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 4

6 folds, SB calls $0.15, Hero checks



Flop: ($0.50) 7 2 5 (2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $0.50, SB calls $0.50



Turn: ($1.50) J (2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $0.75, SB calls $0.75



River: ($3.00) 4 (2 players)

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 3 (a straight, Ace to Five)

Hero mucks 4 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 J

UTG raises to $1, 5 folds, Hero calls $1, 2 folds



Flop: ($2.35) Q T 9 (2 players)

UTG bets $1.25, Hero raises to $6, UTG calls $4.75



Turn: ($14.35) 3 (2 players)

UTG checks, Hero bets $7, UTG calls $7



River: ($28.35) 4 (2 players)

UTG checks, Hero checks



Final Pot: $28.35

Hero mucks A J

UTG shows K A (high card Ace)

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

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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 4

6 folds, SB calls $0.15, Hero checks



Flop: ($0.50) 7 2 5 (2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $0.50, SB calls $0.50



Turn: ($1.50) J (2 players)

SB checks, Hero bets $0.75, SB calls $0.75



River: ($3.00) 4 (2 players)

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 3 (a straight, Ace to Five)

Hero mucks 4 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.

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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 J

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 9 9 (4 players)

BB checks, MP2 checks, CO bets $2, Hero calls $2, BB folds, MP2 folds



Turn: ($9.10) T (2 players)

CO bets $5, Hero raises to $13, CO raises to $32.95 all in, Hero calls $6.85 all in



River: ($48.80) K (2 players - 2 are all in)



Final Pot: $48.80

CO shows J 9 (three of a kind, Nines)

Hero shows 7 J (a straight, Seven to Jack)

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 Q

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 K J (5 players)

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 (4 players - 2 are all in)

UTG checks, Hero bets $26.70 all in, UTG calls $15.95 all in



River: ($79.00) A (4 players - 4 are all in)



Final Pot: $79.00

UTG shows T Q (a straight, Ten to Ace)

UTG+2 mucks J J

Hero shows T Q (a straight, Ten to Ace)

SB mucks 6 7

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.

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March 09 First poker post

Poker goals March 09:

1) Show 800 dollars profit (bring the roll up to $1,200 allowing myself room to play NL50 in April)
2) Play 10k hands
3) Show 6.5bb/100
4) Take a few shots at NL50
5) Try to review a few hands here after each session.

I ran well the first 2 days, up 154 dollars. Obviously with only 1k hands played this is not an example of how I'll run for the whole month but it's a great start.

I'm playing premium pocket pairs really well. I'm also playing mid-high suited connectors and low pocket pairs well. I need to work on my low-mid suited connector and medium pocket pair play.

I should easily hit Silver Star level this month, if not gold.

I've essentially quit playing SnGs. I can't get a big enough sample size in a month to deal with the swings. I feel pretty confident in my cash game right now. The only huge pots I've lost were KK against AK, KK against AA and KK against QQ. I lost 3 full buy ins on those 3 hands, or I'd really be balling.

My cash graph for the beginning of march



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Long Term poker goals:

1) Be rolled for NL100 by june.
2) Play well enough to drop down to 2-3 shifts a week at Montis, and be able to pay most of my expenses through poker
3) Be less results oriented, and focus more on good play

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The eve of Vegas

another 3 months, another Vegas trip.

Sin City is a cruel mistress. The one mile stretch between the Stratosphere and the Luxor has prison raped me the last few times. Fun times were unavoidable, but I couldn't shake off that feeling that I stayed in Vegas one day too long. I have a good feeling about this trip though. In these changing times, I feel it is my destiny to clean up the poker tables. I've been playing well recently. Most my excursions into "high stakes" poker (although in the context of live play they're actually small stakes) have ended in heartbreak. Not bad play on my part, just unfortunate set vs set action. How many times can I flop a set, and an over pair hits their 2 outter on the turn? This question will be answered by next week.

Goals:


1) Winning Poker Session

Last trip, I made a nice recovery after running into quads in one of the first few hands. Some dumb broad ended up sucking out on my 2 pair with a flush draw, and I left down $200.

I'm feeling pretty confident with my level of play right now. As long as I stay concentrated at the table, I think I should do fine.

2) Don't lose all my money in stupid bets

Stay away from the sports books! Stay away from blackjack (or hit BJ with moderation). I don't want to do another 2 hour marathon blackjack session. I can't possibly win like that two trips in a row

3) Survive the club scene

The hardest goal to achieve. I wouldn't even usually bother with it, but there are outstanding circumstances this time. Potential pitfalls:

Long lines
both to get in and to get drinks. If I can't consume liquor fast enough, I may never make it out alive

Overpriced drinks
The only things with less return on investment than Roulette, are Vegas bar drinks.

