Lousy Lousy Lousy

I don't know if this explains my play or my luck. Either way, I had a second consecutive bad month. Things were going good until I dropped 2K over the last 4 days.

The only good part is that after bonus and rakeback, I only lost $22.80.

The thing is that my good hands need to hold up. I still have a ways to go in this crazy game we call poker and that didn't the last few days. It didn't help that I guessed wrong too many times.

I plan to do something different (blogging wise) this month. I hopefully plan to put some daily/weekly results with some stats while looking at certain stats and compare what they should be.

We'll see how it goes.

Worst Month Ever and OBFV

Well, as usual, the good never lasts. I went on a 27 buyin losing streak this month playing 1/2. I ended up getting a little of it back towards the end of the month; but still landed 17 buyins down (only 9.5 buyins down EV adjusted). That last part is the one that gets you. When you continue to get your cards in good and end up losing, I don't have to tell you how unsettling it is.

And then practically the first hand for November went like this:

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1006513
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BTN: $96.90
SB: $236.50
BB: $200.00
UTG: $79.50
UTG+1: $247.80
Hero (UTG+2): $202.00
MP1: $319.45
MP2: $313.20
CO: $75.85

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is UTG+2 with 7c 8c
2 folds, Hero raises to $7, 1 fold, MP2 calls $7, 4 folds

Flop: ($17.00) 3s 8d 9d (2 players)
Hero bets $10, MP2 calls $10

Turn: ($37.00) 8s (2 players)
Hero checks, MP2 bets $19, Hero raises to $48, MP2 calls $29

River: ($133.00) Th (2 players)
Hero bets $60, MP2 raises to $248.20 all in, Hero calls $77 all in

Final Pot: $407.00
Hero mucks 7c 8c
MP2 shows Ts Td (a full house, Tens full of Eights)
MP2 wins $404.00
(Rake: $3.00)

That was one of three hands where a 2 outer hit on the river. Good Times.

But then this hand came. Can you say Overbet for Value? What do you think this guy is calling with?

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/1006517
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $250.50
UTG: $332.95
UTG+1: $777.45
UTG+2: $326.35
Hero (MP1): $522.95
MP2: $204.15
CO: $289.75
BTN: $253.65
SB: $218.85

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is MP1 with Ts Td
UTG calls $2, 2 folds, Hero raises to $10, 5 folds, UTG calls $8

Flop: ($23.00) Th Jc Js (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero checks

Turn: ($23.00) 9c (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $12, UTG calls $12

River: ($47.00) 8h (2 players)
UTG bets $47, Hero raises to $500.95 all in, UTG calls $263.95 all in


He insta called. What kind of hand does he have? This is typically one of those things where he is going to call any amount. I'll post in the comments a bit later what he had.

BTW.. he was a 16/4/.7 guy over just 25 hands.

So, I'm cashing in some points for a 2K cash bonus. They have changed the way you work off bonuses. You only 0.04 per point (as opposed to 0.06). Plus I only get 90 two work it it off. So that is like 555 pts a day. Plus, there is a MGR hit, so really it is only like a $1,460 bonus. I'm not sure that it is worth it; but I will give it a try. What are your thoughts on the new Black Card reward system at Full Tilt?

Have a nice day!!!

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.

What does that really mean?

I guess it could mean a few things. Maybe you spiked your 2 outer on the river. Maybe your were on the good end of a set over set or Aces over Kings.

In he hand below, I was lucky in a couple ways. See below:

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/968842
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): $334.25
SB: $101.80
BB: $211.85
UTG: $70.80
UTG+1: $81.00
UTG+2: $255.00
MP1: $256.50
MP2: $200.00
CO: $215.45

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is BTN with 5c 3c
6 folds, Hero raises to $7, SB calls $6, BB calls $5

Flop: ($21.00) 4d 6c 2s (3 players)
SB checks, BB bets $21, Hero calls $21, SB folds

Turn: ($63.00) Kd (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $38, BB raises to $183.85 all in, Hero calls $145.85

River: ($430.70) 6s (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $430.70
Hero shows 5c 3c (a straight, Six high)
BB shows As 7s (a pair of Sixes)
Hero wins $427.70
(Rake: $3.00)

Nothing like having the villain drawing dead. Yep, I would say that I was lucky.

Have a nice day!!!

Hit and Run and Finding More Folds

Thanks for the comments yesterday. While I called down on all of those, it wasn't necessarily easy or without thought.

AK hand, the decision was on the turn. If I call there, I have to call on river getting over 3 to 1. The turn is where the real question was. If he has a flush or straight, I still have outs. Again, on the river, there really is no decision.

AQ hand was maybe the toughest. Probably should have let that go; but the min raise and min bet turned out to be good bet sizing as he suckered me in.

KK hand. Oh well, what can you do.

I did a hit and run yesterday which I normally do NOT do. After losing what was actually 6 buyins the previous day, I was content to take 2 1/2 buyins in 10 minutes and call it a night. I had already made my Iron Man points from the previous night.

Here is a couple more hands to see if you can find a fold

Hand #1

Villain is 16/12/2.5 over 969 hands

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/967275
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (UTG+1): $200.00
UTG+2: $248.85
MP1: $285.00
MP2: $408.85
CO: $225.75
BTN: $200.00
SB: $194.00
BB: $134.10
UTG: $198.60

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is UTG+1 with Ad Ah
1 fold, Hero raises to $7, UTG+2 calls $7, 3 folds, BTN calls $7, 2 folds

Flop: ($24.00) 3s Tc 9s (3 players)
Hero bets $18, UTG+2 raises to $68, BTN folds, Hero calls $50

Turn: ($160.00) 8s (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+2 bets $125, Hero ??


