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Confessions of an ambitious loser

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  1. #1

    Default Confessions of an ambitious loser

    Last October I started an operation, 7k5.

    The amount was somewhat arbitary, mainly it was Irisheye's original 75k thread that inspired it. This was of course before the great operation explosion.

    My op ended badly.

    Over the course of almost 80k hands of SH-NL I lost 3.5k. Which kinda makes a mockery of the whole target.
    I a lost a fair amount on SH-LHE and a little at FR-LHE, so the whole picture is pretty poor.

    Now playing the operation has spurred me on to play more poker than I would have otherwise; but on the other hand it's added a degree of pressure (and probably contributed more to results-focus) that right now, with a BR of around $2k I think continuing the operation will just be counter-productive.

    I don't really want to launch back into a new op straight away. I want to go back to playing to primarily improve my game. I wanted to be doing this at $200NL, but instead I'm going to be doing it at $50NL and $100NL.

    I want to get back to $200NL, which I was enjoying much more. I certainly want to at least cement myself in at low-stakes and leave micro behind me

    I do also enjoy limit and NL tournies and 5cd and given time I may have another shot at those games.

    But right now the focus is on improving as a player. That means I intend to use this blog thread as a running commentary on my thoughts as I try to improve in several key areas:

    1) Emotional control: I'm much more sensitive to results than I ought to be. I want to eliminate unnecessary emotions.

    2) Opponent reading: I've often had rather vague reads that let me pull off some good hands. I want to improve that part of my game. Maybe decreasing to 1-2 tables.

    3) Try to remove those huge errors where I know it's wrong and yet do it anyway.

    So I expect this thread to be updated very frequently with low-content stuff about how I feel, what I've improved in and what I'm struggling with.

    If a miracle happens and I make it to $7500 before October 1st I won't complain... but it's not exactly on the cards
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  2. #2
    what do u mean by "op"? just grind out at $100NL till you reach a $4k br. then take a shot at $200NL and move down if you lose 3 buyins
    http://pokerlife.wordpress.com/
    18 years old. short-handed $600NL.
  3. #3
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    Man, you mean well, but shut the fuck up, seriously
  4. #4
    Miffed22001's Avatar
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    my thread reads like a car crash every time ive moved to 200nl again recently so i know how you feel.

    I honestly dont know what to say other than that i beat 100nl for 10bbs+ over a large sample and run -20bbs/100 over my last 5k so i can feel the pain.

    fwiw, ive decided to grind out 30k hands at 100nl and play big donkaments then move up when i get my roll back to 14k and try and super select games upto 400nl on my best sites.
  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Miffed22001
    my thread reads like a car crash every time ive moved to 200nl again recently so i know how you feel.
    seconded
    Jman: every time the action is to you, it's an opportunity for you to make the perfect play.
  6. #6
    Miffed22001's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Da GOAT
    Quote Originally Posted by Miffed22001
    my thread reads like a car crash every time ive moved to 200nl again recently so i know how you feel.
    seconded
    i need a 200nl cooler thread with some of my hands lately.
  7. #7
    Anosmic, you like all the limit and 5CD games which is ok. What about separate BR's for each. just because you can grind $3K, $4K or more in NL, doesn't mean you should be sitting at some of the tables in other disciplines with the same roll. Start a Draw roll (micro stakes), a limit Roll (300BB's obviously) and your NL BR is just that. I think you need to focus on your game, get the roll back in shape and enjoy the game again. Kick some ass.
  8. #8
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    Considering you and I discuss the game a lot, and play similar levels at similar sites, we probably have a similar understanding of the game. So I wonder if you're afflicted by a problem I have, which is making stabs at too many pots and making those stabs too big.

    Basically, I am spending too much in trying to win pots that I have no right to win. I'm pretty decent at folding; but this isn't much use if I've bet too big or raised too often in hands that I *will* lose. I am particularly prone to this on the river, which I know you're not; but I think it's a result of too much post-flop aggression, and I think you may suffer from this too.

    Anyway, apologies, I'm rambling. At $100NL upwards, it's sometimes hard to remember that you're no longer the only person at the table who wants to win the pot, unlike at $25 and, pretty much, $50, where people play their cards and only their cards. Basically, you, and I, need to pick our spots better.

    Oh, and you need to learn how not to get sucked out on ALL THE TIME, it's terrible for your winrate
  9. #9
    Miffed22001's Avatar
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    i didnt know you played 5cd!

    Some competition eh?

    Your only option for 5cd is really pokerroom and the 2/4 3/6 5/10 games on there are sick easy.

    Im with biondino though, and like i was when i cashed out 16k, youve run shitty sure, its putting the time back in, quality time mind you, to buidl back up thats going to help. Im down 2.5k since lucboxxing, so you can see it makes a difference.
  10. #10
    I think there have been some good points made here, and I do see that a lot of other people are also struggling with the swings that seem to come at just the worst time.

    I like Trainer's suggestion of seperate rolls. Indeed that's what I did with 6-max, I basically took a 6-max roll and started grinding.
    I may try the same with Limit at some point. Although part of the problem is finding good games.

