Friday, October 21, 2005
1 and Done
Joined the ranks of the other first HUC participants. Veneno played a good game and I am dissapointed that I lost. GL Veneno!
HUC2 Frenzy
Apparently, I missed some good HUC2 matches last night. TripJax and Jordan both lost. That makes me kind of anxious because TripJax owned me in the first matchup. I have beaten him HU when it did not count, but in both our "regulation" matches he was the victor and a very good opponent.
Since the start of the first HUC, I found that I really enjoyed and excelled at the HU game. I was able to pad my bankroll playing my 50 game challenge and I have seen some very good and very poor players. I have seen contests end on the first hand and several break the 200 hand mark. I do not want to give too much information for free in my blog in case I make it past round 1 in this thing, but I think a post about my thoughts on good and bad habits in HU might be in order.
On a personal note, I have been running decently in the $50 matches I have been playing lately but the few forays into the $100 matches have not proved fruitful. I need to figure out if it is the caliber or player or just a bad run in these. I only have 5 in my sample and I am 2-3. Very small and obviously too early to judge, but I started much hotter at all the other dollar levels.
If you are interested in playing some of these, I have found $20 to be the most productive. It is a dollar amount that makes the time worthwhile when you win and the level of competition is pretty poor. I also have found the competition tougher on the $30 when compared to $50. This kind of surprised me, the best explanation I can come up with is the $30 has players like myself looking to move up from the $20 and the $50 has poorer players looking to get lucky and double their bankroll or something. I have not asked anyone, so these are guesses. I saw many more free flops in the $50's than I did in the $30's. You are going to give me a chance to flop a straight with 46o in the BB on a flop of 235 and then chase the dumb end with your Ace? Ok. Thank you.
I will be looking for Veneno so I can get round 1 done as soon as possible. Veneno, if you happen to see this, please e-mail me your UB username so I can add you the the buddylist. Good luck to all the other HUC2 participants, enjoy yourselves!!
Lastly, I was thinking of the blogger tourney coming up this Sunday and wondering if I should respect any raises. I have been bluffed out of too many pots by 72o with this bunch of jackals. Play it like AA and you will probably win with it like AA. I can only imagine the hammer dropping that will be going on at the Poker Star's Blogger tournament at 4PM this Sunday. 72o might win so much that it will permanently affect the statistical probabilities of this hand. Look out you trashy premium hand players......it's Hammertime!!
Since the start of the first HUC, I found that I really enjoyed and excelled at the HU game. I was able to pad my bankroll playing my 50 game challenge and I have seen some very good and very poor players. I have seen contests end on the first hand and several break the 200 hand mark. I do not want to give too much information for free in my blog in case I make it past round 1 in this thing, but I think a post about my thoughts on good and bad habits in HU might be in order.
On a personal note, I have been running decently in the $50 matches I have been playing lately but the few forays into the $100 matches have not proved fruitful. I need to figure out if it is the caliber or player or just a bad run in these. I only have 5 in my sample and I am 2-3. Very small and obviously too early to judge, but I started much hotter at all the other dollar levels.
If you are interested in playing some of these, I have found $20 to be the most productive. It is a dollar amount that makes the time worthwhile when you win and the level of competition is pretty poor. I also have found the competition tougher on the $30 when compared to $50. This kind of surprised me, the best explanation I can come up with is the $30 has players like myself looking to move up from the $20 and the $50 has poorer players looking to get lucky and double their bankroll or something. I have not asked anyone, so these are guesses. I saw many more free flops in the $50's than I did in the $30's. You are going to give me a chance to flop a straight with 46o in the BB on a flop of 235 and then chase the dumb end with your Ace? Ok. Thank you.
I will be looking for Veneno so I can get round 1 done as soon as possible. Veneno, if you happen to see this, please e-mail me your UB username so I can add you the the buddylist. Good luck to all the other HUC2 participants, enjoy yourselves!!
