Started playing tonight on 2 $100NL tables but to be perfectly honest I wasn't in the mood tonight. Seemed I wasn't the only one as there were only two viable full tables on UB. Long and the short was I sat for about about two orbits and just really felt crappy. This straight away came through in my thinking and I knew I was playing weak tight.

Well in using my new found mature thinking I decided to call time on the night early. No point playing for the hell of it. Anyhow I would have made smeg all bonus dollars with the crappy table texture.

Only good news was I made $45.05 winning a hand with KK and another with QQ. Not bad for 20 mins...

Rich

Played for about an hour today winning about $10. To be honest is was a nothing session and I wasn't really into it.

I am playing two live tournaments this weekend, a home game with the affable Dave from Acton then a 50 odd player private tournament. Neither are going to be big buy-ins but they normally have a good standard of play. I would like to think I could money in one or other.

I hope by the end of next week to have 10k of hands on my new database so I can post my stats for comment. I am curious as to how others see my play. I think I have a pretty snappy tight game but with lots of aggression. Trouble is I haven't read any books or have many friends who play so I have worked this out myself, should be interesting.

Well I am going to go now but will post over the weekend and we shall see what happens.

Rich

I figured I should write something here as it has been a little while.

So far this week I have put in a few sessions of the old $100NL. So far my efforts haven't been stunningly well rewarded though most of that came from one $92 loss on Sunday night, since then its been a bit of a grind.

$100NL (14th - 16th Aug)

Hands: 1098
Amount Won: -$57.35
BB/100: -5.22

This looks pretty bad but to be honest its been more of a grind. I haven't been stacked once or stacked anyone during these hands, just lost more med sized pots than I have won. I am playing well though and I the fact I am biding my time should reflect in this.

Monday was fun as I spent the night playing two tables with Suhleafs. It was very educational as we would tell eachother a few hands (once the other had folded of course!) so we could watch each others play and comment on it. For the most part I think we have similar ideas on things though we would push sometimes a little differently. He also taught me a lot about keeping marginal pots small and getting to the showdown, something I am often loath to do and prefer betting out to win a small pot.

He managed to stack someone with AA, where as I had to make a big laydown when the betting went supersonic on a board with a pair of 3s and 4s on it. Bah. I think it is good though that I can make these "adult" plays. It seems so many people are martyrs to their top pairs getting stacked even when they must know it then bitching about it after. I was talking to a guy the other day and asked him how often do you stack someone with either AA or KK when the money goes in after the flop and you are unimproved? Seldom unless its a drawn out AA vs KK scenario. Most times though when the money gets big on the post flop you know its likely you are out gunned if you only have an overpair. This is over simplifying it but its one of the big lessons I am picking up at the $100NL over the $50NL. People are far more choosy in general on what is a big betting hand where as $50NL often might be QJ on a J high flop.

Well enough sermonising from me in areas I am under qualified to talk on. I am going to put in some hours tonight and try to get this week into the positive.

Rich

Cool Beans.

Back to normal service. Well of a sorts.

$100NL

Hands: 256
Amount Won: $57.95
BB/100: 22.6

This is welcome return back to for or sorts. Truth is this session might have been a lot better but for some poor luck. I was over $100 up but lost the lot and then a bit due to some poor luck then after having a computer disconnection went back and made a nice profit.

I like my play at the moment, its been solid. This seems a silly way of describing it but I guess what I mean is I am getting in a groove and playing my game. I have noticed this means I tend to get less emotional, good luck or bad it just flows. Example being a bad hand I lost with AKo vs KJo. The guy was one seat right of me and raised from the MP, I called and the flop came J K x. He was short, bet so I put him all-in for about $25 expecting to win. I just let this one go when the chips went to him. I put my notes in and moved to the next hand.

I went through some of stats with Suhleafs and I was pleased to find we play pretty similar. I think I am still firing a few too many bets off and I am working on that. I think I need to tone my turn and river play down a little but I'm getting it. It just comes with the feel of the game.

Otherwise things are rosey at the moment. Another $100 and I have basically doubled my BR in a month. This month so far as been pretty amazing in transforming things for me. I feel better at the $100NL and I am already working the math on what I will need to $200NL. Don't worry though as some costs will mean my BR will be moving slowly up (hopefully) so I can get a good 6 mths of $100NL under me.

