing. Possibly 2 pair. Odds are, he did make a strange turn call and hit big with the weird gutshot draw. This might be one of the only times, discluding flush boards when checking behind with a set is a good idea.
All in all, lost a few buy ins to start, but after a hot streak in 1/2 Limit poker, I ended up +10 for the night. BB/100 still looking good, but I have to slow down a bit and stop forcing action if I want to hit my March goals.
Good news is, it looks like Gold Star VIP is very achievable, if not platinum.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
March 3 recap
Last night I made an attempt to play a LAG style. I had 2 key hands of the night.
1st hand
I raise preflop as a semi bluff. I really only want to pick up the blinds here, but J7s is not a hopeless hand. On the flop I pickup a gutshot, so I call the smallish looking C-bet. If he checks the turn, I will bet out and try to steal the pot. Of course I hit the turn, and manage to stack him.
Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 56913
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
UTG+2: $5.00
MP1: $8.85
MP2: $18.95
CO: $36.20
Hero (BTN): $23.10
SB: $24.40
BB: $27.45
UTG: $46.65
UTG+1: $6.70
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is BTN with 7
4 folds, MP2 calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, Hero raises to $1.25, 1 fold, BB calls $1, MP2 calls $1, CO calls $1
Flop: ($5.10) 8
BB checks, MP2 checks, CO bets $2, Hero calls $2, BB folds, MP2 folds
Turn: ($9.10) T
CO bets $5, Hero raises to $13, CO raises to $32.95 all in, Hero calls $6.85 all in
River: ($48.80) K
Final Pot: $48.80
CO shows J
Hero shows 7
Hero wins $46.40
(Rake: $2.40)
This is the importance of implied odds. I'm gonna float this flop with any two against what looks like a steal bet. Paired boards with low-middle cards make great bluffing flops, which is what the CO looked like he was doing. I did not plan to call this down to the river if he bet the turn and I didn't hit the 10.
Villain went on tilt for the next hour.
CO said, "jesus christ"
CO said, "what the **** are you calling with"
CO said, "inside straight draw?"
CO said, "WOOOOOWWWWWWW"
CO said, "unbelievable"
CO said, "lol and you raised pre flop thats awesome"
seandigs said, "just love playing poker man"
CO said, "the ten was your only card."
I of course knew the ten was my only card. So I'm really only about 10% to pick it up on the turn. If we reraise is flop bet in an attempt to steal, he reraises us all in and we can't call. By floating, we can either pick up an uncontested pot on the turn if he's just C-betting, or hit the unlikely draw and have massive implied odds.
Hand 2:
So we flop an OESD in a multiway pot. Usually I reraise UTG all in on the flop, hoping he folds, but there are a few more people that might put money in so I flat him. Turn is scary, but there is so much dead money in the pot due to all the all-in players, and I hope UTG is scared by the Q, so I push. Of course he has same hand as me so it doesn't matter.
Poker Stars $0.10/$0.25 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - View hand 56917
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter
BB: $26.25
UTG: $30.10
UTG+1: $32.10
UTG+2: $14.15
MP1: $26.55
Hero (MP2): $40.85
CO: $25.00
BTN: $26.65
SB: $2.20
Pre Flop: ($0.35) Hero is MP2 with T
UTG calls $0.25, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $0.25, 1 fold, Hero calls $0.25, CO calls $0.25, 1 fold, SB calls $0.15, BB raises to $1.75, UTG calls $1.50, UTG+2 calls $1.50, Hero calls $1.50, 1 fold, SB calls $1.50
Flop: ($9.00) 6
SB bets $0.45 all in, BB calls $0.45, UTG raises to $8, UTG+2 raises to $12.40 all in, Hero calls $12.40, BB says "wow", CO says "haha", CO says "what the hell", BB folds, UTG calls $4.40
Turn: ($47.10) Q
UTG checks, Hero bets $26.70 all in, UTG calls $15.95 all in
River: ($79.00) A
Final Pot: $79.00
UTG shows T
UTG+2 mucks J
Hero shows T
SB mucks 6
UTG wins $15.60
Hero wins $15.60
UTG wins $17.05
Hero wins $17.00
UTG wins $5.40
Hero wins $5.35
(Rake: $3.00)
My friend argued that there are too many people in this pot to play, but remember draws go up in value when its likely to be the nuts in a multiway pot. Sure on the turn it was no longer the nuts straight draw, but it's hard to put UTG on AK given the way he bet. More likely he has a set or top two.
Remember, once a player is all in, it doesn't really matter what he has if there is another player still in the pot with you. You either won or lost the main pot, but if you think you can still win a decent sized side pot, you can continue.
Started off losing 2 buy ins taking a shot at NL50. Both were suck outs, but properly played all around. My wheel on the turn lost to a guy's boat on the river for a $100 pot, and my trips lost to a flush draw on the river. Still ended up being about break even for the night.
I liked my play throughout the night. I had good reads on when to play aggression and take down uncontested or lightly contested pots. I also gained alot of equity when my big hands hit due to my LAGgy image.
