I'm going to start trying to post a monthly recap of my poker activities. Now that I'm playing on a regular basis it should be easier to come up with material.
For the month of October, my bankroll increased by a little over 9%. The bulk of this was from a few large cash sessions at PartyPoker in order to clear a bonus. During 2008 I have only really been playing online poker during four of those months. In one of them I broke even but the other three saw me grow my bankroll by an average of 10%. The surprising part is that I have stayed in the lowest limits to try to balance my bankroll.
For the rest of the year I'm going to consolidate my bankroll across just three major sites. This will allow me to start moving into the limits that my bankroll supports. I'm hoping that this move will let me build my bankroll at a quicker pace while still shielding me from taking a major negative downswing.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
PartyPoker Extravaganza
Almost a week ago I was sent an offer from PartyPoker. It was pretty basic, $20 bucks, as long as you earn 160 points in a week. Once I did all the calculations I figured that it would take about 2500 hands to earn that.
I had been trying to get the new PartyPoker client installed on my laptop (a Vista box) without much luck for almost two weeks. Once I tried installing it on my XP machine, it worked the first time. I did some basic hacking and finally got the client installed on my laptop as well.
I really liked the look of the new client and decided to try to fulfill the bonus. I figured that this was my chance to set-mine a bunch of micro-limit cash games. The final decision was how many tables. It was time for me to try a 9-table experiment. I would buy in for 50 BB on nine tables and just wait out some big hands.
After half a week, and approximatly 2500 hands, the results are as follows:
Starting Bankroll ($20)
Ending Bankroll ($61)
Overall Profit ($41)
41 BB/100 hands
This was basically broken into three different sessions. I really have to admit that I enjoyed the new client quite a bit. It's much cleaner and awesome for multi-tabling. It isn't as stable as other clients when on wireless networks but at home I didn't run into many connection issues.
I think I'm going to continue multi-tabling this way until the end of the year to see how my results are affected. My main adjustment is not to over commit with QQ and AK pre-flop.
The final word for this post: "Thanks Party Poker."
I had been trying to get the new PartyPoker client installed on my laptop (a Vista box) without much luck for almost two weeks. Once I tried installing it on my XP machine, it worked the first time. I did some basic hacking and finally got the client installed on my laptop as well.
I really liked the look of the new client and decided to try to fulfill the bonus. I figured that this was my chance to set-mine a bunch of micro-limit cash games. The final decision was how many tables. It was time for me to try a 9-table experiment. I would buy in for 50 BB on nine tables and just wait out some big hands.
After half a week, and approximatly 2500 hands, the results are as follows:
Starting Bankroll ($20)
Ending Bankroll ($61)
Overall Profit ($41)
41 BB/100 hands
This was basically broken into three different sessions. I really have to admit that I enjoyed the new client quite a bit. It's much cleaner and awesome for multi-tabling. It isn't as stable as other clients when on wireless networks but at home I didn't run into many connection issues.
I think I'm going to continue multi-tabling this way until the end of the year to see how my results are affected. My main adjustment is not to over commit with QQ and AK pre-flop.
The final word for this post: "Thanks Party Poker."
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Another Day, Another Couple Of Good Poker Sessions
Today I played in two different sessions, one was at Bill's Gambling Saloon, and the other session was at Caesars. The contrast between the two different rooms was undeniable, and each one has its positives and negatives.
As far as the poker went I played much longer at Bill's than I did at Caesars, but I finished both sessions with a combined ROI (Return On Investment) of 100%. This means, if I bought in for a dollar, I cashed out for two. My session at Bills was a grind because the strong hands were few and far between. I was fortunate to catch one straight draw that gave me a nice pot. The odds were very close and I didn't want to regret the fold if my card came (which it did) on the river.
I was also able to fold pocket Jacks pre-flop when I was re-raised by a strong gambler. After I folded he told me it was a good fold and that he had Kings. I told him I had Jacks and he was surprised that I had enough restraint. To me, it's an easy fold. This person has seen me play only strong hands for raises. Since I know he's good enough to be observant I know he won't risk another raise from me on a bluff so I was 90% sure that he had a better hand than I did. So many people hate playing Jacks because they are so hard to play. I find them pretty easy to play since I'm disciplined enough to fold them in a bad situation.
