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Fear and loathing at a DON near you

  
 
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kevster
Old 01-01-2010, 07:05 PM     Post subject: Fear and loathing at a DON near you #1 (permalink)  
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 I've been planning to start a DON blog for some time so New Year seems as good a time as any. This won't be an 'operation', just a handy way of keeping track of my own progress whilst posting the odd interesting hand.

I know DONs aren't very popular but they are profitable so what gets posted here might be useful to those who are interested. If you are new to DONs you can read my basic three part guide here, here and here. Nakamura has also written an excellent thread on the subject.
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 01-01-2010, 07:23 PM #2 (permalink)  
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 A major problem of mine is I lack focus, another good reason for starting this blog and keeping track of where I am and where I'm going.

So where am I now?

I made around $500 in 2009 playing DONs, mainly 4 tabling the $10 normal speed tables. I found these significantly more profitable than the turbo's and only dabbled occasionally with 8 tabling and the $20s. Here are my overall stats:

Played: 591
ITM: 58.38%
ROI: 9.59%

However, my specific $10 4 tabling stats are better:

Played: 350
ITM: 61.71%
ROI: 14.29%

I accept that the sample size is relatively small but I feel these stats are promising. As I said, lack of focus is my main issue.

I feel that a profit of $2k in 2010 should be comfortably achievable if I can keep focused, maybe more if I can move up to 8 tabling or the $20s. I realise that this is small fry to a lot of posters at FTR but most posters don't have a full time job, wife, family and are currently studying at college part-time. Poker is only a hobby but it doesn't mean that I don't want to do well and improve.

All comments welcome guys. I'll post again in a day or two,
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 01-01-2010, 07:45 PM #3 (permalink)  
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 Forgot to mention: DONs are my bread and butter but I also play small MTTs where I know my money is going in good (e.g. Sunday lottery and some local live games).
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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Micro2Macro
Old 01-01-2010, 08:26 PM #4 (permalink)  
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Micro2Macro is a jewel in the roughMicro2Macro is a jewel in the roughMicro2Macro is a jewel in the rough
 Hey man, good luck with this. I got into DON's a bit last year but sort of strayed away to focus on cash. I guess I will follow your progress here to get my DON fix .
"Once we reach a certain level of mastery, we see there are higher levels and challenges. If we are disciplined and patient, we proceed. At each higher level, new pleasures and insights await us--ones not even suspected when we started out. We can take this as far as we want--in any human activity there is always a higher level to which we can aspire."

Check out my blog here!

"You are a degenerate Gaam-balur"

http://www.philgalfond.com/lets-make-some-changes/
 
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kevster
Old 01-05-2010, 11:50 AM #5 (permalink)  
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 Some bubble hands....

Hand 1: Pretty standard. I'm the small stack and have to pull the trigger at some point. JJ is more than adequate.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 10.8 Tournament, 75/150 Blinds 15 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (BB) (t1545)
UTG (t3310)
MP (t2640)
CO (t2385)
Button (t3435)
SB (t1685)

Hero's M: 4.90

Preflop: Hero is BB with J, J
3 folds, Button bets t300, 1 fold, Hero raises to t1530 (All-In), 1 fold

Total pot: t765

----------------------------------------------

Hand 2: Similar spot but now we have one stack smaller than us. This is a little closer but I'm still happy with a push. We're unlikely to pickup better and the small stack only needs to get lucky once and we're in trouble

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 10.8 Tournament, 75/150 Blinds 15 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO (t2850)
Button (t2815)
Hero (SB) (t1755)
BB (t4240)
UTG (t2020)
MP (t1320)

Hero's M: 5.57

Preflop: Hero is SB with Q, Q
UTG bets t375, 3 folds, Hero raises to t1740 (All-In), 1 fold, UTG calls t1365

Flop: (t3720) 2, J, 7 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Turn: (t3720) 4 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t3720) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t3720

-----------------------------------------

Hand 3: A good example of when to fold the good stuff. Nosebleed blinds and three stacks (two of them significantly) smaller than ours. Just need to sit tight here.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 10.8 Tournament, 125/250 Blinds 25 Ante (6 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

CO (t3015)
Hero (Button) (t2625)
SB (t1545)
BB (t3735)
UTG (t2275)
MP (t1805)

Hero's M: 5.00

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, K
5 folds

Total pot: t400
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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P-Train
Old 01-05-2010, 11:23 PM #6 (permalink)  

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Kevster- Love this thread. Any chance these are similar to the Beginner tourneys on Bodog. They pay 5/10 places but still give more to the winner and give the entry fee (less the house take) back to 5th place, so they are not necessarily a true DON. Been enjoying these lately as they do seem to be a good return for the money, while giving me some good hands to learn on.
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Shifter
Old 01-05-2010, 11:43 PM #7 (permalink)  
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Hmm. I can't say I've ever looked into DONs. Cheers for the guide - I'll have a read.
Good luck, also.
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kevster
Old 01-06-2010, 12:13 PM #8 (permalink)  
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 Thanks for the kind words guys.