Hand #2

Villain is 35/3/2 over just 31 hands

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/967276
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (CO): $309.85
BTN: $201.00
SB: $315.20
BB: $82.00
UTG: $614.55
UTG+1: $533.40
UTG+2: $255.90
MP1: $595.90
MP2: $666.25

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is CO with 9s Ts
3 folds, MP1 calls $2, 1 fold, Hero calls $2, 1 fold, SB calls $1, BB checks

Flop: ($8.00) Jh 2c Td (4 players)
SB checks, BB bets $4, MP1 calls $4, Hero calls $4, SB folds

Turn: ($20.00) 9h (3 players)
BB bets $4, MP1 calls $4, Hero raises to $20, BB folds, MP1 raises to $58, Hero calls $38

River: ($140.00) 7d (2 players)
MP1 requests TIME, MP1 bets $531.90 all in, Hero ??

What about the turn decision?

Have a nice day!!!

Can Anybody Find Folds?

Losing 5 buyins stinks; but should have stacked off on these hands?


Hand #1
Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/965520
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (UTG+1): $234.00
UTG+2: $76.15
MP1: $243.70
MP2: $213.95
CO: $207.00
BTN: $158.00
SB: $297.00
BB: $1079.20
UTG: $200.00

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is UTG+1 with Kd Ac
UTG raises to $8, Hero calls $8, 7 folds

Flop: ($19.00) Jh Ks Kh (2 players)
UTG bets $14, Hero calls $14

Turn: ($47.00) Th (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $30, UTG requests TIME, UTG raises to $84, Hero calls $54

River: ($215.00) 5s (2 players)
UTG bets $94 all in, Hero calls $94

Final Pot: $403.00
Hero mucks Kd Ac
UTG shows Jc Js (a full house, Jacks full of Kings)
UTG wins $400.00
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #2
Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/965521
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: $213.15
MP2: $676.75
CO: $219.65
BTN: $205.10
SB: $315.35
BB: $161.00
UTG: $200.00
UTG+1: $172.65
Hero (UTG+2): $273.30

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is UTG+2 with Kh Kd
UTG raises to $6, 1 fold, Hero calls $6, 4 folds, SB calls $5, 1 fold

Flop: ($20.00) 9h 5s Jc (3 players)
SB bets $7, UTG folds, Hero raises to $24, SB calls $17

Turn: ($68.00) Kc (2 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $42, SB raises to $84, Hero calls $42

River: ($236.00) Th (2 players)
SB checks, Hero checks

Final Pot: $236.00
SB shows Qh Ts (a straight, King high)
Hero mucks Kh Kd
SB wins $233.00
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #3
Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/965522
The DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $490.25
UTG: $119.60
UTG+1: $198.00
Hero (UTG+2): $307.25
MP1: $379.25
MP2: $98.35
CO: $280.35
BTN: $323.30
SB: $218.00

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is UTG+2 with Qh Ah
2 folds, Hero raises to $7, 4 folds, SB calls $6, BB calls $5

Flop: ($21.00) Jc Tc Kh (3 players)
SB checks, BB checks, Hero bets $10, SB folds, BB calls $10

Turn: ($41.00) 3c (2 players)
BB checks, Hero bets $26, BB raises to $52, Hero calls $26

River: ($145.00) 9h (2 players)
BB bets $77, Hero calls $77

Final Pot: $299.00
BB shows 6c 5c (a flush, Jack high)
Hero mucks Qh Ah
BB wins $296.00
(Rake: $3.00)

http://www.handconverter.com/hands/965520-965522

Have a nice day!!!

LOL Full Tilt Poker

By now, I'm sure every body has seen the changes at Full Tilt Poker.

If not, here are the highlights:

• They instituted a Black Card Rewards Program which basically required a 500 pt rolling average over 100 days. If you do, some of the rewards are 2x Full Tilt Points, a black card store (with cash bonuses), black card tourneys, etc..
• They changed their points system where you now get 10pts per $1 raked per table (instead of 1 full tilt point per $1 raked).
• They changed Iron Man requirements to 250pts (from 200 pts). They also changed Gold to 125 pts.
• Rake calculation has moved from the dealt method to the weighted contributed method which basically takes the percentage of dollars you put into the pot and multiples that by the rake in the hand. While you can argue whether is fair enough (and the forums are going crazy over this one), it definitely hurts the tighter players.
• There were also some minor software changes that you can read about here.

I am a Rush, Full Ring Player and these changes are obviously not the best for me (or any other Full Ring Player). It is what it is and I'm sure thing may be adjusted in the coming weeks. Some of things people are wanting are a more tiered pt system for black card members. 2x for 500, 2.5x for 750, 3x for 1000, etc.. Making bonuses instant as opposed to clearable (such as PokerStars did this weekend). Of course, there is always people complaining about the rakeback hit.

My experience with Full Tilt Support just made me go... "LOL".

Being a full Ring player and with the new structure, I will get 10% more pts. I used to get 1 pt for per $1 raked. Now there is 10 pts per $1 raked per table. Since there is always 9 players at a Rush Full Ring Table, I will 1.11 pts. I now have to get 250 pts to keep my Iron Man status as opposed to 200 pts which of course is a 25% increase.

I also noticed that they hadn't retroactively keep the 200pt per month rule for September so it showed that I hadn't made Iron Man. So I left this email:

I just looked at my Iron man page. I see that the new Iron Man level is 250
pts which is fine.