    5cd I've played sporadically on stars and dise. But only $1/2 and equally poor opposition on both I thought... but I'm no great draw player (yet).

    As time allows I'd like to play more tournaments. I played my first rebuy today, and did okay until a moment of lunacy.

    I'm currently playing some Party $50NL as I've only got a day or so to clear the bonus. Of course I've lost about $500 going for this $100 bonus... so that's embarassing. And that's $50NL.

    I played about 500 hands today, and lost almost 3 BI.

    THe biggest loss, almost a BI was a river bluff where my read was just completely wrong. I thought I could get a fold from TPWK but it wasn't to be... despite my pre-flop 3-bet.
    Still, makes me think that there's hope still to come out of this particular downswing.

    That may be classified as a serious error. But the rest I'm not so sure.
    Nothing more than a half-stack at any point; chasing a draw with odds, TT v AA.
    AQ v AJ got it all in with the best of it.

    Basically, other than one or two spots where it was marginal, I was playing well. I think it's definitely variance and at this level I'd be inclined to blame a lot on variance.
    So I'm not unduely worried.

    On the other hand I was getting irritated as time and again my opponents hit and I was forced to fold. Or perhaps I would check behind at the key moment, as they hit their card; knowing I played the hand right but down a couple of BI regardless.

    Despite my 10BI downswing at $100NL on iPoker I'm still only down $330 there, and have chances to get that back as I feel good about my game there.
    But at $50NL I've lost $710. It's outrageous and while I've no doubt I can turn it around, it's just horrible to suffer those kinds of losses at a level I feel I can comfortably beat.

    A couple of days more $50NL till the bonus is cleared and then re-evaluate. Then some more $100NL until iPoker is clear... but the thing is I feel I can beat both games... I'm just not.
    Still it's only 10k hands. And the first 5k were good, so it's certainly not inconceivable that in 10k hands time I'll be okay again.

    But it will leave the question of mental resiliance. I know I can beat $50NL, why is this, admittedly huge, swing bothering me so much?
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  11. #11
    Here's the anatomy of a nice, fairly long session of about 1k hands.

    I sit down at $50NL to polish off a bonus at Party before it expires.
    I play tightly, conservatively and am quickly up $40. Good start.

    I take a short break after a couple of hundred hands and come back eager for more. Add another $20 and things are going well.

    Then I miss a few pots, I chase a draw with odds, it doesn't hit and my real dollars have become sklansky bux... which doesn't help me feel better about my roll's nosedive.

    I get AA in the BB and of course everyone folds. Okay, it happens, move on. But man I'd have liked to have hit a big hands there.

    The hands tick by and I guess I'm around +$40 again, which is fair enough. Suddenly I have AA, chuck out a raise and the half-stack across from me pushes.
    He's got KQ, flop is xKQ and he fills up by the end.

    So my rolls goes back a bit, a few more sklansky bux in my account.

    Get it all in against another shorty with AJ on an A83 flop. He has A4 and runner-runner's the straight. Now I'm down for the session.

    It's usually somewhere about this point that I make my key mistake. Today it was a JJ hand, and I freely admit I play 88-QQ badly.

    Flop comes down with an A and he calls my c-bet. Am I done for?
    on the turn I check behind. River is a blank. He puts in a small bet so I push in. Is my read good?

    It doesn't matter. I've already lost this hand because I've allowed the situation to override my gameplan. This is not the position I want to stack off in. I was playing tight, I was playing well, I was getted shafted by variance.

    Bang his AK has done for me. But now I'm not only a BI down, I deserve to be losing.

    By the end of 1k I've suffered a number of bad beats, I've made probably 2 more critical errors, and I'm down about a $100 and my swing at $50NL has reached 18BI.

    What has happened?

    1) I succumbed to FPS, yet again.
    2) I let variance make me lose patience
    3) I'm frustrated and angry and ready to give up poker again. My cool is seriously lost.
    4) I'm not observing my opponents enough.
    5) I'm not selecting tables properly.

    All these things are why I'm a loser. Why am I not fixing them?

    My normal procedure on Party is to deposit using my credit card, clear the bonus and then withdraw the deposit back. Leaving any winnings and the bonus behind.
    This time I had deposited $700 at Party, with about $450 there already.
    When it came to withdraw, once the bonus was paid, my balance was $675... so sad.

    I fire up $100NL on iPoker. My 10BI downswing finished there a while back and I'm slowly crawling my way backtowards even there.
    I note the nice people of kiwipoker have given me a $100 for no apparent reason... sweet.

    Here I win a couple of pots to begin with and then quickly manage to lose a couple of pots and I'm quickly down $60. But this time I don't let it bother me. I keep playing and by the end I'm up maybe $10.

    So, while I have these easier games and opponents I need to just calm down. Keep plugging away. I'm going to get bad beats galore, but I've got to remember that's why I'm there. Focus on improving my game so I don't pay off the odd decent player that I come across.

    I don't need interesting hands, difficult spots, I need simple, winning ABC poker...

    Are you listening Anosmic? You stupid idjiit?
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  12. #12
    At 50NL the cbet flop/check turn/fire river bet gets called a lot. Make sure you do it with at least TPGK.

