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Friday, September 30, 2005
Uh Oh!!!
Looking forward to seeing all of you there....
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Set over Set
How often does this happen to you? In the 34 hands I played in 3/6 Limit the other night, I had three hands go wrong and cost me almost $130. Two hands I flopped and set and someone ended up with a higher set... one flopped it with JJJ, the other turned it with KKK to beat my flopped 999. The other hand I was semi bluffing with a nut flush draw (two of my suit on the flop) and I bet it all the way trying to win the pot. I ended the session bummed, but not on tilt. I was happy I did not start chasing and being super LAG after my losses. I am growing.
I did go to bed bummed and thinking of how I might have played it differently. Both the hands where I had sets were huge pots for me(over $200) and I really believe that people would play pocket AA, or two pair the way they did. As a matter of fact, the first set bust someone did have AA and called every bet all the way to the end (betting was capped on both the turn and the river. 3 way and one flips AA, the next flips JJ and I flip 33. The flop was K high with no flush or straight draws. Did I play it wrong? I don't know the percentages, but I gotta believe that on that board, any set will win more often than not. The second hand was similar but with me holding 99 and losing to pocket KK. I got the 9 I wanted on the flop and he got the K he wanted on the turn. Same thing, betting capped on the flop, turn, and river.
I am confident that I will recoup the loss, and I keep reading on everyone's blog the concept of "one long session" but I am wondering if anyone has some thoughts on not paying off the higher sets. My thoughts are this: I would play it the same way next time. I don't think the play is -EV. At the levels I play, many (most?) players will pay off a set with a pocket of their own, chasing a draw or flush, and with two pair. Was it just variance toying with me? (I did show the hammer after a successful drop... I drew to the 9 high straight with it beating pocket 10s) In 96 mins of play, what are the odds of flopping two sets and getting beat by an over set on each one?
I have not played much since then due to real life commitments and this has been on my mind. Hopefully, I can get my final HU match against Mourn in soon (after he beats GCox) so I can gain back my rightful position in the final and return the karm to TripJax. I know I am good enough to win this whole thing, but so far it is not working out that way?!?!
Good luck to DNasty, GCox, HighonPoker, and TripJax as they resume to the grinding, bankroll building, and bonus chasing they do so well. As soon as I win back my $130, I will be loading on Titan and chasing some PSO and Titan bonuses.
I did go to bed bummed and thinking of how I might have played it differently. Both the hands where I had sets were huge pots for me(over $200) and I really believe that people would play pocket AA, or two pair the way they did. As a matter of fact, the first set bust someone did have AA and called every bet all the way to the end (betting was capped on both the turn and the river. 3 way and one flips AA, the next flips JJ and I flip 33. The flop was K high with no flush or straight draws. Did I play it wrong? I don't know the percentages, but I gotta believe that on that board, any set will win more often than not. The second hand was similar but with me holding 99 and losing to pocket KK. I got the 9 I wanted on the flop and he got the K he wanted on the turn. Same thing, betting capped on the flop, turn, and river.
I am confident that I will recoup the loss, and I keep reading on everyone's blog the concept of "one long session" but I am wondering if anyone has some thoughts on not paying off the higher sets. My thoughts are this: I would play it the same way next time. I don't think the play is -EV. At the levels I play, many (most?) players will pay off a set with a pocket of their own, chasing a draw or flush, and with two pair. Was it just variance toying with me? (I did show the hammer after a successful drop... I drew to the 9 high straight with it beating pocket 10s) In 96 mins of play, what are the odds of flopping two sets and getting beat by an over set on each one?
I have not played much since then due to real life commitments and this has been on my mind. Hopefully, I can get my final HU match against Mourn in soon (after he beats GCox) so I can gain back my rightful position in the final and return the karm to TripJax. I know I am good enough to win this whole thing, but so far it is not working out that way?!?!
Good luck to DNasty, GCox, HighonPoker, and TripJax as they resume to the grinding, bankroll building, and bonus chasing they do so well. As soon as I win back my $130, I will be loading on Titan and chasing some PSO and Titan bonuses.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
$20 HU Challenge Completed
I finished the challenge this weekend. While it was a good moneymaker for me, it ended on a down note. I played over half of the games of the entire challenge in two days and I was running cold toward the end. I went 14-12 on Friday and Saturday. That is much cooler than the previous 24 games and brought down the entire challenge numbers. Overall, it was a good thing, I cleared almost $200 in profit and earned an 18% ROI. It was tough going this weekend, I wonder if I should start on the $30 right on the heels of my tough matches this weekend. I think I will wait for a little bit. Here are the final numbers:
W - L
31 - 19
Cash In - Cash Out
-$1,050 - $1,240
Profit
$190
Win% - ROI
62.0% - 18%
Will keep you posted if a start a $30 or $50 HU SNG challenge. To borrow a term from Gary, my bankroll is on swoll from the challenge. I owe half of the roll to the profit in the challenge. Will try to keep building at some 3/6 or 5/10 Limit. See you out there....
W - L
31 - 19
Cash In - Cash Out
-$1,050 - $1,240
Profit
$190
Win% - ROI
62.0% - 18%
Will keep you posted if a start a $30 or $50 HU SNG challenge. To borrow a term from Gary, my bankroll is on swoll from the challenge. I owe half of the roll to the profit in the challenge. Will try to keep building at some 3/6 or 5/10 Limit. See you out there....
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Mrs. STeelerJosh
I may have planted the seeds of a monster (I don't want to have to fight for computer time on my own computer), but the Mrs. was having a tough week so I suggested she try to some online poker to get her mind off things. She knows how to play poker and is an excellent live game player. She is in sales and is very good at reading people. She points out tells to me when watching poker on tv!! This will handicap her at online, but I was pretty confident she could hang.
First game ever was a $1.10 6 person SNG. She went out 4th and the action and the betting was a little too fast for her to comprehend. Excited by the taste, she wanted more. I suggested a HU match. She had found her home....
