http://lhc-live.com
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Atom Smasher
I have something for you to check out that I think you would be interested in. First look up CERN. It is the particle accelerator “Atom Smasher” that just started its test runs. It is considered possibly the greatest scientific experiment of all time. They are looking for many things with subatomic particles, foremost among these would be the Higgs Boson “the god particle” - the theoretical substance that gives matter mass and gravity. In theory some byproducts of the testing could create wormholes, mini black holes, strangelets, new universes, new space travel fuels and processes, etc - and possibly show us up to 7 more dimensions that we currently hypothesize yet have no understanding. Oh yea, there is also a slight possibility that it could vaporize everything on the Earth. Figure I might add in that small mundane point. Good nerd stuff. This thing whorls electrons at opposing directions at nearly the speed of light. The loop that the electrons are traveling is 17 miles long and the electrons whip around that circuit 11,000 times per sec. That is just sick.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Sup Guys
Things haven’t been going too well lately. I lost some huge hands trying to move up. I lost $380 in July. I worked off some bonuses though and cashed out a little. I’m still at $700 so I’m happy.
Another great showing in the Fantasy League. I made 11 events because my pros did so well. I got 6th in one of Tilt’s Fantasy Poker tourneys for a $50 payday. That qualified me for the Main Event Package tourney. 1st paid. It started with 950 or so. I stayed in top 10 from the first 10 mins of the tourney. I averaged 4th for most of the tourney. I finally went out in 22nd. That sucked. I was one of the chip leaders and locked horns with the guy that was in 1st for almost the entire time. I had slightly less than 60,000 and he had 100,000. He was uber agro and kept attacking my blinds from 2 to my left. I came over top big PF with AQo. He called Flop comes QJsmall. I bet pot or so. I should have pushed at that point because I was committed, but I didn’t really think about it at the time and my turn bet wasn’t going to be even half the pot. Dumb, dumb, move. He might have dropped his draw, but I doubt it. Turn comes an 8. all-in and he turns over T9s for the straight that whooped my ass. Man, I wish I’d just lost way earlier. Being that close and putting in all that time really sucks. Hey, it was another fun year and I won $50 and a hat.
Another great showing in the Fantasy League. I made 11 events because my pros did so well. I got 6th in one of Tilt’s Fantasy Poker tourneys for a $50 payday. That qualified me for the Main Event Package tourney. 1st paid. It started with 950 or so. I stayed in top 10 from the first 10 mins of the tourney. I averaged 4th for most of the tourney. I finally went out in 22nd. That sucked. I was one of the chip leaders and locked horns with the guy that was in 1st for almost the entire time. I had slightly less than 60,000 and he had 100,000. He was uber agro and kept attacking my blinds from 2 to my left. I came over top big PF with AQo. He called Flop comes QJsmall. I bet pot or so. I should have pushed at that point because I was committed, but I didn’t really think about it at the time and my turn bet wasn’t going to be even half the pot. Dumb, dumb, move. He might have dropped his draw, but I doubt it. Turn comes an 8. all-in and he turns over T9s for the straight that whooped my ass. Man, I wish I’d just lost way earlier. Being that close and putting in all that time really sucks. Hey, it was another fun year and I won $50 and a hat.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Long Overdue Update
I have had a good year so far. I am up $1794. I made $800 with my old style. I changed my game up and made the $1100. First off I read both HOH cash game books. That really helped my game. Also I have gotten quite agro in late position. I downloaded the Poker Tracker 3 60 day trial. I will buy this for sure. I have also played a lot this month due to buying a laptop and being on a winning streak. Next month should be a profitable month also, due to Tilt having a mid-year Iron Man bonus. I will get a $250 bonus to work off next month.
Also I got rid of my EP and early MP limps with A-rag-suited and SC’s and gappers and sometimes KQ, which has helped my bottom line. This has helped greatly saving small amounts of money. I had a bad habit of limping in from any position and if it was raised to $1 or less I would call. As you know you don’t hit often enough to make this a +EV play. Plus, when you hit it is usually a draw, thus loses more money because I will chase the flop without odds due to OK implied odds and the small amount for the flop bet. I still only play the right odds for the river card. I fold KQ to a raise PF if the raiser is tight. Now I wait until LP position to either raise with these hands to make it less likely for a raise plus I with be in position on the flop. I don’t play too many gappers. I will cold-call PF raises with SC’s if there are a few callers.
