Who said online bad beats were brutal?

Been a little bit short on time lately. In short, I have joined the gym again. Haven't been using the FTP account but it did take another downturn and I am currently sitting on $120.00.

So, last week (I don't recall what day) we had a home game. Short handed as usual. Just BnB, Jen, TV and me. So in the home games that I participate in, I am usually ultra loose and ultra aggressive. This is perfectly normal for anybody that has played in a home game will know as it's usually more of a social occasion than anything else.

Anyway, deep into this game, I could not believe the beats that I was getting. This was not an ordinary run of cold cards - this was hypocrisy!

It all started with when I picked up QQ on the button. This was a dream because I had been playing maniac poker and my raise on the button (to about 5xBB) would raise no suspicions. So I raised and SB and BB called (chumps). The flop comes QA4. Bingo. So, the SB bets and then the BB goes all-in. I am pretty much packing my bags to go to Vegas when I call all-in. I know these fools don't have anything too strong. Top pair with shitty kicker at best. SB joins the party and also calls.

Now, the turn is a 7 - sweet.

Then, the river comes a Ten - feeling good still.

So, SB says "Let's make this interesting" and turns over KJ. King freakin' Jack? KING FK'N JACK!?!?!

Well, then I flop over my QQ in disgust. SB begins to rake in the pot and the BB goes, "Hey, hang on", and flops over KJ too!

And you thought those hands only happen online - not a short handed home game.


Now, Reload!

The *very next hand* I look down and find AA. These fools are going to PAY. I am in the in the cut-off and everybody folds except the BB. This is fine (although a bit weird). Anyway I raise and the BB calls. The flop is TK7 and I have now re-packed those bags I had, ready to hit Vegas again. I bet and BB calls.

Turn gives a J (ok, a little worried now), but BB checks and I go all-in. BB calls.

River gives a Q and this is actually a relief as the worst case is a split pot. Of course, BB turns over AJ and we split the pot. Cold decked again!


Anyway, the hand after that, I pick up 45. The theory in poker is simple; if you don't win with your big hands, push your small ones. Any professional will tell you this.

Pre-flop, I am now in cut-off -1 and I raise standard to 5xBB. SB calls and everybody else folds. Great, it is now heads-up where I can outplay my opponent. The flop is T65, BINGO!

SB bets and I shove - He calls. Turn is a Q (ok, don't panic) and the river is a .... 7!

Double me up baby =)


Well, home games are always interesting =)

I am heading off to Japan for my honeymoon and this is going to take a lot of planning. I am in charge of the itinerary for the whole 3 weeks so that is going to keep me busy. I'm not too worried because we got 'given' the Japan bible to take care of the task.

Australian Pokie Machines

Just quickly fellow compatriots, i'm not sure how long this link is going to last but I have found a source where you can download the emulated version of the Indian Dreaming pokie found in most pubs and clubs across Australia.

Rare find: Australian Pokie Machines Download

Tell me if the link doesn't work anymore!


More information about this release can be found on the Fruit Machine Forums.

Mr Ferguson is almost there...

Yes, Chris Ferguson has almost broken the 10k barrier. As it stands, he is currently sitting on $9,553.34 - you can check out his progress on at the Full Tilt website.

Things haven't been going as smoothly for me and I took a dive to about $130, but have rebounded a little back to $150 so far. It would seem that I should not multi-table at this time. So haven't been playing too much lately as I need to organise for my wedding that is coming up. We have decided and locked in to go to Japan for our honeymoon which is pretty exciting.

More on the poker front though. I also played an external MTT tournament yesterday with about 98 runners. I finished up second which was pretty good. It is nowhere near as sweet as finishing first but I still gained a little from it - can't say too much but next month I aim to do one better :)

APL

Well tonight I went to Chatswood RSL and played in a freeroll run by the APL. Went with a few work buddies and the experience was quite good. Not sure how many runners there were but probably about 70 or so i'd say. I came 10th, which means that I rack up some points which I'm sure I will use - just like my old Fly Buys card.

Before the first break I was struggling but managed to double up just before the break, giving me about 3.5k in chips. We then had a 20 minute break. After the break I immediately doubled up twice pushing my stack close to 15k.