Bill's poker room was very casual and relaxed. It reminded me of the clubs I've played at in the cite, where the players and dealers are permitted to chat about the hands and have a good time. They still follow most of the rules, but they aren't afraid to have a good time. This also results in some important rules being ignored or passed over. At one point the dealer pitched a card off the table and it landed on the floor. In 99% of card rooms the entire hand is a mis-deal, but at Bill's they allowed him to play the hand. Also, I was allowed to use my iPhone all session and since Bill's had an open connection I was able to access the Internet all day. Most casino's won't let you use a cell phone at the table.
After that session was done I headed off to Caesars since I have never played there. It was an amazing room, well organized, structured and running smoothly. The tables and chips were nice, dealers were efficient and friendly and the players were also very good. The people I was playing against were knowledgeable and this kept the game moving nicely. People played their hands well and even though this makes the game move nicely, it also places a higher importance on getting strong cards.
My only really eventful hand was when I was dealt two Aces. I was planning to leave soon but I of course raised this hand since I was in early position. I had one caller and the flop came Jack high, with two clubs. I bet and he called. The turn was another Jack. Dammit, I now figure he is 50/50 to having a Jack in his hand. I bet again and he calls. Uh-Oh. The river isn't a club or any other important card so I check, trying to keep the pot manageable in case he makes a small bet. Luckily for me he checks also and I know my Ace's are good. I thanked the dealer for giving me some nice "sheer terror" on the turn and tipped him. The dealer promptly replied, "if you heart doesn't get racing, the pot wasn't worth winning." I agree with him 100%. A couple hands later I was up and off the table. The yawning has begun and I know it's better to rest than force a tired session.
Time to get some rest for tomorrow.
As far as the poker went I played much longer at Bill's than I did at Caesars, but I finished both sessions with a combined ROI (Return On Investment) of 100%. This means, if I bought in for a dollar, I cashed out for two. My session at Bills was a grind because the strong hands were few and far between. I was fortunate to catch one straight draw that gave me a nice pot. The odds were very close and I didn't want to regret the fold if my card came (which it did) on the river.
I was also able to fold pocket Jacks pre-flop when I was re-raised by a strong gambler. After I folded he told me it was a good fold and that he had Kings. I told him I had Jacks and he was surprised that I had enough restraint. To me, it's an easy fold. This person has seen me play only strong hands for raises. Since I know he's good enough to be observant I know he won't risk another raise from me on a bluff so I was 90% sure that he had a better hand than I did. So many people hate playing Jacks because they are so hard to play. I find them pretty easy to play since I'm disciplined enough to fold them in a bad situation.
Bill's poker room was very casual and relaxed. It reminded me of the clubs I've played at in the cite, where the players and dealers are permitted to chat about the hands and have a good time. They still follow most of the rules, but they aren't afraid to have a good time. This also results in some important rules being ignored or passed over. At one point the dealer pitched a card off the table and it landed on the floor. In 99% of card rooms the entire hand is a mis-deal, but at Bill's they allowed him to play the hand. Also, I was allowed to use my iPhone all session and since Bill's had an open connection I was able to access the Internet all day. Most casino's won't let you use a cell phone at the table.
After that session was done I headed off to Caesars since I have never played there. It was an amazing room, well organized, structured and running smoothly. The tables and chips were nice, dealers were efficient and friendly and the players were also very good. The people I was playing against were knowledgeable and this kept the game moving nicely. People played their hands well and even though this makes the game move nicely, it also places a higher importance on getting strong cards.
My only really eventful hand was when I was dealt two Aces. I was planning to leave soon but I of course raised this hand since I was in early position. I had one caller and the flop came Jack high, with two clubs. I bet and he called. The turn was another Jack. Dammit, I now figure he is 50/50 to having a Jack in his hand. I bet again and he calls. Uh-Oh. The river isn't a club or any other important card so I check, trying to keep the pot manageable in case he makes a small bet. Luckily for me he checks also and I know my Ace's are good. I thanked the dealer for giving me some nice "sheer terror" on the turn and tipped him. The dealer promptly replied, "if you heart doesn't get racing, the pot wasn't worth winning." I agree with him 100%. A couple hands later I was up and off the table. The yawning has begun and I know it's better to rest than force a tired session.
Time to get some rest for tomorrow.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
A Couple Big Hands Is All It Takes
Over the past day I have played in a few different poker games, almost all of them being profitable.