Match 1. She dominated the whole way. It was prolonged a little when the opponent hit their two outer on the river while all in. SteelerSteph had a good read on her and was ahead when she got her all in. She was in the lead almost the entire match and played very aggressively. My proudest moment was when she was faced with a river scare card and said, "I don't know what to do....." and 2 seconds later bet pot (720 chips) they folded and she won. The aggression seems to come naturally to her.
Match 2. Emboldened by her first victory, she wanted more. This was a tougher match against a better player than the first. Is she a natural? Should she start her own blog? You tell me. Here was the pivotal hand of the match that she went on to win:
steelersteph is at seat 1 with 1045.
steelersteph posts the small blind of 20.
turando posts the big blind of 40.
turando: -- --
steelersteph: 7c 2c
Pre-flop:
steelersteph calls. turando checks.
Flop (board: 7h 4h Ts):
turando bets 40. steelersteph calls.
Turn (board: 7h 4h Ts 9c):
turando bets 40. steelersteph calls.
River (board: 7h 4h Ts 9c 2s):
turando bets 240. steelersteph raises to 480.
turando calls.
Showdown:
steelersteph shows 7c 2c.
steelersteph has 7c 2c 7h Ts 2s: two pair, sevens and deuces.
turando mucks cards.
(turando has Ac 7d.)
Hand #8288761-56 Summary:
No rake is taken for this hand.
steelersteph wins 1200 with two pair, sevens and deuces.
----------------------------------------------------------------
THE SOOTED HAMMER!!! Amen.
So, that was the morning in the Steeler household. Hopefully the winning will continue on the football field tomorrow.
Quick HU Challenge Update:
I got a lot of games in last night, but the variance was high. I was a net winner, but had some bad beats and my win % dropped some.
W - L
25 - 12
Profit
$223
Win% - ROI
67.6% - 29%
First game ever was a $1.10 6 person SNG. She went out 4th and the action and the betting was a little too fast for her to comprehend. Excited by the taste, she wanted more. I suggested a HU match. She had found her home....
Match 1. She dominated the whole way. It was prolonged a little when the opponent hit their two outer on the river while all in. SteelerSteph had a good read on her and was ahead when she got her all in. She was in the lead almost the entire match and played very aggressively. My proudest moment was when she was faced with a river scare card and said, "I don't know what to do....." and 2 seconds later bet pot (720 chips) they folded and she won. The aggression seems to come naturally to her.
Match 2. Emboldened by her first victory, she wanted more. This was a tougher match against a better player than the first. Is she a natural? Should she start her own blog? You tell me. Here was the pivotal hand of the match that she went on to win:
steelersteph is at seat 1 with 1045.
steelersteph posts the small blind of 20.
turando posts the big blind of 40.
turando: -- --
steelersteph: 7c 2c
Pre-flop:
steelersteph calls. turando checks.
Flop (board: 7h 4h Ts):
turando bets 40. steelersteph calls.
Turn (board: 7h 4h Ts 9c):
turando bets 40. steelersteph calls.
River (board: 7h 4h Ts 9c 2s):
turando bets 240. steelersteph raises to 480.
turando calls.
Showdown:
steelersteph shows 7c 2c.
steelersteph has 7c 2c 7h Ts 2s: two pair, sevens and deuces.
turando mucks cards.
(turando has Ac 7d.)
Hand #8288761-56 Summary:
No rake is taken for this hand.
steelersteph wins 1200 with two pair, sevens and deuces.
----------------------------------------------------------------
THE SOOTED HAMMER!!! Amen.
So, that was the morning in the Steeler household. Hopefully the winning will continue on the football field tomorrow.
Quick HU Challenge Update:
I got a lot of games in last night, but the variance was high. I was a net winner, but had some bad beats and my win % dropped some.
W - L
25 - 12
Profit
$223
Win% - ROI
67.6% - 29%
Thursday, September 08, 2005
GCox25 Victory
As I went to bed last night, I was going over the match in my head. I was not happy at all that I lost. I am not sure that I would have done too much differently. I made one or two crying calls and I missed some value bets on the river hoping to trap. GCox did not make too many stabs at a lightly contested pot without having a strong hand, he seemed ready to check them down. Will remember this if I make it to the next round with him. He won, so I will leave the write up to him. I will give myself the liberty of a short synopsis. I played well for over 200 hands and in the end got caught as the shorter stack with big blinds forcing my action. Gary played patiently and well.
In the second round, it looks like I have my work cut out for me now. I have to beat TripJax and Mourn to have a chance to advance. This is doable, but will be tough and will more than likely require some luck. Wish me luck.
Lastly, I got one match in for the $20 HU Challenge tonight and I won a pretty quick one against steelerscott again. STeelerJosh - 2. steelerscott - 0. Yay.
Stats as I get close to the halfway game:
W - L
17 - 7
Profit
$176
Win% - ROI
70.8% - 35%
Happy to still be hanging around the 70% win rate. If I can maintain that through 25 more matches, this will be a pretty profitable challenge. It has already boosted my UB bankroll to new heights.
In the second round, it looks like I have my work cut out for me now. I have to beat TripJax and Mourn to have a chance to advance. This is doable, but will be tough and will more than likely require some luck. Wish me luck.
Lastly, I got one match in for the $20 HU Challenge tonight and I won a pretty quick one against steelerscott again. STeelerJosh - 2. steelerscott - 0. Yay.
Stats as I get close to the halfway game:
W - L
17 - 7
Profit
$176
Win% - ROI
70.8% - 35%
Happy to still be hanging around the 70% win rate. If I can maintain that through 25 more matches, this will be a pretty profitable challenge. It has already boosted my UB bankroll to new heights.
Monday, September 05, 2005
HU Battles
I am finding that the competition is much tougher on week nights. The matches last longer and are tougher to win. I played 4 matches tonight for a 3-1 record, with one of those being a rematch. Twice the guy rivered and sucked out on me in pots where he as all in and behind when he got in that situation. He ended up winning and I challenged him to a rematch. I asked him if he thought his luck would continue. It did not. Sweet revenge, but now I was stuck $2 for the rake.
I also played some 2/4 just to spice things up and work off a bonus. The limit hold em games still seem like a grind... just wait for good cards and play them aggressively. Easier said than done sometimes, but a winning method at the lower and mid levels it seems.