    Other than that, good luck. I too am mixing up NL/Limit/other games to keep poker fun and profitable. If you want to trade limit hands lemme know.
  13. #13
    Sklansky Bucks are for losers. Because only the losers add them up. With all those Sklansky dollars and a dollar fifty, you cna get a cup of coffee. i never got how they were supposed to make you feel better. Seriously, you will Pwn these guys and everyone else in time.

    It's amazing how we all still hate poker and become negatively affected when we lose. I am the same. I snap outside of poker. I hate people when I'm on downswing. I've noticed when watching the vid's on CR how calm these guys are. What comes first, the calm or the stakes. I'm guessing the former. You need to go back in time. Look at where you were. Stop pushing yourself. Enjoy the ride. Make sets get paid. Where do you want to be in a year? Think about it, and do it. Fuck short term, only the idiots win short term. We are here for a long time.

    Sorry if this is all over the map, just trying to get a few points across so maybe one hits home for you, me and/or anybody else.
  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Anosmic
    It's usually somewhere about this point that I make my key mistake. Today it was a JJ hand, and I freely admit I play 88-QQ badly.

    Flop comes down with an A and he calls my c-bet. Am I done for?
    on the turn I check behind. River is a blank. He puts in a small bet so I push in. Is my read good?
    What was your read? What did you think he would fold there that you beat? I don't have the whole HH (texture, bet sizes, etc.) but I can almost guarantee he's never folding an A here after you check behind the turn. To most opponents, your turn check screams no ace. (Sure, you might check behind the turn with AT here for pot control and to induce some river value, but that works b/c average opponents don't expect it.) Now his weak river bet could easily be a bluff, so the river is an easy call imo, but you're not going to fold a better hand. When you're making a big bluff, you have to be able to think of better hands that will fold. In this situation, your hand has a lot of value as a bluff-catcher, but that's it. Another situation you need to slow down and think is when you're making a big value bet with less than the nuts. If you don't have worse hands in mind that might call, rethink your bet (make it smaller or check).
  15. #15
    You're pretty much going through what i realized a few days ago: It takes more than acknowledging you have a problem to fix a habit. Not only that, it takes a shitload of work and support, not only from others helping you, but help from your other senses.
    Check out the new blog!!!
  16. #16
    pantherhound's Avatar
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    I think a lot of the time when you guys decide to write these things you're subconsciously putting pressure on yourself to increase your winrate and often end up making stupid plays and stupid decisions based on a target that is absolute and in many cases unobtainable.

    IMO everyone who wants to play winning poker should just concentrate on making the right decisions, whether they be street by street or on a metagame level or whatever. All these targets could well have you thinking up funky new ways to get there quicker and before long you convince yourself that your latest line has value where it doesn't.
  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by IowaSkinsFan
    Not only that, it takes a shitload of work and support
    I guess I'm not doing my job very well, sorry dude
  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by biondino
    Quote Originally Posted by IowaSkinsFan
    Not only that, it takes a shitload of work and support
    I guess I'm not doing my job very well, sorry dude
    lol biondino you help me a lot.
    Check out the new blog!!!
  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by pantherhound
    I think a lot of the time when you guys decide to write these things you're subconsciously putting pressure on yourself to increase your winrate and often end up making stupid plays and stupid decisions based on a target that is absolute and in many cases unobtainable.

    IMO everyone who wants to play winning poker should just concentrate on making the right decisions, whether they be street by street or on a metagame level or whatever. All these targets could well have you thinking up funky new ways to get there quicker and before long you convince yourself that your latest line has value where it doesn't.
    I have always believed in setting non-monetary targets. We know we can't control them at least in the medium run, so why base success and failure on them?

    I actually count my sklansky bux on a spreadsheet. Because I'm ahead of where I should be, every time I take a bad beat I enter it in and I still have a positive balance so I immediately get over it and settle back into my A-game. I also think it's useful to know whether you're generally putting the $$$ in with the best of it.
    Quote Originally Posted by bigred
    Would you bone your cousins? Salsa would.
    Quote Originally Posted by salsa4ever
    well courtie, since we're both clear, would you accept an invitation for some unprotected sex?
  20. #20
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    Salsa, do you subtract Sklansky bucks when you suck out? Sounds cool, I like the idea of recording them.
  21. #21
    Ugh.

    Well. I've been playing the iPoker $100NL games. Obviously the big downswing was a killer but I've been working at it to turn things around, with some success.

    My month looks a bit shocking, but it has a lot of positives, even if "total won" is not one of them.

    I'm seriously considering going back to one of the EU iPoker sites because, while high variance, it does seem to be much easier for me. Software sucks though...

    Then there's been $50NL on Party and it's just been a train wreck. 13BI lost... it's just been sick.
    A fair amount of that is my fault. I can't believe I've been so slow to adjust.

    I deposited on Empire today to take advantage of another bonus, and I started well but finished up being almost 2BI down.

    I was solidly up when I got this hand:
    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    MP ($23.15)
    Button ($55.98)
    SB ($51.37)
    Hero ($54.85)
    UTG ($18.25)

    Preflop: Hero is BB with J, J.
    UTG calls $0.50, MP calls $0.50, Button calls $0.50, SB completes, Hero raises to $2.75, MP folds, Button calls $2.50, SB folds.