The most memorable one was at the Fitz downtown. It was a 1-2 NL game where nobody took it too seriously. I was doing fine when an inebriated gentleman sat down. He had seen the game on "TV" and he thought he'd give it a shot. All of us looked at each other and the it was pretty clear that we all had a target. He was happy to be involved in pretty much every hand that was being dealt, and if you had even marginal cards, his cash was yours. He did get lucky one but I was one of the fortunate three that were able to win big pots off him before he left. It took him less than an hour to drop $300 into that game.
I had another session at the Cortez when things were turned around by a monster hand. I was down in the session, getting ready to leave when I was dealt two Aces, in late position. A whole bunch of people called and I raised the maximum. This wasn't a No Limit table so your bets and raises are limited. Almost everybody called and we saw the flop. The flop was 9 6 K with two spades. The first player to act bets the max and after a couple callers I raise. She re-raises me and one other person calls. At this point I'm not 100% confident in this hand because she could have two pair or three of a kind. The turn, an Ace! Now I have the best possible hand and I just need to hope that she doesn't get lucky. She bets, and I raise. She re-raises and now I have a tough decision. I know I have the best hand but if I raise again I may not be able to get any more chips from her. I decide to call and hope that another spade doesn't come. The river, a spade. What's worse, she bets out the maximum straight away. My decision is simple now, call or raise. I can't fold this hand. After thinking about it for about 15 seconds I decide to raise. She slowly makes the call and I flip over my three of a kind. She shows JK, for second pair, middle kicker. I didn't like the way she played this hand since she should have known that a simple pair, even top pair would probably not be the best hand. She said she read me as having Queens, but if that were true, I would never raise when the Ace comes on the turn since my hand would then be dead.
Anyways, that final hand let me leave with a healthy profit and the whole table stirring over the play. I'm just glad I had enough guts to force through the final raise.
So that's about it for now. Things are good and I'm leaving shortly for the Strip.
The most memorable one was at the Fitz downtown. It was a 1-2 NL game where nobody took it too seriously. I was doing fine when an inebriated gentleman sat down. He had seen the game on "TV" and he thought he'd give it a shot. All of us looked at each other and the it was pretty clear that we all had a target. He was happy to be involved in pretty much every hand that was being dealt, and if you had even marginal cards, his cash was yours. He did get lucky one but I was one of the fortunate three that were able to win big pots off him before he left. It took him less than an hour to drop $300 into that game.
I had another session at the Cortez when things were turned around by a monster hand. I was down in the session, getting ready to leave when I was dealt two Aces, in late position. A whole bunch of people called and I raised the maximum. This wasn't a No Limit table so your bets and raises are limited. Almost everybody called and we saw the flop. The flop was 9 6 K with two spades. The first player to act bets the max and after a couple callers I raise. She re-raises me and one other person calls. At this point I'm not 100% confident in this hand because she could have two pair or three of a kind. The turn, an Ace! Now I have the best possible hand and I just need to hope that she doesn't get lucky. She bets, and I raise. She re-raises and now I have a tough decision. I know I have the best hand but if I raise again I may not be able to get any more chips from her. I decide to call and hope that another spade doesn't come. The river, a spade. What's worse, she bets out the maximum straight away. My decision is simple now, call or raise. I can't fold this hand. After thinking about it for about 15 seconds I decide to raise. She slowly makes the call and I flip over my three of a kind. She shows JK, for second pair, middle kicker. I didn't like the way she played this hand since she should have known that a simple pair, even top pair would probably not be the best hand. She said she read me as having Queens, but if that were true, I would never raise when the Ace comes on the turn since my hand would then be dead.
Anyways, that final hand let me leave with a healthy profit and the whole table stirring over the play. I'm just glad I had enough guts to force through the final raise.
So that's about it for now. Things are good and I'm leaving shortly for the Strip.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
A Rough Start On My Second Day
I headed to the RIO early in the day yesterday but the long line-ups kept me from entering into any of their tournaments. To kill some time I headed over to the Gold Coast next door to play some low limit. I ended up having a very bad session with a combination of bad cards and weak, passive play on my part. I don't think playing more aggressively would have won me any pots but it would have.
I came back downtown and played in a low-limit Sit & Go tournament. This didn't go very well either as I was knocked out in 7th place, out of 10th.
