My Goal for the Week Attained...I'm Playing Great

My goal of winning $1000 playing live this week was attained after a 4 hour session tonight at The Office, the weekly stud8/omaha8 game. As I've said before, this is the most consistantly beatable game that I've ever player and it just doesn't change. Hovered around even for a couple of hours then scooped a couple of pots, up around $350 at my peak and quit at +$300.

So, for the week 3 hours 2 5 NLH, 2 hours 10 20 LHE, 4 hours 4 8 1/2 kill hi/lo for a profit of just under $1000 in 3 sessions totalling 9 hours of play.

Will be taking tonight off, maybe playing a bit online...now it's bedtime.

On Pace For a Pretty Good Month

I've played relatively little poker this month, but am on pace for $3k or so of profit which would be one of my best months to date. So far, I have played only 12 hours or so of live cash games and am up roughly $700, 10 hours of 6max sngs on Titan +$700, 2 hours of online ring on Party +$200, 7 hours or so of Party sngs +$200 and a few hours of live tourney play -$60. So, overall on pace for a $3k or so month with out much play at all.

Over the last few months a losing session of sngs online has been breaking even or just making a small profit, whereas a good session like this AM involved playing for 2 hours/4sngs and finishing 1st 3 times and 2nd once. Not bad at all. Playing just 4 $22 sngs on Party today I am up $200 on the day.

This profit doesn't seem like much work as I have mixed up my game pretty evenly. Live profits from O8/Stud8/LHE and NLH, online from 6max sngs and PLO8 HU matches and a Jackpot. Haven't played much on Titan lately, but will try at that Jackpot again soon.

I Have a Big Hole in My Tournament Game

I decided to play the small $60 tournament at The Unit tonight. More to start working a bit on my live tournament game than anything else. 45 players or so, first $1.1K, second $700, third $400, fourth $200. Usually when I play these, it is just to blow off some steam from playing solid cash-game poker. My cash game has virtually no holes...however. my tournament game has one big one akin to the Matusow Blow-up.

I decide to play solid, positional poker, make no moves, play my cards and see how it goes. I literally pick-up JJ once and that's about it. I manage to get down to 6 handed where if I'm not the short stack, then I'm 5th. Only first would mean much in terms of the payout, second would be ok as well, not at all interested in 3rd-5th. So, blinds are 600 1200 and I have 8-9k infront of me. Folded to me on the button, very weak player in the SB about my stack size, chip leader in the BB. I decide to limp with KTo and try and take it on the flop. SB folds, BB makes it 3k ontop, I think and push. I have never played with the BB before as this was a new table. I think that getting all those chips earlier makes him very capable of making a move on a short limping stack. He turns over AQo, so I don't mind, but I lose to a full house on the turn.

Now, I played solidly all game but then I get down to 6 handed and decide that I need to double-up to try and make a run to first. Do I mind my push, I'm not sure. I guess that I do a bit given that I'm doing it against a player that I have zero read on and that I could have waited 4-5 more hands for a pushable hand. I was card-dead for most the game, so overall 6th is not very bad. However, this was not a great spot. I don't mind the limp if I know the BB can make a play, as KT is a better than average hand. However, odds are he's just another low-limit player playing only his cards, so I should have either raised or folded in that spot, and certainly should have folded rather than pushing all in. Perhaps if the tournament was for more money then I would have played it differently.

A Few B&M 10 20 Hands

Most sessions seem to come down to a few big pots as to whether you have a winning or losing session. Especially when you only play for a couple of hours. So, it's 11:30pm and my sleep pattern is still all fucked-up (the rain really does not help with this), so I head to the monthly 10 20 game at The Office in Mississauga. It has been a couple of months since I have played live 10 20 LHE and after winning $250 the night before in a brief NL session I felt like I could win another $300 or so in this game. I'm not out for a big win, I just want to win $1000 or so in this week off of work.