Lastly, I was thinking of the blogger tourney coming up this Sunday and wondering if I should respect any raises. I have been bluffed out of too many pots by 72o with this bunch of jackals. Play it like AA and you will probably win with it like AA. I can only imagine the hammer dropping that will be going on at the Poker Star's Blogger tournament at 4PM this Sunday. 72o might win so much that it will permanently affect the statistical probabilities of this hand. Look out you trashy premium hand players......it's Hammertime!!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
"Josh Who?"
1. SOCOM 3
2. HU SNGs
3. Football
4. Motorcycle
5. SteelerSteph
I think this is where SteelerSteph views her standing in the list of things I love. It is not true, but I can see where she gets the impression. Last night is a good example.
I got home from work and she was catching up on her Tivo'd soaps so I snuck up to my office and fired up the offline mode of SOCOM 3. I really wanted to beat the game so I could unlock the extra online characters. I want to try that sweet looking ghillie suit. I got stuck on the last part of the final mission and spent a good 30-40 minutes trying to get past. I did once, the music played, the logo popped up but I did not pass the mission as I was the sole survivor of my 4 man squad. Oops.
Tired of banging my head against the wall on this mission, I decided to take a break. It was the second break actually, the first was for some grilled cheese and tomato soup that SteelerSteph made. She is a great cook, she gets it from her Italian grandmother and Slovak father..... she just does not cook that often. We eat out alot, and when we don't our food preferences are so different that she won't eat what I prepare. (Grilled fish, Oriental cuisine, Mexican, etc.) Anyway, it was a simple meal she made but it tasted soooooo good last night. I sprinkled some ground up jalepeno pepper spice on the soup to give it a kick and I demolished three grilled cheese sandwiches. They were warm, the soup spicy.....I was in love with her. That lasted through dinner and a few minutes into the Lifetime Movie Channel crap that was on the t.v. Not much can kill love faster than the "Wifetime Movies". I think that this one was about some milf that gets sucked into a cult and her kids and dad have to rescue her. Right.
With Lifetime babysitting, I see an opportunity to get back upstairs and do what I do. I take a few more cracks at the final mission and then turn to poker. I played 3 HU SNGs (went 2-1) and watched GCox money in a PLO tourney. Not big money, but I think he went out in the 20's somewhere. Top 30 paid. Congrats G. I did not feel like risking anymore buy-ins for the $30 HU SNGs when I was tired and my head was not in it so I tuned into the Monday night game.
Bad idea. Whenever I watch my fantasy players, they seem to suck. I turned on the game just in time to see my fantasy QB (Bulger) throw a pick and then get hurt trying to block on the interception return. Nerd, just let them run. Let a real football player do the dirty work. I watch Bulger get escorted of the field and return shortly sans shoulder pads and wrapped in ice. Fantastic! I was down 20+ points heading into tonight and I felt pretty comfortable with 3 players going. Bulger, E. James, and K. Curtis. Luckily, Edge had a great night and Kevin Curtis led the Rams rcvrs. with 70 plus yards and a TD. I won. In my three leagues, I am now 5-1, 4-2, 3-3 and I went 3-0 this weekend. Nice.
Life was pretty good yesterday and it looks to maintain tonight. SteelerSteph has a dinner program at a nice restaurant tonight. This is triple bonus for me. 1. Often, these doctors RSVP and then don't show. I might get some steak leftovers. 2. SteelerSteph may imbibe a little since she is just hosting and does not have to speak. 3. I will get uninterrupted guy time tonight to play SOCOM and poker to my little heart's content. So, DNasty and NewJack, if you are reading this, lets get it on GwG style tonight. If I am not feeling the love, look out HU SNGs on UB.
Tommy Maddox stinks.
2. HU SNGs
3. Football
4. Motorcycle
5. SteelerSteph
I think this is where SteelerSteph views her standing in the list of things I love. It is not true, but I can see where she gets the impression. Last night is a good example.