My last stop was the poker room in the hotel that I'm staying at. I played in a 1-3-6 limit game that was very interesting. Even though I hate playing in a 2-4 limit game, this game played a lot better then most low limit games. I also like the ability to vary my bet sizes without over-committing to a hand like so often happens in No-Limit games.
This was also the game where I won back almost everything that I had lost throughout the day. I was amazed at how often I was getting called even though I only showed down winning hands. I was also lucky not to get caught up into too many draws, as that was the main reason I lost in my earlier session at the Gold Coast.
Well, tomorrow I'm off to the MGM and PH before going to the Rio at night.
I came back downtown and played in a low-limit Sit & Go tournament. This didn't go very well either as I was knocked out in 7th place, out of 10th.
My last stop was the poker room in the hotel that I'm staying at. I played in a 1-3-6 limit game that was very interesting. Even though I hate playing in a 2-4 limit game, this game played a lot better then most low limit games. I also like the ability to vary my bet sizes without over-committing to a hand like so often happens in No-Limit games.
This was also the game where I won back almost everything that I had lost throughout the day. I was amazed at how often I was getting called even though I only showed down winning hands. I was also lucky not to get caught up into too many draws, as that was the main reason I lost in my earlier session at the Gold Coast.
Well, tomorrow I'm off to the MGM and PH before going to the Rio at night.
Friday, June 27, 2008
My Poker Hiatus is Over!
I hadn't played a hand of poker in nearly 7 weeks, but that changed as of yesterday.
As far as why I didn't play it was a combination of factors, mostly revolving around my compulsion to track all the details of my on-line play. With the last 7 weekends being filled with different tasks or activities, I just didn't seem to have the time to properly setup my computer to track my poker stats.
Now that I'm in Vegas, things have changed. Yesterday I played at the Hooter Casino for a couple hours and walked away with a modest profit after being down most of the game. My key losing hand was a bluff that I just could get away from. By the end I had invested over half my stack into the hand and my oppenent called me with a Ace high, the same hand I had. Problem was, he had a better kicker so I lost the pot. Considering he called two good sized bets with no pair, no draw I was worried that he could tell I was bluffing. Within an hour it was clear, this player just fell in love with any Ace in his hand and would call all the way down. He didn't last long and was gone from the table, busted, within an hours time. My only mistake in the hand was not going all-in on the turn. It may have been enough to push him off the hand. AA bet on the river wouldn't have been any good because he didn't have much left and I'm sure he would have called.
My trip to Vegas was the best ever. No lineups, no annoying travelers, smooth flights, and I even pulled my luggage off the carousel 60 seconds after arriving to it! My hotel is small but adequate, and it gives me almost everything I need for the trip.
Now I'm off to the RIO, the home of the WSOP to star gaze a bit, play some poker and try to have some fun.
As far as why I didn't play it was a combination of factors, mostly revolving around my compulsion to track all the details of my on-line play. With the last 7 weekends being filled with different tasks or activities, I just didn't seem to have the time to properly setup my computer to track my poker stats.
Now that I'm in Vegas, things have changed. Yesterday I played at the Hooter Casino for a couple hours and walked away with a modest profit after being down most of the game. My key losing hand was a bluff that I just could get away from. By the end I had invested over half my stack into the hand and my oppenent called me with a Ace high, the same hand I had. Problem was, he had a better kicker so I lost the pot. Considering he called two good sized bets with no pair, no draw I was worried that he could tell I was bluffing. Within an hour it was clear, this player just fell in love with any Ace in his hand and would call all the way down. He didn't last long and was gone from the table, busted, within an hours time. My only mistake in the hand was not going all-in on the turn. It may have been enough to push him off the hand. AA bet on the river wouldn't have been any good because he didn't have much left and I'm sure he would have called.
My trip to Vegas was the best ever. No lineups, no annoying travelers, smooth flights, and I even pulled my luggage off the carousel 60 seconds after arriving to it! My hotel is small but adequate, and it gives me almost everything I need for the trip.
Now I'm off to the RIO, the home of the WSOP to star gaze a bit, play some poker and try to have some fun.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Back Into the Swing Of Things
April is quickly turning into one of the best poker months I've had in a long time. Most of it happened this past weekend.
On Friday I went to a new club to play my first live poker hand in 9 months. With my bankroll management rules I have had to spend almost all my poker playing time on-line. I really enjoyed this new club as they seem to do many things right. There are several tables with a tournament and then a couple cash games afterwards. On the night that I was there they had two 1/2 NL cash games going after the tournament. One is a larger buy-in with the second being a small buy-in.