    Flop: ($7.50) 9, 9, 3 (3 players)
    Hero bets $5, Button calls $5.

    Turn: ($17.50) 7 (3 players)
    Hero bets $8, Button calls $8.

    River: ($33.50) 5 (3 players)
    Hero bets $11, Button raises to $30, Hero calls $19.

    Final Pot: $93.50

    Results in white below:
    Hero has Js Jc (two pair, jacks and nines).
    UTG has 2s Ks (one pair, nines).
    Button has 7h 7d (full house, sevens full of nines).
    Outcome: Button wins $93.50.


    I suppose check/call may be better on the river. Typical "Anosmic goes screwey with overpair" scenario.

    This was horrible:
    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    CO ($53)
    Button ($46.75)
    SB ($123.60)
    Hero ($44.50)
    UTG ($23.22)
    MP ($65.80)

    Preflop: Hero is BB with 4, 2.
    4 folds, SB raises to $1, Hero raises to $2.75, SB calls $2.

    Flop: ($6) 9, 8, 5 (2 players)
    SB bets $2, Hero raises to $6, SB calls $4.

    Turn: ($18) T (2 players)
    SB checks, Hero bets $11, SB calls $11.

    River: ($40) A (2 players)
    SB checks, Hero calls $44 (All-In), SB calls $24.50.

    Final Pot: $108.50

    Results in white below:
    SB has As 3s (one pair, aces).
    Hero has 4s 2s (high card, ace).
    Outcome: SB wins $108.50.


    I lost a significant amount to this guy, before I realised how to play him and started getting it back.. he disappeared but one for the buddy list.
    I saw him call an AI with Q7o and hit Q7x flop. He was up 4BI at one point and finished on about $60.

    In the end I was playing a little better, I managed to get on top of a couple of opponents. Got better reads, managed to exploit a couple of the donks.

    My favourite was the guy who called too much and then if you checked the turn he'd donk/call the river. When I finally hit a flop I got a fair bit of his stack.
    But still a bad day and so much of it my fault.

    Final hand is another JJ.

    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    BB ($48.30)
    UTG ($10)
    MP ($36.50)
    Hero ($98.75)
    Button ($123.15)
    SB ($49.50)

    Preflop: Hero is CO with J, J. UTG posts a blind of $0.50.
    UTG (poster) checks, MP calls $0.50, Hero raises to $3, 1 fold, SB raises to $9, 1 fold, UTG folds, MP folds, Hero calls $6.

    Flop: ($19.75) 9, T, Q (2 players)
    SB bets $13, Hero calls $98.75 (All-In), SB calls $49.25 (All-In).

    Turn: ($180.75) T (2 players, 2 all-in)

    River: ($180.75) Q (2 players, 2 all-in)

    Final Pot: $180.75

    Results in white below:
    SB has Kh Kc (two pair, kings and queens).
    Hero has Js Jc (two pair, queens and jacks).
    Outcome: SB wins $144.25. Hero wins $36.50.


    Villain tanked for ages before calling, about 2 secs left or something. I was very close.
    It's an absolute coin-flip this here... obviously knew I was up against an overpair. Had to hope there was no spade there.

    I'm a slight favourite according to PT (something like 50.3 v 49.9). So push is defintely right from that perspective. Converter is wrong, it's a $98 pot... funnily enough if I'd won that I'd have been even for the night... so it turns on such hands.

    But never would have been in that position if I had been more careful earlier.
    Obviously I let myself get carried away in some hands where I should not have attempted to get cute. Sure villain called with crap, but he had better crap...

    As for emotional mastery I went fairly ballistic after I donked off 2BI in fairly short order... so still much to work on there. Perhaps the end of the month will help me as I've frequently found a "fresh start" from a PT perspective helps.
    But I'm going to suffer downswings again and I'm still not ready for them because somewhere in here I'm not convinced that it really will even out (and given some of the donk plays, that's valid).

    No, I really need more patience at these levels. Cut out the fancy plays and keep my mind on the basics, it's worked okay at $100NL on iPoker and it'll beat $50NL on Empire.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  22. #22
    Dude, In that 4s2s hand, ouch. Keep in mind, in NO limit blinds are worth stealing, they are not worth defending.
  23. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by biondino
    Salsa, do you subtract Sklansky bucks when you suck out? Sounds cool, I like the idea of recording them.
    sorry for the thread jack.
    here's how I do it.

    Excel spreadsheet; first column is the final pot size. 2nd column is my equity when we went all in (or close enough, if we put in like 90% of the stacks on the flop I'll count the flop as "all-in". 3rd column is my expected value. 4th column is my actual result. Final column is the difference.

    Positive balance means you're running better than you should (i.e. your sklansky bux is negative).