My question is related to September as it says that I can't get Sept Iron
Man. I obviously played under the 200 pts a day rule for September. I'm
sure that this isn't an issue; but I at least wanted to bring it up to your
attention

I received this response (condensed version):

As a result of the recent update on site, there was a temporary display issue which showed your status as Gold for the month of September. I have reviewed your account And I can confirm that you achieved Iron status during September.

Also, we are pleased to confirm that we have adjusted the way FTPs are now awarded. This means that it's actually easier to earn an Iron Man status today than it was yesterday. The reason for this is that we now award ring game players 10 FTPs for every $1 raked and then divided equally among all players dealt into that hand.

In general, it is easier to earn 250 FTPs now than earning 200 FTPs in the old system. Here is an example, a $10 + $1 SNG player had to play 29 SNGs yesterday to get 200 FTPs. Today, they only have to play 25 to get 250 FTPs.

I then answered:

Thanks. Just to be sure I understand. This isn't necessarily better for full ring players, right? It will now be a little harder to get to iron man. We will be getting 10 percent more points; but we will need 25% more points to get to iron man.


They answered (stand cut and paste job I'm sure):

Thank you for contacting Full Tilt Poker Support.

For ring game players, 10 FTPs are awarded to the *table* for every $1 raked and then divided equally among all players dealt into that hand.

So, for example, a 5 handed table plays a hand that gets raked $0.50. 5 points are awarded to the table, and each player dealt into the hand gets 1 FTP. Now a heads-up table gets raked $0.50 and the same 5 points are awarded to the table. Since only two players were dealt into the hand, each player now gets 2.5 FTPs (in the old system they would have gotten 0.5 FTPs).

As you can see, with the new calculation, players will receive much more FTPs while playing regularly at the tables. Therefore, it makes it easier to earn an Iron Man status and accumulate Iron Man points.

If there's anything else we can help you with, please let us know. We're always here to help.


Nice... ask a full ring question and get short handed examples. LOL, I say. Since, i wasn't home and was using my phone, I kept my response short:

My response:

Again, I wad asking about full ring tables (9 players). It seems that we only get 10% more points; but we need 25% more points to reach iron man. Am I figuring that right?
Thanks

Their response:

Thank you for contacting Full Tilt Poker Support.

While the calculations that you have made are correct, the increase in the Iron Man requirements is not as bad as first appears.

The new requirements are as follows :

50 FTPs remains at 50 FTPs.
100 FTPs has increased to 125 FTPs.
200 FTPs has increased to 250 FTPs.

Therefore, the second tier has increased by 25 FTPs, and the third tier has increased by 50 FTPs.

With the new increase in the rate that FTPs can be accumulated, and the rate in which a player can play on site, this should not cause too much of a change.

If there's anything else we can help you with, please let us know. We're always here to help.


From here, I just gave up. Of course, it is not a big deal; but the fact that couldn't/didn't even respond to the question leaves a lot to be desired.

I will be curious how the traffic is actually effected as the forums are stating that a lot of people are leaving FTP for Stars. I haven't noticed too much difference yet.

Have a nice day!!!

Leak Finding

Hello, I vaguely remember this place.

Well, I hope to start a mini series on leak finding.

I won't let anything out the bag just yet; but stay tuned in the next few days or so.

So, not to go home empty handed, I will include a few hands from tonight for your thoughts?

A different kind of two outer ... What to bet on river?

Villain 24/4/1.6 over 170 hands.

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/957405
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $203.65
Hero (BB): $200.00
UTG: $122.00
UTG+1: $201.00
UTG+2: $609.10
MP1: $339.05
MP2: $368.70
CO: $209.00
BTN: $203.00

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is BB with 7d Qd
1 fold, UTG+1 calls $2, 4 folds, BTN calls $2, SB calls $1, Hero checks

Flop: ($8.00) Td 8d Jd (4 players)
SB checks, Hero bets $4, UTG+1 calls $4, BTN folds, SB folds

Turn: ($16.00) Ad (2 players)
Hero checks, UTG+1 bets $5, Hero calls $5

River: ($26.00) 9d (2 players)
Hero ????


Hand #2.

How can I fold?

Villain 36/25/inf over 53 hands.

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/957407
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (MP2): $236.35
CO: $77.40
BTN: $333.80
SB: $278.95
BB: $73.40
UTG: $418.45
UTG+1: $369.05
UTG+2: $496.75
MP1: $332.15

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is MP2 with As Ks
4 folds, Hero raises to $7, 1 fold, BTN calls $7, 2 folds

Flop: ($17.00) Ac 6s 4d (2 players)
Hero bets $12, BTN raises to $53, Hero requests TIME, Hero ???

Hand #3
Bet River against uber nit?

Villain 8/7/2.0 over 634 hands.

Full Tilt Poker $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.handconverter.com/hands/957409
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $172.60
UTG: $136.00
UTG+1: $204.75
UTG+2: $297.95
MP1: $207.00
MP2: $248.50
Hero (CO): $226.35
BTN: $418.00
SB: $24.00

Pre Flop: ($3.00) Hero is CO with Qd Ad
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $7, 3 folds, Hero calls $7, 3 folds

Flop: ($17.00) Td Th 2h (2 players)
UTG+1 bets $10, Hero calls $10

Turn: ($37.00) As (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero bets $20, UTG+1 calls $20

River: ($77.00) 4h (2 players)
UTG+1 checks, Hero ????

Have a nice day!!!

Rush Difference #1 - Variance

OK, with Rush Poker, you are playing more hands and playing them faster. It makes logical sense that you are going to see more variance. It is obviously hard to handle that variance sometimes.

For example, I'm already having a bad day and then the following two hands come up nearly simultaneously.