First the tournament though. $25 buy-in. 10,000 chips, and blind levels at 15 minutes. With 100-200 starting blinds the blind level started pretty high so a good starting hand was usually required. The two tables filled up and it seemed like most players were separated into two different categories. One group were very passive while the other group were over-aggressive. Either way most players were also calling stations which made things a bit trickier to play. It was very clear that betting for value was a great strategy in this tournament, but in order to accomplish that, some type of hand was required. This, for me was the tough part of the tournament. In two hours I honestly only received a couple 'ok' starting hands. My strongest starting hand was a pair of deuces that I had to fold against a raise and re-raise ahead of me. There was only one hand (KQ of diamonds) that I regretted not playing by the time the hand was completed. In that particular hand the UTG player, who was short-stacked went all-in. UTG+1 called and then it got to me. I honestly read the UTG+1 as having an Ace. I was in a very tough spot. I could call but with so many people acting after me any type of re-raise screws me. If I go all-in someone behind could easily wake up with a hand and crush me. I folded, and so did everyone else. The UTG+1 player tabled an Ace-Ten and he won the hand unimproved. I would have had two pair had I played the hand. My read and decision, pre-flop was technically correct but I should have seized the opportunity to get lots of chips.
21 players started the tournament and I ended up getting 5th place. Top three cashed. I felt fine after the tournament considering that I think I would have easily cashed if I had one or two better hands in better position. After the tournament I wasted some time at the smaller buy-in cash game. In less then 30 minutes I had won my tournament entry fee and then some, making it a profitable night overall. The one thing for sure is that I will be returning.
My poker bankroll took saw another nice achievement over the weekend. I have tracked several stats and one of them is actual bankroll versus peak bankroll. On Saturday, I saw my bankroll peak at every single poker room that I play at on-line. This peak has maintained at all sites over the rest of the weekend. I'm now trying to build all my rolls at each room up to the same level so that my game selection will be more balanced.
All in all, a great poker weekend!
On Friday I went to a new club to play my first live poker hand in 9 months. With my bankroll management rules I have had to spend almost all my poker playing time on-line. I really enjoyed this new club as they seem to do many things right. There are several tables with a tournament and then a couple cash games afterwards. On the night that I was there they had two 1/2 NL cash games going after the tournament. One is a larger buy-in with the second being a small buy-in.
First the tournament though. $25 buy-in. 10,000 chips, and blind levels at 15 minutes. With 100-200 starting blinds the blind level started pretty high so a good starting hand was usually required. The two tables filled up and it seemed like most players were separated into two different categories. One group were very passive while the other group were over-aggressive. Either way most players were also calling stations which made things a bit trickier to play. It was very clear that betting for value was a great strategy in this tournament, but in order to accomplish that, some type of hand was required. This, for me was the tough part of the tournament. In two hours I honestly only received a couple 'ok' starting hands. My strongest starting hand was a pair of deuces that I had to fold against a raise and re-raise ahead of me. There was only one hand (KQ of diamonds) that I regretted not playing by the time the hand was completed. In that particular hand the UTG player, who was short-stacked went all-in. UTG+1 called and then it got to me. I honestly read the UTG+1 as having an Ace. I was in a very tough spot. I could call but with so many people acting after me any type of re-raise screws me. If I go all-in someone behind could easily wake up with a hand and crush me. I folded, and so did everyone else. The UTG+1 player tabled an Ace-Ten and he won the hand unimproved. I would have had two pair had I played the hand. My read and decision, pre-flop was technically correct but I should have seized the opportunity to get lots of chips.
21 players started the tournament and I ended up getting 5th place. Top three cashed. I felt fine after the tournament considering that I think I would have easily cashed if I had one or two better hands in better position. After the tournament I wasted some time at the smaller buy-in cash game. In less then 30 minutes I had won my tournament entry fee and then some, making it a profitable night overall. The one thing for sure is that I will be returning.
My poker bankroll took saw another nice achievement over the weekend. I have tracked several stats and one of them is actual bankroll versus peak bankroll. On Saturday, I saw my bankroll peak at every single poker room that I play at on-line. This peak has maintained at all sites over the rest of the weekend. I'm now trying to build all my rolls at each room up to the same level so that my game selection will be more balanced.
All in all, a great poker weekend!
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