    So, I have 70% equity in a $500 total pot and win it, and then I have 50% equity and lose in a $200 pot:

    $500 / 0.75 / $375 / $500 / +$125
    $200 / 0.50 / $100 / $0 / -$100

    I'm running good to the tune of $25. This analysis of course ignores other aspects of running good or running cold like getting no cards or top full house runs into quads.
    Quote Originally Posted by bigred
    Would you bone your cousins? Salsa would.
    Quote Originally Posted by salsa4ever
    well courtie, since we're both clear, would you accept an invitation for some unprotected sex?
  24. #24
    I'm going to call today a good day.

    There you go, I've done it. It's done.

    Down about $150 today, but I'm going to look at the positives.


    I played well and got a nice run at the $50NL tables on Empire. But the first table I opened was actually $100NL and it was such a good table I left it open.

    I was a little down there when a big hand came along. I had TPGK against two opponents. Both called my c-bet and then UTG donks into me. I think for a little, and feeling the squeeze reckon I have to muck it.
    I feel justified when the button raises. The pot gets big and we come to showdown. UTG has TPWK and BTN has MPWK.

    I mucked the best hand. As biondino told me, I should feel good because it was the right play in that situation; but I think I let it get to me.
    I started to give my opponents too little credit and it started to affect my results.

    I took a break, and decided to give $100NL another go. I sought out some good tables (I don't normally do much table selection, so this was good) and I went to work.
    I soon was up for the day and things were going well... and then things went a little south.

    At the time I felt sick. It was just horrible that just as I seemed out of the downswing I get some bad situations. But that was sick with the variance, not with my play. I felt I deserve better.

    There are obvious hands like this one:

    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $1 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    Hero ($101.85)
    UTG ($46.86)
    MP ($24.79)
    CO ($99.50)
    Button ($132.83)
    SB ($180.45)

    Preflop: Hero is BB with K, A.
    1 fold, MP calls $1, 2 folds, SB completes, Hero raises to $3.5, MP calls $3, SB folds.

    Flop: ($9) A, 4, 5 (2 players)
    Hero bets $5, MP calls $24.79 (All-In), Hero calls $15.79.

    Turn: ($54.58) J (2 players, 1 all-in)

    River: ($54.58) 9 (2 players, 1 all-in)

    Final Pot: $54.58

    Results in white below:
    Hero has Ks Ac (one pair, aces).
    MP has 9c Ad (two pair, aces and nines).
    Outcome: MP wins $50.58. Hero wins $4.


    I'm getting more of these. It feels horrible, (worse when it's not a shorty) but then I reflect: I was looking for tables where this situation would occur. I'm looking for these situations. No point bitching about it.

    The rest of my hands are more quesitonable. So here's a bit of a review with my thoughts. Feel free to chime if you see something stupid.

    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $1 BB (5 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    BB ($100)
    UTG ($128.65)
    MP ($161.35)
    Button ($63.35)
    Hero ($177.35)

    Preflop: Hero is SB with A, Q.
    2 folds, Button raises to $4, Hero raises to $12, 1 fold, Button calls $8.

    Flop: ($25) 5, J, Q (2 players)
    Hero bets $15, Button raises to $30, Hero calls $15.

    Turn: ($85) 6 (2 players)
    Hero checks, Button calls $63.35 (All-In), Hero calls $21.35.

    River: ($169.70) Q (2 players, 1 all-in)

    Final Pot: $169.70

    Results in white below:
    Button has Jc Js (full house, jacks full of queens).
    Hero has As Qh (three of a kind, queens).
    Outcome: Button wins $127.70. Hero wins $42.


    I thought I might have sucked out with that second Q. But... oh well.

    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $1 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    Button ($96.50)
    SB ($278.87)
    Hero ($102.95)
    UTG ($32.05)
    MP ($100)
    CO ($143.05)

    Preflop: Hero is BB with Q, A.
    UTG calls $1, 1 fold, CO raises to $2, 1 fold, SB calls $1.50, Hero raises to $6.5, UTG calls $6, CO calls $5, SB calls $5.

    Flop: ($28) 9, A, 5 (4 players)
    SB checks, Hero bets $23, UTG calls $23, CO calls $23, SB folds.

    Turn: ($97) 4 (3 players)
    Hero checks, UTG calls $32.05 (All-In), CO raises to $10, Hero calls $10.

    River: ($149.05) 3 (3 players, 1 all-in)
    Hero checks, CO bets $15, Hero calls $15.

    Final Pot: $179.05

    Results in white below:
    Hero has Qc As (flush, queen high).
    UTG has 6d 5d (one pair, fives).
    CO has Ac Jc (flush, ace high).
    Outcome: CO wins $179.05.



    That was a tougher one I think. I mean I was "ahead" when I put most of the chips in, even if I was a significant dog. I think I got away with a reasonably priced showdown too...


    Party Poker No-Limit Hold'em, $1 BB (6 handed) Hand History Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com (Format: FlopTurnRiver)

    UTG ($107.95)
    MP ($271.87)
    Hero ($98.50)
    Button ($130.25)
    SB ($100)
    BB ($225.95)

    Preflop: Hero is CO with A, A.
    2 folds, Hero raises to $4, 2 folds, BB calls $3.

    Flop: ($8.50) A, 8, T (2 players)
    BB checks, Hero bets $4, BB calls $4.

    Weak. Too weak. But not the end of the world.