Hand #1
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/856272
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $100.00
CO: $102.35
BTN: $124.65
Hero (SB): $117.00
BB: $38.75
UTG: $91.50
UTG+1: $370.30
UTG+2: $111.85
MP1: $45.95

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is SB with Ad Ah
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to $3, 5 folds, Hero raises to $10, 1 fold, UTG+1 calls $7

Flop: ($21.00) 2d 9c 4d (2 players)
Hero bets $10, UTG+1 calls $10

Turn: ($41.00) 8s (2 players)
Hero bets $23, UTG+1 calls $23

River: ($87.00) 8h (2 players)
Hero bets $74 all in, UTG+1 calls $74

Final Pot: $235.00
Hero shows Ad Ah (two pair, Aces and Eights)
UTG+1 shows 4c 4h (a full house, Fours full of Eights)
UTG+1 wins $232.00
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #2
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/856273
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

CO: $30.50
BTN: $83.05
SB: $134.90
BB: $121.45
Hero (UTG): $107.75
UTG+1: $95.20
UTG+2: $220.80
MP1: $120.75
MP2: $348.95

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG with Kd Ad
Hero raises to $3.50, 3 folds, MP2 calls $3.50, 4 folds

Flop: ($8.50) 5c 2d 4d (2 players)
Hero bets $5, MP2 raises to $14, Hero raises to $41, MP2 raises to $345.45 all in, Hero calls $63.25 all in

Turn: ($217.00) Tc (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($217.00) 2c (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $217.00
Hero shows Kd Ad (a pair of Twos)
MP2 shows 2h 4h (a full house, Twos full of Fours)
MP2 wins $214.00
(Rake: $3.00)

http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/856272-856273

Both hands, you can probably argue the way I played them. I've been doing some Leak Finding (more on that in future posts) and one of them was not betting or getting value on river. Sure, my thoughts were that he had a set; but he could have also had a smaller pair.

Second hand just stinks and it did put me on tilt. The good thing is that my tilt doesn't last long. I yell or hit something and move on. I was able to almost make back both stackings before I called it quits; although, the session as a whole was terrible to the tune of 5 buyins. Of course, things were made worse as I played 12 Super Turbos and found the wrong end of variance of those for another hundy gone.

Surprising to me, I was a bigger dog in the second hand than I thought (43/57). The guy was a 32/20 guy so more or less decided to go with it.

Anyway, playing Rush will have swings. It is hard to get around them. I play 6 tables of Rush so being to handle those swings is very important.

Have a nice day!!!!

How is Rush Poker Different?

So like many Full Tilt Players, I have switched over to Rush Poker. The reasons are fairly obviously; but I'll go over a few in a little bit.

So instead of posting hands like I did for many months, I am going to instead post on general concepts/ideas in hopes of getting a little discussion going. I'm sure that I will throw in some hand histories as well to prove my point. Plus, if you want hand histories, you can always go over to Poker Meister as he posts good stuff daily.

So first. Why do I play Rush? There is really only one main reason for me. Time. With two little ones, I am somewhat limited to the time that I can play poker. The ability to play so many more hands makes it an ideal situation for me. Or does it? I'm not winning. I am more or less break even in all months except for April 2010 where it just all went bad. With Rakeback and Bonus, I am at even; but that certainly isn't the goal now is it?

So why the difference? What are the differences between Rush and Normal Full Ring Poker?

I'll name a few and hopefully hear back from others on what they think the differences are.

1. Overall Tightness. I think overall, players are tighter. It is not uncommon to see people playing at 8/5/2.0 level. That is not to say that there aren't LAGtards playing because their are. Over about 162K hands of Rush Poker, I am playing at a 14.5/11.0/2.69 clip. that is a little bit tighter than I was playing. This year playing non-Rush Poker, I was playing at 16/12/2.8.
2. Button Steals. I think you see more of these and consequently because of this I think you are seeing more 3 bets out of the blinds. So the question here is to try to steal more or less playing Rush Poker? Let's say 30% is a good median. My first thought is to play more; but with the in flux of greater 3 betting from blinds, maybe that is not the best. Of course, with enough stats on a guy, you are able to 4 bet lighter; although the first time I did this with T8o was a little worrisome. He folded so it was all ok; but probably not a good habit to get into.
3. 3 Betting. It seems to me that with Rush, you definitely see a lot of late position raising so similar to point #2 above, I think you can 3 bet lighter. I will be looking into this in more detail in future posts so I won't spend too much time here.
4. Continuation betting. My general thought here is that you can probably C-Bet less here. You are playing more hands and there is really no real need to go crazy with CBetting every flop. I'm right around the 57% spot (I was at 67% at non Rush Poker for this year) and I'm ok with that; but truthfully, I am trying to get that number a bit to the low to mid 60% range.

Hmmm. That should do it for now. More thoughts on Rush Poker coming in the upcoming weeks.

Have a nice day!!!

If I had a dime.....

If I had a dime for every blog that said that they would start posting more, I could probably retire. Having said that, I am going to try posting more again.

Why, you ask?

Because I need to. Blogging has always forced me to look at my game more.

I have been playing exclusively Rush Poker and well, not too successfully. One of the things I miss the most is the ability to immediately mark a hand for review after the session.

So, I am going to need to take a different approach. Instead of posting just hand histories like I had been doing for a while, I'm going to try to put more situations into focus and see where that gets me. I will be trying some other things which I will be explaining later.

That's it for now.

Have a good weekend!!!

Break Even Month

I made a whopping $23 last month.

I played 3 different type of games.