So, I get there at midnight and sit with 6 or 7 other players, of which I am only familiar with 3 or so. I end up playing for only 2 hours. I'm up $450 at that point and I get "that feeling" of not wanting to lose back my profit and decide that that's enough for the night.

Three key hands to the session, in chronological order.

First hand:

We are 8 handed or so and this is how the hand plays out -- I like my play but am curious as to what others think.

UTG calls (Johnny T no less), I call with KQo, folded to the SB who completes and BB checks.

Players SB -- extremely loose, horrid limit player.
BB -- extremely tight, horrid limit player.
UTG -- Johnny T who I have not played with in a year and a half and he just sat, so no real read.
Me -- UTG + 1

Preflop pot 2bb

Flop K hi all hearts SB bets, BB folds Johnny T calls, I debate a raise knowing I am likely ahead of SB and thinking JohnnyT likely has a big heart -- I call and wait for the turn to pop it if no heart falls (I have no heart). Pot 3.5bb.

Turn offsuit Q giving me top 2 -- SB bets, JT calls, I raise with top 2, SB calls, JT reraises (pot now 10,5bb) -- so he most likely flopped the flush, but again I do not have a good read on JT and he could have top pair with a big heart, I call given that I have roughly 10.5:1 on my money to make a fh with 10.5bb in the pot and will be paid by a bet on the river, and SB folds. Pot 11.5bb.

River blank and I call (12.5bb pot) and am shown T9 suited of hearts -- I always call on the river HU in this spot as I feel it is a winning play in the long run, win 1 in 11 and I'm ahead.

As an aside, Johnny T played some solid poker in the couple hours I sat with him, much different than my previous experiences with him. For those of you who don't know JT, check out www.pokernightlive.ca

Second hand:

77 UTG. Table is 8 handed or so, I look down and think of mucking, then think of raising. I noticed last month that my positional play had been poor wrt preflop hand selection and after tightening-up slightly I have yet to have a losing session. So, I call. Why do I call? I think the table was playing fairly tight preflop at that point and I figured the flop would be cheap. Soooooo, it comes back to me 3-bet or capped (I don't recall) 3 ways as 2 loose-aggressive players decided to remember that they were loose aggressive. I call 2 or 3 more bets cold, feeling I can win 16bb on my 8:1 shot of flopping a set if I hit given who is in the hand.

The players:

ME -- UTG
UTG + 2 -- bad player who reraises and 2 paint preflop regardless of action to him.
MP -- DQ, laggy preflop player, decent postflop player
BB -- JT again

So, we see the flop with 6-8bb in the pot.

Flop -- doorcard is the 7, sweet. 762 with 2 hearts. Pot is big. I'm going to win a big pot or lose a big pot to a straight or a flush. Pot is big, no way am I slowplaying, I want to take this down ASAP. I bet, bad player raises, DQ reraises, JT folds, I cap and bad player thinks and folds, DQ calls right away -- likely flush draw/straight draw or overpair. Pot 11-13bb.

Turn -- completes the flush but not the straight, I can't recall the card. I bet out as I can't allow a free draw to a 4th heart. DQ raises, ok he has the flush. I call. Pot 15-17bb.

River pairs the 6, I bet and he makes a crying call and I rake in a nice-sized pot.

Third Hand:

Very soon after, I pick-up AA UTG. I raise, bad player reraises, DQ reraises, JT calls, I hesitate and make a what-the-fuck-the-game-is-loose cap. Everyone calls. 4 handed capped pot. Pot 8bb.

The players are the same as the last big hand.

The Flop -- T9x with 2 diamonds. I bet, bad player raises, DQ reraises, JT folds (I think), I cap, bad player folds, DQ calls. Pot 13bb.

The turn -- pairs the ten, never a great sign when you have an overpair. I bet, DQ just calls. Hmmm, still drawing? Pot 15bb.

The River -- ACE! Are you kidding me, I hit 2 sets in 10 mins? Nice. Bet, called. And he shows a ten and mucks. Pot 17bb, nice.