    Turn: ($16.50) 9 (2 players)
    BB checks, Hero bets $11, BB calls $11.

    River: ($38.50) 5 (2 players)
    BB bets $24, Hero calls $24.


    I suppose this could be folded. And if it wasn't a set I may have done...

    Final Pot: $86.50

    Results in white below:
    BB has 7s 6s (straight flush, ten high).
    Hero has As Ah (three of a kind, aces).
    Outcome: BB wins $86.50.



    I don't think there was anything too bad here... but thanks to these sorts of hands I lost a couple of BI at $100NL, which meant even with $50NL winnings I ended up losing $175 to make $100 in bonus... *sigh*

    Still, think I'm playing better.

    I moved on to Poker Plex and am playing some $50NL there while waiting on this iPoker cashout.
    Played okay again, lost a BI with top two versus set, but got half of that back... let's hope I can start getting some results at $50NL to build up some more confidence.

    So to recap, I'm playing a bit better I think. I'm still getting irritated by results, but I think they're affecting me less than before... so we can call that progress.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  25. #25
    So, moving on...

    My cashout completed from kiwi poker so I've opened up an account on Betfred (iPoker, but EU site, good for tax reasons ) where I now have a $500 bonus I can clear over the next year...(love slow-expiring bonuses).

    I put in $500 onto Interpoker. Shooting for a $200 bonus and making use of the 40% RB.

    The idea is to play some $50NL and £50NL for the rest of the month. If I can make a dent in my huge losses at the former it'll go a way to restoring my confidence a bit.

    So far it's gone okay, managed to recover from early stupidity to be up a little on Interpoker. Winning + RB + Bonus = Feel better.

    I'm playing tight, almost weak-tight and eliminating a lot of the moves I was trying on e.g. iPoker's $100NL. So far it's going well and inspiring me.

    I could so do with a nice, steady upward run.

    Thanks to everyone for their encouragement during this crappy run. Especially Biondino for usual support and wisdom.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  26. #26
    I could use more days like today.

    I got a good early session in on iPoker before crypto woke up. Slightly up, even when I couldn't/didn't extract all the value I could...

    GAME #561546972: Texas Hold'em NL $0.25/$0.50 28-May-2007 09:28:17
    Table Mahlabatini
    Seat 1: DaDaGGa ($74.00 in chips)
    Seat 3: MiffedIzaWuss ($60.15 in chips)
    Seat 5: VanDerMeyde ($77.75 in chips)
    Seat 6: XtomXX ($50.75 in chips) DEALER
    Seat 8: iamdeanUK ($85.30 in chips)
    Seat 10: bustout19 ($45.90 in chips)
    iamdeanUK: Post SB $0.25
    bustout19: Post BB $0.50
    *** HOLE CARDS ***
    Dealt to MiffedIzaWuss [C5 H5]
    Dealt to DaDaGGa [DQ SJ]
    DaDaGGa: Raise $2.00
    MiffedIzaWuss: Call $2.00
    VanDerMeyde: Fold
    XtomXX: Fold
    iamdeanUK: Fold
    bustout19: Fold
    *** FLOP *** [D5 D10 CQ]
    DaDaGGa: Check
    MiffedIzaWuss: Bet $4.00
    DaDaGGa: Raise $16.00
    MiffedIzaWuss: Call $12.00
    *** TURN *** [S3]
    DaDaGGa: Bet $16.00
    MiffedIzaWuss: Call $16.00
    *** RIVER *** [DA]
    DaDaGGa: Check
    MiffedIzaWuss: Check
    *** SUMMARY ***
    Total pot $65.75 Rake $3.00
    MiffedIzaWuss: wins $65.75


    Then crypto woke up with all the brits having a bank holiday.

    I had a good day, up at all stakes. ($100NL, $50NL, £50NL). For a total of $260 of 1.5k hands at around 12bb/100.
    This is about 10% of my roll at the moment and so very much appreciated.

    I feel I played well today, had some swings but kept my head down and played fairly good stuff.
    There were times when I was $100 up at £50Nl then a little down, but it was all going in the right direction (add to that some bonus cleared and good rakeback and it's all positive).

    To put things back into context, I'm coming off a downswing which took me down to -$1400 this month. Now at -$900, I've cleared about $500 in bonus with another $230 or so up for grabs (not sure I can do it all in 3 days).
    Basically, if I can finish off another 4k hands or so this month I have excellent chances of getting the BR where it was at the start of the month. Which is basically how my poker career has gone: donk it off, get it back as bonus.

    But I've felt confident the last few days, putting in some more solid performances (if uninspired) and finally have the results to go with it.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  27. #27
    is this a new operation thread???? I thought you were finished with that
    Jman: every time the action is to you, it's an opportunity for you to make the perfect play.
  28. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by Da GOAT
    is this a new operation thread???? I thought you were finished with that
    Not really, it's more like a blog thread. Because there's no particular goal or aim here. Just a stream of bollocks that comes into my head as I look over my sessions.

    I felt the 7k5 thread was becoming a burden for me. I went from $4k to <$2k in a matter of a month and half and suddenly it all looked amazingly difficult and I didn't need the pressure when my game was falling apart.