Quote:
Originally Posted by P-Train
Kevster- Love this thread. Any chance these are similar to the Beginner tourneys on Bodog. They pay 5/10 places but still give more to the winner and give the entry fee (less the house take) back to 5th place, so they are not necessarily a true DON. Been enjoying these lately as they do seem to be a good return for the money, while giving me some good hands to learn on.
They sound pretty similar though I've not played them. If there is a higher payout for 1st then it's going to affect strategy after the bubble and I guess game time could be longer too.
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 01-09-2010, 06:29 PM #9 (permalink)  
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 Here's some inspiration for anyone considering DONs...... THERE ARE IDIOTS EVERYWHERE.

Here's three hands from just one 1 hour session at the $10s today.....

Hand 1: BB has Q6o and thinks top pair can't be beat

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 10.8 Tournament, 10/20 Blinds (10 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (MP3) (t1500)
CO (t1490)
Button (t1940)
SB (t1400)
BB (t1170)
UTG (t1500)
UTG+1 (t1500)
UTG+2 (t1500)
MP1 (t1500)
MP2 (t1500)

Hero's M: 50.00

Preflop: Hero is MP3 with 3, 6
2 folds, UTG+2 calls t20, 4 folds, Button calls t20, SB calls t10, BB checks

Flop: (t80) 7, Q, 2 (4 players)
SB checks, BB bets t60, UTG+2 calls t60, Button calls t60, 1 fold

Turn: (t260) 9 (3 players)
BB bets t180, UTG+2 calls t180, Button calls t180

River: (t800) 8 (3 players)
BB bets t910 (All-In), 1 fold, Button calls t910

Total pot: t2620

------------------------------------------

Hand 2: Villain has A7d - all kinds of WTF here

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 10.8 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (9 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

Hero (Button) (t1425)
SB (t1475)
BB (t2955)
UTG (t1970)
UTG+1 (t1980)
MP1 (t1425)
MP2 (t1310)
MP3 (t1070)
CO (t1390)

Hero's M: 31.67

Preflop: Hero is Button with 10, 10
UTG calls t30, 5 folds, Hero bets t150, 2 folds, UTG calls t120

Flop: (t345) 9, 8, 8 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets t250, UTG calls t250

Turn: (t845) Q (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

River: (t845) 2 (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Total pot: t845

------------------------------------------------------

Hand 3: Villain has 77 and gets married to it

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, 10.8 Tournament, 15/30 Blinds (10 handed) - Poker-Stars Converter Tool from FlopTurnRiver.com

MP3 (t1375)
CO (t1670)
Hero (Button) (t1455)
SB (t1770)
BB (t1980)
UTG (t1520)
UTG+1 (t1430)
UTG+2 (t900)
MP1 (t1430)
MP2 (t1470)

Hero's M: 32.33

Preflop: Hero is Button with A, Q
7 folds, Hero bets t120, SB raises to t210, 1 fold, Hero calls t90

Flop: (t450) 10, Q, Q (2 players)
SB bets t1500, Hero calls t1245 (All-In)

Turn: (t2940) 5 (2 players, 1 all-in)

River: (t2940) J (2 players, 1 all-in)

Total pot: t2940
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 01-16-2010, 05:04 PM #10 (permalink)  
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 No update for a week so I thought I'd post.

I've been on a little break even run but I'm not worried as these spells are usually followed by a heater. My volume seems decent and I'm getting in as much play as I can. I'll post proper stats at the end of each month.

There'll be some interesting hands to come shortly but, for now, a quick thought.......

I rarely see regs at the DONs regardless of time of day or day of the week. I think the most I've ever seen is 3 at one time but this is a real rarity. This lack of regs is another reason that make DONs very profitable.
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 02-01-2010, 06:06 PM #11 (permalink)  
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 I suck at updating this thing regularly.

Anyway, at the end of month 1......

+$25.
51 $10 Normal DONs
21 $10 Turbo DONs
9 MTTs ($5.50 Sunday turbo and $11 Sunday lottery)

I don't know if this is a good number for me as it's the first time I've kept a track of the amount played. Something to aim for in Feb....
January was a strange month. I crushed the normal DONs but had a tragic run on the turbo's. I also felt a little rusty having not played much in November/December. I only had two small cashes in a couple of MTTs but that should right itself soon enough. Generally, I'm not too worried at this stage and will re-evaluate at the end of Feb. I'm keen to give the $20 DONs a go but need a bit more bankroll first.

Stats Update:

Normal DON $10s: 15.33 ROI over 395 games
Turbo DON $10s: 3.26 ROI over 203 games

To me this just doesn't make sense. Avoiding the turbo's is something I could obviously do but they're handy for keeping the amount played up. I guess it's just variance though I'll chat to Nakamura about any possible adjustments that maybe I'm not making.
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 02-01-2010, 06:16 PM #12 (permalink)  
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 Here's how not to play the bubble......another example of the dumbasses to be found playing DONs....

