forgottenphenom's poker blog

Here lies the poker blog and a fair few juicy bits of tasty advice as copied and pasted from our previous incarnation.. as with all my blog reloads I have tried to add each post in its separate log

Hiya folks, I’ve been playing poker both online and live for about 3 years now. Mainly for recreational purposes but always with the intentions of winning, apart from throwing money away on those silly tilting sessions. I’ve never took the disciplined side of the game serious, no bankroll management, playing all types of games (sometimes without really knowing the rules like Omaha Hi/Low), no sense of when to quit just throwing away good money after bad and playing whilst inebriated. Obviously all the above have led to me blowing or withdrawing every bankroll I’ve ever built up. With this how can I see if I’m a winning, or even good poker player?

My personal circumstances have now changed giving me the opportunity to play poker more frequently. This time I’m going to do it properly and have created this Blog to record everything. I will be starting from the bottom preparing myself for the ultimate grind. I’ve given myself $400 as a starting bankroll; hence the follow figures/limits will be based on my initial limits.

To achieve my goal I will need to show Discipline with my Bankroll Management and Stop/Loss Strategy, be Effective in every possible scenario, gain an Edge whenever and wherever possible and keep everything under Analysis.
Implying disciplined poker which is playing within my limits should help to minimise losses and hopefully maximise my profits. Enhancing my effectiveness is to play the games which I consider myself to be better at and using the correct strategies. I have to make sure that I’m playing within my comfort zone which will help my overall game and heighten any edge over my opposition.

Constantly analysing all aspects of the above along with recording all results will finally determine if I’m capable of taken poker to the next level.

All of which I’m going to review through my Blog.....

FP

Bankroll Management:

This aspect of poker is something I struggled with and never implied it to my game but after finally researching it, I have realised its importance. Why is bankroll management important you may be asking? The reason why you should choose your limits carefully in poker is due to the variance. Variance is a term used to describe the "ups and downs" of poker where you fluctuate from having bad runs of cards to good runs of cards, resulting in varying profits and losses.

Bankroll management is where you play at certain limits to avoid losing all of your bankroll due to bad runs of cards, which any poker player must expect from time to time. Subsequently, if you play at higher limits where there is too great a chance of losing all of your poker money, you are playing out of your bankroll. If I’m looking to play poker in the long run, then I need to imply bankroll management. No matter how good you are, you’re going to run into variance and lose money.

Bankroll management is what will keep anybody from going broke, and instead, knowing exactly when to drop down or move up in stakes. If I intend to make money from playing poker, it is essential that I exercise good bankroll management skills. If I don’t then I’m setting myself up for frequent losses that I will find hard to prevent, no matter how good I may consider myself to be at poker.

For cash games I will be playing No Limit Holdem only, in 6 seater ring games and heads up. The safe recommended size of your bankroll is 20 times the full buy-in of where you want to play. This means that if I want to have the best chance of making money at a 10c/20c game where the maximum buy-in is $20, I should have a bankroll of at least $400.
For tournaments it is recommended that you have a bankroll that will give you 40 times the buy-in to the level of tournaments that you wish to play at. Therefore if I want to play at the $10 Sit n Go's or MTT’s I should have a bankroll of $400.

Another way of applying bankroll management is by only putting a maximum 5% of your entire bankroll on the table at any one time. As I will be playing both cash and tournament games this is something I will be observing rigorously.

Evaluating all aspects of which bankroll management covers it is just as important for me to set out my limits and follow these religiously. Three final things I have to keep in mind is don't act on the temptation to move up too soon, don't worry about what level my friends are playing at and remember there's no shame in moving down (just remember that even the best players need to move down occasionally and the only people that never move down are the ones that eventually go broke.).

FP

Stop/Loss Strategies:

Like the aspect of managing my poker funds, I never implied any stop/loss policies. I would play on until I was either losing too much money I stepped up in an attempt to win back my losses or sometimes went broke. Again researching stop/loss I have learnt to value its importance in becoming a winning poker player.