Rich

Weird, never noticed I basically won back tonight my losses for the week.

Karma I guess.

Rich

Played a little last night though it wasn't a stellar session.

$100NL

Hands: 715
Amount Won: -$101.50
BB/100: -14.20

I got stacked really early in a set over set and never really recovered. At different points I had it to within $50 down but I don't think I was ever going to fully recover. This is always a bit gutting but I was played well all night and to be honest didn't really think about the situation. This is good as sometimes I find I get too caught up in whether I am or down in a session.

The good news is I offset some of the loss by making a 3rd and 1st in two S $ Gs (only $5+$0.50) and I gleaned $30 from UB in bonus money. This made it under $50 for the day. Well I guess I can live with that in the scheme of things.

Playing tonight mainly on UB so see you soon.

Rich

ARGH!!!!

Stupid night. I have been having hassles with my laptop tonight and it has cost me. Its got some static thing which makes it cut out. Normally this might be once a month or so and the tech guys have told me how to fix it. Well it happened three times tonight while I was playing.

Once it cost me in a hand where the turn had dealt me top two pair on a guy. I won a small pot instead of hurting him. Second time the first hand back I got JJ, raised and got one call. Low flop so I bet, he raises me a small amount so I zing him back about $35. He goes all-in and I am stumped. I decided to call since this is Empire and I have been seing gooky shit all night. No sooner do I call than GT Plus comes back and I find out he hasn't raised once in 75 hands! He has AA and no suck out occurs.

About 5 mins after this the computer cuts out again and since I have no discount protection I decide to call it a night. I am very pissed off about this so it is prob a good thing I am not playing.

To try to solve my problem I have cleaned and dusted my work area and used a mini vacum on the inside of the laptop. Any further problems will result in me blowing the laptop up.

Rich

Not played in two days but I am now writing this using my new laptop.

Things we do for poker...

Rich

Hmmm, looking at the journal it seems I have missed one important session. Tuesday night I managed to lose aprox $200. I say aprox as the damage was done and I cannot be arsed to dredge up the figures. Basically it was due to this session I have now replaced my laptop. It managed to cut out 3 times in 2 hours and because of this I know I played very badly.

Well there is no point whinging if you ae not doing anything about it so I now have a nice new Toshiba laptop and I am also please to annouce I am writing this from me bed as I have no wires! I am looking to christen her tonight playing Empire. I have a three day weekend and need about 680 in hands, easy. Then we have another Paradise and UB reload. Seems the gods want me to recover my losses from this week, or have a real laugh at my expense.

Well I am going to have a little sleep then its to the grind stone tonight.

Rich

Got the new computer off to a winning start.

As it seems with many NL sessions the whole session really flipped on a few hands. Since I am currently shuffling money right now from UB to Paradise then back to UB for various reloads plus withdrawing cash for this shiny new laptop I am writing on I had only $280 left in Empire. Well I decided I would play two tables and if it went tits stop quickly. I needed about 700 hands still so I wanted to make a start.

Well I was up $40, down $50 but finally finished up $131. I am playing some more tonight so I will post my total result later but fingers crossed.

I am actually happy as its nice to post a sweet win after two shitty days. I had the laptop issues but I know I was still tilty because of this and could easily have folded several times to avoid the carnage I created. Well now I have improved equipment and intend to play with the following question in my head at all time;

What would James Bond do?

My new mantra. While the obvious answer is prob vapourise the bad guy using a laser from his watch then make out with his wife I hope you can see my thinking.

Other than that it does actually feel really good to be back playing. Three days forced off is bad news. I put this session in starting at 10am since while this is a crappy time for Empire I just wanted to get started again.

Will be posting more later, I figure another $100 plus getting the reload and I can leave Empire with my head held high.

Rich

$100NL

Hands: 437

BB/100: 78

Today was karma for losing about $250 due to my screwy laptop. Today was back to business, no BS. Well I have now set a new high for winnings in one day. This is def been a land mark month more me.

Well as you know I made $130 this morning in a session, big hands being an AA vs KK where three 5s came down on the board. I figure I have prob the best full house and if I lose to quads then so be it. The betting goes super nova and he turns over KK while I rake in his stack, sweet.