My poker Tracker stats are awesome at the moment. I downloaded it 13 days ago and I have played every day so far. I am up $700. I am on a 13-day winning streak. 28 max buy-ins at the $25 NL tables. I have played close to 40 hours in that time. I have seen 16000 hands. My BB/100 is 8.74. I am averaging $18.48/hr and 53.90 a day. 2 buy-ins a day is very nice. I played a lot yesterday and made $175.
FT started having deep stack tables. At the $25 tables you can buy-in for $50. I always try to get on the deep tables to eliminate the short stack factor at the regular tables. I buy-in for $25 at the moment and with all the big stacks I usually have a chance to double-up if we get all-in. I will ride this streak out before I try to move up to the $50’s. The Hud stats are really helping me pull in some nice pots and fold some hands that I would normally play, not knowing how tight the raiser was due to playing so many tables. (8). I currently have $850 online and hope to not cashout any time soon.
Live I am up over $800 for the year. I have only been to a B&M casino once this year.
I am doing OK in the FT fantasy poker this year also. I have already qualified for 6 $2000 freerolls.
Also I got rid of my EP and early MP limps with A-rag-suited and SC’s and gappers and sometimes KQ, which has helped my bottom line. This has helped greatly saving small amounts of money. I had a bad habit of limping in from any position and if it was raised to $1 or less I would call. As you know you don’t hit often enough to make this a +EV play. Plus, when you hit it is usually a draw, thus loses more money because I will chase the flop without odds due to OK implied odds and the small amount for the flop bet. I still only play the right odds for the river card. I fold KQ to a raise PF if the raiser is tight. Now I wait until LP position to either raise with these hands to make it less likely for a raise plus I with be in position on the flop. I don’t play too many gappers. I will cold-call PF raises with SC’s if there are a few callers.
My poker Tracker stats are awesome at the moment. I downloaded it 13 days ago and I have played every day so far. I am up $700. I am on a 13-day winning streak. 28 max buy-ins at the $25 NL tables. I have played close to 40 hours in that time. I have seen 16000 hands. My BB/100 is 8.74. I am averaging $18.48/hr and 53.90 a day. 2 buy-ins a day is very nice. I played a lot yesterday and made $175.
FT started having deep stack tables. At the $25 tables you can buy-in for $50. I always try to get on the deep tables to eliminate the short stack factor at the regular tables. I buy-in for $25 at the moment and with all the big stacks I usually have a chance to double-up if we get all-in. I will ride this streak out before I try to move up to the $50’s. The Hud stats are really helping me pull in some nice pots and fold some hands that I would normally play, not knowing how tight the raiser was due to playing so many tables. (8). I currently have $850 online and hope to not cashout any time soon.
Live I am up over $800 for the year. I have only been to a B&M casino once this year.
I am doing OK in the FT fantasy poker this year also. I have already qualified for 6 $2000 freerolls.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
The Good, The Bad, And The Lucky
I played in a tournament at the local Indian Casino a few weeks back.
Registration filled up quick. I was on hold at 10am when registration opened up. I finally got signed at 10:20 and I was 28th on the list. 30 max. 1 guy from work didn’t make it. It started at 6pm. I got to there at 5:15 and blew $50 in the slots waiting to be seated. We started with 2000 in chips. Blinds went – 10/20, 20/40, 50/100, 100/200, 2/4, and so on. I decided to see a lot of flops due to the early stack/blind ratio.
I hit a few nice hands early on and chipped up. Then I get AA. A chick to my right opens PF. I reraise and she calls. She hits 2 pair on the flop with Q8o. We get all-in on the flop and I suckout on the river to stack her. IMO, she got what was coming to her for raising PF from EP with trash and then calling my large rerasie.
A little later I misread that 1 dude was in a hand because he had his arms on the table, which were covering his cards. I opened trying to blind steal from the button and he pushes for a small amount more. I was embarrassed to turn over my junk, which I never would have raised with if I was paying attention that the shorty limped in. He doubles through me. At 1st break, which was at the end of level 4, we were down to 2 tables, and I had about 9000 in chips. RC went before this break in mid or early 20’s. That’s one from the prop bet down. 10 pride dollars, cha-ching.