Rush Poker $376 2.21 bb/100
2/4 Limit on Stars -165.00 -4.56 bb/100
Super Turbo SNGs -188

Good Times!!!

Have a nice day!!!

Be-LEE-ve or not

As predicted, Lee is your American Idol.

Did America get it right? Probably not. Time will tell.

Crystal will be the bigger star.

Have a nice day!!!

Apparently size DOESN'T Matter

I was stoked to have my first outing to the golf course this past Saturday and then that followed by a home game. I did have a graduation party and birthday party in between; but that is inconsequential as it was bookended by Golf and p0ker.

So I get up at 5:30 and get ready to leave for golf. As I am driving to meet some guys and I start getting this huge pain in my lower back. To keep the story short, anybody who has had a kidney stone before knows exactly what that pain was. So, I knew right away what it was.

I still drove to the meeting place and tried to shake it off. No luck and off to the hospital I went where the confirmed what I already knew and gave me some good drugs.

Sure enough it was a kidney stone and it was a whopping 2 mm big. I'm not sure what that means in relation to how big kidney stones normally are; but it seems pretty freaking small to me. For something that small to give me so much pain in is amazing; so size DOESN't matter. I ended up missing my golf and p0ker. Now, that is a bad beat in my opinion.

BTW, I'm sorry to disappoint everybody with title of post.


So my Super Turbo SNG experiment is now 158 games. While things have gotten better, I still continue to get the sick beats which of course is part of the game; but it has really been brutal. Again, the red line is the All In EV Line.



Also, for whatever reason, I have start playing 6 max limit poker on PokerStars lately. Why? I have no idea. It definitely brings back the memories of the good old days.

Have a nice day!!!

Time to end Super Tubro Experiment? And I am a Rakeback Amatuer

Ok.. Maybe it is time to give up the Super Turbo Experiment. Red line is All in EV.

Good Times!!!

138 Tournies this month

Only 26.8 ITM

-16% ROI

On the flip side, I am having a consistent month at the cash games. NOT!!!!!

On the bright side, I am positive (a whopping $2.80) over the almost 30,000 hands. The big blind continues to my Achilles heel. I am positive at every position with the exception of big blind.

I guess you could you call me a rakeback amateur.

Have a good weekend. I am playing golf for the first time this year and playing in a home game (both on Saturday) so it should be a fun weekend anyway.

LOL Blogger Donkaments

After making final table the last 2 week in the Monday Poker at the Rail tourney, I played last night hoping to make it a trifecta.

After chipping up nicely in the early going, this is what happened.

Hand #1
Full Tilt Poker Poker from the Rail No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t30/t60 Blinds - 8 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/701466
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP1: t2015 M = 22.39
MP2: t2145 M = 23.83
CO: t940 M = 10.44
Hero (BTN): t4120 M = 45.78
SB: t2770 M = 30.78
BB: t4090 M = 45.44
UTG: t5885 M = 65.39
UTG+1: t1825 M = 20.28

Pre Flop: (t90) Hero is BTN with Qh Ac
4 folds, CO raises to t210, Hero raises to t660, 2 folds, CO calls t450

Flop: (t1410) 2d 8d Ad (2 players)
CO bets t280 all in, Hero calls t280

Turn: (t1970) 3d (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: (t1970) 8s (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t1970
CO shows 9d Kd (a flush, Ace high)
Hero shows Qh Ac (two pair, Aces and Eights)
CO wins t1970


And the very next hand against the very same villain.

Hand #2
Full Tilt Poker Poker from the Rail No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t30/t60 Blinds - 8 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/701467
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: t2015 M = 22.39
MP1: t2145 M = 23.83
MP2: t1970 M = 21.89
Hero (CO): t3180 M = 35.33
BTN: t2740 M = 30.44
SB: t4030 M = 44.78
BB: t5885 M = 65.39
UTG: t1825 M = 20.28

Pre Flop: (t90) Hero is CO with Jh Th
3 folds, MP2 raises to t210, Hero calls t210, 3 folds

Flop: (t510) Tc Kc As (2 players)
MP2 bets t210, Hero calls t210

Turn: (t930) Ts (2 players)
MP2 bets t1550 all in, Hero calls t1550

River: (t4030) 9h (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: t4030
MP2 shows Js Qd (a straight, Ace high)
Hero shows Jh Th (three of a kind, Tens)
MP2 wins t4030


Hand #3
Full Tilt Poker Poker from the Rail No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t60/t120 Blinds - 7 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/701477
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

CO: t3565 M = 19.81
BTN: t4437 M = 24.65
SB: t7185 M = 39.92
Hero (BB): t1630 M = 9.06
UTG: t3920 M = 21.78
UTG+1: t6385 M = 35.47
MP: t2533 M = 14.07

Pre Flop: (t180) Hero is BB with As Qs
4 folds, BTN raises to t300, 1 fold, Hero raises to t1630 all in, BTN calls t1330

Flop: (t3320) 9h Ad 4c

Turn: (t3320) 8d

River: (t3320) 6h

Final Pot: t3320
BTN shows Ah 6s (two pair, Aces and Sixes)
Hero shows As Qs (a pair of Aces)
BTN wins t3320


http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/701466-701477

The worst part is neither of these villains took my chips to the final table.

I went out a little after 1st break.

Have a nice day!!!

American Idol

Similar to this post last year, I correctly picked Your American Idol at 8/1.

Well, this year, the odds are not so great.

Casey James is 10/1

Crystal Bowersox 4/5

Lee Dawyze 6/5

Last week, it came to me that Lee Dawyze is going to be your American Idol. I forgot to look at odds. I look at them now and it is no where as juicy as Kris Allen was last year at 8/1. In truth, I just can't buy an even money pick.