The afternoon session was going gay, I was down about $40 and had won about 3 hands in my first 100, and two of those were fold arounds to my raises. I was still only playing two tables as I didn't have enough to cover reloads required on 3 tables if things went poo. Well things were going boring but I was making raked hands so what the hey when this super maniac appears. He raises 3 of his first 4 hands $10 and when one guy does call him he goes all-in on the flop for $90. Sweet, this guy is my ATM, just a matter of getting him before someone else does. Through some big time bullying he is up to $160 quite fast though I think he just betting and raising with nothing most of the time. First chance is with AKs, he doesn't raise huge as he has toned it down a little, only a min raise. Its heads up so I call a dollar from the BB. Flop is rainbow, king high. I decide to let him bet then I am going to give it a wussy raise (he has been getting slapped about a few times as people adjust) and hope I can goad him into pushing. Sadly he is getting smart and folds after he bets $2 into a $5 pot and I raise it $5.

Next chance is me with 99 MP. He is LP. I limp, we have a couple of limpers already when he makes it $10 and it folds back to me. He has done this so many times now I figure he prob has crap since he has previously raised $2, $4, $5 and $7. Also he have tussled in a few small pots and he has folded to me so I reraise $35. If he pushes I am going to take it as I figure at worse I am slight fav to something like KQ. He thinks for a while then calls. Flop is two tone, 9 high! How to bleed this then. I decide to chk the flop after counting to 7, I want him to put me on something like AKs then he will push with anything that hits. He bets something like $8 and I call, again after thinking for a while since the pot is getting big. Turn is an A. This is either great for me or bad. I decide to come out firing and make it $20, pot is about $80 at this point. He min raises me which I have seen him do several times and its been folded to him. I decided again after thinking to call. I want to keep him on the line. There is still no flush and no straight draw so I am good at this point unless he has AA. River an A too so I know have the second best f/house. I fire for $50 in a $130 odd pot. He thinks but folds in the end. I got half his stack on this one.

After this I hit sets on that table with 7s and stacked someone, then hit another set with Ts on my other table, stacking a guy with AA. I was up a long way so decided to quit while I was ahead. I made a big dent in my Empire bonus, I am about 320 hands from finishing it and I am now up on the deal.

Well I am going to chill out tonight and watch the missus play some. Today is a good day and I am going to enjoy it.

Thanks for everyone who had helped me get here and good luck all.

Rich

The card god has some sense of humor, I have to say on this one.

I finally finished my Empire bonus today playing 300 odd hands. Result at the tables? A loss of $350!!!

WTF. Most of the damage was done in the first 35 mins, losing KK vs AA. It didn't all go in till the river and to be fair to the other guy he played it well reeling me in the whole way. Then I lose AA to 22, wanker raises $5 PF so I call it as we are heads up. Bets the flop, I raise him on the turn but he still stubbornly calls. River is that fecking 2 so when I put him all in for his last $35 I hang myself. I later lose with a set of tens to flush. I lose a couple of top pair hands to over pairs, aces twice that have been slow played.

Stupid thing is I don't think I played awfully and on another day (like yesterday) I am well up. Otherwise I was pretty dead carded but I didn't let it affect me. I think the good thing about today was despite staring down the barrel of a gun I was determined to finish me bonus and not tilt. I don't think I tilted one little bit. There were a few lose calls/bets here and there though I was also trying to make sure the table knew I was still there before I got written off as a nut peddler. I did get 3 sets, losing the tens and getting no action on the others. No flushes or straights. Just plain crap. I played 3 tables and was never up on any of them.

Well the redemption will be my going back to UB tonight, assuming they every process my cashout from Friday. I just need to win $10 to make sure I am not recording a bigger loss than winning day again. Technically though I did get my $100 from Empire too so I think that should count.

Funny thing is I am really eager to play right now. Strange as normally when I lose big I want to forget about the whole thing. I guess I am happy that the damage was shit cards and now I deserve the hands of variance to swing back here a bit. Also going back to UB will be cool. I am going to road test the version of GT Plus so I can basically sit down and have the last two hours of play at the table datamined in the time it takes to do an orbit!

Sometimes when I have a losing session like this is a bit of a relief. I know playing this game I am going to have days where it all goes to crap no matter what. I think when I sit down sometimes I am scared in the back of my head it will be one of those days so I guess now I have had one I know I should be due a little rest from them. While it may actually go from bad to worse tonight I am confident my game is good and I am of sound mind. Also I hate Empire but like UB.

Fingers crossed for me.

Rich