The first hand I had JJ and the flop was T72. It was heads up, the guy who called my pre-flop raise of 3xBB checked. I bet for about 1.2k and he pushed over the top for another 2k. I snap called (as you would :)) and he turned over 79. Oh they were suited alright. Blank blank and I scoop the pot. I knew the guy wanted to bust me as I had pushed him off the pot earlier on.

The second hand was quite easy too. I was BB and everybody folded except the SB. I look down and 45 (sneaky sneaky) and check to see a flop. The flop comes down A45. Bingo. However with the straight already out there and a flush draw evident I was quite weary. SB leads for 600 (min bet) and I reraise the minimum to 1200. You see, I normally would bet hard in this situation but for some reason the min bet seemed like the correct play. He deliberates for a bit and calls. The turn is a 7 and I am putting him on a range of hands. These include A-rag, 67 or a flush draw. The flush hasn't hit and if he had an open-ender, that card helped, but I am still in front. He leads for 1200 but he's actions scream to me that he is flush drawing. I am ready to push but notice that if I do, he will snap call me. I call to see a river. Q. This is actually a good card as it does not give the flush draw. He goes all in and I snap call him. Ship it baby :)

The rest of the tournament is dull. I laid down JJ with an A on the flop. My 99 ran into TT. My AJ got annihilated by AT (flop of JQK) blah blah blah. So the final hand I have 9k in chips. There are 5 people on my table and I look down at Ks9s UTG. My options were limited and I didn't want to fold because of several reasons:
1. This really was the best hand I had seen in a long while
2. The blinds were huge and I was short stacked on a 5-handed table
3. The SB and BB still have fold equity so if they don't have a monster they will fold
4. My image was ultra tight
5. It was the bubble to the final table so the people at my table were also in tight mode

Anyway, I pushed and ran head first into AJ. The play was questionable and I do reflect on it. Anyhow I had fun and I thank my work mates for the invite. Oh, first prize would have been $150 and second $50.

That's been my poker fix for the night :) Back on FTP tomorrow night hopefully!

Bowling + Experimentation = Jarred Fingers

I went bowling last night with my Ben, Bich, Jenna, Jess and Jay. At first we went for dinner at this pizza joint in Fairfield - it was pretty good and I would recommend it to anyone (if I could remember the name).

Anyway, we were at bowing and the aim of the game was to get 6 strikes. Well, this was my aim and anybody that knows me well knows that I am highly competitive. More so, there's nothing better than beating your brother. Anyway, I didn't get 6 strikes and I didn't beat my brother. I don't think I even beat Jenna - meh.

Instead what I did do was try a new bowling grip. DO NOT TRY THIS. I saw some semi-professional bowlers spinning their custom made bowling balls down the alley and thought to myself "that can't be that hard, can it?!". So, I grabbed my ball and tried out my new grip. You see, you are meant to put two fingers and a thumb into the bowling ball. That is the standard grip. But this restricts your spinning action (or so I thought) and as the experienced amateur I am, I decided to let the thumb have a rest whilst my two fingers held the ball in place. BIG MISTAKE. You see, without the thumb the ball is not going to drop properly and as I started to bowl, the ball dropped to the ground. Oh yeah, my two fingers were still in the ball. Anyway, that ended the night pretty quick...

6-tabling 10NL 6max = Quick Death

Session #1 (10NL 6max - 29/07/2007)
Jumping from 1 to 4 to 6 tables is not ideal. In fact, I should never do it again. Bad run overall and I think I has just spewing chips, losing about 1/4 of my bankroll within 30 minutes. Here's some key hands:

Hand #1 - KJ vs KQ - deadly when you hit your kicker, I was still on tilt, hence the push on the turn (+$19 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318077

Hand #2 - Aces getting cracked, but controlling the pot helped alleviate the pain - I still need to learn to fold Aces in the right spot (-$7 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318082

Hand #3 - Hitting a boat with 66 proved profitable (+$16 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318086

Session #2 (10NL 6max - 29/07/2007)
When you're running bad, don't keep running because you'll fall in the same hole I did. Losing more of my hard-earned BR here. Summary:

Hand #1 - Could not have played KK any worse (-$4 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318090

Hand #2 - Mental note to let go of those fish hooks next time (-$15 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318092

Hand #3 - Not long after, somebody gets the fish hooks and the tables have turned. I have AK and hit my Ace on the flop. Hang on, WTF - there's a J on the flop also, that's not meant to be there! (-$18 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318094

Hand #4 - The perfect example of how to donk off chips with QJo and 77. What the f*** was I thinking? (-$37 pot in total).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318098 - QJ
http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318102 - 77

Hand #5 - ChpLdr8 gives me some of his chip lead stacking off with KK against my AA. Classical showdown (+$18 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318109

Hand #6 - The flush draw isn't going anywhere and I know DoMyBest is doing his best to bust me after I won a few pots off him (-$17 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318114

Hand #7 - GHOST calling all the way to the river with A-high, and hits it on the river. (-$6 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318120

Hand #8 - QQ cracked by AK, coin-flip and enough said (-$17 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318126

Hand #9 - JJ holding up against TT - players at this level push all sorts of hands in all sorts of situations (+$23 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318127

Hand #10 - KK gets creamed by a dominated KJ. Once again, these are some hands that need to be considered as foldable. At this level, I am finding it extremely hard to do (-$18 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1318131

Well, that is the summary of my crazy session. Spewing chips and tilting. 6-tabling does not work for me at this stage so I will not try that again. I have another day off tomorrow so will probably sit down at the tables again then. My BR is down to $150. I did crack the $200 mark but this was quickly reversed. Until tomorrow...

The Journey Continues - July Summary

Play within your BR. Don't tilt.

I know these golden rules and i've broken both of them many times. This is no exception. It's been a week since i've played any cash games as I have been doing away on the SNGs. I have built my BR to $100 evens mainly playing $2 and $5 SNGs. I have been careful with my decisions and running hot (as described by sharkscope).

Here's my stats!
Username Games Played Av. Profit Av. Stake Av. ROI Total Profit Form
Hero 230 $1 $15 14% $178 Hot

I know i've played a lot of games in the past so these stats are not really representative of my current journey from the get go. I just thought that it would be interesting to post it.

Anyway, i've had enough of SNGs and have decided to jump straight into 6-max 10NL. With my 10xBuy-in BR, I think I can handle the swings to the point where I actually do have sufficient buy-ins for this level (god help me). I plan to play at this level until my BR is $400, at which point I will hit the next level.

Of course, during my course of decision, i did what almost all bad poker players do - I stepped up the limits to take a shot at the big boys.

Session #1 (50NL 6max - 07/07/2007)

I don't care! i've reached my $100 target - woohoo, get outta my way b*tch cause i'm coming through. *DONK*. When the date is the seventh of the seventh month, 2007 - you can expect weird things to happen. So I decide to 2-table 6-max 50NL and see what's doing. Huge swings in this 1.5 hr session but thankfully I end up $13 up for my efforts.

Hand #1 - They say pocket 2s and pocket 3s are deadly - oh yes sir, they are indeed (+$42 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301209

Hand #2 - Gotta love hitting those sets. The ladies do well (+$46 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301211

Hand #3 - Kicker issues with A9o. I don't usually stack off with TP-No kicker (-$30 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301214

Hand #4 - I recall this hand. I was so disgusted with my play that I immediately posted my thoughts on 2+2. Flush draw, spewing chips (-$18 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301225


Session #2 (50NL 6max - 09/07/2007)
Now in no way do I advocate playing so high above your BR, and I do realise that had I played within my limits it would have taken me far longer to reach this point. I decide to take another stab at 50NL for 25 minutes and end up $13 from this session. My BR is now around $130.

Hand #1 - TPTK seems to do well in this situation, AK is not my favourite hand to stack off with (+$26 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301238


Session #3 (10NL 6max - 10/07/2007)
Now, I have come back to reality and my senses have returned. I decide to 2-table 10NL for 1 hour and end up down -$5 for this session.