I am still running well at the HU matches, they have really increased my bankroll. I am starting to get a real feel for some of my opponents as the games progress and make good calls, good laydowns, and good bluffs. So far I am still convinced that the better player will win these HU matches. There is some variance and some runs of cards within the individual matches, but as many go over 100 hands, I think it comes down to some skill. Luck is still a factor, but you get to pick your spots much more easily with these as you do not have to worry about the maniac to your left pushing you out of pots. You can also manipulate your better opponents more easily becuase they are paying more attention than the usual amount I see in the ring games.
I hope I don't eat my words before the end of this challenge about the skill and variance, so I am thinking of setting a stop loss amount just in case. The matches have been fun, great practice, and profitable. I plan to complete the 50, but in case it runs very badly, very quickly, I will have to think about and set a figure to punch out.
Here is the latest at almost the halfway mark:
W - L
16 - 7
Profit
$157
Win% - ROI
69.6% - 33%
I also played some 2/4 just to spice things up and work off a bonus. The limit hold em games still seem like a grind... just wait for good cards and play them aggressively. Easier said than done sometimes, but a winning method at the lower and mid levels it seems.
I am still running well at the HU matches, they have really increased my bankroll. I am starting to get a real feel for some of my opponents as the games progress and make good calls, good laydowns, and good bluffs. So far I am still convinced that the better player will win these HU matches. There is some variance and some runs of cards within the individual matches, but as many go over 100 hands, I think it comes down to some skill. Luck is still a factor, but you get to pick your spots much more easily with these as you do not have to worry about the maniac to your left pushing you out of pots. You can also manipulate your better opponents more easily becuase they are paying more attention than the usual amount I see in the ring games.
I hope I don't eat my words before the end of this challenge about the skill and variance, so I am thinking of setting a stop loss amount just in case. The matches have been fun, great practice, and profitable. I plan to complete the 50, but in case it runs very badly, very quickly, I will have to think about and set a figure to punch out.
Here is the latest at almost the halfway mark:
W - L
16 - 7
Profit
$157
Win% - ROI
69.6% - 33%
Sunday, September 04, 2005
HU on laptop
For some reason, I feel very comfortable playing the HU matches on my computer at home. I have a seat, a steady internet connection and I am comfortable. I had a slight feeling of some trepidation before I sat down for my first HU match. I cleared the bonus on PP and in a cruel twist of fate, with about 10 raked hands to go at a 6 max 3/6 table, I started losing. And losing. I sat with $200, leaving a $45 reserve. Down to $100, I called in the reserve because the table was ripe. Loose aggressives hitting their flops. Very dangerous, but there was money to be made. The bonus cleared and I pulled that to the table too. I chipped up and with the hand that put me over 200, I decided to cash out. I cashed out $240.12. I guess I should be happy with that, I got my investment back plus $40.... but I am not. I invested some serious time this weekend playing and it sucked to have it lost so close to the goal. An example of what I was running into was AJ vs JJ with a J on the flop. I had the AJ. A set of 6's lost to a set of 9's on the river. Etc. It was bad, but I resisted the urge to chase and played good poker. I can take that, plus $40 with me. Slow and steady.
Since I cashed out on PP, all I have is my UB bankroll. I decided to do some HU and the results were positive (3-2) but I would have preferred (and could have easily been) 4-1. The coolest part of the day was sitting down at a table across from someone named "steelerscott". STeelerJosh vs steelerscott. I like to think the bigger Steeler-fan prevailed....
HU Update:
W-L
13-6
Profit
$121
Win% - ROI
68.4% - 30%
Since I cashed out on PP, all I have is my UB bankroll. I decided to do some HU and the results were positive (3-2) but I would have preferred (and could have easily been) 4-1. The coolest part of the day was sitting down at a table across from someone named "steelerscott". STeelerJosh vs steelerscott. I like to think the bigger Steeler-fan prevailed....
HU Update:
W-L
13-6
Profit
$121
Win% - ROI
68.4% - 30%
Party Poker USETOWIN Bonus
I have not had any money loaded on PP since my "Cash Out Curse" but I noticed they had a 20% reload bonus this weekend. I am building a bankroll to deposit on Noble for their 100% deposit bonus, but I decided that I would risk the nest egg on Neteller to see if I could make the bonus and few bucks. I loaded $200 from Neteller and got a $40 bonus that would require 280 raked hands to clear. The bonus code gave you 7 days to clear the bonus.
Hmmm. I am going to be busy again with work this week, and I have been out of town most of last week. This equates more time for house catch up work and less time for poker. I decided I needed to play higher levels and try to clear the bonus this weekend. The only catch? I am out of town at my cousin's new house in Erie, PA. (Hi Kip) and he does not have high speed internet yet. I fired up netstumbler to see if I could find some unprotected wireless networks and BINGO! There are two within range of his house. I piggyback using my laptop and I am able to poker successfully. Occaisonally, the connection would drop for a few seconds or a minute, but overall was servicable. I began to grind at 2/4 Limit Hold Em.
It has been awhile since I sat down and made the mental decision to grind. Play only premium hands, play them aggressivley, don't chase and be very aware of position. It is not "fun" poker, but it is profitable poker. I decided to one table to keep my concentration on the other players and their style since I do not have poker tracker on my laptop. It was up and down through the first 100 raked hands with some amazing beats. I had QQ cracked twice in a row by the same guy. Both times he had junk hands and he made two pair each time. I did not panic, complained, but did not panic. I managed to hit a straight flush on him later and felt better. Overall the pocket QQ were 50% for me that day.
I moved up to some 3/6 6 max and the swings increased. The most memorable hand was my pocket 66 with a JJ10 flop. It was heads up. I raised, got re-raised and I completed. I put him on a J. The turn was a gorgeous 6 and I was only afraid of J10, 1010, or JJ. The pre flop play and my observations of this guy led me to believe he would have re-raised my pre flop raise if he had a pocket pair. I was comfortable ruling out 2/3 hands that could beat me. Since we were heads up, I decided to push... I can see this guy defending his set with AJ, KJ, maybe even QJ. There was a small concern in the back of my head that he might be holding the magic and statistically small probability J10. We capped betting on the turn (24 each) and the 8 river (another 24). Confident in my full house of 666JJ I watched him flip JJJ1010. Shit. That hurt. Not sure if I can get away from that hand in heads up. Don't have the hand history, but welcome any comments about how you might have done it differently. While there are many opinions about how to play a hand in any situation, I like to hear them and evaluate them and possibly learn something new.