We consolidated to 2 tables and I was card dead forever it seemed. Yet I keep stealing the SB from a passive rock that always limped from the small and then would fold to my raises. He was to my immediate right at all three tables and kept giving me his blinds.
Close to the 2nd break, and down to the final table, with the blinds at 500/1000, I’m looking for a spot to push. If it wasn’t for the guy on my right winning hands and then folding to my BB pushes and raises I would have had to find a spot much sooner. A guy limps from MP. The SB calls and I check my Q7o. Flop comes Q7x. Checky-check and MP pushes. He has King-high. Rock folds and I call. He is way behind and I scoop a nice pot. 2nd break I have maybe 16000 in chips. HG goes home in 8th place. 20 pride dollars.
When we start back up players start locking horns as I sat back and waited for the bubble-buster. 5 places cashed. It gets down to 4 and I get KK in the SB. Folds to me and I check to a stack that’s bigger than me. He pushes. I obviously call and he shows KJo. I double-up and he doesn’t even have enough for the 1500/3000 blinds. He goes all-in next hand and 2 of us check him down and HGH (he goes home) in 4th. I steal a few blinds and the chip leader takes out the shortie.
Heads-up. I start stealing blinds with big raises and all-ins especially if he just called the Small Blind. We only played maybe 4 hands before we both got all-in. I think he set me up hoping I would push on his SB call. I had 29,700 in chips and he had 30,300. I pushed and he called with pocket 4’s. He had to think it would be a race, but it wasn’t. I had A2o. I hit an Ace on the flop, leaving him with 600 in chips. The blinds were 1500/3000. I now had him 100 to 1 in chips. LOL. I pushed every hand and after doubling 3 times I finally took him out. $600 for first place and my pic on the wall until next tourney. That was kind’a ghey, but the $600 was cool, and bragging rights with the boys was priceless.
Registration filled up quick. I was on hold at 10am when registration opened up. I finally got signed at 10:20 and I was 28th on the list. 30 max. 1 guy from work didn’t make it. It started at 6pm. I got to there at 5:15 and blew $50 in the slots waiting to be seated. We started with 2000 in chips. Blinds went – 10/20, 20/40, 50/100, 100/200, 2/4, and so on. I decided to see a lot of flops due to the early stack/blind ratio.
I hit a few nice hands early on and chipped up. Then I get AA. A chick to my right opens PF. I reraise and she calls. She hits 2 pair on the flop with Q8o. We get all-in on the flop and I suckout on the river to stack her. IMO, she got what was coming to her for raising PF from EP with trash and then calling my large rerasie.
A little later I misread that 1 dude was in a hand because he had his arms on the table, which were covering his cards. I opened trying to blind steal from the button and he pushes for a small amount more. I was embarrassed to turn over my junk, which I never would have raised with if I was paying attention that the shorty limped in. He doubles through me. At 1st break, which was at the end of level 4, we were down to 2 tables, and I had about 9000 in chips. RC went before this break in mid or early 20’s. That’s one from the prop bet down. 10 pride dollars, cha-ching.
We consolidated to 2 tables and I was card dead forever it seemed. Yet I keep stealing the SB from a passive rock that always limped from the small and then would fold to my raises. He was to my immediate right at all three tables and kept giving me his blinds.
Close to the 2nd break, and down to the final table, with the blinds at 500/1000, I’m looking for a spot to push. If it wasn’t for the guy on my right winning hands and then folding to my BB pushes and raises I would have had to find a spot much sooner. A guy limps from MP. The SB calls and I check my Q7o. Flop comes Q7x. Checky-check and MP pushes. He has King-high. Rock folds and I call. He is way behind and I scoop a nice pot. 2nd break I have maybe 16000 in chips. HG goes home in 8th place. 20 pride dollars.