I play a few more rounds, the game is still very good although it has gotten short, which is my specialty. However, I have obtained my monitary goal for the night and don't feel like playing aggressive, short-handed poker with it's inherently increased variance after winning $450 at an almost-full table. I get up and I go home.

Conquering a Demon and the Importance of Game Selection

There is one NL underground club in Toronto where I have almost never, if ever, had a winning session. I haven't played there much, but there it is staring me in the face. Probably the only poker room anywhere where I am in the red overall. I know the primary reason for this -- I hate full-table 1 2 NL and this is what I have always played there. Inevitably, I play almost every hand for $2, call with almost anything for $6 trying to crack someone for their stack, etc., etc. I play horrid poker. Also, I abhor full table NL ring...just exhaustingly boring to me. Well, it was 130am and I was wide awake AND I felt like playing live NL ring. So, over to The Unit I go to play 2 5 NL. Now, I have only played 2 5 NL live once before, and that time after a horrid hand of 2nd nut full-house over nut full-house costing me my initial $400, I managed to break even after 4-5 hours. Tonight (or this morning, depending on the life you live), I was determined to play a solid and fairly tight game of 2 5 NL. I told myself on the way there -- do not make moves in multiway pots, do not play suited connectors for a 5bb raise out of position -- basically, play solid, position poker. Just take home a small win, $200 or so, and get this demon off your back and prove that you can play 2 5 NL half way decently as there MUST be alot of money floating around in all the underground NL games in the GTA. NL is the game of choice these days, so why not try playing a limit that is interesting and see how I do.

The game is min/max $200/$500. Usually I like to buy for the max if any stacks at the table are at or over that amount as I can can with huge implied odds to crack big hands. however, I only know 1 player at the table so I decide to be cautious and buy in for $300. After no cards for some time and maybe winning 1 small pot I'm at $250. I have pigeonholed most of the table, so after I win a pot to get to around $330 or so I add on another $100. Basically only 1 big hand all night, but that's all it takes to win a few hundred at 2 5. 7 handed, a player with a fairly wide range of raising hands raises UTG to $20, I have black aces. I decide to conceal the strength of my hand and smooth call. I'm going to get away from this hand with heavy action on a scary board. The small blind, horrid player, comes along. 3 handed to a K74 flop suited in spades -- brilliant. UTG bets $20 into a $65 pot, I know the SB has $70 or $80 left and that I'm not moving off this hand, aces with the nut flush draw. I know SB calls with a king, so I make it $80 and SB folds. UTG calls fairly fast. I put him on AK or KQ. Turn appears to be a blank, making the board K748 with 3 spades. Now, I'm slightly afraid that he's slowplaying a flush or a set, but I'm almost convinced he has KQ with the Q spades. Pot roughly $$220, I bet $130 and have $200 behind. He thinks for 2-3 minutes and then calls -- ok he does not have a made hand and he muttered that he still has outs. KQ, he has to have KQ with Qspades. River offsuit Q for K748Q...um eeeeek! He thinks a minute then checks. I'm hoping if he has KQ I can represent the flush and win -- I bet $209 all in and he folds. He had QT with the Q spades -- drawing completely dead on the turn. That was the only large pot I had played since I sat, noone there really knew my play and he calls all the way with a naked single card 2nd nut flush draw.

Nice.

Only stayed an hour or so after. Roughly 3 hours total, +$250. Mission accomplished.

My First Hit at TITAN

$23 6max sngs played =33
Top 2 finishes 19/33 = 58%
Just finished a streak of 1st, 1st, and 4 seconds = JACKPOT!

Total profit in 33 sngs = $360, jackpot profit = $300.

More importantly, it feels good hitting this small bonus as I knew I could do it. I'll try again at this level as this is a fun diversion, if I hit again I'll move up to the $57s (my normal Party level). I think the best shot at the large jackpot is at the $23 level as the players are terrible.

Best first string is 3 in a row.

Fun.