I got home from work and she was catching up on her Tivo'd soaps so I snuck up to my office and fired up the offline mode of SOCOM 3. I really wanted to beat the game so I could unlock the extra online characters. I want to try that sweet looking ghillie suit. I got stuck on the last part of the final mission and spent a good 30-40 minutes trying to get past. I did once, the music played, the logo popped up but I did not pass the mission as I was the sole survivor of my 4 man squad. Oops.
Tired of banging my head against the wall on this mission, I decided to take a break. It was the second break actually, the first was for some grilled cheese and tomato soup that SteelerSteph made. She is a great cook, she gets it from her Italian grandmother and Slovak father..... she just does not cook that often. We eat out alot, and when we don't our food preferences are so different that she won't eat what I prepare. (Grilled fish, Oriental cuisine, Mexican, etc.) Anyway, it was a simple meal she made but it tasted soooooo good last night. I sprinkled some ground up jalepeno pepper spice on the soup to give it a kick and I demolished three grilled cheese sandwiches. They were warm, the soup spicy.....I was in love with her. That lasted through dinner and a few minutes into the Lifetime Movie Channel crap that was on the t.v. Not much can kill love faster than the "Wifetime Movies". I think that this one was about some milf that gets sucked into a cult and her kids and dad have to rescue her. Right.
With Lifetime babysitting, I see an opportunity to get back upstairs and do what I do. I take a few more cracks at the final mission and then turn to poker. I played 3 HU SNGs (went 2-1) and watched GCox money in a PLO tourney. Not big money, but I think he went out in the 20's somewhere. Top 30 paid. Congrats G. I did not feel like risking anymore buy-ins for the $30 HU SNGs when I was tired and my head was not in it so I tuned into the Monday night game.
Bad idea. Whenever I watch my fantasy players, they seem to suck. I turned on the game just in time to see my fantasy QB (Bulger) throw a pick and then get hurt trying to block on the interception return. Nerd, just let them run. Let a real football player do the dirty work. I watch Bulger get escorted of the field and return shortly sans shoulder pads and wrapped in ice. Fantastic! I was down 20+ points heading into tonight and I felt pretty comfortable with 3 players going. Bulger, E. James, and K. Curtis. Luckily, Edge had a great night and Kevin Curtis led the Rams rcvrs. with 70 plus yards and a TD. I won. In my three leagues, I am now 5-1, 4-2, 3-3 and I went 3-0 this weekend. Nice.
Life was pretty good yesterday and it looks to maintain tonight. SteelerSteph has a dinner program at a nice restaurant tonight. This is triple bonus for me. 1. Often, these doctors RSVP and then don't show. I might get some steak leftovers. 2. SteelerSteph may imbibe a little since she is just hosting and does not have to speak. 3. I will get uninterrupted guy time tonight to play SOCOM and poker to my little heart's content. So, DNasty and NewJack, if you are reading this, lets get it on GwG style tonight. If I am not feeling the love, look out HU SNGs on UB.
Tommy Maddox stinks.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
SOCOM or Poker?
Poker used to win, hands down. The cheaters/glitchers found ways to tarnish the online experience and the offline game was so so. It looks like Zipper managed to address both those things in the 3rd release, here is hoping that bears out.
I did play a few HU SNG's last night with disappointing results. The first two were against the luckiest player I have ever sat across from. I am not complaining, and maybe I have faced luckier and they didn't show, but in the first ten hands I folded good cards that had matched on the flop to very large bets on the turn and river. The person showed (nicely, and oddly....I rarely if ever show) the stone cold nuts each time. I felt good about folding to trip Aces, flopped straights and flushes. They eventually won when the cards kept going their way. I encouraged them (honestly, w/o sarcasm) to play a higher level (this was a $30) and they said they had and won two $100 so far and were going to play $30 until they lost one. The cards were really hitting them hard. I figured I could break the luck with good play (WRONG) and they accepted the rematch. It was over first hand when I got it all in with AA. Re-raise battle pre-flop had half the stacks in the pot. Flop was 345 rainbow and I decided I wanted it right there, no suckouts, or at least no cheap ones. If there was a set, so be it, I will take my chances but I expected wired 10's or higher. I push all in and get insta called by 26o. Wow nice flopped straight against my now underdog Aces. I quit, you win. I wished them more luck and decided a different level might help. I was not upset with my play, more surprised by the run of amazing cards the other person was on. Go with it.
