Monday, April 16, 2007

Back to Basics

After getting PokerTracker, I played about 28,000 hands before I went travelling. This is how I did in them...


Since I've returned from travelling, I've played about 20,000 hands. This is how I've run in them...

It's rubbish! I looked at the stats and I don't think I am playing much differently. I seem to raise pre-flop a bit more and I play overall more aggressively, but this is the only difference. I think the problem must be playing 6-max then. I do think that 6-max can be more profitable than full ring tables, but you have to be prepared to take marginal edges, and with my puny bankroll, I can't take the variance. So I will stick to full ring cash games, and try to repeat the top graph!
Since the last update, I've had a couple of awful sessions. Here's the lowlights...
Session 1
PokerStars, 10c-25c (6max), 4 tables, 2 hours

- UTG limp, an MP player makes it $1.25 and I make it $3.75 on the button with QQ. Just UTG calls. The flop is 5-6-7. He checks, I bet $5 and he calls. The turn is a 3 and we both check. The river is a J, he bets $6 and I call. He has 54. -$14.75
- There is a limper and I raise on the button to $1 with 53s. The BB and the limper both call. The flop is 8h-5h-3h. BB checks, the limper bets $1, I make it $3.50 and the BB pushes for $11.30. The limper folds. I call and the BB shows KK (no heart). The turn and river come A A. -$12.30
Session balance = -$67.80
This made me feel unconfident, and then I played some dweeb stakes for a while. Today I went back to Party and played some 6-handed.
Session 2
PartyPoker, 10c-25c (6max), 4 tables, 2 hours
- I played this hand so badly! I make it $1.25 on the button with AQo and the BB and a limper call. The flop is Q-J-7. It's checked to me, I bet $2.50 and the BB calls. The turn is a 4. The BB checks, I bet $5 and he pushes for $13. I don't beat hardly any hands here, but I called and he shows QQ. -$16.40
- On one table I found my nemesis, Mahatta, and we had a few big pots against each other. AT one point I layed down AA to him on a 7-7-5 flop and he showed 75. Then I layed down QQ on an A high flop and he showed rags. Then I raise 8c-5c UTG to 65c and he makes it $2.21. The buton calls and so do I. The flop is Kc-6c-2c. I bet $4 and he calls. The turn is 10h. I bet $10 and he calls. The river is a horrible 7c. I check and so does he, showing AK (no clubs). I get his whole stack if that river isn't a club! +$17.07
- I raise in MP to 65c with AQo and Mahatta makes it $2.50. I'm out of position butr I want to stack him. The flop is a helpful Q-Q-8. I check, he bets $4.75, and I call. The turn is a 4. I check, he bets $12.50 and I push for $25. He calls with QJ. +$30.46
- The button raises to $1, the SB calls and I make a loose call in the BB with Ac-4c. The flop is A-4-2. The SB bets $1, I make it $3.26 and the button makes it $5.52. I call. The turn is an 8. I'm not sure where I am in this hand, but I push for $18 and get called by AQ. +$24.85
Session balance = $12.93
Cash
Hours = 66.75
Profit = -$40.29
Tourney
Hours = 15.5
Profit = $157.49
A Game
Hours = 15.5
Profit = $30.10
Bankroll = $963.49

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Closing in on $1000

I played a few bits and bobs, without any real success or losses. Then I had 3 long sessions. Here's the stats...

Session 1
Party, 10c-25c (6max), 4 tables, 0.5 hours

- I raised to $1 on the button with KdQd and just the SB calls. The flop is 5d-2d-3d. He checks, I bet $1.75 and he calls. The turn is Ah. He bets 25c, I make it $4 and he calls. The river is 2h, he checks and I put him all-in for $9. He calls with K-4d. +$14.55

- I raise in MP with As7s and the SB calls. The BB min-raises to $1.75 and we both call. The flop is Qs-9s-4. BB bets $1 and I call. The turn is 8s. BB goes all-in for $10.97 and I call, he shows QQ and misses. +$14.02

