Well, I enjoy reading the journals here and figure it is about time that I joined in. I think it is a good way to record your moods, mindsets, etc so you can go back and analyze them later to find the good and the bad. Feel free to read, comment, or ignore completely.

Background: I've been playing for several years now but I think that I just recently figured out what I was doing. I now feel confident that I can play at many different levels and adjust accordingly. I started out playing play money then 5+1 SNGs w/ a $50 BR, then switched over to $25NL 6 max after I started reading UPF. Ran that up quite a bit and started playing limit. It went well at first but soon the hell that is Low Limit HE emerged. I blew quite a bit of my BR on that mess combined with the ultimate mistake of spending some of my Roll. Bad me, bad. I then took off a few months and did not play at all. I found this site and came back to NL. I''ve only posted a few times but I read this place religously.

Now: I've been 3 tabling a rotation of PP, Stars, and UB (someday I WILL clear that bonus, if its the last thing I do). Made the move to the $50 tables on 9/1 and things are going good so far. I plan to jump to $100NL tables on 11/1 if my numbers are still strong. I'll post some hands here for you guys to tear up if you want.

I finally got to play A LITTLE poker today, only about 45 mins worth....hopefully I can get some real time in later tonight. I thought this hand was interesting........

No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (8 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

80 ($57.50)
UTG ($22.65)
UTG+1 ($49)
MP1 ($54.80)
MP2 ($64.30)
CO ($46.95)
Button ($58.60)
SB ($54.30)

Preflop: 80 is BB with , .
UTG calls $0.50, 6 folds, 80 checks.

Flop: ($1.25) , , (2 players)
80 checks, UTG bets $3, 80 raises to $6, UTG folds.

Final Pot: $10.25

Results in white below:
No showdown. 80 wins $10.25.

Even though I was open ended I fully expected him to check behind me because of several previous plays similiar to this. Guess I was way off on that. But he overbets the pot so I figure he has absolutely nothing and I CR him even though that was not my original intent. He folds....good. If he calls and I miss on the turn or if he reraises I am not sure what I would have done. Any suggestions?




Not a bad 45 minutes of play.......

3 tables of $50NL:
+$25
BR: $1790

Hopefully I can get in another 2 hours tonight....I havent been able to play much lately.

So I somehow managed to get in another 1h50m of 3 table play. It was a waste though as I ended up card dead and stopped down $13. No real hands to speak of...hence card dead. At least I got to play some and practice folding ALOT. I think I may have been distracted by the ballgames on TV though.....ah well, I'll gladly waste $13 to see the Yanks 1 game up on the Indians and the Sox.


1h50m of 3 table $50NL:
-$13
BR: $1777

Prolly wont get to play again until Saturday sometime.

Couldn't agree more regarding the beloved Yankees. Good luck to us this weekend - both at the tables and on the diamond...

Managed to get in about 1h30m tonight....sucks, wish it could be at least 3hrs. Also managed to lose $25 while 3 tabling at Stars. I was doing alright, up about $35 after an hour with no real cards or big hands to speak of. I was thinking about calling it a night when a semi short stack sucked out on me twice in 15 minutes. Oh well......he is still a teebagger. Not gonna post the HH b/c I hate bad beat stories. Seems like after you tell the " I went all in PF w/ KK and that idiot called me with J6o....." story a few times it gets repetitive.....not to mention the fact that I still love to get called by that crap...wish it happened more often. Dont discourage the fish.


About 1h30m
-$25
BR: $1752

2 losing days in a row....hmm....thats odd. Thank god the weekend is coming up. When the hell is the Main Event gonna be on TV anyway, seems like Party has rocked up lately.

I like your advice Briachek, thanks for taking a look. I knew I jacked that hand up pretty badly.


As for tonight, well the Yanks lost but I was able to get in just over an hour of poker. 3 tables of $50NL again...this time at Party. Damn, seems like that place has rocked up lately but tonight there were some real donks at my tables. I couldnt get a hand that hit the flop to save my freakin life though. Only one big hand, my AA vs JJ....the guy w/ JJ had a triple stack so either he didnt believe me or felt like gambling it up I guess.



A little over an hour of play:
+$56
BR: $1808


I was planning to test out the $100NL games this week coming up but something just hasnt felt right lately with my game. I'm not sure exactly what it it but I think it is a combination of a few days of cold cards, a handful of bad beats, and some reduced aggression on my part. I think I will stay at the $50s for a week or 2 or until I feel back to normal w/ my game.

PokerStars No-Limit Hold'em, $0.50 BB (9 handed)

saw flop|saw showdown

MP1 ($39.50)
MP2 ($45.05)
MP3 ($19.85)
CO ($51.10)
Button ($53.75)
80 ($55.95)
BB ($14.65)
UTG ($55.60)
UTG+1 ($71.20)

Preflop: 80 is SB with , .
UTG raises to $2, 6 folds, 80 raises to $7, 1 fold, UTG calls $5.

Flop: ($14.50) , , (2 players)
80 bets $10, UTG raises to $48.6, 80 calls $38.60.

Son of Bitch...does he have a flush?? I'm pissed and tilting somewhat at this point b/c my AA just got cracked about 15 hands earlier.

Turn: ($111.70) (2 players)

River: ($111.70) (2 players)

Final Pot: $111.70

Results in white below:
80 has Kc Ks (three of a kind, kings).
UTG has Ah Kd (one pair, kings).
Outcome: 80 wins $111.70.

Good thing a Heart didnt fall. Oh well, makes up for my AA getting cracked.

ahhhhhhhh.............

Sept End of Month Roll Report:
Start: $1084 (also my low)
End: $1845 (also my high)
Amt from bonuses: who know, who cares....prolly like $200 at most, didnt do much whoring in Sept.
Time: 35hrs
Hands: just under 5,000

I have decided to hold off on moving up to 100NL until I get another 5,000 hands in at 50NL AND have a PTBB/100 of approx 10. I may try it out a few times once my roll is at $2,100 but I want to get in some more time at the $50s. I am also going to start playing 1 weekly freeroll w/ my Party Points and 1 $20+2 MTT. If these MTTs turn out to be too much of a waste then I will stop.

Well I really played like serious arse tonight......a few too many beers had a lot to do with that. Dropped a buy in. Mostly because I was up a buy in, got sucked out on then tilted off another buy in. Tired. Wont get to play again until Tuesday at the earliest.

Tonight: just under 2 hours
Result: -50
BR: 1795

Oct is off to a bad start but the same thing happened in Aug and I ended up owning that month so bite me October.
By the end of this month I would like be sitting on a roll of 2300 so I could then move full time to the 100s on November 1st.

I've noticed that Party has rocked up alot lately, no doubt due to the Multi bonuses. I've been playing at UB and Stars as a result. UB b/c I need to work off the millions of bonus dollars I have there and Stars b/c the VPiP there has been higher than Party, by alot, lately.

Onward and Upward....and other such nonsense.