It can be difficult for many players to know when to stop playing. Players on a winning streak may want to continue playing forever, but a winning streak can quickly turn into a losing streak. Players who are losing may want to continue playing to see if their luck turns around, which often leads to even bigger losses. Stop Loss strategy is a method that I’ll be using to determine when to walk away from a cash table.

The mistake a lot of people make is never dropping down in stakes. I’ll start with 20 times the full buy-in but I won’t be playing till I’m out of money, that’s not good! It’s really important to drop down a limit when your bankroll isn’t large enough. I think a good time to drop down a level is when I become about 30% under-bankrolled for the limit I’m at. Don’t worry, you can always make that money back and move up again as a stronger player.

What is the advantage to a Stop/Loss Strategy? A stop loss strategy allows you to take advantage of winning streaks while not letting yourself suffer too many damages from a losing streak. It gives you an excuse to get away from the table before you have been sitting there too long.

By using Stop Loss strategy you can take advantage of your winning streaks but avoid suffering huge losing streaks. The idea with stop loss is that if you lose X amount of your bankroll, you leave and end the session. What I like about this idea is that you avoid huge losses. I think most huge losses result from playing after you have already had a moderate loss. You get beat up, lose a few races, and have a horrible river card. Then you start playing worse you go on tilt which puts in you in a downward spiral. By setting a limit before hand, you can avoid sitting there been stuck for 5 buy-ins, sweating all the races, dreading the river cards and just praying something will hold up.

A stop/loss number is a preset amount that will determine when I stop playing for the day. I will be starting with a set 10% of the limit at which I’m playing(thus starting at $40), this giving me two full cash buy-ins or four tournament entries. Note for cash games, this does not mean whenever I’m down $40, it means that at any time on a table if I sustain a $40 loss I will leave the table. For example on a 10c/20c table, full buy-in $20, if I’m up to $100 and then lose $40 the session is over.

FP

Effectiveness:
Along with following my bankroll management and stop/loss strategy, I will be incorporating many other factors to make my game as effective as possible. Like controlling tilt, avoiding playing too long, knowing your opponents and selecting the right tables.

The main factor which I want to cover which affects all poker players is “Tilt”. Going on tilt is especially dangerous in no limit poker, because of the potential that most or all of your chips are at stake in any given hand. The reaction to tilt is to chase money that has been lost which can cause you to play higher stakes ignoring those very important bankroll management rules. This is especially dangerous as not only are you playing at stakes you can’t afford, it’s the quickest way to go broke. Successful players have the ability to offset the effects of tilt, which is why they are capable of being winning players at the end of the day. You can spend hours making money through good play, only to lose it all in one hand because you went on tilt. Never forget that money saved is money earned. The more money you save yourself from losing, the more you can add to your total winnings at the end of the day.

How does one best deal with tilt? It all seems obvious just stop “tilting”, but let’s be honest it’s never that easy. Bad beats can cloud your mind to all rationality and you fritter away your remaining chips on that ten-high flush draw. But there are things you can do to help stop such an obvious leak of chips:

• Take a break. Honestly, there is no better other way than saving your hard earned winnings than taking a break. Whether it is a break in your session for a few minutes/hours or simply having a few days off. There is no more effective way of preserving your bankroll from tilt. Just because you leave the game doesn't mean you've lost the opportunity to win your money back, in fact it’s probably the opposite. Let yourself cool down and come back when you are in a rational frame of mind. Save yourself for when you can play at the top of your game.

• Think of the long run. Simply put, think of the money you expected to win on the particular hand that you lost with over the cause of your poker life time. Remember bad beats are going to happen but be glad you are able to get your opponents to committee their stack when 20% underdogs. So you can say you’ll expect to win 80% of what was in that pot. But 20% of the time means that you expect to lose in this situation, so this time you just got caught up in that 20% chance. You may end up losing that particular hand but in the long run you will be winning more.