When we start back up players start locking horns as I sat back and waited for the bubble-buster. 5 places cashed. It gets down to 4 and I get KK in the SB. Folds to me and I check to a stack that’s bigger than me. He pushes. I obviously call and he shows KJo. I double-up and he doesn’t even have enough for the 1500/3000 blinds. He goes all-in next hand and 2 of us check him down and HGH (he goes home) in 4th. I steal a few blinds and the chip leader takes out the shortie.
Heads-up. I start stealing blinds with big raises and all-ins especially if he just called the Small Blind. We only played maybe 4 hands before we both got all-in. I think he set me up hoping I would push on his SB call. I had 29,700 in chips and he had 30,300. I pushed and he called with pocket 4’s. He had to think it would be a race, but it wasn’t. I had A2o. I hit an Ace on the flop, leaving him with 600 in chips. The blinds were 1500/3000. I now had him 100 to 1 in chips. LOL. I pushed every hand and after doubling 3 times I finally took him out. $600 for first place and my pic on the wall until next tourney. That was kind’a ghey, but the $600 was cool, and bragging rights with the boys was priceless.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
I Won That Tourney Was Week
I will update with a full rundown of the tournament in a few days once I get back to work.
That is 3 live tourneys now with great results. 2 1st place finishes and a final table.
Later, Ash out...
That is 3 live tourneys now with great results. 2 1st place finishes and a final table.
Later, Ash out...
Monday, February 25, 2008
Update and a Free $15
I haven’t played that much this month. I will end up with Sliver IM status most likely. I am up over $600 so far this year. I’m not playing the best, but with bonuses and Rakebreak I have made this profit. I have cashed out $700 or $800 so far this year. My online roll is slightly less than $600.
Live, I have been doing well this year so far. We have played 8 times. I just lost my first session. That puts me at 7 wins and 1 loss. I am up or $300. I am happy about this.
I will go the casino for the first time on Tuesday. 4 of us from the Home Game are going to play in a $50 NL tourney. We also have a $10 prop bet going on for who lasts the longest. We plan on staying after and playing some cash NL $1/$2. I’ll keep you posted.
Also, I added an affiliate link on the side bar. I’ll hook anyone that signs under me with a free $15 on Full Tilt. If anyone is interested just e-mail me and we can set it up. Any questions shoot me an e-mail – subject affiliate.
Live, I have been doing well this year so far. We have played 8 times. I just lost my first session. That puts me at 7 wins and 1 loss. I am up or $300. I am happy about this.
I will go the casino for the first time on Tuesday. 4 of us from the Home Game are going to play in a $50 NL tourney. We also have a $10 prop bet going on for who lasts the longest. We plan on staying after and playing some cash NL $1/$2. I’ll keep you posted.
Also, I added an affiliate link on the side bar. I’ll hook anyone that signs under me with a free $15 on Full Tilt. If anyone is interested just e-mail me and we can set it up. Any questions shoot me an e-mail – subject affiliate.
Friday, February 08, 2008
2007 earnings* and 2008 supposition**
DISCLAIMER: What you are about to read in regard to one’s yearly earnings is only gratuitous nonsensical fiction only stated to make one seem validated and vindicated in one’s time spent playing poker. No real money was earned. All amounts of play money are approximations and likely stated well above one’s actual earnings of play money. All play money is worthless as US legal tender and thus holds no real monetary value.
I had a bumpy year. And here is the run-down. I started the 2007 with $500 in my online accounts. Throughout the year I cashed out $1578.94 in earnings. At year’s end I had an $836.72 online bankroll. So that sums-up to $1915.66 for 2007. That is over $3000 less than 2006.
My goal at the start of 2007 was to double the previous year’s total net. So 10000.00 was the goal. I only achieved 1/5th of that goal. I’m not real happy with that result, but after where I was at earlier in the year, I am happy about the comeback. Early in the year I was down $300 thereabouts. A $2200 comeback in the second half of the year is acceptable to me. So my goal this year is to double 2007’s total. So I want to make $4000 this year.
I got away from my winning game at some point early on. I took a few months off to cool down. TILT was palpable in my psyche. I went from UB and moved my roll over to Tilt. There I worked my way up and back down the ranks many times. Not to losing always, but to cashouts and also to downswings soon after sometimes. I also found that I wasn’t and still ain’t crushing the levels that I used to. I have maintained Iron man status for 7 months straight and am still going. (Not top tear every month.)