PokerStars Game #39011432537: Tournament #238023926, $10.00+$0.80 USD Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII (150/300) - 2010/01/31 10:19:13 ET
Table '238023926 1' 10-max Seat #8 is the button
Seat 1: VoKeRo4eK (1735 in chips)
Seat 3: Bokkie (3570 in chips)
Seat 4: ducfran (5565 in chips)
Seat 6: killepitch (1840 in chips)
Seat 7: tobias1410 (1230 in chips)
Seat 8: sbedvek (1060 in chips)
VoKeRo4eK: posts the ante 30
Bokkie: posts the ante 30
ducfran: posts the ante 30
killepitch: posts the ante 30
tobias1410: posts the ante 30
sbedvek: posts the ante 30
VoKeRo4eK: posts small blind 150
Bokkie: posts big blind 300
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to sbedvek [Jc 5d]
ducfran: raises 600 to 900
killepitch: folds
tobias1410: folds
sbedvek: folds
VoKeRo4eK: folds
Bokkie: calls 600
*** FLOP *** [Jh Qd 6d]
Bokkie: bets 1200
ducfran: calls 1200
*** TURN *** [Jh Qd 6d] [Jd]
Bokkie: bets 1440 and is all-in
ducfran: calls 1440
*** RIVER *** [Jh Qd 6d Jd] [3h]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Bokkie: shows [9s 9d] (two pair, Jacks and Nines)
ducfran: shows [Qs 5c] (two pair, Queens and Jacks)
Bokkie is sitting out
ducfran collected 7410 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 7410 | Rake 0
Board [Jh Qd 6d Jd 3h]
Seat 1: VoKeRo4eK (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 3: Bokkie (big blind) showed [9s 9d] and lost with two pair, Jacks and Nines
Seat 4: ducfran showed [Qs 5c] and won (7410) with two pair, Queens and Jacks
Seat 6: killepitch folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: tobias1410 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 8: sbedvek (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 02-16-2010, 03:29 PM #13 (permalink)  
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 No update since Feb 1st. Wow, I'm so lazy.

Here's a couple of interesting hands. I posted them in the SNG forum as they'll get more comment.

Horrible Bubble Spot

Fold Or Call A Shove With Trips
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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Nakamura
Old 02-17-2010, 07:28 AM #14 (permalink)  
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 Kev, the obvious thing that springs to mind is in turbos you aren't finding spots to steal when your stack dwindles to the 5-7BB level. You can really take shots at placing since you are likely in a -EV position anyway. With 5 BB I'm constantly looking for hands like SCs or pretty much anything with value and shoving it into unraised pots ... boom, you just increased you stack by at least 40% or busted out. Failing to shove these hands is a big leak in almost everyone's game.
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kevster
Old 02-17-2010, 04:30 PM #15 (permalink)  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nakamura
Kev, the obvious thing that springs to mind is in turbos you aren't finding spots to steal when your stack dwindles to the 5-7BB level. You can really take shots at placing since you are likely in a -EV position anyway. With 5 BB I'm constantly looking for hands like SCs or pretty much anything with value and shoving it into unraised pots ... boom, you just increased you stack by at least 40% or busted out. Failing to shove these hands is a big leak in almost everyone's game.
Good advice - thanks. As discussed on email, I think it'd be +EV for my game if I stop thinking in M and start thinking in BBs.
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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kevster
Old 03-05-2010, 03:32 PM #16 (permalink)  
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 Summary for Feb - Good news and bad. Following Naka's advice, I've played a lot more turbo's and my results have picked up well.

Number of DONs played: 70 (20 normal, 50 turbo's)
Overall turbo ROI: 4.9
Overall Normal ROI: 12.9
Bankroll: $704 (significantly down on the year)

Whilst the results from the normal DONs weren't great, I've also noticed that my run at MTTs has been horrible and I'm down about $100 on the year. Ok, it's a small sample size but if I still had that $100, I'd be in profit and would have had more time to play DONs.

So, my goal for March is to forget MTTs and play nothing but turbo DONs.
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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dranger7070
Old 03-28-2010, 03:42 AM #17 (permalink)  
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Updates!

Missed this the first time around, gl!
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Vi-Zer0Skill
Old 03-30-2010, 04:35 AM #18 (permalink)  
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 easily my favorite sexy avatar! also let's hear about the DON's!!
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kevster
Old 04-09-2010, 03:33 PM #19 (permalink)  
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 Apologies for my lack of updates. The main reason for this is the dire
circumstances I find myself in as March basically went from bad to much worse.

I wasn't going to post at all but if we're being honest at least people can see that the swings of misfortune happen to DONs as well as everywhere else.

I played 83 $10 turbo's and only won 38 of them for an ROI of around minus 12%. Ouch. I was tempted for a time to jack the whole thing in and certainly had the first case of tilt that I'd recognised within myself.

Anyway, I had a chat with Nakamura and was lifted to know that he also found March a struggle (and his volume is enormous compared to mine)
and that there's a general feeling that the turbo's are getting harder.

I took a small break and re-applied myself and April is going better so far. I'm still positive that things will turn around and so the operation continues (although there isn't really a firm goal).

Naka may be doing some analysis on my HH's so I'll post if anything of interest comes out of those.

Finally, I can't completely shake the tourney bug but I've started sat'ing in to them in order to save my wilting bankroll.

More later.....
- You're the reason why paradise lost
 
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