    I decided to go more blogstyle and just talk about what's going on, hopefully sprinkle in some anecdotes of sage lessons learned... but so far it's all been donkey see, donkey do. So fairly low-content

    Right now things are going well, I'm playing my way back to where I was at the start of the month; which would be awesome after that pit of despair. But, as I say, perspective: a bad session and I'm sure I'll be all doom and gloom. I still have soo much to improve upon.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  29. #29
    Another 1.2k hands in today... and interesting.

    I started off playing a mix of what was available on crypto (some $25NL, some $50NL, £50NL and $100NL).

    Mostly fine except this against superrock:
    Hand 1:

    No Limit Hold'em CryptoLogic ($50NL)
    Converted by FTRConv
    4-handed

    StacksSB: $51.10
    BB: $45.90
    CO: $50.30
    Hero: $50.65


    Pre-Flop: Hero is BTN with 9 A
    CO calls, Hero raises to $2, SB folds, BB calls, CO calls

    Flop:($6.25) 7 A 4 (3 players)
    BB checks, CO checks, Hero bets $4, BB folds, CO raises to $10.50, Hero calls

    Turn:($27.25) 9 (2 players)
    CO bets $37.80 and is all-in, Hero calls
    River:($102.85) 3 (2 players)

    Final Pot: $102.85

    In the cold light of day I can't condone the call except to say I dislike folding TP to a single bet. I would normally be ready to fold the turn if villain doesn't turn out to be merely testing my c-bet.
    Hitting the second pair I felt it was worth calling. Does he ever have anything other than 77 or 44?

    This is so typical of me, I get into a tricky situation for not folding when I should (getting raised off TPWK by a rock).


    Anyway, I made more than I lost (just) so was feeling fairly good going into the next session. I had an early disaster.

    I was up against some laggs, and had had something like my first 4 or 5 bets 3-bet pre-flop.
    This guy, who was something like 30/24 had a go at me.

    Hand 2
    No Limit Hold'em CryptoLogic ($NL)
    Converted by FTRConv
    5-handed

    StacksBB: $100.50
    UTG: $94.50
    CO: $197.50
    Hero: $96.50
    SB: $65.25


    Pre-Flop: Hero is BTN with K J
    UTG folds, CO raises to $4, Hero calls, SB folds, BB folds

    Flop:($9.50) 4 9 K (2 players)
    CO bets $7, Hero raises to $21, CO calls

    Turn:($51.50) 8 (2 players)
    CO checks, Hero bets $35, CO raises to $172.50 and is all-in, Hero is all-in $36.50
    River:($194.50) A (2 players)

    Final Pot: $194.50

    I can probably fold the turn, right? Even with so little behind. Once he calls my raise I should think twice. I'm not convinced the raise is wrong, but the turn-bet is probably wrong given my position.

    Playing against laggs is something I also struggle with...


    Finally a good hand and wouldn't you know it? I'm up against rocks.

    Hand 3
    No Limit Hold'em CryptoLogic ($NL)
    Converted by FTRConv
    6-handed

    StacksSB: $104.50
    BB: $197.68
    Hero: $151.50
    UTG+1: $103.50
    CO: $98.50
    BTN: $213.25


    Pre-Flop: Hero is UTG with 2 2
    Hero raises to $4, UTG+1 folds, CO calls, BTN calls, SB folds, BB calls

    Flop:($16.50) 2 4 A (4 players)
    BB checks, Hero bets $8, CO calls, BTN calls, BB folds

    Turn:($40.50) T (3 players)
    Hero checks, CO checks, BTN checks
    River:($40.50) 8 (3 players)
    Hero bets $24, CO folds, BTN calls
    Final Pot: $88.50

    The bet, check has worked OOP a bit. But I feel I probably should have been more aggro, perhaps betting the turn, certainly a higher river bet.

    I think maybe I'm just irritated that I didn't run so hot (few premium PPs, few sets) and so the one hand I did get I perhaps could have gotten more.

    After a terrible start (hand 2) my $100NL session got tricky until I was down a couple of BI. I fought really hard, played well and was down about a BI at one point before a few little losses left me at about -$140.

    I think I should have won more, but for some cold cards. But one big mistake cost me. Which is so typical... I know a lot of mid-stakes players say they do the same (play well and throw it away in a moment of insanity) but it's a leak I need to work on.

    W$@SD was 53% for me today, which is unusually high (partly because few hands checked down- which always brings it down) which I think hints that I'm getting away from hands more. So progress as well as setbacks.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  30. #30
    um, he has Asxs a ton in the first hand and not 44/77 as much as you're leading onto.

    I could find a fold to the flop raise but Im always calling the turn push. We have "top top" X2
  31. #31
    Well, May is done. One of my worst months ever, went from a nice start to a horrible finish. Although when my big downswing struck I was contributing to my own downfall quite seriously, by the end I was mainly being shafted by two outers and set-over-sets etc



    Breaking it down:


    Notice how dropping down to $50NL really helped boost my confidence!

    I'm thinking I'll continue to play on iPoker for a bit longer, see if I can actually be a long term winner (probably at $50NL just now, because I only can put a small part of my roll (which has shrunk to $2000) on the site).