I also did my share of Live action over 2007. Most were local home games with my friends from work. I also played a few times with the Family in low buyin tourneys. And I only played at the casino once all year. I made a grand total of $1094 at live action play last year. That is a $327 increase from the previous year’s total. I’m happy here. My 2008 goal is $1500.
Breakdown:
Casino – 2007 - earned $22 – 1 win.
Casino – 2006 - lost $139 – 3 wins/2 losses.
That is a $161 swing.
Local home games – 2007 - earned $1064 – 45 wins/10 losses.
Local home games – 2006 - earned $821.00 – 18 wins/3 losses.
Increase of $243.
That is 34 more games.
My average went from +$39 a game in 2006 to +$19 a game in 2007???
I don’t really have an explanation for this. I will think on it.
Fam Games – 2007 – lost $40 – 1 win/5 losses.
Fam Games – 2006 - earned $85 – 4 wins/0 losses.
This is a $125 swing???
I can’t really explain this either.
There is a couple other live games that don’t fall under these 3 categories that I did play in also. I won most of those that brought my year total up.
My game has transitioned big time during 2007. My TAG, TAG-weak style has evolved into a TAG-weak, yet quite a late position AGRO style. LOL. I would love to get rid of the weak part for sure. That is something that I plan on focusing on in 2008. Also along these same lines, have just noticed by watching my hand stats, that I am especially weak on the river. I am missing out on a lot of wins on this street by not value betting and inducing more profits or wins without going to showdown. I have a bad habit of seeing monsters and check/calling in these situations. I am irrationally near always afraid of the dreaded check-raise if I don’t have at least the near-nuts. I have a lot of leaks that I need to find and work on one by one.
*Earnings: Figurative monetary units.
**Supposition: Estimate of future earnings*.
I had a bumpy year. And here is the run-down. I started the 2007 with $500 in my online accounts. Throughout the year I cashed out $1578.94 in earnings. At year’s end I had an $836.72 online bankroll. So that sums-up to $1915.66 for 2007. That is over $3000 less than 2006.
My goal at the start of 2007 was to double the previous year’s total net. So 10000.00 was the goal. I only achieved 1/5th of that goal. I’m not real happy with that result, but after where I was at earlier in the year, I am happy about the comeback. Early in the year I was down $300 thereabouts. A $2200 comeback in the second half of the year is acceptable to me. So my goal this year is to double 2007’s total. So I want to make $4000 this year.
I got away from my winning game at some point early on. I took a few months off to cool down. TILT was palpable in my psyche. I went from UB and moved my roll over to Tilt. There I worked my way up and back down the ranks many times. Not to losing always, but to cashouts and also to downswings soon after sometimes. I also found that I wasn’t and still ain’t crushing the levels that I used to. I have maintained Iron man status for 7 months straight and am still going. (Not top tear every month.)
I also did my share of Live action over 2007. Most were local home games with my friends from work. I also played a few times with the Family in low buyin tourneys. And I only played at the casino once all year. I made a grand total of $1094 at live action play last year. That is a $327 increase from the previous year’s total. I’m happy here. My 2008 goal is $1500.
Breakdown:
Casino – 2007 - earned $22 – 1 win.
Casino – 2006 - lost $139 – 3 wins/2 losses.
That is a $161 swing.
Local home games – 2007 - earned $1064 – 45 wins/10 losses.
Local home games – 2006 - earned $821.00 – 18 wins/3 losses.
Increase of $243.
That is 34 more games.
My average went from +$39 a game in 2006 to +$19 a game in 2007???
I don’t really have an explanation for this. I will think on it.
Fam Games – 2007 – lost $40 – 1 win/5 losses.
Fam Games – 2006 - earned $85 – 4 wins/0 losses.
This is a $125 swing???
I can’t really explain this either.
There is a couple other live games that don’t fall under these 3 categories that I did play in also. I won most of those that brought my year total up.