Why do I think Lee will win. Well, similar to last year. Casey is almost 100% to go this week. Where do his votes go to? I feel it is Lee.

Unlike last year, I like all 3 of these so it really doesn't matter to me.

------

Still struggling in poker; but hopefully some poker posts coming soon.

Have a nice day!!!!

What's Worse

What is worse?

Having your second worse month ever or Holdem Manager saying that you running good by about 4 buyins?

Non Poker:

How about that guy betting 100K on Kentucky Derby.... and winning. That's a nice little 800K profit.

Non Sports.

Highlight of my weekend.

Listening to my 3 year singing while listening to her ipod with headphones on and trying to figure out which song it is. Unfortunatley, she sings like her mom and I so it wasn't easy ;-) Having said that, I think I could listen to that all day long.

Hot streak over

Hot streak over after 2 days...

Flushes into Rivered Full Houses.

Full Houses run into straight Flushes

Set over set runs into rivered quads.

etc..

Poker is Fun.

BBT Run

Finished 7th (out of 75) in BBT last night. I pushed my small stack with A7 and got called by KK. Pretty loose call, in my opinion. ;-)

Congrats to Hoy on taking it down. I'm sure his post will be a bit over 2 paragraphs.

I did win two turbos SNGs (one of them when being down to under 100 late) and had a 23.11 bb/100 night at the cash tables over 972 hands... so I had that going for me.

Have a nice day!!!!

Running Bad Stinks !!

Running Bad Stinks !!

Or maybe playing bad... That stinks as well.

That is all.

Have a nice day!!

OK. I'll Play.

Did you ever do something.....

Did you ever do something and your heart just wasn't in it? Well, that was me last night.

I started my play last night and shockingly it was an up and down session. Oh wait, that happens every night. Anyway, I decided to sign up for the Mookie last night. I hadn't played in a while and thought it would be fun. By the time it started, I was ready to stop playing. So what do you do? Well, I will tell you what I do. I go into super aggressive mode. Get chips or get out. The last choice almost happened as all of my 3 bets, check raises, etc failed miserably. I'm down to around 800 chips or so sitting squarely in last place. I'm not too upset as I said, my heart just wasn't in it; but as bad as I didn't want to play, I just CAN'T GIVE chips away... so I waited.

I shoved... doubled up... a little while later... I shoved again... doubled up and now I'm almost back to my starting stack. Dang it!!! Now I guess I have to play. I was truly rooting for the others in those all ins.

Next thing you know, we are at the final table. Next thing you know, we are in the money. Next thing you know I am heads up with my nemesis, Skiddo. This guy historically has killed me headsup in tournaments. Tonight was no different. My middle pair was no good as he flopped top pair as he always does and beat me out. I was going for my 5th Mookie win; but it wasn't meant to be. I guess 2nd is OK; but a win would have been better. ;-)

Have a nice day!!!

Note to Self

Note to Self:

Quit paying off sets with overpairs.

That is all.

Have a nice day!!!

It seems like it always comes down to a race

I played in the WSOP Circuit Prelim event yesterday in St Louis. I was hoping for a big turnout as Friday's tourney had over 600 people. Unfortunately, that didn't happen as only a little over 200 came out to play.

40 minute levels starting with 160 BBs. I'll keep this pretty brief. Per normal, I played my normal nitty game towards the beginning. I was able to chip up and actually won a nice pot when somebody bluffed their missed flush draw. So at the first break I was well over chip average as I had taken my 8K stack to 15K.

The next 3 levels kept me at status quo. I picked up about 2K more chips and by the second break I was at 19K at still over chip average.

Ok, if you don't like bad beat stories, stop here. Just kidding. This isn't really a bad beat. One of the big chip leaders was moved to our table. He probably had 50K. I'm not sure; but he had a lot. Not surprisingly, he was raising most pots. This particular hand, he was on the button and I was on Big Blind. It is folded to the chip leader and what does he do? He FOLDS??? SB also folds and look at my cards to find Pocket Kings. Bad Beat? Not really; but when you aren't getting cards, it feels like it. This also happened with AJs suited a bit earlier in the tourney.

A little while later against same guy with blinds 600 and 1200 with an ante, I raise from UTG with AK and raise to 2,000 and only the big stack calls from SB. The flop comes T7Qr. He checks and I ended up pushing my remaining 10K. He insta calls. Uh Oh. What does he have? He turns over T7o? What? Strange call from big blind. Turn was a blank and the river was the beautiful Jack for a rivered straight. Amazing, this usually happens against me not to me. Big stack lost a race with AK vs JJ and he was out a few hands later. Poker... you gotta love it.

We are almost at dinner break. About 15 minutes until dinner break. From EP, I look at QQ (not suited). With blinds at 800 and 1600 with 100 ante, I raise to 4200. 3 to my left insta pushes for about 11K more. This guy has been very tight and has showdowned Pocket Kings in similar situations. I was well below average at this point. I had him covered; but just by a little bit. Short Story. I called. He had AK.

It seems like it always comes down to a race. Ace on the flop sealed my fate and I was crippled. I shoved A6s suited a couple of hands later and was called by 77. I lost and was out of the tourney around 70th.

It was definitely fun; but at the same time disappointing.

Have a nice day.

World Series is coming to St Louis

Since Missouri always had loss limits, there was never a chance of having higher buy in tournaments (or ring games for that matter). Recently, Missouri lifted those loss limits and now a WSOP Circuit Event is coming to St Louis. The prelims actually start either today or tomorrow with the 5K Main event starting in a couple of weeks.