Another useful tool readily available, to help you know your opponents, at most online poker sites is the option to make player notes. By taking notes on your opponents you can quickly identify information on players who you have played against before, but have since forgotten from the last time you were at the table with them. I do believe that it is important to try and keep your notes on your opponents as simple as possible. I feel a good place to start off is to try and determine what my opponent’s particular style of play is. I want to be able to, at a glance, know if they are Tight-Aggressive, Tight-Passive, Loose-Aggressive or Loose-Passive.

The first word, “tight” or “loose”, of each playing style describes how many hands a player is perceived to be playing. A tight player will play very few hands, and only play premium hands that have a good chance of winning. The more hands a player enters pots with, the "looser" they are.
The second word, “aggressive” or “passive”, of each playing style describes how the particular players bet on each betting round. An aggressive player will frequently bet or raise and give a lot of action by making strong bets. A passive player will be more inclined to check and call, and will rarely bet out or raise an opponent's bet. Therefore I will usually shorten these tags down to TA, TP, LA and LP and stick them at the top of the note box for quick reference when I want some info on my opponents.

As soon as you sit down at the poker table, you should already be evaluating how each of your opponents play. The more information you have on your opponents, the better the plays you can make against them. You can obtain information about how your opponents play by watching the hands you are not involved in.

Poker table selection is important if you want to maximize your profits from each poker session you play. Most sites will include on their cash table information average pot size ($) and average number of players per flop (%).

Average pot size:
The average pot size figure should give us an indication of how much action the players at the table are giving. The higher this figure is, the greater the amount of money we can expect to win when we make a good hand. Therefore as a wise poker player, I will be looking for the tables with high average pot size figures.

Average number of players per flop:
The average number of players per flop figure tells us how loose the players at the table are playing. If this figure is high, then we can assume that the players have a lower starting hand range, are loose and probably poorer poker players. On the other hand if the figure is low, we can assume that the players are tight, and will only see flops with premium starting hands.

When seated at the table there will be other information available to you to help form an image of most opponents. In cash games, you can quickly spot who the potential solid players and potential weak players are by looking at the size of their stack. Each cash game has a maximum buy-in that is typically 100 times the big blind. Typically, the likely solid players will either be close to this maximum buy in or above it. The first action available to you when joining a cash table is the action to “post the big blind”. The big blind can be posted at any time of the rotation but I always, and advised you, to wait for the actual big blind to come to you before playing a hand. This is to save yourself from seeing flops in a bad position with a hand that could potentially lose you a lot of money. Therefore if you notice that other new players at the table are posting the big blind before the actual big blind gets too them, you can assume that they are anxious to get into the game and play, and may not be a solid player.

As for playing drunk that is now a thing of the past for me. You are far more susceptible to tilt when playing poker drunk. Loose inhibitions combined with inevitable tilt never work out well. The fact of the matter is alcohol has the fantastic ability to give you the feeling of indestructibility along with increased levels of confidence, which heightens the urge to gamble. These factors are best left at the door when it comes to playing poker, I know this all too well from past experiences.

FP

Analysis:

To ensure that I’m staying on track and moving in the right direction analysing all my hands, data and profit/loss after every session will be just as important as everything else. All my games whether it be a cash table or tournament entry will be recorded on a spreadsheet. In conjunction with this I will be using PokerTracker.

This poker tool will be critical in helping to record all results; it stores statistics/information so that I can carry out a post-mortem on both my own and my opponents’ game. I will be able to analyse any of my hands and share this info to gather much needed feedback from you to help plug weaknesses in my own game and help spot flaws in others.

Making sure that I record all my results will also help me to find out which is my most profitable form of poker. I will also be in a great position to see if I’m still playing within my bankroll and be able to identify when I’m ready to move up a level, or in need of dropping down a level.

I believe that done correctly and with the ability to hopefully see graphs and spreadsheet showing positive results, this will increase my self-confidence and improve my poker game as a whole.

Analysing all these things will bring about future opportunities (threads) where we all can discuss certain hand scenarios, review hand histories and game strategies. This could hopefully help everybody improve their poker game in one way or another.