Hand #1 - I actually think he played his Aces against my QQ quite well. I couldn't put him on the K or the straight; and in fact, he had neither (-$17 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301253


Session #4 (10NL 6max - 15/07/2007)
5 day break and then I return to play 1 table of 10NL for 1 hour and end up netting $6 for this session.

Hand #1 - I'm lucky I hit my K, but he's just as lucky hitting his Ace (+$13 pot)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301267


Session #5 (25NL 6max - 17/07/2007)
This is stupid of me and I know. I have jumped up limits again. Fortunately, I have an amazing session and I am up $30 from it. My BR is now $160 and I am feeling damn confident about my game. I think at this stage I have said to myself that I have enough buy-ins to ride all the swings on the 10NL tables and I will stick to that. Here's some highlights:

Hand #1 - My reads are getting strong for players and when they tell a story and it doesn't make sense, I will call you down to confirm my suspicions. I am at the point where I just go with my reads and don't care if I make the wrong decisions and pay to find out. You need to know your mistakes before you can improve on them. Ace high call is good here (+$13 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301283


Hand #2 - AK is good here and I am being super aggressive. I guess I could have stacked off this hand very easily. My biggest pot yet (+$47 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301300


Session #6 (10NL 6max - 19/07/2007)
A short 20 minute session adding a nifty $6 to my BR, taking me to $166. I got really lucky in the only pot I won this session. Caught out facing two-pair with my OESD.

Hand #1 - OESD, cry me a river! (+$16)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301313


Session #7 (10NL 6max - 22/07/2007)
Another short stint for a 25 minute session, adding another $10 to my BR. This takes me to $176.

Hand #1 - The funny thing about this hand is that I remember putting him on a hand similar to what he was holding. When the Q showed on the river I knew that I had him beat and I knew he was going to call it if I pushed. Nice hand (+$21).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301325


Session #8 (10NL 6max - 24/07/2007)
1.5 hour stint here netting me another $10 to add to my BR. This has pushed me to about $186 which I am ecstatic about. I never thought I could get this far. Here's the biggest hand for this session:

Hand #1 - Two pair on the turn. I remember knowing that this guy is pretty tight but I had just taken a pot off him the hand prior. I had no idea he was holding a monster, but when the turn came, it was all over. I put him on A-high (+$18 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301336


Session #9 (10NL 6max - 25/07/2007)
Last night I 4-tabled 10NL for about 1 hour in total. I ended up putting $18 towards my BR. For some reason, the sums don't add up and I know I f**ked um my BR calculations somewhere along this posting. It doesn't matter though because officially my BR is now $196 and that is accurate. I am $4 off my first milestone of $200 and I feel really confident at the moment. Here's some highlights:

Hand #1 - Although I am now not a fan of coin-flipping with the short stacks when they get hyper aggressive, I pick my spots and when I *think* they are pushing every hand, I will flip and knock them the f*ck out. As with this case, this guy had raised all in for 3 consecutive hands. I decided to call to see what's doing - please engrave "luckbox" on my keyring (+$8 pot).

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301368

Hand #2 - Unlucky for 'Johnny_Aces1' who had been playing very conservatively ever since I sat at the table. Opens UTG+1 for a min raise to $0.20. I pop it to $0.80 and he flat calls. He flops a monster but i've picked up second pair and a flush draw. They don't call them action flops for nothing (+$8)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301384

Hand #3 - This has got to be my biggest loss of recent times, no biggie - the short stacks give me headaches because I have no implied odds to play them post flop. It's really either all-in or fold frame of mind playing these guys. I had a strong feeling I was way behind too, I am victim to my A-rag kicker issues again (-$8)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301401

Hand #4 - HIGHLIGHT hand! *bing bing* This must be most passive play I have seen with bullets in a 6max game. I never put this guy on this monster but, he never put me on my monster either - this is a must see even if the pot is sh!t (+$2)

http://www.pokerhand.org/?1301411


Ok, that's about my whole backlog cleared now. You now know how I've reached my current level and what my current BR is. Slowly but surely I will climb to my target. However, good streaks will be followed by bad streaks. It's not if, it is when. I will keep going until I have everything or nothing - there is no in-between and there is no cashing out.

Let's see if I can push past the $200 barrier v.soon.