I play in a WSOP monthly league. The basic gist is that 36 of us play every month and a little bit of money goes to that tourney; but the rest goes towards WSOP packages in Vegas. We will have 8 people going to Vegas. Unfortunately, I won't be one of those eight. I sit in 11th place with 2 more to go. Top 7 from standings get a trip and one Wildcard Tourney winner get a trip. I can't remember the breakdown; but I think it may be 3 Main Event and 5 Prelim events with some travel money thrown in there.

When St Louis announced that the Circuit Event, we decided to also include this. So 31 of the 36 decided to throw in 30 more dollars a month for 6 months and we would award one Main event and one prelim.

Through 5 events, I sat in 2nd place 4 pts behind the leader. 3rd place was a distant 12 pts behind. The points are awarded by the place that you finish. 31 pts for 1st... 30 points for 2nd... on down to 1 pt for 31st. Pretty simple.

That brings us to last night. Our final tourney for the St Louis part.

I needed to finish 4 places above leader while still holding off the people behind me. My strategy going in was to play even more conservative than I normally do for the first bit to at least finish in the top 1/2 which would basically eliminate the others from catching me.

I lost a bunch early on with TT. I raise and get two callers. All lowers on flop and I lead out and get minraised. Third guy also calls and for what ever reason I called. Ace of Turn and it gets checked around. I fold to a bet on river. 3rd guy flopped a straight holding 43s. OOP he limp calls and got paid off. We start with around 5K in chips and I was down to almost 3K.

A few orbits later I get KK and raise from early position to something like 600 (blinds 100/200 at this point). I then get raised to 3K which is more or less my whole stack. I deserve a little ridiculing here; but I didn't snap push my other few hundred as I had points to think about. He could have Aces, or any Ax hand and that would be a stinky way to lose. He had Jacks and my Kings hold up.

Nothing exciting and we are down to 2 tables from our 4 starting tables. I would say I am average in chips. The 1st place guy is also average in chips. I get moved to his table.

To make a long story shorter, I hopes and dreams take a huge blow when I raise from EP with AKs and somebody pushes over the top of me and of course I call. He has AQ and the Q comes on the river leaving me with just a couple thousand chips. I push a couple times with AJ and 88 and don't get called.

We are now down to 6 people and I have to finish 4 places above the 1st place guy. He is really short and chips and finally goes out in 6th. I now have to finish 2nd for a tie in which we do a mini heads up tourney or 1st to win the 5K package.

I actually get Aces twice; but get no action.

At the end of the day, I couldn't pull it off as I finished 4th. I do win the prelim event for finishing 2nd so at least I have that going for me. I will playing in that Next week some time. It should be fun. They are 40 minute levels starting with about 160BB. Not great; but certainly better than your normal casino tourney.

We'll see how it goes.

Have a nice day!!!!

How do you cure a downswing?

So I made everything back only to give it up again. So how do you get things back on track.

Take after another familiar blogger. Be a luckbox.

Enjoy!!!

Hand #1
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/608265
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $102.05
BB: $114.65
UTG: $122.85
Hero (UTG+1): $112.00
UTG+2: $135.95
MP1: $170.60
MP2: $198.25
CO: $100.00
BTN: $83.30

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG+1 with Jd Js
UTG raises to $3.50, Hero raises to $12, 7 folds, UTG raises to $29.50, Hero calls $17.50

Flop: ($60.50) Th 8s 6c (2 players)
UTG bets $36, Hero raises to $82.50 all in, UTG calls $46.50

Turn: ($225.50) Qh (2 players - 1 is all in)

River: ($225.50) Jc (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $225.50
UTG shows As Ad (a pair of Aces)
Hero shows Jd Js (three of a kind, Jacks)
Hero wins $222.50
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #2
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/608266
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $32.00
BB: $98.30
Hero (UTG): $104.95
UTG+1: $101.90
UTG+2: $169.00
MP1: $170.95
MP2: $107.70
CO: $132.60
BTN: $103.50

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is UTG with Ah Qc
Hero raises to $3.50, 1 fold, UTG+2 calls $3.50, 4 folds, SB calls $3, BB calls $2.50

Flop: ($14.00) 2d 9h Qh (4 players)
SB checks, BB bets $6, Hero calls $6, UTG+2 calls $6, SB folds

Turn: ($32.00) 2h (3 players)
BB bets $20, Hero raises to $95.45 all in, UTG+2 folds, BB calls $68.80 all in

River: ($209.60) 2c (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $209.60
BB shows 4h Jh (a flush, Queen high)
Hero shows Ah Qc (a full house, Twos full of Queens)
Hero wins $206.60
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #3
Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/608270
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

SB: $87.35
BB: $113.40
UTG: $15.70
Hero (UTG+1): $50.00
UTG+2: $20.00
MP1: $75.70
MP2: $51.60
CO: $149.95
BTN: $43.05

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is UTG+1 with Kh Qh
1 fold, Hero raises to $1.75, 1 fold, MP1 calls $1.75, 1 fold, CO raises to $9, 3 folds, Hero calls $7.25, 1 fold

Flop: ($20.50) 4d 2s Th (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $15, Hero calls $15

Turn: ($50.50) 9h (2 players)
Hero bets $26 all in, CO calls $26

River: ($102.50) 5h (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $102.50
Hero shows Kh Qh (a flush, King high)
CO shows Kd Kc (a pair of Kings)
Hero wins $99.50
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #4
Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/608268
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

BB: $107.80
UTG: $30.15
UTG+1: $118.75
UTG+2: $49.50
MP1: $72.25
MP2: $56.25
Hero (CO): $50.00
BTN: $74.00
SB: $51.20

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is CO with Kh Kc
UTG raises to $3.50, 4 folds, Hero raises to $11.25, 3 folds, UTG calls $7.75