My game has transitioned big time during 2007. My TAG, TAG-weak style has evolved into a TAG-weak, yet quite a late position AGRO style. LOL. I would love to get rid of the weak part for sure. That is something that I plan on focusing on in 2008. Also along these same lines, have just noticed by watching my hand stats, that I am especially weak on the river. I am missing out on a lot of wins on this street by not value betting and inducing more profits or wins without going to showdown. I have a bad habit of seeing monsters and check/calling in these situations. I am irrationally near always afraid of the dreaded check-raise if I don’t have at least the near-nuts. I have a lot of leaks that I need to find and work on one by one.
*Earnings: Figurative monetary units.
**Supposition: Estimate of future earnings*.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
2007 Review Yet To Come
How romantic and full of shit I was. I honestly did just learn those things in 2006. Forums like this one did help me greatly. I just have to keep telling myself to keep an open mind to different strategies. I honestly think my game has digressed somewhat in certain areas. I will update with my 2007 year end results. It ain’t pretty. I lost myself somewhere.
2006 earnings* and 2007 Supposition**
DISCLAIMER: What you are about to read in regard to one’s yearly earnings is only gratuitous nonsensical fiction only stated to make one seem validated and vindicated in one’s time spent playing poker. No real money was earned. All amounts of play money are approximations and likely stated well above one’s actual earnings of play money. All play money is worthless as US legal tender and thus holds no real monetary value.
I had a great year. And here is the run-down. I started the year with $180 in my online accounts. Throughout the year I cashed out $4740 in earnings. At year’s end I have a $507 online bankroll. So that sums-up to $5067 for 2006. That is a far cry for what I started the year with. I am truly satisfied with my online cash game.
I also did a little Live action over 2006. Most were local home games with my friends from work. I also played a few times with the Family in low buyin tourneys. And I put a little time in at the casino. I made a grand total of $767 at live action play last year.
Breakdown:
Casino – lost $139.00 – 3 wins/2 losses.
Local home games – earned $821.00 – 18 wins/3 losses.
Fam Games – earned $85 – 4 wins/0 losses.
My monetary goal for this year is to double last year’s earnings. Online will be tough, but it is attainable. I started last year at the $10 tables and was hyper-conservative and anal about moving up stakes. Often I had more than 35 max buyins before I made the move because I wanted to crush the level before moving up stakes. I waited until I could consistently make money and know that level’s plays and moves. I don’t need to learn how to beat these stakes again because I already can. Plus I am starting the year at $500 and am playing the $50NL tables. I am willing to take greater risks this year, but I will move down if a downswing comes by. So $10,000. Man that’s a lot of money. Only $9,500 to go. Hopefully the government and sites leave us US players alone long enough for me to beat this goal.
*Earnings: Figurative monetary units.
**Supposition: Estimate of future earnings*.
I had a great year. And here is the run-down. I started the year with $180 in my online accounts. Throughout the year I cashed out $4740 in earnings. At year’s end I have a $507 online bankroll. So that sums-up to $5067 for 2006. That is a far cry for what I started the year with. I am truly satisfied with my online cash game.
I also did a little Live action over 2006. Most were local home games with my friends from work. I also played a few times with the Family in low buyin tourneys. And I put a little time in at the casino. I made a grand total of $767 at live action play last year.
Breakdown:
Casino – lost $139.00 – 3 wins/2 losses.
Local home games – earned $821.00 – 18 wins/3 losses.
Fam Games – earned $85 – 4 wins/0 losses.
My monetary goal for this year is to double last year’s earnings. Online will be tough, but it is attainable. I started last year at the $10 tables and was hyper-conservative and anal about moving up stakes. Often I had more than 35 max buyins before I made the move because I wanted to crush the level before moving up stakes. I waited until I could consistently make money and know that level’s plays and moves. I don’t need to learn how to beat these stakes again because I already can. Plus I am starting the year at $500 and am playing the $50NL tables. I am willing to take greater risks this year, but I will move down if a downswing comes by. So $10,000. Man that’s a lot of money. Only $9,500 to go. Hopefully the government and sites leave us US players alone long enough for me to beat this goal.
*Earnings: Figurative monetary units.
**Supposition: Estimate of future earnings*.
Monday, January 07, 2008
2006: An Old Year in Retrospect and A New Year’s Goals
This is my 2006 review and 2007 goals. 2007 review and 2008 goals to come.