I have not run the hand through any kind of probabilites calculator, but I know I started ahead (probably 54% to 46%) and even upon reflection, I think I would play it the same way next time.
That hand aside, it was fun to play limit poker again and I eventually came back from the big losses playing premuim hands aggressively. As I am writing this, I have 238 raked hands and I am up $57 before the bonus. I plan to cash out whatever I have after the bonus releases and get my focus back on the HU challenges (personal one and the public one).
Looking forward to round two of the challenge and wish the opponents left good luck.
Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and getting some poker in!
Hmmm. I am going to be busy again with work this week, and I have been out of town most of last week. This equates more time for house catch up work and less time for poker. I decided I needed to play higher levels and try to clear the bonus this weekend. The only catch? I am out of town at my cousin's new house in Erie, PA. (Hi Kip) and he does not have high speed internet yet. I fired up netstumbler to see if I could find some unprotected wireless networks and BINGO! There are two within range of his house. I piggyback using my laptop and I am able to poker successfully. Occaisonally, the connection would drop for a few seconds or a minute, but overall was servicable. I began to grind at 2/4 Limit Hold Em.
It has been awhile since I sat down and made the mental decision to grind. Play only premium hands, play them aggressivley, don't chase and be very aware of position. It is not "fun" poker, but it is profitable poker. I decided to one table to keep my concentration on the other players and their style since I do not have poker tracker on my laptop. It was up and down through the first 100 raked hands with some amazing beats. I had QQ cracked twice in a row by the same guy. Both times he had junk hands and he made two pair each time. I did not panic, complained, but did not panic. I managed to hit a straight flush on him later and felt better. Overall the pocket QQ were 50% for me that day.
I moved up to some 3/6 6 max and the swings increased. The most memorable hand was my pocket 66 with a JJ10 flop. It was heads up. I raised, got re-raised and I completed. I put him on a J. The turn was a gorgeous 6 and I was only afraid of J10, 1010, or JJ. The pre flop play and my observations of this guy led me to believe he would have re-raised my pre flop raise if he had a pocket pair. I was comfortable ruling out 2/3 hands that could beat me. Since we were heads up, I decided to push... I can see this guy defending his set with AJ, KJ, maybe even QJ. There was a small concern in the back of my head that he might be holding the magic and statistically small probability J10. We capped betting on the turn (24 each) and the 8 river (another 24). Confident in my full house of 666JJ I watched him flip JJJ1010. Shit. That hurt. Not sure if I can get away from that hand in heads up. Don't have the hand history, but welcome any comments about how you might have done it differently. While there are many opinions about how to play a hand in any situation, I like to hear them and evaluate them and possibly learn something new.
I have not run the hand through any kind of probabilites calculator, but I know I started ahead (probably 54% to 46%) and even upon reflection, I think I would play it the same way next time.
That hand aside, it was fun to play limit poker again and I eventually came back from the big losses playing premuim hands aggressively. As I am writing this, I have 238 raked hands and I am up $57 before the bonus. I plan to cash out whatever I have after the bonus releases and get my focus back on the HU challenges (personal one and the public one).
Looking forward to round two of the challenge and wish the opponents left good luck.
Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend and getting some poker in!
Monday, August 29, 2005
They're Baaaa-aack
Sweet! My favorite game on UB has returned, I wonder where it went?
Despite the fact that I really wanted to push and play one more, I only played 4 tonight and went 3-1. The first match was an "outlier". For those not familiar with statistics, that is an observation that is so far out the the standard deviations that it should be ignored lest it become an influential observation and have an exaggerated influence on the whole sample.
Nerd talk aside, the first match on the reappeared HU tables was my fastest match to date lasting a mere 4 hands. I was playing aggressive and made a bad read. For a Friday or Saturday night, it may have been ok, but this is Monday and many of the poker donkeys have taken the day off to recover from their weekend binge. I got dealt AJs in the SB and pot raised it. The BB called. Flop is rainbow 58J. He leads out with a pot sized bet and I double it, I would prefer to take this don right now. He comes back over top of me. This should be a warning, he could have a set very easily. For some reason, I feel that he is making a stand so I will stop pushing him and I push all in. I am hoping for a KJ to appear on the other side of the board and I am sorry to see a 58. I miss my 5 outs and bingo, bango it is over. I laugh, and report in my AIM chat with GCox and DNasty that it was over like that and I amused myself with my donkey play. I know I am better than this and as I advised Gary earlier, you gotta get up and do it again.
I follow my advice and proceed to do it again in three more matches. They were all much better played (and much longer) and I came out on top in all three. Nice. That brings the stats to this:
W-L
10-4
Profit
$106
Win% / ROI
71.4% / 36%
I really wanted to play one more - 15 is a nice divisible by 5 number, but I resisted so I could post and get packing. I will be out of town the next two nights for a small office merger in my Columbus office. Wish me luck... Hope to be back on the virtual felt soon and finishing what I started. Thanks again to Jordan at HighOnPoker for turning me onto these HU SNGs. It ain't for nuttin that he is the #7 blog if yous know what I mean. Forget about it. Zoo York in the house.
P.S. - Jordan's new screen name should be "eigenvector".... that way the blogger spell check will not suggest that forHighOnPoker anymore.
Despite the fact that I really wanted to push and play one more, I only played 4 tonight and went 3-1. The first match was an "outlier". For those not familiar with statistics, that is an observation that is so far out the the standard deviations that it should be ignored lest it become an influential observation and have an exaggerated influence on the whole sample.