I played a $50 HU match with a much weaker and less lucky person. Only slightly less lucky... the worst hand of the match was my pocket 5's that hit on the flop and I got their last 700 chips in on the flop. I had a 2 to 1 chip lead at this point. They flip 88 (nothing on the flop was higher than an 8, I can justify the call) and proceed to catch the magic 8 on the river. Luckily, they were so tight and passive that I had built a large chip cushion and could absorb this. I played aggressively and soon was back to the 1500 starting chips and eventually won. It took a lot of hands though because they would fold at almost any sign of aggression. I had to really slow play my monsters to get any action. Net I was minus for the evening, but not much.
I was a winner on SOCOM getting MVP two boards in a row. Too bad it was not a ranked game....
Like the title queries, the battle will continue.... and the odds are in SOCOM's favor right now. I think that I could use a little break.
I did play a few HU SNG's last night with disappointing results. The first two were against the luckiest player I have ever sat across from. I am not complaining, and maybe I have faced luckier and they didn't show, but in the first ten hands I folded good cards that had matched on the flop to very large bets on the turn and river. The person showed (nicely, and oddly....I rarely if ever show) the stone cold nuts each time. I felt good about folding to trip Aces, flopped straights and flushes. They eventually won when the cards kept going their way. I encouraged them (honestly, w/o sarcasm) to play a higher level (this was a $30) and they said they had and won two $100 so far and were going to play $30 until they lost one. The cards were really hitting them hard. I figured I could break the luck with good play (WRONG) and they accepted the rematch. It was over first hand when I got it all in with AA. Re-raise battle pre-flop had half the stacks in the pot. Flop was 345 rainbow and I decided I wanted it right there, no suckouts, or at least no cheap ones. If there was a set, so be it, I will take my chances but I expected wired 10's or higher. I push all in and get insta called by 26o. Wow nice flopped straight against my now underdog Aces. I quit, you win. I wished them more luck and decided a different level might help. I was not upset with my play, more surprised by the run of amazing cards the other person was on. Go with it.
I played a $50 HU match with a much weaker and less lucky person. Only slightly less lucky... the worst hand of the match was my pocket 5's that hit on the flop and I got their last 700 chips in on the flop. I had a 2 to 1 chip lead at this point. They flip 88 (nothing on the flop was higher than an 8, I can justify the call) and proceed to catch the magic 8 on the river. Luckily, they were so tight and passive that I had built a large chip cushion and could absorb this. I played aggressively and soon was back to the 1500 starting chips and eventually won. It took a lot of hands though because they would fold at almost any sign of aggression. I had to really slow play my monsters to get any action. Net I was minus for the evening, but not much.
I was a winner on SOCOM getting MVP two boards in a row. Too bad it was not a ranked game....
Like the title queries, the battle will continue.... and the odds are in SOCOM's favor right now. I think that I could use a little break.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
SOCOM 3 has arrived!
It came last night and I got it before DNasty did!
It is fantastic. I was blown away by the size of the maps in the game and the very first board I played had a friggin tank!! That got the ol' tanker in me pretty geeked even though it killed me the very first time. I was a crunchy so it was ok.
I saw some players run up and try to shoot the tank with their machine guns and it reminded me of one rotation at the National Training Center when there were a bunch of Kentuck National Guard Infantry training with us. This hilljacker comes out blazing with his M-16 trying to shoot our tank. He went so far as to jump on the tank and try to kill us. Finally an OC (Observer Controller - guys that patrolled our big laser tag battles) rolled up in his Humvee and killed the guy with his god gun and told him to get the hell off the tank. An M-16 will never take out a tank.