Finally, all sessions will be added to the blog as individual posts, so if it interests you, you can keep an eye on my progress. All feedback be it positive or negative will be greatly appreciated

Cheers for reading FP

Evening folks,

Today I'm starting my Blog. I will post regular updates showing my progress, providing some information for us to discuss and all feedback both positive and negative will be appreciatively received.
I won't be able to get much poker played today probably just a few STT's and maybe an hour or so in a cash game later.

I will start a thread if I mark any hands for review. So we all can dissect the information and hopefully with your help I can continually improve my game and plug some leaks if we spot any.

Well here goes, let the "grind" commence (fingers crossed).

Cheers FP

Well I managed to fit in four STT's this evening, has I've had plenty to do today. Its all kicked off well and hopefully it will continue in the same vein.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Finishing 2nd and won $18.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 6 seater STT. Finishing 1st and won $42.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 6 seater STT. Finishing 3rd(on the bubble) for $0.
• Tournament 4: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Finishing 1st and won $42.


A good start to say the least and I'm liking these "Double Stack" STT's which have plenty of play in them. I Finished in the money 75% of the time. I had a Profit/Loss of +$58, which created a ROI of +132%.

Just finished my session that started yesterday evening. I managed to play a few STT's and an MTT after getting the kids off to the In-Laws.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 3rd on the bubble again for $0. How I didn't win it I'll never know. Was massive chip leader 3 handed, took some bad beats and then 2 consecutive out-draws
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Finishing 4th for $0. Never really got going in this one and couldn't connect with any flop.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 $4,000 Guarantee Freeze-Out with 469 runners. I finished 3rd winning $396.80. I had a tough old time grinding at the start, but after the break it all seemed to come together. I was chip leader for a long time in the latter stages and entered the final table second in chips. Still very annoyed at my exist, check out the "Post Hand Analysis" thread to see why!!


I still can't moan though, I would take 3rd everyday of the week in an MTT before it started. I made a Profit/Loss of +$363.80, a continued great start.

The weekends are the busiest for me at the moment so it's a case of fitting in a couple of tourneys in the evening if I can. I tried a few MTT's and finished with my first cash table session last night.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 MTT 1383 runners. I finished 268th, which was just short of the money, for $0. Not a bad showing went relatively deep again without ever building much of a stack.
• Tournament 2: $5+$0.5 $6,000 Guarantee Freeze-Out MTT with 1655 runners. I was all in pre-flop the very first hand with AK v 55 and rivered an Ace. I finished 133 just ITM (In The Money) for $8.27
• Cash Session 1: $0.10/$0.20 Blinds, I bought in for $20. The table was relatively tight early doors so I opened up myself to loosen up the game. I left the table, after a quick double-up, with $44.39. Playing 63 hands for a $24.39 profit.


Last night was a much harder way to make some $s with two deep MTT runs for a combined P/L -$8.23, even with the small cash. The cash game turned it around making me a total Profit/Loss +16.16. This gives me $837 to take into week 2, and an opportunity also to play some $20 STT's!!

Had a longer session this time, playing eight double stack STT's. A bit of a mixed bag, included a hot streak in the middle.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Finishing 6th for $0. Not the ideal start, I lost almost all my chips very early with AJ v QQ to a Jack high flop and never recovered.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 1st winning $42. I pretty much dominated throughout and used a big chip stack to my advantage.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 1st winning $42. My HU opponent knocked the other 3 players out so I had a 3/1 chip deficit at the beginning of HU's. I felt I had an edge on my opponent, so played alot of pots with him when the blinds were still small. Then, having got the chip stacks relatively even, applied more pressure as the blinds increased.
• Tournament 4: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 1st winning $42 and completing a very satisfactory hat-trick.
• Tournament 5: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Finishing 2nd and winning $18 ended the winning streak. I was a little upset with the outcome because I had built up a big chip lead 3 handed only to be outdrawn twice be the eventual winner.
• Tournament 6: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 5th for $0. Just a mistimed bluff and a serious misread on my opponent led to me been All-In drawing dead, not ideal lol.
• Tournament 7: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Finishing 3rd on the bubble earned me $0. We were 4 handed after 3 hands, with two big hands clashing early doors. Still 4 handed, in an unraised pot on the BB, I flopped a straight but the button flopped the nut straight. I was then down to 680 chips with the blinds at 100/200. I fought and shoved my way back up to 2,760 chips. The first hand 3 way dealt my AQ which didn't hit against the BB pocket 3's. Quite an eventful tournament to say the least.
• Tournament 8: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I again finished on the bubble, 3rd winning $0. Final hand, with the kind of opponent you would want in every STT you play, saw him 4 bet me pre-flop with A10 against my K's. He ended up making a full house.