The Club Douche

Loaded in Affliction gear (but only started watching MMA when Brock Lesnar started fighting), ready to spend all daddy's money on drinks and blow. Despite annoying personality I should be able to survive this one.

Point of irony: I'm wearing an affliction shirt and designer jeans right now. Hm.. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

Bad Music
Euro Trash techno is my kryptonite. If I hear one fucking Paul Oakenfield song, I might go liquor coma style. We don't need the return of Super-Retardo-Patron Sean so early.

4) Sean's super secret goal
Has he been slowplaying this whole time? Oh he uses deception so well? How can we read his hand?!?

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notes from the midwest

a) My cousin E says she has a cough, and grandma asks what she uses for cough medicine "Maker's Mark" she says, and goes on to talk about her mother telling her the dresses she brought for the funeral were inappropriate. "They'd be appropriate once you lost some weight E, but you'll have to get something new". E just lost an uncle and a grandmother. My mom asks her "how do you do it?" referring to putting up with her mother.

"straight up, no ice."

b) E's grandfather (the one not related to me) has a collection of the family's urns in his closet. His sister is right next to a monkey that claps it's hands (it's holding cymbals) when you put a quarter in it.

c) my uncle, an avid fisher, gets the last laugh from the grave. He once had a stroke while at a fishing tournament, and decided to finish the tournament before going to the doctor.

When he got his terminal diagnosis, he went fishing despite doctors orders to not use his shoulder (the tumor ate away at the bone, and it could break at any minute). He ended up passing on less than a week later. He is being cremated, and his ashes will be put in a tackle box. Not a brand new tackle box, but the one he has used for years. RIP Larry.

Further notes that aren't funny and may only be interesting to me below

Death is odd. My friend Jim died 2 weeks ago Friday. I hadn't seen a whole lot of him since high school, although he'd be at my friend's house semi regularly. Unfortunately I didn't know Jim as well as I should have. I was still pretty rocked by his death, because he was the kind of guy that would reach out to everyone and be their friend. I don't have sufficient words to memorialize him here, I don't want that to be the focus right now. My point is, it's a true testament to Jim that, although I wasn't one of his closest friends, I was still pretty effected by his passing.

Larry is the same way. I've only seen him a dozen times in my life. I'll still miss his humor at every family gathering from here out. The guy was absolutely hillarious. Obvious point, the above tackle box story.

And yet, I don't feel I can properly attend these funerals. Most of Jim's friends had known him since elementary school. They tell stories and I don't really have much to offer. Larry's funeral is going to be hard as well. 4 of my mother's siblings (as well as her parents) lived in Springfield for a majority of their lives. The brother who hadn't lived in Springfield could still fly up regularly. So my dozen+ cousins have known each other pretty well their whole lives, I have been apart from the flock. I think I've only been to springfield 10-15 times in my life.

So as everyone tells their stories, I sit back and have an awkward laugh, and tell stupid jokes when I can. I think I just look stupid sitting there. What do I know, what do I contribute, why could I possibly be there? And so I feel bad, but as I feel bad I start thinking I'm making myself out to be a martyr, and I'm feeling bad for selfish reasons-as always. And so I launch into melodramatic inner monologue about the tragic loss of life etc etc. I start to briefly hate myself. And my neuroticism is complete. Chris asked how I was handling everything. Neurotic. Manic Depressive. Narcissistic. So about normal.

About 12 hours before I got on the flight to Illinois, I was in a car accident. Some dude trying to pass me while he was in the center (turn) lane. And they cited me, despite the fact that you can only be in the lane to make a left turn. I had a chance to get over 3/4 of the way in before he struck my driver side front wheel. I was merging pretty slowly, and I was going under 15mph in a 25 (so I had obviously begun merging early because I was probably driving atleast 35 if not 40 before I was merging). The guy didn't honk or break hard. I think he was coming out of the hotel and thought I was just driving slow and decided to pass me. But I shoulder the burden of guilt in this one apparently. I'm questioning whether I just remember it wrong, but I'm pretty sure I have it right.

3 more days until the funeral. I haven't been to work since the 23rd of May and I'm going a bit insane. I don't get back in town til the 7th of June. I'm looking to keep myself occupied with any labor I can around my Grandma's house. I guess my ingrained American Puritanical work ethic has cause my guilt to rise again. I wish I could enjoy my time off, because I don't get alot of it

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Reality is stranger than fiction vol1

1) having to attend the funeral of a friend, and 4 days later an uncle, and wrecking a car in 1 week. Who the hell does that happen to?

2) my Mom told me last time she was in Illinois, she went to a head shop with her mom (my grandma is well into her 80s) and they bought a pipe. I would pay to be the cashier.

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