Off my tangential trip down memory lane, the game is pretty sweet. It is going to take a while to learn all the new missions and play them from both sides. There are tons of vehicles and new weapons and weapon combos to learn. Probably the most important thing to learn is the maps themselves.
Lastly, DNasty and NewJack, if you are reading this I created the clan name again last night. Geeks With Guns "GwG" is back in the house!
Poker will suffer some as I devote all the free time I can muster to getting skillz in SOCOM 3. Huah!!
It is fantastic. I was blown away by the size of the maps in the game and the very first board I played had a friggin tank!! That got the ol' tanker in me pretty geeked even though it killed me the very first time. I was a crunchy so it was ok.
I saw some players run up and try to shoot the tank with their machine guns and it reminded me of one rotation at the National Training Center when there were a bunch of Kentuck National Guard Infantry training with us. This hilljacker comes out blazing with his M-16 trying to shoot our tank. He went so far as to jump on the tank and try to kill us. Finally an OC (Observer Controller - guys that patrolled our big laser tag battles) rolled up in his Humvee and killed the guy with his god gun and told him to get the hell off the tank. An M-16 will never take out a tank.
Off my tangential trip down memory lane, the game is pretty sweet. It is going to take a while to learn all the new missions and play them from both sides. There are tons of vehicles and new weapons and weapon combos to learn. Probably the most important thing to learn is the maps themselves.
Lastly, DNasty and NewJack, if you are reading this I created the clan name again last night. Geeks With Guns "GwG" is back in the house!
Poker will suffer some as I devote all the free time I can muster to getting skillz in SOCOM 3. Huah!!
Friday, October 07, 2005
Vince Van Patten's Replacement?
I had a very enjoyable afternoon grinding away at Party's latest reload bonus, MKMYDAY.
This one lively fish made it particularly fun. Look out Vince, I think we have found the new WPT color commentator. For reference here are the new Vince's stats. Impressive indeed.
After losing to my flopped straight. I had not played a hand in quite awhile and the reraise got a lot of respect, it folded around to Todd. He called all the way.
#2842026576: STeelerJosh wins $16.25 from the main pot with a straight, nine to king.
Toddnelson: you reraised with 9-10 thats a smart move
STeelerJosh: you called through the river on a draw. Smarter?
Toddnelson: cause i knew you play crap
STeelerJosh: thanks for your chips and your advice. Both are welcome
Toddnelson: you need um both
STeelerJosh: :-)
STeelerJosh: can't argue with that
*Note* - My VP$IP was under 20%, I had won the only two showdowns I was involved with
Commenting on the guy to his left that spiked an A on the river to beat my Hiltons
#2842067475: phpoker111 wins $11.75 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and nines.
STeelerJosh: nc
Toddnelson: hes a calling station
*Note* - phpoker's VP$IP was 38%, less than half of Todd's.
This one reminded me of Jordan's "It's easy with Aces".... but in reverse
#2842081859: phpoker111 wins $16.75 from the main pot with a full house, Aces full of eights.
Toddnelson: i hate aces
He kept putting in comments about the slowness of play
Dealer: HesseJam has been reconnected and has 20 seconds to act.
Toddnelson: i think he died
After making his runner runner flush. There was one diamond on the flop
#2842127201: Toddnelson wins $22 from the main pot with a flush, ace high.
Toddnelson: tilt
Toddnelson: you'll win playing like that alot
Parting shot after missng his draw
#2842139832: goodflopper wins $14.75 from the main pot with a pair of aces.
Toddnelson: you only win on river
I closed down the table shortly after he left. Despite sucking out on me once, it was very enjoyable and profitable to play with a table captain that plays 63/74 hands and takes 37 of them to showdown. Yikes!!
This one lively fish made it particularly fun. Look out Vince, I think we have found the new WPT color commentator. For reference here are the new Vince's stats. Impressive indeed.
After losing to my flopped straight. I had not played a hand in quite awhile and the reraise got a lot of respect, it folded around to Todd. He called all the way.