I learned a lot this year. I also achieved a lot. I am very happy and proud of how the year went. The biggest improvement in my game started early this year when I began read poker books and articles and discussing poker with other players at poker forums. I soon learned some new tricks with the guidance from these sources. I have made a lot of changes to my game last year and hopeful make a lot more.
I now buyin for the max at the table to give me the optimum opportunity to earn the maximum from my opponents’ mistakes. I started the year playing super-tight push-monkey poker while buying in for the minimum. Don’t get me wrong here, you can make money this way as I learned early on, but you are not growing as a player; you’re not gain levels in your poker knowledge. I wasn’t really using my head; I was just waiting for a great starting hand and then pushing with it. I was making money slowly, but I wasn’t gaining any new skills. One positive was that I was getting lots of hands in, gradually letting me see how others were playing hands and gaining experience that only comes from sitting at the table.
I truly learned the value of aggression. This one advancement in my poker arsenal has added expected value to every session. I started the year weak and envisioning monsters under every bed, often folding strong holdings to others’ aggression. I hated to put money in the middle without an almost certain guaranty of returned compensation. I realize now through much trial and error and castigation from peers, that in certain situations it is lucrative in the long-term to bet even with marginal holdings. Continuation bets are a must. It took a lot for my conservative psyche to turn these tricks. I still have a long way to go, yet I am on the path.
I also have learned a bit about position over the year. I started out only playing certain hands and betting those hands the same at a full ring game no matter where I was in the hand. I have begun to be more aggressive with lesser holdings the better my position. It has increased my profits and also wins a lot of hands that I wouldn’t stand a chance with at showdown. The fewer people in the hand the less likely someone hit their hand and when they do how hard they hit. Another bet from position on a later street is quite likely to make them drop their holdings. I still have a long way to go here with my overall game.
I have begun to not only play with the hand I’m holding but also think about my opponents’ holdings and play accordingly. I’m starting to get an elementary grasp of possible holdings due to the way they play the hand. What are their betting patterns showing or portraying about their holdings? At the beginning of this year this was basically a nonexistent skill for me. But if you would have asked me if I thought about what they were holding, I would have ignorantly said of course I do. Yea, I half-ass guessed what they had, but without the depth of thinking currently involved. Once again I have plenty to learn here.
I have lowered my starting hand requirements. I started the year playing hyper-tight poker. I was playing top 15-25 hands solely. As aforementioned, I usually pushed my purposely-intentioned short-stack when I found those hands. It took a while for my mind to comprehend that loosening up didn’t mean going all willy-nilly and just throwing your money in with anything for any reason. I now play lots of combinations of starting hands in an array of situations and positions lucratively, by knowing exactly what and how I expect to hit those hands before investing anymore time or money into the hand. This is an ongoing and I’m guessing ever-changing part of my future game.
I have stopped adhering to my-believed finite rules of play. I have begun to play the player and/or situation. I don’t robotically make the moves that so easily defined what I held. I have begun to portray what I want them to think I hold or don’t hold. I exploit others mistakes with move and counter-move. I have begun to use pinpoint bluffing. It’s not hard to push in your chips and hope for the best. What’s hard is to know or make an educated guess as to when they will fold. I have begun to raise early in the hand for no other reason than to gain information as to their holds and how strong they are. I truly have lots to learn here and would fair to guess always will continue to always learn more and refine.
All of the aforementioned aspects and areas of my game that I have grown and embellished upon this past year, I hope and expect to continue educating myself further this next year. I look forward to it actually. I will keep an open-mind to new concepts and strategies, even if they seem far-fetched at first. I will continue to listen, discuss, and analyze every aspect that I can. Just like the psychology I am studying with fervor and I feel, an inherent love, I also feel for poker. There is nothing that makes a person thrive at something more than a love for it. Numerically I hope to double my earnings from last year. It is obtainable. Am I up to the task? Who knows, but you can bet your ass I will try. Onward I will grow and hopefully hit that unlikely plateau that, we all that love poker surreptitiously hope for, breaking the confines of the harnessed and controlled yoke of corporate society, to become a thriving Pro that lives doing what he loves.