Session balance = $23.27

Session 2
Party, 10c-25c (6max), 4 tables, 2 hours

- I raise UTG to $1 with AQo and the cut-off and the button call. The flop is Q-9-3 and I bet out $2.50. They both call. The turn is a 10. I figure I am still ahead, and bet out $6. The cut-off calls and then the button min-raises to $12. This is an easy fold. But I am a moron. I call, as does the cut-off. The river is an A and I push. They both call, showing 99 and KJ. -$22

- I raise to $1 in MP with AKo and the button min-raises. The SB calls and I make it $5. They both call. The flop is AA4. I bet $5, the button pushes for an extra 9c and the SB folds. The button shows 83 (!). +$14.09

- I have AA in the BB. The button makes it $1, I make it $4 and he calls. The flop is A-K-8. I bet $5 and the button calls. The turn is a 5, I push for $12.15 and he calls with A4. +$19.65

Session balance = $14.20

Session 3
Party, 10c-25c (6max), 4 tables, 2 hours

- I raise in the SB to $1.25 with AdKd and a limper calls. The flop is A-8-2. I bet $1.75 and he calls. The turn is another A. I bet $4 and he calls. The river is a 3. I figure he will call with any A here, and I am only behind a few, and so I overbet the pot for $10. He pushes for $21 and I find it hard to fold, so I don't. He has A8. -$28.62

- I raise in MP to $1 with QJo. The SB calls. The flop is J-10-7. He checks, I bet $1.25 and he calls. The turn is another 7, SB bets $1.25 and I min-raise to $2.50. He calls. The river is a J and he pushes for $18.24. I am probably splitting the pot here, and I was stupid at the time and thought I was only dead to 77, and so I called. He showed A7. +$21.24

- The SB makes it 75c and I call in the BB with A9. The flop is A-J-9. Sb bets 75c, I make it $3 and he calls. The turn is an 8. He checks, I bet $5 and he min-raises to $10. I think and think and eventually fold. He later tells me he had Q10. -$9

Session balance = $1.13

I also played a $4 180 man STT on Stars. I was running so well. I trippled up early with KK v AJ and QJ on a J-10-9 and rode that to the bubble. Then I pushed with QQ and got called by A7. I then built a monster stack. Firstly, I had AQ v KQ on a Q high flop, and then got lucky that my KK outdrew AA. With 7 to go I was chip leader with 76k and 2nd place had 56k. He limped in MP and checked in the BB with 5h4h. I flopped the flush and crushed his AA, so with 6 to go I had 145k and second only had 35k. However, I didn't manage to finish it, and came 2nd. +$139.60

I also got my first rakeback money = $11.58

Cash
Hours = 56.75
Profit = $4.15

Tourney
Hours = 11.75
Profit = $139.49

A Game
Hours = 15.5
Profit = $30.10

Bankroll = $989.93

Sunday, April 08, 2007

It's all boring

Firstly, I was earning off the bonus from Party that I eventually managed to activate. I wasn't doing too well there, but had the odd nice hand. Here's the facts...

Party, 10c-25c, 5.25 hours

- LP min-raises to 50c, I call from the small blind with J8, I flop a straight and stack his AA. +$11.35

- I get JJ in the SB. There are a couple of limpers and I make it $1.25. The BB and limper call. The flop is J-8-7. I bet out $2.50 and the BB calls. The turn is a 10. I check, he bets $5 and I feel fishy and call. The river is a K. I check, he bets $8 and I am stupid and call. He has Q9. -$16.72

- I limp KK UTG, MP makes it $1.75, SB calls and I make it $7.50. They both call. The flop is 9-2-2. SB checks to me and I have to choice but to push all in. They both call, with QQ and 10-10. +$43.15

- I get JJ in the BB, MP makes it $1 and I call. The flop is A-J-9. I bet $1.50, he calls and the turn is a 2. I bet $4 and he calls. The river is a 3. I bet $10 and he calls with AK. +$14.95

- MP min-raises and I call on the button with 44. The flop is A-J-4. He bets $2, I make it $4 and he pushes. He calls and shows JJ. -$8.70

- I raise 96s in LP and the BB call. The flop is 7-6-4. He checks, I bet 80c and he calls. The turn is a 9. He checks, I bet $2 and he calls. The river is a 9. He checks, I bet $6 and he pushes for $14. I call and he shows Q9. +$15.88

- I get 87o inthe BB. There are 2 limpers, and the flop is 9-10-J. I bet 80c and MP makes it $2.40. For some reason I am feeling very unconfident, and am sure he has KQ. I call. The turn is a 5. I check, he bets $3.50 and I call. The river is a 10. I check, he bets $6 and I call. He has J10. Bugger. -$12.15

Session balance = -$9.1

I have also been playing the CAP games on FT. In general they have been going well, but last night was awful. I can't be bothered to find the hand histories, but here a few examples...

