Up and down and iPoker

I played one more session on Stars, winning about $15 and unlocking my $75 bonus, and then I moved back to FTP to try to benefit from rakeback. To increase my rakeback, I tried to 6-table. I practised at $25Nl and it went well. My favourite hand was a beautifil little 67s...

- MP makes it $1, MP+1 calls and I can't fold 67s and call out of the BB. The flop is 7-5-4. I bet out $2, MP makes it $6 and MP+1 folds. I think I am against an overpair, but know 67s won't let me down, and so I push for $24. MP calls and amazingly I'm ahead - he has 66. The turn is a 7 and he is drawing to a split, but misses. +$23.55

Anyway I won about $85 in this session but when I tried to play $50NL, it just wasn't happening. I don't think I was playing well and I just wasn't hitting any hands and got pretty frustrated. I then decided to deposit on Party and try to work off a bonus. However, I was soon down $70 and had got almost no-where towards getting the $60 bonus, so I gave up on Party.

My friend then told me about how loose the games were on iPoker. I had played on Titan a couple of years ago and everyone used to be pretty tight, but I though I would give it another go...

- UTG makes it $2, I call on the button with 66 and the Bb also calls. The flop is 9-8-6. BB checks, UTG bets $5 and I make it $15. Just UTG calls. The turn is a J - not ideal. UTG checks and I mean to go all-in but actually just bet $35, leaving myself $6. UTG calls. The river is a 10. Pretty dirty. UTG puts me all-in and I have to call. He shows 9-10. At first for some reason I think it is a split pot, but then I see my $116 stack. +$58.05

Overall I have played about 5 hours on Titan and I'm up about $200. Some of this has been over the weekend though, but let's hope it's equally juicy during the week. The plan is to win $200 more on Titan and then try again on FTP. I want to try FTP again because I feel that I play badly on Titan, I see a lot of flops and I don't think it's good aggressive poker, but it seems to be working against the players there. But I don't want to get into the habit of playing, as soon I will be moving up levels!

Bankoll - $1747.23

All going swimmingly

I soon won back the remainder of what I lost at $50NL, and these were the hands that did it...

- at my very first hand at a table I get AA in the BB. UTG+1 makes it 50c, MP makes it $3 and I make it $11. UTG+1 folds but MP pushes and his QQ misses. +$22.80

- I make it $1 UTG with QQ and UTG+1 and the BB call. The BB is a dweeb. The flop is 233. BB checks and I bet $2. UTG+1 folds but the BB calls. We both check a K on the turn. The river is a Q! BB bets $2.75 and I push. He calls with 93o. +$25.80

After these I had won back enough to once again play $50NL. First though I decided I needed alittle MTT time, so I played 4 $4 180man STTs on Stars, and they went pretty awfully. In one I came 77th, but in the other 3 I went pretty far. With 18 places paying, I ended up coming 19th, 21st and 27th in the remaining 3. Nice waste of $18 and nearly 3 hours.

Back to the cash games- I started $50NL again and played very tight, and I was rewarded but getting in some nice situation...

- I get AA on the button and make it $2. The SB makes it $13 and I just call. The flop is Q-9-5 and the SB pushes for $28. I insta-call. The turn is a K and I feel like I've been outdrawn, but an A on the river stops me worrying. The SB shows 10-10. +$40.10

- I get QQ on the button and make it $2. The SB makes it $6 and the BB calls. I re-re-raise to $15 and just the BB calls. The flop is 2-3-6 and the BB pushes for $34. I insta-call and he shows 88 and misses. +$52.75

- I get AA in the cut-off and make it $2. The button makes it $6 and it is folded to me. I re-raise a little too small, and only make it $12. The button calls. The flopis 8-6-2. I bet $16 and the button calls. The turn is a 9 and I push. The button calls with JJ and misses. +$55.20

There was one nasty hand where I'm not really sure how I played it...

- There are 3 limpers and I make it $3.50 in the SB with QQ. Just the last limper calls. The flop is 6-7-J. I bet $6 and get called. The turn is a 9. I'm not really sure where I am, but I push. He calls and shows 78. The river is an 8. -$40.10

Overall though I won about $150 at $50NL so I am pretty pleased. I also got $18.20 in rakeback on FTP.

Bankroll - $1497.19

Up to $50NL... and down again... (August update)

This is my graph of cash winnings in August. The first big drop is when I was playing awfully, and was down $100 in a session but managed to pull about $60 of it back. Then things were going pretty steady. I tried to play on Crypto again, but it just didn't work. I get rakeback there so I think I should play there, and they have recently introduced re-sizeable tables, but I just can't win there and don't like the look of it.

Then I thought I would give FullTilt one final shot, as rakeback would make a difference. Although I have always done really badly on FullTilt, I thought I should give it another go. Things started very badly...

- I raise to 85c on thebutton with 77, and the BB calls. The flop is A-10-7. The BB bets the pot and I call. The turn is an A. BB bets the pot again and I push. He calls with 10-10. Nice. -$23.60

...but after this everything went well. I found the play very poor and I won fairly consistently. After a good session, I decided to give a $24 MTT 6-max a spin, but sadly busted in 51st place (out of 350). The cash continued to go well, and I got to the point where I could move up to $50NL. I was feeling pretty confident, and it went like this...

- I raise in the cut-off to $1.75 with Ah5h, and the button abd SB call. The flop is 4-6h-4. We all check. The turn is Qh. We check to the button, who bets $5.75. The SB calls. I think this is a marginal call if I was drawing to the nuts, but with a paired board it is a horrible call. But I called. The river is Kh. SB checks, and I feel I have to value bet and bet $15. The button folds and the SB pushes. I pretty much know I am dead but can't fold. I call and he shows 44 for quads. -$46.75

- It is folded to me in the cut-off and I make it $1.75 with JJ. The BB calls. The flop is 10-7-5. The BB checks, I bet $2.50 and he makes it $8. I'm not sure on the best way to play this, but I make it $15, which I don't think is a horrible play, as I may have the best hand but can fold if he re-raises. He calls. The turn is a 10. Now I don't beat much, and we both check. The river is a 3 and he bets $11. The pot is now $44, and although I don't beat anything, I call. He shows 55. -$27.75

- UTG limps, the SB completes and I check the BB with A4. The flop is A-5-2. I bet $1 and UTG calls. The turn is a K. I check and UTG goes all-in for $20.75. This is such an obvious fold. But not to me, and I called. UTG had 34. -$22.25

So all together I lost $138 over 520 hands at $50NL - very disappointing. I played absolutely awfully, I thought everyone was trying to make a move on me, but I should've just been much more patient and have gotten to know my table before I made any big moved. Nest time I will be a lot more patient before I move up.

Anyway, Now I have to win another $100 at $25NL before I can move up. I have played one session and made back $43.95, so hopefully it won't take too long before I am at $50NL again.

Bankroll - $1260.84