Nerd talk aside, the first match on the reappeared HU tables was my fastest match to date lasting a mere 4 hands. I was playing aggressive and made a bad read. For a Friday or Saturday night, it may have been ok, but this is Monday and many of the poker donkeys have taken the day off to recover from their weekend binge. I got dealt AJs in the SB and pot raised it. The BB called. Flop is rainbow 58J. He leads out with a pot sized bet and I double it, I would prefer to take this don right now. He comes back over top of me. This should be a warning, he could have a set very easily. For some reason, I feel that he is making a stand so I will stop pushing him and I push all in. I am hoping for a KJ to appear on the other side of the board and I am sorry to see a 58. I miss my 5 outs and bingo, bango it is over. I laugh, and report in my AIM chat with GCox and DNasty that it was over like that and I amused myself with my donkey play. I know I am better than this and as I advised Gary earlier, you gotta get up and do it again.
I follow my advice and proceed to do it again in three more matches. They were all much better played (and much longer) and I came out on top in all three. Nice. That brings the stats to this:
W-L
10-4
Profit
$106
Win% / ROI
71.4% / 36%
I really wanted to play one more - 15 is a nice divisible by 5 number, but I resisted so I could post and get packing. I will be out of town the next two nights for a small office merger in my Columbus office. Wish me luck... Hope to be back on the virtual felt soon and finishing what I started. Thanks again to Jordan at HighOnPoker for turning me onto these HU SNGs. It ain't for nuttin that he is the #7 blog if yous know what I mean. Forget about it. Zoo York in the house.
P.S. - Jordan's new screen name should be "eigenvector".... that way the blogger spell check will not suggest that forHighOnPoker anymore.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
$20 HU SNG plan
With my recently discovered strength in HU SNG's, I have decided to do a 50 game challenge for myself. I started on Friday night and after 10 games, the results look promising. I went to play some on Sunday and the tab says that there are no tables available, weird. Will have to work on my 1/2 instead, still having trouble at that level... (Update - managed to drop $50 over 179 hands, played tight and well, river after river defeat. Going to keep at it, UB 1/2 is still my daddy it seems. How long can variance run bad at a level, or should I just write that level off?)
Win-Loss
7-3
Cash In/Cash Out
-$210/$280
Profit
$70
Win%
70.0%
ROI
33%
Win-Loss
7-3
Cash In/Cash Out
-$210/$280
Profit
$70
Win%
70.0%
ROI
33%
Thursday, August 25, 2005
I almost regret it.....
But in my heart of hearts.....I am pretty proud!!! It is bittersweet. At the risk of sounding like an idiot I feel kind of bad saying I took out DoubleAs with the hammer. He is my "online poker hero" and being such, I almost feel like I disrespected him by using the hammer to deliver the killing blow. Frankly, I would have been happy with myself for going 119 hands with this successful mid stakes NL player.
The match I had most anticipated went down like this:
I signed on and saw DoubleAs and DNasty13 playing games already. I sat down to try my hand at some .50/1.00 NL and was promptly stuck for $25. I hung around for awhile, but did not improve much. I checked to see if DNasty was still on and noticed he was in a SNG. DoubleAs was in the same one.....coincidence? I think not!! I fired up their table to railbird and when I came in, D was at a serious disadvantage. He never caught up and DoubleAs took it home. We agreed to play next.
I did not really have time to be nervous. I have been running very strong at the HU matches and feel that I have found a winning style with these. I enjoy them very much and I feel that for low stakes, it is the closest to the high stakes games you will get as far as real strategy. You can actually think, not just play the premium hands. I honestly feel that HU is the strongest part of my game right now, I need to find a way to parlay that into success in bigger games. But I digress... this was the match that I was looking forward too the entire challenge. Even if I was slaughtered, I would have been happy to have played with DoubleAs. Outside of a tournament, this is the only game that my bankroll can afford to get into with DoubleAs. All of this was going through my mind up until the "Ding, Ding, Ding".
The game was good. We settled into a good match with an amazing frequency of split pots with the same hand. We had the same hand at showdown at least three times and split several more pots. Despite my aggressive efforts, DoubleAs took a pretty commanding chip lead. I was worried he might have some sort supernatural read on me, but I was able to bluff him off a few pots and got back close to even. The battle raged on. Around hand 100, I came back and took a small lead. I don't think I was ever more than 400 chips ahead, but I was proud that I had come back from around 600 chips to even. Then it happened.
Hand #7952280-119 at SnG-0005k (No Limit Hold'em Sit and Go)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 25/Aug/05 22:00:39
DoubleAs is at seat 0 with 1310.
steelerjosh is at seat 1 with 1690.
The button is at seat 0.
DoubleAs posts the small blind of 30.
steelerjosh posts the big blind of 60.
DoubleAs: -- --
steelerjosh: 2d 7h (what's this, the hammer?!?!)
Pre-flop:
DoubleAs calls. steelerjosh checks. (free flop with the hammer, fo sho)
Flop (board: Kd 7c Qs): (Wouldn't it be sweet if a duece dropped on the turn?)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs checks.
Turn (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c): (Sweet mother of god....)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs bets 120. steelerjosh
raises to 480. DoubleAs goes all-in for 1250.
steelerjosh calls.
Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:
DoubleAs shows Kh 4s. (This is my moment, he had exactly what I wanted him to have. If a 4 drops on the river, I will probably cry.)
steelerjosh shows 2d 7h.
River (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c Tc):
Showdown:
DoubleAs has Kh Kd 7c Qs Tc: a pair of kings.
steelerjosh has 2d 7h Kd 7c 2c: THE HAMMER!
Hand #7952280-119 Summary:
steelerjosh wins 2620 with two pair, sevens and deuces.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you DoubleAs and HighOnPoker for making all this possible, I will recall this hand fondly for quite awhile. It was a rare event (like a Browns victory) and it must be savored and retold. Thank you bloggers for introducing me to the hammer. Ironically, it was a link off of DoubleAs blog to www.72off.cjb.net that convinced me of the power of the Best Damn Hand in Poker!!
The match I had most anticipated went down like this:
I signed on and saw DoubleAs and DNasty13 playing games already. I sat down to try my hand at some .50/1.00 NL and was promptly stuck for $25. I hung around for awhile, but did not improve much. I checked to see if DNasty was still on and noticed he was in a SNG. DoubleAs was in the same one.....coincidence? I think not!! I fired up their table to railbird and when I came in, D was at a serious disadvantage. He never caught up and DoubleAs took it home. We agreed to play next.