- I raise J9s, the flop is Q-J-J, someone have QQ.
- I raise 10-7s, the flop is K-10-10, someone has KK.
- I have QQ, someone has KK.
- I have 9-10 on a 9-9-Q-K board. Comeone has K9.

Just not fun at all. But I did earn another $20 in bonus. Session balance = -$32.95

Cash
Hours = 48.5
Profit = -$39.58

Tourney
Hours = 6.75
Profit = $5.49

A Game
Hours = 15
Profit = $32.50

Bankroll = $800.62

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Bits and Bobs

I played quite a lot on Titan trying to get enough points and to build the free $5 into something worthwhile, and by the end of the day I had achieved enough points and I had turned it into $95. Here are the key hands...

- (10c BB) I get 99 in the SB, UTG limps, I call and the BB makes it 70c. UTG folds and I am feeling fishy and call. The flop is A-10-9. I bet $1, he makes it $2, I make it $7, he pushes and I call. He has AK. +$11.44

- (20c BB) I make it 80c in MP with Q10o. The button and the BB call. The flop is Q-10-3. The BB bets $2 and I call. The button folds. The turn is a 2, the BB checks and I put him all-in for $4.38. He calls with Q5. +$7.23

- (20c BB) UTG limps and it's folded to me in the BB with 54o. I check. The flop is 5-6-5. I bet 40c, he makes it $1.60 and I decide to trap and call. The turn is a J, I check, he bets $1.60 and I make it $6.40. He calls. The river is a horrible 6. I check and he pushes for $4.95. I know I am beat but I want to see, so I call, and he has J6. -$13.15

- (20c BB) I make it 80c UTG with JJ and MP and the button call. The flop is J-10-2. I bet $2 and MP calls. The turn is an 8, I bet $4.60 and he calls. The river is a 6, I push for $10 and he calls with Q-10. I'm not quite sure why I played that hand so fast, but it seemed to work. +$16.75

I had almost given up on Full Tilt, but then I heard about the CAP rooms. Basically you can buy-in for however much you want, but you can only bet up to 30BBs in a single hand. The play is appaulling. There aren't any notable hands, as they are all fairly small pots, but I did win a little.

Aswell as this, I have played a little on Party. They have offered me a 25% reload bonus, so I redeposited, but for some reason the bonus didn't activate. Anyway I played a bit and was getting destroyed at 6-max, I just couldn't get in to the game, so I played some 9-max. I also played a Step 1. The Steps have been changed, but hopefully I can have another good run in them.

Cash
Hours = 35.25
Profit = -$24.89

Tourney
Hours = 4.25
Profit = $2.55

A Game
Hours = 15
Profit = $32.50

Bankroll = $684.07

Monday, April 02, 2007

Monthly Review



Here are my cash results for March - as you can see, they are fairly unimpressive! It's not quite as bad as it looks, as I have also earnt $40 in bonus from Full Tilt and about another $20 in rakeback. As it is my first month back and playing properly, I'm not too disappointed, but I am expecting much better results from now on!

My current challenge is based on Titan. They gave me $5 free as I have not used their site in ages, and I was just dossing around with it on the $20 NL table and managed to get it up to $12. I then played 2 STTs and managed to come 1st and 2nd, giving me about $42. Now I think I will play 6-max with 4 buy-ins until I gain the points I need to withdraw (373). Yesterday I managed to grind it up to $96, earning 120 points on the way. Titan seems so easy at the moment that I might even leave it there, early days though. However, this money will not count towards my bankroll until I am able to withdraw it.

Cash

Hours = 22.2

Profit = -$69.93

Tourney

Hours = 3.75

Profit = $5.55

A Game

Hours = 15

Profit = $32.50

Bankroll = $642.03