All in all, eight STT's played with three 1st's and a 2nd. ITM 50% of the time, together with two, IMO, unlucky 3rd's (bubble). A Profit/Loss of +$56. Which keeps the profitable sessions going, so I'm heading in the right direction.

With the TAS v Ladbrokes MTT game running tonight, I just played one MTT at the same time this session.


Tournament 1: $5+$0.50 $6,000 Guarantee MTT 1521 runners.

I had another good run in this MTT going deep. My demise came when an opponent couldn't pass A9 to my re-reraise with pocket 4's, I knew he was weak. I eventually finished 22nd winning $42.58.


In the end a disappointing, but still a win, Profit/Loss +$37.08.

Morning folks. Just a few games yesterday, can't wait for the kids to go back to school so I can increase the volume.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I finished 1st winning $42.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 $10,000 Guarantee Freeze-Out MTT with 1093 runners. I finished 211, just outside the money for $0. An opponent was min-raising frequently, so with 44 I re-raised All-In only to get called by Q8 clubs. What a maniac, and that deep too.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 $4,000 Guarantee Freeze-Out MTT with 455 runners. Early stages with a lot of players still playing loose, my J's were no match for their A8 suited lol. I finished 391 for $0.


That was it for the tournament scene, so I played a quick cash game before ending the session.

Cash Game: $0.25/$0.50 blinds. I bought in for $40, after a good start doubling up with KK. I played a flush draw aggressive, only to hit the river which made my opponents bigger flush too. Losing $60 in that hand made the Stop/Loss kick in, and it was the end of the session with a $19.50 Loss.

Mixed fortunes yesterday. Started well with another win in a six seater max STT. Followed by the frustrations of losing a big pot in the $10k GTD at a key stage. Then to round things off losing a $120 pot with a rivered flush is always disappointing. All in all yesterdays events brought with them a Profit/Loss -$10.50.


I only managed to fit in one MTT yesterday, as I had the kids all day.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 6 Seater Max MTT 367 runners. I finished ITM again in an MTT, finally succumbing to the blinds and antes in 20th for $36.70.


I'm getting close to another final table and hopefully a top 3 finish where the big $s are. I just need a little luck and to win a race at them key stages. This tournament had me All-in in the SB with pocket 4's against the BB's A7 with 23 players remaining for a chip leader pot, unfortunately the 4's didn't hold up. A Profit/Loss +$25.70.

Today's action was mixed with cash games and STT's. I'm not having a late session today, so here's the results.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 3rd on the bubble again for $0. I went card dead 3 handed which didn't help With the blinds increasing and my stack decreasing, I pushed on the button with air and the BB's Ace high held up.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 6 seater STT. Finishing 1st I won $42. I got some premium hands at the right time with action infront of me.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I lasted all of one hand lol. UTG I limped with AK hoping for someone else to raise. The BB raised so I re-raised and they flat called. Flop K93, my opponent had 99, the rest is history. Finishing 6th for $0.
• Cash Game 1: $0.10/$0.20 HU $20 Buy-In. I took two Buy-Ins from my opponent before they left. I cashed out for $61.80.
• Cash Game 2: $0.10/$0.20 HU $20 Buy-In. To be far to my opponent I got some good hands and they were unfortunate to catch some of the flop, so I gained maximum value. Together with hitting a flush on the river, I cashed out for $83.12.