Flop: ($23.25) 2h 9c Ah (2 players)
UTG checks, Hero bets $38.75 all in, UTG calls $18.90 all in

Turn: ($61.05) As (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($61.05) Kd (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $61.05
UTG shows Ac Qh (three of a kind, Aces)
Hero shows Kh Kc (a full house, Kings full of Aces)
Hero wins $58.05
(Rake: $3.00)

Hand #5
Full Tilt Poker $0.50/$1 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/608271
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

MP2: $113.50
CO: $107.00
BTN: $97.35
SB: $40.00
Hero (BB): $111.50
UTG: $130.40
UTG+1: $316.15
UTG+2: $210.95
MP1: $99.90

Pre Flop: ($1.50) Hero is BB with Kd Jd
5 folds, CO raises to $3, 2 folds, Hero calls $2

Flop: ($6.50) Th 9d Ts (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $4, Hero calls $4

Turn: ($14.50) Qd (2 players)
Hero checks, CO bets $9, Hero raises to $32, CO raises to $100 all in, Hero calls $68

River: ($214.50) 3d (2 players - 1 is all in)

Final Pot: $214.50
CO shows Js Td (three of a kind, Tens)
Hero shows Kd Jd (a flush, King high)
Hero wins $211.50
(Rake: $3.00)

http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/608265-608271

Have a nice day!!!

Where have you been Joey D?

As usual with no posting, it is probably likely to bad and unlucky play. This game of poker is really funny. I went on an over 1K downswing and then all of a sudden things turn around. For example, the other day, I won 4 set over set situations in one session which was just the opposite of what was happening a few weeks earlier. I've about gotten back to where I was before the big downswing.

Anyway, I had this Rush Poker hand come up and I really wasn't sure what to do?

No Reads... Rush Poker...

Full Tilt Poker $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em - 9 players - http://www.thehandconverter.com/hands/595360
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

UTG+1: $61.35
UTG+2: $52.90
MP1: $39.20
Hero (MP2): $57.00
CO: $51.85
BTN: $72.55
SB: $20.15
BB: $50.00
UTG: $117.40

Pre Flop: ($0.75) Hero is MP2 with 8d 8h
4 folds, Hero raises to $1.75, 1 fold, BTN raises to $5, 2 folds, Hero calls $3.25

Light call; but I think I am good here to set mine. I usually do a 14x type decision.


Flop: ($10.75) 6c Td 7s (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $5, Hero raises to $15, BTN raises to $67.55 all in, Hero ??

Seeemed like a weak flop bet. My original plan was to check call given the gutter and the liklihood that he is cbetting with almost all of his range. Weak bet led to my check raise. With his push, I now know that I am behind.

Seems like an easy call; but is it?

Have a nice day!!

BTW.. there is some talk of getting bloggers together for a 45 man Super Turbo. Any interest?

It's better to be lucky than good

I played in my monthly WSOP league and was knocked out a little over half way through and stepped up to the cash tables.

It's a 1/2 game and just about everybody buys in short. I looked around the table and I bought in for just $40 figuring I will get some chips or go home. Well, that happened a little sooner than I thought.

My very first hand, I am UTG. I look down and have JJ. I raise to $6. folded to BB who is an ok player when sober; but by this time of the night, he is not sober. He raises to $20. I look down and I still have pocket Jacks. I say, it looks like it is one and done for me. I'm all in. He insta calls and tables KK (not suited).

Dealer turns over the first card of flop and it is a K. I stand up. Next card J. We all go woooooo... next card, the case Jack. Two face cards followed on the turn and river to make it exciting. Turns out the the last K was the first burn card.

Not a real big pot; but it is better to be lucky than good.


A little later on, I have pocket fives and raise it up (who wouldn't?) and get called 3 ways. J3K.. checked around... turn... J... I check and an obvious smell weakness and bet guy bets out pot. Everybody folds and I call. The river was a K. I check and he fires out 3/4ish pot. I think for about 5 seconds and call. He mucks and I show my fives.

He goes.. bad play; but good call. I go "oh really"? yes, that was a terrible play.. but it was a good call. For whatever reason, I said, I guess nobody notices how you bet every time it gets checked to you? He says that he doesn't know; but that was a bad play. It's losing play. I give up and say thanks for the tip.

Live poker.. you gotta love it!!!

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

Amazing Hockey game last night. USA!!!!USA!!!!USA!!!!USA!!!!USA!!!!USA!!!!USA!!!!USA!!!!

Wow, where have you been

Has it really been 1 1/2 months since my last post. As always, it usually is a by product of my play. Instead of one mega / uber post to get caught up, I will gradually get back into it.

So, about 1 1/2 months to go, I was waiting for tables (don't have to do that anymore, do we?) so I looked up the heads up tables and saw one of the leading Headsup guys. So what do I do? I sit down with him. Needless to say, I got crushed. My full houses were running into quads, he was flopping full houses with the hammer (against my pocket queens), etc, etc... Throw those type beats and the fact that he outplayed me, led to a very disappointing 4 figure loss. This really took the air out of my sales.

I continued to run a bad for a few days. I have finally gotten back to normal or at least as normal as I can be. I'll be continuing to work on this.

So, that should do for a start. I'll leave this post with one pet peeve. Since my work has blocked reading blogspot blogs, I really hate it when people just post a few sentences to things like bloglines and google reader. There are a few blogs that I just can't read anymore since I can't get to them. Why do you just post portions?

Have a nice day!!!