I learned a lot this year. I also achieved a lot. I am very happy and proud of how the year went. The biggest improvement in my game started early this year when I began read poker books and articles and discussing poker with other players at poker forums. I soon learned some new tricks with the guidance from these sources. I have made a lot of changes to my game last year and hopeful make a lot more.
I now buyin for the max at the table to give me the optimum opportunity to earn the maximum from my opponents’ mistakes. I started the year playing super-tight push-monkey poker while buying in for the minimum. Don’t get me wrong here, you can make money this way as I learned early on, but you are not growing as a player; you’re not gain levels in your poker knowledge. I wasn’t really using my head; I was just waiting for a great starting hand and then pushing with it. I was making money slowly, but I wasn’t gaining any new skills. One positive was that I was getting lots of hands in, gradually letting me see how others were playing hands and gaining experience that only comes from sitting at the table.
I truly learned the value of aggression. This one advancement in my poker arsenal has added expected value to every session. I started the year weak and envisioning monsters under every bed, often folding strong holdings to others’ aggression. I hated to put money in the middle without an almost certain guaranty of returned compensation. I realize now through much trial and error and castigation from peers, that in certain situations it is lucrative in the long-term to bet even with marginal holdings. Continuation bets are a must. It took a lot for my conservative psyche to turn these tricks. I still have a long way to go, yet I am on the path.
I also have learned a bit about position over the year. I started out only playing certain hands and betting those hands the same at a full ring game no matter where I was in the hand. I have begun to be more aggressive with lesser holdings the better my position. It has increased my profits and also wins a lot of hands that I wouldn’t stand a chance with at showdown. The fewer people in the hand the less likely someone hit their hand and when they do how hard they hit. Another bet from position on a later street is quite likely to make them drop their holdings. I still have a long way to go here with my overall game.
I have begun to not only play with the hand I’m holding but also think about my opponents’ holdings and play accordingly. I’m starting to get an elementary grasp of possible holdings due to the way they play the hand. What are their betting patterns showing or portraying about their holdings? At the beginning of this year this was basically a nonexistent skill for me. But if you would have asked me if I thought about what they were holding, I would have ignorantly said of course I do. Yea, I half-ass guessed what they had, but without the depth of thinking currently involved. Once again I have plenty to learn here.
I have lowered my starting hand requirements. I started the year playing hyper-tight poker. I was playing top 15-25 hands solely. As aforementioned, I usually pushed my purposely-intentioned short-stack when I found those hands. It took a while for my mind to comprehend that loosening up didn’t mean going all willy-nilly and just throwing your money in with anything for any reason. I now play lots of combinations of starting hands in an array of situations and positions lucratively, by knowing exactly what and how I expect to hit those hands before investing anymore time or money into the hand. This is an ongoing and I’m guessing ever-changing part of my future game.
I have stopped adhering to my-believed finite rules of play. I have begun to play the player and/or situation. I don’t robotically make the moves that so easily defined what I held. I have begun to portray what I want them to think I hold or don’t hold. I exploit others mistakes with move and counter-move. I have begun to use pinpoint bluffing. It’s not hard to push in your chips and hope for the best. What’s hard is to know or make an educated guess as to when they will fold. I have begun to raise early in the hand for no other reason than to gain information as to their holds and how strong they are. I truly have lots to learn here and would fair to guess always will continue to always learn more and refine.
All of the aforementioned aspects and areas of my game that I have grown and embellished upon this past year, I hope and expect to continue educating myself further this next year. I look forward to it actually. I will keep an open-mind to new concepts and strategies, even if they seem far-fetched at first. I will continue to listen, discuss, and analyze every aspect that I can. Just like the psychology I am studying with fervor and I feel, an inherent love, I also feel for poker. There is nothing that makes a person thrive at something more than a love for it. Numerically I hope to double my earnings from last year. It is obtainable. Am I up to the task? Who knows, but you can bet your ass I will try. Onward I will grow and hopefully hit that unlikely plateau that, we all that love poker surreptitiously hope for, breaking the confines of the harnessed and controlled yoke of corporate society, to become a thriving Pro that lives doing what he loves.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
And It Happens Again
All-in on the flop and BANG - kick to the nads. Getting real old. And then the top it off a 3 came to make it a double 2-outer.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