A good day all in all with a nice run of cards on the cash tables. Total Profit/Loss +$114.92.

Have a good weekend folks, FP.

I didn't manage to play any poker on Monday, but I've just finished yesterday's session. I played two MTT's last night/this morning.

• Tournament 1: $15+$1.50 $4,000 Guarantee Freeze-Out MTT 368 runners. I finished in 237th position for $0. I never got going in this MTT, and when everyone folded to my pocket 5's on the button I moved All-In. Only to be called by the BB's Jack's.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 $25,000 Guarantee Re-Buy MTT with 1108 runners. I had one Re-Buy and one Add-On. so investing $31 into this MTT. I eventually finished 11th, bubbling the final table, for $244.35. With blinds at 12,500/25,000 and 2,000 antes. I pushed UTG with AJ, 5 handed, only to run into Aces, Bah!!


Again a frustrating end to a long MTT. I'm still managing to go deep, but just can't quite make the final table or the big bucks. I invested $47.50 in MTT's for a $244.35 return, giving me a Profit/Loss +196.85.

I'm calling time on Today's session. I just can't get a hand to hold up, so my Stop/Loss strategy can kick in. I've played 6 STT's with little success.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I finished 6th for $0. This tourney was an indication of things to come. My raise on the button with A6 was called by the SB. The flop was A63 two clubs. The SB open bet half the pot, I re-raised, and was called by Q10 clubs. Needless to say they caught their flush.
• Tournament 2: $10 +$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 3rd, on the bubble, for $0. This is the tournament with the hand in the "Post Hand Analysis" thread.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I finished 3rd again for $0. I was unlucky 3 handed with AK and AJ both losing when I had my opponents All-In dominated.
• Tournament 4: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. The only joy of this session. I finished 1st and won the tourney for $42. I got a nice early double up and kicked on from there, without any bad beats.
• Tournament 5: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I finished 4th for $0. I never really got going and the blinds eventually caught up with me, forcing a unsuccessful squeeze from UTG.
• Tournament 6: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Again I finished 3rd for $0. I need to start converting some of these 3rd place bubble finishes into cashes to help maximize my P/L.


A frustrating session to say the least. Turning these 3rd place finishes into cashes is essential. I'm going to review my STT on the bubble game to see if I can plug any leaks. Investing $66 in the STT's for a $42 return leaves me with a Profit/Loss -$24.

I've played no poker for the last two days, I feel shocking. Don't we just love man flu lol.
It will also be a busy weekend, if I can get out of bed, with bonfire night and all. Hopefully the Blog will resume again on Monday.

Have a good weekend folks, FP.

A bit rusty to say the least after a few days off. I played just the two STT's tonight with three heads-up cash games to follow.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 4th for $0. With the blinds increasing and having lost about 20% of my starting stack, I open raised the button with A3 Hearts. The BB called to a flop of 3c4h2h, about the best flop possible with 2nd pair, nut flush draw and gutshot. The BB lead out the pot to me so I pushed all in. They showed J5 Hearts, so I liked my hand even more, but a jack of spades on the river soon changed that lol.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I finished in my least favourite spot, yes 3rd, on the bubble for $0. I managed an early double up too, but that wasn't enough when my All-In preflop with pocket Queens was called by the chip leader with 7's. The flop was A710, and the rest is history.
• Cash Game 1: $0.05/$0.10 NL Heads-Up $10 Buy-In. This game only lasted about 9 hands. My opponent was already sat at the table with a little over the max Buy-In but my Jacks held up pre-flop to their 10's and they left. I left the table with $21.85.
• Cash Game 2: $0.10/$0.20 NL Heads-Up $20 Buy-In. After applying alot of pressure on my opponent and playing aggressive, they left after a dozen or so hands. I also then left the table with $24.32.
• Cash Game 3: $0.10/$0.20 NL Heads-Up $20 Buy-In. This was an up and down affair with both of us staying around the max Buy-In level, TBH the rake was beating us both on this table. The final hand was some what of a cold deck for me when I bet then called a raise with KQ suited. To a KQ6 flop, then rag rag on the turn and river respectively, I thought I was good all the way. That seconds pause when your All-In on the river before the showdown seemed to last for ever before my opponents cards were shown, 6s6c, oh dear lol. So I lost $20 on this table and called it a night with my Stop/Loss looming.