#2842026576: STeelerJosh wins $16.25 from the main pot with a straight, nine to king.
Toddnelson: you reraised with 9-10 thats a smart move
STeelerJosh: you called through the river on a draw. Smarter?
Toddnelson: cause i knew you play crap
STeelerJosh: thanks for your chips and your advice. Both are welcome
Toddnelson: you need um both
STeelerJosh: :-)
STeelerJosh: can't argue with that
*Note* - My VP$IP was under 20%, I had won the only two showdowns I was involved with
Commenting on the guy to his left that spiked an A on the river to beat my Hiltons
#2842067475: phpoker111 wins $11.75 from the main pot with two pairs, aces and nines.
STeelerJosh: nc
Toddnelson: hes a calling station
*Note* - phpoker's VP$IP was 38%, less than half of Todd's.
This one reminded me of Jordan's "It's easy with Aces".... but in reverse
#2842081859: phpoker111 wins $16.75 from the main pot with a full house, Aces full of eights.
Toddnelson: i hate aces
He kept putting in comments about the slowness of play
Dealer: HesseJam has been reconnected and has 20 seconds to act.
Toddnelson: i think he died
After making his runner runner flush. There was one diamond on the flop
#2842127201: Toddnelson wins $22 from the main pot with a flush, ace high.
Toddnelson: tilt
Toddnelson: you'll win playing like that alot
Parting shot after missng his draw
#2842139832: goodflopper wins $14.75 from the main pot with a pair of aces.
Toddnelson: you only win on river
I closed down the table shortly after he left. Despite sucking out on me once, it was very enjoyable and profitable to play with a table captain that plays 63/74 hands and takes 37 of them to showdown. Yikes!!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
To Defend or Not?
I was grinding on some 2/4 Limit on PP last night and watched the table go from very loose to pretty tight. After the table tightened up, a new face sat down to my right and started aggressively playing 60% or more of the pots.... and winning. I was playing tight aggressive with the second or third lowest VP$IP of the table. There were two super tight players (under 10%) and then me (16-17%). I was holding my own, endured a few suckouts (expected at limit, no heartburn for me) and was down a few BB. I was not catching much in the way of cards, but I was making up for that in stealing a few pots and getting the blinds every few orbits from my tight friends.
Here is my question. I do not focus on defending my blinds, and rarely play from the small blind. This might be a weakness, I am just not sure. Last night I tried to defend the BB three times against this loose aggressive maniac and lost all three. fitman111 was playing 2 out of every three flops so I figured he would be on some junk cards. He was, but they were hitting!! My wired 7's in the BB ran into his powerful J6o. I bet it the whole way and his second 6 on the river took the pot. Similar bs occurred two other times and it got me thinking how much should I care about defending? One of the other times was with A4s when it was raised to me in the BB by fitman111 in the SB. A decent hand HU I figured, but it lost also.
I have not seen a discussion in my limited blog reading about this, but it seems to be a prominent stat in all the tracking and overlay software I use. My hunch is it is probably more important in NL, but If you fold your BB everytime in limit, that can be exploited also. I would love to hear any thoughts out there.
My .02 after thinking about this last night - In Limit hold em, I am more inclined to fold my blinds to a raise because I do not have the power to push anyone off of a drawing hand and by a big bet and with all the people willing to call down through the river in the lower limit hold em games, I prefer to play better hands and will not worry about throwing away the SB at all and do not try to defend the BB much.
This logic would change for me in a SNG as the blinds increase, but in a fixed blind game.... I am not sure the reward outweighs the risk.
Here is my question. I do not focus on defending my blinds, and rarely play from the small blind. This might be a weakness, I am just not sure. Last night I tried to defend the BB three times against this loose aggressive maniac and lost all three. fitman111 was playing 2 out of every three flops so I figured he would be on some junk cards. He was, but they were hitting!! My wired 7's in the BB ran into his powerful J6o. I bet it the whole way and his second 6 on the river took the pot. Similar bs occurred two other times and it got me thinking how much should I care about defending? One of the other times was with A4s when it was raised to me in the BB by fitman111 in the SB. A decent hand HU I figured, but it lost also.