    But part of the plan for the next month is to start low and work up at SHLHE. I'm thinking of making $300 my "Limit BR" and play $0.50/$1.
    See if I can grind my way up to a better limit. But historically I've been a bit sucky-sucky at SH limit.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  32. #32
    cardsman1992's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Posts
    1,261
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    Being enjoyed at Jack's Bar since 1397
    I know he's 30/24 and all, but why are you calling raises with KJ?

    I feel your pain with that graph, man.....mine looks about the same for May.
    Operation Grind For Education:

    Current BR: $10080(04/06/2009) BR Goal: $15000--I LOVE RB!!!
    End date: 31aug2009
    Current stakes: $100/200NL FR
  33. #33
    Maybe my efforts to stop being such a weaktight nit have gone too far:

    No Limit Hold'em CryptoLogic ($100NL)
    Converted by FTRConv
    6-handed

    StacksHero: $102
    BB: $44.60
    UTG: $102
    UTG+1: $105.35
    CO: $103.76
    BTN: $82.40


    Pre-Flop: Hero is SB with A K
    UTG folds, UTG+1 folds, CO calls, BTN raises to $4, Hero raises to $12, BB folds, CO folds, BTN calls

    Flop:($26.50) Q 5 7 (2 players)
    Hero bets $20, BTN calls

    Turn:($66.50) 6 (2 players)
    Hero checks, BTN bets $50.40 and is all-in, Hero calls

    I think this may, just about, be okay. But it's veeeery ropey.

    Still plenty of work to do.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  34. #34
    From what it looks like man you enjoy putting a lot of money in the pot when behind (AxKd hand) and you like to keep as much money out of the pot when ahead (re: 22 hand).

    Play basic poker, when you have the goods bet, when you don't, dont. My offer still stands in reference to SHLHE BTW.
  35. #35
    So I come to the end of another month and time for an honest report.

    SH-NL went a fair bit better, I really felt like I was getting somewhere.




    It was that sudden dip where I lost a number of BI at $100NL that kinda cheesed me off so much I had to step away from ring for a bit. (Hence the new SNG operation)

    I believe it can be explained by three hands:

    KK v AA for -$113
    KK v AA for -$107
    55 v 88 for -$105, I flopped a set, he turned one.

    There was also a $250 pot I lost where I flopped a set and one villain with TPGK made up odds for a guy drawing to a double-gutshot and he hit. Which lost me another BI.

    I don't think any of these hands were bad, and in the long run playing like this will make me a winning player.
    But as an "ambitious loser" I was really hoping for some positive feedback to show me that my good play was good.... but poker don't work that way. A few thousand hands of solid play can still be undone in three or four hands and you have to be really critical in trying to ascertain whether it's variance or something fundamental.

    FWIW i think spenda's point above is very true. FPS is my disease and I'm trying to eliminate it from my play.

    It's a bit weird that it's in a winning month that it gets to me... but there you go. Variance is eating at me, so I stepped away.

    I finished the month up $150 on Empire's $50NL table and that put me back in the + column which was such a positive piece of feedback, but we all know that 10k, 20k, 30k hands isn't a long run and you have to wait longer to really see the results.

    I played some $2/4 FR LHE, am still a net loser at that level, thanks to a nice soft £5/10 I found at one point I'm up at FR limit too.


    Rakeback pays for my $2/4 losses, and bonus takes me up. And I think I'm getting better here too, surviving some of the swings and starting to pick off some hands I wasn't before.

    SH-LHE was the real problem as usual. While $0.50/$1 was okay, I played atrociously at $2/4 and should avoid it in future until my skills are up there.

    And while I'd love to exchange HHs with spenda, right now I'm so embarrassed by my donkish play I may just delete the damn HH database so the evidence is gone!


    First time in a while I felt I was playing okay, but not emotionally equipped for swings at $100NL where I'm still lacking in confidence.

    The story is an all to familiar one:
    SH-NL: $43
    SH-LHE: -$315
    FR-LHE: $53
    ========
    Ring profit: -$219

    Rakeback: $200
    Interpoker bonus: $300
    Empire: $100
    Party: $100
    =========
    RB+Bonus=$700

    BR change: +$481

    And that's the way an ambitious loser does it.

    As of next month cryptologic's RB goes from it's usual 30% to an effective 20% or so.
    I'm probably not going to be playing so much poker in July, so we'll see what happens next.

    I've got plenty of bonus to clear on iPoker, so maybe some $50NL when I can be bothered. I may keep playing the $0.50/$1.00 6-max LHE there to see if I can make a go of it.
    Otherwise it's SNGs and just hope that I don't donk off too much of my roll

    I'm already feeling a bit more positive about my NL 6-max, but this 6-month downswing (not all variance at all) has just been too much of a grind and I've lost some enthusiasm.
    I'll play more when it feels more fun again.
    Blah blah Op Blah blah

    Faith in Jesus Christ is +EV. That is all.
  36. #36
    if you ever wanna talk poker throw me a PM for my MSN address
    Jman: every time the action is to you, it's an opportunity for you to make the perfect play.

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