So not the best of comebacks, investing $22 in tournies with no return and dropping a Buy-In at the bigger cash game, gave me a Profit/Loss -$25.83.

I managed to play a few STT's over the weekend. With Sunday night been busy and Internet problems on Monday I've not been able to update before now.

• Tournament 1: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. Started off well finishing 1st for $42. Nice finally hand, I slowed played pocket Aces, to a AA3 flop.
• Tournament 2: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. I finished 2nd winning $18. I was fortunate really finding myself short stacked my two oppenents clashed enabling me to get into the money.
• Tournament 3: $10+$1 6 seater STT. I finished 2nd again winning $18. I lost a big chip lead 3 handed when my AK was outdrawn by AJ. That was a massive pot and he went on to win the tourney with some big hands Heads-Up.
• Tournament 4: $10+$1 Double Stack 6 seater STT. This tournament I ran like a dream, winning all my races and getting big hands with action in front of me. Finnishing 1st I won $42.


A profitable weekend, cashing in 4 out of 4 STT's with 100% ITM. I invested $44 throughout the weekend in tournaments for a $120 return. Profit/Loss +$76.

I played just one STT yesterday. It was a qualifier for the ECOOP main event. Afterward I embarked on some cash table ventures.

• Tournament 1: $11+$1 6 seater STT Satellite to the ECOOP. I finished 4th with only 1st place winning a seat. I pottered about the starting stack with very few playable hands. I then got dealt AK and was All-In on a Ad 10c 6c flop, only for my opponent to catch his flush.
• Cash Game 1: $0.25/$0.50 Blinds HU, I bought in for $50. Playing aggressive, I managed to get my opponent to committee their stack with top pair against my two pair. With them already topping up a few times they left the table when I was on $113. Making me a $63 profit.
• Cash Game 2: $0.25/$0.50 Blinds HU, again I bought in for the maximum of $50. This was a marathon session. We played 1500 exactly over 8 1/2 hours. I original took 9 Buy-Ins of my opponent before they doubled back up twice. So we were playing some seriously deep poker. Slightly adjusting my game and hopefully plugging a few small leaks toward's the end, I left the table with $582.


I was obviously happy with my decision to play some Heads-Up Cash Poker. Putting less than 5% on my bankroll on the line, its something I'm going to concentrate on over the coming weeks. With $12 spent on the tournament for no return, the HU games netted me a tidy $695. Making a Profit/Loss +$583.

Just had a quick cash game rematch with my opponent from the marathon session last week.

• Cash Game: $0.25/$0.50 HU $50 Buy-In. This wasn't nowhere near as long as the previous session, lasting just over 180 hands in exactly 1 hour. It was still as aggressive though, and my opponent threw in the towel when I was on $224.18.


A good evening, albeit a short one. Profit/Loss +$174.18. Think I'm going to enter the $35k $10 Re-Buy this evening starting now.

Tonight just wasn't my night. After playing my nemesis HU early, he wanted a chance to get his money back so I had to oblige.

• Cash Game: $0.25/$0.50 HU $50 Buy-In. I just couldn't win a big pot during this session. Having Aces cracked twice, both on the turn when All-In pretty much summed this session up. Playing 292 hands over 1 hour 50 mins, I lost my initial Buy-In plus three and a bit Re-Buys. I've also added an interesting hand, to say the least, in the "Post Hand Analysis" Thread.


I'm cutting my losses tonight. Profit/Loss -$226.82.

Here endeth the fp blog.. for now?