I did not really have time to be nervous. I have been running very strong at the HU matches and feel that I have found a winning style with these. I enjoy them very much and I feel that for low stakes, it is the closest to the high stakes games you will get as far as real strategy. You can actually think, not just play the premium hands. I honestly feel that HU is the strongest part of my game right now, I need to find a way to parlay that into success in bigger games. But I digress... this was the match that I was looking forward too the entire challenge. Even if I was slaughtered, I would have been happy to have played with DoubleAs. Outside of a tournament, this is the only game that my bankroll can afford to get into with DoubleAs. All of this was going through my mind up until the "Ding, Ding, Ding".
The game was good. We settled into a good match with an amazing frequency of split pots with the same hand. We had the same hand at showdown at least three times and split several more pots. Despite my aggressive efforts, DoubleAs took a pretty commanding chip lead. I was worried he might have some sort supernatural read on me, but I was able to bluff him off a few pots and got back close to even. The battle raged on. Around hand 100, I came back and took a small lead. I don't think I was ever more than 400 chips ahead, but I was proud that I had come back from around 600 chips to even. Then it happened.
Hand #7952280-119 at SnG-0005k (No Limit Hold'em Sit and Go)
Powered by UltimateBet
Started at 25/Aug/05 22:00:39
DoubleAs is at seat 0 with 1310.
steelerjosh is at seat 1 with 1690.
The button is at seat 0.
DoubleAs posts the small blind of 30.
steelerjosh posts the big blind of 60.
DoubleAs: -- --
steelerjosh: 2d 7h (what's this, the hammer?!?!)
Pre-flop:
DoubleAs calls. steelerjosh checks. (free flop with the hammer, fo sho)
Flop (board: Kd 7c Qs): (Wouldn't it be sweet if a duece dropped on the turn?)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs checks.
Turn (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c): (Sweet mother of god....)
steelerjosh checks. DoubleAs bets 120. steelerjosh
raises to 480. DoubleAs goes all-in for 1250.
steelerjosh calls.
Tournament all-in showdown -- players show:
DoubleAs shows Kh 4s. (This is my moment, he had exactly what I wanted him to have. If a 4 drops on the river, I will probably cry.)
steelerjosh shows 2d 7h.
River (board: Kd 7c Qs 2c Tc):
Showdown:
DoubleAs has Kh Kd 7c Qs Tc: a pair of kings.
steelerjosh has 2d 7h Kd 7c 2c: THE HAMMER!
Hand #7952280-119 Summary:
steelerjosh wins 2620 with two pair, sevens and deuces.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you DoubleAs and HighOnPoker for making all this possible, I will recall this hand fondly for quite awhile. It was a rare event (like a Browns victory) and it must be savored and retold. Thank you bloggers for introducing me to the hammer. Ironically, it was a link off of DoubleAs blog to www.72off.cjb.net that convinced me of the power of the Best Damn Hand in Poker!!
Friday, August 19, 2005
168 Hand marathon
Whew. My brain is swollen right now, please forgive any typo/grammatical errors. I just played the best HU match of my challenge so far, 168 hands with Mourn. It was up and down for both of us with each over 2k in chips a couple times. There was a spectacular suckout, multiple hammer drops (hallmark of a good blogger match), and almost a thrilling comeback. I think that Mirimax just called me for the rights, I am smelling a mini series on ESPN called "Heads Up" with the Matador and the Buckeye....
Recap. It started slowly with each competitor taking a few jabs, probing the opponent's defenses. It never escalated out of control, just a controlled pounding like two well matched heavyweights. I am not promoting myself to the level of skill of Mourn, but for this game, for tonight, we were equals. I took an early chip lead, but just about the point I started feeling comfortable, it swung the other way. I slowly chipped back up and had a comfortable lead again when Mourn pushed with all in. I had him well covered, a loss would still leave me over 1500. I looked at 55 and called. He flipped 22 and I was relieved. I had earlier predicted my win with a diamond flush, and was alarmed a little when the flop contained 2 diamonds and the turn was a diamond. Funny how the poker gods like to feed you your own words. I got that uh oh feeling, but the river was not the dreaded diamond... it was a 2. Doh! Mourn apologized (unnecessarily, he risked all his chips) and I soldiered on, a little stunned. We hung around the 1500 mark until well over hand 100. At hand 157 I got a big chunk of Mourn with pocket 77 and a 7 on the flop. He had 87 and was betting into me. He called my all in bet and was not happy to see my set. The board paired on the river giving me the salt in the wound full house.
Getting winded near the end of the marathon, Mourn almost made a stunning comeback. He went all in with ~100 chips and doubled up against my A high. Next hand, same result. Back up to almost 400 chips, I was concerned. Eventually, it ended. Almost anti-climatically... so much that I don't even remember the last hand.
Thanks for the best poker yet Mourn, that match will be up in my all time favorites and I can only hope for as good a match against DoubleAs.
Recap. It started slowly with each competitor taking a few jabs, probing the opponent's defenses. It never escalated out of control, just a controlled pounding like two well matched heavyweights. I am not promoting myself to the level of skill of Mourn, but for this game, for tonight, we were equals. I took an early chip lead, but just about the point I started feeling comfortable, it swung the other way. I slowly chipped back up and had a comfortable lead again when Mourn pushed with all in. I had him well covered, a loss would still leave me over 1500. I looked at 55 and called. He flipped 22 and I was relieved. I had earlier predicted my win with a diamond flush, and was alarmed a little when the flop contained 2 diamonds and the turn was a diamond. Funny how the poker gods like to feed you your own words. I got that uh oh feeling, but the river was not the dreaded diamond... it was a 2. Doh! Mourn apologized (unnecessarily, he risked all his chips) and I soldiered on, a little stunned. We hung around the 1500 mark until well over hand 100. At hand 157 I got a big chunk of Mourn with pocket 77 and a 7 on the flop. He had 87 and was betting into me. He called my all in bet and was not happy to see my set. The board paired on the river giving me the salt in the wound full house.