Titan Jackpot Update

The best streak I've managed so far is 3 straight top 2 finishes and 2 straight firsts. Currently sitting at exactly that situation now for the third time. The good news is that I'm up a couple hundred dollars while playing these $23 sngs. I think I'll stick to these for online play while this promo is on.

What I figure is that is any 6max sng if the field were completely even then, obviously, the change of obtaining top 2 would be 2/6 or 33%. Now, I have a large edge on the field in 6max sngs as they are a specialty of mine. I make top 2 in these over 60%, so far on Titan the percentage being 11/18, or roughly 61%. So, the odds placing top 2 for 6 games in a row would be 0.61 to the 6th power, or roughly a 5% chance. If I can place in top 2 in 70%, which I feel is very realistic on this site at the $23 level, then I have an almost 12% chance or top 2 for 6 games in a row.

Taking the 5% number which translates to 1 in 20, I would on average have to play a series of 6 straight sngs 20 times to win the $300 bonus for placing top 2 for 6 games in a row.

Taking the 12% number, or roughly 1 in 9, I would have to play the series of 6 9 times to win.

Apparently, this would be between 9 and 20 series of 6 sngs, or between 54 and 120 sngs per $300 bonus. In reality, it is likely less sngs as an entire series of 6 is not required for each assessment as one loss will result in a new string of 6 games.

Lets see how it goes. So far 19sngs and no jackpots.

Check This Out, I'm GIDDY...6max sng jackpots on Titan Poker

I was fortunate to be advised about this jackpot.

Goes like this, play $23 6max sngs, place top 2 (3 pay on this site) 6 in a row and $300 bonus. Win 6 in a row and $25k bonus.

Play the $57s and ou get $750 or $100k respectively.

6max sngs are a specialty of mine, so I'm pretty psyched. Winning 6 in a row is not too likely, but placing 6 in a row, well, there's a decent chance.

Starting with the $23s and seeing how I do.

So far played 2, 2nd and 1st.

Obviously, without the jackpot I'm losing money compared to Party on my top 2 places as there is a 3rd place paid, but it'll be fun to try for a while.

Realization That I'm a Very Good Player

So, I was talking to a dealer/friend at an underground club that I frequent 5-10 times a month and we were discussing how much certain players owe on their respective sheets. I for one always play with cash -- I cash in, I cash out. I can't imagine playing with money that I don't have. Anyhow, the amounts that certain players owed in relation to the limits played at this club was, in a word, shocking. I'm still shocked. One player is on the sheet for mid 5 figures over 2 years. Other players appraoching 5 figures for the same period. Shocking.

Anyhow, I also learned that only 4 or 5 players out of the regular pool of 40-50 players are actually winning players. This fits with the 1 in 10 figure normally tossed about, and I know that almost all the players I sit with their are losers, but to hear only a handful of names picked out of the pool really reinforces things. I know I'm a winning player. I know I'm the best player at that club. I only respect the play or 3 other players I have ever played with there. But hearing the cold facts really made me think deeper about the situation.

I had another good month last month, both online and live. For live play, I love the Wed night hi/lo games. I averaged $300 or so a session over the month, but mostly it's a fun game with good people. As for holdem, I had 9/10 winning sessions this past month. The only losing session being a small loss. Online, I've been absolutely crushing the 6max sngs on Party. Last night alone I made $400 in a few hours 2 tabling the $55s. I've come to the point with my live play that for holdem I need to move up limits. Anything under 10 20 is just boring at this point, unless the game is 5 or 6 handed. Hopefully, I will be moving up to 20 40 at Brantford by mid summer. My bankroll is a bit short for an aggressive 20 40 game, so I'll likely wait until I build a bit more before jumping in.

I now solidly believe that I'm one of the few consistant winners out there. I have the confidence to move to 20 40. My weakness continues to be taking losing sessions in stride. My play is never affected while at the table, but I can be upset about a losing session for a day. Obviously, this is not a healthy way to handle something that is inevitable as a poker player, and I'm working on it.