I have not seen a discussion in my limited blog reading about this, but it seems to be a prominent stat in all the tracking and overlay software I use. My hunch is it is probably more important in NL, but If you fold your BB everytime in limit, that can be exploited also. I would love to hear any thoughts out there.
My .02 after thinking about this last night - In Limit hold em, I am more inclined to fold my blinds to a raise because I do not have the power to push anyone off of a drawing hand and by a big bet and with all the people willing to call down through the river in the lower limit hold em games, I prefer to play better hands and will not worry about throwing away the SB at all and do not try to defend the BB much.
This logic would change for me in a SNG as the blinds increase, but in a fixed blind game.... I am not sure the reward outweighs the risk.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Micro-Limit Hell
I have heard that is it always darkest right before the lights go all the way out. I have also heard the lightning kills hundreds of people trying to find the silver lining of a cloud each year. I think I will risk it.
Since my blow up at 3/6 and 5/10, I have been relegated back to the low limits. The net loss was only a little over $100 but I obviously need to work on my bankroll management. Statistically, I was not tilting... my play was still tight and my aggression was controlled. I just could not win a hand. Best example? I hold QJo in the BB and it is checked to me. Flop comes xJJ. I cold call the raiser in MP. Turn is a Q giving me a full house. I now he cannot have four Jacks because I have one. Maybe he has a high pair, but I doubt it. We cap betting. By the turn I had put MP on a Jx, maybe he has paired his x giving him a lower boat. The only hand I am afraid of is QQ, but his play up until then would have been to raise pre flop with a pocket pair. I bet out on the K river and we cap again. I flip QJ expecting the pile of chips to start digitally sliding towards me and he flips KJ for a higher boat and I numbly accept it, that was how it was going that night. My VP$IP was never above 25% at a 10 person table but I won 1/18 hands I played, going to showdown on 7 and losing 6. It was unreal.
That behind me, I am now playing micro limits on UB again. I am not sure if it is a positive swing in variance, but it seems easy to me now. I placed (1,3) in the two SNG's I have played and I am making good plays in the .05/.10 NL games. During the SNG challenge, I could not buy a SNG win. So, I am wondering if my game has improved or I am just getting a good run of cards. I'd like to belive that I am getting better.
Since my blow up at 3/6 and 5/10, I have been relegated back to the low limits. The net loss was only a little over $100 but I obviously need to work on my bankroll management. Statistically, I was not tilting... my play was still tight and my aggression was controlled. I just could not win a hand. Best example? I hold QJo in the BB and it is checked to me. Flop comes xJJ. I cold call the raiser in MP. Turn is a Q giving me a full house. I now he cannot have four Jacks because I have one. Maybe he has a high pair, but I doubt it. We cap betting. By the turn I had put MP on a Jx, maybe he has paired his x giving him a lower boat. The only hand I am afraid of is QQ, but his play up until then would have been to raise pre flop with a pocket pair. I bet out on the K river and we cap again. I flip QJ expecting the pile of chips to start digitally sliding towards me and he flips KJ for a higher boat and I numbly accept it, that was how it was going that night. My VP$IP was never above 25% at a 10 person table but I won 1/18 hands I played, going to showdown on 7 and losing 6. It was unreal.
That behind me, I am now playing micro limits on UB again. I am not sure if it is a positive swing in variance, but it seems easy to me now. I placed (1,3) in the two SNG's I have played and I am making good plays in the .05/.10 NL games. During the SNG challenge, I could not buy a SNG win. So, I am wondering if my game has improved or I am just getting a good run of cards. I'd like to belive that I am getting better.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Uh Oh!!!
I have registered to play in the
Online Poker Blogger Championship!
This event is powered by PokerStars.
Registration code: 1270244
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%
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)