Getting winded near the end of the marathon, Mourn almost made a stunning comeback. He went all in with ~100 chips and doubled up against my A high. Next hand, same result. Back up to almost 400 chips, I was concerned. Eventually, it ended. Almost anti-climatically... so much that I don't even remember the last hand.
Thanks for the best poker yet Mourn, that match will be up in my all time favorites and I can only hope for as good a match against DoubleAs.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
4-3 seems pretty far right now...
On Thursday night, I played TripJax hoping to throw some salt in his game. That did not work out so well....
On the plus side, I saw a few things from TripJax that I had not seen in the HU SNGs so far and I immediately copied them into my game. Not going to share them here yet (it will cost you $5.25 and seat to see it during the challenge) but it was worth the price of admission.
The game was not very noteworthy. His chat knocked me off my game one hand (he implanted the hammer in my head) and it seemed like anytime I went deep, I ran into two pair. Not very fun. After he won, he graciously agreed to a rematch.
The rematch was much more enjoyable, perhaps the pressure was off? Regardless, I was really catching some cards this round and took an early lead (opposite of Round 1) and we both made some nice bets with the weaker hand forcing a fold. It was fun to play a more thinking game and not just ABC poker. One memorable hand, I saw something suspect in the betting pattern. I had middle or bottom pair and in my head I envisioned too many hand possibilities in his hole cards. His large river bet scared me off of the best hand. I returned the favor later. Back and forth until he pushed with a soooted AQ (but too late, my 56 had found a flop of 477 and turn of 5) I called his all in and evened up the bankroll for the evening (minus rake).
Thanks for the fun and the ideas TripJax. GL
I managed one more match tonight against GCox25. It was a very very good one with both of us over 2k and under 800 chips at differing times. Gary pushed hard with the hammer on several occasions and I seemed to hit the flop everytime. I dropped it once successfully. The final hand dropped my jaw and made my junk shrivel. My Poker Tracker did not grab it. Here is my recap:
I had just taken a large pot from GCox25 with a pair of Aces. He was on a draw and I pushed him all in. He folded and showed. It was a good laydown, but if he rivered a diamond he would have won. The very next hand, I raise with Q10o and he pushes all in. This is the first all in of the game and I had enough chips that even if I lost, it would be close to even again. "Screw it" I thought and pushed the call button. I half expected to see AA or KK, and I was mentally prepared for that. I knew that was a possibility when I called with my suckout hand. I was hoping for AK and a suckout by me. What he revealed was even more damaging to my psyche. THE HAMMER. That is right folks, if you couldn't read that because Gary's brass balls were blocking your view, I will type it a little lower.
THE HAMMER.
I was stunned. Too paralyzed to react or type, I watched the flop. I think a Q came on the flop or the turn, I am still in some state of shock I think. I was floored. I almost didn't call. The poker gods have to respect his wielding of this blogger tool. For some reason, against all odds, they did not and my Q10 help up. Any person that can commit seppuku like that with the mighty hammer is a force to be reckoned with. I looked deep into my soul and did some serious searching.... I have to admit I would have folded it meekley there. Perhaps that is my albatross, too risk averse and too afraid of being trapped.
Hammereness aside Gary, that was a good game, very similar to my round 2 match with TripJax. Thanks for a portion of the SNG challenge winnings back. 10/25 ths of the way there.....
On the plus side, I saw a few things from TripJax that I had not seen in the HU SNGs so far and I immediately copied them into my game. Not going to share them here yet (it will cost you $5.25 and seat to see it during the challenge) but it was worth the price of admission.
The game was not very noteworthy. His chat knocked me off my game one hand (he implanted the hammer in my head) and it seemed like anytime I went deep, I ran into two pair. Not very fun. After he won, he graciously agreed to a rematch.
The rematch was much more enjoyable, perhaps the pressure was off? Regardless, I was really catching some cards this round and took an early lead (opposite of Round 1) and we both made some nice bets with the weaker hand forcing a fold. It was fun to play a more thinking game and not just ABC poker. One memorable hand, I saw something suspect in the betting pattern. I had middle or bottom pair and in my head I envisioned too many hand possibilities in his hole cards. His large river bet scared me off of the best hand. I returned the favor later. Back and forth until he pushed with a soooted AQ (but too late, my 56 had found a flop of 477 and turn of 5) I called his all in and evened up the bankroll for the evening (minus rake).
Thanks for the fun and the ideas TripJax. GL
I managed one more match tonight against GCox25. It was a very very good one with both of us over 2k and under 800 chips at differing times. Gary pushed hard with the hammer on several occasions and I seemed to hit the flop everytime. I dropped it once successfully. The final hand dropped my jaw and made my junk shrivel. My Poker Tracker did not grab it. Here is my recap:
I had just taken a large pot from GCox25 with a pair of Aces. He was on a draw and I pushed him all in. He folded and showed. It was a good laydown, but if he rivered a diamond he would have won. The very next hand, I raise with Q10o and he pushes all in. This is the first all in of the game and I had enough chips that even if I lost, it would be close to even again. "Screw it" I thought and pushed the call button. I half expected to see AA or KK, and I was mentally prepared for that. I knew that was a possibility when I called with my suckout hand. I was hoping for AK and a suckout by me. What he revealed was even more damaging to my psyche. THE HAMMER. That is right folks, if you couldn't read that because Gary's brass balls were blocking your view, I will type it a little lower.
THE HAMMER.
I was stunned. Too paralyzed to react or type, I watched the flop. I think a Q came on the flop or the turn, I am still in some state of shock I think. I was floored. I almost didn't call. The poker gods have to respect his wielding of this blogger tool. For some reason, against all odds, they did not and my Q10 help up. Any person that can commit seppuku like that with the mighty hammer is a force to be reckoned with. I looked deep into my soul and did some serious searching.... I have to admit I would have folded it meekley there. Perhaps that is my albatross, too risk averse and too afraid of being trapped.
Hammereness aside Gary, that was a good game, very similar to my round 2 match with TripJax. Thanks for a portion of the SNG challenge winnings back. 10/25 ths of the way there.....
Missed the Action
Catching up on GCox25's blog, I see that I missed some fun last night. I was having some non poker fun, but it was still sad to read this morning that I missed a lot of poker hijinks, especially the hammer that DoubleAs dropped on Jordan!
Instead of participating in the wonderful world of AK (see hammer link) and KK (halfway down the post) suckouts, I was at an Indians game. It was fantastic. The Tribe lost, and had only two hits through 8 innings (when I left). Who cares? The Yankees won giving them another game lead on the tribe in the Wild Card Race. Fine by me.
Why the lackadaisical attitude Josh?
Glad you asked, let me e'splain why. I was living like the rich people live. This was my first experience in the Jacob Field Club Seats. It was a like a fat guy baseball fan's dream. Vendors prowling the aisles tossing out free CrackerJack, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Soda, Popsicles, Peanuts... you name it. This was on top of the meal I had inside a very nice restaurant club area. A cheeseburger, fries, and a gyro. There was pizza, ice cream, Italian Pasta bar. All Included. It was a weird experience. I have done the all inclusive thing before, my honeymoon was on an all inclusive resort in Aruba, but this was just weird! I am so used to getting gouged but the ballpark prices, I ate till it hurt because it was FREE! So, the Tribe stunk up the joint but I did not care as I consumed a soft pretzel with cheese dip, crackerjack, and whatever the hell else they were throwing at us. For spending 0.00 dollars, it was a fantastic evening capped off by a nice traffic free ride home from Cleveland.
It is tough to explain or even write about the joys of riding at night or riding in general. Riding home from the game around 9:30 last night was nice. I had on an open face helmet and the temperature was cool, but not cold. I could smell all of the things that you miss caged in your car with the windows up and the AC on. Wildflowers, honeysuckle, wood burning smoke, fresh cut grass, food...you name it. I kept a pretty quick pace getting out of town and eventually settled into a nice cruising speed once out of the confines of the city. I took some back roads and the long way once I was off the highway and was very happy and relaxed by the time I pulled into the driveway a couple minutes after 10. I thought about firing up the pc and seeing who was on, but I was pretty tired and needed to get some time in with the Mrs. to appease her. I figured that I would not be on top of my game and I need to be with this bunch!
Perhaps tonight I will be able to get my record to .500 or better.
Instead of participating in the wonderful world of AK (see hammer link) and KK (halfway down the post) suckouts, I was at an Indians game. It was fantastic. The Tribe lost, and had only two hits through 8 innings (when I left). Who cares? The Yankees won giving them another game lead on the tribe in the Wild Card Race. Fine by me.
Why the lackadaisical attitude Josh?
Glad you asked, let me e'splain why. I was living like the rich people live. This was my first experience in the Jacob Field Club Seats. It was a like a fat guy baseball fan's dream. Vendors prowling the aisles tossing out free CrackerJack, Popcorn, Hot Dogs, Soda, Popsicles, Peanuts... you name it. This was on top of the meal I had inside a very nice restaurant club area. A cheeseburger, fries, and a gyro. There was pizza, ice cream, Italian Pasta bar. All Included. It was a weird experience. I have done the all inclusive thing before, my honeymoon was on an all inclusive resort in Aruba, but this was just weird! I am so used to getting gouged but the ballpark prices, I ate till it hurt because it was FREE! So, the Tribe stunk up the joint but I did not care as I consumed a soft pretzel with cheese dip, crackerjack, and whatever the hell else they were throwing at us. For spending 0.00 dollars, it was a fantastic evening capped off by a nice traffic free ride home from Cleveland.
It is tough to explain or even write about the joys of riding at night or riding in general. Riding home from the game around 9:30 last night was nice. I had on an open face helmet and the temperature was cool, but not cold. I could smell all of the things that you miss caged in your car with the windows up and the AC on. Wildflowers, honeysuckle, wood burning smoke, fresh cut grass, food...you name it. I kept a pretty quick pace getting out of town and eventually settled into a nice cruising speed once out of the confines of the city. I took some back roads and the long way once I was off the highway and was very happy and relaxed by the time I pulled into the driveway a couple minutes after 10. I thought about firing up the pc and seeing who was on, but I was pretty tired and needed to get some time in with the Mrs. to appease her. I figured that I would not be on top of my game and I need to be with this bunch!
Perhaps tonight I will be able to get my record to .500 or better.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
HU First Blood
I went fishing for some HU Challengers tonight and found Kipper and DoubleAs online. I watched the hammer get dropped on Kipper while he was the chip leader in a 6 person SNG. It was appreciated more than the hammer dropper would know, I am pretty sure it was an unintentional drop. It won and he showed so I think that still counts....
While waiting for Kipper, Will Wonka and HighOnPoker signed on. Wonka was ready to play so we sat. I was a little nervous for me first match that counted, but confident from my recent success in these HU matches on UB.
Match 1 - Lost first match of the HU Challenge after winning 6 HU matches in a row. The killing blow was two pair over two pair. I hung around for awhile, but never was competitve again. Congrats Will Wonka. 0-1
Next up, Kipper. It was the Battle of Who Could Care Less. Very Passive until DoubleAs encouraged me to make a move.... which I did with A10o vs an all in push by Kipper. I had him cvoered by ~700. I called and turned an A. Sorry Kipper. Blame DoubleAs!! 1-1
I would like another crack at Will Wonka, will see if we make it to round 2....
While waiting for Kipper, Will Wonka and HighOnPoker signed on. Wonka was ready to play so we sat. I was a little nervous for me first match that counted, but confident from my recent success in these HU matches on UB.
Match 1 - Lost first match of the HU Challenge after winning 6 HU matches in a row. The killing blow was two pair over two pair. I hung around for awhile, but never was competitve again. Congrats Will Wonka. 0-1
Next up, Kipper. It was the Battle of Who Could Care Less. Very Passive until DoubleAs encouraged me to make a move.... which I did with A10o vs an all in push by Kipper. I had him cvoered by ~700. I called and turned an A. Sorry Kipper. Blame DoubleAs!! 1-1
I would like another crack at Will Wonka, will see if we make it to round 2....
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